Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN)‚ a long-shot challenger to President Joe Biden‚ tore into the Democratic Party as primary day in New Hampshire got underway following an eye-opening experience visiting with supporters of former President Donald Trump. During an interview on CNN‚ which aired on Tuesday after a New Hampshire newspaper endorsed his campaign‚ Phillips shared his “conviction” that Biden would lose in a 2020 rematch against Trump and warned of a “crisis of participation” within his party. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “I’ve got to tell you guys‚ I went to a Donald Trump rally a couple nights ago. Never been to one. I had an event across the street. I saw the line of people waiting in the cold for hours and I thought‚ what the heck‚ you know‚ I’m going to be a leader who actually invites people‚ doesn’t condemn them‚” Phillips said. Joe Biden's primary opponent Dean Phillips trashes the Democrat Party: "My party is completely delusional right now"pic.twitter.com/BCgIkeMYp8 — Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 23‚ 2024 “Met probably 50 Trump people waiting in line. Every single one of them‚ thoughtful‚ hospitable‚ friendly‚ all of them so frustrated that they feel nobody’s listening to them but Donald Trump‚” he added. “A diverse crowd. People who had never been to a Trump event before. My party is completely delusional right now‚ and somebody had to wake us up. And if that’s my job‚ so be it.” Phillips‚ like other challengers against Biden‚ trails the incumbent by a wide margin in polls and has been critical of the Democratic Party for not hosting debates and vying to keep them off the ballot in key states. However‚ New Hampshire will be different. New Hampshire opted to defy the Democratic National Committee (DNC) by holding its first-in-the-nation primary for Democrats on January 23 after the national party decided to shake up its primary schedule by selecting South Carolina to go first on its calendar. Biden’s name is not appearing on the New Hampshire primary ballot after his campaign chose not to file for it in compliance with DNC rules — though there has been a write-in effort to boost the incumbent — while Phillips will be on the ballot. Phillips said he “absolutely” prefers Biden defeating Trump‚ but he argued in favor of competition versus a “coronation.” While he voiced support for other Democrats to get in the race‚ Phillips said he is “trying to extend an invitation to the president to get in the game because if you want to be the president again the only way to even possibly win is to get out here‚ listen to voters.”

CBS announced on Tuesday that the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills AFC showdown was watched by a whopping 50.4 million viewers‚ making it the most watched NFL Divisional Playoff game ever. The Chiefs’ 27-24 victory over the Bills came down to the last minutes and ended up scoring the honor of not only the most-watched playoff game‚ but the first ever to surpass 50 million viewers‚ a press release from CBS Sports and Paramount+ read. Sunday night’s playoff game was up by more than 10 percent from last year’s — and beat out the previous record set in 2017 when the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers NFL Divisional playoff game delivered 48.5 million viewers. CBS announced that Sunday’s Chiefs vs. Bills game was the most-watched Divisional Round game ever‚ with a whopping 50.393 million viewers. pic.twitter.com/3bsT4ST3xp — Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 23‚ 2024 To put the Chiefs-Bills playoff game numbers into further context‚ the comparable playoff game that took place in Jan. 2023 — between NFC leaders Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers — garnered 45 million viewers‚ the press release noted. At one point‚ viewership for the game spiked to 56 million viewers and gave Paramount+ its most-streamed live event ever. The nail-biting game between Kansas City and Buffalo was also the most-watched program on any network since Super Bowl LVII (Feb. 12‚ 2023)‚ the press release added. All four of the playoff games over the weekend saw great numbers‚ with the Packers and 49ers game on Fox coming in second place with 37.5 million viewers and the NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions taking the third spot with 37.2 million viewers‚ Deadline noted. The numbers for Sunday’s viewership aren’t completely unwarranted given the fact that there was plenty of excitement as the Bills and Chiefs fans saw the lead in the game change five times in 60 minutes. Kansas City now advances to the AFC Championship game on Sunday‚ where they will be on the road against the Baltimore Ravens. The winner will move on to the Super Bowl. Throughout the regular season‚ the NFL’s viewership was up over the last few years‚ with the numbers being the best the league has seen since 2015‚ Deadline noted.  Related: WATCH: NFL Fan Catches Fire While Tailgating At Bills-Chiefs Playoff Game

Immigration is now the top concern on voters’ minds‚ bumping inflation‚ which was previously at the top of the list‚ to second place‚ a new poll shows. About 35% of voters said immigration was their top concern‚ while about 32% said inflation was their main concern‚ according to a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll released Monday. The third biggest concern was “economy and jobs‚” with 25% of people citing this as their top issue. The next biggest concerns were “crime and drugs‚” and health care‚ which were both cited by 16% of voters. After those was the national deficit and national security‚ which tied at 14%‚ and then corruption and the environment‚ which were each cited by 13% of people. Despite immigration jumping seven percentage points since last month’s poll‚ inflation was mentioned by the most people as the issue that affects them personally. About 38% said inflation affects them directly‚ while only 17% said immigration does so‚ about three percentage points more than last month’s poll. Inflation remains high at 3.4% in December‚ but it has come down from its year-over-year peak of 9.1% in June 2022. Prices for many everyday necessities‚ including groceries‚ remain much higher than they were in 2019 before the pandemic. About three in five people say the economy is currently weak‚ and just under half of voters believe their financial situation is getting worse‚ according to the poll. Only 7% of people said abortion and racial equity‚ two other controversial issues‚ affect them directly‚ the poll found. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The crisis at the border has continued to cause headaches for the Biden administration and other Democrats. More than 225‚000 migrants were apprehended at the southern border in December‚ the highest monthly total since 2000‚ according to preliminary Homeland Security statistics. Texas has sent more than 90‚000 migrants to cities run by Democrats‚ including New York City‚ Chicago‚ Los Angeles‚ Philadelphia‚ Denver‚ and Washington‚ D.C.‚ causing those cities to strain their resources caring for the migrants. Meanwhile‚ President Biden’s approval rating remains at a dismal 42%‚ the poll showed. His approval has not topped 46% since September 2021. The president’s approval rating is especially low on the two top issues‚ immigration and inflation‚ with just 36% of people saying they strongly or somewhat approve of how he has handled inflation‚ and only 35% of people saying they approve of his handling of immigration‚ the poll showed. The low numbers for Biden come as the presidential race heats up. New Hampshire’s Republican primary on Tuesday night so far looks optimistic for former President Donald Trump‚ who appears likely to be the party’s nominee‚ meaning November’s general election would be a rematch between Trump and Biden.

The federal government dropped nearly $20 billion taxpayer dollars on refugee resettlement programs in just the last two years‚ a new watchdog report reveals‚ with the sum climbing as record numbers of foreign nationals attempt to enter the United States. The funds went to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)‚ which operates under the control of the Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) Administration for Children and Families‚ and claims to provide “social services that help refugees become self-sufficient as quickly as possible after their arrival in the United States.” ORR received a whopping $8.93 billion in taxpayer funds for fiscal year 2022 before the budget ballooned to $10.93 billion the following year‚ according to a new report from watchdog group Open the Books. The total sum of $19.85 billion in taxpayer funds were used to facilitate the resettlement of foreign nationals into the United States through a wide range of programs‚ with some offering housing assistance‚ school placement support‚ and assistance with public benefits applications. The President’s budget allocates just over $10 billion to the office in 2024. The figures mark massive increases from the beginning of Biden’s administration — just $2.6 billion was allocated to the ORR in 2021. The expenditures from the ORR come as the office has failed to account for unaccompanied children comes an unparalleled surge of illegal aliens at the southern border‚ all while over 10 million foreign nationals have attempted to cross the border into the United States since Joe Biden took office. There’s been a spike in funding for Refugee and Entrant Assistance Discretionary Grants over the last two years‚ covering programs that allow eligible individuals to receive financial assistance from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive ORR funding. While $1.5 billion in these discretionary grants were dispersed from 2013 to 2023‚ the majority of the grant spending has occurred in the last two years‚ with price tags of over $400 million in 2022 and $615 million in 2023. Within the discretionary grant program is the ORR’s Preferred Communities Program‚ which accounted for over half of the discretionary grant spending in 2022. The program seeks to offer “intensive case management to overcome barriers” to “extremely vulnerable individuals.” The Preferred Communities Program allocates federal funds to participating NGOs that provide various services for refugees. The ORR states that such services should “increase client’s level of self-sufficiency in one or more of the following domains‚” listing “mental health‚” “transportation‚” “linkages to benefit systems‚” and “immigration status‚” as areas in which NGOs can provide support with government money. “Potential migrants from an ever-broader range of countries are trying to enter the country by any means necessary‚” Open the Books Founder &; CEO Adam Andrzejewski explained before adding that the ORR’s grantmaking incentivizes mass migration into the United States. “The news traveling back home is: come to America. Entry is easy and the benefits are aplenty once you’ve arrived. The grantmaking in particular is a powerful magnet for more people to keep flooding our borders; who would turn down not just a free lunch but a leg up on a new life?” “This is creating an endless flow of people seeking help with anything from travel to health care to loans‚” Andrzejewski said. “By extending so many benefits we are creating an endless spiral of spending – and the pain can be felt everywhere from hospitals‚ to schools to shelters across the country.” Former HHS Director of the Office of Civil Rights Roger Severino contended in a recent report that “HHS and ORR have forgotten their original refugee-resettlement mission and instead have provided a panoply of free programs that incentivize people to come to the United States illegally.” Two of the non-governmental organizations that have historically received the most funding from ORR are also the previous employers of the ORR’s current director. The current director of ORR‚ Robin Dunn Marcos‚ is a 23-year veteran of the International Rescue Committee (IRC)‚ an organization that receives grants from ORR. During her time at the IRC‚ Dunn Marcos worked as the Senior Director for Resettlement‚ Asylum‚ and Integration Programming as well as the Executive Director of the organization’s Phoenix‚ Arizona branch. Dunn Marcos also worked as the Regional Representative for sub-Saharan Africa for the Church World Service (CWS)‚ another recipient of grants from ORR. In 2023‚ IRC received more than $66 million in government grants for the Preferred Communities program‚ while CWS received over $64 million‚ both figures marking a significant increase over 2022. Meanwhile‚ IRC received over $180 million while CWS was awarded $125 million total from 2013 to 2023 in Refugee and Entrant Assistance Discretionary Grants. A spokesperson for the ORR addressed the grants to Dunn Marcos’ previous employers‚ stating “Consistent with the Ethics Pledge‚ Robin Dunn Marcos is recused from participating in particular matters involving specific parties in which IRC is or represents a party. That recusal obligation lasts for two years from her date of appointment‚ which was September 11‚ 2022.” While nearly $20 billion in taxpayer funds were granted to the ORR‚ the office has been unable to reach up to 85‚000 unaccompanied children that it has placed with sponsors in recent years. Many unaccompanied children have ended up working in factories and food processing plants in violation of child labor laws‚ an investigative report from The New York Times found. Meanwhile‚ the ORR budget has spiked as the number of foreign nationals attempting to enter the U.S. has hit new highs. November 2023 set a new record for southern border encounters‚ with nearly a quarter million foreign nationals attempting to enter the United States. The increased figures include a record-breaking number of Chinese nationals and a 1‚000% increase in illegal immigration from Afghanistan‚ Ethiopia‚ and the Dominican Republic‚ among other countries. Border security and mass illegal immigration are set to become key issues of the presidential election‚ with multiple public opinion polls finding that over 60% of respondents do not approve of President Biden’s handling of the border.

Hollywood actor Gary Graham‚ best known for his roles in “Star Trek: Enterprise” and “Alien Nation‚” died at the age of 73 from cardiac arrest‚ according to a statement from his wife. Graham was beloved by fans for his Star Trek role as Ambassador Soval from 2001 to 2005. He also played the character Tanis in an episode of “Star Trek: Voyager” in 1995‚ and Ragnar in both “Star Trek: Of Gods and Men” and “Star Trek: Renegades.” “I always say he was my knight in shining armor‚ and I was his port in the storm‚” Becky Graham‚ his wife of nearly 25 years‚ said. “He was loved by many.” Graham’s ex-wife Susan Lavelle‚ who is also the mother of his daughter‚ shared her feelings about the tragedy of his death with a Facebook post. “It is with deep profound sadness to say that Gary Graham‚ my ex husband‚ amazing actor and father of our beautiful only child together‚ Haylee Graham‚ has passed away today. We are completely devastated… especially our daughter‚” she wrote. “I met Gary when I was just 20 years old and he was one half of the star duo on the tv series‚ Alien Nation. But he had already been in movies like  ‘All the Right Moves’ with Tom Cruise. Of course‚ Gary has many more credits.” “Gary was funny‚ sarcastic sense of humor but kind‚ fought for what he believed in‚ a devout Christian and was so proud of his daughter‚ Haylee‚” she added. “This was sudden so please pray for our daughter as she navigates through this thing called grief. Fly high into the heavens Gar! Thank you for our journey and thank you for the gifts you left me in acting‚ my love of horses and most importantly‚ our daughter.” The actor had a Hollywood career spanning five decades beginning in the 1970s. He has appeared in more than 38 TV roles and was also in more than 40 movies‚ acting opposite some of the biggest names in Hollywood from Bruce Willis to Tom Cruise. Graham also loved music‚ playing in several bands during his lifetime. He was also a contributor to Breitbart News. Hollywood shines a little less brightly without a person of good character and great talent like Graham in it.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a public appearance on Tuesday‚ his first since the controversy over his secretive hospitalization‚ and opted not to mention his health situation in a break with his script. The Cabinet official beamed into a virtual meeting of a group focused on discussing support for Ukraine to deliver an opening statement in which Austin deviated from prepared remarks that were published by the Department of Defense (DoD). Austin was expected to say‚ “As you can tell‚ I’m joining from home today. I’m feeling good and looking forward to being back at the Pentagon very soon. And I’m grateful for all of your warm wishes‚” but he skipped that part to get right into talking about Ukraine. LIVE: @SecDef Lloyd J. Austin III speaks from the Pentagon at a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. https://t.co/SBTX6R8Fs5 — Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) January 23‚ 2024 During a press briefing‚ a reporter asked Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder why Austin did not mention being at home or address his health in his first public appearance since being released from the hospital. “It’s his prerogative on any remarks that he gives to amend those in delivery‚” Ryder said. “I will say I am glad that everyone was able to watch his remarks about the impact of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and the important work that it’s doing to save lives from Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression.” Q: Why didn't Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin address his health in his first public remarks since his incapacitation scandal? Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder: "It's his prerogative" pic.twitter.com/PBYYBarqCn — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 23‚ 2024 Austin‚ 70‚ was hospitalized on January 1 for complications following a December procedure to treat prostate cancer. He faced blowback when it emerged that many top officials‚ including President Joe Biden and the deputy who took on some of his duties‚ were not privy to his health situation for days. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Several investigations‚ including a probe by the Department of Defense’s inspector general‚ a White House review of Cabinet protocols‚ and an inquiry in the GOP-led House‚ have been announced. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and former President Donald Trump have called for Austin to resign or be fired over the controversy. Austin is also being called to testify before Congress. The DoD announced last week that Austin was being released from the hospital‚ ending a roughly two-week stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Austin said he would continue to perform his duties from home as he recuperates. White House officials have insisted that Biden has “complete confidence” in Austin‚ who has said he takes responsibility for the lack of disclosure‚ and they emphasized that the president plans to keep the secretary in place through the remainder of his term despite it being “not optimal” that the commander-in-chief and other leaders did not know what happened for so long.

An Illinois city councilman has suggested that the wealthier citizens of his city host illegal immigrants in their homes amid a surge of crossings at the southern border.  Naperville City Councilman Josh McBroom suggested last week at a council meeting that residents should consider creating a signup sheet for residents to open up their homes to illegal immigrants. Naperville‚ a suburb of Chicago‚ is home to about 149‚000 people.  “I do know there’s a lot of people who do care and I think we live in a compassionate community‚” he said. “We do have a very affluent community‚ a lot of big homes. What I’d like to do is direct staff to create a sign-up sheet for individuals that would be willing to house migrant families. And if there’s people that would do that‚ God bless them.”  Naperville Councilman Josh McBroom wants a sign-up list for residents to host illegals in their homes: "We do have a very affluent community. We have a lot of big homes." Naperville is a wealthy liberal suburb on the outskirts of Chicago. Biden won there by a 20% margin in… pic.twitter.com/UdO61MmRKW — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 23‚ 2024 “I think we need to find out who would be willing to house migrant families‚” he added.  According to the Naperville Sun‚ fellow city council members Nate Wilson‚ Paul Leong‚ and Jennifer Bruzan Taylor all appeared to back McBroom’s suggestion‚ but no formal vote was taken. McBroom said staff would be told to “come back with their ideas on how they could facilitate something like this.” A city spokesperson said that at least six busloads of illegal immigrants have been dropped off in Naperville since December 21‚ even as nearby Chicago has been sent thousands of illegal immigrants from Texas. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “You know‚ if we had a number of homes who said yes‚ we are willing to take in migrants into our home‚ who do we contact and how do we coordinate? Or would (the city) play a role in that? Or will we provide them the resources. Say here’s where you could contact‚” McBroom told the Sun. “I don’t know‚ and there’s probably a lot of legal questions that would need to be answered.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has repeatedly asked the Biden administration for more funding to deal with the influx of illegal immigrants into his city and has condemned Texas for sending the migrants to his city. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has also repeatedly complained about Texas sending illegal immigrants to his state.  Under Biden‚ a record number of illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border and Texas has responded by sending them to sanctuary cities like Chicago. Johnson has imposed restrictions on arrivals in the city and Texas has responded by dropping off the illegal immigrants at nearby suburbs.

The U.S. Military conducted airstrikes against an Iranian-backed terrorist group in Iraq on Tuesday in response to continued attacks that the group has launched against U.S. forces in the region. “In response to attacks by the Iranian-backed militia group Kataib Hezbollah (KH)‚ including the attack on al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq on Jan. 20‚ on Jan. 24 at 12:15 a.m. (Iraq time)‚ U.S. CENTCOM forces conducted unilateral airstrikes against three facilities used by Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups in Iraq‚” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “These strikes targeted KH headquarters‚ storage‚ and training locations for rocket‚ missile‚ and one-way attack UAV capabilities.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin claimed that the Biden administration would “not hesitate to take necessary action to defend” U.S. forces in the region from the attacks‚ despite U.S. forces in the region having already been attacked more than 150 times since October 17‚ 2023. Kataib Hezbollah is an Iraqi Shia terrorist group that was founded in 2007. The group “seeks to establish an Iran-aligned government in Iraq‚ expel US and coalition forces from the country‚ and advance Iranian interests throughout the Middle East‚” according to the office of the Director of National Intelligence. The group has received extensive training‚ funding‚ logistic support‚ weapons‚ and intelligence from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF).

Former “Doctor Who” actor Christopher Eccleston revealed in a recent interview that he was once falsely accused of “copping a feel” while filming a sex scene with someone he described only as an “A-list actress” who was “not Nicole Kidman.” Eccleston‚ who played the 9th Doctor in the popular British sci-fi series‚ gave no other hints as to who the actress might be‚ telling The Independent only that he was relieved it had happened prior to the #MeToo movement and the fallout surrounding disgraced film executive Harvey Weinstein. “I did a sex scene with an A-list actress – not Nicole Kidman‚ who was brilliant – and she implied‚ in front of the crew‚ that I was copping a feel. Because she didn’t like me‚” he said‚ explaining that he knew he was “fortunate that happened to me before the Harvey Weinstein stuff came to light‚ so I wasn’t put in the stocks for it. But I’ve never felt more betrayed by a fellow actor than I did that day.” “I have to say to you that I would sooner have put my hands in a food blender than copped a feel of that person‚” he added. “It was an abuse of power‚ what she did. I don’t think that would have happened with an intimacy coordinator on set. I could have been accused of all manner of things.” Part of the reason Eccleston felt so betrayed was that he had always felt it was part of his responsibility — both as an actor and as a man — to make sure that the actress was comfortable in any sex scene they did together. “As a bloke‚ as a young man‚ you walk onto the set and see the majority of people in the crew are male‚” he said. “Then there’s a beautiful woman who’s naked. So unless you are a complete a***hole‚ you just continually ask her: are you comfortable? Is there anything I can do?” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP That experience coupled with the #MeToo movement‚ he said‚ has made him appreciate the addition of an intimacy coordinator on set. “I’m here to protect you too‚ Chris‚” he quoted one intimacy coordinator as saying. “I’d not thought about that. You don’t think that maybe somebody’s copping a look at you. You just don’t‚ not from a working-class northern British background‚” the actor continued. “I was born in ’64‚ when men were really not the objects of desire as far as I knew.” Eccleston’s interview comes along with the recent season four premiere of HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country” — in which Eccleston stars alongside Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster.

'No one wants to do this job'