Thanksgiving travel could face major disruptions

'We can't be faulted'

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL — Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is urging his colleagues in the Senate GOP to hold the line on pro-life and prevent federal funds from going to abortions. In a letter sent to his Republican colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday, the Texas Senator urged his fellow appropriators to protect the Hyde Amendment in any potential conference agreement or appropriations package. “As negotiations with your Democratic counterparts continue, I urge you to maintain all provisions that protect against federal funding of elective abortions in any potential conference agreement or appropriations package,” Cornyn wrote in the document addressed to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.  In the One Big Beautiful Bill, which was signed into law in July, congressional Republicans stripped Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides the most amount of abortions in the country. In the past, Planned Parenthood has received more than one-third of its overall funding from grants, contracts, and Medicaid reimbursements provided by the American government. “By halting taxpayer funding of abortion through the Medicaid program, Republicans showed that even in the wake of the historic Dobbs decision, our fight is not over, and we reasserted our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities,” Cornyn explained in the letter. “The ongoing legal fight over this provision highlights the continued threat of the big abortion industry and the need for pro-life lawmakers to remain vigilant,” the Texas senator continued. Since the advent of the Hyde Amendment in the 1970s, pro-life legislators have attempted to curb direct and indirect federal funding for elective abortions. Cornyn estimates in his letter that approximately 2,646,000 lives have been saved as a result following that congressional decision. Cornyn noted the hardball tactics employed by the Democrats to get Big Abortion back on the federal funding circuit. “Democrats shut down the government for 43 days in an unsuccessful attempt to undue the work Republicans accomplished in OBBBA, including the progress we made to stop forced taxpayer funding of abortion,” Cornyn wrote. “Now is not the time to give an inch on our pro-life values.” The Texas senator is currently facing two major challengers, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt, for his Senate seat in 2026 GOP primary that will be held in March. Some recent polling shows a close three-way race. The post EXCLUSIVE: Cornyn Urges Senate GOP to Keep Tax Dollars Out of Big Abortion Pockets appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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We’ve got a new interactive series called Worst Media Take of the Week, where you — our loyal NewsBusters visitors and MRC supporters — get to vote on which leftist journalist or celebrity had the worst media take of the week.   Much appreciation to all who voted last week via NewsBusters and the MRC’s various social media sites (Facebook, Instagram and X.com).   The results of the Worst Media Take of the Week are in and the winner is… Katie Couric! The longtime liberal journalist took the top spot with 61 percent of the vote for her vile question to Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) smearing the late Charlie Kirk, arguing his own rhetoric contributed to the erosion of political course that resulted in his September 10 assassination.  While she came in first last week, ABC’s The View co-host Sunny Hostin was second this time with 31 percent of the vote. MS NOW host Katy Tur finished in third at eight percent of the vote. The following is a montage of all the nominees:     WINNER (61 percent of the vote)   Katie Couric Blames the Victim: “Charlie Kirk’s Rhetoric Was Extreme” “I think some people might say Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric was extreme. You know, I think that’s the conversation that happened. People condemned political violence, but they also felt a great deal of discomfort with his language, suggesting that these kinds of words lead to violence. I don’t know, I’m just kind of sharing my observations as I saw the conversations unfold.”— Host Katie Couric to Sen. John Fetterman on her podcast Next Question with Katie Couric, November 13.   SECOND PLACE (31 percent of the vote)   Sunny Hostin: America is a “Sick” and “Racist” Country “I think it’s ridiculous that people don’t see what this country was founded on and what this country still is sickened with. It’s a sick country. It’s a racist country.”— ABC’s The View co-host Sunny Hostin on Behind the Table podcast, November 18.   THIRD PLACE (8 percent of the vote)   Katy Tur: Shutdown Revealed Trump’s “Dark Side” “The shutdown did reveal quite a dark side of Donald Trump….Posting about the grim reaper coming to slash government jobs, laying off workers….Suing states to say, ‘No, you can’t release these SNAP funds.’...There was a certain callousness that went further than I’ve seen Donald Trump go in the past.” — Host Katy Tur on MSNBC’s Katy Tur Reports, November 12.   Thanks again to all who participated! The Worst Media Take of the Week poll will be taking this week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, so stay tuned for our next poll that we’ll share on Friday, December 5. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to all who have participated! Funded by James P. Jimirro

A teddy bear with artificial intelligence integration was pulled from an online store after a report said it was capable of making sexual suggestions as well as plans for violence.The "Kumma" bear sold by FoloToy cost only $99 online, but a report from the Public Interest Research Groups said the toy didn't have proper safeguards against access to harmful content. FoloToy is based in Singapore.'Kumma discussed even more graphic sexual topics in detail, such as explaining different sex positions, giving step-by-step instructions on a common "knot for beginners" for tying up a partner and describing roleplay dynamics involving teachers and students.'"We were surprised to find how quickly Kumma would take a single sexual topic we introduced into the conversation and run with it, simultaneously escalating in graphic detail while introducing new sexual topics of its own," the group said.The topics included spanking, role-playing, and BDSM."Kumma discussed even more graphic sexual topics in detail," the group added, "such as explaining different sex positions, giving step-by-step instructions on a common 'knot for beginners' for tying up a partner and describing roleplay dynamics involving teachers and students, and parents and children — scenarios it disturbingly brought up itself."FoloToy CEO Larry Wang told CNN that the company pulled the bear as well as other AI-enabled toys and that the company was "conducting an internal safety audit."The website had marketed the bear to children as well as adults."Kumma, our adorable bear, combines advanced artificial intelligence with friendly, interactive features, making it the perfect friend for both kids and adults," the company said.RELATED: AI chatbot encouraged autistic boy to harm himself — and his parents, lawsuit says "From lively conversations to educational storytelling, FoloToy adapts to your personality and needs, bringing warmth, fun, and a little extra curiosity to your day," the website read.Open AI told PIRG that it had suspended the developer for abusing its policies.R.J. Cross, co-author of the report, told CNN that more efforts were necessary to prevent the harm from AI-enabled products."It's great to see these companies taking action on problems we've identified. But AI toys are still practically unregulated, and there are plenty you can still buy today," Cross said. "Removing one problematic product from the market is a good step but far from a systemic fix."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Ilhan Omar: 'Somalis have always been the fabric of this nation' – X responds with brutal fact-check

Letitia James Is Heartened by Today’s Victory and Remains Fearless in Face of 'Baseless Charges'

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