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Trump Endorses Burt Jones in Georgia Governor Race

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(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Georgia’s 2026 gubernatorial race is still nearly a year away, but major endorsements are already shaping the field. President Donald Trump formally endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones this week, signaling his choice in the Republican primary. In a social media post with multiple phrases in all caps, Trump praised Jones for being one of the first in the Georgia Legislature to endorse his presidential campaign and for working “tirelessly” in 2016, 2020, and 2024. He concluded, “Burt Jones for governor has my complete and total endorsement – he will never let you down!”

Jones faces Attorney General Chris Carr, his most recognized Republican primary opponent. Carr’s campaign responded to The Center Square, stating, “Chris Carr is the only conservative Republican who can win the primary and the general election. The attorney general will continue to work with President Trump now and as governor on the issues that matter to hardworking Georgians.”

Political analysts say Trump’s backing could boost Jones, though it is not a guaranteed path to victory. Dr. Zachary F. Peskowitz of Emory University noted that while endorsements can help distinguish candidates in a primary, recent Georgia elections have shown it is possible to win without Trump’s support, citing Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

In addition to Jones and Carr, seven other Republicans have filed to run, though most are lesser-known figures. Independent candidate Scotty Ellison has also entered the race.

On the Democratic side, former Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, state Sen. Jason Esteves, and state Rep. Derrick Jackson headline a long list of candidates. Esteves and Bottoms have already secured endorsements from local leaders and organizations, positioning themselves as early frontrunners in their primary.

The Georgia primary date has not been set. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.

Illinois Judge Blocks Texas Push to Arrest Democrats

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An Illinois judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Illinois State Sen. Jil Walker Tracy that sought to arrest 33 Texas House Democrats who fled the state to block legislative action. The case, filed in the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court in Adams County, aimed to domesticate Texas quorum warrants so Illinois law enforcement could detain the lawmakers and return them to Texas.

Judge Scott Larson ruled Wednesday that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction, stating there was no legal basis to hear the case. He wrote that Illinois courts cannot decide whether “foreign legislators” willfully absconded from their duties, nor can they direct Illinois police to execute civil quorum warrants on nonresidents temporarily in the state. The decision meant the court did not consider personal jurisdiction, venue, or the merits of the petition.

Paxton’s lawsuit argued that the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution required Illinois to honor Texas’ quorum warrants as if they were its own civil orders. The filing requested the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the Democrats, compel their return to Texas, and enforce the warrants to avoid “immediate and irreparable harm” to the state’s legislative process.

The Democrats left Texas to prevent a vote on new congressional maps and other legislation during a special session. More than 50 members broke quorum, stopping House business. Governor Greg Abbott has vowed to call special sessions until lawmakers return and pass the proposed measures.

The Illinois court’s rejection leaves Texas with the option to appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court and, if unsuccessful, potentially to the U.S. Supreme Court. As of now, neither Paxton nor Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows has issued public comment on the ruling.

Pittsylvania County Deputies Injured in Violent Standoff

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Police (Kenny Eliason/Unsplash)

Three Pittsylvania County, Virginia, deputies were injured Wednesday night while serving warrants in the town of Gretna after a suspect allegedly opened fire on them. The Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office said the deputies were not directly struck by bullets but were wounded by shrapnel during the exchange. All three sustained non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to recover.

Authorities identified the suspect as James Andru Lehnerd. According to officials, deputies approached a residence to serve warrants when Lehnerd reportedly began firing. The confrontation led to an hourslong standoff involving multiple law enforcement agencies. Initial news reports suggested the deputies had been shot, but law enforcement clarified that shrapnel from gunfire caused their injuries.

The New York Times reported that the standoff took place in southern Virginia and involved sustained gunfire from the suspect. After hours of negotiation and tactical operations, Lehnerd was taken into custody without further harm to officers or nearby residents.

Lehnerd has been charged with Felony Attempted Aggravated Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer. Authorities have not released details about the nature of the warrants or the firearm used in the incident. The Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing, with additional charges possible as evidence is reviewed.

Law enforcement officials have expressed relief that the deputies’ injuries were not more severe and credited the quick actions of officers on the scene for preventing further harm. The Sheriff’s Office emphasized that serving warrants is one of the most unpredictable and dangerous aspects of police work, underscoring the risks officers face daily.

The incident has drawn attention across Virginia, with local residents voicing support for the deputies and gratitude for their service. Lehnerd remains in custody pending court proceedings.

Defying Newsom, California County Protects Girls’ Sports

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Athletes (Steven Lelham/Unsplash)

The school board of Kern County, California, has moved to defy state policy and prohibit transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports.

“Now, there be it resolved the Kern County Board of Education affirms it is for Title IX and calls on athletic governing bodies to uphold its protections by ensuring fairness in girls’ sports,” Trustee Lori Cisneros said, as per KBAK.

In July, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against California over violations of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act through its inclusion of transgender individuals in girls’ sports and locker rooms.

According to the filing, the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) have held to “discriminatory policies and practices” that “ignore undeniable biological differences between boys and girls” and instead favor “an amorphous ‘gender identity.’” As a result of the policies, girls are “displaced from podiums, denied awards, and miss out on critical visibility for college scholarships and recognition.”

President Donald Trump threatened to impose “large-scale fines” against the state of California following the victory of a biological male in multiple girls’ track and field events in June. “A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!”

Trump’s threat stemmed from a February executive order, which declared that “it is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy.”

Sharon Stone Praises Middle American Values for Saving Her Family

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(Ahmet Yalçınkaya/Unsplash)

Actress Sharon Stone credited “wholesome, middle American values” for shaping her life and enabling her to raise three adopted sons as a single mother. Speaking on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, Stone said those values kept her sober, healthy, and grounded while navigating personal and professional challenges.

“I ended up raising three unbelievably wonderful young men, because I started out with wholesome, middle American values,” Stone told Meyers. “And now we’re in a place where these values are being considered incidental. They aren’t.” She emphasized that her moral grounding was essential in raising her children, noting, “I wouldn’t have survived, I wouldn’t be a sober, healthy, working mom… if I didn’t come from grounded moral values.” The remarks drew applause from the audience.

Stone described the challenges of raising children in recent years, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the influence of online culture. “Our kids are online, and then they’re confused about their value systems… it’s been a complicated period to raise children,” she said. The Casino star stressed the importance of holding to firm principles during such times.

Reflecting on her children’s character, Stone called them “grounded, centered, handsome,” and “organized.” She recalled looking at a recent red-carpet photo of her family and feeling deep pride. “I was so proud of them,” she said, sharing that her youngest son told her, “Mom, we’re a family that weathered the storm.”

Stone’s comments stand out in Hollywood, where affirmations of traditional values are rare. Her public praise for middle American moral principles underscores a message often overlooked in entertainment circles—that faith, family, and personal discipline remain the foundation for raising responsible, resilient children.

Google Bias Against Republican Emails Sparks Outrage

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Google App (Brett Jordan/Unsplash)

A Republican strategy firm says Google’s Gmail platform has been quietly sabotaging conservative fundraising efforts by flagging Republican donation emails as “dangerous” while letting similar Democratic messages through unscathed. Targeted Victory, which works with top GOP leaders and committees, released findings showing a stark difference in how Gmail treats Republican and Democratic solicitations.

According to a memo obtained by the New York Post, the firm tested identical fundraising emails with only one change: a WinRed donation link for Republicans or an ActBlue link for Democrats. Messages with WinRed links were flagged with red warnings or sent to spam, while ActBlue-linked messages went directly to inboxes. The tests were conducted in June and July.

Targeted Victory represents figures such as Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. They posted a YouTube video showing the filtering in real-time, claiming it’s further proof of systemic bias inside Big Tech against conservatives.

This is not the first time Google has faced such allegations. A 2022 study from North Carolina State University found Gmail marked Republican fundraising emails as spam 59% more often than Democratic ones during the 2020 election cycle. Republican leaders have previously petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to investigate, citing the damage to outreach and donations. In a letter, they argued that suppression “should be calculated not only in dollars never raised, but in votes never cast.”

Google denies political bias. Spokesperson José Castañeda stated Gmail’s filters are designed to protect users and apply equally to all political parties. Critics remain unconvinced, pointing to a pattern of suppression claims from President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and others who accuse Google of favoring Democrats in both search results and information visibility.

Targeted Victory said it alerted Google to the issue on June 30, but the company initially blamed “local settings.” Weeks later, Google admitted its systems had flagged WinRed links as suspicious. The firm warns that if Gmail continues to quietly block Republican links while allowing Democratic ones, it will “tilt the playing field in ways voters never see, but campaigns will feel every single day.”

Democrat Governor Scrambles to Contain Crime Wave

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(Atoosa Ryanne/Unsplash)

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) declared a state of emergency in Rio Arriba County, the City of Española, and area Pueblos due to a surge in violent crime.

“When our local leaders called for help to protect their communities, we responded immediately with decisive action,” Lujan Grisham said. “We are making every resource available to support our local partners on the ground and restore public safety and stability to these areas that have been hardest hit by this crisis.”

The emergency declaration states that the affected areas are “experiencing a significant increase in crime, including but not limited to violent offenses, property crimes, drug trafficking, and other safety threats.”

The declaration further states that a “significant number of residents of Rio Arriba County, Espanola, Santa Clara, and Ohkay Owingeh struggle with addiction to alcohol and illicit substances such as fentanyl, resulting in Rio Arriba County having the highest overdose death rate in the state” and makes $750,000 available to the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to work on response efforts and allocate resources to affected areas.

In April, the Democratic governor issued an emergency declaration for Albuquerque to address crime and fentanyl in the area. The emergency request called for dozens of National Guard personnel to be deployed to the area.

“By deploying our National Guard to support [Albuquerque Police Department] with essential duties, we’re ensuring that trained police officers can focus on what they do best–keeping our communities safe,” Lujan Grisham said at the time. “This partnership represents our commitment to addressing the fentanyl crisis and juvenile crime with every resource at our disposal.”

New Gabbard Docs Place James Clapper at Center of Russiagate

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(Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released newly declassified emails that place former DNI James Clapper at the center of the Obama-era intelligence report aiming to link President Donald Trump with Russia.

In 2016, then-National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers expressed concern that the intelligence community was not “fully comfortable saying that they have had enough time to review all of the intelligence to be absolutely confident in their assessments.” 

Clapper responded by saying that officials “may have to compromise on our ‘normal’ modalities,” noting “more time is not negotiable.”

“This is one project that has to be a team sport,” Clapper added.

“The leading figures in the Russia Hoax have spent years deceiving the American public by presenting their manufactured and politicized assessments as credible intelligence,” Gabbard said in a statement on the declassified materials, explaining that the email “reinforces what we already exposed: the decision to compromise standards and violate protocols in the creation of the 2017 manufactured intelligence assessment was deliberate and came from the very top. Clapper’s own words confirm that complying with the order to manufacture intelligence was a ‘team sport.’”

“Newly declassified Top Secret emails sent on December 22, 2016 complying with President Obama’s order to create the manufactured January 2017 ICA about Russia expose how DNI James Clapper demanded the IC fall in line behind the Russia Hoax,” Gabbard wrote on social media, sharing the emails. “Clapper admits that it was a ‘team sport’ that required “compromise on our ‘normal modalities.'”

Gabbard previously released documents that flipped the narrative that narrative that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to help President Donald Trump win in 2016. “The judgment that Putin developed a ‘clear preference’ for candidate Trump and ‘aspired to help his chances of victory’ did not adhere to the tenets of the ICD (Intelligence Community Directive) analytical standards,” the declassified report said.

‘We’ll Put It Up’: Trump Secures Return of Border Wall Materials Biden Sold Off

The United States Mexico International (Southern) Border Wall between Sunland Park New Mexico and Puerto Anapra, Chihuahua Mexico (grandriver/Getty via Canva Pro)

President Trump announced that his administration is retrieving border wall materials the Biden administration sold at steeply discounted prices. Legal action and a settlement with the auction company involved will return the steel components to be installed along the southern border.

Speaking at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, President Trump accused President Biden of selling border wall parts “for pennies on the dollar,” citing prices as low as three or four cents on the dollar. Trump said, “We are taking that wall back… We’ll put it up.” He noted the administration is paying only a small amount to reclaim the materials, which had been left unused after Biden halted wall construction in early 2021.

Attorney General Pam Bondi is leading the legal effort, filing suit against the company that handled the sale. According to Trump, Bondi reached a settlement allowing the wall sections to be returned. The surplus auction firm GovPlanet, which facilitated the sales, agreed to expedite the materials’ return through existing contract arrangements, selling them back at cost to U.S. taxpayers.

The move follows a December court injunction secured by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The ruling blocked the Biden administration from auctioning off additional wall components before Trump took office, citing possible violations of prior court orders tied to border wall funding. Trump praised the decision as a “major, crucial win for America.”

The reclaimed materials are expected to be installed in high-traffic illegal entry zones, reinforcing Trump’s pledge to restore and expand the southern border wall. The administration views the recovery as both a fiscal and security measure—avoiding waste of taxpayer-funded assets while advancing its goal of securing the border.

‘Hedge Funds Would Be Jealous’: Bessent Slams Congressional Stock Profits

Scott Bessent (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is calling for an end to individual stock trading by members of Congress, citing “eye-popping” profits that would make Wall Street hedge funds envious. His remarks have intensified demands for legislative action to restore public trust in elected officials. Recent proposals, including a Senate bill by Sen. Josh Hawley, aim to crack down on lawmakers profiting from privileged information.

Bessent issued the warning during an interview on Bloomberg Surveillance, stating that members of Congress are making gains that no average investor could legally replicate. “If any ordinary American traded like this, the SEC would be at their door,” he said. Bessent promised to work with Congress to ban lawmakers from trading individual securities while in office.

Some of the most significant gains reportedly came from high-profile lawmakers like Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Ron Wyden. According to Bessent, the returns achieved by congressional members were so significant that “every hedge fund would be jealous.” One senator executed more than 1,300 trades in just two years, raising serious questions about access to non-public information.

Sen. Josh Hawley’s proposed legislation, which cleared a Senate committee in July by a narrow 8-7 margin, would ban stock trading by members of Congress and their spouses. It also includes new restrictions for the president and vice president, who would face delayed divestment rules. House Speaker Mike Johnson has also signaled openness to a ban, though some members of Congress have pushed back, citing stagnant salaries since 2009 as a reason they should be allowed to manage their own investments.

Despite the ethical concerns, public interest in congressional trading remains high. Financial firms have developed ETFs that mimic trades made by lawmakers, based on the observation that congressional trades frequently outperform the market. These trends underscore growing concerns about corruption, conflicts of interest, and the need for accountability in public service.

Lawmakers’ access to legislative schedules, regulatory updates, and industry briefings offers them an advantage not available to ordinary investors. Bessent’s comments reflect increasing frustration with this systemic imbalance and growing bipartisan support to limit it.

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