Theodis Daniel, the father of Devarjayย “DJ” Daniel, is jumping into the political arena.
Speaking first to Fox News Digital, Daniel saidย he’s ready to fightย for Texas’ 18th congressional district.ย
Daniel joins a crowded field of candidates from across the political spectrum, but the father and veteran said his campaign is unlike the others.
“I’m a regular guy. I am not a politician,” Daniel said. “I don’t have six-figure deals. I’m just a regular dude trying to make it. Single dad. I got three kids to myself. I’m a disabled veteran just trying to make a difference regardless of what I’m going through.”
The Republican candidate said he is running “for those who struggle,” explaining that his campaign priorities โ supporting law enforcement, safety, healthcare and education โ aren’t just abstract ideas but “battles my family and I face every day.”
Daniel’s 13-year-old son, DJ, was named an honorary U.S. Secret Service agent during President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress earlier this year. Daniel proudly raised his son up over his shoulder as politicians jumped to their feet for a standing ovation.
The moment catapulted Daniel into the national conversation, and the 13-year-old was invited to visit Trump at the White House the following day.
Daniel has now been sworn in at more than 1,300 law enforcement agencies across the country, the White House confirmed in May.
Weโre lifting up Agent DJ Daniel in prayer after his dad, Theodis, shared that DJ is now facing three new tumors.
DJ is one of the strongest, bravest young menโand has now been sworn into 1,351 law enforcement agencies across the country.
“DJ initially had five months to live, and we’ve beaten that,” Daniel shared with Fox News.
Texas is holding a special election on Nov. 4 to replace the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, who succeeded the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
Lee represented Texasโ 18th congressional district for nearly three decades before her death in July 2024. Turner also died in March 2025, leading to the current special election.
By Ralph Alswang, White House photographer - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-epstein-maxwell/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143417695
Just hours after the White House publicly accused congressional Democrats of selectively leaking emails related to Jeffrey Epstein on Wednesday, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of additional pages of documents. These include email exchanges between Epstein and prominent journalists.
A significant portion of the new material shows correspondence between Epstein and writer-turned-biographer Michael Wolff. Wolff reached out to Epstein multiple times, discussing not only Epsteinโs public image but how to leverage criticism of Donald Trump for strategic benefit.
In February 2016, Wolff wrote to Epstein:
โNYT called me about you and Trump,โ โAlso, Hillary campaign digging deeply. Again, you should consider preempting.โ
A month later they discussed plans ahead of the release of Filthy Rich โ a true-crime book by James Patterson about Epstein, who was Pattersonโs neighbor in Palm Beach. Wolff suggested to Epstein:
โBecoming an anti-Trump voice gives you a certain political cover which you decidedly donโt have now.โ And he added: โPatterson can be counted on to produce a bestseller, and while he isn’t regarded as a serious writer, he’ll surely be unloading a lot of tabloid copy โฆ Because this will be tied to the election, the Trump-Clinton angle will amp up the attention 10-fold, in fact, possibly, a hundred fold. Possibly more than anything you’ve encountered before.โ
When Epstein asked Wolff what he should say publicly about his relationship with Trump, Wolffโs advice was pointed:
โIf he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency,โ โYou can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt. Of course, it is possible that, when asked, he’ll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.โ
In further correspondence, Wolff requested introductions for Epstein to two figures close to Trump: business leader and inaugural-committee chair Tom Barrack and former federal prosecutor Kathy Ruemmler. He told Epstein he sought โan off-the-record perspective on White House procedures,โ while researching his book about Trumpโs first 100 days in office. He also asked whether former President Bill Clinton would confirm he had never been to Epsteinโs private U.S. Virgin Islands island, Little St. John โ a place Clinton has publicly denied visiting. Epsteinโs longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell has also denied seeing Clinton there.
The documents show that Epstein and Wolff planned to meet as recently as May 2019 โ months before Epstein died in a federal jail cell while awaiting trial.
Some of the newly released material included a short video of a dog and what appear to be chew toys modeled after Trump and the 2016 presidential rival Hillary Clinton. Others appear to be slides from an adviser working to generate positive search-engine results for Epstein following his 2008 conviction for child-sex crimes.
Earlier, Democrats had released documents that included an especially cryptic email from Epstein to Maxwell โ one that mentions Trump by name, and refers to an unnamed victim of Epsteinโs trafficking network. The email read:
โI want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump,โ Epstein wrote on April 2, 2011. โ[VICTIM] spent hours at my house with himโฆhe has never once been mentioned. Police chief. etc. I’m 75% there.โ
Officials later identified the โunnamed victimโ as well-known Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide earlier this year. Giuffre repeatedly stated that Trump was not involved in wrongdoing and โcouldnโt have been friendlierโ to her in their limited interactions. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, responded:
โThe fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre.โ
In his own post on Truth Social, Trump weighed in:
โThe Democrats cost our Country $1.5 Trillion Dollars with their recent antics of viciously closing our Country, while at the same time putting many at risk โ and they should pay a fair price,โ he wrote. โThere should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicans involved should be focused only on opening up our Country, and fixing the massive damage caused by the Democrats!โ
As a reminder: Epstein secured a highly-controversial so-called โsweetheartโ deal in 2008 for child-sex crimes. He was arrested again in 2019 on more serious trafficking charges โ but died before the case went to trial. Maxwell was convicted of grooming and procuring girls and young women for Epstein; she is appealing and continues to assert her innocence.
Key Takeaways for a Republican Audience
The timing of the document releases and allegations of selective leaking by Democrats raises questions about political motive and media stratagem.
The correspondence shows efforts to frame Epsteinโs narrative around Trump โ part of a broader attempt to tie the story to the 2016 presidential election and cast Trump in a negative light.
Trumpโs defenders argue the documents reinforce his long-standing disassociation from Epstein, as well as serve to remind voters of Democratsโ role in political maneuvering, rather than holding criminals accountable.
For Republicans focused on institutional integrity and media accountability, the episode reinforces concerns about selective exposure of documents, agenda-driven leaks, and manipulation of public perception.
Florida Judge Aileen Cannon is currently holding a hearing to consider whether the appointment of U.S. Special Counselย Jack Smithย and the funding of his investigations is “unlawful.”
Upon postponing the classified documents trial, Cannon scheduled deadlines for reports on June 10 and 17 and a hearing on a motion to dismiss on Friday, “based on unlawful appointment and funding of special counsel.”ย
Cannon expanded Friday’s hearing to allow amici to argue before the court, as well as Trump defense attorneys and federal prosecutors according to Fox News.
Former Attorney General Ed Meese, who served under former President Reagan, filed an amicus brief in the case, in which he argues that Attorney General Merrick Garlandโs appointment of Smith as special counsel โ a private citizen at the time โ violates the appointments clause of the Constitution.ย
Garland appointed Smith as special counsel on Nov. 18, 2022, mere days after Trump announced he would run for president in 2024.ย
Meese argues that the “illegality” of Smithโs appointment is “sufficient to sink Smithโs petition, and the Court should deny review.”
Meese and company noted in the brief that Smith was appointed “to conduct the ongoing investigation into whether any person or entity [including former President Trump] violated the law in connection with efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about January 6, 2021.”
Earlier this month, Garland defended his move during a hearing on Capitol Hill, arguing that “there are regulations under which the attorney general appoint special counsel. They have been in effect for 30 years, maybe longer, under both parties.”ย
Meese, however, in his briefs filed in several points in the Trump cases, argued that “none of those statutes, nor any other statutory or constitutional provisions, remotely authorized the appointment by the Attorney General of a private citizen to receive extraordinary criminal law enforcement power under the title of Special Counsel.”
Meeseโs brief was even mentioned in a question by Justice Clarence Thomas in the Supreme Court oral arguments over Trump’s presidential immunity in Smithโs other case regarding 2020 election interference, which the high court is expected to decide this month.
Presenting arguments on June 21 in Florida on behalf of Meese will be Gene Schaerr; Josh Blackman on behalf of Professor Seth Barrett Tillman; and Matthew Seligman on behalf of constitutional lawyers, former government officials, and “State Democracy Defenders Action.”
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Over the weekend, a new movie called “Bros” hit movie theaters starring gay actor Billy Eichner which saw a lukewarm response. The movie which proudly boasts of having an all-LGBT cast cost over $20 million to make but saw less than $5 million in opening-weekend sales.
While there are likely many factors that contributed to the massive failure Eichner opted to blame “homophobic” Americans for the massive failure despite previously pushing some people to steer clear of the movie.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy delivers remarks at the 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Washington DC, December 1, 2021. USDA Forest Service photo by Tanya E. Flores.
Last month, over 20 House Republican lawmakers refused to vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House Speaker. However, after 15 grueling rounds of voting McCarthy finally held the Speaker’s gavel.
Not every holdout got exactly what he or she had asked for, some won plum committee assignments from McCarthy, here’s what we know so far:
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a vocal McCarthy foe during the speaker fight, flipped to “present” in the 14th round. Gaetz will continue to serve on the Judiciary panel and was appointed by the Speaker to theย new weaponization subcommittee.
Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona a former head of the Freedom Caucus and one of the five so-called “Never Kevins,” kept his position on the powerful Judiciary and Oversight committee. The Arizona Congressman was also named chairman of the Judiciary’s subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance. Ultimately, Biggs changed his vote to “present” on the final ballot for speaker, helping propell McCarthy over the finish line.
Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina flipped to back McCarthy on the 12th ballot, and will continue to serve on both the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. McCarthy also named Bishop to the Judiciary’s new subcommittee on the “Weaponization of the Federal Government.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, the vocal McCarthy critic who voted “present” on the 14th and 15th ballots, was awarded a seat on the Oversight and Accountability Committee. She will also continue to serve on the Natural Resources panel.
Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, the freshman Congressman flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot and won seats on the Homeland Security Committee and Budget committees.
Rep. Mike Cloud of Texas flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot. The Lone Star state Congressman won a new seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, which controls federal spending. McCarthy also named him to the new select committee investigating the origins of the Covid pandemic.
Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, another lawmaker who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, will serve on the Appropriations Committee for the first time.
Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona will serve on the Homeland Security Committee.
Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida was nominated to run against McCarthy for speaker and flipped to him on the 12th ballot. Donalds was named by McCarthy as the “speaker’s designee” on the influential Steering Committee, which decides which lawmakers get committee gavels and seats. Donalds also won a coveted spot on the Financial Services Committee, a top panel known on Capitol Hill as an “A” committee.
Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, one of the Never Kevins who flipped to “present” in the last round of voting, will serve on the Budget and Education and Workforce committees.
Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot and was reinstated by Republicans on two committees โOversight and Natural Resources panels. He was named chairman of the Natural Resources subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland will continue to serve on the Appropriations panel. Harris, a physician, will be the chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration subcommittee.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot. The freshman Congresswoman won a seat on the Oversight and Natural Resources panels.
Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois will remain on the Agriculture Committee.
Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, one of the “Never Kevins” who flipped to McCarthy on the 12th ballot, was named by the speaker as one of nine Republicans on the Rules Committee. Additionally, the South Carolina congressman will remain on the Financial Services panel and will serve on the Budget Committee too.
Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee won a seat on the Financial Services Committee.
Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus who brokered a deal between conservatives and McCarthy, will remain on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Perry also won a new seat on the Oversight committee.
Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, a “Never Kevin” who flipped to “present” on the final ballot, will continue to serve on Natural Resources.
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who helped Perry negotiate a deal with McCarthy, was tapped to serve on the Budget committee and the influential Rules Committee. The Lone Star state congressman will also keep his seat on the Judiciary panel.
Rep. Keith Self of Texas will serve on the Foreign Affairs panel.
Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who flipped from “present” to vote for McCarthy on the 12th ballot, will continue to serve on the Judiciary panel.
The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman reports that Donald Trump Jr. said, “I just spoke to my father on the phone, and he is in great spirits.”
UPDATE: 8:15 pm
Two sources briefed The New York Times that a rally attendee was killed in the assassination attempt.
UPDATE: 7:36 pm
New video footage from the Butler Farm Show grounds shows the body of the attempted assassin on the roof of building approximately 400 feet from where President Trump was speaking. Gunfire from Secret Service agents killed him. The suspect’s identity remains unknown.
The shooter on the roof fired at Trump from outside the security perimeter, using the elevated position for a clear line of sight.
The Shooter at the Trump Rally in Pennsylvania can be seen Dead on the Roof of a nearby Building, after being Killed by U.S. Secret Service Agents. pic.twitter.com/6eUpiqfCeL
A witness on a nearby building informed a BBC reporter that he had seen the shooter crawling onto the roof with a rifle and had tried to warn law enforcement for “two or three minutes” prior to the shooting.
this BBC interview with a guy outside the security perimeter who claims he saw the shooter before he fired is absolutely wild pic.twitter.com/vJpKZTxSAe
The Secret Service has confirmed that former President Donald Trump is safe and under protective measures following the shooting at today’s rally. A spokesperson stated that Trump is “fine” and described the incident as a “heinous act.” However, specific details about what transpired at the event remain scant.
The suspect has been “neutralized,” according to law enforcement sources.
A retired two-star general standing behind the president was shot, too…
Former President Donald Trump defiantly raised his fist following an apparent assassination attempt at today’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Moments after the first shot rang out, Trump reached toward his ear and blood streaked across his face.
The shots came as Trump began discussing immigration in his stump speech. Bystanders said the sound resembled that of a small-caliber weapon.
Secret Service agents quickly whisked Trump off the stage, but not before he signaled to the crowd and appeared to shout the word “fight” multiple times.
Billionaire Elon Musk voiced his support for Trump following the attack. โI fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,โ Musk said.
The entrepreneur made a substantial donation to a pro-Trump super PAC backing the Republican nominee in swing states, according to a report from Bloomberg on Friday. The exact amount of the donation was not disclosed.
Ohioโs Republican Party endorsed formerย President Trumpย in his reelection bid for the White House on Friday.
โPresident Trump has proven time and again that despite the unhinged and relentless attacks from the radical left, he will never give up on fighting for Ohioโs workers, business and families,โย Ohio Republican Party chair Alex M. Triantafilouย saidย in a Trump campaign press release. โHis unapologetic leadership and commitment to putting America First is exactly what we need to reverse course from the failed policies ofย Joe Bidenย and Sherrod Brown.โ
According to multiple sources, the Ohio Republican Party wasย theย firstย state Republican party to endorse the former president in the election.ย
โWhile we appreciate all of the Republican candidates who are passionately making their case to the American people, it is clear that President Trump is the right choice in this moment,โ Triantafilou continued in his statement.
CNN anchor Gayle King was forced to initiate damage control mode after her co-host and NBA legend Charles Barkley made a faux pas.
Mediaite’s Charlie Nash noted that the dust-up began on Saturday’s edition of “King Charles” when King played a clip of Donald Trump boasting about Black people wearing Trump mugshot t-shirts. โWhen you heard that, what did you think?,โ she asked the hall of famer:
Barkley let out a big sigh, before replying, โFirst of all, Iโm just going to say this, if I see a Black person walking around with Trump mugshot Iโm gonna punch him in the face.โ
โCharles. Charles, you really canโt say that โcause, A. you donโt mean that,โ King quickly interjected.
โOh, I mean that sincerely,โ the Round Mound of Rebound fired back.
โAnd then you will be arrested for assault, and then what?โ King asked, reminiscent of a bewildered parent.
“Iโm gonna bail myself out and go celebrate,” Barkley replied.
After the audience laughed, King told them not to encourage her co-host.
Barkley later clarified that if he were present for Trump’s comments, he would have left.
โThat was an insult to all Black people,โ he said. โTo compare Black history, where weโve been discriminated against, to his plightโ Well, first of all, heโs a billionaire, and they are prosecuting him for stuff he did wrong.โ
King noted, โItโs still in the court system, Charles; we have to wait.โ
โWell, some of the stuff is true,โ Barkley concluded. โThey did storm the Capitol. They did say that the election was stolen.โ
Charles Barkley says that if he sees a 'Black person walking around with a Trump mugshot, he is going punch him in the face'
'If I see a black person walking around with a Trump mugshot, Iโm gonna punch him in the face….I will bail myself out and go celebrate' pic.twitter.com/5dXzh5gKjT
CNN host Don Lemon left “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert visibly stunned when he said he never believed the network is “liberal.”
Despite the network commonly being regarded as a major left-of-center network, especially throughout the Trump administration, Lemon says CNN is just practicing “good journalism.”
“Word on the street is that you guys aren’t allowed to be liberal anymore. Is that the case?” Colbert asked.
“I don’t think we ever were liberal,” Lemon responded.
“Well listen, I think what Chris is saying is that he wants Republicans โ sensible Republicans, he wants us to hold people to account, but he wants people to come on and feel comfortable with coming on and talking on CNN and appearing on CNN,” Lemon said. “So if you invite someone to your house, you want to make them comfortable but also by the nature of what we do, we have to hold people to account.”
“And so that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going liberal or conservative or whatever, it just means that we are doing what we do and that’s good journalism,” Lemon added.
“So accountable but not confrontational,” Colbert said.
“I think sometimes one must be confrontational,” the CNN host pushed back. “Look, I don’t think that a conversation on television should be any different than a conversation in person. Listen, I have confrontational conversations with people I love and I have unconformable conversations with people I love and I think it’s necessary. And I think it’s also necessary to do that on television, on CNN, but you can do that without being vitriolic. I think not being vitriolic is maybe a better way of putting it, but you can do that and not have vitriol. As people say, you can disagree without being disagreeable. And so I think that’s what our mission is.”
Since taking the reigns from disgraced ex-CNN president Jeff Zucker, Christ Licht has made it his mission to re-vamp the network.
Former President Donald Trump has been indicted a third time this year.
A Washington grand jury has indicted the former President on charges stemming from his efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election.
Trump was charged with four counts for three different crimes including conspiring to deprive citizens of the โfree exerciseโ of constitutional rights like voting.
The charges carry up to a 10-year prison sentence.ย
Also included were charges for conspiracy to defraud the United States, a nod to the Trump campaignโs creation of fake electoral certificates that were submitted to Congress.
The charges also include obstruction of an official proceeding, one of the charges also leveled at numerous rioters who entered the building, including members of the Oath Keepers and military and chauvinist group the Proud Boys.
A model prosecution memo from former prosecutors analyzing the case also suggests the former president could face charges on conspiracy to defraud the United States after creating fake electoral certificates that were submitted to Congress.ย
