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New Report: Trump’s Food Safety Cutbacks Are Making Americans Sick

New Report: Trump’s Food Safety Cutbacks Are Making Americans Sick

A new report from Defend America Action draws a direct line between the Trump administration slashing food safety enforcement and the growing number of Americans getting sick with foodborne illnesses.

More than 15,000 Americans have contracted cyclosporiasis in recent months, a type of food poisoning that causes low-grade fevers and painful diarrhea. The outbreak has been traced to iceberg lettuce. In August, multiple store-bought guacamoles were recalled because of potential salmonella contamination.

This has been a growing trend in President Donald Trump’s second term. Last year, 25 people were hospitalized and six died after contracting listeria from ready-to-eat pasta products. In total, the federal government failed to identify the source for 13 of the 28 foodborne illness outbreaks reported last year.

“As families spent this summer wondering what was safe to put on the dinner table, everyone is wondering what happened to the safeguards designed to protect our food supply,” the report says.

Issues of food safety and public health are generally managed by three federal agencies: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

All of these agencies were dramatically downsized by DOGE, the White House initiative that slashed workforces across the federal government. The FDA lost 3,859 employees and the USDA lost 19,984, including 874 workers at its Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The White House insisted food safety inspectors were not included in the firings, but the gutting of support staff still contributed to a growing backlog of uninspected food producers. The farm linked to the cyclosporiasis outbreak, for example, had not been inspected for seven years.

As for the CDC under Trump, it narrowed the foodborne pathogens it monitors from six to two. Cyclosporiasis and listeria are among the pathogens no longer being tracked.

“FDA inspections are the first line of defense for mitigating contamination outbreaks,” the report continues, noting that this applies to both domestic and imported products.

Food borne illnesses are also affecting the economy. USDA data suggests that food borne illnesses cost Americans $75 billion a year in medical care, lost productivity, and premature deaths before Trump started eliminating safeguards. Now, that figure seems poised to grow.

According to a CBS poll, 40 percent of Americans are buying and eating less produce of all brands and varieties, not just those impacted by cyclosporiasis. A separate poll found that a majority of Americans have little or no confidence in government oversight of food safety.

“Even though Trump and his allies promised to ‘Make America Healthy Again,’” the report says, “his administration has made it harder to find out what is making Americans sick.”

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Dan Sullivan

Social Security Cuts? Republican Nominees Dancing On Political Third Rail

Nearly every Senate Republican facing a tough reelection fight this year has flirted with cutting Social Security, the federal program that keeps 58 million seniors out of poverty.

Polling suggests that cutting the program is deeply unpopular, which is why it is often referred to as “the third rail of electoral politics.” A recent AARP survey found that 82 percent of American adults view Social Security as “very important.” Half of those enrolled in the program say they would not survive financially if their benefits were cut.

The issue reemerged last year when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the White House’s tax-deferred investment accounts for newborns, known as “Trump accounts,” were a “backdoor for privatizing Social Security.” The accounts were part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), which passed the House and Senate with only Republican votes.

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan celebrated OBBB’s passage and falsely claimed that the law “doesn’t touch Social Security.” The law will cut $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade to fund tax breaks that primarily benefit wealthy people. Those tax breaks will create less revenue for the Social Security trust fund, speeding up the program’s insolvency.

In 2014, when he was first running for the Senate, Sullivan suggested raising the retirement age and delaying Social Security benefits for future generations. He said “a younger generation of Alaskans or Americans can accept” such a change.

Sullivan is seeking a third term this year. His Democratic opponent is former Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola.

Florida Sen. Ashley Moody called OBBB “historic” when it passed and promised “this is just the beginning, and with President Donald Trump, we will not stop pushing forward.”

Moody was also a big fan of DOGE, the White House initiative that fired 14 percent of workers at the agency responsible for administering Social Security. This led to several Social Security field offices shutting down and longer wait times for those filing claims. Moody voted against multiple budget amendments to restore this funding.

More than five million of Moody’s constituents are enrolled in Social Security. She was appointed to the Senate last year to fill the seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She is now running for a full term against Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon.

Like Moody, Ohio Sen. Jon Husted also voted for OBBB and against reversing DOGE cuts. He then went a step further by proposing a constitutional amendment that would compel Congress to balance the federal budget.

Currently, Social Security is mostly funded through payroll taxes. Those funds are held by the U.S. Treasury and disbursed to beneficiaries. Any surplus funds are invested in special Treasury bonds that are drawn on when tax revenues fall short.

A balanced-budget amendment would essentially make it illegal for the federal government to spend more in a given year than it collects in revenue. If tax revenues are insufficient to fund Social Security, the government would be prohibited from drawing on the bonds to make up the shortfall. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says this would inevitably lead to a cut in services.

The AARP says such a plan would be “devastating for millions.”

Husted will face former Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in this year’s election. Brown co-sponsored the 2024 Social Security Fairness Act that increased benefits for public workers.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins did not vote for OBBB, but she did vote to allow the legislation to be debated, clearing a key procedural hurdle and setting the stage for its eventual passage. North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said Collins was a “team player” for doing so.

Collins has cast multiple votes weakening Social Security in her 29-year career, including a 2003 vote against creating a Social Security reserve account and a 2011 vote against tabling a budget bill that proposed cutting the program.

Collins is running for reelection this year against Democratic state Sen. Troy Jackson.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) plans to make Republican hostility toward Social Security a major issue in the midterms.

“In November, voters will reject Republicans’ attempts to put this critical program on the chopping block by electing a Democratic Senate majority that will stand up for seniors and protect Social Security,” says DSCC spokesperson Maeve Coyle.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Iowa Senate Nominee Hinson Took At Least $90,000 From Epstein Cronies

Iowa Senate Nominee Hinson Took At Least $90,000 From Epstein Cronies

Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson has come under fire for accepting $90,000 from billionaire donors tied to sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. Now it appears she also missed multiple House votes aimed at exposing Epstein and holding his coconspirators accountable.

All of the missed votes occurred in the House Appropriations Committee, which Hinson serves on. While her absences likely did not affect any vote outcomes, they do raise questions about her commitment to protecting sexual assault survivors.

Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail shortly after being arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in August 2019. Most of Hinson’s missed votes were in September 2025, when Congress was debating compelling the release of Justice Department files related to the Epstein investigation. Many of Epstein’s victims were young girls.

On September 3, 2025, she missed two votes: one intended to speed up the release of the files and another to block public funds from being used to prevent the release of visitor logs for Epstein’s residences and private jet.

Hinson missed votes again on September 10, 2025, when the committee was considering multiple Epstein-related amendments to a federal funding bill. One of the amendments would have pressured the Justice Department to release records related to the prison transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s friend and romantic partner.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for aiding and abetting Epstein’s crimes. She was controversially transferred to a minimum-security prison in August 2025 after meeting with Trump administration officials, including future Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Hinson said she was “glad” when Blanche became attorney general.

Hinson was present for other amendment votes on September 10, 2025, suggesting that she was in Washington D.C., despite missing the Epstein-related votes.

The other amendments considered included one that would have prohibited the Justice Department from using funds to withhold or redact the Epstein files and another that would have required the attorney general to compile a report of all materials related to the investigation.

That same day, Hinson received two donations from billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman, whose name appears in the Epstein files more than 20 times. Schwarzman gave $7,000 to Hinson’s U.S. Senate campaign and $5,000 to her leadership PAC.

Hinson initially declined to sign a petition forcing a House vote on the release of the Epstein files. She ultimately voted to release the files, however, when it came up in a floor vote.

In August, Hinson missed another committee vote on an amendment preventing public funds from being used to lift or bypass sanctions on alleged child traffickers.

“For too long, the powerful have used their connections to dodge consequences,” said Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA), who introduced the provision. “This amendment stops taxpayer dollars from being used to lift sanctions on credible child traffickers.”

Hinson is running for the U.S. Senate in Iowa against Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek. It is expected to be one of the most competitive races of 2026.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Harvey West and Michael Whatley

North Carolina Senate Nominee Named Sex Offender To Top GOP Posts

Michael Whatley appointed sex offender Harvey West to high-ranking positions in the North Carolina Republican Party. Now, it appears that West may have had access to young adults while serving in those roles.

Whatley led the North Carolina Republican Party from 2019 to 2024. The Asheville Watchdog reported that Whatley appointed West to two different committees during this period: the party’s 1st Congressional District Committee and its Plan of Organization Committee.

In 2000, when he was 28 years old, West pleaded guilty to taking indecent liberties with a minor. He was accused of having sexual relations with two 14-year-olds and one 16-year-old. He served a six-year prison sentence and was required to register as a sex offender upon release.

West maintains that he is innocent and only pleaded guilty to avoid a longer sentence. He told PolitiFact that he was open about his criminal record with the North Carolina Republican Party before being appointed to the roles.

It can now be confirmed that Whatley presided over nearly 30 North Carolina Republican Party State Central Committee meetings where both West and members of the North Carolina Teenage Republicans were in attendance.

Whatley’s official Facebook page uploaded a photo from one of these meetings in August 2022 that shows West seated beside the then-chair of the North Carolina Teenage Republicans.

West’s positions allowed him to attend other events with young people. In September 2020, he was photographed embracing the chairwoman of the North Carolina Young Republicans at a get-out-the-vote event in Plymouth, NC. A few months later, he posed for a photo at the state GOP convention that was uploaded to the Inner Banks Young Republicans’ Instagram account.

West also served as a delegate to the 2020 and 2024 Republican National Conventions, as did multiple high school students.

In September 2019, West and Whatley were both photographed at a recruitment dinner for President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. Children and teenagers attended this event as well.

West has not been accused of any improprieties since finishing his prison sentence.

Whatley is now a candidate for the U.S. Senate facing former Gov. Roy Cooper. It is widely regarded as one of the most competitive Senate races of 2026.

MIke Lawler and Saul Anuzis 60 Plus Association

Vulnerable Republican Incumbents Tout Endorsement By Social Security Privatization Outfit

Several Republicans in competitive House races are touting endorsements from a group that exists to cut Medicare and privatize Social Security.

The 60 Plus Association was created in 1992 as a far-right alternative to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The group claims to represent the interests of American retirees over 60. It was started with seed money from the far-right billionaire megadonors Charles and David Koch.

In 1997, the 60 Plus Association boasted that it was “the first national senior citizens group to endorse privatization of the Social Security program.” More recently, it has backed efforts to turn Medicare into a voucher system.

Health policy experts warn that these changes could force seniors to spend more out of pocket for health care and imperil the long-term solvency of both programs. The 60 Plus Association acknowledged in 2011 that its goal was to gradually phase out Medicare for future generations.

California Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent who caucuses with House Republicans, accepted awards from the 60 Plus Association in 2025 and 2026. The award, which recognizes lawmakers as “Guardians of Senior Citizens,” is essentially a campaign endorsement. On both occasions, Kiley posed for photos with 60 Plus Association President Saul Anuzis, a former Michigan GOP chairman.

Other recipients this year were Iowa Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, Michigan Reps. Bill Huizenga and Tom Barrett, New York Rep. Mike Lawler, and Pennsylvania Reps. Ryan Mackenzie and Scott Perry, all Republicans. Each of these lawmakers also posed for photos with Anuzis.

Past GOP recipients include New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr., Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, and Texas Rep. Monica De La Cruz.

Virginia Republican Rep. Rob Wittman received the award in 2025. In June, Wittman was caught faking a phone call to avoid answering a reporter’s questions about Republican proposals to cut Social Security and Medicare.

The 60 Plus Association has also put up numerous social media posts recognizing the birthdays of various Republican lawmakers, including Virginia Rep. Jen Kiggans, California Rep. David Valadao, Florida Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Maria Elvira Salazar, Minnesota Rep. Brad Finstad, Ohio Reps. Mike Turner and Mike Carey, Pennsylvania Rep. Rob Bresnahan, and Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil.

Anuzis also advocates repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has included all of these lawmakers on its list of most vulnerable incumbents facing reelection in 2026. And all of these Republicans supported the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), which will impose a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid over the next decade.

“Slashing Medicaid, cutting the ACA tax credits, and shutting down rural hospitals was just the warm-up act for House Republicans’ true mission: ending Medicare and Social Security as we know it,” said DCCC spokesperson Liam Buckley. “They’re beholden to their dark-money backers and they can’t be trusted in November.”

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Ashley Hinson

Vouchers? Cutbacks? GOP Senate Candidates Threaten Medicare And Medicaid

Medicare and Medicaid have been around for 61 years, but they may not make it to 62 if the GOP retains control of the U.S. Senate.

Several Republicans competing in marquee Senate races have expressed an interest in cutting or eliminating both programs, which provide health insurance to more than 123 million people. Medicaid covers low-income Americans, while Medicare is for those 65 and older or with disabilities. About 13 million people are enrolled in both programs.

Medicaid took a major hit last year when House and Senate Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), a sweeping budget law that will cut $1 trillion from the program to fund tax breaks for the wealthy. About 12 million Americans are expected to lose health insurance as a result.

Florida GOP Sen. Ashley Moody celebrated OBBB’s passage, even though it will rip health insurance away from 2.2 million of her own constituents.

“Today is a historic moment for the American people—especially Florida families who will have thousands of their hard-earned money back in their pockets,” Moody said in a July 2025 press release, shortly before OBBB became law.

The law also hit hospitals and health care providers that depend on Medicaid reimbursements for revenue. These providers are often in rural or low-income areas where patients are more likely to be Medicaid recipients. A Health Justice Project analysis found that 23 percent of Florida’s rural hospitals were at risk of closure before the cuts took effect, making the outlook even worse.

A similar dynamic is at play in Alaska, where OBBB has put at least seven hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes into dire straits. GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan supported OBBB, promising it would “unleash Alaska’s private sector economy” and “benefit hard-working families.”

Sullivan has also cast multiple votes threatening Medicare, including voting to advance a 2017 budget resolution that sought to turn it into a voucher program.

Under the current system, Medicare reimburses hospitals and providers that treat Medicare enrollees. Under vouchers, Medicare recipients would receive funds directly to pay for care or purchase private insurance plans.

Health policy experts say vouchers would be unlikely to keep pace with inflation, forcing seniors to spend more out of pocket. Vouchers would also further reduce revenues for providers that treat Medicare beneficiaries.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine also voted to advance the voucher proposal. She cast a similar vote to advance OBBB, but did not support the bill in its final iteration.

Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, who is now running for the U.S. Senate, helped whip votes to get OBBB over the finish line in the House. In June, WDRW reported that the law’s Medicaid cuts were endangering access to therapy for hundreds of special-needs kids.

“I don’t know what to tell these patients and I hate it for them,” said Kate Phillips, director of patient services at TOTS, an Atlanta clinic offering pediatric speech and occupational therapy. “This is going to be catastrophic for them.”

Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson also backed OBBB and was a member of the House Republican Study Committee when it proposed turning Medicare into a voucher program.

All of these lawmakers have also shown a willingness to cut or eliminate the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which could put both Medicaid and Medicare at risk. Obamacare expanded access to Medicaid and extended the solvency of Medicare.

A KFF tracking poll finds that Medicaid and Medicare are extremely popular with American voters. About 82 percent have a positive view of Medicare, while 75 percent view Medicaid favorably. About 62 percent rank health care costs as their top economic concern.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), which works to elect Democrats to the U.S. Senate, is making Republican hostility to Medicaid and Medicare a theme of the upcoming midterms.

“Across the map, Senate Republicans are on record supporting cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, and now that they’ve put these programs on the chopping block in order to grant tax giveaways to their billionaire campaign backers,” said DSCC spokesperson Maeve Coyle.

The Cook Political Report, which evaluates the competitiveness of elections, currently ranks control of the Senate as a tossup.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Jon Husted

Accusations That Husted Coddled Sexual Predators Date Back Two Decades

In 2006, when he was leading the Ohio House of Representatives, Jon Husted gutted a bill intended to help survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.

Appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine to the Senate last year, Husted is now running for election to the Ohio seat. He has come under fire recently for accepting massive donations from Leslie Wexner, a billionaire Jeffrey Epstein associate, and having a county campaign chair who served jail time for alleged misconduct with a minor. Each of these stories has fueled a narrative that Husted is tolerant and even protective of sexual abusers.

The Ohio Senate passed SB 17, known as the clergy abuse bill, in March 2006. The legislation was led by Democratic state Sen. Teresa Fedor as a response to the Catholic clergy abuse scandal. It sought to enact several reforms, including requiring clergy (of all religions) to report child abuse committed by their colleagues, expanding the legal definition of sexual battery to cover clergy who sexually exploit minors in their congregations, and creating a one-year civil window for victims to seek damages for offenses that happened outside the 35-year statute of limitations.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio, which represents the state’s bishops, lobbied the lower chamber in the state House to water down the bill. The bishops specifically took issue with the one-year civil window provision, arguing that the church could not reasonably defend itself against older allegations.

Husted, who is a Roman Catholic, was serving as House Speaker at the time. He oversaw a process by which the civil window provision was stripped from the bill and replaced with a plan to create an online registry of clergy members found liable of sexual abuse in civil court.

Barbara Blaine, who started an advocacy group for survivors of priest abuse, told the Columbus Dispatch that she felt betrayed by Husted and accused him of caving to pressure from the Catholic Conference of Ohio.

On the day the House voted on the weakened SB 17, survivors lined the halls of the state Capitol, each one holding an image of themselves at the age when they were abused. Several Republican lawmakers reportedly entered the chamber through side doors to avoid confronting the angry victims.

The legislation nevertheless passed with near-unanimous support.

This was not the first time Husted used his position to limit the ability of abuse survivors to seek justice. In 2004, he voted for a tort reform law that capped non-economic damages for sexual abuse plaintiffs at $250,000.

The Ohio Capital Journal wrote in 2021 that the law had the effect of “stripping child rape victims of millions of dollars in legal damages.”

Husted was appointed to the U.S. Senate last year to fill the seat vacated by Vice President J.D. Vance. He will face former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in the general election.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

How Georgia GOP's Mike Collins Got Rich On Suspiciously-Timed Crypto Trades

How Georgia GOP's Mike Collins Got Rich On Suspiciously-Timed Crypto Trades

Georgia Rep. Mike Collins made a small fortune trading cryptocurrencies. Some are wondering if the Republican used insider information to do it.

Collins, who is now a GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate, has made up to $745,000 in crypto transactions since first entering office in 2023. His net worth has increased since then by an estimated $2.5 million.

Personal finance disclosures suggest that some of these transactions were suspiciously timed. Last year, for example, Collins made lucrative crypto trades as Congress was considering the GENIUS Act, a law that created the first federal rules for stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency.

Any news about the GENIUS Act was likely to have an impact on the value of the assets Collins was swapping. It would be like a congressperson buying ExxonMobil stock before introducing a bill that is favorable to the gas industry.

For stocks, these crimes are prosecuted as insider trading. For crypto, it’s often wire or commodities fraud.

The disclosures show Collins purchasing Ether, a cryptocurrency on the blockchain Ethereum, on April 30, 2025, when it was valued at $1,794. The next day, the GENIUS Act was introduced in the Senate and Ether’s value ballooned to $2,584.

There was no public announcement that the GENIUS Act would be introduced in the Senate on the day it was. It should be noted that while Ether is not a stablecoin, the law was considered a boon to the entire crypto industry.

Collins purchased Ether again on July 8, 2025, at a price of $2,616. The GENIUS Act passed the House nine days later, and Ether’s value ballooned again to $3,673, a gain of 40 percent.

A similar dynamic played out when Collins purchased the memecoin Ski Mask Dog. A meme coin is a cryptocurrency that generally has little value, but can sometimes become profitable when it is endorsed by a celebrity or receives online buzz.

Critics say memecoins are essentially designed for pump-and-dump schemes, where the price of an asset is artificially inflated before the biggest shareholders sell it off, maximizing their profits and collapsing the value for everybody else.

Collins purchased Ski Mask Dog several times between Sept. 10 and November 29, 2025. The X account Unusual Whales, which tracks unusual market activity, made a post flagging the purchases on December 3, 2025. Collins responded to the post with an image of Pepe the Frog, an internet meme that is sometimes used to convey a cool or savvy attitude.

Pepe the Frog is also used as a white supremacist symbol by the far-right.

Ski Mask Dog’s popularity exploded following the Unusual Whales post. Its trade volume went from $1,384,313 to $37,468161, a 2,606 percent increase.

Ski Mask Dog has since featured Collins in its promotional materials and advocated for him to be a presidential candidate in 2028.

In 2021, the House Ethics Committee fined North Carolina GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn $14,000 for engaging in similar activity. Cawthorn invested heavily in the Let’s Go Brandon memecoin and then encouraged others to buy it while failing to follow disclosure rules.

Collins has denied on multiple occasions that there is anything improper about his crypto trades. There is no indication that he has been investigated for the transactions or accused of a crime.

Incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), whom Collins will face in the November, has made cracking down on political corruption and self-enrichment a focus of his reelection bid.

An AARP poll from July showed Ossoff with a sizable lead over Collins. That margin is expected to narrow as the election gets closer.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

In Iowa Race, Desperate Republican Smears Lutheran Minister As 'Satanist'

In Iowa Race, Desperate Republican Smears Lutheran Minister As 'Satanist'

Iowa Rep. Zach Nunn and other Republicans are spreading a false claim alleging that Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott officiated a Satanic wedding.

Trone Garriott, a Lutheran minister and state senator, launched a campaign challenging Nunn last year. Nunn is widely regarded as one of the most vulnerable House Republicans facing reelection this fall.

In 2023, Trone Garriott participated in the Des Moines Storytellers Project, a live event featuring first-person narratives on a specific topic or theme. The theme for Trone Garriott’s event was “love.” She recounted how, in 2006, a pair of avowed Satanists came to the West Virginia church where she was a minister-in-training seeking a marriage ceremony.

Trone Garriott expressed unease about participating in the nuptials, but her head pastor insisted, directing her to choose a Bible verse to read. She said the situation taught her the importance of showing goodwill to others, even those she disagreed with.

“It’s hard work to love one another and we often need to be reminded how,” Trone Garriott concluded.

Trone Garriott did not officiate the ceremony and was not even qualified at that time to do so. Nor was the ceremony Satanic in nature. It was a Christian service held in a Lutheran church, with readings from the New Testament.

Despite these facts, Nunn and his allies have attempted to portray the event as something more nefarious.

“[Trone Garriott] feels that Iowa is too white, too Christian, too male to be successful,” Nunn said at a June 23 Clarke County Republican Liberty barbeque. “She says she’s a Lutheran pastor, but then she goes out and officiates demonic weddings.”

In April, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the main group responsible for electing Republicans to Congress, made a social media post stating that “Trone Garriott officiated a SATANIST WEDDING” and that “Democrats are NUTS.”

Similar language was used in multiple statements from Republican Party spokespeople.

A similar line of attack alleges that Trone Garriott referred to Iowa’s private Christian schools as “white enclaves” and “segregation academies” during a 2023 sermon. This is also false. She was accurately explaining that some Christian schools were formed in the 1970s in response to racial integration policies, not claiming that modern Christian schools are racist or discriminatory.

The bad-faith nature of these attacks may suggest that Republicans are feeling desperate. A Conservatives for America poll from March showed Nunn leading Trone Garriott by just one percentage point. Trone Garriott also raised $2.2 million in donations last quarter, while Nunn brought in $968,000.

The Cook Political Report, which evaluates the competitiveness of political races, currently ranks the election as a toss-up.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Maine 'Independent' Candidate Almost Wholly Funded By GOP Donors

Maine 'Independent' Candidate Almost Wholly Funded By GOP Donors

State Sen. Rick Bennett’s independent campaign for Maine governor is being supported by Republican donors and operatives, including allies of former far-right Gov. Paul LePage.

Maine has a history of electing independents to statewide office. Angus King, who is one of only two independents in the U.S. Senate, served as governor from 1995 to 2003. Independent Eliot Cutler came in second in the state’s 2010 governor race.

Bennett is a strange choice to pick up that mantle. He was vice chair of the Maine Republican Party from 2013 to 2017 and has both sought and held multiple offices in the state as a member of the GOP. He didn’t end his affiliation with the party until last year, when he launched his current campaign.

“We need leaders who will work with anyone—Republican, Democrat, or independent—to ease the financial pressure on families,” Bennett said in his campaign launch video. “That’s why I’m running as an independent.”

Campaign finance disclosures show that Maine Wins Together, the chief super PAC supporting Bennett, is almost entirely funded by wealthy Republicans.

The group took in $50,000 this year from Gray and Sandra Bahre, who inherited an auto-racing fortune. The duo also gave $14,000 to LePage, who is running for Congress this year in Maine’s 2nd District. They gave another $24,000 to LePage’s victory fund, $10,000 to a PAC supporting LePage, and $15,000 to the Maine Republican Party.

Maine Wins Together took in another $50,000 from liquor magnate Paul Coulombe. In 2014, Coulombe gave $160,000 to the Maine Republican Party. He also contributed to LePage’s failed 2022 bid for governor.

LePage, who has called himself “Donald Trump before Donald Trump,” served as governor from 2011 to 2019. He became known during this period for his extremist views and offensive remarks. He infamously refused to expand Medicaid in the state even after voters passed a referendum requiring him to do so.

Bennett campaigned with LePage in 2010 and served on LePage’s transition team after the election. LePage later wrote a letter recommending Bennett for a State Department role in the first Trump administration.

Finance disclosures also indicate that Bennett’s campaign is being advised by Election Hive, a Utah-based Republican consulting firm. The firm has also worked with Sen. Mike Lee, whom the Institute for Legislative Analysis ranked as the most conservative senator of 2024.

Bennett will face Democrat Hannah Pingree and Republican Bobby Charles in the general election. A recent Siena Research Institute poll found Bennett trailing both candidates with only eight percent support.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

New Collins Ad Hides Key Role In Advancing Trump's Huge Medicaid Cuts

New Collins Ad Hides Key Role In Advancing Trump's Huge Medicaid Cuts

A new ad claims Maine Sen. Susan Collins opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), even though she helped shepherd it into law.

The ad specifically cites the law’s $1 trillion cut to Medicaid, which will force about 12 million Americans to lose their health insurance over the next ten years. “When Medicaid was on the line,” the ad says, “Susan Collins stood up for Maine.”

While it’s true that Collins was one of only three Senate Republicans to vote against OBBB, she did cast a procedural vote to begin debating the bill, practically guaranteeing its final passage.

The vote to debate passed 51-49, with Vice President J.D. Vance standing by to cast a potential tie-breaking vote. In other words, had Collins and one other Republican defected, the entire bill could have been stopped.

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, a fellow Republican, said Collins’ vote proved she was a “team player,” adding that she “helped us get on the bill at a time when we needed that help.”

OBBB is expected to have a devastating impact on health care in Maine. A KFF analysis says the state will lose up to $3 billion in federal Medicaid spending, resulting in about 33,000 Mainers losing their health insurance.

The law will also imperil Maine hospitals that depend on Medicaid reimbursements for revenue. This is particularly true of rural hospitals in remote areas, which are often the only emergency medical providers for hundreds of miles.

The ad was paid for by Collins’ reelection campaign. She is seeking a sixth term this year and has been endorsed by Vance and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

Collins’ Democratic challenger will be chosen at a July 25 nominating convention.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Senate GOP Ads Broadcast Lies On Immigrants, Medicaid And Trump Budget

Senate GOP Ads Broadcast Lies On Immigrants, Medicaid And Trump Budget

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is running ads in multiple states that spread disinformation about Medicaid and undocumented immigrants.

The ads target Democratic Senate candidates in Ohio, Alaska, Iowa, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Michigan for not supporting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), which the NRSC claims stopped undocumented immigrants from receiving Medicaid benefits.

This claim is false. Federal law already barred undocumented people from accessing Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) coverage. Instances of undocumented people being erroneously enrolled in these programs are extremely rare.

Republicans have made this claim about OBBB repeatedly since the legislation was introduced. Health policy experts, including the Kaiser Family Foundation and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, have repeatedly debunked it.

The law does, however, make profound changes to Medicaid. OBBB will cut about $1 trillion from the health insurance program over the next decade, resulting in up to 12 million Americans losing their coverage. The bulk of those cuts will fund tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy.

Sens. Jon Husted (OH) and Dan Sullivan (AK) both voted for OBBB, as did Reps. Ashley Hinson (IA) and Mike Collins (GA), who are both running for Senate this year. Former New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu and former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, who are also running for Senate, have both publicly praised the law.

Michael Whatley, the Republican Senate candidate in North Carolina, said he would have voted for OBBB “in a heartbeat.”

A tracking poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that OBBB is deeply unpopular with voters. Sixty-four percent of respondents have an unfavorable view of the law. Among independents, 71 percent oppose it.

President Donald Trump has proposed additional tax cuts and further cuts to government programs if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate after the 2026 elections.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

North Carolina Senate Nominee Stands By January 6 Pardons Despite Sex Crimes

North Carolina Senate Nominee Stands By January 6 Pardons Despite Sex Crimes

Republican Michael Whatley continued to defend President Donald Trump’s pardons of January 6 insurrectionists, even after it was discovered that some of those individuals had been charged with sex crimes.

Trump issued a blanket pardon to everyone who participated in the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, despite initially promising to pardon only nonviolent offenders. NPR later reported that dozens of those rioters had prior convictions or pending charges, including for rape and the sexual abuse of minors.

Whatley, who is a candidate for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina, was asked during a February meet-and-greet whether he still supported Trump’s pardons. Whatley said, “Yeah,” and described the prosecutions as “malicious.”

NPR identified one of the pardoned rioters as David Daniel of Mint Hill, N.C., who was previously charged with producing sexually explicit material featuring a minor under the age of 12. Daniel argued that Trump’s pardon applied to this offense as well. A judge disagreed and he ultimately pleaded guilty to the offense.

Others were charged with sex crimes after the pardons were issued.

Andrew Paul Johnson of Florida received a life sentence in March for molesting a child under 12 and another under 16. He told one of his victims that he expected a settlement from the federal government related to the pardon and offered to share it with the victim if they stayed quiet.

Johnson may have gotten this idea from Trump himself, who tried to create a slush fund to pay victims of so-called “government weaponization,” which would presumably include the pardoned rioters.

Whatley said he supported the fund, which is currently being blocked by a federal judge.

Whatley’s tolerance of this behavior risks drawing attention to another scandal. From 2019 to 2024, he served as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. During that time, he appointed Harvey West to two party committees, according to a March report by the Asheville Watchdog, despite West having pleaded guilty in 2000 to taking indecent liberties with a minor.

Trump has endorsed Whatley’s campaign. Whatley will face former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in the general election.

Endorsed By Trump, Georgia GOP Senate Nominee Made Millions Off Crypto

Endorsed By Trump, Georgia GOP Senate Nominee Made Millions Off Crypto

Georgia Rep. Mike Collins endorsed a ban on congressional stock trading while he was actively buying and selling cryptocurrency.

When a voter confronted Collins about this during an April meet-and-greet, he tried to claim that his activities were not corrupt because cryptocurrencies were immune from insider trading.

“I don’t know how you would manipulate crypto,” Collins said. “It’d be like trying to manipulate the dollar, the peso or something. But the stock trading, I don’t know how to do it … All I want to know is when people stop doing it. They’re getting insider information.”

Collins’ characterization is not accurate. While it’s true that cryptocurrencies are sold on digital exchanges rather than the traditional stock market, individuals can still use clandestine information to maximize their profits. Because cryptocurrencies are not securities, these cases are often prosecuted as wire or commodities fraud, as opposed to traditional insider tradinghttps://americanjournalnews.com/mike-collins-backed-stock-trading-ban-while-betting-big-on-crypto/.

In 2021, the House Ethics Committee fined North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorne $14,000 for promoting a cryptocurrency that he had a sizable stake in.

Many of the proposed bans on congressional stock trading, including ones that Collins has endorsed, would apply to cryptocurrencies as well.

Last month, Collins secured the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Georgia. His primary opponent, former football coach Derek Dooley, repeatedly attacked him over his cryptocurrency holdings.

“Collins treats Congress like his own crypto casino,” Dooley’s campaign wrote on X. “Georgians deserve leaders focused on service, not self-enrichment.”

This line of attack seems likely to continue into the general election. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff has made cracking down on political corruption and self-enrichment a major focus of his reelection campaign.

At the same time, President Donald Trump has come under fire for raking in $1.4 billion from his family’s cryptocurrency business. Trump has endorsed Collins’ campaign.

A Fox News poll from earlier this month showed Ossoff leading Collins among likely voters by 13 points.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

As Iran War Raised Gas Prices, Oil Lobby Sent Big Checks To Senate Republicans

As Iran War Raised Gas Prices, Oil Lobby Sent Big Checks To Senate Republicans

The two main groups responsible for electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate have taken large donations from the oil and gas industry.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the Senate Leadership Fund PAC (SLF) have received a combined $6.83 million this year from oil company PACs, executives, and trade groups, all while fuel prices rose as a result of the war in Iran.

During this same period, Senate Republicans facing reelection repeatedly voted to continue the war, helping sustain the huge profits oil companies were reaping from these higher costs.

“The reason why oil companies are doing so well right now, or at least are projected to do very well in the near term, is exactly because Americans are hurting,” Kelly Mitchell, who leads the oil and gas industry watchdog Fieldnotes, told the Guardian.

Since February, SLF has received $250,000 from Valero, $100,000 from Marquis Energy, and $2 million from Chevron. It also received $1 million from the American Petroleum Institute, the largest trade group representing domestic oil and gas companies.

Chevron is on track to make $9.2 billion from war profits alone this year. Valero’s stock value has jumped by 24% since the conflict began.

Billionaire Paul Singer personally gave $1.5 million to SLF and $310,000 to the NRSC. Singer’s venture capital firm, Elliott Investment Management, took over Citgo Petroleum earlier this year.

Former Sunoco CEO Sam Susser contributed $75,000 to the NRSC this year. Oil baron Philip Anschutz gave $150,000.

The $6.83 million figure also includes donations from individuals and groups adjacent to the oil and gas industry. Coal billionaire Joe Craft, for example, gave $100,000 to SLF. The value of coal increased as a result of the war’s destabilizing effect on global energy supplies.

“If your goal is domestically produced energy and you’re South Africa or Indonesia or China, coal looks pretty good from an energy security standpoint,” Jason Bordoff, the founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy, told the New York Times.

Energy Transfer LP, which ships natural gas throughout the world, gave $500,000 to SLF this year. Semafor reported in March that the company will likely continue to profit from the war even after it ceases because of heightened shipping costs and the time needed for the energy supply chain to fully recover.

The American Exploration & Production Council, which represents independent oil producers, gave $100,000 to SLF. The group also received $750,000 from Koch Inc., the energy and oil refining conglomerate owned by far-right billionaire Charles Koch.

Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Ashley Moody of Florida, and Jon Husted of Ohio voted eight times to block war powers resolutions that could end the war. Maine Sen. Susan Collins voted to block the resolutions six times.

Republican Reps. Ashley Hinson of Iowa and Mike Collins of Georgia, both of whom are running for the U.S. Senate, voted four times to block the House counterpart of those resolutions.

Collins and North Carolina Republican Michael Whatley have come under scrutiny for substantial oil and gas investments that enable them to personally profit from the war. Former New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu, who is mounting a comeback bid this year, has similar investments and has expressed support for the war.

President Donald Trump announced on June 14 that a ceasefire had been reached with Iran. Details of the agreement, which is expected to be finalized on June 19, have not yet been made public.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Alaska GOP Senator's Campaigns Spent $1.5M On Golf Resorts And Luxury Lodging

Alaska GOP Senator's Campaigns Spent $1.5M On Golf Resorts And Luxury Lodging

Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan has spent more than $1.5 million worth of campaign funds at luxury hotels and restaurants, according to his financial reports.

Lawmakers are permitted to spend campaign cash on meal and travel accommodations, but federal law stipulates that these expenditures must be related to official activities and cannot be for personal use.

Sullivan’s suspicious spending encompasses nearly his entire Senate career, from 2015 to his current reelection campaign. He is seeking a third term this year and is expected to face former Rep. Mary Peltola in the general election.

The spending was spread across three groups: Alaskans for Dan Sullivan, his official campaign apparatus; Sullivan Victory, a joint fundraising committee tied to his Senate campaign; and True North PAC, a Sullivan-led group that supports other Republicans.

In the first quarter of 2026, these entities spent a combined $65,847 on food and lodging, about 92 percent of which was spent outside Alaska. This includes spending $3,500 on a stay at the Four Seasons resort in Palm Beach, FL.

In 2025, these groups spent $333,291 on lodging, meals, and catering, more than double their 2024 figure of $164,936.

Some of Sullivan’s most prominent spending over the last decade has been at hotels known for their golf accommodations. The Alaska Democrats put out a press release documenting this trend in April.

“While we’re paying $5 for a gallon of gas, choosing between paying for groceries or health care, and struggling to afford housing, Self-Serving Sullivan has literally been wining and dining Lower 48 special interest donors at luxurious golf resorts,” said Alaska Democratic Party Chair Eric Croft.

An example is the La Quinta Resort & Club in Palm Springs, CA, where Sullivan groups have reported 24 payments over the years totaling $160,737. These charges were for lodging, meals, and event space.

While La Quinta is generally considered a mid-tier hotel chain, its Palm Springs property is a palatial resort with five golf courses, sprawling rose gardens, and private swimming pools. It’s also where season 16 of The Bachelorette was filmed.

Between 2022 and 2025, Sullivan groups reported spending more than $151,000 on lodging and events on Kiawah Island, a barrier island off the South Carolina coast. Most of this was spent at the Kiawah Golf Resort, the site of the 2021 PGA Championship.

Bloomberg News reported in October 2025 that Sullivan co-hosted a fundraiser on Kiawah Island with Arkansas GOP Sen. John Boozman during a government shutdown. Boozman is an avid golfer.

Sullivan groups reported spending $21,000 earlier this year at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona, which has a golf course designed by renowned architect Phil Smith. The private resort also has a three-story spa and is known for hosting celebrity guests.

Rooms at The Phoenician can cost as much as $9,500 per night.

Between 2019 and 2025, Sullivan groups reported spending $2,441 at The Breakers resort in Palm Beach, which has an oceanside golf course and is a short drive from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

The lavish spending stands in contrast to Sullivan’s efforts to project a working-class persona, including regularly attending campaign events dressed in work boots and a Carhartt jacket.

Quiver Quantitative estimates Sullivan’s net worth to be $8.4 million.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News

Violating Law She Sponsored, Susan Collins Failed To Report $395K In Stock Trades

Violating Law She Sponsored, Susan Collins Failed To Report $395K In Stock Trades

Maine Sen. Susan Collins failed to report up to $395,000 in stock trades, violating a law that she helped pass.

The STOCK Act requires members of Congress and their spouses to disclose stock transactions within 45 days of a trade being ordered. A review of the Republican senator’s disclosures from 2013 to 2018 shows 24 transactions that were reported more than 100 days late.

All of these trades were made by Collins’ husband, Thomas Daffron, a former lobbyist. The late-reported items include shares of Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, and CVS.

NOTUS reported that Collins also failed to report a purchase of Pfizer stock earlier this year.

Collins supported the STOCK Act when it was introduced in January 2012 and helped shepherd it into law by becoming the first Republican to back the measure. It ultimately passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Barack Obama.

“At a time when polls show low public confidence in Congress, there is a strong desire to address the concerns that underpin the public’s skepticism and assure the American people that we put their interests above our own,” Collins said in defense of the law.

Collins has since opposed efforts to completely ban stock trading by members of Congress, an idea supported by the vast majority of voters and members of her own party. A Brennan Center survey found that 81 percent of adults support such a ban.

Collins has acquired considerable wealth as a result of her investments.

In 2001, she reported her net worth as between $111,000 and $315,000. According to Quiver Quantitative, which tracks the wealth of lawmakers, her net worth in 2013—less than a year after marrying Daffron—was $3.8 million. Today, it is $6.9 million.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Collins and Daffron had personally profited from the war in Iran through their substantial oil and gas holdings.

The STOCK Act requires lawmakers to pay a fine for every transaction reported outside the 45-day window. These fees are frequently waived by the House and Senate ethics committees. It is unclear whether Collins has been investigated or reprimanded for the infractions.

Collins is running for a sixth term this year. Her likely Democratic opponent is oysterman and veteran Graham Platner, who has pledged to support a congressional stock trading ban.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News