Former Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the U.S. Department of Justice’s release of files associated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and did not answer questions about President Donald Trump’s involvement in the release. Bondi testified in a closed session to lawmakers on the U.S. House Oversight Committee Friday over the release of more than three million documents associated with Epstein. She repeatedly referred lawmakers to acting attorney general Todd Blanche on further questions related to the files release, lawmakers said.

American self-governance rests on one indispensable foundation: that elections reflect the will of eligible citizens, counted accurately, administered transparently. Republicans and election integrity advocates argue that this foundation has been progressively undermined—not necessarily by a single grand conspiracy, but by a systemic pattern of loosened safeguards, dirty voter rolls, exploitable mail-ballot systems, and aggressive Democrat opposition to the audits and reforms that would resolve public doubt once and for all. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act—which polls at roughly 80 percent public support—would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. To its advocates, it is the minimum logical response to documented vulnerabilities in the registration and voting system. To its opponents, it is voter suppression. The fight over that characterization is itself a revealing indicator of where the parties stand on the fundamental question: do you want to know, or don’t you? And why!

The Justice Department said Friday a Texas man has been indicted on federal charges related to a shooting near the Washington Monument on the National Mall earlier this month. The department said a federal grand jury has indicted 45-year-old Michael Marx, of Midland, Texas, on charges of “assaulting certain officers using a dangerous weapon and using a firearm during a crime of violence” during the May 4 incident.

Budget constraints are forcing a growing number of blue states to cut back on their “free” healthcare programs for illegal aliens, due to a reduction in federal subsidies and Medicaid cuts. Breitbart reports that a number of liberal-leaning states including California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Washington, and the District of Columbia are unable to replace the federal health benefits for illegals with their own state tax dollars.

The ABC political thriller Scandal ran for six seasons. If it were a reality show, The Real Scandals of Rocky Mountain Laboratories might be getting renewed for a ninth season. Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, urged Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General March Bell to immediately investigate "safety, security, and personnel practices at RML," a BSL-4 facility on the west side of Montana near the Idaho border that conducts federal research on the most dangerous pathogens in the world, including newly resurgent Ebola.

A federal judge has blocked a $1.8 million fund meant to compensate people who say they were targeted unjustly by the Biden administration.  U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said the Trump administration is barred from taking actions on the fund, including awarding any payouts, until arguments in a legal challenge by a coalition of people and entities are heard. The hearing is set for June 12, when Brinkema will consider a longer or permanent pause on the fund. 

Nonprofits that abuse the government for political gain may soon find themselves in the investigative crosshairs of a newly formed House task force, says Texas GOP Rep. Brandon Gill, who will lead the panel under the House Oversight Committee. The six-month Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses will examine illegal DEI policies, misuse of immigration and social welfare programs that defraud taxpayers, and efforts by foreign actors and dark money groups to suppress free speech.

A newly proposed draft defense bill signals Congress has no plans to slow down the flow of American tax dollars to foreign countries. The 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), unveiled by Republican House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers and Democratic Ranking Member Adam Smith, would allow for the flow of nearly $2 billion in taxpayer dollars to Iraq, Syria’s formerly al-Qaeda-linked regime, NATO and the Israeli government. It’s unclear whether the authorization will pass in its current form, as it still needs to clear the committee’s scheduled June markup and overcome other legislative hurdles.

The latest New York Times/Siena College survey of potential Democrat voters and independent voters highlights the Democrat Party’s failures and illuminates a path for conservatives to attract disenfranchised soft Democrats. Hispanic and Black Democrats and men are growing particularly weary of the party’s failures on immigration and gender ideology. 

The idea of so-called community schools dates back to the early 20th-century Progressive Era. This plan turns schools into one-stop shops for families and is accompanied by so-called wraparound services staffed by—typically unionized—government workers. It blurs the lines between parents and the state, thereby undermining the sanctity of the parent–child bond.