Conservative Brief

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is sharpening his economic and government-spending attacks against Democrats ahead of the November midterm elections, accusing the opposition party of fighting Republican tax cuts and contributing to government shutdowns that left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without regular paychecks. Johnson made the argument in a social media post this week, contrasting the records of the two parties as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress.

A legal fight involving former Fox 2 Detroit anchor Taryn Asher has produced a significant development in her employment dispute. Asher can now pursue new media jobs after attorneys resolved the contested non-compete portion of her federal case against WJBK. The agreement removes a professional obstacle for the veteran Detroit journalist while her broader discrimination and retaliation claims remain pending.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro created a new Washington division focused on federal fraud and recovering taxpayer money. The Fraud and Asset Recovery Division was announced Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The office says the unit will investigate and litigate civil fraud matters, particularly cases under the False Claims Act. Pirro framed the reorganization as part of the Trump administration’s broader campaign against fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs.

Jim Copenhaver, one of two spectators seriously wounded during the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, has reportedly died.

A major new Maine Senate poll has delivered Republican Sen. Susan Collins her strongest public showing of the fall campaign. The New York Times, Siena Research Institute, and Portland Press Herald survey shows Collins leading Democrat Troy Jackson 49%-46%. The survey questioned 619 likely Maine voters between September 15 and September 22, with five percent remaining undecided. For Democrats, Maine matters because the party needs a net gain of four seats to capture U.S. Senate control this November.

Fox News personality Kat Timpf surprised a live audience Wednesday night by announcing that she is pregnant with her second child, adding another major development to an extraordinary two-year stretch that included the birth of her first son and a battle with breast cancer. Timpf, a comedian and regular panelist on Fox News’ late-night program “Gutfeld!,” revealed the news during the show’s taping, telling the audience that she is approximately four months pregnant.

President Donald Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jinping at a White House state dinner Thursday evening, with some of the most powerful figures in the American technology industry expected to attend as artificial intelligence emerges as a major issue surrounding the leaders’ summit. The guest list is expected to include executives and founders whose companies sit at the center of the global race to develop artificial intelligence, advanced semiconductors, and other technologies.

President Donald Trump personally welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United States on Wednesday evening, beginning a closely watched three-day state visit as Washington and Beijing agreed to extend their fragile trade truce through Jan. 10. Trump and first lady Melania Trump traveled to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to greet Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, as they stepped off their plane, an unusual presidential gesture ahead of formal meetings between the leaders at the White House.

A new recording was released surrounding a federal operation that ended with a migrant wounded and an immigration officer. The footage does not answer every question about the shooting, but it provides the clearest public look yet at what happened during the pursuit immediately preceding it.

President Donald Trump said Thursday morning that artificial intelligence will be a major topic during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, placing the rapidly developing technology at the center of talks between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies. “AI will be a big topic of discussion,” Trump wrote on social media ahead of Xi’s meetings at the White House.