June 20, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. INTERVIEW: Rep. Jimmy Patronis talks Biden’s cognitive ability as GOP investigates Dems’ greatest scandal

2. Heard on the Hill

3. EDITORIAL: Ted Cruz delivers for America amid global turmoil

4. EDITORIAL: Senator Thom Tillis Delivers A Great Win for President Trump By Closing a Liberal Tax Loophole

5. EDITORIAL: After nearly 50 years of war against America, the U.S. and Israel prove they can do a damn thing about Iran

6. EXCLUSIVE: Watchdog uncovers Biden administration scheme to consult radical groups on policy giving illegal immigrants legal representation

7. EXCLUSIVE: Veterans group debuts ad backing Trump's "No Nuclear Weapons, No Exceptions" policy on Iran

8. K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: Exclusive poll shows support growing for cannabis reform among Republicans

9. OPINIONATED: TechNet CEO Linda Moore on national AI policy and Wytherson Media LLC’s Greg Manz on the Michigan state Senate special election.

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INTERVIEW: Rep. Jimmy Patronis talks Biden’s cognitive ability as GOP investigates Dems’ greatest scandal

by Matthew Foldi and the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• As the GOP delves into the Democratic cover-up of President Joe Biden’s cognitive ability, and the Senate Democrats skip the hearing on the subject, Republican Rep. Jimmy Patronis is keeping the drumbeat up.

• “What I'm concerned about is that there was a number of executive orders, including pardons, that were executed by somebody,” Patronis said. “Now the revelation has come forward where the autopen was probably used in a fashion maybe a little more liberally than is typical, considering how that instrument can be interpreted as a legal liability.”

• Patronis explained why he wants a Select Committee to “be a one-time investigation, do its duty, and then sunset.”

• As for how President Donald Trump stacks up to his predecessor in the attentiveness category, Patronis said that the current president’s response to the Category Five storm Hurricane Michael was something he wouldn’t have seen from the Biden administration.

As the GOP delves into the Democratic cover-up of former President Biden’s cognitive ability, and the Senate Democrats skip the hearing on the subject, Republican Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R., Fla.) is keeping the drumbeat up.

The Washington Reporter spoke with Patronis and he explained exactly why the investigation needs to continue.

“What I'm concerned about is that there was a number of executive orders, including pardons, that were executed by somebody,” Patronis said. “Now the revelation has come forward where the autopen was probably used in a fashion maybe a little more liberally than is typical, considering how that instrument can be interpreted as a legal liability.”

“But if this was being operated without the president's knowledge because of any of a number of reasons, I think it's very important to verify the validity of those actions on behalf of the White House, of that office, and that includes executive orders and pardons,” he continued.

“But then if there is any type of a cover-up, then I do believe that transparency is the absolute best form of clarity and way to earn the trust of the public,” Patronis added.

The select committee Patronis wants to create would “be a one-time investigation, do its duty, and then sunset,” and he noted that he “could see where [Democrats] would feel like this is partisan in nature.”

“I do think that the presidency is too important,” Patronis explained. “If we truly did have an individual occupy the Executive Office of the White House, the premier leader of the free world, who was not truly cognizant of everything that was taking place, then I think we had some real problems.”

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Heard on the Hill

• BIG MOVES: The Congressional Leadership Fund and the American Action Network hired Gefen Kabik to serve as their press secretary. He is an alum of AIPAC, the Trump administration, and more.

• UNIONS BUSTED: Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) and Mary Katharine Ham are teaming up with the Public Labor Union Accountability Committee (PLUAC) for an event next week to discuss Senator Ernst’s legislation, the Protecting Taxpayers’ Wallets Act of 2025. The bill would require unions to reimburse the feds for the time and resources federal government employees used to promote the union’s activities. Those interested in attending can RSVP here.

• REDEDICATED: John Ondrasik, better known by his stage name Five for Fighting, officially rededicated his 2001 hit song, Superman, to the Israeli hostages who are still held in Gaza by Palestinian terrorists. “Music is where we should be able to meet honestly without enmity,” Ondrasik explained. “It can remind us that behind every headline is a human being who bleeds and loves and cries just like we do.” Read the Reporter’s coverage of how Ondrasik took D.C. by storm here.

• HEY, I’VE SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE: Michal Rachon, one of Poland’s top journalists, is sounding the alarm that the conservative candidate who won Poland’s election, and who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, may have his victory stolen from him. “The liberal left government of Donald Tusk lost the presidential election? As usual with those people: they try to cancel the election results,” Rachon cautioned. “While the world is focused on wars and summits, a critical battle for democracy is playing out here in Poland. Don’t look away.”

• TRUST ME, I’M A DOCTOR: The nation’s largest physician interest group, the American Medical Association (AMA), which has been increasingly criticized by Republicans for wading into politics, raised some eyebrows this week with its opposition to the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding a Tennessee law banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors. The Court said the law did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In contrast, most Republicans celebrated the ruling.

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The Biden administration cut Medicare Advantage two years in a row.

Now President Trump is working to protect and strengthen it.

Seniors are counting on Congress to do the same.

Protect seniors. Protect Medicare Advantage.

EDITORIAL: Ted Cruz delivers for America amid global turmoil

by the Washington Reporter

“You’re a fan of the Washington Reporter? Name all their subscribers.”

We at the Reporter are incredibly thankful for our readership in the White House, on and off the Hill, and beyond — but we’d never lodge an evidently bad-faith accusation like that against someone, unless they really deserved it.

And Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), who consistently delivers for the American people, deserved better than the two-hour showing from his appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast. As the Reporter first reported, Republicans senators mocked Carlson as a “clown” behind closed doors earlier this week, following President Donald Trump’s break with the former Fox News host.

Carlson’s comportment during his Cruz interview has done him no favors.

Cruz, for his part, is a master podcaster, and is also one of the Senate GOP’s biggest assets. His work on reconciliation and a spectrum deal put him in a class of his own among Republican lawmakers.

One senior Hill aide told us that Senator Cruz has had as significant of an impact on reconciliation as any member, especially with his deliverance of a spectrum deal that raises hundreds of billions of dollars, positions us to beat China, and protects our national security.

Additionally, we at the Reporter both agree with Cruz on the merits of his arguments and with his strategy of confronting people who clearly don’t agree with him. He made the case for a robust America First foreign policy that punishes our enemies who shamelessly carry the blood of thousands of Americans on their hands.

We also appreciate Cruz’s reaction to the podcast after the fact. His timeline is filled with jokes about how absurd the premise of Carlson’s questions were.

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EDITORIAL: Sen. Thom Tillis delivers a great win for President Trump by closing a liberal tax loophole

by the Washington Reporter

The Washington Reporter proudly commends Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) for his steadfast leadership in securing the inclusion of the Tackling Predatory Litigation Funding Act in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. This is a win for North Carolina, a win for President Trump, and a win in our fight against inflation.

This legislation, a cornerstone of Tillis’s commitment to working North Carolinians, targets a critical issue in our legal system: the predatory practices of third-party litigation funding (TPLF). By addressing this exploitative loophole, Senator Tillis is not only protecting the integrity of American courts but also ensuring that hardworking taxpayers are not left footing the bill for frivolous lawsuits. His efforts deserve applause, as they align with President Trump’s bold economic priorities, and help pay for the popular “no tax on tips” policy, while standing up to the self-serving plaintiff’s bar and their pay-for-play influencer schemes.

The losers in this fight are the plaintiffs’ bar. A few exceptions are conservative, no doubt. But as a whole, the plaintiffs bar is extraordinarily liberal, they are one of if not the biggest source of funding for Democratic politicians, and they drive up costs for the rest of Americans.

The Tackling Predatory Litigation Funding Act is a common-sense reform that addresses a growing problem in our judicial system. Third-party litigation funding allows outside investors — often foreign entities — to bankroll lawsuits in exchange for a share of the profits, treating our courts like a casino. These financiers drive up litigation costs, delay justice, and burden American businesses and consumers. Worse still, the current tax code incentivizes this behavior.

Senator Tillis’s bill levels the playing field by taxing these profits at the ordinary income rate (typically 37 percent) plus a 3.8 percent surcharge, ensuring fairness and discouraging meritless lawsuits that clog our courts and harm our economy. After all, why should litigation hedge funds pay a lower rate than hard-working Americans?

The plaintiffs’ bar is now trying to kill President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill to keep their tax loophole — but Republicans shouldn’t let them.

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EDITORIAL: After nearly 50 years of war against America, the U.S. and Israel prove they can do a damn thing about Iran

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• Since the Shah’s fall under the Carter administration, Iran has decidedly been a bad actor against America and our national interests, let alone Israel and the rest of the world. For years, Iran’s messaging has been “America can’t do a damn thing against us.”

• In less than a week, the Ayatollah’s airspace was taken completely over by Israel with American support, their missile caches and nuclear research facilities have been decimated, and the “Supreme Leader” of Iran holed himself up underground as the American and Israeli forces continue to weigh the idea of using bunker-buster bombs at Fordow.

• Turns out, America and Israel can absolutely do a damn thing about Islamic terrorists threatening the world. In fact, they’ve done several damn things, especially after years of attacks and antagonism toward both nations.

• In the wake of the Israeli strikes and American support, the Islamic Republic destroying Iran is crumbling before our very eyes.

The U.S. may not be at war with Iran — yet — but that hasn’t stopped Iran from being at war with America for nearly five decades.

Since the Shah’s fall under the Carter administration, Iran has decidedly been a bad actor against America and our national interests, let alone Israel and the rest of the world. For years, Iran’s messaging has been “America can’t do a damn thing against us.”

How wrong they were.

In less than a week, the Ayatollah’s airspace was taken completely over by Israel with American support, their missile caches and nuclear research facilities have been decimated, and the “Supreme Leader” of Iran holed himself up underground as the American and Israeli forces continue to weigh the idea of using bunker-buster bombs at Fordow.

Turns out, America and Israel can absolutely do a damn thing about Islamic terrorists threatening the world. In fact, they’ve done several damn things, especially after years of attacks and antagonism toward both nations.

From “peaceful” student activists taking over the U.S. Embassy and holding Americans hostage to the 1983 Beirut truck bombing that killed hundreds of American servicemen and women, the Islamic Republic of Iran has made it clear they are at war with us. Further examples — such as the 1985 Hezbollah hijacking of TWA Flight 847; the kidnapping, torture, and execution of CIA station chief William Buckley and Colonel William Higgins (who was castrated and had his tongue cut out); and the aiding and abetting of the September 11th Attacks only further emphasize this point.

Now, we have an American president saying, “Enough!”

“Iran has waged war against Israel, America, and the civilized world for nearly 50 years,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) told the Washington Reporter. “It’s in our core interest for Israel to end the threat of a nuclear Iran.”

In the wake of the Israeli strikes and American support, the Islamic Republic destroying Iran is crumbling before our very eyes.

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EXCLUSIVE: Watchdog uncovers Biden administration scheme to consult radical groups on policy giving illegal immigrants legal representation

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• Federal government watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) uncovered the plot by Mayorkas to consult with radical immigration groups on giving illegal immigrants taxpayer-funded attorneys for immigration proceedings.

• PPT director Michael Chamberlain told the Washington Reporter that the discovery of radical special interest groups having a heavy hand in crafting immigration policy at the height of the Biden border crisis is “not comforting.”

• According to the FOIA documents exclusively obtained by the Reporter, Mayorkas sent to his staff a list of individuals for an in-person meeting in March 2022, which his staff expanded on with further names in an email response. This list included representatives from SEIU, CHIRLA, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) — a group in which Mayorkas served on the board — among others.

• As a civil court proceeding and not a criminal one, the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution does not apply to immigration proceedings, including those involving illegal immigration. That, however, did not stop Mayorkas and the Biden administration from exploring the idea of giving illegal immigrants taxpayer-funded legal representation.

A federal watchdog uncovered a scheme by then-Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to consult radical immigration groups on a policy aiming to give illegal immigrants legal representation.

Federal government watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) uncovered the plot via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents by Mayorkas to consult with radical immigration groups on giving illegal immigrants taxpayer-funded attorneys for immigration proceedings.

Some of these immigration groups, such as the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), have allegedly been active participants in the violent anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, California.

PPT director Michael Chamberlain told the Washington Reporter that the discovery of radical special interest groups having a heavy hand in crafting immigration policy at the height of the Biden border crisis is “not comforting.”

“Once again, we see how policy in the Biden administration was driven by powerful special interest allies,” Chamberlain said. “Some of them had ties to administration officials and virtually all of them from a very narrow sliver of the ideological spectrum.”

“Just as we discovered via FOIA documents how the teachers’ unions exerted their influence on the Department of Education, these records reveal the groups that appear to be the hand-picked advocates former Secretary Mayorkas looked to on immigration policy and it’s not comforting,” he continued.

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EXCLUSIVE: Veterans group debuts ad backing Trump's "No Nuclear Weapons, No Exceptions" policy on Iran

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• One of America’s leading veterans organizations is releasing an ad, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, at a critical juncture for President Donald Trump’s Middle East policy.

• The ad, from Veterans on Duty (VOD), has a clear message: “no nuclear weapons, no exceptions” for the Islamic regime.

• The ad, VOD said, is part of “a full-scale digital campaign to mobilize our nation's veterans to stand with Israel and push back against the rising isolationist sentiment in Washington.”

• “A regime that chants ‘Death to America’ and actively plots to assassinate President Trump and other U.S. leaders must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon,” VOD chairman Jeffrey Hunt said.

One of America’s leading veterans organizations is releasing an ad, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, at a critical juncture for President Donald Trump’s Middle East policy.

The ad, from Veterans on Duty (VOD), has a clear message: “no nuclear weapons, no exceptions” for the Islamic regime.

For years, Trump has taken a hard-line stance against the mullahs in Iran, arguing that they can never be allowed to have nuclear weapons. Trump remained unwavering in that policy during his second term when he rolled out the toughest sanctions that Iran has ever seen.

The ad, VOD said, is part of “a full-scale digital campaign to mobilize our nation's veterans to stand with Israel and push back against the rising isolationist sentiment in Washington.”

The ad praises Trump for his attempts at diplomacy, but notes that Iran failed to take Trump up.

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K-STREET, 10,000 FEET:

Exclusive poll shows support growing for cannabis reform among Republicans

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• New polling, conducted by Forbes Tate Partners on behalf of Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR), found that there is “strong support for the STATES 2.0 Act (61% support vs. 27% oppose) and allowing states to decide (69% support vs. 22% oppose).”

• The CPEAR poll comes as Washington is deliberating possible cannabis reform on a federal level, and CPEAR’s findings suggest that the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) 2.0 Act could be a solution.

• The STATES 2.0 Act is a bipartisan bill backed by Reps. Dave Joyce (R., Ohio), Max Miller (R., Ohio), and Dina Titus (D., Nev.) that would, according to Joyce, “ensure that each State has the right to determine for itself the best approach to cannabis within its borders.”

• Joyce’s office explained that, critically, the STATES 2.0 Act “amends the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 801) (CSA) to respect the will of each state and no longer classify marijuana as a substance covered by the CSA, that is manufactured, produced, possessed, distributed, dispensed, administrated, or delivered in compliance with State and Tribal law, while also ensuring states that opt to maintain prohibition receive federal support and assistance for this enforcement.”

A growing number of conservatives and Americans back a policy that cannabis reform advocates call a “states’ rights approach to cannabis policy,” according to a new national poll obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter.

New polling, conducted by Forbes Tate Partners on behalf of Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation (CPEAR), found that there is “strong support for the STATES 2.0 Act (61% support vs. 27% oppose) and allowing states to decide (69% support vs. 22% oppose).”

The CPEAR poll comes as Washington is deliberating possible cannabis reform on a federal level, and CPEAR’s findings suggest that the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) 2.0 Act could be a solution.

CPEAR’s poll shows that backing legislation like the STATES 2.0 Act is also good politics.

“A near majority (48%) would be MORE likely to vote for a candidate who supports reforming federal cannabis law,” the group noted. “Only 15% would be LESS likely, and 26% say it depends on other issues.”

The STATES 2.0 Act is a bipartisan bill backed by Reps. Dave Joyce (R., Ohio), Max Miller (R., Ohio), and Dina Titus (D., Nev.) that would, according to Joyce, “ensure that each State has the right to determine for itself the best approach to cannabis within its borders.”

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OPINIONATED

Voters Want One National AI Policy. Congress Has a Chance to Deliver.
by Linda Moore

Congress is facing a defining moment on one of the most important technology issues of our time: how America governs artificial intelligence. As lawmakers debate whether to pause the proliferation of state-level AI laws and instead advance a single, national framework, the American public is sending a clear and urgent message: Washington must lead.

A new TechNet/Morning Consult poll shows that 76 percent of voters across party lines support a single national policy to guide the development of AI. Their reasoning is simple: a patchwork of AI state laws would hamper America’s ability to compete in the global race for leadership.

In 2025 alone, more than 1,000 AI-related bills have been introduced in state legislatures. While well-intentioned, these proposals vary widely in scope, terminology, and compliance requirements. The result is a confusing patchwork of laws that is bewildering for consumers and burdensome for businesses, especially small and mid-sized companies that lack the legal firepower to navigate it.

While we firmly support state and local governments’ ability to set the rules they believe best meet the specific needs of their citizens, technology implementation does not have borders. Just as previous waves of innovation, like the internet and telecommunications, required federal coordination, so too does AI.

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Op-Ed: Greg Manz: Why Trump allies in Michigan are eyeing State Senate special election to shatter Democrats’ spin

by Greg Manz

While the beltway brigade of pundits, pollsters, and political parasites obsess over the 2026 midterm map, they’re missing what might be this year's most electric election in the nation — whenever Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D., Mich.) finally calls it.

That’s right. One lonely legislative seat in the Wolverine State could reset the balance of power in Lansing, deadlocking the Michigan State Senate at 19-19 — and with it, derailing Gretchen Whitmer’s radical regime. The stakes? Sky-high. The panic? Palpable. And the radical left knows it.

Michigan’s 35th Senate District has been left without representation for over five months, marking the longest delay in calling a special election in state history. Whitmer’s stall tactics aren’t just unprecedented — they’re undemocratic. For more than five months, residents of the 35th District have paid taxes without a voice in the state legislature. That’s not representative government — it’s taxation without representation, plain and simple.

National Democrats are clinging to recent special election wins in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, pointing to those blue blips as so-called “proof” that the America First movement is losing steam in the Rust Belt. But here’s the real headline: Michigan is the firewall — and the fight for its Senate is a full-throttle referendum on President Trump’s 2024 historic comeback.

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