A U.S. district judge in Oregon has blocked a $25 billion bid by supermarket giant Kroger to take over its rival Albertsons, ruling that the Federal Trade Commission’s concerns about the merger’s impact on market consolidation were valid. 

Controversial FBI Director Christopher Wray officially announced his resignation from the position on Wednesday. 

Texas Senator Ted Cruz slammed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for bringing charges against Daniel Penny, urging him to sue Bragg for “malicious prosecution” following Penny’s acquittal in the high profile homicide case in New York City.

On Wednesday, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, scooped a left-wing media outlet that was preparing to publish a story about Hegseth supposedly lying about getting into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Hegseth, a decorated combat veteran, posted photos of his acceptance letter from the academy in a now-viral post. The 44-year-old said he chose not to attend the academy after he was accepted. “We understand that ProPublica (the Left Wing hack group) is planning to publish a knowingly false report that I was not accepted to West Point in 1999,” Hegseth wrote. “Here’s my letter of acceptance signed by West Point Superintendent, Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, US Army.” We understand that ProPublica (the Left Wing hack group) is planning to publish a knowingly false report that I was not accepted to West Point in 1999. Here’s my letter of acceptance signed by West Point Superintendent, Lieutenant General Daniel Christman, US Army. pic.twitter.com/UOhOVZSfhJ — Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 11, 2024 ProPublica editor Jesse Eisinger said West Point told the outlet on two occasions that Hegseth did not even apply to the academy, but said after Hegseth’s people sent ProPublica the acceptance letter, they chose not to run with the story. CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE “Hegseth has said that he got into West Point but didn’t attend,” Eisinger posted online. “We asked West Pt public affairs, which told us twice on the record that he hadn’t even applied there. We reached out. Hegseth’s spox gave us his acceptance letter. We didn’t publish a story. That’s journalism.” Hegseth has said that he got into West Point but didn’t attend. We asked West Pt public affairs, which told us twice on the record that he hadn’t even applied there. We reached out. Hegseth’s spox gave us his acceptance letter. We didn’t publish a story. That’s journalism. https://t.co/TceZdglkmL — Jesse Eisinger (@eisingerj) December 11, 2024 West Point told The Daily Wire that the discrepancy was due to an error and apologized. “A review of our records indicates Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not attend,” the West Point directorate of communications said in a statement. “An incorrect statement involving Hegseth’s admission to the U.S. Military Academy was released by an employee on Dec. 10, 2024,” the statement continued. “Upon further review of an archived database, employees realized this statement was in error. Hegseth was offered acceptance to West Point as a prospective member of the Class of 2003.” “The academy takes this situation seriously and apologizes for this administrative error,” the directorate of communications added. Related: ‘Pete Is A WINNER’: Trump Stands By Hegseth Amid Legacy Media Firestorm

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson a “warning,” suggesting that such action would not be isolated if things did not change. Warren spoke to HuffPost about the execution-style murder that took place in New York — for which Luigi Mangione has been arrested — and she addressed the fact that many had expressed support for the alleged killer and no sympathy for the victim. “The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the health care system,” Warren told the outlet. “Violence is never the answer, but people can be pushed only so far,” she continued. “This is a warning that if you push people hard enough, they lose faith in the ability of their government to make change, lose faith in the ability of the people who are providing the health care to make change, and start to take matters into their own hands in ways that will ultimately be a threat to everyone.” CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin called Warren out in a post on X, saying, “Maybe don’t use murder as opening for your political messaging and leave it at ‘answer,'” he said before sharing her direct quote: “Violence is never the answer, but people can be pushed only so far. This is a warning that if you push people hard enough, they lose faith in …” Maybe don’t use murder as opening for your political messaging and leave it at “answer” “Violence is never the answer, but people can be pushed only so far,” she said. “This is a warning that if you push people hard enough, they lose faith in… https://t.co/h2kP1jSgZV — Jonathan Martin (@jmart) December 11, 2024 “Massachusetts Dem. Sen. Elizabeth Warren makes an excuse for the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. I do not believe one Democrat not named Fetterman has condemned this murder,” conservative pundit Carmine Sabia added. Massachusetts Dem. Sen. Elizabeth Warren makes an excuse for the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. I do not believe one Democrat not named Fetterman has condemned this murder. https://t.co/OkZ793Rmh3 — Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) December 11, 2024 Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) called out the violence, condemning it without equivocation or qualification. “He’s the a**hole that’s going to die in prison. Congratulations if you want to celebrate that. A sewer is going to sewer … Remember, he has two children that are going to grow up without their father… It’s vile. And if you’ve gunned someone down that you don’t happen to agree with their views or the business that they’re in, hey, you know, I’m next, they’re next, he’s next, she’s next.”

The University of Rhode Island was hit with a federal civil rights complaint over more than 50 scholarship opportunities that discriminate against students on the basis of their race and sex. The complaint, filed to the United States Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, alleges that the university engaged in “pervasive and systemic” discrimination via its scholarship programs, which use racial and sexual characteristics in their selection criteria. “We bring this civil rights complaint against the University of Rhode Island (“URI”) for offering, promoting and administering fifty-one (51) student scholarships that discriminate based on race and/or sex,” reads the complaint from the Equal Protection Project. “The discrimination is so pervasive and systematic that urgent action by OCR is needed before the scholarships come up for reapplication in the spring 2025 semester.” One of the scholarships listed in the complaint, the Bank of America Scholarship, is designated for “two four-year scholarships for minority students, preferably one male and one female.” There’s also the Citizens Bank Scholarship, which similarly states that it “will be awarded to minority students with financial need who live in Rhode Island.” “The discrimination in scholarships at URI is shocking in its breadth, far exceeding any other university we have seen at the Equal Protection Project,” the organization’s founder, William A. Jacobson, told The Daily Wire. “URI does not even try to hide the discriminatory barriers, they are all detailed on the URI website.” The scholarships from Bank of America and Citizens Bank are just two of the 51 scholarships that the Equal Protection Act have called to the attention of the Office of Civil Rights. There’s also the Dr. Robert L. Carothers Student Leadership Endowment, which “shall provide annual scholarships to URI students of color who provide leadership in broad university programs,” while the Deborah Godfrey Brown Nursing Scholarship will go to “undergraduate minority students possessing a strong passion for a career in clinical nursing.” “The endowment shall be used to fund a scholarship annually for a Hispanic or African American male undergraduate student,” reads the description of yet another scholarship. “In Richmond v. J. A. Croson Co., Justice Scalia aptly noted that ‘discrimination on the  basis of race is illegal, immoral, unconstitutional, inherently wrong and destructive of a democratic  society,’” the complaint points out. “This is true regardless of which race suffers –  discrimination against white applicants is just as unlawful as discrimination against black or other non-white applicants.” Some scholarships are only open to women. The Dr. M. Beverly Swan Scholarship Endowment, for example “shall be awarded to a female  student majoring in English,” while the Gene Bucci Family Scholarship is reserved for  a female student studying  Civil Engineering who is a Rhode Island resident. Jacobson is now urging the University of Rhode Island to be investigated over the wide array of discriminatory scholarships. “We call upon OCR, both under the current leadership and the incoming Trump administration leadership, to prioritize the investigation of URI in light of the systematic discrimination taking place.” Read the complaint filed by the Equal Protection Project.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) made it clear that he was not in favor of President Joe Biden issuing “preemptive” pardons for members of the January 6th Committee and other critics of Donald Trump out of fear that the president-elect could seek retribution once he takes office. Some in the White House have floated the possibility that Biden could issue pardons to committee members like former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) before he left office, thus insulating them from any potential charges stemming from their work on that committee. They also suggested similar pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who is now a senator-elect. But despite the fact that Blumenthal is among the Democrats insisting that Trump’s new administration will “weaponize” the justice system against his political opponents, he told CNN anchor Jim Acosta that he would oppose blanket pardons for those who might be at risk. “I strongly oppose preemptive pardons. First of all, it’s in some ways going to be perceived as an implicit acknowledgment of guilt,” Blumenthal explained, referencing his own past as a prosecutor. “And people should know that walking into a courtroom and making charges is far from proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. There is no evidence of wrongdoing against those members of the January 6 committees who brought those impeachment articles or who prosecuted them. And the likely beneficiaries of preemptive pardons would be the top echelon, and the underlings would still have the fear of that kind of prosecution.” CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Blumenthal went on to explain that he would prefer to simply allow the criminal justice system to do its work, adding, “I think any such unfounded, unjust charges against people who simply did their jobs would ultimately cause a backlash against Donald Trump because there will be acquittals and the costs of their defense or investigation, I think, should be borne by a defense fund — I’d certainly contribute — or by a pro bono legal team, I sign up, count me in, because I think they are on the right side. And we ought to make these cases a test case for the principle of justice.” Blumenthal shared a similar statement via X, saying, “Broad blanket preemptive pardons are a bad idea. Fully recognizing that DOJ & other federal law enforcement may be weaponized for retribution or intimidation, the way to stop a bully is to confront him, not run & hide.” Broad blanket preemptive pardons are a bad idea. Fully recognizing that DOJ & other federal law enforcement may be weaponized for retribution or intimidation, the way to stop a bully is to confront him, not run & hide. https://t.co/Nyu4DfJCfb — Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) December 8, 2024