Conn. GOP Chief to Newsmax: Islamic Studies Law Unlawful

 Connecticut Republican Party Chair Ben Proto told Newsmax on Friday the state's new law directing education officials to develop Islamic and Arab studies curriculum materials for public schools is unconstitutional and should draw an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit.

On "Finnerty," Proto said the measure improperly singles out one religion for classroom instruction.

 The provision Proto attacked, Section 24 of Public Act 26-1, was tucked into a sweeping education omnibus that Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, signed March 3 as an emergency-certified measure.

Effective July 1, the law amends Section 10-16b of the state's general statutes and directs the State Board of Education to make Islamic and Arab studies curriculum materials available to local districts and encourage instruction in those subjects.

 

Districts are not required to adopt the materials.

Proto's constitutional objection tracked arguments the ACLU has pressed against mandates for Ten Commandments displays in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

"Not only is it discriminatory, I think it's unconstitutional," Proto said, adding that he hoped the ACLU would sue Connecticut, as it has over classroom Ten Commandments displays.

He rejected the analogy legislative supporters drew between curriculum tracks for Black studies, Puerto Rican and Latino studies, Native American studies, and the statute, which already covers them.

"Islam is a religion. It's not a culture; it's a religion," Proto said. If the state wants to teach about Islam, he added, "maybe have a theological studies class as opposed to just targeting one specific religion."

State House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, voiced similar concerns when the bill passed, telling the Hartford Courant that including Islamic studies "went too far" and was "treading on the constitutional notion of separation of church and state," Religion News Service reported.

Chris Healy, executive director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference, called the provision "clearly unconstitutional."

Supporters counter that the curriculum is cultural and historical, not devotional.

Farhan Memon, chair of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Connecticut, told Religion News Service the measure is "not about religion per se" and is meant to broaden students' understanding of Arab and Islamic civilizations.

He cited a 2026 Waterbury middle school hate-crime assault on two Muslim girls as evidence of the need for the curriculum.

Proto pushed back on state priorities in his closing remarks, saying he would rather see schools return to teaching U.S. history, the Constitution, and civics before "teaching about other cultures before we're even teaching about our own culture."

The State Department of Education has begun convening a Curriculum Design Leadership Team modeled on earlier directives for Holocaust, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander studies, a department spokesperson told Religion News Service.

No lawsuit had been filed challenging the provision as of Friday.

Jim Thomas ✉

Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.

© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Medal of Honor Recipient Shoots His Shot for a Date With Sophie Cunningham

A Medal of Honor recipient is looking for a date to the Marine Corps ball and has set himself a lofty goal: he wants to take Indiana Fever megastar Sophie Cunningham. And social media is rallying behind him.

Dakota Meyer, who received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama back in 2011, decided to have some fun with his dream date quest by putting it out on X for all to see, even tagging Cunningham. Meyer didn't say which of the many Marine Corps balls held each year he had in mind, but it's likely to be one taking place around the Corps' November 10th birthday.

 

That gives him a few months to pull it off.

"Okay, hear me out…," he wrote. "What do y’all think? Me. @sophaller . The Marine Corps Ball this year…"

Hey, why not? Plenty of folks have found love on social media, and you don't make the shots you don't take. 

Meyer's followers loved the idea, and offers of help started to pour in. Robert O'Neill, a former SEAL Team Six member who was involved in the killing of Osama bin Laden, offered to drive the pair.

 

There was a definite "let's make this happen" vibe in response to his post, with most encouraging him not to give up and one person even saying a date between the two sounded like a movie script. There's something to that, actually. 

Meyer, 38, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism during the Battle of Ganjgal in Afghanistan on September 8, 2009. He earned the honor for repeatedly charging into a Taliban ambush, helping to save 36 American and Afghan troops and recover the bodies of four fallen U.S. servicemen.

And Cunningham (who turns 30 next week), of course, has become one of the WNBA’s biggest breakout stars, thanks as much to her outspoken personality and willingness to buck the league’s progressive politics as to her play on the court.

It doesn't get more all-American than that.

Besides the obvious reasons for wanting a date with Sophie Cunningham, Meyer recently revealed his admiration for those, like Cunningham, who are willing to speak out to protect girls in sports.

 

Meyer gave a funny update Friday morning, saying an AI agent had informed him he's too short for Cunningham, who stands an impressive 6-foot-1.

After a long week of socialists and Faucis dominating the news, it's nice to see a story pop that is nothing but wholesome fun. It's also a good reminder that social media can sometimes be a force for good.

As of this writing, Cunningham does not seem to have responded to Meyer's invitation, but come on, Sophie – the man has already survived the Taliban, don't make him sweat this one out.

 

Video of Mamdani Speaking With a Very Different Accent Raises Eyebrows

I've recently been rewatching the HBO comedy series Veep – it's about a fictional female vice president whose narcissism, unbridled political ambition, and cringey mishaps make Kamala Harris look sober and competent. 

 

The show is oddly timeless, as the political issues that come up on repeat are things like "filibuster reform" and getting kids to put down the computer games and exercise.

And, it's really funny (and, as a warning, often unnecessarily crude). The show doesn't ever mention political parties, so it rather satisfyingly mocks the entire Swamp.

In one particularly funny episode, the vice president (who's also running for president) makes a campaign stop at a North Carolina pig-pickin'. The character, who is from Baltimore, Maryland, automatically slips into a deep Southern accent as she mingles with the guests; she's a political parasite who'll do or say anything, with any accent necessary, to secure a vote.

Sounds a whole lot like so many modern-day Democrats, doesn't it? They slip into all manner of accents depending on where they are and who they're talking to, which makes them come off as grade A phonies (and they are).

Well, we're now left wondering what's going on with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his accent. Pull up any recent interview, and the guy sounds like a born and bred New Yorker. He was born in Uganda, but has lived in the US since 1998, so it makes sense that he'd adopt a New York/American accent. 

However, a video surfaced on social media Friday that showed a younger Mamdani and an entirely different accent. He was helping to promote one of his mother's films and, well, this is not the Mamdani we're used to hearing.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is setting off an online frenzy after a nearly decade-old interview resurfaced showing him speaking with a noticeably different accent while discussing his Ugandan roots.

The 2016 clip features Mamdani talking about life in Kampala while promoting his mother Mira Nair’s Disney film, 'Queen of Katwe,' for a South African radio station.

Okay, fine. He's talking with a South African radio station about his childhood in Uganda, so maybe a little "code-switching" was going on. It happens.

It's still weird, though. There have been other video clips of young Mamdani floating around over the years and he doesn't sound anything like he does in that video. Taken together, they raise an amusing question: Just how many versions of the Mamdani accent are there? And who is the real Zohran Mamdani?

---

SEE ALSO: 9/11 Families Have a Surprise Waiting for Mamdani If He Shows Up at Ground Zero

---

At this point, the shape-shifting accent has become something of a Democrat tradition. Hillary Clinton famously adopted a Southern drawl when the occasion called for it. Kamala Harris could sound like she was raised in Oakland, Atlanta, Detroit, or somewhere in the Caribbean depending on which audience was sitting in front of her. 

Now Mamdani appears to be joining the club – is this stuff somehow encoded in Democrat DNA? 

Maybe Mamdani has a perfectly innocent explanation for the dramatic difference in his voice, but Democrats might want to consider a revolutionary new campaign tactic at some point: Just be normal for a change. 

 

Is This Why We Never Got the Full Story on Swalwell and Fang Fang?

This may be overstated a bit but it's definitely interesting. You probably recall that long before Eric Swalwell vanished from public life to escape a maze of allegations from various women, he was tied to another embarrassing scandal. 

Early in his career, Swalwell had some unspecified relationship with Christine Fang (aka Fang Fang).

 

Fang raised money for Swalwell and may have had a more personal relationship with him until the FBI tipped Swalwell off to the fact that she was a Chinese spy.

Swalwell says he cut off contact with her and shortly thereafter she fled the country. Swalwell was investigated by the House Ethics Committee but in 2023 the committee concluded he hadn't done anything illegal. However, there were always questions about the exact nature of his relationship. Simply put, people wondered whether a guy on the House Intelligence Committee for eight years had fallen into a Chinese honeypot. Despite being cleared by House Ethics, Swalwell was pulled off the intel committee in 2023.

But as Swalwell was running for governor of California earlier this year, Kash Patel 

 

suggested maybe it was time to release the FBI's files on Swalwell and Fang Fang. Swalwell responded by threatening to sue.

Eric Swalwell has issued a cease-and-desist letter to FBI Director Kash Patel over threats to release investigative files about a suspected Chinese spy who infiltrated his office.

In the letter, Swalwell, who is considered the Democratic frontrunner in the race for California governor, demanded the FBI agree within three days not to release the files, and that doing so could result in legal action, according to the Washington Post.

Swalwell held a press conference Monday, insisting the “case is closed” and accused Patel as a “temporary employee” engaged in a “horrendous abuse of power” in digging up the investigative files about him and and Christine Fang — a suspected Chinese Communist Party asset who cultivated ties with the East Bay rep starting when he was a Dublin city council member.

But here's where it gets really interesting. A story published yesterday (by an outlet I'm not familiar with) claims that Swalwell argued releasing the files could be seen at political retribution because of a past relationship he had years earlier.

According to information provided to Sources Say News, Swalwell’s side raised the prospect that releasing the files could be viewed as a punitive attempt to weaponize the Department, pointing to the congressman’s long-concluded sexual relationship with former senior administration official Katie Miller from roughly a decade ago.

Miller — now the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller

 

— had been involved with Swalwell when she was in her early 20s, before her relationship with her now-husband. Miller said that she was unaware that the past relationship had been discussed with the DOJ.

I had no idea that relationship ever existed but Katie Miller seems to have confirmed it in a tweet responding to the story above.

So is this why the information on Swalwell and Fang Fang was never released? Maybe. But also, the norm in Washington is not to dump investigations that didn't lead to charges.

Attorneys at the Justice Department, then led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, communicated with a lawyer for Swalwell about the investigation, including efforts to prevent the files from being released, according to a source familiar with the exchanges.

The dispute also comes against the backdrop of longstanding Justice Department policies and regulations that generally prohibit officials from releasing investigative information for the purpose of embarrassing individuals or unfairly prejudicing their rights, particularly when no criminal charges have been filed.

Bondi ultimately decided not to release the files and she was fired by Trump about a month after this all happened. Some reports published at the time claimed that Trump fired her for leaking word of plans to release those documents to Swalwell, with whom she was apparently friendly. But the White House denied that was the case.

The whole thing is strange and smells like politics on all sides. Do I think Swalwell had something to hide? Yeah, probably. Do I think there was cause to release that? Probably not under the rules everyone in Washington seems to have adopted. Whether those rules serve the public is another question.

 

Todd Blanche Confirmed As Attorney General After Testy Confirmation Process

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was confirmed by the United States Senate on Saturday morning in a 59-49 vote. 

The vote was fairly narrow, as all Democrats and two Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, voted against his nomination. 

 

“The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration,” Murkowski wrote. “I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.”

Blanche has been acting attorney general since the spring, but he will not be the permanent successor to former Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The confirmation process for Blanche, who was once President Donald Trump’s private attorney, was testy at times. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) had held up their votes in the Senate Judiciary Committee until a deal was reached clarifying elements of President Donald Trump’s settlement with the IRS, particularly nixing the once-proposed anti-weaponization fund.

“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche posted on Sunday. “We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The Department always welcomes and appreciates productive engagement with all members of Congress.”

My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions. We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The… pic.twitter.com/U6hs15kw2D

— Acting AG Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) August 3, 2026

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) 

 

ended up being the deciding vote in the upper chamber, as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has not yet returned to the Senate after being in the hospital and subsequent rehab. 

"I will vote for Mr. Blanche. I'll be criticized for this vote. What's new?" Cassidy said on the Senate floor on Friday morning.

"Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this. But the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump, and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche," he continued.

 

Pentagon revokes fmr Air Force Secy. Frank Kendall’s eligibility to access classified info, citing unauthorized disclosure to the media

The Pentagon has revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s eligibility to access classified information and barred him from holding any sensitive position, citing an alleged unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities to a media outlet.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell

 

 announced the immediate decision on Friday, stating that safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty and that those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it. 

 

Parnell did not identify the specific media outlet.

The action follows public reporting, including from The New York Times, on security concerns involving the Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 that has been used as a temporary Air Force One. 

Those accounts detailed that the aircraft, after a compressed retrofit, lacked certain “advanced defensive features” found on older Air Force One models.

Kendall — who served as the 26^th Secretary of the Air Force under former President Joe Biden — was quoted in the coverage saying the timeline did not permit “all the normal Air Force One modifications,” that some mix of security, communications and support capabilities was missing, that he was surprised the plane was used outside the United States, and that the shortfalls added a measure of risk, particularly amid tensions with Iran.

The reporting prompted a federal leak investigation.

 

The Justice Department issued subpoenas to New York Times journalists in an effort to identify confidential sources. After criticism from press-freedom advocates and a federal judge regarding procedural issues, the department withdrew the subpoenas.

The revocation of Kendall’s clearance occurs amid a larger effort by War Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Trump administration to enforce security protocols and restrict access for certain former national security officials accused of unauthorized disclosures. 

 

Third-Party Plot: Sneaky D.C. Elites Aim to Derail Trump Victory

Talk of a “third party” built by conservatives who have turned against President Trump is no longer idle chatter — it has real organizations and ballot-access efforts behind it. Groups like No Labels have been laying the groundwork for years and quietly securing state-level footholds that could matter in a close national contest.

The mechanics are straightforward and worrying for anyone who believes in winning: organizers have spent millions to secure ballot access and create the infrastructure a national ticket would need. No Labels in particular has pursued ballot lines in dozens of states and publicly discussed ambitious fundraising targets to back a potential “unity” ticket.

Sensible conservatives should be skeptical because the history and the math are brutal — a third-party bid can easily act as a spoiler and hand victory to the left. Even centrist operatives and former lawmakers who watch these plans closely have warned that an independent ticket rarely plays out as advertised and can produce disastrous outcomes for the country.

 

Equally troubling is the secrecy around donors and dark-money backers who would bankroll such schemes; that’s exactly why conservative patriots should “keep an eye on who funds this.” Investigations and reporting have shown major sums moving through opaque channels to groups positioning themselves as neutral while their donors have clear political agendas.

Make no mistake: this isn’t about principle so much as power and prestige for high-dollar elites who despise Trump’s populism and want a return to the same D.C. racket that hollowed out Main Street. Ordinary Americans don’t need another beltway-forged vanity project; they need candidates who will secure the border, revive industry, and put America first.

The “Never Trump” crowd and establishment Republicans have tried similar maneuvers before, and their track record is a warning, not a blueprint. Conservatives who truly love this country should reject the siren song of a splinter movement that will empower Democrats or fracture our ability to defend liberty.

If you care about winning and protecting American values, watch funding sources, demand transparency, and above all stay united around policies that deliver results for working families. The last thing patriots should do is let elite-funded vanity projects decide the future while the rest of us clean up the mess.

 

Left’s Spin on Tragedy Exposed: Media Lies vs. Independent Truth Seekers

The American news cycle is once again proving what conservatives have known for years: many on the left will spin whatever story suits their political narrative, even when the facts say otherwise. A prominent left-leaning commentator was publicly shamed for pushing unverified claims about the man accused in Charlie Kirk’s killing, a reminder that ideological cheerleading too often passes for analysis in liberal media circles.

What happened to Charlie Kirk 

 

was a national tragedy, and patriots everywhere mourned a brave voice who stood for free speech and the values that built this country. The shooting on the Utah campus left the nation demanding answers, and the rush by some on the left to shape motive before investigators finished their work was both tasteless and dangerous. Americans deserve a media that reports facts, not narratives stitched together to score partisan points.

Meanwhile, Officer Brandon Tatum

 

 has been doing the kind of boots-on-the-ground reporting the mainstream refuses to do, digging into the Nolan Wells case and interviewing eyewitnesses who say the official narrative is still far from settled. Tatum’s interviews with friends of Nolan Wells and his detailed review of the timelines have given families and communities a different set of facts to consider, which the legacy outlets largely shrugged off. Conservatives should celebrate independent journalists who seek truth rather than pander to the mob.

 

The Nolan Wells story itself is heartbreaking and unresolved, with authorities and independent examiners issuing cautious findings and the family commissioning outside experts after troubling gaps appeared in publicly released information. Reports show the manner and cause of death remain undetermined pending further review, which is precisely why calm, factual investigation matters more than headline-driven outrage. This is not the time for activists and cable hosts to grandstand; it is the time for patience, proof, and respect for the grieving.

The larger scandal is the pattern: when conservatives are attacked, the left often leaps to false narratives, and when conservatives mourn or investigate, the media brands them as conspiracists for doing the exact same work journalists used to do. From false early takes about Charlie Kirk’s killer to the rapid dismissal of Officer Tatum’s reporting on Nolan Wells, the lesson is clear — there are gatekeepers in media who care more about protecting their tribe than protecting the truth. That failure cost the public credibility and gave cover to those who would weaponize grief.

Patriots should not be intimidated by smug anchors or lecturing professors who think their moral outrage substitutes for evidence. We must demand accountability from every corner of the news ecosystem and rally behind storytellers who refuse to bend facts to fit ideology. Brandon Tatum’s work and the steadfast memory of Charlie Kirk remind us that truth and courage still matter, and that conservative voices will keep pressing until the whole truth is revealed.

If Americans want to save the country’s civic conversation, they must stop tolerating lazy, politicized punditry and start rewarding hard reporting, even when it comes from outside the establishment. Support independent investigators, challenge the marching narratives of the left, and hold the media accountable when they lie, whether by commission or omission. We owe it to Nolan Wells, to Charlie Kirk’s family, and to the memory of a nation that deserves better than partisan propaganda.

 

CartoonDems

 

Murkowski Opposes Blanche, Imperiling Trump Pick

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said early Friday she would oppose Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general, a decision that jeopardizes President Donald Trump's effort to install his pick to lead the Justice Department.

Murkowski, who has repeatedly broken with Trump and fellow Republicans on major votes, praised Blanche personally and acknowledged steps he has taken as acting attorney general that she said benefited Alaska and the country.

"I have had numerous constructive meetings with Mr. Blanche and he comes across as decent and capable," Murkowski wrote in a post on X.

"Ultimately, however, I will oppose his nomination."

 

Murkowski joins fellow moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in opposing Blanche, leaving GOP leaders with virtually no margin for additional defections in the 53-47 Senate.

 

The situation is further complicated by the absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., because of illness.

The Wall Street Journal reported Blanche's confirmation could now hinge on Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who has not announced how he will vote.

Senate GOP leaders hope to hold a confirmation vote before lawmakers leave Washington for the August recess.

Murkowski said her opposition was driven by concerns about what she called the continued "politicization — even weaponization" of the DOJ, Blanche's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and other actions by the department.

She also objected to a proposed roughly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" compensation fund that critics said could have benefited Jan. 6 defendants and protesters.

Blanche recently cleared a crucial Senate Judiciary Committee hurdle after Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina received assurances that the compensation proposal would be abandoned.

The committee advanced Blanche's nomination, 12-10, after he pledged not to pursue the payout plan.

Murkowski argued those concessions did not go far enough.

She said the fund was off the table only because Blanche's pending nomination gives Republican senators leverage over the DOJ, warning that "once we vote, that will end."

Blanche, Trump's former personal attorney, already serves as acting attorney general and is the Senate-confirmed deputy attorney general.

A rejection could deliver Trump a significant political setback without immediately removing Blanche from a powerful position at the Justice Department.

Murkowski has frequently frustrated conservatives by siding against Trump on high-profile issues.

She voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial and has supported federal protections for abortion and same-sex marriage.

"The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski said, adding that she lacked confidence Blanche would do so.

Charlie McCarthy ✉

Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.

© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.