In the wake of attempted assassinations and purported Iranian threats against former President Donald Trump, he is vowing, if elected, to send a clear message to foreign nations that the U.S. would blow their country to “smithereens” if they threaten the life of a current, former, or prospective president. Here’s what else he had to say.

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Politics, polls and election twists

Of course, the polls remain so close it’s impossible to know whether Mr. Trump or his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, will win. While voters seem more closely aligned with former Mr. Trump’s stances, his brash and chaotic approach to politics might be costing him. Here are the stats and facts on where things stand.

Despite that uncertainty, one thing’s for sure: Election twists and turns continue. The latest shock came when Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia expressed outrage this week over Ms. Harris’ pledge to end the Senate’s filibuster rule in order to codify abortion rights. “Shame on her,” he said. And he wasn’t done there.

Social battles persist

While we’re on the topic of abortion, pro-life advocates are accusing the Food and Drug Administration of going too far in permitting the abortion pill in the wake of an explosive report about two Georgia women who died after they took the drugs in 2022.

And more on the culture front: A New Hampshire school district banned two dads from attending their daughters’ varsity soccer games after they donned pink “XX” wristbands during a match-up against a high school with a male-to-female transgender athlete. Here’s what both sides had to say about the resulting battle.

And in California, parents are suing a school district for refusing to allow their kids to opt out of gender-ideology content after the fifth-graders were told to tutor kindergarteners on exploring different gender identities. Read more here.

Some other essentials

Kamala Harris pose at the end of a joint press conference at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, Saturday Feb. 17, 2024. (Tobias Schwarz/Pool via AP)” width=”600” height=”355” data-bit=”iit” />

Moving back to the controversy front: The House Oversight and Accountability Committee opened an investigation into the Biden administration’s use of taxpayer money to fly Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Pennsylvania to campaign for Ms. Harris. 

Meanwhile, former first lady Melania Trump is preparing to speak up and share her story in a unique way. 

Shifting to immigration, illegal immigrants are erasing their old lives as they slip across the border to try to capitalize on more relaxed immigration policies. For anyone concerned about the impact of this issue — or human trafficking — this alarming report breaks down the facts.

On a lighter note, Ms. Harris sparked a social media uproar over a recent gaffe about the non-existent Book of “Ecclesiastics.”

We must also mention that the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel is nearly upon us. As that date approaches, the FBI is reporting antisemitic hate crimes in the U.S. have surged to an all-time high. Meanwhile, “White Bird,” an emotionally charged new movie, looks back at the horrors of World War II and reveals similarities between that period and what’s unfolding today.;

In our opinion

And, finally, the opinion pages are filled with must-read content. Columnist Billy Hallowell details Mr. Trump’s acts that seem to turn the media narrative against him on its head, and Dr. Everett Piper ponders whether a vote for a Democrat is a vote for evil. Plus, John and Nisha Whitehead break down why you shouldn’t trust the government with your privacy, property or your freedoms.