‘All Men Are Created Equal’: America’s Founding Was Centuries In the Making dailytorch.com/2026/06/all-m… In 1825, Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to Henry Lee that his influences in deriving the free and equal principle in the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776 signed by the Founding Fathers in Liberty Hall in Philadelphia, Pa.: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” included Aristotle, Marcus Tullius Cicero, John Locke and Algernon Sidney — philosophers whose lives spanned more than 2,000 years. By then the American Revolution had already begun with the battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The Continental Congress had already been founded in September 1774. George Washington was already named Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in June 1775. But there was still one missing ingredient: Independence. Jefferson explained: "when forced therefore to resort to arms for redress, an appeal to the tribunal of the world was deemed proper for our justification. this was the object of the Declaration of Independance. not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject; [. . .] terms so plain and firm, as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independant stand we [. . .] compelled to take. neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the american mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion. Jefferson noted that the words themselves were centuries in the making: “all it’s authority rests then on the harmonising sentiments of the day, whether expressed, in conversns in letters, printed essays or in the elementary books of public right, as Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney Etc. the historical documents which you mention as in your possession, ought all to be found, and I am persuaded you will find, to be corroborative of the facts and principles advanced in that Declaration." So, what of these influences? Clearly based on Jefferson’s letter, they were classical, in part, and they were inspired by the Enlightenment writers, too, who were inspired by both the Bible and the classical sources. The biblical references are explicitly all throughout Locke’s “An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding,” “The First Treatise of Government” and the “The Second Treatise of Government” and Sidney’s “Discourses Concerning Government” including the Old Testament, including Genesis, the New Testament and the Golden Rule, but Locke and Sidney also included Aristotle and Cicero and other classical thinkers. And so, the Founding was Judeo-Christian in part, and classical in part, considered by some to be the last act of the Renaissance. And it was revolutionary.

Steve Hilton Flipped Multiple Farmland And Wealthy Coastal Counties Red In CA Governor Race dailytorch.com/2026/06/steve… The June 2 gubernatorial race in California has Republican candidate Steve Hilton exceeding pre-election polls and headed to the November general election to face the top Democrat pick, former Biden Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. As of this writing 94 percent of the vote has been counted and that tally puts Hilton in the top two, earning 24.8 percent of the vote while Becerra won 28 percent. Pre-election polls had Hilton trailing Becerra by eight points. When you compare Hilton’s performance to previous Republican attempts to oust a Democrat, the results get interesting. The last gubernatorial primary took place in June 2022 when incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom was challenged by Republican Brian Dahle in the primary. Becerra fell over a million votes short of Gavin Newsom’s numbers in 2022, winning just over 2.4 million votes compared to Newsom’s over 3.8 million. Of course, Newsom was running as an incumbent with wide name recognition but nonetheless the numbers stand. Hilton has amassed over 2.1 million votes, beating Republican Brian Dahle’s numbers by close to a million votes. Dahle won just over 1.2 million in 2022. Comparing Hilton’s ability to make inroads with new swing voters to Dahle’s path in 2022 it is clear that Hilton is eating into Democrat territory, often by wide margins. While Becerra hung onto most of the blue coastal counties that Newsom won four years ago, Hilton turned multiple inland farming and ranching counties red and flipped several wealthy coastal counties.

The Road to Independence, Thomas Jefferson part 1. Using A Writing Talent To Declare Independence youtube.com/watch?v=v9FDgH3J… A 32-year-old from Virginia gets the call to serve in the Continental Congress. His ability to write and inspiration from John Locke are showcased in The Declaration of Independence. Here is the first part of our look at Thomas Jefferson.

Cartoon: Time to Choose dailytorch.com/2026/06/carto… @afbranco California decides.

Democrats' Shutdown Ends With Bill Taking Away Ability To Hold Immigration Enforcement Hostage Again youtube.com/watch?v=sbzljNW0… The Secure America Act signed by President Donald Trump funds ICE and Border Patrol/CBP until after Trump's second term. The Dems keep fighting against border law enforcement and their shutdown got them absolutely nothing! The President is applauding!

As Inflation Outpaces Earnings For Third Straight Month, Will Americans Ever Break Even On Post-Covid Inflation? dailytorch.com/2026/06/as-in… @realDonaldTrump Consumer inflation once again outpaced average weekly earnings for the third straight month, with prices pushing upwards by 0.47 percent while earnings only grew 0.32 percent, according to the latest data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, amid higher energy and particularly oil, gasoline and electricity prices. Also, for the second month in a row, consumer prices outpaced earnings on an annual basis, with inflation up 4.2 percent the past twelve months while earnings only increased 3.7 percent. One way to look at the current dilemma is that since 2021, inflation has outpaced average weekly earnings 27.45 percent to 23.67 percent. Obviously, if inflation keeps outpacing earnings, Americans will never break even on the post-Covid inflation any time soon. Concerningly, even if inflation and earnings were restored to their pre-war levels in February right this very moment, hypothetically if the strait were reopened, oil production and distribution went back to what it was, etc. American households would not break even until November 2027, an Americans for Limited Government Foundation analysis of the data shows. With inflation continuing its four-year run of being the top polled issue in U.S. politics, consistent across different polls and among every single significant demographic whether age, sex, race, party, etc., that’s obviously not great news for President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans hoping to hold onto majorities in the House and Senate in the November Congressional midterms, particularly in the House with the slender current 218 to 212 majority. In 2024, Republicans won 220 seats to Democrats’ 215 seats — there have been a few member deaths, resignations and special elections (but no upsets from the specials) since then — meaning, just a three-seat swing would tip the majority back to Democrats in the House. If you’re Trump and Republicans, you’re hoping that the current war and any price volatility coming from the Strait of Hormuz being too risky for ships to transport can be remedied as soon as possible — one way or another.

Cartoon: In The Clear dailytorch.com/2026/06/carto… @realDonaldTrump @afbranco President Trump drains the swamp.

A New Border Issue For Trump: The New World Screwworm. South Texas Rancher Reacts! youtube.com/watch?v=OAYrbuDv… @realDonaldTrump @SecRollins @USDA A south Texas rancher and veterinarian believes the New World Screwworm is an example of how things can be mishandled in Mexico. He sees it as a new border issue for the president and adds that leaders from other nations often take note when Mr. Trump talks. This flesh-eating pest can cause damage. But the administration is on the case.

Cartoon: Califraudia dailytorch.com/2026/06/carto… @afbranco The counting just keeps going and going…

Democrats’ Lead Among Young Voters Has Halved Over The Past Eight Years dailytorch.com/2025/08/new-s… New data on young Americans shows Democrats’ lead on the generic congressional ballot has been cut in half since 2018. While both parties have lost ground with young voters since the 2022 midterm cycle, Democrats have lost ten points in four years. Democrats’ lead in the generic congressional ballot has halved since 2018, declining from a 41-point lead to a 19-point lead. Comparing the latest Harvard Youth Poll of 18- to 29-year-olds from the Institute of Politics at Harvard University to the same survey conducted in the spring of 2022, the picture is stark. While Democrats now lead in the generic congressional ballot by nineteen points, 45 percent to 26 percent, those numbers are historically meager. In 2022 Democrats led on the generic congressional ballot by 21 points, 55 percent to 34 percent. The share of young voters willing to vote Democrat in November has declined ten percentage points over four years. Let’s put this into perspective by going back to 2018, under President Donald Trump’s first term. That was the year Democrats expanded their reach in the House by 41 seats, with a wave of youth support and a robust showing among independent voters.

The Road to Independence, Paul Revere. An Engraver and Messenger Who Changed The World youtube.com/watch?v=YxiGDQNX… Bostonian engraver Paul Revere changed the Colonists' view on the British with an engraving of the Boston Massacre. He also warned of the British headed to Concord and Lexington. In the end, he was remembered among other important players in the American Revolution.

As National Debt Approaches $40 Trillion And Fertility Keeps Collapsing, Does Either Party Have A Plan? dailytorch.com/2026/06/as-na… In 2008, the U.S. national debt crossed the $10 trillion threshold for the first time, and has continued expanding practically unabated, now topping a $38.4 trillion, a 284 percent increase during that time. Since 1980, it’s been growing by more than 8.7 percent a year. At that rate, by 2038 thereabouts — once the next recessions and wars are baked into the cake — it should eclipse $100 trillion. Leading the explosion of debt, the percent of the population over the age of 65 has increased dramatically, from 12.5 percent to more than 17.9 percent as of 2024, according to World Bank data, or from 37.9 million to about 61 million. Of the 61 million, 58.8 million are on Social Security — you can defer until you are 70 — whereas all 61 million seniors are on Medicare. Social Security spending increased from $612 billion in 2008 to more than $1.5 trillion in 2025, and Medicare spending increased from $385 billion annually in 2008 to $987 billion in 2025, according to data compiled by the White House Office of Management and Budget. So spending seniors’ main programs, Social Security and Medicare, increased from about $1 trillion to $2.5 trillion. In the meantime, federal tax collections have only increased from $2.5 trillion to $5.2 trillion. In the meantime, with the lowest fertility in U.S. history — down to about 1.59 babies per woman in 2025 — the number of people employed peaked at 163.9 million in December, up from about 145 million in 2008. To put it into perspective, since 2008, about 18 million people have stopped working who are still alive, while the number of people who are working only increased by 18.9 million. While the population is not yet in outright decline — immigration is still offsetting the demographic decline slightly, but it won’t work forever, with the population growing by less than 1 million a year as soon as 2036, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. At that point, tax revenues will continue slowing with the top-heavy, aging population. But does either party really have a plan to address it?

California Voters Demand Change as GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Could Advance To Runoff dailytorch.com/2026/06/calif… The most populous state in the country is locked in a battle to count thousands of absentee ballots that will determine the outcome of Tuesday’s gubernatorial race, but California appears to have voted GOP candidate Steve Hilton into the November runoff, giving Republicans a chance to win the governor’s mansion for the first time since 2006. While a vast number of absentee ballots are still being counted, on election night Hilton not only made it into the top two candidates, ousting climate activist Tom Steyer, but beat the top Democrat in the race, former Health and Human Services Secretary under Joe Biden Xavier Becerra. In the early hours of Wednesday morning with 54.4 percent of votes tallied, Hilton appeared to have narrowly beaten Becerra, far outperforming pre-election polls that showed him taking a distant second place. As of this writing, 72 percent of votes have been counted with thousands of absentee ballots still need to be counted, NBC News data shows Becerra with 27.2 percent, Hilton with 25.9 percent of the vote, while and Steyer with 19.8 percent. Chad Bianco, another Republican candidate, earns 10.6 percent. CalMatters estimates that California could take thirteen days to count all the ballots and several weeks to certify the results. Part of why the count could take so long is that after the pandemic California enacted policies that push absentee voting, with every registered voter sent an absentee ballot regardless of whether they requested one. This drove up absentee votes and has created an extremely long counting process.

Cartoon: Democrat Autopsy dailytorch.com/2026/06/carto… @afbranco The 2024 autopsy isn’t pretty.

The Road to Independence, 1774-1775. The War Begins And It Is Bloody youtube.com/watch?v=91d0CHWu… After the Boston Tea Party, the British Government gets tough on the Colonists. Tensions grew and grew until - finally - war begins. Soon into this "Revolutionary War," a battle to take a hill in the Boston area is as brutal as a battle can be. This makes it clear, reconciliation was very unlikely.

Benjamin Franklin’s Join, or Die began as a call for colonial unity long before independence was declared. It reminds us that America was built not by perfect agreement, but by the courage to unite around liberty when it mattered most. #AmericanRevolution

Clean Coal Is Back: President @realDonaldTrump's Plan to Lower Your Electric Bill