Former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger is sparking renewed speculation about a potential Senate run following the launch of Believe in Tennessee, a conservative nonprofit he founded alongside his wife, Carrie.

According to a press release, the organization will “support conservative principles and public policy leaders across the Volunteer State,” signaling a deeper move into political influence at a pivotal moment.

The announcement comes on the heels of a major political event hosted by the Hiningers at their home, where Vice President JD Vance and RNC Chairman Joe Gruters headlined a fundraiser that brought in $3 million—well above its $2 million target.

“It was a great event – one of the best of the cycle. It’s fantastic to see a strong conservative and business leader like Damon Hininger staying in the fight,” longtime Vance adviser Luke Thompson told the Daily Caller.

Insiders say the timing is no coincidence. Sources told the Caller that Hininger could be positioning himself for a Senate bid should Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn secure the gubernatorial nomination, elevating the significance of the nonprofit’s launch.

“We believe Tennessee is America at its best. The values that make us so proud to be an American are rooted here – grit, optimism, belief, and service. We have an unwavering persistence in the pursuit of greatness, and we know, as Tennesseans, that we never shy away from a good fight. We volunteer for it. So, let’s do the work,” the Hiningers said in a joint statement.

Support from prominent Republican figures has only fueled the speculation. Sen. Bill Hagerty described Hininger as “straightforward, unassuming, and a man of integrity,” while North Carolina Senate candidate and former RNC Chair Michael Whatley added, “Damon Hininger has been a loyal fighter in the America First movement, generously supporting President Trump, Vice President Vance, and the RNC for years.”

Before stepping into the political spotlight, Hininger built a decades-long career at CoreCivic—the nation’s largest private prison contractor—where he rose from a midnight-shift corrections officer to CEO over 33 years. The company later faced financial pressure after being debanked by multiple institutions and targeted by Democratic leaders including Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren—battles that sources say have hardened Hininger for a potential run in public office.

Out On Bondi

President Donald Trump abruptly dismissed Attorney General Pam Bondi, announcing on Truth Social Thursday that she “will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will take over as acting attorney general while Trump searches for a permanent replacement.

Despite the shake-up, sources told the Daily Caller’s Reagan Reese there is no personal rift between Trump and Bondi. However, the president had grown increasingly frustrated with her performance, citing a series of mounting missteps.

Among the most notable were major communications blunders, including distributing “Epstein files” binders to influencers that revealed little new information, and publicly claiming she had the Epstein client list on her desk. Trump was also reportedly dissatisfied with the lack of progress in prosecuting high-profile Democrats such as New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.

At the same time, two sources pushed back on claims that Bondi had warned Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell about the FBI’s plans to release files tied to his alleged connections with a Chinese spy.

As speculation grows over her replacement, multiple names have surfaced. A source familiar with the process told the Caller that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is emerging as a leading contender for the role.

ActBlue Breakdown

Democratic fundraising giant ActBlue is facing mounting scrutiny after a New York Times report revealed internal concerns about how the organization handled potential foreign donations.

Federal law prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to U.S. political campaigns. However, ActBlue’s legal team warned in a memo last year that the group may have misled Congress regarding its safeguards.

“An aggressive prosecutor may view the November 2023 letter not just as a false statement but as an effort to conceal the foreign contributions,” the law firm, Covington & Burling, said.

In response, an ActBlue spokesperson defended the organization’s practices, stating:

“ActBlue has continually worked to comply with all FEC laws including laws related to appropriately screening for potential foreign contributions, which constitute less than 1% of the total contributions on the ActBlue platform. Of those, many come from the six million American citizens who live abroad—such as US military personnel.”

President Donald Trump made history Wednesday, becoming the first sitting president ever to attend oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court—a bold move underscoring the high stakes of his push to end automatic birthright citizenship for children of those in the country illegally or temporarily.

But outside the Court, left-wing activists and celebrity figures gathered to protest the effort, amplifying familiar talking points as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.

Among them was celebrity chef and activist José Andrés, who accused Trump of attempting to rewrite long-standing rules.

“The argument is that this country, this year, is celebrating 250 years! It’s not the time to be changing the game’s rules. Those rules have been already done,” Andrés said. “Let’s keep working to make sure that the 15 million immigrants become part of America. This is what America should be working towards.”

Andrés also criticized Trump for “changing the game’s rules,” arguing those rules “have been already done” and suggesting that tightening birthright citizenship is not what America “should be working towards.”

Other demonstrators echoed similar concerns, despite the administration’s argument that the 14th Amendment has been widely misinterpreted and never intended to grant automatic citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil regardless of parental status.

“Well, I don’t know that there should be no limits, but there certainly shouldn’t be the limits that are proposed. And Justice Robert said it way better than I could. It’s a new world. It’s the same Constitution,” one protester told Fox News Digital while holding a small dog wearing a sign that read “NO KINGS. ONLY B—-ES.”

Another protester warned, “We are setting ourselves up for a two-tiered, or hierarchy of citizenship, you know. Why is it that some people who are born here get to be citizens and other people are not, based on who their parents’ ancestry is? To me that just violates the core concept of equality that our country is supposed to be founded on.”

“It will help regulations when it comes to certain laws. And it was kind of – the hearing itself – it was educational, a lot of things to take, and things to learn from the 14th Amendment,” another added.

“We have a 14th Amendment for a reason,” one activist said. “We can’t rewrite the Constitution.”

Inside the courtroom, Hollywood actor Robert De Niro—a longtime Trump critic—was also present, seated among guests of the justices. After the hearing, De Niro struggled to articulate a clear takeaway from the arguments.

“I’m waiting to get a, getting a – I’m not sure because I could hear, but not hear. It’s complicated. So, I can’t say,” De Niro responded when asked about the oral arguments he had just witnessed.

Still, he quickly pivoted to attacking Trump, claiming the administration’s position was designed to “get rid of people they don’t want.”

When asked about accusations of “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” De Niro dismissed them outright.

“People don’t like him for a reason,” De Niro shot back. “All the terrible things he’s done. If he did nice things, then he could have, he had the chance — he became president — to do nice things, not hateful, retribution, not just, outright mean things. If he did nice things, people would love him. But he’s got a problem. He’s damaged.”

Asked what specifically bothered him about Trump, De Niro said “everything.”

“Everything that we all know now,” he added while leaving the courthouse.

The case—centered on whether the Constitution mandates automatic citizenship for children born to non-citizens—represents one of the most consequential legal battles over immigration policy in decades. Early reporting indicated the Court may be skeptical of Trump’s argument, following more than two hours of intense questioning.

Also in attendance were key administration figures, including former Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, highlighting the administration’s unified front as it seeks to fundamentally reshape how citizenship is defined in the United States.