Anne Smith

Chief policy advocate, state and federal government relations, democracy and US security defender. Mom, DC native, and year round NH surfer.

[Michael Bennet @SenatorBennet]

Secretary of Defense Hegseth must immediately release Congressionally appropriated funds for Ukraine and our Baltic allies. I’m joining bipartisan colleagues to demand it.

Withholding these funds signals weakness to Putin — not peace through strength.

https://t.co/fUN5cZ6OLH

[Margus Tsahkna @Tsahkna]

For Estonia, freedom came not in 1945, but in 1991.
Today marks the end of World War II in Europe. We honor the millions who sacrificed their lives to defeat Nazism and remember the immense suffering caused by both totalitarian regimes that devastated the continent.

But for Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and much of Eastern Europe, May 1945 did not bring freedom. It marked the continuation of Soviet occupation, repression, deportations, censorship, and the destruction of national sovereignty for decades to come.

Remembering history truthfully is not revisionism. Erasing occupation and calling it liberation is.

Today, the Kremlin continues to weaponize WWII history to justify imperialism and aggression, especially against Ukraine, while ignoring the crimes committed under Soviet occupation.

[Clint Teeples @TeeplesCY]

"If I told you there was one free thing you could do every Sunday that would make your kids happier, healthier, smarter, and closer to you, you'd think I was selling something."

Take your kids to church regularly. I don't care if you believe. The data is so lopsided that skipping it is the parenting equivalent of refusing vegetables because you don't like the taste.

Grades. Religious teens get As at almost twice the rate of nonreligious teens. In a class of 100, that's 24 A-students instead of 14. Church gives a kid the same academic boost as being born rich instead of poor.

College. Working-class religious kids earn bachelor's degrees at double the rate of their nonreligious peers. Middle-class kids do it at 1.5x the rate. For families without a trust fund, this is one of the most powerful forms of upward mobility social scientists have measured.

Character. Religious teens are far less likely to lie, cheat, or do things they hope their parents never find out about. They're more likely to care about racial equality, the elderly, and the poor. They reject the idea that morality is whatever works for you in the moment. That kind of kid doesn't happen by accident. It's built.

Closeness. 60% of parents of religious teens say they feel "extremely close" to their kid, compared to 50% of nonreligious parents. The kids report the same thing back. They get along better with their parents, talk about hard stuff, and actually want to spend time with their family.

Despair. Religious teens are dramatically less likely to be depressed, anxious, lonely, or feel that life is meaningless. 90% of devoted religious teens never binge drink, compared to 41% of the disengaged. Economists named the modern epidemic "deaths of despair." Regular church attendance is one of the strongest known buffers against it. Parents are spending fortunes trying to solve teen mental health. The most evidence-backed intervention is free.

Purpose. Religious young adults report higher purpose, gratitude, life satisfaction, and resilience. These are the exact traits every parent says they want their kid to have.

Here's why it works. Affluent families already surround their kids with networks of stable, accomplished adults through neighborhoods, schools, and parents' colleagues. Working and middle-class families usually don't. A congregation is often the last institution in American life that puts your kid in weekly contact with dozens of stable, employed, sober adults who know their name. It used to be called "a village." Now it barely exists outside of churches.

"But I don't believe." Your kid doesn't need your theology. They need you to show up.

"But church is boring." So is sitting through a kindergarten music recital. Parenting is the deliberate choice to be bored on purpose for someone you love.

There's a church within 15 minutes of nearly every American home. You don't need money, connections, or credentials to walk in. Nothing else in this country will surround your kid with engaged adults, teach them moral seriousness, and give them a stable weekly rhythm at zero cost.

You already drive them to practices that produce far less. The free thing on Sunday produces more, on more dimensions, than almost anything else you do as a parent.

You don't have to believe anything. You just have to take them.

[Jim Sciutto @jimsciutto]

New: Sen Mitch McConnell slams Pentagon for failing to spend #Ukraine aid passed by Congress: “Appropriators fully funded that authorization for fiscal 2026 with overwhelming support,” he wrote in The Washington Post. “Yet the Ukraine aid we passed months ago is now collecting dust at the Pentagon.”

[Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta]

If you pitched this as a screenplay, every studio would reject it for being too on-the-nose.

Fernando Mendoza was a 2-star recruit ranked 2,149th in his high school class. Zero FBS scholarship offers. Not one. He walked on at Cal, fought for a starting job, transferred to Indiana for his senior year, then led them to 16-0 and the first national title in school history. Heisman, Walter Camp, Maxwell, Davey O'Brien, Manning, Big Ten MVP. 41 TDs, 72% completion, 8-to-0 TD-to-INT ratio in the playoffs.

The Raiders took him #1 overall Thursday night. $54.56M fully guaranteed. Only the third player ever to win the Heisman, win a national championship, and go first overall the next spring. Burrow. Newton. Mendoza.

Then he skipped Pittsburgh.

The biggest stage in football, the moment every kid imagines from the second they pick up a ball, and Fernando watched the call from his living room in Florida because his mom Elsa is in a wheelchair and the travel is hard for her. She was diagnosed with MS when he was 4. She wrote a letter to her sons in The Players Tribune in 2015 promising the disease "won't affect us in the ways that matter."

The part nobody talks about: while every other top pick was on stage, Fernando announced the Mendoza Family Fund the same day. $500K personal donation to the National MS Society. Committed to raising $1M over three years. He hasn't taken an NFL snap and he's already given more to a cause than most players donate in a full career.

He and his brother Alberto have already raised $360K through the Mendoza Bros. Burger at BuffaLouie's in Bloomington. At Christmas, he handed four families dealing with MS $10,000 each for an Adidas shopping spree.

Both his parents are children of Cuban refugees who fled Castro. His dad rowed at Brown, won a Junior World Championship in 1987, and played high school football in Miami next to a teammate named Mario Cristobal. Fernando beat his dad's old teammate in the national championship game in January.

Every athlete talks about playing for their family. Fernando actually did it.

[Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc]

NEW!!! U.S. approves $214m Sidewinder missile sale to Lithuania

State Dept greenlights major expansion of air-to-air missile stocks for NATO ally in bid to bolster ‘peace and stability’ in Europe

[Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc]

NEW!!! Bipartisan Baltic Security Assessment Act Passes House Committee With Overwhelming Vote (41-3)

The bill ensures the U.S. has a clear picture of threats facing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania -- and to strengthen NATO’s collective defense.

🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹🇺🇸

[Vladimir Kara-Murza @vkaramurza]

An honour to speak at the Capitol Hill conference marking the 50th anniversary of @HelsinkiComm — and a timely reminder that neither international security nor economic development will be possible without respect for human rights.

[LRT English @LRTenglish]

Vytautas Landsbergis – one of the primary architects of the restored Lithuanian state – examines nearly 50 years of illegal Russian occupation through his personal lens and relations.

https://t.co/CSvXlrW3vH

[Keith Kellogg @generalkellogg]

This morning we lost three soldiers. They were soldiers of America. Honor them.

[Anne Smith @SmithAnnev]

@johnjsuarez Prayers for the people of Ukraine paying such a price for their freedom. Prayers that Russia as the aggressor is held accountable for their crimes and unwillingness to pursue peace.

[Anne Smith @SmithAnnev]

A true hero of freedom never stops @jdanielferrer, brutally imprisoned by the Cuban regime calling for the release of other political prisoners. Meeting @presidentwalesa in Miami who called for freedom’s “victory parade” in Cuba. God bless the heroes. @tamara_suju @OGutierrezCuba

[Tamara Suju @TAMARA_SUJU]

#SOSCuba José Daniel Ferrer @jdanielferrer ex preso político de Cuba, SG de @Unpacuoficial
me envía este video desde su huelga de hambre por 3 días en solidaridad con el preso político cubano #RoilánÁlvarezRensoler, quien lleva 22 días en huelga de hambre exigiendo su libertad!

También exige la liberación de sus ahijados en la campaña #ApadrinaAUnPresoPoliticoDelMundo los presos politicos de #Venezuela Henry Alberto Castillo y sus sobrinas Samantha y Aranza Hernández Castillo, de 16 y 19 años.

#LibertadParaRoilánÁlvarezRensoler
#libertadparatodoslospresospolíticos

[Embassy of Lithuania in DC | #StandWithUkraine @LTembassyUS]

🇱🇹🤝🇺🇸 Thank you, Rep. @MarioDB, for recognizing Lithuania's stance with the Cuban people in their fight for freedom, prosperity, and human rights.

@LithuaniaMFA @BudrysKestutis

[Mario Díaz-Balart @MarioDB]

Thank you to Lithuania for its principled leadership in holding the Cuban regime accountable and standing firmly against tyranny.

As Havana deepens its ties with Moscow and Minsk and continues its brutal repression, including murdering its own citizens, allies must act with clarity and resolve.

We are grateful for Lithuania’s solidarity with the Cuban people and its commitment to defending freedom.

[Rep. Jimmy Panetta @RepJimmyPanetta]

Honored to meet with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former President of Poland, Lech Walesa, as we discussed the enduring importance of democracy and freedom and their current threats.

[Ronald Reagan Institute (RRI) @ReaganInstitute]

🔥When words become fuel for freedom.

President Lech Wałęsa on how President @RonaldReagan's wise words became slogans for the Solidarity movement and helped the fight against authoritarianism and act as a lasting source of courage.

“There’s so much good that he did for us.”

[Ronald Reagan Institute (RRI) @ReaganInstitute]

An unforgettable evening with President Lech Wałęsa.

From the spirit of Solidarity to the future of transatlantic cooperation, President Walesa reminded us that freedom endures when courageous people and principled leaders stand together.

Watch the full livestream on YouTube, Rumble, or X: https://t.co/TSU2ehNIdB

[Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸✈️🏍️⭐️🎖️ @RepDonBacon]

According to latest Reagan Institute poll, approximately 6X more Americans want Ukraine to win vice Russia. The Administration better keep this in mind.

[Anne Smith @SmithAnnev]

A wonderful evening in the US House honoring the strength of the relationship between the United States and our model NATO allies, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with the two Baltic Caucus co-chairs of one of the largest bipartisan caucuses in Congress.

[Baltic American Freedom League, Inc. @BalticFreedom]

It was an honor to present the BAFL 2025 "Baltic Defender Award" to @RepDonBacon for his principled leadership as co-chair of the House Baltic Caucus (116 members plus!) at the Baltic Caucus/Baltic Embassies and @JBANCchatter Capitol Hill "Baltic Happy Hour". @SmithAnnev

[Anne Smith @SmithAnnev]

It was an honor to meeting the Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States to discuss the importance of US - Baltic defense cooperation and Lithuanian grassroots action in Congress. @BalticFreedom

[Baltic American Freedom League, Inc. @BalticFreedom]

BAFL's Advocacy Advisor @SmithAnnev had the pleasure of meeting with Lithuanian Ambassador to the US, Hon. Gediminas Varvuolis @varvuolis. They discussed the key role of the Baltic communities over decades to deepen US -Baltic ties that must meet the security challenges of today.