Car manufacturers will need to comply with new AI tracking technology requirements by the end of the year.

The add-ons will place cameras pointed directly at the driver’s face to monitor eye movements, among other bodily functions.

‘The touch system is being designed to analyze alcohol found beneath the driver’s skin’s surface.’

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is to blame for the new requirements that will allegedly reduce drunk driving deaths and reduce costs that Congress claimed were more than $44,000,000,000 in 2010.

Section 24220 of the bill, titled “ADVANCED IMPAIRED DRIVING TECHNOLOGY,” declares that in order to “ensure the prevention of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities,” advanced prevention technology “must be standard equipment in all new passenger motor vehicles.”

This includes requirements to “passively monitor” the performance of a driver in order to “accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired,” “prevent or limit motor vehicle operation if an impairment is detected,” and “passively and accurately detect” if a driver’s blood alcohol concentration is equal to or over the legal limits.

RELATED: Sam Altman tells BlackRock he wants AI on a meter ‘like electricity or water’

According to Yahoo News, the technology in practice will be fairly invasive, as it will include a series of artificial intelligence-backed sensors and cameras that will continuously monitor the driver’s mental state.

This includes infrared cameras mounted on the steering column that will directly track the driver’s eyes for pupil dilation. The report also stated that the systems will monitor drowsiness patterns.

If the AI determines the driver to be impaired, it can both prevent ignition or limit the vehicle’s speed.

RELATED: ‘Staged armed robberies’: 11 Indian nationals catch visa fraud charge amid conspiracy allegations

Photo by David L. Ryan/Boston Globe via Getty Images

One such example of this technology is made by Magna, a company contracted by General Motors.

Magna’s technology utilizes “cockpit-embedded sensors” that consistently measure a driver’s exhaled breath, which, when combined with “pupillary signals,” determines the driver’s blood alcohol levels.

In addition, not only is GM reportedly working on its own alcohol detection system, but researchers are looking to include touch as another way to detect impairment.

“The touch system is being designed to analyze alcohol found beneath the driver’s skin’s surface,” wrote the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety program, which is funded by large automakers.

The technology is rather intrusive in that it requires a finger scan to use “tissue spectroscopy to measure alcohol” in the driver’s finger or palm.

As it stands, the monitoring technology is required for “all new passenger motor vehicles” only.

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On Sunday, March 15, the 98th Academy Awards was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, honoring films released in 2025.

Acceptance speeches were a mixed bag: plenty of good-natured thanks and sweet moments, alongside the usual political remarks — including Javier Bardem’s “No to war, and free Palestine” statement, Jimmy Kimmel’s Trump and Melania digs, gun-violence references, and other commentary on wars and politicians.

But there was one Oscar speech that stopped “Relatable” host Allie Beth Stuckey in her tracks: Jessie Buckley’s.

When the Irish actress took the stage to accept her Best Actress Oscar for her role as Agnes, William Shakespeare’s wife, in the film “Hamnet,” she chose to frame the moment not around her own talent, hard work, politics, or even her historic win as the first Irish woman in the category, but around the beauty of motherhood.

After thanking her fellow actresses and the producers of “Hamnet,” Buckley turned to her husband, Freddie Sorensen, with whom she welcomed their first child in 2025.

“You, Fred, I love you, man. I love you; you’re the most incredible dad. You’re my best friend, and I want to have 20,000 more babies with you. I do!” she tearfully exclaimed.

She then addressed their 8-month old daughter, Isla: “I love you, and I love being your mom, and I can’t wait to discover life beside you.”

“It’s Mother’s Day in the U.K. today. So I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” Buckley added.

Allie was pleasantly shocked by Buckley’s heartfelt speech about motherhood.

“I don’t know all Oscar speeches, but I’ve never heard a speech dedicated to motherhood,” she says.

“Dedicating it to motherhood as an institution and saying something to your husband — ‘I want to have 20,000 more babies with you’ — that’s just not usually what you see,” she adds.

Allie recalls Michelle Williams’ acceptance speech at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards, during which she said, “I’ve tried my very best to make a life of my own making … and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without employing a woman’s right to choose. To choose when to have children and with whom.”

“Well, obviously, being a mom and accomplishing these things is possible at the same time,” says Allie, “and even if it’s not, motherhood is better.”

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Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota unleashed an unhinged rhetorical attack against President Donald Trump after he accused her of playing a part in the Somali fraud ring.

The president lashed out at Omar while speaking about his new anti-fraud task force from the White House and criticized Somalia, the country she immigrated from.

‘She’s one of the ringleaders. She’s bad news, really bad news. She’s so bad for our country.’

“Everyone knows they’ve been cheating for years. It’s the first ever, and it’s gotta be stopped. It’s gotta be stopped. Think of it: Somalia is a third-world, maybe a fourth-world nation. One of the worst, one of the most dangerous,” Trump said, with Vice President JD Vance at his side.

“They don’t have anything. They don’t have councils. They don’t have government. They don’t have police. They shoot each other all over the place. They come here, and they steal $19 billion — it’s crazy,” he added.

“And Ilhan Omar, I hope this is part of it, but she married her brother supposedly. I mean, there’s a lot of documentation. That means she’s here illegally, and she’s a congresswoman,” Trump alleged. “And I hope you’re gonna be looking at that or somebody is, all right? Because she’s one of the ringleaders. She’s bad news, really bad news. She’s so bad for our country.”

Omar responded with a crazed attack on the president in a post on social media.

“The most disturbing part of his unhinged comments is how comfortable he is in telling the world how stupid he and his followers are,” Omar wrote.

“But I guess it’s expected from a man who regularly and publicly fantasized about sleeping with his own daughter and is clearly implicated in the worst pedophile coverup case,” she added.

The anti-fraud task force will be headed up by Vance.

RELATED: Minnesota news outlet is getting wrecked online for story on Somali migrants’ economic impact on Minnesota

The president’s accusation that the Somalian community is responsible for $19 billion in fraud appears to be based on an estimate by then-federal prosecutor Joe Thompson, who said in December that as much as half of the $18 billion in federal funds billed in Minnesota could be fraudulent. Thompson later quit over his objections to immigration policy.

One of the larger convictions of fraud in the Somalian community from Minnesota involved $250 million of pandemic funds stolen through the Feeding Our Future scheme.

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Instead of accepting an Oscar on Sunday night, actor Sean Penn decided to visit a war zone.

Fellow actor Kieran Culkin told viewers that Penn probably “didn’t want to” be at the Oscars, poking fun at him while accepting the Oscar for him.

‘This year I’ll be at the right place.’

Penn won Best Supporting Actor for his role in “One Battle After Another,” his third Oscar in total.

After presenting the award, Culkin said, “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening — or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf.”

Duty calls

It appeared that Penn preferred to spend his time in Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the president sharing a photo of his meeting with the 65-year-old.

“Sean, thanks to you, we know what a true friend of Ukraine is. You have stood with Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war. This is still true today,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “And we know that you will continue to stand with our country and our people,” he added, along with a photo of himself and Penn from inside the presidential office.

RELATED: Yes, there’s an AI hive mind, and it’s making us dumber

Net positive

Penn’s retreat to Ukraine is a stark contrast to Ben Stiller, who chose to skip Oscar night for much more relatable reasons.

On Sunday afternoon, Stiller responded to a picture from the 2025 Oscars that asked, “Does he know the knicks won,” referring to the NBA’s New York Knicks.

The noted basketball fan replied, “This year I’ll be at the right place.”

Lo and behold, Stiller was pictured courtside at Madison Square Garden in an official team photo that stated, “[Ben Stiller] knows where to be.”

RELATED: Sam Altman tells BlackRock he wants AI on a meter ‘like electricity or water’

Kiev, Ukraine, 2022. Photo by Ukrainian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Missing in action

Both Stiller and Penn are outspoken liberals, making their absence from the Oscars stage — a dependable platform for leftist political messaging — all the more notable.

Recently, Stiller asked the Trump administration to remove a clip of his film “Tropic Thunder” from one of the White House’s highly divisive hype videos, stating, “We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”

Stiller has consistently posted jabs at the administration on X, such as suggesting it is not adhering to the Constitution, but he has not mentioned the president by name on the platform since 2021, when Trump was ending his first term.

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The latest U.S. Treasury report revealed that in February 2026, the federal government paid $79 billion just in net interest on the national debt, which is approaching a staggering $39 trillion.

“We’re $39 trillion in the hole. We just paid $79 billion last month for just service of the debt. Let me ask you … is your life getting better?” asks Glenn Beck sardonically.

Of all the areas where government money is supposedly spent to improve our quality of life — roads, bridges, hospitals, public education, and airports, among others — Glenn admits the only one that’s actually gotten better is the military.

“I see it in the military. And that’s it. … So where’s the money actually going?” he asks.

Some of it appears to be disappearing into fraudulent schemes.

A recent CBS News investigation exposed widespread indicators of fraud in Los Angeles County’s hospice industry, where “over 700 of the roughly 1,800” licensed hospice providers revealed numerous red flags — i.e., shell companies, empty offices, piled-up mail, dead phone lines, and suspicious concentrations of “businesses” in single locations.

On this episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn dives into L.A.’s hospice scandal, warning that the broader implications should stop us dead in our tracks.

“Final chapter of life, families gather, pain is eased, dignity is preserved, and you’re stealing from that?” Glenn asks in disgust. “Wow. Medicare pays for that. No, let me rephrase that — you pay for that, your tax dollars.”

He expresses shock that “hundreds of hospice companies suddenly appeared almost overnight and nobody noticed” despite numerous glaring signs.

“Many of these [hospice companies] are run out of small little offices and storefronts and residential homes — like 30 of these companies in one little office. And they were enrolling patients who were not dying. In fact, they existed, but they didn’t know they were enrolling in this,” Glenn exclaims, noting that “tens of thousands of dollars” go to every single hospice patient.

“The dying turn into billing codes. The elderly turned into profit centers,” he scoffs.

While some may argue that this is “victimless crime,” Glenn sets the record straight: “Hospice fraud means that real care is denied. Pain medication is withheld. Proper treatment is delayed. Families misled.”

“And it’s not theft of just money. It is the theft of dignity at the end of human life,” he emphasizes.

But hospice fraud is just the beginning of L.A’.s woes.

The city is also funding the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles to the tune of $106 million+ to help tenants fight evictions. Except LAFLA and its lawyers also sue the city to block clearing homeless encampments, which create unsafe, disorderly conditions, hurt businesses, and violate city codes.

“The system is a joke. It’s a loop,” Glenn ridicules. “Government tries to do its job. Government then funds the lawyers who want to stop it from doing its job. Lawyers sue the government. Government pays the settlement. Crisis continues.”

Add our “trillion dollar deficit in five months” to L.A.’s hospice fraud and the “legal warfare that perpetuates [its] urban collapse,” and you arrive at a sinister question, he says: “What if Los Angeles is not the exception? What if it is actually the rule?”

“We spend roughly $6.5 trillion every year. … If just 10% of that is lost to fraud, waste, and corruption, that’s $650 billion. If it’s 20%, that’s $1.3 trillion. That’s the entire deficit,” Glenn exclaims, calling it “deeply unsettling.”

“If what we’re seeing in places like Los Angeles reflects the broader system, then 20%, maybe one-third, of the federal deficit every single year may simply be because of corruption,” he continues.

If this “quiet siphoning of money from [taxpayers] through programs that are meant to be compassionate, noble, [and] necessary” is allowed to continue, Glenn warns that the consequences will be catastrophic.

Not only will it result in “financial bankruptcy” but also “moral bankruptcy.”

“If hospice fraud can flourish in the shadows, if taxpayer money can fund legal warfare against you with your money, if billions can move through programs with no accountability, then the deficit we see on paper is only part of the story,” he cautions.

“The real deficit is something harder to repair — a deficit of courage, a deficit of attention, a deficit of moral clarity. And unless we rediscover those things really soon, gang, the most dangerous line in the federal budget will not be the interest payments. It will be that silent line item that’s been growing for decades: the cost of looking the other way.”

To hear more of Glenn’s analysis and commentary, watch the video above.

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President Donald Trump demanded over the weekend that NATO members, Pacific region allies, and even China help the United States clear the Strait of Hormuz — through which maritime traffic has ground to a halt due to the ongoing threat of Iranian missile and drone strikes — and “make sure that nothing bad happens there.”

Trump noted that “this should have always been a team effort, and now it will be.”

‘Not a simple task.’

The response was less enthusiastic than Trump had apparently hoped, with some nations rebuffing the invitation and others kicking their decisions down the road.

“There are some countries that greatly disappointed me,” Trump told reporters during an event at the White House on Monday. “What does surprise me is that they’re not eager to help.”

Fewer than 24 hours later, Trump unpacked his disappointment on Truth Social, noting that “the United States has been informed by most of our NATO ‘Allies’ that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon.”

“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” continued the president.

RELATED: Joe Kent resigns from Trump admin, says Israel forced US into Iran conflict

Vessel attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on March 11. Photo by Handout / ROYAL THAI NAVY / AFP via Getty Images.

After noting that Iran’s leadership and key defenses “are gone,” Trump said, “We no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!”

‘You will lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the US nuclear umbrella.’

Trump’s latest criticism of NATO comes just weeks after the alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, told his European colleagues, “If anyone thinks here again that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming. You can’t. We can’t. We need each other.”

Rutte said that without the U.S., European nations would need to each beef up their defense spending to 10% and build out their nuclear capability.

“In that scenario, you will lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the U.S. nuclear umbrella. So hey, good luck,” added the NATO secretary general.

Despite Rutte’s reminder about Europe’s reliance on America and Trump’s threat on Sunday that NATO would face a “very bad future” if members didn’t assist, numerous NATO members and U.S. allies farther afield declined Trump’s invitation to commit forces in the Persian Gulf.

Kaja Kallas, vice president of the European Commission and the European Union’s foreign policy chief, told reporters on Monday that officials want to maintain their focus on Ukraine and that where Iran is concerned, their “focus is de-escalation and also freedom of navigation.”

While acknowledging the impact of the conflict and Iran’s ballistic blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Kallas stressed, “This is not Europe’s war — this situation in the region.”

Kallas noted further that the EU has Operation Aspides underway in the Red Sea — a military operation aimed at safeguarding merchant and commercial vessels — but that it won’t cover the strait as “there was no appetite from the Member states to do that.”

Stefan Kornelius, a spokesman for the German government, stated, “The government will not participate in this war,” reported Deutsche Welle. “This war has nothing to do with NATO; it is not NATO’s war.”

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius echoed this sentiment on Monday, stating, “It is not our war; we did not start it. We want diplomatic solutions and a swift end, but additional warships in the region will likely not contribute to that.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an address on Monday that “we have to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ensure stability” but that it “is not a simple task.”

Emphasizing that the U.K. will “not be drawn into the wider war,” he noted that Britain is working with European allies on a “viable, collective plan that can restore freedom of navigation in the region as quickly as possible.”

While reluctant to send warships, the U.K. is reportedly planning to send mine-hunting drones to help reopen the strait.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, “We are not party to the conflict and therefore France will never take part in operations to open or liberate the Strait of Hormuz in the current context,” reported Reuters.

‘We won’t be dragged into any war of choice.’

“We are convinced that once the situation has calmed down — and I deliberately ⁠use this term broadly — once the situation has calmed down, that is to say, once the main bombing ⁠has ceased, we are ready, along with other nations, to assume responsibility for the escort system,” added Macron.

RELATED: ‘Die in your rage’: Islamist attacks and murder plots are quickly adding up

Photo by Benoit Tessier / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reportedly indicated that the conflict was none of Warsaw’s business, stating his government “does not plan any expedition to Iran, and this does not raise any doubts on the part of our allies.”

Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told Euronews that “NATO is indeed a defensive alliance, and we won’t be dragged into any war of choice.”

“We of course have a collective interest — and I should say not only within NATO — but as the world, to have the oil flowing, to de-escalate, and that is certainly something we are calling for,” added Valtonen.

Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, said that Iran’s blockade was unlawful but also backed Prime Minister Mark Carney’s claim that the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes appear to violate international law.

Anand said further that there’s been no formal discussion among NATO members about Trump’s request, stating, “To our knowledge a request has not been made to NATO for the type of assistance that is being requested,” reported the Globe and Mail.

Some allies outside of NATO similarly poured cold water on the prospect of a coalition of the willing.

Australian Transport Minister Catherine King, for instance, said her country “won’t be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz.”

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reportedly told lawmakers on Monday that her nation had no plans to send warships to the Persian Gulf.

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A public fistfight in a ritzy Washington, D.C., neighborhood led to a former Biden staffer raging against the failures of Democrat-controlled cities on social media.

Yemisi Egbewole worked as the chief of staff to former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, but she has since become critical of many Democratic policies.

‘Tolerating this behavior is unfair to the residents who live here and unfair to the kids themselves. We need to enforce consequences.’

On Sunday, she posted a video on social media showing a large group of what appeared to be teenagers beating down and stomping a victim at the D.C. Navy Yard.

“Blue cities need to wake up. Tolerating this behavior is unfair to the residents who live here and unfair to the kids themselves. We need to enforce consequences,” Egbewole wrote.

She went on to post another video of the unruly young people running through D.C. and criticized Councilmember Janeese Lewis George for voting against curfews that could have curtailed the fighting.

“[George] believes compassion for these children is the pathway to rehabilitation. But at this point, that kind of ‘compassion’ is just abject neglect,” Egbewole added.

“Imagine paying $3,500 a month to live in a box in the city, working all week to afford it, and when the weekend comes you can’t even enjoy it because kids are bare-knuckle beating each other outside your window,” she continued. “The city you pay taxes to does nothing. Incredible.”

She also rejected commenters who argued that the kids were acting out because of a lack of “third spaces” like skating rinks and arcades, a concept popularized by urbanist activists.

“Is this a joke? So the solution is creating more ‘third spaces’ for them to fight each other in? This is a problem that starts at home. It’s a moral and values issue. A skating rink isn’t going to fix that,” Egbewole responded.

RELATED: Former Biden aides unload on Karine Jean-Pierre after she leaves Democratic Party: ‘As breathtaking as it is desperate’

Egbewole addressed the same issue in an op-ed for Fox News, where she warned that Democrats were wrong to avoid the crime issue.

“Refusing to address crime doesn’t protect communities of color; it leaves them more vulnerable,” she wrote in August. “The kids causing chaos aren’t the only ones who live in these neighborhoods. There are other young people who want to learn, want to grow and are watching bad behavior go unchecked.”

Two firearms were recovered in the Navy Yard altercation, and two juveniles were arrested.

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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a subpoena to Attorney General Pam Bondi Tuesday over her handling of the Epstein files.

The committee voted to approve the subpoena requiring Bondi to appear for a deposition over the Department of Justice’s handling of the investigation and in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

In the subpoena, Comer said Bondi’s deposition could “inform legislative solutions” to improve the government’s response to sex trafficking and to “reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements” related to sex crimes.

‘This subpoena is completely unnecessary.’

Although the subpoena refrained from harshly criticizing Bondi, it was ultimately greenlit on March 4 by committee Republicans who have expressed concerns about Bondi’s leadership.

Every committee Democrat voted in favor of the subpoena, as well as Republican Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Michael Cloud of Texas, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.

RELATED: Joe Kent resigns from Trump admin, says Israel forced US into Iran conflict

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The DOJ called the subpoena “completely unnecessary,” arguing that Bondi has “made herself available” to lawmakers with respect to the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

“This subpoena is completely unnecessary,” a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement. “Lawmakers have been invited to view the unredacted files for themselves at the Department of Justice, and the Attorney General has always made herself available to speak directly with members of Congress.”

RELATED: Watch: Bill Clinton defends Trump in Epstein deposition video

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

“She continues to have calls and meetings with members of Congress on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which is why the Department offered to brief the committee tomorrow,” the spokesperson added. “As always, we look forward to continuing to provide policymakers with the facts.”

Bondi is now called on to appear before the committee on April 14.

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Dave Bonhoff is a retired police officer from Baltimore County, Pennsylvania — and until recently also was a bus driver serving the Littlestown Area School District, WHP-TV reported.

You see, Bonhoff was in the practice of donning his well-worn Make America Great Again hat while driving his route in Littlestown — a small borough just a mile or so north of the Maryland border.

‘I want to be able to express myself. I don’t want somebody to tell me, ”Well, my feelings are hurt. You got to take the hat off.”’

But one of his students complained about Bonhoff’s MAGA hat, the station said, after which his boss at Krise Transportation called him on the morning of Feb. 18.

“She contacts me and says, ‘Hey, listen, I’m going to buy you a hat, an American flag hat, because the school district has deemed that they don’t want you to wear that Make America Great Again hat,'” Bonhoff recounted to WHP.

Well, Bonhoff — also known as “Mr. Dave from Bus #73” — decided to walk away from his bus driver gig that very day, just before the afternoon drop-off, the station said.

“If that wasn’t a condition of my employment, I’d be back to work tomorrow,” Bonhoff told WHP. “I miss the kids. Those kids and I had a great relationship.”

He added to the station that “there’s nothing in this hat that says anything about partisanship. I think that saying that this hat is political is absurd. It’s patriotic.”

When a WHP reporter asked Bonhoff how he would respond to those who argue that MAGA hats are synonymous with a political figure — President Donald Trump — Bonhoff replied that they’re off base.

“I would say that making America great is what we should all strive to be,” he noted to the station. “Anybody who doesn’t want America to prosper, I take issue with them.”

Bonhoff added to WHP that Republican and Democrat presidents during their time in office — including Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton — have used the phrase Make America Great Again.

Alas, clear explanations from higher-ups regarding exactly who said what to Bonhoff appear to be in short supply.

Al Moyer, the Littlestown Area School District’s acting superintendent, told WHP that “districts need to be neutral on sensitive issues” and that Krise Transportation employed Bonhoff, not the school district.

As for Krise Transportation, it denied giving Bonhoff any ultimatums about his MAGA hat but noted a dress code policy in a section of the company handbook, the station said: “Any item of apparel with text or graphics deemed inappropriate by management (including but not limited to alcoholic beverages, drugs, tobacco/vaping, suggestive sexual images or remarks, political sentiments, or offensive statements) are prohibited.”

Bonhoff remained resolute, telling WHP that “I want to be able to express myself. I don’t want somebody to tell me, ‘Well, my feelings are hurt. You got to take the hat off.'”

RELATED: Girl says she fought ‘old,’ ‘racist’ man with MAGA hat at ICE protest — and excuses fellow teen brawlers

Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R) addressed Bonhoff’s MAGA hat controversy in a statement Friday, noting that political correctness has become a “tool of intimidation,” the station said in a follow-up story:

Mr. Bonhoff is a retired police officer who continued serving his community by safely transporting children to school. Yet he was effectively forced out of his job because he wore a hat that read “Make America Great Again.” Whether someone agrees with that message is completely irrelevant. In America, citizens do not lose their First Amendment rights simply because someone else claims to be offended.

What happened here is not about “sensitivity” or “respect.” It is about the suffocating culture of political correctness that is spreading through our institutions — a culture that demands conformity, punishes dissent, and attempts to silence anyone who refuses to bow to its ideology. Political correctness has become a tool of intimidation. It is used to shame, threaten, and drive ordinary Americans out of their jobs and public life simply for expressing views that do not align with the approved narrative. That is not tolerance. That is coercion.

Mastriano added to WHP that Bonhoff was brave in holding fast to his beliefs: “Dave Bonhoff showed more courage in standing by his principles than many institutions have shown in defending the rights they claim to value. No American should ever be forced to choose between their livelihood and their constitutional freedoms.”

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