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Liberals seized majority control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023 — their first majority on the Badger State’s high court in 15 years. That majority was firmed up with Justice Susan Crawford’s win last year following the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.

Wisconsinites dashed conservative dreams of a more balanced court on Tuesday by increasing the liberal stranglehold over their state’s high court in a landslide election.

‘We will keep fighting for our courts because they are that important.’

With over 95% of the votes in, Wisconsin Court of Appeals judge and former Democratic state legislator Chris Taylor had secured 60.1% of the total. Her Republican-endorsed opponent, Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar, secured 39.8% of the total vote.

Abortion was a key issue during the race. Taylor, a former policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, is, after all, a hardline abortion activist.

The 58-year-old liberal authored a bill in 2017, for instance, that claimed “every woman has the fundamental right to choose to obtain a safe and legal abortion.” The bill, which failed to pass, would have barred the state from preventing a woman from procuring an abortion “at any time during her pregnancy” if deemed necessary to “protect her life or health.”

RELATED: Trump-endorsed Republican to fill Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat in Georgia

Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar. Jonathan Aguilar/Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service/Catchlight/Getty Images

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Taylor, who was endorsed by various pro-abortion groups, also celebrated after the state supreme court invalidated Wisconsin’s 1949 law that banned most abortions.

Taylor reportedly said last year that she would not recuse herself from a case just because it dealt with abortion.

Lazar, who previously enjoyed the support of pro-life groups and called the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs “very wise,” accused Taylor of being a “judicial activist.” Taylor, in turn, claimed that her opponent would bring “an extreme, right-wing political agenda to the bench,” reported the Los Angeles Times.

In addition to pushing the abortion agenda during her time in the state legislature, Taylor also championed curbs on the Second Amendment, demanding universal background checks, gun purchase waiting periods, and other so-called gun safety measures.

Whereas Taylor raised over $6.2 million over the course of her campaign, Lazar netted only around $1.2 million, reported the Courthouse News Service.

“The fight is not over,” Lazar said in her concession speech. “And that we will keep fighting for our courts because they are that important.”

Moving forward, the court will be skewed 5-2 for liberals. NBC News noted that it could get even worse: Next year, liberals could potentially pick up another seat on the bench as conservative Justice Annette Ziegler is not running for a third term.

Taylor, who will begin her 10-year term in August, is taking the seat of retiring Justice Rebecca Bradley, a Republican-aligned conservative justice who helped strike down Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ order to postpone an election because of COVID-19 and condemned lockdown measures.

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​Wisconsin, Court, Supreme court, State supreme court, Leftist, Liberal, Majority, Chris taylor, Lazar, Abortion, Gun control, Gun grab, Second amendment, Life, Planned parenthood, Politics 

The loose-lipped Republican politician made fresh, wild assertions about classified government meetings, the alleged existence of alien programs, and secret forced breeding programs crossing aliens and humans.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) continued his recent extraterrestrial revelations in a recent interview, just as NASA is circling the moon.

‘This is what the guy told me.’

During a discussion with TMZ hosts Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere, Burchett was asked to elaborate on a closed-door meeting he had in a “secure setting” with an unnamed official.

Burchett quickly told the hosts that the individual “gave addresses, they gave times and dates,” and that the people who were in the meeting included those from the “executive branch of previous presidents, not this current president.”

After those remarks, TMZ’s Levin got more specific, asking directly about reports of “pieces of machinery” and “life” that were alleged found and did not “seem earthly.”

Levin asked Burchett to address the existence of either or both.

“I’d say you’d be safe to say both,” the Republican replied.

RELATED: ‘I’m not suicidal’: Rep. Burchett says US would fall apart if we heard truth about UFOs

Pushing things further, TMZ asked Burchett if it was true that “a member of our government” told him that a piece of alien machinery “interacted in some form with people.”

Burchett simply replied, “Yeah, they have … it’s pretty wild.”

“I’m not going to lie to you,” the 61-year-old continued, claiming he would even take a polygraph test to prove it. “This is what the guy told me.”

Burchett then recalled an interaction he had with a “very high-ranking naval official” who allegedly described underwater crafts to him that were the size of “a football field moving at over 200 miles an hour.”

Burchett’s story placed the meeting at his own office and concluded with the military official pulling him “up close” and saying, “Tim, they’re real.”

The official then left out the side door, which Burchett said “nobody ever uses,” describing it as “kind of weird.”

RELATED: Elon Musk announces plans for PERMANENT lunar city

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Burchett actually dispelled any idea that Earth is in danger, saying he did not believe there was an imminent threat just because the unknown forces could destroy humanity if they so chose to.

“I don’t think we’re at danger of this. I mean, if these things exist, as I think they do, they could have destroyed us with a blink of an eye. I just don’t see that,” the congressman explained.

He then added, “But I do think they have the technology and the capabilities of something that we can’t understand or we can’t grasp.”

The eyebrow-raising interview concluded with Burchett commenting on recent remarks by former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).

Gaetz had told host Benny Johnson about “enforced breeding programs” that involved “captured aliens” who were forced to breed with humans “to create some hybrid race that could engage in intergalactic communication.”

“That’s a true story,” Burchett claimed. The congressman said that he, Gaetz, and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) went to an unspecified location in Florida, where the group of politicians was first turned away. That was until Gaetz “made a phone call to somebody at the Pentagon.”

“All of a sudden they opened the doors,” Burchett recalled.

It was then that a group of pilots allegedly told the politicians about the breeding program.

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​Aliens, Return, Ufos, Florida, Congressman, Alien technology, Space, Nasa, Extraterrestrial life, Tech 

In 2015, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a naturalized American citizen born in Sierra Leone, traveled to Africa and met with ISIS in Nigeria. He began communicating with a terrorist online who, thankfully, was an FBI informant. Jalloh was arrested and convicted for providing material support to ISIS and was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison.

Jalloh should have been denaturalized and deported after his conviction. That should have been the end of the story. However, as a naturalized citizen, he was allowed to remain in the country.

In 2024, he was released from prison early, and on March 12 of this year, he walked into a classroom at Old Dominion University and opened fire, killing Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah, a retired Army officer.

We cannot allow our immigration system to be wielded as a weapon against our nation.

Shah was from Staunton, Virginia. He enlisted in the army in 2003 and flew an Apache helicopter over Iraq, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe. He survived 600 hours of combat in the Middle East only to be gunned down by a terrorist as he taught a class here in the American homeland.

This horrific attack should never have happened. When a foreign-born terrorist is convicted of conspiring against our homeland, no American should ever have to worry that he will attack again.

My new bill, the Denaturalization and Expulsion of Persons Who Orchestrate Radical Terrorism Act, will guarantee that it never happens again.

The DEPORT Act makes it clear that any naturalized citizen who commits an act of terrorism, plots to commit an attack, joins a terrorist organization, or otherwise aids and abets terrorists is denaturalized and deported. In other words, Jalloh’s conviction for supporting terrorists would have been his last act on American soil.

Naturalization is intended to allow immigrants to pledge total allegiance to the United States. Terrorism is the antithesis of that pledge. This treasonous act represents everything we stand against. Any naturalized citizen found guilty of terrorism-related charges was never loyal to our country and should be removed from our homeland immediately.

Most Americans are understandably shocked to learn that this is not already the law. However, as FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X recently, denaturalizing terrorists is “extremely difficult.” To do so, the government must prove that the person in question fraudulently obtained his or her citizenship.

Under current law, joining a terrorist organization after naturalization is treated as prima facie evidence of such fraud, but only if it happens within five years of becoming a citizen.

The DEPORT Act extends this five-year window for denaturalization to 10 years. It creates a new pathway to denaturalize lone-wolf terrorists — those inspired by online propaganda and foreign extremist ideology who act without formally joining a designated terrorist organization.

RELATED: Austin’s ‘Property of Allah’ shooter is immigration failure made flesh

Stephanie Tacy/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Critically, the bill also directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to revise the application for citizenship to include an attestation requirement that will force every future applicant to swear under oath that they have no intent to commit terrorism against the United States. If this had been the law when Jalloh was naturalized, he would easily have been deported upon his conviction.

Passing this legislation would be common sense at any point in American history. We cannot allow our immigration system to be wielded as a weapon against our nation. But it is especially sensible today, as more than 50 million people currently living in the United States were born in foreign countries. This represents almost 15% of the total U.S. population.

Tens of thousands of these immigrants hail from countries with active terrorist networks. Worse yet, many were welcomed to America with little to no vetting under the Biden administration.

Jalloh’s terrorism is not an isolated incident. Ndiaga Diagne, the shooter who attacked a beer garden in Austin, Texas, on March 1, was a naturalized citizen from Senegal. This gunman, who wore a “Property of Allah” shirt, killed two people and injured 14 others.

Similarly, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, the Lebanese-born man who reportedly rammed his pickup truck into Temple Israel in Michigan last month, was a naturalized citizen.

The status quo is untenable.

Ensuring that our nation has the ability to denaturalize and deport convicted terrorists isn’t radical. It is the bare minimum we can do to claw back our sovereignty and protect American citizens against the ticking time bomb within our borders.

​Naturalized citizens, Deport act, Denaturalize and deport, Old dominion university attack, Austin shooting, Mohamed bailor jalloh, Property of allah, Terrorist attack, Opinion & analysis 

Voters in Georgia went to the polls Tuesday to elect someone to fill the seat vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene after she resigned on Jan. 5.

Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris were the top two winners of the special primary election for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District that included 17 candidates on the ballot on March 10.

‘Our country is safer because of what President Trump has done regarding Iran.’

In the special election on Tuesday, Fuller defeated Harris handily. With 99% of the votes counted, Fuller had nearly 56% to Harris’ 44%.

Harris is a retired Army brigadier general who had been endorsed by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).

Fuller had the upper hand in the deep-red area of Georgia, especially with the endorsement of President Donald Trump, despite being outspent by Harris, $1.2 million to $6.5 million.

Greene demolished Harris by nearly 30 percentage points in 2024.

One of the major points of disagreement between Fuller and Harris was the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

“I spent 40 years in the military. … The reality of it is, this is a war of choice,” said Harris.

“Our country is safer because of what President Trump has done regarding Iran,” said Fuller, who served in the Air National Guard overseas.

Had Harris won the pivotal election, Democrat hopes of retaking both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections would have soared.

For now, Fuller will complete Greene’s term. He will have to win the election in November to serve a full two-year term.

Greene was previously a stalwart Trump supporter but appeared to sour on the president and was very critical of his administration before she resigned the seat.

RELATED: ‘Low IQ traitor’: Trump torches MTG after she claims he ‘fueled’ death threats against her‘

On Sunday, she claimed Trump had “gone insane” after he threatened to hit power plants and bridges unless Iran relinquished its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

“Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump’s madness,” wrote Greene.

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​Clay fuller vs shawn harris, Marjorie taylor greene seat, Clay fuller wins election, Georgia runoff election, Politics 

Social media is rife with warnings that AI will take everyone’s jobs within the next one to five years. If true, mass unemployment will become a mainstay of modern life, sparking questions as to how civilization as we know it will survive. The big-brained elite think they have a solution through universal basic income — with some optimists like Elon Musk claiming that high basic income is the wave of the future — but this idealistic concept poses several dangers severe enough that they could dismantle America and bring about the end of the world.

1. The death of capitalism

Let’s get this one out of the way first: UBI is a gateway to socialism. In a world where the people earn nothing and everything of value is handed down from on high, the capitalist system that made this country great ceases to exist.

Forced dependence, by any other name, is a form of slavery.

Without a consistent job or a way to earn a steady salary, the people must become dependent on the elite who control the money and dole it out at their discretion. Who exactly is expected to do this honestly and fairly? The government has shown itself to be an unreliable steward, especially on the left as the pursuit of equity ensures some groups — like white, straight men — are intentionally marginalized in favor of minority groups. Private companies don’t seem like good benefactors either, as many of them are currently firing employees in favor of AI, simply to keep more money for themselves.

Even if the UBI rollout magically goes off without a hitch, capitalism stands to face another hurdle. People are less likely to buy products and services when they live on a basic fixed income. In a study conducted in 2024, UBI recipients were most likely to spend UBI on necessities, like food and transportation, while withholding their dollars from what can be seen as more frivolous expenses that drive the American economy.

2. Financial inequity

The left’s disdain for wealthy Americans is well-known, with politicians regularly calling for the rich to “pay their fair share,” because why should you keep your money when the government can have it instead? Right now, the left tries to confiscate as much of the people’s earnings as possible through taxes — like California’s outrageous wealth tax — and if given the chance, they’d gladly redistribute those funds to groups that didn’t earn it.

RELATED: Why doesn’t money make you happy?

MicrovOne/Getty Images

Universal basic income would install a fast lane to the left’s unofficial wealth redistribution program. Once in power, they would get to decide which groups receive UBI, as well as the amounts that are distributed. In a left-leaning world, that could mean minority groups get more basic income while “privileged” groups receive less, finally giving them the power to push the “equity” they’ve chased since the Biden administration.

3. The end of the American dream

While Elon Musk’s “high basic income” is a novel idea, the reality of a socialist system means that most of us will get a meager allowance while the elite keep the lion’s share for themselves. In doing so, this will create a larger divide between the upper class and lower class. At the same time, the middle class who can’t work, can’t earn money, and can’t get a leg up will also fall into the lower-class bracket.

Under UBI, the middle class will be hollowed out, permanently relegating the majority of Americans to poverty. Even worse, this new system will ensure that no one can escape the lower class simply because they don’t have a way to earn more money than the elites are willing to give. Job scarcity and financial dependence will keep the poor in check, and the American dream will cease to exist.

4. Freedom isn’t free

Our forefathers promised the people life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They made a social contract, one that still stands to this day. But if the jobs go away, UBI is instated, and the people must depend on someone else for their next paycheck, the Declaration of Independence loses its power.

Simply put, the people can’t be free if we’re forced to depend on politicians, benefactors, or elitists to provide our way of life. Forced dependence, by any other name, is a form of slavery. Universal basic income gives the elite the power to take our rights and render our founding documents null and void.

5. One step closer to the end times

Last but not least, UBI is one of the final levers required to spread the mark of the beast, the precursor to the end times.

In the New International Version of the Bible, Revelation 13:16-17 says: “It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

This doesn’t just mean you can’t buy or sell products unless someone says so. It also means you would need the mark to receive UBI payments.

To put it bluntly, it’s easier to force the people to sell their souls when their means to work, earn money, and be free are all taken away. Even if UBI isn’t the mark itself, it’s a Trojan horse that will usher in top-down control that can be exploited by the most evil forces our world has ever known. It’s exactly what the devil wants and needs before the book of Revelation comes to pass.

Is universal basic income inevitable?

In a word, no, not yet. The things above can only happen if the two things below about the ongoing AI race are true:

AI will be effective enough to fully replace human jobs, a feat that’s proving difficult with continuous hallucinations, mistakes, and more.AI will have the power to produce endless mountains of cash. There can only be enough basic income for everybody — even in small amounts — if AI can print infinite money.

Assuming these are true, more roadblocks stand in the way of an AI-controlled economy.

A crippled economy

Businesses are currently run by people who buy products and services from other human-led companies. Some businesses sell products to each other (B2B), while other businesses sell straight to consumers (B2C). This cycle is the beating heart of capitalism.

If companies are suddenly all run by the same AI platforms, they’ll no longer need to buy digital services from each other to get work done. They can simply use AI to build custom versions for their own companies at little or no extra cost, thus cutting out third-party vendors and partners, which will ultimately make some companies obsolete. In fact, this loophole has the power to take down the entire digital B2B market.

On the commerce side, consumers face a different problem. They can’t use AI to manufacture physical products for themselves — like iPhones, PCs, and game consoles — but under the universal basic income strategy, they are more likely to hold their money for necessary purchases than to spend it like they do today. This monumental shift in spending habits could also cripple companies and the market, or at the very least, it could stifle year-over-year growth.

In short, universal basic income, ushered in by the revolution of AI, would be a huge disaster for American workers, the American economy, and the American dream. All of it is in jeopardy unless the government passes regulations that prevent mass job loss. Luckily, after kneecapping the states’ ability to regulate AI via executive order, the federal government is finally stepping up by introducing the National AI Legislative Framework and the Trump America AI Act. More on that soon.

​Tech, Universal basic income, Ubi, Ai, Artificial intelligence 

As BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales has continued investigating and exposing H-1B fraud in Texas, she’s found that one city in India is behind most of the scamming: Hyderabad — the H-1B capital of the world.

“So many tips that we’re receiving, it’s the same song and dance. These Telugu people have schemed the system so much that they’ve been able to corner the H-1B market here in the United States,” she says.

And yet, despite Sara’s reporting, CBS News published a piece on April 4 portraying Hyderabad as a booming high-tech powerhouse and a major talent pool central to India’s IT success story. Reporter Shanelle Kaul, who traveled to the city, argues that the Trump administration’s new $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications will hurt America’s ability to attract top global talent, potentially slowing U.S. tech innovation.

Sara is outraged by CBS’ claim that the city she’s discovered to be behind a great deal of H-1B fraud is actually “an amazing utopia full of tech workers that are just way more highly skilled than American workers.”

“I have thousands of emails backed up by actual proof from news agencies in India that these people are literally just faking everything,” she says.

“They fake their resumes; they fake their job experience; they have people come in and do the interviews for them on Zoom. … They fake all of their credentials. These are not the brightest and the best people. The only thing that they’re the best at is scamming our system.”

Sara rejects the claim that America doesn’t have the raw talent to be a top competitor in the tech industry.

“Was Steve Jobs from Hyderabad? … Mark Zuckerberg? Bill Gates … total scumbag. However, he was not Indian,” she says.

Hyderabad, which Kaul referred to in her piece as the “Silicon Valley of India,” is “still not better” than America’s home-grown tech industry, Sara argues.

“Why would we import people from there? We already have it. It’s here. We already have Americans,” she continues.

Part of Kaul’s reporting included an interview with Xavier Fernandes, the founder of Y-Axis, an immigration agency that helps people move to countries like the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

In the interview, he argued, “That kind of talent you can’t manufacture. It’s not a thing that you can get it locally.”

Sara is suspicious of both Fernandes and Kaul.

“Indians in India right now are like, ‘Anyone who comes from Hyderabad is highly suspect and should be investigated.’ That’s what the regular, normal, honest Indians are saying. So anyone who’s like, ‘Oh no, it’s just a really big tech hub’ — immediately suspect,” she says.

“Mainstream media is simply simping for people who are trying to defraud America. They do it every single time.”

To hear more of Sara’s commentary and watch clips from CBS News’ recent piece praising Hyderabad, watch the episode above.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Sara gonzales, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Blazetv, Blaze media, H1b visas, H1b fraud, Hyderabad india, Cbs news 

There is a reason why most red-state Republican leaders fail to reflect the political values of their constituents. They represent the special interests they work for rather than the whole of the people.

Nowhere is this more evident than with the ravaging of West Virginia by generative AI data centers, promoted by people like House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw, who legally represents special interest groups fighting poor, local communities in court.

The same man who was instrumental in stripping localities of their ability to block data centers is now representing the people behind those data centers in court.

Remember the provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 that originally attempted to strip all state and local governments of any ability to block data centers from being built? Well, last year, West Virginia enacted just such a ban at the state level. Hanshaw shepherded HB 2014 to Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s desk.

Among many special tax and regulatory favors offered to data centers, this bill removed local jurisdiction over the siting, zoning, and operating of certified high-impact data centers and microgrids.

Thus, companies like Google, Meta, and OpenAI could work with state politicians bought into their pay-for-play and force their way into any community. And what better person to be fighting for them than the speaker of the House?

While serving as speaker, Hanshaw filed a notice of appearance in the appeal to the Department of Evironmental Protection’s Air Quality Board on behalf of his client MGS CNP1 LLC, which is an affiliate of Houston-based Fidelis New Energy working on a data center project in Mason County.

This was in the middle of the session and just one week after the state House of Delegates passed legislation making it easier for these projects to obtain certification with the Department of Commerce.

Then, just two days after the session ended, Hanshaw took on a case through his work at Bowles Rice for Fundamental Data, the company working on powering the data center bonanza in Tucker County.

So the same man who was instrumental in stripping localities of their ability to block data centers is now representing the people behind those data centers in court against local community groups appealing the DEP’s permit issuance.

It was the Tucker County fight that led me to speak out nationally against this mindless business model of raping red-state land, power, and water for a form of generative AI that serves nothing but chatslop and the surveillance state.

Last August, I vacationed in Tucker County, home to the gorgeous Blackwater Falls State Park and Canaan Valley. A county that voted for Trump by a 50-vote margin, these people are the forgotten men that MAGA was supposed to represent.

RELATED: How to power the AI race without losing control

Rudall30/Getty Images

I spoke with several locals who were irate beyond words about the injustice occurring in a state with barely any Democrat elected officials.

What’s worse is that West Virginia is also being violated with endless transmission lines to power the blue-state “data center alley” in northern Virginia. According to a report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysts, West Virginia energy consumers will be expected to pay $572 million in higher rates to fund the rope to hang themselves.

What is so offensive is that these projects are not even creating jobs. According to the February JOLT report from BLS, construction remains in the greatest recession since the Great Recession, despite these so-called data center projects. Oracle, which is at the center of the cloud computing in the data centers, is laying off 18% of its workforce.

Shockingly, Henshaw and his minions attempted to pass even greater handouts for data centers offered to no other industry, in addition to what was in HB 2014.

This session, they introduced SB 623, which offered a complete property tax exemption and sales tax exemption on all data center equipment. They also introduced HB 4013, which would have created a new tax credit available to data centers to offset all state income, sales/use, franchise, and payroll withholding taxes based on capital investments, construction costs, and wages.

How many jobs did they have to create to qualify? Just 10! Which, of course, is a tacit admission that these behemoths don’t create many jobs, despite their enormous footprint, cost, and consumption of power.

In other words, Agenda 2030 is being fulfilled right under our noses in a state where Republicans control both houses of the legislature with 32-2 and 91-9 majorities.

What West Virginia, with its mind-numbing GOP majorities, shows is that the lack of conservative outcomes under GOP control is not due to a lack of power or votes but too much access to money and special interests.

​Data centers, Ai, Ai data centers, Roger hanshaw, Gop, Republicans, Big tech, Meta, Google, Openai, Opinion & analysis, West virginia 

I served in combat with the U.S. Army. Like many veterans, I know that men and women who come home carrying the physical and mental costs of war rely on disability payments to maintain mortgages and keep their families afloat. These funds help people rebuild lives that were permanently changed during their years of service and sacrifice.

Benefits are meant to help families recover from the physical and mental costs of war, yet they too often become a revenue stream for law firms that specialize in VA appeals.

Navigating the VA’s disability system is rarely simple. Many veterans are already coping with serious injuries, mental health challenges, or financial stress as they transition back to civilian life. Confronting a complicated bureaucracy on top of that can feel like fighting another battle — which is why veterans should have access to a range of options for help.

The current system often leaves veterans with limited options, partly because when disability claims are delayed and pushed into drawn-out appeals, attorneys are allowed to collect a percentage of the veteran’s eventual award. The longer the process drags on, the larger the payout.

The Department of Veterans Affairs paid $394.7 million to accredited attorneys over the past year — money taken directly from veterans who fought to earn those benefits. The CHOICE Act (H.R. 3132) would help ensure that those benefits stay with the veterans who earned them, not the lawyers who see them as a payday.

Federal law limits attorney fees in most VA disability cases at 20% of a veteran’s backpay award. Those guardrails exist for a reason: Without them, veterans’ benefits risk becoming just another profit center for the litigation industry.

Organizations representing trial lawyers spend millions lobbying Congress each year on issues affecting litigation and attorney compensation. Veterans’ disability claims are no exception. When legislation like the CHOICE Act seeks to limit attorney fees and protect veterans’ benefits, the trial bar mobilizes to protect its financial interests.

This opposition raises a simple question: When the debate is about veterans’ benefits, whose side are these lobbyists really on?

Does increasing the share of benefits that go to legal fees serve those who wore the uniform?

Benefits are meant to help families recover from the physical and mental costs of war, yet they too often become a revenue stream for law firms that specialize in VA appeals.

RELATED: The trial lawyers come for online free speech

Skodonnell/Getty Images

Veterans deserve strong advocates. The system should prioritize protecting them, not increasing the financial incentives tied to their benefits in an already strenuous process.

The complex VA benefits process can attract bad actors looking to profit from veterans navigating a complicated bureaucracy. Reputable companies that assist veterans with disability claims have been among the loudest voices calling for stronger oversight and clear rules to eliminate those abuses.

The CHOICE Act would establish guardrails that veterans deserve, including stronger consumer protections, limits on fees, and accountability for providers that violate the rules.

Congress must put veterans and their families first. The priority should not be filling trial lawyers’ deep pockets, but ensuring the system truly serves veterans’ best interests. When powerful lobbying organizations treat those benefits as a potential revenue opportunity, the system risks losing sight of whom it is meant to serve.

Our country made a promise: If you serve, and if service leaves you injured or disabled, the nation will stand behind you. The benefits belong to the veterans who earned them and not to the lawyers or lobbyists who see them as a revenue stream. Congress should pass the CHOICE Act and ensure those benefits serve the veterans they were meant for.

​Veterans, Va, Veteran benefits, Lawyers, Disability claims, Choice act, Bureaucracy, Opinion & analysis 

A man being sought by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tried to run over officers and was shot in Northern California on Tuesday, according to ICE.

Officers were performing a targeted vehicle stop on Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez in Patterson when he allegedly “weaponized” his vehicle and tried to run over officers.

KCRA-TV obtained dashcam video of the incident showing that the man put his car in reverse and then drove forward while surrounded by agents.

“Following their training, our officers fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public,” reads a statement from ICE Director Todd M. Lyons on social media.

“The illegal alien was taken to a local hospital,” he added. “The FBI is on the scene.”

Lyons added that Hernandez was a member of the heinous 18th Street Gang from El Salvador and was wanted for questioning in relation to a murder.

No officers were injured in the shooting, and no law enforcement officers were involved in the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office.

KCRA-TV obtained dashcam video of the incident showing that the man put his car in reverse and then drove forward while surrounded by agents. At least one agent can be seen shooting into the car.

The driver, assumed to be Hernandez, continues to drive the vehicle over the median in the direction of oncoming traffic before it comes to a stop.

News helicopter footage from KCRA showed a lot of damage done to the car involved, including several gunshots in the windshield.

RELATED: A major win for student who posted pro-ICE posters at California high school: Report

On-ramps and off-ramps on the I-5 freeway were shut down for the investigation for hours afterward.

Patterson is a town of about 24K residents in Stanislaus County about 90 miles southeast of San Francisco. It is known as the “apricot capital of the world.”

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​Ice shoots man, Carlos ivan mendoza hernandez, 18 street gang attack, California ice shooting, Politics 

President Donald Trump announced that the United States has reached a ceasefire agreement with Iran just ahead of the deadline he set for its total destruction.

The president posted the message on Truth Social on Tuesday that the U.S. had met many of its military objectives.

‘I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.’

“Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran,” he wrote, “and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”

Trump went on to say that the U.S. received a 10-point proposal from Iran and called it a “workable basis” upon which to negotiate.

“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated,” he added.

The president previously set a deadline of 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday night for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face total destruction. The ceasefire was reached about an hour before the deadline.

RELATED: ‘Give it up or go to jail’: Trump vows to hunt down whoever leaked info about downed pilot in Iran

“On behalf of the United States of America, as President, and also representing the Countries of the Middle East, it is an Honor to have this Longterm problem close to resolution,” he added. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

This is a developing story.

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In the premiere episode of “Stu and Dave Do America,” Stu Burguiere and Dave Landau lived up to the show’s name by diving straight into the issues Americans actually care about: the decline in spanking kids, the weirder side of foot fetishes, and — of course — a savage ranking of Donald Trump’s most annoying former employees.

The nerdy-funny duo created a hilarious list of the president’s worst hires, complete with dishonorable mentions that will have you cackling.

The dishonorable mentions kicked things off with a parade of Trump alumni who earned a special place in the “thanks but no thanks” hall of fame: John Bolton, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, and plenty more. Stu and Dave didn’t hold back on the roasts — from Bolton’s “serial killer” vibe to some truly unhinged Noem-related tangents involving puppies and questionable plastic surgery.

But the real contenders for most annoying Trump employee of all time were these five:

Anthony FauciCorey LewandowskiSteve BannonMichael CohenAnthony Scaramucci

Dave cast his vote firmly for Fauci, declaring: “It’s been six years of a destroyed world because of Fauci. … Literally anyone else would have done a better job.”

Stu followed up by joking that even the teacher who created Airborne would’ve been better suited for the role.

The whole segment is packed with the kind of rapid-fire banter and absurd tangents that make Stu and Dave such a great pairing — equal parts conserva-nerd precision and comedian chaos. If you need a good laugh at politics gone wrong, this episode delivers.

Check it out above.

Want more from Stu and Dave?

To enjoy more of Stu and Dave’s lethal blend of wit, humor, and insightful commentary subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Stu and dave do america, Stu burguiere, Dave landau, Blazetv, Blaze media, Trump admin, Former trump employees, Anthony fauci 

Gilbert Smalls, 76, told police he complained about loud music coming from 21-year-old Justin Chatfield’s next-door apartment in the River Park Towers in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx on Thursday night, the New York Daily News reported, citing law enforcement sources.

With that, Smalls claimed the much younger Chatfield responded “f**k you” to his complaint; their argument took place through a wall that separates their apartments, the Daily News said.

‘Her baby, one of her babies, died in her arms.’

Moments later, Smalls told police he heard seven shots fired outside his window, the paper said, citing sources. Police haven’t determined if shots actually were fired, the Daily News added.

Smalls, who lives with his wife and told police he’s in poor health, then got his gun — a 9-mm pistol he keeps in a safe, the paper said.

Smalls then stepped into the hallway, the Daily News said, adding that Smalls’ doorway and Chatfield’s doorway are just inches apart.

Law enforcement sources told the paper that surveillance video obtained by investigators shows Smalls opening fire at Chatfield as soon as Chatfield came to his own apartment doorway.

Walter Fields — an attorney and longtime friend of Chatfield’s family — told the Daily News that after Chatfield was shot, he stumbled back into his apartment and tried to get help from his mother.

“Her baby, one of her babies, died in her arms,” Fields told the paper last week.

The Daily News said Chatfield was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital but couldn’t be saved.

RELATED: 19-year-old thug reportedly violated bond at least a half dozen times before being accused of murder — while out on probation

Sources told the paper that police soon knocked on Smalls’ door with the intention of asking to look at his Ring doorbell video — but Smalls confessed instead.

“I’m the one who shot him,” one source quoted Smalls saying, the Daily News reported.

More from the paper:

Smalls then led police into his apartment and gave officers the key to the safe containing his gun, sources said.

The suspect suggested he shot his neighbor thinking he may have been armed, sources said.

He complained of health issues, telling cops he doesn’t expect to “make it,” presumably while behind bars, sources said.

Smalls was arraigned Saturday on murder and gun possession charges in Bronx Criminal Court and ordered held without bail, the Daily News said, adding that Smalls’ lawyer declined comment Monday.

Sources told the paper there had been previous tensions between Smalls and Chatfield, but it doesn’t appear police had ever been called to their apartments.

Chatfield had multiple arrests on his record, most recently for robbery in January 2025, police told the Daily News.

A large makeshift memorial was set up outside the apartment building for Chatfield, the paper said.

Chatfield also was expecting a child with his longtime girlfriend, the Daily News said. The couple were high school sweethearts, Fields added to the paper.

“He was very close to having a baby — I mean, within months,” Fields also told the Daily News. “He should be a new father. He was looking for work, going to trade schools. He was really trying to become a productive member. Support his family, support his child.”

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Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt has fired back at the Los Angeles Times after its report cast doubt on his ability to run for office — because his house burned down.

The report suggested Pratt may not meet residency requirements and was heavily criticized on social media by detractors who claimed that Mayor Karen Bass’ incompetence led to preventable destruction of homes, the cause of Pratt’s housing issues.

‘They want to attack me for not living in the Palisades while running for mayor? Hey, brain surgeon, my house burned down!’

Pratt, a former reality TV show star, lambasted the report in a video accusing a Times reporter of harassing his family in an attempt to aid Bass’ campaign.

“They want to try and write a hit piece about me, about my residency? … They want to attack me for not living in the Palisades while running for mayor? Hey, brain surgeon, my house burned down!” Pratt said in the video posted to social media.

Pratt said he used an SBA disaster loan to pay for an Airstream travel trailer to be craned into his “burned-out lot” so that he could live there. He accused the Times of writing the “hit piece” after a poll showed him taking second place in the race behind Bass.

The Times defended its piece in a statement to CBS News.

“The Times learned that Mr. Pratt was living in Carpinteria and contacted him and those around him for comment,” a spokesperson for the Times said. “We stand by our story and the reporting of our journalists.”

However, a community note on the X social media platform undermined the report:

LA City Clerk guidance for wildfire-displaced residents directs keeping the original residential address (like Pratt’s Palisades lot) for voter registration if relocation is temporary, updating only the mailing address to preserve City residency and eligibility.

Former county supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said the residency question will not likely be a problem for Pratt.

“Common sense tells me he lost his home in the Palisades,” he said. “He’s got to find a place to live. I’m not sure this is an issue that gets any traction.”

RELATED: Los Angeles mayor’s re-election campaign gets crushing news from ‘downright devastating’ poll

A poll from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs showed Pratt with 11% support and Bass with 25% support. However, 40% of respondents said they were undecided, meaning the race could change drastically before the primary election on June 2.

Pratt has taken to mocking Bass with the nickname “Karen Basura,” which means “trash” or “garbage” in Spanish.

“I was born here, went to school at USC,” Pratt said in the video. “I bleed Dodger blue. This is my city, and I’m taking it back.”

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​Spencer pratt vs karen bass, Pratt vs los angeles times, Spencer pratt residency, Pratt for la mayor, Politics 

An effort by members of Congress to stop Sharia law in the U.S. is gaining influence, according to a speech on the House floor from Republican Rep. Keith Self of Texas.

Self said that Sharia law is expanding in many states and that more and more members of Congress are joining the Sharia-Free America Caucus to oppose the movement.

‘Sharia has no place in America, do not Sharia our America, defend the West, ban Sharia!’

“Texas stands as ground zero in this fight, yet this is not just a Texas issue,” said Self in a clip that was posted to his social media account Tuesday.

“Sharia’s influence is advancing from Arizona to Minnesota, Alabama, Florida, and beyond. No state is immune. That’s why our caucus has surged to 60 members across 25 states, bolstered by strong Senate support from figures like Sen. Tuberville,” he added, referring to Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).

“As I’ve said repeatedly, Sharia has no place in America. Do not Sharia our America. Defend the West. Ban Sharia!” Self concluded.

The caucus has already been designated an “anti-Muslim hate group” by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“Let’s be clear: ‘shariah’ simply means ‘path’ in Arabic,” claimed CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab in March.

“Every major faith tradition has its own form of religious law — or shariah — guiding personal and private communal practice,” he added. “Muslims follow Islamic shariah principles; Christians follow Christian shariah principles (canon law); Jews follow Jewish shariah principles (halakha). These systems govern personal aspects of religious life — such as diet, prayer, marriage, and burial rites — and are protected under the First Amendment.”

RELATED: Police reveal what Muslim man said after beheading co-worker in Oklahoma

Self disagreed.

“We have the members. We have the legislation. We have the strength to defend the West. Let’s get this done,” he wrote on social media.

“This absurdity designed to divide Americans by dumbing them down must stop,” added Rehab.

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​Sharia-free america caucus, Congress versus sharia, Sharia law in the us, Cair on sharia law, Politics 

House Democrats’ loss of 14 seats to Republicans in the 2020 election was apparently an eye-opening experience for then-Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D), who blamed the ease and effectiveness with which critics branded her party as a bunch of radical leftists.

“We need to not ever use the word ‘socialist’ or ‘socialism’ ever again,” Spanberger said on a post-action House Democratic Caucus phone call. “Because while people think it doesn’t matter, it does matter, and we lost good members because of that.”

Years after acknowledging the importance of concealing radical impulses from voters, the former undercover CIA officer who participated in the anti-Trump “resistance” after the 2016 election ran for governor of Virginia, campaigning in 2025 as an even-keeled and unifying pragmatist. The liberal media then forwarded that narrative.

‘She’s just a bot for the Democratic Party.’

It is now painfully obvious, however, that the supposed moderate who defeated former Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears (R) in November in a landslide is — as the GOP of Virginia and others had warned — not as advertised.

A damning new Washington Post-Schar School poll revealed on Monday that Virginians, realizing only too late how Spanberger really operates, have largely soured on the Democratic governor. In fact, her approval rating is so low, it set a record in Post polling.

When asked how Spanberger is handling her job as governor, 47% of respondents signaled approval, 36% signaled disapproval, and 7% expressed no opinion. The Post noted that approval rating is 13 percentage points lower than the average for Spanberger’s predecessors going back to the 1990s.

Political analyst Larry Sabato told WJLA-TV, “A drop of that margin is stunning, and it should be greatly disturbing to the governor and the governor’s staff if it’s repeated in other surveys.”

There is no shortage of clues in the poll’s cross tabs as to why the people of the Old Dominion are less than enthused about their new governor.

When asked about the supposed moderate’s views, a plurality of respondents — 45% — said they were “too liberal.” Broken down by party affiliation, 91% of Republicans, 44% of independents, and 6% of Democrats said so. Nearly 10% of Virginians who voted for Spanberger were among those who rated her as “too liberal.”

For starters, Spanberger dropped the moderate mask in her approach to immigration.

Weeks after rescinding former Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s order requiring state law enforcement agencies to cooperate more fully with federal immigration authorities, Spanberger directed state police and other state agencies to terminate any such agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Department of Homeland Security Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis grouped Spanberger with those “sanctuary politicians” who have “tried to slow ICE down and chosen to release criminals from their jails into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.”

Virginians are already dealing with the fallout of Spanberger’s virtue-signaling.

The DHS noted on Monday that “so far in 2026, illegal aliens have allegedly committed 75% of all murders” in Fairfax County, Virginia.

The supposed moderate also committed all state agencies to rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a regional cap-and-trade program covering power sector emissions that Youngkin — who completed his term with a 50% approval rating — removed Virginia from and dubbed a hidden tax on ratepayers.

While previously a critic of partisan gerrymandering schemes, Spanberger has come out in support of a proposed constitutional amendment that would all but ensure that 10 out of the state’s 11 congressional seats go to Democrats, thereby disenfranchising Republican voters in Virginia.

RELATED: Parents enraged over adult illegal alien allegedly molesting Virginia high school girls

Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Although consistent on the issue of abortion — she routinely voted in Congress to deprive the unborn of protections and to advance abortion ideology — her continued activism as governor may read as “too liberal” for some residents.

In February, for instance, she signed a partisan constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters later this year, would codify the “right to reproductive freedom, including the ability to make and carry out decisions relating to one’s own prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care.”

In addition to taking an extreme approach to so-called reproductive rights, Spanberger is expected to help her fellow Virginia Democrats in waging war on the Second Amendment. She did, after all, vow not to veto gun-grab laws as Youngkin had and express support for a ban on sales of so-called assault-style weapons.

Among the various gun-control bills awaiting her signature are bills that would:

Ban gun possession within 100 feet of locations used for election-related activities; Require a “handgun shooting” course as opposed to an NRA-affiliated safety course; Create a Class 1 misdemeanor for anyone who imports, sells, manufactures, purchases, or transfers a so-called assault firearm or magazines that hold over 15 rounds;Prohibit the carrying of loaded “assault firearms” in public spaces;Bar anyone convicted of a misdemeanor “hate crime” assault from possessing or carrying any firearm; andProhibit Americans younger than 21 from buying a handgun or “assault firearm.”

Spanberger faces an April 13 deadline to ratify these and other gun control bills.

Gregory Roddy, a self-identified independent voter from Fairfax County, told the Post that while always skeptical of Spanberger’s presentation as a bipartisan candidate, it was clear once she was elected that “she’s just a bot for the Democratic Party.”

Mason Necci, another independent voter, this time from rural Culpeper County, suggested that Spanberger is attempting “to make herself into a Democratic icon.”

“Virginia is already regretting electing a governor who stands for illegal immigrants over her constituents,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) wrote. “Spanberger’s alarming disapproval rating is telling. And she’s been in office a mere three months.”

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One of the suspects arrested in connection with the murder of a 15-year-old Missouri boy also has a federal immigration detainer request.

Prosecutors allege that Yefry Archaga and Praize King, both 18 years old, lured Miles Young into an ambush, where he was shot and killed while he begged for his life.

Young yelled out, ‘I just don’t wanna die,’ before the witness heard gunshots.

Young was declared dead on March 12 at Cox South Hospital in Springfield from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Investigators say Archaga and King led Young to believe he was going to have sex with a young woman when they picked him up that morning. Instead, they allegedly plotted to kill him.

“Defendant planned and set up a 15-year-old boy to be murdered,” arrest documents for Archaga read. “Defendant ambushed victim, chased victim on foot, and shot victim as victim was stating he wanted to live. Defendant ran from scene and reportedly fled from the State to avoid apprehension.”

Archaga allegedly used a Glock-style pistol and allegedly wore a ski mask during the attack. He was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Jail records show he also has an ICE hold placed on him.

A detainer request may mean Archaga is an illegal alien, though legal immigrants can also face an ICE detainer under certain conditions.

King was also charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Witnesses told police that the suspects plotted to kill the victim because they “blamed Miles for the death” of another victim in a separate homicide case from 2025, prosecutors said.

RELATED: Illegal aliens were released from county jail despite ICE detainer — and then allegedly shot young mom to death

One of the witnesses was viewing the incident through a FaceTime call, according to police. Young reportedly yelled out, “I just don’t wanna die,” before the witness heard gunshots.

The identity of a third suspect has not been released, which may mean the suspect is a juvenile.

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​Yefry archaga murder arrest, Praize king murder arrest, Luring and killing of miles young, Ice detainer murder, Politics 

A Chinese researcher at the University of Michigan died on campus in March, shortly after federal agents allegedly questioned him.

UM has recently gained national attention after at least six of its Chinese researchers were charged in 2025 with attempting to smuggle biomaterial into the United States. U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. referred to the scandal as “a long and alarming pattern of criminal activities committed by Chinese Nationals under the cover of the University of Michigan.”

‘This is an active police investigation, and we have no further information to share regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.’

Danhao Wang, an assistant research scientist at UM’s College of Engineering, died after falling to his death.

Melissa Overton, the deputy chief of police for the university’s Division of Public Safety and Security, told the Michigan Daily that the incident was being investigated as “a possible act of self-harm.”

“On March 19, at approximately 11:00 p.m., officers from the University of Michigan Police Department responded to a report of a subject who fell inside the George G. Brown Building,” Overton told the news outlet. “A faculty research assistant was found after falling from an upper level and was later pronounced deceased.”

UM College of Engineering Dean Karen Thole acknowledged Wang’s death in a college-wide email early this month.

“Dr. Wang was a promising and brilliant young mind, whose research into wide bandgap III-nitride semiconductor materials and devices published in Nature stands as a landmark, uncovering for the first time the switching and charge compensation mechanisms of emerging ferroelectric nitrides,” Thole wrote. “His loss is felt deeply not only by those who knew him here at the University, but also everyone who understands his potential to have contributed to breakthroughs in science that would have positively impacted people around the world.”

RELATED: University of Michigan’s bio-smuggling scandal explodes: More Chinese scholars busted in alleged plot

Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Thole noted that Wang’s death remains under investigation.

“This is an active police investigation, and we have no further information to share regarding the circumstances surrounding his death,” Thole continued. “In the age of AI and misinformation in unfortunate situations like these, incorrect information can spread quickly, and we must let the investigators complete their work and refrain from speculation until the facts are known and made available.”

RELATED: University of Michigan now under fire after Chinese scholars allegedly smuggle bio-weapon

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

China Central Television asked Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about a Chinese researcher who had taken his “own life a day after being subjected to hostile questioning by U.S. law enforcement personnel.”

“China is deeply saddened by the heartbreaking death and has protested to the U.S. China’s diplomatic missions swiftly got in touch with the researcher’s family and actively assisted them in handling relevant matters,” Jian stated. “For some time now, the U.S. has overstretched the concept of national security for political manipulation and groundlessly interrogated and harassed Chinese scholars and students.”

Jian called on the U.S. to conduct a “full investigation” into the incident and provide “a responsible explanation.” He also demanded the U.S. “stop any discriminatory law enforcement targeting Chinese scholars and students in the U.S., and stop imposing wrongful convictions.”

The Chinese Consulate in Chicago also reacted to the recent death, stating, “The incident occurred at a U.S. university within our consular jurisdiction, and we are deeply saddened by the heartbreaking death. Principal Officials of our Consulate General, acting under instructions from the Chinese Government, have protested multiple times to relevant departments of the U.S. government and the university concerned regarding this incident.”

Neither Jian nor the Chinese Consulate in Chicago named the researcher.

Blaze News reached out to the FBI to inquire whether the agency had questioned Wang.

“As a matter of a longstanding policy, the FBI neither confirms nor denies the existence of any investigation or investigative activity involving specific individuals,” FBI Detroit said in a statement provided to Blaze News.

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The artificial intelligence revolution is here, and it arrives charged with the capacity to fundamentally change society for better or worse.

America is currently leading the world in AI development. U.S. companies are building the most advanced models, attracting the most capital, and designing the infrastructure that will shape the next century. But there is one increasingly obvious constraint standing in the way: electricity accessibility.

The political consequences of rapid automation could be just as transformative as the technology itself.

Energy scarcity is only half the story. Even if we succeed in generating the power required to fuel the AI revolution, we must confront a deeper challenge. The same technology that promises medical breakthroughs and economic growth also carries profound societal and even existential risk.

If America wants to win the AI race, we will need to consider a massive expansion of energy production and an equally massive expansion of vigilance.

The energy bottleneck

Modern AI models are trained and deployed in massive data centers packed with tens of thousands of high-performance graphics processing units running continuously. Training a single frontier model can require weeks or months of nonstop computation, while everyday AI tools used by millions of people must process queries around the clock.

These facilities consume electricity at industrial scale, rivaling entire cities in their power demands. In fact, the hyperscale Stargate data center in Saline Township is projected to consume the same amount of electricity as 1.17 million homes.

The understanding of just how much energy is needed to power the AI revolution is still unfolding across the industry. Just a few years ago, Silicon Valley leaders were still thinking in megawatts.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaking on a podcast less than two years ago, said his company would build larger AI clusters “if we could get the energy to do it,” describing 50-to-100-megawatt facilities and speculating that 1-gigawatt data centers were probably inevitable someday.

Today, 1-gigawatt facilities are on the smaller end of planned AI infrastructure, with projects up to 5 gigawatts already in motion throughout the United States, including but not limited to the following:

Project Stargate data center in Abilene, Texas;EdgeCore data center campus in Louisa County, Virginia;Project Stargate site in Saline Township, Michigan;Amazon data center campus in New Carlisle, Indiana;Tract data center campus outside Richmond, Virginia; andHyperion data center campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana.

And this list barely scratches the surface. Dozens more large-scale facilities are planned or under construction across the country, and every single one of them will require enormous flows of reliable electricity to operate.

Elon Musk recently stated at Davos that “the limiting factor for AI deployment is, fundamentally, electrical power.” He warned that while AI chip production is increasing exponentially, electricity generation is not.

“Very soon, maybe even later this year,” Musk said, “we will be producing more chips than we can turn on.”

In Santa Clara, California, reports indicate newly built data centers may sit idle for years because the local grid cannot handle the load.

According to a report published by the global consulting group McKinsey & Company, U.S. demand for AI-ready data center capacity could grow from roughly 60 gigawatts today to 170 to 298 gigawatts by 2030.

The International Energy Agency reports that data centers consumed more than 4% of total U.S. electricity in 2024. This amounts to 183 terawatt-hours. IEA projections suggest this number could increase by 133% to 426 TWh by 2030.

To put that in perspective, 426 TWh is roughly equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of more than 40 million American homes.

The dilemma is obvious. If we do not have reliable energy, AI innovation will be compromised and could potentially migrate elsewhere. Worse, American households could find themselves competing with Big Tech for increasingly scarce power, driving up electricity costs for families and small businesses.

But energy is only the first layer of this story.

RELATED: States should work with AI, not against it

Alex Wong/Getty Images

The promise and the disruption

AI is not your typical technological advancement. It is a general-purpose intelligence system capable of transforming nearly every sector of society. In the coming years, AI could accelerate drug discovery, personalize medicine, supercharge logistics, automate research, and unlock new materials and engineering breakthroughs, just to name a few potential benefits. The economic upside is staggering.

Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool and a dangerous weapon. While promising efficiency and innovation, AI also threatens disruption on a historic scale. Job displacement could occur faster than previous technological revolutions. Entire professions, from legal research to software development, could be reshaped or automated.

If widespread job displacement occurs, there will inevitably be calls for sweeping government intervention. The political consequences of rapid automation could be just as transformative as the technology itself.

Exponential technological developments have changed political operations throughout history. As a recent example, social media algorithms have dominated political discourse over the past decade. Political polarization has subsequently skyrocketed as people on all sides of the aisle are trapped in online echo chambers and subjected to a panopticon of surveillance.

Artificial intelligence has the frightening capabilities of supercharging mass surveillance while baselessly boosting preconceived biases without an objective basis in truth.

There is certainly reason for concern about the potential bias and coercive nature of AI. In recent years, we have already witnessed how tech companies can shape narratives and suppress viewpoints on popular media platforms. Embedding ideological bias into AI systems would mean embedding that bias into education, finance, health care, and governance.

If AI becomes the invisible infrastructure of society, who writes its rules? Who determines its boundaries? And who holds it accountable?

Playing with probabilities

Beyond economic and cultural disruption lies an even deeper uncertainty.

We are introducing a form of intelligence that even its creators admit they do not fully understand. There are already documented cases of advanced AI systems behaving in deceptive or strategically manipulative ways. In controlled environments, some models have been observed lying to human evaluators, scheming to achieve assigned goals, or resisting shutdown instructions.

OpenAI’s stated ambition is to create artificial superintelligence — systems that surpass human capability across virtually every domain. There is no telling where this path may lead. Humanity has never had to grapple with the prospect of a man-made intelligence that is superior to our own.

And remarkably, some of the leading figures in the field openly discuss the possibility of catastrophic outcomes.

Elon Musk has suggested there is “only a 20% chance of annihilation.” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has estimated roughly a 25% chance that AI development goes “really, really badly.” Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the “godfather of AI,” has placed the odds of extinction-level consequences somewhere between 10 and 20% over the coming decades.

Those numbers still imply that positive outcomes are more likely than not. But when the downside is losing human civilization itself, percentages matter.

We are advancing a technology with transformative power while relying largely on overzealous corporate discretion to steer its trajectory. Humanity finds itself fiddling with the key to Pandora’s box, and we have no rational means of gauging what will happen if the box is opened.

RELATED: AI’s PR is in the toilet — for good reason

Alina Naumova/Getty Images

Power and prudence

As stalwart advocates for smaller government, we hesitate to call for slamming the brakes on AI development, but it is important to have sober discernment moving forward. America is in a strategic competition with geopolitical rivals who would gladly dominate both this field and us if we retreat.

Reliable energy production is necessary to promote competition and American innovation. Yet it is arguably more important that society engages in serious dialogue surrounding this emerging technology. Government cannot, and should not, be the only voice in this conversation.

Independent institutions dedicated to transparency, accountability, and the defense of individual liberty need to rise and challenge the current trajectory.

Technological revolutions have always reshaped society. The difference this time is scale and speed. AI is a decision-making engine that may soon operate faster and more broadly than any human institution.

America can power the AI revolution. The real question is whether we can power it without surrendering control over our economy, institutions, and ultimately, our freedom.

The future may well belong to artificial intelligence. But whether that future advances prosperity or undermines humanity depends on the vigilance we exercise today.

​Ai, Artificial intelligence, Usa, Ai models, Data centers, Project stargate, Big tech, Ai regulation, Elon musk, Ai revolution, Opinion & analysis 

On Monday, the White House held its annual Easter Egg Roll — a family-friendly event hosted on the South Lawn, where children are invited to participate in activities like egg hunts, storytelling, live music, games, crafts, and photo opportunities with the president, the first lady, and the Easter Bunny.

In his speech, President Trump acknowledged the religious significance of the holiday, calling Easter “a very special day … where we celebrate Jesus”; praised the strong economy and military, including the recent Iran pilot rescue; thanked egg farmers for lowering prices and supplying the event; and boasted about the improved White House and country.

But his serious tone didn’t last long.

Away from the podium, the Easter spirit turned to delightful chaos as Trump unleashed some classic one-liners amid the egg rolls and bunny ears.

Here are his funniest moments.

1. Biden-autopen lecture at coloring time

While sitting and coloring with children, Trump launched into a tangent about Joe Biden and the autopen.

After holding up a picture he had signed, Trump told the kids coloring next to him: “[Joe Biden] was incapable of signing his name, so they followed him around with this big machine. You know what it was called? An autopen!”

“He’d take the paper, hand it to his guys, sign it with an autopen, and give it back. Not too good, right?” he added.

The kids’ confused stares made it peak Trump comedy.

RELATED: Probe into alleged autopen misuse to continue — but Biden unlikely to face charges, source says

2. eBay business advice for kids

While signing coloring pages the kids had been working on, Trump deadpanned: “I could sign autographs for you guys … and then tonight you could sell them for $25,000 on eBay!”

The quip was met with immediate requests for his signature.

3. ‘Best president’ compliment gets instant nod

At one point during the coloring activity, a little boy blurted out, “Donald Trump, you’re the best president ever.”

Without missing a beat, Trump casually replied, “Thank you, honey. I agree.”

RELATED: Trump reveals which world leader called Biden ‘mentally retarded’

4. Coach Trump takes the field

Right as the egg-rolling race was about to begin, President Trump suddenly became Coach Trump, sporting a whistle and a go-get-’em attitude.

“This is very athletic. Focus — total focus!” he told the kids before aggressively blowing the whistle.

In the end, the 2026 White House Easter Egg Roll proved once again that Donald Trump is at his best when the script ends. Whether he’s turning a coloring table into a Biden roast session, offering kids eBay business advice, agreeing he’s the best president, or coaching egg races like it’s the Super Bowl, his off-the-cuff energy can transform a wholesome family tradition into pure comedy gold.

​Trump, White house, Egg roll, Biden, Autopen, Politics 

The fact is, the global ruling class likes pedophilia.

Pedophilia is the aftershock of an earthquake that no one wants to name. That earthquake is the sexual revolution.

The purveyors of the sexual revolution use the best of modern scientific advertising and marketing knowledge to package their ideology.

Why can’t we seem to get to the bottom of the pedophilia problem?

I’m going to give you three factors that prevent us from stopping the pedophilia crisis.

Then I’m going to give you four very specific action steps you can take — steps that will help protect children from being harmed and help heal the children who have already been harmed.

Let’s look at these three contributing factors to the ongoing childhood sexual abuse crisis.

1. Ideas that groom

You’ve heard the term grooming, haven’t you?

Grooming is the preparation stage of sexual abuse. You could call it the pre-touch phase. Without ever committing a criminal act — without ever touching a victim — the grooming process prepares the child’s mind for submitting to a predator.

Children are not just being abused by billionaires on tropical islands. Epstein Island is just the tip of the pedophilia iceberg. Churches, public schools, and even the United Nations have been implicated in sex crimes against children. What I’m about to explain applies to all of these situations.

Let’s start with public schools.

According to educational researcher Carol Shakeshaft’s 2024 book, “Organizational Betrayal: How Schools Enable Sexual Misconduct and How to Stop It,” a staggering 17% of children in public schools suffer sexual misconduct by teachers, school administrators, and other personnel.

That’s a lot of kids being traumatized.

Now consider the United Nations. Not only do UN agencies promote “sexual rights” for minors, there have been repeated reports of peacekeeping troops sexually exploiting children in refugee camps. As author Jennifer Ells writes:

To cite only a few of many heinous incidents, a series of “food-for-sex” scandals erupted in the early 2000s when UN peacekeepers in Liberia were accused of selling food for sex to girls as young as 8. In Haiti, at least 134 UN peacekeepers from Sri Lanka were accused of sexually abusing children in a sex ring from 2004 to 2007. One boy reported having sex with more than 100 peacekeepers, averaging about four a day over the course of three years beginning when the boy was 15.

Ideas that groom are part of the problem in each of these cases.

One of the intellectual roots of this problem is Wilhelm Reich, the Austrian psychiatrist who wrote “The Sexual Revolution.” He promoted the idea that children are sexual beings from birth and need sexual expression for proper development.

Here is how that argument was framed in the section called “Sexual Abstinence During Puberty,” on page 106. “Abstinence is dangerous and absolutely deleterious to health. To recommend abstinence to youth means to set the stage for neurosis.”

Reich also held that teenagers needed to have their own private spaces where they could have sex without parental knowledge or interference. Check out the section called “Sexual Intercourse Among Adolescents,” starting on page 116.

You might think that was a long time ago, and it has nothing to do with us today. But you would be mistaken.

These ideas persist, often under different language. For example, within the United Nations, the concept of “reproductive health” has been defined as a right to a “satisfying and safe sex life,” along with the freedom to decide when and how often to engage in it.

That raises an obvious question: If a satisfying sex life is a right, who exactly is responsible for providing it?

At the same time, many schools in the United States teach children that sexual activity is natural for them, that they are entitled to it, and that their parents need not know about it.

Parents are beginning to push back.

These curricula present too much information too soon — information that normalizes sexual activity, even for very young kids: books that normalize sexual activity; information that may very well scramble the child’s normal developmental process.

We can also name many other examples of the sexualization of children in advertising, marketing, and entertainment media. The purveyors of the sexual revolution use the best of modern scientific advertising and marketing knowledge to package their ideology. It’s glamorous. It’s cool. It’s sexy. You’ll be popular. You’ll be one of the gang.

All of this contributes to the grooming atmosphere.

And what I mean by the grooming atmosphere is that you’re setting kids up for the creep who comes along — who doesn’t sound or look creepy, but who flatters them, who’s kind to them, who tells them how special they are.

So this is my first key takeaway: Ideas that groom children for sex are a major contributing factor to their vulnerability to predation.

2. Tribes before truth

The second contributing factor to the pedophilia crisis is something that makes it harder for justice to prevail. I call this tribes before truth.

Sexual misconduct generally takes place in secret. Sexual assault is generally underreported. Sexual crimes against children are even more likely to go unreported.

Kids can’t easily make police reports — especially against somebody they know, perhaps love, or depend upon. Victims can be crippled by shame. Little kids sometimes blame themselves in their own minds.

This is why reporting lag is a very real problem.

In our Ruth Institute study in 2018, we studied Catholic clergy sexual abuse. We found that, on average, victims first reported the crime 28 and a half years after it was committed.

So when somebody does come forward, the public doesn’t have complete information. We hear the complaint on one hand and the denials on the other. Understanding what really happened can be very difficult.

Law enforcement and the judicial system have the resources — and the responsibility — to discover the whole truth. But ordinary people like you and me almost always have an incomplete picture.

And in the face of incomplete information, here’s the pattern I’ve noticed.

If the alleged perpetrator is a member of what I consider to be my tribe, I believe he is innocent. I say: Don’t rush to judgment. Let the legal process take its course.

If that fails, people shift their attention to the victim:

They’re lying.Why didn’t they come forward sooner?They’re doing this for the money.They weren’t really victimized.They actually consented.This is a setup of a good man.

By contrast, if the alleged perpetrator is a member of what I consider to be the enemy tribe, I believe absolutely every word the victim says.

“Surely they wouldn’t make up something like that. I knew all along this guy was a creep.”

We tend to judge not on the facts, but on our relationship to the alleged perpetrator and victim.

My tribe is always innocent — therefore I harass and hound the victim.
The enemy is always guilty — therefore I support the victim.

Do you see the problem?

Actual victims need real support. Being called a liar is one of the most traumatizing aspects of being victimized and then finally coming forward.

Think about it from the victim’s perspective. A person pulls himself or herself together enough to make a complaint — and then has to run the gauntlet of public shaming and embarrassment.

Does that make it more likely people will come forward in a timely manner — or less likely?

I think you can figure that out.

So my second key takeaway is this: Our natural tendency to favor tribes over truth is a real problem.

We all have a natural instinct to favor our friends over our opponents. You can see this in general. But as soon as a real situation arises, we let our emotions run away with us.

At the very moment we most need to be objective, we are least likely to be.

3. It’s too ‘icky’ to face

This brings me to the third contributing factor.

Pedophilia is icky.

The sexual abuse of children is too nasty for any normal person to face. We would all prefer to be doing anything else rather than admit that this is going on in our society.

Rather than admit that someone you love and respect could be the perpetrator.

“I can’t believe it” often means “I don’t want to believe it.”

I trusted this person. I admired him. I supported him. I feel betrayed. I feel foolish.

Stop thinking about him. Stop thinking about yourself and your feelings. Start thinking about the child.

As John Manly, an attorney who has filed numerous lawsuits against public school teachers in California, puts it:

When this happens to a child, it’s emotional murder. They’re never the same.
Every person should have the right to pick and choose their first sexual experience. And when that’s stolen from them — whether in third grade or in high school — it has a profoundly damaging effect.

So here is my third and final takeaway: Our revulsion about even thinking about pedophilia hampers our ability to address it — to prosecute it and to prevent it.

RELATED: Wikipedia co-founder: Epstein, elite rings, and occult portals — what they don’t want you to know

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What you can do

If you’ve read this far, thank you. You’re the kind of person who wants to get something done.

I’ve given you three contributing factors. Now here are your marching orders — in reverse order.

1. Face your revulsion

Being disgusted by pedophilia is a wholesome and natural instinct. But that doesn’t mean you should avert your eyes. Look at that feeling objectively now, so you’ll have the courage to face it when someone you love needs you to.

2. Face the tribes-before-truth problem

Identify your own tendency to excuse some while rushing to judge others. Don’t let yourself off the hook. Most of us won’t have to make legal judgments — but your ability to face the truth will matter in what comes next.

3. Do your part to stop the ideas that groom

Here’s John Manly again:

“No one was mandated by law to go to Epstein Island. But you are required to send your children to school. Parents in many cases have no choice. And if you get the wrong teacher, that’s just too bad.”

Get your kids out of public schools. Make a stink at your local school board. Write letters to advertisers. Complain at your local library.

Once you start looking, you will see endless opportunities. The propaganda of the sexual revolution is everywhere. That means there are unlimited opportunities for you to do something constructive about this grooming atmosphere.

4. Reach out to victims

Anyone can do this.

If you know someone who has been sexually victimized, reach out. Ask how you can help. If you dismissed or shunned someone in the past, reach out and apologize.

It’s a matter of justice. It’s a matter of kindness. And it’s simple common sense.

Because honestly — do you really expect the most powerful people on earth to come clean if you and I won’t do our part?

Note: This article was adapted from the Ruth Institute’s video “The Real Causes of Pedophilia.” For more information on the Ruth Institute and its work, click here.

​Sexual revolution, The ruth institute, Pedophilia, Sex crimes, Grooming, Wilhelm reich, Jeffrey epstein, Theodore mccarrick, Dennis hastert, Culture, Counter revolution