Category: blaze media

In between the Cookie Monster explaining his favorite exercise and Elmo pretending to be a DJ with frisbees, “Sesame Street” took time to promote Arabic culture.

The formerly beloved children’s program put out a video celebrating “Arab-American Heritage Month” letting everyone know the word of the day is “habibi.”

‘Happy Arab-American Heritage Month, habibi.’

The word, a common term of affection often translated as “my dear,” was not only featured in the caption for the show’s social media push, but was featured in a video where Elmo learns Arabic along with viewers.

Sesame souk

New York comedian Ramy Youssef joined Elmo for the sketch; Youssef has Egyptian parents.

“Salam alaykum, everyone,” the comedian began, prompting questions from the muppet.

“Mr. Ramy, what does salam alaykum mean?”

Youssef explained that “salam means peace” and that the greeting is generally a “way to say hello.”

“Oh, cool,” Elmo replied, before repeating the greeting to the children. “Oh, salam alaykum everybody. … Happy Arab-American Heritage Month.”

Elmo and Youssef then dove into the “Sesame Street” word of the day to teach viewers another Arabic word.

RELATED: ‘Sesame Street’ targets children for Pride Month … again: ‘This should not be promoted to kids’

– YouTube

Muppet madrasa

In a video with 1.2 million views on TikTok, Youssef said, “‘I’m so proud of my Arab heritage, and I’m so happy to share this month with my fellow Arabs and Elmo. So, thanks, habibi.”

Elmo, who is neither Muslim nor a native Arabic speaker, again asked for the meaning of the word.

“Oh, it’s an Arabic word for a special friend,” the comedian replied.

“Really? Uh, well, happy Arab-American Heritage Month, habibi. We love you,” Elmo concluded.

The video might be more jarring if this type of content wasn’t part and parcel of “Sesame Street” in recent years.

The show has been heavily invested in promoting progressive politics to children, even extending that to dipping its furry toes into gender politics.

RELATED: ‘Elmo says ALL JEWS SHOULD DIE’: Elmo X account goes rabid, calls for genocide after alleged hack

BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images

Street smarts

In 2022, “Sesame Street” promoted gay and lesbian parents to children through a song, and in May 2020 it showcased Jonathan Van Ness, a man who claims to be nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.

Other odd presentations have included Hispanic Heritage Month and “Sesame Street: The ABCs of COVID Vaccines.”

Youssef is reportedly a practicing Muslim and is married to a woman from Saudi Arabia.

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​Align, Arabamerican heritage, Arabic, Cookie monster, Egypt, Gender politics, Sesame street, Entertainment 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. corrected the record during his testimony before Congress on Friday morning after Democrat lawmakers spread false information about the Trump administration’s health care policies.

‘It is the Democratic policy to benefit billionaires.’

Kennedy appeared before the House Education and Workforce Committee to answer questions about the HHS’ priorities.

Following his opening statement, Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) posed the first question to Kennedy, asking whether he was “responsible for the measles outbreak.”

Kennedy acknowledged that he had been accused of that but said the accusation was “not science-based.”

“The measles outbreak began in January 2025, before I took office. … The measles outbreak is not an American phenomenon; it is global,” he replied.

He explained that in 2025, the U.S. had approximately 2,200 measles cases, while Mexico had more than three times that amount, despite having one-third of the U.S. population. Canada reportedly had twice as many cases, even though its population is just one-eighth of that of the U.S. In Europe, the number of cases was nearly 10 times that in the U.S., despite having twice the U.S. population, Kennedy said.

RELATED: ‘Truly a fool’s errand’: Top CDC adviser, RFK Jr. ally resigns from vaccine panel

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Heather Diehl/Getty Images

“Two little girls died tragically in the Mennonite community in Texas. Mennonites have not vaccinated since 1796. So, this has nothing to do with me,” Kennedy stated.

He mentioned attending the funeral of one child and spending the day with the family of the other.

“Both of them told me that when they took their children to the hospital, they were treated as pariahs. They were shamed. They were not given proper treatment. Both families believed their daughters, and their own doctors believe, their daughters could have been saved if the hospital gave them proper treatment,” Kennedy continued.

“There’s a lot of people in this country who, for religious reasons or other reasons, are not gonna vaccinate. And I believe that we need to treat them with compassion and understanding and empathy and get them the treatments they would get anywhere else in the world except for this country,” he added.

Kennedy was later questioned by Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), who pressed the secretary about “kicking 15 million Americans off of their affordable health care.”

“Have you met with everyday Americans who have lost their health insurance just this last year?” Casar asked.

“I meet with everyday Americans every day,” Kennedy replied. He also noted that he spoke with the advocacy community “on virtually everything that we regulate” and “more tribes and tribal leaders than any HHS secretary in history.”

Casar then asked whether Kennedy had met with Americans who would be impacted this year by “cuts to Medicaid.”

“There are no cuts to Medicaid. … We are increasing Medicaid spending by 47% over the next 10 years. … How is that a cut? That is only a cut in Washington, D.C.,” Kennedy responded.

RELATED: ‘Rogue’ Biden judge blocks critical pieces of RFK Jr.’s vaccine reform

Greg Casar. Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Casar ignored Kennedy’s comments and pushed forward with his line of questioning.

“Have you met with any of the 1.4 million people who have lost their health insurance just this last year from dropping off of Obamacare?” he asked.

“They’re almost all illegal immigrants. … We found 1.5 million illegal immigrants illegally collecting Medicaid,” Kennedy remarked.

Casar attempted to corner Kennedy into admitting he had dedicated time to meet with billionaires but not with everyday Americans. However, Kennedy repeatedly denied this and turned it back around on Casar by slamming Democrats for Obamacare.

“It is the Democratic policy to benefit billionaires,” Kennedy said. “The insurance companies’ stocks raised by 1,000% after Obamacare was passed. The money was not going to Americans; it was going to them.”

“It was you who did it,” Kennedy declared.

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​Health, News, Rfk jr, Rfk jr., Robert f kennedy, Robert f kennedy jr, Robert f. kennedy jr., Trump administration, Obamacare, Health and human services, Hhs, Greg casar, Texas, House education and workforce committee, Education and workforce committee, Tim walberg, Measles, Vaccines, Vaccination, Health care, Healthcare, Politics 

BlazeTV host and investigative journalist Sara Gonzales has been rolling out viral video after viral video exposing alleged widespread H-1B visa abuses in Texas.

Her investigations into alleged “sham” companies, empty offices/mailboxes listed as worksites, and “H-1B only” job ads have led to quick government responses.

In January, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered an immediate halt on all new H-1B visa petitions by Texas state agencies and public universities (through May 2027), citing abuse that displaces American workers. Shortly after, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched probes into at least three North Texas companies suspected of running fake operations to sponsor H-1B workers.

In April, the Department of Justice fined Compunnel Software Group Inc. $313,420 for posting job ads that specified “H-1B visa only” after Sara exposed one of these discriminatory recruiter ads.

And now, Sara says, “JD Vance is involved.”

Last month, the White House launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, with Vice President JD Vance serving as chair.

This initiative, Sara says, “is going to include H-1Bs.”

She then plays a clip from Vance’s April 14 Turning Point USA speech in Georgia, where he stated that there is “a lot of fraud in the H-1B system,” accused Big Tech of taking advantage of the program, and called on Congress to codify the Trump administration’s reforms that have already cut new H-1B approvals by 90%.

While Sara is “extremely grateful for everything that the Trump administration has done with trying to curb what is very obviously an invasion,” the progress that’s happened is just a “first step,” she says.

From high registration numbers and unchecked renewals to the $100,000 fee loopholes and continued mass sponsorships by Big Tech, Sara says “there is more work to be done.”

“If there is a scam, if there is a fraud to be had within the system, the folks in Hyderabad are going to sniff it right out, and they’re going to get on top of it. So, Congress needs to act on this,” she urges. “We need a new plan because this is still broken and not working.”

To hear more, watch the video 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.

​Blaze media, Blazetv, Compunnel software group, Eliminate fraud, Greg abbott, H-1b fraud, H-1b scam, H-1b visas, Jd vance, Ken paxton, Sara gonzales, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sponsor h1b, Texas governor 

A woman who wore an inflatable phallic costume to protest against the Trump administration beat all charges at a Fairhope court in Alabama.

Police body-camera footage captured the moment that an officer pushed a 62-year-old grandmother to the ground at a No Kings protest after she refused to take off the costume on Oct. 20, 2025.

‘We have some growing and relearning to do about the rights the citizens of this town have.’

The officer told Renea Gamble that the costume was offensive at the time, but her defense attorney argued in court Wednesday that the arrest violated her constitutional right to free speech.

He also pointed out that the officer did not at the time accuse her of causing a traffic hazard, which is what she was charged with.

“He just found her to be offensive,” David Gespass said to reporters outside of the courthouse. “I mean again, that’s all he talked about when he was testifying was … not when he was testifying, when he was confronting her was, ‘I’m not going to put up with this in my town.’ He said nothing about her causing any problems with traffic.”

On the other side, city attorney Marcus McDowell argued that no one had the “constitutional right to wear a seven-foot penis costume on the side of the road.”

Fairhope Municipal Judge Haymes Snedeker found the penis lady not guilty on three charges and dropped the charge related to causing a traffic hazard.

He also found that the officer had probable cause to arrest Gamble but that there was not enough evidence to prove her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Gamble celebrated the ruling outside the courthouse.

“We have some growing and relearning to do about the rights the citizens of this town have,” Gamble said. “They happen to be on par with the rest of the nation and as Alabamians, we dare to defend our rights, and this fight is not over!”

RELATED: VIDEO: Female No Kings protester wearing phallic costume tossed to the ground by cop

Gespass said that Gamble’s civil rights had been violated and suggested that they may file a lawsuit over the incident.

Some of the locals said they were disappointed in the verdict, while others said the embarrassing story had put a national spotlight on the city.

Before she was arrested at the protest, in keeping with the theme of her costume, Gamble held a sign with a message opposing dictators, but with an extra letter added to make the message explicit.

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​No kings phallic protest, Woman wearing phallic costume, Renea gamble phallic arrest, Penis lady beats all charges, Politics 

A series of lawsuits seeking potentially billions of dollars from oil companies for environmental damage to Louisiana’s coastal areas got a substantial setback from the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court said 8-0 that one lawsuit would be moved out of the state’s courthouses and instead considered in federal court, considered a more favorable judicial venue for the oil companies.

‘A jury in one of the most conservative, pro-oil and gas communities in the country found that Chevron was liable for billions of gallons of toxic waste dumped into the Louisiana marsh.’

The ruling included only eight of the nine justices because Justice Samuel Alito recused himself over his stock holdings in ConocoPhillips.

The companies argued that the case belongs in federal court based on their predecessors’ production of aviation fuel supply at the behest of the federal government during World War II. All of the justices agreed with that argument.

“Chevron’s case fits comfortably within the ordinary meaning of a suit ‘relating to’ the performance of federal duties,” Clarence Thomas wrote in the court opinion.

The ruling overturned a 2024 decision from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana.

The ruling will likely be consequential for other cases of parishes suing oil companies for environmental damages.

Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, a plaintiff in the case, ⁠said she was confident they would win against the oil companies, despite the setback.

“A jury in one of the most conservative, pro-oil and gas communities in the country found that Chevron was liable for billions of gallons of toxic waste dumped into the Louisiana marsh,” Murrill said in a statement. “It doesn’t matter whether this case is in state court or federal court — I am confident the outcome will be the same.”

Murrill referred to a jury ruling ordering Chevron USA Inc. to pay $740 million to the Plaquemines Parish.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has backed the lawsuits despite being a supporter of the oil industry in general.

“Simply changing where the case will be heard, as has happened, will not deter our efforts to have Big Oil held accountable for the damages they caused and the enormous restoration they owe the people of Louisiana,” said John Carmouche, an attorney representing local state leaders.

RELATED: A red-state lawfare shakedown heads to the Supreme Court

In January, Oversight Project president and Blaze Media contributor Mike Howell argued that the Louisiana lawsuits were contrary to President Donald Trump’s energy independence policies.

“President Trump’s agenda prioritizes American energy dominance. His actions abroad reinforce that priority. Yet Republicans in Louisiana are not merely opposing that objective — they are using the very lawfare tactics they claim to despise to undermine it,” Howell wrote.

“Lawfare does not become acceptable because Republicans use it,” he concluded. “And environmental shakedowns do not become conservative simply because they originate in a red state. If the right intends to oppose lawfare, it needs to oppose it everywhere — especially when its own allies are the ones doing the shaking down.”

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​Louisiana lawsuits against big oil, Big oil environmental lawsuits, Supreme court ruling, Plaquemine parish vs chevron, Politics 

BlazeTV’s Allie Beth Stuckey sat down with New York Times columnist David French in a rare, candid debate about the concept of “toxic empathy,” which Stuckey wrote about in her book “Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion.”

‘You are using the title of my book, and you called me the foremost architect of this concept of toxic empathy.’

Stuckey confronted French’s mischaracterization of her views on empathy in his NYT op-eds, in which he argued that some Christians who align with President Donald Trump have waged a war on empathy.

“My issue is, really, we don’t have enough empathy, that empathy needs to be more holistic,” French said.

“In my view, one of our big problems is not enough empathy and, particularly amongst very partisan people, very selective empathy, so that ‘only my ally’s experience really matters,'” he continued.

French called it a “cultural phenomenon,” particularly among parts of “MAGA Christianity,” to dismiss empathy for human suffering as “toxic.” He claimed instead that it is “incomplete” or “selective” empathy.

Stuckey contended that “selective empathy” that leads to “immoral decisions is a form of toxic empathy.” She continued to press French on his articles.

“I tell both sides of the story. … I’m actually doing what you say needs to be done, which is expanding compassion, but I don’t end there. Because I think you would agree, we don’t get anywhere if both sides are just saying, ‘Well, my story’s sadder. No, my story’s sadder,'” Stuckey stated.

She argued that ending there “actually paralyzes you from making a good moral decision.” She instead called for Christians to be thoughtful and consider both sides of the story, giving the example of illegal immigrants and victims like Laken Riley, a 22-year-old college student who was murdered by a foreign national who was in the U.S. illegally.

“We have to ask discerning questions: What is biblically true? What’s morally true? What’s politically true, logically true, historically true?” she added.

RELATED: David French catches flak for claiming Talarico, a pro-abortion Democrat, ‘acts like a Christian’

David French. William B. Plowman/NBC

During the exchange, Stuckey noted areas of apparent agreement, stating, “It doesn’t really sound like you disagree with me here, but it did sound like you did in the articles.”

“In 2025, you said, for example, ‘If people respond to the foreign aid shutdown and the stop-work orders by talking about how children might suffer and die, then they’re exhibiting toxic empathy,'” Stuckey said. “That’s not what I say toxic empathy is.”

“Well, it’s absolutely what I see a lot in the public discussion,” French responded.

“You are using the title of my book, and you called me the foremost architect of this concept of toxic empathy. But I don’t say that toxic empathy is someone caring about children dying, and that’s how you describe it in the article,” Stuckey remarked.

“I’m not putting this all on you,” French said. “One of the sad things that has occurred is this global, larger attack and talk about empathy has led to an immediate response when you talk about human suffering. I will see many Christians say, ‘That’s toxic empathy.'”

RELATED: Pro-life support plummets among churchgoers despite faith resurgence

Allie Beth Stuckey, David French. Image source: BlazeTV

During the interview, the two also discussed gender, abortion, French’s defense of voting for Vice President Kamala Harris (D) in the 2024 presidential election, and his support for Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) in the upcoming Texas Senate election against either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).

As part of his argument for voting for Harris over President Donald Trump, French cited the abortion rates under Trump’s administration compared to those under former President Barack Obama.

French, who considers himself pro-life, told Stuckey, “The largest drop in abortions actually occurred during the eight years of the Obama administration.” While he admitted that the rise in abortion rates under Trump is the result of multiple factors, he argued that the Republican president perpetuates a problematic culture of “libertinism” that “is incompatible with a pro-life ethic.”

“Complex social phenomena typically don’t have singular causes. … We’ve been dealing with some culture changes that I think are really negative. … America is a lot more libertine, and Donald Trump is a very libertine man. He does what he wants,” French said.

Megan Basham, a journalist for the Daily Wire, reacted to Stuckey’s interview with French, criticizing the columnist for his abortion-rate argument.

“Oh my gosh, that is such a ridiculous response. French had said something similar about Obama. He said that the abortion rate went down under Obama because Obama gave people hope. Absolutely idiotic. The truth was, red states enacted more restrictions under Obama and that what was what was bringing the abortion rate down. And French is too smart not to know that,” Basham wrote. “So what does that make him?”

Kylee Griswold, the managing editor for the Federalist, added, “Additionally, abortion #s under Trump 2 can’t be divorced from the Biden-Harris administration removing the in-person dispensing requirements for mifepristone — which is how most abortions are performed. An egregious move that puts women at SERIOUS risk and also causes abortion in red states to SKYROCKET.”

In a separate post, Mollie Hemingway, the editor in chief of the Federalist, wrote, “David French struggles and faceplants with his attempt to justify to @conservmillen why he endorsed Kamala Harris, given her lengthy track record of persecuting prolife Christians and journalists.”

Not the Bee commended Stuckey for the debate.

“I love your way of confronting men like French. I’d say in this case, it would have made sense to bring up the fact that if you follow his logic, speaking to somebody about the Gospel could be equated to telling them an unkind truth. They are sinners. They are incapable of saving themselves, and they need Jesus. That’s not ‘kind.’ But it’s necessary. If you avoid unkind truths, you will never share the Gospel,” Not the Bee wrote.

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​Abortion, Abortion rates, Allie beth stuckey, Barack obama, Biblical truths, Christianity, David french, Donald trump, Empathy, James talarico, John cornyn, Kamala harris, Ken paxton, New york times, News, Nyt, Pro-life, Texas senate, Toxic empathy, Trump, Trump admin, Trump administration, Politics 

The horror of the surrogacy trend reared its head again this week.

An Instagram video posted by gay musician Shane McAnally has triggered the ire of many conservatives and viewers alike.

‘The most horrifying video I’ve ever seen in my life.’

Posted earlier this week, the video shows a man, presumably either McAnally or his “husband,” Michael Baum, holding their adopted third child, Texson, whom they recently brought into the family after taking him from his mother after she gave birth.

“Who do you want, Dada or Pop?” the man asks the baby repeatedly over the course of the video.

The baby can be heard making noises that sound remarkably like “mama” and “mom” throughout the video.

RELATED: Surrogacy ‘trafficking’? Unmarried Chinese couple in the US accused of massive baby scam — 21 kids placed in foster care

Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images

The man holding the baby feigns shock when the infant cries out for his mother, saying, “No way, Jose,” to the baby.

The baby, who according to People was born in late October 2025 and immediately turned over to the homosexual couple, begins to cry at this point in the video, visibly upset.

The man in the video and the man holding the camera both begin to laugh at the baby while he cries harder and harder for his “mama.”

“There is no mama. I’m so sorry. You have Dada and Pop,” the man in the video says.

“No mama,” he repeats as the baby cries.

The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles described this video as “the most horrifying video I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Instagram users seemed to have experienced the same revulsion Knowles did.

“This is why it’s important to remember that it’s a child’s right to have parents- and not a[n] adult’s right to have children,” one user said.

Another said, “That’s not funny. Someone please save this baby :(.”

“People go to therapy for the trauma that’s caused when they grow up with an absent mother. Why are adults trying to get children to meet their needs when it was always supposed to be the other way around?” a third commenter added to the post.

McAnally has repeatedly mocked his child as the “homophobic baby” in other posts on his page.

For example, a video posted in December shows a 6-week-old Texson smiling as the man holding the camera tells him about his brother, sister, and two puppies. He then says, “And two dads.” Texson stops smiling and appears to furrow his brow at this moment.

According to People, McAnally and Baum were “married’ in 2012. They have another son and a daughter, named Dash and Dylan, respectively.

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​Conservatives, Foster care, Michael baum, Michael knowles, Politics, Shane mcanally, Texson, Two dads, Homophobic baby, Surrogacy, Homosexuals, Gay dads, Child abuse 

Tune in to any late-night talk show these days, and it’s nothing but wall-to-wall clapter — the seal-like applause emitted by audiences in response to any variation of the phrase “orange man bad.”

As Robert Plant once queried, “Does anybody remember laughter?”

Those of us old enough to have watched Carson, Letterman, or O’Brien do.

Well, Jimmy Kimmel has news for you: He’s not here to entertain you. In fact, he’s offended you even expect it.

The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host unloaded on entitled TV viewers while chatting with former first lady Michelle Obama on the failing podcast she co-hosts.

And it was as cringe-inducing as you’d expect. Turns out, Kimmel takes it personally when critics say he should be funny.

“To say that, ‘Well, your job is this,’ it makes me — I bristle at that because, first of all, don’t tell me what my job is. I don’t tell you what your job is. My job is whatever I decide my job is, whatever my employer allows me to do. That’s what my job is.”

His job, apparently, is to speed up the decline of late-night TV, and in his defense, he’s doing a heckuva job …

French toast

First, the French found Jerry Lewis irresistible. Now, the country’s movie buffs have fallen for one of 2025’s biggest box office busts.

“Ella McCay” arrived with plenty of hype last year, from its starry cast (Jamie Lee Curtis, Albert Brooks, Woody Harrelson) to a legendary writer/director (James L. Brooks) behind the camera. The film, focusing on a flustered young woman (Emma Mackey) thrust into the political scene, earned withering reviews. The box office tally? A shockingly low $4 million domestically.

Yet the French are coming to the film’s rescue. Disney+’s French edition debuted the film after its theatrical release got benched due to that chilly U.S. reception. The French goodwill, boosted by fawning media support, built up to the point where the studio agreed to a limited theatrical release in the country.

Maybe AI can insert a digital Jerry Lewis into the Paris-set sequel …

Role reversal

Nick Offerman may be our generation’s Laurence Olivier.

The comic actor’s turn as Ron Swanson on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” remains the libertarian gold standard. His character loathed the government, hoping to shrink it to the size of Jiminy Cricket’s belt buckle.

In real life, Offerman is a raging progressive, and he can’t stop savaging both President Donald Trump and the right in general.

This week, he popped up on the far-left “Daily Show” to trash Trump’s plans for a glorious 250th birthday party for ole Uncle Sam. That includes a permanent arch to honor the historic moment.

“Can’t he play with his model replicas in the basement like a normal demented grandpa. … Can we stop with these self-aggrandizing celebrations, like you’re some Roman emperor? What’s next, gladiator fights?”

Ron Swanson might blanch at the arch as an unnecessary expenditure, but he’d forever love Trump for his DOGE-style shrinkage …

RELATED: Welcome to WokeNut Grove: Sneak peek at Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’ reboot

NBC/UCG/Education Images/Getty Images

‘Focker’ fatigue

Haven’t we suffered enough?

Some movie franchises stumble after a glorious run. Think “John Wick,” those “Fast & Furious” romps, and even the “Mission: Impossible” saga. It happens, and it’s the rare series that maintains its level of excellence.

We all agreed the 2000 comedy “Meet the Parents” was a hoot, giving stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller all the juicy lines they craved. But the sequel, “Meet the Fockers” was a star-studded stiff. And the less said about “Little Fockers,” the better.

But since no franchise is allowed to rest in peace, a fourth “Fockers” is coming this fall.

“Focker-in-Law” adds “Wicked” alum Ariana Grande to the saga. This time, she’s about to marry Greg and Pam’s son (Skyler Gisondo), causing tension in the Focker-verse. The trailer is hard to watch, with so many callouts from the first film and Stiller looking embarrassed to be back in the franchise.

Unlike Offerman, he’s not that good an actor.

The worst part may be De Niro, who, back in 2000, was still regarded as one of our finest actors. Now, his chronic anti-Trump rants have poisoned his box office appeal and alienated plenty of potential moviegoers.

Maybe the sequel will find his character strapped to a lie-detector machine, forced to answer if he actually believes his crazed, anti-Trump predictions.

Now that we’d pay to watch.

​Culture, Entertainment, Late night tv, Jimmy kimmel, Nick offerman, Robert de niro, Ben stiller, Movies, Toto recall 

Iran appears to have capitulated on two of the most important demands of the U.S., according to the president.

After seven weeks of joint strikes against Iran from the U.S. and Israel, President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would no longer be threatened by Iran and that the Iranians agreed to stop seeking nuclear enrichment.

The stock market surged on the news, and oil futures dropped significantly.

“Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World!” the president said on social media Friday.

In a phone call with a NewsNation reporter, the president was asked directly about Iran’s nuclear enrichment plans.

“They agreed to everything,” said the president, according to a post from reporter Kellie Meyer on Friday morning. “Yes, are you surprised?”

The stock market surged on the news, and oil futures dropped significantly.

Iran’s foreign minister confirmed the agreement and cited the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon,” said Seyed Abbas Araghchi in a post on social media, “the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran.”

Israel agreed to the ceasefire of its military operation targeting Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, Trump announced Thursday. The Israeli-Lebanese conflict had become a sticking point between Iran and the U.S. in seeking a peace deal.

RELATED: Trump announces ceasefire agreement with Lebanon — and meeting at the White House

– YouTube

Axios reported that the U.S. was considering releasing $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds in exchange for Iran giving up its enriched uranium stockpile.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said more than 10,000 sailors, Marines, and airmen; dozens of aircraft; and over a dozen ships were involved in the U.S. operation to shut down the Strait of Hormuz via blockade to pressure Iran.

“Since commencement of the blockade, 19 ships have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return to Iran,” said U.S. Central Command on Friday.

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​Trump vs iran, Iran nuclear enrichment, Iran opens strait of hormuz, Gas prices to drop, Politics 

On April 16, BlazeTV host and independent journalist Christopher Rufo published a shocking report titled “California Provides Sex-Change Procedures to Homeless Illegal Aliens.”

“It feels like one of those stories that is like right-wing Mad Libs, where you take all of the most intense right-wing trigger words, you smash them into a sentence. But in this case, it’s not imaginary. It’s all real,” he says.

On this episode of “Rufo & Lomez,” Rufo and co-host Jonathan Keeperman break down the shocking details of the report, react to the on-the-ground footage, and discuss how California voters have become so morally submissive that they now tolerate — and fund — even the most absurd and humiliating policies.

Rufo begins by playing a video clip of his co-author and City Journal colleague Jonathan Choe interviewing a homeless illegal immigrant from Mexico who identifies as a transgender woman and calls himself Jacqueline.

The man confirms that he received both hormones and breast implants for free in California via Medi-Cal.

“Even though you’re undocumented, you can get it,” he said, adding that he’s “waiting” for bottom surgery.

According to Rufo’s reporting, Jacqueline is one of many homeless illegal aliens living in San Francisco’s publicly funded shelters who have received such procedures at the expense of the California taxpayer. On-the-ground interviews and video also confirmed that word is spreading south of the border, encouraging trans-identifying migrants to come for these free procedures.

“[Choe] actually went to a number of homeless shelters in San Francisco, and at each homeless shelter, he found transgender illegal migrants who told him very directly, ‘We’re here to get hormones, breast implants,’ and, as Jacqueline says, ‘bottom surgery,”’ says Rufo.

He then plays a second video featuring another transgender-identifying illegal alien named Lyca — a biological male from Honduras who says he came to the United States explicitly to take advantage of the taxpayer-funded benefits that will pay for his transition. He candidly admitted that Medi-Cal is currently paying for his hormone therapy.

Both Rufo and Keeperman agree that California voters have become so afraid of moral backlash that they’re now greenlighting policies that are abjectly insane.

“The California taxpayer is in a findom relationship with the state,” says Keeperman.

A financial domination relationship is a BDSM kink in which a submissive person gives money or gifts to a dominant person without expecting sexual favors in return. Like other related kinks, the submissive party seeks gratification through humiliation.

Keeperman argues that this same twisted dynamic is at play between the California government and its constituents.

“If you live in California and you’re, like, a good secular cosmopolitan lib … the moral decision-making is incredibly difficult. … Every decision, every behavior, every utterance is freighted with meaning and the potential for sort of catastrophic loss, or you’ll be accused of being immoral,” he explains.

“They’ve reached total fatigue, and the state just makes these demands of them — like you have to support on tax day the surgeries for transgender illegals — and they’re comforted by this because it’s like this relief,” Keeperman adds.

Rufo agrees. “The California voter is in a completely submissive moral position. It will accept any moral demand, any moral imposition, any moral cost.”

“California voters have essentially given a blanket yes, and then the layer of activists, administrators, and fanatics within the California state government processes the paperwork, so that in the end, trans illegals are getting free castration surgeries in San Francisco,” he continues.

Keeperman counters, “But the thing is, it’s not just that it’s yes to anything; it’s yes to things that are the most humiliating and the most extractive and the least practically or pragmatically productive.”

“So it’s not like they’re pining for, you know, efficient infrastructure and public transportation. I mean, I’m sure they say they want that, but that’s not what gets done,” he continues. “What gets done instead is this kind of stuff, which is just facially absurd.”

Rufo says the reason genuinely beneficial initiatives, like improved public transportation, never actually happen is because “building train tracks is hard,” while “cutting the penises off of illegal migrants” isn’t.

“As I discovered in a previous story in Oregon — I imagine the same is happening now in San Francisco — they’ve actually developed surgical castration robots, and they can castrate,” he says, “and in a single operating room, they can do two of these castrations per day now using these castration robots.”

To learn more, watch the episode above.

Want more from Rufo & Lomez?

To enjoy more of the news through the anthropological lens of Christopher Rufo and Lomez, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Blaze media, Blazetv, Bottom surgery, Chris rufo, Gavin newsom, Homeless illegal aliens, Jonathan keeperman, Lomez, Rufo, Rufo & lomez, San francisco, Trans surgeries, Trans surgeries for illegals, Transgender agenda, Transgender migrants, Morally submissive, Medi cal, Rufo and lomez 

A Massachusetts city in the Greater Boston area commissioned a pair of 10-foot-tall bronze statues heavy with cultural and historical significance to honor police and firefighters outside their new public safety headquarters.

Upon learning that the city of Quincy’s new statues — one depicting Florian, a third-century firefighting Roman Christian, and the other depicting the winged archangel Michael stepping on the head of a demon — also carried religious significance, the American Civil Liberties Union and a handful of secularizing activist groups joined a few locals in suing last May to block the installation.

‘The ACLU has pitted itself against the very heroes who keep our communities safe.’

The city, which will make its case before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court with the help of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty on May 6, has received an outpouring of support from first responders’ groups and unions, religious groups, and others keen to defend free speech found intolerable by thin-skinned critics.

The International Association of Fire Fighters and its Bay State affiliate, among the groups that submitted court filings in support of the city, noted that “for the firefighting community, there is perhaps no better image for this project than St. Florian.”

Norfolk Superior Court Judge William Sullivan, the Democratic appointee who blocked the planned installation in October, previously argued that the statues “serve no discernable secular purpose.”

The IAFF flatly rejected that argument.

RELATED: Whose past predicts your future?

Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

“Florian, to be sure, is venerated as a Catholic saint. But that isn’t why the City of Quincy is putting him on its public safety building,” the IAFF’s court filing reads. “Rather, that choice reflects a centuries-old tradition that honors Florian — entirely apart from his significance in the Catholic Church — as a symbol of the courage, selflessness, and sacrifice of firefighters around the world.”

Moreover, the association underscored that Florian’s legend is now “part of the cultural fabric of firefighting.”

The National Association of Police Organizations similarly said of the St. Michael statue, “Although Michael’s origins are religious, his significance extends far beyond that context. He is the archetype of core law-enforcement virtues: justice, courage, leadership, and defense of the innocent.”

The National Fraternal Order of Police echoed this understanding and drove the point home:

The erection of these statues shows no semblance of religious subordination or favoritism. For this Court to prohibit these statues would not only run contrary to the text and purpose of the Religion Clauses of the Massachusetts Constitution but would also rob the people of Quincy of a special opportunity to honor their firefighters and police officers.

While the Knights of Columbus highlighted America’s and Massachusetts’ rich histories of acknowledging religion in public art, the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team and the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty discussed the likely fallout of the ACLU prevailing in this case and how that result might disproportionately impact minority faiths.

They noted, for example, that a ruling against Quincy might set a precedent for denying practicing Jews the ability to build an eruv in public — a demarcated area, created by placing nearly invisible wires on existing utility poles, that permits Jews to carry essential items on the Sabbath.

The American Legion said in its filing that giving the secularists a win here “would put the Massachusetts Constitution on a collision court with the federal one.” The Legion noted further that while a state may not favor a religion, it “also may not favor nonreligion by adopting a posture of hostility towards faith.”

Joseph Davis, senior counsel at Becket and attorney for Quincy, stated, “By picking this fight, the ACLU has pitted itself against the very heroes who keep our communities safe.”

“This broad coalition of firefighters and police — along with diverse faith communities, public policy experts, and legal scholars — proves just how out of touch the ACLU has become,” Davis continued. “We’re hopeful the court will see through this attack and side with Quincy.”

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​American civil liberties union, American legion, Becket, City of quincy, First responders, Heroes, Knights of columbus, Lawsuit, Public art, Religious groups, Saint, Saints, Statues, Free speech, First amendment, Statue, Politics 

An idea born out of a four-hour session at a Chick-fil-A may have the ability to both cheapen energy costs and solve data center production solutions.

With land-grabs and land offers from Big Tech routinely popping up in the news cycle, citizens are concerned with how America’s heartland could fall into the hands of tech companies that replace farming plots with gigantic rooms of computers.

One company is asking why it can’t just put those in the ocean.

‘Our goal is to make terawatts.’

Garth Sheldon-Coulson, co-founder and CEO of Panthalassa, said that he has been operating his ocean nodes in semi-secret for about 10 years.

At about 66 feet wide and 260 feet tall, his company’s floating nodes bob up and down with the ocean waves and create energy from the water that flows through them. The water is funneled through channels inside the nodes to create a pressurized system that spins turbines that connect to a generator and produce electricity.

The object can move and steer on its own once in the water and is capable of traveling about 30 miles per day to ideal spots where the winds are most intense and thus create the most waves.

Sheldon-Coulson told the Core Memory Podcast that each unit has an approximate cost of about $1 million and that while it is expensive now, the path to scaling could come in a couple of different ways.

First, the energy production could be stored and brought back to shore, likely packaged as cheaper, cleaner energy. Panthalassa said it can produce electricity at about 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour, which is allegedly below the cost of solar energy and even natural gas in some jurisdictions.

However, a faster track to success may be through the combination of floating data centers and satellite internet.

RELATED: The crazy reason some AI obsessives love it when their chatbot talks like a caveman

– YouTube

The CEO said that his company is looking at the idea of putting processing units aboard its nodes, using the generated electricity to power them and of course the ocean water to cool them. Cooling is currently an expensive and integral process of shored AI data centers.

The data processed in the ocean would then be digitally shipped off via satellite services like Starlink. Impressively, Panthalassa was founded before Starlink, meaning the company put at least some of its eggs into a basket that didn’t quite exist yet.

When asked about the AI data transfer and the speed at which it could actually travel by satellite (as opposed to fiber optics), Sheldon-Coulson noted that the speed of the input and output comes in very small quantities — text that is the size of kilobytes. It is actually the processing that takes up the time — which would theoretically take place aboard his ocean nodes — not the question taken in or the answer provided by a chatbot, for example.

RELATED: The divisive issue that could decide the midterms now has $200 million on the line

– YouTube

“Our goal is to make terawatts,” states the Panthalassa company’s video. “The entire global electricity supply right now is about three and a half terawatts. We think we can do a significant fraction of that.”

The company has raised over $78 million in investment to date and has pointed to areas in the Southern Hemisphere as ideal spots for the nodes due to high wind speeds.

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​Clean energy, Data center production, Data centers, Energy costs, Fiber optics, Panthalassa, Return, Turbines, Tech 

Sugar has had a terrible few decades in public relations. Which is rich, considering sugar never hired a publicist or lobbied for its inclusion in 37 varieties of salad dressing.

Sugar was simply sitting there, being a carbohydrate, when an entire industry decided it made a more convenient villain than portion size, impulse control, or the more uncomfortable question of why a gas station sells a beverage the size of a toddler.

Fat was the villain in 1990. Americans loaded up on SnackWell’s cookies and ate them by the sleeve.

Somewhere between the obesity panic of the 2000s and the clean-eating obsession of the 2010s, sucrose transformed from a pantry staple into a health and wellness villain on par with cigarettes and sloth.

Sugar, sugar

The human body runs on glucose. Your brain needs it. Your muscles prefer it. Sugarcane has been sweetening drinks in South Asia since roughly 350 A.D., and somehow humanity survived long enough to argue about it on social media.

The problem was never the molecule but the amount — 22 teaspoons a day, the American average, poured mostly into beverages people didn’t even register as meals. A single large fountain soda contains 17. A flavored coffee drink from any chain you can name contains more than that and comes with a cheerful barista who will spell your name wrong on the cup while handing you what is essentially a dessert with a lid.

That is a dosage problem. It got rebranded as a chemistry problem, and that rebranding sold a lot of diet soda.

Gut check

I learned this the hard way, via my own stomach. For about two years I swapped sugar for artificial sweeteners with the confidence of someone who had done exactly one Google search. Sucralose (commonly sold as Splenda) in my coffee. Stevia in everything else. The occasional sugar-free chocolate that tasted like sweetened cardboard, which I ate anyway, because suffering voluntarily is how adults signal virtue.

I was, by all the metrics I had invented for myself, being responsible. Then I started feeling bloated roughly 40 minutes after every meal — a persistent, uncomfortable fullness that no amount of walking around the block seemed to fix. And then came a specific, percussive kind of digestive discomfort that I will describe only as “audible.” My fiancée noticed. I blamed the dog.

I cut the sweeteners on a Friday. By Sunday, the situation had resolved itself completely. The bowel-induced thunder had passed, the barometric pressure had normalized, and my fiancée stopped sleeping with the window open.

Metabolic mayhem

It turns out that I was ahead of the research for once in my life. A recent study examining the biological effects of common artificial sweeteners — sucralose and stevia, specifically — found that even quantities comparable to everyday human consumption altered gut microbiome composition in measurable ways.

The gut houses roughly 39 trillion microorganisms, meaning it contains more bacterial cells than human cells, a fact that raises serious questions about who, exactly, is running things. It regulates metabolism, modulates immune response, produces neurotransmitters, and sends chemical signals to the brain, influencing mood and appetite. The body is less a person than a committee, and the committee has opinions about your sweetener choices.

Disrupt the ecosystem, and you get disrupted systems downstream. The researchers found that beneficial compounds helping maintain metabolic health declined in subjects exposed to these sweeteners. In plain terms, the body became measurably worse at handling sugar, and it had not consumed any sugar to arrive there. The sweetener had taught the body a new dysfunction without any of the calories required to earn it.

RELATED: Save your brain: Eat more meat

Bettman/Getty Images

Sweet surrender

The findings on sucralose were particularly persistent. Researchers observed that its effects on gut bacteria and gene activity carried across multiple generations in animal studies. Offspring who had never consumed sucralose showed early signs of impaired glucose regulation — their bodies struggling with sugar metabolism as an inherited consequence of a parent’s diet.

This is epigeneticism: the transmission of acquired biological traits through changes in gene expression rather than DNA sequence. Stevia’s impacts were detectable but short-lived, fading rather than compounding. Neither result fits the marketing promise of a neutral, calorie-free pleasure. Both suggest that the quest to outsmart biology with chemistry has, predictably, run into biology itself.

Americans consume artificial sweeteners at scale. They are in diet drinks, protein bars, flavored yogurts, chewing gum, children’s vitamins, and roughly half the products shelved in the “healthy” aisle of any grocery store. Meanwhile, rates of obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic disorders remain stubbornly high — exactly the conditions these products were engineered to help prevent. The sweeteners are not the sole explanation. But the idea that they carry zero metabolic consequences is no longer a position the evidence supports, and it was probably never as solid as the packaging implied.

The M-word

None of this requires burning your Splenda packets in the back yard, but the broader pattern is familiar enough to be dispiriting. Fat was the villain in 1990. Americans loaded up on SnackWell’s cookies — fat-free, proudly labeled, stuffed with sugar — and ate them by the sleeve because the math seemed to check out. Sugar became the villain in 2010. Americans loaded up on artificially sweetened alternatives and called it progress.

The villain rotates on a roughly 20-year cycle. The processed food industry introduces the replacement, funds the science that endorses it, and collects the revenue while researchers spend the next decade figuring out what went wrong. Then a new villain is identified, a new replacement is launched, and somewhere a marketing team opens a bottle of champagne that probably contains aspartame.

The answer to every panic in that cycle was always moderation, a word so aggressively boring that it apparently requires a global dietary crisis every 10 years to get anyone’s attention. It also means reframing what sugar actually is: not a poison to be eliminated but a pleasure to be savored, like good whiskey or compliments from your father. Save it for a nice piece of cake, a well-made dessert, the occasional spoon of honey stirred into morning tea with the uncomplicated satisfaction of someone who has stopped reading the label.

​Maha, Sugar, Sugar-free, Lifestyle, Artificial sweeteners, Sucrose, Sucralose, Splenda, Stevia, Nutrition, Health and wellness, Make america healthy again 

Less than a week after the Artemis II astronauts returned to Earth from their orbit of the moon, the crew members reflected on the profound wonders they saw on their mission — and upon their return.

On Thursday, Artemis II astronauts answered questions about their mission, and Reid Wiseman, the commander of the mission, described a profound moment he experienced on the Navy ship shortly after their return.

‘I saw the cross on his collar, and I just broke down in tears.’

“I’m not really a religious person, but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything. So I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship to just come visit us for a minute.”

He went on to describe the inexplicable moment of their meeting.

RELATED: PHOTOS: See the first up-close images from Artemis II’s flyby of the moon

NASA/Getty Images

“When that man walked in, I had never met him before in my life, but I saw the cross on his collar, and I just broke down in tears,” Wiseman explained.

Victor Glover, one of Wiseman’s crewmates, said he was present when they met with the chaplain.

“The only thing I would add is I am a religious person, but everything else is the same.”

Both Wiseman and Glover indicated they need more time to process all that they saw, since they have been remarkably busy in the days since they returned to the Earth’s surface.

“We have not had that decompression. We have not had that reflection time,” Wiseman said.

“There is something in there, and as we start to process, I’ll have to tell you next week, but haven’t had a chance to really unpack it all yet,” Glover added.

Over the span of the clip, the two crewmembers also described an amazing moment of the mission: the eclipse of the moon and the sun.

“When the sun eclipsed behind the moon … I turned to Victor, and I said, ‘I don’t think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we’re looking at right now.’ Because it was otherworldly. It was amazing,” Wiseman said.

One of the two craters on the far side of the moon, not normally visible from Earth, now bears the name of Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll. Carroll Wiseman passed away from cancer in 2020.

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​Artemis ii, Astronauts, Chaplain, Earth, Eclipse, Humanity, Moon, Navy ship, Politics, Religious person, Sun, Otherworldly, Nasa, Christianity, Crucifix, Cross, Navy chaplain 

Because Hollywood has been unable to create anything new for at least 20 years, Netflix is “rebooting” “Little House on the Prairie.” That almost certainly means trouble.

No stories have been more important to me than the fictionalized autobiographical series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. As a poor child in a single-mother broken home, we didn’t have luxuries growing up. Some kind soul donated a boxed set of the “Little House” books to an “angel tree” Christmas drive where poor families could choose a gift for their children.

The Ingalls family leave their cabin in Wisconsin to make way for an indigenous family violently displaced by pioneer gentrification.

I opened my present to find this set of books. I read and re-read them so many times they were in tatters when I reluctantly threw them away a few years ago. I’m lucky to have a good friend who bought me a new hardback set for Christmas.

‘House’ away from home

The values of independence, self-sufficiency, owning your mistakes, repentance, and forgiveness inside a loving family and community was everything I wanted life to be. It taught me values and gave me hope for something better than the frightening home in which I was raised.

The long-running television series based on the books was my favorite show. We watched it when it was new, and we watched it in reruns. Viewing the original “Little House” series today, one is struck at first by how sentimental it seems. But on second thought, it probably reads that way not because the original was truly that sappy, but because our society and our selves have been so coarsened in the 40 years since the show aired.

Look at where we are today as the release of the new Netflix version approaches. It used to be that when new movies or TV shows came out, prospective viewers would ask questions like: Will the cast be good? Will the premise hold up for more than one season? How are they going to pull off the special effects that the premise demands?

‘Middle’ mangled

What we weren’t talking about was whether the show was going to beat us over the head with painfully au courant political and social dogma. The thought didn’t even occur to us before about 2014. Now, it’s the only thing any aware adult can think about when they see yet another “reimagining” of a book or TV series.

Reimagining? A better word is “profanation.” These reboots often explicitly insult the original version in order to signal how superior the current show runners are to their “racist,” “sexist,” “homophobic,” and otherwise unenlightened forbears.

Look what Hulu has done to the 2000s-era sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle.” The original show — that is to say, the real show — was about an “eccentric” family that drove middle child and IQ genius Malcolm nuts. The reboot, titled “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair,” brings back most of the original cast with some 2020s-style mandatory identity insertions.

Malcolm’s best friend Stevie has gay-married a man and adopted a boy child. But wait, there’s more! Malcolm and his brothers have a new “sibling” named Kelly who’s not a girl. She … sorry, they is … sorry, are “non-binary.”

The piano-music-special-moment-interlude is like getting teeth drilled without anesthetic. The very obviously female Kelly tells her … darn it, tells they’s parents, “I was like 5 when I started feeling wrong.”

Take an antacid before you watch the clip.

RELATED: The ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ reboot is so woke even Hollywood hates it

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Back to the Future Prairie

I know that I don’t have to watch the new “Little House on the Prairie,” but I do have to. Won’t be able to stop myself, even though I know it’s probably going to make me mad. I know the original books still exist, and I know that I can watch the original show. But irrational though it may be, just the possibility that Netflix is going to inject modern-day narcissistic depravity into something so pure — well, it feels like it’s going to contaminate my memories of something wholesome.

So let’s rip the Band-Aid off and get the hard feelings out of the way before the show comes out. Here are my predictions for the first season of the new and undoubtedly to-be-improved “Little House on the Prairie.”

Episode 1: ‘Decolonizing the Big Woods’

The Ingalls family leave their cabin in Wisconsin to make way for an indigenous family violently displaced by pioneer gentrification. We see the covered wagon pull away from the cabin as Chief Whining Shrew refits the log house with dreamcatchers, essential oils, and a slot machine by the side of the road.

They set out across the prairie headed for a town where they can make a new, sustainable life. In the closing scene, a sign ahead reads Welcome to WokeNut Grove. A young indigenous woman in traditional garb halts the wagon and warns Pa, “Bruh — do not EVEN call me squaw.”

Episode 2: ‘School’s Out’

Mary and Laura’s first day of school teaches them a lesson more valuable than the three Rs: empathy. The one-room schoolhouse is presided over by Mx. Beadle, a spinster — sorry, a non-binary educator — who keeps breast binders in her desk for the children who can’t afford affirming clothing.

When Laura wrinkles her nose at the proffered tube top, Mx. Beadle makes Laura write, “NON-MEN AND NON-WOMEN ARE VALID” 50 times on the blackboard.

Episode 3: ‘Farmer Boi’

We’re introduced to the spoiled rich kid bully, Nelson Oleson. Nelson was assigned female at birth, but with the help of his domineering mother, Harriet, Nelson discovers he was actually a boy inside all along. In a surprising twist, it turns out Nelson’s little brother is also actually his little sister, Wilhelmina. Everyone accepts this statistical improbability, AND YOU’D BETTER TOO.

With his golden ringlets peeking out from under a newsboy cap, Nelson taunts Laura on the way to school, shouting, “Sissy! Sissy! Sissy!” until Laura pushes him into Plum Creek. Nelson’s binder pops off during the scuffle, revealing his gender assigned at birth. Laura has to work after school at the Oleson Mercantile sewing Nelson new binders by hand while Wilhelmina gets to make doll clothes on the newfangled sewing machine.

Episode 4: ‘No One Is Free Until We’re All Free’

With the crops failing, Pa goes to the town sawmill to look for work. He’s about to join the crew when he notices that all the working hands are white men. Pa calls for the immediate shutdown of the mill until the diversity-in-work committee can get to the bottom of why so many white men have been allowed paying jobs.

The mill stays shuttered throughout the summer under a banner proclaiming “NO JUSTICE, NO PIECE (OF LUMBER).” Meanwhile, the town’s white men are conscripted into a chain gang to build a wheelchair hoist so that Hester Sue Terhune, the town’s wise black paraplegic, can wheel over to the cutting blade and take her rightful place as foreman. Three white families in tents die from exposure that winter, and the town celebrates with an ice cream social.

Episode 5: ‘Horizontal Work Is Work’

When a family of gypsies — sorry, travelers — rolls into town, they are met with prejudice and bigotry as they try to open an honest business for Roma sex workers. Realizing the violent oppression woven into WokeNut Grove’s founding documents, the town council repeals the ban on bawdy houses. The Pekrul family opens the Galatea Galerie, where rooms are let by the half-hour.

Mary goes to work at the Galerie but comes home with a severe case of harlot fever. Bedridden for weeks, when Mary tries to get up, she realizes something is terribly wrong. The camera zooms in on her vacant eyes as she cries, “Pa! Pa! I can’t see my gender identity!” Ma, Laura, Pa, and Carrie take on extra jobs to save up so Mary can afford to go to the Iowa School for the Trans.

The season ends with Ma applying homemade dye to Mary’s hair made from crushed lavender. Credits roll as a train whistle approaches town.

Stay tuned for Season 2.

​Hollywood, Netflix, Little house on the prairie, Lgbtq, Malcolm in the middle, Woke, Culture, Entertainment, Laura ingalls wilder, Books, Intervention 

A 16-year-old Michigan girl was waiting for a bus in Hamtramck around 7:05 a.m. Monday when a male allegedly approached her, put a handgun to her back, and forced her into a van, WJBK-TV reported. Hamtramck is about 10 minutes north of Detroit.

The girl is a student at Frontier International Academy, the station said, and a fellow student witnessed the incident and reported it.

‘I see the police outside. I point to him. I go, “That’s the guy.”‘

The victim allegedly was sexually assaulted inside the suspect’s vehicle, WJBK said.

Police went to the victim’s school and met with students who were tracking her cell phone location, WJBK said, adding that officers used the data to track the victim to a Detroit gas station.

Around 7:30 a.m., the suspect brought the girl into the Sunoco gas station, asked for cigarettes — and told the girl to pay for them, WXYZ-TV reported

Store clerk Abdulrahman Abohatem told WXYZ that struck him as odd: “When he ask her to pay for the cigarettes, I said … ‘There’s something wrong.'”

The girl then sent him a silent, desperate signal.

“She mouth-talked to me, like, with no sound,” Abohatem told WXYZ.

He said her message was one word: “Help.”

RELATED: Female slashes face of 3-year-old boy she kidnapped at Walmart — and officers open fire: Police

With that, Abohatem came out from behind the protective glass and confronted the suspect, WXYZ said: “I go out, I kick him out, I ask the girl, ‘Go behind me.'”

As Abohatem was escorting the male out of the store, police pulled into the parking lot, WXYZ said.

“I see the police outside. I point to him. I go, ‘That’s the guy,'” Abohatem added to WXYZ.

The suspect was quickly taken into custody, WXYZ reported.

City of Hamtramck Mayor Adam Alharbi told WXYZ the suspect is “a criminal who had a history of rape charges, and we will make sure that he gets what he deserves.”

The girl’s family said she is safe at home processing the incident and is thankful the community stepped up, WXYZ reported.

Hamtramck Police Department Chief Hussein Farhat told WXYZ the incident was random and the suspect and victim didn’t know each other: “This suspect could have driven anywhere, saw the opportunity, and took advantage of it.”

Hamtramck Police said 48-year-old Donald J. Fields of Detroit was arraigned Thursday.

RELATED: Transgender sex offender accused of trying to kidnap boy at elementary school gets good news from DA

Police said Fields was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual assault, one count of kidnapping, one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, one count of felonious assault, and five counts of felony firearm. He also was charged as a habitual offender — third offense, police said.

Fields was taken to the Wayne County Jail and ordered held without bond, police said.

In a separate story, WXYZ reported that Fields is a registered sex offender, and that Judge Alexis Krot — who denied his bond — stated that “despite me saying one minute before that he’s a habitual offender, Mr. Fields has the audacity to say he has no criminal history.”

WXYZ said Fields previously spent time in prison in connection with a home invasion and assault with intent to commit sexual contact.

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​Crime thwarted, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Teen girl victim, Gas station worker, Suspect arrested, Michigan, Hamtramck, Police, Arraignment, Jailed, Wayne county, Donald j. fields, Crime 

The House has failed to pass an 18-month extension of FISA after 20 Republicans defied President Donald Trump and tanked the late-night vote.

Republican leadership intended to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act through October 2027, but 20 GOP members blocked the extension in a 2:07 a.m. vote Friday, citing major privacy concerns. Due to growing frustration from conservatives, FISA was instead extended only through April 30 to give the conference more time to continue meaningful negotiations before approving a long-term extension.

‘I am willing to risk that.’

These hard-liners are: Republican Reps. Sheri Biggs of South Carolina; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Tim Burchett of Tennessee; Eric Burlison of Missouri; Michael Cloud of Texas; Andrew Clyde of Georgia; Eli Crane of Arizona; Warren Davidson of Ohio; Paul Gosar of Arizona; Andy Harris of Maryland; Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee; Thomas Massie of Kentucky; Mary Miller of Illinois; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Scott Perry of Pennsylvania; John Rose of Tennessee; Keith Self of Texas; and Victoria Spartz of Indiana.

“Last night between midnight and 2am, they tried to pass two bad versions of FISA,” Massie said in a post on X. “Both would have allowed Feds to unconstitutionally spy on Americans. We stopped both versions, but the fight isn’t over. Eventually, it was decided to give them two more weeks to fix FISA.”

RELATED: Trump does shocking about-face on spying power weaponized against him and other Americans, now calls it ‘VITAL’

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Republicans were well on their way to “fixing” FISA, with conservatives making progress on key requirements. Hard-liners insisted on meaningful warrant requirements and guardrails for central bank digital currency, a source familiar with the negotiations told Blaze News. A two-month extension was also floated in order to give Republicans more time to hammer out these crucial provisions.

Despite negotiations in good faith, this progress was thrown out the window in the 11th hour when a five-year extension with weak warrant requirements was put up for a vote, prompting hard-liners to tank the effort altogether.

This internal rebellion came about despite Trump’s advocacy for a FISA extension because “it is extremely important to our Military.”

“While parts of FISA were illegally and unfortunately used against me in the Democrats’ disgraceful Witch Hunt and Attack in the RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA Hoax, and perhaps would be used against me in the future, I am willing to risk that as a Citizen in order to do what is right for our Country,” Trump said in a Truth Social Post.

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A former Walt Disney Company employee says he is cautiously optimistic about the company’s direction, even when it comes to progressive ideology.

Josh Daws, a software engineer with 12.5 years at Disney, revealed on X on Wednesday that he was laid off as part of a Disney restructuring in which 1,000 people lost their jobs.

‘It’s much better internally now.’

The employee dump, which Disney said was part of an effort to “streamline operations,” inspired Daws to answer reader questions about his tenure. Many queries regarding Disney’s push for diversity, equity, and inclusion ensued.

DEI decline

The ex-Mouse House employee told fans they may finally be able to breathe easier, with Disney likely on the tail end of its inclusion era.

Daws told one user that DEI at Disney “peaked in 2020” but has been in a “steady decline” since. “It’s much better internally now. The vibe shift is real,” he wrote.

The engineer told another questioner that he was not a fan of the company’s DEI infrastructure, adding that it has “toned it down a ton since Trump was elected.”

Daws also answered a question related to who he believes is responsible for the diversity push the company has gone through.

RELATED: The ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ reboot is so woke even Hollywood hates it

‘A vocal minority’

When asked why Disney seemingly “hate[s] conservative Christian[s]” while promoting the “LGBTQ agenda” at every turn, Daws — a Christian himself — attributed it to a “very small and vocal minority of the company.”

“Most folks just want to make cool stuff,” he added.

Daws also confirmed the company is well aware of how “out of touch” it is with fans. When asked if he had had many other Christian co-workers, Daws replied, “Not enough but more than you might think.”

Throughout the question-and-answer session, Daws remained cautiously optimistic about the direction of Disney, while being careful not to insult his former employers.

AI no ‘threat’

On the topic of AI, Daws was less circumspect, affirming that Disney would incorporate it as a way to cut costs. “No threat to them.”

While Daws acknowledged that AI could be blamed for his firing “on the grand scale,” he noted that his status as a remote worker was a more immediate factor.

RELATED: Disney fans cheer as Mouse House reverses DEI-inspired theme park change

When approached by Blaze News, Daws declined to give further comments about the company.

The Walt Disney Company did not respond to requests for comments regarding Daws’ claims about DEI or AI.

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It’s official: Luke Skywalker is gay. At least, he’s not not gay — which is really the same thing, if you think about it.

Take it from the guy who plays him.

‘It’s whatever you want.’

“So if you want him to be gay, he is,” said Mark Hamill in a recent phone interview with Polygon. “If you don’t want him to be, he’s not. It’s whatever you want.”

Fan service

According to the 74-year-old actor, speculating about Skywalker’s sexuality is just part of being a fan.

“When they talk about the movies, they relate it to how they saw it,” Hamill said.

“They personalize it, in a way. And you realize it’s wonderful to be part of something that’s important to their childhood. Because now they’re grown-ups with kids of their own, and it’s sort of a generational thing. They pass it on.”

This is not the first time Hamill has played fast and loose with “Star Wars” canon in the name of fan service.

RELATED: ‘Sad and pathetic person’: Mark Hamill of ‘Star Wars’ gets humiliated after mocking Trump’s ear bandage

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images

A little ‘force’d?

In 2016 Hamill told the Sun that fans had been writing and asking about the Jedi knight’s proclivities.

This came as director J.J. Abrams — who took over the franchise for Disney in 2015-2019 iterations — said he welcomed a gay character in the franchise.

In response, Hamill also said the role was “meant to be interpreted” by the viewer.

“If you think Luke is gay, of course he is. You should not be ashamed of it. Judge Luke by his character, not by who he loves.”

Of course, fans have always judged Skywalker by his character — even looking the other way when he was caught kissing his sister.

The real problem with Hamill’s “anything goes” theory is that Luke Skywalker married Mara Jade in “Star Wars Legends” continuity.

RELATED: William Shatner beams into ‘woke’ debate by reminding fans Mark Hamill ‘ruined’ ‘Star Wars’ with bizarre comment

Screen Archives/Getty Images

Gay or nay

Reimagining older works to be gay has been an incredibly popular method of pushing modern politics on fans of original films. In the last few years, several writers have retroactively changed the interpretation of their movies and claimed they were always representations of gender politics.

For example, “X2: X-Men United” co-writer David Hayter happily agreed when the movie was described as “the gayest film he’d ever worked on.”

This followed the claim by “The Matrix” creators, who said the movie was a “trans metaphor,” but only after the brothers both came out as transgender years later.

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A Maine gubernatorial candidate’s video began circulating this week claiming that Democrats in his state are trying to “ban” coffee makers with new legislation. The reality, as it turns out, is a bit more complicated.

Here’s a breakdown of the situation as it stands.

‘And in an attempt to remove harmful PFAS, they extend it with language like anything that stores or prepares food or beverages.’

Former state Senate GOP leader and current Maine gubernatorial candidate Garrett Mason posted a video of himself walking down the coffee maker aisle at a store, pointing at many of the machines, saying, “Banned, banned … absolutely banned.” All of the machines he singles out in the video appear to be built for Keurig-cup-style coffee.

“That’s right, ladies and gentlemen,” Mason says in the video. “Democrats are coming for your coffee maker. … So while they were busy banning plastic bags and increasing your grocery bills and increasing your housing costs and increasing your energy bills, they had a secret plan to ban your morning cup of coffee.”

RELATED: Trump EPA takes aim at forever chemicals

Al Drago/Getty Images

Mason continued, mentioning a crucial phrase without exploring the issue head-on: “I think it’s important that you know that you have a governor who understands how legislation works and what unintended consequences can happen when you pass really bad leftist virtue-signaling legislation, which is what is happening in Augusta right now.”

The key phrase, it appears, is “unintended consequences.”

In 2021, an earlier version of the now-amended law was written, titled “An Act to Stop Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Pollution.”

This early version targeted PFAS in carpets and rugs and was set to go into effect in several stages over the course of multiple years, starting in January 2023.

Then an amended law was signed in 2024. This new version of the law was more expansive, including categories like adult mattresses, artificial turf, cleaning products, cosmetic products, and, relevant to this story, cookware products.

The law defines cookware products as “a durable houseware product intended to be used to prepare, dispense or store food, foodstuffs or beverages, including, but not limited to, a pot, pan, skillet, baking sheet, baking mold, tray, bowl, and cooking utensil.”

The provisions of this law went into effect on January 1, 2026.

Notably, the definition provided does not mention coffee makers in particular, making it seem unlikely that Democrats had a “secret plan to ban your morning cup of coffee,” as Mason suggested in his video.

Mason is not entirely wrong about the consequences of the law, though. The Maine Wire reported that while the law itself does not apparently threaten consumers’ ability to sell, buy, and use popular models of coffee makers, lawmakers have opted to apply a broad interpretation to include “a toaster and a coffee pot.”

The Maine Wire went on to explain that manufacturers are alarmed by this interpretation, given the fact that many coffee makers “rely on PFAS-containing internal components such as tubing, gaskets, solenoid valves, and vibrating pumps,” which “are functional parts used to handle heat, pressure, and durability inside the machines.”

Manufacturers are reportedly concerned about making the required adjustments on a fast enough timeline to be in compliance with the law.

One manufacturing spokesperson voiced these concerns to WMTW.

“The legislation was drafted in a way that, unfortunately, other states around the country have done as well. And in an attempt to remove harmful PFAS, they extend it with language like anything that stores or prepares food or beverages,” the Cookware Sustainability Alliance’s Steve Burns said.

“Essentially, since it was enforced in January of this year, three months ago, technically, we believe that it might make almost every type of coffee maker that’s on a shelf or in a restaurant in Maine right now unlawful,” Burns added.

While these concerns have been raised, coffee makers are not expected to start disappearing from store shelves immediately, according to the Maine Wire. It can also be safely assumed that this does not necessarily apply only to Keurig products or those machines that offer the option to use K-cups.

Keurig and Mason did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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