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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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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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​Fisa, Spying, Donald trump, Unconstitutional, Central bank digital currency, House republicans, Thomas massie, Witch hunt, Congress, Sherri biggs, Lauren boebert, Tim burchett, Eric burlison, Michael cloud, Andrew clyde, Eli crane, Warren davidson, Paul gosar, Andy harris, Diana harshbarger, Mary miller, Ralph norman, Andy ogles, Scott perry, John rose, Kieth self, Victoria spartz, Politics 

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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​Align, Dei, Progressive ideology, Walt disney company, Lgbtq agenda, News, Diversity equity inclusion, Entertainment 

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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​Align, Hollywood, The matrix, Trans metaphor, X-men, Transgender, Gender politics, Star wars, Entertainment 

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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​Coffee maker ban, Cookware products, Garrett mason, Keurigstyle coffee, Maine gubernatorial candidate, Maine wire report, Manufacturing concerns, Pfas pollution, Politics, Legislation consequences, Maine, Democrats, Fact check 

Markwayne Mullin, who took over as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security following Kristi Noem’s ouster in March, announced Thursday that there is going to be another senior personnel change at his agency.

Todd Lyons will leave the role of acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, effective May 31.

‘A phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader.’

“Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities,” said Mullin. “He jumpstarted an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years.”

“We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector,” added Mullin.

Lyons is a veteran ICE official who has served with the agency since 2007.

Around the time he entered the role of acting director in March 2025 — following the demotion of his predecessor, Caleb Vitello — Noem characterized Lyons as a work horse who, with border czar Tom Homan, had done “incredible work cleaning up our communities and making them safer.”

RELATED: Billionaire Tom Steyer admits embarrassing ‘mistake’ after saying ICE should be ‘abolished’ in California governor’s race

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc/Getty Images

In the months since, Lyons has been on the receiving end of relentless abuse by anti-ICE activists such as New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver (D), who subjected him to a 3.5-minute rant during a congressional hearing in February. After questioning Lyons’ religiosity, McIver asked him, “How do you think Judgment Day will work for you with so much blood on your hands?”

The radical Democrat who allegedly assaulted ICE officers last year, asked further, “Do you think you’re going to hell, Mr. Lyons?”

When disgraced ex-California Rep. Eric Swalwell (D) demanded Lyons’ resignation in February, he refused, later stating, “I will not resign, because I believe in the rule of law and will continue to uphold my oath.”

A pair of unnamed U.S. officials told CBS News that Lyons was planning to leave the federal government to spend more time with family, including his sons, in Massachusetts.

Prioritizing family was also DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin’s apparent reason for resigning earlier this year.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said in a statement that Lyons is “a phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader who has been at the center of President Trump’s historic efforts to secure our homeland and reverse the Democrats’ sinister border invasion.”

Homan said in a statement obtained by CNN, “I commend him for a distinguished law enforcement career and the countless contributions he has made to protect our country and advance its interests.”

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​Border czar, Department of homeland security, Eric swalwell, Kristi noem, Markwayne mullin, Private sector, Todd lyons, Tom homan, Trump administration, Trump official, White house, Politics 

A growing list of U.S. scientists and researchers — many tied to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, defense, nuclear, or advanced tech programs — have died or gone missing since 2023.

Nine names are dominating the headlines:

Michael David Hicks — NASA JPL research scientist; died July 30, 2023, age 59; cause never publicly disclosed, no autopsy record found.Frank Maiwald — NASA JPL principal researcher (longtime colleague of Hicks); died July 4, 2024, age 61, in Los Angeles; cause not released, single obituary only, no autopsy reported.Anthony Chavez — Former Los Alamos National Laboratory employee; vanished May 2025, age ~78; left home on foot with belongings left behind; still missing.Monica Reza — Aerospace/materials scientist with NASA/JPL and AFRL-linked rocket propulsion work; disappeared while hiking in Angeles National Forest, June 22, 2025, age 60; still missing after extensive searches.Melissa Casias — Los Alamos National Laboratory administrative assistant (reported security clearance); vanished June 26, 2025, age 53; left after dropping off husband, phones factory-reset, car/belongings left behind, seen walking on highway; still missing. Nuno Loureiro — MIT plasma/fusion physicist and professor; shot multiple times at his Brookline, Massachusetts, home on December 15, 2025, and died December 16, age 47. Carl Grillmair — Caltech astrophysicist with significant NASA/JPL-supported work; shot and killed on his front porch in Llano, California, February 16, 2026, age 67; suspect arrested and charged. William Neil McCasland (Ret. Air Force Maj. Gen.) — Former AFRL commander with classified space/defense program ties; disappeared from his Albuquerque home on February 27, 2026, age 68; still missing, search ongoing.

News coverage has ramped up significantly in the past couple of weeks over this story and continues to garner national attention, but Glenn Beck thinks the conspiracy theory that these cases are all somehow connected jumps the gun.

On this episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn pushes back on the hype by illustrating how easily one can ignite a conspiracy theory.

Glenn notes that these nine cases, while speculated to be connected, are really “a mixed data set.”

“If you go through all of these things, there are some confirmed crimes with explanations. … Some of them are missing person cases. … Some are isolated homicides,” he says.

The narrative that these nine scientists worked in closely related fields, Glenn argues, is a stretch.

“Pharma, fusion, space. … That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a connection there, but nobody is showing the connection here. That’s not a tight network,” he says. “That’s anyone who is near defense-adjacent technology.”

He also rejects speculation of “institutional silence.”

“Universities and laboratories and government, they rarely disclose the details. Privacy, ongoing investigations, legal liability, phrases like ‘passed away suddenly’ — that’s standard. … That’s not evidence of concealment,” he says.

“I’m not one to dismiss conspiracy theories, but it seems like we go out looking for some things,” he continues.

To illustrate how easily a conspiracy theory can gain traction, Glenn shares some recent data from his own industry.

“In the last 12 months, I’ve had eight people in my industry die,” he says, citing longtime radio syndication executive Gary Krantz, Pittsburgh radio icon and conservative talk host Jim Quinn, award-winning Texas radio journalist Matt Thomas, WMAL radio host John Lyon, and conservative talk radio pioneer David Gold, among others.

“Of course, Charlie Kirk, we know,” he adds.

“None of these are connected, but if I wanted to, I could do [it],” says Glenn.

“I have a list of maybe 25 names. They all died in the last year.”

Glenn issues a stark warning: “Be very, very careful about propaganda. … There’s a lot of information out there, but you can take information and make it into anything you want.”

To hear more, watch the video above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Blaze media, Blazetv, Defense, Glenn beck, Jpl, Missing, Missing person, Missing scientists, Nasa, National laboratory, Nuclear, Researchers, Rocket propulsion, Scientists, Tech, The glenn beck program 

Last month, the Trump administration announced a brand-new White House app available for iPhone and Android. The move shocked the internet, causing some to warn that installing the app would give the government a window into every phone’s most private data. After reviewing the privacy policy, those early fears were somewhat overblown, though not completely invalid. Here’s everything we found.

The new White House app replaced the previous version that was launched by former President Barack Obama in 2010. After 16 years, the app was long overdue for an overhaul. Updated to version 47 as a nod to our 47th president, the app now entails a brand-new design and features optimized for the MAGA age.

There are some inherent flaws within its code.

A quick tour of the White House (app)

The new White House app offers a unique window into the presidency of Donald Trump. It’s comprised of five main sections:

Home: The home page displays announcements, goals/mission achievements, and other important messages from the Trump administration. These can include information on the MAHA movement, border security, cost-of-living improvements, and more.News: The news page showcases press releases and major updates directly from the administration as well as trusted media outlets.Live: The live feed displays long-form videos, shorts, and livestreams featuring President Trump and his various on-camera appearances, from diplomatic meetings, to important announcements, and a meme or two for good measure.Social: The social tab provides a live feed of various social media accounts connected to the president, including Rapid Response 47, the White House, and Donald J. Trump. There’s also a tab that lets you write to the White House, text President Trump himself, sign up for the White House newsletter, and you can even submit a tip to Immigration and Customs Enforcement if you suspect illegal immigration is taking place in your neighborhood or workplace.Gallery: The gallery displays photos of various events featuring President Trump and his administration, including important addresses, bill signings, Cabinet meetings, and more.

Zach Laidlaw/The White House app on iOS

Privacy concerns?

From the moment the new White House app went live, sleuths on social media were quick to warn others not to download it, claiming it to be government spyware that can gather users’ private data.

Based on its privacy labels on the App Store and Google Play, the White House app may collect your email address and phone number (both optional) for marketing purposes as well as app usage data for analytics. Notable components missing from the data collection notice include precise location data, microphone access, camera access, photos access, and browsing history.

In other words, the White House app doesn’t have permission to listen to your conversations, spy on you through the camera, or see your exact location.

RELATED: How the FBI can flout Apple’s privacy tools

ugurhan/Getty Images

Going a step further, we took a look at the White House’s privacy page. Based on this information, the White House website (and by extension, the app) may collect the following that developers aren’t required to disclose directly on the app page:

The device’s originating IP addressThe internet domain nameInformation about your computer or mobile setup (e.g., type and version of web browser, operating system, screen resolution, and connection speed)The pages on WhiteHouse.gov that you visitThe internet address, or URL, of the website that connected you to the site if you accessed WhiteHouse.gov via a link on another page (i.e., “referral traffic”)The amount of data transmitted from WhiteHouse.gov to your computer

At first glance, none of these seem out of the ordinary. Practically all websites you visit log this information about your device and usage habits.

So the White House app is safe to use, right? Not so fast …

Secrets under the hood

A self-professed web designer and former reverse engineer that goes by “Thereallo” decompiled the Android version of the White House app to see exactly what its code entails. Thereallo makes several censorious claims about the app that earned the White House’s announcement a community note on X. The highlights include:

Security risks driven by arbitrary JavaScript injection and an absence of certificate pinning that could leave the app open to hacks in the future.Dubious GPS tracking that logs the device’s location in the foreground (while the app is in use) every 4.5 minutes and in the background (while the app is not being used) every 9.5 minutes.User behavior tracking through various avenues, including cross-device aliases, notification interaction logs, in-app clicks, and more.

Note that these points were only confirmed in the Android version of the White House app. Due to the closed nature of Apple’s mobile platforms, decompiling iOS apps are far more complex.

So is the White House app really safe to use?

While the new White House app looks good on the surface, there are some inherent flaws within its code that could open users up to cyber security threats and data tracking. If you’d like to use the app, consider these options first:

Enable a trusted VPN to mask your IP address from the app’s location-monitoring protocols.Revoke any permissions from that app that request location data or access to see nearby devices to ensure it can’t tap into your GPS data or connected Bluetooth devices.Install the app within a secure sandbox, either inside a Private Space on Android or within an iPhone that isn’t attached to your primary Apple account, to ensure any future cyber attacks on the app can’t attempt to access the rest of the data in your device.Don’t download the White House app. Simply visit whitehouse.gov for the latest information from the Trump administration.

If you’re still interested in checking out the White House app for yourself, you can download it from the Apple App Store for iPhone and the Google Play Store for Android.

​Tech, White house app, Android, Ios, Security 

A 42-year-old stepmother is denying allegations that she tortured her 8-year-old stepdaughter after school officials alerted Florida police.

The girl was allegedly dropped off on April 9 at Tedder Elementary School in Pompano Beach with black eyes and dried blood in her ears, which immediately alarmed school staff.

‘I’ve never read anything like this. … I’ve got serious concerns for the safety of the victim.’

A school counselor called police, who arrested Melirose Joncky after an investigation.

An arrest report said the child was suffering from a large contusion on her forehead and scratches on her arms and neck in addition to the blood and black eyes.

The child allegedly told the counselor that her wounds were caused by her stepmother, and she was wearing a cast from previous wounds also caused by Joncky.

The victim was transported to Coral Springs Medical Center by Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue.

Scans revealed that the child suffered from swelling of the neck, scalp hematomas, and fractures to her arm, foot, and ribs.

When questioned by police, the child detailed monstrous alleged physical abuse that involved beatings with a pot and whippings with phone chargers.

The arrest report said a member of the Broward County Child Protection Team confirmed that the child’s injuries were consistent with the abuse described by the child to police.

She also allegedly claimed that her father sexually assaulted her in Indiana.

Joncky was arrested when she went to pick up the child from the school, and she admitted that she knew about the girl’s injuries. However, she claimed that they were from acne and also from the girl running into a door a week before.

The stepmother was charged with aggravated child abuse and child neglect with great bodily harm.

RELATED: Former teacher sentenced to 132 years in prison for horrific abuse of her two stepsons

Lindsay Chase, the attorney representing Joncky, told the Miami Herald that they would present in court the full context of what happened.

“My client maintains her innocence and denies these allegations,” she said. “The facts are not as they have been portrayed, and there is significant context that has not been presented publicly. We look forward to addressing these issues in court, where the evidence, not speculation, will determine the outcome.”

Joncky appeared in court on Friday, where a Broward County Circuit Court judge expressed disbelief in the facts of the case.

“I’ve never read anything like this. … I’ve got serious concerns for the safety of the victim,” the judge said.

She was denied bond and remains in jail. The child was placed into the custody of the Department of Children and Families.

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​Stepmother tortures daughter, Melirose joncky, 2nd grader tortured, Stepchild alleges torture, Crime 

The conflict in Iran has put a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of fossil fuels. Over the last few weeks, we’ve watched the Strait of Hormuz close, cutting off 20% of the world’s oil supply and resulting in a 55% jump in oil prices. Every industry is feeling the impact of this. But no sector is more exposed than defense.

The U.S. military is the largest single institutional consumer of oil on the planet, and right now, that’s a strategic problem.

Modern warfare is increasingly fought by small, agile teams using robotics and autonomous systems on discrete, short-duration missions.

Estimates report that the United States armed forces consume approximately 4.6 billion gallons of fuel per year. If the Pentagon were a country, it would rank among the top 60 oil-consuming nations on earth. That demand doesn’t pause during a geopolitical crisis.

What the Hormuz disruption exposed is a fundamental issue: The machines that project force are the same machines most vulnerable to fuel supply disruption.

The true cost of a gallon

The cost of military fuel is much deeper than a dollar amount. Defense logistics professionals use a metric called the fully burdened cost of fuel, which accounts for procuring, transporting, and protecting a gallon of petroleum from the point of purchase to the point of use.

In some cases, the cost has been reported as high as $1,000 per gallon when shipping to the theater of war in the Middle East. In future major contested conflicts (particularly in the Pacific), fuel logistics could be pushed to the breaking point, with the challenges far greater than those faced in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We aren’t just paying for fuel in dollars. Fuel convoys cost lives. According to an Army Environmental Policy Institute study, U.S. forces sustained one casualty for every 24 fuel and water resupply convoys in Afghanistan. Between 2003 and 2007, an estimated 3,000 American soldiers and contractors were killed or wounded in attacks on fuel and water convoys.

The reason those convoys were so frequent comes down to raw consumption. A large Army division may use up to 6,000 gallons of fuel per day. The M1 Abrams tank gets less than 0.6 miles per gallon. The Army’s generator fleet, which powers lighting, communications, and base operations at forward locations, consumed approximately 357 million gallons per year during peak wartime operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rethinking energy at the edge

Addressing this challenge requires rethinking not just how energy is sourced, but how much of it we need in the first place, where it’s going, and what we’re using.

The U.S. military spent an estimated $20.2 billion annually on air conditioning structures in Iraq and Afghanistan, making heating and cooling one of the largest energy expenses on a forward operating base. Simple interventions like spray foam insulation can cut climate-control costs by 50%, according to Army research at the National Training Center. Less demand means fewer convoys, fewer casualties, and greater operational freedom.

Modern warfare is increasingly fought by small, agile teams using robotics and autonomous systems on discrete, short-duration missions. Military logistics are evolving to match, minimizing the need to resupply fuel to smaller, distributed bases.

On the supply side, the answer isn’t a single alternative fuel. It’s an all-inclusive energy strategy: small-scale nuclear, solar paired with battery storage, hydrogen, wind, and hybridized fossil fuel generators working in concert.

Some real-life examples of this strategy include:

Nuclear microreactors as part of the Pentagon’s Project Pele have demonstrated that a reactor powerful enough to run a forward operating base can be packaged into standard shipping containers and airlifted by a C-17.Solar power and hydrogen allowed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to run 24/7 perimeter security and surveillance at the White Sands Missile Range, completely unmanned, with zero power outages for 13 months.The Air Force has certified biofuel blends across its fleet. And companies like AirCo are using captured CO2 and hydrogen to create synthetic fuels, earning them a $65 million contract with the Department of War.

RELATED: Why the US should stake a claim to Antarctica

Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images

From logistics to resilience

Reducing fuel dependence improves force protection by minimizing resupply missions. It increases operational flexibility by allowing units to operate independently of fixed supply lines.

A 2023 U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings article warned that in a future Pacific conflict, the entire fuel logistics chain would be exposed to attack at every point, making energy resilience a priority the military cannot afford to delay.

Energy resilience also supports the realities of modern warfare. Future conflicts will be increasingly unmanned and robotic. Autonomous systems, persistent surveillance, and distributed command-and-control networks all require reliable, long-duration power.

Modern conflicts are more distributed, which means supply chains are more contested. The solution is not to find a single replacement fuel, but to build an energy strategy that is diverse by design while simultaneously reducing energy demand through better insulation, smarter base design, and leaner logistics.

The goal is an energy posture resilient enough that no single choke point — not the Strait of Hormuz, not a convoy ambush, not a supply line disruption — can degrade our ability to operate.

The question is no longer whether alternatives exist. It is whether we have the strategic will to build the energy architecture modern warfare demands.

This article was originally published by RealClearDefense and made available via RealClearWire.

​Army fuel consumption, Defense sector exposure, Fuel demand challenges, Oil supply impact, Fuel logistics casualties, Us military, Modern warfare, Drone warfare, Opinion & analysis 

My fellow Protestants need to know that after I get done with Pope Leo in this column, I’m coming for them next at next week’s TPUSA pastor summit in Dallas. So enjoy it while it lasts, and don’t get too proud.

But this pope, man.

And I quote: “Communion between Christians and Muslims takes shape … as children, within our rich diversity, in our shared aspiration for dignity, love, justice, and peace.”

Seriously, if what Pope Leo just articulated is an “apostolic journey,” then I am a Speedo swimsuit male model centerfold.

I’m actually looking for a pope who has serious theological disagreements with an evangelical like me and isn’t afraid to express them.

Why didn’t St. Peter think about asking his executioners to consider their shared aspiration of dignity, love, justice, and peace when they were crucifying him upside down? It was the least he could do. Maybe the Romans are the real victims, I guess.

As my Catholic editor has said, the pope keeps saying and doing things that don’t comport with obvious scriptural, historical, or current realities on the ground. We are getting a Mr. Rogers papacy, when the plumb line for true apostolic journeys is defined thusly: Peter went to Antioch, then Rome; he was crucified upside down. Andrew journeyed to Scythia and Greece and was crucified in Patras. James the Greater preached in Spain and was executed by sword in Jerusalem. John remained in Ephesus, was exiled to Patmos, and died peacefully. Philip went to Phrygia in Asia Minor and was crucified upside down. Bartholomew traveled through Armenia and India and was flayed and beheaded. Thomas preached in Persia and India and was struck by spears. Matthew carried the gospel to Ethiopia and was stabbed to death. James the Less stayed in Jerusalem and was thrown from the temple. Thaddeus Jude went through Syria and Mesopotamia and was martyred in Beirut. Simon the Zealot preached in North Africa and was killed in Persia. Matthias, who succeeded Judas, went to the Caspian region and was stoned and beheaded.

So the truth is out there if we want it in full, cross and all, instead of a Pope Leo soundtrack that comes across as a mix of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me.”

Such social justice dreamscapes are always the conceit of weak men. They refuse to faithfully make the main thing the main thing but instead chase off after a preferred narrative. That’s how you go on a pleasant walk in an Algerian mosque while Nigerian Christians are presently being slaughtered on the very same African continent.

Pope Leo’s comments often frame violence as due to multifaceted, generalized causes based in things like economics or land rights instead of daring to take on Islam directly, either theologically or criminally. For example, among his many tweets, he has never specifically condemned Islamic radicalism for the attacks of October 7 against Israel by Hamas, a known proxy for Iran. Mere condemnations of generic terrorism have been his preference instead, as if all religions have similar levels of bloodlust at the present time.

Any ChatGPT query will tell you that such narrative casting also defined Leo when he was tweeting as Robert Prevost, which is probably why he was chosen as pope last year. The medicine for global conflicts is always focused on more dialogue, missionary work, and synodality rather than the obvious evils in our midst that are demonically vanquishing body and soul with impunity. That’s not a uniquely Catholic problem, though. You’ve all met David French and Mike Pence, right?

RELATED: The hottest part of this message isn’t political

Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media/Vatican Pool/Getty Images

Strangely enough, I’m actually looking for a pope who has serious theological disagreements with an evangelical like me and isn’t afraid to express them, because then I will know that firstly, he understands the true nature of the battle, and secondly, he is convicted to win it. That I can deal with. That’s a man in full, not a chestless minstrel reciting peacenik poetry while hanging out with David Axelrod.

Yes, in terms of relationships, the job of the pope and of all Christians may indeed be to make some very strange bedfellows when we live out Matthew 28 and go to Nineveh, but the language used to do it and the environment it is done in must never compromise the whole counsel of God in favor of a preference for “being nice.”

I also know from a search of ChatGPT that Pope Leo has spoken very frequently on things that evangelicals care a great deal about, like sin, repentance, and redemption. Thus, I think the way to confront this pope is with actual Catholicism instead of Protestant trolling.

We must remind him of the deep history and teaching of his own church — one that inspired, saved, and preserved Western civilization in ways too numerous to count.

In other words, do you even chair of St. Peter, bro? That’s the path forward, not taunts of illegitimacy.

We just want the pope to actually be Catholic. I hope and pray that isn’t too much to ask.

​Opinion & analysis 

The wife of socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has apologized for various controversial tweets she posted on social media as a teenager.

Rama Duwaji referred to the controversy in an interview with Hyperallergic magazine that was published Wednesday.

‘I’ve read and seen a lot of what others have had to say in response, and I understand the hurt I caused and am truly sorry.’

Duwaji was asked an unrelated question about the effect that becoming a public figure had on her as a person, and she included her apology for the past posts.

“This experience has absolutely changed my life. I am still figuring out how it applies to me as an artist and as a person, both thinking of the future and the past,” she said.

“It has forced me to confront how much I’ve changed, even before this moment. When a tabloid recently published old tweets I wrote as a teenager, I felt a lot of shame being confronted with language I used that is so harmful to others; being 15 doesn’t excuse it,” Duwaji added.

“I’ve read and seen a lot of what others have had to say in response, and I understand the hurt I caused and am truly sorry,” she concluded.

The anti-Israel posts were documented by a Washington Free Beacon report in March. Among them were messages of support for Palestinian terrorism and criticism of U.S. soldiers fighting in “imperialist wars.”

Another message appeared to include a gay slur and another used the N-word as well.

When the mayor was asked about the controversy, he responded that his wife was a “private person, who has held no position in my campaign or in my city hall.”

RELATED: Mamdani plan includes 5 city-run grocery markets — with massive price tag

David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

While Duwaji apologized for the teenage tweets, she did not mention a report that she allegedly “liked” posts in support of the Hamas terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“My focus isn’t on being a public figure, but continuing my work with care and responsibility, and allowing my art to speak for itself,” Duwaji added.

The mayor’s wife is a Syrian-American artist who was born in Texas. She met Mamdani on the Hinge dating app in 2021, and they were married in 2025.

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​Mamdani wife’s tweets, Rama duwaji apologizes, N-word tweet, Gay slur tweet, Politics 

Democratic Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstituted a curfew on juveniles in order to combat further criminal flash-mob incidents.

Numerous videos on social media show mobs of young people fighting and robbing businesses in D.C. over the last few months.

The Pan-African Community Action Group … said the policy was discriminatory against black teens.

On Thursday, Bowser took action to continue a juvenile curfew that was scheduled to expire on Wednesday.

“We’re reinstating the limited juvenile curfew in Washington, DC. Effective tonight, all youth under 18 are subject to an 11PM curfew — which will extend through 5/1,” she wrote on social media.

“Designated zones will be subject to an 8PM curfew as determined by the Chief of Police,” she added.

Bowser added in a press release that she had declared a public emergency order to address the “disorderly behavior, prevent violence, and protect public safety.”

Other groups of eight or more juveniles that endanger the safety of the public can lead to a juvenile curfew zone being declared beginning at 8 p.m.

The “teen takeovers” as described by Bowser included incidents at Department of Parks and Recreation centers in the Navy Yard and Waterfront neighborhoods.

One video from Saturday shows police and security guards struggling to corral the marauding teens. Another from March shows teens on a night when shootings, robberies, and fights were reported in the ritzy Navy Yard district.

The Pan-African Community Action Group called on the mayor to let the curfew expire and said the policy was discriminatory against black teens.

RELATED: Exclusive video: Black DC residents tell Blaze News the reasons they support Trump’s DC crime strategy

Bowser presided over D.C. during the surge of federal troops ordered by President Donald Trump to combat crime in the district.

She eventually admitted that the surge helped curb crime and violence, and she was criticized heavily by other Democrats for tacitly admitting the president had succeeded.

“We know that when carjackings go down, when use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer,” Bowser said. “So this surge has been important to us for that reason.”

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​Washington dc mayor muriel bowser, Public emergency teen takeovers, Navy yard teen takeover, Crime in washington dc, Politics 

The Trump administration’s Department of Justice is moving to vacate the seditious conspiracy convictions against several Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members who were involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol.

On Tuesday, the DOJ filed unopposed motions to throw out convictions and dismiss the indictments with prejudice for Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and members Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, and Jessica Watkins, as well as Proud Boys members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola.

‘I’m excited to finally move on from January 6.’

The DOJ claimed that dismissal of the criminal cases would be “in the interests of justice.”

“The government’s motion to vacate in this case is consistent with its practice of moving the Supreme Court to vacate convictions in cases where the government has decided in its prosecutorial discretion that dismissal of a criminal case is in the interests of justice — motions that the Supreme Court routinely grants,” the motions read.

Under the Biden DOJ, Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Meggs to 12 years, Harrelson to four years, Watkins to 8.5 years, Nordean to 18 years, Biggs to 17 years, Rehl to 15 years, and Pezzola to 10 years.

In January 2025, Trump commuted the sentences of each of the defendants. However, the president stopped short of granting a pardon, leaving the convictions on their records. Among the defendants, six are military veterans, and the continued presence of those felony convictions carries significant consequences for any VA benefits or military retirement pay for which they may previously have been eligible.

RELATED: Exclusive: GOP-run Jan. 6 subcommittee goes after trove of data deleted by Pelosi-appointed Jan. 6 committee

Jon Cherry/Getty Images

“I couldn’t be happier,” Rehl told Blaze News. “I’m excited to finally move on from January 6, and my family and I are looking forward to rebuilding our lives again.”

Rehl thanked Trump, acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, and U.S. pardon attorney Edward Martin for “making this possible!”

Carolyn Stewart, an attorney representing Meggs, stated that she is “pleased that the DOJ finally admitted there should be no further prosecution of my innocent client, Mr. Meggs — where he can go forward with his life without this shadow.”

Norm Pattis, an attorney representing Biggs, expressed skepticism that the court would grant the DOJ’s request but told Blaze News that he is “delighted to see the Justice Department throw in the towel,” noting that it “should have done that years ago.”

“I hope the courts do it, but I do think it’s a head-scratching request,” Pattis said, explaining that the DOJ previously poured thousands of hours and hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of dollars into its prosecution and therefore “clearly thought that the interests of justice required that prosecution then.”

“The separation of powers doctrine leaves to the executive branch decisions about whether to prosecute. Once the case is gone to judgment in the judicial branch, that branch has spoken. Suggesting that, ‘Well, we’ve changed our mind, millions of dollars, years later, in the interest of justice,’ it doesn’t really promote respect for the law. It makes it look like a funhouse over there and makes you wonder who’s running the shop,” Pattis stated.

He noted that despite Trump’s decision to commute Biggs’ sentence, the military veteran lost the pension that he “earned by virtue of his Purple Heart and combat injuries that he suffered.”

“We want that pension back,” Pattis said. “I’m not at all counting on relief. I still think this ends up back on the president’s desk for a full pardon.”

RELATED: Trump pardons 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants, commutes the sentences of 14

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Rhodes, who also spoke with Blaze News, expressed hopefulness about the DOJ’s motion to vacate, calling it “very good news,” adding that it would “be a blessing to have not just our convictions overturned, but the underlying charges dismissed with prejudice.”

“It would wipe our records clean,” Rhodes told Blaze News. “I’m a disabled veteran. … I’m service-connected disabled from a parachuting accident when I was serving as a paratrooper in the Army, and I lost all my VA benefits, along with being a felon and losing my rights to bear arms.”

Rhodes speculated that the DOJ may have requested to vacate to “avoid a potentially negative outcome on appeal that could affect their ability to use a statute in the future.” He noted that seditious conspiracy is “a very legally vulnerable statute” from the Civil War era that is “overbroad and vague” and “does not provide any shelter for free speech.”

“It’s an ancient statute that I don’t believe passes muster constitutionally, but it hasn’t been directly challenged on those grounds,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes stated that the DOJ may realize that the statute is “vulnerable [to] being struck down” or that it may result in the “narrowing of the scope of … conspiracy charges in general.”

He also pointed to the active civil claims that Jan. 6 defendants lodged against the U.S. as a possible reason the DOJ requested that the convictions be thrown out.

“If they wind up with a bad outcome in the appellate case, with the court finding that there was prosecutorial misconduct, that there was constitutional violations, that could affect them when it comes to the civil claims too. And we can point to those findings,” he said.

“There was perjury in all of our cases. We caught two cops lying red-handed in our case,” Rhodes said, referring to a Blaze News investigation that revealed then-U.S. Capitol Police Officers Harry Dunn and David Lazarus had testified that they were together on Jan. 6, despite video footage showing otherwise. “That’s the kind of crap that would come out in the appeal.”

“I don’t believe this is the DOJ being nice to us,” he continued. “I’m willing to give props to the DOJ for doing the right thing, even if it’s not for the right reasons.”

If the court accepts the DOJ’s requests, Rhodes noted that it will “definitely be fantastic for the restoration of our lives.”

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​Department of justice, Donald trump, Jan 6 protest, News, Proud boys, Trump, Trump admin, Trump administration, Us capitol, Biden doj, Jan 6, January 6, Stewart rhodes, Kelly meggs, Kenneth harrelson, Jessica watkins, Oath keepers, Ethan nordean, Joseph biggs, Zachary rehl, Dominic pezzola, Carolyn stewart, Norm pattis, Doj, Trump doj, Justice department, Politics 

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth faced some criticism after reciting a prayer that closely resembled a fake biblical passage from the film “Pulp Fiction” during a worship service at the Pentagon.

Hegseth was touting the successful combat search and rescue mission of a downed pilot in Iran when he asked the audience to join him in a prayer he said was given to him by the lead planner of the mission.

‘I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother.’

“This prayer was recited by Sandy 1, which is one of the Sandies, to all Sandies, all those A-10 crews, prior to all CSAR missions, but especially this CSAR mission that happened in real time. … They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17,” Hegseth said.

The prayer he recited seemingly paraphrased a line from “Pulp Fiction.”

“The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,” Hegseth prayed. “Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and duty, shepherd the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother. And you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”

The passage is very popular among movie aficionados and fans of director Quentin Tarantino. However, Tarantino also swiped the fake scripture verse from a Japanese martial arts movie from the 1970s.

Video of Hegseth’s prayer was posted to social media, where it garnered more than 16 million views after only several hours.

Critics of Hegseth assumed that he was ignorantly portraying the fake verse as real scripture, but that is unclear from the video.

“Hegseth is mad because America caught him claiming he was quoting the Bible when in fact he was quoting the Quentin Tarantino script from Pulp Fiction,” anti-Trump commentator Keith Olbermann responded.

RELATED: MS Now host implodes over Pete Hegseth saying, ‘We leave no man behind,’ after pilot rescue

Hegseth appeared to respond to the critics in a statement during a media briefing Thursday.

“I just can’t help but notice the endless stream of garbage — the relentlessly negative coverage you cannot resist peddling, despite the historic and important success of this effort and the success of our troops,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what side some of you are actually on. It’s incredibly unpatriotic,” Hegseth added.

He went on to compare some of the press to the Pharisees who persecuted Jesus Christ.

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​Pete hegseth, Pulp fiction fake scripture, Prayer in the pentagon, Iran rescue mission, Politics 

The first-quarter campaign fundraising total for the 2026 midterms reveals that House and Senate Democratic candidates have picked up significant early momentum, potentially spelling trouble for Republicans as more primary elections approach.

At least one Democratic candidate raised more than a Republican in Georgia, North Carolina, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, New Hampshire, and Alaska, Punchbowl News reported.

‘There’s no way for Republicans to spin this: Their candidates are getting crushed.’

Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) raised $27.1 million, breaking a record for the largest amount for a Senate candidate in any state. Talarico’s fundraising significantly outpaced his potential opponents. Sen. John Cornyn (R) raised $9 million, and Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) raised $2.2 million.

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) raised $14 million during the first quarter. The incumbent’s fundraising far outpaced that of Republicans hoping to unseat him. Rep. Mike Collins (R) raised just over $1 million, and Rep. Buddy Carter (R) raised just $470,000.

In Ohio, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) is hoping to defeat Republican incumbent Sen. Jon Husted. Brown raised $10.1 million in the first quarter, while Husted brought in $2.9 million.

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) is running against Michael Whatley (R) and three other candidates to secure retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis’ seat. Cooper raised $13.8 million in the first quarter, while Whatley raised $5 million.

RELATED: ‘Record’ cash advantage gives GOP upper hand in state AG races

James Talarico. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

House Democratic challengers also raised significant funds in the first few months of the year.

In Arizona, JoAnna Mendoza (D) raised over $2.3 million, among the highest reported by a Democratic House candidate. Mendoza’s opponent, incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R), raised $1.1 million.

In Wisconsin, Democratic candidate Rebecca Cooke is looking to oust incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R). Cooke raised $2.4 million, while Van Orden raised $1.3 million.

“Of course, this is only part of the picture. Candidates are now using joint fundraising committees to air TV ads. Super PACs will play a big role,” Punchbowl News reported. “GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson did raise the most in Iowa’s open Senate race. And Democratic primaries will drain some resources.”

“But there’s no way for Republicans to spin this: Their candidates are getting crushed,” the outlet stated.

RELATED: ‘We have a glaring disadvantage’: Democrats panic as GOP dominates in fundraising, NYT reports

Visions of America/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

While Punchbowl News insisted it was all doom and gloom for Republican candidates, the National Republican Congressional Committee saw the Q1 funding results as a win for the GOP.

“Republicans are LAPPING Democrats in fundraising & building a war chest they can’t match,” the NRCC wrote in a post on X, adding that the GOP “outraised, outworked, [and] outmatched” their Democratic counterparts.

Mike Marinella, the national press secretary for the NRCC, stated, “Once again, and for every single quarter this campaign cycle, @NRCC Patriots have outraised [the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] Frontliners.”

“House Republicans have the momentum on our side, and the money proves it,” he wrote.

Federal Election Commission reporting showed that Democratic Senate candidates have raised $368 million for their 2026 races, compared to $324 million raised by Republicans. Democratic House candidates collected $691 million, while Republicans raised $578 million.

Some of the most prominent names in Republican political consulting did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

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The House has passed a measure to extend temporary protected status for Haitian migrants with the help of Republican representatives.

Ten Republicans aided every House Democrat in voting to pass legislation that extends TPS for Haitians by another three years Thursday afternoon. This is an uptick from the six Republicans and lone independent who initially helped advance the legislation on Wednesday.

‘If you import the Third World, you become the Third World.’

These 10 Republicans are: Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Mike Carey of Ohio, Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Mike Lawler of New York, Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Rich McCormick of Georgia, Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, and Mike Turner of Ohio.

These Republicans voted in favor of extending these protections despite President Donald Trump’s fierce disavowal of temporary protected status.

RELATED: ‘Absurd’ perks for Haitian migrants may be extended, thanks to these 6 Republicans

Win McNamee/Getty Images

“This animal was allowed to stay here because the Biden Administration granted him, and all Haitians, ‘Temporary Protective Status,’ a massively abused and fraudulent program which my Administration is working to terminate, but Deranged Liberal District Court Judges are standing in our way,” Trump said in a Truth Social post last week about a vicious murder in Florida.

“As I’ve said all along, if you import the Third World, you become the Third World, and that is what happened over the four years of Democrat Control,” he added.

Republican Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas also called out the legislation, noting that Haitians’ temporary protected status was granted to them only because of a natural disaster that took place over a decade ago.

“Haitians first received TPS because of an earthquake,” Gill said in a post on X. “That was over 15 years ago. America is not their permanent motel.”

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On April 11, TPUSA Frontlines reporter Savanah Hernandez was assaulted by multiple protesters who punched her, blew whistles in her face, and shoved her to the ground while she was filming an anti-ICE protest outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minnesota, with the mob chanting, “We are Antifa.”

Now she joins Sara Gonzales, BlazeTV host of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered,” to recount the brutal attack in detail and discuss the path to accountability.

After playing the clip capturing Hernandez being violently shoved in the back, Sara asks, “How do you feel? How is your body?”

Hernandez, insisting that she does not want to “over-dramatize” the situation, admits that she is “still in pain.”

“I really do feel like this was a brutal assault, and I still at this point am baffled as to why it took place because I wasn’t there to interview anybody. I was there to simply observe,” she says.

But even non-confrontational “point-and-shoot journalism” was enough cause for violence.

It didn’t take long before Hernandez was identified as a Turning Point USA reporter. The man who discovered her identity, she says, was William Scott Kelly (also known as “DaWokeFarmer”), who was previously arrested and charged for his role in storming Cities Church in St. Paul in January this year.

“This is the same guy who, you know, incited a mob against me on Saturday, and then that mob consisted of multiple people swinging sex toys in my face, hitting me with them,” Hernandez recounts.

She then addressed the main group that allegedly assaulted her.

“There were three individuals in particular — DeYanna, Chris, and Paige Ostroushko — that were extremely aggressive,” she says.

“[DeYanna] is the first one who came up to me, began shoving me, putting her fingers in my face. Her husband came up behind me and shoved me,” she says, noting that this all happened “before the actual assault.”

“Then we found another camera angle of [Chris] instructing his own daughter to, quote, ‘Blow the whistle in her effing ear.’ So he instructed his daughter to come up to me and assault me, and she did,” Hernandez continues, as Sara plays a video capturing this exact moment.

“I want people to understand that this response happened because I was standing on a public street filming a protest. That’s it. That was the response,” Hernandez says.

Instead of retaliating, Hernandez says she actually started asking the group standard questions like, “Why are you here?” and, “Why is this important to you?”

“So, I gave them the opportunity to even utilize my platform, talk to me, and they decided to twist everything into this narrative of, ‘It doesn’t matter — you’re bad and we’re going to brutally assault you,”’ Hernandez says.

“They pre-planned this attack. They coordinated it,” she insists. “They attacked me and then in live time tried to rewrite the narrative to say that I was the agitator.”

The attack was “so horrific,” she says, that even “left-wing streamers” were saying, “Yeah, we can’t support this.”

Sara is horrified by the assault on her friend and fellow journalist.

“Someone, for the love of God, lock these people up because they’re brutal criminals,” she pleads.

Justice appears to be under way.

Chris Ostroushko, Paige Ostroushko, and Lorenzo Amadeo Garcia (Paige’s boyfriend) have been arrested and had charges recommended by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the April 11 assault on Hernandez.

“It is now up to the county prosecutor essentially to decide whether or not they want to bring forward those charges,” says Hernandez, who admits that she “[doesn’t] have any faith in the state” because of how liberal Minneapolis is.

“Luckily, the feds are also involved. … Both DHS and the DOJ are involved, and I’m happy to see this because I do want federal charges brought forward,” she adds.

To hear more of the conversation and see footage from the protest, watch the episode above.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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