Category: blaze media

A teenage substitute teacher was arrested Thursday over threats he allegedly made on social media against a high school in Loudoun County.

Hadyn Dollery, 19, of Chantilly was arrested on Monday over threats of violence at John Champe High School, according to a press release from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Dollery was born a biological male but identified as a transgender woman. The sheriff’s office confirmed that he was booked as a male.

Police said they were tipped off about the alleged threat through the Safe2Talk app. He was taken into custody outside school grounds.

Dollery was charged with making threats of bodily injury and is being held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center without bond.

Police did not indicate if students or staff at the school had been under any immediate threat.

Dollery was a non-licensed substitute teacher, but he has been taken off the available substitute list, according to Loudoun County Public Schools.

A WJLA-TV report said Dollery was born a biological male but identified as a transgender woman. The sheriff’s office confirmed that he was booked as a male.

WJLA also reported that Dollery was employed at Eagle Ridge Middle School.

RELATED: Loudoun County Public Schools claims the school board did not know details of sexual abuse allegations

The Loudoun County School District has been the scene of numerous controversies, the latest of which was the punishment of a student for asking why a biological girl who identified as a male was allowed in the male locker room.

In 2021, a 15-year-old male wearing a skirt was accused of sexually assaulting a girl in a vacant classroom of an LCPS school and had been accused of a previous assault.

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​Transgender violence, Teen sub teacher trans violence threat, Politics, Loudoun county schools, Hadyn dollery 

A Houston police officer was relieved of duty after video on social media allegedly showed her ranting about black people and using the N-word numerous times.

Ashley Gonzalez said in the post on Instagram that she confronted someone trying to steal her purse and called them the N-word during the altercation.

‘That is a sick mindset and is violence waiting to happen.’

“The amount of times that I will always and forever say that I f**king hate n*****s, oh my God. I f**king hate n*****s. Like, I hate y’all,” Gonzalez says in the video.

“I don’t f**king, ‘Oh, we were slaves!’ This and that. I don’t give a f**k, n*****. For a f**king reason you guys were f**king slaves. You guys don’t know anything better than to f**king steal!” she added.

She mocked the alleged thief for being offended when she used the N-word to insult them.

“Y’all don’t know how good it felt to say n***** out loud. … I felt like I was back in the Marine Corps, n*****,” she laughed.

She went on to assert that if a black person called for the police and she responded, she would put that person in jail.

The video was posted to social media, where it quickly went viral. KHOU-TV counted the times she used the N-word and reported it was more than 25 times.

Police1 confirmed that Gonzalez served in the Marine Corps from 2019 until 2023 and also worked as an officer for the Houston Police Dept. starting in 2024.

The Houston Police Officers’ Union condemned the video in a statement on its Facebook account.

“The Houston Police Officers’ Union is extremely disturbed by a video circulating on social media regarding an officer making offensive, racist comments. In no way does the HPOU or its leadership condone or tolerate racist behavior from any of our officers,” the statement reads.

RELATED: Mom who used racial slur in viral video faces jail time over criminal charges

NAACP Houston President Bishop James Dixon also condemned the comments but defended other police officers against broad generalizations.

“That is a sick mindset and is violence waiting to happen,” Dixon said to KHOU.

“Most people in law enforcement don’t represent this ideology,” Dixon added. “She misrepresented, you know, her colleagues and those who are out here every day trying to build public trust through the kind of service they provide.”

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​Cop uses n-word, Racist police rant online, Officer ashley gonzalez, Video of n-word rant, Politics 

A transgender-identifying Utah man kidnapped his child from the child’s biological mother during a custody dispute and fled to Cuba, possibly to seek “gender reassignment surgery prior to puberty,” according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.

Eri Ethington, 42, and Carly Ann Crosby, 32, took the 10-year-old boy from Utah to Canada, then to Mexico in late March, and then to Cuba on April 1, authorities said.

‘We are grateful to law enforcement for working swiftly to return the child to the biological mother.’

The child was supposed to be returned to the custody of his biological mother after a camping trip but never returned. So the mother obtained a court order from a Utah state court for the child to be returned to her and that granted her exclusive custody of the boy.

The boy’s family grew concerned that Ethington, the boy’s trans-identifying father, and Crosby, Ethington’s reportedly “nonbinary” romantic partner, might be manipulating the boy to undergo transgender transition surgery in Cuba.

The boy was born male but identifies as female, the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release said.

On April 16, Cuban officials located the couple and the boy in Cuba.

Ethington and Crosby were deported from Cuba to the U.S. with the aid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and charged in federal court with international parental kidnapping.

The child was returned to his biological mother.

“We are grateful to law enforcement for working swiftly to return the child to the biological mother,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak said in a statement included with the release.

Ethington had run a popular political blog about Utah and now identifies as Rose Inessa-Ethington. Crosby also uses the name Blue Inessa-Ethington, according to the press release.

RELATED: Federal judge temporarily orders prisons to provide ‘transgender’ therapy despite Trump order

NPR cited a spokesperson for the Logan City Police who said they were not initially aware about the transgender surgery concerns and had focused on the custody dispute. That report also said transgender surgeries are banned for children in Cuba.

“Our priority in every parental kidnapping case is the safety and well-being of the child,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI. “This case reflects the strength of partnerships in locating victims, supporting reunification, and ensuring accountability.”

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​Transgender in cuba, Trans couple kidnaps child, Trans child custody dispute, Kidnapped to cuba, Politics 

A federal appeals court panel has temporarily blocked a California law related to federal immigration enforcement because it appears to be unconstitutional.

California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the “No Vigilantes Act,” which requires non-uniformed federal law enforcement agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies to wear visible identification, as part of a campaign to oppose federal immigration enforcement in the state.

‘It applies exclusively to law enforcement agencies and their officers.’

The federal government successfully argued that the law violated the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

“That is precisely what the No Vigilantes Act does,” wrote U.S. Circuit Judge Mark Bennett in the unanimous decision.

Bennett and another judge of the appeals court panel were appointed by President Donald Trump, while a third judge was appointed under former President Barack Obama.

“The Act does not regulate conduct that any ordinary citizen could perform,” continued Bennett. “Rather, it applies exclusively to law enforcement agencies and their officers, including federal law enforcement agencies and federal law enforcement officers. The Act thus directly regulates conduct reserved to sovereigns.”

The law will be paused until it can be considered fully by the appeals court, but California officials can choose to file an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) did not indicate whether the state would take the case to the Supreme Court.

“Transparency and accountability are the foundation of good law enforcement,” read a statement from Bonta’s office. “The Trump administration has stepped well outside the boundaries of normal practice, deploying masked and unidentified agents to carry out immigration enforcement, despite the risks these tactics pose to public safety and basic civil liberties.”

Critics of the law say it puts federal agents and their families at unnecessary risk, but others say masked, unidentifiable agents put the public at risk.

“I’ll be signing a bill, the first in the nation, saying enough! To ICE: Unmask. What are you afraid of?” said Newsom to supporters in Sept. 2025.

RELATED: Judge DENIES Newsom emergency request to halt Trump order for military in Los Angeles

“You’re gonna go out and you’re gonna do enforcement? Provide an ID,” he added. “Tell us what agency you represent. Provide us basic information that all local law enforcement is required to provide.”

Newsom has positioned himself and California as leading opponents of the Trump agenda. Many believe the anti-Trump platform is meant to jump-start a possible presidential run for the term-limited governor.

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​Gavin newsom vs ice, No vigilantes act, Appeals court defeats newsom, Ice to wear identification, Politics 

Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) is hoping a unified approach to boxing organizations will return the sport to the time when it was a source of national pride and childhood heroes.

Cruz recently championed the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act of 2026, an add-on to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000.

‘We need more predictable pathways for matchmaking.’

Sponsored by Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.), the bill’s goal is to strengthen organizations’ ability to hold on to fighters, while establishing unified rules and medical procedures, including anti-doping programs.

The legislation — which passed through the House in March — demands that unified boxing organizations must implement drug testing programs, provide supplemental physicals for fighters over 40 years old, ensure that at least two ambulances are on site for matches, and allow boxers access to equipment and facilities fully operated by the UBO.

Effectively, if the legislation passes, it will allow boxing organizations to create fight leagues similar to those of other professional organizations, in which a boxer is locked in with regard to exclusivity and promotional rights.

The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, on the other hand, limited promotional contracts to 12 months and prevented organizations from being able to force boxers into granting future promotional rights as a condition for a mandatory title fight.

The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on Wednesday, which included support for and dissent from the new act and featured some of the biggest names in the sport.

RELATED: ‘More jobs for humans’: Tyson Fury condemns ‘all computers’ after hearing results of AI-generated scorecard

Opposing the new rules was 11-time world champion Oscar De La Hoya. The boxing legend directly criticized noted adversary and UFC President Dana White, saying that White’s Zuffa Boxing organization would likely be a beneficiary of the new rules. De La Hoya complained that Zuffa is “fully funded by Saudi Arabia” and claimed that such funding “reshaped another sport,” referring to LIV Golf, a Saudi-backed competitor to the PGA Tour.

The former boxer said LIV Golf potentially losing Saudi backing should “serve as a warning” for American boxing. However, it should be noted that De Le Hoya accepted a $10 million purchase of boxing publication Ring magazine by a Saudi Arabian who invests in Zuffa Boxing.

De Le Hoya said in March that he now regrets the sale.

Nico Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s grandson, also spoke in opposition to the legislation, saying that “the people controlling fighters should not also control the entire marketplace those fighters depend on.”

Walsh claimed the new bill, in its current form, should not have his grandfather’s name on it. According to Boxing Insider, he also cited Ali’s history of speaking against the government and said that “silence is part of the system.”

By contrast, Cruz praised the previous act but claimed that it was time for change.

The previous act was “meant to set basic guardrails without remaking the sport from Washington,” Cruz said, “but with every change comes trade-offs.”

“We need more predictable pathways for matchmaking and simplified rankings. I believe allowing for a more unified structure to take hold could help the sport compete more effectively against other combat sport competitors,” he added.

Nick Khan, president of the WWE and executive at Zuffa Boxing, made the case that the new rules create a framework that “can do what major sports do — promote competition, develop talent, and enforce consistent standards under one roof.”

RELATED: Whitlock: Is ‘Money’ Mayweather out of money? Boxing legend re-enters ring at 49 because he’s been ‘living for the culture.’

Two of the biggest contentions to major fight organizations unifying in this manner have been fighter pay and health insurance. The legislation attempts to address these issues with insurance that covers fighters during their training period while simultaneously raising boxer minimum pay.

For example, according to Boxing Scene, California has a $100-per-round minimum pay, whereas the new legislation doubles that to $200 per round while guaranteeing a fight every six months.

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​Fearless, Ufc, Mma, Boxing, Zuffa, Dana white, Oscar de la hoya, Texas, Republicans, Regulation, Sports 

A 14-year-old male was caught on video body-slamming and then head-stomping a girl on a Harlem street — reportedly after she wouldn’t give him her phone number, the New York Post reported, citing police and sources.

The attack against the 15-year-old victim took place on the corner of East 107th Street and 3rd Avenue in East Harlem around 3:30 p.m. Monday after the school day was over, the Post said.

‘He should get the death penalty.’

The clip shows the considerably larger male standing in a crosswalk in front of his victim and warning her that he’ll “knock the s**t out of you right now.”

Another male is heard off-camera encouraging the attacker: “Do it!”

When the girl attempts to cross the street, the attacker orders her, “Nah, you stand right here” as he points to the ground close to his feet.

The girl attempts to go around the attacker, but he puts an arm out and pushes her backward.

But the gutsy girl defiantly tells her attacker, “Get the f**k away from me, p***y!” and turns around and begins to walk away down a sidewalk.

Her attacker, who’s wearing a mask over his mouth and nose, follows her, grabs her from behind, picks her up, and body-slams her into the sidewalk.

Apparently not satisfied with his feat of strength, he then stomps on her head while she’s defenseless on the ground.

RELATED: ‘Dozens of bystanders’ reportedly record video while 15-year-old boy is mercilessly beaten then fatally shot at playground

The Post, citing police and sources, said the girl suffered a concussion, and EMS took her to Harlem Hospital in stable condition.

The paper added that her attacker was arrested and charged with assault — and sources noted that he’s due to appear in family court Thursday.

As you can imagine, those reacting to the incident are outraged. Here’s a sampling of comments underneath the Post’s video posted to YouTube:

“Arrest the cameraman as well,” one commenter said. “He was enjoying it.””He should get the death penalty,” another commenter declared.”It’s NYC,” another commenter wrote. “He’ll get a $75 fine and be back on the streets.””If that were my daughter, the cops would need to hold on to him for his safety,” another commenter said. “He would leave earth.””Utterly evil, doesn’t matter what age,” another commenter noted. “This is why we need [the] death penalty nationwide. Some people are beyond saving. We must protect regular normal civil people in society.”

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​Assault, Male stomps on female’s head, Video, Phone number, Arrest, Court appearance, Teenagers, New york city, Harlem, Police, Crime 

Navy Secretary John Phelan departed from the Department of War as the United States continues to carry out the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Pentagon confirmed the abrupt shakeup in a post on X where spokesman Sean Parnell thanked Phelan for his service, noting that he will be leaving the administration “effective immediately.” Parnell did not disclose the reason for Phelan’s apparent firing but announced that Undersecretary Hung Cao will become the acting secretary in the interim.

‘Some reports claim that Phelan’s departure was far from voluntary.’

“Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately,” Parnell said in a statement. “On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy.”

“We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

RELATED: The lone Republican who could tank Trump’s Fed pick

Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Most reports claim that Phelan’s departure was far from voluntary, noting that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had been frustrated with the pace of the Navy’s shipbuilding. Prior to the war with Iran, Hegseth had been conducting the “Arsenal of Freedom” tour where the secretary would visit various defense contractors, including shipbuilding facilities, and urge builders to “go hard, go fast.”

Hegseth gave Phelan the option to resign or to be forced out, CNN reported.

Phelan reportedly questioned whether this directive came from President Donald Trump, leading him to seek a meeting with the commander in chief. In doing so, Trump confirmed to Phelan that he was no longer going to continue serving in the role.

Phelan is not the only military leader to exit the Pentagon in recent weeks. Hegseth similarly fired Army Chief of Staff Randy George earlier in April.

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​Arsenal of freedom, Commander in chief, Department of war, Donald trump, Hung cao, Iran war, Naval blockade, Navy secretary, Pentagon, Pete hegseth, Randy george, Sean parnell, Secretary of war, Shipbuilding, Strait of hormuz, Politics 

One of the top contenders for the Democrats in the California gubernatorial race made a statement during a debate on Wednesday that astounded and bewildered viewers.

Rather than promise to protect Californians from non-English-speaking truck drivers, former Rep. Katie Porter said she would protect the truckers from the Trump administration.

‘The job of the Californian governor is to protect Californians, and right now that includes protecting them from Donald Trump.’

“Do you believe that English proficiency, language proficiency, should be strictly enforced for truck drivers?” the moderator asked.

“I would absolutely fight the Trump administration because the job of the Californian governor is to protect Californians, and right now that includes protecting them from Donald Trump,” Porter said.

“Protecting Californians also includes enforcing traffic laws, and we’ve seen sometimes a need for oversight in California,” she added. “For example, we have seen that the Department of Motor Vehicles was not enforcing rules around DUIs and drivers who had convictions for that.”

After not really answering the question, Porter then went on the attack against Republican candidate Sheriff Chad Bianco over his comments about immigration enforcement.

“I am stunned that Mr. Bianco would say to black and brown Californians and immigrants who are being terrorized and racially profiled that you have to ‘get over’ racism,” she said.

“It’s not something that you get over. It’s something that you fight, and if he doesn’t understand the importance of that, he has no business representing a state with the diversity of California,” she added.

Bianco defended himself and said Porter was misrepresenting his comments.

Video of the interaction was posted to social media, where Porter was widely ridiculed by many commentators.

“This is how you talk to a voting base when you know you can control them with fear and rage. You know they don’t care about policies or plans — if you just mention Trump, nothing else matters,” one user said on the X platform.

“Her strategy is anti-Trump and playing the racist card. Typical Democrat. They will keep doing this in CA as long as voters believe their drivel and vote for them,” another response reads.

RELATED: USC accused of racism after minority candidates don’t qualify for gubernatorial debate — so USC makes drastic decision

“Wow, what a wackjob, just another TDS sufferer who doesn’t care about American citizens and only plays into the get Trump game,” another critic replied. “If she had any brain cells she would have noticed long ago that it doesn’t work. She’s an angry clown.”

The latest polling shows Porter tied for fourth place behind Republicans Steve Hilton and Bianco and Democrat billionaire Tom Steyer after the ignominious exit of former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell.

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​Katie porter, California governor’s race, English requirements for cdl, Racism in california, Politics 

Is legendary writer-director David Zucker worried about AI? Surely, you can’t be serious!

Zucker — the Hollywood veteran behind smash hits like “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun” series, as well as cult classics like “BASEketball” and “Top Secret!” — says he’s confident that no computer will ever take his job.

Zucker took some time out from preproduction on his new movie, film noir spoof “Star of Malta,” to speak to Align about the state of the biz.

‘We actually know what we’re doing.’

Unlike many of his peers in the film industry, Zucker doesn’t see technology as a threat — as long as you have talent.

“Certainly, AI is no good for writing scripts. You can’t write a funny script using AI,” he affirmed.

Cruise control

Nor can AI oversee a production from start to finish, said Zucker, citing Tom Cruise as someone “experienced and talented in their craft and dedicated to good work” and therefore able to shepherd a project from start to finish.

He allowed that there are some Hollywood executives who don’t mind taking shortcuts. “[That’s] fine for Seth MacFarlane,” he said, in a not-so-subtle dig at the “Family Guy” creator and producer of the recent “Naked Gun” reboot.

RELATED: ‘Trey didn’t have a car’: ‘Airplane!’ director David Zucker on humble origins of ‘South Park’ empire

Michael Buckner/WireImage/Getty Images

As for Zucker, he’s compelled to continue writing comedy because, “No one can write this stuff.” And when it comes to new projects, he would rather take up the task himself with his own team than take a gamble on someone else.

Zucker noted that he wrote “Star of Malta” in just 11 days.

“We actually know what we’re doing,” he said.

OK computer

Zucker’s faith in himself and his team makes him the rare Hollywood insider who remains sanguine about increasing AI use.

The recent AI resurrection of the late Val Kilmer? Zucker said that as long as permission is sought out, he does not have a problem with it.

He is also intrigued by the possibility of AI-powered de-aging.

“I think that’s a good use of it,” he said, adding that he’s open to using it in his own work. “If you have to cast somebody, and they happen to be older than you need, you can do it.”

RELATED: King of comedy: 1988 ‘Naked Gun’ tops list of 100 funniest flicks

Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Comedy challenged

Zucker, who also offers an online course in spoof comedy, isn’t afraid to call out an industry that’s out of touch with the taste of audiences.

“There’s 9% of people who just don’t have a sense of humor,” he said. “There’s like zero sense of humor. So the studios are being guided by those people.”

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​Airplane, Align, Artificial intelligence, Deaging with ai, Hollywood industry, Mark zucker, Seth macfarlane, The naked gun, Entertainment 

The Israel Defense Forces may have more explaining to do after one of its soldiers destroyed a crucifix with a sledgehammer in Debel, Lebanon, as more than half a dozen others looked on.

While the IDF tried to resolve the incident with a series of social media posts, more details have emerged in the aftermath of this story, raising more questions about the IDF’s account.

‘Are they playing us?’

Following the incident, the IDF announced that both the soldier who filmed the incident and the soldier who destroyed the crucifix would be jailed for 30 days, and the onlookers would be questioned. The IDF also posted a still photo of the supposed replacement crucifix that it claimed to have helped provide.

However, a conflicting version of events has emerged.

RELATED: IDF soldier caught smashing Jesus statue with sledgehammer — officials and critics react

Debel Municipality Facebook account

Photos posted to the X account called Hillbilly Catholic on Wednesday afternoon went viral, and the messages accompanying the photos claimed that the Italian forces of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon had replaced the crucifix.

Among those pictured in the photos are several soldiers with Italian flags on their uniforms that seem to match that of U.N. personnel, a few priests, and what appears to be the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Bishop Paolo Borgia.

In another post, Hillbilly Catholic included a screenshot of the IDF’s post with the crucifix it claimed “replaced” the one its soldiers had destroyed. The crucifixes in the IDF post and the Hillbilly Catholic posts differ in shape, color, detail, and style.

“Are they playing us?” Hillbilly Catholic asked.

The photographs posted by Hillbilly Catholic were part of a larger set of photos and video from what appears to be a local Debel account on Facebook called Debel Alerts.

On Tuesday, Debel Alerts made a post claiming an Italian priest named Father Claudio was coordinating with UNIFIL Commander General Diodato Abagnara to replace the crucifix in its original spot. The post added that Father Claudio revealed that “a gesture of support” was on its way from UNIFIL and expected to arrive within 48 hours.

There is also a video on the Debel Alerts’ timeline of the new crucifix statue being transferred.

Debel Municipality

On Wednesday, Debel Alerts posted several photos of the installation of the new crucifix with the help of UNIFIL. The photos show soldiers and priests standing side by side in front of the newly installed crucifix statue.

The new crucifix also appears to have been placed in the exact spot where the old one was destroyed, a comparison of the surroundings revealed.

An official account called Debel Municipality posted more photos confirming Bishop Paolo Borgia’s presence during the procession and installation of the new crucifix.

However, this account also revealed something unexpected.

Some online users scoffed at the IDF’s post of the new crucifix, claiming that the crucifix looked like a small wall crucifix or that the photo was manipulated.

Yet Debel Municipality posted a photo of what appears to be that crucifix during the procession. A man can be seen standing next to some priests and behind some servers while holding the much smaller crucifix that appeared in the IDF’s post.

Debel Municipality

While this photo seems to debunk the claims that the IDF’s post was fake or manipulated, other questions remain.

First, neither Debel Alerts nor Debel Municipality make any mention of the IDF’s alleged efforts to help replace the crucifix, despite the IDF’s claim that “Northern Command worked to coordinate the replacement of the statue from the moment it received the report of the incident.”

Similarly, the IDF did not make any mention of UNIFIL’s role nor Bishop Paolo Borgia’s presence in the town this week, despite their clear roles in the project.

Further, the IDF’s “replacement” is not the actual replacement. The crucifix that UNIFIL apparently provided was placed in the same place as the old one and has a similar size and style, while the IDF one, though apparently real, is significantly smaller and not installed in the same place.

Finally, the IDF has not posted any follow-up with a photo of the other crucifix that UNIFIL helped replace, suggesting that the other, smaller crucifix is the only “replacement” they are claiming to have helped with. It is not clear whether the IDF actually provided the smaller crucifix to the community, despite its claim.

Blaze News contacted the IDF, UNIFIL, Debel Municipality, and the Nunciature of Lebanon via the Vatican Press Office but did not immediately receive a response.

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​Crucifix, Debel alerts, Debel municipality, Hillbilly catholic, Idf, Israel defense forces, Italian forces, Northern command, Politics, Priest, Sledgehammer, Unifil, Soldiers, Father claudio, Unifil commander general abagnara, Lebanon, Southern lebanon, South lebanon, Christians, Catholic, Apostolic nuncio, Bishop paolo borgia 

Conservatives have spent decades fighting government overreach. We have opposed IRS targeting of Tea Party groups, regulatory power-grabs, and agencies that treat the Bill of Rights as a suggestion. So explain this: Why are Republican leaders in Congress lining up to renew a surveillance law that lets the FBI read Americans’ private communications without asking a judge? Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expires on April 30. Intelligence agencies want an 18-month clean extension — no changes, no reforms, no warrant requirement. The intelligence community has joined former Biden administration officials in making the rounds on Capitol Hill, pressing members of Congress to fall in line.

Some of us are standing up for the Fourth Amendment by demanding, at the very least, fair votes on real civil liberties protections. Some are not, demanding that we shut up and not only reauthorize this powerful spying power, but also deny Americans a chance to see how their representatives in Congress vote on an issue that enjoys overwhelming, bipartisan support from their constituents.

Conservatives who believe January 6 defendants were treated unjustly by a politicized Department of Justice should be the first to demand a warrant requirement — because Section 702 is one of the laws that was wrongly used to go after those Americans.

Here’s what a “clean” reauthorization actually means. The government collects the communications of foreign targets overseas — emails, texts, calls. That part is unobjectionable. Foreigners have no Fourth Amendment rights. The problem is what happens next. When those foreign targets communicate with Americans, those American messages get swept into the database too — hundreds of millions of them. And then the FBI can search through those communications using your name or email address — with no warrant, no judge, and no probable cause. This is the “backdoor search.” This is not a hypothetical concern. In a single reporting period, the government conducted 278,000 searches that violated the rules. From 2018 to 2024, federal law required a warrant before the FBI could conduct backdoor searches in certain criminal cases. The bureau ran dozens of qualifying searches during that window. It obtained the required court order zero times.

Conservatives who believe January 6 defendants were treated unjustly by a politicized Department of Justice should be the first to demand a warrant requirement — because Section 702 is one of the laws that was wrongly used to go after those Americans.

RELATED: GOP hard-liners derail government’s spying power despite pressure from Trump

cbies/Getty Images

Congress responded in 2024 by passing minor reforms that mostly codified then-current practice — RISAA — which is to say Congress put into law the same rules that had already led to significant misuse. The FBI’s response was to quietly use a separate querying tool that bypassed those requirements. By March 2026, the FISA Court issued a classified opinion that found the issue spanned the entire intelligence community. And it isn’t just the FBI. We still don’t know whether the NSA analyst who searched Section 702 data for information about online dating matches kept his security clearance or job.

The fix is straightforward. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) has introduced the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act, while Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), and a bipartisan coalition have introduced the Government Surveillance Reform Act, both of which require a warrant before the FBI can access an American’s private communications collected under Section 702. Conservative members blocked the clean reauthorization not to make FISA reauthorization impossible, but to create a path forward for a version that does not unjustly violate Americans’ privacy.

The argument that we must choose between national security and the warrant requirement is false. Warrants do not prevent surveillance. They require the government to convince a judge that the surveillance is justified, as the Constitution requires. Government agencies that cannot meet that standard are fishing — for you.

​Conservatives, Fbi, Government overreach, Section 702, Opinion & analysis 

The Epstein files may have largely disappeared from the 24-hour news cycle on this side of the Atlantic, but the damning revelations they contain nevertheless continue to haunt former associates of the dead pedophile, especially Microsoft co-founder and vaccine champion Bill Gates.

While maintaining that he “did nothing illicit,” Gates reportedly apologized to staff of the Gates Foundation at a town hall in February, acknowledging the negative impact that his ties — developed after Epstein’s conviction in 2008 for soliciting sex from minor girls — have had on the organization and stressing that it was a “huge mistake to spend time with Epstein.”

“Our work is very reputational sensitive,” said the billionaire. “I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us.”

‘He is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions.’

It appears the scandal-stunted organization has itself chosen to work with fewer people.

According to an internal email reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, the Gates Foundation is poised to cut about 500 jobs, or about 20% of its staff, by 2030. The foundation reportedly plans to reduce its current headcount of 2,375 by 200 by the end of next year.

“This is a challenging time for our organization in many ways, but it also highlights the critical importance of taking the tough actions now,” Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman reportedly said in the letter.

RELATED: Epstein kept a detailed Google Calendar — and you can read all of his appointments

Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

The foundation teased these layoffs earlier this year in a release detailing how the organization was planning to cap annual operating expenditures at $1.25 billion, roughly 14% of the foundation’s total budget.

In addition to slimming down, the Gates Foundation — which is set to shutter in December 2045 — is presently undergoing a desperate PR rehab.

The organization announced on Tuesday that it has “commissioned an external review to assess past foundation engagement with Epstein, and our current policies for vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships.”

The foundation noted further that this review is underway and an update is expected this summer.

In addition to facing scrutiny from investigators tasked by his own organization, Gates is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee for a transcribed interview on June 10.

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) noted in a March 3 letter to Gates that the committee is reviewing:

the alleged mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation into Mr. Jeffrey Epstein and Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell, (ii) the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Mr. Epstein’s death, (iii) the operation of sex-trafficking rings and ways for the federal government to effectively combat them, (iv) ways in which Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell sought to curry favor and exercise influence to protect their illegal activities, and (v) potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials.

Comer said that the committee suspects Gates has information that will help with this investigation.

A spokesman for Gates told Politico, “While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work.”

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​Bill gates, Gates foundation, Jeffrey epstein, Microsoft, Pervert, Elite, Billionaire, Charity, Pedophile, Sex offender, Congress, James comer, Investigation, Politics 

Somewhere between the 10,000th think piece about polarization and the hundredth talk on bridging divides, a strange consensus formed: Tribalism is democracy’s deepest disease, its most persistent poison.

Professors and pastors warn of it. Columnists mourn it. Podcasters monetize their mourning. The diagnosis is always the same: Humans clustering together with their own kind is dangerous, primitive, a malfunction of the civic mind.

The people most loudly condemning tribalism tend to be surrounded by people exactly like them, at universities exactly like theirs.

Fine. But what if they’re wrong?

Not partially wrong, but actually, foundationally, embarrassingly wrong — the way doctors were wrong about bloodletting or the way everyone was wrong about cargo pants being over.

Friendship by another name

Tribalism has an image problem. Many associate it with mob violence, ethnic cleansing, and mass unrest. But that’s not tribalism. Not really. The base ingredient — people who share values and show up for each other — predates democracy, predates government, predates trousers. We used to just call it friendship.

My life runs on tribes. Boxing buddies on Tuesday mornings — punching things together turns out to be exceptional social glue. Drinks on Friday evenings with people who know my views, share my basic read on how the world should work, and will tell me honestly when I’m being an idiot. Football on Sundays: same faces, same complaints about the same referee.

These groups form through proximity, repetition, and the steady accumulation of shared in-jokes about Tom’s terrible parking. Nobody recruits anybody. The politics surface eventually, the way they always do — not as a pitch but as a mutual nod. Oh, you also think that. Good. Pass the beer.

Condescending critique

The anti-tribalism crowd conflates the existence of a tribe with hostility toward outsiders. But the two aren’t the same thing, and they don’t have to travel together. A group of friends who share values is not automatically a firing squad aimed at people who don’t. The aggression that looks like tribalism is usually something else — fear, scarcity, manipulation by people with something to gain from the mob. The tribe itself is just the group chat.

There is also something condescending baked into the critique. The implication is that enlightened people transcend their loyalties. The sophisticated move is to float above any particular community, dispensing equal approval in all directions. This person does not exist. And if people like that do exist, nobody wants to live beside them, work with them, invite them to anything, or get stuck next to them at a wedding.

The people most loudly condemning tribalism tend to be surrounded by people exactly like them, at universities exactly like theirs, publishing in the same journals, citing each other’s footnotes, all nodding along in perfect, oblivious unison. The irony apparently doesn’t register.

Tribal to the bone

My ancestors were Irish. They were tribal to the bone, tribal by necessity, tribal the way people get when the alternative is disappearance. That tribalism — stubborn, clannish, occasionally violent, always inconvenient for the people trying to govern them — is precisely what produced the independence that eventually let them leave. Seven centuries of enthusiastic British imperialism tore Ireland apart. The tribe was the solution, not the problem.

America was the same story once. The founders were a tribe. So were the suffragettes, the labor organizers, the civil rights marchers. Every movement that actually changed anything was, underneath the rhetoric, a group of people who genuinely liked and trusted each other enough to take serious risks together.

As for the loneliness epidemic affecting the country, it didn’t arrive because people had too many tribes, but because tribes became harder to build and easier to lose. Jobs moved. Cities got expensive. The bowling leagues, union halls, and neighborhood associations that once knit people into groups of mutual obligation slowly disappeared, and we got LinkedIn as a replacement.

Against this backdrop, telling people their tribal instincts are dangerous is useful the way a fire safety lecture is useful during an actual fire.

RELATED: Parents: Let your kids out to play

Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images

Believe in belonging

What tribalism needs — contrary to the credentialed, conspicuously left-leaning, remarkably group-minded people writing op-eds about its dangers — isn’t elimination, but better PR and a little calibration.

Think of the happiest moments of your life. They almost certainly happened with the same handful of people, in the same handful of places. Some of those people aren’t around any more. That absence is its own argument — not for giving up on tribes, but for holding them closer while you can.

The alternative — atomized individuals, each navigating life as a fully independent unit, allegiant to nothing, accountable to no one — isn’t utopia. In truth, it’s just lonely, and loneliness radicalizes. Belonging stabilizes. This isn’t a controversial finding, but it’s certainly inconvenient for the people whose careers depend on pathologizing friendship.

​Democracy, Friendship, Loneliness epidemic, Polarization, Tribalism, Irish, Ireland, Lifestyle 

A former North Carolina guidance counselor faces decades in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing an underage girl, according to police. The ex-school staffer reportedly promised the victim that she would leave her family to be with her.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that an investigation was launched in February 2024 regarding accusations that a school guidance counselor was involved in an improper relationship with a student.

‘A predator was lurking behind the walls of the counseling office, waiting for a victim.’

The investigation resulted in the arrest of 31-year-old Jessica Patrick Finley, a guidance counselor and volleyball coach at McDowell County High School.

Finley was charged with eight counts of indecent liberties with a child, six counts of statutory sex offense with a child, one count of sex act with a student, and one count of offenses involving a child under the age of 15.

“In April 2025, Finley declined a plea agreement and chose to proceed toward trial,” the press release read.

On Thursday, Finley pleaded guilty to all charges in superior court.

A judge sentenced Finley to a minimum of 28 years and four months and a maximum of 40 years and six months in prison, police said.

At the time of sentencing, Finley already had served 778 days in jail, according to McDowell News.

Finley is required to pay a fine of $30,000 and register as a sex offender upon release.

RELATED: Special-ed teacher accused of sexually assaulting students in her home, giving them alcohol; 1 victim said he ‘felt trapped’

The victim — now 17 years old — explained to the court that she originally sought counseling for anxiety and depression before her relationship with Finley began, according to McDowell News.

“I was seeking help during a time when I felt alone, and she took advantage of that,” the victim said in court.

The victim knew the guidance counselor because Finley was a volleyball coach and the student played volleyball, according to McDowell News.

“A predator was lurking behind the walls of the counseling office, waiting for a victim,” the teen’s older sister said in court, adding that “a day does not go by that we do not wonder what we could have done to prevent this nightmare for my sister.”

The victim’s mother told the courtroom, “We would have beat the door hinges off that building to save her from that monster” and that “children are off limits. Period. No excuses and no exceptions.”

A sobbing Finley told the court, “I would just like to say I am so sorry for my actions and the things I have caused, for pain I have caused, for the Carter family, my family, and my own children.”

The McDowell News reported that Finley’s attorney, Christopher Rumfelt, argued that Finley was suffering from postpartum depression and having marital issues around the time of the sexual abuse.

Rumfelt conceded regarding Finley, “This will follow her until the day she dies. She understands that and accepts that.”

Officials with McDowell Public Schools confirmed to WHNS-TV that Finley resigned in February 2024, once the school district was made aware of the child sex crime allegations.

WLOS-TV obtained warrants revealing that Finley had sexual conversations through text messages with the 14-year-old student.

“Finley and (Minor Child 1) discussed details of their sexual encounters, as well as acts they wanted to perform on each other in the future,” the warrants stated.

McDowell News reported, “Finley also had phone sex with the victim on one occasion.”

The victim told investigators that Finley performed sexual acts on her on multiple occasions in Finley’s guidance counselor’s office at McDowell High School, according to WLOS.

Finley also told the underage girl that she would leave her family for her, according to warrants.

“Finley made statements to (Minor Child 1) regarding Finley leaving her husband and children to be with (Minor Child 1),” the warrants said.

The teen told investigators that she thought she was dating Finley, WLOS reported.

McDowell News reported, “The victim said she tried multiple times to stop seeing Finley. The victim said anytime she tried to stop the interactions, Finley would threaten to quit her job or kill herself.”

The news outlet added that the victim said she felt trapped by the fear of being held responsible for Finley’s death.

Shanon Smith, a captain at the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office at the time of the crimes being reported, told McDowell News that Finley’s father had been a deputy with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, and Finley’s mother had worked with McDowell CrimeStoppers.

With a potential conflict of interest, the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office handed over the investigation to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

McDowell Public Schools did not immediately respond to Blaze News‘ request for comment.

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​Teacher arrested, Bad teacher, North carolina, Jessica patrick finley, Jessica finley, Teacher sex scandal, Teacher student sex scandal, Crime 

A Denver-area man running for the Colorado state Senate landed in handcuffs in the Florida Keys earlier this week after his 4-year-old daughter nearly drowned in a hotel pool — while he was allegedly at the bar.

Around 7:34 p.m. on Monday, a 911 call alerted first responders that a child was drowning at a hotel pool.

‘I will work to restore parental rights where government has overstepped.’

A witness told police that a young boy, later identified as the 6-year-old son of Frederick Alfred Jr., came to him because his sister was drowning. The witness claimed that when he saw the girl, later identified as Alfred’s 4-year-old daughter, she “was unconscious and foaming at the mouth,” so he pulled her out of the pool and began CPR, Colorado Politics reported, citing a police report.

Another witness on the scene confirmed this account, police said.

Thankfully, first responders were able to revive the girl. The boy had also reportedly swallowed pool water as he attempted to rescue his sister but otherwise appeared to be unharmed.

At 7:40, Alfred entered the scene, carrying an alcoholic beverage, police claimed. Alfred explained that he left his kids at the hot tub to go grab a drink at the bar and estimated he had been gone about five minutes, police further claimed.

Alfred’s breath reeked of alcohol, and a receipt from the bar showed he had purchased two alcoholic beverages during his time away from his kids, police added.

RELATED: Long-shot Democrat candidate in Florida allegedly threatens to kill ‘two elderly victims’ — possibly his parents: VIDEO

Pawel Kacperek/Getty Images

Though his kids appeared to be OK, first responders strongly recommended they be taken to the hospital just in case, but Alfred initially refused, reports said. After some more cajoling, Alfred eventually relented, and the children were taken to a local hospital.

At 8 p.m. that night, Alfred was arrested and booked into the Monroe County Detention Center. Jail records state that he has been charged with one count of felony child neglect and that he has an arraignment hearing on May 5.

The Department of Children and Families was notified, CBS News Colorado reported. Whether the children’s mother accompanied the family on this trip is unclear.

Originally from Florida, according to his campaign Facebook account, 38-year-old Alfred currently lives in Commerce City, Colorado, and is running unopposed for the Republican nomination for the District 21 state Senate seat. The primary is scheduled for June 30.

His campaign website lists “parental rights” first among his “legislative priorities.”

“Families not the state should guide their children. I will work to restore parental rights where government has overstepped and ensure schools partner with parents, not replace them,” the website says.

Elsewhere on the website, Alfred describes himself as a husband, a father, and the son of immigrants who wants to protect Colorado kids and parents from Democratic “policies that put government first and families last.”

“I believe in a better path for Senate District 21, one that trusts parents, supports strong energy policies that grow jobs and opportunity, and embraces innovation to secure Colorado’s future,” he adds.

Alfred did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News or from Colorado Politics, Denver7, or CBS News Colorado.

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​Frederick alfred, Colorado, Denver, Florida keys, Republican, Gop, Politics 

The Senate worked overnight to advance the GOP’s budget resolution to fund immigration enforcement to the tune of $70 billion in an effort to end the Democrat-induced shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

From Wednesday afternoon to the early hours of Thursday morning, senators voted on a slew of amendments to advance Republicans’ legislation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Customs and Border Protection.

‘Democrats will once again demonstrate to the American people their support for open borders.’

This legislative marathon comes amid the ongoing DHS shutdown that began in mid-February. In March, the Senate approved a funding package to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP in a 2:00 a.m. voice vote, but it was rejected by the House. The House passed its own 60-day continuing resolution to fund the department in its entirety, but it was not advanced in the Senate.

The Senate budget ultimately advanced mostly along party lines in a 50-48 vote just before 3:30 a.m., with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky voting with Democrats against the immigration funding.

RELATED: Senate approves DHS funding — but there’s a catch

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) lashed out at Republicans for funding “rogue agencies,” claiming they are out of touch with everyday Americans.

“What kind of bubble are they living in?” Schumer asked. “How apart are they with people’s real needs?”

Despite the Democrats’ predictable disapproval of the funding bill, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) remains optimistic that the House will cooperate with the Senate to fund these key agencies. Earlier this month, both Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) agreed on a “two-track approach” that would partially reopen DHS while funding immigration enforcement separately.

“In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited,” a joint statement between Thune and Johnson reads. “In return, Democrats will once again demonstrate to the American people their support for open borders and keeping criminal illegal immigrants in America.”

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​Cbp, Chuck schumer, Criminal illegal immigrants, Customs and border patrol, Department of homeland security, Dhs, Donald trump, Ice, John thune, Mike johnson, Open borders, Border security, Dhs shutdown, Demacrat shutdown, Lisa murkowski, Rand paul, Politics 

An American company is pushing science fiction to its limits by introducing a mind-reading product, backed by a controversial investor from India.

The product falls under the new category called brain-computer interface technology, with the investor saying he sees his product as the best path to push people into using the brain-tapping gadgets.

‘Securely and wirelessly, understands your thoughts and what you attempt to speak.’

The Silicon Valley startup is backed by venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, an AI and software investor from Bombay State, India. The new company is called Sabi, and it is developing the Sabi Cap, a beanie that reads the wearer’s thoughts and puts them into text on a connected device.

In remarks to Wired, Khosla said that a noninvasive wearable device was the only way to get a lot of people to use the BCI technology.

“The biggest and baddest application of BCI is if you can talk to your computer by thinking about it,” Khosla explained. “If you’re going to have a billion people use BCI for access to their computers every day, it can’t be invasive.”

The technology works by using metal disks placed on the wearer’s scalp that can record their brain’s electrical activity through a technology called electroencephalography. The process is called decoding “imagined speech.”

RELATED: Is Trump’s new White House app unsafe for your security and privacy?

– YouTube

Given that the sensors on the beanie (or a planned baseball cap product) would have to work through hair, skin, and bone, the company plans on increasing the amount of sensors to piece together the required data; 70,000 to 100,000 miniature sensors per beanie have been suggested.

“Given that high-density sensing, it pinpoints exactly what and where neural activity is happening. We use that information to get much more reliable data to decode what a person is thinking,” said CEO Rahul Chhabra.

Sabi’s website describes the “brain reading” process as starting with “brain imaging” with “neuroimaging sensors.”

The company notes that it collects “a lot of brain imaging data” and maps signals into thoughts.

“Securely and wirelessly, understands your thoughts and what you attempt to speak,” the website boasts, touting how one could connect his or her brain to AI.

“AI agents do whatever you can think of. Literally.”

RELATED: Yes, smart TVs are spying on you — and one state is finally fighting back

Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Investor Khosla has been vocally opposed to President Trump on his X page while having a public feud with Elon Musk, who is in the same field with his product Neuralink.

Khosla claimed that Musk wanted to make “white America great again” while saying Musk finds racism “desirable.”

This was in response to Musk stating that white people are a diminishing population.

“Vinod, you’re not just such a pompous asshole that you tried to stop the public from using a public beach near your house, you’ve also gone full retard,” Musk replied.

At the same time, entrepreneur Palmer Luckey mocked Khosla for saying that “decent whites should quit” Tesla and SpaceX and join his own company.

Khosla has also called Trump “not fit to be President” and advocated against his anti-DEI positions by championing a “dire US need” to bring in international students.

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​Ai agents, Brain decoding, Brain imaging, Elon musk, Mind reading, Neuralink, Return, Science fiction, Technology, India, Tech 

Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick (R) introduced legislation on Wednesday aimed at turning Virginia red by offloading liberal jurisdictions back onto the District of Columbia.

D.C. was established in 1790 through the Residence Act on 100 square miles of land ceded by Virginia and Maryland to the federal government. In 1846, however, Congress passed a law retroceding “and forever relinquish[ing]” present-day Arlington County and the City of Alexandria to Old Dominion, thereby limiting D.C. to the Maryland side of the Potomac.

‘Democrats have spent years manipulating maps and boundaries to rig elections.’

McCormick cast doubt on the legality of the 1846 retrocession, noting in a release that “Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 of the U.S. Constitution, commonly referred to as the Enclave Clause, grants Congress authority over a federal district ‘not exceeding ten miles square’ made up of territory ceded by state governments to serve as the seat of government. The Constitution does not enumerate any power to retrocede such territories back to state governments.”

The congressman is hardly the first to question the legality of the retrocession.

Radical Republican Sen. Benjamin Wade of Ohio introduced a bill in April 1866 that would have nullified the retrocession. Wade asserted that all jurisdiction over the once-ceded territory was “vested in Congress, whose duty it was then, and forever after, to preserve unviolated and free from all control whatsoever, save that of Congress.”

RELATED: Judge BLOCKS Virginia referendum to gerrymander more Democrats into office

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Nearly a decade later, the U.S. Supreme Court broached the question of the retrocession’s legality in Phillips v. Payne without, however, ruling on its validity.

McCormick maintains that the retrocession of Arlington and Alexandria “has warped the system since then” as evidenced by the recent Virginia redistricting referendum.

Virginia voted on Tuesday in favor of adopting gerrymandered congressional maps.

If the gerrymandering campaign ultimately proves successful — a Tazewell Circuit Court judge blocked the state on Wednesday from certifying the results of the vote, and the Virginia Supreme Court is set to weigh in on the referendum’s legality next week — then 10 out of the state’s 11 congressional seats are all but guaranteed to go to Democrats.

McCormick noted, however, that by dumping Arlington County and Alexandria inside D.C.’s borders — along with their estimated 250,000 “votes that belong to Washington DC” — the political dynamic will dramatically shift in Virginia.

The City of Alexandria voted overwhelmingly in favor on Tuesday — 78.89% to 21.11% — of allowing the General Assembly to adopt the gerrymandered congressional maps. It was the same story in Arlington County, where 79.9% of voters supported the proposed constitutional amendment to adopt the gerrymandered maps.

“Democrats have spent years manipulating maps and boundaries to rig elections,” said the congressman. “The Make DC Square Again Act restores the original ten-mile-square District and ends the artificial advantage Virginia Democrats have recently gained from all the federal bureaucrats moving into Virginia.”

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​Virginia, Democrat, Blue state, Rich mccormick, District of columbia, D.c., Columbia, Make dc square again, Residence act, Retrocession, Land, Arlington county, Alexandria, Politics 

A 2006 video of Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom has resurfaced and is going viral on social media. The footage shows a 38-year-old Newsom, who was at the time the San Francisco mayor, angrily storming off during an interview after being asked about allegations that he provided alcohol to his 19-year-old girlfriend, Brittanie Mountz, at a public event.

BlazeTV hosts Stu Burguiere and Dave Landau called the video comedic gold. On this episode of “Stu and Dave Do America,” they play the clip and tear into it with hilarious, nonstop banter.

In the video, a reporter asks Newsom for comment on a recent attack of Yale students in San Francisco over New Year’s, to which he replies, “It’s a good reminder how important it is to remind our parents to be good stewards of underage drinking.”

The reporter then pivots to a San Francisco Chronicle column by Philip Matier and Andrew Ross raising questions about whether Newsom’s then-19-year-old girlfriend, Brittanie Mountz, had been drinking alcohol.

“It hasn’t been a very easy week for you, and I wonder whether you have any comment on the Matier and Ross story about the drinking?” he inquires.

“Thank you very much. That was a great cheap shot,” Newsom retorts, before storming off. As he walks away, he adds, “Just know, for the record, it’s increasingly impossible to have a conversation with you. … Just know it’s not personal when I walk by you. If you just send some other reporters, it’s going to be a lot easier.”

“Seems like a pretty rational thing for a reporter to ask, actually,” says Stu.

Dave points out that Newsom’s initial response about underage drinking was at least honest. “Gavin Newsom did say it is important to be a good steward when giving alcohol to minors, which is essentially a male flight attendant that gives alcohol to people.”

“A lot of people are saying there are some signs with Gavin Newsom’s mannerisms and behavior in that interview that indicate to some that maybe alcohol is not the only substance he may have been using at that time,” says Stu. “Would you say that’s accurate?”

Dave, who’s been very candid about his past alcohol and drug abuse, says, “As an expert, I would say yes. He is probably on cocaine.”

While the duo note that this is nothing more than “speculation,” as Newsom has never had any drug charges brought against him, they have a strong suspicion that Newsom’s behavior in the video points to “guilt.”

Dave mocks, “He’s like, ‘This is why it’s getting harder to have a conversation. People keep bringing up stuff I did to teenagers. Maybe if you didn’t bring it up, I could sit there and talk to you.”’

To see the resurfaced clip and hear more of Stu and Dave’s hilarious banter, watch the episode above.

Want more from Stu and Dave?

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

​Andrew ross, Blaze media, Blazetv, Brittanie mountz, Comedic gold, Dave landau, Gavin newsom, Phillip matier, Resurfaced video, San francisco chronicle, San francisco mayor, Social media, Stu and dave do america, Stu burguiere, Underage drinking, Viral video 

A 17-year-old faces five counts of attempted murder in connection with Sunday’s mass shooting near the University of Iowa, in which five people were wounded — including three students.

Iowa City Police said Damarian M. Jones, 17, of Cedar Rapids, engaged in a fight around 1:45 a.m. in the 100 Block of East College Street in the Downtown Pedestrian Mall reportedly involving as many 40 people.

‘Their lives have been forever changed by this senseless act of violence.’

Police said over the course of the fight, Jones obtained a firearm from another individual. During a break in the fight, police said Jones walked away from the other combatants, drew the weapon, and fired six times into the crowded Pedestrian Mall.

Police said five people were struck by gunfire:

One victim suffered a life-threatening wound to her head and remains in critical condition.One victim was struck in the arm and chest, causing serious injuries requiring surgery.One victim was struck in the leg, causing serious injuries requiring multiple surgeries.One victim was struck in the side of the stomach, causing bodily injury.One victim was struck in both legs, causing bodily injury.

Police said of the five victims struck by gunfire, two remain hospitalized.

RELATED: 5 wounded, including 3 students, in shooting near University of Iowa; police release photos of persons of interest

“Their lives have been forever changed by this senseless act of violence,” Iowa City Police Chief Dustin Liston said. “We pray for their full recovery and stand ready to support them in any way possible during this difficult time.”

Police said “none of the victims were the target of this shooting, and there is no reason to believe they were otherwise affiliated with this incident.”

By 3:05 a.m., investigators obtained images of Jones and other persons of interest in connection with the incident.

RELATED: Male, 31, fatally shoots 8 children execution style; 7 were his own kids: Report

Image source: Iowa City Police

Over the course of the investigation, police said they recovered three firearms, numerous firearm accessories, and multiple rounds of ammunition. Police added that investigators received more than 150 tips and served nearly three dozen search warrants.

Jones — who hasn’t been located, police said Wednesday — faces the following charges:

attempted murder (five counts)willful injury assault causing serious injury (three counts)willful injury assault causing bodily injury (two counts)going armed with intent

Officials confirmed to Iowa’s News Now that Jones is number three in the persons of interest photos sent out earlier this week.

RELATED: Masked men open fire after storming into Chick-fil-A; 1 dead, 6 injured; manhunt under way

Image source: Iowa City Police

Police said they are asking the public for assistance and that those with information are asked to contact the Iowa City Police Department at 319-356-5275. In addition, police said those in the area of the shooting with security cameras are asked to review their recordings and contact police with any potential video or information.

Iowa City Area Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information about this incident that leads to an arrest, police said. Crime Stoppers tips can be submitted via the P3 Tips app, online at iccrimestoppers.org, or by phone at 319-358-TIPS (8477), police said. All tips and calls are held in strict confidence and anonymity is guaranteed, police said, and individuals providing information are not required to reveal their identity to collect a reward.

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​Iowa city, Attempted murder charge, Going armed with intent, Mass shooting, Police, Suspect at large, Suspect named, University of iowa, Willful injury assault, Crime