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More than a dozen Republicans voted with Democrats Wednesday to advance a bill overturning a presidential executive order against federal worker unions.

The bill, led by Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), passed in the U.S. House with the support of 222 members, while 200 voted against the bill. All Democrats voted in favor of the bill, which needs another procedural vote to be implemented into law.

‘If the majority we built over the past few months sticks together, we can overturn this union-busting executive order.’

The Protect America’s Workforce Act would repeal the executive order signed in March that would forbid collective bargaining with unions representing a large number of federal departments. Golden said the order stripped about 1 million workers of their bargaining rights.

“President Trump said ending collective bargaining was about protecting our national defense. … If the majority we built over the past few months sticks together, we can overturn this union-busting executive order, and we can show America that this body will protect workers’ rights,” the Democrat said.

The 13 Republican representatives who voted with Democrats are listed below.

Jeff Van Drew (N.J.)Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.)Nick LaLota (N.Y.)Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.)Rob Bresnahan (Pa.)Don Bacon (Neb.)Mike Lawler (N.Y.)Tom Kean (N.J.)Ryan Mackenzie (Pa.)Zach Nunn (Iowa)Chris Smith (N.J.)Pete Stauber (Minn.)Mike Turner (Ohio)

If approved again by the House, it will go to the Senate and will need approval from the president.

RELATED: Trump signs executive order to help cities and states tackle homelessness and drug abuse

When Trump signed the executive order in March, the AFL-CIO union vowed to aggressively oppose it.

“President Trump’s executive order is political retribution against unions, plain and simple,” reads a statement from the union. “America’s unions have been in the streets, the courtroom, and the halls of power fighting back against his agenda.”

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​Federal union executive order, Dems vs trump, Unions vs trump, Protect america’s workforce act, Politics 

The Trump administration has announced a brand-new visa package that is expected to help some of America’s biggest companies keep their foreign talent.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced the launch of the Trump Gold Card, an expedited pathway to U.S. residence and even citizenship for a premium price.

‘This landmark program fulfills President Trump’s promise to attract the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and investors to America while guaranteeing they have skin in the game.’

On Truth Social, Trump said, “THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT’S TRUMP GOLD CARD IS HERE TODAY! A direct path to Citizenship for all qualified and vetted people. SO EXCITING! Our Great American Companies can finally keep their invaluable Talent.”

The program has multiple tiers. Individuals can pay a fee of $1 million to receive U.S. residency in “record time” as part of the Trump Gold Card.

RELATED: Walmart, other major companies retreat from sponsoring H-1Bs following Trump administration’s reforms

Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

The Trump Corporate Gold Card functions similarly but has a fee of $2 million that the company will pay.

The Trump Platinum Card, which the website says is “coming soon,” costs $5 million and will allow foreigners to live in the United States for 270 days “without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explained how companies can use this program: “The company can keep them here, and they have a path to citizenship. Obviously, they have to be perfect people in America. And having passed the vetting, after five years, they’ll be available to become citizens, and then the corporation puts someone else on the card.”

Lutnick added that the proceeds of this expensive program will function as a “gift to the United States.”

All applications also require a $15,000 processing fee as part of the vetting process.

The Trump Gold Card functions as a lottery through EB-1 and EB-2 visas, which filter for extraordinary ability in various fields.

“This landmark program fulfills President Trump’s promise to attract the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and investors to America while guaranteeing they have skin in the game,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X in light of the announcement.

Trump ordered the creation of the Trump Gold Card program on the same day that he ordered the $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications, a popular move that addresses some of the abuses with the H-1B program without canceling it entirely.

The Gold Card office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said a new bill he signed on Tuesday is intended to limit the “depravity” of the Trump administration, but government officials say it’s unconstitutional.

The law restricts federal immigration enforcement outside of state courthouses and allows residents to sue federal immigration agents if they believe their civil rights have been violated. It also restricts similar operations near hospitals, university campuses, and day-care centers.

‘Dropping your kid off at day care, going to the doctor, or attending classes should not be a life-altering task.’

“The idea that the Trump administration wants to prevent people from attending courts, doing their civic duty, and protecting public safety just boggles the mind,” Pritzker said about the law.

School officials are prohibited under the new law from reporting the immigration status of a student, employee, or another person associated with the student or employee.

“Today, I’ve signed into law legislation that expands legal protections for the people of Illinois,” the governor wrote in a post on social media. “Dropping your kid off at day care, going to the doctor, or attending classes should not be a life-altering task. We will counter the Trump Administration’s depravity.”

The Department of Homeland Security responded by accusing Pritzker of acting unconstitutionally against federal authority.

“Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution, still clearly states: ‘This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof … shall be the supreme Law of the Land,'” reads the statement on social media.

“By signing this law, @GovPritzker violated the Supremacy Clause,” the department added. “We hope the headlines and social media likes are worth it.”

RELATED: Trump names liberal mayor and governor who ‘should be in jail’

A recent DHS report said that as many as 1,768 criminal non-citizens, which includes illegal immigrants and other residents, were released in Illinois despite ICE detainers placed on them. Among the released, there were at least five homicide convictions, 141 assault convictions, and 10 convictions for sexual offenses.

Pritzker is considered by some to be a possible candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.

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The U.S. military has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, according to comments made by President Donald Trump.

The president has warned government leaders of Venezuela that he would take action against narco-terrorists smuggling harmful drugs from the country into the U.S. Those actions have manifested in military strikes against alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean.

‘For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.’

“As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,” Trump said. “Large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized actually.”

Sources told ABC News that the tanker is referred to as a VLCC, or very large crude carrier, and can carry as many as 2 million barrels of oil.

The president offered few details about the incident but said more information would be released soon.

“It was seized for a very good reason,” he added.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi offered more details in a statement on social media.

“Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran,” she wrote.

“For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” she added. “This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely — and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.”

She included video from the operation in the post.

Also on Tuesday, the president said in an interview with Politico that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s days were numbered.

RELATED: US strike against military targets in Venezuela could begin at any moment: Report

Democrats have accused the administration of committing war crimes in the strikes on alleged drug-runners. In one incident, two survivors of a strike on a boat were killed by a second strike, which many have said was illegal.

The Trump administration has put up a $50 million reward for the arrest of Maduro.

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Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) has launched her campaign for the U.S. Senate, and BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales couldn’t be happier — especially after seeing her first official campaign ad.

The ad features Crockett staring straight ahead and blinking while a voice-over of President Donald Trump insulting her plays.

“How about this new one they have, their new star, Crockett? How about her? She’s the new star of the Democrat Party, Jasmine Crockett. They’re in big trouble,” Trump begins.

“She’s a very low-IQ person. Somebody said the other day she’s one of the leaders of the party. I said, ‘You got to be kidding,’” he said as Crockett stared blankly into the camera.

“Almost a minute long of Donald Trump calling you retarded with no context, and you’re like, ‘Yeah, Trump called me stupid. Vote for me.’ Like, what? I don’t know who she paid to do this. I don’t know how much money she spent. I would say if she spent more than $5 on that ad, it was a total waste of money,” Gonzales comments, laughing.

“I am elated,” she says. “I can’t wait for the rest of these ads. I can’t wait for the rest of these press conferences.”

Gonzales, who points out that Crockett once said, “Just because someone has committed a crime, it doesn’t make them a criminal,” believes her run for Senate is a “gift from God.”

Not only because Crockett is a source of entertainment for Gonzales, but because her presence will ensure a Republican victory, as her ideas are so bad that almost no one could take them seriously.

In one interview, Crockett even floated the idea of black people not paying taxes “because then again, that puts money back in your pocket, but at the same time, it may not be as objectionable to some people about actually giving out dollars.”

“It’s all so crazy,” Gonzales laughs. “I love this. This is, like, the best Christmas present.”

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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What was supposed to be a fun family cruise to Mexico ended in panic, a physical confrontation with security, a death that officially was ruled a homicide — and now a lawsuit.

The wrongful death suit claims a passenger on a cruise a year ago was served 33 alcoholic drinks in a “matter of hours,” and crew members used pepper spray when the California father reportedly became unruly. Ship security detained the passenger who was later given an injection as a sedative before he died, according to the suit.

‘The next phone call she gets, he’s dead.’

Michael Virgil, 35, went on a vacation with his family aboard the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas cruise ship in December 2024.

On Dec. 13, 2024, Virgil boarded the ship in San Pedro, California, with his fiancée Connie Aguilar, their young son, and relatives for a three-day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, according to USA Today.

Kevin Haynes, an attorney for the family, told the Daily Mail that Virgil’s cabin was not ready when he boarded the cruise ship, so he went to one of the ship’s bars.

The lawsuit claims Virgil was served 33 alcoholic beverages — but it’s unclear if he consumed all of the drinks.

CBS News reported that that lawsuit said Royal Caribbean crew members “negligently” overserved alcohol to Virgil “in a matter of hours” while he showed signs of intoxication.

Virgil “became agitated” when he couldn’t locate his cabin, according to the suit, which was filed Friday in federal court in Miami, where Royal Caribbean is headquartered.

Christifer Mikhail, a passenger aboard the Navigator of the Seas, recorded cellphone video of Virgil violently kicking a door on the cruise ship.

RELATED: College football player raped girl on family cruise, feds say — and allegedly asked her appalling 2-word question afterward

Mikhail told KTTV-TV in December 2024, “The gentleman, that was drunk, said he was going to kill us. He started chasing us down the hallway.”

KTTV added that “passengers say he attacked two crew members. And attempted to kick down a door to try to get to one of the crew members.”

Several security members are seen in the video surrounding Virgil before confronting him.

The lawsuit adds, “Royal Caribbean crew members, including security personnel, then tackled decedent to the ground, stood on decedent’s body with their full weight, and compressed decedent’s body, causing decedent to stop moving.”

Haynes added to the Daily Mail that “the first domino that fell in terms of causing his death was mechanical asphyxiation, and that is where approximately five, maybe more, Royal Caribbean employees were trying to restrain him by putting their full body weight on him. And they did that for three minutes.”

The ship’s security members detained Virgil by using zip ties, handcuffs, and pepper spray.

‘They put Michael in a refrigerator and continued the cruise for multiple days.’

Aguilar claimed she found out about the incident when her name was called over the ship’s intercom.

Aguilar was brought to Virgil, where she said she saw her fiancée on a gurney with zip ties on his wrists.

Haynes told the Daily Mail, “They assured her, ‘Everything’s going to be fine. We’re going to give him a sedating injection, just go back to your cabin.’ The next phone call she gets, he’s dead.”

The lawsuit alleges that the ship’s medical staff injected Virgil with haloperidol as a sedative.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Health: “Haloperidol is a medication that works in the brain to treat schizophrenia. It is also known as a first-generation antipsychotic (FGA) or typical antipsychotic. Haloperidol rebalances dopamine to improve thinking, mood, and behavior.”

Virgil was pronounced dead at 8:32 p.m. on the first day of the cruise when the ship was more than three miles offshore, according to the Daily Mail.

Haynes said, “They put Michael in a refrigerator and continued the cruise for multiple days.”

Virgil’s body remained aboard the ship until the Navigator of the Seas returned to California on Dec. 16, 2024, three days after the cruise commenced.

RELATED: Mother and her adult son allegedly beat up 65-year-old woman on cruise ship amid argument

The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner ruled Virgil’s death a homicide that was caused by “combined effects of mechanical asphyxia, obesity, cardiomegaly, and ethanol intoxication.”

Fox News noted, “The report also said the injury occurred from ‘body compression during restraint by multiple ship security personnel’ and ‘ingestion of ethanol.'” The cable network included a copy of the medical examiner’s report, which was filed in April.

Virgil’s blood alcohol concentration measured between 0.182% and 0.186%, roughly twice the legal driving limit in California.

“While not lethal on its own, this level of intoxication can depress respiratory drive, impair coordination, and diminish the individual’s ability to respond to distress during restraint,” the autopsy report said, according to the Daily Mail.

Haynes told the Daily Mail, “His behavior was out of character for him. He was scared and acting out of fear. Whatever Michael may have done during that stressful time, fueled by alcohol, it shouldn’t have given him a death sentence.”

A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean, the world’s second-largest cruise company, told Blaze News, “We were saddened by the passing of one of our guests, worked with authorities on their investigation, and will refrain from commenting any further on pending litigation.”

Citing the lawsuit, NBC News noted that maritime common law requires cruise ship companies to “supervise and assist passengers likely to engage in behavior dangerous to themselves or others.”

Haynes stated, “We are seeing an incredibly alarming number of serious injuries and fatalities on cruise ships. This should never happen again.”

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Our looks-obsessed, social-media-fueled culture is out of control — and it is causing more and more women to turn themselves into “cartoons.”

So says Hollywood star Kate Winslet, who unloaded on the subject in a recent interview with the Times.

‘It is f**king chaos out there.’

Carpet-bombed

Winslet, who rocketed to worldwide fame after starring in 1997’s “Titanic,” recalled enduring incessant scrutiny of her weight early in her career — at one point being described as “a little melted and poured into” a dress she wore at an awards show.

Still, the now-50-year-old said she never reacted to these barbs by getting surgery or taking weight-loss drugs, two approaches she feels are so common today that they have warped our idea of beauty.

Winslet added that her first reaction when seeing another woman with Botox or filler in her face is to think “No, not you! Why?”

But, Winslet continued, “No one’s listening because they’ve become obsessed with chasing an idea of perfection to get more likes on Instagram. It upsets me so much.”

Lip service

Nor is Winslet a fan of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic.”

“Do they know what they are putting in [their bodies]?” she asked. “The disregard for one’s health is terrifying. It bothers me now more than ever. It is f**king chaos out there.”

RELATED: Can conservatives reclaim pop culture?

Photo by SC/Mirrorpix via Getty Images

Winslet implied that while she gets why the Hollywood crowd is obsessed with appearances, what really bothers her is the thought of everyday people “who save up for Botox or the s**t they put in their lips.”

Character flaw

To illustrate her point, she told the Times about a BBC article she read about a car crash with a young woman.

“She looked like a cartoon,” Winslet scolded. “You do not actually know what that person looks like — from the eyebrows to mouth to lashes to hair, that young woman is scared to be herself. What idea of perfection are people aspiring to? I blame social media and its effect on mental health.”

To that end, she added that it has been “heartbreaking” to see people constantly looking at their phones.

“Nobody’s looking into the f**king world any more.”

RELATED: Transracialism is back — and it’s worse than ever

Photo by: Vince Bucci/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

While attempting to show that “life” is in one’s hands, Winslet remarked, “Some of the most beautiful women I know are over 70, and what upsets me is that young women have no concept of what being beautiful actually is.”

The interviewer noted that Winslet went out of her way to prove she “hasn’t got anything” in her face and even squeezed her hands to show creases around her veins.

​Align, Social media, Plastic surgery, Ozempic, Instagram, Injections, Hollywood, Entertainment 

A portrait of a transgender-identifying former official of the Department of Health and Human Services now carries his biological name rather than his chosen identity.

Rachel Levine is the first transgender-identifying person to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate and served as the assistant secretary of HHS in the Biden administration.

‘We remain committed to reversing harmful policies enacted by Levine and ensuring that biological reality guides our approach to public health.’

Levine’s portrait now reads, “Richard Levine,” his birth name.

HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement that the decision was made in order to follow “gold-standard science.”

“Our priority is ensuring that the information presented internally and externally by HHS reflects gold-standard science,” said Nixon. “We remain committed to reversing harmful policies enacted by Levine and ensuring that biological reality guides our approach to public health.”

A spokesperson for Levine called the decision “petty” and bigoted in a statement to NPR.

“During the federal shutdown, the current leadership of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health changed Admiral Levine’s photo to remove her current legal name and use a prior name,” said Levine spokesperson Adrian Shanker.

Shanker went on say it was an act “of bigotry against her.”

Other Democrats condemned the decision.

“Trump officials are so insecure they even erased Admiral Rachel Levine’s name from her own HHS portrait,” responded Democratic Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont. “Instead of honoring a patriot who is serving this country, they’re busy stoking bigotry, while the rest of America pays the price.”

RELATED: Twitter suspends Tucker Carlson over 7-word tweet on transgender official Rachel Levine

Levine was a prominent supporter of transition surgeries and interventions during his time at HHS.

“Gender-affirming care is medical care,” he said in a 2023 statement. “Gender-affirming care is mental health care. Gender-affirming care is literally suicide prevention care.”

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Traditionally, immigrants adopt the customs and culture of the natives whose country they have moved into. But as we know, progressives have flipped the script. In their warped worldview, the natives must devolve for the sake of the newcomers in the name of “tolerance and inclusivity.”

Minnesota is the perfect exhibit. After Christopher Rufo’s reporting exposed massive Somali-led fraud rings draining hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds, you would expect the mayor of Minneapolis to condemn the grift. Instead, Jacob Frey went full solidarity mode.

In a December 2 press conference, Frey vowed that city police and staff would refuse to cooperate with ICE and then switched to speaking in Somali to pledge his support to the community.

On the latest “Rufo & Lomez,” Christopher Rufo and co-host Jonathan Keeperman tear into Frey’s performance, dissecting what it really reveals about Minnesota.

“Our police, many of whom are Somali themselves, are trusted partners in keeping people safe. They will not collaborate with any federal agency around doing immigration enforcement work. Our city staff and our law enforcement will not ask the question as to whether an individual is documented or not,” said Frey.

“That’s not American. That’s not what we are about. And we’re going to do right by every single person in our cities,” he continued, before fumbling through several lines delivered in Somali.

“We love you, we stand with you, and we aren’t backing down,” he concluded.

Keeperman points out the darkly comic “synchronicity” of Frey’s stance: “The Nordic populations of the upper Midwest are engaged in the exact same sort of altruistic migration experiment … that their kinfolk are engaged in still in their Scandinavian countries.”

It’s living proof of what he’s been saying all along: “You can’t just strip people of the habits and norms of the groups that they come from.”

In other words, ethnic character travels. It’s true of the Somali-Americans who brought with them the exact same clan-based fraud and grift that is rampant back in Somalia. And it’s true of Minnesotans, who, centuries after their ancestors left Scandinavia, are still running the identical open-borders generosity script — right down to importing a Somali community now accused of massive fraud — because that self-sacrificial impulse never actually left the bloodline.

But Keeperman sees zero chance that Frey or Governor Tim Walz (D) will ever recognize the self-destructive insanity of their immigration stance. “A guy like Jacob Frey or Tim Walz simply just has to lose an election. The people of Minnesota are at some point going to just have to say, ‘We’re not going to do this any more.”’

Rufo isn’t hopeful that Minnesotans are anywhere near their breaking point, however.

Not only was Jacob Frey re-elected as mayor despite stories of Somali fraud circulating in the media for years, but the candidate who narrowly lost to him was Omar Fateh — a radicalized Somali Democrat socialist.

Fateh, Keeperman reminds us, “was committing fraud during the election to rig the Democratic primary in his favor.”

But because Minnesotans are ideologues when it comes to immigration — and can’t bear to fully confront the mess they have invited — the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party took “the gloves off” by revoking Fateh’s rigged endorsement, only to pull its punches and refuse to hammer him on the fraud because it makes people “feel too uncomfortable as white liberals in good standing,” adds Rufo.

To make matters worse, Fateh had “long-standing relationships with a number of the people who were arrested and then convicted of these fraud schemes,” he continues. “And so the fraudsters were not the downtrodden, the exiled, the marginalized. … No, these people were tightly knit with Ilhan Omar, with Omar Fateh, with Attorney General Keith Ellison.”

In sum, when Jacob Frey is “the least bad option,” it’s obvious Minnesota is nowhere near ready to address its immigration problem.

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Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas is already having to face the consequences of making outrageous statements to gain attention and prominence.

After she announced on Monday that she was running for a U.S. Senate seat, Crockett was made to answer for insulting comments she made about Latino voters. She was confronted by Jake Tapper on his CNN show, “The Lead,” on Tuesday about the comments in a 2024 Vanity Fair interview after he read a long passage to provide context.

‘I don’t believe that the people that voted for Trump believe in what they’re actually getting.’

She told Vanity Fair that Latino voters had a “slave mentality” when supporting the immigration policies of President Donald Trump.

“It almost reminds me of what people would talk about when they would talk about kind of like ‘slave mentality’ and the hate that some slaves would have for themselves,” she said in 2024. “It’s almost like a slave mentality that they have. It is wild to me when I hear how anti-immigrant they are as immigrants, many of them. I’m talking about people that literally just got here and can barely vote that are having this kind of attitude.”

Tapper pressed her to explain the comments.

“Now, about the time that that was published last year, around a million Latino voters in Texas were voting for Trump,” Tapper said. “Do they all have slave mentality?”

“No, and that’s not what that said at all, to be clear. It did not say that every Latino has that type of mentality,” she claimed.

“No, no, but the ones that vote for people who believe in strong — or Trump’s immigration policy,” Tapper interjected.

“I don’t believe that the people that voted for Trump believe in what they’re actually getting. That is number one. What Trump said is that he was going to kick out the bad guys. And that’s what I was talking about,” she responded.

Crockett went on to say that she was referring to some Latino Trump supporters regretting their vote after seeing that federal officers were also detaining migrants without criminal warrants.

RELATED: Jasmine Crockett calls Trump a ‘piece of s**t’ during rant at left-wing rally

She then tried to explain her point but ended up flustered and instead meandered in her response.

“Why is it that they believe that they can win Latinos down here? Like, I don’t understand what’s happening,” she added. “And there were people that were saying that they had fought and they had done everything the right way and that there were bad people that were coming that were doing it the wrong way. And so they were saying, ‘No, we left.’ And I mean, when you think about people that are leaving asylum, they are leaving areas and situations that they feel like are harmful to them. So yes, they’re like, ‘No, I don’t want to be in this dangerous situation.’ And that’s what I meant.”

Video of the interaction was posted to social media.

Crockett made a name for herself, partly on extreme comments she has made against the president and his supporters.

“What is happening? Like, this is not America! This is a terrible nightmare!” she said about Trump’s policies in August. “Somebody slap me and wake me the f**k up, ‘cuz I’m ready to get on with it!”

She said that she jumped into the U.S. Senate race out of a desire to mete out karma against Texas Republicans who passed a redistricting map to favor their party in the midterms.

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Australia will put the onus on social media platforms to limit access to children under 16 years old.

The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 amended Australia’s reigning online safety measures and gave social media companies time to age‐restrict their platforms and “take reasonable steps to prevent Australian under 16s from having account[s].”

‘No Australian will be compelled to use government identification.’

Officially taking effect on December 10, the ban includes Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, X, and YouTube’s general platform; YouTube Kids and WhatsApp do not meet the criteria for the ban.

Australia introduced its social media minimum-age framework that included a list of criteria that would result in a platform being banned for those under 16. This included if a platform’s sole purpose, or “significant purpose,” is to “enable online social interaction between two or more end‐users.”

Or if the service “allows end‐users to link to, or interact with, some or all of the other end‐users” and “allows end‐users to post material on the service” and “meets such other conditions (if any) as are set out in the legislative rules,” it will not be available for younger Australians.

The legislation can also specify certain platforms, or classes, to not include in the ban.

Social media platforms will be responsible for enforcement, and neither children nor their parents will face punishment should they gain access. Companies face fines of up to $32 million USD or just under $50 million in Australian dollars.

RELATED: How Texas slammed the gate on Big Tech’s censorship stampede

Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images

The government further defined the requirements placed upon the platforms, adding that they must “take reasonable steps to prevent” those under 16 from having accounts.

The legislation also specified that “no Australian will be compelled to use government identification (including Digital ID) to prove their age online” and that platforms must offer reasonable alternatives to its users.

According to the BBC, other countries are hot on Australia’s tail in terms of implementing their own similar bans. This includes the French government, which has begun a parliamentary inquiry into banning children under 15 years old from social media, while also implementing a “digital curfew” for those between 15 and 18.

The Spanish government has also drafted a law that would require parental consent for children under 16 to access social media.

RELATED: Conservative influencers promote Qatar as a desert paradise — but are they lying?

Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images

Ruling left-wing Labour Party official Anika Wells, who serves as Australia’s communications minister (and minister of sport), said that the ban is not “perfect” and is going to “look a bit untidy on the way through.”

“Big reforms always do,” she added.

Australians under 16 will still be able to access content that is available on a website without being logged in or being a member, as there is virtually no way to prevent that without restricting access to the internet entirely.

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​Return, Social media, Facebook, X, Instagram, Tiktok, Threads, Ban, Australia, Children, Digital id, Tech 

In a move championed by President Donald Trump, the Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by 0.25% to a range of 3.5% to 3.75% on Wednesday, the third cut this year, lowering borrowing costs and giving some lift to a flagging job market.

Only three members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors voted against the cut: Stephen Miran, who wanted to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 0.5%, and Austan Goolsbee and Jeffrey Schmid, who both figured it was presently best not to have any cuts at all.

‘Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace.’

Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist for the financial services firm RSM US, noted in a Tuesday analysis that the Fed was faced with the “difficult choice of either aggressively fighting inflation or hoping to revive a sluggish labor market and slowing economic activity when it meets on Tuesday and Wednesday.”

Rate cuts can help boost the stock market — encouraging spending, investing, and business activity by lowering savings rate and borrowing costs. However, by increasing the supply of money, they can also exacerbate inflation.

The annual inflation rate was around 3% for the 12 months ending September, according to U.S. Labor Department data. The Fed’s inflation target is 2% over the longer run — hence the resistance to another cut by some policymakers.

“The [Federal Open Market Committee] seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. Uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated,” the Fed said in a statement on Wednesday. “The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate and judges that downside risks to employment rose in recent months.”

In light of its goals and “the shift in the balance of risks,” the FOMC determined that a drop in the rate by 0.25% was worthwhile.

“Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace. Job gains have slowed this year, and the unemployment rate has edged up through September,” the Fed noted further. “Inflation has moved up since earlier in the year and remains somewhat elevated.”

The rate-cut decision on Wednesday comes months after the Fed similarly lowered its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points in September to a range of 4% to 4.25%, and after weeks of disagreement on the central bank’s 12-member policy committee regarding the prudent way forward.

Chris Brigati, chief investment officer at the financial services company SWBC, told the Financial Post ahead of the announcement that the Federal Reserve was divided on how to proceed with rate cuts in 2026 “given the delicate balance between job market weakness and still-elevated inflation.”

“There is also uncertainty about the new Fed chair, and that may also add to the central bank’s reluctance to make any major rate moves in the months leading up to Chair Powell’s term ending,” Brigati added.

RELATED: Can presidents fire all federal bureaucrats at will? Supreme Court to hear case with major implications.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Image

In search of someone suitable to replace Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, whose term ends in May, the president has been interviewing various candidates, including Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, both members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors; former Fed governor Kevin Warsh; and BlackRock fixed-income chief Rick Rieder. Top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett is, however, reportedly regarded as the frontrunner.

The president told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday, “We’re going to be looking at a couple of different people, but I have a pretty good idea who I want.”

When asked in his interview with Politico the previous day whether it is “a litmus test that the new chair lower interest rates immediately,” Trump said yes and noted, “We’re fighting through interest rates.”

The Federal Reserve also released on Wednesday its regional bank presidents and governors’ quarterly set of economic projections. They anticipate a rise in the unemployment rate from 4.4% in September to 4.5% by year’s end; the GDP to grow by 2.3% in 2026; and inflation to sink, but nowhere below their 2% target.

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​Finance, Business, Interest rate, Jerome powell, Federal reserve, Fed, Money, Interest, Donald trump, Politics 

In July, the Trump administration published America’s AI Action Plan to ensure that our country maintains supremacy in the artificial intelligence and tech industries. Now, the Department of War is launching a new initiative to fulfill these orders.

On Tuesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced an upgrade to the military’s use of artificial intelligence.

‘There is no prize for second place in the global race for AI dominance.’

“As technologies advance, so do our adversaries. But here at the War Department, we are not sitting idly by. Under the leadership of President Trump, America will lead the charge on this technological transformation by revolutionizing the way we win,” Hegseth said in a video announcement posted on X.

Hegseth continued: “That’s why today we are unleashing GenAI.mil. This platform puts the world’s most powerful frontier AI models, starting with Google Gemini, directly into the hands of every American warrior.”

RELATED: Trump’s AI plan prioritizes innovation over regulation

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

GenAI.mil, the government’s “new bespoke AI platform,” and its first iteration, Gemini for Government, will be made available for all Department of War personnel.

The push for artificial intelligence has been a high priority for the government under President Trump.

“We are pushing all of our chips in on artificial intelligence as a fighting force. The Department is tapping into America’s commercial genius, and we’re embedding generative AI into our daily battle rhythm,” Hegseth said in a press release from the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. “AI tools present boundless opportunities to increase efficiency, and we are thrilled to witness AI’s future positive impact across the War Department.”

The Department of War CTO X account posted a video promoting artificial intelligence as “America’s Next Manifest Destiny.”

“There is no prize for second place in the global race for AI dominance,” said Emil Michael, undersecretary of war for research and engineering. “We are moving rapidly to deploy powerful AI capabilities like Gemini for Government directly to our workforce. AI is America’s next Manifest Destiny, and we’re ensuring that we dominate this new frontier.”

Gemini for Government has some measures in place to secure the platform for government employees, reduce AI hallucinations, and serve as a “force multiplier.”

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​Politics, Tech, Pete hegseth, Emil michael, Ai, Artificial intelligence, Genai.mil, President trump, Department of war, Gemini for government, Manifest destiny, Ai action plan, Google gemini 

Last weekend, right after President Trump released his National Security Strategy, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine, dropped a line at the Reagan National Defense Forum that set Washington ablaze:

“If you look back over the arc of our deployment history over the last few years, we haven’t had a lot of American combat power in our own neighborhood. … I suspect that’s probably going to change.”

Left-leaning critics immediately accused President Trump of heralding reckless isolationism and abandoning allies. A few even spun it as “war coming to American soil,” but Glenn Beck says we should all be celebrating this.

On this episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn breaks down why President Trump “deserves a round of applause” for this brilliant America-first military strategy.

“The reason why everybody hates it,” says Glenn, is because “it is the exact opposite of what they’ve told us for 100 years we should be doing” — namely sending our troops overseas to be a global police force instead of keeping them at home.

But “America is standing in this doorway right now,” he continues. “Behind us is the chaos that we’ve just lived through … and just ahead, at least according to the National Security Strategy, is a course correction so sweeping that honestly it reads like a rediscovery of the American civilization itself.”

In short, the strategy is this: America is done hollowing herself out to police the world and is finally coming home to rebuild a safe, sovereign republic with strong borders, industry, families, energy, and unapologetic national pride.

This plan is brilliant, says Glenn, because it’s not just about building the strongest military; it’s also about developing the world’s strongest economy and spirit via ending mass migration, targeting cartels, protecting God-given rights, holding allies accountable, reindustrializing the country, and becoming energy dominant.

It also outlines plans to “compete with China economically, technologically, and militarily” and calls for a sovereign Europe, which “is dying” due to “declining birth rates, uncontrolled migration, censorship, loss of identity, [and] regulatory suffocation.”

But the strategy also smartly accounts for Europe’s demise should it happen. It asserts that America is “not going to honor NATO for any country that falls,” Glenn explains. “You become a Muslim country, you’re not a NATO country. … We’re not defending you.”

Then the plans address the Middle East, declaring the “forever wars” official “over” — “not because the region suddenly became peaceful,” says Glenn, “but because America is finally strong enough strategically, diplomatically, militarily to shift from a constant crisis management to long-term stabilization.”

And finally, the strategy looks to Africa, where historically the U.S. has “[exported] ideology instead of opportunity” to the continent’s detriment, says Glenn. But this new plan essentially says, “No more lectures, no more nation-building, no more endless aid with no accountability.”

Overall, this is a “commonsense” strategy that allows America “to love itself again and to be who she should be and let everyone else be who they should be.”

“In short, it’s a blueprint for a country that wants to live again — really live again,” says Glenn.

But even though nothing about this plan is controversial, “None of the elites want [it],” he says. They’d rather continue pursuing global institutions that outrank the Constitution, border security for everyone but America, and American workers forever paying the tab for the rest of the world.

The question that needs to be answered is not whether we can get elites on board (we know the answer to that), but rather can we get the American people on board?

“Is the president reflecting the national spirit? Do we want to live again? Do we want to be relegated to the dustbin of history, or does America have other great work to do?” Glenn asks.

To hear more of his commentary, watch the clip above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

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​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Donald trump, National security strategy, Dan caine, America first, Blazetv, Blaze media 

You know who else loves awesome Christmas gifts? My mom! As Christmas approaches, keep these gift ideas in mind if you want to leave a lasting impression and give your mom a gift she’ll cherish for many years to come.

Here are Align’s nine Christmas gift ideas for your mom this year.

1. R. Riveter

Get a grip on this all-purpose stashing sample, a veritable holy grail of versatility. R. Riveter’s genuine, full-grain leather Otto handbag is your constant companion in waiting, ready for the office, a day out, or that elusive spur-of-the-moment weekender. Balancing size, elegance, and practicality, it gobbles essentials without looking overstuffed. Think tablets, phones, keys, and of course — speaking of overstuffed — your wallet. All from a company that stands with military families, which means each purchase helps support families who serve our country. MSRP: $268.00.

2. Oberon Design

Oberon Design

Based in Northern California, Oberon Design has a rich history of local partnerships with a focus on American craftsmanship. Founded by Brendan Smith in 1967, his company has expanded under his careful eye for more than 40 years. The team today is composed of a small group of passionate craftsmen devoted to their art and committed to producing the highest-quality leather goods. The Olivia crossbody purse features an elegant pinstripe design and the occasional “perfect imperfection” in the leather, showing the life of the cow. It offers a luxurious amount of exterior and interior space as well as a metal lock — also made in-house. MSRP: $272.00.

3. Lejon Leather Goods

Lejon Leather Goods

Founded in 1968 as Lejon Inc. by the current owner’s grandfather and father, Lejon Leather Goods has since come to be known as the premier belt manufacturer on the West Coast. John W. Shirinian, the third-generation owner of Lejon, carries on the family legacy to this day. With an emphasis on sourcing and crafting all of its products in the USA, Lejon has produced over 32 million belts in its history. The Texas, for example, sourced from American bison leather and handcrafted in Lejon’s Corona, California, factory, features a Longhorn buckle and is built to withstand the test of time. MSRP: $134.00.

4. Shamma Sandals

Shamma Sandals

In 2013, the founder of Shamma Sandals, Josh Stiles, wanted to create a company that produced minimalist sandals designed for running and other outdoor activities. Surmounting challenges over the past decade, Shamma Sandals has become the go-to sandal shop for many, including competitors in extreme sports like slack linking, Warrior Races, mountain climbing, and even marathons. Based in Santa Cruz, California, these sandals are handcrafted, sewn, and tailored to customers’ needs. The Pacific Avenue is Shamma’s minimalist rendition of the classic flip-flop. It is built to last with premium leather. MSRP: $119.95.

5. Fisher Space Pen Company

Fisher Space Pen Co.

Sitting at the intersection of NASA, the New York Museum of Modern Art, and “Seinfeld” is a humble, family-owned company with a history-making legacy. Founded in 1948 by Paul Fisher, Fisher Space Pen Company’s legacy continues to this day with Paul’s son Cary Fisher as president. The innovative sealed and pressurized ink cartridge, an impressive engineering feat, earned Fisher’s pens a spot on the NASA Apollo 7 mission in 1966. This design allows for a seamless writing experience in almost every condition — extreme temperatures, underwater, upside-down, and, of course, in space. Plus its clever Cartridge models make for a great gift. MSRP: $49.00.

6. Bend Soap USA

Cheap soaps no longer mean you’re tough and practical. All too often, they’re loaded with microplastics and chemicals. Bend’s USA-made, goat-milk offering delivers pure and creamy simplicity that won’t pollute your cells. Sustainably sourced and all natural, it boasts vitamins and nutrients that nourish even sensitive skin, instead of essential oils and other irritating chemicals. The soap leaves you smelling human-being fresh, instead of like a factory’s idea of a trending flower. MSRP: $2.15 to $5.95.

7. LMNT

You’re probably not getting enough electrolytes. And if you are, LMNT (pronounced “element”) offers some of the best. Manufactured in America, they’re free from sugar, gluten, and other fillers. Friendly to vegans and paleo or keto dieters, LMNT’s easy-dissolve, pocket- or purse-ready packets deliver the goods — good salts, that is — on the go. But the proof is in the flavors: In addition to the original citrus, which hits like the perfect margarita, LMNT’s palate pleasers span the spicy, the sweet, and the savory. Our favorites? Grapefruit, watermelon, and mango chili. Collect them all. MSRP: $45.00.

8. Nouri

If your gut isn’t healthy, you’re not either — your gastrointestinal microbiome impacts everything from immunity and hormonal function to your skin, liver, brain, and heart. Look past the pills that quietly source their “good bacteria” from somewhere overseas, and score top-quality, American-made probiotics from Nouri. The company offers a full line of precision products ranging from anti-stress and digestion to weight management, women’s health, and prenatal support — all at half the price of comparable premium brands. MSRP: $19.99.

9. Frankenmuth Woolen Mill

Frankenmuth Woolen Mill

Standing on its same 1894 foundations, Frankenmuth Woolen Mill goes above and beyond to deliver on its promise of providing premium woolen bedding for a good night’s sleep. Manufactured in Frankenmuth, Michigan, this woolen bedding is promised to offer superior quality, comfort, and durability. Why wool? On top of being all-natural, wool helps regulate your body temperature and has hypoallergenic qualities. Frankenmuth’s woolen comforter is great for those with sensitive skin and regulates the temperature at night throughout all of the seasons — perfect for a good night’s sleep. MSRP: $199.00.

Bonus: R. Riveter’s Patton

R. Riveter

R. Riveter, named after Rosie the Riveter, was founded by two military wives who bonded over their shared frustration of lacking meaningful employment opportunities due to the transitory nature of military life. Now R. Riveter creates flexible employment opportunities for women facing the same challenges, allowing military spouses to craft handbags from wherever they’re stationed. Each bag journeys across the country, connecting makers in a nationwide support network for military families. The Patton, named after George S. Patton’s wife, combines a classic look with a modern eye for functionality. MSRP: $178.00.

​Align, Lifestyle, Gifts for mom, Christmas, Mom, Christmas gifts, Gift ideas 

The Trump administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development blames rising housing and rental prices on the surge in immigration under Biden.

HUD published the “Worst Case Housing Needs: 2025 Report to Congress” in November, a biennial report that analyzes problems impacting low-income renting families. It defines renters with worst-case needs as those who do not receive government housing assistance and spend more than half of their income on rent or live in severely inadequate conditions, or both.

‘The unchecked illegal immigration and open borders policies allowed by the Biden administration continue to put significant strain on housing, pricing out American families.’

HUD argued that the uptick in immigration caused increases in housing demand and, in turn, prices.

“Between 2021 and 2024, the foreign-born population of the United States increased by more than six million — the largest such increase over such a short period in American history. The foreign-born population now stands at more than 53 million individuals, making up the highest share of the American population in history,” HUD reported.

The department stated that the country’s foreign-born population has grown by 20 million since 2000, representing a 40% increase.

In some regions of the U.S., such as California and New York, immigrants account for up to 100% of the rental growth and over 50% of all owner-occupied growth, HUD added. Nationwide, immigration accounts for two-thirds of rental demand growth, according to the department.

The median monthly housing cost for renters in 2021 was $1,184, increasing nearly 17.5% to $1,391 in 2023, according to the report.

RELATED: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem partners with HUD to end government-funded housing for illegal aliens: ‘The gravy train is over’

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

“The growth in households attributable to noncitizens was 13% between 2019 and 2023, compared to 7% between 2015 and 2019. This further demonstrates that noncitizen households are playing an increasing role in the household growth that is straining the affordable housing supply,” the report read.

HUD’s report cited several other contributing factors to the affordable rental crisis, including demand-side housing subsidies and the decline in marriage.

RELATED: Liz Warren hustles Trump with a housing bill from hell

President Donald Trump, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner told Fox News Digital, “The unchecked illegal immigration and open borders policies allowed by the Biden administration continue to put significant strain on housing, pricing out American families.”

“These policies have plagued America’s housing market, but in President Trump, Americans finally have a leader fighting to restore sanity to American immigration policy,” he added.

Turner stated that in 2025, HUD has supported one million homebuyers, including through first-time buyer and refinancing programs. He has called on the Federal Reserve to cut rates to continue the momentum toward affordability.

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​News, Housing and urban development, Hud, Scott turner, Housing, Housing market, Housing affordability, Affordability, Illegal immigration crisis, Illegal immigration, Immigration crisis, Immigration, Renters, Politics 

Powerlifter and strongman competitor Morgan Irons says gender testing and identification checks are necessary to keep women’s sports for women only.

Irons’ remarks came after a male athlete, Jammie Booker, recently defeated nine female competitors to win the coveted title of “World’s Strongest Woman” at the 2025 Official Strongman Games.

‘He basically said he really hoped that I would be at this next competition …’

In an exclusive interview with Fearless, Irons said that not only does Booker have an obvious and unfair advantage, but he allegedly has been trash-talking female competitors in their own sport.

Irons said she had been messaging with Booker in a sort of mentor role, offering advice and generic chatter, before their communications soured.

“I generally just try to be a positive person, and that’s what I got initially from Jammie in the beginning,” Irons explained with a smile. She said Booker had left positive remarks on her videos, telling her she is amazing and offering congratulations.

“But then it quickly just turned really sour,” Irons said, recalling that she started to realize something strange about Booker. “I realized that, ‘OK, this isn’t all adding up to me,’ and I had already had questions myself.”

When she decided to discuss this with people around her, Irons said she was advised not to say anything to avoid looking foolish or “like a bigot” if she was wrong.

Following up on her suspicions, Irons said she checked to see what Booker was doing from time to time in terms of competitions. It was then that she learned Booker had reportedly taken a hard turn and leaned into the idea of unabashedly beating women at their own game.

RELATED: Male powerlifter disqualified after becoming ‘World’s Strongest Woman’

“Jammie had some brazen words for me and some other athletes along the way,” Irons revealed. She alleged that Booker was verbally letting it be known that he wanted to beat the other women — and beat them soundly.

“He basically said he really hoped that I would be at this next competition so that he could beat me and beat all the other top women in the sport, currently,” Irons explained. “And I just find that odd. You know, you’re less than a year in, and what do you want to do? You want to go after the women at the top?”

Fearless reached out to Booker to confirm whether or not he had made these or similar remarks or expressed any hostility toward his competitors. He did not respond.

Negative remarks did not just allegedly come from Booker. But as has become typical with women who don’t wish to compete against men, Irons said she received a flurry of sarcastic comments on her social media videos like “work harder.”

This would, of course, require Irons to somehow overcome biology itself.

The comments are “just … it’s a slap in the face,” Irons said.

RELATED: Conservative political group fined $95K after correctly identifying male athletes competing with women in Australia

Photo by GAIZKA IROZ/AFP via Getty Images

While Booker was promptly stripped of his title of strongest woman, Irons urged that this should be the last time this sort of situation should be allowed to happen, advocating medical testing.

The athlete firmly rejected the idea that there would be “genital checks” to confirm sex, a method Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) once said would result from barring men from women’s sports. Instead, Irons championed cheek swabs for a DNA test and having to provide identification.

While she recognized that many states allow for one’s gender to be legally changed, Irons laughed that it is still shocking that every time she enters a competition, there is no ID check.

Irons relayed that it is essential to protect women’s sports, not just for now but for athletes in the future.

“You have to speak up. You just have to. Not even just for yourself, but for the next generation of women,” she said. “We’ve sat back and we’ve let this happen for so long, and that’s why we’re in the situation that we’re in. … It is women’s fault in a way that we’ve let it get to this point.”

Remarking on the entirety of the situation, former national champion gymnast Jennifer Sey has cemented herself in the position that there can be zero tolerance for the idea that men can compete in women’s sports.

She stated to Fearless that the blame should be put on the men who want to crush women in their own athletics.

“The gall to enter a competition for women to be the strongest woman in the world as a dude. Like, the arrogance and the dismissiveness of actual women required to do that — it’s just disgusting. It’s gross,” she added.

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​Fearless, Transgenderism, Women’s sports, Powerlifting, Weight lifting, Strongman, Woke, Trans, Sports 

A middle school teacher in Utah faces 22 criminal charges stemming from accusations that she sexually abused a young student, according to authorities. The alleged victim revealed the moment he realized he was at the “point of no return” regarding his reported relationship with the seventh-grade teacher.

Alisha Marie George, 40, is charged with attempted rape and four counts of forcible sodomy, first-degree felonies; 12 counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; distributing pornographic material, a third-degree felony; and four counts of unlawful kissing of a child, a class A misdemeanor, KSL-TV reported.

‘[The boy] reported that he viewed George as a “mother figure” who was “always there for him.”‘

Citing court documents, KSL reported that the alleged victim told investigators he met George when he was 12 years old and in the seventh grade. At the time of her arrest late last month, George taught an honors language arts class at Hawthorn Academy in West Jordan, KSL added.

The court docs say the boy told police he had developed a “tight relationship” with George the following year when “he was struggling in his home life, and George offered to keep an eye on him.”

“[The boy] reported that he viewed George as a ‘mother figure’ who was ‘always there for him,'” according to court documents, which added that prosecutors claim George “used her position of trust to prey upon and groom a middle school child.”

“The victim recounted that he was struggling when the defendant offered to help him, offering to drive him to and from school and assist in taking care of him when his mother was bedridden,” prosecutors said, according to court docs.

Prosecutors stated, “[She] used this as an opportunity to engage in sexual acts with [the boy] from December 2023 through July 2024.” The alleged abuse began when the victim was 13 years old, KTVX-TV reported, citing charging documents.

Citing charging documents, the New York Post reported that the teacher “made out” with the student during Christmas break that year, after driving him home from a trip to the movie theater with other teachers and students.

The student, now 15, informed investigators that George told him “not to tell anyone,” which the boy then “realized he was ‘at the point of no return,'” according to court documents.

The court documents say, “[The boy] expressed that he felt like he and George were ‘in a relationship’ and said that if he spoke with other females at school, George would become angry with him.”

Charging documents say the teacher and student had their last sexual encounter in July 2024 in George’s car.

On his birthday later that year, George reached out to the student, but he reportedly told her not to message him again and blocked her on social media, court documents note.

The alleged victim told police that his first sexual experience was with his teacher, according to court documents.

The alleged victim described George as a “monster” because “at a time in his life when he needed someone the most, [she] stepped up but took advantage of him,” court docs say.

RELATED: Ex-teacher’s aide at Christian school assaulted boy, sent nudes to him and friends, got ‘flirty’ when he was 12: Court docs

After the teacher’s arrest on Nov. 25, “multiple students reported to the police department that they, too, had been groomed by [George] or observed the inappropriate behavior that [she] engaged in with students,” investigators said, according to the court documents.

Law enforcement noted that George could face more charges if additional victims are discovered.

George is being held at the Salt Lake County Jail without bail, according to jail records.

A spokesperson for Hawthorn Academy told Blaze News that George has been placed on administrative leave, and her access to school buildings and systems has been revoked. The spokesperson added to Blaze News that the kindergarten-to-ninth-grade school is fully cooperating with law enforcement and that its highest priority “continues to be the safety and well-being of our students.”

It appears that all references to George have been scrubbed from the school’s official website.

However, an archived school website biography of George from 2021 reads: “I am Mrs. George. This is my 13th year of teaching AND at Hawthorn. I have been here since the school was built and love being an EAGLE!”

According to the deleted bio, George taught seventh-grade language arts and was the adviser for the student government and peer leadership class.

The bio states: “I have been married for 14 years to my amazing husband, Jeremy, and we have two precious little girls.”

George said that teaching is her passion and something she has wanted to do since she was a “little girl.”

The biography concludes: “I love to watch kids learn, and middle school is the best!”

The West Jordan Police Department did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

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​Teacher sex scandal, Teacher student sex scandal, Bad teacher, Child sex abuse, Grooming, Teacher arrested, Crime, Utah 

First, it was AM radio — now it’s FM too.

Imagine starting your car and realizing that what you can — or can’t — hear has already been decided for you. The same tech giants that censor your posts, curate your newsfeeds, and impact your online experience now want to control what plays through your vehicle dashboard.

Congress must act to guarantee that all broadcast radio remains standard equipment in vehicles, ensuring that free access to information doesn’t become a premium feature.

Tesla recently confirmed it will remove FM radio from its base Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. Just days later, General Motors doubled down on plans to eliminate Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, opting instead for proprietary systems designed with Big Tech partners.

Individually, these sound like technical upgrades. But together, they represent a fundamental shift: handing over more control of your car to corporations. We’ve seen this before in our social media feeds, search results, and app stores. Now, the same algorithms and corporate interests that decide what you see and hear online are coming for your radio dial.

Walled garden

For generations, the car radio has been the great equalizer — free, local, and open to all. It delivers news, weather alerts, and community updates instantly, no subscription or data plan required.

Even today, the majority of drivers still prefer to listen to terrestrial radio while in the car.

But as vehicles become software platforms — with their own digital ecosystems — automakers are rewriting the rules.

By removing AM and FM radio and blocking third-party apps like CarPlay and Android Auto, they funnel drivers into closed environments where they alone decide what content is available.

Safety first

This is about safety as well. When the power goes out, when cell towers fail, and when internet connections drop, broadcast radio keeps transmitting. It remains the backbone of America’s Emergency Alert System — reaching 272 million listeners every week.

FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, and emergency managers nationwide all rely on AM radio as critical communications infrastructure. In fact, seven former FEMA administrators from both parties have urged Congress to safeguard AM radio, citing its unmatched reliability and essential role in the success of the National Public Warning System.

But the stakes go beyond emergencies. Broadcast radio remains democracy’s most accessible platform. Local news stations serve communities too small for cable bureaus or newsrooms. Faith-based programming reaches congregations across denominations. Foreign-language broadcasts connect immigrant communities. Agricultural reports guide farmers making real-time decisions. High school football gets the same airtime as professional sports. These aren’t premium features available to subscribers.

They’re free, open, and available to anyone with a radio — until automakers decide they’re not.

RELATED: AM radio still saves lives — but will automakers listen?

Gary Leonard/Getty Images

Gatekeeper playbook

We know what happens when platforms consolidate control over content distribution. Algorithms replace editorial judgment. Subscription tiers determine access.

Content that doesn’t serve corporate interests gets deprioritized or excluded entirely. Tesla’s FM removal isn’t an isolated decision. GM’s CarPlay elimination isn’t a technical preference. These are coordinated moves toward a future where your dashboard operates like your smartphone — except you can’t choose a different car as easily as you can switch apps.

The difference is critical: When you’re behind the wheel, access to information isn’t just about convenience. It’s about safety, civic engagement, and the free flow of ideas in a democratic society.

Congress to the rescue?

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act would require automakers to include AM radio in all new vehicles at no extra cost. With support from more than 315 House members and 61 senators, it’s one of the most bipartisan efforts in Washington today. Yet, as Tesla and GM’s announcements show, time is running out.

Congress must act to guarantee that all broadcast radio remains standard equipment in vehicles, ensuring that free, over-the-air access to information doesn’t become a premium feature. The automotive industry will argue this is about “consumer choice” and “technical optimization.” Don’t be fooled. It’s about controlling a captive audience and deciding what tens of millions of Americans will hear every day. Lawmakers need to pass the bill. And the public needs to push back.

Call your representatives and tell them to support the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. Make your voice heard before automakers take it away.

​Lifestyle, Car radio, Tesla, Gm, Am radio, Fm radio, Congress, Fema, Align cars 

The conservative legal outfit American Center for Law and Justice filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against a public school district in New York after a teacher allegedly subjected seventh graders to pornographic materials on multiple occasions.

The complaint, filed on behalf of two parents and their minor children, alleges that “under the guise of an art lesson,” Bridgette Gates — a teacher with the Watertown City School District who “resigned as an art teacher, … was rehired as an English teacher, and remains on administrative leave,” according to Syracuse.com — intentionally exposed around 100 students to “pornographic and sexually explicit imagery over a two-week period in September 2025, without providing any advance notice to parents or offering an opportunity to opt out.”

‘It’s almost criminal.’

According to the complaint, Gates directed her students at Case Middle School to visit the gallery on the Keith Haring Foundation website using their school-issued Chromebooks during class time.

At the time of publication, the gallery contained various sexually explicit images and images of bodily mutilation, including multiple cartoons and paintings depicting men masturbating; a cartoon depicting a man with a fist-tipped penis; a cartoon depicting a man being choked by his penis; a painting mocking the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, depicting him with an erection and impaled by multiple airplanes; a painting of a character with a mouth in the place of an anus; and a painting of a penis wearing a wig.

The deviant agitprop was created by Keith Haring, a hallucinogenic drug-abusing homosexual activist who died of AIDS-related complications in 1990.

A spokesperson for the Haring Foundation told Artnet that it is aware of the conservative group’s response to the alleged incident at the school and acknowledged that some of Haring’s images may be inappropriate for some audiences.

The lawsuit alleges that Gates acknowledged that “some of the images were inappropriate” yet told her 12- and 13-year-old students to “ignore them and be mature.” Gates allegedly continued showing the images to kids despite signs of unease and resistance.

RELATED: Elementary school teacher allegedly possessed thousands of files of child sex abuse material

Photo by Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images

After learning of the content in late September, concerned parents contacted the teacher, school administrators, and local law enforcement.

Stephanie Boyanski, a plaintiff as well as the parent of one of the plaintiff students, told WWNY-TV in September, “It’s almost unbelievable.”

“It’s almost criminal,” said Heather Trainham, another parent.

Plaintiff parent Jessy Roberts noted that her son “knew it was inappropriate, but he wasn’t sure if he should speak out or not, because they’re of authority.”

‘Schools are not free to override that authority or to “correct” the family’s moral instruction.’

In the face of parental backlash and concerns raised at school-board meetings, Gates was reportedly placed on paid administrative leave, the assignment link was removed from Google Classroom, and the district admitted to parents that students had “come across inappropriate content.” There was, however, no apology from the district.

The ACLJ sent a letter on Nov. 21 to Larry Schmiegel, superintendent of the school district, stating that “because of the District’s lax monitoring of its curriculum and teachers, and its deliberate choice to shield the teacher from accountability, the harm done to Mses. Boyanski and Roberts’ children is irreparable and ongoing.”

The legal group demanded that Gates be issued a formal reprimand; that the school adopt a policy not to show children sexually explicit content without parental notification and to provide an opt-out if future curriculum includes such content; and to provide counseling for kids impacted by the images — and provided the district with a Dec. 1 deadline to act.

The lawsuit filed this week requests that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York declare that the school violated parents’ First and 14th Amendment rights; bar the district from repeating its error; require the district to implement age-appropriate safeguards; and award damages for the alleged constitutional violations.

The district did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

“Parents should not be forced to choose between public education and their family’s values. The Constitution draws a bright line: Parents, not the state, decide how and when their children are introduced to sexual content,” the ACLJ said in a release. “Schools are not free to override that authority or to ‘correct’ the family’s moral instruction through compulsory exposure to explicit material. When officials discard that line, the courts must restore it.”

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​Watertown city school district, Lawsuit, American center for law and justice, Case middle school, New york, Leftism, Lgbt, Homosexual, Bridgette gates, Keith haring, Deviant, Propaganda, Classroom, Education, School, Politics