blaze media

Activists cry ‘racist,’ sue to block removal of Somalis’ special status

In a 2-1 ruling on Friday, a pair of federal appellate judges appointed by former President Joe Biden blocked the Trump administration from revoking Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status designation — a special status that not only shields over 350,000 Haitian nationals from removal but enables them to continue displacing American labor.

Apparently emboldened by the D.C.-based appellate court’s ruling, activists have filed a federal lawsuit in hopes of similarly blocking the Trump administration from ending Somalia’s special status.

The long, slow goodbye

BlazeTV host Christopher Rufo and investigative reporter Ryan Thorpe highlighted in a damning Nov. 19 report various instances of alleged and confirmed fraud perpetrated by members of the Somali community in Minnesota as well as the alleged direction of stolen taxpayer funds by members of the Somali community to terrorists abroad.

‘We are putting Americans first.’

Two days later, President Donald Trump announced that he was terminating the TPS designation for Somalia, stating, “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!”

Amid multiple investigations into the pervasive fraud within the heavily welfare-dependent Somali community, the Department of Homeland Security announced in January that the crime-ridden East African nation would be stripped of its special status effective March 17.

The DHS advised Somali nationals without legal status apart from TPS to start the process of self-deporting.

Somalia was initially designated for TPS in 1991 based on a determination that there were “extraordinary and temporary conditions” in Somalia preventing its expatriates from returning. This supposedly temporary designation was repeatedly extended over the next three decades.

RELATED: Mullin inherits a mess at DHS. Here’s how he can still save Trump’s legacy.

Photo by ABDISHUKRI HAYBE/AFP via Getty Images

A Jan. 14 notice in the Federal Register pointed out, however, that the situation in Somalia has materially changed and that the country “today shows improved national governance and security structures and now experiences localized pockets of violence rather than nationwide, generalized conflict.”

The notice stated further that “requiring Somali nationals to return to Somalia would not pose a serious threat to their personal safety as there are areas within Somalia where Somali nationals may live in safety.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated, “Allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”

The lawsuit

African Communities Together — an activist group that has challenged the Trump administration’s efforts to repatriate various temporarily welcomed African migrant groups — joined the California-based Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans and four Somalis in filing a lawsuit on Monday, accusing the administration of violating the Administrative Procedure Act as well as the Fifth Amendment.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, downplays Somali criminality in the U.S., claims that the migrants’ homeland is not as safe as the U.S. government has said, and states that the status termination was “motivated by racial, ethnic, and national-origin discrimination.”

This theme — that the Trump administration and Trump’s popular deportation agenda are racist — continues throughout the lawsuit and appears to be based on a presumption of racial animus on the part of the Trump administration.

The lawsuit presumes, for instance, that race was a factor when the administration left protections in place for Ukrainians but not for Somalis and Haitians. The complaint makes no mention of Ukraine’s ongoing war with a nuclear power which has so far resulted in over 1.2 million casualties.

“The Trump administration has long embraced an anti-immigration agenda, which includes an objective of eliminating or severely restricting access to TPS for non-white, non-European immigrants,” the complaint reads, “targeting them with racist rhetoric and attempting to use any mechanism possible to remove them from the country.”

One example of supposedly “racist” commentary cited in the lawsuit was Trump’s statement during a Nov. 27 press conference that “Somalians have caused a lot of trouble. They’re ripping us off for a lot of money.”

The lawsuit also referenced Trump’s commentary during a Dec. 2 Cabinet meeting, specifically his statement, “I don’t care. I don’t want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country. I can say that about other countries too.”

In addition to characterizing the administration as racist, the lawsuit complains that without the special status, former TPS beneficiaries will lose employment eligibility and benefits, which supposedly amounts to “severe” harm.

DHS did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

The Trump administration announced over the weekend that it intends to pursue an appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court to see through its termination of Haiti’s TPS, Reuters reported.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Somali, Somalian, Donald trump, Hhs, Homeland security, Temporary protected status, Tps, Revocation, African, Africa, Deportation, Removal, Politics 

blaze media

Thug shoves 83-year-old man from behind onto NYC subway tracks in reportedly random attack

New York City police said an unidentified individual approached an 83-year-old man from behind on a Manhattan subway platform Sunday morning and shoved the man onto the tracks.

Police said the same individual moments prior also shoved a 30-year-old man onto the tracks.

‘I get panic attacks just thinking about getting on the subway.’

The culprit fled on foot to parts unknown, police said. A WABC-TV video report characterized the attacks as random.

The station Tuesday morning said a person of interest was picked up overnight in Brooklyn, and while his identity was not yet known, charges against him are pending.

The below video report aired prior to the arrest of the person of interest:

RELATED: Transgender attacker menaces man with shoe, then punches him in face on NYC subway platform, leaving victim bloody, cops say

Both victims of the attack were taken to a hospital, the station said, adding that the 30-year-old victim was said to be stable, while the 83-year-old man was in critical condition.

John Rodriguez, the younger victim, told WABC in a previous story that he’s recovering from an injured shoulder and neck as a result of falling onto the tracks after the shove.

Rodriguez, a Queens resident, told the station he was on his way to work when the completely unprovoked attack took place: “I panicked, I started asking for help, not only for me but for the other man that was pushed.”

Rodriguez started recording as a good Samaritan tried to help him, WABC reported, adding that was the moment when police said the elderly victim was shoved.

NYPD officers flooded the subway and boarded trains to search for the suspect, the station said.

Rodriguez added to WABC that he’s not exactly looking forward to riding the trains again: “I get panic attacks just thinking about getting on the subway.”

The NYPD said nine subway shoves have occurred so far in 2026, which is up compared to three this time last year, the station said.

Police said those with information about this incident should call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public also can submit tips by logging on the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, on X @NYPDTips.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​New york city, New york city police department, Nypd, Subway, Train tracks, Shove, Injuries, Elderly man, Arrest, Person on interest, Random attack, Crime 

blaze media

America’s ‘sex recession’: Dr. Debra Soh explains why intimacy has PLUMMETED

Neuroscientist Dr. Debra Soh’s new book, “Sextinction,” addresses an alarming trend she’s noticed: Why are so many young adults not dating, not getting married, and not having children?

And Soh isn’t the only one looking for answers.

“We’re not having children. … And part of that is because we’re not having sex, and people aren’t even dating anymore. What the hell is happening to us?” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck asks Soh on “The Glenn Beck Program.”

“We definitely are experiencing a sex recession. So there’s been studies coming out since 2016 basically showing that people are having less sex. This is happening across the globe. In America in particular, this is happening among married people, single people, it doesn’t matter,” Soh explains.

“It’s happening in Western countries, Eastern countries, all age cohorts, but it’s especially pronounced among younger generations. So among Millennials and Gen Z. And what we find consistently is that roughly one in three men and one in five women have not had sex in the past year,” she continues.

One reason Soh points to is the convenience of “sexual outlets” like pornography, AI companions, or even sex dolls.

“I also think there are factors like endocrine disruptors and environmental toxins that are affecting us and men in particular at a hormonal level, lowering their testosterone levels. So that is also affecting their drive and their desire to pursue women,” Soh explains.

“And then we also have social and cultural factors like ‘me too’ that have made it very difficult for men to want to approach women because they’re afraid of potentially having their lives ruined. And then we have also initiatives like DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion, that are actively penalizing men for no reason other than the fact that they are men,” she continues.

“And this is especially the case for white and Asian men and men who are straight. So all these factors combined, I think have created this situation in which there’s a smaller pool of very successful men in society who have tons of sex, plenty of partners, no problems there,” she says.

“But for the vast majority of men, especially younger men, they’re really struggling,” she adds.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

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

​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Glenn, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Extinction, Sextinction, Debra soh, Dr. debra soh, Ai companions 

blaze media

Trump holds off on Texas Senate endorsement to pressure GOP to deliver on ‘No. 1 priority’ legislation: Report

President Donald Trump is postponing his endorsement in the Texas Senate Republican primary to pressure Republican senators to pass the SAVE America Act, Politico reported, citing two anonymous people described as close to the White House.

Neither incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) nor Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) received at least 50% of the vote during last week’s primary election, triggering a runoff race on May 26 before the winner faces off against Democratic nominee James Talarico.

‘I think that was a very smart strategy because it bought time.’

Both Cornyn and Paxton have been vying for Trump’s endorsement. The president stated on Thursday that he would endorse one of the candidates “pretty soon.” He expects the candidate who does not receive his support to drop out of the race.

Last week, the Atlantic and Axios reported that Trump was expected to endorse Cornyn.

Paxton responded to rumors of a Cornyn endorsement by declaring that he would not withdraw from the race, even if Trump refused to support him.

Trump told Politico on Thursday that Paxton’s remarks were “bad for him” and that they may push him to select Cornyn after all.

RELATED: ‘That is bad for him’: Trump hints at final endorsement in Paxton vs. Cornyn Senate runoff

John Cornyn. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Paxton then walked back his comments, stating that he would “consider” withdrawing from the race if the Senate passed the SAVE America Act.

Trump has described this piece of legislation as the Republican Party’s “No. 1 priority” ahead of the midterms, adding that if it does not pass, it could spell “big trouble” for GOP candidates.

Politico reported that Paxton’s move appeared to stall Trump’s endorsement by highlighting a shared issue between them, while also revealing the tension between the president and Senate Republican leaders, who back Cornyn. Two sources close to the White House told the news outlet that Paxton’s strategy changed the dynamics.

“I think that was a very smart strategy because it bought time. Because now, if you’re the White House or Trump, why would you now weigh in?’’ a Republican operative told Politico. “Trump has remained very steadfast that he wants this done, and that is a huge priority, and he’s getting pissed off at these members and at [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune.”

RELATED: Trump to intervene in Texas’ Senate race, anoint his preferred candidate

Ken Paxton. Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images

An anonymous Paxton campaign aide told the news outlet that “the grassroots donor community in Texas did not believe or realize how close Trump was [to] endorsing Cornyn.”

“Once they realized that the threat was real, they went very hard in the paint,” the aide added.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​News, Ken paxton, James talarico, John cornyn, Donald trump, Trump, Trump administration, Trump admin, Save america act, White house, Texas, Texas senate race, Politics 

blaze media

NBA turns Atlanta Hawks strip-club night on its head: ‘Canceling … is the right decision’

The NBA’s Atlanta Hawks will not be permitted to celebrate a strip club at an upcoming home game.

The team’s “Magic City Monday” game against the Orlando Magic was set for March 16 in an effort to celebrate local nude dancing venue Magic City with wings, musical performances, and podcasts.

‘Can we just not be tied to a strip club?’

While multiple Hawks executives promoted the night — and the strip club — as a celebration of Atlanta’s cultural fabric, the promotion drew ire from at least a couple of NBA players, including San Antonio Spurs player Luke Kornet, who asked the league to protect women, not denigrate them.

Despite the Hawks telling the New York Post that the event will go on as planned and Magic City telling TMZ there would be no nudity at the arena, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced on Monday the league was canceling the event.

“When we became aware of the Atlanta Hawks’ scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale,” Silver wrote, per NBA Communications.

Silver went on, “While we appreciate the team’s perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners, and employees.”

“I believe canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community,” the commissioner concluded.

RELATED: ‘A form of art’: NBA star Draymond Green defends strip-club night at Hawks game as ‘inclusive’ promotion

Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage

The Hawks told TMZ in response that they are “very disappointed in the NBA’s decision to cancel our Magic City Night promotion.”

Although they respect the league’s decision, the team added that they remain committed to “celebrating the best of Atlanta — with authenticity — in ways that continue to unite and bring us all together.”

The team will still move forward with a performance by rapper T.I. on the night in question, though.

Magic City, on the other hand, did not complain, said it was “hyped to team up with the Hawks,” and that it was “an honor just getting picked” by the team for a celebration.

RELATED: Atlanta Hawks strip club promotion called out by Catholic NBA player: ‘Protect and esteem women’

Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Fox Sports Radio personality Rob Parker said on Monday that he disagreed with the decision to cancel the promotion and asked why the themed night would be announced in the first place if the NBA was going to cancel it.

“Horrible public relations by the NBA to cave; 100%. Never should have got to the stage of this without the league at least signing off on something of this magnitude. I don’t believe that people are doing their own thing and the NBA doesn’t know anything is going on,” Parker said on “The Odd Couple” show.

Parker said that he largely disagreed with the cancellation because people had already bought their tickets and because the Hawks were planning to celebrate a legal establishment.

“The league probably had no real position on it until all the pushback started, and then that’s when the league got involved,” he added.

Co-host Kelvin Washington disagreed, saying, “The NBA is a massive corporation, billions and billions of dollars that’s tied to other massive corporations.”

“I’m not shocked the Hawks wanted to do this and went ahead. I kept telling you I was shocked the NBA was OK with them doing this,” Washington said.

“Magic City, for you to say ‘this institution’ — and actually it is in Atlanta — but it is also, at the end of the day, a strip club,” Washington put it bluntly.

“Like, that’s what it is,” Washington concluded.

“The NBA may want to say, and their sponsors say, ‘Eh, can we just not be tied to a strip club?'”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Fearless, Atlanta hawks, Magic city, Atlanta, Georgia, Nba, Basketball, Strip club, Sports 

blaze media

‘Prioritize Americans’: SBA shuts door on foreign national borrowers

The Small Business Administration has announced a policy change that many are surprised even needed to happen — and others are already calling for more action.

On Monday, the SBA, headed by Administrator Kelly Loeffler, announced a new policy that will ban foreign nationals and all noncitizens from accessing SBA-backed small business loans.

‘The Trump SBA is committed to driving economic growth and job creation for American citizens.’

The policy change is a continuation of another change implemented on March 1, which made small businesses owned or co-owned by a foreign national ineligible for two of the main SBA loan programs.

“The Trump SBA is committed to driving economic growth and job creation for American citizens,” Loeffler said.

RELATED: Christopher Rufo drops bombshell report on $26B ‘No White Men’ program — Trump SBA issues quick response

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“Last month, we made it clear that SBA would not allow foreign nationals to access our core small business loan programs — and today, we are expanding that policy to include all SBA-guaranteed loans. With our lending authority capped annually by Congress and amid record demand for access to capital, our responsibility is clear: The limited resource of SBA financing must prioritize American citizens who are building businesses and creating jobs here at home.”

These changes affect the Surety Bond and Microloan programs, which were revised earlier in the month.

Citing data from the SBA, Fox News reported that the agency has 3,300 loans for small businesses partially owned by lawful permanent residents, largely under the Biden administration. That number represents 4% of the agency’s total loans, currently at 85,000.

These changes revealed a system arguably more broken than many people would guess possible. Some X users expressed their surprise at the announcement: “Why this wasn’t already policy is mind boggling.”

Others, however, saw much more room for improvement.

“Retroactively make all loans issued to foreign nationals due immediately and in full,” Andrew Beck demanded.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Politics, Sba, Kelly loeffler, Loan programs, Small business, Small business administration, Foreign nationals, Congress, Surety bond, Microloan, Biden, Biden administration 

blaze media

Virginia lawmakers send sweeping gun control bill to Democrat Governor Spanberger

Virginians are quickly learning the fruits of electing Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger and other Democrat legislators as the legislative session draws to an end in the commonwealth.

On Monday, Democrats in both chambers passed a sweeping gun control law that will soon land on Spanberger’s desk.

‘These are simply semiautomatic firearms that law abiding citizens own.’

The bill, HB217, places a ban on new sales of “assault firearms” and makes it illegal to possess high-capacity magazines exceeding 15 rounds of ammunition.

Virginia law defines an “assault firearm” as “any semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol which expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine which will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock.”

RELATED: Virginians oppose Richmond’s war on the Second Amendment: Poll

Delegate Dan Helmer (D)Photo by Valerie Plesch for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Sponsored by Del. Dan Helmer (D), the bill would make these offenses a Class 1 misdemeanor. Class 1 misdemeanors are punishable by “confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both,” according to Virginia law.

Spanberger’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Chris Stone with the Virginia-based Gun Owners of America said, “Semiautomatic weapons, as they would like to call them, ‘assault weapons,’ have been owned by the public for years, and rifles of any kind are very rarely used in the commission of a crime. We don’t even like to use the term ‘assault weapon,’ because it’s just made up. These are simply semiautomatic firearms that law abiding citizens own.”

Another proposed bill would impose a civil penalty of up to a $500 fine for persons who store their firearms in their vehicle. The vehicle could also be towed for “safekeeping.”

Stone pointed out the catch-22 that lawful gun owners would find themselves in if that bill ever became law.

“Because of the litany of ‘gun free zone’ laws that we have in this state, if you go to somewhere where you can’t legally bring your firearm in, law-abiding citizens who have a concealed handgun permit are going to leave that firearm in their car,” Stone said.

Helmer has been busy sponsoring other bills as well, including a “first of its kind” bill that dictates that school instruction must “not describe, portray, or present as credible a description or portrayal of the actions precipitating or involved in the events of the January 6, 2021, insurrection as peaceful protest.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Politics, Abigail spanberger, Democrats, Dan helmer, Virginia delegates, Virginia, Gun laws, Second amendment, Commonwealth, J6, Chris stone, Gun owners of america 

blaze media

J6 committee’s anti-Trump storyteller referred to DOJ for criminal charges: Report

The Jan. 6 Select Committee’s various improprieties and its prioritization of narrative over facts have been exposed. Nevertheless, key participants in the Democrat-led lawfare campaign have so far managed to evade consequence. That might soon change.

House Republicans have reportedly referred Jan. 6 committee star witness Cassidy Hutchinson to the Department of Justice for criminal charges.

The USSS agents … directly refuted the fundamentals of her story.

A pair of sources reportedly familiar with recent developments told CNN that Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk (Ga.), the chairman of the Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding Jan. 6, 2021, recently made the referral, which was co-signed by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

The referral reportedly accuses Hutchinson — who milked her time in the limelight for a book deal — of lying to Congress in her public testimony in June 2022.

This is undoubtedly good news for President Donald Trump, who claimed Hutchinson “made up” stories about him during her testimony.

“Our great Secret Service has totally CRUSHED Cassidy Hutchinson’s (who I barely knew) made up (FAKE!) stories about me roughing up Secret Service Agents from the back seat of the Beast (Limo),” Trump noted in March 2024. “Has she now changed her testimony? Will she be prosecuted for what she did and said?”

RELATED: Judges violated the law by keeping pipe-bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. jailed, attorney tells appeals court

Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Blaze News has reached out to the Department of Justice and Loudermilk’s office for comment. CNN indicated that Hutchinson’s current and former lawyers did not respond to multiple inquiries.

Loudermilk released a congressional report in March 2024 alleging that the Jan. 6 Select Committee — manned by outspoken critics of President Donald Trump — erased records; hid numerous transcribed interviews; failed to turn recordings over to GOP lawmakers; and suppressed evidence that failed to conform to Democrats’ preferred narrative.

The report, penned by the House Administration Committee’s oversight subpanel, also impeached Hutchinson’s character and testimony.

Hutchinson, who served as assistant to Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, sat for six transcribed interviews and one publicized hearing with the committee.

The report noted that on June 20, 2022, in her fourth transcribed interview with the Jan. 6 committee, Hutchinson told a previously unheard tale about how on January 6, 2021, Trump allegedly got into a scuffle with a Secret Service agent and attempted to wrest control of the presidential limousine after his speech at the Ellipse.

Hutchinson’s allegations pertained to supposed incidents to which she was not an eyewitness.

The Jan. 6 committee didn’t bother interviewing either of the two Secret Service agents referenced in Hutchinson’s testimony who were actually present at the time of the alleged events or anyone else implicated prior to her testimony.

When the committee put questions to the USSS agents some four months after Hutchinson’s testimony, they directly refuted the fundamentals of her story.

In December 2024, Loudermilk released another damning congressional report, this time alleging that:

former White House employee Alyssa Farah Griffin back-channeled with former Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee, to help Hutchinson change her story; Hutchinson had secret conversations with Cheney without her attorney’s knowledge; and”Hutchinson committed perjury when she lied under oath to the Select Committee.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Cassidy hutchinson, Hutchinson, Jan. 6 committee, January 6, J6, Lawfare, Liar, Criminal charges, Department of justice, Doj, Politics 

blaze media

Senate RINOs try to STRONG-ARM Trump on THIS key issue — but he’s holding all the cards

The Texas Senate Republican primary is heating up after neither John Cornyn nor Ken Paxton secured a majority of the vote, and President Trump — who previously declined to endorse either candidate — may be about to make a decision.

And that decision will likely be influenced by Paxton’s announcement that if the Senate passes the long-awaited SAVE Act, he will drop out of the race.

“The Republican Primary Race for the United States Senate in the Great State of Texas, a State I LOVE and won 3 times in Record Numbers … cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer. IT MUST STOP NOW,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively! Both John and Ken ran great races, but not good enough. Now, this one, must be perfect!” he continued.

“I will be making my Endorsement soon, and I will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE! Is that fair? We must win in November!!!!” he concluded.

“Of course, Ken Paxton is a Texan patriot,” BlazeTV host John Doyle says on “The John Doyle Show.” “So Senate Majority Leader John Thune encouraged Trump to endorse pro-amnesty John Cornyn, and the rumors are essentially that John Thune is using the SAVE Act, a policy by the way that is supported by 80% of Americans, as a kind of leverage of Trump.”

“Essentially like extorting him into endorsing this Cornyn character. So basically, he’s saying he’s not going to pass the SAVE Act unless Trump personally intervenes to endorse, like, literally this establishment RINO pro-amnesty,” he continues.

Doyle also points out that Thune has “been an extremely ineffective Senate leader.”

“He’s passed the fewest bills ever. He’s blocked Trump’s recess appointments. Generally, just slowed down the administration, right? He’s failed on the SAVE Act despite promising repeatedly to pass it,” he says, adding, “This is literally the most important thing that could ever be done, literally ever.”

Want more from John Doyle?

To enjoy more of the truth about America and join the fight to restore a country that has been betrayed by its own leaders, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​The john doyle show, John doyle, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, John cornyn, Ken paxton, John thune, Senate republican race, Senate republicans, President donald trump, The save act 

blaze media

Male breaks window of home after midnight. Homeowner warns him he has a gun — then uses it when intruder keeps advancing.

A male broke the window of a Pennsylvania home after midnight Monday and demanded to be let in. But the awakened homeowner warned him he had a gun — and then pulled the trigger when the intruder kept advancing.

State police said in a news release on X that troopers were called to a home on Locust Street in Somerset Township around 2 a.m. for the reported shooting, KDKA-TV reported. Somerset Township is about 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

‘Another one bites the dust.’

Investigators found one person dead near the rear of the residence with an apparent gunshot wound to the head, the station said.

State police said the homeowner told investigators he woke up when a male demanding to be let in the residence was banging on his kitchen window, KDKA said.

The station, citing the news release, reported that the male soon broke a window and tried to enter the home.

The homeowner told authorities he warned the male that he was armed and then shot him when he continued trying to enter the home, KDKA said.

RELATED: Florida home invader threatens homeowner with weapon, advances toward him, refuses to leave. But crook picks wrong victim.

While the homeowner was detained and taken to the state police barracks in Somerset, a preliminary investigation found that the homeowner was acting in self-defense, the station said.

The identity of the fatally shot male was not released as of Monday evening, KDKA said.

No other information was released Monday, the station said, adding that those with information can contact the state police barracks in Somerset at 814-445-4104. State police told KDKA the investigation is continuing.

Somerset County District Attorney Tom Leiden previously reported that no charges have been filed at this time, and there is no danger to the public, according to WJAC-TV.

Commenters under WJAC’s Facebook post about the incident seemed pleased with the outcome:

“Good for the homeowner,” one commenter wrote. “Defending his property & his life.””It’s exactly what people will do to protect themselves and their families from harm from people that have no business being there,” another user said. “99% would do the same thing.””Another one bites the dust,” another commenter declared.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Crime thwarted, Pennsylvania, Home invasion, Intruder, Break-in, 2nd amend., Fatal shooting, Self-defense, Homeowner shoots intruder, Crime, Somerset township 

blaze media

What Shia LaBeouf’s public struggle shows us about Christian redemption

Hollywood is a factory of fakery. Social media accounts run by publicists. Apologies written by lawyers. Whole personalities assembled by committee.

In Hollywood, sincerity is often the most convincing special effect of all.

‘My behavior’s dirty, ugly, disgusting, so I gotta eat it.’

Which is why Shia LaBeouf has always felt like an anomaly.

Storm before the calm

LaBeouf is many things: talented, erratic, often self-destructive. His life reads less like a biography than a weather report — storms, brief calm, then another system moving in. He wears his heart on his sleeve, his wounds on his face, and his worst moments out in public.

In an industry built on careful concealment, he seems incapable of it. Most actors learn early to construct a polite distance between who they are and what the world sees. LaBeouf apparently never built that wall.

So when trouble comes — and with him it usually does — everyone gets a front-row seat.

And that’s what makes the story unmistakably Christian. The prodigal son does not return home polished and rehabilitated. He comes back hungry, broken, and not entirely sure how he got there.

Sitting in the wreckage

For LaBeouf, arrest is not a new experience. The latest came last month during Mardi Gras in New Orleans: a misdemeanor battery charge after he allegedly struck multiple people in a drunken altercation. He surrendered voluntarily, spent time in Orleans Parish Prison, and days later appeared on camera telling journalist Andrew Callaghan of Channel 5 News: “My behavior’s dirty, ugly, disgusting, so I gotta eat it.”

No spin. No intermediary. Just a man sitting in the wreckage and describing it plainly.

It would be easy to write him off as another Hollywood cautionary tale. But Christian charity means resisting the reflex to write someone off — especially when someone’s collapse has a visible beginning.

Shia LaBeouf didn’t arrive at dysfunction by accident.

Childhood’s end

He grew up in Echo Park, Los Angeles, in conditions most of us would struggle to imagine. His father, a Vietnam veteran and heroin addict, cycled in and out of rehab while young Shia attended AA meetings beside him.

At 10 years old, he overheard his mother being raped. His father, lost in a flashback, once pointed a gun at him.

What looks like a difficult childhood is, in truth, something closer to a disaster.

Fame arrived far too soon. By his early teens he was earning $8,000 a week on Disney’s “Even Stevens” — more money than his struggling family had ever seen, handed to a boy still too young to drive.

He told the story to Callaghan almost casually, as if describing someone else’s life: adult money, adult industry, adult temptations, and no adult judgment.

Hollywood didn’t ease LaBeouf into the spotlight. It vacuumed him into it. Once inside, there was no version of that world equipped to deal with a traumatized child carrying a fat paycheck and no psychological scaffolding. That he grew up volatile and self-destructive shouldn’t surprise anyone.

None of this excuses bad behavior. Accountability is still accountability. But understanding where destruction begins does not weaken judgment. It makes compassion possible.

Immersion in the Spirit

In 2022, LaBeouf was cast as Padre Pio, the Italian friar known for the stigmata and for his fierce spiritual intensity. He prepared the way serious actors do — research, immersion, method.

What he did not expect was the role swallowing him whole.

“It stops being prep of a movie,” he told Bishop Robert Barron in an interview ahead of the film’s premiere, “and starts being something that feels beyond all that.”

At one point he was living in a seminary parking lot, he says. He studied the Gospels. He spent time around Capuchin friars whose lives revolved around prayer, confession, and the slow disciplines of faith.

He was confirmed in the Catholic Church on New Year’s Eve 2024 at Old Mission Santa Inés, sponsored by a Capuchin friar. He attends Mass regularly. He prays the rosary. He venerates the Eucharist. He quotes G.K. Chesterton on the way mysticism keeps a man sane.

He is, in other words, exactly the kind of convert the Gospel of Luke had in mind.

RELATED: Animator Tom Bancroft: From ‘The Lion King’ to the King of Kings

tombancroftstudio.com

Hitting the wall

The prodigal son did not arrive home rehabilitated. He arrived desperate — and was met, before he could finish speaking, by a father already running to meet him.

LaBeouf is still mid-journey. He’s divorced, co-parenting with his ex-wife, carrying the weight of serious allegations, trying to put a life back together.

The Callaghan interview shows a man wrestling with himself in real time. Not performing repentance, but attempting the slow, humiliating work of it.

He talks about suicidal lows. About addiction cycles. About the moment he believes grace finally broke through: “You got to hit your head into the wall hard enough where you just go, ‘F**k it.’”

Crude language. Sound theology.

Christian redemption isn’t tidy. It unfolds through relapses, humiliations, and moments of clarity that usually arrive after the damage is done.

What LaBeouf offers isn’t a polished testimony.

It’s something rarer — a man still caught in the fall even as he reaches for redemption.

​Hollywood, Bishop robert barron, Andrew callaghan, Christianity, Padre pio, Mardi gras, Culture, Faith 

blaze media

Trans-identifying 15-year-old plotted to kill classmate in order to resurrect Newtown shooter Adam Lanza, police say

Florida officials say that two high school girls laughed and joked with each other after they were arrested for allegedly plotting the murder of a fellow classmate.

Isabelle Valdez, 15, and Lois Lippert, 14, were unaware that they were being recorded as they discussed their plans in the back of a police vehicle in January, according to the Altamonte Springs Police Department.

They also discussed the blood pact about Lanza and whether someone ratted on them.

Police were alerted to the alleged plot through an anonymous tip on Jan. 22 saying a student at Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs was being targeted in a murder scheme.

On Jan. 23, both girls went to school, and by 7:38 a.m. police had asked a security guard to get Valdez out of class.

Court documents indicated that Valdez identifies as transgender and goes by the name “Jimmy.”

Valdez was questioned by an assistant principal and admitted that she was plotting to kill another student. When asked how she was to do it, she allegedly said she had a knife, gloves, trash bags, and wipes in her backpack. When she handed the backpack over, those items were found inside.

She allegedly said she heard voices telling her to kill the victim because he reminded her of Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook killer. The voices told her that killing the student would lead to Lanza’s resurrection.

The girl intended to stab the student in the neck or the stomach, according to police.

The other girl, Lippert, allegedly knew about the plot and helped Valdez obtain items for the scheme.

Police said the two girls were recorded in a police vehicle laughing about their plan to spread the murder through crime communities.

“Valdez told Lippert that she was going to use makeup this morning for her mugshot, but she could not find anything,” reads a police readout of the recorded conversation. “Valdez then said, ‘It’s over.’ Lippert replied, ‘Yeah, it’s over. It doesn’t matter if you look good or not.'”

They also discussed the blood pact regarding Lanza and whether someone ratted on them.

RELATED: Five years after the Newtown massacre, stunning warning signs revealed in FBI report

The two are facing attempted premeditated murder charges and were charged as adults.

Adam Lanza horrified the U.S. when he killed his mother and then went to Sandy Hook Elementary School and slaughtered 20 first-grade students and six adults in 2012. The killing spree only ended when he killed himself.

Later releases by the FBI indicated that some warning signs ahead of the shooting were ignored and that Lanza had stopped taking medicine for his Asperger’s syndrome condition.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Adam lanza resurrection plot, Isabelle "jimmy" valdez murder plot, Transgender murder plot, Altamonte springs florida, Crime 

blaze media

Mullin inherits a mess at DHS. Here’s how he can still save Trump’s legacy.

A few weeks ago, I wrote: “Everyone in America has an opinion on what has gone right or wrong at the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.” I added — a little too coyly — that I had “a pretty good sense of what happened.”

That restraint served a purpose at the time. It also left too much unsaid.

The mass deportation agenda remains central to Trump’s legacy. Markwayne Mullin has a chance to deliver what the last year only promised. We’re counting on him.

Now that President Trump has removed Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary and nominated Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to replace her, it’s worth putting real detail behind the diagnosis. Not to salt the wound, but to fix what needs fixing. Trump’s signature promise — “the largest deportation operation in American history” — matters too much for anyone to pretend the last year went smoothly.

Start with the numbers. They’re too low to fulfill the promise.

ICE stopped releasing deportation data. The congressionally mandated annual report still hasn’t arrived. In the vacuum, we’ve been left with third-party estimates — the New York Times put removals at about 230,000 in 2025 — and with shifting DHS press-shop claims that bounce between hundreds of thousands and “millions.” The Times figure sits closer to reality than the chest-thumping.

Instead of mass deportations, we got mass communications.

The department’s strategy leaned heavily on television ads, memes, charged language, and inflated-sounding claims meant to create the impression that deportations were happening at historic scale. The result landed in the worst possible place: It antagonized the left and the media without delivering results big enough to justify the noise. I don’t lose sleep over angry leftists. I do care when the administration absorbs political heat without gaining operational ground.

Trump World isn’t immune to polling, media narratives, and the feedback loop they create. A loud rollout without the matching numbers gave activists, consultants, and industry a pretext to flood weak-kneed Republican offices on Capitol Hill. Those calls turned into pressure on the administration. The incentive became delay, and delay followed.

Then came the optics problem.

Turning the DHS secretary role into a traveling cosplay routine didn’t land, and it didn’t project command. Instead, it projected awkwardness — and in a department built for seriousness, that matters.

The larger issue was always fit. Excitement around Trump’s cabinet picks made people charitable, and that’s understandable. The president earned that deference. But putting Noem in charge of DHS — the department most central to the core thesis of Trump’s campaign — never quite made sense. People in the enforcement world tried to build working relationships. Many got brushed off. Meanwhile, operational leaders inside DHS did what Noem didn’t: They cultivated the advocates who could help the mission move.

RELATED: ‘Phase one’ was quality control. ‘Phase two’ needs to be quantity control.

Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images

The divide became public. Post-Minneapolis, Tom Homan’s profile rose quickly as Trump tapped him to manage the response. Inside DHS, the camps had already formed. Anyone in Washington with a foot in the enforcement world knew who was on “Team Kristi and Corey [Lewandowski]” and who wasn’t. Leaks followed. Finger-pointing followed. Journalists got fed a steady diet of dysfunction. Morale dropped as firings and reassignments became the department’s background music.

What drove most of the internal warfare was money — specifically, contracts — and the scramble to control tens of billions authorized through the One Big Beautiful Bill.

DHS adopted a policy requiring Noem personally to review and sign off on contracts over $100,000. Combined with stripping authority from agency heads, that amounted to centralized control in the secretary’s office.

In practice, the authority filtered through a small circle and ran through Corey Lewandowski in a “special government employee” capacity. The backlog became delay, and the delays hit the mission: Border wall contracts sat for months while steel prices rose. Detention capacity grew slowly because leadership chased flashy, low-capacity facilities with catchy names — Cornhusker Clink, Speedway Slammer, Louisiana Lockup — announced with social media fanfare but built at higher cost, higher litigation risk, and lower throughput than traditional providers.

It looked like a communications strategy pretending to be a detention strategy.

Personnel choices compounded the problem. Noem brought in people with little operational or policy experience in immigration enforcement. Her decision to install a late-20s former Wildlife and Fisheries official as deputy ICE director raised eyebrows. Outside the formal chain of command, an equally inexperienced cast appeared in spaces normally reserved for officials who have spent years in homeland security. Over time, allegations of self-dealing spread — and the pattern made it harder to dismiss them as rumor.

The best example was the $220 million ad campaign that prominently featured Noem. Reports of unusual processes and favored vendors circulated. When lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats — pressed for answers, Noem did little to restore confidence. Given the broader self-promotion pattern, any benefit of the doubt evaporated.

Then came the hearings. They were brutal.

RELATED: Memo to Trump: Stop negotiating and ramp up deportations

Photo by Sean Bascom/Anadolu via Getty Images

Before both the House and the Senate, Noem failed to convince members that she could lead the department, and she struggled to answer accusations of scandal and self-dealing. But the fatal error came when she violated the one rule for any Cabinet witness: Don’t drag the president into your mess.

Under questioning from Sen. John Kennedy about the ad campaign, Noem told him the president personally approved the spending. Kennedy looked stunned. Trump later denied it — and the claim never made much sense in the first place. That answer ended whatever internal support remained. In the middle of a sudden war, it still managed to blow up the news cycle. With few defenders inside the building or outside it, the wagons never circled.

So what now?

Markwayne Mullin has a massive job ahead of him. He inherits some real wins — especially the restored control of the southern border — but he also inherits a department bruised by internal warfare, low output numbers, and credibility damage.

A few suggestions, offered plainly:

First, “commas, not drama.” Let the mission speak louder than the messaging. Raise the deportation numbers. If the numbers move, everything else gets easier.

Second, cauterize the past. If Mullin doesn’t create distance from what happened before, he’ll spend the next year answering for it — including under subpoena if Democrats take the House.

Third, build a firewall through oversight. Let Trump-appointed Inspector General Joseph Cuffari review the controversies. Put the facts on paper, separate the department from the personalities, and move forward. Mullin needs the ability to say, credibly, that he’s fixing the mission, not protecting a mess he didn’t create.

Fourth, trust the serious people already inside DHS. The department has highly capable operators. Back them. Empower them. Leadership requires followers, and followers don’t materialize through threats, leaks, and infighting.

The mass deportation agenda remains central to Trump’s legacy. Mullin has a chance to deliver what the last year only promised.

We’re counting on him.

​Trump, Immigration, Border security, Ice, Mass deportations, Border patrol, Dhs, Markwayne mullin, Kristi noem, Opinion & analysis, Corey lewandowski 

blaze media

Former MLB prospect sues White Sox for millions over COVID-19 vaccine injury

An awful vaccine side effect has allegedly sidelined a baseball player for the rest of his life.

Isaiah Carranza was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2018 but never made it to the major leagues. Now, Carranza is suing his former organization, saying it denied his vaccine injury after he was “coerced” into getting the shot.

‘Isaiah complied with the mandate, reported serious adverse symptoms almost immediately, and repeatedly sought help.’

Carranza played two years in High-A, the third-highest level of minor league baseball in the United States. However, 2022 was the last time he appeared in a game, and the former pitcher has since alleged that team officials warned him he would be “blacklisted” if he didn’t get a COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Carranza claimed if he did not get two doses, his organization would not release him from his contract so that he could pursue other teams. At the same time, he was allegedly told he had “no prospects of moving up” within the White Sox’s organization.

After getting the Pfizer vaccine, Carranza says he soon began suffering “extreme dizziness, nausea, near-fainting, and wildly fluctuating heart rate,” but the team told him it was simply dehydration, anxiety, and “rookie nerves.”

RELATED: ‘A form of art’: NBA star Draymond Green defends strip-club night at Hawks game as ‘inclusive’ promotion

Carranza also allegedly began experiencing severe pain and dysfunction in his pitching arm.

“After receiving the vaccine, Plaintiff suffered severe adverse health reactions with little to no support from Defendants, who denied him necessary accommodations,” the lawsuit said, according to Newsmax.

Carranza also claimed that the injury impaired his ability to throw at a professional level and essentially ended his career. He is reportedly seeking $19 million in damages and has an estimated $557,000 price tag in future medical expenses.

The MLB did not have an official vaccine mandate but encouraged players to get vaccinated through its union and the league.

Carranza’s legal team said on its website that minor league players lacked union representation and the financial security to safely speak out against the “condition of employment.”

RELATED: Michael Jordan shocks NASCAR by doing something no one has done in 77 years

“Isaiah complied with the mandate, reported serious adverse symptoms almost immediately, and repeatedly sought help. Instead of receiving appropriate medical care or legally required accommodations, his symptoms were dismissed, misdiagnosed, and minimized,” the law group wrote.

Peter Law Group claimed Carranza’s professional baseball career was cut short and that he now has a permanent autonomic nervous system disorder.

The White Sox and the league have not given public statements, and a White Sox spokesman declined to comment on the matter to the Chicago Sun-Times. Blaze News was unable to reach the team for comment.

Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​News, Sports, Pfizer, Covid vaccine, Covid 19, Mlb, Baseball, Chicago white sox, Vaccine, Politics, Vaccine injury 

blaze media

What’s the REAL reason behind Kristi Noem’s reassignment? Glenn Beck has a surprising theory

Last week, President Trump announced that Kristi Noem would be replaced as Secretary of Homeland Security by Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and reassigned to the newly created position of Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.

“Let me translate what this usually means in Washington and may mean this time,” Glenn Beck says.

“When a president moves somebody into a job that hasn’t been fully defined yet, it usually means one of two things: either A, yeah, bye-bye, you’re being pushed aside, or B, you’re being moved in to run something that is bigger but isn’t public yet.”

Which category does Noem fall into?

Glenn speculates that it’s the latter.

“If you look at the timing, this doesn’t feel like a demotion,” he says.

Despite the “mixed signals” coming from Trump, who at times does appear “pissed at her,” Glenn believes that Noem’s reassignment has more to do with the “reorganization of the battlefield.”

“It’s the shield of the Americas. I know that doesn’t mean anything, but follow me on this. Right now, the United States is looking at a hemisphere and a hemisphere problem that most Americans still don’t fully understand or see,” he says.

“When Donald Trump was running for re-election, we were standing backstage someplace, and he was getting ready to go on. He said, ‘You want to look like a prophet? You know what you need to talk about? You just keep talking about Panama,”’ he recounts, noting that Trump’s words were deeply confusing to him at the time.

However, shortly after the election, the president sure enough divulged intentions to take back the Panama Canal.

“He understood what was happening with Panama and China. China had taken the entire Panama Canal and was controlling it,” Glenn says.

The Panama plans were soon followed by talk of Greenland, then Venezuela, Cuba, cartels in Mexico and Central America, Russia in Caracas, and Iranian proxies in the region.

“The southern hemisphere has become the new front line of great power competition. [President Trump] is declaring the western hemisphere is ours, OK? And DHS, the Department of Homeland Security, was not designed for that,” Glenn says.

What Trump is up against, he explains, is “hemisphere-level instability.”

“We have the migration waves. We have state collapse. We have cartels that are moving people and drugs and weapons and intelligence. We have foreign adversaries embedding themselves inside of all of that chaos,” Glenn explains. “So if you’re the president … you’re saying, ‘We have got to shore up America to make sure we last another 150, 250 years.’”

Perhaps Noem’s reassignment has more to do with this: “[making] sure that our darkest, Russia, China, Iran, are not running operations in this hemisphere.”

“Shield of the Americas. Think about the name. It’s not border control; it’s not immigration enforcement. It’s a shield of the Americas, the entire western hemisphere,” Glenn says. “That doesn’t sound like DHS. That sounds more like strategic security architecture for the western hemisphere, doesn’t it?”

To hear more of his theory on Kristi Noem’s reassignment, watch the video above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

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

​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Kristi noem, Dhs, Shield of the americas, Panama canal, Markwayne mullin, Blazetv, Blaze media, Kristi noem out 

blaze media

Data centers are a hidden tax on your burger

Last September, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins warned that the United States has “offshored our food, our beef cattle, our citrus.” She put the problem plainly: “If we can’t feed ourselves, this is a national security issue.” Fair enough. So why does so much of government land-use policy push projects that devour farmland — hyperscale data centers, utility-scale solar farms, and the sprawling infrastructure that comes with them?

If Washington wanted to drive up land prices, make farming harder, and funnel a generation of acreage into non-agricultural uses, it couldn’t improve on the current playbook. The uniparty does this everywhere, and red states often lead the charge.

Data centers: The ‘cloud’ that drains the water

Texas is suffering through a long drought. Yet Amarillo has approved an 18 million square-foot data center on what used to be cattle country. Land-grabs tell only part of the story. Data centers also drink water — and they don’t act like the kind of clouds that bring rain.

Reports indicate the Amarillo facility alone could use 912 million gallons of water per year. Large data centers can guzzle up to 5 million gallons per day, matching the daily use of a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people. That kind of demand crowds out ranchers and farmers who already operate under tight margins and tight water allocations.

If food security is national security, then farmland is strategic territory. Let’s start acting like it.

Texas data centers used roughly 49 billion gallons of water in 2025, rising to 399 billion gallons by 2030 — enough to lower Lake Mead by more than 16 feet annually. Meanwhile, ranchers face reduced access, higher pumping costs, and deeper draws from shrinking aquifers. Less water means smaller herds, smaller harvests, and more pressure to sell.

That’s how the cycle locks in. Water becomes scarce. Ranching becomes less viable. Landowners get squeezed. Tech developers show up with wads of cash and tax incentives. Grazing land disappears for good.

On what planet does it make sense to trade the beef and food we need for speculative gains from chatbots and cloud-based generative AI?

Maybe Elon Musk has the right idea when he suggests building data centers in space. Texas doesn’t need them planted on top of its ranches.

Some red states now treat these projects as untouchable “economic development,” even when they wreck local quality of life. Ohio offers a telling example. An Ohio EPA draft permit for a data center states: “It has been determined that a lowering of water quality … is necessary to accommodate important social and economic development in the state of Ohio.”

That sentence says everything. Regulators will sacrifice water quality to accommodate the newest corporate appetite. Families and landowners can adapt.

RELATED: Living human brain cells are training a chatbot to be ‘more like us’

Photo by Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Solar ‘farms’ crushing farmland

President Trump has criticized the solar agenda from day one. He has called utility-scale solar inefficient and ugly — and he’s right about the aesthetics. Yet the administration now treats solar as a power source for data centers, while some MAGA influencers and pollsters try to sell the right on the plan. Pairing solar with hyperscale AI facilities accelerates the transfer of land out of food production.

Utility-scale solar typically requires five to 10 acres per megawatt. A solar build meant to feed a one-gigawatt hyperscale facility can swallow 5,000 to 10,000 acres. Supporters respond with percentages: Solar uses only a small share of total farmland. That dodge ignores where developers build. They don’t chase scrub. They target flat, well-drained, high-quality fields with cheap and easy access to transmission.

Follow the incentives. In states such as Indiana and Illinois, solar leases reportedly offer $900 to $1,500 per acre annually — far above the average return from corn and soybean ground. Landowners take the deal. Young farmers get priced out. Rural communities lose working land and the local economies that depend on it.

Reuters reported that in Indiana counties such as Pulaski, Starke, and Jasper, solar projects have secured 4% to 12% of some of the most fertile cropland. That’s not “marginal land.” That’s the kind of ground America needs to keep producing.

Tax breaks pour gasoline on the fire. Federal and state subsidies for data centers, solar farms, and battery installations push up land values and rents. In Pulaski County, Indiana, cropland rents reportedly jumped 26% since 2020 amid solar growth, outpacing state and national averages. Young families trying to farm don’t compete with subsidized megaprojects.

Indiana Republicans have compounded the damage by greasing the skids for carbon capture pipelines and special regulatory favors tied to the “Mid-States Corridor,” which will take even more farmland out of service.

Indiana’s own Department of Agriculture reports the state lost roughly 345,000 acres of agricultural land between 2010 and 2022. Residential sprawl drives much of that loss. Industrial conversion is accelerating — and data centers paired with solar build-outs speed it up.

So what exactly are these conservatives conserving?

Imports keep climbing. In 2023, imports supplied 59% of fresh fruit availability and 35% of fresh vegetables — up from 50% and 20% in 2007. America has the land to feed itself and then some, yet policymakers keep nudging production overseas. Mexico alone accounts for over half of imported fruits and vegetables, valued at more than $20 billion.

God gave this country an abundance of fertile land. He gave sun and rain to grow food. Our leaders now treat that ground as a blank canvas for industrial build-outs that don’t feed anyone.

If food security is national security, then farmland is strategic territory. Let’s start acting like it.

​Data centers, Ai, Data center water use, Brooke rollins, Texas, Droughts, Ranches, Trump, Solar energy, Opinion & analysis, Beef, Prices, Affordability, Grocery prices, Artificial intelligence, Water, Big tech 

blaze media

Homeless man found tied up in vacant home was brutally beaten with signs of torture, police say

Police have arrested three people believed to be involved in the brutal beating to death of a homeless man found in a vacant home in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

The Klamath Falls Police Department said in a statement that officers found Kolton Esparza just before 11 a.m. on Feb. 26 while performing a welfare call.

‘I beat Kolton with a rock and stomped him out with my shoes.’

The homeless man was found naked, bound with rope, and beaten very badly. Police reported that he had signs of torture as well.

He was transported to a hospital, where he died a day later from his injuries.

After an investigation, police arrested two men and a woman for their involvement in his death.

Prosecutors say 49-year-old Jamie S. Harrington drove Esparza to the Eulalona Trailhead in Klamath Falls along with her brother, 34-year-old Reggie L. Townsend Jr., and a 39-year-old man named Wesley J. Powless, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Esparza was allegedly beaten by the men before he was able to run away, with them chasing after him.

Prosecutors say the men caught up to him near the vacant home and beat him with a brick or rock while kicking him. Powless and Townsend allegedly cleaned up the scene and left with evidence in a black garbage bag.

A medical examiner found that the man’s cause of death was “severe head trauma.”

Investigators claimed to have obtained a confession letter from Townsend to his girlfriend that read, “I beat Kolton with a rock and stomped him out with my shoes.”

KDRV-TV also reported that Townsend had been released only three months prior after serving a sentence for manslaughter.

RELATED: Elderly man confesses to killing his daughter and wife with an ax to avoid homelessness after losing his job, police say

Harrington and her brother were arrested on Feb. 27, while Powless was arrested in a later traffic stop.

Powless and Townsend were charged with second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and tampering with evidence. Harrington was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Homeless man killed, Kolton esparza beaten to death, Brutal beating murder, Klamath falls murder, Crime 

blaze media

Logan Paul issues $1 million challenge to any NFL player

On the “Impaulsive” podcast, Logan Paul declared he would wager $1 million against any NFL player willing to face him in a boxing match — claiming that no player is capable of beating him.

“Not a single football player could beat me in a boxing match,” Paul said proudly, adding that he would “throttle Myles Garrett.”

“A million dollars. You come to the gym, we put on boxing gloves, we see how it goes,” he added.

“This started with, ‘I can beat any NFL player in a fight.’ Which is an outright lie. There are a bunch of guys in the National Football League right now that will whoop Logan Paul’s ass,” “Fearless” guest Shaun King tells BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock.

“Then he fixed it, though, when he came back around to it, and he specified it had to be boxing and inside the ring with gloves on. … That is a conditioning thing, and it’s a technique thing, and no matter how good you might be fighting on the street, if you aren’t learned in that specific line of combat, then you probably have no chance,” he continues.

“Probably in a boxing match, something that he’s been training at forever with gloves, three-minute rounds, he has a sizeable advantage. But don’t get it twisted, Logan. In a regular street fight, there are a whole bunch of NFL guys that’ll get on your top,” he adds.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Upload, Sharing, Camera phone, Video, Free, Video phone, Youtube.com, Fearless with jason whitlock, Fearless, Jason whitlock, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Shaun king, Logan paul, National football league, Nfl, Nfl football 

blaze media

Shock NBC poll reveals American voters’ true feelings about ICE and Democrats

As President Donald Trump continues his push to secure the nation, a new NBC News survey reveals that American voters hold positions on enforcement of immigration laws that are at odds with the mainstream media narrative. The poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies, shows that when it comes to border security, voters prefer the Republican Party over the Democratic Party by a staggering 27-point lead.

The American people have more faith in the agency protecting the border than in the party that has consistently undermined it.

The survey was conducted between Feb. 27 and March 3, 2026. It included interviews with 1,000 registered voters, with 620 respondents reached via cell phone and 309 interviewed through an online survey sent via text message. The results, which have a margin of error of ±3.10%, reveal a growing divide.

The poll also has shocking news for the Democratic Party. According to the survey, 38% of voters have a positive view of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. By comparison, only 30% of voters have a positive view of the Democratic Party. This eight-point gap suggests that despite radical “Abolish ICE” rhetoric from progressives, the American people have more faith in the agency protecting the border than in the party that has consistently undermined it.

In a post on X, Fox News legal analyst Jonathan Turley noted, “[The Democratic Party] barely edged out Iran in popularity. As Democrats push airports toward a shutdown during peak Spring break travel, they could soon lose not just to Iran but Ebola in future polls.”

RELATED: Anti-ICE inflatable frogs join Democrats at State of the Union counter event

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

Republicans hold their largest issue-based advantage on the border, far outpacing the 22-point lead they hold on the issue of crime. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party trails significantly on these pressing security concerns.

While 50% of voters say they prefer a Democrat-controlled Congress, they are simultaneously backing the Trump administration’s firm stance on the U.S. border and immigration enforcement.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Nbc, Data, Poll, Border, Ice, Trump, Trucking industry, Politics 

blaze media

Trump says war against Iran is nearly over — and gives regime warning ‘not to try anything cute’

After only 10 days of the military operation against Iran, President Donald Trump said that it is close to being complete.

The president made the comments to a reporter over a phone interview Monday as oil prices skyrocketed and the stock market took a dive.

‘They’ve shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute.’

“I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications. They’ve got no air force,” the president said to Weijia Jiang, a CBS reporter.

Jiang posted the comments on social media.

The president added that the operation was far ahead of an initial estimated time frame of four to five weeks.

He also addressed the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had threatened to shut down and was the cause of the spike in oil prices. The president said he was considering “taking it over” and threatened Iran further.

“They’ve shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute or it’s going to be the end of that country,” he added.

The stock market recovered much of its losses, and oil markets dropped in value after the president’s comments were reported.

A Russian official also said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin shared proposals to end the war on Iran in a phone call with Trump.

The president said Saturday that Iran was looking to end its strikes against its neighbors.

“Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore,” he wrote. “This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East.”

RELATED: Iran promises to cease attacks on neighboring countries as Trump warns it will be ‘hit very hard’

Jiang also asked the president to comment on the news that the Iranian regime had chosen Mojtaba Khamenei to become the next supreme leader.

“I have no message for him. None whatsoever,” Trump said.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Us-israeli strike on iran, Trump says war coming to end, End of iran war, Stock market on iran war, Politics