Category: blaze media

A couple of new, scaled-down electroencephalogram devices are being marketed as sleep correctives and lucid dreaming devices set to take users to places where anything is possible. Maybe true, but it’s also a feeder program for grander project.

Lucid dreaming follows a spectrum. Everyone from cognitive neuroscientists on down now acknowledges it. The basic idea is that if you can wake up — to some extent — inside your dream and, to varying degrees, take direction, there is probably a way to enhance and prolong that experience.

In a way, in theory, it is the ultimate video game. And you’re the console.

Selling your dream time to direct-inject advertising schemes may appeal to many.

If the team behind the new lucid dream company is representative of the techno-pharmaceutical-religious zeitgeist in the California Bay Area, then perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised by its moniker: Prophetic.

What could go wrong? Why wouldn’t you want to share the utmost intimate details of your subconscious, which may or may not have important relationships with the divine soul?

What’s in it for them?

Prophetic’s interface devices, called Phase and Dual, are not in any way prophetic, of course. In fact, the irony is how predictable is the endeavor to mix dreams, tech, and vibes as the latest quick profit for the expendable income crowd.

The company website and X account share very little of the bigger picture — and it’s this bigger picture, with the implicit long-term profit motives and strategies (almost always related to data acquisition) that is really revealing.

We can glean a peek. When I queried Google for a deeper dive, I was informed that Prophetic’s “data collected from the headsets (EEG data, sleep metrics) is used internally to refine their AI models, including the Morpheus-1 neurostimulation model.” Google linked to an article indicating that “Morpheus-1 will use ‘transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation,’ a non-invasive way to modulate brain activity using high-frequency sound waves beyond the normal human hearing range.”

RELATED: This Big Tech patent tracks your brain, eyes, and body — with earbuds

Christian Vierig/Getty Images

So as in the case of Pokemon Go — wherein users chased phantasm characters on a screen while, unbeknownst to them, their adventures were unpaid labor, traversing urban canyons to harvest geospatial data for a much longer-term robotics play — data collection from lucid dreaming essentially creates a local, spatial grid dataset, of the kind applicable to robots working independent of GPS. “Prophetic induces lucidity by sending safe, low-intensity ultrasonic energy through the forehead and into the prefrontal cortex,” the website notes. “This area of the brain is naturally downregulated during normal non-lucid dreams. And it is upregulated during lucid dreams.”

I can do this job in my sleep!

Down in section 15(b) of the terms of service offered for the Dual and Phase devices, we find the following: “THE CLAIMS MADE ABOUT SPECIFIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION.” But if it’s not a food and it’s not a drug, what sort of body should be doing the evaluation? Or is your brain in its most vulnerable state the new Wild West?

Caution in strapping an unapproved, largely unproven device to your head for eight hours a night is advised, we hope, obviously. And perhaps the data collection winds up serving some grander purpose related to human well-being. However, Prophetic is set up with a potential captive audience, one in a very particular, ultra-submissive emotional condition.

It may seem impossible today, but with a certain rejiggering of the economic expectations and realities in first-world countries, the notion of selling your dream time to direct-inject advertising schemes — or still more transactional purposes — may appeal to many.

For the luxe early-adopter, nihilism-is-dead crowd, the promise of optimized add-ons for REM, for performance enhancement by way of programming subconscious, may offer an extra appeal, even “better” than the real thing of waking life.

And speaking of add-ons, how long until the Prophetic machine can interact and/or control parameters to “participate” in the ultimate human intimacy of our dreams? Is a scheme for that already being tested?

Perhaps in the final phases of the schemes related to human neurological alteration and “improvement,” we lovers of novel experience (and often blindly willing guinea pigs) will have the option of taking into our innermost selves sales pitches and propaganda for the tools and substances we use to distract us from our spiritual shortcomings. But, what’s more, we soon may want (or need) to consider working not one, not two, but maybe even three or four jobs — wage job by day, “gig economy” side hustle by night, and yet another, and another, and another in your dreams!

And so we pioneers forge ahead into a future where such obsequious degradations of the human spirit grow ever more feasible — and potentially more preferable to even worse options.

​Tech 

The Trump administration has made it easier to deport recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals amnesty program implemented by former President Barack Obama, and activists are furious.

Obama said numerous times that he did not have the power to unilaterally pass amnesty for illegal aliens before he announced that he was passing amnesty for illegal aliens in 2012.

‘They don’t deserve this. We will not stop fighting back against the cruel, anti-immigrant obsession of Trump, Stephen Miller, and their loyalists.’

Fourteen years later, the “Dreamer” immigrants granted amnesty through the DACA program face a heightened threat of deportation.

The decision was made by the Executive Office for Immigration Review Board of Immigration Appeals of the Department of Justice.

“This decision could have profound consequences for the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who rely on DACA to live and work in America without threat of deportation,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D) of Illinois said. “In the face of this administration’s heartless actions, Congress must finally act to protect these young people who know no other home than here. This is a matter of simple American fairness and justice.”

Durbin noted in his press release that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested 261 DACA recipients and deported 86 of them since Jan. 2025.

A joint statement from four Democratic senators from the U.S. Congressional Hispanic Caucus also decried the decision.

“Donald Trump said that Dreamers should ‘feel safe,’ but every action his government takes weakens the DACA program and threatens the safety and livelihoods of the 500,000 DACA recipients who have only ever known this country as home,” the senators said.

“Dreamers are our friends and neighbors,” they added. “They don’t deserve this. We will not stop fighting back against the cruel, anti-immigrant obsession of Trump, Stephen Miller, and their loyalists.”

The National Immigration Law Center called the decision “cruel” and warned that it would harm immigrants.

“The Trump administration’s proposal to strip DACA recipients’ access to affordable health coverage is a huge step backward for the wellbeing of everyone in our communities and further unmasks Trump’s transparent and hollow claims to care about ‘Dreamers,'” reads an NILC statement.

“This cruel attempt to undo a hard-won victory for immigrant youth would reimpose unnecessary obstacles that for years kept DACA recipients disproportionately uninsured, preventing many of them from getting lifesaving medical care,” the group added.

“This decision is yet another step in dismantling the program without the government taking responsibility for ending it outright. … This is a quiet rollback of protections, and our communities are paying the price in real time,” reads a statement from United We Dream.

RELATED: Court rules Obama-era DACA amnesty program unlawful

Durbin estimated that there were about 515,000 people who had been granted DACA status.

Critics have long argued that the original order from Obama to offer amnesty to child arrivals violated the U.S. Constitution by usurping the powers intended to be vested in Congress.

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​Dream act, Trump vs daca, Daca dream act, Illegal alien activists, Politics 

President Donald Trump continues to prioritize the passage of the SAVE America Act, keeping election integrity at the forefront in Washington. However, states are not waiting for Congress to act. Across the country, this shift has been building for years, and it is becoming harder to ignore.

The SAVE America Act should be passed because it aligns federal elections with the direction states are already taking.

Florida offers one of the clearest examples. Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed a state-level measure requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and directing officials to verify applicants using existing data systems. The approach mirrors what the SAVE America Act would do at the federal level. DeSantis said the law would “strengthen the security, transparency, and reliability of Florida’s election system.”

Florida is not alone. In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves signed the SHIELD Act, which requires officials to verify citizenship when individuals register to vote, including checks against federal databases and regular audits of voter rolls. Reeves called it “another win for election integrity” and made clear that the state intends to keep strengthening its system.

South Dakota has already enacted similar requirements this year, requiring proof of citizenship for new voter registrations and putting those rules into effect immediately. Governor Larry Rhoden said the law “ensures only citizens vote in state elections, keeping our elections safe and secure.”

These bills didn’t happen overnight. States have been moving in this direction for years. Arizona, for example, required proof of citizenship for voter registration following the passage of Arizona Proposition 200, creating a system that distinguishes between voters who provide documentation and those who do not.

That history matters. It shows that the idea of verifying citizenship at the point of registration is nothing new. What is changing now is how widely and directly states are applying it to their election systems.

Under current federal law, voter registration generally relies on applicants affirming their eligibility under penalty of perjury rather than providing documentary proof. The federal voter registration form requires applicants to attest that they are United States citizens under penalty of perjury. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 relies heavily on self-attestation rather than documentary proof, leaving states to determine how verification is carried out. As some states move toward more structured verification, those differences become harder to ignore.

States that have moved toward documentation and data verification are operating alongside systems that still rely primarily on sworn statements.

RELATED: Uncle Sam wants YOU — to obey immigration laws

History/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The contrast is becoming more visible as more states update their processes, raising a straightforward question about whether federal elections should operate under a consistent standard.

The SAVE America Act answers that problem directly. It would require documentary proof of United States citizenship in order to vote in federal elections, using documents such as a passport or birth certificate.

As Senator Mike Lee has argued, the SAVE America Act would secure federal elections by requiring proof of citizenship and voter identification nationwide.

Citizenship is already required to vote. A federal standard would ensure that requirement is applied the same way in every state.

Without that standard, states will continue moving in different directions, leaving federal elections governed by a patchwork of verification practices. With it, the system becomes consistent.

The SAVE America Act should be passed because it aligns federal elections with the direction states are already taking and applies a clear, uniform standard to voter registration.

States are setting the standard for verifying voter eligibility.

It is time for Congress to do its part and pass the SAVE America Act.

​Congress, Election integrity, Florida, Governor ron desantis, Mississippi, President donald trump, Save america act, Senator mike lee, South dakota, Voter id, Opinion & analysis 

The Indiana Fever team has been having difficulty selling tickets for its season opener against the Dallas Wings — and BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock not only believes it’s “a sign that the WNBA is about to potentially crash and burn,” but knows why.

“They’ve probably already burned up the goodwill that Caitlin Clark earned them by entering into the league. If they’ve diminished the star of Caitlin Clark, what they’ve really diminished is the entire league,” he explains.

Whitlock points out that while some of the WNBA players are making seven-figure salaries, the attitude of the league leaves fans wondering if they’ve earned it.

“People are going to want their money’s worth, and the WNBA can’t give it to them. And when you don’t feel good about the players, when these players are walking around making seven-figure salaries, pretending like they’re superstar celebrities, pretending like they’re just the same as NBA players, all the goodwill is going to disappear,” he explains.

“We already see it in Indiana with Caitlin Clark. The goodwill is gone. … Women’s basketball in the WNBA and professionals, it’s bloated. It’s overrated. It’s hot garbage that’s being paid like it’s pristine and some prized possession,” he continues.

And while the players are paid well, Whitlock points out that one of the biggest issues with their attitude is that they “hate America and have portrayed themselves as victims” who have “blackmailed and guilt-tripped their way into a seven-figure salary.”

Now that the league can’t sell out the Indiana Fever’s first home game, Whitlock believes “the entire league is teetering at the brink of an uprising and a backlash that’s really long overdue.”

And Whitlock is among those leaving the league behind.

“I’m prepared, like the rest of you, to de-emphasize my passion for the WNBA,” he says. “This fall can’t happen quick enough.”

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.

​America, Attitude, Backlash, Blaze media, Blaze news, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Blaze podcast network, Blaze podcasts, Blazetv, Blazetv host, Blm, Caitlin clark, Dallas wings, Fall, Goodwill, Indiana fever, Jason whitlock, Passion, Professional athletes, Seven figure salaries, The blaze, Ticket sales, Uprising, Victim mindset, Victims, Wnba collapse, Womens basketball, Fearless with jason whitlock 

Following the recent attempted assassination of Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, there was an immediate and predictable rush to the microphones.

“We need to tone it down.” “We need to be better.” “We need to lower the temperature.”

The statements came almost reflexively, as if the script had already been written.

The same people now saying “we” have spent years writing and rehearsing the very script they now decry.

It brought to mind a scene from “Blazing Saddles,” when Governor William J. Lepetomane gathers his Cabinet and declares, “We’ve got to protect our phony-baloney jobs, gentlemen,” prompting a chorus of obedient “harrumphs.” When one man fails to join in, he is immediately called out for it.

That scene was meant to be absurd, but it’s hard to laugh when it looks so familiar.

The chorus we hear now from the media is not all that different. The language is more polished, the setting more formal, but the substance is the same. A unified sound, carefully rehearsed, that spreads responsibility so broadly that no one person has to carry it.

“We need to tone it down.”

Who is “we”?

The rush to say “we need to tone it down” or that “both sides” must do so reveals something else. The media knows it has a credibility problem. What it refuses to admit is that it has an ownership problem as well.

“We” is a convenient word to hide behind. The same people now saying “we” have spent years writing and rehearsing the very script they now decry. They used language that casts opponents as existential threats, invoking terms like “Hitler” and “fascist” as routine descriptors rather than historically loaded warnings.

That kind of language does not stay contained. It shapes how listeners understand the stakes. It tells them that what they are seeing is not a mere disagreement, but a moral emergency. And when everything is framed as a moral emergency, there will always be someone who hears that not as metaphor but as instruction.

That does not excuse the person who acts. Responsibility for violence remains personal. But it does expose the gap between those who help set the tone and those who later step forward to warn about it.

The problem is the distance built into the language.

What would it sound like if that distance were removed? Not “we need to dial it back,” but “I do.” Not “we have to be more careful,” but “I have not been careful.” That kind of sentence lands differently because it costs something. It does not distribute the burden. It accepts it.

I did not learn that lesson in Washington. I learned it as a caregiver. There are days when everything is compressed at once, when the routine collapses, the body gives out, and the phone rings at precisely the wrong moment. On those days, it is easy to feel as though everything is being dumped on me. Sometimes that is true.

But caregiving has a way of stripping away illusions, including the ones I prefer to keep about myself.

Because while there are days when I feel like the statue, I have had to admit that there are other days when I am the pigeon — not because I set out to do harm, but because I make impatient decisions in the middle of exhaustion, speak more sharply than I should, or try, in subtle ways, to elevate myself at someone else’s expense.

That does not excuse it. One does not get a free pass to be an ass.

Washington has a hypocrisy problem. The media has a credibility problem. I have done the same thing in smaller rooms with lower stakes and fewer cameras. I have used tone, timing, and words to shift blame, to justify myself, to make someone else carry what was mine to own. That recognition has steadied me more than any sweeping call for “all of us” to do better.

I am not in a position to correct a culture that rewards outrage and then feigns surprise when it produces consequences. But I am in a position to confront myself with the truth.

RELATED: Follow the facts, not the script

Stellalevi/Getty Images

First-person plural spreads the blame until it disappears. First-person singular removes the cover. And once the cover is gone, something else becomes possible: repentance.

Not “we will do better,” but “I will do better.”

That is where leadership begins. Not on a stage or behind a podium, not in a ballroom full of cameras, but in the quiet decision of a single person to own what is his to own.

Life, whether it unfolds in Washington or in a hospital room, is shaped the same way — one voice, one decision, one sentence at a time. Which means it can only be corrected the same way. Not “we.” But “I.”

​Attempted assassination, Correspondents dinner, Donald trump, Hitler fascist, Media credibility problem, White house, Washington hypocrisy, Media, Mainstream media, Media narrative, Media hypocrisy, Opinion & analysis 

New York City Democrat mayor Zohran Mamdani’s latest political stunt has wealthy investors signaling they may rethink their commitments to the once-flourishing city — just as BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales predicted.

“They’re not going to just sit there and take it. They’re going to do something about that. What do you think these millionaires that don’t even live there full-time are going to do?” she asks, showing a video Mamdani released revealing his plans for the rich.

“When I ran for mayor, I said I was going to tax the rich. Well, today, we’re taxing the rich. I’m thrilled to announce we’ve secured a pied-a-terre tax, the first in New York’s history. This is an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million whose owners do not live full-time in the city,” Mamdani explained in a promotional video.

And they’re not happy — especially billionaire Ken Griffin.

Mamdani “doxxed” the CEO of Citadel in his video, pointing out the location of his apartment.

“I don’t think this should come as a shock to anyone. He wasn’t very happy about being name-checked in this little, you know, ad. And so, Ken Griffin now is pushing back after Mamdani featured … his $238 million penthouse in the tax-the-rich video,” Gonzales explains, pointing out that in a letter to Citadel’s employees, the COO subtly hinted at a possible re-evaluation of its New York City investment.

“Because you see, as the story goes, he was planning on investing $6 billion into a development project. And now he’s like, ‘You know what? I don’t know if I want to do that. I don’t know if I want to continue investing my money in a city that just wants to tax me into oblivion,’” she continues.

“Who could have possibly predicted that that would be the final result of Zohran Mamdani just trying to get the rich to pay for all of his free stuff, which as we know isn’t even free? So, things are not going well on that front,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​238 million penthouse, Blazetv host, Ceo of citadel, Commitments, Doxxed, Free stuff, Investment, Ken griffin, Luxury properties, Mayor zohran mamdani, Millionaires, New york city, Piedaterre tax, Political stunt, Push back, Sara gonzales, Taxation, Wealthy investors, Development project, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Sara gonzales unfiltered 

A horrifying random attack on a 3-year-old could have been prevented by the former Biden administration, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Gabriella Perez and her child were relaxing and fishing on April 18 at a San Antonio park when they were violently attacked by Atharva Vyas, according to a DHS post on social media.

‘She’s lashing out, angry. She doesn’t understand evil like this f**king man. She’ll never be the same again.’

Vyas allegedly grabbed Perez by her hair and caused her to drop the 3-year-old. The 24-year-old then reportedly attacked the girl, leaving her with bite marks and knocking two of her teeth out.

Perez told the New York Post that witnesses intervened to subdue the man and two Texans pointed guns at him.

“I was screaming, ‘Shoot him! Shoot him!'” she said.

The man was identified as an illegal alien who had originally come to the U.S. on a student visa in Aug. 2023, according to DHS.

Vyas was arrested only three months later for assault on the campus of the University of Texas, but the Biden administration determined that the offense was not “egregious” enough to justify the revocation of his visa.

The Trump administration revoked his F-1 visa in April 2025, according to the DHS statement. After the newest allegations of assault, Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a detainer request on Vyas.

Perez told the New York Post that the child has life-changing trauma over the attack.

“She’s terrified to sleep. She’s lashing out, angry. She doesn’t understand evil like this f**king man. She’ll never be the same again,” she said.

The man was allegedly on “wax,” a highly concentrated cannabis substance that can be the equivalent of smoking up to 20 joints, according to law enforcement.

RELATED: 83-year-old great-grandmother fights back against carjacker by biting him: ‘Get these animals off the streets!’

“This criminal illegal alien brutally bit this child and caused her to lose two teeth. This barbaric assault against this woman and her three-year-old in a park was completely preventable,” reads a statement from Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.

“The Biden administration NEVER should have released this animal following his arrest for assault,” she added. “We are working with our partners in Texas to ensure this criminal illegal alien never roams free in American communities again.”

The victim’s family said in a GoFundMe account that they are focusing on healing. They also posted a photo of the little girl’s grievous injuries. The injuries are also visible in an interview with Telemundo.

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​Atharva vyas, Illegal alien bites child face, Child face attack texas, Wax cannabis face bite attack, Crime 

A man was caught on police bodycam video biting an Alabama police dog while resisting arrest last week — and cops said the suspect just showed up and became disruptive during an operation he wasn’t even part of.

The Florence Police Department said the Lauderdale County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant in the 200 block of North Locust Street in Florence on Wednesday.

‘I can tell you what I had a concern of, and of course, all of the citizens. Those are most of my calls in regard to what happened. It’s all about the dog biting him and when the dog was sicced on him.’

Police said the Florence-Lauderdale SWAT team and the Florence Police Department K-9 Unit assisted.

However, during the execution of the warrant, police said 46-year-old David Culliver arrived on scene.

Believe it or not, police said Culliver wasn’t involved in the investigation and actually “inserted himself into the situation.”

What’s more, cops said Culliver “became belligerent, yelled at officers, and stepped into an active roadway with flowing traffic.”

Police said an officer ordered Culliver several times to get out of the roadway so a vehicle wouldn’t hit him.

However, cops said Culliver re-entered the roadway and continued disrupting traffic.

At that point, officers told Culliver he was being placed under arrest.

But as officers attempted to handcuff him, police said Culliver pulled away and resisted multiple officers as they tried to place him under arrest.

RELATED: Violent suspect actually bites K-9’s ear amid arrest, Florida sheriff says: ‘You can’t make this stuff up’

Image source: Florence (Ala.) Police Department bodycam video screenshot

Soon, a Florence Police K-9 was deployed to help take Culliver into custody.

But Culliver grabbed one of the K-9’s legs and bit the K-9, police said.

Officers struck Culliver to get him to release the K-9, cops noted.

Culliver then was taken to the ground and placed in handcuffs, police said, adding that he was taken to a hospital for treatment of K-9 puncture wounds and then booked into the Lauderdale County Detention Center. Police did not detail what, if any, injuries the K-9 may have suffered.

Police released video of the incident showing two bodycam angles; the clip from Officer Two showing the struggle between the suspect and the K-9 begins at the 11:27 mark in the video below. You also can view the full video from Officer Two here.

Content warning: Explicit language.

Police said Culliver was being charged for resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and interfering with a police dog.

Police said Culliver’s bond was set at $2,500; Culliver was not listed as an inmate, according to jail records accessed Monday afternoon.

Police added that “this footage captures the entirety of the encounter, as opposed to the brief clip currently circulating on social media. Shortened videos shared online often present only a limited perspective and may not fully show the sequence of events. Viewing the complete footage is essential to understanding the full context of the situation and ensuring an accurate representation of what occurred.”

Police also said the incident “has been thoroughly reviewed, and the use of force applied has been determined to be justified.”

However, Florence City Council President Kaytrina Simmons said several community members reached out to her in anger over the officers’ actions, according to WAFF-TV.

Simmons told the station that even after considering the police perspective on the incident, the use of the K-9 is troubling to her: “I’m not a police officer. I can tell you what I had a concern of, and of course, all of the citizens. Those are most of my calls in regard to what happened. It’s all about the dog biting him and when the dog was sicced on him.”

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​Man bites dog, Alabama, Florence, Drug bust, Arrest, Bodycam video, Bodycam video released, Resisting arrest, Disorderly conduct, Public intoxication, Interfering with a police dog, Crime 

President Donald Trump reprimanded a “60 Minutes” journalist during his interview for reading the words ascribed to the alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter.

The president discussed the latest assassination attempt against his life with Norah O’Donnell on Sunday but lashed out at her when she quoted suspect Cole Allen’s alleged manifesto.

‘You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with … stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated.’

“He appears to reference a motive. In it he writes this, quote: ‘Administration officials, they are targets.’ And he also wrote this: ‘I’m no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.’ What’s your reaction to that?” asked O’Donnell.

“Well, I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you’re horrible people,” Trump responded. “Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.”

“Do you think he was referring to you?” asked O’Donnell.

“Excuse me. Excuse me. I’m not a pedophile,” the president interrupted.

“You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with … stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated. Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let’s say, [Jeffrey] Epstein or other things,” he added.

“But I said to myself, ‘You know, I’ll do this interview, and they’ll probably …’ I read the manifesto,” Trump continued. “You know, he’s a sick person. But you should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I’m not any of those things.”

“Mr. President, these are the gunman’s words,” she replied.

“Excuse me, you shouldn’t be reading that on ’60 Minutes,'” Trump interrupted. “You’re a disgrace. But go ahead. Let’s finish the interview.”

He added again, “You’re disgraceful.”

Video of the interaction was posted to social media, where O’Donnell was widely criticized.

RELATED: ‘Enough is enough’: Melania demands ABC ‘take a stand’ against ‘coward’ Jimmy Kimmel

In addition to the alleged manifesto, the suspect also apparently left a large digital footprint stacked with Democratic anti-Trump talking points and even some blatant threats against Trump and his administration.

The president has jump-started his campaign to build the White House ballroom in the wake of the shooting by arguing that it would have far better security protocols than the Washington Hilton, where the shooting took place.

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​Trump vs 60 minutes, Norah o’donnell, Cole allen manifesto, Whcd shooter, Politics 

Anti-Trump commentator Ana Navarro made a case for the idea that the latest attempt on the president’s life might have been staged to distract the American public.

Navarro, who is a co-host of “The View,” previously worked for the presidential campaign of the late Sen. John McCain but has become a bitter critic of President Donald Trump and his policies.

‘People look at this and say, “Oh my God, is he trying to distract us again?” because that is what he does, right?’

On the Sunday edition of her “Bleep!” podcast, Navarro offered some reasons why people might think the Trump administration staged the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.

“It’s odd to me that in a place that is teeming with Secret Service, with Washington, D.C., police, with all sorts of law enforcement, this could happen,” Navarro said.

“But also, I think people jump to the conclusion that it is staged because Trump lies. He lies constantly, daily, and pathologically. So people do not trust and do not believe anything Trump says. His lips are moving, the likelihood is, he is lying,” she added.

“Also, this is a man who has mastered the art — forget the art of the deal — he has mastered the art of distraction,” Navarro said. “Any time he finds himself in hot water, his numbers right now are down in the basement, his Iran war is incredibly unpopular, people are pissed as hell at the price of gas and the price of everything going up.”

The Justice Dept. presented in a media briefing Monday the mountain of evidence so far collected to show that alleged shooter Cole Tomas Allen was motivated by left-wing animus to target the president.

“People look at this and say, ‘Oh my God, is he trying to distract us again?’ because that is what he does, right?” Navarro continued.

“He posts crazy things, and he does crazy things and says crazy things to distract us from the Epstein files, to distract us from his horrible [polling] numbers, to distract us from the failures and incompetence of his administration,” she added.

RELATED: Ana Navarro cites her disabled relatives to defend abortion and people are horrified

On Monday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that Allen was charged with one count each of attempted assassination of the president of the United States, interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

“Violence has no place in civic life,” Blanche said. “It cannot and will not be used to disrupt democratic institutions or intimidate those who serve them, and it certainly cannot continue to be used against the president of the United States.”

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​Ana navarro, Whcd shooting conspiracy theory, Trump assassination attempt, Politics, Cole tomas allen 

Democratic former President Barack Obama appeared to be baffled about the motivation of the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, despite the rather persuasive evidence already available.

Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, was arrested after he allegedly opened fire at the dinner, prompting attendees to dive under their tables and the president to be evacuated from the area.

‘There is no ambiguity. … It’s wrong to downplay or obscure the obvious motive.’

Allen had allegedly released a manifesto and left a massive online footprint full of Democratic anti-Trump propaganda, and yet Obama said he had no clue what could have motivated the suspect to try and assassinate the president and members of his administration.

“Although we don’t yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, it’s incumbent upon all us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy,” Obama wrote in the statement on social media Sunday.

“It’s also a sobering reminder of the courage and sacrifice that U.S. Secret Service Agents show every day,” he added. “I’m grateful to them — and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be okay.”

The former president was immediately assailed for the bizarre comment.

“This guy. We don’t have the motives? There’s a damn manifesto that details everything,” NewsNation reporter Katie Pavlich responded.

“Oh, come on. The shooter left a detailed manifesto in his hotel room and sent writings to family members shortly before the attack where explicitly identified himself as the ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ and said was targeting Trump administration officials — prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,” former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.

“There is no ambiguity. It was a politically motivated attack driven by anti-Trump and anti-Christian bile. It’s wrong to downplay or obscure the obvious motive,” she added.

RELATED: ‘Enough is enough’: Melania Trump demands ABC ‘take a stand’ against ‘coward’ Jimmy Kimmel

“You are so SICK!” responded the account for the Republican National Committee. “Law enforcement officers confirmed this radicalized Leftist was targeting President Trump and his administration last night. Why are you lying?”

Allen appeared in federal court for arraignment Monday on charges of attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of weapons, and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime. He is likely to face many other charges based on the information gathered from the investigation.

Allen’s next scheduled court date is May 11.

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In the aftermath of the third assassination attempt against President Donald Trump, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took to the podium on Monday to call out specific Democrats for heightening tensions and calling for violence.

Just days after 31-year-old Cole Allen allegedly sprinted through a security checkpoint and opened fire in the lobby at the Washington Hilton, wounding a Secret Service agent, Leavitt is pointing the finger at Democrats who have inspired deranged leftists to take up arms.

‘These are Democrat-elected officials calling for war.’

“It’s not just the media. … The entire Democrat Party has made their pitch to voters across the country that Donald Trump poses an existential threat to democracy, that he is a fascist, and that they compare him to Hitler,” Leavitt said Monday.

“I mean, these are despicable statements that the American people have been consuming for years, and so many mentally perturbed individuals are led to believe these words are truth and then are inspired to act on it.”

RELATED: Stunning new details reveal the ‘depraved’ motivation of the suspected WHCD shooter

Truth Social/Anadolu/Getty Images

Leavitt said those incessantly likening Trump to dictators who deserve to be met with violence inspired the three assassination attempts and countless threats waged against the president and his allies.

“Rep. Hakeem Jeffries just this April, this month, said, ‘We are in an era of maximum warfare everywhere all the time,'” Leavitt said. “Governor Josh Shapiro said, ‘Heads need to roll’ within the administration. Senator Alex Padilla said people are ‘dying because of fear and terror’ caused by the Trump administration.”

Leavitt went on to list several more prominent Democrats like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Adam Schiff (Calif.), and Ed Markey (Mass.), Gov. JB Pritzker (Ill.), Rep. Ayanna Presley (Mass.), and Rep. LaMonica McIver (N.J.), who have made similar appeals likening Trump to a fascist, dictator, or authoritarian and calling for ambiguous escalations.

“These are Democrat-elected officials calling for war against the president of the United States and his supporters,” Leavitt said.

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​Adam schiff, Alex padilla, Assassination attempts, Ayanna pressley, Cole allen, Cole allen manifesto, Democrat party, Donald trump, Ed markey, Elizabeth warren, Hakeem jeffries, Jb pritzker, Josh shapiro, Karoline leavitt, Lamonica mciver, Left wing violence, Secret service, Trump assassination attempt, White house, White house correspondents dinner, Politics 

A depraved radical opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night with the apparent aim of assassinating President Donald Trump and administration officials.

Following this latest attempt on his life, Trump implored all Americans to “recommit with their hearts in resolving our difference peacefully.”

‘A lot of this does come from the White House.’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expounded on the need to drop the divisive rhetoric, telling reporters on Monday that “this political violence stems from a systemic demonization of [Trump] and his supporters by commentators — yes, by elected members of the Democrat Party and even some in the media. This hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump, day after day after day for 11 years, has helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment.”

Like the hordes of anti-Trump leftists who sounded off online over the weekend, especially on the liberal X knockoff Bluesky, Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) made clear Monday on CNN that he would rather point fingers than build bridges.

Vindman impressed upon CNN talking head Sara Sidner the supposed need for social media censorship, which he euphemistically referred to as “better regulat[ion.]”

When Sidner asked the Democrat congressman whether toning down the rhetoric “is even possible with this political class, with the vitriol that comes out of the White House,” Vindman agreed that Trump is at least partially responsible for the divisive “political climate.”

“No,” responded Vindman, a native of the former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic whose twin brother attacked Trump online after the previous attempt on the president’s life. “Absolutely not. And look, I think you’re right. A lot of this does come from the White House.”

RELATED: Suspected WHCD shooter and another would-be Trump assassin have a lot in common — and it’s not just Ukraine

U.S. President Trump via Truth Social/Anadolu/Getty Images

Vindman was hardly the only Democrat who apparently felt obliged to blame Trump for the violence directed his way.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) told CNN on Monday, “Remember that it’s been Donald Trump and the Republicans that have called for political violence.”

After blaming suspected shooter Cole Allen’s intended targets, Pritzker said that America needs to bring “peace to its politics.” This sentiment was, however, short-lived, as he proceeded to defend the suggestion in his state of the state speech last year that the Trump administration is reminiscent of the Nazi regime in Germany.

Unlike Pritzker and Vindman, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) told his Democrat peers to “drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these.”

Fetterman further acknowledged that the hotel where the gunman attacked on Saturday “wasn’t build to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government.”

Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday, “What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE. This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!”

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​Cole allen, Donald trump, Law enforcement, Political violence, President, Secret service, Tds, Vindman, White house ballroom, White house correspondents association, Sara sidner, Cnn, Pritzker, Leftism, Violence, Politics 

Today, Allie Beth Stuckey, BlazeTV host of “Relatable,” debated Jacob Hansen, a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints podcaster whose channel is dedicated to exploring various worldview apologetics and comparing them to the LDS perspective.

In this fascinating 90-minute conversation, Allie and Hansen dive into important topics that differentiate creedal Christianity from the LDS faith, including the founding of the LDS Church, the Trinity, salvation, and much more.

Allie and Hansen kicked off the debate by discussing the founding of the Mormon faith.

It began in 1830 in upstate New York when a young farm boy named Joseph Smith claimed that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and directed him through the angel Moroni to translate the book of Mormon from ancient golden tablets.

“They essentially told [Smith] that the original church of Jesus Christ was not in its fullness on the Earth,” Hansen summarizes.

“What was missing was the priesthood authority and keys that were given to Peter … to effectuate the ordinances of salvation as a means by which we make covenants with our Father in heaven, and so you don’t have the fullness of the church without the fullness of the priesthood that is necessary to govern that institution, and we believe that was what needed to be restored,” he elaborates.

Allie asks Hansen a tough follow-up question: Does the Mormon church consider her — a Baptist — an apostate who lacks the fullness of truth?

“We would believe that you are a full, sincere believer in Jesus Christ, and we believe that you can reach a potential of relationship with Jesus Christ through that sincere belief that you have,” Hansen answers.

But in LDS theology, the afterlife isn’t binary as it is in the creedal Christian perspective. Heaven and hell are on a spectrum.

“The way that our faith views things is that there are different levels of light that people are willing to accept, right?” Hansen explains. “And the fullness of the light is to come into a full covenant relationship with Jesus Christ through His church, through the ordinances that put you into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.”

In other words, someone like Allie, who has a deep and personal relationship with Christ but rejects the tenets of Mormonism that contradict creedal Christianity, can experience “great joy and happiness” in the afterlife but not to the same level as those in the LDS Church who have both a sincere faith in Jesus Christ and fully accept the Church’s restored priesthood authority.

But Allie sees a contradiction.

“At least semantically, you would say Jesus died for our sins and that his sacrifice on the cross paid for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God,” she says.

“But it sounds like you’re saying there’s something else too — that Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t quite enough, that you also need to enter into ordinances.”

Hansen addresses Allie’s point with the analogy of a group of teenagers who ignored their parents’ warnings and decided to drive their car around a cliff.

“The brakes all of a sudden go out, and our car is heading downhill towards the cliff. … There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves; we’re going to go off that cliff, and then Jesus shows up with a helicopter, and He reaches His hand out and He says, ‘Take my hand, and I’ll get you out of this mess,’ right?” says Hansen.

He explains that the teenagers in the car are not automatically rescued just because Jesus showed up. They have to “choose Jesus Christ” in order to be saved.

But choosing Christ isn’t just saying yes to being rescued, Hansen argues.

“Our view is that we have to do something to reach up to take His hand,” he says, pointing to how the crowd Peter was preaching to at Pentecost had to repent and be baptized before they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“So our view is that our repenting, being baptized, which is where we make this covenant with Christ, opens us up to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by those who have authority,” he tells Allie.

To hear her response and watch the rest of the debate, check out the episode above.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Lds church, Apologetics, Baptism, Blaze media, Blazetv, Christianity, Church of jesus christ of latter-day saints, Debate, Jacob hansen, Joseph smith, Lds, Lds faith, Mormon faith, Mormonism, Mormons, Priesthood authority, Relatable, Relatable with allie beth stuckey, Salvation, Trinity, Lds perspective 

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, has officially been charged by the Department of Justice for the shooting that took place during Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, including for the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.

The suspect was seen on security cameras rushing through a checkpoint in the lobby of the Washington Hilton hotel before opening fire and shooting a Secret Serviceman who was wearing a bulletproof vest. The gunman was immediately detained, and his alleged manifesto later revealed his plans to target Trump and members of Trump’s Cabinet.

As a result, Allen is facing three federal charges.

‘This count is punishable by up to life in prison.’

“I want to make this clear,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said. “This man was a floor above the ballroom, with hundreds of federal agents between him and the president of the United States. The Department of Justice approaches incidents like this with urgency and clarity of purpose.”

“Violence has no place in civic life. It cannot and will not be used to disrupt democratic institutions or intimidate those who serve them, and it certainly cannot continue to be used against the president of the United States.”

RELATED: Stunning new details reveal the ‘depraved’ motivation of the suspected WHCD shooter

ANNABELLE GORDON/AFP/Getty Images

Blanche vowed to continue investigating the incident as well as the left-wing organizations Allen was reportedly affiliated with, saying he will “ensure that accountability is swift and certain.”

“Today, the Department of Justice filed three federal charges in United States District Court against Cole Tomas Allen,” Blanche said. “The first count is attempted assassination of the president of the United States. This count is punishable by up to life in prison. The second count is interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony. This is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. And the third count is discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, which is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a maximum of life.”

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​Attempted assassination, Attorney general, Department of justice, President donald trump, Todd blanche, Kash patel, Trump assassination attempt, Secret service, White house correspondents dinner, Politics, Cole tomas allen 

President Donald Trump is trying to clear the field of several Indiana Republican state senators who previously opposed a congressional redistricting map by endorsing their challengers in the upcoming May 5 primary election.

In December, 21 Republican state senators joined their Democrat colleagues to block a redrawn congressional map that would have strengthened the GOP’s control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

‘Anybody that votes against Redistricting, and the SUCCESS of the Republican Party in D.C., will be, I am sure, met with a MAGA Primary in the Spring.’

The new map, which would have created two more Republican-leaning congressional districts, failed in the state Senate in a 31-19 vote.

Trump issued a warning to Republican state senators ahead of the vote, cautioning those who planned to block the map.

“Anybody that votes against Redistricting, and the SUCCESS of the Republican Party in D.C., will be, I am sure, met with a MAGA Primary in the Spring,” Trump wrote, adding that he would “do everything within my power to make sure that they will not hurt the Republican Party, and our Country, again.”

Trump declared that “every one” of the Republicans in the state Senate who voted against redistricting “should be ‘primaried,’ and I will be there to help!”

Republicans who voted against redistricting who are seeking re-election in May:

James Buck (District 21)Spencer Deery (District 23)Dan Dernulc (District 1)Greg Goode (District 38)Travis Holdman (District 19)Rick Niemeyer (District 6)Linda Rogers (District 11)Greg Walker (District 41)

Republican state Senators Eric Bassler (District 39) and Kyle Walker (District 31) also voted against the redistricting map. However, neither is seeking re-election.

RELATED: Indiana Republicans vote with Democrats to block redistricting — despite Trump’s threat to unseat them

Kaiti Sullivan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Trump issued his first endorsements of Republican challengers in January, backing Paula Copenhaver against Deery and Brenda Wilson against Goode. He also endorsed Jeff Ellington to take over Bassler’s open seat.

Trump described Copenhaver, the Fountain County GOP Chair, as a “MAGA Warrior” and a “terrific Candidate.”

“Paula is running against an incompetent and ineffective RINO incumbent named Spencer Deery who, for whatever reason, betrayed his voters by voting against Redistricting in Indiana,” the president stated.

Trump called Vigo County Commissioner Wilson a “Proven America First Patriot” and “a Successful Family Farmer,” arguing that she would be “a strong and effective Voice for our amazing Farmers and Indiana Agriculture.” He criticized Goode as a “RINO” and nicknamed him “No Goode.”

The president declared that Ellington, an “American First Patriot,” would be “a fantastic replacement for RINO Eric Bassler.” He described Ellington as “a Successful Businessman, Retired Firefighter, Horse Farmer, Greene County GOP Chairman, and former State Representative, who has dedicated his life to serving his Community.”

Trump issued three additional endorsements in February, supporting Blake Fiechter against Holdman, Tracey Powell against Buck, and Michelle Davis against Walker.

Fiechter is “a very successful Real Estate Broker, Proud Husband, Loving Father to three girls, and a Highly Respected Councilman in the wonderful City of Bluffton,” Trump said.

The president described Powell as “a successful Businessman, Chiropractor, Farmer, and Highly Respected Tipton County Commissioner.”

Trump contended that Davis, a state representative, has a strong record that includes voting “WITH Republicans to pass Redistricting in the State House.”

RELATED: ‘Total RINO’: Trump vows to oust Indiana Republican leader over redistricting betrayal

Kaiti Sullivan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

On Apr. 7, Trump posted two additional endorsements in his effort to remove Indiana RINOs from their Senate seats. He announced his support for Dr. Brian Schmutzler against Rogers and Trevor De Vries against Dernulc.

“A Proven Leader, Brian serves his Community as a Highly Respected Anesthesiologist and Medical Director,” he wrote in a post on social media.

“A Successful Businessman, Trevor knows the America First Policies required to Grow our Economy, Create GREAT Jobs, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., and Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE,” Trump said in a separate post.

Gov. Mike Braun (R), who supported the redistricting effort, also endorsed seven Trump-backed candidates: Copenhaver, Davis, De Vries, Fiechter, Powell, Wilson, and Schmutzler.

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​News, Donald trump, Trump, Indiana, Jim buck, James buck, Spencer deery, Dan dernulc, Greg goode, Travis holdman, Rick niemeyer, Linda rogers, Greg walker, Paula copenhaver, Brenda wilson, Jeff ellington, Blake fiechter, Tracey powell, Michelle davis, Brian schmutzler, Trever de vries, Rinos, Rino, Redistricting, Primary election, Politics 

The shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night has renewed the fervor of another debate raging in the nation’s capital.

On Sunday morning, President Trump made a post on Truth Social renewing his call to complete the White House ballroom, a project that has been halted due to an ongoing lawsuit.

‘The White House ballroom is essential for the safety and security of the president, his family, his Cabinet, and his staff.’

Trump argued that the shooting over the weekend demonstrates why the president needs a secure venue to host large events.

“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump wrote. “This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!”

RELATED: WHCD attendees caught snatching wine bottles off tables amid chaos in aftermath of shooting

Pete Marovich/Washington Post/Getty Images

He added that the ballroom is both beautiful and far more secure than the Hilton hotel in Washington.

Trump then pivoted to attack the ongoing lawsuit that has obstructed the construction of the ballroom despite his wishes.

“The ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit, brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit, must be dropped, immediately. Nothing should be allowed to interfere with with [sic] its construction, which is on budget and substantially ahead of schedule!!!” Trump concluded.

Trump echoed this message in a White House press briefing in the aftermath of the shooting, adding that modern times place higher demands on security than those of the past: “We need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signaled his agreement with Trump’s calls to continue the project, posting a copy of a letter regarding the lawsuit along with the caption, “It’s time to build the ballroom.”

The letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, begins by stating that the shooting Saturday was not the first attempt on a president’s life at the Washington Hilton hotel, referring to an attempt on President Ronald Reagan’s life by John Hinckley Jr., at the beginning of his presidency.

Shumate continues: “Yesterday’s assassination attempt on President Trump proves, yet again, that the White House ballroom is essential for the safety and security of the president, his family, his Cabinet, and his staff. When the White House ballroom is complete, President Trump and his successors will no longer need to venture beyond the safety of the White House perimeter to attend large gatherings at the Washington Hilton ballroom.”

He says that the lawsuit therefore puts the president and those close to him at “grave risk,” adding that he hopes “yesterday’s narrow miss will help you finally realize the folly of a lawsuit that literally serves no purpose except to stop President Trump no matter the cost.”

Blanche added in a reply to the post that the lawsuit is “on behalf of a single person who walks in the vicinity of the White House once a month and expects to dislike the East Wing’s new design.”

However, the reality is a bit more complicated than the “passing aesthetic gripe of a single person,” as Blanche described.

The lawsuit was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress in 1949. The organization represents thousands of members across the country, according to the complaint.

Blanche appears to be describing one member of the organization who is explicitly mentioned in the lawsuit, though she is not the only member whose interests are represented.

That said, she is described as a “professor emerita at a university where she taught history and historic preservation” who “frequently visits the White House neighborhood in order to enjoy the historic buildings and the beauty of the city’s design, in which the White House prominently features.”

Many right-leaning X accounts posted messages following the shooting urging the completion of the White House ballroom.

“THIS IS WHY WE NEED TRUMP’S BALLROOM,” Libs of TikTok wrote.

“Now you know why the left is suing to block Trump’s privately-funded WH ballroom,” End Wokeness said.

“I don’t want to hear one more f**king criticism of Trump’s new ballroom at the White House,” Meghan McCain added.

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​Acting attorney general, Assassination attempt, Assistant attorney general, Hilton hotel, Politics, President ronald reagan, President trump, Todd blanche, Truth social, Washington, Washington hilton, Whcd attendees, White house ballroom, White house correspondents dinner 

Virginia voted last week in favor of a referendum to adopt a gerrymandered congressional map that would all but guarantee that 10 out of the state’s 11 congressional seats go to Democrats in the upcoming midterm election.

There remains a good chance, however, that the new map may not ultimately be adopted.

Background

There are numerous legal battles across Virginia over whether the gerrymandering referendum that passed Tuesday is lawful. One of those battles — Scott v. McDougle — is now before the Virginia Supreme Court.

In October 2025, Republican state lawmakers and members of the Virginia Redistricting Commission filed a lawsuit, claiming that the special session reconvened late last year to consider a constitutional amendment on redistricting was invalid as it was called not by the governor, who holds the exclusive right to do so, but by the speaker of the state House.

The complaint noted further that while the Virginia House of Delegates “has no constitutional authority to propose a plan to redraw or reapportion districts” for the U.S. Congress, as this falls under the purview of the Virginia Redistricting Commission, the state House nevertheless usurped the authority.

To bypass the commission, lawmakers proposed a constitutional amendment to redraw the congressional map. Getting this amendment on the April 21 ballot required the approval of a corresponding resolution in two separate legislative sessions on either side of a state election. Challengers contend that this process was bungled and legally flawed.

RELATED: GOP bill would squeeze Democratic hives out of Virginia — and back into DC

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), a supporter of the gerrymandering scheme. Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Tazewell County Circuit Judge Jack Hurley Jr. ruled on Jan. 27 that the proposed constitutional amendment was unlawful, but the Virginia Supreme Court subsequently ruled that Virginians could still vote for it in the statewide April 21 referendum while the case proceeds.

The day after the referendum passed, Hurley blocked the state from certifying the results of the vote, ruling that the legislature’s constitutional amendment and the special election on it were invalid.

Skeptical of Democratic plot

On Monday, the Virginia Supreme Court heard arguments in Scott v. McDougle.

One Virginia justice extracted concessions from the defense at the outset that the “yes” vote in the referendum “doesn’t tell us anything” about the merits of the challengers’ claims, and that the Virginia General Assembly didn’t follow its own procedural rules with regard to the special session during which the new congressional map was passed.

Multiple justices expressed skepticism about the validity of that special session.

One justice said that contrary to the previous expectation in Virginia that the legislature wouldn’t sit year-round, the Democratic “interpretation of the special session would allow them to sit in continuous session for the better part of two years.”

The same justice appeared receptive to the argument by Thomas McCarthy, attorney arguing for the plaintiffs, that “it’s sort of a nonsensical position to say that the special session exists through a regular session” — referencing the overlap of the 2024 special session and the 2025 general session.

The justices also did not appear entirely convinced by Democrats’ argument that enough time had passed between when the amendment was first passed and the 2025 state election. The legislature voted on the amendment in October, weeks after early voting for the 2025 election had already begun.

“What is your position — your client’s position — regarding a constitutional amendment that is adopted at 6 p.m. on Election Day with an hour left at the polls?” asked one justice. “Is that still the next general election?”

Virginia Solicitor General Tillman Breckenridge responded that the amendment must only be passed before Election Day, rather than on it.

McCarthy argued to the contrary, claiming that for the amendment to have been valid, it should have been passed before the entire voting period, not just before Election Day 2025. A Virginia Supreme Court justice subsequently noted that the amendment process responsible for the passage of the gerrymandering legislation was unprecedented.

Of note, the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond ruled on Sunday in a separate but related case that the Virginia General Assembly did not exceed its authority when passing the amendment on redistricting.

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​Abigail spanberger, Constitutional amendment, Democrats, General assembly, Lawsuit, Midterm election, Old dominion, Redistricting, Redistricting battle, Referendum, Republican voters, Resolution, Special session, Us congress, Virginia, Virginia house of delegates, Virginia redistricting commission, Virginia supreme court, Politics 

First lady Melania Trump came out swinging against late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel after the latest assassination attempt against her husband.

Kimmel was heavily criticized online after making a joke on Thursday that implied that President Donald Trump might die soon and leave the first lady a widow.

‘Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand.’

On Monday, the first lady fired back.

“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” she wrote in a statement on social media.

“People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him,” she added.

“Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand,” she concluded. “How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”

Kimmel made the joke during a mock White House Correspondents’ Dinner sketch where he addressed the first lady.

“Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at her, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow!” Kimmel said.

Kimmel was previously suspended from his own show after he implied that the suspect who allegedly shot and killed Charlie Kirk was a Trump supporter. He was reinstated after only a few days.

RELATED: WHCD attendees caught snatching wine bottles off tables amid chaos in aftermath of shooting

The first lady was at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when shots rang out and attendees were evacuated from the building. The comments against Kimmel were her first about the shooting.

President Donald Trump told reporters it was a “rather traumatic experience” for the first lady.

“I don’t want to say, and people don’t like having it said that they were scared, but certainly, I mean, who wouldn’t be when you have a situation like that?” he said to CBS News.

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​Jimmy kimmel widow joke, Melania vs kimmel, Trump assassination attempt, White house correspondents, Politics 

Last week, the Southern Poverty Law Center was indicted by a federal grand jury on 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a bank, and conspiracy to commit money laundering for allegedly using over $3 million in donor funds to secretly pay informants inside extremist groups like the KKK.

On this episode of “Rufo and Lomez,” Christopher Rufo and Jonathan Keeperman, both of whom have been targets of the SPLC, trade stories and discuss the significance of these indictments.

The SPLC, says Rufo, “is this amazing story of the organized left creating this phantasm of the radical right and then fighting that phantasm that they themselves have created.”

The powerful role the SPLC has inhabited on the left, says Keeperman, hinges on telling liberals “who the bad guys are” and thus who they are “allowed to hate.”

But it goes further than just slapping damning labels on conservative individuals and organizations.

If the SPLC targets you, it proceeds to attempt to “ruin your reputation, ruin your ability to earn a living, and then send out [its] goons by proxy and by arms’ distance to physically hurt you if you show up anywhere in public,” alleges Rufo, citing the SPLC’s targeting of American political scientist and scholar Charles Murray, who suffered both professionally and personally after the advocacy group labeled him an extremist.

Rufo keenly recalls the first time the SPLC targeted him.

In the early 2020s when he was on his anti-critical race theory campaign, he found himself in the organization’s crosshairs, and it genuinely frightened him.

“I felt the fear,” he admits.

“You have this sense like, OK, I better fight hard because these people are trying to knock me off the board altogether — ruin my reputation, ruin my ability to support my family.”

Rufo’s fight proved successful. “I was able to kind of rebuff those initial challenges and actually kind of boomerang them and turn them into a badge of honor, a fundraising appeal to my supporters. … I was able to get them to retract certain claims that they were making against me to show in essence that I was able to make them back down,” he recounts.

That was just the first attack though.

Over the last few years, there have been over “a dozen” attacks on Rufo, but they no longer elicit the same fear as the first time.

“You actually develop a kind of immunity through exposure,” he says, calling the recent charges against the SPLC “both shocking and not shocking.”

“It’s both a blow to their effectiveness, but it’s also just really another nail in the coffin.”

To hear more, watch the full episode above.

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