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Category: blaze media
Sam Altman tells BlackRock he wants AI on a meter ‘like electricity or water’
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has likened artificial intelligence to utilities that are required to live.
Altman was discussing his company’s plans during BlackRock’s U.S. Infrastructure Summit on Wednesday. A mix of politicians, union leaders, and industry executives were in attendance when he dropped the news about his vision for AI.
‘People buy it from us on a meter and use it for whatever they want to use it for.’
Speaking to Bayo Ogunlesi, chairman and CEO of BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, Altman likened AI to lifesaving utilities that are typically viewed as human rights.
“We see a future where intelligence is a utility like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter and use it for whatever they want to use it for,” Altman explained.
The CEO then claimed that the “demand” for metered AI usage is high and that the idea only continues to become more popular. His claims contained a warning though, in that “if we don’t have enough” AI, it will become too expensive and “kind of goes to rich people.”
This claim was seemingly based off Altman’s plans to build a massive AI infrastructure system in the United States through his Stargate Project.
RELATED: Silicon Rebellion
Announced at the beginning of 2025, the Stargate Project is a $500 billion investment plan to build sprawling AI infrastructure for OpenAI and its partners by 2029.
This would allegedly “generate massive economic benefit for the entire world,” the press release stated.
However, as it stands, there is only one data center under the project currently operating: the flagship location in Abilene, Texas.
The 980,000 square foot site produces an estimated 200+ megawatts, capable of powering 50,000 NVIDIA GB200 NVL72s in each of its buildings — which are essentially AI supercomputers.
Another data center in Port Washington, Wisconsin, is scheduled to be open in 2028.
RELATED: Sam Altman says NSA can’t use OpenAI — then tells staff they don’t have a say in military actions
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
“If we don’t have enough [AI], we either can’t sell it or the price gets really high, and it, you know, kind of goes to rich people or society makes a bunch of sort of central planning decisions that I think almost always go badly about, you know, we’re going to use our limited compute supply for this and not that,” Altman said at the BlackRock event.
He added, “So the best thing to me throughout all the history of capitalism, innovation, whatever you want, is to just flood the market,” which seemingly means the flooding should go through OpenAI.
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Ai, Return, Blackrock, Open ai, Openai, Sam altman, Artificial intelligence, Chatbot, Chatgpt, Data center, Tech
Former DHS attorney who told judge ‘this job sucks’ is now running to unseat Rep. Ilhan Omar
An attorney who made headlines when she complained to a judge in court about working for the Department of Homeland Security has filed to run against Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
Julie Le announced a campaign for Minnesota’s fifth district just weeks after being fired from the Justice Dept. over her exasperated comments before a judge.
Le is running as a Democrat and says she wants to reform the immigration system.
Le told U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell, “The system sucks,” and, “This job sucks,” in a Minnesota courtroom on February 3. According to FOX 9, Le was an ICE attorney who had “volunteered” to work with the U.S. attorney’s office the month before.
Le asked the judge to hold her in contempt just so she could get 24 hours of sleep. She indicated that attorneys were overwhelmed from dealing with court procedures related to Operation Metro Surge from the Trump administration.
She said she was fired from DHS just hours after the interaction.
Le is running as a Democrat and says she wants to reform the immigration system rather than get rid of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as Omar has demanded many times.
“Legislators are the only ones that can change the law, or update the laws, or do something, so that we can have this under control,” Le told the Washington Post.
The 47-year-old is an immigrant from Vietnam and first came to the U.S. in 1993.
Omar has held the congressional seat since 2019. Le says that health care access, immigration reform, and education funding are the most important planks of her platform.
After the feds shut down Operation Metro Surge, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office was investigating the actions of federal agents for possible criminal charges.
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Attorney julie le, Rep. ilhan omar challenger, Attorney who said her job sucks, Le vs omar, Politics
Democrats erupt over Trump’s weekend threats against ‘fake news’ media
As the Iran strikes stretch into a third week, the Trump administration has threatened legacy media outlets over their coverage of the conflict.
On Sunday, President Trump took to Truth Social to blast the legacy media for their “FAKE NEWS” coverage of the last two weeks, suggesting a degree of cooperation between some American media outlets and the Iranian propaganda machine.
‘The Radical Leftwing Press knows this full well, but continues to go forward with false stories and LIES.’
“Iran has long been known as a Master of Media Manipulation and Public Relations. They are Militarily ineffective and weak, but are really good at ‘feeding’ the very appreciative Fake News Media false information. Now, A.I. has become another Disinformation weapon that Iran uses, quite well, considering they are being annihilated by the day,” Trump wrote.
Trump gave several examples of the types of imagery and videos he claims are generated by artificial intelligence, including Iranian “Kamikaze Boats shooting at various Ships at Sea,” several U.S. refueling planes having been “struck down and badly damaged,” and the “USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier, one of the largest and most prestigious Ships in the World, burning uncontrollably in the Ocean.”
Trump called these stories “FAKE NEWS, generated by A.I.” He further explained of the USS Abraham Lincoln: “Not only was it not burning, it was not even shot at — Iran knows better than to do that!”
RELATED: Trump demands other nations clear Strait of Hormuz, claims NATO’s future at stake
Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images
Citing two U.S. officials, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that “five U.S. Air Force refueling planes were struck and damaged on the ground at Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia.” The article, which appears to have been updated on Saturday at 12:18 p.m. ET, went on to say that the tankers were “damaged but not fully destroyed.”
Trump went on to suggest the severity of punishment that he believes is warranted for the “dissemination of false information”: “In a certain way, you can say that those Media Outlets that generated it should be brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information! The fact is, Iran is being decimated, and the only battles they ‘win’ are those that they create through AI, and are distributed by Corrupt Media Outlets. The Radical Leftwing Press knows this full well, but continues to go forward with false stories and LIES.”
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr made similar statements Saturday, stressing that it was time for the media to “correct course.” He also reposted a previous Truth Social post from Trump insisting that “the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (In particular), and other Lowlife ‘Papers’ and Media actually want us to lose the War. Their terrible reporting is the exact opposite of the actual facts!”
Carr wrote: “Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news — have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”
“Time for change!” he added.
Many of Trump’s Democrat opponents and members of the media have since spoken out against his calls for punishing the “fake news” media.
On Friday, CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson issued a statement about the outlet’s reporting:
We stand by our journalism. Politicians have an obvious motive for claiming that journalism which raises questions about their decisions is false. At CNN our only interest is in telling the truth to our audiences in the U.S. and around the world and no amount of political threats or insults is going to change that.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) weighed in on Carr’s post on Saturday: “If Trump doesn’t like your coverage of the war, his FCC will pull your broadcast license. That is flagrantly unconstitutional.”
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who has been under fire for months over his involvement in a video encouraging military service members and intelligence personnel to “refuse illegal orders,” likewise criticized the threats from the Trump administration: “When our nation is at war it is critical that the press is free to report without government interference. It is literally in the Constitution. This is overreach by the FCC because this Administration doesn’t like the microscope and doesn’t want to be held accountable.”
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) told Carr: “Take your fascist s**t and shove it.”
The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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Politics, Trump, Donald trump, Iran war, Fcc, Brendan carr, Federal communications commission, Media, Legacy media, Uss abraham lincoln, Trump administration, Fake news media, Gavin newsom, Mark thompson, Mark kelly, Ted lieu
Trump’s hilarious response after intel reportedly tells him Iran’s new supreme leader might be gay
The White House has reportedly obtained intelligence that Iran’s new supreme leader could be gay, sparking a hilarious response from President Donald Trump.
Trump reportedly burst into laughter after being briefed that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei may be gay, according to the New York Post.
Notably, homosexual conduct is a capital offense in Iran.
Others found it amusing as well, including a senior intelligence official who “has not stopped laughing about it for days,” the Post reported.
Mojtaba’s late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a targeted airstrike conducted by the United States and Israel, reportedly had reservations about his son’s suitability to lead Iran due to his potential homosexuality.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Two intelligence sources told the Post that Mojtaba had a “long-term sexual relationship” with his childhood tutor, while another intelligence source said he had an affair “with a person who formerly worked for the Khamenei family.”
Education in Iran is almost always strictly segregated by gender with very limited exceptions.
Although American intelligence agencies don’t have photographic evidence to confirm Mojtaba’s alleged homosexuality, one source said the intel was “derived from one of the most protected sources the government has.”
“The fact that this was elevated to the highest of high levels shows you there’s some confidence in this,” another source told the Post.
The White House did not provide comment to Blaze News.
RELATED: Trump offers hilarious rebuttal to Tim Walz’s absurd Civil War analogy
Photo by Hamed JAFARNEJAD / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images
Notably, homosexual conduct is a capital offense in Iran, with some gay Iranians having been publicly executed.
“If there was ever a time where it was OK to out somebody, it would be when it’s a leader of a repressive Islamic theocracy that hangs gay people by cranes,” one source told the Post.
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Donald trump, White house, Gay, New york post, Ayatollah ali khamenei, Mojtaba khamenei, Iran, Iran war, Politics
Trump Chief of Staff Susie Wiles diagnosed with cancer
President Donald Trump announced that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with early-stage cancer.
Trump shared the news in a Truth Social post Monday, praising Wiles for her leadership in the administration and her commitment to the American people. Trump also said that her prognosis is “excellent” and that she will continue to serve in the White House during her treatment.
‘She will win this battle with grace.’
“Susie Wiles is an incredible Chief of Staff, a great person, and one of the strongest people I know but, unfortunately, she has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, and has decided to take on this challenge, IMMEDIATELY, as opposed to waiting,” Trump said.
“She has a fantastic medical team, and her prognosis is excellent! During the treatment period, she will be spending virtually full time at the White House, which makes me, as President, very happy!”
RELATED: Trump’s hilarious response after intel reportedly tells him Iran’s new supreme leader might be gay
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Trump went on to call Wiles one of his “closest and most important advisors,” saying he and first lady Melania Trump will be “with her in every way.”
“Her Strength and her Commitment to continue doing the job she loves, and does so well, while undergoing treatment, tells you everything you need to know about her,” Trump said.
“We look forward to working with Susie on the many big and wonderful things that are happening for the benefit of our Country!”
RELATED: Karoline Leavitt announces pregnancy news: ‘My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God’
Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images
White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair also praised Wiles for her dedication to Trump and the administration, particularly through the most challenging moments.
“Susie led President Trump’s team through illegitimate indictments, domestic spying by the former administration, rigged federal prosecutions, illegal law enforcement raids, general lawfare, assassination attempts, & more,” Blair said in a post on X. “As with the rest, she will win this battle with grace.”
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Donald trump, Susie wiles, Breast cancer, White house, Trump administration, James blair, Politics
James Talarico’s dangerous rise to prominence
It’s not just James Talarico’s recent win against Rep. Jasmine Crockett (Texas) in the Democrat primary for Senate that has turned Talarico into one of the most talked-about politicians in the state.
After first being elected to the Texas House in 2018, he gained national attention when clips of his speeches went viral online — especially his opposition to legislation involving the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.
“How did this person with all of these kooky beliefs rise to such prominence?” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey asks on “Relatable.”
“He was first elected as a Texas House representative in 2018 after he defeated Republican Cynthia Flores. And he rose to prominence a couple of years ago, when he went viral for his videos of speeches on the Texas House floor opposing the legislation to display the Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms,” she explains, before playing a clip of Talarico explaining why he is against the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
“Forcing our religion onto Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and atheist students is not love. Forcing teachers to put up a poster in their classrooms against their wills is not love. Love does no harm to a neighbor,” Talarico said.
“I bet he would argue, though, that Christian teachers could be forced to call a child by the wrong preferred pronouns or could be forced to teach things about the acceptance of LGBTQ ideology even though it opposes their worldview,” Stuckey comments.
Stuckey also points out that in order to understand Western civilization or American history, children should be taught about Christianity.
“You can’t understand America without understanding Christianity, without knowing the Bible, without understanding the Ten Commandments,” she says. “So even just from a literary or historical educational perspective, displaying the Ten Commandments, I think, is really foundational in understanding the country that we live in.”
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Sara Gonzales blasts NYT ‘Karen’ for targeting Charlie Kirk
The New York Times has sounded the alarm over Republican officials partnering with Turning Point USA to expand the group’s presence in schools — and BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales isn’t letting the “Karen” behind it get away with it.
“Every once in a while, I like to check in on the enemy, the enemy of the people. Yes, I do mean the New York Times,” Gonzales says, before playing an audio clip of one of the New York Times’ podcasts, “The Headlines.”
In the episode, the host explains that a “growing coalition of Republican officials” are “pushing to expand the influence of Turning Point USA in schools.”
“The partnerships do not appear to involve taxpayer money, and they’re not mandates. But critics have raised concerns about the state’s embrace of them, considering Kirk’s hard-right views, his dissemination of conspiracy theories, and his criticism of gay and transgender rights. They say the state partnerships could be seen as a kind of government seal of approval,” the host explained.
“I regret to inform you it gets worse,” Gonzales comments.
“They did a write-up on this.”
In the article, she notes that Charlie Kirk is portrayed as the villain “even in death.”
“You have Karen, the appropriately named Karen Svoboda,” Gonzales says, reading from the article, “executive director of Defense of Democracy, a liberal group that opposes conservative influence in public schools, argued that the partnerships amounted to a sort of state-sponsored imprimatur promoting one political viewpoint.”
“Ms. Svoboda also accused Turning Point of being a divisive force in schools, noting that Mr. Kirk was critical of gay and transgender rights. A Turning Point club at a high school, she said, ‘would be offensive and probably even a little scary for kids who were members of the queer community at school, and families that are dealing with that,’” the article continued.
“Now, as you know … I like to give everyone a chance … to come on and try to defend these bats**t-crazy viewpoints. So we reached out to Karen, who initially agreed to come on the show today, until she realized who she was agreeing to do it with,” Gonzales comments.
“If you’re not willing to defend your bats**t-crazy views, I guess you don’t care about democracy at all. Now, I would remind you that we do not have a democracy,” Gonzales says, adding, “but this is your buzzword. You own the buzzword, and you can’t defend it at all.”
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Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, New york times, Charlie kirk, Charlie kirk assassination, Turning point usa, Defense of democracy, Republicans, Democrats, Trans rights, Lgbtqia agenda
‘String Cheese’: Why an ‘American Idol’ audition is making millions of moms cry
These days, it feels like war is everywhere I turn. Culture wars on social media. Actual war on the news. Spiritual war invisibly raging all around. War inside me. Even the piling dishes and the toys that never stay tidy can feel like a kind of war.
But every now and then, a sunbeam pierces the thundercloud and silences the cacophony for a brief moment, allowing me to breathe and recenter. Sometimes it’s a timely sermon, other times a gentle breeze and birdsong. Coffee with a dear friend can do the trick.
‘String Cheese’ ministers to my weary soul by reminding me that what I call trials are actually gifts.
But this week, it was “American Idol” contestant Hannah Harper’s song “String Cheese.”
The name is silly; the lyrics are anything but. Right from the start — “I warm my morning coffee up for the third time” — I was smiling, nodding along in quiet recognition. Then the line, “Babies crying, it’s pure chaos, but I don’t miss a beat,” hit, and my eyes filled. Tears streamed until the final note.
And I’m certainly not the only one reaching for the tissue box. Harper’s anthem about the realities of motherhood has touched the hearts of millions in the six weeks since it went viral.
On February 2, the 25-year-old Missouri mother of three — dressed in a homemade patchwork mid-length dress, her strawberry curls pinned atop her head — proved her talent for both singing and song-writing when she auditioned for the 24th “American Idol” contest by performing her original song.
It was an unsurprising unanimous yes from judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie — and seemingly from America herself. “String Cheese” has racked up millions of views (and tears), peaked at No. 14 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart, and has already become one of the most viewed Idol audition moments in the show’s history.
Suffering through the storm
It’s not like there’s a shortage of music that tugs on our heartstrings, so what about Harper’s country-style ballad is resonating with so many Americans?
I think there are two main reasons.
The first is that there’s something for nearly every woman in this song.
For the new mom under the black cloud of postpartum depression, whose motherhood feels more like a curse than a blessing, “String Cheese” offers the kind of encouragement only empathy can provide. Harper vulnerably confessed in her audition that the song was inspired by her struggles with postpartum depression.
“My youngest is 1, and shortly after he was born, I had postpartum depression, and so I was sitting on my couch … I was just having a pity party, praying that the Lord would calm my spirit. … I got up off the couch, and I quit throwing a pity party … so I wrote this song,” she told the judges.
“Some days I wanna cry, run away and hide / But I worry about their every need,” goes one verse.
Any mother who’s been in the throes of PPD knows this feeling in her bones. The sleep deprivation, the hormonal landslide that occurs after birth, the endless needs, ceaseless crying, and lack of time to meet your own basic needs start to amount to something truly terrifying.
Suddenly, the walls begin to close in, and your biological self-defense mechanisms start screaming at you to flee. But something even stronger — a deep, primitive force that almost scares you — compels you to stay even as you wither. The mere thought of your child’s needs being met by anyone other than you is enough to keep you rooted to his or her side.
So you stay, and you suffer until the storm eventually passes.
RELATED: The viral country anthem that has girlboss Twitter melting down and trad women cheering
Astrida Valigorsky/WireImage | Getty Images
When ‘touched out’ turns existential
The song also offers a beautiful perspective to the overwhelmed mother, just trying to make it through another day of nonstop demands, tantrums, obligations, and messes.
“When I’m overwhelmed and touched out
They come climbin’ up on the couch
Sayin’, ‘Mama, can you open my string cheese?'”
Sometimes a simple snack request when you’re just trying to catch your breath is the drop in the bucket that tips the scale. For me, it’s seeing tiny, sticky fingerprints on a surface I just cleaned. Every mom has that thing that takes her from typical stress levels to existential crisis.
It’s tempting sometimes to fantasize about the days when life will be easier, quieter, and cleaner, but Harper sends mothers to their knees with this reminder:
“One day I’ll be alone with a hot fresh cup of joe,
Wishing that someone would just drop by.
And I’ll sit and reminisce on times that I sure miss
Scattered toys and a baby on my hip.
I thought finding peace in the quiet’s what I wanted,
But I’d do anything to go back to being needed.”
For the mom struggling to keep her head above the rising tide, “String Cheese” is not only the promise that she won’t drown but that the water isn’t as deep as she thinks. In fact, there will come a day, and soon, when she will long for the feeling of waves lapping at her chin.
Saved from waste
And finally, this tearful anthem is for the woman who is afraid of motherhood. Maybe she feels she doesn’t have the resources — financial, time, emotional, or otherwise — to be a good mom. Maybe she’s bought the feminist lie that motherhood is an unwelcome burden, a barrier to her personal ambitions and dreams, or simply more effort than it’s worth.
Two short lines are the timely message this startlingly large population of women need to hear:
“I never knew this is what my 20s would look like,
But they saved me before I had the chance to waste my life.”
The moment when a mother first looks in her baby’s face, something remarkable happens: All the things she once fretted over — time, money, preparedness, even happiness — lose their power, and a life without that child becomes unthinkable. The career, the travel bucket list, the free time, the clean house, the bank account, the mental stability all take their rightful place behind the tiny, wriggling creature in her arms. She knows that to have everything she ever dreamed of — but not the child — would be exactly as Harper says: a waste of life.
With the exception of the gospel, this is the most important message young women in America need to hear today.
Three women
I think “String Cheese” hits me so deeply because I am all three of these women. I’ve been the new adult in my early 20s, terrified of motherhood, barely capable of caring for myself, unsure that a swanky downtown loft and a cool-girl job that allowed me to travel wasn’t the better path. I’ve been the newly married woman in my mid-20s, wondering how on earth we’d afford a baby.
I’ve been the new mom, crushed by the reality of caring for a newborn who didn’t sleep, nurse, or stop crying for months and months and months (and then some more months).
Today, I am the mom who is just trying to make it through another day of work, meeting the emotional and physical needs of an almost 2-year-old who never stops moving (and still doesn’t sleep that great), housekeeping, and the ceaseless task of keeping tummies full.
“String Cheese” ministers to my weary soul by reminding me that what I call trials are actually gifts.
But it does something else for me too. It pulls my gaze in the right direction: down. Down to the blue eyes and the chocolate-smudged mouth that says “mama” 800 times a day.
And that’s the second reason this song is striking such a chord with so many Americans right now — women and men alike. Every day we watch the world grow more dystopian, as wars rage overseas, political divides deepen at home, and AI swallows entire industries whole. We fret over our children’s futures, yet in that very worry, we often overlook one of their most basic needs: our full attunement. This song adjusts our posture in the most simple but profound of ways.
Win or lose, Hannah Harper is already an American idol. In one simple song, she has reminded us that the most profound victories aren’t won on distant battlefields or in viral debates. They’re won right here in the ordinary, messy, sacred trenches of the home, where a child’s small request for string cheese is really a divine invitation to love fiercely, stay present, and choose joy amid the storms.
Motherhood, Faith, String cheese, American idol, Hannah harper, Christianity, Lifestyle, Culture, Entertainment, Children, Down here
Trump demands other nations clear Strait of Hormuz, claims NATO’s future at stake
President Donald Trump seeks to enlist the international community in helping the United States clear the Strait of Hormuz and suggested that a lackluster showing by NATO members may place the alliance’s future in doubt.
Trump said in a Truth Social post on Saturday, “The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!”
‘Whatever it takes.’
“The U.S. will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well,” continued Trump. “This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be — It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!”
After the U.S. and Israel again bombed Iran last month, Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in what War Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday was an act of “sheer desperation” that people “don’t need to worry about.”
According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, 16 commercial vessels have been attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the outset of the conflict. The attacks, effected largely with surface-to-surface missiles but also with the use of drones and mines, have killed numerous crew members and forced others — at least in the case of the Safeen Prestige, a container ship flying under the flag of Malta — to abandon ship.
The strait’s corresponding closure has proven globally consequential, as roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil normally transits the strait, which lies between Iran and Oman and links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
RELATED: The most honest phrase you’ll hear all week
Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Energy prices have skyrocketed in recent weeks. The price of Brent crude, for example, was over $100 per barrel ahead of market opening on Monday. U.S. gas prices are reportedly at their highest level since Oct. 7, 2023.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, noted on Sunday, “Americans today will spend $300 million more on gasoline than they did 30 days ago.”
On Saturday, Trump specifically expressed hope that China, France, Japan, South Korea, and Britain “will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated.”
Trump told the Financial Times the next day that it is “only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there.”
“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” added Trump, who told U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on March 7 that he didn’t need the help of British aircraft carriers.
“We have a thing called NATO,” Trump told the Times. “We’ve been very sweet. We didn’t have to help them with Ukraine. Ukraine is thousands of miles away from us … but we helped them. Now we’ll see if they help us. Because I’ve long said that we’ll be there for them but they won’t be there for us. And I’m not sure that they’d be there.”
When asked what kind of help is needed, the president said, “Whatever it takes.”
It appears that some nations are not in a rush to help.
Japanese Prime Minister Sane Takaichi said her nation, which has begun releasing oil reserves, has yet to make “any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships,” reported the Independent.
Australian Transport Minister Catherine King said her country “won’t be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that “we know how incredibly important that is, but that’s not something we’ve been asked or we’re contributing to.”
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Strait of hormuz, Hormuz, Iran, Oil, Gas, War, Conflict, Missiles, Tehran, Donald trump, Israel, Mines, Drones, Bombing, Energy, Tankers, Politics
The next big Supreme Court shift might not be abortion or guns
Qualified immunity, a doctrine the Supreme Court created in 1967, bewilders ordinary citizens who run headlong into it after government officials trample their constitutional rights. In plain English, the doctrine often blocks lawsuits against officials unless a prior court decision “clearly established” that the specific conduct at issue violated the Constitution. That standard leaves many victims without a remedy and lets many constitutional wrongs go unanswered.
That is not right. The Constitution exists to protect individual rights, not to insulate officials who violate them from accountability.
Qualified immunity can turn constitutional protections into paper rights — recognized in theory, unavailable in practice.
Recent years have also supplied fresh reasons to question the doctrine’s scope. Abuses tied to the weaponization of law enforcement and the criminal justice system have come to light with unsettling regularity. Think of Crossfire Hurricane, where senior officials used a discredited dossier — commissioned by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and funded through political channels — to pursue surveillance warrants and to monitor an opposing campaign before and after the 2016 election.
Or consider Arctic Frost, the childishly named operation (Arctic Frost is a type of orange, as in “Orange Man Bad”) that targeted hundreds of Americans, including one of the co-authors (Eastman) and relied on sweeping demands for private communications and records in search of a predicate offense in hopes of derailing President Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Episodes like these, and others, zero in on a basic question: When government power crosses constitutional lines, who answers for it?
Qualified immunity often supplies the answer: nobody.
Now the Supreme Court appears to be taking an unusual look at the doctrine — at least if its recent handling of three qualified immunity petitions offers any clue.
What’s different this time
In prior years, the court has frequently disposed of qualified immunity petitions quickly, sometimes through summary action with no explanation. This term looks different. Three cases involving qualified immunity have sat on the court’s docket far longer than the usual pattern would suggest. The justices have repeatedly requested responses and, in several instances, called for lower-court records. The court has also rescheduled cases for conference after conference without issuing a decision.
That process does not prove the court plans to revisit the doctrine. But it does suggest heightened attention.
Case 1: Smith v. Scott
The petition for writ of certiorari in Smith v. Scott was filed nearly a year ago. The case arises from a tragic encounter that began as a call for help. A 65-year-old man contacted police because he believed intruders lurked outside his apartment. Officers arrived, found no intruders, and then attempted to handcuff him. The encounter escalated. Officers restrained him on the ground, and an officer allegedly applied pressure that impeded his breathing until he died.
Both the district court and the Ninth Circuit denied qualified immunity. The officers then asked the Supreme Court to intervene. The respondent (Scott’s estate) initially waived a response, which commonly happens in cert-stage litigation. The court did not let the waiver stand. It called for a response after the case’s first conference last May. After a later conference, the court requested the record. Since then, it has repeatedly relisted the petition — an astounding 13 times — without resolving it.
Case 2: Zorn v. Linton
Zorn v. Linton involves a protest at the Vermont State House. Demonstrators occupied the chamber floor to protest government policy. Most left when the building closed. Shela Linton stayed and refused to leave. Officers removed her using a rear wristlock. She sued, alleging unreasonable force that caused pain, injury, and trauma.
The district court granted qualified immunity. The Second Circuit reversed and denied qualified immunity. The petition reached the Supreme Court in September. Once again, the respondent waived a response, and once again the court requested one. The case then cycled through conference after conference before the court requested the lower-court record on February 27.
This case matters for another reason. Many qualified immunity disputes involve fast-moving encounters where officers make split-second judgments. This one involves an interaction with warnings, time, and repeated opportunities to comply. It tees up an issue courts often sidestep: the obligations citizens assume when they knowingly violate a lawful order and force officers to escalate to removal. Does a protester’s refusal to leave reduce the scope of what counts as “unreasonable” force, so long as officers use measured escalation? Put differently: Were Linton’s rights even violated?
Case 3: Villarreal v. Alaniz
Villarreal v. Alaniz sits at the intersection of qualified immunity and the First Amendment. Police arrested journalist Priscilla Villarreal under a state statute that barred solicitation of nonpublic information. The reporter argued that the arrest violated her First Amendment rights.
The procedural history highlights the doctrine’s power. The district court granted qualified immunity. A Fifth Circuit panel denied it. The full Fifth Circuit later granted it en banc. The Supreme Court vacated and remanded the decision for further consideration. The Fifth Circuit again granted immunity.
Judge Andrew Oldham, in a concurring opinion, made an observation that cuts to the heart of qualified immunity’s justification. Courts often defend the doctrine by pointing to the realities of policing: officers must act quickly, sometimes under threat, with incomplete information. Oldham questioned whether that rationale “makes sense” in a case involving time to find a statute, plan an arrest, consult counsel, and investigate facts. Under those circumstances, why should immunity hinge on whether a prior case matches the fact pattern with near-photographic precision?
The cert petition was filed last July. The Supreme Court requested a response in August. It later requested the record after multiple conferences.
What the Supreme Court might do next
No outsider can know what the justices plan. But these three cases, taken together, give the Supreme Court a menu of options.
The court could reinforce qualified immunity, especially in excessive-force cases, and use the term’s docket to signal more protection for officers facing a rising tide of litigation.
The court could narrow qualified immunity — particularly in cases where officials have time to deliberate, plan, and consult — because the “split-second decision” rationale does not apply.
RELATED: The common-sense case for nationalizing US elections
Douglas Rissing via iStock/Getty Images
The court could also recalibrate the doctrine without overruling it: clarify what counts as “clearly established” law, tighten the inquiry, or distinguish between scenarios that demand rapid judgment and those that involve considered decisions.
In the abstract, “immunity from liability for violating rights” begins to resemble artificial judicial indemnification. Modern society does not grant that kind of blanket protection to most other professions. A surgeon, an engineer, or a corporate executive cannot avoid accountability because no prior case warned that the precise mistake at issue would cause harm. The law often holds them to general standards of care, not hyper-specific precedent.
Qualified immunity operates differently. It can turn constitutional protections into paper rights — recognized in theory, unavailable in practice.
Whatever the court’s destination, the road looks different this term. The extended consideration, repeated relists, and requests for records in multiple cases point to sustained attention. That alone marks a change.
If the court means to revisit qualified immunity, even in part, the consequences will ripple far beyond these three cases. Federal courts hear thousands of civil rights claims each year. The doctrine shapes whether citizens can vindicate constitutional rights at all.
At minimum, one conclusion now seems hard to avoid: The Supreme Court is looking closely. And when the court looks closely, doctrine can move significantly.
Opinion & analysis, Supreme court, Constitution, Rights, Weaponized justice, Law and order, Qualified immunity, Pierson v. ray, Smith v. scott, Zorn v. linton, Villarreal v. alaniz, Precedent, Police, Ninth circuit court of appeals, Fifth circuit
Dan Crenshaw blames voters, ‘conspiracies’ for humiliating loss in whiny interview with Margaret Brennan
Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw was overwhelming rejected by voters on March 3 in his state’s Republican primary. Crenshaw — whose notably conservative opponent, state Rep. Steve Toth, handily secured over 57% of the total vote — has apparently decided to blame voters for his defeat, claiming that they were misled and failed to come out in sufficient numbers.
CBS News’ Margaret Brennan, the liberal talking head who suggested last year that free speech was responsible for the Holocaust, asked Crenshaw on Sunday to unpack his concerns “about this culture of misinformation we’re living in.”
‘In Crenshaw’s case, the problem wasn’t misinformation, but repeated exposure to information.’
Crenshaw, who previously blamed the loss on his branding as “Red Flag Law Crenshaw” and allegations of insider trading, told Brennan, “I’m a unique Republican. You know, I’ve been the target of online smears and conspiracies for a very long time. My election was basically a product of that.”
“First of all, you have about 20% of Republican voters bothering to even vote at a primary, and then you have dozens of online smears and conspiracies that people were going into the voting booth actually believing,” continued Crenshaw. “I mean, believing that I was worth millions of dollars from insider trading. Doesn’t matter how many times we thought we had debunked that, or that other people and influencers and what have not have debunked it, all of these things, people still went in believing it.”
Crenshaw said that “ultimately, this is a question for the American people: Are you going to believe everything you read online or that’s sent to you in your mail?”
Crenshaw previously told the Texas Tribune, “A large part of this election was about the power of clickbait.”
“Memes became truth. Too many people are not discerning through the clickbait,” continued Crenshaw. “People voting — one after the other — literally thought I was making millions in the stock market doing inside trading. Even though I haven’t made a trade in three years. I’ve made under $46,000 over my entire seven years in office. The truth didn’t matter to people.”
Crenshaw, faulted by some critics over his insistence that President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election and his Jan. 6 commentary, told the paper that “telling the truth thing” is regarded as “a real crime” among some voters.
Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz said in response to Crenshaw’s remarks to Brennan, “Dan Crenshaw begins to audition for a left-leaning TV commentary gig following his blow out loss.”
Wade Miller, executive director of the Center for Renewing America, wrote, “I think in Crenshaw’s case, the problem wasn’t misinformation, but repeated exposure to information and Dan’s own condescending attitude.”
Ben Larrabee, a data analyst with Turning Point Action’s Chase the Vote initiative, said that contrary to Crenshaw’s framing, the reason the congressman lost was that in 2018 and in 2020, “His district had a CPV of R+11, so it was redistricted to an R+15. And as Crenshaw’s voting record worsened over time, his new conservative base started voting for a more conservative representative. Ain’t more complicated than that.”
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Congress, Dan crenshaw, Crenshaw, Rino, John mccain, Gop, Republican primary, Primary, Margaret brennan, Texas, Lone star state, Elections, Misinformation, Media, Liberal media, Politics
The strategy to win elections hasn’t changed in 2,000 years
As we head into a contentious election year, campaign messages will soon flood every screen and mailbox. New technologies keep arriving, but political strategy hasn’t changed much over the past 2,000 years.
Need proof? Go back to 64 B.C., when Marcus Tullius Cicero — the Roman Republic’s great orator — ran for consul, the highest office in Rome and the closest analogue to a modern presidency. Cicero’s brother, Quintus, wrote him a blunt, practical memo on how to win. Princeton University Press published that letter in 2012 in Philip Freeman’s translation, “How to Win an Election: An Ancient Guide for Modern Politicians.” The title isn’t clever. It’s accurate.
Quintus didn’t teach Cicero to preach doctrine. He taught him to assemble a majority.
Quintus urged Cicero to treat every appearance “as if your entire future depended on that single event.” Modern technology only amplifies that warning. A bad phrase or a sour expression, caught on camera and looped endlessly, can sink a campaign.
Quintus also mapped the coalition a successful candidate must build. He told Cicero to focus on the supporters who matter most and to shore up those already on his side: “those holding public contracts,” along with “the business community.” He reminded him not to neglect “the special interest groups that back you.” He added a familiar note of retail politics: use “the young people who admire you and want to learn from you,” and rely on “the faithful friends who are daily at your side.”
Government contractors. Business leaders. Interest groups. Youth outreach. A loyal inner circle. Quintus could charge today’s consulting rates and still find clients.
He also gave Cicero the oldest instruction in politics: collect what you’re owed.
“Now is the time to call in all favors,” Quintus wrote. “Don’t miss an opportunity to remind everyone in your debt that they should repay you with their support. For those who owe you nothing, let them know that their timely help will put you in their debt.”
Anyone who has worked in politics has heard the modern version of that message, usually delivered with a smile and a firm handshake.
Quintus emphasized the need to win over the “nobility” and “men of privilege,” including former consuls. Swap “nobility” for major donors and influential business leaders — Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg come to mind — and swap “consuls” for ex-governors, former senators, and party grandees. Candidates still chase endorsements from yesterday’s power brokers.
RELATED: Do you want Caesar? Because this is how you get Caesar.
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Quintus also told Cicero to exploit his opponents’ scandals. He described the corruption and sexual misconduct surrounding Cicero’s rivals, Antonius and Catiline, and urged Cicero to use it. Modern history offers obvious parallels. Gary “Monkey Business” Hart. John Edwards and his “love child” saga. Sex scandals keep happening, and campaigns keep weaponizing them.
Quintus warned Cicero about enemies and mistakes. “Since you have so many potential enemies,” he wrote, “you can’t afford to make any mistakes. You must conduct a flawless campaign with the greatest thoughtfulness, industry, and care.” Political hatreds didn’t start with cable news. Cicero faced what today might be called “Cicero derangement syndrome.”
Quintus broke campaigning into two tasks: hold your friends and persuade the public. He offered instructions for both. When it came to organizations Cicero had helped, Quintus told him to press them: “This is the occasion to pay their political debts to you if they want you to look favorably on them in the future.” He boiled down vote-getting to three levers that still move elections: “favors, hope, and personal attachment.”
Then he reached what he called the most important part of campaigning: create goodwill and kindle hope.
“Bring hope to people and a feeling of goodwill toward you,” Quintus urged. But he warned Cicero not to lock himself into specific promises. He told him to reassure each constituency in language it wanted to hear: Tell the Senate you will protect its “power and privileges.” Tell the business community and wealthy citizens you stand for “stability and peace.” Tell ordinary Romans you have always defended their interests.
Quintus didn’t teach Cicero to preach doctrine. He taught him to assemble a majority.
Cicero won, and he won big — more votes than any other candidate. Romans later called him “Father of His Country,” a title Americans associate with George Washington. Quintus became praetor two years later. Both men met violent ends in 43 B.C., as civil war consumed the republic and paved the way for empire.
Their deaths don’t diminish the point. Quintus’ advice endured because it describes permanent truths about politics: ambition, coalition-building, vanity, fear, flattery, and the eternal hunt for advantage.
Tactics and terrain may change, but the playbook didn’t. One wonders — who in our day will leave such a legacy?
Opinion & analysis, Politics, Marcus tullius cicero, Cicero, Catiline, Gary hart, John edwards, Quintus cicero, Julius caesar, Rome, Republic, Empire, Technology, Elections, Philip freeman, 2026 midterms, Coalition building, George washington
‘Staged armed robberies’: 11 Indian nationals catch visa fraud charge amid conspiracy allegations
In a years-long case, more suspects are being charged in connection with an alleged visa fraud conspiracy ring.
On Friday, the Department of Justice charged 11 individuals in connection with “a conspiracy to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience stores for the purpose of allowing store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications.”
The DOJ claimed the purpose of the scheme was to allow the ‘victims’ of the ‘robbery’ to falsely claim they were victims of a violent crime on an application for a U visa.
Ten of the 11 suspects, all of whom are Indian nationals, were arrested in states where they were “unlawfully residing,” including Massachusetts, Missouri, Kentucky, and Ohio, according to the DOJ’s press release.
“An 11th Indian nat’l who was deported to India has also been charged,” the Boston FBI announced on social media. The 11th Indian national was deported after “unlawfully residing” in Weymouth, Massachusetts.
According to the DOJ’s press release, the scheme involved staging armed robberies in which the “robber” would threaten store clerks with an apparent firearm, take cash from the register, and flee. The clerk would then wait five minutes or more before calling police to report the incident.
The store owners were compensated by Rambhai Patel, sentenced in August for his role in the scheme, and his alleged co-conspirators, while the “victims” allegedly paid Patel to participate in the scheme.
RELATED: Trump recognizes little girl grievously injured, allegedly by truck-driving Indian illegal alien
FBI Boston
The fraud scheme appears to have begun in March 2023. Those charged on Friday are alleged to have “either arranged with the organizer to set up each robbery or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a ‘victim.'”
According to an August 2025 sentencing announcement from the DOJ, Patel and Balwinder Singh, who was also charged in December 2023, organized “at least 18” staged armed robberies.
Singh pleaded guilty and was set to be sentenced in September 2025.
Citing charging documents, the DOJ claimed the purpose of the scheme was to allow the “victims” of the “robbery” to falsely claim they were victims of a violent crime on an application for a U visa.
According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the U nonimmigrant status visa is “set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.”
Jitendrakumar Patel; Maheshkumar Patel; Sanjaykumar Patel; Amitabahen Patel; Sangitaben Patel; Mitul Patel; Rameshbhai Patel; Ronakkumar Patel; Sonal Patel; Minkesh Patel; and Dipikaben Patel all face one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud.
The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
Those charged on Friday were released after initial appearances and will appear in federal court in Boston “at a later date,” the DOJ said.
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Politics, Visa, Visa fraud, Immigration, U visa, Crime, Doj, Department of justice, Staged armed robberies, Massachusetts, Patel, Rambhai patel, India, Indians, Indian nationals
Denver pastor refuses to stay silent: ‘To stay silent on biblical issues is to be complicit with evil’
Pastor Jeff Schwarzentraub of Brave Church in Denver, Colorado, says the cultural transformation of his once-conservative state has forced him to confront a difficult reality: What were once seen as political debates are now deeply biblical issues.
“People do not migrate to Denver for community. They migrate for hedonism,” he tells BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey on “Relatable,” explaining that it’s “the happiest group of lost people on the entire planet.”
“It’s crazy how Colorado has turned so deeply secular and progressive. It didn’t used to be that way. It was a conservative stronghold for a long time, and then I guess migration from the blue states, maybe even immigration, just changed the demographics, changed the politics, and now it kind of helps, along with California, Oregon, and Washington, lead the charge for progressive radicalism,” Stuckey comments.
“Like we’re talking the most radical transgender ideology in the country has been passed legislatively in the state of Colorado,” she adds.
The pastor explains that 2020 is when Colorado took a turn for the worse, telling Stuckey that when he refused to shut down his church to combat COVID, the church received “threats from the health department, from Christians, saying ‘You don’t love us, you don’t care.’”
“And what we’ve seen is just this whole progressive ideology move. So there was a House Bill 1312 that got passed. It got modified a little bit because people put up a big fight, but basically, in Colorado, what they’re trying to do is be able to take your kids, be able to castrate them, or do whatever they want, without your permission,” he explains.
While he was raised not to get involved in politics and to instead focus on religion, he notes that these issues have changed from “right and left” to “right and wrong.”
“And so everything that I feel like I get involved with that’s quote-unquote ‘political,’ they’re just biblical issues. So the transgender issue, that’s a biblical issue. That’s not a political issue. God created two genders, male and female. You can’t even get out of Genesis chapter 1 and not believe that,” he says.
“I have no desire to make a political run. I have no desire to get involved. But to stay silent on biblical issues is to be complicit with evil, and I just won’t do it,” he adds.
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Relatable with allie beth stuckey, Allie beth stuckey, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Pastor, Religion, The bible, Colorado, Hedonism, Radicalism colorado, Transgender ideology, Trans agenda, Jeff schwarzentraub, Brave church, Denver colorado
California’s next dumb tech idea: Show your papers to scroll
California has a habit of importing some of the worst tech-regulation ideas from overseas. After lawmakers enacted a censorial statute cribbed from the U.K. in 2022 — and watched it run headlong into an injunction — the Golden State now appears eager to borrow from Australia, which in December barred children from major social media platforms.
Earlier this month, California lawmakers introduced a bill to impose “a minimum age requirement to open or maintain a social media account.” Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who usually avoids weighing in on pending bills, publicly endorsed the idea.
Will America keep light-touch rules that protect consumers without strangling innovation — or import Europe’s heavy-handed, fear-driven approach?
However well intentioned, the Australian model collapses on prudential grounds. In the United States, it also invites a swift constitutional challenge — and likely a swift defeat in court.
Most proposals that force platforms to distinguish between adults and minors require age verification. That means users must hand over sensitive personal information — usually government ID documents or biometric data — as the price of entry to the platforms where everyday digital life happens. Once companies collect, process, and store that data, it becomes a tempting target. Hackers do not need ideology, only opportunity.
The roster of victims reads like Don Giovanni’s catalogue. The list includes corporations such as Target, Equifax, Marriott, Capital One, MGM Resorts, and T-Mobile. Platforms from Facebook to X.com to the “Tea” app were also hit. So were third-party verification services. Even in France, where regulators tried to build a privacy-protective system, a third-party age verifier exposed sensitive user data. In the digital age, breaches and leaks are simply a fact of life.
Legislation promoted as “child protection” thus runs into a basic contradiction: it can expose children to new forms of harm. As the R Street Institute and Experian have reported, 25% of minors will become victims of identity fraud or theft before they turn 18. Age-verification mandates would widen the attack surface and increase the odds that minors’ information gets stolen, misused, or sold — and that families spend years cleaning up the wreckage.
Some advocates now treat constitutional objections to “child-safety” bills as impolite. Courts don’t share that squeamishness. In recent years, judges have enjoined multiple constitutionally defective state laws, leaving behind little more than wasted taxpayer dollars and public frustration, while state attorneys general mount doomed defenses.
Newsom’s favored approach also clashes with a Supreme Court precedent California already lost: Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association. In that 2011 case, the court struck down a California law that restricted minors’ access to violent video games. Justice Antonin Scalia’s majority opinion applied strict scrutiny — a demanding standard — and rejected the state’s argument that the law simply “helped” parents.
Scalia’s point applies with even greater force here. A sweeping ban on minors’ access to social media would function less as parental support and more as state substitution. The state would not merely empower parents; it would decide what parents should want, then impose that judgment across the board.
RELATED: Kids have already found a way around Australia’s new social media ban: Making faces
David GRAY/AFP/Getty Images
In American law, parents generally hold the duty — and the right — to decide what media their children consume. That principle does not stop at the edge of the internet.
The broader fight over technology policy often turns on a single question: Will America stick with light-touch, sensible regulation that protects consumers without strangling innovation — or will it import the heavy-handed, fear-driven regulatory posture popular abroad, especially in Europe?
The American technology sector grew and thrived in the internet era. Many foreign regimes, more focused on expansive “safety” mandates than innovation, privacy, or consumer benefit, have not.
Lawmakers should borrow good ideas wherever they find them. But California keeps shopping in the wrong aisle. If Sacramento wants to protect kids, it should start with tools that don’t require building a mass ID-check system for the entire public — and that don’t hand criminals a richer trove of data to steal.
It’s wise to learn from other countries. It’s foolish to copy their worst mistakes.
California, Social media, Social media ban, Age restrictions, X, Facebook, Instagram, Black market, Opinion & analysis, Australia, First amendment, Social media censorship, Constitution, Identity theft, Hacking, Supreme court, Antonin scalia
Philly couple fed up with porch pirates pack ‘gross,’ ‘stinky’ contents in box for payback. Crooks take bait like clockwork.
As readers of Blaze News are aware, porch pirates have been a rampant and widespread problem for quite a long time. But one Philadelphia couple recently decided to issue a bit of payback to crooks who steal their delivered packages.
Travis Giarraffa and Lauren Goffredo told WTXF-TV they took action after someone stole a box of toilet paper while they were just feet away.
‘I shook it to make it all dirty in there, so if they even put their hands [in], it’s all over their hands.’
“[The package thief] walked off with a big thing of toilet paper, so last night [Travis is] like, ‘You know, I got to clean up all the poop in the yard. Let’s just box it up and put it outside,'” Goffredo told the station.
Goffredo added to WTXF: “This is Louis. He’s our poop-machine French bulldog.”
With that, the couple boxed up their canine’s waste, shall we say, and left it outside overnight, the station said.
Giarraffa and Goffredo told WTXF that surveillance video actually captured someone taking the package at 4 a.m. last Wednesday.
“It was probably disgusting and gross and a lot — and I shook it to make it all dirty in there, so if they even put their hands there, it’s all over their hands,” Giarraffa noted to the station.
“It was stinky, for sure,” Goffredo added.
Bottom line: The couple told WTXF their hope is that the prank will make would-be thieves think twice before stealing packages in the future.
Giarraffa added to the station that he’s also willing to help neighbors repeat the experiment: “If you need some dog poo for a package, hit me up. We have a whole dog poo dumpster out there.”
More from WTXF:
Philadelphia police encourage anyone who experiences a theft or any crime to call 911 or visit their nearest police district. A spokesperson said, “If you experience a theft or any crime against you, it is important to report it to the police. … If you have video evidence, it can be very helpful for investigators in locating the offender(s).”
The station added that neighbors in the area are staying vigilant and sharing information to help prevent future thefts.
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Philadelphia, Couple, Dog poop, Porch pirates, Fighting back, Decoy package, Crime
Inside the mind of a Catholic exorcist: Fr. Chad Ripperger talks shop with Shawn Ryan
Former U.S. Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan routinely has warriors on his podcast who have battled men using modern weaponry. Last week, he spoke to a warrior who battles demons using timeless weaponry: Christ’s name, prayer, and the authority of his vocation.
Over the course of his four-hour conversation with Ryan, Fr. Chad Ripperger — a Thomistic philosopher, psychologist, and founder of the Doloran Fathers — shared insights drawn from years serving as a Catholic exorcist in the Archdiocese of Denver, as well as from his study of church history and Christian theology.
In addition to discussing potential signs of the Antichrist’s imminence and the possibility that extraterrestrials might be the trappings of a demonic psy-op, Fr. Ripperger explained the different types of diabolic influence and described how the Church’s major exorcism rite is carried out.
Varieties of diabolic influence
Fr. Ripperger — who stressed that he had “no intention of being an exorcist” and only does it out of obedience — identified several forms of diabolic influence, beginning with infestation, “where they infest houses or locations, inanimate objects, animals.”
‘The demon’s not necessarily in the driver’s seat all the time.’
The exorcist priest turned to Scripture for an example of animal infestation, referencing the ruination of pigs by the evil spirits cast out by Christ from the demoniac in Gergesa.
Fr. Ripperger suggested that infestations are often the localized byproduct of sin: “It’s because somebody has done something particularly evil in a location and, as a result, the demons have gotten their foot in the door there.”
Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images
While occult activity can grease the way for an infestation, the exorcist said the sins demons tend to “gravitate toward the most — because they’re easiest to get human beings to fall into — are the sins against the Sixth Commandment like fornication, masturbation, pornography, those types of things.”
Another form of diabolic influence — “the primary way” and a universal challenge — is ordinary temptation, where demons plant notions “in our imaginations,” skew perspectives, and manipulate emotions. Though relatively subtle, Fr. Ripperger noted that this form of influence can still be destructive, particularly within relationships and families.
Diabolic obsession is another variety in which demons “attack our interior faculties, specifically the imagination and emotions again — but unlike ordinary temptation, this is extraordinary, where it’s very powerful and very strong,” capturing the victim’s attention and imagination and leaving them with a kind of spiritual “tunnel vision.”
While someone experiencing diabolic obsession may initially have periods of lucidity, Fr. Ripperger said those moments of reprieve can diminish over time if the influence persists. Eventually the victim may capitulate and commit a grave sin at the demon’s urging — or possibly even become possessed.
The priest described two kinds of diabolic possession. The first is “perfect possession, where the person has given themselves over to the demon entirely, and then the demon possesses the whole body, and the demon is manifested all the time.”
According to Fr. Ripperger, this condition — outward signs of which include malice, mendacity, animus, and destructiveness — is rare. Individuals in such a state rarely seek out priests, since they are not desirous of liberation.
Partial possession, by contrast, refers to a temporary and localized possession of part of the body where “the demon’s not necessarily in the driver’s seat all the time.”
The exorcism rite
When asked about the process of conducting an exorcism, Fr. Ripperger said the approach is structured, though the particulars vary depending on what is known about the individual, whether they have had prior encounters with dark forces, and what stage of diabolic influence they appear to be in.
“So in many cases, if the person who’s possessed can tolerate it, we’ll actually offer Mass so that the person can receive Holy Communion, which then weakens the demon significantly,” he said, noting that confession is encouraged beforehand.
After Mass but before the exorcism ritual begins in earnest, a series of prayers are recited “to provide everybody protection that’s in the room.”
“So we do a series of prayers — binding prayers — which bind the demon from being able to do certain things, and then we’ll actually start the formal ritual.”
The Latin ritual typically begins with the Litany of the Saints. According to Fr. Ripperger, this serves as a kind of diagnostic tool because a demon’s reaction to the names of certain saints can reveal clues about “the demon’s particular sin” and how best to proceed.
From there, the exorcist alternates between “deprecatory and imprecatory prayer” — the former asking Christ for help and the latter commanding demons directly, ordering the evil spirits to consider specific truths that cause them pain.
The goal, Fr. Ripperger explained, is to allow the demon’s pain “to build to where they finally give you what you need to know in order to get them out.”
Canon law stipulates that “no one can perform exorcisms legitimately upon the possessed unless he has obtained special and express permission from the local ordinary.”
Such permission is granted “only to a presbyter who has piety, knowledge, prudence, and integrity of life.”
The Catholic Church also requires that a suspected demoniac undergo “thorough examination including medical, psychological, and psychiatric testing” before being referred to an exorcist.
The Church distinguishes between minor exorcisms — used, for example, in baptismal preparation — and major exorcisms, the rite discussed by Fr. Ripperger, which may only be performed by a bishop or an authorized priest.
Fr. Ripperger told Ryan that “Protestants have a certain degree of efficacy [in exorcisms] by using Christ’s name because it has a force of its own.”
However, he suggested that certain types of possession require the authority of the Catholic Church and its clergy — authority that traces back to Christ’s commissioning of the apostles.
Bad signs and end times
Asked where evil appears to be gaining ground in society, Fr. Ripperger said the forces of darkness have increasingly targeted good families — “families that historically led good lives, were raising their kids properly, very often very religious, doing the things that they’re supposed to do.”
The priest suggested this “full-blown attack” on previously resilient targets may indicate that demons are emboldened by a worsening moral climate — or that they “know their time is short,” possibly because a divine “corrective” is approaching.
‘That is not a reference to the Jewish temple.’
Ryan asked whether such developments might signal the approach of the end times.
While acknowledging that “we don’t really have any certitude,” Fr. Ripperger said several conditions traditionally associated with the Antichrist appear increasingly plausible.
Among them:
“A worldwide implosion of people’s morality,” in which “people just aren’t following the laws of God or the natural law in any sense of the term”; The emergence of technological and institutional systems — such as unified global financial systems and digital currencies — capable of controlling populations on a mass scale; and Internal crisis within the Catholic Church prior to a future renewal.
Fr. Ripperger also expressed skepticism about the idea that rebuilding a third Jewish temple in Jerusalem is a necessary precursor to the end times. He argued that the Church Fathers consistently held that such a temple would never be rebuilt and that the prophecy often cited in this context has been widely misunderstood.
RELATED: Understanding hell — Part I
Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images
“The difficulty is people tend to misinterpret the Book of Daniel, which says when the abomination of desolation takes its seat in the temple,” he said. “What they don’t realize is that that is not a reference to the Jewish temple.”
Instead, he suggested that the New Covenant superseded the Old Covenant and that the “holy place” referenced in such passages should be understood as the Catholic Church.
‘It permanently robbed a person of the possibility of the beatific vision.’
Whatever the signs of the times, Fr. Ripperger emphasized that Christians must remain faithful.
It is critical, he said, that believers “follow Christ regardless of the personal cost.”
Demonic psy-op
Former President Barack Obama claimed in an interview last month that aliens are “real.”
Although Obama later walked back the remark, President Donald Trump announced he would nevertheless be “directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).”
Asked about UFOs and extraterrestrials, Fr. Ripperger suggested that some sightings could simply be government experiments — a suspicion reinforced by a 2025 Wall Street Journal report that found the Pentagon had at times disseminated false information about aliens to obscure sensitive weapons programs.
However, he noted that many accounts of alien abductions closely resemble descriptions of demonic encounters.
RELATED: What Shia LaBeouf’s public struggle shows us about Christian redemption
Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images
“If you strip the veneer of the alien aspect of it off, then in point of fact what you’re dealing with is just — they’re just demons,” he said.
Fr. Ripperger added that some unidentified anomalous phenomena could also be what he called “diabolic mirage[s]” — supernatural illusions permitted by God in rare circumstances.
Abortion: Demonic empowerment
After Ryan brought up Baphomet — the goat-headed occult figure whose likeness the Satanic Temple adopted as its logo and displayed in a statue in the Iowa Capitol in 2023 — the conversation turned to abortion.
Ryan asked about the demonic interest in child sacrifice.
Fr. Ripperger said demons are empowered by abortion not only because it involves the killing of an innocent but because it denies the child the opportunity for baptism.
“We know of no other means of their salvation other than baptism. … And so historically, the Church always considered abortion to be such a heinous crime because it permanently robbed a person of the possibility of the beatific vision. This is why the Church considered it so evil,” he said.
Obtaining an abortion is an excommunicable offense in the Catholic Church.
The priest argued that demons “are so wed to” the widespread practice of abortion that they will “expend enormous amounts of energy protecting it” in order to prevent children “from ever seeing God.”
According to the Guttmacher Institute, an estimated 1,038,000 abortions were executed in states without total bans in 2024. There were nearly 600,000 abortions in the first six months of 2025.
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Align, Faith, Religion, Catholic, Exorcism, Exorcist, Demon, Demoniac, Devil, Diabolical, Diabolic, Possessed, Possession, Evil spirit, Evil, End times, Apocalypse, Ripperger, Shawn ryan, Satan, Abortion, Lifestyle
Cubans torch communist headquarters in protest of blackouts and food shortages
Burning and ransacking of a local communist party building in Cuba was captured on video Friday night, with Cuban officials saying the violence “threatens citizen tranquility.”
The city of Morón was the focal point of the outrage, which local outlets said was in response to the current energy crisis and lack of access to food.
‘There will be no impunity for vandalism and violence.’
A small group of people reportedly began protesting peacefully on Friday night, but later turned to vandalism after an exchange with territorial authorities. Eventually, cameras captured a group of protesters surrounding a large fire outside the communist party building.
Multiple people were seen having scaled the building, running in and out of the second floor window, throwing building contents out into the streets.
Cuban outlet Invasor said that protesters destroyed the entrance, started a fire inside the building, and damaged a nearby pharmacy and retail outlet. As a result, five people were arrested.
On Saturday, outlets began reporting claims that a man had been shot outside the building by authorities.
RELATED: Cuba next? Trump admin eying possible regime change after Maduro arrest: Report
Fox News reported on a man’s apparent collapse caught on video, which followed the sound of a gunshot. Protesters reportedly said, “They shot him! They’re shooting!” before the man was carried away by other protesters.
However, state outlet Vanguardia claimed in an X post that “there were no gunshot wounds” and that the “shots were fired into the air to disperse the riot.”
“The young man they’re trying to portray as a victim was one of those responsible for the riots. While trying to tear off the Party ID, he suffered a fall. His own comrades transported him on a motorbike, and he is currently receiving medical attention in the hospital,” the outlet wrote, per X’s translation.
Vanguardia also noted that “tranquility” remains predominant in the province. The same verbiage was echoed by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel.
RELATED: America First — or American Empire? Trump’s aggressive global moves signal a new doctrine
The president wrote that while it was “understandable” for blackouts to cause distress, he blamed an increasingly cruel and intensified “U.S. energy blockade” for the unrest.
“And complaints and claims are legitimate, as long as they are made with civility and respect for public order,” Diaz-Canel went on. “What will never be understandable, justified, or acceptable is violence and vandalism that threatens public tranquility and the security of our institutions. There will be no impunity for vandalism and violence.”
Morón is in the province of Ciego de Avila and is located about 250 miles east of Havana, with a population of around 70,000.
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We’re losing children to diseases we already defeated
Over the past year, the Food and Drug Administration has done important work drawing attention to how food choices affect health. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. deserves credit for shining a light on food additives and America’s dependence on processed foods.
I’m a registered nurse and a mother. I applaud that work. But I also need to ask a hard question: Why aren’t childhood vaccines getting the same attention and urgency?
We don’t force anyone to vaccinate. We shouldn’t. But we do owe families accurate information about the real risks of preventable diseases and the real protection vaccines provide.
I’ve spent years in intensive care watching people of all ages fight respiratory illness. Even with experience, it’s brutal to see a patient cling to life through ventilators, intubation, or ECMO machines.
Last year, I watched in horror as a measles outbreak took the lives of two unvaccinated children in Texas. Whooping cough killed two infants in Louisiana. Closer to home, my own child caught whooping cough. It was frightening and exhausting to see how coughing fits made it almost impossible for him to catch his breath.
He was old enough to have received his vaccines. I believe that reduced the severity of his illness and likely kept him out of the hospital. That experience leaves me with one request to RFK: Give childhood vaccines the same serious focus you’ve given food safety.
Kennedy says he cares about children. I believe him. That’s why I’m urging him to speak clearly about routine childhood immunizations — because I’ve seen what happens when preventable diseases return.
Hospitals are treating illnesses that routine vaccines usually prevent or blunt. Last year, the CDC reported an increase in meningococcal disease, a dangerous illness that immunization can prevent. South Carolina is dealing with a record-breaking measles outbreak. These diseases can bring devastating outcomes: brain swelling from measles; brain damage, limb loss, or deafness from meningococcal infection.
Gaps in routine immunization also open the door to pathogens we once had under control. A paralytic polio case in an unvaccinated person in New York in 2022 underscored what’s at stake: Irreversible paralysis still remains possible when vaccination rates fall.
Childhood vaccines rank among public health’s most effective tools. They prevent outbreaks and protect children from serious infections and lifelong complications. They also fit comfortably inside a conservative framework. They’re voluntary. They’re widely available. They’ve been used for decades. Parents make informed choices for their families.
RELATED: MAHA is sick: RFK’s FDA is drifting the wrong way
Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images
High vaccination rates also protect the most vulnerable. They reduce transmission, which helps safeguard infants too young to be vaccinated and children with medical conditions that keep them from receiving certain shots. That means fewer hospitalizations, less strain on health care systems, and healthier schools and communities.
That’s why recent messaging from Washington worries me. Telling Americans to “talk to your doctor” sounds reasonable, until you face the reality on the ground. Roughly one-third of Americans lack access to primary care, and many children don’t have a regular provider. For millions of families, “talk to your doctor” translates to “you’re on your own.”
Parents in small towns and working-class neighborhoods don’t always have easy access to specialists who can walk them through immunization questions. They want to do the right thing. They need clear, trustworthy guidance from national health leaders — not signals that create doubt about vaccines that protect kids.
Vaccine conversations can get sensitive fast. Parents have questions, and they deserve honest answers. But they also deserve clear, consistent leadership that says what decades of evidence has shown: Routine childhood immunization works, and it protects children.
We don’t force anyone to vaccinate. We shouldn’t. But we do owe families accurate information about the real risks of preventable diseases and the real protection vaccines provide.
As a nurse, I work to prevent harm. As a mother, I refuse to accept a return to diseases we already know how to stop. As a conservative, I don’t want to break systems that save lives.
We can make America healthy again by tackling chronic disease and by protecting kids from preventable infections. These goals don’t compete. They reinforce each other.
Rfk jr, Measles, Diseases, Fda, Whooping cough, Vaccines, Public health, Vaccination rates, Opinion & analysis, Robert f kennedy jr, Health and human services, Childhood disease, Measles outbreak, Meningococcal disease, Prevention, Primary care, Centers for disease control and prevention, Cdc
Tarot cards go mainstream — even ‘Christian’ versions — but there’s a dark reality people are ignoring
Once a niche instrument for occult enthusiasts, mystics, and fringe spiritual groups, tarot cards are a highly trendy item you can pluck off a Walmart shelf today. They’re no longer considered just a tool for divination either. In the modern world, tarot cards are used in many games as well as for self-reflection, spiritual guidance, and storytelling. There are even “Christian” tarot card decks available now.
For years, tarot cards were viewed by the majority of Christians as off-limits because of their connection to divination, which Scripture strictly prohibits. But today, views have softened as these colorful, illustrated decks have been absorbed into mainstream culture.
But Rick Burgess, BlazeTV host of the spiritual warfare podcast “Strange Encounters,” warns: Tarot cards, regardless of stated purpose or Christian branding, are “highly, highly dangerous.”
Rick begins by recounting the strange history of tarot cards.
They began as a regular card game — with no spiritual element whatsoever — in Italy in the early to mid-1400s.
“But then in the 1780s, French occultists … took these cards, and they started to make it popular that … these cards held some sort of ancient Egyptian secrets, and this is when they started the fortune-telling,” Rick recounts.
“I don’t want to be sitting down anywhere throwing out a bunch of cards that are used by the occult for some sort of fortune-telling because we know that that’s divination, and the Bible completely, I mean, rejects that. How this has crept into Christianity, I will never know,” he adds.
Rick then reads from Deuteronomy 18:10-12: “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.”
To those who think tarot cards, psychic mediums, and fortune tellers are all a hoax, Rick issues this dire warning: “If you start dabbling in these cards, it opens the user up to demonic forces because what you’re saying to demonic forces is, instead of seeking guidance from God, … you want to seek guidance from whoever shows up.”
And spiritual beings do show up, he insists. But they’re never on your side.
“Evil spirits — that’s who you’re going to deal with,” he says.
“You may very well get a supernatural message from these cards. … But it’s not from God, and that’s where the caution is. … It’s misplaced trust. We trust in God and God alone.”
To hear more of Rick’s biblical wisdom, watch the full episode above.
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