Category: blaze media

Matthew McConaughey doesn’t want participation trophies, and he doesn’t want success to be watered down.

The iconic actor recently gave a speech only he could deliver, forgoing giving traditional advice in favor of providing his own spiritual leanings that work for him.

‘I think in the West, because we want everyone to feel really great, participation trophies!’

The movie star was asked about how he critiques his performances on screen and how he gauges success.

“I know if I’m bogeying or if I’m birdieing. … I’ve seen myself on screen [and thought], ‘You’re kind of bulls***ting there,'” McConaughey told host Jay Shetty on his podcast.

Faking the grade

From there, McConaughey trashed the idea of expanded grade-point averages through extra credit.

“I’m not into extra credit. I don’t like 4.2 GPAs. That tells me, like, what happened? Are we, then, we’re not giving the right test? If 4.0 was the pinnacle, you know, that means not many people should be getting it, if anybody,” he explained.

The Texan said that with higher scores, institutions have either over-leveraged the original task or broadened the scope of scoring and therefore cheapened the credit.

“I think in the West, because we want everyone to feel really great, participation trophies! 4.2 GPA. Well, I feel better,” he said sarcastically.

It was from there that McConaughey began to explain where he seeks validation from, which was the true shining light of the discussion.

RELATED: Matthew McConaughey calls for ‘gun responsibility’ not gun control, goes on to demand gun control

Heavenly helpers

Aside from his wife and kids, McConaughey revealed he has a trio of people in heaven that he looks to for reactions — and God’s reaction through them.

“I have a council in the sky. Three people that are extremely important to me in my life: my dad, Penny Allen, and John Cheney.”

While the 56-year-old explained that Cheney is his old friend, it was not clear who Allen is.

“I see them, wink at them, talk with them, listen to them … run ideas by them, run decisions by them, and then I look up and see what their reaction is. And it’s been a very trusted council for me.”

This is a way to put “souls that are no longer with us” in “a heaven sense,” he explained. “They’re a conduit from God to me, and I have no expectations of them.”

In God he trusts

It doesn’t always go well for McConaughey, though. Sometimes his dad is “dancing in his underwear with a Miller Lite and a piece of lemon meringue pie,” he laughed, but sometimes “they’re not dancing,” and he has to figure out why.

RELATED: Matt Damon: Netflix dumbs down movies for attention-impaired phone addicts

Photo by PG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

The Uvalde, Texas, native said it is very important to him to not have a picture of God in his mind, as he does not want to minimize his meaning.

In the end though, this all leads to McConaughey seeking his own validation, he admitted.

“I try to measure how I counsel and referee myself off of some of the people I just brought up to you,” he told the host.

“That’s where I prove it.”

McConaughey added that he does not look too far outside his own circle, because those he knows are who he trusts.

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Newly inaugurated New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing some criticism for saying he would not declare a snow day for children during a bitter winter snowstorm.

Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the entire state of New York on Friday, but the mayor said that students would be required to have online learning rather than a free day.

‘F**k him my kid will not be remote learning he will be building a snow man and some sleigh riding.’

“I know to the disappointment of any student that’s watching this right now, Monday is either going to be a remote learning day or it’s going to be an in-person school day,” Mamdani said Friday.

“It’s not going to be a traditional snow day. That is a determination we’ve made,” he added.

Forecasts say the city could be hit with as much as 18 inches of snow through the weekend, along with very cold temperatures.

Critics online responded with disapproval of the decision.

“I like this mayor but I do not like this! Give the kids a snow day!” said Cristóbal Alex of MSNBC.

“Snow days are an American pastime/tradition of happiness. So out of principle, he despises it and has to do the opposite,” read another response.

“Mamdani had an equity-focused agenda, but this is not equitable. Don’t forget too, the research has shown that students didn’t learn as much during virtual learning. This is just a wasted day that counts,” said another user.

“F**k him my kid will not be remote learning he will be building a snow man and some sleigh riding,” replied another critic.

“Mamdani is such an a**hole. No snow days?” read another.

RELATED: ‘Tax them to the white meat!’ Mamdani’s new ‘equity officer’ posted now-deleted X posts against white women.

“The forecasts don’t always get it right, but what is being predicted right now, whether it’s a foot of snow or even a little bit more, would be one of the biggest snowfalls that our city has seen in years,” continued Mamdani.

“Either late tomorrow evening or early Sunday morning, we are going to see snow start to begin to fall across our city,” he added. “It will fall and fall and then fall some more.”

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A Republican congressman from Texas pre-empted criticism from Democrats on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in his district after Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) announced that she would visit to oversee operations.

Crockett said the Dilley Detention Center near San Antonio was in her crosshairs after reports indicated that a 5-year-old was being sent to the facility after being used as “bait” by ICE agents.

‘Democrats are doing everything they can to spin the truth against law enforcement.’

The Department of Homeland Security has vehemently denied the claims and said that the boy had been protected by agents after his father fled from an immigration enforcement operation. An attorney for the family said the boy’s father had a pending asylum claim, but Vice President JD Vance contradicted that claim and said he was an illegal alien.

Democrats have used the media framing of the issue to hammer away at the administration.

“I am aware of reports that this precious 5-year old, Liam Ramos, who was kidnapped by ICE as he returned home from preschool in Minneapolis may be in San Antonio, Texas,” wrote Crockett Friday on her social media account.

“I will be visiting the Dilley Detention Center in San Antonio next week to conduct oversight and will demand answers on the whereabouts and well-being of Liam. If it were up to me, we’d be at the Dilley Detention Center RIGHT NOW getting answers. But let’s be clear about what’s really happening here: The Trump Administration is illegally blocking Members of Congress from conducting lawful oversight,” she added.

“We have an absolute right — under federal law and the Constitution — to enter detention facilities, unannounced, to ensure the safety and well-being of people in government custody,” Crockett continued. “I am outraged. My heart aches for Liam’s family. We will get answers.”

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas posted a video of the facility to undermine any possible suggestion from Crockett that Ramos might be maltreated.

“In the coming days, you’ll see a lot of grandstanding by politicians at the Dilley ICE Center in my district, #TX23. It’s all for show,” he wrote on social media.

“I’ve been there & seen the state-of-the-art facilities & protocols that @ICEgov follows,” he added. “Our ICE agents & CBP personnel are doing their jobs, & yet again, Democrats are doing everything they can to spin the truth against law enforcement.”

RELATED: Trump admin blasts Ilhan Omar over ‘vile lie’ accusing ICE of using autistic child as bait

Among those on the left who have pounced on the story is failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

“Enforcing the law is one thing. Terrorizing a population, using children as pawns, is another. My heart aches for Liam Ramos and his family,” she wrote.

Clinton and her husband could face contempt of Congress charges after refusing a subpoena related to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

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Director James Cameron says he prefers to live in New Zealand because of how “sane” it is compared to the United States.

The “Avatar” series director explained during a recent interview that he particularly preferred the New Zealand style of governance during COVID-19, which is when he decided to move there.

‘Fortunately, they already had a 98% vaccination rate.’

Buying the farm

Cameron told host Graham Bensinger that he fell in love with the scenery and people of New Zealand while visiting in 1994 and made a promise to himself that he would live there someday. Cameron bought a farm there in 2011 and found himself spending a lot of time in the country in the years to come.

“We came back for Christmas and then COVID hit, and we didn’t get back down there. So then I had to move mountains to get our production unit back up and running in New Zealand, and we just decided at that point in time that it was time to make the move as a family,” Cameron explained.

Fauci fan

From there, the filmmaker began boasting about New Zealand’s lockdowns for COVID-19, praising the country’s enforcement.

“New Zealand was — they had eliminated the virus completely. They actually eliminated the virus twice,” Cameron claimed. “The third time when it showed up in a mutated form, it broke through. But fortunately they already had a 98% vaccination rate.”

At the time, New Zealand was under the rule of socialist Jacinda Ardern, who ran the government with her Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. The country used a four-level alert system for COVID and spent a whole month under forced confinement except for “essential movement.”

Legislation included allowing police to use any “reasonable means including force” to ensure compliance, with punishments up to six months in prison.

“This is why I love New Zealand,” Cameron continued.

RELATED: Christian children’s movie ‘David’ beats out ‘Spongebob’ and Sydney Sweeney in box-office shock

Cuckoo for Kiwis

The Canadian-born director then began expressing his disdain for what he felt is Americans’ sub-optimal vaccination rates.

“People [in New Zealand] are for the most part sane as opposed to the United States, where you had a 62% vaccination rate, and that’s going down, going the wrong direction. Are you kidding me?! Where would you rather live?” he asked Bensinger.

The host stumbled, initially not realizing Cameron was looking for an answer. “Oh! Right,” he replied before Cameron jumped in.

“A place that actually believes in science and is sane and where people can work together cohesively to a common goal, or a place where everybody’s at each other’s throats extremely polarized, turning its back on science, and basically would be in utter disarray if another pandemic appears.”

Yes-man

Bensinger spoke up after those comments from Cameron though.

“I mean, the United States is a fantastic place to live.”

“Is it?” Cameron challenged.

Seemingly not wanting his podcast to spiral out of control, Bensinger added, “but New Zealand is just stunningly beautiful.”

“I’m not there for the scenery. I’m there for the sanity,” Cameron reaffirmed.

RELATED: James Cameron explains how a ‘Terminator-style apocalypse’ could happen

Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP via Getty Images

Carbon coper

The interview then shifted to Cameron’s farm and his veganism, with the 71-year-old explaining that he grows organic, farm-to-table vegetables for local businesses.

“I don’t personally have a problem with GMO per se,” Cameron said about his growing techniques. “Other than when you start to couple it with these chemical pesticides and herbicides into an integrated system, it’s actually opening the door to a lot of chemistry that shouldn’t be in our … bodies,” he said unironically.

Defending his veganism, Cameron concluded that if everyone was “100% plant-based,” not only would humanity live with a much smaller “carbon footprint,” but the environment and wildlife would be in much better shape.

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When Bill Clinton was president in 1995, he gave a speech about immigration that sounded eerily like something President Trump would say today — and Democrats loved it.

“Our nation was built by immigrants. People from every region of the world have made lasting and important contributions to our society. We support legal immigration, but we won’t tolerate immigration by people whose first act is to break the law as they enter our country,” Clinton said.

“We must continue to do everything we can to strengthen our borders, enforce our laws, and remove illegal aliens from our country. As I said in my State of the Union address, we are a nation of immigrants, but we’re also a nation of laws. And it is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years,” he continued.

Clinton then went on to talk about not only increasing deportations but tripling the “number of criminal and other deportable aliens deported since 1993.”

“Every day, illegal aliens show up in court who are charged. Some are guilty, and surely some are innocent. Some go to jail and some don’t. But they’re all illegal aliens. And whether they’re innocent or guilty of the crimes they’re charged with in court, they’re still here illegally,” he said.

“Have you ever heard such hatred?” BlazeTV host Pat Gray comments on “Pat Gray Unleashed.”

“One of the original MAGA guys,” he adds.

Want more from Pat Gray?

To enjoy more of Pat’s biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice opened an investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and now the Democrat’s supporters are being urged to “rush” donations to his legal defense fund.

‘If you’re with me, please rush a donation to our legal defense fund and help ensure we can keep fighting for accountability, transparency, and justice.’

Reports surfaced last week that President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is investigating Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and others for potentially violating a conspiracy statute related to statements they made about the deployment of federal immigration agents to the Minneapolis region.

Walz issued a statement following the reports, accusing the Trump administration of “weaponizing the justice system,” adding that “threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic.”

Frey similarly accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the federal government “to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs.”

The DOJ issued subpoenas on Tuesday to several Democratic officials, including Walz and Frey.

RELATED: ‘You want to live with these people?’ Trump exposes killers and child rapists Walz, Frey are shielding with anti-ICE agenda

Tim Walz, Gwen Walz. Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

The subpoenas, which both Walz and Frey confirmed they received, were connected to the DOJ’s investigation into whether the officials conspired to impede federal officers from carrying out their duties, according to CBS News.

On Friday, Alpha News reporter Liz Collin shared screenshots of an alleged Walz campaign notification, encouraging supporters to donate to the governor’s legal fund.

RELATED: Justice Dept. slaps Gov. Tim Walz, AG Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Frey with subpoenas: Report

Photo by Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images

“Last week, the federal government opened an investigation into me. … My job is to defend Minnesotans and the rule of law, and I’m sure as hell not backing down. But the road ahead is long, difficult, and expensive,” it reads.

“If you’re with me, please rush a donation to our legal defense fund and help ensure we can keep fighting for accountability, transparency, and justice,” the message reads, featuring a link that redirects to an Act Blue webpage where supporters can donate.

“BREAKING: The DOJ is investigating Tim Walz on baseless charges. Donate now to aid his fight,” the webpage states.

Blaze News has reached out to Walz’s office for comment.

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An image was circulated widely this week showing a visibly upset preschooler wearing an oversized hat and Spider-man backpack standing in the company of federal immigration agents. Evidently loath to investigate the circumstances surrounding the photo and what it actually depicts, Democrats and other radicals rushed to condemn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), for instance, suggested ICE had treated the boy like a criminal, while twice-failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris wrote that he “is just a baby. He should be at home with his family, not used as bait by ICE and held in a Texas detention center. I am outraged, and you should be too.”

‘No one thinks that makes any sense.’

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) went a step further, accusing ICE of “kidnapping 5-year-olds and using them as bait” and suggesting the agency should be defunded.

The liberal media didn’t appear particularly eager to correct Democrats’ false narrative, which was incubated by woke officials with Columbia Heights Public Schools, where the child was reportedly enrolled.

During his visit to Minneapolis on Thursday, Vice President JD Vance gave the press a reality check, noting that anti-ICE propagandists glossed over some critical information about the incident.

“I actually saw this terrible story while I was coming to Minneapolis,” said the vice president.

“And I see this story, and I’m a father of a 5-year-old — actually, a 5-year-old little boy. And I think to myself, ‘Oh my God, this is terrible. How do we arrest a 5-year-old?'”

“Well I do a little bit more follow-up research, and what I find is that the 5-year-old was not arrested; that his dad was an illegal alien; and when they went to arrest his illegal alien father, the father ran,” said Vance.

RELATED: ‘Going to get someone killed’: Democratic AG shocks with talk about shooting ICE agents in ‘stand your ground’ Arizona

Photo by Jim Watson – Pool/Getty Images

Vance told the Minneapolis crowd, “So the story is that ICE detained a 5-year-old. Well what are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death? Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America?”

The Department of Homeland Security indicated that when ICE attempted to arrest the boy’s father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights on Jan. 20, the illegal alien from Ecuador “fled on foot — abandoning his child.”

Marcos Charles, the assistant director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE, indicated on Friday that after the illegal alien ditched his little boy and was arrested, ICE officers “stayed with the child. They cared for him, took him to get something to eat from a drive-thru restaurant, and spent hours ensuring he was taken care of. Again my officers did that. Not his father.”

Charles noted further that people inside the illegal alien’s apparent residence refused to open the door for the young boy and take him back.

According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the boy’s alleged mother was inside the house and would not let him in even after officers assured her that she wouldn’t be taken into custody.

Marc Prokosch, a lawyer representing the family, indicated during a press conference on Thursday that the boy and his father were reunited and are being kept together at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, a family holding center in Dilley, Texas.

“Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administration’s immigration enforcement,” said DHS.

The vice president further suggested that the argument that ICE cannot arrest illegal aliens who have children is unworkable given that’d mean “every single parent is going to be completely given immunity from ever being the subject of law enforcement.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. No one thinks that makes any sense,” said Vance.

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This September marks the 50th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment’s first passage in the House of Representatives — the annual appropriations rider that bars federal funding of elective abortion.

No one should be surprised that Democrats would mark the moment by extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that help enable backdoor abortion funding in blue states. What did surprise pro-lifers was President Donald Trump’s recent declaration that Republicans “have to be a little flexible on Hyde.”

Human lives aren’t negotiable. Neither is the Hyde Amendment.

“We’re all big fans of everything, but you have to have flexibility,” Trump told House Republicans in Washington on Jan. 6. He urged them to “work something” out on health care, a line that seemed to suggest Hyde could become a bargaining chip.

For millions of GOP voters, it cannot.

Just one year ago, the president aligned himself with them. On his fourth day in office, he signed an executive order declaring that “consistent with the Hyde Amendment,” it is the policy of the United States “to end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion.”

The same president helped overturn Roe v. Wade, restored the Mexico City policy ending funding for overseas abortions, and declared himself the “most pro-life president” in history.

If his position has changed, Americans have the right to know.

The Hyde Amendment is estimated to have saved more than 2.6 million lives over the past five decades. It forbids the use of federal tax dollars for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or a life-threatening medical emergency.

Yet the abortion lobby found a work-around. Twenty state Medicaid programs cover elective abortions using state funds, and millions of enrollees in those plans receive federal subsidies to help pay their premiums.

In plain terms, federal tax dollars indirectly support abortion in blue states, regardless of Hyde. It’s the same moral and fiscal problem that drove Congress to defund Planned Parenthood in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act spending package last July. Why cut off one pipeline while leaving another one wide open?

The Jan. 1 expiration of Biden-era enhancements to Obamacare subsidies offered Republicans a chance to close this loophole.

RELATED: ‘Fraud … for abortion’? Vance announces probe into Planned Parenthood’s $88M taxpayer-funded loans at March for Life

Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images

House Republicans, to their credit, tried. In December, they passed H.R. 6703, which would explicitly block federal dollars from helping pay for a Medicaid plan that covers elective abortion. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the bill would lower Obamacare premiums by 11% on average through 2035 — nearly double the estimated reduction in the Democrats’ plan — and shrink the national deficit by $35.6 billion.

Then 17 Republicans defected.

On Jan. 8, they voted with Democrats to force a “clean” three-year extension of Obamacare subsidies with no language protecting taxpayers from subsidizing abortion.

Now the bill moves to the Senate, where negotiations reportedly continue on a bipartisan package. Thankfully, contrary to Trump’s calls for “flexibility,” Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has signaled that Hyde will remain non-negotiable in any deal.

“We want to ensure that, if we do anything, it’s done in a way that reforms these programs and … ensures that those dollars aren’t being used to go against the practice that’s been in place for the last 50 years around here, when it comes to taxpayer dollars being used to finance abortions,” Thune told reporters on Jan. 6.

The president — and any Republicans tempted to treat Hyde as disposable — should follow Thune’s lead. Trump may have a gift for “the art of the deal,” but the values at the center of the Republican coalition are not bargaining chips.

The GOP has long cast itself as a party of abolitionists, freedom fighters, and defenders of the vulnerable unborn. It should not compromise those claims for short-term political convenience — and become what it says it opposes.

Respectfully, Mr. President, human lives aren’t negotiable. Neither is the Hyde Amendment.

​Opinion & analysis, Abortion, Hyde amendment, Obamacare, Affordable care act, Subsidies, John thune, Donald trump, The art of the deal, Compromise, Pro-life 

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California says employees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be “unhirable” in his state in order to oppose deportation efforts.

Swalwell made the comments while being interviewed on CNN, but his comments were posted to social media, where they were widely circulated.

‘If you’re going to work for fascists, forget about working in this state. … So we’re not weak, we have to go on offense.’

“I don’t think anybody likes or wants what ICE is doing right now. We were told the most violent individuals would be deported,” said Swalwell.

“Again, a child, U.S. citizen, battling stage-four cancer, deported,” he added. “Once you shoot a mom in the face three times who has stuffies in her glove compartment and Cheerios, not a weapon, not a knife, you shot her in the face three times, and you claim that you were justified? Forget it! No one asked for this, and ICE as it exists today needs to be completely dismantled.”

Swalwell was referring to the lethal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, but he conveniently failed to include that she had made her vehicle into a weapon when she swerved into an ICE agent.

The other incident he cited was that of a child with kidney cancer who was sent to Honduras when his two parents, both described as “mothers,” were deported. A lawsuit claims the government did not give his parents the option to let the boy stay in the U.S., but the Department of Homeland Security denies the allegation.

Swalwell went on to say that he would ruin ICE agents’ employment opportunities if he were elected governor.

“As governor, I would use the powers of the office. If you’re going to wear a mask as an ICE agent in our state, I will take away your driver’s license. If you work for ICE, you will be unhirable in the state,” Swalwell added.

“If you’re going to work for fascists, forget about working in this state,” he added. “So we are not weak. We have to go on offense. Otherwise the most vulnerable in our communities are on defense, and I urge every governor to start protecting their people in their state that way.”

RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez gets crushed online for her comments about ICE — by outraged liberals

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt pushed back on Swalwell’s claim about “fascist” ICE agents. “Do you think every ICE agent on the streets is a fascist?” she asked, eyebrows briefly furrowed.

In response, Swalwell doubled down, claiming that working for ICE is a “choice.” “No one’s forcing you to do that,” he added.

Swalwell’s announcement to seek the governor’s office in California has been mocked and ridiculed by Republicans. A November 2025 poll showed that only 24% of Californians had a favorable view of the candidate, 23% had an unfavorable view of him, and a majority of 53% were unsure or had not even heard of him.

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Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas took off on a cross-country flight Tuesday bound for the Sunshine State ahead of a bitter snowstorm expected to ravage the nation’s capital.

Washington, D.C., residents are hunkering down for a bitter winter storm this weekend, clearing shelves in grocery aisles and general stores. Meanwhile, Cruz was spotted on a flight bound for Laguna Beach, California, mirroring a similar trip he took in 2021, when Texas endured a devastating winter storm and power outage.

‘You need to start preparing for an intense winter storm.’

“Meteorologists use the Waffle House Index to measure disasters,” one meteorologist quipped. “Texans use the Ted Cruz Index: If he’s on a plane, expect crippling ice, snow or cold.”

Notably, the Senate was out of session this week, and a spokesperson for Cruz maintained that he was on a “pre-planned work travel that was scheduled weeks in advance.”

“He will be back in Texas before the storm is projected to hit.”

RELATED: Glenn Beck’s 2026 DOOMSDAY prediction has ALREADY begun

Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

With an eye on weather forecasts, DMV locals are stocking up on household essentials, prepping at levels not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic. Photos circulating on social media under the hashtag “snowmaggedon” show long lines and grocery shelves cleared of produce and non-perishables while hardware stores report snow essentials like shovels and even sleds flying off the shelves.

Ahead of the brutal forecast, dozens of states have declared a state of emergency, and officials are urging Americans to prep for the winter storm set to bring ice, sleet, snow, and sub-zero wind chills all over the Northeast and Southern Plains.

Southern states like Texas are at the highest risk of record-breaking low temperatures, but any of the affected areas may have to endure days of sub-zero temperatures if their power goes out.

RELATED: Do not pass the plow: The danger of declaring a golden age without repentance

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Stocking up on batteries, food, water, winter clothing, and blankets, as well as refueling cars, is recommended. Also make sure carbon monoxide alarms are functioning, and never run a gas generator inside a home or garage. Officials are also advising those affected to avoid traveling and to monitor any weather developments over the coming days.

“You need to start preparing for an intense winter storm right now,” Matt Van Swol of North Carolina said in a post on X. “I did not [heed] the warnings of many people before Hurricane Helene and we were caught totally unprepared. Do not make the same mistakes I did. Please start preparing for extreme cold and no power for at least a few days, right now.”

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When BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales decided to knock on the door of a home that she believes to be committing H-1B fraud, she wasn’t sure what she was going to find. And what she stumbled upon was strange, to say the least.

“The Indian scammers, news alert, they didn’t like it so much,” Gonzales jokes.

In a video of the confrontation, Gonzales is standing on the doorstep asking where the H-1B workers who are working for the company — whose address happens to be a residential home — are, while an Indian man, who appears to be the homeowner, steps outside and threatens to call the cops.

This company is called Qubitz Tech Systems LLC, which has 13 H-1B visas approved.

“Somebody is knocking on my door and then they are like threatening me,” the man said into his phone after dialing 911.

“I’m not threatening you, sir,” Gonzales responded.

And Gonzales is confident that this is just the tip of the iceberg with how much fraud there is going on in America.

This also isn’t the only company that appears to be committing H-1B fraud. 3BEES Technologies is another Texas company Gonzales looked into, which had 27 H-1B visas approved between 2022 and 2025.

When Gonzales went to the address listed for this particular company, she found an empty, under-construction office space with no signs of life.

“We exposed how many people, as it turns out, are creating phony companies, shell companies, so that they can import thousands upon thousands of workers into our country and then come here and suck up all of our resources,” Gonzales says.

“This problem doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” Gonzales says. “There are probably an insane amount of companies who are pulling this off. They’re going completely undetected by the government. Which, my question to the government is, where is USCIS on this matter?”

“If little old me can just go on the government website and pull these addresses and match them up and see if it looks legit, why isn’t the government doing that?” she asks.

“Look around you, look around your communities,” she says, adding, “tell me that this isn’t a much larger issue that’s happening intentionally by using loopholes and gaps in our visa system.”

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Vice President JD Vance attended the 2026 March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Friday, during which he announced that the Trump administration had launched an investigation into Planned Parenthood affiliates.

The crowd began to chant “JD” as Vance stepped onto the stage. He recalled that his first speech as vice president was at last year’s March for Life.

‘You should not be able to commit fraud and use taxpayer money for abortion.’

“Some of you may remember that in my remarks last year, I told you all, one of the things I most wanted in the United States of America was more families and more babies. So, let the record show, you have a vice president who practices what he preaches,” Vance said, referring to the recent announcement that he and second lady Usha Vance are expecting their fourth child.

Vance credited Trump for selecting Supreme Court justices who delivered “the most important Supreme Court decision in my lifetime,” Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Vance argued that Trump “shattered a 50-year culture of disposability … that treated human life as expendable the moment that it became inconvenient.”

“He empowered our nation and our movement to build a culture of life from the grassroots up. … Our vision is simple: We want life to thrive in the United States of America,” the vice president continued.

“We’re not trying to argue to the Supreme Court anymore. We are trying to argue to our fellow citizens that we must build up that culture of life,” he added.

RELATED: Nash Keen’s life proves the unborn deserve the law’s protection

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Vance pledged that pro-life supporters have an ally in the Trump administration.

The vice president announced that the administration on Thursday launched a fraud investigation into Planned Parenthood affiliates for “millions of dollars” in Paycheck Protection Program loans that were “unlawfully received and unlawfully forgiven by the Biden administration.”

“You should not be able to commit fraud and use taxpayer money for abortion,” Vance remarked.

He also mentioned a “historic” expansion of the Mexico City Policy to block international organizations that promote or perform abortion abroad from receiving taxpayer money.

Ahead of Vance’s speech, the March for Life played recorded remarks from President Donald Trump.

“For 53 years, students, families, patriots, and believers have come to Washington from every corner of the country to defend the infinite worth and God-given dignity of every human life,” Trump told attendees. “Six years ago, I was proud to be the first president in history to attend this march in person. Since then, we have made unprecedented strides to protect innocent life and support the institution of the family like never before — there’s never been anything like it.”

“Under the Trump administration, we’re strongly defending religious liberty. We’re bringing back faith in America. We’re bringing back God,” Trump added.

RELATED: ‘Federal dollars should not pay for abortion, period’: Sen. Cassidy doubles down on Hyde, abortion pill restrictions

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

A Thursday press release from the Small Business Administration stated that the agency is reviewing more than $88 million in PPP loans provided to Planned Parenthood affiliates. The agency noted that it sent letters to 38 Planned Parenthood organizations requiring documentation proving their eligibility to receive the relief funds.

Melanie Newman, Planned Parenthood’s chief external affairs officer, issued a statement responding to the SBA’s action.

“Planned Parenthood member organizations follow the law — and previous investigations prove it,” Newman stated. “These latest politically motivated intimidation tactics are about the Trump administration finding every possible avenue to shut down Planned Parenthood health centers and make it harder for people to get high-quality health care from their trusted Planned Parenthood provider. That’s it.”

“And that’s what the Trump administration and its allies are focusing on today: shutting down Planned Parenthood health centers. Meanwhile, all across the country, people can’t afford to see a doctor; the hospitals they rely on are closing; even basic groceries are too expensive,” Newman said. “That’s what the Small Business Administration should be working on: making people’s lives better. Instead, they’re hellbent on making them worse.”

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​News, Jd vance, Vance, Trump administration, Trump admin, Donald trump, Trump, March for life, Washington dc, Dc, Pro-life, Abortion, Planned parenthood, Culture of life, Politics 

While video game player demographics are split almost down the middle — 53% male and 47% female — the gap is vastly wider when it comes to esports. Men dominate the category, taking up 95% of the available spots in game tournaments, while women only account for 5%. So what happens when a skilled male player gets paired with a less experienced group of girl gamers with a $12,000 grand prize on the line? Naturally, they kick him off the team in the name of misogyny.

What happened?

On January 18, 2026, streamer Kingsman265 went live on his channel as he met up with several other players in preparation for a Marvel Rivals tournament with a prize pool of $40,000, with $12,000 going to the winning team to be split among four players. As a rank 1 player himself, Kingsman265 had his eyes set on the prize money, which he planned to use to pay his college tuition, and he actually had a solid shot at winning it. However, during a practice match before the tournament, he quickly realized that his teammates were more interested in feminist politics than in winning.

Proof that he knew what he was doing, his warnings were positioned as insults.

The rest of the team was composed of three female players named Cece, Zazzastack, and Luciyasa. Kingsman265 quickly suggested a change to the team’s character lineup, recommending that they run a triple support setup to give their team the best shot at victory. The pushback was immediate, as the female players rejected his warnings, opting to play with characters they were familiar with instead of using a loadout that was more effective, especially in a tournament setting.

Things went downhill from there. Tensions rose at several points throughout the video, with Cece telling him to shut up after he pleaded his case for a triple support setup, even after he explained that they would lose without it. Another teammate told him to “shut the f**k up” after they lost a practice match, a moment that vindicated Kingsman265, as it displayed the team’s vulnerabilities in real time. Then Cece ended with “this is f**king getting annoying” as Kingsman265 continued to urge the team to change their strategy, to no avail.

The team went their separate ways to play ranked games apart for the night. Shortly after, Kingsman265 learned that he was kicked out of the tournament entirely by the organizer, BasimZB, for his allegedly “toxic” behavior. Basim later admitted that he made the wrong decision based on “misinformation” from Cece and her team.

Kingsman265 was ultimately relegated to the sidelines for the Marvel Rivals tournament, leaving him behind to watch his team get knocked out in the first round, proving that his instincts around their character lineup were correct.

The fallout

As the male gamer in this situation, Kingsman265 was made to look like the bad guy. He was unceremoniously kicked out of the tournament due to his “toxicity” in ganging up on three girl gamers as he tried to spur them to victory. Instead of recognition that his skills, knowledge, and ranking were proof that he knew what he was doing, his warnings were positioned as insults.

RELATED: 25 years later, the gaming console that caused so much chaos is still No. 1

Photo By Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Images

It wasn’t until Kingsman265 posted his video of the practice match, along with a conversation between Cece and himself dubbed the Cece Files, that the truth came to light. Not only did Cece and her team want Kingsman265 to be banned from the tournament, but they conspired to remove him, claiming that “there are plenty of people in line who are just as good. Kingsman, like everybody else, is replaceable.”

The aftermath was swift, with the internet quickly turning on the female team in favor of Kingsman265. Despite telling anyone who saw the video not to harass Cece and company, the message exchange between them shows that the internet has no tolerance for liars. She begged Kingsman265 to take down the video — or, at the very least, cut out the incriminating parts that made her and the team look guilty — but he refused, noting that it was a legitimate video. Cece lost several sponsorship deals and partnerships for her behavior.

All’s well that ends well

The whole debacle cost Kingsman265 his shot at a $3,000 grand prize to help pay off his college debt, but what came next was even sweeter. Once he was exonerated of any wrongdoing, Kingsman265 saw a huge boost to his channel, netting 139,000 followers on Twitch (and counting), 10,000 paying subscribers, and instant acceptance into the Twitch Partner Program, which will allow him to earn money for streaming online. As an added bonus, he received more than $3,000 in donations from supporters, surpassing the amount he would have earned from winning the Marvel Rivals tournament, and Marvel Rivals developer NetEase even sent him credits to buy skins for his character.

The good guy won in the end, leaving the all-girls team with a major loss in the tournament, loss in internet clout, and loss in their streaming careers. All of it could have been avoided if they had not made Kingsman265 out to be the toxic misogynist that he wasn’t, but if that had happened, his own gaming career wouldn’t be rocketing through the stratosphere at this very moment.

What happens online lives forever — the lies that are told and the truth that comes through in 4K — and the consequences are unavoidable. This is why it is always important to keep your receipts when tension erupts on the internet. You never know when you’ll have to defend yourself against cheats and liars who think they control the narrative.

​Tech, Culture 

The Australian Open has become about politics instead of tennis, thanks to one reporter’s questions.

As men and women have won matches at the tournament in Melbourne, Australia, a male reporter has consistently popped up to ask players about their feelings about current U.S. politics.

‘We are very diverse, we are a home of immigrants.’

“I’ve been asking a lot of the American players just how it feels to play under the American flag right now. And I’m curious how you feel,” the man asked No.4-ranked Amanda Anisimova on Wednesday, with noted vocal fry.

Anisimova was praised for shutting the questions down, but it turns out the same reporter has asked the same divisive question to at least four other American tennis players.

The Women’s Tennis Association’s No.6-ranked Jessica Pegula faced almost the same question on Wednesday, though more specifically about living in Florida.

Pegula’s answer likely won’t please nationalists as much as Anisimova’s did.

“Personally Florida’s been, I think, OK. I think Florida, there’s a big melting pot of different people from all over, in Florida,” the 31-year-old went on. “So I feel like especially me being in South Florida, near Miami, I mean, there’s people of all over the country that come to move to Florida, and there’s a lot of international people that are there. I don’t know if that’s maybe why you kind of get a lot of different cultural differences in a good way honestly.”

RELATED: ‘I don’t think that’s relevant’: American tennis star shuts down reporters fishing for anti-Trump answers

The reporter, who is alleged by several outlets such as Breitbart and Yahoo to likely be the Athletic’s Owen Lewis, has not publicly confirmed he has asked the questions despite sharing that he has been in Australia covering the event.

Next up was men’s No.9-ranked Taylor Fritz from California, who on Thursday had just completed a second-round win. Fritz buried his head in his hands as he answered the question, albeit reluctantly.

“Not sure what we’re, like, specifically talking about, but there is a lot going on in the U.S., and I don’t know, I feel like whatever I say here is going to get put in a headline, and it’s going to get taken out of context,” he groaned. “So I’d really rather not do something that’s going to cause a big distraction for me in the middle of the tournament.”

On Thursday, No.9-ranked female Madison Keys from Illinois faced the reporter. Her reaction was much more progressive than her compatriots, saying, “I’m not a fan of divisiveness, and I think the beauty of the U.S. is we are a mixing pot.”

“We are very diverse, we are a home of immigrants. And I hope that we can get back to those values,” she added.

RELATED: ‘It’s not fair’: No. 1 women’s tennis player states obvious truth about transgender athletes in women’s sports

No.3-ranked woman and Florida native Coco Gauff took it a step further by bringing race politics into the mix with her response.

Gauff initially said she feels “a bit fatigued talking about it.”

She then claimed, “It is hard, also I think, being a black woman in this country and having to experience things, even online.”

She argued that “marginalized communities” are being affected, and the only thing she can do is “donate and speak out.”

Gauff then cited the fact that she posted a Martin Luther King Jr. video online recently and said, “We must keep moving forward,” as an example of her activism.

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​Tennis, Trump, Australia, Americans, Woke, Journalist, Politics 

Everyone who lived in Dallas five years ago remembers the record-setting snowstorm in February 2021, and with a forecast that suggests similar weather coming up this weekend, many people aren’t taking any chances.

The storm in 2021 shut down the city for nearly a week, thanks to the roads icing over and limited equipment to respond to a weather event of that magnitude. Power outages shook the state, and disastrous accidents were caused by ice on the highways.

These factors, among others, led to shortages at the grocery stores, a fact many people have now recalled as they look at the upcoming forecast.

I found myself on a quest to find fruit, primarily apples and bananas, for smoothies on what could likely be one of the busiest days for area grocery stores this year. Here are some of the photos I took, which reminded me not so much of February 2021 as of March 2020, the beginning of the pandemic — yes, including carts full of toilet paper.

These photos were taken at an Aldi and a Walmart in Irving, Texas, on the evening of January 22, 2026.

Aldi

The shelf usually stocked with bread was almost entirely bare at AldiCooper Williamson

The bagel shelf, opposite the larger bread shelf, was similarly picked clean. Cooper Williamson

Before Aldi, I got most of my other groceries at Sam’s Club, which was packed but largely well stocked — except for the shopping carts. There were no shopping carts in the reserves at the entrance; they were all being used or in the parking lot.

As I waited in line for a slice of pizza before I began my shopping, I watched helplessly as a man snuck up and grabbed the cart that I had parked near the cafe. Back to the parking lot for another one.

The meat aisle was nearly empty.Cooper Williamson

Luckily, I had done most of my shopping at Sam’s Club and didn’t need any sandwich materials. Aldi was nearly clean out of all of them.

RELATED: Here’s what SHOCKED liberals the most when they tried to panic-buy guns in California

The bacon, butter, and yogurt sections.Cooper Williamson

But Sam’s wasn’t immune to the panic-buying hive mind that had overtaken all of Dallas. I was at Aldi because Sam’s too had been raided of all of its apples and bananas.

The best the stores had to offer at this point were some of the worst relatives of these coveted fruits.

There was not a single case of bottled water left in the store. Cooper Williamson

From a distance, I thought I had found the key ingredient for my smoothies after much searching. However, to my disappointment, what I thought were bananas turned out to be plantains — and there were no bananas in the store whatsoever.

No bananas to be found in the grocery store; only some ripe plantains. Cooper Williamson

Despite my failure to find bananas at Aldi, I had come too far and would not be denied. I ventured to Walmart, which proved to be even more chaotic than Aldi.

Walmart

Forced to park all the way in the back of the parking lot due to the crowds, I didn’t know what to expect as I walked into Walmart. Walking in, however, I quickly surmised that it would be similar to, if not worse than, Aldi. I ended up looking around the aisles to see what people were grabbing at the highest rate. Here are some of the Dallas snowstorm preppers’ favorites.

The poultry section was cleaned out. Cooper Williamson

Several varieties of milk were missing. Cooper Williamson

Like Aldi, the usually full aisle of bottled water packages was barren. Cooper Williamson

Americans love their vegetable oil. Cooper Williamson

Finally, I circled back to the produce section. At first, I was worried that I wouldn’t find any bananas when I saw entire shelves that looked like they had been raided hours before.

Crates of assorted fruits, some entirely empty. Cooper Williamson

The vegetable display showed which vegetables Americans would be willing to part with for a week or so. Cooper Williamson

However, in the midst of the empty shelves sat a display of bananas. Even this display, though stocked, was missing half of its capacity.

Caught up in the exciting moment of discovery, I forgot to get a photo of them, though I gladly spent the 86 cents for a bunch and readily made my way home after a long five hours of shopping.

The panic consensus

As I sit here writing this article on the morning of January 23, sipping on a green smoothie (bananas, apples, and all), I wonder whether this is the new reality. I wonder whether every time the forecast warns of a snowstorm, Southern states like Texas will overreact like the last few times we have gotten a storm forecast.

I complained earlier that it took me most of an evening to get all of my shopping done. While it’s true that I am a picky eater and not a very efficient shopper, it is astounding that it took going to four stores (yes, I also went to the Kroger near the Aldi to get romaine and apples for the smoothie) over the course of five hours to find a bunch of bananas.

In bad weather, it is true that the roads are only as safe as the people driving the cars. Growing up in Colorado, a place that gets a lot more snow, I always found it strange that Texas can’t handle a few inches of snow. And I also don’t remember people panic-buying food and water like they were preparing for a hurricane before the pandemic.

Perhaps this is just another reminder that the preppers aren’t as crazy as people make them out to be. I certainly don’t want to repeat my quest to the grocery store on the eve of the next cold front moving through Dallas.

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China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific no longer comes in bursts. It has become dangerous and systematic for America.

A recent long-range patrol by Chinese forces, conducted alongside Russia, prompted Japan to scramble fighter jets. It marked the latest in a string of incidents after months of heightened Chinese military activity around the Senkaku Islands.

If Washington and Tokyo keep strengthening this partnership, they can make the Indo-Pacific more difficult for Beijing to bully and far more stable for everyone who depends on it.

These shows of force don’t happen by accident. China uses them to normalize military pressure, probe red lines, and test the unity of U.S.-led alliances.

This latest episode also made one thing clear, at least: The Trump administration is watching closely.

In a visible show of solidarity with Tokyo, U.S. strategic bombers joined Japanese fighter aircraft for high-profile drills. Days earlier, Chinese military aircraft conducted takeoffs and landings inside Japan’s air defense identification zone and shadowed Japanese aircraft with their radar off near Okinawa. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s State Department expressed concern and reaffirmed its commitment to a “strong and more united” U.S.-Japan alliance.

Washington increasingly recognizes what Tokyo has understood for years: China’s behavior doesn’t just destabilize the region. It challenges the security order that has kept the Indo-Pacific from tipping into open conflict.

That reality puts a premium on reliable partnerships. No partnership matters more than the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Nowhere does that matter more than Taiwan. China’s large-scale military exercises, dubbed Justice Mission 2025, have pushed tensions in the Taiwan Strait to the highest levels in decades. Beijing aims to intimidate Taipei, warn off “external interference,” and alter the status quo through pressure rather than persuasion.

The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy arrived in that environment. While headlines still focus on Europe and the Middle East, the document makes the administration’s priorities clear: The Indo-Pacific remains central to U.S. strategy.

The NSS describes the Indo-Pacific as a critical economic hub that accounts for nearly half of global GDP. It commits the United States to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific by securing sea lanes and upholding international law.

RELATED: Inside China’s plan to beat the US at big tech forever

MF3d via iStock/Getty Images

That framework didn’t start in Washington. Japan first advanced the concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and the region later adopted it through partnerships such as the Quad — the informal grouping of the United States, Japan, India, and Australia.

Rather than announcing a new direction, the NSS reinforces a familiar one: Alliances form the core of deterring China. Unlike the Trump playbook in Ukraine, the administration treats alliances as the bedrock of Indo-Pacific security against Beijing’s expanding military reach.

Japan sits at the heart of that network.

China pressures Japan across its waters and airspace, making Tokyo a frontline state. Japan also serves as the United States’ indispensable partner in the region, with basing, interoperability, and shared strategy that no other ally can match at the same scale. Under new conservative leadership, Japan has begun acting with urgency.

Japan’s defense minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, has emphasized that urgency, warning that the country now faces its most severe security environment since World War II. Japan has deepened coordination with the U.S. and other like-minded partners while strengthening its military capabilities by accelerating security reforms and easing restrictions on defense equipment transfers.

Japan has also moved up its plan to raise defense spending to 2% of GDP — from 2027 to now. That headline matters less than where the money goes.

Tokyo has prioritized capabilities suited for a long-term, high-risk environment: unmanned aerial vehicles, expanded surveillance platforms, and submarines equipped with vertical-launch missile systems.

RELATED: Hypersonic missiles are the new arms race. Can America catch up?

Photo by GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images

Japan’s objective looks straightforward. It aims to become a more capable military partner that complements U.S. forces rather than relying on them by default. That shift aligns with President Trump’s demand that allies reduce dependence on American power by strengthening their own defense industries and readiness.

The U.S.-Japan alliance has also moved beyond drills and declarations toward defense-industrial cooperation. Expanded maintenance and repair coordination, along with eased export controls, have begun laying the groundwork for a durable security partnership.

This collaboration marks a shift from rhetoric to endurance. Aligning strategy with industrial capacity won’t eliminate risk. It will raise the cost of Chinese coercion and reduce the chances that Beijing miscalculates.

Koizumi has stressed that 80 years after World War II, the U.S.-Japan alliance still embodies reconciliation and remains the best instrument to deter China’s rising aggression.

If Washington and Tokyo keep strengthening this partnership — in capability, production, and resolve — they can make the Indo-Pacific more difficult for Beijing to bully and far more stable for everyone who depends on it.

​Opinion & analysis, China, U.s.-japan alliance, Pacific, Islands, Tariffs, Deterrence, Globalism, Strategy, Gdp, Imperialism 

​Culture, Humor, Quick draw, Politics, Culture war, Death, Family, Social security 

When Justine Damond was shot by a Somalian police officer in Minneapolis, there were no riots or protests in her name.

Damond, a white woman, had called the police for help, but when they showed up, she was shot instead. The Somalian officer who fired his weapon claimed to have been spooked.

“For these people — for Black Lives Matter, for these left-wing agitators — it’s never about the victims. It’s not really about violence or injustice. It’s about the system. It’s about the belief that these activists have that America and its institutions are oppressive and unjust,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey comments on “Relatable.”

“And anyone who upholds these institutions, like the church — especially the Protestant church in America, who is still overwhelmingly conservative — is seen as an enemy,” she says, explaining that this was the entire reason former CNN anchor Don Lemon alongside Black Lives Matter activists stormed a church in protest of the ICE shooting of Renee Good.

“This demonstration … was not about Renee Good, or even the Somalians, or even any of the illegal aliens there. These were just — the exposing of the Somalian fraud, the killing of Renee Good — they were the trigger incidents used by these activists to justify terrorizing Christians and conservatives and anyone who stands in their way,” Stuckey explains.

“2020 wasn’t about George Floyd. 2026 is not about Renee Good. Understand this. It is about intentionally sowing chaos to ultimately weaken America and Western civilization. That is what George Soros and all of his funded initiatives and groups want to do,” she says.

Stuckey points out that the protest at Cities Church was livestreamed by Black Lives Matter — a group that received $90 million from the Soros-backed Tides Foundation just a few years ago.

And according to the New York Post, the Invisible Twin Cities group, which received $7.8 million from George Soros Open Society Foundations between 2018 and 2023, is behind the anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis.

“They’re not good people,” Stuckey says. “So you have to think: Why would they fund anti-ICE protests? It’s because they hate America. America stands in the way of what they want to do.”

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​Video, Free, Upload, Camera phone, Sharing, Video phone, Youtube.com, Relatable with allie beth stuckey, Relatable, Allie beth stuckey, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, George soros, Open society foundations, Open society, Black lives matter, Ice protests, Don lemon, Renee good 

Republican lawmakers, the Arizona Police Association, and the Trump administration castigated Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) this week over her suggestion that it may be reasonable to shoot masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Mayes made no secret of her contempt for ICE in her interview with KPNX-TV’s Brahm Resnik, suggesting, for instance, that ICE officers are engaged in “thuggish, brutish behavior” and causing chaos, confusion, and anxiety in Minneapolis.

‘How do you know they are a peace officer?’

“It’s a combustible situation, let’s be clear about that,” said Mayes. “It’s a combustible situation being caused by ICE right now, wearing masks.”

After noting that she was “outraged and sickened” to see ICE agents outside her building and claiming that “real cops don’t wear masks,” the Democrat — who is seeking re-election — made a point of stressing that Arizona is a “stand your ground state.”

“We also have a lot of guns in Arizona,” she said with a smile.

“You know, it’s kind of a recipe for disaster because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks, and we have a stand your ground law that says that if you reasonably believe that your life is in danger and you are in your house or your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force.”

Resnik pumped the brakes and said, “I want to be careful with that and understand what you are saying because you know how that could be interpreted.”

RELATED: Anti-ICE radical who took credit for the invasion of Minnesota church ARRESTED by feds

(Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Image

“But it’s the fact,” said Mayes.

While Mayes clarified that you still cannot gun down peace officers in the Grand Canyon State and that she was not giving anyone license to start doing so, she appeared to give would-be killers an excuse, stating, “How do you know they’re a peace officer?”

“If there’s a situation where somebody pulls out their gun because they know Arizona is a stand your ground state, then it becomes ‘did they reasonably know that they were a peace officer?'” said Arizona’s top law enforcement officer.

When Resnik once more pressed her for clarification that she was not “telling folks you have license if you are threatened,” Mayes said, “Well,” and smirked.

“No,” she continued, “but again, if you’re being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer, how do you know?”

Republican Arizona Rep. David Schweikert noted, “Let’s not pretend this was some careful legal seminar.”

“This was the attorney general of Arizona freelancing a scenario where bullets start flying and then shrugging it off as ‘just the law.’ That is reckless on its face,” wrote Schweikert. “If your job is to enforce the law, you do not go on TV and hand out a permission structure for violence, then act surprised when people hear it as a green light. Words matter. Especially when they come from the state’s top lawyer.”

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R), who is running for state attorney general, noted, “Mayes should be fully aware of her dangerous rhetoric — and how people will construe, apply, and execute her comments. Mayes’ comments were reckless, dangerous, and disqualifying.”

The Arizona Police Association also condemned Mayes’ remarks, emphasizing that “words from elected officials matter.”

APA Executive Director Joe Clure stated that the Democrat’s framing was “deeply troubling and dangerous” especially as “law enforcement officers at every level including state, local, and federal agencies do not always wear traditional uniforms” — including members of Mayes’ own investigative teams.

“This does not diminish their legal authority or status as law enforcement,” said Clure. “Publicly speculating about how someone might legally justify shooting an ICE agent sends a dangerous and irresponsible message, particularly in an already tense and polarized environment.”

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the New York Post, “This is [a] direct threat calling for violence against our law enforcement officers — this kind of rhetoric is going to get someone killed.”

Blaze News has reached out the Justice Department for comment.

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​Us immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Arizona, Kris mayes, Attorney general, Murder, Subversion, Insurrection, Ice agents, Dhs, Politics 

I had been living in New York for several years, writing young adult novels. But I wanted to move to Los Angeles. I needed a change of scenery, and I wanted to try screenwriting.

A friend connected me to a guy who had spent several years in L.A. pursuing film and TV writing. I called the guy and told him my plan.

The hair dye felt like it was burning my scalp. After I rinsed it out, my whole head glowed. Did it make me look younger? I guess it did. But it also made me look like a clown.

He said: “How old are you?”

I said 49.

He said, “That’s too old. You can’t be 50 in Hollywood. You’ll need to lie about your age.”

Then he asked me if I had gray hair. I said I did. He said I would need to dye it.

I said, “But George Clooney has gray hair. Doesn’t it look distinguished?”

He said I would definitely want to dye it. “Everyone dyes their hair in L.A. Get a good hairdresser.”

*******

He continued relating his experiences. He listed the dangers of Hollywood. They steal your ideas. They lie. They pretend to be your friend. I would need a good lawyer, and a manager, and an agent.

Most of this I already knew. But the “you can’t be 50 in Hollywood” part: I hadn’t heard that before.

Reelin’ In the Years

After we hung up, I thought about the age problem. I had already “adjusted” my age once while I was writing young adult novels.

I did this after attending a book festival, where I saw that all the other young adult authors were generally in their 20s and 30s. I was at least a decade older than most of them.

So I shaved five years off my Facebook age. Just in case anybody looked. And then I did the same thing when I filled out the publicity questionnaires for my publisher.

But the age problem got worse when I arrived in L.A. The first screenwriter I met with was 24 and looked like he was in high school. When I got home from that meeting, I went on Facebook and shaved three more years off my birthday.

When I did this, a little notice popped up, informing me that this would be the last time I would be allowed to change my birthday on Facebook.

So now, I was 41 according to Facebook, 44 according to my New York publisher, and 49 according to my driver’s license and the IRS.

This was a lot to keep track of. It made for some awkward moments on first dates.

Gray matters

It didn’t take long to realize that in Hollywood — where lying is considered “self-care” — what people really judged you on was your looks.

So then I considered my appearance. My hair was pretty gray. Should I try dyeing it?

I went to Ralphs and bought a box of Clairol Nice’n Easy hair dye. I went for espresso brown, which seemed closest to my original hair color.

I set up shop in my bathroom. I put on the gloves and followed the instructions on the box, mixing the chemicals and smearing them onto my head. It was a messy business.

The hair dye felt like it was burning my scalp. After I rinsed it out, my whole head glowed. Did it make me look younger? I guess it did. But it also made me look like a clown.

*******

I flew back to New York soon after, and a female friend immediately noticed the change. She said: “It’s true what they say; you look 10 years younger!”

That was nice to hear. But I was alarmed that she noticed it instantly. From 50 feet away.

Another friend didn’t believe me when I told her it was dyed. She had to look closer and touch it until she saw that I was telling the truth.

I was still trying to get used to it myself. Every time I saw my reflection, I startled myself. Who’s that guy with the dye job?

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Blake Nelson

Pro tips

Back in L.A., I spotted a sign in a hair salon near my apartment: “Dye and Haircut $80.” Maybe this was the solution: getting your hair dyed by a professional.

I would like to say this was a luxurious, pampering experience. It was not. The hairdresser roughed me up pretty good. And then I had to sit there for 40 minutes, in sight of people walking by the window, with a giant plastic covering over me and my thinning hair wrapped in tin foil.

And then, after all that, it looked no different from the Clairol dye job I had given myself for $9.99!

*******

Still, I stuck with it, re-dyeing it every six weeks — like it said on the box — for most of a year.

During this time, I kept a watchful eye out for other men with dyed hair. I was definitely not alone. At the beach, you would see aging “surfer dads” with dyed blonde hair and a skateboard under their arms. It wasn’t a terrible look. As long as you wore Vans and board shorts.

And of course, men who were on TV or acted in movies always dyed their hair. I’d see these men everywhere. Or I’d see guests on late-night talk shows who looked like they had just had it done an hour before. Their hair had that blurry, fresh-dye glow.

I became skilled at spotting dye jobs on either sex. I hadn’t realized how many women dyed their hair: basically all of them, after about 30.

The good news was that nobody thought less of a man for dyeing his hair. This was Los Angeles. Dyeing your hair meant you had a job.

All is vanity

This wasn’t the case on the East Coast. New York City was the land of the silver fox. Being a well-dressed, gray-haired, 50-year-old male was highly desirable. It meant you were rich!

In fact, it was in New York that a couple of female friends intervened and informed me that the hair-dye thing wasn’t working. I looked better being gray.

After that, my vanity took over, and when I returned to L.A., I shaved my head and released myself back into middle age.

Once I let myself go gray again, another Los Angeles acquaintance told me she thought I looked much better. She said the dye job made me look untrustworthy, like a used-car salesman.

*******

So that was a relief. But the real relief didn’t come until many years later, when I retired from writing and went back home to Portland and returned to total normalcy.

In retirement, I didn’t have to be young; I didn’t have to be cool. I could just be an old, gray-haired person like everybody else.

Though on Facebook — thanks to its birthday-changing restrictions — I remain a slightly younger and livelier version of myself.

​Hollywood, Lifestyle, Culture, Screenwriting, Writing, Aging, Blake’s progress