Category: blaze media

For years, Glenn Beck has called for the abolition of the Federal Reserve, arguing it’s nothing more than a private banking cartel that enables endless government spending, devalues the dollar through inflation, and secretly steals wealth from Americans via corrupt monetary policies.

But new evidence that just surfaced proves the problem is even worse than he thought.

To explain what’s been happening behind the American people’s back, Glenn gives an analogy.

“Imagine the U.S. economy is like one giant, never-ending house party that’s been raging for years, and the Federal Reserve is the bartender in charge of the punch bowl. The punch bowl, that’s liquidity, easy money flowing through the banks and the markets and the businesses,” he begins.

For years, the “punch” was overdistributed, making partygoers drunk and willing to make poor decisions. “This is when stocks and houses get wildly overpriced. Companies borrow stupid amounts … and everybody starts to do stupid things,” Glenn says.

That’s exactly what happened in 2022 when the Federal Reserve “just printed a whole buttload of money,” he says.

But when things “got ugly,” it suddenly reversed course and announced an initiative called “quantitative tightening,” which essentially “drained the whole punch bowl.”

The Federal Reserve “needed to get rid of $2.3 trillion worth of bonds that they owned, and they said, ‘We’re just going to let them expire,”’ Glenn explains.

“In theory, this drains the money out of the system, makes it harder for you to get loans and everything else. Borrowing is more expensive. The bubbles will pop. It forces the economy to sober up.”

But this was just a ruse, Glenn says.

Instead of actually stopping the flow of “punch,” the Federal Reserve during the COVID-19 pandemic quietly redirected it instead.

“A lot of it ended up in a giant backroom keg called the overnight reverse repo facility. … These are money market funds, big investors, big banks,” Glenn says, “and they parked about $2.5 trillion in for safekeeping, and they were earning a safe interest rate from the Fed.”

But then the backroom keg finally ran dry.

“By 2023, something had changed. The short-term Treasury bills (super safe government IOUs) started paying higher interest than the keg in the back room, so the big investors said, ‘Why are we letting all the alcohol sit in the keg? We can have a party elsewhere,”’ Glenn says. “So they started draining the backroom keg $100-$200 billion every single month, and they poured that money right back into stocks and bonds and lending.”

What was the result?

“More punch than we started with in the first place!” Glenn exclaims.

“That’s why the Dow Jones keeps hitting new highs, government keeps funding huge deficits. … The bartender was pretending to cut off the drinks while secretly letting the elite guests go into the back room and get the hidden stash.”

These still-drunk elites, Glenn says, continue to “make stupid, dumb bets,” which just makes the “hangover worse” for the normies.

“Look out, gang — you’ve been lied to yet again,” he cautions, calling the Federal Reserve a “criminal organization” that is “stealing from the American people.”

“End the Fed,” he pleads.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

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

​Blaze media, Blazetv, Bonds, Criminal organization, Dollar devaluation, Dow jones, End the fed, Federal reserve, Glenn beck, Government spending, Inflation, Interest rate, Loans, Money market funds, Repo facility, Stocks, The glenn beck program, Treasury bills, Wealth theft 

“Dozens of bystanders” reportedly were recording video while a 15-year-old boy was mercilessly beaten and then fatally shot at a New York City playground last week.

Former Mayor Eric Adams posted video on X showing Thursday’s deadly altercation, and the New York Daily News reported that the clip shows “dozens of bystanders … recording” while the beatdown took place.

‘They treated it all as entertainment. He was already beat up. He was helpless, and they shot him.’

The Daily News added that the video shows at least three individuals repeatedly punching and kicking victim Jaden Pierre as he tries to protect himself amid the attack.

The paper said one of the attackers is seen grabbing Pierre’s hoodie and throwing him to the ground. After Pierre gets back up, one of the attackers pulls a gun and pistol-whips Pierre, and gunfire rings out, the Daily News said, adding that Pierre collapses to the ground, and the crowd runs away.

The paper said Pierre suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.

The day after the fatal shooting, New York City Police posted images of an individual they said is wanted for the homicide of the 15-year-old victim.

On Tuesday, the NYPD said 18-year-old gang member Zahir Davis is the individual being sought in connection with the shooting at the Nautilus Playground inside Ray Wilkins Park in Queens, according the the Daily News.

However, police sources told the paper the shooter has connections to the Caribbean nation of Jamaica and may have fled there after the deadly altercation.

There are conflicting reports regarding why a crowd gathered at the playground that day. The Daily News said Pierre was attending a water-gun fight he helped organize over social media. WPIX-TV also said it was a water-gun fight. However, WABC-TV said the gathering was for a water-balloon fight.

The Daily News said an unidentified associate of Davis recognized Pierre from a previous brawl, after which Davis and the unidentified associate cornered Pierre against a fence, where they were caught on video beating the teen as dozens of bystanders stood by recording the attack.

Soon the shooting took place, the paper said, adding that police said forensic investigators will determine if the shooting was accidental.

“When you watch the video, he strikes him in the head with a gun, and as he comes down, the shot rings out,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said, according to the paper.

Kenny said the man who incited Thursday’s attack jumped Pierre in January, and Pierre’s friends retaliated by beating that same man, the Daily News reported.

Kenny also noted that Davis is part of the BG4 crew — short for Blitz Gang 4 — which operates in southeast Queens, the paper said.

At a Monday evening vigil for Pierre, New York Attorney General Letitia James said detectives had identified the shooter and urged the suspect to surrender himself, the Daily News said.

RELATED: Blaze News original: 10 times bystanders failed to help victims of brutal violence — and often recorded video instead

“I want everyone to know that the police know who shot Jaden,” James said as she stood with the victim’s family and hundreds of mourners just steps from the scene of the crime, according to the paper.

The attorney general added, “I would urge this gentleman to turn himself in, to surrender as soon as possible, before the NYPD gets to you. They know who you are,” the Daily News reported.

Gardy Pierre, the victim’s father, added the following during the vigil, according to the above WCBS-TV video: “I know how tough he was. They knew, man. That was the only way to put him down. ‘Cause they know he’s gonna stand up tall on 10 toes every time, man.”

The victim’s older sister, 17-year-old Nellie Pierre, had harsh words for those recording video of the attack on her brother, telling the Daily News that “everyone there recording did nothing. They treated it all as entertainment. He was already beat up. He was helpless, and they shot him.”

The paper, citing relatives, said Jaden attended ninth grade at Eagle Academy and was looking forward to starting a new job through the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program.

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

​Fatal shooting, Boy fatally shot, New york city, Playground, Physical attack, Suspect named, Suspect at large, Bystanders record video, Bystanders fail to intervene, Water gun fight, Queens, Jaden pierre, Zahir davis, Crime 

A controversial referendum that passed Tuesday to redistrict Virginia’s congressional maps has been blocked by a judge.

Virginia has six Democrats and five Republicans currently in Congress, but the redistricted map could lead to Democrats controlling all but one of the seats.

‘This is not saving democracy. … This is a sham.’

The Tazewell Circuit Court judge blocked the state from certifying the results of the vote and claimed that the process had broken several Virginia state laws. Republicans have filed several lawsuits against the redistricting effort.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said the state would appeal the decision.

“Virginia voters have spoken, and an activist judge should not have veto power over the people’s vote. We look forward to defending the outcome of last night’s election in court,” Jones said.

While Republicans objected vehemently to the redistricting, Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger argued that it was merely a “response to what we’re seeing in other states that have taken extreme measures to undermine democratic norms.”

Critics have pointed out the biased wording of the referendum that would mislead otherwise uninformed voters.

“Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections,” the measure reads, “while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”

RELATED: ‘Maximum warfare’: Democrats celebrate after Virginia decides to disenfranchise GOP voters

“The Democrat Party is ruthless, and what they did, you know, they wrote a ballot initiative that was completely disingenuous,” Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin said about the vote.

“This is not saving democracy,” he added. “If you look at the actual vote totals by county, which I did this morning, it proves that the 6 to 5 ratio was accurate. This is a sham.”

“House Democrats have crushed Donald Trump’s national gerrymandering scheme,” U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) claimed. “Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”

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

​Judge blocks va referendum, Tazewell circuit court judge, Democrats gerrymander, Va redistricting vote, Politics 

One Florida man’s complaint against Republicans forbidding snacks and soda purchases in the food welfare program sparked a massive debate online.

Critics of the Trump administration have angrily denounced the ban on unhealthy foods purchased with taxpayer funds through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

‘There are thousands of people who don’t use benefits who have to say no to soda/candy bc they can’t afford it.’

One Florida man became the center of the debate on the X social media platform after complaining about the ban on Monday.

“As of today, Florida SNAP recipients can’t buy soda or candy because God forbid we allow a single mom and her kids a few moments of happiness at the end of the day,” wrote the man, who identified as a NeverTrumper.

The suggestion was immediately buried by a landslide of responses from those defending the ban on taxpayer-funded candy and soda.

“There is no nutritional value in candy or soda. What Texas and Florida are doing fits the purpose of the program, which is making sure families have access to nutritious food. It buys meat, milk, bread, eggs, etc,” economic expert Amy Nixon replied.

“Where does it end? How much should taxpayers be on the hook for? It’s not Monopoly money. We give people who (mostly) made decisions resulting in the [U.S.] paying their way. There are thousands of people who don’t use benefits who have to say no to soda/candy bc they can’t afford it,” responded Blaze Media social media editor Jessica O’Donnell.

“SNAP recipients can still buy soda and candy if they want. They just have to use their own money, like everyone else. SNAP is government assistance for supplemental NUTRITION; soda & candy is not nutrition,” GOP communications specialist Christina Pushaw replied.

“Soda and candy are luxuries. If you are reliant on taxpayer funding to feed your family, then you cannot afford luxuries. Many average citizens who DO NOT rely on taxpayer funding have to cut out luxury items,” another popular response reads.

“Taxpayer funded SNAP was not designed to bring single moms and kids moments of happiness,” another critic replied. “It’s [sic] intent is to provide low income households with basic nutritional sustenance. If junkfood makes you happy, you’re welcome to buy it with your earned money like the rest of us.”

A group of SNAP recipients has filed a lawsuit to stop the ban on junk foods, sugary sodas, and energy drinks after arguing that it’s discriminatory against diabetics and people with “avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.”

RELATED: Able-bodied 38-year-old man goes viral for response to Trump food stamp restrictions: ‘That’s some bulls**t!’

The original poster followed up with a response to the furor he caused.

“I’m obviously not spending my day replying to all of these but if you are bothered by people getting a soda and some candy but not the billions and billions of dollars that we waste every day at the Pentagon, you should do some soul-searching,” he wrote.

“We could fund an entire week of nationwide snap benefits for every day of our engagement with Iran,” he added.

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

​Snap benefits to end, Sugary snacks on snap, Florida man online, Online debate, Politics 

A naturalized citizen from the U.K. who allegedly went on a shooting spree in Georgia and murdered a DHS employee walking her dog has been found dead in his prison cell while awaiting trial.

Olaolukitan Adon Abel, 26, was arrested after a witness saw him last week standing over the body of Lauren Bullis, an auditor with the Department of Homeland Security.

Police said the killing was the third murderous attack Adon Abel had committed in a series that included the lethal shooting of a woman and another shooting that killed a homeless man.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Adon Abel was found unresponsive in his jail cell just after 6:48 p.m. Tuesday and was pronounced dead 29 minutes later after detention staff tried to revive him.

Officials said there was no evidence of foul play in his death, and an internal investigation will determine the circumstances of his death.

Bullis was walking her dog on April 13 when Adon Abel shot and stabbed her, according to police. Her neighbor said she saw the man trying to pull the victim’s pants off after the attack before he fled.

Police said the killing was the third murderous attack Adon Abel had committed in a series that included the lethal shooting of a woman and another shooting that killed a homeless man.

DHS later released the man’s extensive prior criminal convictions that included “sexual battery, battery against a police officer, obstruction, assault with a deadly weapon, and vandalism.”

“These acts of pure evil have devastated our Department and my prayers are with the families of the victims,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said.

Adon Abel was naturalized by the Biden administration in 2022.

RELATED: ‘Monster’ suspected of brutally murdering DHS employee walking her dog is an immigrant naturalized by Biden, DHS says

Mullin went on to say that the Trump administration is making efforts to prevent dangerous criminals from entering the country through the immigration system.

“In an effort to remove murderers like this from our communities, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the creation of a new vetting center on December 5, 2025, to enhance screening and vetting of immigration applications, with a focus on identifying terrorists, criminal aliens, and other threats to public safety,” reads a statement from DHS.

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

​Olaolukitan adon abel, Murder of dhs employee, Adon abel found dead, Politics, Georgia murder spree 

President Donald Trump says he has secured an agreement with the Iranian regime to stop the planned execution of eight women who had reportedly protested against the ruling party.

The women were reportedly swept up in the regime’s crackdown on protests in January that led to thousands being killed and tens of thousands of arrests. Official estimates of the death count vary widely.

‘I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States.’

“Very good news! I have just been informed that the eight women protestors who were going to be executed tonight in Iran will no longer be killed,” the president wrote in a statement on Truth Social.

He went on to say that four of the women would be released immediately and another four would be sentenced to one month in prison.

“I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States, and terminated the planned execution. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.

The Trump administration is negotiating with the remaining elements of the Iranian regime after devastating strikes from the U.S. and Israel.

On Tuesday, the president had posted a request to the Iranian regime to do no harm to the women as a show of good faith for their peace negotiations.

The president was responding to a post on social media by pro-Israel activist Eyal Yakoby that included photos of eight women. Among them was Bita Hemmati, a woman accused of committing violent acts in the protest, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an opposition organization.

On Tuesday, Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran in order to allow the regime to come up with a “unified proposal” for peace negotiations. Iran later announced that it had seized two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

RELATED: AIPAC targets Massie with massive spend as primary hits the homestretch

A Norwegian human rights group said that two of the women had already been let out on bail since late March, and the Iranian judiciary denied that the women were facing the death penalty.

Amnesty International said there was evidence to prove the regime had conducted “mass unlawful killings” on an “unprecedented scale” to quell the protests. Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had admitted to “thousands” of deaths.

Iran claimed more than 3,000 people had been killed, but some estimates place the death toll to as many as 20,000, according to Amnesty.

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

​Trump iran, Us-israeli strikes on iran, 8 women protesters in iran, Trump iran negotiations, Politics 

The Israel Defense Forces have been painted into a corner recently, as they were forced to acknowledge and respond to an atrocious act of sacrilege committed by those in their ranks.

Blaze News previously reported on two separate incidents involving IDF soldiers desecrating Christian sites and symbols.

The secular headquarters ‘have very little control of the behavior on the ground.’

The first incident involved a uniformed IDF soldier smashing a statue of Jesus Christ in the face with a sledgehammer. The second, which occurred in late November 2024, was a video showing the desecration of an Orthodox church in Deir Mimas, Lebanon.

While the IDF has acknowledged both incidents to some degree, the extent of their response to the recent viral photo of the IDF soldier smashing the Christ statue was a rare step for Israeli leadership.

RELATED: IDF under fire after shocking footage of Lebanese church desecration resurfaces

Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “shocked and saddened” by the photo, the IDF announced punishments following the conclusion of their investigation.

The IDF announced Tuesday that both the soldier who photographed the smashing of the statue and the one who destroyed it would be removed from combat duty and receive 30 days of military detention.

Six additional soldiers who were present at the scene failed to intervene, stop, or report the incident. They have been “summoned for clarification discussions,” and “further command-level measures will be determined” moving forward.

Yet a new article from the Telegraph has suggested that these incidents may be a symptom of changing religious dynamics within the IDF’s ranks.

The Telegraph reported that a stricter sense of religious observance has begun to change the IDF culture.

Citing examples such as female soldiers being reprimanded for dressing “immodestly” and other soldiers being jailed for barbecuing on Shabbat, the Telegraph suggested that the IDF’s culture would be “almost unrecognizable” to the Israeli soldiers of the first decades of the state’s existence.

It is common knowledge that Israel’s military has historically been a secular institution within a largely secular government.

However, the author suggested that the IDF’s ranks are beginning to fill with Israelis who adhere to a “messianic and ultra-nationalist ideology” that informs the very reason they joined the military service in the first place.

This trend has caused tensions to rise between the religious soldiers and the generally secular leadership.

Chairman of the Secular Forum Dr. Ram Vromen told the Telegraph that the leadership views these changes with hostility.

“For years before October 7, secular people increasingly identified the combat roles with things they were not sympathetic to, like the occupation in the West Bank, so they volunteered for other roles,” he said. “But the religious and the religious nationalist recruits volunteer for combat roles enthusiastically.”

Vromen added that the secular headquarters “have very little control of the behavior on the ground,” likely referring to the recent incidents that have harmed the IDF’s public image.

It was later argued that the IDF, even if its leadership remains secular, faces a dilemma.

Between growing personnel shortages during the war and an increasing reliance on these religious soldiers to do the warfighting, the military cannot afford to lose them; however, the religious cultural shift continues to solidify its hold on the institution through an “increasingly muscular military rabbinate” and a takeover of most educational activities in the military.

As a result, the IDF may be forced to deal with increasingly popular ideas such as the expansionist “Greater Israel” project, along with more incidents like those mentioned above.

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

​Benjamin netanyahu, Desecration, Israel defense forces, Jesus christ, Lebanon, Orthodox church, Politics, Sledgehammer, Soldiers, Idf, Idf soldier, Prime minister, Greater israel, Ram vromen, Secular forum, West bank, The telegraph 

The internet icon known as the Scottish axe girl gave testimony in the trial of a man accused of attacking her last August.

Following her testimony, a judge lectured the young girl about possessing the weapons in the first place.

‘Come here, sexy. I’ll show you how to have a good time.’

The case goes back to the summer of 2025 when the 13-year-old girl was captured on video brandishing an axe and a knife in Dundee, Scotland.

Blaze News previously reported on allegations that a man had attacked the young girl after making sexual comments. Scotland Police stated than an adult man and woman had been charged in relation to the incident, along with a young girl.

The accused have since been identified as 22-year-old Ilia Belov and 20-year-old Nadjedzha Belova; both were charged with violent offenses against a group of girls between 12 and 14 years old. The man is also accused of following four young girls, according to the BBC, but he denies the allegations.

During Belov’s trial last week, the teen girl testified that the man repeatedly said, “Come here, sexy. I’ll show you how to have a good time.”

The girl said the remarks made her “angry,” so she “turned around and shouted at him.”

RELATED: US birth rate plummets to record low in 2025 amid estimated 1,126,000 abortions

The 13-year-old also testified that a woman approached the group and threw the girl’s sister to the ground, which is when the girl tried “to go for” the woman but was pushed by the man.

The child then accused the adult male of pushing her on the head, which hit a handrail, and the adult female of kicking her sister “in the head.”

The girl told the defense attorney that it was at this point she brandished the axe and knife from her waistband, which was when she was filmed.

Defense lawyer Larry Flynn claimed that his client, Belov, did not start the incident and was simply responding to comments that were made to him. He also claimed that the witness called Belov an “immigrant,” but the young girl denied the allegation.

RELATED: Police charge man and woman in connection with Scottish axe girl incident

Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

After the young girl presented her testimony, Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith — the judge presiding over the trial — told her she shouldn’t have been carrying weapons in the first place.

“I hope you reflect that it’s not a good idea to carry weapons in the city of Dundee,” he reportedly said.

“There is no such thing as a defensive weapon; there are only offensive weapons,” he added.

According to U.K. law, it is an offense to carry “a bladed or sharply pointed article” in public. Although there are carveouts for a “reasonable excuse,” such as work, religion, or costume, the application of these rules can be strict.

According to the Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland, a government oversight agency, a gardener was convicted for possessing an axe in the door of his car because it was not stored in a tool bag in the trunk with his other tools.

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

​Politics, Scotland, United kingdom, Immigrants, Self defense, Scottish axe girl, Knife, Weapons, News 

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota refused to answer a reporter’s questions about revisions to her wealth disclosures.

Omar changed a disclosure of her assets from millions down to far less after Republicans demanded financial documents from her and her husband.

‘Last time I spoke to you, you said I was “stupid” for asking about your financial disclosure, but there’s some discrepancies on there, would you like to explain that?’

When pressed by a LindellTV reporter Alison Steinberg about the disclosures, Omar refused to answer even the simplest of questions.

“Last time I spoke to you, you said that I was ‘stupid’ for asking about your financial disclosure, but there’s some discrepancies on there. Would you like to explain that?” asked Steinberg. “Would you like to explain them? How did you make such a big mistake on them?”

“I said absolutely I think you’re stupid for asking me anything,” Omar responded.

“I am?” she asked.

“Yes!” Omar replied.

“Well, what about the American people who are wondering how you made such a big mistake?” Steinberg pressed.

“I have explained to the American people,” Omar said, smiling.

“What’s the explanation?” Steinberg asked.

“I have given them the explanation,” Omar claimed.

“Do you want to tell our viewers?” Steinberg asked.

“I don’t want to tell you jack s**t!” Omar interrupted.

“Oh!” Steinberg responded.

“How about that?” Omar said.

“OK!” Steinberg said.

“OK, have a good day!” Omar added.

LindellTV posted video of the interaction on social media where it quickly went viral.

RELATED: GOP demands financial docs from Omar’s husband: ‘Who’s funding this? Who’s buying access?’

Omar had initially reported her assets as being between $6 million and up to $30 million after growing in one year from $51,000. After investigative reporters began questioning the possibility of such a massive growth in assets, congressional Republicans demanded financial documents from her husband about their business investments.

Months later, a spokesperson for Omar said that the report had been a mistake and that they had revised the asset value to $18,004 and $95,000.

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

​Ilhan omar finances, Lindelltv alison steinberg, Omar freaks out, Financial disclosures, Politics 

Whether you send texts through iMessage on iPhone, RCS on Android, or a third-party app like Signal, all of them boast end-to-end encryption, which is designed to keep your chats safe, secure, and private. No one can read them but you, right? Not so fast. Thanks to a little flaw in the way your phone delivers notifications, the FBI may be able to read your conversations and even use them against you in a criminal trial.

The case

On July 4, 2025, a group of “violent assailants equipped with tactical gear and weapons” descended on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas. One source claims that they set off fireworks and vandalized the facility. A police officer was even shot in the neck during the event. Luckily, the officer survived, and 10 perpetrators were apprehended four days later. Eight of the defendants were found guilty of multiple charges in their trial last month, and part of the evidence used to convict them came from an unlikely source: text messages procured by the FBI that were sent via Signal, an end-to-end encrypted messaging app.

This bombshell revelation comes with a few hard facts to keep in mind.

The question on everyone’s minds is, “How?” Signal’s powerful E2EE technology — dubbed the Signal Protocol — is lauded by technology enthusiasts and privacy proponents as one of the best open source encryption solutions available, yet somehow it was bypassed entirely. Even more concerning, the Signal app was already deleted from the suspect’s phone by the time the FBI gathered the incriminating messages, meaning that at least some chat data was both left behind and accessible.

So if Signal is exceptionally safe, secure, and private, how did the FBI easily gather these incriminating text messages for trial?

As it turns out, the flaw that handed this data to the FBI had nothing special to do with Signal. The feds could have gathered messages from any app, thanks to the way smartphones manage one of their most popular features.

The flaw

When you receive a push notification on your device, it comes across as a glanceable snippet of information complete with the app’s name, the app’s icon, and the details of the notification. These are known as notification previews.

Push notifications work for nearly every app — messages, social media, email, everything. And to make sure you get the most useful information from push notifications, they’re set to show snippets by default, letting you know exactly why you were pinged in the first place.

Unfortunately, while the apps that send push notifications can be encrypted, the information displayed in push notifications is stored as plain text within the device and openly available with the right tools.

RELATED: RED FLAG: FBI says these apps let China suck up your personal data

Dragos Condrea/Getty Images

That means the FBI can easily access and read this information for any push notification from any app on your device, assuming it has your phone in its possession. This includes private chats.

Notification previews on (left) and off (right)Zach Laidlaw/iOS 26 on iPhone 17 Pro Max

Cold hard facts

This bombshell revelation comes with a few hard facts to keep in mind:

This flaw only records incoming messages through the notifications system. It cannot save or replicate outgoing messages from the target device, since these are never displayed as notifications for the main user.The FBI can’t remote-connect to a targeted device to access this information. It must physically have the phone in its possession, which requires a warrant or subpoena.Although this particular case involved an iPhone, the flaw works on both iPhone and Android.

The worst part is that this isn’t the first time this particular exploit has popped up. In late 2023, Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) warned that governments could spy on iPhone and Android users through push notifications using a similar method. This vulnerability has been known and exploited for years with no solutions from Apple or Google.

How to hide your notifications from government spying

The good news is that there is something you can do to fix the problem right now, but it will make your phone a little less glanceable. Apple’s iOS offers a way to hide app previews from the notification system. When previews are disabled, you will still see when you receive a notification, but the information inside will be hidden from the notification shade, ensuring it isn’t recorded or saved for later access.

To disable notification previews on iPhone, open the “Settings” app and tap “Notifications.” In the first section of text, you’ll find “Shows Previews.” Tap there and change the preview option to “Never.” If you don’t want to disable all previews, you can also disable these on an app-by-app basis by clicking on the app you want to hide and adjusting its settings.

Zach Laidlaw/iOS 26 on iPhone 17 Pro Max

As for Android, the only way to hide notification previews is to disable notifications entirely, either for the whole system or for individual apps.

This isn’t advised, of course, since you may miss important notifications, but if you’d like to add an extra layer of protection between you and the government, open the “Settings” app and hop into the “Notifications” section. Then select “App Notifications” and uncheck every potentially problematic app on the list. For even more insurance, disable notification history as well.

Zach Laidlaw/Android 16 on Google Pixel 10 Pro XL

Given that this flaw has existed for years without a solution makes it unlikely that Apple or Google will patch their operating systems anytime soon. Unfortunately, this appears to be more of a feature than a bug, prompting users to take their notification settings into their own hands to prevent unwanted data leaks.

​Tech, Fbi, Encrypted data, Privacy, Smartphone 

A longtime Democrat congressman from Georgia has passed away.

Rep. David Scott died on Wednesday at the age of 80, his office confirmed, according to the New York Post. The South Carolina native was first elected to the Georgia Assembly in 1974, to the state Senate in 1982, and then to Congress in 2002.

Scott is the fifth member of the 119th Congress to die since they took office in January 2025.

During his re-election campaign in 2024, some Democrats called on Scott to step aside and make way for younger candidates.

“David Scott is Exhibit A for term limits,” said an unnamed Democrat lawmaker who spoke with Politico at the time. “He was a respected, talented member who has become diminished. And it’s painful for people to watch.”

Despite the naysayers, Scott won re-election that year and was running for re-election this year as well. A cause of death has not been released.

“Congressman Scott’s passing is deeply sad,” said Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), NBC News reported.

“David Scott was a trailblazer who served the district that he represented admirably, rose up from humble beginnings to become the first African American ever to chair the House [Agriculture] Committee. He cared about the people that he represented. He was fiercely committed to getting things done for the people of the great state of Georgia, and he’ll be deeply missed.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also honored Scott in a statement: “We are all deeply saddened by the news of Rep. David Scott’s passing. For more than two decades, David faithfully served the people of Georgia’s [13th] Congressional District and spent the majority of his life in service to others. We are lifting up David’s wife Alfredia, his two daughters, and his grandchildren in prayer as they mourn.”

RELATED: California Republican suddenly dies at age 65

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) died suddenly in January. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc/Getty Images

Of note, Scott is the fifth member of the 119th Congress to die since they took office in January 2025. Reps. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) died in March 2025, Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) died in May, and Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) died suddenly in January.

Then, just in the last few weeks, Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) resigned from the House in disgrace.

For now, Republicans maintain a 217-212 majority, plus independent Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, who caucuses with them.

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp now has 10 days to declare a special election, though six other Democrats were already challenging Scott in the primary race scheduled for May 19. Politico characterized the district as “deep blue.”

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

​David scott, Georgia, Democrat, Congress, Politics 

President Donald Trump’s pick to overhaul the Federal Reserve has enjoyed support from the commander in chief’s allies in the Senate, but one lawmaker just might shut down the nominee’s confirmation.

Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve back in January after publicly feuding with current Chair Jerome Powell for failing to cut interest rates and for his multibillion-dollar renovation of the Fed building. Since then, Warsh took the first step of the confirmation process by going to Capitol Hill to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday.

‘Political interference or legal intimidation is non-negotiable.’

Warsh received glowing reviews from the seven Senate Republicans after his hearing, including from GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who has butted heads with Trump in the past. Despite Tillis’ endorsement of Warsh, the retiring senator drew a bold red line for the administration that could cost the confirmation.

“Kevin Warsh is a great nominee to be chairman of the Federal Reserve, and I look forward to supporting him out of committee once the DOJ drops their bogus investigation into Chairman Powell that threatens the independence of the Fed,” Tillis said in a statement.

RELATED: Federal Reserve makes key decision on interest rates — and Trump won’t like it

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc./Getty Images

Tillis has repeatedly demanded that the administration suspend its investigation into Powell, even threatening to block nominees he supports, like Warsh. Notably, the Senate Banking Committee is composed of seven Republicans and six Democrats, meaning Tillis’ vote is necessary to advance Warsh’s nomination assuming the vote falls along party lines.

“The Department of Justice continues to pursue a criminal investigation into Chairman Jerome Powell based on committee testimony that no reasonable person could construe as possessing criminal intent,” Tillis said following Warsh’s nomination in January. “Protecting the independence of the Federal Reserve from political interference or legal intimidation is non-negotiable.”

“My position has not changed: I will oppose the confirmation of any Federal Reserve nominee, including for the position of Chairman, until the DOJ’s inquiry into Chairman Powell is fully and transparently resolved.”

One viable “off-ramp” that has been floated by Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who chairs the committee, is to create a subcommittee to investigate and oversee the Federal Reserve’s over-budget construction. This would, in effect, replace the Department of Justice’s criminal probe into Powell but still allow the administration and its allies to investigate the Fed.

It’s unclear whether the DOJ would drop the investigation, but Tillis expressed enthusiasm about the potential resolution.

“I not only think it’s a good off-ramp, but I also think it’s good governance,” Tillis said.

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

​Criminal probe, Department of justice, Doj, Doj investigation, Donald trump, Interest rates, Jerome powell, Kevin warsh, Senate banking committee, Senate confirmation, Thom tillis, Tim scott, Trump nominee, Politics 

Charlottesville, Virginia, became a flash point as tensions grew in August 2017 over the fate of American monuments that liberals deemed too racist to leave standing in public spaces.

A hodgepodge of protesters and counterprotesters — which included radical leftists, those opposed to removing Confederate statues, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists — descended on the city ahead of the so-called Unite the Right rally on Aug. 12.

Agitators helped ensure that the event went sideways.

‘Trigger the violence because you can’t stop the legitimate speech.’

Following a series of skirmishes between various factions, one demonstrator drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, injuring over 30 and killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer.

According to the grand jury indictment filed against the Southern Poverty Law Center on Tuesday, this bloody and tragic event — which the American left politically exploited for years and former President Joe Biden cited as his reason for running in 2020 — was the product, in part, of liberal machinations.

The indictment accuses the SPLC — a liberal outfit whose bread and butter is smearing law-abiding conservatives as “extremists” — of funneling millions of dollars to the very extremist groups it claimed to be fighting.

RELATED: Oath Keepers, Proud Boys feel hopeful and skeptical after Trump DOJ’s moves to end Biden-era witch hunt

Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto/Getty Images

In addition to allegedly bankrolling leaders and organizers in the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation, the National Socialist Party of America, and the National Alliance, the SPLC allegedly “had a field source who was a member of the online leadership chat group that planned the 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ event,” according to the indictment.

This field source, who is not named in the indictment, allegedly made “racist postings under the supervision of the SPLC and helped coordinate transportation to the event for several attendees.”

For their contributions to the cause, this field source was allegedly paid over $270,000 by the SPLC in secret between 2015 and 2023.

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

While its insider was allegedly setting the stage for the rally, the SPLC worked feverishly to emphasize the importance of the planned event, noting in an Aug. 7, 2017, Hatewatch post, for example, that “the event may well become a seminal point for the Alt-Right and the extremist hate fringe: It’s a bold move beyond the anonymity of web sites, message boards, pseudonyms and social media — a move to take the hardcore, racist, white nationalist message to the public square.”

In the same post, the SPLC hyped the possibility of violence at the “‘summer of hate’ gathering of racist extremists from all corners of the country,” noting that “the looming social chemistry on a hot summer weekend … seems to point to the clear possibility of violence.”

The bloodletting in Charlottesville proved to be a windfall for the SPLC.

Days after the event, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that “hate is a cancer and left unchecked it destroys everything in its path.” Seeking to “help organizations who work to rid our country of hate,” Cook announced that his company was making a $1 million contribution to the SPLC.

Soon thereafter, JP Morgan Chase & Co. pledged half a million to the SPLC, and George and Amal Clooney announced that they were dumping $1 million into SPLC to help it highlight the imagined dangers of white-supremacist ideology.

The Clooneys said in a statement at the time, “What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate.”

According to the indictment against the SPLC announced by the Justice Department on Tuesday, such donations collected from deep-pocketed liberals “under the auspices that the funds would be used to ‘dismantle’ violent extremist groups … was, instead, being used, in part, by the SPLC to pay leaders and others within these same violent extremist groups.”

The SPLC allegedly poured over $3 million in such funds to field sources associated with violent extremist groups between 2014 and 2023. These money transfers were allegedly made through a series of bank accounts created in the name of fictional entities, including the Center Investigative Agency, Fox Photography, North West Technologies, and Rare Books Warehouse.

The revelation that an SPLC plant might have been involved in the Unite the Right rally would help explain why the organization was so desperate to attack the notion that the event was a “false flag” from the start.

In the immediate aftermath of the violent rally, Alex Jones reportedly accused the SPLC of hiring actors to dress up like racists and prompt a crackdown by police on the rally’s legitimate attendees.

“That’s the plan,” Jones said. “Trigger the violence because you can’t stop the legitimate speech.”

Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar (R) was among the others who similarly suspected something was fishy, telling Vice News in October 2017 that the rally was likely “created by the left.”

The SPLC insisted that claims that the event was a “false flag” operation or that leftist infiltrators were among its organizers — Jason Kessler, the event’s primary organizer, was previously an Obama-supporting Occupy protester — were ludicrous “conspiracy theories” that served only to demonstrate “the strength of the link between the conspiratorial extreme right (Jones, Infowars, Gateway Pundit, etc) and the racist ‘alt-right.'”

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

​2017, Alex jones, Altright, Conspiracy theories, Extremist groups, False flag, Fraud, George clooney, Heather heyer, Infiltratration, Jason kessler, Justice department, Ku klux klan, Leftism, National socialist party, Nazi, Paul gosar, Racism, Scam, Southern poverty law center, Splc, Unite the right, Unite the right rally, Virginia, White supremacist, White supremacy, Politics 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney clearly misses the campaign trail.

A year ago he won the election on the promise that he alone could handle Donald Trump and deliver a stronger trade deal under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The irony, of course, is that in 1812, Canada did not exist as an independent country.

But talk is cheap. When Carney went to Washington, he struck a flattering tone — calling Trump “transformative” — and came away empty-handed.

Now he’s back to his familiar “elbows up” rhetoric, declaring the age of America over. What better way to shift the focus from his utter lack of progress than a little political theater?

So on Sunday, Carney gave himself the biggest stage he could find: a carefully produced video, packaged and presented as a national address.

This is something Canadian prime ministers almost never do outside real national emergencies. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Justin Trudeau reserved major televised appeals for announcing concrete measures — lockdowns, restrictions, and public health directives.

Familiar message

There was nothing urgent about Carney’s speech. It was less an address than a political ad, polished and prepackaged and paid for by taxpayers.

The message was a familiar one: America is a lost cause, and Canada must move on:

The world … is more dangerous and divided. The U.S. has fundamentally changed its approach to trade, raising its tariffs to levels last seen during the Great Depression. Many of our former strengths, based on our close ties to America, have become our weaknesses — weaknesses that we must correct.

The correction? Carney’s “Canada Strong” plan, which calls for “attract[ing] new investment,” “striking new partnerships abroad,” and “taking back control of our security, our borders, and our future.”

It’s the same argument Carney made in Davos and the same one he repeated at the Liberal Party convention in Montreal. What made it different was a bizarre digression about Canadian history — complete with visual aids and celebrity name-dropping.

RELATED: NA-NUKE OF THE NORTH: Former top general says Canada needs nuclear weapons

Jung Yeon-Je/Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images

Model diplomacy

Brandishing a tiny figurine of General Isaac Brock — the British officer killed defending what would become Canada during the War of 1812 — Carney praised him for his resistance to the “threat of an American invasion.” Noting that the figurine was a recent gift from “Austin Powers” star — and fellow Canadian — Mike Myers, Carney said he keeps it on his desk as a reminder that “when we are united as Canadians, we can withstand anything.”

Even the self-inflicted wound of turning our back on our closest neighbor?

The irony, of course, is that in 1812, Canada did not exist as an independent country. It was a British colony, defended as part of an empire that spanned the globe. Today, Canada is economically, militarily, and geographically bound to the United States in ways that make the comparison absurd.

Empty bluster

The two countries are each other’s largest trading partners. Their industries are integrated, and their defense arrangements are intertwined. Whatever Carney may suggest, Canada is not pivoting across the Atlantic any time soon.

And if it tried, the costs would be immediate.

Carney warns against “nostalgia” while offering nothing but slogans. No major housing breakthrough. No completed energy corridor to global markets. No visible shift that would justify the sweeping language of national reinvention.

In short, Carney has yet to reveal a coherent strategy to replace the relationship he is so eager to downplay. Until then, his anti-American bluster is like the toy soldier on his desk — just for show.

​Canadian prime minister, Donald trump, Justin trudeau, Mark carney, Trade deal, Usmca, War of 1812, Letter from canada, Culture 

Foreign-made electronics are posing increased threats to the consumer, especially as the technology becomes more widely available.

In fact, other electronics are seemingly becoming part of a network with built-in back doors that, at best, are a complex network dedicated to stealing user data for profit. At worst, they are a massive national security concern.

‘Not just surveillance, but real-time analysis.’

In late March, the Federal Communications Commission announced it would begin following a federal directive that bans all foreign-made internet routers.

The executive branch determined that foreign routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons,” the FCC wrote.

The FCC added that foreign routers represent a “supply chain vulnerability” that could pose a “severe cybersecurity risk.”

This was followed by an updated list of banned router manufacturers, which includes a plethora of Chinese companies, the U.S.-registered company ComNet (which is owned by a Chinese company), and the Russian-owned Kaspersky Lab.

What are they stealing?

Connecting to every device in a home, internet routers are “one of the most valuable targets for foreign hackers,” says Aiden Buzzetti, president of the Bull Moose Project.

He told Return, “If an adversary can compromise the router, they can surveil your traffic, reach into your connected devices, or rope the whole thing into a botnet.”

Tyler Saltsman, CEO and founder of Department of War-partnered EdgeRunner AI, explained that “even a subtle vulnerability in hardware or firmware can enable not just surveillance, but real-time analysis” of consumer data.

This allows for automated exploitation at scale that can quite literally give adversaries the ability to monitor patterns and trends about the U.S. population.

RELATED: The world cut the cord. Government won’t.

Joan Cros/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Buzzetti recently sat down with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who explained that the government found routers to be a sector that was particularly vulnerable to foreign cyber attacks.

As a priority, Carr said that the No. 1 thing the United States needs to make sure of is that it is eliminating dependence on electronics and technologies from foreign adversary nations.

How else are they spying?

The FCC took earlier action against foreign drones out of fears of foreign surveillance as well.

In December, the FCC noted a federal directive on banning foreign-made unmanned aircraft systems/drones, as well as those that use critical components produced in foreign countries.

“Drones was another one where there was a determination made that all foreign-produced drones present an unacceptable national security threat,” Carr told the Bull Moose Project last week.

Another threat addressed by members of Congress recently has been the spying apparatus revealed through foreign robots.

Recent research showed that Chinese robot manufacturer Unitree Robotics had a pre-installed back door into its G01 robot dogs that allowed for the surveillance of customers around the world.

Axios reported on research that showed the spyware was public-facing, meaning anyone with the proper information could view customers’ live camera feeds without login credentials.

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), chair of the House China Select Committee, told Axios that there was a “direct national security threat” that was being actively investigated by the government on this topic.

RELATED: I called out the CIA on X — and then my account disappeared

These foreign entities could embed AI models in tech used by American consumers, Saltsman remarked in comments to Return. Adding that consumer products like routers, drones, and soon-to-be robots can therefore be morphed from “passive data conduits” into “active interpreters of sensitive information.”

“This amplifies the value of any data they collect and the risk if they’re compromised,” Saltsman explained.

The federal government has allowed for an approval process for companies to apply to regarding the sale of drone systems or routers in the United States.

So far, the approved list consists of just five drone systems and two router companies. One drone company appears to be based in the U.K., while another is seemingly from Norway. The rest are American.

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

​Return, Drones, Ai, Routers, Robots, Artificial intelligence, Spying, Chinese, China, Ccp, Tech 

For years, video games have largely neglected to feature families, and if they did, they were either background elements or marked by tragedy, like deceased or missing parents.

But apparently that trend is beginning to shift.

“They are making video games that are, for the first time in probably decades, depicting parenthood in a positive and endearing light,” says BlazeTV host John Doyle, “and the situation on the ground is suggesting that this could single-handedly psyop an entire generation of women into having children.”

On this episode of “The John Doyle Show,” Doyle delves into a new video game that’s gaining attention for being so pro-family, it’s awakening the motherly instincts of female gamers everywhere.

The game is called Pragmata. It’s Capcom’s new 2026 sci-fi action-adventure game in which the gamer plays as astronaut Hugh and his young android companion Diana, working together to fight a rogue AI and escape a hostile lunar research station.

“Essentially, what people are taking from this, aside from the gameplay, is there is, I guess, a recurring kind of environment throughout the game where it depicts … raising children, fatherhood, being a girl dad in a very positive and endearing way rather than what is typically the case in all forms of media,” says Doyle.

He then plays a clip from Pragmata depicting a sweet moment between Hugh and Diana, where Hugh protectively watches Diana play with a globe on a kid’s table scattered with crayons and ABC blocks. It’s one of many drawn-out scenes that focuses on building their relationship rather than advancing the plot.

Pragmata, Doyle explains, captures “the beauty of a young life interacting with the world, exploring it” and the fulfillment parents/caretakers receive when they become “responsible for” another life.

This is a huge divergence from the majority of media that tends to focus on the “less desirable” aspects of parenting — “sleepless nights and screaming children in public and changing diapers and things getting broken and your furniture that you care about having apple juice spilled on it,” says Doyle.

But can Pragmata really make a dent in the fertility crisis?

“While I don’t think that this kind of media is going to, I don’t know, wake up the masses and make them realize the virtue of parenthood and everything like that, I do think that this kind of media uniquely affects the fertility rates of people who you would want to be having kids,” says Doyle.

Those people, he argues, are the ones who can “carry the torch of their civilization.”

“Civilization is sustained by having people who are intelligent, people who are stable, people who possess a certain temperament for governing, for making the trains run on time. Those are the kinds of people you want to be having kids specifically,” says Doyle.

While this game likely won’t be the catalyst that causes someone to have a child, it does feed the broader pronatalism movement.

“You’re not going to cute baby video your way into a higher total fertility rate,” says Doyle. “However, it is symptomatic of, like, an overall vibe that people are experiencing.”

To hear more, watch the episode above.

Want more from John Doyle?

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

​Blaze media, Blazetv, Capcom, Families, Fertility crisis, John doyle, Parenthood, Pragmata, Pronatalism, Scifi, The john doyle show, Total fertility rate, Video game, Video games 

A female shot a Maryland gas station store clerk amid an “incredibly brazen” attempted robbery Friday — and then strangely left the store empty-handed, police said.

Howard County Police said officers were called to the Shell gas station in the 7200 block of Cradlerock Way in Columbia around 7:43 p.m. for a report of a shooting.

‘We don’t see incidents like this very often. We have robberies and some thefts in gas stations where somebody may imply a weapon or show a weapon but not use it, and they usually leave with something.’

An adult male gas station employee was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center with serious injuries, police said, adding that the victim was listed in serious condition.

Police released surveillance video Monday and offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the suspect.

Police on Tuesday said Shantay Lashay O’Donnell, 46, of Virginia, was identified as the shooter in the attempted robbery.

Police said she was in custody in another state on unrelated charges.

O’Donnell will be served with multiple Howard County charges in the coming days, police said.

RELATED: Thug pulls gun in convenience store, but clerk also is armed — and isn’t having one bit of it

“What we know is that this woman walked into the Shell store, walked around a little bit, and then as soon as she approached the counter, that’s when she took out the gun and fired,” Howard County police spokesman Seth Hoffman told WBAL-TV. “We know that she demanded the clerk to open the cash register, but as you can see, it all unfolded so quickly.”

Hoffman added to the station that the barely 20-second surveillance video shows nearly the entire incident.

Police told WBAL they’re investigating the incident as an attempted robbery and noted that the female in the clip didn’t steal anything.

“We don’t even think that [the clerk] had time [to open the register]. We don’t believe he did,” Hoffman also told the station. “She started shooting and then left without anything.”

Hoffman added to WBAL that “this is incredibly brazen; we don’t see incidents like this very often. We have robberies and some thefts in gas stations where somebody may imply a weapon or show a weapon but not use it, and they usually leave with something. Here, we have somebody who just shot and left with nothing.”

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

​Attempted robbery, Maryland, Columbia, Gas station store, Female shoots clerk, Suspect arrested, Crime 

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican candidate in California’s gubernatorial race, invests in a new seven-figure television ad set to drop Wednesday, urging voters to cast their ballots for a strong leader.

‘I’m running for governor because California needs a leader tough enough to stand up for us.’

“Typical politicians don’t have the guts to tackle our big problems,” Bianco said.

– YouTube

He pointed to his time as a sheriff, stating, “I’ve deported drug traffickers. I’ve locked up murderers and those who prey on our children and our seniors.”

Bianco pledged to eliminate California’s income tax, protect girls’ sports, and put child sexual predators behind bars for life without parole.

“I’m Chad Bianco, and I’m running for governor because California needs a leader tough enough to stand up for us,” he stated.

Bianco’s top priorities for securing a safer, stronger California include addressing public safety, affordability, education, immigration, homelessness, and housing, among other issues.

“Chad Bianco is committed to restoring trust, protecting our communities, and creating opportunity for every Californian. From public safety to economic growth, his priorities put families first and focus on building a future where we can all thrive,” Bianco’s campaign website reads.

RELATED: Democrats narrow field in California’s crowded gubernatorial race to avoid primary disaster

Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

The latest polling from the California Democratic Party showed Republicans Bianco and former Fox News host and small-business owner Steve Hilton beating their Democratic opponents in the race.

Fourteen percent of those surveyed indicated they would vote for Bianco, while 16% said they would cast their ballot for Hilton.

RELATED: Republicans shine in first poll since Eric Swalwell stumbled out of California governor’s race

Chad Bianco. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Despite the withdrawal of two prominent candidates, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell and former State Controller Betty Yee, the Democratic Party still lacks a clear front-runner in the crowded race. However, former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) has shown improvement in the polls. He secured only 4% of the vote in an April 5 poll but increased his support to 13% in the latest poll on April 17. Becerra appears to be tied with climate advocate and businessman Tom Steyer (D).

Many of those surveyed remain undecided.

California’s primary election will be held on June 2, with the first mail-in ballots being sent out on May 4. The top two vote-earners, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election in November.

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

​California democratic party, Chad bianco, News, Tom steyer, Xavier becerra, California gubernatorial race, California governor, Steve hilton, Eric swalwell, Betty yee, California, Politics 

Economist Thomas Sowell once noted, “Immigration laws are the only laws that are discussed in terms of how to help people who break them.” The story of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Blank and his illegal alien wife, Annie Ramos, is a perfect example of Sowell’s assertion.

According to CBS News, Ramos — who is now 22 — was illegally brought to the United States by her family in 2005. Staff Sergeant Blank married Ramos, knowing full well that she was an illegal alien. He stated to the New York Times, “I knew she didn’t have status. [But] we were doing everything the right way.” Ramos was eventually arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a few days after the couple was married, at the military base where Blank was stationed.

If litigants are free to ignore court appearances without consequences, the whole system falls apart.

Of course, despite Blank’s assertions to the contrary, nothing was done “the right way” in this case. After entering the United States unlawfully, the Ramos family was scheduled for an appearance before the U.S. Immigration Court. They failed to appear. When a respondent in immigration proceedings defaults, the immigration judge is required pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(b)(5) to enter an in absentia order of removal. This is clearly conveyed to all illegal aliens placed in immigration proceedings, both verbally by the immigration officers handling their cases and in all written notices issued by the court.

In absentia removal notices may seem harsh to the casual observer, but they are not. Courts engage in serious business. And running legal tribunals costs taxpayers a significant amount of money. If litigants are free to ignore court appearances without consequences, the whole system falls apart. Accordingly, courts expect litigants to appear for scheduled hearings, on time, every time. That is why every court in the United States imposes penalties, ranging from monetary fines to additional criminal charges and extended sentences, when litigants fail to appear.

Moreover, the above-mentioned statute governing in absentia removal orders provides an “out” for individuals who missed their hearings due to exigent circumstances. It specifically states that such an order may be rescinded “upon a motion to reopen filed within 180 days after the date of the order of removal if the alien demonstrates that the failure to appear was because of exceptional circumstances” or “upon a motion to reopen filed at any time if the alien demonstrates that the alien did not receive notice” of the hearing.

There is no indication that Ms. Ramos or her family ever made any attempt to reopen immigration proceedings and seek rescission of the order of removal entered against them. That is likely because the Ramos clan was fully aware they were likely to be deported. Contrary to popular opinion, the vast majority of illegal aliens do not qualify for any form of relief from removal, with 79% to 80% being either ordered removed or granted voluntary departure. Instead, Ms. Ramos waited approximately 15 years and applied for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama administration’s ill-fated attempt to impose an immigration amnesty by executive fiat.

And what of Staff Sergeant Blank’s status as a member of America’s armed forces? In 2022, the Biden administration unilaterally and arbitrarily directed the Department of Homeland Security “to generally refrain from seeking the deportation of U.S. military veterans or service members and their immediate family members.” Of course, that policy was unlawful. Neither the Uniform Code of Military Justice (the statute governing the actions of members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force) nor the Immigration and Nationality Act has any provisions exempting either service members, or their families, from the laws governing the admission of foreign nationals into the United States. And only Congress has the authority to enact such exemptions, which it has never done.

Accordingly, the Trump administration rescinded team Biden’s illegal policy. It began applying the provisions of the INA to service members in the same manner as to everyone else. This is as it should be. Pro forma leniency toward alien immigration violators merely because they are related to a military member is bad policy. It makes our service members targets for foreign intelligence agents. And the presence of illegal aliens on military installations undermines the security of those facilities.

Recently, Annie Ramos was released from immigration detention. It remains to see how ICE will proceed with her case. But both our political leaders and the generals in charge of our armed forces should tread carefully. Every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, and guardian commences his or her military career by taking an oath that begins, “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true allegiance to the same.” If military service becomes a free pass to violate the very laws that preserve our national sovereignty, then service members are not bearing true faith and allegiance to our Constitution — they are claiming to be exempt from it.

​Ice, Illegal alien, Immigration law, Immigration laws, Us army, Opinion & analysis 

Democrats have in recent years likened redistricting efforts to the Holocaust, called them “a threat to democracy,” and characterized them as “authoritarian.” However, in the lead-up to Virginia’s gerrymandering referendum, Democrats adopted a disparate view.

Presented with the opportunity to all but ensure that 10 out of the state’s 11 congressional seats go to their comrades, Democrats reconstrued gerrymandering as a noble pursuit — an alleged means to “help level the playing field,” a way to “restore fairness,” and, in the words of Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a “response to what we’re seeing in other states that have taken extreme measures to undermine democratic norms.”

‘The result of a process that’s unconstitutional and illegal.’

With the help of out-of-state dark money and propagandizing by big-name liberals like former President Barack Obama, Democrats proved victorious on Tuesday in disenfranchising Republican voters in Old Dominion.

The following loaded question appeared on the April 21 ballot: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”

With over 97% of the votes counted, the Associated Press reported that 51.5% of the ballots were cast in favor of the proposal and 48.6% were cast in opposition — a difference of just over 88,700 votes.

Election Day votes, a majority of which were “no” votes, reportedly accounted for 55% of the total; early in-person votes accounted for 35% of the total; and mail-in votes accounted for 10% of the total, 72% of which were “yes” votes.

RELATED: How Spanberger managed to hit record-low approval rating in 80 days

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Spanberger stated, “Virginia voters have spoken, and tonight they pushed back against a President who claims he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress.”

“As we watched other states go along with those demands without voter input, Virginians refused to let that stand,” continued Spanberger, who claimed when running for governor last year that she had no plans to redistrict the state. “We responded the right way: at the ballot box.”

In a statement where he ironically criticized “unprecedented gerrymandering,” Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D) said that “fairness won. Accountability won. And the Commonwealth that gave America its Constitution has once again reminded the nation what that Constitution is for.”

Obama congratulated Virginia, thanking voters “for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back.”

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) excitedly announced that “House Democrats have crushed Donald Trump’s national gerrymandering scheme.” He added, “Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”

Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who previously emphasized that the new map was “the result of a process that’s unconstitutional and illegal,” said in a statement, “Thank you to all the voters who turned out to vote against this egregious power grab. The race was much closer than the left expected because Virginians know a 10-1 map is not Virginia.”

“I urge the Virginia Supreme Court to rule against this unconstitutional process that will disenfranchise millions of Virginians,” added Youngkin.

There are multiple lawsuits pending before the Virginia Supreme Court regarding the legality of the constitutional amendment. Oral arguments for the cases are tentatively scheduled for Monday.

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

​Barack obama, Congress, Constitution, Democrats, Donald trump, Election day, Elections, Gerrymandering, Hakeem jeffries, Old dominion, Redistricting, Referendum, Republican voters, Unconstitutional, Virginia, Virginia supreme court, Glenn youngkin, Spanberger, Politics