Category: blaze media

The Washington Post has admitted that polling for the midterm elections may suffer from the same inaccuracy issues that plagued that of previous elections.

The outlet said in an article Friday that pollsters made more than 85,000 phone calls for their survey and sent out nearly 50,000 text messages to try to determine the state of the U.S. Senate contest in Kansas.

‘Are Republican voters this late in the election cycle feeling so down about their party’s chances that they just don’t want to talk about it?’

Although the Post released the results, WaPo polling director Scott Clement admitted there was evidence once again that Republicans were being undercounted.

“Democrats were far more enthusiastic about taking the poll than Republicans were,” he reported. “Registered Democrats were more than twice as likely as registered Republicans to complete the survey after answering an interviewer’s call — 32 percent versus 12 percent — with a similar partisan gap when texting voters to complete the survey online.”

He called it a “supersize version” of a concern that has been “vexing” pollsters for a decade.

That same concern was voiced by polling expert and political strategist Frank Luntz in a recent segment with CNN.

“We know that they don’t respond to phone calls. We know that in the exit polling back in 2016, and I say this publicly because I want people to hear this,” Luntz said about supporters of President Donald Trump.

“I got 2016 wrong. I believed in the exit polls. Trump voters walked away, refused to participate, because they thought that it was against them,” he explained.

“They thought that the polls were all biased,” Luntz added. “And that’s what Republicans are being told right now: ‘Don’t believe the polls. They’re not accurate.’ Well, they may be; we’re about to find out.”

A pollster trying to gauge a state Senate district in Iowa expressed similar problems.

Clement said pollsters took steps in the WaPo/George Mason University poll in Kansas to try to overcome the natural bias against polling among Republican voters.

“But it’s possible those efforts fell short,” he added.

The WaPo article noted that historically polling underestimated support for the president in the presidential elections of 2016, 2020, and 2024, by three to five percentage points.

However, polling did not “consistently overestimate” support for Republicans in the 2018 and 2022 midterm elections.

RELATED: Iowa poll SHOCK: Pollster admits how it skewed key race results toward Democrats when GOP really leads

“The partisan enthusiasm gap likely explains the disconnect between Democratic and Republican willingness to respond,” said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, a poll co-sponsor.

“With an unpopular president, inflation, a war that Trump voters never asked for, the lack of GOP enthusiasm is not surprising,” he added. “Are Republican voters this late in the election cycle feeling so down about their party’s chances that they just don’t want to talk about it?”

Election Day is just four days away.

Blaze News’ Poll Watch shows Democrat Adam Hamilton ahead of incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in the Kansas Senate race by 2.6 points.

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

​Election, Washington post, Polling, Politics, Kansas 

NASA is looking to make big discoveries on the lunar surface while simultaneously telling a bold story: Caves have likely existed on the moon for many years.

The space agency will use its inventory of high-tech gadgets to investigate holes on the lunar surface officials say have turned into large caves that occurred from natural disasters.

‘Useful in a support role for human activity on the lunar surface.’

Between 2009 and 2014, NASA said it had found over 200 pits on the moon using its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbit Camera.

Sizes ranged from just five meters to 900 meters in diameter, while “many appear to widen underground.”

Most of the pits NASA found were either large craters with ponds made from lava following the impact of a meteor, or in dark areas of the moon — known as the lunar maria — that are made from solidified lava that flowed hundreds of miles. Either way, lava is the predominant catalyst, NASA said.

The apple of NASA’s eye is now the Marius Hills Pit, a hole thought to be around 150 feet deep and 300 feet across, Futurism reported.

The pit was first spotted by Japan’s Kaguya spacecraft years ago, and even though it doesn’t sound that big, it’s large enough to fit a 10- to 15-story building and could be used as a possible shelter location for astronauts.

The importance of shelter for explorers is paramount in order to protect from radiation, extreme temperature swings, and meteorites.

RELATED: SpaceX’s newest launch just took the first step to fill the skies with data centers

To get to it, NASA will use instruments mostly constructed by HoneyBee Robotics on an upcoming mission to be named later. A lunar rover will reportedly be equipped with ground-penetrating radar, seismic sensors, cameras, and a gravimeter to measure gravitational fields.

NASA previously cited Arizona State professor Robert Wagner, who believed the lunar pits could have formed from when the roof of a lava cave collapsed, which could have happened when subsequent meteorites impacted the surface nearby.

Molten lava flowing under the lunar surface could have created “lava tubes,” as well, which happens on Earth. However, Wagner did say that there is little evidence to point to any cause in particular.

“They are likely due to melt flow within the pond from uplift after the surface has solidified, but before the interior has cooled,” Wagner explained.

Wagner said in 2014 that the pits would be “useful in a support role for human activity on the lunar surface,” adding that exploration could help scientists determine how old the layers of the moon are.

RELATED: Patriots QB reveals he has taken classes in conspiracy theories — and there’s one major US event he is skeptical about

Photo by NASA via Getty Images

The Geophysical Instruments for Marius Lunar Pit Investigation would also give insight into how “volcanism” took place on the moon, said project investigator Gareth Morgan, per Science Daily.

“Lava tubes are a common feature of basaltic volcanism on Earth, so identifying them on the moon means we could use knowledge of such terrestrial caves to better understand lunar history,” he added.

The project is funded through a NASA program called the Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon, with NASA funding the construction of a spacecraft — likely the rover/lander — through a private company paid by NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payloads Services initiative.

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

​Nasa, The moon, Space, Tech 

A hardworking father of four has become an internet hero after he expressed all his anger and frustration against a social media prankster at a market in White Lake, Michigan.

The influencer was tricking strangers into thinking he stole $10 from them and recording their reaction for views when he confronted a man restocking frozen pizzas for Red Baron.

‘You’re probably making money off this, and I can’t even pay my goddamn mortgage! And I got four kids at home!’

The interaction began friendly enough, but when the worker realized he was being targeted for a prank, his anger boiled over.

“You think this is funny, don’t you? You’re recording me right now?” the man says.

Later, at the checkout aisle, the man confronts the influencer again after he walks by and “thanks” him for the $20.

“I will destroy you!” the worker says.

“It’s not that deep, man. It’s just a joke,” the influencer mumbles.

“You’re just a little punk,” the worker responds with some added expletives.

“No, it’s not a joke to me, OK? I don’t have time for this crap in my life. My life is hard enough as it is!”

He goes on to say that he has to work late and his children are at home without him.

“You’re probably making money off this, and I can’t even pay my goddamn mortgage! And I got four kids at home!” the man adds. “So not funny!”

The influencer does appear to somewhat regret the reaction and half-heartedly apologizes, but then he went on and uploaded the video to the internet.

Viewers immediately took the side of the dad and began calling on the Red Baron company to make sure he wasn’t punished for the reaction.

Then someone opened a GoFundMe account titled “Support a harassed Red Baron worker” for his benefit.

So many people are fed up with influencers and also frustrated with the high cost of living that they donated to support the Michigan dad.

They have now raised over $500,000 for the harassed dad as of Friday.

The Red Baron company saw that the reaction went viral and hopped on board with the cause. It named its worker, who is now known as Walt, their “employee of the month.”

RELATED: YouTube influencer pranked ‘aggressive cops’ for views — they charged him with a felony

“He’s still here. He’s got a fan club. Including us,” the company posted.

An update on the GoFundMe indicated that the creator had been able to contact Walt, and he responded that he was “blown away” by the reaction from everyone.

The account of the influencer has been deactivated.

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

​Cost of living, Influencer, Pranks, Viral video, Human interest, Michigan 

The Democrats’ fight over midterms has already been scripted, and Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck is sounding the alarm.

In a 14-page document written by Protect Democracy, two former Obama White House lawyers detail a playbook for the midterms that has been handed to progressive state lawmakers “all across the country by a network called the State Innovation Exchange.”

“It is stamped ‘confidential’ across the top,” Glenn says.

“Protect democracy,” he continues. “How do you protect democracy? First of all, we’re not a democracy. We’re a republic. But how do you protect democracy? You make sure that you do nothing to delegitimize the vote.”

“It is a playbook for the midterms, not for winning votes, but for what happens after the votes are cast, and it lays out seven scenarios: intimidation at the polls, federal investigations, seizures of ballots and machines, fighting over counting, mass ballot challenges, refusals to certify,” he explains.

“And for each one, there’s a plan,” he adds.

The plan, he says, is to “educate community members so when they serve on a grand jury, they’re going to reject improper prosecutions.”

“If a federal investigation opens, frame it immediately as intimidation meant to overturn the election,” he continues.

“If election materials are seized, the instructions are to make escalation politically costly. Prepare your message before election day. Pre-bunk any emergency before it’s declared. And if necessary, organize mass mobilizations,” he adds.

The playbook then explains that “when we fight feelings with facts, we lose.”

“So don’t use facts, use feelings,” Glenn says. “Is that some of the worst, most dangerous advice when you are on the precipice of the whole world being engulfed in flames?”

“The guide also says to accept the results no matter who wins. Good. We’re going to hold you to that. Good. But if you actually want a fair vote, why do any of this?” he continues, asking, “Why have mass demonstrations planned?”

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.

​Democrat, Playbook, Protect democracy, Glenn beck, Midterms, Blazetv show 

The Minnesota congresswoman who calls herself “Ilhan Omar” just had her decade-old narrative blown up by her ex-husband.

Federal investigators have long suspected that the Democrat congresswoman’s 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, her alleged brother, was a sham intended to help the effeminate British-Somali national secure permanent residency in the United States.

‘Democrats should understand that the allegation is almost certainly true.’

The congresswoman — whose real name may be “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi,” according to a Justice Department court filing dated October 21 — has long defended the legitimacy of her former marriage to Elmi, but she will have a harder time doing so now that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi has admitted to being a homosexual.

Blaze News previously noted that Elmi, who reportedly fled the U.S. after federal officials asked for evidence that his marriage to the congresswoman was legitimate, is now an academic focused on LGBT matters. TMZ highlighted on Friday that LGBT issues are more than just a scholarly interest for the congresswoman’s ex-husband.

In an August 2026 paper titled “Out in the Field: Notes on Researching Queer Violence in Kenya,” Elmi identifies “as a gay man of the East African diaspora” whose “fieldwork was never neutral.”

Neither Elmi nor the congresswoman’s office immediately responded to Blaze News’ requests for comment.

RELATED: Ilhan ‘Omar’ could be COOKED: Even the New York Times is pushing brother-marriage evidence

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In the article, Elmi discusses the pros and cons of his “perceived queerness” in the field, noting that his obvious homosexuality “sometimes enabled me to build rapport in more queer-friendly settings.”

In addition to talking about “moments of solidarity with fellow queers,” Elmi also discusses the “homophobic insults” he claims to have endured.

The congresswoman was legally married to the “gay”-identifying scholar from 2009 until 2017.

Abdihakim Osman, a self-identified friend of the Democrat congresswoman, claimed to the Daily Mail in 2020 that the congresswoman had confirmed that Elmi was her brother and that she married him so he could remain in the United States.

This might explain why there was some overlap between two of the congresswoman’s marriages.

The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board revealed in 2019 that while still legally married to Elmi, the congresswoman filed joint tax returns in 2014 and 2015 with Ahmed Hirsi, a man whom she married in a Muslim ceremony in 2002 and with whom she has multiple children.

After allegedly separating from Elmi with a Muslim divorce in 2011, the congresswoman reunited and had another child with Hirsi in 2012, then formally divorced Elmi in 2017, reported the Center for Immigration Studies.

The Democrat congresswoman has repeatedly denied the allegations that Elmi is her brother.

The Obama Department of Justice investigated the brother-husband allegations as far back as 2016, and investigators reportedly found evidence that Elmi and the congresswoman are siblings. However, a U.S. attorney in Minnesota reportedly shut down the investigation shortly after President Joe Biden took office in 2021, according to the New York Post.

The revelation about Elmi’s apparent sexual identity comes just one day after a damning New York Times report about the congresswoman’s marriage to Elmi. In response to the NYT report, Joe Radinovich, one of the congresswoman’s former Democrat colleagues in the Minnesota House of Representatives, threw her under the bus, tweeting: “Democrats should understand that the allegation is almost certainly true — whatever conclusion they draw from that point could vary — and her denials calling it a right-wing, Islamophobic or racist conspiracy are almost certainly not.”

President Donald Trump demanded the congresswoman’s immediate resignation last week and announced, “She will not be legally allowed to be a Member of this August Body from this point forth.”

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

​Congress, Ilhan omar, Lgbt, Minnesota, Politics 

For years, AI leaders told society that their platforms will take all the jobs, leaving us with no means to make money. Instead, the elite will give us an allowance called universal basic income. Now one AI giant, Anthropic, is moving forward with a public fund that could make UBI a reality — if it gets over one massive hurdle.

Theoretically, universal basic income is a social welfare program where citizens receive a regular payment from the top — likely a federal or state government agency — to cover the costs of living.

Anthropic is bleeding cash, and if that continues, investments will dry up, and so will the fund.

I write “theoretically” because it’s never actually been implemented before. Not successfully. Several countries have tested UBI — the U.S. among them, once in Alaska, and another time in North Carolina — but the program never stuck around. It was only provided as a stopgap with no means to sustain it long-term.

Like socialism itself, UBI is a utopian idea where no one works, everyone is handed the things they need, and we all live out the rest of our days in redundant, ignorant bliss until we pass along to the grave. It’s a dangerous delusion that would bring about the end of personal freedom in exchange for authoritarian control.

Still, the idea is popular with leftists and some tech elite. Among the latter, Elon Musk believes that UBI is the future. “There will be universal high income (not merely basic income),” he wrote in a post on X in 2025. “Everyone will have the best medical care, food, home, transport and everything else. Sustainable abundance.”

Recently, Musk even claimed that “saving money for the distant future is pointless with the advent of super intelligent abundance.” This statement comes courtesy of the continuously elusive but ever-tempting dream that AI will produce infinite wealth for humanity, even as the AI companies themselves lose billions of dollars on the way to a complete crash.

If that math doesn’t add up in your head, you’re right. Nevertheless, one AI company is plowing ahead with a fund that could be the very beginning of our promised universal basic income hellscape … er, future.

RELATED: Elon Musk dropped a bloodcurdling AI bombshell for 2026 — Glenn Beck offers one of the last freedom-preserving solutions

Chesnot/Getty Images

Anthropic has vowed to take 5% of its shares and set it aside in a “public benefit fund.” Following that initial contribution, the company will add an extra 2% to the fund for every 50% Anthropic grows above its baseline.

With the fund, Anthropic claims that it could “explore large donations to traditional nonprofits or direct distributions to specific populations.” That last bit is concerning, as it’s rife with variable meaning. “Specific populations” could be anyone, from the general population with UBI, to black and indigenous groups with reparations, to minority programs attached to the now-defunct-but-not-dead DEI.

There is something Anthropic vows not to do with the fund — pay for political lobbying campaigns or offer political donations. These are off limits.

The exact details of the public benefit fund are beholden to Anthropic’s future shareholders, and they are subject to change. Anthropic filed an SEC Form S-1 on October 26 in preparation for its upcoming IPO, where purchased stocks will serve as the catalyst for the program. This is where Anthropic’s plan could go off the rails.

The public fund’s sustainability is based on shareholder support. A higher stock price means more money in the fund, while a lower stock price will tank its value. The price only goes up if investors believe that Anthropic is growing and that they will get a return on their investment. So far, like all the other AI companies, Anthropic is in the hole, losing $80 billion in the first half of 2026. It’s faltering.

Anthropic is bleeding cash, and if that continues, investments will dry up, and so will the fund. That’s bad news for the AI giant, but this highlights an even bigger issue. If AI companies are meant to usher in the age of universal basic income — whether they create enough wealth in the market to spread around or they fund this service themselves — they have to be sustainable, and if not, the UBI facade falls apart.

This is further proof that universal basic income is a pipe dream that requires several miracles — AI to become profitable, reliable, and sustainable — to finally bring about the age of abundance that Musk touted. Until then, UBI is like socialism — an idea that sounds benevolent on paper but collapses the moment it’s put into action.

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

​Anthropic, Artificial intelligence, Universal basic income, Tech 

A federal judge in Texas is facing a misconduct investigation and scrutiny of her mental health after apparently unloading on an attorney in an anti-white rant, accusing him of being intimidated by “black excellence” due to “white mediocrity.”

Ezra Young is a New York attorney who has worked on a black former law professor’s discrimination case against a university in Texas.

‘Any time you, Chad, don’t get what you want, you call the manager.’

In 2023, Ada Brown — the judge overseeing the case in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas — accused Young of misconduct.

While Brown refrained from sanctioning the attorney, she later barred him from representing the former law professor in her court, reported Bloomberg Law.

Earlier this year, Brown dragged Young back into court, accusing him of posting sealed court filings online and sensationalizing the case. She then provided him with an opportunity “to show cause why he should not be held in contempt of Court or sanctioned.”

Young denied any wrongdoing at the April 24 show-cause hearing in Dallas, and it quickly went off the rails.

According to a court transcript, Brown — a self-identified black woman with declared American Indian heritage — went far beyond just accusing Young of being a liar.

In addition to mockingly thanking the attorney for his “white saviordom,” Brown repeatedly referred to Young as “Chad,” an apparent allusion to the meme of a young white man. In one instance, she said, “Any time you, Chad, don’t get what you want, you call the manager.”

RELATED: Berkeley set out to defend DEI — and found no financial upside

Later in the hearing, Brown referred to Young as “Main Character Chad, white hero, savior, loves to help black people, be an ally.”

According to the transcript, Brown seemingly worked herself up into racially charged hysterics, stating, among other things, that Young:

is “insufferably entitled”;is “hostile and abusive and a bully to black lawyers who don’t do what you say”; is engaged in a pattern of “maligning black lawyers for no reason, other than they will not obey [him] in [his] racist Downton Abbey, Chad”;has “white privilege”;has a problem with “black excellence”has a “white-savior-complex-ally thing”; andis a “raging hypocritical racist.”

Later in the hearing, Young stated that “it appeared that the Court was using vicious stereotypes about white people, when I’ve repeatedly disclosed to this Court that I am Latino.”

Despite his stated Hispanic identity, Brown said that Young was a “white-presenting” and “white-appearing” person.

Young subsequently filed a complaint against Brown and suggested that she might have a mental health condition.

In a response dated July 28, Brown said, “I do not believe my demeanor was inappropriate at any time, especially during the candid conversations about race,” reported Bloomberg Law.

Brown conceded, however, that “the way I communicated these exchanges” during the April hearing “might have been handled more delicately.”

Following the ensuing investigation and “observations of Judge Brown’s behavior,” a special judicial committee comprising federal judges concluded last month that “Judge Brown suffers from a temporary or permanent mental condition that interferes with her ability to perform the responsibilities of her office.”

Among the reasons that led to this determination were Brown’s alleged:

engagement in “demonstrably egregious and hostile treatment of others” and her expression of “aberrant and inappropriate comments, including racial insults”;recusal from over 40 cases since June 1, 2026, “either without explanation or for unusual reasons”;unsubstantiated assertion “that orders are being entered in her cases or are being altered by others without her permission and/or with criminal intent”;ungrounded and unjustified claims that judges, attorneys, and staff are “discriminating and retaliating against her because of her race and/or gender”;sending of “copious and bizarre emails to court staff and judges, including emails in the middle of the night”; andrepeat resignation announcements, each of which she rescinded.

On Sept. 21, the committee ordered Brown to undergo an independent psychiatric examination but did not receive confirmation of compliance or intended compliance within the required seven-day window.

Jennifer Walker Elrod, a member of the special committee and chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, issued an order on Sept. 29 temporarily reassigning Brown’s current cases and barring her from taking new case assignments.

Days later, Walker Elrod said in a court filing that she had found “probable cause to believe Judge Brown has engaged in misconduct that is beyond the specific pending complaint.”

Accordingly, the chief Fifth Circuit judge issued a judicial misconduct complaint against Brown, which Walker Elrod appointed a special committee on Oct. 16 to investigate.

The Judicial Council of the Fifth Circuit revealed in an Oct. 19 statement that Brown was set to appear for an investigative interview on Friday.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas told Blaze News that it cannot comment on the matter.

Young declined to comment.

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

​Anti-white, Racism, District court, Misconduct, Texas, Politics 

Data breaches are a problem for any online company — password managers, banks, and even cybersecurity companies. An industry that doesn’t get a lot of hacking attention is game developers, but these are susceptible too. Take Capcom, which just suffered an attack that left 11.7 million user accounts exposed, and you could be one of them.

Capcom is a seasoned developer that came onto the scene during the arcade golden era in the late ’70s, early ’80s. It brought several huge titles to the world, like “Monster Hunter,” “Resident Evil,” “Street Fighter,” and my personal favorite, “Mega Man.”

The Capcom breach is just one of many cybersecurity threats that have hit the web in the last several weeks.

Many of Capcom’s modern games don’t require a special account, known as a Capcom ID, to play offline. However, if you use online multiplayer or spend money on microtransactions within your favorite Capcom titles, a Capcom ID is unavoidable.

A Capcom ID includes all kinds of personal information that you wouldn’t necessarily know it tracks. For instance, it collects your email address when you sign up, as well as the date you created your account. It knows the exact time you last logged in, as well as how many times you’ve logged in over the years. It even marks down the IP address where you last connected to the service — this could be your home, your office, a friend’s place, wherever.

All of this information was exposed.

According to Capcom, the Capcom ID system was breached in mid-October, exposing 11.7 million user accounts to hackers. A small subset of users — only an estimated 193-196 accounts — also had their passwords changed.

Capcom didn’t divulge the cause of the breach and whether it was fueled by some form of virus, brute-force entry, an unknown exploit, or other intrusive measures. The company, however, did say that it is notifying all affected users and that it is taking measures to prevent the further infiltration of its system.

RELATED: How to protect yourself and your data during the PHP web meltdown

amgun/Getty Images

That leaves users behind wondering what’s next. The biggest component in the breach was the mass leak of email addresses. Skilled hackers will likely use these to execute mass phishing campaigns, hoping to trick you into clicking on malicious links in deceptive emails. For these, you should really turn on this browser feature that will give you some extra security when opening emails and surfing the web. It’s designed to identify malicious content on the web in real time, so that can help.

So far, there is no reason to believe that credit card information or passwords were included in the breach. However, if you’re especially concerned, you can always set up purchase alerts so that you know when your credit card is used and how much money was spent with every transaction. You really should do this anyway, after the PHP meltdown last week. You should also consider changing your password to something more complex that you can keep in a trusted password manager.

Unfortunately, the Capcom breach is just one of many cybersecurity threats that have hit the web in the last several weeks. The most significant one, of course, was Black October, where two PHP vulnerabilities threatened to take down the lion’s share of the internet. A week later, some websites, along with your data, could still be at risk. Make sure you follow our guide to secure your accounts, data, and private information.

As AI makes the online landscape more volatile, it’s important to practice good digital hygiene. Make sure you use unique, complex passwords on your most vital accounts, especially your bank account and email addresses. Store your passwords in a trusted password manager. Also, be leery of any suspicious-looking emails or messages you receive. As long as you’re prepared, you don’t have anything to worry about. Just make sure you stay vigilant when you go online.

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

​Gaming, Gamers, Cybersecurity, Cyberattack, Tech 

A Florida female was arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot President Donald Trump at his Daytona Beach rally, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

Sheriff Mike Chitwood said 21-year-old Allison Albro of Daytona Beach posted a message Thursday night saying she was “going to the Trump rally in my city [tomorrow] so I can [shoot] him with my Glock. Wish me luck, guys!!”

‘She f**ked around and found out.’

Chitwood said as a result Albro “got a visit” from the sheriff’s office Domestic Security Unit and the U.S. Secret Service.

“She said she was joking with this post, she doesn’t have access to a Glock or any other weapon, and she would never hurt anyone,” the sheriff noted. “Today she’s sitting in jail on charges of written threats to kill and unlawful use of a communications device.”

“We are not going to tolerate threats to assassinate the president,” Chitwood declared before adding, “I would strongly advise anyone else thinking of posting a ‘joke’ along these lines to think twice.”

Trump is expected to hold his midterm rally at 7 p.m. Friday at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, WESH-TV reported, adding that the sheriff’s office on Thursday said it would deploy strict security measures in the area ahead of the rally.

RELATED: ‘Finna get kirked’: Kansas man arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot Trump

Chitwood added that the sheriff’s office “continues to work hand in hand with the Secret Service, FBI, and all our law enforcement partners to ensure this presidential visit to Daytona Beach is a safe event for all who attend, and for our whole community.”

As you might expect, most commenters under the sheriff’s office Facebook post about Albro’s arrest have no sympathy for her:

“She f**ked around and found out,” one commenter wrote. “Deff looks like the norm for doing this crazy crap.””I have no sorrow for dumbass people,” another user said. “Hopefully they prosecute her to the fullest extent.””Well, she gets what she deserves,” another commenter declared before adding that “anymore you cant trust people or their [threatening] other people, and no way should anyone be [threatening] our president.””What a f**king stupid thing to post,” another user stated. “She deserved whatever she got.””Lock her up and throw the key away,” another commenter suggested.

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

​Assassination threat, Crime, Daytona beach, Donald trump, Florida, Us secret service, Politics 

Democrats will say just about anything to get elected, and even the New York Times is calling them out for it — starting with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico.

“I was in the classroom right after the legislature here in Texas cut more than $5 billion from our public schools. This was in the wake of the great recession. And so, I saw the impact of those cuts firsthand on my students and my fellow teachers and members of the community on the west side,” Talarico said.

“And at one point, I had 45 kids in one classroom. There weren’t enough desks for all those kids, so I had students sitting on the air conditioning unit,” he added.

Talarico repeated the same story, word for word, in multiple television and podcast appearances.

“Now, it turns out, I hope you’re sitting down for this,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says, “It turns out that was a lie, like most things that come out of James Talarico’s mouth.”

“The New York Times actually published this, and they said, ‘Documents from the Texas Education Agency indicate the most students ever assigned to a class period that Mr. Talarico taught was 30, with most of his classes ranging in size from 22 to 27 students,’ which is totally normal in public schools,” she explains.

Talarico’s own colleagues claimed there was no “crowding to the point where students were sitting on air conditioners.”

And even worse, Barack Obama told a similar story in 2012 — that there were 45 kids in a classroom and some were “sitting on the floor.”

But Talarico isn’t the only one the New York Times is calling out.

“They also said that officials during the Obama era, they actually knew that Ilhan Omar married her brother,” Gonzales explains, before reading: “Several current and former law enforcement officials said an Obama-era investigation found some evidence that Ms. Omar had entered into a sham marriage with a man suspected of being her brother.”

“They apparently only decided to not pursue it. As the story goes, because they were like, ‘Oh, it’s outside the five-year statute of limitations,’” she explains.

“Which, I’m just going to go ahead and say if there is a will, there is a way. Do you know who proved that? The Democrats when they found out President Trump was running for office again and decided to throw 91 indictments and 34 felony counts his way,” she adds.

But it keeps going, as the New York Times also reported on Mary Peltola, the Democrat candidate for Senate in Alaska — accusing her of helping the “secret effort to stack Alaska’s ballot.”

And Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed is no different.

“He has this problem, and the problem is not just that he’s a liar,” Gonzales says.

“He also is linked to the terrorist group Muslim Brotherhood a little too much. Like his ties are a little too terroristy for my taste,” she continues.

“But because he has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood so much, and his family, actually, they’ve got big family ties, the mainstream media is asking him about this … because I don’t think anyone believes his weird sidestepping answers,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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

​Ilhan omar, James talarico, Mary peltola, New york times, Blazetv show, Abdul el-sayed 

Thousands of Republican supporters descended on Weatherford, Texas, to hear a slew of top GOP officials give one of their finals calls to voters to go to the polls next Tuesday.

People were surprised by the size of the crowd that gathered to hear Vice President JD Vance, Rep. Brandon Gill (Texas), Senate hopeful Ken Paxton, and many others lay out the case for Republicans — and especially the case against Democrats.

He was ‘disappointed that there is as much support for Talarico as there is.’

Blaze News spoke to attendees on the ground on Thursday in the Peach Capital of Texas, and many expressed their concern about the prospect of Democrat James Talarico, commonly referred to as James “Talafreako” by the speakers at the event, gaining a Senate seat.

Attendees packed the Joe R. Jones Construction building, filling the warehouse and spilling into the parking lot, where a large display showed the podium inside.

As the vice president joked in his speech, the interior was extremely warm, yet it was still packed with enthusiastic attendees seemingly anxious to hear him speak.

One attendee Blaze News interviewed said that he thought Ken Paxton still had a good chance to win the Senate seat, though he was “disappointed that there is as much support for Talarico as there is.”

RELATED: Vance blasts ‘psychopath’ El-Sayed over ‘anti-white’ hatred

He encouraged voters to “vote the Bible,” because if they vote the Bible, they’ll “vote right.”

Others concurred, saying that the “morality of Texas,” for instance, hangs in the balance in the Senate election.

Attendees consistently brought up issues including abortion, men in women’s sports, gender-transitioning kids, and preserving Christian values — many of which were central issues brought up by the speakers at the event as well.

The rally was the first rally many of the people Blaze News spoke with had attended. Many of them live near the venue in North Texas.

Attendees’ message to Republicans was overwhelmingly consistent: “Go vote.”

The Weatherford, Texas, campaign rally is perhaps the last event the vice president will attend after canceling a big fraud announcement event in Minnesota this weekend.

It is unclear whether he will be on the campaign trail elsewhere in the nation over the weekend.

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

​James talarico, Jd vance, Ken paxton, Vice president, Texas, Christianity, Politics 

Should Christians watch horror movies?

This simple question has sparked a massive debate in Christian circles. It all started when “Relatable” host Allie Beth Stuckey raised concerns about believers consuming entertainment designed to terrify them.

Movies like ‘Nefarious’ and ‘The Conjuring’ set up battles between good and evil, showcasing what happens when the demonic realm bursts into our lives.

Whether you agree with Stuckey’s argument that we’re not meant to watch content that stokes fear in our hearts, the conversation — especially as Halloween looms — is worth having.

Lamp of the body

At first glance, the simplest response to the horror movie question is a whopping: It depends.

Christians often have different convictions, and even seemingly simple questions should be met with prayer and action based on the convictions that come from seeking God’s will. That said, I think it’s essential to go a bit deeper.

Christians are called to guard our hearts and minds, taking great care with what we consume. Matthew 6:22-23 offers a stark warning many of us overlook when we watch movies, listen to music, or consume content that bends moral boundaries:

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

The Bible is clear that we’re meant to keep our hearts and minds pure and focused on the Lord. But what does that mean for entertainment that deliberately frightens us or confronts us with evil? Does depicting something disturbing necessarily make a movie spiritually harmful?

Fear factor

I depart from Stuckey on the fear front. I have no problem watching content that stokes fear in my heart, so long as that fear serves a redemptive purpose. Sometimes fear is a storytelling tool that helps us understand the seriousness of evil, drawing us closer to our need for a Savior.

But I also agree with much of what Stuckey said about the dangers of some horror films. Much of the horror content on the market today is simply designed to disturb and perturb the mind, offering little more than jitters and insanely unpalatable imagery. The intent is simply to terrify, with no real purpose beyond the shock itself.

I’m not interested in that sort of content, and I don’t think it is honorable or helpful to the Christian mind.

We have to seek God when it comes to the level of horror and violence we’re willing to entertain, even if the end goal is a redemptive message. But I think the key question we should ask about every movie, song, and piece of entertainment we consume is: What’s the purpose?

Once I can assess the purpose of a project — and its fruits are generally evident — I have a pretty good idea of whether it’s worthy of my attention.

Good and evil

Movies like “Nefarious” and “The Conjuring” set up battles between good and evil, showcasing what happens when the demonic realm bursts into our lives. These films, though not for every believer, can help frame or even highlight a biblical understanding of evil.

Then you have movies like “Saw” and others like it — films that are grotesque and, from my perspective, fuel little more than a thirst for bloodshed and angst.

Christians need to be careful about the entertainment we consume. Many of us are willing to bend the biblical standard and ignore gore, sex, and excessive evil for the sake of entertainment.

Then I encounter verses like Philippians 4:8, which reads:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”

Psalm 101:3 is similarly direct:

“I will not look with approval on anything that is vile,” it reads. “I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.”

RELATED: Did these 6 movies about Satan accidentally summon him to their sets?

Sunset Boulevard/Getty Images

Context and intent

None of us is perfect, but God consistently implores us to look upon good and holy things. If that’s the case, why are we making exceptions and subjecting ourselves to two hours of absolute debauchery, especially when the movie offers nothing redemptive in return?

The fact is, many horror movies today don’t fit into a biblical framework. They offer sadistic violence, torture porn, and demonic imagery that revel in suffering rather than revealing anything true about good, evil, or the human condition.

Ultimately, context and intent matter. The Bible itself contains difficult subject matter. Scripture covers murder, demonic activity, human depravity, and the consequences of sin.

But those accounts reveal truths about humanity, evil, God’s judgment, and our desperate need for redemption. I believe our entertainment choices should follow a similar pattern.

The question is whether a story exposes darkness for what it is — or encourages us to enjoy it, relish it, or embrace it.

The former can be worthy of our attention. The latter is not.

​Allie beth stuckey, Horror movies, Christian living, Lifestyle, Christianity, Halloween, Entertainment, Faith 

The election certification process could be frozen in Alaska next week as a result of a criminal investigation into an alleged Democratic ballot-stacking scheme, which the state and federal governments are taking deadly seriously.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on Thursday evening, “We are ready to do whatever we need to do to ensure that our elections are deemed credible.”

‘This strikes at the heart of our republican form of government.’

“If we find out there’s wrongdoing, and if that means that the certification then is stopped or changed, then that’s what happens,” said the governor.

US Senate race in Alaska: Mary Peltola vs. Dan S. Sullivan.pollwatch.theblaze.com

Democrat Mary Peltola’s U.S. Senate campaign has been credibly accused of seeking out individuals with the same name as Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and recruiting at least one, Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg, to run for the Alaskan Senate seat.

While the Peltola campaign has long denied — and continues to deny — any involvement with J. Sullivan’s candidacy, the Democrat’s former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, suggested otherwise in recent interviews with the New York Times.

RELATED: Democrat Peltola feeling the heat as Alaska launches CRIMINAL probe into alleged ‘Decoy Dan’ ballot scheme

Rios alleged that: Peltola’s campaign was behind the ballot-stacking scheme; top campaign aides, campaign lawyers, staffers, and aides from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee were involved; and Peltola was “definitely aware” of the clandestine efforts though not directly involved.

On Wednesday, Peltola characterized the Times’ report as a “distraction, another diversion” from Sen. Sullivan’s votes on the Iran conflict as well as an opportunity “to sell newspapers.”

Following the Times’ publication of these and other allegations, Gov. Dunleavy announced that he was “directing the Department of Public Safety to investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska’s laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted.”

Alaska Department of Public Safety Deputy Commissioner Austin McDaniel later confirmed in a statement to Blaze News that his agency had “initiated an investigation into the alleged conduct outlined in a recent New York Times article.”

The governor told NewsNation on Thursday that the state has long been suspicious of J. Sullivan’s candidacy, noting that at the very outset, the apparent spoiler allegedly asked to appear on the ballot as “Daniel S. Sullivan.”

“His middle name does not start with an ‘S,'” said Dunleavy. “Dan Sullivan, the incumbent’s middle name starts with an ‘S.’ So that began to raise questions.”

These questions were taken up in an investigation by the Alaska Division of Elections, which ruled in June that Dan J. Sullivan was ineligible. The Alaska Supreme Court later ordered that J. Sullivan’s name be put back on the ballot.

“We knew we were looking at the tip of the iceberg,” Dunleavy said. “But now that tip just got a lot bigger.”

RELATED: ‘Cold civil war’ about to heat up? DataRepublican exposes evidence of color revolution plot

Nathaniel Wilder/Bloomberg/Getty Images; Jacquelyn Martin – Pool/Getty Images

“This strikes at the heart of our republican form of government. This strikes at the heart of election integrity,” added the governor.

Dunleavy said that everyone involved in the alleged scheme will be investigated and that it will be difficult to conclude the probe before Election Day.

When asked specifically whether Alaskan officials would certify the election if Peltola wins but is still under investigation, Dunleavy said that if the state concludes that there “were things that should not have happened … that are illegal, we will act on that — and that may in fact impact whether somebody is seated in this U.S. Senate.”

“Whether we send something down [to Washington, D.C.] or not, we won’t be able to determine that until we have enough information to make that decision,” said the governor. “We are ready to do whatever we need to do.”

“We aren’t going to send a scam to Washington,” added Dunleavy.

The Peltola and J. Sullivan campaigns did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ requests for comment.

The Trump administration also wants to ensure that there are no hijinks in this election.

The U.S. Justice Department sued Alaska last week to block the certification of the results of the contentious Senate race in the event that Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) loses by a small margin. The DOJ’s complaint said it brought the lawsuit “to protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska.”

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

​Mike dunleavy, Alaska, Mary peltola, Senate, Election fraud, Politics, Dan sullivan 

The political divide in America is only scratching the surface of a much darker conflict.

And one viral video of a young woman who calls herself “Pamper Baby” at a Turning Point USA “Pick Up the Mic” event is devastating proof of this.

“I go by Pamper Baby. Yeah, OK. So I took a Plan B, and I’m an immigrant, this morning. Like feeling kind of guilty. So I wanted to read a poem that I actually wrote,” she said, citing “freedom of speech” for her reason behind wanting to share rather than ask a question to engage in debate.

Her poem began: “It was the night before the Kirk-versary, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”

“The flags were hung proudly, the memes all on deck, as we solemnly remembered a shot to the neck. The podcast fell silent, the hot takes grew weary, for tomorrow, dear friends, is the great Kirk-versary,” she continued.

“So I’ll see everyone at the ‘Squirt for Kirk.’ We’re hosting that also on October 10. I’ll see y’all there. It’s a BYOE, you know, vaccines included. Free. See y’all there,” she added.

“Are you happy with yourself now?” TPUSA speaker Christian Collins asked.

“Baby, I’m thrilled. … You’re brave for being out here. You know, no protection, no nothing, no like neck brace,” she answered.

BlazeTV host Steve Deace is more than disturbed.

“I would have never envisioned I’d use terms like demonic just out in the open as part of my everyday analysis,” he says.

“It just kind of organically just started getting inserted into the lexicon because I couldn’t come up with another explanation for the level of darkness that was beginning to creep up, that we were doing things that don’t benefit anybody,” he continues, noting that now, spiritual warfare is “manifesting” as political debates.

“When you have a young woman show up on a hot mic and she doesn’t have blue hair and a nose ring,” he says, “she’s not wearing the uniform, in other words, of who we typically see as troubled in this era and succumbs to these kinds of forces.”

“Beautiful young woman, pleasant, obviously well spoken. And when she takes the time out of her day to compose a poem to brag about the Plan B she just took, you need to understand that’s not natural,” he continues.

“The level of darkness you have to fall into to perform what she just did is extraordinary,” she adds.

Deace believes the young woman to be a “sociopath” who is capable of naturally communicating in a very dark way.

“Most people … will not naturally wait for an opportunity to do that right to somebody’s face with their name on it. Not anonymously, online; with their name on it,” he says.

“The desire to demonstrate the level of wickedness she has succumbed to, the haughtiness, the pride she has for it,” he continues. “It’s not natural. It’s totally depraved.”

Want more from Steve Deace?

To enjoy more of Steve’s take on national politics, Christian worldview, and principled conservatism with a snarky twist, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Turning point usa, Viral video, Spiritual warfare, Steve deace, Blazetv show 

Open YouTube on a television and you may find yourself sitting through a 30-second ad you cannot skip. Google introduced that format this year. You can escape the interruptions, of course: YouTube Premium costs $159.99 a year.

The video is still free. But patience has become the price of admission, and relief now comes with a subscription.

Platforms that serve as gateways to speech wield extraordinary power of visibility. When that power is sold by the tier, free access begins to look like second-class access.

When Americans worry about tech freedom, they tend to think of censorship: demonetization, deplatforming, shadowbanning, and pressure from government officials. Those threats are real. But a quieter transformation is taking place. Platforms once celebrated for letting anyone participate are selling advantages in who gets seen and heard.

For years, the bargain was straightforward: Users supplied much of the content, platforms sold advertising around it, and participation was open to almost anyone. That arrangement was never perfectly equal. Algorithms already favored some voices over others. What has changed is the explicit price tag on preferential visibility. A company need not silence a speaker when it can sell somebody else a better spot.

In 1995, Stewart Brand described the early internet as “a kind of cultural Brigadoon,” shaped by “hippie communalism and libertarian politics.” The promise was openness, not a tiered-pricing menu for attention.

X (formerly Twitter) now sells checkmarks, editing tools, and longer posts. More consequentially, its own subscription terms offer paying customers priority for their replies, with greater priority at higher tiers. You can still speak without paying. Getting heard is another question.

Meta rolled out Facebook Plus, Instagram Plus, and WhatsApp Plus this year, selling additional features. Instagram Plus allows subscribers to spotlight a story for more views. Snapchat, LinkedIn, and Reddit also have paid offerings. A custom app icon may be harmless. Purchasing an advantage in visibility is something else.

Dating apps make the distinction especially plain. Bumble’s Spotlight feature can push a user’s profile toward the top of the stack. Tinder’s paid tiers offer prioritized likes. The person who pays gains a better chance of being noticed. That may be sound business. It is hardly equal access.

The platforms are turning attention into a premium product. The free user can post, swipe, or browse, but paid subscribers receive opportunities that others do not.

Subscriptions have a legitimate business case. Newspapers need to pay reporters, and online services have expenses. Research on one news publisher found that just 0.21% of encounters with its paywall resulted in subscriptions. Even charging for original reporting is a difficult business. But a publisher selling its own journalism is different from a platform selling preferential access to everyone else’s attention.

The consequences become more serious when the information at stake is more than a social media post.

RELATED: Corporate America is stealing our time. I want mine back.

NurPhoto/Harold M. Lambert/Getty Images

Consider Compass, the real estate giant whose holdings now include Century 21. Compass has expanded its use of “private exclusive” home listings, which may be shown first through selected brokerage channels instead of the public listing sites buyers routinely consult. A seller may choose that arrangement. A buyer who never learns that a house is available has no such choice.

In September, Compass offered New York City agents a $1,000 digital-marketing package if they removed listings from StreetEasy, according to an email obtained by Real Estate News. Those homes could still be marketed elsewhere. But someone browsing a major housing portal might not be seeing the whole market.

That is why Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.), chairman of a House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, opened an inquiry into Compass’ private-listing partnership with Midwest Real Estate Data. The committee questioned whether such networks restrict competition and the information available to homebuyers. Compass maintains that its approach gives sellers more control over marketing their properties. The inquiry is not a finding of wrongdoing.

Here the question extends beyond whether a paying customer gets an advantage. A private-listing network can affect people who never joined it and do not know what they are missing. A homeowner may have perfectly good reasons to prefer a discreet sale. But a market depends on buyers knowing what is for sale, and brokers who limit that information exercise considerable power over both sides of the transaction.

RELATED: Online threats are swamping the internet. Block them with this powerful browser feature.

Moor Studio/Getty Images

Nevertheless, the underlying question is urgent: Who decides what the public gets to see, and how much of that decision is being sold?

For an internet already tiering off, it makes you wonder where we’re going next.

Imagine a marketplace in which the goods exist, the customers are ready, and the intermediary controls which shelves you are allowed to inspect. That is a more consequential problem than having to sit through another YouTube ad.

Charging for extras is not censorship. Private companies can sell services, and creators can charge for their work. But platforms that serve as gateways to speech, social life, and commerce wield extraordinary power over visibility. When that power is sold by the tier, free access begins to look like second-class access.

The internet does not have to ban you to shut you out. It can simply make sure somebody who pays gets seen first.

​Youtube, Online speech, Free speech, Google, Data, Facebook, X, Bumble, Subscriptions, Free access, Social media, Premium, Ads, Opinion & analysis 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Blaze News a shipment of counterfeit ultra-luxury watches was intercepted on the way to Texas.

The authentic timepiece is an ultra-luxury watch from a storied Swiss manufacturer and will burn a hole in your wallet, costing about $38,000 on average.

‘Our officers are working hard to identify threats and shut down illicit suppliers.’

On October 23, CBP officers at the Port of Louisville in Kentucky stopped a shipment of 460 fake watches bearing the Audemars Piguet trademark.

The watches were on their way to a residence in Texas and had been shipped from Hong Kong, according to CBP.

Trade experts at the Centers of Excellence and Expertise determined the watches to be fake.

Had the watches been real, the combined manufacturer’s suggested retail price would have totaled over $66 million.

The watches were seized for “bearing counterfeit versions of registered and recorded trademarks.”

Louisville Port Director Philip Onken said the incident showed trade was growing at “unprecedented” rates.

“In May, these CBP officers seized a shipment of counterfeit jewelry worth $14 million; in June, it was $54 million in counterfeit watches; in July, more counterfeit watches worth $28 million; and in August, it was 300 counterfeit watches worth $43 million,” Onken said.

“As you can see, our officers are working hard to identify threats and shut down illicit suppliers,” he added.

RELATED: Fake ultra-luxury watches from China seized — they would have been worth millions if real, CBP claims

U.S. Department of Customs and Border Protection

CBP said illegitimate sales are among the “most profitable” transnational crimes and that illicit trade “adversely impacts” the businesses operating legitimately in the U.S.

“These items, including fake medications, perfumes, cosmetics, children’s toys and costumes, fashion, jewelry, luxury products, and unsafe electronics and automotive parts, can pose health and safety risks to American consumers as they are often made with substandard or harmful materials,” the agency added.

CBP asks consumers to follow its e-commerce counterfeit awareness guide to avoid putting money into the pockets of criminal counterfeiters.

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

​Customs and border protection, Counterfeit watches, Smuggling, Politics 

Director Peter Berg can’t shake the memory of Gene Hackman dangling from a steam valve wheel in 1972’s “The Poseidon Adventure.” Hackman’s character, a man of faith on a doomed cruise ship, sacrificed himself so that the remaining passengers could live.

That image, that heroism, never left the future filmmaker.

‘I’m drawn to the emotion that is generated when human beings are in dire situations.’

“It stuck with me,” Berg tells Blaze Media. “Since ‘The Poseidon Adventure,’ I’ve been trying to make human stories surround by action.”

Something bigger

Berg’s film canon backs that up. He’s responsible for a crush of heroic tales, including “Lone Survivor” (2013), “Deepwater Horizon” (2016), “Patriots Day” (2016), and now “The Mosquito Bowl.”

The Netflix original, premiering in theaters today before its Nov. 25 streaming debut, follows four college football stars as they trade pigskins for rifles post-Pearl Harbor. The quartet (Ray Nicholson, Bill Skarsgård, Tom Francis, and Nicholas Galitzine) bond and bicker between battles, but they get a chance to flex their football skills in the titular bowl.

Berg previously directed 2004’s “Friday Night Lights,” also drawn from a book by author Buzz Bissinger (Berg’s cousin). The director leapt at the chance to helm the scribe’s fact-based tale.

“I could sense that, like with ‘Friday Night Lights,’ he was tapping into bigger themes than football or war,” Berg says. “I knew he was throwing a fastball with this book. His dad was a Marine in Okinawa. My dad was a Marine in Korea … this was the kind of story I wanted to be a part of.”

‘Inch by inch’

Berg commits to serious research before any film projects. For “The Mosquito Bowl,” he visited Okinawa and toured the battlefield that plays a key part in the film’s third act.

He marveled at “the slopes and the mountains that had to be fought over and the caves that had to be entered,” he says, as well as the furious nature of the battles. “I wasn’t aware of how incredibly violent it was, inch by inch, bullet by bullet, flame thrower by flame thrower, these two militaries just went at it.”

His film is unsparing on that front, assembling some of the most unsettling war images since “Saving Private Ryan.”

To attempt to grasp the scale of death and destruction, he visited the Cornerstone of Peace monument at Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa, where more than 200,000 names of those who lost their lives in the battle are etched in stone.

“You can literally feel it as you move through Okinawa. I’m glad I went out there. It seared that into my soul,” he says.

Brotherhood and bravery

The veteran director started his career as an actor (“Chicago Hope,” “A Midnight Clear”) before moving behind the camera without sticking to any one genre. Still, the obvious through line in his work is courage, bravery, and sacrifice, the very DNA of “The Mosquito Bowl.”

“I’m drawn to the emotion that is generated when human beings are in dire situations,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to explore character, strength, perseverance, heroism, cowardly behavior, complicitous behavior … under the umbrella of action and intensity. I’ve always been drawn to that. I don’ t know why.”

He’s more dialed in about football’s eternal appeal.

“Football’s just the perfect sport. It requires 11 men on the sides to all be operating in perfect unison together. It’s completely unpredictable … there’s an element of danger, there’s incredible athleticism, and there’s a brotherhood. The brotherhood is incredibly inspiring, and the emotion is real … it transcends our petty human differences and unites us all,” he says. “Football is the greatest thing that’s ever been invented, and we need more football.”

RELATED: Director finds faith in the wild with Brad Pitt’s ‘Heart of the Beast’

Paramount Pictures/JB Lacroix/Getty Images

Head down

Berg has worked steadily for decades in Hollywood, including the occasional acting gig — don’t miss his inspirational cameo in “The Mosquito Bowl.” Unlike some of his peers, he doesn’t fear the rise of AI in La La Land.

“All you can do is control what you can control,” he says. “I’m not seeing AI coming at me right now as the death of my business. I’m seeing opportunities.”

His approach to an evolving industry hasn’t changed, something he advises to anyone eager to tell big-screen stories.

“You have to keep your head down and work,” he says. “Movies in theaters are doing very, very well right now. The [Paramount-Warner Bros.] merger is not going to change much. There’s still a lot of stuff being made.”

He’s even more optimistic about young filmmakers joining the business. Think 20-something director Curry Barker of “Obsession” fame, a movie that defied all Hollywood wisdom to earn more than $500 million worldwide. He’s delighted to note how rebel storyteller Nathan Fielder broke out via his documentary smash “You Can See Everything,” in theaters now.

“I think we’re just fine,” he says of Hollywood as 2027 nears.

​College football, Entertainment, Friday night lights, Gene hackman, Movies, Pearl harbor, Peter berg, The mosquito bowl, Ai, Culture, Lifestyle, Hollywood, Books, Interview, Netflix 

A dispute over passing gas led to a deadly shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, according to court documents.

The Clayton County Police Dept. said officers responded to a report of shots fired on Oct. 8 at the 5000 block of Riverdale Road at about 10:30 p.m.

He allegedly shot at Beebe approximately 10 times, striking him in the back and killing him.

After an investigation, police identified Seneca Colbert as a suspect in the lethal shooting.

Police sought Colbert for weeks and warned that he was armed and dangerous.

On Friday, a tip led police to his whereabouts at a home in Atlanta. When the 48-year-old refused to come out of the home, the Atlanta Police SWAT team breached the home. He was found hiding behind a water heater.

Colbert was charged with malice murder, felony murder, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Charging documents alleged a bizarre motivation for the lethal shooting.

Investigators said 25-year-old Delrico Beebe was in a gas station store with Colbert when he complained about Colbert passing gas.

An altercation ensued, and Colbert left the store to retrieve an AR-style pistol from his vehicle, according to investigators.

He allegedly shot at Beebe approximately 10 times, striking him in the back and killing him.

RELATED: Armed robber tries to steal a man’s car at gas station, but the driver pulled out his own gun and killed the assailant, St. Louis police say

The latest police data indicates that nearly all major crime categories have declined by double-digit percentages in Atlanta over the same period last year.

Homicide is down 12%, rape is down 14%, and robbery is down 22%. On the other hand, aggravated assaults are up 21% in the otherwise downward trends.

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, Atlanta, Georgia, Guns, Crime 

While taking a break from our daily three-mile walk through a local park, my wife and I sat on a bench watching other walkers stroll by. One young woman passed wearing a plain, white T-shirt that read, in large letters, simply: “AND WE KNOW THAT.”

Underneath those words, in much smaller type, was the explanation of this enigmatic inscription: “Romans 8:28.”

Are we not called to be engaged in all aspects of life? Why would politics be out of bounds?

The full Scripture verse is incredibly powerful and should spring to mind whenever things in our personal lives — or even in the life of our nation — go kerflooey:

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

The midterm elections, already underway across America, popped into my head when I saw the T-shirt. Christians and true patriots alike worry about polls showing Democratic Party gains in key races. Some are moved to work harder; others throw up their hands and leave the results to fate — or, more piously, “Providence.” After all, if “all things work together for good,” even if Democrats regain power and go scorched earth on our country, that must be God’s will. Things will eventually work out “for good,” yes?

Otherwise well-meaning Christians can justify “sitting this one out” in any number of ways: “If God wants America to survive, the country will survive; if He wants her to go under, it will go under. I will just pray. I don’t get involved in politics.”

The idea that good Christians should stay out of politics because “Thy will be done” — or, as Doris Day sang, “Whatever will be, will be” — reminds me of that doctor joke about predestination:

After examining his patient, the doctor shares his diagnosis. “Joe, you are in terrible shape, and I am prescribing a series of pills that will help you live a long, healthy life.” But Joe shakes his head. “No, doc, I’m a Christian, and I believe in predestination. I’m not going to take the pills because I believe that if God wants me to live, I will live; if He wants me to die, I will die.”

The doctor responds: “Well, Joe, I too am a Christian, and I also believe in predestination. So I can tell you this: If you take the pills, you’re predestined to live. If you don’t, you’re predestined to die.”

RELATED: Christians: Don’t fall for Talarico’s performative messaging

Danielle Villasana/Getty Images

Christians who don’t get involved in politics — especially at an obviously critical juncture in a nation’s existence — are like that patient, confident God will save the country with or without their involvement. That conclusion is certainly true, but are we not called to be engaged in all aspects of life? Why would politics be out of bounds?

Consider Romans 13:1: “Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

America was “established by God” more than 250 years ago. And in that establishment, the founders made it very clear that “We the People” were in charge, under the authority of “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” Therefore, we must be involved in every way we can — voting, for example, is basic — to preserve the governing authorities to which we are subject.

Further along this political-involvement track, I believe an even more powerful declaration can be drawn from that one big, beautiful prayer Christians around the world pray daily. Much of the “Our Father” concerns, in a very real sense, both earthly and heavenly politics.

After addressing our Holy Father in heaven, Jesus prays, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Many Christians close the prayer with the words, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

RELATED: Is ASU going to fire a Christian professor for being too Christian?

Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Should we not then work for God’s Kingdom to come here on earth as it is in heaven, not only in our own lives but in the life of our nation and, through this nation, the world? Is God’s Kingdom not built on righteousness and holiness? Our kingdom here should reflect those noble, ethereal, and eternal goals as much as possible. Where it embraces vile and detestable practices — abortion, child mutilation, open borders, etc. — should we not work to abolish them? We also pray, “Deliver us from evil.” Should we not work alongside our Father to bring that about?

St. James wrote (1:22):

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.

Finally, this reminder from St. Paul (Ephesians 5:14-16):

“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

This is no sit-on-your-hands (or just pray-with-your-hands) moment in the shaky life of America. Scripture and our Lord and Savior give us our marching orders. Yes, pray. No question about that. But also vote. And whenever and wherever you can, and with whomever you can, be politically influential, always remembering to “speak the truth in love.”

Doing that can advance two kingdoms at once.

Editor’s note: A version of this article appeared originally at American Thinker.

​Opinion & analysis, America, Voting, Midterms, Christians, Opinion 

Washington has managed to turn an overwhelmingly popular idea — banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks — into another partisan brawl.

In a poll released in September, the Independent Center found that 88% of voters backed a ban, including 88% of Republicans, 89% of Democrats, and 86% of independents. Yet Congress still hasn’t made it law. On an issue that unites voters, the two parties have found another reason to fight.

Make congressional stock trading a test. Will candidates ban lawmakers and their families from trading stocks, including existing holdings? Will they reject poison pills? Get their answers. Vote accordingly.

Americans are sick of it. A Fox News poll conducted October 9-12 found that 88% of registered voters were extremely or very concerned about government corruption, ahead of inflation and high prices at 85%, gas prices at 83%, and health care at 80%.

The Independent Center’s October survey of 1,200 adults, including 1,000 registered voters, helps explain the anger. Six in 10 said groceries had put the most pressure on their household budgets. Fifty-four percent said the economy was rigged for big companies and the politically connected; only 34% said it worked like a real free market. More than half said Washington was not listening.

Politicians insist they share that frustration. Their tolerance for corruption, however, often depends on whose name is attached to it.

Republicans have a fresh example. On October 13, Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned as ambassador to Greece after the White House asked her to leave. Trump donor Eric Deters accused her of seeking $100,000 to pay a personal credit card bill before her confirmation hearing, allegedly in return for access to administration officials. He says he never paid her. Guilfoyle denies wrongdoing and disputes the authenticity of the messages cited in reporting on the allegation.

Democrats have their own scandals. Former Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey was sentenced to 11 years in prison in a bribery case involving cash, gold bars, and a luxury car. Former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) resigned in April after facing ethics proceedings and federal charges alleging that she and others diverted a $5 million FEMA overpayment, including money routed toward her campaign. She has pleaded not guilty.

Both parties are adept at spotting corruption across the aisle. When the accusation lands at home, too many partisans reach for the words “witch hunt.”

Congressional stock trading offers a simpler test. `Members can buy and sell individual stocks while receiving briefings and writing laws that affect the companies they invest in. The 2012 STOCK Act requires disclosure of trades and prohibits trading on nonpublic information. It does not bar members from owning or trading individual stocks.

RELATED: ‘Cold civil war’ about to heat up? DataRepublican exposes evidence of color revolution plot

Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty Images

Republican Chip Roy (Texas) and Democrat Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) have championed a bipartisan proposal to ban congressional stock trading, including by lawmakers’ spouses and dependent children. But the legislation that actually passed the House in July was narrower. The Stop Insider Trading Act, approved 232-198, would bar new purchases while allowing members to retain existing holdings. Republicans also attached voter ID requirements unrelated to stock trading.

Democrats called the package inadequate and objected to the election provisions. In September, the Senate voted 53-47 to advance it, short of the 60 votes needed. Rival proposals, familiar accusations, and procedural maneuvers have left the public with the same result: No comprehensive trading ban is law.

The people who set the rules cannot agree to limit their own opportunities for profit, even when voters from both parties overwhelmingly want them to. That is a failure of political will, not a shortage of legislative ideas.

Independents can change the calculation. We have no party organization to defend and no reason to excuse misconduct because the offender happens to wear the right jersey. The standard should be the same whether the politician is a Democrat or a Republican.

RELATED: Kamala’s voter-roll freakout hits blue states hard

Mario Tama/Getty Images

And we have the numbers to make that standard count. Gallup found that 45% of Americans identified as independents in 2025, more than identified with either major party. In close races, candidates cannot afford to dismiss voters whose support they have not earned.

So make congressional stock trading a test. Ask every candidate in your district whether they will ban lawmakers, spouses, and dependent children from trading individual stocks. Ask whether the ban would cover existing holdings and whether they would accept unrelated riders designed to sink it. Write down the answers. Vote accordingly.

The two parties have had years to deliver a reform voters agree on. If they refuse, independents can make that refusal costly — or replace the politicians responsible.

​Congressional stock trading, Federal charges, Free market, Gas prices, Government corruption, Health care, Senate vote, Independent voters, Bipartisan, Republicans, Democrats, Chip roy, Stocks, Opinion & analysis