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A recently discovered medieval document is being hailed as the earliest written mention of the Shroud of Turin. Its author, Nicole Oresme, the learned Bishop of Lisieux, writing around 1370, claims the Shroud is a forgery. Some have rushed to seize on this fragment as if it were a fatal blow to the Shroud’s authenticity.

But is it?

To treat this new discovery as proof that the Shroud is a forgery means ignoring the massive wealth of evidence that indicates its authenticity.

Historian Nicolas Sarzeaud’s recent article uses Oresme’s passage as basis for rejecting the Shroud. However, the facts reveal more fallacy than forgery.

In the ongoing debate about the Shroud’s authenticity, the question is what this discovery actually means. Imagine a set of scales. On one side rests the enormous weight of historical, scientific, and forensic evidence pointing to the Shroud’s authenticity. On the other side, we now place this solitary note from a skeptical medieval bishop.

So does this new discovery tip the balance? The answer is a resounding no — and here’s why.

Reason 1: The inexplicable image

Picture yourself in 1370. You live in a pre-scientific, pre-photographic world, and your thoughtful approach to faith makes you skeptical of the mania for relics at that time. You hear reports of a mysterious cloth bearing the image of a crucified man, said to be Jesus.

What would you think? Most likely, your first reaction would be, “Someone must have painted it.” And as a product of his time, that is exactly what Oresme assumed.

But Oresme had no access to modern science — or to the groundbreaking work of the 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project.

After an exhaustive investigation, STURP concluded that the image was not created by pigment, stain, dye, paint, or any known artistic method. In fact, the image itself isn’t made of any substance that rests on top or is embedded in the weave of the cloth — it is a discoloration of the linen fibers themselves. When the Shroud is backlit, the image disappears, something no painting could replicate. Even more remarkably, the image is not the result of brush strokes; it is a photographic-negative-like image encoded with three-dimensional information.

This means that whatever makes the image was not deposited on the cloth and that the image was not made by contact with a body, statue, or brush.

Oresme had no framework for scientific thought and how to interpret such a phenomenon. In his world, images came only from the hand of an artist. The Shroud has revealed itself as an exception to the rule. In our world, the Shroud has defied every artistic or technological explanation. What seemed “obvious” in the 14th century has proven scientifically untenable today.

And for historian Sarzeaud, the use of Oresme’s comments strikes me as strained, particularly when they are presented as if they were direct references to the Shroud itself. The move from a general critique of relics to the assumption that he meant the Shroud is more conjecture than evidence.

Just as telling is Sarzeaud’s reliance on a modern interpretive framework while failing to engage seriously with the textile, historical, and iconographic data that challenge his conclusions.

Reason 2: Corrupt corroboration

In Sarzeaud’s assertion that the Shroud is a forgery, he relies heavily on the previously oldest known mention of the Shroud, which is known as the d’Arcis Memorandum, written around 1390, in which Pierre d’Arcis, Bishop of Troyes, claimed the Shroud was painted. He includes the entire memo as evidence that the Shroud was considered a forgery as soon as it was first exhibited 35 years earlier. Although this is corroboration, Sarzeaud presents the memo without mentioning the controversy surrounding it.

Sarzeaud fails as a historian and treats this as if it were a straightforward confirmation of Oresme’s skepticism. But the reality is far murkier.

RELATED: Shroud of Turin debunked? Not even close — here’s the truth

claudiodivizia/iStock/Getty Images Plus

First, there isn’t just one memo. Calling it “the memo” is misleading, since there are two surviving drafts that differ in tone and detail. The French scholar Ulysse Chevalier, who published the d’Arcis memo in the early 20th century, conflated the two versions into a single document — and then asserted, without proof, that it had been sent to Pope Clement VII. No such record exists in the Vatican archives, and there is no evidence that it was ever sent to the pope.

Second, even within the memorandum, d’Arcis admits that his charge was based on hearsay: His predecessor supposedly knew the name of the forger but never revealed it. Modern scholarship has highlighted these inconsistencies, but Sarzeaud neglects to mention them. In other words, what he presents as solid corroboration rests on fragile ground.

As historians, we must do better and not overreach in presenting the evidence as Sarzeaud has done.

Reason 3: Earlier does not equal better

We share Oresme’s skepticism of relics. I’ve visited the Saxony hometown of Johann Tetzel (1465-1519), the Dominican friar infamous for selling indulgences in the early 16th century. He was commissioned to raise money for the rebuilding of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Tetzel became notorious for a jingle he reportedly used in his preaching to stir people to buy indulgences: “As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”

Orsme was thinking, writing, and standing firm for Christian truth in a time rife with spiritual manipulation, and this influenced his overreaction to the Shroud. By the 14th century, Europe was rife with dubious relics. Skeptical observers like Oresme often dismissed any new devotional object as fraudulent.

But what Oresme lacked — and what we now possess — is the benefit of centuries of scientific progress.

It is true that Oresme’s fragment pushes the written record of the Shroud back to around 1370. And yes, having a mention of the Shroud so close to when it first appeared in Europe is noteworthy. But it doesn’t mean it carries more weight than other evidence.

In fact, given the advent of the age of science and the technological advances since Oresme’s day, there is far more and far better evidence now than there was then.

Think of it this way: Knowledge accumulates like compound interest. Every decade of careful research into the Shroud — microscopy, spectroscopy, blood chemistry, pollen analysis, and digital imaging — adds layers of data. To elevate a lone medieval opinion over the wealth of evidence gathered since 1978 is to confuse proximity with authority. Oresme’s comment is historically interesting, but evidentially it is a footnote, not a verdict.

Sarzeaud does appeal to the 1988 radiocarbon test that dated the Shroud to 1260-1380 to support the claim that the Shroud is medieval. Once again, however, he does not mention the fierce debate surrounding the results or the work done since then that casts serious doubt on its validity.

The very latest state of the evidence is the richest; we only gain more knowledge. To treat this new discovery as proof that the Shroud is a forgery means ignoring the massive wealth of evidence that indicates its authenticity. The new find only has force when isolated from the overwhelming contextual evidence.

Reason 4: The ‘forgery’ claim falls apart

The fatal flaw in relying on this new document and the d’Arcis Memorandum as proof that the Shroud is a forgery is that the dots don’t connect.

If the Shroud were obviously painted, as Oresme assumed, then why have the best scientists in the world — equipped with electron microscopes, chemical analysis, and cutting-edge imaging technology — failed to detect any paint, pigment, or dye responsible for the image?

RELATED: New evidence indicates Shroud of Turin shows EXACT moment of resurrection

Stefano Guidi/Getty Images

Dr. John Jackson, physicist and leader of the STURP team, cataloged 17 unique characteristics of the image on the Shroud — features that any genuine explanation must account for. Countless attempts to reproduce the image have fallen short. Photographs, paintings, and scorchings may imitate some features, but none replicate them all.

The Shroud’s image remains, scientifically speaking, an unsolved phenomenon.

This is the Achilles’ heel of the forgery theory: What was “obvious” to a 14th-century skeptic has been thoroughly disproven by modern analysis. The image is not a painting. The claim collapses under scrutiny.

Weighing the evidence

Nicole Oresme was right about one thing: Popular religious claims should be subjected to rigorous testing. As Sarzeaud himself quotes, Oresme insisted that such claims be examined through Scripture, credible testimony, and reason.

Sarzeaud concludes, “For Oresme, popular beliefs must be critically examined through methodical analysis, using Scriptural authorities, credible testimonies, and arguments grounded in reason, with significant weight being given to the latter.”

Yet in holding Sarzeaud to his own standard, his argument and conclusion fail. He has failed to critically examine the new Oresme passage with methodical analysis by ignoring the problems with the d’Arcis Memorandum. He has ignored the credible testimony of the scientific evidence and the compelling historical evidence of the Shroud’s existence in history prior to appearing in Europe. He has overlooked the historical evidence placing the Shroud well before the 14th century.

When all the evidence is placed on the scales, this newly found fragment does not tip the balance. Instead, it reminds us of an enduring truth: Skepticism is not new.

From the beginning, voices have attempted to dismiss the Shroud as forgery or fabrication. But 2,000 years of history and a century of scientific inquiry testify otherwise. And by appealing only to selective evidence that agrees with his premise, Sarzeaud fails to ground his arguments in reason, but rather commits the fallacy of special pleading.

The one thing Sarzeaud succeeds in is generating headlines by making something from nothing. Sarzeaud’s article may generate headlines, but it does not overturn the evidence.

In the end, the Shroud continues to confront us with the same, unyielding mystery: the image of a crucified man, unlike any other in human history — a discovery that refuses to be explained away.

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Witnesses have given conflicting stories surrounding the axe-wielding Scottish girl whose story has captured headlines.

After a 12-year-old Scottish girl was charged with weapons possession, rumors swirled that she was fending off the pursuit of an unruly migrant, forcing her to wield both an axe and a large knife.

Now, the accused immigrant has spoken out and provided a conflicting account that seemingly reveals one side is not telling the truth.

‘She has a severe concussion and swelling inside of her head.’

“I never touched her. I didn’t hit her, I swear on my life, I have a baby now. I would never hurt someone,” Fatos Ali Dumana told the Daily Mail.

Dumana, a 21-year-old Bulgarian immigrant, wondered why the 12-year-old girl was “messing” with him while possessing weapons.

“If I did hurt the girl, why didn’t the police arrest me? They have done nothing to me,” Dumana insisted. “They saw from the CCTV cameras from Farmfoods [supermarket] that she was stopping me go on my way to the shop.”

Dumana also alleged that another bystander witnessed him being attacked and labeled a “f***ing migrant.”

“I did not hit them; I am a human not an animal,” he added.

Police Scotland had previously told Blaze News through spokeswoman Lisa Smith that “no adults” were “arrested or charged” in relation to the same incident.

However, a reporter claiming to have spoken to the 12-year-old girl’s family, as well as another alleged independent witness, has provided an incredibly contradictory take on what happened that day.

RELATED: Scottish police blame axe-wielding girl for altercation, reveal nationality of migrant

An X user who goes by the name Aesthetica claimed to have spoken to and worked directly with the family in order to set up a fundraiser for to pay for the hospital bills of one of the girls allegedly present at the scene.

According to the story attached to the fundraiser, the 12-year-old in question is named Lola and was accompanied by her sister Ruby, 13, and friend Mayah, 13. The story describes “foreign nationals” directing “inappropriate sexual remarks at Lola.”

After telling the “migrants” to leave them alone, one of the girls was “viciously attacked” by an adult female, the story alleged, who pulled her to the ground by her hair as “both migrants proceeded to kick Ruby in the head on the ground.”

It was at this point Lola allegedly retrieved an axe and knife to scare off the attackers, prompting the “foreign national” to film the aftermath.

Ruby was allegedly hospitalized after the attack with a “severe concussion,” but the migrants were not arrested, even though Lola was, leaving her as the alleged 12-year-old girl who was charged by Scottish police.

Days later, a young girl purporting to be Mayah posted videos on TikTok corroborating the story from the fundraiser.

RELATED: 14-year-old girl charged in UK after allegedly defending herself from migrant harasser

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TikTok user Mayah Anderson said she, Ruby, and Lola were present when a man made inappropriate remarks toward the 12-year-old. They told the man to stop, as he was speaking to a minor.

As the altercation escalated, the alleged witness said that the man’s sister attacked Ruby, allegedly causing head injuries.

“This is his sister. For everybody saying his wife, it’s not his wife,” the young girl claimed. “His sister then grabs my friend Ruby from behind, and both of them, the male and the female, jump on my friend, start kicking her in the head, punching her in the face. And she actually had to get sent to hospital. She has a severe concussion and swelling inside of her head.”

The girl claimed that the man told police and stated on social media that the woman is his sister.

Anderson said that after she called police, Lola pulled out her weapons — which she had, unbeknownst to the group — and soon fled.

The teen also alleged that the man in question acted violently while in police custody and even spit on them.

X user Aesthetica told Blaze News that the family, including mother Elaine Thomson, has received threats and now fears speaking out publicly. The family has also run into problems obtaining hospital records, Aesthetica claims.

Blaze News has reached out to Scottish police and asked about the claims regarding a man assaulting police and the child’s alleged hospitalization, as well as access to any CCTV footage.

Police Scotland had previously told Blaze News that revealing any information from the police report would violate Scottish law.

Blaze News also attempted to contact Mayah Anderson, but the messages were not deliverable through social media.

The fundraiser has reached over $115,000 USD at the time of this writing.

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The transgender Minneapolis shooter may have had anti-Semitic writing as well as a threat to “kill” President Trump scrawled all over his weapons — but ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon isn’t letting that stop him from believing the shooter could be conservative.

“The Minneapolis shooter is reportedly trans, and now the right, MAGA, is losing their minds over it, making it a big deal, an issue. Here’s where the ignorance comes in. They’re so ignorant, because trans people can be of any different, many different political persuasions,” Lemon said in a selfie video uploaded to social media.

“We need sensible gun legislation in this country that goes along with mental health issues. You can be a trans person and have mental health issues just like you can be a straight white man, who it usually is doing these things, and have mental health issues as well.”

“Trans people can also be conservative. Could be trans and it could be a trans conservative person. I actually know trans conservative people, I have interviewed one,” Lemon continued, before showing a video of him interviewing a transgender woman who claimed to be a Trump supporter.

“It’s a safe bet to say that the trans person is probably a Democrat,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray argues on “Pat Gray Unleashed. “Especially when it had ‘kill Trump’ on the rifle and ‘Jews’ that he used.”

“Come on. That’s not a Republican. I mean, have you even looked into the Don?” he adds.

Lemon’s proof that the shooter could be conservative came in the form of a man-on-the-street-style video he did once where he interviewed a transgender conservative.

“I walked away from the Democrat plantation. I had to. Just ‘cause I’m transgender doesn’t mean I need to be a Democrat,” the man told Lemon.

“She absolutely played him,” Jeffy comments.

“Absolutely,” Gray adds.

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With the 2026 midterms looming on the horizon, one Republican senator has announced she will not be seeking re-election.

On Tuesday, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) confirmed the rumors that have been swirling for months and officially announced that she will not seek a third term. She made the announcement in a video posted to X.

‘Protecting life and the most vulnerable among us is the most important measure of any society.’

“It has been an honor to dedicate my life to the service of our great state and country. Having been raised in a family who has given me so much love and support, now as our family ages and grows, it’s my time for me to give back to them,” Ernst said in the video.

The Senate Leadership Fund quickly responded to the news. “We want to express our gratitude to Senator Joni Ernst for her dedicated service to our nation and the people of Iowa, both in the U.S. Senate and serving in the armed forces,” executive director Alex Latcham said in a statement obtained by Blaze News. “Senator Ernst has been a steadfast conservative leader throughout her time in office, and we wish her the very best in her retirement. We are confident that Iowans will once again choose a strong fighter to represent them in the U.S. Senate next fall.”

RELATED: Liberal media spins Sen. Ernst’s town hall death reminder while Iowa Democrats make their play

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Ernst, 55, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, making her the first woman ever elected to federal office from the state of Iowa.

Since then, she has been a reliable Republican vote. As an Iraq War veteran, Ernst has advocated for servicemen and women. She even ruffled feathers in her own party after President Donald Trump’s re-election win last fall when she initially lobbied against the nomination of Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense following allegations of sexual misconduct. However, she ultimately voted to confirm him.

She has also been a staunch supporter of the pro-life movement, voting for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and to defund Planned Parenthood. “Protecting life and the most vulnerable among us is the most important measure of any society,” she says on her website.

While Iowa has some of the strongest restrictions on abortion in the country, a recent Des Moines Register poll indicated that a solid majority of Iowans, 64%, say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

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The families of the murdered and injured in the heinous Minneapolis Catholic church shooting can rest well knowing that NBC News is going the extra distance to avoid “misgendering” the deceased murderer.

Investigators say that 23-year-old Robin Westman fired at children and others praying inside Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, killing two and injuring 17. Westman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the church.

‘Children were slaughtered. … But NBC made sure the pronouns were right.’

Investigators say that Westman identified as a transgender person, and the messages he left behind have provided some insight into his possible motivation for the shooting. Westman also expressed regret for becoming transgender in one post.

NBC issued the correction after using male pronouns when referring to Westman.

“A previous version of this article used the wrong pronoun for the shooter. She used female pronouns,” it read.

Many on social media excoriated NBC News for taking care to observe the preferred pronouns of a heinous murderer of children.

“Children were slaughtered. Catholics targeted. But NBC made sure the pronouns were right,” responded communications strategist Erica Knight.

“Ahh, the sickness of all these people is so deep in the media that at some point after these kids get murdered maybe we the majority will turn them off and watch the sponsors pull their hair out. We need another brand of news outlet over the air waves,” read one response.

“In an evil premeditated way, this beast plotted and tracked elementary school age kids, trapped them in a room and shot them with automatic weapons. NBC is worried about his pronouns?…How about a pronoun for NBC… A**holes!…Can’t hate them enough!” read another response.

RELATED: Catholic schools begged Tim Walz to increase security before horrific shooting — he did nothing

“The lame stream media, corrects pronouns for a savage killer of innocent children who is now dead,” said one detractor.

“I don’t think the main stream media in this country is even trying to be unbiased anymore. It’s all out in the open,” replied writer Clara Winslow.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that investigators are trying to determine whether transitioning drugs possibly taken by the shooter might have been at least partly to blame for the attack.

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A federal judge appointed by President Biden said conflicting stories have given her no choice but to block a round of deportation orders.

A lawsuit was filed after 1 a.m. on Sunday by the legal activist group National Immigration Law Center. U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan said she received notice of the complaint at 2 a.m. and subsequently called the U.S. attorney’s office and left a voice message at 3:43 a.m.

The judge left word with federal authorities asking for a hearing before she issued an emergency motion that halted the deportation of a group of 76 illegal immigrants. She even moved the hearing up by three hours when she discovered the deportations were already under way.

‘I have conflicting narratives from both sides here.’

The issue, however, was that these illegal immigrants were minors who were set to be reunified with their families in Guatemala.

“The Court ORDERS that [Homeland Security] cease any ongoing efforts to transfer, repatriate, remove, or otherwise facilitate the transport of any Plaintiff or member of the putative class from the United States,” Sooknanan wrote, per ABC News.

Sooknanan also called it “surprising” that the government was “attempting to remove minor children from the country in the wee hours of the morning on a holiday weekend.”

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign claimed the illegal minors are actually undergoing a repatriation process and that “all of these children have parents or guardians in Guatemala who have requested their return,” according to Fox News.

However, the judge claimed that she has been receiving conflicting stories that have forced her hand.

RELATED: Tom Homan says Trump administration has located 23,000 of the 300,000 migrant children lost under Biden administration

“I have conflicting narratives from both sides here on whether what is happening here is an attempt to reunite these children with their parents or just return these children to Guatemala where they face harm,” the judge stated.

Sooknanan said that in the court filings, the children themselves claimed that they were “afraid of going back to Guatemala” over a fear of abuse or neglect from their family members. One child also allegedly said their parents received a “strange phone call” about being deported back to Guatemala along with other minors.

Ensign’s explanation was far more simple, claiming that the government of Guatemala had requested the return of the children, all of whom have “parents or guardians in Guatemala who are requesting” that they be brought back.

“[The] United States government is trying to facilitate the return of these children to their parents or guardians from whom they have been separated,” Ensign said.

RELATED: Trump prepares massive immigration enforcement in sanctuary city

In a post on X, Dept. of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the judge’s order “disgusting and immoral,” while oppositely, the NILC’s Efrén Olivares called it a “dark and dangerous moment when our government chooses to target orphaned 10-year-olds.”

After some of the children had already boarded planes or had arrived to the planes on buses in Harlingen and El Paso, Texas — ready for deportation — they are now in custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

In total, the judge’s order blocks the deportation of about 700 Guatemalan minors.

Homeland Security did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

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On Saturday, August 30, the Florida State Seminoles, who finished last season with a dismal 2-10 record, pulled off a shocking victory against No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide. The underdogs dominated with a revamped offense led by new quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who accounted for 230 total yards and a touchdown, and a defense that stifled Alabama’s running game, limiting the team to 74 rushing yards.

The Seminoles’ triumph sent shock waves through college football, marking a stunning start to the season.

Furious Alabama fans are venting over head coach Kalen DeBoer’s performance, with some speculating about raising nearly $70 million to cover the buyout of his $87 million contract. Amid this unrest, rumors have swirled about legendary former coach Nick Saban returning to the sidelines or former NFL coach Jon Gruden being considered as a replacement.

“Kalen DeBoer may need to go. Nick Saban probably would be an upgrade. … Josh Gruden would be a significant upgrade and an incredible story,” Jason Whitlock agrees.

But Alabama’s woes go way deeper than a “coaching problem,” he says.

The Crimson Tide’s biggest issue is something mainstream media would never dare address: Its obsession with LGBTQ+ activism overshadows winning football games.

“The BLM LGBTQIA+ silent P alphabet mafia is ruining sports,” Jason says.

Wide receiver Ryan Williams, the Tide’s best player, he says, is an “alphabet soldier” who’s driving the culture at Alabama.

Not only does Williams regularly don painted fingernails, but he entered the Seminoles’ Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday carrying a stuffed T. rex, which is some kind of “anxiety doll.”

“And you’re wondering why the team is soft,” Jason scoffs.

“When your sexual identity and your desire to show off your feminine side, your womanly side, your alternative lifestyle side becomes the agenda, you got a problem that will affect the entire locker room,” he says.

“The head coach has to walk around on eggshells. He can’t talk the way that he used to talk because the best player might be offended.”

“Feminine energy doesn’t win football games. … Toxic masculinity and energy — that’s what wins football games,” he says.

As long as Alabama allows its “soft” culture to fester, its football will be subpar, he argues.

To hear more of his commentary, watch the video above.

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U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg, an Obama-appointed federal judge who has been working ardently to block the MAGA agenda, ordered the release last week of a woman accused of repeatedly threatening President Donald Trump’s life.

Nathalie Rose Jones of Lafayette, Indiana, was arrested in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 16 and charged with threatening to take the life of, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon the president and with transmitting threats across state lines.

‘Any threat to the president’s life should be taken incredibly seriously.’

“Threatening the life of the president is one of the most serious crimes and one that will be met with swift and unwavering prosecution. Make no mistake — justice will be served,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement.

According to the Justice Department, members of the U.S. Secret Service observed a series of increasingly concerning posts made on Instagram and Facebook between Aug. 2 and Aug. 15 by a user with the handle “nath.jones.”

The user started off parroting Democrat and liberal media talking points, allegedly labeling the president a terrorist and referring to his administration as a dictatorship.

However, on Aug. 6, “Nath.Jones” allegedly wrote in a Facebook post directed at the FBI, “I am willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea with Liz Cheney and all The Affirmation present.”

RELATED: If ‘words are violence,’ why won’t the left own theirs?

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The same user followed up the apparent death threat with an Aug. 14 post directed to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in which she allegedly wrote, “Please arrange the arrest and removal ceremony of POTUS Trump as a terrorist on the American People from 10-2pm at the White House on Saturday, August 16th, 2025.”

The U.S. Secret Service met with Jones on Aug. 15 and conducted a voluntary interview during which she allegedly called Trump a “terrorist” and a “Nazi” and allegedly said that if afforded the opportunity, she would kill the president.

The DOJ noted further that Jones said she “would take the president’s life and would kill him at ‘the compound’ if she had to, that she had a ‘bladed object,’ which she said was the weapon she would use to ‘carry out her mission of killing’ the president, and that she wanted to ‘avenge all the lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic,’ which she attributed to President Trump’s administration and its position on vaccinations.”

The day after her interview, Jones took part in a protest outside the White House, during which she told NewsNation, “This regime has to go, the whole administration.”

Jones added, “We will not exist in this authoritarian regime. We will not accept fascism.”

The U.S. Secret Service interviewed Jones a second time after the protest. Jones allegedly admitted to the USSS that she threatened Trump’s life during their previous interview.

Jones appears to be among the many American liberals who think that violence against their political opponents, Trump in particular, is justified.

A survey conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University’s Social Perception Lab revealed in April that 55% of respondents who identified as left of center said that assassinating President Trump would be at least somewhat justified.

RELATED: Trump and the left join forces to herd Democrats into a 2028 disaster

Photo by Carolyn Van Houten/Washington Post via Getty Images

A poll conducted by Scott Rasmussen’s RMG Research immediately following the alleged September 2024 attempt on Trump’s life at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, found that 28% of Democrats said it would have been better for the president to have been slaughtered on the green.

Jones was arrested after her second interview with the USSS and apparently confirmed that she had made the threatening statements as “Nath Jones” on social media.

“Special Agents from New York and Washington, D.C., working in close coordination with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, acted swiftly and decisively to neutralize this alleged threat before it could escalate,” said Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office.

Boasberg, whom Attorney General Pam Bondi slapped in July with a misconduct complaint “for making improper public comments about President Trump and his administration,” ordered Jones’ release on Wednesday.

Boasberg remanded Jones to the custody of her defense investigator, Tyrees Smith, and told her to “drive directly to New York City, taking only reasonable rests along the way and arriving in New York City to meet with her psychiatrist prior to 5 p.m. on August 27, 2025.”

When pressed for comment about Jones’ release, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Blaze News, “Any threat to the president’s life should be taken incredibly seriously — now more than ever considering President Trump has survived not one, but two, attempts on his life.”

“This should be common sense for anyone dealing with deranged individuals who make these types of threats,” added Jackson.

The Obama judge’s decision to cut Jones loose comes just weeks after a federal appeals court threw out Boasberg’s bid to pursue criminal contempt for Trump administration officials who deported illegal aliens to El Salvador.

Liz Wheeler of “The Liz Wheeler Show” noted earlier this year that Boasberg was a member of the “FISA court that rubber-stamped the illegal spy warrants against Trump during the Russiagate hoax. Boasberg was one of those judges signing off on it. ‘You go ahead and spy on Trump.'”

Boasberg also kept Kevin Clinesmith — the former FBI attorney who, according to the DOJ, fabricated evidence to support a surveillance application to the same FISA court, lying about Carter Page’s past cooperation with the CIA — out of jail.

The Obama judge gave Clinesmith only 12 months of probation and 400 hours of community service.

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​Assassination, Threats, Boasberg, Leftist, Donald trump, Secret service, James boasberg, Nathalie rose jones, Rose jones, Politics 

A Democrat commissioner in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, was one of nearly two dozen suspects arrested in connection with a “massive drug investigation” that spanned several years — and several states.

On Thursday, members of the Lehigh County Drug Task Force, with assistance from the Bethlehem Police Department and other agencies, arrested Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi at Bethlehem City Hall, where he worked as an open records officer. Cole-Borghi was charged with possession of marijuana and possession with the intent to deliver a pound of marijuana. He paid $50,000 bond and was released.

‘A wide-ranging conspiracy.’

Cole-Borghi, a first-term commissioner who won the Democratic primary for District 3 unopposed earlier this year, was just one of 22 individuals arrested in connection with this case. Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan claimed the investigation into the alleged drug ring began three years ago and extended all the way to Illinois, New York, and Wisconsin.

“This is a wide-ranging, as I said, multi-jurisdictional investigation, which included people yesterday who were arrested in the City of Chicago and the State of Wisconsin,” Holihan said at a press conference on Friday, according to lehighvalleylive.com. “And there are warrants for people in multiple counties in Pennsylvania, as well as the state of New York, I believe the state of New Jersey, Philadelphia — so a wide-ranging conspiracy.”

Holihan also noted that law enforcement officers had seized a massive haul of evidence related to the case.

“To date, some of the items seized include well over $100,000 in cash, crypto accounts, more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana, large quantities of THC, liquid cocaine, and MDMA pills. Additionally, at least 25 firearms were seized yesterday, including semi-automatic rifles and ghost guns. As part of the operation, two clandestine labs were discovered manufacturing illegal THC products. Those labs were discovered and dismantled by the PA State Police Clandestine Laboratory Team,” he said.

Bethlehem Human Resources Director Michelle Cichocki confirmed on Friday that Cole-Borghi no longer works for the city.

RELATED: Another race hoax? School board member charged after allegedly planting noose on her own desk

Althom/Getty Images

The extent of Cole-Borghi’s alleged participation in drug trafficking is unclear, and during the press conference, Holihan declined questions about the commissioner’s alleged involvement, citing the ongoing grand jury investigation.

However, several of Cole-Borghi’s colleagues have weighed in. Bethlehem City Council member Bryan Callahan called Cole-Borghi’s arrest “distressing news,” while Council member Grace Crampsie Smith described it as “disheartening,” according to WFMZ.

Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong confirmed that Cole-Borghi has not resigned his seat on the board of commissioners. Lehighvalleynews.com further reported that without an order from a judge, Cole-Borghi’s name cannot be removed from the November ballot at this point since the deadlines to withdraw and for parties to name a replacement already passed.

Cole-Borghi’s Republican opponent, Jacqueline Rivera, issued a statement following his arrest: “As community leaders, we are entrusted with a responsibility to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and service. The people of Lehigh County deserve representatives they can trust — leaders who will put families, neighborhoods, and the well-being of our community first.”

Cole-Borghi’s name and picture remain on the county commissioners’ website, though as of Tuesday morning, he has no accompanying biographical information listed there. Instead, the website claims his “profile information” will be “coming soon.”

Executive Armstrong said, “The residents of Lehigh County should know that we are monitoring the situation closely, and at the first opportunity, we will speak with all relevant parties. We hope to have a more substantial statement after we have had the opportunity to gather the facts.”

Cole-Borghi did not respond to a request for comment from lehighvalleylive.com.

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As lawmakers return from their five-week recess, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky is wasting no time to address the Epstein files.

Just as Republicans managed to drown out much of the Epstein drama, Massie is reigniting the fight for transparency surrounding the files.

‘Massie promptly pushed back on the move, calling it a “meaningless vote.”‘

Massie announced he will file a discharge petition as soon as the House is back in session on Monday, which would force a vote in the House to release the Epstein files, so long as he collects at least 218 signatures from his colleagues. If all 212 Democrats sign on, he will need signatures from at least six more Republican lawmakers.

“I pray Speaker Johnson will listen to the pleas of these victims for justice and quit trying to block a vote on our legislation to release the Epstein files,” Massie said in a post on X.

RELATED: Democrat lawmaker pounces on Epstein drama, calls for congressional vote

Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Massie’s bill, which is being co-led by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, requires all Epstein-related materials in the DOJ, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices to be made publicly available within 30 days of the bill’s passage.

The legislation would also require Attorney General Pam Bondi to submit a report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees listing all the categories of the records that were released and withheld, a summary and legal justification of all the redactions made, and a list of government officials and “politically exposed persons” named in the materials “with no redactions permitted.”

With respect to redactions, the bill clarifies no information may be withheld for purposes of “embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.”

The bill does allow for redactions for any content that violates the privacy of any victims involved; for child sexual abuse materials; if it jeopardizes an ongoing federal investigation or depicts death, abuse, or injury of a person; or if it is in the interest of national defense.

RELATED: FBI, DOJ Epstein memo sparks right-wing outrage: ‘Nobody is believing this’

Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Court Accountability

While Massie and Khanna continue their push for transparency, the House leadership also scheduled their own vote on a bill that would direct the House Oversight Committee to “continue its ongoing investigation” into the government’s “possible mismanagement” of the Epstein case.

Massie promptly pushed back on the move, calling it a “meaningless vote” that simply provides “political cover” for members who don’t support his bipartisan legislation. Massie and Khanna are also set to hold a joint press conference on Wednesday with 10 of Epstein’s victims to raise awareness and bring attention to their bill.

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​Ro khanna, Thomas massie, Epstein, Epstein files, House republicans, House democrats, Congress, August recess, Ghislaine maxwell, House oversight committee, Mike johnson, Pam bondi, Doj, Fbi, Us attorney, Epstein victims, Donald trump, Trump administration, Politics 

A Western Michigan player’s jersey is grabbing the attention of fans instead of his play after the college football kickoff last weekend.

A rivalry game between Michigan State University and Western Michigan University saw the Spartans win 23-6 at home, but one Broncos player stood out among the crowd in the losing effort.

‘This is still America right.’

Along with wearing the somewhat unique No. 0, it was not Mustafi Al-Garawi‘s two tackles that viewers took note of, but rather that the nameplate on his jersey was written in Arabic.

An East Tennessee State transfer, the senior defensive tackle submitted a request to Western Michigan in the summer asking if he could play his final season with Arabic writing on the back of his jersey.

According to Detroit News, Al-Garawi was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after his father was granted U.S. citizenship for rebelling against his own country (Iraq) during Saddam Hussein’s rule. Rashid Al-Garawi allegedly assisted U.S. forces in the Second Gulf War.

RELATED: Are MLB umpires getting worse? Fans say yes, but the stats might disagree

Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor and school officials approved the Arabic writing, seemingly following an NCAA rule that allows players to “celebrate or memorialize people, events or other causes, subject to school and/or conference approval,” according to CBS Sports in 2020.

The messages can vary from player to player.

After a college football fan page with 150,000 followers posted an image of Al-Garawi’s jersey, it was met with mostly negative reactions from fans.

“That’s awful,” one Texan wrote on X.

“Why is that cool. This is America. Nobody can read it,” another user said.

“This is still America right,” another fan replied.

At least a half-dozen X users called for Al-Garawi’s deportation, while some other fans even called the writing “gay.”

REALTED: English alone won’t cut it in a global economy

Charles Du’s #49 jersey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Photo by CFP/Getty Images

While this may be the first time a player name has been written in Arabic in an NCAA football game, there have already been two players who have had their names written in Chinese.

First, Arizona State University’s He Peizhang, aka Jackson He, had his name written in Chinese in 2020. He came to the U.S. from Guangdong, China, at 17 years old, according to South China Morning Post.

In 2025, Charles Du of Notre Dame grabbed headlines and social media attention when he had his name written in Chinese during the Sugar Bowl on January 2.

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​Football, Fearless, Ncaa, Michigan, Western michigan, Iraq, Saddam hussein, Michigan state, Sports 

CHICAGO, Ill. — The crowd of protesters were packed tightly around the Haymarket Memorial to participate in a Labor Day march that shifted focus on the potential deployment of National Guardsmen to the city. President Donald Trump has said repeatedly he would like to have the same crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., to be done in the Windy City.

Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) joined the protesters to continue expressing his disapproval of the Trump administration’s public safety plans for Chicago, which also include surging federal law enforcement agents.

“Are you prepared to defend this land? This land that [was] built by slaves. The land that was built by indigenous people. The land that was built by workers. Are you prepared to defend this land?” Johnson asked the cheering crowd. “I need you all to stand firm, to stand strong, if this president decides to continue to break this Constitution.”

Johnson then led a “No troops in Chicago!” chant.

— (@)

The protesting crowd featured many Mexican flags and flags from other Latin American countries as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed on Sunday extra immigration agents will be sent to the sanctuary city. While the crowd marched in neighborhoods close to the Loop, they did not march in the high-crime areas such as Humboldt Park or Englewood.

— (@)

RELATED: Watch how Mayor Brandon Johnson reacts when asked if he will accept more police funding in Chicago

Brandon Johnson KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Johnson and other state Democrats’ ongoing resistance to a federal crackdown on the city’s crime could not have come at a worse time as over 50 people were shot during the Labor Day weekend. From Friday to Monday, at least 54 people shot, seven fatally, according to ABC 7 Chicago. Some of the incidents were mass shootings, which took place within 48 hours of each other. One of the mass shootings took place close to the headquarters for the Chicago Police Department.

Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez (D), a staunch Johnson critic, asked those who would say “hell no” to extra federal personnel in the city: “How much crime do you find acceptable, how many people are you willing to make victims for your politics? In my opinion, any tool that prevents one more Chicagoan from being shot, robbed, carjacked, forced into human trafficking, or killed by cartel-delivered drugs is absolutely worth it!”

Lopez further suggested the National Guard protect the tourist areas of the city so Chicago police “don’t have to babysit the Bean or Buckingham Fountain for eight hours a day. Our officers can return to their districts [and] answer the thousands of 911 calls logged but never answered.”

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Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York has long been a pillar of the Democrat establishment in Washington, D.C. After 50 years in public office, the 78-year-old made a consequential announcement with respect to his congressional career.

As of Monday night, Nadler will no longer be seeking re-election in 2026, leaving a vacant seat in the heart of Manhattan. Nadler said that although his decision to retire was difficult, the longtime lawmaker wants “to pass the torch to a new generation” of Democrat leadership.

‘I don’t know what the future beyond 2026 holds.’

“This decision has not been easy,” Nadler said in a statement. “But I know in my heart it is the right one and that it is the right time to pass the torch to a new generation.”

Nadler was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 after serving in the New York State Assembly for 15 years. During his congressional tenure, he also served as chair of the House Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2023.

RELATED: 3 Senate races that could flip the balance of power: ‘This is a wake-up call’

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Notably, Nadler has not made clear what his next professional endeavor will be following his retirement.

“I don’t know what the future beyond 2026 holds, but I plan to stay fully engaged in the community that is my home and in the causes that I’ve championed throughout my life,” Nadler said.

“My plans for the next 16 months, however, are clear. I will continue to give everything I have to defend our democracy, protect our institutions, and fight for the values that as Americans and New Yorkers we share.”

RELATED: Exclusive: GOP lawmaker introduces bill barring illegal aliens from ‘sabotaged’ census

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

In a recent interview, Nadler said the aftermath of former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race was formative for the Democratic Party, noting that it “really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party.”

“I think I want to respect that,” Nadler said.

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​Jerry nadler, New york, Establishment democrats, Democratic party, House democrats, Joe biden, Old guard, Congress, House judiciary committee, The swamp, Manhattan, Politics 

What a lovely Labor Day weekend that was. As a new week begins, I find myself reflecting over all that happened these past three days. I must say what’s on my heart.

When you left last January, you assured me you would come back. I remember that moment like it was yesterday — your abrupt departure in the wee hours of a Tuesday morning.

Some of you for a time is better than none of you at all. I’ve come to accept this.

Seven months will go by “just like that,” you coyly suggested. That’s how I remember it, as the room went dark immediately upon your absence. Why must you do this to me?

I tried to wait for you, and by and large, I was successful. The truth is that but for a brief fling of madness in March, there’s been an unmistakable “you-shaped” hole in my life.

I never want to feel this emptiness again, yet something tells me that before long, it will happen again. Looking back, it’s the Saturdays without you that were the hardest.

I needn’t remind you that we spent that entire day together, you and I, from early morning to well past midnight. Other friends came and went, but I never took my eyes off you.

Those were happy times, with homemade soup on the stove, a fire on the hearth, and you, even more radiant than the turning colors outside, the center of my undivided attention.

I realize a bird of your beguiling plumage is meant to be free, and I’ve no right to keep you all to myself. But keep you I shall for the blissful time we’ve been given to spend together. When I’m not gazing lovingly at you, know this: I will be thinking of you.

Oh, the places we’ll go now that you’re back! Athens will be special this fall, rich in history and tradition as it is; Oxford, too. I suspect we’ll make memories together in many other places as well. Come January, you’re sure to bowl me over with some surprises of your own.

Speaking of that cruelest of months when, as if on a predetermined schedule, you flee, I shall try not to grow sullen. I’ll pursue other interests to take my lovesick mind off you. But it won’t be the same, for there is only one you. Nothing even comes close.

RELATED: A father-son movie bucket list

Alfieri via iStock/Getty Images

I know I’m not the only man who longs for you. I’m not even the only man on my cul-de-sac who longs for you. But you were crystal clear about this arrangement from the very beginning. I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last. Some of you for a time is better than none of you at all. I’ve come to accept this.

You know something? That’s enough pining by me. It’s all water under the bridge now. What matters most is that you have once again returned, as promised.

Absence has made the heart grow fonder. We are together again, my beloved, and for the next five months I’ll have eyes for nobody — and I mean nobody — except you.

Oh, how I have missed you, college football.

​Opinion & analysis, Funny conservative, Football, Love, Sports, Humor, College football 

Blaze News last week reported on a disturbing incident in Louisville, Kentucky, involving a grandmother who was alone on her porch in the middle of the day when her home surveillance camera captured a young male getting off his bike, walking up her driveway, and approaching her on the porch of her home.

As WLKY-TV reported, the male asks 78-year-old Jan Fletcher, “Is somebody in there? I don’t want to wake them. Is somebody in there?”

‘I want an apology for him doing it.’

Fletcher responds, “Yeah. Why?”

The station said the male was asking for directions to a well-known neighborhood park. But then the male got all the way onto the porch, walked behind Fletcher, and acted as though he was dusting something off her rear end.

But WLKY said the male soon repeatedly and violently groped Fletcher until she was able to stop him.

“I was so mad that it happened,” Fletcher recalled to the station during an on-camera interview. “I was thinking, ‘What could I have done different?’ But I don’t know what I could have done differently.”

Her granddaughter Jessica Powell-Page was understandably horrified and told WLKY that “she didn’t deserve that” and that the incident was “unacceptable.”

Well, Louisville Metro Police Department said police arrested a 13-year-old male Friday in connection with the incident and charged him with third-degree sexual abuse, WLKY said in a follow-up story.

Police said the male doesn’t live in the neighborhood where the incident occurred, the station added.

Despite the disturbing encounter, Fletcher noted to WLKY in its initial report that she’s lived in her neighborhood for 55 years and has felt safe — and that she’s not going anywhere.

“I’ve been asked if I’m afraid to sit here on my porch, and I’m not,” she noted to the station defiantly. “I want him to know you’re not scaring me. Absolutely not. So every day that it’s nice weather, I will be on my porch.”

Following the arrest, Fletcher told WLKY, “I want an apology for him doing it.”

“I really hate that these young people are out here doing stuff. I hate it; it’s sad. … What enjoyment do they get out of doing stuff? I don’t understand it,” Fletcher added to the station.

Louisville police told WLKY that “the elderly are often the victims of scams, harassment, and home invasion, which often start with suspicious questions at the door.” Police also offered the following tips, the station said.

Trust your instincts. If a person or situation makes you feel uneasy, trust your gut feeling. Acknowledge the potential threat and take action to stay safe.
Take note of your surroundings. Pay attention to potential hiding spots for an attacker, such as alleys, doorways, large bushes, or between parked vans. When walking past these areas, give them a wide berth.
Look for warning signs. Stay alert for suspicious behaviors, like someone following you on foot or in a vehicle. If you notice this, change directions, cross the street, or enter a business to signal that you have noticed them.

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​Arrest, 13-year-old male, Louisville, Groping, Grandmother, 78-year-old woman, Front porch, Home surveillance video, Sexual abuse charge, Crime 

Democrat Senator Tim Kaine (Va.) has weaseled an amendment into the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026 that would handcuff Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth when it comes to the naming of certain military bases and other Pentagon assets.

Erasure

The Department of Defense took part in the iconoclastic Biden-era sweep of American history that saw graves dug up, statues toppled, animals renamed, busts melted down, and church windows removed.

Pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021 — which survived a Dec. 23, 2020, veto by President Donald Trump — former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin established a commission to identify, for the purpose of removal, “names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia to assets of the Department of Defense that commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.”

Austin ultimately embraced all of the commission’s recommendations.

As a result, nine Army installations took on new names: Fort Bragg in North Carolina became Fort Liberty; Fort Benning in Georgia became Fort Moore; Fort Gordon in Georgia became Fort Eisenhower; Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia became Fort Walker; Fort Hood in Texas became Fort Cavazos; Fort Lee in Virginia became Fort Gregg-Adams; Fort Pickett in Virginia became Fort Barfoot; Fort Polk in Louisiana became Fort Johnson; and Fort Rucker in Alabama became Fort Novosel.

Restoration

These changes delighted Democrats and other leftists.

Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner (Va.), both on the Senate Armed Services Committee, were among those who celebrated the condemnation of memory, claiming in a joint statement that the name changes were “proof that progress is possible.”

RELATED: Exclusive: Moses Ezekiel’s historic sculpture finally set for installation in Arlington Cemetery, by the Southern graves it once marked

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Trump signaled a desire to reverse the changes.

Months after Hegseth restored the names of Forts Bragg and Benning, the commander in chief told a North Carolina crowd that the other seven Army installations were similarly getting their proper names back.

Among the Democrats prickled by this twist of fate was Kaine, who told reporters in June that Trump lacked the authority to make the name changes, stating, “The president can’t change the law on a whim, and his court jester Pete Hegseth can’t do it either.”

Prohibition

The U.S. Senate plans to vote this month on its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.

‘We learn from our triumphs and our pains, which makes our country stronger.’

The bill currently contains an amendment, section 349, which would require Hegseth to use the names of Pentagon assets in the Commonwealth of Virginia, including military bases, that were adopted by the Biden-era naming commission.

This amendment, which Kaine’s office confirmed to Blaze News was the Virginia Democrat’s handiwork, bars Hegseth from overriding the Virginia-specific naming recommendations of the commission.

If the NDAA 2026 is passed as is, Forts A.P. Hill, Lee, and Pickett will become Forts Walker, Gregg-Adams, and Barfoot, just as the Biden-era revisionists intended.

When pressed on whether there was a conversation about limiting this prohibition to Virginia, the office of one Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee told Blaze News, “NDAA deliberations are held at a classified level, so we cannot comment on the process involved in the inclusion of this provision.”

Blaze News reached out to several Republicans on the committee to ask whether they would fight the amendment but has so far received no confirmations.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement to Blaze News, “Past administrations have tried to rename bases that should [never have] been changed in the first place. Here at the Pentagon, we honor our American history and traditions; we don’t erase it.”

“We learn from our triumphs and our pains, which makes our country stronger,” added Wilson.

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​Tim kaine, Pete hegseth, Fort bragg, Fort lee, Fort hood, Fort a.p. hill, Fort pickett, Fort rucker, Pentagon, Military, Defense, Department of defense, Donald trump, Kaine, Democrats, Renaming, Base, Army, Army base, Politics 

Law enforcement in the United Kingdom appears to have difficulty clamping down on imported rape gangs but is quick to make arrests for thought-crimes such as expressing a love for bacon within earshot of a future mosque, unfurling the British flag, singing gospel music in public, praying silently for aborted babies, and, in the case of Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan, criticizing trans activists.

Following his trip to the United States, Linehan, the co-creator of the television program “Father Ted” and creator of “The IT Crowd,” was greeted at London’s Heathrow Airport by five armed police officers.

‘I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist.’

The Metropolitan Police Service confirmed to Blaze News that Linehan was arrested by the MPS Aviation Unit on suspicion of inciting violence.

The comedy writer noted on his Substack that police escorted him to a private area and told him he was “under arrest for three tweets.”

Linehan indicated that “in a country where pedophiles escape sentencing, where knife crime is out of control, where women are assaulted and harassed every time they gather to speak, the state had mobilized five armed officers to arrest a comedy writer” for the following tweets:

an April 19 tweet where he captioned a photograph of a trans-activist protest, “A photo you can smell.”a follow-up to the smelly protest tweet where he clarified for the benefit of a critic, “I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F**k them.”an April 20 tweet where he wrote, “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.”

“When I first saw the cops, I actually laughed. I couldn’t help myself. ‘Don’t tell me! You’ve been sent by trans activists,'” wrote Linehan. “The officers gave no reaction and this was the theme throughout most of the day. Among the rank-and-file, there was a sort of polite bafflement. Entirely professional and even kind, but most had absolutely no idea what any of this was about.”

The comedy writer noted that after taking a nap in a locked cell, he was hauled before an officer, who grilled him about his tweets.

RELATED: Why the English flag now terrifies the regime

Photo by Krisztian Elek/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

“Eventually, a nurse came to check on me and found my blood pressure was over 200 — stroke territory,” wrote Linehan. “The stress of being arrested for jokes was literally threatening my life! So I was escorted to [accident and emergency], where I write this now after spending about eight hours under observation.”

Linehan indicated he was ultimately freed on bail on the conditions that he does not go on X and will show up to another police interview in October.

The writer concluded:

I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist, locked in a cell like a criminal, taken to hospital because the stress nearly killed me, and banned from speaking online — all because I made jokes that upset some psychotic crossdressers. To me, this proves one thing beyond doubt: the UK has become a country that is hostile to freedom of speech, hostile to women, and far too accommodating to the demands of violent, entitled, abusive men who have turned the police into their personal goon squad.

“On Monday, 1 September at 13:00hrs officers arrested a man at Heathrow Airport after he arrived on an inbound American Airlines flight,” a police spokeswoman told Blaze News. “The man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. This is in relation to posts on X.”

“After being taken to police custody, officers became concerned for his health and he was taken to hospital. His condition is neither life-threatening nor life-changing,” continued the spokeswoman. “He has now been bailed pending further investigation.”

The spokeswoman indicated the officers were armed but did not draw their weapons at any point during the arrest.

This is hardly Linehan’s first run-in with Britain’s thought police.

The BAFTA-winning comedy writer was charged with harassment and with allegedly breaking a trans-identifying man’s phone in April. His trial in that case is reportedly set to begin this month.

Vice President JD Vance noted earlier this year that free speech in the United Kingdom “is in retreat.”

“The entire collective West — our transatlantic relationship, our NATO allies, certainly the United States under the Biden administration — got a little too comfortable with censoring rather than engaging with a diverse range of opinions,” Vance said during his visit to the U.K. last month. “I just don’t want other countries to follow us on what I think was a very dark path under the Biden administration.”

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​England, United kingdom, Uk, Britain, Thoughtcrime, Police, Censorship, Trans, Transgender, Lgbt, Transvestite, Graham linehan, Politics 

The Metropolitan Police have been experimenting with and refining their live facial recognition technology for nearly a decade. Large events, such as the recent Notting Hill Festival in West London, have been used as special targets for the police force’s technology.

Not everyone is on board with this surveillance technology, however. Several groups have come forward to call for the reconsideration of the use of this technology on several grounds, including the fact that the legitimacy of the technology is relatively unproven both in practice and in law.

‘We all want criminals off the streets, but turning [the] carnival into a mass police lineup is not the way to do it.’

According to the BBC, 11 organizations urged Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley in a letter to abandon the technology, warning that it is a “mass surveillance tool that treats all carnival-goers as potential suspects” and has “no place at one of London’s biggest cultural celebrations.”

RELATED: YouTube admits to secretly manipulating videos with AI

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

The recent letter, signed by Big Brother Watch, Human Rights Watch, Liberty, the Runnymede Trust, Race on the Agenda, Privacy International, Statewatch, Open Rights Group, Stop Watch, Race Equality First, and Access Now, highlights the invasiveness, past errors, and the potential lack of legality of the use of this technology.

LFR has been used at the Notting Hill Carnival dating back to 2016 and 2017, according to a Sky News report. Using cameras mounted on police vans, LFR matches live people’s faces against police records. This purportedly gives police the ability to know exactly who to pull aside for “questioning,” especially in crowded areas or large events.

Rowley admitted that “at that time, the technology was in its early stages and the algorithm’s performance was limited.” However, the tech has since made “considerable progress,” at least according to the commissioner.

The letter points out that the “Notting Hill Carnival is an event that specifically celebrates the British African Caribbean community, yet the MPS is choosing to use a technology with a well-documented history of inaccurate outcomes and racial bias.”

Rebecca Vincent, the interim director of Big Brother Watch, told Sky News, “We all want criminals off the streets, but turning [the] carnival into a mass police lineup is not the way to do it.”

The Met has reportedly announced that the technology has led to 457 arrests and seven false alerts since January 2025.

While the Met claims that the technology has improved substantially, the concerned groups have demonstrated the adverse effects of LFR on law-abiding citizens. In February 2024 or 2025, Shaun Thompson, a black Londoner coming home from his work at a community outreach program called Street Fathers, was stopped by police outside the London Bridge Station. According to his telling of events, he was told that he was “wanted” and was held for roughly 30 minutes because the software had mistakenly identified him as a suspect. He described this incident with the police as a “stop and search on steroids.”

Commissioner Rowley defended the “doubling” of the tech by saying it can be used to “disrupt and deter” the minority of festival attendees who might cause problems, according to the BBC.

“Where we know that LFR can help locate individuals the police need to speak to, and those people pose a public safety risk to the many seeking to enjoy Carnival, it is entirely reasonable to ask — why wouldn’t you use it in this context?” he said.

More LFR vans are expected to be rolled out soon in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, and Hampshire, according to Metro. They are already in use by South Wales Police, Essex, and Met Police areas.

Return contacted Big Brother Watch for comment and was referred to its press release page for additional information.

​Tech, Lfr, Live facial recognition, Metropolitan police department, London, Big brother watch, Notting hill carnival, Shaun thompson, Rebecca vincent, Mark rowley 

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The announcement came just hours after Giuliani had a brush with death in Manchester, New Hampshire.

According to New Hampshire State Police, Giuliani and his driver, Theodore Goodman, were traveling southbound Saturday evening on the Interstate 93 when they were flagged down by a woman on the roadside who indicated that she had been involved in a domestic violence incident.

‘This was not a targeted attack.’

The 81-year-old former mayor and his driver stopped to provide assistance, called police, then waited with the woman until troopers arrived to investigate.

After speaking with the troopers and disclosing what they witnessed, the mayor and Goodman got back into their rental Ford Bronco and pulled onto the interstate. Police indicated, however, that just moments later, a woman driving a Honda HR-V rammed into the rear of the vehicle “almost directly across from the scene of the reported domestic violence incident on the southbound side.”

The driver of the Honda, identified as 19-year-old Lauren Kemp of Concord, is not believed to have any connection to the domestic violence incident. As of Sunday evening, no charges had been filed.

RELATED: Trump to DC: Crime is a choice

Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images

Fortunately, the troopers who were still at the scene were able to provide immediate first aid.

Goodman and Kemp both sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Michael Ragusa, Giuliani’s head of security, indicated in a statement that Giuliani was transported to a nearby trauma center, where he was diagnosed with a fractured spine, multiple lacerations and contusions, and injuries to his left arm and lower leg.

Ragusa noted further that “this was not a targeted attack” and asked “everyone to respect Mayor Giuliani’s privacy and recovery, and refrain from spreading unfounded conspiracy theories.”

Arthur Aidala, a friend of Giuliani, told the New York Times that the former mayor’s spirits were high after leaving the hospital on Monday afternoon.

“I have some healing to do, but I’m otherwise in great shape,” said Giuliani, according to Aidala.

“As President of the United States of America, I am pleased to announced that Rudy Giuliani, the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot, will receive THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, our Country’s highest civilian honor,” Trump noted in a Monday afternoon post on Truth Social.

Giuliani served as New York City mayor from 1994 through 2001. In addition to overseeing a radical drop in crime and implementing policies that helped transform the city for the better, Giuliani stalwartly led his city through the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Trump added, “Details as to time and place to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

The Medal of Freedom was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

While it is supposed to be awarded to individuals like Giuliani — those “who have made exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors” — former President Joe Biden awarded it in his final months in office to a woman who made millions of dollars helping snuff out millions of American lives; to accused sex creep and former Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd; Democrat megadonor George Soros; failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton; and former members of the Jan. 6 committee.

Giuliani has in years past been recognized for his leadership with various honors, including a knighthood from the late Queen Elizabeth II and with Person of the Year for 2001 from Time magazine.

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Tennis player Jelena Ostapenko was labeled “racist” by fans after she insulted opponent Taylor Townsend following a match at the 2025 U.S. Open.

Townsend hammered Ostapenko, winning in straight sets — 7-5, 6-1 — before the two shook hands at the end of play. Immediately after, and with Townsend saying “good match,” the opponents got into an argument about tennis etiquette.

Etiquette, however, was not the actual problem. Rather, it was Ostapenko’s alleged insults toward Townsend that some viewers believed were “racist.”

‘People get upset when they lose, and some people say bad things.’

“You have to say sorry,” No. 26-ranked Ostapenko is heard saying on video. The rest of her rant toward 139-ranked Townsend remained a mystery until a subsequent on-court interview.

“Can you fill us in on the conversation you were having with Jelena,” an ESPN reporter asked Townsend.

“Yeah, I mean, you know, it’s competition. People get upset when they lose, and some people say bad things,” the American began. “She told me I have no class. I have no education and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.”

Ostapenko is Latvian.

Townsend continued, strangely stating, “I’m looking forward to it. I mean, I beat her in Canada, outside the U.S. I beat her in New York, outside the U.S. So let’s see what else she has to say.”

Later at a press conference, Townsend was asked directly if she felt the Latvian’s remarks had racial undertones.

RELATED: Tennis star stops match to make absurd demand about a baby in the crowd

“That’s something that you’re going to have to ask her,” Townsend replied.

The 29-year-old then admitted that she did not feel the remarks were actually racist.

“I didn’t take it in that way. But also, you know, that has been a stigma in our community of, you know, being non-educated and all the things when it’s the furthest thing from the truth. And the thing that I’m the most proud of is that I let my racket talk,” she said.

As reported by the Daily Mail, Ostapenko said on her social media account that she felt it was “very disrespectful” of Townsend when she “had a net ball in a very deciding momen[t] and didn’t say sorry, but her answer was that she doesn’t have to say sorry at all.”

“It was first time ever that this happened to me on tour … if she plays in her homeland it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants,” the 28-year-old Latvian stated.

Ostapenko’s social media has been flooded with claims that her on-court remarks were racist, with comments appearing on her Instagram page, such as: “Not only is your racism showing but so was your lack of class. You don’t like the calls take it up with the ref.”

Another user wrote, “I pray you learn how to take your losses and get rid of your racist thoughts and behavior. It’s not a good look.”

The athlete later responded to the claims on her page.

RELATED: Coco Gauff: ‘I’m proud to represent the Americans that LOOK like me’

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia (L) argues with Taylor Townsend of the United States (R) following their Women’s Singles Second Round match on Day Four of the 2025 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 27, 2025, in New York City. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

“Wow how many messages I received that I am a racist,” Ostapenko wrote on Instagram. “I was NEVER racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn’t matter where you come from.”

“There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately when the crowd is with you you can’t use it in disrespectful way to your opponent,” she continued.

“Unfortunately for me coming from such a small country I don’t have that huge support and a chance to play in homeland,” she added. “I always loved to play in the US and US OPEN, but this is the first time someone is approaching the match this disrespectful way.”

Despite Townsend remarking that Ostapenko was not being racist at the time, she felt it necessary to declare she is representing black people when competing.

“Whether it had racial undertones or not, that’s something she can speak on,” the Illinois native stated.

“[I’m] very proud as a black woman being out here representing myself and representing us and our culture,” she said. “I make sure that I do everything that I can to be the best representation possible every time that I step on the court and even off the court.”

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​Fearless, Tennis, Racism, Racist, Woke, Latvia, Us open, Women’s sports, Sports