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The saddest number in the Reuters/Ipsos America 250 poll is not Donald Trump’s approval rating, which is bad enough. It is not the 77% of Americans who expect political violence to increase over the next five years. It is not even the 38% who doubt the United States will exist as a single country in 2276.

The saddest number is 30.

America reaches its 250th birthday not as a confident republic, but as an anxious one.

Only 30% of Americans say America is the greatest country in the world.

That doesn’t mean the rest hate the country. Polls can reveal what people are willing to say. They are notoriously bad at explaining why they say it. Forty-eight percent say America is one of many great countries. Thirteen percent say America is not great at all.

But the partisan split exposes the wound. Sixty-two percent of Republicans say America is the greatest country in the world. Only 11% of Democrats say the same. Among independents, the number is 20%.

We’re past mere disagreements over policy. People are no longer talking about the same country.

America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and Americans can barely agree what the birthday means. Seventy percent say observing the anniversary matters. But only 34% say they are likely to attend or view an America 250 event. Fifty-five percent say they are unlikely. Sixty-three percent say the events have become too political.

Even the Fourth of July no longer escapes the country’s partisan sorting. Asked what best describes the holiday, 42% call it “a day where I celebrate the United States of America.” Among Republicans, 65% choose that answer. Among Democrats, only 24% do.

Twenty-four percent of Democrats and independents say they will not celebrate at all, compared with 8% of Republicans.

Flags tell the same story. Forty-one percent of Americans say they will display a flag or bunting outside their home on July Fourth. Sixty-four percent of Republicans will. Twenty-seven percent of Democrats will. Thirty-three percent of independents will.

A flag should not require a party registration. Neither should gratitude.

RELATED: Damning poll reveals what Democrats actually think of America ahead of its 250th birthday

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Reuters/Ipsos poll is not an outlier. Gallup reported in 2025 that American pride had fallen to the lowest point in its polling history. In 2001, 87% of Americans said they were extremely or very proud to be American. After 9/11, that figure rose to 90%. Last year, it fell to 58%.

The partisan gap was immense: 92% of Republicans, 36% of Democrats, and 53% of independents said they were extremely or very proud to be American. PRRI’s 2026 America 250 survey was even bleaker: 51% of Americans said they were extremely or very proud of being American, down from 82% in 2013.

This problem cannot be solved by scolding. Some Democrats should be ashamed of their reluctance to love the country that shelters them. Some Republicans should be ashamed of mistaking loyalty to a president for loyalty to the republic. But contempt will not repair our civic fabric.

The more painful truth is that the presidency has become a proxy for the country. When their side holds the White House, Americans find it easier to say the country is good. When the other side holds it, the flag begins to look like a campaign banner, the holiday like a rally, and the anniversary like propaganda.

A healthy polity would know the difference between a country and an administration. Presidents come and go. The country remains. The Declaration remains. The graves remain. The songs remain. The old promises and principles remain.

But Americans struggle to make that distinction.

Still, the Reuters/Ipsos poll contains signs of life. Seventy-five percent say they value elections even when their party loses. Seventy-three percent say democracy is the best form of government. Seventy percent say the Declaration’s 250th anniversary should be observed. Sixty-one percent say celebrating July Fourth should make them think about America’s founding beliefs and ideals.

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Ken Cedeno/AFP/Getty Images

Those are not the numbers of a dead country. They are the numbers of a seriously wounded one.

The distinction is vital because wounded countries can still heal. Dead ones obviously cannot. Americans have not forgotten the old civic language — at least not entirely. We still recognize liberty, democracy, the Declaration, the flag, and the Fourth. But those words now come carrying the stench of faction.

So America reaches its 250th birthday not as a confident republic, but as an anxious one. We still have fireworks, flags, cookouts, parades, and songs. Beneath the rituals sits a terrible question: Can a people remain one people when they no longer know how to be grateful for the inheritance?

Polls cannot answer that. They only show the wound.

A nation does not survive 250 years because its people are always proud of it. A nation survives when enough people love it through disappointment, correct it without despising it, and inherit it without pretending they invented it.

America doesn’t need citizens who pretend the wound is not there. It needs citizens who can see it clearly and love the country anyway.

​America 250, Donald trump, Democrats, Republicans, Approval ratings, Patriotism, Americans, Declaration of independence, Opinion & analysis 

St. Herman’s Table, an Orthodox Christian ministry, serves meals and shares the gospel with the homeless at a park in Phoenix, Arizona, every Thursday. Volunteers distribute water, small hygiene items, and Bibles as part of their outreach.

However, this weekly act of almsgiving and evangelizing is now at the center of a lawsuit after the Phoenix City Council approved the Medical Treatment and Food Distribution in Parks Ordinance, which would effectively prevent St. Herman’s Table, a ministry of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Orthodox Church, from continuing its charitable efforts.

‘Phoenix provides no evidence or meaningful argument explaining why a birthday party providing cake to twenty select two-year-olds is any less likely to strain park resources with noise or mess than a religiously-motivated gathering open to twenty members of the public.’

St. Herman’s Table and its founder, Lance Brace, filed a lawsuit against Phoenix, arguing that the new ordinance, which took effect in early June, violates the First Amendment and the Arizona Free Exercise of Religion Act by criminalizing their weekly almsgiving, which, he notes, is a mandatory practice of the Orthodox Church.

The city’s website described the ordinance as “establishing a comprehensive framework for medical treatment and food distribution events in City parks,” where there was previously no formal oversight. The new rule requires those like St. Herman’s Table to apply for a permit to distribute food.

Critics of the ordinance argue that it effectively amounts to a ban by limiting permits to just two per park each month. Furthermore, it restricts these activities to parking lots or other hardscape areas, which generally lack shade and other amenities.

Brace, who spoke with Blaze News, described what inspired him, his wife, and his son to start St. Herman’s Table. After becoming baptized into the Orthodox Church, Brace had an “overwhelming feeling” that he needed to help his local homeless neighbors.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Orthodox Church already had a program in which its parishioners would assemble bags filled with food, water, clothing, and other essential items. Church members would keep these care packages in their cars to be distributed to homeless individuals they encounter while driving around the city.

RELATED: ‘Gross misuse of federal funding’: HUD cuts off funds to LA homeless services agency over fraud concerns

Image source: Lance Brace

Brace became involved in the church’s charitable efforts and drove to various parks and other locations to provide care packages.

“We kept ending up at this same park, the Cave Creek Park at Cactus, and got to know several of the people that were there very consistently. And just had this feeling like this is where we need to be,” Brace said.

Father Thomas Frisby, with the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Orthodox Church, told Blaze News that St. Herman’s Table is a “grassroots” effort led by the Brace family.

“If you knew the couple that’s running this, they are just extremely conscientious and just great people. It was literally just birthed out of, they lived near there, they would see people in the park, and they’re like, ‘Let’s do something to help,’” Frisby stated.

In Oct. 2025, Brace and his family started preparing homemade meals on Wednesdays and setting up a buffet at the Cave Creek Park at Cactus on Thursday evenings to serve food and pray with those in need. Members of Brace’s church soon learned that he was hosting weekly meals at the park, and they began volunteering alongside Brace and his family.

“By about December, early January, we had consistently about five different parishioners that would come out every week. And it really became, at that point, an organization, an event,” Brace stated.

Around the same time St. Herman’s Table was growing, the Phoenix City Council approved the Safe Medical Treatment in Parks Ordinance, which aimed to enhance park safety by regulating medical activities in public parks. Councilmembers’ Dec. 2025 decision to pass this ordinance followed resident concerns about sanitation issues in parks, particularly regarding drug use and discarded syringes.

The ordinance’s effective date was delayed twice “to allow time for stakeholder outreach to be conducted.” Then, in Mar. 2026, the city proposed a revised order, the Medical Treatment and Food Distribution in Parks Ordinance, which expanded regulations to limit food distribution. The new ordinance took effect on June 7.

The city’s ordinance does not apply to family members aiding one another, private gatherings, or the distribution of water.

Those who violate the order could be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, which could lead to a sentence of up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

RELATED: Socialist mayoral candidate is outraged at encampment outside her LA home — but it’s not what it seems

Image source: Lance Brace

In response to the St. Herman’s Table lawsuit, a spokesperson for Phoenix stated that the city intends to defend its ordinance, which it believes is lawful.

Several days after St. Herman’s Table filed the complaint, a judge granted a temporary restraining order preventing the city from enforcing its ordinance against the organization and Brace for 14 days.

“Phoenix provides no evidence or meaningful argument explaining why a birthday party providing cake to twenty select two-year-olds is any less likely to strain park resources with noise or mess than a religiously-motivated gathering open to twenty members of the public,” the judge wrote.

Phoenix agreed to comply with the judge’s order, but argued that the ordinance “makes no distinction based on religion.”

“The City Council adopted this ordinance to ensure that all residents can enjoy their neighborhood parks, and it applies equally to anyone who wants to hold a feeding event at a park,” the city said. “The ordinance simply provides an effective tool to regulate and manage the growing competition in City parks between food distribution events and other, more traditional park uses, like children’s play, youth sports, adult recreation, and family outings.”

Brace rejected the idea that St. Herman’s Table’s efforts to feed the homeless compromise the cleanliness and safety of the park.

“Everything that we’re doing with St. Herman’s, we’re doing in love. And that includes how we’re approaching the City Council, the Parks Department, and potentially any police officers that might have to enforce this ordinance,” Brace stated. “They are also our neighbors, and we love them deeply.”

“It’s being a lot of times framed, in my opinion, as we don’t want clean and safe parks, right? That we want to take care of these people at the detriment of the park. And I just don’t agree with that,” he added.

He stated that St. Herman’s volunteers make a deliberate effort to remove trash before and after their weekly event. The group claims that the city has never cited them for the park gatherings.

When reached for comment on why the city chose to combine park restrictions on medical services and food distribution, rather than separating the two categories, Phoenix’s Parks and Recreation Department referred Blaze News to its webpage detailing the ordinance.

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​News, Arizona, Phoenix, Homeless, Free speech, First amendment, Politics, Christianity 

A recent national survey found something rather alarming. Nearly half of Americans say the fun has faded from their lives. The top excuse is predictable — money. Over half say they simply can’t afford to enjoy themselves any more.

Interestingly, the people who do make time for fun report less stress, stronger relationships, and more motivation. In other words, the payoff is real. And the barrier is not as simple as the price tag.

There’s also something to be said for reviving lost habits: pickup sports, church gatherings, volunteering, even old-fashioned storytelling.

We have trained ourselves to think fun is expensive. That didn’t happen by accident. Social media sells a deadly diet of curated lifestyles — vacations, rooftop bars, luxury dinners, perfectly staged “memories.” Reality TV ups the ante with drama and excess. Fun, in this version of life, is something you buy, document, and broadcast. If it doesn’t look impressive, it doesn’t count.

That idea is both wrong and exhausting.

Simple, local, shared

For most of human history, fun was simple, local, and shared. It was built around people, not purchases. Somewhere along the way, we replaced connection with consumption and then acted surprised when both our wallets and our spirits ran dry.

The truth is, some of the best forms of fun cost next to nothing, and they tend to be the ones that actually work.

Start with the obvious: time with other people. The survey itself admits what many already know but ignore — shared fun strengthens relationships. Not curated, expensive outings. Just shared time.

A backyard cookout beats a $200 night out more often than people admit. A few burgers, a cheap speaker, maybe someone brings a folding chair that’s seen better days. It’s not glamorous. That’s the point. People relax. They talk. They laugh hard, let their hair down, and leave feeling re-energized.

Playing, not paying

Game nights are another example. Not the staged, Instagram-ready kind, but the slightly chaotic version. A deck of cards, an ancient board game, or even something improvised. Half the fun is in the arguing over rules and the inevitable cheating accusations.

Then there’s the outdoors, still one of the best bargains left in America. A walk through the neighborhood, a hike up a nearby trail, a pickup game at the local court, an afternoon fishing at a quiet pond. None of it costs much more than the time you put in.

Even something as simple as a long drive can reset a person. No destination needed. Just music, conversation, and maybe a wrong turn that ends at a gas station selling fireworks, ammunition, and wedding dresses. Gas costs money, sure. But compared to most “entertainment,” it’s pocket change

Some ideas lean practical. Others lean a bit ridiculous, and that’s part of their charm.

RELATED: My new hack for a long, healthy life? Getting married

Universal/Getty Images

Thrift tour

Try a “no-spend day” with friends or family. The rule is simple: No one spends a dime, but everyone has to contribute an idea. You end up with a strange mix. Maybe a park visit, followed by a kitchen experiment, followed by someone insisting on teaching a skill they barely understand.

Or host a “bad movie night.” Everyone brings/suggests the worst film they can find. The goal isn’t to be entertained, but to acknowledge how terrible it is. You’ll get more genuine enjoyment out of that than sitting silently through a $250 million film whose plot you couldn’t summarize at gunpoint.

There’s also something to be said for reviving lost habits: pickup sports, church gatherings, volunteering, even old-fashioned storytelling. These used to be normal parts of life. Now they feel almost novel, which says more about our culture than it should.

Other people’s fun

The issue goes beyond money. It comes down to isolation.

The same survey points out that social circles have shrunk. People have fewer friends, fewer regular meetups, and fewer shared routines. That is not solved by a bigger paycheck. You can have more money and still sit alone on a couch, scrolling through other people’s “fun.”

In fact, that’s exactly what many people do.

There’s an idiotic assumption that if finances improved, life would suddenly feel fuller. But look at the data again. What people actually benefit from is participation rather than spending. It’s being with others. It’s stepping out of the passive role and into something shared.

Money can help, no doubt. It can remove certain barriers. But it cannot replace effort, initiative, or community. Those are choices.

If anything, the “money excuse” has become a convenient shield. It lets people avoid the obvious truth. Building a life with real enjoyment requires intention. It requires calling people, making plans, and actually showing up at the agreed-upon venue at the agreed-upon time.

Fun still exists. It just got crowded out — by work, by screens, by the idea that everything worthwhile must come with the swipe of a credit card.

Once we drop that idea, something refreshing happens. Fun becomes accessible again. So make the call, organize a game night, watch a so-bad-it’s-good movie with more than one sad soul in the room. And prove that fun doesn’t require a reservation, a dress code, or a payment plan.

​Community, Fun, Isolation, Lifestyle, Money, Reality tv, Relationships, Social media, Storytelling, Vacations, Leisure 

A Detroit man is accused of a horrific string of child sex assaults after being released on bond for similar accusations in 2025.

33-year-old Denzielle Burt was released in June 2025, about a month after the initial child sex charges, according to a WJBK-TV report.

‘The court does find you to be a danger to those witnesses, and you have cases also pending find you’re a danger to the community.’

He had been charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and posted 10% of the $250,000 bond.

Burt then raped his then-girlfriend’s daughters, ages 8 and 9 years old, over a period of six months, according to prosecutors.

“The allegations are very serious. They’re multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct against 8- and 9-year-old complaining witnesses,” said Magistrate Delphia Burton of the 36th District Court.

“Based upon those allegations, the court does find you to be a danger to those witnesses, and you have cases also pending find you’re a danger to the community,” she added.

Court records indicate Burt was arrested on Thursday and charged with first-degree felony criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13.

No bond was recorded at that time.

Prosecutors said the two victims reportedly told the same story in forensic interviews.

WJBK said Burt pleaded not guilty.

There is little information known about the suspect apart from his job as a line cook and also that he has children of his own.

RELATED: Homeless man allegedly kidnapped and raped 15-year-old Seattle girl — and has a long record

Burton remanded Burt to jail during his arraignment, and he is due for another hearing on Thursday.

He will remain in jail throughout the criminal court process.

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​Child rape, Detroit, Child sex assault, Out on bond, Crime 

There is a moment in every war, somewhere between the first triumphant press conference and the first encounter with reality, when the slogans begin to turn rancid.

Television panels flash maps. Talking heads bloviate. Officials insist that everything is proceeding according to plan. But you can’t outrun the truth forever. The central lie on which the war rested begins to collapse under the crushing weight of events.

Thomas Jefferson warned us more than two centuries ago: ‘Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.’ That remains the sanest policy available.

No one should sugarcoat what has happened: America has been defeated by a lesser regional power.

I was horrified when the war began. I said then that if the initial strikes failed to decapitate the Iranian government and cause the regime to fall, Iran had already won. I am no deep geopolitical expert and no Nostradamus, but anyone with modest knowledge of the region could see where this was headed.

Because of a geographic accident, a backward theocracy can threaten one of the most important arteries in the world economy. Roughly 20% of global energy supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz. If that flow is disrupted, the result is economic catastrophe. The problem is not just oil. Fertilizer, liquefied natural gas, petrochemicals, and dozens of inputs that make modern life possible move through the same system.

Meanwhile, because Iran has endured decades of sanctions, it is less exposed to some of the pressures now wrecking others. As oil prices spike, Tehran profits.

These facts do not require affection for the Iranian regime. Tehran’s record on political repression, censorship, regional adventurism, and support for militant proxies is horrific. The question was never whether one approves of the regime. The question was whether war would accomplish the objectives announced in its name.

Washington’s understanding of Iran has repeatedly proven shallower than policymakers imagine. Talk to Iranians who are not nostalgic for the shah, and they will often describe a much more complicated country than the bloodthirsty totalitarian caricature presented by much of the media. Many may hate the ayatollahs. But they also fear the alternative: a failed state like Syria or Libya.

Iran is an ancient civilization. Civilizations, unlike a school full of girls, cannot be destroyed from the air.

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What did victory even mean? Iran has nearly 100 million people, a territory almost three times the size of Texas, some of the most forbidding terrain on earth, and a population with deep nationalist feeling tied to 4,000 years of history. Short of reinstituting the draft and landing half a million soldiers, how exactly did anyone expect Iran simply to surrender?

One of the most disconcerting aspects of this war has been the relative failure of the American military when faced with weapons that will define the 21st century: drones and missiles. Reports of damaged bases, lost aircraft and multimillion-dollar drones, evacuated facilities, and strained air defenses should alarm every serious person in Washington.

One of our carriers, the $13 billion Gerald R. Ford, has been knocked out of commission for years because of an unexplained laundry fire that burned for 30 hours and almost sank the ship.

Whatever the final accounting shows, Iran and the war in Ukraine have made one thing clear: The future of warfare does not belong to giant military bases and aircraft carriers alone. It belongs increasingly to cheap, plentiful, highly effective drones.

The Shahed may go down as one of the most important military innovations of our time. It is effectively a low-cost cruise missile with a meaningful payload, long range, and a flight path that can be programmed in advance. It can be stored in a garage, launched from a truck, and produced at a fraction of the cost of the systems designed to stop it. And Iran has nearly 100,000 of them.

The age of drone warfare is here, and America looks flat-footed. Getting into an arrow war with the Persians was a mistake for Rome at Carrhae. We should have remembered the lesson.

Lies and disinformation can survive only so long against reality. We were never going to win this war. The Iranian people were never going to rise up and install a pro-LGBTQ democracy. Iran’s navy was never destroyed in any meaningful strategic sense. And whatever one believes about the nuclear question, airstrikes were never a substitute for a durable political settlement.

Now we are on the verge of a global economic crisis that could endanger some of our most important allies, including Japan and South Korea. Gulf Arab countries that spent the last 15 years stamping out radical Islamic movements and pledging trillions in economic partnerships with the United States have been ravaged by the conflict. When grocery prices explode, when fertilizer costs flow through to food prices, when filling up a car eats through family savings, ordinary Americans will ask obvious questions.

Who started this war? And why?

Iran will end the war bloodied but standing. It will retain enormous leverage over one of the world’s most important commercial arteries. It may enjoy windfall profits as oil prices rise, sanctions loosen, and frozen assets return. It may emerge with more, not less, power on the world stage.

RELATED: Trump showed voters the con behind the curtain

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

That could have been avoided. But you cannot tweet your way to victory.

America has depleted its interceptor missiles. Billions of dollars in regional defense infrastructure will need rebuilding. Bases have been evacuated. Brave Americans have died. Who will pay to rebuild the system? Certainly not Arab states that watched Washington prioritize Israel’s security over theirs.

Iran remains. Its people remain. Its national identity remains. The need for diplomacy remains. The need for political solutions remains.

What has disappeared is the illusion that these realities could be bombed away.

We should have learned that lesson in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. We did not. Now we must take the deal, walk away, and admit that the American empire can no longer rule the world by force of will.

Thomas Jefferson warned us more than two centuries ago: “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.” That remains the sanest policy available.

​Iran war, Operation epic fury, Strait of hormuz, Israel, Iran, Trump, Foreign policy, Sanctions, Opinion & analysis 

When I first heard Hollywood was making a new He-Man movie, I posted on X: “No one ever at any time: We need a movie about the origins of He-Man.”

Having now seen it, I owe He-Man an apology.

Unlike Skeletor, who openly embraces being the bad guy, the petty tyrants of institutional DEI culture believe they are heroes. That self-righteousness makes them funny.

What I did not realize was that America did not need another superhero origin story. It needed a movie willing to mock woke HR departments, DEI workshops, and the corporate language-police culture that has made millions of office workers stare quietly at the clock while wondering what a lobotomy feels like.

On that front, He-Man delivers.

If that were all the movie did, it would deserve some recognition. For years, Americans have been subjected to endless lectures about privilege, bias, microaggressions, decolonization, anti-racism, allyship, and whatever new buzzword somebody invented during a three-day corporate leadership retreat. Entire industries sprang up around teaching normal people how dangerous normal people are.

For years, almost nobody was allowed to make fun of it.

Then along came He-Man.

“Masters of the Universe” gave me flashbacks to the glory days of “The Office,” when Michael Scott stumbled through diversity training sessions while desperately trying to impress Mr. Brown. Back then, workplace comedy could still recognize that HR departments were ridiculous.

In the two decades since “The Office” debuted, much of that humor disappeared. The joke was no longer that corporate bureaucracy was absurd. The joke became us.

Employees learned to speak in carefully rehearsed phrases. Meetings became exercises in virtue-signaling. Every disagreement became a “learning opportunity.” Every awkward interaction became a possible microaggression. White men were told they were simultaneously responsible for every historical injustice and forbidden from speaking too much during discussions about them.

Then enters Adam.

Yes, He-Man himself.

A blond, tanned, muscular hero — the kind of character Hollywood spent years assuring us could never again carry a movie without apologizing for existing.

RELATED: ‘Citizen Vigilante’: Outlaw director takes unflinching look at migrant violence

Uwe Boll Films

The movie also does something modern writers often seem incapable of doing: It gives us a villain who admits he is a villain.

At one point, Adam offers Skeletor what modern audiences have come to expect: an opportunity to explain his evil through childhood trauma, systemic oppression, bullying, or some tragic backstory.

Skeletor’s response is essentially: Nope. I’m just bad.

Imagine that.

A bad guy who does not blame society. A villain who does not attribute his choices to historical forces, generational trauma, or someone else’s privilege. Just an old-fashioned villain who enjoys being evil.

Hollywood has not given us many of those lately, maybe not since Edmund in “King Lear.” Sorry. I could not help myself.

But the funniest parts of the movie are not the battles. They are Adam’s experiences working in HR.

One scene features Adam listening to a woman explain that “her truth” conflicts with another person’s “truth.” Adam’s solution is the vague, therapeutic language now standard in modern workplaces: less talking, more listening.

Anyone who has survived mandatory workplace training recognizes the environment immediately.

Then we meet Suzie.

Suzie is Adam’s boss on Earth, and she may be the most accurate movie villain of the past decade.

On the surface, she is cheerful, supportive, and endlessly concerned about feelings. Beneath that surface, she is manipulative, controlling, and ruthless.

We first see her leading what appears to be a DEI-style workshop about consensual listening and emotional safety. Like Adam, the audience immediately begins fighting off sleep.

Later, after catching him looking for his magical sword online during work hours, she summons him to her office.

Not asks. Commands.

During their conversation, she speaks to him with the patronizing tone many corporate managers have perfected. Everything is framed around feelings. Conflict makes her uncomfortable. The workplace must be safe. Communication matters.

Then, for a brief moment, the mask slips. The threat appears. Power reveals itself.

Almost immediately, it disappears beneath another avalanche of therapeutic jargon.

Anyone who has worked in a large corporation, government office, or university has met some version of Suzie.

RELATED: The left’s icons keep face-planting in public

Scott Kowalchyk/CBS/Getty Images

Most of us have never fought a skeleton warrior bent on conquering the universe. Many of us, however, have sat through meetings where nonsense slogans are presented as profound wisdom. We have endured meetings where employees are told not to judge people by race while being instructed to interpret every interaction through race and blame it all on “whiteness.” We have watched everyone pretend the emperor’s new DEI initiative is fully clothed.

What makes these scenes work is that they expose something deeper than bureaucratic absurdity: hypocrisy.

Unlike Skeletor, who openly embraces being the bad guy, the petty tyrants of institutional DEI culture believe they are heroes. They imagine themselves correcting history, advancing justice, and educating the unenlightened through mandatory workshops, safe-space discussions, and land acknowledgments.

That self-righteousness makes them funny.

A philosophical essay can explain why hypocrisy is dangerous. A policy paper can document its effects. Comedy can do something neither can accomplish.

Comedy teaches people to laugh at it with scorn.

And once people start laughing, the spell begins to break.

The movie ends with what appears to be a setup for a sequel. Fine. Give us “He-Man 2.”

But let’s hope America never gets a sequel to the DEI-decolonization-anti-racism regime that dominated so much of public life over the last decade.

Let’s laugh it into history.

And then, if there is time, let’s talk about how the entire He-Man story is really just another version of the mono-myth hero’s journey.

Sorry. That is the religious studies professor in me.

​He-man, Hollywood, Masters of the universe, Skeletor, Woke, Dei, Hr, Microagression, Opinion & analysis 

Shortly after its $14 million renovation, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was allegedly vandalized, with issues like algae blooms, peeling blue lining, and reported gashes and chemical damage. President Trump blamed the issue on vandals, prompting U.S. Park Police to arrest at least five people and issue citations to others.

67-year-old former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn was one of those arrested. On Friday, June 19, Hearn was detained by U.S. Park Police after he touched a piece of the peeling blue liner. He was charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property — which he denies, saying he caused no damage — was held for about five hours, and is scheduled to appear in court next month.

Pat Gray and co-hosts Keith Malinak and Jeffy are horrified by the vandalism on a cherished American memorial.

“I’d like to put that canoe paddle somewhere where it doesn’t belong, and it isn’t in the Reflecting Pool,” quips Jeffy.

Keith then brings up another layer of the story.

“A National Park Service employee was cleaning the algae and some freakish radical leftist went up to her and ripped the hose out of her hands,” he says.

Some social media accounts claimed an older man, whom the Washington Post and other outlets identified as Hearn, grabbed or ripped the hose from a National Park Service worker who was cleaning algae — an allegation Hearn denies.

While the verdict on Hearn’s alleged vandalism remains to be seen, Keith is certain about one thing: “These people have [Trump derangement syndrome] beyond description.”

“Time to put them in a mental institution,” says Pat. “They’re just sick in the head.”

Want more from Pat Gray?

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

​Pat gray unleashed, Lincoln memorial, Donald trump, Pat gray 

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that President Donald Trump will be presenting the World Cup trophy to the victors of the global soccer tournament.

While Infantino has presented the trophy in the last two tournaments under his administration, he said Tuesday that the president will join him for the presentation this year.

‘It’s an amazing success. … I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go.’

“We will be together with the president enjoying the final and handing the trophy to the winner, of course, together,” Infantino said to the hosts of “Fox & Friends.”

“We are together all the time,” he added.

Other heads of state have presented the World Cup trophy to the victors, including King Juan Carlos of Spain to the Italian team in 1982 and Queen Elizabeth II to the English Three Lions team in 1966.

The championship match will be played on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The World Cup events in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have been a big hit on social media, where foreign visitors have praised the prosperity of the U.S., the food and party atmosphere of Mexico, and also Canada.

“Americans, take note! We really do live in the BEST country in the world,” responded Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck. “Don’t listen to the media. Listen to everyone coming here for the World Cup, and the tourists and immigrants who came before them who have learned how blessed we are to live in the Land of the Free.”

Trump meanwhile has praised the success of the games while criticizing the high prices of tickets, which have boxed out many fans.

“I know that is extremely successful. Setting every record in the book. They’ve never had anything like it,” said the president in comments to the New York Post.

“If people from Queens and Brooklyn and all of the people that love Donald Trump can’t go, I would be disappointed, but, you know, at the same time, it’s an amazing success,” he added. “I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go.”

RELATED: World Cup fans from Scotland drink Boston dry — and then clean up after themselves

The word “covfefe” crashed into the U.S. lexicon after Trump mysteriously posted the word in a message on social media just after midnight on May 31, 2017.

“Despite the constant negative press covfefe,” the president wrote.

“Who can figure out the true meaning of ‘covfefe’ ??? Enjoy!” he added later in a second post.

The word became one of the jokes in the comical pantheon of the Trump era, used by his foes to mock him, but also used by his supporters as a humorous pro-Trump reference. The president has never revealed the true covfefe meaning.

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Democrats’ hopes to regain control of the U.S. Senate continue to be threatened by statements unearthed from their candidate in a pivotal Texas election.

State Rep. James Talarico said that he hated Christianity in the latest video showcasing his far-left theological beliefs.

‘No other political philosophy, in no other economic theory, do I find anything as truly radical or revolutionary as the teachings of that barefoot Rabbi.’

Talarico made the comments in a 2021 interview with Roberto Che Henderson-Espinoza, who identifies as Latinx, nonbinary and transgender. A clip of the comments was posted to social media by the Republican National Committee.

“I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity, right?” he laughs. “And I always get drawn back into it.”

He went on to say that his “whiteness” and “masculinity” had limited his understanding of Christianity, then called Jesus Christ a socialist.

“I always get drawn back into it because nowhere else, in no other political philosophy, in no other economic theory, do I find anything as truly radical or revolutionary as the teachings of that barefoot Rabbi,” he added.

He also praised his longtime pastor, Jim Rigby of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, as being a “true white traitor.”

Talarico has been previously criticized for claiming that God is “nonbinary” as well as many other statements contrary to traditional biblical theology.

BlazeTV’s Sara Gonzales documented the many errors of the Austin church Talarico attends and praises, including the rejection of Christ as the sole source of redemption. The church also has a lesbian chaplain and provides sexually graphic books in its library for children.

RELATED: Talarico’s WOKE CHURCH raises money for abortions and trans summer camp for children

Talarico is facing Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the pivotal contest for one of two U.S. Senate seats from Texas. A recent poll found that support for Paxton is virtually tied with Talarico at 43% to 42% respectively.

The Democrat defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) for the nomination, while Paxton won the Republican nomination from incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

The campaign will be decided in the election on Nov. 3, 2026.

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​James talarico, Ken paxton, Us senate election, Woke church, Christianity, Theology, Politics 

Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) is working hard to prove to Texans that he’s masculine enough to lead them, but new and embarrassing revelations about his finances are not doing him any favors.

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales isn’t surprised.

“James Talarico is like the biggest wuss you’ve ever seen in your life. And there’s more that’s coming out every day about just how pathetic he is, even though he’s trying to paint himself as this big masculine guy after he said that his campaign was vegan,” Gonzales says on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

“He was like, ‘I’m just kidding, I’m going to take a picture of me eating a giant turkey leg wearing a Texas flag on my shirt and look how manly I am,’” she mocks.

But the more that comes out about the politician, Gonzales says, the more his “tough-guy act is rapidly crumbling.”

“Texas’ James Talarico, 37, shares his only checking account with his mommy,” she says.

In an article from the Washington Free Beacon, it is reported that “Talarico’s mother and adoptive father contributed $1,437.84 to his 2021 campaign to cover ‘moving expenses’ when he was 32 years old.”

“32 years old. And he needs his mommy to run his bank account and send him money. That’s the guy who wants to help represent our entire state of Texas. He can’t even represent his own bank account,” Gonzales comments.

“If you’re 32 and you still need money from your mommy who is running your bank account, you have no business running for office actually,” she adds.

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​Campaign, Election, James talarico, Sara gonzales, Senate, Texas, Vegan, Washington free beacon, Sara gonzales unfiltered 

The 18-year-old suspect in a deadly shooting that took place in a Northern California library Monday afternoon wanted a Columbine-style massacre, KHSL-TV said.

Police received a 911 call at 5:12 p.m. from the library in Chico, the station said, adding that the police chief said dispatch heard sounds of shots fired and screaming inside the library. Police told KCRA-TV the shooting occurred at the Butte County Library. Chico is about an hour and a half north of Sacramento.

‘I could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time today.’

As police entered the front of the building, the suspect ran out the back and was tackled to the ground, KHSL said, adding that station viewer Jeannie Lee Schroeder recorded video of police holding the suspect on the ground.

“I was surprised the police officers were at the front of the library on the Sheridan side of the library as we were going past,” Schroeder told KHSL. “I saw somebody in a white-colored T-shirt running, and then two police officers take them down and tackle them to the ground, and it just registered, ‘Oh my God, they got him.'”

Schroeder added to KHSL that “one [officer] was behind. He was running toward the street, and then one person was coming from an angle in front of him, and another person — a police officer — was coming from behind. I couldn’t believe I was witnessing it in real time.”

The Chico Police Department, in partnership with investigators from the Butte County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is actively conducting interviews, collecting evidence, and reviewing facts of the case, KHSL added.

The suspect arrested in connection with the shooting has been identified as 18-year-old Chico resident Bradley Scott Sayer, KHSL said.

Sayer has been arrested and booked into the Butte County Jail for two open counts of murder, the Chico Police Department told KHSL.

Two adults were shot and killed, KHSL reported, adding that one juvenile was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities at this time have determined that Sayer acted alone, KHSL added.

More from KHSL:

Police issued a news release on Tuesday morning saying there is no indication Sayer had any prior relationship with or connection to any of the victims in the library at the time of the shooting. Sayer’s motivation appears to be founded in a desire to commit a Columbine High School massacre-type shooting.

A YouTube video indicated that Sayer graduated from Chico High School in June, KHSL reported.

RELATED: Heroic Oklahoma principal praised for thwarting alleged ‘Columbine’-inspired attack

“I could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time today,” Schroeder told KHSL.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey told KHSL that Sayer is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 3 p.m. Thursday in Oroville.

Those with information related to the case are asked to contact the Chico Police Detective Bureau at 530-897-5820, KHSL reported.

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​Deadly shooting, California, Library, Chico, Butte county sheriff’s office, Bradley scott sayer, Columbine, Arrest, Crime 

The Justice Department announced sentencing for a gang of Antifa-linked terrorists convicted of attacking the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Alvarado, Texas.

At least 16 people have been charged in the Fourth of July attack in 2025 that included vandalism and one officer being shot in the neck.

‘Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice.’

On Tuesday, the DOJ announced that Benjamin Song, the leader of the group, was sentenced to 100 years in prison.

“Seven additional defendants also sentenced before one-year anniversary of attack to a combined 450 years in prison,” the DOJ statement read. “This is the first sentencing of defendants affiliated with Antifa following [President Donald Trump’s] executive order designating the group as a Domestic Terrorist Organization in September 2025.”

Five defendants received 50-year prison sentences, while two defendants received a 30-year sentence and a 70-year sentence, respectively. The group had been found guilty of a slew of charges that included rioting, providing material support to terrorists, using and carrying an explosive, attempted murder, and discharging a firearm.

Federal prosecutors presented jurors with 216 exhibits and testimony from 46 witnesses during the 12-day trial at the courthouse in Fort Worth.

“Song acquired firearms that he distributed to co-defendants and recruited members at gun ranges and combat sessions he conducted, as well as from various ideologically aligned groups,” the DOJ press release continued. “For example, defendants Ines Soto, Elizabeth Soto, and Savanna Batten were part of a group that created and distributed insurrectionary materials called ‘zines,’ according to trial evidence.”

Chief Judge Reed O’Connor called the defendants’ use of terror and violence an “assault on democracy” during sentencing.

One of the convicted received a continuance and will be sentenced on July 1. Seven others pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists and will also be sentenced on July 1.

RELATED: 15 members of Antifa-linked group BUSTED for allegedly trying to hurt or impede ICE

“The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice,” wrote acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a press release statement.

“Their violent extremism has no place in our country, and the Department of Justice will continue to aggressively investigate, disrupt, and prosecute those who threaten law enforcement officers or undermine the rule of law,” he added.

Song’s attorney characterized the defendants as just a “bunch of kids and young adults who really have a really big heart and really wanted their voice to be heard,” after the sentencing.

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​Antifa, Department of justice, Fourth of july, Politics, Ice 

When Caitlin Clark was breaking records, packing arenas, and transforming women’s basketball into a national sensation, BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock thought it was an appropriate time to drop a Nike shoe for the star.

Instead, the sportswear giant waited until Clark’s third WNBA season to launch one.

“Looks like a sharp shoe. But the timing of when they’re releasing, now, when Caitlin Clark’s popularity is at the lowest it’s been since 2022. Caitlin Clark starting her junior year of college started to become a force of nature,” Whitlock says.

“And by the time she got to her senior year in college, by the time she got to the national championship game her senior year, the ratings for women’s college basketball went through the roof. They set records, unprecedented records,” he continues, adding, “Caitlin Clark had arrived.”

However, despite taking the WNBA to a new level, she was never rewarded.

“No Nike shoe her senior year in college. No Nike shoe when she’s a rookie in the WNBA. No Nike shoe when she’s coming into her second season in the WNBA after setting the league on fire. No shoe then,” Whitlock says, pointing out that now she finally gets her shoe the same year “they’re struggling to sell out the arena in Indiana.”

“They missed the Caitlin Clark window, and they’ve undermined Caitlin Clark, and Caitlin Clark has undermined herself,” he continues, explaining that it should be examined why they “fumbled” her.

“It’s the alphabet mafia. It’s the LGBTQIA+, BLM,” he adds.

Whitlock points to the “sexual and racial politics that have been injected into all of corporate America” as the aggressor but notes that Clark fell for it as well.

“Caitlin Clark being a white, heterosexual woman, a tiny bit reluctant to bend the knee to the alphabet mafia, but she did bend the knee,” he says.

“But she didn’t have the complexion or the right sexual desires for Nike and for the alphabet crew. She didn’t have the right sexual arousal. She didn’t have the right skin color,” he continues, adding, “And so, Nike blew a golden opportunity.”

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​Fearless, Jason whitlock, Caitlin clark, Nike, Shoes, Lgbtq, Fearless with jason whitlock 

Tech trillionaire Elon Musk threatened to file a lawsuit against Rep. Ro Khanna of California after the Democrat accused him of “possibly” causing millions of child deaths: “Time to sue this liar.”

Musk helmed the Department of Government Efficiency and presided over massive cuts in foreign aid that he said were mostly waste, fraud, and abuse. He has since left the DOGE and returned to his various tech ventures.

‘The richest man in the world announced that he plans to sue me and called for my arrest. I will not be intimidated.’

Critics of the DOGE cuts have since accused Musk of being responsible for child deaths that were supposedly caused by the cessation of foreign aid. They cite a study claiming that the number of child deaths could reach into the millions by 2030.

While many have repeated the accusation, Musk finally fired back when Khanna used it as a part of his campaign to increase taxes on the wealthy to pay for liberal social programs.

“He’s such an evil liar,” Musk said Sunday on X, the social media platform he owns.

Khanna said during a podcast interview released Saturday that Musk should be subpoenaed by Congress if the Democrats take over after the midterms and made to answer for the supposed damage done by the DOGE cuts.

Musk called for Khanna’s arrest based on insider-trading accusations — which Khanna has denied — and added that Khanna should be imprisoned.

Khanna responded by calling on Musk to testify before Congress.

“Elon Musk Wants Me in Prison,” the Democrat said. “I Want Him Under Oath. The richest man in the world announced that he plans to sue me and called for my arrest. I will not be intimidated.”

Musk also argued that the cuts were justified and none led to any deaths:

All DOGE required was contact information of the recipients to confirm that funding was not fraudulent. No validated medical funding was stopped.

Anything that appeared to be legitimate lifesaving funding continued and is now administered by the State Department.

If anyone had actually died as a result of DOGE, their names would be worldwide headline news!

Musk previously also called Khanna “great” in Dec. 2022 during a debate on free speech in social media.

The attacks on Musk’s wealth escalated after he became the first trillionaire in human history when the SpaceX initial public offering spiked his net worth.

RELATED: Jasmine Crockett calls DOGE a ‘scam’ and ‘cover-up’ to help Elon Musk profit

The achievement led to a public debate about whether trillionaires should be allowed to exist and how progressive the tax system in the U.S. should be for the wealthiest individuals.

“We can tax billionaires a modest amount to make sure everyone has a fair chance while keeping our innovative engine,” said Khanna in March.

The SpaceX market capitalization spiked to a high of $2.66 trillion before seeing a correction Tuesday and losing about $600 billion.

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​Doge, Elon musk, Ro khanna, Trillionaire, Politics, Usaid 

Amazon has walked away from a nearly finished biopic about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, prompting questions about why a film centered on one of Silicon Valley’s most powerful figures suddenly needs a new distributor.

The $40 million film “Artificial,” which starred “Spider-Man” actor Andrew Garfield as Altman, was reportedly nearing completion when Amazon struck it from its 2027 release schedule. The project — which also stars “Mad TV” and “Eastbound and Down” alum Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk — is now being shopped to other studios.

‘All I hope is that if he puts me into a gulag, it’s one with all of my friends. That way we can have a party.’

Unlikable characters

According to Variety, the film performed well in multiple test screenings, with one viewer telling the outlet that Altman and Musk were the two characters audiences “liked the least.”

Some observers have pointed to Amazon’s deepening ties to OpenAI as the reason for the change of heart.

RELATED: It only took weeks for AI usage to break the corporate piggy bank

In February, OpenAI announced a major collaboration involving SoftBank, NVIDIA, and Amazon.

“Helping AI reach more people requires deep collaboration across the ecosystem,” OpenAI said at the time.

‘Utmost respect’

Amazon’s role in the partnership includes helping Amazon Web Services customers build AI applications and agents using OpenAI technology. The collaboration powers the Stateful Runtime Environment for Agents in Amazon Bedrock, which the company says can be used for customer support, sales operations, IT automation, and financial workflows.

While some observers have connected Amazon’s decision to those business ties, neither Amazon nor the filmmakers have suggested that was the reason for the split.

Instead, Amazon framed the move as a decision about the film itself.

“We have the utmost respect and admiration for Luca Guadagnino as an award-winning filmmaker — not to mention a longstanding relationship that we hope to continue,” an Amazon spokesman told Variety.

RELATED: Sam Altman described as ‘sociopath’ by board member in brutal insider report: ‘He’s unconstrained by truth’

Mondadori/Getty Images

Gulag guy

The company added: “We believe that ‘Artificial’ will be better served if it were released by a different studio and are working closely with the filmmaking team to find the film a new home.”

Some online observers have also pointed to Altman’s appearance at Jeff Bezos’ wedding last year, though there is no public evidence linking that relationship to Amazon’s decision.

Barinholtz appeared less interested than some actors in conducting firsthand research for the role. Asked by Variety in September 2025 whether he had considered meeting Musk, the actor replied, “I’m OK,” adding that the Tesla CEO was “famous enough that you get it.”

The 49-year-old later joked, “All I hope is that if he puts me into a gulag, it’s one with all of my friends. That way we can have a party.”

Garfield said he was initially reluctant to take the role after previously portraying Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in the 2010 film “The Social Network.”

“I’ve been very, very gun-shy around other films that deal with the same world,” Garfield told Vanity Fair in November 2025. “And yet I wanted to dive into the psyche of a guy who wins — because I played the guy who arguably doesn’t win, because he’s too touchy-feely.”

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Chicago was rocked in 2024 by 575 murders.

Days before resetting the murder count and ushering in a bloody new year, Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson declared an emergency on Dec. 23, 2024 — not to tackle the general bloodletting in his city but to address, specifically, violence against transvestites.

‘Happy Pride.’

Between 2016 and July 2024, fewer than 15 “trans” and “gender-nonconforming” individuals had reportedly been killed in the city. Between 2010 and 2021, roughly 300 transvestites had been killed nationwide — in a country of well over 340 million people.

Critics have blasted Johnson for “building on” his 2024 emergency declaration and blathering again about so-called “transfemicide” — this time on the eve of Chicago’s bloodiest day in years.

Last week, Johnson announced that further to his declaration, he was advancing a “whole-of-government approach focused on addressing the conditions that impact the health, stability, and well-being of trans Chicagoans, particularly Black and Brown trans women and trans youth, who continue to experience disproportionately high rates of exclusion and economic hardship.”

RELATED: ‘Left-wing gender goblins’: Critics torch New York Times for running ‘trans dad’ essay on Father’s Day

Audrey Richardson/Getty Images

“Every Chicagoan deserves to feel safe, valued, and like they belong in the city they call home,” stated Johnson.

The mayor continuing yammering on Saturday night about the perceived need for cross-dressers to have access to “safe and welcoming” spaces.

“Since declaring a Transfemicide State of Emergency, our administration has strengthened the City’s capacity to support LGBTQ+ Chicagoans,” said Johnson.

Brandon’s “transfemicide” remarks over the weekend came across as especially myopic given that the city was provided with yet another reminder that it isn’t safe for straight people either.

At least 43 people were shot or killed citywide over the weekend, a 105% increase from the same weekend last year, reported CWB Chicago. Twenty-seven people were shot on Friday alone, reportedly making it the highest one-day shooting victim count since July 5, 2024.

On Friday night, a pair of thugs driving in a red SUV pulled up alongside a crowd of people, then began shooting. Fourteen victims — ages ranging from 17 to 47 — suffered gunshot wounds.

According to police, eight people were ultimately killed in the shootings over the weekend, including a 14-year-old boy who was shot multiple times.

Although Johnson condemned the violence, he did not declare an emergency.

Multitudes of critics have lambasted Johnson over his niche concern-mongering and its timing.

“Brandon Johnson declared a state of emergency for trans people. Guess how many trans people were kiIIed in Chicago in the past year? One. He was kiIIed by his boyfriend. It had nothing to do with his trans identity,” wrote Libs of TikTok. “Meanwhile every single weekend there are dozens of shooting[s] and multiple fatalities. Every. Single. Weekend. Why doesn’t Brandon Johnson declare a state of emergency for the actual violence in his city?”

The New York Post confirmed that only one trans-identifying man was murdered so far this year in Chicago, 31-year-old Davonta Curtis.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh said that Johnson’s “transfemicide” emergency declaration was “beyond parody. And delusional.”

“The trans murder rate is actually LOWER than the general population,” continued Walsh. “And basically every trans murder victim is killed because of domestic issues, drugs, or prostitution. ‘Anti-trans hate crimes’ are a fantasy.”

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) noted that no one knows what a “transfemicide state of emergency” is but for the fact that it’s a preoccupation of Johnson.

The X account for the Chicago Young Republicans wrote, “All Chicagoans, including biological women and girls, are entitled to a sense of safety in their city. Your administration has made this city a dangerous place for them to live, walk their dog, and even just ride public transit to work because you refuse to hold dangerous criminals accountable.”

“But really glad [we’re] spending time and resources on this fake issue because people with a mental disorder and a fetish wanna play pretend,” added the Young Republicans group.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon insinuated that Johnson’s messaging signaling special attention to cross-dressers might not just be ridiculous but unlawful too.

“Reminder that ALL Chicagoans are entitled to the equal protection of the laws. If Chicago uses this inchoate gibberish theory to preference government spoils to trans identifying people or subordinate women’s rights, @CivilRights will investigate & take action, if appropriate,” wrote Dhillon.

Johnson responded to Dhillon by reaffirming his support for the non-straight community and wishing them “Happy Pride.”

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​Pride, Chicago, Illinois, Brandon johnson, Democrat, Leftism, Transgender, Emergency, Politics, Shooting 

The controversial immigration detention facility known colloquially as “Alligator Alcatraz” has reportedly received some news about its future.

The facility is shutting down permanently, according to sources that confirmed vendors have been told to demobilize.

‘Clearly from a security perspective, if someone escapes, there’s a lot of alligators you’re going to have to contend [with].’

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hinted in recent months that the facility might be shut down when he said it has already served its purpose by cycling about 22,000 migrants.

CBS News reported that four sources confirmed the facility vendors were told that the “demobilization” clause in their contracts had been triggered, meaning they would be paid for shutting down.

“All vendors got the notice,” said one source.

The facility has been plagued by legal challenges that prevented federal funding from reimbursing Florida for the reported $1.2 billion price tag that ballooned from the initial $450 million annual estimate.

On Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis said that all of the detainees at the facility had been moved to other locations, but she claimed it was a response to hurricane season.

The facility opened up in July 2025 on an 11,000 foot abandoned airport runway in the Florida Everglades.

Critics have claimed the facility puts migrants in dangerous and cruel conditions including lack of bathroom facilities, rotten food, and little to no access to the outside world, including their immigration attorneys.

“The state and federal government must permanently close this facility and commit to never detaining people there again,” said Amy Godshall of the American Civil Liberties Union, which has sued the facility.

WFOR-TV reported in its news video that there was no sign yet that the facility was being dismantled.

RELATED: Dem. congressman claims he forced ICE to back off from arresting man outside courtroom

The facility was designed to hold about 3,000 detainees to ease the housing burden on immigration officials.

“Clearly from a security perspective, if someone escapes, there’s a lot of alligators you’re going to have to contend [with],” DeSantis said about the facility in July 2025. “No one is going anywhere once you do that. It’s as safe and secure as you can be.”

He also stressed at the time that the facility was temporary.

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​Alligator alcatraz, Department of homeland security, Ice, Politics 

The horrifying details from Britain’s grooming gang scandal have been revealed through the “Rape Gang Inquiry Report” — and BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler finds it all almost impossible to comprehend.

“My mind has been spinning for hours because I can’t read the account of this sexual torture of young children,” Wheeler begins.

“What was done to these girls in Britain, these young white girls, 250,000 of them, is actually beyond the scope of human imagination,” she says.

“How did this happen?”

And Wheeler believes there’s only one answer to that question.

“The scope of the crimes that were committed is so widespread and so extreme that the only explanation is that it was allowed to happen,” she says.

The girls were as young as 11 years old and were “systemically raped and trafficked by Muslim men in Britain.”

“We know this because of the ones who have been charged, 87% of these perpetrators who have been convicted were Muslim,” she explains.

“This is not a generalization. This is not a negative stereotype. This is not bigotry or Islamophobia or whatever the left is going to accuse us of engaging in for simply acknowledging what is happening here,” she continues.

According to the report, these men worked through “organized networks of perpetrators” who “built coordinated operations that transported victims between locations, supplied them with drugs and alcohol, recorded abuse for distribution and blackmail, and passed girls between multiple adult men.”

The report also explains that “police forces ignored repeated reports, criminalized victims instead of perpetrators, destroyed evidence, and allowed known rapists to walk free on bail.”

Social care services even placed children “in trafficking hubs,” “closed cases despite clear indicators of exploitation, and retaliated against whistleblowers.”

Meanwhile, the National Health Service recorded genital injuries, STIs in children as young as 13, pregnancies from rape, suicide attempts — but still discharged these children back to their abusers.

And when politicians were asked about the abuse, they did nothing but reverse the blame.

“The mayor, Sadiq Khan, London mayor … when he was asked publicly about these allegations, said that it was fake, that they were false allegations. And he turned it around, and he blamed the victims and … falsely accused them of being politically motivated,” Wheeler explains.

However, a Daily Express report revealed that Khan had access to documents from the police detailing the crimes.

“It’s almost beyond comprehension to understand how someone could see this happening and not turn their life upside down to try to stop it,” Wheeler says.

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​Islamophobia, Keir starmer, Liz wheeler, National health service, Sadiq khan, Victims, Rape gang inquiry, Islam, Muslim, Britain, The liz wheeler show 

An 85-year-old man was arrested recently for allegedly driving 110 miles per hour while engaged in a street race against the driver of a red Corvette in Florida, WKMG-TV reported.

William Bosworth’s reply to the Lake County Sheriff’s deputy who pulled him over?

‘I was born at night — but not last night.’

“I am out just having a little ride in my favorite car,” the 85-year-old said while chomping on a stogie, according to body-camera video.

But Bosworth faces charges of driving in a vehicle race and dangerous excessive speeding, WKMG reported.

More from the station:

A Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted two vehicles appearing to be street racing on U.S. Highway 27 and County Road 33 in Leesburg around 11:40 p.m., June 12. A radar showed a red Corvette traveling at 125 miles per hour and a gray sports car traveling at 110 miles per hour — both in a 45 miles per hour zone.

After activating his emergency lights, the deputy pulled over Bosworth — the driver of the gray sports car — an arrest affidavit said.

When the deputy spoke to Bosworth about his alleged street racing, Bosworth responded, “No, that guy, he swerved at me,” and added that he was driving 110 miles per hour “only because he swerved at me. I wanted to get away from him before we caused a problem,” WKMG reported.

The deputy was heard saying on bodycam video, “I was born at night — but not last night. I know street racing when I see it.”

After Bosworth exited his car, he was placed in handcuffs, WKMG reported.

RELATED: 85-year-old hockey scout compliments female reporter — so team gets fined $5,000

The Corvette driver — 57-year-old Phillip Signorino of Titusville — was arrested on the same charges, WPEC-TV reported.

While bodycam video showed Signorino vehemently denying driving 125 miles per hour, WKMG’s video report indicates Signorino referred to himself as the driver of “the one that won — the Corvette” after arriving at jail.

Both Bosworth and Signorino denied being engaged in street racing and later posted bond, WPEC reported, citing jail records.

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​Florida, 85-year-old suspect, Excessive speeding, Lake county sheriff’s office, William bosworth, Arrest, Street racing, Crime 

Reactions have come pouring in from defenders and detractors alike after Tucker Carlson made a shocking pronouncement that may well serve as a bellwether for the future of the Republican Party.

On a recent podcast appearance, Carlson, who has been vocal about his misgivings about the current direction of the GOP, drew a hard line in the sand when asked about his ongoing support for the Republicans.

‘And if I’m out, then I think a lot of other people are out.’

Asked about the war in Iran, which became a wedge issue among Republicans long before the end of February, Carlson argued that supporting the current conduct of the Trump administration has become untenable because Israel’s undue influence: “How could I or any American voter support a political party that’s not loyal to the United States? That puts the interests of a foreign country above those of its own citizens?”

“I voted Republican my entire life. I worked at Fox News, CNN, MSNBC. I’ve been a consistent defender … of the Republican Party — I mean, very consistent defender,” Carlson explained. “But there’s no defending this because it’s immoral, and it’s exactly the opposite of what a political party in a democracy is charged with doing, which is representing its own voters, its own citizens, its own nation. And they’re not doing that. So no, I’m out.”

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“And if I’m out, then I think a lot of other people are out,” he added.

Some leaders attacked Carlson’s statements, accusing him of hating America. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), for example, wrote: “This has been obvious for some time. @TuckerCarlson HATES: Trump[,] Republicans[,] Israel[,] Christian Zionists[,] YOU[.] Tucker loves: Qatar[,] The Ayatollah[,] Antisemite crackpots[,] Shirtless Putin[,] Sharia law.”

It isn’t clear how Carlson’s disagreements with the conduct of the Republican Party make him a lover of “Shirtless Putin.”

However, Carlson’s message seemed to resonate with others.

“Sadly the GOP will lose hundreds of thousands of voters in the mid-term election because of the total betrayals that have occurred[.] Turn out will drop significantly[.] @TuckerCarlson aligned voters like myself & millions of others are disappointed by the America Last foreign policy & massive amounts of foreign ‘legal’ labor coming in still,” Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini wrote.

Marjorie Taylor Greene joined the fray, adding that millions of people like Tucker Carlson are tired of the “America LAST” politics in the party today:

Tucker is not the only one who is done supporting the Republican Party. There is A LOT of us that are absolutely fed up and will not support a party that betrays its voters and country. That does not mean we are turning into Democrats either. But we are DONE with the America LAST Republican Party.

Michael Knowles, on the other hand, made an attempt to get people to look past the “infighting”: “I’m just pointing out: while the Right does all this infighting, the Left is waiting for the Right to destroy itself so they can bring back transing kids, racial politics, government suppression.”

“I am imploring the American Right: please keep some perspective,” Knowles added.

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​Israel, Maga, Marjorie taylor greene, Republican party, Tucker carlson, Politics, Trump, Iran