Category: blaze media

Margaret Doud is celebrating a golden anniversary of sorts.

On Tuesday, Doud was re-elected as the mayor of Mackinac Island, the premier tourist spot of Michigan, a state known for tourism. Located in Lake Huron between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Mackinac Island is barely four square miles and is well known for breathtaking views, stately Victorian structures, and tasty fudge.

‘When the time is right, I will step on.’

Notably, the quaint island about a four-hour drive from the Motor City followed by a 20-minute ferry ride is car-free, leaving its 8.2 miles of road open for horse, bicycle, and foot traffic only.

Over a million visitors from all over the globe travel to Mackinac Island each year, but only about 600 residents live there year-round. Doud is one of them.

In 1975, she took over the family business, the Windermere Hotel. That same year, she was also elected mayor.

And since the city charter requires the mayor to be elected annually, Doud has run for — and won — re-election every year since. She won the race Tuesday unopposed.

David Jurcak, president of the iconic Grand Hotel, was among the islanders who congratulated Doud on her 50th re-election as mayor.

“She continues to shape the future of Mackinac Island through her enduring leadership, steady presence, and deep commitment to our residents and businesses,” Jurcak said, according to MLive. “Grand Hotel thanks Mayor Doud for the unwavering support of island businesses and for all she does to keep Mackinac Island thriving.”

RELATED: 7 most underrated summer travel ideas in the US

Now entering her 52nd year in office, Doud keeps busy leading the city council and running the hotel. She participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 1, marking the official beginning of the Mackinac Island tourist season.

According to the Windermere website, one of Doud’s proudest achievements in office is maintaining the horse-and-buggy culture often associated with the Victorian Era.

“I’ve preached over the years I’ve been mayor that we cannot lose the ambiance of Mackinac,” she said. “The horse culture is certainly part of that uniqueness.”

RELATED: Ode to a 1984 Buick Skylark — and to all the other cars of my life

Photo of horse and buggy and Victorian building on Mackinac Island by Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

While 51 years makes Doud the longest-serving current mayor in America, she still has a ways to go to become the longest-serving mayor in American history. Hilmar Moore served as the mayor of Richmond, Texas, for an astonishing 63 years, from 1949 until his death in 2012.

Still, Doud, who turns 83 later this month, previously indicated retirement may still be a ways off: “Oh, you know what Kenny Rogers says, ‘I know when to hold them, and I know when to fold them.’

“When the time is right, I will step on, but I still have some projects I’d like to see completed.”

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​Mackinac island, Michigan, Mayor, Margaret doud, Politics 

When BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales stumbled upon a flyer for a Muslim-run event at a water park in Texas, she quickly exposed it — only for organizers to change the flyer to reflect a more inclusive atmosphere.

However, Gonzales isn’t letting it go, pointing out that “screenshots are forever.”

“If you want to see how bad the Islamic invasion of Texas is getting, I’ve got to tell you, I didn’t have this on my bingo card. Now they’re taking over our water parks,” she says, pulling up the original flyer for the event.

Not only does the event boast a “private prayer area” and “modest dress code,” but it advertises that it is “closed to the public,” as it’s “Muslims only.”

“Guess segregation is alive and well in Texas. And the water park is, of course, it’s owned by the city of Grand Prairie, Texas. Taxpayers are paying for it,” Gonzales explains, pointing out that this is not the first time taxpayers have paid for this event.

“This is not the first, not the second, but the third annual ‘Muslim-only’ Epic water park,” she says, before reading testimonials from the first and second events.

“My daughter described it as ‘the best of her life.’ As a family, [sic] that values modesty finding a recreational activity that aligns with our principles can be challenging, however your event provided a safe respectful environment, where we could enjoy ourselves without compromise and the availability of a clean quiet prayer room allowed us to stay longer and enjoy,” one woman wrote.

“I loved the modesty and the Anasheed,” another event-goer posted.

“MashaAllah the event was very organized. Being with friends made it enjoyable and fun, Islamic-friendly, not crowded, and good food,” another testimonial read.

The organizers’ website even gave examples of what to wear to the event, with a page full of photos of burkinis — which is swimwear for Muslim women that covers them from head to toe like a burka.

“It seems like a bad idea to have a head covering when you’re going into water,” she says. “That doesn’t seem safe.”

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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

​Blazetv host, Epic water park, Grand prairie, Islamic invasion, Modest dress code, Modesty, Muslim run event, Sara gonzales, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Segregation, Taxpayers, Texas, Water park, Private prayer area, Islam, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network 

There’s nothing wrong with watching “The Silence of the Lambs” again, especially to honor the film’s 35th anniversary. With or without fava beans.

The same holds for other genre classics like “Rosemary’s Baby,” “The Shining,” “The Exorcist” and “Halloween” (1978).

The unrelenting creature brought to life with lo-fi special effects makes this a fine example of ‘less is more storytelling.

What about horror films that slipped by our pop-culture radar, settling into streaming obscurity? The following five films got little attention on release. They may have underperformed at the box office or simply debuted on a streamer sans fanfare.

Each is well worth a look — maybe even while uncorking a nice Chianti.

‘Crawl’ (2019)

If you see just one killer alligator movie this year, make it “Crawl,” which Quentin Tarantino dubbed his favorite film of 2019.

Kaya Scodelario stars as a young woman checking in on her Dad (Barry Pepper) during a brutal Florida hurricane. She can’t find him at first, and his home has started to flood. Badly. That brings more than just the threat of black mold insurance claims. Some killer gators have decided to investigate the house, and Scodelario’s character would make a tasty snack.

Yes, it sounds “Sharknado”-adjacent, but the movie’s hokey premise is offset by first-rate direction from horror vet Alexandre Aja (“High Tension,” “The Hills Have Eyes” (2006)). The father-daughter dynamic is handled with care, giving gravitas to the story without diminishing the chill factor.

‘Hush’ (2016)

This Netflix original boasts a can’t-miss gimmick. What if the protagonist in a home invasion movie were deaf and couldn’t hear the intruder breaking into her home? Every step and crash fell on deaf ears. Literally.

Horror maestro Mike Flanagan (“Doctor Sleep,” “The Fall of the House of Usher”) takes it from there, maximizing that plot device for a pulse-pounding affair that skimps on horror’s usual eye-roll moments. Credit star/co-writer Kate Siegel for crafting a credible heroine, one who never falls victim to girlbossery.

Instead, the film finds new ways to explore the central hook while allowing Siegel’s character to flash her survival instincts.

Yes, it has some slasher film DNA, but the thrilling setup makes it far more than a blood-and-guts-a-thon.

RELATED: Killer bear flick ‘Backcountry’ puts big-budget thrillers to shame

IFC Midnight

‘Splinter’ (2008)

Shea Whigham is one of Hollywood’s busiest character actors. Think “Joker,” “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” “Boardwalk Empire,” and many more projects.

This micro-indie takes advantage of his screen presence, casting him as a crook on the lam with his reluctant gal pal. The duo abduct a couple while fleeing Johnny Law before the four run into an unexpected obstacle: a bizarre, stick-like creature that traps them in a convenience store.

The setting couldn’t be starker, forcing us to focus on the squabbling foursome. That, plus the unrelenting creature brought to life with lo-fi special effects, makes this a fine example of “less is more” storytelling.

The rest is up to Whigham, who proves his crooked character may have a redemptive arc lurking within.

‘Haunt’ (2019)

“From the writers of ‘A Quiet Place’” wasn’t the marketing draw the film’s studio imagined. Still, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ directorial effort delivers a straightforward horror film done just right.

The plot screams Genre Film 101, with a gaggle of attractive young people in search of Halloween high jinks. They stumble upon a haunted house attraction with terrible marketing but a decidedly creepy vibe.

Little do they realize the source of said vibes.

There’s little about “Haunt” that reinvents the horror movie template. It’s the efficient scares, imaginative twists, and capable cast that seal the deal. The film became Shudder’s most-watched movie premiere of 2019.

‘Rogue’ (2007)

If you see just one killer crocodile film this year, make it this smart Aussie thriller. Director Greg McLean (“Wolf Creek”) leverages his homeland’s stunning vistas and a better-than-expected cast for a slick terrorfest. Radha Mitchell (“Man on Fire”) stars as a tour guide steering vacationers through the country’s Northern Territory. The trouble starts when her jerk of an ex (“Avatar’s” Sam Worthington) interrupts the riverboat tour.

That’s nothing compared to what comes next. A massive croc terrorizes the boat, feasting on vacationers in the process. The serene setting lulls us into a false sense of security, but the creature feature scares prove as nasty as needed. Co-stars Michael Vartan (“Alias”) and a pre-fame Mia Wasikowska (“Alice in Wonderland”) provide the character beats, allowing us to invest in the dwindling band of survivors.

Don’t get too attached to them, though.

​Entertainment, Movies, Culture, Streaming, Reviews, Crawl, Rogue, Splinter, Haunt, Hush, Recommendation 

A Florida man is accused of posting repeated social media threats to assassinate President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida.

Nathaniel Sanders II, 32, of Miami Beach — who appeared in federal court Monday — used X and Instagram from at least January through April 2026 to make numerous posts threatening the lives of Trump, Rubio, and Bondi, officials claimed, citing court records.

‘When I get my hands on him, I’m gonna hurt him.’

Sanders is charged with threatening the president of the United States and transmitting threats in interstate commerce, officials said, adding that he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison if convicted.

A criminal complaint from the Secret Service details a number of instances Sanders allegedly made threats on Instagram, the Palm Beach Daily News said.

Sanders allegedly said in an April 10 post directed at Rubio that “like a lot of people be forgetting they bleed just like everybody else. Like when I get my hands on him, I’m gonna hurt him. Simple as that,” the paper reported.

Sanders also allegedly posted that he would “bomb” the White House and added that “I mean it,” the Daily News reported.

RELATED: FAA contractor charged for allegedly threatening to ‘kill you — Donald John Trump’

The Secret Service claimed another post aimed at Trump suggests that the president should “come find me” so Sanders “can stomp you in the ground,” the paper said.

The complaint indicated that in another April post Sanders called Trump an “orange pedophile a** pervert” and allegedly added, “I’m going to kill you,” the Daily News said.

More from the paper:

The threats were posted between Jan. 28 and April 22, according to the complaint. Law enforcement officials attempted to interview Sanders in February after the initial posts surfaced, but he is described as calling them “pedophiles” and refused to talk.

The complaint says that Sanders posted numerous videos on his Instagram accounts in which he is depicted as “complaining and speaking angrily about his hatred” for Trump and other administration officials.

Sanders also appeared to address first lady Melania Trump in a video, the Daily News said: “I don’t know what to do, Melania, like, all I got is a gun. It’s the only thing I can use now is a gun.”

The paper, citing the complaint, said there’s no indication Sanders took steps to carry out an attack.

A bond hearing is set for Thursday, the Daily News said, adding that his arraignment is scheduled for May 18.

“Threats against public officials are not political speech,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said. “They are serious federal crimes that endanger public safety and the rule of law. The complaint alleges that this defendant repeatedly threatened to assassinate the president of the United States and other senior officials. Those allegations will now be tested in court. Our office will continue working with the U.S. Secret Service and our law enforcement partners to investigate threats, protect public officials, and ensure that those who violate federal law are held accountable. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Special Agent in Charge Michael Townsend of the U.S. Secret Service, Miami Field Office, added that “making threats against the president of the United States is a federal crime, and we treat it with the seriousness it deserves every time. It does not matter where the threat is made or what platform is used, our agents will identify you, investigate you, and work alongside our federal and local partners to bring charges when appropriate. We remain relentless in our mission to protect the president and to act swiftly against anyone who puts others at risk.”

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​Assassinate, Crime, Donald trump, Florida, Marco rubio, Miami beach, Miami beach man, Nathaniel sanders ii, Pam bondi, Threats, Us secret service, Politics 

Utah Valley University has given excuse after excuse in response to public records requests for the UVU Police Department in the months since Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated on the UVU campus on September 10, allegedly by Tyler Robinson.

‘I got you covered.’

Like other concerned Americans, Blaze News wanted to better understand the security measures that were put in place in the lead-up to the TPUSA college tour event that fateful day. Our concerns were heightened after Kirk’s former head of security, Brian Harpole, suggested to podcast host Shawn Ryan in November that UVU police, including Chief Jeff Long, had failed to implement certain security measures before Kirk’s murder and then went dark after it.

RELATED: ‘Horrific choice’: Utah Valley University nailed with backlash for choosing Charlie Kirk critic as commencement speaker

– YouTube

Harpole claimed that the UVU amphitheater setting was too exposed and that UVUPD neglected to reach out to other local law enforcement agencies to ensure that they had enough officers on the ground and resources like drones to secure the area, especially considering the anticipated size of the crowd.

According to an alleged text exchange between Harpole and Chief Long — an image of which can be seen at the 56:19 mark of the podcast episode — Harpole had also identified specific concerns about “roof access” two days prior to the deadly shooting, but Long had assured him, “I got you covered.”

After the shooting, Harpole claimed that he and his team reached out to Long, but “he’s never called us back.”

So long ago and so much effort: UVU can’t be bothered

Harpole also suggested that individuals and/or the media submit public records requests under the federal Freedom of Information Act for all the messages Long sent and received on state-issued devices. Blaze News took that advice — but has been stonewalled at every turn.

On November 24, Blaze News first submitted a FOIA request — called GRAMA in Utah, for the Government Records Access and Management Act — for all of Long’s messages on any messaging or social media platform between September 3 and September 11, 2025. That request was denied on December 4 because a “person’s name; mailing address; email address; and daytime telephone number” from Blaze News was allegedly not included.

Of note, Blaze News has a GRAMA account for UVU with that information stored, though when it was stored cannot be verified.

‘The time frame “September 3, 2025, to September 11, 2025” passed a considerable time ago.’

Blaze News then resubmitted the request on two occasions. The first was received on January 14. On February 5, UVU claimed it needed “additional time to fulfill” the request because of the “extraordinary circumstance” but that the request would be fulfilled within 10 business days.

On February 19, UVU said it needed an additional 10 business days.

On March 5, UVU said it needed yet another 10 business days.

Finally, on March 17, Blaze News received 14 heavily redacted Microsoft Teams messages, most of which were not useful. None of the speakers are identified by name, so it is unknown whether any of these statements can be attributed to Chief Long.

The most insightful exchange came at 9:15 a.m. on September 10, the day of the shooting.

A person identified as 63G-2-305(11) says: “Let the fun begin! The turning point group is wondering if they can have access to drive under the hall of flags to drop off their equipment? There is a gate there that needs to be unlocked.”

Part of the response from person 63G-2-305(12) is redacted, but 63G-2-305(12) continues, “The two GOP guys whi [sic] visited yesterday really stirred the pot!”

63G-2-305(11) then says with unwitting foreboding: “Really?! Oh no! It was weird the way they came on campus. Let’s hope nothing crazy happens.” The person believed to be responder 63G-2-305(12) replies: “It’s all good!”

RELATED: ‘This one’s for you, Charlie’: TPUSA’s ‘All-American Halftime Show’ draws millions of viewers during Super Bowl

Screenshot of documents sent to Blaze News

Even though UVU had granted itself three extensions for this request, in its response, UVU refused to provide Blaze News with any text messages from Long’s phone between September 3 and September 11 on the grounds that too much time had passed since the shooting and that finding the messages would involve too much work:

For the University to conduct a search for text messages, the employee would have to open and review each text message thread on their phone to see if that thread includes the date range you specified. Then the employee would have to determine if it was a personal text or public record. If the text was a public record, the employee would have to screenshot the entire thread for the period and compile those screenshots to a form that can be shared. In addition, seeing as the time frame “September 3, 2025, to September 11, 2025” passed a considerable time ago, this search process would be a time-consuming interference from the employee’s day-to-day operations and responsibilities to maintain the safety of the University.

UVU gave the same reason for denying the request for Long’s texts Blaze News submitted on April 1. When Blaze News reminded UVU that all of Long’s messages are presumed public unless a specific GRAMA exemption applies and that inconvenience and the personal nature of some messages were not exemptions under the statute, two weeks later, Blaze News received 19 screenshots — of almost no investigatory value.

Eight of the screenshots were of text alerts about the shooting that were presumably sent campus-wide.

One was a message from a reporter from a local Utah outlet requesting an interview with Chief Long.

Three screenshots contain expressions of concern about people, presumably Long or other members of UVUPD, who had to endure the stress of the event, both in the planning stages immediately before it and in the aftermath of the shooting.

Three others relate to a single conversation about U.S. Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and John Curtis (R-Utah) possibly attending the event.

Just two screenshots reveal interesting information. In one conversation that took place only a half-hour before Kirk was fatally shot, someone, presumably Long, estimated that the crowd had swelled to 3,000.

“Woah! That is pretty good! Is it okay?” the interlocutor replied.

“Do you think there are more in support or against,” the interlocutor added, but to no reply.

Then 15 minutes after the shooting, someone asked what they should tell the “people calling.” “She said shes even gotten the new York times [sic],” the person added.

“Don’t give any statements,” was the reply, presumably from Long.

The text messages Harpole claimed to have exchanged with Long were not included in any of the documents UVU sent to Blaze News. Efforts to reach Harpole for comment were unsuccessful.

RELATED: Elderly man who falsely confessed to shooting Charlie Kirk sentenced to prison

Screenshot of documents sent to Blaze News

In its response to Blaze News, UVU justified not disclosing other messages on Long’s phone because doing so:

“could reasonably be expected to jeopardize the life or safety of an individual”;”would jeopardize the security of public property, buildings, or systems”; and”would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”

Even the suspected murderer gets a say?

Blaze News is apparently not the only outlet frustrated by UVU’s limited compliance with public records requests about Kirk’s murder.

In an article titled “Utah Valley University continues to deny request for documents in Charlie Kirk shooting” dated February 17, KSTU reported not only the denials from UVU but that suspect Tyler Robinson and his attorneys had even weighed in on its GRAMA request. The outlet said it received “a letter from Tyler Robinson and his attorneys in support of the university’s decision to deny the release of the security plan.”

KSTU appeared unfazed by the denials for public records from UVU, claiming that they are “typical of the public records process.” However, the outlet noted that this letter from the suspect and his legal team was “unusual.”

Back in April, the Daily Caller News Foundation similarly reported that in response to its public records request, UVU had “heavily redacted files and withheld others entirely.”

UVUPD did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News about this lack of transparency.

‘These things … unfortunately they happen’

Long joined the UVUPD as deputy chief in 2022 and was named chief in December 2024. Government disclosure documents show that Long earned more than $125,000 in wages and benefits from taxpayers in 2024 alone.

And the most popular conservative activist in America was shot and killed on his watch.

Just hours after the shooting, Long and other officials appeared at a press conference, where Long professed to be “devastated” and described the deadly shooting as “a police chief’s nightmare.”

“We train for these things, and you think you have things covered, and um, you know, these things, um, you know, unfortunately they happen,” he continued. “You try to get, you try to get your bases covered, and unfortunately today we didn’t. And because of that we had this tragic incident.”

Long has not made any public comments about the shooting since.

Harpole indicated to Shawn Ryan that Long bears considerable responsibility for the ongoing questions and speculation about UVU security that day.

“Why he won’t stand up like a man and admit this, I don’t know,” Harpole said of Long, “but he’s watching a bunch of men lose their careers.

“And he’s okay with it.”

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​Charlie kirk, Utah valley university, Public records, Brian harpole, Tpusa, Shawn ryan, Utah, Jeff long, Politics 

Big Tech is betting big on XR glasses — that’s “extended reality” — as the hot new thing that will captivate users around the world. Meta was among the first to introduce smart glasses in collaboration with Ray-Ban, and now Apple, Google, and Samsung are expected to unveil their competing products soon. Although smart glasses have yet to gain the same mass public appeal as the smartphone, ICE thinks XR is exactly the tool it needs to speed up illegal alien identification and deportation.

DHS prepares to put smart glasses on ICE

ICE agents are reportedly tapping into the newest cutting-edge technology to aid in the fight against illegal immigration. Predictably, the deportation agency’s biggest critics are up in arms. According to independent left-wing journalist Ken Klippenstein, DHS is planning to outfit ICE agents with extended-reality smart glasses by September 2027. Instead of choosing an option off the shelf from a Big Tech brand that’s already in the space, DHS has notified Congress that it wants to develop its own solution, complete with features designed to help agents in the field.

This same technology could be used and abused to surveil the American public at large.

The aptly named “ICE Glasses” will include cameras that can record video, analyze data in real time, and display useful information to the wearer through an eye lens. The glasses will search for key biometric information that can identify a suspected illegal alien or criminal, including facial features and their walking pattern. These details are then sent to a federal database that contains known information on illegal aliens and criminals, cross-referenced for matches, and then a final determination is relayed back to the agent to either make an arrest or let the person go free.

The goal of ICE Glasses is to provide real-time awareness to agents by helping them identify illegal entities and deport them faster than ever. Unfortunately, as civil libertarians have warned broadly for decades, there are some potential consequences to using this kind of tech in public. Let’s zoom out and take a broader look.

3 reasons ICE Glasses are a good thing

First, let’s dive into the benefits of outfitting ICE agents with smart glasses.

Deportation fast lane: Agents can expedite deportations by identifying illegal aliens in seconds. The big benefit here is that agents don’t have to take the time to check federal databases themselves; it all happens automatically.Agent safety: ICE Glasses will keep agents safer by marking known dangerous illegal aliens and criminals in the heads-up display, letting agents know when they need to be more cautious or vigilant when approaching a suspect.Safer streets: If this initial test goes well, the technology found in ICE Glasses could be beneficial to local law enforcement. Police officers could wear similar glasses to identify wanted criminals and other dangerous entities roaming their streets, leading to a safer America.

Michael Nagle/Bloomberg/Getty Images

3 reasons ICE Glasses are bad for the American public

Now that the good stuff is out of the way, let’s get into several reasons why the ICE Glasses could be a problem for the American people.

Citizen surveillance: First and foremost, there’s a high likelihood that ICE Glasses will scan the faces of illegal immigrants and American citizens. After all, the only way to confirm a suspect’s status is to run their information. In this way, ICE Glasses could become a mass surveillance tool that captures and processes the biometric data of every American citizen that passes by an agent.User errors: There will likely be some mistakes. If a person is marked down incorrectly in the federal criminal database, ICE Glasses may erroneously flag a suspect, possibly leading to false arrests.Abuse of power: With great power comes great repsonsibility … and the potential for abuse. ICE Glasses would give agents immense power to record, document, and analyze vast swathes of data. Yes, illegal immigrants are the target, but these smart glasses can technically “see” and monitor anything the agent sees. While we may trust the current administration to do the right thing with this technology, leftists will return to power in the future, and a left-wing government will have the ability to target its own idea of a national threat, such as white males, traditional homemakers, and Christians.

ICE Glasses are as useful as they are problematic. On one hand, it’s good to have intelligent resources that expedite the identification and deportation of illegal aliens and criminals. So far, the Trump administration has fallen behind past administrations on deportation totals, and these glasses could help.

On the other hand, you can see how this same technology could be used and abused to surveil the American public at large. While it’s true ICE Glasses will empower agents to arrest more domestic threats, they do so at the expense of American citizens’ privacy.

Is it worth it?

​Tech, Ice, Immigration and customs enforcement, Smart glasses, Ice glasses, Extended reality 

A report from BlazeTV’s Sara Gonzales exposing a Muslims-only event at a water park in Texas has led to a threat from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

The event was to celebrate a religious event called Eid and was scheduled for June 1 in Grand Prairie. Gonzales posted an ad from the event clearly marking it as excluding non-Muslims.

‘That’s religious discrimination. It’s unconstitutional.’

The event included halal food and a private prayer area, despite the Epic Waters indoor park being city-owned.

On Wednesday, the governor issued a threat to pull the city’s public safety grants unless the park shut down the event.

“A city-owned water park in Grand Prairie openly advertised a ‘MUSLIMS ONLY’ event — closed to the general public. That’s religious discrimination,” Abbott said in a statement on social media.

“It’s unconstitutional. I signed HB 4211 into law — banning Muslim only no-go zones in Texas,” he added. “The City must cancel the event and commit to never allowing something like it again by May 11th, or lose $530,000 in state grants.”

He pointed out that one of the red flags involved the planners asking women to wear “burkinis” rather than bikinis.

“Let this be a lesson to local officials: Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans,” Abbott added.

RELATED: Sara Gonzales confronts owner of alleged H-1B visa & autism center scam — whistleblower tells all

The Dallas Morning News reported that the event’s organizer, Aminah Knight, said she did not intend to exclude anyone when the event was labeled “Muslims only.” She said the flyer has been changed to include everyone.

“As Muslims, we have a modest dress code. Going to a water park can be a challenge,” Knight said, noting that this was the third year of the event. “This is a way to have fun and make sure our children and community feel seen.”

A spokesperson for the city did not respond to a request for comment from the Morning News.

The event was expected to draw about 600 attendees.

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​Muslim only water park, Islamic domination, Sara gonzales investigations, Abbott vs grand prairie, Politics 

In the several months since Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s death, his widow, Erika Kirk, has faced consistent and intense online harassment, mockery of her public grief, egregious accusations, and threats from both sides of the political aisle.

Allie Beth Stuckey, BlazeTV host of “Relatable,” has been deeply disturbed by all the vitriol unleashed against Erika — especially when it comes from the “Christian” right.

No matter what Erika does, says Allie — smile, cry, stay home, or go out into public — there awaits a host of people ready to mock and accuse her.

The latest example of this occurred following the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which was cut short due to a would-be assassin rushing a security checkpoint and firing multiple shots in an attempt to kill President Trump and other administration officials. A video of Erika crying and expressing a desire to go home after the incident went viral on social media, with many accusing her of faking tears and performing.

Many of those accusers, Allie points out, identify as conservative Christians.

“You are just playing this very dangerous game with your soul; you’re gambling here,” says warns. “Like this is such a dangerous thing for you to have to bring before the Lord one day — that you found it to be an entertaining sport to mock someone’s widow.”

It’s OK to “criticize a public figure” and express hesitation about “the official law enforcement story,” Allie concedes, as long as you do these things “without relentlessly and mercilessly mocking.” Those unable to refrain from mockery and hatred are suffering from “a soul sickness,” she argues.

“If you do feel good about [mocking Erika] and you’re like, ‘Well, I don’t really feel any conviction. I think that this is fine,’ that’s not an indication that what you’re doing is OK,” she declares. “That’s an indication that you are callous; that you worship the god of self; you worship the god of money; you worship the god of entertainment; you worship the god of sensationalism — not the God of scripture.”

“If you keep feeling good about and finding joy in the mockery of a widow, that is an indication of the absence of the Holy Spirit in your life. It just is,” she continues, “and that’s not Allie Stuckey’s judgment, OK? That is the nature of the Holy Spirit because he is the convictor.”

Many of the most horrific injustices in the history of the world, she reminds, happened because callousness to the suffering of others became normalized.

“It takes one person being willing to go out there and consistently dehumanize and consistently deride, and then it takes a few people being entertained by it, and then more people being entertained by it, and then it becomes less of a person that you’re talking about, and it just becomes this abstract thing,” says Allie. “These people talking about Erika, I don’t even think they see her as a person.”

“When someone’s humanity in your mind goes away, you can justify anything,” she warns.

And when we become numb to widows’ suffering specifically — that’s even more dangerous territory, at least spiritually, Allie argues.

Citing Isaiah 1:17, Psalm 68:5, and Exodus 22:22-24, she says, “It seems like [widows are] something that’s super important to God.”

For the people who may not be mocking or deriding Erika but are constantly criticizing her role as TPUSA’s CEO, claiming she should be at home with her kids instead, Allie has a blunt message: “I promise you that Erika loves her kids more than you do. … I promise you that she thinks about their well-being and thinks about what is best for them more than you do.”

If anyone is concerned about Erika or her children, the best thing they can do is to pray, she says.

When it comes to Erika Kirk or any public figure, Allie stresses that she’s “not even asking for us to all agree” because “we can all have opinions.”

“I’m asking for some humanity here, right?” she says, “And I’ve just been super disappointed in some people who used to be in my audience who have just become so merciless when it comes to this woman.”

“This is like a huge indication of just very dark spiritual sickness, and it grieves me. I’m really praying about it.”

To hear more, watch the video above.

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With Brent crude futures surging past $115 a barrel, President Trump’s rejection of Iran’s latest Strait of Hormuz proposal is a test of whether Washington elites understand what ordinary Americans actually want: energy stability, not another forever war in the Gulf.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, through Pakistani mediators in the ongoing Islamabad process, recently floated a phased 14-point plan: reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade, with nuclear talks deferred to a later stage.

Trump dismissed the offer as not acceptable, yet the real story is not Tehran’s maneuvering, but the widening gap between Beltway hawks who see confrontation as inevitable and voters who see confrontation as unaffordable.

Younger voters, already skeptical of ‘forever wars,’ view the Iran standoff as another distraction from domestic priorities.

As the administration officially activates Project Freedom — a mission utilizing U.S. naval assets to guide trapped commercial vessels — Washington is attempting a middle-path maneuver.

This operation is a band-aid on a bullet wound. Reports of U.S. helicopters destroying Iranian small boats and retaliatory missile fire toward UAE ports underscore the volatility. The public is not clamoring for a demonstration of strength; people are clamoring for relief at the pump.

Polling backs this up. The March 2026 Pew survey shows that foreign policy hawkishness is declining, with only 28% of Americans labeling China an “enemy” and similar fatigue evident in attitudes toward Middle Eastern entanglements.

Trump’s rejection of Iran’s deal, though well intentioned, misreads the electorate. Americans are not demanding another Gulf showdown that could shatter the current truce. They are demanding a pragmatic path to lower energy costs and a reprieve from endless deployments.

Iran’s offer was piecemeal, but it reflected a truth Washington ignores: Maritime choke points like the Strait of Hormuz are arteries of global commerce. Blocking them — or relying on risky naval escorts — is a gamble with the global economy.

Traders and shippers see the blockade as a distortion that ripples through supply chains. The attempt to isolate Iran has produced logistical chaos that even Project Freedom will struggle to untangle.

Americans feel this chaos in their wallets. Every increase translates to higher gasoline prices, higher shipping costs, and inflationary pressure. Younger voters, already skeptical of “forever wars,” view the Iran standoff as another distraction from domestic priorities.

The youth vote is not demanding ideological purity; it is demanding pragmatic management of global risks. By rejecting Iran’s offer outright, Trump risks alienating the very demographic that could give him cover for a diplomatic breakthrough.

RELATED: Trump administration establishes ‘red, white, and blue dome’ to allow safe passage through Strait of Hormuz

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Islamabad process — where U.S. and Iranian delegations are quietly exploring trilateral peace — reflects a regional appetite for pragmatic de-escalation. The same mood exists in the American electorate. Voters are tired of containment strategies that yield no domestic dividend.

The coming few weeks will be decisive. If the blockade continues, price spikes will drag inflation into the midterm season. If Trump pivots toward a phased maritime deal, he could claim a win that stabilizes the markets.

Washington elites may sneer at piecemeal diplomacy, but such diplomacy is often how to achieve real stability. The electorate understands this better than the pundits.

The American people are no longer the obstacle to pragmatic engagement; they are the engine of it. Rejecting Iran’s offer may satisfy Beltway hawks, but it risks alienating voters.

The smarter path is managed friction — accepting partial deals that stabilize markets while deferring ideological battles. The world does not need another forever war in the Gulf. It needs a recognition that energy stability is the foundation of strategic strength.

​Us navy, Iran, Trump, Operation epic fury, Operation project freedom, Strait of hormuz, Blockade, Forever war, Middle east, Opinion & analysis 

Illegal alien activist groups are demanding answers over “abductions” of crew members in front of passengers on a Disney cruise by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Benjamin Prado from Union del Barrio spoke at a press conference at the pier in San Diego along with other migrant groups to express their outrage that ICE was doing its job.

‘It was really unsettling. … Does the family even know that he’s not getting back on the ship today?’

“This is not an isolated incident,” Prado said. “In fact, it has become a growing pattern, not only here in San Diego but throughout this country.”

He went on to claim that the detainees were being denied their due process rights and access to legal representation.

“It is our responsibility as a society, as working people, to really denounce these actions by Customs and Border Protection, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the prolonged detention of migrant workers, whether it be here in our own community as well as those that work on ships,” Prado added.

Prado and the other groups demanded that Disney do more to protect its workers.

One of the passengers on the Disney cruise said her family was traumatized by seeing the crew members being detained by ICE.

“It was really unsettling,” Dharmi Mehta said at the briefing.

Mehta said they had gotten to know a head waiter during the five-day cruise, and they saw him and others being detained after they arrived in San Diego. She was distressed by the fact that they did not have any personal belongings with them.

“So that was just my big concern — like, how is he gonna reach out to his family? Does the family even know that he’s not getting back on the ship today?” Mehta added.

The migrant groups said four others were also detained by ICE from Holland America’s Zaandam cruise ship at the same pier. Around 10 were detained from the Disney cruise.

Protesters behind Mehta held signs demanding due process for Filipino workers.

RELATED: ‘GayDays’ at Disney World on ice after sponsors pull out

A spokesperson for the Port of San Diego released a statement to KNSD-TV.

“The Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department did not have any involvement in the reported enforcement actions on April 23 or April 25 at the B Street Cruise Terminal,” the statement reads. “We did not receive any calls for service related to these incidents. In accordance with California law, including SB 54, Harbor Police does not participate in immigration enforcement activities.”

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A massive operation targeting the “notorious open-air drug market” in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles began Wednesday, according to a Justice Dept. statement.

Details of “Operation Free MacArthur Park” were posted on social media by Bill Essayli, the first assistant United States attorney for the Central District of California.

At least 19 kilograms of fentanyl and 17 arrests were initially reported in the operation targeting the ‘notorious open-air drug market.’

“We are going after street dealers and suppliers of massive amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine,” he wrote. “Over the last 24 hours, federal and local law enforcement have started arresting 25 defendants charged in a federal criminal complaint with possessing and distributing dangerous narcotics, including fentanyl and methamphetamine.”

At least 19 kilograms of fentanyl and 17 arrests were initially reported in the operation targeting the “notorious open-air drug market” as described by Essayli.

He said the top drug trafficker, a resident of Calabasas, was already in federal custody and faced life in prison if convicted. Other defendants also faced decades in prison.

Essayli also posted video from the operation showing the many officers involved.

More than 300 agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Department of Justice, and the Los Angeles Police Dept. were included, according to a Fox News report.

“The LAPD is currently assisting our federal partners in a joint narcotics enforcement operation in the MacArthur Park Area. This operation is focused solely on drug‑related criminal activity,” reads a statement from the LAPD on social media.

“There is no connection to immigration enforcement,” it added.

A video from the California Post showed many of the suspects being arrested or detained.

“We are attacking the open-air drug market that’s been allowed to proliferate under California policies for too long. You go down there, and there’s people actively selling fentanyl, methamphetamine. There’s people using in the open,” Essalyi said in an interview on the scene.

“To the drug dealers poisoning the streets of Los Angeles: your safe haven is gone,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote.

The DEA indicated that one of the goals of the operation was “cleaning up the community” before the World Cup and Olympics.

RELATED: ‘Disgusting criminal’ illegal alien tortured dogs at animal training center in Las Vegas, DHS says

Ironically, Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass angrily denounced federal agents during another similar operation at MacArthur Park in July 2025.

“This is footage from today in MacArthur Park. Minutes before, there were more than 20 kids playing — then, the MILITARY comes through,” she wrote on social media at the time. “The SECOND I heard about this, I went to the park to speak to the person in charge to tell them it needed to end NOW. Absolutely outrageous.”

Federal officials denied that she had been able to shut down the operation.

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Activists who demand strict oversight for homeschooling rarely apply the same standards to public schools, entrepreneur and defense contractor Palmer Luckey argued this week.

Luckey pushed back against growing calls for tighter regulation of homeschooling, responding to critics who say parents should face more evaluations and state monitoring.

‘Ask them what the consequences should be for homeschooling parents who fail to educate children.’

Home invasion

His comments came after writer Jill Filipovic argued that homeschooling families should accept more scrutiny if they believe homeschooling delivers better educational outcomes.

“If homeschooling is actually super high quality, then homeschooling families should not object to being evaluated, tested, and checked-in-on to make sure their kids are actually learning,” Filipovic wrote in a post viewed more than one million times.

Luckey responded that homeschool students often succeed precisely because they are not forced into what he described as the “slow-progress-across-all-subjects method public schools impose on every student, no matter how they learn.”

He added that standardized oversight would likely undermine the flexibility that makes homeschooling effective in the first place

“The evaluation/testing you are talking about would almost certainly prohibit that sort of tailored education,” Luckey wrote, “especially since they would be designed and administered by a system that wants to eliminate homeschooling in almost all cases.”

Several studies appear to support at least part of Luckey’s argument.

RELATED: Right-wing investor to challenge traditional banking with national crypto bank

Study haul

A 2022 study analyzing results from the Classic Learning Test — a college entrance exam launched in 2015 — found homeschool students outperformed peers from other school systems by margins ranging from three to 12.1 points, including in verbal and writing categories.

A 2025 study by Cardus found that 45% of short-term homeschoolers earned at least a bachelor’s degree, roughly comparable to the 46% rate among non-homeschooled students. The same study also found homeschoolers were more likely to be married, have children, volunteer in their communities, and report higher levels of optimism.

Meanwhile, a 2026 overview of peer-reviewed research found that 62% of studies conducted over a 30-year period concluded homeschool students outperformed their traditionally schooled peers.

RELATED: Anti-Trump Indian investor wants you to use this hat that reads your thoughts

Rubber rooms

Luckey also rejected the argument that public schools better prepare children for real-world socialization.

“We are putting the vast majority of our children into madhouses that no longer have anything to do with how society works or what they will experience in said society,” he wrote.

Despite the growing body of research and the rapid rise in homeschooling, major media outlets continue to advocate for tighter oversight. The Washington Post reported in 2024 that between 1.9 million and 2.7 million American children were being homeschooled — roughly a 50% increase over six years.

In England, homeschooling numbers rose from fewer than 81,000 students in 2022 to roughly 92,000 in 2023. The Guardian attributed much of the increase to COVID-era lockdowns while simultaneously calling for greater regulation and oversight, arguing public schools provide stronger safeguards for children.

Luckey, however, said critics often apply a double standard — demanding accountability from parents while excusing systemic failures in public education.

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Former California Democratic Rep. Katie Porter’s newest political ad is getting savaged on social media for trying to make a joke about one of her worst moments.

Porter is one of the Democratic candidates in the California gubernatorial race, but her campaign has been dogged by allegations that she has an abusive temper toward her staff and her family members.

‘Whoever shot and produced that video should be fired.’

In Oct. 2025, a damaging video leaked that showed Porter screaming an expletive at a staff member for straying into her video shot.

“Get out of my f**king shot!” she yells. “You also were in my shot before that. Stay out of my shot.”

On Tuesday, Porter’s campaign published a video ad showing the candidate addressing voters while actors in the background hold whiteboards with several campaign slogans. At the end, she turns around and yells at them.

“Now, could you guys please get out of my shot?” she says with a smile.

The bizarre callback has bewildered critics online who questioned why she would refer to one of her worst moments.

“I’m at a loss for words. This is so bad,” replied Democratic political strategist Keith Edwards.

“Does she think verbally abusing staff members is a joke now?” responded the Libs of TikTok account.

“Most people that run for governor — even in CA — are substantially less unhinged,” said another commentator.

“Lol whoever shot and produced that video should be fired,” said another detractor.

RELATED: Katie Porter suggests she will defend truckers who can’t speak English from Trump in bizarre debate moment

“It won’t work. Her ‘advisors’ probably thought it would help deflect from her true self being exposed. It just highlights her narcissism harder,” responded another X user.

While Porter has decent name recognition as a former congresswoman, she has underperformed in the gubernatorial race. In one recent poll, she was tied for fourth place behind the two Republicans in the race and Democratic front-runner Tom Steyer.

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A year-long Department of Justice investigation has found that the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, discriminated against applicants based on race.

A Wednesday press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California announced that the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division discovered evidence that the school’s leadership “intentionally selected applicants based on their race.”

‘Federal law and the Supreme Court precedent are clear: Race discrimination has no place in our nation’s institutions of higher learning.’

The DOJ cited UCLA’s “dubious contention that patients receive the best care when treated by a doctor of the same race, rather than by the most qualified.”

The investigation claimed that, on average, black and Hispanic applicants whom the medical school admitted had lower academic qualifications than their white and Asian counterparts.

The department concluded that the medical school violated civil rights laws by intentionally discriminating on the basis of race. The DOJ highlighted that medical schools receive significant federal financial assistance.

“UCLA’s admissions process has been focused on racial demographics at the expense of merit and excellence — allowing racial politics to distract the school from the vital work of training great doctors,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division stated. “Racism in admissions is both illegal and anti-American, and this Department will not allow it to continue.”

RELATED: DEI class at UCLA’s medical school sets up future doctors to fight the patriarchy and accept ‘weight loss is useless’

Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images

First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said, “Federal law and the Supreme Court precedent are clear: Race discrimination has no place in our nation’s institutions of higher learning.”

“The pattern of illegal and odious conduct by UCLA’s medical school is abhorrent to our Constitution and our nation’s founding principles,” Essayli added.

RELATED: UCLA School of Medicine’s radical DEI czar clumsily plagiarized vast portions of her dissertation on DEI: Report

Mario Tama/Getty Images

A UCLA medical school spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that its admissions process is “based on merit” and “grounded in a rigorous, comprehensive review of each applicant.” The spokesperson rejected claims that it broke the law.

“We are confident in our practices and our mission to maintain access to a high-quality education to all qualified students,” the spokesperson told the Times. “We are carefully reviewing the Department of Justice’s report. The David Geffen School of Medicine is committed to providing equal opportunity to all applicants and fully complying with federal and state laws.”

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While progressives claim the Spirit Airlines collapse was good for consumers, Glenn Beck and Carol Roth argue the exact opposite happened: Regulators strangled a struggling company’s lifeline and handed even more market power to the major airlines.

“Spirit Airlines is out, and Elizabeth Warren, when she announced this with Joe Biden — that they weren’t going to merge with JetBlue — she said that’s a ‘win’ for the Republic and win for Biden.”

“It’s not a win for anybody who had, you know, tickets on a cheap airline to go someplace — to go see Grandma, or go back to school, or whatever it was. That’s not a win for you today. All these people have lost their jobs. The airline is closed, and the only ones that will win are the bigger airlines,” Glenn tells financial expert Carol Roth.

“They are always wrong and never in doubt,” Roth agrees.

“And this is a very dangerous combination, because, you know, you can have this moral preening, but it doesn’t replace economic reality. And they are so decoupled from the economic reality, either because they don’t understand or because they don’t care,” she says.

And Roth knows this from experience.

“I’m a recovering investment banker. We see this all the time. You have a company that needs a lifeline, and another company steps in and it’s letting the market sort it out,” she explains.

“What they did is they took a struggling company and they said, ‘No, you cannot have that lifeline. Look, we did a good thing,’ and like you said, now we have less choice. Now we have people who are out of a job. Now we have, you know, less of an opportunity for this to work its way out in the markets and in the system,” she continues.

“They’re not helping. And they’re making it harder for Americans to thrive, to be successful, and in some cases just to afford the cost of living,” she says. “And unfortunately, that’s where we’re at today.”

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​Blaze media, Blaze news, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Blaze podcast network, Blaze podcasts, Blazetv, Carol roth, Democrats, Elizabeth warren, Financial expert, Glenn beck, Glenn tv, Joe biden, Progressives, Regulators, Republican, Republicans, Spirit airline collapse, Spirit airlines, The blaze, The glenn beck program 

Artemis II pilot Victor Glover is showing kids that progressive ideology and groupthink are not pathways to success.

Despite the media’s persistent interest in the color of his skin, the 50-year-old NASA astronaut prefers to keep the focus on his crew’s historic April 6 spaceflight, which marks the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth.

‘I think one of the reasons we were as successful as we [were] is we spent a lot of time thinking about us and not me individually.’

This was once again evident Friday, when the team of four sat down for a “CBS Mornings” town hall, taking questions from children from nearby science-focused school M.S. 255 Salk School of Science.

No DEI in ‘team’

“How did it feel to be the first person of color to fly to or around the moon?” an 11-year-old girl named Ameya asked, 10 minutes into the discussion.

Glover replied with a smile, “I will tell you one of the things about swinging for the fence and trying to hit a home run when the game is on the line is if you think about that, that can add pressure and make you not go up there and and play your best game.”

The astronaut said instead he “focused a lot on working with this team and trying to be a good teammate,” before stressing the importance of being a team member, and not focusing on individual attributes.

“I think one of the reasons we were as successful as we [were] is we spent a lot of time thinking about us and not me individually.”

Glover continued, “I would answer this by maybe just making a visual lesson here that I spent a lot of time thinking about this patch and this patch,” he said while pointing to his NASA patch and then the United States flag, “and not this patch,” pointing to his own name.

“And now we get to be here and we get to talk about it, though.”

RELATED: ‘I wanted to thank God in public’: Fighting tears, Victor Glover gives legendary speech on return to Earth

–

‘Human history’

Glover has been fielding such questions since the mission was announced. Just three days before the launch, a journalist asked Glover what being the “first black man” to travel to the moon meant to him.

Glover dismissed the notion, saying he hoped society would be “pushing the other direction” so that one day “we don’t have to talk about these firsts.”

“This is the human history,” he emphasized. “It’s about human history. It’s the story of humanity, not black history, not women’s history, but that it becomes human history.”

RELATED: Victor Glover reminded us what an American is

Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty Images

Glory to God

Glover has also been known to put his Christianity before ethnic identity.

Glover has used his time in the spotlight to talk about his faith. Just before circumnavigating the moon, Glover shared what he called the “most important mysteries of the world” in a live radio transmission.

“Christ said in response to ‘what was the greatest command’ that it was to love God with all that you are. And he, also being a great teacher, said the second is equal to it, and that is to love your neighbor as yourself.”

Upon returning to Earth, he made his priorities even clearer: “When this started … I wanted to thank God in public, and I want to thank God again.”

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The man arrested for a shooting Monday at the National Mall that led to a White House lockdown has been identified in a federal criminal filing.

Michael Marx, 45, was spotted at about 3:30 p.m. by a plainclothes officer who believed he was carrying a gun. When he was approached by uniformed officers, he fled and allegedly fired a gun at them.

Marx allegedly said, ‘F**k the White House,’ as well as, ‘Kill me, kill me, kill me.’

The suspect was shot, captured, and arrested, but a juvenile bystander was also shot during the altercation.

Investigators confirmed an initial report that the motorcade for Vice President JD Vance had just passed by before the shooting.

The gunshot victim was described as a civilian witness who was standing behind an officer and was shot in the leg. The officers returned fire and shot the suspect in the hand, left arm, and upper abdomen.

As he was being transported in an ambulance to a hospital, Marx allegedly said, “F**k the White House,” as well as, “Kill me, kill me, kill me.”

A Sig Sauer P365 handgun was recovered in the area where Marx fell to the ground, and investigators claimed he did not have a permit to carry a handgun in the District of Columbia.

A court filing included security video showing a man firing at police and the victim clutching his leg after getting shot. The bystander is expected to recover from the non-life-threatening injury.

The suspect’s digital devices and social media footprint are being searched in order to establish a possible motive, according to officials at a media briefing Monday.

Marx was charged with one count of assaulting federal officers with a dangerous weapon, another count of using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and a third count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

“Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don’t know. But we will find out,” said Matthew Quinn, the deputy director of the Secret Service.

RELATED: DOJ releases new video of WHCD shooting to dispel ‘friendly fire’ rumor

Marx had false identification with aliases that included Patrick Michael and Michael Zavici, according to officers.

“We will prove this defendant carried an illegal firearm into the heart of Washington, D.C., opened fire at Secret Service officers near a crowded intersection, and shot an innocent bystander who was simply crossing the street with his family,” reads a statement from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

“My office will pursue the most serious charges available against anyone who brings gun violence to our streets, particularly when that violence unfolds steps from the seat of our government and the path of the Vice President of the United States,” she added.

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Tickets for the 2026 World Cup are almost sold out, but some U.S. venues are worried there may not be enough visitors to meet their economic forecast.

FIFA dropped its prices in late April at its predetermined “50 days away” mark, having already sold more than 5 million tickets.

Nearly 80% of bookers said hotels are tracking below their initial forecasts.

The cumulative attendance record of 3.5 million set at the 1994 World Cup is projected to be broken, FIFA reported. At the same time, Reuters noted that there were just over 6 million tickets available for the tournament in total, meaning around 80% of seats have already been purchased.

However, one sector is worried that there may not be enough travelers to the United States for the tournament, which could result in a lower-than-expected return on investment.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association said in its recent World Cup outlook report that after years of preparing for the tournament and making “significant investments” to “welcome a global audience,” bookings are likely to fall short of expectations.

In fact, nearly 80% of bookers who responded to the survey said hotels are tracking below their initial forecasts, with international demand being the largest culprit.

RELATED: Faith, ‘divine journey,’ and Trump will ensure unforgettable World Cup, island nation’s soccer president says

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The group pinpointed several factors that are preventing hotel chains from hitting their marks.

First, international travelers may believe they will face lengthy visa wait times, increased fees, and increased airport security screening and check-in times.

The organization is seemingly blaming current federal policy for compounding the issue, claiming that a strong American dollar, airfare costs, and gas prices are all affecting the willingness of fans to travel.

The AHLA also blamed FIFA for creating an artificial demand by booking large blocks of hotel rooms but picking up only 15% of what it booked in the end.

The report noted that international travelers spend more money than domestic travelers, $5,048 per person versus roughly $4,794. World Cup international travelers also spend about 1.7 times more than the average international visitor.

RELATED: Who’s to blame for the un-American ban on tailgating at the World Cup?

Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/ISI Photos/Getty Images

At just under 90%, business owners from Kansas City, Missouri, reported the highest projection that they will perform below expectations for the World Cup, with Atlanta being the only host city with a projection under 50%.

The hotel organization warned that a temporary tax increase in New Jersey on prepared food and lodging could further derail expectations, as could a 2% increase in Philadelphia’s hotel tax.

The White House previously told Blaze News that it expects the tournament to be “one of the greatest and most spectacular events in the history of mankind.”

White House spokesman Davis Ingle also said that it will be the safest and most secure tournament in history.

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A Massachusetts city in the Greater Boston area commissioned a pair of 10-foot-tall bronze statues heavy with cultural and historical significance to honor police and firefighters outside its new public safety headquarters.

Since the statues also carry religious significance — one depicts the winged archangel Michael stepping on the head of a demon, and the other depicts Florian, a third-century firefighting Roman Christian — the American Civil Liberties Union and a handful of secularizing activist groups joined local thin-skinned critics in suing to block the installation last May.

According to the ACLU, having the two statues as the sole adornments on the building’s facade “would undermine religious pluralism in Quincy and violate the Massachusetts Constitution’s long-standing requirement that the government remain neutral in matters of religion.”

‘Let Quincy pay tribute to its firefighters and police.’

The ensuing legal battle has reached the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which heard oral arguments on Wednesday in the case Fitzmaurice v. City of Quincy.

The defendants’ thesis, as outlined in their opening brief to the court, is that symbolism on government property should not become “illegal simply because some citizens perceive it to have religious meaning.”

Some of the court’s justices, Democrat-appointee Gabrielle Wolohojian in particular, did not appear to be entirely buying what the attorney for the city from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty was selling at the outset despite considering his arguments in a city already replete with public art evoking persons, symbols, and themes of religious significance, including multiple statues of Moses.

RELATED: Young men flocking to Christianity in record numbers

Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Image

The court proved particularly fixated on whether Florian and Michael’s special recognition as saints by the Catholic Church was actually an issue in this case and raised as possibly relevant in a lower court’s insinuation that the statues’ primary champion, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch, was untrustworthy and had worked clandestinely to get the statues funded and installed.

The court was not, however, overly receptive to the ACLU’s arguments in favor of denying Quincy first responders their statues, which have been defended in recent months by a plethora of organizations, including the nation’s largest firefighter and police unions, various faith groups, and esteemed constitutional scholars.

One justice questioned whether:

such legal concern-mongering constitutes a “heckler’s veto” that is here at risk of being normalized; the plaintiffs were effectively asking the state’s high court to “provide less protection than the Supreme Court on free exercise,” or “allow more hostility to religion than the Supreme Court would tolerate”; and the statues endorsed a particular religion — an especially dubious claim given Florian’s secular, historical significance and the archangel Michael’s significance in multiple distinct faiths as well as in popular culture and literature.

Tom Bowes, president of Quincy’s Firefighters Local 792, said in a statement, “For generations, Florian’s legacy has inspired the brave men and women who run toward danger when others need help. We hope the court allows Quincy to honor that tradition and the first responders who live it every day.”

Joseph Davis, senior counsel at Becket and an attorney for the city, said, “In this country, public art doesn’t become off-limits just because it may make some people think about religion. We’re confident the justices will apply that commonsense rule here and let Quincy pay tribute to its firefighters and police.”

Eric Rassbach, another attorney at Becket, said in the wake of the hearing on Wednesday that the ACLU’s argument largely “relied on the supposedly dead legal standard known as the Lemon test, which SCOTUS abrogated.”

“For decades, the unusuable Lemon test produced confusion and split decisions in cases involving religious symbols,” continued Rassbach. “That changed in 2019, when SCOTUS ruled 7-2 in [American Legion v. American Humanist Association] that the First Amendment does not require removing a WWI memorial cross and made clear that Lemon no longer applies.”

While the Supreme Court rejected the relevance of the test articulated by SCOTUS in its 1971 Lemon v. Kurtzman ruling as a way of guiding the court in identifying Establishment Clause violations, Norfolk Superior Court Judge William Sullivan previously leaned heavily on it in the Quincy case.

“It would be a bizarre move for Massachusetts to revive a test that failed so badly at the federal level, especially since Lemon has no grounding in the Commonwealth’s Constitution,” wrote Rassbach. “That document takes a different approach: It recognizes the vital role of religion in public life while guaranteeing equal protection for all religious denominations. That’s a far cry from forcing cities to scrub anything that smacks of the religious from all public property.”

The court is expected to deliver its decision sometime this fall.

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The Michael Jackson biopic is finally here, and it’s already smashing records after a $217.4 million worldwide opening — which is the biggest of all time for a biopic.

“You think you’re watching Michael Jackson. You forget that’s not Michael,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray comments on “Pat Gray Unleashed.”

“It’s uncanny,” he adds.

And while there have famously been allegations of child abuse at the hands of Jackson, the biopic didn’t cover them.

“His estate was sued again … some more sexual abuse allegations. But the lawsuit is from that Cascio family who, they settled, but they claimed that the settlement was breached and broken,” Jeff Fisher explains, pointing out that the family initially claimed Jackson did nothing wrong but later changed their tune.

“It was really bizarre,” he says.

“I’ve always gone back and forth on that, but they don’t deal with it in the movie. I mean, they might in the future. I don’t know, because at the end of it, it says, ‘His story continues,’” Gray comments.

“So I don’t know if [the biopic] gives away too much, but it takes you up to 1988,” he adds, pointing out that this was before the allegations of child abuse.

“His story will continue,” executive producer Keith Malinak adds.

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