Category: blaze media

Children who play sports are being treated like professional athletes, and even professional athletes are suffering greater injuries than ever before.

Now that youth sports are being maxed out and competitions are offered as year-round money-makers for athletic organizations, the frequency of devastating injuries among children has increased, and top doctors are noticing.

‘When you’re physically putting 10,000 hours of demand on an adolescent body, that doesn’t work.’

Dr. Karim Meijer, medical director and head team physician for the NFL’s Denver Broncos, says not only are pro athletes in the middle of an “injury epidemic,” but children who yearn to become professional ball players are being driven by the “youth sports industrial complex.”

From inside his own clinic, Dr. Meijer told Blaze News about a new phenomenon: gruesome injuries that have become the new normal in sports.

“We’re seeing knee dislocations,” Meijer said from an exam room. “Those are devastating career-, limb-threatening-type injuries on an athletic field that just wasn’t as prevalent in the [older] NFL days. … Those things really weren’t happening.”

To that end, injuries to children have also increased as they engage in what Meijer described as intense, repetitive training that starts as early as 7 or 8 years old.

“When you’re physically putting 10,000 hours of demand on an adolescent body, that doesn’t work,” the pro doctor explained.

Meijer said kids are playing multiple games every weekend, all year round with no true off-season, creating cumulative damage that never fully heals. The doctor warned parents that by the time these children reach high school or college, their tissue and tendons can already be compromised.

RELATED: Just 1 MLB team opts out of Pride Night as league shifts toward LGBT ‘package’

Justin Tafoya/Getty Images

Injuries that were rare a generation ago — “Achilles ruptures, UCL tears, growth-plate avulsions, rotator-cuff tears” — are now commonplace due to “ubiquitous” sports leagues, Meijer said.

Meijer recalled appointments he’s had with young athletes within recent days, including a 14-year-old “who threw a ball from third base and pulled his growth plate off the inside of his elbow.”

“That’s a kid that also plays year-round baseball,” Meijer added.

These injuries are not necessarily occurring in major sports or affecting only male athletes either, according to the physician. Young girls are coming to him with rare injuries due to constant physical stress and competition too.

“I have a 14-year-old volleyball girl I saw this morning who already has partial tears on the underside of her rotator cuff, something commonly we see called internal impingement,” Meijer pointed out, demonstrating a volleyball spiking motion. “Fairly young, but it’s a year-round volleyball player.”

The doctor urged parents to start thinking about the longevity of their child’s athletic career and how to prevent injury.

RELATED: The NBA is finally going with a pro-America stance: ‘We’re proud’

John McDonnell/The Washington Post/Getty Images

“It’s not rocket science,” Meijer declared, saying he tells parents all the time the types of injuries their child may be susceptible to just based on their sport.

Solutions can be as simple as playing different sports that use “completely different kinds of mechanics” and that work different parts of their body.

In the doctor’s opinion, parents may also want to consider their kids’ health before signing them up for a long-term athletic commitment, especially since these sports companies are always seeking more revenue.

“What’s a 12-month calendar year look like for the healthier child versus the financial benefit of a youth sports organization?” Meijer asked.

Other suggested remedies included training that doesn’t involve the repetitive motions of a given sport, some of which can be worse than others.

“I wouldn’t pitch in two consecutive seasons,” Meijer said as an example.

He concluded, “I tell parents all the time, it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon. You gotta work year by year, but you want to keep your child as healthy as possible as you go through it.”

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​Fearless, Child athletes, Baseball, Football, Nfl, Sports 

According to BlazeTV’s Jason Whitlock, Caitlin Clark — the Indiana Fever superstar who’s created more hype around women’s basketball than any player in the league’s history — is being intentionally sabotaged. Jealousy and ideological opposition to what Clark represents as a white heterosexual is fueling what he believes is a covert scheme to destroy her professional basketball career.

On this episode of “Fearless,” Whitlock exposes six women he claims are running the anti-Clark campaign.

Whitlock’s “Caitlin Clark Six” includes the following Indiana Fever officials:

Lin Dunn – senior adviserKelly Krauskopf – president Amber Cox – chief operating officer and general managerStephanie White – head coachBriann January – assistant coachKarima Christmas-Kelly – assistant coach

“This little cabal has been together for years and years and years,” says Whitlock. “They have no interest in helping Caitlin Clark become the greatest player in WNBA history.”

He believes that instead of building a successful team around her, the Fever is trying to “transition Caitlin Clark socially, and if necessary, completely out of the league.”

This, he speculates, has caused her “mental health issues” that are impacting her on and off the court.

“She’s second-guessing herself physically, mentally, her jump shot, everything about herself, her lifestyle,” says Whitlock.

He believes head coach Stephanie White teed Clark up to be “embarrassed defensively” in the Fever’s games against the Golden State Valkyries and the Portland Fire by deliberately putting her in unfavorable matchups.

Briann January and Stephanie White, he claims, have intentionally “cooked up a defensive scheme that does not work for Caitlin Clark.”

“And I hear many [saying], ‘oh, he’s just making excuses, Whitlock just loves Caitlin Clark. No, I know how you win championships with a player like Caitlin Clark,” Whitlock counters. “I know how you build a business off a player that drives ticket sales and interest the way Caitlin Clark does.”

To hear more, watch the video above.

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​Fearless with jason whitlock, Jason whitlock, Caitlin clark, Indiana fever, Wnba, Fearless 

A man who was fined nearly $2 million for scamming the Medicare system was released from probation despite paying nearly none of the fine, and he’s not the only one.

An investigative report found that many Minnesota fraudsters who are fined millions of dollars fail to pay back any significant amount but are allowed to get off probation.

‘For the person who just doesn’t care and is trying to get away with wrongdoing, I think we need stronger medicine.’

In 2023, a man named Tommie Johnson Sr. pleaded guilty to stealing health care funds through a personal care assistance scheme.

Prosecutors wanted to put Johnson in prison for 45 months, but a judge put him on probation instead so he could work to pay off the $1.7 million restitution.

For three years, Johnson paid the bare minimum of monthly payments, often $25 to $50 a month. Despite paying a tiny fraction of what he owed, Johnson was allowed to get off probation by Hennepin County District Court Judge Emily Froehle.

“The record at the time of sentencing reflects that it was unrealistic and not anticipated that [Johnson] would pay the full amount of the joint and some restitution,” Froehle wrote in the order.

The case is not unusual, according to investigators with KMSP-TV.

The investigation found that convicted fraudsters paid only about $2.4 million out of $13.3 million in combined restitution ordered through the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (DFL). That comes to only about 18.8%.

Many of the fraudsters had their probation discharged despite paying little or nothing toward their restitution.

A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said the office is seeking to strengthen laws to make the fines stick.

RELATED: Top scammer of ‘Feeding Our Future’ fraud in Minnesota NAILED with painful sentence

“We will continue to urge courts to use all the tools at their disposal to ensure the fraudsters we convict pay back as much of the money they stole as possible,” the spokesperson claimed.

“For the person who just doesn’t care and is trying to get away with wrongdoing, I think we need stronger medicine for people like that,” Ellison said.

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​Legal reform, Medicaid fraud, Minnesota fraud, Politics, Keith ellison 

A pair of foreigners employed at a controversial U.S. biolab were charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to smuggle monkeypox onto American soil and giving false statements to federal law enforcement.

Vincent Munster — a 53-year-old Dutch citizen who is the chief of the virus ecology section at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, a National Institutes of Health Biosafety Level 4 research facility in Hamilton, Montana — and one of his underlings, a 38-year-old Cameroonian national named Claude Kwe, were caught by Customs and Border Patrol officials with a black case allegedly full of viral materials at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Jan. 25.

‘This is bigger than a customs charge.’

The duo allegedly told CBP agents that the case — which they had traveled with from the Congo, where a major monkeypox outbreak was underway — contained diagnostics and testing equipment. Federal agents discovered, however, that the case actually contained 113 vials in Styrofoam containers, the Justice Department said in a release.

According to the DOJ, an FBI analysis of 20 of the 113 vials showed that 17 contained deactivated monkeypox virus, one contained the chickenpox virus, and two contained human DNA.

Monkeypox is a disease caused by a virus in the same genus as the virus that causes smallpox. While endemic in various African regions, monkeypox made a global play in early 2022. In nearly all Western cases, the disease affects and is spread by homosexuals.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine noted that of the 528 infections diagnosed between April 27 and June 24, 2022, 98% of those infected were homosexuals and that “transmission was suspected to have occurred through sexual activity in 95% of the persons with infection.”

Individuals infected with monkeypox often experience a painful rash that can look like pimples or blisters, respiratory problems, exhaustion, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and chills. The disease can be spread via respiratory droplets, through “direct contact with a rash or sores of someone who has the virus,” and through “contact with clothing, bedding, and other items used by a person” with the virus.

RELATED: Gain-of-function experiments on hantaviruses? Yes, but virus threat is still MASSIVELY overblown.

Vincent Munster. NIAID.

Emily Hilliard, a senior Health and Human Services press secretary, told Blaze News that the NIH, which owns Rocky Mountain Laboratories, is cooperating fully with law enforcement and the relevant authorities regarding the case against Munster and Kwe.

Hilliard noted further that the NIH was made aware of the incident at the Detroit airport in January, and agency leaders “immediately activated established agency protocols to safeguard related laboratory facilities, research materials, and biological samples.”

These measures apparently included “securing relevant laboratory spaces, restricting access to affected areas, and conducting a comprehensive audit and inventory assessment to verify that all materials were appropriately accounted for, documented, and maintained in accordance with all relevant biosafety policies, requirements, and procedures.”

U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. of the Eastern District of Michigan said of the alleged monkeypox smuggling attempt, “These NIH experts apparently broke our laws by smuggling viral pathogens on a packed commercial airplane from an outbreak in the Republic of Congo. Let that sink in.”

“Any deliberate effort to conceal and smuggle biological materials into the United States without proper authorization is a breach of the public’s trust and could have placed the public at risk,” stated Marcus Sykes, special agent in charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

Munster and Kwe each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Neither the researchers nor the HHS responded to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Dr. Richard H. Ebright of Rutgers University alleged of the suspect, “Munster exemplifies the dishonesty, the disregard for biosafety, the disdain for law, and the contempt for the public interest that — after four decades of Anthony Fauci having treated virology as his personal fief and power base — have become pervasive in virology.”

Dr. Robert Malone, a biochemist who recently served on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, emphasized that “this is bigger than a customs charge.”

“Why does Munster’s name matter? In April 2024, Sen. Rand Paul released documents showing Rocky Mountain Laboratories — Munster’s facility — was listed as a participant in EcoHealth Alliance’s DEFUSE proposal. The same proposal DARPA rejected for posing unacceptable biosafety risks,” wrote Malone. “DEFUSE contemplated experiments on novel bat coronaviruses, spike protein manipulation, and insertion of furin cleavage sites. DARPA said no. But NIAID kept funding the same research ecosystem — EcoHealth, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the same scientific objectives. Then COVID emerged in Wuhan.”

Munster is currently listed as a senior investigator with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ virus ecology section. In recent years, he has worked on and researched numerous viruses, including SARS-COV-2, the virus behind COVID-19.

Kwe is a research fellow with the NIH’s intramural research program.

The two of them have worked together on monkeypox research and are listed as co-authors of a February 2026 study assessing “the risk of clade Ib mpox and our preparedness.”

RELATED: ‘NIAID cannot be trusted’: Fauci’s agency planned to make monkeypox more deadly, says congressional report

Monkeypox. NIH-NIAID/Image Point FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group/Getty Images.

They concluded in their study that “the emergence and current co-circulation of clade Ia, Ib, and clade IIb in Africa, and recent spread of clade Ib mpox in the U.S, Europe, and Asia is a reminder that emerging infectious diseases are global issues that require timely coordinated response.”

The foreign researchers noted further that “the global spread of clade IIb and Ib should also be recognized as sentinel events, highlighting essential gaps in pandemic preparedness.”

The criminal charges against Munster and Kwe come just weeks after White Coat Waste Project — a watchdog that helped expose EcoHealth Alliance’s and former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci’s ties to the gain-of-function experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology — obtained and published a damning whistleblower report detailing Munster and Kwe’s alleged attempt to smuggle foreign viruses onto American soil.

The whistleblower characterized Munster as a “Fauci acolyte and all around egotistical, arrogant foreigner that joined his research project (to aerosolize covid virus) to Ralph Baric’s project (to weaponize it).”

Baric, a professor in the departments of epidemiology and microbiology at the University of North Carolina, is a leading proponent of gain-of-function research who successfully fought for an exemption from the Obama administration’s moratorium on the dangerous practice in order to keep manufacturing artificial SARS-like viruses.

In response to a request for comment, Baric directed Blaze News to UNC, which did not immediately respond.

The whistleblower went on to claim that after Detroit authorities “found dozens of vials” in Munster’s baggage in January, the NIH “went into full cover-up mode.”

Rocky Mountain Laboratories has also been home to additional scandals in recent months.

The NIH recently confirmed to the Ravalli Republic that in November 2025, the facility was exposed to Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, which has a fatality rate of 30% or higher.

“At no time was there any evidence of disease transmission or infection, nor was there ever any risk to staff, caregivers, or the public,” said the NIH.

According to the whistleblower, that “exposure” was the result of an infected monkey “that was being tortured (infected and sickened with no pain mitigation) as an experiment for Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic fever.”

The NIH did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ request for comment about the whistleblower’s allegations.

On Feb. 18, RML also filed a federal “release/loss/theft” form. An NIH spokesman said it was done “in response to a potential exposure to Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus due to a hole in a glove that occurred while changing cages of laboratory mice.”

“There was no release outside of the lab and at no time was there any risk to the public,” said the spokesman.

Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana, citing the whistleblower complaint, asked HHS Inspector General March Bell in a May 26 letter to launch a formal investigation “into the safety, security, and personnel practices at RML” and raised alarm about Munster’s souvenirs from the Congo.

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​Crime, Fbi, Justice department, Monkeypox, Homosexual, Gay, Lgbt, Virus, National institutes of health, Biolab, Anthony fauci, Gain of function, Disease, Illness, Health, Hhs, Niaid, Politics 

Talk about a full “circle” moment!

“American Idol” winner Hannah Harper hit a magical milestone last night, when she made her debut at Nashville’s historic Grand Ole Opry.

Harper’s audition quickly became one of the ‘American Idol’s’ most viewed moments in its 24-season history.

“What an overwhelming honor it is to step into that circle that carries so much history, legacy, and heart within country music,” the 26-year-old mother of three posted on her Facebook page shortly after the appearance was announced.

Sharing ‘String Cheese’

The “circle” refers to the scuffed six-foot circle of maple and oak stage taken from the Opry’s original home at the historic Ryman Auditorium and installed at the new, bigger venue the Opry built in 1974.

And when Harper walked out onto that circle last night, it was both the start of a new phase of her career and a beautiful reminder of how it all began.

Shortly after beginning her set, Harper launched into a rendition of “String Cheese,” her self-penned song from her viral “American Idol” audition video. As she finished the first verse, she was joined on stage by another “Idol” winner turned country star: Carrie Underwood — one of the “Idol” judges who helped propel Harper to victory.

Ode to motherhood

Harper’s journey to the Opry stage began with a childhood immersed in the bluegrass gospel music that has captivated her family for generations. Harper began singing and songwriting at just 9 years old, but she didn’t become a household name until February, when her “American Idol” audition went mega-viral.

Performing “String Cheese” — a heartfelt ballad about the grueling reality of postpartum depression and the beautiful, fleeting days of motherhood — the Missouri native moved “Idol” judge Carrie Underwood and the rest of watching America to tears with her soulful voice and deeply personal lyrics that seemed to silence the anti-natalist noise of our time.

In a matter of days, “String Cheese” racked up millions of views and peaked at No. 14 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart. Harper’s audition quickly became one of “American Idol’s” most viewed moments in its 24-season history.

On May 11, to the surprise of few, Harper was crowned the winner of “American Idol” Season 24, making her the first female country singer to win the show since Underwood’s victory in 2005.

RELATED: ‘String Cheese’: Why an ‘American Idol’ audition is making millions of moms cry

Disney/Eric McCandless

Grateful and grounded

Harper’s performance was part of the “Opry 100” celebration during CMA Fest week. The show also featured Underwood, rising country-pop star Avery Anna, and more artists.

Days before the “Idol” finale, Harper revealed in an interview with Country Now that an Opry performance has long been the pinnacle of her dreams.

“The Opry is the goal. … That’s the biggest stage in country music in my eyes, the most honored, and it would just make my whole life to get to perform on that stage,” she confessed.

The Opry performance also marked the official launch of her “String Cheese Tour,” set to run through November 14, with concerts scheduled across the U.S.

But despite her blooming career, being a mom remains this rising country star’s deepest commitment.

Harper — who has consistently described motherhood as her “biggest ministry” — expressed intentions to bring her husband and three sons along on the road.

In post-win interviews with Lyndsanity and Parade magazine, she recounted advice she had received from Carrie Underwood about installing baby cribs on tour buses and the importance of balancing stardom with family.

“Carrie just wanted to make sure that I kept a hold of the grasp of reality once everything settled down and just made sure to still focus on the priorities, which is my kids and my husband,” she told Parade magazine.

​American idol winner, Carrie underwood, Grand ole opry, Hannah harper, Ministry, Motherhood, Postpartum depression, Ryman auditorium, String cheese, Culture 

Jay Jones, the radical Democratic attorney general of Virginia, will take over the case against a registered, repeat sex offender accused of exposing himself to girls and women in a school locker room.

Richard Kenneth Cox, 59, was initially registered as a sex offender in 1998 after he was convicted of taking indecent liberties with a child. The Tier III sex offender was convicted of possessing obscene material with a minor in 2007. Cox was also convicted for failing to register as a sex offender, once in 2007 and again in 2021.

‘The statute is therefore void for vagueness.’

Cox admitted in a letter written to a judge in 1992 that he had “sexual problems.” A few years later, in a separate letter, he stated that he was aware that he experienced “compulsions to expose myself in public places,” WJLA previously reported.

He is facing over 20 charges related to allegations that he exposed his naked body in a female locker room at a Washington-Liberty High School pool on Oct. 21, 2024. The charges include indecent exposure, sex offender on school or day-care property, and sex offender loitering near school/day care/park/playground.

Outside of regular school hours, the Washington-Liberty High School pool is open to the public.

Cox, who goes by the name Riki Cox, has claimed to identify as a female. The school district’s policy allows individuals to use the locker room that they believe aligns with their so-called gender identity.

RELATED: ‘Like they are some kind of freak’: Sex offender posing as woman allegedly exposes himself in school locker rooms

Celal Gunes/Anadolu/Getty Images

“My civil rights as a transgender person allow me to use a public facility, including restrooms and changing rooms that identify as my gender,” Cox told law enforcement authorities in Nov. 2024.

On March 12, Arlington County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Lopez granted Cox’s request to dismiss his case. The judge agreed with Cox’s claim that the Virginia law under which he was charged is vague under the 14th Amendment.

The judge was referring to Virginia Code § 18.2-370.2(B), which states, “Every adult who is convicted of an offense prohibiting proximity to children when the offense occurred on or after July 1, 2000, shall as part of his sentence be forever prohibited from loitering within 100 feet of the premises of any place he knows or has reason to know is a primary, secondary or high school.”

Lopez concluded that “loitering” was not clearly defined and that the statute lacks standards to guide enforcement.

“The statute is therefore void for vagueness,” Lopez wrote.

RELATED: 2 boys were filmed by a girl in the boys’ school locker room. The school punished the BOYS.

Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket/Getty Images

Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti’s office appealed the judge’s decision, and the Court of Appeals accepted the case. Now, AG Jones, who previously fantasized about the death of a Republican and his children, will represent the commonwealth in the case.

Separately, Cox was convicted in February for possessing child pornography, which police said they found on his phone and on a memory device when he was arrested in Dec. 2024 for charges related to the exposure case.

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​News, Virginia, Richard cox, Sex offender, Transgender ideology, Transgenderism, Politics, Jay jones 

California polls closed at 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday, but the state continues to count ballots as the spotlight remains on the gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral races.

Former Fox News host and small business owner Steve Hilton (R) and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) remain neck and neck in the race to become the next California governor. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election.

With only 58% of the votes counted as of Wednesday morning, the Associated Press has not announced that either candidate has secured enough votes to guarantee a place in November.

‘We are still leading. It’s looking good.’

However, Hilton holds a slight lead, securing over 1,386,000 votes. Becerra is more than two points behind with 1,267,000 votes. Democratic challenger Tom Steyer sits in third place, over eight points behind Hilton, with 979,000 votes.

Hilton called it a “very, very good night,” stating that “it does look like change really is coming to California.”

“We are still leading. It’s looking good,” he added.

Since no candidate earned at least 50% of the vote in the L.A. mayoral race, the top two finishers will face off again in November. With roughly 63% of the ballots counted as of Wednesday morning, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has secured enough votes to move on to the general election, according to the Associated Press.

RELATED: ‘Doomsday scenario’: California governor race turns into high-stakes scramble as vote split may keep Republican out

Steve Hilton. Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images

Approximately 12 hours after the polls closed, Bass held onto a more than four-point lead over former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, while L.A. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman sat in third place, over 12 points behind Bass.

Pratt appeared positioned to defeat Raman, already securing over 151,000 votes compared to the councilwoman’s 110,000 votes. If Pratt holds onto his lead, he will advance to the runoff against Bass in November.

RELATED: Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman shrink Karen Bass’ lead in tight race for LA mayor: Poll

Karen Bass. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Decision Desk HQ projected that Bass would advance and reported that Pratt “looks most likely” to join her, although it is too soon to be certain.

“Well, obviously God wanted five more months of me exposing all the failures of our mayor,” Pratt told reporters on Tuesday evening. “So, it’s gonna be a fun ride. I hope she’s ready.”

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​News, California, Los angeles, Steve hilton, Xavier becerra, Tom steyer, Nithya raman, Karen bass, Spencer pratt, Politics 

Police in Daytona Beach, Florida, said they’re actively investigating a shooting that occurred early Sunday at Derbyshire Park.

Officers initially responded to a local hospital after receiving reports of a patient suffering from a gunshot wound, police said, adding that officers during the investigation determined the shooting occurred at Derbyshire Park.

At this time, the motive for the encounter remains unclear, and there is no ongoing threat to the public, police said.

Preliminary findings indicate an adult male and an adult female met and parked together at the park when a male they did not know approached them, police said.

When a disagreement occurred between the individuals, the male who approached the couple allegedly brandished a firearm, police said.

The male victim then grabbed his own gun and demanded the unknown male leave the area, police said.

The unknown male began walking away but soon turned and fired multiple rounds, striking the male victim, police said.

But the male victim returned fire, striking the unknown male, police said.

Following the exchange of gunfire, the male victim as well as the female he was with drove themselves to a local hospital for treatment, police said.

Responding officers found the other male dead in the park, police said.

Officials said investigators have identified all parties involved. At this time, the motive for the encounter remains unclear, and there is no ongoing threat to the public, police said.

RELATED: Vietnam vet says he had to ‘get aggressive’ and grab his gun when his female tenant started screaming

Police said the investigation remains active and ongoing.

The identities of the involved parties are being withheld while detectives continue to investigate the full circumstances surrounding the incident, police said.

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​Crime, Crime thwarted, Daytona beach, Fatal shooting, Florida, Gun rights, Guns, Police investigation, Self-defense, Shootout, Second amendment 

America’s foster care system is facing a serious crisis, and the government has not only been making it worse — but stealing from orphans who need help the most.

It’s called the “orphan tax,” and Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Alex Adams has been dedicated to exposing it.

“Essentially, a child’s parents died, that child’s parents had worked, so they were entitled to some social security through earned benefits through work,” Adams tells Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck.

“Traditionally the child would be eligible for the survivor’s benefit, but in 29 states, when that child entered foster care, the state was saying ‘we are now the parent of that child. We’re going to take that survivor’s benefit from them,’” he explains.

“These states were essentially stealing from orphans and using it to cover government bureaucratic overhead. So we sent a letter to 29 states asking them to end that practice, which I find morally objectionable, and luckily 10 states changed the laws this year,” he adds.

Of those 10 states, the governors of Nebraska, Louisiana, and Indiana signed executive orders immediately ending the practice.

“We still have a long way to go, and we’re going to continue pushing on states to try to end the orphan taxation,” Adams says.

Glenn worries that this can be reversed under new leadership, so the thing to do is “encourage our houses of worship to get more involved.”

“One of my big phrases that I use at my charity is if we want the government to do less then we have to do more. If we want our government to not be involved on all of these levels because they usually will screw things up, we need to have our churches do more,” Glenn tells Adams.

“I agree with you wholeheartedly,” Adams says. “The message that we send to the faith-based community will make or break our success in child welfare long-term.”

“And families of faith are the most likely to raise their hands and volunteer and run towards the foster care system, get licensed as foster families, provide preventative services that will prevent kids from entering into foster care in the first place,” he adds.

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​Glenn beck, Alex adams, Nebraska, Louisiana, Orphan tax, Indiana, Foster care, The glenn beck program 

Republicans just got another victory at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The highest court in the land approved the redistricted congressional map for Alabama in a 6-3 decision released late on Tuesday evening. All three liberal justices dissented.

‘Our message to communities remains the same — the best way to express dissent is by showing up at the ballot box this election season.’

One of Alabama’s majority-black districts will be eliminated by the new map.

The dissent, written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, accused the majority justices of “unleashing chaos” with the decision, likely confusing voters at this late stage in the election season.

“Just as Alabama doubled down on racial discrimination, the Court today doubles down on chaos,” Sotomayor claimed. “Because I choose to defend the rule of law and the right of all Alabamians to participate equally in democracy, I respectfully dissent.”

Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey released a statement in support of the decision.

“The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed what I have said all along, and that is that Alabama knows our state, our people, and our districts best,” she wrote. “Today’s decision is a win for the people of Alabama and our elections.”

Democrats were outraged over the decision.

“The Supreme Court has now confirmed that there is no longer a Voting Rights Act in America, and states are essentially free to discriminate against minority voters with no consequences,” said Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), whose district was eliminated by the redistricting.

“Once again, the right-wing Supreme Court has put its blatant partisanship on full display, allowing Alabama Republicans to change the rules in the eleventh hour and use a racist congressional map that federal courts have found — on two separate occasions — intentionally discriminates against Black Alabama voters,” read a statement from Rep. Terri Sewell, a Democrat from Alabama.

RELATED: Federal court strikes down Alabama redistricting effort — GOP to APPEAL at Supreme Court

“This is just the latest in a pattern of outrageous Supreme Court decisions that help Republicans desperately cling to power ahead of the midterm elections while diluting Black voices and erasing decades of hard-fought civil rights progress,” Sewell added.

She went on to accuse Republicans of taking America “back to the Jim Crow era,” an accusation that was repeated by the NAACP.

“This is a Court that is stripping Black voters of power and voice at a speed that would put Jim Crow jurists to shame,” said Kristen Clarke, general counsel of the NAACP. “Our message to communities remains the same — the best way to express dissent is by showing up at the ballot box this election season.”

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​Justice sonia sotomayor, Midterm elections, Redistricting, Us supreme court, Politics, Alabama 

AI companies have largely developed their chatbots with very little government regulation, all in an effort to beat China to artificial general intelligence. However, as these services exploit users’ mental health, enable new devastating cybersecurity threats, and arm the U.S. military with advanced capabilities, the Trump administration recently proposed federal regulation to keep the bots in check. Now, President Donald Trump wants to take government oversight a step further by invoking the power to review AI models before they’re released to the public through an executive order that was signed this week.

President Trump has mostly maintained a hands-off approach to AI regulation, bucking attempts at state-level bills to curb development in favor of a centralized federal mandate. There are clear pros and cons to Trump’s National AI Legislative Framework, but it provides a starting point for standardizing an industry where Trump has dragged his feet.

This is why the latest reports of added AI oversight, directly from the U.S. government, come as a surprise, given Trump’s previous stance. If signed, the executive order would mark a sea change within the Trump administration, signaling that AI needs direct government intervention to protect the public from potentially dangerous models.

The question is, why?

This move raises the question: How much AI regulation is too much regulation?

Trump’s decision came after Anthropic — the same company that landed on the military’s supply chain risk list — unveiled a new AI model that was purportedly too dangerous to release to the public. Labeled as Mythos under Project Glasswing, the new model excels at leveraging computer hacking and cybersecurity exploits. In other words, it’s really good at breaking the security measures of critical digital products and services, including operating systems and internet browsers.

If left in the wrong hands, Mythos could pose a huge risk to anything and everything connected to the internet — personal devices, school computers, government systems, banking platforms, and even critical infrastructure like power grids, traffic systems, and more.

Instead of allowing the public to access Mythos outright, Anthropic opted to provide the model strictly to Big Tech companies to help them find security holes in their products before a competing AI platform on the same level as Mythos reaches public status. The goal is to patch these bugs before they are exploitable by hackers using other AI platforms. So far, Mythos has poked holes in Apple’s highly secure MacOS platform and Mozilla’s privacy-focused Firefox browser. Unfortunately, while Mythos is good at finding problems, it’s bad at patching them, with recent reports noting that Mythos can further break software, even when trying to fix it.

Not to be outdone, OpenAI also claims to have a model — GPT-Rosalind — that’s too powerful for public release, this time in the sector of life sciences and molecular biology. Instead of launching Rosalind broadly, the company is offering it to researchers and scientists only.

So far, Anthropic and OpenAI have been socially responsible with their models by self-limiting access, but there’s no mandate to enforce these restrictions. President Trump’s executive order aims to eliminate any leeway and prevent truly dangerous AI models from leaking into the mainstream.

RELATED: The Trump phone is here — and so is the controversy. Is it any good?

BasSlabbers/Getty Images

This move raises the question: How much AI regulation is too much regulation, and what are the ramifications of government overreach on access to the most advanced technology known to mankind? Some view these bills and mandates as a danger to free speech. Others see it as a government power grab meant to control device, internet, and AI access. I’m somewhere in the middle — the government should prevent AI companies from outright harming the people while also keeping the people’s rights and freedoms intact.

Unfortunately, even if the Trump administration has the best intentions with its AI executive order, who’s to say that the next administration will be so benevolent? Direct government intervention over AI models gives the left the precedent they need to overtly regulate and even manipulate AI the next time they take power. Imagine a future where the left blocks AI models on the grounds of “misinformation” and “disinformation” for sharing facts that don’t align with their political views. It’s not like they didn’t try to wipe dissent from the internet before, and if given the chance, they’ll do it again.

Luckily, the left might not get that opportunity. President Trump’s AI executive order was put on hold the day it was meant to be signed, though the unsigned version was leaked online for your viewing pleasure. Still, even with the order paused at the eleventh hour, its albatross looms as a possibility for future AI regulation that could either save the people from certain chatbot destruction or steal away our rights to access “unapproved” versions of these models that don’t comply with the party in power.

​Tech, Artificial intelligence, Trump administration, Executive order, Anthropic, Openai 

To kick off Pride Month this year, a famous UFC fighter has posted an AI video that takes a shot at past woke corporate pandering — and several shots at the face of Bud Light’s biggest mistake.

On Tuesday, UFC fighter Sean Strickland posted an AI-generated video of him sparring with a likeness of Dylan Mulvaney, the infamous transgender-identifying influencer to whom Bud Light once sent commemorative cans of beer to celebrate his “365 Days of Girlhood.”

‘I’ve yet to see one rainbow flag. We’re back!!!’

In the video, Strickland can be seen punching Mulvaney several times in the octagon before knocking him out.

RELATED: Sean Strickland mocks ‘mentally stunted famous women’

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Mulvaney is wearing a pink dress and gloves in the AI video.

The end of the video cuts away from the fight and reveals that it is a fake Bud Light commercial. “Bud Light. The official beer sponsor of UFC,” a voiceover says.

Strickland captioned the Instagram video, saying, “I’ve yet to see one rainbow flag. We’re back!!!” He also mentioned Bud Light in the caption.

At the time of this writing, Strickland’s fake Bud Light commercial garnered roughly 123,700 likes on Instagram.

In that same spirit, Strickland, who has been very active on X lately, lauded the changes in June 2026 compared to Pride Months in the past, crediting the current administration: “Say what you want about Trump but June has got far less gay.” He included several clapping hand emojis in the post.

Strickland has, however, also been vocal in his criticism of Trump in other areas. “Being elected in 2024 was the easiest job. … Better trade deals[.] Cut regulations[.] More gas[.] More building[.] No new wars[.] Enforce immigration laws[.] Thats it … thats all you had to do and we would of been happy,” he posted May 28.

Strickland celebrated his 31st professional career win in early May after a split decision in his face-off against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 328.

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​Bud light, Pride month, Rainbow flag, Sean strickland, Politics, Instagram, Ufc, Ai, Dylan mulvaney 

Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D), who has a habit of obsessing over LGBTQ “rights” when it comes to children, has finally answered questions about his love life.

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is not convinced he’s being honest.

“One of the more juicy bits of gossip that people are talking about is that people were like, ‘James Talarico does not have a girlfriend; there’s no way he has a girlfriend,’” Gonzales comments.

“He’s super secretive about his love life, and he has the scrawny arms, and he doesn’t eat meat,” she continues.

When Talarico was asked about having a girlfriend, he gave what Gonzales calls the “weirdest, probably least convincing answer ever.”

“You have a girlfriend?” Talarico was asked on “The Jamie Kern Lima Show.”

“I do,” he answered, laughing. “And she is my rock; she is my best friend. I don’t know if I could have gotten through the last six months of this crazy race if she hadn’t been by my side. So, um, yeah, thanks for asking about her as well.”

“Sounds like a beard if you ask me,” Gonzales says.

According to an exposé in the New York Post, Talarico’s girlfriend is a vegan named Brianna Menard who used to be his chief of staff.

“I’d like to see some receipts if this was happening as she was his chief of staff because I don’t think it’s a good look to prey on your staffers. In fact, the Democrats, the party of ‘Me Too,’ have reliably informed me that that is an abuse of power,” Gonzales says.

The girlfriend in question reportedly describes herself as a “cat mom” who “likes dancing the night away at her local gay bar.”

“Now I’m wondering if maybe that’s how they met. Maybe that’s how they originally met, and then he brought her on as chief of staff. I don’t know. But this is all tracking now,” Gonzales says.

“Of course, all of this is not helping to quiet the rumors that he is a flaming homosexual,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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​Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, James talarico, Democrat, Texas, Lgbtq, Brianna menard 

Iowa voters cast their ballots in the primary election on Tuesday, determining two of the state’s highest-profile November matchups, including the open gubernatorial race and an open U.S. Senate seat.

Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) announced in April 2025 that she would not seek a third term. In Sept., U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R) announced that she would also not seek re-election.

‘We now have the most Republicans ever. … There is no excuse for [Democratic] turnout to exceed ours here, but if that happens again … uh-oh.’

Five Republicans faced off in Iowa’s primary election, seeking to succeed Reynolds.

A survey conducted by JMC Analytics and Polling from May 27 to 28 predicted that the Republican gubernatorial primary may head to a convention, with none of the candidates able to secure the required 35% of the vote.

Of those surveyed, 24% stated that they would vote for businessman and former conservative political director Zach Lahn, 22% selected state Rep. Randy Feenstra, 15% selected former director of the state Department of Administrative Services Adam Steen, 8% selected former state Rep. Brad Sherman, and 4% selected state Rep. Eddie Andrews. However, 27% of those surveyed said they remained undecided.

Feenstra was endorsed by President Donald Trump, who called the candidate “MAGA all the way!”

Live ballot tabulations showed Lahn and Feenstra in a tight race on Tuesday evening.

With roughly 90% of the votes counted and Lahn leading by approximately 1,400 votes, BlazeTV’s Steve Deace stated, “I’ve seen enough. @ZachLahn will be the GOP nominee for governor in Iowa.”

Decision Desk HQ projected at 11:30 p.m. Eastern that Lahn would win the election against challenger Feenstra. With 98% of the votes counted, Lahn led Feenstra by less than one percentage point, according to the Associated Press. Lahn secured over 37% of the vote, avoiding a state party convention previously predicted by the polls.

Feenstra reportedly called Lahn Tuesday evening to concede.

Lahn will face uncontested Democratic nominee Rob Sand in the upcoming November 3 general election.

RELATED: A storm is brewing in Iowa — and Republicans should take note: ‘There are danger signs’

Ashley Hinson; KC McGinnis/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Former state Rep. Jim Carlin and Trump-backed U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson went head-to-head on Tuesday seeking to become the Republican nominee to fill Ernst’s open seat in the Senate.

The same poll from JMC Analytics and Polling showed 58% of those surveyed were planning to vote for Hinson and that Carlin trailed behind by 39 percentage points. However, 23% of respondents stated they were still undecided.

On Tuesday, Hinson pulled off a massive victory against Carlin in the election. Roughly 30 minutes after the polls closed, Hinson was projected to be the winner by NBC News and the Associated Press. With 99% of the ballots counted, Hinson won by over 48 percentage points.

State Rep. Josh Turek won the Democratic primary race against state Sen. Zach Wahls to battle it out against Hinson on the November ballot.

RELATED: Pro-life senator announces she will not seek re-election

Zach Wahls; Charlie Neibergall/Getty Images

Heading into Election Day, Deace shared his thoughts on the Iowa races and their national implications.

“We better hope the Democrats follow their heart with Zach Wahls and not their heads with Josh Turek, because the latter has run the best and most inspiring messaging I’ve seen from a Democrat statewide in Iowa in many years,” Deace wrote in a post on X. “Wahls is a construct of every Leftist fetish normies vote against if the economy isn’t totally in the tank. But if Turek is their nominee, the US Senate race in Iowa will be a way tougher pull for our side this fall. He gives normies a reason to vote for him and not just against Trump.”

He noted that Democratic voter turnout nationwide has far surpassed Republicans, which he called an obvious “potential danger sign for November.”

“But here in Iowa, we now have the most Republicans ever and more than a 200,000 voter registration advantage. There is no excuse for their turnout to exceed ours here, but if that happens again … uh-oh,” Deace added.

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​News, Iowa, Kim reynolds, Joni ernst, Zach lahn, Randy feenstra, Adam steen, Brad sherman, Eddie andrews, Jim carlin, Ashley hinson, Donald trump, Josh turek, Zach wahls, Politics, Primary 

Scott Pelley, a 68-year-old liberal who claimed in a commencement speech last year that “you only lose if you quit,” has been a fixture at CBS News since 1989.

Although he was ousted as the anchor of “CBS Evening News” in 2017 — allegedly because he complained “to management about the hostile work environment,” though his ratings also stank — Pelley clung to another position at the network, working for nearly a decade as a correspondent on “60 Minutes.”

CBS News kicked Pelley to the curb for good on Tuesday — a day after the talking head reportedly volunteered a number of criticisms of the network’s choices and personnel.

‘I have been in combat.’

At a Monday staff meeting in Manhattan, Pelley hammered Nick Bilton, a newly hired executive producer on “60 Minutes,” for his “slender” qualifications and characterized Bari Weiss, the blogger turned CBS News editor in chief, of being a hatchet man who is “murdering” the show and lacks a love for “this place,” reported the New York Times.

Bilton, an English-born filmmaker and former tech columnist who apparently has no broadcast news experience, announced on Tuesday, “We have parted ways with Scott Pelley.”

The purportedly slenderly qualified producer said in a missive to Pelley obtained by the Times,

I started this job excited to collaborate and to benefit from the wisdom and experience of the 60 Minutes veterans, with you among them. For that reason, one of the first things I did in my new role was call you to talk and invite you to dinner. It is a profound disappointment that you rejected that overture and chose ambush instead. Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt.

Bilton claimed that while he supposedly welcomes “a diversity of viewpoints and respectful debate,” Pelley’s “performative display of hostility” demonstrated that he has “no interest in contributing to the future success of the show, or approaching my new tenure with a mind open to collaboration and progress.”

RELATED: Polarization may be the cure — and the clarity — America needs

Bari Weiss. Noam Galai/Getty Images

After emphasizing that Pelley’s “antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear,” Bilton told the liberal that his employment was “terminated for cause effective immediately.”

Pelley, who complained in a woke speech last year that “journalism is under attack,” wasted no time reminding everyone of his bravery and “devotion” to journalism.

“I have been in combat in Afghanistan,” he told the Times in a phone interview after his termination, referring to his time as a war reporter while other men actually engaged in combat operations. “I have been in combat in Iraq. I have been in the war zone in Ukraine multiple times, risking my life and the happiness of my family because of my devotion to the broadcast.”

Pelley claimed that Bilton’s letter “betrays a complete misunderstanding of what we work for and what we live for at ’60 Minutes.'”

Earlier in the day, the ex-CBS News correspondent stated that the “incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc” at CBS News, adding that the “collapse of values at the top has become untenable.”

Pelley claimed further in another statement that the new owner of the network — Paramount Skydance — was casting aside the “legend” of “60 Minutes” in an effort to “curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.” He claimed further that new management had instructed him to “inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story.”

CBS News did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

Now with Pelley out and Anderson Cooper having bailed out last month, the “60 Minutes” roster of correspondents includes Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim.

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​Scott pelley, Cbs news, 60 minutes, Liberal media, Msm, Bari weiss, Journalism, Media, Fake news, Politics 

Henry Nowak, a white teenager headed for home in the Southampton suburb of Portswood, England, was savagely attacked on Dec. 3 by a knife-wielding Sikh named Vickrum Digwa.

The attacker stabbed Nowak several times, filmed his desperate attempt to flee, and loomed over him as his chest cavity filled with blood. Adding grievous insult to injury, Digwa, joined by members of his family at the scene, falsely told police that his bleeding and crumpled victim was the real aggressor — that Nowak was a racist who attacked him, called him a “Paki,” and knocked off his turban.

‘A deep line needs to be drawn in the sand.’

Digwa was convicted of murder last week and sentenced on Monday to a minimum of 21 years in prison.

While Digwa will be going away, the scandal surrounding Nowak’s death isn’t — certainly not after the release of damning body camera footage showing how poorly police treated the teen in his final minutes.

Hundreds of protesters swarmed Southampton Central Police Station on Tuesday carrying English flags and signs that said, “All lives matter,” and demanding justice for Nowak, whom police arrested for assault, handcuffed, and treated as a criminal, all on the basis of Digwa’s lies.

In addition to reciting the Lord’s Prayer, denouncing the police involved in Nowak’s arrest, and chanting “Christ is king,” some protesters yelled, “I can’t breathe” — a phrase the young man apparently said to police nine times before losing consciousness, footage revealed.

RELATED: ‘White lives matter’: UK erupts over footage of English teen’s demise in handcuffs after stabbing by Sikh thug

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images

Remigration activist Tommy Robinson stressed to his fellow protesters that the public does not want the officers involved to resign “with fully bloody pensions” but to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

A spokesman for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, which oversees Southampton, confirmed to Blaze News that three of the officers who responded to the scene of Nowak’s murder in December are still serving but that one officer has resigned.

The spokesman noted further that the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is investigating the incident, is treating the officers as witnesses, meaning they are “not subject to any restrictions.”

The police department complained on social media Tuesday about “the significant spread of misinformation online” and has asked that “people avoid harmful speculation online” while the IOPC investigation is under way.

While Britons took to the streets to signal their displeasure, lawmakers and other officials — confronted with the bloody results of years of woke policies — have roundly condemned the murder and character assassination of Nowak.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for instance, called the body camera footage “harrowing” and noted that “it’s absolutely right that the IOPC is looking at this.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch blasted Britain’s “race-based laws” and “two-tiered policing.”

“The fear of being called racist was greater than dealing with Henry Nowak’s murder,” said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who demanded on Monday that England’s attorney general ensure that Digwa can never walk free again. “We should respond to this with pure cold rage.”

“Enough is enough — a deep line needs to be drawn in the sand. Talk is weak. Britain needs to say no more, and mean it,” wrote Rupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain.

In her lengthy response to the scandal, British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood made sure to reassure the public that “everyone in this country is equal before the law,” that there can be no justification for vigilante justice, and that the Labour regime “is committed to halving knife crime in this decade.”

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​All lives matter, Body camera footage, Henry nowak, Keir starmer, Nigel farage, Vickrum digwa, Kemi badenoch, Racism, Anti-white, Murder, United kingdom, Britain, Politics 

There is a building in Veldhoven, in the Southern Netherlands, where engineers fire droplets of molten tin through a vacuum chamber 50,000 per second. Each droplet is intercepted by a laser, vaporized into plasma, and impelled to emit light at a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers, less than a thousandth the width of a human hair. The plasma is briefly 40 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

The machine that does this work is called an EUV lithography scanner, made by a Dutch company named ASML, the only such manufacturer. Your smartphone only works because of it.

Welcome to the Veldhoven choke point.

The EUV lithography scanner is, by some measures, the most complex manufactured object on earth. In 2025, ASML recorded revenue of 32.7 billion euros, of which it spent €4.7 billion on R&D. The scanner itself weighs more than 150 metric tons. Shipping one requires roughly 250 crates, 40 freight containers, several cargo planes, and 20 trucks.

The ultimate printing press

Lithography is a printing process: a pattern on a mask is optically projected onto a silicon wafer coated with photoresist, and the exposed regions are chemically altered to form circuits. Smaller features require shorter wavelengths of light according to the Rayleigh criterion. For decades, the industry shortened wavelengths incrementally, moving from visible light through ultraviolet to deep ultraviolet at 193 nanometers, squeezing extra performance through immersion fluids and clever tricks of computational correction.

What looks like ubiquitous computation is, underneath, managed scarcity.

The next step, extreme ultraviolet at 13.5 nanometers, required a fundamentally different machine: vacuum chambers, because EUV is absorbed by air; reflective mirrors rather than glass lenses, because EUV is absorbed by glass; mirrors polished to picometer tolerances, because at that wavelength any surface irregularity is an error. Zeiss, in Germany, makes these mirrors. They are roughly a meter across. Each mirror has more than 100 alternating layers of molybdenum and silicon, each layer a few nanometers thick. The largest ones are the smoothest objects humans have ever made.

ASML did not arrive at this position through genius alone. The company began in 1984 as a joint venture between Philips and ASM International, in a shed behind the Philips campus, with a staff that was given little funding and told to figure things out. Its first commercial product failed. The company survived by licensing technology aggressively and co-developing with suppliers. When EUV became the industry’s necessary next step, ASML had already positioned itself at the center of the effort. It acquired Silicon Valley Group in 2001, inheriting proximity to the U.S. research base that had done foundational EUV work. It acquired Cymer in 2013, bringing the light-source development in-house. It launched a co-investment program in 2012 in which Intel, TSMC, and Samsung paid €1.38 billion for the right to help fund EUV’s development and own a piece of the company that would sell them the tools.

The first commercial electronics enabled by EUV appeared in 2019. The research had begun in the 1980s. Nikon and Canon, both serious competitors in earlier generations of lithography, fell behind because they lacked the network. They did not have the suppliers, the customer co-investment, the acquired capabilities, or the tolerance for 30 years of deferred returns. Dominance in hard technology can look like the patient assembly of dependencies.

Printing money

The scanner imposes a disciplined way of seeing matter at scales that have no analogy in ordinary experience. A human hair is approximately 70,000 nanometers wide. ASML’S next generation of scanner, the High-NA EUV, has a resolution of roughly 8 nanometers. This required a redesigned optical system called anamorphic optics, in which the image is scaled differently in horizontal and vertical directions.

It would be a mistake to think of ASML’s dominance as residing in the scanner. The actual dominance is in the installed base of machines already running in fabs in Taiwan, South Korea, and the United States; in the €8.2 billion in annual service revenue that grew 26% in 2025; in the field engineers who operate on a 24-hour global rotation, resolving roughly 95% of issues locally, constituting a permanent guild of expertise that no competitor can easily replicate.

RELATED: The Trump phone is here — and so is the controversy. Is it any good?

BasSlabbers/Getty Images

The Dutch government has restricted exports of ASML’s advanced tools since 2023, with additional restrictions added in 2024 and 2025. The United States has pressed allies toward wider controls. China, which generated roughly a third of ASML’s 2025 sales, has been cut off from the most advanced systems and is expected to account for only about 20% of revenue in 2026. In May 2026, the Dutch government publicly objected to proposed U.S. legislation that would extend restrictions further. A private firm in Veldhoven has become a standing item in diplomatic correspondence between sovereign states.

ASML employs more than 44,000 people of 143 nationalities across more than 60 locations, and approximately 80% of its components come from a global supplier network. The machine that prints the world’s smallest features is assembled from a wide collaboration: German optics, German lasers, American light-source expertise, Belgian research infrastructure, Taiwanese and Korean and American customers. What looks like a Dutch company is a Dutch-coordinated actor network that has been stabilized, over decades, into something that behaves like a single artifact.

We speak of the digital world as if it were weightless, as if computation were a condition of the atmosphere rather than a product of factories in specific places run by specific people under specific export licenses. EUV lithography makes the concealment harder to maintain. The allegedly frictionless economy runs on tin plasma, picometer-smooth mirrors, and the continued willingness of the Dutch government to issue the right permits. What looks like ubiquitous computation is, underneath, managed scarcity: a single network managed from Veldhoven.

​Tech 

Florida police said a 27-year-old woman left a 3-year-old child in a hot car for several hours while she donated blood at a plasma center on Sunday afternoon.

The woman found the girl unresponsive when she came back to the car and frantically called police for help at about 4:32 p.m., according to a Facebook post from the DeLand Police Department.

‘I started to cry because I didn’t think I was going to be able to get her back.’

While police raced to the business park on New York Avenue, bystanders tried to help the girl, and one was giving her CPR when emergency responders arrived.

The girl was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

An investigation by the DeLand Police Dept. determined that Latana Williams left the child unattended for about two hours on a day when the outside temperature had reached 84 degrees.

The girl was treated for symptoms consistent with heat exhaustion, according to the arrest report.

Police said Williams told them that the air conditioning was left running in the car and that she was monitoring the child through FaceTime on a tablet. However, police said they believed the car had been left with the ignition off.

One bystander named Marc Tait recorded Williams after she found her daughter and said he thought he was watching a child die.

Rosemary Roile told WESH-TV she was the person who gave the child CPR. She recalled becoming emotional after the child regained consciousness.

“I started to cry because I didn’t think I was going to be able to get her back,” Roile said.

Police arrested Williams on Sunday, and she was charged with child neglect, a first-degree felony. She denied any wrongdoing.

RELATED: Texas cops investigating odor at home believed someone died inside — they found 2 children living in horrific conditions

“Please take this as a reminder to always check your back seats,” said Captain Prurince Dice, one of the officers who responded to the scene.

“Give yourself enough time when you’re traveling so you’re not in a rush when you arrive at your destination,” he added.

Police said Monday that the child would likely recover but did not offer specifics about her condition.

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​Child neglect, Heat exhaustion, Hot car, Florida woman, Crime 

One of the enduring gifts of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” is that 50 years later, people still quote it.

My favorite scene involves the Black Knight.

King Arthur encounters him guarding a bridge, and a duel follows. The fight goes badly for the knight. Arthur lops off one arm, then the other. When the knight keeps fighting, Arthur removes both legs as well. Reduced to a torso lying in the dirt, the knight somehow surveys the situation and announces, “All right, we’ll call it a draw.”

The older I get, the more convinced I become that much of human behavior can be explained by that scene. We possess a remarkable ability to keep arguing with reality long after reality has settled the matter.

And which of us has not, in some absurd situation, said, “It’s just a flesh wound”?

Reality has a way of reminding us that some things we carry are, indeed, more than a flesh wound.

That thought crossed my mind recently while reading statements coming out of Iran. Whatever one thinks about the conflict itself, leaders standing amid rubble and declaring victory have a distinctly Monty Python quality. At a certain point, the rhetoric sounds less like confidence and more like the Black Knight insisting he still has a chance.

But Iran does not have a monopoly on reality rejection.

Recently, Jill Biden said she feared her husband was having a stroke during his one and only 2024 presidential debate. She described watching him struggle on stage and wondering whether he was experiencing a stroke or some other medical emergency.

As a caregiver, I am apparently behind the times. For 40 years, I foolishly assumed that if one suspects a spouse is having a stroke, the next step involves medical attention. Evidently, the new protocol may include chants of “Four more years!” at the after-debate rally, followed by a late-night visit to Waffle House.

Medical science has made huge strides.

Someone’s Waffle House hash browns were clearly scattered and smothered. Whether they were covered as well remains an open question.

As the Black Knight might say, it’s only a flesh wound.

Like Jill Biden, I am not a licensed physician. But watching her reminded me that I know enough to recognize when someone may need urgent care — or at least a cranial specialist.

Yet while I laugh at the Black Knight, sigh at Iran, and look with exasperation at Jill Biden — and at the reporter who let that remark pass without serious follow-up — I have to admit that defiance in the face of reality is not limited to them. Sometimes it appears in my own bathroom mirror.

The absurdity of these public examples points to a common problem in the human condition. Most of us have our own version of the same speech. We insist the exhaustion is not that bad, the debt remains manageable, the resentment is justified, the addiction is under control, or the diagnosis must be wrong.

RELATED: Caregivers should not have to lie to prove compassion

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Every day, I talk with family caregivers who insist things are fine while staggering under impossible burdens.

We twist ourselves into pretzels defending positions reality abandoned long ago. We can mock Iran’s leaders and Jill Biden. We can laugh at the Black Knight. But are we prepared to admit that we often travel the same road, just not as far down it?

The Serenity Prayer asks for the wisdom to know the difference between what can be changed and what cannot. Most of us would prefer a third option: the ability to negotiate with reality until it agrees to call the whole thing a draw.

Sooner or later, reality delivers its verdict and waits.

The question is whether we will acknowledge it.

The Black Knight never did. Iran’s leaders and Jill Biden seem intent on following him into absurdity. That is why we laugh at the knight and deride the others.

But perhaps we should stop laughing long enough to see ourselves.

Reality has a way of reminding us that some things we carry are, indeed, more than a flesh wound.

​Caregiver, Conflict, Fight, Holy grail, Iran, Jill biden, Joe biden, Monty python, Opinion & analysis, Politics, Reality, Stroke 

Recent primary elections across the country have confirmed the end of bipartisanship in the United States — and the destruction of the uniparty that has ruled Washington since the early 1980s.

Both major parties’ congressional establishments are crumbling. Prominent, once-popular legislators and governors are falling to upstart socialists in Democratic primaries and to Trump-endorsed MAGA candidates in Republican contests.

The old bipartisan order blurred responsibility. Polarization reveals who stands for what.

This is the most important and positive change in American politics in decades. Bipartisanship is no longer possible. Polarization now defines American politics.

Contrary to what the media and establishment figures keep insisting, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Two genuinely divergent political parties in Washington can serve the American people better than a cartel of polite agreement. Strong, fundamental disagreement keeps politicians from doing too much, too quickly, with too little scrutiny.

That is how the founders designed the system to work. They did not want easy majorities imposing their will on everyone else. They built a constitutional order full of friction, checks, divided powers, and obstacles to sudden national action.

Bipartisanship, by contrast, gets things done. That is often the problem.

When Washington becomes “effective,” it usually means politicians, powerful interests, and armies of professional grifters have found a way to expand spending for their mutual benefit. The public pays. The insiders profit. The press calls it “responsible governing.”

We see this across federal programs, from Medicaid to food stamps to defense spending. Fraud, chicanery, and outright theft flourish when both parties decide the money must keep flowing. The late Department of Government Efficiency began to expose some of the grift. It did not last long.

That is what bipartisanship often produces: waste, theft, and punishment for the people who expose it.

Polarization interferes with the trade of public money for political power. For everyone except thieves and grifters, that is a benefit.

Fortunately, American politics is now undergoing a thorough bifurcation.

The Democratic Party is nominating more open socialists at every level of government. They are winning in places such as New York City and Seattle and taking office. Republicans, for their part, are giving landslide primary victories to candidates endorsed by President Trump.

These events mark the end of the old bipartisan arrangement. The two parties are moving to opposite corners of the ring. The middle has grown thin.

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Democrats have made their stand as the party of open socialism. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and her fellow Squad members call for vastly expanded government power and direct attacks on speech, enterprise, and excellence. Their politics increasingly divide Americans by race, sex, and class in pursuit of a utopian vision.

Their party tested many of these ideas during the pandemic and the racial upheavals of the past decade. We know they mean it. Republicans who assisted in those efforts are now being cast out of office as their terms expire — or are leaving before primary voters come for them.

Republicans, meanwhile, have coalesced around Trump’s MAGA movement, a call to restore American greatness through freedom and the rule of law. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and Secretary of State Marco Rubio represent this vision. It seeks to unleash human excellence while dismantling the destructive concentrations of power built over the past century.

The two elements of the MAGA strategy — freedom and government retrenchment — reflect the two poles of the founders’ vision of ordered liberty. That creates some tension inside the movement. MAGA partisans must sometimes use government power to break up the crony system government helped build. More liberty-minded Republicans understandably find that uncomfortable, necessary though it may be.

Democrats struggled with their own internal split. For now, the hard-left democratic socialists have won. That is the real reason for today’s polarization: The party of the left has moved farther to the fringe.

The only thing both parties still agree on is that they cannot stop overspending. Even there, they overspend for different reasons. Democrats emphasize social programs. Republicans emphasize national defense and the border.

The current gridlock in Congress, with major legislation stalled in the Senate because of the filibuster, is not the fault of polarization. The Republican Senate majority could pass much of its agenda by eliminating the filibuster. It has chosen not to do so.

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The country needs major federal reform, especially a large reduction in spending. Polarization is not the obstacle to that work. It is the beginning of clarity.

The old bipartisan order blurred responsibility. Polarization reveals who stands for what. Eventually, the American people will decide which vision they prefer.

That bifurcation gives voters clearer choices between parties, within parties, and among candidates. It is becoming much more obvious what citizens are voting for when they support either side.

As cities such as Detroit, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland deteriorate into hellscapes while their most capable residents move to Dallas, Nashville, Charlotte, Miami, and other places with lower taxes, less crime, and lighter regulation, the consequences of these rival political visions grow harder to ignore.

Political polarization is the source of that clarity. It is the one thing that can restore true self-government to the American people.

​Primary elections, Maga, Trump, Medicaid, Democrats, Socialists, Jd vance, American greatness, Political polarization, Opinion & analysis