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A Los Angeles-area father fed up with his city’s inaction apparently painted “stop” on a street and installed 30-inch reflective stop signs at his own cost. He has been arrested.

Joseph Brandlin said he had seen numerous near-crashes at the intersection outside his home in El Segundo, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The neighbors immediately organized and wrote 74 letters of support for Brandlin, who handed the letters over to city officials shortly after his arrest.

The 44-year-old has lived at the location for nearly four decades and said the city was ignoring complaints about the intersection of Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue.

“I care deeply about the safety of our neighborhood and the families that live here,” Brandlin told the Times.

He got together with other residents and presented a petition with about 50 signatures asking the city to install additional stop signs. The city said its traffic analysis found insufficient reason to merit the signs, but residents said they saw no evidence of the survey.

“There’s a park right there, and it’s a magnet for children,” said Gary Sanders, a 62-year-old resident of the neighborhood.

“A tragedy could occur,” he added. “I wonder if a tragedy does have to occur for the city to do something about it.”

Brandlin said the last straw was when his son was nearly hit by a car at the intersection because of low visibility.

He began installing the stop signs on the early morning of March 14, according to the El Segundo Police Department.

While the city may not have made the requested safety changes at the intersection, the city rushed to prosecute Brandlin when he took matters into his own hands.

He was arrested at about 1:30 a.m.

Brandlin said the arrest was excessive, as he was charged with multiple felonies. Among the charges were interfering with a traffic control device, grand theft, and vandalism exceeding $400. He was released later that day and is scheduled for a court hearing in June.

The neighbors immediately organized and wrote 74 letters of support for Brandlin, who handed the letters over to city officials shortly after his arrest.

“I’m asking the council for a straightforward action to install stop signs on intersection of Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue or complete and transparent evaluation with the community,” said Brandlin at a city council meeting days after his arrest.

The Times report noted that there have been other incidents in which residents have been arrested for their vigilante improvements to street safety.

RELATED: ‘I am mortified’: Video shows ‘serial defecator’ nabbed by police drone in city park

Brandlin says the city council has not responded to his requests.

The Times said the city council did not respond to request for comment.

“The city just wasn’t listening,” Brandlin said.

The single dad told KCBS-TV that he would do it again to keep kids and families safe.

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​Single dad joseph brandlin, Dad installs own stop signs, El segundo neighborhood defends dad, City ignores street safety, Crime, Politics 

A former Los Angeles Unified School District employee and the owner of a technology vendor were charged Thursday for their alleged involvement in a $22 million kickback scheme that funneled taxpayer funds away from classrooms and into their own pockets.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced charges against Hong “Grace” Peng, 53, of Pasadena, and Gautham Sampath, 53, of Flower Mound, Texas.

‘This case involves a blatant abuse of public trust — funneling taxpayer dollars intended for students into personal coffers.’

Peng previously worked as a technical project manager for LAUSD between 2018 and 2022. She was accused of illegally participating in the awarding of contracts. Peng allegedly unlawfully issued contracts totaling over $22 million to a company owned by Sampath.

Sampath was accused of laundering over $3 million to Peng.

Peng resigned from her position with LAUSD following a late-2022 search warrant related to an investigation into alleged illegal activity. Peng was charged with money laundering and one felony count of having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.

Sampath was charged with money laundering, having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity, and aiding and abetting a government official to have a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.

RELATED: FBI raids home and office of Los Angeles school superintendent, outspoken critic of ICE raids

Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

If convicted on all charges, they each face up to seven years in jail.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Peng and an extradition warrant for Sampath.

“Between 2018 and 2022, Peng was involved in signing, approving, or recommending over $22 million in funding from LAUSD to Innive through Change Orders, Work Orders, Invoices, and Contract recommendations,” the felony complaint read. “Between 2017 and 2023, Innive received over $39 million in payments from LAUSD. Between 2018 and 2022, Peng received over $3 million in payments from Sampath, Sampath controlled companies, or Sampath connected third parties.”

The complaint claimed that Sampath sent texts to Peng in February 2018 instructing her to “delete all” of their messages.

“If anyone sees the text about these internal things it will be a prb,” Sampath allegedly wrote.

In June 2018, he allegedly wrote to Peng, “What r the other opportunities in Lausd. That we can exploit. Any other area.”

According to the complaint, Peng responded by telling Sampath that there were “a lot” of proposal requests from the district.

“This case involves a blatant abuse of public trust — funneling taxpayer dollars intended for students into personal coffers,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated. “This vendor, working with an LAUSD project manager, allegedly carried out a multi-year, multi-contract pay-to-play arrangement that siphoned millions of dollars from our schools. We will not tolerate public officials who sell out their responsibilities or contractors who line their pockets by gaming the system. Both will be held fully accountable.”

RELATED: Thousands of students drop out of Los Angeles schools over ‘climate of fear’ from deportations, superintendent says

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP/Getty Images

LAUSD released a statement in response to the charges.

“Los Angeles Unified is aware of the charges filed by the District Attorney’s office against an individual who worked for LAUSD as an information technology employee from 2018 to 2022. As recounted in the District Attorney’s Felony Complaint, this former employee was referred to the Office of the Inspector General for investigation in April 2022, as soon as an LAUSD supervisor learned of a potential conflict of interest. LAUSD Office of the Inspector General then notified the District Attorney’s office,” the district wrote.

“LAUSD is committed to full compliance with all applicable laws, and we expect our employees and business partners to comply with the highest standards of ethics and integrity. The District will continue to cooperate fully with relevant authorities,” the district continued. “We will not comment further on the specifics of the case while legal proceedings are ongoing.”

Sampath, Innive, and Peng did not respond to a request for comment.

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Democrats unconditionally surrendered early Friday morning, passing funding for the Department of Homeland Security after their five-week shutdown ground airport security lines to a halt, stopped paychecks for TSA agents and other employees, and crippled the department’s ability to prepare security for the World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) promptly tried to claim victory anyway, posting on X: “After weeks of negotiations, Republicans caved to our demands to fund DHS without a blank check for ICE and CBP.”

House Republicans should not panic because Democrats staged a little theater for their own base. They should take the win.

That is false.

Republicans did not accept any Democrat demands, though they came close as recently as last weekend, had Democrats been willing to negotiate in good faith. And both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection already have billions in funding, with much more easily available by June through reconciliation, which requires only 51 votes in the Senate.

So what exactly were Democrats demanding?

The minority party wanted judicial warrants, against court precedent, that would have crippled enforcement. Democrats also wanted to ban the face coverings agents use to protect their families from violent activists. They wanted to end patrols, stop enforcement at courthouses and other key locations, bar agents from relying on observations such as accent, occupation, or appearance, and place use-of-force investigations under the jurisdiction of often politicized local police departments.

They got none of it.

The remarkable part is that they could have walked away with something. As recently as last weekend, Republicans were still trying to bring Democrats to the table.

“We got on our front foot by negotiating in good faith last week and through the weekend and offering low-hanging concessions,” a senior White House official told the Beltway Brief. But Democrats wanted more and kept moving the goalposts.

As for ICE and CBP funding, the panic on the right is misplaced. Both agencies already have billions. Neither gave up a single enforcement tool. And now that the shutdown is over, both can be funded again through reconciliation.

That is the same process that already delivered more than $100 billion in funding to begin with and insulated both agencies from the Democrats’ theatrical shutdown. Reconciliation requires only a simple majority, though it can address only spending matters that directly affect the budget.

That is also why reconciliation cannot be used to pass new policy such as the SAVE America Act. The Senate parliamentarian enforces those rules. But she has already allowed ICE and CBP funding through reconciliation, and nothing suggests she would rule differently this time.

Democrats had an opening here. President Trump had no interest in handing the minority party concessions, but Senate Republicans were more open to it. Democrats refused because they wanted to tell their base they shut the government down and would not budge. Now that face-saving fiction is all they have left while funding resumes and ICE and CBP money likely arrives within the next two months, according to White House projections.

Then came the frustrating part.

Friday afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) found a way to snatch defeat from victory, issuing a forceful statement that the House would not accept this outcome. His hand is being forced by conservatives furious that the Senate stripped the funding from this measure and worried about the precedent. But that reaction misses the strategic reality.

They’re making a mistake.

House Republicans should not panic because Democrats staged a little theater for their own base. They should take the win. Democrats shut down the DHS, inflicted weeks of pain, gained nothing, and then surrendered.

Call it what it is: a Republican victory.

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​Opinion & analysis 

The man convicted of a heinous lethal attack on an 84-year-old man got his prison sentence suspended by a San Francisco judge on Thursday.

The horrendous attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee in 2021 was captured on video and helped inspire the “Stop Asian Hate” movement. Antoine Watson was 19 years old when he ran violently into the victim and shoved him to the ground. Ratanapakdee died from his injuries.

‘Today’s sentence is deeply disappointing. An 84-year-old man was killed in a cruel, unprovoked attack, and our family will live with this loss every day.’

Watson was convicted of involuntary manslaughter but acquitted of the murder charge earlier this year. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, but the trial judge suspended the sentence and gave Watson credit for five years of time served while awaiting the conclusion of the trial.

The man’s family is outraged at the decision.

“Today’s sentence is deeply disappointing. An 84-year-old man was killed in a cruel, unprovoked attack, and our family will live with this loss every day,” reads a statement from the victim’s daughter. “This is not about revenge — it is about accountability. When consequences do not match the harm, it sends the wrong message about protecting our seniors and public safety. We are concerned about what this means for other families.”

The family has accused Watson, a black man, of having a racial motive for the attack, but he was not charged with a hate crime.

A defense attorney for Watson said he intentionally pushed the victim but did not intend to kill him, arguing that Watson had a mental health breakdown over a police encounter earlier that morning.

Watson was also ordered to undergo weekly therapy sessions and submit to searches of him and his property.

Critics see the “Grandpa Vicha” case as yet another terrible example of lax criminal prosecution that does nothing to discourage further crime and violence. Others decry the alleged racial component of the lethal attack.

RELATED: VIDEO: Thug sprints across street, slams into 84-year-old man, flattens him on driveway. Victim later dies.

However, if Watson does not follow the rules of probation, he could be forced to serve the rest of his sentence, which is three years.

Watson’s public defender, Anita Nabha, said he was remorseful about the incident.

“As a grandson, it is really hard for him to accept the conduct that he did and that he took two children’s grandfather away from them,” Nabha said.

The victim’s family says justice was not served by the suspended sentence.

“The bottom line is that he’s out in, like, five years on probation for killing our father-in-law, and it’s unacceptable,” said the man’s son-in-law, Eric Lawson.

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​Asian hate crime, Vicha ratanapakdee, Black murder of asian man, San francisco judge suspends sentence, Politics 

The U.S. Secret Service says an agent guarding former first lady Jill Biden had a “negligent discharge” and shot himself at an airport.

Police said the bizarre incident unfolded at the Philadelphia International Airport on Friday morning just before 8:45 a.m.

Biden was not in the vicinity of the negligent discharge.

A witness told KYW-TV it appeared that the agent was trying to get into the back of an SUV at the airport when the gun accidentally went off.

Police said the agent shot himself in the leg near an unmarked Chevrolet SUV at the Pennsylvania Tower outside Terminal C. The agent was transported to the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in stable condition, according to police. No one else was injured, and the airport operations were not interrupted.

Biden was not in the vicinity of the negligent discharge.

Police remained at the scene to investigate the incident for hours, according to KYW.

“The Secret Service’s Office of Professional Responsibility will be reviewing the facts and circumstances of this incident,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

RELATED: Jill Biden mocked for comparing Hispanics to tacos at ‘Latinx Incluxion’ conference: ‘Previously unimaginable level of cringe’

The former first lady also recently made headlines when her ex-husband was charged in the murder of his second wife in February.

William Stevenson, 77, was indicted for the murder of 64-year-old Linda Stevenson, who was found dead on Dec. 28 at their home. Stevenson had been friendly with Joe Biden but later became a supporter of President Donald Trump.

Stevenson was married to his second wife for nearly four decades.

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BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is taking aim at Gavin Newsom after the California governor proudly compared himself to Patrick Bateman — the infamous fictional serial killer portrayed by Christian Bale.

“Gavin Newsom is not the king of trolling. In fact, Gavin Newsom is bad at it. He’s so bad at it that he accidentally trolls himself,” Gonzales says.

“For so many years people have been saying that Patrick Bateman and I look alike. Now this pic has been going all over the place. What do you think?” Newsom posted on X, alongside a photo of him next to Bale.

“Patrick Bateman is like the worst person in the world. Like, he is obsessed with his appearance … he’s a total narcissist. Also happens to be a psychotic serial killer, rapist, cannibal, torturer,” Gonzales comments.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Yeah, we agree. There’s a lot of similarities between you and Patrick Bateman, Gavin.’ Like, you’re just setting yourself up to be trolled, which he was,” she continues.

A post on X from Fox News reported on the humble comparison, writing, “Governor Gavin Newsom is sparking widespread mockery after ‘bizarrely’ comparing his own look to the fictional serial killer Patrick Bateman.”

Newsom quote-tweeted the article, writing, “They still don’t get it.”

“Gav, I think you’re the one who still doesn’t get it,” Gonzales comments. “Unless you’re trying to tell us that you are, in fact, a psychotic serial killer.”

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.

​Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Blaze podcasts, Patrick bateman, Governor gavin newsom, California, American psycho, Gavin newsom patrick bateman, Troll, Trolling 

Turn on Fox News, scroll social media, or listen to talk radio, and one message comes through loud and clear: Many Republicans think the SAVE America Act is the key to saving the GOP in the November midterms.

It is not.

The SAVE America Act is not a magic wand. It will not erase 14 months of drift, dysfunction, and broken promises.

Yes, requiring proof of citizenship to register and identification to vote is necessary. Yes, most Americans, regardless of party, support the idea. But Republicans are kidding themselves if they think that alone will persuade voters to reward them in November.

The rot runs much deeper, and no “one simple trick” will fix it.

Trump surged to victory in 2024 on promises to change the country’s direction in dramatic ways. Fourteen months later, too many of those promises remain unfulfilled. Some died at the hands of weak and ineffective congressional leadership. Others were thwarted by feckless Cabinet officials, such as the new czarina of the Shield of the Americas, Kristi Noem. Others fell victim to Trump’s own choices.

The core promises were clear: mass deportations, a stronger economy, lower inflation, and no new long-term foreign entanglements. Those themes helped Trump assemble a broad coalition, including a majority of young men, and deliver the biggest Republican Electoral College victory since George H.W. Bush in 1988.

Now, with just over seven months until the midterms, nearly all of those promises remain unmet or badly compromised. Facts aren’t partisan — they are just facts.

Start with immigration. For all the left’s hysteria over ICE raids, Trump has deported fewer people than Barack Obama did in the first year of his second term. That came after four years of unprecedented illegal immigration under Biden. The promise of mass deportation remains unfulfilled.

Congress hasn’t helped. Ineffective Republican leadership has let the Department of Homeland Security go without funding for over a month, slowing deportation efforts while creating chaos at airports as TSA employees go unpaid. The public sees dysfunction, not competence.

RELATED: Mullin inherits a mess at DHS. Here’s how he can still save Trump’s legacy.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Then comes the economy.

The cost of living has not gone down. Signs point the other way. Inflation could surge past 4% as energy prices rise because of the war with Iran. Food prices remain high and may climb higher as petroleum-based fertilizer gets more expensive just before planting season. Homes remain unaffordable to most Americans. The job market sits on the edge of an AI-fueled bust. The promised relief in the form of larger tax refund checks has not materialized.

The labor market struggles as rampant H-1B visa abuse keeps importing cheaper foreign labor into high-paying STEM jobs that Americans want and are trained to do. Trump and Republican leaders still talk about H-1B as though it were a strategic advantage rather than a direct threat to their own voters.

Guess what? Voters have noticed.

Recent polling shows Democrat James Talarico leading both Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn in Texas. Former Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper holds a commanding lead in the race to replace Sen. Thom Tillis in North Carolina. Even in Maine, the Democrat challenger accused of sporting a Nazi tattoo leads Sen. Susan Collins.

RELATED: Texas Democrats just gave Republicans a gift-wrapped hypocrisy story

Bob Daemmrich/Texas Tribune/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The bad numbers do not stop there. A glance at RealClearPolitics tells the terrifying tale.

Special elections are just as ugly. In those races, including the district that encompasses Mar-a-Lago, Democrats have run strongly among independent voters, the very bloc that helped solidify Trump’s 2024 coalition.

That is the problem Republicans refuse to face. The SAVE America Act is a common-sense bill, and Congress should pass it. Elections should be protected from ineligible voters. But the bill is not a magic wand. It will not erase 14 months of drift, dysfunction, and broken promises. It will not lower prices, deport illegal aliens, fix the job market, or persuade disillusioned independents to come back home.

Republicans do not face a midterm problem because they have failed to pass one bill. They face a midterm problem because they have failed to deliver on the reasons voters put them back in power.

​Opinion & analysis, Save america act, Congress, Republicans, 2026 midterms, Special elections, Democrats, Polls, James talarico, Ken paxton, John cornyn, Susan collins, Kristi noem, Promises, Ice raids, Mass deportations, Department of homeland security, H1-b, Fraud, Cheap labors 

Ukrainian government communications discussed a scheme to direct American taxpayer dollars to then-President Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee to boost Biden’s 2024 re-election bid against President Donald Trump, according to an intelligence report obtained by Just the News.

The newly unclassified documents summarize raw intercepts from U.S. spy agencies in late 2022. Officials who reviewed the files stated that there was a lack of curiosity to investigate the allegations under the Biden administration, the news outlet reported.

‘In this manner, most of the US funding would be diverted to Joe Biden’s election campaign without the ability to track where exactly the funds came from.’

The American tax dollars were intended to fund a clean energy project in Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia.

“The Ukrainian Government and unspecified U.S. Government personnel, through USAID in Kyiv, reportedly developed a plan that would provide hundreds of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund an infrastructure project for Ukraine that would be used as a cover to send approximately 90% of funds allocated to the DNC to fund Joe Biden’s re-election campaign,” the report read, according to Just the News.

“They were confident the project would be funded initially, even though at some time in the future the project would be disapproved as unnecessary. At this time, the money would already be allocated and impossible to return or use for a different purpose,” it added.

The report named two American subcontractors that could potentially receive the funds, officials told Just the News. However, those names were redacted in the report obtained by the news outlet.

RELATED: ‘USADF is garbage’: Senior US foreign aid official will plead guilty to taking kickbacks, lying to feds

Donald Trump, Joe Biden. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

“The plan included details of how subcontractors would be funded through U.S. companies so that how the funds were spent and allocated would be difficult to track,” the report continued. “Additionally, contracts would be executed that would be difficult to verify. In this manner, most of the U.S. funding would be diverted to Joe Biden’s election campaign without the ability to track where exactly the funds came from.”

Just the News reported that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently learned about the intelligence intercepts. She reportedly asked USAID officials to review their records to ascertain whether the alleged scheme was executed and whether a criminal referral should be made to the FBI.

RELATED: Tulsi Gabbard warns: Powerful foreign allies eager to pull US into war with Russia

Tulsi Gabbard. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

An official told the news outlet that Gabbard’s team has not found substantive evidence indicating that the allegations were thoroughly investigated under Biden’s leadership. The official noted that the communications are not believed to be linked to Russian disinformation efforts.

Trump shared the Just the News article in a post on social media.

In a statement to Blaze News, a spokesperson for Gabbard confirmed the existence of related intelligence, adding that the director’s team is “working to review USAID holdings.”

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​News, Tulsi gabbard, Odni, Office of the director of national intelligence, Ukraine, Ukraine war, Ukraine-russia war, Russia, Russia-ukraine war, Democratic national committee, Dnc, Joe biden, Biden, Biden administration, Biden admin, Donald trump, Trump, Trump administration, Trump admin, Usaid, United states agency for international development, U.s. agency for international development, Politics 

Bruce Springsteen has a severe case of Kimmel-itis.

Former “Man Show” host Jimmy Kimmel once told a journo he wasn’t worried about losing Republican viewers due to his hard-left shift. “Not good riddance but riddance,” the lachrymose late-nighter quipped.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is furious about the Trump-Kennedy Center’s choice for the Mark Twain Prize for Humor.

Now, the 76-year-old Boss is singing a similar tune. He’s hitting the road for a new, anti-Trump tour, complete with official No Kings messaging and, hopefully, lots of fiber in his tour bus fridge. And he doesn’t care if he sheds fans along the way.

“I don’t worry about if you’re going to lose this part of your audience. I’ve always had a feeling about the position we play culturally, and I’m still deeply committed to that idea of the band. The blowback is just part of it. I’m ready for all that.”

His shrinking fan base might not be ready for those sky-high ticket prices …

Best Actor

Josh Duhamel isn’t an A-list star, but he’s got a mindset his peers might consider.

The “Shotgun Wedding” alum is taking them to task about their political posturing. Shut up and act, he suggested, although he phrased it in a more genteel manner. Why? They might stay employed if they do, which is a bigger issue in today’s shrinking Hollywood.

“I have real strong opinions about things, but I don’t really talk about them. … Why would I alienate half my audience? Because I respect their views on things, but I’m not going to preach to them. They can believe what they want.”

Somewhere, Johnny Carson is smiling …

RELATED: UNCANNY VAL: Val Kilmer makes creepy AI ‘comeback’ one year after death

Feature China/Michael Ochs Archives/CBS Photo Archives/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Next-Files

The truth is out there, but will anybody recognize it?

That “X-Files” reboot from Oscar winner Ryan Coogler is moving forward, and we know who the two main actors will be — Himesh Patel and Danielle Deadwyler. Are they the new Mulder and Scully?

No.

So if there’s no Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, and the new leads are playing fresh characters, what makes it an “X-Files” joint, to borrow Spike Lee’s phrase? The show’s original creator, Chris Carter, is an executive producer on the project, which often is a glorified credit given out of respect, not hands-on involvement.

To Hollywood, it really doesn’t matter. It’s all about brand recognition and familiar IPs. All we know is there better be a man smoking somewhere, or you’ll see riots in Nerdville …

I don’t CAIR; do you?

Oooh, CAIR is mad.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is furious about the Trump-Kennedy Center’s choice for the Mark Twain Prize for Humor. It’s Bill Maher, the HBO host and veteran stand-up comic who refuses to ignore Islam’s problematic headlines.

Maher is an equal-opportunity offender when it comes to religion. He even made a movie about it. Since most celebrities steer clear of Islam in general, his comments stand out. CAIR even shared a fiercely worded statement on the selection.

“Mr. Maher would have never received this recognition if he were an antisemitic comedian who supported terrorism against Jewish-Americans or Israelis, but his open bigotry against Muslims and support for the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza are somehow perfectly acceptable.”

CAIR didn’t point to any incendiary Maher riffs, according to the Hollywood Reporter, but the organization said he supports Israel and has attacked Hamas as “evil.” Evil? Now, where would Maher get that idea …

Sweeney’s salute

If you thought leftists hated Sydney Sweeney already, this will send them over the edge.

The “Euphoria” star enraged progressives last year by joking about the words “genes” and “jeans” in an American Eagle ad. White supremacist, they cried, revealing more about themselves than anything Sweeney actually did.

The starlet took the blowback in stride, as did American Eagle, which watched its stock prices soar thanks to the commercial.

Now, Sweeney is toasting her little brother, who is serving in the U.S. military overseas. And she’s extending her good wishes to the men and women doing the same.

“Thinking of all our boys and girls overseas and sending my love! Thank you for your service :).”

Meanwhile, late-night comedians are skewering the U.S. over its decision to topple Iranian despots, and stars like Javier Bardem want the war that stopped the mass slaughter of Iranian citizens stopped at all costs.

Clearly, Sweeney has gone too far.

​Entertainment, Culture, Bruce springsteen, Jimmy kimmel, Music, Sydney sweeney, Toto recall 

I just finished “BLT week.” This was a week in which I ate one bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich every day. By doing so, I managed to consume one 16-ounce packet of bacon, most of two slicing tomatoes, and a ball of iceberg lettuce in eight days.

This is the price you pay when you’re single and live by yourself. When the extra fancy bacon goes on sale at your local supermarket, you can’t resist buying it. And then you hurriedly pick up a tomato and lettuce.

People have urged me to invest in a quality freezer. But I don’t want to live a freezer life. I watched my Boomer father give his best years to the freezer ethos.

And then it’s a race to eat all that bacon before it goes bad, or gets relegated to the back of the refrigerator, where it will eventually go really bad.

I know you can use bacon in a lot of different ways, but I’m not that creative. I stick with the BLTs. And maybe a couple of strips with breakfast.

But of course, familiarity breeds contempt. And so after a week of constant bacon, I’ve had enough.

Pork for dorks

Last month, I did a “pork chop week.” It was the same scenario as the bacon: I bought a packet of five pork chops on sale. But then I had to make sure to eat one a day, lest I forget about them and they end up in the back of my fridge, where I would rediscover them months later.

This is a standard practice for me. Since I’m rarely cooking for someone else, and I can’t resist a deal, I end up buying family-sized portions of different food products — which I then feel obligated to eat continuously until they’re gone.

I suppose I could buy a “grab-and-go,” single-person meal from the deli section of my supermarket. These meals are designed for chronically stressed-out single people, who have given up on life.

Typically, they consist of one sad pork chop, a pathetic glop of mashed potatoes, and three scrawny green beans, all encased in microwaveable plastic, for the outrageous price of $20.

No thank you on that. Instead I buy the pork chop family pack. Five pork chops for $5.

Those five pork chops are intended to be one meal for a family of five.

But for me, it’s a week’s worth of pork chops. At the end of which, I’d rather not see another pork chop for a while.

A friend in need

I have a friend who is also single. She lives alone in another state. She gets caught in the same trap, buying too much food, much of which is perishable.

But unlike me, she doesn’t force herself to eat it all. She throws the extra in the fridge and forgets about it.

This is where I come in. I go visit her and spend a week eating all the leftovers in her fridge. The fish sticks she didn’t eat. The remainder of a takeout pad thai order. Half of a tuna casserole she forgot about. Or part of a stale Sarah Lee cheesecake.

Recently, I found slices of cold pizza that had spent weeks in the back of her fridge. Fortunately, using my advanced single-guy microwave skills, I was able to bring these deceased pizza slices back to life and make a nice meal out of them.

Singles going steady

Some people refer to these food portion problems as a “singles tax.” It’s that extra bit you have to pay because you have not coupled up or don’t have a family.

You especially get gouged by the singles tax when you travel. I travel a lot, and the amount I spend on hotels … yikes! Or paying for gas on long driving trips when I’m the only person in the car. Such trips feel very wasteful.

But this is becoming the norm: Solo travelers, solo diners, solo apartment dwellers — more than ever, people are living by themselves.

According to Pew Research, “About 38% of adults aged 25 to 54 in the U.S. are unpartnered, which includes those living alone, a significant increase from 29% in 1990.”

Alone again, naturally

So where did this trend away from couples and toward singletons begin? For myself, it began in my 20s. I knew that I wanted to be a writer, which is, of course, a precarious profession.

In my case, that seemed to preclude a wife and kids. How would I support them over the inevitable lean years? I wouldn’t want to force my “starving artist” lifestyle on a family.

But nowadays, you don’t have to justify being single by your choice of jobs. People just prefer it.

Men and women no longer have a “yin and yang” relationship. They are no longer considered two different types of humans who complement each other and need each other’s different abilities.

No, men and women are increasingly the same. They both have jobs. They both own homes. They both have cars and gym memberships and credit cards and food preferences.

As they have become more isolated and less dependent on one another, men and women increasingly live alone, shop alone, dine alone.

Everyone can take care of themselves. Nobody needs anybody. It sounds good in terms of personal freedom. But you can’t help wonder about the long-term societal effects.

And really, how happy can you be when you’re forced to eat yet another BLT, after you just ate six of them?

RELATED: All downhill from here: An aging hot dog hangs up his skis

Pierre Lahalle/Getty Images

Cold, cold heart

And yes, people have urged me to invest in a quality freezer. But I don’t want to live a freezer life. I watched my Boomer father give his best years to the freezer ethos: putting stuff in there and then digging it out, five years later, covered in ice and snow, and not remembering what it is or why he bought it.

No, I want to live now. I want to eat now. I want to go to the supermarket and feel the thrill of finding a jumbo pack of gourmet chicken apple sausage at half price!

If that means I’ll be eating chicken apple sausage every day for the rest of the calendar year, that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.

Hope, always hope

In the meantime, I remain hopeful that change is possible. That men and women will come together, embrace their differences, and learn to live with each other again. (And increase the birthrate?)

Only then will we create the kind of families who can easily consume five pork chops in one sitting.

In the meantime, if you need any chicken apple sausage, I’ve got extra.

​Lifestyle, Single life, Cooking, Men’s health, Pork chops, Blts, Blake’s progress 

Catholic churches across the United States are seeing increases in attendance, especially for Easter.

This comes just a few short months after Pope Leo XIV was interpreted as making a push for more inclusivity within the religion.

‘[There is] a thirst and hunger for God and stability that faith brings to people’s lives.’

An Italian academic who follows the Vatican said earlier this year that the new pope is likely to continue his predecessor’s “trajectories.”

Pope Francis famously said in 2013, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”

To that end, Pope Leo’s comments at the beginning of 2026 were determined by some to signal an increasing tolerance toward those who are typically considered at odds with the Catholic tradition.

“Only love is trustworthy; only love is credible,” the pope said in January. “While unity attracts, division scatters.”

However, the truth was somewhere in the details. Massimo Faggioli, the academic from Trinity College Dublin, told Reuters that the pope was “working to convince the cardinals that they need to work collectively together to do what the Catholic people want them to do.”

As the year has progressed, followers have learned that while the pope told his biographer the church’s beliefs about “gay and trans people” has not changed, he added, “but the Church invites everyone.”

RELATED: Massachusetts stands firm on denying Catholic couple foster parent license — even after state scraps woke policy

Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images

Truly progressive messaging was not clearly found in the pope’s Lent messaging soon thereafter. He asked parishes to listen to “the word of God, as well as to the cry of the poor and of the earth.”

He said Catholics must strive to make their communities places where “the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.”

No matter how one interprets the pope’s call to religious arms in 2026, it has seemingly worked, with a recent survey of Catholic parishes showcasing a rather large uptick in attendance.

The New York Times reported at length about the surge in followers, starting with the Archdiocese of Detroit, which will see 1,428 new Catholics for Easter, its highest in 21 years.

Galveston-Houston will see a 15-year peak, while Des Moines has an increase of 51% this year, 265 to 400.

Washington Cardinal Robert McElroy said his congregation is up by nearly 200 — already at its highest in 15 years — while Philadelphia’s following has nearly doubled since 2017. Newark has gone from 1,000 Easter-goers in 2010 to 1,700 in 2026.

RELATED: Hollywood gossip king returns to Christ: Perez Hilton’s shocking conversion

Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images

McElroy told the Times he thinks the Holy Spirit is behind the surge, while Archbishop Mitchell Thomas Rozanski of St. Louis says the increase could be due to a rise in uncertainty and anxiety.

There is “a thirst and hunger for God and stability that faith brings to people’s lives,” he said. The archbishop then blamed technology and COVID-19 for magnifying isolation.

The report also claimed that those between 18 and 35 years old were the noted age range that has seen the most growth among several dioceses.

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​Align, Religion, The pope, Pope leo, Pope francis, United states, Catholics, Catholic church, Vatican, Easter, Faith 

A brother and sister pair in Florida are both facing decades in federal prison after a bomb was discovered at an Air Force base days after they had fled the country.

Alen Zheng, 20, and Ann Mary Zheng, 27, who lived together in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, are both under federal indictment in connection with the bomb.

Officials described the device as ‘viable’ and ‘potentially very deadly.’

On March 10, a person called 911 to report that an IED had been placed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, CENTCOM for the U.S. military. Investigators searched the base but did not find any suspicious device at that time.

However, on March 16, an IED was discovered at the base visitor center. At a press conference on Thursday, officials described the device as “viable” and “potentially very deadly.”

The 911 call about the bomb was eventually traced back to Alen Zheng, who, along with Ann Mary, had purchased plane tickets to China on March 11 and then flew there the following day, according to Gregory Kehoe, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of Florida.

Before they left, the siblings allegedly sold a black Mercedes SUV that investigators determined was at MacDill at the time the bomb was placed. IED “residue” was later discovered in the vehicle, Kehoe alleged.

For reasons unknown, Ann Mary Zheng returned to the U.S. on March 17. She and their mother spoke with investigators and “conceded” that they knew about the IED planted at MacDill and Alen’s involvement in it, Kehoe claimed.

RELATED: Another Chinese researcher busted for allegedly smuggling crop-harming biomaterial into America

Alen Zheng, who is believed to still be in China, has been charged with attempted damage of government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. If convicted, he could spend up to 40 years behind bars.

Ann Mary Zheng — who has been accused of “corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating, and concealing a 2010 black Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 with the intent to impair its integrity and availability for use in the federal prosecution of Alen Zheng” — has been charged with evidence tampering and assisting after the fact. She faces up to 30 years if convicted.

A spokesperson from the office of the U.S. attorney for the Central District of Florida confirmed to Blaze News that the siblings are naturalized U.S. citizens and that their mother, whose name was not provided, is in federal custody regarding immigration.

“The mom’s in custody because she is an overstay, and … she’s in custody for deportation,” Kehoe said at the press conference. She has not been charged with any crime, but Kehoe indicated that the investigation is ongoing and that the possibility of future charges against her could not be precluded.

Of note, MacDill Air Force Base received a call on March 18 from someone who mentioned a bomb placed there. “How did you like the surprise at the MacDill Visitor Center?” the caller said, according to a DOJ press release. “Tick tick boom, it’s gonna be between your eyes.”

The suspected caller, 35-year-old Jonathan Elder, was arrested Monday.

The spokesperson from the U.S. attorney’s office told Blaze News that there is no known link between Elder and the Zhengs at this time.

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​Alen zheng, Ann mary zheng, Bomb, Centcom, Florida, Ied, Macdill air force base, Politic 

Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida just got one step closer to being expelled from the House of Representatives.

The House Ethics investigative subcommittee effectively found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of nearly every campaign finance violation levied against her earlier this year. The bipartisan panel voted to start the process that could lead to Cherfilus-McCormick’s expulsion after she was accused of laundering millions of dollars worth of Federal Emergency Management Agency funds related to a COVID-era contract into her campaign account.

‘That raises serious concerns about due process.’

“After careful deliberation that lasted until well past midnight, the adjudicatory subcommittee found that Counts 1-15 and 17-26 of the [Statement of Alleged Violations] have been proven,” the committee said in a statement.

“Shortly after the House returns from April recess, the full Committee will hold a hearing to determine what, if any, sanction would be appropriate for the Committee to recommend.”

RELATED: Senate approves DHS funding — but there’s a catch

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

This verdict came after the committee’s six-hour hearing Thursday, which was the first public ethics hearing since 2010.

Cherfilus-McCormick is facing several accusations in addition to a federal criminal indictment ranging from filing false financial disclosures, seeking “special favors” with earmark funding requests, and improperly using funds to finance her campaign.

Ahead of the hearing, Cherfilus-McCormick criticized the committee, saying her legal team was denied “reasonable time to prepare” for the trial.

“That raises serious concerns about due process and the fundamental rights every American is entitled to under our Constitution,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement. “While I am limited in what I can address due to an ongoing federal matter, I have cooperated fully within those constraints.”

RELATED: Democrats’ latest victory in deep-red Mar-a-Lago district offers bleak midterm forecast

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

“I urge the Committee to follow its own precedents and uphold fairness and not allow this process to be driven by politics or numbers,” Cherfilus-McCormick added. “I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight and challenge these inaccuracies, when I am legally able to do so. Make no mistake: I am innocent and I am a fighter. My district is made up of fighters. I will continue to fight for the people I was elected to serve.”

In order for Cherfilus-McCormick to be expelled, two-thirds of representatives would have to vote in favor of expulsion, requiring some Democrats to agree to vote with Republicans.

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​House ethics committee, Congress, House democrats, Sheila cherfilus-mccormick, Fraud, Covid relief, Covid, Fema, Politics 

Police in Dayton, Ohio, have released body camera video showing an officer stopping a male on a bicycle for a traffic violation — but it turns out he had a gun, ran from police, and was fatally shot amid a struggle for the weapon.

The male was identified as Reginald Thomas, 44, WHIO-TV reported, citing the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office and Dayton Police Department.

‘He’s got a gun! He’s got a gun!’

The incident occurred just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in the area of N. St. Clair and E. Third Streets, the station said.

Police Chief Kamran Afzal on Wednesday said an officer was on routine patrol and saw Thomas, who was riding a bicycle, commit a traffic violation and stopped him, WHIO noted.

Thomas kept trying to show the officer his ID even though he wasn’t asked to show it, police told the station.

The officer then asked Thomas if he had a weapon, WHIO noted, adding that Thomas in the bodycam video can be heard denying he had a weapon.

RELATED: Man in mental health crisis grabs cop’s gun, pulls trigger as he’s being restrained; another officer opens fire: Officials

Image source: Dayton (Ohio) Police bodycam screenshot

The bodycam video then shows Thomas jumping off his bike and running from the officer.

Image source: Dayton (Ohio) Police bodycam screenshot

The officer soon catches up to Thomas and takes him to the ground, the video shows.

The bodycam video shows that Thomas appears to have a gun in his hand, WHIO reported.

Image source: Dayton (Ohio) Police bodycam screenshot

Indeed, the officer begins yelling, “He’s got a gun! He’s got a gun!”

After a struggle, the officer points his gun at Thomas and orders him to drop his weapon, the station said, adding that Thomas complies, and the officer re-holsters his gun.

However, when the officer attempted to handcuff Thomas, he fought the officer — and in the new struggle, the officer and Thomas began moving toward the gun that Thomas had just dropped, WHIO said.

The station added that the bodycam video appeared to show Thomas again reaching for and gripping the weapon, the station said.

RELATED: ‘Despicable’ homicide suspect caught on body cam pointing gun at Florida deputy — and pulling trigger, cops say

Image source: Dayton (Ohio) Police bodycam screenshot

With that, a second officer who arrived for backup fired one shot, which struck Thomas, WHIO reported.

Officers rendered aid to Thomas before he was taken to Miami Valley Hospital where he later died, the station said.

You can view bodycam video of the incident just below:

RELATED: ‘You got f**kin’ nothin’: Ketchup-covered, blindfolded frat pledges seen in viral police bodycam video — but no one’s talking

The officer who initiated the traffic stop and the officer who fired the shot both have three years of service with accommodations and no discipline, WHIO reported.

Police provided post-incident images showing the recovered gun and loaded magazine as well as a mugshot of Thomas indicating his previous convictions for resisting arrest, assault, and aggravated menacing.

RELATED: Stolen car goes airborne ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ style amid police chase — but occupants sure ain’t no Bo or Luke

Image source: Dayton (Ohio) Police

Image source: Dayton (Ohio) Police

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a criminal investigation and present the facts to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, the station said, adding that the Dayton Police Department’s Professional Standards Bureau will conduct an internal administrative investigation.

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​Dayton, Ohio, Police, Bodycam video, Traffic violation, Fatal shooting, Armed suspect, Gun, Footchase, Police involved shooting, Struggle for gun, Crime 

As someone who works in media, BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales has seen it all — or so she thought.

A couple of days ago, Sara stumbled across a story that genuinely baffled her: “Quadruple amputee cornhole champion facing murder charges in fatal shooting.”

To make matters even more confusing, the suspect — Dayton James Webber, 27, of La Plata, Maryland — was driving a car when he allegedly shot the victim in the head twice.

“This is the most curious thing I’ve ever heard,” says Sara.

“Obviously, I did a deep dive on this story.”

On this episode of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered,” Sara shares the details of a story unlike any she’s covered before.

While information regarding how Webber was able to drive a car or allegedly fire a weapon have not been officially disclosed by police, video footage appears to shed some light on how he was able to accomplish certain tasks.

Sara first plays a clip of Webber competing in a cornhole match. The video captures his unorthodox technique, in which he caterpillar-crawls his way to the pitcher’s box, grips the corner of the bag between his residual limbs, and uses a powerful whipping motion of his upper body and arms to release the bag with impressive accuracy.

Sara also shows video footage that appears to show Webber loading and firing a 9mm handgun using his residual limbs as well as footage of him appearing to handle a long rifle.

“Like, I know he has the right to bear arms, but that usually implies he has some arms of his own,” Sara quips.

“This is the weirdest story.”

To hear Sara go into more details of the case, watch the video above.

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.

​Sara gonzales, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Blazetv, Blaze media, Quadruple amputee, Dayton james webber, Cornhole 

Night driving used to be routine. Now for many drivers, it’s something they actively dread.

The reason is simple: Modern headlights are getting brighter — and for everyone outside the vehicle using them, that often means blinding glare. Drivers are dealing with harsh, white LED and laser lights that can overwhelm their vision in seconds. It’s not just uncomfortable. It’s a real safety issue.

Instead of flipping down a solid visor that blocks part of the windshield, the system uses a clear panel that darkens electronically.

Now Michigan-based auto tech company Gentex says it may have a solution.

Bright lights, big pity

Automakers have spent years pushing more powerful lighting systems in the name of safety. On paper, brighter headlights improve visibility for the driver behind the wheel.

But on real roads, the effect is more complicated.

For oncoming traffic, those same lights can reduce visibility, not improve it. Drivers report being dazzled, losing contrast, and struggling to see lane markings, pedestrians, or obstacles for several seconds after exposure.

That’s not a minor inconvenience. At highway speeds, even a brief loss of clear vision can have serious consequences.

And the data backs up what drivers already know.

A 2024 European survey found that 71% of drivers say headlight glare is intolerable or extremely annoying. More than half say they sometimes squint or briefly close their eyes to cope. A majority report difficulty seeing the road during those moments.

In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says glare is now the number one lighting-related complaint from drivers.

Nightly trade-off

This is a classic example of a well-intentioned change creating a new problem.

Headlights have become more powerful due to advances in LED and laser technology, along with evolving safety standards. But there has been less focus on how those lights affect everyone else on the road.

The result is a trade-off drivers feel every night: One driver sees better; everyone else sees worse.

That imbalance is now drawing regulatory attention. European regulators are studying whether lighting rules need to change, and in the U.S., complaints continue to rise.

But regulatory fixes take time — and in the meantime, drivers still have to deal with the problem.

RELATED: Why are modern car headlights so blindingly bright?

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Dim some

That’s where companies like Gentex come in.

The proposed solution is a transparent, dimmable sun visor designed to reduce glare from oncoming headlights. Instead of flipping down a solid visor that blocks part of the windshield, the system uses a clear panel that darkens electronically. You can still see through it, but the harsh light is softened.

The technology builds on something many drivers already trust: auto-dimming rearview mirrors. Sensors detect bright light, and the glass adjusts instantly to reduce glare.

Bringing that same concept to the front of the vehicle is a logical next step — and in practice, it works.

In testing and demonstration, the effect is noticeable. The glare is reduced without blocking the road ahead, which is the key difference from a traditional visor. It doesn’t feel like a work-around so much as a natural extension of a feature drivers already rely on.

Eye spy

For drivers who regularly deal with bright, poorly aimed headlights, this kind of technology could make a meaningful difference.

It reduces eyestrain. It makes night driving less fatiguing. And importantly, it does so without requiring drivers to change how they drive or where they refuel — something that has been a sticking point with other new automotive technologies.

That’s part of what makes this approach compelling.

Rather than waiting for a full redesign of headlight standards — or expecting perfect compliance across millions of vehicles — this is a solution that works within the reality drivers already face.

In many ways, this is how the auto industry has always evolved.

A problem emerges. Regulations lag behind. And suppliers step in with technology that improves the driving experience in the meantime.

Made in the shade

Gentex has done this before with auto-dimming mirrors. This visor builds on that same idea — using relatively simple, proven technology to solve a very real problem.

And because it doesn’t require a complete redesign of the vehicle, it’s easier for automakers to adopt.

Like most new features, the dimmable visor will likely appear first in higher-end vehicles when it launches around 2027. Over time, as costs come down, it could move into more mainstream models.

That matters because the underlying issue isn’t going away. Headlights will likely continue getting brighter as automakers pursue better forward visibility and new lighting technologies. Which means glare will remain part of the driving experience.

Practical work-around

Gentex’s dimmable visor doesn’t solve the root issue of headlight glare — but it doesn’t need to. What it does is something more immediate: It gives drivers a way to manage a problem they already deal with every night.

And based on early impressions, it does that in a way that feels intuitive, effective, and easy to live with. In today’s automotive landscape, that kind of practical innovation can go a long way.

Because for many drivers, the challenge isn’t seeing the road. It’s seeing clearly when the road lights up in front of them.

For more on this, check out my interview with Gentex’s Craig Piersma.

​Lifestyle, Auto industry, Automakers, Gentex, Headlights, Tech, Dimmable visor, Align cars 

The Senate has partially funded the Department of Homeland Security following a 42-day stalemate — but there’s a catch.

More than six weeks after DHS was first shut down in mid-February, the Senate agreed in the early morning hours on Friday to fund key agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and most notably, the Transportation Security Administration. Although the funding agreement was long overdue, the Senate continues to withhold funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

‘Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis.’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) called the supplemental funding “unfortunate,” saying it is only prolonging policy disagreements Democrats continue to move their goal posts on.

“The Dems wanted reforms,” Thune said. “We tried to work with them on reforms. They ended up getting no reforms, but, you know, we’re going to have to fight some of those battles another day.”

The Senate greenlit this funding bill by a voice vote around 2:00 a.m. ET and is now headed into a two-week-long recess. The spending package is now on its way to the House.

RELATED: Heroic ICE agent miraculously saves unresponsive child in TSA line

Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

This funding was put through just hours after President Donald Trump ordered his new DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to “immediately pay our TSA Agents.”

“Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday evening. “Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports.”

RELATED: Trump adds new condition to ICE airport plan in DHS shutdown fight

Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!” Trump added. “I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer.”

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​Donald trump, John thune, Senate republicans, Senate democrats, Department of homeland security, Markwayne mullin, Dhs, Tsa, Cisa, Fema, Cost guard, Ice, Cbp, Tsa lines, Democrat shutdown, Politics 

Fourteen months into Trump’s second term, the verdict is in. No mass deportations. No major immigration reform. And if Democrats return to power, they will rip the doors off the hinges again.

Trump did slow the flow and put a dent in some outdated visa programs. But the results remain too small relative to the scale of what came before him and what may come after him.

One day, red states will need to enact these deterrents. The only question is timing.

That leaves one durable partial solution: Use red-state supermajorities to deter illegal aliens from settling in those states when the next wave comes. States may lack the power to deport illegal aliens outright, but they can make daily life harder. They can deny jobs and benefits, impose criminal penalties, and create a lasting deterrent that survives any one presidency.

Ron DeSantis appears to understand this in Florida. Almost no other Republican governor does.

Idaho offers the clearest example of the problem. On paper, it looks like the kind of state where serious immigration enforcement should be easy. Republicans hold 61-9 and 29-6 majorities in the House and Senate. Conservatives gained ground in the House thanks to the Freedom Caucus. Yet when the time came to pass meaningful reforms, the GOP establishment folded.

The House moved several bills. The Senate is quietly killing them. Gov. Brad Little (R) remains publicly silent, apparently hoping the issue dies in committee while he cruises to re-election under Trump’s preemptive endorsement and keeps his donor class happy.

The bills now stalled in Idaho expose the fraud.

H704 would mandate E-Verify for all public and private employers and give the state attorney general real enforcement power. It passed the House 43-26 despite opposition from 17 Republicans. It now sits dead in the Senate State Affairs Committee under Chairman Jim Guthrie and Senate President Pro Tempore Kelly Anthon.

H700 would make it a misdemeanor knowingly to hire illegal aliens without using E-Verify. That bill is also dead in the Senate, and 22 House Republicans opposed it.

H659 would require all counties and cities to cooperate with ICE through 287(g) agreements. In a state with barely any elected Democrats, one might assume mandatory ICE cooperation would be the easiest of calls. Instead, the bill passed the House 41-27, with 18 lukewarm Republicans joining Democrats in opposition, and now sits dead in the Senate State Affairs Committee.

H660 would require police to inquire about immigration status after a lawful arrest and would mandate a twice-yearly report on crimes committed by illegal aliens. By definition, this involves people already suspected of some other offense. Even so, the bill passed only 40-30 and is now being blocked in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

RELATED: The TSA showdown reveals a brutal truth about our politics

Blaze Media Illustration

H764 would create a state analogue to the federal statute that penalizes anyone who knowingly or recklessly conceals, harbors, transports, or materially assists illegal aliens. It includes misdemeanor and felony penalties, license revocations, and forfeiture provisions. In other words, it would build precisely the kind of standing deterrent red states will need when Democrats reopen the border. It has not even advanced out of committee.

S1318 would audit refugee-resettlement contractors in Idaho, including the number of refugees served, their demographic and language data, participation in language programs, housing use, geographic distribution, and relevant public-health statistics. It would also require disclosure if those entities aided illegal aliens. It remains blocked in the Senate State Affairs Committee.

H592 would require the state to track how many illegal aliens receive hospital services and how much that costs taxpayers. It would not deny care. It would merely quantify the burden. A similar law in Florida led to a drop in illegal-alien use of the health care system. Idaho’s bill has not moved.

H656 would do the same basic thing in schools by auditing the number of illegal aliens enrolled. It has gone nowhere.

How does this happen in a state so red? The answer is simple: Many Republican officials remain functionally progressive on immigration.

Little is deeply unpopular with the grassroots, but he neutralized the threat of a primary by securing Trump’s endorsement. Everyone knows he opposes these bills. He simply does not want to say so out loud. Better to let them die quietly in committee than risk angering the base or the business interests that still demand cheap labor.

Call it political Murphy’s law. DeSantis is term-limited in Florida. Brad Little gets a third term.

RELATED: Memo to Trump: Stop negotiating and ramp up deportations

DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

Even Florida has not gone far enough. It already has E-Verify, but lawmakers failed to remove the 25-employee exception. Similar attempts to strengthen E-Verify have failed in West Virginia, Indiana, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, all solidly red states.

A few bright spots remain.

Tennessee may pass some worthwhile bills, though lawmakers gutted legislation to charge illegal aliens tuition. Arizona’s legislature is close to passing SB 1421, which would bar illegal aliens from opening bank accounts, cashing checks, or obtaining loans by prohibiting financial institutions from accepting foreign ID cards or ITINs as sole identification. It would make life in the United States much harder without legal status. The bill passed the Senate and awaits a House vote. Unfortunately, Arizona has a Democrat governor who will likely veto it.

That only raises the harder question: Why is this not already law in the 22 Republican trifecta states?

The same problem appears in commercial trucking. Amid the rash of crashes involving illegal-alien drivers, very few states have acted seriously. Oklahoma alone passed a law requiring proof of citizenship to reciprocate out-of-state commercial driver’s licenses. Florida appears to be the one state seriously enforcing the English-language requirement and checking for illegal aliens at truck stops.

Iowa let a bill die in committee that would have required driver’s license exams to be administered only in English. Indiana passed an English-only testing bill, but still failed to address out-of-state CDLs, even after two illegal aliens killed Indiana residents in separate incidents in less than two weeks in February.

One day, red states will need to enact these deterrents. The only question is timing. Will Republicans build them now, during the lull, or will they wait until hundreds of thousands of new invaders flood back in under a future President Gavin Newsom?

That choice will tell us whether Republicans ever meant a word they said about immigration.

​Red states, Immigration, Idaho, Ron desantis, Illegal immigration, Democrats, 2028, Opinion & analysis, Brad little, Rinos, Open borders, E-verify, Donald trump, Trifecta, Law and order, Sovereignty, Immigration and customs enforcement 

Pennsylvania State Police said troopers were called to a home Tuesday night near the intersection of 18th Street and Water Street in Brownsville Borough in Fayette County for a “reported disturbance,” KDKA-TV reported. Brownsville is about an hour south of Pittsburgh.

Investigators said a woman in the home heard someone beating on her door, after which a male allegedly broke a window to get inside — and then entered the woman’s bedroom, KDKA said. A criminal complaint said the male used a brick to break the window; it all happened around 11:30 p.m.

‘She got beat up a little bit, but she shot the guy.’

When the male wouldn’t leave and continued moving toward the woman, investigators said she shot him in the leg, the station noted.

The woman shot the male once more in the side of the head when he continued moving toward her, officials told KDKA.

A struggle between the male and the woman ensued after she shot him, investigators told the station, adding that she was able to escape the home as troopers arrived.

RELATED: Stalker shows up at woman’s workplace, begins punching her, cops say. But victim has a gun — and she uses it.

State police told KDKA the castle doctrine — which allows people to use deadly force to protect themselves inside their homes — applies in this case.

Troopers who responded to the home found a man who had been shot multiple times, state police added to the station.

The man was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital for emergency surgery, state police told KDKA, which added that his condition was not immediately released.

Ronald Rosiek, 69, was charged with multiple felonies related to the incident, including aggravated assault, criminal trespassing, and burglary, the station said, citing court records.

The victim’s brother arrived at the home Tuesday and feared something bad may have happened to his sibling, but he told KDKA that police put his fears to rest.

“I thought it was her,” the brother recalled to the station. “[The] officer said, ‘No, she took care of business. She got beat up a little bit, but she shot the guy.'”

Those with information about the incident are asked to contact troopers in the Belle Vernon barracks at 724-929-6262.

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​Crime thwarted, Pennsylvania, Home invasion, Intruder shot, Woman shoots male intruder, 2nd amend., Aggravated assault, Criminal trespassing, Burglary, Pennsylvania state police, Break in, Castle doctrine, Fayette county, Brownsville borough, Self-defense, Crime 

Seasonal allergies are nothing to sneeze at, especially if you live in a hot zone. Between a runny nose, congestion, watery eyes, and everything else that comes with spring, bothersome symptoms can make it harder to focus and downright ruin your day. Stay on top of the allergy forecast with these essential apps for allergy season.

The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel isn’t just a great app for monitoring severe weather; it also includes a helpful seasonal allergy tracker. Scroll down to the Health & Wellness section, and you’ll find a graph with allergy metrics for the current week. Tap on each section to get specific data about tree, grass, or ragweed allergens. Below that, you’ll find a pollen breakdown with callouts of the most prevalent allergens in the air. The final graph below that offers a two-week look at when your allergy symptoms are most likely to spike so that you can prepare with the proper medications or schedule modifications.

You can identify bad allergy days, minimize your symptoms, and tailor your schedule to keep allergies at bay.

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw/The Weather Channel

AccuWeather

Also another contender in our must-have apps for storm season, AccuWeather is equipped with a 10-day seasonal allergy outlook graph. It includes a breakdown for the most troubling allergens, like tree pollen, ragweed pollen, mold, grass pollen, and dust and dander, along with color-coded warnings that indicate low to extreme levels of each so you know when your most sensitive allergies will be a problem. Swipe left on this graph to see how the air impacts common health conditions (arthritis, common cold, flu, and asthma), the best time to do certain outdoor activities (running, biking, fishing, and mowing the lawn), and even the best days to travel (either by car or plane).

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw/AccuWeather

My Pollen Forecast (iOS only)

I normally wouldn’t include an app that is only available for one mobile platform in a list like this, but since this one is my personal favorite, I had to throw it into the mix. My Pollen Forecast starts with a glanceable color-coded map that shows the pollen count in your area. Green indicates low pollen, yellow is for medium levels, orange stands for medium-high pollen, and red can range from high to very high counts.

RELATED: Storm season is here. Yes, you need a better weather app.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Tap into the forecasts tab to get a multiday forecast of allergy conditions, plus temperature and humidity. My favorite part about My Pollen Forecast, though, is that you can set notifications for your phone to automatically alert you if high pollen is predicted for your area, providing a helpful reminder to curb symptoms with any necessary allergy medications or nasal sprays.

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw/My Pollen Forecast

WeatherBug

WeatherBug is a powerful app that offers a wide range of helpful information about the weather, air quality, and seasonal allergies. The pollen widget on the front page highlights a quick breakdown of the pollen levels in your area, as well as the predominant offenders for the day (in this case, oak, hackberry, and cedar/juniper). Tap on the widget, and you’ll find a map view that can be enlarged to see color-coded pollen metrics for the entire United States ranging from green (lowest levels) to red (highest levels). Like My Pollen Forecast, WeatherBug can also send notifications to alert you when high pollen levels are expected in your region, making it a must-have for anyone with particularly pesky allergy symptoms.

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw/WeatherBug

Zyrtec AllergyCast

Last but not least, Zyrtec AllergyCast is another option for your allergy-busting arsenal. It requires a free account to unlock all the features. Without an account, however, you can still see a four-day pollen forecast and a color-coded map with conditions for grass, tree, and weeds. The reason this app made the list, though, is for its logging capabilities. Whether you have bad seasonal allergies or you simply want to track your symptoms, the logging feature lets you rate your symptoms (from smiley face to a frowning face), mark down your most troublesome symptoms (itchy nose, runny nose, and sneezing), choose your treatment plan (including medications and nasal sprays), and even write down notes that describe how you feel. With a regular log, you can see how your body reacts to certain allergens over time, giving you broader insights into your seasonal health.

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw/Zyrtec AllergyCast

Seasonal allergies are an unavoidable part of spring, but with a bit of knowledge and foresight gleaned from the apps in this list, you can identify bad allergy days, minimize your symptoms, and tailor your schedule to keep allergies at bay.

​Tech