Category: blaze media

The ladies of “The View” have once again proven that objective truth is not on their list of priorities.

On a recent episode, the panel discussed the case of Karmelo Anthony, who was recently sentenced to 35 years in jail for fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in April 2025 after the two had a verbal confrontation.

Whoopi Goldberg noted that all qualified black prospective jurors were struck from the jury pool — a move Anthony’s defense team challenged under a Batson ruling. The judge overruled the objection, however, after prosecutors provided a race-neutral explanation: The three jurors were educators whose profession made them too closely connected to a school-related incident involving high school students.

“The case has a lot of people divided. Some people believe that race was a factor in the trial because there were no black jurors. … Some folks think, ‘No, no, he got a fair trial.’ But is this a jury of his peers?” asked Goldberg.

Co-host Sunny Hostin then replied, “I don’t think so. And you know this has been an issue for such a long time in the judicial system where prosecutors use what are called, you know, Batson challenges.”

Pat Gray is disgusted by Hostin’s sneaky half-truth.

“Prosecutors and defense attorneys use [Batson challenges],” he corrects.

The other factor Hostin conveniently left out, says Pat, is the fact that “there were more than three black people in the jury pool.”

Some of those black candidates were struck, he argues, because they made statements of obvious bias.

They were “saying things like, ‘Yeah, I’d have a real hard time with putting a brother in jail.’ OK, well, then get out. Obviously, that’s not going to work,” Pat scoffs.

Sadly, Hostin wasn’t done lying.

She went on to claim that Batson challenges are loopholes for racism.

“It’s a challenge that is used to strike a juror, generally a juror of color,” she declared.

“No, it’s not generally a juror of color. It could be white … it could be anybody!” exclaims Pat, accusing Hostin of playing the race card.

To make matters even worse, Hostin, producer Kris Kruz points out, has a law degree from Notre Dame Law School and even served as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice.

But despite her prestigious education and high-profile government experience, Hostin still doesn’t seem to understand what a jury of one’s peers really means.

“You’re supposed to have a jury of your peers, and you’re not supposed to just strike someone because they’re black,” she said, arguing that striking jurors for being educators was not “an appropriate reason.”

“A jury of your peers does not mean that they’re all your same color or same age. That’s not what a jury of your peers means,” says Pat.

But perhaps Hostin’s worst take came next.

Citing the recently released footage where Anthony told cops, “He put his hands on me. I told him not to,” Hostin said, “[Metcalf] was 200 pounds. [Anthony] was 130 pounds.”

Anthony’s weight has been a point of contention throughout the trial. While he was frequently described as weighing roughly 130 pounds in the trial, his high school football bio listed him at roughly 160 pounds.

Pat couldn’t care less what Anthony weighs, though. “Just because Austin was bigger than him doesn’t mean it’s OK to kill him!”

To hear more, watch the episode above.

Want more from Pat Gray?

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

​Pat gray unleashed, Pat gray, The view, Sunny hostin, Whoopi goldberg, Karmelo anthony, Austin metcalf 

Oratory is out of fashion. The word itself sounds archaic to our ears, denoting something people used to practice in antiquity and at long length in 19th-century America. Even the more down-to-earth sounding “rhetoric” is heard to mean “mere” rhetoric — words false or deceptive by definition. Politicians talk about “messaging,” and the more significant politicians have layers of staff for “communications.”

This does not bode well for the forthcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Every politician in America will feel obliged to say something for the occasion. Whoever can — with perhaps some rare exceptions — will deploy a staff member or staff members to draft his remarks.

The American people declared to the world and under God principles constituting not just the foundation and purpose of their political existence, but the only foundation for legitimate government.

The staff members themselves, products of American universities where American history is frowned upon or given the 1619 treatment, will have to do original research to prepare for the task. A significant percentage of them will rely on artificial intelligence. Patriots have reason to wonder whether there is a politician (or comms team) in America today who understands and can articulate for his fellow citizens and the world the meaning of July 4, 1776.

John Quincy Adams took July 4, 1776, with the utmost seriousness. The Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution became the north star of his politics over a 60-year career of devotion to his country and its cause.

He understood that man is a political animal because he is endowed by nature with logos (speech, reason) and that in American politics, the statesman’s first task is to understand the logos — the word fitly spoken, the apple of gold — of the Declaration of Independence.

He articulated his understanding of the Declaration and its principles beautifully, often, and at length in formal orations and other speeches and writings from the early to the late years of his remarkable political career. He served for a few years in his late 30s and early 40s, when he was also a United States senator, as the first Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard. Later, in what his biographer Samuel Flagg Bemis called his “second career” of nine outspoken terms in the House of Representatives, he became known as “Old Man Eloquent,” in great part for his faithful championing of the principles of the Declaration. He was an avid, lifelong student of Cicero.

Adams was born into the American Revolution to a mother and father who were revolutionaries. When he was 7 years old, the Battle of Bunker Hill took place (Saturday, June 17, 1775) within earshot of the farm in Braintree, Massachusetts, where he lived with his mother, Abigail, and three siblings.

On the morning of the battle, his mother took him with her and climbed to the top of nearby Penn’s Hill. From there, the two could see fire and smell the smoke from houses burning in Charlestown. John Quincy remembered the moment vividly to the end of his life. His father, John, was 400 miles away in Philadelphia as part of the Massachusetts delegation to the Second Continental Congress. Braintree was in a war zone.

RELATED: America turns 250 with a broken heart

Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Weeks before, as militia streamed into the area in the wake of the battles of Lexington and Concord, Abigail Adams had collected the family’s pewter dishes and melted them down to make bullets in a large kettle held over the kitchen fire. From time to time, she heard alarms, warning that the Royal Navy was about to land forces along the coast. She had good reason to fear that the British would try to seize rebel leaders and their families.

The best John Adams could do at the time was to write to his wife from Connecticut: “In Case of real Danger … fly to the Woods with our Children.” July 4, 1776, was still more than a year away, undefined in the uncertain future. But young John Quincy Adams was already learning its lessons.

On July 4, 1785, less than two years after the peace settlement ending the American war for independence, 17-year-old John Quincy, who had served as his father’s private secretary during the peace negotiations, was sailing back to America after six life-forming years in Europe. He wrote in his journal, slightly misquoting James Thompson’s “Rule Britannia,” that July 4 was:

The greatest day in the year, for every true American. The anniversary of our Independence. May heaven preserve it: and may the world still see:
A State where liberty shall still survive
In these late times, this evening of mankind
When Athens, Rome, and Carthage are no more
The world almost in slavish sloth dissolv’d.

The mature John Quincy would come to believe that on that date the American people declared to the world and under God principles constituting not just the foundation and purpose of their political existence, but the only foundation for legitimate government. He held that these principles of reason emerged in the providence of the Christian God through centuries of oppression and superstition and were destined in the providence of God to spread across the earth.

In God’s good time, the feudal monarchies of Europe would be overthrown and replaced by regimes based on the true principles of the American Revolution. The same providential fate awaited all the world’s barbarous, savage, or tyrannical regimes.

These facts, in his mind, were perfectly compatible with the maxim he would make famous, that America goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy — and equally compatible with the reality he faced throughout his political career, that America itself, in its freedom, might abandon its principles and descend into barbarous tyranny.

In Fourth of July orations over four decades, Adams would explain to his fellow citizens why and how, in fidelity to the laws of nature and nature’s God, America should, in all weathers, steer its course by the north star of the principles of the Declaration.

These orations and other speeches and writings are conveniently collected in “John Quincy Adams: Speeches and Writings,” recently edited by David Waldstreicher, the distinguished professor of history at the City University of New York Graduate Center, for the Library of America. They are full of history, reasoning, learning, and even oratory that should come in handy for those hoping to say something that rises to the occasion of the coming semiquincentennial.

Editor’s note: A version of this article appeared originally at the American Mind.

​America 250, Declaration of independence, Fourth of july, John quincy adams, Semiquincentennial, Rhetoric, Politicians, American revolution, Consent of the governed, Europe, Opinion & analysis 

Summer is here, and if you’re looking to shed some pounds before you slip into your swimsuit, we have something that can help. These apps are all designed to count calories, track your weight, and reclaim a healthier, fitter you. The best part? They actually work.

The great American epidemic

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a staggering 72.4% of American adults over age 20 are either overweight or obese. Even worse, cases of “severe obesity” have tripled since the 1960s, signaling an extreme weight crisis for the country.

Growing obesity and degrading American health are the pinnacle of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA movement, which aims to end childhood chronic diseases by reforming America’s “food, health, and scientific systems.” As part of the initiative, the USDA and HHS reconfigured the food pyramid to prioritize protein, fruits, and healthy fats while minimizing carbs — a complete reversal of the original national food pyramid adopted in 1992. Kennedy has also pressured food processors to eliminate artificial dyes and use cleaner ingredients.

These apps are available for free, and they support paid subscriptions.

These are all good steps toward giving Americans access to better food, but when it comes to actually shedding the pounds, this can only be tackled on the personal level. Some people have tapped into sheer willpower to lose weight. Others turned to controversial miracle drugs, like GLP-1s, to drop the pounds. Then there are the tech nerds like me, who look to smartphones for relief.

The science behind weight-loss apps

I am not a specimen of perfect health. Far from it. Like nearly three-fourths of the nation, I fall into the CDC’s obese category, and like most people in this crowded bracket, my weight has yo-yoed up and down over the years. Throughout this journey, only one thing ever actually made that dreaded number on the scale go down — weight-loss apps.

The reason these apps work is simple: They take your raw data — like your age, height, current weight, and target weight — and use it to determine the ideal calorie limit for your goals. Then they combine this with calorie-counting and activity-tracking algorithms to compare the amount of calories you ingest against calories you burn for the day. If you take in more energy than you expel, you will gain weight, and if you lose more, you will lose weight (barring a medical condition that is physiologically keeping you overweight).

Simple math, right?

There are a couple of caveats to keep in mind.

First, in order for these apps to work, you have to log everything you eat. Even a single missed snack will throw off your numbers for the day, leading to weight-loss stagnation or even unintended gains.Second, you will need to either pair the app with a supported fitness tracker or use the pedometer feature on your phone (if you do this, make sure you carry your phone at all times to capture your steps). Taking steps throughout the day adds to your calorie bank, so the more active you are, the more you’re allowed to eat. When you run out of calories for the day, you’re done.

My favorite weight-loss apps

There are plenty of weight-loss apps on the app stores, and only you can decide which ones work for you. If you’re not sure where to start, these are my top three favorites. Note that these apps are available for free, and they support paid subscriptions to unlock additional features.

MyFitnessPal

As the app that has helped me lose more weight than the others, MyFitnessPal includes a robust food library that makes it easy to find the exact foods you eat and log them into your diary under “breakfast,” “lunch,” “dinner,” and “snacks.” After all, it is impossible to log your calories correctly if you can’t find the exact thing you just ate. The paid version makes this even easier with an included barcode scanner for processed foods and a meal scanner that logs foods simply by taking a picture, but it’s not a necessity.

RELATED: This new app for new moms is a game-changer

This new app for new moms is a game-changer ArtistGNDphotography/Getty Images

If you want to nerd out on your food data, MyFitnessPal lets you take a closer look at your calories for the day, providing insights into which meals were the most calorically dense, as well as nutrients and macro information that tells you all about the proteins, carbs, fats, fiber, and sugars on your plate. This is especially helpful for people on specific limited diets or for those who simply want to better understand their food choices.

Finally, MyFitnessPal offers free meal plans with complete recipes that show you how to make healthier food with no guesswork.

Download: Apple App Store, Google Play Store

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw/MyFitnessPal

Lose It

Where MyFitnessPal excels at raw data, Lose It wins points with its attractive design. Food metrics are all laid out in a neat interface that clearly highlights calorie intake, macronutrients, daily logging streaks, weight progress over time, and calorie bonuses from daily exercise. Lose It also offers a broad food library that makes it easy to find the foods you eat and log them properly.

Unfortunately, Lose It locks some of its more interesting features behind a paywall, including personalized nutrient information, granular nutrient goals, and health insights that tell you how you’re progressing. Luckily, it makes up for this in its free Discover feed that provides health articles, a friends list to lose weight with friends and family, and community groups where users can chat with like-minded individuals on their weight-loss journeys.

Download: Apple App Store, Google Play Store

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw/Lose It

Google Health

This one ranked third. I haven’t had a lot of time to test it yet, but the brand-new Google Health app has impressed me so far. When I first looked at Google Health, I was mostly focused on the exercise metrics that went along with the new Fitbit Air. However, its food tracking features were a surprising benefit. Unlike MyFitnessPal, Google Health lets you scan the barcode of processed foods for free, though in my testing, the food library isn’t as robust, so this feature may or may not be helpful for some. Of course, if you can’t find your food item by barcode, you can always type it in the search bar manually.

On the daily view, Google Health clearly lists your calories, all divided by breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. You also get a quick view of your macros and nutrient information. Also unlike the other food tracking apps, Google Health offers a window of ideal calories to hit instead of a rigid cutoff, giving you some wiggle room from day to day. The way it is laid out, Google says that reaching the first number in the window consistently will help you lose up to two pounds per week, while hitting the higher number will only result in one pound per week.

Finally, if you spring for the premium subscription with AI Coach powered by Gemini, you can take photos of your food or tell the Coach to log them manually, and AI will mark them down. I found this feature to be especially useful for foods that weren’t available in the barcode scanner. Even though the food library didn’t have them, Coach can use a photo of the label to create a new item in your log with little hassle.

Download: Apple App Store, Google Play Store

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw/Google Health

A path to sustained weight loss

The important thing to keep in mind is that weight-loss apps are all about the long game. Unlike GLP-1s that help you drop weight fast and put it back on when you’re done with the injections, weight-loss apps provide education on the foods you eat and modify your eating habits.

They’re designed to keep your body in a caloric deficit that is both reasonable and sustainable. If followed consistently, you’ll lose an average of 1-2 pounds per week without any major energy crashes or side effects. At the same time, you’re retraining yourself on how to choose better foods that support a healthier lifestyle and a thinner waist for years to come.

​Tech 

My husband has bipolar disorder. I know firsthand that the medications he takes do not merely improve his quality of life — they make our family life possible.

I am thankful for the drug companies whose products and innovations help keep my family together. But that does not mean I trust Big Pharma.

The pharmaceutical industry’s incentives are often at odds with the people it treats.

The pharmaceutical industry has helped create a culture in which Americans are taking more prescription drugs than at any point in history. Last year, more than two-thirds of Americans reported taking a prescription drug daily, and 26% said they take four or more.

No wonder the average price of prescription medications in the United States has risen by about 37% in the last decade. Many of the most popular brand-name medications have doubled in price over the past 15 years.

One study found that prescription drug prices in the United States are nearly three times higher than prices for the same medications in 32 comparable countries. Family health insurance premiums for employer-sponsored plans jumped 26% from 2020 to 2025, outpacing wage growth and inflation.

A quarter of Americans recently reported having difficulty paying for their medications. About 19% said they had skipped or rationed doses because of the cost. Research indicates that medical expenses are now the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in this country, surpassing job loss.

I understand that high prices help fund the astronomical cost of clinical trials that test and bring new drugs to market. But Americans have also seen pharmaceutical companies acquire the rights to off-patent drugs and raise prices overnight. They have watched insulin prices climb for years even though insulin is relatively cheap to produce.

Let’s face it: The pharmaceutical industry’s incentives are often at odds with the people it treats.

The same industry that helps my husband is increasingly keeping medications out of reach for many families.

Drug prices would not be so high if Big Pharma did not spend between $13 billion and $14 billion a year on direct-to-consumer advertising. They would not be so high if the pharmaceutical and health sectors did not consistently spend more on federal lobbying than any other industry.

Those efforts shape the laws and policies that allow current drug prices. The industry clearly views them as worthwhile investments.

Americans spent 12.7% more on pharmaceutical drugs last year than they did in 2024. A significant share of that increase came from popular GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Roughly 12% of American adults are currently taking one of these drugs, and that number is expected to rise significantly in the coming years.

I am not saying people should not take these medications. That is not for me to say. But I am deeply concerned that, culturally, we increasingly treat medication as the first line of defense for nearly every challenge before seriously exploring other options.

RELATED: Want to live to 100? Don’t expect Big Pharma to help.

lucigerma/iStock/Getty Images

That concern comes from firsthand experience.

As someone who has battled addiction, I am acutely aware of the power substances can hold over a person’s life. That experience has left me worried about others who may develop dependencies on drugs.

I remember how the opioid crisis destroyed entire communities and caused a staggering number of deaths after companies such as Purdue Pharma aggressively pushed OxyContin while downplaying its risks. That epidemic continues today with synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

Is it any wonder some of us remain skeptical of pharmaceutical companies’ motives?

As a parent, I do everything in my power to ensure that my children do not become unnecessarily dependent on medications. I want them to understand that any drug they take should be used carefully and for its intended purpose.

I acknowledge the value of medicine. I deeply respect what the health care industry can do. My own family depends on it.

But respect should not require blindness.

The pharmaceutical industry should remember the families paying the bills, rationing the doses, and wondering whether the medications they need will remain within reach.

Innovation deserves reward. Exploitation does not.

​Bankruptcy, Big pharma, Health insurance, Opinion & analysis, Opioid crisis, Prescription drugs, Health care, Insulin, Glp-1, Advertising, Lobbying 

In a culture constantly telling young people that the future is bleak and their problems are unprecedented, Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck is offering a different message: Don’t buy the despair.

“I think for a lot of you, there is this quiet voice that has been whispering to you for a while now. And it says the world’s broken and somebody’s handing it to me, and I don’t know what to do,” he says.

“Let me start with the hard truth here. Life is hard. It is. It’s just not as hard as people profiting from your panic need you to believe. Okay? It’s not. The hardness is real. The hopelessness is a product. Don’t buy in to that. There’s an entire industry whose only job is to convince you that just being alive right now is the heaviest thing a human has ever carried,” he continues.

“The weight is real, but the despair is a sales pitch,” he adds.

And one major source of stress for young people is AI. Glenn points out that while it may be able to pass the same exams, it will never be human.

“The machine that we have right now, in your pocket, that can read every book ever written, but it has never once been afraid of the dark. It can know everything and understand nothing. It will know more about you by Tuesday. Yet it will never really know what it’s like to be you,” he says.

“And that’s not your weakness. That’s the entire point of you. It has all of the answers, but not a single reason to get out of bed. You have all of the reasons. You may not have the answers, but you have the reasons. Don’t trade those away,” he continues.

Glenn goes on to explain that you should not mistake all the knowledge AI has for wisdom.

“Don’t confuse the two, and don’t worship either one of them,” he says, before pointing out that human beings were created by God — and AI was not.

“A universe of cold math does not produce a soul that weeps at music by accident. You were made. And you were made on purpose. You, not just man — you,” he continues. “And somewhere underneath all that noise, purpose is still waiting for you to get quiet enough to hear it. I’m telling you: You will find it.”

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Ai, Americans, Blaze media, Glenn beck, Knowledge, Machine, The glenn beck program 

New York police have released new details from their investigation into a possible murder-suicide incident that makes a grandmother the lead suspect.

On Tuesday evening 2 adults and 4 children were found dead inside of the home in Mechanicville, a small town north of Albany.

‘Many residents knew the family involved, have children and grandchildren of their own, or simply cannot comprehend the loss of six lives under such heartbreaking circumstances.’

The adults were later identified as 64-year-old Amy Steadman, her 44-year-old daughter Sarah Myers, and her four children, 13-year-old Harper Harmon, 11-year-old Hudson Harmon, 10-year-old Gavin Harmon, and 10-year-old Gracelynn Harmon.

Mechanicville Police Chief William Rabbitt said Thursday that police were called for a welfare check on the family after a neighbor said they had not been seen in many days.

He said the bodies had been dead for an undetermined period of time before they were found.

“I can’t speculate as to the number of days, but it was such that making identification at the house was difficult,” he said.

Rabbitt said “numerous” prescriptions and over-the-counter medications were found at the home that led police to believe the cause of death was intentional poisoning. The official cause of death are yet to be determined officially.

One of the children had also suffered from sharp-force injuries, he added. A handwritten note found at the home indicated that Steadman was responsible for the deaths, but the investigation was ongoing.

“I cannot get into the authorship of the note at this time nor the contents of what was in it,” he said. “Until we get the cause and manner certified, we can’t speculate on the involvement of all persons.”

Rabbitt said there was no threat to the public.

Investigators contacted the father of the children, Brady Harmon, who lives in Utah. Harmon spoke to WRGB-TV and said he had been the subject of false rumors and accusations on social media.

Harmon said they were in a custody dispute but denied the online allegation that he had abused his children.

“Never touched my kids. And this is coming from someone who has been abused. Unless you’re in that room and living a day-to-day, you know, life with her, you know nothing,” he said.

Court documents did not indicate any allegations of abuse related to the couple, but Harmon told WRBG that he had been assaulted by Myers on the last day he saw his children in person in 2019.

“I was called a sperm donor, nothing more than an ATM, deadbeat father. I put my hand up and then she opened the door and stabbed me in the face with a medicine dropper,” he claimed.

RELATED: Elderly woman found beaten to death with a hammer after husband talked about suicide pact

Social media users also uncovered a GoFundMe started by Steadman, the maternal grandmother, that was titled, “Help get a domestic violence lawyer save my kids.”

Harmon said that Myers had not come to Utah for any of the legal hearings in more than 6 years, and had only appeared via Zoom.

Sheriff Rabbitt described how the horrible incident affected the residents of the city.

“Mechanicville is a close-knit city,” he said. “Many residents knew the family involved, have children and grandchildren of their own, or simply cannot comprehend the loss of six lives under such heartbreaking circumstances.”

The town has about 5,200 residents.

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​Murder suicide, Grandmother, New york state, Domestic violence, Poisoning, Crime 

Imagine your doctor diagnoses you with Alzheimer’s disease, evaluates your needs and risks, and recommends a tailored treatment plan to extend your healthy years. Who should have the final say over whether you pursue that care: you, your family, and your doctor — or an insurance company that has never met you?

For most Americans, the answer is obvious. Doctors and patients should make care decisions.

If policymakers want fewer insurance denials, they should stop creating incentives for them.

Yet in many cases, insurers end up with the final say.

New polling from Market Institute and President Trump’s pollster Fabrizio Ward found that 89% of registered voters believe doctors often choose not to prescribe Alzheimer’s tests or treatments because they know insurers are unlikely to cover them and patients cannot afford to pay out of pocket.

Voters are recognizing a real trend. Alzheimer’s patients have made headlines for benefiting from new treatments, only to receive abrupt coverage denials from their insurance companies.

Treatment allowed one patient, Lori Baetz, to return to her daily routine. When coverage was pulled back, she deteriorated, even getting lost in her own neighborhood. Lori’s neurologist, Dr. Cara Leahy, wrote that her patients are repeatedly denied coverage. Similar denials are happening across the country, including in New Jersey and North Carolina, and across insurers.

Thousands of Americans find these delays and denials unjust. In fact, a shocking 41% of young Americans said the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was “acceptable.” One voter from a Market Institute focus group said of insurance companies, “They just want to wear you down … so you just give up.”

Americans’ frustration is understandable. But insurance companies are often following rules set by the federal government.

The real culprits are the behind-the-scenes government policies that encourage insurers to delay and deny coverage.

The clearest example is a Biden-era Medicare policy known as Coverage with Evidence Development.

After the Food and Drug Administration approved a new generation of Alzheimer’s therapies, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services took the unprecedented step of limiting Medicare coverage unless patients participated in government-approved studies and met additional requirements.

RELATED: Trump DOJ charges 455 people allegedly tied to $6.5B in health care fraud

Feodora Chiosea/iStock/Getty Images

That created a second layer of red tape after the FDA had already deemed the therapies safe and effective.

The decision sent a powerful signal throughout the health care system. When Medicare, the nation’s largest health care payer, treats FDA approval as insufficient, private insurers follow.

When Lori’s coverage was denied despite her positive response to treatment, the company described the therapy as “investigational/experimental,” even though the FDA had approved it. The company was following Medicare’s lead. When Medicare treats approved therapies as experimental by requiring additional paperwork and registration, insurers can cite the government’s own policy when denying coverage.

That bad policy worsens the financial and human cost of Alzheimer’s disease.

The lifetime cost of caring for a person with Alzheimer’s exceeds $400,000, with families shouldering roughly 70% of that burden through unpaid caregiving and out-of-pocket expenses.

Meanwhile, Medicare spends roughly $174 billion annually on Alzheimer’s patients, while Medicaid spends another $72 billion, much of it on long-term care. As Alzheimer’s cases double over the next few decades, those costs will continue to climb.

The good news is that treatment could help curb those mounting costs by keeping Americans independent and in the workforce longer.

According to USC Schaeffer research, providing treatment before symptoms fully emerge could add a full year of life, reduce nursing home stays by nearly two years, and lower medical spending by roughly $48,000 per patient. That means more Americans remaining independent, fewer families crushed by caregiving burdens, and more workers preserving their economic productivity.

Every patient who remains independent, stays out of a nursing home, or delays the need for full-time care represents both a human victory and an economic one.

If policymakers want fewer insurance denials, they should stop creating incentives for them.

The FDA is charged with determining whether a therapy is safe and effective. Once it does, CMS should not erect a second regulatory barrier that encourages insurers to do the same.

Until that changes, Americans will continue blaming insurance companies for behavior government policy encourages.

​Opinion & analysis, Medicare, Alzheimer’s disease, Insurance, Health care, Brian thompson, Regulations, Joe biden 

Markell Hitchings — a 21-year-old cook for a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Florissant, Missouri — had an unsettling notion going through his mind when the restaurant was just getting underway for business Monday morning.

Hitchings told KSDK-TV his concerns were sparked after he noticed a male dressed in black.

‘I was never afraid at all.’

“I thought he was a regular customer just going to the bathroom and leaving,” Hitchings explained to the station.

But he recalled something else to KSDK: “I had it back in my mind that he was going to try to do something.”

Turns out Hitchings’ unsettling concerns were spot on.

“He came back there behind our counter, and it all started from there. At the time, he was asking my manager for money. She dropped to the floor. I told her to give him the money because I didn’t want her to get hurt,” Hitchings recalled to KSDK.

Employees told the station that after the robber got the cash, he ran out the front door and around to the back of the business.

Except Hitchings also was out back, KSDK said.

“He asked me for my cell phone, and I didn’t give him my phone — and we got to tussling around in back by the drive-thru,” Hitchings recalled to the station.

Hitchings told KSDK that he and the robber fought for several minutes as the suspect’s gun flew out of his hand.

“I was screaming for help because I was losing adrenaline,” Hitchings noted to the station.

Nevertheless, the courageous cook still had plenty of strength left.

“Once I had him in a chokehold, I’m on his back,” Hitchings recalled to KSDK. “He grabbed rocks and tried to smash them over my head, but it didn’t work.”

RELATED: Blaze News original: 10 times retail workers ended violent threats with absolute finality

Soon employees at a neighboring business called 911, the station said, adding that Hitchings held down the suspect — Tamon Sleet — until police arrived and arrested him.

Police added that officers recovered a stolen firearm that was used during the robbery, as well as currency taken from the business.

Police told KSDK that Sleet tried to strangle a ride-share driver in north St. Louis County several days before the KFC robbery — and Hitchings added to the station he’s grateful that he, his manager, and the ride-share driver all survived.

“It all just happened so fast. I know it was dangerous. I wouldn’t advise anyone to do that. I was never afraid at all. Honestly, I thank God that it all played out the way it did,” Hitchings noted to KSDK.

The station said Sleet faces multiple charges in both cases, including assault, armed criminal action, and vehicle hijacking.

KSDK said he remained jailed Thursday night on a $250,000 cash-only bond.

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​Crime thwarted, Missouri, Kentucky fried chicken, Kfc, Armed robber, Employee fights crook, Arrest, Florissant, Crime 

Despite banning metaphysical services (like spell-casting, hexes, clairvoyant readings, prayers or rituals promising outcomes, etc.) in 2015, Etsy has largely looked the other way as “Etsy witches” built lucrative businesses around custom spell work.

In September 2025, a Jezebel article satirically detailing how its writers hired Etsy witches to curse conservative activist Charlie Kirk drew intense backlash after he was assassinated just two days later.

However, now the online marketplace for handmade, vintage, and unique goods has suddenly started strictly enforcing the policy, leading to shop removals and listing takedowns.

BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey was encouraged by the news because witchcraft is a very real danger, she says.

“Christians know that demonic activity is real and that witchcraft is real because Satan is real, and he works through these means that might just seem silly and superstitious but actually are vectors and vessels of his workings and of his power,” Allie explains.

The good news, she says, is “witchcraft doesn’t have any dominion over the Christian” because Christians are “indwelt by the Holy Spirit.”

“However, because of its evil and because of the effect that it has on culture, the effect that it has on societies, we really have to care,” she argues. “When it’s becoming popularized, when it’s becoming normalized, when it’s becoming commercialized, when billions and billions of dollars are being made by people casting spells on others through a seemingly innocuous site like Etsy, we’ve got a problem.”

Part of the problem is the inevitable fraud that results from selling intangible goods.

“When you’re selling intangible things and you’re kind of commercializing these spiritual, abstract practices, it’s obviously rife with the potential for fraud and all different kinds of things and can also be very damaging if people don’t feel like they got their money’s worth,” says Allie.

But the even bigger issue is the darkness millions of people are being lured into.

Allie lists some of the spells that have been sold on Etsy, including wealth-enhancing spells, love spells promising to make an “avoidant” crush become “obsessed” with the spell buyer, and hexes that supposedly cast curses on one’s enemies.

“It actually is very sad when you think about the desperation that someone has to have and just the longing, the unrequited love that someone has to feel, the purposelessness, the lostness that someone is embroiled in to believe this kind of advertisement and then to pay money for it,” she sighs.

On top of that, these spells — regardless of whether they’re real witchcraft or just scams — lead people away from the truth.

Allie calls the lost souls looking to witchcraft to solve their problems “just another manifestation of exchanging the God of Scripture for the God of self.”

While many of the Etsy spells are undoubtedly hoaxes, Allie believes that some are probably legitimate.

“I actually don’t put it past Satan to use this means to get people to have faith in things like witchcraft, even if it gives you something that you want temporarily, as long as he can win the long-term war for your soul,” she warns.

Sadly, the evil of witchcraft is almost certainly not what motivated Etsy to suddenly start enforcing the company’s decade-old policy.

“I don’t think that the people at Etsy, who are very anti-pro-life and who are very pro-trans and pro-abortion, I don’t think they have moral qualms with witchcraft,” says Allie.

“I think they don’t want to be on the hook for the potential of fraud. They don’t want to deal with the customer service issues of people not getting the outcome that they want. They don’t want to deal with another negative PR campaign [like the Charlie Kirk scandal] … so they’re like, ‘It’s just not worth it.”’

To hear more, watch the episode above.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Relatable, Allie beth stuckey, Etsy, Witchcraft 

I ran into a guy during senior softball last night. I was running to third base, and I came in a little too fast. He was reaching to catch the ball, and I knocked into him.

Nothing happened. Nobody was hurt. But I felt bad about it. I apologized. It was poor etiquette.

The next thing I knew, the whole world did a wild 360-degree spin, and I found myself sans glasses, on my backside in the grass.

That’s the thing about senior softball. The players are seniors. You’re a senior. Everyone is a little bit … vulnerable. You’re not supposed to knock into people.

One of the things senior softball players try hardest to do IS NOT GET HURT.

So running into someone. That’s not cool.

A winter’s tale

Last winter, during a practice game, I was involved in another minor collision. I may or may not have caused that one too.

I was playing first base. A guy on the other team hit a grounder. Our third baseman scooped it up and threw it to me. But the throw was a little to my left, and in my attempt to catch it, I leaned into the base path and the batter ran into me.

I ended up on the ground. I don’t remember what happened to the other guy. Maybe he fell too. Neither of us was hurt.

Still, in senior softball, if anyone ends up on the ground, people become concerned. The game stops. Players in the dugout stop discussing their holiday plans and look up. Players on the field come over to check on the downed player(s).

Even after it is confirmed that no one is injured, people will linger and discuss what happened. What caused the collision? What were the relevant vectors and angles? Who was going where? And how fast? Was anyone at fault?

A verdict is reached

Of course, senior softball players are quick to give each other the benefit of the doubt. Unless there is grievous evidence to the contrary, it is usually assumed that no one is at fault. It’s a dynamic game. Stuff happens.

Still, there was some debate in this case. Finally, an elder of the group, a grizzled veteran of the senior softball circuit, declared authoritatively: “It was an errant throw.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. I nodded too. It was indeed an “errant throw.”

But was I wrong to try to catch an errant throw? And end up in the base path colliding with the batter? I don’t know. But I resolved to be more careful next time.

The worst collision

The worst collision I have been involved in happened in my first game, during the first season that I played senior softball.

This was in a “rec” league, which is the entry level of senior softball. These are often the oldest men. The most stationary. The most in need of not being run into.

I was new to senior softball. I hadn’t played any form of organized baseball/softball since I was in fourth grade.

For that first game, I was sent to right field since I was an unknown quantity. Could I catch? Could I throw? Nobody knew. I didn’t even know.

RELATED: The secret to senior softball? It’s all about the magic bat

Irfan Khan/Getty Images

The moment of truth

I stood in right field. Several innings went by. And then someone hit a high fly ball in my direction. It was going to land a fair distance in front of me, but if I ran, I thought I could catch it.

I really wanted to catch it. I wanted to prove myself to my new team. I also wanted to find out if I was any good at softball. I really had no idea.

But I believed I could catch that ball. So I ran forward while keeping my eyes glued to that big yellow softball in the sky.

And then BLAM. The next thing I knew, the whole world did a wild 360-degree spin, and I found myself sans glasses, on my backside in the grass.

Don’t run into the seniors!

I had run into the second baseman. And I had done so at FULL SPEED. I was running AS FAST AS I COULD. And I ran right into one of my teammates.

Thank God he was 6′ and 200 pounds and I am 5’8” and 160 pounds.

I sat up and checked myself. Was I hurt? I didn’t seem to be. I looked around in the grass for my glasses.

But then I saw the second baseman. He was down. And not getting up. I put my glasses on and hurried over to him with the other guys.

Oh God! I thought to myself. What if he’s hurt!

The other players were already gathered around. They lifted him up to a sitting position. He was holding his side. Our coach asked what happened. I said it was my fault. I didn’t call it.

They got him standing up. And it turned out he was OK. It was probably just the shock of the impact. For both of us. For me it was like a car crash you didn’t see coming. A violent out-of-body spinning sensation. And then everything stops, and for a moment you don’t know which way is up.

I remember driving home after that game, wondering if my new teammates would ever trust me again. Before that game, I had not really thought about getting injured or injuring others as a possibility.

Now, I realized I had literally done the worst thing you can do in senior softball.

Rebuilding trust

At first, my teammates didn’t trust me. Nobody said anything. But it was pretty obvious that I was on an unspoken probation.

But from that moment on, I locked onto the idea to never run into anyone, in any situation, for any reason.

Also, I became the “call it” guy.

Everyone always says you have to “call it,” but more often than not, nobody does, because people aren’t sure if they do “have it” because we’re just a bunch of old guys playing softball.

But boy, for the rest of that season, when it was clear that I was the closest person to the ball, I CALLED IT. I BELTED IT OUT. I SCREAMED IT AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS. The players in the other games, on the other softball diamonds, could hear me.

And then most of the time, I did catch it. Without running into anyone. And by the end of the season, I was back in everyone’s good graces.

Still though, I just ran into a guy last night. And this is my fourth season! That is not good.

So I have to be on guard. That’s why I’m writing this now. To remind myself, in public, in print. What is the most important rule in softball? DON’T RUN INTO THE SENIORS!

​Collision, Lifestyle, Senior softball, Softball, Sports, Blake’s progress 

Pete Buttigieg revealed that his husband and children were the target of what he called a “cruel, politically motivated hoax” involving Child Protective Services.

The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and failed presidential candidate wrote in a Substack article published Friday that someone made a false report against him in attempt to separate his family.

‘I’m used to any number of falsehoods, attacks, and serious problems being thrown my way. What I didn’t understand was what could have led to this kind of visit.’

Buttigieg compared the incident to swatting, where a fake call to police sends officers to a victim’s home in hopes of causing an injurious or deadly confrontation.

“Now imagine the same concept, but with Child Protective Services instead of a SWAT team,” he wrote. “Hadn’t thought of that? Me neither, until a few days ago when a police officer and a CPS worker showed up at our home and politely asked to speak with me.”

The police told him they needed to interview his 4-year-old twin children alone in order to investigate an accusation of abuse they received.

“I was bewildered and troubled, but tried to stay calm. I’m used to any number of falsehoods, attacks, and serious problems being thrown my way. What I didn’t understand was what could have led to this kind of visit,” he continued.

Police separated the children overnight while the investigation cleared them of the allegations.

Buttigieg described what investigators told him led to the investigation. It was a tip from someone who called Child Protective Services.

The caller said that he had spoken to a woman who claimed to have met me at a conference several years ago in Alabama, where she said I told her that I had committed unspeakable violent crimes, and the caller believed my children were still at risk.

The officer said they believed the incident was politically motivated and would not lead to charges because nothing had been found in the forensic interview with the children.

“After the officer, the CPS worker, and the lawyers all left, Chasten and I hugged each other as tightly as we have any time since the day our son was put on life support as a critically ill infant just weeks after the adoption,” he added.

He went on to say that the officials’ time and effort had been wasted by the “cruel, politically motivated hoax that harmed our family.”

RELATED: Buttigieg’s husband has his children pledge allegiance to LGBTQ flag, dresses potatoes as drag queens

Michigan State Police confirmed to MS Now that they had received an “anonymous report” in the case and had determined the report was a false accusation.

“False reports are dangerous and divert law enforcement officers and Child Protective Services workers from responding to legitimate emergencies and protecting vulnerable children and families,” read the statement from police.

Buttigieg called the incident the “ugliest thing” that has ever happened to him since his political career began.

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​Child protective services, False accusation, False report, Pete buttigieg, Violent crimes, Gay couple, Politics 

The fantastic success of the World Cup in the U.S. has soured many Democrats who were hoping it would be a black eye for President Donald Trump, according to a Politico report.

The report found that many believed the complex logistics of organizing the global event might be too much for American officials but that that hope has been dashed so far.

‘What an absolute crock of an article.’

“I think that there was a little bit of like liberal wishcasting that this would maybe be a disaster to sort of stick it to Trump,” said Democratic strategist Rob Flaherty. “It hasn’t yet been.”

It went on to say that Democrats have pivoted from criticizing the tournament in anticipation of its failure to praising local officials rather than crediting the Trump administration.

The Politico report was unwelcome on social media, where many on the left expressed their outrage.

“This is the most hilarious stretch I’ve ever read,” replied A.J. Delgado, who identifies as anti-Trump. “Yes, nothing makes Dems more uncomfortable than Dem-mayor Boston; Dem-mayor Atlanta; Dem-mayor Miami and more doing a great job hosting. This is like saying Dems are struggling with the Knicks’ success.”

“Why would Democrats grapple with it being that it’s democratic cities that benefited from it? Pretty stupid headline,” responded Leslie Marshall.

“What an absolute crock of an article,” said another X user.

“Truly stupid claim. Conservatives make everything political & divisive. The media was so much better when it simply reported events,” said another critic.

“Article is trash. Dems arent uncomfortable with #WorldCup success,” replied one detractor. “You can enjoy games, events and Europeans amazement of American culture while also thinking Trump is POS. Cup just showed Europeans think Trump is POS but still love USA.”

RELATED: Atlanta stadium accused of promoting Islam at World Cup match

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle responded to the report by praising Trump’s role.

“Thanks to President Trump’s bold leadership, the FIFA World Cup 2026 will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest and most historic sporting events in history,” he said on social media.

“Another win for the American people and the world,” he added.

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​Democrats, World cup, White house, President donald trump, Politics 

President Donald Trump went on the attack against the far-left socialists making inroads into the Democratic party after a series of primary victories.

Three far left extremists defeated their establishment centrist counterparts in elections Tuesday in New York City, leading to recriminations and chaos within the Democratic party.

‘They’re not social Democrats. They want to completely destroy the traditional American way of life.’

Trump offered a preview of his speech against the far left movement in a post Friday on Truth Social.

“These are not social Dumocrats, these are hard core, godless Communists,” wrote the president. “This is the most serious threat to our Country since its existence 250 years ago. Isn’t it ironic, we’re celebrating a very important Birthday, and instead of speaking about Christ, Freedom, and Victories of all different kinds, we’re speaking about yet another threat to the Foundations of America.”

He added: “They’re animals! In many cases, not smart but, in some cases, they are.”

Trump then expanded on his statement in a speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition policy conference at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

“They’re not social Democrats. They want to completely destroy the traditional American way of life,” said the president.

“The Democrats have taken a tremendous turn left. And many of these people, I looked at some of the people that got elected the other night in New York,” Trump added. “These are these are in many ways stupid people in some ways and intellectually probably pretty smart, but they’re people that want to destroy our country. They hate our country. They hate our people.”

He then said the Democrats were not fighting the communist takeover of their party.

“They’re after Christianity more than any other religion. It seems to be more and more throughout the world,” the president continued. “Maybe because we’re doing so well. I don’t know. Maybe if we weren’t doing well. But you see the numbers, how they’re growing, how the churches are filling up. It’s a beautiful thing to see. I mean, look, it happens to be during my presidency, so I don’t mind taking credit for it. I’m very proud.”

A group of Democrats did come together to oppose the socialist takeover of their party. 13 Democrats signed a pledge to defend America against extremism from both the left and the right.

RELATED: Woke ‘Squad’ member appears to confess to undermining Trump embargo on Cuba

“The United States has never been stronger. We have never been wealthier. We’ve never been prouder to be an American,” Trump said.

“Since 1776, America’s story has been a tale of freedom, overcoming oppression, good defeating evil, and faith overcoming every challenge and every foe,” he added. “We had everybody was winning, and we’re going to continue stronger, maybe stronger.”

The president finished with a prayer to God to continue blessing the U.S., and walked out as “Y.M.C.A” by the Village People blared over the speakers.

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​Christianity, Communism, Democratic party, President donald trump, Socialism, Politics 

A knife-wielding Sikh named Vickrum Digwa fatally stabbed 18-year-old Englishman Henry Nowak in Portswood, England, on Dec. 3, 2025. Adding insult to injury, police officers from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary treated Nowak as a racist and a criminal in his final moments — handcuffing him as he lay bleeding and brushing off his repeated complaints about having been stabbed and being unable to breathe.

The British public was confronted with some of the horrific details of the murder after Digwa’s murder trial last month and after bodycam footage evidencing Nowak’s mistreatment by police was released earlier this month. They erupted in protest, demanding the resignations and/or prosecution of the police involved and for the justice system to rectify its anti-white protocols.

‘I’m pushing on a f**king stab wound.’

The scandal not only prompted condemnations from British lawmakers but a response by Vice President JD Vance, who stated that “the proper response — the only response — is righteous anger.”

Additional police bodycam footage from the night of Nowak’s death and a full transcript of the encounter released by the Crown Prosecution Service and published by the BBC this week shed more light on the insidious nature of the Sikh’s lies and police officers’ mistreatment of the white victim.

The footage shows Digwa setting the scene after police arrived with a torrent of lies, stating:

He pushed my turban off my head. … So I’m a Sikh, obviously, and he started grabbing on my hair, started dragging me around, and obviously from there, then obviously an altercation’s happened. My brother’s then seen it, stopped it, and that’s when [Nowak] then started stumbling around, started climbing around all these sort of bits and bobs and stuff like that.

Digwa falsely claims further in the footage that Nowak was “obviously drunk”; that Nowak had “just started escalating the situation” and called him a “Paki”; and that the blood on Nowak “must have been [from] when we punched him.”

After Digwa said that he had been “racially attacked,” an officer says, “I know, I know, OK, I know,” adding, “But we don’t know what’s gone on, mate.”

Never once does Digwa mention that he used his eight-inch Sikh blade to stab Nowak five times, including in the chest, face, and twice in the back of the legs.

RELATED: Vance defends ‘righteous anger’ over white English teen’s death in police custody after Sikh murderer falsely cried racism

The footage also shows police arrest Digwa on suspicion of attempted murder — but treating him differently than they treated Nowak. Whereas police handcuffed the dying teen, the police never bothered binding the murderer’s hands.

Mark Nowak, the victim’s father, said earlier this month that unlike his son, the Sikh murderer was curiously “afforded decency. He was believed. He was not handcuffed when arrested. He was not handcuffed when transported to the police station. As far as we understand, he was never handcuffed at all.”

Police confirmed to the BBC that Digwa was “never handcuffed” during his four days in custody prior to being formally charged for murder.

“The contrast is unbearable,” added Mark Nowak.

The BBC highlighted that the officer who spoke politely to Digwa and refrained from handcuffing him is the same individual later heard in bodycam footage saying, “Don’t think you have, mate,” after Nowak says that he has been stabbed.

According to the BBC’s review of the full transcript, it took police officers eight minutes to discover and locate the fatal stab wound in Nowak’s chest after they arrived on the scene.

Nowak told police he could not breathe nine times and said four times he had been stabbed, but the officers initially brushed off those complaints and began taking them seriously only after Nowak became unresponsive, at which point one officer states in the transcript, “I’m not sure he’s breathing.”

After uncuffing the unconscious victim whom they had arrested, police started chest compressions.

Around the five minute and 24 second mark, a female officer asks for a flashlight so she can properly inspect Nowak for a stab wound. Two minutes later, she finally gets around to cutting Nowak’s clothing and states, “Yeah, he’s got a stab … there’s a mark there.”

RELATED: Amnesty International frets about ‘racial justice’ again — just not for white people

Georgios Kostomitsopoulos/NurPhoto/Getty Images

One officer states, “That makes it worse. He’s got a stab. … I’m pushing on a f**king stab wound.”

The female officer replies, “That’s OK. It’s fine. …. It’s not coming out. It’s fine. Keep going. Keep going. It’s not bleeding out.”

The officers continued chest compressions until a paramedic arrived on the scene, where Nowak was pronounced dead at 12:37 a.m. on Dec. 4.

The officers’ handling of the case is presently under investigation by a watchdog outfit, the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe said earlier this month, “Young, white British men are bleeding to death in the street as a direct result of our racist establishment. I will never forget, and I will never forgive.”

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​Henry nowak, Sikh, Murder, Racism, Anti-white, Britain, Immigration, Police, Politics 

A former middle school teacher in New Jersey — who was already accused of sexually assaulting a student — has been hit with new concerning charges, according to authorities.

Blaze News previously reported that 36-year-old Ashley A. Fisler, who formerly went by her maiden name of Ashley Sulla, was arrested in March.

‘I take the blame for all of this.’

Fisler was charged on March 26 with six counts of first-degree sexual assault of a minor, one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and one count of second-degree official misconduct, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.

The prosecutor’s office stated that Fisler faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in state prison for each of the first-degree charges and 10 years for each of the second-degree charges if convicted.

However, Fisler was indicted on a slew of child sex charges this week.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement released Wednesday that the Gloucester County Grand Jury indicted Fisler on 12 counts, including sexual assault of a minor, manufacturing child sexual abuse material, and pattern of official misconduct.

Citing court documents, the prosecutor’s office said the alleged victim — who is now an adult — informed authorities in January that he had an “unlawful sexual relationship” with Fisler when he was a minor and while she was his teacher at Orchard Valley Middle School.

The alleged victim told investigators he engaged in “multiple sexual encounters occurring in 2021 in Fisler’s vehicle and in her classroom.”

The prosecutor’s office noted that investigators discovered text messages between Fisler and the alleged victim that confirmed the “unlawful sexual nature of their relationship.”

According to WPVI-TV, prosecutors said investigators recovered “approximately 7,500 pages of text messages” between Fisler and the alleged victim.

NJ.com reported in April that Gloucester County Assistant Prosecutor Kylie Finley stated, “These text messages show not only the level of the grooming and manipulation by this defendant, but they also corroborate, multiple times over, the sexual relationship disclosed by this victim, including the specific sexual acts that the victim disclosed to police during his interview.”

In the text messages, Fisler offered to buy a sex toy for the teen and told him to send photos of his genitals to her, the prosecutor claimed.

The assistant prosecutor said, “In December of 2023, the victim confides in the defendant that he’s struggling in school because he’s getting erections more frequently in school. And the defendant’s response was, quote: ‘Oh my God, that’s fantastic.'”

“On January 20th of 2025, the victim told the defendant, quote, ‘I’ve had to try really hard to rebuild the things you broke inside of me. You destroyed things inside of me. You stripped me of my innocence,'” the assistant prosecutor stated.

The assistant prosecutor added, “The defendant admits that she hurt him countless times and says, quote, ‘I take the blame for all of this.'”

The assistant prosecutor continued, “She even admits that she put him in positions that she shouldn’t have and says, ‘I feel like I forced you to grow up abnormally quick.'”

The prosecution said Fisler sent text messages between May 2023 and January 2026 to the alleged victim, reminiscing about sexually assaulting the teen.

Fisler, of Washington Township, continued to contact the alleged victim through January 2026, when he tried to break off communication, officials said.

RELATED: Teacher accused of sexually assaulting student; court docs say she texted boy: ‘I won’t do well in jail … I’m too pretty’

Defense attorney Rocco Cipparone argued there was a lack of evidence to support the damning accusations and that the “selective, salacious” text messages were “taken out of context.”

Cipparone also claimed that all the text messages prosecutors cited were sent years after the alleged crimes and that there was no evidence from the years the alleged sexual assaults took place.

“What I did not hear the prosecution say is that there are any contemporaneous texts, images, evidence back in 2021 that reveal this alleged conduct,” Cipparone stated.

The assistant prosecutor explained that technical limitations prevented officials from recovering messages during the years when the alleged sexual assaults occurred.

Fisler previously told police that she left her teaching job in 2023 because she “blurred the lines with another student,” according to the assistant prosecutor.

Cipparone contended that his client had done nothing wrong: “Ms. Fisler told the police that the reason she left was because a female student had a hickey on her neck. She asked Ms. Fisler to buy her cover-up makeup so that she wouldn’t get in trouble from her parents.”

Cipparone suggested the alleged victim may have a financial motive for his allegations, noting that he consulted an attorney before contacting police.

Fisler is no longer employed by the Washington Township school district or any other district, prosecutors said.

Eric M. Hibbs, superintendent of Washington Township Public Schools, released the following statement to Patch shortly after Fisler’s arrest:

The district is aware of the charges announced by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office regarding a former middle school teacher. We take matters involving the safety and well-being of our students extremely seriously. The individual referenced is no longer employed by the district and separated from employment in April 2023. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and will continue to do so. Because this is an active criminal matter, we are unable to comment further at this time.

Fisler was denied bail and is being held in Salem County Jail pending trial, according to jail records.

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​Sexual assault, Ashley fisler, Child sex crimes, Teacher arrested, Teacher student sex scandal, Teacher sex scandal, Bad teacher, New jersey, Grooming, Crime 

“Supergirl” star Milly Alcock saved her best woke lines for right before the movie’s release.

Just days ahead of the official drop, Alcock told reporters in London and New York City about how much of an independent woman the Supergirl character is as well as how the film relates to gay pride.

‘What makes this film so beautiful is that it’s not centered around a man.’

Kara chameleon

Although it should be obvious that Superman’s cousin doesn’t really need any help, the Australian actress fell into the age-old trap of spouting progressive dogma on the red carpet at the film’s premier, telling journalists about how the girl from Krypton is actually a strong woman.

In London, Alcock was approached by an Associated Press reporter who bizarrely brought up comments he had seen online about “Kara’s queerness”; Supergirl’s name is Kara Zor-El.

“Was that something that you explored when you were preparing for the role?” the male reporter asked.

Alcock laughed hysterically.

“It wasn’t,” the 26-year-old began, saying she would try to answer “in honor of Pride Month.”

She then praised the film for not having a romantic focus, void of any relationship with a male co-star, while saying her character is probably bisexual.

“I don’t know. I think that what makes this film so beautiful is that it’s not centered around a man, it’s not centered around love at all. … She’d probably go both ways.”

RELATED: ‘Supergirl’ Milly Alcock’s most fearsome foe? Christian dads

TheStewartofNY/FilmMagic

Modern Milly

In New York City, a reporter from Variety again asked the star about how “LGBT” people have related to the character, framing Alcock’s answer as embracing “queer readings” of the film.

“I’ve just had a few people ask me about her because it’s Pride Month and all that, and I think that she’s a really great representation of what a modern woman can be,” she replied.

Alcock then again put focus on how she adores the film for not featuring any romance, before stating that homosexuals can relate to the character’s resiliency.

“She can be strong, she can be tough, she can be messy. And I love how this film doesn’t center around any sort of love … or romance or anything like that at all. She has such resilience — and I think that that community is a community that is so, so resilient. … I’m really honored that they can connect with her.”

RELATED: VEEP TV: JD slays in ‘View’ ratings coup

Christian Kryptonite

In the lead-up to the film’s release, Alcock has taken issue with male superhero fans multiple times — a near guarantee for a mainstream actress in such a role — telling “Vanity Fair” in March that when she was on “Game of Thrones,” she realized “simply existing as a woman in that space is something that people comment on,” before adding, “We have become very comfortable having this weird ownership of women’s bodies. I can’t really stop them. I can only be myself.”

She also took aim at Christian dads in late May, describing “people whose profiles have no photo, who are burner accounts. Or someone’s name and then ‘Dad of four, Christian'” as those who harass her the most.

She concluded, “Which is hilarious to me. But I mean, whose opinion do you really care about? If you’re pissing the right kind of people off, you’re doing OK.”

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Since her debut in the WNBA in 2024 with the Indiana Fever, women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark has been the victim of an unprecedented number of flagrant fouls. In her rookie season alone, she accounted for roughly 17% of all flagrant fouls drawn league-wide that year.

These attacks unfortunately followed her into her second and now third professional season. On Wednesday, June 24, Clark drew one of her most violent fouls to date. In the Fever’s matchup against the Phoenix Mercury, Clark slipped while driving to the basket, leading to a scramble for the loose ball.

Phoenix power forward Alyssa Thomas made contact with a closed fist to Clark’s throat and neck area while Clark was on the floor (also appearing to knee her thigh/groin area), then stepped over her. No foul was called in real time, drawing strong criticism from Fever coach Stephanie White. The WNBA later reviewed it and upgraded it to a flagrant foul 2 for “reckless” contact and suspended Thomas for one game.

On a recent episode of “Pat Gray Unleashed,” Pat and co-hosts Keith Malinak and Jeffy discussed how this latest attack on Clark exposes a dark truth about the WNBA.

“The violence against Caitlin is not going to stop unless she dies on the court,” says Keith, emphasizing the need for Clark to seek another league to play in.

Pat is outraged by the violence consistently waged against Clark as well.

“She’s brought so many eyes to that league, and nobody cared about that league before — nobody!” he emphasizes.

“How are people not being fined, booted out of the league? Suspended, at least? Something,” he asks.

Producer Kris Kruz believes he has the answer — and it reveals the WNBA’s real problem.

Clark, who is widely considered the GOAT of women’s basketball despite being early in her professional career, is “white” and “straight” — a stark contrast to the WNBA’s predominantly black and/or lesbian player base.

To hear more, watch the episode above.

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​Pat gray, Pat gray unleashed, Caitlin clark, Wnba 

An illegal alien truck driver who is facing homicide charges may be deported before his trial for allegedly causing a crash that killed an American newlywed couple.

On Nov. 24, 2025, Rajinder Kumar, an illegal immigrant from India, allegedly jackknifed his semi-truck and trailer while driving along U.S. Highway 20 in Bend, Oregon, causing his vehicle to collide with a Subaru Outback.

‘If state and local authorities won’t commit to not releasing him, we will remove him from the country.’

The driver and the passenger of the Subaru, William Micah Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower, who were married only 16 days at the time, died as a result of the collision.

Kumar was arrested and detained at the Deschutes County Jail, facing two counts of manslaughter in the first degree and three counts of recklessly endangering another person.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Kumar’s bail was originally set at $500,000 following his arrest, but was later reduced to $250,000, KTVZ reported. Oregon’s security release system typically requires individuals looking to be released to post only 10% of the bail amount.

RELATED: Illegal alien trucker accused of causing crash that killed newlyweds

Rajinder Kumar. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Despite felony charges, Kumar made bail and was released from local custody on Apr. 2. The Department of Homeland Security claimed: “Oregon sanctuary politicians refused to cooperate with ICE and RELEASED Kumar back onto the streets of Oregon.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed Kumar in federal custody on Apr. 22. He is currently being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, and is awaiting removal proceedings.

Kumar illegally entered the U.S. on Nov. 28, 2022, and was released into the country by the Biden administration, the DHS reported. He reportedly obtained his commercial driver’s license in California after the Biden administration provided him with work authorization.

Carter’s mother, Elizabeth, expressed deep concerns that Kumar would never face justice for allegedly causing the wreck that killed her son and his wife, explaining that he may be deported before his scheduled day in court.

“By deporting him without going through the homicide trial, he is getting a free pass back to his country, his family, and freedom of life. I believe state and federal law should prohibit anyone from being deported before they face serious criminal charges and, if convicted, serve their time and pay the debt they owe to our society on U.S. soil, before they are deported. Especially when that debt is because an American citizen lost their life on American soil,” Elizabeth Carter told Blaze News.

RELATED: Illegal alien truck driver walks out of jail after allegedly killing American — and sanctuary policies appear to be to blame

William Micah Carter and Jennifer Lynn Lower. Image source: Elizabeth Carter

When asked to confirm whether Kumar would be deported before heading to trial for the manslaughter charges, a DHS spokesperson stated, “ICE will work with state and local authorities if they are compliant.”

“We will not turn illegal aliens over to sanctuary politicians who will release these criminals back onto America[’s] streets. If state and local authorities won’t commit to not releasing him, we will remove him from the country,” the spokesperson added.

In response to the DHS statement, Elizabeth Carter said, “What I read in that statement is … if sanctuary politicians are willing to violate the law, then, and only then, is ICE willing to work with them.”

“I’m confused by that,” she continued. “I thought our Constitution protects everybody. And I’m surprised that it’s up for negotiation whether or not the United States gets to try the death of two American citizens on U.S. soil.”

“I think it’s important that Mr. Kumar be given a chance to defend himself. He’s been publicly called a murderer. A trial is the opportunity for him to present a defense,” Elizabeth Carter stated. “I think Billy and Jenny deserve justice, but so does Mr. Kumar. He deserves the opportunity to present a defense, not just be summarily removed from the country and his reputation trashed.”

The Carter family hopes to find a lawmaker who will sponsor a bill that requires individuals facing deportation and serious criminal charges to stand trial before being removed from the U.S.

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Democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is quickly emerging as a major force in New York politics after going three-for-three in recent primary races with those three candidates taking out Democrat-establishment incumbents.

“We had a clean sweep for Mamdani, three candidates he endorsed in New York in the primaries,” BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere explains on “Stu and Dave Do America.”

“These are taking out incumbents in big races, and Zohran Mamdani takes three crazy socialists and goes three for three,” he adds.

Those three candidates are Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, and Brad Lander.

However, these wins don’t come without risk — especially considering one of them seems to be “legitimately nuts.”

“This is a risk for Mamdani in that, like, when you’re coming up, you’re rising in Democratic politics, you can either be the one who plays the game and goes along with everybody who’s got the job already and played this long game, or you can do what Mamdani did here,” Stu says, pointing out that politicians like AOC have tried this in the past.

“You go as far as you can and hope it works out. And so far for Mamdani, I don’t know if this is part of a Knicks hangover or what, but they love this guy,” he continues.

One of the Mamdani-endorsed winning candidates is Avila Chevalier, who is, like Mamdani, a democratic socialist.

“She’s legitimately nuts. She stormed out of a live interview when she was confronted with her old social media posts, which is I guess not a huge surprise considering what her old social media posts were,” Stu explains.

“I forgot to get napkins, so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me,” Avila Chevalier wrote in a now-deleted post on X in 2019.

“These are the people that they’re handpicking for these Democratic jobs,” Stu comments.

In another now-deleted post, she wrote that “black men” and “Arab men” both fetishize “ugly colonizer women.”

“Apparently, white women are all ugly,” Stu says.

“That reads a little jealous,” Dave adds.

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​Stu burguiere, Dave landau, Claire valdez, Zohran mamdani, New york, Democrat, Socialist, Stu and dave do america, Darializa avila chevalier, Brad lander 

While some Democrats have decried a recent Supreme Court ruling that sided with the Trump administration on immigration, socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is going further.

Mamdani responded by suggesting he would defy the order of the highest court of the land and use his mayoral powers to protect migrants who lose protections against deportation.

‘A Supreme Court ruling … just opened the door to fear, instability, and the threat of deportation.’

The ruling said that President Donald Trump could lawfully end the Temporary Protected Status designation for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants. The ruling will likely apply to others protected by TPS, which could be more than a million migrants.

Mamdani directly addressed the migrants in a speech Thursday while he was surrounded by union members and officials.

“I am so proud that each of you has chosen to make your home in New York City,” said the mayor.

“I want to be clear, you are a New Yorker today, tomorrow, and every day, you are a New Yorker. As health care workers, as teachers, as organizers, you have not just made your home in New York City, you have dedicated your lives to New York City,” he added.

He went on to call the ruling “unconscionable” and “unacceptable” and directed immigrants to seek legal help from the city’s resources.

“So hear me when I say this: The people of New York City are going to show up for you as we face down a Supreme Court ruling that just opened the door to fear, instability, and the threat of deportation for so many.”

Opponents of the ruling had argued in court that the president was motivated by racist attitudes against the migrants, but a plurality of justices rejected that argument. Trump and his supporters have accused the Obama and Biden administrations of abusing the TPS program in order to surreptitiously bypass Congress for backdoor amnesty.

RELATED: Supreme Court hands Trump a MAJOR victory on deportation of Haitian and Syrian migrants

Others have argued that the constitutional remedy for those opposed to the president’s policies was to pass a law strengthening the TPS program.

“New York City will do everything in our power to fight back,” Mamdani continued. “This is a city where we look out for our neighbors, where we don’t let those who are afraid of what makes this city great try to divide us.”

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​Backdoor amnesty, Haitian immigrants, Supreme court ruling, Syrian immigrants, Tps program, Politics, Zohran mamdani