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

My favorite scene involves the Black Knight.

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

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

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

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

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

But Iran does not have a monopoly on reality rejection.

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

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

Medical science has made huge strides.

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

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

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

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

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

RELATED: Caregivers should not have to lie to prove compassion

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

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

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

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

Sooner or later, reality delivers its verdict and waits.

The question is whether we will acknowledge it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fortunately, American politics is now undergoing a thorough bifurcation.

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

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

RELATED: Barney Frank’s dying warning should worry conservatives

Paul Morigi/Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RELATED: Trump’s endorsement power keeps saving the wrong Republicans

Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

While much of America will be celebrating Pride Month all June, conservative Christians across the country will be holding counter-celebrations in the name of “Noahic Covenant Month.”

This counter-revolution has in many ways changed the overall feeling of the month of June, but has it successfully quelled the hijacked rainbow crusade that turned God’s covenant bow into a banner for rebellion?

On this episode of “Relatable,” Allie Beth Stuckey delivers an honest breakdown of the good, the bad, and the ugly in America’s ongoing LGBTQ+ culture war.

The “bad news,” Allie says, is that some Pride Month celebrations and events are actually getting more radical.

For example, the Boston Public Library will host “19 drag queen storytime events for children during Pride Month.” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement is also publicly backing and helping to amplify a “Trans Period Pride” event centered on “menstrual equity and the experiences of trans menstruators.”

On June 1, Strawbridge Elementary School in Haddon Township, New Jersey, used school grounds to host a K-5 event dubbed “Pride on the Playground,” where kids were invited to participate in LGBTQ-themed crafts, games, read-alouds, face painting, and more activities.

Despite the financially disastrous consequences suffered by companies like Target and Bud Light, some large corporations are continuing to participate in Pride Month. Allie exposes the popular craft store Michaels for selling colorful stickers with sayings such as “Protect trans kids” and “Be gay, do crime.” One sticker even features an AR-15 over the trans rainbow flag with the phrase “Defend equality.”

But there’s good news too.

“Over the last several years, conservatives have pushed back. Christians have pushed back and really have had success in pushing back against LGBTQ activism and the broader culture wars,” Allie says.

She highlights recent Gallup polling that shows declining support for gay marriage, especially among Republicans whose support is currently at its lowest point in 30 years. Pew Research data also indicates that over half the nation — roughly 56% (up from 46% in the June 2022 survey) — now supports laws and policies that ban health care professionals from providing care related to gender transitions for minors.

Even Democrat support for gender-transition procedures for minors has waned notably, with 35% in favor of banning gender-transition medical care for minors compared to 26% in 2022.

Support for requiring transgender-identifying athletes to compete based on biological sex has also increased across party lines.

Further, some Republican politicians are beginning initiatives to counter Pride Month. Allie gives the example of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signing a resolution in April designating June as “Nuclear Family Month.” As a deliberate counter to Pride Month, he defined the nuclear family as one husband, one wife, and their biological, adopted, or fostered children, describing it as “God’s design for familial structure” and the bedrock of society.

Across the nation, several states have taken action to protect minors from gender-mutilating procedures as well.

“Nearly half the states in the country have now passed laws banning health care providers from giving minors puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or gender-mutilating surgeries. In 2025 alone, several states expanded or strengthened those laws, some even imposing penalties on medical providers who perform the procedures,” Allie recounts.

She then lists several more recent pro-family wins:

In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which explicitly bars all federal funding, sponsorship, promotion, or support for gender-transition procedures (including puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries) for minors under age 19.As of June 2026, 27 states have laws or regulations that require school sports participation to be based on biological sex. Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) reached a groundbreaking settlement with Texas Children’s Hospital, requiring the hospital to establish the nation’s first dedicated detransition clinic to provide medical care for minors harmed by prior gender-transition procedures, while also paying $10 million for alleged Medicaid fraud and firing several involved physicians.

Allie is heartened by the progress that’s been made in the LGBTQ+ culture war. The grounds gained are proof, she argues, that Christians must enter the political fray.

“Politics affects policy, policy affects people, and people matter. Why should Christians engage in the culture war? Because it does something,” she stresses.

To hear more of Allie’s in-depth analysis, watch the full 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 with allie beth stuckey, Allie beth stuckey, Pride month, Relatable 

The University of Chicago announced that it would no longer be flying the LGBTQ+ Pride flag for Pride Month at the UC Laboratory Schools after three years.

Activists expressed their outrage over the decision in favor of institutional neutrality. The LGBTQ+ flag had been raised at the flagpole in Blaine Courtyard for Pride Month every year since 2022.

‘You see the display of even basic symbols expressing the dignity of our students would be an unacceptable political stance and violation of neutrality.’

Interim Director Ethan Bueno de Mesquita announced the decision in an email Monday that made clear it only applied to the flagpole.

“To be clear, the full membership of LGBTQ+ people in the Lab community is not a contested issue. It is a core value,” he wrote.

The UC Laboratory High School is a program for gifted high schoolers to experience the University of Chicago.

Bueno de Mesquita said the flag would violate the school’s new policy on viewpoint-neutral teaching.

“I think the university saying that an observer who sees something flying from a flagpole and understands that to be a statement of the institution is a reasonable interpretation of how flagpoles operate, and so that doesn’t strike me as an unreasonable rule,” he said to U-High Midway, the student newspaper for the UC Lab.

The decision drew sharp criticism from the university’s American Association of University Professors.

“You see the display of even basic symbols expressing the dignity of our students would be an unacceptable political stance and violation of neutrality,” the chapter account wrote in a sarcastic tone.

“The KKK is alive and well at UChicago,” another response reads.

RELATED: Florida lesbians say $250-per-day fine against rainbow fence violates their constitutional rights

However, the College Fix news site noted that a student life office run by the school’s Center for Identity + Inclusion continued to offer support for “LGBTQ students, questioning students, and allies in the college and graduate and professional schools.”

New laws and regulations against the LGBTQ+ agenda have reportedly led to an exodus of gender-confused people fleeing to Seattle, Washington, to seek gender refuge. Activists have called on the mayor to declare a civil emergency to provide support for community aid organizations.

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​Pride month, University of chicago, Lgbtq, Politics 

As Pride Month begins, BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock has noticed the usual Pride celebrations are much quieter — and Shemeka Michelle and Bryson Gray agree that America’s cultural landscape may be shifting.

But while it’s less prominent, “Pride” is still alive and well.

“I saw that it was trending ‘Pride Month’ over X. And I went and I saw so many sports organizations just saying happy Pride Month. And I’m thinking this is where men are supposed to be dominant, or straight men are supposed to be dominant. Yet, they’re giving all of this praise to gay sex. And it is very frustrating,” Michelle says.

“But I did look to see Target hasn’t said anything as of yet. Walmart hasn’t said anything as of yet. So some of these big corporations that had these huge displays in 2023 … they aren’t doing that now,” she continues.

Bryson Gray also thinks we’ve made “progress.”

“I can just tell you that from my own career, I think culturally it’s more acceptable to criticize and call out the LGBT. So progress, yes. Have we killed it? No, sir,” Gray says.

While the obsession with Pride Month appears to be fading, Whitlock asks if Black History Month and black pride should be tackled next.

“I think black history is just simply a part of American history wherever it fits. So I get the separation because of the history of this country. So I’m not going to say I’m against Black History Month, but I do think it should just be a part of American history,” Gray answers.

“And I think racial idolatry is a problem and that does stem from pride obviously,” he adds.

“Yeah, I hope that we can get rid of black pride,” Michelle chimes in. “I’m sick of seeing it. I was just saying I hate the term ‘black love.’ I don’t like ‘black girl magic,’ ‘black boy joy,’ ‘black excellence.’ I don’t want any of those things.”

“I don’t want to have ‘black love.’ I just want to have love. I want to cultivate it and learn how to love like God told us what love is,” she adds.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

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​Fearless, Jason whitlock, Jason whitlock harmony, Shemeka michelle, Bryson gray, Pride, Black, History, Fearless with jason whitlock 

Yet another left-wing extremist with ties to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) has been unearthed through a CNN investigation.

Mamdani endorsed Darializa Avila Chevalier in her campaign to replace Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a longtime Democrat, in New York’s 13th Congressional District.

‘I have grown considerably since in the years since these tweets.’

The report found that Chevalier deleted a social media account that advocated the abolition of police, prisons, and borders. She also advocated the seizure of private property and nationalizing major industries, policies popular in communist countries like Venezuela and Cuba.

“We’re gonna defund and abolish. You don’t get to water down our movements,” one deleted post reads.

“It means ending policing full stop. Period. No more police at all ever,” another reads, with several clapping emojis added.

“In New York they don’t say ‘I love you,’ they say ‘NYPD suck my d**k’ and I think that’s beautiful,” she posted.

She also called the Democratic National Committee a “big fraudulent white nasty status quo bitch” and added in another tweet, “I have no nuance to add. F**k Kamala Harris.”

Chevalier is a 32-year-old doctoral student and investigator from the public defender’s office in New York City.

The contest between her and Espaillat is considered another proxy battle in the war between the establishment, centrist Democrats and the upstart, far-left, socialist extremists.

The CNN report noted that the New York Post and Politico previously reported on extremist posts from Chevalier, but CNN’s report unearthed new deleted tweets from a review of hundreds of messages.

Chevalier released a statement to CNN that did not deny the authenticity of the posts.

“My opponent wants to live in the past. He is re-litigating social media posts from half a decade ago and continuing to champion an outdated politics that fails to serve our people,” Chevalier said. “I have grown considerably since in the years since these tweets, and I am focused on our community and our community’s future.”

Mamdani, meanwhile, reiterated his support for Chevalier.

“In Congress, she’ll take on corporate greed, bad landlords, and D.C.’s broken political system,” he said.

RELATED: Mayor Mamdani’s wife apologizes for insulting Israel, using N-word and gay slur in past tweets

“At a time when power is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, Darializa will fight in Congress for New York City’s working families,” Mamdani added. “She’s the champion we need for a city New Yorkers can actually afford.”

The Democratic primary election between Chevalier and Espaillat will be held June 23.

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​Mayor zohran mamdani, Darializa avila chevalier, Deleted tweets, Communist policies, Politics 

The president said Tuesday that he has agreed to reschedule the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in order to defy the wishes of the man who allegedly tried to assassinate him.

The ritzy event on April 25 ended abruptly after Cole Allen allegedly rushed through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun, prompting the Secret Service to usher President Donald Trump away.

‘This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling.’

Two months later, the president says the event has been rescheduled.

“In a sign of Strength and Fortitude, it was just announced that The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which violently ended rather abruptly on April 25th, will be rescheduled to July 24th,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account Tuesday. “This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling.”

He went on to say that White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang asked him to speak at the rescheduled dinner and he accepted.

“I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out,” he continued. “In any event, it will be a ‘HOT’ ticket!”

The suspect was captured in the Washington Hilton lobby and charged with a slew of crimes, including the attempted assassination of a president and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty.

Along with the surveillance video appearing to show Allen rushing into the event with a gun, investigators also discovered a manifesto where the suspect allegedly confessed to planning to kill the president.

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

The new location of the dinner will be the Waldorf Astoria on Pennsylvania Avenue, a ballroom that the president renovated during his private career before entering office and sold in 2021.

Allen faces life in prison if convicted of the charges.

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​Attempted assassination, Cole allen, Secret service, White house correspondents dinner, Politics 

Athletes and celebrities have long appeared alongside political candidates — especially if they’re on the left — so it was a welcome change when New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart introduced President Donald Trump at a recent rally.

“President Trump was at a rally, and he had, which is pretty common for presidents to do, had a celebrity slash athlete introduce him,” BlazeTV host Ron Simmons explains on “Relatable.”

“What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here. And without further ado, I’m grateful, I’m honored, I’m pleasured to introduce the 45th and 47th president of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump,” Dart announced.

“Athletes and celebrities do this all the time. They do it all the time,” Simmons comments.

However, the women of “The View” do not see it the same way.

“For somebody to back a guy like Trump, whose history in discrimination and racism goes back to housing discrimination in the ’70s; DEI attacks and posting pictures of the Obamas as apes when he’s on a team that’s 55% to 60%, the NFL, is that many people, that much percentage of black people,” Joy Behar commented.

“That is just the definition of stupidity and racist in my opinion,” she added.

“I don’t think Joy Behar has any joy. She might want to change her first name,” Simmons jokes, asking, “Do they believe every person of color hates Trump? Do they believe that? Is that what they really believe?”

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, Ron simmons, Donald trump, New york giants, Jaxson dart, The view, Joy behar, Relatable with allie beth stuckey 

Speaking from a classroom at Schuyler Middle School in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Monday detailed the results of a statewide end-of-year survey on the state’s school smartphone ban.

Now in place for a full academic year, the ban has yielded encouraging results for students, educators, and parents alike.

The state law prohibits “unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day,” including lunch, recess, homeroom, study halls, and open periods.

‘Social interaction between students, especially in the hallways and at lunch, has increased significantly.’

Individual schools are given discretion over how to enforce the policy. Methods of device storage range from students’ lockers to large lockboxes to the increasingly popular Yondr pouches specifically designed for phones.

The ban applies to public school districts, charter schools, and boards of cooperative services.

RELATED: Gavin Newsom signs bill to ban cell phone use in California public schools

Two students hold the Yondr pouches that lock their smartphones and prevent them from being used.Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Hochul’s office received 585 responses to the survey from teachers and school administrators, representing a mix of all grade levels. Forty-seven percent of the responses came from New York City, while 53% came from the rest of the state.

“Eighty percent reported that the students are behaving better in a more engaged way. They’re collaborating more. They’re talking to each other. … They’re acting like kids again, feeling that burden lifted from their shoulders. And they’re participating in class discussions. And teachers are feeling they can finally teach,” Hochul said.

Specifically, 311 respondents reported more active participation in discussions, 282 reported improved peer collaboration, and 273 reported better focus on assignments.

Bullying has also decreased as a result, with 60% of respondents reporting a decline in bullying and cyberbullying incidents.

“Young people could just go through the day without being harassed,” Hochul stated.

Ziad Attia, a senior at Blind Brook High School in Westchester County, shared with Blaze News his experience with the smartphone ban: “Social interaction between students, especially in the hallways and at lunch, has increased significantly.”

Attia explained that while the students are meant to store their phones in their lockers, “as long as they’re out of sight, they’re fine with it.”

However, Blind Brook junior Guy Golan took a more critical stance: “Students will find ways to use their phones regardless of who is telling them not to.”

Golan went on to say that “administrators rather than teachers” are the ones doing most of the enforcing, adding that he has witnessed students using their phones secretly in the bathrooms or in corners.

“Students are still able to use their phones when they feel it is necessary since faculty members cannot monitor them everywhere in the building,” Golan said, highlighting potential challenges in schools with more lenient storage policies.

As of this spring, at least 38 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students’ use of cell phones in schools, according to an Education Week tally.

“I successfully fought for New York schools to go phone-free because our kids succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling — and these survey results show our nation-leading policy is working,” proclaimed Hochul.

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​New york, Public schools, School administrators, Social interaction, Politics 

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt has something that professional politicians can’t manufacture: authenticity.

And BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler explains this powerful trait has left his opponents terrified.

“If we had a video camera on the faces of the Democrat political strategists and on Spencer Pratt’s opponents, you can bet your bottom dollar that they are just shell-shocked by this. They don’t know how to deal with this. They are so scared,” Wheeler says.

The reason why the Democrats are “scared,” she explains, is because while Pratt is all about no-nonsense policy, they have no policy to run on at all.

“They can’t run on Karen Bass’ record. They can’t run on Nithya Raman’s ideology. So what they do instead as their sort of final move — this is one week before the election; people are already casting early votes — is they try to use famous people to invoke groupthink among voters,” she continues.

And unlike past elections, this strategy isn’t working — as Pratt’s “X factor,” which Wheeler explains as “political savvy that can’t be taught” — is winning over voters left and right.

“It allows him or it enables him to speak in a way to voters that is not only relatable, but completely without the fear of offending the politically correct police,” she says, before playing a clip of Pratt demonstrating this “political savvy.”

“What are your plans for the over 40,000 homeless in Los Angeles?” a reporter asked Pratt.

“Well, they’re not homeless. They’re drug addicts. Most of these people are addicted to fentanyl and meth. This isn’t Spencer making it up,” Pratt responded.

“No matter what anybody tells you, we have housing and shelter for everyone that’s living on the street. They are choosing to be on the street because they want to do drugs. They don’t want rules. They don’t want to listen. They want to have animals to abuse. This idea that they are forced on the street right now is a lie that our city is perpetuating,” he continued.

“We’ve paid $24 billion to house these 40,000 people. There’s spots for all of these people. They are choosing, because they’re an addict, and you can do fentanyl and sewer meth on the sidewalk with no repercussions,” he added.

When the reporter pressed him on how he plans to address the “homeless” issue, Pratt explained that he plans to use federal land to build facilities for them in just 90 days — but only for the true Los Angeles homeless who want to change their lives for the better.

“These 40,000 people, 60% of them, City Watch just announced this week, are not from Los Angeles. They’re not from California. These people have been bussed in by scam rehabs, scam NGOs, scam homeless nonprofits. These people, when I unplug them and say, ‘You’re not taking our tax money any more,’” they’re all going to go to Seattle, where the mayor will welcome them,” Pratt said.

“So the people that want to keep doing drugs and live on the sidewalk — a lot of these people are going to leave. The other ones, there’s a lot of criminals, there’s people that are getting naked in front of kids. They’re going to jail,” he continued.

“Not everyone goes in the same box. So we have the money, we have the resources, and we have the facility,” he added.

“The reason that this is so effective,” Wheeler says, “the reason that the political savvy, the X factor that Spencer Pratt possesses, is so effective is because voters recognize authenticity when they see it.”

“Spencer Pratt is giving it to them straight,” she adds.

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​The liz wheeler show, Liz wheeler, Spencer pratt, Los angeles, Nithya raman, Karen bass, Election, Homelessness, Crime, Democrat 

President Donald Trump has announced who will replace Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

Gabbard announced her resignation as DNI last month after serving in the office for a year and a half. She cited her husband’s “extremely rare form of bone cancer” diagnosis as the main reason.

‘Bill is a great guy who recognizes that the bureaucracy of the intel community must respond to the elected leadership.’

Now, Trump has appointed William Pulte to take her place as acting director.

Pulte was the head of Pulte Homes, the third-largest homebuilder in the U.S., with billions in revenue, before he was picked by Trump to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

“I am appointing the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, William J. Pulte, to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Tuesday.

“William has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago,” Trump added.

Pulte used the resources of the FHFA to find evidence of alleged mortgage fraud committed by some of Trump’s most vehement political enemies, including Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James and former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).

Some Democrats cited those investigations as evidence that Pulte will do the same as DNI.

“I will be a hard NO on FISA Section 702 reauthorization,” wrote Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California in a statement on social media. “Whether or not the totally unqualified and corrupt Bill Pulte gets confirmed, trump’s nomination of Pulte has already shown trump would have no problem with weaponizing intelligence against Americans he doesn’t like.”

RELATED: Pulte calls for investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell — and for his removal

Vice President JD Vance praised the decision.

“Bill is a great guy who recognizes that the bureaucracy of the intel community must respond to the elected leadership (rather than the other way around). He’ll do great!” he wrote on social media.

For the time being, Pulte will serve as acting director. He will need Senate confirmation to become the official director.

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​Director of national intelligence, Intel community, Tulsi gabbard, William pulte, Politics 

The hits keep coming for Graham Platner, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in the race for one of Maine’s U.S. Senate seats.

On Monday the women of “The View” trashed Platner’s campaign and said he has no business being anywhere near Congress after grappling with so many scandals.

‘You’ve shown me who you are, and I heard you. This man should be nowhere near Congress.’

The most recent revelation that Platner, who is married, sent sexually explicit messages to at least half a dozen women in recent years is just the latest sting for his campaign.

“On the heels of apologizing for a tattoo associated with Nazis, the offensive posts about a wounded U.S. soldier. Now his wife, Amy Gertner, is responding to reports that she gave his campaign a heads-up about her husband sending sexually explicit texts to several different women,” said Whoopi Goldberg.

“Horrible. There is no doubt that this guy, Platner, is flawed, flawed, flawed in many ways,” added Ana Navarro.

“It is disturbing, and it is horrible. And why can’t we do better? Why can’t we have better candidates?”

“This guy just seems like a guy of not very good character,” said former Trump staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin.

“Don’t die on the hill of a guy who’s going to be a headache for you for years to come.”

Sara Haines took special offense to Platner previously saying a U.S. soldier should have died on the battlefield.

“If you are capable of saying that at any time in your life, you’ve shown me who you are, and I heard you. This man should be nowhere near Congress. We’ve already got a wealth of people we need out. We’re not sending one like this in.”

“So he’s a cheater,” added Sunny Hostin. “He’s an anti-Semite — because the fact that he had that tattoo for 20 years and didn’t know what it was is a lie. So he’s a liar, a racist, an anti-Semite; he’s a homophobe. So he’s all the things. And character does matter.”

Hostin also did not accept Platner’s excuse that his racist comments were caused by post-traumatic stress disorder from his experiences in combat as a Marine.

“I know a lot of soldiers that have PTSD that aren’t racist,” she said.

However, despite all of the problems they cited with Platner, Hostin went on to say they needed the victory in Maine to take control of the Senate away from Republicans.

The Republican Party in Maine posted clips of the most critical comments in a video that was widely circulated on social media.

RELATED: Trans-identifying 15-year-old plotted to kill classmate in order to resurrect Newtown shooter

In response to the sexting scandal, Platner’s wife put out a video calling the story “gossip” and trying to downplay it. Many described her video as uncomfortable to watch.

Platner is presumed to be the Democratic nominee to run against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has been criticized by many in her own party for being moderate and centrist. Platner’s main Democratic rival, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in late April.

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​Graham platner, Susan collins, The view, Maine senate race, Politics 

Gay pride is still the norm for Major League Baseball, but the way teams are going about it is slowly changing.

Throughout June, pro baseball teams will once again put their marketing budgets toward recognizing lesser-held sexual orientations, with 97% of teams participating in the festivities.

‘46% of MLB fans claim “Pride Nights make them ‘less likely’ to attend MLB games.”‘

At the same time, though, these promotions have become increasingly unpopular among sports fans. Several recent studies have pointed to a near-even split between supporters and detractors; for example, Forbes noted a study that found “48-55% rated the Pride promotions negatively or neutral.”

Civic Science’s own research found that 46% of MLB fans claim “Pride Nights make them ‘less likely’ to attend MLB games.”

Furthermore, a Morning Consult study stated that “almost half of U.S. adults (47%) said they support leagues hosting Pride Nights.”

To that end, the only MLB team that has refrained from hosting Pride Night is the Texas Rangers, which have never hosted such an event. They do sell Pride-themed merchandise online, however.

Blaze News reached out to other MLB teams to find out whether they have changed their approach to Pride Nights for 2026 given the growing division it has sown among fans.

RELATED: Here are all the NFL teams that haven’t virtue-signaled for Pride Month

Jeremy Chen/Getty Images

Teams that responded mostly followed a new Pride Night trend being adopted by many MLB franchises: Instead of having a grand celebration and handing out gay-themed merchandise to all ticket-holders, fans have the option to purchase a special Pride package that includes tickets and memorabilia.

The St. Louis Cardinals organization is focused on making sure all fans “feel welcome at the ballpark, are respectful towards others, and can freely share in the commonality of our love for the Cardinals and the game of baseball,” a Cardinals spokesperson told Blaze News.

The Cards are offering a Pride-themed team cap for fans who buy a “theme ticket.”

The Cincinnati Reds commented that they have partnered with “Cincinnati Pride” and honored a recipient with a Pride Community Advocate Award. As part of their special ticket package, the Reds have included a cross-body bag that features the transgender flag on the strap.

A representative of the Detroit Tigers asked Blaze News for further context about the Pride-related questions but did not provide a response to any of the queries. Among many other promotions like “Juneteenth” jerseys, the Tigers are offering a Pride package that includes a rainbow-strapped belt bag.

RELATED: 5 pro athletes who boldly take a knee — for Jesus Christ

Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos/Getty Images

The New York Yankees told Blaze News that they would continue to work with organizations to celebrate the Legacy of Pride, which has included donations to the Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship Initiative. “Stonewall” refers to a riot at a gay bar in New York City that was raided by police in 1969.

The Yankees organization noted that they have partnered with groups like Jewish Queer Youth, an organization that allegedly “empowers Jewish queer teens.”

The Yankees will also offer limited-edition Yankees Pride caps that are sold with specific tickets.

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​Fearless, Pride night, Baseball, Mlb, New york yankees, Sports, Lgbtq 

The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll over her testimony in Trump’s sexual abuse lawsuit — and her past incriminating podcast appearances may be coming back to haunt her.

“I know my own pleasures, and that doesn’t involve buying things. Where my pleasure comes is making him so pissed off he can’t think. We need to prick his little balloon constantly. And one of the ways to do that is to give his money to women’s reproductive rights,” Carroll said in an interview on MeidasTouch.

“Can you imagine how angry?” she asked happily. “It’s just so delicious thinking about how pissed off he’ll be.”

“Heaven, heaven. It’s the revenge that we all love,” she added.

“Hell yeah to killing babies in the womb,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says, mocking Carroll and her interviewer on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

“She’s just saying, ‘I just wanted to be a thorn in his side. I just want to piss him off.’ That’s all this is about,” she adds.

In another interview on “The Bulwark” podcast, Carroll revealed to the host that she needed to be “f**kable” to win her case against the president.

“I had a talk show, a TV talk show in 1996. I went through that, some of the shows, took screenshots of my hair cut in a bob, and then I found the hairdresser and the makeup person who made me look like that in 1996. She came every day to trial, did my hair and makeup exactly like it was in 1996. I wore the exact same clothes I wore in 1996,” she explained.

“And it was enough. It was enough,” she continued, adding, “It was a trick.”

“A lot of thought went into, as she says, making sure that she looked f**kable, because I guess judges only rule in your favor if you are,” Gonzales says.

“This is the woman we’re supposed to believe?” she adds.

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, The blaze, E jean carroll, Donald trump, Department of justice, Sara gonzales unfiltered 

A knife-wielding ex-con got a deadly taste of his own medicine late last week courtesy of the victim he robbed, fought, bit, and stabbed in Brooklyn, the New York Daily News reported.

Dan Costume, 34 — who was released from prison in 2024 — entered a stranger’s apartment in Flatbush through an unlocked door late Friday night, law enforcement sources and the victim told the paper.

‘He was acting in self-defense.’

The 45-year-old tenant spoke to the Daily News in Spanish, telling the paper that he had just come home from playing soccer. But the tenant’s wife had departed their apartment on Avenue D near East 31st Street to run an errand — and left the door unlocked, the Daily News said.

When the tenant emerged from the bathroom, he caught Costume stealing two cell phones, a laptop, and other belongings, the tenant told the paper.

“He was in shock that there was a random person in his house,” a relative of the tenant told the Daily News in English as she listened to the tenant’s account in Spanish.

The tenant wrapped his arms around the intruder from behind to try to get him to drop the stolen goods, the relative told the paper.

“They started battling between each other,” the relative added to the Daily News.

Costume bit the tenant’s hands and cheek, then pulled out a knife from his pocket and stabbed the tenant in the back of the neck, the tenant told the paper.

Then the victim reportedly turned the tables on the robber.

Sources told the Daily News that the tenant was able to disarm Costume and use the robber’s own knife to stab Costume in his thigh and lower back.

The tenant then shoved Costume out of the apartment and into the hallway, the paper said, adding that the burglar fled down a stairwell and out of the building, dripping blood as he dropped the stolen property.

Costume collapsed outside the building, the Daily News said, and medics rushed him to Kings County Hospital where he died.

The tenant was treated at the same hospital and released, the paper added.

RELATED: Axe-wielding thug allegedly threatens Florida car-wash employees — then 1 victim violently turns the tables on him

Kyle Mazza/Anadolu/Getty Images

A bruise and teeth marks were still visible on the tenant’s cheek days later, the Daily News reported, adding that the victim needed medical staples to close two gashes in his neck and on the back of his head.

“He was acting in self-defense,” the tenant’s relative told the paper. “Everything happened so fast.”

The Daily News, citing sources, said prosecutors decided not to charge the tenant after reviewing the case because he acted in self-defense.

Costume’s father and sister told the paper they haven’t seen much of him since he left home at age 18, noting that he was in and out of the criminal justice system.

Costume’s family members added to the Daily News that police had come looking for him several times before they knocked on their door Saturday to notify them of his death.

Costume was conditionally released from prison on parole in October 2024 after serving a one-and-a-half to three-year sentence for a Brooklyn attempted burglary conviction, the paper said, citing public records.

The tenant who killed Costume viewed surveillance video showing Costume getting into the apartment building through a back door near where garbage is kept, the Daily News reported.

The tenant also is in “a lot of pain,” a relative told the paper, as he recovers from the wounds he suffered during the fight with Costume.

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​Crime thwarted, Brooklyn, Flatbush, Robbery, Physical attack, Victim kills robber, Knife, Stabbing, New york city police department, Crime 

There’s plenty of talk about how AI chatbots will take everyone’s jobs by the end of the decade, but so far, few companies have gone all in on the supposed wave of the future. One such company that did take the plunge, however, is Meta. After recently laying off 8,000 employees in favor of an AI workforce, Zuckerberg is already reaping the repercussions of little-to-no human oversight as AI just caused one of the most devastating Instagram account breaches in its history.

The Instagram bungle of the decade

Over the weekend, news broke that Instagram accounts were being hacked en masse with no clear reason why. Many of the targeted accounts included rare handles of high value, well-established accounts with more than a decade of ownership, and high-profile accounts belonging to elite users. Some of the most notable victims included the Obama White House and the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force John Bentivegna. Stranger still, account owners claimed that their passwords were changed without their knowledge or consent.

Platforms and apps will eventually require Real IDs for both age and identity verification.

At least in the case of Obama’s account, the hackers posted propaganda depicting former Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani holding hands with former Iraqi Deputy Commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, both eliminated at the hands of the U.S. military in 2020. The images included Arabic messages claiming that the White House is under Shiite control.

The exploit wasn’t due to a Meta system breach or password leak posted to the internet. As internet sleuths started to pore through the information, they discovered that Meta’s AI-powered identity verification system was easily duped into transferring ownership to thieves.

How hackers secretly stole Instagram accounts overnight

An X account that goes by Dark Web Informer published a video to their feed detailing exactly how hackers gained access to these high-profile Instagram accounts. The process was so simple that practically anyone could pull it off.

The hacker enabled a VPN on his device and set it to the location of the account owner to trick Instagram into believing that he currently resided in the area.The hacker went to the “forgot password” section of Instagram and typed in the target account handle.On the next page, instead of choosing to send a recovery email that would alert the owner of the hacker, they selected “Get Support,” which opened a chatbox with the Meta AI support assistant. Note that this is an AI-powered chatbot, not a real person.From here, the hacker could tell the chatbot that the recovery email addresses on file were no longer valid and that any security codes should be sent to a new inbox, which pointed directly to an email address owned by the hacker.Meta AI support assistant sent an email to the new inbox with no additional verification, prompting the hacker to paste that code into the Meta AI chat to prove he was the person submitting the request.The Meta AI support assistant accepted the verification code and allowed the hacker to proceed with changing the password on the account.The hacker confirmed the new passcode, taking ownership of the handle and essentially locking the original owner out of the account entirely.

Other reports claim that the Meta AI support assistant may also prompt users to submit a selfie or video of themselves to verify their identity before proceeding with the password change. However, these safety measures were also easily thwarted by creating an AI-generated photo or video of the owner’s face that was good enough to trick the Meta AI support assistant into permitting access.

RELATED: Companies are tracking you based on the ads you see. Here’s how to stop them.

BestForBest/Getty Images

As you can see, this exploit could be used on any account, anywhere, anytime, and the Meta AI support assistant gave up the ghost every time. The exploit has since been patched.

Zuckerberg made a mistake, but users lose in the end

If there were ever a way to prove that AI chatbots weren’t ready to replace humans in the workplace — especially in high-profile positions like account security — this is it. Meta has abused its workforce over the last several months, tracking their keystrokes to train AI and even sending 10% of its staff to the unemployment line, all to usher in the AI revolution where bots do all the work and humans are left to muddle through the mediocrity of degrading technology, fewer employment opportunities, and AI overload.

Unfortunately, these types of security breaches are just another reason that platforms and apps will eventually require Real IDs for both age and identity verification, and we’ll have no choice but to play along or lose access to the apps and services we use every day.

In the end, the only way for executives like Zuckerberg to learn that it’s better to keep real people on the payroll in lieu of AI is for the consequences to hit fast and hard. Unfortunately, this time, users were hit the hardest, but at least Zuckerberg’s decision to turn account security over to AI is a mistake he gets to own and atone for in whatever litigation is sure to come his way for his careless decisions.

​Ai, Tech, Hackers, Instagram, Meta, Mark zuckerberg, Online security 

Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists have discovered hundreds of hatching eggs that could be carrying infectious diseases packed in layers of foam, according to a press release obtained exclusively by Blaze News.

The 337 eggs, incorrectly manifested as “winter jackets,” were shipped from Germany and headed to Alaska. CBP revealed that the items, seized on May 27, lacked proper documentation.

‘These interceptions highlight the vigilance and dedication our CBP agriculture specialists demonstrate daily.’

“Hatching eggs include all avian species, including poultry, game birds, racing pigeons, and other birds,” the CBP reported.

“These live eggs are shipped to the United States for hatching or reproductive purposes. Upon arrival, the eggs would be incubated, hatched, and raised,” the CBP continued. “For agricultural purposes, hatching eggs fall under regulations for live animals and are highly regulated because they can carry Newcastle disease and avian influenza.”

The eggs were seized and turned over to the local U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The CBP noted that the USDA does not allow the importation of hatching eggs from countries that have highly pathogenic avian influenza.

RELATED: Exclusive: Elderly American allegedly tries to traffic $455K worth of cocaine and ketamine across US border

Ian Waldie/Getty Images

The department warned that such unauthorized shipments risk spreading diseases that could impact the U.S. food supply.

Since the start of an avian influenza outbreak in Feb. 2022, nearly 207 million birds in the U.S. have been affected, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Outbreaks have occurred in over 2,000 flocks in all 50 states and one territory.

RELATED: PAYBACK: No $10K fine for owners of slain ostriches

Image source: Customs and Border Protection

“Our nation’s food supply is constantly at risk from diseases not known to occur in the United States,” stated Eric Zizelman, the port director for the Port of Cincinnati. “These interceptions highlight the vigilance and dedication our CBP agriculture specialists demonstrate daily. Our specialists mitigate the threat of non-native pests, diseases, and contaminants entering the United States. They ensure the United States is safe from harmful diseases that could affect our food supply.”

CBP encouraged international travelers to declare all items acquired abroad and advised those who wish to bring plant and animal materials or other agricultural items to first consult the CBP Information Center section on the agency’s website.

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​News, Avian flu, Customs and border protection, Cbp, Cincinnati, Us department of agriculture, Usda, Politics 

Admittedly, planning a wedding is a strange time to start reading cancer research. The seating chart had 17 unresolved feuds in it; the oncology journals felt like lighter reading.

Until they didn’t.

Public health researchers call this ‘social monitoring.’ In practice, it means someone loving you enough to be annoying about your symptoms.

A recent American study, drawing on more than 4 million cancer cases, found that adults who never married face considerably higher cancer rates than those who did. Never-married women saw rates dramatically elevated. Never-married men weren’t far behind.

The gap widens after age 55, which is when a lifetime of accumulated habits, poor decisions, and missed appointments begins sending invoices.

Settling for less?

Marriage rates in America have fallen steadily for decades. What was once expected is now optional — and sometimes viewed with suspicion. The language around “settling down” carries a faint odor of defeat, as though building a life with someone else were a concession rather than a choice.

The cultural conversation, meanwhile, circles endlessly around diet, exercise, and whatever superfood is currently being flown in from a distant rainforest. Billions flow into wellness industries. Podcasts dedicate entire seasons to optimizing sleep. And yet the data keeps returning to something far less marketable: whether you have someone in the next room who gives a damn.

The researchers are careful to avoid claiming that a wedding ring makes tumors vanish. But the pattern holds and appears across most major cancer types. Cancers linked to smoking, alcohol, and infections showed the biggest gaps between married and never-married adults. That concentration is telling. It points at behavior, environment, and the kind of low-level interference that only someone who genuinely cares about you will bother to sustain.

Buddy system

A man living alone can ignore a cough for months. A wife will drag him to a doctor. A woman juggling everything on her own might postpone a checkup indefinitely. A husband will plead, push, insist, and escalate if necessary. Public health researchers call this “social monitoring.” In practice, it means someone loving you enough to be annoying about your symptoms.

Then there’s the physiological cost of chronic loneliness. Without someone else setting the rhythm, sleep suffers, meals become erratic, and the basic architecture of self-maintenance gradually gives way. A person alone sets his own standards, and standards, without a witness, tend to decline. Freedom looks like a luxury until it tips into neglect.

The research on loneliness as a health risk has been mounting for years. Chronic isolation produces measurable changes in stress hormones, inflammatory markers, and immune function. The body registers abandonment, and it responds accordingly.

Previous generations were hardly models of healthy living. They smoked heavily, drank liberally, and regarded dietary advice as a personal affront. The average mid-century American male was not tracking his resting heart rate. Yet many of them were embedded in something we have spent decades dismantling: long marriages, tight families, a reliable social unit that caught problems early and addressed them without being asked. The neighbor who checked in. The sibling who showed up uninvited. The spouse who had the kettle on before the door had closed behind you.

Noticing matters enormously.

RELATED: Aging is inevitable — catastrophic decline is not

The author with his mother and grandmother. Photo courtesy of John Mac Ghlionn

The cure of community

Cancer rates in younger Americans have been climbing. The old assumption — that serious disease waits its turn at the end of a long life — has expired. It is arriving earlier, frequently without warning, and the reflexive response has been to scrutinize diet, sleep, and screen time. All valid. All insufficient on their own.

There are complications worth acknowledging. Marriage has its limits as a medical intervention. As Tina Turner and Johnny Depp demonstrated at considerable personal cost, not all marriages are protective. Some are so destructive that they make solitude look like sensible doctor’s orders.

Nevertheless, the directional evidence holds.

Knee-deep in wedding planning, I keep returning to what this whole undertaking actually represents. Families reactivate. Old friendships resurface. Obligations form. The ceremony is a public declaration that someone will be watching, intervening, and on occasion refusing to let you get away with things.

The vows carry legal and emotional weight. They’re also a mutual surveillance agreement, entered into willingly, which turns out to be rather good for your health.

We’ve built an entire cultural vocabulary around independence. Self-optimization. Personal growth. The solo journey. These are not entirely worthless ideas, but they have crowded out an older and more durable understanding. Humans aren’t built for sustained isolation. The people around us, intrusive and imperfect as they are, perform functions that no app, no routine, and no amount of cold-plunge evangelism can replicate.

A culture that treats relationships as provisional and commitment as one lifestyle choice among many is making a collective wager. The evidence suggests the odds aren’t favorable. In ways we’re only beginning to quantify, permanence appears to be protective.

​Make america healthy again, Loneliness, Loneliness epidemic, Marriage, Weddings, Culture, Courtship, Community, Lifestyle 

President Donald Trump’s tolerance for allied actions that undermine America’s negotiations with Iran may have reached its limit.

Negotiators representing the U.S. and Iran appeared poised last week to advance the cause of peace between their respective nations, extend the fragile ceasefire that first went into effect in April, and open the Strait of Hormuz again to trade.

‘Everybody hates you now.’

On Monday, Trump stated that “Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us.”

Within hours of the president expressing optimism about resolving the unpopular conflict that is now in its 13th week — the peace talks began to quickly unravel.

Iranian state media and government officials indicated that Tehran was backing out of the talks largely over Israel’s offensive in Lebanon and the escalations in Beirut that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced earlier in the day.

RELATED: Congress may be quietly seeking to integrate US and Israeli militaries — but critics have taken notice

Evan Vucci/Pool/Getty Images

Although he initially appeared apathetic — telling NBC News, for instance, “I think it’s fine if they’re done talking” — Trump attempted to resurrect the peace talks, calling Netanyahu to impress upon him the need to change course in Lebanon.

According to the president, Netanyahu agreed that “there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back.”

Two U.S. officials and a third source briefed on the call revealed to Axios that Trump used some choice words and effectively “steamrolled” the Israeli prime minister.

One official, summarizing Trump’s remarks to Netanyahu, claimed that the president effectively said, “You’re f**king crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”

Netanyahu, who faces an outstanding warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, was indicted in 2019 in three Israeli criminal cases for alleged bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Last year, Trump called for Israel to pardon Netanyahu and/or drop his corruption case. Netanyahu’s corruption trial is ongoing.

‘Let’s see how long that lasts.’

The source briefed on the call told Axios that Trump was “pissed” and yelled at Netanyahu, “What the f**k are you doing?”

One of the U.S. officials claimed that Trump was aware of Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel and the Jewish state’s need to defend itself but was still convinced that Netanyahu’s recent escalations were disproportionate.

Another U.S. official told Axios that Trump was also concerned over how many civilians Israel has killed in Lebanon. Well over 3,300 people have been killed and around 10,000 have been injured in the Israeli strikes on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The White House did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

Shortly after the call, Netanyahu confirmed he had spoken to Trump and “told him that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and citizens — Israel will attack terror targets in Beirut. This stance of ours remains unchanged. In parallel, the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.”

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly told Netanyahu after the call that “this is the time to tell our friend, President Trump — ‘no.’ Now is the time to do what is required and necessary to strike Hezbollah, to unleash the hands of our fighters, and to restore security to the north.”

After stating that “talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump thanked Netanyahu for reversing course on his planned Beirut attacks in a Monday evening post on Truth Social and noted that both Israel and Hezbollah have tentatively agreed to stop shooting at one another.

“Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!” added Trump,

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​Benjamin netanyahu, Donald trump, Strait of hormuz, Iran, Israel, Tel aviv, Peace talks, Peace, War, Conflict, Politics 

A California woman — dubbed the “party mom” by local authorities — has been sentenced to decades in prison after throwing alcohol-fueled parties for young teens and orchestrating sexual misconduct between the minors.

The Santa Clara District Attorney announced Thursday that 52-year-old Shannon O’Connor, also known as Shannon Bruga, was sentenced to 35 years and 10 months in prison — the maximum punishment.

‘The trauma shattered parts of me, and every day I wake up, I’m rebuilding what you broke.’

O’Connor has been in jail since her arrest in 2021, and she will receive credit for time served.

She also was ordered to register as a sex offender.

As Blaze News reported in March, O’Connor was convicted of 48 charges — including two felony charges of sexual penetration.

The Mercury News previously reported, “The sexual penetration convictions were the most serious, as prosecutors argued that O’Connor sexually assaulted the two girls by enabling them to become so intoxicated they could not legally consent.”

The district attorney said O’Connor hosted “drunken parties for young teenagers where she bought alcohol and egged on sex acts — some with teens too drunk to consent.”

The district attorney’s office said O’Connor hosted “drunken and destructive parties” for teens for two years.

Authorities said O’Connor would message teenagers and encourage them to leave their homes in the middle of the night and come to her house to drink alcohol.

The DA said O’Connor supplied vodka, Fireball whiskey, and condoms to teens who attended parties at her home.

“At one party, O’Connor handed an underaged teenager a condom and pushed him into a room with an intoxicated minor,” the district attorney stated.

“During a New Year’s Eve party with about five 14-year-olds, the defendant watched and laughed as a drunk teen sexually battered a young girl in bed,” the statement read.

The DA noted, “In another case, the defendant brought one drunk teen into a bedroom, where an intoxicated 14-year-old girl was lying in the bed.”

According to the district attorney, after the victim was sexually assaulted, she told O’Connor: “Why did you leave me in there with him? Like, you knew, like, what he was going to do to me.”

During the trial, one of the female victims told the courtroom she became suicidal from the trauma she experienced at a house party, the DA said.

The district attorney noted that O’Connor instructed the victims to not tell anyone about the parties because she could go to jail.

Police said O’Connor allowed a minor to drive her SUV in the parking lot of Los Gatos High School with two other teens holding on to the back. However, one of the teens fell off the vehicle and was knocked unconscious, according to authorities.

O’Connor was arrested in October 2021 in Idaho.

When detectives went to O’Connor’s house to arrest her, there were “10 underage boys and two girls at her home — most of whom spent the night there,” according to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

RELATED: ‘The Epstein of Indian Country’: ‘Dances with Wolves’ actor learns fate for sexually assaulting women, girls for years

KABC-TV reported that a victim during the hearing said, “I wish I could say that every memory with you has been healed with time, but I still find myself crying myself to sleep over the way that you took complete advantage of me.”

Another victim said, “Shannon O’Connor held me prisoner for almost six years. It’s her turn to serve a very long sentence in jail.”

Yet another victim added, “The trauma shattered parts of me, and every day I wake up, I’m rebuilding what you broke.”

The mother of one of the victims during the hearing said, “When people call you a monster, pedophile, rapist, they had it right. You preyed upon my daughter by supplying her alcohol, enticing a sexual situation, and pushing her when she was not in a place to consent.”

The Los Gatan reported that one victim said, “I was 11 years old when I met you. That was when you started texting me every day, slowly earning my trust only to use it against me.”

KRON-TV reported that O’Connor apologized to the victims and their families during the sentencing hearing.

“I am responsible for the harmful situation that I put your daughters and sons through,” O’Connor told the courtroom.

“But as I look at you all today, I hope you can find some comfort knowing that I have been punished — and will continue to be for years to come,” O’Connor continued.

She added, “I’m sorry for all of you and what I put you through. I am ashamed, and I face every day knowing that I was the cause of so many people’s anguish.”

O’Connor concluded, “I want you all to know that I live every day wishing I could take everything back.”

However, Deputy District Attorney Joanne Lee described O’Connor’s remarks as “deeply offensive” and showed “zero accountability.”

Before handing down the sentence, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth C. Peterson said she did not find O’Connor “genuinely remorseful.”

Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement:

Many people call this defendant the “Los Gatos Party Mom.” This isn’t some fun parent giving sips of wine spritzers to kids. She facilitated dangerous and drunken sex acts with these children. She risked their lives and damaged their psyches. She is not a party mom. Shannon O’Connor is a convicted felon. Shannon O’Connor is a registered sex offender.

O’Connor’s lawyer, Stephen Prekoski, said they will appeal, according to KRON.

“She never had a meaningful opportunity to settle this case,” Prekoski stated. “I’m not persuaded by those that believe that she was not remorseful. I’m not persuaded by those that believe that she didn’t take accountability for her actions.”

Kate Gude, the mother of another one of the victims, said after the sentencing, “This shows that when you come together, you put these bad people away, and the kids have a shot. You got to speak up and speak out. It’s the only way to keep everybody safe, happy, and whole.”

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​Alcohol, California, Crime, Los gatos high school, Party mom, Shannon oconnor, Sentenced