Category: blaze media

You probably think the EV mandate is over. That’s exactly what Washington wants you to believe.

Congress celebrated. The White House touted what it called one of the largest deregulatory efforts in modern history, highlighting the repeal of federal vehicle emissions rules as the centerpiece of more than $1 trillion in projected savings. Automakers began telling investors they were pivoting back toward the vehicles customers actually want. Dealers finally saw hope after years of trying to move electric vehicles that many buyers simply didn’t want.

Gas-powered vehicles continued dominating large parts of the country because they remain practical, affordable, and easy to refuel.

‘Not yet’

Then I started talking to people who follow automotive policy for a living.

I kept hearing the same answer: “Not yet.”

The reason is California.

While Washington rolled back federal emissions rules, California’s authority to set stricter vehicle emissions standards largely survived. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia now follow California’s rules, representing roughly 40% of the nation’s new-vehicle market. That means one state’s policies can effectively shape what automakers build for the entire country.

The fight now centers on four California Clean Air Act waivers that allow the state to enforce stricter emissions standards, including requirements that automakers sell increasing numbers of electric vehicles and meet tougher tailpipe-emissions limits. The EPA sent those waivers to Congress for review under the Congressional Review Act. California immediately sued, arguing the waivers aren’t subject to congressional repeal.

Congressional Republicans disagree.

California king

They’re racing to overturn the waivers before the Congressional Review Act deadline expires. If they succeed, future administrations would face a much steeper legal hurdle before restoring California’s authority. If they fail, the legal framework that has allowed California to shape the national auto market could remain in place for years.

To be fair, the Trump administration fundamentally changed federal auto policy. Repealing the EPA’s greenhouse gas endangerment finding removed the legal foundation for nationwide greenhouse-gas regulations, marking one of the biggest deregulatory shifts in decades.

But Washington only dismantled part of the system.

Once enough states adopt California’s standards, automakers face a simple business decision. They can engineer different vehicles for different parts of the country — or build to the toughest standard and sell it everywhere. Guess which option usually wins.

RELATED: California wants to decide what tires you can buy — what could possibly go wrong?

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Sunk costs

Now follow the money.

Over the last decade, automakers invested hundreds of billions of dollars preparing for an electric future regulators insisted was inevitable. Battery manufacturers expanded production. Charging companies attracted billions in public and private investment. Utilities planned for rising electricity demand. Entire business models were built around the assumption that government would continue pushing rapid electrification.

When that much money depends on one regulatory direction, nobody quietly accepts a change in course.

Businesses fight to protect their investments. Lobbyists fight to preserve the policies that created them. Investors fight to protect their returns. That’s not a conspiracy. It’s economics.

Consumers, however, had other ideas.

Real life over regulations

Electric vehicle sales in America never matched many of the industry’s most ambitious forecasts. Hybrids surged because they offered better fuel economy without requiring people to change how they live. Gas-powered vehicles continued dominating large parts of the country because they remain practical, affordable, and easy to refuel. Dealers struggled with inventory that reflected regulatory priorities more than consumer demand, and manufacturers wrote off billions after investing ahead of the market.

None of this means electric vehicles are a bad option. Buy one if it fits your lifestyle. Buy a hybrid if that’s the better option. Buy a gasoline-powered pickup if that’s what your family or business needs.

That’s what consumer choice looks like.

Looking back over the last decade, I don’t see consumers driving this transition. I see regulations shaping investment, investment shaping production, and production shaping what buyers were offered in the showroom.

That’s a very different sequence.

Washington may have dismantled the federal EV mandate. But unless Congress also closes California’s regulatory back door, the pressure that reshaped the auto industry could return under a future administration.

The question isn’t whether electric vehicles have a future. They do.

The question is whether consumers or regulators get to decide how quickly that future arrives.

​Auto industry, California, Clean air act, Electric vehicles, Epa, Ev mandate, Congressional review act, Gavin newsom, Automotive 

New York has long styled itself as a national champion of tolerance and individual freedom. Yet when it comes to one of the oldest civil liberties in American life — the freedom to live according to one’s conscience — the Empire State is moving in the opposite direction.

The 2026 Religious Liberty in the States index, a data-driven investigation published by the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy, measures how hard state governments work to protect the basic right of conscience. New York, it seems, works overtime to achieve the exact opposite.

A genuinely civilized society accommodates honest differences rather than requiring total ideological agreement.

Dead last

The index measures the everyday points where state power clashes with religious conviction. Can a nurse refuse to assist in genetic counseling that conflicts with her faith? Can a Seventh-day Adventist opt out of mandatory union dues that finance causes he considers morally objectionable? Are citizens safe from religious bias at their local bank, state university, or public school board?

On those fundamental questions, New York performs worse than every other state in the nation. The latest edition places New York dead last — 50th out of 50.

The ranking reflects a governing philosophy that rejects religious liberty whenever it conflicts with progressive policy goals. Rather than treating conscience protections as a cornerstone of a pluralistic society, state leaders regard them as obstacles to be managed or even eliminated. With Zohran Mamdani and his political allies continuing to push an aggressive far-left agenda, protections for religious beliefs are increasingly treated as hazardous waste requiring active containment.

RELATED: Euthanasia and the lie of the ‘good death’

Mininyx Doodle/Getty Images

Death drive

The ranking isn’t merely academic. On the very day the report was released, four orders of Catholic nuns and several Catholic health care ministries were back in federal court challenging New York’s assisted-suicide law, arguing that it would force them to violate their religious convictions by participating in the process of ending patients’ lives.

Backed by the religious liberty legal group Becket, the plaintiffs in Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm v. James had asked the court to block the law before it takes effect on Aug. 5. On Friday, they won an important early victory when New York agreed not to enforce the law against the ministries while the case proceeds. Without that protection, the plaintiffs argued, religious health care providers who refused to facilitate assisted suicide could face steep financial penalties, the loss of professional licenses, and even criminal prosecution.

At the same time the RLS rankings were published, four orders of Catholic nuns and several Catholic health care ministries filed a federal lawsuit challenging New York’s newest assisted-suicide law. Their complaint centers on being forced to participate in ending human life in violation of their faith.

The most vulnerable

For generations, Catholic ministries throughout New York have cared for the most vulnerable. The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, and the Little Sisters of the Poor have devoted decades to serving the sick, the elderly, and the dying. They believe that every human life has inherent dignity and requires loving care until the very end.

The state’s legal arm operates with total disregard for that history. When the New York Court of Appeals decided Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany v. Serio in 2006, forcing religious employers to pay for prescription contraceptive coverage in their health plans, the court established a precedent that statutory mandates routinely override religious objections. The current assisted-suicide mandate pushes that line of warped logic into literal life-and-death territory.

The First Amendment exists precisely because early Americans recognized that government inevitably abuses power when it forces citizens to violate their deepest beliefs as the price of participating in public life. In 1786, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, declaring that “to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.” That principle laid the foundation for the American constitutional order.

Existential fight

That standard served the country remarkably well for over two centuries. Religious hospitals, schools, charities, adoption agencies, and social service organizations routinely fill massive gaps that state agencies lack the administrative capacity to manage. These groups strengthen their communities precisely because they stay true to their values. Forcing them to compromise those values undermines their work and ultimately leaves the most vulnerable with nowhere else to turn.

Supporters of New York’s policies claim that eliminating religious exemptions promotes equality. But that is utter nonsense. Equality achieved through state coercion inevitably creates an oppressive, standardized public square. A genuinely civilized society accommodates honest differences rather than requiring total ideological agreement.

The assisted-suicide litigation now before the federal courts represents the latest collision in this existential fight. Government forces operating with zero regulatory pushback tend to expand their reach until an independent judiciary steps in to draw a hard line.

The expansion of state power at the expense of individual conscience should alarm every reader. Today’s regulatory target is a collection of Catholic nuns running eldercare facilities. Tomorrow, the same administrative apparatus could target another faith community, another profession, or another belief system that conflicts with the prevailing political orthodoxy.

Religious liberty serves an essential purpose in the United States. It prevents state power from controlling what you think and how you live. Let’s hope these sisters win their legal challenge. Because a win for them is a win for the everyday, decent American.

​Catholic ministries, Catholic nuns, Civil liberties, First amendment, Individual freedom, New york, Public life, Religious freedom, Religious liberty, Assisted suicide law, Euthanasia, Lifestyle, Faith 

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is passionate about protecting American culture — and that includes the roadside fever dream that is Buc-ee’s gas station.

“They have a HomeGoods store. They sell barbecue. They have beef jerky. They have everything you could ever want and the cleanest freaking restrooms you’ll ever see in your life. Like, Buc-ee’s is a national treasure,” she gushes.

But it seems not everyone shares Sara’s love for the Texas-sized travel center. British-American comedian John Oliver devoted a segment of his show “Last Week Tonight” to criticizing Buc-ee’s for suing smaller businesses over trademark issues involving beaver imagery and similar names. He even launched a parody “Buc-Off” merch line featuring a squirrel mascot and dared the chain to sue him.

“Buc-ee’s should be careful here because as one legal expert has said, ‘The more you do this, the more you might run into somebody who has the means or the will to fight with you about.’ That is where we come in because it turns out we very much have the will to get into a fight with Buc-ee’s,” Oliver said, before debuting his new “Buc-Off” brand and merch line.

“If any gas station chain out there has an issue with our new logo and products and wants to get lawyers involved, then you know what? Bring it the f**k on,” he taunted.

Calling Oliver a “British clown,” Sara retorts, “Imagine having so little material that you’re like, ‘You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to pick a fight with Buc-ee’s’ … Over what? Buc-ee’s protecting their own IP?”

“He’s saying indirectly he’s supporting small companies that are trying to profit off of Buc-ee’s image and likeness by imitating a successful brand,” she adds.

Sara sees Oliver’s stunt as yet another attempt by a foreigner to destroy American culture.

“I find it very offensive he’s going to come into my country and speak the way that he speaks and go after one of the biggest national treasures in this entire country,” she says.

But it’s not just offensive — it’s hypocritical too.

“Let me just show you, John Oliver, your own parent company — the company that owns HBO, where you can find his sh***y program. Warner Brothers Discovery sued an AI firm for Batman Superman copyright infringement,” Sara points out.

“So rules for thee, but not for me,” she quips.

To hear more, watch the episode above.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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​Bucees, Comedian, Last week tonight, Sara gonzales, Blazetv show, John oliver 

At least one sheriff in New York state is pushing back against a new law forcing law enforcement agencies to stop cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James issued an order on July 24 requiring 12 local law enforcement agencies to terminate their agreements with ICE.

‘All I can say about immigration-related issues is that if there is a very dangerous person in this jail, and the expectation is that I’m going to release that person back out into the community, I’m not doing that.’

Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar excoriated the order in a media briefing where he called politicians in the state capital hypocrites.

“It is becoming increasingly … frustrating, you know, to listen to the edicts and, you know, the white noise coming from, again, the political class in Albany,” Akshar said. “I would like to think that the vast majority of New Yorkers understand that the political class in Albany continues to destroy the great state of New York.”

Akshar said he would have to comply with the law ending 287(g) programs in the state by Aug. 25 but indicated that he would continue to cooperate with ICE in other ways.

“And you have policy after policy after policy as it pertains to public safety that continues to put criminals over law-abiding New Yorkers,” he added. “And that is frustrating. So the reality is this: Whether or not I agree or disagree with a law that has been authored by the legislature and signed by the governor, my responsibility is to enforce the law.”

RELATED: Dem. Gov. Hochul says NY college campuses will be offered as emergency shelters for NYC illegal immigrants

“All I can say about immigration-related issues is that if there is a very dangerous person in this jail, and the expectation is that I’m going to release that person back out into the community, I’m not doing that,” he added.

Broome County is located in the Southern Tier of the state and includes about 195,000 residents.

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​Law enforcement, New york, Sheriffs, Illegal immigration, Immigration and customs enforcement, Politics 

Spanish authorities say at least 34 people have died during the sudden and startling invasion of the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta in Morocco.

Reports initially said thousands of people were overrunning the small province in northern Africa, but authorities have since said that the invasion grew to tens of thousands of migrants.

‘Ceuta is a Spanish city, and what happened yesterday deserves our full reproach, our condemnation at the strongest possible level of rejection, condemnation and consideration as deplorable.’

Spain’s Ministry of the Interior said about 25,000 migrants had been expelled from Ceuta back to Morocco and 150 migrants were being removed per minute.

Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, said about 60,000 migrants had overrun the province and also reported the official number of those dead so far.

He went on to call the situation “absolutely unsustainable” and criticized the government’s response as action “taken too late and insufficiently.”

Despite the claims of the interior ministry, some videos on social media apparently show the migrants continuing to stream in while troops look on.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez referred to the invasion as an “attack” on his country and “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity” at a news conference Friday.

“Ceuta is a Spanish city, and what happened yesterday deserves our full reproach, our condemnation at the strongest possible level of rejection, condemnation and consideration as deplorable.”

RELATED: Mamdani vows to protect migrants in apparent DEFIANCE of Supreme Court ruling on TPS

Adri Salido/Getty Images

Some suspect that the invasion was sparked by a Spanish Supreme Court decision which found that migrants crossing by land could be expelled without due process, but those who entered the country by sea required documentation before they were deported.

The U.S. State Dept. also issued a statement decrying the illegal crossings into Spain.

“The United States stands with the people of Spain, and all Europeans, against this egregious violation of their sovereignty and human rights,” the statement read.

“This unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government’s deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe,” the agency added. “We are considering actions to defend Americans at home and abroad from this threat and stand ready to assist other European allies considering similar options.”

RELATED: ‘Absolute chaos’: THOUSANDS of migrants OVERRUN border into Spain from Morocco — at least 9 people dead

France 24 reported that most of the migrants were Moroccan and were seeking jobs in Europe. Migrants told them it took up to four hours to swim into Ceuta from Morocco.

A local workers’ association leader told CBS News it had become a major humanitarian crisis with thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, sleeping in parks and on the sidewalks.

Sánchez accused “human trafficking mafias” of exploiting the ruling by the Supreme Court.

“This demands one of the strongest condemnations, particularly of the human trafficking mafias that deceive many young people, many of whom find death, whether in the ocean or at this border,” he added.

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​Mass migration, Europe, Spain, Morocco, Invasion, Politics, Ceuta 

This week, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson discussed with Michelle Obama, of all people, the importance of justices appearing impartial — and so far, the reactions to their conversation have been just about what you’d expect.

She told the hosts on the Wednesday episode of “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” that “we all have to believe that there is a judicial system that is going to be fair, that is going to be neutral, that when you bring your dispute to the court, that judge doesn’t have any pre-existing stake in the particular issue.”

‘Can’t make this up.’

It’s a surprising take, considering Jackson’s background.

For one thing, former President Joe Biden explicitly chose Jackson for the Supreme Court on the basis of her race and sex, though she said during her confirmation hearing that she could not define “woman” because she’s “not a biologist.”

Jackson has also made a habit of penning bias-saturated jeremiads that have in some cases been extreme enough to raise the eyebrows of even other liberals on the bench. For instance, she:

insinuated in her lone dissenting opinion in Trump v. American Federation of Government Employees that President Donald Trump was some sort of power-hungry menace and that those on the bench who failed to stop his “wrecking ball” were sycophantic enablers whose decision was both “hubristic and senseless”;claimed in her dissenting opinion for Trump v. CASA Inc. that the Trump administration’s request to address universal injunctions — which the high court found “likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts” — amounted to a request “to engage in unlawful behavior”;accused her colleagues in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard of “let-them-eat-cake obliviousness” for their colorblind approach and claimed that race-based college admissions address “the well-documented ‘intergenerational transmission of inequality’ that still plagues our citizenry” to the “benefit of us all”; andechoed LGBT ideologues in her lone dissenting opinion in Chiles v. Salazar, claiming that “a robust professional consensus now acknowledges that sexual orientations and gender identities range widely” and that reality-affirming therapy for trans-identifying kids was ineffective and harmful.

Despite these opinions, Jackson and Obama seem to believe that Jackson has been a relatively neutral jurist.

RELATED: Platner’s replacement in Maine is a family man — just not in the way voters might expect

Obama pressed Jackson about whether she has to closely monitor her exposure to news, media, and other content “so that there isn’t a bias.”

After noting that certain individuals employed at the court screen her invitations for various appearances and events “to make sure that there are no ethical conflicts,” Jackson replied that “there are lots of limits on what judges can do, and I try to be very, very mindful and scrupulous with respect to that because, as you say, our obligation is to be unbiased in our approach.”

“And, so, you have to then navigate all the sources that could make for an appearance of partiality, which you want to avoid,” the Biden nominee continued. “So there are lots of things that I end up not accepting for that reason. News sources, I think, you know, I don’t have a lot of time — unfortunately, you know — but I do, you know, the normal, general media sources are made available, and I think it’s harder when you’re talking about — there’s so much social media now.”

Jackson’s expression of concern about bias and perceptions of bias while in the company of a rank partisan like Michelle Obama struck some critics as insincere or at the very least tone-deaf.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) highlighted the cognitive dissonance, writing, “Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says SCOTUS must avoid even the appearance of political bias … while appearing on Michelle Obama’s podcast.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) wrote, “Ketanji Brown Jackson finds a way to inject political bias into just about everything she does. Whether it’s attending the Grammys, joining Michelle Obama’s podcast, or refusing to define the word woman, she couldn’t care less about remaining impartial.”

“DEI hire justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says she’s careful about which public engagements she accepts because she has to be impartial … As she appears on MICHELLE OBAMA’s podcast,” Libs of TikTok tweeted. “Can’t make this up.”

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​Joe biden, Ketanji brown jackson, Marsha blackburn, Michelle obama, Us supreme court, Politics 

Virginia Democrats are welcoming criminals back to the ballot box.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has restored voting rights to 66,085 felons in her first six months in office. That’s 56,000 more than former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) restored during his entire four-year tenure, according to the official annual reports filed by the secretary of the commonwealth.

‘A shameful relic of our Jim Crow past.’

“I’m proud that — after contending with my predecessor’s efforts to deny Virginians their fundamental rights — we have restored the rights of more than 66,000 Virginians who have served their time,” Spanberger said in a Friday press release. “These Virginians deserve the right to use their vote, make their voices heard, and be recognized as contributing citizens to our Commonwealth and country.”

Spanberger’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Under Youngkin, applicants were required to submit a formal Restoration of Rights form detailing whether they had completed all terms of incarceration, were on probation or parole, or had been convicted of a violent offense.

Felons were also asked if they had “paid all fines, fees, and restitution” or were currently paying them, according to court filings.

Spanberger’s administration axed those safeguards.

RELATED: Illegal immigrant allegedly attacks Virginia police — after dodging persecution for allegedly choking his wife

JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Images

The new team “re-established processes to both review applications and proactively identify — and restore the rights of — Virginians who have lost their right to vote” and is using “a streamlined, online system that removed unnecessary questions added during the Youngkin administration,” according to the press release.

The removed questions included the requirement to report probation status and fine repayment.

The governor also instructed Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon King to expand “proactive identification” of eligible ex-convicts.

Current eligibility is determined by whether a person has been convicted of a felony and is no longer incarcerated.

“By giving these Virginians back their ability to make an impact at the local, state, and national levels, we are empowering our neighbors to take hold of their second chance,” Spanberger said. “This fall, voters can cast their ballots for Virginia to no longer strip so many of our neighbors of their fundamental rights — a shameful relic of our Jim Crow past.”

Virginia voters will decide in November whether to pass a constitutional amendment automatic restoration of voting rights for released felon inmates.

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​Virginia, Abigail spanberger, Democratic party, Voter rolls, Politics, Felons 

Pregnant celebrities on red carpets may make later-in-life motherhood look effortless, but BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey is warning that the reality is far more complicated.

Most recently, Anne Hathaway graced the red carpet in a beautiful dress, showing off her bump at 43 years old. While this is Hathaway’s third baby, many women are taking it as proof that women can and should wait until their 40s to become a mother.

“She’s a beautiful pregnant woman. I am so happy for her,” Stuckey says. “And I’m so glad that she is on social media. She’s on the red carpet showing that you can do all of these things. You can have a baby. I also love that she is showing that you don’t have to stop having a baby when you’re 35 just because they call you ‘geriatric’ or whatever it is.”

“You can keep having a baby, and it’s beautiful. It doesn’t ruin your life,” she adds.

Now, the media is running with Hathaway’s pregnancy and making it seem as if it’s as easy to get pregnant in your 40s as it is in your 20s or 30s.

“The Wall Street Journal published an article on July 13 titled, ‘Your 40s used to be middle age. Not anymore,’” Stuckey explains.

“While I am happy about all the things that I listed, and I’m happy about the contribution of another image-bearer of God to the world, and I think motherhood is fantastic, the risks have not changed in association with pregnancy after 40,” she continues.

“Am I saying that you shouldn’t do it if you are a married woman? No. But just because we changed the name because geriatric was offensive doesn’t mean that the risks don’t exist. It is much more difficult to get pregnant after 35 and especially after 40,” she adds.

But the risks don’t just affect the mother.

“The risks to the baby do increase after that,” she says.

And it’s not just the health risks associated with later pregnancies that have Stuckey concerned, but the unrealistic view of time.

“It is pushing this idea that you can party through your 20s, chase your career through your 30s, choose to settle down when you are 38 and you will be just as likely to get married and have children and be a trad wife when you are 45 as if you did it when you were 25,” she says.

“I just don’t want to sell women this unrealistic vision of what their life will absolutely look like if they defer marriage for promiscuity and for their career to be a girlboss forever,” she continues.

“I don’t have a problem obviously with women getting pregnant later in life. I have a problem with us presenting that as if it … is the ideal,” she adds.

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.

​Allie beth stuckey, Anne hathaway, God, Motherhood, Trad wife, Wall street journal, Blazetv show 

Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has completely reversed course over comments he made during COVID about vaccine skepticism.

In Oct. 2021, the Brooklyn Nets said they were not allowing point guard Kyrie Irving to practice or play basketball with the team until he got the coronavirus vaccine.

‘I need to do better. I’m not alone, but I’m responsible for me.’

Smith was among those who heavily criticized Irving for his vaccine reticence.

“Kyrie Irving, I happen to believe, is an intelligent brother whose heart is in the right place,” Smith said at the time. “But now, you’ve regressed to an alarming level of self-righteousness. It not only makes you look hypocritical and untrustworthy, it makes you look what I know you are not, which is flat-out stupid.”

Smith went on to catch the coronavirus despite claiming to have been vaccinated.

In a video published Thursday, Smith cited the appearance before Congress of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the architect of the U.S. coronavirus response, to explain his change of heart.

“There were many people encouraging folks to [get vaccinated] anyway. Kyrie Irving wasn’t one of them,” Smith said. “In my opinion, particularly hindsight-wise, it didn’t make him stubborn or selfish; it made him brave.”

He went on to apologize to Irving.

“Kyrie Irving did nobody wrong. We did him wrong. I did him wrong. And for that, I’m sincerely sorry,” Smith added. “I just thought it was important to say that. … I need to do better. I’m not alone, but I’m responsible for me.”

RELATED: ‘Shame on you!’ Stephen A. Smith tears into people celebrating the killing of Charlie Kirk

He concluded, “I need to do better. And I will.”

Fauci refused to answer questions from members of Congress and instead over and over again pled the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

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​Anthony fauci, Basketball, Sports, Stephen a smith, Politics, Covid vaccine 

Republicans are worried that the election for one of Texas’ seats in the U.S. Senate is slipping away after astounding results from the most recent polls.

Three of the polls show Democrat candidate James Talarico beating Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton, and a fourth shows a tie. Another three show Paxton beating the Democrat.

An average of the poll had Talarico above Paxton by 0.7%.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah called on conservatives to back Paxton in light of Talarico’s extremist opinions and policies.

“Now is the time for every Republican to support @KenPaxtonTX. No exceptions. We can’t have a senator from Texas who thinks ‘God is nonbinary,'” wrote Lee with a link to the polling. Paxton defeated one of Lee’s colleagues, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, in the Republican primary runoff after receiving Trump’s endorsement.

Two of the polls showing the Democrat winning were Fox News and New York Times/Siena polls, while the ones showing Paxton winning included Quantus and YouGov.

An average of the poll had Talarico above Paxton by 0.7%.

The Decision Desk election analysis group noted that Talarico was faring far better against Paxton in polling on the road to the election than Beto O’Rourke did when he tried to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in 2018. O’Rourke lost that contest.

Paxton most recently went on the attack after a report documented evidence that Talarico might have violated the residency rules when he ran for state representative in 2022.

“James Talarico has proven he has zero regard for Texans and the rule of law. He’s been lying to voters and shamelessly committing election fraud to hold onto power,” he wrote on Tuesday.

RELATED: Yet another bewildering anti-Christian statement from James Talarico has been unearthed

The Talarico campaign claimed that the discrepancy came from processing delays and denied the allegations.

Democrats have a slim chance of winning the U.S. Senate in the midterms, but a victory in Texas would go a long way to help their cause.

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​Ken paxton, Us senate, James talarico, Polling, Midterm elections, Mike lee, Politics 

Fairfax County officials are facing heavy criticism after the suspect in a violent domestic dispute and an attack on a cop turned out to be an illegal immigrant who was never prosecuted despite allegedly attacking his wife in April.

Officers responding to a domestic disturbance call attempted to arrest Nehemia Fuentes Banegas on Tuesday after he allegedly stabbed himself while threatening his wife. Fuentes Banegas then allegedly fled on foot, hid in a bush, and lunged for a police officer’s service weapon in a frenzied ambush, according to police.

‘3 in 10 residents of the county are immigrants.’

Fuentes Banegas was shot by officers in the ensuing struggle, though the bullet only grazed his shoulder. He is being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

Fuentes Banegas was previously cited for reckless driving and driving without a license, according to court records. His race was recorded as white.

Fuentes Banegas is a Honduran national who illegally entered the country in 2022, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“This criminal illegal alien from Honduras attacked a law enforcement officer and attempted to take the officer’s gun,” DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis said in a statement. “He has now been charged with attempted disarming of a law enforcement officer.”

“ICE is calling on Governor Abigail Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this dangerous criminal from jail,” she continued.

RELATED: DOJ goes to special court to send mother of terrorists back to Afghanistan

Fairfax County J&DR Court Database

In 2021, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano signed a procedure memorandum barring cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

“To improve community safety, restore trust, and ensure all have equal protection of the law, employees of the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office shall not assist federal agents with civil immigration enforcement,” the memo reads.

The document also notes that “3 in 10 residents of the county are immigrants.”

Descano Chief of Staff Laura Birnbaum acknowledged that Fuentes Banegas recently faced other criminal charges. A warrant reveals he was accused of “imped[ing] the blood circulation or respiration of another person by knowingly, intentionally, and unlawfully blocking or obstructing the airway … resulting in wounding or bodily injury.”

“Nehemia Fuentes faced charges earlier this year, but his wife, the victim in the case, indicated to prosecutors and other officials at a hearing in May that she did not want to prosecute at the time,” Birnbaum told Blaze News. “This kind of outcome is not uncommon in situations involving domestic violence, where prosecutors have little recourse if a case hinges on a victim’s testimony or cooperation.”

Commonwealth of Virginia/Warrant of Arrest

Birnbaum directed Blaze News to Sheriff Stacey Kincaid when asked if authorities notified ICE after Fuentes Banegas’ initial arrest.

“As required by statute, whenever an undocumented person is booked into the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, ICE is notified that person has been taken into custody,” a sheriff’s office spokesperson told Blaze News.

The Fairfax County Police Department directed Blaze News to its press release when reached for comment.

“As they were responding to the scene, they encountered both the husband, our suspect, running from the scene and the wife pointing out to our responding patrol officers that, ‘Yes, that is in fact my husband,’” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said in a press conference.

“Our suspect takes his right hand, he grabs the firearm that the police officer had in his hand,” Davis said. “The officer, obviously startled, discharged his firearm three times.”

A trial date has yet to be set. ICE has lodged a detainer for Fuentes Banegas, a DHS spokesperson told Blaze News.

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​Department of homeland security, Illegal immigrant, Law enforcement officer, Police, Immigration and customs enforcement, Virginia, Politics 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is championing his new government-run grocery stores, claiming they’ll bring lower prices and better access to food in underserved neighborhoods.

But Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck — as well as 50 chambers of commerce — see something very different.

“Fifty chamber of commerces voted this week to sue the city of New York. Fifty chamber of commerces. Not 50 CEOs, 50 chambers,” Glenn begins, noting that they’re suing over the $70 million being used to open five government grocery stores, one per borough.

Mamdani is promising these stores will feature a 30% discount.

“I want you to think now as a person that owns a small store or a bodega. Do the arithmetic that every bodega owner in Queens did the second they heard that. A grocery store is one of the thinnest businesses in America,” Glenn says.

“One to 2% net margin. You come with your cart, and you’re paying $100. The man behind the counter clears $1.50. The store clears a $1.50. We went to the store. I think we spent like $350. They’re making less than five bucks off of me,” he continues.

“Why? Because he has to pay the rent and the landlord. He has to pay the property taxes through that rent,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the city-run grocery store doesn’t pay any rent.

“It doesn’t pay property tax. It can’t go out of business because losing money is not failure for a government store. It’s a budget line,” Glenn says.

“One analysis this week projected the city loses about 28 cents on every dollar those stores will ring up. Twenty-eight cents in loss. So the competition is not between two grocers. It’s between a grocer and a grocer’s tax collector,” he adds.

And this isn’t the first time this has been tried in recent history.

“Kansas City ran a small version of this in 2024. The city-supported grocery store lost the state close to, I think, it was like $900,000. The nonprofit that was brought in to run it ended up suing the city over the condition of the store,” Glenn explains.

“So what would work?” he asks.

The answer, he says, is to “stop looking at collectives.”

“Feed the person, not the storefront,” he says, adding, “put money in the hands of the family.”

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​New york city, Zohran mamdani, Glenn beck, Grocery stores, Socialism, Blazetv show 

Officials say they are investigating cyberattacks against municipal systems in Minnesota for possible links to Iranian groups.

Minnesota officials previously revealed that state water operations were targeted by cyberattacks on Sunday and Monday.

‘I don’t think there was an Iranian cyberattack. I think Minnesota ought to get its act together.’

On Thursday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned water and wastewater operators that they could be similarly attacked.

CISA said there was a significant increase in the attacks on “programmable logic controllers” involving outside actors changing passwords and locking out the operators. The agency urged operators to remove the PLCs and other operational technology from the internet as soon as possible.

“This activity has resulted in boil water notices and sustained manual operations,” CISA said.

The CISA warning did not mention Iran or Minnesota, but U.S. officials told ABC News that investigators were trying to determine if the hostile regime was responsible for the cyberattacks.

The preliminary suspicion was first reported by the New York Times.

CISA recommended even the most rudimentary of digital security practices, including enabling password protections and changing default passwords.

President Donald Trump, when asked about the possibility of the attacks coming from Iran, blamed Minnesotan officials instead.

“I don’t think so. I think that Minnesota is behind it,” the president said to reporters. “You know who is behind it? Minnesota. Because they’re grossly incompetent. I don’t think there was an Iranian cyberattack. I think Minnesota ought to get its act together.”

He went on to say there would be more revelations about corruption in Minnesota coming from his administration.

RELATED: New study: One Chinese cyberattack could make your taps run dry

“Cyberattacks against critical infrastructure require a coordinated, whole-of-government response,” said John Israel, Minnesota’s chief information security officer, in a statement.

“This incident demonstrates why Minnesota has invested in strong cybersecurity capabilities and partnerships” he added. “Our response worked as intended, enabling agencies at every level of government to rapidly coordinate, contain the incident, and help prevent more serious impacts to critical services.”

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​Cyberattack, Iran, Minnesota, Donald trump, Politics 

Todd Blanche is aiming to be the next attorney general of the United States. Standing in his way are the Epstein survivors who say he brushed them off, two senators with nothing left to lose, and a questionable connection to one of Epstein’s closest partners in crime.

On the second day of Blanche’s confirmation hearing earlier this month, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said a meeting with survivors needed to happen before he would vote to confirm Blanche. Survivors weren’t having a stand-in — they wanted Blanche and got him that same afternoon, pressing him on compensation, prosecutions, and unaddressed leads.

Blanche interviewed Maxwell and granted her immunity for her statements.

Blanche reportedly said only the FBI could open new investigations and that he couldn’t make commitments that day.

Dani Bensky, who has been identified as one of Epstein’s victims, described a frustrating meeting with Blanche, telling CNN, “He danced around his wording, repeatedly interrupted us, and could not commit to anything that would demonstrate good faith or begin to restore trust.”

That’s the survivors’ side of Blanche’s trouble.

The other side is a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund tied to Trump’s May settlement with the IRS, which Blanche has since declared dead — though concerns, raised chiefly by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Tillis, remain regarding the possibility of a revival of the fund.

RELATED: Trump BLASTS Cornyn and Tillis for holding AG nomination HOSTAGE

Oliver Contreras/AFP/Getty Images

These threads have spelled trouble for Blanche — as has his connection to Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell. On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring that Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker who aided Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of underage girls, should never receive a presidential pardon — though it carries no legal force.

Last year, as deputy attorney general, Blanche interviewed Maxwell and granted her immunity for her statements.

In her floor remarks, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who introduced the resolution earlier this year, cited a report that Blanche had floated the idea that Maxwell’s attorney “might expect something in return for her candor.”

Rosen said she was pushing for a vote now specifically because Senate Republicans are inching toward confirming Blanche as permanent attorney general.

RELATED: DAMNING report at prestigious academy finds Jeffrey Epstein — and 46 other alleged abusers — molested students

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

Trump, for his part, has floated another option entirely: pulling the nomination and resubmitting it after Cornyn’s and Tillis’ terms end in January, when neither will still be in the chamber to block it.

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​Attorney general, Ghislaine maxwell, Jacky rosen, John cornyn, Thom tillis, Todd blanche, Politics, Fbi, Jeffrey epstein 

A man set out to scale Montana’s tallest mountain, but he suffered a gruesome injury along the way. Yet still, the man miraculously hiked 10 miles down the mountain.

KTLA-TV reported that 32-year-old David Cifaldi and two hiking companions were crossing Montana’s ominous Froze-to-Death Plateau and approaching the summit of Granite Peak on the morning of July 20.

‘A couple of inches the other way, and this would be a different story.’

The Mountain Guides, a hiking website, said that Granite Peak is Montana’s highest summit with an elevation of 12,803 feet.

“This formidable mountain is located in the heart of the remote and scenic Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, just north of Yellowstone National Park,” according to the Mountain Guides, which noted, “Granite Peak is considered by many to be the most difficult high-point summit after Denali.”

Cifaldi suffered a grisly injury from a freak hiking accident during his arduous trek: He was impaled by his own steel-tipped trekking pole.

The Associated Press reported that a 44-inch steel-tipped pole “passed through the flesh beneath Cifaldi’s left arm, missing any vital organs, and protruded from his back.”

Cifaldi proclaimed that he needed to get off the mountain.

“I was like, ‘We’ve got to get off this mountain.’ And they’re both like, ‘I don’t know about that,'” Cifaldi told the AP.

Cifaldi joked, “‘Tis but a flesh wound.”

Cifaldi, a wound care nurse in Montana, and his friends considered getting a helicopter to rescue him on the mountain. However, they decided that a helicopter rescue would be very expensive.

“Search and rescue coming to help you is free. The flight’s not,” Cifaldi explained.

“That was a factor in me deciding to self-rescue,” Cifaldi continued. “But the fact that I had two experienced great friends with me and we had the ability to contact search and rescue if something went wrong made that a lot more of an easy decision.”

The quick-thinking Cifaldi stated, “I think my nurse brain clicked on. As soon as I was able to self-assess and establish that this was not life-threatening right now, I was pretty convinced I was going to get off that mountain under my own power.”

(WARNING: Graphic video)

RELATED: Hero fishermen save 38 dogs on the verge of drowning in Mississippi lake

The group utilized a satellite-based communication device to inform local authorities that they planned to rescue Cifaldi themselves.

Stillwater County Search and Rescue team commander Ty Williams told the Associated Press that the first emergency call about Cifaldi was received at around 9:44 a.m. on July 20.

“There was no danger to anybody else. He didn’t want our help, and so we’re not going to essentially violate his rights or go against his wishes by forcing our help on him,” Williams stated.

However, the impaled hiker would have to hike approximately 10 miles and descend about 5,000 feet to travel to a trailhead where Cifaldi’s friend had parked a vehicle, according to the Associated Press.

A GoFundMe campaign launched to help Cifaldi financially said, “David navigated the plateau’s snowfields and boulder fields, made his way down past Mystic Lake, and reached the trailhead entirely under his own power — never once complaining, staying in remarkably high spirits. Near Mystic Lake, he even asked one of us to hike ahead and warn other hikers, so no children would have to see the wound.”

It took the group more than six hours to get to the friend’s vehicle, and then they transported Cifaldi to a local clinic.

Doctors at the clinic informed Cifaldi that he would need more advanced medical treatment when he returned to his hometown of Billings, Montana. The AP reported that Cifaldi’s friends drove him for treatment at the St. Vincent Regional Hospital — where Cifaldi works as a nurse.

Doctors were able to remove the pole from Cifaldi.

The friend with the vehicle, Jesse Ross, credited Cifaldi’s confidence for conquering the challenge of hiking down the mountain with such a severe injury.

“The only reason it was possible at all was his confidence,” Ross told the AP. “Who are we to say anything? He’s the medical person. Our job is just to support at that point.”

Cifaldi declared, “I think 99 times out of a hundred I would make the same decision.”

The GoFundMe campaign, which raised nearly $10,000, said Cifaldi may require surgery, missed time from work, and now faces “significant medical bills for an injury that happened while doing something he loves.”

Cifaldi told KSL-TV, “I feel very lucky. A couple of inches the other way, and this would be a different story.”

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​Montana, News, Survivor story, Politics 

The WNBA posted a video on its social media accounts earlier this week, and it may be one of the worst decisions the league has ever made.

The league, already shrouded in controversy over athlete statements and abuse of star Caitlin Clark, seemingly can’t afford to keep taking losses. Another hiccup on Wednesday, however, showed once again that the WNBA is not learning its lesson.

‘We recognized that the post missed the mark.’

Before a game between the Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings, the WNBA posted a video that almost any sports fan would immediately recognize as inappropriate. The video shows two of the league’s more popular players betting on the outcome a game.

Dream forward Angel Reese and Wings guard Paige Bueckers are featured in a self-shot video — plastered across WNBA accounts — in which Reese is holding cash, joking with Bueckers about betting on their game.

“Imma see you next week on Wednesday. … I know y’all gonna lose, but if y’all lose … if y’all win, you get the $400,” Reese films herself saying to Bueckers.

Reese later explains that if her team wins, “You owe me $400.”

The video is framed as being fun and cute, with Bueckers being asked on the night of the game if she remembers her bet with Reese, suggesting that there was plenty of thought behind the editing.

Once fans started calling out the content, the WNBA quickly deleted the video and issued an apology.

RELATED: WNBA All-Star weekend proved Caitlin Clark only player fit to be face of the league

“While the social media post was intended to be lighthearted, WNBA players are well aware of the league’s policies prohibiting betting on WNBA games and receive training every year reinforcing those policies,” the WNBA said in a statement to the New York Times.

The league continued, “We recognized that the post missed the mark, removed it shortly after it was published, and addressed the matter internally.”

“We will also use this as an opportunity to re-emphasize with the players involved that conversations about wagering on WNBA games, even when intended as a joke, can have negative consequences,” the WNBA added.

The WNBA’s 2026 collective bargaining agreement explicitly states that wagering “money or anything of value on the outcome” of any WNBA game can result in a “fine, suspension, and/or dismissal and disqualification from any further association with the WNBA.”

Rules for the NBA, the parent company of the WNBA, are similar, stating that any player who wagers is subject to “a fine, suspension, expulsion, and/or perpetual disqualification.”

The NBA does enforce its rules, and shocking gambling scandals have rocked the league recently, resulting in court cases and lifetime bans. NBA champions Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones were arrested last October after being allegedly tied to a mafia-backed gambling ring,

Former Miami Heat player Terry Rozier was arrested this year on bribery and conspiracy charges related to gambling, while Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter was banned for life over gambling in 2024.

Perhaps the most famous example of a professional athlete getting banned from his sport for betting on himself is Major League Baseball player Pete Rose in the late 1980s.

RELATED: How the WNBA’s hottest star became the left’s newest headache

Alexa Alejandro/FIBA/Getty Images

The WNBA’s egregious error comes at a bad time for the league. In addition to issues with the league’s social media team and players, even owners are under the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was suspended for five games for confronting and cursing at teen girls who were supporting Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham after she said men shouldn’t be allowed in women’s sports.

Women’s sports activist Jennifer Sey shared her thoughts on the Keaton controversy with Blaze News.

“Is five games enough?” asked Sey. “Plenty of people are saying no. They’re calling for her removal from ownership, a far longer ban.”

Sey called the suspension a sign of a cultural shift, adding that “protecting teenage girls from grown adults who treat basic reality as a moral offense should not be controversial.”

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​Wnba, Basketball, Nba, Gambling, Sports 

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is insisting that a momentary distraction behind the wheel caused a crash between him and a young woman and left him with a broken nose, broken ribs, a broken hand, and stitches in his face.

And while it appears that he is taking accountability for his actions, BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock isn’t buying the official story.

“This Kyle Shanahan story has gotten even more interesting to me,” he says.

“He holds a private, no-cameras-allowed press conference, or question-and-answer deal, with the local reporters in the Bay Area. No national media, no cameras,” he continues.

“What are we doing here?” he asks, pointing out that his injuries don’t quite match the accident.

“He’s going 20 miles per hour in an area that he knows is difficult terrain, and he’s reaching for his phone and he breaks his nose. He breaks three ribs. He breaks a hand. 40 stitches in his face,” Whitlock says.

“When I start thinking about it, it’s like somebody beat this man up, and I don’t believe it was the Tesla. I don’t believe it was the airbags in a Tesla or a Mercedes. I come away from yesterday even more suspicious,” he explains.

“So you’re saying this is Tiger Woods Thanksgiving 2009,” Steve Kim comments. “That’s kind of what you’re insinuating here. You said ‘beat up.’”

“And think about it. I can understand if you’re all tore up. You got bandages. Your nose is probably all busted. So you’re saying this is what you’re theorizing without saying it. His wife found out something and she took a nine iron to him,” he adds.

While Whitlock doesn’t believe it’s exactly like Tiger Woods, he does point out that “when you go to these lengths” to keep the story private, something feels off.

“It just doesn’t smell right to me,” he says.

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​Kyle shanahan, Jason whitlock, San francisco 49ers, Football, Nfl, Blazetv show 

Nick Shirley, the independent journalist who exposed widespread welfare fraud at Somali-run child care centers in Minnesota, recently took to the streets of New York City to ask Americans about the rise of socialism in the United States.

And some of the answers he received were downright jaw-dropping.

‘The idea of a criminal is like a little bit funny to me.’

While walking through Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, Shirley approached a young woman sitting on a park bench. During their conversation, she described herself as “pretty pro-communism” and said she was “not certain what prisons are actually doing for our society.”

“I’m pretty pro getting rid of prisons,” she added.

When Shirley asked where criminals would go if prisons did not exist, the woman replied, “Well, do I want criminals out in the open? Sure. I’m fine with that because the idea of a criminal is, like, a little bit funny to me.”

Shirley then raised a more specific question, asking whether someone convicted of raping a woman should be free to walk the streets.

RELATED: Democratic socialist leader goes on Fox and admits every extreme thing they want to do

“I think my answer is yes,” she responded.

“I’m not sure, like, them going to jail is a solution to, like, whatever’s going on inside their heart.”

The woman added that she had been “raped,” explaining that she wouldn’t want the man to whom she referred to as her “rapist” behind bars either.

Another young woman whom Shirley interviewed leaned into the argument that communism has never truly been implemented.

“Communism as it is in the Marx-Engels ‘Communist Manifesto’ has never been implemented in society,” she said, adding that China, the Soviet Union, Cuba and Venezuela “aren’t real forms of communism” but rather, in part, the “byproduct of American interventionism.”

Shirley also spoke with a man working on his laptop, which displayed a sticker reading, “This machine kills fascists.”

The man expressed his support for the rise of communism and socialist ideas in the United States, pointing to Greenwich Village’s long history of embracing the ideology.

“I think it’s a good thing,” he said. “You’re in the home of democratic socialists in Greenwich Village. This is where it began and where it’s thrived … and I hope it spreads through the country.”

RELATED: Owner of day care in Nick Shirley’s exposé now charged with FRAUD costing millions

Finn Gomez/Getty Images

When Shirley suggested that eliminating government fraud could free up resources without raising taxes, the man rejected the idea.

“Just because some thieves are stealing some stuff doesn’t mean that we should stop the system and stop taxing people and stop helping people,” he said. “Just because some people cheat doesn’t mean you should wipe out the system.”

Shirley cited a recent study by the Citizens Budget Commission that found New York lost nearly $11 billion in tax revenue over the past year as millionaires and billionaires relocated. But the man was unpersuaded.

“I don’t believe those numbers. Everybody wants to be here, so there’s no reason for them to leave.”

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​Billionaires, Communism, Criminals, New york city, Nick shirley, Prisons, Socialism, Politics 

Newly released bodycam video from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows deputies fatally shooting a knife-wielding male who authorities said stabbed a deputy last month in a Lancaster parking lot.

The video was released Tuesday; the incident occurred June 20 after deputies responded to a 911 call, KABC-TV reported.

‘Stop reaching.’

“Hey, I just want to make a report of a guy with some knives, swinging them in public,” the caller told a dispatcher, KABC said, citing an audio recording the sheriff’s department released.

Surveillance video shows three sheriff patrol vehicles arriving at the scene, the station said, adding that authorities said the suspect — identified as Robert Castro — is seen in the video walking away from the deputies and across a parking lot.

“Before Deputy #1’s patrol vehicle came to a stop, Castro turned and rapidly walked in the deputy’s direction,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement, according to KABC. “Castro then ran at Deputy #1, drew a knife, stabbed the deputy, and Deputy #1 discharged his service weapon.”

A second deputy also opened fire and then checked on the other deputy, who was bleeding from a stab wound, authorities said, according to the station.

Investigators said the body camera video shows Castro removing a knife from his pocket before the stabbing, KABC reported.

Following the initial confrontation, the second deputy is heard ordering Castro not to move, the station said.

“When Castro moves his hand, Deputy #2 commands him to ‘Stop reaching,'” the sheriff’s department said, according to KABC, adding that the second deputy then opens fire.

Castro was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, the station reported, adding that the injured deputy also was taken to a hospital and treated for the stab wound.

Authorities said Castro was in possession of three knives at the time of the incident, KABC noted.

RELATED: Knife-wielding male enters BBQ restaurant ‘frightening customers and staff’ — and then concealed-carrying patron steps up

Image source: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

“Following notification of this incident, DOJ’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team initiated an investigation in accordance with AB1506 mandates,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said in a statement last week, KABC reported.

After the state’s Department of Justice investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the department’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for independent review, the station said, citing a news release.

You can view the full sheriff’s department video here.

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​Bodycam video, Knife-wielding male, Fatal shooting, Officer involved shooting, Crime, Los angeles 

Democrats in Maine have swapped one radical U.S. Senate nominee with a whole lot of personal baggage for another — this time, a nominee who shares a great deal more in common with his romantic “partner” than a house and children.

Graham Platner advanced from the Maine Democratic primary on June 9 and enjoyed the continued support of various Democrats including Rep. Seth Moulton (Mass.), Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), and Sen. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), even after it was revealed that he sent at least six women sexually explicit texts while married; previously identified as a communist; branded rural white Americans as racists and all cops as “bastards”; mocked Jesus and the Virgin Mary; and adorned himself with an apparent Nazi tattoo.

Second cousins only share 3.125% of their DNA.

Platner’s campaign was nuked earlier this month by a sexual assault accusation made by a woman he dated several years ago. Platner officially withdrew from the race on July 10.

Troy Jackson — a former state senator who was rejected by voters in the Democratic gubernatorial primary on June 9 — won the nominating convention to replace Platner on Saturday.

Jackson was once a defender of the unborn and the institution of marriage. Now, like Platner, he is a bona fide leftist who supports Medicare for all, wealth redistribution, the radical LGBT agenda, the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, late-term abortion, and codifying abortion rights nationally.

And like Platner, Jackson has some skeletons in the closet.

Recent reports have, for instance, painted him as an individual with anger management issues, and his hot temper got the better of him on at least one occasion. His campaign confirmed that during a private meeting inside the state Capitol, he hurled a plastic water bottle. Multiple sources alleged to CNN that he was aiming at a female lawmaker at the time.

RELATED: Democrats have a MAJOR problem going into the midterms: Men

Ryan Murphy/Getty Images

The Maine Wire’s Steve Robinson, citing tipsters from Jackson’s hometown of Allagash and genealogical records, revealed on Thursday that the bottle-chucker is also a cousin-lover of sorts.

Troy Jackson and Lana Pelletier — his live-in significant other and the mother of his two sons — reportedly share the same great-grandparents: Thomas Pelletier and Edith Thibodeau. According to the Wire, Thomas and Edith’s daughter Albertine was Troy’s grandmother, and their son was Lana’s grandfather.

In other words, the Democrat and his romantic partner are second cousins.

These second cousins — reportedly identified in family records as the children of first cousins — have never legally married, although they could under Maine law, which allows first cousins to marry, but they must provide a doctor’s certificate of genetic counseling.

Whereas first cousins share, on average, 12.5% of their DNA from common relatives, second cousins share only 3.125% of their DNA, according to the International Society of Genetic Genealogy.

The Jackson campaign did not reply to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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​Us senate, Troy jackson, Graham platner, Maine, Democratic party, Politics