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A Google engineer named Justin Poehnelt went viral last week for a tweet that should embarrass everyone in Mountain View. Two months ago, he says, Google fired him for building the Google Workspace CLI, a command-line tool that hit #1 on Hacker News, racked up more than 25,000 GitHub stars, and pulled in thousands of real users in a matter of days. Two days before the company showed him the door, Google announced at its own Cloud Next conference that an official Workspace CLI was on the way.

Read that again. The man built the thing developers were begging for. Google’s response was to fire him and then ship its own version of his idea.

If you want to understand why a company that once defined the cutting edge now seems like a sleepy utility, this is the whole story in miniature.

What he actually built

Quick background for the non-nerds. A CLI, or command-line interface, is just a way to control software by typing commands instead of clicking around a screen. Poehnelt’s tool, gws, let you reach into Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and the rest of Google Workspace from the terminal. More importantly, it was built so that AI agents could do the same thing, with over 40 prebuilt “skills” an agent could call on its own.

These giant companies can coast on momentum for years.

The clever part: It didn’t ship with a fixed menu of commands. It read Google’s own published API directory at runtime and built itself on the fly. So the second Google adds a new capability, the tool already knows about it.

And here’s the part that matters for the “rogue employee” narrative people are pushing: This wasn’t some basement side project. Poehnelt spent nearly seven years at Google on the Workspace Developer Relations team. Building open-source tools on top of Google’s APIs is literally that team’s job. He wasn’t going around the company. He was doing the thing he was hired to do, and he did it better than anyone expected.

The official reason and the real one

So why fire him? The cover story is brand policy. The tool lived under Google’s googleworkspace GitHub account and wore Google’s logo and colors, which made it look like an official product when it technically wasn’t. Legal wanted to know who authorized that.

That’s a real concern, and to be fair to the suits, you can’t have employees slapping the corporate logo on unofficial software. There are liability questions. But a branding problem has an obvious fix that isn’t termination. You change the logo. You add a disclaimer. You move the repo. Companies issue “please update the README” requests a hundred times a day. Nobody loses their career over a color palette.

Poehnelt’s own read, in his own words, is more honest and more damning: “I think the cause was that Workspace and certain leaders (and projects) were afraid of being disrupted. But the fear wasn’t specific to my CLI, it was a broader fear in what agents meant for Workspace.”

There it is. The tool worked too well. It showed, in public, at millions of views, what an AI-agent future for Google Workspace could look like. Some product manager whose road map suddenly looked obsolete didn’t enjoy the spotlight. The man didn’t get fired for breaking a rule. He got fired for being right too early and too loudly.

The irony Google would rather you forget

Here’s the irony: Google exists because two grad students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, hacked together a search engine on Stanford’s network using the school’s resources, without anybody handing them a permission slip. The entire Silicon Valley story runs on exactly the kind of initiative Google just punished. How many startups began in a garage or dorm room?

The company that was built by people who shipped first and asked forgiveness later now fires the people who ship first and ask forgiveness later. It has become the bureaucracy its founders routed around.

RELATED: New lawsuit claims Ring’s smart doorbell spyware is taking photos of millions without their consent

EvgeniyShkolenko/Getty Images

That’s the mark of stagnation: an immune system so twitchy it attacks its own healthy cells, ensuring the safest move inside your company is to build nothing and stay invisible. The stock price doesn’t know it yet, but deep down, you do: You’ve already lost.

This isn’t a one-off

Poehnelt wasn’t the only one to walk. Addy Osmani left around the same time. He’s the longtime Googler who first posted the tool to the world back in March, a guy with 14 years at the company and a real reputation in web development. Poehnelt now calls that post “the tweet that got me fired.”

Peter Steinberger, creator of OpenClaw, summed up the mood: “Google fired the guy that made the google workspace cli, because he made the google workspace cli.”

The people capable of building Google’s future increasingly have no reason to build it at Google. They can do it independently, keep the upside, and skip the legal interrogation about logo colors. Poehnelt is already off doing his own thing. The repo he built is still live. Google’s official version is still “coming.” Eventually.

These giant companies can coast on momentum for years. But the rot moves faster: In the small decisions, in the moment a company decides that the man who made something people love is a threat rather than an asset. You can’t buy that kind of initiative back once you have taught your best people that showing it gets them fired.

Google ain’t making more Larry Pages. It would do well to remember how, before it’s too late.

​Tech 

America is in a “living battle for sovereignty and independence,” warns Glenn Beck.

And the stakes are higher than ever. With the Supreme Court’s recent rulings expanding presidential authority over independent agencies while reinforcing core constitutional protections like warrants, the battle lines are now clearly drawn.

“The agencies and the global pressures constantly pushing for more control and nuanced compromises in our founding liberties — it’s got to stop,” Glenn declares.

“Independence was never meant to be negotiated down into something comfortable — never. Freedom is uncomfortable. Freedom was meant to be declared and defended without apology or amendment.”

Glenn recalls the letter John Adams penned on his deathbed to be read at America’s 50th Independence Day celebration. He wrote, “A memorable epoch in the annals of the human race, destined, in future history, to form the brightest or the blackest page, according to the use or abuse of those political institutions by which they shall, in time to come, be shaped by the human mind.”

“It’s remarkable how the founders understood human nature and what could happen to the United States,” says Glenn.

Not even 100 years later, Woodrow Wilson — a president Glenn pulls no punches about hating — openly denounced the Declaration of Independence, criticizing people who he thought were stuck on the founding principles and resistant to embracing the “progressive” changes he wanted for America.

“[Wilson] completely inverts the Declaration. He says, ‘You don’t have inherent rights until government puts you in a position to claim them,”’ says Glenn. “That is the heart of the disease called progressivism, which is now known as democratic socialism.”

Unlike Wilson, who desperately wanted America to distance itself from the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln revered it as timeless and paramount.

“He wrote that these truths are ‘applicable to all men at all times … that today and in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling block to the very harbingers of reappearing tyranny and oppression,”’ Glenn quotes.

He warns, “We can’t assume that this radical idea of freedom will always be embraced by Americans, because we’re losing it now.”

“The fundamental principles of the Declaration are under attack from the left. They want you to forget about it, which makes it so important that you learn it.”

Glenn recalls an iconic John Adams moment from 1826. Shortly before his death, Adams requested that a toast be given in his honor on July 4. The words he wanted were simple: “Independence forever.”

When asked if he wanted to add anything else, Adams replied, “No, not a word.”

“That’s the spirit we need today,” says Glenn.

To hear more, watch the video above.

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​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Woodrow wilson, Abraham lincoln, Declaration of independence, July 4, Independence day 

The onset of America’s 250th birthday should feel like a greater deal than it is.

It should be, in the words of John Adams, “solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”

Despite this moment, when Americans are largely feeling down about themselves, the world lately has found itself quite impressed by America.

And yet 2026 has felt lethargic. America250 celebrations have mostly fallen under the radar or become subsumed into larger partisan divides. Even a local America250 lecture at my library devolved into a bully pulpit for a history professor to bark the “1619 Project” at a handful of seniors.

Reid my lips

If anything, there was active antagonism going into the weekend’s celebrations, with former MSNBC host Joy Reid sparking controversy on social media for dismissing the holiday as mournful and a mere “celebration of slave holders who freed themselves.” She continued, “Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice. I must mourn.”

This is even reflected in statistics. Recent YouGov polls have found that the percentage of people who “are proud to be an American” has dropped from 83% in 2024 to 70% last month. That number drops precipitously farther among Democrats (58%), Independents (59%), and those between the ages of 18 and 29 (56%). 40% of respondents say “America’s best days are in its past,” while 62% of Americans do not unconditionally support their country, noting severe “problems in your country” in need of solutions.

Certainly, the ongoing conflicts in Iran, Ukraine, Israel, and Minneapolis have put a damper on the public’s enthusiasm, but there is a creeping disdain at work as well. At a moment when Tucker Carlson, Hasan Piker, Nick Fuentes, and Zohran Mamdani alike have made startling gains attacking the heart of America’s institutional trust and credibility, those who are merely proud to be Americans may often feel alone or ashamed. Patriotism may feel hollow or alienating.

Horseshoe theory

There is a bipartisan consensus among the far right and far left that the status quo must be destroyed and replaced, whether that be by Marxist revolutionaries, white nationalists, or Catholic integralists. And despite their vast variety of opinions and backgrounds, they somehow all have an unhealthy relationship with Israel.

Despite this moment when Americans are largely feeling down about themselves, the world lately has found itself quite impressed by America. The past few weeks have been replete with hundreds of viral clips of World Cup fans flooding into cities like Dallas and Boston, discovering not only the incredible kindness of Americans, but the incredible achievement of the nation we have built. A generation of young people, raised on American movies and shows about how much America sucks, is now discovering that it is a bigger and more beautiful country than they were led to believe.

Americans often benefit from having their story told back to them by people outside America. Whether it is Tocqueville, Chesterton, Rand, Bono, or (God forbid) John Oliver, Americans often find their own story is best freshly told by outsiders or those who have lived outside it, usually because most of us have already forgotten it.

Captain Kirk

In his 1957 book “The American Cause,” the great conservative philosopher Russell Kirk lamented the strange discovery among postwar Americans that a generation of soldiers had just been sent overseas with a startling lack of knowledge about what they were even fighting for. Vichy French soldiers capturing American prisoners in North Africa were “astonished” by how “politically naive” the Americans were.

“For most Frenchmen are passionately interested in political notions; while most Americans … are not,” writes Kirk.

“One reason that the Americans … do not spend much time arguing over theories of politics is that for a very great while nearly all of us have been contented with our society and our form of government. We have not been revolutionaries since 1776 because we have felt that we have enjoyed as good a society as any people reasonably can hope for.”

Kirk warned that this remarkable sign of America’s success was also a danger. A generation freed from the burden of having to reinvent the world would create an ignorant and illiterate generation that lacked any ability to defend itself on first principles, thus making them weakened and vulnerable to all forms of subversion. Particularly in moments of change and confusion, this would create opportunities for anti-American ideologies to run rampant, to “give Americans a bad conscience, and to give the United States a bad reputation in the rest of the world.”

What really creates discontent in the modern age, as in all ages, is confusion and uncertainty. People turn to radical doctrines not necessarily when they are poor, but when they are emotionally and intellectually distraught. When faith in their world is shaken; when old rulers and old forms of government disappear; when profound economic changes alter their modes of livelihood; when the expectation of private and public changes becomes greater than the expectation of private and public continuity; when even the family seems imperiled; when people can no longer live as their ancestors lived before them, but wander bewildered in new ways — then the radical agitator, of one persuasion or another, has a fertile field to cultivate.

America as beacon

President Ronald Reagan famously said in his 1982 Memorial Day speech that America’s national anthem “ends with a question and a challenge. … Does that flag still wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” This is a question Americans must answer every generation, because, as he said in a later speech, “Freedom … is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.”

Is America still “a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home”? Will it remain that way? That remains to be seen. But as we find in the wisdom of George Washington, it will only be that way if we want it to be. As biographer James Thomas Flexner writes in his remarkable multi-volume work “Washington: The Indispensible Man,” Washington knew better in the Revolution than to approach the war as a battle of tactics and materials. He approached it rather as one of spirit and mind.

Washington was, indeed, so little the dedicated soldier that he never regarded fighting the enemy as the fundamental means by which the Revolutionary War would be won. He demonstrated again and again his conviction that the crucial battlefields were in the minds of individual Americans. If the majority decided that they would be better off under renewed submission to the Crown, all military efforts to defeat the British would be of as little avail as trying to stop a river that was perpetually flowing. But if the people became staunch supporters of American rights that they would hold steadfast through any emergency, the British might well march their military might into the ocean.

The war for the future of America is a battle over the hearts and minds of people, and if they freely choose to abdicate the American experiment upon the altar of despair and envy, that cannot be helped.

A meaningful effort

However, that does not mean that Americans who care about the fight for American republicanism can rest on their laurels. Nor can we give up hope and assume such an effort is pointless. We cannot take for granted that a generation that has learned most of its American history and civics from “Hamilton” is going to read the “Federalist Papers” and suddenly fall in love with classical liberalism, Judeo-Christian ethics, and the Electoral College.

A meaningful effort to fight the ongoing radicalism of our times is necessary. This necessitates new organizations, new methods, and a renewed effort to instill trust in a mainstream institutional culture that Americans have largely lost trust in. It means teaching people why they should trust their institutions, while institutions put in the effort to make themselves trustworthy. It means outlining the nature of ordered liberty and the free market at a moment when people are confused and scared. We cannot take any of our principals for granted. We must explain them all to people who are hearing them for the first time. And if you’re not sure how, Kirk’s “The American Cause” is a good place to start.

There is still plenty to love about America. It is still a great nation with a great effect on the world. More controversially, though, America is also a good nation. Sadly, Americans are terrible judges of our own character. Even if it takes soccer fans for us to recognize that, there is still hope for us.

​America at 250, Lifestyle, Culture 

Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael Pahira Jr. may have joined the ranks of Americans whose lives were tragically cut short by foreigners illegally present in the homeland.

Pahira — a 44-year-old native of Schuylkill County who enlisted in the Pennsylvania State Police in 2007, according to the PSP — was conducting an inspection on a tractor trailer he had pulled up onto the shoulder of Interstate 81 South near Ashland on July 1 when a second tractor trailer veered off the road in his direction.

‘Trooper Pahira was a hero, and his family, fellow troopers, and the public deserve answers.’

The incoming tractor trailer sideswiped the trooper’s cruiser, careened into the truck that Pahira was inspecting, then struck the trooper. According to the PSP, both trucks caught fire on impact.

Pahira’s body was found pinned beneath the bumper of the second tractor trailer, the Pottsville Republican Herald reported. Nearby construction workers ran toward the scene of the accident and pulled Pahira free from the flaming wreckage.

Pahira — who Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro revealed has in recent weeks been taking care of his cancer-afflicted mother — was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead 90 minutes later. The driver of the tractor trailer, 33-year-old Michael Bon, was also taken to a hospital, where he was treated for injuries.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Bon is an illegal alien from Haiti who initially entered the U.S. through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in July 2024 under the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole program.

RELATED: Rep. Raskin melts down after Republican gets real about Democrat policies that led to teen’s murder by illegal alien suspect

Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The DHS told the Boston Herald that Bon, who has been living in Brockton, Massachusetts, unsuccessfully filed an application in October 2024 for Temporary Protected Status — the very status the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the Trump administration to terminate late last month.

The DHS claimed that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services terminated Bon’s parole in June 2025, but the Haitian refused to leave and has remained in the country illegally ever since, the Herald reported.

Bon has been charged with felony vehicular homicide, felony vehicular aggravated assault, misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and involuntary manslaughter, as well as various traffic offenses. The Haitian is presently being held in Schuylkill County Prison and is scheduled to appear in court again on July 16.

As of Monday afternoon, no attorney was listed for Bon on court documents.

In a statement on Sunday, the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association highlighted Bon’s illegal presence in the country at the time of the crash, noting, “This is not about politics. This is about right versus wrong. Trooper Pahira was a hero, and his family, fellow troopers, and the public deserve answers.”

“They need to know why the person accused of this senseless killing, who was in the United States illegally, had been granted a commercial driver’s license in Massachusetts,” the PSTA continued. “This individual should never have been driving such a dangerous vehicle on our highways. But he was, and now a good man is dead. Trooper Pahira should be alive today.”

In March 2025, the Haitian national reportedly obtained a non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Bon applied to renew his CDL in February and was approved again, the MRMV confirmed to the Herald.

Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) stated, “We owe our law enforcement officers far better than this.”

Last week, Amelia Aubourg, a spokeswoman for the MRMV, attempted to assign blame for Bon’s licensing on the Trump administration, even though Massachusetts State Police are responsible for ensuring that such drivers are up to snuff in coordination with the state’s licensing authority, the Herald reported.

“The Non-Domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses program is a federal program,” Aubourg told the Herald. “This individual was ruled eligible based on the Trump administration database and allowed to drive by federal law and Trump administration policies.”

“The RMV relies on the federal SAVE database to determine whether someone is eligible to work in the United States. When Bon applied … in 2025 and 2026, he was listed by the federal government as eligible,” Aubourg added.

The Massachusetts State Police told Blaze News that its “role is limited to conducting the commercial skills test for the CDL program.”

Blaze News did not immediately receive comment from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Trump administration issued a final rule on March 16 barring DACA recipients, asylum seekers, refugees, TPS holders, and other noncitizens from obtaining, renewing, upgrading, or transferring non-domiciled CDL licenses.

During a press conference last week, Gov. Shapiro asked “the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to pray for the Pahira family. To pray for his friends and neighbors. To pray for Troop L, where Mike served. And, of course, to pray for the entire Pennsylvania State Police family.”

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​Illegal alien, Semi-truck, Truck driver, Haiti, Crime, Commercial driver’s licenses, Politics 

Speaking from George Washington’s desk, New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered an address for America’s 250th birthday in which he criticized ICE, capitalism, and the United States more broadly.

Surrounded by a group of recently naturalized American citizens, Mamdani framed the U.S. as a “nation of contradictions.”

‘The truth, my friends, is that America is exceptional because here nothing is fixed into place.’

“We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world, one where children go to sleep hungry while the world’s first trillionaire hungers for more. We see monopolies that dominate every industry and oligarchs who buy elections,” he said in remarks released on July 3.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, further critiqued American capitalism and overseas military action.

“We see a nation whose immense wealth has been built by those with calloused, dirt-streaked hands … and we see a nation that has allowed so much of that wealth to be held instead in the soft hands of a precious few.”

“I see America in a health insurance industry that exploits the sick … in corporate landlords for whom negligence is a business model … when we spend our tax dollars on bombs and bailouts, when we sell our elections to the highest bidder.”

The mayor also appeared to take a jab at President Trump, whom he has openly referred to as a fascist, saying, “Those ideals upon which our nation was built — they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime.”

Throughout the speech, Mamdani focused on America and New York City as a story of immigrants fleeing hardship in search of a better life.

“Despite laws enacted by the federal government to bar their entry, despite sweatshop fires that killed hundreds of women, despite riots aimed at their very existence, immigrants made homes here in New York City, and they helped to make New York City.”

Drawing from his personal experience of migrating from Uganda at age 7, Mamdani, who became a U.S. citizen in 2018 and holds dual U.S.-Ugandan citizenship, said, “From the air, we could make out the promise of America, the promise of the beautiful patriotic work of rendering America, year after year, a little more faithful to its founding ideals.”

RELATED: Mamdani seemingly begins his ‘defund the police’ reign by nixing officer increase

He then turned to ICE and criticized the deportation of illegal immigrants.

“We see masked agents terrorizing our streets, eating food cooked by our undocumented neighbors before spiriting them away in unmarked vans. … We see America each time neighbors link arms with neighbors, without asking how long they have lived here or what papers they have, as ICE invades our neighborhoods.”

Mamdani offered his interpretation of patriotism, a sentiment that currently sits at a historic low for the Democratic Party, according to a recent Gallup poll.

“There are some who respond to those who ask for more from America with a simple refrain. ‘Love it or leave it,’ they say. But patriotism has never been about pretending our nation is without flaws. … It is precisely because we love this nation that we will not leave it.”

He also addressed the concept of American exceptionalism.

“We are told that America is exceptional because we are richer, stronger, more powerful than everyone else. The truth, my friends, is that America is exceptional because here, nothing is fixed into place.”

Bruce Blakeman, the Republican nominee for New York governor, blasted the mayor over his address.

“Mamdani’s 4th of July Address was a dark and vindictive appraisal of America’s past, present and future,” Blakeman said. “America is a beacon of freedom that has created more prosperity for everyday people than any other civilization in the history of the world. No wonder people from all over the world crave to come here. Mamdani is a dangerous subversive who must be stopped.”

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​Independence day, Mayor zohran mamdani, New york city, Politics 

A small city on the outskirts of Toronto has become an unlikely front line in the debate over free speech and government power — a debate increasingly familiar to Americans as well.

Pickering Councillor Lisa Robinson, one of Canada’s most controversial municipal politicians, is seeking the mayor’s office even as she faces fresh restrictions on her participation in council proceedings and yet another clash with the city’s integrity commissioner.

‘And it’s kind of like a group-think mentality over there.’

Robinson has become a cause célèbre among conservative and libertarian activists after repeated clashes over free speech, Pride displays, government transparency, and municipal governance. Her critics say she has harassed city employees and spread misinformation; her supporters say she is being punished for asking uncomfortable questions and refusing to conform.

Reagan inspiration

The latest dispute marks another chapter in a political battle that has already cost Robinson nearly two years of pay and raises a larger question: Are public institutions increasingly treating dissent on politically sensitive topics as misconduct rather than disagreement to be answered through debate?

Asked what motivates her, Robinson reaches for one of Ronald Reagan’s most famous observations.

“Well, you know, Ronald Reagan once said that government is not the solution to the problem; government is the problem, and I can honestly now say that I agree with that statement 100%,” Robinson told Blaze Media.

“So I’m running for mayor to return City Hall back to the people. As you know, during my tenure [as] city councillor, I’ve witnessed so many things — I’ve witnessed firsthand extortion, corruption, lying, a [‘rules for thee but not for me’] attitude, a lot of wasteful spending [of] the taxpayers’ dollars.”

Outsider mentality

Robinson’s latest controversy stems from a YouTube video in which she questioned the narrative surrounding the alleged discovery of “mass graves” at the former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia. Robinson argued that politicians and media outlets transformed preliminary ground-penetrating radar findings into claims that hundreds of children’s remains had been discovered.

Her remarks prompted another complaint to the city’s integrity commissioner and renewed accusations that she was spreading misinformation and causing harm to indigenous communities. The dispute has become emblematic of a broader argument in Canada and the United States over where to draw the line between controversial political speech and conduct that public institutions deem harmful.

The controversy is only the latest in a long-running conflict between Robinson and Pickering’s political establishment.

She says she first encountered that establishment mentality when a senior municipal official advised her that she should stop thinking of herself as an outsider.

“With all due respect, Councillor Robinson, you are no longer an outsider looking in,” she recalls being told.

“That really stuck with me. I guess they just figured that I was going to just follow along with the status quo and just … go along with everything that they said, no questions asked.

“And it’s kind of like a group-think mentality over there, and the moment that you start asking questions, that you start going on your own … any time that you start to push back against the establishment, then you know you’re going to get the reception that I have received over the last four years of docking my pay.”

RELATED: Will Alberta leave Canada? Either way, Premier Danielle Smith is feeling the heat

NurPhoto/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The price of speech

Robinson says she has effectively gone nearly two years without receiving a salary from the city because of repeated suspensions.

Her vision for Pickering, she says, is straightforward.

“When I’m mayor, I want to create a utopia here: Stop the rising taxes, protect the people, protect their properties, [and] give children the ability to thrive here in Pickering.”

She says the city has allowed prime farmland to be gobbled up by “the greedy hands of developers” who have created a “senseless” urban sprawl.

“So it’s my whole entire campaign: I’m basically running to return City Hall to the people.”

Robinson says she once lost three months’ pay after suggesting she would use strong mayoral powers to overhaul City Hall.

“[I said] I would go into City Hall; I’d get rid of the [chief administrative officer], the city solicitor, and a bunch of the directors, because corruption does start at the top. I would tear it down, build it back up from the bottom, and give it back to the people. And I lost three months’ pay for that.”

The city sees the matter differently. An independent workplace investigation commissioned by Pickering concluded that Robinson’s statements and actions toward staff constituted workplace harassment and created a “poisoned work environment.” Robinson disputes those findings, saying she has never threatened city employees and that criticizing government decisions and public officials is not harassment but democratic accountability.

‘Standing my ground’

Despite the sanctions and controversies, Robinson says she has no regrets.

“I have done nothing illegal. All I have done is speak the truth and try to make people know what happens in your local politics.”

Asked what she considers her proudest accomplishment as a city councillor, despite often serving without pay, Robinson’s answer is simple.

“I guess it would have to be just standing my ground, staying with my morals and my integrity, fighting as hard as I can for the people. Even if I’m not successful, I know that I have done everything that I can thus far to help the people.”

Whether Robinson is ultimately viewed as a victim of institutional overreach or an elected official who repeatedly crossed the line, her battles with Pickering have turned one municipal council chamber into a test case for a question increasingly confronting democracies on both sides of the border: When does dissent become misconduct?

​Conservative activism, Pickering, Toronto, Free speech, Lisa robinson, Lifestyle, Politics, Letter from canada 

On Monday, in a Provo, Utah, courthouse, a preliminary hearing got under way for Tyler Robinson, who is accused of killing Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. Charlie Kirk’s YouTube channel is carrying the hearing live. You can watch via the video embed below:

Blaze News will have updates on the hearing.

Editor’s note: The image used is from a June 12, 2026, hearing in Utah.

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​Charlie kirk, Assasination, Politics, Tyler robinson 

Referee Raphael Claus has become the center of attention since issuing American player Folarin Balogun a pivotal red card last week.

However, this isn’t the first time the Brazilian referee has been the focus of controversy with a governing body.

‘Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA.’

The FIFA World Cup’s red card heard around the world, which landed Balogun a one-game suspension, came in the 64th minute of the U.S.’ 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday.

Even though FIFA lifted Balogun’s match ban on Sunday — after a call from President Trump — eyes have been fixated on Claus after details of a match-fixing scandal in his home country have re-emerged.

Claus, along with two other Brazilian referees, were called to testify before a 2024 Senate Parliamentary Inquiry Commission on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting in Brazil.

According to Brazilian outlet O Dia, Claus and fellow referee Daiane Caroline Muniz were asked to participate in secret sessions regarding particular games in the Brasileirão, the top Brazilian soccer league, where Claus refereed the game and Muniz was working on the video review team.

For both the 2022 and 2023 Brazilian Championships, the two were asked to provide clarification on their use of video review and “any possible influences on match results.”

The investigation included videos provided by Rio de Janeiro club Botafogo FR that purportedly showed unaired video footage that contradicted the decisions made by the referees.

That wasn’t the only accusation made in the report.

RELATED: Report: Trump personally involved in FIFA overturning USA player’s suspension

Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images

Another item that caught the attention of Brazilian soccer officials was the shocking number of games Claus and Muniz worked on together: 11. This was found to be unusual, as it greatly exceeded the typical limit for referees working together, which is a maximum of three, according to O Dia.

Botafogo also reportedly asked that Claus not be allowed to referee one of the team’s matches.

The Sporting News also reported that Claus has been accused of handing out “irregular red cards.”

At the same time, former referee Glauber do Amaral Cunha was pulled into the investigation over audio where he is allegedly heard complaining about not being able to manipulate a “smaller division” game.

In the end, Claus was found not guilty by the Brazilian Football Confederation and faced no charges. Per the New York Post, investigators found no direct evidence linking Claus to any schemes, and he was not punished.

Muniz is still listed on FIFA’s website as a referee and video match official, and Cunha retired before the investigation began.

The Trump call

Blaze News previously reported that President Trump may have placed a phone call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask if FIFA’s governing body would review the red card. Blaze News has since independently verified that was indeed the case, with subsequent follow-ups revealing that the president was first notified of the incident by White House FIFA World Cup Task Force executive director Andrew Giuliani.

By Wednesday night, Politico reported, the White House put in motion its attempts to appeal Balogun’s suspension, and what followed has been described as four days of lobbying, legal maneuvering, and diplomacy.

Trump made the call on Thursday and, by his own admission, told the FIFA boss “that wasn’t a foul.”

Trump also said Claus is “a little bit suspect if you check his past” and “made a call that nobody could believe” last week.

“So yes, I asked for a review by FIFA,” Trump added.

Meanwhile, Giuliani focused on Claus and those same controversies from recent years. Senior government officials reportedly reviewed Claus’ story, making sure to evaluate every angle that they could use in their appeal.

By Sunday, FIFA had decided Balogun did not deserve a suspension, but rather a probationary period, although it did not publish a report on the decision reached by its 18-person disciplinary committee.

RELATED: Trump’s USA World Cup watch party a raucous hit on National Mall

The Post reported that Claus has given out just the one red card in 23 international matches and averages more than four yellow cards per match in Brazil.

Claus also refereed two matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar: England vs. Iran and Canada vs. Morocco.

FIFA and the Brazilian Football Confederation did not responded to requests for comment from Blaze News.

The United States and Belgium play at 8 p.m. ET on Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle.

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​Fearless, Soccer, World cup, Brazil, Us soccer, Referee, Sports 

As the nation prepares for its 250th birthday, patriotism is down among the left — with some even saying that just waving the flag feels “MAGA.”

“This one feels different to many Americans,” Erin Burnett said in a CNN interview with Jon Meacham about the Fourth of July.

“There’s a new Gallup poll that saw that just 53% of Americans say they’re very or extremely proud to be American. Ten years ago, that same poll said the number was 81%,” Burnett continued.

“My jaw drops when I see that,” she added. “What do you see here? Is this really about Trump?”

“I hate to say it, but I think it is,” Meacham answered.

“It’s you guys,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says, shocked.

“I mean, what losers. What losers. If you would have asked me during the Obama years or the Joe Biden years, ‘Do you love this country?’ I’d be like, hell yes. And that is why I want better for it. The love for the country doesn’t leave,” she adds.

But CNN isn’t the only outlet denigrating America before its birthday.

“As nation turns 250, many Americans say the Stars and Stripes is now a red flag,” one NBC News headline reads, with the subhead below: “The American flag: To some, it’s Old Glory. To others, it’s a MAGA hat on a stick.”

The article spotlighted a man named Bruce Watson from Massachusetts, who said that while he was “very proud” of his American flag, he fears “his Stars and Stripes may now need an asterisk.”

“If we do fly the flag, we will also put out signs to make it clear that we are not MAGA,” he added.

“By the way, his stupid gay sign says, ‘Our home believes in kindness, hope, peace, justice, equality, science, respect, diversity, and love,’” Gonzales comments.

“Oh, that’s so cute. You know who’s not putting out that sign? Me. I want you to know I’m America first, and I want you to cry harder about it,” she adds.

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​Sara gonzales, Maga, Cnn, Obama, Joe biden, Donald trump, Sara gonzales unfiltered 

Americans all over the country celebrated the 250th anniversary with fireworks, barbecue, and friends and family. Still others celebrated by joining one of the most patriotic-looking events — which was joined by United States Marines.

On Sunday, the day after Independence Day, dozens of Marines joined hundreds of enthusiastic runners for a remarkably patriotic run in the heart of New York City.

‘It does not matter who gets in our way. We will tell them we love them, and we’ll keep it pushing anyways.’

Video from the run shows rows of uniformed Marines running through Central Park, followed closely by hundreds of proud Americans carrying American flags of various sizes.

The group that organized the run, Unify USA, is on a mission to run with the American flag in all 50 states, uniting the country “one step and one smile at a time.”

RELATED: What are the odds? America’s birthday is full of incredible coincidences

One of the co-founders, Teagan McCoy, spoke at the event, holding a large American flag as he addressed the enthusiastic crowd of runners in Central Park.

“We are out here to spread patriotic positivity!” he said. “I expect to lose my voice at every event because I’m so passionate about this.”

He added that it doesn’t matter which state anyone is in because there are patriots all over the country: “I don’t care where you’re at. There are Americans who care in this country, and we are here to exemplify that.”

Teagan’s brother and group co-founder, Koston McCoy, also addressed the crowd, emphasizing the message that Unify USA is seeking to promote:

Every single day we have to wake up and decide: Are we going to do what we have to do to unify America one step and smile at a time? Are we gonna continue to ignore that there’s division in this country? And are we gonna stand proud for the flag that we hold in our hands today — and not only for today, but for the weeks, months, years, and for the rest of our life say we are proud to be Americans?

“It does not matter who gets in our way. We will tell them we love them, and we’ll keep it pushing anyways.”

Unify USA started at the end of last year and has gained traction as the 50-state tour has progressed. Its six-pillar mission includes restoring patriotism in the communities they visit, leading more people to heaven, supporting our veterans, and giving back to others.

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​American flags, Americans, Independence day, New york city, States, Veterans, Politics 

Triple-degree heat and a severe thunderstorm weren’t enough to dampen patriots’ celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in the national capital.

Hours after the National Mall was evacuated on account of severe weather warnings, perhaps as many as 150,000 soaked and resilient attendees returned to join President Donald Trump in celebrating the country, honoring its heroes, and enjoying the dazzling fireworks.

‘I feel betrayed.’

Whereas his countrymen gathered at the National Mall couldn’t contain their joy, Chuck Todd, the ex-host of “Meet the Press,” evidently found himself unable to contain his anger and resentment over the America 250 celebrations.

The eponymous host of “The Chuck ToddCast” worked himself into a lather on Sunday, ranting about how “Donald Trump has ruined the American brand and the American birthday celebration” by supposedly making it “feel like an endorsement of one man or one political movement.”

While short on specifics about how Trump ruined the celebrations, Todd was confident that the country would have been better off with “hokey and bland” ceremonies rather than memorable, high-production events such as the UFC 250 matches at the White House.

Todd rattled off a list of sights that make some Americans feel patriotic, including military power, memorials for the founders, and fireworks — then noted what really floats his boat is a naturalization ceremony. He argued that Trump’s 250 celebrations were too narrowly tailored to certain types of patriotism and failed to “make room for other people’s patriotism too.”

RELATED: What are the odds? America’s birthday is full of incredible coincidences

Amid FARAHI/AFP/Getty Images

Despite suggesting that patriotism takes different forms, Todd insinuated that liberal guilt was essential.

“Patriotism is not being afraid of history. It is not pretending the country was perfect in 1776. It is not acting as if the only way to love America is to sand off every rough edge and call the result pride,” said the podcaster.

“I am so angry and feel betrayed,” whined Todd.

“I feel betrayed as an American by him on this.”

Closing out the July 4 events that caused Todd to gripe and tremble, Trump said, “We have thrived and flourished because our founders were great. Our cause was just. Our people are brave. Our culture is exceptional. And our destiny is written by God.”

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​America 250, Chuck todd, Independence day, Patriotism, Politics, President donald trump, Trump derangement syndrome, Washington dc 

Sony’s July 1 announcement that it would no longer produce video games in disc format has quickly spiraled out of control for the company.

After the PlayStation creators initially faced intense backlash from the gaming community on their social media and blog posts, that rage turned into a viral craze of major international brands trash-talking Sony overnight.

‘You wouldn’t steal fried chicken.’

Sony said on Wednesday it is ending the production of its physical game discs and will completely cease by January 2028, but by early Thursday morning companies like KFC were already dragging Sony over the announcement.

“BREAKING NEWS: KFC will stop offering its physical format starting today,” KFC Spain wrote on X at about 3 a.m. ET. “Its products can only be consumed through its app in fake PNG format.”

This was accompanied by “digital format” menu items, along with a parody commercial of the 2004 “you wouldn’t steal a car” ad campaign that condemned digital downloads. Instead, KFC wrote, “You wouldn’t steal fried chicken.”

RELATED: ‘You are killing ownership’: PlayStation goes digital-only as disc-loving gamers rage

Domino’s U.K. made a more serious accusation of Sony at first, saying the digital switch “makes about as much sense as us changing to digital pizzas.”

The pizza company added, “They took Blockbuster from us; now the gaming aisle.”

On Thursday morning, Domino’s announced its own digital format. “Domino’s UK will cease production of physical pizzas and shift to production of digital pizzas only,” the post read. “Consumers will be able to download our full range of delicious pizza codes and, using the power of the imagination, enjoy them in an entirely virtual sense.”

RELATED: New Senate bill punishes chilling of online speech — if it passes

GameSir, which manufactures video game controllers, also said the company “will fully cease the production of physical controllers,” to be replaced by “quantum entanglement and pure imagination.”

Other companies like email provider Proton said they will make their services entirely physical instead, in a hilarious reversal.

The company said it will offer “… encrypted letters hand-delivered by our team … [and] someone who follows you around and remembers your passwords.”

This was followed by a “VPN [that] flies you to one of 90+ locations so you can browse like a local,” while the AI service would instead be “a smart employee” who is sent to you to “answer questions, help with work, and draw things.”

On a serious note, gamers pointed to a recirculating post from iconic video game writer/director Hideo Kojima from 2021.

That August, Kojima predicted that “Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative.”

The Japanese creator explained that whenever a “major change or accident” happens around the world, access to media may “suddenly be cut off.”

“We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved. I would be a have-not. That’s what I’m afraid of. This is not greed,” Kojima added.

His predictions have proven to be true, with the most recent example from just this week when Sony also announced it would be deleting over 500 movies from its library due to licensing.

This means that users who have purchased the content will have it removed from their accounts starting September 1.

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​News, Sony, Playstation, Physical media, Domino’s pizza, Kfc, Hideo kojima, Tech 

California regulators say they’re trying to save drivers money.

Their latest proposal would establish energy-efficiency standards for replacement tires, with the state arguing that more efficient tires will reduce fuel consumption, lower emissions, and save consumers money at the pump.

Imagine walking into a grocery store and being told certain products are no longer available because government officials decided another option was more efficient.

On paper, it sounds reasonable.

But it raises a much bigger question: Why should Sacramento decide which tires Americans are allowed to buy in the first place?

And if you think this will stay in California, think again. New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, and several other states have a long history of following California’s automotive regulations.

Where the rubber meets the road

Supporters argue that many replacement tires are less efficient than the original equipment tires that came on a vehicle, causing drivers to spend more on fuel.

The problem is that regulators are making an assumption that simply isn’t true: that the factory tire was somehow the best tire available.

Anyone who has spent time in the automotive industry knows better.

Automakers don’t choose tires based solely on fuel economy. Tire selection is a compromise involving cost, supplier relationships, ride quality, handling, noise, durability, availability, production requirements, and corporate agreements.

Sometimes, the factory tire is excellent. Sometimes, it’s merely adequate. Sometimes, it simply helped the manufacturer hit a cost target.

That’s why the replacement tire market exists.

Different priorities

Drivers have different priorities. Some want a quieter ride. Others want longer tread life, better snow traction, improved handling, or simply a less expensive option than the tire that came from the factory.

California’s proposal elevates fuel economy above all of those considerations.

Ask someone in a snowy climate whether they care more about winter traction or a small improvement in fuel economy. Ask a family on a tight budget whether they’d rather spend less on tires today or save a few dollars at the pump years from now. Ask a Mustang, Corvette, or Porsche owner whether maximum fuel efficiency was the reason they bought the car.

Different drivers have different priorities because they live different lives.

That’s why this debate isn’t really about tires. It’s about who gets to make decisions.

The state believes regulators should determine which tradeoffs are acceptable. Consumers traditionally believe they should make those decisions themselves.

RELATED: Spinning out at Discount Tire’s Treadwell test track

Discount Tire

Who decides?

Imagine walking into a grocery store and being told certain products are no longer available because government officials decided another option was more efficient. Maybe the alternative is perfectly acceptable. Maybe it isn’t. The point is that somebody else made the decision for you.

The state insists consumers aren’t losing all choice because multiple tire brands will still be available. But that’s not the issue. The issue is that government is narrowing the menu of options based on criteria regulators have prioritized over consumer preference.

Drivers replace tires for all kinds of reasons. They move to different climates, switch to all-season or winter tires, buy used vehicles that need affordable replacements, or prioritize tread life, comfort, or performance over fuel economy.

Those aren’t edge cases. They’re everyday realities.

California projects that consumers will save money through improved fuel efficiency. But that calculation only works if the additional cost of compliant tires doesn’t outweigh the fuel savings.

That’s a major assumption.

Tires are already expensive, and specialty and performance tires can cost hundreds of dollars each. If regulations reduce competition and eliminate lower-cost alternatives, consumers could face fewer choices and higher prices.

Let the market work

The replacement tire market works because it allows consumers to compare tradeoffs. Companies such as Tire Rack have built their reputations helping drivers evaluate those tradeoffs, and their testing routinely shows that no single tire is best at everything.

A tire with excellent fuel economy may not offer the best performance. A tire with exceptional tread life may sacrifice handling. A high-performance tire may give up efficiency in exchange for grip.

That’s not a flaw. That’s the point of a competitive marketplace.

Then there’s another question worth asking: Who benefits?

The answer isn’t some giant conspiracy theory involving tire manufacturers. But history shows that complicated regulations often favor larger companies with the engineering resources, testing facilities, and compliance departments necessary to navigate new requirements. Smaller competitors frequently face greater challenges.

That may not be the intent. But it is often the outcome.

California officials argue the program will help achieve broader environmental goals and reduce fuel consumption statewide. That’s a legitimate policy objective.

The question is whether those benefits justify restricting the choices available to millions of consumers.

Basic questions

Before regulators decide which tires Americans should be allowed to buy, they should answer a basic question: If a driver understands the tradeoffs and is spending their own money, why should Sacramento decide that fuel-efficiency targets matter more than that consumer’s personal preferences?

The California Energy Commission is conducting this rulemaking through Docket 26-TIRE-01 using authority granted under Assembly Bill 844, legislation passed in 2003.

Think about that.

A law enacted more than 20 years ago could soon help determine which replacement tires Americans can buy in the future.

That’s not speculation.

That’s public record.

Go read it.

​Automotive, Tires, California, Regulation 

Hawaii may be known for its beauty, but little known about the paradise is its anti-gun law — which forced gun owners to leave their firearms at home unless a public place posted that guns were welcome.

The state used its “spirit of aloha” as a reason for the law.

“So in other words, you can’t bring your gun anywhere unless it’s posted. Where the rest of the sane world, if a store owner says, ‘I don’t want guns in here,’ they have to post, ‘No guns allowed,’” BlazeTV host Glenn Beck explains.

“They fenced off 96% of publicly accessible land with a stroke of a pen. 96%. And they called it, proudly, the vampire rule. Because like a vampire, a vampire can’t cross the threshold unless you invite them in,” he says.

However, that all changed this past week in Wolford v. Lopez, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Hawaii’s law prohibiting licensed concealed-carry permit holders from carrying handguns on private property open to the public violates the Second and 14th Amendments.

Glenn notes that Justice Alito played a huge part in the ruling, explaining that he “drove a stake through the heart of the vampire rule in Hawaii” when he ruled that your right to carry arms shouldn’t end in your home.

“Alito said the Second Amendment means the same thing whether you have a lei around your neck or not. It doesn’t bend to the spirit of aloha any more than it bows to the mayor of, you know, Chicago or New York,” Glenn explains.

“A right is a right. It doesn’t change with zip codes,” he adds.

Hawaii also used an 1865 Louisiana statute as an example of the law being used before.

“If you’re going back and you’re looking for ways to defend yourself and you have to go to the South in the 1860s, it’s probably not going to be something you should say out loud,” Glenn says.

“That statute in 1865 said you can’t bring a gun on another man’s property without permission. And they actually said ‘that’s tradition.’ … No, that’s not tradition. That was called the Black Code. And it was written after the Civil War to disarm free black men so they couldn’t protect their families,” he continues.

“So the instrument that was used for racial disarmament, they said it’s the ‘spirit of aloha,’” he adds.

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​Civil war, Fourteenth amendment, Glenn beck, Justice alito, Second amendment, Hawaii, Supreme court, Gun laws, The glenn beck program 

Snapchat said what researchers found when they signed up for the app was not a balanced assessment, despite an overwhelming amount of “unsafe” content reportedly being shown to teens.

A study from ParentsTogether Action and the Heat Initiative has revealed that new Snapchat accounts meant for 13-year-olds are allegedly recommended a bounty of violence, sex, and drug-themed content as soon as they sign up.

‘A systematic failure to keep kids safe on Snapchat.’

The adult researchers say they created Snapchat accounts registered as 13-year-old users with no saved contacts and used avatars, not real photos, before documenting their interactions with recommended accounts and videos.

The users watched one hour of Snapchat’s recommended “Spotlight” videos and one hour of videos on Snapchat Stories and said that “within the first minute,” the accounts were suggested unsafe content.

Unsafe content was defined as being sexual in nature, promoting depression or self-harm, containing drug use/alcohol/violence, promoting plastic surgery, and more.

There was reportedly no shortage of such material, as researchers said they were recommended 739 unsafe videos that included 244 sexual videos and 257 videos about drugs or alcohol.

Some of the content showed bags of marijuana, allegedly underage teens using drugs, and even teens talking about killing themselves.

Other sexual content contained one girl talking about being a “dirty little slut,” while another talked about her experience with anal sex.

Additionally, Snapchat also “recommended adults who were using their Snapchat accounts to promote adult-oriented businesses, including shoes and costumes for exotic dancers, a burlesque club, and lingerie modeling.”

This was in addition to content showing very young girls in revealing outfits doing dances or trying on outfits. Many comments sexualized the young girls and used pizza-related emojis, which is allegedly a veiled reference to pedophilia.

RELATED: The KIDS Act would turn web browsing into a TSA line

Images courtesy of ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative

NBC’s “Today” ran a segment that stated half of Americans ages 13-17 say they use Snapchat every day. The program interviewed three teenagers who said they joined Snapchat before turning 13 years old, with one girl saying it is “normal” to see “extremely hyper-sexual” and “extremely violent” content on the app.

“I think it’s kind of omnipresent,” a male teen said about the content.

Showing kids this type of content, the teenager argued, has “redefined” kids to be “unsurprised by vile … acts.”

One teen named Emma said she often gets added by strangers who “most of the time” send her pictures of their “anatomy.”

Snapchat told “Today” that it automatically makes young peoples’ accounts private and undiscoverable by adult strangers. Snapchat also said it “will not connect adults with underage users unless they have three mutual contacts.”

Snapchat further told “Today” that the report is “based on a handful of ‘researcher’-created accounts,” which “does not provide a balanced or representative assessment of teen safety on Snapchat.”

Snapchat insisted that “no single safety feature or policy can eliminate every potential risk,” adding that the company continues to “invest in new protections and work closely with safety experts, law enforcement, parents, and policymakers … to keep all Snapchatters safe.”

RELATED: US company will use Chinese humanoid robots at Michigan data center

Image courtesy of ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative

“Our research makes clear that Snapchat’s own product design, particularly its recommendation algorithms, consistently puts children in harm’s way, sometimes within minutes of joining the platform,” said Heat Initiative President Brooke Istook in a statement to Blaze News.

Istook added, “Parents have been sounding the alarm for years. Lawsuits have documented the harms. Children continue to be targeted, exploited, and exposed to dangerous content because Snap has not fixed the systems that cause these risks.”

Shelby Knox, director of online safety for ParentsTogether Action, said in a statement that what researchers found “wasn’t just disturbing; it was a systematic failure to keep kids safe on Snapchat.”

The organizations called for Snapchat to redesign its platform with safer defaults and recommendations.

Snapchat did not respond to a request for comment by Blaze News.

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​News, Snapchat, Social media, Child safety, Tech 

Just when the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team looked to be shorthanded going into its next World Cup match, FIFA made a shocking announcement.

Though the team won 2-0 against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday, the victory was bittersweet for the United States given that lead scorer Folarin Balogun received a red card in the 64th minute, which came with a suspension for the next match.

‘It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad decision.’

Just a day before their pivotal round-of-16 match against Belgium, the Americans learned they could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that FIFA had concluded, following a review, that Balogun’s foul was no longer worthy of a suspension.

The FIFA disciplinary committee announced it would instead place Balogun on a probationary period, allegedly after President Donald Trump gave FIFA President Gianni Infantino a call following Wednesday’s game.

Trump called Infantino to ask if FIFA’s governing body would review the red card, the Associated Press reported, while Fox News similarly reported this to be the case, citing an inside source.

“In line with article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year,” FIFA said in a statement, per NBC News. “If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”

Trump reacted to the news on Sunday afternoon with a post on Truth Social that read, “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”

RELATED: Trump’s USA World Cup watch party a raucous hit on National Mall

Adding controversy to the story is the fact that referee Raphael Claus — who issued the red card to Balogun — has been involved in an investigation surrounding match-fixing in Brazil.

The New York Post reported that Claus was summoned as a witness in a match-fixing and sports-betting investigation in 2024, in which multiple soccer teams had raised concerns over his in-match decisions and issuance of cards. However, Claus was found not guilty and faced no charges or punishments as investigators reportedly found no direct evidence that linked him to any such schemes.

Claus refereed in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, too.

Neither the Brazilian Football Confederation nor FIFA responded to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Reactions

Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia was described by the Associated Press as mocking FIFA’s decision, comparing it to an April Fool’s joke: “I didn’t know that in the offices of FIFA the 5th of July was the 1st of April in Europe.”

Garcia added, “The Belgian federation does not defend itself; it does not protect the national team. She defends football in general, she defends her integrity, her ethics. I think it’s the first time in the history of the World Cup that there is this kind of decision.”

The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by the decision and that it was “investigating all potential options.”

RELATED: NFL legend Chris Johnson, father of 4, reveals devastating diagnosis: ‘I can’t even hold a cup’

The United States Soccer Federation said it was “pleased” by FIFA’s decision to reinstate Balogun, according to NBC News.

“We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete [Monday],” the statement said. “Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans.”

At the same time, Norway head coach Stale Solbakken said FIFA rescinding the suspension was a “bad decision” that would tarnish a U.S. victory, should the team prevail against Belgium.

“It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad decision for the World Cup, and I feel sorry for the U.S., because if they win, the result will always be looked at in that way,” Solbakken said, per ESPN.

Soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic said the red card should never have been given in the first place.

The United States and Belgium play at 8 p.m. ET on Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle.

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​Fearless, World cup, Team usa, Soccer, Donald trump, Fifa, Belgium, Sports, Politics 

Two female police officers were assaulted and injured in a July 4 mob attack in South Carolina that was caught on video. Authorities also recovered guns as well as a spear.

The North Charleston Police Department said the city had permitted a neighborhood block party. Police said its leadership met with block party organizers to discuss the event, including traffic and parking plans to ensure emergency vehicles could safely access the area if needed.

‘We can’t attack and jump on a police officer who was just trying to do her job and beat her like that, like a mob. That just can’t happen.’

But police said around 8:30 p.m., officers began receiving reports of gunfire and individuals shooting fireworks toward passing vehicles.

Officers responded immediately, and attendees told them that several people had begun discharging firearms, police said, adding that officers made repeated public announcements advising that the event had ended and directing attendees to leave the area safely, in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.

Police said that despite those efforts, multiple fights broke out and additional gunshots were fired.

Officers exited their patrol vehicles to intervene, separate individuals involved in fights, and restore order and protect the public, police said, adding that during the response, multiple firearms and a makeshift spear were recovered.

Police said “multiple officers were physically assaulted, with two female officers sustaining minor injuries,” and “several attendees were arrested as a result of their own actions.”

The following is cellphone video of the physical attacks:

RELATED: Bodycam video: Thug ambushes, repeatedly stabs Florida deputy. Sheriff’s office reveals what ultimately saved deputy’s life.

Police said other law enforcement agencies — including the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Highway Patrol — responded to assist the North Charleston Police Department.

“Attacks on law enforcement are unacceptable, and those responsible will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” police said. “The safety of our residents and visitors remains our highest priority.”

Police also said “we especially thank those from the community who helped officers during the attacks.”

WCSC-TV reported that the attacks occurred near Chicora Community Park on Calvert Street — and that police said the event had been held in the same location for about 10 years without incident.

About 400 people were present at the scene, police told WCSC.

North Charleston Police Chief Ron Camacho told the station that the two female officers who were injured “are fine. They’re working.”

Three juveniles and one adult were arrested, Camacho added to WCSC, saying that “at least one or two of those arrests were for assaulting an officer.”

Camacho also told the station that additional arrests are expected as investigators review body-camera video: “What you got on that social media, you’re looking at one little snippet, at one little video. We were out there for an extended period of time.”

Community advocate Elvin Speights told WCSC he was shaken after watching the video circulate online: “A lot of emotions. Ashamed. Disgraced. I’m very pleased that no one was seriously hurt. That could have gone really bad.”

Speights added to the station that “we just can’t do that. We can’t attack and jump on a police officer who was just trying to do her job and beat her like that, like a mob. That just can’t happen.”

Speights also told WCSC the police response was admirable: “I just wanted to give a huge shout-out to that officer who showed humongous restraint on not going out here and pulling her gun and start shooting. The North Charleston Police Department as a whole — no one was seriously hurt. They showed a lot of restraint.”

Camacho told the station that police had prior intelligence that juveniles were planning to engage in fights using fireworks in the area that night — but were not prepared for the scale of what took place at the block party.

“We were not ready for this,” Camacho noted to WCSC.

More from the station:

The chief said the department has already made policy changes in how officers respond to calls involving juveniles, including requiring higher-ranking officers — corporals, sergeants or lieutenants — to respond to certain juvenile-related calls in an effort to lower the temperature of those interactions.

“We need some help,” Camacho told WCSC. “We really do. We need some help from the community. Because stuff like this is getting dangerous.”

Camacho also told the the station that unruly juveniles are “the most difficult thing that I’ve had to deal with in my policing career.” He added to WCSC that he plans to meet with community leaders soon to discuss solutions.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson had the following to say on X regarding the incident, according to the station:

The violence we witnessed in North Charleston is unacceptable. There is no place in South Carolina for mob violence or attacks on law enforcement.

Anyone who assaults a police officer, fires a weapon into a crowd, or threatens public safety should be arrested, prosecuted, and held fully accountable.

South Carolina is a state of law and order. We will not tolerate mob rule.

Those with additional information about the individuals involved in the shootings or other criminal activity are encouraged to contact authorities through the CRIMEWATCH app, WCSC reported.

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An 84-year-old Bartow, Florida, man is suing Waffle House after he says a window advertisement for the chain’s limited-edition strawberry shortcake waffle proved more powerful than his own legs.

Edward Bowlds was crossing the parking lot with his wife on April 17, 2025, when the promo display caught his eye. While his attention stayed locked on the waffle, his feet found an “abnormally high” curb with no paint or markings to warn him it was coming — and down he went, the lawsuit filed earlier this year claimed.

It would be ‘disingenuous for Waffle House to suggest that Mr. Bowlds should have been watching where he was walking,’ letter claims.

The lawsuit doesn’t hold back on the marketing critique, either. The ad was, according to the lawsuit, sized and placed specifically to grab the attention of customers who had already parked — a strawberry-frosted trap, apparently, for anyone weak enough to glance at it.

A pre-lawsuit demand letter put it more bluntly: It would be “disingenuous for Waffle House to suggest that Mr. Bowlds should have been watching where he was walking when it was Waffle House who distracted his attention away from where he was walking.”

RELATED: America has culture — just ask the World Cup fans discovering Waffle House

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The fall allegedly left Bowlds with a fractured nose and a torn rotator cuff, and his attorney says the injuries have taken a real toll — he is largely confined to a recliner now and can’t help his wife with groceries or yard work like he used to, the letter claimed.

Bowlds and his wife reportedly sought a $300,000 settlement before filing suit. Waffle House declined, and now a jury will get to decide just how irresistible a picture of a waffle can legally be.

Waffle House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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President Trump won the 2024 election promising to gut Biden-era DEI across the federal government, calling it “illegal and immoral.” The CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence tried to do exactly that — moving to fire 19 career officers who had spent their time on diversity, equity, and inclusion assignments instead of actual intelligence work.

Two Democrat-appointed judges said not so fast.

‘As long as the employee subject to termination chooses to pursue reassignment, the agencies must attempt to reassign her.’

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Thursday that the CIA and ODNI have to let the 19 DEI-linked officers appeal their firings and, in some cases, apply for reassignment before they can be shown the door, the Washington Times reported.

The panel found the agencies skipped procedural steps required for a reduction in force — a technicality that’s now kept the firings frozen for well over a year, according to Bloomberg Government.

Writing for the majority, Biden-appointee Judge Nicole Berner — joined by Obama-appointee Judge Stephanie Thacker — ruled the officers had enough of a claim to their jobs to sue in the first place.

Berner wrote: “As long as the employee subject to termination chooses to pursue reassignment, the agencies must attempt to reassign her.”

RELATED: ‘BIG WIN’: Trump calls SCOTUS ‘Slaughter’ ruling the greatest increase of presidential power in 100 years

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In a blistering dissent, Judge Paul Niemeyer, a George H.W. Bush appointee, argued that Congress gave intelligence directors “unfettered discretion” to fire employees precisely so courts couldn’t micromanage personnel decisions at agencies handling national security.

He called the injunction unlawful and urged the Supreme Court to step in, calling it a serious separation-of-powers problem: judges telling the CIA how to run its own house.

The ruling lands days after the Supreme Court handed Trump a win affirming his broad authority to fire employees, with a separate case providing a narrow carve-out for officials like Federal Reserve board members.

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George Will has called it “one of the half-dozen best speeches ever given by an American president.” Calvin Coolidge gave it in Philadelphia on a Monday, to a crowd of 35,000, in a voice one reporter described as “as unemotional as Fate.”

Calvin Coolidge holds a unique distinction. He is the only U.S. president born on the Fourth of July. But the year in question, his birthday landed on a Sunday — and for Coolidge, a Calvinist, that meant church came first. He and his family attended services at Washington’s First Congregational Church, then spent the evening at home over a quiet dinner. The big Philadelphia commemoration would simply have to wait until Monday.

‘About the Declaration, there is a finality that is exceedingly restful.’

As if on cue, a rainstorm tore through Washington on the Fourth itself. Fireworks were rained out that Sunday, pushed to a next-day show on the July 5. The country’s actual birthday got rained out. Coolidge’s rebuttal happened the next day — and the rain followed him. Tens of thousands packed the Sesquicentennial Stadium in Philadelphia anyway to hear him speak.

The fight was over whether the Declaration of Independence still meant anything. A wave of progressive thinkers had taken to dismissing its core claims — that all men are created equal, that rights are inalienable, that government answers to the people — as relics from a less enlightened age, ideas modern minds had supposedly outgrown.

Coolidge stood up and told them they were wrong.

RELATED: After UFC patriotic smash, Trump announces ‘spectacular’ 250th anniversary celebration rally at the Lincoln Memorial

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“About the Declaration,” he said, “there is a finality that is exceedingly restful.” If all men are created equal, “that is final.” If they are endowed with inalienable rights, “that is final.” If government draws its power from the consent of the governed, “that is final.”

Then he went farther. Those who wanted to reject those propositions weren’t moving forward — they were moving backward, toward a time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. “Those who wish to proceed in that direction cannot lay claim to progress. They are reactionary.”

He was telling the smartest people in the room that they had missed the point of their own country. A century later, the argument hasn’t aged a day.

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