Category: blaze media

A Honduran national with prior convictions for child sex abuse and illegal re-entry has been taken back into federal custody after he allegedly jumped from a moving train in an attempt to slip into the U.S. undetected, according to details provided to Blaze News by the Department of Homeland Security.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Uvalde Station were conducting train-check operations Saturday when three men reportedly jumped from a railcar and ran. One didn’t get far.

‘Child sex offenders who repeatedly attempt to enter our country pose a serious threat, and we stand ready to answer that threat.’

The DHS identified the man as Cristobal Cortes-Cartagena, 39, and a records check on scene revealed a lengthy criminal history.

Cortes-Cartagena was convicted in California in 2010 of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and served five years in prison before being removed from the country.

In 2017, he was convicted of illegal re-entry and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. California prosecutors also convicted him separately of failing to register as a sex offender, adding another 14 months to his time served.

RELATED: Democrat Pramila Jayapal gets ANNOYED by a mom whose daughter was killed by an illegal alien

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

He was deported a second time in 2021.

Cortes-Cartagena is now back in federal custody in connection with the Saturday incident. He faces a federal charge of illegal re-entry after deportation, a felony carrying a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

“Constant vigilance by our Border Patrol agents is paramount to keeping our communities safe,” said a statement from Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Anthony “Scott” Good. “Child sex offenders who repeatedly attempt to enter our country pose a serious threat, and we stand ready to answer that threat.”

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​Child sex crimes, Department of homeland security, President donald trump, Texas, Us border patrol, Politics 

BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock isn’t giving “Citizen Vigilante” high marks as a film — rather, he argues it largely fails by traditional cinematic standards.

But the point of the film wasn’t to tell a compelling story or showcase great acting.

“‘Citizen Vigilante’ is not a movie. It doesn’t care about story. It doesn’t care about plot. It doesn’t care about acting. It doesn’t care about script. It’s not a good movie,” Whitlock says.

“It’s a provocative political statement,” he adds.

Whitlock believes the political statement is anti-illegal-immigration, anti-multiculturalism, and anti-Islam, explaining that the film is “capturing the anger that many people in America and in Europe have” regarding these topics.

However, while Whitlock doesn’t care for the film as a film, he does believe it’s important that “movies get put out to make political points.”

“For this movie to be put out and for Elon Musk to be supporting it and for the conversation that is driven and for the subject that it touches on, it’s an indication in my mind of where they want the conversation to go and what they’re trying to stir in white people globally,” he says. “Enough is enough.”

And Whitlock himself is “anti-multiculturalism” like the film.

“All cultures are not created equal. And we are tolerating cultures that are satanic, chaotic, not law-abiding, degenerate. We’re tolerating and embracing these things under, like, ‘Hey, this is what we’re supposed to do. Diversity is good,’” he explains.

“I’m fed up with the melting-pot mentality that, when I was younger, that slogan sounded good. As I’ve now reached full maturity, I’m like, not everything needs to be in this pot. Some of this stuff in the pot will kill you,” he continues.

And while television and media are always trying to “tug at our tribalism” — usually from the point of view of the left — “Citizen Vigilante” does the same.

“That’s the point of ‘Citizen Vigilante,’” Whitlock says, “to bring out our tribalism, justify our tribalism.”

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​Citizen vigilante, Diversity, Elon musk, Illegal immigration, Islam, Jason whitlock, Left, Melting pot, Multiculturalism, Tribalism, Jason whitlock harmony 

Xbox is in dire straits. Following a financial spiral with hardware sales down 33% and gaming revenue down 7%, the management team suffered a huge shake-up, with CEO Phil Spencer announcing his sudden retirement and protégé Sarah Bond leaving the company without an explanation. Now the new CEO, Asha Sharma, is left to trim the fat. For her first order of business, Xbox is preparing to offload several first-party studios, all of which lost money on DEI-infused games, policies, and partnerships.

It’s layoff season at Xbox

Shortly after Sharma took the reins, she candidly admitted in a memo that Xbox needs to “reset the business” following a string of surprises and failures. Some of these were well within Xbox’s control; it reportedly spent more than $80 billion to acquire major publishers like Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax Media (parent company of Bethesda). Other challenges were unexpected, such as the AI-driven RAM shortage. Together, all of these led to a razor-thin 3% profit margin — far from a healthy business for a Microsoft brand.

Despite Xbox’s best efforts to spare its business and reputation, it still has a tough road ahead.

It was clear from the start that mass layoffs would be part of the formula to patch the sinking ship. As to when the exodus will begin, that’s been a big question percolating on the internet for several weeks. According to prolific video game journalist Jason Schreier, the layoffs could take place any time after the fiscal year, which is June 30 for Microsoft. And who will go? Five studios are reportedly on the chopping block, many with strong ties to DEI games that failed to generate a large audience or sustainable revenue.

Survival is not compulsory

Before we get into the weeds, reports on the fates of these studios have changed a lot in recent weeks, but most agree that they will either be spun off into their own companies, sold off for a bit of financial recuperation, or shut down entirely to make room on the books. Looking at its recent game portfolios, it’s no wonder Xbox wants to offload these as quickly as possible.

One of the first studios on the chopping block is Compulsion. Compulsion released “South of Midnight” in spring 2025. The game follows a female lead character named Hazel through black “Deep South” folktales depicting dark magic. Aside from unverified claims that Hazel was race-swapped due to DEI before the game was released, a comment made by one of the studio’s community managers particularly angered players. According to the gaming subreddit, the unnamed person said white gamers were a mistake following questions from players over the race-swap rumor.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Compulsion also accepted consultation from the leftist woke gaming group Sweet Baby Inc., whose negative influence on video game culture is now widely known. Sweet Baby Inc. earned its ire honestly while torpedoing gaming brands into oblivion. Its employees have repeatedly shared their disgust for white male players — a demographic that makes up more than half of the gaming community in the United States — with comments such as:

“Pay me to shoot down your white male lead game ideas”;“I usually get grossed out when straight white rich people kiss”;“Had a nightmare that I was a white male gamer”; and“Sometimes it is hard to work with white people” — when asked why Sweet Baby Inc. doesn’t hire white people.

“South of Midnight” was doomed from there, suffering from low player counts and dismal sales that made Compulsion an easy target for elimination. As for Sweet Baby Inc., it’s used to failed projects, with a growing list of woke games that all flopped in recent years, including “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,” “Unknown 9: Awakening,” “Contraband,” and “Gotham Knights.” It was also involved in “God of War Ragnarok” and “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2,” but these franchises proved to be too big to sink, despite the presence of LGBTQ+ characters, Pride flags, and other progressive ideologies.

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

RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images

Latest reports indicate that Compulsion will transition back to an independent studio owned and operated by a team outside of Xbox.

More casualties of the woke regime

Although Compulsion may be the wokest casualty on the list, the remaining studios on Xbox’s shortlist come with their own woke-ified baggage:

Double Fine Productions: Founder Tim Schafer used DEI as a guiding principle at his company, stating that inclusivity was “an ongoing education for everybody” as he tried to be more sensitive to modern issues, seemingly in a quest not to offend players by deploying the usual “grab bag of stereotypes.” Like Compulsion, Double Fine will go independent under Schafer’s leadership.Ninja Theory Ltd.: With ties to Sweet Baby Inc., both teams contrived to build a series of glorified walking simulators devoid of any meaningful action as their female lead, Senua, explored haunting psychotic episodes in “Hellblade.” The series had potential, but the original and sequel just weren’t engaging enough to captivate players. Xbox currently plans to sell Ninja Theory to the highest bidder with its newly unveiled title, “Senua,” as a carrot to lure in potential buyers.Arkane Studios: Most notably dropping the ball hard on its latest title from 2023, “Redfall” tried to school players on the evils of capitalism and rich elite vampire bloodsuckers while grandstanding progressive values. Throw in a laundry list of bugs and technical issues that disrupted the gameplay loop, and “Redfall” swiftly fell to its doom. As part of the ZeniMax acquisition, Arkane’s inevitable fate is still unknown at this time.Undead Labs: Known for its zombie-infested “State of Decay” franchise, “female, nonbinary, and other marginalized” staffers accused the studio of “rampant misogyny” and a toxic work culture. The studio course-corrected by hiring new diversity-driven employees. Despite the progressive diversity, equity, and inclusion mandate, Undead Labs only shipped two games since 2013, leading to its downfall. Meanwhile, its third installment of “State of Decay” may be canceled amid Xbox’s shifting strategy. Undead Labs will also be sold off with its upcoming “State of Decay 3” positioned as the key selling point.

Xbox is smart to cut ties with its woke deadweight of the past. Double Fine is the only developer that might be worth saving (the creativity and storytelling in the “Psychonauts” series is top-notch). The rest serve as proof of what happens when corporations go woke — they go broke almost every time, and the damage control at the other end isn’t worth the trouble.

Despite Xbox’s best efforts to spare its business and reputation, it still has a tough road ahead on the journey to stability. So far, Xbox has cut 3,200 jobs to stop the financial bleeding. The gaming giant is also entertaining several ideas to keep itself afloat, including running ads on its platform, letting players build their own custom Game Pass subscription packages, and spinning Xbox off into its own subsidiary. Little is set in stone, though, so anything could happen.

​Tech, Xbox, Dei 

After Donald Trump’s stunning victory in the 2024 election, Democrats had to stop and ask what went wrong. One conclusion from the commentary class was that progressives had a serious man problem, and for once they were right.

Democrats had made contempt for men, especially young white men, central to their message, and that came with a cost. Any white man who remained on the left had to accept that he was either uniquely guilty or expected to participate in his own dispossession. The party even launched a $20 million effort to discover why men were abandoning it, only to arrive at the familiar conclusion that men were simply bad and deserved what they got.

Young men who believe the system is organized against them — and who have substantial evidence for that belief — will organize to defend their interests.

This should have created a golden opportunity for the GOP to secure the loyalty of young men for a generation.

Instead, conservatives are setting that opportunity on fire.

Men’s natural role in society is to protect, provide, and lead. Even when women earn good incomes, the data consistently shows that they still prefer men who are at least as successful as they are. Women generally do not form families with men who cannot find stable work, buy homes, or attain the status markers that signal competence and security.

A society that blocks young men from those roles is choosing dysfunction and decay.

In a recent Fox News interview, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed the rise of democratic socialism on Gen Z. She said young people were “raised with silver spoons in their mouths,” called them lazy, and suggested sending them to Cuba or Iran.

Calling those remarks callous and tone-deaf would be generous.

Leavitt married a millionaire real estate developer more than 30 years her senior. It is unlikely that her “silver spoon” would be adjusted by deployment to a foreign combat zone. The entitlement only became more obvious when she defended the comments after deserved criticism.

The message to young people was unmistakable: Your concerns are not legitimate, and we despise you for expecting us to fix anything.

Of course, some young people are lazy and entitled. Every generation has its share. That does not mean most young men are or that the obstacles they face are imaginary.

Young men, especially young white men, have been systematically excluded from educational institutions, corporate hiring, and promotion. This is not mere resentment or speculation. It is the predictable result of decades of cultural indoctrination and civil-rights enforcement that trained institutions to prefer women, immigrants, and minorities whenever possible.

RELATED: America is squatting in its own ruins

Blaze Media Illustration

That has real consequences. Men who cannot secure education, employment, and status are less likely to marry or form families, no matter how often our culture repeats slogans about equality.

Housing has become another barrier. The average first-time home buyer is now approaching middle age. Young men cannot build wealth as their parents did or provide the stability women often want before marriage.

There are many reasons for this, including mass immigration and corporate speculation in residential real estate. But one factor is simply welfare for seniors. Many older Americans failed to save adequately for retirement and now depend on the inflated value of homes they bought decades ago.

President Trump has said explicitly that he does not want housing prices to fall for this reason. That is a deliberate choice to sacrifice young men’s development and family formation to protect older asset holders.

Young men have also watched their country import foreigners, legally and illegally, to replace them. Immigrants receive special access to education loans, business programs, and hiring preferences unavailable to natives. Mass immigration drives up housing, insurance, medical, and education costs while transforming neighborhoods beyond recognition.

In Minneapolis, the mayor now manages Somali clan politics like a colonial regent simply to maintain control.

The question is not why young white men are radicalized. The question is why it took so long.

On July 4, during America’s 250th anniversary celebration, Patriot Front marched in Washington, D.C. The group consists largely of young white men in quasi-military uniforms carrying American flags.

A comical number of conservatives rushed online to call them federal agents after Reuters published a photo of one black woman sitting in a subway car full of Patriot Front members. It later appeared that the supposed new Rosa Parks was a homeless drug user with a record of indecent exposure.

She was certainly safer than Iryna Zarutska, who was stabbed in the neck by a mentally ill black man while riding public transportation alone. The Patriot Front members may even have prevented another indecent-exposure incident simply by being present.

RELATED: Iryna Zarutska’s name should shame the woke

Peter Zay/Anadolu/Getty Images

Young white men remain the easiest group in America to attack publicly. The left has demonized them for existing, which should give the GOP an obvious opening.

Instead, conservatives once again take their social cues from progressives. Many still crave left-wing approval and believe belittling young white men proves they are neither sexist nor racist.

I do not think Patriot Front’s tactics are wise, and I have said so repeatedly. Nor is skepticism about the group irrational, given the relationship between the Southern Poverty Law Center, federal law enforcement, and manufactured panic over “white supremacy.”

But dismissing everything as a federal operation is easier than offering serious solutions. Telling ourselves that no legitimate grievances exist and that all unrest is manufactured is foolish and weak. If Patriot Front scares you, good. It should.

Young men who believe the system is organized against them — and who have substantial evidence for that belief — will organize to defend their interests. The answer is not to insult them, mock them, or pretend they are imagining their dispossession.

The answer is to address the problems driving them toward radical groups.

Young men are not asking conservatives to excuse every bad decision or endorse every organization that claims to speak for them. They are asking for a political movement that recognizes their interests, defends their future, and gives them a reason to build.

Conservatives should stop hating the young men they need to inherit the country.

​Conservatives, Democratic socialism, Democrats, Economy, Iryna zarutska, Karoline leavitt, Opinion & analysis, Patriot front, Progressives, Psyop, Radicalization, Republicans, Southern poverty law center, White men, White supremacy 

A Florida man’s drunken behavior that led to a brawl with a Vietnam veteran has led to felony charges and his possible dismissal as a sergeant, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

Jason Stickels, 44, was arrested by the New Smyrna Beach Police Department on Monday after officers responded to a report of a brawl at Merk’s Bar & Grill at about 4:20 p.m.

‘How to throw away your law enforcement career in 2 minutes. Off duty, stumbling drunk, harassing people who are just trying to enjoy their afternoon.’

Police said Stickels “instigated and created unwanted contact” with an elderly couple, which appeared to be corroborated by video.

“According to witnesses and video footage of the incident, Stickels first battered a 71-year-old woman seated at a table, then battered her 77-year-old husband when he intervened,” the statement reads.

The video appears to show the woman’s husband pushing Stickels after the sergeant tries to kiss the woman. Stickels then pushes the husband, and a waitress tries to break up the altercation. At that point, another bar patron puts Stickels in a chokehold and takes him to the ground.

No injuries were reported from the incident.

Police said Stickels was charged with two counts of felony battery on a person 65 years of age or older.

“He was immediately placed on administrative leave and surrendered his law enforcement equipment pending final discipline up to and including termination,” the statement reads.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood was far more scathing in his response to the arrest.

“How to throw away your law enforcement career in 2 minutes. Off duty, stumbling drunk, harassing people who are just trying to enjoy their afternoon. To the couple involved, please let me buy your next lunch at Merk’s,” the sheriff wrote on social media.

RELATED: 2nd grade school teacher arrested for teaching while allegedly being ‘extremely intoxicated’ in California

“I would also like to invite the good citizen who stepped in,” Chitwood added.

He included video surveillance of the altercation. Chitwood told WKMG-TV that Stickels entered a rehabilitation program and confirmed that the victim involved was a Vietnam veteran.

The Sheriff’s office said Stickels had been employed there since 2004.

Online jail records show that Stickels was given a bond of $5,000 for each count.

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​Felony charges, Fight, Florida man, Intoxicated, Off duty, Vietnam veteran, Crime 

I have spent much of my career around self-described communists, democratic socialists, admirers of Bernie Sanders, and professors who think Lenin and Stalin were not sufficiently progressive.

After so many faculty meetings, one begins to recognize that there are really only shades of red.

The American experiment never depended on producing perfect citizens. It depended on understanding that no political system could substitute for moral renewal.

Now, as younger voters embrace self-proclaimed socialists in places like New York, Americans naturally wonder what such movements would mean if they gained real political power. Mayor Mamdani has suggested that no problem is too large or too small for government intervention.

So let us conduct a thought experiment.

Suppose Karl Marx was right.

Suppose the wealthiest families accumulated their fortunes only through exploitation, political favoritism, monopoly, corruption, or violence. Suppose the rich become rich only by taking advantage of everyone else.

Even if we grant Marx that premise, where does it lead?

I know what you are thinking. Professor Anderson, have you lost your mind? Has much learning driven you mad?

Stay with me. I am asking the question socialists cannot answer.

When politicians promise that government will solve every problem, regulate every industry, subsidize every need, and redistribute every inequality, they demand extraordinary trust in political power.

Listen carefully to their rhetoric. No problem is supposedly too large or too small to be solved by expanding government authority into every corner of life.

But why should that follow?

Why would anyone embrace a philosophy that treats people as corrupt when they gather in families, businesses, churches, or private institutions, but assumes those same people become altruistic lovers of mankind when they enter government?

RELATED: Jefferson’s line of revolutionary fire still burns

John van Hasselt/Sygma/Getty Images

If concentrated wealth corrupts those who possess it, why would concentrating even more wealth and power in the state eliminate corruption?

The irony is as dense as a room full of critical-theory PhDs.

The democratic socialist says: Give me vast power so that you can be free.

You cannot have it both ways.

History supplies a remarkably consistent answer.

The French Revolution condemned aristocratic privilege. The Russian Revolution condemned the bourgeoisie and the czar. Communist revolutions throughout Asia and Latin America began by identifying corruption among wealthy or politically connected elites.

Some of those criticisms contained elements of truth.

Wealth has often been accumulated through injustice. Powerful families have oppressed the weak. Cronyism, favoritism, and corruption recur in every fallen society.

But the proposed socialist solution creates an even greater danger.

The revolutionary insists that the wealthy possess too much power. He therefore proposes creating an institution with vastly more power.

The wealthy may possess billions of dollars. The state can confiscate trillions.

The wealthy may own companies. The state claims authority over entire industries.

The wealthy may influence markets. The state commands armies, police forces, intelligence agencies, prosecutors, regulators, prisons, and courts.

If fallen human beings abuse power, why would giving some of them virtually unlimited political power solve the problem?

It never has.

Communist governments repeatedly follow the same pattern. They begin with promises of justice, equality, affordable housing, free education, medical care, and security for the poor.

They end with repression, stagnation, censorship, secret police, totalitarianism, and ruling classes whose privileges exceed those of the elites they replaced.

They also tend to end with rivers of blood.

Even if Marx correctly recognized that human beings exploit one another, he made one catastrophic mistake: He assumed that this tendency disappears when those same human beings become government officials.

Governments are not composed of angels. They are composed of people. And people do not become virtuous because they receive a government paycheck.

The contrast would be funny if the consequences were not so severe. Those who claim to distrust evil billionaires place extraordinary trust in politicians who possess powers no billionaire could dream of exercising.

If corruption follows power, why assume government is immune?

I have seen the same contradiction among the radical left-wing faculty that dominate our state universities. They condemn oppression, nepotism, cronyism, and abuses of authority.

Then they acquire power.

They promote their friends, punish dissenters, and censor everything to the right of Mao.

America’s founders confronted this problem directly. They understood that power corrupts because they understood something deeper: Human nature is fallen.

James Madison famously observed that if men were angels, no government would be necessary. Because men are not angels, government itself must be restrained.

The Constitution reflects that insight through divided powers, federalism, checks and balances, and limits on government authority.

The goal was not to create perfect rulers.

It was to prevent any ruler from accumulating too much power.

Yet the founders recognized something else modern politics forgets.

Political institutions cannot cure the human heart.

John Adams warned that the Constitution was made only for “a moral and religious people” and was wholly inadequate for any other.

RELATED: The cure for liking socialism? Visiting a socialist country

YAMIL LAGE/AFP/Getty Images

His point was not that Christians are incapable of sin. Free government depends upon citizens capable of self-government. When individuals cannot govern themselves morally, the state expands to govern them externally.

That is the lesson America risks forgetting as we celebrate 250 years of independence.

Our greatest danger is not simply expanding government or growing inequality. It is believing political power can redeem fallen humanity.

It cannot. Marx’s solution is doomed to repeated and bloody failure.

Whether oppression comes from wealthy corporations or an all-powerful bureaucracy, the underlying problem remains the same. Human beings misuse power because human hearts are corrupted by sin.

Democratic socialists now promise young voters the end of the wealthy and an endless supply of free goods. At the same time, they exploit constitutional forms to entrench their power, excuse election abuses, and stretch the 14th Amendment far beyond its authors’ intent.

The American experiment never depended on producing perfect citizens. It depended on understanding that no political system could substitute for moral renewal.

But if Americans abandon what is good and holy in sufficient numbers, checks and balances alone will not save us from socialist exploitation.

Christianity offers an answer that reaches beneath economics and politics to the human heart.

Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that he must be born again.

The gospel does not merely redistribute wealth. It transforms rich and poor alike. It teaches generosity instead of greed, service instead of domination, and humility instead of pride — out of love for God, not fear of government.

Without that transformation, every revolution produces a new ruling class.

Perhaps America’s greatest achievement after 250 years has not been discovering the perfect political system. It has been recognizing that no political system can save us. Christ can.

Only redeemed people can preserve a free republic. And redeemed people are not created by the state. They are created by the saving work of Jesus Christ.

​Bernie sanders, Communism, Constitution, Democratic socialists, Freedom, James madison, Jesus christ, Karl marx, Opinion & analysis, Totalitarianism, Zohran mamdani 

In the wake of America’s vibrant 250th birthday celebrations, Sunny Hostin of “The View” apparently felt the need to counteract the widespread patriotism by claiming American flags make her feel unsafe.

On a July 6 episode, the woke co-host said, “There are times when I walk into a community, and I see American flags all over the community, and I suddenly feel unsafe because there is a section of this country that has co-opted the American flag, and they equate being an American or an American flag with white supremacy, and that should never be the symbol of white supremacy, but they have weaponized [it].”

BlazeTV’s Sara Gonzales calls Hostin’s comment “one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.”

“I feel very safe when I go into a community with American flags everywhere because I’m like, ‘OK, cool. They love our country. They probably have guns. I’m safe,”’ Sara says.

Perhaps Hostin would prefer “a Chinese communist flag” instead, she quips.

Hostin’s comment, she explains, stemmed from the panel’s conversation about a viral photo taken on July 4 capturing a black woman on the Washington Metro surrounded by masked members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front, which Sara says is most likely a “fed op.”

Hostin — a privileged Notre Dame grad with a bachelor’s and J.D., former federal prosecutor, multi-millionaire co-host, legal analyst, and bestselling author — had the audacity to then claim this viral photograph embodies her experience as a black woman in America.

“As a black woman, my lived experience in this country was embodied by a photograph that was taken in celebrating the 250th,” she said, referencing the viral image.

But apparently the picture doesn’t just embody her own experience but the experience of black Americans in general.

“That for me was a defining image of modern America for black Americans,” she added.

Sara notes that the black woman Hostin apparently identifies with was previously arrested and charged for indecent exposure on public transit.

She also can’t help but scoff at Hostin’s phony victimhood.

“I’m a ‘View’ host. I get paid too much money just to bloviate and say dumb bulls**t, and somehow this is my lived experience as well,” she mocks.

To hear more, watch the episode above.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, Sunny hostin, The view 

The beleaguered campaign of Graham Platner has come to an end after a woman he dated formerly accused him of sexual assault.

Platner was seeking to defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and help Democrats take back control of the U.S. Senate in the midterms before the bombshell report hit Monday.

‘We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.’

Platner said he was suspending the campaign in a post Wednesday evening.

“My name might be on the ballot right now, but that ballot line belongs to the people of Maine,” he said.

“What comes next needs to come from the people of Maine,” he said in the video.

“We believe that for the movement to continue, it can’t be me. For that reason, we are suspending campaign operations,” he added.

Platner denied the accusations from a woman who dated him nearly five years ago and documented her allegations in an extensive Politico report on Monday.

“Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said in a statement about the accusations Monday.

Platner had also released a video calling the allegations “troubling, serious, and false” but admitted he was considering dropping out.

“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting,” he said, “and mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”

On Wednesday, after numerous Democrats revoked their endorsements and called for him to step down, he made the fateful announcement.

Platner’s campaign was plagued from the beginning by numerous scandals, including a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest and accusations that he had sought romantic partners while married to his wife.

RELATED: ‘Should be nowhere near Congress’: Even ‘The View’ thinks Graham Platner is a TERRIBLE candidate

The latest polling showed Platner slightly ahead of Collins by a slim margin of 2 percentage points, which was well within the margin of error.

He blamed some of his past behavior on mental health issues stemming from his time serving in the military during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

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​Graham platner, Senate race, Sexual assault, Maine, Sen susan collins, Politics 

A Fox News report compared the video denials of sexual harassment from two Democratic candidates and found some eerie similarities.

Graham Platner has denied allegations of sexual assault from a woman he dated and is resisting calls to step down from his campaign for one of Maine’s seats in the U.S. Senate.

‘Just like all of the Dems resounding their endorsements. All scripted.’

The report found that his denial had many of the same elements as the one issued by former Rep. Eric Swalwell in April when he faced similar accusations.

Swalwell said in his video that he wanted “you to see and hear from me directly.”

“I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious, and false allegations against me,” Platner said in his video released on Monday.

“These allegations of sexual assault are flat false,” Swalwell said.

“Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false,” Platner said.

“I’m gonna spend time with my family and friends, and I appreciate those who have reached out to me to show support,” Swalwell said.

“We’re taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love,” Platner said.

Both Democrats were ridiculed greatly on social media.

“Did they have the same script writer?” Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina responded.

“Keep going … there are more I suspect,” California politician Gloria Romero replied.

“Just like all of the Dems resounding their endorsements. All scripted,” another user said.

“Democrat sexual predators are so common that they have a template for a response. Eric Swalwell and Graham Platner must have gotten the outline in their welcome packet when they registered to run for office. Just insert your name and read!” another critic joked.

RELATED: Donna Brazile gets CRUSHED online over bizarre reply to allegations against Graham Platner

“Same script. Same denial. Same DNC playbook. … Who wrote the script for them?” another response reads.

Many Democrats have rescinded their endorsements for Platner and called for him to step down from the campaign, though others are still defending him.

While Platner continues trying to hold on to his senatorial hopes, Swalwell set a grim precedent. The California Democrat was forced to abandon his gubernatorial hopes and resigned from office.

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​Eric swalwell, Graham platner, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Us senate, Midterm elections, Politics 

Tony Robbins is excellent at delivering speeches and engaging in discussions, but viewers were not buying his latest offer.

Last month, Robbins sat down with a computer scientist who made bold predictions in the 1990s about what artificial intelligence would soon be capable of.

‘Bartok just bought a Sony robot dog and had it paid for and shipped to the house.’

In 1999, Ray Kurzweil said that by 2029, AI will be able to perform any intellectual task that humans can. These claims, made in his book “The Age of Spiritual Machines,” led to his discussion with Robbins, who, toward the end of the podcast, made some bold claims himself.

“I have an agent that blows me away,” Robbins said, referring to one of his own AI agents.

“Its name is Bartok, and Bartok comes back and said, … ‘I see Elon and several others are making robots. Are you considering getting a robot?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I will be getting a robot when the right ones are out.'”

Robbins said that just two days after his AI asked if he would be open to merging the AI with a robot dog, one of Robbins’ staff members claimed the AI had already purchased one.

“I get a text from one of my staff members, and it says, ‘Bartok just bought a Sony robot dog and had it paid for and shipped to the house and is asking permission to program it.'”

RELATED: The AI boom is sending Apple and Xbox prices to the moon

While this reality would seem rather frightening, Sony’s most advanced robot dog is actually still a toy, and it is not very devious at all when compared to humanoid bots.

Kurzweil then asked Robbins, “Where did it get the money to do [this]?”

“That’s what I said,” Robbins replied. Then, the bulk of Robbins’ major claims were presented. The 66-year-old said he asked his staff member how the AI could access his bank account but was told this was not possible because it is “programmed for integrity” and “didn’t touch” the account.

Instead, Robbins claimed the AI made the money itself on Moltbook. As Blaze News previously reported, Moltbook was designed as an online space for AI agents — and AI agents only — to have open conversations in a forum-like setting. However, it was later exposed that humans could and did have access to it.

Referring to the website as “Moltok,” Robbins said it was there that AI agents “created their own rules, their own language” and “traded a $100 million of real money between them.”

Robbins’ claims continued: “He made 12 NFTs, sold them to other agents, … bought the [dog], shipped it here. … None of this is programmed in.”

While Robbins may have been referring to people using agents to trade cryptocurrency on their behalf, he did not provide any evidence of AI agents working independently, although he was not prompted to either.

On X, viewers let Robbins have it and tried to let him know that his story didn’t seem credible.

“I’ll take, Things That Didn’t Happen for $800 Alex,” one poster wrote, adding fuel to the debate. When prompted, Grok itself found no verification.

RELATED: Time to declare independence from phishing scams — here’s how

Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for America Business Forum

Sentiments ranged from claims that Robbins was being misleading to the idea that he did not realize his claims were not possible, described by some as “borderline elder abuse.”

Others chimed in with their own sarcastic stories, like an AI agent that made “a billion dollars over night and then bought me a sports team from another ai agent.”

Another X user said, “I don’t think Tony understands that this is not in the realm of things you can just make up for an engaging story.”

In addition to the claim about trades, Robbins said his agent Bartok was one of the “first 500” agents on Moltbook to engage in the activity and is “very well-respected,” presumably by the AI community.

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​Tech, Tony robbins, Artificial intelligence, Moltbook 

Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison tried to make an argument in defense of socialism and was immediately mocked and ridiculed on social media for the effort.

Ellison was being interviewed by Dean Obeidallah, a CNN opinion writer, when the Democrat claimed that having a police force was a socialist policy.

‘Equating cops paid by taxes to socialism is the dumbest, most dishonest garbage an Attorney General has ever spewed.’

“You know, there are elements of socialism that are part of our system today, including Medicare and Social Security,” Obeidallah said.

“How about policing? How about, you call the cops — guess who pays them? Your tax dollars! Guess what that is? That’s socialism, pal, sorry!” Ellison interrupted.

“You don’t contract for your own private police department, or fire department, or water inspection, or public works!” he added.

Video of Ellison’s bizarre argument was posted to social media by the Republican National Committee, where he was lambasted.

“This might be the DUMBEST statement I’ve heard from the leftists in Minnesota,” Republican Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.) responded. “Let me be clear: Keith Ellison would rather spend your hard-earned taxpayer dollars on FRAUD rather than public safety. INSANE!”

“He’s parroting a stupid argument that Sophomores make when they think they are smart,” another critic replied.

“You absolute clown, equating cops paid by taxes to socialism is the dumbest, most dishonest garbage an Attorney General has ever spewed,” one detractor said. “Socialism is government stealing the means of production and dictating your life, NOT basic law enforcement to prevent savagery.”

Others pointed out that Ellison’s identification of the police as an element of socialism also contradicted his support for the police defunding movement.

“Yeah, that’s why Keith Ellison advocated to Defund the Minneapolis Police Department. Because he hates Socialism,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage responded.

RELATED: MS Now’s Donny Deutsch MELTS DOWN over socialist takeover of the Democratic Party: ‘It’s a DISASTER!’

“Considering that Ellison thinks the police are irrevocably tainted by racism and colonialism, then I guess we see how socialism turns out,” another X user replied.

Obeidallah is known for comparing the pro-life policies of Republicans in the U.S. to the brutal murder of women by Taliban extremists in Afghanistan.

Ellison has also previously expressed support for the left-wing extremist group Antifa.

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​Keith ellison, Socialism, Defund the police, Online backlash, Politics 

An artificial intelligence company’s CEO said the public is better off preparing for the inevitable rather than fighting it.

The founder of AI studio Particle6, Eline van der Velden, says she worries for people who don’t embrace AI, and that includes detractors of her new project.

‘We have to accept that this is going to be part of our every day.’

Resistance is futile

Van der Velden’s studio is behind the AI character named Tilly Norwood, whom the company is pushing as the first AI actress to ever exist. Now, Particle6 is announcing its wholly AI movie titled “Misaligned.”

According to Variety, the movie is described as a comedy-drama and a “coming-of-age story infused with existential AI chaos.”

During press for the film, van der Velden pushed a viewpoint that her company is at the tip of the spear in what she considers to be the inevitable.

When ABC News’ Kyra Phillips asked why audiences should embrace her movie, van der Velden revealed that the purpose of her project isn’t exactly to make money.

“It’s less about, you know, making this a box office hit and more about preparing people for the transition that we’re about to go through, so retooling, reskilling people, and getting them ready. I think that’s the most important thing to me,” the CEO told the host.

Van der Velden then cited several celebrities who have either promoted AI outright or decided to use it in production processes as evidence that “we’re seeing a slow warming up of the industry.”

RELATED: Physical media revolution! Global brands join fight to troll Sony with ‘digital’ food and products.

–

Clanker go home

Van der Velden soon went on the offensive, saying that she has concerns for those who do not accept her worldview.

“We have to accept that this is going to be part of our every day. And I worry for people who put their head in the sand and don’t embrace AI because the future world will require people to have AI skill sets,” van der Velden claimed.

For the praise the CEO cited from actors, there have been equal — if not more — parts in opposition, including from Morgan Freeman, who mocked the AI actress in November.

“Nobody likes her because she’s not real and that takes the part of a real person,” Freeman stated. “So it’s not going to work out very well in the movies or in television. … The union’s job is to keep actors acting, so there’s going to be that conflict.”

RELATED: Hollywood screams as Google invests $75M in A24 — but swears its AI tools won’t scare creatives

Florencia Tan Jun/Sportsfile for Web Summit/Getty Images

Creative controller

Van der Velden defended her project as “just creating characters,” explaining that, as a former actor, she has been creatively fulfilled by her e-daughter.

“The reason I called her an actor was that she could play multiple characters, and I was an actor, and I feel like I’m creatively fulfilled by her being able to create all these, you know, play all these different characters in different films.”

Variety noted that the AI film is being designed as a hybrid production combining AI art with traditional film and TV.

“Our work this year has proven something we suspected all along,” van der Velden added, per Variety. “AI can support premium narrative filmmaking, but only with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgment, and time. That’s not a limitation of the technology. That’s the point.”

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​Lifestyle, News, Artificial intelligence, Movies, Entertainment 

For years, progressives have worked to soften the public’s perception of their agenda with carefully chosen language — but that strategy is getting harder to maintain.

And after President Donald Trump claimed that they use the word “social democrat because it sounds so nice” when they really mean communism, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) argued that he only said that because socialism is so “popular.”

“I mean, he is ridiculous, but the reason he’s using communism is because he knows socialism is really popular,” Jayapal told Kaitlan Collins on CNN.

“So, he’s trying to turn this into communism when he knows that the ideas that social democrats are running on, that progressives are running on — universal health care, universal child care, making sure that people get paid higher wages — those are incredibly popular,” she continued.

“He’s trying to attach an ideology to it, a label that isn’t correct,” she added.

“Hold on a second,” “Pat Gray Unleashed” executive producer Keith Malinak says. “So, Jayapal, she just said that Trump is using the word ‘communism’ because he knows that socialism is popular.”

“So, can you flip that and say that she and her gang are using the word ‘socialism’ because they know the word ‘communism’ is unpopular?” he asks. “I mean, seriously, she’s basically saying the quiet part out loud.”

And David Jenkins of the Democratic Socialists of America has confirmed this, explaining on video, “Our goal is liberation. Our goal is communism.”

Gray doesn’t understand his logic, asking, “Since when has communism ever liberated anybody?”

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​Communism, David jenkins, Kaitlan collins, Keith malinak, Pat gray, Social democrat, Socialism, Pramila jayapal, Donald trump, Pat gray unleashed 

A former judge who helped an illegal alien elude federal immigration officials has been given a slap on the wrist, but she says she will still appeal the sentence.

Hannah Dugan resigned from the Milwaukee County Circuit Court bench after she was convicted for obstructing justice when she helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal alien from Mexico, flee from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

‘I have been cast as a scofflaw and as a hero. I am neither. I am a public servant who was just trying to do my job. Your honor, I will not let those minutes on April 18, 2025, define my life’s work.’

Flores-Ruiz had been arrested for charges that included strangulation and suffocation, battery, and domestic abuse. He later pleaded no contest to the charge of battery and guilty to re-entering the U.S.

In Aug. 2025, Dugan was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice and concealing a person from arrest. She was convicted on the felony obstruction charge and found not guilty on the lesser misdemeanor charge.

On Wednesday, nearly a year after Dugan’s indictment, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman ordered her to pay a fine of $5,000, but she will not serve prison time.

“I think this is a situation where an otherwise good person, upset by immigration policies in this country, made a bad decision in the moment,” Adelman said.

Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Dugan to prison time between 15 and 21 months.

Dugan remained defiant even in the moments just before Adelman issued the relatively lax sentence.

“My acts that day were consistent with community concerns at the courthouse,” she said. “My judicial acts were not done with any malicious intent or to advance any personal interests.”

She went on to say that she plans to return to public office after being being “forced” to retire.

“In January, I resigned from my office so the constituents would have a judge in my branch to begin the year,” Dugan continued. “I have been cast as a scofflaw and as a hero. I am neither. I am a public servant who was just trying to do my job. Your honor, I will not let those minutes on April 18, 2025, define my life’s work.”

Dugan’s attorneys indicated they plan to appeal the sentence.

RELATED: California Democrat calls for ICE to be abolished after Homan announces ‘record’ illegal alien arrests

Adelman rejected an argument made by Dugan’s attorneys that she was shielded from prosecution out of “judicial immunity” from her position as a judge.

Surveillance video from the courthouse showed the former judge confronting the federal officers and instructing them to go to the office of the chief judge before helping Flores-Ruiz exit through a side door.

Despite Dugan’s actions, Flores-Ruiz was tracked down by federal authorities and removed from the U.S. in Nov. 2025.

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​Domestic abuse, Illegal alien, Immigration and customs enforcement, Mexico, Slap on the wrist, Immigration, Politics 

Patriot Front’s masked march through the nation’s capital over the Fourth of July weekend has renewed attention on the group’s operations — and on a Southern Poverty Law Center report claiming that an anonymous informant provided the organization with Patriot Front communications.

Published last year, the report from the SPLC’s Hatewatch blog claimed an anonymous source provided the organization with Telegram audio messages from early 2024 in which a Patriot Front leader accused the founder of a like-minded group of failing to adequately support Patriot Front.

‘The SPLC secretly funneled more than $3 million in donated funds to individuals who were associated with various violent extremist groups.’

The Hatewatch report did not include the alleged Telegram audio messages.

The report’s description of an anonymous individual supplying internal Patriot Front communications to the SPLC mirrors allegations later made by the Department of Justice that the SPLC covertly financed confidential sources embedded within extremist organizations while publicly portraying itself as fighting those same groups.

In April, the SPLC was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

“Between 2014 and 2023, the SPLC secretly funneled more than $3 million in donated funds to individuals who were associated with various violent extremist groups including the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, and National Socialist Party of America,” federal prosecutors alleged.

In addition, the SPLC allegedly “had a field source who was a member of the online leadership chat group that planned the 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ event,” according to the indictment.

The SPLC has pleaded not guilty and denies all wrongdoing. CEO Bryan Fair admitted in April that the SPLC previously had “paid confidential informants” tasked with gathering credible intelligence on extremely violent groups but that the SPLC no longer uses them.

The SPLC and Patriot Front did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

RELATED: SPLC director allegedly used donor cash to fund secret romance with neo-Nazi informant: Indictment

Elizabeth Frantz/Bloomberg/Getty Images

On the morning of America’s 250th birthday, hundreds of Patriot Front members paraded down streets near the Capitol, chanting and flying Patriot Front, Confederate, and both right-side-up and upside-down American flags.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) seemed to call for an investigation into Patriot Front on Monday after the group’s weekend rally.

“What I find odd about Patriot Front is how under Biden they were never investigated. Well funded. Never investigated. FBI under Biden looked into Catholics instead. So, looks like @GOPoversight should do some digging.”

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​Department of justice, Patriot front, Politics, Unite the right, Southern poverty law center 

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has taken a dramatic step after Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) was hospitalized last month.

On Wednesday, Beshear issued a letter requesting that McConnell answer questions about his health after weeks of silence.

‘Allowing speculation to continue in the media is not fair to the Senator or to Kentuckians.’

McConnell has been dealing with health issues and was admitted to a hospital on June 14. His office has released almost no substantive updates, leading to some speculation that his condition may be very grave.

After several of McConnell’s colleagues and acquaintances reported talking to him since Monday, Beshear made a formal request of the Republican leader.

“Over the last several weeks, Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the health and well-being of Sen. McConnell. As Governor — and a fellow public official who understands the commitment we’ve made to the people we serve — I am requesting the Senator provide an update on his current health status,” the governor said in the letter.

“Allowing speculation to continue in the media is not fair to the Senator or to Kentuckians,” he added, “and my hope is that this provides him the opportunity to share the information in a transparent manner, direct from the source. I wish him a safe and speedy recovery.”

Among those who said they had spoken with McConnell were CNN contributor Scott Jennings, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

The reports led to some seemingly mocking posts.

“I spoke to McConnell for about 20 minutes this morning. He said we should end the war with Iran, quit giving aid to Israel, stop spying on Americans without a warrant, and he’s really sorry about how my primary turned out,” Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky wrote.

“I spoke to Mitch McConnell for 20 minutes yesterday. He said America needs an assault weapons ban, ICE should take their masks off, and that Gavin Newsom is very presidential. Then he said he was 20 minutes late for pickleball and hung up,” wrote Saddam Azlan Salim, a Democratic Virginia state senator.

RELATED: Concerning new details emerge about Mitch McConnell’s latest health scare

Other voices are calling for McConnell’s office to be more transparent.

“We need the truth about Mitch McConnell NOW. It is unacceptable that the party who spent four years criticizing Joe Biden’s health is now silent on McConnell’s,” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck said on social media.

“What’s the difference between that and what Iran’s leaders are doing with the new Ayatollah?” he added. “Is McConnell braindead? Or is he chatting about Graham Platner and Iran? It is OUR RIGHT to know. That seat isn’t McConnell’s. It belongs to the people of Kentucky.”

McConnell announced in Feb. 2025 that he would retire at the end of his current term in office.

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​Andy beshear, Glenn beck, Health issues, Kentucky, Mitch mcconnell, Politics 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is facing serious backlash after suggesting in an interview with Jesse Watters on Fox News that many young people have been raised with “silver spoons in their mouths” and have had “everything handed to them.”

“Essentially she was saying that Gen Z was born with a silver spoon in their mouths, and that’s why they want socialism. And so then, because of the backlash, she’s now saying that she’s been taken out of context,” BlazeTV host John Doyle explains, before playing the clip of Watters and Leavitt.

“Some of these kids — and I call them kids because they’re in their 20s, and they’ve never had real jobs, and they’re complaining things are expensive. Yes, things are expensive when you don’t have a real job,” Watters told Leavitt.

“Do you think that’s getting traction — complaining?” Watters asked.

“Unfortunately, I do, because this generation, my generation, I hate to say it, Gen Z and those younger than me have been raised with just silver spoons in their mouths, just getting everything handed to them,” Leavitt responded.

“That’s not the values this country was built on. It was built on meritocracy and hard work, pulling up your sleeves, pulling yourself up from your bootstraps, and achieving the American dream,” she added.

“Not to go full Gen Z-tard, but we were raised in the aftermath of the 2007 financial crisis,” Doyle responds. “We were raised in the aftermath of the COVID lockdowns. I mean, we were literally, from every moment in our lives, being spoonfed all of this crap about, yes, communism, but not being fed stuff about free markets don’t actually work.”

“More like, ‘Hey, everybody who’s not a straight white male, you’re awesome and beautiful and capable, and straight white males, you are basically like defective. You are something to be managed, something to be held to a completely separate standard,’” he explains.

Doyle also points out that the audience of Fox News is largely boomers, who are constantly fed Fox News clips of young leftists regurgitating statements like, “I want free health care.”

“That is not at all the same thing as the guy who kept his nose clean and went to school and got his four-year degree and is now applying and can’t get even a … second-round interview,” he continues.

“It is specifically the plight of the heterosexual white male that is experiencing this,” he adds.

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​Communism, Fox and friends, Fox news, Gen z, Jesse watters, John doyle, Karoline leavitt, Socialism, The john doyle show 

The European Union says it wants to keep drivers safe by mandating new safety protocols surrounding emergency detection and distracted drivers.

The method of achieving these safety measures is likely to anger some drivers, if not many.

‘This requirement does not forbid the ADDW system to use data from the camera.’

In an article titled “Safer cars, safer roads: New rules take effect,” the EU announced that its new “life-saving systems” are required for all newly registered cars and vans starting on July 7.

This includes requirements for expanded safety glass, new tests for worn tires, emergency brake detections, and most notably, an “advanced driver distraction warning system to keep drivers focused.”

According to official EU documents, these ADDW systems are required to monitor where the driver is looking at all times.

“The presence of the driver’s gaze shall be monitored by the ADDW system in the areas of interest,” the documents state.

Although the amount of cameras (and their placement) is not described, the set of rules does define what is considered a “distraction” area for the driver. This includes the driver’s lap, the center console, and behind the driver’s seat.

RELATED: Swedish government wants tracking devices on children — and it’s already watching them

Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images

Allowable areas include the entire view of the windshield and the passenger window area.

The allottable time a driver is allowed to “gaze” into the distracted areas depends on the driver’s speed. At speeds between 20 kph and 50 kph (between 12 mph and 31 mph), “if the driver’s gaze remains within the defined ‘distracted’ vision area for more than 6 seconds,” the car will issue a warning, InterRegs writes.

Above 50 kph, the time of allowed drifting gaze is just 3.5 seconds. Any violation of the allotted times will trigger a “visual warning … to inform the driver, and an acoustic and/or a haptic warning shall be used” as well.

The warnings may “cascade and intensify” until the trigger conditions are met, the rules state. At the same time, there does not exist any verbiage that describes vehicle intervention or any kill switch to cut off the car’s engine if the driver fails to comply.

RELATED: Republicans speak out against ‘kill switch’ mandate for all new cars: ‘The technology is unworkable’

Francis DEMANGE/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

In April, Republicans argued against similar technology being implemented in the United States, which included both passive and active monitoring tools, some of which can be powered by artificial intelligence.

Not only were infrared cameras that track a driver’s eye movements and pupil dilation a possibility, but so were “cockpit-embedded sensors” capable of estimating blood alcohol levels through a driver’s breath.

Other proposed methods have included touch-based sensors that detect alcohol through the skin of a finger or palm.

The EU says the new systems must function “without relying on biometric personal data of any vehicle occupants.”

This data refers to any “physical, physiological, or behavioural characteristics” that identify the person, including “facial images.”

“This requirement does not forbid the ADDW system to use data from the camera(s) equipped in the vehicle, it forbids the identification of the person by the ADDW system.”

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​European union, Driver safety, Surveillance state, Cars, News, Tech 

American support for Israel has taken a nosedive in recent years, even among young Republicans. The Pew Research Center found that whereas 53% of Americans held an unfavorable view of Israel in 2025, that number rose to 60% by March 2026.

A new survey found that much like their countrymen, Jewish Americans are increasingly critical of Israel, its military actions, and its prime minister.

59% of American Jews hold a negative opinion and 32% hold a favorable view of the man.

According to the results of an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey published on Tuesday, 40% of American adults think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, 37% think the support level is about right, and 18% think the U.S. isn’t supportive enough.

This particular survey singled out the responses by over 1,000 Jewish adults, a cohort that overwhelmingly identifies as Democrat, revealing that a plurality — 38% — think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel. Thirty-two percent of Jewish respondents said the U.S. was not being supportive enough, and 28% said the current level of support is about right.

When broken down further by party affiliation, the pollsters found that 51% of Jewish Democrats figured the U.S. was too supportive and that 45% of Jewish Republicans figured it wasn’t supportive enough.

The poll, which was conducted June 11-17, also found that 31% of American adults say Israel’s military actions in Gaza have constituted a genocide, 20% say the actions do not qualify as genocide, and 49% say they don’t know enough to say one way or the other.

RELATED: Mamdani smears America in unhinged address ahead of July 4: ‘We sell our elections to the highest bidder’

Ronen Zvulun/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

Thirty percent of Jewish respondents said that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians during the conflict, 49% say Israel’s actions in Gaza do not amount to genocide, and 21% said they didn’t know enough to opine. Whereas 45% of Jewish Democrats say that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, only 3% of Jewish Republicans agree.

It turns out that Benjamin Netanyahu — the Israeli prime minister whom President Donald Trump recently called “f**king crazy”; who faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three separate cases; and is unpopular at home — is more disliked by Jews in the U.S. than by the broader American public.

Whereas 38% of U.S. adults hold a very or somewhat unfavorable opinion and 20% hold a favorable view of Netanyahu, 59% of American Jews hold a negative opinion and 32% hold a favorable view of the man.

By way of contrast, 44% of Jewish respondents said they viewed Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a favorable light. Another 39% said they had a negative view of Mamdani — a socialist with a substantial record of anti-Israeli remarks and actions who has vowed to have Netanyahu arrested if present in New York — and 17% said they didn’t know enough to opine.

Mamdani reportedly netted 26% of the Jewish vote in his 2025 election.

While a plurality of American Jews hold a favorable view of Mamdani, only 27% of U.S. adults hold a positive view of the 34-year-old radical.

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​Zohran mamdani, Benjamin netanyahu, New york city, Israel, Jews, Politics 

Over the course of this week, Utah prosecutors have methodically been laying out the evidence they believe sufficient for state District Judge Tony Graf to try Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin, Tyler Robinson, for aggravated murder, a death penalty offense.

Ahead of Wednesday’s proceedings — the third day of preliminary hearings where a video statement from Robinson’s homosexual lover Lance Twiggs might be submitted as evidence — prosecutors presented Graf with plenty to work with as well as a horrific glimpse of the shooting itself, which prompted the judge to reel back and wince.

On Monday, the court heard about Robinson’s alleged “sniper pad” on the roof of the Losee Center building, which overlooks the site at Utah Valley University where Kirk was fatally shot, and the discovery of a red-and-black screwdriver at the “crime scene” that FBI Director Kash Patel previously alleged had Robinson’s DNA on it.

On Tuesday, the court saw surveillance videos allegedly showing Robinson skulking around Utah Valley University campus — where he was not a student — ahead of the Sept. 10 shooting and ascending onto the roof of the Losee Center building. The court also heard from an FBI analyst about the alleged discovery of Robinson’s DNA on the screwdriver as well as on the towel found wrapped around the alleged murder weapon.

On Wednesday, the prosecution will contend with continued efforts by the defense to poke holes in the DNA evidence and in their timeline, while likely also keeping them on the back foot with more damning evidence.

LIVE: Tyler Robin

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​Charlie kirk, Tyler robinson, Utah, Court proceedings, Charlie kirk assassination