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Category: blaze media
Former first-grade teacher pleads guilty to sex crimes against teen student after she allegedly admitted affair to husband
A former first-grade teacher in Washington state has pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual misconduct with a teen, according to authorities.
Mackenzie Naught, 25, pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual misconduct involving a minor on Friday, according to the Spokesman-Review. Naught is being held at the Whitman County Jail without bail, according to records.
The teen told police Naught was ‘being flirty.’
KREM-TV reported that Naught, of St. John, faces a jail sentence of six months to a year under Washington State’s Adult Sentencing Guidelines. Naught will also have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
Naught avoided the maximum prison punishment by several years.
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor is a Class C felony in the state of Washington, which is punishable by a maximum of five years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of $10,000
A sexual assault protection order for five years has been issued for the teen who was subjected to the sexual misconduct.
The Whitman County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said Naught will be sentenced Aug. 28.
According to KREM, Whitman County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Tessa Scholl stated:
The defendant’s guilty plea represents an important step in holding her accountable for her actions and spares John Doe the burden of having to testify at trial. Our office remains committed to supporting John Doe and his family throughout the remainder of the judicial process.
The Spokesman-Review reported in May that Naught had been teaching at St. John Elementary since September, and the 16-year-old student was a junior at St. John-Endicott High School.
As Blaze News previously reported, Naught was arrested May 10.
The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that police “received information about an alleged inappropriate relationship between a student and the employee.”
“Following an initial investigation, deputies developed probable cause supporting the allegations,” the statement said.
The Spokesman-Review previously obtained court records saying Naught’s husband informed police on May 9 that his wife of four years had confessed to him that she had sex with a teen on one occasion.
Court documents said the husband provided screenshots to authorities to prove his wife had been sexually active with the teenager.
The Spokesman-Review reported that the husband told police he had known the boy for years and was friends with the teen’s family.
Naught initially informed deputies that she never had sex with the minor, according to court records.
The teen told police Naught was “being flirty” and that she attempted to persuade him to meet her, court docs said.
The minor said he initially felt weird about meeting Naught but eventually decided to see the teacher.
“He picked her up at about 2:15 a.m. in his truck down the street from her house,” the Spokesman-Review reported. “She asked him where the ‘little spot’ was they could go, he told deputies.”
The news outlet reported that “she suddenly kissed him.” The teen claimed Naught began to “get handsy,” and they had sex inside his truck and in the bed of the truck, according to court documents.
The Spokesman-Review, citing court documents, noted that Naught said she knew the boy was 16 but that he is “like one of their friends.”
Court records revealed that Naught apologized and admitted she knew the situation was wrong and instructed the teen not to tell anyone.
Court records the Spokesman-Review obtained revealed that Naught’s husband filed for divorce in June.
KREM reported that St. John-Endicott Cooperative Schools Superintendent Tina Strong stated in May, “The district is cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities and will also be conducting its own investigation into the allegations.”
Naught is not listed in the staff directory for St. John-Endicott Cooperative Schools.
The school district did not immediately respond to Blaze News‘ request for comment.
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Bad teacher, Child sex crimes, Guilty plea, Sexual misconduct, Teacher arrested, Teacher sex scandal, Teacher student sex scandal, Washington state, Crime
The question of the AI age: How much humanism is too much?
Five years ago this month, I finished the manuscript for “Human Forever: The Digital Politics of Spiritual War.” By fall, it was in print, available as an e-book, and inscribed on the Bitcoin blockchain. It remains available today exclusively in Bitcoin on canonic.xyz.
Despite its narrow audience — then considered a kiss of death, today hailed as smart “niching down” — “Human Forever” has made an enduring impact.
Why assume that posthuman intelligence would honor what ‘we’ mean by progress as an ultimate good?
Working from a relative handful of influences, insights, and goals, I was able to see quite a ways around the corner of the next five years. That may seem surprising, given how much has changed since then, especially in AI.
But the book’s continued relevance in an age of rapid obsolescence has to do with its thesis being larger than tech. Its central question was what, if anything, could be bigger than technology — more fundamental, more authoritative, more inherent to who and what we are.
While many are now locked in debate over whether technology is upstream of politics or politics is upstream of technology, “Human Forever” explored the primacy over both of spiritual being, spiritual life, and spiritual order.
Few were discussing this dynamic in 2021. Many are discussing it now.
That is not surprising. As I argued in the book, and have continued to explore in the essays and posts it set in motion, the cultural and social resurgence of spirituality in all its dimensions — including those most of us were trained to believe would never return from the distant past — is largely attributable to the direction, speed, and scope of technological advancement.
Technology has now reached a point at which it is discrediting many of the sophisticated intellectual mechanisms once designed to justify human existence and supply human purpose without spirituality, revelation, or faith in the divine.
Today even — perhaps especially — those working at the frontier of AI development are gravitating toward spiritual structures, from the ancient Christian church to novel and idiosyncratic cults.
But momentum at the technological frontier still favors those who would rather replace all previous and existing religions than kneel with the faithful of any.
RELATED: At 250, America’s fate is wonderfully unwritten
smartboy10/iStock/Getty Images
Welcome to the party
I now notice two main trends relative to what I argued in “Human Forever.”
The first is a gratifying high-level awareness of what is at stake and what is needed to preserve our accustomed freedom and command in the digital age.
Recently, none other than Palantir CEO Alex Karp helped kick off a remarkable turn among key hyperscalers toward concepts and priorities laid out in the book: control of compute as an index of sovereignty; technological competition consolidating among a handful of civilization-states; the need to protect and preserve the shared memory, or ontology, of people and organizations; and the spiritual risk of a new kind of slavery typified by what cybernetics theorists call homeostasis — an unceasing feedback loop optimizing for predictability, uniformity, and interchangeability.
In the book, I emphasized that Bitcoin offered ordinary human beings an exemplary opportunity to re-establish healthy freedom and command under digital conditions. Bitcoin is relatively mature, stable, comprehensible, and ready to use now, without requiring trust in massive organizations with equally massive trust gaps.
I am still waiting for leading tech figures to sing that tune. On the other hand, perhaps it is best for ordinary people to figure it out for themselves, without monitoring or supervision.
The secular trap
The second trend is more uncanny and unnerving.
A funny paradox has emerged. Many of those most euphoric about developing AI into a recursively self-improving cosmic intelligence — one that removes our pain, solves our problems, and likely erases many of the limits of human being — simply assume that the machines will preserve their very human ideas about “improvement” itself.
They seem to believe that machines designed to surpass us in every way will somehow neither surpass nor contradict them when defining the core concepts and purposes at the heart of the AI project.
Improvement, advancement, perfection — these and related ideas define the AI-maxxing ideology. But for us, absent divine teaching about what they truly mean, they remain inescapably human ideas.
If “we” are building entities with the goal of liberating them from the petty confines of human intellect, agency, and identity, why would we expect them to retain modern secular-human notions of value and progress?
RELATED: The backlash against AI reveals it’s a terrible scapegoat
RYGERSZEM/iStock/Getty Images
Why assume that posthuman intelligence would honor what “we” mean by progress as an ultimate good?
Strangely, the stubborn reliance on merely human definitions at the heart of the ostensibly posthuman agenda mirrors the same reliance among many of the most visible and well-funded anti-AI movements, which rally around symbols of human identity such as a caveman’s handprint.
Neither side of the conflict seems eager to confront the hard lesson of history: When we stray from divine teaching about what it means to improve, progress, and perfect, and when we replace that teaching with merely human measures of justice, truth, beauty, and goodness, the result is often the opposite — sometimes catastrophically so.
The true frontier
Of course, there are many incompatible religious teachings in the world today. But they are nearly unanimous on the folly of turning away from divine instruction and trying to do it ourselves — especially when that effort frustrates us so badly that we attempt to outsource it to institutions of our own creation.
Historical warts and all, the implication is strong: Stubborn secular humanism will undermine even the most ambitious and well-intentioned goals of both AI lovers and AI haters.
For many Americans, and for many others across the globe, the only authoritative, resonant, reliable, and compatible frame of spiritual authority will be a Christian one.
For Americans in particular, that poses a unique challenge.
Just as an AI theocracy would be unconstitutional, so would a Christian theocracy. America will have to work harder than other countries to resolve the relationship among spiritual authority, political order, and technological development.
Instead of worrying about whether we still have time, we had better make the time.
Opinion & analysis, Technology, Artificial intelligence, Progress, Spiritual authority, Religion, Humanism, Theocracy, Improvement, Humanity, Faith, Theology
‘80,000 pound missiles’: Sean Duffy slams ‘slap on the wrist’ sentence for illegal alien trucker who killed 3
Jashanpreet Singh illegally crossed the southern border into the United States in March 2022 and was subsequently loosed upon the homeland by the Biden administration.
Singh, a 21-year-old Indian national, was later issued a commercial driver’s license from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which enabled him to get behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer and ultimately destroy multiple lives.
‘If California followed the rules, illegal aliens like Jashanpreet Singh wouldn’t be driving 80,000 pound missiles down our roads.’
While the Indian was ultimately convicted for spilling American blood, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and others reckon the prison sentence handed to Singh on Tuesday is far too lenient.
The deadly crash
Singh was flying down the 10 Freeway West in Ontario, California, in a semitruck on Oct. 21 when he drove through and over multiple vehicles, killing three people — including Pomona High Red Devils assistant basketball coach Clarence Nelson and his wife, Lisa — and grievously injuring several more.
Witness Jason Calmelat told KNBC-TV that the truck Singh was driving “didn’t stop. It didn’t swerve. It didn’t make any kind of maneuvers. It just went straight in.”
Dashcam footage from Singh’s perspective shows the criminal noncitizen driving a breakneck speed toward several cars that appear to be either stopped or driving extremely slowly.
The Indian shows no signs of decelerating as he barrels toward an SUV that he plows into, then accordions against a white pickup truck. As the white pickup spins off to one side, Singh’s vehicle appears to press the remains of the SUV into a small red vehicle before smashing into another tractor-trailer and veering off into additional vehicles in the right lanes.
“The truck rolled and veered to the right into the embankment, and I saw the truck driver jump out because it was on fire,” said Calmelat.
California Highway Patrol Officer Joe Garcia said that the crash ultimately involved four semitrucks and four passenger cars, reported the Los Angeles Times. Three individuals were pronounced dead at the scene of the horrific crash, and four others were taken to the hospital with injuries.
Guilty
The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office charged Singh with multiple counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence — charges that carried an enhancement for multiple victims. While Singh was also initially charged with DUI causing injury, the charge was dropped after toxicology reports came back negative for tested substances.
‘Letting criminals off that easy, even after they’ve killed 3 people, is by design.’
Singh, for whom U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued an arrest detainer in October, initially pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charges but earlier this month reversed course and pleaded guilty to all three counts of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit
Singh was sentenced on Tuesday to four years and eight months in prison.
According to KCBS-TV, Singh’s age was a factor in his sentencing. Despite being a 21-year-old man, he was nevertheless eligible for youth offender status under state law — the cutoff for which is 26.
Even though Singh is an illegal alien, the judge reportedly also factored in Singh’s lack of a criminal history.
DOT Secretary Duffy stated on Wednesday, “5 years is a slap on the wrist for KILLING 3 AMERICANS.”
“If California followed the rules, illegal aliens like Jashanpreet Singh wouldn’t be driving 80,000 pound missiles down our roads,” continued Duffy. “We won’t stop until ALL illegal truckers are put out of business and held accountable.”
Homeland Security said in a statement, “Illegal aliens like this killer should NEVER be allowed behind the wheel or on our nation’s roads. ICE stands ready to arrest Singh upon his release so he is never allowed back on our roads to take another innocent life.”
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts wrote, “What a disgrace. This isn’t even a fluke of the California justice system. At most, the illegal alien would have been eligible for 10 years. Letting criminals off that easy, even after they’ve killed 3 people, is by design.”
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Truck, Indian, Illegal alien, Sean duffy, California, Dmv, Commercial drivers’ licenses, Politics
Allie Beth Stuckey exposes what the ‘internet sleuths’ are missing in the Tyler Robinson hearing
Last week, Tyler Robinson’s preliminary hearing for the aggravated murder of Charlie Kirk (shot on Sept. 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University) was held in Provo, Utah. Prosecutors presented evidence of probable cause, including surveillance, forensics, and a roommate’s confession video, but the hearing concluded without a binding decision and is set to resume for final arguments on Sept. 1, 2026.
Despite the copious evidence presented by the prosecution — evidence that the defense repeatedly challenged and tried to limit — conspiracy theories about Kirk’s tragic murder continue to circulate online, with many believing that Robinson was not the shooter or did not act alone.
But these doubters, says Allie Beth Stuckey, are missing something critical: The defense, whose sole objective is to defend Robinson, has said nothing of these conspiracy theories. On this episode of “Relatable,” Allie reviews the evidence presented in the preliminary hearing and explains why these conspiracy theories are highly improbable.
“Prosecution showed surveillance footage that allegedly put Tyler Robinson, who was not a UVU student, on campus four times between September 10 and September 11, 2025. Charlie was murdered on September 10,” says Allie.
One video shown by the prosecution, she explains, captures a young male (allegedly Robinson) on September 10 “walking with a noticeable limp … heading toward the Losee building [and] climbing over a railing onto the rooftop,” where the shot that killed Charlie was fired. The limp is believed by prosecutors to be due to the shooter “concealing the rifle in his pant leg.”
According to longtime friend, ally, and prominent Kirk supporter Jack Posobiec, who attended the hearing and witnessed the prosecution’s footage (including some that has not been released to the public), the male in the videos is “obviously [Robinson].”
“It’s not just a blurry guy or a pixelated guy. It’s Tyler Robinson. … There’s no question about it. It’s so crystal clear,” he said, contrasting the videos presented in the courtroom with the less sharp public footage.
“The court also showed footage of Robinson turning himself in. This was the first public viewing of that surrender video,” Allie continues, noting that Special Agent Brian Davis testified in the preliminary hearings that it was indeed Tyler Robinson who turned himself in on September 11, 2025, at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Further, Caitlin Oliver, a forensic biologist with the ATF, testified during the preliminary hearing that DNA testing on the rifle showed Tyler Robinson as the major contributor, with statistical analysis indicating it was one trillion times more likely to be his DNA than that of any unrelated individual.
“DNA from Robinson and his lover Lance Twiggs was on the screwdriver found on the Losee rooftop where the shooter allegedly took the shot and on the rifle and towel found in bushes near the UVU campus,” Allie adds.
She also references the September 2025 Washington Post report, claiming Robinson allegedly posted in a small private Discord group chat with friends roughly two hours before turning himself in: “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this.”
The prosecution also presented similar confession messages allegedly sent by Robinson to Twiggs and a recorded interview with Twiggs from April 2026, in which he stated that surveillance images “definitely do look like [Robinson].”
In the same interview, Twiggs said, “I just asked him in person if what he said was true the night before, and he said it was. He started crying a little bit and said he wishes he hadn’t done it and then kept going around and just doing stuff I think to keep himself busy or distracted or something.”
Between everything presented by the prosecution in the preliminary hearing, the disturbing bullet engravings allegedly carved by Robinson, and the written confession letter Twiggs’ claims to have found (and burned), Allie believes that Robinson is almost certainly guilty.
“From my personal opinion, it does seem beyond a shadow of the doubt that Tyler Robinson did it, that he was motivated by his animus toward Charlie Kirk because of Charlie Kirk’s views and that he decided to take this opportunity to, in his mind and maybe in the minds of other people, to become a hero,” she says.
“It seems pretty irrefutable at this point unless you are to believe that the prosecution and the Orem Police and UVU and Israel and Egypt and Erika Kirk and the federal government and all of the intelligence agencies are somehow working together to cover this up and that Tyler Robinson is just the fall guy,” she continues.
To all the “internet sleuths” out there circulating various theories about who really killed Charlie Kirk, Allie has a sobering message: “The defense cares a lot more about defending their client than internet sleuths do. … They care a lot more about presenting alternative theories, and so if there were any truth to any of the theories out there about other people actually being the ones who were responsible for the assassination of Charlie Kirk, they would be bringing that forth in court.”
Perhaps the defense will present more during the September 1 hearing or at trial, but so far it has said nothing about the popular conspiracy theories claiming Robinson is innocent or did not act alone.
In the next part of the episode, Allie dives into the specific conspiracies circulating online. To hear it, watch the episode above.
Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?
To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Relatable, Allie beth stuckey, Charlie kirk assassination, Tyler robinson
Falling back, springing forward — but maybe not for much longer
After years of false starts, Congress is finally within reach of ending one of the most universally hated rituals in American life: changing the clocks twice a year.
The House Rules Committee voted 6-4 Monday to advance Florida Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan’s Sunshine Protection Act to the full House floor, teeing up a chamber-wide vote on making daylight saving time permanent nationwide.
‘Ridiculous, twice-yearly production.’
States such as Hawaii and Arizona, which already skip the twice-yearly changeover, would keep their exemptions.
President Donald Trump has backed the bill, calling the current system a “ridiculous, twice-yearly production” and predicting that passing it would be a win for Republicans.
It’s been a long time coming. Then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) first introduced the Sunshine Protection Act back in 2018 and kept pushing it nearly every Congress since — only for the House to kill it. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has since picked up the baton, with bipartisan co-sponsorship.
Not everyone in Congress is on board. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) tried to amend Buchanan’s bill with language from her own rival measure, the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, which would lock in standard time instead. The amendment was rejected before it reached the floor.
RELATED: California Republicans move to end daylight saving time — America’s dumbest tradition
Jay L Clendenin/Getty Images
Supporters argue the case is simple: More evening sunlight means more time to be outside, shop, exercise, and spend money at local businesses, rather than watching the sun set before dinner.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has framed it as giving states the freedom to stop asking Washington’s permission every year to decide how they want to live. Polling has consistently shown a solid majority of Americans just want the switching to stop — most favoring the “more evening light” version Buchanan’s bill delivers.
Critics have raised familiar objections about winter sunrise times — the same argument that sank the country’s last attempt at permanent daylight saving time in the 1970s. But with six competing bills on the table and a Republican Congress that just moved one out of committee, Americans could be looking at their last “fall back” ever.
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Arizona, Congress, Daylight saving time, Hawaii, House rules committee, President donald trump, Rand paul, Rick scott, Politics
Woman caught trying to smuggle live animals through US-Mexico border, CBP claims
Customs and Border Protection officials told Blaze News exclusively that a woman has been caught trying to smuggle live birds into the U.S. from Mexico.
The 26-year-old U.S. citizen was allegedly attempting to walk through the Gateway to the Americas Bridge last Wednesday with the birds in a small container when she was caught.
‘We must remain vigilant in protecting our wildlife from these reckless and illegal activities.’
CBP officers uncovered the container and identified the birds as parrots. The woman was arrested, and the parrots were turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Veterinary Services.
“These smuggled animals can carry diseases that are not known to occur in the United States, which can endanger native wildlife,” said Laredo Port Director Alberto Flores to Blaze News.
“We must remain vigilant in protecting our wildlife from these reckless and illegal activities,” he added.
“On the border at land, air, and sea-based ports of entry, including Laredo, CBP officers and agriculture specialists continue to fulfill CBP’s agriculture mission by preventing the introduction of harmful pests and diseases into the United States,” read a statement from CBP.
In March, CBP officials were able to detect the smuggling of three live parrots at the same entryway during a secondary inspection of a 2007 GMC Yukon. Those parrots were transported to a local zoo to receive care.
In the March case, CBP released a photo of the birds in a narrow box with holes punched in the cardboard for ventilation.
Wildlife trafficking convictions can carry significant fines and even jail time.
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Customs and border patrol, Wildlife trafficking, Animal smuggling, Us-mexico border, Politics
House GOP weds SAVE Act to key funding bill, unshouldering burden of success onto Thune and company
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced late last month that he would bundle the SAVE America Act with the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act so that Senate Republicans are presented with the choice of both bolstering the integrity of American elections and funding national defense — or neither.
“We’re going to pass a MIRV, or what’s better known as a ‘merge onto the rule,'” said Johnson, adopting the military acronym for multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle, a ballistic missile that carries multiple warheads. “So what that means is, when Republicans vote for the rule, they’ll be voting not just for the NDAA and everything else in there, but they’ll be voting to merge onto that the SAVE America Act we passed back in February.”
‘WHATEVER IT TAKES.’
Johnson noted further that “if any Republicans choose to vote against the rule, they will be voting against that outcome. So we think this is another good way to show the resolve of the House.”
House Republicans’ resolve was tested and proven on Tuesday in a successful 215-211 vote in favor of a special rules resolution that included language that would attach the SAVE America Act (S.1383) to the end of the NDAA once it passes the House.
Florida Rep. Randy Fine was the lone Republican who voted against the rule.
Ahead of the vote, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) — who previously opposed the rule — noted on X, “We will try the MIRV process on the condition that Speaker Johnson attaches the SAVE America Act to all the appropriation bills and all must-pass bills here in the House and ensures it is sent to the Senate as one bill. If John Thune strips it out in the Senate that will be on him and the entire country should be watching what he does.”
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc./Getty Images
Luna said after the vote, “The House is doing its job, now it’s the Senate’s turn. All eyes on John Thune. If SAVE America fails all of America will know who to blame.”
While Luna preemptively assigned the burden of the act’s success to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Democrats appear dead-set on blocking the linked NDAA, claiming their opposition has something to do with the protracted Iran conflict.
Although he too initially opposed the rule, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) suggested after its passage on Tuesday that it was worthwhile.
“That’s what we need,” said Burchett, reported The Hill. “We need to just keep pounding the Senate and forcing them to take the right stand.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) was among those enthusiastic over this turn of events, stating, “THANK YOU to House Republicans for delivering on their promises to the American people and setting a good example for us in the Senate.”
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) emphasized after the vote that with the midterm elections just a few months away, “we must try EVERYTHING we can to get the SAVE America Act passed. WHATEVER IT TAKES.”
In addition to tethering the SAVE America Act to the 2027 NDAA, the rule advances other legislation, including a measure that would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide and the State Department appropriations bill.
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Save america act, John thune, Mike johnson, Anna paulina luna, Senate, House, Voter fraud, Election, Voter id, Ndaa, Pentagon, Politics
Can this super-humanoid robot ‘solve’ loneliness?
Lifelike humanoid companion robots are arriving now in Chinese homes to combat epidemics of fractured families, alienated elderly populations, and general isolation. Secreted below the flesh-tone silicone skin layer are onboard AI-driven emotional response engines, personalized and local memory, 88 mechanical and motorized joints, and voice and expression modification options for which the ultra-alienated (and evidently wealthy) Chinese consumers are lining up.
The robots are made by UBTech, a publicly traded company in Shenzhen. According to the South China Morning Post, the UWorld U1 Companion Series of “ultra-bionic androids” are expressly designed as domestic companions, featuring “lifelike silicone skin, custom voice replication, and 88 high-degree-of-freedom joints. Variants include Lite, Pro, and Ultra, priced from roughly $17,650 to $145,000.”
Americans lead the global charge toward loneliness and alienation.
Over 13,300 such models were sold on the first day they became available.
Ole Lehmann, former crypto trader turned AI business implementation navigator, turned to X recently to weigh in. “Loneliness is becoming a market,” he observed, “and the Chinese are buying like crazy.”
Lehmann, who “helps non-technical people make money with AI,” noted that “China has 118 million empty-nest seniors, parents whose kids grew up and moved away. Another 90 million adults live completely alone. For a huge share of the country there’s nobody to talk to. The U1 was built to fill exactly that gap. A presence in the house that talks back, reads your mood, remembers your life.”
Lehmann ended his post with a portentous question: “I’m curious to see if this would catch on as easily in the West?”
Perhaps the AI whisperer isn’t up on the American economy of late and doesn’t realize that the vast majority of us are still battling to pay for essentials, much less navigate the maze and slay the guardians of first homeownership.
Or perhaps Lehmann does understand something about the market.
Hearts of darkness
If loneliness is the lever … and if the purchase can be made feasible (say, something along the lines of buying a boat or building that ADU in your backyard) … and if we consider that in many ways Americans lead the global charge toward absolute levels of loneliness and alienation …
Then yes, indeed, it’s unfortunately very much in our future. We will begin seeing flesh-bots, service-bots, shopping-bots, and anything else the so-called email class (mostly female, well-paid, childless) desires.
As ever, the story is in the replies. Under Lehmann’s post, commenters suggest the possibilities for “upgrades” and the inevitability of integrated porn and sex options. Of course, barring some deep wellspring of backlash, this is coming — despite the abhorrence tingling through every last relational entity on earth. We seem, as Leonard Cohen suggested, to “want it darker.”
RELATED: Shadowy companies are selling access to your smart TV — and its data
JDawnInk/Getty Images
Among adults under 50 who do not have children, a Pew Research survey found that almost half believe it is unlikely they will ever have kids. The U.S. marriage rate has plummeted since the 1970s, hitting historic all-time lows. It’s been 26 years since Robert Putnam, in “Bowling Alone,” showed how American social capital was wiped out in exchange for the sugar-high blip of cheap consumer goods. Do that math if you have any question about the uses of robots in America.
It may be the sheer oddity of our simulation-heavy era that contributes to this delirious sense that everything “new tech” seems to unearth or expose such old and terrifying desires. Another factor must be related to globalization, this ongoing tech-enabled merger of East and West. When the Japanese first entered American car markets, they struggled with marketing. Their vehicle names often didn’t land with American consumers. Pink Lady, believe it or not, just didn’t compete with Cherokee or Malibu.
“Ultra-bionic” is endearing, in a sense, but somehow simultaneously bizarre and insulting. (Isn’t bionic ultra enough?) When America is ready (that is, when the price point can be made to work), American marketers will jump on those childless middle-aged women and unmarried young men with a calculated skill any natural predator would envy. As Putnam warned about the logic of social capital, no matter how cheap the bots, we’ll all pay dearly.
Tech, Humanoid, Robot
15-year-old girl allegedly shot and killed 5 of her family members with 16-year-old boy, police say
Two teenagers were arrested for allegedly shooting seven people and killing five in a crime spree over the weekend.
Illinois State Police said all of the victims were related to the 15-year-old girl, who has been charged as a juvenile. Ja’ymier Davis, 16, of East Saint Louis was arrested and is being charged as an adult.
‘It’s all because y’all wanted to be together, so … they wanted to eliminate everybody that had a problem with the situation.’
The investigation began after human remains were reported on Sunday at the Samuel Gompers Homes public housing complex, according to Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly at a press conference.
Three victims were shot and killed at that location, while two others were shot and killed at two separate locations at Jones Park and 39th and Summit streets. Two others were shot at Jones Park and transported with serious injuries to a hospital.
The husband of one of the survivors spoke to KSDK-TV and said the couple had posted a “hit list” on Instagram.
“It’s all because y’all wanted to be together, so … they wanted to eliminate everybody that had a problem with the situation,” Lamarian Smiley said.
He said his wife was one of the victims but that the pair had run out of bullets and were unable to kill her.
The alleged killers also cut off one of the thumbs of the girl’s 74-year-old grandmother, Patricia A. May.
Smiley also said that the gun used in the spree was stolen from the girl’s mother.
“Her daughter took the keys from her purse, unlocked the lockbox, and took the firearm,” he added. “The police were notified as soon as they found out that the firearm was taken.”
The St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office says it’s requesting the 15-year-old suspect be charged as an adult as well.
Smiley indicated that be believes mental illness was to blame.
East St. Louis is a city of about 18,500 residents located in the southwest part of the state.
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Murder spree, Illinois crime, Juvenile murder, Family murder, Crime
The GOP’s 2028 ticket math is already brutal
The ink will not even be dry on the final 2026 midterm ballots before Washington turns to the next race: the battle for the White House in 2028.
Election Day ends November 3. By the morning of November 4, the campaign for America’s next president will already be under way.
There is one rule every VP nominee must follow: Do not become the story. The job is to amplify the presidential candidate, not compete with him.
The biggest names — Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio among them — will dominate early speculation. But the more interesting question may be the second spot on the ticket.
Vice presidential picks are no longer afterthoughts. Gone are the days when running mates were chosen simply to “balance the ticket.” Today’s contenders are expected to serve as attack dogs, media stars, policy messengers, fundraising powerhouses, and trusted governing partners.
They must energize the base, reassure swing voters, and be ready to step into the Oval Office if necessary.
Which running mate gives the Republican nominee the greatest advantage?
The answer will not be about geography alone. It will be about chemistry, fundraising, media skill, governing experience, and the ability to help win the handful of battleground states likely to decide another close election.
Several Republicans are already generating early speculation.
Andy Ogles — Tennessee, 11 electoral votes
Ogles belongs at the top of the watch list.
The Trump-endorsed Tennessee congressman has built a reputation as one of the House’s most outspoken conservatives, championing limited government and an unapologetic defense of Trump-era policies.
Ogles pairs an easygoing manner with hard-line positions. He has become a familiar figure in congressional battles over immigration, federal spending, election integrity, and cultural issues.
As chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, Ogles also works on an issue likely to grow more important in future campaigns.
Tennessee is safely Republican, so his value would lie less in changing the Electoral College map than in energizing conservatives across other states.
Byron Donalds — Florida, 30 electoral votes
Donalds combines strong media skills with a compelling personal story and growing national recognition.
Frequently mentioned as a leading contender in Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial race, the Florida congressman has become one of the Republican Party’s most visible communicators. Supporters argue that his appeal extends beyond the party’s traditional coalition, making him one of the GOP’s fastest-rising figures.
With Florida’s 30 electoral votes already central to any Republican path to the White House, Donalds would bring both state-level strength and national media reach. His New York roots also have some Republicans wondering whether he could help the party make inroads with voters in the Northeast.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders — Arkansas, 6 electoral votes
Sanders brings executive experience and years in the national spotlight.
The Arkansas governor first became a national figure as White House press secretary, then returned home to lead a reliably Republican state. Her familiarity with the Trump movement, fundraising network, and communications experience continue to make her a frequently mentioned possibility for a future Republican ticket.
Arkansas’ six electoral votes are not in doubt. Sanders’ value would come from her executive résumé, conservative credibility, and ability to speak directly to the Trump coalition.
Her appearances at high-profile fundraising events, including in Palm Beach, have only fueled speculation about her national ambitions.
Tim Scott — South Carolina, 9 electoral votes
Scott has built his national profile around economic opportunity, education, faith, and conservative policy priorities.
After his 2024 presidential campaign, the South Carolina senator remains a respected figure within the party and has continued expanding his national profile.
South Carolina’s nine electoral votes are safely Republican. Scott’s appeal would lie less in delivering his home state than in his optimistic message, donor network, and ability to broaden the ticket’s tone without abandoning conservative priorities.
RELATED: Trump to address declassified intel revelations about 2020 foreign interference: Report
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The Trump name may not be leaving the stage
Another variable remains impossible to ignore: the Trump political brand.
Donald Trump Jr.’s name continues to circulate among supporters and commentators as a potential future candidate. Although he has repeatedly said he is focused on advancing the America First movement rather than seeking office himself, his national profile, fundraising network, and loyal following keep him in nearly every early conversation about 2028.
Unlike many political heirs, Trump Jr. has spent years campaigning across the country, building relationships with conservative activists, appearing regularly in conservative media, and becoming one of the Republican Party’s most recognizable surrogates.
Whether he ultimately seeks the presidency, accepts a vice presidential nomination, or remains one of the party’s most influential campaign voices, his involvement would almost certainly keep the Trump family’s political movement at the center of Republican politics.
There is one rule every VP nominee must follow: Do not become the story. The job is to amplify the presidential candidate, not compete with him.
In a country where elections are often decided by razor-thin margins in a handful of battleground states, even a small advantage can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
Arkansas, Electoral votes, Jd vance, Marco rubio, Presidential candidate, South carolina, Swing voters, Tennessee, Vice president, Running mate, Gop, 2028 election, Opinion & analysis
Glenn Beck warns: Lindsey Graham’s death exposes something very dark in America
On Saturday, July 11, longtime Republican U.S. Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham died at the age of 71. He passed away suddenly from an aortic dissection shortly after returning from a trip to Ukraine.
When he saw the news, Glenn Beck was troubled — but not because he’s a fan of Graham’s or even because death is a sad reality. He was disturbed because once again many people, including conservatives, were celebrating the tragic news.
“I haven’t agreed with Lindsey Graham in a very long time — not on the wars, not on the surveillance state, not on a dozen deals. I thought he sold out the people that elected and sent him there,” Glenn admits.
“I wanted South Carolina to retire him, but at the ballot box. … We settle things with paper and not with blood,” he emphasizes.
Right now, many Americans on both sides of the political aisle have blurred the line between loss and death.
“Lindsey Graham didn’t lose; he died — and those are not the same thing. … Stop celebrating death, America, as if it’s a political victory. It’s grotesque,” Glenn says.
“I am not going to reduce an entire man’s life to whether or not we agreed. What a dishonor. What a dishonor — not to his family or to him, to yourself,” he continues.
While Graham’s legacy is complicated, it’s full of admirable moments, Glenn argues.
Graham came from humble beginnings, was the first person in his family to attend college, and lost both his parents to tragic deaths when he was in his early 20s.
At the age of 22, Graham, the new “man of his family,” drove home nearly every weekend from Columbia University to check on his little sister, Darline.
“And when he joined the Air Force, he did something incredible. He legally adopted his sister. Why? There’s no fame in that. … He adopted her so that if he died in the military, his benefits would go to her,” Glenn adds through tears.
In 2009, Graham was the only Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote in favor of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation. A year later, he did the same for Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.
Glenn says Graham was “right” to vote in favor of these liberal judges he personally disagreed with and praises him for being the only one who understood that a Senate confirmation is an “anti-corruption device” designed to prevent a president from “appointing his relatives or his cronies or his flatterers.”
“It was never meant to be a second election. Lindsey Graham understood this, … and he did what he felt was required of him, and it cost him politically,” Glenn explains.
But his favorite Graham moment happened in 2018 during Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Graham passionately ripped into Senate Democrats, calling the process “the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics” for what he saw as a smear campaign to destroy Kavanaugh’s life and delay the seat until after the midterms.
“This is what a human being looks like when you write him down. It’s not a hero or a villain. It’s a ledger. There’s ink on both sides of the page,” Glenn says, “and if you think your page is going to come out any cleaner, I’d encourage you to go back and look at those pages of your life.”
He then gives Graham the honor he’s owed.
“Three decades in the uniform of the United States. Brother, guardian, father, in fact, to a 13-year-old girl who had nobody else. Lindsey Graham, I salute you. Thank you for your service to your state, to your service for your country.”
To hear more of Glenn’s commentary, watch the video above.
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The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Lindsey graham
Taco Bell releases statement after being reportedly identified as a possible source of parasite causing ‘explosive’ diarrhea
Thousands of Americans are getting infected with the cyclospora parasite, and health officials are looking at Taco Bell as one possible source of the uncomfortable outbreak.
The Mexican fast-food chain reportedly stopped serving some fresh ingredients at some of its locations, and the Washington Post reported that federal and state health officials are now probing the chain.
‘FDA certainly is continuing its traceback investigation on multiple produce items, also including locations that are reported by the case patients.’
The parasite can infect hosts who eat contaminated produce and may cause weeks of watery diarrhea and “frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Tuesday, Taco Bell issued a statement saying that it had “voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients” at some restaurants “as a precautionary measure.”
The chain added that it would continue to monitor the situation and “follow the guidance of public health authorities.”
Donald Prater, the acting deputy commissioner for food at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, would not confirm if Taco Bell is being investigated.
“FDA certainly is continuing its traceback investigation on multiple produce items, also including locations that are reported by the case patients before they became sick,” he said.
Officials outlined several steps people can take to avoid the discomforting parasite:
Heating food to 158 degrees F or above to kill the parasite;Peeling produce to reduce the chance of infection from the parasite being present on the surface; andWashing all fresh produce under clean running water, even if you plan on peeling it, and whether or not it was pre-washed.
More than 1,000 cases of cyclosporiasis have been confirmed by health officials in more than half of U.S. states, and up to 7,000 cases are suspected.
Those who believe they may be coming down with the sickness are advised to contact health officials and specifically ask for the cyclospora test.
Cyclospora infections can be treated with antibiotics, rest, and plenty of hydration.
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Centers for disease control, Health officials, Taco bell, Cyclospora parasite, Diarrhea, Politics
Justice Amy Coney Barrett describes SWATTING attack against her family
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett related how her home and family were the target of a swatting report during congressional testimony on Tuesday.
Police reports from an incident in May involving a “high-priority resident” in Washington, D.C., led to media conjecture that Barrett had been the target of a swatting report.
‘One of my teenage sons opened the door to go out with friends and saw in our street, it was full of police cars who had responded to a false report of gunshots.’
The Supreme Court is asking Congress to increase funding for security in response to a surge in threats against the justices. Barrett and Elena Kagan appeared in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government in support of the funds.
“Maybe I lack imagination, but I didn’t expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one,” Barrett said.
She told Congress that police responded to her home on the hoax shooting call but that her security detail defused the situation.
“One of my teenage sons opened the door to go out with friends and saw in our street, it was full of police cars who had responded to a false report of gunshots and raised voices in my home,” she continued.
“I was very, very grateful that I had Supreme Court police outside my home because they were able to stop and meet with and explain to the county police that it had been a false alarm, and so the police did not actually attempt to enter our home,” Barrett added.
The Supreme Court is asking for $228.4 million in funding from Congress, an increase of $20.5 million compared to last year.
According to NBC’s report, members of Congress appeared to be receptive to the justices’ testimony, as they have also been targets of threats.
In one alarming incident, a transgender-identifying man was caught with a gun and what appeared to be kidnapping paraphernalia outside the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The U.S. Marshals Service said there have been 370 threats against federal judges since Oct. 2025.
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Amy coney barrett, Us supreme court, Political threats, Political violence, Swatting attacks, Politics
Steve Deace: Is Mitch McConnell actually in the hospital, or is it ‘Soviet-level propaganda’?
After a month of silence, Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office shared a statement alongside a proof of life photograph of McConnell sitting in what appears to be a hospital bed alongside his wife while holding this Sunday’s Washington Post newspaper.
McConnell shared that he had fallen and had to deal with a “mild case of pneumonia.”
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” the statement read. “I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital.”
BlazeTV host Steve Deace isn’t totally buying McConnell’s story, calling the photo “fascinating.”
“I mean, you typically, when you see people in the hospital admitted for long periods of time, are they typically cord-free or there’s no IVs?” he asks, pointing out that McConnell is free of any IVs, cords, and he’s dressed normally.
“When I look at this, I don’t see anything. I don’t see any evidence of an IV. I don’t see any machines,” he says.
“This to me was like Soviet-level propaganda here, right? And you make sure to throw the wife in there with all the rumors that she had run off to China or something,” he adds.
“And his best friend in the Senate was Lindsey Graham,” co-host Todd Erzen chimes in.
“And he said nothing about Lindsey Graham too, because this came out hours after it was already out that Lindsey Graham had passed away,” executive producer Aaron McIntire adds.
“To me, the best thing that you can say is that he’s seriously hurt, which is unfortunate again for him and his family. He’s seriously hurt, and they staged this in the hospital to make it look like he was due back and didn’t consider any of the details of the kinds of things we’re asking about,” Deace says.
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Aaron mcintire, Lindsey graham, Mitch mcconnell, Pneumonia, Statement, Steve deace, Todd erzen, Washington post, Steve deace show
Iconoclasts melted Robert E. Lee’s statue. Here’s what they’ll deform his bronze into.
Five years ago, Charlottesville’s nearly century-old Robert E. Lee statue was torn down, chopped up, and melted at the urging of woke iconoclasts. The remains are now destined to be further deformed into an African symbol by a black identitarian.
How it started
Paul Goodloe McIntire, one of Charlottesville’s top individual benefactors if not its greatest, commissioned several statues for the city in the early 20th century including one depicting Robert E. Lee.
‘Equity and justice are integral.’
The gifted Lee statue was unveiled in what is now Market Street Park on May 21, 1924, where it stood for nearly a century. It was removed, however, on July 10, 2021 — several years after the deadly “Unite the Right” rally, which the Southern Poverty Law Center allegedly had a hand in organizing — pursuant to a decision by Charlottesville City Council.
Then-Mayor Nikuyah Walker reportedly stated as the crane approached the monument, “Taking down this statue is one small step closer to the goal of helping Charlottesville, Va., and America, grapple with the sin of being willing to destroy black people for economic gain.”
In what co-founder of Charlottesville Black Lives Matter Jalane Schmidt described as “like an execution,” the bronze likeness of Lee was subsequently cut up, then melted down in 2023 before an audience of iconoclasts and so-called anti-racist activists.
This melting project — called Swords into Plowshares — was proposed by Charlottesville’s Jefferson School African-American Heritage Center and approved by the city council in 2021, reported the Guardian.
How it’s going
The JSAAHC ultimately selected the architecture firm Model of Architecture Serving Society Design Group and woke sculptor Dana King to repurpose the bronze from the Lee statue into a new work called “Rooted.”
RELATED: Their likenesses were toppled, yet they still cast long shadows
John McDonnell/Washington Post/Getty Images
Jha Amazi, principal at the design group, stated, “We are deeply inspired by the courage and persistence of everyone who made this moment possible over the past decade, and we are honored to contribute to a future shaped not by inherited symbols, but by shared values and collective imagination.”
Instead of featuring a figure of American historical import, Market Street Park will soon feature a “27-foot-tall bronze Baobab tree, a profound symbol of life, interconnection, and persistence throughout the African diaspora,” the design group said in a statement.
According to the designers, they will be “transforming a space historically defined by racialized exclusion and intimidation into a beacon for justice, dignity, and belonging.”
“The design envisions a true commons, vital and open to all,” continued the statement. “The Baobab forms a seven-sided pavilion, inviting everyone to step inside, gather, and share space. Gardens radiate around a multifunctional plaza, connecting us to the earth.”
Sculptor Dana King — who claims on her website both that “equity and justice are integral” to her work and that the medium is too “often used to elevate Eurocentric and white supremacist statuary” — told WVIR-TV that she feels a sense of gratitude that she is “able to tell the story of African descendants and our importance in this country.”
Andrea Douglas, co-founder of Swords into Plowshares, told WVIR that the use of bronze from the Lee statue was intentional.
“We were interested in creating a process that would give voices that would’ve not had voice at the time that a Lee statue was placed in 1924,” said Douglas.
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Charlottesville, Iconoclasts, Robert e lee, Statues, Woke, Southern poverty law center, Confederacy, African, Politics
CNBC’s ‘worst states’ ranking under fire for scoring conservative policies as negatives
Men in women’s restrooms? Affirmative action? Suppression of religious freedom?
CNBC’s latest “America’s 10 worst states to live in” ranking, published Saturday, appears to place a heavy emphasis on liberal policies, contributing to a bottom-10 list of exclusively red states.
‘If Texas was so bad, people wouldn’t be fleeing blue states in droves to move here.”
Among the criteria considered were crime rates, air quality, health care access, worker protections, civil rights laws, “reproductive rights,” and inclusivity.
Tennessee was deemed the worst state to live in the U.S., followed by Texas, Indiana, Louisiana, Georgia, Utah, Missouri, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.
However, the methodology quickly drew criticism from conservative politicians and commentators, who argued that several of CNBC’s quality-of-life metrics effectively penalize states for enacting conservative policies.
Louisiana, for example, lost points for abolishing affirmative action requirements in the state’s civil service code in favor of a merit-based system.
“DEI has been swept out of Civil Service. Now employment decisions will be based strictly on the basis of merit,” Gov. Jeff Landry (R) proclaimed in January.
Louisiana was still awarded an “F” letter grade partly for scoring low on “inclusiveness.”
Another “F” state, Georgia, was hit hard for a state law protecting the First Amendment’s right to religious freedom.
“The bill would prevent governments from impeding on someone’s religious rights in most cases and stop the enforcement of laws that conflict with someone’s religious expression,” the Associated Press reported.
During the bill’s signing, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp affirmed, “Georgia still remains a state where there is no place for hate, and I can assure all Georgians of that today.”
Citing the ongoing migration of residents from blue states to red states, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) pushed back against Texas’ low ranking, arguing that the state’s population growth tells a different story.
“If Texas was so bad, people wouldn’t be fleeing blue states in droves to move here,” he posted on X.
RELATED: America’s best and worst states for religious freedom — and what it means for our future
Al Drago/Getty Images
For Tennessee’s bio, CNBC came out swinging with an attack on the Volunteer State’s law prohibiting transgender-identifying individuals from using bathrooms and locker rooms that don’t align with their biological sex — accusing Tennessee Republicans of imposing “a rash of state laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community.”
The recent designation of June as “Nuclear Family Month” also came under fire.
The Tennessee resolution states, “The nuclear family, consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children, is God’s design for familial structure and has been the bedrock of society since the creation of the world.”
Yet CNBC criticized the measure, arguing, “Its sponsors deliberately timed the observance to coincide with the month when Tennessee’s more than 300,000 LGBTQ+ people celebrate Pride.”
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came to Tennessee’s defense in a post on X, writing, “If Tennessee was really the worst state to live in people wouldn’t be moving there in large numbers, which they are.”
“Typical nonsense,” he added.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton joined DeSantis in blasting the methodology.
“CNBC says the ability to kill unborn babies and engage in woke racism makes states better to live in,” Fitton said, partially in reference to Louisiana and Oklahoma being dinged for having “among the nation’s strictest abortion bans.”
On the other side of the aisle, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) used the ranking to mock Republicans suffering from what he described as “California Derangement Syndrome.”
“Notice something in common?” Newsom wrote. “All led by Republicans.”
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Glenn Beck: Trump is hunting for someone in Iran — but it’s not who you think
Albert Speer, Hitler’s close friend and chief architect, was the ideal Nazi. That is, until he realized the war was lost. Just weeks before the end of WWII, Hitler ordered him to carry out the “Nero Decree”: Burn Germany to the ground to prevent the Allies and the German people from taking it.
Speer pretended to obey but secretly sabotaged the order to save what he could. This decision allowed him to escape execution during the Nuremberg trials.
Glenn Beck says that right now President Trump is “hunting” for Iran’s Albert Speer — a high-level insider who is self-interested enough to betray the dying regime in order to save himself and what’s left of the country.
This defector, he says, must be able to answer the central question: Where is the enriched uranium stockpile, and how do we get rid of it or prove it’s gone?
But this plan to find the Iranian Speer may not work.
Even though President Trump is making progress with China and Russia, says Glenn, “as long as Moscow and Beijing look like they’re going to catch the regime if it falls, nobody on the inside of that regime is going to wake up and conclude that the ship is sinking.”
“How does Trump send the message that he needs a Speer?” he asks. “Well, he doesn’t send the message. You can’t stand at a podium and announce you’re shopping for a traitor. You’ll get the honest men killed and the regime put on alert.”
Trump, he argues, needs to take a page out of Roosevelt’s book and “build a channel quietly.” During WWII’s Operation Torch, he quietly sent undercover Americans to contact French officers in North Africa ahead of the invasion, so they would switch sides and stop fighting once the Allies invaded.
“That’s the work,” says Glenn, “and I’ll bet you that we’re not doing that work.”
“I’ll bet you the ones who probably have the people in place to lay that path are the Israelis, but the Qataris, the Omanis, they’re doing back channels as well, I’m sure — private assurances, personal and specific to individual figures,” he continues.
What Americans need to come to grips with, Glenn argues, is that the man we need is probably not a man we want to partner with.
“The man who can deliver the uranium may be a man we may never want to stand next to,” he says candidly.
Finding — or creating —- this man, Glenn argues, is “the best card that we have.”
“Here’s what Trump has to do. … Keep the pressure on. Do what he’s doing: hard, visible, unrelenting diplomatic, economic, and military pressure. That’s the only thing that will build the private thought inside the one guy’s head like this ship is going down … and underneath it, run the quiet wire,” he explains.
“Keep an off-ramp open … so that some morning, some senior man might look around and sees … this ship is sinking and he knows there’s a lifeboat, and he knows he’s going to get him and his family into that lifeboat.”
To hear more, watch the video above.
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The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Donald trump, Iran
Female, 25, accused of sexually assaulting child and recording video of the act
A New Jersey female is accused of sexually assaulting a child and recording video of the act, officials told Patch.
Victoria Anne Cranmer, 25, of Little Egg Harbor is charged with sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, manufacturing child sexual abuse material, and possession of child sexual abuse material, the outlet said, citing the Ocean County Department of Corrections.
A search warrant uncovered additional videos of Cranmer and the boy in the bathroom, officials told Patch.
The charges stem from allegations involving a child younger than 13 in May, News 12 reported.
Cranmer had been living with a woman identified as Ms. P, who gave Cranmer an iPhone and paid for the cell service, Patch said, citing the affidavit of probable cause filed in Cranmer’s arrest.
Several months later, Cranmer was kicked out of where she was staying, and Ms. P asked Cranmer to return the cell phone — and Ms. P discovered video on the phone, Patch said, citing the documents.
More from Patch:
On Cranmer’s Snapchat, she found a video of the young boy touching Cranmer’s exposed vagina while she sat on the toilet laughing, according to the affidavit. Ms. P knew it was Cranmer due to distinctive tattoos, her voice, and the fact that it was filmed in her own bathroom, the affidavit said.
Ms. P “freaked out,” according to the affidavit, and saved the video to her phone before locking Cranmer out of the Snapchat account so it couldn’t be deleted.
While Cranmer was living with Ms. P, she would often babysit her daughter and the young son of a woman identified as Ms. H, the documents said. The son’s age was not stated, however, documents refer to him being in diapers.
Ms. H began to notice her son behaving oddly after spending time with Cranmer, and he began to not like the bathtub, according to the documents. She learned that Cranmer bathed herself with the boy, officials said.
A search warrant uncovered additional videos of Cranmer and the boy in the bathroom, officials told Patch.
Image source: Image source: Ocean County (N.J.) Jail
According to the affidavit, the prosecutor approved the charges on July 7, News 12 reported, adding that Cranmer was arrested and taken to the Ocean County Jail pending court proceedings.
Cranmer on Tuesday remained behind bars with no bail amount or hearing information listed in her jail record.
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Arrest, Endangering the welfare of a child, Jailed, Manufacturing of child sexual abuse material, New jersey, Sexual assault, Crime
WNBA star says black women are ‘amazing’ and deserve equality in strange, race-riddled rant
During comments about WNBA coaches, star Paige Bueckers declared black women deserve the same opportunities as white women.
The remarks came during a postgame press conference on Sunday, after a 96-91 win over the Chicago Sky.
‘I understand, like, how amazing they are.’
While the Dallas Wings guard is the No. 1 scorer on the team, it seems she also is looking to become the team’s No. 1 social justice warrior. Bueckers was asked by a reporter how to go about getting more black female coaches in the WNBA, and the 24-year-old’s answer was nothing short of progressive.
“I’m for equal opportunity, no discrimination based on what you look like, who you like, and anything of that nature,” Bueckers began, with an unidentified piece of paper in front of her.
“I grew up with a lot of prominent black women in my life that were very important to me in how I was raised and how I grew up, being my stepmom, [and] my AAU coach,” Bueckers said.
The Minnesota native continued, stating she believes black women deserve equality.
“I understand, like, how amazing they are and how they should get the same equal opportunity as a white woman, as a white man, to be an important piece of this league.”
RELATION: The dark religion behind ‘manifesting’
Bueckers then echoed previous comments made by Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark and declared the WNBA was “built on a lot of black women.”
“It’s definitely right for them to get the same equal opportunity as everyone else,” Bueckers added.
Clark made very similar statements in 2024 as a rookie, when she said, “This league has kind of been built on them,” referring to “black players” in the WNBA.
“The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important,” Clark said at the time.
Clark even went as far as to say that although she wanted to claim her success was her own doing, at least some part of it was due to having white “privilege.”
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” Clark announced. “The more we can elevate black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing,” she explained.
Clark’s comments sparked significant backlash at the time, and she soon walked them back.
“I feel like I’ve earned every single thing that’s happened to me over the course of my career,” she told Time just a couple days later.
Bueckers said as a rookie in 2025 that white athletes have more “marketability” and get more coverage than black athletes. She also took time to note that she believes all white people have “white privilege” and “there’s white privilege every single day” in the WNBA.
Bueckers is also reportedly in a romantic relationship with her teammate, the Wings’ third-leading scorer, Azzi Fudd.
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‘Most of us were LIED TO by the media’: Billionaire investor says Trump has been unfairly maligned
Tech investor and influencer Chamath Palihapitiya says he has made a 180-degree turn on the negative image he had of President Donald Trump.
The podcaster told CNBC News on Tuesday that he was trying to avoid the ideological tunnel vision that many people find themselves in after being besieged by media bias.
‘Why did these other people just fabricate what they wanted to say so that they could essentially assassinate his character?’
“There’s enough people that I hear that are lazy and reductive, and they’re going to end up where they’re supposed to end up — in a little cul-de-sac of their own making,” said Palihapitiya.
“The reality is that most of us were lied to by the media about President Trump. And if you just go back to the source material, you should take away two things: One, he didn’t say half the things he said,” he said.
“Two, why did these other people just fabricate what they wanted to say so that they could essentially assassinate his character?” Palihapitiya continued. “I think that that second thing is completely unacceptable in America, and there have still been no repercussions, really.”
Palihapitiya went on to say that he took time to learn more about the 2017 rally in Charlottesville and how the media falsely connected racism there to the president. He related the experience on his podcast, which has millions of listeners.
“The first person to call me: President Trump. I got to know him, and I put the phone down. I called my wife, and I said, ‘We got it totally, totally wrong. We were lied to,'” said Palihapitiya.
“Then I got to know him, and he is fantastic!” he added.
Trump’s comments on the 2017 Charlottesville rally have been mischaracterized by many on the left, including former President Joe Biden, to accuse him of calling white supremacists “very fine people.”
Even Snopes, the left-wing fact-checking website, admitted that Trump was not referring to the “neo-Nazis and white nationalists,” who he said should be condemned.
Palihapitiya’s comments were posted to social media, where they were widely circulated by critics of the mainstream media.
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Chamath palihapitiya, Charlottesville, Media bias, President donald trump, Politics