Footage shows male senior swiftly strike ball in attempt to make goal, inadvertently hitting female player directly in mouth. A female high school lacrosse player [more…]
Category: blaze media
They called conservatives ‘pedo protectors’ — but Tim Walz did THIS
Democrats appear to believe that they are the party that protects children, but BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales knows that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“It seems to be that the Democrats are the ones who always seem to associate with the pedophiles. They are the actual party of pedophile protectors. And honestly it seems like it’s really just Democrats who want to force you to live around pedophiles,” she says.
And she has the receipts to back it up.
“Minnesota Governor Tim Walz actually pardoned an illegal alien who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl to save him from being deported. I am not making this up,” she explains.
“‘Cause why would you deport an illegal sex offender when you could just keep them here, right?” she asks.
The 42-year-old illegal immigrant, Tue Lue Vang, was convicted of repeatedly raping a child over multiple years. But that didn’t stop the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission from voting 4-2 to grant the predator a pardon.
Vang also once offered the child $10 to keep quiet about the abuse.
“And you know what? His justification is actually quite simple. He said, ‘Oh, well, sexual conduct with minors is the norm in Laos,’” Gonzales explains.
“Sorry bud, not in America,” she continues, before correcting herself. “Well, I guess in Minnesota under Tim Walz.”
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.
Deported, Illegal alien, Minnesota, Minnesota governor, Pedophiles, Sara gonzales, Sex offender, Tim walz, Sara gonzales unfiltered
The internet makes monsters and saints before the body is cold
The internet has done an admirable job hobbling the corporate left-wing media’s ability to control the population through a single narrative. But that blessing comes with regrettable costs.
The speed of information and the incentive to push hot takes onto social media mean that when a public figure dies, there is an immediate race to decide which competing narrative will define his legacy.
Was Graham a true convert to MAGA and its values? Unlikely. But politics is not a contest over who believes harder.
When Lindsey Graham died suddenly of heart failure over the weekend, conspiracy theories about foreign assassination plots immediately began to circulate online. Many leftists openly celebrated his death, and the reactionary impulse of conservatives drove others to recast Graham as a stalwart crusader for MAGA.
The truth is more complicated. But in the eternal battle for narrative supremacy, there is little time for reflection, even in response to death.
No one is above criticism. But in a healthy society, some space exists between a public figure’s passing and attacks on his legacy.
That standard now seems quaint, perhaps naive. It is also better for the soul of the nation.
Unfortunately, wishing to live in that kind of society does not make it real. The information war is relentless. Abstaining from the fight only means someone else defines the truth.
The news cycle does not observe a respectable period of mourning. The battle begins the moment the headline drops.
Wild conspiracy theories now seem obligatory whenever a prominent figure dies, and Graham was no exception. The senator toured a Ukrainian weapons factory the day before his death, and several figures speculated that he had really been killed in an attack on that facility or poisoned by the Russians.
Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin suggested on social media that Graham had likely been killed by Israel, despite Graham’s long record of advocacy for that country.
This is not to denigrate conspiracy theories in general. One thing we learned after COVID is that such theories can often prove correct. But the narratives around Graham’s death were bizarre.
Graham was a 71-year-old man with a family history of fatal heart conditions who did not take care of himself. His death is sad, but its cause was hardly mysterious.
RELATED: Lindsey Graham’s sister appointed to serve out the rest of his term in the Senate
Grant Baldwin/Getty Images
Progressives reacted exactly as expected. There was gloating, celebration, mockery, and even speculation about who should come next.
Graham’s death was nowhere near as visceral or violent as Charlie Kirk’s assassination, but the left’s response carried unnerving echoes. It was a brutal reminder of a lesson conservatives have worked hard not to learn since Kirk’s murder.
Even the average Democrat is emotionally unhinged.
Your progressive neighbor may not be willing to commit violence personally against you over politics. But many are happy to cheer those who do and dance on your grave once you are gone.
The reaction on the right was strange in a different way. Some conservatives rushed to construct a hagiography, transforming Graham into a MAGA saint, a lion who died fighting for the cause.
That impulse may have been an understandable response to the left’s disgusting vitriol. It was not wise.
Graham served in the Senate for 31 years. He supported every disastrous war during his tenure, including the war in Ukraine that Donald Trump ran on ending and the war in Iran now costing the administration dearly.
Graham pushed for the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. He backed Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton during military operations in Syria and Libya.
He pushed to send hundreds of billions of dollars to foreign governments while inflation was driving up the cost of living for ordinary Americans. After Graham’s death, Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that when he told the senator Israel should pay for its own defense, Graham insisted that American taxpayers should foot the bill.
On immigration, the core issue of the MAGA coalition, Graham was even worse.
He was part of the Gang of Eight and pushed for amnesty alongside men like Marco Rubio. In 2006, Graham teamed up with John McCain to pursue a similar pathway to citizenship. His attempts to secure amnesty for illegal aliens were so common that he earned the nickname “Grahamnesty.”
Lindsey Graham was, in almost every way imaginable, the essence of the Washington swamp Trump promised to drain.
He was also a savvy political operator.
Graham initially fought Trump tooth and nail. Like many Republicans, he slowly changed his rhetoric. Despite still pushing horrible foreign policy and endless war, the senator became a reliable vote for Trump on many domestic issues. His work advancing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the SAVE Act deserves note.
Was Graham a true convert to MAGA and its values? Unlikely. But politics is not a contest over who believes harder.
It would have been unwise to trust Graham. Many Republicans have discovered new respect for Trump to get what they want, only to betray him the moment he stops prioritizing their issues.
RELATED: Conservatives are blowing the easiest political win in America
Blaze Media Illustration
But Graham delivered votes and support at key moments. That made him politically useful in scenarios that cannot be ignored.
Graham spent most of his career as an institutional neoconservative advancing policies that were disastrous for the country. He eventually corrected course on amnesty and delivered some key votes for the Trump administration. Yet his monomaniacal obsession with war made him one of the central proponents of a foreign policy quagmire threatening to derail the MAGA agenda.
Does his opportunistic support for Trump in the final years of his life make him a true MAGA patriot? No.
Does he deserve the hatred poured on him by the left after his death? Also no.
That is not mercy for a political enemy. It is moral clarity. Refusing to lie about a man’s record does not require joining the mob that cheers his death.
Those are entirely separate moral sins.
In the rush to define the narrative, the complicated nature of Graham’s legacy disappears.
The internet has made immediate judgment mandatory and thoughtful reflection almost impossible. It turns public figures into mascots, villains, saints, and demons before the body is cold.
In the end, the internet makes fictional characters of us all.
Opinion & analysis, Lindsey graham, Republicans, Senate, Maga, Legacy, Leftists, Immigration, Amnesty, Donald trump, Neoconservatives, Iran war, Ukraine aid
Trump backs Mike Lindell in Minnesota as Democratic primary features anti-ICE Klobuchar and a convicted rapist
MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell is a proud trailer park-raised Republican who, “through the grace of God” and a deepening relationship with Christ, beat a crippling crack cocaine addiction, then went on to enjoy massive personal success and found a recovery network.
Lindell has in recent years paid an enormous price personally and professionally for his claims both that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election and that the election was rigged, even becoming a target of the Biden FBI.
‘This race looks all but over.’
Trump, evidently impressed with his steadfast defender, said in December after Lindell filed to run for governor of Minnesota that the 65-year-old businessman “deserves to be governor of Minnesota.”
“That man suffered. What he did, what he went through because he knew the election was rigged. And he did it. I mean, he just did it as a citizen,” Trump said. “These people went after him, they went after his company. They did that with me, too, but at least I knew what I was getting into. He was just a guy that said, ‘Jeez, this election was so crooked; it was so rigged.’ He fought like hell.”
On Wednesday — just months after the Minnesota Republican Party endorsed Army veteran and former health care executive Kendall Qualls for governor — Trump formally endorsed Lindell, stating that “if given the chance, Mike will be SPECTACULAR!”
In addition to characterizing the “Pillow Man” as “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots,” Trump said that Lindell “truly loves Minnesota, as do I, and wants to bring it back from oblivion and embarrassment. He can do it! Nobody has sacrificed more than Mike Lindell in fighting for our country, especially when it comes to Election Integrity. He truly deserves everything he gets — He will MAKE MINNESOTA GREAT AGAIN!”
RELATED: Former Miss North Dakota pleads guilty to day care fraud in Minnesota
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
The Minnesota GOP did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.
In a survey of over 1,000 likely primary voters in late June, Big Data Poll found that Lindell led his closest competitor, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, by 6 points — 27% to 21%.
Qualls trailed far behind in third place with just 10% in the poll.
“Mike Lindell continues to lead among the core demographics that make up the primary coalition that nominated President Trump in the North Star State, to include the working class voters by income and education levels who were stalwart supporters of the president,” Big Data Poll director Rich Baris said in a statement. “In giving Lindell the lead both before and after the convention, Republican primary voters are sending a clear message.”
“With the president’s endorsement, this race looks all but over,” Baris added.
Following Trump’s endorsement of Lindell, Qualls said that he will continue to support the president but that “this race won’t be won by national endorsements.”
“It will be decided by Minnesota Republicans — the same Republicans who supported President Trump in all three of his campaigns — and who time and time again have lined up behind our campaign as the only candidate endorsed by the Minnesota Republican Party,” Qualls added.
Lindell has vowed, among other things, to
support state cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement;oppose sanctuary policies and protect resources for citizens;eliminate the in-person retail sales tax plan in order to reduce families’ tax burden immediately as well as spur job growth;”put real brakes on runaway property tax hikes” in part by limiting yearly increases and shifting some of the education burden to the state;”encourage policies that make it easier to marry, raise children, and care for aging parents”;crack down on welfare fraud; andexpand school choice and bolster parental rights.
The Minnesota GOP primary will take place on Aug. 11.
Democratic primary voters, who will also go to the polls next month, have several radicals to choose from, including U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running on an anti-ICE platform, and Thomas Evenstad, a convicted rapist.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Mike lindell, Donald trump, Minnesota, Gop, Republican, Governor, Gubernatorial, Election, Mypillow, Politics
Christopher Nolan: Our ‘Odyssey’ avoids ‘cultural prejudices’ to appeal to ‘modern audiences’
Director Christopher Nolan defended his cinematic choices for “The Odyssey” in a recent interview, which interestingly included a focus on historical accuracy.
Nolan’s remarks come as he has faced a landslide of criticism in the lead-up to the film’s release, particularly for the way he has chosen to cast the ancient Greek story.
‘I just want to make it feel very fresh for modern audiences.’
Digging in
Most notably, Nolan cast Mexican-born Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o to play Greek princess Helen of Troy. This was in addition to tapping transgender actress Elliot Page to play Greek warrior Sinon, despite Page having a lengthy movie career as Ellen Page, including in Nolan’s 2010 hit “Inception.”
Nevertheless, Nolan did not address his casting choices in a recent interview, and while he did praise some of his actors, he made a peculiar argument for why historical accuracy is important.
“We went back to what’s in the archaeology. What does that tell us? And what gaps does that leave?” Nolan rhetorically asked Channel 4.
“What do we know about Homer’s time? How were things portrayed in the earliest possible portrayals of that? And looking at how do you create a consistent and accessible world around that that feels vital and and credible.”
Greek to me
While Nolan argued for historical accuracy in architecture, he made a different argument when asked about the “very modern” language used in the film. Nolan said the use of old English in similar depictions is only due to cultural bias.
“You look at the ancient world — people tend to view it in weird ways; there’s a lot of cultural prejudice,” Nolan argued. “They’re sort of elevating it because it’s old, you know, whatever it is. When you go to the poem, what you find is something that’s really earthy and grounded and accessible.”
Still, the 55-year-old said he wanted an updated take on the film and to avoid any illogical assumptions some audiences may have.
“I just want to center it on that and make it feel very fresh for modern audiences and do away with some of those assumptions that aren’t based on anything logical. They’re just, as I say, cultural prejudices or things over time,” Nolan added.
RELATED: Christopher Nolan’s shocking woke sellout: Weaponizing Homer’s Western classic AGAINST the West
Los Angeles, 2010. Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Horsing around
The director’s use of the dreaded term “modern audiences” set off many in the comments section, who see it as a signal that the movie will be overtly progressive in tone.
Viewers called the term “a huge red flag” and a reason to be “immediately out.”
“‘Modern audience’ lol no thanks,” another viewer wrote, while a recent remark asked, “Is this modern audience with you in the room, right now?”
As for Nolan’s pick for Sinon, the character is typically viewed as a soldier who helped deceive Trojans into accepting the Trojan Horse inside their walls. According to GreekMythology.com, Sinon’s “lies, courage, and careful acting” made him one of the most “important figures in the story of the Trojan Horse.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Christopher nolan, Elliot page, News, The odyssey, Entertainment
Why conservatives have more fun — and why it drives the left mad
The progressive left and the academic establishment march so tightly hand in hand that they might as well share a pair of skinny jeans. Naturally, the recent paper in the Journal of Marketing concludes that conservatives are practically on the brink of ruin. Apparently, a conservative can’t enjoy a cold beer, a cigar, or a trip to the casino without the left assuming he’s one bad decision away from alcoholism, lung cancer, or financial ruin.
The study, which analyzed everything from YouGov data to Yelp reviews across five countries, reached a conclusion that academics seem to find utterly baffling: Conservatives view “addictive products” — alcohol, tobacco, gambling, fast food, and gaming — far more favorably than liberals do.
While the left is busy drafting trigger warnings, the data shows that the conservative brain is fundamentally hardwired for self-governance.
To the academic mind, this is a defect. Academics frame this in the most negative, alarmist terms possible, claiming that our focus on autonomy has, in effect, lowered our psychological guard.
Let’s translate that from ivory-tower-speak into reality. What the data actually proves is that liberals view themselves as fragile, helpless leaves blown about by the winds of corporate temptation, while conservatives possess the radical, terrifying confidence known as self-regulation.
The dreaded ‘sense of agency’
The researchers based their thesis on a psychological concept called the “sense of agency” — the shocking notion that you are actually in charge of your own body and choices. Because conservatism prioritizes individual responsibility over collective victimhood, we naturally have a much higher sense of agency.
According to the study, this is a bad thing because it makes us underestimate the inherent risks of a lottery ticket or a double cheeseburger.
A liberal looks at a slot machine and sees an oppressive system; a conservative looks at a slot machine and sees twenty bucks worth of entertainment, confident he can walk away when it’s gone. It’s not that we don’t understand that addiction exists. Rather, it’s that we don’t view ourselves as inevitable victims. We have willpower. Many on the left do not.
And this isn’t just conservative bravado; it is backed by decades of actual, hard psychological science that academics love to ignore when it doesn’t fit the narrative. In standard personality psychology, conservatives consistently score significantly higher in conscientiousness — the literal Big Five trait defined by impulse control, orderliness, and the ability to delay gratification.
While the left is busy drafting trigger warnings, the data shows that the conservative brain is fundamentally hardwired for self-governance. We don’t need a bureaucratic chaperone to stand between us and a plate of nachos because our baseline internal programming already handles the impulse regulation for us.
The conservative mindset
To prove their point that conservatives are having entirely too much fun, the researchers looked at 124,976 Yelp reviews across the United States. Sure enough, businesses selling addictive products — like cigar bars and casinos — received significantly higher ratings in conservative counties. Meanwhile, in liberal enclaves, people were presumably leaving one-star reviews for artisanal cafes because the oat milk wasn’t locally sourced by unionized baristas.
The researchers even tried to manipulate mindsets in a lab, forcing participants into a “conservative mindset” by making them write about personal responsibility. The result? Those primed to think like conservatives immediately went out and bought more lottery tickets and expressed a higher willingness to buy a drink.
When you stop viewing society as a minefield of trauma and oppression, you actually start enjoying life. A healthy view of human existence acknowledges that pleasure requires self-control.
Study after study confirms a massive ideological “happiness gap,” with conservatives reporting significantly higher levels of mental stability, life satisfaction, and emotional resilience than liberals. It takes a profound level of psychological stability to look at the outside world, smile, and say, “I’ve got this.”
RELATED: Why your coffee addiction is a superpower
Portland Press Herald/Getty Images
The nanny state’s new blueprint
Naturally, because academics cannot leave well enough alone, the final phase of the study focused on how to break this conservative resilience. They tested different types of anti-smoking and anti-gambling ads to see what would finally scare the self-reliance out of us.
They discovered that general warnings don’t work on conservatives because we assume those warnings are for the weak-willed. The only way to pierce our armor is with highly aggressive, personally directed threats using pronouns like “you” and “your” to explicitly attack our sense of control.
They want to engineer a society where everyone shares the same baseline level of anxiety and helplessness, where an unmonitored double espresso is treated like a public health crisis, and the government acts as a permanent designated driver for a life you’re never allowed to fully live.
But until the bureaucratic wellness coordinators successfully figure out how to program us into submission, we will be over here, enjoying a burrito, sipping a beer, and placing the odd bet — fully in control and having a significantly better time doing it.
Alcoholism, Anxiety, Conservatives, Fast food, Gambling, Personal responsibility, Tobacco, Trigger warnings, Alcohol, Culture, Liberals, Lifestyle
I was a lifelong Madonna fanatic … until I saw her in concert one last time
Madonna’s new album “Confessions II” just debuted at the top of the Billboard chart, giving her her 10th No. 1 album. It also makes her the first artist to score No. 1 albums in four different decades.
Madonna’s fans have come through for her once again. Years ago, I would’ve been right there with them, on the edge of my seat, eager to spend my money the second her new release went on sale.
During a costume change, my friend Clay turned to me and said, ‘The more she puts on, the better she looks.’
No longer. In another middle-aged role reversal, I’m looking at the party kids bopping out just like I did in the ’80s, except now I’m the disapproving conservative uncle. It’s quite a thing to go from being a stereotypical Gen X gay boy Madonna freak to a mid-lifer who thinks the woman is actually the Whore of Babylon.
Childish things
Thank God I finally grew up and got out of the “gay lifestyle” with its promiscuity, addiction, and its “die young and leave a good-looking corpse” motto.
Even if I hadn’t, I’m not sure I could’ve kept up with today’s new breed of fan. They have a taste for the raunchy, the narcissistic, and the materialistic that makes Madonna’s once-notorious sexual button-pushing seem quaint by comparison. Today, there are no more boundaries to break — not that it has stopped the almost 68-year-old from trying.
When Madonna Ciccone came up in the 1980s, she made a big deal about being more brazenly sexual and aggressive than female stars were supposed to be. Back then, I bought her line about how she was helping women liberate themselves. But that line took us directly to “rap artists” like Cardi B “singing” about anatomical parts in a way that would have made the Material Girl blush in 1984.
Desperate to shock
The only thing Madonna could do to push the shock envelope today would be wearing her internal sexual organs on the outside (and I wouldn’t put it past her). The on-the-go senior has been “performing” — we use the term generously — in Times Square dressed in what Baby Jane Hudson would have worn if her parents had started her in burlesque instead of vaudeville.
Butt implants bulging, Madonna squeezes herself into pink satin teddies cut so high a gynecologist could examine her from across a stadium. She spreads her legs (I repeat myself) to reveal a giant boom box speaker while rolling around on her back lip-syncing to her own processed voice.
Then, she brings on a 6-foot drag queen — I’m sorry, a “transgender woman” — so she can put her posterior in the dancer’s face to suggest an act too lewd to describe.
This used to be my playground
It’s a rehash of the shockingly incompetent, boring, and embarrassing concert I attended in 2024. She went on the road with a greatest hits tour at 65. My friends and I have been to half a dozen of her shows over the years, usually from the front row or close to it. At her best, like her or not, she is a mesmerizing live performer with a charisma that cannot be bought or sold.
Not that night. The arena in Denver was packed with aging “Madonna wannabes,” late middle-aged women with their hair tied up in rags and crucifix necklaces. Superannuated gay men prancing about in makeup and the kind of shorts that used to get one arrested for public indecency.
Out came our lady of the pop charts singing along to an entirely prerecorded musical track. There was no band, and the sound was so poor I couldn’t understand what she was singing or saying.
That turned out to be a mercy when she decided to break into a speech praising the child abuse that we call “transgender children.” And like a modern Joan Crawford, Madonna brought two of her adopted African children onto the stage with her to gyrate while male dancers displayed portions of their physique not usually seen outside textbooks.
At 65, she was still stuffing herself into corsets and teddies that don’t wear the same at the AARP stage of life. It was unflattering and embarrassing. During a costume change, my friend Clay turned to me and said, “The more she puts on, the better she looks.”
For the first time, I stood at a Madonna concert and looked at my phone for the time to see when it ended. My back and feet were killing me.
Goo goo Gaga
With the release of her new dance album, I’ve peeked at the online “diva wars” between fans of Miss Ciccone and devotees of the later simulacrum known as Lady Gaga. I’ve been watching the younger fan reactions to senior citizen Madonna. They’re insane.
The young have a name for what we might call “super fans,” the obsessive types who make a singer, an actor, or a sports team into a religion. They call them “stans,” because the word fan, shortened from “fanatic,” wasn’t fanatical enough.
They defend their divas to the digital death. If you dare to say you’re not into their celebrity obsession, the stans will scream that you’re old, stupid, a bigot, repressed, or that you just “hate people enjoying things.” For them, it’s not enough to praise Madonna for her music or her style; she has to be the biggest, best, baddest, b***h ever.
To watch these antics is to look into an unpleasantly clear mirror of the young man I used to be. When I attended the concert two years ago, I thought to myself, “What are you doing here?” I was 49 years old, and the magic was gone.
But it was more than that; it was more than just getting older and reaching maturity. It wasn’t that I was no longer interested in Madonna; I was repulsed by her. She stands for everything I think is rotten and destructive in modern society: brazen promiscuity, pathological narcissism, out-of-control greed, and breaking every rule simply for the sake of breaking it.
What did I see in her decades ago when I fell under her spell?
Star struck
It was 1983 in Anaheim. I was over at Dinda’s apartment for her eighth birthday party. The wood-grain console stereo was tuned to the top 40 station, and this enchanting melodic synthesizer run tinkled like electric glass out of the speakers. Then a booming bass line came in and some ethereal creature sang, “You must be my lucky star, cuz you make the darkness seem so far.”
I was captivated. You couldn’t not dance to it.
Less than a year later, I was sitting in front of MTV, and I watched this glamorous vixen in a pink dress (copied from Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” number) be pushed up onto a pedestal as handsome men showered her with cash and diamonds.
That was the beginning of my obsession with Madonna Ciccone. I bought every single record (45 singles and the 33 long-playing), every single poster, every single magazine, every fan newsletter. I begged the bus driver to turn up the radio when her songs came on.
For years, I spent money on her merchandise and her concerts, and I defended her singing, her dancing, and her “message” to anyone who would listen (and to those who just wanted me to shut the hell up). To kids like me, she was a liberated, self-made, modern girl who “took on the system.”
No man was going to tell her what she could and couldn’t do with her body. Stupid, stuffy, old religious conservatives only hated her, because, like, they’re afraid of normal sexuality and bodies, OK?
RELATED: Are you a 35-year-old with a nose ring? Forget ‘adulting’ — you need to grow up
NBC/Harold M. Lambert/Getty Images
Missing persons
What was it that so attracted young girls and gays to this siren? Young people are vulnerable to unhealthy obsessions with unhealthy celebrities because they’re missing something at home. I was missing a lot. My mother was deranged with a personality disorder. I was 10 years old before she finally put my violent stepfather out of the house the night after he tried to murder her in front of us three children. My teen years were spent in a home for juvenile delinquent boys, and my sister met the same fate when she approached adolescence.
Families like mine provided none of the normal, necessary nurturing that teaches children to value the good things in life and to value the good. No religious instruction, no unconditional love, only mood swings, temper tantrums, and violent punishment.
Like too many young people today, I became convinced that the idea of family was a sick joke. It was just something “fundagelicals” had cooked up and forced down our throats with “propaganda” like “Leave It to Beaver.”
Siren song
When I called Madonna a siren above, I meant it literally. She sang a song, and kids like me foundered on her rocks because no one made sure we were tied to the mast. We couldn’t resist.
I think she’s even more than a siren; I’d call her a sorceress. She cast a “glamour” over youth in the original sense of the term, a spell that binds and blinds. Like all pathological narcissists, Madonna’s moral values are inverted. The healthy is recast as sickness. Temperance, chastity, charity, and loyalty are for suckers. Greed is good.
Like my unstable mother, Madonna created herself god in her own image and then demanded that others worship her. We can ask how a woman pushing 70 can stand to do what she does without dying of embarrassment, but the answer is obvious.
We are a society that pays for pathology. Madonna sells the lost exactly what they want to buy. Far from fading into the past, her brand of self-destructive self-worship has been culturally normalized in the 21st century.
For years, I complied with my mother’s idolatrous demands, and I gave in to Madonna’s as well. Now I’m free, but an even greater percentage of young people today are in moral and spiritual bondage than they were in my youth.
Tie your children to the mast. Give them what they need at home, or they’ll pay dearly for a poison substitute.
Drag queen, Gen x, Lady gaga, Madonna, Marilyn monroe, Religion, Transgender woman, Promiscuity, Music, Culture, Pop music, Intervention
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.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here
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.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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.
Want more from Glenn Beck?
To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
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.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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.
Want more from Steve Deace?
To enjoy more of Steve’s take on national politics, Christian worldview, and principled conservatism with a snarky twist, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Aaron mcintire, Lindsey graham, Mitch mcconnell, Pneumonia, Statement, Steve deace, Todd erzen, Washington post, Steve deace show
