Category: blaze media

The police chief of a small Ohio village was arrested on Thursday over child sex assault allegations from his time as a teacher and Young Marines instructor.

Chad Essert, 44, of Blanchester was indicted by a Clermont County Grand Jury on 56 third-degree felony counts of sexual battery and 14 third-degree felony counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

‘It takes tremendous courage for a victim to come forward, especially when the accused wears a badge and holds a position of authority.’

Essert allegedly committed the crimes between 2005 and 2010 during the time he was a teacher at a Sharonville school, according to a press release from the Clermount County Sheriff’s Office. He later became the police chief of Bethel.

Prosecutors said the victim was one of Essert’s students.

The incidents of abuse occurred at numerous locations in Clermont and Hamilton County, according to prosecutors.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Investigations Section took Essert into custody in Seminole, Florida. He is awaiting extradition to Clermont County.

The mayor of Bethel said he’s working to have Essert fired from this position.

“Chief Essert should no longer lead the Bethel Police Department. I intend to initiate the statutory process to remove Chief Essert from employment with the Village of Bethel,” reads a statement from Mayor Jay Noble.

Essert faces a maximum penalty of 280 years in prison if he’s convicted on all charges.

RELATED: Virginia man allegedly tried to meet minor for sex and sought victims on Snapchat, police say

“It takes tremendous courage for a victim to come forward, especially when the accused wears a badge and holds a position of authority,” reads a statement from Sheriff Chris Stratton.

“Today’s indictment demonstrates that no one is above the law,” he added. “Every victim deserves to be heard, and every allegation will be thoroughly investigated and pursued in accordance with the law.”

Bethel is a village of about 2,600 residents located in southeast Ohio.

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​Child sex assault, Police chief, Sexual battery, Unlawful sexual conduct, Crime 

Warner Discovery last week staged what it called a memorial ceremony for TBS and CNN founder Ted Turner, who died on May 6. What it delivered instead was a propagandistic pep rally — one that twisted Turner’s story into his beatification as a left-wing journalistic saint, amid an institutional chest-thump by Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Christiane Amanpour, and former CNN President Tom Johnson.

Johnson was a longtime aide to President Lyndon Johnson before becoming publisher of the Los Angeles Times. He ran CNN from 1990 to 2001. His remarks about Turner last week quickly veered into an anti-Trump sermon that also managed to mask the huge failures of the contemporary CNN.

Ted Turner was no saint. He was loud, brash, womanizing, hard-drinking, chance-taking, and wildly successful — an All-American original. That was exactly the sort of role model I admired in 1982 — and still do.

Johnson ended his diatribe with this declaration: “CNN will not bend and will not sway during this terrible, chaotic Trump era. We can best honor Ted by continuing to keep CNN as the most outstanding news network of them all.”

Really, Tom?

CNN “will not sway”? You mean the same CNN, under your watch, whose international news chief, Eason Jordan, admitted in the New York Times that the network had withheld reporting on Saddam Hussein’s abuses to keep its Baghdad bureau open?

CNN “will not bend”? You mean the same CNN that, under your successor, Jeff “Mother” Zucker, turned prime-time into a rolling psychodrama and allowed Don Lemon to become one of the network’s most embarrassing public faces? Lemon was fired in 2023 after a long trail of controversies and allegations of misogynistic behavior.

Zucker himself was pushed out after his sexual relationship with Allison Gollust, CNN’s chief marketing officer. Maybe that qualifies as not getting bent.

And “the most outstanding news network of them all”?

Maybe CNN deserved that description in the early 1980s, when I was there helping build the network. Maybe it still did in the 1990s, during Johnson’s tenure. But after Johnson left in 2001 and Turner lost control to Warner, CNN entered a quarter-century of decay and decline. And Johnson knows it.

How else would he explain the clown show created by Chris Cuomo and his brother Andrew, the disgraced former governor of New York? Or Jeffrey Toobin, the CNN legal analyst who humiliated himself and tarnished the network by masturbating on a Zoom call? Or the fact that Zucker turned the network Johnson helped bring to its zenith into a laughingstock of the news business?

Several CNN anchors used the memorial to mount their ego-steeds and blather about “editorial independence,” likely because they can feel the walls closing in. If — when! — Skydance and Paramount take over Warner Bros.-Discovery, Bari Weiss could gain real editorial influence and give CNN’s lefty stable the Scott Pelley treatment.

Christiane Amanpour phoned it in from Beirut, looking like Mother Teresa on life support, and delivered the expected sermon in her usual syncopated style.

“I am a complete and utter adherent to fighting for editorial independence and to being able to pursue independent news coverage without fear or favor, no matter who is in charge politically, no matter where we go,” she said. “That is our mission. That is Ted Turner’s legacy, and that’s one that I intend to fulfill in my life.”

Right, Christiane.

This would be the same Amanpour who, under wildly anti-Trump Jeff Zucker, compared the Trump administration to Kristallnacht. That was not “independent journalism.” It was journalism independent of facts, independent of fairness, and independent of good judgment.

RELATED: The left’s icons keep face-planting in public

Scott Kowalchyk/CBS/Getty Images

And no CNN self-celebration would be complete without Wolf Blitzer.

“Ted Turner was one of the greatest visionaries of our time,” Blitzer said, demonstrating his masterful command of the obvious. “He always told me to make sure we report the news fairly and accurately, and, if possible, break those stories first on CNN.”

Sure thing, Wolf. But while we are discussing fairness and accuracy, I do not remember CNN making much of your previous work for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Jerusalem Post when you covered the Middle East. That seems like relevant context.

Finally came the Man from Glad himself, CNN’s SOB — son of a billionaire — Anderson Cooper.

Cooper described Turner as “a complex man of passion and guts and daring and drive,” a man who “saw what was possible when others didn’t, when others couldn’t.”

Too bad Cooper did not bring that kind of precision to his coverage of Hurricane Katrina or the BP oil spill.

The strangest moment came when Cooper told Johnson he should come back to CNN.

“We just want you to stay here,” Johnson told Cooper.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Cooper replied.

I’ll take Bari Weiss and no points against that spread.

One last thought: Ted Turner was no saint. He was loud, brash, womanizing, hard-drinking, chance-taking, swashbuckling, creative, and wildly successful — an All-American original. You know, all the traits that make contemporary leftists, no kingsers, and me-too’ers gasp, cover their eyes, point, and scream “toxic masculinity!”

That was exactly the sort of role model I admired in 1982 — and still do. That was why I wanted to work for Ted Turner when I joined the CNN Special Assignments Unit. If Ted came back to life tonight, I would be first in line to join whatever he wanted to build next.

​Cnn, Tbs, Ted turner, Anderson cooper, Wolf blitzer, Liberal media, Trump, Bari weiss, Opinion & analysis 

A third reconciliation bill is becoming a central question in Republican economic policy. President Trump has called for one. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) supports it. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is trying to assemble the votes. Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) is open to it if the numbers work.

Senate Republicans sound far less certain. Former Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been blunt: “I think it’s safe to conclude there will not be another reconciliation bill.”

The question congressional Republicans should ask is not merely what they can pass — it’s what they are willing to fight for.

Someone will win that argument. If House Republicans prevail, the real test will be what goes into the bill. Trump is right that defense readiness and election integrity are priorities. But neither is an economic growth agenda. Growth comes from removing barriers to work, saving, investment, and capital formation.

Supply-siders know what they want: lower corporate rates, zero capital gains, full repeal of the death tax, and a complete rewrite of how the tax code treats savings and investment.

Reconciliation in 2026 is not the vehicle for all of that. But it can still do real work.

Index capital gains to inflation

Investors now pay taxes on nominal gains from selling an asset. A family that bought a home in 2010 for $600,000 and sells it today for $1.2 million has not doubled its real wealth. Much of that increase reflects the dollar’s declining purchasing power. Taxing inflation on top of inflation is double taxation by another name. Congress should index all capital gains to inflation.

A practical fallback already has bipartisan support. Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) have reintroduced the More Homes on the Market Act, which has 123 co-sponsors. The bill would raise the primary-residence exclusion from $250,000 to $500,000 for single filers and from $500,000 to $1 million for joint filers. Those thresholds were set in 1997 and have never been adjusted for inflation.

The 2026 Economic Report of the President identifies supply constraints as a major driver of housing costs. Either reform would reduce the tax penalty that discourages homeowners from selling, moving, or downsizing.

Tax tax-exempt wealth hoards

Universities and hospitals have spent decades accumulating vast tax-exempt wealth while pricing out the people they claim to serve. Harvard’s endowment exceeds $56 billion. Most of its investment earnings remain largely exempt from federal taxation. Economist Richard Vedder has called university tax subsidies one of the most regressive policies in the tax code.

Congress raised the endowment tax as high as 8% in the last reconciliation bill. A 15% excise tax on endowments above $100 million would send a clearer signal that tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a birthright.

The same logic applies to commercial activities at universities and hospitals. When a university runs a hotel, a patent-licensing operation, or a hospital system, it is engaging in commerce. Tax it accordingly.

RELATED: Trump’s new tariffs will put America’s rivals on notice

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Cap Medicaid fraud

Every dollar lost to Medicaid fraud is a dollar extracted from taxpayers and lost to the private economy. Capping federal Medicaid allocations to states with demonstrated high fraud rates is both fiscally sound and pro-growth. It belongs in any serious reconciliation package.

Redirect health care subsidies

The current system funnels public money through insurance intermediaries that extract rents at every step. The 2026 Economic Report of the President documents how lack of competition in physician markets drives up costs. Redirecting health care subsidies directly to individuals would restore price signals to a sector long insulated from them.

Republicans have a narrow window and a thin majority. The votes may not be there. But the question congressional Republicans should ask is not merely what they can pass — it’s what they are willing to fight for.

Every item here removes a barrier to capital formation or productive investment. That is not four different ideas. It is one growth agenda, applied four ways.

​Trump, Trump administration, Mike johnson, More homes on the market act, 2026 economic report, Medicaid fraud, Republicans, Tax exempt wealth, Richard vedder, Opinion & analysis 

In a delusional Substack post, a Howard University journalism professor blamed Austin Metcalf’s father for the teen athlete’s murder — conducting what she called her own “postmortem” on the horrific murder.

Dr. Stacey Patton criticized Austin Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, and broke down his courtroom address to killer Karmelo Anthony.

“Yesterday evening, Jeff Metcalf, the father of Austin Metcalf, used his victim-impact statement to address Karmelo Anthony directly, after he was sentenced to 35 years after the court treated his act of survival as murder,” Patton wrote.

“He insisted this case was ‘never about race.’ He said, ‘We all bleed the same color.’ And he described his grief not as sadness, but as ‘rage’ – ‘pure unfiltered rage.’ And then he turned that rage on the black 19-year-old sitting before him,” she continued.

“‘You failed your parents, you failed yourself, and you failed society. You don’t belong in this community.’ He also reportedly told him, ‘You’re going to prison, and, ‘You can’t even look me in the eyes right now, but you can stab my f**king son in the heart.’ And right there, in his own words Jeff Metcalf told on himself,” she added.

“She decides that the best thing she can do with her time is attack the still-grieving father of a murdered child in the face of all this,” BlazeTV host John Doyle comments, disturbed.

“But what’s also telling here is that she does not actually care that Jeff Metcalf is deliberately and painstakingly trying to say specifically that the case is not about race … Stacey Patton is absolutely making it about race,” he continues.

“But not only that, but that blacks are actually the real victims here in a case which again, is about the deliberate murder of a white man,” he adds.

Patton went on to criticize the way Metcalf taught his son “about the cultural socialization that helped his son meet his fate under that track meet tent in April 2025.”

“This is your method of attack, to attack fatherhood in white America,” Doyle comments.

“So yeah, she’s going to blame Jeff Metcalf here for the murder of his own son and literally just justify Karmelo Anthony’s killing of the son here,” he continues. “She’s going to go on and list a bunch of incidents which all of these people have memorized to just like throw out there, justify all their bad behavior.”

Patton went on to say, “Since this country loves to examine black parents when black children die, let us examine you. Since America loves to ask what black mothers and fathers failed to teach, let us ask what you failed to teach your son. Since dead black boys are never allowed to remain innocent, let us stop pretending dead white boys are beyond scrutiny. Let us refuse the sentimental immunity given to dead white boys and grieving white fathers.”

She adds, “Let’s go postmortem up in here.”

“This line in particular is like no different than the people who want to make AI edits of themselves pissing on his grave,” Doyle says, adding, “She is in essence doing the same thing.”

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​John doyle, Stacey patton, Howard university, Austin metcalf, Karmelo anthony, Jeff metcalf, Racism, The john doyle show 

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer was injured when he was struck by a van whose driver was fleeing from an arrest operation in Stafford Township in New Jersey, according to police.

A spokesperson for ICE said agents were trying to arrest Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno, of Peru, at about 9:30 a.m. on Route 72 in the Manahawkin community.

‘You just see the guy’s body just get twisted and mangled, and in that twist, you know, he then pulled out his gun and shot at the van.’

Castillo-Ormeno had been ordered to leave the country by the end of January, but when ICE agents tried to arrest him, he fled in his van and struck one of the officers, according to officials.

That officer fired his gun at the van and possibly blew out the vehicle’s back window.

Law enforcement officials are searching for Castillo-Ormeno and the van.

One witness described the incident in unnerving detail to WCAU-TV.

“They tell him to roll down his window; he’s inching forward, and you can tell it’s getting tense by his inching forward,” said Payton Johnson, a resident of the township.

“As soon as he gunned it, you just see the the front of the van, pin the lower half of the officer’s body into the officer’s car,” he added. “You just see the guy’s body just get twisted and mangled, and in that twist, you know, he then pulled out his gun and shot at the van.”

Sources told WCAU that the officer who was struck would recover.

A spokesperson for the Stafford Township Police said they were not involved in the ICE operation but were providing help to manage traffic and secure the crime scene. According to New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive, police are restricted from helping federal immigration officers.

RELATED: Democratic congressman claims he forced ICE agents to back off from arresting man outside courtroom

“ICE agents put their lives on the line every day to enforce our nation’s laws and protect our communities,” Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey said in a statement.

“Yet too many politicians and activists continue to demonize them for doing the job they are sworn to do,” he added. “This incident is a reminder of the dangers these brave men and women face. I am grateful the agent is expected to recover, and I will always stand with ICE and law enforcement.”

The investigation into the incident has been taken over by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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​Immigration and customs enforcement, Stafford township, Illegal alien crime, Ice officer injured, Politics 

Vice President JD Vance is taking on those accused of immigration fraud and asylum approvals in the hope of completely turning back the clock on Biden-era policies that are still in play, explaining in an interview on Fox News just how this administration plans to do it.

“One of the angles that we’re looking at is the people who committed immigration fraud against our system and how do we denaturalize those people and send them back to where they came from,” Vance said.

“The Biden administration would often take people who were coming in on fraudulent asylum claims, fraudulent refugee claims, and basically wave the magic wand of amnesty and say, ‘We’re not going to enforce the immigration laws against those people,’” he continued.

“We stopped that from happening. But then you still have a lot of people who benefited from that Biden administration amnesty program. We’re trying to unwind as much of that as possible,” he added.

And even though “left-wing radicals in the justice system” have tried to stop the Trump administration, Vance explained that they’ve still found success.

“We have been able to denaturalize and actually unwind that temporary protected status, a lot of those fraudulent asylum claims,” he said, explaining that this will keep happening “so long as Donald Trump is president.”

“The good news is that we’re stopping the fraud that’s happening against the American taxpayer. The bad news is that my own children will never be able to attend school at the Quality Learing Center,” he joked.

“That ‘Learing Center’ has gotten a lot of mileage,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray laughs.

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​Jd vance, Donald trump, Immigration, Fraud, The blaze, Denaturalize, Illegal, Pat gray, Pat gray unleashed 

Parents of students in Fairfax County Public Schools say their opposition to a suggestion about religious holidays is being ignored, and they believe anti-Christian bias to blame.

The district asked parents whether they would be open to adding more instructional days to the school calendar at the expense of the holiday vacation that included Christmas Day.

‘Even though my friends are certainly against ignoring Christmas, the district won’t listen to us anyways because the leaders have their pre-selected conclusion.’

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora appeared on Fox News to voice her opposition to the change and noted that it was only the latest scheme by the school to cut out Christianity from the classroom.

“Fairfax leaders have an anti-Christian bias,” Lundquist-Arora said.

“In 2022, the school board voted to change spring break with the express purpose of decoupling it from Easter. And then in 2024, the county’s Board of Supervisors, the governing council, also voted to commemorate transgender visibility day on Easter,” she continued.

The mom of three students in the district went on to say that her friends were shocked at the suggestion by the district.

“This is just a drop in the bucket in showing their anti-Christian biases once again,” Lundquist-Arora added.

The text of the survey was published by WJLA-TV.

“Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) values your input as we plan future school calendars,” the email reads. “You are invited to complete a brief survey to share your priorities and perspectives, which will be considered as part of the calendar planning process. Your feedback matters, and we appreciate you taking a few minutes to respond.”

One of the questions reads: “If the school calendar required modifying one of the following, which would be the most acceptable to you?”

One option reads, “Winter break shorter than a full two weeks,” while another reads, “Eliminating holidays recognizing religious and cultural observances (e.g., Christmas, Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, Rosh Hashanah, and other observed holidays).”

They are given the option to say all of the options are “equally unacceptable.”

Board members of the district told WJLA that they had received thousands of message from parents demanding more weeks of five-day instruction be added to the school calendar. The report says that fewer than half of the weeks of instruction at Fairfax County Public Schools include a full five days.

RELATED: ‘Why would somebody have such hate?’ Churchgoers stunned at vandalism on Nativity display

Lundquist-Arora told Fox News that the district had previously ignored an overwhelming poll of parents.

“They sent out a survey asking if we wanted to have shared-sex classrooms for sex education. Eighty-four percent of us said, ‘No, we did not,’ and then the superintendent responded by saying, ‘Well, the majority doesn’t always dictate,’ and then implemented a pilot program doing just that,” she said.

“So, even though my friends are certainly against ignoring Christmas, the district won’t listen to us anyways because the leaders have their pre-selected conclusion,” Lundquist-Arora concluded.

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​Antichristian bias, Fairfax county public schools, Parental rights, School calendar, Politics 

California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom says that he and his wife are under investigation by the Department of Justice and claims the president ordered the probe.

Newsom accused President Donald Trump of targeting him because he “consistently” calls out the president, who he said was the most corrupt in U.S. history.

‘We have nothing to hide. Mr. President, come after me.’

“Today, my wife & I joined Donald Trump’s hit list. He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us,” the governor wrote in a post on social media Monday.

“They have not found a crime — they are simply trying to find one,” he added. “He isn’t coming after me because of mean tweets, but because I am considering running for President.”

Newsom posted a video in which he expanded on the accusations.

“He’s coming after my wife, Jen, a public servant, a woman who’s dedicated her life to supporting women and girls, someone who has done nothing wrong other than having the temerity to advocate for what she believes in,” he said. “If they can’t intimidate me, they’ll go after the mother of our children.”

He then addressed the president directly.

“I have a message for you,” Newsom said. “You can subpoena my records. You can investigate me. You can harass me. Put my name on every and any enemies list you have, but leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta.”

He also apologized to his wife over the investigation and said that investigators looking for corruption should look at Trump instead.

The DOJ declined a request for comment from NBC News.

RELATED: Gavin Newsom tries to dunk on Trump and gets obliterated with online ridicule

Newsom has previously positioned his administration in California as the foremost state opposition to Trump and his policies. Many believe the rhetoric is intended to amplify Newsom as a possible presidential candidate for 2028.

“We have nothing to hide. Mr. President, come after me,” he concluded. “I am not going anywhere. The country is watching.”

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​Corruption, Department of justice, Gavin newsom, Jennifer siebel newsom, Politics 

Former Fox News host Steve Hilton is running for governor of California, and while hopeful, he’s well aware that the election system is rigged.

“There’s a line in the law that says that actually, the proof that you mailed your ballot on or just before Election Day — even if it arrives after Election Day — it’s not just the postmark. You can write it. You can handwrite the date,” Hilton said on “Hot Mics with Billy Bush.”

“I had a whistleblower from the postal service explaining this. So just to be really clear what that means: You can backdate your ballot by hand and it will be counted. That’s how insane this system is,” he added.

“You say ‘fraud’s happening, fraud’s happening,'” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck comments, “No. A lot of it is legal. They have rigged the system.”

“They have made it so nobody’s breaking any laws. Nobody’s going to go to jail. It’s all part of the system,” he adds.

And Jason Buttrill agrees, noting that an election insider he has spoken to has explained how they do this and why it requires “many days of voting.”

“They can see the Election Day turnout, determine the deficit, and immediately go out and find all the votes they need,” Buttrill tells Glenn.

“Now, this is exactly what we’ve been thinking about, but we’ve been calling it fraud,” he says.

“Now here’s the kicker. This is all perfectly legal in blue states because of blue-state laws. … The thing that we really need to be focusing on here is the laws that are disenfranchising millions of voters in many of these states where they have just atrocious election laws,” he adds.

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​Glenn beck, Steve hilton, The glenn beck program, Whistleblower, Blue states, California, Rigged election, Fraud 

The U.S. Supreme Court will let the Trump administration make the case this fall that a pair of Obama judges erred in their 2024 ruling regarding the detention of criminal noncitizens.

Criminal foreigners and their complaints

Carol Williams Black is a Jamaican male who entered the United States in 1983 and subsequently obtained legal permanent residency.

‘No substantive-due-process right to a bond hearing.’

Black was captured in 2019 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which determined both that the Jamaican was removable under federal immigration law due to his criminal conviction for sexual abuse and endangerment of a child and that he should remain in detention until his removal.

Keisy G.M. is a man in his late 30s from the Dominican Republican who entered the U.S. in 2011, obtained permanent residency, and has since lived in New York. In light of G.M.’s 2015 guilty plea to second-degree assault, ICE arrested G.M. in 2020 and got the ball rolling on his deportation.

Both foreigners — Black, who was detained for seven months, and G.M., who was detained for 21 months — filed legal complaints alleging that their detentions without bond hearings amounted to violations of their due process rights.

A panel consisting of a pair of Obama–appointed circuit court judges — Hong Kong-born Denny Chin and Susan Carney — reviewed the criminal noncitizens’ cases and held in 2024 that “the constitutional guarantee of due process precludes a noncitizen’s unreasonably prolonged detention under [8 U.S.C. § 1226(c)] without a bond hearing.”

Trump administration asks for review

The Trump administration urged the U.S. Supreme Court in January to review whether the court of appeals erred in holding that due process requires bond hearings for criminal aliens detained under Section 1226(c) like Black and G.M., and whether there is a point at which such detention becomes “unreasonably prolonged.”

RELATED: A real nation knows who is in and who is out

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The administration also asked the high court to review the appellate court’s holding that due process requires placing the burden on the government to justify continued detention by a heightened standard.

“Section 1226(c) detainees have no procedural-due-process right to a bond hearing on matters that are ‘not material’ to the ‘statutory scheme,'” attorneys for the government noted in their petition. “And where, as here, detention bears a reasonable relation to legitimate immigration purposes — such as ‘preventing deportable criminal aliens from fleeing’ or ‘continu[ing] to engage in crime’ while their removal proceedings are pending … — Section 1226(c) detainees have no substantive-due-process right to a bond hearing either.”

The government’s attorneys noted further that the U.S. Supreme Court must provide clarity on the matter, especially since the Eighth Circuit Court “disagrees with the Second and Third Circuits about whether a Section 1226(c) detainee has a due-process right to a bond hearing when his detention becomes ‘unreasonable,'” and the Second and Third Circuit courts disagree about “how to determine when Section 1226(c) detention has reached that point.”

The American Civil Liberties Union lawyers who are representing the criminal noncitizens unsuccessfully begged the high court not to grant review.

The ACLU lawyers claimed in an April brief that the Trump administration was advancing “an extreme theory”; that the disagreement between the lower courts was little more than a “shallow split”; and that “these cases are strikingly poor vehicles” because Black has left the country and G.M. was released from detention in 2022.

Cecillia Wang, an ACLU lawyer who represents both criminal foreigners, said in a statement obtained by Reuters, “The court of appeals got it right, and we will defend ⁠our fundamental due process principles at the Supreme Court.”

“The Constitution protects all of us, regardless of immigration status, from being locked away without due process,” Wang continued. “[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] cannot detain immigrants — separating families and cutting people off from their communities — for months or even years on end without a bond hearing.”

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to take up the case but could ultimately dismiss it as moot.

The court is reportedly expected to hear arguments in the case in its next term.

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​Supreme court, Scotus, Immigration, Detention, Ice, Deportation, Criminal noncitizens, Aliens, Criminals, Aclu, Politics 

Actor Robert De Niro actually told his audience to stop applauding for America during a rambling speech at a liberal show intended to compete with the president’s UFC fights at the White House Sunday night.

While President Donald Trump’s event included a military flyover and patriotic displays of love for the U.S., the anti-Trump liberals at the “Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment” show in New York City did the opposite.

‘Loving our country is starting to sound like an abused spouse saying they love their abuser.’

De Niro was reading from a letter about patriotism when the audience cheered.

“Later the letter stated, ‘Regardless of political affiliation or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country,'” he said.

After hearing cheers, he responded, “Not so fast!”

“The phrase, ‘We all love our country,’ stuck in my throat. Because our country isn’t so lovable right now. I hate to say it, but loving our country is starting to sound like an abused spouse saying they love their abuser,” De Niro said.

This drew applause from the audience.

“I can’t love a country that starts stupid and inhumane wars, killing thousands of innocents and indirectly causing the deaths and suffering of millions more. I can’t love a country that takes health care away from millions of people and uses that money to enrich their pals in the Trump-Epstein class,” he continued.

“I can’t love a country that sends out masked militias to shoot citizens in the streets, torture our neighbors, and separate families,” De Niro said. “I can’t love a country that’s led by a racist, misogynist, xenophobic tyrant. And let me just say it: I can’t love the country that’s led by Donald Trump and his sycophant Congress.”

RELATED: WH removes song from ICE video after Ariana Grande objects: ‘Inhumane, heinous nonsense’

Meanwhile, the White House had a military flyover, a bald eagle, and large men fighting each other for glory and to entertain an audience of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen.

De Niro has been very vocal about his political opposition to Trump and his policies. In 2024, he said that the president would suspend elections and destroy Americans’ freedoms if he were allowed back into the Oval Office.

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​250th us anniversary, Politics, Robert de niro, Ufc, Donald trump 

A 25-year-old male is accused of shooting to death his mother, father, brother, and his brother’s girlfriend last week in Michigan.

Gage Pierce appeared before a Livonia judge Friday for the first time since he was charged in connection with the quadruple homicide, WXYZ-TV reported. Livonia is just over 20 minutes west of Detroit.

‘My heart goes out to them. It really does. The community is hurting over this.’

Pierce faces four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of felony firearm, WXYZ reported, adding that Pierce’s bond was denied.

Pierce tried to speak on his own behalf during the arraignment, but the station said his attorney quickly shut down the attempt.

More from WXYZ:

Prosecutors say Pierce used a semiautomatic rifle to shoot and kill his mother, Holly Kimball; his father, Sterling Pierce; his brother, Tanner Pierce; and Tanner’s girlfriend, Nevaeh Finch, at the family home Tuesday.

The home has since become a memorial. Family members gathered there Friday to observe what would have been Tanner’s 23rd birthday.

Tanner’s uncle made sure to wish his beloved nephew a happy birthday Friday at the family home.

“You’ll never be forgotten. You achieved so much at such a young age … you were perfect. Love you, man. Happy birthday,” the victim’s uncle said through tears, according to the station.

Nevaeh Finch’s heartbroken mother, Shelly, told WXYZ over the phone that she watched the arraignment while making funeral arrangements for her daughter, whose birthday is July 9.

“She’s just a — she’s a good kid,” her mother told the station. “Right now I have to try to, you know, pick her last outfit she’s ever going to wear.”

Prior to a planned Saturday fundraiser at Mulligan’s Pub & Grub in Farmington Hills, owner Robert Mckiddie told WXYZ he was a friend of the suspect’s father for nearly two decades, and that Sterling Pierce also was a regular at the pub.

RELATED: Four people found shot to death after 12-year-old calls 911 from closet with other children, police say

“He’s always called me his brother every time we parted ways … and I loved him like a brother,” Mckiddie added to the station.

WXYZ said a $20 donation at the door of the pub would go directly toward funeral costs for the suspect’s mother, father, and brother — and that the fundraising event also will serve as a place for the community to gather, grieve, and share stories.

Mckiddie added to WXYZ that “my heart goes out to them. It really does. The community is hurting over this. All the money in the world will not make a difference to anybody. But it might help them get through what they have to get through. That’s a lot they have to deal with.”

The following video shows images inside and outside the pub during the fundraiser.

RELATED: ‘Extremely intoxicated’ teen shoots entire family dead, then calls 911 to confess to quadruple murder: Police

Pierce is expected back in court June 25, the station said.

Officials said police around 5:30 p.m. June 9 found the bodies of Holly Kimball, 53, and Sterling Pierce, 58, on the backyard patio of their home in the 19300 block of Rensellor Street, and the bodies of Tanner Pierce, 22, and Nevaeh Finch, 21, in a bedroom of the home. A dog in the home was found with a gunshot wound to the leg, police said, adding that the dog was taken to veterinary emergency services for treatment.

Gage Pierce was taken into custody at the home, police said.

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​Quadruple homicide, Murder charges, Livonia, Michigan, Arrest, Fatal shootings, Family dead, Gage pierce, Crime 

The president has announced a concert and rally for the Fourth of July concert at the Lincoln Memorial.

The concert is a part of the 250th anniversary celebration of the Declaration of Independence and will now be followed by a massive Trump rally.

‘We will have none of those people that put you to sleep and constantly complain!’

President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday morning that the rally would be held to “honor our Country’s People, Spirit, Strength, Resolve, and Triumphs.”

He said it would be the largest formation of military music and ceremonial performances in history.

“With the backdrop of the Lincoln Memorial and surrounding the beautifully new Reflecting Pool,” he wrote, “more than 300 Members of our strong and talented Military Bands, Orchestras, and Ceremonial Units, will perform Patriotic Melodies and American Classics, and my Playlist (We will have none of those people that put you to sleep and constantly complain!), as we celebrate our Country, and Rally into the next 250 years.”

The 250th celebration has already been kicked off at the White House after the president had UFC fights in front of the White House on Sunday.

The president went on to say the “spectacular” July 4th show would include flyovers and airshows as well as the largest fireworks show in history.

The plans for the celebration were disrupted after several singers backed out of their agreements to perform at the Great American State Fair, organized by Freedom 250. Martina McBride, Young MC, Flo Rida, and Morris Day and the Time all backed out, leaving rapper Vanilla Ice as the only one still willing to perform.

McBride claimed that she had been “presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event” but that she was misled about the show.

RELATED: Trump greets crew that restored Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in visit to the White House

“I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states,” she added.

Trump concluded his post saying, “Do not miss it. See you on JULY 4th in Washington, D.C.”

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​250th us anniversary, Fourth of july, Lincoln memorial, Trump rally, Politics 

There is today perhaps no greater thorn in the side of the British liberal establishment than counter-jihad activist Tommy Robinson.

The 43-year-old son of an Irishwoman and an Englishman has proven time and again that he is able not only to draw crowds numbered in the tens of thousands but to focus British working-class fury over the fallout of mass immigration, the failure of multiculturalism, the threats posed by radical Islam, and the efforts by the powers that be to cover up and/or contain various related scandals.

‘This is an attack on free speech.’

In the wake of his criticism over the horrific death of 18-year-old Englishman Henry Nowak at the hand of a Sikh in England and the near-beheading of Scotsman Stephen Ogilvie by a Sudanese suspect in Belfast, Robinson found himself once again in police custody under the British equivalent of the Patriot Act.

Robinson noted in a Saturday post on X, “I’M A TERRORIST AGAIN. I have been detained at Heathrow Airport today for the best part of 3 hours. I was detained under section 3 of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.”

Under schedule 3 of the counter-terrorism law, an examining officer “may question a person for the purpose of determining whether the person appears to be a person who is, or has been, engaged in hostile activity” if that person is at a port or in a border area and appears to be entering or leaving the country, or if that person is on a ship or aircraft that has touched down in the United Kingdom.

RELATED: African suspected of trying to cut white Briton’s head off identified — while police fret about online critics

Leon Neal/Getty Images

“Hostile activity” is defined as acts threatening national security, acts threatening the economic well-being of the U.K., or serious crimes carried out for or on behalf of a foreign power.

Per the legislation, it is “immaterial” whether the detainee is “aware that activity in which they are or have been engaged is hostile activity.”

Robinson claimed that his phone had been seized by police — just as it had when he was detained by Kent police under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act while attempting to travel in July 2024 to Spain, where he now lives.

The Westminster Magistrates’ Court determined in November that Robinson’s previous detention under the Terrorism Act was unlawful and cleared the activist of the corresponding charge.

According to paperwork dated Saturday that Robinson was provided with and later shared online, an examining officer at the airport seized the Englishman’s iPhone and Samsung Galaxy A16 on suspicion that the devices “could be used in connection with the carrying out of a hostile act.”

“Absolute f**king madness,” Robinson wrote.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the BBC that a man in his 40s was stopped under the counter-terrorism law at Heathrow Airport after returning to the U.K. from Russia via Turkey.

Robinson — who met with Elon Musk’s father, Errol, while in Moscow — told the Guardian last week that he had traveled to Russia “to see how this country got itself so well on to the straight and narrow and see the beauty of a civilized society.”

The Metropolitan Police spokesperson stated that the man stopped on Saturday “was interviewed by officers and his communication devices were seized. He was subsequently released.”

A spokesperson for Robinson speculated that police confiscated the activist’s communication devices because “they likely want to see who he is talking to, and maybe find out who his sources are, sources who will expose politicians for their part in the rape of a generation of British girls.”

“This is an attack on free speech, this is an attack on investigative journalism, nothing more nothing less,” the spokesperson added.

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​Tommy robinson, Multiculturalism, Immigration, Terrorism, Leftism, Keir starmer, Britain, Uk, United kingdom, Censorship, Suppression, Politics 

Anthropic helped build the AI race. Now, it’s warning the finish line may be coming faster than anyone expected.

The company, recently valued at a staggering $965 billion, says its latest AI systems are approaching dangerous capabilities that could fundamentally change the future of technology, prompting calls for a worldwide slowdown in frontier AI development.

“They did this because it’s getting close to improving itself without human help,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray explains on “Pat Gray Unleashed.”

“In April, Claude ran a full AI research project completely on its own. Humans picked the topic and then it just did it. Claude came up with every experiment, ran every test, and delivered the results. Two human researchers spent a full week on the same problem,” he continues.

While the researchers only made it 23% of the way there, Claude made it 97% of the way there.

“Claude Mythos preview is now 52 times faster than a skilled human at improving AI training code. So it can fix its own training code. The same task takes a human four to eight hours. Claude does it better. Claude already writes 80% of Anthropic’s own code,” Gray says.

While in March 2024, Claude could reportedly handle a four-minute task on its own; now it handles 12-hour tasks.

“That number doubles every four months,” Gray explains, adding that “week-long tasks are expected by 2027.”

“So when they call for a development pause, I mean we’re caught between a rock and a hard place, right, on this technology. No one wants to pause or slow down on this because there’s so much at stake,” he continues.

“There’s money, there’s advancement, there’s so much going on here … and they can’t risk falling behind others. Worse than companies not being willing to do this, China certainly isn’t going to pause,” he adds.

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​Anthropic, Blazetv host, China, Pat gray, Technology, Claude mythos, Artificial intelligence, Ai, Pat gray unleashed 

Japan managed to sneak out a tie against the Netherlands after falling behind twice in a World Cup match on Sunday, but it was the Japanese fans who went viral after the game.

Making the trip to watch their team at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, fans saw a late goal in the 89th minute earn Japan a 2-2 draw against its Dutch opponents. After the game, though, Japanese fans truly went to work.

‘Return it the way you found it.’

Viral videos from all over the stadium quickly hit the internet, showing the Asian visitors whipping out blue garbage bags and methodically cleaning up their sections of the stadium.

The fans first used the bags as a way to celebrate their team, raising them in the air and letting them ripple like a wave until impressing the world by using the same bags to gather garbage later on.

“There’s a Japanese culture … which means we should be cleaner [than when] we came here,” a fan told Singapore outlet CNA. “So this is our mindset and this is very obvious that we are to clean up the stadium and that will [showcase] our good Japanese culture.”

RELATED: Japan is close to finding cure for rare disorder that devastates children

KDFW reported on comments from a Japanese teacher who further explained why the fans were all acting in unison.

“Japanese sports fans at world events who clean up the stadium are behaving much the same way they did when they learned how to enjoy sports as school boys and girls,” said Koichi Nakano, a politics and history teacher at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.

A popular Japanese phrase apparently embodies the idea: “Tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu,” which reportedly means “return it the way you found it.”

RELATED: Brazil sends off its World Cup team in the most Catholic way possible

L-R: Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images; Michael Steele/Getty Images

Beloved NFL quarterback Jameis Winston was also among the Japanese crowd cleaning up the garbage. At 6’4″, Winston stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd of fans, but seeking no attention, he grabbed a blue bag and helped the Japanese supporters with their mission.

The New York Giants quarterback happened to be in that section of the stadium while reporting on the game for Fox Sports and decided to join in.

Japan’s next game is Sunday at 12:00 a.m. ET against Tunisia, taking place at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, Mexico, where the Japanese fans will most likely show up their Tunisian counterparts.

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​Fearless, Soccer, World cup, Texas, Japan, Sports 

After years of accusations and abuse, those who have warned about previously concealed biolabs performing potentially dangerous work have seemingly been vindicated.

On Friday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard broke “new ground” with the release of new information regarding the existence and United States’ funding of “more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries, including Ukraine.”

These four labs alone … cost the American taxpayer over $9.25 million.

Blaze News previously reported that Gabbard has been calling for the investigation and increased oversight of the alleged foreign labs for at least four years, during which time she has been called a traitor for “parroting false Russian propaganda” by failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney, for example.

Now in a position to take action on this issue, Gabbard has begun the release of never-before-seen evidence of United States-funded biolabs, many of which are in Ukraine and which she said “could be at risk of compromise due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.”

RELATED: Vindicated? Gabbard probes the biolabs Romney called her a ‘traitor’ for mentioning.

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

“Many of these U.S. government-funded biolabs are currently or have previously engaged in research using hazardous and highly contagious pathogens and in some cases included dangerous gain-of-function research, with very little visibility or oversight,” Gabbard said in the announcement.

Gabbard called out some of the biggest offenders in what she characterized as a “cover-up,” adding that the administration is committed to uncovering the information about these labs that has, until now, been concealed.

“Despite the obvious potential for catastrophic global impact that research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs can have, politicians and so-called health professionals like Dr. Fauci as well as entities within the Biden administration’s national security team lied repeatedly to the American people about the existence of U.S.-funded and supported biolabs,” she said. “Not only did they lie, they threatened those who attempted to expose the truth.”

This first release, found here, shows the location of “over 40 labs built and supported” in Ukraine, including a biosafety level 3-designated lab for human research and an “unknown” lab at the same level that is also marked as a location for biological weapons storage. Microbes at a lab with biosafety level 3 designation “can cause serious or potentially lethal disease through respiratory transmission,” according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention training page.

The ODNI document notes that a biological weapons repository may contain dangerous pathogens, including but not limited to: “anthrax, tularemia, tuberculosis, swine fever, Newcastle disease, MERS, SARS, Marburg, Ebola, Lassa, the plague, rickettsia, etc.”

Most importantly, perhaps, is the third page of the document released by ODNI, which shows four examples of biolabs built and funded by the U.S. government.

The examples — together with the total cost in U.S. dollars, including design and construction, lab equipment, and furniture — are listed as follows: Kherson Diagnostic Laboratory, Kherson Oblast Laboratory Center, $1,728,822; Institute of Veterinary Medicine of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, $2,109,375.23; Central Reference Laboratory, Ukrainian Research Antiplague Institute, $3,492,551; Zakarpartska Diagnostic Laboratory, Zakarpartska Oblast Laboratory Center, $1,920,432.

These four labs alone, according to this information, cost the American taxpayer over $9.25 million.

The press announcement noted that this information release was published in cooperation with Executive Order 14292, signed by President Trump.

In this executive order, titled “Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research,” Trump ordered the ending of federally funded biological research in foreign countries that lack adequate oversight and in “countries of concern.”

Gabbard has directed the intelligence community to learn more about these labs, and she claims they are already “learning new details … on clinical trials that are under way at these facilities and that are raising significant ethical, financial, and security concerns regarding the supposed public health initiatives and U.S. national security.”

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​Anthony fauci, Biolabs, Donald trump, Tulsi gabbard, Ukraine, United states, Politics, Gain of function research 

Spencer Pratt has announced that he is “teaming up” with Kenneth Bass, the brother of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D).

Kenneth Bass and his wife, Cindy, joined a lawsuit last month filed by Palisades fire victims against the mayor that blamed the city for the deadly disaster in 2025. The couple claimed that their Malibu home was a “total burn down” and that they suffered smoke inhalation and emotional distress.

‘I hope their Thanksgiving dinner isn’t too awks.’

The master complaint, filed last year, alleges “a series of cascading failures,” including that the city failed to maintain an adequate water supply. It further accuses the city of engaging “in a campaign of misinformation and misrepresentations” in an attempt to conceal its responsibility for the destruction.

The attorney representing Kenneth and Cindy Bass told the New York Post that their family connections to the mayor are “irrelevant,” adding, “As non-public citizens they are entitled to respectful privacy as they pursue their legal rights along with all represented victims.”

Bass’ office responded that there was “nothing new” about her brother joining the lawsuit.

“Thousands of people are plaintiffs in this action, which names 18 public and private-sector defendants,” a Bass spokesperson told The Hill.

RELATED: ‘It’s war’: Spencer Pratt says he’ll keep working to save Los Angeles — and claims to have damaging evidence

Apu Gomes/Getty Images

The Jan. 2025 Palisades Fire caused 12 deaths and destroyed thousands of structures.

The city and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, deny wrongdoing. The city attorney’s office stated that it “remains confident” that the city “is not liable for these disastrous wildfires.”

RELATED: Los Angeles mayor race called for far-left challenger after Pratt loses 40,000-vote lead

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

On Sunday, Pratt announced that by filing a lawsuit against the city, he was effectively joining forces with Kenneth Bass.

“I am proud to be teaming up with Karen Bass’ brother in suing his sister for her reckless negligence that led to the destruction of our homes,” Pratt wrote in a social media post. “I hope their Thanksgiving dinner isn’t too awks. I know ours hasn’t been the same since last year…”

Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, filed a separate lawsuit against the LADWP last year after their home was destroyed in the fire. Their complaint similarly alleges that the city failed to maintain an adequate water supply.

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​News, Spencer pratt, Karen bass, Los angeles, California, Palisades fire, Palisades, Politics 

After Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murdering Austin Metcalf, his parents are making their interview rounds — and BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock believes what they’re saying is completely “delusional.”

“My son is no murderer. My son didn’t intend to hurt anyone. My son was defending himself, and that’s what hurts so bad,” Anthony’s mother said in an interview on CBS News Texas.

Anthony told the interviewer that she asked the jury to “have mercy” on her son but that she knew “they had their minds made up already.”

“We were delusional. We thought we were going to get a fair shake,” Anthony’s father said.

The two also claimed that “everyone” lied on the stand, with his mother saying, “All of the witnesses’ statements were inconsistent. All of them.”

“So Karmelo Anthony’s father said, ‘We were delusional.’ And I think what he should have said is, ‘We are delusional,’” Whitlock says.

“And I say that not trying to be mean-spirited, but they are delusional. They live in a delusional space where their delusions are confirmed. … I just want you to look at the shirt,” he says, pointing out that in the interview, the father was wearing a shirt that reads “#BelieveKarmelo.”

“Why would we believe someone who’s not talking, who didn’t take the stand? What are we to believe? Does Karmelo believe what he’s saying? Because if he did, he would have taken the stand. It was the only chance they had — him taking the stand and convincing a jury that he acted in self-defense,” he continues.

“He didn’t tell his own story,” he adds.

Whitlock also points out that while the mother claimed the witness statements were “inconsistent,” the statements were actually “very consistent.”

“You have to explain to me what’s their motive for lying. Why lie? What’s the motive? The black witnesses, the black kids that all went on the stand and told a pretty consistent story amongst the group, what’s their motive?” he says.

“There’s an echo chamber of delusion that many black people live in, and it’s controlled by social media. And this is the danger of social media. They create these echo chambers where you can have all of your delusional thoughts confirmed,” he continues.

“‘He didn’t want to kill Austin Metcalf,’” he says, mimicking Anthony’s mother. “Your son brought a knife to a high school track meet and then told a kid, in front of other people, if you touch me, you’ll find out, or something to that degree.”

“This is a state of delusion that these people are existing in,” he adds.

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​Karmelo anthony, Austin metcalf, Jason whitlock, Fearless, Jason whitlock harmony 

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was hospitalized Sunday morning, his spokesman has confirmed.

“Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” David Popp said Sunday, according to NBC News. Popp did not disclose the reason for the admission.

‘He is receiving excellent care.’

Two of McConnell’s neighbors reported witnessing the senator being placed into an ambulance outside his D.C. house, Reuters reported.

Alarm bells have been rung over McConnell’s health in recent years. In February, he spent a week in the hospital over “flu-like symptoms.” He also displayed multiple freeze-up incidents while speaking on camera in 2023.

McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, has been seen using a wheelchair to get around the Capitol on multiple occasions. It was described as a “precautionary” measure last year after falling down a small flight of stairs. An earlier fall left the senator out of work for several weeks with a concussion and rib fracture while a separate incident resulted in a sprained wrist.

RELATED: Trump-backed candidate easily wins primary to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell in Kentucky

Senator Mitch McConnell in the Senate Subway at the US Capitol on May 19, 2026. Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

President Donald Trump and McConnell have clashed over several key issues throughout the president’s second term, including McConnell voting against the confirmations of Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

McConnell has also been a strong supporter of Ukraine’s effort against Russia, criticizing Trump’s approach to the conflict and relationship with Vladimir Putin.

The 84-year-old was first elected to the Senate in 1984, serving as the GOP’s longest party leader from 2007 until he was succeeded by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) in 2025. Earlier that same year, McConnell announced he would not seek re-election in the midterms. He is set to leave office in January 2027.

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​Mitch mcconnell, Politics, Donald trump