Elon Musk chimed in to question ‘how common’ this type of illegal activity is during American elections Bridgeport, Connecticut, the largest city in the state, [more…]
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Making a list and checking it twice: ICE’s year-end roundup of the most heinous illegal alien invaders
Over the past 11 months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies have worked to put away numerous murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, drug traffickers, and terrorists.
The Department of Homeland Security listed over a dozen of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens who were arrested by federal law enforcement agents in 2025 in a press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News.
The department stated that 70% of ICE’s arrests were illegal aliens who were either convicted of or charged with a crime in the United States.
‘Americans can be proud of DHS law enforcement who worked around the clock this year to remove the worst of the worst from American neighborhoods.’
The DHS year-end roundup highlighted ICE New Orleans’ arrest of Olvin Rodriguez-Inestroza, a Honduran national with active warrants for 394 counts of pornography involving juveniles and two counts of sexual abuse of an animal.
In July, the then-22-year-old pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography after investigators found hundreds of disturbing photos and videos on his phone, including some involving toddlers.
Olvin Rodriguez-Inestroza. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Federal agents also arrested Diego Barron-Esquivel, a Mexican national who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for violently assaulting and strangling an ICE officer in February in Wichita, Kansas. Barron-Esquivel was accused of consistently harassing his former spouse, and he was previously arrested on multiple counts of domestic battery, protection order violations, aggravated robbery, felony theft, and other offenses.
Diego Barron-Esquivel. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Jaan Shah Safi, an Afghan national, entered the country under former President Joe Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome” in 2021. He was previously arrested for allegedly providing support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan, also referred to as ISIS-K. According to the DHS, Safi provided weapons to his father, who is a commander of an Afghan militia group. The DHS announced in early December that ICE agents arrested Safi in Waynesboro, Virginia, after his Temporary Protected Status application was terminated.
Jaan Shah Safi. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
ICE captured Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto, an MS-13 gang member from Honduras who is believed to have illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 after he allegedly bribed his way out of jail in his home country. He is wanted in Honduras for a quadruple homicide and is an alleged member of an assassination squad. Federal immigration agents caught up to Cuadra Soto in Grand Island, Nebraska, on December 8.
Gerson Emir Cuadra Soto. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Jose Alfredo Uzeta, a Mexican national, was accused of performing dental procedures without a license. He was convicted of dentistry act violation and indecent assault in Harris County, Texas.
Jose Alfredo Uzeta. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Rafael Alberto Cadena-Sosa, from Mexico, was accused of running a sex trafficking operation in Miami, Florida, with his family. ICE Los Angeles arrested Cadena-Sosa in San Pedro, California, in December. According to the Department of Justice, he and his family approached females, some as young as 14, in Mexico to lure them into the U.S. under false promises of work opportunities. Once in the U.S., they allegedly imposed a smuggling debt and used threats and violence to force the females into engaging in prostitution 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Rafael Alberto Cadena-Sosa. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
ICE agents also rounded up Antonio Israel Lazo-Quintanilla, from El Salvador, who is a confirmed gang member of the 18th Street Gang, which is designated a foreign terrorist organization. He is wanted in his home country for aggravated homicide, extortion, drug possession, and other felonies. Federal agents nabbed Lazo-Quintanilla in March.
Antonio Israel Lazo-Quintanilla. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Walter Leonel Perez Rodriguez, from El Salvador, was convicted of sexual assault of a child under 17 years old. His criminal history also includes multiple DUIs, child fondling, and illegal re-entering of the U.S. During his November arrest, the convicted pedophile allegedly assaulted an ICE officer with a metal coffee cup, resulting in a laceration that required 13 stitches.
Walter Leonel Perez Rodriguez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
ICE agents arrested Thao Van Cao, a Vietnamese national who is a member of the Asian Cheap Boy criminal gang. His lengthy rap sheet includes 25 convictions for crimes such as flight to avoid prosecution, possession of a controlled substance, second-degree robbery, cruelty toward the elderly, arson, and theft.
Thao Van Cao. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Aldrin Guerrero-Munoz was picked up by federal immigration agents in October. The criminal illegal alien was previously sentenced to 32 years in prison for the intentional murder of his 3-month-old son.
Aldrin Guerrero-Munoz. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
ICE apprehended Jung Choi, a 53-year-old from South Korea. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter after she and her male companion were accused of murdering his wife.
Jung Choi. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Jonatan Monzon-Olivares, a Guatemalan national, was taken off the street in August. He had been arrested 38 times with 15 convictions for crimes including sexual assault, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, possession of stolen property, and obstructing justice.
Jonatan Monzon-Olivares. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Federal agents nabbed Alejandro Lima-Ramirez, who was previously arrested two dozen times in California and Oregon. He has 16 convictions, including for drug trafficking, robbery, fraud, and carrying a concealed weapon.
Alejandro Lima-Ramirez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
In August, ICE agents apprehended Michael Kabiona, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was found guilty in 2015 of repeatedly raping his stepdaughter, starting when she was 9 years old.
Michael Kabiona. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Pedro Luis Ortiz-Mendez and Jose Vicente Ortiz-Mendez, brothers from Mexico, were also arrested by federal immigration agents in August. The two men are wanted in their home country for multiple murders.
Pedro Luis Ortiz-Mendez and Jose Vicente Ortiz-Mendez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Lastly, the DHS highlighted this year’s arrest of Yehia Elham Badawi, an Egyptian national with a lengthy criminal record, including robbery, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment, among other violent felonies. His convictions stem from a 1994 shoot-out that seriously injured a Philadelphia police officer.
Yehia Elham Badawi. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
“Americans can be proud of DHS law enforcement who worked around the clock this year to remove the worst of the worst from American neighborhoods. Our law enforcement has put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
McLaughlin stated that under the leadership of President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, “criminals are not welcome in the U.S. If you come to our country and break our laws, we will find you, arrest you, and deport you.”
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Riley Gaines: Why Americans are FINALLY pushing back on gender ideology
Women’s sports, children’s innocence, and biological reality are at the center of America’s cultural struggle — but Riley Gaines tells BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey at AmFest that the tide is finally turning.
However, it took some serious struggle on Gaines’ part before she began to see a change.
“It was really hard to read some of the things that are being said about you. I mean, bear in mind, I’m a 21-year-old college student who merely just wanted to compete fairly, right? Seems like the bare minimum,” Gaines recalls.
“For saying the things that I said, such as ‘there are two sexes’ and ‘you can’t change your sex’ and ‘each sex is deserving of equal opportunity of privacy and of safety’ — for saying that, you’re vilified,” she explains.
While at the time, Gaines was hurt by the negative response, which included being called names like “racist” and “misogynist,” it’s now “water off the duck’s back.”
“I put all of the confidence and the security that I have in the fact that I’m fighting for the hope and the promise of eternal life. And once you do that, it shifts your perspective to understand that nothing of this world matters,” Gaines says.
Because of the courage of women like Gaines, Stuckey feels that the “tide is turning in a really good way when it comes to female sports.”
“You’re really in the thick of it,” Stuckey says. “Like, you see the activist attacks. You’re seeing what’s really going on on college campuses. Do you feel like the tide is turning?”
“110%,” Gaines answers. “You compare now to even a year ago, it’s very different. I think we’re seeing more people with the willingness and the boldness to say that men can’t become women. Men can’t get pregnant. Women don’t need prostate exams. Tampons don’t belong in boys’ bathrooms.”
“Obviously, it sounds pretty cliche, but I do believe courage begets courage. And so when you have people like yourself, or you have President Trump in the Oval Office, that gives the people a lot of cover, right?” she continues.
“They see him doing it or you doing it, and they think, I can do that,” she adds.
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.
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Kids were ‘playing’ at a luxury resort pool. It all ended with Florida woman arrested, charged with aggravated child abuse.
A Florida woman found herself in handcuffs in what was supposed to be a fun family vacation at a luxury resort after she became physical with a 6-year-old boy at a pool, according to police.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that deputies responded to a report of a battery involving a child around 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Gaylord Palms Hotel — a four-star resort in Kissimmee.
“Witnesses reported that three children were playing in the pool when the splashing became aggressive,” the statement reads.
Police said 36-year-old Tiffany Lee Griffith of Fort Myers “entered the pool and yelled at a 6-year-old boy after he allegedly dunked her 6-year-old son underwater.”
The sheriff’s office claimed Griffith “placed her hands on the victim’s shoulders and forcibly dunked him underwater for several seconds.”
The alleged victim rushed out of the resort pool “visibly upset and suffering from a nosebleed.” The child reported the alleged incident to his parents, according to police.
Griffith then began yelling at the mother of the alleged victim before leaving the area, police said. Deputies located and arrested Griffith.
RELATED: Florida woman couldn’t take her dog on flight — so she drowned animal in airport bathroom: Police
The Osceola News-Gazette obtained the police report which stated, “After Tiffany was placed under arrest, she made spontaneous statements expressing remorse for what had occurred.”
The police report added, “It should also be noted that alcohol was believed to be a possible factor in this incident, according to hotel security.”
During her arrest, Griffith allegedly “understood and agreed to her [Miranda] rights. … She further stated she could recite them due to being a former law enforcement officer.”
Griffith was taken to the Osceola County Jail, and she was charged with aggravated child abuse.
According to the affidavit obtained by People magazine, Griffith told investigators she entered the pool to protect her child; she claimed he’s nonverbal and has autism.
“I was protecting my son,” Griffith told deputies, according to the affidavit.
Griffith told police she feared her son would be “drowned” by the other child, the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, investigators said they reviewed security footage at the resort, and it matched a witness’ account of the incident.
During Griffith’s first court appearance Monday, a judge found probable cause and ordered her held without bond, according to WINK-TV. The judge also ordered Griffith to have no contact with the child or the child’s family.
The Gaylord Palms Hotel did not immediately respond to Blaze News‘ request for comment.
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2 Trump appointees join majority as SCOTUS rules against president’s order to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday against the Trump administration asking to allow the president to order National Guard troops to Chicago, Illinois.
Conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch publicly dissented from the opinion, which passed 6 to 3.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Trump-appointed Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett joined the majority. Kavanaugh wrote a separate concurring opinion.
‘The government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois.’
The Trump administration argued that it had the authority to order troops into Chicago in order to protect federal agents performing deportation operations. The government was asking for a stay against an order blocking the troops from U.S. District Judge April Perry in October.
“At this preliminary stage, the government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the majority order reads.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote that federal officers were “forced to operate under the constant threat of mob violence” and cited incidents where they were threatened and assaulted.
Much of the protests and violence has been directed against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview.
“Finally a ruling from this Supreme Court that makes clear what all patriotic Americans know: No Kings,” wrote Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
RELATED: DHS has a message for ‘cowards’ threatening ICE on social media — influencer laughs in response
Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker previously criticized the administration over the troop order.
“Donald Trump will keep trying to invade Illinois with troops — and we will keep defending the sovereignty of our state,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Militarizing our communities against their will is not only un-American but also leads us down a dangerous path for our democracy. What will come next?”
Other critics of National Guard orders from the White House accuse the president of trying to militarize the streets in order to intimidate his political opponents.
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‘Obvious f**king failure’: Even Hunter Biden admits dad’s Afghanistan exit was a total disaster
Hunter Biden criticized his father, former President Joe Biden, and his administration for the botched withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and he detailed his thoughts on the country’s immigration problem.
During an interview on the “Shawn Ryan Show” released Monday, Hunter Biden stated that he believes politicians on both sides of the aisle want to find a solution to immigration.
‘I think there was a better way to do it.’
Podcast host Shawn Ryan and Hunter Biden discussed how foreign nationals have been receiving abundant resources on the American taxpayer’s dime, including free hotel rooms.
“We need immigration. We need a vibrant immigration, but we don’t want immigrants that are coming here illegally, draining us of resources,” Biden told Ryan.
Ryan expressed concerns that more resources are being allocated to foreign nationals, while American veterans continue to struggle to obtain the necessary support.
Hunter Biden stated that he does not want immigrants prioritized over U.S. troops or other Americans.
Hunter Biden. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
During the five-hour conversation, Ryan asked Biden about some of his father’s failures as president. Biden responded by mentioning the botched exit from Afghanistan, during which a suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. service members.
Biden stated that he believes it was necessary to leave Afghanistan but criticized the execution of the withdrawal.
“I think one of the failures was the way in which they executed the withdrawal from Afghanistan. I think it was an obvious f**king failure. I think 13 Marines are dead. I think that there was a better way to do it,” Hunter Biden said.
“And I can blame it on his generals. I can blame it on the people, the way in which we did it. But my dad always knew this also, is that the buck stops with him,” he continued. “I think that that was a failure.”
Joe Biden, Hunter Biden. Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Ryan asked Biden how his father feels about the withdrawal now.
“The same way that I do,” he replied.
“I don’t want to speak for my dad, but I know my dad, you know, is crushed by that,” Hunter Biden added, referring to the service members who lost their lives.
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‘Incredible victory’: Federal judge prohibits trans-related grooming efforts in California schools
Democrat policies proudly championed in California by Gov. Gavin Newsom have for years kept parents in the dark about their children’s mental health and personal circumstances — particularly about whether their kids are masquerading as members of the opposite sex at school and undergoing a so-called “social transition” with the help of school staff.
Unwilling to lie to parents in violation of their faith and ethics, and facing the prospect of retaliation or dismissal over their dissent, Christian educators Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori West filed a lawsuit in 2023 with the help of the religious liberty group the Thomas More Society.
By October, their legal challenge targeting secretive, grooming transgender policies across the state had evolved into a class-action lawsuit involving other adversely impacted teachers as well as parents.
U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez delivered Democrat officials and other gender ideologues a big upset on Monday, ruling in favor of the plaintiffs and against the grooming regime.
Benitez noted at the outset of his 52-page ruling that long before the advent of compulsory education in the U.S., “parents have carried out their rights and responsibility to direct the general and medical care and religious upbringing of their child.”
“It is a right and a responsibility that parents still hold,” said the judge.
Benitez affirmed that “parents have a right to receive gender information and teachers have a right to provide to parents accurate information about a child’s gender identity” — rights that Benitez confirmed have been violated by California officials.
RELATED: ‘Not medicine — it’s malpractice’: Trump HHS buries child sex-change regime with damning report
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Image
According to Benitez, “the parental exclusion policies create a trifecta of harm.” For starters,
they harm the child who needs parental guidance and possibly mental health intervention to determine if the incongruence is organic or whether it is the result of bullying, peer pressure, or a fleeting impulse. They harm the parents by depriving them of the long-recognized Fourteenth Amendment right to care, guide, and make healthcare decisions for their children, and by substantially burdening many parents’ First Amendment right to train their children in their sincerely held religious beliefs. And finally, they harm teachers who are compelled to violate the [sic] sincerely held beliefs and the parent’s rights by forcing them to conceal information they feel is critical for the welfare of their students.
Benitez barred California Attorney General Rob Bonta, California Superintendent Tony Thurmond, and members of the California Board of Education from implementing or enforcing laws or policies in such a manner as to permit or require any employee in the state education system to:
mislead the parent or guardian of a minor student “about their child’s gender presentation at school” by way of direct lies, denial of access to educational records, or “using a different set of preferred pronouns/names when speaking with the parents than is being used at school”;”use a name or pronoun to refer to that child that do not match the child’s legal name and natal pronouns, where a child’s parent or legal guardian has communicated their objection to such use”; anduse incorrect pronouns or a false name in reference to a student “while concealing that social gender transition from the child’s parents.”
The judge also ordered state education officials to prominently feature the following statement in their LGBT “cultural competency” training materials:
Parents and guardians have a federal constitutional right to be informed if their public school student child expresses gender incongruence. Teachers and school staff have a federal constitutional right to accurately inform the parent or guardian of their student when the student expresses gender incongruence. These federal constitutional rights are superior to any state or local laws, state or local regulations, or state or local policies to the contrary.
“Today’s incredible victory finally, and permanently, ends California’s dangerous and unconstitutional regime of gender secrecy policies in schools,” Paul Jonna, special counsel at the Thomas More Society, said in a statement.
“The court’s comprehensive ruling — granting summary judgment on all claims — protects all California parents, students, and teachers, and it restores sanity and common sense,” continued Jonna. “With this decisive ruling from Judge Benitez, all state and local school officials that mandate gender secrecy policies should cease all enforcement or face severe legal consequences.”
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3 males — ages 8, 11, 12 — steal car, crash into house; driver, 11, says he learned how to steal cars from YouTube: Cops
Three males — ages 8, 11, 12 — were arrested Saturday after stealing a car, leading cops on a chase, and crashing into a home, police in Newburgh Heights, Ohio, told Blaze News. Newburgh Heights is about 12 minutes southeast of Cleveland.
Police said officers received an alert just before 3 p.m. from its Flock Safety license plate readers about a stolen car driving westbound on Harvard Avenue around East 54th Street.
The 11-year-old stated that ‘something just came over his body, and he could not control it, he needed to take the car,’ police said.
A Newburgh Heights officer spotted the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver fled from officers, police said.
The vehicle crashed into a home where three juveniles fled on foot, police said.
Image source: Newburgh Heights (Ohio) Police
Officers quickly apprehended the occupants of the car and discovered that they were ages 8, 11, and 12, police said, adding that officers later determined the 11-year-old was the driver.
Police bodycam video shows the arresting officer drawing his gun on the 8-year-old and the 11-year-old males, who were cowering against a fence, and ordering them on their stomachs. One can be heard whimpering.
Image source: Newburgh Heights (Ohio) Police bodycam video screenshot
Soon the 12-year-old is seen approaching the officer, who orders him on the ground as well.
Image source: Newburgh Heights (Ohio) Police bodycam video screenshot
One of the males can be heard moaning that “I’m going to jail!” and “I’m sorry!”
As other officers arrive, one can be heard saying, “You should’ve thought about that before you got in the car.” He added, “And you suck at driving.” All three were placed in handcuffs.
The 12-year-old — who was wearing a gray hoodie adorned ironically with the words “Essentials: Fear of God” on the back — appeared to giggle and tell another male that “you gotta laugh.”
Image source: Newburgh Heights (Ohio) Police bodycam video screenshot
An officer yanked him away from the fence and said, “Real funny, ain’t it.” He replied, “No, ma’am.”
Police said they were seeking the following charges against the 11-year-old driver: failure to comply with order or signal of police officer and receiving stolen property. Police said they were seeking the following charges against the 8-year-old and 12-year-old: obstructing official business and receiving stolen property.
According to police, the juveniles stated they went to a store and saw “this car sitting there.” The 11-year-old stated that “something just came over his body, and he could not control it, he needed to take the car,” police said.
The 11-year-old said he and the 12-year-old “knew how to steal a car” from YouTube, police said.
Image source: Newburgh Heights (Ohio) Police
“All three boys stated that they know right from wrong and admitted what they did was wrong,” police said. “While in our custody, they were concerned about how this would affect Santa coming to bring them presents.”
Police added that at one point, one of the juveniles said “he knew because of what they did he was going to get coal for Christmas.”
The juveniles were released to their parents pending the filing of criminal charges in juvenile court, police said.
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Elderly bus driver says she was fired for posting ‘English-only’ sign — now the Trump administration is investigating
A Pennsylvania woman says she was forced to get food assistance benefits after being fired from her job as a school bus driver over a “racially insensitive” sign.
Diane Crawford, 66, told WHP-TV that she put up the sign because she thought it would help stop bullying on her bus.
‘I don’t know what else to do. I’m on Medicare and Medicaid now and SNAP. … I had to go on antidepressants because of this.’
“Out of respect to English-only students, there will be no speaking Spanish on this bus,” the note read.
Crawford worked for the Juniata County School District as a bus driver for three decades, including the last 12 years when she became a self-employed owner and operator.
She says her supervisor called her over the note and canceled the contract.
“I don’t know what else to do. I’m on Medicare and Medicaid now and SNAP,” Crawford said. “I had to go on antidepressants because of this.”
She also claims that she wasn’t allowed to explain why she wrote the note. It was meant as a warning to a bilingual child who had been riling up students in Spanish, according to Crawford. She suggested the student was bullying her as well as the other students.
“I didn’t know if he was bullying somebody, telling them to do something that they shouldn’t do,” Crawford said. “I thought I heard him saying, ‘Gordo,’ and — I understand some of (the words) — I don’t know who he was talking to, but I assume he is directing at me.”
“Gordo” in Spanish means “fat.”
She has filed a lawsuit asking for $30,000 for the bus and the route she purchased in 2024.
“I would like them to admit that they were wrong,” she added. “I don’t want to be in debt because what they did was wrong.”
On Sunday, U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said her office was investigating the incident.
“This is deeply concerning. I have directed [the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ] to open an investigation into this situation implicating DEI wokeness,” she posted on social media.
The school district and Rohrer Bus Service released a statement to address the incident.
“Following the incident in question, the District and Rohrer jointly reviewed the situation in accordance with established procedures,” the joint statement reads. “The investigation concluded after the subcontractor provided a written admission confirming that the signage had been installed on her bus. At that point, the relevant facts of the situation were fully known and discussed among District and Rohrer leadership.”
They said they determined Crawford had violated the “standards and expectations” for drivers and expressed a commitment to providing a “safe and inclusive transportation environment” for all students.
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Massachusetts mayor accused of not being able to speak English after requesting a translator during city hearing
During a local hearing, a Massachusetts mayor requested the use of a translator. Now critics are asking if he can even speak English.
Brian A. DePena (D) is the mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts, a city of nearly 90,000. Approximately 82% of the residents of Lawrence are Latino, according to a 2023 report by WGBH.
‘I practice my English because it’s very important in America.’
Mayor DePena appeared in court earlier this month for a Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission proceeding, where former Lawrence Police Chief William Castro was facing city officials following the revocation of his credentials. Castro was accused of conducting an improper police chase and falsifying a police report.
According to reports, DePena testified on Castro’s behalf and requested a translator for the hearing.
In video of the hearing that has gone viral, a judge is heard considering the request for a translator for the mayor.
DePena has since been accused of not being able to speak English at all. The WGBH report from 2023 also noted that DePena does not speak English on a day-to-day basis.
RELATED: Noncitizen Kansas mayor accused of voter fraud has cast dozens of ballots since 2000, documents show
“I practice my English because it’s very important in America,” DePena said, according to WGBH. “For many years, another administration speaks perfect English and [didn’t provide] opportunity for better education, for businessmen, for kids, safety [in the] community.”
DePena later added, “It’s not easy, because every day [I] to need to make a decision about another person, the future of another person. … If you supported another candidate, no matter. Everyone is equal in my office.”
Since taking office in 2021, DePena has appeared in many videos speaking only in Spanish, including in official city materials.
RELATED: Postal worker allegedly tried to help detainee escape from ICE — and she was on duty at the time
In March 2023, an official city of Lawrence YouTube video showed DePena speaking only in Spanish for an “important message” about public schools. The video is labeled as bilingual, but this appeared to refer to the English subtitles.
That October, DePena appeared in a Spanish-only interview for local health care company Vitra Health.
Additionally a Facebook video post from August 2025 from the mayor’s official account is also entirely in Spanish.
The accusations come in spite of the Trump administration issuing an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States on March 1, 2025.
Blaze News contacted the mayor’s office and the mayor directly about whether he is fluent in English but received no response.
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Jason Whitlock blames NFL quarterback decline on DEI and ‘victimhood culture’
The overall performance of quarterbacks in the NFL has plummeted, and BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock believes it has more to do with DEI and black culture than anyone in the NFL would ever be willing to admit.
“All of this emphasis on diversity and black quarterbacks and all of these changes that I feel like they’ve made to make quarterback play easier so that they can meet the quotas that they need to serve their diversity goals,” Whitlock tells BlazeTV contributor Coach JB on “Fearless.”
“This gets me called an Uncle Tom and a coon, but these guys started out the year talking about 16 quarterbacks, starting quarterbacks, are going to be black guys in the NFL in this year, and look at how much progress we’ve made, and black quarterbacks have taken over the league,” he explains.
This is where Whitlock turns to the stats.
“Here we are 14 games into the season. Look at this list. Look at the top teams, and look at the quarterbacks that are quarterbacking those teams. Bo Nix, Sam Darnold, Matt Stafford, Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy, Mac Jones … Justin Herbert, and Caleb Williams,” Whitlock says.
“Black starting quarterbacks have won 41% of their games this year in the NFL. And my argument — it’s not that they’re black; it’s not their skin color. It’s the culture and the mindset of victimhood and challenging of authority. And as a coach, you should be able to speak to this,” he tells Coach JB.
Coach JB believes it’s because coaches now accept “all this money and are worried about wins only and not the kid and the kid’s future.”
“I coached 19 of 21 years only having a black quarterback. Three to the NFL, 21 Division I quarterbacks — 19 of those were black. So, at the end of the day, none of them got arrested. All of them are successful. Got their degrees. Thirteen of them are coaching Division I football currently,” he tells Whitlock.
“I want to see the current Division I coaches right now who get $3 to $10 million a year who have literally failed the five-star black athlete quarterback,” he adds.
Want more from Jason Whitlock?
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‘My new Fed Chairman’: Trump hints at major changes coming to Federal Reserve amid great economic report
On the strength of a very positive economic report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, President Trump announced on Truth Social his future plans for the economy — and these plans may not include the current chairman of the Federal Reserve.
On Tuesday morning, Trump introduced and explained “the Trump Rule” when it comes to the economy.
‘Anybody that disagrees with me will never be the Fed Chairman!’
Trump started his post by explaining how markets have changed in response to good financial news, like the news received Tuesday. Rather than rallying as they have in the past, markets go down, he explained, in anticipation of interest rates increasing to offset “potential” inflation.
Trump continued, “That means that, essentially, we can never have a Great Market again, those Markets from the time when our Nation was building up, and becoming great. Strong Markets, even phenomenal Markets, don’t cause Inflation, stupidity does!”
RELATED: Market soars after Fed finally cuts interest rate
Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Trump then hinted at a possible development coming to the Fed leadership: “I want my new Fed Chairman to lower Interest Rates if the Market is doing well, not destroy the Market for no reason whatsoever.”
Trump stated that he will no longer tolerate obstructionists making economic greatness impossible: “A Nation can never be Economically GREAT if ‘eggheads’ are allowed to do everything within their power to destroy the upward slope.”
He added that America will “see numbers that are far more natural, and far better, than they have ever been before.”
“Anybody that disagrees with me will never be the Fed Chairman!” Trump concluded.
The delayed economic report states that “Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 4.3 percent in the third quarter of 2025 (July, August, and September), according to the initial estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 3.8 percent.”
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Politics, President trump, Donald trump, Federal reserve, Jerome powell, Fed chair, Fed chair jerome powell, The trump rule, Economy, Interest rates, Inflation
‘Nazi trash’: Unhinged outrage ensues after ICE posts video of Santa Claus deporting illegal aliens
Critics of the president’s immigration policy went into meltdown mode over a new video from the administration depicting Santa Claus as an ICE agent.
In the video that appears to be generated by artificial intelligence, Santa dons a reddish uniform of Immigration and Customs Enforcement while arresting illegal aliens and sending them on their way on a deportation flight.
‘This is freaking evil. Don’t make Santa the person who removes people from their place of safety.’
“AVOID ICE AIR AND SANTA’S NAUGHTY LIST!” read the message from ICE on the post. “Self-deport today with the CBP Home app, earn $3,000 and spend Christmas at home with loved ones. Holiday incentive is valid through the end of 2025.”
The holiday incentive triples the $1,000 offered previously to illegal aliens who choose to self-deport.
Many online raged against the video and Sec. Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security.
“Nazi trash. Deport yourselves to hell,” replied voice actor Andy Cortez.
“Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security posts deranged video turning Santa into an ICE agent. Making people suffer is just all fun and games for the Trump administration,” responded Mike Sington, a former NBCUniversal executive.
“This is freaking evil. Don’t make Santa the person who removes people from their place of safety. Ever. WTF?” said one critic.
“First off, Santa isn’t even a citizen so why the f**k would he be working with ICE and not give you f**ks coal for eternity? Secondly, you people are f**king ghouls,” replied another detractor.
“As I’ve said many times … Republicans would have nailed Jesus to the cross themselves and handed Trump the spear to stab him with,” responded podcaster Ryan Shead.
“I bet this goes so hard if you are a legitimate sociopath with literally no ability to feel empathy for another human being,” said another critic.
According to an analysis of ICE data by the Guardian, the administration has arrested more than 328,000 and deported nearly 327,000 since the beginning of the new administration. Nearly two million others have voluntarily self-deported, according to a DHS press release.
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Ice santa claus, Liberal outrage mob, Online backlash, Trump’s immigration policy, Politics
Putting America first this holiday: Trump DHS ends random work visa lottery
The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security is changing regulations governing work visas, arguing the changes will protect American workers.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that the DHS had implemented a new rule to change the H-1B recipient selection process, ending the current random lottery system in favor of prioritizing those with higher skills.
‘As part of the Trump administration’s commitment to H-1B reform, we will continue to demand more from both employers and aliens so as not to undercut American workers and to put America first.’
The agency contended that the new policy would “better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities for American workers.”
USCIS noted that the current random selection process has been criticized for “allowing unscrupulous employers to exploit it by flooding the selection pool with lower-skilled foreign workers paid at low wages, to the detriment of the American workforce.”
The not-yet-published final rule states that the new weighted selection process will favor higher-skilled, higher-paid foreign nationals while continuing to allow employers to obtain H-1Bs across all wage levels.
The rule will take effect on February 27 and apply to the H-1B registration season for fiscal year 2027.
Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
“The existing random selection process of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by U.S. employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay American workers,” USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser stated.
“The new weighted selection will better serve Congress’ intent for the H-1B program and strengthen America’s competitiveness by incentivizing American employers to petition for higher-paid, higher-skilled foreign workers. With these regulatory changes and others in the future, we will continue to update the H-1B program to help American businesses without allowing the abuse that was harming American workers.”
In September, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation requiring employers to pay an additional $100,000 per H-1B visa.
“As part of the Trump administration’s commitment to H-1B reform, we will continue to demand more from both employers and aliens so as not to undercut American workers and to put America first,” Tragesser added.
RELATED: Trump admin announces major H-1B visa abuse investigation, but critics want more
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
Up to 65,000 new H-1B visas can be issued each year, with an additional 20,000 for individuals with a master’s degree or higher. Recipients are generally admitted for up to three years, with the option to extend for up to another three years. Some recipients may be eligible for more than six years. Certain organizations, such as some universities and nonprofits, are exempt from the annual cap.
FWD.us estimated that there are as many as 730,000 H-1B holders in the U.S., along with 550,000 of their dependents, including spouses and children. The estimated total number of H-1B holders and their dependents exceeds the population of eight states, including Montana and Rhode Island.
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Comedian Russell Brand charged with new sexual offenses months after first round of charges
Comedian and actor Russell Brand has once again been charged with sexual crimes.
On Tuesday, Metropolitan Police confirmed that Brand is now charged with two new counts, one of rape and one of sexual assault.
Brand will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on January 20 to face the new charges.
These new charges come on the heels of previous charges filed against the actor in April 2025. The five previous charges involve four women and span “more than two decades,” per Reuters.
Brand has denied any criminal sexual misconduct previously.
RELATED: Russell Brand CHARGED on five counts: Justice or a grifter’s retribution?
Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
Brand has acknowledged a sex addiction in his younger days, but when the charges came out, he said that “what I never was, was a rapist.”
Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Tariq Farooqi, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports, including those connected to the two new charges, continue to receive support from specially trained officers.”
Reuters reported that Brand will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on January 20 to face the new charges.
The trial related to the previous charges is scheduled for June 16.
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Politics, Russell brand, Sexual assault charges, Rape allegations, Metropolitan police, Westminster magistrates court
‘It’s a death sentence’: Former Republican senator reveals tragic cancer diagnosis
Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska announced his terminal diagnosis on Tuesday.
The tragic news was shared in a post on X, where Sasse conceded that he is “gonna die.” Sasse revealed his diagnosis is metastasized stage-four pancreatic cancer, but in the same breath proclaimed his deep faith and hope in Christ.
‘The process of dying is still something to be lived.’
“This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die,” Sasse wrote. “Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do.”
“I’m blessed with amazing siblings and half-a-dozen buddies that are genuinely brothers,” Sasse added. “As one of them put it, ‘Sure, you’re on the clock, but we’re all on the clock.’ Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard pursues us all.
RELATED: Republican senator announces retirement, citing exhaustion: ‘I feel like a sprinter in a marathon’
Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images
In the message, Sasse reflected on his many personal and professional accomplishments throughout his 53 years of life, expressing deep gratitude and admiration for his family. Sasse also wrote about the difficulty of navigating tragedy during Christmas, which he described as “a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come.”
“Not an abstract hope in fanciful human goodness; not hope in vague hallmark-sappy spirituality; not a bootstrapped hope in our own strength (what foolishness is the evaporating-muscle I once prided myself in),” Sasse said.
“Nope — often we lazily say ‘hope’ when what we mean is ‘optimism.’ To be clear, optimism is great, and it’s absolutely necessary, but it’s insufficient. It’s not the kinda thing that holds up when you tell your daughters you’re not going to walk them down the aisle. Nor telling your mom and pops they’re gonna bury their son.”
RELATED: ‘Unnecessary and protracted’: Elise Stefanik drops out of New York governor’s race
Photo by HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
In addition to leaning on God and his family, Sasse said he will pursue medical intervention.
“Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived,” Sasse said. “We’re zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I’ve pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape.”
“But for now, as our family faces the reality of treatments, but more importantly as we celebrate Christmas, we wish you peace: ‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. … For to us a son is given (Isaiah 9).”
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Ben sasse, Senate republicans, Cancer, Cancer diagnosis, Terminal cancer, Christian, Christianity, Politics
Democrat Obama Army official praises $1,776 warrior bonus from Trump admin: ‘Long-overdue moral obligation’
A former U.S. Army official says the federal government’s gift to service members this Christmas is a signal to troops that their sacrifices are appreciated.
Patrick Murphy, a former Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania and the former U.S. undersecretary of the Army for the Obama administration, praised the Warrior Dividend as a sign of respect for military families.
‘There is a troubling tendency to politicize military leadership and culture.’
Last week, President Trump announced that approximately 1.5 million military members would receive a bonus of $1,776 to thank them for their service and to commemorate 250 years of the U.S. military.
According to the former congressman, the payment is well deserved.
“Having served in uniform and later at the Pentagon, I saw firsthand how much our troops give and how often that sacrifice shows up as stress on families, finances, and retention,” Murphy, a decorated former JAG Corps attorney, told Blaze News.
Murphy stated that with a quarter of military families operating on a single income, many troops suffer from significant financial strain, which is “one of the leading causes of our suicide epidemic.”
He added, “The Warrior Dividend isn’t just about pay. It’s about honoring a long-overdue moral obligation. It’s a signal to our troops and their families that their sacrifices are supported and valued.”
RELATED: Teenager sues high school after tribute to Charlie Kirk was called vandalism
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
Presidential treatment
Murphy told Blaze News about his experience working under different administrations and said they all have made attempts to show support for U.S. troops in their own way.
Citing President Obama’s “groundwork” for reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs, President Biden addressing housing and suicide prevention among service members, and Trump’s financial support for the military, Murphy said he feels “core support for our troops has remained consistent, but the tone, priorities, and follow-through of leadership have varied.”
With that in mind, Murphy urged politicians to treat the military in an apolitical manner.
“There is a troubling tendency to politicize military leadership and culture, something I believe undermines readiness and trust. The Armed Forces function best when they are professional, trusted, and insulated from partisan conflict.”
RELATED: Army, Navy release stunning uniforms ahead of historic matchup honoring America’s 250th birthday
Photo by Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images
Tapping Gen Z
Murphy is noted for having recruited more than 120,000 Gen Z Americans through a military initiative called Soldier for Life. He detailed his recruitment strategy, admitting it was not easy to get messaging through to a new generation. Therefore modern methodology and a fresh approach were needed.
“Gen Z is a group that is smart, driven, and looking for meaning. So we reimagined our outreach and met them where they are — digitally,” Murphy recalled.
The approach included a focus on benefits that would appeal to that generation, like education, leadership training, and careers in artificial intelligence. As well, Murphy said he ensured the core messaging focused on “America, its diversity, its values, and its evergreen need for genuine, authentic leadership.”
“We weren’t just selling a job; we were calling young people to be part of something bigger than themselves. And when you show Gen Z that service is not just honorable but empowering, they respond. That’s how you build the next generation of leaders, in and out of uniform.”
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News, Obama, Trump, Biden, Us army, Military, 1776, Warrior dividend, Veteran, Recruitment, Politics
Former MLB All-Star calls out Disney Cruise Line for having a ‘man dressed as woman’
A nine-year MLB veteran is taking issue with apparent cross-dressing on a Disney Cruise ship.
Ender Inciarte won three gold gloves with the Atlanta Braves while appearing in one MLB All-Star Game before retiring in 2022.
‘I don’t think it’s hate i just don’t want to normalize that behavior.’
Now, Inciarte is calling out Disney Cruise Line for apparently having a man dressed a woman speaking to kids.
“Hey [Disney Cruise Line] love your cruises!” Inciarte wrote on X. “Except for the part that there are man dressed as woman … thought you already got over it.”
This immediately drew backlash from some readers, including one man who called Inciarte a “little fragile guy” who “gets upset easily while other people live their lives peacefully without bothering anyone.”
The 5-foot-11-inch outfielder replied, according to an X translation, “It wasn’t hatred or a personal attack. It was an opinion based on my convictions. I believe in respecting everyone, but also in calling things by their name without mockery or contempt. Living in peace doesn’t mean silencing one’s conscience. Take care, champion!”
A Tampa Bay baseball fan rudely asked the former player, “Have you considered going to Hell, Ender?”
“No. I’ve been saved from that thanks to Jesus!” Inciarte enthusiastically stated in response.
While it is unclear if Inciarte was drawing from a personal experience or a video he saw online, he explained his reasoning when replying to a reader who said his kids would be traumatized seeing “dudes dressed as women.”
The Venezuelan explained, “Where is my hate? All i am saying is having my kid enter a place where a 6ft tall guy is dressed as a woman and acting like one would traumatize my kid on a family cruise.”
He added, “I don’t think it’s hate i just don’t want to normalize that behavior.”
Photo by George Rose/Getty Images
While Disney has not responded to inquiries from outlets like Fox News Digital to confirm the allegations, this would not be the first time a transgender person or cross-dresser was spotted at a Disney business dealing with children.
In 2024, a family chronicled a transvestite cutting children’s hair and applying makeup at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Walt Disney World.
At Disneyland in 2023, the same boutique had a man dressed as a woman working in front of the store to welcome guests and schedule young children for their makeovers.
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Fearless, Mlb, Baseball, Disney, Disney cruise, Transgender, Sports
GOP lawmaker who ousted Liz Cheney launches Senate bid following another Republican retirement
Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming is setting her sights on higher office as the 2026 primaries continue to take shape.
Hageman has served her district as an ally to President Donald Trump after kicking off a political career in the nation’s capital by ousting former Rep. Liz Cheney in the 2022 Republican primary. Cheney was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 melee, resulting in a landslide defeat the following election cycle.
‘We must keep up this fight.’
Hageman is now pursuing the U.S. Senate after Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming announced her retirement on Friday.
“Wyoming is a beautiful state, but our people matter the most,” Hageman said in her campaign announcement. “Our faith, our family, our community, and our county. That’s what we care about. That’s what we fight for.”
RELATED: Republican senator announces retirement, citing exhaustion: ‘I feel like a sprinter in a marathon’
David Williams/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Hageman pointed to the massive energy contributions Wyoming has made to the country, fueling the exponential improvement in technology and quality of life for Americans across the country. Hageman vowed to protect the energy industry and the working class, touting Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act she helped pass in Congress.
“We must keep up this fight, and that’s why today, I’m announcing my campaign for United States Senate,” Hageman said. “This fight is about making sure the next century sees the advancements of the last while protecting our culture and our way of life.”
RELATED: ‘Unnecessary and protracted’: Elise Stefanik drops out of New York governor’s race
Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
“We must dedicate ourselves to ensuring that the next 100 years is the next great American century. Wyoming is critical for achieving that goal.”
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Harriet hageman, Wyoming, Cynthia lummis, 2026 primaries, 2026 elections, House republicans, Senate republicans, Liz cheney, January 6, Impeachment, Donald trump, Trump impeachment, Politics
‘Stone cold LOSER’ George Conway mounts New York congressional run — as a Democrat
Virulent Trump critic George Conway III has filed to run as a Democrat for Rep. Jerry Nadler’s seat in New York, Federal Election Commission records show.
The supposedly conservative lawyer’s decision to turn his coat fully inside-out has been years in the making.
Conway, the ex-husband of former Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway, turned sour after failing to seize an opportunity to serve in the first Trump administration’s Justice Department.
‘It’s time to lay it all on the line.’
While Conway said that he changed his mind and withdrew his name from consideration to run the civil division of the DOJ in 2017 after Trump canned then-FBI Director James Comey, Trump claimed that Conway was “VERY jealous of his wife’s success & angry that I, with her help, didn’t give him the job he so desperately wanted.”
Trump added that Conway was a “stone cold LOSER.”
Over the years, Conway grew increasingly antagonistic toward the president, ranting about Trump on cable news and attacking him in the pages of liberal publications.
Two years after weeping with joy in his MAGA hat over Trump’s 2016 win, Conway said in an interview, “I don’t feel comfortable being a Republican any more.”
The following year, he co-founded the anti-Trump group the Lincoln Project with a handful of former Republican operatives, including Rick Wilson, Steve Schmidt, Reed Galen, and John Weaver, who allegedly had a habit of sexually harassing young men online.
RELATED: Why Democrats fear this midterm more than Republicans do
George Conway bloviating on CNN. Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images
According to a Dec. 17, 2019, op-ed that Conway co-authored with Weaver and the other Lincoln Project co-founders, the aim of the group was to “stem the damage [Trump] and his followers are doing to the rule of law, the Constitution, and the American character.”
With this aim in mind, the Lincoln Project proceeded to stage a white supremacy rally, bankrolled efforts to torpedo Trump-aligned Republicans, and churned out pro-Kamala Harris content such as the recent “Be a Man, Vote for a Woman” ad.
Although Conway stepped away from the Lincoln Project in 2020, he did not give up his fixation with Trump.
Last year, he supported Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign and launched a six-figure ad campaign hoping to dissuade Americans from voting for Trump.
After spending years throwing his money and hopes after losers and lost causes, Conway has decided to throw his hat in the ring.
In the first post on his new Substack page, Conway noted, “I’m going into the arena. I’ve already put my money where my mouth is, but now it’s time to lay it all on the line. It’s time to defeat Trumpism once and for all.”
“We need Democrats to take over Congress — and not just any Democrats, but the most fearless and relentless ones,” wrote Conway.
While New York’s 12th Congressional District is a safe blue seat, Conway is hardly the only Democrat hoping to make it his own. Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy; New York Assemblyman Micah Lasher (D); Democratic Socialist gun critic Cameron Kasky; and former Clinton White House fellow Jami Floyd are among the Democrat candidates presently in the running.
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George conway, Conway, Congress, Anti-trump, Lincoln project, Tds, Trump derangement syndrome, House, Midterm, Elections, 2026, Politics
Christmas is worth celebrating, even if your family is fractured
This article is for those of you with fractured families. Maybe the holidays have always been stressful and unpleasant because your family argues. Maybe it’s worse in the 2020s because your family is at political odds, and your liberal family actually thinks you’re a Nazi and says so. Maybe you’ve been estranged from your family for years.
My guess is that many people who fit the description above have abandoned Christmas or any holiday celebrations. I know I did for years. My sister and I grew up in a family headed by an abusive, mentally and morally deranged mother. Our childhood was full of screaming, wooden spoons broken across our backsides, and bizarre punishments for crimes we didn’t commit.
My mother wasn’t actually there in the room with us in 1985. She didn’t see us. She was a little girl in her cold childhood home in 1960 screaming at her parents.
Maybe you’ve abandoned some of your family’s traditions too. Maybe, like me, you’ve spent years alone at Christmas. You don’t put up a tree. You don’t make that special dish.
But you don’t have to let the sorrowful ghosts of Christmases past turn every Christmas future into lonely melancholy. If you have just one single friend, or one single family member whose company you enjoy, I encourage you to haul out the holly, make that special dish, and bring the peace and comfort of Christmas back into your life.
If you grew up like I did, you need this, and you deserve it.
Going home, wherever that may be
This year, my sister and I are going to have a merry Christmas with her family. We are estranged from our mother but not from each other. Now my sister, my brother-in-law, and my nephew are my family. When I visit them at Christmas, I’m going home.
We’re going to have a loving holiday like we wanted to have, but could not, when we were children. We’re going to cook for each other, sing along to the Carpenters’ Christmas album (on a record player, of course), and string popcorn with a needle and thread to make the old-fashioned poor-people garlands we loved to put on the tree when we were young.
That’s not the only family tradition we’re going to relive, and that’s key. While we had a nightmare childhood, there were parts of it that are worth cherishing. There are traditions in our family that we do not have to “let go.” We don’t have to allow the traditions to be emotionally contaminated by our mother’s histrionic meltdowns at the holidays.
That was a lesson my sister and I learned only over time. In my younger years, I stayed by myself doing nothing and celebrating nothing. “Christmas” seemed like a sick and painful joke. What was there to celebrate (I recognize the religious celebration of Jesus’ birth, but I’m focused on something different here) about a time of year that brought shouting, accusations, and thrown dishes?
Our mother had borderline personality disorder. Such people have wild, extreme mood swings within minutes or hours. Under stress, they often lose their ability to control their emotions at all. For example, our mother could swing from raucous laughter to ugly crying while making plausibly deniable suicide threats: “I don’t feel I have anything to live for, and none of you would miss me anyway.”
She tried
But you know, she tried. We were poor, and our condition reminded my mother of her own childhood poverty. She had it worse than we did. For years, my mother lived in what I call “Appalachia of the North.” They had no hot running water, no indoor bathroom, and electricity was only a sometimes-service. Obviously gifts were few at Christmas time.
She wanted us to have a better Christmas than she had as a girl. We always put up a tree, we played the Christmas music, and my mother would usually make lasagna (I’m going to tell you how to make Christmas lasagna below). She couldn’t afford a huge pile of presents for us, but Aunt Vivian and Uncle Marty always sent a huge package of wrapped, brand-name presents to us kids. To us, it was magic. We did feel lucky.
But it couldn’t last. By about 4 p.m., mother would be in hysterics. It was nothing we children provoked. We were happy opening our presents, we thanked mom for everything she did, and we looked forward to Christmas dinner.
Out of the blue, she’d start yelling. We didn’t pick the wrapping paper up quickly enough. We didn’t save the pre-strung bows for next year (“Those are expensive, and you act like I’m made of money!”). It could be anything. She’d scream-cry about how “nothing I ever do is good enough for you kids!” or “I work so hard to make a nice holiday, and I wonder why the f**k I do because NONE OF YOU APPRECIATE IT!”
The lasagna would be slammed down on the table while we looked down at our hands trying not to cry (crying provoked punishment).
My mother wasn’t actually there in the room with us in 1985. She didn’t see us. She was a little girl in her cold childhood home in 1960 screaming at her parents. That didn’t make it right for her to inflict it on us, but I’m old enough now that I understand what was going on in her mind.
And now all of that is gone. It’s over. It’s no part of our lives. And it never will be again.
RELATED: A caregiver’s Christmas
Evrymmnt via iStock/Getty Images
An extraordinary blessing
As adults in our 40s, my sister and I got to know each other as real, whole people for the first time. Instead of being children alternately banding together to protect each other from mother, or as adversaries triangulated against each other to serve my mother’s whims, we met as brother and sister. And as adult friends.
We learned that not only did we love each other, but we liked each other too. It’s an extraordinary blessing.
I want this for you too. Whoever you are. I know some of you don’t have any family left, and I’m sorry. Do you have a friend similarly situated? Maybe he can come to your table this year.
If you have anyone to gather with at Christmas, revive an old family tradition of yours that you’ve neglected for years because it’s associated with hard memories. Maybe it’s a particular carol. Maybe it’s a special dish (our family is English by heritage, so we make Christmas pudding, for example). Whatever it is, why not “repurpose” it? Imbue it with peace and happiness from your life today. Give it new life. Give it love.
Christmas lasagna
This year, I’m going to make Christmas lasagna. For some reason, that dish became our family’s classic Christmas dinner, and I think it’s great. Here’s how to do it. Take your favorite lasagna recipe, but use these methods to alter it:
This is a meat-and-spinach lasagna (red and green for Christmas, see?).Mix the ricotta with two cloves of chopped garlic, a beaten egg, and a dash of basil and oregano. Don’t forget salt and pepper.Mix the spinach with mozzarella, and make that your one green layer.For the meat, use half ground beef and half Italian sausage.
If you make this and don’t like it, I’ll eat my hat.
Remember the Velveteen Rabbit. He was old and worn, and the world thought he wasn’t worth anything anymore and was best left to the past.
“Real isn’t how you are made. It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, then you become real.”
Christmas wasn’t made real for us in the right way long ago. But we’ve made it real again today, in our late middle age, because we love each other.
God bless you, and merry Christmas.
Christmas, Family, Lifestyle, Borderline personality disorder, Cluster b, Merry christmas, Intervention
