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A federal judge sided on Friday with a union against the Trump administration in a lawsuit claiming partisan messages on out-of-office emails were unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said the messages blaming Democrats for the government shutdown on the outgoing messages from the Department of Education violated the workers’ free speech rights.

‘Political officials are free to blame whomever they wish for the shutdown, but they cannot use rank-and-file civil servants as their unwilling spokespeople. The First Amendment stands in their way.’

The American Federation of Government Employees said in its lawsuit that the email messages forced employees to “involuntarily parrot the Trump administration’s talking points with emails sent out in their names.”

Cooper agreed in a 36-page opinion.

“Nonpartisanship is the bedrock of the federal civil service; it ensures that career government employees serve the public, not the politicians. But by commandeering its employees’ e-mail accounts to broadcast partisan messages, the Department chisels away at that foundation,” Cooper wrote in the ruling.

Attorneys for both sides admitted that the case was unprecedented for the federal courts.

“Political officials are free to blame whomever they wish for the shutdown, but they cannot use rank-and-file civil servants as their unwilling spokespeople,” Cooper continued. “The First Amendment stands in their way. The Department’s conduct therefore must cease.”

Workers said that partisan text was added to their email response messages for the shutdown.

“Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations,” the text read.

RELATED: Federal judge shuts down Trump order for mass layoffs during government shutdown

Democracy Forward CEO Skye Perryman called the ruling a “major victory for the constitutional rights” of federal workers.

“No administration — of any party — can commandeer public servants’ identities and force them to push partisan propaganda,” Perryman added. “Today’s decision makes it clear that civil servants are not a political tool, and it reinforces a fundamental principle: Our federal workforce serves the public, not political agendas.”

Cooper was appointed by former President Barack Obama.

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​Federal judge vs trump, Outgoing email messages, American federation of government employees, Government shutdown blame, Politics 

A Houston-area school district is facing a lawsuit after refusing to display the Ten Commandments in its classrooms as ordered by a new state law.

Attorney General Paxton announced the lawsuit in a press release on Friday after the Galveston Independent School Board voted to delay displaying the posters until legal challenges were decided in court.

‘There is no valid legal basis to prevent Texas schools from honoring a foundational framework of our laws.’

“America is a Christian nation, and it is imperative that we display the very values and timeless truths that have historically guided the success of our country,” said Paxton. “By refusing to follow the law, Galveston ISD chose to both blatantly ignore the legislature and also ignore the legal and moral heritage of our nation.”

Paxton is asking a court for an injunction to force the district to comply with the law. The law was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) earlier this year and went into effect on Sept. 1.

The law is being challenged by various lawsuits. It is expected to make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The school district released a statement saying its offices were closed Friday but that it would “evaluate” the statement from Paxton next week.

“We will closely monitor any possible litigation and consult with our legal counsel before making further decisions,” the district said. “In the meantime, our focus remains on elevating instruction, valuing a respectful culture, and promoting a safe environment for students and staff.”

RELATED: Leftists lose it after Louisiana becomes first state to require Ten Commandments in every classroom

Paxton precluded arguments based on the idea of separation of church and state.

“There is no valid legal basis to prevent Texas schools from honoring a foundational framework of our laws, especially under the misconception that a ‘separation of church and state’ phrase appears in the Constitution,” he wrote. “It does not.”

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​Ten commandments, Ken paxton, Galveston school district, Separation of church and state, Politics 

Federal immigration officials rounded up several violent criminals on Thursday, despite the ongoing government shutdown.

‘Yesterday’s arrests include criminal illegal aliens convicted of some of the worst crimes imaginable, including sexual abuse of a minor.’

A Department of Homeland Security press release obtained exclusively by Blaze News highlighted five of Thursday’s “worst of the worst” arrests.

“Despite the Democrats’ longest government shutdown in American history, ICE refuses to slow down,” the press release read.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehensions included illegal aliens with a prior rap sheet, including two pedophiles, a rapist, and other violent assailants.

ICE arrested Jose Rivera-Medrano, a 41-year-old from El Salvador who was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison when he was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor in Rockville, Maryland. He pleaded guilty in October 2019, according to court records.

RELATED: Illegal alien pedophile allegedly ‘physically assaulted’ ICE agent during immigration operation: DHS

Jose Rivera-Medrano. Image source: The Department of Homeland Security

ICE Buffalo captured Milton Antunez-Bonilla, who is from Honduras. The 40-year-old was found guilty of sexual assault against a child 15 years old in Nassau County, New York. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

Milton Antunez-Bonilla. Image source: The Department of Homeland Security

Aaron Comisario-Galicia, a Mexican national, was convicted of rape in Los Angeles, California.

Aaron Comisario-Galicia. Image source: The Department of Homeland Security

Federal agents nabbed 33-year-old Juan Raul Chavez-Reyes, a national from Mexico who was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Erath County, Texas.

Juan Raul Chavez-Reyes. Image source: The Department of Homeland Security

ICE Houston arrested Joseph Perez-De La Cruz, a Mexican national who was convicted for conspiring to transport illegal aliens, placing lives in jeopardy in Del Rio, Texas. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

RELATED: Illegal alien learns his fate after a Wisconsin judge allegedly helped him evade ICE

Joseph Perez-De La Cruz. Image source: The Department of Homeland Security

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that ICE agents are battling a severe uptick in threats.

“Even while facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them, the brave men and women of ICE work tirelessly to get these worst-of-the-worst offenders off our streets and out of country,” McLaughlin said.

“Yesterday’s arrests include criminal illegal aliens convicted of some of the worst crimes imaginable, including sexual abuse of a minor,” she continued. “These heinous criminals have no business remaining in the country any longer, and we thank President Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem for unleashing ICE to protect American communities.”

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​News, Immigration crisis, Illegal immigration crisis, Immigration, Illegal immigration, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Department of homeland security, Dhs, Texas, California, New york, Maryland, Politics 

The happiest place on Earth is going through a strange bout of deaths this fall.

In just a matter of weeks, four guests to Florida’s Walt Disney World have died, all from tragic circumstances.

‘People who … want to have that one last good happy family memory will go to Walt Disney World.’

The first death reportedly came on October 15 when an avid Disney World fan was found dead hours after she vanished.

Four deaths in four weeks

As the New York Post reported, 31-year-old Summer Equitz died at the Contemporary Resort, one of the theme park’s 25 hotels. Equitz even reportedly had a missing persons page posted on a Reddit for Disney fans, with relatives seemingly looking for help to locate her.

“She booked a flight [to Orlando] without telling us, unfortunately,” a relative allegedly wrote.

Unfortunately, Equitz died by multiple blunt impact injuries, originally thought to be by jumping onto the monorail; police declared she was “NOT struck by the monorail.”

A man in his 60s then reportedly died on October 21 after being taken to the hospital from Disney World. Entertainment Weekly said it was told by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office that there were “no signs of foul play.”

The man had a history of hypertension and end-stage liver disease.

More questions than answers

This “medical episode” was the most open-and-shut down case of the four, leaving far fewer questions than the next death at the Contemporary Resort.

RELATED: Comedian Shane Gillis shocks ESPN crowd with Epstein and illegal alien jokes: ‘This is Disney’

Photo by nik wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images

The third death came as visitors to the theme park posted a video about a “VERY large law enforcement” presence outside their balcony at Disney’s Bay Lake Tower.

Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Matthew Cohn died by suicide on October 23 at the Contemporary Resort, with a representative saying the cause of death was “multiple traumatic injuries.”

A fourth death was then reported by TMZ on Tuesday, with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office telling the outlet that a “woman in her 40s was transported to Celebration Hospital where she passed away.”

The sheriff’s office also told the Independent that there were “no signs of foul play.”

The woman was reportedly found at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, located near Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

RELATED: Disney feeds on yesterday while starving tomorrow’s childhood

Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

‘Weird phenomenon’

Outlets like Fox Business and the New York Post have reported that since 1971, there have been a total of 68 deaths at Disney World.

In those 648 months, that would be an average of about 0.1 deaths per month before the recent four.

The strange phenomenon may be explained by remarks made by Jim Hill from the “Disney Wish” podcast in 2022.

According to Fox Business, Hill told the Post that there exists a “weird phenomenon where people who are severely depressed but want to have that one last good happy family memory will go to Walt Disney World.”

Fox Business, the New York Post, Entertainment Weekly, and the Independent were unable to acquire comment from Disney World on these matters. Blaze News has reached out for comment and will update this article with any applicable responses.

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​Align, Disney, Disney world, Suicide, Death, Theme park, Lifestyle 

The H-1B visa program, which has effectively imported hundreds of thousands of immigrants, most of whom are from India, has gained much-needed attention in recent months as abuse of the system has come to light. On Friday, the Department of Labor provided an update on its September initiative, Project Firewall.

On Friday, the Department of Labor announced on X: “As part of our mission to protect American Jobs, we’ve launched 175 investigations into H-1B abuse.”

The agency said that it had discovered a ‘bounty of concerns.’

Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said that the Department of Labor is “using every resource at our disposal to put a stop to H-1B abuse and protect American Jobs. Under the leadership of @POTUS, we’ll continue to invest in our workforce and ensure high-skilled job opportunities go to American Workers FIRST!”

RELATED: ‘Executive fiat’: Biden-era rule change quietly permits H-1B visa holders to work remotely

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Fox News reported that government officials were unable to comment on the exact nature of the new investigations. The agency said that it had discovered a “bounty of concerns.”

While the investigations are a sign of improvement, the number of investigations is strikingly low, critics say.

Virgil Bierschwale, a leading critic of H-1B visas and their impact on American workers, responded to the announcement, “I can quickly bring that up to 32,000 companies being investigated if you have the manpower.”

The exact number of so-called “H-1B dependent employers” is unknown, but many are believed to be in the rapidly proliferating tech sector.

According to a Department of Labor fact sheet, an employer qualifies as H-1B dependent if it has eight visa workers at a company with fewer than 25 employees, 13 or more visa workers at a company with between 26 and 50 employees, or 15% of the workforce at companies with more than 51 employees.

On X, Eric Daugherty echoed the calls for increased investigations: “Good. We need MORE!”

Others pointed out that the abuse of the system should be cause for ending new visa approvals. One commenter said, “Why approve any when fraud is this rampant?”

This round of investigations follows the Trump administration’s September 19 plan to force companies to pay $100,000 for new H-1B visas in an attempt to incentivize hiring American workers.

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​Politics, Secretary of labor, Project firewall, H-1b visas, H-1b fraud, India, Department of labor, Virgil bierschwale, H-1b 

Former NFL star player Antonio Brown appeared at a court in New Jersey on Friday to face an attempted murder charge after being extradited from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The allegations stem from a fight at a May celebrity boxing match in Miami, where Brown is accused of firing two gunshots at a man named Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu. Cellphone video from a bystander allegedly captured the incident.

‘Cellphone video obtained from social media showed Mr. Brown with the firearm in his hand advancing toward Mr. Nantambu on the outside walk.’

Brown appeared to mock the allegations in social media posts from June after police announced the warrant for his arrest.

“This cracker did it wasn’t me,” he wrote in one post.

“What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. Wanna play? Then play hard,” he wrote in another post.

Prosecutors allege that Brown had gotten into a fistfight with Nantambu outside the boxing match and then grabbed a handgun from a security staffer. Two shots were fired, and Nantambu says that one grazed his neck.

“Cellphone video obtained from social media showed Mr. Brown with the firearm in his hand advancing toward Mr. Nantambu on the outside walk,” reads an arrest affidavit. “The video captures two shots which occur as Mr. Brown is within several feet of Mr. Nantambu. The video also captures Mr. Nantambu ducking after the first shot is heard.”

The affidavit says Brown was detained by police that evening but was released because the victim was not identified until later. Nantambu gave a statement to police on May 21 and said Brown was the shooter.

Brown, 37, previously claimed on social media that he had defended himself after getting “jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.”

Brown is expected to be extradited from New Jersey to Miami Dade, Florida. If convicted, he faces a maximum 15-year prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine.

RELATED: Former NFL quarterback announces run for Alabama lieutenant governor — after feeling inspired by Charlie Kirk

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

In yet another bizarre twist to the story, Nantambu was the same man who tried to interrupt the Super Bowl halftime performance in February by holding up a Palestinian flag. According to Fox News, Nantambu was arrested in June on charges of resisting an officer and disturbing the peace by interrupting a lawful assembly.

Brown was one of the top wide receivers in the National Football League and a Super Bowl champion before his erratic behavior led some to believe he had suffered CTE, a brain injury commonly diagnosed among professional football players.

He mocked the suggestion on social media and often satirically tagged his posts with “CTESPN.”

After his extradition, he posted another message.

“Handed over the keys to the socials and CTESPN to my team while I go through this fight for my innocence,” he posted. “Happy to showcase love & entertainment. All love & respect to everyone for the support.”

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​Antonio brown, Attempted murder, Video of antonio brown shooting, Cte antonio brown, Politics 

Republicans weren’t supposed to have a big night Tuesday — but they had a worse one than expected.

As usual, Democrats, who have had little to celebrate beyond street protests and government shutdowns, framed the results as a referendum on Donald Trump. That claim is exaggerated, but Republicans would be foolish to think the administration’s performance played no role. Weak candidates in blue states don’t explain everything. The message should be taken as a call for maintenance, not panic.

If the Trump administration restores trust through accountability and delivers tangible improvements to ordinary Americans, it will earn a political legacy that lasts generations.

The consensus takeaway is the right one: President Trump should return home and focus on his domestic agenda.

That shift already seems to be under way. Immediately after the election, the president summoned Republican senators to the White House to urge them to revoke the filibuster and pass a bold domestic program. Whether or not ending the filibuster is strategically sound, the impulse behind it shows Trump recognizes that his domestic agenda needs care and attention.

On Thursday, the president followed through by announcing a new affordability initiative, including a deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to slash the prices of popular weight-loss drugs.

The missing element

Any serious domestic agenda must center on accountability. Trump’s original campaign gained enormous traction on that theme for a reason. Like affordability, accountability resonates because both expose a corrupt system that favors elites and leaves ordinary Americans powerless. The Epstein saga, still festering years later, stands as Exhibit A — another example of “the big guys getting away with it again.”

That resentment fueled Trump’s rise in 2016 and explains his staying power today. It also helps explain Mamdani’s massive win on Tuesday. Americans are sick of a rigged system, and they are rejecting that system.

Trump represents a chance to correct that system. His second administration has produced real accomplishments. But the obstacles remain daunting: a world in turmoil, an economy tilted against working people, a hostile bureaucracy protected by a conflicted judiciary, and a divided Republican Party that lacks a filibuster-proof Senate majority.

Many within that party seem more interested in positioning themselves for the post-Trump era than advancing his reforms. It’s a weak hand outside the executive branch — but it’s also why voters sent him back to Washington.

A coalition that needs proof

For Trump’s coalition to endure, voters must see results that affect their daily lives. They need proof that their votes produced meaningful change — not better conditions for elites or new foreign entanglements. They want to see powerful wrongdoers held to account and to believe the system can be fair again.

Foreign policy deals won’t secure that trust. Trump’s skepticism of interventionism can survive only so many “necessary” international arrangements. However worthwhile some of those efforts may be, domestic priorities must come first. Accountability and reform should lead.

That means confronting the deep state, disciplining the bureaucracy, and rewarding the citizens who put this administration in power. The ferocity of DOGE’s early efforts — once celebrated as a hallmark of domestic resolve — has largely evaporated. In its place, we’ve seen premature victory laps and deflections. The FBI supposedly reformed. The Butler assassination attempt, which nearly removed a political figure representing half the country, brushed aside as a bad day. The promise to deport illegal immigrants narrowed to the “worst of the worst.”

When government fails to deliver transparency and fairness, the people begin to question the entire system — and rightly so. Americans don’t separate political corruption from economic corruption. It’s all part of the same tilted playing field. Trump still embodies their hope of leveling it.

RELATED: Democrats are running as Bush-era Republicans — and winning

Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / Contributor via Getty Images

Too much sizzle, too little steak

That mission is undermined, however, by the self-promotional drift of several administration principals. Americans see endless television hits, turf wars, and personal branding. They hear more about Attorney General Pam Bondi than about the Department of Justice, more about Secretary Kristi Noem than Homeland Security, more about Secretary Howard Lutnick than the Department of Commerce.

Most of these officials are countering a hostile media landscape — a necessary lesson from the first Trump term. But the result has been an overcorrection: too much personality, not enough policy. Americans didn’t vote for celebrity cameos. They voted for results.

Trump’s cabinet would do well to follow his lead and return focus to the work at hand. Fewer cameras, more control. Roll up sleeves, reassert authority over agencies, and push through systemic reforms that prove Washington can change — permanently.

The road to renewal

If the Trump administration restores trust through accountability and delivers tangible improvements to ordinary Americans, it will earn a political legacy that lasts generations.

America could use that kind of durability — and that kind of hope.

​Gop, Democrats, Midterm elections, Trump, Opinion & analysis, 2025 elections, New jersey, Virginia, Accountability, Doge, Celebrities, Pam bondi, Kristi noem, Howard lutnick 

Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor Mayor Jacob Frey celebrated his re-election victory this week against his Democratic Socialist challenger, state Sen. Omar Fateh, a Somali-American.

‘This election means this is a moment for unity, where the entire Somali community can come together and say, “This is our people.”‘

The ranked-choice election entered a second round of vote counting after no candidate received over 50% of first-choice votes. Frey won a third term after securing 50.03% to Fateh’s 44.37% in the final round.

A video began circulating online showing Frey celebrating his mayoral victory at a lively gathering with supporters, many of whom were from the Somali community. In the video, Frey addressed the crowd in Somali, presumably thanking those in the city’s Somali community who supported his campaign.

The video, from Raad Media, was apparently originally posted by journalist Yusuf Shire on TikTok and shared by conservative political commentators Libs of TikTok and Paul A. Szypula on X.

“I couldn’t believe how long Frey went full Somali. The pandering is beyond comprehension,” Szypula wrote. “Minneapolis is beyond lost.”

“No matter where you are from, Minneapolis should be a place where you are proud to call home,” Frey told the crowd in English, according to the video.

RELATED: Minneapolis mayoral race enters second round of ranked-choice vote counting

Mayor Jacob Frey. Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

“Whether you are from Bosaso, or Mogadishu, whether you’re from Hargeisa or Galkayo,” he said in English, referring to cities in Somalia, “Minneapolis is a place where you come to seek prosperity, where you come to raise your family.”

“This election means this is a moment for unity, where the entire Somali community can come together and say, ‘This is our people. This is our city. We are united behind each other,'” he added in English.

RELATED: Socialist surge: Minneapolis mayor left in the lurch after DFL Party endorses far-left challenger obsessed with race

Minneapolis mayoral candidate state Sen. Omar Fateh, Rep. Ilhan Omar. Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Other videos uploaded to TikTok by Shire, which appeared to be from the same event, showed Frey dancing with his supporters.

President Donald Trump’s administration declared English the official language of the U.S. in March.

The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh reacted to the video of Frey, stating, “As I have said many times now, politicians in this country should be required by law to speak English when addressing the public in an official capacity. There should never be a time when Americans can’t understand what their elected leaders are saying.”

Frey’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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​News, Minneapolis, Jacob frey, Somalia, Minnesota, Omar fateh, Somali, Politics 

Zohran Mamdani has just taken his place as the mayor of the “most powerful city in the world,” but BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales warns it won’t remain that way for long — especially after his victory speech.

“After victory was declared for him, he was very quick to just declare war with President Trump,” Gonzales says, playing a clip of Mamdani yelling, “So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.”

“To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” he yelled.

“You haven’t actually said anything. … You’re stringing a bunch of words together, and you think that they sound nice and they sound insightful,” Gonzales scoffs.

“But with this in particular, it’s very cute that this man who is now going to be in charge of New York City wants to wage this war against President Trump when in actuality, you’re going to run out of money, Zohran. You’re going to run out of money,” she continues.

“You can’t pay for these policies that you’ve just promised New Yorkers. And if you think for one second President Trump is going to bail you out with federal funding, you are sorely mistaken,” she adds.

In his speech, Mamdani also went after capitalism, claiming that he plans to tear down the system that allowed President Trump to initially be a thriving businessman in New York City — which is capitalism.

“President Trump has already been very clear that he is not going to give federal tax dollars to bail out these cities, these states that are just doing communism. That’s not going to happen. So, you’re going to find out real quick who is going to win that battle,” Gonzales says.

Gonzales predicts Mamdani’s reign will be much like Joe Biden’s, in that his voters won’t realize, or admit, how awful a job he’s done until much too late.

“We will tell them for years, ‘Guys, this is happening. Guys, this is happening.’ And they will call you crazy. … They’ll tell you you’re a right-wing nutjob. And then, all of a sudden, when it’s too late, they’re like, ‘God, you know what? It turns out this thing that you guys said was happening the whole time that we denied, it turns out you may be right,” she says.

Even CNN host Van Jones reflected on Mamdani’s crazed speech as a bit of “a character switch,” which Gonzales points to as the first of many liberals who will slowly realize the man they voted for doesn’t exist.

“Uh oh, the peaceful Muslim isn’t so peaceful anymore,” Gonzales mocks.

“Have you been paying attention at all? Because there are videos that have existed, that have been posted all over social media, that have shown this guy, again, code-switching, changing his accents depending on who he’s with, which is, we know, what Democrats do all the time,” she continues.

“Van Jones is apparently just catching wind that this guy may not be exactly who he portrayed himself to be, even though videos like this already existed,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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

​Sharing, Video, Video phone, Upload, Free, Camera phone, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Zohran mamdani, Nyc, President trump, Donald trump, Communism, Capitalism, Van jones, Cnn, Liberals, Conservatives, Conservative podcast, Muslim, Socialism, Socialist 

President Donald Trump had a cordial meeting at the White House on Friday with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who he emphasized was a “good person” and a “great leader.”

In addition to discussing trade, the war in Ukraine, and energy, the two leaders discussed two transformative matters where Hungary has distinguished itself from the rest of Europe, namely immigration and faith.

‘We want a Christian Europe because we believe that this is the only way forward.’

Trump noted that while other European nations have made “tremendous mistakes on immigration and it’s really hurting them very badly, [Orbán] has not made a mistake on immigration,” adding that while not universally liked, Orbán, who has been prime minister since 2010, “is respected by everybody” and well-positioned to win his 2026 election, where he’s likely to face off against liberal Europhile Péter Magyar.

After Trump celebrated the conservative nationalist’s leadership, Orbán made a point of clarifying the nature of his government: “We are the only government in Europe which considers itself as a modern Christian government. All the other governments in Europe are basically liberal, leftist governments.”

Orbán noted that since retaking office in 2010, he and his Christian government have endeavored to break from the pack “at the philosophical level and at the level of practice as well.”

RELATED: Christians are refusing to compromise — and it’s terrifying all the right people

Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

“We are kind of a special island of difference in a liberal ocean in Europe and consider ourselves as a modern Christian government,” the prime minister continued.

Orbán has made no secret of his antipathy for atheistic establishmentarians and liberal bureaucrats in Brussels, noting in a September statement, for instance, that “the European Union is teetering on the brink, with debt, migration, violence, and failing policies everywhere. Hungary stands firm: migrant-free, pro-family, providing opportunities to those willing to work. We need courage — intellectual, political, and personal — to recognize that the West is no longer a role model to follow, and to show that there is a better way.”

The prime minister’s policies have long enraged liberals — who frequently refer to him as an “authoritarian” — and in some cases resulted in threats and financial penalties from the European Commission.

Hungary under his leadership has, for instance, imposed a ban on LGBT propaganda targeting children; signaled opposition to Ukraine’s proposed admission to the European Union; drove bums out of public spaces; built a barrier to keep out border jumpers; and implemented various pro-natalist measures including tax exemptions for mothers.

“We want a Christian Europe because we believe that this is the only way forward,” the prime minister said earlier this year. “In the shadow of empires, at the crossroads of civilizations, we have always won our battles for the survival of our homeland, the preservation of our nation, and Christian culture.”

— (@)

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​Hungary, Europe, Christian, Christianity, Donald trump, Civilization, Budapest, Christendom, Politics 

Lethal injection to the skull.

That’s the likely method of execution awaiting hundreds of seemingly healthy ostriches in Canada. Although shooting, neck-breaking, and gassing are also on the table.

‘Pray for the CFIA agents who were not willing to listen to a case that could have helped so many.’

The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday dismissed an appeal from Universal Ostrich Farms, clearing the way for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to proceed with the slaughter of hundreds of ostriches following an alleged outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza detected in December 2024.

‘Sad day’

The CFIA plans to cull the flock despite reports that the birds have remained healthy for roughly 300 consecutive days. The exact number of ostriches slated for slaughter remains uncertain; the agency has said it is still working to establish a precise count, while the farm’s owners — Karen Espersen, Dave Bilinski, and Katie Pasitney — say they have been prevented from conducting their own tally since federal authorities assumed control of the property.

Under a Supreme Court order granting the CFIA “custody” of the animals, the farmers were also prohibited from feeding or caring for them. The agency was instead tasked with providing food, water, and bedding.

“This is a sad day for Canada,” Pasitney, who has served as the farm’s spokeswoman throughout the case, told Align.

RELATED: Dead bird walking: RFK Jr. is the only hope for 399 healthy ostriches on Canada’s chopping block

David Krayden/Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images

Guilty of ‘innovation’?

“Our leaders have let us down yet again. We will make it our life’s mission to ensure that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is held accountable for the damage they’ve done — not just to our family, but to all the families out there.”

She added that the farm’s owners “pray for the CFIA agents who were not willing to listen to a case that could have helped so many — not just Canadians, but the world — with innovation and science to mitigate viral risk.”

Accusations of mistreatment

Federal authorities first seized control of Universal Ostrich Farms on Sept. 22, with CFIA and RCMP officers occupying the 58-acre property in Edgewood, British Columbia, about two hours east of Kelowna. Two days later, the Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on the planned cull, agreeing to review the farm’s appeal of the CFIA order.

In the weeks since, the farm has released videos purporting to show CFIA inspectors neglecting or mistreating the ostriches in violation of that court stay — evidence the owners said they hoped would justify removing the agency from the property.

In a statement Thursday, the CFIA reiterated that the ostriches posed “a risk to animal and human health” and confirmed it would “move forward to complete depopulation and disposal measures as authorized by the Health of Animals Act.”

“The Federal Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal both determined that the CFIA acted reasonably and in a procedurally fair manner,” the statement said. The agency also warned supporters gathered at the farm not to obstruct inspectors, citing potential prosecution under Sections 35 and 65 of the Health of Animals Act.

​Ostriches, Universal ostrich farm, Culling, Avian flu, Canada, Lifestyle, Letter from canada 

OpenAI is under the spotlight after seemingly asking for the federal government to provide guarantees and loans for its investments.

Now, as the company is walking back its statements, a recent OpenAI letter has resurfaced that may prove it is talking in circles.

‘We’re always being brought in by the White House …’

The artificial intelligence company is predominantly known for its free and paid versions of ChatGPT. Microsoft is its key investor, with over $13 billion sunk into the company, holding a 27% stake.

The recent controversy stems from an interview OpenAI chief financial officer Sarah Friar gave to the Wall Street Journal. Friar said in the interview, published Wednesday, that OpenAI had goals of buying up the latest computer chips before its competition could, which would require sizeable investment.

“This is where we’re looking for an ecosystem of banks, private equity, maybe even governmental … the way governments can come to bear,” Friar said, per Tom’s Hardware.

Reporter Sarah Krouse asked for clarification on the topic, which is when Friar expressed interest in federal guarantees.

“First of all, the backstop, the guarantee that allows the financing to happen, that can really drop the cost of the financing but also increase the loan to value, so the amount of debt you can take on top of an equity portion for —” Friar continued, before Krouse interrupted, seeking clarification.

“[A] federal backstop for chip investment?”

“Exactly,” Friar said.

Krouse further bored in on the point when she asked if Friar has been speaking to the White House about how to “formalize” the “backstop.”

“We’re always being brought in by the White House, to give our point of view as an expert on what’s happening in the sector,” Friar replied.

After these remarks were publicized, OpenAI immediately backtracked.

RELATED: Stop feeding Big Tech and start feeding Americans again

— (@)

On Wednesday night, Friar posted on LinkedIn that “OpenAI is not seeking a government backstop” for its investments.

“I used the word ‘backstop’ and it muddied the point,” she continued. She went on to claim that the full clip showcased her point that “American strength in technology will come from building real industrial capacity which requires the private sector and government playing their part.”

On Thursday morning, David Sacks, President Trump’s special adviser on crypto and AI, stepped in to crush any of OpenAI’s hopes of government guarantees, even if they were only alleged.

“There will be no federal bailout for AI,” Sacks wrote on X. “The U.S. has at least 5 major frontier model companies. If one fails, others will take its place.”

Sacks added that the White House does want to make power generation easier for AI companies, but without increasing residential electricity rates.

“Finally, to give benefit of the doubt, I don’t think anyone was actually asking for a bailout. (That would be ridiculous.) But company executives can clarify their own comments,” he concluded.

The saga was far from over, though, as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seemingly dug the hole even deeper.

RELATED: Artificial intelligence is not your friend

— (@)

By Thursday afternoon, Altman had released a lengthy statement starting with his rejection of the idea of government guarantees.

“We do not have or want government guarantees for OpenAI datacenters. We believe that governments should not pick winners or losers, and that taxpayers should not bail out companies that make bad business decisions or otherwise lose in the market. If one company fails, other companies will do good work,” he wrote on X.

He went on to explain that it was an “unequivocal no” that the company should be bailed out. “If we screw up and can’t fix it, we should fail.”

It wasn’t long before the online community started claiming that OpenAI was indeed asking for government help as recently as a week prior.

As originally noted by the X account hilariously titled “@IamGingerTrash,” OpenAI has a letter posted on its own website that seems to directly ask for government guarantees. However, as Sacks noted, it does seem to relate to powering servers and providing electrical capacity.

Dated October 27, 2025, the letter was directed to the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy from OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Christopher Lehane. It asked the OSTP to “double down” and work with Congress to “further extend eligibility to the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain; grid components like transformers and specialized steel for their production; AI server production; and AI data centers.”

The letter then said, “To provide manufacturers with the certainty and capital they need to scale production quickly, the federal government should also deploy grants, cost-sharing agreements, loans, or loan guarantees to expand industrial base capacity and resilience.”

Altman has yet to address the letter.

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​Return, Ai, Artificial intelligence, White house, Trump, Openai, Sam altman, Tech 

Former first lady Michelle Obama has published a new book called “The Look,” which details her fashion choices throughout Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign, her time in the White House, and today.

“American culture is part of our soft power, and fashion is part of our culture. How did you wield it?” Stephen Colbert asked Obama while promoting her new book on “The Late Show.”

“Carefully, thoughtfully, strategically,” Obama replied.

“When did you realize it was something to wield?” Colbert asked.

“I think right away. I mean, the campaign was beautiful, but you know, I felt the politics of it fast. I learned a lot of lessons about what I had to look out for and how quickly people were willing to take my story and distort it. So I knew very quickly that I had to control every aspect of how I showed up in the world,” she replied.

“It was a race to let the country learn me from me before they learned this other crazy woman that they were talking about, the angry, bitter, black woman that was a terrorist and a danger to her country and didn’t love her country,” she continued.

BlazeTV host Pat Gray isn’t having it, playing an old audio clip of Obama saying, “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country.”

“For the first time in her adult life, because her husband was nominated for president of the United States, she was then finally proud of her country,” Gray says, annoyed, before playing another audio clip.

“Stereotypes and misconceptions. It makes you feel justified in your ignorance. That’s America,” she said in the old clip.

“We are going to have to make sacrifices. We are going to have to change our conversation. We’re going to have to change our traditions, our history. We’re going to have to move into a different place,” Obama said in another other clip.

“She’s never said one nice thing about this country, nor any kind of self-awareness on her part of anything. She is absolutely — just don’t run for president,” executive producer Keith Malinak chimes in.

“She’s not going to,” Gray says, adding, “she hates the country too much.”

Want more from Pat Gray?

To enjoy more of Pat’s biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Sharing, Video, Video phone, Upload, Free, Camera phone, Youtube.com, Pat gray unleashed, Pat gray, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Michelle obama, Fashion, The look by michelle obama, Stephen colbert, Barack obama, First lady michelle obama, Racism, Stereotypes, Anti racist 

Rush Limbaugh. Sean Hannity. Glenn Beck. Charles Krauthammer.

Stephen Colbert?

Oscar-winner George Clooney says running Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket last year was a Democratic boo-boo.

“The Late Show” host opened up in a new interview with GQ Magazine, the bible for liberal men who practice what Adam Carolla calls the “deep-crease” leg cross. Colbert talked on a range of issues, but one probably caught everyone by surprise.

Turns out he’s pretty conservative. Just ask him.

“People perceive me as this sort of lefty figure. … I think I’m more conservative than people think. I just happen to be talking about a government in extremis.”

One, that’s funnier than anything Colbert has said in ages. Two, it’s part of an age-old practice where progressives insist they’re more fair ’n’ balanced than conservative yokels even realize.

Three? Show us the “Late Show” monologue that reflects a conservative viewpoint during his 10-year run on the program. We’ll wait …

Mr. Clooney regrets

Now he tells us.

Oscar winner George Clooney says running Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket last year was a Democratic boo-boo.

Clooney, starring in the awards season drama “Jay Kelly,” told “CBS News Sunday Morning” that Democrats needed a rigorous primary process to pick a successor to the very healthy, not remotely unwell Joe Biden.

That’s not all, though.

“I think the mistake with it being Kamala is that she had to run against her own record. … It’s very hard to do if the point of running is to say, ‘I’m not that person.’ It’s hard to do, and so she was given a very tough task. I think it was a mistake, quite honestly.”

Wait … what’s wrong with the Biden-Harris record? Weren’t we talking about adding a fifth head to Mt. Rushmore for a spell, that of the magnificent Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.? Didn’t Harris’ border czaring save the planet?

It’s almost as if Clooney is lost without a script …

RELATED: Kamala Harris pushes to lower voting age to 16 — in honor of ‘climate anxiety’

Blaze Media

No remorse

Kristin Chenoweth breaks easily, apparently.

The film and Broadway star dared to share a human emotion following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

“Didn’t always agree but appreciated some perspectives. … What a heartbreak. His young family. I know where he is now. Heaven. But still.”

Right on cue, the far-far-left ghouls savaged her on social media. And instead of telling said ghouls to rhetorically “drop dead,” she quasi-retracted said human emotion on social media.

Now, reflecting on the matter, she shared how close she came to “breaking.”

“It was tough on me, but I’m not going to answer any questions about it because I dealt with it. It nearly broke me, and that’s all I’m going to say. You probably know my heart, so you probably know.”

Handle with care? She deserves the same warning label as that “Christmas Story” leg lamp — fragile …

Spike’s spite

This just in — Spike Lee is mad.

The auteur has made being grumpy part of his brand. He’s a New York Knicks fan, so part of that crankiness comes naturally. He’s also constantly complaining about a certain president. And over the years, he’s whined about Hollywood robbing him early and often.

The poor guy has only two golden statuettes.

Now, he’s complaining that his latest film, “Highest 2 Lowest,” got buried by Apple.

The Denzel Washington film came and went in theaters (just 200 screens) in August, jumping quickly to Apple TV. He initially praised Team Apple for supporting the film, acknowledging how the industry was changing and he had to adjust along with it.

He’s had a change of heart.

“I am not happy,” he told the Wall Street Journal about the film’s blink-and-you-miss-it theatrical rollout.

This critic saw “Highest 2 Lowest,” and he’s not happy to have lost two hours of his valuable time …

‘Predator’ pride

You can’t blame Hollywood for dragging our favorite Predator back in front of a camera. The industry just suffered a terrible, no-good month of box office woes, and audiences care more about existing properties than original stories.

Sad, but true.

So another “Predator” movie was, like Thanos, inevitable.

“Predator: Badlands” hits theaters this weekend, but with a twist. The creature that hunted Ah-nold and killed all his military buddies back in 1987 (spoiler alert?) returns, but this time he’s the good guy.

What?

Yup. He and his robot sidekick (Elle Fanning) are the heroes in the new film.

What’s next, a story making us care about Cruella de Vil and why she became the monster we saw in “101 Dalmatians”? Or a story sharing how the Wicked Witch of the West was actually just a misunderstood gal who suffered bullying in her peer group?

Oh, wait.

​Entertainment, Culture, Predator, Hollywood, Spike lee, Stephen colbert, Kamala harris, Toto recall 

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee introduced key legislation on Friday to ensure that military bases respect their commander in chief.

Blackburn introduced the Respect the Chief Act in response to reports of military bases failing to display portraits of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. In response to the bases and military officials who may be motivated by ideology rather than tradition, Blackburn’s legislation would formally require the portraits to be displayed, according to bill text obtained exclusively by Blaze News.

Rather than allowing this tradition to be carried out at the discretion of commanders, who sometimes may be ‘leftists,’ Blackburn decided to take matters into her own hands.

“The president of the United States is the Commander in Chief, and chain-of-command boards at America’s military bases should reflect current leadership,” Blackburn told Blaze News.

“The Respect the Chief Act would ensure military bases continue this long-standing tradition and prevent leftists from disrespecting the chain of command.”

RELATED: Exclusive: Republican senator introduces bill slashing funds to anti-American governments

Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Blackburn’s legislation came in response to the suspension of Colonel Sheyla Baez Ramirez, a commander at Fort McCoy who failed to install photos of Trump, Vance, and Hegseth at the base back in April.

Following the scandal, Blackburn recognized the lack of formal federal statutes and regulations that require these customs to be upheld. Rather than allowing this tradition to be carried out at the discretion of commanders, who sometimes may be “leftists,” Blackburn decided to take matters into her own hands.

RELATED: Democrat senator makes stunning admission about Obamacare failures

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

In addition to mandating the display of the portraits of the president, vice president, and secretary of war, Blackburn’s bill would require the separate military branches within the Department of War to submit reports to the executive branch confirming that all displays of leadership reflect the current chain of command.

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​Jd vance, Pete hegseth, Donald trump, Senate republicans, Marsha blackburn, Military base, Woke military, Department of war, Commander in chief, Politics 

A simple Google search stopped being simple a long time ago. With sports scores, flight costs, and news articles being integrated into the engine over the years, it seemed the search giant could not pack any more ways to push its verticals into the engine.

But it’s still trying.

If 2024 was the year of the small modular nuclear reactor — which were approved en masse to power AI — 2025 may be the year of the gambling partnership.

‘Just ask something like “What will GDP growth be for 2025?”‘

Google and Disney’s ESPN have both inked new deals with gambling websites that will further increase the visibility of betting into everyday life.

Why not gamble?

Google announced in a blog post on Thursday it will integrate both Kalshi and Polymarket into its engine “so you can ask questions about future market events and harness the wisdom of the crowds.”

The pleasant descriptors for the American trading websites can be further summarized by noting they are simply platforms for gambling on nearly anything.

At the time of this writing, Kalshi’s feature bet is who will be nominated for Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammys. On Polymarket, users can bet on when the government shutdown will end, who will win the Super Bowl, or on the price of Bitcoin.

Google says, “Just ask something like ‘What will GDP growth be for 2025?’ directly from the search box to see current probabilities in the market and how they’ve changed over time.”

RELATED: Trump DOJ ends battle with Polymarket after Biden’s FBI raided CEO following 2024 election

Photo by Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Popular gaming (not for kids)

ESPN decided to end its partnership with Penn Entertainment early, just two years into a supposed 10-year deal. ESPN provided a $38.1 million buyout, according to Sportico, and then turned around and linked up with DraftKings immediately.

Where Penn operates casinos and slots in addition to its online sportsbook, DraftKings is not your father’s gambling dynasty. Instead, the brand is fully immersed in the culture, consistently appearing as a sponsor on popular YouTube channels that target a younger demographic.

What started as a company meant for fantasy drafts has evolved into a gambling empire that tends to skew younger and has a more lenient platform in terms of what types of sports bets are allowed.

Interestingly, Penn Entertainment previously owned Barstool Sports before selling it back to founder Dave Portnoy, who would also later partner with DraftKings.

RELATED: Alex Stein: A third dildo has hit the WNBA court — now sports fans are betting when the next will strike

Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

No Escape

DraftKings has previously partnered with professional sports teams and leagues in the past, including those in the NFL, MLB, and NBA. Now, after also announcing a deal with NBCUniversal in September, the company’s ads will appear across every major sports league’s broadcasts.

This includes NFL, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup, Premier League soccer, NCAA football, NBA, and the WNBA, as well as Super Bowl LX, NBA All-Star Weekend, and the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

On ESPN, the integration will be more betting-based, with the network saying it will roll out DraftKings in ESPN’s full “ecosystem” to offer at least three DraftKings products starting in December.

With search engines, networks, sports leagues, and YouTubers all jumping on board with the gambling revolution, it seems a betting culture is being fully immersed into all facets of the economy … and life itself.

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​Return, Polymarket, Kalshi, Google, Alphabet, Espn, Sports, Gambling, Gaming, Betting, Tech 

Astonishing surveillance video from a Hollywood gas station shows the moment when a woman pulled a male intruder out of her car and threw him to the ground with ease.

The woman, Star Carter, was sitting in the driver’s seat of her red Alfa Romeo at the gas station Tuesday when a male stranger walked up and tried to open her passenger door, KCBS-TV reported.

‘It was just like that Kendrick Lamar verse [from “Peekaboo”] was playing in my head, you know like, “Bing bop boom bop boom bop bam!”‘

Her husband, Michael Carter, was pumping gas at the time and was on the other side of car.

“I stood up and was like ‘Get outta here!’ and then I walked around this way,” Michael told KCBS, motioning toward the passenger side of the car.

But after Michael got back in the passenger seat, the crook sneaked back and opened the driver-side rear door closest to the gas pump and actually got into the back seat, video shows.

“I’m wrestling with him inside the car,” Michael told the station, “and I’m kinda pushing him and pushing him, and all I know is he just disappeared.”

With that, Star’s husband smiled and told KCBS that “I’m looking over the back, and I said, ‘Oh … ohhh!'”

Michael’s, shall we say, starstruck reaction was due to the fact that his wife got out of her driver’s seat, got to the back door, ripped the intruder right out the car, and tossed him to the ground.

“I don’t condone violence, but I do condone self-defense,” Star told KCBS in the aftermath.

RELATED: Check out 14 times regular folks turned the tables on violent crooks over the last year: ‘Thank God we had our guns’

Star described what song was on her brain’s playlist in that moment, telling the station that “it was just like that Kendrick Lamar verse [from ‘Peekaboo’] was playing in my head, you know like, ‘Bing bop boom bop boom bop bam!'”

With a laugh, she added to KCBS, “That’s all I remember. I’m so embarrassed.”

Wisely, the intruder ran off after Star introduced him to the concrete.

But she also had some parting advice for him: “I just said, ‘Don’t you ever do no stupid [word redacted in KCBS video] like this again!'”

The station said the Carters actually continued their night out, going to a comedy show at the Hollywood Improv.

The couple’s unsurprised daughter later told KCBS that “my mommy, she was in like fight or flight — but she definitely fought, and he definitely took flight.”

Star added to the station that she believes the intruder was on drugs at the time of the incident: “I don’t know what this dude is capable of doing at all.”

In the end, her husband was grateful that Star stood up to the crook.

“She is indeed my hero,” Michael noted to KCBS with a laugh in the aftermath. “Thank you, Star!”

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​California, Crime thwarted, Fighting back, Gas station, Hollywood, Husband and wife, Intruder, Los angeles, Self-defense, Video, Woman stops intruder, Woman throws male crook to the ground, Crime 

New York Rep. Elise Stefanik (R) on Friday officially announced her run for governor, challenging incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).

Stefanik called Hochul the “Worst Governor in America” and slammed her for endorsing Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor-elect.

‘I have a record of flipping a district that was previously held by a Democrat.’

“Under her failed leadership, New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest taxes, highest energy, utilities, rent, and grocery bills,” Stefanik wrote Friday in a post on social media. “When New Yorkers were looking for leadership from our Governor, she bent the knee to the raging Defund the Police, Tax Hiking Communist causing catastrophe for New York families.”

Stefanik vowed that under her leadership, she would “make New York affordable and safe FOR ALL.”

“Democrats, Republicans, and Independents will unify to save our state,” she continued. “It’s time to: FIRE HOCHUL. SAVE NEW YORK.”

Stefanik released a campaign video highlighting New York’s affordability crisis and the influx of crime, prompting middle-class residents to flee the state, which she blamed on Hochul’s failed policies.

RELATED: SHOCK POLL: Republican leads NY Governor Hochul one year before the election

Elise Stefanik. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

On Friday, Stefanik told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” that “toxic” Hochul “bent the knee” to Mamdani “because she is hemorrhaging support, even in her own party.”

Hochul won by 5.8 points in 2022 against Republican candidate Lee Zeldin, who is now the Environmental Protection Agency administrator under President Donald Trump. The last time New Yorkers elected a Republican governor was in 2002. Despite the long streak of Democrat wins, Stefanik remains unfazed.

“I have a record of flipping a district that was previously held by a Democrat,” Stefanik stated. “I’ve won every primary and general election, and we’ve overperformed — winning not just Republicans but independents and a fair share of Democrats as well — because my record has been delivering results for families, for small businesses, for our veterans, for our farmers.”

Stefanik has secured endorsements from 34 Republican state assembly members and 12 state senators, according to her campaign. New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox also endorsed Stefanik, calling her “a unifier and a party builder with the brains, the guts, and the resources to win statewide next year.”

RELATED: Trump slams Hochul’s endorsement of ‘communist’ Mamdani: ‘No reason to be sending good money’

Kathy Hochul. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Hochul’s campaign fired back at Stefanik, describing her as a “sellout” because she has been Trump’s “number-one cheerleader in Congress and his right-hand woman in his war on New York.” The governor’s campaign accused the lawmaker of “gutting health care, jacking up costs with expensive tariffs, and cutting funding for our police, schools, and hospitals.”

“Apparently, screwing over New Yorkers in Congress wasn’t enough — now she’s trying to bring Trump’s chaos and skyrocketing costs to our state. While Stefanik puts Trump first and New York last, Governor Hochul is lowering costs, cutting middle-class taxes, and fighting for the New Yorkers Stefanik abandoned,” Hochul’s campaign communications director Sarafina Chitika said.

Blaze News contacted the campaigns of Stefanik and Hochul for comment but did not receive a response.

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​News, Elise stefanik, Kathy hochul, New york, New york gubernatorial race, New york governor race, Zohran mamdani, Politics 

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.'”

President Trump’s recent post to Trump Media-owned Truth Social focused attention on a crisis not known for being a priority of American foreign policy. But as much as the news out of Mexico and Ukraine may overshadow what’s happening in Nigeria, the situation there is no less severe. And it is indeed an “existential threat” that should especially concern Christians.

Just this past weekend, nine Christians — including a pastor — were killed by Fulani assailants in a terrorist attack.

Despite their well-observed decline in North America and Europe, the number of Christians worldwide is increasing, largely thanks to Asia and Africa. And in Africa, nowhere does the faith have a stronger presence than in Nigeria.

Christian stronghold

Africa’s most populous nation (238 million) is also its most Christian, with some 100 million believers — enough to rank Nigeria as the sixth-largest Christian population in the world. Concentrated in the country’s south, this population includes 21 million Catholics, 22 million Anglicans, 14 million Baptists, 6 million evangelicals, and 4.5 million Pentecostals, in the form of the Apostolic Church Nigeria.

Despite these numbers, Nigeria remains predominantly Muslim (53.5%), especially in the north, where Islamic terrorism is on the rise. According to a 2022 State Department report, groups like Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa — along with religiously unaffiliated criminal gangs — have killed thousands of Muslims and Christians, with both sides accusing the government of failing to intervene.

There continued to be frequent violent incidents, particularly in the northern part of the country, affecting both Muslims and Christians, resulting in numerous deaths. Kidnappings and armed robbery by criminal gangs increased in the South as well as the North West, the South South, and the South East. The international Christian organization Open Doors stated that terrorist groups, militant herdsmen, and criminal gangs were responsible for large numbers of fatalities, and Christians were particularly vulnerable.

In response to such persecution, the State Department listed Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the first Trump administration, in 2020; the Biden administration removed that designation in late 2021. This was despite protests from the independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which noted widespread “violence by militant Islamists and other non-state armed actors, as well as discrimination, arbitrary detentions, and capital blasphemy sentences by state authorities.”

Since then, USCIRF has continued to call for Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern designation to be restored, warning as recently as July that “religious communities are facing ongoing, systematic, and egregious violations of their ability to practice their faith freely.”

High-profile attacks

This year alone, Nigeria has seen multiple high-profile attacks against Christians, including massacres in April and June that killed 40 and more than 100, respectively. In August, 50 Muslims were killed in an attack on a mosque. Just this past weekend, nine Christians — including a pastor — were killed by Fulani assailants in a terrorist attack.

On Saturday Trump followed up his initial statement with another post threatening to halt humanitarian aid and assistance to Nigeria until the killings stop. He also hinted at the possibility of military intervention, stating that he was prepared to enter the country “guns-a-blazing” in order to “wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

While aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump made no effort to walk back his comments, telling reporters that deploying troops to Nigeria was still very much on the table. “I envisage a lot of things. They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria … and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen.”

Nigeria responds

Nigerian spokesman Daniel Bwala subsequently responded to Reuters with a statement following Trump’s comments, stating that U.S. assistance would be welcomed so long as the U.S. respected Nigeria’s “territorial integrity.” “I am sure by the time these two leaders meet and sit, there would be better outcomes in our joint resolve to fight terrorism.” He similarly affirmed to the BBC that any anti-Jihadi efforts ought to be made jointly.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also challenged Trump’s statements and defended Nigeria’s record on religious freedom in a post on X.

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”

RELATED: Rapper thanks Trump for defending Nigerian Christians; president threatens to ‘completely wipe out’ their jihadi attackers

Photo (left): Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage; Photo (right): SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Image

Genocide or not?

While acknowledging the realities of Nigeria’s ongoing security crisis, the mainstream media has disputed characterizations of the violence as a genocide against Christians.

Time magazine dismissed such claims as an idea “circulating in right-wing circles” and amplified by politicians like Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.V.). It also cited statistics from independent watchdog Armed Conflict Location and Event Data suggesting that of the 20,409 estimated civilian deaths in the past five years, just 417 deaths were Muslim and 317 deaths were Christian.

CNN called the genocide narrative an “oversimplication” that blames religion for the violence while ignoring factors such as ethnicity and resource scarcity.

The Guardian cast Trump’s remarks as an attempt to pander to “his right-wing, evangelical base,” reflecting “renewed domestic political pressure to appear tough on the marginalization or persecution of Christians abroad.”

Methodological weakness

While ACLED rejects the claim of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, arguing that most violence stems from ethnic rivalries and competition over land and resources rather than religion, it has previously acknowledged the difficulty of ruling out religious persecution. In a note on its general methodology, the group has acknowledged that “disentangling the ethnic, communal, political, and religious dimensions of specific events … [proves] to be problematic — at times even impossible — and extremely time-consuming. As a result, religious repression and disorder … may be underrepresented in the dataset.”

Proponents of the genocide narrative say this could lead to systematic undercounting of Christian victims. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month, Rep. Moore countered with significantly larger figures: “More than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in 2025 alone — an average of 35 per day — with hundreds more kidnapped, tortured, or displaced by extremist groups.”

‘This needs to stop’

Evangelical author, public speaker, and Christian apologist Dr. Alex McFarland agrees with Moore, noting that resistance to covering Christian persecution is the norm. Reached just prior to Trump’s statements over the weekend, he told Align that he believes that claims of a Christian genocide are accurate.

In an age when so many champion human rights and social justice, Nigeria is something that should be talked about. What’s going on there is tragic on an unimaginable scale. This needs to stop, and I pray the United States of America will do what it can to stop the killing of Christians and advocate for their human rights.

American Christians who want to to help should be relentless in speaking up to elected officials, advises McFarland, making it clear that they “ask and expect them to take a stand on this issue, just as we expect our elected officials to take a positive stand for Israel and against anti-Semitism.”

Supporting organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, Open Doors, and Voice of the Martyrs is also an option.

McFarland emphasizes that anti-Christian persecution extends well beyond Nigeria, pointing to similar ongoing persecutions in China, India, and Saudi Arabia. “We need to understand that Christians outside of the United States have a hard go of it.”

Finally, he cautions his fellow Christians not to overlook one of the most powerful ways they can effect change. “What Christians can do is pray,” he tells Align. “That might sound glib and easy to say, but prayer works and is quite significant.”

​Nigeria, Christian persecution, Islamic terrorism, Donald trump, Culture, Religion, Violence, Africa, Faith 

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered the Trump administration a victory on Thursday, prompting bitterness not only from trans activists but from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who suggested that the “regrettable” ruling might leave transgender-identifying individuals at risk of “harassment and bodily invasions.”

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 directing his secretaries of state and homeland security to ensure that government-issued identification documents, including passports and visas, “accurately reflect the holder’s sex.”

‘Today, the Court refuses to answer equity’s call.’

The Trump administration’s reversal of the Biden-era policy that enabled people to choose their own sex marker as well as a third marker, “X,” instead of an “M” or an “F” marker, was poorly received by some radicals.

Keen to have the government continue indulging their delusions, several transvestites joined the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and Covington & Burling LLP in a lawsuit over the passport policy in February.

In April, U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick, a Biden appointee, granted them a preliminary injunction preventing the State Department’s enforcement of Trump’s Executive Order 14168 while the lawsuit played out — but only as it applied to six of the plaintiffs. Months later, Kobick granted a class certification request and expanded the scope of her injunction.

After its appeal was rejected by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, the Trump administration filed an emergency stay request to the Supreme Court.

To the chagrin of non-straight activists, the high court granted the stay on Thursday, stating, “Displaying passport holders’ sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth — in both cases, the Government is merely attesting to a historical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment.”

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Photo by Hyoung Chang/Denver Post/Getty Images

The court noted further in its unsigned order, which was opposed by all three liberal justices, that the “respondents have failed to establish that the Government’s choice to display biological sex ‘lack[s] any purpose other than a bare … desire to harm a politically unpopular group.’ … Nor are respondents likely to prevail in arguing that the State Department acted arbitrarily and capriciously by declining to depart from Presidential rules that Congress expressly required it to follow.”

The high court concluded that absent a stay, the government would suffer a form of irreparable injury as the Biden judge’s injunction could lead to foreign affairs implications.

Justice Jackson noted in her dissenting opinion that “as is becoming routine, the Government seeks an emergency stay of a District Court’s preliminary injunction pending appeal. As is also becoming routine, this Court misunderstands the assignment.”

After casting doubt on her “obliging” colleagues’ comprehension skills, Jackson — whose past opinions have bewildered her conservative and liberal peers alike — characterized the reality-affirming passport policy as “new” and legally questionable. Then sentences later, she acknowledged that it was not new so much as a reversion to the government’s long-standing policy as it existed until at least the early 1990s.

Jackson argued that the cross-dressing plaintiffs face greater harm absent injunctive relief than the government would face absent a stay, and expressed doubt whether the government faces any irreparable harm at all.

“But the Court somehow sees fit to grant the Government’s stay request regardless, waving away its abject failure to show any irreparable harm and promoting a patently inequitable outcome to boot,” wrote Jackson.

Jackson suggested further that the indication of an individual’s actual sex on a passport amounts to a concrete injury and echoed the Biden-appointed district court judge, writing that “transgender people who encounter obstacles to obtaining gender-congruent identity documents are almost twice as likely to experience suicidal ideation, and report more severe psychological distress, than transgender people who do not face such barriers.”

In her conclusion, the leftist justice complained that “today, the Court refuses to answer equity’s call.”

Jon Davidson, senior counsel for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, joined Jackson in complaining about the court’s decision, stating, “This is a heartbreaking setback for the freedom of all people to be themselves and fuel on the fire the Trump administration is stoking against transgender people and their constitutional rights.”

“This decision will cause immediate, widespread, and irreparable harm to all those who are being denied accurate identity documents,” said Jessie Rossman, legal director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “The Trump administration’s policy is an unlawful attempt to dehumanize, humiliate, and endanger transgender, nonbinary, and intersex Americans, and we will continue to seek its ultimate reversal in the courts.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi referred to the court’s ruling as the administration’s “24th victory at the Supreme Court’s emergency docket” and noted, “Today’s stay allows the government to require citizens to list their biological sex on their passport. In other words: there are two sexes, and our attorneys will continue fighting for that simple truth.”

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​Supreme court, Passport, Trans, Passports, State department, Sanity, Men, Women, Ketanji brown jackson, Jackson, Scotus, Donald trump, Marco rubio, Winning, Politics