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Country music star Kacey Musgraves unleashed a profanity-laced diatribe against Christopher Columbus during a concert in Texas. The singer lambasted the legendary explorer as a “loser” and the “lamest person to probably ever exist.”

During her concert on Sunday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Musgraves blasted the Italian explorer the day before Columbus Day.

‘You’re a loser, Christopher Columbus. We hate you.’

Musgraves told the crowd, “Tomorrow’s Monday? Ew, that’s right, wait, it’s Columbus Day? It’s what now?”

The crowd shouted, “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”

Musgraves ranted, “Yeah, no, no, yeah, actually, obviously, f**k Columbus. Literally the lamest person to probably ever exist. Like for real. What a loser.”

The expletive-laden statement garnered cheers from the crowd.

Musgraves raged, “You’re a loser, Christopher Columbus. We hate you.”

The 38-year-old Grammy winner ignited a firestorm online with her inflammatory remarks.

Filmmaker Robby Starbuck wrote on the X social media platform:

Columbus is the opposite of lame. He navigated some of the most treacherous seas in ships built in the 1400’s. In doing so he became one of the few people in history to explore new lands and discover new trade routes. Some of those trade routes brought food to nations that desperately needed it and not only saved lives but resulted in population growth. He overcame near mutiny, famine and terrible weather. Kacey Musgraves has likely overcome sequins falling off of her stage costumes and not getting everything she demanded in her green room rider. Just hilarious that she’d say this.

Conservative political commentator Chad Prather said, “Columbus: Sailed across the sea and found a new continent. Kacey Musgraves: Stands on a stage in underwear saying ‘Columbus was lame.’ Do these people not see themselves?”

Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt added, “An entire generation of spoiled brats who’ve never built anything, stand on the crumbling empire they don’t deserve, built by great and courageous men who are now judged through the moral lens of the softest dorks living in the easiest times. Oy vey.”

Former President Joe Biden became the first U.S. president to formally recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2021 through a presidential proclamation.

Biden declared at the time, “On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump embraced Columbus Day on Sunday.

Trump wrote on Truth Social:

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY TO ALL, in particular our great Italian American Community which was forced to suffer as the Radical Left Dumocrats, Socialists, and Communists rampaged through our cities and towns ripping down almost all of the beautiful statues of Christopher Columbus. Well, those days of plunder are over, and the statues are back, more magnificent than ever. This is a big day for our great Italian American Community, and the Country of Italy itself, maybe the biggest. Congratulations!

RELATED: Kacey Musgraves opens tour with plea for children of ‘unfairly’ deported migrants — and gets BRUTAL backlash

Musgraves also waded into political waters during a concert Saturday by posing with Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem commented on the photo, “I’ll take Ella Langley over Kacey Musgraves any day. And if I’m choosin’ Texas, I’ll take Ken Paxton over James Talarico.”

Musgraves responded by attacking Noem for her controversial 2024 admission that she shot and killed her hunting dog after it killed her chickens. Noem said the dog had become “untrainable” and “dangerous” to people.

“I don’t think you have a dog in this fight but if you did you would have shot it,” Musgraves replied.

As Blaze News previously reported, Talarico went missing from the campaign trail and didn’t make a public appearance between Sept. 26 and Oct. 9.

Talarico’s Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Paxton, had his supporters chant, “Where is Talarico?” at a Trump rally in San Antonio last Wednesday.

Talarico’s campaign said he had been sick with the flu.

The Texas race is close, with pollsters leaning toward Talarico as the favorite over Paxton. For the latest Texas Senate seat updates — and to follow other important midterm races across the nation — check out Poll Watch, available to Blaze News, BlazeTV+, and Blaze Unlimited subscribers.

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​Kacey musgraves, Music, Entertainment, Christopher columbus, Columbus day, Kristi noem, James talarico, News 

Just in time for election season, climate leftists have discovered the price of gasoline. On cable news, in Congress, and across social media, Democrats are eager to remind drivers what they’re paying at the pump. Their outrage stops where their climate agenda begins.

On October 5, the national average for regular gasoline stood near $4.37, according to AAA, after the most expensive September on record. Compare state averages by the governor’s party, and Democrats have a problem.

The real existential threat was never at the pump. It’s sitting in Tehran. Voters should remember which threat leftists actually treated like one.

Across the 26 Republican-governed states, regular gas averaged about $4.24 a gallon. Across the 24 Democrat-governed states, it averaged $4.53 — nearly 7% more. Diesel showed a similar gap: about $6.15 versus $6.50. Those are unweighted averages of state prices, not the entire explanation for the difference. But state policy adds to the bill.

The cost of climate policy

California, Washington, and Oregon have all placed transportation fuels under climate programs with costs that can reach motorists.

California’s cap-and-trade program and Low Carbon Fuel Standard added about 42 cents per gallon in January 2026, according to the state’s Energy Commission. Washington’s Climate Commitment Act requires covered fuel suppliers to buy emissions allowances. Oregon’s Climate Protection Program caps emissions from fossil fuels, including gasoline and diesel.

These policies don’t account for every cent at the pump. Refining constraints, geography, and global crude prices count too. But Democratic officials chose to make fossil fuels more expensive to advance their climate goals.

The early October prices tell the story: California, $6.38 a gallon; Washington, $5.48; Oregon, $5.04. Those Democrat-run states enforce climate mandates on top of ordinary fuel taxes. Their leaders should answer for the costs they have chosen to impose.

We’ve heard this before

In June 2022, the national average for regular gas reached a record $5.01 a gallon. What answer did Americans hear from Democratic leaders as prices climbed? Buy an electric vehicle.

In November 2021, President Joe Biden said EV owners could save $800 to $1,000 in fuel costs that year. He had recently test-driven an electric Hummer priced above $112,000. In March 2022, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Vice President Kamala Harris to promote electric transportation and the administration’s $5 billion charging network. That June, then-Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) told a Senate hearing that she had driven her EV from Michigan to Washington, passing gas stations where the price no longer mattered to her.

For families who couldn’t afford a new electric car, the advice offered little relief. The administration presented electrification as its answer to expensive gasoline. Climate policy had its price, and drivers were expected to accept it.

RELATED: One atmosphere, 50 courts — what could go wrong?

Megane Adam/Getty Images

A threat beyond the gas pump

Then came October 7, 2023. Iran-backed Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel and murdered about 1,200 people in the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. The danger came from armed men serving a terrorist organization supported by Tehran, not from a projected rise in sea levels.

Iran’s nuclear ambitions remain largely unchecked. Before the U.S. and Israeli strikes on its enrichment facilities, Tehran had enriched uranium to 60% purity, close to weapons-grade. It has since refused international inspectors access to bombed sites and failed to account fully for its stockpile. The status of its enrichment capacity remains uncertain, but it’s no longer a hypothetical threat decades away.

The war with Iran has also helped drive oil and gasoline prices higher. Climate Democrats now want credit for noticing the cost. Fine. They should explain why raising fuel costs to meet climate targets is defensible but paying more to confront a regime that arms terrorist proxies and refuses to account for highly enriched uranium is beyond the pale.

The real existential threat was never at the pump. It’s sitting in Tehran. Voters should remember which threat leftists actually treated like one.

​Climate policy, Electric vehicle, Fossil fuels, Gas prices, Iran war, Midterms, Opinion & analysis 

Thanks to Trump administration directives, Americans can celebrate ending oppressive and expensive regulations and mandates that have hiked prices across virtually all goods and services. But tragically, we are just a few short weeks away from an election featuring radical socialist-style candidates who, if victorious, will assuredly try to roll back all the gains that have been made.

The latest cost-cutting move came last week when the Department of Transportation announced that it will “finalize sharply lower vehicle fuel economy standards through 2031, reversing a push by the Biden administration to force automakers to build more electric vehicles.”

We are one election away from putting more people in power who want a return to mandates, subsidies, and other Big Government, socialist-style dictates.

Referring to former President Joe Biden and his transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, the DOT noted in its own announcement that “the Biden-Buttigieg standards were set so high that they created a backdoor electric vehicle mandate. Automakers and their hardworking employees lost billions complying with the last administration’s regulation.”

The department reported that to avoid the costly economy requirements, some automakers made slight changes to vehicles that allowed for reclassification of light trucks and passenger vehicles.

“This final rule will change classification criteria starting in model year 2030 to reflect each vehicle’s intended use accurately, flipping the current fleet mix of approximately 70% light trucks and 30% passenger vehicles to around 70% passenger cars and 30% light trucks,” the department noted. Most importantly, the new standards are expected to “reduce the average cost of a new vehicle by $1,300 for American families” and “save the American people $138 billion over the next five years.”

The reversal came on the heels of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s announcement of “the repeal of the majority of the Biden administration’s greenhouse gas requirements for U.S. power plants, an action the agency projects will save $310 billion.” The announcement added, “The new proposal would save an additional $370 million in direct compliance costs.”

The Great Awakening on the federal level that has helped the U.S. escape the clutches of budget-busting climate zealotry is beginning to extend to the states. Just last week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) announced that he has “directed the Ohio EPA to begin the process to end the E-Check vehicle testing programs in Northeast Ohio.”

Most of Ohio does not require drivers to undergo routine vehicle emissions testing, but the Cleveland area counties of Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit have done so since 1996. Ohio EPA Director John Logue shared his belief that even without E-Check, “the area will still be in attainment for those national ambient air quality standards. That it’s basically no longer necessary.”

According to Kelley Blue Book, up to 29 states “require an emissions test to register a vehicle or renew an existing registration,” some statewide, others only in certain regions. But a growing number of states are seeking EPA approval to end emissions tests. And last year, President Trump signed three resolutions designed to prevent California and 10 other states from implementing pollution mandates that were stricter than federal standards. Predictable legal challenges ensued.

RELATED: Foreign money is pouring into ballot battles. Half the states aren’t ready.

Twinsterphoto/Getty Images

Trump can put the icing on the cake by signing an executive order implementing the core elements of the Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security Act, introduced in Congress last year by Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio). Such an order would make affordability the key factor in all governmental energy decisions, encourage robust investment and production, and strengthen both our economic and national security. Its effectiveness would be its own success, making it foolish for the policies to ever be reversed.

Overall, reasons for consumers to celebrate abound. Billions of dollars saved. Intrusive government regulations repealed. Accountability and transparency restored. Who would ever want to go back?

And yet, we are one election away from putting more people in power who want a return to mandates, subsidies, and other Big Government, socialist-style dictates that will send household costs through the roof on all things connected to energy, including transportation, lodging, construction, cooling, heating — the list of goods and services directly impacted by higher energy costs is practically endless.

Whatever reasons one may have for supporting one set of candidates over another, there is no more important issue than where they stand on energy. Do they back all energy options — oil, gas, coal, nuclear, wind, and solar — and believe in allowing the free market to work its magic and keep prices low? Or do they support government edicts and subsidies that will lead to rising costs and require taxpayers to write bigger checks to Uncle Sam each April?

Voters should remember one crucial fact when preparing to cast their ballots: Controlling energy controls our lives. Take control.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.

​Department of transportation, Energy costs, Big government, Trump administration, Epa, Joe biden, Pete buttigieg, Emissions testing, Government regulations, Midterms, Opinion & analysis 

Ever since my daughter was born, my greatest ambition has been to become the best version of myself so she has every chance at a good life. I worry about how my own frailty and inadequacy might hold her back, stunting her emotionally or spiritually. But I trust that, with Jesus, all things are possible through the grace of God.

The recent trial of Lindsay Clancy has made me think about this responsibility more seriously than ever.

If I start to feel grumpy, I can look down at an object in my home and be encouraged to offer up a quick prayer.

In January 2023, Clancy killed her three young children in their Massachusetts home. Her murder trial ended in a mistrial in September, with jurors unable to agree on whether she should be held criminally responsible. Her lawyers argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.

The crime was horrifying enough. But I found much of the public response almost as troubling. Hundreds of women gathered outside the courthouse to show their support for Clancy. Some spoke of identifying with her struggles as a mother.

I understand the desire to raise awareness of postpartum mental illness and the need for better care. Mothers who are suffering deserve help, and serious mental illness can be devastating. But I couldn’t help wondering why a case involving the deaths of three innocent children had become, to such an extraordinary degree, a conversation about the needs and suffering of mothers.

Putting children first

In a healthy society, the murder of three children would remain, first and foremost, a tragedy for those children. We could debate the legal complexities, including whether Clancy was criminally responsible for her actions. We could discuss how to better recognize and treat postpartum psychosis. But somehow the case became a referendum on how society treats mothers, while the children seemed to recede into the background.

I worry that this response reflects a larger problem in how we think about parenting. We increasingly expect children to accommodate the lives we want to lead, rather than accepting that having children requires us to change our lives for their sake.

My own experience of motherhood has been one long exercise in making those changes. I’ve had to question things I valued before having my daughter, abandoning cherished habits and ambitions that might otherwise consume me or cause me to neglect her.

I’ve also come to realize that the first change must begin within. I can’t be what my daughter needs without Jesus guiding my thoughts, words, and actions. Each day, I try to sacrifice my ego and become a little less selfish — to lose myself without losing my sanity.

Along with prayer, here are some of the practical things that have helped me do that.

Losing the smartphone

After witnessing countless mothers ignoring their children to stare at a smartphone, I decided I would get rid of mine before I ever had children. So on my wedding day, I took a hammer to my smartphone to symbolize my readiness for motherhood.

I believe this decision has positively impacted my initiation into motherhood. Because I haven’t been staring at screens, my sleep has improved and I’ve regained my attention span. I’ve also had considerably more time to do things I value, such as reading and knitting.

I slept better than expected during pregnancy and since the birth of our daughter. Even with regular interruptions and frequent waking throughout the night, I’ve generally felt well-rested. I think my ability to fall asleep easily has a lot to do with not spending my evenings on a screen.

Just as important, I haven’t been bombarded with TikTok parenting advice reels designed to scare me into buying something I don’t need or believing something that might cause me to treat my child like there’s something wrong with her.

I do what I feel is best, with some advice from friends and older women I trust, and this has made motherhood feel relatively stress-free.

Our daughter, too, is screen-free. However, she does have access to a radio, which she loves to turn on and dance along with. I never see that horrible dead look in her eyes — she is happy and active, with ample curiosity and passion.

I was nervous that smashing my smartphone might make it harder to keep in touch with friends, but I’ve never regretted it. I still have a flip phone, which allows me regular phone conversations with my good friends, and I feel I’ve been more present and focused around my daughter.

This, as well as getting quality sleep and having more time to read or pursue my hobbies, has helped me strike a good balance between giving myself fully to motherhood and maintaining my own interests.

Embrace household chores

A regular, daily routine for household chores also grounds me, keeping me rooted in the moment. I don’t use a dishwasher, so I wash the dishes by hand after each meal. I also do a little laundry every morning.

Doing things by hand keeps me out of my head and is a meaningful way to show love to my husband and child by caring for the clothes we wear and the dishes we eat from.

These might seem like mundane chores, but I have been careful to curate clothes and dishes I love so that, as I manage the household, I am maintaining a space I feel fully committed to and in love with.

The things we wear and eat from represent choices I’ve willingly made. Each garment and object reminds me of my vocation. When I carefully and meticulously care for all the things in my home, I am offered constant reminders to be grateful.

If I start to feel grumpy, I can look down at an object in my home and be encouraged to offer up a quick prayer. By doing this, I take my thoughts captive, as the apostle Paul encourages, and my attitude is readjusted.

RELATED: Jehovah’s Witnesses: Worshipping with the most hated denomination

Keturah Hickman

Foster space for secure attachment

Downgrading my phone and choosing to manage my household deliberately and slowly have helped me make our home a peaceful place where I can build a close, secure relationship with my daughter. There are fewer distractions, less rushing, and fewer occasions for angry responses.

There are a few other things that have made this model tenable and enjoyable for me and my daughter: co-sleeping, breastfeeding, and baby-wearing.

In most ways, I am not very crunchy. I mostly do these three things because I am lazy and also have hobbies I haven’t wanted to abandon just because I am a mother. Not only have these things allowed my daughter and I to bond, but they enable me to get more sleep, wash fewer dishes, and move about the house with arms unencumbered.

The key to successful co-sleeping for us has been having a floor king-size bed. I never have to worry about the baby rolling out of bed, and there’s plenty of room to push her away to have quality time with my husband. Because the baby latches well, we are both able to sleep while she nurses, so I barely have to wake up when she’s hungry.

Breastfeeding, in particular, has given me plenty of opportunities to read. With the help of many pillows to get comfortable while I’m awake and nursing, I’ve managed to read nearly 30 books (mostly nonfiction) since she was born. Imagine if I’d had a smartphone instead!

I don’t know what I would have done without baby-wearing either. My baby is what might be classified as a Velcro baby. She is happy as long as she is with me, often in my arms. Wearing her was the only sane solution if I didn’t want to use the cry-it-out method. It has also helped me regain my core strength!

When the baby was under 6 months old, I’d use a woven wrap to wear her on my chest while I cleaned or sewed. Now I often have her on my back in an Ergo backpack carrier.

We spend our days together doing everything. We go for long walks and have little conversations throughout the day. When we wake up, no matter how I feel, I begin the day with a smile for my daughter and an exuberant greeting. She responds equally enthusiastically.

And now that she feels safe and connected, she’s begun displaying independent spurts where she plays off by herself. As long as I am in eyesight, I can do things for hours on my own without her fretting.

I love watching her discover that she can explore the world on her own while knowing I’m nearby if she needs me.

The joy of sacrifice

Since becoming a mother, I’ve been struck by how often our culture treats children as obstacles to adult happiness. We’re encouraged to pursue our ambitions, protect our independence, and make time for ourselves. None of those things is necessarily bad. But children have needs of their own, and those needs often require us to sacrifice things we would otherwise enjoy.

That sacrifice has brought me far more happiness than I could have anticipated. My life has become smaller in some ways, but richer in others. I’ve given up a smartphone, slowed down my days, and learned to take pleasure in the ordinary work of caring for my family. I haven’t lost myself in the process. I’ve discovered how much of the person I used to be I can happily do without.

I keep thinking about the three Clancy children and how easily they have been lost in the arguments surrounding their deaths. Whatever conclusions people draw about their mother’s mental illness or criminal responsibility, those children deserved a safe and loving home. They deserved to grow up.

I want to give my daughter every chance to do just that. I know I will make mistakes, and I know there will be days when I fall short. But I want to spend my life becoming the mother she needs, rather than expecting her to accommodate the mother I happen to be.

​Babywearing, Breastfeeding, Children, Lindsay clancy, Motherhood, Parenting, Postpartum psychosis, Lifestyle, Faith 

A California man allegedly targeted dozens of children on social media and other online apps in order to coerce them into producing sexually explicit videos for him.

Adrian Gutierrez, 22, of Ontario, California, pretended to be the age of his victims in the communications, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release from the Kansas District.

‘While Mr. Gutierrez mostly targeted children between the ages of ten and twelve, his victims were as young as nine years old.’

He would then allegedly coerce them into making “visual depictions of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct” during live video calls with him.

Prosecutors said Gutierrez sent the communications to children between May 2023 and October 2024.

Twenty-one of the victims have been identified from across 18 states. Others were not able to identified, and some of them resided outside the U.S., according to the release.

Gutierrez pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor involving a child from Kanas.

“The lessons of ‘stranger danger’ also apply to the internet. While Mr. Gutierrez mostly targeted children between the ages of ten and twelve, his victims were as young as nine years old,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Kriegshauser said in a statement in the press release.

“We encourage parents to talk to their children about internet safety and explain to them that not everyone is who they say they are or the age they claim, particularly online,” he added.

Gutierrez is scheduled to be sentenced in Jan. 2027.

RELATED: 19-year-old encouraged minor girl to commit suicide and film it as part of ‘nihilist’ online child sextortion cult

Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Special Agent Kiffa Shirley in the FBI’s Billings Resident Agency in Montana said children online are easy targets for predators.

“Young people don’t seem to have an on-guard mentality when it comes to strangers contacting them through the internet,” Shirley said. “And many teens feel less inhibited about sharing online.”

“Parents need to know what their children are doing online and must stay engaged, ask difficult questions, and not fall into the trap of believing their child is ‘just playing games’ or ‘just talking with their friends,'” said Justin Simmons, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, in a separate case.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also investigating the Gutierrez allegations.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Sexual exploitation, Social media, Federal bureau of investigation, Online predators, California, Crime 

My paternal grandmother, Giuseppina Scianna, was born on October 12, 1893, in Lercara Friddi, Sicily. Grandma Josey, her mother, Rosa Barbusia, and two siblings came to America in 1910, hoping to reunite with their husband and father, Giuseppe Scianna, who had come to New York to build a better life for his family.

My grandmother spoke broken English, but I remember her telling me how proud she was to be an American because, in Lercara Friddi, people believed America’s streets were lined with gold. She was especially proud to have been born on Columbus Day. To her, Christopher Columbus represented the opening of a world that eventually gave her family a chance to thrive here.

If conquest itself is the indictment, history provides no shortage of defendants. That is the part of Mamdani’s moral ledger that seems curiously blank.

The man New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) publicly disparages was Cristoforo Colombo, a Genoese navigator who altered the course of history. Mamdani made his contempt plain in 2020 when he posed in Astoria giving the middle finger to a Columbus statue and captioned the photo: “Take it down.”

Maybe the replacement could be Mehmed II. After all, Michelangelo’s Pietà arrived in New York aboard the Italian liner Cristoforo Colombo for the 1964 World’s Fair. Why not import a statue of Mehmed the Conqueror from Istanbul and give Astoria a lesson in historical consistency?

Mamdani did not invent the anti-colonial lens through which he sees the world. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a prominent scholar of colonialism and postcolonial politics; his mother, Mira Nair, has made films about displacement, immigration, and identity. Their son’s politics likewise run through an anti-colonial framework, whether the subject is Columbus, Israel, or American power.

Fine. Apply it consistently.

In January 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella defeated the last Muslim kingdom in Spain, Granada. Later that year, they sponsored Columbus’ voyage across the Atlantic. History, unfortunately for modern morality plays, is not tidy.

On October 12, 1492, the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María reached the Bahamas on the first of Columbus’ four transatlantic voyages. His voyage did not make the Americas suddenly exist, of course, but it began the sustained contact between Europe and the Western Hemisphere that transformed both. The Library of Congress describes the encounters that followed as irreversible and often brutal, but also world-changing.

Columbus was a formidable mariner. His voyages expanded European geographical knowledge and helped set in motion the Columbian Exchange, which carried American crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, and corn to Europe and European plants, animals, technologies, and diseases in the other direction. His own writings also show a strong Christian evangelical purpose. None of that requires pretending that his legacy was spotless.

RELATED: Trump pays homage to Columbus, unveils special tribute from Italy

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

It does require something more serious than a middle finger.

Mamdani associates Columbus with colonization and the mistreatment of indigenous peoples. That is his prerogative. But once conquest becomes the moral standard, consistency becomes mandatory. Why is Western conquest treated as a permanent indictment, while conquest elsewhere so often becomes historical wallpaper?

Take Sicily. Muslim armies began conquering the island in 827, and Muslim rule lasted until the Norman conquest in the 11th century. Muslim empires also conquered North Africa, most of the Iberian Peninsula, and large parts of the Middle East. If conquest itself is the indictment, history provides no shortage of defendants.

That is the part of Mamdani’s moral ledger that seems curiously blank.

His relationship with New York’s Italian-American community has not helped. Nearly half a million New Yorkers identify Italian ancestry. Yet his administration’s much-ballyhooed map of immigrant enclaves initially omitted Little Italy. After criticism, Mamdani promised to add it.

If he wanted to convince Italian-Americans that his contempt for Columbus was not contempt for them, forgetting Little Italy was a strange way to do it. Zohran, who wouldn’t know arancini if he tripped over one on Mulberry Street, could hardly have scripted the insult better.

Then came Columbus Day. Mamdani found time this year to celebrate Italian Heritage Month by honoring socialist Rep. Vito Marcantonio. He also skipped the Columbus Day parade, after attending or participating in a long list of other ethnic and civic celebrations around the city.

RELATED: The DSA’s plan for immigration is the worst one yet

John Moore/Getty Images

Apparently St. Patrick, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sikh New Yorkers, Pride, and Labor Day can all make the mayoral calendar. Columbus cannot.

The same habit of selective condemnation appeared in Mamdani’s October 7 statement. He correctly called Hamas’ 2023 attack “horrific war crimes” and mourned the Israelis who were murdered and abducted. Then he pivoted quickly to accusing Israel of “genocide,” “occupation,” and “apartheid”. The asymmetry is familiar: Western or Israeli power is examined with a microscope; comparable histories of conquest elsewhere rarely receive the same treatment.

Mamdani and his comrades in arms currently have no problem supporting Muslims who conquer via political representation and whose connection with the DSA indicates that they aspire to replace American constitutional principles with a new kind of governance.

If Giuseppina Scianna were alive in 2026, she would proudly honor Columbus at the New York City parade and be appalled that the mayor, who — if it were today — would likely justify the Islamic conquest of Sicily but doesn’t embrace the greatness of a nation discovered by an Italian explorer who paved the way for the greatest nation in the history of civilization.

​America, Apartheid, Christopher columbus, Colonialism, Dominican republic, Dsa, Genocide, Hamas, Israel, Italy, Labor day, New york, North africa, Puerto rico, Trump, Zohran mamdani, Opinion & analysis 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) managed to anger his own supporters with his October 7 statement — despite denouncing Israel in more than half of it.

Mamdani first briefly acknowledged Hamas’ deadly 2023 attack on Israel before accusing the Israeli government of an ongoing genocide in Gaza and citing egregious Palestinian casualty figures.

“This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others,” Mamdani began.

“We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss,” he continued.

“The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians — including more than 21,000 children,” he added.

“Really? Where are you getting those numbers, Zohran?” BlazeTV host Pat Gray asks.

“You’re getting them from Hamas, the official health agency in the Gaza strip. Hamas is giving those numbers. They’re garbage numbers,” he says.

“And Israel can only do so much to mitigate the civilian casualties,” he continues. “They tell them, ‘Look, we’re going to bomb this building. You need to leave.’ And if you don’t, what are they going to do about that?”

Mamdani also claimed that “since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed” and that the “suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals.”

“They’re hiding in the hospitals. Hamas has infiltrated the hospitals. They use them, and they use the people in them as human shields,” Gray says.

“This is pathetic,” he says, noting that Mamdani also lamented that “our tax dollars fund these war crimes.”

“Hamas is still seeking the complete destruction of Israel and everybody in that country. What do you think ‘from the river to the sea’ means?” he asks, answering, “It means no Jews in Israel.”

“I mean, this is so incredible that he posted this on October 7, and yet it was too sympathetic for his followers,” he adds.

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.

​Pat gray, Zohran mamdani, Israel, Palestine, Hamas, October 7, Blazetv show 

Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts put out the call for interns but added a list of racial and gender requirements that made many people scoff.

The 80-year-old has been in Congress since 1976 and is running for re-election against Republican John Deaton, a U.S. Marine veteran and attorney.

‘Why does a person need to disclose to you who they have sex with before you’ll hire them?’

“I’m hiring motivated and eager interns for the Spring 2027 semester in my Boston office. BIPOC, LGBTQ+, working class, veterans, and other underrepresented candidates with Massachusetts ties are encouraged to apply,” Markey wrote on social media.

“BIPOC” is an acronym for black, indigenous, and people of color.

Critics of Markey accused him of discrimination, and some responded with mockery.

“Blatant discrimination,” conservative commentator Riley Gaines replied.

“Why does a person need to disclose to you who they have sex with before you’ll hire them?” another critic asked.

“Funny way of saying that you’re proudly discriminating against people from other backgrounds attempting to work as interns for you. Sounds like something for @CivilRights to investigate,” another detractor said.

“Are you just openly announcing biased hiring practices? Wild,” another response reads.

“I am a STRAIGHT, WHITE, REPUBLICAN, over-40 MALE … my application will be in your office within the week. If you refuse me, I will sue you into oblivion,” another critic said.

RELATED: Democratic senator calls for new laws to ‘promote algorithmic justice’ over the ‘dangerous’ influence of Elon Musk and other billionaires

Markey is known as a progressive politician, and one of his campaign promises is to support passing a transgender “bill of rights.” He also pushed the Green New Deal alongside democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

He has said that if he’s re-elected to another term, it would be his last in the Senate. He will be 86 years old at the end of that term.

Markey is far ahead of Deaton, according to the Blaze News Poll Watch below:

pollwatch.theblaze.com

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​Bipoc, Ed markey, Lgbtq, Massachusetts, Politics 

American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson went off on social media after claiming she was snubbed by a Brooklyn vintage shop.

But after the singer openly complained that an employee treated her as if she couldn’t afford what she wanted, the store offered a very different explanation: The item she wanted wasn’t for sale.

“Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me,” she wrote.

“Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman,” she added.

“She did the diva thing,” Alex Stein tells BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales.

“Give me a break. You’re going to thrift stores. Nobody treats you nice at these expensive thrift stores,” he adds.

The store responded to Clarkson’s claim, writing in a statement that Clarkson had “inquired about buying ‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows” hosted at the store.

“Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale,” the store added.

“There should be a rule,” Stein comments. “If you are a multimillionaire, or even a millionaire, you can only complain about airline travel on social media. That’s my one rule because people are always empathetic to that.”

“Every single step that Kelly Clarkson made in this transgression was bad,” Stein says. “Every step was a left-footed step.”

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​Alex stein, Brooklyn vintage shop, Kelly clarkson, Sara gonzales, Blazetv show 

The Vatican said Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with lung cancer after surgery to remove a lung nodule.

The Holy See Press Office released a statement from Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, Italy.

‘As he is admitted to the hospital, we accompany him with our prayers. … We are also deeply grateful for his teaching, which urges us to place the dignity of every person at the center.’

“As planned, the Holy Father underwent thoracic surgery. To ensure a radical resection, the lower lobe of his right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique,” the doctors said.

“An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the preoperative examinations. … The operation was successful, and there were no complications,” they added.

The operation lasted about 90 minutes, and the 71-year-old pope awoke normally afterward, the doctors said. He was returned to his 10th-floor hospital room.

Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said Monday that the pope was expected to stay in the hospital for a week.

“As he is admitted to the hospital, we accompany him with our prayers, mindful of the close bond between our university and the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation,” said Catholic University of the Sacred Heart Rector Elena Beccalli to Vatican News.

“We are also deeply grateful for his teaching, which urges us to place the dignity of every person at the center and to build dialogue and peace,” she added.

The removed tissue will be examined in the days after the operation, according to Vatican News.

Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona, released a video asking for prayers for the pope.

“We ask that you pray for him, though, and entrust him to our blessed mother, to, of course, Jesus her son, and we ask also that St. Joseph, who is the patron saint of the church, will bless our holy father, that he will continue to serve the church worldwide,” he said.

“He has been a true blessing, and we ask that the Lord will bless him as he journeys forth,” Dolan added.

RELATED: Pope Leo appoints bishops who defended DEI and criticized immigration enforcement

“This is a moment to unite in prayer for the Holy Father, asking Our Lord to grant him healing, strength and a full recovery. Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for him,” Catholic commentator Mark Lambert said.

Pope Leo XIV is the first American pope in the history of the Catholic church and was selected by the conclave of cardinals in March 2025. Although he was born in Chicago, Illinois, he spent much of his time in Peru.

He was scheduled to visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru in November, but it is unclear whether the diagnosis will change those plans.

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​Pope leo xiv, Vatican, Catholic church, Cancer, Politics 

President Donald Trump approved of Katie Zacharia’s first media briefing on Tuesday as the newest White House press secretary.

The president told reporters that Zacharia did a good job as he left the White House to go campaign for Republican candidates in Alaska.

‘I’m looking forward to working with each of you as well, especially as we are in the middle of the midterm blitz, with energy and excitement never before seen in the history of midterms.’

The 42-year-old mother of four children thanked the president in her opening comments before the press.

“Good morning. I am so honored to work for President Trump and the American people as the new White House press secretary,” Zacharia said.

“I want to thank President Trump for his trust that he has placed in me. I have wanted to work for him for a very long time,” she added.

“I’m looking forward to working with each of you as well, especially as we are in the middle of the midterm blitz, with energy and excitement never before seen in the history of midterms, thanks to President Trump,” she said.

Zacharia’s first media briefing lasted only 14 minutes, but she made news by announcing that Kimberly Guilfoyle had been asked to resign as the U.S. ambassador to Greece after allegations of impropriety began swirling last week.

“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” Zacharia said. “She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”

Guilfoyle announced on her social media account that she would resign and denied accusations that she had abused her office for personal gain.

“I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional,” Guilfoyle wrote. “I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.”

A reporter asked the president to grade Zacharia’s performance afterward.

“I thought she did excellent,” he said. “She did very good.”

RELATED: Marco Rubio takes on press secretary role — and gives Iran one choice to avoid total economic collapse

Trump enthusiastically endorsed Zacharia to follow Karoline Leavitt, who has since signed on to be a Fox News contributor.

“She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning,” the president wrote of Zacharia on Friday. “She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!”

Zacharia is the seventh woman in a row to head the White House press secretary office.

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​Katie zacharia, Press secretary, White house, Politics, Donald trump, Karoline leavitt 

Young Americans might be trending straighter these days, but recent polling indicates that some of their minds are still twisted.

According to the Yale University-based Buckley Institute’s 2026 National Undergraduate Study, undergraduate students — self-identified liberals in particular — are increasingly a censorious, thin-skinned bunch who not only entertain anti-American views but are warming up to socialism.

‘The 14-point spread in favor of socialism is the largest in the five years the question has been asked.’

Pollsters with Inquire LLC found in their survey of over 800 students that while 87% of respondents agreed that the First Amendment is important and needs to be followed and respected in today’s society, a record high 49% of undergraduate students overall said that they favor their college or university “having speech codes to regulate speech for students and faculty.” A majority of liberal students — 53% — were on board with speech regulation on college campuses.

When asked whether they would avoid taking a class with a professor who publicly shared opinions they disagreed with, 55% of liberal students, 33% of moderates, and 33% of conservatives confirmed that they would steer clear.

Whereas 27% of conservative students said that they could not bring themselves to be “close friends with someone who affiliates with a different political party,” 65% of liberal students said that they keep their friend groups politically homogeneous.

A plurality of liberal students (47%) said that offensive speech should be subject to criminal prosecution. Only 24% of conservatives and 34% of moderates agreed with the proposition.

RELATED: ‘Reign of terror’: One-third of Democrats give thumbs-up to Trump assassination

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK/AFP via Getty Images

As for the use of physical violence to prevent someone from uttering so-called hate speech or making “racially charged comments,” 45% of all respondents said it was justifiable.

When broken down by ideological affiliation, a majority of liberals were once again in the extreme camp, with 54% agreeing that violence is sometimes warranted. Only 30% of conservatives and 36% of moderates agreed.

Perhaps more troubling, when asked about the Turning Point USA founder’s assassination last year at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, 38% of liberal respondents agreed with the statement, “Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric was harmful and threatening to many people. It should not be a surprise that his words had consequences.”

Seven percent of conservative students similarly agreed with the statement, which effectively justifies Kirk’s murder.

Only 13% of all respondents overall said that Kirk’s rhetoric “was neither harmful nor threatening and that his assassination is a bad sign for public discourse on college campuses.”

Unsurprisingly, a majority (58%) of the liberal cohort that appeared receptive to both censorship and political violence said that they prefer to live under a socialist regime. Fifty-seven percent of liberals also said that socialist countries like Cuba and the former Soviet Union “offer a better economic model than capitalist countries like the United States.”

Nineteen percent of conservatives and 28% of moderates also chose socialism over capitalism, according to the survey. On the question of whether countries like the failed Soviet Union and failing Republic of Cuba offer preferable economic models to the U.S., 32% of moderates and 53% of conservatives said they disagreed.

“The 14-point spread in favor of socialism is the largest in the five years the question has been asked and only the third time socialism has led capitalism,” the Buckley Institute said. “The only major demographic groups that favored capitalism over socialism were conservatives and Asian students.”

Not only have liberal undergraduate students idealized failed states where food scarcity is the norm, they have adopted cynical views about the promise of equality in America.

Fifty percent of all respondents — and 66% of liberal respondents — agreed with the statement that “America is inextricably linked to white supremacy and in general most minorities remain excluded from the American promise of equality.”

When asked whether America “deserved September 11th” — an Islamic terrorist attack that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people, including children, and injured thousands more — a staggering 22% overall somewhat or strongly agreed, including 28% of liberals, 16% of moderates, and 17% of conservatives.

A vast majority — 72% — disagreed, 63% strongly so. Another 6% said they weren’t sure.

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​Poll, Students, Extremism, Socialism, Political violence, September 11, Politics 

When Joe Biden’s age and mental fitness was questioned, Democrats would brush it aside with reassurances that the former president was better than ever.

Now, Republican Senator Thom Tillis (N.C.) is running the same cover for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

“Mitch McConnell is retiring this year. I ran into Mitch. The difference between the Biden situation and the Mitch situation is, I’ve had conversations with Mitch. That man’s brain is as sharp as it ever is,” Tillis claimed in an interview on MS NOW.

“His body’s failing him because he’s had a lifelong struggle with polio,” he added.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray comments. “I love how these childhood diseases come back up as a convenient excuse for what’s going on now.”

“Like it did with Biden stuttering,” he adds.

Tillis went on to say that he met with McConnell “a couple of weeks ago” and asked him how he was doing.

“He spent probably less than 30 seconds talking about that, and he immediately jumped to, ‘What are we going to do to help Ukraine? What are we going to do to save the Senate and keep the filibuster?’”

“Does that sound like a man who’s not prepared to actually finish out his term?” he asked.

“Thom Tillis is doing the exact same thing Democrats did with Biden,” Gray comments. “That’s amazing.”

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​Thom tillis, Mitch mcconnell, Pat gray, Joe biden, Blazetv show 

Michael Jordan is known as the best NBA player of all time, and now his jersey is the best of all time too.

A record-setting auction has enshrined the basketball jersey into the collectible market’s rafters, after a memorabilia enthusiast paid millions to get his hands on it.

‘One of the finest examples of any game-worn jersey I have ever seen.’

On Monday, Hunt Auctions announced a private treaty sale for a Michael Jordan game-worn Chicago Bulls jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals.

Marketed as the Game 2 jersey — where the Bulls beat the Utah Jazz 93-88 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah — Jordan’s red jerseys from Games 1, 2, and 6 of the finals have become some of the most highly coveted uniforms in basketball history.

As one of the “holy grails” of sports, the Game 2 jersey sold for a whopping price of $14 million. The item is a world record for any piece of basketball merch, Hunt Auctions said, and was the second-highest price paid for a game-used jersey from any sport.

According to Reuters, the Jordan jersey is second only to Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series uniform when he famously called his shot. That sold for a reported $24.12 million in 2024.

For basketball, Jordan is only outdoing himself. The latest auction beat out his own record set in September, which was for a white jersey worn in Game 3 of the same 1998 NBA Finals. That jersey sold for $12.26 million, CBS Chicago reported.

Before that, a September 2022 auction saw his Game 1 red jersey go for $10.091 million, which then surpassed soccer legend Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey from the 1986 World Cup that sold for $9.28 million.

RELATED: ‘It was wrong’: Michael Jordan reveals insanely competitive reason for suing NASCAR

– YouTube

Outside of Jordan, Kobe Bryant has the next most valuable NBA jersey at $7 million, which sold in 2025.

According to auctioneers, the record-setting Jordan jersey was originally purchased directly from the Chicago Bulls by a collector and comes with a 2003 letter from Chicago Bulls Director of Community Relations Jeff Schultz.

“It is my opinion that this jersey is one of the finest examples of any game-worn jersey I have ever seen in my 15+ years of managing the Chicago Bulls memorabilia,” Schultz wrote.

The jersey has what was described as a “succinct” chain of custody, having changed hands only once since it was purchased from the team. It was also autographed by Jordan himself through a signing authentication by Upper Deck.

RELATED: The audience you may need someday

JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images

Collector Ron Firman, originally from Rye, New York, thanked the auction house and called Jordan “an incredibly talented player who is admired around the world.”

Hunt Auctions’ David Hunt remarked that Jordan and Ruth items are by far the most coveted in the collector’s market for American sports.

“The record-setting price achieved for the related Michael Jordan jersey is yet another corroborative result as to the significance of Jordan within the industry and popular culture,” Hunt said.

Hunt added that Jordan memorabilia has been elevated to the status of the “elite asset class more typically reserved for iconic works of art.”

The 1998 NBA Finals are considered Jordan’s “Last Dance” and serve as the backdrop for his iconic Netflix series that shares the same name.

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​Nba, Michael jordan, Basketball, Babe ruth, Sports 

Yesterday, Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant at Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation into alleged immigration fraud, which Fox News reported was tied to childhood paperwork filed by her late father, Nur Omar Mohamed.

Glenn Beck calls the authorization of this raid very “significant” because a federal judge in D.C. — a place notorious for some of the most radically left-wing judges in the nation — found probable cause sufficient to authorize the raid three weeks before midterm elections.

“If I were … the attorney general and I had DHS agents come in and they said, ‘Sir, we need a warrant to go into Ilhan Omar’s home,’ I would look at those agents and say, ‘Are you out of your mind? Show me the evidence.’ And if it wasn’t a very, very high standard of evidence, especially right before an election … I don’t think I would approve it,” Glenn says. “I’d say, ‘Come see me in three weeks. … Come see me when you have more than this,’ only because this is a political firestorm, and that does matter.”

As of now, Glenn isn’t sure how this will play out.

“This could be really, really good, or this could be really, really, really bad. You don’t take her on unless you have it,” he says.

Glenn’s chief writer and researcher, Jason Buttrill, notes that on September 13, White House border czar Tom Homan appeared on Fox News and confirmed that there was an “ongoing criminal investigation” involving Rep. Ilhan Omar. He specifically referenced possible immigration violations and marriage fraud.

“So, just a few weeks ago, Tom Homan confirms that, and today there is a raid at least on her Washington, D.C., home, and we’re still not sure about her other home back in Minnesota,” he says.

But what Glenn wants to know is what Omar could possibly have in her home to warrant an authorized raid.

“It’s not a general search. You have to go and say, ‘We believe this evidence is in the house, and we believe it most likely is in a safe or in a bedroom,’ or whatever,” he says.

Even evidence she “married her brother,” he says, would not be enough to authorize a home raid.

“What are you going to find? Literally, what are you going to find? … Maybe a family album with your brother in it as a family member?” Glenn says.

“I don’t know. Apparently, a judge was convinced off of something that may or may not be there,” Jason says.

Glenn, stunned that a D.C. judge of all people authorized this raid, says he “[hopes] that it’s a fair judge but a judge on their side.”

“I’m hoping that they got a judge who’s not just a crazy Republican,” he sighs. “This is going to matter how it plays out in the press. … And you know how it’s going to play out in the press, so please, please, DHS, don’t have done anything and cut any corner.”

To hear more, watch the video above.

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​Glenn beck, Ilhan omar, Immigration fraud, Blazetv show 

The campaign for Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has released a bizarre statement after unearthed text messages seemingly contradict his claims denying ties between his family and the Muslim Brotherhood.

El-Sayed is vying to keep the U.S. Senate seat from Michigan under Democratic control, but he has had trouble with some traditional Democrat voters, including Jews, because of his extremism.

‘Abdul’s family is directly tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Maybe one day he will tell Michiganders the truth … But if not, you can just take his sister’s word for it.’

“Can you set the record straight about whether you or your family have any ties to the Muslim Brotherhood?” NBC News’ Kristen Welker asked El-Sayed on “Meet the Press” Sunday.

“No, but let’s talk about this,” came the reply.

Welker jumped in and asked for clarification: “No, you don’t have any ties? And your family doesn’t?”

El-Sayed responded, “No,” to both questions.

A Washington Free Beacon report published that same day documented posts from over a decade ago by El-Sayed‘s maternal half-sister indicating her family had supported and been involved with the Muslim Brotherhood since at least the early ’70s.

“Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect,” Eman Abdelhadi wrote in 2012.

“My family has long been MB, but I’ve always felt that it has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively,” she wrote in another post from the same year.

“Although I lean towards the Leftists; conversations with my #MB family in Egypt revealed respect for individual liberties & secular state,” she also wrote in 2012.

In response to the resurfaced posts from Abdelhadi, a spokesperson for El-Sayed issued a statement that did not deny the authenticity of the posts or address the substance of them, vaguely referring to them only as “lies” and Islamophobic “attacks” from Republican Mike Rogers.

“Abdul is a dad and a doctor. He has spent his entire career working to keep Michiganders healthy and safe,” reads the statement from El-Sayed campaign spokesperson Roxie Richner to Bill Melugin of Fox News.

“Independent fact checkers have repeatedly debunked Mike’s lies, but their campaign continues to use bad faith attacks on Abdul’s faith and family. Mike wants to distract from Trump’s agenda that is terrorizing Michigan families at the pump and at the grocery store.”

The campaign also indicated, according to Melugin, that it considers the Muslim Brotherhood allegations “racist” and “untrue.”

The Rogers campaign slammed El-Sayed over the resurfaced posts.

“Facts are facts. Abdul’s family is directly tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Maybe one day he will tell Michiganders the truth… But if not, you can just take his sister’s word for it,” reads a statement posted Tuesday on Rogers’ social media account.

Greg Manz, the senior communications adviser of the Michigan GOP, pounced on El-Sayed in a statement sent to Blaze News.

“Beyond being an America-hating terrorist sympathizer funded by the Muslim Brotherhood, Conman Abdul’s response to being exposed as having family members in an Egyptian-founded terrorist organization, coupled with the Muslim Brotherhood publicly celebrating his primary victory, suggests that Conman Abdul may, in fact, be a sociopath,” Manz wrote.

RELATED: Islamic Society of North America illegally supported Muslim candidate’s campaign, congressman says

El-Sayed previously implied that racism was animating the extremist allegations.

“I don’t dignify those kinds of claims because, at the end of the day, again, this is about trying to point to somebody whose name is different to make all kinds of hearsay accusations that are just not worth the dignity of a response,” he said to reporters after the debate with Rogers Thursday.

El-Sayed and Abdelhadi’s birth mother long worked for a group that was later labeled a specially designated global terrorist organization and that may also have helped fund al-Qaeda. She was never charged with any crime.

El-Sayed has a slight lead over Rogers in current polling, which can be tracked via Blaze News’ Poll Watch:

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​Abdul el-sayed, Mike rogers, Us senate, Michigan, Muslim brotherhood, Islam, Politics 

Certain types of bets shouldn’t be allowed, and the NFL says it knows which ones cause the most corruption.

The league is so sure, in fact, it wants the Supreme Court to weigh in on the regulatory issues surrounding prediction markets.

‘The NFL’s highest priority is preserving the integrity of its games.’

In September, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport asked the Supreme Court of the United States to review a court decision that puts prediction markets under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which makes them only subject to federal regulation.

The petition has since been joined by about 40 states.

The NFL wrote an amicus brief last week in support of New Jersey’s petition for SCOTUS to grant certiorari, meaning a judicial review, of platforms like Kalshi, which the league mentioned by name.

The football league argued that prediction markets allow bets that otherwise wouldn’t — and shouldn’t, in their view — be possible to make on sporting events, due to the impact they could have on the integrity of games.

“Federally designated contract markets (DCMs) like respondent Kalshi” are not “subject to the same rigorous regulatory constructs and oversight provided by state gaming authorities,” the NFL wrote.

The league claimed that on the first Sunday of the 2026 NFL season, more than half of all prediction market trading was related to the NFL, $1.8 billion out of $3.3 billion. Simply put, there is a lot of risk that comes out of such a high volume of wagers.

The league says integrity is at stake when bets on injuries, individuals’ plays, and referee calls are allowed, all of which they say can be easily known or individually manipulated.

In a media kit outlining the league’s approach to betting, the NFL explained the type of bets it believes should be barred.

Bets that are “inherently objectionable” are listed first, which are defined as being “derogatory or inflammatory” and related to player injuries, fan safety, or misconduct.

This would likely include infamous wagers placed on events, like sex toys being thrown on the court at WNBA games.

RELATED: What’s really behind the opposition to data centers

Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

Bets based on outcomes that are “100% determinable by one person in one play,” like a field goal attempt or pass completion, should also be banned, the NFL says, as should those involving predetermined outcomes “directly related to on-field competition,” such as a team’s first play being a run or pass.

These and “officiating-related” bets being allowed present an “undue to risk to game integrity,” the league says.

“The NFL’s highest priority is preserving the integrity of its games,” the league reiterated in its brief.

“State and sportsbook protections include bans on manipulable or objectionable bets, information-sharing agreements regarding official league data for accurate bet settlement, and bet monitoring to ensure that league insiders do not trade on material nonpublic information,” it added.

The NFL pushed further restrictions, such as increasing the age requirement of prediction markets from 18 to 21 years old.

Furthermore, the NFL said there simply aren’t enough regulators monitoring sporting events at the federal level, especially when compared to state regulators.

“Nevada and Pennsylvania, for instance, have close to 400 employees each. … The Commission, meanwhile, has only 543 employees covering the entire country and whose responsibilities include a broad range of derivatives beyond event contracts,” the NFL argued.

RELATED: Curious about prediction markets? Stu Burguiere shows you the ropes.

Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

A Kalshi spokesperson told the New York Post in a statement that its top priority is market integrity.

“That priority is reflected in the fact that every other major sports league and integrity partner in the United States is partnering with Kalshi – including the MLB, NHL, and others,” the spokesperson said.

“Contrary to the NFL’s statements, the CFTC is actively policing sports-related markets, which are now listed on nearly every U.S. commodities exchange,” Kalshi added.

Polymarket told the Post that it shares the NFL’s commitment to integrity, stating that as the reason behind its “advanced market surveillance tools” and collaboration with federal regulators.

The NFL has partnerships with three betting platforms for the 2026 season: DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics Betting and Gaming.

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​Gambling, Prediction markets, Kalshi, Nfl, Polymarket, Tech 

In the face of concerns over the importation of millions of migrants from Islamic terrorist hotbeds and the unlikelihood of their assimilation, then-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel stated in August 2015, “We can do it.”

Merkel’s optimism has not aged well.

‘Child marriages are incompatible with our values.’

The influx of migrants from the Middle East not only corresponded to a dramatic rise in Islamic terrorist attacks and helped drive a spike in crime, especially rape, but apparently left Europe with a child marriage problem.

In response to a parliamentary query from two members of the Alternative for Germany party, better known as the AFD, the interior ministry of the southwestern German state of Baden-Wurttemberg revealed in September that hundreds of child marriages have taken place in the region since Merkel made her infamous statement.

Martin Rothweiler, the leader of the AFD in the Baden-Wurttemberg state parliament, said Tuesday in a statement on X that was translated by the platform, “Our country and our values are being abolished before our very eyes.”

The Tübingen Regional Council has been recording child marriages in Baden-Wurttemberg — home to roughly 13.46% of the total German population — since 2012. Between 2017 and 2026, the regional council recorded 358 child marriages with victims as young as 11, according to the interior ministry’s report.

RELATED: Diversity is our strength? Britain has to remind migrants: Don’t rape kids

RALF HIRSCHBERGER/AFP via Getty Images

Under German law, minors 14 years and younger are considered children, and those 15 to 18 are considered adolescents. This is in keeping with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which holds that “a child means every human being below the age of eighteen years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.”

The men marrying these minors were predominantly from Syria, Turkey, Bulgaria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Only eight of the recorded child marriages since 2012 — including a marriage between a 16-year-old German girl and a 25-year-old Pakistani man and a marriage between a 14-year-old Afghan girl and a 30-year-old Afghan man — were broken up with a legally binding annulment, according to the report.

The government noted that there are no legal proceedings under way to annul any of the other marriages.

The state report also noted that of the 271 cases recorded last year by the state-funded counseling center YASEMIN, 80 cases involved individuals at risk of forced marriage. In these forced-marriage cases, 33 individuals were minors — four of whom were under the age of 12, five of whom were 12, and two of whom were 13.

Emely Knorr, one of the AFD politicians who requested the data, said last week in a statement on Instagram for which Euronews has published a translation, “Child marriages are incompatible with our values. Children have a right to safety, education, and a self-determined future. That is why we need effective protection, early intervention, and resolute action against forced marriages.”

Nikolaos Boutakoglou, the other AFD politician behind the query, said earlier this month in a statement on X translated by the platform, “Almost every single child marriage in Baden-Württemberg since 2017 can be traced back to mass migration!”

“Nearly 40% of child marriages were contracted between Syrians, while child marriages between two Germans account for only 0.3%!” Boutakoglou added.

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​Child marriage, Muslim, Germany, Europe, Migration, Angela merkel, Politics 

The Pentagon has just announced that it will livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan, who killed 12 U.S. service members and one civilian in 2009.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the firing squad will carry out the sentence at Fort Hood, where Hasan’s attack took place.

“Execution by firing squad,” Hegseth said in a brief interview. “Army major betrays his country. Radical Islamist kills a bunch of Americans at Fort Hood. Of course we’re going to do it at Fort Hood. We’re going to do it on a Thursday. We’re going to do it at 1 o’clock, which is when he did it.”

“It’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad. It hasn’t been since World War II since we’ve done that. Well, I kind of like the mentality we had in World War II, which was win. Which was understand when the enemy attacks you, you need to stand your ground,” he continued.

“So, it was a radical Islamist terror attack. Remember what Obama called it? Workplace violence? I mean, that’s what we’re up against,” he added.

Unlike those who are critical of the decision to livestream the execution, BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is on board.

“I know there are some people, even on the right, who are like, ‘Well, livestreaming it just really glorifies violence, and I just don’t know how I feel about that,’” Gonzales says.

Ross Patterson of the “Drinkin’ Bros” podcast agrees, telling Gonzales that he’s admittedly “amped” for the execution.

“I say line up a full pay-per-view card,” he says, noting that back in the day, executions were public for a reason.

“I mean, it couldn’t happen to a more deserving person, obviously, but I do agree with you that they made them public for a reason,” Gonzales responds.

“So, I totally agree with you, and I’m sure you will not be shocked to hear that the mainstream media is now trying to spin this story to portray the Fort Hood shooter as somehow the victim,” she continues.

Gonzales cites an article from Reuters that reads, “Extrajudicial lynchings in the United States, often by white mobs targeting Black Americans, were public spectacles well into the 20th century.”

“As if that has anything to f**king do with this conversation about a radical Islamist who went in and targeted military service members,” Gonzales says.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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​Execution, Fort hood, Pentagon, Pete hegseth, Nidal hassan, Sara gonzales, Blazetv show, Livestream 

A 74-year-old retired U.S. Postal Service worker blasted a gang of teens who brutally beat him up outside a Baltimore 7-Eleven over the summer — a viral incident that was captured on surveillance video.

Baltimore Police posted video in July showing six “younger males” engaging in the attack while wielding a rifle and a sword, police said.

‘All they’re doing is hurting people or killing people.’

Police said the “attempted armed robbery” occurred in the 2500 block of Liberty Heights Avenue around 3:46 a.m. July 7.

Ade Tokumbo spoke with WBFF-TV last week about the attack he endured, which occurred not far from his home.

“I didn’t say a thing to them, and they started attacking me, and I defended myself,” Tokumbo told the station.

“When they did that to me, all right, I did not think of them as kids or children. I think of them for what they are: goddamn demonic hood rats,” he also told WBFF.

The station said Tokumbo walked up to the store’s door, not realizing it was closed, and he noted that one suspect approached him with a semiautomatic weapon, after which several others joined in. A 7-Eleven employee told WJZ-TV the store was closed at the time of the attack.

Tokumbo told WBFF the group demanded money and his car, but he refused and fought back “to defend myself.”

Surveillance video shows the group surrounding the victim and taking turns shoving him and throwing objects at him while he does his best to fight them off and shield himself.

But one cowardly culprit sneaks behind the man and shoves him to the parking lot surface, after which the others take turns stomping him. One of the attackers appears to bash the victim over the head with the rifle.

In another portion of the video, the elderly man goes after a suspect appearing to hold the rifle, but a second suspect throws an object at the victim from behind, then scampers away.

Soon a suspect appearing to hold a sword approaches the victim and waves it at him before he and another attacker throw objects at the elderly man at the same time.

“Look, I paid for that [car], all right? I’m not going to let a criminal do what they want to do,” Tokumbo added to the station. “I have absolutely no respect for criminals, all right? I have no respect for them at all.”

RELATED: Violent punks caught on video ganging up on, brutally beating elderly man by Baltimore 7-Eleven — while wielding rifle, sword

In one of the more gut-wrenching portions of the video, the victim is holding what appears to be a pair of milk crates to defend himself when one of the attackers shoves him to the parking lot surface, after which he’s stomped and punched.

Seconds later, after the victim rises to his feet, the same attacker who just shoved him from behind repeats his cowardly act, knocking the elderly man to the ground from behind again — and then skips away in what appears to be a kind of celebration.

The victim tries to get up, but the same attacker who knocked him down twice jumps in the air and kicks him. The video doesn’t show how the incident was resolved.

Tokumbo told WBFF that he suffered serious injuries, including fractured ribs.

And three months later, still no arrests have been made in what police characterized as an attempted armed robbery, the station said.

In his interview with WBFF, Tokumbo expressed frustration with how the suspects were being described: “See, you keep on saying ‘juveniles’ and ‘young people.’ I told you, all right, I don’t think of them that way because they don’t act that way. All right? … They’re doing absolutely nothing, all right, to assist us, all right, to help other people. All they’re doing is hurting people or killing people.”

The station said those with information are asked to call Baltimore Police at 410-366-6311; callers wishing to remain anonymous can use the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).

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​Baltimore, Elderly man attacked, Teens, Police, 7 eleven, Brutal beating, Crime, Attempted armed robbery