Category: blaze media

The House is set to vote on the first rescissions package on Thursday, which would codify $9.4 billion worth of spending cuts.

Although certain provisions have become controversial to Democrats and some moderate Republicans, conservatives in the House have championed the Department of Government Efficiency cuts. This specific package would cut $1.1 billion in foreign aid, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, and it would kneecap biased media platforms like PBS and NPR that have been publicly funded through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

While $9.4 billion is just a drop in the bucket, conservative lawmakers told Blaze News this is just the first step toward “restoring sanity to Washington’s reckless spending culture.”

Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, told Blaze News that he was confident the DOGE cuts will pass and indicated that he would send more to Capitol Hill if it proved to be an effective tool to rein in spending.

‘This rescissions package is just the tip of the iceberg.’

RELATED: Democrats vote overwhelmingly to allow illegal aliens to continue voting in key district

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

“H.R. 4 is a strong first step toward restoring sanity to Washington’s reckless spending culture,” Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina told Blaze News. “It eliminates $9.4 billion in bloated foreign aid programs and taxpayer-funded liberal media like NPR and PBS. These are the kinds of cuts the American people expect from a Republican majority that promised fiscal responsibility.”

“The House Freedom Caucus fully supports this package and the broader effort to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in Washington,” Norman added. “And this is just the start.”

The House first passed a rule Wednesday night in a 213-207 vote that allows it to proceed with the vote on the rescissions package Thursday. The rule also implemented changes to the “big, beautiful bill,” which prompted a “no” vote from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

Despite this, Massie maintained that his opposition was to the changes to reconciliation and that he plans to vote in favor of the DOGE cuts.

RELATED: White House works to send DOGE cuts package to Congress

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Massie has bucked his party on multiple key votes this Congress, but even he joined the House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives in backing the DOGE cuts.

“We have always known there is waste in government, and this rescissions package is just the tip of the iceberg,” Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana told Blaze News. “I stand with HFC in urging Speaker Johnson to get the cuts to the House floor, then to the president’s desk as quickly as possible. Americans do not want their tax dollars spent on woke programs overseas or at home and it is about time they got their money back!”

“The duty of Congress is to represent The People, and today the House Freedom Caucus will do exactly that — by voting in support of the rescissions package,” Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania told Blaze News. “This will codify the massively popular cuts in waste, fraud, and abuse rampant across the federal government, enacts my No Propaganda bill to defund NPR and PBS, and finally topples USAID — the golden goose of the globalist left. Let’s get this across the finish line once and for all.”

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​Doge cuts, House freedom caucus, Russ vought, Office of management and budget, Doge, Spending cuts, National debt, Thomas massie, Npr, Pbs, Usaid, Cpb, Marlin stutzman, Scott perry, Ralph norman, Congress, Capitol hill, White house, Donald trump, Trump administration, Conservatives, House republicans, Politics 

Protesters blocked roadways in New York City this week in an apparent attempt to disrupt daily life for citizens and bring awareness to their anti-immigration enforcement messaging.

Activists blocked traffic in response to ongoing raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in major cities, where agents have continually apprehended illegal aliens. Signs at the protest included, “No one is illegal except Trump,” and “F**k ICE,” for example.

According to the New York Post, at least 80 demonstrators were arrested on Tuesday night as protests spiraled out of control and activists refused to disperse.

‘These people are having their children taken away.’

A male and female protester were captured in one video on Tuesday morning, standing in front of four lanes of backed-up cars using a bicycle to shield themselves. A second woman is seen trying to reason with the activists, asking them to move so she can get to work in order to care for her child.

“I have a kid!” the woman pleaded.

The short-haired female protester then replied, “I know, and these people are having their children taken away.”

The mother did not see that as a valid reason to block citizens and asked, “What about my kid?”

“I can’t help you,” the female protester declared.

RELATED: It’s not a riot, it’s an invasion

Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images

The pair of protesters represented an ongoing issue with activists believing their cause is worthy of disruptions in city centers; in particular, the New York protesters argued that their protest was a valid and peaceful demonstration. The mother retorted that it is not peaceful to block traffic.

In an attempt to play their own politics against them, Turning Point USA reporter Savanah Hernandez — who filmed the video — asked the protesters:

“How do y’all as white people feel about stopping a black woman from going to work?”

“Oh no, not work,” the male protester said sarcastically. “I care so much,” he joked, mocking the mother to her face.

A masked woman soon appeared to confront the mother, who continued to complain about the protesters blocking the road.

RELATED: Are Californians finally fed up enough to do the impossible?

A line of NYPD officers pushes back a group of demonstrators trying to block an ICE transport van during a protest outside 26 Federal Plaza in New York USA on June 7, 2025. Photo by MADISON SWART/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

The masked woman was later identified by Hernandez and reporter Andy Ngo as a “morbidly obese reporter” named Talia Jane Ben-Ora.

Ben-Ora posted her own video that evening, labeling Hernandez a “far-right provocateur” who was “following the march and riling people up” as the demonstration moved through Manhattan.

The masked reporter then claimed Hernandez’s reporting was “propaganda” as traffic was allegedly stopped for only five minutes.

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According to some, Christianity is in vogue.

A recent New York Times article, for example, called attention to the fact that “necklaces with cross pendants are appearing with renewed prevalence” on “red carpets, on social media, at protests by high-ranking Democrats and in the White House.”

To make fun of the practice is nothing short of sacrilege.

But even celebrities donning cross necklaces are not enough to convince mainstream television producers that the world’s largest religious group deserves the same basic respect as any other religion or worldview.

Episode six of the popular Apple TV+ show “Your Friends & Neighbors” shamelessly depicts characters desecrating the Eucharist — what Catholics believe is the very body of Christ – inside a Catholic church. The depiction reeks of intolerance and insult toward Catholicism, and it has no place being produced and promoted by Apple, a company that claims diversity and inclusion as core values.

The least Apple should do is issue a formal apology to viewers. Even better, the company should retract the episode in keeping with its tolerance policies.

Catholic or not, viewers can tell that the scene in question bears little relevance to the show’s plot, making it nothing more than a mean-spirited and targeted attempt to mock Catholicism. In the scene, two main characters break into a Catholic church, steal consecrated hosts from the tabernacle, eat them as snacks, and profane the Eucharist before engaging in sexual activity in the pews.

Despite how Apple inappropriately portrays it, the Eucharist is far from a mere piece of bread or meaningless cup of wine.

Catholics believe that it is the body, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ himself. The practice of receiving communion was instituted by Christ at the Last Supper, and since then, receiving his body at Mass is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”

To make fun of the practice is nothing short of sacrilege.

RELATED: New York Times discovers cross necklaces — then things get predictably absurd

sedmak/iStock/Getty Images Plus

What’s more, Apple’s affront comes at a time when Catholics are in a celebratory and hopeful frame of mind following the recent election of our new pope, Leo XIV.

It is also deeply disturbing that Apple would go so far as to break its own commitment to “a North Star of dignity, respect, and opportunity for everyone,” as its mission statement reads. The company claims its values “create a culture of collaboration where different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives come together to make something magical and meaningful. … We’re not all the same. And that remains one of our greatest strengths.”

But promoting content that degrades the Catholic faith directly violates this principle. It also directly contradicts Apple CEO Tim Cook’s self-proclaimed “reverence for religious freedom.” Cook explained in a 2015 opinion editorial that “Apple is open. Open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love.”

Unfortunately, Apple’s blasphemy is part of a nationwide targeting of Catholicism that has permeated our culture, even while influencers adorn themselves in Christian jewelry.

Since 2020, more than 500 Catholic churches have suffered physical attacks and vandalism including acts of arson, spray-painting and graffiti of satanic messages, rocks and bricks thrown through windows, and statues destroyed. Likewise, in 2024, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a video of herself placing a Dorito chip on Canadian journalist Liz Plank’s tongue as if to mimic a Catholic priest administering communion. After pushback from offended Catholics, Whitmer issued an apology.

RELATED: The dark logic behind Gretchen Whitmer’s black Dorito ‘Eucharist’ mockery

Now, faithful Catholics are calling on Apple to remove its blasphemous episode of “Your Friends & Neighbors” from its platform and return to its guiding principle of diversity and tolerance for all perspectives, including the practices of Catholicism.

We hope that Catholics will no longer have to endure such discriminatory and hateful content when they watch shows meant to entertain and enlighten viewers of all backgrounds.

​Christianity, Apple, Hollywood, Catholic, Eucharist, Your friends and neighbors, Apple tv, Tim cook, God, Jesus christ, Faith 

The GOP doesn’t resemble a big tent any more — it looks more like a boundless landfill. No shared vision or coherent guiding principles bind the party’s disparate factions beyond not having a “D” next to their names. That’s why it’s impossible to pass a reasonable budget bill that cuts spending without including massive subsidies for high-tax blue states.

The rift between the Freedom Caucus, the K Street crowd, RINOs, and the Trump White House remains unbridgeable. So what’s the realistic path forward on budget reconciliation?

With real leadership, Trump could sign the most consequential part of his 2024 mandate into law — before the smoke clears in LA.

Focus on the one issue that unites the base: immigration enforcement.

Riots in Los Angeles this week have made the case for an immigration-only reconciliation bill even stronger. The public sees the connection. The urgency is obvious. And President Trump, understandably frustrated by the calendar — it’s June and he hasn’t signed a single major legislative win — wants action now.

But cramming unrelated tax and health care provisions into one big, bloated bill guarantees disaster. Good members will face a bad vote. So why not act decisively?

Split the immigration provisions from the rest. Make them tougher. Pass the bill right away, while the chaos in L.A. is still at the front of everyone’s mind. Save the fiscal brawls for later.

The math of an immigration-focused bill

The current draft of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill, includes about $185 billion in new funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and new and improved border infrastructure. It also tacks on another $150 billion in defense spending — a top White House priority.

Even strong provisions need offsets. But in a party this fractured, cutting spending isn’t just difficult — it’s practically taboo.

Still, by limiting the bill to the Department of Homeland Security and Pentagon spending and scrapping the tax components, Republicans would only need to offset $335 billion over 10 years.

RELATED: How much Green New Scam spending will survive the One Big Beautiful Bill?

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

That’s well within the realm of possibility. They could hit that number using the consensus cuts and immigration reforms already in the bill. No gimmicks. No sleight of hand. Just political will and a sense of timing.

The current bill would generate about $77 billion in new revenue from immigration-related fees and taxes on remittances. It saves hundreds of billions more over the next decade by cutting off illegal aliens from Medicaid, Obamacare, and food stamps.

Republicans should go farther and ban illegal aliens from claiming the child tax credit — a move that could save another $50 billion.

Instead of loading the first reconciliation bill with a jumble of unrelated and divisive provisions, Republicans should focus on consensus items: national security, enforcement of sovereignty, and policies that put Americans first.

If the Republicans were more ambitious, they would use this bill to repeal the Green New Deal. Funding illegal immigration and the Green New Deal were the Biden administration’s two most transformative and unpopular policies. Target both. Pass the bill right away. Deliver a win that matches the mandate voters gave Trump — and give the president a badly needed legislative victory.

Enforcement money isn’t enough

Throwing $180 billion more at enforcement won’t solve the immigration crisis. Spend a trillion on deportations, and it still won’t matter if courts continue to block action.

Even in Trump’s rare Supreme Court wins on immigration, the justices insisted every illegal alien must receive due process — despite deportation being a civil process, not a punishment.

No president can litigate his way out of an invasion. Even with favorable rulings, Trump won’t deport enough illegal immigrants before the next Democrat takes office. That’s the hard truth.

Now is the moment to fix it.

Americans are watching a violent, coordinated invasion unfold in real time. The bill should formally declare an invasion — and include an amendment by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) to strip judicial review from deportation cases involving noncitizens and, ideally, legal permanent residents.

Under that reform, the administration’s removal decisions would stand. No federal judge could second-guess them. No more delays, appeals, or lawfare.

Roy’s amendment would transform the first reconciliation bill into a singular focus on Trump’s most unifying, necessary, and popular campaign promise. It would hand him a quick, clean victory while the nation remains fixated on the border invasion.

RELATED: Americans didn’t elect Trump to bust SALT caps or overhaul Medicaid

Photo by Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

So why not just split the agenda into two bills and get on with it?

Here come the usual GOP excuses. Let’s knock them down one by one.

Excuse 1: “We only get one bite at the apple.”

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller claims Republicans must use reconciliation just once to avoid the Senate filibuster.

But Democrats already broke that precedent in 2021, pushing through two separate reconciliation bills with a green light from the Senate parliamentarian, who noted that reconciliation should be reserved for “extraordinary circumstances.”

But ultimately, this isn’t the parliamentarian’s call. The decision rests with President Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). If Biden’s team could do it, so can we.

Excuse 2: “Without this bill, Americans face massive tax hikes.”

This line is pure fearmongering. The 2024 election wasn’t about taxes. MAGA never revolved around tax cuts for their own sake — that was the old GOP. Yet somehow, this bill morphed into another tax-centered mess.

The truth? Most tax provisions in the current draft — from an expanded child tax credit and higher standard deduction to new breaks for seniors, overtime, and tips — enjoy broad bipartisan support.

No Democrat wants to get blamed for letting these expire. Even in a lame-duck session, they wouldn’t allow a public tax hike. The only serious dispute involves the top marginal rate. Trump has already signaled he’s open to a modest increase if it means getting the rest of the agenda passed.

And let’s be honest: The current bill isn’t exactly Reaganesque. It’s loaded with progressive goodies, including an obscene expansion of the SALT deduction.

Even the pro-tax-cut Tax Foundation calls the bill’s economic impact weak and overly complicated. This isn’t a bold, pro-growth package — it’s a muddled compromise.

The irony is that ending taxes on tips — perhaps Trump’s most prized tax provision — already passed the Senate 100-0. Why not pass that and similar provisions in the House and place it on Trump’s desk without wasting budget reconciliation?

Excuse 3: “We can’t include policy provisions in a budget bill.”

Critics claim the Byrd Rule blocks the inclusion of policy reforms — like immigration or judicial changes — in a reconciliation bill. That excuse doesn’t hold up.

The original House-passed bill included a provision that barred states from regulating artificial intelligence. That isn’t budget-related. That is pure policy.

By comparison, a provision removing judicial review from deportation cases would directly cut costs by eliminating thousands of court hearings. That’s a legitimate budgetary angle — and far more defensible than regulating AI through backdoor channels.

The Byrd Rule exists, yes. But the party in power determines what gets through. The president and Senate leadership can overrule the parliamentarian. Democrats did it. So can we.

Fast-forward to this week: The streets of Los Angeles are on fire again. And instead of seizing the moment to deliver on the most urgent national priority, Miller is using anti-ICE violence to ram through a bloated mega-bill — all because it includes ICE funding.

But if solving immigration were the real goal, Republicans would just split the bill already. They’d put the judicial reform language in the first package. And they’d pass it immediately.

With real leadership, Trump could sign the most consequential part of his 2024 mandate into law — before the smoke clears in L.A.

​Opinion & analysis, One big beautiful bill, Donald trump, Big beautiful bill, Budget reconciliation, H.r. 1, Immigration and customs enforcement, Customs and border protection, Border crisis, Border wall, Illegal aliens, Mass deportations, Judicial review, Due process, Supreme court, Federal judges, Homeland security, Department of defense, National defense, Taxes, Spending, Green new deal, Joe biden, John thune, Republicans, Medicaid, Food stamps, Invasion, Salt deduction cap, Stephen miller, Artificial intelligence, Lawfare 

Gun control advocate David Hogg was elected the Democratic Party’s youngest vice chairman on Feb. 1.

This proved controversial among some of his fellow travelers, including an electoral loser who complained that the Democratic National Committee had violated its own DEI bylaws by not electing enough people with preferred immutable characteristics.

Despite the party previously stating that the election was “conducted fairly, transparently, and in alignment with the rules,” party elites subsequently declared Hogg’s election null and void, then removed him on Wednesday through a virtual vote of 294 to 99. Hogg was therefore put in the undesirable position of competing for a seat he won 130 days earlier but had stolen from him.

‘We will continue to lose.’

Rather than suffer more humiliation at the hands of his party, the gangling Democrat threw in the towel on Wednesday, announcing he was not running for the new DNC vice chair election.

Prior to explaining his surrender, Hogg revisited critiques of the party that previously got him in hot water with the old guard and dubbed a “twerp” by Democratic strategist James Carville.

Hogg stated in a thread on X, “I started Leaders We Deserve for a simple purpose: to be the Emily’s List for progressive young Democrats.”

RELATED: David Hogg targets Pelosi, unwittingly deals Democrats more damage ahead of likely DNC ouster

David Hogg. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Leaders We Deserve is an outfit that tries to help young leftists get elected to Congress and state legislatures in order to “defeat the far-right agenda and advance a progressive vision for the future.”

“After seeing a serious lack of vision from Democratic leaders, too many of them asleep at the wheel, and Democrats dying in office that have helped to hand Republicans an expanded majority, it became clear that Leaders We Deserve had to start primarying incumbents and directly challenging the culture of seniority politics that brought our party to this place to help get our party into fighting shape again,” Hogg wrote.

Hogg, warned not to challenge Democratic incumbents earlier this year by DNC Chairman Ken Martin, noted further, “We have a real challenge ahead of us. We lost voting share with almost every demographic across the board, and despite all that Trump has done, our approvals remain at 27%. If we don’t show our country how we are dramatically changing and provide an alternative vision for the future as a party, we will continue to lose.”

After that throat-clearing, the 25-year-old Democrat noted that while he sought to play a positive role in the position of DNC vice chair, it has become clear to him that “there is fundamental disagreement about the role.”

‘I respect his decision to step back from his post as vice chair.’

Hogg claimed that he ultimately decided not to run “so the party can focus on what really matters.”

Had he stuck it out, Hogg would likely have faced significant criticism over his recent disclosures to an undercover Project Veritas reporter.

RELATED: David Hogg spills the beans to undercover reporter about who really controlled the Biden White House

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Project Veritas released undercover footage last month that appeared to show Hogg both hammering California Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) over her alleged insider trading and identifying Jill Biden’s former chief of staff, Anthony Bernal, as an individual in the Biden White House who wielded “an enormous amount of power” — a troubling admission amid investigations into the potential misuse of the presidential autopen in the finals days of the Biden administration.

Despite reportedly giving Hogg a tongue-lashing over the weekend, DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement obtained by Semafor, “I commend David for his years of activism, organizing, and fighting for his generation.”

“While I continue to believe he is a powerful voice for this party, I respect his decision to step back from his post as vice chair,” continued Martin. “I have no doubt that he will remain an important advocate for Democrats across the map. I appreciate his service as an officer, his hard work, and his dedication to the party.”

The DNC is holding new elections for the roles beginning on Thursday.

Kalyn Free, the American Indian who originally challenged the DNC’s February election, tried and failed to secure the role of vice chair earlier this year. Now with Hogg out, she is reportedly trying again.

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​David hogg, Hogg, Dnc, Democratic national committee, Leftism, Democrat, Democratic, Nancy pelosi, Fail, Embarrassment, Spaghetti arms, Loser, Kalyn free, Politics 

Pride Month is here yet again, and the NFL is under fire for an old 2021 advertisement campaign that proudly declares, “Football is gay.”

In the ad, white letters on a black background spell out, “Football is gay,” before the word “gay” is replaced with words including “lesbian,” “beautiful,” “queer,” “transgender,” “power,” and “life.”

At the end of the video, the screen reads, “Football is for everyone.”

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant took issue with the ad, which was circulating on X to kick off this year’s Pride Month.

“Football is gay. Football is queer. Football is transgender … these are wild statements to make … excuse my silliness,” Bryant wrote, clearly unimpressed with the NFL’s decision to bring sexuality into his beloved sport.

“I’m going to proudly tell my boys football is none of these things. I have nothing against gays but this is far from right,” he continued. “It’s gay players in the NFL … but forcing it in people’s faces … especially children … can send the wrong message. … Football is a real community, like the gay community. Imagine telling gays they have to advocate for straight people … they probably would have a problem.”

“That’s kind of bold,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray says on “Pat Gray Unleashed,” though he wholeheartedly agrees with Bryant.

“Welcome to the gay, queer, trans, inclusive NFL,” he continues, mocking the ad.

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.

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Los Angeles looked like a war zone this week. Rioters — roughly 1,000 strong — torched vehicles and hurled rocks, concrete, and fireworks at law enforcement officers. They slashed tires and set fires in the streets. In the middle of it all, an American flag burned on the pavement as a mob urinated on it and screamed, “F**k Trump!”

This wasn’t spontaneous outrage. It was an organized assault on law, order, and national sovereignty — an eruption years in the making. And it happened in a city governed by officials who have spent decades dismantling the very structures meant to defend their constituents.

The United States owes rights and protections to its citizens — not to those who break its laws and exploit its generosity.

This riot didn’t begin last week. It began when Joe Biden threw open the nation’s borders and undermined the rule of law.

As rioters burn the American flag in downtown Los Angeles, state and local officials burn the constitutions that once protected their citizens.

The Constitution’s preamble lays out the government’s core mission: to establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, and secure liberty for ourselves and our posterity. Article II, Section 3 provides that the president will ensure the laws “be faithfully executed.”

Contrary to what we’ve seen in Los Angeles, the duty of our elected officials is to defend the rule of law — not to support those who challenge it. That responsibility ultimately rests with the president: to protect the safety and security of the United States and its citizens.

Biden lit the fuse

Biden abandoned that responsibility. During his four years in office, he permitted more than 12 million illegal crossings, including at least 500,000 individuals with criminal records in their home countries.

He didn’t just neglect the law — he defied it. And the consequences have been deadly. More than 300,000 Americans died from fentanyl poisoning during the Biden years. Illegal alien gangs now operate trafficking networks in every major U.S. city. Innocent Americans have been raped, murdered, and assaulted because the federal government refused to act.

That’s not failed policy — it’s failed leadership. And the Constitution offers no cover for it.

Trump restores constitutional order

The voters responded in November. Donald J. Trump returned to the White House in January with a clear mandate: re-establish sovereignty, restore order, and protect the American people. That mandate extends to the men and women he’s appointed to carry it out — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and ICE Director Todd Lyons.

Their job is not theoretical. It’s real, it’s active, and it’s happening now. While California officials obstruct federal agents and give shelter to violent mobs, Trump’s team is working to reassert lawful authority — starting with immigration enforcement.

RELATED: Why is Gavin Newsom going full Jefferson Davis?

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

You might think California’s leaders would welcome help as their cities descend into chaos. Instead, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) demand that ICE back off and the National Guard go home. Rather than cooperate with federal law enforcement, they’ve chosen to protect the very forces tearing their communities apart.

They might want to reread their founding documents.

Article I, Section 1 of the California Constitution states:

All people are by nature free and independent and have inalienable rights. Among these are enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy.

Moreover, the Los Angeles City Charter grants broad authority to protect life, liberty, and property. Yet, Bass and Newsom are using that power to shield foreign criminals from lawful arrest.

Sanctuary for criminals

Among those ICE sought to detain last week:

Armando Ordaz, convicted of sexual battery and affiliated with a known gang.Victor Aguilar, previously deported and convicted of assault with a deadly weapon.Jesus Morales, a wanted felon convicted of alien smuggling conspiracy.Jose Ortiz, convicted of trafficking large quantities of cocaine.Cuong Chanh Phan, convicted of second-degree murder.

Don’t mistake those men for “asylum seekers.” They are predators. And California’s sanctuary policies shield them.

The Declaration of Independence reminds us that legitimate government exists “to secure these rights” — not for foreigners in defiance of the law but for citizens who consent to be governed under it. That is the basis of our system. That is what’s at stake.

This government belongs to Americans

The United States owes rights and protections to its citizens — not to those who break its laws and exploit its generosity. Yet, Democrat-run cities across the country have flipped that principle on its head.

New York. Chicago. Portland. Seattle. Los Angeles. City after city refuse to enforce basic law and order and make a mockery of their charters.

This must end.

Every foreign national who entered this country illegally must come under the jurisdiction of the federal and state constitutions — and face removal. Let them return home and wave their own flags instead of burning ours in the streets.

Donald Trump and his administration understand what’s at stake. The Constitution demands action. America is blessed to have a president willing to deliver it.

​Opinion & analysis, Illegal immigration, Ice, Mass deportations, Immigration and customs enforcement, Los angeles, Gavin newsom, Karen bass, Donald trump, Constitution, Oath of office, States rights, Declaration of independence, Law and order, Riots, Anarchy, Natural rights, Law enforcement, Police, National guard, California, Joe biden, American flag, Mexico, Mexican flag, Kristi noem, Pam bondi, Todd lyons, Mob rule 

California is burning again.

In fact, we are still digging out from under the ashes of the last catastrophe. That one was a lethal combination of weather, climate, and incompetent leadership. This current iteration of the ongoing California disaster can be laid squarely at the feet of incompetent leadership.

I don’t care what you see on MSNBC. Californians of every stripe are fed up. We have no compassion left. We have no money left.

The ongoing Los Angeles riots were fully preventable, despite our esteemed politicians like Mayor Karen Bass (D) and Governor Newsom (D) trying to spin the narrative that ICE’s presence launched the destruction.

Highjacked protest

The very basics of municipal security would be enough to maintain law and order in a functioning city. In Los Angeles, the “basics” of decent living have long been washed away into the oceans, along with the rest of the rainwater our government refuses to collect.

Perhaps, in the beginning of these events, there were some legitimate California citizens simply protesting ICE. We are surely all deeply familiar by now with the ignorance of the unwashed masses on the left. Their only media sources are TikTok and late-night talk show clips.

Yes, we like to make fun of them, but they’re still people, and most of them are not terrorists. And those people were on the ground as their lawful (if obnoxious) protest was overtaken by the professional rioters and the Antifa terrorist cells.

Those people watched in real time as their own neighborhoods and businesses were looted, burned, and destroyed. Those people watched as commuters with children in their cars tried desperately to get home on the freeways that had been commandeered by violent rioters, who were throwing concrete and fireworks at police and anyone unfortunate enough to be in the way.

Those people watched every last inch of downtown Los Angeles be covered in graffiti and filthy slogans. Those people watched their own streets and parks being literally torn apart to be used as weapons against law and order.

Mostly feckless

We all saw the complete fecklessness of Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom as they told media these “protests” were “mostly peaceful,” even as the split screen showed the destruction happening at that very second in real time.

RELATED: Ashes of Imagination

Matt Himes

Back in January, as the smoke was still billowing into our atmosphere from the unprecedented blazes, I wrote an article I felt described the mood that had descended upon Californians during those days.

We were no longer able to avoid the truth. Even the wealthiest among us, the typical Democrat donor class, were victimized.

We all watched the dry fire hydrants and the worthless mayor as she stared blankly at reporters at the bottom of that jetway upon her return from Africa as the city burned. We all saw the looting and the arsonists and the lack of manpower. We saw the chaos at City Hall, and we watched the president have to come in and dress everyone down.

The left doesn’t own the information or the media any more.

Burning off the fog

As I wrote then, those fires burned away the last of our fog.

EVERYONE HERE HAS ABSOLUTELY HAD IT.

Angelenos and Californians in general have no confidence in their leaders. Our laws haven’t protected us. Our politicians won’t let our police protect us. The gun-control nuts won’t even let us protect ourselves. Even still, crime and chaos has invaded every community in the state. There has been no rescue coming from Sacramento, only punishment for the good people here.

People are watching their homes burn. Their communities are still under threat. Some have lost everything because of an insurance boondoggle that has been totally manufactured by the state. Simultaneously they are seeing [their] Mayor partying in Africa on the taxpayer dime; the President interrupting airspace for photo-ops; the governor scolding residents as their property burns.

It all just feels like a kick in the teeth and we are sick of it.

I can’t stress enough how pervasive this feeling is right now. Remember how it felt like the entire culture shifted overnight after Trump’s election? That’s how this feels.

It’s like that.

This very well may be an event that changes how Californians relate to their political class for the foreseeable future. You can feel it in the air.

As I watched the reaction of regular citizens and even the growing fatigue of our local left-wing media’s “mostly peaceful” narrative, my January feelings were confirmed.

Fed up

Everyone here has absolutely had it. The Democrats have managed to do the impossible: They have driven away their own cult members. This chaos has come to the doorstep of nearly every Californian now. There is nowhere left to turn for safety or ignorance.

I don’t care what you see on MSNBC. Californians of every stripe are fed up. We have no compassion left. We have no money left. Most of us are barely hanging on to even our housing.

RELATED: Why is Gavin Newsom going full Jefferson Davis?

Blaze Media Illustration, Stock Montage / Contributor | Getty Images

We are not interested in this mass immigration experiment any more, and we are certainly not interested in the fake sob stories of those on the growing deportation lists. No one had any energy for our very real sob stories during the 2020 riots, the COVID lockdowns, the wildfires, or even these riots.

California is a mess.

Our ‘impossible’ task

It is important to remember that we are still living in the leftover timeline of pre-November America. California has another year to go before we can get to the ballot box to change some important state offices, including the governor’s office.

The skepticism of those outside our borders is deserved. We haven’t been a great electorate.

But those of us inside the borders can see the mood changing in real time. We see the situation on the ground changing. Some big things will have to happen for real change to occur next year. It needs to be too big to rig, and we’ll need to build a coalition of willing Californians from across the political spectrum to defeat the establishment.

And before you tell me that’s impossible, let me echo the words of our honorable president on Inauguration Day, a day he met because we pulled off the impossible in November: In America, the impossible is what we do best.

Editor’s note: A version of this article appeared originally on Substack.

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Another federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration, this time in a temporary order that forbids the deportation of a pro-Palestinian activist.

On Wednesday, Judge Michael Farbiarz issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration deporting and continuing to detain Mahmoud Khalil, who was previously a student at Columbia University. He stayed the decision until Friday to allow the administration time to file an appeal.

Rubio wrote in a memo that Khalil should be deported over his ‘antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States.’

Khalil was born in Syria and is married to a U.S. citizen. He was arrested by ICE agents on March 8 in the lobby of his apartment building in New York City but has since been detained in Louisiana.

State Sec. Marco Rubio said that Khalil would be deported on the basis that his presence in the U.S. would constitute an “adverse foreign policy consequence.” Judge Farbiarz disagreed with that threat assessment.

The judge did not rule on whether Khalil could be deported on the basis that he withheld information on the application for his green card. He went on to note that other lawful residents accused of withholding info are “virtually never detained pending removal.”

Rubio wrote in a memo that Khalil should be deported over his “antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States.”

Khalil’s attorney submitted evidence that his client could face torture and death if he were to be deported.

RELATED: 15 smoking guns that show Mahmoud Khalil is a terror threat

Critics of the Trump administration have accused it of violating Khalil’s free speech rights, but his detractors point to the evidence that the group he led supported the destruction of the U.S. as well as Israel.

Supporters of the Trump administration have criticized the numerous rulings from federal judges against the president’s policies, and some have even called on the administration to ignore the rulings. Democrats warned that the nuclear option would shove the U.S. into a constitutional crisis.

Farbiarz was nominated by former President Joe Biden in 2023.

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While Americans like to imagine the United States as a nation defined by the rule of law and civil discourse, riots have long been a regular feature of our political life. From the unrest tied to the civil rights movement in the 1960s and ’70s to the Los Angeles riots of 1992 and the Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots in 2020, anyone surveying the past 60 years would come away stunned by the sheer volume of civil disorder. These uprisings typically centered on tensions between the black community and law enforcement — a reckoning, however painful, internal to the country.

What’s happening in Los Angeles this week is something else entirely. This isn’t domestic unrest. It’s an invasion. Illegal aliens have flooded the streets, waving foreign flags and openly declaring their intent to reclaim California in the name of Mexico. This isn’t just ideological subversion or economic pressure. It’s open confrontation, and it’s playing out on American soil.

These agitators know something mainstream conservatives do not: A nation is its people, not just a place.

Illegal immigration has pushed the United States to the brink. Everyone can feel it. Democrats have adopted open borders as de facto policy, aiming to replace the current population with more reliable voters while reshaping American culture. Republicans haven’t done much better. They offer amnesty and ignore conservative concerns about crime, jobs, and demographic collapse.

Parallel cultures — not assimilation

Communities that stood intact for generations now find themselves surrounded by strangers who neither speak the language nor express interest in assimilating. Ghettoization, not integration, has become the norm. That’s why voters gave Trump a second term. And that’s why his administration must finally deliver on immigration. A second failure to act would not just be political malpractice — it would be a civilizational betrayal.

We’re told illegal immigrants are hardworking dreamers who want a better life. Some are. But more come seeking access to welfare and jobs that allow them to send remittances home. The sheer volume of illegal aliens from countries like Mexico means they face little pressure to assimilate. They don’t need to. In many cities, they can live their entire lives inside self-sustaining ethnic enclaves.

The Trump administration has promised large-scale deportations. But for now, ICE has focused on the worst offenders: gang members, drug traffickers, and violent criminals. In Los Angeles, agents targeted those exact threats. There were no mass sweeps. But facts didn’t matter. Leftist nonprofits rallied protesters to the streets, ready to block arrests, assault officers, and ignite another round of mayhem.

As always, the progressive playbook called for riots. But this time, the optics changed. They don’t look like concerned citizens. They look like an invading army. And while media outlets still insist on calling it a protest, Americans watching footage of police cars in flames see something else.

Mexico-first loyalties

The truth cuts through the narrative: Most illegal immigrants are young, single, military-age men. That fact alone should reframe the entire debate. Any progressive organizer can choreograph a protest, but when idle, aggrieved men view it as an ethnic struggle, violence escalates. These men rally around the Mexican flag, shout slogans of vengeance, and praise “La Raza” with open hostility.

Some conservative commentators have mocked the spectacle: rioters waving the flag of a country they refuse to return to. But the joke reveals a blind spot. These agitators know something mainstream conservatives do not: A nation is its people, not just a place.

Many on the right have bought into a liberal fiction — that the U.S. is a territory defined by abstractions. The moment an illegal immigrant steps on “magic soil,” we’re told, he becomes American. But that’s not how immigrants think. Mexico is not just a location. It is an identity. Wherever Mexicans go, they carry Mexico with them. They do not wish to become Americans. They wish to conquer Americans.

And now, Mexico has made that agenda explicit.

President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to proposed remittance taxes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by declaring, “If necessary, we’ll mobilize. We don’t want taxes on remittances from our fellow countrymen, from the U.S. to Mexico.”

That statement says it all. Sheinbaum considers Mexicans in the United States her people. Their first loyalty, in her view, belongs to Mexico. She called on them to rise up and defend the 5% of Mexico’s economy that relies on remittances — a figure larger than tourism or most exports.

RELATED: No, you’re not a ‘xenophobe.’ You’re just awake.

Photo by BENJAMIN HANSON/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

If Mexico calling on its expatriate population to riot doesn’t count as hostile foreign interference, what does? The Mexican diaspora is not just a collection of humble workers sending money home. It is a pressure valve, a political weapon, and a massive revenue stream — and Mexico will fight to protect it.

In 2020, Trump paid a price for not cracking down on domestic unrest. This time, he hasn’t hesitated. ICE continues its operations. National Guard troops and U.S. Marines have been deployed to protect federal agents.

Stephen Miller and other Trump officials have made it clear: Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Mayor Karen Bass (D) have facilitated this violence, and ICE won’t back down. Every riot is a powder keg, and this one is no different. But the footage is damning. Americans see military-age foreigners vowing to retake California for Mexico.

— (@)

Deportations: A national mandate

Trump didn’t manufacture this crisis. But he now has the clearest mandate imaginable to solve it. Mass deportations are not a talking point any more. They’re a national imperative. The window to act is narrow. But if he acts decisively, history will mark this moment as the one in which sovereignty was restored, not the one in which it finally slipped away.

To meet the moment, the Trump administration must do more than restore order. It must articulate a vision of national renewal. The American people have grown weary of half measures and cosmetic fixes. They want to know their leaders take the concept of citizenship seriously — and will defend it at all costs.

The riots in Los Angeles should be treated as a turning point. What began as a border crisis has become a test of national will. Trump’s legacy and the republic’s future depend on what happens next.

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Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) claims to have followed the money regarding the violent protests that broke out in Los Angeles over the weekend — and where it’s led her is disturbing, to say the least.

“Who is behind all these crazy riots in L.A. and that will be across the nation?” Luna asked in a video posted to social media, before answering her own question.

“This specifically is being funded by an individual by the name of Neville Singham, who actually made his money pushing communist Chinese propaganda, became a billionaire doing it,” she continued. “And the guy behind all these protests was also behind and tied to the protests at Columbia University pushing all of that B.S., if you don’t remember.”

“If you actually look at the social organization that’s putting out these flyers, it’s the party for socialism and liberation, which is, and I kid you not, the actual Communist Party,” she said. “So, they are using Hispanics; they’re using illegal immigrants; they’re trying to hype people up, thinking that they care, but they don’t care.”

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales, founder of Rippaverse Comics Eric July, and BlazeTV contributor Matthew Marsden aren’t surprised, but they aren’t happy with the news either.

“They are willing to unfortunately collapse this entire country all in the name of, again, social justice leftism, more accurately authoritarian leftism,” July says, while Marsden notes that while they are intent on destruction, they’re also uniting the right.

“It’s shone a light,” Marsden says, adding, “and everything, all the cockroaches are right there for us to see.”

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Consequences. The word means little when applied to the failures of America’s so-called expert class. COVID-19 exposed the rot. Officials failed again and again at precisely what they were paid to understand — and escaped unscathed. Lockdowns failed. Masks failed. The mRNA shots failed. Yet, Anthony Fauci walked off the stage wealthier than ever. That’s the problem.

But nearly halfway into year one of Trump 2.0, America finally seems hungry to Make Consequences Great Again.

Choosing a freer, healthier, more dignified path is not just possible — it’s the rightful consequence of reclaiming citizenship in a nation built on liberty and courage.

Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pulled the COVID-19 jab recommendation for healthy children and pregnant women. The move strips the shot of its legal basis for mandates now or in the future. Then, in a sweeping housecleaning, Kennedy announced he would “retire” all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee.

Of those members, 13 were appointed by Joe Biden as recently as 2024. I wonder who was running the autopen to make that happen. Since most of those members have direct ties to pharmaceutical companies, I’ll let your imagination fill in the details.

Children’s Health Defense cites a 2000 U.S. House investigation that found conflict-of-interest rules for the CDC’s vaccine committee went largely unenforced. A 2009 report by the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General reached the same conclusion. Follow-up investigations in 2021 and 2024 showed no improvement, even as the path was cleared for mRNA shots to be hailed as the next biomedical miracle.

How deeply do the vaccine high priests on this committee worship their pharma gods? When RFK Jr. began removing them like Elijah at Mount Carmel, he noted that the committee had never recommended against adopting a vaccine. Not once.

That’s not science. That’s idolatry. That’s how children went from receiving fewer than 20 shots in my generation to more than 70 on today’s schedule. At this point, after so many miraculous infusions of “health care,” shouldn’t we all be glowing, levitating, and reading each other’s minds?

Instead, as RFK Jr. keeps pointing out, Americans today suffer from staggering rates of chronic illness, obesity, and mental distress. That’s what happens when the expert class convinces new parents their babies are born defective — ticking time bombs of disease in constant need of pharmaceutical salvation. Go for a run? Nah. Take a pill instead. Live prayerfully? Try pharmaceutically.

This is what you get when a culture forgets it was made in the image and likeness of God.

We may be the most formally educated society in human history, but we’ve been conditioned — psychologically and emotionally — like lab rats. Decades of programming have trained us to fear life itself and trust the experts to manage it. That’s why RFK Jr.’s purge of the vaccine committee goes far beyond health care. It strikes at the heart of the worldview — because worldview shapes everything.

My partner in crime, Todd Erzen, has long said that most young Christian parents would probably vaccinate their children before baptizing them. He’s not wrong. Fear — not faith — drives too many of our most important decisions. And without realizing it, no matter how many comforts we enjoy, we’ve traded a life of color for one in black and white.

RELATED: CDC knew the COVID jab was dangerous — and pushed it anyway

Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The vaccine committee had to go. It had morphed into a cult of flat-earthers — deniers of reality in service of profit and power. For too long, Americans wore their chains, obedient to the credentialed class that promised safety while delivering sickness and dependency.

But we don’t have to live that way.

Choosing a freer, healthier, more dignified path is not just possible — it’s the rightful consequence of reclaiming citizenship in a nation built on liberty and courage. That’s the good, the true, and the beautiful.

And for once, we have unlikely allies to thank: Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Both have reminded Americans that the door out of this madness isn’t locked. We just needed the will to kick it open.

​Opinion & analysis, Robert f. kennedy jr., Rfk jr., Vaccines, Injury, Centers for disease control and prevention, Cdc, Covid-19, Tyranny, Science, Department of health and human services, Hhs, Idolatry, Chronic illness, Disease, Obesity, Maha, Make america healthy again, Accountability, Mrna vaccines, Donald trump 

Prominent figures on the left, like AFT President Randi Weingarten and Walmart heiress Christy Walton, are promoting a “nationwide day of defiance” protest event called “No Kings Day.”

Seeing as Los Angeles was just in flames this past weekend as protesters burned their own city, Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck believes this may just be a way to sow more chaos in America.

“This is headed by Randi Weingarten, who is, you know, strange, the head of the teachers’ union. Why is she so passionate about all of this? I wonder why,” Glenn says.

According to the left, this gathering is to protest our “defiled courts,” “deported Americans,” “disappeared people off the streets,” “attacked our civil rights,” and “slashed our services.”

“What do you suppose that this is going to look like in the midst of everything else that is going on?” Glenn asks. “If you weren’t for revolution, you would say, ‘You know, guys, we’ve been working on the “no kings” thing; let’s just hold off a little bit because we have California, L.A., going on.’”

“They’re not responsible people. That is not their goal — to do reasonable things. Their goal is to create as much chaos as possible,” he says. “Anything that brings more chaos on the street is not a good thing. Stay away from people who are preaching chaos. Law, order, constitutional principles, and principles that we find in the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

And while the news coverage would make it seem like everyone who lives in Los Angeles is currently on the streets protesting, BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere points out that’s not the case at all.

“Most people in Los Angeles are going about their business, absolutely normally. Their lives are normal; they’re unaffected,” Stu tells Glenn.

“News just cuts out the perspective that entire cities aren’t on fire,” he adds.

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An elderly man was arrested in Southern California for allegedly posting threats to assassinate President Donald Trump on social media.

73-year-old Thomas Eugene Streavel is accused of making the threats on his Facebook account before the presidential election in 2024, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

‘Let me put a bullet right between the ears of your president-elect. … That’s my purpose for living.’

Streavel lives in Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County and was charged with three counts of making threats against Trump, who was the president-elect at the time.

One of the threats documented by officials was made on Nov. 6, the day after the election.

“[T]rump is a dead man walking for the time being until a patriot like myself blows his [expletive] brains out in the very near future,” the message read.

Six days later, he allegedly posted that he was “willing to make America great again and blow his [expletive] brains out.”

Then a week later, another message appeared.

“Let me put a bullet right between the ears of your president-elect. … That’s my purpose for living,” it read.

A fourth message was posted after that.

“I’m praying for a successful assassination of your president-elect,” the post allegedly read. “My life’s mission is killing the worthless LOSER [expletive] and my mission starts tonight so watch yourself trump [sic], you are a dead [expletive] and I am your assassin.”

RELATED: Illegal alien threatened to shoot Trump in the head in handwritten letter, DHS Sec. Noem says

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

“This defendant is charged with threatening the life of our President — a man who has already survived two deranged attempts on his life,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. “The Department of Justice takes these threats with the utmost seriousness and will prosecute this crime to the fullest extent of the law.”

The federal grand jury indicted Streavel on May 29, but the indictment was unsealed on June 3.

“There is no place for political violence or threats of violence in the United States. We will not hesitate to arrest and charge others who engage in similar criminal conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.

Streavel pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a $10,000 bail. A trial date was set for July 28.

If convicted, the man faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.

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The formerly celebrated Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted by a jury in New York for a second time on one of numerous charges related to sex crimes allegations.

Weinstein had been previously convicted in New York in 2020, but that had been tossed out of court in 2025 on procedural grounds.

‘Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status.’

The jury convicted Weinstein on a charge of criminal sex act in the first degree over accusations from Miriam “Mimi” Haley, who said he assaulted her in 2006 at his apartment in SoHo. Haley was a young television producer at the time and testified that she had repeatedly told him no, but he continued to assault her.

“I was mortified; I was embarrassed, in disbelief,” she said after describing how he “just continued pushing, continued insisting, pushed me onto bed holding me down.”

The jury rejected a separate charge related to allegations from Kaja Sokola, a model who was 19 years old when Weinstein allegedly raped her at a hotel room in 2006. Deliberations will continue on Thursday over a charge from a third accuser.

Weinstein’s attorney characterized the accusers as “conniving” and “sophisticated” and said they were motivated by fame and money. The accusers had obtained substantial civil settlements from the allegations.

The first-degree criminal sex act charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years.

The open secret of Weinstein’s sexual assaults in Hollywood became a major impetus for the #MeToo movement against sexual coercion and abuse.

Critics have pointed to jokes made in public for many years that pointed to actors and actresses knowing about the allegations but not asking enough questions to expose the powerful movie producer.

RELATED: Producers Guild Board to expel Harvey Weinstein, create sexual harassment task force

Photo by Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic

In 2017, former President Barack Obama and his wife released a statement condemning Weinstein over the allegations and praising his accusers for their bravery, but they opted to not even mention the millions of dollars he had raised for Democratic campaigns.

“Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status,” the statement read.

“We should celebrate the courage of women who have come forward to tell these painful stories,” they added. “And we should work to build a culture — including by empowering our girls and teaching our boys decency and respect — so we can make such behavior less prevalent in the future.”

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The first summer under the Trump administration since 2020 wouldn’t be complete without leftists rioting and burning cities to the ground — and the mainstream media explaining it away as if those rioters are “peaceful protesters.”

“And even those who were out of step with what we are advocating, peaceful protest, did not create any violence. Nobody was shot, nobody was killed, get it in your heads,” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), one of many Democrats blind to the violence occurring all around them, said after the protests.

Dana Bash also publicly joined Waters in her delusion.

“The L.A. County police say that they have it under control, carrying the flag is not illegal, as you know. What did happen in 1992 was so different from what we’re seeing now,” Bash said in a recent segment on CNN.

Other liberal commentators have continued to push the idea that these riots were “peaceful” and that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were the ones provoking the protesters.

“Most of those demonstrators were very peaceful except for all of them,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales mocks, adding, “You don’t hate the mainstream media enough. You don’t hate them enough.”

“All of these mainstream Democrats who are going out there, and they are continuing the absurd rhetoric of Donald Trump being mean, orange man bad, I guess we want to, I don’t know, welcome gangbangers and murderers and rapists and really bad people back into the country because this is all mean Donald Trump’s fault,” she continues.

“I cannot believe they are continuing this same unhinged rhetoric that got President Trump elected again. I can’t believe that they are trying this again, while everyone is watching these illegals and these wild crazy leftists burn down L.A.,” she says, adding, “I cannot believe they are so stupid to think this is going to work again.”

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A Clinton judge barred the Trump administration last month from executing any large-scale reductions in force in order to “preserve the status quo.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered on Tuesday the termination of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s remaining overseas staff, demonstrating that some obstacles created by meddlesome federal judges can easily be surmounted.

How it started

A gang of labor unions, leftist NGOs, and local governments sued the Trump administration in late April, hoping to block the government’s reduction-in-force plans.

Their complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, suggested that the “president does not possess authority to reorganize, downsize, or otherwise transform the agencies of the federal government, unless and until Congress authorizes such action” and argued that President Donald Trump’s Feb. 11 executive order aimed at “eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity” was unlawful.

‘Every day that the preliminary injunction remains in effect, a government-wide program to implement agency RIFs is being halted and delayed.’

The plaintiffs demanded the court: declare that Trump had violated the Constitution; declare that the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of Government Efficiency “exceeded statutory authority and acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner”; vacate Trump’s executive order and relevant agency memoranda; and restrain the Trump administration from enforcing Trump’s workforce executive order.

They found a sympathetic U.S. district court judge in Susan Illston, a Clinton appointee who came recommended by former Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.

RELATED: USAID program contractor defrauds taxpayers of $100,000 in latest agency scandal

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

Illston granted the gang of change-averse plaintiffs a temporary restraining order on May 9, then hit the administration with an injunction on May 22, blocking Trump’s executive order and barring 20 executive-branch entities and “any other individuals acting under their authority or the authority of the president” from executing any reductions in force.

Illston stated that “the president likely must request congressional cooperation to order the changes he seeks.”

After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit refused to overturn the Clinton judge’s order, the Trump administration asked for the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer noted in the government’s request for a stay that “every day that the preliminary injunction remains in effect, a government-wide program to implement agency RIFs is being halted and delayed, maintaining a bloated and inefficient workforce while wasting countless taxpayer dollars.”

“The inevitable consequence is to compel federal agencies to keep large numbers of employees on the payroll without necessity, at unrecoverable taxpayer expense, thereby frustrating the government’s efforts to impose budgetary discipline and build a more efficient workforce,” wrote Sauer.

The solicitor general also suggested that the “district court’s novel imposition of limits on the president’s ability to control executive agencies in exercising their power over personnel is the same type of important question of federal law that warrants this Court’s review.”

The gang responded on Monday, asking the high court to keep Illston’s order in place.

How it’s going

On Tuesday, Rubio told American embassies around the world to get cracking on abolishing all USAID positions, noting in a cable obtained by the Guardian that the State Department “is streamlining procedures under National Security Decision Directive 38 to abolish all USAID overseas positions.”

The national security directive cited by Rubio gives the highest-ranking diplomat assigned to a given country control of the size, composition, and mandate of overseas staffing for U.S. government agencies.

‘It shouldn’t surprise anyone.’

All USAID positions will reportedly be erased by Sept. 30. This will impact hundreds of staff, including contractors, locally employed workers, and foreign service officers.

The secretary noted further that the State Department would take over the agency’s foreign assistance programs by next week.

RELATED: Rubio, Vance outline the ‘work of a generation,’ next steps for the American renewal: ‘This is a 20-year project’

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters Tuesday “that was not a surprise. It shouldn’t surprise anyone.”

“It’s nothing new, and it is exactly what we previewed in February and March of this year,” said Bruce, adding that the aim of the change is to make sure that America’s aid efforts around the world correspond with the “America First agenda.”

Rubio made the order days after Bill Gates reportedly made a secret visit to the White House and begged him to reverse course on changes to the foreign aid regime.

It appears that Gates’ last-ditch charm offensive, first reported by Tara Palmeri of the Red Letter, was no more effective than his USAID-themed smear campaign, where he characterized Elon Musk as a hard-hearted killer of millions.

The plaintiffs for whom Judge Illston blocked Trump’s executive order claimed that Rubio’s recent action appears to violate the federal court’s injunction, reported the Associated Press.

However, Daniel Holler, Rubio’s deputy chief of staff, clarified in a Monday court filing that the actions taken with regard to USAID staffers predate the blocked Trump order.

Holler noted that:

Rubio got the ball rolling on developing “a plan to reorganize the Department to be more streamlined and to advance the administration’s core America First diplomatic priorities” in late January; Rubio informed Congress of his intention to explore “a potential reorganization of USAID and/or its potential absorption by the Department of State” in a Feb. 3 letter; subsequent reorganization efforts were “undertaken solely at the direction and discretion of Secretary Rubio” and predate Trump’s February order; the reorganization is intended to address foreign policy needs, an assertion that appears to hint at the limits of Illston’s jurisdiction.

When asked about the significance of these firings and the broader cleanup at USAID, a State Department spokesperson told Blaze News, “Under President Trump’s leadership, Secretary Rubio is taking a historic step in realigning how the United States delivers foreign aid and implements its America First Foreign Policy to ensure foreign assistance advances U.S. national interests.”

“In connection with the Department assuming responsibility for limited former USAID programming, the Secretary approved the hiring of certain positions for both American (U.S. direct hire) and locally employed staff,” added the spokesperson.

In terms of next steps, the spokesperson indicated that the U.S. will continue to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance but noted “the United States cannot feed the world alone. We ask capable nations to increase their share of the burden for life-saving foreign aid.”

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday in support of President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy troops in response to the violent anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles.

Trump deployed Marines and the National Guard to California as the anti-ICE riots raged on for nearly a week. Rioters were caught hurling rocks and concrete at law enforcement, committing arson, and waving foreign flags to protest recent ICE raids in Los Angeles.

Despite this, Democrats have expressed outrage over the deployment of troops in response to what they deem to be “people peacefully protesting.” Hegseth, however, did not shy away from critics.

“The mission in Los Angeles … is not about lethality,” Hegseth said during a hearing Wednesday. “It’s about maintaining law and order on behalf of law enforcement agents who deserve to do their job without being attacked by mobs of people.”

‘Every American citizen deserves to be in a community that’s safe.’

RELATED: Republicans clash with Democratic lawmakers defending violent anti-ICE rioters

“We’re very proud that the National Guard and the Marines are on the streets defending ICE agents, and they will continue to do that,” Hegseth added. “They’re doing a great job.”

While Democrats attempted to paint the ICE raids as a brutal or overextended use of power, Hegseth reiterated that law enforcement agents are just doing what they have been asked to do: enforce the law.

“Every American citizen deserves to be in a community that’s safe, and ICE agents need to be able to do their job,” Hegseth said during a hearing Tuesday. “They’re being attacked for doing their job, which is deporting illegal criminals. That shouldn’t happen in any city, Minneapolis or Los Angeles. And if they’re attacked, that’s lawless, and President Trump believes in law and order.”

RELATED: Democrats vote overwhelmingly to allow illegal aliens to continue voting in key district

While Democrats continued to spew outrage over the ICE raids, Hegseth reminded them that ICE is a federal law enforcement agency simply enforcing federal laws.

“In Los Angeles, we believe that ICE, which is a federal law enforcement agency, has the right to safely conduct operations in any state and any jurisdiction in the country,” Hegseth said Tuesday. “Especially after 21 million illegals have crossed our border under the previous administration.”

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Speculation has arisen of possible military action in the Middle East after the U.S. State Department issued orders for personnel to depart from embassies and diplomatic offices overseas.

The Pentagon was preparing for the possibility of an evacuation from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and nonessential personnel and their family members were advised to leave Bahrain and Kuwait, according to defense officials.

‘If war is imposed on Iran, the US would undoubtedly suffer more losses than we do.’

A State Department official told Axios that the decision had been made “to reduce the footprint of our mission in Iraq” as a result of a recent security review of overseas personnel.

Some speculated that the U.S. was preparing for the fallout from a potential war with Iran.

“The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority, and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East,” read a statement from a Pentagon official.

Iran’s defense minister issued a threat over negotiations with the U.S. about Iran’s nuclear program.

“If war is imposed on Iran, the U.S. would undoubtedly suffer more losses than we do,” said Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh to reporters.

He added that many U.S. bases were located within reach of Iranian missiles and added that they would be targeted in “their host countries without hesitation.”

That threat could have been a response to suggestions from the U.S. CENTCOM commander in testimony to Congress on Tuesday that the U.S. has a “range of options” to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons.

The U.S.-Iran negotiations are reportedly stalling over a disagreement about Iran’s uranium enrichment program, which the U.S. wants to completely dismantle. Iranian officials say no deal will be reached if the country isn’t allowed to continue some part of the enrichment program.

RELATED: Iran willing to sign nuclear deal with Trump if sanctions are lifted

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

On June 4, President Donald Trump said that Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin offered to possibly intervene in the negotiations with Iran.

“It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!” Trump wrote at the time.

The S&P 500 market index fell partially on fears from investors that tensions in the Middle East could erupt at any moment, according to a Reuters report.

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Pop singer Katy Perry posted a statement of support for the protests against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles, but many found it to be lacking historical accuracy.

Perry appealed to the original name of the city of Los Angeles in order to suggest that the protests were justified in light of its founding by settlers in the 1700s.

‘She tweeted this from her mansion. … Far away from areas impacted by mass illegal immigration.’

“Los Angeles — a place that literally began as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula, founded by Mexican settlers in 1781,” she wrote on Instagram. “This was once Mexican land, and the people being targeted today are often descendants of those who have lived here for generations — or who came seeking safety, work, and dignity.”

She added, “It’s more than infuriating — it’s a deep injustice. How can a city built on Mexican labor, Mexican history, and Mexican culture turn around and criminalize the very people who shaped it?”

There was at least one major problem with Perry’s retelling of history — Los Angeles was founded by Spaniards and not Mexicans directly. Many online ripped into the pop star for the ahistorical message.

“A reminder that Hollywood airheads are just that. Clueless #KatyPerry, or her media flack, doesn’t know that in 1781, there was no such thing as Mexico. It was New Spain (the Virreinato de Nueva España), part of the Spanish Empire,” responded former diplomat Alberto Miguel Fernandez.

“What about the native Americans who were living there??? Is it okay they were subjugated by Spain then?? oh wait!” replied another critic.

“She tweeted this from her mansion, as she sits wearing a robe and drinking fine champagne. Far away from areas impacted by mass illegal immigration,” read another response.

RELATED: ‘American Idol’ contestant calls out Katy Perry for ‘mom-shaming’ her during bizarre audition

Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

Others pointed out that Perry herself had her own sordid history of allegedly displacing people from their property, including an elderly veteran as well as a convent of nuns.

“Also, isn’t Katy Perry basically famous for evicting people from houses she wants to buy lol,” replied writer Emily Zanotti.

Perry was praised for the posts in an article from Rolling Stone, which skipped over the historical inaccuracy of the post as well as the online opposition to her message.

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