Footage shows male senior swiftly strike ball in attempt to make goal, inadvertently hitting female player directly in mouth. A female high school lacrosse player [more…]
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Bill Nye, Pete Buttigieg rally for Democrat who stands by candidate despite wishing death on GOP lawmaker’s kids
After refusing to call on Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones to drop out of the race over a text message scandal, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger is hoping to boost her odds with a Tuesday campaign event featuring two familiar names.
Bill Nye “the Science Guy” and Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were scheduled to join Spanberger on Tuesday for her rally in Charlottesville, according to Fox News Digital. Buttigieg and Spanberger will host a “Virtual Coalitions All Call” on Tuesday evening.
‘I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words.’
Former President Barack Obama, who endorsed Spanberger last week, will attend her Norfolk rally on November 1, her campaign website states.
“Virginia’s elections are some of the most important in the country this year, and I am proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger for governor. Republican policies are raising costs on working families so billionaires can get massive tax cuts,” Obama stated. “As governor, Abigail will stand up for Virginia families. She’ll work to build an economy that works for everyone, not just big corporations and the wealthy.”
Nye attended a No Kings event in D.C. over the weekend. During his speech, he criticized President Donald Trump.
“We are here to tell our lawmakers that what’s going on in our government is wrong. They must stop the abuses of this petulant president and his circle of sycophants,” Nye said.
“This president and his associates cannot tolerate dissent. To them, our free speech is frightening. They are arresting people and denying due process in courts,” he continued.
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Spanberger’s high-profile endorsements follow a public relations scandal that Virginia Democrats have attempted to downplay. In a leaked text message exchange from 2022, Jones, a former Virginia delegate, wished death upon a Republican lawmaker and his children.
In the texts, Jones presented a hypothetical scenario in which he would choose to use “two bullets” to shoot then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R), if given the choice between Gilbert, Adolf Hitler, and Pol Pot. He also accused Gilbert and his wife of “breeding little fascists” and wished harm on their children.
RELATED: VIDEO: Earle-Sears crushes Democratic candidate over death-wish texts during gubernatorial debate
Abigail Spanberger. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Spanberger released a statement condemning Jones’ violent comments but stopped short of calling for him to end his campaign. Instead, Spanberger continues to host events sponsored by her campaign and those of Jones and Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor Ghazala Hashmi.
“After learning of these comments earlier today, I spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted,” Spanberger stated. “I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words. What I have also made clear is that as a candidate — and the next governor of our commonwealth — I will always condemn violent language in our politics.”
As of Tuesday evening, no Democrats have called on Jones to step out of the race.
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News, Abigail spanberger, Jay jones, Virginia, Bill nye, Pete buttigieg, Barack obama, Obama, Politics
Nigerian Christians are being murdered by Islamic radicals. This congressman has had enough.
Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana is leading the charge alongside Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to protect Nigerian Christians who are being persecuted and slain by jihadist groups.
Stutzman introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act on Tuesday in the House, an identical companion bill to Cruz’s legislation, Blaze News learned. This legislation is in response to the “rapidly deteriorating” conditions for Christians in Nigeria, who are being abducted, targeted, and murdered by the tens of thousands.
‘We must use the targeted tools we have at our disposal.’
Stutzman’s bill would protect Christians by placing targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials who facilitate violence and enforce Sharia law against religious minorities, according to the bill text obtained exclusively by Blaze News. The bill would also designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern and ensure that the jihadist militant groups Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa remain designated as entities of particular concern.
“It is the responsibility of the United States to protect religious freedom worldwide,” Stutzman told Blaze News. “Implementing Sharia law and condoning the murder of innocent people is barbaric.”
RELATED: Nigerian Christians face latest massacre by militant Muslims
Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call
“We must use the targeted tools we have at our disposal to combat religious violence in all its forms,” Stutzman told Blaze News. “I am proud to partner with Senator Cruz to introduce this important legislation, which will create real consequences for those responsible for violence and save the lives of thousands of Christians who are facing persecution.”
Since the jihadist group Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009, over 125,000 Christians in Nigeria have been murdered. In just 2025 alone, these jihadists have reportedly murdered over 7,000 Christians and abducted an additional 7,800, destroying roughly 100 churches every month.
“Nigerian Christians are being targeted and executed for their faith by Islamist terrorist groups, and are being forced to submit to Sharia law and blasphemy laws across Nigeria,” Cruz said in a statement.
RELATED: Blaze News investigates: Why are Islamists targeting Catholic priests?
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“It is long past time to impose real costs on the Nigerian officials who facilitate these activities, and my Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act uses new and existing tools to do exactly that,” Cruz added. “I urge my colleagues to advance this critical legislation expeditiously.”
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Marlin stutzman, Ted cruz, Nigeria, Christian persecution, Jihadists, Religious freedom, Religious persecution, Boko haram, Isis west africa, Terrorism, Islamic terrorist, Sharia law, Politics
White House vehemently denies TMZ report about Trump possibly setting Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs free
The White House has denied a TMZ report saying that President Donald Trump is considering commuting the sentence of rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was convicted of sex crimes.
The president was considering commuting Diddy’s sentence “as early as this week,” TMZ said, citing “a high-ranking White House official.” The official also claimed that Trump is “vacillating” on the decision and will ultimately “do what he wants.”
‘The president, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations.’
On Tuesday the White House denied the report and accused TMZ of neglecting to ask the administration to comment on the story.
“There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we would’ve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news,” read the statement. “The president, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations.”
TMZ said it stands by the story.
When previously pressed by a CNN reporter to answer questions about the possibility of a pardon for Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, the president said that the rapper had asked him for a pardon.
“I have a lot of people [who] have asked me for pardons,” Trump said. “I call him Puff Daddy, has asked me for a pardon.”
Trump also said that he had been friends with Combs but they had a falling-out after the rapper criticized him when he became president.
Combs was convicted by a jury in July of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, but he was acquitted of more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He has been imprisoned since his arrest in Sept. 2024 and was sentenced earlier this month to four years and two months.
“You abused the power and control with women you professed to love,” said the judge at his sentencing. “You abused them physically, emotionally, and psychologically.”
Combs had admitted to the court in a statement asking for clemency that he was “sick from the drugs.”
“I can’t change the past but can change the future,” the wealthy celebrity said. “I ask your honor for mercy. I beg your honor for mercy, to be a father again, a son again and be a leader in my community again and get the help I desperately need.”
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White house vs tmz, Sean diddy combs, Pardon for combs, Trump and puff daddy, Politics
House GOP seeks criminal charges against ex-CIA chief over alleged Russiagate lies
The House Judiciary Committee officially referred former CIA Director John Brennan to the Department of Justice for allegedly lying to Congress about his involvement in the Russia collusion hoax.
Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) referred Brennan to the DOJ on Tuesday for allegedly making “false statements” during his transcribed testimony before the Judiciary Committee in 2023. During his testimony, Brennan made “numerous willfully and intentionally false statements,” including that the CIA was not “involved at all” with the Steele dossier, according to Jordan.
‘It indicates a pattern of Brennan’s willingness to lie.’
“Congress cannot perform its oversight function if witnesses who appear before its committees do not provide truthful testimony,” a letter from Jordan to Attorney General Pam Bondi reads. “Making false statements before Congress is a crime that undermines the integrity of the Committee’s constitutional duty to conduct oversight.”
In the letter, Jordan outlined every falsehood he claims Brennan stated during his 2023 testimony, testimony that Jordan said directly contradicted the Intelligence Community Assessment.
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
In 2017, several intelligence agencies published a report alleging that Russia had meddled in America’s elections to elect President Donald Trump to his first term in 2016. This report, which was later debunked, was based on the Steele dossier, which was funded by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee through the law firm Perkins Coie and other opposition research firms like Fusion GPS.
After the Trump administration declassified documents showing that the report’s claims were apparently fabricated by former President Barack Obama’s administration, Brennan’s testimony was called into question.
Brennan initially claimed in May 2023 that the “CIA was not involved at all with the [Steele] dossier,” a statement that contradicted the findings “jointly made by the Directors of CIA and FBI,” according to Jordan’s letter. Jordan also claimed that Brennan “overruled senior CIA officers” who had objections about including the dossier material in the report.
“Brennan’s assertion that the CIA was not ‘involved at all’ with the Steele dossier cannot be reconciled with the facts,” the letter reads. “As the newly declassified documents show, a CIA officer drafted the annex containing a summary of the dossier; Brennan made the ultimate decision, along with then-FBI Director James Comey, to include information from the dossier in the ICA.”
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Brennan similarly testified that the CIA “very much opposed” including the Steele dossier in the report, despite declassified documents claiming he “refused to remove it” from the report regardless of its “many flaws.”
Durin separate testimony in 2017, Brennan said the Steele dossier “was not in any way used as a basis for the Intelligence Community Assessment,” despite contrary evidence found after the Trump administration declassified documents. Notably, this testimony was made beyond the five-year statute of limitations, but Jordan said that “it indicates a pattern of Brennan’s willingness to lie to Congress about the Steele dossier.”
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Russia collusion hoax, Russiagate, John brennan, Donald trump, Steele dossier, Hillary clinton, Clinton campaign, 2016 election, Trump administration, Dnc, Cia, Doj, Pam bondi, Fbi, Nsa, Judiciary committee, Jim jordan, Political weaponization, Government weaponization, James comey, Barack obama, Politics
Thousands of possible illegal aliens found on Texas voter rolls, officials say
A review of the voter rolls in Texas has led officials to find that thousands of possible illegal aliens have been unlawfully registered to vote.
Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson said in a press release Monday that 2,724 noncitizens were found to be registered to vote after officials cross-referenced the voter rolls with a federal citizenship database.
‘Noncitizens must not be allowed to influence American elections, and I will use the full weight of my office to investigate all voter fraud.’
“Only eligible United States citizens may participate in our elections,” wrote Nelson in the release.
“The Trump administration’s decision to give states free and direct access to this data set for the first time has been a game changer, and we appreciate the partnership with the federal government to verify the citizenship of those on our voter rolls and maintain accurate voter lists.”
About 18 million voter profiles were compared to the SAVE database of citizens managed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The 2,724 cases are to be referred to county officials, who will determine if any of those should be purged from the voter rolls. Noncitizens can refer to illegal aliens as well as resident aliens who are legally in the U.S. but not allowed to vote.
Nelson said that any noncitizen who is found to have voted in an election would be referred to the attorney general’s office for possible criminal prosecution.
She included a file with a list of those cases found for each county. Forty-eight potential noncitizen registrations were found in Brazoria County, 68 cases were found in Cameron County, 277 cases were found in Dallas County, and 165 cases were found in El Paso County.
In June Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that Nelson had referred 33 cases of potential illegal voting in the 2024 election to his office.
RELATED: Trump order leads to investigation of 33 potential incidents of noncitizen voting, AG Paxton says
“Noncitizens must not be allowed to influence American elections, and I will use the full weight of my office to investigate all voter fraud,” Paxton said at the time.
Nelson added that President Donald Trump had opened up access to the SAVE database in order to root out possible cases of voter fraud.
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Illegal aliens voting, Voter fraud, Texas state sec. jane nelson, Election fraud, Politics
Indiana driver dies in collision involving alleged unlicensed illegal alien trucker
An Indiana man died in a head-on collision on Wednesday involving an unlicensed semitruck driver who is allegedly in the country illegally.
The crash occurred amid national scrutiny in the trucking industry over an increase in non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses issued to foreign nationals, some of whom do not meet required English language proficiency standards, raising concerns about road safety and national security.
‘Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chicago lodged an immigration detainer with the Porter County Jail against criminal illegal alien Borko Stankovic following his arrest on Oct. 15 for reckless homicide and criminal recklessness.’
Borko Stankovic, 41, an alleged illegal alien from Serbia and Montenegro living in Lyons, Illinois, was driving his truck eastbound along U.S. 20 in Portage, Indiana, when he failed to slow down for a stopped van in his lane waiting to make a left turn, according to authorities. In a last-minute maneuver to avoid a collision with the van, Stankovic made a hard left turn, crossing into oncoming traffic and striking a Subaru Crosstrek heading westbound, police told WFLD-TV.
Stankovic’s truck jackknifed, causing the trailer to collide with the rear of the van, which then was forced into a road sign. While the driver and passenger of the van were treated at the scene and released, Jeffrey Eberly, the 54-year-old driver of the Subaru, died at the scene.
Stankovic reportedly did not have a valid CDL. According to WFLD, his carrier was not registered with the Department of Transportation. Blaze News contacted the DOT to confirm whether Stankovic’s trucking operation was legally registered with the department.
RELATED: Exclusive: DOT withholds $40M from blue state for flouting English requirements for truckers
Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images
While Stankovic reportedly did not have a driver’s license or a CDL, WFLD stated that he was in possession of a suspended Illinois CDL belonging to a family member.
The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles stated that it does not have a record of Stankovic. Blaze News contacted the Illinois secretary of state to determine whether he holds any licenses with the state.
DOT Secretary Sean Duffy stated that Stankovic “spoke broken English.”
“This is EXACTLY why President Trump and I are working so hard to get dangerous foreign drivers OFF our roads. More to come,” Duffy said.
An Indiana case summary revealed that Stankovic is facing two felony charges: reckless homicide and criminal recklessness.
RELATED: ICE nabs alleged illegal alien truck driver with ‘NO NAME GIVEN’ license
Photographer: David Peinado/Bloomberg via Getty Images
According to the Porter County Sheriff’s Office, Stankovic was arrested by state police and booked on October 15 around 6:30 p.m. When reached for comment, the Indiana State Police directed Blaze News to contact the Portage Police Department, noting that the local police were handling the investigation.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer against Stankovic. The department told Blaze News that he has been in the U.S. illegally since February 2011, which is when his nonimmigrant visa status expired.
Nassau County Police Department in New York previously arrested Stankovic in 2018 for resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration. New York also ordered Stankovic to pay $3,400 after he was accused of damaging a guide rail in 2018, according to court records.
Blaze News reached out to the New York DMV to verify whether Stankovic has ever been licensed there.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chicago lodged an immigration detainer with the Porter County Jail against criminal illegal alien Borko Stankovic following his arrest on Oct. 15 for reckless homicide and criminal recklessness.”
“Stankovic, a 41-year-old illegal alien from Serbia and Montenegro, was driving a semitruck and caused a multi-vehicle accident in Portage, Indiana, that tragically claimed the life of Jeffrey Eberly,” McLaughlin continued. “This criminal illegal alien didn’t even have a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL). DHS is working with our state and local partners to get illegal alien truck drivers who often don’t know basic traffic laws off our highways.”
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News, Indiana, Illinois, Commercial driver’s licenses, Cdls, Cdl, Department of transportation, Dot, Department of homeland security, Dhs, Non-domiciled cdl, Non-domiciled cdls, Politics
DHS: Illegal alien shot after ramming federal vehicle during operation
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday that the illegal alien target of an immigration operation was shot during an arrest attempt by federal agents in Los Angeles after he allegedly used his vehicle as a weapon against the agents.
In a statement to Blaze News, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the information was preliminary and the targeted suspect had previously evaded apprehension.
‘Fearing for the safety of the public and law enforcement, our officers followed their training and fired defensive shots.’
“ICE law enforcement officers, assisted by U.S. Marshals, pulled the illegal alien over in a standard law enforcement procedure. The illegal alien weaponized his vehicle and began ramming the law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to flee. Fearing for the safety of the public and law enforcement, our officers followed their training and fired defensive shots. The illegal alien was shot in the elbow and one law enforcement officer was shot in the hand by a ricochet bullet. Both are in the hospital,” McLaughlin explained.
McLaughlin placed blame for the increased attacks against federal agents on Democrats, who have been calling the immigration raids immoral and illegal.
“Our law enforcement officers are facing a more than 1,000% increase in assaults against them, including vehicle rammings by illegal aliens. We are once again calling on sanctuary politicians, agitators, and the media to turn the temperature down and stop calling for violence and resistance against ICE law enforcement,” she said.
Tensions in Los Angeles remain high as the Trump administration has doubled down on its efforts to deport illegal aliens who are residing in sanctuary cities. During the No Kings protests over the weekend, anti-ICE crowds formed near the federal building in downtown Los Angeles but were unable to reach the driveway because it was blocked by the city’s police.
RELATED: Anti-ICE agitator acts hurt after being ‘ran over’ by LAPD — but video shows the real story
@AnthonyCabassa_/X
This is a developing story.
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Politics, Dhs
Insane video shows female beating up city bus driver before crash into restaurant — and then she actually keeps attacking him
A new video shows a female beating up a male Metro bus driver in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this year before the bus crashed into a restaurant — and somehow the female continued the beatdown after the crash.
Prosecutors said 26-year-old Raeven Johnson attacked the bus driver on Feb. 25 after he said her desired destination wasn’t part of the bus route, according to Channel3000.com, which recently obtained the video.
Opting for a different mode of transportation that night would’ve been a much better — and much less costly — idea for Johnson.
The clip shows Johnson attempting to insert a ticket, and the bus driver attempting to prevent the ticket from going into the slot.
With that, Johnson begins hitting the bus driver, who is seated — and the bus begins moving as the driver attempts to defend himself against Johnson’s relentless attack.
Soon the out-of-control bus veered to the right and smashed into the Asian House restaurant, Channel3000.com reported.
While the collision momentarily interrupted her beatdown and threw her to the door of the bus, Johnson — who appeared to lose her wig during the altercation — quickly went right back to attacking the bus driver, as she appeared to pull him backward from his seat.
Two people, including the driver, were injured in the crash, Channel3000.com said, and one of them had to be hospitalized.
According to WMTV-TV, the back office of QPS Employment Group was crushed as a result of the crash, and Asian House’s kitchen appliances were damaged as well.
Opting for a different mode of transportation that night would’ve been a much better — and much less costly — idea for Johnson.
She pleaded guilty in August to second-degree recklessly endangering safety and attempted battery to a public transit officer, WMTV said, adding that a judge earlier this month ordered her to serve three years in prison.
Conditions of her sentence include a ban from all Madison Metro property and buses, and she’s prohibited from having alcohol, the station said.
Her sentence will be followed by three years of extended supervision, WMTV said, adding that online court documents indicate a restitution hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5.
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Female attacks bus driver, Wisconsin, Madison, Metro bus, Surveillance video, Physical attack, Bus crash, Arrest, Prison sentence, Crime
‘Misplaced mothering’: No Kings anti-Kirk protesters reveal a culture in crisis
Tensions over the legacy of Charlie Kirk reached a boiling point at the No Kings protests that took place over the weekend, where furious demonstrators hurled slurs at the late conservative leader and cheered his death.
“Charlie Kirk is a piece of garbage. Of course, we were mean. I am so tired of people saying, ‘Oh, but you know it’s a terrible thing.’ No. Hitler is dead. I’m glad Hitler’s dead. Evil people have no place in my world. He was a hateful human being. It was disgusting the things that he said and did,” one woman told the Daily Signal at a No Kings protest.
“This could be someone’s grandmother. Probably not. Probably not. And this is actually a consequence of the childlessness epidemic that we have in society, that you have all of these just, like, listless people who don’t know where to direct their energy,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey says.
Stuckey calls it a phenomenon of “misplaced mothering” that’s common among older white women.
“And because they are not channeling their God-given mothering instincts into people, into their own children, into the next generation in some way, they are channeling it in directions that are not actually healthy,” she explains.
“And so they believe that they are mothering the migrant, that they are mothering the criminal, that they are mothering the people who are on the margins of society. And so this makes them feel better, but it’s actually a lazy way to demonstrate that you’re a good person, which means you’re not a good person at all,” she continues.
“In the same way that socialism is like outsourcing your compassion to the government, this social justice is outsourcing your virtue to the government,” she adds.
In another clip from the protest, Nathan Hughes was conducting man-on-the-street-style interviews with some of the protesters. His interaction with two of the protesters, who were upset that he was wearing a “for Charlie” shirt, has gone viral — and for good reason.
“You get triggered because it has ‘Charlie’ on there, right?” Hughes asked the protesters.
“Because he was a racist! Because he was a misogynist! And that means that you are, too, because you support him,” she screamed. “Get out!”
Another protester chimed in: “He hated anyone that wasn’t white, that wasn’t male, that wasn’t straight.”
“Okay, well, as someone who is not male, I can say that Charlie didn’t hate me, didn’t hate his wife, didn’t hate his daughter,” Stuckey comments.
“These people in these videos are very, very unwell. That is true,” she continues, noting that she doesn’t believe it’s just a “mental health crisis.”
“I actually think that’s just an excuse for evil, because evil really exists, and it’s evil that can make you very stupid. Sin makes you stupid, and iniquity makes you insane. We can use those alliterations,” she says.
And Stuckey points out that while the protesters believe they’re protesting tyranny, they’re the ones who have made it clear that they love tyranny the most.
“These are the very people who wanted to force kids to wear masks, who wanted you to be fired from your job if you didn’t get an experimental vaccine. These are the very same people that support taking children out of their parents’ homes if their parents don’t affirm the stated gender identity of a person,” she says.
“You know which side the Democrats would have been on in 1776,” she adds.
Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?
To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
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Florida accuses Roblox of allowing child groomers to exploit children through ‘sexually explicit material’
The attorney general of Florida is adding to the list of legal defenses that are piling up for video gaming company Roblox.
Roblox, a gaming platform with more than 40 million children playing on it, was accused by Republican James Uthmeier in a scathing video posted on Monday.
‘We prohibit the sharing of images and videos in chat.’
Uthmeier posted the video on X, along with the accusation that Roblox has “become a breeding ground for predators to gain access to our kids.”
“Our office will be issuing criminal subpoenas to the online children’s gaming company Roblox,” Uthmeier said. “Roblox profited off our kids while exposing them to the most dangerous of harms. They enabled our kids to be abused.”
The Florida AG added that the subpoenas are meant to “gather more information” for prosecutors about the criminal activity allegedly taking place on Roblox’s platform, as well as to compile “evidence on the predators.”
“We will stop at nothing to fight to protect our kids,” he concluded.
In response, Roblox told Return that the allegations are simply not true.
RELATED: Kentucky sues Roblox over Charlie Kirk ‘assassination simulators’
“Attorney General Uthmeier’s claims about Roblox are false,” a spokesperson told Blaze News. “The suggestion that illicit image sharing is happening on Roblox demonstrates a lack of understanding of our platform’s functionality. In fact, we prohibit the sharing of images and videos in chat, use filters designed to block the exchange of personal information, and our trained teams and automated tools continuously monitor communications to detect and remove harmful content.”
The representative was likely referring to Uthmeier’s press release, which said investigations not only revealed predators were using Roblox to “access, communicate with, and groom minors,” but that the platform has allowed “sexually explicit material to evade filters and circulate within the platform.”
Roblox said it is working to implement “age estimation,” which Blaze News previously reported includes verification through selfie-videos, “facial age estimation,” ID, or verified parental consent.
“We share the AG’s commitment to keeping kids safe, and we will continue to assist his office in their investigations. We have a strong record of working with law enforcement and investing in advanced safety systems to help protect our users and remove bad actors,” Roblox added.
Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images
The Florida press release also said reports suggest that predators are using the in-game currency Robux to “bribe minors into sending sexually explicit images of themselves.”
In 2024, Blaze News reported on at least two instances where two individuals were charged for soliciting sexual content from minors. One man was from Florida, and the other was a registered sex offender in Michigan. Both allegedly bribed children with Robux.
In 2025, a man from Bakersfield, California, was sentenced to three years in prison for crimes related to a sexual relationship he had with a 14-year-old girl he met through Roblox.
The subpoenas come as a multitude of social media platforms are being targeted for massive lawsuits over their alleged addictive nature and the promotion to minors.
This includes Snap Inc. (which owns Snapchat), Meta, ByteDance (TikTok), and Alphabet (YouTube). Roblox was not noted in reports surrounding the litigation.
Roblox has reinforced that it has “rigorous safety features” which are “purposely stricter than those found on social networks.”
It does not allow image sharing via chat and “constantly” monitors all communication for “critical harms.”
Roblox is currently facing a lawsuit in Kentucky that accuses the platform of allowing Charlie Kirk “assassination simulators.”
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Return, Roblox, Child safety, Online games, Gaming, Gamers, Video games, Tech
The facts about planes used by Noem after libs spin wild narrative
Much ink has been spilled in the mainstream media and by Democrats after the Department of Homeland Security acquired new jets for top officials within the agency to use for travel, but a deeper dive shows the purchases are not only standard but also a matter of safety.
Liberals such as David Axlerod have characterized the aircraft as “luxury jets” and bewailed their hefty price tag.
However, while two used Gulfstream jets added to the Coast Guard air assets cost $172 million, the Coast Guard has been using Gulfstream aircraft for travel for its leadership since the early 2000s.
The plane the new long-range Gulfstream V jet replaced was also 20 years old. The New York Times noted that the acting commandant of the Coast Guard told Congress back in May that the “avionics are increasingly obsolete, the communications are increasingly unreliable.”
The need to modernize the air fleet was again emphasized by Admiral Kevin Lunday in a press release on Saturday.
“The timing of this investment underscores the Coast Guard’s vital need to modernize its command and control capabilities to meet today’s rapidly evolving operational demands. As maritime activity increases and national security challenges grow more complex, maintaining reliable air mobility is essential to ensuring continuity of operations and mission success,” Lunday said.
The two airplanes were costing nearly $10 million per year to maintain at the time.
Since January 2025, the plane that is being replaced has experienced 30 days of unplanned maintenance, with six missions requiring unplanned cancellation.
Kristi Noem hammers Zach Bryan over apparently anti-ICE song — singer says he’s ‘scared’ by negative reaction Photo (left): James Smith/Sam Snap/Getty Images; Photo (right): Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Coast Guard under former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas facilitated the acquisition of a new C-37B long-range command and control aircraft from Gulfstream in June 2022.
“The aircraft’s overall mission is to operate as a command and control platform anywhere in the world for the secretary of Homeland Security, the commandant of the Coast Guard, and other top DHS leadership. The LRCCA is equipped with a broad range of commercial and military communications systems, providing secure voice and data capabilities as well as the capability to perform routine administrative duties in-flight worldwide,” the press release said about the purchase at the time.
Going back to fiscal year 2021, a Coast Guard report found maintenance for the service’s long-range aircrafts was costing millions of dollars per year due to the mileage and age. The two airplanes were costing nearly $10 million per year to maintain at the time.
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Politics, Planes, Gulfstream
Colombian president calls for Trump’s removal
Colombian President Gustavo Petro appeared to call for the ousting of President Donald Trump in an interview with MRC Latino on October 20.
Addressing the tensions between the U.S. and various South American nations over the Trump administration’s deportation efforts and drug crackdown, Petro said, “Humanity has a first off-ramp, and it is to change Trump in various ways. The easiest way may be through Trump himself.” Petro went on to say that the second option would be to “get rid of Trump.”
‘US government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty.’
President Trump has been highly critical of Petro, calling him “an illegal drug leader” in a post on Truth Social on Sunday. Trump went on to say in the post that the production of illegal drugs “has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it.” He called Petro “a low rated and very unpopular leader” and said that if Petro does not stop the drug routes to the U.S., “the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”
On September 16, the U.S. military carried out a drone strike that destroyed a submarine reportedly carrying drugs in international waters off the coast of Colombia.
Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images
Last week, Petro stated on X that “U.S. government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters.” He went on to say that the submarine was a fishing vessel in distress and demanded an explanation from the United States about the strike.
In response, Trump announced that he would end all U.S. funding to Colombia, cutting off hundreds of millions in economic, military, and humanitarian aid. Speaking to reporters, Trump went after Petro, calling him “a lunatic who’s got a lot of problems. Mental problems.” He added that the funding cuts were in response to Colombia’s unwillingness to combat the drug trade: “They are a drug-manufacturing machine, Colombia, and we’re not going to be part of it. So we’re going to drop all money that we are giving to them.”
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Trump, Colombia, Cartels, Politics
San Jose Sharks apologize for displaying pro-ICE message on scoreboard during Hispanic celebration
The San Jose Sharks hockey team will not explain how a message in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement made its way onto the big screen.
The incident happened during the first intermission on Saturday at the Sharks’ annual Hispanic celebration at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
‘The Sharks organization sincerely apologizes for this oversight.’
During the break in the scoreless game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a text image appeared on the arena’s scoreboard reading, “SJ SHARKS FANS LOVE ICE!! GET’EM BOYZ!” along with a video of the team mascot, S.J. Sharkie, waving next to the message.
A fan captured the message in a video and posted it to X.
“Hey [Sharks], how on earth is this an acceptable thing to have on your Jumbotron, like, ever, much less on a night honoring Hispanic heritage? I’m so appalled and disappointed in you right now,” the fan wrote.
This prompted an apology from the organization later that night, describing the message as offensive and coming from an “outside source.”
“During the first intermission of tonight’s game, an offensively worded message which had been externally submitted was inadvertently displayed on the in-arena scoreboard,” the message explained. “Sharks Sports & Entertainment deeply regrets that this message, which does not meet our organization’s values, was not detected during our standard review process. The Sharks organization sincerely apologizes for this oversight, and we are actively working to determine the origin of the message.”
RELATED: Trump administration responds to Bad Bunny’s promise to perform in Spanish for ‘woke’ halftime show
Blaze News asked the team if the investigation was concluded and what exactly the team was apologizing for.
Scott Emmert, the team’s senior vice president of communications, responded and said the organization declined to provide further comment on the situation.
In video of the incident, at the bottom of the screen, a scrolling message stated, “Want to see your personalized greeting here? Visit sjsharkie.com.”
That URL leads to a website offering a “Name in Lights” scoreboard greeting program.
“The Sharks are offering completely customizable greetings. Your greeting will appear in lights during the 1st intermission and you may add any greeting to the center hung scoreboard,” the program states.
Restrictions on the messages include those with a commercial purpose or any that are “obscene, offensive, or refer negatively to any NHL team.”
Using NHL players’ names is also prohibited, and the team reserves the right to remove or edit any message. In the case of a removal, the $75 fee is refunded.
RELATED: Former ESPN host criticizes NFL star Travis Hunter for surprise baptism before Sunday game
The night in question was the team’s ninth annual Los Tiburones game, “a celebration of the team’s commitment to the Bay Area’s vibrant Hispanic community.”
The night spotlights Latino performers and concessions, a Spanish-language broadcast, and, of course, a bevy of merchandise.
In the aftermath of the scoreboard message, fans were outraged, but their political leanings depended on the platform.
On X, the team saw an overwhelmingly pro-ICE response, with messages such as “why is supporting law enforcement offensive,” and “So the Sharks are in favor of illegal immigration? Is that what I’m gathering?”
On Instagram, however, multiple unrelated posts by the team saw messages calling the team racist or asking “you guys gonna start calling ice on fans or what?”
The Sharks did not make a dedicated post with their apology on Instagram.
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Fearless, San jose, California, Ice, Dhs, Illegal immigration, Woke, Sports
Glenn Beck exposes the specific billionaires who funded the No Kings protests
Last weekend, thousands of people across the United States gathered to march under the banner of No Kings — a slogan coined to capture progressives’ resistance to the so-called authoritarian tendencies in President Donald Trump’s second administration.
One major issue for No Kings protesters as well as politicians who joined the events, like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), is the influence of billionaires, particularly in politics and media, which is why they criticize figures like Elon Musk.
But there’s an irony to their complaints.
“If this movement is truly against billionaires and the powerful, why is it funded by billionaires and the powerful?” asks Glenn Beck.
The No Kings movement was intentionally orchestrated to look like grassroots resistance, but the deeper you dive into its inner workings, the more it becomes clear: “This isn’t a rebellion. This is strategy,” says Glenn. “This is not grassroots. This is astroturf.”
If the movement was really about keeping kings out of America, then these same marchers would have taken serious issue with Joe Biden, who forced an experimental vaccine on the American people under the threat of job loss and hospital restrictions.
“You would think no kings would mean all of that was wrong, but it doesn’t. This is not about dismantling power. This is about rearranging power,” Glenn reiterates.
Those powerful billionaires who protesters claim to oppose were the very people who designed and funded this entire movement.
Reports from multiple media outlets, including Fox News and Breitbart News’ Peter Schweizer, George Soros via his Open Society Action Fund granted $3 million to Indivisible — a progressive nonprofit founded in 2016 for the sole purpose of resisting Trump policies — to help orchestrate the No Kings protests.
“But it goes on. Soros’ larger network, the Open Society Foundation, gave over $7.6 million to the same operation. So now we’re almost at $11 million,” says Glenn.
But Soros is just where the funding trail begins. Follow the money, and it will lead you to the Arabella Advisors Network — “a billion-dollar-a-year dark money empire that launders donations from the uber wealthy donors to grassroots activism.”
Keep going down the trail and you’ll find that the Bill Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation all provided significant funding to networks supporting the No Kings protests.
But it keeps going. The Tides Foundation also made significant contributions, as did Neville Roy Singham, a U.S.-born billionaire with ties to the Chinese Communist Party who’s known for funding radical leftist groups.
“You have a small club of financial elites that are bankrolling what investigative journalist Peter Schweizer calls ‘Riot Inc.,”’ says Glenn.
“It is the permanent protest industrial complex. This is not just conjecture; this is not opinion. This is now documented fact,” he adds.
IRS filings, annual reports, and public statements all paint the same picture: “Billionaires are funding the outrage machine.”
To hear more, watch the video above.
Want more from Glenn Beck?
To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Blazetv, Blaze media, No kings, No kings protest, George soros, Bill gates, Gates foundation, Ford foundation, Rockefeller foundation, Singham, Billionaires, Peter schweizer
Florida sheriff defends McDonald’s worker who shot customer in the neck: ‘It was just a McMess’
A late-night food run escalated into a stand-your-ground shooting at a McDonald’s when two Florida men caused a “McMess,” according to police.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said a McDonald’s got overwhelmed by orders after several events in the area ended early in the morning of Oct. 12.
‘What do these goober smoochers do?’
Yoan Soto — a 21-year-old employee at the McDonald’s in Davenport, the sheriff’s office said — was working an overnight shift.
Two men — 20-year-old Peter Story and 18-year-old Nicholas Jones — pulled into the drive-thru to order food. However, there was reportedly a long wait.
According to Judd, Soto told Jones and Story, “Hey, sorry guys, but we’re way behind … our online orders are overwhelming us.”
However, the two customers allegedly became furious.
Judd said, “They threatened to attack the man who just told them, ‘We’re busy, we can’t take any more orders,’ and he did that because the manager told him to.”
Sheriff Judd said the two customers threatened Soto with violence.
“We’re going to hang out here,” the pair allegedly told Soto, according to Judd. “When you get off, we are going to beat you up.”
Judd added, “What do these goober smoochers do? They park their vehicle, and they come into the restaurant.”
Sheriff Judd said Soto and the two customers began “jawing” and “having a McArgument in the McDonald’s over McHamburgers, or lack of McHamburgers.”
The 22-year-old McDonald’s manager reportedly told Story and Jones to leave because they were trespassing.
Judd said the two customers threatened to commit a “mass shooting” at the McDonald’s, which allegedly had other customers inside the restaurant.
Surveillance video shows Soto walking out of the back of the restaurant with a gun and pointing it at the unruly customers — and Judd backed Soto’s actions as self-defense.
“And [Soto] comes into the lobby to confront these guys who’ve threatened him and threatened the store and threatened to shoot the place up,” Judd said. “And now he’s trying to get them out of the store.”
Jones and Story are seen swinging their hands in an apparent attempt to take Soto’s gun.
Judd noted that “as they try to grab his gun, [Soto] pulls the trigger, and he shoots Peter Story in the neck.”
Jones then drove Story to a local hospital.
“It’s a blessing that it was a very minor wound,” Judd said.
Judd said Soto retrieved the bullet casing and projectile from the floor and fled the McDonald’s.
Authorities allegedly convinced Soto to return to the scene of the crime, and he cooperated with police.
Soto was charged with tampering with evidence, which is a felony.
Story and Jones were charged with trespass after warning and disorderly conduct.
“Listen folks, it’s never OK to threaten a mass shooting,” Judd stressed. “It’s never OK to threaten to beat people up at a business. And it’s never OK to grab your ammunition and your firearm and run after a shooting.”
Judd again backed Soto’s self-defense attempt: “He has a right to stand his ground and protect himself, and these guys are threatening to do violence after they’ve already threatened on the outside of the store and came inside.”
Judd said of the two customers, “They created a well-founded fear in him and the store manager. It was just a McMess, but we’ll sort it out because we are McGood at investigating McCrime.”
Neither McDonald’s nor the Polk County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to Blaze News‘ request for comment.
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Florida man, Florida crime, Grady judd, Sheriff grady judd, Polk county sheriff’s office, Crime, Mcdonald’s, Shooting, Self-defense, 2nd amend.
Trump sends terrorists one final warning: ‘An end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!’
President Donald Trump has sent Hamas a final warning just days after finalizing his historic peace deal in the Middle East.
Trump brokered and finalized his landmark peace deal between Israel and Hamas on October 13, over two years after the brutal conflict was ignited by the October 7 terrorist attack. Since the signing, skirmishes have broken out in Gaza, with Israel briefly resuming strikes and pausing aid in the region, killing dozens of Palestinians.
‘They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they will be eradicated.’
Israel justified the strikes by claiming two IDF soldiers were killed by Hamas militants. At the same time, other reports claimed the United States had intelligence that an Israeli bulldozer mistakenly ran over undetonated ordnance, prompting pressure from the White House to halt the strikes and continue providing aid to the region.
In the aftermath of the violent flare-ups that took place over the weekend, Trump cautioned Hamas that our allies in the region remain ready to eradicate the group.
“Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and ‘straighten out Hamas’ if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Tuesday.
“The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years!” Trump added. “It is a beautiful thing to behold! I told these countries, and Israel, ‘NOT YET!’ There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!”
Trump’s repeated calls to eradicate Hamas have raised questions about the extent of America’s involvement in the conflict. Last week, Trump said, “We will have no choice but to go in and kill [Hamas],” if Hamas didn’t adhere to the term of the ceasefire. After violence broke out over the weekend, Blaze News asked Trump to clarify who “we” is.
RELATED: ‘Who the hell cares?’ Trump veers off script, urges Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
“When you say, ‘We are going to eradicate Hamas,’ who is ‘we’?” Blaze News asked. “Does that include American boots on the ground?”
“No. It won’t be on the ground at all,” Trump replied from the Cabinet Room Monday.
Trump told Blaze News that allies in the region would voluntarily “eradicate” Hamas so long as the United States signed off on it.
“I mean, we’ve had countries calling me when they saw some of the killing with Hamas, saying, ‘We’d love to go in and take care of the situation ourselves,'” Trump said. “In addition you have Israel would go in in two minutes if I asked them to go in. I could tell them, ‘Go in and take care of it.’ But right now we haven’t said that. We’re gonna give it a little chance, and hopefully there will be a little less violence, but right now, you know, they’re violent people. Hamas has been very violent.”
“They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they will be eradicated,” he added.
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October 7, Israel, Hamas, Palestine, Gaza, Rafah, Donald trump, Trump administration, Peace deal, Trump peace deal, Peace president, Middle east, Middle east peace deal, Benjamin netanyahu, Politics
Trump DOJ charges another pair of Big Balls’ suspected attackers, blasts judges who kept thug on streets
Edward Coristine, the young engineer known as “Big Balls” who previously worked for the Department of Government Efficiency, was beaten to a pulp by a group of 10 young suspects during an attempted carjacking on Aug. 3 in the national capital.
One week after a Biden-nominated judge cut two of the attackers loose and spared them from jail time, the Trump Justice Department announced charges against another pair of suspects.
Background
After the attack, during which Coristine stood his ground and defended his girlfriend, police apprehended two suspects at the scene — a 15-year-old male and a 15-year-old female of Hyattsville, Maryland — and charged both with unarmed carjacking.
‘We’re not going to be happy until we get every person who was involved.’
While the attack was so savage as to prompt President Donald Trump to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department and deploy the National Guard, Kendra Briggs, a Biden-nominated associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, treated two of the attackers with kid gloves.
First, Briggs decided it wasn’t worth keeping the thugs in custody, telling one of Coristine’s attackers, “I don’t want to put hardship on your family.”
After instructing both thugs to refrain from possessing weapons or entering into other people’s vehicles unless they have permission from the owners, Briggs directed the male attacker to hang out at his mother’s home and the female attacker to move from the secure Youth Services Center to a youth shelter house.
RELATED: The city that chose crime and chaos over courage
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Obliging the request by prosecutors last week, Briggs decided ultimately not to incarcerate the two attackers.
The male attacker, who pleaded guilty to four counts related to a robbery and the separate beating of Coristine, received one year of probation. The female attacker, who pleaded guilty to a count of simple assault for pepper-spraying someone during the robbery, was sentenced to nine months of probation.
Briggs emphasized that the goal of juvenile court was “rehabilitation, not punishment.”
“To this day, they’ve only caught two out of the ten. Eight of them remain on the street. That night could’ve gone far differently. Think of your daughters and mothers. The same group attacked people before and after us, breaking ribs and stomping heads,” Coristine noted last week. “This senseless crime must be stopped.”
Another two
The Trump DOJ revealed on Monday that it was charging two more teens in connection with the attack on Coristine and the corresponding attempted carjacking.
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, indicated that Laurence Cotton-Powell, 19, and Anthony Taylor, 18, face charges including assault with intent to commit robbery and robbery — not only in connection with the attack on Coristine but in connection with a separate attack on another individual just minutes earlier at a nearby gas station.
Whereas Taylor, a teen from Maryland, has no known criminal history, Cotton-Powell is apparently a seasoned thug who has benefited from bleeding hearts in the judiciary.
Pirro claimed that despite committing crimes while on probation for a previous felony conviction, Cotton-Powell was nevertheless free to attack Coristine and Ethan Levine, the second victim who was stomped ruthlessly by a mob of thugs, because of the leniency of the D.C. Superior Court.
“On April 3 of this year, Laurence Cotton-Powell was sentenced for a felony attempted robbery. My office asked for jail time. Judge [Carmen] McLean, a judge sitting in the criminal part in Superior Court with no criminal background, made a decision to give Cotton-Powell probation in spite of his conviction on a felony attempted robbery,” said Pirro. “Within 31 days, by May 4, Powell reoffends. He’s re-arrested while he’s on probation from the felony, and he’s charged with simple assault and possession of a prohibited weapon B.”
Pirro indicated that the court subsequently refused her office’s request to revoke the thug’s bail and released Cotton-Powell. Although Cotton-Powell was later sentenced, “on July 25, another judge suspends his sentence and decides that he should be on probation,” said the attorney.
“So after a felony of attempted robbery conviction, after a violation of probation, after a second crime, after a second conviction, after no compliance with [the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency], the judges say, ‘Do better,’ and they let him go,” said Pirro. “And guess what? Within 10 days, he’s at it again with Ethan Levine and Edward Coristine.”
Pirro credited the Metropolitan Police Department with going above and and beyond to track down suspects Taylor and Cotton-Powell.
MPD Chief Pamela Smith said, “These arrests send a very strong message to our community: If you commit violent acts in our community, you will be found, you will be held accountable, and you will face justice.”
“We’re not going to be happy until we get every person who was involved in the assault on these two individuals,” said Pirro.
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Jeanine pirro, Department of justice, Justice department, Doj, Crime, Thug, Violence, Edward coristine, Big balls, Judge, Judges, Dc, Politics
President-elect of Oxford Union reaps the whirlwind for celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination
The leftist who was elected president of the Oxford Union in June was among the radicals who rushed to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Like others before him, George Abaraonye has learned the hard way that there are consequences for such depravity.
How it started
Abaraonye wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post, the authenticity of which he confirmed to the Oxford student newspaper Cherwell, “Charlie Kirk got shot loool.”
‘Where is the belief in free speech, the tolerance for opinions, the empathy?’
While Abaraonye treated Kirk’s murder as a laugh-worthy matter, Kirk treated Abaraonye courteously when they debated just months earlier at the Oxford Union.
Abaraonye, a philosophy and politics student who has served also as a “racial and ethnic minorities rep” for the university’s junior common room, later suggested to Cherwell that he had made the remark in a “moment of shock”; however, he reportedly made similarly depraved remarks in a WhatsApp group chat with other students.
Abaraonye wrote, for instance, “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s f****** go,” reported the Telegraph.
The Oxford Union president-elect’s apparent delight at seeing a political assassination on a university campus prompted outrage on both sides of the Atlantic.
RELATED: ‘No longer welcome’: State Dept. revokes visas of foreigners who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s death
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Speakers who were scheduled to join the Oxford Union for debate began canceling, including Liora Rez, executive director of the U.S.-based watchdog group Stop Antisemitism, and Josh Wolfe, co-founder of Lux Capital.
Stop Antisemitism noted to the Oxford Union that “employees will not be engaging with your debate society due to safety concerns and your President elect’s pro violent stance.”
Wolfe noted that he would not attend “until cultural leadership from the top celebrates peace + coexistence + civil discourse + denounces violence.”
Among those who wondered aloud about what had happened to the Oxford Union was Claire Coutinho, a Conservative member of Parliament, who stated, “The Oxford Union is meant to be one of the best student debating chambers in the world. Where is the belief in free speech, the tolerance for opinions, the empathy?”
The Oxford Union finally piped up with a condemnation, expressing sympathy for Kirk’s family and stressing that Abaraonye’s views “do not represent the Oxford Union’s current leadership or committee’s view.”
Abaraonye decided ultimately to paint himself as the victim, suggesting in a statement to Cherwell published September 11 that his heinous remarks were “shaped by the context of Mr. Kirk’s own rhetoric” and that he is now the target of “racist comments and a myriad of threats.”
How it’s going
Several weeks after Valerie Amos, the radical Labour Party politician who serves as master of University College, Oxford, defended Abaraonye and announced that no disciplinary action will be taken against him, the Oxford Union scheduled a vote of no confidence in the president-elect.
The in-person poll took place on Saturday, and the results were published on Monday.
Of the 1,746 ballots ultimately cast, 1,228 members voted to oust Abaraonye; 501 members voted to keep the radical; and 17 members spoiled their ballots. Having passed the required two-thirds threshold of 1,164, the majority spared the Oxford Union from having the radical as their leader.
Abaraonye — who previously suggested that a vote against him was a victory for hate — cried foul after his visitation by consequence, releasing a statement characterizing the vote as “compromised” and the result as invalid.
The statement says the radical “is proud and thankful to have the support of well in excess of a majority of students at Oxford, who voted to have a safe election and resist attempts to subvert democracy.”
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George abaraonye, Oxford union, Oxford, Student, School, Education, Celebration, Radicalism, Radical, Leftist, Leftism, Liberal, England, Britain, Charlie kirk, Turning point usa, Politics
Florida man steals car from gas station with 1-year-old in back seat — then soon returns car, apologizes to mother: Cops
A man stole a car from a gas station in Cocoa, Florida, last Tuesday with a 1-year-old child in the back seat — and then seconds later returned the vehicle and apologized to the mother, police said.
William Mullis, 53, is seen on surveillance video outside a Sunoco station off U.S. Highway 1 walking toward the victim’s car, WESH-TV reported, citing an arrest affidavit.
‘In this case, she’s very lucky that this guy saw there was a child in the back seat, got a case of remorse, and decided to drive back and give her her car back with her child in it.’
Mullis drove toward the gas station exit, made a right turn on Highway 1 — but seconds later backed up, re-entered the gas station area, and parked in a space in front of the gas station store, WESH said.
The mother of the 1-year-old child ran out of the gas station store and confronted Mullis, WESH said, adding that the mother told investigators Mullis said he wouldn’t have stolen the car had he known a baby was inside.
Mullis then apologized to her and left the area on foot, the station said.
“I’m sure this is a parent’s worst nightmare,” Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Tod Goodyear told WESH. “In this case, she’s very lucky that this guy saw there was a child in the back seat, got a case of remorse, and decided to drive back and give her her car back with her child in it.”
More from WESH:
Under Florida law, it is illegal for a parent or anyone responsible for a child younger than 6 unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes. The vehicle can’t be running, and the child may not be left alone if their health is in danger or they are in distress.
Goodyear said it appears the child was inside the car for only a few minutes. The mother is not facing any charges at this time.
“I have three kids. I have four grandkids, and it’s a pain to take the kids out of the car when you’re going in for just a short period of time,” Goodyear added to WESH. “But this kind of reinforces you never know what’s gonna happen. You never know who’s watching you.”
Mullis was arrested and booked into the Brevard County Jail for grand theft of a motor vehicle and kidnapping/confinement of a child under 13 years old, WOFL-TV reported, citing jail records and the arrest affidavit.
Jail records indicated Mullis was still behind bars Tuesday morning. WESH said he’s being held without bond, and his next court date is in early November.
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Car theft, Arrest, Baby in car, Returning stolen car, Florida, Brevard county sheriff’s office, Mother, Grand theft auto, Kidnapping, Cocoa, Crime
Are we stuck in this strange genius’ 400-year-old dream?
The story that modernity tells itself is one of technological progress. We have told this story for so long, with such unwavering conviction, that we have forgotten it has an author. When the Nobel committee awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in economics to Joel Mokyr, they were not merely recognizing a historian. They were footnoting the author of our prevailing narrative, a 17th-century English statesman who never invented a single device, but who successfully marketed ideas so potent that they would remake the world in their image. The story of our prosperity, Mokyr insists, begins with Francis Bacon.
It begins, more precisely, with a frontispiece. The engraving on Bacon’s 1620 “Novum Organum” depicts a ship sailing past the Pillars of Hercules, venturing out from the known world into an uncharted ocean. The motto beneath, “Many will travel and knowledge will be increased,” was not only a prediction but an exhortation. Before Bacon, knowledge was largely a matter of contemplation and study of classical authorities. He saw these as dead ends. Knowledge, he declared, ought to bear fruit in production. Its purpose was not merely to understand the world but to gain “dominion over creation” for the “relief of man’s estate.” Ipsa scientia potestas est. Knowledge itself is power.
This created the feedback loop that defines modernity: Scientific theory leads to new technology, and new technical problems spur further scientific inquiry.
This was the core of what Mokyr calls the “Baconian program”: a philosophical revolution that reframed humanity’s relationship with nature. Nature was no longer a given order to be accepted, but a set of secrets to be extracted, a force to be subdued. Bacon spoke of putting nature “on the rack” to force her to confess her laws. The goal was utility. The method was to marry the rational and the empirical, to unite the philosopher in his study with the craftsman in his workshop. In “The New Atlantis,” he imagined a research institute called “Salomon’s House,” dedicated to inventing things. He was, in Mokyr’s description, a “cultural entrepreneur,” and the product he was selling was a particular vision of the future.
This product sold remarkably well. From the mid-17th through the 18th century, the Baconian program became the organizing principle of the European intellectual elite. The Royal Society of London, founded in 1660, adopted Bacon as its patron. Its members were not to take anyone’s word for the truth; they were to experiment and measure instead. Across the continent, a network of thinkers in the “Republic of Letters” spread the gospel of useful knowledge through correspondence and journals. The monumental French “Encyclopédie” was a direct descendant, an audacious attempt to catalog and disseminate all practical human knowledge, from mining techniques to political theory. The very idea that sharing knowledge leads to progress became an article of faith. This was the “Industrial Enlightenment,” a culture that not only hoped for improvement but actively engineered it.
RELATED: God made man in His image — will ‘faith tech’ flip the script?
Photo by NurPhoto/Getty Images
The Industrial Revolution, in Mokyr’s telling, was not an accident of capital or coal. It was an intellectual achievement, the consequence of this cultural rewiring. James Watt did not improve the steam engine in a vacuum. He was a product of a new culture, a skilled mechanic familiar with the latest scientific theories on heat and pressure. His separate condenser was not a feat of solitary genius, but a manifestation of Bacon’s call to unite “know-why” with “know-how.” This created the feedback loop that defines modernity: Scientific theory leads to new technology, and new technical problems spur further scientific inquiry. The economic growth that followed was not just an increase; it was a phase change. It became sustained and exponential because of the cultural engine continuously driving it.
America inherited this engine and supercharged it. Benjamin Franklin was the archetypal home-grown Baconian, an inventor and scientist celebrated for his practical ingenuity. The nation’s founding ethos was steeped in the promise of both geographical and scientific frontiers. The 20th century saw the program institutionalized on a massive scale. Vannevar Bush, persuading the government to fund basic research after World War II, called science “the endless frontier,” an echo of Bacon’s ship sailing into the unknown. The Manhattan Project, the moon landing, the invention of the microchip — these were all expensive, elaborate vindications of a 400-year-old premise. The smartphone in your pocket is a Salomon’s House in miniature, a device built on centuries of accumulated knowledge, from quantum mechanics to materials science, all marshaled for the purpose of utility.
And yet one is left to wonder about the price of this story. The Baconian program gave us the power to relieve our estate, but it did so by teaching us to view nature as a resource to be exploited, a standing reserve for our own declared needs. The instrumentalism that gave us vaccines and the internet also gave us a world where we have become alienated from the very ground on which we stand. Bacon’s faith in progress was infectious, but it sidelined other ways of being, other stories that valued contentment over control, harmony over dominion. Mokyr’s great contribution is to show us that the modern economy is not a force of nature, but the result of a choice made long ago. He reminds us that the contemporary world we inhabit was first imagined. We live inside a 17th-century dream.
Tech, Culture
