Category: blaze media

A former teacher at a Christian school in Alabama is accused of sexual misconduct with an underage female student, according to authorities. However, the ex-teacher had her bond revoked after she reportedly contacted another teen.

Sarah Huggins Logan — who was a teacher at the North River Christian Academy — allegedly had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl at the school.

‘We have prayed for them and encouraged our entire school family to hold them up in their personal prayers.’

Citing charging documents, AL.com reported that the mother of an underage female student “found messages in her daughter’s phone that indicated there was a romantic and sexual relationship taking place between Logan and the victim.”

The alleged victim told investigators that she and Logan had performed sex acts on each other in the bedroom of Logan’s home in Buhl, according to charging documents.

Detectives with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office conducted interviews and discovered evidence before obtaining arrest warrants for Logan.

Logan, 35, was arrested on July 18 and charged with one count of a school employee engaging in a sex act, according to AL.com.

Logan was released on a $5,000 bond on the day of her arrest, according to the sheriff’s office. She was ordered not to have any contact with any minors except for her own children.

RELATED: Married ex-teacher hit with 52 additional child sex charges related to multiple alleged trysts with 15-year-old male student

Photo by halbergman via iStock / Getty Images

Logan was rearrested Tuesday.

Citing charging documents, AL.com reported that after Logan got out of jail, she set up a new social media account and sent a “friend request” to a 17-year-old. Authorities stated that the friend request violated the judge’s order, and District Judge James Gentry subsequently revoked Logan’s bond. She remained in jail Friday afternoon.

There could be more victims, and Logan could face more charges, according to Capt. Jack Kennedy, head of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Violent Crimes Unit. The North River Christian Academy was cooperating with the investigation.

Logan was a teacher and volleyball coach at the North River Christian Academy, a school for grades pre-K through 12 that focuses on a “Christ-centered education and advancing His kingdom through Christian service.”

RELATED: Ex-teacher accused of grooming, sexually abusing teen boy; mother rips suspect as ‘sick, twisted, calculating sex offender’

School officials said they had been made aware last week of an allegation against Logan and “notified the appropriate state and local authorities.”

The school said in a Facebook statement, “It should be self-evident to say that this incident is heart-rending for all involved. This includes especially the families directly impacted.”

“We have prayed for them and encouraged our entire school family to hold them up in their personal prayers,” the school added. “This situation is easy for no one; there are only degrees of difficulty.”

The school vowed to “weather this storm.”

The North River Christian Academy informed People magazine that Logan is no longer employed there and was “released” for a reason “unrelated to the arrest.”

The Violent Crimes Unit of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office urged any potential child sex abuse victims or anyone with information on the case to contact investigators at 205-464-8690.

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​Teacher arrested, Teacher sex scandal, Child sex crimes, Child sex abuse, Bad teacher, Sarah huggins logan, Sexual misconduct, Crime, Alabama, Christian school, Arrest, Rearrest, Bond revoked 

The United States Postal Service celebrates its 250th anniversary on July 26. As the postal service approaches this major milestone, it continues to face significant financial challenges, including projections that it will lose nearly $7 billion in 2025.

In 1775, the Second Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general, with the new courier system connecting the 13 colonies by speeding up deliveries.

‘Congress needs to act quickly because the agency will be bankrupt by 2028.’

As part of its 250th anniversary, the agency released a new “Eagle in Flight” symbol that will be featured throughout 2025 but will not replace the postal service’s original sonic eagle logo.

The USPS revealed two stamp issues, including an exclusive 32-page booklet and a pane of 20 stamps. It noted that it plans to release additional stamps for the 250th celebration.

The postal service is also hosting “anniversary events,” including a dedication ceremony and a festival at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Postmaster General Doug Tulino stated, “The founders of our great nation saw the intrinsic need of postal services as the United States was born — even before the country itself was formed. Since that time, our universal mail system has strengthened the bonds of friendship, family, and community.”

“The Postal Service remains a great organization connecting our nation and helping power our economy,” Tulino continued. “We are proud to help set the stage for the 250th anniversary of the United States next year, and we look forward to continuing to serve the American public for another 250 years.”

RELATED: USPS postmaster general resigns abruptly amid rumors of conflict with DOGE

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Financial turmoil

The USPS’ grand milestone may be overshadowed by reports that the agency has been hemorrhaging money, sparking concerns that taxpayers could be left to pick up the slack.

While an independent executive branch agency, the USPS is expected to function like a business, with its success relying on its performance and not on taxpayer funds. Costs to support its over 500,000 employees are supposed to be covered by its revenue from sales of stamps and other products and services.

Yet, the agency has suffered over 15 years of consecutive losses, including $9.5 billion in fiscal year 2024 and another $6.5 billion the previous year.

‘It has been just a tremendous loser for this country.’

Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, told Blaze News, “In 1970, Congress rebuilt the Postal Service into a self-funding government agency. That agency model worked until about 15 years ago. Mail volume has plunged about 45% since the year 2008. Yet, every year the cost of running the Postal Service goes up because there are more addresses to serve.”

“Congress needs to ask itself what do we want the Postal Service to be in the 21st century, and how can we pay for it? And Congress needs to act quickly because the agency will be bankrupt by 2028,” Kosar added.

While taxpayers do not generally fund the USPS, it has received billions of dollars in federal loans amid its ongoing struggle to compete with private sector rivals like UPS and FedEx.

In 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, the Department of Treasury allowed the postal service to loan up to $10 billion for operating expenses.

Under former President Biden, the Postal Service Reform Act gave USPS a $107 billion bailout. In 2022, the Democrat-backed Inflation Reduction Act provided the postal service $3 billion to invest in its electric vehicle fleet.

RELATED: Return to sender: DOGE cancels Biden’s $3 billion electric postal truck order

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The USPS hit its maximum borrowing limit in September, reporting $15 billion in outstanding debt obligations to the Federal Financing Bank. The agency has sought to increase the limit, claiming that it has not been adjusted for inflation since it was set in the 1970s.

President Donald Trump has been critical of the postal service’s money management and lack of profitability, even previously stating that he would consider privatizing the agency.

During Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s swearing-in ceremony in February, Trump indicated that Lutnick would be tasked with reviewing USPS finances. Trump suggested that he would consider placing the postal service under the Department of Commerce’s supervision while ensuring it remained a separate entity.

Trump stated, “We want to have a post office that works well and does not lose massive amounts of money.”

“It has been just a tremendous loser for this country,” he continued. “Whether it is a merger or just using some of the very talented people that we have elsewhere so it does not lose so much.”

While it is not yet clear how the Trump administration plans to streamline the USPS, the Government Executive reported that, according to a source, the Department of Government Efficiency has been visiting the postal service’s headquarters in recent months.

The USPS, the Department of Commerce, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment.

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​News, Postal service, United states postal service, Usps, U.s. postal service, Us postal service, Donald trump, Trump, Trump administration, Trump admin, Department of government efficiency, Doge, Kevin kosar, American enterprise institute, Aei, Department of commerce, Doc, Howard lutnick, Politics 

The decapitated and dismembered remains of a gay couple were found in suitcases dropped off at a popular tourist spot in the United Kingdom, according to court records.

On Monday, a London court convicted 35-year-old Yostin Andres Mosquera, a pornography actor from Colombia, for the double murder of 71-year-old Paul Longworth and 62-year-old Albert Alfonso at their home in the Shepherd’s Bush neighborhood.

‘This is probably one of the most traumatic, harrowing murder investigations I’ve dealt with by virtue of that video.’

Mosquera was in a relationship with Alfonso and was living with the couple, but a financial motivation led him to violently murder them both on July 8, 2024.

The court rejected Mosquera’s claims that Alfonso had killed Longworth and forced Mosquera to kill Alfonso in self-defense.

“Mosquera was involved in a consensual sexual relationship with Albert, one which Paul was aware of and lovingly accepted,” police said. “The court heard Albert simply had no reason to kill his partner, Paul, despite Mosquera’s defense that the two of them were in a controlling and coercive relationship.”

Police said that Mosquera killed Alfonso with a hammer and then hid his body to await Longworth, who was coming home from work. Security video shows Longworth arriving at the home just moments before Mosquera stabbed him and slit his throat.

Video obtained by police shows him performing sexual acts on Alfonso before attacking him.

He then recorded himself dancing in the nude while covered in blood. That video was obtained by the New York Post and published online.

RELATED: Louisiana man admits to trying to murder and dismember a gay man he met on LGBT dating app Grindr

Mosquera then cut up the bodies and placed them into suitcases. Security video shows a large chest freezer being delivered to the home.

On July 10, bystanders saw Mosquera acting suspiciously with suitcases on the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, and when someone noticed blood was leaking out of one, he ran away.

“Police were called and made the gruesome discovery of body parts contained within the cases,” prosecutors said. “A luggage label led them to Mr. Longworth and Mr. Alfonso’s flat in Shepherd’s Bush, London, where police also found their decapitated heads and remaining body parts stored in a chest freezer.”

Mosquera was soon apprehended, and investigators used various searches he made on the internet to prove his guilt. In addition to the searches, he tried to access the couple’s finances and transfer money to himself.

“I know how concerning this incident was — and still is — for our LGBT communities,” Detective Inspector Neil Meade said. “We remain in close contact with community leaders and our partners and are ready to provide any support we can.”

“This is probably one of the most traumatic, harrowing murder investigations I’ve dealt with by virtue of that video,” Detective Chief Inspector Ollie Stride said.

Prosecutors expect Mosquera will be sentenced in October.

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​Yostin andres mosquera, Murder of gay couple, Gay murder uk, Crime, Nude dancing bloody colombian porn murderer 

A viral video is circulating online about a young boy named Cason who reportedly had a skateboarding accident that caused him to have a supernatural experience while recovering in the hospital. The video, captured by his mother, shows Cason apparently having a vivid spiritual encounter where he saw Jesus and spoke to his father, who passed away from cancer a year before.

Rick Burgess, BlazeTV host of “Strange Encounters” — a podcast exploring supernatural matters through a biblical lens — has been asked repeatedly to shed light on this most remarkable incident.

In the video, Cason looks upward with wide, teary eyes and says, “Jesus, when are you coming back? We need you. I need you. I miss you, Jesus. … You’re so pretty. Hi, Dad. Did you see me skateboarding? He is so pretty.”

In another part of the video, Cason, presumably seeing his father or a vision of his father, points out that he has “big muscles” and is “so strong.”

First, Rick establishes that Cason was “on medication” when the video was taken. “I have had some medical people say that they’re pretty sure that he’s on ketamine, which can cause one to hallucinate, so we want to take that information in,” he says.

One possibility, Rick suggests, is that the child came from a family of faith and was experiencing medically-induced hallucinations about things he had been taught, like his need for Jesus. The other possibility is that he indeed saw the Messiah.

Rick notes that the boy describes Jesus as “so pretty,” which does seem to be “in sync” with Jesus’ description in the book of Revelation when John paints a picture of him in his “glorified state” as one “clothed with a long robe with a golden sash,” his hair “white like white wool,” his eyes “like a flame of fire,” his feet “like burnished bronze,” and his voice “like the roar of many waters.”

However, the boy’s vision of his deceased father makes Rick “a little leery”: “I think it may be more likely that he’s seeing an angel and he’s just thinking it’s his dad,” he says, noting how angels are often described in Scripture as being “pretty impressive beings.”

In any case, Rick finds the child to be “genuine.”

“It could be the drugs; it could be real,” he says, but there’s no doubt that “his eyes are absolutely seeing something.”

To hear more of Rick’s analysis and to see the footage of Cason, watch the episode above.

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​Strange encounters, Rick burgess, Jesus, Supernatural, Supernatural attacks, Blazetv, Blaze media, Spirit realm 

Maps of the United States haven’t moved much lately. They should.

A cursory glance at historical maps over time — whether in the U.S. or globally — shows the dynamic movement of political boundaries. Since the birth of the United States, new states have been carved out of existing ones, county lines redrawn, and so on. Nowadays, though, aside from the occasional annexation or incorporation, boundaries have become relatively static.

Next time a state like Illinois comes crawling to Congress for a bailout, federal lawmakers should make border reorganization part of the deal.

That’s a sign of stagnation, not dynamism. And it needs to change.

Similar to how failing public schools precipitated the school choice movement, the failure of municipalities is spawning a growing movement for secession, annexation, and political reorganization.

Liberating red America

The municipal secession movement already has its “Lexington and Concord moment” in Baton Rouge and St. George, Louisiana. Fueled by failing schools and rampant crime, a section of East Baton Rouge Parish began its long, litigative battle for secession. In 2024, its work paid off. The parish successfully seceded from the consolidated county government, forging the new city of St. George, Louisiana, which is now the fifth most populous city in the state.

It won’t be the last.

Several local secession movements are emerging in conservative regions across the nation that are under the thumb of Democrat governments, with little hope of initiating regime change at the ballot box due to current districting laws.

The “Greater Idaho” movement, for example, is growing in conservative Eastern Oregon, now encompassing 13 counties that have approved measures to secede from deep-blue Oregon and be annexed by Idaho.

In rural Illinois, 33 counties have passed referenda seeking to leave the state entirely. Some want to form a new state, and others propose annexation by Indiana. Lawmakers in Indiana even established a formal boundary adjustment commission earlier this month to explore the idea.

Northern California’s long-standing movement to form a new “State of Jefferson” could one day merge with similar efforts in Southern Oregon.

Unchaining red municipalities

At the municipal level in large, deep-blue cities, purple-red neighborhoods like Staten Island in New York City or Buckhead in Atlanta could lead the charge for de-annexation.

Even in ultra-liberal cities like Austin, the de-annexation movement is gaining ground. The Lost Creek neighborhood, forcibly annexed in 2015, had had enough. Higher taxes, dismal city services, and left-wing pathologies drove residents to demand freedom. The Texas legislature intervened, passing a bill that allowed Lost Creek to vote itself out. It did — and won. More neighborhoods may follow.

This is the way it should be done, with the state stepping in to rescue disaffected neighborhoods from mismanaged cities.

Where cities have collapsed — Detroit and Baltimore come to mind — state governments should consider carving up failed urban zones and allowing them to reorganize under fresh charters. Let those areas be resettled under new leadership, new institutions, and new expectations.

In places where Democrat stronghold cities dominate entire counties — often electing radical officials who impose their ideologies on rural areas — states must step in.

In Harris County, Texas, radical leftist Lina Hidalgo runs the show from Houston. In Travis County, home to Austin, Soros-backed District Attorney José Garza applies “justice” as his donors see fit.

County residents who live outside of the big cities calling the shots would be much better served by county officials who reflect their values — not the radicals deeply planted in their city halls. They deserve a way out.

Bankruptcy poses an opportunity

States and municipalities filing for bankruptcy pose a tremendous opportunity to redraw the lines. In 2023, for example, Wisconsin’s GOP-controlled legislature bailed out bankrupt Milwaukee. The legislature could have liberated neighborhoods that never wanted to be annexed by Milwaukee in the first place. They missed the opportunity, however.

RELATED: ‘Municipal conservatism’ offers hope to crime-ridden blue cities

Photo by Matt Gush via Getty Images

Next time a state like Illinois comes crawling to Congress for a bailout, federal lawmakers should make border reorganization part of the deal. Downstate counties could be annexed by neighboring red states. Bailout in, blue control out.

During the Civil War, when Virginia seceded from the Union, West Virginia was born — its counties carved out and reorganized under federal protection. Today, as California’s officials promise to defy federal law and actively rebel against national authority, it may be time to ask: If rebellion defines California’s government, why not liberate its non-rebellious counties?

Beyond the US

Even national boundaries are up for reconsideration, too. That may sound radical, but it’s happened before.

Canada’s strange political experiment is showing signs of collapse. The ruling class in Ottawa derides the very existence of their country — obsessed with “stolen land” narratives and hostile to their own national culture. Their last remaining shred of civic unity is anti-Americanism.

But not all Canadians share that view.

The prairie provinces — Alberta and Saskatchewan — stand apart. Their culture, economy, and values are more closely aligned with those of the American Midwest than with those of Toronto or Quebec. Suffocating under anti-energy, anti-farmer policies, Alberta, in particular, is ripe for annexation.

Let’s add another star or two to the flag. The cowboy provinces would be a better fit in the U.S. anyway.

No borders are forever

Existing city, county, state, and national borders are not sacrosanct. If history is any guide, they will eventually change.

The only question is whether we’ll wait until the change is forced upon us — or whether we’ll act while there’s still time to do it peacefully and deliberately.

The map will change. Let’s make sure it changes for the better.

​Opinion & analysis, California, Secession, State of jefferson, Canada, Cities, Counties, Government, Austin, Texas, Tyranny, Greater idaho, Culture, Economy, Ottowa, Red states, Blue states, Maps, Rural, America 

Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York will have to pay up to settle an ethics complaint after she accepted free tickets and other gifts to attend the Met Gala.

Ocasio-Cortez was ridiculed by many for famously wearing a dress with the message “Tax the Rich” to the famous gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2021. She later was hit with an ethics complaint when it was discovered that she had run afoul of rules governing gifts to members of Congress.

‘I’m just saying, you wear ‘tax the rich’ on your ass, and people are always saying the rich don’t pay taxes.’

On Friday, the panel dropped a 31-page report about the gala accusations. They found that although she tried to follow rules about gifts, Ocasio-Cortez failed by “impermissibly accepting a gift of free admission to the 2021 Met Gala for her partner and by failing to pay full fair market value for some of the items worn to the event.”

She and her boyfriend were given tickets to the event worth about $35,000 as guests of Vogue, as well as customized clothing and hair and makeup styling. Ocasio-Cortez worked with an attorney to pay for the gifts, but the panel said the payments were delayed and fell short of the value of the gifts.

The congresswoman’s chief of staff said she accepted the ruling.

“The Congresswoman appreciates the Committee finding that she made efforts to ensure her compliance with House Rules and sought to act consistently with her ethical requirements as a Member of the House,” Mike Casca said. “She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she’s done at each step in this process.”

RELATED: Campaign office for Ocasio-Cortez vandalized with far-left message

Ocasio-Cortez was mocked widely for implying that the wealthy paid little in taxes.

“I’m all for ending income inequality, but let’s not lie. The rich pay a lot of the taxes,” Bill Maher said in a tirade at the time.

“I’m just saying, you wear ‘tax the rich’ on your ass, and people are always saying the rich don’t pay taxes. They pay some taxes!” Maher argued later in his screed. “They pay a big part of the freight already. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be more perhaps, but let’s not lie.”

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​Aoc ethics complaint, Ocasio cortez met gala, Tax the rich dress, Ocasio-cortez is not smart, Politics 

The woman at the center of the pedophile saga that has gripped the nation may be asking for a pardon from President Donald Trump very soon.

Ghislaine Maxwell’s attorney David Markus told reporters there had been no offer of pardon or clemency after a second day of interviews concluded with the Department of Justice.

‘I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but I certainly can’t talk about pardons now.’

Maxwell was convicted on charges of sex trafficking for her role in helping Jeffrey Epstein obtain victims in a sexual assault ring before the billionaire financier was found dead in a prison cell awaiting trial. She is serving a sentence of 20 years at a prison in Tallahassee, Florida.

Markus said Tuesday that the meetings allowed Ghislaine to tell her side of the story since she had never testified in court.

Markus did not comment on the content of the meetings and said only that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had brokered the meeting and asked a lot of questions. But he did imply that Maxwell may ask the administration for a pardon.

“We haven’t spoken to the president, or anybody, about a pardon just yet,” Markus told reporters. “And the president this morning said he had the power to do so. We hope he exercises that power in the right and just way.”

Earlier on Friday, Trump only affirmed that he had the power to give Maxwell clemency when asked by reporters in front of the White House, but said that he hadn’t even thought about it.

“I can’t talk about that now because, you know, it’s a very sensitive interview going on,” said Trump, who went on to compliment Blanche.

“He’s over there now. I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but I certainly can’t talk about pardons now,” he added.

RELATED: Trump denies report of letter and drawing sent to Epstein on his 50th birthday, threatens to sue WSJ

Markus said after the first meeting with the DOJ that Maxwell had answered every question she was asked and did not cite her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. He described the questioning as exhaustive.

Epstein’s death was ruled a suicide, but suspicious circumstances around his death have led to speculation that he was murdered in order to prevent his revealing which wealthy and powerful individuals may have participated in his illegal activities.

The Trump administration faced a lot of anger from some supporters after FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino bluntly rejected conspiracy theories about the pedophile’s suicide.

“You know a suicide when you see one, and that’s what that was,” Patel said at the time.

“He killed himself,” Bongino added. “Again, I’ve seen the whole file. He killed himself.”

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​Ghislaine maxwell, Pardon for maxwell, Jeffrey epstein controversy, Trump pardons, Politics 

The state of California suffered a legal defeat after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said its restrictions on ammunition purchases were unconstitutional.

Two of the three judges on the court panel said California was violating the Second Amendment rights of residents by requiring a background check on ammunition purchases.

‘Today’s decision is a slap in the face to the progress California has made in recent years to keep its communities safer.’

“By subjecting Californians to background checks for all ammunition purchases, California’s ammunition background check regime infringes on the fundamental right to keep and bear arms,” Judge Sandra S. Ikuta wrote for the majority opinion.

California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who supported the restrictions, posted an angry statement after losing in court.

“Strong gun laws save lives — and today’s decision is a slap in the face to the progress California has made in recent years to keep its communities safer from gun violence,” Newsom said.

“Californians voted to require background checks on ammunition, and their voices should matter,” he added.

The decision is just the latest in seven years’ worth of legal battles over the restrictions that were implemented in the wake of a horrific Islamic terror attack in San Bernardino in 2014.

RELATED: Federal judge strikes down California ban on firearm magazines

“This case has been a long hard fight against overreaching government gun control, but a firearm cannot be effective without the ammunition to make it operable,” said California Rifle and Pistol Association President Chuck Michel. “The state of California continues to try to strip our rights, and we continue to prove their actions are unconstitutional.”

Two of the panel’s judges were nominated by President George W. Bush, while the third was nominated by President Donald Trump.

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​Newsom on guns, Ca ammo law, Ca gun law struck down, Ninth circuit vs gun laws, Politics 

New York City is the most expensive city in the United States because the high demand for limited space drives up costs for housing, goods, and services, right?

Well, not exactly. While it’s true that high demand and limited space impact any city’s cost of living, the adoption of Marxist policies are heavily to blame for the unaffordability crisis in NYC.

“Why is New York City so expensive? It has the highest taxes in the country. … It has more regulations than anybody can keep track of,” Mark Levin says.

The city’s effort to make living more affordable via rent controls has only made matters worse because developers opt to “build more luxury [residences] … to bypass the rent control and to sell to wealthy people,” making “housing for people who have average incomes less and less affordable and in some areas unaffordable,” he explains.

As for the exorbitant cost of food in NYC, taxes — “taxes on the people who sell the food, taxes on restaurants, taxes on delicatessens and pizzerias” — are to blame, Levin says. Other government-imposed factors, specifically regulations and labor requirements such as high minimum wages, prevent would-be business owners from entering the market.

Levin finds it ironic that the very government policies — like rent controls and high minimum wages — that are imposed to make the city more affordable are actually what make NYC so expensive.

Unfortunately, New Yorkers can’t seem to connect the dots, which is why they continue electing people like Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral candidate who’s an open socialist. He’s proposing stricter rent controls and an even higher minimum wage, as well as city-owned grocery stores and free public transportation, among other Marxist policies. He’s even expressed his desire to “seize the means of production” — an idea that “comes straight out of the ‘Communist Manifesto.’”

Many of these voters buy into the false narrative that it’s capitalism and billionaires making life unaffordable, when in fact it’s capitalism that gives us freedom to ascend in the ranks and puts the power of destiny in our hands.

“Capitalism is a godsend,” Levin says, but “for the Marxists, it must be destroyed.”

Mamdani and others like him sell a vision of a “workers’ paradise” where affordability is no longer an issue, but the reality of that vision is a society where “individualism and freedom” are treated like “poison.” It’s a world where “the family, the church, [and] the synagogue” are seen as “competing social structures” that need to be “annihilated.” The people who previously “created the wealth” are disincentivized to do the very things that led to wealth, so they move away.

This is the fate of New York City if Mamdani comes into power, Levin warns.

To hear more of his analysis and commentary, watch the clip above.

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​Mark levin, Levintv, Blazetv, Blaze media, Zohran mamdani, Socialism, Communism, New york city, Nyc 

A statement from the Department of Homeland Security revealed the administration’s stance on amnesty for some illegal aliens that was instituted by former President Barack Obama.

In a statement given to Blaze News, the DHS said that the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program did not grant legal status and that recipients could be deported.

‘DACA recipients … are under a heavy microscope to be perfect, or risk upending their entire lives to be forced to live in a country they barely know.’

“DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country. Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation,” the DHS said in a statement about a migrant who claimed he lost amnesty status after accidentally driving into Mexico.

The controversial program was passed through an executive memo signed by Obama in 2012 after he complained more than two dozen times that he did not have the authority to pass amnesty on his own. Critics on the right pounced on the development to lambast Obama for his hypocrisy and for violating the constitutional separation of powers.

President Donald Trump has previously suggested that he might not deport the “Dreamers,” the name given to DACA recipients, but this latest statement from the DHS likely means they are up for deportation.

Valerie Sigamani, an attorney representing the alleged former DACA recipient who is facing deportation, commented to Blaze News on the DHS statement via email.

Sigamani said the program “unfortunately has too long been a hindrance on the freedom of community members who grew up the majority of their life in the United States.

“I hope that this administration and all future administrations understand that DACA recipients are some of the most upstanding members of our society. They have the opportunity of the American dream, but are under a heavy microscope to be perfect, or risk upending their entire lives to be forced to live in a country they barely know — a fear too many young people in this country have to live with,” she added.

RELATED: Federal judge rules against Obama DACA amnesty, will likely be decided by Supreme Court

The Trump administration will likely ramp up efforts for mass deportations after Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that includes billions in funding for immigration enforcement.

“DACA recipients who show commitment to this country, like my client, are gems to our society, and they should not be devalued because they were not born here,” Sigamani concluded. “To not assure DACA recipients that they are valued, that they can have security, is to not shield community members worth shielding.”

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​Dhs on daca, Daca recipients, Mass deportation daca, Are daca people protected, Politics 

President Donald Trump said the tariffs policies he implemented have raised so much money that he is considering sending out a tariff refund check to the American people.

The president made the comments Friday in front of the White House after being asked by a reporter about the possibility of a rebate from the tens of billions of dollars garnered through his imposition of new tariff rates.

‘We have so much money coming in from tariffs that a little rebate for people of a certain income level might be very nice.’

“We’re thinking about that actually,” the president said. “We have so much money coming in, we’re thinking about a little rebate, but the big thing we want to do is pay down debt. But we’re thinking about a rebate.”

The government reported a massive increase in U.S. customs duties revenue in June of $27 billion, which amounts to 301% gain from the year previous.

“We’re thinking about a rebate because we have so much money coming in from tariffs that a little rebate for people of a certain income level might be very nice,” Trump added.

RELATED: Trump continues to bash Fed chair after inflation report; Powell calls for independent probe into renovation accusations

Critics of the president’s restrictive trade policies say that tariffs “not only impose immense economic costs but also fail to achieve their primary policy aims and foster political dysfunction along the way.”

Others opposed the idea of a tariff rebate on the basis that the additional spending would be inflationary and that the funding would be better spent paying down the federal debt.

NPR’s Jack Corbett noted on X on Wednesday that people may send the U.S. Treasury donations via Venmo and Paypal “to help pay off the national debt.”

Some, like former Trump staffer Steve Cortes, were supportive of the rebate idea.

“Great idea! Tariff revenue rebates for working class citizens, yes please,” he responded.

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Linebacker Von Miller referred to the Washington Commanders as the “Washington Redskins” during his first day on the job.

At an introductory press conference, Miller took the stage at the Commanders facility as the team welcomed the two-time Super Bowl champion to their squad ahead of the 2025 season.

But on minute one of day one, Miller made a reference that could not have been timed better.

‘The Washington Redskins called me a month and a half ago …’

“I’m excited to be here, 15th year in the league,” Miller began on Thursday. “It never gets old, especially being out of work for four months, perspective kind of changes a little bit.”

Miller reminisced about being able to pick up and drop off his kids from school during his time off, but he said he missed team activities and practices.

“It’s good dropping the kids off, and it’s good picking the kids up from school, but I want to go to work, I want to go to work,” he continued.

Then, Miller said what no one was expecting.

“The Washington Redskins called me a month and a half ago and started talking and agreed to come here to Washington about a week and a day ago. And here I am, so excited to be here,” he said.

RELATED: ‘MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN’: Trump threatens Washington Commanders’ stadium deal over woke name change

While Miller’s “Redskins” remark could have been a mistake, given that was the team’s name for most of his 36 years on Earth, no correction was made, and everyone at the press conference moved on.

The timing is definitely interesting, though.

Just days earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt followed up on President Trump’s recent declaration that the Commanders should change their name back to the Redskins “immediately.”

Trump even said he would consider blocking the Commanders’ new D.C. stadium from being built if they did not change the name.

“I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,” he wrote on Truth Social.

A reporter asked Leavitt on Monday, “Was the president serious, or was he joking?”

“The president was serious,” Leavitt replied. “As part of the art of the deal, part of his negotiating skills, as you know, sports is one of the many passions of this president, and he wants to see the name of that team change.”

RELATED: Former Cleveland Indians manager blames ‘white’ people for wanting to return to old team name

Leavitt continued, “If you actually poll this issue with sports fans across the country and even in this city, people actually do support the president’s position on this and the name change.”

A 2024 poll by the Washington Post showed just 32% of Commanders fans specifically liked or loved their team name, while 57% of the team’s fans said they dislike or hate the name.

This May, a Washington Post-Schar School poll showed the name had become more popular, with 50% of locals and 62% of Commanders fans saying they “like” or “love” the name.

At the same time, 36% of D.C. residents do not like the name, with 9% saying they “hate” it. For Commanders fans specifically, 33% don’t like the name and 8% hate it.

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Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) announced his bid for governor on Friday. Joining a crowded 2026 gubernatorial race on the Republican side, Norman’s campaign faces an uphill battle due to his spotted record of support for President Trump.

A longtime member of the House Freedom Caucus, Norman has often been called one of the most conservative members of the House, according to GovTrack.us. Norman has held a U.S. House seat representing District 5 since winning a special election in 2017, when he took Mick Mulvaney’s seat, whom Trump tapped to lead the Office of Management and Budget in his first term.

‘He’s the political establishment’s worst nightmare.’

The fiscal conservative heavyweight currently sits on the House Committees on Budget, Financial Services, and Rules, as well as a few subcommittees.

“Ralph Norman believes we must finally clean up Columbia and pass term limits, so we can prepare South Carolina for the future by fixing our roads and improving our schools,” a spokesman for Ralph Norman’s campaign told Blaze News. “He’s the political establishment’s worst nightmare.”

RELATED: The Republicans who could derail reconciliation

House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (center)Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

According to the Associated Press, Norman is not expected to seek Trump’s endorsement, despite the president’s indisputable influence on conservative politics in South Carolina. Norman endorsed Nikki Haley and appeared on her 2024 campaign trail.

Norman has been involved in several controversies, including his rejection of the January 6 committee, which he called “a politically motivated exercise with a pre-determined outcome,” as well as an incident in which he pulled out a loaded gun during a constituent meeting to demonstrate that “guns don’t shoot people, people shoot guns.” In May 2021, Norman refused to wear a mask in Congress and was fined after a failed appeal.

Norman is joining a crowded governor race in 2026. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R), South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R), and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell (R) have made their official announcements. Rep. Nancy Mace (R) has said she is “seriously considering” a run for the position but has not made any formal announcement.

State Rep. Jermaine Johnson, a Democrat, formed an exploratory committee about a possible run in 2026.

The Republican Governors Association did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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Now-former Rep. Mark Green (R) of Tennessee officially retired over the weekend, and several candidates have already thrown their hats into the race to replace him.

Green initially announced his retirement in June, saying he would be pursuing an opportunity in the private sector which was “too exciting to pass up.” Green said he would officially retire after the House passed President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law on July 4.

With the deep-red seat now in play, several Republicans have set their sights on Tennessee’s 7th congressional district.

“It’s with a heavy heart that I say farewell,” Green said, concluding his 40-year career in public service. “To my constituents across Tennessee’s 7th District — thank you. The trust you put in me is humbling. I will look back fondly on my years of serving as your voice in Washington.”

As a result, the House Republican majority narrowed to 219 seats, while Democrats continue to hold 212. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) and the Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office promptly announced they will be holding a special election with a primary in October and a general election in December.

RELATED: How Rep. Mark Green’s abrupt resignation will affect House Republicans’ slim majority

With the deep-red seat now in play, several Republicans have set their sights on Tennessee’s 7th congressional district.

RELATED: George Santos bids a ‘fabulous’ farewell, surrenders for prison sentence

Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images

Some Tennessee state representatives have launched campaigns to replace Green, including Republicans Jody Barrett of Dickson County and Lee Reeves of Franklin County. Stewart Parks, a Nashville resident who was convicted of and later pardoned for January 6-related charges, is also running.

Other candidates include several U.S. Army veterans, like Springfield resident Jon Thorp, Montgomery County Commissioner Jason Knight, and Matt Van Epps, a former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services who resigned to run.

Although the National Republican Congressional Committee has not yet thrown its support behind any candidate, Green endorsed Van Epps to replace him.

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Jon Stewart, who BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock calls an “alleged comedian,” went viral after performing his song “Go F Yourself” while hosting “The Daily Show” — which was inspired by Stephen Colbert.

“Go f**k yourself,” Colbert said during Monday’s opening monologue, seemingly responding to President Trump saying, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired.”

Trump went even further, writing on Truth Social that Colbert’s “talent was even less than his ratings.”

The response apparently sent Stewart spiraling into his angry performance, where he sang, “Just go f**k yourself,” over and over while what appeared to be a choir from a predominantly black church sang and repeated it behind him.

“He’s someone that rejects Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and has no problem using a black gospel, Christian tradition, to do something this profane,” Whitlock says on “Jason Whitlock Harmony.”

“Maybe you reject Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,” he continues, asking, but why are we playing with God? Has the culture really gotten this out of control that everything about Christianity is just a joke to the people that reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? And why are we tolerating it?”

Whitlock makes the point that Stewart is Jewish, and if he did something to mock his faith, he’d be canceled.

“I’d be off the air. Period,” he says. “But you can just tear into us. You can just tear into Jesus Christ using us. Very frustrating.”

BlazeTV contributor Delano Squires is in full agreement, noting that this isn’t the first time Stewart’s done this.

“You were probably the only person who I saw comment on this whose visceral reaction was the same as mine,” Squires tells Whitlock. “Which was, ‘What? Who are the black folk?’ And this is not the first time Stewart’s done this. He did this a few years ago when he was saying, ‘Go f**k yourself,’ to Fox News and it was the same setup. He had like five black people and one white person. And I’m like, who are these people who would allow themselves to be used in this way?”

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

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It’s long been clear that the Russia collusion hoax was an invention of bad actors keen to undermine President Donald Trump after he humiliated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and threatened to upend the political status quo — or as he put it, “drain the swamp.”

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard published a previously classified House Intelligence Committee report on Wednesday that seems to prove once and for all that the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, the basis of the hoax, was a work of fiction largely orchestrated by communist voter and ex-CIA Director John Brennan at the behest of former President Barack Obama.

RELATED: On the 9th anniversary of Russiagate, the hoax is finally crumbling

Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Gabbard referred the documents — which she noted “detail a treasonous conspiracy by officials at the highest levels of the Obama White House to subvert the will of the American people and try to usurp the President from fulfilling his mandate” — this week to the Department of Justice and FBI so that they can “investigate the criminal implications.”

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told CNN he would “lawyer up.” Brennan, whom CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred to the FBI earlier this month to be criminally investigated for allegedly lying to Congress, continued to paint himself as a victim, telling NBC News, “There is no factual basis for the allegations that Tulsi Gabbard is making.”

Although Obama apparently got the ball rolling on the manufacture of the 2017 ICA, allegedly ordering a rewrite of the intelligence community’s assessments after they previously made no mention of efforts on the part of Russia to help Trump, Brennan’s and Clapper’s former boss may ultimately avoid accountability.

‘He’s done criminal acts.’

A reporter asked Trump before he departed to Scotland on Friday whether he figured the U.S. Supreme Court’s July 1, 2024, ruling in Trump v. United States — which prompted apoplexy among Democrats, demands for conservative justices to be impeached, and accusations that the high court was “consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control” — would apply to Obama, thereby letting him skate for his role in the alleged “treasonous conspiracy.”

“It probably helps him a lot,” said Trump. “Probably helps him a lot, the immunity ruling — but it doesn’t help the people around him at all.”

RELATED: If no one goes to jail, the coup was a success

Photo (left): Kevin Dietsch/Getty Image; Photo (right): Ethan Miller/Getty Images

In the relevant case, a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court determined that the president “may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts.”

“He’s done criminal acts. There’s no question about it. But he has immunity,” continued the president. “He owes me big. Obama owes me big.”

Obama’s office said in a statement on Tuesday, “Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.”

This is the same sleight of hand the liberal media is now trying to pull off.

The Russia collusion narrative centered on the claim that Russia worked to influence the election for Trump’s benefit — a claim that credible intelligence available in January 2017 contradicted but, as evidenced in the newly declassified House report, was strategically pushed by the Obama administration on the basis of falsehoods and intelligence known to be devoid of credibility.

Obama’s former underlings, not similarly shielded from accountability, may soon have to reckon with the Justice Department’s new task force aimed at investigating “potential next legal steps which might stem from DNI Gabbard’s disclosures.”

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Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, up until this month recognized by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization, was formed as the result of the merger of al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate, al-Nusrah Front, and other extremist groups committed to a “popular jihad.”

HTS, which in recent years tried to rehab its public image, led the Turkish-backed Islamic militants who seized the Syrian capital of Damascus in December and ultimately overthrew the Assad regime — a regime change made possible with the help of the Obama CIA and the Pentagon.

Despite the HTS’ murderous history and threats to the existence of Syria’s Christians, Alawites, and Druze, Western neocons celebrated the replacement of Bashar al-Assad as president with HTS leader Muhammad al-Jawlani, who now goes by Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa.

‘The current political environment in Syria remains deeply unstable and ambiguous for Christians.’

The Washington Post’s foreign policy columnist Josh Rogin, for instance, wrote, “Syria is free. The rebels won. The people liberated themselves from tyranny.” Trump critic Bill Kristol wrote, “The fall of a brutal dictator is rare enough that we should take the opportunity to celebrate it, and pay tribute to those who brought it about.” Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) expressed hope in December that under the new terrorist leadership, Syria would “be a tolerant society accepting of people from all religious confessions.”

Recent massacres, bombings, rapes, and kidnappings committed by al-Sharaa’s forces, friends, and fellow travelers have provided strong indications that such celebrations were premature.

A source who routinely travels to Syria and who has been in recent contact with people in the country has shared with Blaze News insights about life for Christians and other religious minorities under the new regime.

RELATED: Syria’s terrorist regime just killed an American citizen — more Christians, Druze are next

The Syrian regime’s security forces roll into the Druze city of Suwayda on July 15. Photo by SAM HARIRI/AFP via Getty Image

“The current political environment in Syria remains deeply unstable and ambiguous for Christians and certainly dangerous for other religious minorities, with recent events in the governorate of Sweida tragically underscoring this reality,” said the source, who asked to remain anonymous over security concerns. “On July 15, 2025, Sweida experienced a large-scale massacre resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.”

Between July 13 and July 20, over 1,200 people were were killed in clashes between Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans, which were aided by al-Sharaa’s forces, and Druze-linked militias in Syria’s southern Druze-majority Suwayda province, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

There have reportedly been numerous religiously-motivated assassinations across the country in the days since.

The source noted that “among those killed was a prominent pastor of the local evangelical church, along with his entire family.”

Khaled Mazhar, the pastor of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Suwayda city “who had converted from another faith tradition, was known for his peaceful integration and for serving as a respected leader within both the church and the wider community,” added the source.

The SOHR indicated that members of al-Sharaa’s Ministry of Defense were responsible for the pastor’s slaying.

In response to the historic bloodletting, Blaze News’ source indicated that religious communities, including Orthodox and Catholic Christians, have opened their churches as a place of refuge, and “overcrowding is now common.”

“This recent crisis highlights both the persistent vulnerability of religious minorities in Syria and the profound challenges they face in the current political landscape. The urgent calls for international protection reflect a widespread sense of abandonment and a desire for tangible, effective action from the global community,” the source said.

Fr. Tony Boutros, a Melkite-Catholic priest in Suwayda who was among the Christian clergymen abducted by radicals in 2015, said in a recent video statement, “We ask the U.S., Europe, the Vatican, and the whole world for international protection for this region of Sweida, all of it, for us and for our Druze brothers, my dear ones. Look at the massacres that happened to us in Sweida.”

‘The biggest thing that gets lost is complexity.’

The source indicated that everyday life for Christians and other religious minorities in Syria can “appear relatively normal,” but such appearances are deceptive, as “underlying fear and uncertainty are constant realities.”

RELATED: New massacre, old problem: How Syria can protect its religious minorities

Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images

“Most recently, the bombing at the Mar Elias Church in Damascus on June 22, 2025, during a Sunday liturgy, resulted in at least 20 deaths and dozens injured — demonstrating how quickly violence can erupt even in seemingly safe spaces,” the source said. “In Sweida, the ‘Suwayda Massacre’ and other attacks have deepened a sense of vulnerability. Even where no violence is occurring, minorities remain wary, practicing their faith discreetly and living with a persistent sense of fragility, knowing that the situation can deteriorate suddenly and dramatically.”

While life under the terrorist regime remains precarious, the source indicated that family presently in Syria believe “the situation is much better than what it was during the previous regime,” although there is disagreement on this point.

“I used to say that nothing in the universe will be worse than the Assad regime. They were absolute monsters. However, if you ask someone from Sweida now, their answer would be different,” the source said.

When pressed on whether something has been neglected in other reports that readers should know about the situation in Syria, the source noted, “The biggest thing that gets lost is complexity.”

“Too often, reports paint Syria in black and white, but the reality is anything but simple,” the source continued. “The situation shifts from city to city, even from one household to the next. It changes every day. Any responsible reporting has to acknowledge just how nuanced things are and resist the urge to generalize. Oversimplifying only does a disservice to the real lived experiences on the ground.”

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The House Ethics Committee released a 23-page report on Friday detailing the investigation into Republican Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania over allegations of insider trading. Although the report largely cleared Kelly of these allegations, the committee found “substantial evidence” that he violated the Code of Official Conduct.

Kelly was first subject to investigation in July 2021 over allegations that his wife purchased a steel company’s stock “based on confidential or material nonpublic information” the lawmaker learned during his “official job duties.”

‘My family and I look forward to putting this distraction behind us.’

After four years of investigation, the Office of Congressional Conduct found that there was “substantial reason to believe” the stock purchase was made based on the confidential information Kelly would have learned in his official capacity. However, the report also noted that the OCC “cannot definitively say what Representative Kelly and his wife knew about these developments and when they knew them” due to the “lack of cooperation” from Kelly, his wife, and his then-chief of staff.

“The Committee is particularly concerned with Representative Kelly’s actions during the Committee’s investigation — most notably the fact that his wife made an additional purchase of stock in the same company during the pendency of the investigation, Representative Kelly did not timely disclose that purchase, and he failed to respond to Committee questions regarding the purchase,” the report reads.

RELATED: George Santos bids a ‘fabulous’ farewell, surrenders for prison sentence

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

“As discussed further below, the Committee determined that Representative Kelly (and his wife) should divest of any stock in the company before Representative Kelly takes any further official actions directly related to that company,” the report continues. “Additionally, the Committee found that Representative Kelly’s failure to acknowledge the seriousness of the alleged misconduct and the Committee’s investigation violated clause 1 of the Code of Official Conduct.”

RELATED: House Republicans officially subpoena Epstein’s partner in crime

Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

In a statement obtained by Blaze News, Kelly insisted the investigation was just a “distraction.”

“This investigation has unnecessarily lasted for nearly five years,” Kelly said in the statement. “In the years since this investigation began, the Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works plant faced an uncertain future due to the Biden administration’s reckless energy policies. Throughout this process, I have fought for the 1,400 workers at the plant, I’ve spoken with these workers, and they appreciate the hard work we have done to fight for those jobs and for Butler.”

“My family and I look forward to putting this distraction behind us.”

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Fans are split on the season 27 premiere episode of “South Park,” which features an AI-generated video of President Trump nude, with a cartoon version of him in bed with Satan.

What critics are missing, however, is years worth of history and Easter eggs throughout the episode that are more than likely to play out over the course of the rest of the season. Furthermore, it is probably not even Trump at all.

‘Woke is dead … you can just say “retarded” now, nobody cares.’

The episode starts with fan-favorite and overall evil child Eric Cartman waking up to find out that NPR, “where all the liberals b***h and whine about stuff,” is no longer on the air, thanks to Trump.

The reason Cartman is upset about NPR being canceled is not because he supports the content, but because “it was the funniest s**t ever … where all the lesbians and Jews complain about stuff.”

After heading to school, Cartman is excited to have his need for woke nonsense fulfilled by his principal, whose name is literally PC Principal, standing for “politically correct.”

However, due to the state of the world, it turns out that PC Principal now wants “PC” to stand for “Power Christian” and tells the school children to turn to the Bible before he literally brings Jesus to the school, who will stand in the halls and eat lunch with the kids every day.

Some conservatives were upset over clips that showed subsequent parts of the episode.

RELATED: Dems furious at Republicans trying to rename Kennedy Center theater after first lady Melania Trump

In a clip on X that has been seen nearly seven million times, the cartoon version of Trump is dancing around at a White House party, while a song can be heard with the lyrics, “We’re bringing back Christ … Christ makes the money.”

Trump then takes a call from a group of his supporters, who are upset about Jesus being forcibly put in school. Trump tells them he will sue their whole town for criticizing him. Trump then strips nude and gets into bed with Satan.

The show also portrays the hosts of “60 Minutes” being too afraid to criticize Trump over fear of getting sued, with Jesus eventually also trying to prevent Trump’s rowdy supporters from turning on him, whispering that they need to be careful or else the Paramount Network, which “South Park” is aired on, is going to get sued.

The ongoing theme of the episode, titled “Sermon on the ‘Mount,” is that while wokeness may be dead and people are turning to Christianity, it remains important that citizens are not in fear of legal backlash if they criticize those in power.

Or, as Cartman says, “Woke is dead … you can just say ‘retarded’ now, nobody cares.”

RELATED: ‘Put a chick in it, make it lame and gay!’ ‘South Park: Joining the Panderverse’ review

Partisans, some of whom have claimed online that the new episode is indicative of how creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker secretly endorse “pedophilia” and “inbreeding,” are actually missing a lot of context from “South Park” lore.

For example, when Trump’s supporters first become upset with him, the show purposely shows former teacher Mr. Garrison sitting on his couch watching television. This is important because Garrison had been used to literally be Trump in the show since 2016; in this world, he is Trump.

Then, when the show portrays the new Trump, he has a unique way of talking as if his mouth is half of his head. This is typically how the show portrays Canadians talking, but it is also how the show portrayed celebrities in older episodes. Specifically, it is how the show portrayed Saddam Hussein in episodes as far back as 2000.

Not only did “South Park” consistently portray Hussein as dating Satan, this new version of Trump uses the same voice that was used for Hussein for all those years. A silhouette of the Hussein character was also used in a preview of the new “South Park” season, which was different from how the new Trump is portrayed.

Mr. Garrison as the president of the United States in season 20, first airing in 2016.

As a joke about how Paramount has to praise the Trump administration to avoid a lawsuit, “South Park” did crassly portray President Trump in an AI-generated video at the end of the episode, showcasing him crawling nude through the desert to show his “love” for America.

It seems the Trump White House is not the biggest fan of the new episode, though, as assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers compared the show’s creators to talentless left-wing pundits.

“The left’s hypocrisy truly has no end — for years they have come after ‘South Park’ for what they labeled as ‘offense’ [sic] content, but suddenly they are praising the show,” Rogers told Rolling Stone. “Just like the creators of ‘South Park,’ the left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows. This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention. President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country’s history — and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”

Stone and Parker are also being accused by viewers of having finally “sold out,” after reaching a $1.5 billion streaming deal with Paramount, announced just days before the new episode airs.

Based on the reactions, however, it would seem that, somehow, it is now the network that is entertaining the joke, not the fans.

Stone and Parker’s response to the outrage?

“We’re terribly sorry.”

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There is a revolution under way in American education that has prompted pearl-clutching on the part of establishmentarians and excitement among families frustrated with the status quo.

The Trump administration’s shake-up at the Education Department, the president’s war on DEI, and recent successes on the school-choice front certainly have changed the game, particularly where brick-and-mortar schooling is concerned. The revolution, however, is also being waged online, where disruptors are challenging expectations regarding what is possible for at-home instruction.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it is partnering with the American Virtual Academy, a fully online K-12 preparatory school that is now in the approval process for tuition to be paid for by the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit program and apparently already has approval for school choice scholarships in several other states.

“Left-wing indoctrination in schools poses a serious threat to our students, and parents deserve more options for their kids,” OSDE Superintendent Ryan Walters said in a statement. “We are proud to be one of the first states in the country to do this.”

The school’s president, Damian Creamer, recently spoke to Blaze News about his academy and about the environment that made this alternative both viable and desirable for some families.

Creamer noted that the pandemic was “very much an eye-opener for a lot of people — getting an inside peek into what is actually going on in the public school system.”

RELATED: America’s largest teachers’ union declares war on the Trump administration, will use kids as foot soldiers

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

When the classrooms were shuttered and schooling temporarily went online, largely at the urging of teachers’ unions, parents across the country were afforded a glimpse into the kinds of leftist propaganda being fed to their kids. It is hard to overstate how much this drove the popular backlash in recent years over DEI, critical race theory, and other forms of wokeness.

“The families are saying, ‘Hey, that’s not what we signed up for, and that’s not what we expect. We want our kids to be taught how to think critically. We want them to learn how to read. We want them to learn how to write. We want them to learn arithmetic,'” said Creamer. “Yes, education is where minds are shaped — and if you’re going to shape our child’s mind, you better make sure that you’re not going against our values as a family.”

These concerns have prompted many Americans to turn to at-home instruction, which is reportedly America’s fastest-growing form of education.

According to the National Home Education Research Institute, there were 3.1 million homeschooled K-12 students in the 2021-2022 school year, up from 2.5 million in spring 2019. Forbes indicated last year that estimates put the number of American homeschooled students at nearly 4 million kids nationwide. As multiple states do not require notification when parents decide to educate their children at home, the number might be much higher.

‘We had to get moderation in there quickly.’

The National Center for Education Statistics revealed in a September 2023 publication that the top reasons parents gave in a 2019 survey for homeschooling were: concerns about the school environment; to provide religious instruction; to provide moral instruction; to emphasize family life together; dissatisfaction with schools’ academic instruction; to provide a nontraditional approach to education; and/or to help with their child’s special needs.

The spike in recent years also appears to have been driven by ruinous school closures, sporadic teachers’ union strikes, and the politicization of the classroom.

The AVA started off as the Bridge School, which Creamer indicated had initially catered to athletes and child actors, providing those with roving lifestyles individualized, remote learning solutions. The AVA, however, has a distinctly conservative orientation.

Creamer noted that the idea behind the AVA was not only to provide kids with a high-quality education based on a research-based curriculum and to jettison the customary leftist gobbledygook but to help prepare a generation of productive citizens: “Let’s teach them how to be great Americans. Let’s teach them to love their country. Let’s teach them about the founding principles of our country.”

While there are many options when it comes to at-home instruction, Creamer, whose online charter school Primavera is presently in hot water over student test scores, suggested that the unstructured “nomad” style — where parents effectively ad-lib instruction on the go — isn’t for everyone.

Some of the families exploring the educational landscape where “there really is no rhyme or reason” may alternatively “choose a virtual school like American Virtual Academy where it’s a fully accredited school; it’s got a curriculum that’s going to lead to a diploma” qualifying them to get into college, he said.

When asked about whether AVA has any plans to get students engaged socially, especially given the risk of isolation when leaving in-person learning, Creamer told Blaze News, “We do, and they socialize every day in the school.”

Utilizing AVA’s proprietary platform, students and parents alike form pods and clubs, and all of the academy’s teachers have their own homerooms. However, just like in the physical classroom, there are rules online.

“Everything is moderated — has to be moderated. Just trust me, we’ve done it where it wasn’t moderated, and that was bad. We had to get moderation in there quickly,” said Creamer.

In addition to online social engagements, AVA is planning get-togethers in the real world, including a family, faith, and freedom day event in Arizona, and field trips to the nation’s capital as well as to places of civic and historical consequence.

While providing opportunities for student and parent interaction, Creamer noted that “a lot of parents are putting their kids into virtual school because of the socialization” at school — because they don’t want their kids getting “into things they don’t want their kids to be involved with.”

Creamer, who is also the CEO of the e-learning company StrongMind, noted that digital learning is particularly viable now on account of artificial intelligence.

“When the student sets up their profile, that profile — we’re learning about the student,” said Creamer. “We know where they’re at academically. We’re benchmark-testing the students so we can see, academically, what they know and what they don’t know and where they’re at grade level.”

Extra to calibrating the learning experience on the basis of an individual student’s academic strengths and weaknesses, AI agents can take into account the student’s like, dislikes, and career aspirations and offer them a bespoke experience with the aim of maximizing engagement.

“Education like this is where we can start to really move the needle now,” said Creamer.

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​Technology, Digital, Education, American virtual academy, Oklahoma, Damian creamer, Ai, Artificial intelligence, Tech, Return