Category: blaze media

A married employee of an Indiana high school was arrested after allegedly sexually abusing a student, according to police. Authorities were tipped off to the damning child sex crime accusations after her husband found his wife with a second student, police said.

The Union City Police Department — located in Western Ohio near the border of neighboring Indiana — announced in a statement the arrest of Alicia Hughes “following an investigation into allegations involving inappropriate conduct with a minor.”

‘It will be interesting to see the school’s policies, how this individual was screened and trained, and what “red flags” were overlooked or ignored.’

Hughes — a 31-year-old employee of the Randolph Eastern School Corporation in Indiana — was caught with a student by her husband on Feb. 14, police said.

“During the course of the investigation, officers learned that Hughes’ husband had discovered her with an 18-year-old student of Randolph Eastern School Corporation and confronted the individuals,” police stated.

The press release revealed, “It is alleged that Hughes was battered during that altercation. The alleged battery is being investigated by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department.”

Police did not reveal the husband’s name.

Investigators said they “uncovered evidence that Alicia Hughes had also engaged in a sexual relationship with a separate high school student who was 17 years old at the time.”

The Union City Police Department noted that Hughes and the student “engaged in sexual intercourse on at least five occasions.”

Hughes was arrested and charged with five counts of child seduction related to the sexual relationship with the minor student, according to police.

Police said Hughes was being detained at the Randolph County Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond.

According to Indiana law, child seduction is when a “person used or exerted the person’s professional relationship with the child to engage in sexual intercourse, other sexual conduct, or any fondling or touching with the intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires of the child or the person under this section.”

Those in a position of power include employees of a school corporation.

RELATED: Teacher of the year arrested for alleged child sex crimes — then she’s arrested on similar charges just days later

Cleveland.com reported that Randolph Eastern School Corporation Superintendent Neal Adams said that Hughes “has been removed from all duties with students pending the outcome of the legal process.” The outlet added that Hughes is a high school secretary.

The staff directory for the Union City Jr/Sr High School does not show the name of the suspect; however, an archived version of the school’s website shows an attendance secretary named “Alicia Hughes.”

Adams did not specify if Hughes had been terminated.

“We recognize that situations of this nature are deeply concerning for our families, staff, and the broader community,” Adams added. “Please know that we share those concerns and are taking this matter with the utmost seriousness, care, and urgency.”

Tom Blessing, an attorney for survivors of sexual abuse, said of the accusations, “Usually, we see abuse claims involving teachers and coaches, but any school staff with access to children could use their position of authority and trust to take advantage of them: custodial and maintenance staff, counselors, office staff, even administrators.”

Blessing continued, “It will be interesting to see the school’s policies, how this individual was screened and trained, and what ‘red flags’ were overlooked or ignored.”

Blessing noted that many times “institutional failures enabled the abuse” in sexual misconduct cases by school employees.

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News‘ request for comment. The Union City Police Department did not have any updates on the case.

Those with information about the case are urged to contact the Union City Police Department at 937-968-7744.

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​Alicia hughes, Child sex abuse, Crime, Ohio, School secretary, School staff member arrested, School staffer sex scandal, School secretary student sex scandal, High school, Students, Indiana 

The Department of Homeland Security set the record straight on Immigration and Customs Enforcement training, debunking claims from the media that agents are receiving less training.

A DHS press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News counters falsehoods about ICE’s training programs amid a significant increase in new hires.

‘Despite false claims from the media and sanctuary politicians, no training hours have been cut.’

Leftist outlets have claimed that the Trump administration reduced the length of its training course from roughly five months to just 42 days, as reported by the Atlantic in January.

The DHS released further details on Monday about ICE’s training program, discrediting those claims.

The agency explained that ICE recruits receive 56 days of training and an average of 28 days of on-the-job training. Under the prior administration, agents trained eight hours a day, five days a week. Under President Donald Trump, new hires are being trained 12 hours a day, six days a week.

“No training requirements have been removed,” DHS stated, adding that it is the “same hours of training officers have always received.”

RELATED: ‘Quite literally insane’: DHS responds to new scheme from LA activists to warn illegal aliens about ICE

Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers are prepared to accommodate 12,000 new hires in 2026, with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act providing these centers with $750 million to boost the training and readiness of ICE agents, as well as Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection officers.

“DHS has streamlined training to cut redundancy and incorporate technology advancements, without sacrificing basic subject matter content. Under these new improvements, candidates still learn the same elements and meet the same high standards ICE has always required. No subject matter has been cut,” the press release read.

Further, the DHS noted that most new ICE hires are experienced law enforcement officers who have previously completed a law enforcement academy.

Leftist outlets have accused the Trump administration of eliminating Spanish-language courses for ICE personnel.

The DHS responded to this claim as well, explaining that the agency terminated the language classes, which covered only one dialect of Spanish, to instead provide officers with robust translation and interpretation services for multiple languages.

The agency stated that ICE training courses focus on enhancing several skills, including arrest techniques, defensive tactics, conflict management and de-escalation, firearms and marksmanship, and proper use of force.

According to the DHS, new hires who join ICE’s Special Response Teams undergo more intensive training, including 30 hours of tryouts, an SRT Basic Operator Course, ongoing marksmanship training for all issued firearms, and continuous training for specialized skills, such as breaching techniques, perimeter control, hostage rescue, and more.

Further, the DHS described education on the Fourth and Fifth Amendments as an “integral component” of ICE officers’ basic training at FLETC.

“The overarching objective is to ensure that, prior to assuming field duties, every ICE officer has been repeatedly trained, tested, and held to clear standards that require consistent respect for constitutional rights in all enforcement activities,” the DHS said.

RELATED: ‘Large human smuggling operation’ uncovered in Texas? ICE makes alarming claim about ‘alien from India.’

Photo by Jim Watson – Pool/Getty Images

DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated, “We have ensured our law enforcement officers get the best of the best training to arrest and remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from our communities.”

“Despite false claims from the media and sanctuary politicians, no training hours have been cut,” Bis continued. “Our officers receive extensive firearm training, are taught de-escalation tactics, and receive Fourth and Fifth Amendment comprehensive instruction. The training does not stop after graduation from the academy — recruits are put on a rigorous on-the-job training program that is tracked and monitored.”

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​Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Department of homeland security, Dhs, Lauren bis, Trump administration, Trump admin, Immigration, Illegal immigration crisis, Illegal immigration, Immigration crisis, Federal law enforcement training centers, Fletc, Politics 

Ring unveiled its controversial AI-powered Search Party feature in a multimillion-dollar ad that aired during the Super Bowl, sparking blowback from privacy advocates from left to right and dead center. Although the feature was positioned as a helpful way to track down lost pets and bring them home safely, a leaked email from Ring’s founder reveals a much more sinister purpose: Ring intended to spy on people all along.

Ring’s founder revealed the truth about Search Party

From the moment we heard about Search Party, one thing was clear — tracking down lost pets was only the tip of the iceberg. The obvious next step was clearly human surveillance. After all, Ring can already scan and identify designated humans with a feature called Familiar Faces. Once enabled, users can add the faces of friends and family to their Ring app so that their Ring camera can recognize these individuals when they stop by.

Ring can tap into the live feeds of every Ring camera in a town block and analyze the footage with AI.

Helpful? Maybe. Creepy? When you consider the way Ring wants to secretly turn Search Party into a mass surveillance tool, most definitely.

We know this for a fact now, thanks to a leaked email written by Ring’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, himself. “I believe that the foundation we created with Search Party, first for finding dogs, will end up becoming one of the most important pieces of tech and innovation to truly unlock the impact of our mission,” he begins, pivoting immediately to a grander picture. “You can now see a future where we are able to zero out crime in neighborhoods. So many things to do to get there, but for the first time ever, we have the chance to fully complete what we started.”

Of course, Siminoff hides “the impact” of Ring’s “mission” under the guise of preventing crime in neighborhoods equipped with Ring cameras. Reading between the lines, though, the truth looks more like Ring actively moving toward creating a mass surveillance state with its network.

For what it’s worth, Siminoff denies that Ring will tap into users’ feeds without their consent, assuring, “Across these features, sharing has always been the camera owner’s choice. Ring provides relevant context about when sharing may be helpful — but the decision remains firmly in the customer’s hands, not ours.”

The Nancy Guthrie factor

This story is especially unique in the context of the Nancy Guthrie case, where the FBI obtained footage from a Google Nest doorbell camera that was believed to be inaccessible. While social media was quick to pounce on how this could’ve happened, we later discovered that the loophole responsible for saving the footage is covered in Nest’s terms of service.

That didn’t stop Ring’s founder from commenting, though. Amid the hype over the case, Siminoff spoke with Fox Business to denounce that Ring would ever hold footage that was believed to be deleted or inaccessible. “I do know with Ring, specifically, if you delete a recording or if you don’t want a recording, you don’t have a subscription,” he said. “We do not have it stored. I know that because I built the systems with my team.”

RELATED: Amazon’s Ring is running a spy ring from your home. Here’s how to turn it off.

But just because Ring doesn’t keep video files doesn’t mean the footage goes to waste. With Search Party, Ring can tap into the live feeds of every Ring camera in a town block and analyze the footage with AI, essentially scanning them for whatever Ring is looking for. Right now, that’s lost pets. In a year or so, that could be real people — first criminals, then private citizens in general.

So the fact that Ring doesn’t save footage like Nest isn’t really any consolation when the company simply leverages live feeds to achieve its goals instead.

The only ways to opt out of Search Party

This Search Party revelation comes shortly after Ring canceled its partnership with Flock, a third-party service that would’ve allowed police officers to request user footage to help solve criminal cases. Without a law enforcement connection, Search Party is virtually useless in stopping crimes. That only leaves mass surveillance, which again, Siminoff refutes.

Wherever the truth lies, the leaked email is further proof that you should either disable Search Party or remove your Ring camera from your front door entirely. Unfortunately, as we mentioned last time, your camera is only part of the problem. As long as your neighbors keep their Ring cameras up and running, Amazon can still spy on your block whenever it pleases.

​Tech, Ring camera, Ai, Surveillance 

An off-duty detective thwarted what had all the makings of a potential church massacre last week in Sacramento.

Brian Girardot Jr., 20, dropped off a younger relative at St. Mary Parish School on Wednesday morning, then allegedly returned around 9:30 a.m. when St. Mary Catholic Church was in the process of holding an all-school Ash Wednesday Mass next door.

Amy Hale, the principal of the school, indicated that “all church doors were locked per our standard procedure” and “parent observers were positioned outside and inside the church.”

‘F**k you die!’

One of the parent observers, an off-duty detective, intercepted a suspicious man who approached the front of the church and claimed that he wanted to enter and attend the Mass.

According to Hale, the parent observer “located and removed a loaded firearm, concealed on the man’s person.” The observer then detained the suspect until officers from the Sacramento Police Department arrived on the scene.

Principal Hale assured parents that their children remained in the church throughout the Mass and that “no students came into contact with the man.”

RELATED: ‘Pure bigotry’: CNN fearmongers about ‘Christian nationalism’ in election-narrative tease

Photo by ANDRI TAMBUNAN/AFP via Getty

Girardot, a former student at St. Mary Parish School, was arrested without incident and slapped with felony charges for allegedly having a concealed firearm on his person and bringing a firearm into a school zone.

U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced on Thursday that the former student has also been federally charged for allegedly possessing a firearm within a school zone.

The Justice Department alleged that additional ammunition and a camouflage jacket were recovered from Girardot’s vehicle, which was parked nearby.

In their search of the suspect’s home, law enforcement agents also found a series of handwritten notes that allegedly contained references to suicide and threats.

According to court documents reviewed by KTXL-TV, one of the notes listed three family members and stated, “All of you are the reason I’ve done this.”

Another note reportedly said, “Suicide Note f**k you,” on one side, and the reverse stated, “Rest of y’all … f**k you die!!!”

The gun allegedly taken from Girardot outside the church was a Taurus Tracker .44 Magnum. Prosecutors claimed that police found four more firearms in Girardot’s garage including a 12-gauge shotgun and a Winchester Model 670 .30-06 rifle.

Girardot, who is apparently ineligible for bail, is presently being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail.

The Diocese of Sacramento joined Bishop Jaime Soto and the Department of Catholic Schools in expressing gratitude both for the parent observer’s “vigilance” and that the incident was “resolved safely and that no students, teachers, or staff were harmed.”

The diocese added, “May the Lord Jesus, our rock and our refuge, watch over the schools and bless our children with peace and security.”

Girardot’s arrest comes several months after a hate-filled 23-year-old trans-identifying man opened fire on a full Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring 29.

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​Crime, Anti-christian, Christian, Catholic, Sacramento, California, Church shooting, Shooting, Fbi, Doj, Brian girardot, Politics 

During a sermon at the First Congregational Church in South Portland, Maine, retired Presbyterian minister Marvin Ellison attempted to claim that abortion can be an act of love — and that the women seeking them are often religious themselves.

“This morning, I speak from my experience as a volunteer chaplain for Planned Parenthood. Without naming names or breaking confidences, I want to just speak about a few things I’ve learned from women who’ve received abortions and candidly shared their story with me,” the pastor explained.

The pastor went on to claim that “most women electing to terminate a pregnancy are religiously affiliated.”

“So I’ve listened to and prayed with Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish women. With Muslim and Buddhist women. And with conservative evangelical women. And some confided in me that they had never expected to find a Christian minister inside Planned Parenthood. Maybe outside the clinic protesting, but they hadn’t imagined that they would meet a Christian minister inside the clinic,” he said.

BlazeTV host Pat Gray is in disbelief.

“How do you make that case, that yeah, Jesus is fine with you ending the life of your child?” Gray asks.

“He wants to send you a child and then have you terminate that child. Wait, what? … It doesn’t even make sense,” he adds.

Want more from Pat Gray?

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

​Upload, Free, Video, Video phone, Sharing, Camera phone, Youtube.com, Pat gray unleashed, Pat gray, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Planned parenthood, Abortion, Pro life, Pro choice, Abortion debate, Abortion clinic, Marvin ellison 

Last week, Apple issued an important software update for iPhones on iOS 26. While the latest version included the usual vague “bug fixes and updates,” it also contained a critical patch for a zero-day vulnerability that has already been exploited by hackers on targeted devices. To put it mildly, you need to update your iPhone now, or your device and private data are all at risk.

What is a zero-day vulnerability?

In case you’ve never heard the phrase before, zero-day vulnerabilities are unknown security threats within a device’s software that exist outside of the developer’s purview. These can pop for a variety of reasons, including flaws in the source code, improper input validation that processes malicious data, and simple developer oversight.

An extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals.

What’s worse, these exploits are often found first by hackers and used to inject malicious code into targeted devices to bypass security protocols and gain access to either steal private data or install malware to spy on users.

The thing that makes zero-day vulnerabilities so dangerous is that hackers can use them to access devices for weeks or even months before developers isolate the problem and issue a fix.

iOS 26.3 patches iPhone’s latest major security hole

Apple sent an over-the-air update to iPhones on iOS 26 last week. Bringing the version number to 26.3, the latest release includes a fix for CVE-2026-20700, a zero-day threat that was identified by Google’s Threat Analysis Group.

In case you’re wondering how Google found a security flaw in an Apple product, TAG is a team of researchers who regularly scour first-party and third-party products in search of security flaws and cyber threats. They specialize in thwarting “government-backed attacks,” suggesting that CVE-2026-20700 likely has government ties — either foreign or domestic — though neither Apple nor Google assigned blame to a particular group.

Once discovered, TAG informed Apple of the vulnerability, giving the company valuable time to patch the hole before informing the public and letting hackers know that the loophole was closed.

RELATED: Your car can get hacked — here’s how to protect yourself

JIRAROJ PRADITCHAROENKUL

As part of the change log that was released alongside iOS 26.3, Apple admitted, “An attacker with memory write capability may be able to execute arbitrary code. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 26.”

In other words, the exploit exists and it has already been leveraged against a small subset of users.

How to upgrade to iOS 26.3

To patch this zero-day vulnerability on your devices, you should update to iOS 26.3 immediately. You can download the update by following these directions:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.Tap “General.”Select the second option called “Software Update.”At the bottom of the next screen, choose “Update Now.”

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw

Note that iPhones aren’t the only Apple devices at risk. You should also update your iPad to iPadOS 26.3, if it’s available.

For those who are still on an older version of iOS, Apple has not indicated a fix for the zero-day issue at this time. That either means the zero-day threat isn’t as invasive on older software, or a fix hasn’t been implemented yet. Either way, users on older iOS versions should update to iOS 18.7.5 for the latest security fixes.

More features in iOS 26.3

In addition to a major security patch, iOS 26.3 includes several additional features, such as the ability to prevent carrier networks from seeing the precise location of select iPhones with an Apple C-series modem (right now, that only includes iPhone Air and iPhone 16e), new switch-to-Android tools, and a snazzy live weather wallpaper. This update is free and available now to iPhones 11 and up.

​Tech 

Chatbot-user selfies are reportedly being analyzed and not only checked for suspiciousness, but to see if they match the faces of any public figures.

Video gamers staged a collective rebellion when they discovered that Discord, the dominant gamer chat platform, had slipped a pilot program into the U.K. user experience that could route personal information to the government via a company called Persona, linked to OpenAI. Discord quickly backtracked, frustrated that new age verification laws in the Anglosphere have made it difficult to find partners that pass user muster. But the controversy rages on.

A group of researchers say they stumbled upon publicly available code in OpenAI that shows an in-depth system meant for analyzing user facial data while also checking to see if the user has hijacked a dead person’s identity.

‘269 checks. for wanting to use a chatbot in 2026.’

Researchers from website Vmfunc recently revealed they came across 53 megabytes of “unprotected source maps” that are set up for government use. The researchers also stated that any suspicious user activity would be filed with federal authorities, while user selfies are analyzed and screened using facial recognition.

The data being collected is reportedly through Persona’s Know Your Customer service. Simply put, it is an identity verification program.

Not only does OpenAI publicly state that it uses Persona as a “trusted third-party company” to “help verify age,” but Persona itself announced it is authorized to “serve federal agencies where the loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of processed data could result in limited adverse effects.”

It was Persona that the researchers poked fun at, revealing a complex verification system that checks user selfie data.

RELATED: Sam Altman slams ICE in message to OpenAI employees: ‘What’s happening … is going too far’

“So you uploaded a selfie to use a chatbot. Congratulations!!!” the report joked. “It’s now being compared against a database of every politician, head of state, and their extended family tree on Earth. Similarity scored. Low, medium, high. The machine looked at your face and asked itself: ‘Does this person resemble the deputy finance minister of Moldova?’ And it answered. And it wrote the answer down.”

The report then described 269 verification checks that perform acts like comparing a user’s selfie to their ID or other existing accounts.

Other checks like “public figure detection” allegedly seek to check if the user looks like someone famous, while “suspicious entity detection” reportedly is checking to see if the user looks “suspicious.”

In total, there are an alleged 43 government ID checks and 27 database checks that cross-reference social security numbers, phone carriers, and death databases.

“269 checks. For wanting to use a chatbot in 2026,” researchers wrote.

RELATED: ChatGPT says it is not sharing your conversations with advertisers, but there’s a catch

Photo by David Burnett/Newsmakers via Getty Images

Neither OpenAI nor Persona responded to Return’s request for comment. However, Persona founder Rick Song has publicly stated he would cooperate with the researchers and answer their questions.

After stating he had an “online crashout” in response to misinformation, Song said his dialogue with Vmfunc is ongoing and shared several emails he has exchanged with the company. One of the emails stated that OpenAI does not use Persona’s “biometrics for Watchlists” or products related to identifying politically exposed persons.

He also noted that Persona’s max retention for data is three years, while OpenAI’s policy is just one year.

For additional information on how OpenAI treats user data, please visit its website.

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​Return, Ai, Chatgpt, Openai, Federal government, Face scan, Digital id, Tech 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani built part of his campaign around a bold promise: a $30 minimum wage by 2030.

His plan called for phased increases: $20 per hour in 2027, $23.50 in 2028, $27 in 2029, and $30 in 2030. After that, wages would automatically adjust each year based on cost of living or productivity growth.

‘You just can’t make this stuff up.’

As of January 1, 2026, New York City’s minimum wage is $17 per hour under state law.

But as a major winter storm approached the city this month, the Department of Sanitation activated an emergency snow-shoveling program paying $19.14 per hour. Overtime is set at $28.71 after 40 hours.

The temporary workers are tasked with clearing snow and ice from bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants, and step streets.

RELATED: Mamdani goes full ‘Batman villain’ and holds New York City hostage

Photographer: Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The pay rate quickly drew criticism online. Several users on X pointed to the gap between the mayor’s long-term wage proposal and the city’s current emergency pay scale.

Conservative commentator and former ESPN anchor Sage Steele weighed in: “Let me get this straight: Zohran Mamdani campaigned (ignorantly) on raising NYC’s min wage to $30/hour, but is now begging residents to shovel snow for $19/hour??”

Steele, like others, also focused on the documentation requirements tied to the job, contrasting them with New York’s voting rules, which generally do not require voters to present photo identification.

“This … from someone who believes requiring ONE form of ID to vote is racist?? You just can’t make this stuff up,” she continued.

RELATED: Mamdani threatens massive property tax hike if Albany blocks wealth tax plan

Photo by Stephani Spindel/VIEWpress via Getty Images

Mamdani has defended the employment documentation rules, stating that federal I-9 verification laws require all employers, including municipal governments, to confirm identity and work authorization before issuing pay.

A few critics labeled the rules “Jim Snow 2.0,” framing the documentation requirement as an unnecessary barrier.

Mamdani’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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​Politics, Mamdani, Nyc, Snow 

Shortly after Team USA’s historic Olympic gold-medal victory in men’s hockey on Sunday, the team had a special guest join them in the locker room — and an even more special guest phone in his congratulations.

Following USA’s first gold-medal victory since 1980, the hockey team was joined by noted hockey fan FBI Director Kash Patel, who enthusiastically joined in the celebration.

‘We’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. I can send a military plane.’

After pounding a beer and banging his fist on a table in the locker room, Patel called President Donald Trump, who spoke with the team for a few minutes and offered them the opportunity of a lifetime.

On the call, President Trump joked that the goalie “played not bad.”

“How you doing, Don?” said goalie Connor Hellebuyck in reply.

RELATED: ‘LOTS OF WINNING!!!’ Trump praises America’s historic hockey victory at Winter Olympics

Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Then came Trump’s offer: “We’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. I can send a military plane. … If you would like to, it’s the coolest night.”

The whole hockey team said they were in to attend.

Trump continued: “The nice thing about being president is, I can tell you, you don’t have to worry about the weather or landing. We don’t care if it’s snowing or if it’s the worst blizzard.”

Trump then joked, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” adding that he “probably would be impeached” if he neglected to invite the U.S. women’s team since they also won the gold medal.

The president then offered the men’s team his congratulations once more, saying: “You’re going to be proud of that game for 50 years. … I’m going to shake hands with everybody, but I got to shake hands with that goalie.”

Patel received some criticism for joining the team in the locker room, but he defended his actions in a response on social media that has since gone viral: “For the very concerned media — yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys — Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth.”

President Trump also took to Truth Social to congratulate the team: “Congratulations to our great U.S.A. Ice Hockey team. THEY WON THE GOLD. WOW!”

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​Politics, Olympics, Trump, President trump, Gold medal, State of the union, Sotu, United states, America, Hockey, Womens hockey 

In a stunning attempt to appeal to an audience in a majority-black city, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) revealed what he really thinks about the voters.

Newsom embarked on a book tour for his new memoir, making stops in swing states like Georgia, leading people to speculate that he is soft-launching a 2028 presidential bid. However, his aspirations for higher office may have taken a hit after he made some tone-deaf remarks in Atlanta, unknowingly disparaging his audience in an attempt to relate to them.

‘He REALLY BELIEVES they’re slow.’

“I’m not trying to impress you,” Newsom said, noticeably tense. “I’m just trying to impress upon you, I’m like you. I’m no better than you. You know, I’m a 960 SAT guy. I’m not trying to offend anyone, you know, trying to act all there if you got a 940.”

“You never see me read a speech because I cannot read a speech,” Newsom added.

RELATED: Clinton judge strikes down Newsom’s edict banning masks for ICE agents

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Newsom’s remarks sparked outrage from all sides of the aisle, most notably from a new force on the political scene.

The Queen of Rap, Nicki Minaj, took to X to dismantle Newsom’s tone-deaf statements, shredding him for speaking to black voters “as if they’re children.”

“His way of bonding with black ppl is to tell them how stupid he is & that he can’t read,” Minaj said. “This means my first read on him was correct. He’s been handed so many things & put in high positions he never earned or deserved.”

“Do you wanna know the craziest part of this footage that will haunt him forever? He’s literally slowing his speech down & talking in a sporadic cadence.”

RELATED: Trump’s ‘number-one fan,’ Nicki Minaj, praises the president, shreds Gavin ‘Newscum’

Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

“He’s not just TELLING them that they’re all probably stupid & probably can’t read, he’s LITERALLY SLOW-ING-DOWN-HIS-SPEECH to make them understand the words that are coming out of his mouth!!!!” Minaj added. “As if they’re children!!!! That means he REALLY BELIEVES they’re slow. He’s not just saying it — he didn’t misspeak!!!! He BELIEVES it!!!!”

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​Donald trump, Gavin newsom, Nicki minaj, Black voters, 2028 presidential race, Swing state, Politics 

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are scheduled to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee this week regarding their ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

The Clintons, who had previously defied the committee’s subpoenas, agreed in early February to appear before lawmakers after months of back-and-forth and a vote that found the two in contempt of Congress.

‘Our goal for this investigation is straightforward: We seek to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors.’

Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify under oath on Feb. 26 and Bill Clinton on Feb. 27. Both hearings will be closed-door.

Committee lawmakers have agreed to hold the depositions in the Clintons’ place of residence rather than in Washington, D.C.

“The Clintons’ depositions will be held in Chappaqua, New York, on February 26 and 27 as an accommodation for their schedules. The depositions are in accordance with House and Committee rules,” a House Oversight Committee spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has called the Clintons’ testimony “critical” to understanding Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s “sex trafficking network and the ways they sought to curry favor and influence to shield themselves from scrutiny.”

“Their testimony may also inform how Congress can strengthen laws to better combat human trafficking. Our goal for this investigation is straightforward: We seek to deliver transparency and accountability for the American people and for survivors,” Comer told Fox News Digital.

RELATED: Bill and Hillary Clinton agree to testify about Jeffrey Epstein after contempt of Congress threat from Republicans

Photo by the US Justice Department/Handout/Anadolu/Getty Images

After initially defying congressional subpoenas, the Clintons have since pressured the committee to hold public hearings.

“I have called for the full release of the Epstein files. I have provided a sworn statement of what I know. And just this week, I’ve agreed to appear in person before the committee. But it’s still not enough for Republicans on the House Oversight Committee,” Bill Clinton wrote on social media of Feb. 6. “Now, Chairman Comer says he wants cameras, but only behind closed doors. Who benefits from this arrangement? It’s not Epstein’s victims, who deserve justice. Not the public, who deserve the truth. It serves only partisan interests. This is not fact-finding, it’s pure politics.”

“I will not sit idly as they use me as a prop in a closed-door kangaroo court by a Republican Party running scared. If they want answers, let’s stop the games & do this the right way: in a public hearing, where the American people can see for themselves what this is really about,” the former president added.

RELATED: Bill Clinton accuses GOP of setting up ‘kangaroo court’ over Epstein testimony — and demands public hearing

James Comer. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Comer has not ruled out public hearings, but has insisted on first holding depositions behind closed doors.

“The subpoena and the contempt was on a deposition. If we get to the deposition and there’s something meaningful to have a hearing, if they still want some more oversight, then I think the members of my committee would love to have them in for a public hearing,” Comer told reporters in early February.

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From render farm to red carpet?

No sooner had the lights come up on Utah’s final year hosting the Sundance Film Festival than state officials announced a very different cinematic bet: artificial intelligence.

‘Nuovo has presented a forward-thinking approach.’

According to Variety, Utah has approved a $2 million grant for a new initiative called the Nuovo Film Festival, described by the state as a “film ecosystem” built around AI-driven production. Plans reportedly include a filmmaking lab, an AI-powered soundstage, and expanded incentive programs aimed at attracting filmmakers to the state.

Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance grew into one of the premier cultural and commercial forces in American film, launching independent directors, shaping awards seasons, and helping define modern indie cinema. As its contract expired and Boulder offered both financial incentives and a cultural climate seen as more aligned with the festival’s direction, Sundance chose to leave Utah after more than four decades.

Nuovo organizers outlined five “pillars” in presentation materials cited by Variety.

The first proposes a lab to “teach new filmmakers how to tell their story using technology and AI.” The second centers on incentive programs. The third focuses on constructing an AI soundstage — one that may require its own dedicated power source.

RELATED: ‘Shut the f**k up!’ Actor Jamie Kennedy slams Hollywood’s hypocrisy over ICE

Your browser does not support the video tag. Footage by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

The cost-saving claims are ambitious. Organizers suggested a $200 million film that traditionally takes three years to complete could be produced in nine months for roughly $10 million using AI-assisted workflows. Those figures remain projections, not proven results.

The fourth pillar involves collaboration with Harbor Fund, a Utah-based nonprofit. Founded in 2018, Harbor Fund describes its mission as pairing filmmakers with philanthropic capital to support “films that matter.” It’s website prominently features a quote from movie critic Roger Ebert: “The movies are like a machine that generates empathy.”

In effect, Utah’s proposed AI film hub would not only streamline production but also align itself with what organizers describe as “impact-driven filmmaking.”

The fifth pillar calls for certificate programs at high schools and colleges to train students in makeup, set design, sound, staging, and editing — building a workforce tailored to AI-enabled production.

“Utah would have the dedicated and trained workforce to allow filmmakers to come here and use the local workforce instead of bringing them here,” the presentation reportedly stated.

RELATED: ‘They can’t take us all down’: Actor Giancarlo Esposito declares it’s ‘time for a revolution’ in unhinged rant

Photo by: Visions of America/Joe Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Lance Soffe, director of targeted industries for the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, framed the move as forward-looking.

“Traditional festivals are not generating the same impact they once did,” Soffe said. “Instead of trying to recreate an aging model, Nuovo has presented a forward-thinking approach that builds on Utah’s legacy while embracing where the industry is going.”

The new Utah festival will be led by a board comprised of former MGM Television chief Mark Burnett, advertising moguls, and venture capitalists.The announcement comes as the broader film industry remains unsettled over AI.

On the same day the Utah investment drew attention, AMC Theatres faced backlash over reports it would screen an AI-generated short film before previews. The short “Thanksgiving Day” won the Frame Forward AI Film Festival and was reportedly slated for wide theatrical exposure. After criticism mounted, AMC said its locations would not participate.

While policymakers and investors see efficiency and reduced costs, audiences appear less certain about replacing human-driven filmmaking with algorithmic production.

​Lifestyle, Align, Tech, Ai, Artificial intelligence, Movies, Sundance, Film festival, Woke, Entertainment 

A trio of 14-year-old car thieves slammed a stolen vehicle into a Baltimore police officer who opened fire as he was hit — and while the teens managed to get away from the scene, police said they arrested them days later.

Officer William Cole responded around 12:05 a.m. Sunday to an attempted break-in call, WBAL-TV reported.

‘I need a medic!’

Police released Cole’s body-worn camera video, which showed the officer arriving at the location on West Lombard Street; he soon encountered multiple people in a Kia sedan that backed up and struck a parked vehicle, the station said.

When Cole ordered the driver to stop, the driver backed up again and struck the officer, WBAL said, citing the video.

Police said Cole fired his gun once at the car as he fell, the station said, adding that the driver fled the scene and hit another vehicle as well as the officer’s patrol car in the process.

Video then shows an injured man approaching the officer from across the street and collapsing.

The officer is heard saying on the bodycam video, “I need a medic! You good, bro? I got you. What’s wrong, bro, you OK?”

RELATED: 3 males — ages 8, 11, 12 — steal car, crash into house; driver, 11, says he learned how to steal cars from YouTube: Cops

Police said the officer rendered aid to the 21-year-old injured man who was assaulted by multiple people before the officer’s arrival at the scene, WBAL reported; the victim wasn’t taken to a hospital.

However, the officer at the scene injured his ankle and was treated and released from a hospital, the station said.

Police told WBAL that officers found the Kia in question abandoned on South Arlington Avenue and that the vehicle was reported stolen Saturday from East Chase Street.

More from WBAL:

Police said detectives were able to identify two of the Kia’s occupants as two 14-year-old boys who have prior charges of robbery and auto theft and were on electronic monitoring as a result. Detectives arrested the boys Monday on aggravated assault and auto theft charges. They remain detained at Juvenile Booking.

Police said detectives later identified the driver of the Kia as a 14-year-old girl. During her arrest on Tuesday, police said officers learned the girl had been treated at a hospital on Sunday for a wound to her right wrist. The girl’s mother told detectives that the injury may be a gunshot graze wound; police said further investigation is needed to determine the cause of the injury. The girl was taken to Juvenile Booking, where she was charged with aggravated assault and stolen auto. She was later released on electronic monitoring.

Teen crime in Baltimore despite electronic monitoring is not a new phenomenon. Last summer, a 13-year-old with a GPS ankle monitor who had been arrested 18 times for felonies was charged in connection with a violent city crime spree.

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Before a call from President Donald Trump and a few drinks with FBI Director Kash Patel, Team USA men’s hockey made a heartfelt tribute to one of their compatriots.

After the players received their gold medals for a stunning 2-1 win over Team Canada on Sunday, viewers may have noticed a couple of youngsters on the ice posing for the team picture, along with a loose hockey jersey.

‘When we got the call to come out, it felt like maybe he did make the team.’

No, those were not captain Auston Matthews’ children. Nor were they superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s children. They were Noa and Johnny Jr., children of the late Johnny Gaudreau.

In 2023, Gaudreau, 31, and his younger brother Matthew, 29, were tragically killed by a drunk driver while riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. Gaudreau was one of the star players for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, while Matthew was a former professional hockey player who last played in the ECHL.

In yet another wonderful gesture, Team USA invited Johnny Gaudreau’s widow, Meredith, to join the team in Italy on Saturday, along with the Gaudreau brothers’ parents, Guy and Jane. The whole family was in the audience for the gold-medal game.

“To be able to get it done like that, to win, to have his jersey out there in the team photo, have his kids come out and be with us, we’re obviously thinking of him,” Auston Matthews said, per ESPN. “Just felt like the impact that he’s had on so many guys in this room is special. He was with us in spirit the whole tournament,” Matthews added.

RELATED: ‘LOTS OF WINNING!!!’ Trump praises America’s historic hockey victory at Winter Olympics

“It’s fun to be a part of this,” Meredith said before the game.

“When we got the call to come out, it felt like maybe he did make the team. So it’s fun. Here to represent him and support everyone that’s honoring him, as well.”

Meredith revealed to a reporter that she only had two days’ notice before making the trip overseas to join the squad, but she said it was something she simply could not pass up.

“Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kids. So that was the main reason that drove me out here,” the mother continued, before delivering some truly heartbreaking remarks.

“I feel like I have two roles in life now: It’s honor John, my husband, and make sure these kids know how special their dad is and give them some special opportunities.”

RELATED: NHL superstar Johnny Gaudreau and brother killed by suspected drunk driver on eve of sister’s wedding: ‘Unimaginable tragedy’

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

USA forward Dylan Larkin firmly stated that “Johnny and Matty should be here.”

“That is the biggest loss that all of us at USA Hockey, their family, our family, has gone through,” Larkin continued. “And to have Johnny Jr. and Noa out there, it just felt right.”

Larkin added that he thought the Gaudreau brothers may have had a hand in stopping some pucks from going into the USA net.

“And I think part of those, the puck not going in our net, was somehow him standing there doing something, laughing with Matty. Just somehow they put a spell around our net where that puck didn’t go in.”

Larkin then joked around, reportedly smiling while saying, “Ironic, on the defensive side; he would’ve never been back there,” he said about Johnny.

These comments nearly mirrored what was said about the late brothers by their sister, Katie.

Katie jokingly told Fox News that while her brothers were “never quite defensive,” she thought a couple of saves had some assistance from above.

“Up there, they were definitely helping out.”

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​Fearless, Gaudreau, Usa hockey, Olympics, Italy, 2026 winter olympics, Nhl, Gold medal, United states, New jersey, Sports 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has unveiled his new budget — and it’s every bit as ridiculous as BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales anticipated.

“On another episode of ‘I told you so,’ it took less than two months for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to turn, I think, into a Batman villain,” Gonzales jokes.

“You guys are going to be shocked to hear this. You’re going to be shocked to hear all of these promises of free everything, free child schools, free child care, free schools, free buses, all the free s**t, doesn’t have enough money to pay for all of the free,” she explains.

“So he’s announced that he’s basically taking the entire city hostage, and if the state government doesn’t give into his demands and implement his billionaire tax, he’s going to make you pay,” she continues.

“For those who have watched budget after budget, it is tempting to assume that we are engaging in the same dance as our predecessors. Let me assure you, nothing about this is typical. That’s why our solutions won’t be either. There are two paths to bridge this gap. The first is the most sustainable and the fairest path,” Mamdani explained at New York City Hall.

“This is the path of ending the drain on our city and raising taxes on the richest New Yorkers and the most profitable corporations. The onus for resolving this crisis should not be placed on the backs of working and middle-class New Yorkers. If we do not fix this structural imbalance and do not heed the calls of New Yorkers to raise taxes on the wealthy, this crisis will not disappear,” he continued.

“It will simply return year after year, forcing harder and harsher choices each time. And if we do not go down the first path, the city will be forced down a second, more harmful path. Faced with no other choice, the city would have to exercise the only revenue lever fully within our own control. We would have to raise property taxes,” he added.

“Oh, wow. I for one am super shocked,” Gonzales says. “Like, who could have ever predicted that a Muslim commie would go on TV and lay out a list of terroristic demands?”

“Where’s the money going to come from?” she asks, before answering herself, “I know. We’re just going to tax hardworking Americans more.”

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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

​Sharing, Upload, Video, Video phone, Free, Camera phone, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Mamdani, Zohran mamdani, Batman, Villain, Communism, Socialism, New york city, New york city mayoral race 

The U.S. State Department issued an advisory on Sunday instructing Americans in Jalisco State as well as in several other Mexican states to “shelter in place until further notice” following the elimination of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, Mexico’s most-wanted cartel boss.

With firefights breaking out across the country, radicals blocking key roads, and flights being canceled, many tourists really had no other option than to hunker down.

Mexican Army special forces, aided by the nation’s air force and national guard, launched a military operation on Sunday aimed at capturing Oseguera Cervantes in Tapalpa, Jalisco.

‘The United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice.’

Under Oseguera Cervantes, 59, the Jalisco New Generation cartel became one of the most formidable criminal enterprises south of the border.

The State Department noted that the CJNG, which the Trump administration designated a terrorist organization last February, “has been assessed to have the highest cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine trafficking capacity in Mexico, and over the past few years, includes the trafficking of fentanyl into the United States.”

In addition to trafficking deadly drugs, the savage and allegedly cannibalistic CJNG developed a reputation for murdering Mexican police and rival drug traffickers. The cartel was also allegedly involved in several assassination attempts against Mexican government officials.

Mexican National Guard outside Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime on Feb. 22. Photo by Daniel Cardenas/Anadolu/Getty Images

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated that the U.S. provided intelligence support to ensure the success of Sunday’s operation. Mexican officials confirmed that “complementary information was provided by U.S. authorities within the framework of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the United States.”

“‘El Mencho’ was a was a top target for the Mexican and United States government [sic] as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland. Last year, President Trump rightfully designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization — because that’s exactly what it is,” Leavitt said in a statement.

“President Trump has been very clear — the United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved,” added Leavitt.

RELATED: What will replace the old world order?

Photo by Yilmaz Yucel/Anadolu/Getty Images

Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense indicated that while attacked during the operation, Mexican military personnel “repelled the aggression,” resulting in “four members of the ‘CJNG’ criminal group dying at the scene and three others being severely wounded, who lost their lives during their airlift to Mexico City.”

Oseguera Cervantes was among those wounded in the operation who apparently perished in transit.

Although Mexican and U.S. officials reported that Oseguera Cervantes was eliminated during the operation, the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense said that a forensic evaluation will nevertheless be undertaken to confirm that the cartel terrorist is dead.

In the wake of the operation, in which officials seized numerous armored cartel vehicles and rocket launchers, Mexican Army and National Guard troops mobilized to Jalisco and neighboring states to maintain a modicum of order.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — whose party has numerous members accused of being in bed with the cartels — underscored that “we must remain informed and calm.”

‘The good guys are stronger than the bad guys.’

Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan, and Guanajuato indicated that seven Mexican National Guard troops were killed on Sunday along with seven others, reported the Associated Press.

Just before midnight on Sunday, the U.S. Dept. of State Bureau of Consular Affairs reiterated the need for American citizens to shelter in place, noting that “while no airports have been closed, roadblocks have impacted airline operations — most domestic & int’l flights are cancelled in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta.”

Consular Affairs noted further that all rideshares are suspended in Puerto Vallarta and toll roads in various parts of the country are temporarily suspended.

One tourist claiming to be in Puerto Vallarta captured footage of thick columns of smoke billowing up on either side of his resort. Footage reportedly taken by a Canadian tourist stranded in Puerto Vallarta shows smoke-filled streets caused in one instance by a flaming bus.

David Miranda, a Chicagoan whose vacation in Puerto Vallarta has evidently gone off the rails, told WSB-TV, “There’s blockages, there’s cars on fires, there’s buses blocking the roads. So nobody can take an Uber, can take a taxi, can take a bus. Everything is blocked.”

“We don’t know how we’re going to get food, because it’s Airbnbs,” said Miranda. “So everything is closed, the corner stores — everything is closed.”

Lefty Karkazis of San Francisco also found himself trapped in Puerto Vallarta.

“We were supposed to fly out of here at 2 p.m. So local time, at approximately 10 o’clock, we came downstairs, trying to get a taxi to go to the airport,” Karkazis told KPIX-TV. “And [the hotel staff] told us that nothing is moving, all the roads are blocked because there’s apparently a cartel operation that is affecting all the flights in and out.”

His United Airlines flight was reportedly canceled.

“The next flight out for San Francisco from United is on Thursday. So we might end up staying until Thursday. I don’t know,” continued Karkazis. “We’re just going to go from there. And the worst-case scenario, like I told my wife, we’re just going to rent a car and start driving north.”

The Trump administration commended the Mexican military on a job well done.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that the slaying of “one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins” is a “great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world.”

“The good guys are stronger than the bad guys,” added Landau.

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​Mexico, Cartel, Crime, El mencho, Nemesio oseguera cervantes, Jalisco, Violence, Tourism, State department, Kalisco, State, Landau, Donald trump, Politics 

The Trump administration has delivered numerous wins on the “Make America Health Again” front. For example, it took steps to remove damaging fluoride drug products for children from the market; canceled mRNA vaccine development contracts; and took meaningful steps toward eliminating harmful synthetic dyes and other additives from the food supply.

Some of those in the MAHA movement accustomed to winning were shocked to learn this week that President Donald Trump is pushing for an increase in the production of controversial glyphosate-based herbicides.

Trump suggested in an executive order on Wednesday that “glyphosate-based herbicides are a cornerstone of this Nation’s agricultural productivity and rural economy” and that diminished access to such weed-killers would “result in economic losses for growers and make it untenable for them to meet growing food and feed demands.”

‘The Chemical Lobby is controlling Washington.’

Characterizing production of glyphosate-based herbicides as “central to American economic and national security,” Trump invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950 and tasked Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins with “ensuring a continued and adequate supply.”

The president’s order also provides legal immunity to those American manufacturers ordered to produce glyphosate-related herbicides.

Glyphosate, first registered for use in America in 1974, is one of the most widely used pesticides in the country. Like various other official bodies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency claims that “there are no risks of concern to human health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label” and that it “is unlikely to be a human carcinogen.”

RELATED: The Supreme Court can protect families or protect corporate cover-ups

Photo by: Bill Barksdale/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Many remain skeptical of the ubiquitous herbicide and its impact on human health, not least because of its classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

The report released in May by Trump’s MAHA Commission noted that “a selection of research studies on a herbicide (glyphosate) have noted a range of possible health effects, ranging from reproductive and developmental disorders as well as [sic] cancers, live inflammation and metabolic disturbances.”

A 2023 study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, which was referenced in the MAHA report, suggested that childhood exposure to glyphosate and its degradation product, aminomethylphosphonic acid, “may increase risk of liver and cardiometabolic disorders in early adulthood, which could lead to more serious diseases later in life.”

A 2019 study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ found an association between the risk of autism spectrum disorder and prenatal exposure to glyphosate. The researchers noted that their findings “suggest that an offspring’s risk of autism spectrum disorder increases following prenatal exposure to ambient pesticides within 2000 m of their mother’s residence during pregnancy, compared with offspring of women from the same agricultural region without such exposure.”

A long-term study published last year in the journal Environmental Health found that low doses of the herbicide caused various kinds of cancers in rats. The researchers noted that their findings not only “support the IARC conclusion that there is ‘sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity [of glyphosate] in experimental animals,” but are “consistent also with the epidemiological evidence showing increases in incidence of multiple malignancies in humans exposed to glyphosate and GBHs.”

Zen Honeycutt, a MAHA activist who serves as executive director of Moms Across America, told the Defender, “The implications of this executive order are irreversible.”

“Not only has Trump gone back on his word to go after pesticides, destroying the delicate trust that was being built by the MAHA movement with the government, but he paved the path for glyphosate to continue destroying farmland, fertility, and our families’ health for generations to come,” added Honeycutt.

Toxicologist Alexandra Munoz tweeted, “The executive branch has just endorsed a carcinogen and enshrined it. This is outrageous and unacceptable.”

Vani Hari, a critic of the food industry who founded Food Babe, wrote, “EVERY PRESIDENT since glyphosate was invented has increased the amount of glyphosate being sprayed on our farm land. The Chemical Lobby is controlling Washington, no matter who is in charge & this is why I hate politics.”

Trump’s executive order was issued the day after Bayer, the company that acquired the glyphosate-carrying product Roundup from Monsanto, announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to resolve thousands of American lawsuits alleging that the agrochemical giant neglected to warn people that Roundup could cause cancer.

Bayer noted that “the settlement agreements do not contain any admission of liability or wrongdoing.”

Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer, added in a statement: “The proposed class settlement agreement, together with the Supreme Court case, provides an essential path out of the litigation uncertainty and enables us to devote our full attention to furthering the innovations that lie at the core of our mission: Health for all, Hunger for none.”

Bayer gave $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration committee fund.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended Trump’s glyphosate initiative, telling CNBC in a statement on Thursday, “Donald Trump’s executive order puts America first where it matters most — our defense readiness and our food supply.”

“We must safeguard America’s national security first, because all of our priorities depend on it,” continued Kennedy. “When hostile actors control critical inputs, they weaken our security. By expanding domestic production, we close that gap and protect American families.”

Kennedy previously called glyphosate a “poison.” He also helped Dewayne Johnson, a former school groundskeeper, in his legal battle against Monsanto. A jury found that Roundup caused Johnson’s cancer and that Monsanto neglected to properly warn the public about the risks in its marketing.

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​Glyphosate, Herbicide, Pesticide, Chemical, Cancer, Carcinogen, Maha, Make american healthy again, Health, Regulatory, Big agriculture, Politics 

Zohran Mamdani has wasted no time turning religious language into shocking political branding. This month, he invoked Muhammad while defending Democrats’ mass-migration posture. He also became the first New York City mayor to skip the installation of a Catholic archbishop.

Public officials can practice any faith. They can speak openly about it. The line gets crossed when government starts treating one religion as a protected political category — especially through the criminal code.

To overthrow liberal democracy, the far left needs Islam’s numbers, while Islam needs the far left’s organization.

That line is about to be obliterated in Virginia.

A Bangladesh-born Democrat state senator, Saddam Azlan Salim, introduced SB624, a bill aimed at writing a formal definition of “Islamophobia” into Virginia’s assault and battery laws. The bill would single out Islam for special treatment. No other religion would receive the same statutory carve-out.

The bill defines Islamophobia as “malicious prejudice or hatred directed toward Islam or Muslims.” The definition applies “regardless of whether the victim is actually a practitioner of Islam, provided that the perpetrator targeted such victim based on a perceived adherence to such faith.”

Is it Islamophobic to walk a dog or eat bacon or spread the gospel in the presence of a devout Muslim? If not, why not? And do we really want to test it?

People use Islamophobia as a cudgel to silence legitimate criticism of doctrine, immigration policy, and jihadism at home and abroad. A vague, politically loaded term does not belong in criminal law. It invites selective enforcement. It chills speech. It hands politicians a ready-made pretext to jail dissenters.

Call it what it is: one more step toward a blasphemy-style speech regime, enforced by the state.

In a world in which leftists — and even some conservatives — believe “hate speech isn’t free speech,” Salim’s bill should set off alarm bells for any civil liberties group that claims to defend the freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion.

And yet the American Civil Liberties Union has remained resolutely silent.

The ACLU’s “Religious Liberty” page claims it exists “to safeguard the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty by ensuring that laws and governmental practices neither promote religion nor interfere with its free exercise.”

Given that Islam commands the erasure any kind of secular and sectarian division, you’d think the ACLU’s rabid dogs would be on guard against its encroachment.

Instead, the ACLU maintains a page dedicated to opposing “anti-Muslim discrimination,” while boasting of its opposition to a Jewish charter school in Oklahoma.

RELATED: Free speech in Britain is worse than you think

Photo by Lab Ky Mo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The “red-green alliance” between domestic communists and Muslim invaders is the greatest threat currently facing Western countries today.

In a talk at Oxford University’s Student Union, Peter Thiel laid out the stark choice between the West continuing to flounder under the illusion that clean energy policies would drive global prosperity and the Islamic worldview, which prioritizes domination.

To overthrow liberal democracy, the far left needs Islam’s numbers, while Islam needs the far left’s organization. They have a common enemy — conservatives defending the countries their ancestors built for them — but without that enemy, these groups should actually despise each other.

The same day Mamdani invoked the name of the warlord Muhammad in the cause of open borders, the ACLU’s Instagram page shared a post about how hard it is to be “a queer teen in Idaho!” (Strangely enough, no mention about how hard it is to be a queer teen in any of the more than 50 countries that have been enslaved by Islam.)

This year we will mark the 10th anniversary of the Pulse Night Club shooting, when Omar Mateen — a Muslim Democrat — murdered 49 gay people and wounded 50 more. But in the ACLU’s response, the organization refused to mention Mateen’s name and indeed warned that his massacre of sexual minorities fit a “more politically convenient narrative fed by anti-Muslim fear and hate.”

What a reassuring thing to say to all the affected families in Orlando!

The ACLU is not an organization that subscribes to any kind of moral code. At best, it is a drive-by lawsuit factory. At worst, it is a legal arm of terrorists that openly welcomes foreign donations, which undermines American sovereignty. All the ACLU cares about is power — which, come to think of it, is something the group truly has in common with jihadists.

​Opinion & analysis, First amendment, Free speech, Virginia, Aclu, Religious freedom, Freedom of religion, Free exercise, American civil liberties union, Muhammad, Blasphemy, Hate crimes, Saddam azlan salim, Islamophobia, Law and order, Sharia law, Religious liberty 

I remember, as a boy, seeing strange, old-fashioned advertisements in the backs of comic books. These were the same ones that were printed on the little comic strips you found inside Bazooka bubble gum.

The advertisement was a three-panel cartoon: 1) A muscle-bound bully kicks sand on a skinny guy and his girl at the beach. 2) The humiliated skinny guy goes home and kicks a chair. 3) The skinny guy buys an exercise device, gets muscles, and then beats up the bully.

Like Charles Atlas before him, 20-year-old Clavicular has become a worldwide brand by embodying a new approach to male physical attractiveness.

That’s a popular story. So popular it never goes away. You see it in movies to this day. Man starts out weak. Gets humiliated. Isolates himself and works to improve. And ultimately returns and prevails over his enemies.

It’s a male fantasy. It’s the daydream of every 12-year-old boy. It’s the ultimate form of street justice.

And it almost never happens in real life. Even as a child, I understood that. But it was still a satisfying story. So much so that you could sell stuff with it. Especially to gullible boys.

In this way, Charles Atlas, the inventor of these cartoons and the seller of various body-building regimens, became a rich man.

But even with my child mind, I could tell it was a trick. Because 1) you’re pretty much stuck with the muscles you have. And 2) normal people don’t really care that much about muscles.

Gimme Shelter

By the time I was a teenager, the Charles Atlas era was over. By the late 1970s, male role models were people like Mick Jagger. Or movie stars like Jack Nicholson. These guys weren’t weighed down with muscles.

Even tough guys like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino were much stronger mentally than they were physically. These guys weren’t going to manhandle you with sheer strength. They were going to outsmart you.

The only interesting celebrity of my generation who was somewhat muscular might be Henry Rollins. Though he never had the steroid-infused definition of a true bodybuilder. Besides which, Rollins’ persona was never about being a strongman. It was more of a Nietzschean mental toughness. He was a “Whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” kind of guy.

And of course Arnold Schwarzenegger comes to mind. But in his case, he was a funny and talented actor. His muscles got him into the film business, where he really shone. Before that, most people regarded him as a freak. I know I did.

RELATED: ‘Looksmaxxing’ and the war on male self-improvement

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The muscle-man always rings twice

Now, however, the ghost of Charles Atlas has returned. Young men are thinking about their muscles again. And it’s been going on for a while now.

It started with the “you just gotta lift” movement among young men. HR harassing you at work? Women won’t give you the time of day? Media portrays you as weak and ineffectual. You just gotta lift.

This began back in the 20-teens. Maybe the rise of Trump encouraged it. Guys feeling like they could be guys again. Or maybe in the face of decreasing prospects, guys were trying to hold on to their self-esteem.

Steroids and other medications might have added to the trend. Steroids continue to be popular with young males — both for sports and general appearance.

And then there’s the “going to the gym” trend. Both sexes participate in this. Some go to work out, others to socialize and mingle. It has become a place to make friends and find romance. And naturally, big muscles are big clout at the gym.

Enter the looksmaxxers

Now, after a decade of growing physique consciousness, a new generation has burst onto the scene. They call themselves looksmaxxers. And their point man is an internet streamer named Clavicular.

Like Charles Atlas before him, 20-year-old Clavicular has become a worldwide brand by embodying a new approach to male physical attractiveness.

He uses every means at his disposal: cosmetic, chemical, surgical, whatever it takes. There’s an entire science (or maybe pseudo-science) dedicated to this goal. Some aspects of which — “bonesmashing,” for instance—are quite alarming to contemplate.

Clavicular wasn’t the first to think of this. There is a whole community of looksmaxxers that he studied and learned from.

But like Charles Atlas before him, he has the charisma and business savvy to bring his movement to a larger public. At present, he is literally one of the most popular influencers in the world.

When he visits nightclubs or college campuses, Clavicular is mobbed by admirers and detractors. He believes that being (or appearing to be) tall, handsome, and muscular will literally change your life. Watching people mob him in public, it’s hard to disagree.

The beautiful and the damned

Young male conservatives have embraced Clavicular as their own. He has avoided any direct political alliances, but you can hear in his casual conversation echoes of the manosphere and contemporary conservative youth culture.

There are a lot of theories about the rise of looksmaxxing. Some believe it is the inevitable reaction to women reaching new heights in politics, business, media, and entertainment, while at the same time, men have lost ground.

Clavicular has said as much: In a world where the dating market has become increasingly exclusionary to all but the highest-status men, your average guy has to max out any advantage he has and enhance those advantages by any means necessary.

The great inversion

Like it or not, this is where we are. We’ve inverted traditional gender roles. Women, with their increasing access to status and power, are becoming more like men. And men, seeing their own possibilities diminished, are forced to exaggerate their physical attractiveness, like women.

It’s an interesting social experiment. But will the long-term effects be good for society? I kind of doubt it.

For the moment, Clavicular is affecting culture in ways that go beyond being good-looking or having big muscles. He has become a leader and spokesman for a whole generation of young men. Where he ultimately takes them remains to be seen.

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Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) released a new Senate campaign ad — and it’s about as vulgar as they come.

The ad features several Prairie State residents saying “F**k Trump; vote Juliana,” before Stratton says, “They said it, not me. I’m Juliana Stratton, and I’m proud to have lived my whole life on the South Side of Chicago. I’m not scared of a wannabe dictator. I’m running for Senate to stand up to Donald Trump. I’ll abolish ICE and hold Trump accountable for the crimes he’s committed.”

Stratton then concludes the ad by saying, “Just like they said, f**k Trump,” which is followed by a chorus of residents continuing to say “f*** Trump”

“This Juliana Stratton, the lieutenant governor for J.B. Pritzker, the lieutenant governor for the state of Illinois — she’s running for the Senate, and her campaign seems to be based on bashing Donald Trump in the most profane way possible,” BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock says on “Jason Whitlock Harmony.”

“It just seems bizarre. This woman is 60 years old. She’s got four kids,” he adds.

“I got secondhand embarrassment from looking at this, simply because this is a black woman, you know?” BlazeTV contributor Shemeka Michelle chimes in.

“I don’t think women have elevated the conversation at all, and I don’t think black women have elevated the political conversation. This was silly. What they brought is more delusion into the conversation,” she says.

“How can you be from the South Side of Chicago and make your focus Donald Trump?” she asks, noting that most of the shootings in Chicago take place on the South Side.

“It’s crazy because I see so many people from Chicago excited that ICE is there. Like I saw them complaining that the illegal immigrants had taken over community centers, that their children weren’t allowed to play in community centers any more,” she explains.

“So either she’s not listening to the people going out to vote, or she just doesn’t care. This is about her just trying to elevate her political platform, because your people don’t want illegal immigrants there,” she adds.

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