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Republicans want to make your cell phone better — and freer

A group of Republicans have written letters to the Federal Communications Commission asking for national changes to how consumers can use their cell phones.

On Monday, four GOP members from across the country told FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that it’s time for mandatory rules that allow for greater technological freedom among cellphone providers.

‘Working families and seniors on fixed incomes remain locked into carrier networks.’

Reps. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Mark Alford (R-Mo.), and Mark E. Amodei (R-Nev.) wrote the FCC to voice their “strong support” behind finalizing “uniform, mandatory cellphone unlocking rules.”

This would mean that when a customer is finished with a contract with his cellphone carrier, he could then have his phone unlocked so that it can be used under any other service provider/network, similar to carrying over one’s phone number.

“Consumers in our districts, including working families and seniors on fixed incomes, remain locked into carrier networks even after paying off their devices, unable to switch to more affordable plans due to a patchwork of voluntary carrier policies,” the congressmen wrote in a letter provided to Blaze News.

At the same time, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) wrote his own letter to Carr, which described locked phones as “artificial restrictions for consumers” that deter competition and “trap families in overpriced plans.”

RELATED: Dems launch new push to control more of what you do in your car

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Both letters cited a national poll of 1,000 registered voters on the topic of cellphone carriers locking cell phones and restricting them from being used on competing networks.

Fitzgerald cited the “extremely high” support behind being able to keep one’s cell phone when changing carriers.

“Agreement is also broad and strong for the statements that locking devices to a network limits choice and is a main reason for paying,” the FabrizioWard poll stated.

The other Congress members referred to the massively bipartisan nature of the idea, which was shown through 86% of independents supporting cellphone unlocking.

Concurrently, 85% of Donald Trump voters agreed, while 90% of Kamala Harris voters also were in favor of the policy.

Other major support was found when participants were asked if they should be allowed to switch cellphone carriers with the same phone at any point if they pay off the remainder of their contract; an average of 85% of respondents agreed.

RELATED: You can finally buy Palmer Luckey’s favorite ‘flying car’ — there’s just one catch

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“We respectfully request that the commission move forward to finalize a clear and enforceable unlocking standard,” the group of politicians wrote.

They continued, “Consumers seeking more affordable monthly plans may have limited options, paying higher rates than a more competitive market would require.”

Without a consistent standard, they argued, consumers will continue to be treated differently depending on which carrier sold them a phone, with little recourse if they are not allowed to opt out of their contract.

The FCC has yet to respond.

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​Cell phones, Phone carriers, Fcc, Brendan carr, Tech 

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Inside Pennsylvania’s online gambling boom that has lawmakers staring down a multibillion-dollar dilemma

A new report from a Pennsylvania commission highlights a growing problem in the state, yet lawmakers are faced with a number of tough decisions in their search for a solution.

Earlier this month, the Joint State Government Commission of Pennsylvania published a report on the state of online gambling, including sports betting, which has exploded in popularity since the United States Supreme Court struck down a federal 1992 prohibition on sports betting in May 2018.

‘Imagine if you were trying to quit drinking and someone kept leaving alcohol at your doorstep and then left coupons for alcohol at your doorstep.’

By the beginning of 2025, “95% of all sports betting wagers and 60% of all slot machine wagers in Pennsylvania were made online,” according to the House resolution prompting the report, citing public data from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

The issues within this relatively new industry abound, according to the report.

Convenience is one such issue. Online gamblers now have access to online casinos “24/7,” no longer need to plan or pay for accommodations, and often enjoy “more generous” bonuses and promotions than can be found in traditional casinos. Gamblers can also use platforms like PayPal and Venmo as well as credit cards for payment, making online gambling an attractive option for many gamblers.

RELATED: Debit card company promises to pay your bill … sometimes: ‘Buy now, pay maybe’

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The report details a number of online casinos’ bonus offers and marketing tactics, including “promotions, in-game advertising, advertising during sports broadcasts and webcasts, as well as using celebrated and animated spokespersons.” Artificial intelligence is often used to create this marketing content.

While the marketing tactics may seem innocuous, the report goes on to highlight several ongoing lawsuits against various online gambling platforms, in which it is alleged that the promotions were, for example, “false and misleading” or that the platform’s systems were “highly addictive.” In one particularly illustrative example, the report references a lawsuit called Brubaker v. Chester Downs & Marina that alleges, according to a Public Health Advocacy Institute summary:

a false and misleading promise of a “$2,500 deposit match.” Only in the small-print terms and conditions is it disclosed that a new customer playing blackjack is required to gamble $375,000 in just the first seven days after opening an account. In other words, no money or winnings can be withdrawn unless a total of $375,000 is risked. All money lost during the first seven-day period is kept by Caesars and Harrah’s Casino.

Kavita Fischer, a Pittsburgh-area psychiatrist and a leading proponent of addressing these issues after her own online gambling addiction, told the Associated Press: “The report made it clear that gambling is not a personal failing, it’s a public health issue, and the recommendations really reflect that.”

She described to the AP what she called the “predatory” nature of many of the platforms’ marketing schemes. “I had so many quit dates,” she said. “Imagine if you were trying to quit drinking and someone kept leaving alcohol at your doorstep and then left coupons for alcohol at your doorstep. That is what is the predatory part of all of this.”

The report noted that, while state law prohibits any person under 21 years old from gambling, the intended limitations on youth exposure to gambling advertisements has apparently been circumvented by social media and influencers, who use a “blend of promotional intent with entertainment” to promote gambling services without announcing that they are making an advertisement.

Among the biggest problems, though, is the possible connection between online casinos and an increase in compulsive or problem gambling. As evidence, the report said that calls about internet gambling placed to a gambling hotline and categorized as the “most problematic form of gambling” skyrocketed from under 100 calls per year in 2019 to over 900 by 2025.

While the individual and social problems that apparently stem from this industry seem to abound, lawmakers face a dilemma that will likely cause significant disagreement in the searches for a solution.

For one thing, this new industry is a massive cash cow for the state. “There is no denying that the revenue from online gambling and sports betting can be economically beneficial overall for the states where iGaming is legal,” the report stated.

Citing Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board data, the report says the revenue from legal gambling nearly reached a staggering $6.4 billion in fiscal year 2024-2025, 39% of which was from iGaming alone.

The growth shows no sign of stopping either.

According to a May 2026 press release from the PGCB, iGaming revenue saw a massive year-over-year increase, crossing a quarter billion dollars in revenue: “Casino games offered online generated $254,825,042 during May 2026. Compared to revenue of $232,853,763 in May 2025, this represents an increase of 9.44%.”

Other PGCB data points from the report present a revealing picture of the unique growth that online forms of gambling have undergone since their legalization. While slot machine revenue has essentially remained stable at or around $2.4 billion in yearly revenue since fiscal year 2012-2013, with the exception of a dip during the pandemic, iGaming revenue has grown tenfold in less than half that time. Sports wagering, video gaming terminals, and fantasy sports contests have seen impressive growth as well.

The solutions, as mentioned previously, come with some trade-offs. The commission suggested, first, that Pennsylvania follow the lead of states like Colorado and Massachusetts and begin collecting anonymized data from online transactions on gambling platforms. This would ostensibly allow for a more “precise” identification of “harmful” practices and potentially identify gambling trends among the population.

More immediate proposals include the prohibition of the use of credit cards for deposits, mandatory limits on play time, banning logged-out promos, geospatial advertising blockers at places like universities, and the prohibition of the use of artificial intelligence for individualizing marketing strategies.

Doug Harbach, the PGCB director of communications, responded to Blaze News’ request for comment on Thursday, saying, “This report was drafted for possible action by the General Assembly, and the PGCB will continue to work with them on these issues. We wholeheartedly agree that effective and legal additions to the Gaming Act and regulations should be considered to protect the gaming public.”

Harbach added that the PGCB has a set of proposed regulations dealing with problem gambling, which the public can view and submit comments on no later than August 11. The public can learn more and review these proposals on the PA Bulletin website.

Blaze News reached out to DraftKings, the American Gaming Association, and Caesars Entertainment but did not immediately receive a response.

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​Online gambling, Pennsylvania, Sports betting, State lawmakers, Politics 

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Jason Whitlock: The Nolan Wells case is being used to incite racial violence

As the investigation into the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells continues, a growing number of public figures — who BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock believes are installed chaos agents — are claiming race must have played a role.

“All of these leaders — they’ve all been installed. They’ve all been installed to promote chaos. And there’s no bigger example than Ben Crump,” Whitlock says.

“This man being dressed up as some lawyer with zero command of the English language, someone that literally probably has an IQ hovering around 70. And he’s out here running around as the face of the civil rights movement and a respected civil rights attorney and being quoted in newspapers and media organizations all across the country,” he continues.

“And he’s been allowed to parachute in like a carpetbagger, to parachute into Mississippi, and just to stir racial animus. And he’s been joined by Jasmine Crockett and others to stir racial animosity,” he adds.

And a clip of Crockett speaking to TMZ only proves his point.

“Some people feel like it’s racially motivated. What do you think?” a reporter asked Crockett.

“I mean, I think that specifically as black Americans in the United States right now, we are always going to question whether or not there is a racial motivation,” Crockett responded.

“But also, if you know the history of Mississippi, I think that you’d have to be blind not to question potentially what is happening, especially in the case of an 18-year-old who ends up deceased without his cell phone, without any communication whatsoever with anybody prior to ending up deceased,” she continued.

“And he was out with his Caucasian friends. And then law enforcement tells everybody there’s no foul play to be suspected. Now, a blind man could see that there’s something to investigate,” she added.

“Well, it sounds like you think it is racially motivated,” the reporter answered.

“I absolutely think that I can tell you that we don’t have any answers, but if you think that race is not something to look at, then you are not really trying to investigate,” Crockett said.

When the reporter pressed further, Crockett pointed out that the “white kids deleted their social media accounts.”

“It looks like a racial thing to me, but hey, maybe we’ll find out that it wasn’t,” she added.

“That’s illogical thinking. That’s another reason why we need to repeal the 19th Amendment,” Whitlock comments.

“Out here running her mouth about something she knows virtually nothing about. … And oh, of course, it must be racist. Kids don’t drown in boating accidents during the summer, during Fourth of July weekends,” he continues.

“That never happens. It has to be racial,” he adds.

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​Ben crump, Civil rights, Fearless, Jasmine crockett, Jason whitlock, Mississippi, Nolan wells, Racial animosity, Race, Jason whitlock harmony 

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Gay priest thanks God for ‘black gay/queer/same-gender loving flesh,’ calls Trump a racist

A black and gay-identifying Catholic priest has accused the Trump administration of idol worship.

Fordham professor Fr. Bryan Massingale — who, according to his Fordham bio, is a priest with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee — received the Catholic Theological Society of America’s John Courtney Murray Award in June. Massingale used his acceptance speech, published Tuesday by Jesuit publication Outreach, to attack the Trump administration and praise “sexual diversity.”

‘Black flesh is a place of divine encounter, revelation, and manifestation.’

The Trump administration removed Massingale’s book “Racial Justice and the Catholic Church” from the Naval Academy library in April 2025 as part of a wider crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the federal government.

“Why? Because that work is in direct opposition to the idolatrous ideology of white so-called ‘Christian’ nationalism that is the heart of the immoral projects being advanced by our nation’s administration,” according to Massingale. “All of this is done in the name of ‘God’ — an idol that sanctifies only white, male, heterosexual bodies.”

“It was banned because I believed that one cannot be an unabashed racist and call oneself a follower of Jesus,” Massingale said. The book is available on Amazon.

Rev. Massingale and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee did not respond to a request for comment. The CTSA declined to comment.

RELATED: WNBA star says black women are ‘amazing’ and deserve equality in strange, race-riddled rant

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The theology professor announced his sexual orientation in 2019 at a Global Network of Rainbow Catholics meeting, according to a Spectrum News NY1 interview. Roman Catholic priests promise during their ordination process to maintain celibacy.

Massingale described his “black Catholic theological project” as “more radical than most often acknowledge.” He later told attendees that they live in “a society and a church where folks are not conditioned to love black bodies.”

Massingale did not elaborate on how Americans should be “conditioned to love black bodies.”

The Murray Award winner led a controversial gay priest retreat in 2018, prompting condemnation from then-Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki. Massingale previously considered leaving the Catholic Church, but told NBC News in 2022, “I’m not going to let the church’s racism rob me of my relationship with God.”

In the same interview, Massingale called for clerical celibacy to be optional and told NBC his dream is a church-sanctioned wedding between two black, gay men or two black lesbians.

“I praise the holy mystery who, through the miracles of creation and incarnation, made black gay/queer/same-gender loving flesh sacred and holy,” Massingale’s speech concluded. “Who has stamped black, queer flesh with the image of God and made it a manifestation of God’s presence and grace in the world.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” and “under no circumstances can they be approved.”

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​Black, Catholic, Celibacy, Gay, Jesus, Priest, Racial justice, Sexual orientation, Trump administration, Religion, Lgbt, Politics 

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Latest evidence Tim Walz can’t protect child rapists fast enough

Rather than walk back his controversial defense of a convicted child rapist who stole into the homeland, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) bemoaned the pedophile’s deportation by the Trump administration and emphasized the supposed need not to judge him by his “worst day.”

Tou Lue Vang, a 42-year-old illegal alien from Laos, repeatedly raped a young girl over a two-year period, beginning when she was just 10, and in one instance, offered her $10 for her silence, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

‘Child molesters are among the classes of criminals most likely to re-offend.’

When interviewed by police, the pedophile reportedly suggested that his child victim was as guilty as he was, and downplayed his horrific child sex crimes as “a cultural thing … to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12.”

Following Vang’s conviction for first-degree criminal sexual assault, a Justice Department immigration judge issued the rapist a final order of removal in October 2006. Vang, however, having been given 30 years of probation and no prison time, remained in the country for another two decades. Seeking to rectify this matter, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested and detained Vang on Dec. 10.

The Trump administration’s efforts to give the child rapist the boot were frustrated, first when a judge ordered Vang’s release in February, and then again on June 10 when — just a week before he was finally set to be deported — Walz joined leftist Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson in voting to pardon the child rapist.

Walz claimed during the pardon meeting that since his days as a child rapist, Vang “has started a family, he’s become a critical member of the community, and he has lived a life without any serious criminal violations since that time.”

RELATED: Marco Rubio takes action to END the threat from Tim Walz’s illegal alien pedophile pardon

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Ellison said that the decision was unanimous and made “after an exhaustive process, which included a statement of support for the pardon from the victim, a recommendation to grant the pardon from the Clemency Review Commission, and a large number of community support letters.”

The pardon evidently wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week both that he had revoked Vang’s legal status and that the pedophile had been removed from the United States on Friday.

“This foreign criminal will never pose a threat to any American ever again,” said Rubio.

Walz is evidently cut up about the child rapist’s successful deportation.

“I guess the question I would ask is, did that make us any safer?” Walz said with regard to the child rapist’s ouster. “Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable?”

“Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day?” continued the governor, who also acknowledged that Vang committed “horrific crimes.”

This commentary by the self-identified “knucklehead” has prompted more disgust.

The Department of Homeland Security responded to Walz’s remarks this week, stating, “For Tou Lue Vang this wasn’t just one ‘worst day’ — it was YEARS of repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl starting when she was 10. Just disgraceful.”

“Tim Walz asked, ‘How does this make us safer?’ in response to Secretary Rubio stepping in to remove an illegal alien convicted of raping a 10-year-old girl,” wrote Republican Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer. “Well, Tim, typically, communities are safer when convicted child predators aren’t just roaming the streets.”

“I am very willing to judge this guy — and Tim Walz — by his worst day,” tweeted Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R).

The White House’s official rapid response account on X noted that “Walz is one seriously sick, depraved individual.”

“Good grief,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (D) said of Walz’s remarks. “Also, child molesters are among the classes of criminals most likely to re-offend, so it’s not just one day but probably a pattern of malicious conduct that creates a number of victims. Why would you not want an illegal alien that fits this profile to be deported?”

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​Illegal alien, Tim walz, Minnesota, Rapist, Marco rubio, Democrat, Keith ellison, Immigration and customs enforcement, Crime, Politics 

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EXCLUSIVE: CBP announces seizure of 200 counterfeit watches worth over $28 million

U.S. Customs and Border Protection released exclusive details to Blaze News related to a $28 million counterfeit bust from the Port of Louisville.

The shipment from Hong Kong was seized by CBP officers on July 9. It was discovered when officers pulled it for inspection on its way to Illinois.

‘Officers are trained to identify illicit shipments and work diligently for American consumers by stopping the flow of unlawful trade.’

The shipment included 200 watches that bore suspected trademarks of the Audemars Piguet brand.

The Centers of Excellence and Expertise of the CBP determined the watches to be inauthentic. They were seized for “bearing counterfeit versions of registered and recorded trademarks,” according to the CBP news release.

Last month, the CBP claimed it had seized a similar shipment at the same port of 375 counterfeit watches that were worth $54 million of the genuine products. It had also been shipped from Hong Kong.

“Counterfeit goods are poor-quality products costing U.S. businesses billions of dollars a year while robbing our country of jobs and tax revenues,” said Philip Onken, Louisville’s port director. “Officers are trained to identify illicit shipments and work diligently for American consumers by stopping the flow of unlawful trade.”

The CBP reminds Americans to shop at reputable websites to avoid receiving counterfeit products.

RELATED: Sports memorabilia in chaos after seller admits massive scheme to fake signatures, then commits suicide

U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release

CBP said 70,000 men and women comprise the federal agency.

“We enforce safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country’s economic prosperity. We enhance the nation’s security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust,” the agency said.

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​Customs and border protection, Counterfeit bust, Economy, Trade, Politics 

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New study: One Chinese cyberattack could make your taps run dry

Modern water utilities run on digital control systems that regulate water pressure and chemical mixtures. If a hostile actor compromises these networks, they control the physical flow of liquid life across American communities.

A recent simulation conducted by cybersecurity analysts, as reported by Wired, modeled exactly what happens when those controls get hijacked. The results proved that America’s interconnected society is essentially a giant Jenga tower built on a foundation of pumps and pipes.

Emergency response teams face an impossible numbers game.

Earlier this year, the FBI officially classified a breach of a U.S. government monitoring network as a “major incident.” This is the government’s polite way of saying someone managed to hot-wire the digital locks on the country’s critical infrastructure.

The Beijing-backed hacking group Volt Typhoon has spent years setting up camp inside American pipelines and power grids. The group is seeking to disrupt the systems that everyday Americans depend on.

And the easiest way to do that is through the kitchen sink.

A single water utility failure can trigger a much wider economic crisis. Data centers require thousands of gallons of water daily to prevent high-density server racks from melting into expensive puddles of plastic. When water pressure drops, those servers overheat and initiate automated shutdowns. This instantly halts the cloud computing services that manage corporate logistics, processing networks, and emergency communications. Your local water plant goes down, and suddenly the entire digital economy vanishes into thin air.

Hospitals face an immediate crisis when the taps run dry. Modern medical facilities rely on water for everything from sterilizing surgical instruments to running the HVAC systems that maintain sterile operating rooms. Without water pressure, air conditioning units fail, ambient temperatures surge, and hospital administrators must evacuate intensive care units. It turns out that advanced 21st-century medicine completely falls apart if you can’t wash a scalpel or flush a toilet.

On the brink of disaster

The United States maintains roughly 151,000 public water systems, and the vast majority serve populations of fewer than 3,300 residents. These small municipal water districts operate on razor-thin tax revenues that barely cover basic pipe repairs. They absolutely do not have the budget to hire elite cybersecurity teams to defend their networks. Instead, their digital infrastructure relies on outdated software and default, easily cracked factory passwords like “admin123.” They’re practically inviting foreign adversaries to waltz in and run riot.

The attackers use a strategy known as “living off the land” to maintain their presence inside these small networks. Instead of dropping obvious malware that sets off digital tripwires, they repurpose legitimate administrative tools already built into the operating software. Security logs register their malicious commands as routine network maintenance performed by a local employee. This allows foreign operators to map out vulnerabilities and position themselves to cause maximum damage whenever they feel like flipping the switch.

RELATED: China’s new AI master plan: Total technological control

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Emergency response teams face an impossible numbers game during a multi-regional infrastructure crisis. The federal government possesses a limited pool of cybersecurity experts capable of removing nation-backed digital squatters from industrial control systems. A widespread outage forces these responders to triage assistance based on economic importance and military necessity. A defense manufacturing facility or a major metropolitan hospital receives immediate technical support, while suburban neighborhoods and rural farming towns wait weeks for a repair crew.

Commercial insurance policies offer a hilarious lack of protection against this kind of systemic infrastructure failure. Standard cyber insurance contracts contain explicit exclusions for acts of war, cyber terrorism, or hostile actions directed by sovereign nations. The moment the federal government attributes a major utility breach to a foreign power, insurance corporations will invoke these clauses to deny payouts. Municipalities and local taxpayers are left holding the multi-billion-dollar bill to restore their own poisoned or impaired water systems.

No bathroom breaks

The simulation concluded with a darkly absurd enforcement of operational reality. Organizers denied participants bathroom breaks for the final 12 hours. In the hierarchy of emergencies, a number one had officially fallen below the number one priority.

There are no breaks in a real incident response, and walking away from your terminal means missing the exact second a water pump explodes. It provided a clear demonstration of the high-stakes pressure facing the IT professionals who hold the line between modern civilization and medieval living conditions.

Washington remains trapped in a reactive loop, preparing for cyber disasters after they occur instead of making the initial intrusion impossible. The final lesson of the war game is that there is no magical reboot button for a society deprived of its basic utilities. Communities descend into chaos, valve by valve. Corporate executives and politicians argue over who gets the first drop of clean water. Preventative defense is the only viable option. Because once the taps stop running, restoring normal life becomes a slow and uncertain process.

​Water, China, Cyberattack, Cybersecurity, Tech 

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Good Samaritan saved the life of mom who lost both legs in ‘catastrophic’ boating accident, police say

The mother of three children is recovering from a “catastrophic” boating accident where only a “miracle” saved her life, according to Idaho police.

The unidentified woman was tubing and enjoying the day at Bear Lake when she was sucked into the propellers of a boat and her legs were severed.

‘She just looked at me, and she just said, ‘Go get your tourniquet.”

Dan Taylor recalled to KSL-TV that he was just getting to the lake with his family when he heard the commotion from the tragic accident.

“Everybody was out on the bow shouting, ‘Help, help, please help,'” Taylor said. “Somebody on the boat said, ‘Get the kids out of here.'”

Taylor said his wife was closer to the boat and surmised the direness of the situation before he could.

“She told me to get my paddleboard up to the side of the boat to use as a gurney,” he said. “She just looked at me, and she just said, ‘Go get your tourniquet.'”

He said both the woman’s legs were missing, and he and his family members immediately applied a tourniquet to one leg, then used a strap on the other leg. It took medics between 10 and 15 minutes to arrive to the scene.

“The victim was so courageous, and she was conscious through the whole thing,” he added. “Her spirit of just staying in the moment and staying calm was nothing I ever could have conceived in a situation like that.”

Taylor said he had a tourniquet in his van in case of emergencies, and the topic had come up just a few weeks prior at a mountain biking first-aid class.

He remembers praying for the woman until an ambulance and helicopter arrived.

“An hour in that situation just felt like an eternity,” he said. “With bleeding that severe, minutes can be something that ends somebody’s life.”

The Bear Lake County Sheriff’s Office praised Taylor in a post on its Facebook page.

“These actions ultimately saved her life,” police said.

RELATED: Homeless man allegedly choked 13-year-old at school bus stop until Good Samaritan beat his face with a toolbox

Taylor says he is grateful that he was at the right place to help the woman.

“I know the term ‘miracle’ gets thrown around a lot, but it was absolutely miraculous to think about, of all the places that they could have been,” he said, “and how many people in that whole beach and how many of them have a tourniquet, and of those people, how many of those people had a first-aid training and it was front of mind three weeks ago?”

A GoFundMe account was set up for the woman, who was described as a “devoted wife, loving mother of three, and cherished friend.” The police department confirmed that the funds would go to the woman involved.

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​Boating accident, Good samaritan, Idaho, Lake, Human interest 

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Amy Coney Barrett traded Americans’ trust for a bulletproof vest

Justice Amy Coney Barrett — who, in a slap in the face to American-born citizens, just ruled in favor of birthright citizenship — told the House Appropriations Committee that the mounting threats against her have taken a toll on her children.

“They have required my children to think about and see things that children should not have to see or think about,” Barrett testified, sharing that her security detail gave her a bulletproof vest to wear.

When she brought it into her bedroom, her young son asked what it was.

However, BlazeTV host Steve Deace doesn’t have much sympathy for the Supreme Court justice.

Deace explains that he asked Grok how often Barrett has voted with the Democrat block of justices, to which the AI answered 50% to 75% of the time.

“So, my Grok account literally said to me, if, based on how you typically propose such questions, you need to consider that within that 75% she’s often voting on things that are obvious to the majority of the court, that are 7-2 decisions or greater,” he says.

“But, Grok said, if you’re factoring in the more contentious kinds of issues that, given what you typically ask me about, are really what you care about, it’s about 50-50,” he continues.

This means, Deace says, that “Amy Coney Barrett, on the most important things, is essentially a coin flip.”

“That’s essentially what she is on the most important things, the things that we think are fundamental, existential in determining what kind of people ought we to be and will ultimately become. She’s a flip of a coin,” he explains.

“What are you gaining by simping for this worldview about half of the time in your most important rulings? Whose favor are you incurring? What cocktail party are you now being invited to? What aura of respectability there in suburban D.C. are you now being granted?” he asks. “Because by your own admission, the answer is nothing.”

Deace corrects himself, noting that she didn’t actually receive nothing. She got a bulletproof vest.

“Forgive me. I don’t have much sympathy,” he says.

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​Amy coney barrett, Birthright citizenship, Justice, Steve deace, Supreme court, Bulletproof vest, Democrats, Steve deace show 

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The GOP strikes out on inflation and immigration — again

Inflation and invasion. Those were the two issues that propelled Donald Trump to victory in 2024. Now Congress is facing what is essentially its last chance to fulfill those election mandates after squandering its best political capital during the first year and a half of this term.

Yet as Republicans push their third and final party-line budget reconciliation bill, the priorities are once again random and disconnected from the two central campaign promises.

Republicans appear poised to end this Trump trifecta the same way they ended the last one: without enduring victories.

Just like the first two bills.

Truth is, neither reconciliation bill cut the deficit on net. Neither defunded sanctuary cities, birthright citizenship, amnesty programs, or the judicial review now hampering every facet of immigration enforcement.

The first bill — the one fueled by the greatest political capital Republicans had enjoyed in years — focused on a random assortment of tax provisions that failed to excite the country and likely added significantly to the deficit. It also contained more defense spending.

The second bill simply threw more money at the Department of Homeland Security, which, under current failed policies, will not change the dynamic of litigating every last illegal alien removal to death.

So what is in Reconciliation 3.0?

The bulk of it is $73 billion for the military, mainly for the Iran war, though it will likely include funding to rebuild Arab Gulf states.

So despite complaints that the GOP cannot move beyond its myopic focus on taxes and defense spending, 11 years into the MAGA movement, that is still all Trump and Republicans seem capable of producing: more tax cuts, more spending, and more money thrown at a wasteful Pentagon.

In fact, while this bill earmarks $73 billion for defense, Trump originally asked for $350 billion.

Let’s start with the military component.

If our military cannot keep the Strait of Hormuz open on a $1 trillion annual budget, then something is wrong with the weapons we are buying, the strategy we are pursuing, or the will to use the tools we already possess.

Republicans cannot continue mindlessly increasing the defense budget without auditing our strategic interests and determining whether the current procurement regime satisfies our needs.

Throwing another $100 billion or $200 billion at Boeing and General Dynamics will not change the dynamic.

RELATED: The GOP’s 2028 ticket math is already brutal

Brendan SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Last June, the House Oversight Committee’s Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee held a roundtable highlighting a GAO report on procurement waste.

“DOD now plans to invest over $2.4 trillion in its costliest weapon programs,” the report found. “However, because the department remains alarmingly slow in delivering capabilities, these investments are at high risk of becoming obsolete before they even reach the field.”

So long as the defense industry knows congressional appropriations are effectively unlimited, it will continue gouging taxpayers for these weapons systems.

Meanwhile, Congress should be asking a basic question, regardless of one’s view of the decision to go to war with Iran: How do we still lack the leverage to keep shipping lanes open against an adversary that essentially lacks an air force and a functional navy?

And if we lack the weapons and strategy to protect shipping lanes against Iran, how do we plan to deter China from doing the same in the South China Sea after it has already built extensive military infrastructure on artificial islands?

It will not happen by throwing another $100 billion at the same system.

This bill will therefore accomplish what Republicans usually accomplish when in power: It will add to the debt.

We all lamented Bidenflation. But since the debt ceiling was lifted during last year’s budget reconciliation bill, the debt has increased by $3.2 trillion. The monthly tab for interest on the debt in June was greater than the cost of the military and roughly on par with Medicare spending.

Meanwhile, despite the Federal Reserve lowering the federal funds rate over the past two years, the 10-year Treasury remains near a 19-year high. That means debt maturing this year will roll over at much higher interest rates.

So we print more money to service more debt, which is why the M2 money supply just hit another record.

In the wake of that debt service, we will not see a long-term easing of inflation.

As for immigration, this bill does nothing about anchor babies, sanctuary judges, or sanctuary cities. It does nothing to defund foreign-worker programs fleecing American workers and college graduates.

Instead, it includes $10 billion to bribe states to deal with voter fraud, including the threat of noncitizens voting. But the only states likely to use the money properly are the states already combatting voter fraud.

RELATED: Trump’s mass-deportation promise needs receipts

David McNew/Getty Images

There is no point passing this provision without the legal enforcement of the SAVE Act. Frankly, there is little point passing the SAVE Act without fixing the antecedent problem: our immigration policies.

Then, of course, the bill contains a $12 billion bailout for farmers hurt by Trump’s other failed signature economic policy: tariffs.

But if this same Congress and White House continue pushing a farm bill that perpetuates the subsidy regime harming small farmers — and if they continue supporting endless rezoning of farmland for data centers — what is the point of throwing more good money after bad?

The lesson is obvious.

Republicans appear poised to end this Trump trifecta the same way they ended the last one: without enduring victories.

Sure, they passed Elizabeth Warren’s Section 8 bill. But they have not passed a single major provision that seriously addresses immigration or inflation.

They had three chances to do something transformational.

They struck out.

But fear not. In congressional baseball, there is always a fourth chance for voters they treat as suckers.

“We’re right now looking at a reconciliation 4.0 to do the things that are left out of this one,” a House Republican told Politico on Wednesday. Oh, joy!

​Congress, Debt, Deficit, Elizabeth warren, Inflation, Iran war, Opinion & analysis, Reconciliation, Republicans, Save act, Spending, Bidenflation, Immigration 

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Trump exposes how the ‘deep state’ purposely hid 2020 Chinese election interference from him

President Donald Trump told the nation from the White House Thursday that the Chinese government has interfered with American elections and gained access to “sensitive” voter data of tens of millions of Americans.

Trump also accused deep-state bad actors of “deliberately massag[ing]” his daily briefings and even of attempting to run a “shadow government” during his first term to keep the information about “China’s election meddling” from him, other lawmakers, the media, and the American public.

Trump reiterated his demand that Congress pass the SAVE America act, and accused Democrats of stalling on the bill because it would keep them from cheating in elections.

The president said evidence of his claims are available for review at the White House website.

“The documents … show that over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history — resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files,” said the president.

He said the information China collected included “names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote and engage in other nefarious activities, which is exactly what was happening.”

Trump then said the White House Government Transparency Task Force had gathered evidence that the “deep state” had worked to cover up the Chinese acquisition of U.S. voter data.

“U.S. spy agencies began learning about the compromise of voter registration files in 2020 when they discovered that tens of millions of voter data … in 18 states have been bought, stolen, or hacked by China. Yet those responsible for sounding the alarm instead kept the information secret and hidden,” he said.

He also claimed, citing a CIA document, that during his first term, China sought to influence major American business leaders and persuade them “to turn against the president of the United States.” Trump further claimed China tried to buy off seemingly anti-Trump American journalists with “large sums of money” to write even more “negative articles about him.”

He even claimed China tried to create bogus ballots in the 2020 election.

“Raw intelligence obtained by the FBI in 2020, yet buried by rogue bureaucrats, stated that China’s activities even included an attempt to manufacture illegal ballots for Joe Biden,” he added.

He went on to allege that officials had found as many as 287,000 non-citizens were found registered to vote nationwide.

The president also claimed that classified material that was supposed to be destroyed in “burn bags” was never actually destroyed, and he called on the FBI and the DOJ to investigate and to “prosecute those responsible for any crimes.”

Trump reiterated his demand that Congress pass the SAVE America Act and accused Democrats of stalling on the bill because it would keep them from cheating in elections.

The only reason you wouldn’t [pass it] is you want to cheat because your policies are so bad and your candidates are so pathetic that you can’t get away or can’t get elected any other way,” Trump claimed.

The SAVE America Act would require voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote in elections and require a photo identification to cast a ballot. Left-wing critics of the proposal say it would disadvantage minorities and other Democratic demographics.

The president completed his address by calling on all Americans to pick up a phone and call their representatives to ask for the SAVE America Act to be passed.

RELATED: Trump team slams ‘b***h’ Democrat for floating bizarre conspiracy theory on housing bill delay

.@POTUS: Newly declassified documents show that over a period of years starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history — resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220… pic.twitter.com/S6qudP0QoP
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 17, 2026

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said he was briefed on the president’s speech before the address and described it as possibly the “most important Oval Office address since the Cuban Missile Crisis.”

He added, “The time for complacency with China is over.”

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​President donald trump, White house, Election, Election fraud, Save act, China, Deep state, Politics, Joe biden 

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

Baltimore Police posted video Wednesday showing six “younger males” ganging up on and brutally beating a 74-year-old man outside a 7-Eleven; the attackers also were wielding a rifle and a sword, police said.

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

‘Wish he was armed and eliminated some/all [of] the threat.’

The video police posted shows the victim seemingly headed to the door of the convenience store when two of the offenders — one of them pointing what police called a “gray assault-style rifle” at the elderly man — run up to him. The rest of the suspects follow seconds later and begin surrounding the victim.

Soon the group begins taking turns shoving and throwing objects at the elderly man, who does his best to fight them off and shield himself.

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

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

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

RELATED: Elderly Air Force veteran assaulted, robbed after withdrawing cash from ATM; video shows juvenile taking victim’s wallet

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

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

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

According to WJZ-TV, a store employee said the 7-Eleven was closed at the time of the attack, and police said the victim was treated for minor injuries afterward.

Police said robbery detectives need the help of the public to identify the culprits seen in the video, and those with information are urged to call Citywide Robbery detectives at 410-366-6311 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.

A number of commenters who reacted under the police department’s X post about the incident were far from happy:

“Stop pretending anything will happen if they’re found,” one said. “Please.””ATTEMPTED armed robbery?!? How about ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON?!? Fk you Baltimore. No wonder you’re a third world s**t hole,” another commenter wrote. “How ANY law abiding citizen could live there is beyond me.””Hope we catch them, we all got somebody heading home or out this time of day,” another commenter stated. “Wish he was armed and eliminated some/all [of] the threat.”

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​Baltimore, Physical attack, Attempted armed robbery, Rifle, Sword, Ganging up, Elderly man, Brutal beating, Surveillance video, Crime 

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ICE traffic stops will continue after lethal shootings — but only under certain conditions

The two lethal shootings during federal immigration operations in the last couple of weeks have led to restrictions on traffic stops by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Initially the traffic stops were temporarily paused after the shooting deaths of a Mexican migrant in Houston and a Colombian migrant in Maine.

‘Over half of all ICE field offices now do have body cameras, and the remainder of the field offices are expected within 60 days.’

President Donald Trump stepped in to order that the traffic stops continue as part of his promise for mass deportations, but a Daily Wire report on Thursday indicated that new restrictions were approved.

Traffic stops will be allowed in operations where at least one officer had a body camera and one teammate had training in specialized prosecutions. In addition, the stop needs to have an “operational” justification.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin said his ICE sources confirmed the report.

In both recent lethal incidents, no officers were wearing body cameras. Officials explained that the rapid expansion of officers led to a shortage of cameras available in the field.

“Basically, it boils down to, unless someone has a body-worn camera, no vehicle stops can be made,” one agency source said to the Daily Wire. “Since the majority of officers do not have body-worn cameras, hardly any stops will be made.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt admitted that the body camera rollout had faced difficulties.

“With respect to body cameras, I know there’s been some questions about that in recent days. Over half of all ICE field offices now do have body cameras, and the remainder of the field offices are expected within 60 days,” Leavitt said to reporters.

“It’s been a slower rollout than we would have hoped, but that’s because of the Democrats’ decision to shut down DHS for several weeks,” she added. “So, we expect to fully execute on the promise of body cams to all field offices across the country very soon.”

RELATED: Meth-like substance found in van of illegal alien killed by ICE, FBI says — but Democratic DA disputes

The Wall Street Journal reported that the pause on traffic stops was made unilaterally by Markwayne Mullin, the secretary of Homeland Security, and angered the president.

“We must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP! Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands,” Trump wrote in response on social media.

“The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch,” he added. “I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job. Keep those Crime Stat Records coming!”

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​Ice traffic stops, Immigration and customs enforcement, Markwayne mullin, Immigration, Mass deportations, President donald trump, Politics 

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Democratic senator and pal of disgraced Rep. Swalwell gets NAILED with bombshell sexual allegations of his own

Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona had a telling response to the allegations in a New York Post report that he had been sexually involved with at least two staffers in the House of Representatives.

Gallego, who is a close friend of Eric Swalwell, told NBC News when questioned about the report that he was not going to engage in “gossip.”

One source called the allegations a part of a ‘pattern of mistakes and missteps and judgment calls’ from the Democrat.

The Post report cited three sources confirming the two relationships, including one source saying they heard it firsthand from the 46-year-old senator.

Gallego reportedly admitted to the relationships with aides of Texas Democrats to one source, while another source said they had recently learned about the incidents.

A third source also confirmed the report.

The relationships allegedly occurred during the time Gallego was a House representative. The sexual interactions were consensual, and Gallego was not married at the time, according to the sources.

Gallego is considered a possible presidential candidate, but these allegations and any other potential scandals may derail that hope.

One source called the allegations a part of a “pattern of mistakes and missteps and judgment calls” from the Democrat, and the source bluntly wondered if there were more scandals coming.

“What else could there be out there?” the person asked.

One of the women involved was reportedly in her 20s and much younger than Gallego at the time.

Gallago’s friend Eric Swalwell was accused of sexual harassment and had to drop his gubernatorial campaign as well as step down from Congress. Speculation swirled as to whether Gallego knew about those allegations before they were public and whether he had his own peccadilloes.

Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida claimed in April to have heard of four women who claimed to have had inappropriate or unwanted attention from the senator. At the time, he responded by denying the “right-wing conspiracies peddled by far-right activists like Anna Paulina Luna, the White House, and their allies” and calling for an apology.

RELATED: Gay couple arrested on child sex abuse allegations — and they have 5 young sons

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) avoided questions about the report.

Gallego did not respond to a request for comment from the Post, nor did the two House staffers reportedly involved.

The senator was also among the Democrats who rescinded their endorsements of Graham Platner, the former senatorial candidate in Maine, over sexual assault accusations.

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​Anna paulina luna, Eric swalwell, Ruben gallego, New york post, Sexual relationship, Politics 

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Thug allegedly threatens to kill homeowner, enters victim’s residence. But homeowner fights back with baseball bat — and gun.

After a reported shooting in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Wednesday night, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to the 5900 block of South 59th West Avenue.

Arriving deputies spoke with the homeowner, who said the suspect — later identified as 37-year-old Joshua Arena — came onto the property, threatened to steal the homeowner’s truck, and told the homeowner he would kill him if he resisted, officials said.

‘The truck owner was within all right[s] to have ended his life.’

The homeowner told deputies he turned to go back inside his house, but Arena followed him into the residence, officials said.

With that, the homeowner grabbed a baseball bat and struck Arena, and the two began fighting, officials said.

The fight continued outside, and the homeowner told deputies Arena turned and charged at him again.

But the homeowner fired a single shot and hit Arena in the thigh, officials said.

RELATED: Man allegedly catches burglar taking TV from his wall, turning and reaching into bag — then homeowner ends heist with his gun

Joshua Arena. Image source: Tulsa County (Okla.) Sheriff’s Office

Officials said Arena was transported to a hospital for treatment before being booked into the Tulsa County Jail on complaints of first-degree attempted robbery by force, first-degree burglary, and assault and battery. Arena’s jail record does not show the assault and battery charge but indicates his total bail is $70,000 for the other two charges.

A number of commenters under the sheriff’s office Facebook post about the incident wrote that Arena was “lucky”:

“He’s jerking the trigger. Needs to start dry firing,” one commenter said. “At least he cut meat and stopped the aggressive behavior.””He’s lucky,” another user said. “Those who know shoot center mass.””He’s lucky it wasn’t someone with a gun who was properly trained to use that gun,” another commenter said.”I see a lot of people in this area scoping out people’s places,” another user said. “They walk around, but my dogs don’t allow them to even look over to us.””The face of FAFO ladies and gentlemen,” another commenter said. “He’s one of the lucky ones!””That’s a face that knows he’s lucky to be alive, and he’s grateful for it,” another user said. “I applaud the homeowner for executing the lawful steps with proficiency. Nice job!””The truck owner was within all right[s] to have ended his life,” another commenter said.”Lucky homeowner didn’t put one between his eyes,” another user said.

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​2nd amendment, Baseball bat, Gun rights, Guns, Homeowner shoots attacker, Oklahoma, Self-defense, Shooting, Tulsa, Tulsa county sheriff’s office, Arrest, Crime 

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Trump fires US attorney minutes after activist judges installed him, leaving Patty Murray in tatters

A gang of federal judges installed a past appointee of former Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee in the role of U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington state on Wednesday. President Donald Trump made sure, however, that the judges’ pick didn’t last long in the position.

“District court judges can appoint a temporary U.S. Attorney, and POTUS can fire them,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “WDWA judges abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration so that the selected U.S. Attorney is qualified to serve in the administration.”

‘Glad he was fired right away.’

Quick background

The Biden Department of Justice announced on March 1, 2021, that it had appointed Tessa Gorman as acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington. Shortly after retaking office, President Donald Trump kicked Gorman to the curb.

In October, Trump named a notoriously tough immigration judge, Charles Neil Floyd, as the new attorney. U.S. attorneys are normally nominated by the president, then confirmed by the Senate. In the case of Floyd, Trump never forwarded the nomination to the Senate.

Interim U.S. attorneys are allowed to serve for only 120 days if not confirmed by the Senate or extended indefinitely by the district court for the district concerned. The Trump administration took steps, however, to ensure that Floyd would remain the top dog in the Western District by keeping the top post vacant, then having the DOJ appoint Floyd first assistant U.S. attorney on Feb. 2.

Federal judges in Seattle, who already announced that they would seek to fill the position of the Western District’s U.S. attorney, began taking applications in March.

One-hour appointment

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington — comprising 17 federal judges, 10 of whom were appointed by Democratic presidents — issued an unanimous order on Wednesday naming Roger Rogoff as the U.S. attorney for the district.

RELATED: Justice Amy Coney Barrett describes SWATTING attack against her family

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.

The order — which was signed by David Estudillo, a U.S. district judge appointed by former President Joe Biden — claimed that the intent behind Rogoff’s appointment was to “ensure the integrity and effective administration of justice in this district.”

Rogoff was sworn in before 8 a.m. at the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle on Wednesday, then went to meet with Floyd, reported the Associated Press. Rogoff told KING-TV that by 8:34 a.m., he had received an email informing him that he had been removed from the post per the president’s instruction.

Blanche announced at 5:11 p.m. ET that “Roger Rogoff has been fired by the President.”

This turn of events ruffled the feathers of Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

Murray lashed out at the administration on X, writing, “Within an HOUR after being legally appointed by the federal judges as Western WA’s top prosecutor, Trump fired Roger Rogoff. Not because he isn’t qualified (he is), but because the President wants a sock puppet who puts Trump above the rule of law.”

Murray noted further in a release, “Roger Rogoff’s [sic] is eminently qualified — throughout his career, he has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service, and he was appointed legally by the federal judges in the Western District of Washington. He should have never been fired, but the president wants to appoint an out-of-touch extremist who will put Trump over the rule of law.”

Keith Swank, the sheriff of Pierce County, Washington, took Murray’s characterization of Rogoff as “qualified” as a clear indicator “he’s a political hack.”

“Glad he was fired right away after the stunt the leftist judges did,” wrote the Republican sheriff.

Rogoff, who told the Associated Press he is considering suing over his termination, said, “The fact that the judges of this district — most of whom I’ve spent my career appearing in front of, or trying cases against, or working with — believed that I was the right person to do this work is just really humbling and amazing.”

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​Activist judge, Department of justice, Donald trump, Federal court, Patty murray, Seattle, Us attorney, Us district court, Washington, Politics 

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‘Hijabs are beautiful’: Famous child content creator Ms. Rachel accused of soft pedaling Islam

Rachel Griffin Accurso, better known as Ms. Rachel, the creator behind the massively popular baby and toddler learning YouTube channel, is in hot water with conservatives yet again. Not only does the 43-year-old Zohran Mamdani-supporting professing Christian incorporate LGBTQ+ themes into her children’s videos and voice support for a number of left-wing causes, she now apparently is soft-pedaling Islam.

Last week, Accurso faced fresh conservative criticism for praising hijabs worn by kindergarten girls in a Minnesota public school graduation video that President Trump and accounts like End Wokeness highlighted as an example of heavy Muslim/Somali cultural influence in schools.

On July 7, she posted the following message on Instagram:

On a recent episode of “Relatable,” Allie Beth Stuckey exposed the “cultural and moral relativism” behind Ms. Rachel’s claim that “hijabs are beautiful.”

Allie begins by giving credit where it’s due.

“I know for a lot of you that Ms. Rachel has really helped your child learn speech and articulation and different, you know, social cues and different things like that, so I don’t want to take that away from you,” she says, “but she has also become more outspokenly political, and she is a huge purveyor of something called cultural and moral relativism.”

“In her efforts to be all-inclusive, she glosses over the very real moral differences and moral problems with ideologies like Islam,” she continues.

Religions, Allie explains, are not all the same — and Islam is the perfect example.

“I think it’s OK for people to say, ‘Hmm, why would a 5- and 6-year-old be required according to their religion to abide by a modesty standard that forces them to cover up their hair for fear of lust from a male?’” she says, calling it understandably “disturbing for a lot of people.”

Allie acknowledges that some of what Ms. Rachel says in her Instagram post is “absolutely true” — especially the part about “[treating] every person with kindness and respect.”

But is forcing a little girl to cover her entire body kind or respectful?

Allie argues no, stating that “little children, and especially little girls, are victims of Islamic ideology.”

“[The hijab] is not meaningful to them. This is something that they are forced to wear because of Islamic standards of modesty, saying that a woman showing her hair is indecent,” she notes.

She also says that the Prophet Muhammad — the founder of Islam — “married a 6-year-old girl and reportedly consummated the marriage when she was 9 years old.”

Allie criticizes Ms. Rachel’s claim that wearing a hijab is the same as wearing a cross necklace. “Wearing a cross like a symbol of Jesus’ victory over death is not the same thing as a little 5-year-old girl being forced to wear a modesty garb over her hair.”

“This kind of philosophy reflects the cultural relativism, the moral relativism that I actually think is very dangerous [and] has led us to a really bad place and has led us to this toxic empathy, this feeling, this guilt that we have to allow on the same footing every single ideology into our country or else you’re a bad person,” she continues, noting that it’s just “Western nations” that seem to push this pernicious dogma.

She points out the inconsistency in Ms. Rachel’s professed Christian faith — she claims Christ but undermines biblical truths by pushing the ideology that “every culture has its own same level of validity” and “that there is no absolute truth” and “no objective morality.”

Not only does this perspective reject the Christian view of God’s authority, it also invites chaos into the culture.

“It’s a nice theory until you are the victim of an injustice; you’re the victim of an assault; you’re the victim of murder; you’re the victim of rape; you’re the victim of theft. Then suddenly, there really is immorality, and immorality needs to be punished,” says Allie.

To hear more of her deep dive into Ms. Rachel’s latest scandal, watch the episode above.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Relatable, Allie beth stuckey, Ms. rachel, Islam, Hijab 

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The GOP is blowing it with young men

When Democrats lost the 2024 election to Donald Trump, it couldn’t have been clearer that a big reason for their failure was their relentless anger toward young white men — as they even launched a $20 million effort to discover where they went wrong with these men.

However, while this should have been what BlazeTV host Auron MacIntyre calls a “golden opportunity for the GOP to secure the loyalty of young men for a generation,” conservatives are instead “setting the opportunity on fire.”

“In a recent Fox News interview, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, blamed the rise of democratic socialism on Gen Z. She said that young people were raised with a silver spoon in their mouth, called them lazy, and suggested sending them to Cuba or Iran,” MacIntyre explains.

Leavitt, who MacIntyre notes “married a millionaire real estate developer more than 30 years her senior,” only made things worse when she tried to defend her comments.

“The message to young people was unmistakable: Your concerns are not legitimate, and we despise you for expecting us to fix anything,” he says.

While there are lazy men in all generations, young white men have a uniquely treacherous hill to climb when it comes to success.

“Young men, especially young white men, have been systematically excluded from educational institutions, corporate hiring, and promotion. These statements aren’t just speculation or resentment. They’re provable fact,” MacIntyre says.

“We have the data. We know what’s going on. And this is the predictable result of decades of cultural indoctrination and civil rights enforcement that trained institutions to prefer women, immigrants, and minorities whenever possible. That has real consequences,” he continues.

“Men who can’t secure education, employment, and status are less likely to marry or form families, no matter how often our culture repeats slogans about equality,” he adds.

But it’s not just empty slogans about equality that are causing the rift.

“Housing has become another barrier,” MacIntyre says. “The average first-time home buyer is now approaching middle age. Young men can’t build wealth as their parents did or provide the stability women often want before marriage.”

“One factor is simply welfare for seniors. Many older Americans failed to save adequately for retirement and now depend on the inflated value of homes they bought decades ago. President Trump has explicitly said he doesn’t want housing prices to fall for that reason,” he explains.

“That’s a deliberate choice to sacrifice young men’s development and family formation to protet older asset holders,” he adds.

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​Democrats, Donald trump, Gop, White house, Fox news, Karoline leavitt, The auron macintyre show, Auron macintyre 

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American golfer Bryson DeChambeau staging the epic comeback he promised after huge slump

Golfer Bryson DeChambeau was scratching his head only three weeks ago, wondering how much worse things could get for him.

In response, the 32-year-old posted a somber video just days after missing the cut at his third-straight major event, the U.S. Open.

‘One year later, everybody says I’m the worst.’

Currently ranked 37th in the world, DeChambeau did not finish the U.S. Open, ultimately placing worse than No. 72 in June. In May, he missed the cut, placing below No. 100 at the PGA Championship. Same goes for the Masters Tournament in April, where DeChambeau failed to crack the top 54.

The golfer, known for his epic power, posted a video on his YouTube channel after his latest swing and miss and made no excuses to his fans.

“Ultimately, it comes down to me making better decisions,” DeChambeau said, analyzing swing after swing in a 30-minute look at his recent play. Throughout the video, DeChambeau promised fans he would work harder and that he had no choice but to get better.

Whether through talent or sheer determination, DeChambeau has immediately stormed back at the Open at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.

DeChambeau finished Thursday’s first round with a 67 with five birdies. Sitting at -3, the lead is still in sight for DeChambeau, with a lot of golf left to play.

RELATED: ‘This country backed our team’: Praise for US Soccer pours in as players promise brighter future

Kate McShane/R&A/Getty Images

After his round, DeChambeau said he thought he “did a really good job” of being “incredibly strategic,” something he may not have focused on in the past.

The California native added that his goal was to “hit more fairways” but said his performance was “definitely satisfying.”

“Any time you get off to a great start, it’s awesome, but there’s three more days, dude. There’s still a lot of golf to be played. But ultimately, from my perspective, I was really excited about the way I played,” he explained.

In his video analysis, DeChambeau said he wanted his putting to be less “erratic,” despite still having best drives off the tee at previous tournaments.

“We could say it’s unlucky. We could say judgment. We could say bad swings and all that,” he continued, but he added that “better decisions” were the solution.

RELATED: WNBA star says black women are ‘amazing’ and deserve equality in strange, race-riddled rant

As for his mentality, DeChambeau said he hasn’t been distracted by running his YouTube channel or complications with the PGA Tour’s competitor, LIV Golf.

He did touch on the highs and lows of fame, however. DeChambeau stated that he has seen the heights he can reach, culminating in events like golfing with the president in 2024.

“I put one foot in front of the other and keep going,” he concluded. “There’s not much more I can do than that. Just last year, this time, before the U.S. Open, I was one of the best major championship performers in the world. Come one year later, everybody says I’m the worst. It just is what it is. It’s life, it’s golf. Things don’t always go your way.”

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​Golf, Pga tour, Bryson dechambeau, Sports 

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Meth-like substance found in van of illegal alien killed by ICE, FBI says — but Democratic DA disputes

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has claimed in a federal filing that substances that looked like methamphetamines were found in the van of an illegal alien who was shot and killed in Houston.

The death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on July 7 by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent led to nationwide protests by critics of the immigration enforcement policies of President Donald Trump.

An officer claims to have seen ‘three plastic bags containing a white crystal-like substance in the middle of the dash.’

An FBI search warrant affidavit filed Tuesday said that bags of “white crystal-like substance” believed to be “consistent with methamphetamine” were found in the van Araujo was driving.

The affidavit said investigations sought authorization to search the van for evidence of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and simple possession, along with other drug charges.

The filing said Araujo was driving the “target vehicle” with three passengers when ICE agents attempted the traffic stop. Araujo drove over a median after refusing to follow orders. The ICE officers followed policy and did not pursue the van and instead relocated it on Canal Street before attempting another stop.

The affidavit says only that an ICE agent shot and killed the driver, but it does not indicate the reason for the shooting.

An officer claims to have seen “three plastic bags containing a white crystal-like substance in the middle of the dash between the driver and passenger side of the vehicle,” while standing outside of the van. Photos supporting the officer’s claims were included in the affidavit.

The substances were also packaged such that they appeared ready for “distribution, manufacturing, and possession,” the affidavit said.

Democratic Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told CNN he didn’t believe the substances identified by the FBI were illicit drugs. He said he had unreleased information and added that the FBI was likely to test the substances in the coming days.

RELATED: President of Mexico VOWS to take action over lethal ICE shooting of illegal alien in Houston

ICE said previously that Araujo had “weaponized” his vehicle against agents, leading to the shooting death. The three passengers in the vehicle dispute that characterization, according to Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas).

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that the Texas Rangers were investigating the lethal shooting.

The DHS had paused traffic stops in the wake of the death of Araujo as well as that of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, days later. The president very soon after overturned that decision and said the traffic stops would continue.

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​Federal bureau of investigation, Immigration and customs enforcement, Methamphetamines, Traffic stop, Immigration, Politics