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Chief Justice John Roberts noted in his 2024 year-end report that the independence and legitimacy of federal courts were under attack. While recognizing passionate reactions to judicial rulings as inevitable and strong criticism as occasionally warranted, Roberts underscored that “not all actors engage in ‘informed criticism’ or anything remotely resembling it.”

The chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court noted that types of “illegitimate activity” exist which “threaten the independence of judges on which the rule of law depends: (1) violence, (2) intimidation, (3) disinformation, and (4) threats to defy lawfully entered judgments.”

‘The media’s coverage of events like these are hypocritical to say the least.’

Roberts stressed that “attempts to intimidate need not physically harm judges to threaten judicial independence” and can take the form of visits to judges’ homes.

Over the weekend, a flotilla comprising leftist demonstrators paddled to Roberts’ summer home on Hupper Island, just off Port Clyde, Maine, to protest the high court’s recent rulings.

While the maritime demonstration was relatively unremarkable — mainland geriatrics reportedly griping about the Supreme Court’s rulings in Dobbs, President Donald Trump’s immunity case, and cases of interest to non-straight activists — it signaled leftists’ continued willingness to apply political pressure to justices where they live.

The protest was reportedly organized by Susan MacNeil-Densmore of the Audacity, a leftist group that claims to oppose “fascism, bigotry, and violence in the second age of Trump.”

RELATED: July shows strong signs of a coming and violent Democratic implosion

Win McNamee/Getty Images

MacNeil-Densmore told the Midcoast Villager ahead of the maritime demonstration that a federal and local police presence was expected on the island and that protesters were instructed to keep their messaging nonviolent.

However, the statement provided by the kayak crew to the paper engaged in the kind of rhetoric that helped set the stage for the attempts on President Donald Trump’s life last year.

‘What next, serve him an improperly seasoned lobster roll to underscore your incoherent point?’

“United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts presides over the most right-wing Supreme Court in almost 100 years,” the statement reads. “Roberts has delivered the majority vote for President Trump’s every dictate, even granting him immunity from prosecution for any crimes he commits while he is the president. The Roberts Court is historically unpopular with the public and violated the United States Constitution; Roberts has been the deciding member of the six justices supporting a far-right political agenda. Now is the time to demand resistance to tyranny from people in positions of power, as we move closer to a dictatorship.”

Marie Follayttar Smith, a leftist with the Mainers for Accountable Leadership PAC, characterized the protest as a success and suggested that in addition to protesting outside Roberts’ home, fellow leftists could purchase property on the island to establish “a resistance head quarters [sic] by the Chief Justice.”

Others mocked the elitism and uselessness of the exercise.

Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice, tweeted, “Lol talk about privilege — kayak-based resort protest. What next, serve him an improperly seasoned lobster roll to underscore your incoherent point?”

John Malcolm, vice president of the Heritage Foundation’s Institute for Constitutional Government and director of the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, told Blaze News that the protests “are terrible, likely counterproductive, potentially illegal, and highly dangerous, and the media’s coverage of events like these are hypocritical to say the least.”

“I say they are terrible because they undermine a sense of civility and respect for the judiciary and the rule of law,” Malcolm said. “I say they are likely counterproductive because I seriously doubt it will impact how the justices rule in any case or how they conduct their business. I say it is potentially illegal because, for example, 18 U.S.C. § 1503(a) makes it a crime for anyone who, by means of ‘any threatening … communication, endeavors to influence, intimidate, or impede any … officer in or of any court of the United States … in the discharge of his duty.'”

Title 18, Section 1507, of the U.S. Code could also come into play with regard to protests outside justices’ homes, as it states that it is illegal to picket or parade in or near a building housing a U.S. court or occupied by a judge, juror, witness, or court officer “with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer, in the discharge of his duty.”

RELATED: Justice Alito issues reminder of what SCOTUS must do, even if unpopular

Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Malcolm added that “it is highly dangerous because there are unbalanced people out there who will resort to violence if their more-tame forms of protest are ignored, and, shockingly, there are those who will applaud when that happens.”

Malcom referenced the case of Nicholas John Roske, the California man who pleaded guilty on April 8 to traveling from Los Angeles to Montgomery County, Maryland, with the aim of killing Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

When police took Roske into custody and searched his belongings outside Kavanaugh’s home on June 8, 2022, they reportedly found a firearm; a tactical knife; two magazines, each containing 10 rounds of ammunition; 17 additional rounds of ammunition; pepper spray; zip ties; and a hammer, a crowbar, and other tools evidently intended for use in the thwarted murder plot.

Whereas the media has largely downplayed, excused, or ignored protests outside the homes of Republican appointees to the high court, Malcolm indicated he had “no doubt if such protests occurred outside the homes of Justices Kagan, Sotomayor, or Jackson, stories covering that would blanket the airwaves, and there would be howls of outrage and self-righteous indignation on the left about the threats to judicial independence that such protests pose.”

Roberts, who had protests outside his primary residence last year, emphasized in his annual report, “Attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed.”

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It was around closing time Thursday at a jewelry store in Anaheim, California, when the store owner told KTTV-TV five cars pulled up to the front of the store.

Indeed, security camera video shows over 20 individuals quickly exiting vehicles and gathering at the entrance of Al-Amira Jewelry, the station reported.

The owner told the station he heard a loud noise, and when he looked at the door, he saw ‘many people. I can’t count it.’

It appears to be a coordinated operation, as video shows the similarly dressed crew trying to break into the store; they use pickaxes and sledgehammers to smash the door, KTTV said.

Suddenly, though, video shows the entire gang turning tail and running back into the cars — scattering in unison as if their lives depended on it.

Well, it turns out that their lives were very much at stake.

RELATED: Video: Stick-wielding jewelry store owner lowers the boom on brazen trio of masked, hooded crooks trying smash-and-grab heist

That’s because the store owner fired at the would-be robbers, KTTV said.

The station said video from inside the store shows people running behind the counter — and then several of them coming back out with guns.

KTTV said the store owner fired one shot.

In the aftermath, the store owner spoke to the station about the incident, though his face was blurred and his identity wasn’t revealed.

He noted to KTTV that he believes the crooks had been watching the store — as they attempted their break-in several minutes after one of the last customers departed the business — and that some of his family members were in the store at the time.

The owner told the station he heard a loud noise, and when he looked at the door, he saw “many people. I can’t count it.”

“Then I have to defend myself and my store and my employees. I take my gun, I shoot one bullet, I scare [the person at the door], he moved, and the problem is done,” the store owner added to KTTV.

RELATED: Video: Gun-toting jewelry store owner knows just what to do after burglar breaks in — and shocked crook makes hilarious exit

Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Mohammad Abuershaid, an attorney for the jewelry store, added to the station that “every single one of them was covered in black, head to toe.”

Mahmud Salem, who has owned Sahara Falafel — a popular restaurant near the jewelry store — for 30 years, told KTTV he’s never seen anything like it.

“It was like a movie,” Salem added to the station.

The jewelry store owner also told KTTV that his business endured one similar incident prior to Thursday’s attempted break-in, but the crooks weren’t able to enter the store that time, either.

Anaheim police on Monday told Blaze News there are “no updates as of this morning” and “no arrests have been made,” but “detectives are still working the case.” Blaze News also asked police if the store owner is in the clear after firing a gun in the incident, and police said “that will be up to the District Attorney’s office. We document all aspects of the incident for filing considerations.”

Thieves about a month ago targeted a jewelry store across the street from Al-Amira Jewelry, the station said, noting that the crooks drove a vehicle through the front of Besan Jewelry and made off with items worth more than $3 million.

Police in Glendale said foreign nationals got away with a jewelry store heist in May — but a month later they got caught amid a theft attempt since cops were ready for them.

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​Crime thwarted, California, Jewelry store, Self-defense, 2nd amend., Guns, Gun rights, Store owner shoots at crooks, Would-be robbers, Anaheim, Attempted theft, Crime 

Since President Trump took office on January 20, 2025, his administration has been working nonstop to fulfill his campaign promises. To celebrate the six-month milestone of his administration, the White House posted a video boasting the progress of the Make America Great Again movement.

The video showed Trump’s work with world leaders, foreign policy, tariffs, spending, immigration, and border enforcement. In many ways, he has made headway in reversing the policies of previous administrations: “President Trump comes in and immediately begins taking action to fix each and every one of these fires that the Democrats started.”

‘This movement that President Trump has started for America is only getting bigger.’

The video, entitled “6 months of Power: President Trump’s Comeback. America’s Revival,” showcases a laundry list of Trump’s accomplishments. One voice on the video can be heard saying, “Promises made, promises kept.”

The caption underneath the video reads: “Six months in, President Trump took command — launched an all-out offensive to crush the left’s mess and bring American power roaring back. The border is fortified. The economy is unleashed. The One Big Beautiful Bill is law. This is unapologetic, America-first leadership.”

RELATED: Read it and weep: Tariffs work, and the numbers prove it

The president recently celebrated the signing of his historic legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Independence Day earlier this month. This is just one of his major accomplishments. “Donald Trump immediately getting to work with a remarkable show of the use of executive power,” one voice on the video says.

Charlie Kirk can be heard saying, “This movement that President Trump has started for America is only getting bigger. [It] has more energy, more enthusiasm.”

“The days of ripping off America and Americans are officially over,” says Sean Hannity of Fox News.

“Trump could resign tomorrow and still point to an enduring legacy,” adds another voice.

“You’re watching history. So buckle up, because the next three and a half years will probably be just as busy.”

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The American court system currently struggles with an overwhelming volume of human trafficking cases — which is why BlazeTV contributor Jaco Booyens has a plan to help them better adjudicate these horrific crimes.

“Congress has really done a great job codifying the law, criminalizing trafficking, writing great policies, 41 task forces funded through Congress awareness campaigns,” Booyens tells BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered,” “but we’ve never touched the judiciary, the Justice Department.”

“And if you look at where human trafficking is falling apart, it’s in the Justice Department,” he continues, noting that many human traffickers are released to commit the same crimes again.

That’s why Booyens set up Jaco Booyens Ministries, an anti-trafficking organization led by the Holy Spirit to help those affected by human trafficking. And an actionable idea Booyens had for his organization could make the difference these victims need to truly be helped.

“We are asking Congress to go with us and institute an Article 3 constitutional specialized human trafficking court, a federal court where if it’s a human trafficking case in your county, in your city, that the judges, the current judges are cross designated, where that case goes to a specialized human trafficking court where the judges know what they’re doing,” Booyens explains.

“You don’t have Comey’s daughter representing or building the case. You have an actual prosecutor that understands human trafficking. They get monitored. They’re appointed and confirmed,” he continues.

And a change is needed, as many traffickers plea down to other charges and don’t face repercussions for their crimes.

“Tens of thousands of people are trafficked in America every year. We’ve only had 148 federal prosecutions in the last five years,” he says, adding, “Prosecutions are going down, trafficking is going up.”

“Every other felony,” he continues, “outside of human trafficking on a federal level and a state level, guess what the number is of prosecutions?”

“92%.”

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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

​Upload, Free, Video phone, Camera phone, Sharing, Video, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Human trafficking, Jaco booyens, P diddy, Traffickers, Sex traffickers, The justice system, The justice department 

Bob Ferguson, the Democratic governor of Washington state and a self-identifying Catholic, ratified a bill in May that would have compelled Catholic priests to break the seal of confession or face up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.

As it would invite the government into the confessional and put priests at risk of automatic excommunication, Catholic bishops in the Evergreen State vowed to defy the law, reassured Catholics in their dioceses that the seal of the confession would remain unbroken, and filed suit on May 18, asking a federal court to block Senate Bill 5375.

The Trump Department of Justice joined the fight last month, intervening in the bishops’ case against the State of Washington and emphasizing that SB 5375 “deprives Catholic priests of their fundamental right to freely exercise their religious beliefs, as guaranteed under the First Amendment.”

‘Here, clergy were explicitly singled out.’

A Biden judge broke from custom on Friday, issuing an injunction that hurt rather than aided the Democratic cause.

U.S. District Judge David Estudillo temporarily blocked the law, noting that “there is no question that SB 5375 burdens Plaintiffs’ free exercise of religion” by placing clergymen “in the position of either complying with the requirements of their faith or violating the law.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church maintains that “every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him” and “can make no use of knowledge that confession gives him about penitents’ lives.”

RELATED: Wake-up call: This is what happens when Christians are afraid to offend

Washington State Gov. Bob Ferguson (D). Photo by JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images

The Code of Canon Law cited in the bishops’ complaint similarly underscores the inviolability of the sacramental seal, noting further that a “confessor who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs a latae sententiae — automatic — excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.”

In the amicus brief it filed last week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops noted that by driving priests into Washington jails or out of the church, Democrats’ law “would also be catastrophic for parishioners, who will be left with fewer clergy to administer the Sacrament of Confession to them.”

Estudillo appeared to agree with the argument raised by both the bishops and the Justice Department that the law is not neutral and generally applicable.

SB 5375 will require any person operating in an official supervisory capacity with a nonprofit or a for-profit organization who has “reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect” to notify law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

However, as acknowledged in the final bill report, the Democratic law mandates no one except for members of the clergy to report abuse when that information is obtained solely as a result of a privileged communication.

“SB 5375 modifies existing law solely to make members of the clergy mandatory reporters with respect to child abuse or neglect,” wrote Estudillo. “However, other groups of adults who may learn about child abuse are not required to report. Parents and caregivers, for example, are not mandatory reporters.”

The judge noted that another piece of legislation set to go into effect with SB 5375 on July 27 will also exempt university attorneys from divulging child abuse information if it has something to do with their clients.

“A law is not neutral if the government ‘proceeds in a manner intolerant of religious beliefs or restricts practices because of their religious nature,'” Estudillo noted. “Here, clergy were explicitly singled out.”

The judge indicated there were likely less restrictive and more effective means of helping protect children and highlighted Catholic Church efforts already underway that go further in the protection of children than required by state law.

As a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. CASA Inc., which severely restricted the reach of judicial injunctions, Estudillo indicated he had to limit relief to the individual plaintiffs in the case. There was, however, a catch.

‘In a nation where anti-Catholic bigotry is on the rise, this ruling is a hopeful reminder.’

Estudillo noted that the bishops — Archbishop Paul Etienne of the Archdiocese of Seattle, Bishop Joseph Tyson of the Diocese of Yakima, and Bishop Thomas Daly of the Diocese of Spokane — have a responsibility for the administration of the sacraments and the discipline of the priests across their dioceses, and that absent an injunction that applies across all three dioceses, “they — as individuals — cannot fulfill their religious responsibility by ensuring that the priests within their dioceses maintain the sacramental seal.”

Accordingly, the judge determined that complete relief in this case must apply to all Catholic priests who fall under the administration of Etienne, Daly, and Tyson. As those bishops run the only three dioceses in the state, Estudillo’s injunction effectively protects all priests in the state while the lawsuit proceeds.

Kelsey Reinhardt, president of CatholicVote, called the ruling a “major victory for religious freedom” in a statement obtained by Blaze News.

RELATED: Justice Alito issues reminder of what SCOTUS must do, even if unpopular

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

“The Seal of Confession is not only a vital tenet of the Catholic faith, it is a safeguard for the penitent — who must be free to seek God’s forgiveness without fear of exposure,” continued Reinhardt. “In a nation where anti-Catholic bigotry is on the rise, this ruling is a hopeful reminder: no American should face criminal penalties for living out their faith. We are grateful for today’s ruling and hope that the final outcome of the case similarly reflects our nation’s commitment to the First Amendment of all Americans — especially Catholics.”

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represented the lead plaintiffs with the First Liberty Institute and WilmerHale, similarly celebrated the ruling.

“This ruling confirms what has always been true: In America, government officials have no business prying into the confessional,” said Becket CEO Mark Rienzi. “By protecting the seal of confession, the court has also safeguarded the basic principle that people of all faiths should be free to practice their beliefs without government interference.”

“For centuries, Catholic faithful around the world have sought reconciliation with God through the sacrament of confession,” said Jean Hill, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference. “This ruling protects that sacred space and ensures that Washingtonians of all religious stripes can live out their beliefs in peace.”

The Trump DOJ has separately requested a preliminary injunction, which will be taken up this week.

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​Faith, Religion, Washington state, Injunction, District court, Catholic church, Catholic, Religious, Confession, Confessional, Etienne, Ferguson, Democratic, Sb 5375, Washington, Politics 

An Australian rugby player triggered a league-wide meltdown after self-reporting that he used a “slur.”

Australian Football League midfielder Jack Graham has been suspended before, receiving a one-match ban in 2018 for throwing an elbow during a game against Brisbane when he played for Richmond.

Now playing for the West Coast Eagles, Graham violated league rules during a July 4 game against the Greater Western Sydney Giants and received a four-match suspension. This time, the league’s punishment has made it clear that it considers words to be more harmful than violence.

‘I am very remorseful for the word I used and know such language has no place in our community or our game.’

To make matters worse, Graham actually told on himself before league officials even had a chance to investigate. Graham admitted to his club that he had committed a violation, with his team then reporting to the league about the infraction.

7AFL reported that Graham used a “single-word homophobic slur” toward a Giants player during the recent match, with the seemingly devastating remark evoking a lengthy apology from Graham.

“I am very remorseful for the word I used and know such language has no place in our community or our game,” Graham said in a club statement, per Daily Mail. “I have offered my unreserved apology to the Giants player and Greater Western Sydney and would also like to publicly apologize for my comment,” he continued.

Graham added that his remark did not reflect his values and noted he needs to “be better” and plans to prove that through his actions.

Despite the sincere apology, the AFL had a complete and total meltdown over the unspecified word, with subsequent woke directives and platitudes being issued.

RELATED: Boston Red Sox star Jarren Duran suspended 2 games for insulting heckler with ‘a truly horrific word’

Graham’s self-snitch not only sparked an AFL integrity unit investigation, but the athlete gave a private apology to his opponent and also called the AFL CEO to apologize.

Still, Graham will have to be re-educated on the matter and will be placed in the Pride in Sport education program, according to the Daily Mail.

According to the AFL’s head of integrity and security, Tony Keane, it could have been even worse for Graham had he not confessed his sins.

“The AFL is very clear that homophobia has no place in our game, nor in the community,” Keane said in an AFL press release. “Graham’s sanction would have been higher if he hadn’t self-reported and understood his comment was totally inappropriate.”

The league official said there is “much more to be done” on the issue in order to make the AFL a “safe and inclusive environment for all.”

The AFL itself also stated that Graham used “a highly offensive homophobic slur” but did not reveal what word he said. They did, however, say the unknown term “demeans and denigrates persons regardless of their sexuality.”

Eagles coach Andrew McQualter continued the apology tour last week, telling reporters during a press conference that the team’s priority had shifted to “look after [Graham] and his well-being,” in addition to continuing to “educate our players as much as we can.”

Graham’s teammate Liam Duggan said the 27-year-old simply had a “slip of the tongue” but has “learnt his lesson well and truly.”

“It was a mistake made and one that Jack was on the front foot (for), he handled everything the right way from the get-go,” Duggan told the West.

RELATED: NFL charged players over $12M in fines in 2024, including 27 fines for ‘obscene gestures’

Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

The fiasco displays a glaring difference in how the AFL handles its incidents, particularly when it comes to words versus violence.

In addition to Graham receiving just a one-game ban for an elbow in the past, a more recent incident involving direct threats by a player saw a similar punishment.

In May, Port Adelaide player Willie Rioli was caught sending a text message to an opposing player warning him not to leave his hotel because Rioli has friends and family in the area; the message followed an on-field tussle between the players.

According to Nine, Riolo allegedly made other threats to different opponents as well. It was only after the second incident was revealed that the player was suspended, but only for one game.

Rioli had to undergo education on respectful/nonviolent language and conduct.

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A robbery over the weekend in a New York City park turned violent when one of the alleged culprits, an illegal alien, shot an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer.

On Saturday, the officer and a female companion were sitting alongside the Hudson River in Fort Washington Park in Manhattan when they were ambushed by two men riding a moped around 11:50 p.m., the New York Post reported.

‘He was apprehended at the Border in April 2023 but, instead of being deported, was RELEASED.’

A video of the incident showed one of the suspects approaching the two by the riverside. After a brief scuffle and an exchange of gunfire, the suspects fled the scene on their moped.

One of the alleged culprits shot the officer in his face and left forearm. The off-duty officer responded by drawing his firearm and shooting the suspect multiple times.

The wounded suspect was identified as Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a 21-year-old Dominican national, after he walked into a hospital to receive care for the gunshot wounds and was subsequently arrested.

— (@)

Nunez illegally entered the U.S. in April 2023. He was apprehended and processed by border officials who released him due to a lack of detention space. A judge ordered his removal that same year, sources told the Post.

The suspect has been accused of many other violent crimes in the U.S. At the time of his arrest, Nunez was reportedly wanted on kidnapping and weapons charges in Massachusetts. Law enforcement in New York City previously arrested him four times, but he was released without bail on each occasion, the Post stated. He was previously accused of assaulting a pregnant woman, threatening to kill another foreign national with a machete, and violating a protection order.

The Post reported that none of the alleged offenses were eligible for bail.

RELATED: Activists blame Trump for bounty hunter ‘kidnapping’ of mom of 3 for deportation — feds say it was a hoax for cash

Image Source: Department of Homeland Security

The accomplice in the shooting remains at large.

Police officers, who quickly responded to the shootout, were already near the scene after reports that the same two suspects had mugged a woman minutes before, stealing her cell phone.

The Department of Homeland Security stated that the off-duty CBP agent is in stable condition after undergoing surgery on Sunday.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem visited the wounded officer in the hospital on Monday.

“Suspect Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez is a national and citizen of the Dominican Republic,” Noem wrote in a post on X. “RE ENTERED and RELEASED under Biden — on April 4, 2023, the United States Border Patrol apprehended him at/near San Luis, AZ.”

RELATED: ICE accuses Democratic congressman of joining ‘violent mob,’ doxxing agent

Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump also weighed in on the recent attack, slamming Democrats for allowing illegal aliens into the country.

“Last night, in New York City, an incredible CBP Officer was shot in the face by an Illegal Alien Monster freed into the Country under Joe Biden,” Trump wrote on social media. “He was apprehended at the Border in April 2023 but, instead of being deported, was RELEASED.”

“The CBP Officer bravely fought off his attacker, despite his wounds, demonstrating enormous Skill and Courage,” Trump continued. “The Democrats have flooded our Nation with Criminal Invaders, and now, they must all be thrown out or, in some cases, immediately prosecuted in that we cannot take a chance that they are able to come back. That’s how evil and dangerous they are!”

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​News, Customs and border protection, Cbp, Illegal immigration crisis, Immigration, Illegal immigration, Immigration crisis, Donald trump, Trump, Trump administration, Trump admin, Department of homeland security, Dhs, New york, New york city, Massachusetts, Hudson river, Manhattan, Kristi noem, Noem, Crime, Illegal aliens, Illegal alien, Politics 

President Donald Trump may have just put the new Washington Commanders stadium on ice before construction has even started.

On Sunday, Trump referred to the NFL team as the Washington “Whatever’s” in a Truth Social post that has billions of dollars’ worth of implications.

The Commanders have plans to bring the team back to D.C. with a new $2.7 billion venue that Trump, the NFL, and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) gushed over in May when they announced the city would also host the 2027 NFL Draft. Now, the president has threatened to upend the whole deal if the Commanders refuse a key change.

‘I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back.’

As fans may recall, in 2020, Washington’s NFL franchise got rid of the Redskins moniker and logo in favor of the bland interim name the Washington Football Team. The team then rebranded as the Washington Commanders in 2022.

The president now says it is time to go back to the Redskins, or bad things could happen.

“The Washington ‘Whatever’s’ should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team. There is a big clamoring for this,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Defending the “great Indian people,” the president said that Native Americans are massively in favor of going back to the old name.

“Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense,” Trump added.

Even though Washington ownership thought the Redskins name was offensive, countless Native groups have openly supported changing the name back to Redskins, including the family of the man the logo is modeled after, John Two Guns White Calf.

Trump’s critiques of the Washington team name were not done there, though, and he later made direct threats about the Commanders’ future home field.

RELATED: Washington just inched one step closer to bringing the Redskins back

— (@)

Boasting that his previous post was received very positively, Trump pondered whether he should make a name change part of the requirements for the Commanders to get their new stadium.

“I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,” POTUS wrote on Truth Social.

The president then claimed that an announcement of the name change would make the stadium deal “more exciting for everyone.”

At the same time, the MLB’s Cleveland Guardians got equal treatment in Trump’s posts; the team dropped their beloved Indians name and logo after 2021, following more than 100 years with the name.

Trump first noted that the “Cleveland Indians [are] one of the six original baseball teams, with a storied past,” before hammering former Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan (R) — whose family owns the Guardians franchise — claiming his election losses were due to the name change.

“Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians. The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three Elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change.”

Trump said Nolan might win his seat back if he went back to the Indians moniker, writing, “Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!”

RELATED: ‘The fans want him back’: Family of Blackfeet chief, the inspiration for Redskins’ logo, calls for logo’s return

— (@)

Not only has there been increased pressure on the Washington franchise to bring the Redskins name back, but the team has been happy to flirt with their history without using the name or old logo directly.

Just three weeks ago, the Commanders announced they would wear their old Redskins uniforms without the logo for three games in the upcoming season to help fans relive their Super Bowl years in the late 1980s and early 1990s; so long as no one says the name.

Owner Josh Harris has stated that the old Redskins name “can’t come back,” while his wife has similarly stated that the name was not paramount for the team, rather success on the field was.

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

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Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) has joined the many Democrats expressing outrage over the deportation of illegal immigrants under President Trump — despite the fact that deportation rates are lower under Trump than they were during the Obama era.

After a lawful ICE raid at a Carpinteria cannabis nursery, Carbajal took the time to record himself airing his grievances from outside the nursery, one of which was that he was denied entry into the raid.

“I came here to do my congressional oversight responsibilities,” Carbajal said in a video posted to social media following the lawful Carpinteria cannabis nursery ICE raid this week.

“When I got here, there was obviously a crowd of protests, and it was overkill. Over 50 ICE agents that were here, and they were conducting this operation. They were creating fear, anxiety, and intimidation,” he continued.

“They were dressed in military garb, clothing, military-grade weapons. They were just creating an untenable, incendiary circumstance where they could have got members of the public and themselves hurt. They were pouring gasoline on the flames of this situation.”

“We don’t do that in America. This is overkill. This was ridiculous. This was a bunch of crap. And I’m here to do our oversight. They didn’t let me through,” he added.

“This is one of the weirdest phenomenons I’ve ever seen,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray comments. “First of all, ICE is not deporting as many people as they have in the past, as Barack Obama did. And B, they should be deporting people at a pretty rapid rate, and they should be getting rid of criminals, and that’s what they’re doing.”

“But for some reason,” he adds, “Trump derangement syndrome — they’re all over this administration.”

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.

​Sharing, Upload, Camera phone, Video, Free, Video phone, Youtube.com, Pat gray unleashed, Pat gray, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Ice raids, Salud carbajal, Democrats, Trump derangement syndrome 

Texans take pride in low taxes. We believe in keeping what we earn. But property taxes undermine that principle — not just in Texas, but across America.

What started as a local way to fund roads and schools has metastasized into a national scandal: a form of government rent on homes we’ve already paid for. Unlike sales taxes, which reflect voluntary spending, property taxes punish ownership itself — a direct affront to freedom and a quiet war on the American dream.

America was built on the promise of land and liberty. Unchecked property taxation makes a mockery of that promise.

It’s not just a Lone Star problem. From New Jersey to Illinois, California to Florida, families are being taxed out of their homes. Soaring appraisals and bloated local budgets trap homeowners on an endless treadmill: Pay off your mortgage, and you’re still stuck with escalating annual bills. That’s not ownership. That’s serfdom cloaked in paperwork.

A rigged system

Local governments dress up this shakedown. They cite needs like schools, roads, and emergency services. But where’s the accountability? Budgets balloon, bureaucracies swell, and taxpayers foot the bill while public trust evaporates. Politicians boast of stable or “lowered” tax rates, yet the truth is plain: When your appraisal jumps, so does your bill. It’s a rigged game of smoke and mirrors.

This system is a bipartisan betrayal. It punishes young families trying to build a future and retirees trying to hang on to what they’ve earned. It squeezes small businesses and destabilizes communities. For those on fixed incomes — especially seniors — it’s a slow-motion eviction notice signed by the state. Even in places like Denton County, Texas, where limited relief exists, it’s just a patch on a broken dam. The broader trend is unmistakable: rising appraisals, rising taxes, and rising resentment.

Who really owns your home?

At the root, property taxes don’t treat citizens as owners. They treat us as permanent tenants of the government. If the state can hike your bill every year based on speculative market guesses, who really owns your land? Not you. The government does. You’re just paying them to stay on it.

RELATED: A tax hike is coming — and it’s not just for the rich

Photo by Douglas Rissing via Getty Images

This is an assault on middle-class stability — and it’s intentional. The ruling class, backed by urban technocrats and local cronies, thrives on an ever-expanding tax base. They want your home to bankroll their pet projects. Can’t afford to keep up? They’ll auction your house on the courthouse steps and call it “revenue recovery.”

Enough.

Time to fight back

The solution isn’t complicated. States need hard caps on tax hikes, not flimsy guidelines. Require automatic rollbacks when appraisals skyrocket. Mandate full transparency on every dollar spent. And no more sneaky tax hikes disguised as “market adjustments.”

If local governments want more revenue, let them make their case to voters in the open — not hide behind bloated Zillow estimates. Critics whine that this would “tie local officials’ hands.” Good. Their hands need tying. We’re not funding empires. We’re protecting homes.

Arthur Laffer’s warnings still ring true: Tax too much, and you kill growth. Over-tax property, and you kill ownership itself. Texas drew families and entrepreneurs by avoiding income taxes and offering stability. If property taxes keep climbing, that magnet will flip — and families will bolt.

Nationwide, it’s already happening. Americans are uprooting from high-tax states, chasing affordability that’s disappearing fast. Census data shows that millions are voting with their feet. But if states don’t overhaul how they fund local government, the problem will follow. The escape hatch is closing.

This isn’t just about economics. It’s about sovereignty. If the government can claim an ever-growing slice of your home’s value, it effectively owns a piece of your life. That’s not freedom — that’s feudalism in a modern shell.

America was built on the promise of land and liberty. Unchecked property taxation makes a mockery of that promise. A nation of owners is becoming a nation of renters — forever indebted to a system that never stops taking.

It’s time for a reckoning.

Texas can lead the way by tightening rollback rules, streamlining protests, and forcing every taxing entity to justify every penny. Other states must follow. Because this isn’t just a local fight. It’s a national crisis.

If we fail, we’re not just losing our homes. We’re losing our country. Put homeowners ahead of bureaucrats. Stop pretending the government owns a stake in our houses. Restore the American dream — not just in speeches, but in law.

​Home ownership, Housing market, Opinion, Opinion & analysis, Property taxes, Texas, Texas property taxes, Arthur laffer 

Just about every influencer, economist, and politician predicted President Trump’s tariffs would unleash an inflation tsunami. Prices would spike and consumers would drown in a rising tide of costs.

Yet here we are, deep into summer, enjoying beach days and backyard barbecues. The price of lawn chairs and beach balls remains well within reach. So where’s the inflation?

Is it worth surrendering political and economic independence just to shave a few cents off the price of some Chinese-made junk?

According to the latest government data, inflation hasn’t surged. In fact, it’s lower than it was this time last year. The experts missed again. Why?

The short answer: Tariffs don’t necessarily drive inflation.

The Walmart effect writ large

Think about how Walmart keeps its prices low. It’s the biggest store in town, so it sets the terms. Producers either cut their costs or lose shelf space. Everyone wants access to Walmart customers, so they play along — and prices fall.

Now scale that logic up. America is the biggest consumer market in the world. In 2024, Americans spent more than $19 trillion on consumer goods, including over $4 trillion on imports.

This gives us leverage. When America slaps tariffs on foreign goods, those producers face a choice: Eat the cost or risk losing access to our market. And they know they’ll get outcompeted if they try to pass the full cost on to American buyers.

That’s exactly what’s happening. Recent surveys show about two-thirds of manufacturers expect their foreign suppliers to eat the tariff costs instead of raising prices on U.S. consumers.

Dodge the tax: Buy American

Here’s the other thing the panic-peddlers don’t say: Tariffs are avoidable. They’re a tax on imports. Buy American, and you don’t pay.

And while $4 trillion in imports sounds massive, it only accounts for about 13% of the U.S. economy. That’s not nothing, of course, but it hardly amounts to the kind of widespread pressure needed to trigger across-the-board inflation.

RELATED: Trump’s latest tariff could tank the very industries he wants to protect

Photo by Andrej Ivanov / Contributor via Getty Images

Instead, tariffs apply pressure in the right places. They force foreign competitors to compete with American producers or lose market share. That creates new opportunities for domestic manufacturers — and when they scale up, costs per unit drop. It’s basic economics — and it just happens to be a win for sovereignty.

Want lower prices? Close the trade gap

The media talk about consumer prices like they’re the only prices that matter. But they ignore the other kind of inflation — the kind tariffs can help tame.

Every year, we import more than we export. That trade deficit doesn’t just disappear. We pay for it by selling off our assets and racking up debt. Foreigners now hold trillions in American real estate, farmland, and commercial property.

In 2024 alone, foreigners bought $42 billion in residential real estate, $8 billion in farmland, and $12 billion in commercial properties. That drives up housing costs and shuts American families out of the market.

Then there’s the debt. Foreign entities hold more than $8.6 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities. We owe them interest. Every year, we ship more than $150 billion abroad just to service that debt. We’re borrowing money from our rivals to buy their products. That’s suicidally stupid.

Cheap isn’t the goal

Even if tariffs raised prices slightly — which the data says they haven’t — so what? Cheap isn’t the mission. National survival is.

That’s the argument I make in my book, “Reshore: How Tariffs Will Bring Our Jobs Home and Revive the American Dream.” America isn’t just an economy. It’s a nation — a people, a language, a culture, a way of life.

We can’t offshore everything and expect to remain free. Tariffs are essential to keep our economy self-sufficient. They secure our borders, protect our workers, and defend our future.

Ask yourself: Is it worth surrendering political and economic independence just to shave a few cents off the price of some Chinese-made junk?

I didn’t think so.

​Opinion & analysis, Opinion, Tariffs, Tariff trade wars, Economy, Trade, Imports, Exports, Prices, Walmart, Deficit, Debt, Reshore, Inflation, National security, Self-sufficient 

Did you know ancient Rome was “sustainable”?

Romans probably didn’t use that exact buzzword, but apparently, they were recycling pioneers. When they weren’t creating a mountain made out of garbage, that is.

In Italy, you don’t have one trash can in your house, you have five. Yes, five separate trash cans for the different kinds of trash you accumulate throughout your day.

As someone who’s been to Italy recently, I can tell you that that legacy of recycling lives on. Frankly, it’s a mixed bag.

If fact, the convoluted waste disposal system in that beautiful Mediterranean peninsula is the perfect embodiment of the current state of Europe.

Garbage in, garbage out

In America, you take your trash, and you throw it in the can underneath the kitchen sink. Then, when that bag is full, you take it out and throw it in the big can that you set out next to your driveway every week. It’s a simple system. Understandable and logical.

In Italy, you can’t just throw your trash — any trash! — in the bin next to the fridge.

No, in Italy you don’t have one trash can in your house, you have five. Yes, five separate trash cans for the different kinds of trash you accumulate throughout your day. You have one for carta (paper), one for umido (organic materials), one for plastica (plastic), one for vetro (glass), and one for barattoli (metals).

Of course, five different trash cans means five different trash days. Better not miss!

But the fun doesn’t stop there: The days aren’t the same every week.

Trash talk

In some towns, they are in a state of continual change. Just when you’ve gotten used to Monday being umido day, they switch it up to vetro. Until they decide it should be plastica.

Not to worry. You can always print out a schedule from the local trash office. Just remember to dispose of it on carta day.

In Italy, managing your garbage is basically a part-time job.

And it’s not only the trash. There are a bunch of other systems and regulations that basically force you to waste time doing pedantic, pointless tasks, filling out some arbitrary paperwork that will be read by no one but you are legally required to file anyway, or going to the doctor to get a note verifying that you are healthy enough to go to the gym (yes, this is a real requirement to sign up for a gym membership in Italy).

All these reasons, and many more, are why they don’t get anything done there.

Come si dice ‘start-up’?

I love Italy. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite places to visit. But it’s just the truth that Italians don’t really get anything done these days. Their economy is in a perpetual state of struggle, no one has kids, and I am not even sure there is a word for entrepreneur or start-up in Italian.

This isn’t just speculation. A good friend in Italy has informed me that the official position of the government is to, more or less, discourage small business and further entrench the larger established corporations started more than half a century ago.

RELATED: When in Italy: Zipping to Lake Como in an Alfa Romeo Giulia

Athanasios Gioumpasis/Getty Images

Europe today is basically a museum. It’s the most beautiful museum there is, but it’s a museum. It’s not because the people are actually incapable of doing anything. It’s not because Europe as an entity is inherently incapable of seizing its destiny. All our Western history and culture up to a certain point came from Europe. America sprouted from Europe.

But no one in Europe can do anything today because everyone there suffers under an obscene, time-wasting, Kafkaesque bureaucracy perfectly exemplified by the ludicrous trash system in Italy.

One big museum

Yes, of course, many there are content with this system. Quite a few really do believe that separating the trash into five bins is a normal part of life and a sign that a society cares for the environment, the future, the children, and Mother Earth … or something like that.

You might be thinking that separating the trash doesn’t sound like that big of a deal. You might be of the opinion that I’m just a stick-in-the-mud, resisting something just because it’s new. You might imagine that it can’t really take that long. You may say, “So big deal, you just take a little longer with the garbage, you just plan ahead a little more.”

That might sound right if you are doing this whole separating business one time as a fluke, but when you apply this system to everyday life, over and over again, with no escape, it wears people down.

That’s one of the ways European over-regulation turns society into an ossified museum. It’s not just the fact that it is legally difficult to do many things that should not be legally difficult to do. It’s that the pointless inconveniences created by the over-regulation wear people down mentally. At scale, over time, the trash (and every other absurd system similar to the trash) takes a toll on people. The very spirit of a people becomes different.

Move slow and repair stuff

Many of the regulations in Europe are designed to protect something. Sometimes it’s the environment, sometimes it’s the traditional architecture, sometimes it’s the people. Those things are all fine. Most of us care about protecting those things to some degree.

But you can take protection too far, and if you protect too many things too much, society ends up feeling like a museum where you look but don’t touch. That’s kind of how it feels for many Europeans.

You know those speed bumps they put on residential roads so that you slow down? Imagine if those were everywhere, on every road. That’s kind of what all the overbearing regulations feel like. That’s the general kind of system at every level.

If “move fast and break things” is American, “move slow and sometimes repair stuff” is European. It’s good to repair stuff, it’s nice that Europe maintains much of its cultural inheritance. Perhaps, that’s its role in our era, one of a museum curator. And the Italian trash system and its demand that you fastidiously separate your waste is, in some strange way, related to that spirit.

But that’s not our role in America. That’s not our spirit. We aren’t a museum, we look and touch and change. We don’t have time to waste separating the trash. We have things to do, stuff to build, a future to seize. And the truth is, I’m not sure you can do any of those things if you spend all your time and energy separating your trash into five careful little bins.

​Travel, Culture, Lifestyle, Men’s style, Rome, Italy, Garbage, Bureaucracy, Europe, The root of the matter 

Those who still remember what real comedy looks like got some good news last week: CBS announced that it’s canceling Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

I know what you’re thinking — hadn’t that already happened? Spiritually? Emotionally? Creatively? Fair questions. After all, the last time Colbert got a genuine laugh, the Comedy Network still existed, and you could make a joke on TV without it requiring a full apology tour.

Look, I’m not saying no one ever laughed. But if someone did, it probably wasn’t because of his act. More likely, they were laughing at him. People often told him his show was funny — just not his show. Somewhere on television that night, something was funny. That counts, right?

Colbert spent a decade scolding America to sleep, hoping the canned applause would drown out the snoring.

Let’s be serious for a moment (which is more than Colbert’s done in about a decade). Without his show lulling viewers into a state of dull leftist self-congratulation each night, we might see a nationwide spike in melatonin sales. “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” served as a free sleep aid for coastal elites who needed to be reassured — just before bed — that they were smarter than everyone else. No comfort like being tucked in and handed their favorite Squishmallow.

Melatonin for the masses

From the beginning, Colbert built his career on mocking conservatives. His original shtick on Comedy Central was a parody — a pretend conservative who was mocking real conservatives, but with just enough smugness to pass as “clever” in a faculty lounge.

It worked — for a while. But like most one-joke acts, it wore thin fast. When he made the jump to CBS, the parody turned into reality: a genuine leftist, playing the role of a leftist, telling jokes only a leftist could love — while aiming hate at conservatives.

Colbert wasn’t a comedian. He was an actor pretending to be a comedian, which is only slightly more honest than most modern pundits pretending to be journalists.

Bias dressed as truth

But there’s a deeper lesson here. Colbert belongs to the same cultural bubble as NPR’s president, the university diversity officer, and the late-night writers’ room packed with Ivy League graduates who somehow believe their worldview is “neutral.”

They talk a big game about identifying bias — but can’t see the deep blue (or Marxist red) lens that shapes everything they see and say. They honestly believe they’re just “telling the truth” — a truth that, conveniently, always punches right and kisses left.

That’s what made Colbert’s show feel like a parody of itself. You kept waiting for the wink, the nudge, the moment he’d break character and admit the absurdity. But it never came.

Instead, he delivered gentle laughs for Democrats — “Teehee, aren’t they quirky?” — and launched into furious monologues about Trump, DeSantis, or anyone to the right of Mitt Romney. It wasn’t satire. It was seething partisan rage, disguised as applause-sign comedy.

You wanted it to be a bit. But it wasn’t. It was just Colbert. Night after night. Until the ratings finally collapsed and put the whole sad production out of its misery.

RELATED: Stephen Colbert likens WSJ poll of Trump vs. DeSantis to a poll pitting ‘gonorrhea’ against ‘slightly more racist gonorrhea’

Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

One shining moment

I’ll give credit where it’s due. Colbert did have one moment of brilliance — a genuine philosophical zinger. It happened years ago, back when Colbert still hosted “The Colbert Report.” His guest was none other than Lawrence Krauss — the disgraced ASU physicist who became famous for telling people the universe came from nothing (a philosophical trick so bold it somehow earned him a book deal and a speaking tour).

Krauss was on to promote his book, “A Universe from Nothing,” and Colbert got him to admit that what he’s talking about isn’t nothing, but rather something called “quantum foam.” The book’s title was blatant false advertising.

And then Colbert — clearly out of character for once — did something I still show my philosophy students. He pressed Krauss: “So you believe the universe came from nothing?” Krauss nodded. “And you believe God doesn’t exist, that God is nothing?” Another nod. Colbert paused and delivered the knockout line: “Then aren’t you really saying the universe came from God?”

Boom.

That one line did more to dismantle Krauss’ book than any academic critique ever could. It was sharp, witty, and philosophically devastating. (You can watch my analysis of that clip here.)

If only Colbert had stuck to that kind of comedy — the kind that exposes absurdity rather than reinforces it. Instead, he spent the next decade scolding America to sleep, hoping the canned applause would drown out the snoring.

Make comedy great again

The sad truth is that we haven’t seen real late-night humor in years. I recently caught a rerun of Johnny Carson, and it was like discovering a comedic oasis in the desert. Carson could poke fun at both sides of the aisle without apologizing for loving his country. He didn’t flirt with the virus of multicultural guilt or the blame-America-first bug that has infected entertainment for the last 20 years.

He was funny because he understood something Colbert never did: America, for all her flaws, is still worth laughing with — not just sneering at.

So farewell, Stephen Colbert. I’d say we’ll miss you, but we’ve already had years of practice.

​Opinion & analysis, Opinion, Stephen colbert, Late night, Late show with stephen colbert, Canceled, Comedy, Liberal media, Democrats, Joke, Atheism, God, Lawrence krauss, Universe, Science, Religion 

James O’Keefe is the king of sting operations. From Planned Parenthood, NPR, and Pfizer to Disney, the FBI, and Google, no government or corporate entity can hide its secrets once O’Keefe Media Group finds a chink in their armor. Over the years, O’Keefe’s undercover journalists and hidden cameras have captured countless executives, officials, and employees sharing damning internal secrets.

On a recent episode of “Prime Time with Alex Stein,” the gotcha trap legend joined Alex to break down an embarrassing bust that’s going viral right now: Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his head of HR, Kristin Cabot, engaging in what looks to be an extramarital affair at a Coldplay concert.

Alex plays the clip of Byron and Cabot’s cringeworthy jumbotron moment. The camera pans to them, and Byron can be seen standing behind Cabot with his arms wrapped romantically around her. The second they recognize they’re on camera, Byron ducks out of frame while Cabot covers her face and turns her back to the camera.

Their reaction was recorded and soon after blasted out on social media, where it’s already garnered over 100 million views.

“You can tell they were caught,” Alex says. “I mean, the hand is in the cookie jar.”

“People don’t like the mirror. They don’t like seeing the reality,” says O’Keefe, who compares the suspected cheaters’ reactions to the reactions of the people he catches in OMG’s sting operations.

OMG’s latest victim reacted very similarly to Byron and Cabot. Video footage released on July 15 captures Johnson & Johnson lead regulatory scientist Joshua Rys allegedly admitting to his undercover date that the company’s COVID-19 vaccine wasn’t safe or effective. But when O’Keefe confronted him, Rys denied his identity and tried to hide in the bathroom before he finally tried to convince O’Keefe to not air the story.

To hear more about OMG’s latest project, “American Swiper,” watch the episode above.

Want more from Alex Stein?

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​Prime time with alex stein, Alex stein, James o’keefe, O’keefe media group, Blazetv, Blaze media, Sting operation 

A bizarre story has surfaced out of West Virginia featuring police busting a couple who allegedly were discovered in more than a few compromising positions.

A patrolman with the Bluefield Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a recreational vehicle around 12:23 p.m. July 2, according to a complaint obtained by the Smoking Gun.

The police officer said, ‘I inquired about their actions while the vehicle was in motion, to which Ms. Bryant candidly responded, “We were f**king.”‘

“I witnessed a naked female straddling the male driver while the vehicle was in motion,” the officer wrote in the complaint.

The officer said the driver initially disregarded the police cruiser’s flashing lights and maintained a “rolling pace” for approximately half a mile.

The patrolman stated that a passerby tipped off police that the vehicle’s occupants had “switched seats.”

Once the RV stopped, the officer said 35-year-old Shannon Bryant was sitting in the driver’s seat and 48-year-old Matthew McDonnell was sitting in the passenger’s seat.

The officer said, “I inquired about their actions while the vehicle was in motion, to which Ms. Bryant candidly responded, ‘We were f**king.'”

RELATED: Florida man with meth pipe steals tourist train, picks up passengers for wild ride — and announces it’s his ‘birthday’: Cops

Photo by welcomia via iStock / Getty Images Plus

The patrolman noted that Bryant appeared to be “highly intoxicated.”

McDonnell told the cop that he and Bryant were both naked and “attempting to engage in sexual activity while driving.”

McDonnell allegedly admitted that he and Bryant switched seats once they saw the police cruiser, even though he knew Bryant was impaired.

In addition, a K-9 unit indicated the possible presence of drugs in the RV.

The officer noted that the following were found after a probable-cause search: a glass pipe with white residue “consistent with narcotics use,” a bag containing a white powder, a “green leafy substance consistent with marijuana,” and a “piece of burnt foil, commonly used to smoke narcotics.”

When the police officer checked the vehicle’s VIN and the registration, it was discovered that the RV was stolen in Princeton, West Virginia — roughly 10 miles from the location of the traffic stop.

The officer administered a field sobriety test to Bryant, and the cop said she appeared to show “significant signs of impairment.”

WVNS-TV reported that Bryant was transported to the WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital for a toxicology screening. While at the hospital, Bryant allegedly told the patrolman that McDonnell had disposed of multiple incriminating items at the traffic stop. Police said they recovered the incriminating items upon returning to the crime scene.

According to WVNS, Bryant was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a schedule I controlled substance, unlawful possession of a schedule V controlled substance, DUI-drug, indecent exposure, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

McDonnell was arrested and reportedly charged with unlawful possession of a schedule I controlled substance, unlawful possession of a schedule V controlled substance, permitting DUI, reckless driving, indecent exposure, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Citing court records, WVNS reported that McDonnell had outstanding arrest warrants out of Tazewell County, Virginia.

McDonnell was booked at the Southern Regional Jail and was being held under an $8,000 bond.

McDonnell and Bryant pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to the New York Post.

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​Weird news, Odd news, Strange news, West virginia, Dui, Dui arrest, Sex, Crime 

Far-left candidates for mayoral positions have been gaining traction across the nation’s largest cities. Most notably, socialist Zohran Mamdani defeated Democratic former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the race for New York City mayor, and now a similar figure is stepping up in Minneapolis.

Minnesota state Senator Omar Fateh, a self-styled progressive Democrat, announced on Saturday night that he had won the endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party to be Minneapolis mayor.

‘This election should be decided by the entire city rather than the small group of people who became delegates, particularly in light of the extremely flawed and irregular conduct of this convention.’

“I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor. This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual. It’s a mandate to build a city that works for all of us,” Fateh said in an X post on Saturday night.

Fateh won the endorsement of the DFL over the incumbent mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, who is also a Democrat. Frey responded to the news hours later, criticizing the selection process in which he lost the endorsement.

“I want to thank everyone who showed up to support my campaign. This election should be decided by our entire city, not by a handful of delegates,” Jacob Frey, the incumbent mayor, said in a late Saturday night post on X.

RELATED: Mamdani 2.0: Minneapolis mayoral candidate reveals plan to destroy city

Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

“I look forward to a full debate with Sen. Fateh about our records and visions for our Minneapolis’s future. Onward to November!” he added in the same post.

Mayor Frey’s campaign manager, Sam Schulenberg, likewise criticized the process by which Fateh beat Frey for the endorsement. “This election should be decided by the entire city rather than the small group of people who became delegates, particularly in light of the extremely flawed and irregular conduct of this convention. Voters will now have a clear choice between the records and leadership of Sen. Fateh and Mayor Frey. We look forward to taking our vision to the voters in November,” Schulenberg said via a press release, according to KARE.

Omar Fateh has been accused of pushing anti-white sentiment while advocating for more immigration. In a 2023 speech, Fateh advocated for greater trust in immigrants and insinuated that white people were the real threat to American security, saying, “We heard [immigrants] are a threat to national security, but that’s a flat-out lie.”

He continued that the real national security threats “look like many of the members that sit in the front,” allegedly referring to Republican state senators.

“The real threat comes from ‘racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists, specifically those who advocate for the superiority of the white race,'” he continued, quoting Biden-era federal agencies.

Fateh faced an ethics complaint for allegedly insinuating during that speech that his Republican colleagues were violent extremists and white supremacists.

Minneapolis will hold a general election for mayor on November 4, 2025.

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​Politics, Omar fateh, Jacob frey, Minneapolis, Minnesota mayor, Zohran mamdani, Progressive, Socialists, Far left democrats 

Bryan Johnson, the millionaire biohacker with a face stretched tighter than a vegan’s colon on day six of a juice cleanse, recently announced that he was launching a new religion. Not a metaphor, a movement. One built on data, pills, and the promise of eternal life without the inconvenience of God.

Johnson believes death is optional. He tracks every bodily function, transfuses his son’s blood into his own veins, and spends millions annually preserving the only thing he believes matters — himself. His gospel is a glib command: Don’t die. His scriptures are biomarkers. His prayer is performance metrics.

In this new theology, sin is a software bug, suffering is a processing error, and the soul is data waiting to be backed up in the cloud.

This is a cult of optimization that views death as a design flaw to be debugged. His apostles wear glucose monitors, not crosses. His commandments include measuring erections and being in bed by 8 p.m. It’s less about religion and more of a quantified self project wrapped in messianic branding.

The disturbing part isn’t that this exists. The disturbing part is that Christianity, in certain corners, is starting to echo it.

The church of optimization

Christian Transhumanism now has an association, published manifestos, academic papers, conferences, and a theology that bends scripture to fit a worldview once exclusive to secular Silicon Valley.

The movement is not fringe. It has preachers, pastors, and panels at religious universities where the soul is discussed like software architecture.

The idea is straightforward. Eternal life isn’t something granted by grace but something earned through code, cryonics, and cognitive enhancement. The second coming has been replaced by second-generation processors. Salvation will be engineered, not bestowed. And Christ’s miracles are reinterpreted as early prototypes for modern medicine.

A blind man sees? That’s early-stage gene therapy. Water into wine? Biochemical transmutation. The loaves and fishes? Caloric distribution logistics.

Everything sacred is being recoded into something sterile.

This isn’t an eccentric footnote. It’s a growing current within American religious life, where the ancient promises of the gospel are slowly being translated into tech jargon. Genesis rewritten by Google Docs. Resurrection rendered in machine learning. The holy becomes hackable. Redemption becomes regenerative medicine.

Salvation as a service

The absurdity lies in its self-seriousness. These people are not kidding. They see no contradiction in treating the body as a sacred temple while also modifying it like a smartphone. For them, Christ didn’t conquer death; he foreshadowed its technical workaround.

In this new theology, sin is a software bug, suffering is a processing error, and the soul is data waiting to be backed up in the cloud. What began as man made in God’s image has become God made in man’s ambition.

RELATED: ‘AI Jesus’ enters the confessional: Blasphemy or bold experiment?

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Traditional Christians, including myself, see death as a profound reality, the consequence of the fall, and the gateway to something much greater. Christian Transhumanists, on the other hand, view it as an engineering challenge. The crucifixion becomes a parable of human frailty, not a divine sacrifice. The resurrection becomes a prototype. Immortality, once a gift, is now a goal — one to be reached by lab-grown organs and wearable tech.

The cross is no longer where death was defeated. It’s where death was inconvenienced, pending a firmware update.

Thou shalt not die — terms and conditions apply

In place of humility, there is only hubris. The body is no longer a vessel but a project — a meat computer to be upgraded. And in this belief system, suffering is not redemptive but wasteful. Aging is not natural but irresponsible. Mortality is not part of life. It is the enemy of progress.

Bryan Johnson’s “Don’t Die” movement dispenses with theology altogether. His religion needs no god, no scripture, and no tradition. It runs on metrics. His followers swallow supplements with more discipline than communion. They measure sleep like monks once counted beads. They offer no prayers, only performance reviews. Forgiveness is replaced by fasting protocols. Devotion is tracked through biometric dashboards. The ritual isn’t Mass; it’s morning blood work.

Christian Transhumanism takes this same architecture and drapes it in religious language. It rebrands optimization as obedience. Gene editing becomes stewardship. AI becomes a divine assistant. There is no heresy, only enhancement. No judgment, only upgrade.

Every act of faith is repurposed as a kind of bioethical R&D.

Not faith evolved — faith erased

This is not evolution. It is, without question, erasure. The line between man and machine is being obliterated. In this system, the Incarnation was just early-stage embodiment. The second coming will be delivered through an update.

The problem is not just theological confusion. It’s civilizational delusion.

When churches start chasing the singularity, they stop being churches. When pastors quote longevity science instead of scripture, the pulpit becomes just another podcast studio. What follows is not spiritual growth but surrender. The flock becomes a customer base.

For 2,000 years, Christianity has offered a deeply human account of suffering, mortality, and redemption. It looks death in the eye. It doesn’t fear the body’s decay. It doesn’t promise escape through machinery. It promises something far more radical, a transformation not engineered by man but offered by God.

That tradition is being dismantled with white coats, press releases, and smiling men in biotech labs who talk about eternal life like it’s just another quarterly target.

Christian Transhumanists believe they are forging the next reformation. In truth, they are paving the way for a type of digital heresy. They speak of partnering with God. But the real goal is to replace Him — line by line, upgrade by upgrade, until there is nothing left but man, staring at his own reflection, convinced he has found eternity.

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The Trump administration has continued to drop receipts over the weekend. Since Tulsi Gabbard’s bombshell document release on the alleged “treasonous conspiracy” surrounding the Trump-Russia hoax, Trump has called for justice to be served to his political opponents.

Most recently, Trump posted a document that allegedly shows that Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) committed mortgage fraud. In his message on Truth Social, the president called for Schiff to be prosecuted.

‘I’d love to see [Adam Schiff] brought to justice.’

“Adam Schiff is a THIEF! He should be prosecuted, just like they tried to prosecute me, and everyone else — The only difference is, WE WERE TOTALLY INNOCENT, IT WAS ALL A GIANT HOAX!” the president said in a Truth Social post on Sunday afternoon.

Schiff appears to have indicated that a property in Maryland was his primary residence, per the document shared by President Trump.

RELATED: Trump says Adam Schiff may be guilty of mortgage fraud: ‘A SERIOUS lowlife’

Photographer: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Schiff was not prohibited from listing the Maryland property as his primary residence while he was a congressman, according to Fox News. However, some have pointed out conflicting listings in filings dating back to 2003, as Just the News has previously reported. According to these reports, Schiff apparently listed properties in both Maryland and California as his primary residence.

On Tuesday, Peter Doocy of Fox News pressed Trump on his past claims about Adam Schiff. “When you said that you want Adam Schiff brought to justice, what does that mean?” Doocy asked, to which Trump said: “I’d love to see him brought to justice.”

Sen. Schiff did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ request for comment. Earlier this week, he characterized Trump’s allegations as a “baseless attempt at political retribution.”

A spokesperson for Schiff also told Fox News Digital: “The lenders who provided the mortgages for both homes were well aware of then-Representative Schiff’s Congressional service and of his intended year-round use of both homes, neither of which were vacation homes. He has always been completely transparent about this.”

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A Pennsylvania Democrat made a chilling confession during a Wednesday city council meeting that may invite a criminal investigation.

The Erie City Council held its bi-monthly meeting earlier this week, during which council members addressed the recent death of Marchello Woodard, a man who was fatally shot.

‘You know, Nick, I could blow your head off.’

During the meeting, council President Mel Witherspoon (D) explained why he had not attended the man’s funeral or the rally held in his honor, claiming that the events “brought some things back to me that I thought was gone.”

Witherspoon stated that when he was 17 years old, he lost a friend who was “shot with a double-barrel shotgun at close range.”

He noted his involvement at the time with “the largest gang in Newark, New Jersey.”

“I organize. We go over [to] Jersey City looking for the person,” Witherspoon said, likely referring to the suspect. “Well, when we got there, we didn’t realize it was a family. And when you talk Jersey City, and you talk family, you’re talking the mafia.”

RELATED: Black man blamed racism for arson at his home that killed 2 people — until an accomplice allegedly told police it was a scam

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

He explained that at the time of his high school graduation, he “had” to move, leaving the city and his parents, presumably because he was unable to cope with the death of his friend.

Witherspoon said that he went to Nebraska, where he continued going to school. He also noted that he purchased a gun once he arrived in the state.

“I played football and basketball. And the tackle, good guy, nice guy. And the guys came to my room, and we got high,” he continued. “They left. I had the clip in my gun.”

“Nick came in my room. I said, ‘You know, Nick, I could blow your head off.’ He said, ‘Go ahead.’ And I did,” Witherspoon admitted.

“I shot him in the head point-blank,” he declared.

Witherspoon did not provide Nick’s full name or clarify his relationship to the individual.

RELATED: Man in wheelchair grabs gun during home invasion — then shocks crook with rare physical feat

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Witherspoon claimed that he spent only one night in jail and never went to court due to his familial connections.

“I went back to basketball. How did that happen? Because I had a family member, one of my uncles, he was involved with one of the [mafia] families. That family made a call from Newark, to New York, to Omaha … where I was at, and I was out the next day,” he said. “So that’s having the right contact at the right time.”

Witherspoon stated that it “all came back” to him when he heard about the death of Woodard.

Gannon University in Erie lists Witherspoon as one of its basketball hall of famers, noting that he played on the team for two years after transferring from Nebraska’s Scottsbluff Junior College.

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The era of the humanoid robot is seemingly upon us, with sightings of the man-made creatures becoming more common across major cities in America.

One robot was caught on camera wandering 7 Mile Road in Detroit, as it waved at people driving by. While a little jarring to the human eye, the robot is part of the Interactive Combat League, which holds robot fights in the city.

Another robot whose true purpose remains a mystery has been wandering the streets of West Hollywood wearing Pride flags on its elbows, a brown cowboy hat, and a banner across its chest that reads, “Rizzbot.”

Under “Rizzbot,” another banner reads, “Not Elon’s B***h.”

The robot has been caught on film dancing in the street, meeting strangers, and running across Santa Monica Boulevard on a crosswalk.

The AI-powered robot weighs 77 pounds and was built by Unitree Robotics, which is based in China.

“You put the robots in the neighborhoods, and then they assimilate to whatever the neighborhood is,” BlazeTV host ¼ Black Garrett says on “Normal World.”

“Whoever made that was a scientist who stuffed it with gay stereotypes,” BlazeTV host Dave Landau chimes in, adding, “It’s a gay robot.”

Want more ‘Normal World’?

To enjoy more whimsical satire, topical sketches, and comedic discussions from comedians Dave Landau and 1/4 Black Garrett, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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