blaze media

School staff member dies after getting kicked by 14-year-old female student

A staff member at a Massachusetts school was killed after she was hit in an altercation with a female 14-year-old student, police said.

The student was trying to leave a dorm at the Meadowridge Academy in Swansea on Wednesday night without permission when staff members confronted her and tried to prevent her from leaving.

She collapsed and was transported to a hospital. She died a day later.

During the altercation, she kicked 53-year-old Amy Morrell in the chest, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

Shortly after Morrell was kicked, she collapsed and was transported to a hospital. She died a day later.

The student was charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury.

The academy released a statement about the incident.

“The Meadowridge Academy community is deeply saddened by the passing of direct care staff member Amy Morrell,” read the statement. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to Amy’s family during this difficult time. Support services and resources are available to assist students and staff as we grieve this tragic loss.”

RELATED: Former teacher who mocked conservatives over grooming claims has been sentenced to 17 years prison for child porn

The girl was arraigned in Fall River Juvenile Court on Thursday.

A family friend named Andrew Ferruche spoke to WCVB-TV about the incident.

“It’s a horrible accident. You get in a horrible fight, you don’t think you’re going to hit someone and they’re going to die right there — especially if you’re a kid. So that child’s life is probably ruined. Her life is gone. It’s just a tragic situation,” Ferruche said. “She did tell me she loved what she was doing.”

The academy was described as a residential school for youth.

Swansea is a town of about 17,000 residents located on the southern part of Massachusetts.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​School staff member dies, Lethal student fight, Meadowridge academy, Amy morrell death, Crime 

blaze media

Obamacare’s latest scandal is a $35 billion ghost story

The Democrats have named their price to end the government shutdown — an additional $350 billion for health care over the next decade. Critics say a big chunk of that money may go to ghosts.

At issue are the generous subsidies the Biden administration created for Affordable Care Act policies, sweeteners that are slated to expire in December. Making health care essentially free for millions of Americans, those policies have sent enrollment in Obamacare plans skyrocketing. But a recent study found they have also sparked a curious phenomenon: an estimated 12 million enrollees “without a single claim — no doctor visit, lab test, or prescription filled” in 2024.

Obamacare expansion has created an explosion of phantom patients — including 6.4 million of them so far in 2025.

The Paragon Health Institute study reports that this is triple the number of no-claim policyholders before the Biden sweeteners were put in place.

“Among those now eligible for zero-premium plans with low or no deductible,” the study found, “that number increased nearly sevenfold. … A whopping 40% of enrollees in fully subsidized plans had no claims in 2024. In 2024 alone, taxpayers sent at least $35 billion to insurers for people who paid no premiums and never used their plan,” the report said.

Although many analysts suspect that these numbers suggest widespread fraud, Democrats and the insurance industry argue that they reflect consumers taking advantage of affordable coverage. They warn that the expiration of Biden-era reforms will make policies far more expensive for more than 20 million Americans.

“If Congress fails to extend the health care tax credits, millions of Americans will face immediate and severe premium increases, leading many to forgo coverage altogether,” said Chris Bond, a spokesman for AHIP, the lobbying arm of the health insurance industry. “Congress must act as quickly as possible to protect Americans from this affordability crisis.”

As Democrats have made health care their line in the sand on the government shutdown, Biden-era expansions of Obamacare are receiving new attention as a symbol of both expanding access to health care and of spending run amok.

Critics say they underscore the findings of the Department of Government Efficiency, which has highlighted a lack of accountability in massive government spending programs at a time when the federal government is struggling to corral massive deficits and debt. They say the Biden sweeteners also illustrate how and why government spending keeps increasing: Once a subsidy is put in place, it is hard to take it away from voters.

Swollen rolls

The Obamacare expansion at issue came about through legislation and regulations during Biden’s term and was often cast as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the scope of who was eligible for subsidies was broadened to households with incomes above 400% of the federal poverty line — making a family of four earning up to $160,000 eligible for subsidized plans. Also, increased subsidies made Obamacare free for those with incomes between 100% and 150% of the poverty line, and longer enrollment periods were introduced.

The cost for this, on the other hand, is borne by taxpayers.

“Biden’s COVID credits didn’t reduce health care costs — they just shifted them to taxpayers while padding insurer and enrollment intermediary profits,” Paragon President Brian Blase said.

Like all gigantic markets and massive government programs, the Affordable Care Act and what people pay each month have become a very complicated thing, varying by age, state, plan level, and other factors. But the figures for the Obamacare “reference plan” (silver level) reveal what has happened since the COVID pandemic.

In 2021, when Biden was inaugurated, the basic plan cost an individual $27 a month if reported income was at or below the federal poverty line, which stood at around $14,500 a year. For those making 50% more, the “reference plan” cost $75 a month, and so on up to $152 a month for someone making more than $30,000. Those monthly payment figures were constant regardless of what the insurers charged, with taxpayers making up the difference.

Through legislation Biden pushed through by narrow majorities or via reconciliation, the amount someone would pay each month in the first two categories dropped to zero. And as Obamacare became essentially free, millions signed up — enrolling at rates the plan had never seen since its inception in 2013.

RELATED: Obamacare was never affordable — and neither is cowardice

Photo credit should read RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty Images

The overall figures reflect this explosion. Between 2016 and 2020, an average of 8.5 million people signed up for a subsidized Obamacare policy each year, and in none of those years did the figure equal 9 million, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In 2021, however, the subsidized total topped 10 million, and by 2024 it had nearly doubled to 19.5 million, CMS figures show.

“It’s all counterintuitive that when enrollment isn’t being publicized, no one is out beating the bushes to get people enrolled like we had in the early years of Obamacare,” said Ed Haislmaier, a health care expert at the Heritage Foundation. “Amazing that a product’s sales would go through the roof when nobody was talking about it.”

Some analysts believe the numbers indicate rampant fraud. Blase claimed in a letter to the Wall Street Journal that the expansion has created an explosion of phantom patients — including 6.4 million of them so far in 2025. “The problem isn’t real people with coverage they don’t use — it’s fraudulent sign-ups who never should have been subsidized,” he wrote.

Haislmaier agreed. “We don’t have an exact number for how many people might be fake. I don’t think anyone does,” he said. “What we do have is a lot of circumstantial evidence, a lot of data points, and a lot of information about how the markets have always operated to suggest there is massive fraud here.”

Feds smell a rat

Paragon is not the only group voicing concerns. It often seems like fraud is endemic in federal programs, and government health care appears to offer a rich vein for such activity.

In fact, CMS itself has warned of potentially rampant fraud and abuse sapping taxpayers through the revamped Obamacare exchanges. CMS focused on people who were unwittingly signed up for more than one plan, possibilities that multiplied when the Biden administration relaxed reviews of applicants and extended open enrollment periods.

CMS found in July that 2.8 million Americans were potentially enrolled “concurrently” in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan in more than one state, or on one of those federal programs plus the Obamacare exchange, resulting in inexplicable overlaps that could cost taxpayers $14 billion a year.

CMS insists its analysis is helping identify such problems and that it is working with states and exchanges to strengthen eligibility verification processes and clean up enrollment data. The Trump administration has instituted some safeguards, such as sending state Medicaid agencies and state-based exchanges a list of individuals with possible concurrent enrollments so they can cross-check appropriate eligibility.

Opponents of expanded subsidies note that when the government makes a deep pool of money available, as has happened with the ACA, fraud is sure to follow. In June, Bloomberg did a deep dive on the phenomenon, describing a rat’s nest of unscrupulous call centers, primarily based in Florida, that have lured people in with various gimmicks and then signed them up for subsidized plans.

Democrats who traditionally oppose big business make strange political bedfellows of the insurance industry.

What’s more, those licensed to sell plans had access to Obamacare exchange databases, which allowed them to change both the “agent of record” (thereby making themselves recipient of whatever bonus insurers paid for new sign-ups), or the plan a person was enrolled in (thereby increasing their commission and the taxpayers’ bill), according to Gabrielle Kalisz, one of the authors of Paragon’s report.

Consequently, millions of Americans may be unaware that they own a subsidized Obamacare policy, and horror stories abound of unsuspecting people hit with tax bills seeking to recoup the subsidies.

“Nobody seems to have an incentive to be a good actor in the process,” Kalisz said. “The insurance companies are perfectly happy to keep getting the rising premiums, the navigators or agents are happy to keep getting the commissions, and Obamacare supporters are happy to act as if all this reflects people getting coverage.”

Nor are the so-called “phantom enrollees” the only issue. For example, the numbers don’t add up when percentages of state populations according to census data are measured against the Obamacare subsidies. Fourteen states have more people enrolled at up to 150% of the federal poverty line than they do residents who fit that category, and Florida’s total is five times what census data shows it could be.

“The enrollment fraud has become a massive problem,” said Michael Cannon, a health care expert at the libertarian Cato Institute. “The program has become like a great big ATM spitting out checks, and there’s very little policing going on because the government doesn’t care as much as it should about other people’s money.”

The new figures also diverge from the fairly consistent behavior in health care markets — another red flag, Haislmaier said. In 2019 and 2020, less than a quarter of policyholders never filed a claim. And the huge increase in so-called “phantom enrollees” doesn’t appear in market segments other than the now highly subsidized Obamacare plans.

Such figures make no sense if they reflect genuine people aware of what coverage they were enrolled in, and bogus enrollment activity offers a clear explanation.

“This whole situation has been ideal for the fraudster,” he said. “Now you’ve got more enrolled than are eligible, subsidized plans spiking and non-subsidized plans flat. These are just all indicators that there is something wacky going on here.”

Subsidies or shutdown?

All of this is informing the partisan debate over health care and efforts to fund the government.

Republicans, including some who got fabulously wealthy through the health care system, including Florida’s Sen. Rick Scott, have said extending the subsidies is ruinously expensive and foolhardy, given what has happened since they were introduced.

“COVID opened the door for massive waste, fraud, and abuse of government programs, like the billions in fraud and abuse allowed by the ‘temporary COVID’ enhanced Obamacare subsidies,” Scott posted in September. “Americans don’t want their tax dollars lining the pockets of insurance companies — it’s time to end this clear abuse of YOUR dollars.”

RELATED: Smash the health care cartel, free the market

pilli via iStock/Getty Images

Scott drew attention to a Sept. 15 post by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) that made much the same point: “Extending the ‘temporary COVID’ enhanced Obamacare subsidies would perpetuate fraudulent activity, sending billions of dollars to insurance companies for policies that people are unaware they’re enrolled in and do not use,” he posted.

On the other side are Democrats who make strange political bedfellows of the insurance industry. Some who traditionally oppose big business, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) or socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), insist these recent subsidies must continue, preferably permanently. For them, Obamacare more than doubling — from 11.4 million to more than 24 million between 2020 and today — is a success sign of government-run health care.

Warren compared ending the subsidies to taking health care away from people.

“Still waiting to find out how Trump and Republicans think cutting health insurance for 15 million Americans makes America healthy again,” she posted on Sept. 15.

Polls suggest support for government-subsidized health care is a partisan issue. Last November, Gallup reported that “90% of Democrats say that the federal government is responsible for American health care coverage, while 65% of Independents hold the same view. Although only 32% of Republicans share that opinion.” Another survey found that among those receiving subsidies, people who voted for Democrats outnumbered Republicans by more than two to one.

Insurers say the Paragon study was flawed and accused the think tank of misunderstanding how insurance works. It’s not unusual for homeowners or car insurance policyholders to go years without filing a claim, and the same could be true with health care, they say. According to the industry and Democrats, the ballooning numbers reflect a thriving market in which many more Americans are enjoying health care coverage, as stated in a rebuttal released by AHIP in August.

Republicans want to let the subsidies expire. Democrats want to make them permanent.

Of course, that leaves some wiggle room, such as extending the subsidies for another year or some set period of time, a kicking-the-can option long favored by Congress.

Whatever the outcome, large subsidies that have always been part of Obamacare will continue. For all the hue and cry about rising costs, the elimination of Biden-era sweeteners would simply return the system to the way it was operating before 2021, Kalisz said.

“It’s crony math, a kind of corporate welfare,” she told RealClearInvestigations. “Why are the insurers now making it seem like all the subsidies are going away? It’s a form of scaring and spooking the public.”

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.

​Opinion & analysis, Health insurance, Obamacare, Subsidies, Ghost patients, Insurance fraud, Rising costs, Covid-19, Affordable care act, Doge, Taxpayers, Paragon health institute, Waste fraud and abuse 

blaze media

Investigative journalist warns: We are being ‘harvested’ for a posthuman future

Tech developers have sold us artificial intelligence as the ultimate tool for human progress and convenience. But people would be wise to ask, “What’s the catch?”

In a recent interview with Glenn Beck, investigative journalist Whitney Webb answered that question. What she reveals is bone-chilling.

“They want to harvest us for data. … They want to use us as bootloaders for their digital intelligence. They can’t continue to improve and feed the AI without us doing it for them,” she says.

In other words, the future of AI depends on human experimentation.

AI users have been shackled by comfort and convenience. Without even realizing it, they’ve agreed to be put in a “digital prison without walls,” says Webb.

She advises those who care about their freedom to “actively build alternatives,” like “local resilient networks that don’t depend on [AI] infrastructure,” and to seek “open-source alternatives to a lot of the Big Tech platforms out there.”

If we don’t start pushing back (and soon), we will be launched into a “posthuman future,” she warns.

This elitist initiative to eradicate our humanity is evident in that much of AI is targeted toward art, music, and writing — the very things that make us human.

“These are the things that we’re being told to outsource to artificial intelligence,” says Webb.

“So what’s going to be left for us when we outsource this all to AI? Will we allow ourselves to be cognitively diminished to the point that we can’t even create any more? What kind of humans are we at that point?” she asks.

Another act of rebellion we all must commit is to refuse to relinquish creative work to AI and to raise children who are “anchored in the real world,” meaning they can paint and draw better than they can navigate a tablet.

Webb warns that parents must be intentional if they want to guard their families against the encroachment of the digital age, because techno-dependency, especially when it comes to children, is a pillar in elites’ sinister plan to push us into posthumanism.

“There’s these efforts to have domestic robots in the house. A lot of the ads show young children developing emotional relationships with these robots, saying, ‘I love you.’ … That is not good,” says Webb.

If you need even more evidence that the Big Tech world is against your children, Webb reveals that many of the top figures in the tech industry were friends with Jeffery Epstein, a convicted pedophile.

“Do you want to trust those people to program stuff that’s around your kids?” she asks.

She acknowledges that in the modern era, it’s exceedingly difficult to raise children without the help of technology and to set parameters for ourselves. That’s why so many people don’t bother with it. But they’ve fallen prey to the nefarious plot that undergirds the entire posthumanist movement: Create a society that worships convenience and comfort.

“The pull of AI is for us to be passive and do nothing and just let it wash over us,” says Webb.

“If we’re not focused on the things that we like to create and that we like to do … we will recede, and that is how the posthuman future will happen.”

To hear more, watch the full interview above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​The glenn beck podcast, Glenn beck, Whitney webb, Ai, Transhumanism, Posthumanism, Blazetv, Blaze media, Big tech, Ai art 

blaze media

‘A uniquely American industry’: SEMA CEO urges EPA to scrap emissions regs

The automotive world is bracing for a decision that could rewrite the rules of the road.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed rescinding the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, a policy that for more than a decade has given regulators federal and state-level authority to impose sweeping vehicle emissions mandates.

The EPA’s proposed move is not an anti-environment position — it’s about shifting the strategy from top-down control to open competition among propulsion technologies.

If finalized, this move could restore a level playing field for innovation, uphold consumer choice, and revitalize industries that have been shackled by narrow environmental policy objectives.

For the automotive aftermarket, represented by the Specialty Equipment Market Association, this decision is about more than regulatory rollback — it’s about empowering engineers, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs to compete on ideas, not on government-mandated technology paths.

SEMA, an organization representing more than 7,000 members and a $337 billion industry, sees this as a chance to return the Clean Air Act to its original scope, protect jobs, and unleash market forces to drive progress.

Why this matters now

Since the 2009 finding, greenhouse gas regulations have tightly intertwined climate policy with vehicle design, pushing automakers aggressively toward electric vehicle production — regardless of consumer demand or infrastructure readiness. This approach has fragmented the automotive market, caused affordability concerns, and arguably sidelined other promising propulsion technologies such as hydrogen, advanced hybrids, and synthetic fuels.

SEMA’s position is clear: Technology-neutral policies yield better, more diverse innovations and avoid imposing limits that stifle creative engineering.

As SEMA president and CEO Mike Spagnola put it in comments submitted to the EPA:

The specialty automotive aftermarket is a uniquely American industry built on ingenious innovation, vibrant consumer enthusiasm, and unmatched entrepreneurial spirit. The EPA’s reconsideration of the 2009 GHG Endangerment Finding presents an opportunity to remove unnecessary regulatory barriers and allow market forces to guide technological progress in a way that is consumer-driven.

The alternative, warns SEMA, is a patchwork regulatory landscape where California or other states set rules drastically different from federal standards, creating instability for businesses and confusion for consumers. Rescinding the finding would return policymaking power to Congress — the branch intended to weigh competing priorities and reflect the will of the people.

Innovation and consumer choice

The EPA’s proposed move is not an anti-environment position — it’s about shifting the strategy from top-down control to open competition among propulsion technologies. SEMA’s membership includes companies working on EVs, hybrids, hydrogen vehicles, and more.

The association’s argument centers on the belief that all technologies should compete without government favoring one pathway over another. That opens the door for the market to incentivize breakthroughs in lowering emissions from internal combustion engines through efficiencies, synthetic fuels, and advanced filtration. This benefits consumers who may want cleaner cars without sacrificing performance, affordability, or utility.

RELATED: ‘Leno’s Law’ could be big win for California’s classic car culture

CNBC/Getty Images

Tesla pushes back

Not everyone agrees with the EPA’s proposal. Tesla, the electric vehicle industry’s flagship brand, has urged the administration to keep the 2009 finding intact, calling it “lawful” and “based on a robust factual and scientific record.” Tesla argues that rescinding the finding would disrupt established emissions measurement, control, and reporting frameworks. They say the change could retroactively excuse manufacturers from compliance responsibilities, undermining environmental progress.

Tesla also contends that repealing vehicle emissions standards would remove one of the key regulatory drivers that has accelerated EV adoption. Its comments reflect concerns that without the finding, the EPA may step away from enforcing rules that have been instrumental in bringing lower-emission vehicles to market.

The divide is stark: One side sees government policy as the cornerstone of transformative environmental action, while the other views market-driven innovation as the more sustainable engine of technological growth.

Ripple effects

The stakes are enormous. SEMA estimates that one-third of its members rely heavily on internal combustion technology — a subset that underpins a multibillion-dollar aftermarket economy and hundreds of thousands of jobs. Removing mandates that inherently disadvantage certain propulsion methods could stabilize the market, restore consumer confidence, and reinvigorate small businesses.

Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced plans to return more than $13 billion in unclaimed clean energy funds from the Inflation Reduction Act.

These funds, originally intended to support wind, solar, batteries, and EV infrastructure, will be rescinded under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Trump earlier this year — a legislative move that sharply reduced renewable energy incentives. This suggests that the administration is aligning its broader energy policy with the recalibration of vehicle emissions rules.

Choosing choice

At its core, this debate centers on choice — choice for consumers, choice for innovators, and choice for an industry that thrives on diversity of ideas. Environmental stewardship remains critical, but the question now is whether the U.S. can achieve it without sacrificing market freedom.

Advocates of rescinding the finding say yes: Let the engineers push boundaries and deliver solutions people actually want to buy. Opponents warn that weakening greenhouse gas regulation could slow progress toward emissions reduction targets.

The EPA’s move signals a new era of environmental policy — one where power shifts back toward legislative decision-making and away from regulatory agencies. Whether this will unleash a wave of innovation or stall environmental gains will depend on how industry and consumers respond when restrictions loosen.

The comment period has closed, with more than 140,000 responses filed. Now the EPA must sift through sharply divided opinions before issuing a final decision. Whatever the agency decides, the ruling will be a defining moment for the future of America’s automotive landscape. If the finding is rescinded, the aftermarket industry stands ready to prove that when Americans are free to innovate, the road ahead can be cleaner, faster, and more exciting — without anyone being forced into a one-size-fits-all ride.

​Mike spagnola, Aftermarket industry, Auto industry, Epa, Consumer choice, Lifestyle, Tesla, Emissions, California, Align cars 

blaze media

George Soros foundations fund No Kings protests against Trump

Left-wing billionaire George Soros has reportedly been funding foundations that financially support the No Kings protests against President Donald Trump.

Liberals and others opposed to the president and his policies plan to protest throughout the nation on Saturday, but some of the demonstrations are being funded by Soros.

‘Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends.’

The Fox News report says that Soros’ Open Society Action Fund gave a $3 million grant to an organization named Indivisible.

The website for the Open Society Foundations described the two-year grant as supporting the group’s “social welfare activities.”

That group is “managing data and communications with participants” for the No Kings demonstrations.

The Fox News report found that Open Society Foundations had granted more than $7.61 million to the organization orchestrating the protests.

“We support a wide range of independent organizations that work to deepen civic engagement through peaceful democratic participation, a hallmark of any vibrant society and a right protected by the Constitution,” read a statement from a spokesperson for the Open Society Foundations. “Our grantees make their own decisions about their work, consistent with the law and the terms of their grant agreements.”

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas sounded the alarm of Soros funding protests in an interview with Sean Hannity.

“There’s considerable evidence that George Soros and his network are behind funding these rallies, which may well be riots all across the country,” he said.

RELATED: George Soros says there is an ‘international conspiracy’ working against him, calls Trump a ‘confidence trickster’

“This politicized march is being organized by Soros operatives and funded by Soros money. No one denies these basic facts,” Cruz said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The Trump administration and the Republican Congress are committed to countering this network of left-wing violence.”

Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has said that he will attend the protests against Trump and his policies.

The president has made it a goal of his second term to root out the groups and people providing funding for left-wing violent protests.

“We’re not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more, never giving it so much as a chance to ‘BREATHE,’ and be FREE,” said Trump in August. “Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends.”

A spokesperson for the Open Society Foundations denied funding any violence at the time.

“The Open Society Foundations oppose all forms of violence, including violent protests,” the spokesperson said.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​George soros, No kings protests, Leftwing funding, Open society foundations, Politics 

blaze media

DHS has a message for ‘cowards’ threatening ICE on social media — influencer laughs in response

The Department of Homeland Security responded to an apparent threat to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from a group of thugs on social media.

The video was posted to Instagram and other platforms and showed a group of young black males with the message, “ICE[,] We’re on the way. Word in the streets cartels put a $50K bounty on y’all.”

‘If you threaten or lay hands on our law enforcement officers we will hunt you down and you will find out, really quick.’

The account is titled “Floridanamedjit” and belongs to an influencer with 26,000 followers on YouTube and 119,000 on Instagram.

The official account for the DHS responded on the X platform in a statement that included the video.

“FAFO. If you threaten or lay hands on our law enforcement officers we will hunt you down and you will find out, really quick,” read the message. “We’ll see you cowards soon.”

When Blaze News reached out to the influencer for comment, he offered the following response:

“This was a skit and a joke 😂😭 why are people taking this to [sic] serious!”

“It’s literally a skit video. It’s not real! It’s just a caption. It’s nothing to be taken serious about,” he added in response to Blaze News’ follow-up questions.

A previous report from the DHS indicated that criminal cartels had placed bounties on federal agents, including $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials. Kidnapping or non-lethal attacks on agents could allegedly garner between $5,000 and $10,000, while intelligence-gathering on agents could allegedly garner $2,000.

“These criminal networks are not just resisting the rule of law; they are waging an organized campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protect our borders and communities,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

RELATED: FBI: Anti-ICE messaging on bullets at shooting scene of ICE facility in Dallas

President Donald Trump’s escalation of border enforcement and mass deportations elicited many protests across the country and some violent attacks.

In one particularly heinous attack, an ICE facility in Texas came under gunfire in September, and three detainees were shot, two of whom died. The alleged gunman then committed suicide and was later identified as 36-year-old Bratton Dean Wilkinson.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Dhs threat, Bounty on ice, Influencer threat, Floridanamedjit, Politics 

blaze media

Trump says he has commuted the sentence of George Santos

Disgraced former Republican Rep. George Santos of New York will be a free man, according to President Donald Trump.

The president said in a post on social media Friday evening that he had commuted the sentence of Santos, who pleaded guilty to 23 felony counts related to campaign donation fraud.

‘I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison. … Good luck George, have a great life!’

“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” wrote Trump.

The president compared the situation to that of Democrat Sen. Dick Blumenthal of Connecticut, who had admitted to lying about his military service in Vietnam.

“This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” the president continued.

“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” he added. “Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”

RELATED: George Santos pleads guilty to 23 felony charges, faces up to 7 years in prison: ‘I’m taking responsibility’

Santos surrendered himself in July to begin serving a maximum sentence of 87 months in prison.

“Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,” Santos wrote in a farewell message.

“From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it’s been!” he added. “Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Donald trump, George soros, Sentence commuted, Fraud charges, Politics 

blaze media

JD Vance outduels the mainstream media yet again

In a recent interview on ABC’s “This Week,” a discussion regarding Trump’s border czar Tom Homan turned ugly when host George Stephanopoulos pulled the plug rather than let Vice President JD Vance continue speaking.

The pair were discussing a bizarre allegation that Homan was caught on tape taking $50,000 from undercover FBI agents “who were trying to entrap him because they were trying to get him on taking a bribe to give certain people government contracts.”

“It’s convoluted; it’s weird,” BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler says, before playing the clip of Vance and Stephanopoulos.

“I don’t know what tape you’re referring to, George. I saw media reports that Tom Homan accepted a bribe. There’s no evidence of that. And here’s, George, why fewer and fewer people watch your program and why you’re losing credibility,” Vance said.

“Because you’re talking for now five minutes with the vice president of the United States about this story regarding Tom Homan, a story that I’ve read about, but I don’t even know the video that you’re talking about,” he continued.

“You are focused on a bogus story. You’re insinuating criminal wrongdoing against a guy who has done nothing wrong instead of focusing on the fact that our country is struggling because our government’s shut down,” he added.

Vance went on to ask Stephanopoulos to “talk about the real issues” and explained that it would be much more beneficial for the American people instead of listening to the host go down “some weird left-wing rabbit hole where the facts clearly show that Tom Homan didn’t engage in any criminal wrongdoing.”

“It’s not a weird left-wing rabbit hole. I didn’t insinuate anything,” he said, before shutting down the interview.

“Thank you for your time this morning,” he said, while Vance continued to speak.

“Let me just tell you, as someone who interviews high-profile people on this show from time to time, if it is even so much as a lower-level member of Congress, you do not interrupt them,” Wheeler comments, shocked.

“Do you think George Stephanopoulos would have cut away from Kamala Harris while she was talking and not just speak over the top of her, but take her off the screen and turn it to a commercial break?” she asks, adding, “Can you even imagine?”

Want more from Liz Wheeler?

To enjoy more of Liz’s based commentary, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Free, Upload, Sharing, Camera phone, Video, Video phone, Youtube.com, Liz wheeler, The liz wheeler show, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, George stephanopoulos, Jd vance, Vice president jd vance, President trump, The trump administration, Abc news, Tom homan 

blaze media

Florida mom accused of vile child porn crimes against her daughter — could face death penalty for sexual battery charges

A Florida mother has been hit with more than 40 charges related to “grotesque” child pornography and sexual battery involving her 11-year-old daughter. The mom could face the death penalty if she is convicted of the horrific crimes.

On Monday, a 34-year-old woman from St. Petersburg was arrested by detectives and hit with 41 total charges, including 13 counts of transmission of child pornography, 13 counts of sexual performance by a child, four counts of capital sexual battery, four counts of aggravated child abuse, three counts of lewd or lascivious molestation, three counts of sexual activities involving animals, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

‘This is nuts. I don’t know how else to describe it.’

The mother could face the death penalty if convicted of capital sexual battery of a person under 12 years of age.

The suspect was transported to the Pinellas County Jail and remains in custody without bond.

Police urged that the name of the female suspect not be released to protect the child’s identity. A 38-year-old male was also not identified because the investigation is ongoing.

Police said the man involved in the child sexual abuse material case is facing several felony charges, including child pornography and traveling to meet a minor to engage in sex.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “Detectives began their investigation after learning that a 38-year-old male subject was involved in obtaining child pornography and meeting with young children.”

Police said detectives determined that the male obtained child porn from the female suspect.

“Detectives learned that the woman had been forcing her 11-year-old daughter to perform sexual acts on the suspect, herself, and the family dog,” police stated. “Detectives say that the suspect would record and photograph these incidents, sharing them with a 38-year-old male.”

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a press conference, “The things that the mother did to the daughter are graphic, and they are grotesque.”

“During March and April of this year, the mother created at least 14 videos of her 11-year-old daughter posing at the mother’s direction and engaging in various sex acts, including bestiality with the family dog,” Gualtieri stated.

Gualtieri noted that the mother used sex toys on her daughter.

“These acts constitute sexual battery or, as commonly referred to as rape, and because of the child’s age, the mother’s crimes are capital offenses punishable by death,” Gualtieri said.

Sheriff Gualtieri said the mother admitted to forcing her daughter to perform sex acts on video and sending the videos to the man when she was interviewed by detectives.

Gualtieri added, “These cases are the worst cases of child abuse, and in this case, it’s not just sexually abusing a child; it’s gross sexual abuse of a young girl by her mother to satisfy an adult with a perverse craving for watching kids engaged in sex acts.”

Investigators are attempting to determine whether money was exchanged for the illicit videos.

Gualtieri said investigators are looking into whether the mother sent explicit videos to others.

RELATED: Dad who fostered about 20 children caught with child porn while leaving cruise with pregnant wife, kids: Affidavit

The sheriff said the victim’s father and a sibling lived in the same home. He added that investigators do not believe the father was involved in the alleged child sex crimes. The victim is being taken care of by the father, but the Department of Children and Families is “very involved” in the case.

Gualtieri said there are no indications so far that the sibling was sexually exploited by the mother.

The mother made her first court appearance on Tuesday, when a judge ordered the suspect not to have any contact with her daughter.

WTVT-TV reported that the father was at the hearing, and he was “visibly upset and appeared to be praying at one point.”

Gualtieri stressed that there is a significant issue with child pornography crimes.

The sheriff noted that 84 different people have been booked into the Pinellas County Jail on child pornography charges since January, resulting in approximately 900 charges of possessing or distributing child pornography.

“Think about that: That’s 900 different videos of kids, mostly in the 5- to 12-year-old range, engaged in perverse sex acts for the pleasure of adults who seek, obtain, and watch these videos,” Gualtieri said.

“This is nuts. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s ruining kids’ lives,” Gualtieri said of the outbreak of child porn crimes.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Child sex crimes, Child porn, Child pornography, Child sexual assault, Child sex abuse, Bob gualtieri, Florida woman, Csam, Crime 

blaze media

Liberal actor compares Mamdani to Jesus and MLK Jr. in bizarre CNN panel moment

Far-left New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is getting bizarre praise from a liberal actor known for offending Christians.

Actor John Fugelsang told a CNN panel that the socialist’s policies were far closer to the teachings of Jesus Christ than those of the other candidates and then compared Mamdani to Martin Luther King Jr.

‘This guy Mamdani is not afraid to stand up to Trump. He is so charming and so popular.’

Mamdani had just participated in a heated debate with former New York Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo, currently running as an independent, and crime-prevention organizer Curtis Sliwa on Thursday, and the CNN panel was considering the policies proposed by the candidates.

“Mamdani says he wants to seize the means of production,” objected panelist Brad Todd.

“Mamdani is, in his policies, so much closer to the actual teachings of Jesus!” Fugelsang fired back.

“Did he say that or not? Did he say seize the means of production? He did!” Todd responded.

“Of the means of production from what? In Manhattan? Of what, falafels?” Fugelsang joked.

“They’re Democratic Socialists. It’s not the same. This is what they did to MLK as well!” he added. “This guy Mamdani is not afraid to stand up to Trump. He is so charming and so popular, record-high turnout of young people …”

“You keep telling yourself that,” Todd replied.

“In the mayoral primary! That’s the numbers — I’m not making that up!” Fugelsang said.

Video of the exchange was posted to social media.

RELATED: Rolling Stone is getting crushed online for trying to whitewash controversies around Zohran Mamdani

Mamdani was hammered by Cuomo and Sliwa during the debate for his past comments endorsing socialist policies, and Mamdani tried to appear less extreme. Many of his policies depend on dramatically increasing spending and hiking taxes.

Fugelsang has used his platform to chide Christians for years.

“The only ‘war on Christianity’ is the one waged by self-professed Christians who think Jesus hates the same people they do,” he wrote in 2015.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​John fugelsang, Zohran mamdani, Socialist jesus, Mlk jr comparisons, Politics 

blaze media

Trump administration halts funds for projects in blue cities as Democrats refuse to reopen the government

President Donald Trump’s administration is ramping up the pressure on Democrats who refuse to reopen the government over two weeks into the shutdown.

Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced Friday that he will be pausing over $11 billion of project funding across several blue cities. This pause will halt funds for “lower-priority” projects overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers in New York City, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore.

‘We’re only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you.’

This pause comes more than two weeks into the Democrat-induced government shutdown after nearly a dozen failed votes on the Senate floor.

“The Democrat shutdown has drained the Army Corps of Engineers’ ability to manage billions of dollars in projects,” Vought wrote in a post on X. “The Corps will be immediately pausing over $11 billion in lower-priority projects & considering them for cancellation, including projects in New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore. More information to come from the Army Corps of Engineers.”

RELATED: White House deploys nuclear option amid Democrat-induced shutdown stalemate

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

This pressure is the latest of several actions taken by the Trump administration since the government shut down on October 1. Ahead of the shutdown, Vought notified agencies to begin drafting reduction-in-force notices that later resulted in over 4,200 layoffs across various prominent agencies.

A Clinton-appointed judge in California has since halted those RIFs.

Vought also previously paused billions of dollars‘ worth of infrastructure and environmental projects in other blue cities like Chicago and New York City.

At the same time, the Trump administration is working to minimize shutdown pains for the military, working through Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth to ensure that service members received their October 15 paycheck.

RELATED: White House dares Democrats with nuclear response to looming shutdown

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Image

Trump previously warned Democrats that his administration would take these actions if they did not join Republicans to reopen the government. Assuming all 53 Republicans vote in favor of the funding resolution, at least seven Democrats need to join the GOP to reopen the government.

“We’re only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting last week.

“Chuck Schumer proclaimed this morning that every day gets better for them,” Trump added. “No, every day it’s actually getting worse for them, and they’re having a rebellion in the Democrat Party because they want to stop.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Democrat shutdown, Schumer shutdown, Donald trump, Trump administration, Russell vought, Russ vought, Office of management and budget, Omb, Rifs, Mass layodds, Government shutdown, Senate democrats, Funding freeze, Pete hegseth, Politics 

blaze media

ICE agents fear for their safety after security fence removed at Chicago-area facility amid sometimes violent protests

CHICAGO, Ill. — The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Broadview has been the site of many rowdy and sometimes violent protests as Operation Midway Blitz is well under way. With rioters consistently attempting to block the building’s driveway and road to disrupt operations, the federal government installed a temporary security fence to keep crowds at a distance.

That changed this week after a judge ruled the fence must come down after a lawsuit was brought by the city, saying the installment prevented emergency services from reaching other buildings behind the fence. The fence was effective in preventing agitators from blocking the driveway and forced the crowds to switch locations to gather. Border Patrol and ICE agents still had to repeatedly clear the roads to allow federal vehicles to reach the facility.

‘What’s happening is not just regular business there. It was rioting.’

Perhaps in an attempt to prevent the National Guard from being deployed, the Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriff’s Office have sent manpower to assist federal agents in keeping the roads clear. While the extra manpower has been put to use with the disruptive anti-ICE crowds, ICE says the removal of the fence means agents cannot use yet another tool in their toolbox to keep themselves, detainees, and the facility safe.

“Anyone should be able to come up to a federal building when they have some business there, but what’s happening is not just regular business there. It was rioting,” Sam Olsen, field office director for Enforcement and Removal Operations in Chicago, told Blaze News.

RELATED: Border Patrol squashes anti-ICE blockade outside ICE facility in Illinois

Julio Rosas/Blaze News

“That fence did give us some additional protection,” Olsen noted, adding that it was good to see local and state law enforcement on the ground after weeks of no support.

Concrete barriers now line the roads around the facility to keep crowds on the sidewalk, though sometimes those barriers do not deter people from jumping over them.

The security fence also gave ICE agents breathing room as they wait to see whether the National Guard can be deployed. While soldiers from Texas were sent to protect the building in Broadview and were seen patrolling behind the fence, their deployment has been halted in a similar fashion to the deployment in Portland, Oregon.

Olsen said the recent deadly shooting at the ICE facility in Dallas, which killed two detainees and injured a third, is fresh in agents’ minds as they work to secure the building near Chicago. Despite the over 1000% increase in attacks on federal agents, both Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) continue to blame the violence on Homeland Security personnel instead of anti-ICE crowds attacking agents conducting operations.

Friday morning saw more chaotic protests in Broadview down the street from the ICE building, with ISP troopers arresting multiple people who refused to leave the road when ordered. Some also expressed concern about the lack of fencing ahead of the No Kings protests slated to take place in Chicago as well as all over the country.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Politics 

blaze media

Don Lemon calls for ‘black people, brown people’ to take up arms against ICE

Fresh off being schooled by Chicago residents on how illegal border crossings are indeed criminal, ex-CNN talking head Don Lemon suggested that non-whites in America should take up arms against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

At the outset of his recent appearance on Wajahat Ali’s podcast “The Left Hook,” Lemon noted, “I’m tired of like all the niceties because that doesn’t work in this administration. That doesn’t work in this era. You got to dispense with the niceties and … ‘let’s just be civil.'”

After expressing the extremist sentiment a recent poll indicated is common to a plurality of liberals, Lemon told Ali, “I think that these are the times that the Second Amendment was written for.”

‘Words have consequences, and this type of rhetoric is going to get one of our officers killed.’

Ensuring that there could be no confusion as to his meaning, Lemon characterized the Trump administration as “tyrannical,” then noted that the Second Amendment’s raison d’être is to ensure Americans can fight a tyrannical government.

Blaze News has reached out to Lemon for clarification on whether he meant to incite rebellion against the U.S. government.

Lemon, who previously criticized Republicans for defending the Second Amendment, further suggested that those individuals who are being targeted by ICE “need to really figure out what the Second Amendment is really about and go out, and do it legally, and purchase some things because you never know when someone’s going to come to your house and knock on the door and try to take you away.”

RELATED: ‘No Kings’ is the clown show covering for a coup

Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Michael Kors

Later in the podcast, Lemon once again suggested that individuals should be armed and ready in case federal immigration officials come to their residences.

“If you believe in the Second Amendment, if you believe in the Constitution — black people, brown people of all stripes, whether you’re an Indian-American or a Mexican-American or whoever you are — go out in your place where you live and get a gun legally,” said Lemon. “Get a license to carry legally, because when you have people knocking on your door and taking you away without due process as a citizen, isn’t that what the Second Amendment was written for?”

When asked about the apparently inciting nature of Lemon’s remarks, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Blaze News, “Don Lemon’s comments calling for people to ‘arm up’ with guns to use against ICE law enforcement officers are unhinged.”

“Calling for violence against law enforcement is un-American — officers are already facing a 1000% increase in assaults against them including terrorist attacks, cars being used as weapons, rocks thrown at them, and shot at,” continued McLaughlin. “Words have consequences, and this type of rhetoric is going to get one of our officers killed.”

Lemon made his recommendation just weeks after a leftist sniper opened fire on the ICE field office in Dallas. While the shooter, Joshua Jahn, had been targeting law enforcement officers, he ultimately hit three detainees — two of whom ultimately perished — then killed himself. The words “ANTI-ICE” were reportedly found engraved on ammunition recovered at the scene of the shooting.

Ali defended Lemon’s remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“I only speak for myself, but Don Lemon has a right to express his views in the United States of America thanks to the First Amendment, which is allegedly championed by the Trump administration,” said Ali. “I’d assume Republicans would agree with him that Americans have the right to legally bear arms thanks to the Second Amendment. Unless, of course, they only believe that right exists for white Trump supporters? If so, they should admit that publicly.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Don lemon, Lemon, Cnn, Guns, Second amendment, Insurrection, Rebellion, Leftism, Ice, U.s. immigration and customs enforcement, Dhs, Politics 

blaze media

Trump shuts down UN-backed effort to impose global climate change tax, calling it a ‘scam’

The Trump administration has used its influence to shut down an effort by a U.N.-backed organization to convince nations to impose a global carbon tax.

The tax was meant to decrease dependence on carbon-producing industries and to fund policies intended to combat “climate change.”

‘The United States will NOT stand for this Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping, and will not adhere to it in any way, shape, or form.’

Supporters believed the global tax would be approved at the International Maritime Organization summit in London, but on Friday, the talks fell apart after the the U.S. State Department threatened to take action. President Donald Trump also lambasted the tax on social media.

“I am outraged that the International Maritime Organization is voting in London this week to pass a global Carbon Tax,” wrote the president Thursday.

“The United States will NOT stand for this Global Green New Scam Tax on Shipping, and will not adhere to it in any way, shape, or form,” he added. “We will not tolerate increased prices on American Consumers OR, the creation of a Green New Scam Bureaucracy to spend YOUR money on their Green dreams. Stand with the United States, and vote NO in London tomorrow!”

The tax had been approved in a meeting in April and was expected to be confirmed Friday. Opposition from the U.S. led Singapore to propose postponing the vote. The organization will meet in another 12 months to reconsider the global “scam” tax.

RELATED: MSNBC anchor tells audience all life is pointless if we’re not addressing climate change

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also posted a message in opposition to the tax.

“This week, the UN is attempting to pass the first global carbon tax , which will increase energy, food, and fuel costs across the world,” he wrote on social media.

“We will not allow the UN to tax American citizens and companies,” Rubio added. “Under the leadership of @POTUS, the U.S. will be a hard NO. We call on other nations to stand alongside the United States in defense of our citizens and sovereignty.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Global climate change, International maritime organization, Trump vs global warming, Global carbon tax, Politics 

blaze media

Why Zohran Mamdani will be ‘one of the most catastrophic mayors ever’

As mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani continues to lead the New York City mayoral race and Election Day for the next mayor looms closer, so does the city’s impending doom, according to BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales.

“He could be one of the most catastrophic mayors to ever, ever be in New York City,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

And while many Americans will drown out the goings-on in faraway places like New York City, Gonzales warns that just because you may not be potentially living under Mamdani’s rule, you will still be affected by it.

“The financial capital of the entire world — it actually affects all of us,” Gonzales says.

In a recent interview on Fox News, Mamdani was asked by Martha MacCallum if he had any intention of changing his mind on bail reform after hearing the story of an elderly man beaten to death on the subway by a 25-year-old who was out on bail when he allegedly killed him.

“Does that make you want to change your mind or think twice about reversing that?” MacCallum asked.

“What it makes me think about is the necessity of providing public safety in our New York City subway system and across the five boroughs. And also, how do we end the revolving door? Because when you look further into the case … what we find is so often the only mental health system that we have that’s functioning in this city is Rikers Island,” Mamdani said.

“It’s a revolving door because you keep letting them out,” Gonzales comments. “There’s a solution. You just keep them in prison. We keep the dangerous criminals away from society. It’s very, very simple, Zohran.”

And in a podcast interview, Mamdani was asked whether or not prisons are “obsolete.”

“I mean, what purpose do they serve?” Mamdani asked. “I think we have to ask ourselves that, which is that, you know, I think a lot of people who defend the carceral state, they defend the idea of it and the way it makes them feel.”

“I will be the first to admit it does make me feel much safer to have criminals locked up … and I will never be bashful about sharing that, ever,” Gonzales says.

“What purpose does it serve? Oh, I don’t know. It keeps law-abiding citizens safe. It’s really that easy,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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

​Video, Upload, Camera phone, Free, Video phone, Sharing, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Zohran mamdani, New york city, Nyc mayoral race, Andrew cuomo, Mamdani, Socialism, Bail reform, Fox news 

blaze media

One babble after another: A-list antifa can’t stop trashing Trump

The walls are closing in!

Celebrities are turning up the rhetorical heat on President Donald Trump, proving once more that they didn’t learn their lesson from the last election.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s film oozes Oscar-season buzz. It’s a celebration of political violence and a mash note to anti-ICE attacks.

“Hacks” star Jean Smart just gave a shout-out to the latest No Kings rally, suggesting that President Trump is a dictator in waiting, or Hitler or, well, fill in the blank.

The current resident of the White House thinks that he has everybody fooled, but he has made it abundantly clear that he admires dictators and wishes to be one. And ironically this country was founded on a rebellion against having a king. So it’s ironic. The most patriotic thing that you can do is say, “No Kings.” A king does not belong in the United States of America. So please, find a peaceful No Kings protest near you.

Peaceful? Now, that’s funnier than any “Hacks” subplot.

Not to be outdone, former D-list doyenne Kathy Griffin joined the conspiracy mob in alleging that Donald Trump didn’t win the 2024 election fair and square. Her proof? Hey, who needs proof?

Griffin used Trump’s former bestie, Elon Musk, to explain the theft.

Anyway, he’s a, but he’s a professional Nazi in my humble opinion, and he’s good friends with Trump, and at one point, I don’t know if you remember, but he was giving out million-dollar checks to people if they would vote for Trump. That’s illegal. It’s unconstitutional and illegal, so that was happening, and the fact that Trump won all seven swing states, which has never happened in the history of the U.S., makes it all very suspicious to me.

It’s Fake News with a heaping helping of hysteria. At least no heads were severed along the way.

And then there’s singer/actress Renee Rapp. The “Mean Girls 2.0” star shouted “F**k ICE” and “F**k Trump” at a recent concert.

Gosh, Trump better resign before it’s too late …

Squander lust

A million dollars here, a million dollars there, and all of a sudden, you’re talking about real money.

That’s Hollywood accounting, and it explains why Warner Bros. won’t sweat losing a cool $100 million on “One Battle After Another.” That’s despite endless fawning media coverage and a star-studded cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s film oozes Oscar-season buzz. It’s a celebration of political violence and a mash note to anti-ICE attacks.

Liberal film critics love it, of course, but the inconvenient truth is that the movie will lose a fortune at the box office. The budget is just too big, and normie moviegoers would rather watch “Black Phone 2.” At least that film understands that the franchise’s child-killer, played by Ethan Hawke once more, is the bad guy and we’re meant to root against him.

For most companies, a loss like that would be catastrophic, but movie studios are perfectly fine with that kind of a fiscal gut punch. Why? The film is going to earn endless Oscar nominations and countless awards-season hosannas, and it’s the perfect Resistance storytelling.

Remember, it’s show “business,” with an asterisk …

RELATED: Hollywood goes full antifa with ‘One Battle After Another’

Warner Bros. Pictures

Hamas helpers

Who knew there were adults in the room within the Hollywood community? Paramount recently punched back against nearly 4,000 stars blacklisting Israel-linked projects. Now, it’s Warner Bros.’ turn:

Our policies prohibit discrimination of any kind, including discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, or ancestry. We believe a boycott of Israeli film institutions violates our policies. While we respect the rights of individuals and groups to express their views and advocate for causes, we will continue to align our business practices with the requirements of our policies and the law.

It’s no accident that the announcement came after the Trump administration’s historic peace agreement in the Middle East. Still, we’ll applaud any baby steps toward a steel spine in La-La Land …

West wingnut

Bradley Whitford isn’t a big name like Griffin or Rob Reiner, but his TDS can stand toe to toe with the best of the worst. The “West Wing” alum raged against ICE and the GOP in toto this week, out-hyperbolizing even “The View” crew.

“I am living in a world where we have internment camps. … And the thing that’s very upsetting to me right now, and we’re giving these internment camps funny names. Like, they’re some fun to be had in the inhumanity of it all. It’s a very strange time for me.”

Maybe he’s mad because he thought of “Alligator Alcatraz” first but didn’t copyright it?

​Entertainment, Hollywood, Trump derangement syndrome, Donald trump, Kathy griffin, One battle after another, Movies, Renee rapp, Jean smart, Culture, Toto recall 

blaze media

‘Shhhhh’: Details about allegations emerge as John Bolton enters plea

Earlier this week, a federal grand jury convened to consider charges against Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton. Following his Thursday indictment, Bolton surrendered to authorities and entered his plea at the courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The Associated Press reported that Bolton, 76, pleaded not guilty in his initial court appearance following his Friday-morning surrender to authorities.

‘Weaponization of justice will not be tolerated, and this FBI will stop at nothing to bring to justice anyone who threatens our national security.’

Bolton is charged with eight counts of transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of unlawful retention of NDI, per a DOJ press release.

RELATED: Former national security adviser John Bolton indicted by federal grand jury

U.S. Attorney Thomas Sullivan, chief of the National Security and Cybercrime Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Bolton, who was Trump’s national security adviser between April 2018 and September 2019, was allegedly in unauthorized possession of intelligence concerning “future attacks, foreign adversaries, and foreign policy relations,” according to the press release.

The indictment alleges that sometime in the period between September 2019 and July 2021, “a cyber actor believed to be associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran hacked Bolton’s personal email account and gained unauthorized access” to classified information.

The indictment also claims Bolton sent classified information in “diary-like entries” to two unnamed individuals, described as Bolton’s relatives, during his tenure as national security adviser in Trump’s first term.

Among the lurid details of Bolton’s exchanges with his relatives, the indictment gives the following account:

On or about July 23, 2018, Bolton sent Individuals 1 and 2 a message that stated, “More stuff coming!!!” A few minutes later, Bolton sent Individuals 1 and 2 a 24-page document which described information that Bolton learned while National Security Advisor. Less than three hours later, Bolton sent Individuals 1 and 2 a follow-up messaged that stated, “None of which we talk about!!!” In response, Individual 1 sent a message that stated, “Shhhhh.” Individual 2 then sent a message that stated, “The only interesting thing is what [senior U.S. Government official] might have said from [foreign language] interpreter, which you didn’t tell us…”

Approximately two minutes later, Individual 1 sent a message in response that stated, “More to come with cloak and dagger…or something. So he says…”

The descriptions in the indictment list each document as “secret” or “top secret,” among other intelligence classifications.

The section that discusses Bolton’s exchanges with these two individuals ends by saying: “Bolton left the messaging chat group with Individuals 1 and 2 that he had used to send them more than a thousand pages of notes memorializing his time as National Security Advisor.”

In the press release, FBI Director Kash Patel stated, “The case was based on meticulous work from dedicated career professionals at the FBI who followed the facts without fear or favor. Weaponization of justice will not be tolerated, and this FBI will stop at nothing to bring to justice anyone who threatens our national security.”

ABC News reported that Judge Thomas Sullivan set a November 14 deadline for pretrial motions to be filed in the case and set a scheduling conference for November 21.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Politics, John bolton, National security adviser, Bolton indictment, Greenbelt maryland, Judge thomas sullivan, Intelligence, Fbi, Kash patel 

blaze media

Democrat Jay Jones tries to pivot debate away from vile texts wishing death on a rival’s kids — but Virginia AG won’t let him

Virginia attorney general candidates Jay Jones and Jason Miyares faced off in a debate at the University of Richmond Thursday night ahead of the November 4 election. While the debate covered topics ranging from crime and immigration to energy costs and civil rights, the conversation always returned to the topic on everyone’s mind: Jay Jones’ vile text messages.

Jones, a Democrat former Virginia House delegate, fought to defend himself over a series of text messages he sent a few years ago in which he seemingly advocated for political violence against then-Speaker Todd Gilbert (R) and death upon his children.

‘If you were truly sorry, you would not be running for this office, because you disqualified yourself.’

Jones addressed the controversy at the outset and accepted “accountability” multiple time over the course of the debate.

“I am ashamed, I am embarrassed, and I am sorry. I am sorry to Speaker Gilbert. I’m sorry to his family. I’m sorry to my family. And I’m sorry to every single Virginian. I cannot take back what I said. But you have my word that I will always be accountable for my mistakes. And you also have my word that I will spend every waking moment fighting for you.”

RELATED: Nancy Pelosi has unbelievable response to Democrat candidate who issued death wish against Republican

Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Jones used the words “accountable” and “accountability” more than 30 times during the hour-long debate. However, many instances were aimed at holding Donald Trump and Republicans “accountable” for their policies.

For example, after repeatedly refusing to directly answer why voters should trust Jones after his incendiary text messages in which he “doubled down,” as Miyares pointed out, on wanting the innocent children of a political opponent die, Jones insisted, “I’ve taken accountability for my mistakes, and I know that people in Virginia right now demand and deserve leaders who accept when they make mistakes and can acknowledge that and have been held accountable. This job right now demands someone who will hold Donald Trump accountable.”

In response, Miyares said, “He’s running for the wrong office. … I have to make this observation: He keeps saying that he is sorry. Jay, if you’re really sorry, you wouldn’t be running.”

In another heated moment, Miyares said, “If you were truly sorry, you would not be running for this office, because you disqualified yourself.”

Jones said he had a comprehensive public safety plan to get guns out of the commonwealth and protect Virginians.

In response, Miyares pointed out several instances in which Jones prioritized lenient punishment for criminals over the protection of victims of violent crime, some of them children.

Miyares continued, “And I find it a little bit stunning that today you say one of the pillars of your public safety platform is protecting children. Were you protecting [Jennifer Gilbert’s] children when you said you wanted to see them die in their mother’s arms?”

In his closing statement, Miyares pointedly asked, “Are we going to pass the test of decency?”

The full debate can be seen below:

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Politics, Jason miyares, Jay jones, Jay jones texts, Jay jones text scandal, Gilbert, Attorney general, November 4 election, University of richmond, Debate 

blaze media

Exclusive: ICE takes down child predator, murderer, and other violent ‘dirtbags’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have arrested a child predator, a murderer, and other violent illegal-alien criminals this week, according to a Department of Homeland Security press release obtained exclusively by Blaze News.

‘Some of the dirtbags arrested included pedophiles, murderers, and drug traffickers.’

ICE continues to take the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets despite the ongoing government shutdown, the release noted.

“Nothing will slow ICE down, not even the Democrats’ government shutdown,” it read.

The DHS highlighted the Thursday arrests of five convicted criminals who are in the U.S. illegally.

ICE officers captured Sergio Ivaan Martinez, a 30-year-old child sexual predator from Mexico who was living in Dallas, Texas. According to the Texas Public Sex Offender registry, Martinez was previously convicted in early 2014 of aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by contact. His judgment was listed as “probation/community supervision.”

RELATED: Exclusive: ICE arrests alleged MS-13 gang leader on El Salvador’s ‘most wanted’ list

Sergio Ivaan Martinez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Law enforcement nabbed Chay Jungle Her, an illegal alien from Laos who was previously convicted of homicide-murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm in Flint, Michigan.

Chay Jungle Her. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Jose Andres Gomez-Matarrita, an illegal immigrant from Costa Rica, had a criminal record in New Hanover County, North Carolina, for strangulation and second-degree kidnapping.

Jose Andres Gomez-Matarrita. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

ICE arrested Enzo David Fernandez-Morales, a Venezuelan national convicted of engaging in organized criminal activity in Hays County, Texas.

Enzo David Fernandez-Morales. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Officers also locked up Leonardo Estupinan-Nazareno, an Ecuadoran national with a criminal history in Weston, Florida, for importation of cocaine.

RELATED: DOJ files first terrorism-related charges against alleged ‘Antifa Cell’ after ICE attack: ‘Get to the rifles’

Leonardo Estupinan-Nazareno. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

“The Democrats’ government shutdown is not slowing ICE down from removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our streets,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated.

“Yesterday some of the dirtbags arrested included pedophiles, murderers, and drug traffickers,” McLaughlin continued. “These criminal illegal aliens have no business remaining in this country to terrorize innocent Americans. ICE will NOT stop making America safe again even during the Democrats’ government shutdown.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​News, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Immigration crisis, Immigration, Illegal immigration crisis, Illegal immigration, Department of homeland security, Dhs, Politics 

blaze media

Ketanji Brown Jackson exposes her own worldview, compares black people to disabled people

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is under fire after invoking the Americans with Disabilities Act during oral arguments in defense of ensuring black representation in Congress — however, many are now accusing her of comparing black people to the disabled.

“The fact that remedial action, absent discriminatory intent, is really not a new idea in the civil rights laws. And my kind of paradigmatic example of this is something like the ADA.”

“Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act against the backdrop of a world that was generally not accessible to people with disabilities. And so it was discriminatory, in effect, because these folks were not able to access these buildings — and it didn’t matter whether the person who built the building, or the person who owned the building, intended for them to be exclusionary. That’s irrelevant,” she continued.

“Congress said the facilities have to be made equally open to people with disabilities, if readily possible. I guess I don’t understand why that’s not what’s happening here.”

“The idea in Section 2 is that we are responding to current-day manifestations of past and present decisions that disadvantage minorities and make it so that they don’t have equal access to the voting system, right?” she asked, adding, “They’re disabled.”

BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock admits that it’s “a tricky conversation” and a “tricky subject.”

“If you go back in history, there was legitimate racial discrimination that harmed black people politically. There are a number of us that think that that time has passed, that that sort of discrimination has passed, and there is no … racial impediment to seeking higher office in Congress, in the House, Senate, whatever,” Whitlock says on “Jason Whitlock Harmony.”

“So in her defense of gerrymandering, she’s saying that we have faced so much discrimination that we’re disabled,” he adds.

“She’s not on solid ground,” BlazeTV contributor Virgil Walker says. “She has a false view of mankind. She has a false view of blacks in particular, mankind in general. What she’s exposing in her response is actually her worldview. Her idea that blacks are handicapped, blacks are disabled, blacks are beholden unto white power structures and submitted to that.”

“She has an unbiblical anthropology. All that means is an unbiblical view of who we are, who man is, an unbiblical view that we are not image-bearers of God, that you can assess who we are on the basis of the level of melanin in our skin and the historic narrative that has been permeated throughout American culture and society,” he adds.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Video phone, Free, Video, Sharing, Camera phone, Upload, Youtube.com, Jason whitlock harmony, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Ketanji brown jackson, The supreme court, Supreme court justice, Ketanji brown jackson disabled people, Racism, Americans with disabilities act, Jason whitlock, Fearless with jason whitlock, Virgil walker