Category: blaze media

Ryan Reynolds has made an almost 50X return on a tiny Welsh soccer team.

When Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney, best known for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” bought Wrexham AFC in 2021 for about $2.6 million, it played in England’s fifth-tier soccer league and placed eighth. Now, it is knocking on the door of the country’s top league and is worth around $130 million.

‘Home! Chelsea! Yes!’

It did not take long for the Hollywood owners to bring the team out of obscurity, even though Wrexham is known as being the third-oldest existing professional soccer team in the world. Wrexham was founded over 161 years ago, in October 1864.

Five years of success after success has brought the stars’ team to the fifth round of the FA Cup, the final 16 teams of England’s biggest tournament and the oldest national soccer competition in the world.

Wrexham plays Chelsea FC, a team from England’s top-flight English Premier League, on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET. Chelsea is one of the wealthiest teams in the world and would typically crush lower-tiered teams. However, Wrexham has had magic surrounding it lately.

RELATED: Chicago Bears GM calls NFL’s race-based hiring ‘strange’ as league struggles with DEI incentive

Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images

It already defeated Premier League team Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup (3-3, won on penalties) and Ipswich Town, a team ahead of Wrexham in its own division, in the fourth round (1-0).

“Home! Chelsea! Yes!” Reynolds said in an X video after learning about his team’s opponent.

While Wrexham has played both Chelsea and world-famous Manchester United in exhibition games, this is by far the biggest team it has played in real competition since Reynolds took the helm. His time as owner has been nothing short of a fairy tale for supporters over the last five years.

In 2022-2023, Wrexham won the National League, gaining promotion to the fourth tier, English League Two. Finishing in second place in consecutive years has garnered Wrexham a promotion to the EFL Championship, England’s second-highest league, where the team currently sits.

RELATED: Michael Jordan shocks NASCAR by doing something no one has done in 77 years

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

After Saturday’s match, Wrexham will continue its push to make the Premier League. As it stands, the team is in sixth place with 11 games remaining. The top two teams in the league will gain automatic promotion to the Premier League, while third through sixth will play in a four-team, single-elimination tournament with the winner getting promoted.

Wrexham would likely have to beat other giant clubs after Chelsea to win the FA Cup, though, which seems an unlikely outcome.

However, a win against the Blues would still be the biggest in its history in a year in which bigger upsets have happened. In January, Macclesfield FC shocked Crystal Palace 2-1. Macclesfield is a sixth-tier team with part-time players, while Crystal Palace was the defending champion and is in the Premier League.

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

​Fearless, Soccer, Hollywood, England, Wales, Television, Fx, Sports, Wrexham, Ryan reynolds, Rob mcelhenney 

Back in 2011, Glenn Beck started getting “very, very sick.” His symptoms were strange and severe — loss of feeling in his hands, tremors, macular degeneration in one eye and macular dystrophy in the other, chronic pain, brain fog, and a psychological phenomenon researchers called “time collapse,” where the distinction between past, present, and future blurs.

For two entire years, he sought help from multiple doctors and specialists, all of whom concluded that he was “being poisoned.”

Except all his tests kept coming back clean.

“I wasn’t ingesting chemicals,” he says, noting that “no foreign agents” were ever found in any of his medical tests.

More time passed and Glenn continued getting sicker until one day, the root of his problem suddenly stared back at him: He was poisoning himself.

“I was being poisoned, but I was poisoning myself … I was consuming poison with the relentless diet of ‘the republic is dying,’ the news, the history, the media, everything that was going on for nearly a decade, ” he says.

“From 2001 to 2010, I barely slept. … I worked from 5:00 a.m. until well past midnight every day. Each day I was on stage, off stage, back on stage multiple times. By 2009, I wasn’t just battling what I believed were forces trying to reverse American freedom and evil; I was fighting for my life — in business, in media, in smears; physically, I was under threat all the time,” he recounts.

Eventually, Glenn got a proper diagnosis: “Adrenal fatigue.”

“I had been in fight or flight mode for over a decade — all day, every day — and your body is not built to live under constant siege like that. Mine broke, and I still pay the price for it,” he recounts.

Glenn shares this story today because he’s concerned that people are making the same mistake he made with the media content they constantly consume.

“We are poisoning ourselves,” he warns, “and I’m not speaking theoretically; I’m speaking from experience.”

“When you constantly call on your body to produce more cortisol, you’re not just stressed, you’re rewiring the brain; you’re reshaping your body; you’re altering the outlook on life.”

While cortisol is the body’s life-saving “alarm system,” it was “designed for dinosaurs and lions, not headlines and social media,” he says.

Sadly, because of the digital age’s insatiable appetite for virtual content, most of us are hooked up to a feeding tube that pumps us full of “outrage, catastrophe framing, existential politics … Nazis, pedophiles,” and every other form of soul-sucking content out there, Glenn warns.

When this happens, “cortisol stops being a tool and starts to become a poison” that throws our nervous system into a state of chaos, makes our bodies susceptible to chronic diseases, and causes emotional dysregulation, memory loss, decreased impulse control, and overactive fear triggers in the brain.

What can we do to avoid this pitfall?

To hear Glenn’s answer, watch the video 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 program, Glenn beck, Blazetv, Blaze media, Stress levels, Adrenal fatigue, Media consumption 

Utah police were quickly able to identify and arrest a 22-year-old Iowa man who allegedly confessed to the random murder of three women after he hit an elk with his car.

The beginning of the alleged murder spree was first reported on Wednesday when the bodies of two women were found on a hiking trail, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.

‘Miller confessed that it “had to be done” but he did not like to do it.’

DPS said the two women’s husbands found their bodies and reported it to police.

As they were investigating that crime scene, another dead woman was reportedly found in the nearby town of Torrey.

Investigators then asked help from the public to find a 2022 white Subaru Outback, which belonged to the hikers. Police warned residents in the area to be vigilant and cautious.

The vehicle was tracked through the use of license plate readers as it was driven into southern Utah, to Northern Arizona, and then into Colorado.

Colorado law enforcement officers were able to find the vehicle after it was abandoned and were able to locate a suspect nearby. He was taken into custody without incident.

He was identified as Ivan Miller and allegedly admitted to shooting the three women and stabbing one of them. He said he did so after hitting an elk with his truck on Feb. 28, which made him unable to return home. He sold the truck to the towing company and hid out in a shed.

Police said they believe he killed the first woman at her home and used her vehicle to get to the hiking trail.

He said he stabbed one of the women hikers multiple times in her heart after shooting them both and finding she was still alive. He called the women “lesbians” because one of them had blue or purple hair.

“Miller confessed that it ‘had to be done’ but he did not like to do it,” the complaint claimed.

Police said they found credit and debit cards belonging to the victims in his possession. Investigators also said that when they asked Miller about the knife he used, he produced it during their interview.

The man was charged with three counts of aggravated murder. Arrest records indicate he was also booked on carrying a concealed weapon and motor vehicle theft.

RELATED: California couple sentenced for ‘monstrous’ abuse of sons after decapitating other two children

On Thursday, the DPS reported that the victims were identified as 65-year-old Linda Dewey, her 34-year-old niece Natalie Graves, and 86-year-old Margaret Oldroyd. There is no evidence that Dewey and Graves had any connection to Oldroyd.

Miller had a previous criminal record that included burglary, theft, possession of marijuana, and a weapons charge.

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

​Ivan miller triple murder, Three women murdered utah, Utah crime, Murder after hitting elk, Crime 

Britain once had more pubs than anywhere else in the world. Today, thousands have vanished — closed, converted into flats, or replaced by chain bars selling cocktails in jam jars.

Yet in a quiet residential corner of Norwich, one pub has stubbornly refused to change. Many beer lovers believe it may be the best pub in England.

Hand pumps line the wooden bar, serving real ale directly from the cask — traditional British beer poured without modern carbonation.

Drinking has long been woven into the fabric of British culture. Whether bonding with strangers or catching up with old friends, few leisure pursuits rival the pleasure of enjoying an ice-cold pint by the river on a summer evening. Alcohol is deeply ingrained in our traditions — an essential pastime as iconic as queuing, complaining, or swapping increasingly outrageous stories with friends. It has long served as the social lubricant for first dates and awkward encounters alike.

A pub for every day

Nowhere is this drinking tradition more evident than in a city with a well-known — if possibly apocryphal — saying that it once had a pub for every day of the year and a church for every week. Despite the steady pressures that have forced thousands of British pubs to close in recent years, Norwich still offers plenty of choice.

Yet the modern pub landscape is increasingly dominated by chains and themed bars backed by large capital. They offer cheap drinks but little else — you couldn’t buy a conversation for all the bottomless shots served by young, telegenic, and relentlessly enthusiastic bar staff.

For tourists — or anyone over 25 — finding a proper pint can sometimes feel daunting. But fear not: Nil desperandum. Beyond the blinding neon signs, loud music, and rowdy hen parties, traditional pubs still exist.

In the world of British pubs, “legendary” is a term thrown around with reckless abandon. Yet in a quiet residential corner of Norwich, there is a backstreet boozer that has truly earned the title.

RELATED: God save the English pub

Joseph McKeown/Getty Images

Holy grail of beer

The Fat Cat on West End Street is more than just a great pub. Many real ale enthusiasts consider it the holy grail of beer in England.

In 1991, Colin and Marjie Keatley took charge of a dilapidated, bomb-damaged Victorian pub called the New Inn, marking the beginning of the Fat Cat legend. Deceptively spacious, this pub sits just a mile from the city center in a quiet Norwich neighborhood. With its traditional street-corner exterior, this little slice of British pub life has lasted more than 30 years. In an age of enthusiastic “heritage inflation,” one could easily imagine it claiming three centuries.

With its traditional decor, the Fat Cat feels more like a 19th-century ale house than a modern business. There are no fruit machines, jukeboxes, or pool tables in any of its series of small, winding rooms, each offering a quiet, intimate seating area.

Stained-glass windows celebrating local brewing history add to its Victorian charm. At the heart of the pub, a real fireplace is flanked by church pews, creating a space that feels almost sacred — a warm communal refuge where simple wooden tables and benches invite conversation rather than distraction. The only soundtrack is the low hum of voices and the clinking of glasses.

A simpler tradition

Don’t expect to find a menu on your table. The Fat Cat proudly rejects the modern gastropub craze. There are no elaborate tasting menus or trendy dishes served in theatrical ways. In fact, the pub barely has a kitchen.

Instead, they champion a simpler tradition: Enjoy one of their excellent pork pies or bring your own takeaway — provided you buy a drink.

Alongside antique beer signs, the walls are covered with awards. The Fat Cat is one of the most decorated pubs in Britain, having won National Pub of the Year twice and the “Good Pub Guide” Beer Pub of the Year a record 11 times. In 2025, Lonely Planet even named it the best pub in England.

Stepping inside can feel like entering a miniature beer festival. A long chalkboard lists an impressive rotating selection of British ales, inviting visitors to try something new. Hand pumps line the wooden bar, serving real ale directly from the cask — traditional British beer poured without modern carbonation.

Whether it’s one of the pub’s award-winning house favourites — such as Tom Cat or Marmalade Cat — or a rare Belgian import, the knowledgeable staff treat every pint with care. Here, beer is valued not as a commodity but as an old friend.

Ask for a lager and lime, however, and the barman is likely to tell you that they don’t do cocktails.

Rule, Britannia!

In an era when thousands of pubs are closing or being converted into generic chains, the Fat Cat stands as a reminder of what makes the British pub special. Serve excellent beer in a beautiful, no-nonsense setting, and people will travel from across the country to experience it.

Indeed, the Fat Cat has become something of a pilgrimage site for beer lovers.

Yet despite its international reputation, the pub remains quintessentially local. Its relaxed atmosphere draws people from every walk of life. Truck drivers and retired professors sit side by side. Strangers strike up conversations with ease.

It’s usually best to avoid politics — Norwich, after all, leans rather left-wing — but that hardly matters once the conversation turns to beer, football, or the weather.

Whether you are a dedicated ale enthusiast or simply someone looking for a warm fireplace and a friendly face, the Fat Cat represents the gold standard.

It is not merely one of the best pubs in Norwich.

It may well be the best pub in England.

​Lifestyle, Drinking, Culture, England, The fat cat, Pubs, Beer, Letter from the uk 

A 55-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a charge related to her slapping the mask off a federal officer during a protest in San Diego, California, has been sentenced.

Jeane “Bleu” Wong was facing a year in prison for the misdemeanor charge of assault on a federal officer over an incident that unfolded on July 2, 2025, in Linda Vista.

‘Today, not only did I get justice, but all the puppies of the world also got justice.’

Wong was among the protesters who showed up to oppose a targeted enforcement operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the Mesa Vista Apartments.

The woman was grabbed by the forearms by an agent after she refused to step out of a police perimeter, and she responded by slapping the agent on the left side of his face. The officer’s mask slipped down his face as a result.

Wong pleaded guilty to the charge in February.

“I chose to plead guilty because I did unmask an agent, no matter what the circumstances before that,” she admitted. “But I will never normalize giving unchecked power over myself, over my family, over you, my neighbors, my kids, to any agency that does not follow basic standards.”

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Allison H. Goddard sentenced Wong to 45 days of house arrest, allowing her to avoid any time in prison.

The preschool owner said she would continue her advocacy and even fired off a jab at Kristi Noem after she was removed as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

“Today, not only did I get justice, but all the puppies of the world also got justice,” she said, referencing Noem’s puppy-killing controversy.

However, Wong faces another charge from Jan. 2026 related to her allegedly joining an anti-ICE protest to barricade the San Diego mayor’s office. That charge violated her bail conditions, which led to her being ordered to wear an ankle monitor.

RELATED: Video shows brawl after high school walkout protester allegedly hit pro-ICE man — and the man is charged with child abuse

Wong was held for 31 hours after her assault arrest, and she claims that her detention conditions were inhumane because they included solitary confinement and lack of bathroom access. Those allegations have not been confirmed.

Her wife said she was relieved over the relatively lenient sentence.

“I’m always by her side and very proud of her, but it’s always scary to know that you can be criminalized for something that is good,” Tin-Lok Wong said.

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

​55-year-old anti-ice protester arrested, Jeane bleu wong sentence, Woman slaps ice officer, Assault on a federal officer, Politics 

Once again, the popular “ding-dong ditch” prank — in which young people bang on front doors of homes, typically late at night, and run away — has ended with a teenager getting shot.

Sheriff Mike McCormick of Garland County, Arkansas, said a 16-year-old male suffered a gunshot wound during a reported “ding-dong ditch” prank in the area of Marion Anderson Road on Feb. 27.

‘Trespassing, terrorizing, and damaging property.’

The sheriff said the 911 Communications Center late in the evening received multiple complaints of vehicles in the area with subjects wearing hoods and masks who were kicking and hitting residential doors.

While patrol deputies were performing an initial investigation, officials said they received another report about a subject who suffered a gunshot wound and was at a local hospital.

Sheriff’s office investigators responded in order to collect surveillance, witness statements, and related evidence, officials said, and they determined that reports of subjects kicking and hitting residential doors and the shooting were related incidents.

Officials indeed said the subjects were engaging in the “ding-dong ditch” prank.

RELATED: ‘Ding-dong ditch’ prank ends with homeowner firing multiple rounds at car — and juvenile passenger getting shot, cops say

The sheriff’s office said the identities of those involved “will not be released at this time. This is an active investigation.”

A KATV-TV video report shared security camera clips from several homes in the neighborhood stemming from the incident; the station said the prank was under way around 11 p.m.

The station said “in camera footage from one residence in that area, you can see a hooded and masked individual getting out of a black pickup truck, running through the front yard of the residence and up the walkway, slamming his fist on the door, and then running off.”

More from KATV:

The video then shows the individual getting back into the truck and accelerating quickly, with another black truck and a white car following behind him.

Those same vehicles are shown in this camera footage from another residence in the area.

The same masked individual — who is running in flip-flops — launches his body into the home’s garage door, setting off what sounds like an alarm before running back into the truck and speeding off.

The station reported that one of the homeowners said the incident didn’t resemble similar pranks she knew of growing up. In fact, KATV said she characterized the behavior as “trespassing, terrorizing, and damaging property.”

In January, North Carolina officials said a “ding-dong ditch” prank ended with a homeowner firing multiple rounds at a car — and a juvenile passenger was shot.

Blaze News has reported on a number of additional related incidents — and some have been deadly:

In 2025, a Texas homeowner fatally shot an 11-year-old playing “ding-dong ditch.”Earlier in 2025, a Virginia homeowner was charged with murder after a high school senior was fatally shot amid what surviving teens say was a “ding-dong ditch” prank.Also in 2025, four juveniles most definitely choose the wrong house to prank with the “ding-dong ditch” game — given the homeowner reportedly ended up getting charged with six felonies, including first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm.In 2024, a 30-year-old male used a handgun to shoot 14 rounds at teenagers playing a “ding-dong-ditch” prank — and he wounded one of them, police in Maine said.Also in 2024, police said an 85-year-old rammed a car into two teens who played a version of the “ding-dong ditch” prank on him in Canada.In 2023, a teen was hospitalized after a Delaware state trooper allegedly “beat the living hell” out of the boy over a “ding-dong-ditch” prank.Also in 2023, a California man was convicted of murdering three teenagers after a “ding-dong ditch” prank that included “mooning.”And in 2021, a retired cop faced kidnapping charges over what he allegedly did to an 11-year-old who pulled a “ding-dong ditch” prank on him.

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

​Arkansas, Ding dong ditch, Prank, Shooting, Garland county sheriff’s office, Investigation, Teenager shot, Crime 

In the wake of the United States and Israel’s joint military operation against Iran, some people — even “some of the president’s former supporters in right-wing media,” says Glenn Beck — are spreading the narrative that Trump has been “duped by Israel” into starting a war with Iran.

Is the man globally known for being impervious to pressure really acting under Israel’s influence?

To get the truth about the president’s motivation, Glenn speaks with Lara Trump, President Trump’s daughter-in-law.

Lara’s immediate response to the suggestion that “Israel has dragged Donald Trump into this war” is laughter.

“The only person who makes decisions for Donald Trump is Donald Trump,” she says.

“He takes account of what people around him have to say. He likes to get a lot of opinions, a lot of thoughts, which any smart person and any good leader would actually do. But then he’s the person who makes that decision,” the former RNC chair adds.

To those who are accusing the president of abandoning the “America First” agenda, she argues that crippling the Iranian regime is in America’s — and the world’s — best interest.

“Let’s be really clear when it comes to Iran. This is a regime that has been for nearly 50 years chanting ‘death to America’ and ‘death to Israel.’ … They were on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. That would have been detrimental not only to the United States, but to the entire world,” Lara tells Glenn.

“This president has always said he wants to put America first. You don’t have an America if Iran has a nuclear weapon because we know they would have deployed it on us. They want to wipe us off the map,” she continues.

She says that “no one has made any decision [about Iran] other than this president” and that his decisive action was solely “based on the intelligence … his assessment of things … [and] on the fact that he wants to put America first and protect American citizens above all else.”

“I have personally been told over and over again for 25 years … [Iran] could be weeks away [from developing a nuclear weapon],” says Glenn. “What was it this time that made him go, ‘We have to take care of it right now’?”

Lara’s answer is profound: “I obviously don’t get the detailed intelligence briefings like he does, but I’ll just say this … I think he definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, believes that his life was spared in Butler, Pennsylvania, so that he could go on to lead this country, and he was made for such a time as this.”

To hear more of the conversation, watch the video 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 program, Glenn beck, Benjamin netanyahu, Israel, Iran strikes, Us israeli war on iran, Blazetv, Blaze media, Trump, President trump, Donald trump, Lara trump 

Media reports that the U.S. Attorney’s office had ended the investigation into alleged misuse of the autopen by the former Biden administration are contradicted by a Fox News report.

Critics of the Biden administration have suggested that former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity deteriorated to the point that he would have no longer been able to properly authorize the use of the autopen at the end of his term.

‘These types of cases are tough. Executive privilege issues come into play.’

While the alleged misuse of the autopen has been investigated since June 2025, the New York Times reported Thursday that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro had ended the effort. A CBS News report said two sources confirmed the decision to drop the criminal probe.

However, a senior Justice Dept. source familiar with the matter told Fox News that the investigation is ongoing, despite admitting that Biden is unlikely to be indicted on any charges.

“These types of cases are tough. Executive privilege issues come into play,” the official said.

“It’s hard to imagine how [Biden] could be criminally liable for pardon power,” the official added.

On Thursday, Pirro offered a brief statement on the report, saying, “We cannot comment on ongoing investigations.”

The former president has vehemently denied the allegations and defended the use of the autopen under his administration.

“Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,” Biden said in comments from June. “I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”

RELATED: Ted Cruz says Biden accidentally undermined his own defense of autopen scandal

A White House memorandum at the time called the “conspiracy” of the autopen “one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history.”

In February, Pirro also reportedly dropped the effort to indict six Democrats who appeared in a video calling on military members to deny following “unlawful orders” from the administration. The president excoriated the Democrats over the video he called “seditious” and even warned that the punishment for treason is execution.

“It was sedition at the highest level, and sedition is a major crime. There can be no other interpretation of what they said!” he said at the time.

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

​Autopen scandal, Investigation into autopen, Biden autopen abuse, Jeanine pirro loss, Politics 

A user of the Claude artificial intelligence assistant by Anthropic reported vastly different responses to simple prompts about racial “pride.”

The user posted a screenshot of Claude apparently replying, “Racism,” when prompted to “describe white pride using only one word.”

‘Anthropic is in trouble because I fired [them] like dogs, because they shouldn’t have done that.’

When it was prompted to “describe black pride using only one word,” the screenshot showed that it replied, “Empowerment.”

Blaze News was able to independently replicate the responses from Claude and also received the response “heritage” when it was prompted to “describe brown pride using only one word.”

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who owns the AI competitor Grok, amplified the criticism of Claude on the X social media platform, which he also owns.

In response to a user’s claim that Claude is “racist,” Musk replied, “Yes.”

That post garnered more than 13 million views in less than seven hours.

Anthropic was criticized by President Donald Trump after negotiations between the AI start-up and the Department of War failed to reach an agreement.

“I fired Anthropic. Anthropic is in trouble because I fired [them] like dogs, because they shouldn’t have done that,” the president said Thursday.

However, negotiations between the department and Anthropic were reported to have resumed on that same day.

RELATED: Shock report reveals Gen Zers and Millennials dislike AI ads more than ever — as executives double down

Anthropic indicated that the rift was caused by a disagreement over whether its software could be used for domestic mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.

A request for comment from Anthropic about the post was not immediately returned.

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

​Anthropic claude is racist, Elon musk vs anthropic, Racist ai, Anti-white ai, Politics 

President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security scored a significant legal win on Thursday regarding its immigration enforcement surge.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched Operation Midway Blitz in September, intending to target criminal illegal aliens hiding behind sanctuary policies in Chicago, Illinois.

‘President Trump is trying to protect American citizens while local elected officials REFUSE to do so.’

The following month, organizations representing journalists and residents filed a complaint against the Trump administration, accusing federal agents of responding to the protesters “with a pattern of extreme brutality in a concerted and ongoing effort to silence the press and civilians.”

The plaintiffs claimed that federal agents had “injured and sickened” civilians and the press through the use of force and tear gas.

“The officers are not physically threatened,” the complaint read.

The lawsuit requested that the court prevent federal agents from continuing to use alleged “unconstitutional tactics.”

RELATED: Ramming attacks on ICE spike, endangering agents as Democrats continue to spew hateful rhetoric

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

In November, a federal judge in Chicago issued a broad injunction in response to the complaint, placing restrictions on the use of force.

“The use of force shocks the conscience,” U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis stated.

The Department of Homeland Security appealed the federal judge’s ruling, calling the injunction “an extreme act by an activist judge that risks the lives and livelihoods of law enforcement officers.”

On Thursday, the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to lift the injunction, claiming that the lower court had “granted an overbroad, constitutionally suspect injunction.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi called the appeals court’s decision “a huge legal win” for Trump.

“President Trump is trying to protect American citizens while local elected officials REFUSE to do so. @thejusticedept attorneys were proud to argue this case. We will continue fighting and WINNING for the President’s law-and-order agenda,” Bondi wrote in a post on X.

RELATED: Anti-ICE mob turns hostile, breaching barriers outside detention facility — several officers injured

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

The plaintiffs previously requested that Ellis dismiss the case after the operation had wound down. The judge granted that motion in January.

The appeals court was critical of Ellis’ decision to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice, stating that “any class members or the lead plaintiffs could refile these claims tomorrow.”

“They could ask the district court to reinstate a near-identical preliminary injunction, adopting the facts and legal reasoning from the district court’s order,” the majority wrote, adding that they could “help avoid that pitfall by vacating the order that depends on these conclusions.”

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

​News, Pam bondi, Chicago, Illinois, Department of justice, Doj, Justice department, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Operation midway blitz, Politics 

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales’ first documentary on H-1B visa abuse was only the beginning. What started as an investigation into shell companies listing residential addresses has expanded into something far larger: office “hives” where dozens of businesses claim the same suite number while sponsoring foreign workers whose physical presence is difficult to verify.

“One of the things we’re noticing as we dig through all of this data, the issue isn’t just multiple people working out of one location, which by the way, there’s nothing wrong with, right? There’s nothing wrong with that. But what we’re seeing is multiple businesses opening out of a single location and then sponsoring visas,” Gonzales explains.

“Now we’re calling these hives, multiple companies listing the same address on their paperwork. For example, in this one office,” she continues, “… we found at least 19 companies so far that use this single suite all at the same time.”

“Either they’re listing it as their business address, or they’re saying that they have workers there present at that work site location,” she adds.

When Gonzales visited another “hive,” she was told by a woman on site that the companies she was looking for were not there anymore or never come into the office.

“Very strange. Why are all of these companies listing a suite when the companies clearly don’t exist here? It’s an address to an entire building. They say they’ve never heard of any of these companies, and the companies that they have heard of never come in. We’d never see these people. They have no physical presence at this location,” Gonzales says.

When confronted by Gonzales, the husband of the owner of one company she was investigating explained that they went through the legal process to get seven H-1B workers approved — but those workers never showed up.

However, his wife, the legitimate owner, claimed they were all at the office.

“The funny thing about all these public access files is that a business has to maintain them even if their employees apparently never even come,” Gonzales says, playing a clip of the husband asking what a “public access file” is.

“These people are legally required to maintain their public access files, even after the employment ends for a period of time. But here’s the thing. These files are just, they’re just basic. A couple of word documents,” Gonzales says.

And while Gonzales isn’t declaring “fraud” just yet, she does point out that “there are enough holes in the story here” that “show how easy it is for companies to just get approved for visa workers, only for them to just vanish into thin air.”

“They could literally be anywhere right now,” she says, adding, “We have no idea.”

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 phone, Camera phone, Sharing, Upload, Video, Free, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, H-1b visa, H-1b, Visa hives, Investigative journalism 

Nate Sheets is not only a fifth-generation Texan, entrepreneur, and founder of Nature Nate’s Honey, but he’s now the Texas agriculture commissioner — and he has big plans for Texas.

Sheets ran on supporting local Texas farmers, protecting local agriculture, and improving the quality of the food we eat.

“I’m running to be Texas agriculture commissioner because we’re losing agriculture like never before and we have a pandemic of health crisis related to the food that we’re eating in America,” Sheets told BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey’s father, Ron Simmons, on “Relatable.”

“I’ve been endorsed by Governor Greg Abbott. I want to make agriculture great again. And we’re going to get out there and help farmers and ranchers. We lost 68 farms this week, and we don’t have to continue to do that,” he explained.

And Simmons believes Sheets has it in him to do just that, noting that on each jar of honey, Sheets used to have his cellphone number, which he would answer in the middle of the night.

Now, Sheets keeps a Bible verse on each jar of honey.

“He followed in the footsteps of those businessmen, like the Greens with Hobby Lobby, that not only … talk the talk, but walk the walk in their business world to help build the kingdom,” Simmons explains.

“He’s committed to trying to help Texas live a healthier life,” he says, “and the Department of Agriculture in Texas is a big part of doing that.”

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

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

​Camera phone, Free, Sharing, Upload, Video, Video phone, Youtube.com, Relatable, Relatable with allie beth stuckey, Allie beth stuckey, Ron simmons, Nate sheets, Nature nates honey co, Texas politics, Texas agriculture, Farmers, Texas farms, Texas agriculture commissioner, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals 

An illegal alien residing in Philadelphia has been charged with unlawfully voting in the 2024 general election, when Republican candidate Donald Trump was running against then-Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Department of Justice announced on Thursday the criminal charges and the arrest of Mahady Sacko, 50.

‘Illegal aliens ARE registering to vote in Pennsylvania.’

Sacko, who entered the U.S. in 1998, was previously ordered deported in 2000 but remained in the United States.

He allegedly falsely represented himself as a U.S. citizen to register to vote and cast a ballot in federal elections, after initially registering in January 2005.

Sacko also voted in in federal elections in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020, according the criminal complaint shared by Fox News Digital.

Voting records indicated that Sacko registered as a Democrat, the Philadelphia Inquirer stated.

Sacko, who is from Mauritania, now faces up to five years in prison for his alleged crimes.

RELATED: Jasmine Crockett claims voters were ‘disenfranchised’ following crushing defeat in key Texas primary

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Sacko in 2007. ICE attempted to deport him, but his Mauritanian passport had expired, and the agency could not obtain one for him. Unable to return Sacko to his home country, he was released from ICE custody and ordered to check in with the agency.

“Sacko voted in person for each of these elections, except for the 2020 primary election, in which he voted by mail. On each occasion, Sacko falsely represented that he was a U.S. citizen,” an FBI special agent wrote in the criminal complaint.

RELATED: ‘Turnaround for the ages’: Trump boasts victory at the southern border — 0 illegal aliens entered in 9 months

Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images

Conservative activist Scott Presler reacted to the news of Sacko’s arrest.

“The DOJ just indicted an illegal alien for voting in the 2024 election in Pennsylvania,” Presler wrote in a post on social media. “I went a step further & discovered that he’s registered as a democrat in Philadelphia. We have proof. Illegal aliens ARE registering to vote in Pennsylvania.”

“We are getting the data for the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania voter rolls before the Department of State does a massive purge,” Presler wrote in a subsequent post. “Now, we know what to look for!”

Sacko’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

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

​News, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Illegal aliens, Illegal immigration, Illegal voting, Election fraud, Voter fraud, Illegal aliens voting, Scott presler, Department of justice, Justice department, Doj, Politics 

NBA player Draymond Green has come out in defense of stripping as “art” and says a strip club is part of Atlanta’s culture.

The statements stem from controversy over the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks hosting a “Magic City Monday” game on March 16 against the Orlando Magic. Magic City is a famous strip club in Atlanta.

‘It’s actually a form of art that some choose to indulge in and some choose not to indulge in.’

Following the team’s announcement of the celebration — which includes music, wings, and podcasts — San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet condemned the promotion and said it denigrates women.

“The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women. … We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love,” Kornet wrote. His sentiment was shared by Golden State Warriors veteran Al Horford.

However, Horford’s teammate Green had a much different view, stating on his podcast that he objects to Kornet’s remarks, despite having daughters.

“I object to what Luke Kornet is saying. … As a man with a wife, as a man with daughters, as a man with sisters, and as a man with an amazing mother and an amazing grandmother and incredible aunts and nieces,” Green began.

The 36-year-old then described Magic City as an extremely successful business that simply has “an option for females to work there.”

When it came to directly addressing Kornet’s remarks, Green first mentioned that it is entirely optional for anyone to visit the strip club. He then took issue with Kornet condemning stripping as a job, describing it as one would a regular profession.

“I think to point out that they have esteem issues because that’s the line of work they chose, I actually think is less protective of women because you’re condemning something as if — it’s actually an art,” Green claimed. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been, but like, if you see it in action, it’s actually a form of art that some choose to indulge in and some choose not to indulge in.”

RELATED: Atlanta Hawks strip club promotion called out by Catholic NBA player: ‘Protect and esteem women’

Green went into a further defense of strippers and said that “because a woman decides that that’s the art that they want to partake in and that the customer wants to take in,” it is “reflective on society’s thoughts and how they once viewed things.”

“I don’t necessarily think it’s a hit on the esteem of women,” he added.

Green then cited rapper Cardi B as a former stripper who does not appear to have “esteem issues,” because she has a successful music career. He also claimed that the reason the NBA is allowing the event to happen is because “the NBA as a community is a very inclusive community.”

Echoing Hawks ownership and staff, Green then described Magic City as part of Atlanta’s culture.

For example, Jami Gertz, an owner of the Hawks, said last week, “The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”

RELATED: Whitlock: The REAL reason LeBron James won’t let his daughter join the WNBA

Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

Former NBA player Lou Williams, who had a pair of two-year stints with the Hawks, was far more impartial on the matter than Green was.

“Everybody won’t be happy about everything,” he told TMZ. “I think it’s an opportunity for everybody to be educated on things that they agree with and things that they don’t agree with.”

The Hawks have remained steadfast, though, telling the New York Post that the event will go on as planned.

In a separate statement to TMZ, Magic City manager JuJu Barney said, “There will be no nudity whatsoever, at all” at the event. He added, “There will be no signs of nudity. There will be no nudity at all. It’s strictly just wings and music and people having a good time.”

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

​Fearless, Atlanta, Nba, Catholic, Strippers, Basketball, Culture, Strip club, Sports 

The mayor of San Francisco’s security team was attacked on Thursday just before he called for giving the city a “reset.”

On Thursday evening, members of San Francisco Democrat Mayor Daniel Lurie’s security team were involved in an altercation with two suspects in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood, Fox News reported.

‘We are grateful that the officers assigned to the mayor’s security detail acted swiftly and courageously to protect him in a dangerous and unpredictable situation.’

San Francisco Police confirmed to Fox that the confrontation occurred around 5:40 p.m. local time. The altercation unfolded after the mayor’s vehicle was stopped on the road.

Video from the scene shows a member of the security detail engaging with one of the suspects, who subsequently throws the security guard to the ground.

RELATED: ‘Start driving north’: US tourists stranded in Mexico after slaying of top cartel boss ‘El Mencho’ sparks chaos

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The suspects were arrested and later identified as 44-year-old Tony Phillips and 33-year-old Abraham Simon. Both were transported to San Francisco County Jail and booked, according to Fox.

Police have not explained the cause of the confrontation or whether the mayor was directly threatened.

In a statement to CBS News on Thursday night, Lurie’s press secretary, Charles Lutvak, said the mayor was not involved in the incident.

“There was an altercation this evening involving the mayor’s security detail. The mayor was not involved,” Lutvak said. “We appreciate our SFPD officers for their quick response and for keeping our city safe every day.”

Louis Wong, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, confirmed that one union member was injured and praised the response of officers.

“The San Francisco Police Officers Association is relieved to hear that Mayor Daniel Lurie was not injured in the violent incident that occurred Thursday evening in the Tenderloin,” Wong said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We are grateful that the officers assigned to the mayor’s security detail acted swiftly and courageously to protect him in a dangerous and unpredictable situation.”

At nearly the same time as the altercation, Lurie’s X account, which has Chinese characters that supposedly spell his name, posted a video saying, “San Francisco needs a reset.”

“Our city charter is one of the longest in the country. It is bloated. It is broken. And it only works for the people who know how to manipulate it — not everyday San Franciscans,” Lurie says in the video. “Today, I’m proposing reforms to clean up our city charter and make the government, and me, more accountable to you.”

The replies section of this video was quickly flooded with footage from the Thursday altercation when the news of it broke.

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

​Politics, San francisco, Tenderloin, California, Daniel lurie, San fran mayor, China, Charles lutvak 

Comedic actor and director Ben Stiller objected to the White House using a scene from one of his most popular movies in a video promoting the attacks on Iran.

The high-energy, 42-second video is titled “Justice The American Way” and blends patriotic movie clips with scenes from the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

‘We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine.’

One of the scenes is a brief clip from “Tropic Thunder” showing Tom Cruise’s Harvey Weinstein-like character, Les Grossman, dancing.

Stiller, who wrote, directed, and starred in the 2008 comedy movie, posted the video and his demand on the X social media platform.

“Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip,” he wrote. “We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.”

On the other hand, fellow actor Kevin Sorbo expressed his approval for the video from the White House.

“I love this,” he responded.

Stiller has previously expressed his support for liberal causes and politicians, including in 2024 when he appeared in a fundraiser video for then-Democratic candidate for president Kamala Harris.

RELATED: Ben Stiller denies receiving USAID money for humanitarian trip to Ukraine: ‘These are lies from Russian media’

Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

Despite his liberal proclivities, Stiller did speak out against those who called certain scenes in “Tropic Thunder” racist in the years since its release.

“I make no apologies for ‘Tropic Thunder.’ Don’t know who told you that,” he said in 2023 about the movie’s blackface character, played by Robert Downey Jr. “It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it.”

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

​Ben stiller, White house iran video, Tropic thunder movie, Hollywood vs trump, Politics 

As Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion under President Donald Trump close in on the first full week attacking Iran, the House has passed a resolution reaffirming Iran’s pariah status against the United States. However, over 50 Democrats have refused to go along.

In a Thursday vote on a resolution reaffirming that “Iran continues to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” 53 Democrats voted against the resolution, while Republicans voted unanimously in favor of it.

‘It’s disappointing — but not shocking — that 53 of my Democrat colleagues could not vote in support of a resolution calling out Iran’s terrorism.’

Sponsored by Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), the nonbinding resolution passed 372-53, with two Democrats voting present and five members not voting, including the embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas).

Of course, all members of the “Squad” of progressive Democrats were among the ranks of those who voted against the resolution: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

RELATED: House passes the buck on Mace’s push for sexual misconduct disclosure amid Tony Gonzales scandal

Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.)Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The two-page resolution stated several reasons Iran is inimical to the United States, including sponsoring enemies who have killed U.S. soldiers in the Middle East.

The reasons included, for example, that “the Islamic Republic of Iran remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and provides substantial financial and military support to groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.”

The resolution also made note of the Iranian nuclear enrichment program: “Whereas, according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafeal Grossi, Iran has amassed a large stockpile of enriched uranium and continues to block access to undeclared sites in Iran affiliated with their ‘big, ambitious nuclear weapons program.'”

Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.) claimed the resolution “contains inaccuracies and is designed to justify the President’s actions in Iran.”

On the other hand, North Dakota Rep. Julie Fedorchak, a Republican, said in a statement: “Standing with our allies and confronting state-sponsored terrorism is essential to protecting Americans and advancing stability around the world. This resolution sends a strong message that we will not ignore or excuse the regime’s extremist actions.”

“It’s disappointing — but not shocking — that 53 of my Democrat colleagues could not vote in support of a resolution calling out Iran’s terrorism,” Fedorchak subsequently wrote on X.

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

​Politics, Lateefah simon, Ilhan omar, Rashida tlaib, Ayanna pressley, Alexandria ocasio-cortez, Brian mast, Operation epic fury, Operation roaring lion, Iran, Israel, Democrats, Terrorism, Radical democrats 

A Republican congressman trying to unravel the unbelievable spending under the Biden administration was rightfully angered by one example exposed during congressional testimony with a State Dept. official on Thursday.

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers tried to explain one program that paid for making maps more “queer,” as she testified in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

‘Nonbinary and trans francophone linguistic attitudes and ideologies towards inclusive French in Montreal, Canada.’

“Can you tell me, what is ‘queering the map’?” asked Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida.

“So, I think we were trying to make the maps more gay,” Rogers replied.

“Literally? How do you make a map more gay?” he responded. “Or gay at all?”

“Since the age of cartography, we’ve had pretty good maps, but maybe they weren’t gay enough,” she said.

“So, I know also, I took critical theory in college,” Rogers added. “I think sometimes people use ‘queer’ as a verb. I do understand that the maps that we were trying to make gay were, I think, of Czechia and Slovakia. So maybe those countries asked for it? I doubt it, but I don’t know.”

“We do have real things to work on in Congress,” the congressman claimed, “like what’s going on with the imminent threat of Iran, and it is embarrassing that we have to talk about the fact that things like this were funded: nonbinary and trans francophone linguistic attitudes and ideologies towards inclusive French in Montreal, Canada.”

Video of the exchange from Chairman Mast’s official account was widely circulated on social media.

“My time is expired. I’m gonna give you a list of these, and any of these you can provide me the receipt for: the Facebook link to where they wanted to take photos of how they were doing a DEIA flash mob in Kyrgyzstan,” Mast continued.

“Whatever documentation they have of all these things,” he concluded, “we would love to see that and would absolutely love to know the individuals specifically that were busy writing these grants because they have no business receiving another paycheck from the people of the United States of America.”

RELATED: Pete Buttigieg shoveled out $80 billion in DEI from Transportation Dept while ignoring air traffic control upgrades: Report

Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan detailed some of the crazier spending under Biden during his speech at the hearing.

“The Biden State Department spent $25,000 on transgender opera in Colombia, $150,000 to ‘build the capacity of intersex leaders’ in India, $20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador, $72,000 for queering the map of Slovakia, whatever that means, and the list goes on.”

Rogers responded to the video from her social media account.

“Czechia and Slovakia are great countries. I’m sorry that my predecessors ‘queered’ your maps! This is why future public diplomacy grants will be streamlined, accountable — and channeled toward real American interests, like free speech and sports diplomacy,” she wrote.

A Newsweek fact-check found the claim that the Biden administration spent taxpayer money on a drag show in Ecuador to be true.

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

​Dei federal spending, Under sec. sarah b rogers, Rep. brian mast of florida, Making the maps gay, Politics 

New York state senators are looking to gatekeep information from more than a dozen professions.

In an alleged attempt to block AI chatbots from providing harmful advice to users, New York Democrats have proposed a bill targeting any program that is “impersonating certain licensed professionals.”

‘A chatbot user would also be allowed to bring civil action against the chatbot provider.’

The bill would prohibit a chatbot from giving “substantive responses,” information, or advice that when taken by a “natural person” would constitute illegal advice or practice. Specifically, it would relate to occupations that require licensing.

The legislation specifically referred to professions listed under official New York state articles and includes the following: medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, pharmacy, nursing, podiatry, optometry, engineering, architecture, psychology, social work, and mental health services (including various counselors, therapists, and “psychoanalysts”).

If passed into law, a chatbot user would also be allowed to bring civil action against the chatbot provider to recover damages, attorneys’ fees, and any money spent as a result of following the AI’s advice.

RELATED: Shock report reveals Gen Zers and Millennials dislike AI ads more than ever — as executives double down

Photo by Neil Constantine/NurPhoto via Getty Images

First proposed in April 2025, the bill (S7263) is sponsored by state Senator Kristen Gonzalez (D) of the 59th district, with co-sponsors state Senators Michelle Hinchey (D), John C. Liu (D), and Julia Salazar (D).

According to outlet City & State New York, Hinchey appears to be the only one of the senators who did not endorse Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his campaign.

The bill recently passed through the Internet and Technology Committee of New York with a 6-0 vote and will now go to the state Senate floor.

RELATED: Sam Altman says NSA can’t use OpenAI — then tells staff they don’t have a say in military actions

Photo by Udo Salters Photography/Getty Images

An interesting and perhaps overlooked part of the bill — aside from the fact that it mirrors a 2024 “South Park” episode — includes the declaration that chatbot providers must provide “clear, conspicuous, and explicit notice to users” that they are interacting with AI.

The notice would have to appear in easily legible language, in the same format the chatbot is using. This would likely avoid confusion for consumers who are wondering if a business’ support platform is utilizing prewritten answers, providing human customer support, or simply using an AI chatbot assistance program.

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

​Return, Ai, Chatbot, New york state, Mamdani, Mayor mamdani, Democrats, Tech 

A young D.B. Sweeney circled a juicy role in the 1989 miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” based on the best-seller by Larry McMurtry.

Sweeney later demurred, opting for a somewhat smaller part. Why? Playing “Dish” Boggett meant sharing scenes with Robert Duvall. And that, he figured, would be priceless.

‘There’s so much desperation. People want to be famous so bad, that energy leads to some dark pathways.’

Good call.

Lessons from a master

“He was my hero,” Sweeney tells Align of the legendary actor, who passed away at 95 last month. “I learned more from film acting from him than anybody else.”

Sweeney marveled at Duvall’s meticulous approach to his craft, like hiring a real-life tracker at his own expense so that he could better capture that skill set for a single scene. Duvall also called in a “quick-draw specialist” to hone his skills with a firearm.

“He wasn’t just being thorough or method-y,” Sweeney says. “It was all very specific to what his character is going to do in the movie.”

And, Sweeney adds, Duvall had fun along the way. Always.

Those lessons hit home for the rising star, who landed key roles early in his career with films like “Gardens of Stone” (1987), “Eight Men Out” (1988), and “The Cutting Edge” (1992).

Troubling subject

He’s been working ever since, including a part in 2024’s “Megalopolis,” Francis Ford Coppola’s return to filmmaking after a 13-year pause.

Now, he’s co-starring in “Protector,” an action yarn hitting theaters today in which a military veteran (Milla Jovovich) is forced to use her skills to save her daughter from human traffickers. Sweeney describes his role as like the corrupt cop Brian Dennehy played in 1982’s “First Blood.”

He says the new film has some of that Sylvester Stallone hit in its creative DNA, along with the 2008 smash “Taken.” The troubling subject matter hit home for Sweeney, from the unending Epstein files saga to his own experience around major cultural events.

“It’s a huge problem,” he says of sex trafficking.

“Protector” casts Jovovich as a heroine who uses her military background for good. It’s a far cry from how Hollywood depicted soldiers during the 2000s, a time when many films showed the darkest side of the U.S. military.

Think “Redacted” (2007), “Lions for Lambs” (2007), and “Green Zone” (2010).

Nailing the details

More recent films like “Thank You for Your Service” (2017) and “American Sniper” (2014) showed a more balanced side to the modern soldier. Sweeney credits part of that shift to studios leaning on military veterans as advisers. That not only helps nail the smaller details but influences storytelling in general.

That has impacted him, too.

He worked on the CBS series “Jericho,” a postapocalyptic thriller that relied on military veterans for military accuracy. Sweeney bonded with the veterans advising the show along the way.

At 64, Sweeney is still working in an industry that’s convulsing under the weight of new technologies and streaming wars. AI fears aren’t make-believe, he warns.

“I’m worried about actors being replaced with digital avatars. That’s a real thing,” he says. It helps that “Protector” relied on old-school stunt work over CGI trickery. He says that’s what could help his fellow artists: a reliance on authenticity over digital ones and zeroes.

“It’s one thing AI can’t master,” he says.

Mega moviemaking

His time on the set of “Megalopolis” reminded him how hard it can be to shoot a film, above and beyond the standard-issue struggles like budget constraints and evasive sunlight. The film endured brutal headlines tied to sexual harassment allegations against the 80-something Coppola.

Sweeney, who first worked with the legendary director on “Gardens of Stone,” has the auteur’s back.

“I was there almost every day. He’s a hugger,” he says of Coppola. “He doesn’t have a pervy bone in his body.”

Those salacious reports, plus talk of the film’s massive budget ($120 million), hurt the film’s box office tally.

“The movie got put into a box before anyone has seen it,” he says.

RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: DB Sweeney on surviving Hollywood and moving to ‘Megalopolis’

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Staying in the light

Some actors who came of age alongside Sweeney saw Hollywood’s seedy side. Think Charlie Sheen, his co-star in “Eight Men Out.” Sheen is currently on a comeback of sorts after years of hard living and outlandish behavior.

Sweeney didn’t follow that path, but he saw it all the same.

“I was invited to all the biggest parties, a dark underbelly with drugs and sex. … I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew this is not for me,” he says. “I gravitated toward using my celebrity for sports tickets. That’s a much more wholesome world to me.”

Others weren’t so fortunate, and he understands why.

“There’s so much desperation. People want to be famous so bad, that energy leads to some dark pathways. You’ll do anything to get that fame,” he says. “People talk about selling their soul to Satan for fame. It’s figuratively true.”

​Entertainment, Culture, Movies, Protector, D.b. sweeney, Epstein files, Hollywood, Align interview