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A new study from the University of Buckingham’s Centre for Heterodox Social Science suggests that gender ideology is falling out of favor and the sex-change regime’s supply of potential young victims might be drying up.

Citing data from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s annual campus surveys of undergraduate students — FIRE polled over 60,000 this year — and several institution-level surveys of young Americans, study author Dr. Eric Kaufmann indicated that “the share of young people not identifying as male or female (typically ticking the non-binary or questioning options) has declined substantially since its 2022-23 peak.”

‘The fall of trans and queer seems most similar to the fading of a fashion or trend.’

One of the institutional-level student surveys Kaufmann looked at, the survey conducted annually at the Boston-area Andover Phillips Academy, showed a drop from over 9% of all respondents identifying as “non-binary” in 2023 to 3% total this year.

FIRE survey data and Brown University student survey data similarly showed declines in the share of self-identified “non-binary” respondents — from 6.8% to 3.6% of the total in the first case, and a drop from roughly 5% to 2.6% in the second case.

While the homosexual cohort has remained relatively stable, in the 3-5% range, Andover Phillips data indicated that there has been a rebound in the share of students who identify as straight.

This rebound was similarly reflected in the FIRE data — which indicates that straightness dropped from 80% in 2020 to 68% in 2023, but now sits around 77% — as well as in the General Social Survey’s findings, which reportedly indicated that straightness fell from 95% in 2010 to 71% in 2022, then rose to 81% last year.

RELATED: Groomed for violence? The dark world of furries and transgenderism in America’s classrooms

Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Meanwhile, the category of self-identified bisexuals, which increased from 10% to 17% between 2020 and 2023, has dropped to 12%, according to the Andover Phillips data.

The category for “queer and other” sexual identities, which had jumped from 7% in 2020 to 17% in 2023, has since fallen to 12% of the total.

FIRE data indicates that the “queer and other” sexuality category has fallen from 15% in 2023 to 8%.

Kaufmann suggested that “it appears that trans and queer are going out of fashion among young people, especially in elite settings,” and that the freshman 2028 cohort “was less likely than older students in 2025 to identify as BTQ+.”

“To the extent that the youngest represent the leading edge of new trends, this suggests that trans, bisexual and queer identities are declining in popularity with each new cohort,” Kaufmann added.

The professor indicated that the decline in non-straight identification “does not appear to be the result of a shift to the right, the return of religion, or a rejection of woke culture war attitudes.”

Kaufmann suggested on X that “the fall of trans and queer seems most similar to the fading of a fashion or trend. It happened largely independently of shifts in political beliefs and social media use, though improved mental health played a role.”

Gender ideologues appear to be everywhere losing their battle against common sense and the well-being of young Americans.

For instance, a recent Gallup poll indicated that 66% of American adults think people should be required to list their real sex on government documents and that 69% believe medical transvestites should play on sports teams with members of their own sex.

Pew Research Center polling shows that a majority of Americans now support bans on child sex-change procedures — bans of the kind now in effect in a majority of U.S. states.

This rebuke of the sex-change regime, which is also taking a beating from the Trump administration, appears to be pan-generational. Data published by the Public Religion Research Institute in May indicates that support for so-called “gender-affirming care” has also plummeted among younger Americans. For instance, 66% of young men ages 18-29 think that sex-change interventions, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, should be illegal in most or all cases.

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​Transgender, Transvestite, Trans, Lgbt, Homosexual, Straight, Heterosexual, Normalcy, Normal, Students, Schools, Social contagion, Politics 

Authorities responded to a call about a suspicious person just before 11 p.m. Monday in Grover, North Carolina, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said.

A homeowner in the 100 block of Mallard Drive went outside after noticing lights on in an adjacent home that was being remodeled, officials said.

‘We’ll do what we have to do to protect our homes.’

The homeowner knew that lights shouldn’t be on in the home and suspected a break-in, officials said.

Soon the homeowner saw a male wearing a yellow sweatshirt carrying something, officials said. The homeowner confronted the male, who responded by shooting at the homeowner, officials said.

The homeowner was not shot but called 911, officials said.

RELATED: Intruder allegedly breaks window in attempt to enter home, ignores verbal warnings — so homeowner lets his gun do the talking

Image source: Cleveland County (N.C.) Sheriff’s Office

A second neighbor heard the gunshots and came outside to check on the commotion, officials said.

This neighbor also encountered the male subject, and the neighbor shot at him after it appeared that the male was about to open fire at the neighbor, officials said.

The male suspect ran away and fled in an Audi, officials said.

“We’ve always told people not to mess around down here because we’ll do what we have to do to protect our homes,” Clayton Campbell, who lives on Mallard Drive, told WBTV-TV. “And the people who came messing around last night realized we weren’t playing when we said that.”

The sheriff’s office said it didn’t have confirmation that anyone was injured in the incident, which is still under investigation.

“Last night could have went different,” Campbell added to WBTV. “Nobody was hurt from our end, so that’s all that matters.”

Officials said a search for those who were inside the Audi continues.

Those with information about this case can call the sheriff’s office at 704-484-4822 or Crime Stoppers at 704-481-8477, officials said, adding that all tip submissions through Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous.

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​Crime thwarted, Home invasion, Neighbor opens fire on intruder, North carolina, 2nd amend., Guns, Gun rights, Protecting others, Cleveland county sheriff’s office, Grover, Crime 

President Trump’s Department of State has drawn a line in the sand for foreign visitors: They are not permitted to openly celebrate the deaths of Americans.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned visa holders in September that the administration was not looking to host “foreigners who celebrate the death of our fellow citizens.”

‘Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed.’

On Tuesday evening — Charlie Kirk’s birthday — the State Department wrote a series of posts on X that condemned foreigners who “wish death on Americans,” seemingly following through on Rubio’s warnings.

“The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” the department wrote.

This was followed by a list of several examples of “aliens who are no longer welcome” in the United States after making horrific statements about Kirk, who was murdered on September 10.

First, the State Department said it had revoked the visa of an Argentine national who said Kirk can “rest in f***ing piss” and labeled him a purveyor of “racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric.”

This was just the tip of the iceberg, though.

RELATED: Rubio puts visa holders who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s death on high alert

— (@)

Additional visa revocations included a South African who mocked those who were grieving over Kirk’s death and said the mourners were “hurt that the racist rally ended in attempted martyrdom.”

The person also called Kirk’s supporters members of a “white nationalist” movement.

Furthermore, a Mexican had his visa revoked for saying Kirk “died being a racist” and a “misogynist.”

Other revocations included a Brazilian who said Kirk had hosted a “Nazi rally” and “died too late,” while a Paraguayan national said Kirk had “died by his own rules” and was a “son of a b****.”

These were in addition to a German national who, according to the State Department, attempted to justify Kirk’s murder by writing, “When fascists die, democrats don’t complain.”

RELATED: Trump honors Charlie Kirk with highest civilian honor: ‘You have given him the best birthday gift’

— (@)

The administration concluded its thread by saying Secretary Rubio and President Trump will defend the United States’ borders, culture, and citizens by enforcing immigration laws.

“Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed,” the administration added.

Rubio had even written in September that the visa revocations were “under way” and that those in the U.S. on a visa who were found to be cheering on the public assassination of a political figure should “prepare to be deported.”

“You are not welcome in this country,” Rubio wrote on X.

In comments to CNN last month, Harold Hongju Koh, a legal adviser for the State Department under President Obama, claimed that revoking visas based on such statements is a “First Amendment violation.”

“It shouldn’t matter whether you agree with what they say or not, but the idea that they lose their visa over this is essentially violating the first premise of U.S. Supreme Court First Amendment law,” Koh told CNN.

Koh revealed that the standards for visa revocation are “incredibly vague” but at the same time said that during his time in the Obama administration it would have been unlikely that any lawyer would have signed off on these actions.

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​News, Charlie kirk, State department, Marco rubio, Trump, Obama, Foreigners, Visas, Foreign nationals, Politics 

In response to to a recent Supreme Court case, last week Fr. James Martin posted on X that so-called “conversion therapy” should be banned.

That’s not compassion. That’s censorship dressed up as virtue. And as a Catholic priest, he should know better.

When a young man says, ‘I want help living chastely,’ telling him his request is unrealistic and maybe even illegal — that’s cruelty.

This case, Chiles v. Salazar, isn’t forcing anyone to change. It’s about the freedom of young people, their parents, and counselors to even talk about faith, identity, and healing.

Refuting ‘born this way’

Early this summer, my Ruth Institute colleague Fr. Paul Sullins and I submitted an amicus brief to the court concerning the Chiles case. Fr. Sullins is a former sociology professor at Catholic University of America. I am a former economics professor at Yale University. In our brief, we summarized research on sexual orientation and on change therapy.

Fr. James Martin’s core argument actually comes at the end of his post, where he says:

“Like it or not, understand it or not, this is how God made them. Accepting the way God made them is part of the ‘respect, compassion and sensitivity’ that the Catechism calls for.”

Notice that he treats the “born this way” idea as something so obvious that it doesn’t even need to be defended. However, this is factually incorrect.

In 2019, a massive study of the human genome clearly showed there is no “gay gene.” The genetic contribution to self-identification as “gay” is roughly the same as a genetic contribution to other complex behavioral systems, such as the tendency to alcoholism or other kinds of addictions.

Even before 2019, studies of identical twins cast serious doubt on the claim that people are born gay. These studies examine the concordance between twins. If it were really true that “gay is the new black,” then concordance between twins should be 100%. The actual number is closer to 30%.

As a matter of fact, even the American Psychological Association admits:

There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles; most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.

Bad science, bad theology

The APA is correct when it says that many possible factors contribute to the development of persistent same-sex attraction or a gay identity. A set of contributing factors is not at all the same as one cause, as if one and only one thing were in play. The Ruth Institute’s report “Refuting the Top 5 Gay Myths” explains this in more detail. You can obtain this report at no charge by subscribing to our newsletter.

For now, let us state plainly: The claim that “this is how God made them” is bad science. It is certainly bad theology, as Fr. Martin ought to know. God doesn’t make anybody gay.

And God certainly doesn’t put anybody in the “wrong body.” That idea is physical nonsense and metaphysical nonsense. Your body is you!

Fr. Martin says there’s “no evidence” that counseling like this helps. No evidence? Seriously? That’s simply false.

RELATED: ‘Must Stay Gay’ laws face their overdue reckoning

Photo by Dendron via Getty Images

Flawed ‘evidence’

Our own research at the Ruth Institute shows that talk therapy — not shock therapy or any other aversive techniques, but the talk therapy that is really at stake in this case — has helped many people find peace and stability in the face of unwanted same-sex attraction.

And the so-called “evidence” used to ban therapy that helps people reduce their feelings of unwanted same-sex attraction? There are a lot of problems with those studies, which we cover thoroughly in our amicus brief.

The most important objection is that these studies do not take account of pre-counseling distress. We found evidence that the people who are the most distressed and the most suicidal are also the most likely to seek therapy. If you correlate “lifetime suicide attempts” with “did you ever go for therapy,” some of the people were suicidal before they ever went to a counselor. It is not correct to blame the counseling for something that happened before the counseling took place!

Fr. Sullins found that taking account of the before and after basically obliterated the results of one of the most commonly cited studies that supposedly shows that “conversion therapy causes suicide.”

The truth will set you free

Besides, the claim that there is “no evidence” is a recklessly strong one. What about all the people who have Left Pride Behind, some with the help of therapy, some without? Each one of them counters the claim that “no one can change” and “therapy never works.” Even a single counter-example is enough to disprove these strong claims. And at the Ruth Institute, we’ve got a lot of cases! Don’t their stories deserve to be heard? These are real people whose stories are being systematically silenced in the public square.

I’ve listened to many of these stories. My friends who have Left Pride Behind consistently tell me that what they needed was people to walk with them, in genuine compassion.

Fr. Martin says, “It’s not a Christian value to do harm.” I agree.

But denying someone the freedom to live by his or her faith is harm.

When a young man says, “I want help living chastely,” telling him his request is unrealistic and maybe even illegal — that’s cruelty. My friends tell me how much they valued their friends and family members who stood by them as they struggled with temptation or with relapses or with discouragement. They cherish those friends as true brothers and sisters in Christ

Christian love always points to truth. The Ruth Institute stands for the freedom to heal — the freedom to live your faith fully, even when it’s unpopular or challenging.

The Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether the state can control what you’re allowed to say in the privacy of a counseling room. Let us hope the justices opt for freedom of speech and religion. That’s something every Catholic — including priests — should defend.

I invite Fr. Martin, and anyone who shares his views, to look again at the gospel and the science. Jesus never banned the truth — because truth sets us free.

​Lgbt, Leaving pride behind, Lifestyle, The supreme court, Scotus, Conversion therapy, James martin, Fr. paul sullins, The ruth institute, Born this way, Faith, Catholic church, Christianity, Chastity, Freedom of speech, Countering pride 

Last week, a Turning Point USA student at Arizona State University found an Antifa recruitment brochure on campus. It looked like a fourth-grader’s art project, leading some to suspect it might have been a class assignment — perhaps an attempt by a sympathetic professor to portray Antifa as “not all that bad.” But the flyer included a real Instagram handle, suggesting a more deliberate effort than a student prank.

So what exactly is Antifa, and why does it still find support among radical professors?

The name sounds noble — until you define it

At first glance, “Antifa,” short for “anti-fascism,” seems harmless or even virtuous. After all, who would oppose being against fascism? But the real question is: What does Antifa mean by “fascism”?

Fascism and communism are rival branches of the same ideological tree — the radical left.

Historically, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini coined the term “fascism,” defining it as the belief that “everything is in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State.” Fascism was a form of totalitarian national socialism that made the state the highest authority in human life. Every other institution — church, family, business, education — was expected to exist only under state control. Far from being a right-wing ideology, as popular myth holds, fascism emerged from the revolutionary left.

Rival totalitarians

Fascists and communists share more than they admit. Both demand total control of society under the pretense of “fixing” human problems. The difference lies in scale. Fascists exalt the nation; communists exalt the world.

The easiest way to spot a communist is to find the professor shouting loudest about “fascism.” The two are rival branches of the same ideological tree — the radical left. Both trace their roots to the French Revolution and Marxism, in sharp contrast to the liberty-born ideals of the American Revolution.

The intellectual roots

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the philosophical father of modern revolution, claimed humans are born good but “everywhere in chains.” Evil, he said, began with private property. Those who own property define crime, allowing them to oppress everyone else. His cure was the “general will” — the supposed collective will of the people expressed through the state. Every new tyrant since has claimed to know exactly what that will demands.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel built on Rousseau with his idea that history advances through conflict, a process he called the “dialectic.” Karl Marx stripped Hegel’s theory of its spiritual elements and turned it into the “materialist dialectic.” To Marx, all history is a struggle over material resources and capital. Religion, morality, and family were mere disguises for economic power.

This logic birthed the Marxist slogan “Workers of the world, unite!” and set the stage for revolutions in Russia and Germany. When fascists in Germany blocked the communist uprising, Antifaschistische Aktion — Antifa — was born.

A revolution against the West

Modern Antifa isn’t formally descended from the 1930s German movement, but its ideology hasn’t changed. The group still defines itself by opposition, not by principle.

Antifa claims to fight “oppression,” yet it chooses its targets selectively. Members denounce slavery from centuries past but ignore the slave markets that still operate in parts of Africa and the Middle East. Their real enemy isn’t tyranny — it’s the West, capitalism, and Christianity.

That’s why Antifa allies with any movement hostile to Western civilization, even those far more oppressive than what Antifa claims to resist. Members excuse such alliances by insisting those groups were “forced” into brutality by Western influence. In Antifa’s worldview, “oppression” means “whiteness,” “heteronormativity,” and Christianity. Belief in personal responsibility, hard work, or the rule of law — the very foundations of ordered liberty — become systems of oppression.

How Antifa operates

Antifa rejects reform in favor of perpetual revolution — viva la revolución! Its adherents champion “direct action,” not dialogue. Their tactics include doxxing, counter-rallies, vandalism, and physical intimidation — all designed to silence opponents by fear, not reason. Logic itself, they argue, is a “tool of oppression.” The result is an ideology that devours itself: incoherent, emotional, and rooted in will, not intellect.

Fascists and communists may fight each other, but they share one deeper hatred — the hatred of God.

A Hispanic Christian friend of mine pursuing a degree in Latin American studies once told me his professor said, “Ché su Cristo” — Ché as Christ. To this professor, revolutionary violence was redemptive. For many radicals, Ché Guevara is the true messiah; salvation comes not through grace but through destruction.

They don’t debate ideas — they annihilate opponents. That’s why they despise people like Charlie Kirk. He represented everything they can’t: clear reasoning, coherent argument, and defense of the American Revolution’s principles — limited government, ordered liberty, and faith in God.

RELATED: Trump praises Blaze News reporting during Antifa roundtable at White House — and slaps down MSNBC, CNN

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Antifa’s real enemy

The American Revolution recognized that the state is not supreme. It is one institution among others — family, church, and business, each with its own God-given role. The state’s proper duty is limited: to punish wrongdoing and protect the innocent. That vision of ordered liberty is written plainly into the Constitution’s preamble.

America’s founders built a republic — a government under law, lex rex — “the law is king.” They believed that God’s law, revealed in both nature and Scripture, provides the moral order that makes true freedom possible.

At its core, Antifa’s ultimate enemy isn’t any human institution — it is God Himself. Whether its adherents are atheists or occultists, they view God as the oppressor because He gives law. Their rebellion echoes Lucifer’s ancient creed: “Do what thou wilt.” Saul Alinsky, in “Rules for Radicals,” openly admired Lucifer as the arch-rebel. Antifa’s devotion to the sexual revolution and the LGBTQ+ movement flows from the same impulse: the rejection of divine order in favor of self-will.

Fascists and communists may fight each other, but they share one deeper hatred — the hatred of God. Both reject the idea that rights come from a Creator and that moral law defines justice.

America stands in opposition to both. Our republic rests on the conviction that God endows every person with rights and that government exists to protect — not replace — the moral order rooted in divine law. No state can perfect humanity. Salvation from sin and death comes only through Christ.

That makes Christianity, not Marxism or fascism, the true enemy of tyranny.

As we defend Christian truth in public life, we must do so with discernment, knowing that our opponents’ hatred runs deeper than politics. It is spiritual. And when they finally drop the mask of “tolerance” and “niceness,” they reveal exactly what they’ve always been.

When they tell you who they are and what they hate — believe them.

​Opinion & analysis, Opinion, Antifa, Anti fascist, Left wing violence, Leftism, Totalitarianism, Totalitarian, Totalitarian tactics, Marxism, Marxist, Hegel, Rousseau, Anarchism, Arizona state university, Materialism, Turning point usa, Charlie kirk, Direct action, Law and order, Rule of law, Mob rule 

A 58-year-old male registered sex offender may have claimed to identify as a woman in order to allegedly expose himself in locker rooms at public school facilities in Virginia.

Richard Kenneth Cox, who also goes by Riki Cox, is facing more than 20 charges — including indecent exposure, sex offender on school or day care property, and sex offender loiter near school/day care/park/playground — after he was accused of exposing his naked body in a female locker room at a Washington-Liberty High School pool on October 21, 2024.

‘This school board candidate, now a sitting school board member, without any apparent vetting or inquiry into who this individual was, touted her record as an ally to the LGBTQ community to really secure — Richard Cox, his vote.’

Arlington Public Schools’ policy allows individuals to use locker-room facilities that align with their so-called gender identity. Outside school hours, the pools at Washington-Liberty High School and Wakefield High School in the district are open to the public.

Emails obtained by Parents Defending Education via a Freedom of Information Act request and reviewed by Blaze News revealed that Cox had reached out to a current school board member to express his frustrations over the October 21 incident. He also asked how she planned to address the issue in order to secure his vote in the upcoming election.

“I am a member of the LGBT and specifically transgender community,” Cox wrote to current APS school board member Kathleen Clark on October 28. “The issue is that transgender people including minors are disproportionately homeless and use places like the County swimming pools to shower. But let me be clear that this is not only an opportunity to be clean but to be and feel part of the community.”

“However, solely because of complaints of a transgender person in the locker room, Washington Liberty Swimming Pool made a rule that people using the shower but not the pool must use the single, isolated locker room away from everyone else, like they are some kind of freak or something,” he stated.

RELATED: 2 boys were filmed by a girl in the boys’ school locker room. The school punished the BOYS.

Photo By Kathryn Scott Osler/Denver Post via Getty Images

Cox contended that women who object to “transgender people” using their locker-room facilities should be the ones encouraged to separate themselves by using the single locker room.

“If they cannot, then they are the ones that should be isolated before casting off me or other transgender people trying to be part of our community and not be treated like freaks,” Cox added.

In a second email to Clark, Cox complained that pool staff had directed females to “use the individual changing room while I was in the full locker room.”

“This is again sending the message that a transgender person is a freak and I guess not normal and beautiful like everyone else,” he wrote. “There are anti-discrimination laws on both the Federal, State, and County levels including in the Schools to prevent this kind of animosity.”

Clark appeared sympathetic to Cox’s concerns.

“I hope that you did not experience transphobic statements from the staff. You should be able to use the showers and changing rooms that you are most comfortable using,” Clark responded.

In another email obtained by PDE, Clark seemed to indicate to Assistant Superintendent Catherine Ashby that she felt misled by Cox.

“It is concerning to me that 1) he appeared to come at this from the angle that he was or represented a minor hurt by the pool decision, 2) even after rereading the pool communication back in October, I find it particularly insensitive to actual minors that may have issues with secure housing, and 3) that there is such a disconnect in our processes between the HS safety protocols and that of the pool, at the same APS facility,” Clark wrote.

“I understand that has been remediated, but only after this type of situation occurred,” she added. “For the LBGTQIA+ community, this type of situation sets them back years. I hope that future APS/Media comms portrays this as an isolated incident with one known criminal and does not reflect the values of the greater LBGTQIA+ community.”

“You have school board members who are really running on being ‘allies’ for members of the community like this,” Kendall Tietz, an investigative reporter for PDE, told Blaze News. “I think it’s important to note that this school board candidate, now a sitting school board member, without any apparent vetting or inquiry into who this individual was, touted her record as an ally to the LGBTQ community to really secure — Richard Cox, his vote.”

RELATED: Trans lawmaker says conservatives are the ‘weird’ ones

Arlington County Police handout of Richard Cox. Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

PDE reported that in January 2025, APS and the Arlington County Board worked on “talking points” for the “pool incident.”

An email obtained by PDE bulleted the various talking points, including that “APS permits pool patrons access [to] restrooms and facilities that correspond to their gender identity.”

APS contended that it “responded to all patron concerns related to this matter in a timely manner,” which included confronting Cox and “tak[ing] appropriate and immediate action to investigate, notify law enforcement, and prevent the individual from returning to our pool facilities.”

Despite being a Tier III sex offender, Cox has “visited numerous women’s locker rooms in Fairfax County,” according to WJLA. Video footage also captured Cox at a children’s water park, though he is not allowed within 100 feet of children’s areas.

A January report from WJLA revealed that Cox was charged in 1992 with knowingly and intentionally exposing his genitals to a child under 14 years old. He was also convicted of taking indecent liberties with a child.

The news outlet obtained a letter Cox wrote to the judge in 1992, in which he admitted to having “sexual problems.” In a 1995 letter to a judge, he wrote, “I am aware that I suffer compulsions to expose myself in public places.”

In June 2024, just months before the incident at the APS facility, he was charged with indecent exposure for allegedly exposing himself to women in a gym locker room. The charge was later dismissed.

“This incident shows exactly why private spaces for women and girls are so important,” Alleigh Marré, executive director of the American Parents Coalition, told Blaze News. “Privacy and safety aren’t political; they’re basic rights. When public officials ignore biological sex and allow men into female spaces, it opens the door for abuse.”

“A registered sex offender exposed himself in a women’s space, and only after that became a public relations problem did the rules change,” Marré continued. “Separate spaces for men and women exist to protect everyone’s dignity and safety, and parents need to continue to their uncompromising fight to make sure these basic protections exist.”

The scandal reportedly prompted APS to begin conducting identification checks against the sex offender registry. Yet it still permits males to use female restrooms and locker rooms.

Blaze News contacted Clark and the APS superintendent for comment.

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​News, Arlington public schools, Virginia, Transgender, Trans, Richard cox, Washington-liberty high school, Wakefield high school, Parents defending education, Pde, Sex offender, Politics 

Vice President JD Vance emphasized the Democrats’ hypocrisy in feigning outrage over leaked group-chat texts while failing to condemn their own candidate who said far worse.

On Tuesday, Politico published a series of private messages between young Republican operatives that contained distasteful language and jokes. Although many Republican officials have condemned the profanities used in the leaked messages, Vance pointed out that they’ve buried the lede.

‘I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.’

Jay Jones, a Democrat running for attorney general in Virginia, remains embroiled in his own scandal after leaked texts showed he fantasized about giving his Republican adversary “two bullets to the head.”

“Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy,” Jones said in another text after fantasizing about the deaths of the Republican’s children.

RELATED: Trump honors Charlie Kirk with highest civilian honor: ‘You have given him the best birthday gift’

Photo by ADAM GRAY/AFP via Getty Images

“This is far worse than anything said in a college group chat, and the guy who said it could become the AG of Virginia,” Vance said of Jones’ texts. “I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.”

Several prominent Democrats jumped at the opportunity to condemn the leaked texts exchanged by young Republicans without condemning the violent rhetoric espoused by their own candidate.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the college students’ texts “sickening” and “vile,” saying, “This is the kind of garbage that the worst kind of people say when they think nobody is watching.” At the same time, Schumer has not made a single comment about Jones, who, unlike the young GOP activists, is running for public office.

RELATED: Dozens of ‘morally bankrupt’ Democrats vote against condemning Charlie Kirk’s assassination

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia took it even farther. Even after Jones’ texts were leaked, Kaine said he’s “still supporting” the candidate.

“He has apologized,” Kaine said. “I wish other people in public life would sincerely apologize for stuff. … I still am a supporter.”

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​Jd vance, Donald trump, Young republicans, Chuck schumer, Tim kaine, Democrats, Jay jones, Political violence, Leaked texts, Leaked group chat, Politico, Politics 

BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey put her debate chops to the test on the “Surrounded” show hosted by the YouTube channel Jubilee — where she sat down with 20 separate self-proclaimed liberal Christians to discuss a variety of faith-based topics.

Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck and BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere are incredibly impressed by her performance, with Stu confirming that “she did a great job.”

However, the debaters themselves were a different story, and one in particular rubbed Glenn and Stu the wrong way after he challenged Stuckey on the abortion issue.

“My concern about the way that you present the abortion issue is you have claimed in the past that the liberal pro-choice position is that we don’t give the whole truth about the abortion issue,” the man said.

“You liken it as violent. You’ve described it here as killing and painful,” he continued.

“My problem, my concern, is that you are doing the same thing by not telling women the truth: that when the majority of abortions happen, which is in the first six weeks of pregnancy, that fetus has not developed pain receptors. That doesn’t happen till maybe, at the earliest, 10 weeks,” he added.

“Is killing only wrong if someone can feel pain?” Stuckey asked.

“It’s wrong for you to characterize it as violent and painful when it’s not,” the man argued back.

“It is violent. Of course it’s violent. Even when you take the abortion pill, you are starving that human being. If you want to call him or her a zygote or a fetus, that’s all fine. Those are all stages of development that all of us went through, that all children go through,” Stuckey responded.

“It is still the killing of a human being,” she added.

As the debate went on, the man tried to talk down to Stuckey, even speaking in a condescending voice when she likened abortion to murder.

“No, we’re talking about abortion, Allie. We’re not talking about something else,” he said.

“But I’m trying to understand your logic. You are saying that abortion is okay because babies don’t feel it. So I’m asking you, is killing another innocent person when they don’t feel it — is that justified?” Stuckey countered.

“Abortion is health care for women who need it,” he said, ignoring her question.

“She’s so happy,” Glenn says, commenting on Allie’s demeanor throughout the debates.

“Yeah, that’s the right approach,” Stu agrees, noting that the pro-choice man “made a lot of bad points, and when he was called on the bad points just stopped answering them and went down other roads.”

“That’s what frustrates me about that show,” he adds.

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, Upload, Video phone, Free, Sharing, Video, Youtube.com, The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Jubilee, Viral debate, Allie beth stuckey, Stu burguiere, Relatable with allie beth stuckey, Pro life, Christianity, Anti abortion, Abortion debate, Abortion activists 

Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is looking for a new mascot.

The private school’s Mascot Working Group page in September read that “our goal is to give it a form that is fun, gender-neutral, and full of personality …”

‘In a time where we are surrounded by so much racism and sexism, it makes sense why we would want a break from old white guys from the 18th century.’

The headline of a WHP-TV story published last week said as much: “Franklin & Marshall College embarks on search for gender-neutral mascot.”

As you might expect, Facebook users who commented on the WHP story — as well as the accompanying question, “What do you think Franklin & Marshall College’s new mascot should be?” — blasted the school’s woke criteria. To wit:

“The Franklin and Marshall Snowflakes has a nice ring to it,” one commenter opined.”How about a sheep,” another user offered.”That’s the least of their problems,” another commenter said. “Maybe The Cucks or The Laughables?”Good grief!!!!!!!” another user exclaimed.”A worm?” another commenter suggested.”Please explain why?” another user wondered. “This is what’s wrong with everything. What are they trying to prove by doing this?”

RELATED: ‘Inseminated person’: Wisconsin Gov. Evers tries to erase mothers with gender-neutral language overhaul

Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

As it happens, as of Tuesday the “gender-neutral” reference was no longer on F&M’s Mascot Working Group page.

Blaze News on Tuesday reached out to Franklin & Marshall College to inquire why “gender-neutral” was gone from the Mascot Working Group page, as well as why folks costumed as founding father Benjamin Franklin and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall — the school’s namesakes — no longer are appropriate or suitable mascots.

Franklin & Marshall sent the following reply to Blaze News on Tuesday afternoon:

Franklin & Marshall College regrets any misunderstanding or mischaracterization regarding criteria guidelines for mascot idea submissions, which has since been clarified on our website. The guidance shared with the F&M community, then and now, encourages mascot recommendations that take the form of creatures, animals, and figures, which is very typical of mascots for universities and sports teams.

The college’s prior mascots, “Ben” and “John,” were retired several years ago. A student-led initiative to develop a dynamic new mascot began during the 2024-25 academic year. At the same time, other campus constituents collectively expressed a desire for a new mascot that would bring renewed energy and enthusiasm to campus and athletic events.

Our intention has always been to identify a mascot that reflects the public leadership and spirit of Ben Franklin and John Marshall as our namesakes and to be inspired by our mascot, the Diplomat. The decision to create a new physical form for the mascot is an opportunity to represent our community spirit in a way that will champion F&M on campus, on the athletic field, and beyond.

Others at Franklin & Marshall have expressed rather pointed opinions about the “Ben” and “John” mascots.

Take an op-ed from F&M’s student newspaper penned by one of its editors just a year ago titled, “Ben and John, It’s Time to Say Goodbye.” In it, the author refers to the Ben Franklin and John Marshall mascots as “cartoonish, old white guys” who look “a little creepy.”

The author also acknowledges that after three years she’s never actually seen the “Ben and John [mascots] in the flesh. Why? It turns out, these mascots are taking some time off and have not been spotted in years. Rumor has it they might be replaced, too.”

The op-ed also states:

In a time where we are surrounded by so much racism and sexism, it makes sense why we would want a break from old white guys from the 18th century. John Marshall was racist and fought to keep slavery in the United States, and while Benjamin Franklin was well known for being an abolitionist, he once owned slaves and held racist views, too. As more people become aware of their racist histories, now seems like the right time for a mascot change. Franklin and Marshall founded our college, but our wonderful community can be represented by so much more than just their names. We are Diplomats, after all, and you don’t have to be the ghost of a white man to be a diplomat.

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​Education, Woke culture, Gender neutral, Racism allegation, College, Franklin & marshall college, Pennsylvania, Mascots, Benjamin franklin, John marshall, Us supreme court, Chief justice, Politics 

Debbie Brockman, a producer at WGN-TV, was detained by federal agents amid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities in Chicago on Friday.

Brockman’s lawyers and the liberal media appear keen to characterize her as an unsuspecting victim of brutality on the part of Border Patrol agents. In the apparent attempt to insinuate a clampdown on the free press, some outlets have even falsely referred to Brockman as a “journalist.”

The Department of Homeland Security has suggested, however, that Brockman was not, as her lawyers have indicated, innocently “walking to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.”

‘Officers used their service vehicle to strike a suspect’s vehicle and create an opening.’

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Blaze News that “as agents were driving, Deborah Brockman, a U.S. citizen, threw objects at Border Patrol’s car, and she was placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer.”

Footage appears to show federal agents traveling west on Foster Avenue in a silver minivan after reportedly arresting an older male — an arrest that had prompted protest and condemnation from locals. Suddenly, an object can be seen hitting the vehicle, making a smashing sound. The agents immediately hit the brakes beside the alleged source of the projectile: Brockman.

RELATED: The city that chose crime and chaos over courage

Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images

Two agents leap out of the vehicle and attempt to handcuff Brockman, who can be seen doing her best to resist while a bystander lobs Nazi and fascist accusations at the arresting agents.

Josh Thomas, a witness who lives in the condo overlooking where the incident took place, told WGN that Brockman was “taking video” prior to her arrest.

After the agents squeeze the producer into the van, they realize that a woman in a black SUV has driven the wrong way down the road and blocked the lane ahead.

As a mob begins to congregate around the van, the agents order the driver of the obstructing vehicle to get out of the way. Closing her driver-side window, the woman in the SUV remains parked in the way, prompting the federal agents to ram ahead, clipping the SUV’s rear bumper.

“CBP agents were conducting immigration enforcement operations when several violent agitators used vehicles to block in agents to impede and assault federal officers,” said McLaughlin. “In fear of public and law enforcement safety, officers used their service vehicle to strike a suspect’s vehicle and create an opening.”

Brockman was released several hours later without charges.

RELATED: DHS torpedoes narrative of pro-Antifa priest who ‘exploited’ holy sacrament to score points on ICE

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

The producer’s lawyers deny that Brockman assaulted anyone and suggested in a statement that “Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted.”

“If armed, masked, federal agents are snatching U.S. citizens off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to speak out against them,” said Brad Thompson, one of Brockman’s lawyers. “No one should be treated like that in this city, in this country, or anywhere else in the world.”

Brockman’s lawyers have indicated that she will not be making a statement at this time.

‘We will not back down from these threats, and every criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice.’

“This is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of illegal aliens violently resisting arrest and agitators and criminals ramming cars into our law enforcement officers,” said McLaughlin. “These attacks highlight the dangers our law enforcement officers face daily — all while receiving no pay thanks to the Democrats’ government shutdown.”

The DHS revealed on Tuesday that extra to projectiles allegedly lobbed by liberal media producers, ICE and CBP officers in Chicago have allegedly been targeted by bounties.

“In neighborhoods like Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village, gang members affiliated with groups such as the Latin Kings have deployed ‘spotters’ on rooftops equipped with firearms and radio communications,” said the DHS. “These individuals track ICE and CBP movements in real time, relaying coordinates. This surveillance has enabled ambushes and disruptions during routine enforcement actions, including recent raids under Operation Midway Blitz.”

According to the intelligence obtained by the agency, cartels have indicated they are willing to pay $2,000 for the doxxing of agents; $5,000 to $10,000 for kidnapping or non-lethal assaults on ICE and CBP agents; and up to $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials.

“Our agents are facing ambushes, drone surveillance, and death threats, all because they dare to enforce the laws passed by Congress,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “We will not back down from these threats, and every criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice.”

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​Deborah brockman, Debbie brockman, Chicago, Ice, Dhs, Department of homeland security, Kristi noem, Immigration and customs enforcement, Immigration, Deportation, Illegal alien, Leftist, Terrorism, Cartel, Wgn, Politics 

Under Joe Biden’s presidency, America’s once-great cities began to rot from the inside out. New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon, all followed the same script: defund police, excuse crime, and watch civic life collapse.

Portland, once a model of Pacific Northwest prosperity, has become the most vivid cautionary tale.

Trump’s push to restore order in Portland isn’t about partisanship. It’s about survival.

It started with the “defund the police” crusade that gutted local departments and drained morale. As funding vanished, crime surged. Car thefts and larceny skyrocketed. Homeless encampments spread through downtown streets. Affordable housing disappeared while drug addiction and lawlessness filled the gap.

Now, as the Trump administration reasserts control over immigration enforcement, Portland faces a new test — and its leaders are failing again.

Portland refuses to defend itself

President Donald Trump, working with border czar Tom Homan and ICE agents, has ordered the National Guard to assist in deporting violent illegal immigrants. Local officials should welcome the help. Instead, Portland’s leadership is digging in, treating federal officers as enemies rather than partners.

The result: chaos. Criminals have grown bolder, even trying to disarm police during encounters. Antifa radicals now stage nightly protests outside ICE facilities, and Portland police — undermanned and demoralized — stand by under orders not to arrest anyone.

It would almost be comical if it weren’t dangerous.

When ICE erected police tape around one facility to control the crowd, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson personally ordered it removed. His reasoning? It obstructed “public access.”

The message to violent agitators couldn’t be clearer: The city won’t stop you.

A hollowed-out police force

A recent video from the Portland Police Association confirmed what most residents already suspected. Staffing levels have cratered. Officers are stretched thin and forced to obey political directives instead of enforcing the law.

It raises a grim question: Are city leaders keeping arrest numbers low on purpose to make the situation look better than it is? If the statistics show fewer arrests, they can claim the city doesn’t need federal help — no matter how bad things actually get.

This charade mirrors what we’ve seen in other Democratic Party strongholds like Chicago: leaders protecting their image while citizens fend for themselves.

RELATED: Inside the Portland ICE facility under siege by Antifa extremists

Julio Rosas/Blaze Media

The lesson they refuse to learn

Trump’s push to restore order in Portland isn’t about partisanship. It’s about survival. Cities that refuse to defend their own citizens eventually lose them — to fear, flight, or despair.

Portland’s officials could start fixing this mess tomorrow. Hire more officers. Restore funding. Support police with proper gear and mental health resources (a must, in my eyes). Enforce the law equally and unapologetically.

But that would require courage — and courage is one thing the city’s leadership no longer has.

The bottom line is simple: Portland’s citizens and police deserve better than this political theater. The first duty of government is protection. The people of Portland are still waiting for their elected leaders to remember that.

​Opinion & analysis, Law and order, Portland, National guard, Donald trump, Mass deportations, Ice, Oregon, Antifa, Protests, Immigration and customs enforcement, Democrats, Leftists, Anarchy, Keith wilson, Crime, Defund the police 

Animal lovers beware: Some of the biggest charities in the biz are more than happy to bite the hand that feeds them.

At least, that’s the contention of one Washington, D.C.-based watchdog.

‘While these groups sit in Manhattan and Washington collecting a combined $550 million a year, they only throw scraps to local shelters.’

If you’ve ever worried about where your charitable dollars go, you’re not alone. The holidays are the busiest giving season of the year, with Americans donating roughly $3.1 billion in 2023. About 30% of all annual giving happens in December, with the Tuesday after Thanksgiving now known nationwide as “Giving Tuesday.”

Yet Americans’ growing distrust of institutions is starting to affect their willingness to give. A recent study found that 57% of Americans have high trust in nonprofit organizations — more than in government or the media. Still, that leaves nearly half at least somewhat skeptical about how their money is being spent.

And when it comes to some of the major animal charities, the Center for the Environment and Welfare argues that the skepticism is justified.

CEW calls out fat-cat charities

On September 25, the Center for the Environment and Welfare began airing a national television campaign targeting Humane World for Animals — the organization known as the Humane Society until a name change earlier this year.

The ad marks CEW’s latest effort in its ongoing criticism of the spending practices of both HWA and rival large-animal welfare charity the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

CEW claims that these organizations donate as little as 1% to 2% of their budgets to local shelters while paying hundreds of staff six-figure salaries. CEW also alleges that the CEOs of the two groups earn $650,000 and $1.2 million, respectively.

The ads, which will run throughout the holiday season, encourage viewers to donate directly to local shelters rather than national organizations. CEW says it’s considering expanding the campaign to other major television networks.

“The public donates hundreds of millions of dollars to these two groups because, when you see their ads and names, you assume they’re helping local shelters,” CEW executive director Jack Hubbard told Align. “The reality is the total opposite.”

He added that the response to the campaign has been strong.

“We’ve heard from people who are shocked and upset. But the most satisfying part is when donors say they’ve started doing their homework and are now supporting local shelters instead of national mega-charities.”

Hubbard argued that despite enormous revenues, hundreds of thousands of cats and dogs are still euthanized each year because local shelters remain underfunded.

Former ASPCA CEO Ed Sayres echoed that criticism.

“While these groups sit in Manhattan and Washington collecting a combined $550 million a year, they only throw scraps to local shelters,” Sayres told Align. “If you want to help homeless cats and dogs, donate to your local shelter or rescue.”

It’s a message that bears repeating, according to CEW. The group cites polling indicating that 81% of Americans don’t realize the ASPCA has little to no connection with local shelters.

HWA: Issue not so ‘black and white’

Representatives from both the HWA and the ASPCA strongly dispute CEW’s claims, denouncing CEW as a “Berman and Company-backed PR front” that manufactures controversies against advocacy groups.

As HWA media relations director Anna West argues, CEW’s vision for helping animals is too narrow.

Our mission is not to fund shelters. We provide a lot of support for shelters, not in the form of checks but in training and education. We’re teaching shelter employees the best way to do their job in the most effective [way], creating support systems to help each other, and mentorship programs. And our programs are reducing the number of animals going into those facilities through access to spaying and neutering in those communities.

Every time a dog or cat is spayed or neutered, that means less animals going into the shelter system. We also work on policies related to pets and housing, which means less people choose to rent an apartment or get rid of a dog. It’s misleading to boil it down into this black-and-white issue of supporting shelters.

HWA also collaborates with law enforcement to fight animal abuse, works to reduce the use of animals as lab-test subjects, campaigns to abolish puppy mills, operates sanctuaries for large animals such as tigers, and rescues animals beyond just cats and dogs.

According to HWA’s 2023 tax filings, the group reported $202.8 million in gross receipts, $174.9 million in revenue, and $454.7 million in assets. Its major spending categories included:

$58.5 million for “care for animals in crisis”;$53.6 million toward building an “animal protection movement”;$20.9 million combating “the cruelest practices.”

That amounts to a program-expense ratio of roughly 70% — a figure HWA says demonstrates a strong focus on lobbying, activism, and educational efforts that are intended to reduce the need for animal welfare activism.

But CEW argues that this number was achieved through “joint cost accounting,” in which fundraising campaign efforts are counted as program spending. CEW spokesperson Kate McDermott emailed Align a screenshot of a November 2024 CharityWatch report (behind a paywall) that claims the true number is closer to 56%:

CharityWatch

West disputed that characterization, arguing that CharityWatch’s spending metrics are idiosyncratic and outside the mainstream consensus of other watchdogs, such as Charity Navigator, that approve of HWA’s financials. She added that most major evaluators permit direct mail, telemarketing, and solicitation costs as legitimate program expenses.

As for having 157 staffers with six-figure incomes and a CEO with a $650,000 salary, HWA’s website publicly declares that it provides competitive salaries and benefits to “pay a living wage so our staff can focus on ending animal cruelty without unnecessary financial stress.” According to Ziprecruiter, it is not unusual for nonprofit CEOs to earn more than $100,000-$200,000, depending on the size of the organization.

ASPCA: We address ‘root causes’

ASPCA spokesperson Rebecca Goldrick also responded to CEW’s claims in a statement to Align, arguing that its larger mission is to address the “root causes” of animal suffering.

Based on our most recent tax filings, 75 cents of every dollar spent by the ASPCA goes toward programmatic services that directly advance our lifesaving mission, with the majority of that funding supporting shelters and rescues across the country, including our animal relocation program — the largest in the country — where we move tens of thousands of homeless pets each year from overcrowded shelters to areas of the country where they can be adopted into loving homes.

… Every year, our hands-on work — in addition to our partnerships with hundreds of local shelters and rescues — directly impacts hundreds of thousands of animals, with our lasting solutions benefiting millions more that we cannot serve through local partnerships and grant funding alone.

Who should you trust?

In a populist era, Americans are increasingly drawn to local over national institutions. Large organizations — whether in Washington, Wall Street, or Silicon Valley — can feel remote, bureaucratic, and unaccountable. That sentiment now extends to the nonprofit world.

“These charities make donors skeptical about giving, which is a shame,” says Hubbard. “The solution, like so many others in this country, is local support, local governance, and local charity.”

RELATED: ASPCA gives only 2% of its budget to pet shelters, while promoting ‘radical and elitist’ anti-farmer policies, bombshell report finds

JIMI CELESTE/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

It is worth considering, though, the role that large institutions play in a properly functioning society. Large-animal charities, like the ASPCA and HWA, have certainly faced scrutiny in the past (here, here, here, here), but they are complicated organizations that publicly share their mission statements, tax documents, and financial priorities. The dollar you donate to them may not entirely be devoted to an immediate priority, but it could still help if you’re aligned with their values.

CEW insists that even so, overhead-heavy spending is wasteful when so many shelters are struggling. And because many local shelters share similar names — often “SPCA” or “Humane Society” — donors can easily assume affiliation that doesn’t exist.

“Many donors are shocked to learn their money funds lobbying and PR campaigns,” Hubbard says. “That disconnect is why barely half of Americans say they trust nonprofits. Donors deserve transparency, and shelter pets deserve better.”

Caveat donor

For potential donors, the takeaway is clear: Do your homework.

Local organizations make a visible difference in their communities. National groups can drive lasting change through advocacy, research, and education. The key is to be informed about each organization’s priorities and financial practices.

As the Better Business Bureau argues, this means ignoring emotional appeals and vague mission statements in favor of verified financial data and independent accreditation.

HWA, says West, is all for such transparency. “We would encourage anyone who is considering supporting us to look at our Form 990s,” she says, adding:

We do a pretty extensive annual report that outlines what our supporters’ donations have made possible. We’re very active in communicating what we’re working on. Anyone who subscribes to our social media, emails, or blog will know. We have a robust volunteer program that allows people to work side by side and see where their donations support. Our YouTube channel shows our staffers in action. Those are good first steps for members of the public trying to make an informed decision about what organizations to support.

Both HWA and the ASPCA meet all 20 of the BBB’s accountability standards.

And while CharityWatch has given both HWA (see above screenshot) and the ASPCA low marks for financial efficiency, Charity Navigator currently awards both organizations four-star ratings, with scores of 99% for the ASPCA and 98% for HWA.

​Aspca, Humane society, Humane world for animals, Center for the environment and welfare, Charitywatch, Charity navigator, Lifestyle, Caveat emptor, Animal welfare, Investigation 

Parts of America, like Portland and Chicago, now resemble occupied territory. Progressive city governments have surrendered control to street militias, leaving citizens, journalists, and even federal officers to face violent anarchists without protection.

Take Portland, where Antifa has terrorized the city for more than 100 consecutive nights. Federal officers trying to keep order face nightly assaults while local officials do nothing. Independent journalists, such as Nick Sortor, have even been arrested for documenting the chaos. Sortor and Blaze News reporter Julio Rosas later testified at the White House about Antifa’s violence — testimony that corporate media outlets buried.

Antifa is organized, funded, and emboldened.

Chicago offers the same grim picture. Federal agents have been stalked, ambushed, and denied backup from local police while under siege from mobs. Calls for help went unanswered, putting lives in danger. This is more than disorder; it is open defiance of federal authority and a violation of the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

A history of violence

For years, the legacy media and left-wing think tanks have portrayed Antifa as “decentralized” and “leaderless.” The opposite is true. Antifa is organized, disciplined, and well-funded. Groups like Rose City Antifa in Oregon, the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club in Texas, and Jane’s Revenge operate as coordinated street militias. Legal fronts such as the National Lawyers Guild provide protection, while crowdfunding networks and international supporters funnel money directly to the movement.

The claim that Antifa lacks structure is a convenient myth — one that’s cost Americans dearly.

History reminds us what happens when mobs go unchecked. The French Revolution, Weimar Germany, Mao’s Red Guards — every one began with chaos on the streets. But it wasn’t random. Today’s radicals follow the same playbook: Exploit disorder, intimidate opponents, and seize moral power while the state looks away.

Dismember the dragon

The Trump administration’s decision to designate Antifa a domestic terrorist organization was long overdue. The label finally acknowledged what citizens already knew: Antifa functions as a militant enterprise, recruiting and radicalizing youth for coordinated violence nationwide.

But naming the threat isn’t enough. The movement’s financiers, organizers, and enablers must also face justice. Every dollar that funds Antifa’s destruction should be traced, seized, and exposed.

RELATED: Inside the Portland ICE facility under siege by Antifa extremists

Photo by NATALIE BEHRING/AFP via Getty Images

This fight transcends party lines. It’s not about left versus right; it’s about civilization versus anarchy. When politicians and judges excuse or ignore mob violence, they imperil the republic itself. Americans must reject silence and cowardice while street militias operate with impunity.

Antifa is organized, funded, and emboldened. The violence in Portland and Chicago is deliberate, not spontaneous. If America fails to confront it decisively, the price won’t just be broken cities — it will be the erosion of the republic itself.

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​Opinion & analysis, Opinion, Antifa, Antifascist, Anti fascist, Leftism, Left wing violence, Left wing extremism, Extremism, Portland, Chicago, Law and order, Political violence, Coward, Ice, Immigration and customs enforcement, Mao, French revolution, Domestic terrorism 

Residents of a Milwaukee neighborhood are haunted by the death of an elderly woman in her backyard allegedly at the hands of her mentally ill daughter.

Carrie Zettel, 64, called police at about 2 p.m. Sunday to report that her daughter was being violent, according to a search warrant. When police arrived, they found Zettel dead.

‘The girl should have been stopped years ago, and I don’t understand why. And that angers me.’

“It happened in the backyard, and she beat her mother to death with a rock,” said a family friend named Susan Henderson-Hoffmann.

A criminal complaint said that police found a rock weighing about 4 pounds and stained with blood near the body. Her body had been covered with a blanket.

The search warranted identified the suspect as 29-year-old Lauren Spors, the daughter of Zettel.

The mother obtained a restraining order against Spors in 2018 after saying she was fearful of her daughter and her mental issues. Spors then allegedly violated the order four times but was found incompetent each time and was not prosecuted.

The fourth time, she allegedly violated the order by throwing a rock through Zettel’s double-paned window. She was sent to a county mental health facility, but public records did not indicate how long she was held.

“I cannot believe Carrie is gone, but you want to know something? I’m not surprised,” Henderson-Hoffmann said. “The girl should have been stopped years ago, and I don’t understand why. And that angers me.”

The restraining order expired in 2022.

RELATED: Man shot and killed couple out of jealousy and then did something evil to their 1-year-old child, police say

Spors was charged with first-degree intentional homicide.

“I am really having a hard time dealing with this. I am not going to lie to you guys. I knew her my whole life,” Henderson-Hoffmann added.

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​Lauren spors, Milwaukee murder, Daughter kills mother, Crime, Carrie zettel death 

President Donald Trump said that a very wealthy person offered to pay the wages for the military troops if the government shutdown continued.

The president made the comments to reporters on Tuesday as he sat next to Argentine President Javier Milei at the White House.

‘This is a position that is being forced upon us by Democrats.’

“I actually have a man who is a very wealthy person … who called — a donor, a great gentleman. And he said, ‘If there’s any money necessary, shortfall for the paying of the troops, then I will pay it,’ meaning he will pay it,” the president said. “How about that?”

But Trump said he refused the offer.

“I said, ‘Look, we’re not going to need it. We’re going to take care of our troops,'” he added. “But this was a position that’s being forced upon us by Democrats.”

Video of the president’s statement was widely circulated on social media.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social Saturday that the administration was seeking alternate methods to pay the troops.

“If nothing is done, because of ‘Leader’ Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th,” he posted. “That is why I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th.”

Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem posted on social media that she had secured funding to pay the U.S. Coast Guard.

“While Democrats have played politics with military pay to fight for illegal aliens, the US Coast Guard has been defending our maritime borders, stopping the flow of deadly narcotics and illegal immigration into our country, and countering America’s adversaries around the world,” she said in part.

RELATED: Mass firings to begin ‘in a day or two’ over government shutdown, Trump official says

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and the One Big Beautiful Bill,” Noem added, “the brave men and women of the US Coast Guard will not miss a paycheck this week as they continue to carry out their critical homeland security and military missions.”

Meanwhile, the Office of Management and Budget has reported that the federal government has laid off more than 4,000 employees during the shutdown.

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​Trump, Troop pay, Government shutdown, Wealthy gentleman, Politics 

A Florida judge granted a restraining order petition Tuesday against Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida after a woman accused him of threatening to release compromising videos of her.

The restraining order was issued by a court in Columbia County, according to documents reviewed by Blaze News.

The judge found that some of Mills’ testimony was ‘difficult to comprehend and for the most part incomprehensible.’

An American beauty queen told Blaze News that she was in a romantic relationship with Mills for more than three years. Lindsey Langston, who was named Miss United States last October, said she began the secret relationship after meeting him in Nov. 2021. He told her he was going through bitter divorce proceedings, she claimed.

Langston said Mills threatened to release private and compromising images of her after she tried to end their relationship earlier this year.

“Get me his number and I can send him videos. Take care,” Mills allegedly wrote in a text that was reviewed by Blaze News.

“Am I gonna wake up one day to videos of us having sex on social media?” she said to Blaze News. “Because I know he has them, and he’s put it in writing.”

RELATED: Miss United States accuses Rep. Cory Mills of sextortion, accepting ‘money bags’

Photo by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel

She first filed a report about the alleged threats in July to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and later spoke with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The judge found that some of Mills’ testimony was “difficult to comprehend and for the most part incomprehensible.”

At one point, Mills tried to explain that the texts were sent in the context of people raised in the country.

“I grew up in the country,” Mills said. “You know, I grew up hunting and fishing in Perry and Mayo and things like that. We grew up with subsequently the same backgrounds. … We used to talk about how country folk are a little bit different than those up North.”

Blaze News reached out to Langston’s attorney for comment. A request for comment from Mills’ office was not immediately answered.

RELATED: Rep. Cory Mills gives wild explanation for messages to Miss United States as hearing ends in frustration

Photo by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel

The congressman has been hounded by numerous scandals and controversies, including allegations of stolen valor as well as ties to an extremist Islamist cleric.

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While watching the National Football League this week — which has announced that it will be platforming Bad Bunny as the star of the Super Bowl halftime show — BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock tuned in to the commercials and noticed something a little strange.

“What’s up with all the gay commercials during NFL games?” he asks.

The first commercial Whitlock cites is a PayPal commercial featuring actor Will Ferrell, who’s donning curlers and sitting in a bubble bath blowing bubbles.

Ferrell’s mannerisms are not only feminine, but in the commercial he talks in a high-pitched voice, yelling when someone knocks on the bathroom door and saying that this is “my time.”

And a DirectTV commercial features actors Kumail Nanjiani and Rob McElhenney wearing massive fur coats and excessive jewelry, sitting close together on a couch.

In a different version of the same commercial, Whitlock says it shows one man reaching between the legs of the other man to grab the remote.

“What are we doing?” Whitlock asks. “And you’re wondering why the NFL has booked Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl halftime, this promotion of gender fluidity, this promotion of the LGBTQIA+ silent P crowd. It’s all over their advertising.”

“What are we doing?” he asks again, answering, “And it’s clear as day what we’re doing. They want fathers and sons, fathers and children sitting on the couch, sitting in the living room, sitting in their man caves, watching football with their sons. And they want the sons and daughters to ask, ‘What’s that?’”

“They want that question. They’re trying to force that conversation on all parents and all kids. And they’re going to promote that at the Super Bowl with this Bad Bunny gimmick. Can we just watch football without getting the gay thing shoved down our throat? Could we just watch football without the sexual stuff shoved down our throat?” he asks.

“It’s unnecessary, and it’s intentional,” he adds.

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President Donald Trump posthumously awarded Charlie Kirk the highest civilian honor following his horrific assassination on a college campus in September.

Trump honored Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday, the day that would have been the conservative activist’s 32nd birthday. Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, accepted the award at the White House Tuesday afternoon on his behalf.

‘You have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have.’

“Five weeks ago, our nation was robbed of this extraordinary champion,” Trump said during the address.

“It was a horrible, heinous, demonic act of murder,” Trump added. “He was assassinated in the prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth. … He loved this country. And that’s why, this afternoon, it’s my privilege to posthumously award Charles James Kirk our nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

RELATED: Dozens of ‘morally bankrupt’ Democrats vote against condemning Charlie Kirk’s assassination

Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

Erika also addressed the crowd, which was packed with friends and former colleagues of Kirk’s, including Blaze Media’s own Glenn Beck. Through tears, Erika remembered her late husband and expressed gratitude to the president and his administration.

“I have spent seven and a half years trying to find the perfect birthday gift for Charlie. … But now I can say with confidence, Mr. President, that you have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have,” Erika said.

Erika also shared her optimistic vision for the future, encouraging younger generations to carry on Kirk’s legacy.

“You are the heartbeat of this future and this movement. … You’re living proof that his mission did not die with him,” Erika said.

RELATED: Democrats feign outrage as Trump administration shutdown layoffs hit: ‘They seem to be enjoying it’

Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Kirk was horrifically assassinated on the Utah Valley University campus on September 10 on the first stop of his highly anticipated college campus tour. Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, has frequently been credited with swaying the election in Trump’s favor in 2024 because of his gift of coalition-building with demographics that don’t traditionally vote red, particularly with young voters.

“We won more young people than any Republican candidate in the history of our country, including, for the first time, a majority of males under 30. Can you believe it?” Trump said during Kirk’s memorial service.

“We did unbelievably with young people, and he was a big, big factor,” Trump said of Kirk. “Unbelievable. But he made me work for it. … But we did it, and we won.”

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Free-speech activists praised a veto from Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom of a law that would have fined social media companies for controversial speech made on their platforms.

The Democrat-controlled state legislature passed Senate Bill 771 in the hope of giving the state the power to punish speech it deemed offensive or hateful. Critics warned that the law would lead to the state infringing on free-speech rights.

‘Our first step should be to determine if, and to what extent, existing civil rights laws are sufficient to address violations perpetrated through algorithms.’

On Tuesday, Newsom said the law was premature in his veto announcement.

“I am returning Senate Bill 771 without my signature. This bill seeks to hold social media platforms liable for algorithms that relay content violating specified California civil rights laws to their users,” the governor wrote.

“I support the author’s goal of ensuring that our nation-leading civil rights laws apply equally both online and offline,” he continued. “I likewise share the author’s concern about the growth of discriminatory threats, violence, and coercive harassment online. I am concerned, however, that this bill is premature. Our first step should be to determine if, and to what extent, existing civil rights laws are sufficient to address violations perpetrated through algorithms. To the extent our laws prove inadequate, they should be bolstered at that time.”

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression praised the governor’s decision.

“Today, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 771, a bill that would have had a profound chilling effect over online expression,” reads a statement from FIRE on social media. “We are grateful that the governor chose to protect free speech instead of setting California on the path to a losing battle against the First Amendment and Section 230.”

RELATED: Gavin Newsom vetoes controversial bill to give illegal aliens up to $150K to buy home in California

Other groups, like the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said the bill would have punished speech against Israel while shutting down minority speech.

“SB 771 masquerades as a bill against ‘algorithmic harms’ but in practice it will fine platforms for hosting criticism of Israel while real hate speech flourishes unchecked,” the ADC wrote on social media. “Who gets silenced? Marginalized voices. Palestinians, Black communities, Indigenous activists, immigrants — the very people already under surveillance and suppression online.”

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In another man-on-the-street-style interview, Don Lemon has proven yet again that he is devoid of common sense on the topic of illegal immigration — telling a woman mid-interview that crossing the border illegally is “not a criminal act.”

“It’s a misdemeanor,” he added.

The woman, surprised, asked, “So why are they being sent back and saying that they’re breaking the law?”

“That’s the point,” Lemon responded, before doubling down on a misdemeanor not being a criminal act.

“So why charge at all, then, if it’s not a criminal act?” she asked.

“Because we have different levels of crime. Everything is not the same,” Lemon answered.

“So it is crime,” she shot back.

“He’s confused himself now,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray says on “Pat Gray Unleashed.”

“He thinks that because he’s talking to a black woman in Chicago, she’s going to be on his side. That’s the kind of idiot he is, because he’s not exposed to anything but his own little world where he hates Donald Trump and everything Trump does,” Gray says.

“He’s not aware of the fact, I’ll bet you, that so many of these Chicago residents are fed up to here with all this nonsense. They don’t want illegal aliens taking their jobs. They don’t want them in our country,” he continues.

In the interview, Lemon continues doubling down on the idea that crossing the border illegally is not a crime, while the woman and another man that he’s interviewing grow more insistent that it is.

“You’re breaking the rules, but you’re not necessarily breaking a law,” Lemon argued, and when asked what happens if you break the rules, he answered, “You suffer the consequences.”

“No one is saying no one should suffer the consequences. You guys are getting things mixed up,” he added.

Gray is shocked, commenting, “Don, you’ve lost.”

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