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The Department of Justice opened an investigation into the City of Chicago to determine if it has been hiring based on race or ethnicity.

Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the United States Civil Rights Division, sent a letter to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) following the politician’s remarks about the benefits of having black employees.

‘Our investigation is based on information suggesting that you have made hiring decisions solely on the basis of race.’

Dhillon’s letter said the Department of Justice is looking to determine if Chicago has engaged in a pattern of discriminatory hiring in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Particularly, Dhillon referenced remarks Mayor Johnson made at the Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn, Illinois, about the “number of Black officials in [his] administration.”

“Our investigation is based on information suggesting that you have made hiring decisions solely on the basis of race,” Dhillon wrote, before listing half a dozen instances where Johnson seemingly bragged about employing a black person while “emphasizing their race.”

RELATED: Sanctuary mayors face DOJ criminal referral for allegedly harboring illegal aliens

Marc H. Morial of the National Urban League and Mayor Brandon Johnson in Houston, Texas. Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for National Urban League

The examples from the civil rights office (which capitalized “black”), all quotes from Mayor Johnson, were as follows:

“Business and economic neighborhood development, the deputy mayor is a Black woman.””Department of planning and development is a Black woman.” “Infrastructure, deputy mayor is a Black woman.” “Chief operations officer is a Black man.” “Budget director is a Black woman.” “Senior adviser is a Black man.”

Dhillon also pointed out that the mayor said he was “laying” those positions “out” to “ensure that our people get a chance to grow their business.”

The Chicago politician’s office responded by saying the federal government does not reflect the diversity the Illinois city does.

“Our administration reflects the diversity and values of Chicago. Unfortunately, the current federal administration does not reflect either,” the mayor’s press office said, per NBC News.

RELATED: Why Chicago loves da pope

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Johnson’s remarks on the day in question also included him saying that his critics complain that he talks only about “the hiring of black people.”

“No, what I’m saying is when you hire our people, we always look out for everybody else,” Johnson claimed. “Having people in my administration that will look out for the interest of everyone, and everyone means you have to look out for the interests of black folks, because that hasn’t happened. That’s how we ensure long-term sustainable growth.”

Dhillon added that if top-level hiring decisions were being made in a discriminatory manner in Chicago, such decisions may also have been made for “lower-level positions.”

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There’s an epidemic of men identifying as women who then enroll in women’s sports to handily defeat them all — and BlazeTV host Alex Stein has a breakdown of those currently dominating the female sports circuit.

He lovingly calls the breakdown “libtards in the wild.”

The first transgender athlete, Lia Rose, took home first place in a varsity high jump competition at an Oregon high school meet — just two years after finishing last while competing against junior varsity boys.

Rose, who used to compete as Zachary, won the high jump at the Portland Interscholastic League Varsity Relays. In a video featuring his athletic prowess, someone in the crowd yells, “That’s a boy!”

Ana Caldas, another transgender athlete, has also been dominating female competitions this year. Most recently, the trans swimmer destroyed his female competition while winning five races at a national championship meet.

Caldas defeated his female competitors in the 50- and 100- yard breaststroke races by a whopping four seconds.

“His real name is Hugo, by the way,” BlazeTV media columnist Andrew Chapados tells Alex Stein. “This is a guy who’s just joining an older woman’s swimming category and just dominating them. It was a 45-year-old to 50-year-old women’s swimming category, and this guy just shows up, and he dominates them.”

But those aren’t the only transgender athletes who have been blowing away their female competition this year.

Last year, transgender student Ada Gallagher finished in first place in 200M and 400M races during the 6A-1 Portland Interscholastic League Championships. And while many were outraged over the wins, Gallagher was back in 2025 at his Oregon high school to win again.

This year, the trans athlete finished more than seven seconds better than the rest of the field.

“People don’t want to believe it’s happening, and this is what happens regularly,” Chapados explains. “They’re successful, breaking records week after week, and the women are just sort of sitting there being like, ‘What can I do besides participate now?’”

Want more from Alex Stein?

To enjoy more of Alex’s culture jamming, comedic monologues, skits, and street segments, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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Tech billionaire Elon Musk said that he has “done enough” political spending when asked if he would donate as much to midterm candidates as he did in the 2024 presidential election.

Musk was being interviewed by BBC journalist Mishal Husain at the Qatar Economic Forum when he made the comments. The 53-year-old is focusing on his companies after running a government accountability office for President Donald Trump.

‘If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason.’

“I wondered whether you’ve decided yet how much you’re going to spend on the upcoming midterms,” asked Husain. “You’ve spent a lot more money on the last year’s election than you envisioned when you were speaking here three years ago. Are you going to continue to spend at that kind of level on future elections?”

“I think in terms of political spending, I’m gonna do a lot less in the future,” Musk responded.

It is estimated that Musk gave about $288 million in political donations in the 2024 election.

“I think I’ve done enough,” he added.

“Is it because of blowback?” asked Husain.

“Well, if I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it,” he replied. “I do not currently see a reason.”

Musk’s companies Starlink and Tesla have faced blowback from many on the left who oppose his political support of Trump and his involvement in cutting down the size of government. Protests against his companies have, in some cases, resulted in vandalism and violence.

RELATED: $1 trillion of pandemic relief was lost to fraud, and nearly every American’s personal data is for sale online, ’60 Minutes’ report finds

Photo by Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Husain and Musk also sparred over the claims he made about cutting government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency. She pointed out that he had set a goal of saving more than $2 trillion in government spending but had realized only about $170 billion in savings.

“Your question is absurd in its fundamental premise,” Musk replied and defended the DOGE on the basis of the savings his team was able to find.

Husain pressed him, and he accused her of acting like an “NPC,” which is a gamer insult referring to “non-player characters” who do not think for themselves in video games.

“I feel you’re somewhat trapped in the NPC dialogue tree of a traditional journalist. So it’s difficult when conversing with someone who’s trapped in a dialogue tree of a conventional journalist, because it’s like talking to a computer,” Musk replied.

“DOGE is an advisory group. We’re doing the best we can as an advisory group. The progress we’ve made thus far, as an advisory group, is excellent. I don’t think any advisory group has done better in the history of advisory groups of the government,” he added. “We do not make the laws.”

He went on to say that people should focus on the fact that $60 billion was saved already through the efforts of the DOGE.

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, Musk attacked the legacy media and especially the Wall Street Journal.

“I’m a technologist, first and foremost,” said Musk at the close of the interview.

Video of the full interview can be viewed on the YouTube channel for the Austin-American Statesman.

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A feud between restaurant owners and illegal street vendors in San Diego has boiled over to vandalism and a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against city officials.

Twelve businesses in the famed Gaslamp Quarter filed a lawsuit alleging that street vendors were allowed to run rampant and take customers away from brick-and-mortar restaurants. The lawsuit sought an order against city officials to enforce street vendor regulations as well as $12 million in damages.

Sitto says that his restaurant can be completely full and then totally empty out after the illegal street vendors move in.

The issue was highlighted by an incident in which a restaurant worker angrily turned over the food cart of a street vendor before getting into a vulgar yelling match with a bystander. The worker was reportedly angry that the vendors had forced Henry’s Pub, his employer, to go out of business after 25 years.

Mareous Sitto told KGTV-TV that street vendors undermined his Doner Mediterranean Grill business to the point where he had to change it to a taco restaurant to lower food costs and compete with the illegal carts.

“It used to be a shawarma place, and because the pricing was a little bit higher than the hot dog stands out there, we switched the business, and we decided to do a taco shop,” said Sitto.

“I lose between $1,500 to $2,000 a night,” he added.

The city council strengthened a law restricting street vendors in February, but business owners said that officials did not enforce the law enough and police often ignored the violators.

The lawsuit was filed against San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, the city council, and the city.

RELATED: Class-action lawsuit claims San Diego officials who cleared out encampments violated constitutional rights of the homeless

Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

A report investigating street vendor businesses in California found that many were manned by illegal aliens who had been coerced by criminal organizations that blackmailed them into working for next to nothing. The victims were often threatened with violence if they did not work to pay off money owed for smuggling them into the U.S.

Sitto says that his restaurant can be completely full and then totally empty out after the illegal street vendors move in.

“Last Saturday we were busy, from like 6 p.m. all the way until 12:30 a.m. nonstop,” he said. “My shop was completely full all the time,” he said. “At 12:30 a.m., these hot dog stands came into town, and it stopped. Empty.”

KGTV reported that it had reached out for comment from the mayor’s office but did not receive a response.

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A former contractor with a program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development admitted to defrauding taxpayers of nearly $100,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

On Monday, Stephen Paul Edmund Sutton, a 53-year-old United Kingdom citizen, pleaded guilty to participating in a fraudulent kickback scheme from May through November 2015.

‘This is why shutting down USAID is such a good policy.’

Sutton, employed through a contracting firm, previously worked as a logistics operations manager on a power distribution program in Pakistan that USAID funded.

The program, launched in September 2010, aimed to support Pakistan’s energy sector by facilitating improvements to the country’s “government-owned electric power distribution companies.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office explained, “The main goal of the PDP was to improve the commercial performance of the participating distribution companies through technology upgrades and improvements in processes, procedures, and practices, as well as training and capacity building. Under the PDP contract, Sutton’s employer subcontracted through purchase orders with vendors in Pakistan for certain goods and services.”

RELATED: USAID staff told to shred, burn sensitive documents

RELATED: Trump admin slashes 83% of USAID programs: Rubio

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

While employed, Sutton received “kickbacks of USAID funds used to pay for the services rendered.”

After battling extradition for over two years, he pleaded guilty on Monday to “one count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.”

Sutton was sentenced to time served and turned over to federal immigration authorities.

Sutton’s supervisor also allegedly participated in the scheme. They apparently created two companies to obtain purchase orders for equipment. However, they reportedly distributed the profits to themselves by hiring “low-grade local vendors” to perform the work at a fraction of the contract rates.

“U.S. government sentencing documents indicate the agency was defrauded of almost $100,000 and that for his part, Sutton received at least $21,000 in kickbacks,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated. “Sutton’s co-conspirator is also charged by indictment, and his case is pending disposition.”

A State Department spokesperson told Blaze News, “This recent legal victory in federal court delivers much-needed accountability on an individual who conspired to steal tens of thousands of dollars from American taxpayers and divert resources away from lifesaving assistance.”

“It is also just another reason why ensuring foreign aid contracts have proper oversight under the State Department is crucial to the future of how America administers aid,” the spokesperson added.

USAID waste

Since President Donald Trump began his second term, USAID has been heavily scrutinized for its wasteful spending and vulnerability to fraudulent activity.

The Department of Government Efficiency previously uncovered millions of dollars in wasteful spending on propaganda, climate hysteria, LGBT advocacy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

As a result, the Trump administration has pushed to significantly restructure USAID, including moving it under the domain of the Department of State and eliminating most of its programs.

Oversight Project President Mike Howell told Blaze News, “A great way to prevent fraud and abuse in government spending is to throw less money around third-world countries that passes through the hands of contractors and other entities. The idea that we can ever competently and safely spend money in those regions without it being siphoned off is lunacy. This is why shutting down USAID is such a good policy.”

Editor’s note: Mike Howell is a contributor to Blaze News.

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Law enforcement authorities reportedly uncovered an explosives lab in the home of Guy Edward Bartkus, the FBI’s sole suspect in the Palm Springs, California, fertility clinic car bombing on Saturday.

Agents discovered “huge quantities of highly explosive materials,” including PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, the New York Post reported, citing law enforcement sources. PETN, a chemical compound used in commercial detonators, has been utilized for decades in terrorist attacks across the globe.

‘Basically, it just comes down to, I’m angry that I exist and that nobody got my consent to bring me here.’

Thomas Bickel, Bartkus’ neighbor, told the Post that FBI agents evacuated his Twentynine Palms neighborhood after the bombing attack.

“Five FBI agents came knocking on my door. … They told me, ‘The house behind you has suspected bomb-making materials,'” Bickel told the news outlet. “I talked about it with agents. There was a full-blown bomb lab in this guy’s house.”

Bickel, a father and Army veteran, stated, “I know how powerful and destructive IEDs can be.”

He added, “Sitting here with my kids, knowing that this guy was 50 feet away — a bomb of that magnitude could have destroyed our house. Just knowing that he was working on that right here while I was hanging out with my kids — it was pretty insane.”

RELATED: Fertility clinic bombing suspect declared war on ‘pro-lifers’ in alleged manifesto

Photo by GABRIEL OSORIO/AFP via Getty Images

The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Saturday’s bombing targeted the American Reproductive Centers, a fertility clinic, resulting in severe damage to the building and other nearby structures.

Bartkus, 25, died in the blast, and at least four others were injured. According to the fertility clinic, no embryos were destroyed.

“DNA testing of the decedent’s remains found at the scene of the Palm Springs vehicle explosion is a positive match to Guy Edward Bartkus, the suspect in the clinic attack,” the FBI stated.

Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, confirmed that the attack was an “intentional act of terrorism” motivated by “nihilistic ideations.”

Bartkus was described as an “anti-natalist” who was active online, including online forums such as Reddit.

His alleged online manifesto read, “The end goal is for the truth (Efilism) to win, and once it does, we can finally begin the process of sterilizing this planet of the disease of life.”

“Life can only continue as long as people hold the delusional belief that it is not a zero sum game causing senseless torture, and messes it can never, or only partially, clean up,” it continued. “I think we need a war against pro-lifers.”

The alleged manifesto encouraged viewers to “download the recorded stream of my suicide & bombing of an IVF clinic.”

RELATED: Wyoming abortion ban blocked hours after suspect arrested in connection to clinic fire

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The suspect allegedly shared a 30-minute audio recording explaining why he decided to “bomb an IVF building.”

“Basically, it just comes down to, I’m angry that I exist and that nobody got my consent to bring me here,” he allegedly stated.

He noted that he was “very against” IVF, citing that it is not possible to obtain consent from those who are not yet born, according to the recording.

“Basically, I’m anti-life,” Bartkus allegedly said. “And IVF is like kind of the epitome of pro-life ideology.”

Bartkus’ estranged father told KTLA that his son had a history of setting fires as a child, including burning down their family home at 9 years old.

The anti-natalist movement

Simone and Malcolm Collins with the Pronatalist Foundation, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about demographic collapse, detailed the anti-natalist movement and its growing popularity across online forums.

They told Blaze News, “Antinatalism is a negative utilitarian philosophy, meaning they either believe positive emotional states have no value or are trivial experiences and the core goal of all life should be the eradication of suffering.”

They noted that the fertility clinic bombing was not the first suicide attack motivated by the anti-natalist movement, citing the Sandy Hook shooting.

‘Their ultimate goal is to see all of us dead and human civilization snuffed out in its infancy.’

Simone and Malcolm Collins explained that antinatalism “has always been the logical end state of the urban monoculture that dominates progressive culture.”

“However, we would be remiss to not mention that antinatalism appeals disproportionately to individuals who have unusually high amounts of narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy as has been confirmed in multiple academic studies,” they added.

“Their ultimate goal is to see all of us dead and human civilization snuffed out in its infancy,” Simone and Malcolm Collins stated.

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Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) called for other lawmakers to “go one rung higher” after his colleague Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey was charged for allegedly assaulting an officer at an ICE detention center.

Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced the charges against McIver on Monday, saying she “assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement.” Although McIver can be seen apparently shoving law enforcement on camera, she maintains that the charges against her are “purely political.”

‘We must take whatever we’ve done before to show dissent and go ONE RUNG HIGHER.’

RELATED: Democrat congresswoman will be charged for allegedly assaulting ICE officer, Alina Habba says

Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn

“A RED LINE has been crossed,” Swalwell said in a Monday post on X. “Trump is prosecuting his political enemies in Congress. This is just the beginning.”

“We must take whatever we’ve done before to show dissent and go ONE RUNG HIGHER,” Swalwell added. “And save your bulls*** documents on this, Alina. You’ll need them when you testify.”

McIver has gained the sympathy of many of her Democratic colleagues, not just Swalwell. Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Texas went to bat for the congresswoman, claiming that the charges are just meant to “suppress dissent.”

“This unprecedented move shows how far this authoritarian administration will go to suppress dissent,” Frost said. “They’re charging a member of Congress with a CRIME for conducting oversight on an ICE facility. We will NOT be scared into submission. I stand with Rep. McIver.”

RELATED: Trump pressures House Republican holdouts as reconciliation talks intensify

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

President Donald Trump and his administration maintain that the charges are not political but rather a deserved consequence.

“Give me a break. Did you see her?” Trump said. “She was out of control! She was shoving federal agents. The days of that crap are over! We’re going to have law and order!”

“No one is above the law,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said. “If any person, regardless of political party, influence or status, assaults a law enforcement officer as we witnessed Congresswoman McIver do, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We thank our brave ICE law enforcement officers for their service to this great nation.”

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Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida built his political career with stories of heroism in the U.S. Army and as a private military operative, but several former colleagues say he exaggerated or lied about being “blown up” twice in Iraq, being an Army Ranger, training as an 18 Delta Special Forces Medical Sergeant, being a military-trained sniper, and saving the lives of two soldiers wounded by enemy fire. They also allege he walked away from his post in Iraq when his employer asked him to verify his service record.

As much time and energy as Mills has spent promoting his history, he’s now running from some of the details as the men he served with and the media are increasingly questioning his record, his personal life — and his truthfulness.

RELATED: 5 former colleagues of Rep. Cory Mills say he told them he became a Muslim — as girlfriend claims Blaze News report ‘entirely untrue’

Mills is under new and intense scrutiny after
Blaze News revealed that he was married in 2014 by a radical imam in Falls Church, Va. The imam, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Hanooti, was a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a fundraiser for the terror group Hamas, and an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York. The wedding took place at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, where two of the 9/11 hijackers once attended and where notorious terror leader and al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki was an imam.

‘People could have f**king died depending upon him if he failed to perform.’

Mills has consistently presented himself as a Christian since he ran for Congress, but there continues to be controversy over whether Mills converted to Islam in order to marry Rana Al Saadi in 2014. His girlfriend recently told the
Daily Mail “that the claims made in the Blaze article are entirely untrue,” while five former associates, including one on the record, told Blaze News that Mills told them he had converted at the time of his wedding.

‘It just started to make sense. It was like, “Oh well, he couldn’t f**king run any more. He couldn’t hide any more.” Why else would someone do this?’

Many former associates also recently went on the record with Blaze News to dispute his record of accomplishments overseas. “He has a monstrous gift of bulls**t, and it’s impressive,” said Jesse Parks, Mills’ supervisor during the last of his time with DynCorp. “It’s also pathetic. Because [the way] I look at it is people could have f**king died depending upon him if he failed to perform.”

“He’s handsome, he’s charismatic; he has always used that [to] his benefit,” said William Kern, a former U.S. Marine counter-sniper who worked with Mills at DynCorp carrying out security missions in Iraq. “So, you know, he fooled a lot of us.”

Leaving DynCorp

Multiple men who worked with Mills at military contractor DynCorp International told Blaze News that when the company demanded that employees verify their military service, training, and qualifications at the request of the U.S. State Department, Mills delayed until the deadline, then disappeared, leaving his rifle and gear laid out on his bed. They say he never returned and that fellow soldiers searched for him to no avail.

Parks said he warned Mills and other soldiers that they needed to turn in documentation of their military record and achievements to meet a demand made by the U.S. State Department in early 2009. He said that for weeks, Mills did not comply. On the day of the deadline, he said he again warned Mills to turn in his proof of credentials.

‘He literally walked off of the US consulate in the middle of the night under darkness.’

“I found Cory and I told him flat out, ‘Cory, if I don’t have your bio and your supporting documentation in my hand by 1900 hours [7 p.m.] today, you have to go get on an airplane tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. and leave.”

Parks said after issuing the order, “That was the last I saw Cory, because he piled up all of his DynCorp s**t and his State Department serialized items, weapons, this, that, and the other, on his bed, and he walked out the gate. Nobody ever saw him again.”

Parks said he was the one “who f**king fired him.”

Kern said the next morning, during his run, people began to notice that Mills was no longer around. “What’s going on with Cory? No one can find him. He left his radio, his Glock, his sniper rifle, and his M4 on his bed,” Kern said. “And he literally walked off of the U.S. consulate in the middle of the night under darkness. He walked out the back gate. We have video of that.”

Kern said once they determined Mills left on his own, “It just started to make sense. It was like, ‘Oh well, he couldn’t f**king run any more. He couldn’t hide any more.’ Why else would someone do this? Why would someone walk away from a $200,000-a-year job? I mean, just submit your s**t, dude.”

Mills said the story about how he left DynCorp in Iraq was “bulls**t.”

“No one walks off in the middle of the night unarmed in Iraq,” Mills said. “All right? Let’s just put it first like that. I put my gear on the bed and walk out in the middle of the night? No.”

Mills said he requested early release so that he could return to the United States with his girlfriend, who was leaving around the same time.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t go walk around and knock on everyone’s door to go, ‘Hey, by the way, guys, I ended up getting a contract release for two days,’” Mills said.

“Like, a week or two weeks earlier than my contract was set to expire, because I wanted to go home with a nice girlfriend,” Mills explained.

“This is the thing that’s so ridiculous about these types of fabricated nonsense, is that, I mean, it’s so outlandish.”

‘Blown up’ twice?

Mills has often made the claim that he was “blown up” twice while on missions in Iraq for DynCorp.

He points to a certificate of appreciation he received from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad as proof of his brave actions. The certificate reads, “In grateful recognition of your prompt and brave action when your motorcades were hit by an EFP on March 15 and April 19, 2006. You exhibited the highest caliber of professionalism and your actions saved the lives of your comrades.”

Kern said there were blank templates of the certificate floating around. “There were [around] 35 guys that got that same thing,” he said.

The first incident, on March 15, 2006, involved a motorcade that got blown up by a roadside bomb. Blaze News confirmed that Mills was present at this scene. However, photographic evidence and sources have called into question the seriousness of his injuries.

‘It would have been impossible for him to be wounded.’

Mills told Blaze News he suffered a concussion when the Suburban SUV in which he was riding was damaged by an IED. “I ended up hitting my head,” he said. “… Was it some severe, maiming wound? No. I’ve got the actual document that shows where I was hit.”

“Why are you saying on your website that you were wounded, and now you’re telling me a different story?” Blaze News asked Mills.

“I had a concussion. So a concussion isn’t being wounded? Knocking your head off an actual armored vehicle door and having to go get treated and have three days down, that’s not being wounded, right? So what is your definition? Do I need to lose an arm? Do I need to be shot in shrapnel? Just tell me. Tell me what your definition of wounded is. Because apparently, [traumatic brain injury] is not an external wound.”

Blaze News pressed him on his claim that he suffered from a traumatic brain injury. Mills responded: “No, I actually just got reviewed by the PA and the doctor there, and they basically told me to monitor myself for the next 24 hours.”

RELATED: STOLEN VALOR: Tim Walz allegedly LIED about his military service; abandoned his unit

Photo courtesy of Scott Kempkins

On April 19, 2006, in a separate incident, Mills’ motorcade was hit by a roadside bomb as it made its way toward the Ministry of Electricity. According to a summary report obtained by Blaze News, the two lead vehicles in the convoy had turned right toward the Ministry of Electricity when the following Humvee was struck by an array of explosively formed penetrators with five or six linked devices.

Mills’ vehicle was allegedly 50 yards away from the one that sustained bomb damage, and his colleagues said he was never wounded.

A photograph provided to Blaze News by Scott Kempkins, one of Mills’ colleagues who was wounded in the attack, shows Mills with a large bloodstain on his right pant leg after the mission. Kempkins and others who were there said that the blood did not belong to Mills.

Courtesy of Scott Kempkins

“Cory was absolutely not wounded,” said Scott Kempkins, who suffered injuries from the bomb. “While Sergeant Ray was bleeding quite a bit, it definitely was not life-threatening, so that blood on Cory’s pants was from Sergeant Ray. He didn’t need to lie about anything.”

Kempkins said he was behind the driver of the Humvee when the bomb blew.

“I got hit in the shoulder, the neck, and the leg,” Kempkins said. “And then the guy in the turret took a little bit of shrapnel to the side of his face. That was it. Cory’s vehicle was already around the corner and about 50 yards down the street. It would have been impossible for him to be wounded.”

Cory Mills (middle) and Scott Kempkins (right).Courtesy of Scott Kempkins

Chase Nash, who rode in the same vehicle as Mills in the motorcade, agreed.

“I just want to be very, very clear that there was one vehicle that was hit that actually took a blast, and it wasn’t the vehicle that I was in and it wasn’t the vehicle Cory was in, that vehicle I was in,” Nash said. “I wasn’t wounded. Cory was not wounded. I know for a fact that is true. Cory was not wounded.”

Kern said it makes no sense for Mills to lie about being blown up, because he did render medical aid to the men in the Humvee and accompanied them to the battalion aid station.

“If Cory had just told the truth, it would have been extremely honorable,” Kern said. “But Cory was never, ever blown up as a private security contractor. … You can look at all the State Department documents on when people were injured, contractors were injured. Cory was never injured. His name will never come up because it never happened.”

Kempkins gave Mills credit for the medic work he did after the explosion, but said the injuries were not life-threatening.

“Credit where credit’s due. He bandaged everybody up, we went to the aid station, and they flew us to the green zone,” Kempkins said. “Now having said that, any basic medic could have done exactly what he did. Nobody was life-threatening. There were no severe amputations where [some]body had an arm blown off or a leg or anything like that.”

Mills further confirmed that he was not in the vehicle that was hit the second time, despite his congressional website claiming that he was struck twice: “That’s correct.”

Other claims draw fire

Mills’ colleagues said he lied about other things, claiming to have been with the Army 75th Ranger Regiment based at Fort Benning, Georgia. Max Woodside, who was at one time Mills’ team leader, told Blaze News, “I bought all of his bulls**t. He told me he was a Ranger. I didn’t vet him or anything. He told me all the cool-guy s**t. I didn’t know.” Woodside said that, all things considered, Mills “performed well at every mission we were on. He perpetrated the lie, and then he performed well.”

But Woodside echoed many of Mills’ other former colleagues when he told Blaze News that “I had to earn my rights, I had to earn my stripes, and I had to earn my abilities to be able to do things I did. And he didn’t.”

Parks said that a veteran who retired from the Rangers and later worked for DynCorp confronted Mills about his tall tales.

“One day, our deputy project manager … who retired from the 75th Ranger Regiment, flat stopped Cory in the street, and he says, ‘If I hear one more time that you have said you were a Ranger, I’m gonna beat your ass within an inch of your life and send you home on a medical flight,’” Parks recalled.

Mills (left) poses with members of the Army 75th Ranger Regiment.
Courtesy of Scott Kempkins

To be a Ranger medic, Mills would have had to go through an advanced 42-week course to become an 18 Delta: Special Forces Medical Sergeant. According to his official DD-214 form, Mills was a combat medic certified with the “Emergency Medical Technician Course” in 1999. His primary specialty, denoted by the Military Occupational Specialty code “91W2P 00,” corresponds with “Health Care Specialist.” There is no mention of service in the elite Army Rangers, although he has described himself as
one in the past.

Screenshot from a 2015 Vice article.

Kempkins said when the DynCorp operation had to move to Northern Iraq after losing the government contract for Baghdad, he started to notice Mills’ stories.

“We started hearing the stories [that Mills was claiming] he was a Ranger and all this other stuff,” Kempkins said.

‘This guy doesn’t know s**t about being a sniper.’

DynCorp sent Mills to its sniper school based on his claims of having prior experience. The truth of these claims has since been called into question. Mills’ talk about being an expert sniper also raised eyebrows among his DynCorp co-workers.

“He was supposed to have been this super-duper military-trained sniper and all this s**t, and they [DynCorp] sent him to their sniper school,” Parks said. “He got through it, but he really struggled. It was like he was learning it for the first time, as one of them told me. If he was some hot-s**t sniper from the Army, it should have been a breeze.”

Parks said Mills’ former colleagues “want some f**king answers from Cory.”

“I like guys that go to Ranger school, guys that went to sniper school,” Parks said. “I mean, these are very long, hard courses. And not everybody graduates from this. And for him to basically say that he had done all of those things, there’s some really tough [questions].”

Mills was able to enroll in a course to become a Designated Defense Marksman, which is supposed to be limited to those who attended an accredited military sniper school.

“I’ve never ever heard of us giving up a sniper slot to send a medic,” said Bobby Oller, a former 82nd Airborne paratrooper, squad leader, and master gunner who served in Afghanistan and as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He later worked for DynCorp. “What does that serve the unit? And what aspect ever on the battlefield would it have to have your medic as the sniper?

“Is he gonna set his rifle down and run over and help somebody?” Oller said. “You know that would never happen whatsoever. I mean, it’s just, it’s not even fathomable.”

When the State Department snipers working for DynCorp had to go to the range to re-qualify, some noticed peculiarities about Mills and his approach.

“We would look over, and Cory would be doing s**t on ballistic calculators, you know, like apps,” Kern said. “Everyone’s sitting there going, ‘Dude, it literally takes you longer to put the information in than it should take you to do this in your head.’”

“So everyone was picking up on stuff like that. ‘Cory, what the f**k do you mean? You’re asking what grain bullet we’re using? Dude, we only use match ammo. It’s 168 grain. It’s the same s**t you’ve been shooting in the military as a sniper. What are you talking about, Cory? Why are you asking a dumb question like that?’”

Kern said Mills didn’t speak the “verbiage” common to snipers.

“I’ve trained with SS snipers. I’ve trained with SEAL snipers. I’ve trained with law enforcement, L.A. County SWAT guys,” Kern said. “I know and I understand that we all have different training, and I understand that the formulas are different.”

“But the stuff that [Mills] was saying … I remember thinking, ‘What are we doing? Is this out of a movie?’ Snipers have a verbiage … sniper observer monologue. … This guy doesn’t know s**t about being a sniper.”

According to
Mills’ application for a promotion to shift leader at DynCorp, he served as a medic in the 75th Ranger Regiment and received training at the U.S. Army Sniper School in November 2002. Those alleged facts are not on his DD-214 discharge paperwork, and several of his DynCorp colleagues say they are false.

RELATED: Maryland Gov. Moore calls stolen valor over Bronze Star an ‘honest mistake,’ deflects blame

Mills’ DynCorp application.

He also
claimed he was an attachment member of Joint Special Operations Command and “performed numerous joint operations missions in Iraq.” The JSOC information is also not listed on Mills’ DD-214.

Questions on Bronze Star

Questions are also being raised about the information used to justify Mills receiving the Bronze Star.

Mills said the Bronze Star has been on his official military record since 2004. Some of the men who served in the Army with him have questioned the details used to justify the honor, however.

The Army Form 638 that details support for Mills’ Bronze Star says Mills earned the award for acts of heroism in Iraq in 2003, including rendering lifesaving aid to two wounded soldiers and subduing an enemy combatant in a separate engagement.

‘He didn’t save my life. I don’t recall him being there, either.’

Five former service members — including two whom Mills allegedly saved — question the details on the Army paperwork as misleading or false.

The form said on March 31, 2003, in Samawah, Iraq, south of Baghdad, Mills saved the lives of Corporal Alan Babin and Private First Class Joe Heit, who were hit by enemy fire.

“At great risk to his own life, he applied emergency lifesaving medical care to both soldiers and assisted in their evacuation back to U.S. forces, saving the lives of both soldiers,” Mills’ Bronze Star form said.

There is no mention of Mills in accounts given by members of the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne, Alpha Company, or from the company commander. Two men, PFC Jesse Walker and Staff Sergeant Augest Berndt, tended to Babin’s and Heit’s wounds under fire.

“In the middle of that firefight, we started taking crossfire from across the road,” said Sgt. Steven Dukes, a member of Alpha Company, in a 2004 report by the
Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It was pretty intense. [Rocket-propelled grenades] were hitting the trees around us. We were taking it from both sides.”

When Heit was shot in the head, Babin started running toward him when he was shot in the abdomen. Heit’s wounds ended up being minor, but Babin was badly wounded. According to one account, “Staff Sgt. Jesse Walker ran to Alan, started an IV, put dressings on his wound, and administered drugs to stop the bleeding.”

Heit told the news
website NOTUS that Mills’ claim about him isn’t true.

“He didn’t save my life,” Heit said. “I don’t recall him being there, either.”

The third achievement cited in Mills’ recommendation for a Bronze Star said his unit came to the aid of another U.S. unit pinned down by enemy fire.

“Bounding forward under murderous enemy fire, Sgt. Mills’ team gained and maintained fire superiority on the enemy. Entering the building, Sgt. Mills’ platoon sergeant, SFC Joseph Ferrand, was grabbed by an enemy insurgent. Jumping into action, Sgt. Mills threw himself at the enemy insurgent and subdued him, saving the life of SFC Ferrand.”

Ferrand disputed the description, writing in a complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics that Mills’ story was “false and a fabrication.” Ferrand said he “was not involved in any claims that Cory Mills makes about me,” adding that “the act never took place.”

Asked why men he served with at DynCorp and in the 82nd Airborne dispute so many of his claims, Mills said: “They’re entitled to have a different recollection. And some of them, obviously, I didn’t have a great relationship with, and I’m sure some are probably disgruntled.”

‘It’s not going to impact me in my elections.’

An April 2024 letter issued by the U.S. Army in response to a 2023 Freedom of Information Act request said there could be errors in Mills’ Official Personnel File regarding awards and that officials are “reviewing the records to resolve the issue.”

The Bronze Star recommendation was signed by now-retired Brig. Gen. Arnold Gordon-Bray. “I endorsed his Bronze Star,” Gordon-Bray said in a text acquired by Daytona Beach News-Journal. “As I did for all my NCOs. The specific actions had to come from the battalion.”

Gordon-Bray told the Daytona Beach News-Journal in August 2024 that he awarded the Bronze Star to “all my squad leaders and above.” He said, however, “I am not validating any of the specifics.”

There are questions about when the Form 638 was signed by the brigadier general. Oller said the form Mills used was created in April 2021. The form lists an (R) by Gordon-Bray’s name for “retired.” The general retired in 2012.

Mills defends his record

Since running for office, in media appearances and at campaign events, Mills has presented his military expertise for years as a reason voters should trust him in Congress. He recently traveled to the Middle East and spoke with multiple foreign leaders and lectured generals in a House hearing about “warrior ethos.”

The congressman also disputes Blaze News’ reporting.

“You haven’t reached out to the people in the vehicle. It’s comical. I’m laughing at you right now because of that. That’s how great your journalistic quality is,” Mills told Blaze News.

Blaze News has reached out to numerous people who worked at DynCorp with Mills, and so far none of them has supported Mills’ version of events. When asked for the contacts of anyone who could back up his claims, Mills gave Blaze News some names but never got back to us with contact information. Chase Nash, who was in the vehicle with Mills, disputes his story.

“It’s not going to impact me in my elections. It’s not going to impact me in my future. So I know what I’ve done. The guys who are truly with me know what I’ve done. Am I a hero? No, I’m not. The guys that served with me are absolutely heroes. So you guys knock yourselves out,” Mills told Blaze News.

Matthew J. Peterson, Cooper Williamson, and Steve Baker contributed to this story.

​Cory mills, Army ranger, Sniper, Dyncrop, Army, Congress, Iraq, Bronze star, Joint special operations command, Stolen valor, Politics 

A Korean pop singer shocked fans with a speech about how much he loves American culture after a concert in Los Angeles.

The concert in question was held at Dignity Health Sports Park in L.A. and featured musicians from the Korean record label SM Entertainment. One of the featured acts was Super Junior, a massively popular boy band with over two million YouTube subscribers and two decades of history.

‘I love Five Guys. I love In-N-Out. I love Trump!’

After the concert, one of Super Junior’s members, Jeongsu Park (aka “Leeteuk”), started screaming into the microphone about his love for America.

“I love Five Guys. I love In-N-Out. I love Trump!” the 41-year-old yelled.

“I love Elon Musk! I love L.A.!” Park continued.

At this point, other unidentified band members started to join in and stated, “I love people!” and “I love Five Guys!”

A video of the event taken by a member of the audience made its rounds on social media — and the videographer was apparently not impressed by the comments.

“Why did his mic not get turned OFF,” the caption wrote.

At the same time, an audience member can be heard in the video saying, “Shut them up!”

RELATED: Kid Rock torches Bruce Springsteen over his liberal sanctimony; identifies cause of low birth rates

2023: Super Junior perform live on stage in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Mauricio Santana/Getty Images

Still, Park persisted.

“I love Elon!” he added. “I love Trump!”

Multiple outlets have reported that the concert was full of jokes and comedy segments, but fans did not see the humor in the remarks and took the chance to bash the group online.

“Why are people even cheering for him,” one fan asked.

“Idols aren’t supposed to talk about politics for a reason,” another viewer wrote.

The comments are easily juxtaposed with the recent sentiments from American rockers like Bruce Springsteen. At a show in England, Springsteen called the Trump administration “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous.”

The 75-year-old then urged his audience to “rise” against alleged authoritarianism in the United States.

“Bruce Springsteen dedicates portions of his concerts to spreading lies about the sitting president of the United States, Kelsea Ballerini uses her concerts to parade drag queens around and spread lies about bills that ban pornographic books from kids’ libraries, and the internet has a problem with someone saying he loves the president?” political commentator Chrissy Clark told Blaze News.

“It must be exhausting to be a liberal. As conservatives, we’ve learned to separate the art from the artist,” she added.

RELATED: Neil Young attacks Elon Musk in new song, says Tesla owners are fascists, praises China

– YouTube

Park’s influence on his genre cannot be denied; on his own, the singer has 4.1 million followers on X. The SM Entertainment YouTube channel has over 33 million subscribers and routinely garners millions of views for its music videos.

Fans also paid a steep price to see the Koreans in concert; according to Los Angeles Events, tickets ranged from $80 to $1,376, with an average price of $218.

Super Junior originally debuted with 12 members and is currently listed on the record label’s website as having 10. It also has six spin-off bands.

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​Align, Politics, Trump, Elon musk, America, Bruce springsteen, K-pop, California, Korea, Entertainment 

A male high school track and field athlete placed first in two of three events he took part in at a recent meet in California. The issue? All three of the events were female competitions.

Last weekend, Jurupa Valley High School’s Ab Hernandez competed against girls in the high jump, triple jump, and long jump at a meet in Ventura County.

‘This will keep happening if people aren’t willing to stand up and speak out. I urge all female athletes in this position to use their voice.’

The CIF-Southern Section Finals, hosted at Moorpark High School, saw Hernandez take first place in girls’ triple jump with a distance of 41 feet, 4 inches. The jump was more than four feet farther than the distance of Reese Hogan, the second-place finisher from Crean Lutheran High School.

In a video recorded after the event, Hogan posed for pictures standing on the podium’s No. 1 spot as a supportive crowd loudly cheered her on. According to OutKick, Hogan set both a personal record and a school record at 37 feet, 2 inches.

RELATED: ‘Death of women’s sports’: Male track runner shocks viewers with massive size advantage over female competitors

Ab HernandezPhoto by Kirby Lee/Getty Images

Event results showed Hernandez also won the girls’ long jump and finished seventh in the girls’ high jump.

Hernandez is ranked No. 1 in the state in the girls’ triple jump and is a favorite to win the state title on May 31, reporter Beth Bourne said following the event. Most recently, Hernandez has competed at the girls’ Division 3 level.

Former NCAA swimmer Paula Scanlan told Blaze News that Hernandez’s victory is just another example of males taking opportunities from females.

When Scanlan swam for the University of Pennsylvania, she was a teammate of male athlete Lia Thomas. Scanlan has since spoken out against the inclusion of biological males in women’s sports.

“The majority of Americans are on our side, and yet these sports leagues have no interest in protecting girls’ sporting opportunities,” Scanlan told Blaze News. “This will keep happening if people aren’t willing to stand up and speak out. I urge all female athletes in this position to use their voice.”

RELATED: ‘A lot of people say it’s not happening!’ Blaze News investigates: A definitive list of men who have dominated women’s sports

Hernandez has faced backlash from community members who have shown up at recent track meets to protest the school district.

About 30 people gathered at a recent event, including a protester who yelled, “That’s a boy! That’s a biological boy!” while standing on the sidelines.

A reporter asked Hernandez if the protesters were making an impact.

“Honestly, no,” the teen replied. “I’m still a child, you’re an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person, and [there is] nothing I can do about people’s actions, just focus on my own.”

Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District board, argued with Hernandez’s mother at the event, calling her “a coward of a woman” for “allowing” her son to compete against girls.

When asked about the fact that he has lost competitions to female athletes in certain events, Hernandez said that’s proof he has no physical advantages over females.

“I don’t think you understand that this puts your idiot claims to trash,” he said about his naysayers. “Now you have no proof that I can’t be beat.”

RELATED: Woke reporter uses final ESPN appearance to promote ‘trans kids’ playing sports: ‘It’s been about diversity and inclusion’

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​Ab hernandez, California, Fearless, Sports, Track and field, Transgenderism, Women’s sports 

Former President Joe Biden announced to the world this past Sunday that he was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer — which has unfortunately already metastasized and spread to his bones.

Biden posted a photo of himself and the former first lady, Jill Biden, to social media with the caption: “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”

The Gleason score measures the severity of Biden’s prostate cancer at a 9/10.

“How do we live in a world where it could be possible that this man was president of the United States of America for four years with access to not just run-of-the-mill health care like you or I would have,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says.

“This guy has access to the greatest health care in the entire world, and this just slipped past them until he was out of office and in stage four. They just didn’t take the tests? They just missed it?” Gonzales asks, skeptical.

Biden’s doctors had repeatedly assured the public that during his presidency, he was fit to lead, despite showing clear signs of deterioration.

“I mean, clearly he was a frail, 80-year-old man, who had a long, documented history of health problems,” Gonzales says, “and you’re telling me that the man who was just president of the United States, who had the best health care available to him, they couldn’t catch it until just now?”

But Gonzales isn’t the only one who’s skeptical.

In an interview on NewsNation, urologist Dr. David Shusterman also revealed that the diagnosis has him in disbelief.

“It’s very unlikely that someone could get annual checkups and not notice a PSA elevation,” Shusterman said. “This is what I typically would see in a VA hospital where a patient hasn’t had medical attention in 10 years, presents to an emergency room with bone pain, and then they find that it’s metastatic prostate cancer.”

Another doctor shocked viewers on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” when he told the host that he did not believe Biden just developed cancer in the last few months.

“He’s had this for many years, maybe even a decade, growing there and spreading,” said Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who is an oncologist. “He did not develop it in the last 100 to 200 days.”

“According to all of the doctors that I have seen speak out on this, including that guy right there, it is not possible for this to appear, poof, out of thin air this quickly. Which means you’re left with the idea that Joe Biden just didn’t receive proper testing as president of the United States,” Gonzales says.

“That’s beyond imagination,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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

​Video phone, Free, Upload, Sharing, Camera phone, Video, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Joe biden, Biden cancer diagnosis, Cancer, Prostate cancer, Cure for cancer, Jill biden, Conservative podcast, Biden health, The biden administration 

Some recent calls for President Trump to pardon Derek Chauvin may be inspiring those who base their entire worldview on race to take action.

BlazeTV host of “Fearless” Jason Whitlock isn’t a fan, as the calls for Chauvin’s pardon have resulted in what may just be rumors spreading over social media regarding the response.

“And then all of a sudden there’s this news story, or alleged news story, and this is all over social media, all over Twitter or X, where we are the media, and people started tweeting out that Governor Tim Walz has started gearing and making plans for social unrest if Donald Trump pardons Derek Chauvin,” Whitlock says.

However, while Whitlock worries that the calls for his pardon may incite a negative response, he is not against Chauvin being released.

“Keep in mind, I think Derek Chauvin is wrongfully incarcerated, wrongfully convicted. George Floyd died of a drug overdose. Everybody with a brain that’s rational, that’s not controlled by racial idolatry, knows that. I’m for Derek Chauvin getting released from prison. I don’t think a pardon is the way to do it,” he continues.

Rather, Whitlock believes a retrial and a not-guilty verdict are the way to go.

“Once he beats the bogus state charges, then I think it’s easy for any president, Trump or whoever succeeds Trump, to then pardon him from the federal charges,” he explains.

The calls for his pardon also follow the murder of Austin Metcalf allegedly by Karmelo Anthony, which was only the beginning of the increase in race-baiting in the past few months.

“I keep saying, to connect the other dot to this, I keep saying that the Karmelo Anthony-Austin Metcalf murder, Karmelo Anthony’s murder of Austin Metcalf, that is the match that’s going to light the dynamite, or that is the match they want to use to light the dynamite to spark racial unrest and racial conflict in America,” Whitlock says.

“Maybe this is part of the entire racial fatigue, ‘black fatigue’ movement, that the reason why there’s so many videos being pumped out about ‘black fatigue’ and showing all these examples of black people behaving criminally, violently, savagely, embarrassingly — maybe they’re trying to build the public will. ‘We’ve got so much black fatigue, we’re gonna give black people some fatigue and pardon Derek Chauvin,’” he continues.

“I know I sound conspiratorial, but just because I’m ahead of the conversation doesn’t mean I’m a conspiracy theorist. It just means I’m ahead of the conversation,” he adds.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

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

​Camera phone, Free, Sharing, Upload, Video, Video phone, Youtube.com 

President Donald Trump made a much-needed appearance on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning as more and more House Republicans turn on the “big, beautiful bill.”

Trump met with the House Republican conference alongside Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has been working around the clock to make sure reconciliation can pass. But with just two Republican votes to spare and multiple unresolved policy negotiations, the fate of the bill still remains in the balance.

‘Anybody that didn’t support it, as a Republican, I would consider a fool.’

RELATED: Fiscal hawks send warning as ‘big, beautiful bill’ clears high-stakes vote: ‘We have to do more to deliver’

During the meeting, Trump made it clear that he was losing his patience with Republican defectors and even suggested they should be primaried. Trump told members not to let SALT negotiations get in the way of reconciliation, even calling out Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York during the meeting.

Lawler notably rejected Johnson’s latest — and very generous — offer to increase the state and local tax deduction cap to $40,000, which is a $10,000 increase from the originally proposed cap.

Trump also called out fiscal hawks, specifically Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has maintained that he won’t vote for the bill. However, Massie was not alone, with multiple House Republicans saying their views on the bill have not changed.

“Anybody that didn’t support it, as a Republican, I would consider a fool,” Trump told reporters after the meeting. “It’s a great bill for America.”

RELATED: Why the GOP is so frustrated trying to negotiate with the ‘SALT Caucus’

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

At the same time, House Freedom Caucus members, like Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Andy Harris of Maryland, still weren’t persuaded by the president.

“We all are here to advance the agenda that the President ran on and that we all ran on,” Roy said. “I don’t think the bill is exactly where it needs to be, yet. We need to extend the Trump tax cuts, but we also need to deliver on the spending restraint … I think Congress can do a better job.”

“The president, I don’t think, convinced enough people that the bill is adequate, the way it is,” Harris said. “President called for eliminating waste, fraud, abuse in Medicaid, and we have not eliminated waste, fraud, and abuse.”

RELATED: Exclusive: Why Chip Roy can’t support the ‘big, beautiful bill’: ‘The swamp does what the swamp does’

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Johnson made progress with fiscal conservatives over the weekend when the bill passed through the Budget Committee Sunday night after initially failing a vote on Friday. Leading up to the vote, Johnson met with the Republican holdouts and floated a 2026 start date for Medicaid work requirements rather than the original 2029 implementation date. As a result, four Republicans, including Roy, voted “present” and allowed the bill to advance.

Trump addressed Medicaid during the meeting, telling members not to “f*** around” with the program with the exception of mitigating fraud, waste, and abuse.

“The only thing we’re cutting is waste, fraud, and abuse,” Trump said. “We’re not changing Medicaid, and we’re not changing Medicare, and we’re not changing Social Security.”

Although Republican defectors seem to be digging their heels in, Trump remained optimistic about the future of his bill.

“I think we’re in good shape,” Trump told reporters. “This was a meeting of love. There is great unity in that room.”

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​Donald trump, Mike johnson, Big beautiful bill, Reconciliation, House republicans, Mike lawler, Salt caucus, Salt republicans, Andy harris, Chip roy, House freedom caucus, Thomas massie, Medicaid, Fraud, Waste, And abuse, Budget committee, Fiscal conservatives, Spending hawks, National debt, Tax cuts, Politics 

Hillary Clinton mocked conservatives for pushing for higher birth rates among U.S. citizens while crediting foreign-born individuals for having larger families to advance the economy.

Earlier this month, the former secretary of state gave remarks at 92NY, a Jewish community center in Manhattan, New York. While promoting her latest book, “Something Lost, Something Gained,” Clinton claimed that women have been under attack by conservatives.

‘One of the reasons why our economy did so much better than comparable, advanced economies across the world is because we actually had a replenishment.’

In addition to the claim that there has been a “real purging of women and women in high positions,” Clinton criticized conservatives for encouraging women to have more children.

“This very blatant effort to basically send a message, most exemplified by [JD] Vance and [Elon] Musk and others, that, you know, what we really need from you women are more children. And what that really means is you should go back to doing what you were born to do, which is to produce more children.”

Clinton talked about President Trump’s proposed baby bonus, which she stated has not worked in other countries. She also produced unknown citations about how anti-family the administration allegedly is.

“They’re contemplating cutting Medicaid while they have no interest in paid family leave or funding quality childcare. They’re cutting Head Start,” Clinton continued.

Adding that she felt conservatives were engaging in a “performance” by claiming to care about families, the former first lady boldly stated that right-wingers should be happy that immigrants are providing a “replenishment” to the population.

RELATED: Hillary Clinton tries to dunk on Trump over Qatar jet gift — and gets obliterated on social media

Hillary Clinton and Margaret Hoover speak onstage on May 1, 2025, in New York City. Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

“It’s all in there. Return to the family, the nuclear family, return to being a Christian nation, return to, you know, producing a lot of children,” Clinton said about the alleged conservative plan for America. “[It’s] sort of odd because the people who produce the most children in our country are immigrants, and they want to deport them.”

Despite having just made fun of the idea that conservatives are encouraging the populace to procreate, Clinton then strangely touted the benefits of having a large family — but only for immigrants.

“One of the reasons why our economy did so much better than comparable, advanced economies across the world is because we actually had a replenishment, because we had a lot of immigrants legally and undocumented who had a larger than normal, by American standards, family.”

RELATED: The reasons Democrats won’t learn a thing from 2024

Clinton’s contradictory arguments are, first and foremost, evidence that she believes in a “great replacement,” reporter John F. Trent told Blaze News.

“She wants Americans to be replaced by immigrants, whether legal or illegal. She doesn’t want women to know the joy of raising their families but would rather them locked into the soul-sucking grind of a career,” Trent explained.

With Clinton framing Americans having a large family as the “economic arrangements” of the 1950s while praising illegal immigrants for their contributions, there is no doubt she’d prefer American children “locked into government programming” to advance left-wing ideologies, Trent added.

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​Hillary clinton, Great replacement, Immigration, Illegal immigration, Jd vance, Traditional values, Politics 

The Maryland attorney who three years ago dropped Aaron Babbitt as a client in the shooting death of his wife on Jan. 6 is endangering a final settlement of the $30 million wrongful-death lawsuit between Judicial Watch Inc. and the U.S. Department of Justice, an attorney told a District of Columbia federal court on May 19.

Terrell N. Roberts III, who walked away from the case in February 2022,
rejected an offer to set aside 25% of any financial settlement in a dedicated trust account while the issue of what fees, if any, Roberts is owed is determined in arbitration by the Attorney Client Arbitration Board of the District of Columbia Bar.

‘We are representing Ashli’s family pro bono!’

“Plaintiffs are concerned by Mr. Roberts’ role in this case, which is frustrating completion of the settlement,” said Judicial Watch attorney Robert Sticht, who represents Aaron Babbitt of San Diego and the estate of his late wife, Ashli Babbitt.

Roberts wants U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes to decide the issue of attorney fees, arguing that arbitration could take six months. He also wants the judge to revisit her rejection of a charging lien against the settlement.

— (@)

The Washington Post,
citing unnamed sources, claimed May 19 that the settlement agreement is for less than $5 million. Parties in the suit would not comment on the news story or the alleged amount. The Post reported incorrectly that Judicial Watch and Washington, D.C., attorney Richard Driscoll would take one-third of any settlement.

“I can say, contrary to initial WPOST report, @JudicialWatch is not getting a third (or any portion) of any settlement,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton
posted on X. “We are representing Ashli’s family pro bono!”

Sticht now looks prophetic, as he tried to caution the news media against reporting that Judicial Watch would reap a windfall in the case.

Sticht was chastised and silenced by Judge Reyes at a
May 12 hearing when he tried to announce to the press listening on the court’s audio feed that Judicial Watch will take no fees from the Babbitt lawsuit.

“This is crazy, and it is costing a lot of money,” Sticht said of the delays caused by the fee dispute. “And just so the court knows, for the record and all the press who may be on the telephone, Judicial Watch does not a get fee out of this settlement.”

RELATED: Federal judge explodes in Ashli Babbitt court hearing as wrongful-death case slows

Photo (left): John Sullivan; Photo (right): Aaron Babbitt

Judge Reyes talked over Sticht and chastised him for speaking directly to the media.

“Mr. Sticht, did I not just tell you that when I start talking, you stop?” Reyes snapped.

Roberts represented Babbitt from shortly after Babbitt’s wife was shot to death Jan. 6 by U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd. Roberts abandoned the case in late February 2022 but has still been seeking up to 40% of the financial settlement being negotiated by Judicial Watch. Babbitt was left to find new legal counsel after Roberts fired him as a client “for cause.”

Judicial Watch agreed to be bound by the decision of the arbitration board. Driscoll, who represents Aaron Babbitt for the narrow issue of the fee dispute with Roberts, filed for D.C. Bar arbitration May 9. He said now that Babbitt has asked for arbitration, both parties are required to take part under bar association rules.

Under the Federal Tort Claims Act, 25% is the maximum fee allowed for all plaintiff attorneys combined.

Sticht said because “the likelihood of Mr. Roberts recovering such a fee is minimal, at best, given his admittedly brief and limited involvement in the legal matter,” the 25% set-aside “protects Mr. Roberts for an inability to recover an award.”

“Mr. Roberts rejected plaintiffs’ offer,” Sticht wrote in the court filing.

Roberts sought a charging lien from the court against the gross amount of any settlement. Judge Reyes rejected the idea, but allowed Roberts to be an intervenor in the case for the limited purpose of keeping tabs on settlement developments.

Roberts said if he is compelled to participate in arbitration, he will ask Judge Reyes to issue a stay in the lawsuit until the issue of attorney’s fees is settled.

RELATED: Ashli Babbitt stood up to him — now J6er ‘Helmet Boy’ faces new charges

Aaron Babbitt with his late wife Ashli, who turned 35 three months before she was killed on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Babbitt

“As a fundamental matter, arbitration is not an efficient option at this juncture,” Roberts wrote to the court. “The process could take up to six months (if not more). That is too long given that we are a hair’s breadth from a settlement. The court could more practically handle the matter of attorney’s fees in a fraction of the time it would take to arbitrate the case.”

Sticht said that idea “goes well beyond the limited intervention the court permitted.”

“Mr. Roberts presents no justification for why the court should reconsider these issues,” Sticht wrote.

Roberts’ attempts to cash in on the lawsuit have added drama and frustration to an already tense courtroom atmosphere. Since the first hearing on the lawsuit on Aug. 6, 2024, Judge Reyes has repeatedly lost her temper with Sticht, shouting at him to “stop talking” and accusing him of giving “snide” answers to her questions.

Brian Boyd, a DOJ trial attorney, said in the filing that the government supports the proposed 25% set-aside because it “is sufficient to protect Mr. Roberts’ interests.”

Boyd said Judicial Watch’s agreement to abide by the arbitration panel’s decision “and disperse [sic] to Mr. Roberts that portion of the set-aside funds that ACAB determines Mr. Roberts is owed, if any, should eliminate Mr. Roberts’ concern regarding his ability to collect fees to which he is entitled.”

Trial in the $30 million lawsuit is set for July 2026. The election of President Donald J. Trump last November vastly changed the DOJ’s demeanor toward the case and pushed the government toward a settlement.

In the years since Babbitt was killed, President Trump has expressed support and sympathy for the Babbitt family while ripping Lt. Byrd as a “thug” and a “coward.” The president expressed his belief that Ashli Babbitt “was murdered.”

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​Ashli babbitt, Aaron babbitt, Jan 6, January 6, Michael byrd, J6, Lawsuit, Wrongful death, Tom fitton, Judicial watch, Politics 

A fourth New Orleans jail escapee has been captured, but six inmates are still on the loose since 10 of them broke out of the Orleans Parish Jail on Friday.

Meanwhile, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams told CNN that “I am personally afraid, not just for myself, but for my lawyers who tried the case against” still at-large escapee Derrick Groves, who was convicted of murdering two men in 2018.

What’s more, Williams told CNN that he found out about the jailbreak not from an official alert — but from the media.

Williams prosecuted Groves, the news network said.

RELATED: ‘Shawshank’-style prison escape in New Orleans; 7 of 10 inmates still on the loose — and 1 is a convicted murderer

Image source: Orleans Parish (La.) Sheriff’s Office

“These lawyers got out of town this weekend with their families out of fear of retribution and retaliation,” Williams added to CNN.

Late Monday night, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office announced that Louisiana State Police and New Orleans Police captured the fourth escapee, Gary Price, in the city. Also previously captured were Dkenan Dennis, Kendell Myles, and Robert Moody.

Still on the run are Groves, Corey Boyd, Jermaine Donald, Antoine Massey, Leo Tate, and Lenton VanBuren. They’re reportedly considered “armed and dangerous,” and CNN said they face charges such as aggravated assault with a firearm, false imprisonment with a weapon, and murder.

As Blaze News previously reported, the inmates were discovered missing during a routine 8:30 a.m. Friday head count after having escaped sometime just after midnight — which gave them about an eight-hour head start. CBS News said they likely had help from the inside.

RELATED: Trump orders restoration of Alcatraz prison to lock up ‘dregs of society’

Sheriff Susan Hutson said the inmates pulled a sliding jail cell door off its track around 12:23 a.m. and left the jail by 1:01 a.m. after breaching a wall behind a toilet, CBS News said, adding that the toilet and bolts were removed using toiletry items, although Hutson didn’t specify what the items were.

Williams told CNN a number of “breakdowns” contributed to the escape. For example, shortly after midnight Friday, a corrections monitoring technician went to get food — and during that time, several inmates started yanking on a cell door.

Williams added to CNN that a staff member should have been monitoring cameras in the facility in real-time: “The idea that they are saying they had to go back and look at footage is ridiculous.”

More from CNN:

Eventually, the door broke open. The men snuck into another cell. In a matter of minutes, 10 inmates maneuvered past a metal toilet, squeezed through a small hole carved in the wall, and fled into the darkness.

The inmates brought blankets to protect themselves from getting cut by barbed wire. They then scaled a fence and bolted across Interstate 10. They darted into a nearby neighborhood, ripped off their inmate clothes, and disappeared into the night.

As Blaze News previously reported, inmates also scrawled obscene messages for the guards on the wall behind the toilet, CBS News said, adding that one was misspelled; it reads, “To easy, LOL.”

RELATED: ‘Inmates escape prison’ using virtual reality program — infraction rate of solitary confinement prisoners drops by 96%

Image source: Orleans Parish (La.) Sheriff’s Office

The hole itself is one sign of the continued lapses at the facility, according to Williams. “Someone should have caught the destruction of the toilet and destruction of the wall and getting out, because that doesn’t happen in a day, does it?” Williams added to the news network. “So it was missed during the entire time that that plan was being hatched.”

Williams added to CNN, “This is not just about one lunch break.”

The district attorney also told the news network that several hours went by before authorities notified victims and witnesses and the public of the escape: “If it happened at 1 a.m., they should have been notified at 1:30, right, because they were in harm’s way.”

RELATED: Reported illegal immigrant charged with murder of beloved New Orleans French Quarter tour guide

The sheriff said she learned about the escape around 9 a.m. Friday — eight hours after the estimated time of the escape — and the U.S. Marshals Task Force was alerted by 9:30 a.m.

What’s more, Williams told CNN that he found out about the jailbreak not from an official alert — but from the media.

Because the escapees may have crossed state lines, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill asked her counterparts in Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee to keep an eye out, the news network also said.

Sheriff Hutson has received the lion’s share of criticism, CNN reported.

Democrat Louisiana state Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman said Hutson should resign and called the escape an “an alarming failure of leadership” on her part.

Republican state Rep. Mike Bayham in a statement to Blaze News also blasted Hutson, saying she “has no business seeking re-election this November. New Orleans could do better randomly picking a name out of the phone book than Sheriff Hutson.”

However, the sheriff told CNN that she had “no plans to resign” and remains “committed to leading this office through the current crisis and continuing the long-term work of reform and public service I was elected to carry out.”

Hutson added that “we have indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from individuals inside of our department.”

RELATED: ‘The rats are eating our marijuana; they’re all high’: Infested New Orleans police evidence room becoming rodent cafeteria

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​New orleans, Orleans parish sheriff’s office, Louisiana, Jail escape, Captured, Crime 

Retired four-star Navy Admiral Robert Burke, formerly the Navy’s second-highest ranking officer, was convicted by a federal jury Monday on felony bribery charges.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, who announced the verdict a day after
instructing criminals to “run for the hills,” said in a statement, “When you abuse your position and betray the public trust to line your own pockets, it undermines the confidence in the government you represent.”

While overseeing U.S. naval operations in Europe, Russia, and most of Africa, and commanding thousands of military personnel, Burke awarded a government contract to a company that had been told not to communicate with him. Several months later, Burke ended up with a lucrative gig and hundreds of thousands of stock options at that same company.

The company — which the Department of Justice did not name but the New York Times
indicated was the New York-based technology and work force training company Next Jump — provided a workforce training pilot program to a “small component of the Navy” from August 2018 through July 2019. The original indictment against Burke indicated that the company had subcontracts for this work from another company, similarly unnamed in federal court documents, via the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

‘Burke made several false and misleading statements to the Navy.’

According to the DOJ, the Navy scrapped its contract with the company in late 2019 and directed it not to contact Burke.

Despite this directive, the company’s two co-chief executives, Yongchul Kim and Meghan Messenger — who were both
arrested and charged last year in connection with the scheme — allegedly emailed Burke on May 10, 2021, to propose a $20 million contract for their company to provide workforce training, despite no indication of need on the part of U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa, bids or otherwise.

The trio reportedly met in Washington, D.C., in July 2021.

During their meeting, Kim and Messenger agreed that Burke would use his official position in the Navy to secure a new contract for the company in exchange for a position there following his retirement, said the DOJ. The trio also apparently agreed that the second highest-ranking officer in the Navy would lean on other officers to award the company with an additional training contract, which one of Burke’s co-defendants allegedly estimated to be valued at “triple digit millions.”

Burke commanded his staff in December 2021 to dish out a $355,000 contract to the company to train personnel under his command in Italy and Spain. Burke then championed the company after the January 2022 training session in a failed effort to get another senior admiral to award it a government contract.

RELATED: Trump names Jeanine Pirro of Fox News as interim US attorney of DC after failed Ed Martin nomination

Photo (left): Terry Wyatt/Getty Images; Photo (right): Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The Justice Department indicated that in order to conceal the scheme, “Burke made several false and misleading statements to the Navy, including by falsely implying that Company A’s employment discussions with Burke only began months after the contract was awarded and omitting the truth on his required government ethics disclosure forms.”

Several months later, Burke went to work for Next Jump at a yearly starting salary of $500,000 with the added bonus of a grant of 100,000 stock options.

At the time of Burke’s arrest last May, then-FBI Special Agent in Charge David Scott stated, “As a four-star admiral, Burke not only cheated U.S. taxpayers but also did a disservice to military personnel under his command.”

The original criminal indictment against Burke stressed that the admiral had a lawful duty not to accept any gift or other item of monetary value from any person or entity seeking official action from the Navy; not to engage in outside employment that conflicted with official government duties and responsibilities; not to participate personally and substantially in an “official capacity in any particular matter that had a direct and predictable effect on his financial interests”; and to disqualify himself from taking official action that affected financial interests of a potential employer of seeking employment.

Blaze News reached out to the Pentagon for comment, which deferred to the Navy. The Navy did not respond by publication time. Next Jump similarly did not respond when pressed for comment.

‘The jury was prevented from hearing the whole truth.’

After a five-day trial, a federal jury found Burke guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, performing acts affecting a personal financial interest, and concealing material facts from the United States.

Burke is due to be sentenced on Aug. 22 and could land up to 30 years in the slammer.

Pirro said Monday, “Our office, with our law enforcement partners, will root out corruption — be it bribes or illegal contracts — and hold accountable the perpetrators, no matter what title or rank they hold.”

The admiral’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, said in an interview Monday that Burke plans to appeal his conviction, reported the Times.

RELATED: Ex-Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez’s wife convicted for her role in bribery scheme: ‘Partners in crime’

“They presented a tiny, tiny sliver of evidence,” said Parlatore. “We do think this is a case where a wrongful conviction was obtained because the jury was prevented from hearing the whole truth.”

Reed Brodsky, a lawyer for Next Jump, told the Times that he expects a different outcome in the cases of Kim and Messenger, who are scheduled for trial in August.

“I expect the evidence will show that Burke and others at the Navy misled Charlie and Meghan in material ways, and they’re not liable for bribing the guy who lied to them,” wrote Brodsky. “I think it’ll be a little embarrassing for the Navy.”

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​Crime, Corruption, Scandal, Robert burke, Burke, Navy, Military, Pentagon, Bribery, Criminal, Next jump, Politics 

Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light to help “save the environment.” Companies are incentivized to include it, while most drivers hate it.

And now Trump is fixing it with the same bureaucracy that started it: the Environmental Protection Agency.

One test showed that over 900 miles in a month, the system saved just 0.02 gallons of gas.

If you’ve driven a new car in the last decade, you’ve likely encountered this maddening feature known as start/stop technology. You’re sitting at a red light, minding your own business, when your engine suddenly shuts off — only to sputter back to life as you ease off the brake.

It’s supposed to save fuel and “fight climate change,” but for most drivers, it’s a headache-inducing nuisance that makes you want to trade in your car faster than you can say “nanny state.”

‘Everyone hates it’

Which is why we’re all thankful for EPA head Lee Zeldin’s May 12 announcement that the agency is scrapping mandates on this despised technology, giving drivers a rare win against bureaucratic overreach.

Zeldin didn’t pull punches, calling start/stop tech a “climate participation trophy” that “everyone hates.” He even shared an image of the dashboard button millions of drivers have come to know all too well — a circled “A” with the word “OFF” next to it, the first thing many of us press every time we get behind the wheel.

“EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it,” Zeldin declared. And judging by the sentiment on X, Instagram, Facebook, and others, he’s absolutely right about the “everyone hates it” part.

Exaggerated savings

Let’s rewind for a moment. Start/stop technology was forced on the automotive industry during the Obama administration’s crusade for stricter fuel economy standards. The concept sounds noble enough: If your car isn’t idling at a stoplight or in traffic, you’re not burning fuel or spewing emissions.

Automakers, under pressure to meet the 2012 CAFE standards of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, eagerly adopted the tech. Early studies painted a rosy picture — a 2011 report claimed up to 20% emissions reductions in diesel vehicles during urban driving, and AAA estimated in 2014 that the average driver could save about $179 a year in fuel costs thanks to a 7% boost in fuel economy.

But here’s the catch: Those numbers don’t hold up in the real world. Car sales experts have run the numbers and found the savings to be laughably small — one test showed that over 900 miles in a month, the system saved just 0.02 gallons of gas. That’s right, two-hundredths of a gallon. You’d save more fuel by skipping a quick trip to get a coffee than you would with this so-called “green” innovation.

Glaring downsides

Meanwhile, the downsides are glaringly obvious. The constant on-off cycling feels jarring, especially in stop-and-go traffic. Drivers across the internet (and especially in our comment sections) consistently report that it’s the first feature they disable every time they start their cars.

But here’s the rub: Manufacturers, egged on by EPA incentives, made sure the system turns back on by default every time you start your engine. You can’t permanently disable it without jumping through hoops or paying for aftermarket fixes — a perfect example of government meddling making life harder for no good reason.

Real safety concerns

Beyond the sheer annoyance, start/stop tech poses real safety concerns. Drivers have reported dangerous scenarios where the system creates a delay at the worst possible moment — like when you’re in the middle of a busy intersection, trying to make a left turn, and your engine decides it’s time for a quick nap.

Even a half-second lag as the engine restarts can spell trouble, especially in high-pressure situations. For a feature that’s supposed to save a few drops of gas, that’s a risk most of us aren’t willing to take.

Wear and tear

Then there’s the toll it takes on your vehicle. Starting an engine causes more wear on components like the starter motor and battery than keeping it running. With start/stop tech, a typical commute can involve up to 100 times more engine starts compared to a car without the system.

Automakers have tried to address this with more durable parts and advanced lubricants, as noted in a 2022 Autocar report, but the long-term impact on engine life remains a big question mark.

Diesel vehicle owners face even more headaches — issues with diesel exhaust fluid systems can trigger “limp mode” or even leave you stranded with a warning that your engine will shut down completely after a few hundred kilometers. For a technology that’s supposed to make driving more efficient, it’s causing an awful lot of chaos.

Rare common sense

Ditching the mandates is a rare moment of common sense in an era when government overreach often takes precedence over practicality.

Drivers in online communities celebrated the news, with many calling it the most annoying “feature” in modern cars. Some suggested manufacturers should offer a simple dealership fix to disable the system permanently — no expensive aftermarket chips required. Others proposed flipping the script entirely: Make the system off by default, and let drivers turn it on if they want to play eco hero.

This rollback is part of a larger effort by the EPA to cut burdensome regulations. In March 2025, the agency announced plans to target dozens of rules, including some tied to vehicle emissions.

Environmentalists, as expected, are crying foul, claiming that scrapping start/stop tech will lead to more pollution and health risks. But let’s get real — fuel savings of 3%-10% (that’s .5 to 2mpg difference) are a drop in the bucket compared to the aggravation and potential safety hazards this tech creates. If the government wants to tackle climate change, it should focus on solutions that don’t make everyday life harder for hardworking Americans.

This rollback is also a victory for drivers who just want to get from point A to point B without their car playing eco warrior at every stoplight.

Green is not great

It’s also a reminder that not every “green” idea is a good one. Drivers have long argued that they should have control over their own vehicles — after all, if you’re shelling out on average $50,000 for a new car, you shouldn’t have to fight a government-mandated feature to drive it the way you want.

A simple software update could allow owners to permanently disable the system, but until now, manufacturers have been more interested in pleasing regulators than their customers.

Don’t expect the climate activists to back down quietly, though. They’ll likely push for new regulations to replace the ones being scrapped, and automakers will have to find other ways to meet emissions targets — hopefully without resorting to another half-baked gimmick. For now, drivers can look forward to a future where they won’t have to hit that “OFF” button every time they start their cars. It’s a small win, but in a world where common sense often takes a back seat to bureaucracy, it’s one worth celebrating.

What’s your take — have you been fed up with start/stop tech, or are you one of the few who actually liked it? Let us know in the comments below, and let’s keep the conversation going.

​Lee zeldin, Epa, Donald trump, Start-stop technology, Lifestyle, Align cars 

In a recent video clip, former first lady Hillary Clinton said the quiet part out loud — confirming what conservatives have long believed: Those on the left see the family as a right-wing institution, and they want to replace it.

Speaking at the 92nd Street YMCA in New York City, Clinton mocked efforts by Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance to encourage Americans to have children, sneering that this role should be left to illegal immigrants. This isn’t just a policy spat; it’s a glimpse into the left’s deeply held religious belief that the family is the problem. And if we let it, that agenda will destroy us.

The left’s war on life and family is not metaphorical. It is real, and it is violent.

The left hates the family because it despises everything God stands for. Leftists’ agenda is destruction — not creation — and the family is ground zero.

The bombing of a fertility clinic on Saturday in Palm Springs, California, is a violent testament to this hatred. The attacker’s alleged manifesto openly declared a “war on the pro-lifers” Why such hostility toward those who protect life? Because the left is anti-life. Leftists oppose the unborn, the elderly, and the nuclear family. They target anything and anyone who dares to affirm that life is a sacred gift from God.

One chilling line from the manifesto reads, “We must finally begin the process of sterilizing this planet of the disease of life.” It could not be clearer what the agenda is.

The left’s secular cult

This only makes sense if we understand that the left’s secular humanist and Marxist worldview is demonic in nature. Secular means leftists reject God and divine law entirely, so they must hate everything that God values. In the absence of God, their humanism leads them to establish themselves as rulers, taking God’s place and seeking every hedonistic impulse.

Marxism, finally, is the ideological engine behind their destruction — it cannot build, only tear down.

This worldview is evident in their push to indoctrinate children into radical gender ideology and the LGBTQ sex cult. By promoting gender confusion and sexual immorality, the left seeks to prevent children from becoming healthy adults capable of forming families. The family is, after all, the bedrock of any nation. It is the place where values are transmitted and where identities are formed. That’s precisely why the left must destroy it. Leftists want to erase that identity and replace it with a sterile, fragmented one — incapable of bearing children, incapable of passing on faith, culture, or tradition.

So when Hillary Clinton says they want to replace the traditional family with other models foreign to our values, believe her.

A call to action

But we are not without hope. It is our sacred duty to worship God faithfully in our churches, homes, and daily lives. We must marry, have children, and raise them to do the same. This is not just a personal decision; it’s a stand against the forces of darkness. In Genesis 1:28, God commands: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” We must obey this divine mandate.

We must also remember the greatness of our ancestors and the works God has done. Just as the Israelites raised stones of remembrance, we must look back and not forget what God has done for us.

RELATED: Crushed faces, broken legs, knockout punches just tip of the iceberg in savage attacks on pro-lifers

Photo by BRYAN DOZIER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

We read in Joshua 4:6-7: “We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

God has already performed great works in establishing our nation. Many battles have been won. But the work is not finished.

The bombing of the fertility clinic is a grim reminder of the stakes. The left’s war on life and family is not metaphorical. It is real, and it is violent. Leftists seek to eliminate any opposition to their anti-life, anti-family agenda.

But we shouldn’t be intimidated. We must continue to build strong families, pass on our values, and defend the sanctity of life. Only then can we hope to preserve the nation that our forefathers fought so hard to establish. The family is not just a social unit; it is a divine institution, and its preservation is our highest calling.

​Opinion & analysis, The left, Hillary clinton, Family, Marriage, Children, Progressives, Immigration, Religion, War on faith, 92nd street ymca, Ivf clinic bombing, Palm springs, Pro-life, Anti-life, Terrorism 

Polling conducted in the wake of President Donald Trump’s “total reset” with China, his new tariff deal with the United Kingdom, and inflation’s drop to a four-year low revealed on Monday years-high voter confidence in the strength of the economy and a healthy dip in voter pessimism regarding their personal financial situations.

According to the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, 51% of voters — whose top issue altogether after price increases and inflation was the economy — said the economy was “strong.” Last month, only 46% said so, and there hasn’t been a majoritively positive response to this question since July 2021.

Fifty percent of voters expressed confidence the president’s policies will lead to stronger economic growth.

Despite this perceived strength, 51% of respondents suggested the economy was nevertheless on the wrong track. When broken down by political affiliation, 72% of Republican respondents, 15% of Democratic respondents, and 28% of independent respondents alternatively said the economy was on the “right track.”

Over the past few years, the percentage of Americans who said the country on the whole was on the “right track” dribbled around 30%. However, that number skyrocketed from 28% in January, when Trump took office again, to 42% the following month. It is now at 42% again after a dip in April.

‘President Trump is a skilled steward of the economy.’

Last month, 45% of voters said their personal financial situation was getting worse. Pollsters found this month that such pessimism had dropped to 39%, while the percentage of respondents who said they were “just as well off” or that their situation was improving climbed four and two points, respectively.

“The majority of Trump’s policies continue to see strong support especially on immigration and government efficiency, even though there is concern Trump has exceeded guardrails with executive orders and tariffs,” Mark Penn, co-director of the Harvard CAPS/ Harris poll, said in a statement.

Penn added, “If he is able to successfully lower the price of prescription drugs and hold down the fort on inflation, he will be able to unlock 10% more of voters in his approval rating.”

Steve Miran, chairman of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers, said in a statement to Blaze News, “The Harvard/Harris poll is a reflection of the fact that Americans know that President Trump is a skilled steward of the economy.”

“The president’s policies to preserve low tax rates and reduce them further, cut red tape, create energy abundance, and renegotiate America-last trade deals will combine to create a Trump economic boom — just like they did during his first term,” continued Miran. “The best way to create jobs is to create incentives for businesses to hire and invest, and that’s what the president’s policies do.”

‘If it fails, Americans will be subject to a $4 trillion tax hike.’

While there is plenty of optimism around the poll results, entrepreneur and business expert Carol Roth told Blaze News that “it’s tough to get a read on the consumer right now” and noted that “while the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll went into a slim majority, other consumer polls are near record lows.”

“Inflation cooling has been a welcome trend for consumers, as has the tariff pause that led the market to recapture what was lost from the Liberation Day announcements,” continued Roth. “But there are concerning signs with debt delinquencies rising.”

RELATED: Inflation dips to 4-year low despite trade war hysteria: ‘Americans are breathing a sigh of relief’

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

When asked whether Congress’ passage of the tax bill was critical to maintaining this confidence, Miran told Blaze News that “the One Big Beautiful tax bill is a critical part of this policy suite, and if it fails, Americans will be subject to a $4 trillion tax hike, the biggest in history. That’s why it’s absolutely essential that we get it over the line, and we will.”

‘We need deregulation and tax cut permanence.’

Eighty percent of respondents said the U.S. government “should move in the next few years” to balance the budget. When asked whether reductions in government spending or increases in taxing were the way to reduce the budget deficits, 78% signaled a desire for spending cuts.

“While getting more certainty and permanence with tax cuts is critical, the big beautiful bill needs a massive diet, and failure to substantially cut spending by the GOP could undo progress on inflation and worsen our already fragile fiscal foundation,” said Roth. “We need deregulation and tax cut permanence as well as trade deals and the end of tariffs to engender more growth, as well as some serious fiscal responsibility from Congress to make sure that the economy doesn’t get crushed by our ever growing debt burden.”

The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found that 47% of respondents approved of the job that Trump was doing, with 87% of GOP voters approving and 83% of Democrats and 50% of independents disapproving.

The president received highest approval for his handling of immigration and on “returning America to its values,” and 52% of respondents said he was doing a better job than his predecessor.

The Republican Party, meanwhile, enjoyed a positive approval rating of 52%, its highest approval rating since March 2023, whereas the Democratic Party, although no longer plumbing record approval lows, still remained 10 percentage points behind, bogged down in part by the 28% of Democrats who evidently don’t like what their party is doing.

The White House did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment by publication time.

Editor’s note: Carol Roth is a contributor to Blaze News.

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​Donald trump, Polls, Economy, Economic, Trump, Tariffs, Strength, Finance, Money, Inflation, Poll, Harvard, Harris, Polling, Politics