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A debate between the gubernatorial candidates in Virginia turned into a humiliating defeat for Democrats after their nominee refused to withdraw her endorsement of scandal-ridden attorney general candidate Jay Jones.

Democrats have been shoved into an untenable position after leaked texts showed Jones had wished violence on his political opponent as well as his children.

‘Would it take him pulling the trigger? Is that what would do it? And then you would say he needs to get out of the race, Abigail?’

Republican gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears used the issue as a cudgel to hammer away at Democrat Abigail Spanberger during their debate Thursday at Norfolk State University. Spanberger vehemently denounced the comments but tried in vain to derail the conversation and instead attack Sears.

“Abigail, when are you going to take Jay Jones and say to him, ‘You must leave the race’? He has said that he wants to murder his political opponent, and not only that, but his political opponent’s children,” Sears said.

Spanberger tried to filibuster the question without answering, but it only prolonged her embarrassment.

“We are all running our individual races. I believe my opponent has said that about her lieutenant governor nominee, and it’s up to every person to make their own decision. I am running my race to serve Virginia, and that is what I intend to do,” Spanberger eventually said.

Sears pressed on.

“I’m wondering why my opponent won’t say, beyond it’s abhorrent and disgusting, why she won’t say it is not OK and that he must leave the race because Jay Jones advocated the murder, Abigail, the murder of a man,” Sears said.

“Would it take him pulling the trigger? Is that what would do it? And then you would say he needs to get out of the race, Abigail? You have nothing to say?”

Spanberger’s comment appeared to mimic a statement from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she avoided the issue in a CNN interview Wednesday.

“She has to do what she has to do. She’s going to be governor. She’s running very well,” Pelosi said of Spanberger. “Her race is her race, and her state is her state, and it’s up to her.”

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin continued the criticism of Spanberger on social media.

“Abigail Spanberger continues to stand behind her running mate who wanted to see a man and his children murdered,” he wrote. “Abigail, you had your chance to show courage and moral clarity and you failed.”

RELATED: Democrat Jay Jones cancels fundraiser amid growing backlash over violent texts about GOP rival and his kids

Headlines after the debate extended the embarrassment for Spanberger, and video from the debate has already been turned into a devastating campaign advertisement.

Spanberger has had the financial and early polling advantage on Sears in the race, but the emergence of the text scandal in the wake of the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk may tip the scales.

The texts have prompted many to call on Jones to abandon his campaign, but so far, he has not relented.

“I’ve told you this before,” read the Jones text. “Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”

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Americans were told that the infamous pipe bomb was planted on January 5 and found just moments before the first breach of the Capitol on January 6.

However, that narrative is now crumbling.

“You have access now to information that says that this narrative that came from law enforcement originally, this is not true,” BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler says to John Solomon, editor in chief of Just the News.

“Kash Patel has always had his doubts about what happened on January 6. And now that he’s got access to what are known as prohibited case files and other drives of evidence that Congress had never accessed before, we’re beginning to see that the narrative doesn’t hold up,” Solomon tells Wheeler.

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While the FBI’s initial narrative claimed that the pipe bombs were planted by unidentifiable figures the night before, there’s no phone tracking in the time frame that matches the action of the person on video.

“And so over the last six months or so, some people in Congress like Barry Loudermilk, the chairman of the subcommittee, looking at it, starting to wonder, ‘Was that a head fake? Was there something different to look at? Was this a training episode?’” Solomon explains.

“You start opening up the possibilities of things that you didn’t think about in the original analysis when it was so clean and cut and the FBI gave us a nice cookie cutter of what they thought the storyline was,” he continues.

Now, FBI Director Kash Patel has been coming out with new information, like the lab report.

“The lab report shows that both of these bombs were not likely to have been active, meaning they would not have likely exploded with the triggers that were on them,” Solomon tells Wheeler. “And they use language like, ‘If they had been properly assembled, they would have exploded, but it doesn’t look like that.’”

Expert Fred Whitehurst, Solomon recalls, explained that the report had “a lot of problems in it” and was “made to make it sound like these bombs were dangerous and terrible and those bad Donald Trump people probably planted them.”

“There are two key things,” he tells Wheeler. “There doesn’t appear to be a lot of black powder in the bomb. That would be the propellant for the bomb exploding and putting out dangerous material and shrapnel towards people.”

“And then two, if these were planted 16 hours in advance, the bomb maker had an only one hour timer on it. So if you planted them 16 hours earlier, that timer is gone in an hour. What happened?” he continues.

However, that’s when the “real bombshell” came.

“There was a witness who found the Republican National Committee bomb and that witness says there is no chance that bomb was planted 15, 16 hours before,” Solomon tells Wheeler.

The witness noticed that there were 20 minutes left on the timer for the bomb before she alerted the police.

“Now none of that fits the 15-hour narrative that the FBI had long bestowed upon the American public,” Solomon says. “And by the way, that narrative comes from the Capitol police from their video footage.”

“So it starts with the Capitol police,” he adds.

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

Catholic bishops in the Evergreen State fought back — and came out victorious on Friday with the reinforcement of the Trump Justice Department.

Background

Senate Bill 5375, as ratified by the self-identifying Catholic governor and scores of other Democrats in the legislature, required any person operating in an official supervisory capacity with a nonprofit or a for-profit organization who has “reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect” to notify law enforcement or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

‘Priests should never be forced to make the impossible choice of betraying their sacred vows or going to jail.’

The law mandated, however, that no one except for members of the clergy had to report abuse when that information was obtained solely as a result of a privileged communication.

“SB 5375 modifies existing law solely to make members of the clergy mandatory reporters with respect to child abuse or neglect,” U.S. District Judge David Estudillo noted in his July ruling. “However, other groups of adults who may learn about child abuse are not required to report. Parents and caregivers, for example, are not mandatory reporters.”

Estudillo noted further that a parallel piece of legislation that went into effect on July 27 also exempted university attorneys from divulging child abuse information if it has something to do with their clients.

RELATED: Christian counselors fight for freedom of speech before the Supreme Court

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

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

Not only was the law discriminatory, it would have both invited the government into the confessional and put priests at risk of automatic excommunication.

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

The Code of Canon Law — cited in the May 18 complaint filed by Archbishop Paul Etienne of the Archdiocese of Seattle, Bishop Joseph Tyson of the Diocese of Yakima, and Bishop Thomas Daly of the Diocese of Spokane — similarly underscores the inviolability of the sacramental seal, noting further that a “confessor who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs a latae sententiae — automatic — excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.”

A month after the bishops filed suit, the Trump DOJ intervened in the case, stressing that SB 5375 “deprives Catholic priests of their fundamental right to freely exercise their religious beliefs, as guaranteed under the First Amendment.”

Victory

On Friday, the state of Washington settled the case, agreeing to make permanent a Biden judge’s July injunction blocking the law.

The federal court handling the case further recognized that the Democrat law had infringed upon the Catholic bishops’ free exercise of religion in violation of the First Amendment and may also have infringed upon their rights under the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause and the Church Autonomy Doctrine.

Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which served as co-counsel in the case, said in statement obtained by Blaze News, “Washington was wise to walk away from this draconian law and allow Catholic clergy to continue ministering to the faithful. This is a victory for religious freedom and for common sense.”

“Priests should never be forced to make the impossible choice of betraying their sacred vows or going to jail,” added Rienzi.

“Preventing abuse and upholding the sacred seal of confession are not mutually exclusive — we can and must do both,” stated Jean Hill, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference. “That’s why the Church supported the law’s goal from the beginning and only asked for a narrow exemption to protect the sacrament.”

The WSCC added that “priests have been imprisoned, tortured, and even killed for upholding the seal of confession. Penitents today need the same assurance that their participation in a holy sacrament will remain free from government interference.”

Blaze News has reached out to Ferguson’s office for comment.

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With no end in sight for the government shutdown, President Donald Trump’s administration is turning up the heat on Democrats.

The Office of Management and Budget has officially begun issuing reduction-in-force notices that will lead to “substantial” layoffs across several federal agencies, an OMB spokesperson told Blaze News. OMB Director Russell Vought also confirmed the layoffs in a post on X Friday, saying, “The RIFs have begun.”

‘Every day it’s actually getting worse for them.’

Vought originally directed agencies to begin drafting RIF notices back in September in anticipation of the government shutdown. Trump also signaled on Thursday that mass layoffs and program cuts were imminent, warning that Democrats would get “a little taste of their own medicine.”

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

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

Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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

Although Democrats have continued to dig their heels in, Republicans have remained unified behind the president, arguing there’s nothing to negotiate. Going into the 10th day of the shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) made his media rounds on Friday by attending several pressers throughout the day, even joining the House Freedom Caucus for its historic, first-ever press call.

During the call, Johnson also hinted that Congress may be considering another rescissions package and that lawmakers will be hearing more “in the days to come.”

RELATED: Most Democrats vote against bill boosting security funds for politicians following Kirk assassination

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

As of this writing, Democrats have voted to keep the government closed over a half dozen times since the September 30 funding deadline lapsed. The Republican-led funding bill Democrats have so heavily protested is a clean, nonpartisan CR that keeps the government open at the current spending levels, with the exception of increased funding for security following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

In contrast, the Democrats’ funding bill boasts a $1.5 trillion price tag, aiming to reverse virtually every legislative accomplishment Republicans secured with Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Even with competing legislation, Congress has reached a stalemate, with both the House and the Senate out of session until Tuesday.

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“Hollywood has the best moral compass.” —Harvey Weinstein.

“I ain’t raising my kids in this town.” —George Clooney.

OK, the second one isn’t a direct quote, but it’s close enough. The Oscar winner recently admitted a key reason he left La-La Land after marrying his legal eagle bride Amal.

The All-American Halftime Show will bring something that hasn’t been part of football’s biggest day for a long time: patriotism.

The actor told Esquire about his bucolic life on a farm in France and why it’s a better fit for his young family.

“They have a much better life [in France]. I was worried about raising our kids in L.A., in the culture of Hollywood. I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life.”

What, no nepo baby plans?

Crime. Homelessness. Drugs. Lack of opportunity. Yes, the greater Hollywood area is no place to raise a family, and Clooney almost says it verbatim. Better yet, maybe if California stopped voting in hapless Democrats, its big cities might be more family-friendly?

Less than zero (stars)

Somebody had to say it.

Author and raconteur Bret Easton Ellis is sharing what no one in Hollywood will. The critical devotion to “One Battle After Another,” a cinematic love letter to violent radicals, is all about the film’s hard-Left, anti-ICE politics.

It’s kind of shocking to see these kind of accolades for — I’m sorry, it’s not a very good movie — because of its political ideology, and it’s so obvious that’s what they’re responding to, why it’s considered a masterpiece, the greatest film of the decade, the greatest film ever made. Because it really aligns with this kind of leftist sensibility.

He makes a solid point. The film features silly, cartoonish characters, gaping plot holes, and endless sympathy for terrorists. But it’s anti-ICE (without ever mentioning the acronym). Thus the raves.

And, Elllis predicts, the film will age badly. And soon. We’ll see. The only chance it doesn’t win Best Picture is if its momentum peaks too soon or enough anti-ICE attacks occur so that even woke Hollywood wakes up at last …

Pot, meet kettle

Jimmy Kimmel is probably sore he didn’t get an invite.

Some big-name comedians, including Bill Burr, Louis C.K., and Aziz Ansari, are taking heat for performing at a Saudi Arabian comedy festival. The regime is hardly immune to human rights abuse, and good luck roasting the royal family from any given stage.

So when Ansari showed up on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the host decided to grill him like Woodward and/or Bernstein.

“People are questioning why you would go over there and take their money to perform in front of these people,” Kimmel began. “They murdered a journalist [Jamal Khashoggi]. These are not good people over there.”

Ansari defended himself, saying he was speaking to a repressed gathering and it “could push things in a positive direction.”

What the “Parks and Recreation” alum should have said after that was, “Hey, why did you malign MAGA unfairly and never come close to apologizing?”

That would have shut Kimmel up …

RELATED: Bad Bunny: Learn Spanish if you want to understand my Super Bowl performance

Photo by: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images

Patriots win

I guess we don’t have to learn Spanish in four months after all.

Turning Point USA is planning an alternative Super Bowl halftime show so that viewers don’t have to settle for Bad Bunny’s anti-Trump, anti-border-control shctick during the big game.

Now gridiron fans have a plan B for the game. The All-American Halftime Show will bring something that hasn’t been part of football’s biggest day for a long time: patriotism.

Details are scarce regarding the talent, but it’s another sign that right-leaning Americans are fed up with the nonstop messaging coming out of the left (and the institutions the left has captured) …

Noah’s no-no

Give Trevor Noah some credit. He’s consistent. Consistently unfunny, to be exact.

The far-left comedian is always up for a challenge. They said “The Daily Show” was unsinkable. To which new host Noah said “hold my beer” — and promptly drove off 1 million viewers.

Noah’s latest trick? Find the funny in the gruesome public assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Now, gallows humor is a legitimate form of comedy, and sometimes dark humor can be a way to process grief. (See the Onion’s 9/11 issue, for example.)

But Noah’s attempt at comedy failed on two basic levels.

“You have to admit, that is an incongruous, funny thing that happened,” quipped the oh-so-clever comic. “You are there, on stage, and you’re like, ‘Let me tell you why people should have guns,’ wa-pahhh.”

First of all, supporting the Second Amendment is hardly equivalent to condoning wanton gun violence. If Kirk’s brutal murder “proves” anything, it’s that there will always be deranged souls willing to resort to violence.

And the comment itself — which hundreds of witless online wags made before Noah — barely qualifies as a joke. Which is on brand, we’ll give him that …

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Dominion Voting Systems, the Canada-based company that was accused of helping throw the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, has been sold to Scott Leiendecker, the founder and chairman of the Missouri-based company Liberty Vote.

Leiendecker, a former Republican election director of the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissions who also serves as CEO of the election technology company KnowInk, said in a statement that Liberty Vote’s “mission is rooted in American values and committed to transparency, independent audits, and verifiable paper records.”

Liberty Vote has acquired Dominion, which will move all of its operations to the United States. The website for Dominion now also redirects to the Liberty Vote site.

Nevada’s Democrat Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar has given him the stamp of approval.

In the spirit of President Donald Trump’s March 25 executive order titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” — which insists upon a voter-verifiable paper record — Liberty Vote will apparently also prioritize the use of hand-marked paper ballots and third-party auditing to bolster election security.

According to the Daily Caller, Leiendecker conditioned the deal on dropping a number of outstanding defamation lawsuits against prominent conservatives as well as the One America News Network.

Although Dominion machines have had issues in the past — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson admitted last year, for instance, that there was a nationwide “programming” issue with those Dominion voting machines that allowed access for people with disabilities — critics alleged in the wake of the 2020 election that Dominion manipulated votes in its electric terminals to help elect Joe Biden.

RELATED: Honor system? More like fraud system

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

For instance, former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell suggested, without providing evidence, on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that Dominion software was “where the fraud took place, where they were flipping votes in the computer system or adding votes that did not exist.”

The platforming of such claims proved costly for Fox News, which agreed to pay $787.5 million in April 2023 to settle its defamation lawsuit with Dominion. In August, Newsmax reached a $67 million settlement with the company but maintained that its coverage was “fair, balanced, and conducted within professional standards of journalism.”

Dominion has in recent months reached settlements with other outfits and individuals who raised concerns about the 2020 election, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in late September and Powell in June.

Leiendecker told the Daily Caller that remaining litigation with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell will be dropped per the terms of the acquisition agreement.

While Leiendecker is a Republican and has made a goodwill gesture to the conservatives targeted by his new acquisition, Liberty Vote officials signaled to Axios that he is ultimately a neutral actor, noting that Nevada’s Democrat Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar has given him the stamp of approval, characterizing Leiendecker as “open, honest, and transparent.”

Blaze News has reached out to Aguilar to confirm his support for Leiendecker.

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Many football fans complain that Shedeur Sanders is a nepo baby — someone who has achieved prominence due to family connections (nepotism) rather than merit. They argue that his famous father, Deion Sanders, has laid a golden path for him, leading Shedeur to undeserved success.

Whether it was installing him as the starting quarterback at Jackson State University and later at the University of Colorado Boulder, where Deion ensured Shedeur was named the team’s quarterback without competition, or leveraging his own fame to secure high-profile NIL deals and public endorsements for Shedeur, Deion has consistently paved the way for his son’s success in football and beyond.

Maybe it worked for a while, but now that Shedeur is in the NFL playing for the Cleveland Browns, it seems Daddy’s influence is beginning to backfire, as it becomes clear that Shedeur isn’t the superstar Deion has made him out to be.

On October 7, the Browns traded first-string quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, pushing rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel to first string and Shedeur to second string. But during a press conference, head coach Kevin Stefanski avoided directly naming Shedeur as the clear QB2 behind Gabriel.

When asked by a reporter if Shedeur would now be the backup quarterback, he said, “I’ll let the week play out, make a decision later on that.”

For a few days, there was speculation that Bailey Zappe, who plays on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, could be promoted to the QB2 spot over Shedeur, but earlier today, Stefanski officially named Sanders as the backup quarterback behind Gabriel.

Even still, his hesitancy speaks volumes.

Jason Whitlock, BlazeTV host of “Fearless,” reads between the lines: The Browns don’t have a ton of faith in Shedeur Sanders.

“This is a no-win situation. If [Shedeur] succeeds, everyone’s gonna say, ‘Why didn’t he play to begin with?’ But if he fails, it’s like, ‘Well, they put him in a position to fail,”’ contributor Steve Kim says. “I think Stefanski’s in a real catch-22 here.”

Jason sees Stefanski’s reluctance to immediately confirm Shedeur as the number two quarterback as “an indictment of Shedeur Sanders and an indictment of the Browns organization.”

“What it really says is, ‘We shouldn’t have kept this guy,”’ he says.

“They’re keeping Shedeur out of some sort of political or fear factor or some other agenda other than what’s best for [the Browns’] roster.”

To hear more of the conversation, watch the video above.

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Dr. Oz is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator for President Trump, and he’s joining Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck on “Glenn TV” to debunk the left’s lies surrounding the current government shutdown.

“It is really reprehensible, what the Democrats are doing,” Oz tells Glenn. “This has been a process, this continuing resolution process, whether you like it or not, that’s gone on for a long time.”

“One of the things we addressed, I think, quite successfully, is the fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicaid. In fact, some of the points you make like money going towards illegal immigrants — again, it’s not that you’re paying for it in California; it’s that folks are being taxed in Mississippi and Texas and Florida, and that money is being shipped to California,” Oz explains.

“We stopped that. We’re not going to reverse that. And we’re certainly not going to reverse it for seven weeks of continuation so we can actually have more negotiations,” he says, noting that Medicaid and Medicare are only getting hurt by shutting down the government.

“These programs, we struggle to keep open when you have a shutdown of this nature. This is high-stakes poker, and it’s unfair, and frankly, the Democrats don’t have many chips anyway,” he adds.

Glenn notes that some Democrats are now asking whether or not illegal immigrants will be helped in the emergency room — even in life-or-death situations where the patient may have a gunshot wound.

But Oz says that question distorts the truth, explaining that there’s a law that will protect illegal immigrants.

“You will get the care you need, especially if it’s lifesaving care. You’re in trouble if you don’t provide that care. So this is not about that at all. This is about giving benefits to illegal immigrants,” Oz explains.

“Again, I’ll pick on California because it’s such an obvious case. … If you’re on Medicaid in California and you’re an illegal immigrant, you are getting free dental care. It’s just not fair to the American people,” he says.

“It’s not like the citizens of California are paying for that. We’re footing most of the bill at the federal government, which we tax every one of the other 49 states and then we pay California to make up for the fact that they’ve decided to fund illegal immigrant health care,” he adds.

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First lady Melania Trump has joined forces with an unexpected foreign leader to lead a crucial humanitarian effort in a war-torn region.

During a press conference Friday, Mrs. Trump announced her partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin to reunite Ukrainian children with their families. So far, eight children who were displaced by the war were reunited with their families in just the last day or so, she indicated. The first lady also confirmed that she remains in communication with Putin to continue the effort.

‘I hope peace will come soon. It can begin with our children.’

“A child’s soul knows no borders, no flags,” Trump said.

“We must foster a future for our children which is rich with potential, security, and complete with free will,” she added. “A world where dreams will be realized rather than faded by war.”

RELATED: Trump teases shutdown consequences for Democrats: ‘A little taste of their own medicine’

Photo by Contributor/Getty Images

During her address, the first lady recounted the initial letter she wrote to Putin in August 2024, raising concerns about the children who were separated from their families due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

“Since then, President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children,” Trump said.

Over the last three months, both Ukraine and Russia have participated in several “back-channel meetings” that Trump says have all been “in good faith.”

“Each child has lived in turmoil because of the war in Ukraine,” she said, speaking about the eight children who were reunited this week. “Three were separated from their parents and displaced to the Russian Federation because of frontline fighting. The other five were separated from family members across borders because of the conflict.”

RELATED: Drones shut down airports in NATO countries as suspicion falls on Russia

Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Mrs. Trump also said that Russia has agreed to work alongside officials to return children who have turned 18 since their displacement.

“Again, this remains an ongoing effort,” Trump said. “Plans are already under way to reunify more children in the immediate future. I hope peace will come soon. It can begin with our children.”

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The drums of war are echoing across the Caribbean. U.S. warships patrol the southern sea lanes, and squadrons of F-35s wait on standby in Puerto Rico. Strike lists are reportedly being drafted in Washington. The question is not whether the United States can act but whether it should. And more importantly: Who is the real enemy?

All signs point to Venezuela, long a fixation of neoconservatives who see regime change as a cure-all. For years, some in the Republican Party have argued that Venezuela sits at the center of Latin America’s drug trade and that military action is overdue.

A legitimate campaign to combat drug cartels must not morph into another regime-change crusade.

That narrative is convenient — but false. Venezuela is not a cartel state, and this is not a war on drugs.

A tale of two narco-states

In September, the Trump administration made two moves that reshaped the regional map. It added Venezuela to its annual list of major drug-transit and production countries and, for the first time since 1996, decertified Colombia as a U.S. partner in the war on drugs.

That decision was deliberate. It acknowledged what U.S. policymakers have long avoided saying: Colombia, not Venezuela, is the true narco-state.

Colombia remains the world’s leading producer of cocaine. From Pablo Escobar’s Medellín empire to the FARC’s narco-financing, traffickers and insurgents have repeatedly seized control of state institutions and vast territories. At their height, these groups ruled nearly half the country. Decades of U.S. intervention under “Plan Colombia” have failed to stem coca cultivation, which remains near record highs.

Venezuela, by contrast, has never been a major coca producer. Its role is mostly as a minor transit corridor for Colombian cocaine en route to global markets. Corruption is real — particularly within elements of the military, where networks of officers known as the “Cartel of the Suns” have profited from trafficking. But those are rogue actors, not the state itself.

Unlike Colombia, Venezuela has never seen cartels seize entire provinces or build autonomous zones. The country’s economic collapse has weakened state control, but it hasn’t transformed Venezuela into another Sinaloa or Medellín.

Regime-change fever returns

Despite this, Washington appears to be edging toward confrontation. Naval buildups and targeted strikes on Venezuelan vessels look increasingly like the opening moves of a regime-change operation.

The danger is familiar. Once again, the United States risks being drawn into a war that cannot be won — one that drains resources, destabilizes the region, and achieves nothing for the American people. The echoes of Iraq and Afghanistan are unmistakable. Those conflicts cost thousands of American lives and trillions of dollars, only to end in retreat and disillusionment.

Americans have every reason to demand a serious, coordinated strategy against the cartels that flood our communities with cocaine and fentanyl. But targeting Venezuela misreads the map. Only a fraction of the hemisphere’s narcotics pass through Venezuelan territory — and the country produces no fentanyl at all.

If Washington wants to dismantle the cartels, it must focus on the coca fields of Colombia and the trafficking corridors of Mexico, not Caracas.

RELATED: Oops! The man they call a ‘threat to democracy’ just made peace again

Photo by Hu Yousong/Xinhua via Getty Images

No exit

A U.S. invasion of Venezuela would be a disaster. The Maduro regime has already begun arming civilians. Guerrilla groups operate in both urban and jungle terrain. The population is hostile, the geography unforgiving, and the odds of a prolonged insurgency high.

The opposition, eager for power, would have every incentive to let American soldiers do its fighting — then disavow the costs.

A war would not remain confined to Venezuelan borders. It would destabilize Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil, and unleash a wave of migrants heading north. The fall of Saddam Hussein set off migration patterns that reshaped Europe for a generation. A conflict in Venezuela could do the same to the United States.

Limited airstrikes would achieve little beyond satisfying the egos of Washington’s most hawkish voices. A full-scale invasion would create a power vacuum ripe for chaos.

The real test

President Trump faces a critical test of restraint. Interventionists inside his own administration will press for action. He must resist them. A legitimate campaign to combat drug cartels must not morph into another regime-change crusade.

America has paid dearly for those mistakes before. It should not make them again.

​Opinion & analysis, Donald trump, Venezuela, War, Nicolas maduro, Gulf of america, Drug trafficking, Drug cartels, Caracas, Navy, Colombia, Cocaine, Fentanyl, Regime change, Neoconservatives, Anti-war 

Casualties are expected from an explosion at a military-supplier facility in Tennessee, and officials have said they are working to locate 19 personnel who are currently unaccounted for.

The explosion was reported at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant near Bucksnort about 60 miles southwest of Nashville at about 7:50 a.m.

‘Keep everyone in your prayers as we go through this the next few days.’

Hickman County Sheriff Jason Craft released few details as the rescue efforts continue.

“We’re at the beginning stages of all of this,” Craft said. “We’re getting information minute by minute, and we’re going to continue to build on that and do what we need to do. Keep everyone in your prayers as we go through this the next few days.”

The explosion was heard miles away from the site. Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said there were minor explosions heard after the main blast.

“We do have several people at this time unaccounted for. We are trying to be mindful of families and that situation,” Davis added. “We do have some that are deceased.”

The plant is owned by Accurate Energetic Systems, which develops and manufactures explosives for the military and other industries.

RELATED: Suspicious package detonated by police at university ahead of Turning Point USA event

Mayor Jim Bates said in a CNN interview that the plant had no safety issues except for a “small ammunition explosion” in 2014.

“It’s pretty devastating to see this,” he added.

Humphreys County emergency management team spokesperson Grey Collier said they are working to notify families.

“The families are there waiting at the main office to hear news, to find out about their loved ones,” she added.

Bates added: “We just pray that the good Lord keeps their hand on the families that’s involved.”

The Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is involved in the investigation.

This is a developing story.

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​Tennessee military facility, Facility explosion, Bucksnort explosion, Accurate energetic systems, Politics 

Charlie Calkins waited. He waited for the stars to align. He waited for the right woman to appear, for the perfect partner to materialize. None of it happened. So he improvised. He became a father anyway.

This is America in 2025: a country where men bypass marriage as if it were a tollbooth. Where fatherhood is recast as a consumer choice. Where children risk becoming accessories to adult ambition.

The real question facing modern masculinity isn’t how to become fathers without wives. It’s how to become men worthy of wives in the first place.

The Atlantic tells Calkins’ story in its recent celebration of this trend, dressing it up as progress, as evolution, even as a solution to masculinity’s supposed crisis.

But it isn’t progress. If anything, it’s the very opposite.

Motherless by design

These aren’t men widowed by tragedy or abandoned by partners. They’re men who have deliberately chosen to design motherless homes. Not by accident, but by intent. Not through misfortune, but through willful selfishness. Here are men so allergic to commitment that they would rather hire wombs than marry. So determined to avoid the risk of family life that they would orphan their own children from birth.

And the science isn’t debatable here. Single-parent homes breed absolute chaos, the sorts of problems that ripple through every part of society. They fuel crime, academic failure, and emotional wreckage on a scale too obvious to ignore.

Boys without fathers are far more likely to end up in gangs, in prison, or dead in their 20s. Girls without fathers often become teenage mothers, repeating the cycle before they have a chance to escape it.

The absence of mothers brings its own devastation. Boys without them wrestle with wild anger. Without her steady hand, they lose their way. Lacking her love, they grow restless, reckless, and resentful. Girls without mothers face higher risks of depression, self-destruction, and fractured identity, deprived of the model that teaches them how to become women.

Broken homes, broken bodies

The wreckage is measured in blood and sometimes bullets. The Minnesota trans-identifying shooter’s parents were divorced, just like the parents of Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook killer. Many other mass shooters share the same broken background. Wounded families breed wounded children, and some grow up to wound others.

Contrary to what the Atlantic claims, these “single dads by choice” aren’t fixing masculinity’s crisis. They are the crisis. Real masculine leadership builds institutions. It doesn’t turn family into a transaction. Marriage isn’t optional prep work. It’s boot camp for parenthood. It’s the daily grind of sacrifice and commitment, the training ground where men learn to put someone else first. Those skills don’t arrive with a birth certificate.

Formation by fire

A man who skips marriage skips character formation. He chooses the drive-through version of family — fast, convenient, and ultimately empty. Can’t find the right woman? Rent one. Struggle with relationships? Delete the requirement. Find commitment too complicated? Engineer around it entirely.

But family isn’t supposed to be engineered. It’s forged in fire, through conflict, through reconciliation, through the daily miracle of two people choosing each other again and again. Children need to see it. They need both perspectives. They need the security of parents bound by more than biology.

These “single dads by choice” are emotional adolescents. They’ve found a loophole in human nature, a way to get what they want without ever growing up. And it won’t be these dads who pay the price. It will be their children.

RELATED: Homosexual who fundraised to get baby through surrogacy exposed as pedophile

Image composite: Rainbow photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images; Photo of Brandon Mitchell from Pennsylvania Sex Offender Registry.

Picture that child 20 years from now: sitting in a therapist’s office, wrestling with abandonment issues he can’t name. Struggling to understand why his father’s desire for parenthood mattered more than his own need for a mother. “But Dad wanted me so much,” he’ll say. “He went to such lengths.” Yes, he did. Every length except the one that mattered: learning to love a woman, to commit to building something together, to create a real family instead of a designer arrangement.

The real question facing modern masculinity isn’t how to become fathers without wives. It’s how to become men worthy of wives in the first place. How to shoulder the work of partnership, build something bigger than yourself, and pass on stability to the next generation.

Single fatherhood by choice doesn’t answer this challenge. It surrenders to it. And it feeds a cultural shift that Americans should recognize as dangerous.

Structure of responsibility

For centuries, the basis of a healthy society was marriage between a man and a woman. That union produced not only children but continuity, a structure of responsibility that connected men to the work of family and women to the security of partnership.

The breakdown of that bedrock was gradual — first through the normalization of divorce, then the redefinition of marriage itself, first into a cultural abstraction, then into same-sex unions, then into same-sex adoption. At every turn, the essential was downgraded to optional and the optional was elevated to a right. Marriage no longer stood as the pillar of family life but as a lifestyle choice, easy to embrace or evade. And the cost is clear. Children without two committed parents pass that damage on, multiplying it across generations.

The question is not whether single parents can be heroic — many are. The question is what happens when a society normalizes broken homes and calls it progress. When the exception becomes the expectation, everyone suffers.

​Culture 

President Trump was shocked at reactions from members of the press on Thursday while making an official proclamation about Columbus Day.

Appearing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the president spoke to the media about his landmark peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Before his remarks though, he made time to sign a document about the historic explorer Christopher Columbus.

‘We love the Italians.’

After a short history lesson from staff secretary Will Scharf about Columbus’ travels to the New World in 1492, Trump promptly summarized the document by stating, “In other words, we’re calling it Columbus Day.”

Shockingly, the press erupted in applause.

“Yes!” one person was heard saying as Trump looked off to his staff, puzzled.

“That was the press that broke out in applause,” the bewildered president pointed out. “That was — can you believe that? I’ve never seen that happen before. The press actually broke out in applause.”

Laughing, Trump then presented the newly signed document before delivering one of his famous one-liners.

RELATED: DEBUNKED: The left’s claims about Christopher Columbus are FALSE

“Columbus Day, we’re back!” Trump said, showing the document off. “Columbus Day! We’re back, Italians! OK? We love the Italians.”

The proclamation honors Columbus’ life, faith, courage, and perseverance while further cementing October 13, 2025, as Columbus Day. It also discusses attempts by progressives to cancel Columbus with claims he is a controversial figure.

“Outrageously, in recent years, Christopher Columbus has been a prime target of a vicious and merciless campaign to erase our history, slander our heroes, and attack our heritage,” the document reads.

Describing “left-wing radicals” who have toppled statues and monuments of the explorer while tarnishing his character, Trump declared in the writings that “those days are finally over.”

“Our Nation will now abide by a simple truth: Christopher Columbus was a true American hero, and every citizen is eternally indebted to his relentless determination,” Trump wrote.

The shift in federal guidance comes after President Joe Biden issued the first presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day — to be observed on Columbus Day — in 2021.

“For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures,” Biden wrote at the time. “Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society.”

RELATED: Saving History

A depiction of Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) claiming possession of the New World, 1492. Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images

On Thursday, Trump further praised Italian Americans for their contribution to American culture.

“United States and Italy share a special bond rooted in the timeless values of faith, family, and freedom,” Trump explained.

Finally, the White House said it will direct the American flag to be displayed on all public buildings on Columbus Day to honor his legacy as well as “all who have contributed to building our Nation.”

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​Trump, News, Columbus, Columbus day, Press, Media, Woke, Left-wing, Statues, Politics 

I was sitting in a Starbucks the other day, typing away on the laptop open in front of me, pausing to look out the window and watch the cars roll by every few minutes, when a young guy walked over and just started talking to me.

Him: “Do you mind if I talk to you a bit? Would you like to have a conversation?”

In our day and age, sitting and talking with someone you’ll probably never see again is oddly refreshing. It just feels good.

Me: “Um, sure. Have a seat. Are you working on a project or something? Writing something?”

Him: “No. I’m just trying to talk to more people. I used to be really socially awkward, so a few years ago I decided that I should just talk to people when I have a few extra minutes.”

Channeling Albert

I thought it was a fantastic idea and said as much; then I asked if he came up with it on his own. He said that he had.

I told him that back in the 1930s the psychologist Albert Ellis did a similar thing for a similar reason. Basically Ellis — then a very shy young man in his 20s — would go to the park and talk to every single woman he saw. All ages, shapes, and sizes. He reported that it helped him immensely, essentially curing him of his crippling social anxiety.

I brought up Ellis not to undercut the creativity of his idea but to underscore the fact that he was on to something very real. Great minds think alike, you know.

I asked him if he thought it had helped him, and he, like Ellis, confirmed that it certainly had.

Stop me if you’ve heard this

He told me he was Catholic and was waiting for a Jehovah’s Witness who was meeting him for a debate. I didn’t ask him how exactly they set this debate or how they crossed paths, but I can only imagine that they were discussing theology online and decided to continue their argument IRL.

It really sounds like a good start to a joke, doesn’t it? A Catholic and a Jehovah’s Witness walk into a Starbucks for a theological debate.

I talked with him for about 15 minutes. He told me he was 18 and that he was in middle school during COVID, to which I responded, with my palm holding my forehead, “My God, you are so young and I am so old.” We talked a lot about his experiences speaking with people. How some were more open and others less so, and how he thought other people in his generation would benefit from doing something similar.

I told him that I think the Zoomers’ emotions were calibrated differently from their elders’ due to technology and the social isolation it has brought along with it. He agreed.

RELATED: What college students can learn from loneliness

Heritage Images/Getty Images

Communication breakdown

He also shared a theory about how we perceive one another in our technological age. He explained that in his opinion we tend to project the most extreme views onto those with whom we disagree before we even interact, with the result that we adjust our own views to be more extreme. Everyone is constantly doing this, which is why communication gets worse and worse.

I found this compelling. I had never thought of it that way, and while I need to ponder it more to know if I really agree or not, I think there must be some truth to it. I also think, due to his age, he has a more personal insight into his generation’s sense of the world than I. He is a native to his strange world, while I am only a documentarian noting the ways of these peculiar people we call Zoomers.

Listen up

I like talking to people. Truthfully, I like doing the listening more than the talking. It might be because I’m a writer and always looking for inspiration, or maybe it’s because I’m perpetually curious about everyone and everything. Whatever it is, I like sitting there, just listening, taking in what they have to share, trying to figure them out. If you ask people about themselves, they will just talk and talk, and you can learn about all these other corners in all these other lives.

Our world can feel very internal these days with the internet and all the text-based interaction we suffer through. It’s easy to feel alone and estranged from everyone else. In our day and age, sitting and talking with someone you’ll probably never see again is oddly refreshing. It just feels good.

I really enjoyed my time talking with Zoomer Albert Ellis. I was fairly uninspired when he sat down, and our discussion was invigorating in a way that only human interaction can be. I learned something about the Zoomers and their social struggles as seen through his eyes. And it was heartening to see this young guy trying to better himself in the real world. Perhaps the kids — or at least some of them — are all right.

After a few minutes, a big black truck pulled up and a slender guy in his 40s with graying hair hopped out. The Zoomer across from me concluded that this must be his debate partner and said goodbye. He met him outside on the patio, where they sat at a black table, across from one another, for quite some time. I went back to my work, writing. Every few minutes I glanced out the window to see the a spirited theological debate, politely raging, IRL.

​Men’s style, Conversation, Zoomers, Lifestyle, Strangers, Internet, Albert ellis, Anxiety, Shyness, The root of the matter 

Prior to his assassination, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk invited Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck to join him on his fall campus tour. Honoring his promise to his faithfully departed friend, Beck took the stage alone on Thursday to a packed house at the Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center on the University of North Dakota campus in Grand Forks.

— (@)

In addition to discussing American greatness and the moral complexity of U.S. history with the aid of artifacts from his vast museum collection — an American history collection he claims trumps all others in size with the exception to the National Archives and the Library of Congress — Beck shared a number of penetrating insights of both a professional and a personal nature.

On the professional side, Beck revealed that prior to Sept. 10, he had been preparing to tell Kirk that he would turn over his national radio slot to the Turning Point USA founder years down the road when he retires.

“I was grooming Charlie to replace me,” said Beck.

‘You are a divine daughter and son of God with all of the rights and privileges that go with that.’

“He didn’t know that because I wanted to say that to him as a surprise: ‘I’ve watched you. You’ve surpassed me. You have worked so hard. You’ve done everything you’re supposed to do. I haven’t seen anyone like you. I will turn my radio, my internet, whatever you need, over to you because you deserve it.'”

Referencing lessons learned from Kirk as well as his own life, Beck — wearing the same kind of black-on-white “Freedom” shirt that his friend was murdered in — also discussed nine things he regards as truths “that will shape you into the person you are born to be.”

1. Question everything

“Question everything. Everything. Anyone who tells you, ‘Don’t ask that question’ — run from them,” said Beck.

The Blaze Media co-founder emphasized that this principle should be universally applied, especially when it comes to matters of theology. After all, Beck noted, God gave man the ability to reason, furnished him with curiosity, and left signs of Himself in and throughout creation, altogether affording the questioner everything he needs to become a firm believer.

“God wants you to find Him,” said Beck. “He is your Father.”

RELATED: Leftists try to shut down Turning Point USA at Rutgers for criticizing Antifa professor

— (@)

2. The truth will set you free

Although acting forthrightly and speaking truthfully was a recurrent theme throughout Beck’s address, Beck suggested that being truthful about sin and confessing sin is liberating and that there is freedom in the understanding that “you are a divine daughter and son of God with all of the rights and privileges that go with that.”

3. Choose your thoughts

Beck noted that the human mind traffics multitudes of thoughts every day and that these thoughts have the power to define who we are. Therefore, it is incumbent upon free, thinking beings to exercise agency over their thoughts and be judicious about which thoughts to entertain or prioritize.

“The most powerful words in any language is ‘I am.’ Be careful what you follow that with,” said Beck. “Why would you let the world tell you who you are? You are the only one that decides that. Life doesn’t happen to you. Are you going to be acted upon, or are you somebody that acts?”

4. You will ‘serve something.’ Choose carefully.

Beck stressed that every person will invariably “serve something,” recognizing something or someone at the summit of their hierarchy of values.

“You will serve something in your life. Guarantee it,” said Beck, citing addiction and God as possibilities. “Choose your master because if you don’t, your master will choose you.”

— (@)

5. Forgiveness is essential

Beck, who would later discuss the competing elements of good and bad in persons and nations alike, noted that “without forgiveness, everything else falls apart.”

Citing the recent example of Erika Kirk forgiving her husband’s murderer, Beck acknowledged that forgiving others can be “crippling hard” but nevertheless important, in part because retaining animus toward trespassers could prove corrosive.

Beck noted further that it is important also to forgive oneself and to “put on the helmet of salvation.”

6. Discipline is freedom

Reflecting on an incident where antagonistic forces in media apparently sought to tear him down, Beck noted that “no one can trap” those who live virtuously, are transparent about their failings, and emulate righteous people.

7. Faith is for realists

Beck hinted that faith, especially of the kind Kirk exhibited, is not a temporal remedy but an eternal connection; the confession of which is not self-serving but God-centric.

“Charlie had the faith that … if I’m doing what I’m asked by the Lord to do, it will all be fine,” said Beck. “It doesn’t mean that it works out for you in the end, but it works out for God. Because Charlie was so faithful, because he worked so hard, because he built what he built in the name of God, somebody comes in and takes him and out — and look what God has done with that.”

— (@)

8. Gratitude changes everything

Continuing to strike against the worship of comfort in today’s day and age, Beck underscored the importance of gratitude not only as an antidote for envy, a force he suggested courses through the left, but as the proper response to life’s many hardships.

“Gratitude changes everything. It doesn’t erase the hardship. It doesn’t. But failure is fertilizer. It’s fertilizer for something great that is about to grow,” said Beck.

Beck noted further that Kirk’s family, friends, and followers exemplified gratitude by the way in which they responded to his murder.

“You had a choice: Choose death, choose anger, choose vengeance, or choose life, choose charity, choose peace, choose forgiveness — and look how you’ve already changed the world,” said Beck.

RELATED: Turning Point USA to offer ‘All American Halftime Show’ alternative to NFL’s woke Super Bowl spectacle

— (@)

9. Community is oxygen

Beck finally cautioned about becoming siloed both on and offline, stressing the importance of hope-driven community: “You must have people around you.”

Echoing Benjamin Franklin, Beck noted that “the best way to serve God is to serve our fellow man” and that societal transformation is necessarily social.

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​Glenn beck, Beck, Turning point usa, University of north dakota, Faith, Religion, Christ, Christianity, Tpusa, Campus tour, Charlie kirk, Politics 

Katie Porter, a Democrat candidate for governor of California, was the most favored candidate to replace Gavin Newsom. However, her recent meltdown during a basic interview may have cost her everything.

“What do you say to the 40% of California voters who you’ll need in order to win who voted for Trump?” a reporter asked Porter.

“How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?” Porter asked, laughing.

“Well, unless you think you’re going to get 60% of the vote. You think you’ll get 60%? Everybody who did not vote for Trump will vote for you. That’s what you’re saying,” the reporter continued.

“In a general election, yes. If it is me versus a Republican, I think that I will win the people who did not vote for Trump,” Porter responded.

When the reporter asked what she would do if it was another Democrat that she was running against, Porter answered that she didn’t “intend that to be the case,” which confused the reporter even more.

“How do you not intend that to be the case? Are you going to ask them not to run?” the reporter asked.

As the interview went on, Porter continued to refuse to answer the initial question, which was “What do you say to the 40% of California voters” whom she’ll need to win, calling the reporter “unnecessarily argumentative.”

Porter then said, “I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m going to call it.”

“You’re not going to do the interview with us?” the reporter said, stunned.

“Nope. Not like this. I’m not. Not with seven follow-ups to every single question you ask,” Porter said.

“Every other candidate has answered —” the reporter responded, before Porter cut her off again, and then fought her on her attempts to keep the interview going, calling herself a “leader.”

Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck and BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere are stunned by the interview.

“Didn’t go well,” Glenn says.

“She’s never had to deal with follow-up questions before. … We sometimes don’t appreciate what a great life it must be on the left. … You never have to deal with anything. No one ever asks you a follow-up. No one ever pushes you on anything,” Stu comments.

“She asks one minor follow-up question that isn’t adversarial at all, and she pulls the plug on the interview,” he continues, shocked.

“That’s not even a follow-up question. It’s like, ‘Do you want more voters?’ That’s the hard question she walked out of an interview for,” he adds.

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A female ex-teacher and cheerleading coach in Alabama has been indicted after allegedly having sex with a student, a local report states.

Citing court documents, 1819 News reported that police arrested 32-year-old Makaela Caldwell Hodgins of Woodland on a $30,000 bond.

Students under 19 cannot consent to sexual relations with school employees in Alabama.

Hodgins pleaded not guilty during an initial court appearance, 1819 News reported.

Mike Segrest — district attorney of Alabama’s 5th Judicial Circuit — told Blaze News the grand jury indictment occurred Sept. 12, Hodgins turned herself in Sept. 15, and her next court date is Oct. 28 in Randolph County. Segrest told Blaze News he believes Hodgins posted bond. She is not listed in the Randolph County Jail roster.

The former teacher is accused of sexually abusing a male student under the age of 19, the outlet reported, citing charging documents, adding that the alleged victim’s age was not disclosed. Segrest told Blaze News he couldn’t disclose the juvenile student’s age but noted that there would have been additional charges against her if the student was younger than 16.

According to Alabama state law, school employees are prohibited from engaging in sex acts with students under the age of 19, and students under 19 cannot consent to sexual relations with school employees in Alabama.

In Alabama, the charge of a school employee engaging in a sex act with a student who is under the age of 19 years is a Class B felony, and it carries a minimum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.

RELATED: Ex-middle school teacher — guilty of 21 counts of sex crimes against daughter’s underage babysitter — learns her fate

Hodgins reportedly had been a teacher at Randolph County High School in Wedowee. However, she’s no longer employed with the Randolph County School System, a school official stated.

“Ms. Hodgins began working for Randolph County School System on August 2, 2021. Her last day in the classroom was November 15, 2024. We will cooperate with local authorities as requested,” Randolph County Schools Superintendent John Jacobs told the New York Post.

However, Segrest told Blaze News her departure from the school was unrelated to the allegations against her.

In March 2022, Randolph County High School announced on its official Facebook page that Hodgins was named cheerleading coach.

“Mrs. Hodgins grew up here in Randolph County and was a cheerleader for six years at Woodland. She served as captain her senior year. She is an alumna of the University of West Alabama, where she cheered on a scholarship from 2011-2013,” the announcement reads. “She will graduate with her Master’s of Education from UWA in May.”

The Facebook post adds that “she has been involved in many aspects of coaching cheer for the past ten years through judging try-outs, conducting cheer camps, and choreographing routines.”

The announcement also says Hodgins is “married to her college sweetheart” and has two children.

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​Teacher arrested, Bad teacher, Teacher sex scandal, Teacher student sex scandal, Makaela caldwell hodgins, Makaela caldwell hodgins teacher, Crime, Alabama, District attorney, Mike segrest 

As fear spreads that those with “dark skin” will be targeted at the 2026 Super Bowl after halftime show headliner Bad Bunny was announced, “The View” co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg had some suggestions for illegal immigrants thinking of attending.

“One thing I thought of, though — you know, Kristi Noem, the one who killed the dog. She killed Cricket, yeah. Who does that? Who shoots a puppy? Only her. Anyway, she’s threatening to go to the Super Bowl when Bad Bunny is there and round up all these people that are illegal immigrants,” Behar said.

“Do you think that she would go if it was Garth Brooks or Eminem or Taylor Swift or any other white person?” she asked.

“How’s she going to know who’s who?” Whoopi Goldberg asked.

“Because the Supreme Court has given permission to question anyone who has a Spanish accent, who has a dark skin,” Behar answered.

That’s when Whoopi handed out some unsolicited advice to those illegal immigrants who may plan on attending the Super Bowl.

“Everybody, get a little cocoa butter. Sit in the sun. That’s the first thing. And then — and this is the only time you can probably ever do this — give yourself a Latin accent,” Goldberg explained.

“During the Nazi occupation, there was one country — I believe it was Denmark or Norway, one of those — where everybody put the Jewish star on, and they didn’t know who was Jewish and who was not,” Behar added.

“I mean, this is why they’re on our unfunniest wanted list,” BlazeTV co-host Jeff Fisher says on “Pat Gray Unleashed.”

“It’s unthinkable that they’re on the air still,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray agrees.

“It started out sucking,” he continues, “and it’s gone downhill since.”

“It’s gotten worse,” executive producer Keith Malinak laughs.

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To enjoy more of Pat’s biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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Politicians, celebrities, and billionaires who lecture ordinary people about their carbon footprints live by another set of rules. They travel by private jet, dine in excess, and retreat to mansions powered by the very energy sources they want banned. It’s a spectacle of hypocrisy so pervasive, the media barely blinks.

Even scientists who scold the public about emissions fly thousands of miles to United Nations climate conferences — racking up the same greenhouse gases they claim will destroy the planet. This is two-tiered climate morality: Those with power indulge, while everyone else is told to sacrifice. Preaching austerity from a private jet has become the “let them eat cake” of our age.

Hypocrisy that pays

The real question isn’t whether the hypocrisy exists but why it’s so tolerated. The answer, in part, is that too many people have found ways to profit from it — through subsidies, grants, and the ever-expanding green grift.

Families pay more and travel less, while the jet-setters congratulate themselves for ‘saving the planet.’

According to data from Yard, celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Leonardo DiCaprio emitted between 3,000 and 4,400 tons of carbon dioxide in 2022 from private jet travel alone — hundreds or even thousands of times the annual emissions of an average citizen.

For perspective: Bangladesh emits about 0.71 tons of carbon dioxide per person annually. Ghana emits 0.74, Ethiopia 0.13, and Kenya 0.4. A single year of indulgence by an American climate icon outweighs the lifetime footprint of entire villages in the developing world.

The climate elite

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who condemns “climate deniers” as morally deficient, has a carbon footprint equivalent to nearly 280 average Americans or more than 2,200 Indians. DiCaprio built his global brand on climate activism — then took a private jet from Europe to New York to collect an environmental award.

If the hypocrisy of celebrities is glaring, the behavior of politicians is worse.

Records show that Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign spent over $221,000 on private jets in just one quarter — even as the Vermont socialist voted for laws that punish fossil fuel use and floated the idea of criminal charges for energy executives.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Fighting Oligarchy tour, meant to challenge wealth and privilege, relied on carbon-intensive travel of its own. The Bronx Democrat later scaled back her private jet use after criticism — by switching to first-class flights instead.

The priesthood of carbon

At United Nations climate conferences, the hypocrisy reaches liturgical heights. The gatherings are usually held in luxury destinations like Dubai, Glasgow, or Sharm El Sheikh. Each transcontinental flight emits roughly 2 tons of carbon dioxide per traveler — the annual output of a citizen in many poorer nations.

Yet these same scientists and bureaucrats push for energy restrictions in developing countries, demanding that millions forgo affordable electricity to meet arbitrary “net-zero” targets. Their supposed moral authority rests not on sacrifice but on self-congratulation.

RELATED: Airlines and banks admit net-zero promises were pure fantasy

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A reckoning awaits

The hypocrisy would be merely irritating if the consequences weren’t so destructive. The push for “net-zero emissions” — a fantasy that defies both physics and economics — is driving up the cost of gasoline, electricity, and food while shrinking personal freedom. Families pay more and travel less, while the jet-setters congratulate themselves for “saving the planet.”

They’re not leading an energy transition. They’re entrenching a new aristocracy — one in which elites keep their privileges while the working class bears the pain in the name of the “greater good.”

The rise of Donald Trump and other skeptics has interrupted this march toward a green oligarchy, but the climate faithful persist. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s alliance with the Vatican to “terminate” global warming is only the latest display of moral vanity.

Eventually, voters will see through this 21st-century version of aristocratic corruption. The public may not wield guillotines, but the electoral version will do just fine. Off with their subsidies!

​Opinion & analysis, Opinion, Climate, Climate change, Climate hypocrisy, Leonardo dicaprio, Aoc, Bernie sanders, Un climate goals, Un, Alexandria ocasio-cortez, Environment, Carbon emissions, Austerity, United nations 

“This is an Orwell nightmare coming to life right in front of our face. And no one’s flinching.” In a recent episode of his podcast, Joe Rogan raised the alarm about the onrushing global implementation of digital ID, singling out the over 12,000 U.K. arrests due to officially unsavory internet posts.

London states that the British digital ID will simply be used to “curb the prospect of work for illegal migrants, a significant factor driving small boat crossing.” For students of that old conspiracy theory standard the Hegelian dialectic (or the Problem-Reaction-Solution model, whereby the conspirator creates a problem in order bring about a previous unpalatable “solution”), this is solid gold. It’s textbook.

The good news? Polling of U.K. citizenry suggests resounding resistance to implementation of digital ID. Yet the U.K., along with governments around the world, seem to be less concerned with worn-out notions of rights and more interested in redoubling their efforts to establish digital surveillance.

If accomplished at the state level, it’s a short leap to full acceptance.

The September 26 U.K. government press release stating the intent to roll out digital ID touts similar measures established in Estonia, Denmark, India, and Australia. Even though the release suggests the U.K. needs digital ID for immigration purposes, the benefits of such a tool are different for each of the above countries. We can assume that once a tailored excuse for each region has been established and the ID rolled out, the rest of the pieces will fall relatively swiftly into place.

For the British, however, there is no clear answer to the issue of integration into the so-called EUID, the parallel scheme run by the European Union. It’s about centralized data collection and analysis. It will be shared to whatever degree and for whatever purpose government (or its corporate sponsors) deem necessary, and once again, it’s designed to coordinate across systems. Ecosystems. Ecosystems of finance and taxation, plus others cobbled together from salable health or habit data. All with zero guarantees about how this is handled in the future.

Europe goes dark

In Europe, an enormous rollup of private comms is a sneeze away, with the crucial firewall country Germany now wavering. The German government is poised to drop its free-speech stance and cave to the so-called Chat Control policy, driving representatives from the hugely popular chat app Signal to issue a stern press release: “Under the guise of protecting children, the latest Chat Control proposals would require mass scanning of every message, photo, and video on a person’s device, assessing these via a government-mandated database or AI model to determine whether they are permissible content or not.”

It’s estimated that 57 countries already have digital ID in rollout phase. Couple this with the 93 countries that have digital payment systems in place. And consider that 103 countries have installed cross-sectional, national-level, active data exchange systems installed. It isn’t a stretch to see how close we are, at a global level, to Rogan’s “nightmare.”

RELATED: Arizona’s AI policing tool threatens civil liberties

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This nightmare has zombies too. Consider that all those monsters that the MAGA coalition ostensibly fought and vanquished are still pushing for digital ID, from international corporate behemoths like Cisco and Google to “non”-governmental organizations like the World Economic Forum.

Imagine digital ID is mandated. Algorithms coordinate with phone data. Everything is processed through one gov/corp-AI or another. Would the stock market be even a little bit legitimate? No. Would consumer information ever be reliable? No. Could checks and balances of any sort ever make it through bought politicians and corporations with access to every trend down to the minute? No. Most versions of digital ID seek to coordinate all personal information into a central, individualized hub available to government and, of course, corporate partners with government.

On to the US?

In America, Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) has been, according to his own website, “one of the leading advocates in Congress for enhanced federal participation in digital identify ecosystems.” What exactly would possess Foster to love digital ID, especially when its parameters are so uncertain and its anecdotal favorability rankings are so low? It might be worth examination. Patterns detectable elsewhere may appear.

In the U.S., digital ID has already been pushed at the state level. Twenty-one states have adopted some form of “mobile” (digital) driver’s license, Real ID, and so forth. If accomplished at the state level, it’s a short leap to full acceptance. The Department of Homeland Security has already built, funded, and set into motion the Fusion Centers concept. Here we have the federal government vacuuming up (criminal and related) information from state, local, and county-level sources. Recall that the federal government is, by any standard, furiously divided. What seems fair to 50% of the nation today will not, in circumstances where incompatible ideologies and opinions are in contest, seem fair when a new administration takes over.

We’ll soon have to decide: Do we need digital ID today to crush cartel and domestic terrorist activity in the United States? With top-tier Trump backers like Oracle’s Larry Ellison fully in favor of digital IDs, citizens may soon be asking whether American greatness in the digital age requires a greater sacrifice than they could have imagined.

​Tech, Digital id, Europe, Usa