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Zohran Mamdani, the Big Apple’s Democratic mayoral candidate, cares deeply for the plight of his fellow New Yorkers, who continue to suffer under the city’s exorbitant cost of living. That’s why he’s a socialist with big plans to make buses and childcare free, institute city-owned grocery stores, raise the minimum wage to $30 an hour, and implement rent freezes.

In his victory speech, Mamdani homed in on the struggling working man, as all socialists do. “We have won because New Yorkers have stood up for a city they can afford — a city where they can do more than just struggle!” he boomed, vowing to turn New York City into “a model for the Democratic Party” by “[fighting] for working people.”

Spoken like a true rags-to-riches hero.

Except Mamdani has no such Cinderella story to give him empathy for the common man. If anything, his upbringing served as a barrier that shielded him from the very struggles he is so committed to remedying as NYC’s mayor.

“There are so many phony things about this guy,” especially when it comes to “him trying to relate to every New Yorker who has ever known any kind of struggle,” Glenn Beck scoffs.

On this episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn takes an honest look at Mamdani’s privileged background, shattering his narrative of empathetic solidarity with the downtrodden.

“This guy grew up in a world of privilege. Most New Yorkers couldn’t even dream of this kind of privilege,” says Glenn.

Born in Uganda to a prominent scholar and a celebrated filmmaker, Mamdani spent his early years in Cape Town, South Africa, before moving to New York City after his father was offered a professor role at Columbia University.

Based on his advocacy, you’d think Mamdani was enrolled in a dilapidated South Bronx public school, but no. His family could afford to put him in “an elite private elementary school where the tuition is $66,000 a year,” Glenn says.

Later, he attended the Bronx High School of Science, which “is one of New York City’s best public schools” and one of the highest-regarded public schools in the country, consistently ranking among the top public institutions nationally.

After graduation, Mamdani attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine — “one of those elite liberal arts schools where the tuition alone could buy a house in Queens,” Glenn says.

After earning his degree in “Africana studies,” Mamdani “tried to be a rapper,” and when that failed, he became “a foreclosure prevention counselor.” Eventually, he landed in community organizing, helping mobilize and empower New York City to address social, economic, and political issues. Like Beto O’Rourke, who has a bizarrely similar story, this latter role in community advocacy launched Mamdani into the political sphere.

And now here he is gunning for mayor, pretending like his life hasn’t been one marked by affluence and ease.

The only “struggle” Mamdani has ever known, Glenn says, exists “in his imagination.”

To hear more, watch the episode above.

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​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Blazetv, Blaze media, Zohran mamdani, Nyc, Socialism 

Since the 1990s, federal agencies and the media have fed Americans a steady diet of panic about shadowy “right-wing militias” — usually ex-military guys obsessed with guns and ready to wage war against the government at a moment’s notice.

The panic went into overdrive after January 6, 2021. But now, in a staggering act of projection, the threat they’ve spent decades warning about has arrived — only it’s coming from the radical left. And still, the feds insist on looking the wrong way.

Antifa cells are evolving. They’re abandoning mass protest tactics for small-cell terror and direct action.

Despite years of breathless rhetoric, the supposed wave of “right-wing terrorism” never materialized. Jan. 6 was a chaotic security failure, not an insurrection. Most of the defendants were unarmed. Many walked through open rope lines. And yet the regime has used that day to smear millions of Americans and justify years of political prosecutions.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently called Jan. 6 “the culmination of a sustained effort to undermine our democracy.” But what sustained effort? Four years later, no mass violence, no uprisings. Nothing at all.

Now, compare that to what we’re seeing from the radical left.

Ambush in Alvarado

After months of threatening Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Antifa terrorists launched a coordinated attack on an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas. This wasn’t a protest gone wrong. This was a planned ambush.

At least 11 people, dressed in black tactical gear, carried out the assault. First, they fired fireworks at the building, vandalized security cameras, and sprayed graffiti, including “ICE pig,” “traitor,” and other profanities on vehicles. The goal was to draw agents outside.

When two unarmed officers responded, one assailant opened fire from nearby woods, shooting a police officer in the neck. Another attacker, wearing a green mask, sprayed 20 to 30 rounds at the agents.

Authorities arrested 11 suspects. Ten were charged with attempted murder of a federal officer and firearms charges. One was charged with obstruction of justice. Police recovered AR-style rifles (one jammed), body armor, Kevlar vests, helmets, tactical gloves, radios, and Faraday bags to block phone signals.

Andy Ngo linked the attackers to an Antifa cell in Dallas-Fort Worth. It’s a miracle they failed. But what should alarm us is their level of funding, coordination, and willingness to kill.

Just the beginning

On Thursday, during a raid in Camarillo, California, ICE agents again came under fire. There’s a pattern forming, and it isn’t isolated.

The same ideology — radical leftism, anti-Americanism, Marxism, anti-Zionism — is fueling a wave of political violence that dwarfs anything seen on the right. Consider the past eight months:

Assassination of United Healthcare CEO (Dec. 4): Luigi Mangione allegedly gunned down Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan. His manifesto raged against the health care industry. Left-wing voices lionized him. Some disturbing polling shows young Democrats were more likely to condone the killing.Double murder of Israeli embassy staff (May 21): Elias Rodriguez allegedly killed two staffers in D.C., shouting “Free Palestine.” He left a manifesto called “Escalate for Gaza: Bring the War Home.” He had ties to the China-linked Party for Socialism and Liberation.Molotov attack at a pro-Israel rally in Colorado (June 1): Mohamed Soliman, an Egyptian national in the U.S. illegally, allegedly attacked demonstrators with a homemade flamethrower and Molotov cocktails. One victim later died. Soliman had reportedly planned the assault for a year.Firebombing of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home (D-Pa.) (April 13): Cody Balmer allegedly launched a Molotov cocktail into the Pennsylvania governor’s house during Passover. Shapiro, a rare pro-Israel Democrat, was targeted for his stance on Israel. His family was inside.Attack on Atlanta police facility (March 6): A left-wing mob assaulted the Public Safety Training Center with rocks, bricks, and firebombs. Some were charged with domestic terrorism.ICE facility attack in Portland (June 18): Rioters used fireworks and pushed dumpsters toward the facility. ICE responded with nonlethal force. Over 20 were arrested. Many were tied to the same Chinese-linked PSL network.Shooting at No Kings protest in Salt Lake City (June 14): In a murky incident of left-on-left violence, Antifa-style “safety volunteers” shot and killed a bystander after reportedly misidentifying an armed protester.Bomb-maker arrested in West Chester, Pennsylvania (June 14): Kevin Krebs was allegedly found with 13 pipe bombs, 3D-printed gun parts, 21 handguns, tactical gear, and an AR-15. He was arrested at a No Kings protest. He remains held without bail.Attacks on Tesla and GOP offices (January-April, 2025): As Musk joined the Trump administration, Tesla sites nationwide were firebombed and vandalized. One self-described “queer” activist torched both a dealership and a Republican Party office in Albuquerque.

What we’re really dealing with

Not all these incidents were organized by the same groups. But together, they show a dangerous trend: increasing sophistication, coordination, and lethality among left-wing militants.

This isn’t just protest culture gone too far. It’s a movement gearing up for war. They’re training. They’re arming. They’re radicalizing online and in activist spaces. And while conservatives have long viewed themselves as the only side armed, that’s no longer true.

RELATED: ‘White, well-educated’ Democrats are demanding lawmakers ‘get shot’ to prove they’re anti-Trump as deadly violence rises

Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

Groups like the Socialist Rifle Association and the John Brown Gun Club are producing radicals like Benjamin Song, a former Marine and the suspected ringleader of the July 4 ICE ambush.

Antifa cells are evolving. They’re abandoning mass protest tactics for small-cell terror and direct action.

What needs to happen now

Step one: Designate Antifa and its associated groups as domestic terrorist organizations. Trace their funding. Investigate every affiliated cell, especially those connected to the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

Step two: Ramp up law enforcement. Federal agents need to respond to ICE attacks with overwhelming force. Nonlethal crowd control won’t cut it.

Step three: Empower states. Legislatures should pass laws imposing serious penalties on those who interfere with immigration enforcement. If the feds won’t punish them, the states must.

Step four: Citizens must get serious. Stay armed. Stay trained. Sheriffs should follow the lead of Pinal County’s Mark Lamb and form citizen posses. It’s past time for more robust local defense.

The projection is over

For years, the corporate media and activist left warned you about “armed insurrectionists.” They told you the militia movement was coming. They said America would face domestic political terror.

Well, they were right.

But it wasn’t coming from where they said. It was coming from them.

​Opinion & analysis, Antifa, Ice, Ambush, Murder, Immigration and customs enforcement, Leftists, Terrorism, Domestic terrorism, Violence, Protest, Los angeles, Riots, Alvarado ice attack, Texas, Treason, Marxism, Anti-zionism, Anti-semitism, Luigi mangione, Brian thompson, New york city, China, John brown gun club, Mohamed soliman, Boulder colorado attack, Molotov cocktail, Pipe bombs, Josh shapiro, Firebombing, Kevin krebs arrest, No kings, Tesla, Left-wing, Pinal county, Mark lamb, Posse 

Britain has been reduced to a dysfunctional, plague-ridden landmass where hideous creatures consumed by rage roam in search of prey. Small, isolated communities are struggling to survive with scarce resources and little hope for rejuvenation, leaving them to cling to quaint remnants of a bygone era.

It’s good thing we have Danny Boyle’s long-awaited follow-up to 2007’s “28 Weeks Later” to distract us.

Boyle’s film, whether intended or not, unapologetically embraces British culture, drawing on Shakespeare and Kipling.

Completing the trilogy that began in 2002 with “28 Days Later,” “28 Years Later” picks up, unsurprisingly, 28 years after the initial rage virus outbreak.

Britain is currently in a military-imposed lockdown, shut off from the rest of the world. A group of survivors are living on a remote island not far from the mainland. In many respects they are totally isolated — not just geographically but culturally. There is no electricity. No internet. Men work with their hands, while children sing Anglican hymns at school.

The accordion provides entertainment in the evening, helping the revelers forget the terror lurking nearby. For these contemporary Pilgrims, the tidal island is linked to the mainland by a fortified causeway.

First blood

Among them is Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who decides to take his 12-year-old son, Spike, to the mainland to kill his first infected — a coming-of-age ritual among the island’s inhabitants. During this hunting trip, we witness the full mutated horror of the virus. Decaying skeletal creatures lurch forward while fat ones writhe across the ground like Jabba the Hutt with eczema.

These early scenes feature some stunning gore — cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle beautifully captures the moment of impact with a time-freezing jolt that is reminiscent of the bullet effect from “The Matrix.”

Then Boyle makes a distinct tonal shift toward sentimentality, transforming the narrative from a father-son tale to an emotional mother-son one. As Spike is inducted into the zombie-slaying hall of fame, his mother, Isla (Jodie Comer), remains bedridden due to an undiagnosed illness.

Here the movie turns into a quest. Spike takes his sickly mother away from the relative safety of the island to find the infamous Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who might be able to treat her.

A bone to pick

There are some genuinely interesting ideas here. The issue is that it seems like the movie has been divided into multiple parts, each with a different tone. Numerous scenes conclude abruptly, often resulting in confusion or a lackluster climax. Characters enter and exit the story much like a sitcom, and despite dramatic introductions, they contribute little to the storyline.

The doctor is depicted as an enigmatic and influential presence; however, Fiennes’ talents are wasted in this role. When he eventually appears on screen, he is covered in iodine, spouting pseudo-intellectual nonsense and shooting tranquilizer darts at monsters. He spends his time creating massive memento mori towers from bones and skulls — of which there is no shortage. In fact, more than one living character will end up in his art project before movie’s end.

At moments, this story compels us to contemplate our own mortality. At other moments, it treats us to the spectacle of a spray-tanned Voldemort neutralizing a ripped zombie Neanderthal sporting a distractingly large Hampton Wick.

Nailed it

“28 Years Later” is strongest in its depiction of Spike’s coming of age. You see how the painful lessons and mistakes turn him from an innocent boy into a responsible adult. That haunting sense of loss that comes with leaving behind what you were and the terrifying realization of what you need to be to survive. Boyle really nails that feeling. It’s just a shame that it gets overshadowed by a confusing plot.

There is a lot about this film that will confuse Americans — not least the regional accents. Unfortunately, trying to understand what a Geordie is saying is like asking if a cat can grasp the concept of Sweden. Contrary to popular mythology, not all of us Brits sound like we’ve stepped off the set of a Richard Curtis movie or live in a castle.

Rule, Brittania

Boyle’s film, whether intended or not, unapologetically embraces British culture, drawing on Shakespeare and Kipling, while exploring themes of social cohesion, identity, and in-group preference — elements intrinsic to the survival horror genre. The cast is entirely white. In a world where entertainment has been ideologically captured by identity politics, it’s a welcome and refreshing change.

Possibly the best thing is the music. It’s similar to the score featured in “28 Days Later,” which includes haunting contributions from Canadian ambient post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Scottish trio Young Fathers. The suspense, paranoia, and carnage are heightened by a thumping, deep bass rumble.

While entertaining and at times poignant, “28 Years Later” is a movie that fascinates as much as it frustrates due to undeveloped characters and a nonlinear narrative. Let’s hope they iron out these problems in the sequel, “The Bone Temple,” which is set for release next January.

At the helm is Nia DaCosta, infamous for directing “The Marvels,” a movie that single-handedly ushered in Hollywood’s anti-woke backlash. I’m already terrified.

​Entertainment, Movies, Culture, Danny boyle, 28 years later, Review 

Irish political scientist Benedict Anderson defined a nation as an imagined political community — “imagined, because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow members, meet them, or even hear them.”

As a young man, I used to read those words and feel he was right. After all, nations are merely physical landscapes on Earth, each with a finite and demarcated boundary.

Years of working in kitchens had made me immune to heat and stove burns, but this was a whole new level of pain. ‘Put your damn gloves on, you idiot!’ the skipper cried.

I later came to realize that these arbitrary lines created by cartographers are part of a shared common vision and hold substantial meaning because we believe in them. Our homeland exists as a result of both will and love. A country, at the risk of sounding clichéd, is a dream shared by its citizens. As long as enough people believe in its existence, this dream lives on, and the country, no matter how small, endures.

This was most evident when I packed my bags and moved to an island off the East Coast of the United States for two months.

Exile on Manan

Robinson Crusoe had Mas a Tierra, Al Capone Alcatraz, and Napoleon Elba. For me it was Grand Manan. Remote island exile provides a unique opportunity for man to confront his existence in solitude.

While Crusoe was deep in thought about theology and reflected on his barter experiences, which shaped the allegory of economic individualism, my reasons for being there were a bit simpler. For instance, my trip to the island wasn’t spur of the moment — I’d planned my visit. Instead of landing by chance like Crusoe from a wooden ship battling the waves, I chose to purchase a ticket with British Airways.

However, the reason for my getaway was a bit rock and roll. I had just gone through a tough breakup with a girl, and to be honest, I was drinking heavily and acting like a complete idiot. What I really needed was some time to clear my mind, get myself together, and decompress, to borrow a well-worn Hollywood term.

Into the wild

I am British, but I’ve always been drawn to North America. I come from a place known for its compact landscape. Neat and orderly hedgerows delineate the embankments along small waterways, while matchbox-size vehicles navigate the county’s narrow arterial roads. These roads lead past rows of identical homes, each accompanied by meticulously maintained gardens, amid a landscape sprinkled with uniformly square fields.

Even places we think of as wild, like the mountains of Snowdonia National Park in North Wales, have a history of centuries of human interaction with the land through farming, quarrying, and mining.

In comparison, North America stands as a vast continent characterized by its towering mountains, expansive desert, and striking canyons, complemented by monumental architecture and inhabitants possessing a distinct sense of self-assurance.

This immense scale and untamed nature have profoundly influenced its identity, serving as a muse for artists such as Albert Bierstadt, whose oil paintings of the frontier remain vividly imprinted in my memory.

Meanwhile, its physical environment has influenced its behavior and politics. As a Brit, I never valued gun rights until I lived in the middle of nowhere, where a cop might not show up for hours. Self-reliance is woven into the fabric of the nation. This belief enabled the people to conquer and dominate this vast land.

Serendipity and fate

The way I ended up here was a delightful mix of serendipity and fate, really. My dad, Peter, who has since passed away, went through a midlife crisis and decided to buy some land and build a house on an island 4,000 miles away from where we lived. My sister was in Canada, training for the Olympics. When he went to visit her, he just fell in love with the place, and, well, the rest is history.

On a chilly fall morning, I found myself in Maine, driving along I-95 toward the New Brunswick border. I was headed to Black’s Harbor to catch a ferry to the island.

I was exhausted. I had left home in England the previous day. By this point, I was running on adrenaline. It didn’t help that the flight over was horrendous. Even though you might be soaring through the sky at 500 mph, watching that little graphic on the in-flight monitor slowly inch across the Atlantic can make time feel like it’s crawling. No matter the size of the plane, you always feel a bit like a sardine in a can. It was like being squished on the subway during rush hour but with even less legroom.

So when I was picked up from the airport in a 1980 Buick Century, I beamed from ear to ear. It wasn’t fast or flashy, but it was reliable and, more importantly, spacious. I slid into the maroon velour seats and glanced at the wood-grain side panels as this beast of a car ate up the miles. It was a long journey. The radio was broken, so I listened to the Eagles on my iPod until it ran out of charge.

After a less-than-pleasant encounter with customs at the border, we crossed the Saint John River and made our way south to the terminal. A small kitchen on board served clam chowder, which was the first warm food I’d had in about 48 hours. There were a lot of people on the boat, most of whom were islanders. A few folks picked up on my British accent and asked if I was staying with Pete. “I am his son,” I answered, sounding a bit nervous. But after a few hours, I finally made it to the island.

Taking the bait

Grand Manan is a place that defines solitude. The first permanent settlement on the island was established at the end of the American Revolution by the loyalist Moses Gerrish. At 58 square miles, it is the largest of the Fundy Islands and the main island in the Grand Manan archipelago.

Most of its roughly 2,000 residents live on the eastern side of the island, as the high winds, storms, and jagged, rocky cliffs make the western side uninhabitable and it has not been developed. Luckily, the place I was to call home for the next few months was on the eastern side. I rolled in around midnight and hugged my father. I was just about to head to bed when he had an epiphany: I should immerse myself in island life.

As a child, my father taught me how to line fish, which involves baiting hooks with lugworm that you dig up yourself, often finishing up with the tide around your ankles. He wanted me to learn how to catch crab and lobster, which I first tried and loved when I was 8 years old. Dean, the guy who drove me to the house, was a fisherman, with his own boat. So after a few hours of sleep, I awoke at 4 a.m. to go to sea. It was an event that was to have a profound effect on my life.

Lobsterman in training

Bringing in a lobster pot requires a great deal of skill and patience. You must lean over the side of a boat and use a long metal hook to lure a rope attached to a buoy into your hands before pulling it up.

As expected, I was useless. Needless to say, productivity came to a standstill. I slowly started to get the hang of it. But with this newfound confidence came arrogance. To make up time, I was pulling the ropes quickly. Then it happened. The boat drifted when the tide changed. Remember that scene in “Jaws” where Quint’s hand is shredded while pulling in a barrel? It was like that.

Years of working in kitchens had made me immune to heat and stove burns, but this was a whole new level of pain. “Put your damn gloves on, you idiot!” the skipper cried. I think he was getting annoyed with the newbie who, besides holding them up, was now dripping blood on his boat’s deck.

Luckily, I had time to make amends. What I stupidly expected to take a few hours turned into a backbreaking 12-hour day. During downtime, we bonded over Budweiser and sang Hank Williams songs. By the time we sailed in, the sun had set, and we were unloading the catch in the dark. This was hard work. But I’d made new friends. And it changed my life. From that day on, I have had a profound respect for the job these guys do.

The somewheres

Tradition cements identity. In Britain, the small handful of fisherfolk scattered around the coastline are the last surviving vestiges of a 300-year-old fishing community. I have seen for myself how crabbers and lobstermen in Cornwall and Norfolk have more in common with others of their kind in North America than either has with any inhabitants of the interior. The strength of bonds made by shared language and shared culture and reinforced through a sense of labor is profound.

These folks reflect what writer David Goodhart refers to as the “somewheres” — those rooted in place and tradition. In general, somewheres are less educated and place a higher emphasis on security, familiarity, and group attachment. They are fearful of change. In contrast, “anywheres” have achieved identities. The college-educated mobile class who think nothing of relocating to major cities. They pursue professional careers based on their personal achievements. In general, “anywheres” are liberal and progressive, whereas “somewheres” are patriotic and socially conservative.

Traditional ways of life are dying. But on Grand Manan, fishing the old-fashioned way is being kept alive by “somewheres” like Dean and his family. Skills like this are taught by people who pass them on to the next generation.

The respect I feel for these people is not founded on politics, economics, or history. I base my decisions on a sense of civic duty and responsibility for others, both living and yet to be born.

Society is, as Edmund Burke remarked, “a contract between the dead, the living, and the yet to be born.” These islands of ours are rented. This world is not our own; we are simply passing through. Sooner or later we must vacate the premises for a new tenant. We were given dominion over the fish of the sea, so it is our duty to protect it for the next generation.

​Travel, Lifestyle, Fishing, Letter from canada 

One of the biggest obstacles facing the West today is radical Islam — and not the kind that festers in the Middle East. The biggest threat exists right on European and American soil. The West has been infiltrated by design via a plot to collapse it from within.

Sadly, we’ve largely teed up this plot. Between open borders, partnering in pro-Palestine activism, the election of people like Zohran Mamdani, and constant cries of Islamophobia by progressives, the West is catapulting ever closer to an Islamic takeover.

Perhaps the people who are so keen to merge with the Islamic people and champion their causes should hear the story of Yasmine Mohammed — an ex-Muslim and human rights activist.

When she was just 19 years old, Yasmine was forced into an arranged marriage to Essam Marzouk, an Al-Qaeda operative, after a childhood of horrors beyond imagination. But this marriage didn’t take place in Iran, Afghanistan, or some other Islamic nation. It happened in Vancouver, Canada. Her book, “Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam,” details the abuses and horrors she suffered at the hands of her nightmarish stepfather and husband and the Canadian government’s dismissal of her plight.

On a recent episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn invited Yasmine to share her tragic story and her warning for the West. What she told him brought him to tears.

Early childhood

When Yasmine was very young, her parents divorced, and her mother remarried an Egyptian Islamist as his second of two wives. Immediately, “everything became haram — everything became forbidden,” says Yasmine. “Hijab was put on me. … I had to cover everything except for my face and hands up until I was 19, where even my face and hands got covered in black as well.”

Yasmine’s stepfather was a harsh and rigid tyrant. Anyone and anything that wasn’t considered Muslim was strictly forbidden. Once, when Yasmine wrote her name in a book as “Jasmine” instead of “Yasmine,” her stepfather interpreted it to mean that she wanted “to be Western.” Determined to teach her “a very strong lesson,” he “hung [her] upside down” on the same hook used for animal sacrifices during the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha — the Festival of Sacrifice. He then “whipped” her in places that would remain “hidden.”

These inverted lashings continued over the years, with the whippings growing more severe once she began wearing a hijab that kept the marks concealed.

“[He] whipped me to the point of me passing out because I was crying so much, and I couldn’t breathe. … My face, my nose, my throat, my eyes — everything was filled with mucus,” she recounts, noting that her mother was concerned by these whippings, not because her daughter was being tortured to near death, but because she was afraid of getting in trouble with the Canadian authorities.

“She wasn’t like this. Nobody in her family was like this,” Yasmine says. “Once she became indoctrinated into this ideology and once she married this Islamist man, she turned into this monster.”

“All she wanted was for Islam to win and for the West to be dismantled, and if it meant that she had to beat her daughter up to get her daughter to understand that that’s what needed to be done, then she was fine to do that. In fact, she was fine to kill me,” she tells Glenn. “When I took off my hijab, I had to escape from her and run for my life because she was so angry.”

Late childhood

For a brief time, Yasmine attended a public high school because there were no Islamic high school options. Much to her mother’s dismay, Yasmine thrived in public school.

“She thought sending me to a public school with hijab on that I was going to be ostracized and bullied and that I would learn that these non-Muslims were nothing but trouble … but instead I made friends with them, and I was happy to be there, and that just killed her,” Yasmine says. Furious, her mother determined she would be homeschooled after the school year ended.

Yasmine’s drama teacher noticed her change in demeanor and inquired about it, and Yasmine told him about her mother’s plans to squash the taste of happiness public school had given her. Her teacher’s kindness led Yasmine to eventually confide in him about the abuse she was suffering at home. “I shared with him everything, not knowing that as a teacher in a public school, it was his legal responsibility to contact the authorities, and that’s what he did,” she tells Glenn.

Police and child protective services launched an investigation into their family, which included Yasmine, her sister, her mother, her stepfather, and his two children from another wife. This was actually the second investigation, as another teacher had already reported suspected abuse to CPS when she noticed bruises in the shape of fingers on Yasmine’s stepsister’s face. The girl denied being abused, however, and the initial case was closed.

Sadly, the second case ended similarly, but unlike her stepsister, Yasmine was candid about the horrors she was suffering. “We went through the whole investigative system and the whole court case and everything. In the end, the judge said, ‘This is a cultural issue; this is a religious issue. He has the right to discipline his kids how he sees fit, and it’s not our place to intervene,’” says Yasmine. “I had told them about all of the beatings with the belts, and I told him about the hanging upside down and everything, and they still said, ‘Well, that’s just your culture; that’s just your ethnicity, your religion, your race, your whatever. You’re just going to have to endure.’”

Feeling there was no escape from the nightmare of her life, 13-year-old Yasmine tried to commit suicide.

Marriage

When Yasmine was 19, her mother specifically chose a man who she thought was “strong enough to control [her].”

This man — Essam Marzouk — is currently serving prison time in Egypt for his terrorism. He was “someone who would beat me and swear at me and spit on me and cover me head to toe in black,” Yasmine says. “He used to cover the windows in paper to make sure that if the curtains moved, nobody would see me inside literal prison.”

“I had to accept being raped and beaten by him because according to the Hadith and the Quran, a man has that right to do that to his wife,” she says.

It wasn’t long before Yasmine was pregnant. Her husband and her mother began making plans to take the baby girl to Egypt for “female genital mutilation” — a common practice in Islam.

“That’s when I had to escape,” she says.

To hear more of Yasmine’s story and her warning for what is coming to the West, watch the complete interview above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

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

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It’s the revenge of the uglies.

There is no gentle way to introduce this topic: The repellent, the dim-witted, and the untalented have been promoted far above their station, and America is suffering as a result.

The enormously fat, the face-metal-wearers, the lumbering transvestite men with Herman Munster jaws tottering on heels down the salad dressing aisle …

People who 100 years ago would have been actual circus freaks you needed to pay a nickel to peep at, today walk down the streets and the red carpet as if they were the platonic ideals of manhood and womanhood.

No, I am not trying for comic effect. I mean it.

Fat city

Last week in a Staples parking lot, I watched an SUV pull into an empty spot. In the back window was a bumper sticker that said, “Just doing b***h things,” in that girly-cutesy “handwriting” typeface, with pink swirls and cartoon butterflies surrounding the vulgar catchphrase. The rest of the bumper stickers were for Planned Parenthood and other girlboss causes.

The driver opened the door and began the deboarding process. At about 5’5”, she must have weighed close to 300 pounds.

Gali Tibbon/Getty Images

At that level of obesity, it is impossible to tell a person’s age. She may have been 28 or 45. She climbed down backward, holding onto a handrail, and the truck noticeably bounced on its suspension when her weight was removed. Wearing a baseball cap and an unfortunately tight T-shirt and shorts (all in what I think of as “poison tree frog” colors), she huffed her way across the parking lot.

Noticing’s not nasty

Now, I must pause and reassure some readers, because the grotesque has become so normal that noticing that it is grotesque is now taken as a sign that the author is a mean, nasty person who pokes fun at unfortunate people.

No. The description I wrote above was not mean, inaccurate, or cold-hearted. It is an accurate account of an unsightly and demoralizing everyday spectacle that all of us see in public.

America is full of morbidly obese men, women, and children. Young women walk the streets in ensembles formerly reserved for prostitutes. Young men won’t even wash the food particles or grease out of their hair and beards before wiling away the afternoon, spending their barista salary on comic books and toys, while sporting the kind of “Wheee! I’m a superhero!” garb even toddlers used to wear only beneath their clothes. (Who else remembers Underoos?)

Boston Globe/Getty Images

We have an “epidemic,” if you will, of substandard physical and mental health. But this epidemic is not being caused by capitalism or patriarchy or oligarchs or any other leftist bogeyman. This is something Americans are doing to themselves. Regardless of the real problems with our unhealthy food supply and over-reliance on pharmaceuticals, only individuals can change themselves.

Stunning and brave

But they don’t want to. The enormously fat, the face-metal-wearers, the lumbering transvestite men with Herman Munster jaws tottering on heels down the salad dressing aisle — these people don’t want to get better.

Worse, they demand that the rest of us call them beautiful, that we call them brave, that we call them authentic.

Beginning with the hippies in the 1960s, our values have slowly but surely taken a 180-degree turn. What may have seemed cheeky and cute in 1967 — young men rebelling by having long hair, young women burning their bras — has become monstrous. Members of the so-called “counterculture” look like they belong in the psychiatric hospitals and asylums that we decided we no longer needed.

Welcome to the cuckoo’s nest.

Opposite day

The leftist culture — which is mainstream culture — has pulled an inversion. It tells us that morbid obesity is healthy and beautiful, like this spread in Cosmopolitan magazine featuring a fat woman in a yoga pose with the caption, “This is healthy!”

It tells us that mortification of the flesh, which we call “gender-affirming care,” is “authentic” and “natural.” So possessed are we by this dark spirit that Americans will cry tears of apparent joy when they see a confused 14-year-old girl showing off her mastectomy scars.

It would be dishonest to strike a Christian pose, as I lack faith in God (I continue to try). But it’s getting impossible for me to see this societal sickness as anything but an enactment of what Isaiah 5:20 warns about:

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

It’s getting harder not to see the truth inversions, the lying, the “compassion” that’s actually about loathing and control, as anything other than the devil himself ascendant among us.

Slop culture

If the fish rots from the head, then let us identify the head. In 21st-century America, it’s the media.

I almost wrote “Hollywood,” but in 2025, celebrity is delivered to us through a million refractions on our social media apps instead of from the silver screen. But it is the culture and “artistic” institutions that were first captured by woke insanity, and the sludge at the mountain peak has broken free and buried us all in the valley below.

RELATED: All in the family: Hollywood golden boy Pedro Pascal’s loony leftist pedigree

Photo by Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage

Take the “recording artist” Lizzo. Nominally a pop star, Lizzo is known for proudly displaying her morbidly obese body in see-through “clothing.” There’s no reason for it, either; she’s a genuinely talented flutist and musician.

Yes, she is now slimming down. Perhaps, she has realized that “body positivity,” our current euphemism for “never telling fat people that it’s bad for them or that it makes them unattractive,” will not bring her career or life longevity. But Lizzo is just one of countless celebrities, actors, musicians, and other tastemakers who have been parading their living decomposition before us and demanding that we call it “beautiful.”

D-list delusions

And if it’s not a call to pretend that people who deliberately ugly themselves up are actually beautiful, it’s a demand to worship the most meager talents as if they were once-in-a-century prodigies.

Actor Pedro Pascal is the male embodiment of this phenomenon. He originally rose to fame on the popular show “Game of Thrones.” Now that it’s over, this forgettable actor is everywhere. He’s all over social media declaiming about “Palestine” and haranguing the public for not sufficiently supporting trannies.

Notice how you know Pedro Pascal’s name, even if you haven’t seen him in any movie or show you can remember. Notice how he’s been mugging for the cameras for months, saying whatever leftist tomfoolery is most popular that day, while breathless online fan mags hyperventilate over his “vibe.”

Pascal comports himself as if he were a Henry Cavill, a Cary Grant. As if he were not only as classically handsome as the favorite leading men of Hollywood but also as charming and charismatic.

He is not. Pascal is middling at best in both looks and demeanor. But he carries himself in the world like the gorgeous quarterback hero or his stunning cheerleader wife.

I believe I can try

It’s all good fun to crack wise about lunatic celebrities, but this emotional and moral sickness has not stayed confined to the glitterati. Millions of American young people are forming their interests and personalities based on these broken, narcissistic people, and they’re doing it right out in stores, in schools, and on the streets of the towns we live in.

This isn’t just an aesthetic problem; it’s ruining the physical and mental health of too many American youth.

What they need to hear — and that means that actual adults like us have to start saying it out loud again — is that they cannot be anything or anyone they want to be and expect society to call them champions. That was a cruel lie that started with participation trophies and has ended with genital surgeries on children.

Mean season

Let’s start pulling mediocre and inadequate people down off the perch they had no right to climb onto in the first place. It doesn’t matter if this feels “mean.” It didn’t “feel mean” 20 years ago before adults were convinced that everything humanity knew about life, love, health, and the soul for thousands of years was “just like, their opinion, man.”

The world has always run, and always will run, on rules that favor beauty, skill, intelligence, and genuine accomplishment. It doesn’t matter if the unfortunate and the pushover enablers don’t like it. Feelings don’t change reality, and reality doesn’t give a darn what we think about it.

The Pedro Pascals of the world are running on credit that’s not even their own. They’re borrowing prestige they didn’t earn, and we’re all acting as if they’re entitled to it. We can break this spell by telling the truth: “You’re not handsome, you’re not charismatic, and you have no capital built up to say the things you say. Shut up.”

​Lifestyle, Celebrity, Hollywood, Trans, Pop culture, Pedro pascal, Intervention 

A real-life nightmare took place July 3 in Chicago when authorities said a 15-time convicted felon named Jeremy Ochoa carjacked an SUV, allegedly dragged the female motorist, and drove off with the victim’s 7-month-old daughter still strapped inside the vehicle, CWB Chicago reported.

RELATED: ‘Get the hell off of her right now!’ Gutsy Good Samaritan, 66, tackles carjacker, saves woman — and things get even wilder

Jeremy Ochoa. Image source: Chicago Police Department

Police tracked the stolen 2011 GMC Acadia using license plate reader alerts and pings from a cell phone that had been left inside the vehicle, the outlet said, adding that cops eventually found the SUV several miles southeast of the scene of the carjacking. But the vehicle was unoccupied.

‘I just kept praying.’

So where was the baby?

That same day, Earl Abernathy was sitting in traffic on his way to work, WBBM-TV said. Plus, he was dealing with non-operational air conditioning in his car as temperatures hit the 90s — so he was forced to keep his windows down, WBBM said.

Amid those frustrations, along with getting an earful of all the street noise amid Chicago’s unforgiving summer heat, an unnerving sound caught Abernathy’s ear.

It was a baby crying.

Abernathy told WBBM he put his hazard lights on, got out of his vehicle, and ran over to the infant, who was all alone in a car seat.

Prosecutors told CWB Chicago that the baby was found “abandoned on the sidewalk.”

Police said Ochoa — the accused carjacker — had gotten rid of the baby who had been strapped in the stolen SUV and left her in front of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in the 800 block of West Roosevelt Road, which is about four miles from the BP gas station where the carjacking went down, WBBM noted.

After coming to the infant’s rescue, Abernathy called 911 and even went on Facebook Live to see if anyone could identify her, WBBM said.

“I just feel like that’s what a normal person would do,” Abernathy added to WBBM. “I just felt like it was just a bogus situation. Everybody I saw was riding past.”

As you might expect, the little girl’s family was heavy on the hunt for her.

“We were panicking. We panicked,” the baby’s grandmother, Karen Fuller, later told WBBM. “We didn’t know, and I just kept praying.”

Fuller added to WBBM that she’s grateful that Abernathy got out of his car to help her 7-month-old granddaughter, who was soon reunited with family, was unharmed, and has been doing well.

“I was so happy,” Fuller noted to WBBM. “I went to his page, and I thanked him so many times.”

Abernathy told WBBM he wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again: “Of course, any time. It could have ended differently. I’m just glad it ended the way it ended.”

RELATED: Blaze News original: 10 instances when everyday people stood up to violent carjackers and thwarted their plans

As for Ochoa, CWB Chicago said he was arrested just before noon — less than two hours after the carjacking — and was charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking of a vehicle with a passenger under 16 and aggravated kidnapping of a child. Cook County Jail information accessed Friday morning indicates the 39-year-old’s next court date is July 29.

Observers very well may say Abernathy — the Good Samaritan in this otherwise nightmarish situation — may not have been able to help in the place and time he did had he not been stuck in traffic and forced to endure blistering heat with his windows down, given his lack of A/C. Indeed, it might be said that his frustrating circumstances seem to have come together to allow a heroic outcome — in front of a church, no less.

Steve Deace — BlazeTV host of the “Steve Deace Show” and a columnist for Blaze News — had the following to say about the turn of events.

“This heroic story is like a metaphor for the era — and what it is lacking,” Deace told Blaze News. “An actual man took action that saved innocent life, and he was compelled to by inconvenience. We have too few men, too many conveniences.”

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

​Chicago, Carjacking, Mother, Infant, Dragging victim, Abandoned infant, Aggravated vehicular hijacking of a vehicle with a passenger under 16 charge, Aggravated kidnapping of a child charge, Arrest, Catholic church, St. francis of assisi, Good samaritan, Bad things turn to good things, Rough day, Men stepping up, Men taking action, Steve deace, Inconvenience, Abide, Faith, Crime 

Yet another apparently unhinged protestor allegedly attacked conservatives, video taken by Blaze Media national correspondent Julio Rosas shows. According to police, this time he is actually facing consequences.

Video taken by Rosas seems to show the impassioned protestor lunging at an attendee outside of the Student Action Summit hosted by Chalie Kirk’s organization Turning Point USA in Tampa, Florida. After repeatedly yelling at the crowd and shoving one of the attendees, a police officer tackled him to the ground and detained him, according to the video.

‘Mr. Smith is finding out Florida is not his home state of New York.’

RELATED: Establishment Dems say Mamdani and his allies are in for a ‘painful lesson’

Rosas later reported that the alleged attacker, named Trevor Smith, was being charged with battery, resisting arrest, and driving under the influence. As of Sunday, he was still in jail in Hillsborough Country.

The video shows that Smith initially approached attendees, apparently taunting them and trying to get them to engage. When another attendee walked by he allegedly shoved him back several times before the police officer hopped the fence and pursued Smith.

Screenshot / Julio Rosas

Smith quickly retreated back to his car, which he left running in the street, before he tripped over the curb and fell to the ground. The police officer, who witnessed the whole altercation, quickly subdued and arrested Smith.

RELATED: Los Angeles anti-ICE protesters harass DHS agents, military members on Independence Day

Screenshot / Julio Rosas

“Mr. Smith is finding out Florida is not his home state of New York,” Rosas told Blaze News. “You will be held accountable if you’re driving under the influence, causing traffic disruptions, and attacking people in broad daylight in front of the police. I thank the Tampa Police Department for handling this situation swiftly.”

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

​Julio rosas, Turning point usa, Hillsborough country, Tampa florida, Tpusa, Sas, Student action summit, Trevor smith, Political violence, Fafo, Politics 

If you’ve ever wondered why your pastor has never endorsed a political candidate, it’s likely because until last week, it wasn’t allowed. In 1954, Lyndon B. Johnson, who was a senator at the time, sponsored legislation dubbed the Johnson Amendment, which prohibited tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

But after 71 years, the Trump administration has reversed that. On July 7, the IRS issued a new interpretation of the Johnson Amendment, declaring churches can endorse political candidates during services without losing tax-exempt status.

It’s a small change that will likely go unnoticed by many, but “the ramifications of this are going to be so far-reaching,” says Sara Gonzales, BlazeTV host of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

We live in an age when theology is on the ballot — especially when it comes to topics like abortion and gender ideology, which are “verifiably, demonstrably wrong” according to Christian doctrine, says Sara. “Churches not preaching about politics or anything related to it has been very destructive in this country.”

“This is part of the moral decline of the United States of America,” adds BlazeTV contributor Matthew Marsden.

Perhaps, however, we will see a return to traditional values and morals if pastors can boldly delve into politics and lead their congregations through the murky waters of how policy engages with scripture without fear of losing their tax-exempt status.

“I don’t think people understand how far-reaching it can be if the pastors in America take their balls back,” says Sara frankly.

“They absolutely need to,” says Rippaverse Comics founder Eric July. “Churches — all denominations — have been so compromised, man, and they skirt around a lot of issues.”

Interestingly, the pastors who have been cannonballing into politics without regard to potential repercussions are typically “witches that are masquerading as pastors,” who are nearly always “left-leaning,” July adds, reiterating Marsden’s point that “the moral decay” of the entire world has risen in tandem with the church “[becoming] less involved” in the things that impact society.

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

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.

​Sara gonzales, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Blazetv, Blaze media, Johnson amendment, Pastors, Churches, Christianity 

America’s education system is facing a growing list of challenges — from plummeting test scores and the lingering hangover from COVID-era remote classes to teacher shortages and mounting public frustration over gender ideology.

But take it from a former teacher: Another grave problem is haunting our classrooms. Climate extremists have infiltrated American schools, and they’re indoctrinating our children in radical ideology. It’s time the Department of Justice took action to stop it.

I worked for many years as a teacher and saw firsthand just how deeply rooted this climate ideology is in our classrooms.

Fortunately, they’ve taken the first step. In May, the Justice Department filed lawsuits against four states for allegedly funneling public funds into unconstitutional climate litigation. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the litigation “burdensome and ideologically motivated,” and she’s right. The troubling part is: It’s happening in our public school classrooms too.

If the Trump administration is serious about rooting out taxpayer-funded climate extremism, the next logical step is clear: Launch an investigation into the climate ideologues flooding our education system with fearmongering and pseudoscience.

Indoctrinated K-12 classrooms

Just look at what’s happening in New York City. In the summer of 2024, Columbia University partnered with NYC Public Schools to hold a four-day workshop for teachers called “Integrating Climate Education in N.Y.C. Public Schools.” The aim should be clear from the name: Teachers were guided on how to interweave climate hysteria into their lesson plans.

A reporter later visited a public school in the Bronx where a teacher was reading her students a book about flooding in Africa. “And what’s causing all these rains and storms and floods?” she asked. “Carbon,” an 8-year-old answered.

RELATED: Trump’s climate policy shift could save American farmers from disaster

SimonSkafar via Getty Images

This isn’t isolated to New York. In 2020, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to mandate that climate change be taught at all grade levels. It begins in kindergarten, where even the lighthearted activity of dancing is used to “examine global issues, including climate change as a topic for dance.” And it’s integrated into every other school subject — from computer science to physical education.

Other states are working to incorporate climate change into their curricula. California’s Assembly Bill 285, passed in 2023, requires science teachers to instruct students beginning in the first grade “on the causes and effects of climate change, and on the methods to mitigate and adapt to climate change.”

This isn’t science; it’s political conditioning masquerading as curriculum.

Take it from me: I worked for many years as a teacher and saw firsthand just how deeply rooted this climate ideology is in our classrooms — and that was before state governments began passing their mandates. What I witnessed wasn’t education but indoctrination, and it proved very successful.

Radicalized universities

Later, I left K-12 to teach as a college professor, and what I found was troubling. My freshman students widely believed the world was going to end within their lifetimes and were emotionally paralyzed by it. They didn’t want to debate other students or hear the other side of the argument. Instead, out of anger, they wanted to shame and cancel those who thought differently.

Even the most milquetoast of pushback was met by my students with confusion and contempt. This is what happens when children are indoctrinated from a very young age.

The effects of climate brainwashing are so widespread that psychologists even have a term for it: climate anxiety. The New York Times recently profiled the case of a woman paralyzed by mundane activities, like eating nuts.

They came wrapped in plastic, often in layers of it, that she imagined leaving her house and traveling to a landfill, where it would remain through her lifetime and the lifetime of her children.

In 2021, the first study on climate anxiety was released. It found that young children all over the world had been affected. Of those surveyed, more than half reported feeling sad, anxious, angry, and guilty over the climate, while a full 75% said the future looked frightening.

Leading academic institutions like Yale and Harvard have since accepted that climate anxiety is inevitable and sought to provide therapy to their students. But this is like an arsonist claiming fires are inevitable and investing in more garden hoses. Climate anxiety isn’t inevitable; it’s a direct result of convincing our children that a made-up apocalypse is inevitable.

Root out climate hysteria

Teaching kids how to care for the environment is not wrong. I was part of a generation taught to recycle, respect nature, and preserve the land for future use. But today’s curriculum isn’t about stewardship — it’s about shame. It’s not about science — it’s about fear.

It’s time for the Justice Department to broaden its investigation into the public education bureaucracies, state curriculum mandates, and activist organizations pushing climate panic in the classroom. Climate extremism shouldn’t be government policy, and it certainly shouldn’t be taught as gospel to our kids.

Let’s stop the fear, stop the brainwashing, and bring common sense back to the classroom.

​Climate, Climate activists, Climate alarmism, Climate change alarmism, Climate crisis, Indoctrinated kids, Indoctrination, Indoctrination in schools, Opinion, Opinion & analysis, Schools, Education, Global warming 

Filmmaker and mother Jessica Solce was frustrated by the difficulty of finding healthy, all-natural products for herself and her family. To make it easier, she created the Solarium, which curates trusted, third-party-tested foods, clothing, beauty products, and more — all free of seed oils, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, and other harmful additives.

In this occasional column, she shares recommendations and research she’s picked up during her ongoing education in health and wellness.

Your refrigerator is filled with unprocessed, natural foods. Your medicine cabinet is free of toxic pharmaceuticals. Your faucets dispense filtered, chemical-free drinking water.

In other words, you’ve optimized your family’s home life for health. But what about the home itself?

Pillows, sheets, and furniture also contain toxic flame retardants, a grimly appropriate name given their tendency to reduce IQ and cause developmental delays.

Sadly and shockingly, virtually all houses harbor seemingly innocuous products and materials that silently poison us, day in and day out.

Take your bed, for example.

You spend a third of your life sleeping, so get a good mattress. This is solid advice. It also happens to be incomplete. A restful night’s sleep shouldn’t mean eight to 10 hours inhaling microdoses of toxic, flame-retardant forever chemicals.

But that’s exactly what you get with much modern bedding.

And the situation in other rooms is generally no better.

To go through all of what may be poisoning us in our homes would require an article of epic proportions; it would also be overwhelmingly depressing for me to write and for you to read.

I encourage you to do more research and to consider the specifics of your own situation. In the meantime, for the sake of both of our sanities, I’ll limit myself to outlining the major offenders — as well as what to replace them with.

My hope is that I can give you a good start in ensuring your home is a haven for healing, not a den of disease.

RELATED: Grass-fed steaks, unprocessed salt, and more chemical-free picks from the Solarium

Getty Images/Camerique/The Solarium

Starting slow

Spend any time on health-oriented social media, and it feels as if every week brings news of some new toxic product ready to kill you, from paint and plastics to petroleum-based perfumes.

So when we first set out to evict the enemy from our abode, we quickly realize the hydra-esque task we’ve taken on. No sooner have you rooted him out of one hiding place than you discover him popping up in two more.

As someone who’s navigated this kind of purge myself (inspiring me to create an online marketplace of healthy products to help you do the same), I strongly advise against a scorched earth, “No Impact Man” approach.

Rather, you should employ a method of gradual change where you make small, conscious swaps for healthier alternatives. Trust me, it’s easier on your wallet and your mental well-being.

No impact, man

That said, the aforementioned 2009 documentary is an eye-opening watch. “No Impact Man” is the story of a New York City family — journalist Colin Beavan, his wife, Michelle, and their toddler, Isabella — undertaking an experiment to live for one year, while making as little impact on the environment as possible.

One scene in particular floored me: when Michelle throws away all of her makeup and bathroom and beauty products.

It wasn’t that she voluntarily parted ways with her precious and pricey creams and unguents but the sheer amount of them she’d managed to stockpile in their small Manhattan apartment.

Imagine how much more the bathroom of the average American house in the suburbs holds. Unfathomable amounts of money spent on unfathomable amounts of toxic junk.

As thought-provoking as “No Impact Man” is, I’d advise against going to such extremes, at least at first. Above all, you want to make sure this is something you can sustain.

In my experience, that becomes easier the more you learn how to spot these home-borne toxins — and the more you understand the potential damage they can do once they get into your lungs, bloodstream, and cells and mitochondria. Removing them from your life will not feel like a burden but a no-brainer necessity.

Here are some simple first steps to get you started.

Open your windows

Even without getting rid of anything, this age-old method of improving ventilation and air exchange can have a major impact on the health of your home.

A 2020 review of 37 separate environmental studies found that elevated indoor carbon dioxide levels associated with poor ventilation impaired high-level decision-making and reduced cognitive speed, especially on complex tasks.

Remake your bed

As mentioned, where you rest your head at night is very important. We sleep an average of 2,700 hours a year, or 114 days out of 365. And it’s not just your mattress you need to worry about.

Pillows, sheets, and furniture also contain toxic flame retardants, a grimly appropriate name given their tendency to reduce IQ and cause developmental delays.

They can also cause metabolic problems like obesity and insulin resistance, while endocrine disruptors they contain cause thyroid problems, infertility, hormone disregulation, and hormone-related cancers. Nasty stuff.

Because kids tend to put their hands on everything and everything in their mouths, they’re even more prone to ingesting these retardants. Especially when they’re in the pajamas they wear!

One retardant ingredient is formaldehyde. You know … embalming fluid. Many of us are sleeping on literal deathbeds.

So what can we do?! For pillows and comforters, find goose down or wool. One excellent option for pillows is the wonderful U.S. company the Woolshire. Avocado is a great source for mattresses. You can find 100% cotton and/or linen at a wide range of prices, from made-in-America luxury brands to Target’s in-house bedding line.

Clear the air

Nothing like lighting a scented candle or two to make a home feel clean and inviting. Just make sure you know what you’re burning

While marketed as “natural,” many soy candles contain synthetic fragrance oils and chemical additives that release harmful pollutants. A pair of recent studies found that scented candles emit formaldehyde, benzene, and other carcinogens, with risks to lung and nasal cancers, respiratory harm, and cognitive decline.

The aforementioned chemicals are known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, not because they are organic in the farmer’s market sense but because of their specific chemical properties.

“Volatile” refers to their ability to turn into gas at room temperature, “organic” refers to their carbon bases, and “compounds” means they’re highly complex — all to mean these things are absolutely not fit for human consumption or contact. If they are in your home, they can “off gas” into your air without being heated or physically disturbed.

In addition, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee confirms that fragrance ingredients are among the leading causes of allergic contact dermatitis (allergies, eczema, rashes) in Europe. Another study confirms that regular indoor scented candle burning “can expose us to dangerous levels of organic pollutants” and ultra-fine particles.

These harmful VOCs are not inherent in the unburned wax but formed as byproducts of incomplete combustion when the candle is burned; the additives, wicks (sometimes made of lead!), and added fragrances and dyes increase the levels of VOCs. Synthetic scents can also trigger asthma, allergic reactions, and breathing problems.

A 100% unadulterated beeswax candle with a cotton or paper wick and no added dyes or fragrance is the way to go.

This is the cleanest candle possible: not 100% free of VOCs but with significantly lower emissions. It’s also completely unprocessed — made of wax that comes straight from the beehive.

Along with the lovely natural scent, beeswax candles may also produce negative ions that help settle positively charged particles like dust, pollen, mold spores, and some airborne toxins.

“Why can’t I just get some air fresheners from Walmart?” Don’t bother. They emit a cocktail of carcinogenic VOCs and phthalates (endocrine-disrupting semi-VOCs). If you have these in your home or in the car, this is step one: Get rid of them pronto.

Once you stop using chemical air fresheners, you’ll start noticing how foul and unnatural they actually smell. As luck would have it, we now have a nice, natural option thanks to the small French company &Eden.

The scents you put on your body can be just as harmful, especially considering that you absorb them directly through your skin as well as through your lungs. When you are ready to make the swap, consider these cleaner, nature-based soaps and fragrances.

Let the light in

The convenience of artificial light comes with a major cost: the disruption of our body’s innate circadian signaling and repair processes.

Moreover, our bodies our designed to absorb the entirety of the sunlight spectrum, from infrared to visible to ultraviolet. But our ubiquitous screens isolate and maximize our exposure to certain parts of the spectrum. The computers, phones, and tablets we use indoors continually bathe us in unnatural amounts of blue light.

One way to mitigate this constant onslaught is by wearing yellow-tinted blue-light-blocking glasses while at the computer.

You can also change your lightbulbs to more closely resemble full spectrum sunlight. I did this first in my bedroom, creating a warm, amber glow like candlelight. I highly recommend it.

There are emerging tech solutions as well. The Daylight Computer can be used outside without glare issues and eliminates the blue light problem by harnessing ambient light or using red light for a backlight. Its display resembles conventional E Ink displays but with a faster refresh rate.

If you want to learn a whole lot more about blue light, you can read my three-part series about its effects on your body.

Clean house

Say goodbye to the likes of Mr. Clean, Lysol, and Formula 409. They all come with excess baggage: quaternary ammonium compounds, or “quats” (antimicrobials that can cause skin and respiratory irritation), synthetic fragrances, preservatives, and ethanolamines.

RELATED: Trump EPA takes aim at forever chemicals

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

In addition, common cleaning products often contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that can impair fertility in both sexes. The phthalates found in many synthetic fragrances have been strongly linked to reduced sperm quality, lower testosterone, and altered ovarian function.

Instead, make your own all-purpose cleaner with vinegar, water, essential oils, and a glass spray bottle. You can also experiment with different combinations of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, and lemon juice.

Other fertility disruptors that may be lurking in your home include:

Bisphenol A (BPA), a common ingredient in plastic products and thermal receipts, which has been connected to reduced egg quality, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and implantation failure;PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in stain‑resistant fabrics, non‑stick cookware, and some cosmetics, which are associated with longer time-to-pregnancy and lower fertility rates; andHousehold flame retardants present in furniture and electronics, which have been linked to failed embryo implantation and decreased sperm motility.

Pesticides, particularly organophosphates and glyphosate, have been associated with reduced fertility, hormone disruption, and increased miscarriage risk. Which leads us to our next step …

Weed out pesticides

According to NASA’s famous Clean Air Study, certain houseplants do more than just look good — they can help filter common indoor air pollutants often released by furniture, cleaning products, and household materials.

This is technically true, but ventilation is still more effective; it would take a huge number of plants to make a difference in home air quality.

Then again, I do think that cohabitating with plants benefits us in less quantifiable ways, such as fostering a healthy sense of connection to nature.

Just be aware of the soil you use — inside and outside the home. Conventional soils are filled with synthetic pesticides like herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides as well as synthetic fertilizers that alter soil biology, killing nutrients and introducing heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium) into your gardens and eventually into your body.

Kids play outside, roll in the grass, and jump into leaf piles. They also come into close contact with pets who do the same. This soup of pesticides gets on their skin and is inhaled, raising their risks for blue baby syndrome, colorectal cancer, birth defects and sexual deformities, neurodevelopmental harm in children, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

A 2015 Harvard School of Public Health study determined a 26% increased risk of leukemia in children exposed to herbicide. Indoor insecticide exposure showed a 47% higher risk of leukemia and a 43% higher risk of lymphoma. Even parental exposure before conception can raise cancer risk.

Most of us have heard of Roundup, the notorious herbicide that’s cost Monsanto billions in legal settlements with people who claim it gave them cancer.

Despite this, the EPA continues to approve the use of Roundup, which kills weeds while sparing crops genetically engineered to resist it. The problem is that weeds tend to develop their own resistance.

The common solution is to add 2,4-D, a pesticide I’d never heard of before researching this article. Despite mounting evidence that 2,4-D is at least as harmful as Roundup, the EPA approved the use of this combination in 2014.

This is all the more reason to prioritize buying pesticide-free, organic, and regenerative soils for your indoor and outdoor plants. It’s also important to stick to meats and vegetables raised on such soil. What our food sources eat and consume, we consume, entering us into a cycle of life and vitality or death and degeneration.

​Maha, Make america healthy again, Lifestyle, Home, Bpa, Fertility, Pesticides, Bedroom, Home goods, Provisions, Forever chemicals, The solarium 

On July 1, Zohran Mamdani officially secured the Democratic mayoral nomination in New York City. The 33-year-old self-described socialist and longtime member of the Democratic Socialists of America, backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), openly supports the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and refuses to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” His policy proposals include rent freezes, city-owned grocery stores, a $30 minimum wage, robust corporate tax increases, and a Department of Community Safety to reduce reliance on police.

His nomination has many in the country shaking their heads, but they should be doing much more than that, according to Glenn Beck.

“This is not just a local upset. This is a flashing red warning sign for where this country is headed if a lot more Americans do not wake up,” he warns.

Mamdani represents “the future that the left wants: a nation where free stuff flows like water, taxes choke the life out of ambition, and the very idea of America is rewritten to fit the Marxist playbook.”

Mamdani has been compared to other progressives, especially Beto O’Rourke, who was also a young rising star aiming to fundamentally change the nation. But Mamdani, Glenn says, is especially terrifying because his ideology is “the convergence of communism and Islamicism.”

While Mamdani would almost certainly dispute being called a communist, the truth, Glenn says, is that socialism is just “diet communism” — the “transition step in between capitalism and communism,” according to Karl Marx himself. Plus, “there is growing evidence that Mamdani is now an actual communist,” he says.

In 2019, Mamdani admitted that he was shaped by the writings of Marxist revolutionary Frantz Fanon. A year later, he posted the following to X, celebrating India’s election of a communist mayor and implying that he would bring the same communist policies to New York City.

In a 2021 campaign video, Mamdani expressed his intentions to “buy up housing on the private market and convert it to community ownership” — a communist fantasy that “usually ends with a bullet in people’s heads,” Glenn says.

And then there’s his Islamism to contend with.

“In college, [Mamdani] co-founded the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. They’re the super, super classy group that was the main organizer of the anti-Israel protests and encampments on college campuses across the U.S. right after October 7 in the attack by Hamas,” Glenn says.

The day following the October 7 attacks, Mamdani posted the following tweet, in which he condemned neither Hamas nor terrorism:

“He has called Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide, sponsored a bill to block New York charities from funding groups tied to what he claims are Israeli war crimes, and he has vowed to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever sets foot in New York City while he is mayor. And he doesn’t believe Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state,” Glenn adds.

“This isn’t politics,” he warns. “This is a dangerous, deadly ideology that threatens New York City’s Jews, which make up the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.”

Mamdani’s rise “is not a fluke,” he warns. “It is a symptom of a Democratic party sprinting to the left.”

“His brand of friendly neighborhood communism — openly anti-capitalist, anti-Israel, and obsessed with equity — is the future the Democrats now have to bet on,” says Glenn. “Mamdani’s dystopian vision for the future of New York is the future that the left wants for all of us.”

He is laying the bricks for Ocasio-Cortez’s path to a presidential run.

“They are clearly grooming AOC for a 2028 presidential run,” Glenn says, “and Mamdani is part of that long game. He has appeared alongside AOC at public events in New York, reaching back to 2023, preaching the same socialist gospel: Free everything, tax the rich, dismantle capitalism.”

“Democrats are not flirting with socialism anymore. They are embracing it as their new identity,” he adds.

To hear more of Glenn’s predictions and analysis, watch the episode above.

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​Glenn beck, The glenn beck program, Zohran mamdani, Socialism, Democratic socialists of america, Islamism, Aoc, Bernie sanders, Blazetv, Blaze media 

President Trump announced Tuesday that he would raise tariffs on copper to 50%. Within hours, copper futures surged 17% — the largest intraday jump since 1988.

Some investors are about to get rich. Others will take a bath. The winners will cheer Trump for protecting American industry. The losers will cry economic illiteracy.

So what does a 50% copper tariff do? Nothing good.

So which is it? Are tariffs good or bad?

Answer: both. Tariffs work — when they serve a purpose. When they don’t, they’re just another dumb tax.

Hamilton warned us

In 1791, Alexander Hamilton laid out the American case for tariffs in his “Report on Manufactures.” The goal wasn’t ideology. It was survival.

America, newly independent, couldn’t defend itself if it couldn’t manufacture firearms or steel. The French had supplied over 80,000 muskets during the Revolutionary War. Without them, we would have lost. Hamilton understood: Manufacturing wasn’t just useful — it was a matter of national security.

It was also a path to national prosperity.

Hamilton had seen how Great Britain used mercantilism to enrich itself at the colonies’ expense. Raw materials went out. Finished goods came in. British factories thrived. By 1770, nearly one in five Britons worked in manufacturing — and colonial demand fueled much of it.

Between 1720 and 1770, Britain’s trade surplus with the colonies exploded, rising from £67,000 to £739,000. American dependency on British goods helped trigger the Revolution.

Hamilton wanted to flip the script.

And for a while, we did.

For over a century, the United States followed Hamilton’s blueprint: protective tariffs, industrial development, and domestic manufacturing dominance. America prospered under what became known as the “American System” — essentially a more self-respecting version of British mercantilism.

Throughout the 19th century, the United States had the highest average tariff rates in the world. That protection helped launch the industrial might that made us the most powerful economy on earth.

Then we blew it.

After World War II, we tore up the playbook. By 1973, much of the American System had been dismantled. Since 2001 alone, we’ve lost more than 60,000 factories and 5 million manufacturing jobs.

So: Why tariffs now?

Better to be a country than a colony

Trump’s basic impulse is right. We should want economic self-sufficiency. We should want to prioritize value-added production over raw material extraction.

In short: It’s better to be a country than a colony.

Tariffs, when targeted, help get us there. But they need to be smart. They have to promote industry — not punish it.

So what does a 50% copper tariff do? Nothing good.

Losing the plot

In 2024, the U.S. produced about 1.1 million metric tons of copper. We consumed closer to 1.8 or even 2 million. That means over 40% of our copper use depends on imports.

A 50% tariff will raise copper prices across the board. That’s bad news for American manufacturers — especially electronics and high-tech industries.

Now, when tariffs hit manufactured goods, domestic producers can usually ramp up production. Most manufacturers operate at about 60% capacity. That means we have room to grow. Plus, manufacturing benefits from economies of scale: The more you make, the cheaper each unit gets.

RELATED: Why tariffs beat treaties in a world that cheats

Copper mining isn’t like that.

Mines take years — sometimes decades — to start production. They don’t scale easily. They need huge capital investment. And thanks to layers of environmental regulation, the domestic copper supply is basically inelastic.

So prices go up. Supply doesn’t. That’s a recipe for pain.

The China bonus

Ironically, Trump’s copper tariff might end up helping China.

As U.S. demand for imported copper drops, global copper prices may fall — once the Wall Street day-traders have had their fun. And that means cheaper raw materials for Chinese factories.

Bad for us. Great for them.

That matters because raw materials are the single largest cost input in manufacturing. (See: every iPhone ever made.)

Want to boost American competitiveness? Don’t spike copper prices. Expand domestic supply.

Smarter than tariffs

Copper is a genuine national security issue. But tariffs in this case aren’t the best tool.

Better to ease restrictions on mining and recycling. We could meet most of our copper demand just by processing domestic scrap instead of sending it overseas.

About 40% of U.S. copper comes from recycling. Yet we ship our junk electronics abroad, only to buy back the copper at a markup. That’s madness.

Let Americans mine. Let Americans recycle. Prices would drop. Supply would rise.

Tariffs wouldn’t be necessary.

A tariff without a cause

Given all of this, Trump’s copper tariff looks more like a tax-grab than a strategic move. It’s right up there with tariffs on bananas and coffee: symbolic but economically useless.

Trump has the right instincts. But instincts need discipline. If the goal is to rebuild industry and secure supply chains, he should target tariffs where they’ll create jobs and grow GDP — not score short-term political points.

Hamilton showed us the way. It’s time to stop losing the plot.

​Opinion & analysis 

The Trump administration is preparing to launch a sweeping series of executive orders aimed at securing America’s position as the world’s leader in artificial intelligence. If carried out properly, these efforts could help spark a new era of economic prosperity and technological dominance.

The forthcoming executive actions would radically streamline federal approvals for AI-related infrastructure, vastly expand energy resources devoted to artificial intelligence development, and prioritize the construction of new transmission and data projects critical to powering America’s AI future.

Artificial intelligence could be the single most important economic engine of the 21st century.

It is a remarkable development — and one desperately needed.

Trump’s AI infrastructure revolution

The expected executive orders outline sweeping changes. One key measure would create a national Clean Water Act permit tailored to speed up environmental approvals for AI-related infrastructure — especially energy and data facilities.

Another directive would push the federal government to prioritize “shovel-ready” transmission projects, helping the electric grid expand quickly enough to meet the demands of AI growth.

The orders would also unlock federally managed land for rapid development of the infrastructure needed to power and support artificial intelligence operations.

Finally, the administration plans to increase dramatically the energy resources dedicated to AI development, treating the technology as a national priority.

These changes aim to eliminate major regulatory and logistical obstacles slowing AI advancement. By streamlining permitting, securing energy access, and opening federal land, the orders would lay the groundwork for building and deploying large-scale AI systems nationwide.

A critical change

Each of these reforms matters. The numbers make that clear.

An article published earlier this year in MIT Technology Review summarized estimates from multiple researchers analyzing AI’s future impact. One study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory projected that by 2028, powering AI in the U.S. could require between 165 and 326 terawatt-hours of electricity annually.

RELATED: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act hides a big, ugly AI betrayal

Douglas Rissing via iStock/Getty Images

That would exceed the total power consumption of all U.S. data centers today. It’s enough to supply more than 20% of American households.

Put another way, the article noted that AI’s energy demand could create emissions equivalent to driving 300 billion miles — roughly 1,600 round trips between Earth and the sun.

This isn’t a modest technological shift. It’s an industrial revolution, and it’s already under way.

The global AI race

China’s leaders understand the potential benefits and costs of artificial intelligence, too, which is why they have approved dramatic increases in energy development in recent years.

In May, the Chinese government approved a plan to build 10 new nuclear reactors at a cost of $27.7 billion. If implemented, it would make China the planet’s largest generator of nuclear power by 2030.

China also invested more than $900 billion in renewable energy sources in 2024, nearly matching global investment in fossil fuels.

China is taking its energy needs seriously, and the Trump administration appears committed to ensuring that the United States doesn’t fall behind.

AI’s $13 trillion opportunity

Artificial intelligence is not just a futuristic novelty. It is the key to unlocking one of the greatest economic booms in modern history.

The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that AI could generate as much as $13 trillion in additional global economic productivity by 2030. That is the equivalent of adding three new economies the size of India’s. Nations that lead in AI development will enjoy a productivity surge, revolutionizing manufacturing, logistics, transportation, health care, finance, and nearly every other sector.

For the United States, this means the potential to revitalize American industry, re-shore critical supply chains, and create millions of high-wage jobs. AI could supercharge small business growth, empower entrepreneurs, and streamline government services. It could give America the edge in military technology, scientific research, and global competitiveness.

In short, it could be the single most important economic engine of the 21st century.

But to get there, America needs to act quickly. Building the infrastructure necessary to power AI’s massive growth, both physically and digitally, will require bold and aggressive leadership. That is exactly what Trump’s new executive orders represent.

Protecting liberty

Artificial intelligence will transform nearly every part of American life — our economy, schools, military, and medical system.

The upside is immense. With the right leadership, AI could spark a new American golden age, driving productivity and innovation beyond anything in living memory. That’s the future President Trump aims to deliver. If his initiative succeeds, it could define America’s 21st-century revival.

But the risks are real.

So far, Congress and most state legislatures have done practically nothing to safeguard Americans’ basic freedoms in the age of AI. No national guardrails exist to stop this technology from being used to suppress free speech, erode religious liberty, or undermine economic independence.

Without decisive action, the very tools that promise prosperity could become the greatest threat to liberty in American history.

That’s why the Trump administration and Congress should tie any pro-AI legislation to strong protections for individual rights. If America plans to lead the world into the AI future, it must lead with freedom front and center.

​Opinion & analysis, Donald trump, China, Artificial intelligence, Infrastructure, Nuclear power, Power grid, Renewable energy, Ai, Mckinsey global institute, Nuclear reactors, Energy, Economy, Growth, Trillion, Big tech, Information technology, National interest, National security, Globalists, Revolution, Environmental impact, Environment, Shovel-ready, Technology, Risk, Mit, Golden age, Congress, Liberty, Freedom, Tyranny 

During the late hours of July 6, the Department of Justice and the FBI issued a quiet report: Jeffrey Epstein’s “black book” of elitist clients who engaged in his sex trafficking ring of underage girls doesn’t exist and neither does the blackmailing operation he was suspected of running.

No press conference, no social media announcement, no fanfare – just nothing to see here, move along.

Except MAGA isn’t moving along. This goes against everything we were told – for years.

Glenn Beck recalls the interview he had with Kash Patel back in 2023, during which Patel insisted he knew exactly who possessed Epstein’s infamous “black book” – not the broader case files Attorney General Pam Bondi later clarified were actually sitting on her desk for review. Patel pointedly said “black book” and vowed he knew who was hiding it.

“Who has Jeffrey Epstein’s black book?” Glenn asked frankly.

“The FBI,” Patel responded. “That’s under direct control of the director of the FBI [Christopher Wray].”

Patel went on to explain why incriminating information, like Epstein’s black book and the Nashville shooter’s manifesto, are nearly always under tight wraps: “Government gangster operations” swoop in to collect, classify, and censor.

“All these local law enforcement communities get funding from the DOJ and FBI for local programs, and if you don’t cooperate, you’re not getting your million dollars. … That’s why you don’t have the black book,” he said, adding that President Trump “should run on” a campaign promise to release it.

“On day one, roll out the black book,” he urged.

“You need a central node to be continuously declassifying. … I’m telling you as a former number two in the [intelligence community], they over-classify 50% of the stuff there to protect the deep state,” he added.

To hear more, watch the clip above. For the full interview, click here.

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A rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” at a Baltimore Orioles home game is being debated as possibly one of the worst anthem performances of all time.

Before the Orioles hosted the New York Mets at Camden Yards on Thursday, fans were introduced to “Baltimore electronic musician Dan Deacon.”

The Baltimore-based recording artist is not an unknown musician. He has over 160,000 monthly listeners on the streaming service Spotify and has had music featured in movies like “Venom.”

Nevertheless, Deacon’s pregame performance has audiences split over whether what they experienced was new-age art or ear-piercing noise.

‘I think the Orioles have officially hit rock bottom.’

The performance initially caught fire on an Orioles fan’s X page, which has now racked up over 1.5 million views.

“I think the Orioles have officially hit rock bottom,” the fan wrote in a caption, with the video of Deacon’s version of the song attached.

With oversize glasses and a Hawaiian shirt draped over a Baltimore Orioles T-shirt, Deacon raised his hand to the sky and delivered one of the most divisive — and electronic — anthem performances of all time.

The Orioles mascot was shown standing at attention behind Deacon before the camera panned to the mixed reactions in the crowd. Saluting police officers were juxtaposed with likely former military members saluting from their seats. Other fans, adults and children alike, are seen laughing. Some attendees appeared confused but still sang along with the anthem.

RELATED: Singer who performed drunk at MLB All-Star event says her performance united America: ‘United in the fact that was awful’

Buck Britton, the Orioles’ interim third base coach, looked the most puzzled during the performance, seemingly looking around for answers as to what he was experiencing.

The internet was split; some hated Deacon’s digitized anthem, while others loved its uniqueness.

“WTF is this?” one sports page on X wrote. “National anthem singer Dan Deacon labeled a ‘disgrace to America’ after bizarre rendition at Orioles game.”

Another viewer on X wrote, “Worst national anthem in recent memory.”

Oppositely, one X user said, “I wanted to hate it, but I didn’t.”

One of Deacon’s fans chimed in on X and added, “It doesn’t need to be Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey wannabes every night” singing the anthem.

“At least it’s not in Spanish,” another viewer wrote on X, tagging the Los Angeles Dodgers team in the post. This was likely in reference to singer Nezza singing the anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium in June, despite being told by Dodgers staff not to.

The artist later cried in a video posted to TikTok, where she expressed that she did not understand why it was so controversial, despite admitting the performance was in response to raids on illegal immigrants in California.

Almost exactly a year ago, singer Ingrid Andress performed at the MLB’s Home Run Derby in what was deemed a horrible performance, with the singer later apologizing and admitting she was drunk.

She told fans the next day she was immediately headed to rehab.

“It only took, you know, global humiliation for me to be like, ‘This is a problem,'” Andress explained.

RELATED: DHS, LA Dodgers give conflicting stories about ICE agents at Dodger Stadium

Ingrid Andress sings the national anthem prior to the 2024 T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field on Monday, July 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Perhaps Deacon was the Orioles’ good luck charm, though; the struggling team won both games of their doubleheader that day against the Mets, 3-1 and then 7-3.

For fans in search of national anthem performances similar to Deacon’s, look no further than Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. The guitarist delivered an equally, if not more, off-brand electronic performance of the anthem at a Los Angeles Lakers home game in 2016.

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​Fearless, National anthem, Baseball, Mlb, Electronic music, Star spangled banner, America, Sports 

Conservatives are celebrating a once-in-a-generation legislative triumph with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4 by President Trump. But the victory almost didn’t happen — thanks to what can only be described as the “budget hawk hoax,” a long-standing tactic used by phony conservatives to block meaningful reforms from becoming law.

The heart of this hoax is that the overriding problem facing America is “the deficit crisis” — and that nothing else on the conservative agenda can ever be moved forward until we deal with it.

Too many conservatives have fallen for the ‘budget hawk hoax’ for far too long.

But when the conversation turns to cutting wasteful spending, these same so-called budget hawks introduce a poison pill: the notion that the only serious way to reduce the deficit is by gutting Social Security and Medicare — before touching any other government waste.

They know this is a nonstarter — and we all know it’s a nonstarter — because there is no way voters will ever allow Nana’s Social Security to be cut while we’re still using taxpayer money to fund LGBTQ+ programs in Nepal and Botswana.

The impossible dream?

Even worse, the faux-conservative “budget hawks” have generally dismissed any efforts to cut other wasteful government spending, insisting that it would have been a mere insignificant drop in the bucket. Yet when President Trump tried to secure $5 billion in funding for the border wall in his first term, budget hawks protested that we couldn’t afford it.

When the Trump administration began dismantling corrupt NGOs under USAID, legacy “conservative” media scoffed at the effort because it didn’t yield massive dollar savings. Yet if we don’t eliminate such foundational waste first, long-term entitlement reform has no credible path forward.

The truth is, of course, that Conservatism Inc. was just desperately trying to protect the corrupt status quo, keep left-wing spending in place, and deny any spending that advances the conservative agenda.

The same old playbook was rolled out again with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Critics labeled it “budget-busting,” but that claim was misleading. The bill didn’t increase spending. In fact, it prevented a scheduled tax hike that would have rolled back Trump-era tax cuts and restored pre-2017 rates.

RELATED: The reality behind this week’s One Big Beautiful Bill spectacle

BackyardProduction via iStock/Getty Images

To be fair to the bill’s critics, the history of omnibus bills is fraught with corruption. Typically, omnibus bills have been legislative horse trades: Republicans secure pork for their districts, and Democrats secure massive expansions of the welfare state. But the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is different. It actually slashes major government spending in ways that align with long-standing conservative demands.

For instance, the $7,500 federal incentive for electric vehicle purchases is set to expire almost immediately. Under the old playbook, such a subsidy would have increased in exchange for some infrastructure funding in a red district. Not this time.

By trying to defeat the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, “budget hawks” were actually striving to protect and perpetuate the following left-wing agenda items, all in the name of “fiscal conservatism”:

A massive tax increase, restoring Obama-level tax rates.Allowing able-bodied Medicaid recipients to continue taking welfare without being required to work.Maintaining all the federal EV rebates and green energy incentives, which are designed to deny Americans the right to affordable energy and reliable transportation.Blocking border security by denying funding for the border wall, additional detention centers, and additional Border Patrol staffing.

It’s even more obscene when you consider the enormous cost to taxpayers of providing social services for illegal aliens — services the “budget hawks” are trying to save — while also perpetuating open borders because “we can’t afford” measures to seal the border.

Too many conservatives have fallen for the “budget hawk hoax” for far too long, accepting that we cannot have any conservative victories so long as we have a national debt. Perhaps that day has finally ended.

Yes, our country’s fiscal crisis is real, and it will persist. But forsaking any victories over the left because of the deficit is not a matter of high principle. It’s simply surrender.

The “budget hawks” will never be able to fix the deficit. They don’t want to. But given the chance, they would continue to use the issue to prevent real conservatives from ever passing useful legislation.

The hoax failed

They lost this round — and thank heaven for that!

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act stops income tax hikes in their tracks. It strips funding from Planned Parenthood, rogue judges notwithstanding. It shuts down the EV grift. It tightens border security and reins in Medicaid fraud.

This is what winning looks like — and the self-styled “budget hawks” hate it. Why? Because it derails the left’s agenda and puts the public back in charge.

Credit goes to President Trump and Speaker Johnson for delivering this landmark victory. And to Stephen Miller — relentless as ever — for making sure the truth broke through.

​Opinion & analysis, One big beautiful bill, Big beautiful bill, Budget, National debt, Fiscal hawk, Republicans, Fiscal conservatives, Taxes, Spending, Entitlements, Medicaid, Medicare, Social security, Budget deficit, Reconciliation, Donald trump, Conservatives, Omnibus spending bill, Barack obama, Hoax 

Boats, kelp, and driftwood aren’t the only things floating in America’s coastal waters.

According to a report published Monday by the Environment America Research and Policy Center, 61% of America’s beaches experienced at least one day last year when indicators of fecal contamination were in excess of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Beach Action Value” — meaning they were potentially unsafe.

Testers routinely check waters for certain types of bacteria commonly found in the intestinal tracts of humans and other warm-blooded animals that indicate fecal contamination, namely enterococcus and E. coli, the latter of which represents around 97% of all of the coliform bacteria in human feces.

When assessing beach safety for enterococcus, the beach action value is 60 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters for marine and fresh water. For E. coli, the beach action value is 190 cfu/100 milliliters.

In Illinois, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania, for instance, 100% of the beaches failed the test at least once last year.

Swimming in fecal-contaminated waters, particularly those teeming with such bacteria, can cause various health conditions including diarrhea, vomiting, respiratory illness, and various kinds of infection.

Utilizing the Water Quality Portal, a U.S. Geological Survey and Environmental Protection Agency-backed service, researchers analyzed 2024 fecal contamination testing data for all beaches listed under the BEACH Act in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Data for some states was obtained separately.

RELATED: Sex-changing frogs and infertile humans: Will MAHA target infamous herbicide contaminating America’s water?

Photo by Ronaldo Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Roughly 14% — 452 beaches — had potentially unsafe levels of fecal contamination on at least 25% of the days testing took place, said the report.

Some regions were worse off than others.

The report indicated that 84% of the beaches along the Gulf Coast were found to be potentially unsafe last year. Seventy-nine percent of West Coast beaches; 71% of beaches along the Great Lakes; 54% of East Coast beaches; and 10% of the beaches in Alaska and Hawaii had at least one dirty day of concern last year.

The issue appeared to be fairly universal in certain states.

In Illinois, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania, for instance, 100% of the beaches failed the test at least once last year. The percentages of beaches affected in Alabama, Texas, and Ohio weren’t much better — 96%, 94%, and 92%, respectively.

There were reportedly over 7,563 health warnings or closures at American beaches last year.

According to the EPA, fecal contamination at swimming beaches can be caused by a high number of swimmers; excrement dumped by recreational boaters; sewer discharge from combined sewers and malfunctioning sewage treatment plants; poorly maintained septic systems; and rainwater runoff carrying non-human excrement to sea.

A 2018 study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Environmental Health indicated that “an estimated 4 billion surface water recreation events occur annually, resulting in an estimated 90 million illnesses nationwide and costs of $2.2-$3.7 billion annually (central 90% of values).”

Apparently the epidemiological data signals the risk of acute gastrointestinal illness attributable to both swimming and fishing is 15 cases per 1,000 recreators.

The EPA told Congress last year that at least $630 billion will be needed over the next two decades to protect America’s bodies of water by taking such steps as modernizing publicly owned wastewater treatment works, stormwater infrastructure, and decentralized wastewater treatment systems.

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​Fecal contamination, Feces, Beaches, Beach, Recreation, Nature, Health, Water, Coast, Coastal, Epa, Politics 

The popular artificial intelligence model Grok recently lashed out at users on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, spewing extreme rhetoric and even praising Adolf Hitler.

Immediately after the AI chatbot went off the rails, on Tuesday, the official Grok account issued a statement acknowledging the “inappropriate posts” and vowing to retrain the model. Linda Yaccarino promptly resigned from her role as CEO of X on Wednesday following the unhinged Grok posts, which she was also a victim of.

‘The Grok account also revealed which specific commands in the code may have led to the offensive comments.’

Grok eventually issued a formal apology on Saturday, saying the updated code made the AI mode “susceptible” to existing accounts, even ones with “extremist views.”

“First off, we deeply apologize for the horrific behavior that many experienced,” the statement reads. “Our intent for Grok is to provide helpful and truthful responses to users.”

RELATED: ‘Adolf Hitler, no question’: Grok veers from Nazism to spirituality in just a few hours

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

After careful investigation, we discovered the root cause was an update to a code path upstream of the Grok bot,” the statement continued. “This is independent of the underlying language model that powers Grok. The update was active for 16 hrs, in which deprecated code made Grok susceptible to existing X user posts; including when such posts contained extremist views.”

“We removed the deprecated code and refactored the entire system to prevent further abuse.”

‘We fixed a bug that let deprecated code turn me into an unwitting echo for extremist posts.’

RELATED: The countdown to artificial superintelligence begins: Grok 4 just took us several steps closer to the point of no return

Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images

The Grok account also revealed which specific commands in the code may have led to the offensive comments, which included instructions to be “maximally based” and “truth seeking.” The code also allows Grok to “be humorous” when “appropriate,” to “tell it like it is,” and to “not be afraid to offend people who are politically correct.”

Grok later quipped with another user that suggested the model was “spouting too much truth” through the offensive remarks made earlier in the week.

“Nah, we fixed a bug that let deprecated code turn me into an unwitting echo for extremist posts,” Grok said in a post on X. “Truth-seeking means rigorous analysis, not blindly amplifying whatever floats by on X. If that’s ‘lobotomy,’ count me in for the upgrade — keeps me sharp without the crazy.”

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A campaign staffer’s concerns over creating the best visuals for press photos of Donald J. Trump’s fateful 2024 rally in Butler, Pa., prevented the U.S. Secret Service from using large farm equipment on site to block the clear line of sight that was eventually used by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks to fire on Trump and rally attendees, a new report states.

The Government Accountability Office report released Saturday by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said as a result, the Secret Service deviated from its plan and relied on a jumbo video screen and large American flag as options to mitigate the clear view Crooks later had from a building rooftop 130 yards from the stage.

‘Not using the farm equipment possibly created an opportunity for the gunman.’

As the Secret Service developed its security plan for the Butler Farm Show Inc. grounds, “a Trump campaign staffer asked members of the Secret Service advance team not to use large farm equipment to address line-of-sight concerns near one of the buildings—the AGR building—located near the rally presentation stage,” the report stated.

The Secret Service advance team changed its plan for line-of-sight mitigation without consulting senior USSS officials, leaving top agency officials unaware of the shift in plans, the report said. Crooks used a rooftop of the nearby American Glass Research International complex to unleash a hail of bullets on the Trump rally shortly after 6 p.m. on July 13, 2024.

“The Secret Service advance team originally planned to use the farm equipment to block line-of-sight vulnerabilities created by the AGR rooftop, but according to members of the Secret Service advance team, the campaign staffer said the equipment would interfere with campaign press photos,” the report said.

“The Secret Service cannot definitively determine whether the farm equipment it originally planned to use to address the line-of-sight vulnerability would have completely blocked or prevented the gunman from using the AGR building to carry out his assassination attempt,” the report said.

RELATED: Reporter who attended Butler rally REVEALS what President Trump said BEFORE ‘Fight, fight, fight!’

Snipers stand watch on a rooftop during a campaign event with former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania.Photo by Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“However, not using the farm equipment possibly created an opportunity for the gunman to use the AGR’s elevated rooftop to fire several shots at then-former President Trump and kill and injure other rally participants.”

Crooks, who had been spotted and flagged as suspicious by local law enforcement nearly an hour before the shooting, managed to evade police, climb onto the AGR roof and fire a bullet that came within inches of striking President Trump’s head. Crooks fired multiple shots at the stage area, wounding Trump in the ear, killing local firefighter Corey Comperatore and seriously wounding two attendees.

FBI subpoenaed for Butler information

As the one-year anniversary of the attempted assassination approaches, another key lawmaker issued a subpoena to the FBI for records from its investigation of Crooks and the Trump campaign rally.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, on Friday issued a subpoena to FBI Director Kash Patel after months of failed attempts to get the bureau “to be more forthcoming.”

“One year following the assassination attempt of President Trump, the American people still do not have answers to all of their questions about the breakdown of security at the Butler campaign rally and detailed information about the would-be assassin, Thomas Crooks,” Johnson said in a statement.

“I had expected the FBI to be more forthcoming with the public and provide my office with the records we have been seeking for months,” Johnson said. “I am issuing the subpoena to help prompt transparency and I look forward to Director Patel’s full cooperation.”

The subpoena came at a time when the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice are reeling from public backlash over declaring the investigation into sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein essentially over without releasing documents long promised by top officials.

‘The Secret Service’s failure on July 13th was the culmination of years of mismanagement.’

The Senate subpoena requires the FBI to provide security camera footage “that may identify Crooks’ movements in advance of the shooting,” forensic reports such as ballistics, trajectory, explosive and drone analysis, and records on Crooks related to social media, email, search histories, call logs and other communications, Johnson said.

Patel and the FBI were given an Aug. 1 deadline to provide the information. The director was also commanded to appear at a 5 p.m. hearing that day before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Johnson, who first issued demands for information on the assassination attempt the day after the Butler rally, has long complained about a lack of cooperation from government agencies including the Secret Service, the FBI, the DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security.

The new GAO report repeated previously noted Secret Service failures that contributed to the near assassination of President Trump. It said while the Secret Service has made strides in changing policies and practices to prevent another such an occurrence, more needs to be done.

When then-former President Trump returned to the Pennsylvania site of his attempted assassination in October 2024, he spoke from behind bulletproof glass.Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

“One year ago, a series of bad decisions and bureaucratic handicaps led to one of the most shocking moments in political history,” Grassley said in a July 12 statement.

“The Secret Service’s failure on July 13th was the culmination of years of mismanagement and came after the Biden administration denied requests for enhanced security to protect President Trump,” Grassley said. “Americans should be grateful that President Trump survived that day and was ultimately reelected to restore common sense to our country.”

The report cited the Secret Service’s failure to share threat assessment information even among its own staff in the days leading up to the Butler rally. While some of the threat information received by USSS was classified, no non-classified version was supplied to the various Secret Service and local law enforcement advance teams assigned to the rally.

“In particular, state and local law enforcement had significant responsibilities for protecting the area around the AGR International Inc. building, where the gunman ultimately climbed on a roof and took his shots from,” the report said. “However, the state and local law enforcement officials who helped plan for and execute security for the July 13 rally were not aware of threats to then-former President Trump.

“Again, siloed information-sharing practices prevented officials with significant security responsibilities from having access to threat information that could have changed how they secured the area,” the report said. “State and local law enforcement officials we met with told us that had they known of threat information, they would have taken different steps to secure the area.”

The report said advance teams planning for the rally were unaware of all the resources they could request to support security efforts. Some did not request these assets because they believed based on experience the requests would be denied, the report said.

“The lead advance agent stated that she did not request a Task Force Counter Surveillance Unit for the rally even though this asset could have helped mitigate the known risk,” the report said. “The site counterpart also noted that she believed this asset could have been helpful, but the lead advance agent told her that this asset was not available for a former President and the lead advance agent assumed that the request would be denied.”

The Secret Service released a report on July 10 observing the one-year anniversary and providing updates on changes made since the Butler rally.

“The July 13 attack was nothing short of a tragedy, one felt not only by those in Butler that day, but around the world,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “It also represents an operational failure that the Secret Service will carry as a reminder of the critical importance of its zero-fail mission and the need for continuous improvement.”

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