Category: blaze media

The Department of Health and Human Services has paused work at certain laboratories, most notably at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) Integrated Research Facility, which studies high-risk pathogens.

The pause is in response to repeated safety incidents.

The incident gaining the most attention, however, involves a dispute between researchers that turned physical when one worker intentionally compromised another worker’s personal protective equipment.

To get the scoop, Glenn Beck invited the director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, on “The Glenn Beck Program.”

“A contractor actually punched a hole in the other person’s biolab suit, I don’t know, to get them sick? I mean, is that what happened at that biolab?” asks Glenn in shock.

“That is exactly what happened,” says Dr. Bhattacharya. “A lab worker cut a hole in a biocontainment suit of a fellow worker with the express intention of getting that worker infected.”

The lab where the incident took place, he says, is “a BSL-4 lab, which is the highest biosecurity level lab.” According to Dr. Bhattacharya, the lab conducts experiments on highly infectious viruses and pathogens, including Ebola. A security breach could mean deadly consequences, not just for workers but for quite literally the world.

But it wasn’t just a “lovers’ spat” that compromised the safety of the lab. The contractor who was overseeing the facility “did a very lax job.”

“I learned that this goes back to the Biden administration — that the safety environment in the lab essentially downplayed these kinds of security problems,” says Dr. Bhattacharya. “Personally, I’m not sold that all of these experiments are worth doing, but in any case, if you’re going to run them, you have an absolute responsibility to have zero tolerance for safety problems.”

“Shouldn’t that person be punished?” asks Glenn. “I mean, that really is attempted murder and maybe even on a mass scale.”

Because there’s an “ongoing investigation,” Dr. Bhattacharya can’t reveal much, but he does admit that the incident “scared” him deeply.

“I think Americans are actively scared because none of this stuff should be happening. I mean, we are just an accident or a stupid move or an intentional leak away from mass death,” says Glenn, noting that Bill Gates has been warning that “we’re on the verge of another pandemic.”

“Pandemics happen; they’ve happened all throughout history. The key thing to me though, Glenn, is we don’t want to cause one. … The irony of this past pandemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, is that it was very likely caused by actions aimed at stopping pandemics from happening,” Dr. Bhattacharya explains.

To hear his plan for creating a new framework for scientific research that involves the approval of the American public, watch the clip above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

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

​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Blazetv, Blaze media, Jay bhattacharya, Nih, Niaid, Covid, Lab leaks, Gain of function research 

President Trump on Monday signed an executive order to lower prescription drug prices for Americans by up to 80%. The move — called the “most favored nations” pricing policy — seeks to require pharmaceutical companies to charge U.S. consumers no more than what they charge consumers in other developed nations.

To many Americans, this may sound like simple fairness. After all, why should U.S. citizens pay two, three, or even four times more for the exact same medication than citizens in countries like France, Japan, or Canada?

When the market has been effectively captured, Trump’s executive order is not government overreach but rather a corrective intervention.

But this price disparity is not accidental — it’s systemic. For decades, the United States has quietly subsidized the rest of the world’s access to pharmaceuticals.

Global drug manufacturers earn their profits not in Berlin or Brussels, but in Des Moines and Dallas. In effect, Americans have been the financial backbone of an international pricing scheme that benefits other nations at our expense.

President Trump’s executive order directly challenges this arrangement. It stipulates that if a drug company offers a product to another country at a lower price, the United States should receive the same rate. It’s a reciprocal principle: no more preferential treatment for foreign buyers.

This is a significant departure from business as usual in Washington, and it’s not hard to see why the policy is resonating with the public. At face value, it offers a rare and overdue measure of accountability in a system where Americans are consistently overcharged for lifesaving medication. For anyone who has ever had to ration insulin, split pills, or go without treatment due to cost, this action likely feels like justice.

What free market?

But for those of us who believe strongly in the free market — and I count myself among them — this executive order raises uncomfortable questions.

In principle, I oppose government interference in pricing. I’ve long warned that when the government inserts itself into private industry, the result is usually distortion, inefficiency, and unintended consequences. History offers plenty of examples. In the 1990s, then-first lady Hillary Clinton’s health care proposals — including a federal mandate that vaccine manufacturers sell to the government at deeply discounted prices — led to supply shortages and industry retreat. When profit disappears, so does innovation and availability. That pattern tends to repeat.

So why am I not condemning President Trump’s latest move outright?

Because we no longer operate in a truly free market. In the pharmaceutical industry, the system is already so burdened with lobbying, regulation, and insurance complexity that the idea of unencumbered market exchange is little more than a fiction. Prices are not driven by consumer choice or transparent competition. Instead, they are the product of negotiations between drug companies, insurance providers, and governments — while the average American is left footing the bill without a seat at the table.

In this environment, where the market has been effectively captured, Trump’s executive order can be seen not as government overreach but as a corrective intervention. It’s an attempt to level a playing field that was rigged long ago. The United States is the single largest buyer of pharmaceuticals in the world, and yet we have consistently refused to leverage that bargaining power.

Every other country negotiates drug prices. We don’t. That isn’t capitalism; it’s capitulation.

A necessary disruption

To be clear, I am not advocating long-term price controls. The risks of such policies are well-documented: reduced innovation, fewer treatment options, and deeper government dependency. But I also refuse to pretend that what we currently have is a functioning free market. It isn’t. And continuing to prop up a broken system in the name of “principle” is not conservatism — it’s negligence.

We should still scrutinize the details. We should remain skeptical. But we should also acknowledge this: The current system is unsustainable. Americans are being overcharged for medications so that other countries can pay less. Call it what you want, but don’t call it capitalism — or justice. I’d call it a redistribution scheme masquerading as market logic.

President Trump is right on one crucial point: America has been getting ripped off for far too long. His executive order is a necessary disruption to a system that has failed the very people it was supposed to serve.

It’s time we stopped playing the chump.

Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn’s FREE email newsletter with his latest insights, top stories, show prep, and more delivered to your inbox.

​Opinion & analysis, Big pharma, Executive order, Drug prices, Prescription costs, Donald trump, Drug manufacturers, Europe, Costs, Free market 

An elderly man who was simply vacuuming his vehicle was killed during a horrific carjacking incident in Southern California, police say.

78-year-old James Norman was cleaning his Chevy Trailblazer at about 12:30 p.m. at a gas station on Hidden Valley Parkway in Corona when someone hopped into the vehicle and drove off. He backed up and trapped Norman, who was hanging from the back seat.

‘He knew my dad was hanging, but just panicked and kept going until he fell out of the car.’

Norman was dragged for about a half mile by the vehicle before being ejected onto the street.

Corona police said they responded to a call about a carjacking at the gas station. They said they found Norman, and he was transported to a hospital but was later declared dead.

Police reviewed surveillance video, interviewed several people, and detained one suspect in the case after finding the car abandoned. The suspect was identified as 29-year-old Ryan Hewitt from Corona.

Hewitt was charged for carjacking and murder and is scheduled for a hearing on May 14.

Norman’s daughter, Nicole Lauritsen, said that her father was an Army veteran and probably didn’t hear what happened over the sound of the vacuum and because of his hearing aids.

RELATED: Armed woman foils alleged carjacking attempt by three teens, and an 11-year-old

“He was too old and frail to get out before the door slammed on him,” she said. “He knew my dad was hanging, but just panicked and kept going until he fell out of the car.”

A GoFundMe account was set up to help the family with Norman’s expenses.

Corona is a suburb of Los Angeles about 36 miles inland from the coast.

A news report about the incident can be viewed on the YouTube channel for KABC-TV.

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

​Elderly man killed, Man killed carjacking, Socal carjacking murder, James norman murder, Crime 

Democrat House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries of New York issued a warning against President Donald Trump after numerous demands that Democrats be arrested for allegedly trespassing onto ICE detention centers.

Jeffries lashed out at the administration while speaking to reporters in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. He cited some falling poll numbers for the president while claiming that Trump was trying to intimidate his political opponents.

‘We’re not going to be intimidated by their tactics to try to force principled opposition from not standing up to their extremism.’

“It’s a red line,” said Jeffries. “They know better than to go down that road.”

Some Democratic members of the U.S. House tried to gain entry into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainment center in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday. The scene turned to chaos when they were refused entry, and some agents were allegedly assaulted.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, also a Democrat, was arrested after allegedly trespassing with activists and Democrats. He argued that the center was refusing entry to fire officials to check for safety and fire ordinance compliance.

Jeffries has rejected calls from many that the Democrats deserve to be arrested or censured for their actions.

“We’re not going to be intimidated by their tactics to try to force principled opposition from not standing up to their extremism,” he continued.

“It didn’t happen when Donald Trump temporarily was sitting high in the immediate aftermath of the election. Do you think it’s going to happen now, when he’s the most unpopular president in American history after his first 100 days? Give me a break. No one’s intimidated by this dude — no one,” Jeffries reiterated.

“And so there are clear lines that they just dare not cross,” he concluded.

RELATED: Trump-appointed judge OKs Trump use of Alien Enemies Act to deport Tren de Aragua gang members

Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Democrats have also argued that they had authority to access any federal center under their oversight authority.

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN that the lawmakers had assaulted the ICE officers, and accused one Democrat of “body-slamming a female ICE officer.”

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

​Hakeem jeffries vs trump, Jeffries warns trump, Dems trespass ice centers, Dem arrest trespassing, Politics 

President Donald Trump has promised Americans he’ll be teaming up with congressional Republicans to pass a “big, beautiful bill” that’s chock full of campaign promises.

Of those campaign promises, “no tax on tips,” “no tax on overtime,” and major spending cuts stand out. However, the bill’s progress is dragging on — and the country is beginning to wonder what’s really going on.

Russell Vought, Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, has some answers.

“I want to talk to you about the Republicans, because I believe they’re kind of a waste of space. They are not doing the things that I think the president promised, and that is, cut the budget and cut regulation in dramatic ways,” Glenn Beck tells Vought on “The Glenn Beck Program.”

“We’re working through it right now. The House, they’re trying to meet their instructions. They basically passed a budget that would have $1.5 trillion in savings and about $4.5 trillion in tax relief, and they are working through to get a bill that can pass,” Vought explains.

“So when are we expecting this to be voted on and possibly go through?” Glenn asks.

“My hope is next week that they pass it out of committee, the two big committees of ways and means and energy and commerce, and then go to budget and set up a vote thereafter on the house floor. That’s our hope, that’s what we’re working towards,” Vought says.

“We’re going to move as much as we can within the parameters of the law and the Constitution, we’re going to move as fast and aggressively as possible to change the reality on the ground with reductions in force, with reorganizations, with doing programmatic review of spending that doesn’t have to go out through the use of recisions,” he continues.

“There’s a whole set of tools in our box that we’re going to use aggressively to get Congress moving in our direction, because we cannot be in a normal situation as an administration where we just kind of send bills up and wait on them,” he adds.

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.

​Big beautiful bill, Blaze media, Blaze news, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Blaze podcast network, Blaze podcasts, Blazetv, Budget cuts, Camera phone, Free, Glenn beck, No tax on overtime, No tax on tips, President donald trump, Russell vought, Sharing, Spending cuts, Tax cuts, The blaze, The glenn beck podcast, The glenn beck program, Trump administration, Upload, Video, Video phone, White house, Youtube.com 

A federal judge ruled in favor of the Trump administration using the Alien Enemies Act to deport members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang but also said the accused must be given sufficient notice.

U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines is the first judge to rule in favor of President Donald Trump invoking the AEA to target members of a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a label that the president has applied to the Tren de Aragua group.

Haines’ order allowed deportations of suspected gang members to resume, but she added that the administration must give the migrants 21 days’ notice.

“Having done its job, the Court now leaves it to the Political Branches of the government, and ultimately to the people who elect those individuals, to decide whether the laws and those executing them continue to reflect their will,” wrote Haines in the 43-page ruling on Tuesday.

Other judges have ruled that the administration is misapplying the act to a transnational gang when it should be applied to invading militaries of foreign governments.

“The Proclamation makes no reference to and in no manner suggests that a threat exists of an organized, armed group of individuals entering the United States at the direction of Venezuela to conquer the country or assume control over a portion of the nation,” said U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. in Texas, also a Trump appointee.

“Thus, the Proclamation’s language cannot be read as describing conduct that falls within the meaning of ‘invasion’ for purposes of the AEA,” he added.

Haines’ order allowed deportations of suspected gang members to resume, but she added that the administration must give the migrants 21 days’ notice in English as well as Spanish of their impending deportation.

“The Court recognizes that it may need to conduct further analysis and consider additional issues related to the specifics of notice in the future,” Haines added. “However, at this preliminary stage of this case, the Court finds that the foregoing is appropriate and complies with the law.”

RELATED: ‘This is war’: Trump signals he’s playing hardball with invocation of Alien Enemies Act, disappointment of Obama judge

Photo by El Salvador Press Presidency Office/Anadolu via Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in April that migrants to be deported under the AEA have some due process rights that the administration must comply with.

The American Civil Liberties Union has called for the U.S. Supreme Court to issue a final decision on the president’s use of the AEA after the ACLU filed numerous lawsuits against his policies.

Haines was appointed to the court by Trump in 2019.

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

​Trump approves alien enemies act, Alien enemies act of 1798, Trump deportations, Tren de aragua deportations, Politics 

Yet another male athlete won a female high school athletic event, outpacing girls in a 200-meter race last weekend.

States continue to disregard President Trump’s executive order to keep men out of women’s sports, including Pennsylvania, the pivotal swing state that Trump won in 2024.

Over the weekend, the Suburban One League, an athletic conference in Southeastern Pennsylvania, hosted the SOL American Conference Championships in Horsham. During the Liberty Girls’ 200-meter race, viewers quickly noticed that one of the runners had distinct physical qualities.

“His shoulder width is twice the size of the girls,” one viewer wrote.

“He’s got big quads,” reporter Beth Bourne wrote alongside a photo of the athlete.

A video of the event, taken from near the finish line, showed high school male Sean “Luce” Allen take the victory in the girls’ 200-meter race, winning by just over one-tenth of a second.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and President Donald Trump in 2018. Photo by Oliver Contreras/Getty Images

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

After the race was concluded, and a brief meeting with an athletic official, a group of four girls were seen celebrating with the third-place finisher — whom they may have assumed came in second place due to the close results — right in front of the student purporting to be a female.

It should also be noted that with the male athlete taking first place in the event, a victory was taken away from a girl who is technically the fastest female in the category despite being in just the ninth grade.

In March, the male athlete released a statement claiming transgender athletes are stripped of their “opportunity to develop as people” if forced to compete in their actual gender category.

Allen said that “trans athletes, like any other high school athlete, are just kids who want to compete.”

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Allen’s parents said it would be “cruel” to have their son compete against other males.

‘Female athletes are being ignored, injured, and erased.’

Recently, males in women’s’ sports have sparked protests across the country from those unwilling to compete in unfair competitive settings.

For example, a group of four female high jumpers forfeited their spots at a competition in Oregon over the participation of a male. The male in question ended up winning the competition by out-jumping 18 female competitors.

Former NCAA swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler spoke to Blaze News about the increased pressure states are coming under for allowing these competitions to go unchecked.

“If Congress doesn’t intervene now, we’re not just watching the death of women’s sports; we’re watching the collapse of basic truth and fairness in America,” Wheeler claimed. “Female athletes are being ignored, injured, and erased, while the very institutions designed to protect us, like the NCAA, USA Fencing, and even public schools, are actively violating Title IX and spitting in the face of common sense.”

Wheeler noted there is a moral question in play and urged Congress to act upon its “constitutional duty” to provide oversight, uphold federal laws, and “protect the rights of every American girl.”

She added, “If they don’t step in, they’re complicit. And let’s be honest — if we can’t even agree that men don’t belong in women’s locker rooms, how can the American people trust anything our institutions say?”

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

​Fearless, Transgenderism, Women’s sports, Pennsylvania, Woke, Track and field, Sports 

A former teacher of the year from California has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for grooming and sexually assaulting two elementary school students.

Jacqueline Ma, 36, had been a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City.

‘I just pray for an extra hand of protection and strength to all of those I’ve hurt. I’m so sorry.’

Ma was named teacher of the year for the 2022-2023 academic year by the San Diego County Office of Education.

On Feb. 5, Ma pleaded guilty to two counts of forcible lewd act on a child, one count of lewd act on a child, and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material, including allegations of substantial sexual conduct and having multiple victims.

In March 2023, Jacqueline Ma was arrested and hit with three felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and three felony counts of oral copulation.

RELATED: Ex-teacher accused of sexually abusing up to 10 students, exposing children to stripper pole, sex toys, and drugs

MarsBars via iStock / Getty Images

In March 2023, the mother of one of the victims found inappropriate messages on a family tablet between the student and teacher.

The boy’s parents did not allow him to have social media or his own electronics, the DA stated. However, Ma was allegedly able to communicate with him through an unsanctioned after-school program and through a school chat application.

The district attorney’s office said Ma had groomed the minor for over a year before performing sexual acts on him when he was 12.

Ma committed the sexual acts in her classroom while the parents believed their son was playing in an after-school basketball program, and the sexual abuse continued for three months.

Further investigation found that Ma had groomed and sexually assaulted another student in 2020, who was 11 at the time.

Ma had been grooming the young boys with gifts, food, special attention, and doing their homework for them.

RELATED: Ex-teacher accused of sex with student — months after her dad was accused of sexually abusing teens on same Christian campus

Synthetic-Exposition via iStock / Getty Images Plus

As previously reported by Blaze News, Deputy District Attorney Drew Hart said Ma had a photograph of the boy in her wallet, she had jewelry with his initials, and love letters to the boy were found in her classroom.

Hart described Ma’s behavior toward the first victim as “obsessive, possessive, controlling, and dangerous.”

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement, “This defendant violated the trust she had with her students in the most extreme and traumatic way possible, and her actions are despicable.”

“Her victims will have to deal with a lifetime of negative effects, and her 30-year sentence is appropriate,” Stephan stated. “No child deserves what this defendant did, and I hope this sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims, their families, and the community that was left reeling from this defendant’s crimes.”

Ma must serve the full 30 years before she is eligible for parole, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

At her sentencing on Friday, Ma said she was “deeply ashamed of my actions” and apologized for ripping the “childhood” of the sexual abuse victims.

“Instead of following the path of what a teacher should be, I let my selfishness override the boys’ best interests,” Ma told the court through tears, according to KNSD-TV.

“I just pray for an extra hand of protection and strength to all of those I’ve hurt. I’m so sorry,” Ma said during the sentencing, according to KGTV-TV.

RELATED: ‘Obsessed’ ex-special education teacher indicted on child sex crimes, allegedly exchanged 25,000 messages with student

Luzo Reis via iStock / Getty Images Plus

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

​Teacher sex scandal, Student teacher scandal, Teacher arrested, Bad teacher, Child sex abuse, Crime 

Far-left Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of using his position at the Department of Government Efficiency to profit through his companies.

Crockett made the accusations while a guest on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Monday. The congresswoman said that DOGE was a “scam” and that Congress already had a committee to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse.

‘It was a complete sham. This was never about government efficiency.’

“The difference was, like, DOGE is nothing but a cover-up. It’s a scam,” said Crockett while touting her position on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

“They made it seem like they were here to do good, but this was really just a matter of a bad guy coming in and saying, ‘Hey, I want this contract, this contract, that contract, and yes, I have a conflict of interest, but no worries! Oh, and while I’m at it, let me fire this person who has this many investigations that they’re looking into for Tesla, this person who has this many investigations that they are looking into for SpaceX. Let me save myself some money while also enriching myself at the same time,'” she added.

“It was a complete sham. This was never about government efficiency because if it was, we would have started with defense, where now he wants to take the budget up to a whopping $1 trillion, and they have not been able to pass an audit in the last seven audits!”

She received some applause from the audience.

Musk has stepped back from his duties at DOGE in order to focus on his companies after their stock market values plummeted. Left-wing activists have protested at Tesla dealerships, and some have even resorted to violence in order to dissuade Musk from his support of the Trump administration.

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

Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Crockett has previously criticized DOGE when she mocked the suggestion of a “DOGE dividend” to be refunded to the taxpayer from the savings of federal spending. She also had asked protesters to “take down” Musk on her birthday, as their protests were scheduled on the same date.

Video of Crockett’s appearance on “The Late Show” can be viewed on the show’s YouTube channel.

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

​Jasmine crockett vs doge, Crockett vs elon musk, Doge is a scam, Doge cover up, Politics 

Two South Carolina parents have been released from jail after police said their twin infants were found with “severe” rat bites.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said a “large rat started eating” their 6-month-old girl in their Belton home last week, and the mother found the infant covered in blood.

Officials said ‘evidence shows her twin brother also has bite marks on his feet.’

A judge on Tuesday granted personal recognizance bonds to the 24-year-old parents, Akayla Bearden and Justin Bearden, WHNS-TV reported.

But the station said that even though they were released from jail, they’re banned from having contact with their children unless ordered by the state’s social services department.

What’s the background?

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said the baby in question suffered “severe injuries” due to bites from a “field rat” and was recovering at Greenville Memorial Hospital.

Deputies responded to D and M Drive in Belton as soon as the mother called 911 after finding blood covering the bassinet and the infant early Friday morning, officials said. Belton is about 40 minutes south of Greenville.

RELATED: Indiana parents charged with child neglect after their baby nearly dies from rat bites, police say

Image source: Anderson County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office

The bite marks spanned across the baby’s arms, the back of the baby’s head, as well as the baby’s ears and face, officials said.

The Criminal Investigations Division began investigating and interviewed the parents, officials said. While the parents admitted that field rats had been an ongoing issue inside their single-wide home for the last several months, officials said the parents continued to allow their children to live in the home.

What’s more, the injured baby is a twin, and officials said “evidence shows her twin brother also has bite marks on his feet.”

Detectives charged the parents with two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, officials said, adding that all three of their children are now in the custody of the state’s Department of Social Services.

RELATED: ‘We’ve had rats the size of Crocs just running up and down the street’: NYC holds first-ever Anti-Rat Day of Action in Harlem

Image source: Anderson County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office, composite

WBTV-TV said the parents were arrested Monday.

Authorities said the 6-month-old girl will remain in the hospital for several days as the case remains under investigation.

The parents are set to go back before a judge on July 31, WHNS said.

RELATED: NYC Mayor Eric Adams fined for rat infestation at his own property

Brian A. Jackson/South Florida Sun Sentinel

A WHNS video report about the case noted that if the parents plead guilty to the charges, they face up to 10 years behind bars.

You can view the video report here about the case.

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

​Rats, Bites, Injuries, Children, South carolina, Arrests, Unlawful conduct toward a child charges, Released, Bond, Infant, Crime 

The recent CBS interview with Bill Belichick, where his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson interrupted to steer the conversation, has been the subject of some serious controversy the past couple of weeks — but one sports commentator is standing by Belichick’s side.

Colin Cowherd recently defended the couple on his show, “The Herd,” where he admitted that the interview was “cringy” but explained that Hudson is just doing her job.

“She’s his PR director. She’s Bill’s influencer, which he didn’t need in the NFL, but you actually do in college. I thought this was kind of a cringy thing, but she is multiple things for Bill. Assistant, girlfriend, social media producer, PR handler. She fills a lot of roles, and people are kind of uncomfortable with it,” Cowherd said.

“Sometimes in life, you don’t have to wear a headset to call plays. She’s calling plays for Bill, which he didn’t need in the NFL, but he actually does in college football where players now select you,” he continued.

“As I watched this interview, I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve watched interviews like this, CEOs have people like Jordon Hudson.’ You know, presidents, politicians, senators, governors, media execs, they all have people like Jordon Hudson,’” he added.

Jason Whitlock of “Fearless” isn’t quite on the same page.

“I’ve seen it, too, and Monica Lewinsky was not a PR director, she was an intern,” Whitlock says, adding, “Colin left out a description here of her, you know, one of her titles is concubine, I believe. And so he left that out.”

“Yeah, this may be his worst take since the ‘party of joy,’” BlazeTV contributor Steve Kim chimes in. “If she was just in the background, and we never really saw her, I don’t think most people would even care about this anymore.”

“The issue becomes, or is becoming, that she is becoming more and more of an influence, and it just looks kind of strange,” he adds.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

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

​Sharing, Video phone, Upload, Free, Video, Camera phone, Youtube.com, Fearless with jason whitlock, Fearless, Jason whitlock, Steve kim, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Bill belichick, Jordon hudson, Age gap couple, Sugar baby, Sugar daddy, Unc, Unc jordon hudson, The patriots, The national football league, Nfl, College football 

A top adviser of the Harris-Walz presidential campaign has come out to blame former President Joe Biden for the Democrats’ devastating election loss.

Democrats have formed a circular firing line to blame each other for the 2024 election losses, but adviser David Plouffe puts the blame squarely on Biden’s decision to stay in the campaign for far too long.

Biden’s brief re-election campaign was a ‘f***ing nightmare’ for the election chances of Kamala Harris.

The revelation is included in a new book written by Jake Tapper of CNN and Alex Thompson of Axios entitled, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.”

“It’s all Biden. … He totally f***ed us,” Plouffe is quoted as saying in the book.

He went on to say that Biden’s brief re-election campaign was a “f***ing nightmare” for the election chances of Kamala Harris.

RELATED: ‘The View’ lashes out at Nancy Pelosi over comments about Biden’s part in Harris’ loss: ‘So nasty!’

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Plouffe also said that he took phone calls from donors who were concerned about Biden’s mental decline. He said that he was reassured by the Democratic Party as well as officials at the White House that Biden was in good enough health to win a second term.

Another revelation in the book was that Biden’s aides considered obtaining a wheelchair for Biden since his physical health had deteriorated so quickly. They reportedly decided against it because it would have hurt his re-election campaign.

Politico said that a spokesperson for Biden did not respond for a request for comment.

While many blame Biden for his decision to stay in the election, others like Democrat Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania blamed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for backing Biden’s decision to bow out.

“She embraced this ‘she’s the godmother, she’s the enforcer.’ And now she’s blaming Biden,” said Fetterman in November. “Well, you can’t have it both ways. You got what you wanted.”

The book is scheduled to be released on May 20.

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

​David plouffe blames biden, Biden blamed for election, Democrat infighting, Establishment vs base, Politics 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking action to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drugs for children off the market.

In a press release, the FDA said products that are swallowed offer significant risk to infants and toddlers, unlike toothpaste with fluoride or fluoride rinses.

The FDA also said the ingestion of fluoride products comes with risks like problems with the early development of the gut microbiome in childhood, thyroid disorders, weight gain, and decreased IQ. The federal agency provided links to several studies that point to worrying effects in children, especially in regard to their IQ.

A meta-analysis of studies related to fluoride ingestion and child IQ found an inverse association between fluoride measures in urine and drinking water versus children’s IQ.

RELATED: The abortion pill crisis Big Pharma doesn’t want you to see

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

An inverse association is defined as a relationship where an increase in one variable leads to a decrease in another variable. Simply put, the more fluoride that was in urine samples and drinking water, the lower the measured child IQ was.

The meta-analysis looked at 74 studies from across the world and found that 64 (86%) reported inverse associations between fluoride exposure and measured children’s IQ.

‘The best way to prevent cavities in children is by avoiding excessive sugar intake and good dental hygiene.’

Michael Connett, an attorney who has sued the EPA over the fluoridation of drinking water, told Blaze News he was happy to see the idea finally come to fruition.

“I think it is an excellent decision, and long overdue,” Connett said.

Connett has been at odds with the federal government since at least 2016 when he filed a petition against the FDA on behalf of the Fluoride Action Network. The petition specifically targeted “unapproved prescription drugs” and claimed there was a large body of scientific and medical evidence that demonstrated fluoride supplements were neither safe nor effective.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who was confirmed by the Senate in March, said he was instructing the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to evaluate the evidence regarding the risks of systemic fluoride exposure. With a goal date of October 31 to complete a safety review, the Department of Health and Human Services said it would develop a set of best practices for dental hygiene for children at the same time.

“The best way to prevent cavities in children is by avoiding excessive sugar intake and good dental hygiene, not by altering a child’s microbiome. For the same reason that fluoride may kill bacteria on teeth, it may also kill intestinal bacteria important for a child’s health,” Makary said.

RELATED: 100 days of MAHA: What has Robert F. Kennedy Jr. done so far to make America healthy again?

The move comes as Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in its water in March.

Just last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his surgeon general, Joseph A. Ladapo, announced they were looking to become the second state to do so.

Ladapo said that proponents of fluoride in the water supply reminded him of the “Peanuts” character Linus, the little boy who carried around a blanket for emotional security.

“You know? Hold your blanket. But, unfortunately, you know, he is a kid. But what we have instead — we have professionals. There are doctors, dentists, [and] public health leaders who are holding on to fluoridation like that blanket,” Ladapo said during a press conference.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also said the recent decision “directly safeguards the health and development of our children.”

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

​Politics, Fda, Epa, Hhs, Rfk jr, Robert f. kennedy jr, Makary, Fluoride, Health 

There have been multiple air traffic control communication and radar malfunctions in recent days, prompting renewed concern about
risks in America’s skies and on its runways.

The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged in a
series of statements that there was a telecommunications issue Friday at Philadelphia TRACON Area C, the air traffic control tower and radar facility at Philadelphia International Airport that guides aircraft into and out of Newark Liberty International Airport airspace.

Although the issue apparently lasted only 90 seconds, the FAA slowed aircraft in and out of Newark while ensuring that “redundancies were working as designed.” The ground stop
reportedly lasted around 45 minutes, and, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware, roughly 280 flights were delayed and 87 canceled at Newark as of late Sunday.

‘We use floppy discs. We use copper wires.’

A week earlier, the FAA similarly had to slow arrivals and departures on account of “telecommunications and equipment issues at Philadelphia TRACON.”

The New York Times
reported that air traffic controllers working the airspace around the Newark airport lost communications with planes for nearly 30 seconds. While 10 people reportedly should have been on duty to help coordinate traffic in the Newark airspace at the time, only four controllers were at their posts.

RELATED: Delta plane nearly collides with Air Force jet mid-flight near DC airport; investigation launched

Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy minced no words following the late April 28 incident, stating, “The system that we’re using in air traffic control is incredibly old. This system is 25, 30 years old. We use floppy discs. We use copper wires. The system that we’re using is not effective to control the traffic that we have in the airspace today.”

Stu Burguiere highlighted some of the technological artifacts the FAA still relies upon to regulate American airspace in his
BlazeTV documentary “Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster.”

In addition to copper wires, Burguiere discussed “paper flight strips,” which Reason Foundation founder Robert Poole indicated are still used to track planes.

“It comes off a little printer at the controller’s workstation,” explained Poole.

Blaze News
previously reported that the FAA has attempted to update the paper system for over four decades, but the plans remain behind schedule and over budget.

Burguiere also took a look at a November 2023 FAA
report that indicated the agency is not only using floppy discs but employing equipment so old that there are no replacement parts available.

“Beacons used to determine the location of aircraft with working transponders,” the report reads. “Includes 331 units that are 28-46 years old. Many of these systems are pre-digital, and many parts are unavailable because the manufacturers no longer exist or no longer support these systems.”

After characterizing the systems in place as antiquated and faulty, Duffy said, “Of course it’s safe,” citing the kinds of reactive measures taken in Newark and elsewhere. While confident in the safety of American travel, Duffy appears both intolerant of further delays and unwilling to leave anything to chance.

— (@)

Duffy stated that “we must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible” and indicated that the Trump administration is “working to ensure the current telecommunications equipment is more reliable in the New York area by establishing a more resilient and redundant configuration with the local exchange carriers.”

According to the FAA, Duffy and acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau are taking several actions to improve upon existing air traffic control systems, such as adding three high-bandwidth telecommunications connections between the New York-based Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System and the Philadelphia TRACON; replacing copper telecommunications connections with fiber-optic technology from this millennium; and deploying a temporary backup system to the Philadelphia TRACON to provide redundancy during the cable switchover.

‘It has to be fixed.’

Burguiere noted in his BlazeTV documentary that the FAA was not just way behind on critical technological upgrades but dangerously understaffed at critical hubs nationwide —
stressing that “with 77% of key facilities below the FAA’s own staffing threshold” as of December, “our skies are becoming a ticking time bomb.”

It appears that Duffy has also taken the dearth of talent at the FAA to heart. The transportation secretary and Rocheleau are apparently committed to increasing controller staffing.

RELATED: Videos: Terrifying moment Delta plane crashes, bursts into flames; passenger says airport’s runways were in ‘weird condition’

Katherine KY Cheng/Getty Images

The FAA indicated that the “area in the Philadelphia TRACON that handles Newark traffic has 22 fully certified controllers and 21 controllers and supervisors in training. Ten of those 21 controllers and supervisors are receiving on-the-job training. All 10 are certified on at least one position, and two are certified on multiple positions. We have a healthy pipeline with training classes filled through July 2026.”

Blaze News asked the FAA to comment about the nationwide issue of old and aging systems and the perceived problem of understaffing at the FAA and was directed to Duffy’s previous statements and
May 12 press conference regarding the incident at the Newark airport.

Regarding staffing, the FAA said in a statement obtained by Blaze News, “The FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) collaborate to establish staffing goals for every facility, for every area in the facility, and for each shift. They update the goals yearly, and the goals are based on full staffing in the facility or area. There is a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, and the FAA for years has not met the staffing goal for the area that works Newark airspace.”

“The persistent low staffing levels and low training success rate at New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), or N90, were contributing factors to moving control of the Newark airspace to the Philadelphia TRACON in 2024,” added the agency.

The airspace over Newark is far from the only domain experiencing troubles.

WAGA-TV
reported that over 600 flights were delayed Monday at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on account of what officials termed a “runway equipment issue.”

Duffy
told NBC News Monday, “I’m concerned about the whole airspace.”

“What you see in Newark is going to happen in other places across the country,” continued the transportation secretary. “It has to be fixed.”

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

​Transportation, Sean duffy, Duffy, Airport, Airspace, Air space, Airplanes, Flight, Safety, Radar, Air traffic control telecommunications, Telecommunications, Politics 

Criminal charges were being looked into regarding Letitia James’ allegedly fraudulent real estate deals — but now the investigation is official.

The FBI and U.S. attorney in Albany have launched a criminal investigation into the mortgage fraud claims against the New York attorney general.

The investigation follows a request that the DOJ investigate Letitia James, sent by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte. Pulte claims that James falsified records to get favorable loans on a home she purchased in 2023 in Virginia and a Brooklyn apartment James has owned since 2001.

“I mean, this is just chef’s kiss-type stuff,” Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” comments. “If these were her primary residences, then she should not have qualified to be New York attorney general, because of the rules for New York attorney general.”

“So which one is it, Tish, did you sign up to be New York attorney general under false pretenses, or did you try to sign a deal and lied to get a more favorable loan? Which one is it, because, either way, you’re a scumbag,” she continues, adding, “It couldn’t happen to a more deserving person.”

James accused President Trump of committing a similar act, although in his case, neither she nor anyone else could name a victim.

“We need a flowchart of all of the Trump indictments, all of the Trump legal trouble, because of all the lawfare that was waged against him, but she filed a civil lawsuit, just as a refresher, in September 2022 against President Trump, the Trump Organization, his three eldest children, alleging widespread fraud by inflating the value of real estate to secure, look at that, favorable loans and tax benefits,” Gonzales explains.

“So the thing that she accused President Trump of, she was doing the whole time,” she continues, adding, “Isn’t that interesting?”

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.

​Free, Camera phone, Sharing, Upload, Video phone, Video, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Letitia james, President donald trump, Letitia james fraud investigation, Criminal investigation letitia james, Mortgage fraud, Lawfare 

A May 12 court hearing in the Ashli Babbitt $30 million wrongful-death lawsuit against the federal government devolved into shouting by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, who lambasted Judicial Watch attorney Robert Sticht for the second time in 10 days.

The hearing was scheduled to consider a motion by Aaron Babbitt’s former attorney, Terrell N. Roberts III, who wants a 25% “charging lien” placed on the gross amount of any financial settlement. Judge Reyes rejected Roberts’ earlier request for a temporary restraining order combined with a settlement lien.

‘Judicial Watch does not a get fee out of this settlement.’

On May 2, attorneys disclosed that Judicial Watch, which represents Aaron Babbitt and his late wife’s estate, had reached a settlement agreement “in principle” with the U.S. Department of Justice. No terms were disclosed. A final agreement could be signed at any time but might take weeks to complete, attorneys said.

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

On May 6, Judicial Watch proposed that Roberts join in fee arbitration with the Attorney Client Arbitration Board of the District of Columbia Bar — an idea Roberts opposes.

Judicial Watch attorney Richard Driscoll said under D.C. Bar Rule 13, if one party requests it, arbitration is mandatory for both parties. Driscoll filed a petition for arbitration May 9 with the Attorney Client Arbitration Board. Roberts has 21 days to respond.

“The petition for arbitration that was filed with ACAB points out that he [Roberts] has asserted a lien for 40% on the recovery and that we dispute that, and therefore we’re asking the arbitration board to adjudicate that dispute,” Driscoll said.

“It’s in D.C. Bar Rule 13. It’s a condition of being a member of the D.C. Bar,” he said.

The loudest outburst by Judge Reyes came about 30 minutes into the hearing when Sticht complained that the ongoing fee dispute with Roberts is causing expensive delays in finalizing the case. Roberts first sought to intervene in the lawsuit and obtain a charging lien in February.

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

Ashli Babbitt pleads with three U.S. Capitol Police officers to call for backup due to the angry crowd outside the Speaker’s Lobby on Jan. 6, 2021.

Photo by Tayler Hansen

Judge Reyes tried to cut Sticht off after he mentioned the media.

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

“I’m sorry, your honor,” Sticht replied as the judge spoke over him.

“Stop talking when I’m talking,” Reyes shouted. “I have given you an opportunity to talk every single time you have asked. I have given every lawyer an opportunity to talk every single time they have asked in front of me, which is why my hearings sometimes go on for hours. The only thing I ask is that when I’m talking, you’re not.”

Zoom delays caused problem

Sticht tried to tell the judge that the cross-talk was due to a delay in audio and video over the Zoom teleconference system from Sticht’s California office. Reyes was having none of it.

“We have a delay, your honor. We have a delay,” Sticht said.

“All right, fine,” the judge replied. “Stop talking.”

Users of teleconference platforms such as Zoom, Webex, Google Meet, and GoTo Meeting often experience latency problems that cause uncomfortable audio and video delays. The results can include participants who speak over each other, video that goes out of sync with audio, video that freezes or skips, and screeching audio feedback if participants don’t mute the microphone when not speaking. Those phenomena launched a barrage of teleconferencing memes on social media.

‘It’s a really simple rule around here.’

During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. District Courts offered audio dial-in lines for hearings in the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse in Washington, D.C. Judge Reyes opened public access audio for the Babbitt lawsuit hearings.

During a tense May 2 court hearing, Reyes repeatedly lost her temper with Sticht. She constantly pronounced his surname “Stitch.” When he made a remark about Roberts getting his case information from a reporter who called for comment on the alleged settlement, Reyes lowered the boom.

RELATED: New video covers 19 minutes in the Jan. 6 life and death of Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt

Ashli Babbitt celebrated her 35th and final birthday on Oct. 10, 2020.Photo courtesy of Aaron Babbitt

“When I tell you just stop talking, you stop talking. And you are not going to make snide remarks in your responses to my questions that are not only snide but don’t answer my question,” Reyes said. “OK? So my question is not about where Mr. Roberts gets his information.”

The May 12 hearing did not go much better.

About 30 minutes into the proceeding, Sticht said the lawsuit was making headway toward possible settlement when Roberts came along with a “crazy idea of a charging lien.”

“One complaint, though, Judge, is that these resources are being spent frivolously: mine, the court, the government, and we’re delaying the inevitable settlement,” Sticht said. “I think everybody needs to get out of it and let us finish our job. When there is a settlement fund, there is nothing that prevents Mr. Roberts from chasing that, wherever it is.”

The judge kept interrupting, apparently not realizing that the Zoom teleconferencing platform the court used to connect to Sticht in California had audio and video delay. This resulted in repeated cross-talk episodes and, in the case of the judge, flashes of anger.

After four intonations of “Mr. Stitch” from the judge, the Judicial Watch attorney said, “If I may, your honor. The CH is pronounced with a K.”

Judge Reyes again took after Sticht.

“When I say your name, that means you stop talking,” she said. “It’s a really simple rule around here. When I start talking, everyone else stops. Now I honestly don’t know if this, if you interrupting judges, is what you do all the time or if I just get the particular joy of it, but from now on when I start talking, please stop.

RELATED: President Trump says he’s ‘going to take a look at’ fatal Jan. 6 shooting of Ashli Babbitt

On the eve of the third anniversary of Jan. 6, Aaron Babbitt looks out on North San Diego Bay near the home he shared with his wife, Ashli.

Joseph M. Hanneman/Blaze News

“Secondly, we are here to decide a legal argument. Do not start anything with for the press. We are not here for the press; we’re here for the legal argument.”

Brian J. Boyd, a DOJ civil rights trial attorney, told the judge the government objects to the part of Roberts’ motion that would impinge on the government’s sovereign immunity.

“He is seeking injunctive relief against the United States under the FTCA [Federal Tort Claims Act] to preclude us from disbursing funds from Treasury,” Boyd said. “We’ve raised this issue with him. We did so again on May 6 in the joint meet and confer. He has yet to explain to us under what jurisdiction or what authority he believes he can pursue injunctive relief against the United States here.”

‘He wants the full amount of the fee when he didn’t perform.’

Judge Reyes dismissed the government from Roberts’ motion.

The judge entered an order that gives Roberts a limited intervention in the case for the purpose of receiving timely notices of the signed settlement agreement, the request to the U.S. Treasury for funds, and the eventual payment of funds.

Sticht said he would speak with Aaron Babbitt about the proposed solution to have Sticht divert 25% of the settlement into a trust fund until the Attorney Client Arbitration Board rules on the fee dispute. Judicial Watch told the judge that under the Federal Tort Claims Act, Roberts could receive no more than 25% of the settlement.

“I don’t have my client here in my office, your honor, so I can’t get his consent, but I’ll say that I agree the court should not get involved in the underlying fee dispute. I don’t know any case anywhere where an attorney claims he fired a client and then he wants the full amount of the fee when he didn’t perform. I just don’t know how that’s going to fly.”

Still, Roberts made a last pitch for the 40% contingency fee contained in his January 2021 engagement agreement with Aaron Babbitt.

“I believe that I’m entitled to the contingency fee that I agreed to, subject to the law,” Roberts said.

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

​Politics 

President Joe Biden’s physical decline was reportedly so rapid that his team discussed putting him a wheelchair if he was re-elected, especially if he suffered another fall.

According to a new book from CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, Biden aides discussed the president’s serious physical decline, with others in his inner circle reportedly concerned about the degeneration of his spine.

The 46th president’s “halting walk” was of particular concern to his staff, as was the potential of Biden suffering a devastating fall. The fears reportedly came after Biden tripped over a sandbag at the Air Force Academy in June 2023, which resulted in increased precautions over his walking paths and stage layouts.

According to Axios, Biden’s team tried to implement shorter walking routes for the president, increasingly had him wear sneakers, and insisted on the installation of handrails up to the stage for his appearances. These changes were coupled with visual briefings to ensure that the president knew his particular path for each event. The situation was reportedly so dire that the briefings were described as an effort to ensure that Biden knew every step he was expected to take.

Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, allegedly even had concerns that another fall could necessitate a wheelchair for the president.

CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

RELATED: When the mainstream media’s left-wing bias costs them credibility

Staff and O’Connor’s concerns over Biden’s “severe” levels of “physical deterioration” inspired internal discussions about the use of a wheelchair, but staff reportedly did not want to put the president’s health first and were willing to wait “until after the election.”

The president’s team reportedly said it was politically untenable to have him use a wheelchair during the re-election campaign.

The president’s physician expressed even more concerns, believing that if Biden suffered another fall, it would be a “difficult recovery.”

The doctor was so worried that he reportedly joked at times that he was the only one trying to keep the president alive, whereas Biden’s staff was trying to kill him. O’Connor allegedly wanted Biden to have more rest than presidential aides were allowing, and his diagnoses were even at odds with what Biden staffers were saying about his health.

For example, White House aides said the president’s poor gait was a result of a foot fracture, but O’Connor had said that “both small fractures of his foot are completely healed” and that “this injury has healed as expected.”

As well, O’Connor said publicly that Biden’s posture problems were from “significant spinal arthritis.”

An anonymous Biden spokesperson told Axios that his “medical exam made clear that he had a stiffened gait caused, in part, by wear and tear to his spine — but that no special treatment was necessary and that it had not worsened.”

“He was transparent about this, and it was far from ‘severe,'” the statement continued. “Yes, there were physical changes as he got older, but evidence of aging is not evidence of mental incapacity.”

The spokesperson concluded, “We are still waiting for someone, anyone, to point out where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or make a presidential address where he was unable to do his job because of mental decline.”

RELATED: Who can lead the Democrats out of the wilderness?

‘Those who claimed nothing was wrong are politically and perhaps literally blind.’

Corporate and liberal media are “wholly guilty” of “failing to show courage to report out what was happening before our very eyes,” said Curtis Houck, managing editor of MRC NewsBusters.

Houck told Blaze News, “Those who claimed nothing was wrong are politically and perhaps literally blind, and those who knew but bowed to political pressures are guilty of the highest order of cowardice.”‘

CNN’s Tapper, who wrote the book — “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” — has been criticized for on-air confrontations in which he accused others of lacking a medical background when pointing out the president’s deterioration.

In October 2020, Tapper accused Lara Trump of mocking Biden’s “stutter” when she attempted to refer to a “cognitive decline.”

Houck added that without a media “cover-up,” Vice President Kamala Harris likely would not have been the Democratic nominee in 2024.

“The criticism will be of Tapper and Thompson and their sources withholding key anecdotes that would have further accelerated Biden’s exit and allowed for a longer runway for whoever the Democratic nominee would have been, because it certainly wouldn’t have been Kamala Harris.”

Blaze News reached out to the Office of Joe and Jill Biden regarding claims made in the upcoming book. This article will be updated with any applicable responses.

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

​Biden, Joe biden, News, President, Wheelchair, Cognitive decline, Cnn, Jake tapper, White house, Politics 

A Nebraska father reportedly killed his entire family and himself in what authorities suspect was a triple murder-suicide. The dad allegedly murdered his wife and children on the same day as his son’s high school graduation — and just days after being released from a mental hospital.

Around 9:45 a.m. Saturday, deputies with the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office reportedly responded to an emergency at a home in Johnson Lake.

‘But my husband tries to kill himself … a lot.’

Deputies found the dead bodies of four individuals “with fatal knife wounds,” the Nebraska State Patrol said in a press release. Police allegedly also discovered a knife at the grisly crime scene.

Police identified the deceased individuals as 42-year-old Jeremy Koch, his 41-year-old wife, Bailey Koch, and their sons, 18-year-old Hudson Koch and 16-year-old Asher Koch.

RELATED: Boy, 15, claims brother killed ‘whole family’ before killing himself. But sister, 11, survives — and tells different story.

Marccophotou00a0viau00a0iStock / Getty Images Plus

Just days before the tragedy, Bailey Koch launched a GoFundMe campaign titled “Jeremy’s Battle: Mental Health Support Needed.”

“But my husband tries to kill himself … a lot,” Bailey wrote.

She noted that Jeremy attempted suicide four times, including a near-fatal collision in 2012 during which “he drove straight into a semi on the highway.”

Bailey said her husband was diagnosed with severe depression in 2009.

The wife said Jeremy went seven years “without experiencing dark thoughts” until July 2024.

She said that because of her husband’s mental illness, he could not consistently work at the family’s landscaping and greenhouse services business.

RELATED: How teacher’s alleged grooming of student led to marriage-ending affair, chilling suicide pact, possible 105-year prison term

D-Keine via iStock / Getty Images

Bailey wrote, “In March, just a couple months ago, I woke to Jeremy shaking me awake saying, ‘Something is wrong.’ He was standing over my bed with a knife ready to end his life.”

The mother said she was able to “talk him down and into accepting help.”

Jeremy was admitted to the Richard Young Hospital for inpatient mental health treatment for the fourth time.

She said her husband refused to eat or drink while at the hospital and was “slowly completing suicide.”

Bailey said Jeremy was released from the hospital on Thursday so he could attend his son’s high school graduation.

“But it appears Jeremy is reacting negatively to our attempt with a new mental health med … one he’s been on for a whole three nights,” she wrote.

Bailey continued, “And yes, he’s having suicidal thoughts, so he had some tears of frustration and sadness.”

The wife noted that she was not going to bring Jeremy back to the mental hospital until after Hudson’s graduation.

Bailey thanked those who had donated to the GoFundMe campaign.

“Oh my heart, you guys!!! I cannot thank you all enough for the support … financial, through messages of support and suggestions, and through prayers,” she wrote. “We feel you holding us as we fight this battle and know God placed you in our lives, so we feel His presence.”

The crowdfunding campaign ended on Sunday after raising more than $20,000.

RELATED: Death of Hollywood actor’s daughter ruled suicide, parents suspect something far more sinister: ‘Her body tells a different story’

gorodenkoff via iStock / Getty Images Plus

News Channel Nebraska reported that Lane and Peggy Kugler — Bailey’s father and mother and the grandparents of the two teen boys — said in a Facebook post: “What I saw will haunt me the rest of my life.”

The Kuglers said they were the first to discover their loved ones dead — “lying in their beds.”

Bailey was a special education teacher with Holdrege Public Schools.

“Our Holdrege school community is grieving after a tragic event that has deeply affected us all,” the school district stated. “Our hearts are with everyone impacted.”

The sons attended Cozad High School, where Hudson was supposed to graduate Saturday.

“Cozad Schools was made aware of a tragic situation that will deeply affect our Cozad community,” the school district said. “Our thoughts are with all those impacted during this incredibly difficult time.”

Bailey also said Hudson was supposed to move to California for a “three-year bonsai apprenticeship” after graduating high school.

Asher was a freshman in high school and a “rockstar golfer on the varsity team.”

Bailey said, “Proud parents here.”

You can watch a local newscast from KLKN-TV here about the tragedy.

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

​Murder, Murder suicide, Mental illness, Suicide, Tragedy, Sad story, Crime, Nebraska, Family dead 

An alarming development from the depths of the media swamp has been brought to light by UnHerd’s Emily Jashinsky, who dropped a bombshell this week: Leaked documents expose Punchbowl News for offering corporations “editorial influence” — for the right price.

Jashinsky posted a brief overview of the expose on X, writing: “Breaking Points got ahold of a leaked pitch deck from Punchbowl News. The document reveals how they allow corporations to buy influence over editorial decisions.”

“WH told us several subscriptions were canceled by the Trump admin as well. We also have their numbers: They’ve charged corporate sponsors $210,000 for a week of email ads. You can see the pricing sheet, with subscriber numbers and open rates below,” Jashinsky continued.

Christopher Bedford, Blaze Media’s D.C. correspondent and senior editor for politics, isn’t surprised in the slightest.

“It’s the new journalism, same as the old journalism,” Bedford tells Matthew Peterson and Jill Savage on “Blaze News Tonight.”

“Punchbowl are essentially unregistered lobbyists,” he continues. “If Punchbowl was good at its job, then corporations wouldn’t actually need to hire lobbyists, they would be able to read that newsletter, maybe pay a premium.”

“What they often do, they push these different issues, advocacy things, they push their agenda, they spread Capitol Hill gossip, which is, you know, fun, but not necessarily that helpful, and they create all these false cliffs and these false deadlines,” he adds.

But that’s not all.

“Their reporting has been suffering,” Bedford explains. “Pedaling influence, selling influence, it’s kind of the game. And for so much of Washington, it’s really disgusting.”

Want more from ‘Blaze News Tonight’?

To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Agenda, Blaze media, Blaze news tonight, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Blaze podcast network, Blaze podcasts, Blazetv, Camera phone, Christopher bedford, Corrupt dc, Free, Jill savage, Journalism, Lobbyists, Matthew peterson, Politics, Propaganda, Punchbowl news, Sharing, The swamp, Upload, Video, Video phone, Washington dc, Youtube.com 

Democrats and their media allies now argue that members of Congress hold a newly invented constitutional right to storm U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. Their claim? Elected office grants them authority to resist arrest, trespass on federal property, and even assault law enforcement — all in the name of “oversight.”

This claim fails both legally and morally. The members involved should face prosecution for any crimes they committed, along with disciplinary action in the House of Representatives. For too long, the political class has treated immigration enforcement as a mere policy disagreement — as if wanting laws enforced and wanting them ignored were morally equivalent. In doing so, the left has normalized the historically abnormal: mass illegal immigration and the sabotage of our deportation systems. It’s time to treat these actions for what they are — criminal subversion of U.S. law.

No one gets to use ‘oversight’ as a pretext for criminal behavior.

Start with what happened last week in Newark, New Jersey. The instigators included New Jersey Democratic Reps. LaMonica McIver, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Rob Menendez Jr., along with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Baraka was arrested for trespassing and defying multiple warnings to leave the premises. According to Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, body camera footage shows “members of Congress assaulting our ICE enforcement officers, including body-slamming a female ICE officer.” DHS plans to release the video soon.

The Democrats have mounted two defenses. First, they claim victimhood — insisting they broke no laws. That argument will not survive video evidence.

Second, they assert an absolute right to enter ICE facilities without warning under their oversight authority. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, defended the stunt by denouncing ICE as “Trump’s stormtroopers” and promising “more oversight — and more unannounced visits.”

Thompson and others cite an appropriations law that says, “Nothing in this section may be construed to require a Member of Congress to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility … for the purpose of conducting oversight.”

That phrase — “conducting oversight” — is the entire ballgame.

The fact is, oversight powers do not belong to individual members of Congress. They belong to the full House, delegated through formal committees led by majority-party chairmen. Minority members cannot issue subpoenas or demand access on their own. Without authorization from Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.), the Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee had no legal basis to enter — let alone rush — a secure ICE facility.

ICE’s past policy of accommodating visits reflects executive discretion, not any congressional right. No one gets to use “oversight” as a pretext for criminal behavior. Even with proper authorization, no member of Congress holds the right to use force to conduct an inspection. This is a political argument masquerading as a legal one.

U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba has indicated she will proceed with prosecution. Her decision should rest solely on the facts — not the convenient legal fiction of “oversight amnesty.” As Bennie Thompson himself once said when chairing the January 6 select committee, “No one is above the law.”

Congress should not let this incident pass without consequences. While expulsion may prove unlikely due to the two-thirds vote requirement, the House can and should remove these members from their committee assignments. Rep. McIver currently sits on the Homeland Security Committee, where Secretary Kristi Noem is scheduled to testify this week. Let her watch from the hallway.

​Opinion & analysis, Immigration, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Newark new jersey, Lamonica mciver, Bonnie watson coleman, Rob menendez, Ras baraka, Arrest, Oversight project, Oversight, Rights, Bennie thompson, Mark green, Donald trump, Mass deportations, Federal courts, Alina habba