Category: blaze media

Dominique Alexander, president of the race-obsessed Next Generation Action Network, released a video explaining why he had the father of Austin Metcalf removed from his press conference with the family of Karmelo Anthony. Anthony, who is black, is being charged with the murder of Metcalf after he allegedly stabbed the white student in the heart at a high school track meet.

Alexander said he and Anthony’s parents at first did not know Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, was in attendance at the press conference until a security guard for NGAN asked him to move out of a pathway reserved for the family to leave once the press conference was finished.

“[Jeff] looked back at him like he was entitled or like he didn’t have to move, whatever it may be. We didn’t even know who he was at this time. We just asked him to step back,” Alexander explained.

Alexander said a member of the media informed him that was the father of Austin.

It has been reported … Anthony confessed to the killing before asking the officer if he could claim self-defense.

“I said, ‘I know you lying. Like, what? He can’t be here.’ So what we initiated is making sure that we secured the facility. Let me make this very clear: The Anthony family didn’t even know he was here. But how do we know what he came here for? He didn’t come and ask. … We didn’t know if he was going to pull out a [gun]. We didn’t know what we didn’t know,” Alexander insisted.

The social activist said he was not going to wait to let something happen before having the elder Metcalf removed from the press event.

Alexander got upset recounting how Metcalf would not leave the premises when he was asked by security and plainclothes Dallas police officers.

“We were asking him repeatedly to leave, and literally he wouldn’t even talk. He wouldn’t even say anything. He felt like he could just stand there! That’s not right! It was very upsetting to me. It’s not right!” Alexander said, adding Metcalf did not seem to be there with good intentions since he would not speak.

Alexander said the press conference was not about the case per se but to clear the air over the money donated to Anthony’s family and how it has been spent.

The Anthony case started when Austin Metcalf and his twin brother asked Anthony to leave the tent space. An altercation ensued before the stabbing.

It has been reported at the time of the arrest that Anthony confessed to the killing before asking the officer if he could claim self-defense.

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​Politics 

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States is moving to impose a hefty tariff on foreign flicks to save the nation’s struggling film industry.

Trump stated in a post on Truth Social that he had authorized the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative “to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”

‘The key concern, of course, will be how this might affect U.S. movie sales around the world.’

“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated,” Trump wrote. “This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat.”

He argued that the foreign films pushed “propaganda.”

“WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!” Trump declared.

The president told reporters that “Hollywood is being destroyed.” He, in part, blamed “grossly incompetent” California Governor Gavin Newsom (D).

“Other nations have been stealing the moviemaking capabilities from the United States,” he stated. “If they’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States, then we should have a tariff on movies that come in.”

In response to Trump’s tariff announcement, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick confirmed that the administration is “on it.”

In January, Trump named actors Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, and Jon Voight Hollywood’s “special ambassadors,” tasked with bringing filmmaking back to the U.S.

“They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK — BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE! These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!” Trump stated.

At the time of Trump’s announcement, Gibson told Variety, “I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised. Nevertheless, I heed the call. My duty as a citizen is to give any help and insight I can.”

A Friday report from Deadline stated that Voight has been meeting with union representatives and studio executives to better understand Hollywood’s challenges.

In April, Voight’s manager, Steven Paul, told NBC News that Voight planned to soon present Trump with a list of ideas to revive the nation’s movie industry. Those proposals reportedly include incentives for infrastructure investments, job training, and tax code alterations.

According to Politico, state Sen. Ben Allen (D) and “a person close to the White House” have attributed the foreign film tariffs to Voight.

Allen told the news outlet, “To be honest, at first blush I generally see this as a positive development. Unlike a lot of the other items on Trump’s tariffs list, we know that TV and movies can be made 100% in the USA right now and at a very high caliber.”

“The key concern, of course, will be how this might affect U.S. movie sales around the world,” he added.

A rep for Voight did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Rolling Stone.

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​News, Tariffs, Trump administration, Trump admin, Trump, Donald trump, Hollywood, California, Film, Film industry, Jon voight, Sylvester stallone, Mel gibson, Politics 

Rogue judges and politicians have been hindering the Trump administration from deporting illegal aliens, and in a recent conversation with a reporter, border czar Tom Homan wasn’t shy about how they may be planning to fight back.

“The president signed an executive order just this week threatening to defund sanctuary cities for their policies. Why not just arrest the leaders who are harboring and shielding illegal aliens, actually, terrorists, from deportation?” the reporter asked Homan.

“Wait till you see what’s coming,” Homan responded, as a smug smile broke out across his face.

Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” is thrilled by Homan’s clear confidence.

“Ordinarily I’d be like, ‘No, they’re not going to do anything,’ but with Tom Homan, I don’t know, man, I take him pretty seriously,” Gonzales says, noting that Homan has “the greatest smirk” she’s ever seen.

BlazeTV contributor Jaco Booyens can attest to the very real trouble these judges and politicians are now in.

“Exactly 24 hours ago today, I was sitting in front of Secretary Kristi Noem in a conference room, where she said something very similar, where you have to read between the lines,” Booyens explains. “Remember, Tom answers up to Secretary Noem.”

“There’s so much in that statement,” he continues, adding, “Yes, I believe there’s a lot coming.”

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.

​Camera phone, Video phone, Sharing, Free, Upload, Video, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Tom homan, Rogue judges, Democrat judges, Corrupt politicians, Kristi noem, Illegal immigration crisis, The trump administration, Donald trump 

Amber Ruffin is the perfect political comic for our age. That’s not a compliment.

The former late-night host (does anyone remember her Peacock show?) is now the new voice of the resistance alongside Colbert and co.

Lucas wasn’t shoe-horning progressive platitudes into his movie or lecturing audiences on Jedi privilege. He cared about the franchise first and foremost.

Ruffin gained attention after she was hired and later fired from being the comic host of last month’s White House Correspondents’ Association D.C. gala. The not-so-august body realized Ruffin’s hard-left shtick wouldn’t mesh with its laughable attempt to play the “we don’t choose sides, y’all” card.

Ruffin has never been THAT funny.

Now, she’s riding that cancellation wave to accidentally remind us the WHCA got it right the second time. She’s too unhinged even for late-night TV (but not “The View”).

First, she promoted the “very fine people” hoax to smite President Donald Trump, as if everyone with a functioning brain didn’t know it’s been repeatedly debunked, even by the liberal Snopes.

Now, she’s warning us on, where else, “The View” that President Trump will keep “disappearing” people who cross him. She also suggested Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will start abducting autistic children.

Even “The View” producers must have blinked hard on that twofer. Here’s betting the show’s legal team brewed a few extra pots of joe that day …

‘Sith’ happens

“Star Wars” fans once hated franchise creator George Lucas so much they made a movie about it. The 2010 documentary “The People vs. George Lucas” let fans take Lucas to the nerd woodshed. They roasted the filmmaker for replacing the original film trilogy with an “updated” version that messed with core parts of the saga.

Google “Han shot first” to get the gist of the debate. The trio of underwhelming prequels Lucas delivered added fuel to the fire.

Now? Well, after a decade of Disney-produced “Star Wars” content, some, if not all, is forgiven. The 20th anniversary rerelease of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” (written and directed by Lucas) made a shocking $25 million last weekend. That’s more than many new films earn in their opening frames.

Why? “Sith” was better than we remember, for starters. Plus, “woke” wasn’t even a thing back in 2005. Lucas wasn’t shoe-horning progressive platitudes into his movie or lecturing audiences on Jedi privilege. He cared about the franchise first and foremost. That’s all. Now, that’s more than enough.

Maybe, the one sequel we need is “The People vs. George Lucas 2: The Apology” …

Off-key

Neil Young can’t stop embarrassing himself.

It’s bad enough that the former free speech warrior tried to get Joe Rogan canceled for sharing the “wrong” pandemic views on his Spotify platform. It got worse when Young ripped his music off the platform in protest and, later, quietly put it back in.

Now, Young is barking at Elon Musk’s EV company Tesla via song, and both the lyrics and the message couldn’t be more muddled.

“Come on Ford, come on GM / Come on Chrysler, let’s roll again … China’s way ahead, they’re making clean cars,” Young sang at a recent concert. Guess he hasn’t heard about China’s affinity for not-so-clean coal plants.

Need more lyrics?

“If you’re a Democrat, taste your freedom / Get whatever you want, taste your freedom.”

Oh, and the song calls Telsa owners “fascists.”

We’ve lost David Crosby, sadly, but can’t the surviving members of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young stage an intervention?

Whoopi’s whoopsie

Another day, another unhinged conspiracy on “The View.”

This time, Whoopi Goldberg got the ball rolling by suggesting President Donald Trump fixed the 2024 presidential election. Quick! Get Robert Mueller on line one! The walls are closing in!

I want to remind people that [Trump] took credit for Biden’s economy — BOOMING economy, claiming investors knew he was going to win. I think he should stop saying that because you’re going to make somebody investigate how investigators would know you were going to win. I’m just putting that out there. You know.

Hey, she’s just asking questions. And since it’s “The View,” the questions remain nuclear-grade dumb.

​Culture, Entertainment, Neil young, The view, Amber ruffin, George lucas, Star wars, Christian toto, Toto recall 

A spate of theatrical shows based on the life of Luigi Mangione are set to hit the stage before summer, turning the murder suspect into a fictional hero.

On the morning of December 4, 2024, United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old husband and father of two, was about to enter a Hilton Hotel in Manhattan when Mangione allegedly walked up behind him and fatally shot him at point-blank range.

Shell casings found at the scene had the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” inscribed on them, lending many to suppose the killer harbored violent animus against Thompson for his association with the health care industry.

After a days-long manhunt, Mangione was recognized by an employee at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 300 miles west of Manhattan, and arrested.

He has pled not guilty to a bevy of New York state and federal charges, including murder and terrorism. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has already pledged to seek the death penalty in Mangione’s case.

‘We acknowledge the pain and complexity surrounding the case.’

Despite the vicious accusations against him, 26-year-old Mangione has inspired several fictional stories that are scheduled to hit stages across America next month.

Notably, all five performances of “Luigi: The Musical,” which will debut in San Francisco on June 13, have already sold out.

According to TicketTailor, the musical is “a wildly irreverent, razor-sharp comedy” that imagines Mangione, an “accidental folk hero,” interacting with two other high-profile inmates at Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn: Sean “Diddy” Combs, who remains locked up at MDCB while awaiting trial, and Sam Bankman-Fried, who has since been transferred.

In a press release posted to a website for the show, creators insisted that “Luigi” is “not a celebration of violence of any kind” but instead a “satire” that asks “deeper cultural questions” about “modern disillusionment” with the health care, tech, and entertainment industries.

“Our hearts go out to the family of Brian Thompson,” the statement added, “and we acknowledge the pain and complexity surrounding the case.”

Another show, “Take Your Shot,” is a one-act “political satire” in which a Mangione look-alike serves as an “unhinged” motivational speaker, according to a promo sent to Blaze News. Produced by INDECLINE, a far-left “activist art collective,” in partnership with sketch comedians TSTMRKT, “Take Your Shot” is billed as the latest installment of “politically charged and brazen performance art” in the “Trump era.”

In a statement, the artists with INDECLINE and TSTMRKT said of “Take Your Shot”: “This performance is about being pushed to the wall and forced to make a choice as to whether we repeat history or make it. Our hope is to have the audience take a bit of the violence home with them as a souvenir and to never forget what they witnessed in the dark with us.”

“If not now, then when?”

“Take Your Shot” is scheduled to be performed at Cheapshot in Downtown Las Vegas during the Fallout Fringe Festival from June 11 to June 13. Blaze News made repeated calls to Cheapshot, but those calls were all immediately disconnected. An email to Corner Bar Management, which owns Cheapshot, was not returned.

Yet another performance, “Deny Delay De-Lovely: The Luigi Mangione Musical,” was scheduled to debut in June as well, in this case in Austin, Texas, home of the Tin Pan Pally multimedia and music production company. However, “Deny Delay De-Lovely” has since been “postponed” due to “unforeseen circumstances,” the theater website said. All tickets will be refunded.

In an email, Tin Pan Pally told Blaze News: “Our production largely dealt with the McDonalds employee that turned him in. We attempted to satirize the health care industry and workers wages without condoning the violence and murder of Brian Thompson. We hope to bring the production back soon.”

For now, Mangione remains locked up at MDCB with Combs. On Saturday, defense attorneys pushed to have the state charges against Mangione dismissed, citing double jeopardy concerns. According to the BBC, Mangione is expected to appear in federal court again in December.

Jury selection in Combs’ case began on Monday.

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​Luigi mangione, Brian thompson, Murder, Sean diddy combs, Diddy, Sam bankman-fried, Pam bondi, Politics 

Former Republican Gov. Paul LePage of Maine announced his campaign Monday to unseat Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, making him the first big GOP challenger to enter the 2026 race.

LePage served as governor from 2011 to 2019 and attempted to run for a third term in 2022 until he lost against Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. Now, LePage has set his sights on Golden, who narrowly won re-election in 2024.

“The entrenched interests are fighting President Trump at every turn as he works to fix problems,” LePage said in a statement Monday. “We need more straight talk to help take back Washington.”

‘I am running to serve the people of Maine and help the President fix Washington. We’ve had too many years of Washington, DC trying to control the people.’

Golden is one of a handful of Democrats who were re-elected to represent a red district. In 2024, President Donald Trump won Golden’s district by over six points, opening up a potential pickup opportunity for Republicans.

Golden himself flipped the seat in 2018 and has narrowly held onto it since, often bucking his own party for the sake of political preservation. Notably, Maine uses a ranked-choice voting system, which relies on the voters to rank candidates based on preference. If a candidate fails to secure a simple majority, the least popular candidate is eliminated, and the voters who ranked him or her as their first choice then have their votes distributed to their second-choice candidate.

“I do not need a job, I am running to protect our Maine jobs,” LePage said. “I am running to serve the people of Maine and help the President fix Washington. We’ve had too many years of Washington, DC trying to control the people. It is time to put the people before politics.”

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​House republicans, House democrats, Donald trump, Jared golden, Paul lepage, Maine, Purple district, Red district, Janet mills, Primary challenger, Politics 

Socialist Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was interrupted at a rally by a pro-Palestinian protester who accused her of being a “war criminal.”

Despite being a far-left figure, Ocasio-Cortez was accused of supporting the military campaign of Israel in the Gaza Strip by an activist identified as Jennifer Kings at an event Friday in Queens, New York.

‘Do you notice how Gaza isn’t even on the agenda???? Shame on these fascists.’

Kings stood up at the town hall event as Ocasio-Cortez was speaking and yelled, “I am a health care worker, and I want to know what you’re doing about the genocide in Gaza!”

The protester called AOC a “war criminal” as she was led out of the event and repeated, “Shame on you! I used to support you!” Members of the audience booed her and tried to drown out her shouting.

After the woman was removed, Ocasio-Cortez addressed the interruption.

“I more than welcome people who disagree or are super pissed off at me for any issue to come, but we have some ground rules here,” the congresswoman said. “Please wait for the Q&A because we don’t want to deprive all of our neighbors of the ability to have information and hear them respond to it.”

Video of the interruption was widely circulated on social media.

Kings criticized the forum on a story on Instagram, where she has more than 53,000 followers.

“Do you notice how Gaza isn’t even on the agenda???? Shame on these fascists,” she wrote.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the military campaign on Saturday.

“Israel is waging a just war with just means against Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization, that murdered 1200 innocent people on October 7 and still holds 59 innocent people hostage,” he wrote on social media.

Ocasio-Cortez’s term ends in Jan. 2027, and the firebrand socialist is considered by some to be a top candidate for the Democratic presidential ticket in 2028.

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​Aoc vs palestinian protester, Aoc town hall interruption, Viral video aoc, Aoc and israel, Politics 

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blasted the Defense Department after an Army Black Hawk helicopter took a “scenic route” around Washington, D.C., which caused near misses with two commercial jetliners attempting to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, an Army Black Hawk helicopter allegedly had close calls with two commercial airliners.

‘Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear.’

The Federal Aviation Administration said in an incident report, “Air traffic control instructed Delta Air Lines Flight 1671 and Republic Airways Flight 5825 to perform go-arounds at the Reagan Washington National Airport due to a Priority Air Transport helicopter inbound to the Pentagon Army Heliport.”

The Army Black Hawk helicopter “took a scenic route around the Pentagon versus proceeding directly from the west to the heliport,” according to an email obtained by Politico from Chris Senn, Federal Aviation Administration assistant administrator for government and industry affairs.

Both commercial airplanes were reportedly on their final approach.

The Black Hawk helicopter came within 200 feet of the Republic plane and within 400 feet of the Delta plane, according to Senn’s email.

Senn said air traffic controllers temporarily couldn’t pinpoint the Black Hawk’s tracking position in real time on their radar screens.

Senn noted that the helicopter’s radar track “inadvertently floated and jumped to a different location on the controller feed after being unresponsive for a couple of seconds.”

At the time of the incidents, the control tower had one supervisor, four certified professional controllers, and one certified professional trainee receiving on-the-job training, according to Senn.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the events. Delta said it was cooperating in the investigation.

Delta said there were five flight crew and 97 passengers aboard its commercial airliner.

“Nothing is more important at Delta than the safety of our customers and people. We’ll cooperate with the FAA as they investigate,” Delta said on Friday.

The U.S. Army said of the incident, “While conducting flight operations into the Pentagon, in accordance with published FAA flight routes and DCA Air Traffic Control, a UH-60 Blackhawk was directed by Pentagon Air Traffic Control to conduct a ‘go-around,’ overflying the Pentagon helipad, in accordance with approved flight procedures. As a result, DCA Air Traffic Control issued a ‘go-around’ to two civilian fixed-wing aircraft to ensure the appropriate deconfliction of airspace.”

The incidents were classified as a “loss of separation,” which is when aircraft violate the minimum vertical and/or horizontal distance required to safely avoid a mid-air collision in a controlled airspace.

The Pentagon did not immediately provide a comment when asked by Reuters.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy declared the actions by the chopper’s pilot were “unacceptable.”

“Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear,” Duffy proclaimed on the X social media platform.

Duffy continued, “I’ll be talking to the Department of Defense to ask why the hell our rules were disregarded.”

“Safety must ALWAYS come first. We just lost 67 souls! No more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in a congested DCA airspace full of civilians,” Duffy added. “Take a taxi or Uber — besides, most VIPs have black car service.”

Lawmakers from both political parties expressed concern over the incidents.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) stated, “The Army is once again putting the traveling public at risk. … It’s time for the FAA to act swiftly and assert control over the national airspace so the Army stops running air taxis for military officials near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.”

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said, “The Army and FAA need to reevaluate their operations and return to Capitol Hill to explain what needs to be done to make certain the DCA airspace is safe. We already had a tragedy that should not have happened.”

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) added, “It is outrageous that only three months after an Army Black Hawk helicopter tragically collided with a passenger jet, the same Army brigade again flew a helicopter too close to passenger jets on final approach at Reagan National Airport.”

Moran and Cantwell are referring to the air travel disaster that occurred in January when an American Airlines plane collided with an Army VH-60M Black Hawk. The air travel accident killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft.

The helicopter and plane collided while the chopper was conducting a training exercise.

As Blaze News reported last month, Captain Rebecca Lobach — the helicopter’s pilot — failed to heed her instructor’s orders moments before flying into the commercial airliner.

The mid-air collision caused the FAA to impose permanent restrictions on nonessential helicopter operations around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

In March, a Delta Air Lines plane nearly crashed into an Air Force jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere’s investigation unearthed several eyebrow-raising developments in how airports are using outdated technology, DEI practices that exclude the most qualified would-be air traffic controllers, and severely understaffed air traffic control towers.

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​Air travel emergency, Air travel, Air travel disaster, Reagan airport crash, Dc airport, Sean duffy, Faa, Department of defense, Ted cruz, News 

The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday that illegal aliens will be eligible to receive $1,000 if they decide to self-deport back to their country of origin by registering through the CBP Home app. The payment will be made once they are confirmed to be no longer in the United States.

DHS says offering this incentive will help save taxpayers money as “it is projected that the use of CBP Home will decrease the costs of a deportation by around 70 percent. Currently the average cost to arrest, detain, and remove an illegal alien is $17,121.”

An illegal alien who was allowed into the United States under the Biden-Harris administration has been one of the first to take advantage of the new program, recently returning to Honduras from Chicago. Additional tickets have already been booked for this week and next week, according to DHS.

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers. Download the CBP Home App TODAY and self-deport.”

The new program from DHS shows the Trump administration is taking new approaches to incentivize illegal aliens to leave on their own.

— (@)

Illegal aliens who are registered through the CBP Home app will be deprioritized for detention and removal ahead of their departure as long as they follow through on their plan to leave the United States.

“If you leave on your own, you can take advantage of the legal programs to come back. But, if we have to go through the process of formally deporting you, there are mandatory bars against you for up to 20 years — sometimes forever,” border czar Tom Homan said about the new program.

“Do things the right way. There’s millions of people standing in line right now doing things the right way.”

The new program from DHS shows the Trump administration is taking new approaches to incentivize illegal aliens to leave on their own beyond raids and detentions. To fully carry out mass deportations, federal immigration agencies need more funding and manpower, which the White House is pushing Congress to make happen.

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​Politics 

A man who formerly swam against males is now dominating women’s swimming.

Ana Caldas, who has formerly been known as both “Hugo” and “Hannah,” trounced his competition at the U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship in San Antonio, Texas, over the weekend.

According to event records, Caldas competed in the women’s 45-49 category and took home first place in five events: 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 50-yard breaststroke, 100-yard breaststroke, and the 100-yard individual medley.

Caldas won three of the races by more than three seconds.

‘There is no length of time during which testosterone suppression eliminates male advantage.’

The Independent Council on Women’s Sports sent a letter to U.S. Masters Swimming during the event after Caldas’ first win. The group condemned the organization’s rules that allow males to compete against women, as long as they are on testosterone suppressants.

“Transparency in these matters is critical to maintaining the integrity of the competition and the trust of all USMS athletes. There is no length of time during which testosterone suppression eliminates male advantage; therefore it should not serve as a guideline permitting men to compete in women’s swimming,” ICONS wrote, per Reduxx. “At a minimum, it is USMS’s responsibility to enforce its current policy.”

Former NCAA championship swimmer Riley Gaines wrote about the ordeal on her X page, saying, “A man who goes by the name Ana swam five events at the U.S. Masters Swimming National Championship.”

She added, “He won them all. Real life South Park episode.”

Gaines was likely referring to an episode of the hit show “South Park” called “Board Girls.”

In the episode from 2019, a parody of professional wrestler Randy Savage starts going by the name “Heather” and dominates female athletics, while his female competitors praise his bravery.

Caldas’ birth name is still mentioned in research papers from his time at Wake Forest University, as well as on a patent application from 2004.

Furthermore, Caldas is shown in a photo for the Ohio Splash Team in 2001, a swimming club meant for homosexual males.

According to a profile on Caldas from Breaking Muscle (archived), the swimmer has a bounty of accolades since posing as a woman.

Caldas has held three FINA world records in women’s relays, USMS national records in the 50-meter breaststroke and the 50- and 100-meter freestyle, and has earned All-American status in more than 20 individual women’s events. Caldas was also ranked as the fastest female swimmer in the world over the age of 30 in two different categories in 2011.

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​Fearless, Women’s swimming, Women’s sports, Transgenderism, Swimming, Texas, Sports 

Two-time World Series winner Keith Hernandez raised eyebrows by alleging it is politically incorrect to use the term “drag bunt” during a broadcast.

The New York Mets broadcaster and former player was commenting on a game between the Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, the second game of a doubleheader, which the Cardinals won 5-4.

Following a bunt play by Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II, Hernandez surprised fans by saying the term “drag bunt” is not supposed to be used.

“And this is a perfect bunt. This is shades of Bud Harrelson, who was a terrific,” Hernandez said on the broadcast. “I know you’re not supposed to say it, but it’s — they call it a different term. But in our day, it was a ‘drag bunt.’ And nothing you can do. You did everything right. It was a perfect.”

According to the Baseball Almanac, a “drag bunt” got its name from the appearance that the batter is “dragging” the ball as he sprints to first base. In this scenario, the batter is bunting for a base hit as opposed to a sacrifice bunt, and it is typically performed by left-handed hitters.

Keith Hernandez with Jerry Seinfeld at Shea Stadium on May 22, 2005. Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Hernandez’s comments confused fans, most of whom could not imagine any viewer had taken offense to his remarks.

“Who is watching a baseball game today and thinks ‘drag bunt’ is offensive? I seriously don’t understand. This wouldn’t even be a story if he didn’t reference some fake cancel culture,” one viewer wrote.

Another viewer replied, “It’s never anyone actually watching, it’s keyboard warriors the next day.”

It is unclear whether or not Major League Baseball has issued a directive to announcers to stop using the term, but Hernandez has not since made public remarks regarding the usage.

There did not appear to be any mention of a changing of the term on the MLB website or affiliates, and there has not been any semblance of outrage online connecting the baseball term to drag performers, who are typically homosexual men performing as caricatures of women.

Hernandez has broadcasted for the Mets since 1999 and has worked for both the MSG network and subsequently SNY since 2006.

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​Fearless, Baseball, Woke, Cancel culture, Drag queens, Sports 

Mark McKinnon, political strategist to George W. Bush and John McCain and creator of “The Circus” on Showtime, was caught off guard in the last election.

McKinnon, who admits he was a “radical lefty in college,” was shocked to see just how strong the conservative presence within Gen Z was — and how these conservatives used platforms like TikTok to spread their message.

“Suddenly on TikTok this guy named Charlie Kirk started popping up everywhere,” McKinnon tells James Poulos of “Zero Hour,” noting that he “had a very conventional notion and wisdom about Gen Z and how they were, how they acted, and how they’re likely to act in that election.”

And that conventional wisdom was wrong.

“And then I saw these TikToks of Charlie Kirk showing up on these college campuses with mostly young men — but not all young men — but lots of them in red hats, and it got my attention,” he continues.

That’s when McKinnon decided to go to a Charlie Kirk rally in Atlanta, Georgia.

“It was fascinating. It was really interesting, and it really opened my mind about what was happening with that cohort, for one thing. But also Kirk himself,” he says, “was very diplomatic and very cordial to me and invited me in.”

“I got to pull back the curtain and saw the whole operation and how it worked, and you know, his model is really interesting because he invited these crowds just all through social media,” he continues, noting that you couldn’t walk through the plaza the rally was held in because it “was so packed.”

Not only was it packed, but Kirk made sure to answer “every single question that was asked.”

Kirk even chose questions from clear leftists over those who were wearing red hats, despite being non-confrontational.

“Charlie’s a fascinating case,” Poulos comments. “Coming out of that kind of Ben Shapiro moment where it was like, ‘Click to watch the libtards get destroyed with facts and logic,’ you know, Charlie went in a slightly different direction.”

Want more from James Poulos?

To enjoy more of James’s visionary commentary on politics, tech, ideas, and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Free, Upload, Sharing, Video phone, Camera phone, Video, Youtube.com, Zero hour with james poulos, Zero hour, James poulos, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Charlie kirk, Gen z, Gen z conservative, Tiktok conservatives, Tiktok, Tiktok election, President donald trump, Make america great again 

The Department of Justice announced Saturday that it was opening a racial discrimination investigation into the Minneapolis-area Hennepin County Attorney’s Office following its embrace of a policy that requires prosecutors to factor a criminal defendant’s race into plea deal negotiations.

Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty, a leftist who has long enjoyed the support of George Soros-backed organizations including TakeAction Minnesota, recently sent a memo to prosecutors in her office titled “Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants.”

The memo, first reported by Lou Raguse of KARE-TV, states that “while racial identity and age are not appropriate grounds for departures [from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines], proposed resolutions should consider the person charged as a whole person, including their racial identity and age.”

“While these factors should not be controlling, they should be part of the overall analysis,” continued Moriarty. “Racial disparities harm our community, lead to distrust, and have a negative impact on community safety.”

Moriarty, who recently refused to charge a worker in Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s administration who allegedly vandalized multiple Teslas, added that “prosecutors should be identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points, as appropriate.”

‘Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason.’

Jill Hasday, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, told KARE that the policy “both says, ‘Don’t take race into account,’ presumably because of the constitutional problems with taking race into account in addition to potentially political objections, but it simultaneously says this is something you should consider.”

“The problem for the drafters of this policy is, once you take race into account, it doesn’t really matter what else you say,” continued Hasday. “The policy is going to be struck down.”

The DOJ evidently took interest after the policy was brought to light and critics noted that Moriarty may be in violation of federal law 18 U.S.C. § 242, which makes it a crime for anyone — “under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom” — to willfully subject any person “to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens.”

“The investigation will focus on whether the HCAO engages in the illegal consideration of race in its prosecutorial decision-making,” said a May 2 letter signed by Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.

While the DOJ will focus on the “discriminatory” policy outlined in Moriarty’s memo, investigators will also review all of the HCAO’s policies and practices “that may involve the illegal consideration of race in prosecutorial decision-making.”

The DOJ may, for instance, take a look at Moriarty’s related “collateral consequences policy,” which requires prosecutors to notify a supervisor if a defendant might face “major collateral consequences” from prosecution, such as “immigration consequences” or “loss of or inability to obtain public benefits.”

Dhillon noted Sunday evening, “Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason,” adding that the DOJ will “investigate and take action wherever necessary to identify government practices that may run afoul of our civil rights norms.”

Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesman for the HCAO, told WCCO-TV in a statement Sunday, “We are aware of the letter from the Department of Justice posted to social media but have not received it. Our office will cooperate with any resulting investigation and we’re fully confident our policy complies with the law.”

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​Hennepin county attorney’s office, Mary moriarty, Leftist, Soros, Moriarty, Racism, Leftism, Dei, Crime, Prosecution, Politics 

At first glance, Erin Nealy Cox might seem like a safe bet for traditional Republicans. She calls herself a “Texas Republican” and served as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas under President Donald Trump, confirmed in late 2017.

But like many Trump-era appointees, she quickly revealed herself as just another creature of the swamp. Republican voters shouldn’t trust her.

Cox, whose family roots run deep in Texas Republican politics, expects to glide into a federal judgeship without scrutiny.

Cox is now one of nearly two dozen candidates seeking a federal judgeship in North Texas. Her record deserves scrutiny.

In the aftermath of January 6, she issued a statement condemning the protesters — without acknowledging that every person who died that day supported Trump. “Forcibly storming a government building is a reprehensible betrayal of the rule of law,” she wrote. In a post amplifying her statement, she added, “Those who committed violence in Washington today are anarchists, not patriots. They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Cox has never addressed the growing body of evidence that contradicts the official January 6 narrative.

She stepped down from her post just two days later, on Jan. 8, 2021. Although her resignation had been announced in December and wasn’t formally tied to the events at the Capitol, the timing still raises questions. She claimed she was making way for a Biden appointee — a routine move when the presidency changes hands. Even so, the context matters.

On Jan. 7, the day before she left office, Cox filed a controversial deferred prosecution agreement in the case involving Boeing’s 737 MAX crashes, which killed 346 people. The deal shielded Boeing executives from criminal charges and didn’t require a guilty plea. Columbia Law Professor John Coffee called it “one of the worst deferred prosecution agreements I have seen,” and “without precedent.”

Boeing’s criminal defense team included Mark Filip, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis.

Just months later, in June, Cox joined the same firm — now a partner herself. In plain terms: She let one of Kirkland’s clients off the hook, then took a job at the firm.

Kirkland hasn’t exactly been friendly to Trump or his policies. During his first term, the firm provided pro bono representation to asylum seekers, migrants, and others held in ICE detention. They actively opposed the administration’s “family separation” policy.

That section of their website has vanished. Only archived versions on the Wayback Machine remain, and even those appear to have been pulled sometime around March.

The firm also fought Trump’s efforts to end DACA, offering free legal services to recipients and filing lawsuits on their behalf. Like the rest, that work has disappeared from their website. The same goes for their involvement in lawsuits challenging Trump’s so-called “Muslim ban,” as reported by the legal blog “Above the Law.”

In the end, Trump may have had the last laugh, but Cox’s career trajectory speaks volumes.

Kirkland would later cut a deal with the second Trump administration in April to provide $125 million worth of pro bono legal services to avoid punitive executive orders and resolve investigations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission into the firm’s DEI practices.

Meanwhile, Cox’s husband, John “Trey” Cox, has donated extensively to Democrats over the past decade. Here are some lowlights:

Judge Tonya Parker, who received $4,000, is a darling of the progressive legal elite. She’s refused to perform marriage ceremonies after taking office until same-sex marriage was legal. She’s received awards for her commitment to DEI and spearheaded a task force to require “implicit bias” jury instructions, which are based on the dubious premise that white people (and only white people) have racial bias in decision-making.
Judge Emily G. Tobolowsky, who received $5,000, struck down Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s bid to block a gun ban at the Texas State Fair. (Erin Nealy Cox claims to oppose gun control.) Tobolowsky also issued an order to allow a biological male’s name and gender to be changed on his birth certificate to female.
Judge Francisco X. Dominguez, who received $2,500, boasts ties to an advocacy group called Legal Aid Society that helps illegal immigrants. He’s also denied Ken Paxton’s attempt to shut down a shelter for so-called migrants.
Judge Eric V. Moye, who received $13,500, has openly opposed voter ID laws, sharing articles decrying them as voter suppression, and even likened Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler in a 2016 Facebook post.

These donations, some as recent as 2023, paint a clear picture: This is not a household aligned with Republican priorities. Yet Cox, whose family roots run deep in Texas Republican politics, expects to glide into a federal judgeship without scrutiny.

Republicans can’t afford that mistake.

Cox’s condemnation of January 6 protesters, her husband’s funding of judges who undermine conservative goals, and her post-resignation alignment with a firm hostile to Trump all signal the same thing: She’s not on our side.

She may be one of nearly two dozen candidates for the North Texas seat — but her record should take her out of the running.

​Opinion & analysis, Erin nealy cox, Donald trump, January 6, Congress, Federal judge, Republicans, Rinos, Kirkland and ellis, Big law, Boeing 737 max 

President Donald Trump’s administration reportedly plans to slash roughly 1,200 positions at the Central Intelligence Agency.

The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the administration aims to make significant cuts to the intelligence community, including slashing positions at the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

‘These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the Agency with renewed energy, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position CIA to deliver on its mission.’

Sources told the Post that the Trump administration plans to reduce the CIA’s workforce over the next several years by easing hiring and relying on normal attrition, including early retirements and resignations.

Lawmakers have already reportedly been informed of the White House’s goals.

Officials who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed plans to eliminate more than 1,000 CIA positions, the New York Times reported.

It is unclear how many workers the CIA employs, but it is believed to have 22,000 on staff.

While a CIA spokesperson did not confirm the alleged plans, she told the Post that the agency’s director, John Ratcliffe, was “moving swiftly” to ensure the workforce is “responsive to the administration’s national security priorities.”

“These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the Agency with renewed energy, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position CIA to deliver on its mission,” she stated.

In March, the CIA terminated 80 recently hired probationary employees. Those working on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the agency were also removed. The CIA does not plan on any more mass firings to reach its reduction goals.

Upon retaking office in January, Trump immediately worked to dismantle woke DEI initiatives the former administration had embedded across the federal government.

Under the Biden administration in 2021, the CIA launched a social media campaign, Humans of CIA, which consisted of recruitment advertisements that aimed to increase the agency’s diversity.

One ad featured an intelligence officer who referred to herself as a “woman of color” and a “cisgender Millennial, who has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder.”

“I am intersectional, but my existence is not a box-checking exercise,” she declared.

Another commercial featured a CIA librarian who highlighted the agency’s inclusive workplace.

“Growing up gay in a small southern town, I was lucky to have a wonderful and accepting family,” he stated. “I always struggled with the idea that I might not be able to discuss my personal life at work. Imagine my surprise when I was taking my oath at CIA, and I noticed a rainbow on then-Director [John] Brennan’s lanyard.”

Conservatives slammed the agency’s woke recruiting advertisements.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said, “If you’re a Chinese communist, or an Iranian Mullah, or Kim Jong Un…would this scare you?”

“We’ve come a long way from Jason Bourne,” he continued.

In a separate post, he added, “My point is that CIA agents should be bad-asses—not woke, fragile flowers needing safe spaces.”

Donald Trump Jr. also criticized the CIA for going “full woke.”

“China & Russia are laughing their asses off watching CIA go full woke. ‘Cisgender.’ ‘Intersectional.’ It’s like @TheBabylonBee is handling CIA’s comms. If you think about it, wokeness is the kind of twisted PSYOP a spy agency would invent to destroy a country from the inside out,” he wrote.

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​News, Central intelligence agency, Cia, Trump administration, Trump admin, Diversity equity and inclusion, Dei, Government waste, Donald trump, Trump, Intelligence community, Politics 

Longtime political strategist James Carville has made a 180-degree turn on his view of Democratic National Committee Vice Chairman David Hogg after calling him a “twerp” for wanting to primary House Democrats in deep-blue districts.

It started with members of Hogg’s personal organization, Leaders We Deserve, stating they will target Democrats who they say are not doing enough to stop President Donald Trump’s administration. Carville, along with many other Democrats, has voiced anger and frustration that a DNC official wants to get directly involved in primaries. While doing so is not against the rules, it is a breach of trust from the national party, critics say.

Carville initially responded to the LWD plan by calling Hogg a “contemptible little twerp” on “NewsNation.”

Hogg and Carville then got together for a debate last week that got very contentious. The debate was moderated by reporter Tara Palmeri.

When Carville was asked about wanting to sue Hogg for the primary plan, Carville said, “I think it is abominable that an official of a political party that is being paid or supported by that political party to go out and raise money to defeat members of the same party. I think that’s jacka**ery of the highest level. … I’m going to tell you right to your face: I think it’s abominable that you have anything to do with the DNC.”

It remains to be seen if Hogg will maintain his position at the DNC.

Hogg and Carville had a phone call after the debate, and it appears that Hogg was able to get the elder strategist on his side.

“He reminded me of the story of, after the Battle of Shiloh, Henry Halleck urged President Lincoln to fire Ulysses Grant. Lincoln said: ‘I can’t fire him. This man fights.’ David Hogg fights. The DNC needs him,” Carville posted on X.

— (@)

Hogg shared Carville’s post and other praise for Carville’s endorsement.

— (@)

It remains to be seen if Hogg will maintain his position at the DNC. The party will be considering a rule change during its summer meeting to prohibit DNC officers from getting involved in primaries, even in a personal capacity. Hogg is also facing a challenge from a former candidate who lost during the voting for vice chairmen earlier this year.

Kalyn Free, a Native American attorney, says Hogg winning one of the vice chairs violates the DNC’s bylaws that states the party’s commitment to “both fairness and gender diversity.”

Hogg’s lawyers insist that the election “was conducted in compliance with the rules in place at the time” and that it is “inappropriate to try to revise those rules or decisions after the fact through a credentials challenge.”

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​Politics 

John and Abigail Adams envisioned an America with a school in every neighborhood and a well-informed citizenry that was adept in languages, literature, and music, as well as science, history, and religion. Their vision was practical until the ages recast it, little by little.

Then, sometime between Joseph McCarthy and Joan Baez, the status quo of the educational system came undone.

Only about 18% of colleges and universities nationwide require the study of history and government in their general education programs.

Students accustomed to a traditional 50/50 split between the humanities and the sciences were capsized academically by the surprise Sputnik launch in 1957. The space race sent higher education into a tizzy, leading to a fixation on improving science education above all. In the succeeding seven decades, resources have consistently risen for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which has been to our benefit. But this has come at an unnecessary cost: The humanities have been downplayed, devalued, and dodged.

That uneven ratio has bestowed an unfortunate historical illiteracy on three generations. Most people, for example, do not know the philosophical roots of the Declaration of Independence, their rights as laid out in the Constitution, or the civic virtues their teachers should have taught them. For these three reasons, many Americans do not vote in local, state, or national elections.

Universities drop the ball

Even amid this crisis of civic illiteracy, only about 18% of colleges and universities nationwide require the study of history and government in their general education programs. In years past, when the architecture of academe was different, a plethora of institutions, such as Harvard, Rice, Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, and William & Mary, proffered requirements for focused classes in American history. But their phaseout — which began in the 1960s — was practically completed by 2000.

According to a report from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, at Columbia University:

Students must take at least nine courses to graduate with a B.A. in history. Of these courses, four must be in a chosen field of geographical, chronological, or thematic specialization, and three must be outside of the specialization, including one course removed in time and two courses removed in space.

In other words, the major requires exposure to a variety of histories — none of which need touch on America.

That gap in Columbia’s history major requirements is deeply troubling, though it at least has a contemporary civilization requirement in its signature core curriculum for undergraduates that addresses founding documents and key concepts of United States government. Meanwhile, at Colgate University, which has no such option in its general education requirements:

Students choose one of two pathways to graduate with a B.A. in history. Both require nine courses. The Field of Focus (FoF) Pathway requires one history workshop, seven electives. … The FoF Pathway allows students to devise individualized, intellectually coherent specializations. Possible fields of focus include environmental history, gender and sexuality, and race and racism.

This reorientation away from the study of American history — even as a point of reference for students focusing their studies on other parts of the world — is now the norm in the American academy. In the 2020-2021 academic year, 18 of the top 25 public universities did not have a wide-ranging American history requirement for students seeking a B.A. in history in the major or core curriculum — nor did 24 of the 25 best national schools.

Even the legendary linchpins of the liberal arts — Amherst, Swarthmore, Vassar, Smith, Williams, and Pomona — fared poorly: 21 out of 25 colleges examined did not have an American history requirement.

The consequences of forgoing the study of American history have a powerful effect on the population. Much of what is not learned — or stays uncorrected — turns into the misinformation that is so damaging in a free and democratic society.

The civic literacy crisis

When eighth graders were asked in 2011 “to choose a ‘belief shared by most people of the United States,’ a majority (51%) picked ‘The government should guarantee everybody a job,’ and only a third chose the correct answer: ‘The government should be a democracy.’”

In 2015, 10% of college graduates believed Judy Sheindlin — TV’s “Judge Judy” — was a member of the Supreme Court.

In 2019, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni found that 18% of American adults thought Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was the architect of the New Deal — a package of programs President Franklin Delano Roosevelt introduced in 1933. Twenty-six percent believed Brett Kavanaugh was the current chief justice of the Supreme Court, along with another 14% who identified Antonin Scalia — even though he had been dead for two years at the time of the survey. Only 12% knew the 13th Amendment freed the slaves in the United States, and 30% thought the Equal Rights Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote.

In 2024, an American Council of Trustees and Alumni survey of college students showed that fewer than half identified ideas like “free markets” and “rule of law” as core principles of American civic life. The survey also found that 60% of American college students failed to identify term lengths for members of Congress. A shocking 68% did not know that Congress is the branch that holds the power to declare war; 71% did not know when 18-year-olds gained the right to vote.

All of these results were based on multiple-choice questions. All the respondents had to do was select the correct option out of four possibilities.

Forget history, forgo your future

The late Bruce Cole, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2001 to 2009, admonished, “Unlike a monarchy, a democracy is not automatically self-perpetuating. History and values have to be renewed from generation to generation.”

Our failure to educate future citizens for informed civic participation compromises the country. Institutions need to take the American Council of Trustees and Alumni’s findings to heart and, starting with their requirements for the history major, embrace their obligation to address the crisis in civic education.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by RealClearPublicAffairs and made available via RealClearWire.

​Civics, Education, Ignorance, America, Sputnik, Stem, Civic illiteracy, American council of trustees and alumni, Alexandria ocasio-cortez, Franklin delano roosevelt, New deal, Judge judy, Antonin scalia, Brett kavanaugh, Supreme court, Democracy, Opinion & analysis 

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and relevant agencies to terminate federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.

While Trump’s top reason for cutting off NPR and PBS was their unmistakable political bias, he also noted that government’s funding of news media is “not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.”

NPR chief executive Katherine Maher apparently decided that the best way to respond to the threat of losing federal funding was to continue gaslighting the American people, characterizing Trump’s executive order as an “affront to the First Amendment rights of NPR” and suggesting that her newsroom is politically neutral.

Maher — who wrote in a December 2010 NDI blog post, “Control over the flow of information in a closed society can be tantamount to control over the state” — vowed in a statement Friday to “challenge this executive order using all means available.”

Less than 1% of NPR’s annual operating budget comes in the form of grants directly from the CPB and other federal sources; however, numerous CPB-funded public radio stations in NPR’s syndication network pay for its programming. Consolidated financial statements show that the organization secured over $96.1 million in “core and other programming fees” in 2023, $93.2 million in 2022, $90.4 million in 2021, and $92.5 million in 2020.

Despite acknowledging that “significant financial support” comes from private sources, Maher suggested the loss of federal funding would be calamitous, equating it with an attack on constitutionally protected speech rights.

‘An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR.’

“This is not about balancing the federal budget. The appropriation for public broadcasting, including NPR and PBS, represents less than 0.0001% of the federal budget,” wrote Maher. “The president’s order is an affront to the First Amendment rights of NPR and locally owned and operated stations throughout America to produce and air programming that meets the needs of their communities. It is also an affront to the First Amendment rights of station listeners and donors who support independent news and information.”

Maher noted further that Trump’s “action jeopardizes the national airing of beloved programming and essential news such as NPR’s iconic hourly ‘Newscast,’ ‘Morning Edition,’ and ‘Tiny Desk Radio.'”

On Thursday, the White House highlighted past reports that cast doubt on whether at least one of the shows Maher singled out as “essential news” deserves that label or federal funding.

“Morning Edition” noted in a piece ahead of Independence Day in 2021 that the Declaration of Independence “is a document with flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies.” Two years earlier, the same show issued an editor’s note warning that the Declaration of Independence “contains offensive language.”

Maher concluded her statement by asserting that NPR has “high standards,” that her colleagues seek to “present issues fairly and without bias,” and that NPR “will continue to tell the stories of our country and the world with accuracy, objectivity, and fairness.”

Maher continued pushing the neutrality claim Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” telling talking head Margaret Brennan that the NPR newsroom “would really take issue” with its characterization by Trump as politically biased.

Trump is far from the only person to call out NPR’s heavy political skew.

After working for 25 years at NPR, Peabody Award-winning business editor Uri Berliner noted last year that “an open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR.”

‘Our reverence for the truth might be a distraction that is getting in the way of finding common ground.’

“That wouldn’t be a problem for an openly polemical news outlet serving a niche audience,” continued Berliner. “But for NPR, which purports to consider all things, it’s devastating both for its journalism and its business model.”

Maher stressed to Brennan that she doesn’t make editorial decisions at NPR and added, “We have an extraordinary Washington desk. And our people report straight down the line.”

Berliner revealed that 87% of the Washington, D.C., editors and reporters at NPR were registered Democrats and none were registered Republicans.

While Maher appears to be strategically downplaying her team’s bias, she might be unable to recognize their bias on account of her own. The NPR CEO revealed her remoteness from the political center when she previously:

rejected the idea of “radical openness,” which she associated with a “white male Westernized construct”;
stated “our reverence for the truth might be a distraction that is getting in the way of finding common ground and getting things done”;
claimed “America is addicted to white supremacy”;
tweeted during the Black Lives Matter riots, “I mean, sure, looting is counterproductive. But it’s hard to be mad
about protests not prioritizing the private property of a system of
oppression founded on treating people’s ancestors as private property”; and

writing in September 2020, “Let’s be clear here too: I am a white woman. I already got the leg up. … My race is consistently an advantage.”

‘No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies.’

“If we were to see a claw-back of these funds, which we know is part of the conversation from a rescission standpoint, or if we were to see that the stations were no longer able to participate in their membership dues, that would be damaging,” Maher told Brennan.

In his executive order, Trump emphasized that “Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage. No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies, and the Government is entitled to determine which categories of activities to subsidize.”

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​Npr, Pbs, Public broadcasting, Propaganda, Media bias, Leftism, Katherine maher, Paula kerger, Color revolution, Narrative control, Public broadcasting service, National public radio, Politics 

President Donald Trump wants to restore an iconic maximum-security prison for his proposed golden age — an institution in the San Francisco Bay he regards as a “symbol of law and order.”

Trump announced Sunday evening that he would direct the Bureau of Prisons, along with the FBI and the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, to “reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”

“For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

“No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets,” added the president.

Although first the home of an Army fort — boasting 11 cannons in 1854 and 100 more by the following decade — Alcatraz Island was recognized early on as an ideal place to lock up unsavory characters. It was surrounded by cold water and swift currents and out of earshot of polite society.

Alcatraz’s days as a prison island effectively began in December 1859 with the arrival of the first permanent garrison. The National Park Service indicated that 11 soldiers were initially imprisoned in the basement of the fortified gateway blocking the entrance road. This basement and other structures were soon filled to capacity, warranting the construction of additional prison facilities.

In the decades following the 22-acre island’s 1861 designation as the military prison for the U.S. Army’s Department of the Pacific, Alcatraz’s central purpose ceased to be defending America against foreign hostiles and instead became locking up its native threats.

‘We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job.’

Alcatraz was transferred from the military to the Bureau of Prisons in the early 1930s. Over the next three decades, it saw numerous big-name felons idle in its dark cells, including Al Capone, George “Machine Gun Kelly” Barnes, Robert Stroud, and the first “Public Enemy #1,” Alvin Karpis.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Alcatraz never reached its capacity of 336 inmates.

On account of its relatively high operating costs — the daily per capita cost of the prison in 1959 was $10.10, compared with $3.00 at United States Penitentiary Atlanta — and in the wake of numerous high-profile escapes and escape attempts, USP Alcatraz was closed on March 21, 1963.

In 1973, the island was opened to the public and has been a tourist trap since, welcoming over 1.5 million visitors a year.

“We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally,” wrote Trump. “The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”

A Bureau of Prisons spokesman said in a statement to the Associated Press that the agency will “comply with all presidential orders.”

Trump has been trying in recent months to offshore criminals, both foreign and domestic.

In addition to sending suspected terrorists to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, the Trump administration has sent suspected Tren de Aragua terrorists to Guantanamo Bay.

Shortly after taking office, the president directed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to accommodate roughly 30,000 inmates “for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States, and to address attendant immigration enforcement needs identified by the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.”

Federal judges have so far hindered these efforts, ruling that the administration must grant deportees due process. Restoring the prison on Alcatraz might be one way to get criminal noncitizens offshore without having to deal with activist district court judges.

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​Donald trump, Department of corrections, Prison, Federal prison, Golden age, Trump, Alcatraz, San francisco, Alcatraz federal penitentiary, Politics 

On a recent Wednesday Night Special, Glenn Beck took a good hard look at how elite-driven trade policies over the last 30 years have gutted America’s middle class.

In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization. The move was presented as progress, but it ultimately caused nationwide devastation.

“The year China joined the WTO, the U.S. imported $102 billion in goods from China. In 10 years that number has more than tripled to $365 billion,” says Glenn.

Our trade deficit with China suffered tremendously as well.

“[It] tripled over the same period to $273 billion. Last year the deficit was $295 billion — by far our largest trade deficit with any nation,” Glenn adds.

“What is the fallout from this massively lopsided trade with China alone?”

Glenn, citing a 2016 study by an MIT economist, says, “During the first decade after China joined the WTO, the growth of imports from China cost us 2.4 million jobs — 985,000 of those just from a factory floor.”

The study concluded with the following point: International trade results in lower-priced goods and services on average and thus lowers the cost of living. However, low-skilled workers are nearly always worse off. The system creates “winners and losers.”

“This is what Trump is talking about. For far too long our leaders, especially on the left, have been way too comfortable with ignoring the losers in this equation,” says Glenn.

The displacement of American workers, he says, is best seen in “the Rust Belt” — a term created to capture the economic decline, factory closures, and population loss of a region in the United States, mainly in the Midwest and Northeast, that is known for manufacturing.

To illustrate this point, Glenn shows a picture of Galesburg, Illinois, home of the once-booming Maytag factory. Formerly known as “Appliance City,” the plant used to employ 5,000 people, but after “the last refrigerator rolled off the assembly line in 2004,” the site has been reduced to a pile of “rubble and weeds.”

Glenn also gives the example of Youngstown, Ohio — “once a proud hub of American steel, churning out beams that built our skyscrapers.” That is, until Chinese steel was brought in and the factory collapsed.

“Youngstown has lost 60% of its population since 1970,” says Glenn, noting that a significant portion of the exodus occurred “between 2010 and 2012” — about a decade after China joined the WTO.

Glenn’s third example is Gary, Indiana, a major steel manufacturing center and home to U.S. Steel’s massive Gary Works plant.

“In the 1970s, 30,000 people worked at that mill alone. Today, it employs 3,700,” says Glenn, adding that the town’s population has decreased 62% over the last several decades and has “10,000 abandoned buildings.”

“Between the year 2000 and 2010, the U.S. lost over 5.5 million manufacturing jobs. That’s the steepest drop-off in our history. … It is the draining of the American dream,” he laments.

To hear more of his commentary, watch the episode above.

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