The University of Chicago announced that it would no longer be flying the LGBTQ+ Pride flag for Pride Month at the UC Laboratory Schools after three years.

Activists expressed their outrage over the decision in favor of institutional neutrality. The LGBTQ+ flag had been raised at the flagpole in Blaine Courtyard for Pride Month every year since 2022.

‘You see the display of even basic symbols expressing the dignity of our students would be an unacceptable political stance and violation of neutrality.’

Interim Director Ethan Bueno de Mesquita announced the decision in an email Monday that made clear it only applied to the flagpole.

“To be clear, the full membership of LGBTQ+ people in the Lab community is not a contested issue. It is a core value,” he wrote.

The UC Laboratory High School is a program for gifted high schoolers to experience the University of Chicago.

Bueno de Mesquita said the flag would violate the school’s new policy on viewpoint-neutral teaching.

“I think the university saying that an observer who sees something flying from a flagpole and understands that to be a statement of the institution is a reasonable interpretation of how flagpoles operate, and so that doesn’t strike me as an unreasonable rule,” he said to U-High Midway, the student newspaper for the UC Lab.

The decision drew sharp criticism from the university’s American Association of University Professors.

“You see the display of even basic symbols expressing the dignity of our students would be an unacceptable political stance and violation of neutrality,” the chapter account wrote in a sarcastic tone.

“The KKK is alive and well at UChicago,” another response reads.

RELATED: Florida lesbians say $250-per-day fine against rainbow fence violates their constitutional rights

However, the College Fix news site noted that a student life office run by the school’s Center for Identity + Inclusion continued to offer support for “LGBTQ students, questioning students, and allies in the college and graduate and professional schools.”

New laws and regulations against the LGBTQ+ agenda have reportedly led to an exodus of gender-confused people fleeing to Seattle, Washington, to seek gender refuge. Activists have called on the mayor to declare a civil emergency to provide support for community aid organizations.

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As Pride Month begins, BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock has noticed the usual Pride celebrations are much quieter — and Shemeka Michelle and Bryson Gray agree that America’s cultural landscape may be shifting.

But while it’s less prominent, “Pride” is still alive and well.

“I saw that it was trending ‘Pride Month’ over X. And I went and I saw so many sports organizations just saying happy Pride Month. And I’m thinking this is where men are supposed to be dominant, or straight men are supposed to be dominant. Yet, they’re giving all of this praise to gay sex. And it is very frustrating,” Michelle says.

“But I did look to see Target hasn’t said anything as of yet. Walmart hasn’t said anything as of yet. So some of these big corporations that had these huge displays in 2023 … they aren’t doing that now,” she continues.

Bryson Gray also thinks we’ve made “progress.”

“I can just tell you that from my own career, I think culturally it’s more acceptable to criticize and call out the LGBT. So progress, yes. Have we killed it? No, sir,” Gray says.

While the obsession with Pride Month appears to be fading, Whitlock asks if Black History Month and black pride should be tackled next.

“I think black history is just simply a part of American history wherever it fits. So I get the separation because of the history of this country. So I’m not going to say I’m against Black History Month, but I do think it should just be a part of American history,” Gray answers.

“And I think racial idolatry is a problem and that does stem from pride obviously,” he adds.

“Yeah, I hope that we can get rid of black pride,” Michelle chimes in. “I’m sick of seeing it. I was just saying I hate the term ‘black love.’ I don’t like ‘black girl magic,’ ‘black boy joy,’ ‘black excellence.’ I don’t want any of those things.”

“I don’t want to have ‘black love.’ I just want to have love. I want to cultivate it and learn how to love like God told us what love is,” she adds.

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​Fearless, Jason whitlock, Jason whitlock harmony, Shemeka michelle, Bryson gray, Pride, Black, History, Fearless with jason whitlock 

Yet another left-wing extremist with ties to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) has been unearthed through a CNN investigation.

Mamdani endorsed Darializa Avila Chevalier in her campaign to replace Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a longtime Democrat, in New York’s 13th Congressional District.

‘I have grown considerably since in the years since these tweets.’

The report found that Chevalier deleted a social media account that advocated the abolition of police, prisons, and borders. She also advocated the seizure of private property and nationalizing major industries, policies popular in communist countries like Venezuela and Cuba.

“We’re gonna defund and abolish. You don’t get to water down our movements,” one deleted post reads.

“It means ending policing full stop. Period. No more police at all ever,” another reads, with several clapping emojis added.

“In New York they don’t say ‘I love you,’ they say ‘NYPD suck my d**k’ and I think that’s beautiful,” she posted.

She also called the Democratic National Committee a “big fraudulent white nasty status quo bitch” and added in another tweet, “I have no nuance to add. F**k Kamala Harris.”

Chevalier is a 32-year-old doctoral student and investigator from the public defender’s office in New York City.

The contest between her and Espaillat is considered another proxy battle in the war between the establishment, centrist Democrats and the upstart, far-left, socialist extremists.

The CNN report noted that the New York Post and Politico previously reported on extremist posts from Chevalier, but CNN’s report unearthed new deleted tweets from a review of hundreds of messages.

Chevalier released a statement to CNN that did not deny the authenticity of the posts.

“My opponent wants to live in the past. He is re-litigating social media posts from half a decade ago and continuing to champion an outdated politics that fails to serve our people,” Chevalier said. “I have grown considerably since in the years since these tweets, and I am focused on our community and our community’s future.”

Mamdani, meanwhile, reiterated his support for Chevalier.

“In Congress, she’ll take on corporate greed, bad landlords, and D.C.’s broken political system,” he said.

RELATED: Mayor Mamdani’s wife apologizes for insulting Israel, using N-word and gay slur in past tweets

“At a time when power is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, Darializa will fight in Congress for New York City’s working families,” Mamdani added. “She’s the champion we need for a city New Yorkers can actually afford.”

The Democratic primary election between Chevalier and Espaillat will be held June 23.

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The president said Tuesday that he has agreed to reschedule the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in order to defy the wishes of the man who allegedly tried to assassinate him.

The ritzy event on April 25 ended abruptly after Cole Allen allegedly rushed through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun, prompting the Secret Service to usher President Donald Trump away.

‘This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling.’

Two months later, the president says the event has been rescheduled.

“In a sign of Strength and Fortitude, it was just announced that The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which violently ended rather abruptly on April 25th, will be rescheduled to July 24th,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account Tuesday. “This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling.”

He went on to say that White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang asked him to speak at the rescheduled dinner and he accepted.

“I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out,” he continued. “In any event, it will be a ‘HOT’ ticket!”

The suspect was captured in the Washington Hilton lobby and charged with a slew of crimes, including the attempted assassination of a president and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty.

Along with the surveillance video appearing to show Allen rushing into the event with a gun, investigators also discovered a manifesto where the suspect allegedly confessed to planning to kill the president.

RELATED: DOJ releases new video of WHCD shooting to dispel ‘friendly fire’ rumor

The new location of the dinner will be the Waldorf Astoria on Pennsylvania Avenue, a ballroom that the president renovated during his private career before entering office and sold in 2021.

Allen faces life in prison if convicted of the charges.

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Athletes and celebrities have long appeared alongside political candidates — especially if they’re on the left — so it was a welcome change when New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart introduced President Donald Trump at a recent rally.

“President Trump was at a rally, and he had, which is pretty common for presidents to do, had a celebrity slash athlete introduce him,” BlazeTV host Ron Simmons explains on “Relatable.”

“What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here. And without further ado, I’m grateful, I’m honored, I’m pleasured to introduce the 45th and 47th president of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump,” Dart announced.

“Athletes and celebrities do this all the time. They do it all the time,” Simmons comments.

However, the women of “The View” do not see it the same way.

“For somebody to back a guy like Trump, whose history in discrimination and racism goes back to housing discrimination in the ’70s; DEI attacks and posting pictures of the Obamas as apes when he’s on a team that’s 55% to 60%, the NFL, is that many people, that much percentage of black people,” Joy Behar commented.

“That is just the definition of stupidity and racist in my opinion,” she added.

“I don’t think Joy Behar has any joy. She might want to change her first name,” Simmons jokes, asking, “Do they believe every person of color hates Trump? Do they believe that? Is that what they really believe?”

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​Relatable, Allie beth stuckey, Ron simmons, Donald trump, New york giants, Jaxson dart, The view, Joy behar, Relatable with allie beth stuckey 

Speaking from a classroom at Schuyler Middle School in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Monday detailed the results of a statewide end-of-year survey on the state’s school smartphone ban.

Now in place for a full academic year, the ban has yielded encouraging results for students, educators, and parents alike.

The state law prohibits “unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day,” including lunch, recess, homeroom, study halls, and open periods.

‘Social interaction between students, especially in the hallways and at lunch, has increased significantly.’

Individual schools are given discretion over how to enforce the policy. Methods of device storage range from students’ lockers to large lockboxes to the increasingly popular Yondr pouches specifically designed for phones.

The ban applies to public school districts, charter schools, and boards of cooperative services.

RELATED: Gavin Newsom signs bill to ban cell phone use in California public schools

Two students hold the Yondr pouches that lock their smartphones and prevent them from being used.Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Hochul’s office received 585 responses to the survey from teachers and school administrators, representing a mix of all grade levels. Forty-seven percent of the responses came from New York City, while 53% came from the rest of the state.

“Eighty percent reported that the students are behaving better in a more engaged way. They’re collaborating more. They’re talking to each other. … They’re acting like kids again, feeling that burden lifted from their shoulders. And they’re participating in class discussions. And teachers are feeling they can finally teach,” Hochul said.

Specifically, 311 respondents reported more active participation in discussions, 282 reported improved peer collaboration, and 273 reported better focus on assignments.

Bullying has also decreased as a result, with 60% of respondents reporting a decline in bullying and cyberbullying incidents.

“Young people could just go through the day without being harassed,” Hochul stated.

Ziad Attia, a senior at Blind Brook High School in Westchester County, shared with Blaze News his experience with the smartphone ban: “Social interaction between students, especially in the hallways and at lunch, has increased significantly.”

Attia explained that while the students are meant to store their phones in their lockers, “as long as they’re out of sight, they’re fine with it.”

However, Blind Brook junior Guy Golan took a more critical stance: “Students will find ways to use their phones regardless of who is telling them not to.”

Golan went on to say that “administrators rather than teachers” are the ones doing most of the enforcing, adding that he has witnessed students using their phones secretly in the bathrooms or in corners.

“Students are still able to use their phones when they feel it is necessary since faculty members cannot monitor them everywhere in the building,” Golan said, highlighting potential challenges in schools with more lenient storage policies.

As of this spring, at least 38 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students’ use of cell phones in schools, according to an Education Week tally.

“I successfully fought for New York schools to go phone-free because our kids succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling — and these survey results show our nation-leading policy is working,” proclaimed Hochul.

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Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt has something that professional politicians can’t manufacture: authenticity.

And BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler explains this powerful trait has left his opponents terrified.

“If we had a video camera on the faces of the Democrat political strategists and on Spencer Pratt’s opponents, you can bet your bottom dollar that they are just shell-shocked by this. They don’t know how to deal with this. They are so scared,” Wheeler says.

The reason why the Democrats are “scared,” she explains, is because while Pratt is all about no-nonsense policy, they have no policy to run on at all.

“They can’t run on Karen Bass’ record. They can’t run on Nithya Raman’s ideology. So what they do instead as their sort of final move — this is one week before the election; people are already casting early votes — is they try to use famous people to invoke groupthink among voters,” she continues.

And unlike past elections, this strategy isn’t working — as Pratt’s “X factor,” which Wheeler explains as “political savvy that can’t be taught” — is winning over voters left and right.

“It allows him or it enables him to speak in a way to voters that is not only relatable, but completely without the fear of offending the politically correct police,” she says, before playing a clip of Pratt demonstrating this “political savvy.”

“What are your plans for the over 40,000 homeless in Los Angeles?” a reporter asked Pratt.

“Well, they’re not homeless. They’re drug addicts. Most of these people are addicted to fentanyl and meth. This isn’t Spencer making it up,” Pratt responded.

“No matter what anybody tells you, we have housing and shelter for everyone that’s living on the street. They are choosing to be on the street because they want to do drugs. They don’t want rules. They don’t want to listen. They want to have animals to abuse. This idea that they are forced on the street right now is a lie that our city is perpetuating,” he continued.

“We’ve paid $24 billion to house these 40,000 people. There’s spots for all of these people. They are choosing, because they’re an addict, and you can do fentanyl and sewer meth on the sidewalk with no repercussions,” he added.

When the reporter pressed him on how he plans to address the “homeless” issue, Pratt explained that he plans to use federal land to build facilities for them in just 90 days — but only for the true Los Angeles homeless who want to change their lives for the better.

“These 40,000 people, 60% of them, City Watch just announced this week, are not from Los Angeles. They’re not from California. These people have been bussed in by scam rehabs, scam NGOs, scam homeless nonprofits. These people, when I unplug them and say, ‘You’re not taking our tax money any more,’” they’re all going to go to Seattle, where the mayor will welcome them,” Pratt said.

“So the people that want to keep doing drugs and live on the sidewalk — a lot of these people are going to leave. The other ones, there’s a lot of criminals, there’s people that are getting naked in front of kids. They’re going to jail,” he continued.

“Not everyone goes in the same box. So we have the money, we have the resources, and we have the facility,” he added.

“The reason that this is so effective,” Wheeler says, “the reason that the political savvy, the X factor that Spencer Pratt possesses, is so effective is because voters recognize authenticity when they see it.”

“Spencer Pratt is giving it to them straight,” she adds.

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​The liz wheeler show, Liz wheeler, Spencer pratt, Los angeles, Nithya raman, Karen bass, Election, Homelessness, Crime, Democrat 

President Donald Trump has announced who will replace Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

Gabbard announced her resignation as DNI last month after serving in the office for a year and a half. She cited her husband’s “extremely rare form of bone cancer” diagnosis as the main reason.

‘Bill is a great guy who recognizes that the bureaucracy of the intel community must respond to the elected leadership.’

Now, Trump has appointed William Pulte to take her place as acting director.

Pulte was the head of Pulte Homes, the third-largest homebuilder in the U.S., with billions in revenue, before he was picked by Trump to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

“I am appointing the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, William J. Pulte, to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Tuesday.

“William has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago,” Trump added.

Pulte used the resources of the FHFA to find evidence of alleged mortgage fraud committed by some of Trump’s most vehement political enemies, including Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James and former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).

Some Democrats cited those investigations as evidence that Pulte will do the same as DNI.

“I will be a hard NO on FISA Section 702 reauthorization,” wrote Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California in a statement on social media. “Whether or not the totally unqualified and corrupt Bill Pulte gets confirmed, trump’s nomination of Pulte has already shown trump would have no problem with weaponizing intelligence against Americans he doesn’t like.”

RELATED: Pulte calls for investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell — and for his removal

Vice President JD Vance praised the decision.

“Bill is a great guy who recognizes that the bureaucracy of the intel community must respond to the elected leadership (rather than the other way around). He’ll do great!” he wrote on social media.

For the time being, Pulte will serve as acting director. He will need Senate confirmation to become the official director.

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​Director of national intelligence, Intel community, Tulsi gabbard, William pulte, Politics