The hits keep coming for Graham Platner, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in the race for one of Maine’s U.S. Senate seats.

On Monday the women of “The View” trashed Platner’s campaign and said he has no business being anywhere near Congress after grappling with so many scandals.

‘You’ve shown me who you are, and I heard you. This man should be nowhere near Congress.’

The most recent revelation that Platner, who is married, sent sexually explicit messages to at least half a dozen women in recent years is just the latest sting for his campaign.

“On the heels of apologizing for a tattoo associated with Nazis, the offensive posts about a wounded U.S. soldier. Now his wife, Amy Gertner, is responding to reports that she gave his campaign a heads-up about her husband sending sexually explicit texts to several different women,” said Whoopi Goldberg.

“Horrible. There is no doubt that this guy, Platner, is flawed, flawed, flawed in many ways,” added Ana Navarro.

“It is disturbing, and it is horrible. And why can’t we do better? Why can’t we have better candidates?”

“This guy just seems like a guy of not very good character,” said former Trump staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin.

“Don’t die on the hill of a guy who’s going to be a headache for you for years to come.”

Sara Haines took special offense to Platner previously saying a U.S. soldier should have died on the battlefield.

“If you are capable of saying that at any time in your life, you’ve shown me who you are, and I heard you. This man should be nowhere near Congress. We’ve already got a wealth of people we need out. We’re not sending one like this in.”

“So he’s a cheater,” added Sunny Hostin. “He’s an anti-Semite — because the fact that he had that tattoo for 20 years and didn’t know what it was is a lie. So he’s a liar, a racist, an anti-Semite; he’s a homophobe. So he’s all the things. And character does matter.”

Hostin also did not accept Platner’s excuse that his racist comments were caused by post-traumatic stress disorder from his experiences in combat as a Marine.

“I know a lot of soldiers that have PTSD that aren’t racist,” she said.

However, despite all of the problems they cited with Platner, Hostin went on to say they needed the victory in Maine to take control of the Senate away from Republicans.

The Republican Party in Maine posted clips of the most critical comments in a video that was widely circulated on social media.

RELATED: Trans-identifying 15-year-old plotted to kill classmate in order to resurrect Newtown shooter

In response to the sexting scandal, Platner’s wife put out a video calling the story “gossip” and trying to downplay it. Many described her video as uncomfortable to watch.

Platner is presumed to be the Democratic nominee to run against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has been criticized by many in her own party for being moderate and centrist. Platner’s main Democratic rival, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in late April.

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

​Graham platner, Susan collins, The view, Maine senate race, Politics 

Gay pride is still the norm for Major League Baseball, but the way teams are going about it is slowly changing.

Throughout June, pro baseball teams will once again put their marketing budgets toward recognizing lesser-held sexual orientations, with 97% of teams participating in the festivities.

‘46% of MLB fans claim “Pride Nights make them ‘less likely’ to attend MLB games.”‘

At the same time, though, these promotions have become increasingly unpopular among sports fans. Several recent studies have pointed to a near-even split between supporters and detractors; for example, Forbes noted a study that found “48-55% rated the Pride promotions negatively or neutral.”

Civic Science’s own research found that 46% of MLB fans claim “Pride Nights make them ‘less likely’ to attend MLB games.”

Furthermore, a Morning Consult study stated that “almost half of U.S. adults (47%) said they support leagues hosting Pride Nights.”

To that end, the only MLB team that has refrained from hosting Pride Night is the Texas Rangers, which have never hosted such an event. They do sell Pride-themed merchandise online, however.

Blaze News reached out to other MLB teams to find out whether they have changed their approach to Pride Nights for 2026 given the growing division it has sown among fans.

RELATED: Here are all the NFL teams that haven’t virtue-signaled for Pride Month

Jeremy Chen/Getty Images

Teams that responded mostly followed a new Pride Night trend being adopted by many MLB franchises: Instead of having a grand celebration and handing out gay-themed merchandise to all ticket-holders, fans have the option to purchase a special Pride package that includes tickets and memorabilia.

The St. Louis Cardinals organization is focused on making sure all fans “feel welcome at the ballpark, are respectful towards others, and can freely share in the commonality of our love for the Cardinals and the game of baseball,” a Cardinals spokesperson told Blaze News.

The Cards are offering a Pride-themed team cap for fans who buy a “theme ticket.”

The Cincinnati Reds commented that they have partnered with “Cincinnati Pride” and honored a recipient with a Pride Community Advocate Award. As part of their special ticket package, the Reds have included a cross-body bag that features the transgender flag on the strap.

A representative of the Detroit Tigers asked Blaze News for further context about the Pride-related questions but did not provide a response to any of the queries. Among many other promotions like “Juneteenth” jerseys, the Tigers are offering a Pride package that includes a rainbow-strapped belt bag.

RELATED: 5 pro athletes who boldly take a knee — for Jesus Christ

Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos/Getty Images

The New York Yankees told Blaze News that they would continue to work with organizations to celebrate the Legacy of Pride, which has included donations to the Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship Initiative. “Stonewall” refers to a riot at a gay bar in New York City that was raided by police in 1969.

The Yankees organization noted that they have partnered with groups like Jewish Queer Youth, an organization that allegedly “empowers Jewish queer teens.”

The Yankees will also offer limited-edition Yankees Pride caps that are sold with specific tickets.

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

​Fearless, Pride night, Baseball, Mlb, New york yankees, Sports, Lgbtq 

The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll over her testimony in Trump’s sexual abuse lawsuit — and her past incriminating podcast appearances may be coming back to haunt her.

“I know my own pleasures, and that doesn’t involve buying things. Where my pleasure comes is making him so pissed off he can’t think. We need to prick his little balloon constantly. And one of the ways to do that is to give his money to women’s reproductive rights,” Carroll said in an interview on MeidasTouch.

“Can you imagine how angry?” she asked happily. “It’s just so delicious thinking about how pissed off he’ll be.”

“Heaven, heaven. It’s the revenge that we all love,” she added.

“Hell yeah to killing babies in the womb,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says, mocking Carroll and her interviewer on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

“She’s just saying, ‘I just wanted to be a thorn in his side. I just want to piss him off.’ That’s all this is about,” she adds.

In another interview on “The Bulwark” podcast, Carroll revealed to the host that she needed to be “f**kable” to win her case against the president.

“I had a talk show, a TV talk show in 1996. I went through that, some of the shows, took screenshots of my hair cut in a bob, and then I found the hairdresser and the makeup person who made me look like that in 1996. She came every day to trial, did my hair and makeup exactly like it was in 1996. I wore the exact same clothes I wore in 1996,” she explained.

“And it was enough. It was enough,” she continued, adding, “It was a trick.”

“A lot of thought went into, as she says, making sure that she looked f**kable, because I guess judges only rule in your favor if you are,” Gonzales says.

“This is the woman we’re supposed to believe?” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Sara gonzales, The blaze, E jean carroll, Donald trump, Department of justice, Sara gonzales unfiltered 

A knife-wielding ex-con got a deadly taste of his own medicine late last week courtesy of the victim he robbed, fought, bit, and stabbed in Brooklyn, the New York Daily News reported.

Dan Costume, 34 — who was released from prison in 2024 — entered a stranger’s apartment in Flatbush through an unlocked door late Friday night, law enforcement sources and the victim told the paper.

‘He was acting in self-defense.’

The 45-year-old tenant spoke to the Daily News in Spanish, telling the paper that he had just come home from playing soccer. But the tenant’s wife had departed their apartment on Avenue D near East 31st Street to run an errand — and left the door unlocked, the Daily News said.

When the tenant emerged from the bathroom, he caught Costume stealing two cell phones, a laptop, and other belongings, the tenant told the paper.

“He was in shock that there was a random person in his house,” a relative of the tenant told the Daily News in English as she listened to the tenant’s account in Spanish.

The tenant wrapped his arms around the intruder from behind to try to get him to drop the stolen goods, the relative told the paper.

“They started battling between each other,” the relative added to the Daily News.

Costume bit the tenant’s hands and cheek, then pulled out a knife from his pocket and stabbed the tenant in the back of the neck, the tenant told the paper.

Then the victim reportedly turned the tables on the robber.

Sources told the Daily News that the tenant was able to disarm Costume and use the robber’s own knife to stab Costume in his thigh and lower back.

The tenant then shoved Costume out of the apartment and into the hallway, the paper said, adding that the burglar fled down a stairwell and out of the building, dripping blood as he dropped the stolen property.

Costume collapsed outside the building, the Daily News said, and medics rushed him to Kings County Hospital where he died.

The tenant was treated at the same hospital and released, the paper added.

RELATED: Axe-wielding thug allegedly threatens Florida car-wash employees — then 1 victim violently turns the tables on him

Kyle Mazza/Anadolu/Getty Images

A bruise and teeth marks were still visible on the tenant’s cheek days later, the Daily News reported, adding that the victim needed medical staples to close two gashes in his neck and on the back of his head.

“He was acting in self-defense,” the tenant’s relative told the paper. “Everything happened so fast.”

The Daily News, citing sources, said prosecutors decided not to charge the tenant after reviewing the case because he acted in self-defense.

Costume’s father and sister told the paper they haven’t seen much of him since he left home at age 18, noting that he was in and out of the criminal justice system.

Costume’s family members added to the Daily News that police had come looking for him several times before they knocked on their door Saturday to notify them of his death.

Costume was conditionally released from prison on parole in October 2024 after serving a one-and-a-half to three-year sentence for a Brooklyn attempted burglary conviction, the paper said, citing public records.

The tenant who killed Costume viewed surveillance video showing Costume getting into the apartment building through a back door near where garbage is kept, the Daily News reported.

The tenant also is in “a lot of pain,” a relative told the paper, as he recovers from the wounds he suffered during the fight with Costume.

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

​Crime thwarted, Brooklyn, Flatbush, Robbery, Physical attack, Victim kills robber, Knife, Stabbing, New york city police department, Crime 

There’s plenty of talk about how AI chatbots will take everyone’s jobs by the end of the decade, but so far, few companies have gone all in on the supposed wave of the future. One such company that did take the plunge, however, is Meta. After recently laying off 8,000 employees in favor of an AI workforce, Zuckerberg is already reaping the repercussions of little-to-no human oversight as AI just caused one of the most devastating Instagram account breaches in its history.

The Instagram bungle of the decade

Over the weekend, news broke that Instagram accounts were being hacked en masse with no clear reason why. Many of the targeted accounts included rare handles of high value, well-established accounts with more than a decade of ownership, and high-profile accounts belonging to elite users. Some of the most notable victims included the Obama White House and the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force John Bentivegna. Stranger still, account owners claimed that their passwords were changed without their knowledge or consent.

Platforms and apps will eventually require Real IDs for both age and identity verification.

At least in the case of Obama’s account, the hackers posted propaganda depicting former Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani holding hands with former Iraqi Deputy Commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, both eliminated at the hands of the U.S. military in 2020. The images included Arabic messages claiming that the White House is under Shiite control.

The exploit wasn’t due to a Meta system breach or password leak posted to the internet. As internet sleuths started to pore through the information, they discovered that Meta’s AI-powered identity verification system was easily duped into transferring ownership to thieves.

How hackers secretly stole Instagram accounts overnight

An X account that goes by Dark Web Informer published a video to their feed detailing exactly how hackers gained access to these high-profile Instagram accounts. The process was so simple that practically anyone could pull it off.

The hacker enabled a VPN on his device and set it to the location of the account owner to trick Instagram into believing that he currently resided in the area.The hacker went to the “forgot password” section of Instagram and typed in the target account handle.On the next page, instead of choosing to send a recovery email that would alert the owner of the hacker, they selected “Get Support,” which opened a chatbox with the Meta AI support assistant. Note that this is an AI-powered chatbot, not a real person.From here, the hacker could tell the chatbot that the recovery email addresses on file were no longer valid and that any security codes should be sent to a new inbox, which pointed directly to an email address owned by the hacker.Meta AI support assistant sent an email to the new inbox with no additional verification, prompting the hacker to paste that code into the Meta AI chat to prove he was the person submitting the request.The Meta AI support assistant accepted the verification code and allowed the hacker to proceed with changing the password on the account.The hacker confirmed the new passcode, taking ownership of the handle and essentially locking the original owner out of the account entirely.

Other reports claim that the Meta AI support assistant may also prompt users to submit a selfie or video of themselves to verify their identity before proceeding with the password change. However, these safety measures were also easily thwarted by creating an AI-generated photo or video of the owner’s face that was good enough to trick the Meta AI support assistant into permitting access.

RELATED: Companies are tracking you based on the ads you see. Here’s how to stop them.

BestForBest/Getty Images

As you can see, this exploit could be used on any account, anywhere, anytime, and the Meta AI support assistant gave up the ghost every time. The exploit has since been patched.

Zuckerberg made a mistake, but users lose in the end

If there were ever a way to prove that AI chatbots weren’t ready to replace humans in the workplace — especially in high-profile positions like account security — this is it. Meta has abused its workforce over the last several months, tracking their keystrokes to train AI and even sending 10% of its staff to the unemployment line, all to usher in the AI revolution where bots do all the work and humans are left to muddle through the mediocrity of degrading technology, fewer employment opportunities, and AI overload.

Unfortunately, these types of security breaches are just another reason that platforms and apps will eventually require Real IDs for both age and identity verification, and we’ll have no choice but to play along or lose access to the apps and services we use every day.

In the end, the only way for executives like Zuckerberg to learn that it’s better to keep real people on the payroll in lieu of AI is for the consequences to hit fast and hard. Unfortunately, this time, users were hit the hardest, but at least Zuckerberg’s decision to turn account security over to AI is a mistake he gets to own and atone for in whatever litigation is sure to come his way for his careless decisions.

​Ai, Tech, Hackers, Instagram, Meta, Mark zuckerberg, Online security 

Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists have discovered hundreds of hatching eggs that could be carrying infectious diseases packed in layers of foam, according to a press release obtained exclusively by Blaze News.

The 337 eggs, incorrectly manifested as “winter jackets,” were shipped from Germany and headed to Alaska. CBP revealed that the items, seized on May 27, lacked proper documentation.

‘These interceptions highlight the vigilance and dedication our CBP agriculture specialists demonstrate daily.’

“Hatching eggs include all avian species, including poultry, game birds, racing pigeons, and other birds,” the CBP reported.

“These live eggs are shipped to the United States for hatching or reproductive purposes. Upon arrival, the eggs would be incubated, hatched, and raised,” the CBP continued. “For agricultural purposes, hatching eggs fall under regulations for live animals and are highly regulated because they can carry Newcastle disease and avian influenza.”

The eggs were seized and turned over to the local U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The CBP noted that the USDA does not allow the importation of hatching eggs from countries that have highly pathogenic avian influenza.

RELATED: Exclusive: Elderly American allegedly tries to traffic $455K worth of cocaine and ketamine across US border

Ian Waldie/Getty Images

The department warned that such unauthorized shipments risk spreading diseases that could impact the U.S. food supply.

Since the start of an avian influenza outbreak in Feb. 2022, nearly 207 million birds in the U.S. have been affected, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Outbreaks have occurred in over 2,000 flocks in all 50 states and one territory.

RELATED: PAYBACK: No $10K fine for owners of slain ostriches

Image source: Customs and Border Protection

“Our nation’s food supply is constantly at risk from diseases not known to occur in the United States,” stated Eric Zizelman, the port director for the Port of Cincinnati. “These interceptions highlight the vigilance and dedication our CBP agriculture specialists demonstrate daily. Our specialists mitigate the threat of non-native pests, diseases, and contaminants entering the United States. They ensure the United States is safe from harmful diseases that could affect our food supply.”

CBP encouraged international travelers to declare all items acquired abroad and advised those who wish to bring plant and animal materials or other agricultural items to first consult the CBP Information Center section on the agency’s website.

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

​News, Avian flu, Customs and border protection, Cbp, Cincinnati, Us department of agriculture, Usda, Politics 

Admittedly, planning a wedding is a strange time to start reading cancer research. The seating chart had 17 unresolved feuds in it; the oncology journals felt like lighter reading.

Until they didn’t.

Public health researchers call this ‘social monitoring.’ In practice, it means someone loving you enough to be annoying about your symptoms.

A recent American study, drawing on more than 4 million cancer cases, found that adults who never married face considerably higher cancer rates than those who did. Never-married women saw rates dramatically elevated. Never-married men weren’t far behind.

The gap widens after age 55, which is when a lifetime of accumulated habits, poor decisions, and missed appointments begins sending invoices.

Settling for less?

Marriage rates in America have fallen steadily for decades. What was once expected is now optional — and sometimes viewed with suspicion. The language around “settling down” carries a faint odor of defeat, as though building a life with someone else were a concession rather than a choice.

The cultural conversation, meanwhile, circles endlessly around diet, exercise, and whatever superfood is currently being flown in from a distant rainforest. Billions flow into wellness industries. Podcasts dedicate entire seasons to optimizing sleep. And yet the data keeps returning to something far less marketable: whether you have someone in the next room who gives a damn.

The researchers are careful to avoid claiming that a wedding ring makes tumors vanish. But the pattern holds and appears across most major cancer types. Cancers linked to smoking, alcohol, and infections showed the biggest gaps between married and never-married adults. That concentration is telling. It points at behavior, environment, and the kind of low-level interference that only someone who genuinely cares about you will bother to sustain.

Buddy system

A man living alone can ignore a cough for months. A wife will drag him to a doctor. A woman juggling everything on her own might postpone a checkup indefinitely. A husband will plead, push, insist, and escalate if necessary. Public health researchers call this “social monitoring.” In practice, it means someone loving you enough to be annoying about your symptoms.

Then there’s the physiological cost of chronic loneliness. Without someone else setting the rhythm, sleep suffers, meals become erratic, and the basic architecture of self-maintenance gradually gives way. A person alone sets his own standards, and standards, without a witness, tend to decline. Freedom looks like a luxury until it tips into neglect.

The research on loneliness as a health risk has been mounting for years. Chronic isolation produces measurable changes in stress hormones, inflammatory markers, and immune function. The body registers abandonment, and it responds accordingly.

Previous generations were hardly models of healthy living. They smoked heavily, drank liberally, and regarded dietary advice as a personal affront. The average mid-century American male was not tracking his resting heart rate. Yet many of them were embedded in something we have spent decades dismantling: long marriages, tight families, a reliable social unit that caught problems early and addressed them without being asked. The neighbor who checked in. The sibling who showed up uninvited. The spouse who had the kettle on before the door had closed behind you.

Noticing matters enormously.

RELATED: Aging is inevitable — catastrophic decline is not

The author with his mother and grandmother. Photo courtesy of John Mac Ghlionn

The cure of community

Cancer rates in younger Americans have been climbing. The old assumption — that serious disease waits its turn at the end of a long life — has expired. It is arriving earlier, frequently without warning, and the reflexive response has been to scrutinize diet, sleep, and screen time. All valid. All insufficient on their own.

There are complications worth acknowledging. Marriage has its limits as a medical intervention. As Tina Turner and Johnny Depp demonstrated at considerable personal cost, not all marriages are protective. Some are so destructive that they make solitude look like sensible doctor’s orders.

Nevertheless, the directional evidence holds.

Knee-deep in wedding planning, I keep returning to what this whole undertaking actually represents. Families reactivate. Old friendships resurface. Obligations form. The ceremony is a public declaration that someone will be watching, intervening, and on occasion refusing to let you get away with things.

The vows carry legal and emotional weight. They’re also a mutual surveillance agreement, entered into willingly, which turns out to be rather good for your health.

We’ve built an entire cultural vocabulary around independence. Self-optimization. Personal growth. The solo journey. These are not entirely worthless ideas, but they have crowded out an older and more durable understanding. Humans aren’t built for sustained isolation. The people around us, intrusive and imperfect as they are, perform functions that no app, no routine, and no amount of cold-plunge evangelism can replicate.

A culture that treats relationships as provisional and commitment as one lifestyle choice among many is making a collective wager. The evidence suggests the odds aren’t favorable. In ways we’re only beginning to quantify, permanence appears to be protective.

​Make america healthy again, Loneliness, Loneliness epidemic, Marriage, Weddings, Culture, Courtship, Community, Lifestyle 

President Donald Trump’s tolerance for allied actions that undermine America’s negotiations with Iran may have reached its limit.

Negotiators representing the U.S. and Iran appeared poised last week to advance the cause of peace between their respective nations, extend the fragile ceasefire that first went into effect in April, and open the Strait of Hormuz again to trade.

‘Everybody hates you now.’

On Monday, Trump stated that “Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us.”

Within hours of the president expressing optimism about resolving the unpopular conflict that is now in its 13th week — the peace talks began to quickly unravel.

Iranian state media and government officials indicated that Tehran was backing out of the talks largely over Israel’s offensive in Lebanon and the escalations in Beirut that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced earlier in the day.

RELATED: Congress may be quietly seeking to integrate US and Israeli militaries — but critics have taken notice

Evan Vucci/Pool/Getty Images

Although he initially appeared apathetic — telling NBC News, for instance, “I think it’s fine if they’re done talking” — Trump attempted to resurrect the peace talks, calling Netanyahu to impress upon him the need to change course in Lebanon.

According to the president, Netanyahu agreed that “there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back.”

Two U.S. officials and a third source briefed on the call revealed to Axios that Trump used some choice words and effectively “steamrolled” the Israeli prime minister.

One official, summarizing Trump’s remarks to Netanyahu, claimed that the president effectively said, “You’re f**king crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”

Netanyahu, who faces an outstanding warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, was indicted in 2019 in three Israeli criminal cases for alleged bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Last year, Trump called for Israel to pardon Netanyahu and/or drop his corruption case. Netanyahu’s corruption trial is ongoing.

‘Let’s see how long that lasts.’

The source briefed on the call told Axios that Trump was “pissed” and yelled at Netanyahu, “What the f**k are you doing?”

One of the U.S. officials claimed that Trump was aware of Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel and the Jewish state’s need to defend itself but was still convinced that Netanyahu’s recent escalations were disproportionate.

Another U.S. official told Axios that Trump was also concerned over how many civilians Israel has killed in Lebanon. Well over 3,300 people have been killed and around 10,000 have been injured in the Israeli strikes on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The White House did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

Shortly after the call, Netanyahu confirmed he had spoken to Trump and “told him that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our cities and citizens — Israel will attack terror targets in Beirut. This stance of ours remains unchanged. In parallel, the IDF will continue to operate as planned in southern Lebanon.”

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly told Netanyahu after the call that “this is the time to tell our friend, President Trump — ‘no.’ Now is the time to do what is required and necessary to strike Hezbollah, to unleash the hands of our fighters, and to restore security to the north.”

After stating that “talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump thanked Netanyahu for reversing course on his planned Beirut attacks in a Monday evening post on Truth Social and noted that both Israel and Hezbollah have tentatively agreed to stop shooting at one another.

“Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!” added Trump,

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

​Benjamin netanyahu, Donald trump, Strait of hormuz, Iran, Israel, Tel aviv, Peace talks, Peace, War, Conflict, Politics 

A California woman — dubbed the “party mom” by local authorities — has been sentenced to decades in prison after throwing alcohol-fueled parties for young teens and orchestrating sexual misconduct between the minors.

The Santa Clara District Attorney announced Thursday that 52-year-old Shannon O’Connor, also known as Shannon Bruga, was sentenced to 35 years and 10 months in prison — the maximum punishment.

‘The trauma shattered parts of me, and every day I wake up, I’m rebuilding what you broke.’

O’Connor has been in jail since her arrest in 2021, and she will receive credit for time served.

She also was ordered to register as a sex offender.

As Blaze News reported in March, O’Connor was convicted of 48 charges — including two felony charges of sexual penetration.

The Mercury News previously reported, “The sexual penetration convictions were the most serious, as prosecutors argued that O’Connor sexually assaulted the two girls by enabling them to become so intoxicated they could not legally consent.”

The district attorney said O’Connor hosted “drunken parties for young teenagers where she bought alcohol and egged on sex acts — some with teens too drunk to consent.”

The district attorney’s office said O’Connor hosted “drunken and destructive parties” for teens for two years.

Authorities said O’Connor would message teenagers and encourage them to leave their homes in the middle of the night and come to her house to drink alcohol.

The DA said O’Connor supplied vodka, Fireball whiskey, and condoms to teens who attended parties at her home.

“At one party, O’Connor handed an underaged teenager a condom and pushed him into a room with an intoxicated minor,” the district attorney stated.

“During a New Year’s Eve party with about five 14-year-olds, the defendant watched and laughed as a drunk teen sexually battered a young girl in bed,” the statement read.

The DA noted, “In another case, the defendant brought one drunk teen into a bedroom, where an intoxicated 14-year-old girl was lying in the bed.”

According to the district attorney, after the victim was sexually assaulted, she told O’Connor: “Why did you leave me in there with him? Like, you knew, like, what he was going to do to me.”

During the trial, one of the female victims told the courtroom she became suicidal from the trauma she experienced at a house party, the DA said.

The district attorney noted that O’Connor instructed the victims to not tell anyone about the parties because she could go to jail.

Police said O’Connor allowed a minor to drive her SUV in the parking lot of Los Gatos High School with two other teens holding on to the back. However, one of the teens fell off the vehicle and was knocked unconscious, according to authorities.

O’Connor was arrested in October 2021 in Idaho.

When detectives went to O’Connor’s house to arrest her, there were “10 underage boys and two girls at her home — most of whom spent the night there,” according to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

RELATED: ‘The Epstein of Indian Country’: ‘Dances with Wolves’ actor learns fate for sexually assaulting women, girls for years

KABC-TV reported that a victim during the hearing said, “I wish I could say that every memory with you has been healed with time, but I still find myself crying myself to sleep over the way that you took complete advantage of me.”

Another victim said, “Shannon O’Connor held me prisoner for almost six years. It’s her turn to serve a very long sentence in jail.”

Yet another victim added, “The trauma shattered parts of me, and every day I wake up, I’m rebuilding what you broke.”

The mother of one of the victims during the hearing said, “When people call you a monster, pedophile, rapist, they had it right. You preyed upon my daughter by supplying her alcohol, enticing a sexual situation, and pushing her when she was not in a place to consent.”

The Los Gatan reported that one victim said, “I was 11 years old when I met you. That was when you started texting me every day, slowly earning my trust only to use it against me.”

KRON-TV reported that O’Connor apologized to the victims and their families during the sentencing hearing.

“I am responsible for the harmful situation that I put your daughters and sons through,” O’Connor told the courtroom.

“But as I look at you all today, I hope you can find some comfort knowing that I have been punished — and will continue to be for years to come,” O’Connor continued.

She added, “I’m sorry for all of you and what I put you through. I am ashamed, and I face every day knowing that I was the cause of so many people’s anguish.”

O’Connor concluded, “I want you all to know that I live every day wishing I could take everything back.”

However, Deputy District Attorney Joanne Lee described O’Connor’s remarks as “deeply offensive” and showed “zero accountability.”

Before handing down the sentence, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth C. Peterson said she did not find O’Connor “genuinely remorseful.”

Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement:

Many people call this defendant the “Los Gatos Party Mom.” This isn’t some fun parent giving sips of wine spritzers to kids. She facilitated dangerous and drunken sex acts with these children. She risked their lives and damaged their psyches. She is not a party mom. Shannon O’Connor is a convicted felon. Shannon O’Connor is a registered sex offender.

O’Connor’s lawyer, Stephen Prekoski, said they will appeal, according to KRON.

“She never had a meaningful opportunity to settle this case,” Prekoski stated. “I’m not persuaded by those that believe that she was not remorseful. I’m not persuaded by those that believe that she didn’t take accountability for her actions.”

Kate Gude, the mother of another one of the victims, said after the sentencing, “This shows that when you come together, you put these bad people away, and the kids have a shot. You got to speak up and speak out. It’s the only way to keep everybody safe, happy, and whole.”

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

​Alcohol, California, Crime, Los gatos high school, Party mom, Shannon oconnor, Sentenced 

Basketball fans are used to league-wide activism, but now the NBA has seemingly made a decision that will bring some normalcy to its fanfare.

By this point, viewers are no doubt used to the league promoting race-based activism, and most will probably remember the vaccine debacle that brought individual rights and bodily autonomy to the forefront.

‘The NBA family has long believed in the unifying power of basketball.’

Now, in a league where players are quite literally rewarded for their activism, a partnership with sports trading-card company Topps and other America-focused groups is taking a front-row seat at the NBA Finals.

For the series between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, the players will wear patches that read “USA 250” on their jerseys to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, the NBA reported.

According to Topps, players’ patches will be removed after every game, and “select game-worn patches” will be featured inside “ultra-rare” trading cards.

The initiative is part of the NBA’s year-long celebration of the United States, which was announced in January, alongside partnerships with several groups, some of which are less controversial than others.

RELATED: ‘Adam Silver, I got questions’: Jason Whitlock accuses NBA of rigging Spurs-Thunder Game 5

“The 250th birthday of the United States offers the NBA family a wonderful opportunity for reflection and civic engagement, and we’re proud to help bring communities together through hands-on service,” said the NBA’s senior vice president of social impact and inclusion, Barbara Bush.

“The NBA family has long believed in the unifying power of basketball and the importance of taking collective action to strengthen our communities,” Bush added.

To that end, the NBA has been working with the organizations Military250, Stand Together, and America250.

Military250 is described as a national initiative dedicated to honoring the 250th anniversaries of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, as well as focusing on veterans and military families.

Stand Together is an organization that is more political in nature, pledging to work through the country’s toughest issues while offering discussion on topics like immigration, freedom of speech, and criminal justice.

RELATED: NFL players defend NY Giants QB Jaxson Dart after he introduces Trump: ‘Fake Trump hate’

Elizabeth Ruiz/Getty Images

America250 is more direct. Its website says it is focused on inspiring fellow Americans to reflect on the country’s past, strengthen their “love of country,” and to renew their “commitment to the ideals of democracy.”

In addition to the America-themed NBA trading cards, Topps announced it will have “Freedom 250” cards for the upcoming UFC event at the White House.

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

​Nba finals, New york knicks, San antonio spurs, America250, Basketball, Fearless, Sports 

Washington has an old joke: Nothing is more permanent than a temporary government program.

Look past the quip and a pattern emerges. Programs created to address specific problems rarely disappear when those problems recede. They develop constituencies, build bureaucracies, and acquire defenders. Programs meant to die are kept alive through zombie funding long after their original purpose has faded.

Federal grants are not entitlements. Recipients should earn and re-earn them through demonstrated performance.

Milton Friedman spent decades explaining why. In “Free to Choose,” he distilled the point into a simple insight: When you spend your own money on yourself, you care about cost and value. When you spend someone else’s money on someone else — which is precisely what federal grantmaking entails — neither cost nor value receives the same scrutiny it would if the money were your own.

That is the system the Trump administration is now trying to change through a sweeping overhaul of federal grant regulations developed by the Office of Management and Budget. The core idea is simple enough that it should not require federal rulemaking to defend: Public money should produce public results. If it does not, the money should not continue automatically.

Washington has often operated on the opposite assumption. Grants get awarded. Organizations build staffs around them. Those staffs lobby to preserve them. Programs that fail rarely disappear cleanly; they are restructured, rebranded, and refunded. The constituency for any particular line of spending is loud and organized. The constituency for cutting it is diffuse and quiet. That is not a bug. It is a feature that benefits insiders and leaves taxpayers with the bill.

The proposed reforms rest on a simple principle: Federal funding should be earned continuously, not granted automatically. Stronger reporting requirements would force grantees to demonstrate results rather than document activity. Expanded use of the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay system would help prevent improper payments before funds go out — a meaningful safeguard given that the OMB reported roughly $236 billion in improper payments government-wide in the 2023 fiscal year. Enhanced transparency rules would make it easier for taxpayers to see where federal dollars go and what they produce.

The goal is to shift federal grantmaking from routine renewal to ongoing performance review.

The proposal also takes on something Washington rarely discusses honestly: grantee capture. When a nonprofit receives most of its revenue from federal grants, it no longer operates as a purely independent civic institution. It functions as a publicly funded contractor with a development office. Taxpayers deserve to know when groups presenting themselves as independent advocates also depend heavily on federal money.

RELATED: ‘Pigs at the trough’: Spencer Pratt and Bill Maher come together to blast California ‘socialists’

Man_Half-tube/iStock/Getty Images

One provision deserves special support: ensuring that faith-based organizations can compete for grants on equal terms with secular ones. Charitable-choice provisions dating to the 1996 welfare reform law, executive-branch guidance under President Bush, and Executive Order 14332 signed by President Trump in 2025 already prohibit religious discrimination in many grant competitions.

But law on paper and law in practice often diverge. The federal government should judge applicants on their ability to deliver results — not on whether they pray before staff meetings.

Critics will argue that these reforms could be used to disadvantage political opponents. Some of that criticism will land. Implementation will matter enormously, and the effort’s credibility will depend on whether agencies apply performance metrics consistently and transparently across programs.

But the underlying principle should command broad support: Federal grants are not entitlements. Recipients should earn and re-earn them through demonstrated performance. Any serious steward of public resources should embrace that standard.

Friedman understood that bad incentive structures produce bad outcomes regardless of the intentions of the people operating within them. The federal grant system has tolerated weak incentives for too long. Large flows of public money require constant oversight. Without it, mistakes, waste, and fraud become predictable.

After decades of promises to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, the Trump administration’s reforms represent something Washington too rarely attempts: real change.

Every dollar the federal government spends was earned by someone outside Washington. Taxpayers deserve to know it was used well.

​Budget, Donald trump, Entitlements, Federal spending, Grants, Milton friedman, Office of management and budget, Reform, Regulations, Taxpayers, Opinion & analysis 

Liberals in the United Kingdom have worked feverishly in recent years to paint white Britons uniquely as history’s villains, undermine their unique claims to the isles, and erase them from British history.

What’s more, police and some in the justice system have shown that they are willing to hold whites — white men in particular — to a different standard than virtually every other group.

The British public has now been confronted with incontrovertible evidence of this campaign’s influence and impact in the case of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old Englishman who died at the feet of maligning and disbelieving police.

‘Henry told officers that he could not breathe nine times.’

Walking home from a night out with his soccer team on Dec. 3, Nowak encountered a 23-year-old Sikh named Vickrum Digwa, who, on account of a religious exemption to the general ban on carrying knives in Britain, was armed.

In an unprovoked attack, Digwa stabbed the University of Southampton finance student repeatedly with an eight-inch blade — a blade that Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, later hid in an effort to aid her killer kin.

Digwa and his family members also proceeded to falsely tell police not only that Nowak was the real aggressor — a supposed racist who had attacked Digwa and knocked off his turban — but that Nowak hadn’t been stabbed and was just exaggerating about his injuries.

Even as Nowak lay dying, officers from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary reflexively entertained the Digwa family’s lies and handcuffed the white teen. Nowak’s handcuffs were removed only after the “severity of his condition was becoming clear,” police claimed.

After much public clamor, the damning police body camera footage of Nowak’s arrest was finally released on Monday, showing the nightmarish scene, including:

Digwa and his kin standing over the dying Englishman, then lying about what happened;police dismissing Nowak’s claims about being stabbed;Nowak begging repeatedly for help while being handcuffed; anda female officer suggesting they should confirm he was not stabbed, then aborting the effort after seeing one of Digwa’s slash marks on the victim’s face.

RELATED: ‘No such thing as a defensive weapon’: Judge warns Scottish axe girl she shouldn’t have carried blades

William Mousley, the Southampton judge who oversaw the murder trial, noted in his sentencing remarks on Monday that after stabbing his “defenseless” victim, Digwa — accompanied by his brother, Gurpreet — abused the teen and made “films of Henry suffering” and trying to escape before the arrival of police.

“You lied to him that you had been attacked, picking up on his question about whether it had been accompanied by racism by falsely claiming that Henry had called you a ‘Paki,'” said Mousley. “I am sure that Henry had said nothing racist.”

Mousley sentenced Digwa to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years and 190 days before any consideration can be given to possible parole.

According to the BBC, the attorney general’s office is reconsidering the prison sentence after being deluged by requests to review it under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

Digwa’s mother, Kiran Kaur, is set to be sentenced for attempting to help her son cover up his crime. Digwa’s father, Moga Singh, and his brother, Gurpreet Digwa, have reportedly been slapped with multiple weapons charges and are expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

After Digwa’s sentencing, Mark Nowak, Henry’s father, publicly addressed his dead son’s egregious treatment by the Southampton police as evidenced in the video footage.

“When police arrived, Henry was lying on the floor, barely able to sit up and plainly in severe medical distress,” said the bereaved father. “With his final words, he told officers that he could not breathe. He told them he had been stabbed. In fact, Henry told officers that he could not breathe nine times. He told them he had been stabbed four times.”

“The response from one officer was ‘I don’t think you have, mate,'” continued Mark Nowak. “The police have said they were misled by the murderer and that the scene when they arrived was complex. Unfortunately, it seems to us the truth is much simpler.”

Mark Nowak emphasized that police chose not to believe his son or the member of the public who called and reported someone claiming to have been stabbed. Instead, they dragged his bloody son across the gravel, wrenched his hands behind his back, handcuffed him, formally arrested him for assault, and read him his rights.

“Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved. He lost consciousness before anyone believed him,” said Mark Nowak.

‘Look back in anger.’

While assigning to Digwa all blame for his son’s death, Mark Nowak noted that his son should not have died in police custody and that “the way he was treated was inhumane and degrading.”

The father noted further that, unlike his son, the Sikh murderer was curiously “afforded decency. He was believed. He was not handcuffed when arrested. He was not handcuffed when transported to the police station. As far as we understand, he was never handcuffed at all.”

“The contrast is unbearable,” said Mark Nowak.

Others around the U.K. and around the globe have reacted similarly to the police video.

Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK Party, said, “This is the most shocking footage of discrimination that you will ever see. A white boy being handcuffed by police officers more concerned by an accusation of racism than an act of murder. This must be a turning point. White lives matter too.”

Whereas Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered a weak response coupled with a condemnation of “knife crime,” British Member of Parliament Rupert Lowe, formerly of the Reform UK Party and now the leader of Restore Britain, offered a forceful series of condemnations and demanded “prosecutions for what happened to Henry Nowak.”

‘Now this is the moment for real f**king change.’

“Young white British men are bleeding to death in the street as a direct result of our racist establishment. I will never forget, and I will never forgive,” Lowe said on Tuesday.

Lowe vowed to “look back in anger” and suggested that were his party in power, Digwa would be put to death, “the police officers on the scene who allowed Henry to die [would] face criminal charges for gross negligence manslaughter,” and “Digwa’s foreign family [would] be deported.”

“Sara Sharif. The Nottingham killer. The Manchester bomber. The grooming gangs. Now Henry Nowak,” wrote Conservative Party MP Claire Coutinho, the shadow minister for equalities. “We have to unpick the mentality across our public services that says accusations of racism are more important than protecting the public from harm.”

“If we stay the hand of those who are meant to protect the public, if we tie them up in knots with unconscious bias training and Islamophobia definitions, then we are making their jobs even more impossible and we can see from case after case that we are failing to protect the public from serious harm,” added Coutinho.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badnoch similarly criticized the “training that the police have been given” and the “race action plans” implemented in the wake of the Black Lives Matter mania earlier this decade.

“Now this is the moment for real f**king change, not George Floyd, a dead crackhead in America,” said activist Tommy Robinson.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

Robert France, the temporary deputy chief constable, apologized on Thursday for the police’s grievous mistreatment of Nowak, stating, “I am sorry that in the moments before he lost consciousness, [Nowak] had been handcuffed and arrested.”

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

​Henry nowak, Murder trial, Nigel farage, United kingdom, Vickrum digwa, White lives matter, Leftism, Racism, Anti-white, White, Murder, Police, Dei, Politics 

Vice President JD Vance revealed just how much taxpayer money is lost to fraud across America — and it’s more than you think.

“We’ve referred over $22 billion in fraudulent small business loans back to the Treasury for collection. We deferred more than $1.3 billion in fraudulent Medicaid reimbursements that were coming from various states, particularly California,” Vance explained.

The Trump administration has also “put a six-month hold on enrollments for new hospice and home health care providers” due to a large amount of fraud uncovered in hospices all over the country.

“We’ve recovered taxpayer funds from the $135 billion stolen after the floodgates were opened in the immediate aftermath of COVID. We have found $6.3 billion in suspected fraudulent government contracts which were mostly awarded during the last administration, and that has stopped,” Vance continued.

“And finally, we’ve blocked $60 million in student aid fraud that should have gone to young people trying to get an education, but instead were going to fraudsters,” he added.

“JD Vance is doing his darndest to try to clean up the fraud situation in America,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray comments. “We’ve got all the Somali fraud. We’ve got fraud in California. We’ve got fraud, I’m sure, in every state, but it’s really really rampant in some more than others.”

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also commented on the huge amount of fraud, explaining that American systems were “set up based on the honor system.”

“They’re set up based on the idea that you could trust the average person, through their own morality, to abide by the rules and comply with the law,” he said, before championing Vance’s efforts to tackle fraud.

“Because of the vice president’s leadership, you are seeing the most muscular, robust, aggressive, dedicated, determined, and speedy effort to shut down criminal fraud that has not only ever occurred in the history of this country, but in any developed nation,” he said.

“Thank you,” Gray comments.

Want more from Pat Gray?

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

​Pat gray, Jd vance, Fraud, Student aid, Hospice care, Taxpayer, Trump, Stephen miller, Pat gray unleashed