Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York suspended her gubernatorial campaign on Friday just weeks after joining the race in November.

Stefanik becomes one of many prospective Republican retirees, clarifying that she will not seek to return to Congress either. Stefanik maintained that she would have won the Republican gubernatorial primary but that her candidacy would draw away crucial resources in an electorally “challenging” state like New York.

This is not the first time Stefanik’s career has taken an abrupt turn.

“I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and overwhelming support from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all across the state for our campaign to Save New York,” Stefanik said in a Friday post on X.

“However, as we have seen in past elections, while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York,” Stefanik added.

RELATED: ‘Do I have to stay until I’m assassinated?’ Marjorie Taylor Greene lashes out over calls to finish her term

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Stefanik said her family was a big part of her political calculus, saying she would regret taking more time away from being with her young son.

“And while many know me as Congresswoman, my most important title is Mom,” Stefanik said. “I believe that being a parent is life’s greatest gift and greatest responsibility. I have thought deeply about this and I know that as a mother, I will feel profound regret if I don’t further focus on my young son’s safety, growth, and happiness — particularly at his tender age.”

This is not the first time Stefanik’s career has taken an abrupt turn.

RELATED: GOP feud breaks out after Elise Stefanik accuses Speaker Johnson of protecting the deep state

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Stefanik was President Donald Trump’s first pick to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, even forfeiting her leadership position in the House and going through the early stages of Senate confirmation at the beginning of the year. Her nomination was later pulled, with Republican leadership citing the historically narrow House margins. Mike Waltz was instead confirmed to the position.

Stefanik returned to the House and later announced her gubernatorial run in November, before announcing on Friday she would step back from public service altogether.

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BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock believes that football stars like Deion Sanders and his son Shedeur are spreading the worst of black culture to not only NFL fans but players — but former NFL quarterback Shaun King doesn’t share his sentiment.

“If we’re being honest, the black rap hip-hop culture has permeated every part of America. I mean, go on TikTok. It’s white moms with young white daughters doing the dances. You know, I don’t even know if athletes are who this generation of young Americans idolize,” King argues.

“All they did was looked at what the algorithm says works, and we’re going to use this to build a post-Deion playing career brand, and it’s focused on that energy. But they didn’t create it. They just took what was working and said, ‘We’re gonna use it to bring some more money into the Sanders’ family,’” he continues.

“So that’s why I try not to target them. It’s like they’re the reason that Jaxson Dart is wearing diamond necklaces or that J.J. McCarthy is doing the dance as he runs. … It’s rap, hip-hop took over,” he says, adding, “They had like a 10-15 year stretch where they kind of raised a whole decade of Americans.”

“On that we agree,” Whitlock says.

“Hip-hop has had incredible influence over athletes and young people in general, and for black athletes, my argument is like, ‘Hey man, football, particularly at the quarterback position, but football in general, because of its military-like structure, it’s about submission,’” he explains.

“It’s about submitting to the head coach and the team as greater than yourself. And hip-hop is about individuality and being rebellious to authority,” he adds.

Whitlock also points out that point-wise, white quarterbacks are dominating black quarterbacks in the NFL — and he believes it has a lot to do with this culture.

“White guys are free to submit,” Whitlock explains. “Black guys have all this pressure to be rebellious, mimic hip-hop culture, and that’s why there’s a bit of a struggle, and that’s what I’m saying is going to be a part of Shedeur’s struggle.”

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

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Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming becomes the latest GOP lawmaker to take a step away from politics.

The freshman senator announced her retirement Friday after several “exhausting session weeks” this Congress. Lummis was first elected to the Senate in 2020 but previously represented Wyoming in the House from 2009 to 2017 as well as in state government prior to her career in Washington, D.C.

‘I feel like a sprinter in a marathon.’

“What a blessing to serve with Senators John Barrasso and Mike Enzi when I was in the U.S. House, and with John and Rep. Harriet Hageman while I’ve been in the Senate,” Lummis said in a statement Friday.

“We all put Wyoming first, which has cemented our cohesive working relationship.”

RELATED: ‘Unnecessary and protracted’: Elise Stefanik drops out of New York governor’s race

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Lummis reiterated her commitment to the state and her constituents but noted that she no longer has the “energy required” for the job.

“Deciding not to run for reelection does represent a change of heart for me, but in the difficult, exhausting session weeks this fall I’ve come to accept that I do not have six more years in me,” Lummis said. “I am a devout legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon. The energy required doesn’t match up.”

RELATED: Senate confirms more Trump nominees, surpassing Biden-era confirmation pace after deploying nuclear option

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

“I am honored to have earned the support of President Trump and to have the opportunity to work side by side with him to fight for the people of Wyoming. I look forward to continuing this partnership and throwing all my energy into bringing important legislation to his desk in 2026 and into retaining commonsense Republican control of the U.S. Senate. Thank you, Wyoming!”

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An Arizona sheriff derided protesters who interrupted a drug bust because they had mistaken regular cops for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple said the small group of protesters yelled obscenities and insults at his deputies on Dec. 11 after the police investigation ended up in Phoenix.

‘While they’re there throwing tantrums, we’re throwing handcuffs on bad guys.’

“PCSO deputies out there doing an amazing job, arresting bad guys, getting dangerous drugs off the street, and you have idiots showing up, protesting and thinking they’re ICE,” he added.

Teeple said in the video posted to Facebook that despite the protesters accosting his officers, they were able to seize a firearm as well as two kilograms of cocaine.

“Two people that were arrested? Both U.S. citizens. How ironic is that?” he added.

“This is ridiculous, guys. You have full uniformed deputies on scene, marked vehicles, and you still want to protest the police doing their job,” Teeple said.

The video included some of the footage showing protesters calling the officers “sellouts” and “motherf**kers” while the police laughed at them.

“While they’re there throwing tantrums, we’re throwing handcuffs on bad guys,” Teeple added. “Deputies did an amazing job putting up with their BS.”

RELATED: Video shows leotarded liberals protest ICE facility with ’80s-themed aerobics class

This was not the first time anti-ICE protesters interrupted a police operation in Pinal County. In June, Teeple said that protesters got in the way of a police action that ended in the seizure of four firearms, five million fentanyl pills, 32 pounds of cocaine, and 22 pounds of meth.

“You can do better,” Teeple concluded. “It’s an honor to serve.”

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Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk announced her endorsement of Vice President JD Vance for president in 2028 during her Thursday speech at the AmericaFest conference.

Vance will speak on Sunday at the conference organized by Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012.

‘If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee.’

“We’re gonna ensure that President Trump has Congress for all four years,” she said. “We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible!”

The thousands at the conference in Phoenix, Arizona, responded with resounding applause.

Vance has not said if he’s running for president yet, but he’s seen as a prominent front-runner for the nomination.

“My attitude is, the American people elected me to be vice president,” he said in October. “I’m going to work as hard as I can to make the president successful over the next three years and three months, and if we get to a point where something else is in the offer, let’s handle it then.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also considered a potential presidential candidate, said that he would support Vance if the vice president ran for the Oval Office.

“If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio said to Vanity Fair.

RELATED: JD Vance responds to the possibility of Vance-Rubio presidential ticket

Vance has said Kirk’s organization was pivotal in the re-election of Trump in 2024.

“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024; he helped us staff the entire government,” he said.

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Philadelphia Flyers radio play-by-play announcer Tim Saunders may have some explaining to do to his superiors.

Saunders has been suspended for two games by the Flyers, and now the organization is apologizing for comments he made on Thursday night.

‘We take this matter very seriously.’

During a commercial break in the third period of the Flyers and Buffalo Sabres game, Saunders went to a commercial break before he was heard making some non-hockey-related remarks.

“Now, they’re going to take the TV time-out. We’ll take it as well. Seven [minutes] gone in the third [period]. It’s 3-2 Buffalo on the Philadelphia Flyers Broadcast Network,” Saunders said, thinking he would then be off the air.

After a few seconds, the announcer is heard humming a tune to himself before more dead air, as muffled audio of in-arena promotions are heard in the background.

It was nearly 20 seconds after the start of a would-be commercial break when Saunders said, “While you’re down there, would you mind blowing me?”

Following a few more seconds of silence, broadcast partner and former NHL player Todd Fedoruk inserted, “I think we’re still on the air, Tim.”

Saunders then seemingly has a good chuckle before stopping to seriously ask, “No, we’re not, are we?”

RELATED: San Jose Sharks apologize for displaying pro-ICE message on scoreboard during Hispanic celebration

As reported by Crossing Broad, Saunders took another long pause before laughing again and asking, “Are we? Do you have us? Mikey, talk to me.”

On Friday morning, the Flyers issued an official statement on their social media saying they were “aware of the inappropriate comment” made during the TV time-out.

“These remarks do not reflect the standards of conduct or values we expect from anyone associated with our organization,” the team wrote.

The Flyers then announced that, effective immediately, a two-game suspension had been issued while they “address this matter with all parties involved.”

“We take this matter very seriously, and sincerely apologize to our listeners, fans and all those affected by these comments,” the statement concluded.

RELATED: Male players take over women’s hockey in Minnesota — one team has 4 men

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The majority of Flyers fans on X reacted negatively to the announcement, with one Philly sports fan calling it an “incredible overreaction.”

“A suspension??? World gone soft,” a fan named Ryan said.

Jeff added, “Give him a raise.”

The Flyers would go on to lose the game 5-3.

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An illegal alien from El Salvador allegedly killed a U.S. citizen the day after being released, despite a detainer request from federal immigration officials.

Marvin Fernando Morales-Ortez was released from a Fairfax, Virginia, jail after county officials dropped several violent criminal charges against him in addition to ignoring the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.

‘The sanctuary politicians of Fairfax County, VA have blood on their hands.’

Morales-Ortez allegedly shot and killed a 40-year-old man, Marvin Ernesto Morales, at a residence in Reston. After he fled, police were able to find and arrest him. He was charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

A spokesperson for ICE blamed local officials for the preventable death.

“Fairfax County failed the victim by refusing to work with ICE and releasing this criminal alien onto Virginia streets instead of safely into ICE custody,” the spokesperson said. “If Fairfax County would have simply worked to uphold our nation’s laws, then this tragedy may have never happened.”

The Department of Homeland Security went further in a statement on social media.

“The sanctuary politicians of Fairfax County, VA have blood on their hands,” reads a statement from the agency’s official account.

“The day after Fairfax County REFUSED to hand over Marvin Fernando Morales-Ortez, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, to ICE he allegedly MURDERED an American citizen,” they added. “He has a prior history of aggravated assault, larceny, assault on a law enforcement officer, weapons charges and other misdemeanor offenses.”

Most Fairfax County officials, including Sheriff Stacey Kincaid and almost every member of the Board of Supervisors, are Democrats.

After Morales-Ortez was released from jail on Tuesday, a Community Services Board did obtain an emergency order to have police take him into custody, according to the Fairfax County Police. However, the order was valid for only eight hours, and police were unable to find him before it expired.

Prosecutors are accused of ignoring the detainer, not notifying federal officials when Morales-Ortez was being released, and dropping criminal charges against him in numerous cases.

RELATED: New York Times gets absolutely hammered for sympathetic article on criminal illegal alien

The White House also released a statement condemning Fairfax officials.

“This tragic case is a prime example of what happens when Democrats choose to side with criminal illegal aliens over American citizens,” the statement reads. “This monster should’ve never been allowed to roam free in American communities. The Trump administration will continue our efforts to deport all criminal illegal aliens and Make America Safe Again, despite unrelenting Democrat opposition.”

Morales-Ortez is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

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