Numerous Americans have died horrifically after foreigners were issued commercial driver’s licenses and took to the roads in what U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has characterized as “80,000 pound missiles.”

To neutralize these threats, the Trump administration has cracked down on unqualified drivers and taken off the road those commercial truck drivers who can’t speak English; purged thousands of unqualified training schools from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration registry; and barred DACA recipients, asylum-seekers, refugees, TPS holders, and other noncitizens from obtaining, renewing, upgrading, or transferring non-domiciled CDL licenses.

‘Congress must now do its part.’

Expanding on this campaign to keep American roads safe, the DOT announced on Monday that it has executed the emergency closure of over 110 commercial driver-training schools linked to thousands of drivers who failed English language proficiency tests.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration checked the records of over 5,000 CDL holders who failed the ELP requirements against records in the Training Provider Registry to determine which schools were certifying these failed assimilators. The agency ultimately identified over 110 entry-level driver training providers that must now cease all operations.

The FMCSA also launched nearly 400 investigations into training schools in 40 states. Investigators found “serious cases of non-compliance,” resulting in hundreds of additional proposed removals from the Training Provider Registry.

According to the DOT, drivers certified by the over 160 training schools that were served with notices of proposed removal are linked to 239 commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities.

“To fully root out the scourge of fraud, hold criminals accountable, and restore safety, we need the support of federal law enforcement,” Duffy said in a statement. “I am so grateful for President Trump raising the alarm on this issue, and to Vice President Vance for leading the charge to crack down on fraud nationwide. From states failing to follow the law to shady training schools and illicit companies, together we will tackle every link in the chain.”

The DOT is hardly alone in this campaign to spare Americans from incompetent foreign truckers.

RELATED: Massachusetts fought the rule that would have kept Pennsylvania trooper’s alleged killer off the road

Homeland Security Investigations is working with the DOT and FMCSA on a criminal investigation initiative focused on “CDL fraud, unauthorized employment, identity-document fraud, financial crime, money laundering, labor exploitation, and potential links to human smuggling, drug trafficking, and cartel activity.”

Starting Monday, HSI conducted a surge at over 200 driving schools and targeted CDL-related businesses, schools, carriers, and employers.

“Criminals who exploit our nation’s transportation systems through fraud and deception are not only breaking the law — they are putting the safety and security of the American public at risk,” said HSI acting Executive Associate Director John Condon. “HSI will bring the full weight of our investigative authorities, financial expertise, and global law enforcement capabilities to this historic, whole-of-government effort.”

Enforcement and Removal Operations will participate in the surge this week, which will focus on Maine, Michigan, and Wisconsin. ERO officers will work with FMCSA-certified inspectors to “conduct commercial vehicle enforcement activity and inspection checkpoints at separate locations.”

The Justice Department, which is also involved, announced on Monday the formation of Joint Task Force Crossroads of America — an interagency task force committed to enhancing roadway safety in part by deterring illegal trucking practices and holding offenders accountable.

Vice President JD Vance emphasized the importance of cracking down on fraud in the trucking industry, telling reporters on Monday that fraudulent CDLs in recent years not only made American streets and highways “a lot less safe” but were “bad for people’s jobs” and undercut American wages.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association lauded this interagency initiative.

President Todd Spencer said in a statement given to Blaze News, “OOIDA and professional truck drivers across America commend Secretary Duffy and [FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs] for taking concrete actions to crack down on fraudulent training operations and restore rigorous English language proficiency enforcement.”

Spencer added, “Congress must now do its part and pass Dalilah’s Law to ensure CDL mills remain closed and English language proficiency enforcement is permanently made the law of the land.”

H.R. 5688, Dalilah’s Law, would ban states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens and limit issuance to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and holders of specific work visas. The legislation would also require the revocation of any existing ineligible CDLs.

The proposed law takes its name from Dalilah Coleman, a little girl injured in a car accident allegedly caused by an illegal alien from India who obtained a commercial driver’s license from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

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​Department of transportation, Sean duffy, Markwayne mullin, Ice, Justice department, Cdl, Truck drivers, Politics, Commercial drivers license 

Longtime White House correspondent Maggie Haberman of the New York Times angered President Donald Trump after her report on events commemorating the 9/11 attacks.

Haberman, who has previously interviewed the president many times, reported that Trump refused to attend the World Trade Center event for 9/11 because he would not be given the opportunity to give a speech.

‘She’s been falsely writing about me for years — She’s a stalker, and should be forced to turn over any and all money that she’s made through her fake reporting on me.’

The president forcefully denied the report and then excoriated Haberman in a screed on Truth Social Monday.

“Maggot Hagerman, the Fake Reporter from The Failing New York Times, an unattractive person both inside and out, and who knows less about me than most reporters on the beat (She’s a SCAMMER!),” he wrote, “made up a story that on September 11th, I’m not going to the World Trade Center, in New York City, because they won’t let me make a speech, and I’m going to the Pentagon in D.C., because I’m a featured speaker.”

The president went on to say he preferred not to give a speech at the event.

“I never even thought of what Maggot made up,” he continued.

“Maggot Hagerman is a PHONY, and The New York Times knows it!”

He threatened to sue her as well as the New York Times and accused her of falsely reporting on the Russian hoax.

“If she were ever forced to reveal her ‘sources,’ you will find out they either don’t exist, or didn’t say what she reported. She’s been falsely writing about me for years — She’s a stalker, and should be forced to turn over any and all money that she’s made through her fake reporting on me,” he concluded.

CNN’s Jake Tapper took exception to the insults against Haberman and defended her on social media.

“I’m not going to repost the filth the president wrote about Maggie Haberman, but suffice it to say she’s a great person, beautiful inside and out, an incredible mom and wife and colleague, and an amazing journalist. The president’s comments are disgusting and beneath the office,” he wrote in one post.

RELATED: NY woman who allegedly thanked Allah for 9/11 schemed to BOMB state Capitol

“We should never get used to this deterioration in our expectations for how a president should behave. Never,” he added in another.

Haberman responded to the president’s insults in an interview on MS NOW.

“We went to the White House. We were quite transparent with them about what we were reporting, including the part about that part of the reason why he was not going to New York was because he did want to speak, and the White House did not say anything, pushing back on what we were reporting,” she said.

“And then 24 hours later, the president started attacking the piece,” she added. “You know, so readers can make their own assessment about a denial that comes a day later.”

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​New york times, President donald trump, Fake news, 9/11 memorial, Politics 

If it seems like more conversations today than ever before go nowhere, that’s because it’s true. And according to Frank Turek, this is happening because Americans are increasingly operating from entirely different understandings of reality itself.

In his new book, “The War on Reality,” Turek and co-author Phoenix Hayes tackle what they see as a growing assault on truth, reason, and common sense.

And BlazeTV host Nick Freitas is no stranger to this attack either.

“Once upon a time, you kind of understood how to respond to things. If you were arguing about tax policy or you were arguing about abortion or whatnot, you just went through the process,” Freitas tells Turek.

“You looked at the facts. You looked at the evidence. And both of you could do that and you could come to different conclusions and maybe share different perspectives,” he says.

“But more and more people are finding themselves in arguments and debates where they’re like, ‘I don’t even understand where this person is coming from. It’s like we don’t even share the same reality,’” he adds.

“So much of reality is under attack,” Turek agrees. “I mean, just in the past, say, 10 years, Nick, notice we’ve had people say to us after 5,000 years of human history that what we thought was reality suddenly isn’t.”

“That there are an infinite number of genders. That, you know, men can get pregnant. That math is racist … that reason and logic are tools of oppression,” he says, explaining that even “pulling baby parts out of mothers” is now called “health care.”

“The war on reality is everywhere,” he adds.

And the inability to agree on what reality is has reached the point of violence more than once. Most notable, however, was the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

“When people are confronted with logic that they can’t answer, they emote, and sometimes they even get violent. Our mutual friend Charlie Kirk was a victim of that. Here we had a trans person or a person involved in a trans relationship emoting to a point where he didn’t think Charlie Kirk should live any more,” Turek says.

“He tars him as a fascist, because we all know, Nick, that a fascist tactic is to hand your opponent the microphone and say, ‘Please give me your case. Make your case and we’ll have a discussion,’” he adds.

Freitas points out that this is why “defining one’s terms” has never been more important or, unfortunately, more difficult.

“Defining one’s terms is absolutely critical because otherwise you end up talking around each other, and emotions get involved, and people have different perspectives or they understand words differently,” he says.

“Because when you say the ‘war on reality,’ OK, define your terms. What’s reality?” he asks.

“First of all, truth corresponds to reality, and reality is the sum of all truths. And the only one that knows all of reality is, of course, God, because he’s omniscient,” Turek says.

“We know some of reality but not all of reality. Now, you can deny reality, you can fight against reality, but ultimately reality is going to win. Reality is undefeated,” he continues, noting that within his book is the argument that “reality does not have pronouns.”

“There’s not my reality and your reality,” he explains. “You may perceive reality different than me, but there’s a reality out there independent of both of us. Maybe you’re closer to it than I am. OK, fine. That’s what we call a disagreement.”

“Secondly, there’s not my gravity or your gravity. There’s not my math or your math. There’s not my laws of logic or your laws of logic. There’s not my law of morality that says, ‘Thou shalt not murder,’ but you have a different law that says it’s OK to murder,” he continues.

“These are all fixed in reality based on the nature of God,” he adds.

“Making the Argument with Nick Freitas” is available on BlazeTV+, YouTube, and major podcast platforms.

Start watching Nick Freitas NOW at blazetv.com and use the promo code NICK40 for $40 off your BlazeTV+ subscription.

​Assassination, Charlie kirk, Common sense, Genders, Reality, Truth, Logic, Frank turek, Nick freitas, Blazetv show 

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberals in dissenting from a stay that lets President Donald Trump continue White House ballroom construction.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the lawsuit to halt construction, claiming the president did not have the power to unilaterally build the ballroom.

‘We have repeatedly held that mere offense, disagreement, or distaste does not qualify as a concrete and particularized injury.’

The trust was able to obtain an injunction against the building from the D.C. District Court, but the ruling Monday allows the president to continue construction.

“Today, we do not pass upon the legality of the government’s East Wing project. We conclude only that, based on the submissions before us, the government is likely to prevail in showing that the Trust lacks … standing to challenge the project in federal court,” read the majority decision.

Roberts had previously allowed construction to continue while the rest of the court considered the full issue, but he joined the liberal justices in the dissent Monday.

“Construction of the ballroom has proceeded apace for the better part of a year. That construction is likely unlawful,” Roberts wrote.

The trust claimed a preservationist member who lives in Washington suffered “professional and personal injuries” while walking by the White House. However, the majority said the government could “likely” show that such distaste would not be enough for the trust to have standing.

“To the contrary, we have repeatedly held that mere offense, disagreement, or distaste does not qualify as a concrete and particularized injury,” the court said.

RELATED: Trump team mocks outrage of ‘unhinged leftists’ as construction of ballroom begins

The trust had argued that the president needed the “express authority of Congress” before ordering construction on federal land in Washington, D.C.

The Trump administration argued that the construction was necessary in part because of threats of political violence and the lack of sufficient security at venues available for political events.

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​John roberts, Supreme court, White house ballroom, Politics, Donald trump 

The Lindsay Clancy murder trial has become a national true-crime spectacle. The Massachusetts mother who strangled her three young children with exercise bands in 2023 pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, citing postpartum psychosis, while prosecution argued the killings were premeditated and sought first-degree murder convictions.

With arguments complete, the jury has been deliberating since last Thursday with no verdict yet.

While BlazeTV host Rick Burgess is horrified by the tragic fates of Clancy’s three children, he is also deeply disturbed by the number of women who continue to support Clancy and advocate for her acquittal. On this episode of “Strange Encounters,” Rick highlights a dark shift in the maternal instinct — a shift he sees as demonic.

“I can’t help but think to myself that this — not depression but this psychosis — it feels pretty new,” says Rick. “Women have been having babies for a long, long time.”

“Now we’ve gone to the point that we’re almost willing to say a mom should not be held accountable for methodically and just horrifyingly killing one child after another, even catching one that tried to run,” he continues, calling it “evil.”

While Rick acknowledges that new mothers certainly need help and support, he refuses to co-sign on the idea that the lack thereof absolves someone of killing her children.

“This husband maybe wasn’t supportive. You can be frustrated with doctors … but holding her up as a poster child for postpartum moms and their struggles, I think, is going way too far with this,” he says.

The support Clancy is receiving from women — many of them mothers — indicates a “ugly shift,” he argues.

“There was a time when the maternal instinct of a woman would immediately pour out to the murdered children, not the clearly disturbed mother,” says Rick.

“That’s a shift, and I think it’s an ugly shift, and it’s one that should gravely concern us.”

What’s behind this, he contends, is undoubtedly spiritual. He highlights a warning from the late evangelical pastor John MacArthur: “MacArthur said, ‘Unfortunately, we’re in a time now where people don’t even want the church to feed their mind. They want the church to feed their emotions.’”

But when emotions rule, we become “a lawless society,” says Rick.

“You can and should, no problem, have compassion for Lindsay Clancy, OK? But you also can demand justice for the three children she [allegedly] murdered. It’s not one or the other,” he notes.

“We can’t live in a civilized society when the way I feel about something trumps what the law calls for … and we’re already there to a degree.”

This devolution into lawlessness, he warns, reeks of demonic influence.

“For us to empathize with Lindsay Clancy more than we empathize with the children that were [allegedly] murdered” is “exactly what the dark forces of the spiritual realm” are gunning for, says Rick, “and that’s a dangerous road to be on.”

To hear more, watch the episode above.

Want more from Rick Burgess?

To enjoy more bold talk and big laughs, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Demonic influence, Lindsay clancy, Murder trial, Rick burgess, Blazetv show 

Loud hums, pollution, and electricity costs may be the price to pay for having a data center nearby.

According to the president, though, not having one might be worse.

‘If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame.’

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Monday morning to address the growing resistance to putting massive buildings filled with computer processors in American towns and cities.

Some polls, like Politico’s from January, have shown that data centers struggle to garner majority appeal to voters on either side of the aisle.

While just 45% of Trump voters supported the idea of a data center three miles from their home in that survey, the president had a more hard-line approach to the issue.

“The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump posted as a “truth.”

He further explained that if communities want to be “successful and rich,” with lower taxes and more jobs, they should “let Data Reign.”

The president then warned that not accepting data centers would only result in foreign prosperity.

“The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them. If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement. Actually, they can’t believe it is happening!” Trump concluded.

RELATED: This super-popular wearable is new, improved — and flawed

Later on Monday, Vice President JD Vance was asked about Trump’s remarks about how “Americans should get on board” with wanting more data centers.

“What the president said about data centers is they’re an important part of the AI economy,” Vance replied.

“But when people build them, they have to build the power plants along with the data centers. I think probably 99% of the backlash to data centers has come in areas where building a data center means higher utilities and higher electricity for the people on the ground,” Vance continued.

Vance was referring to the president’s demand from February that tech companies provide whatever power their campuses or data centers require.

“They can build their own power plants as part of their factory so that no one’s prices will go up, and in many cases, prices of electricity will go down for the community, and very substantially down,” the president stated at the time. “This is a unique strategy never used in this country before.”

The pledge was almost immediately agreed to by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI.

RELATED: ‘Americans deserve answers’: Hawley opens Flock investigation with damning new evidence

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

“If you build a data center, you should be putting power back into the grid, not taking it out,” Vance added on Monday. “And if that is happening, I don’t think the data centers are that controversial. It’s when the utility bills get so much higher, that’s when it’s a real problem.”

People surveyed back in January said they saw new job opportunities as the main benefit of having a nearby data center at 37%. At the same time, 29% said rising electricity costs were the primary drawback.

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​Donald trump, Jd vance, Data centers, China, Tech 

Republican candidate Mike Rogers lobbed a heavy rhetorical attack against Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed in their high-profile battle to win one of two Senate seats for Michigan.

The political ad includes several instances during the campaign where El-Sayed referred to sexual themes, including one widely ridiculed online.

‘She’s like, “Damn I have to sleep with him.” … I mean, I guess she’s pregnant, so I guess something’s happening.’

“We’ve decided he’s just weird!” said Fox News host Laura Ingraham in the opening clip of the political ad.

“Are you circumcised?” El-Sayed asks in a clip taken from a debate with Jesse Watters of Fox News over sex-rejection surgeries for minors.

In another clip, El-Sayed appears to think about the sexual relationship between Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, asking, “What do you think is going through Usha’s head when he talks?”

“She’s like, ‘Damn I have to sleep with him,'” he jokes.

“I mean, I guess she’s pregnant, so I guess something’s happening,” he laughs.

In another widely mocked incident, El-Sayed says he’s shocked that practically every other video on his Instagram account is from an OnlyFans model.

“And, like, the things that I actually look at on Instagram,” he says. “Every third video that scrolls on its own is going to be some OnlyFans model.”

Many noted that the algorithm on Instagram is tailored to the interests and views associated with the user of the account, suggesting El-Sayed may be getting OnlyFans videos because he’s looking at OnlyFans content on the app.

“Abdul, Michigan’s not going for that,” says Fox News’ Jesse Watters at the end of the video. “That is sick stuff.”

RELATED: ‘He’s full of s**t’: Trump RIPS INTO Abdul El-Sayed after his narrow victory

“Conman Abdul El-Sayed — too extreme, and too weird for Michigan,” wrote Rogers on social media with the ad.

El-Sayed is the first Muslim to be nominated to run for a U.S. Senate seat. El-Sayed beating Rogers in November is pivotal for Democrats’ hopes of retaking the Senate.

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​Jd vance, Michigan, Mike rogers, Muslim, Us senate, Politics, Abdul el-sayed 

ESPN once devoted more than five consecutive hours of prime-time programming to diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality.

The network became so woke that it went from being the most trusted name in sports to pulling a broadcaster off the air for having a name that sounded racist.

‘We’re watching.’

That’s a true story.

A network’s nadir

In 2017, a part-time sportscaster was set to announce the William & Mary-Virginia football game at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. The only problem was his name was Robert Lee, and that was too close to Confederate General Robert E. Lee for ESPN, even though Lee is Asian.

The broadcaster was reassigned to cover a different game that day.

Still, the ESPN snowball was nowhere near critical mass. The next month, ESPN reporter Jemele Hill called President Trump a “white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself [with] white supremacists.”

When the George Floyd era came around, it ushered in unquantifiable amounts of diversity programming at the network, culminating in the “Time for Change” broadcast that time certainly forgot. From 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on June 24, 2020, ESPN aired segments with Black Lives Matters founders, essays about “white privilege,” and race-based poetry readings.

In an effort to clear-cut any nonbelievers, the network pulled hosts Rachel Nichols and Sage Steele off the air in 2021 for daring to raise questions over topics like diversity and vaccines. In 2022, ESPN took a side in the transgender-athlete debate and celebrated Lia Thomas for beating women in swimming.

By 2023, ESPN seemed primed to bottom out, never to regain the respect of men who flicked it on after work or boys who watch “SportsCenter” on repeat during a sick day.

As the network took leaps to becoming a laughingstock, it seemingly had no choice but to force a pendulum swing. So its leaders turned to none other than a former NFL punter who retired young and had been making waves.

Pat McAfee embodied the opposite of what ESPN preached for years: an offbeat, edgy, small-town personality with the right amount of charm. Most of all, he was doing big numbers, and that’s exactly what the network needed.

With millions of subscribers and hundreds of thousands of live viewers, ESPN pulled up to McAfee’s house with a dump truck full of money: $85 million over five years, to be exact.

A contract that big may tighten the intellectual belt for some, but not McAfee. He wasted no time pushing the envelope.

Before his new show even aired, he was making jokes about sex offenders.

RELATED: Cam Newton blows the lid off the NFL, claims players, coaches, and execs faked their COVID-19 vaccination

Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images

Paging ‘Mr. Pfizer’

“I think Nassar was in on the design team actually,” McAfee said in response to some college football uniforms. Larry Nassar was convicted of sex crimes against young female athletes on the USA Gymnastics team.

Why comment on the tautness of a team’s pants? Why not? Reset.

McAfee’s show aired in September 2023 and got off to a blazing start. But it didn’t take long for friend of the show and NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to start making his weekly appearances, something he had done since 2020.

That marked the end of McAfee’s tenure as a noncontroversial host, just a month into his new ESPN show.

The quarterback dropped back and threw a bomb on ESPN airwaves, calling fellow NFL player Travis Kelce “Mr. Pfizer” for promoting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Rodgers wasn’t pulled off the air, censored, or reprimanded by McAfee; the host let him go off. In fact, he let him go off for months as he criticized the NFL and the federal government, while acting as Rodgers’ sounding board in his years-long feud with TV host Jimmy Kimmel.

McAfee endured constant criticisms at the time. Chief among them were claims that ESPN had wasted its money on him and his contract was tantamount to spending almost $100 million to platform conspiracy theories.

This didn’t stop the podcaster. McAfee turned a negative into a positive and became the go-to source for mainstream controversial content in the sports world, whether he liked it or not.

RELATED: Joe Rogan & Shane Gillis say we’re never going back — and young men should listen

Working out

When McAfee was told his success as an informal presenter was based on him being white, he didn’t let the accusations paint him into a corner. In fact, he broke the wall down of what he was allowed to say.

“There’s one white bitch for the Indiana team who is a superstar,” McAfee said, ironically as an ESPN disclaimer scrolled by at the bottom of the screen.

McAfee explained that he was actually praising WNBA star Caitlin Clark, but that didn’t matter; the media wanted a scalp. The former player apologized, said what he meant, and moved on. They were expecting a collapse, but when the pressure mounted, McAfee refused to fold.

When LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith nearly came to blows, McAfee hosted James in a way no other outlet would. He didn’t ask for an apology or a prepared statement; he simply said, “We’re watching.”

Indeed McAfee and company watched when James likened Smith to Taylor Swift. They listened to James describe Smith as eating ice cream in his “tighty-whities” at home. The most popular NBA player in a generation was trash-talking with the boys, and it was airing on ESPN. No network apology-broadcast followed.

The formula hasn’t changed, either. Rolling through 2026, McAfee is still having Rodgers on to trash Anthony Fauci and reprimand his haters, but he does so in front of live college football audience.

No matter how many people call McAfee a conspiracy-theory pusher or a “threat” to journalism, he has persevered, using a philosophy he only recently published: “If I seen young me, what would I tell him now? Just breathe; it’ll all work out. Somehow it’ll all work out.”

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​Podcast, Pat mcafee, Espn, Lebron james, Stephen a. smith, Caitlin clark, Entertainment, Sports 

A Democrat running for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District is in hot water for seemingly hiding her connections to George Soros-funded political groups.

Rebecca Cooke told voters she is a working-class outsider who worked as a waitress and entrepreneur, but she delayed the release of the financial disclosures about the money she got from Soros groups.

‘Radical Rebecca Cooke is a paid political operative for far-left liberals and wants to push their socialist agenda.’

Cooke released the information two days after winning the Aug. 11 Democratic primary, after applying for an extension with the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives in April.

The disclosure indicated that from January 1, 2025, to July 14, 2026, she received at least $5,000 from two left-wing organizations funded by the George Soros Open Society organization: the Third Way and the Pipeline Fund.

Cooke is not required to release the exact amount she received, but only to indicate a range of the value of the money.

A spokesperson for the Third Way told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the organization had paid Cooke $30,000 for “a project focused on elevating the voices and concerns of working-class Americans that have too often been missing from the rooms where decisions are made.”

A spokesperson for the Pipeline Fund would confirm only that Cooke worked for the organization.

“We can confirm Rebecca Cooke worked as a contractor for the Pipeline Fund in 2025 to help advance our mission of building a reflective democracy where working-class people, women, people of color, and other underrepresented communities are fully supported to run for office and advance the needs of their communities,” the spokesperson said to the Sentinel.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Zach Bannon blasted Cooke in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Radical Rebecca Cooke is a paid political operative for far-left liberals and wants to push their socialist agenda. Commie Cooke may fit in at [a] Soros-funded consulting firm, but she is far too extreme to represent Western Wisconsin,” he said.

Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden (Wis.) also vehemently criticized Cooke for hiding the financial information from voters.

RELATED: Soros-backed DA vows to ‘blow up’ White House ballroom, calls Trump a ‘pain in the a**’

“For months, Democrats and Republicans across the 3rd District called on Cooke to release her financial disclosures. She had every opportunity to be transparent with voters. Instead, she chose to keep them hidden until after the primary,” he said in a news release.

Cooke said in a statement to the Journal Sentinel that the disclosure proved her claims about being a working-class American.

“I’ve always worn multiple hats to make ends meet and, in addition to waitressing, I worked on two projects related to getting more working-class people to run for office and conducted research for an organization about how to better connect with working-class voters,” read an email from Cooke.

“There are unique challenges to running for office as a working-class person with an hourly wage job and a full-time campaign schedule,” she added. “For example, I’m one of the thousands of people in this district who can’t afford health insurance. I’ve been proud to help make it easier for the next generation of working-class leaders to step up and take our fight to Washington, D.C.”

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​Democrat, George soros, Wisconsin, Politics, Congress 

They’ve delivered the newspaper their entire lives, but they’ve never actually read it. Naturally, they’re now in charge of it.

On September 7, BlazeTV is heading to the tiny desert town of “Dusty Bluffs” with a brand-new original comedy series from the creators of “Agua Donkeys.” The series follows MP and Jer, two lifelong paperboys who have pretty much everything they want: a newspaper route, plenty of time to hang out, and a comfortable routine they have absolutely no interest in changing.

That routine gets turned upside down when the editor of the Dusty Bluffs Gazette suddenly skips town, putting the only jobs MP and Jer have ever wanted in jeopardy. Rather than accept that their days slinging papers might be over, the boys decide to take matters into their own hands and run the newspaper themselves.

Welcome to Dusty Bluffs

Armed with overconfidence and an impressive ability to misunderstand almost everything happening around them, MP and Jer find themselves navigating a job they know virtually nothing about.

But “Dusty Bluffs” is about more than the boys’ unlikely career move. The series builds its comedy around the eccentric residents of their tiny desert town, awkward conversations, and everyday situations that have a tendency to become much more complicated whenever MP and Jer are involved.

The premiere wastes little time introducing that world. As the boys make their way around town, even the most ridiculous encounters are treated with complete sincerity. MP and Jer’s understanding of what’s happening is often very different from reality, but their unwavering confidence rarely seems to suffer as a result.

Now responsible for covering the people and stories of Dusty Bluffs, MP and Jer are about to become much more involved in their hometown than they ever intended.

A different kind of BlazeTV original

Dusty Bluffs is part of BlazeTV’s growing lineup of original programming, giving subscribers even more to watch alongside the shows, personalities, and commentary they already know.

It’s also a chance to do something a little unexpected. With Dusty Bluffs, BlazeTV is bringing subscribers an original scripted comedy built around memorable characters, a bizarre little town, and a sense of humor all its own.

For current subscribers, Dusty Bluffs is included with their BlazeTV subscription. For everyone else, the premiere offers another reason to see what’s new on the platform.

Don’t miss the premiere of Dusty Bluffs September 7, exclusively on BlazeTV. Subscribe today to unlock Dusty Bluffs, plus original series, exclusive shows, and more available to BlazeTV subscribers.

​Comedy, Dusty bluffs, Blazetv show 

A board-certified ob-gyn has joined the chorus of mothers praising and defending Lindsay Clancy online, posting a video telling the mother who allegedly murdered her three children that she didn’t “know what else [Clancy] could have done.”

“Hi, Lindsay. I’m Dr. Sterling. I don’t even know if you’re allowed to watch videos like this. If someone can show it to you, I don’t know. But I want you to know that I believe you,” Dr. Noa Sterling said in the video posted to social media.

“From my perspective as an ob-gyn, I believe that you were over-functioning throughout your entire postpartum period. I am blown away by how hard you were working to get better while also working as a mom,” she continued.

“I’ve got three kids. I know how much work it is even when you are mentally well. It’s so hard to take care of three kids. … Hindsight’s 2020, but I don’t know what else you could have done,” she added.

“‘I don’t know what else you could have done other than [allegedly] murdering your three children?’” BlazeTV host Pat Gray comments in disbelief.

“One of the things is not [allegedly] murdering your three children. That’s one of the things that she could have done is not [allegedly] kill her kids,” he adds.

Sterling went on to say that Clancy has “galvanized us women in a really powerful way.”

“And I’m not quite ready to tell my story yet. When I eventually do, it’s going to be because you came first, and you showed all of us that we can be honest and can be real about what we experience as mothers,” she said.

“Thank you for [allegedly] killing your kids?” Gray asks, shocked.

“So she’s galvanized a movement to murder children?” executive producer Keith Malinak chimes in, adding, “She says she’s a mother of three. If I’m her kids, I know I’m changing the locks is what I’m doing.”

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.

​Lindsay clancy, Obgyn, Pat gray, Keith malinak, Postpartum depression, Blazetv show 

Let’s get real about something far too many professing Christians have wrongly decided is OK. We’re talking about people who think obedience to Christ doesn’t require participation in the local church.

In a few Christian women’s groups I’m in online, I’ve seen so many casually mentioning how they don’t have a church, or aren’t particularly interested in looking for one, or blatantly reject the idea that it’s needed at all. Comments like:

To remove yourself from the reach of elders, correction, and communal responsibility is, bluntly put, to refuse Christ’s ordained means of grace.

I don’t have to be part of a church. I can watch a service online from my sofa, I can worship or read the Bible whenever I want, and I can gather with other Christians anywhere, anytime. I don’t need to be “pastored.”

This woman is way off base, because a lone Christian is much more easily misled than someone who’s following Christ’s command to connect with a local body of believers.

To clarify, we’re not talking about the capital C “Church” — the global body of believers throughout history. Every authentic Christian joins THAT Church the moment they turn to Christ. No, we’re talking about the LOCAL church — designed by God to offer what the global Church cannot.

Question: What is a local church?

Answer: A group of Christians who live near each other who voluntarily band together to worship God, study His Word, love and serve each other, and submit to the group’s chosen leaders, which should include biblically qualified elders who are able to teach and disciple the flock, as well as qualified deacons to help in practical ways.

All of this is scriptural, as we’ll point out below, but first a quick word about what constitutes a “local group.”

Americans, especially in larger cities, are used to driving a distance to get to a preferred church. I’m not going to argue with that, but I am going to make a plea that the closer you are to your church, the more you can invest your time and energy in it — and the more it can invest in you.

If you are now searching for a church home, I strongly encourage you to start with the congregations closest to you and work your way out from there till you find a biblically sound body you and your family can join.

Not a building

Of course, the local church is not a building. You can have church in a school auditorium, at the local park — anywhere your group is allowed to assemble.

What makes such a group a “local church” is not location, but congregation — a group of Christians in the area who choose to commit to each other, whether they own a meeting space or not.

In fact, a pretty robust argument could be made that owning a facility is an impediment, or at least a distraction, to the church’s mission to shepherd the flock and serve the community.

I love stained glass windows, whether they’re in pretty little country churches or enormous European cathedrals. But those facilities require upkeep, costing money and time that could be directed to other endeavors and needs, especially if the church building sits unused most of the week!

What the local church is for

The Bible provides an excellent roadmap for the local church’s marching orders, because Christ did not establish a disembodied, leaderless, commitment-free Christianity. When believers detach themselves from the local church, in fact, they are not protecting their faith; they are redefining it on their own terms.

So what exactly are we to do?

We are to act more like the early church! Familiarize yourself with what our first brothers and sisters in Christ were doing. You can’t go far wrong using that as a template.

But here’s a helpful checklist of how we are to interact with our local church:

1. Meet regularly

First Corinthians 14 details how to conduct an orderly worship service, including phrases like “when you assemble.” Paul’s assumption is that believers are regularly meeting together, and such meetings are referenced often throughout the New Testament.

“And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

2. Worship together, pray together, learn the Word together

Just like the early church:

“And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

3. Submit to church leaders (elders/pastors, deacons)

The New Testament knows nothing of a Christian who answers to no one. Christ commands believers to submit to church leadership (Hebrews 13:17) and establishes church discipline, not to shame or punish but to restore (Matthew 18:15-20).

This is one the sofa-churchers miss every time.

Elders/pastors are biblically charged with shepherding the flock (Acts 14:23) — the flock being whatever local church they are leading. But how can they shepherd someone they don’t know, who’s not there?

In Acts 6, the apostles told the believers to select men “from among you” to serve as leaders (leaders often referred to as deacons). This was only possible because the local congregation knew its men and was therefore qualified to help choose leadership.

These commands are not optional, situational, or suspended when church life becomes difficult. To remove yourself from the reach of elders, correction, and communal responsibility is, bluntly put, to refuse Christ’s ordained means of grace. You cannot claim Christ as Savior while functionally rejecting Him as Lord, and the moment a believer declares, “I don’t need the church,” she has placed herself as the final authority over her own discipleship and rejected membership in the Bride of Christ.

Further, if you’re not committed to a congregation, you don’t have a Christian leader (shepherd) keeping watch over you (sheep). That is dangerous territory for any of us and surely a big part of the reason God created us to be in churches.

4. Love each other, become a family to each other, hold each other accountable

Commitment to a sound biblical church offers much more than a healthy leader-congregant relationship. It also offers by far the best way to fulfill the numerous biblical instructions regarding one another. (And they are numerous, as I explained here.) Tim Challies says:

Many of these commands can either only be carried out or can best be carried out in local contexts. You may be able to bear my burdens from a thousand miles away, but those who are closer are much more able. And so membership answers this question: Who are the people I am especially called to love? Or who am I primarily meant to serve with the gifts God has given me? It narrows the answer from the entire global church to one specific congregation. To become a member of a church is to say that these are the people God has most explicitly called me to love, serve, and pray for. These people are my “one another.”

Yes! Your local church is where you find your “one another” and where they find you. It’s also where you find “one anothers” who are not like you. Local church gives you an opportunity to love and serve singles if you’re not single, older saints if you’re younger, families if you don’t have kids, and vice versa.

This is ground zero for one of those “greatest commands” of Jesus, to love one another.

5. Observe the Lord’s Supper together; witness baptisms of new believers

The ordinances are generally undertaken in church, and they are to be part of a believer’s life. Baptism can take place anywhere there is water and a believer willing to conduct the baptism, but bringing this under the authority of the church protects the meaning and purpose of baptism through clear teaching on the subject. Likewise with the Lord’s Supper — good teaching in the church clarifies who should and should not be participating.

6. Serve the community near the church, meeting physical and spiritual needs

There is power in numbers, when you’re trying to make an impact for Christ in your community. This doesn’t mean you don’t individually love your neighbor, share the gospel, etc., but it does mean that when you uncover a need that you as an individual can’t fill — well, that’s a need you take back to your church.

Similarly, churches are often notified or aware of needs before individuals are. Serving the community as part of your local church is a powerful witness.

Give me that old time (marketplace of) religion

Another comment to consider from one of my ladies’ online groups:

Sometimes it is hard to find a modern church that fits one’s personal beliefs and convictions. In those cases, I’d say try to find a friend group made of Christians and have a Bible study or just meet up to talk and encourage one another in Christ.

“Try to find a friend group made of Christians.” Hmmm … if only we had institutions DESIGNED to bring Christians together in fellowship.

And assuming you find something like that (outside of church), “just meet up to talk and encourage one another” is a big bowl of weak sauce compared to the robust spiritual experience the local church offers and demands.

But I want to address her opening comment, because that’s a huge part of the problem with the sofa-churchers: they’re looking for a church that “fits their personal beliefs and convictions.”

America’s consumer mentality — and our relative abundance of churches — play a role in this mindset. Many have left a church, or not found another one, not because they can’t find something doctrinally sound, but because they’re focused entirely on their own tastes, preferences, and comforts.

Thanks in part to our robust freedom of religion, America is home to more than 300,000 Protestant congregations alone. That’s more than 6,000 churches per state, although the Bible Belt areas tend to have more than, say, godless Seattle (I was born there; I can say that).

So we Americans are quick to jump from church to church because it’s pretty easy to find a new one. And we can pick and choose features most appealing to us.

That, however, is where a lot of us go wrong. We choose a church with a consumer mindset, ticking off the features that “fit” our family. The music’s great! They have lots of middle schoolers! There’s a Saturday night service!

Beloved, that stuff is not the focus when looking for a church. We all need a church that prioritizes:

doctrinally sound biblical teaching (not just on Sunday mornings);small groups for Bible study, prayer, community, and accountability; andoutreach to the lost (locally and on the mission field, ideally).

You found a church? Here’s what’s next:

Commit for the long haul. Approach your church with a “lifetime” rather than a “trial period” mindset.Prioritize presence. Make regular attendance the baseline — not an optional extra for when the schedule is clear.Listen with a soft heart. Treat the Sunday sermon as a direct message from God; read the passage before you arrive.Go deeper than Sunday. Seek out a small home group (sometimes called a community group or life group) that studies, prays, serves, and eats together — that’s the best way to build community.Get busy. Identify specific ways to serve this body you’ve joined.Make your church better. Look for ways your church is serving the community, and come alongside. Or bring ideas for outreach back to your church!

Because — ultimately — you DO need a church. And there’s a church out there that needs you. So get off the sofa and go find your part of the Body.

​Bible study, Christians, Community, Local church, Worship, Lifestyle, Culture, Christian living, Faith 

With the start of the NFL season barely a week away, fans are clamoring for news about their team’s starting quarterback or star receiver.

Instead, viewers are getting what is likely to feel like another puzzling, unnecessary confirmation about the upcoming season.

‘The only thing more powerful than hate is love.’

It’s been a decade since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback turned activist Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem, causing nationwide controversy.

Kaepernick’s argument that the United States “oppresses black people” had a monstrous effect on the league, pushing the NFL into activism from seemingly every angle.

The death of George Floyd and the 2020 Summer of Love riots inspired more political messaging in the NFL — in its stadiums, on player equipment, and in front offices.

Now, the NFL has confirmed it will continue its league-wide platitudes for yet another season, specifically confirming its social justice messaging will remain on fields and player helmets.

“We are continuing with both the end zone stencils and helmet decals this season,” an NFL spokeswoman told Front Office Sports.

This program typically manifests in messages like “End Racism.”

RELATED: Al Michaels divides NFL fans with Trump jab during ‘Thursday Night Football’: ‘Read the news’

Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

According to the report, the NFL will also carry over its use of the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” colloquially known as the black national anthem, before the Super Bowl and other events. It has been used in season openers since 2020, as well.

Also reportedly returning is the NFL’s partnership with rapper Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, the company behind the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show fiasco with singer Bad Bunny.

The Puerto Rican artist’s performance this year had him deliver just one line in English, while angering fans with progressive messaging like, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

The NFL will still champion the phrase “Inspire Change” as its main social justice initiative promoting the following pillars: education, economic advancement, community-police relations, and criminal justice reform, which focuses on “key reforms” to the system like “pre-trial detention.”

RELATED: Enes Kanter Freedom responds to WNBA owner comparing his protest to shooting someone

Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images

Other programs that aren’t going anywhere are the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” initiative that allows players, coaches, and staff to wear custom cleats to showcase causes or nonprofits on their shoes. The cleats are typically worn during games and later auctioned off for charity.

Also returning is the NFL’s support for historically black colleges and universities.

Troy Vincent Sr., NFL executive vice president of football operations, simply says on the NFL website that the league works with HBCUs to “provide opportunities to students and administrators from these great institutions.”

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​Nfl, Football, Social justice, Black lives matter, Sports