Rep. Ilhan Omar’s attempts on Tuesday to sabotage President Donald Trump’s State of the Union did not go particularly well.

Not only did public support for the president’s agenda reportedly spike while the Minnesota Democrat was screaming during his speech, but Omar’s anti-ICE guest was hauled away by U.S. Capitol Police.

‘All State of the Union tickets clearly explain that demonstrating is prohibited.’

The Somali-born ethno-nationalist announced on Monday that among the radicals she was bringing as guests to the SOTU was Aliya Rahman, an autistic non-straight activist who, though born in America, grew up in Bangladesh and has championed leftist causes since returning to the United States.

Omar made no secret that she chose to bring Rahman because of the woman’s hostility toward U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, noting that “Rahman is now calling for ICE to face legal accountability for their aggression against civilians.”

Trouble with the law

Rahman, 43, was arrested in Minneapolis on Jan. 13 after allegedly impeding federal law enforcement agents by blocking traffic with her vehicle.

While later claiming that she was on her way to a doctor’s appointment and was seeking to avoid a chaotic scene, footage appears to show that Rahman wasn’t in a rush to go anywhere. Despite ample room to drive forward and away from the scene, she appears to be idling in the intersection, blocking traffic, and yelling at federal agents.

Footage also shows Rahman failing to comply with repeated orders before being pulled out of the vehicle and carted away.

RELATED: ‘You should be ashamed’: Ilhan Omar melts down when asked to support Americans

Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security noted that the radical “clearly had enough room to move herself and her vehicle out of the way. Officers even walked away from her vehicle, thinking she was going to leave the scene.”

“Instead, she remained at the location, continued to impede our officers, and found out the hard way,” continued the DHS. “18 U.S.C. § 111 criminalizes impeding or interfering with federal officers.”

Rahman — who has likened herself to George Floyd as well as to Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, an illegal alien who was fatally shot on Sept. 12 after reportedly driving his vehicle into an ICE officer — quickly became a symbol of supposed ICE brutality for Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Reps. Robert Garcia (Calif.) and Yassamin Ansari (Ariz.).

Another arrest

Omar complained on Wednesday that Rahman had yet another arrest, this time after a run-in with the Capitol Police on Tuesday.

“My guest, Aliya Rahman, stood up silently in the gallery during the president’s speech for a short period of time, part of which other guests were also standing,” alleged Omar. “For that, she was forcibly removed, despite warning officers about her injured shoulders and ultimately charged with ‘Unlawful Conduct.'”

Rahman reportedly stood up in protest during the part of President Donald Trump’s speech where he called on Democrats to restore DHS funding and allegedly refused to sit when asked by police.

“The heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy,” added the Minnesota Democrat.

Rahman told Democracy Now! on Wednesday, “The only reason I can think that they thought me standing silently there was a protest is because this point, my body, unafraid, even if broken, standing and looking at these people in their face, well that must be a protest to you.”

The radical claimed that the sergeant at arms told her she was being detained for “standing up silently. No buttons, no facial expressions, no gestures, no signs. Not one sound. Standing up.”

Capitol Police painted a different picture of the scene, noting in a statement obtained by CNN, “All State of the Union tickets clearly explain that demonstrating is prohibited.”

“At approximately 10:07 p.m., a person in the House Gallery started demonstrating during tonight’s State of the Union Address,” continued the statement. “The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders.”

The Capitol Police added that “it is illegal to disrupt the Congress and demonstrate in the Congressional Buildings, so 43-year-old Aliya M. Rahman of Minneapolis, MN, was arrested for D.C. Code §10-503.16 – Unlawful Conduct, Disruption of Congress.”

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

​Ilhan omar, Omar, Radical, Us immigration and customs enforcement, Immigration, Leftism, State of the union, Sotu, Aliyah rahman, Politics 

President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday night, touting his administration’s achievements and laying the groundwork for the remaining three years of his term.

While Democrats attempted to distract from Trump’s patriotic speech, Republicans embraced policies to improve the lives of everyday Americans, some of whom were in attendance at the State of the Union.

‘I want to thank President Trump.’

Tuesday night, members of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative committee on Capitol Hill, hosted guests from North Dakota, Arizona, New York, Alabama, and elsewhere. While all of these guests come from different walks of life, the common thread is their appreciation for the president and his America First policies.

In a series of testimonials obtained exclusively by Blaze News, the RSC shows how real Americans feel about Trump’s progress in America.

RELATED: ‘Nobody wants to go fishing anymore!’ Trump vows to defeat ‘murderous’ drug cartels as chaos sweeps Mexico

Fifth-generation rancher Ben Menges, who was the guest of Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani, laid out the roadblocks he previously encountered on the farm, but noted he was “looking forward to hearing” Trump’s plan to address these regulatory burdens.

“We farm and ranch in Arizona because it’s the desert, not in spite of the desert. And we’re faced with a variety of issues; most of them stem around not having enough water,” Menges said. “I’ve also discussed the issues of federal regulation and how it’s impacted my grazing operation.”

Retired Command Sergeant Major John Herring, who was the guest of Texas Rep. Monica De La Cruz, praised the tax cuts greenlit in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act as well as the administration’s clampdown on the southern border.

“My wife is a small-business owner,” Herring said. “We’re ranchers in South Texas, retired from the military. President Trump has done a fantastic job of helping us and improving our ways of life. The border security is tremendously better. The tax cuts have been tremendous for us.”

RELATED: Watch the State of the Union tonight on BlazeTV’s YouTube channel

Another small-business owner, Kristin Chorne, who was the guest of North Dakota Rep. Julie Fedorchak, noted the positive impact Trump’s tax reforms have had on her company and her employees.

“I’m representing my business, Gratitude Spa and Salon. We are an all-female-employee business: cosmetologists, aestheticians, massage therapists, nail technicians,” Chorne said. “And so, we’re super excited about the One Big Beautiful Bill and the no tax on tips portion especially, as well as the no tax on overtime — huge benefits for our employees.”

“I’ve already had several employees come and talk with me, and they’re getting anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 in refunds for 2025, so a big change for them from years past, where they’ve had to pay in.”

RELATED: Every attendee who was awarded by Trump during the State of the Union

Law enforcement was also represented at the State of the Union, including Alabama Rep. Barry Moore’s guest, Coffee County Sheriff Scott Byrd, and New York Rep. Claudia Tenney’s guest, Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby. Both Milby and Byrd applauded Trump’s crackdown on crime both in the homeland and on the border.

“I’ve been in the law enforcement business for 23 years, and these border closing is definitely helping our community,” Byrd said. “They’re slowing the drug trafficking down, which I’ve obviously seen in my county, in my community.”

“I want to thank President Trump for his efforts in supporting law enforcement and making sure that people are held accountable and responsible for their actions, something that we haven’t seen in a few years,” Milby said. “What we have seen, though, is that people feel less safe, and that’s what matters.”

“You can do anything you want with statistics, but when people tell me that they don’t feel safe because of what is happening with our criminal justice system, it’s refreshing to know that we have the support and that we’re going to hold people accountable and responsible rather than hold court in the street,” he continued.

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

​Donald trump, Republican study committee, Rsc, Capitol hill, Trump administratin, State of the union, Monica de la cruz, One big beautiful bill, Julie fedorchak, Claudia tenney, Barry moore, Politics, Juan ciscomani 

Between raucous cheers for America’s gold-medal hero, New Jersey’s new governor felt the brunt of sports fans’ disdain.

Fans at the Prudential Center in Newark were treated to a fantastic pregame ceremony on Wednesday that celebrated Jack Hughes, who scored the gold medal-winning goal for Team USA against Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday.

‘You guys are making me emotional.’

After a speech from Hughes got the crowd both pumped up and emotional, newly elected New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) and her husband, Jason Hedberg, were welcomed on the ice for the ceremonial puck drop.

After a parade of kids holding American flags adorably stepped onto the ice, the public address announcer welcomed the governor and the state’s first gentleman before boos rained down upon them.

Some significant booing was also heard when the governor was again announced as she handed Hughes a folded state flag.

Beforehand, Hughes brought the house down with his speech, first celebrating alongside Buffalo Sabres player and fellow Team USA member Tage Thompson. Hughes brought Thompson onto the ice for a short lap before delivering his heartfelt remarks.

RELATED: NHL posts adorable ‘girl dad’ photo of hockey player — then deletes it after maniacal anti-Trumpers lose their minds

–

“I’m so proud, and I’m so happy that the men’s and women’s USA hockey teams brought gold medals back to the United States of America,” Hughes said to wild cheers.

As the arena’s scoreboard showed a picture of Hughes that read, “The best in the world are made in Jersey,” the star forward was on the verge of tears.

“You guys are making me emotional, but I’m so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils organization. And I’m so, so proud to represent the great state of New Jersey. So proud,” he continued.

“From the bottom of my heart, all our, all my teammates, USA teammates, we just want to thank you guys for all the love and the support. We feel it. Thank you,” the 24-year-old concluded.

RELATED: Team USA’s amazing gold-medal gesture you may have missed

Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images

Hughes was awarded with a New Jersey state flag, a certificate, and a signing pen in honor of the state’s recognition of his accomplishment.

Gov. Sherrill won the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election with 56.88% of the vote, beating out Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli by more than five points.

Moderates and independents both sided with Sherrill, according to exit polls, with health care being a strong driver of votes among liberal supporters.

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

​Sports, Fearless, New jersey, Team usa, Jack hughes, Governor of new jersey, Democrat, Nhl, Hockey, Politics 

On Tuesday night, President Trump delivered the 2026 State of the Union address — the best speech of his entire career according to Glenn Beck.

The address was packed with memorable moments, but one, he says, didn’t merely stand out in Trump’s two-hour speech, it stands out in history itself.

“There was no moment in presidential history in my lifetime that was as strong as [Reagan’s “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” line] — until last night,” he says.

And that moment was when President Trump said: “If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

“That’s the easiest applause line ever presented in American politics. You shouldn’t even think; you just stand up. That’s not even partisan,” says Glenn.

And yet zero Democrats stood up.

“You don’t damage your opponent when you do that. You damage your brand,” exclaims Glenn, adding that he’s unsure if Democrats can “survive the brand damage” they’ve caused themselves.

He brings up two of the people President Trump honored during his speech — the “angel mom” of 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina, who was stabbed numerous times and killed by an illegal alien, and 7-year-old Delilah Coleman, who survived life-altering injuries from a 2024 car crash caused by an illegal alien truck driver with a state-issued CDL.

“Calling for commercial licenses to be denied to illegal immigrants because of [Delilah] and calling it Delilah’s Law — and you can’t stand for that? You can’t clap for removing dangerous rapists and criminals from the country?” Glenn asks in disgust.

“We can disagree on immigration policy all you want. We can debate visa quotas. You can argue about asylum reform. But when you can’t stand for deporting violent criminals, that’s not a strategy. That’s the end of your brand. That’s moral confusion,” he says, admitting that he was “stunned by that.”

“America looked at that and went, ‘Do these people hate our country?’”

To hear more of Glenn’s monologue and in-depth breakdown of Tuesday’s SOTU address, watch the video above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Trump sotu, Sotu 2026, Beck, Blazetv, Blaze media, Trump 

Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the federal government will temporarily halt certain Medicaid payments to the state of Minnesota, citing what he described as verified fraud within a state-run program.

Vance said the move is aimed at ensuring Minnesotans are “good stewards of the American people’s tax money.”

‘They’re going to fraudsters in Minneapolis. That is unacceptable.’

“We’re announcing today that we have decided to temporarily halt certain amounts of Medicaid funding that are going to the state of Minnesota in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligation seriously,” Vance said.

Vance clarified that providers on the ground in Minnesota have already been paid by the state. The federal government is pausing reimbursement payments to the state government, not direct payments to providers.

RELATED: ‘This is disgraceful’: Mamdani raked over the coals for attack on NYPD

Credit: Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Vance pointed to what he described as a confirmed case of fraud involving a program intended to provide after-school services to autistic children.

According to Vance, some individuals set up “sham businesses,” created fake clients, and even listed individuals “who are not even autistic” in order to collect Medicaid funds.

“A program that existed to ensure that autistic children had access to some after-school services has made a number of people rich,” Vance said, adding that the money “ought, by right, go to American citizens and to American families.”

He argued that the alleged fraud not only wastes taxpayer dollars but also diverts services away from children who genuinely need them.

“There are kids in Minnesota who deserve these services, who need these services, and they’re not going to those kids,” Vance said. “They’re going to fraudsters in Minneapolis. That is unacceptable.”

RELATED: ‘Despicable attack’: Brazen mob pelts NYPD officers with snowballs, multiple cops reportedly injured — and it’s all on video

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

“One of the things I love about our country is that we’re a generous country,” Vance said.

“We take care of our fellow citizens who can’t afford medical care because they’re down on their luck.”

He added that programs like Medicaid and food assistance exist to ensure families have access to “food, medical care, after-school services when their family needs them.”

However, Vance said that in Minnesota and other states, “the generosity and the good hearts of our fellow Americans are being taken advantage of.”

“This is disgraceful. It has happened for too long,” Vance said. “Far too many people have gotten rich by taking what is the best of the American spirit and getting rich off of it instead of providing services to kids who need it.”

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s office and the Department of Human Services of Minnesota did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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

​Politics, Jd vance, Vance, Minnesota, Fraud, Funding, Tax payer, Tax payer money, Tax payer dollars 

New York City police have arrested a 27-year-old male for his alleged role in a viral mob attack on police officers, which injured them, during a massive snowball fight Monday.

Gusmane Coulibaly was arrested Thursday morning, the NYPD said, adding that he also was cuffed less than three weeks ago for an attempted robbery in the transit system.

Police told WABC in an initial story that officers responded to Washington Square Park in Manhattan around 4 p.m. for a report of a number of people atop a roof — but cops were soon hit with snowballs, and multiple officers were taken to a hospital with facial cuts.

‘Watching officers get pelted with snow while they are out in brutal weather protecting this city should make every New Yorker furious.’

But police soon added that officers were hit by more than just snowballs.

An earlier NYPD Facebook post indicated that “two uniformed police officers were inside Washington Square Park when two individuals intentionally struck the officers multiple times with snow and ice causing injury to their head, neck, and face. Anyone with information is asked to contact @NYPDTips or 800-577-TIPS.”

RELATED: NYPD releases photos of pair wanted in viral mob attack on cops amid snowball fight

Image source: New York City Police Department

Then the number of wanted individuals increased from two to four.

RELATED: ‘Despicable attack’: Brazen mob pelts NYPD officers with snowballs, multiple cops reportedly injured — and it’s all on video

Outrage was rampant among police officials and politicians.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Monday night wrote on X that she’s aware of the videos of the attack on officers and that “the behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal.”

The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York called the incident “unacceptable and outrageous,” WABC added.

“This is the environment that NYC police officers are up against. Our police officers are being treated for their injuries, but the case CANNOT end there,” the PBA said in a statement on social media, according to the station. “The individuals involved must be identified, arrested, and charged with assault on a police officer. And all of our city leaders must speak up to condemn this despicable attack.”

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, both Democrats, blamed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) for setting a tone of disrespect toward law enforcement, given his history of anti-police rhetoric.

“This is disgraceful. But with a mayor who has a history of calling the police ‘racist, evil, wicked and corrupt,’ he set the tone,” Cuomo posted on X. “Words have consequences. We are seeing that in the growing disrespect for law enforcement — just as we’ve seen it in the rise in antisemitism. Real leaders understand that. This mayor does not.”

Adams echoed the sentiment: “Watching officers get pelted with snow while they are out in brutal weather protecting this city should make every New Yorker furious. It is disgusting behavior. And the politicians who constantly bash the police and refuse to have their backs are setting a terrible example. Leadership matters. Tone matters.”

Mamdani on Wednesday replied to questions about the incident and whether he agrees with police top brass that responsible parties should be held criminally accountable.

“I’ve said that what I saw was a snowball fight. It should be treated accordingly,” Mamdani said, according to WABC-TV. “It was one that got out of hand. But that’s what it was.”

RELATED: ‘This is disgraceful’: Mamdani raked over the coals for attack on NYPD

Former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told WABC that Mamdani is putting his relationship with the police department at risk: “Not to back up the men and women is really, really bad. It’s as bad as you can get. So this is a seminal moment right here, and we’ll see how it goes from here. Because I think it’s important to understand just how important this is to the police department.”

One witness told WABC the snowball fight got out of hand when several young people began using the roof of one of the park’s restrooms as a launching pad — and that officers were confronted after they arrived to investigate.

“It wasn’t supposed to be violent. It was — it started out as — a very fun thing to do. And then, you know, it just escalated,” Rahul Nag told the station. “Some people were confused, I think, because they thought they weren’t NYPD, they were ICE, or they were working with ICE.”

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

​Snowball fight, Nypd, New york city, Manhattan, Washington square park, Police attacked, Police injured, Arrest, Assault on police officer, New york city mayor zohran mamdani, Crime 

According to a recent video that surfaced on Wednesday, a Missouri driver found himself near a truck driver who was driving on the wrong side of the highway — reportedly for several miles.

X user MolonLabeBTC posted a series of short videos on Wednesday detailing his experience. The first video clearly shows a semi-truck driving into oncoming traffic from the opposite direction.

‘We have learned that a truck driver with a Minnesota CDL who couldn’t read basic road signs spent MILES driving the wrong way in an 80 TON truck!’

“Eighteen-wheeler going the wrong way down southbound 61. He is on the northbound lanes of 61, going the wrong way,” a man can be heard saying in the video. The post reported that the video was captured about five miles north of Troy, just outside St. Louis.

The X user claimed in the caption to the first video that the trucker “nearly hit me head on before I pulled over to my left.”

RELATED: Foreigners want to drive a big rig? They’ll need more than work authorization papers, Duffy says

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

He added that the driver was “driving southbound in the northbound lane for about 3 miles.” The driver eventually swung over onto the correct side of the highway. The truck appears to have eventually been pulled over by a state trooper.

The user uploaded several more videos of the person he identified as the truck driver. The suspect took out his own phone camera and began filming in return when he realized he was being filmed.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the incident, saying, “DISTURBING: We have learned that a truck driver with a Minnesota CDL who couldn’t read basic road signs spent MILES driving the wrong way in an 80 TON truck! Thanks to Missouri law enforcement, this dangerous trucker is now out of service.”

Secretary Duffy added that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is investigating the alleged carrier, Cargo Transportation LLC.

Blaze News was able to locate a Cargo Transportation LLC registered in Minnesota on the FMCSA registration portal. The USDOT number also appears to match the number on the side panel of the semi-truck in the MolonLabeBTC videos.

According to information that was current as of Wednesday, the USDOT status was listed as “active.”

The physical address listed for this business also appears to be in an apartment complex, which is legal, but operators must be able to prove that it is the principal place of operations. According to FMCSA, “A motor carrier may designate as its principal place of business only locations that contain offices of the motor carrier’s senior-most management executives, management officials or employees responsible for the administration, management and oversight of safety operations and compliance.”

Blaze News left a message at the phone number listed in the company’s registration page. Blaze News also reached out to the Missouri Highway Patrol.

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

​Politics, Transportation secretary, Sean duffy, Usdot, Transportation, Cdl, Cdl drivers, Minnesota, Fmcsa, Cargo transportation llc 

Team USA’s women’s hockey captain is not happy with President Donald Trump or the men’s hockey team.

Hilary Knight, who in 2026 became Team USA’s all-time leading scorer in women’s Olympic hockey, took multiple shots at the president this week after he joked with the men’s team that he would have to invite the women alongside the men to the State of the Union address.

‘I think that’s being overshadowed by sort of a quick lapse.’

“We’re going to have to bring the women’s team,” the president said jokingly on Sunday, adding he “probably would be impeached” if he didn’t.

Although the women declined the invitation, citing “academic and professional commitments,” Knight seemingly took offense to the remarks, revealing in subsequent interviews that she was sour over the president’s joke.

“I thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate,” she told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. “The way women are represented, it’s a great teaching point to really shine light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats.”

“It’s not my responsibility” to explain “someone else’s behavior” she added.

RELATED: Team USA hero Jack Hughes defends women’s team for skipping White House visit: ‘Everything is so political’

Also on Wednesday, Knight again described the president’s remarks as “a distasteful joke” during an interview on “SportsCenter.”

“I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke, and unfortunately that is overshadowing a lot of the success and the success of just women at the Olympics, caring for Team USA, and having amazing gold-medal feats,” the women’s captain told host Jay Harris.

Knight said the team was just trying to focus on celebrating the incredible efforts made by the men and women at the Olympics and “not detract from that with a distasteful joke.”

“It was unfortunate,” Knight added. She then claimed her male counterparts had a “lapse” in judgment by laughing at Trump’s remarks.

“There’s a genuine level of support there and respect [from the men], and I think that’s being overshadowed by sort of a quick lapse, and, you know, I think the guys were in a tough spot.”

RELATED: Trump personally congratulates Olympic men’s hockey team, tells them he would be ‘impeached’ if he doesn’t do THIS

While the American women were not at the State of the Union on Tuesday, Trump announced during his speech that the team would in fact be visiting the White House “soon.”

At the same time, the women have accepted an offer to celebrate with rapper Flavor Flav this summer, with forward Alex Carpenter saying she planned on finishing her professional season before heading to Las Vegas to “take advantage of that.”

“Go have some fun and celebrate like we deserve to,” she said, per the New York Post.

Flavor Flav was designated the official hype man for both the U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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

​Sports, Fearless, Trump, White house, State of the union, Women’s hockey, Women’s sports, Team usa, Olympics, Gold medal, Politics 

Even after his theatrical State of the Union address, President Trump remains the only person who knows for certain whether the United States will strike Iran. That ambiguity does not signal confusion. It reflects a negotiator’s instinct: The threat of force often carries more value than force itself.

As a massive American armada gathers in the Persian Gulf — the region’s largest naval deployment since 2003, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford — the White House is also signaling that it still prefers a grand bargain to a regional war. For a president who has long said his legacy will rest on ending “endless wars” and who plainly covets a Nobel Peace Prize, a diplomatic breakthrough that dismantles Iran’s nuclear ambitions without a shot fired would be the ideal outcome.

The Geneva talks are more than another diplomatic set piece. They will test whether Trump’s ‘art of the deal’ can work against one of the most entrenched regimes in the Middle East.

The tension in Washington is palpable, and the president’s frustration is starting to show through his inner circle.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, recently offered a revealing glimpse during a briefing on the Gulf buildup. Referring to the sweeping mobilization of ships, personnel, and equipment, Witkoff said Trump is “curious” that despite the gathering of this massive armada, Iran has not yet “capitulated.”

That remark gets to the heart of the standoff. The strategy is pure Trump: maximize leverage, restate the “zero enrichment” red line, and wait for the other side to conclude that its only path to survival runs through a signed deal. But the clerical regime in Tehran has proved more stubborn than even Trump appears to have expected.

As the third round of negotiations began in Geneva on Thursday, there were real reasons for cautious optimism, even as rumors of a “multi-stage interim deal” continued to circulate.

For all its revolutionary bluster and posturing over ballistic missiles, the Iranian regime is facing a deep internal crisis. The mass protests that erupted in late 2025 and continued into early this year — with a fresh wave of student-led strikes reported this week — have badly shaken the system. Even after a brutal crackdown and sweeping internet blackouts, the grievances have not disappeared. The economy is in ruins, the rial has hit record lows, and the public has no appetite for a full-scale war with a superpower.

Inside Tehran, the divisions are growing. Hard-liners within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps still posture about delivering a “regret-inducing” response to American pressure. More pragmatic figures, however — reportedly now led by veteran negotiator Ali Larijani — are speaking more openly. They understand that a war with the United States could mean the end of the Islamic Republic itself. Reports suggest that even figures close to the supreme leader are searching for an off-ramp that preserves the regime’s core interests while winning enough sanctions relief to calm a restive population.

RELATED: ‘Can’t let that happen’: Trump stresses red line for Iran but holds out hope for peaceful resolution

Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images

The regional picture also favors Washington. Across the Gulf, Arab capitals are watching with a mix of anxiety and quiet approval. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and others do not want their cities caught in the blast radius of a regional war. But they are also weary of Iran’s regional meddling and nuclear progress. They want Tehran checked without turning the Gulf into a battlefield. That gives Trump useful diplomatic cover to keep the pressure campaign in place while leaving the Geneva door open.

The Geneva talks are more than another diplomatic set piece. They will test whether Trump’s “art of the deal” can work against one of the most entrenched regimes in the Middle East.

By combining military pressure, economic punishment, and the lure of a sweeping agreement, Trump has pushed Tehran into a corner. The regime is learning that this White House has little interest in the incremental half measures of the past. Washington wants a broader settlement — one that reaches beyond the nuclear file to the wider balance of power in the region.

If a deal comes this week, it will likely come because Tehran concludes that domestic collapse poses a greater danger than diplomatic humiliation. For Trump, that would amount to a crowning achievement: proof that his transactional style can deliver where decades of conventional diplomacy failed.

In the high-stakes contest between Washington and Tehran, the winner may not be the side with the biggest fleet. It may be the side that best understands the other’s breaking point.

​Opinion & analysis, Donald trump, Iran, Nuclear weapons, Iran nuclear deal, Geneva, Diplomacy, Art of the deal, Uss abraham lincoln, Uss gerald r ford, Armada, Nobel peace prize, Red line, Internet, Censorship, Revolution, Islamic revolutionary guard corps, Ali larijani, Ayatollah ali khamenei, Middle east, America first, National security, National interest 

The FBI has reportedly fired a slew of employees at the direction of Dir. Kash Patel following his revelation to Reuters on Wednesday that the bureau obtained phone records for him and for White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in 2022 and 2023 while they were private citizens.

Four individuals briefed on the terminations — more of which are expected — told CNN that the approximately 10 newly fired FBI employees were involved in the lawfare waged against President Donald Trump over retention of government documents at Mar-a-Lago.

‘I am in shock.’

“It is outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records — along with those of now White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles — using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight,” Patel said in a statement.

According to Patel, operatives of the Biden FBI, led by then-Director Christopher Wray, not only obtained “toll records” for his and Wiles’ private phone calls, as it had with Republican lawmakers in Operation Arctic Frost, but attempted to hide that they had done so in requesting court approval.

An individual with knowledge of the situation told the New York Times that some of the fired FBI employees — reportedly including support personnel, agents, and supervisors — were involved in that effort.

Toll records provide investigators with identifying information of callers along with the date, time, location, and length of a call.

RELATED: District Judge Cannon issues ruling on fate of Trump adversary’s Biden-era special report

Susie Wiles. Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

Reuters, citing two FBI officials, reported that in at least one instance, the bureau sought more than just toll records and taped a call between Wiles and her attorney in 2023. While Wiles’ attorney was reportedly aware that the call was being recorded and provided consent, Wiles was allegedly unaware.

Wiles told associates, “I am in shock,” reported Axios.

A source familiar with the matter told CBS News that Wiles’ records were reviewed in connection with the Trump classified documents case and that Patel’s records were not subpoenaed in connection with Arctic Frost, the investigation that morphed into former special counsel Jack Smith’s federal election case against Trump regarding the 2020 election.

Blaze News has reached out to the FBI for comment.

Other Trump allies may have been surveilled by the FBI, and the latest revelations may be just “the tip of the iceberg,” Trump officials familiar with the investigation told Axios.

The FBI Agents Association rushed to condemn the firings of those allegedly involved in the apparent spying operation, claiming the ousters “weaken the bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardizing the bureau’s ability to meet its recruitment goals.”

Anthony Coley, former director of public affairs for the Biden Justice Department who is now on MSNOW, complained to Axios that Patel “is on a singular mission: to find something, anything for which to prosecute Jack Smith.”

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

​Federal bureau of investigation, Fbi, Kash patel, Patel, Susie wiles, Wiles, Donald trump, Christopher wray, Wray, Bureau, Swamp, Lawfare, Joe biden, Biden, Politics 

President Trump’s State of the Union address last night was one for the books, but one moment stood out in particular as it highlighted the intense divide between the left and the right when it comes to their understanding of the American people.

During his speech, Trump gave both Democrat and Republican legislators the chance to stand up and show their support for the American people.

“If you agree with this statement,” Trump said, “then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

When Trump said this, the Republican side of the chamber stood, and Democrats stayed seated.

BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock believes Trump’s powerful performance showed a stark difference between the left and the right, while BlazeTV contributor Pastor Corey Brooks agrees.

“I think the right is going to definitely have a lot of commercials to run the Republican Party when they asked that question about, you know, supporting the American people over illegal immigrants. And no one on that side stood. I think that speaks volumes,” Brooks tells Whitlock.

“That’s exactly what we’re experiencing in the city of Chicago. So I know a lot of people can resonate with that,” he adds.

Whitlock points out that Trump was very “aggressive” and “clever about trying to draw the difference between himself and the Democrats.”

“I thought he drew a pretty good distinct line in the sand and gave people a clear choice,” he tells Brooks.

“People who watch that speech and listen to the words and not so much the rhetoric, but listen to what was being said, I think there’s a direct difference between both parties and everybody can see it,” Brooks responds, adding, “And I think overall, most Americans are probably going to wake up today and be aligned closer with those points of views.”

BlazeTV contributor Virgil Walker is aligned with Whitlock and Brooks, telling Whitlock that what Trump demonstrated was “a brilliant dose of stage craft.”

“There’s no other way around it. I mean to make the statement that he did as it relates to the first duty of government is to protect American citizens and those who agree with that, asking them to stand and then allowing, not for a brief, you know, stand and clap and sit down, but for that statement and the visual from that, to stand for as long as he did,” Walker says.

“For him to kind of point to those people who were sitting, was a brilliant set of stage craft. It allowed the American people to see it in real time that Democrats do not care for the needs of the American people first and that they primarily are thinking about their own political future,” he adds.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Sharing, Video phone, Video, Upload, Camera phone, Free, Youtube.com, Fearless with jason whitlock, Jason whitlock, Fearless, Jason whitlock harmony, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Trump, President trump, State of the union address, Sotu, Virgil walker, Pastor corey brooks 

President Donald Trump says that he, along with many Americans, is concerned about the energy demand and strain AI data centers are putting on the electrical grid.

In a brief moment during his 2026 State of the Union speech, the president gave remarks that, while only lasting a minute or so, could, in effect, save the American household hundreds of dollars per year.

‘A single large AI data center consumes as much electricity annually as 2 million homes.’

“We have an old grid. It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that’s needed,” Trump said. “So I’m telling them, they can build their own plant.”

These simple comments actually have a massive ripple effect when put into practice. When companies like Apple or Meta build sprawling campuses to house their AI and user data, the power has to come from somewhere, and it often comes at the price of the American family.

For example, Pew reported that data centers have accounted for over $9 billion in price increases in capacity markets for 2025-2026; this refers to the amount of electricity a provider says it will provide. This is expected to increase the average monthly residential electrical bill by $16 in Ohio and $18 in Western Maryland.

RELATED: Who makes the Waymos flooding American streets? China.

Photographer: Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Connecticut’s Office of Legislative Research found that residents in Virginia could see an increase between $14 and $37 per month by 2040 due to data centers. At an average increase of $25.50, that’s $306 annually.

Moreover, a Carnegie Mellon University study reported that data center growth could increase electric bills between 8% and 25% nationally.

“A single large AI data center consumes as much electricity annually as 2 million homes,” AI researcher Josh Fonseca Rivera told Return. “In 2024, U.S. data centers collectively drew roughly as much power as all of Pakistan.”

He added, “These costs are already reaching households. In Washington, D.C., residential electricity bills have risen approximately $10 per month due to data center demand. I think we can all agree that trillion-dollar tech companies should pay for their own power instead of pushing costs onto families.”

RELATED: ‘They can build their own’: Trump deals blow to tech companies hoping to tap into the power grid

Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tech expert Josh Centers said that Trump actually undersold the existing problem.

“The grid has to be balanced down to fractions of a hertz every second, or the whole thing cascades into blackouts. Drop multiple data centers pulling as much power as a small city onto that, and you’ve got a serious infrastructure crisis,” he explained.

“The dirty secret is these AI models are wildly inefficient. We’re still running neural network math from the 1940s, just brute-forced with modern silicon and massive energy budgets,” Centers added. Instead of using AI to write books, “hand kids a real book,” he said, referring to his own work teaching children literacy.

One military tech CEO told Return that a co-existence between communities and Big Tech is possible, one that is mutually beneficial.

“The key will be making sure companies truly carry their share of infrastructure costs and that communities benefit from the added capacity,” said Tyler Saltsman, CEO of EdgeRunner AI. “But if structured properly, this approach could protect ratepayers, encourage modernization, and use private investment to reinforce a grid that badly needs upgrading, which is a major attack vector currently.”

During the State of the Union, the president referred to a new pledge, “Guaranteeing Rate Insulation from Data Centers.”

The new legislation is meant to “guarantee consumers [are] first priority on the grid,” ensure new data centers get their power from separate sources, and establish new transparency measures around data center utility usage.

“They’re going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the company’s ability to get electricity, while at the same time, lowering prices of electricity for you,” Trump said.

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

​Return, Ai, Data centers, Ai campus, Data campus, Electricity, Electrical grid, Meta, Apple, Tech