A Major League Baseball umpire chased down and fought a teenager who allegedly stole his phone on a Philadelphia street earlier this month, KYW-TV reported, citing police sources.

Multiple law enforcement sources identified the umpire as Brock Ballou, who has been an MLB umpire since 2022, the station said.

‘They ended up on the ground, at which time the victim struck his head, causing injury. The male continued his assault, violently punching him.’

Police released surveillance video of the suspect, KYW noted. Police said the suspect is a teenage male with brown complexion wearing a light blue sweatshirt and black pants.

Police said the suspect approached Ballou from behind in the 1600 block of Walnut Street in the downtown section of the city around 7 p.m. April 9, stole Ballou’s phone while the umpire was looking at directions, and then ran off, the station reported.

“The suspect approached the male and snatched his cell phone out of his hands,” Capt. Jason Smith told KYW. “The victim went chasing after the male, at which time they got involved in a physical altercation at 16th and Walnut.”

Investigators told the station that when Ballou tried to take his phone back, the suspect punched him several times in the head. KYW said surveillance video it reviewed shows the suspect repeatedly punching Ballou.

“They ended up on the ground, at which time the victim struck his head, causing injury,” Smith added to the station. “The male continued his assault, violently punching him.”

The suspect then ran away without the phone, which was returned to Ballou later by someone on the street, police told KYW.

RELATED: Coach for 10-year-old baseball players shoves umpire, knocks him to the ground; injured ump says he’s pressing charges

Ballou’s injuries were not serious, police added to the station.

Ballou was in Philadelphia to work the Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks series last weekend, KYW said, adding that Ballou umpired at first base the night after the incident and was behind home plate two days later.

KYW said MLB declined to comment.

In addition, police told the station the same suspect about a half-hour previously had entered a 7-Eleven just a few blocks away in the 1200 block of Chestnut Street and allegedly stole several items. Police told KYW that an employee confronted the suspect, after which the suspect punched the employee multiple times before the suspect fled the store.

Police are asking those with information about the crimes to contact the department’s central detective division at 215-686-3093/3094, the station said.

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​Physical attack, Theft, Fighting back, Philadelphia, Police, Major league baseball, Umpire, Head injury, Brock ballou, Suspect at large, Crime 

In case you missed it, April 14 was “World Quantum Day” — a day promoting global awareness of quantum science and technology’s role in society.

Glenn Beck acknowledges that to most people, quantum computing is “a bunch of geek stuff.” But he warns that ignoring the technological breakthroughs happening right now in quantum computing is a grave mistake.

“I know you’re worried about your mortgage and the gas price and everything else,” he says, “but quantum is about to touch everything — everything — in your life.”

In simple terms, quantum computing involves harnessing tiny quantum particles called qubits that can explore millions of possible answers to profoundly difficult problems at the exact same time. What would take humans years, maybe lifetimes, to solve would take a quantum computer just hours.

Right now, quantum computing on the verge of a major breakthrough. In some ways, that’s great news for us, says Glenn.

It “means faster, cheaper drug discovery instead of the 10-year, billion-dollar guessing game that we play now,” he says, speculating that because of quantum computing, “we are on the edge of solving some of the worst diseases ever.”

It will also have its economic benefits.

“It’s going to affect your wallet, because better optimization is going to mean cheaper shipping, smarter traffic lights, lower energy bills,” says Glenn.

But that doesn’t mean quantum computers are all sunshine and rainbows. There’s a dark side to such power.

Glenn warns that right now, “governments and companies are racing to roll out post-quantum codes.”

“Bad actors are scooping up all of this encrypted data because they know a quantum machine will open it later, and once that happens, we’re in real trouble,” he says.

Once quantum computers become powerful enough, nothing will be safe — no secrets, no private bank accounts, no protected personal information.

“Right now, [quantum computing] looks like ivory-tower stuff, but it’s not,” says Glenn.

Despite quantum computing feeling like nerdy “’Star Trek’ stuff,” the truth, he says, is that it is about to totally upend reality.

Glenn warns: “Because of the super tiny rules of the universe, we are about to rewrite the big rules of everyday life, and the people who understand that … won’t just watch the future. You’ll help write it and protect the future.”

“That’s why this matters to you.”

To hear more, watch the video above.

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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, Blaze media, Blazetv, Encrypted data, Glenn beck, Optimization, Postquantum codes, Quantum computing, Quantum day, Quantum science, Quantum technology, Qubits, Tech revolution, Technological breakthroughs 

This week, I watched a segment on “The View” that felt less like a conversation and more like a fever dream. The topic, of course, was Donald Trump, prompted this time by an image circulating online that depicted him in a Christ-like form. The reaction was predictable — outrage, mockery, moral posturing, stacked in real time. But around the table, they argued about the identity of Jesus until Whoopi Goldberg mercifully moved the conversation to another topic. Trump brushed off the criticism, but the explanation felt thin. When a man plays loose with small things, it raises questions about the larger ones.

But that was not the strangest part.

Around the same time, tensions surfaced between Trump and the Vatican over Iran. Statements were issued. Concerns were raised. The familiar choreography of international moral authority began again. Yet for all the urgency, the moral clarity felt selective. For decades, the regime in Iran has wreaked havoc, killed, and brutalized even its own people in full view of the world. Yet many religious leaders have not spoken with the same force or urgency about those evils.

Because in the span of a few days, Jesus was invoked as an image to be shared, a symbol to be argued over, a moral reference point in international conflict, and a talking point in media commentary.

The church leaders making the talk-show circuit aren’t wrong to call this an unjust war. They’re just facing west when they should have been looking east, 47 years ago. Their tardiness doesn’t get a pass.

Then, as if the moment needed one more voice, Tucker Carlson entered the conversation and remarked that many Americans do not realize that Muslims love Jesus.

“The View,” Trump, the Vatican, Tucker. It sounds less like a serious public conversation than a strange collision of modern media and politics. And yet, for a brief moment, all of it circled the same question, whether anyone meant for it to or not.

Jesus.

Scripture makes clear that there is no more important question. And for a moment, the culture stumbled into it almost by accident.

Because in the span of a few days, Jesus was invoked as an image to be shared, a symbol to be argued over, a moral reference point in international conflict, and a talking point in media commentary. Everyone seemed eager to bring His name into the discussion. Almost no one seemed eager to define who He is. And that matters.

When someone says Muslims love Jesus, it sounds, on the surface, like a bridge-building statement. In one sense, it points to something real. In Islam, Jesus is honored as a prophet and born of a virgin. He is respected, even revered. But He is not confessed as the Son of God, nor as the crucified and risen Savior who takes away the sins of the world.

That is not a minor difference. It is the difference between a prophet and the Christ.

So when the conversation settles for saying that “we all love Jesus,” it often passes over the very question that gives such a statement meaning. The real issue is not whether Jesus is admired, referenced, or respected. The real issue is who He is.

And Jesus did not leave the matter of love undefined.

In the Gospel of John, He says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (14:15). Not admire. Not reference. Not invoke. Keep.

That means love, as Christ defines it, is not measured by sentiment but by obedience.

That is where the conversation becomes serious.

People say, “Just give me Jesus,” as though that settles the matter. But the moment you ask, “Which Jesus?” or “Who is Jesus?” the conversation changes. It must. Because a Jesus who can be reshaped to fit the needs of the moment is no longer someone to be followed. He becomes something to be used.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asked His disciples a question that still cuts through all the noise: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (16:13). They answered with names that sounded respectful and reasonable: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets. Close enough to sound reverent, far enough to miss the truth. Then Jesus made the question personal: “But who do you say that I am?” (16:15).

Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

That was not sentiment. It was a confession.

And Jesus did not correct him. He affirmed him.

We live in a time when Jesus is frequently mentioned and rarely defined. He appears in political imagery, on social media, and in public argument. His name is used freely. His identity, far less so.

A Jesus who can be remade according to our preferences is no Jesus at all. He becomes a reflection of ourselves rather than the Savior of the world, a tool for our purposes rather than the Lord to whom we must bow.

And that applies to politicians, commentators, and religious leaders. It applies to all of us.

Jesus did not ask, “What do you admire about Me?” He did not ask, “How would you like to interpret Me?” He asked, “Who do you say that I am?”

And He did not leave love open to our private interpretation.

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Which brings us back, strangely enough, to that panel discussion.

A table full of people arguing about Jesus. A politician posting images that invoke Him. Commentators speaking about Him. Religious leaders referencing Him.

Everyone talking.

Very few obeying.

And that may be the clearest answer of all.

​Savior, Scripture, Son of god, The view, Opinion & analysis 

Centralized smartphone app storefronts, like Apple’s App Store for iPhone and the Google Play Store for Android, make apps feel like they all come from the same safe place online, but the developers behind these apps are spread out all over the world. This month, the FBI brought attention to international developers, warning that installing apps built by foreign nations could pose a major threat to user privacy and security. Are they right? Let’s find out.

Do you use these popular Chinese apps?

On the final day of March, the FBI issued a warning “to highlight data security risks associated with foreign-developed mobile applications (apps) frequently used in the United States.”

Privacy labels reveal the secret parameters embedded in your favorite apps.

The FBI was especially critical of apps developed in the heart of China. Although it didn’t go out of its way to list some of the most dubious offenders, you may have heard of these popular candidates:

TikTok, before its USDS joint venture, was made and owned wholly by ByteDance in Beijing.Temu and Shein, two popular online discount stores, are Chinese-owned with the former belonging to PDD Holdings Inc. in Shanghai and the latter founded by Chris Xu, who moved his company’s headquarters from China to Singapore earlier this decade, though there are talks that Xu may relocate back to the mainland for an IPO.CapCut, a popular mobile video editing app, is also developed by ByteDance, especially to help users create more engaging TikTok videos.RedNote (aka Xiaohongshu), a TikTok alternative that briefly garnered public attention in the USA after TikTok’s USDS joint venture launch, is also based in Shanghai.Tencent, a technology giant out of Shenzhen, owns the popular texting app WeChat. The company also invests in many U.S.-based game companies, including Epic Games (makers of Fortnite), Larian Studios (the group behind Baldur’s Gate 3), and FromSoftware (the developers of Elden Ring).

Needless to say, Chinese companies — and by extension, the Chinese government — have their hands in many apps and games that U.S.-based users enjoy daily.

New warning, same old threat

The FBI’s warning noted that downloading and installing apps from Chinese companies could potentially leave users open to China’s mass data collection practices, which would inevitably put users’ security and privacy at risk for monitoring and abuse.

RELATED: Is downloading Trump’s new White House app a security risk?

Douglas Rissing/Getty Images

Unfortunately, while the FBI’s warning is new, foreign-made apps have long had the ability to gather user data at scale. This is partially the reason both Apple and Google implemented mandatory “Privacy Nutrition Labels” on all third-party apps in their digital stores.

How to check apps’ ‘Privacy Nutrition Labels’

The best way to protect yourself from apps with malicious data-gathering practices is to understand the kinds of data your apps can access and how the information is processed. You can find these details on the “Privacy Nutrition Label” included on any given app page.

Much like the nutritional label on a box of food displays hidden ingredients, privacy labels reveal the secret parameters embedded in your favorite apps.

Let’s look at TikTok on iOS and Android. If you click on one of those links on your mobile device and scroll down, you’ll find the “App Privacy” area on iPhone and the “Data safety” section on Android. Both of these clearly detail which bits of data the app collects and links directly to your identity.

Zach Laidlaw/TikTok/Apple App Store

As you can see, TikTok gathers a lot of personal information, including your location, contacts, search history, browsing history, device IDs, usage habits, and more. It’s a treasure trove of personal data all used to create digital user profiles and strengthen TikTok’s algorithm. This information is better protected now that all of it is stored on Oracle servers in the USA — thanks to the USDS joint venture — but before that, the CCP-influenced ByteDance saved and analyzed all of it on its servers in China.

Zach Laidlaw/TikTok/Google Play Store

Protect yourself from intrusive apps

China’s intrusive data-collection practices are the exact reason President Trump spearheaded the deal that moved TikTok’s U.S.-based user data to U.S. soil. Without it, China would continue to collect, analyze, and monetize U.S. users for reasons that benefit the Chinese government.

The unfortunate truth, however, is that TikTok is only one of many Chinese apps that can gather personal information on U.S. customers, and they do it usually without users’ knowledge. There are a few things you can do to keep yourself safe though:

Be sure to check and verify the apps you install on your smartphone before you download them. Don’t just install anything to your device. Do some research and confirm that every app — and its developer — is legitimate and safe by reading the app’s terms of service and privacy policy, as well as checking out app reviews.Limit permissions so the app can only access the features on your phone that it needs to operate. Refrain from enabling location, microphone, camera, or photos access, and never provide other sensitive information, unless you know you can trust the app.Always download the latest software updates for your phone and the app itself. Updates regularly patch security vulnerabilities to keep your device safe.

At the end of the day, the best way to secure your data and your device is to use your best judgment. Only download the apps you absolutely need. For everything else, you’re much safer accessing online services through your web browser.

​Tech, China, Privacy, Security, Apps