Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said he might run for president again in 2028 and provide an alternative for the populist wing of the Republican Party.

Paul said he would make a decision after the midterm elections in an interview with CBS News journalist Robert Costa.

‘On many days, it’s me in the Senate, the only one left for free trade. But I think there still is a desire among business for it.’

“There’s used to be a free market/Libertarian wing of the party, and now there’s not much left. In fact, on many days, it’s me in the Senate, the only one left for free trade. But I think there still is a desire among business for it,” the senator said in a snippet posted to Instagram.

“And it may make the so-called Libertarian vote, which might not be big enough to ever win anything,” he added, “if you combine that with the Chamber of Commerce and the traditional business community that doesn’t like protectionism, there may be a force out there for a different direction from the party other than being continued to be led by populism.”

Costa directly asked him about a news headline opining that it appeared already that he was running for president.

“I don’t know yet. So maybe they know something that I don’t know,” he joked.

“We’re thinking about it,” he added. “I would say 50-50.”

Paul had a dramatic break with the Republican Party when he berated Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, the president’s nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

RELATED: Watch Rand Paul bulldoze through each global warming talking point

Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The senator objected to Mullin’s quip that Paul’s neighbor was justified when he assaulted him over a lawn dispute and broke several of his ribs in 2017. Paul was the lone Republican vote against Mullin, but Mullin was confirmed after Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Penn.) crossed the aisle.

He has also been very critical of the administration’s justification for the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The entire interview airs on “CBS News Sunday Morning” on Sunday.

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

​Rand paul running for president, Alternatives to populism, Libertarians and business community, 2028 presidential election, Politics 

An Oklahoma City attorney, who identifies as “transgender,” was arrested for contempt of court during an early February hearing after repeatedly interrupting the judge and resisting arrest, according to a video circulating on social media.

A clip of the video shared on X showed Hopkins Law and Associates attorney Rob Hopkins, a female who claims to identify as a man, shouting at the judge overseeing the hearing and another attorney involved in the case before being arrested by multiple officers.

‘Wanted to be a “tough guy” and then started screaming for a female officer when officers treated him like a guy.’

Despite the judge instructing Hopkins to stop, the attorney continued to interrupt her.

“You interrupt me one more time, you are being held in direct contempt of court,” the judge remarked. “And you can wipe that smirk off your face.”

After the judge again accused Hopkins of interrupting her, the lawyer appeared to toss a phone on the ground in frustration.

When the judge scolded Hopkins for throwing the phone, the attorney responded, “I did not throw. It fell off the bench. Please stop stating things that are not true, ma’am.”

RELATED: NHL team to have ‘Cowgays’ sing national anthem on LGBTQ+ night — and the backlash is brutal

Spencer Weiner-Pool/Getty Images

The judge instructed Hopkins to “settle down,” claiming the lawyer was “red in the face.”

Hopkins blamed the judge’s alleged targeting on the idea that it was “maybe because I’m a transgender attorney practicing all over the state.”

Hopkins began shouting at another attorney, claiming he was lying about the client Hopkins was representing in the case.

“Get out of my face, sir,” Hopkins yelled several times at the other attorney.

The chaos reached a fever pitch when two officers approached Hopkins and attempted to initiate the lawyer’s arrest for contempt of court. However, Hopkins resisted.

“Stop resisting,” one officer instructed.

“I’m not resisting,” Hopkins claimed, while refusing to be handcuffed by the officers.

After several failed attempts to put handcuffs on Hopkins, the officers began to wrestle the attorney to the ground before the incident devolved into a chaotic struggle.

“I can’t breathe,” Hopkins yelled multiple times. “Help! Somebody call 911.”

Two more officers entered the courtroom to assist in Hopkins’ arrest.

“Get a female officer, now!” Hopkins demanded.

RELATED: Olympic Committee adopts new policy on ‘trans’ athletes

Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Online commentators criticized Hopkins for demanding to be identified as male and then requesting a female police officer during the arrest.

“Totally unprofessional,” Collin Rugg wrote. “Wanted to be a ‘tough guy’ and then started screaming for a female officer when officers treated him like a guy.”

“How shallow the delusion is even for them. Their identity is constantly evolving depending on the victimhood quotient in any given moment,” one individual stated.

Hopkins shared a video on Facebook after the incident, announcing that Hopkins Law and Associates would be closed.

“We are closing our doors, but we would like to thank you all for your kindness, support, and most of all loyalty for the last 13 years! If your matter remains open no worries we will be wrapping it up with a nice bow before then! And if for any reason it remains outstanding we will get it to the end zone!” the firm wrote in a separate post.

Hopkins Law and Associates did not respond to a request for comment.

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

​News, Rob hopkins, Hopkins law and associates, Oklahoma, Oklahoma city, Transgender, Trans, Trans-identifying, Politics 

Florida police said Tiger Woods was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence after yet another rollover incident.

Police initially reported the rollover with scant details but later said in a press conference that the golf legend exhibited signs of impairment.

The 50-year-old faces misdemeanor charges of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

The rollover happened in the Jupiter Island area at about 2 p.m. and involved Wood’s Range Rover vehicle. The incident occurred at 281 Beach Road, which is near Woods’ home.

Officials said that Woods was transported to the Martin County Jail, where he allegedly refused to give them a urine sample, although he did submit to a breathalyzer test.

The 50-year-old faces misdemeanor charges of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. He will be held for eight hours and then released on bail.

Photos from the incident showed the Range Rover on its side.

There were no significant injuries from the incident, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said.

RELATED: Trump shocks supporters by fitting in a round of golf with Tiger Woods before the Super Bowl: ‘He never rests’

Woods had golfed in a match Tuesday at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens.

The golf legend was charged with a DUI in 2017 and later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and paid a $250 fine. He also had a rollover accident in 2021 where he was seriously injured.

This is a developing story.

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

​Tiger woods dui, Tiger woods rollover accident, Jupiter island rollover, Celebrity dui, Crime 

When Trevor Sheatz shared part of his wife’s testimony on X, it immediately began to trend. The post, which discusses his formerly “promiscuous” wife, Ashley Sheatz, regaining sexual purity through Christ, racked up millions of views — and unfortunately also opened the floor to intense criticism.

Even criticism from respected conservative Christian commentators.

“I saw my friends at Daily Wire also disagree with how this person worded his testimony,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey says on “Relatable,” before playing a clip of Daily Wire host Michael Knowles.

“I agree with so many of the points he’s making, and yet, there’s something wrong with this post, right? You shouldn’t call your wife a ‘whore’ on social media, I think? … You don’t need to talk about your past sins all the time,” Knowles said.

“He did not call his wife that. You called his wife that. You called another man’s wife that. You called a new creation that. Like, you called a person who has been redeemed by Christ, who has been sanctified and made new and as pure as the driven snow because of Christ, a ‘whore,’” Stuckey responds.

“That is on you. That is not on her husband, OK?” she says, pointing out that it’s largely the “hyper-patriarchy bros who call themselves Christians” who are taking “any opportunity not only to denigrate women but to denigrate the work of the gospel.”

“And then of course, you do have people, which OK, who say, ‘Yeah, all that’s well and good, but still like, we shouldn’t be promoting this kind of thing, virginity matters, and all of that.’ Again I would say Trevor said that. Trevor didn’t say anything against virginity,” she adds.

Stuckey points out that Trevor’s main point was that his wife has been made anew, not that virginity does not matter.

“That’s going to seem scandalous to the world because most people can’t understand that level of honesty and transparency and the lack of shame that you have once you are in Christ,” she says.

“I think Ashley’s testimony points to the grace and redemption and the opportunity that each and every one of us has in Christ. And I’m so thankful for her courage,” she adds, before reading Ashley’s response to the backlash.

“Becoming a Christian in general opens you up to ridicule, slander, and shame, but it is worth it for the sake of the gospel. Jesus is worthy. ‘Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.’ (Matthew 5:11),” Sheatz wrote.

And Sheatz even tells Stuckey that she “wasn’t embarrassed at all” by the response.

“Praise God that my testimony is being seen by millions of people, millions of unsaved people, and the gospel is being magnified in that. Zero shame. And my husband knows I do not mind him at all sharing any aspects of my testimony,” she explains.

“I always praise God when I’m reviled and persecuted for righteousness’ sake as Jesus talks about in the Beatitudes. It is a blessing. It’s hard. But it’s still a blessing,” she adds.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Relatable with allie beth stuckey, Relatable, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Promiscuity, Redemption, Michael knowles, Ben shapiro, Trevor sheatz, Ashley sheatz, Testimony, Christianity, The bible, The gospel 

A former Los Angeles Unified School District employee and the owner of a technology vendor were charged Thursday for their alleged involvement in a $22 million kickback scheme that funneled taxpayer funds away from classrooms and into their own pockets.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced charges against Hong “Grace” Peng, 53, of Pasadena, and Gautham Sampath, 53, of Flower Mound, Texas.

‘This case involves a blatant abuse of public trust — funneling taxpayer dollars intended for students into personal coffers.’

Peng previously worked as a technical project manager for LAUSD between 2018 and 2022. She was accused of illegally participating in the awarding of contracts. Peng allegedly unlawfully issued contracts totaling over $22 million to a company owned by Sampath.

Sampath was accused of laundering over $3 million to Peng.

Peng resigned from her position with LAUSD following a late-2022 search warrant related to an investigation into alleged illegal activity. Peng was charged with money laundering and one felony count of having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.

Sampath was charged with money laundering, having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity, and aiding and abetting a government official to have a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.

RELATED: FBI raids home and office of Los Angeles school superintendent, outspoken critic of ICE raids

Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

If convicted on all charges, they each face up to seven years in jail.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Peng and an extradition warrant for Sampath.

“Between 2018 and 2022, Peng was involved in signing, approving, or recommending over $22 million in funding from LAUSD to Innive through Change Orders, Work Orders, Invoices, and Contract recommendations,” the felony complaint read. “Between 2017 and 2023, Innive received over $39 million in payments from LAUSD. Between 2018 and 2022, Peng received over $3 million in payments from Sampath, Sampath controlled companies, or Sampath connected third parties.”

The complaint claimed that Sampath sent texts to Peng in February 2018 instructing her to “delete all” of their messages.

“If anyone sees the text about these internal things it will be a prb,” Sampath allegedly wrote.

In June 2018, he allegedly wrote to Peng, “What r the other opportunities in Lausd. That we can exploit. Any other area.”

According to the complaint, Peng responded by telling Sampath that there were “a lot” of proposal requests from the district.

“This case involves a blatant abuse of public trust — funneling taxpayer dollars intended for students into personal coffers,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated. “This vendor, working with an LAUSD project manager, allegedly carried out a multi-year, multi-contract pay-to-play arrangement that siphoned millions of dollars from our schools. We will not tolerate public officials who sell out their responsibilities or contractors who line their pockets by gaming the system. Both will be held fully accountable.”

RELATED: Thousands of students drop out of Los Angeles schools over ‘climate of fear’ from deportations, superintendent says

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP/Getty Images

LAUSD released a statement in response to the charges.

“Los Angeles Unified is aware of the charges filed by the District Attorney’s office against an individual who worked for LAUSD as an information technology employee from 2018 to 2022. As recounted in the District Attorney’s Felony Complaint, this former employee was referred to the Office of the Inspector General for investigation in April 2022, as soon as an LAUSD supervisor learned of a potential conflict of interest. LAUSD Office of the Inspector General then notified the District Attorney’s office,” the district wrote.

“LAUSD is committed to full compliance with all applicable laws, and we expect our employees and business partners to comply with the highest standards of ethics and integrity. The District will continue to cooperate fully with relevant authorities,” the district continued. “We will not comment further on the specifics of the case while legal proceedings are ongoing.”

Sampath, Innive, and Peng did not respond to a request for comment.

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

​News, Hong grace peng, Grace peng, Hong peng, Los angeles, Los angeles unified school district, Lausd, Los angeles county district attorney, Money laundering, Innive, Politics 

A Los Angeles-area father fed up with his city’s inaction apparently painted “stop” on a street and installed 30-inch reflective stop signs at his own cost. He has been arrested.

Joseph Brandlin said he had seen numerous near-crashes at the intersection outside his home in El Segundo, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The neighbors immediately organized and wrote 74 letters of support for Brandlin, who handed the letters over to city officials shortly after his arrest.

The 44-year-old has lived at the location for nearly four decades and said the city was ignoring complaints about the intersection of Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue.

“I care deeply about the safety of our neighborhood and the families that live here,” Brandlin told the Times.

He got together with other residents and presented a petition with about 50 signatures asking the city to install additional stop signs. The city said its traffic analysis found insufficient reason to merit the signs, but residents said they saw no evidence of the survey.

“There’s a park right there, and it’s a magnet for children,” said Gary Sanders, a 62-year-old resident of the neighborhood.

“A tragedy could occur,” he added. “I wonder if a tragedy does have to occur for the city to do something about it.”

Brandlin said the last straw was when his son was nearly hit by a car at the intersection because of low visibility.

He began installing the stop signs on the early morning of March 14, according to the El Segundo Police Department.

While the city may not have made the requested safety changes at the intersection, the city rushed to prosecute Brandlin when he took matters into his own hands.

He was arrested at about 1:30 a.m.

Brandlin said the arrest was excessive, as he was charged with multiple felonies. Among the charges were interfering with a traffic control device, grand theft, and vandalism exceeding $400. He was released later that day and is scheduled for a court hearing in June.

The neighbors immediately organized and wrote 74 letters of support for Brandlin, who handed the letters over to city officials shortly after his arrest.

“I’m asking the council for a straightforward action to install stop signs on intersection of Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue or complete and transparent evaluation with the community,” said Brandlin at a city council meeting days after his arrest.

The Times report noted that there have been other incidents in which residents have been arrested for their vigilante improvements to street safety.

RELATED: ‘I am mortified’: Video shows ‘serial defecator’ nabbed by police drone in city park

Brandlin says the city council has not responded to his requests.

The Times said the city council did not respond to request for comment.

“The city just wasn’t listening,” Brandlin said.

The single dad told KCBS-TV that he would do it again to keep kids and families safe.

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

​Single dad joseph brandlin, Dad installs own stop signs, El segundo neighborhood defends dad, City ignores street safety, Crime, Politics 

Democrats unconditionally surrendered early Friday morning, passing funding for the Department of Homeland Security after their five-week shutdown ground airport security lines to a halt, stopped paychecks for TSA agents and other employees, and crippled the department’s ability to prepare security for the World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) promptly tried to claim victory anyway, posting on X: “After weeks of negotiations, Republicans caved to our demands to fund DHS without a blank check for ICE and CBP.”

House Republicans should not panic because Democrats staged a little theater for their own base. They should take the win.

That is false.

Republicans did not accept any Democrat demands, though they came close as recently as last weekend, had Democrats been willing to negotiate in good faith. And both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection already have billions in funding, with much more easily available by June through reconciliation, which requires only 51 votes in the Senate.

So what exactly were Democrats demanding?

The minority party wanted judicial warrants, against court precedent, that would have crippled enforcement. Democrats also wanted to ban the face coverings agents use to protect their families from violent activists. They wanted to end patrols, stop enforcement at courthouses and other key locations, bar agents from relying on observations such as accent, occupation, or appearance, and place use-of-force investigations under the jurisdiction of often politicized local police departments.

They got none of it.

The remarkable part is that they could have walked away with something. As recently as last weekend, Republicans were still trying to bring Democrats to the table.

“We got on our front foot by negotiating in good faith last week and through the weekend and offering low-hanging concessions,” a senior White House official told the Beltway Brief. But Democrats wanted more and kept moving the goalposts.

As for ICE and CBP funding, the panic on the right is misplaced. Both agencies already have billions. Neither gave up a single enforcement tool. And now that the shutdown is over, both can be funded again through reconciliation.

That is the same process that already delivered more than $100 billion in funding to begin with and insulated both agencies from the Democrats’ theatrical shutdown. Reconciliation requires only a simple majority, though it can address only spending matters that directly affect the budget.

That is also why reconciliation cannot be used to pass new policy such as the SAVE America Act. The Senate parliamentarian enforces those rules. But she has already allowed ICE and CBP funding through reconciliation, and nothing suggests she would rule differently this time.

Democrats had an opening here. President Trump had no interest in handing the minority party concessions, but Senate Republicans were more open to it. Democrats refused because they wanted to tell their base they shut the government down and would not budge. Now that face-saving fiction is all they have left while funding resumes and ICE and CBP money likely arrives within the next two months, according to White House projections.

Then came the frustrating part.

Friday afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) found a way to snatch defeat from victory, issuing a forceful statement that the House would not accept this outcome. His hand is being forced by conservatives furious that the Senate stripped the funding from this measure and worried about the precedent. But that reaction misses the strategic reality.

They’re making a mistake.

House Republicans should not panic because Democrats staged a little theater for their own base. They should take the win. Democrats shut down the DHS, inflicted weeks of pain, gained nothing, and then surrendered.

Call it what it is: a Republican victory.

Sign up for Bedford’s newsletter
Sign up to get Blaze News editor in chief Christopher Bedford’s newsletter.

​Opinion & analysis 

The man convicted of a heinous lethal attack on an 84-year-old man got his prison sentence suspended by a San Francisco judge on Thursday.

The horrendous attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee in 2021 was captured on video and helped inspire the “Stop Asian Hate” movement. Antoine Watson was 19 years old when he ran violently into the victim and shoved him to the ground. Ratanapakdee died from his injuries.

‘Today’s sentence is deeply disappointing. An 84-year-old man was killed in a cruel, unprovoked attack, and our family will live with this loss every day.’

Watson was convicted of involuntary manslaughter but acquitted of the murder charge earlier this year. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, but the trial judge suspended the sentence and gave Watson credit for five years of time served while awaiting the conclusion of the trial.

The man’s family is outraged at the decision.

“Today’s sentence is deeply disappointing. An 84-year-old man was killed in a cruel, unprovoked attack, and our family will live with this loss every day,” reads a statement from the victim’s daughter. “This is not about revenge — it is about accountability. When consequences do not match the harm, it sends the wrong message about protecting our seniors and public safety. We are concerned about what this means for other families.”

The family has accused Watson, a black man, of having a racial motive for the attack, but he was not charged with a hate crime.

A defense attorney for Watson said he intentionally pushed the victim but did not intend to kill him, arguing that Watson had a mental health breakdown over a police encounter earlier that morning.

Watson was also ordered to undergo weekly therapy sessions and submit to searches of him and his property.

Critics see the “Grandpa Vicha” case as yet another terrible example of lax criminal prosecution that does nothing to discourage further crime and violence. Others decry the alleged racial component of the lethal attack.

RELATED: VIDEO: Thug sprints across street, slams into 84-year-old man, flattens him on driveway. Victim later dies.

However, if Watson does not follow the rules of probation, he could be forced to serve the rest of his sentence, which is three years.

Watson’s public defender, Anita Nabha, said he was remorseful about the incident.

“As a grandson, it is really hard for him to accept the conduct that he did and that he took two children’s grandfather away from them,” Nabha said.

The victim’s family says justice was not served by the suspended sentence.

“The bottom line is that he’s out in, like, five years on probation for killing our father-in-law, and it’s unacceptable,” said the man’s son-in-law, Eric Lawson.

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

​Asian hate crime, Vicha ratanapakdee, Black murder of asian man, San francisco judge suspends sentence, Politics