The last thing anyone wants is to focus on another election. But to break the cycle of electing red-state RINOs, we need to start recruiting for the 2026 midterms soon.

Conservative supporters of President Trump are frustrated that most Republican senators from deep red states backed John Thune (S.D.) or John Cornyn (Texas) for Senate majority leader on Wednesday. They have a right to be disappointed, as these senators squandered a historic mandate by choosing a younger version of Mitch McConnell’s worldview to lead the Senate. But they should also look in the mirror.

Ten years into the MAGA movement, there’s no excuse not to have DeSantis-level leaders in states Trump won by a landslide.

I personally opposed nearly every current Senate RINO in red-state primaries for years, while others ignored the primaries. This year, red-state RINOs like Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota easily won renomination with support from Trump and his movement. I featured some of their primary challengers on my show multiple times, but the major names in the industry largely overlooked them. Now, Ukraine supporters like Wicker, who backed Thune for majority leader, will chair powerful committees. In Wicker’s case, he’ll head the Armed Services Committee.

The majority leader vote confirms that we did ourselves no favors by nominating candidates like Tim Sheehy from Montana and Jim Justice from West Virginia when we had the chance to rally Trump behind better candidates. Bernie Moreno from Ohio was the only freshman who supported Rick Scott, likely due to the influence of fellow Ohioan JD Vance.

This time must be different. As we look ahead to 2026, we have a chance to correct past mistakes and activate our base in the primaries. Here’s a list of Senate seats from reliable red states that are in cycle.

Nineteen Republican senators are up for re-election from solid red states. North Carolina is the only state that might be competitive in a tough year, but Republicans have won there recently. All incumbents are expected to run again, except Mitch McConnell, who will likely retire. But how many of these incumbents deserve renomination in the primary? What have they done for us?

Only a few supported Rick Scott for majority leader. At best, I see five of the 19 as potentially decent, although none stand out as superstars. But Shelley Moore Capito, John Cornyn, Mike Rounds, Lindsey Graham, Thom Tillis, Pete Ricketts, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Bill Cassidy, Joni Ernst, James Risch, and Dan Sullivan? Seriously? Is this the best we can get from solid red states?

Democrats, meanwhile, will need to defend swing-state senators who Republicans are likely to target in states such as Georgia, Michigan, and possibly New Hampshire. Republicans will also need to defend a seat in Maine. But the majority of competitive races should happen in primaries in deep red states, and there are plenty of those this cycle. Shouldn’t we start strategizing for those states right now?

Now, let’s look at the race for governor. Most red-state governorships are up for re-election in 2026. Why do we only have one DeSantis? If he could turn Florida to the right while governing as one of the most conservative executives in recent memory, why can’t we have leaders like him in even more conservative, rural red states? The 2026 midterms offer a rare opportunity, with several open seats in play. Here’s a list of red states with governor’s elections on the ballot:

If we exclude Georgia, 14 reliably Republican states will hold governor’s elections, many with open seats. Besides Kim Reynolds of Iowa and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, no one else is close to DeSantis’ level. DeSantis himself is term-limited in Florida. Conservatives have a golden opportunity to flip open seats in Alabama, Alaska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wyoming.

Ten years into the MAGA movement, there’s no excuse not to have DeSantis-level leaders in states Trump won by a landslide. We also need to find a successor for DeSantis, challenge RINO Brad Little if he runs for a third term in Idaho, and consider giving Greg Abbott a serious challenge if he confirms his bid for a third term in Texas.

It’s not all bad news. Excitement and focus on politics have surged after Trump’s landmark victory. The race for Senate majority leader captured strong attention. Now, we must channel that enthusiasm into primaries, special elections, off-year elections, and down-ballot races. This time, it must be different.

​2026 midterms, 2026 midterm election, Republican primary, Republican party, Red states, Donald trump, John thune, Ron desantis, Opinion & analysis 

When asked about Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida’s nomination for attorney general, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin responded by holding up a photo of two transgender appointees from President Joe Biden’s administration.

Johnson’s printed-out pictures included a photo of Rachel Levine, who serves as the assistant secretary of health for the Department of Health and Human Services, and a photo of Sam Brinton, who was nominated as deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy.

When pressed about Gaetz’ nomination, Johnson held up the photos and asked reporters whether they ever “harassed” Democratic lawmakers about those nominees.

Although Gaetz has sparked controversy online and hesitation from certain members of Congress, Johnson pointed out past nominees who have been just as controversial as, if not more than, the Florida firebrand.

Both nominees have scandal-ridden histories. In Levine’s case, he pressured Biden administration officials to remove age requirements for transgender surgeries and puberty blockers for minors. Levine has also made claims that “climate change is having a disproportionate effect on the physical and mental health of Black communities.”

On the other hand, Brinton, who identifies as “nonbinary,” has faced federal charges for allegedly stealing Tanzanian designer Asya Khamsin’s suitcase at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Brinton was caught when he was photographed wearing one of Khamsin’s designs, making this the third alleged incident of luggage theft Brinton had been involved with.

Brinton pled guilty in a sweetheart deal, receiving no jail time. Brinton is no longer serving in the Biden administration.

Although Gaetz has sparked controversy online and hesitation from certain members of Congress, Johnson pointed out past nominees who have been just as controversial as, if not more than, the Florida firebrand.

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​Ron johnson, Matt gaetz, Donald trump, Joe biden, Rachel levine, Sam brinton, Sam brinton luggage theft, Sam brinton stolen clothing, Rachel levine transgender hhs, Senate confirmation, Senate republicans, Republicans, House republicans, Attorney general, Trump cabinet, Politics 

After a pitched battle between federal prosecutors and Jan. 6 defendant William Pope, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras has agreed to delay Pope’s trial, saying it could be a waste of resources given the possible issuance of pardons by President-elect Donald J. Trump.

Pope, 38, of Topeka, Kansas, was scheduled to begin trial in Washington, D.C., Dec. 2 on five criminal charges, including a felony civil disorder count and four misdemeanors.

“I’m relieved that my four-year battle with the government is almost over,” Pope told Blaze News. “I’m going to win.”

‘The circumstances in my case are inseparable from the election of President Trump.’

Contreras adopted Pope’s reasoning from a Nov. 13 filing that said a long trial would be a waste of court resources given the post-election realities in Washington, D.C.

“Unfortunately, the prosecutor’s facial expressions won’t make it into the court transcript,” Pope wrote on X after the court’s ruling.

— (@)

Regarding Contreras’ decision to delay Pope’s trial, Daniel Ball, a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, told Blaze News: “No comment.”

Over more than 45 months, Pope, publisher of the news site Free State Kansas, has run circles around the government. He got three of his original eight charges dropped and exposed the potentially extensive presence of FBI agents and informants in the crowd.

Pope also brought to light the misconduct of undercover Metropolitan Police Department officers, forcing prosecutors to admit in March 2023 that officer Nicholas Tomasula acted as a provocateur in the crowd on the west side of the Capitol.

In his Nov. 13 response to the court, Pope said continued prosecution of his case ignored the political realities created by Trump’s landslide Nov. 5 re-election victory.

“The government’s continued prosecution of me is also a continued prosecution of President Trump’s elected mandate, which is a prosecution of the will of the people,” Pope wrote. “The government should cease their attack on democracy immediately!”

‘They had received reports that the individuals were carrying weapons.’

Pope cited the DOJ’s refusal to apply the same standards as those used by special prosecutor Jack Smith when he asked the judge in Trump’s Jan. 6 case to vacate all scheduled court dates. The DOJ said the “unprecedented circumstance” cited by Smith should not apply to all January Sixers.

“To entertain this argument, one must first be blind to the will of the American people who just elected President Trump to carry out his mandate to end the January 6 prosecutions,” Pope wrote. “However, these facts cannot be ignored. The circumstances in my case are inseparable from the election of President Trump.”

Pope won a court order to make a tour of the U.S. Capitol as part of his trial preparations. The Oct. 20 tour was attended by three FBI agents, two federal prosecutors, and legal counsel for U.S. Capitol Police.

In addition to dozens of battles on his own case docket, Pope has advocated for fellow Jan. 6 defendants and provided material that has been cited in many other defense cases.

Metropolitan Police Department undercover officers Ricardo Leiva (left) and Michael Callahan look out on the West Plaza crowd on Jan. 6, 2021. Defendant William Pope exposed their activities and those of other undercover officers at the U.S. Capitol.Metropolitan Police Department via William Pope/U.S. District Court

He identified MPD undercover officer Ryan Roe, who apparently encountered a suspect known only as #FenceCutterBulwark while he cut down temporary green plastic fencing on Capitol grounds. “Appreciate it, brother,” Roe was heard to say to #FenceCutterBulwark on video.

In previous filings, Pope described several self-identified Antifa supporters who were allegedly intercepted by undercover MPD officers, including one who was carrying a gun.

MPD officers reportedly made a traffic stop at 10:15 a.m. on Jan. 6 of a vehicle containing three Antifa operatives: Jonathan Kelly, Logan Grimes, and Dempsey Mikula.

“Undercover officers who stopped their vehicle said they had received reports that the individuals were carrying weapons,” Pope wrote. “No footage of this incident has been produced by the government in discovery. However, Kelly livestreamed part of the police stop to Facebook.”

Metropolitan Police arrested Grimes, who identifies as a woman and uses the name Leslie, for carrying a pistol without a license and being in possession of a high-capacity magazine and unregistered ammunition. The charge was dropped on Jan. 7, 2021.

Pope also brought attention to the dozens of members of the Ohio-based Salt & Light Brigade, including the highly visible provocateur activities of Pastor William Dunfee. Using a bullhorn on the East Plaza, Dunfee urged protesters to storm the Capitol. Video shows him celebrating outside the historic Columbus Doors after protesters forced their way into the Capitol.

After Dunfee’s activities were exposed, the FBI arrested him in October 2022. He was indicted in early 2023 and found guilty of three counts in a January 2024 bench trial. One of the counts was later dismissed based on the Supreme Court ruling in Fischer v. United States. Judge Reggie Walton sentenced Dunfee to 30 months in prison on Sept. 19, 2024.

The crowd incitement by Pastor Bill Dunfee of the Ohio-based Salt & Light Brigade was uncovered by defendant William Pope during his own Jan. 6 case investigation. Dunfee was eventually sentence to 30 months in prison.U.S. Department of Justice Photos

Pope sought to force the government to unseal more U.S. Capitol Police security video than was made public by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his successor, Mike Johnson.

He posted dozens of hours of bodycam footage on his Rumble page that was not restricted by the government as “sensitive.” He pointed out dozens of security cameras whose footage was apparently missing from the Capitol Police database held by Congress.

Pope got prosecutors to admit that the “parading” misdemeanor charge against him was brought because he carried an American flag on Jan. 6 “in support or disapproval of a particular viewpoint.”

“Biden has made the American flag and wrongthink a crime!” Pope said in May 2024.

Under Title 40 U.S. Code §5104, a person may not “parade, stand or move in processions or assemblages in the grounds;” or “display in the grounds a flag, banner or device designed or adapted to bring into public notice a party, organization, or movement.”

Pope said he fully expects President-elect Trump to issue Jan. 6 pardons, but the solution to his case is much simpler.

“I believe that in my case the government should just be able to drop my charges,” he said.

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​Politics 

Americans were never really convinced that Jill Biden and Kamala Harris had a loving friendship, but now there may be proof.

When Kamala Harris called Joe Biden a “racist” in past debates, Jill reportedly took it to heart.

“According to reports, that’s a fact. She never got over that,” Pat Gray of “Pat Gray Unleashed” explains, and Keith Malinak believes recent video footage of Jill and Kamala cements the claim.

The video takes place as Kamala and Douglas Emhoff approached their seats reserved at the Arlington Cemetery for a prestigious Veterans Day event. Jill is sitting down while Kamala shakes hands with everyone around her.

“Jill doesn’t even turn toward her,” Malinak says. “I think this is important. Jill is making it clear to Kamala that ‘I see that you’re there.’ In other words, Jill’s not acting like she’s distracted by something off to her left, she’s making sure that ‘you see that I see that you’re there.’”

“And the look on Kamala’s face is just like, ‘Yep,’” he continues, noting that Kamala then sits down next to Jill with a pained expression, and still, neither of them turn to say hello or acknowledge each other.

“How much are you looking forward to them being out of our lives?” Pat asks.

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​Sharing, Free, Video phone, Upload, Camera phone, Video, Youtube.com, Pat gray unleashed, Pat gray, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcast network, Blaze podcasts, Blaze media, Kamala harris, Jill biden, Biden harris feud, Biden harris administration, Donald trump, Election 2024, Presidential election 

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team drafted an executive order to “create a board to purge generals,” potentially enabling the swift removal of flag and general officers “lacking in requisite leadership qualities.” According to the Journal, this effort “could also create a chilling effect on top military officers” due to Trump’s past vow to fire “woke generals,” referring to officers who place diversity over military readiness.

Trump’s opponents quickly seized on the draft order, accusing him of attempting to “politicize” the military. By using the term “purge,” critics evoke comparisons to Stalin’s elimination of senior Red Army officers before World War II, which led to significant Soviet military failures during the war’s early years.

The greatest challenge facing the U.S. military today is the weakening of the military ethos, which underpins its effectiveness.

The implication is that any attempt to remove flag and general officers from the U.S. military, like Stalin’s purge, is ideologically motivated — intended to eliminate officers deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump and his administration. Although Trump’s relationship with senior U.S. military leaders has always been fraught, the suggestion that he seeks to purge officers based on loyalty is, at best, an overreach and, at worst, a slander.

A more accurate interpretation of such a board would be an effort to restore accountability, which has been lacking in the U.S. military for some time. Recently, a Marine officer was court-martialed after calling for accountability following the deaths of 13 service members in a suicide bombing at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Appearing in uniform on multiple occasions, Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller demanded that political and military leaders be held responsible.

In a 2009 article for World Affairs, Richard Kohn, a prominent American military historian, noted that “nearly twenty years after the end of the Cold War, the American military, financed by more money than the entire rest of the world spends on its armed forces, failed to defeat insurgencies or fully suppress sectarian civil wars in two crucial countries, each with less than a tenth of the U.S. population, after overthrowing those nations’ governments in a matter of weeks.” What, he asked, accounted for this lack of military effectiveness?

Accountability lost

In his 2012 book, “The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today,” Thomas Ricks, formerly of the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, explained our military’s recent failures. He argued that many of these failures stem from a lack of accountability among officers for battlefield losses. During World War II, relief of command was common. Gen. George Marshall, the “architect of victory,” routinely relieved subordinates who fell short.

In the decades following the war, political leaders — not military authorities — handled any officer reliefs. Often, officers were simply “kicked upstairs,” as in the cases of William Westmoreland in Vietnam and George Casey in Iraq. An Army officer during the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom noted, “A private who loses a rifle suffers far greater consequences than a general who loses a war.”

It’s also crucial to remember that while the president needs Senate consent to appoint officers, he has the power to fire them without congressional approval. Presidents have exercised this authority since the early days of the republic. Thomas Jefferson, for instance, appointed officers based on ideological alignment, aiming to replace Federalist-dominated Army leadership with Republicans. Establishing West Point was one way to accomplish this goal.

Clearing the ‘dead wood’

Commissions like the one Trump’s team is considering are not new in American military history. During the Civil War, Congress formed the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, which examined operational and tactical issues along with the performance of officers in the field. Before World War II, Marshall created a board led by retired officers to review officer records and “remove from line promotion any officer for reasons deemed good and sufficient.” The goal was to clear out “dead wood” to make room for younger, more capable officers.

The U.S. military is in trouble. Although still held in relatively high regard by the American public, its esteem has declined in recent years. Military failure likely contributes to this decline, but a more significant factor is what the late political scientist Samuel Huntington called “transmutation.” This term refers to the slow but steady erosion of the military ethos, replaced by priorities such as “diversity,” which now often supersede military effectiveness as a policy goal.

Efforts by the military to address an alleged lack of diversity can sometimes worsen the situation. By promoting “identity politics,” which implies that justice depends on attributes like skin color rather than individual identity, these efforts risk dividing people instead of unifying them.

In my view, the greatest challenge facing the U.S. military today is the weakening of the military ethos, which underpins its effectiveness. If Trump’s proposed board can address this challenge, I fully support it. In fact, I would endorse Voltaire’s satiric quip about the execution of Admiral Byng for his lack of aggressiveness at the Battle of Minorca: “In [England] it is well to shoot an admiral now and then pour encourager les autres.” And I am confident that the vast majority of active duty and retired service members would agree with me.

​Woke military, Pentagon, Woke military culture, Donald trump, 2024 presidential election, Thomas jefferson, West point, Military readiness, Pete hegseth, Opinion & analysis 

During a speech reaffirming his commitment to keep Chicago a sanctuary city, Mayor Brandon Johnson labeled President-elect Donald Trump a “threat” to “black families.”

Since August 2022, Chicago has spent roughly $150 million to provide housing and food to 43,000 migrant arrivals.

‘His threat is not just toward new arrivals and undocumented families.’

On Tuesday, in his first statement addressing Trump’s victory, Johnson vowed to protect illegal aliens from the incoming administration’s mass deportation plans.

“We will not bend or break,” Johnson declared. “Our values will remain strong and firm. We will face likely hurdles in our work over the next four years, but we will not be stopped and we will not go back.”

Johnson made a perplexing claim that Trump’s commitment to deport illegal immigrants is somehow a threat to black families in America.

“The president-elect, former President Trump, his threat is not just toward new arrivals and undocumented families. His threats are also against black families,” he stated. “We’re going to stand up and protect undocumented individuals.”

Johnson has referred to Trump as a “tyrant” and claimed that his plan to deport large numbers of illegal aliens is “unconscionable and dangerous.”

The mayor made the commitment to keep Chicago a sanctuary despite a significant rise in criminal activities associated with the transnational crime group Tren de Aragua.

According to locals, the South Side of Chicago has become overrun with Venezuelan migrants, including TDA members.

Tyrone Muhammad, founder and CEO of Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, warned in September that the city might soon “go up in flames,” raising concerns about TDA members who have been challenging notorious local gangs.

Records obtained by the New York Post revealed that at least 30 of the gang’s members have been arrested by the Chicago Police Department from January 2023 through September 2024.

Despite this, Johnson stated that the CPD would be prohibited from cooperating with federal immigration officials.

Trump tapped former ICE director Tom Homan as his administration’s “border czar.”

Homan had a harsh warning for sanctuary jurisdictions that aim to protect illegal aliens from federal law enforcement officials.

“Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals,” Homan declared.

“If you are not going to help us, get the hell out of the way because we’re gonna do it,” Homan said on Monday. “So if we can’t get assistance in New York City, we may have to double the number of agents we send in New York City.”

Homan pledged to “flood agents to sanctuary cities” to rid the country of criminal illegal aliens.

Muhammad told Fox News Digital, “We’re going to be on the ground with him [Homan] to remove these illegals and these migrants and identifying where they are because they have greatly diminished our way of life here in Chicago.”

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​News, Brandon johnson, Chicago, Illinois, Donald trump, Trump, Tom homan, Illegal immigration, Immigration, Open borders, Tren de aragua, Tda, Politics 

A Florida mother set up her own sting operation at a Popeyes fast food restaurant to confront a man who was allegedly sexting her 13-year-old daughter. The face-off ended with the suspect being shot multiple times.

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Chief of Investigations Alan Parker said during a press conference Monday that 18-year-old Cerry Rodriques Banks “was having an inappropriate text relationship with a 13-year-old female.”

‘As the officer reaches the corner of the business, he observes the suspect pull the pistol from his waistband.’

The girl’s mother allegedly became aware of the illicit communications. She then took her daughter’s phone and texted with the suspect, pretending to be her underage daughter.

The mother then set up a meeting with the 18-year-old man around 7 a.m. Sunday at a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant in Jacksonville.

Banks arrived at the fast food restaurant, believing he was meeting with the girl — but instead, he was met by the mother as well as her daughter and 11-year-old son.

The suspect brandished a gun and reportedly told the mother, “When you hear the shots tonight, you know what’s up.”

The unnamed mother rushed her children into the Popeyes, and the suspect allegedly walked to the rear of the fast food restaurant — and the mom contacted authorities.

Police said the suspect had ample time to vacate the area, but he stayed outside of the restaurant.

Police officers confronted Banks and gave the suspect “multiple verbal commands” to “turn around and show his hands.”

The suspect disregarded the commands, however, and fled.

Parker of the sheriff’s office stated, “As the officer reaches the corner of the business, he observes the suspect pull the pistol from his waistband.”

The officer reportedly instructed Banks to drop his weapon, which the suspect refused to do.

With that, the officer — a 7-year veteran — shot the suspect multiple times.

“The suspect continues to flee and, near a neighboring business, drops the gun,” Parker said.

Banks was able to get away from the pursuing officer, but other officers set up a perimeter.

With assistance from a K-9 unit, the suspect was apprehended in a drainage tunnel without further incident.

Parker said the suspect was shot in his hand, torso, and possibly “in the leg.” He received medical assistance at the scene before being transported to a local hospital to treat his wounds.

Police said they recovered the gun, and the weapon did not appear to have been discharged during the incident.

According to jail records from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Banks was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct by an offender 18 or older with the victim less than 16, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and travel to meet after using a computer to seduce/solicit/lure a child.

Bond was set at $700,018.

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said he understood the mother’s concern but that parents should allow law enforcement to handle situations such as this.

“We’d absolutely love to handle every situation, but this is a mother who’s concerned about her daughter. So, I get it, I understand,” Waters said during the press conference. “But, I would say that in most cases, in situations like that, call us and let us come out and deal with the situation, so it doesn’t unfold like this.”

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​Sting operation, Florida, Florida crime, Florida woman, Child sex crimes, Crime, Mother and daughter, Arrest, Police involved shooting, Jacksonville, Sexting accusation 

After former President Donald Trump declared victory last week, the value of Bitcoin, gold, and various stocks skyrocketed. Financial expert and author of “MoneyGPT” James Rickards knows why.

“The immediate reaction to the Trump election was stocks took off, and with good reason. His economic policies, less regulation, drill baby drill, basically getting rid of wasteful investment in what I call the ‘Green New Scam,’” Rickards tells Jill Savage and Stu Burguiere on “Blaze News Tonight.”

“So he has a lot of things that are going to be very good for stocks. However, there’s something bigger than Trump. There’s something bigger than the electoral process, which is the economy itself,” he continues, noting that in the next six to nine months, we may be going through a recession.

“There are a lot of signs of recession out there, so we may get off to a rough start, but the same thing happened to Ronald Reagan in 1982. He had one of the worst recessions in U.S. history but finished with very strong growth toward the end of his first term and into a second term,” he explains.

While Rickards believes that Trump’s presidency will overall be a good thing for the economy, he isn’t so sure about Bitcoin as a form of currency in general.

“I’ve studied Bitcoin for a long time,” Rickards says. “If you want to buy Bitcoin, knock yourself out. But I don’t really think of it as a form of money.”

“It’s really just a form of gambling. I don’t really think of it as an investment. There’s no use case for Bitcoin. Now, can you make money? Absolutely, a lot of people have. So my attitude is I’m not a Bitcoin-basher,” he adds.

As for gold, Rickards explains that the value of it isn’t actually getting higher.

“It’s not that gold’s getting higher, it’s that the dollar is collapsing in front of your eyes,” Rickards says. “What’s really happening is you’re watching your dollar evaporate. You’re watching the dollar crash.”

“The main reason is people are looking for alternatives to the dollar. I’m not saying the dollar is going away. You can’t totally get out of the dollar. It’s too big for that,” he adds.

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Authorities were baffled by a series of supposed “bear attacks” on luxury cars in California earlier this year.

There were deep claw marks on the interiors of the vehicles and even video evidence of the alleged beast doing damage. However, investigators soon realized that the “bear attacks” were not what they seemed.

The three insurance companies claimed they were defrauded of $141,839 because of the alleged insurance-fraud scheme.

An insurance claim was made regarding an alleged “bear attack” on a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost on Jan. 28 in Lake Arrowhead — an unincorporated community in the San Bernardino mountains. The reported animal was said to have caused interior damage to the vehicle.

The California Department of Insurance said in a statement that there were two other insurance claims on the same date of loss and in the same location. The “bear” was said to have attacked a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350.

This raised eyebrows with insurance officials.

The people who made the claims included surveillance video of the alleged “bear” attacks.

Investigators reviewed the videos and noticed the bear looked rather peculiar.

The California Department of Insurance asked a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to review the three alleged “bear attack” videos — and the biologist quickly got to the bottom of it.

“Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume,” the California Department of Insurance wrote.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant, and detectives found the bear costume in one of the suspect’s homes. The bear costume included metal claws that reportedly were used to damage the luxury cars.

The California Department of Insurance, the Glendale Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol ascertained that four suspects were involved in the alleged insurance fraud scam.

Police arrested Ruben Tamrazian — a 26-year-old from Glendale; Ararat Chirkinian — a 39-year-old from Glendale; Vahe Muradkhanyan — a 32-year-old from Glendale; and Alfiya Zuckerman — a 39-year-old from Valley Village. All four suspects have been charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.

The three insurance companies claimed they were defrauded of $141,839 over the alleged scheme.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.

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​Alleged bear attacks, Arrests, California, Damaged luxury vehicles, Insurance fraud, Scam, Crime 

In Donald Trump’s bombshell interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the president-elect floated the idea of abolishing the income tax as well as raising tariffs.

While Glenn Beck has historically been against heavy tariffs, Trump may have won “The Glenn Beck Program” host over with his explanation.

“I’ve always been against tariffs; however, I might be wrong,” Glenn says. “Donald Trump is making a good case when he’s talking about getting rid of the income tax because tariffs will raise the prices of things, especially if he does it the way he’s talking about doing it.”

However, if Trump lowers the income tax simultaneously, the economy would boom.

“We could make up that deficit and become a very powerful nation again. Tell me I’m wrong,” Glenn challenges economic expert and Heritage Foundation visiting fellow Peter St Onge.

“That’s absolutely correct,” St Onge replies. “The vast majority of economists go after tariffs, they attack Trump over tariffs, and I think they are looking at the trees for the forest here.”

“If you replace a tariff, which is basically a sales tax, but it’s one that focuses on imported goods, if you replace that with either reducing or, in our dream scenario, abolishing the entire income tax, it is absolutely rocket fuel for the economy,” he explains, noting that Trump’s plan is reminiscent of the 1800s.

“That was before we had an income tax, was also before we had a Fed, and back then, the federal government had to live off tariffs,” St Onge says. “That was the greatest period not only of economic growth but of cultural achievement.”

“It was really the golden age of humanity, and the key there was that we did not have an income tax, we did not have a regulatory state, we did not have a Fed. So if Trump can take us back there, and all we have to do is like an 8% sales tax on Chinese stocks, that is the deal of the century,” he adds.

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Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy praised all but one of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet selections.

On Wednesday, Trump appointed Republican former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to be the incoming administration’s attorney general. In response, longtime rival and ousted Speaker McCarthy brushed off the nomination, insisting that it’s a political long shot.

Gaetz and McCarthy have had a long standing feud that predates the nomination.

“I think the choices are very good except one,” McCarthy said in an interview Wednesday. “Look, Gaetz won’t get confirmed. Everybody knows that.”

“You can ask the president, but Gaetz couldn’t win in a Republican conference,” McCarthy continued. “So, it doesn’t matter.”

Gaetz is a longtime Trump loyalist who is extremely popular among the MAGA base. That being said, Gaetz’s popularity may not translate in Washington, D.C., ahead of his Senate confirmation.

Although Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in January, confirming Gaetz will be challenging. Several senators have already expressed hesitation about Trump’s cabinet picks, and some are skeptical Gaetz will have enough votes to be confirmed.

If the confirmation takes place after Trump is in office, in which Vice President-elect JD Vance would be able to vote in the confirmation process, Gaetz can afford to lose only three votes.

Gaetz’s office did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

Gaetz and McCarthy have had a long standing feud that predates the nomination. This feud came to a head in October 2023 when Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the speakership, making McCarthy the first ever speaker to be ousted. Gaetz was joined by Republicans Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Matt Rosendale of Montana.

After being removed from the speakership, McCarthy resigned from his post.

McCarthy and his allies went on to lead an unsuccessful, multimillion-dollar revenge campaign contributing to primary challengers running against the ousters, including Gaetz. Notably, Gaetz overwhelmingly won the Republican primary against Aaron Dimmock with 72.6% while the McCarthy-backed challenger brought in only 27.4%.

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Blaze News this week has reported on several high school teachers landing in hot water due to their outbursts following Donald Trump’s lopsided presidential election win over Kamala Harris.

Two of the teachers are from Southern California schools — and both were placed on administrative leave over their actions the day after the election. One is an English teacher from Chino High School who freaked out in class over a student wearing a Trump hat; the other is an Advanced Placement world history teacher from Valley View High School in Moreno Valley who went on a profane rant in class against Trump.

‘If the [teacher] is exercising a First Amendment right, they risk losing their job. It’s pretty straightforward.’

Now it looks like there may be a third Southern California high school teacher making the list.

Citing a parent, KABC-TV reported that a teacher departed from class at Cerritos High School last week because a student was wearing “Make America Great Again” attire.

“It was just a student wearing a shirt, probably for some jokes,” fellow student Sakura Padilla told the station.

But KABC said the teacher apparently wasn’t in a laughing mood and allegedly posted a long note to her students saying it’s unfair that they can wear political clothing while teachers cannot.

The school district noted that it’s investigating the teacher’s actions, but according to the station, it isn’t clear whether the teacher has returned.

The district added to KABC that students can exercise free speech within the parameters of school board and state Education Code policies.

“It’s different with teachers because the teachers are the ones who are there to do a job,” attorney Michael Overing — who teaches First Amendment rights at the University of Southern California — told the station.

Courts have ruled that students have more free speech leeway because they’re required to attend school — but Overing noted to WABC that teachers choose to work at schools and are subject to district rules.

“If the [teacher] is exercising a First Amendment right, they risk losing their job,” Overing added to the station. “It’s pretty straightforward.”

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