Once a voice of reason, Sam Harris has only allowed his Trump derangement syndrome to progress, clouding his judgment and leaving him open to ridicule from those who used to respect his tempered point of view.

According to Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report,” Harris is “a very well-known atheist, old-school liberal” and “was sort of the leading voice of independent thinkers on the left that were calling out woke nonsense.”

“But something happened to him related to Trump that seemingly has pushed him the wrong way,” Rubin says, noting that on a recent episode of Harris’ “Making Sense Podcast,” he laid it all out there.

“I would point out that it actually isn’t necessary if you think Trump is so bad that you would vote for virtually any other human being over him, which is really the position I’m in. I just think he’s such an abnormal person. Psychologically and ethically, I mean in terms of the degree to which he is interested only in himself and his fame and wealth,” Harris told his listeners.

“I don’t know how you could still believe that,” Rubin comments in response. “Donald Trump who did get shot, Donald Trump, a man who got shot in the ear, a man who’s put his life on the line, a man who has been under investigation this entire time, which now have all wrapped up suddenly that he’s going to be next president of the United States, that somehow he’s all in it for himself.”

But Harris wasn’t finished, going so far as to call RFK Jr. a “bully” in the same episode.

“I understand how satisfying it is to find a new bully to beat up the other bullies who’ve been making you miserable. Okay, but the problem is, this new bully is worse, right? This new bully has no principles, this new bully has no journalistic or academic or scientific conscience to appeal to,” Harris said.

“Whatever might be wrong with a person like Anthony Fauci or Francis Collins or any of the other doctors who have been demonized right of center for their approach to setting COVID policy, at least they are real doctors and scientists who have some professional scruples and reputations to protect,” he continued.

“RFK Jr. has none of that. He’s just a cowboy taking shots at the establishment,” he added.

Elon Musk even chimed in after Harris’ podcast aired, writing in a post on X that “Sam Harris is, ironically, irrationality personified.”

Rubin agrees.

“That is such an extraordinarily bad take, I almost don’t know what to say,” he says.

Want more from Dave Rubin?

To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Camera phone, Sharing, Free, Upload, Video phone, Video, Youtube.com, The rubin report, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Rfk jr, Elon musk, Donald trump, Trump derangement syndrome, Election 2024, Making sense podcast, Sam harris, Kamala harris, Joe biden, Anthony fauci 

The Connecticut special-education teacher who threatened people who voted for President-elect Donald Trump in a viral video has resigned — and she tried to explain herself in a tearful on-camera interview.

Annie Dunleavy of Chapman Elementary School in Cheshire spoke in person with WTNH-TV, tearfully at times trying to explain herself. Her interview demeanor certainly was a stark contrast to what was seen in her viral video in which she threatened Trump voters.

‘The message I was trying to get across, and it came off very wrong was … if this is going to give people the almost permission in their minds to enact violence against women or anybody, I wanted to basically just say, like, I’m not going to go down without a fight.’

In that video, she claims that “people of color and poor people and gay people and all the people that I care about aren’t gonna be safe in America — neither the f*** are you guys. Just because you won doesn’t mean we don’t remember who the f*** you voted for. You’re not in the clear.”

She added, “Please don’t test your gangster on me because you will end on a stretcher. Gone. Forever. So serious. Nobody f***in’ talk to me unless you wanna swing. If you wanna fight, text me, call me, whatever. Anybody else stay the f*** outta my face.”

The threatening clip ends with her saying, “And if you voted for Trump, literally please delete me, block me, get rid of everything of me — or step to me, so that I know what’s up, and I can handle you how I see fit. Please, just come forward, we f***in’ know. Just tell me. Or leave.”

In her interview with WTNH, however — which included the interviewer reading some of her threatening words aloud to her — Dunleavy acknowledged, “It sounds very extreme, and again, I was in a moment of high emotions, and I shouldn’t have ever posted the video. But … the message I was trying to get across, and it came off very wrong was … if this is going to give people the almost permission in their minds to enact violence against women or anybody, I wanted to basically just say, like, I’m not going to go down without a fight.”

The station said Dunleavy also declared that “I will fight for myself, and if someone was to try to hurt me, I would protect myself.”

Another clip of the interview shows Dunleavy in tears: “I mean, you know, it’s my life’s dream to be a teacher. I consider those kids my kids because I don’t have any of my own. And they fill that for me, and it’s so fulfilling, it’s so rewarding. … I know that what people see right now, I don’t look like that person, but I truly would do anything to help any child and any family in need.”

WTNH added that Dunleavy said she’s been getting threats and has moved out of her home. She added to the station that Cheshire police — which had launched an investigation into her viral video — told her Wednesday she won’t face any charges.

You can view the interview snippet with Dunleavy here. WTNH prefaced the snippet by indicating she “apologized to her students,” and the station noted in its story that Dunleavy “is sorry” — but there is no apology from her in the station’s video snippet. Perhaps an apology will be part of the full interview with Dunleavy, which WTNH said will air 10 a.m. Sunday.

‘I can’t unsee the video … and I can’t walk into that school. … I’m literally shaking, I can’t walk into that school and hand my kid off to that person.’

Samantha Rosenberg, chair of the Cheshire Board of Education, said in a written statement that the board recognizes “the intense emotions this situation has stirred,” the station reported.

“The Board of Education is united in finding the teacher’s behavior reprehensible and unacceptable, and we are horrified and deeply offended by statements made in the video,” the statement reads in part, WTNH reported.

Prior to Dunleavy resigning, Cheshire Public Schools’ Superintendent Jeff Solan said she was placed on leave until the outcome of an investigation, WFSB-TV reported. Solan added that once the video went viral, the district received a large number of calls — mostly from people outside the Cheshire community — and that business couldn’t be conducted as usual with the teacher on campus.

WTIC-TV reported that the Cheshire Town Council held a meeting Tuesday night, and some parents said they weren’t happy with what was expressed in the video.

WTIC reported that Amy Bourdon — a Cheshire mom whose son with special needs attends school in the district — said, “I saw a woman in crisis, and then when I replayed it a couple of times, I got up from my table and went and locked my front door.”

Bourdon — who is a Republican, WTIC said — added that “we are the targets. Our lives have been targeted by an individual that cashes a paycheck from the town of Cheshire every week.”

Lorie Barnes told WTIC that “I’m tired of being a Trump supporter and whispering.”

Barnes, who’s lived in Cheshire all her life, added to WTIC that her grandson will be moving from England and entering the Cheshire school district — and now that terrifies her.

“I can’t unsee the video … and I can’t walk into that school. … I’m literally shaking, I can’t walk into that school and hand my kid off to that person,” Barnes told WTIC.

You can view a news station video report here about the controversy.

Other outbursts from anti-Trump teachers

As Blaze News has previously reported this week, a Southern California high school teacher on the day after the election lashed out in a classroom at a student who was wearing a Trump hat.

Blaze News this week also noted that a teacher at a different Southern California public high school went on a profane rant in his Advanced Placement world history class against Trump the day after the election and was placed on administrative leave.

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​Education, Threat, Anti-trump, Donald trump, 2024 election, Resignation, Special-ed teacher, Elementary school, Connecticut, Cheshire public schools, Annie dunleavy, Trump voters, Viral video, Politics 

When I was asked to spin up Return a couple of years ago, I knew the media landscape had a huge hole where thoughtful, trustworthy coverage of the intersection of tech, culture, politics, and spirituality should be. Despite strong political and economic headwinds, friends, allies, fans, and readers quickly rallied to Return — not just in its online and print forms, but in person, especially in the cities where the brains, muscle, and soul of the new greatness movement were concentrated: Austin, Dallas, Miami, New York, L.A.

We knew we were on to something, propelled by the conviction that allies of tech could be more than simps, propagandists, or worshippers — more valuable, more honest, more fun, and more durable. And when Blaze Media agreed — so much so that the company acquired Return with the goal of dramatically expanding our coverage, our reach, and our pathbreaking and beautiful print quarterly — we knew that what we had achieved was just the beginning. Tech was changing fast — not just strengthening and accelerating, but moving intellectually and spiritually in our direction and away from the pink police state about which I had been warning all who would listen throughout the 2010s.

American in all its richness: sumptuous, rough and ready, resilient, and possessed of the strange and otherworldly glamor bestowed on our hard-fighting people by the great hand of Providence.

And pro-America America was changing too, driven by the fresh tastes and takes of rising digitally native generations — young men and women who knew in their hearts and in their bones that the slick, hollow mantras enforced by the overlords of HR-style modern liberalism couldn’t answer the ultimate, universal questions aroused in the human breast by the growing dominance of technology. For a while now, you’ve seen Return’s online presence deepen, expand, and grow more nimble and muscular here at Blaze Media. What you haven’t seen yet — until today — is the tireless and visionary work Matthew Peterson, Peter Gietl, Katherine Dee, Isaac Simpson, and many others have applied to the noble and thrilling task of transforming Return’s already-great print quarterly into something truly spectacular, brilliantly original, coffee-table gorgeous, and richly rewarding to read, touch, and simply behold. I am tremendously humbled and grateful to present to you, for the first time, Frontier magazine.

Ready for your preview and subscription, Frontier is the culmination of the mission and ethos of Return and Blaze Media working in synergy — bursting with sound confidence, hope, and dynamism toward the unfolding American future; intimately plugged in to the people, trends, products, and visions at the epicenter of that new future as well as its bleeding edge; and unfazed and undistracted by the hype, delusion, doomerism, and cultishness cluttering our fresh frontiers online and off. All while delivering a feast for the eyes and the heart — American in all its richness: sumptuous, rough and ready, resilient, and possessed of the strange and otherworldly glamor bestowed on our hard-fighting people by the great hand of Providence. Which is my way of saying, as Frontier’s editorial director but also as your friend and compadre, that you really, really, really want this big, beautiful beast in your home, in your hands, and in your life. Subscribe now! And thank us later. See you on the frontier. It’s a privilege to ride with you all.

​Frontier, Magazines, James poulos, James poulos zero hour, Frontier magazine, Tech 

The Food and Drug Administration’s newest recall exemplifies why the status quo is on the chopping block in Donald Trump’s presidency.

Last week, the FDA issued a recall for nearly 80,000 pounds of Kirkland Signature butter, which is sold at Costco. Government officials deemed the recall necessary — impacting 46,800 pounds of unsalted butter and 32,400 pounds of salted butter — because the packages could be missing what the government believes is an important allergen statement: “Contains milk.”

The DOGE will cut through a bloated bureaucracy and government waste like a hot knife through 80,000 pounds of butter.

“Butter lists cream, but may be missing the Contains Milk statement,” the FDA said in its advisory.

The FDA issued
a Class II recall for the creamy goodness, which means government officials believe this is “a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.”

People
are scratching their heads over the need for the recall — and outright mocking it — for one important reason: Everyone knows butter contains milk.

When you milk a cow, you receive essentially two products: milk and cream. Cream settles at the top of the milk and can be skimmed away and churned to make butter. Unless you milk your own cow or buy raw milk or “cream-line milk,” you generally cannot see the cream because milk that is sold in stores has been pasteurized and homogenized.

Cream
is a milk product. The primary difference between cream and the milk we drink is the fat content.

The most interesting aspect of this recall is the moment in American history in which it is happening.

First, Donald Trump’s decisive victory included a mandate for the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

Trump is surrounding himself with people like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Calley Means, and Casey Means, who are serious about improving the health of all Americans beyond the pharmaceutical industry. So while grocery stores across the nation sell fake “butter” — industrial seed oils masquerading as butter — the FDA deems it important to recall tens of thousands of pounds of a real health food over a harmless labeling error.

The recall exposes the FDA’s priorities — which appear antithetical to the MAHA movement.

Second, the recall is yet another example of government bureaucracy run amok, more evidence that
Elon Musk is right about our need for a Department of Government Efficiency.

Is it really in the best interest of U.S. taxpayers and consumers to recall nearly 80,000 pounds of butter over a labeling error? Do Americans really need a government-mandated label telling them butter contains milk?

Evidently, nothing is wrong with the butter itself. No consumers are at risk of adverse health effects if they eat it. But it must be recalled, by the FDA’s logic, because it doesn’t contain a warning message the agency requires.

Fortunately, wasteful government intervention could become a relic of the past in Donald Trump’s second administration. That’s because
he is on board with Elon Musk’s vision for government efficiency, and he wants Musk to lead it with entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

If it comes to fruition, the DOGE would cut through a bloated bureaucracy and government waste like a hot knife through 80,000 pounds of butter — and that’s something all Americans can be thankful for.

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​Elon musk, Maha, Make america healthy again, Butter, Costco, Fda, Recall, Opinion & analysis 

Trump’s entry into politics nearly a decade ago, marked by his rallying cry of “fake news,” ignited the decline of mainstream media’s credibility. His relentless attacks struck a chord with those fed up with media bias. With support from his base, Trump started building the mainstream media’s coffin. Today, Gen Z, Barron Trump’s generation, is driving in the final nails. They don’t want to listen to Joy Reid (who does?) or Jake Tapper (again, who does?); they want Joe Rogan.

Gen Z speaks for most of America.

The polarization deepens as many left-leaning women refuse to date right-leaning men. Meanwhile, more men are aligning with conservative values, rediscovering religion, and questioning the modern feminist agenda.

Trump’s interview with Rogan has racked up 48 million views on YouTube alone. Meanwhile, Theo Von has drawn 14 million views for his own interview with Trump. The impact of these and other podcasts is clear and convincing. These alternative media giants have amplified political messages in a way that mainstream outlets simply can’t match.

Gen Z values podcasts for their convenience, easy access, and variety. Gen X values the personalities and independence of the hosts. The medium’s personal touch forged a cross-generational coalition that was decisive in Trump’s sweeping victory.

Barron Trump undoubtedly played a pivotal role in helping his father secure re-election. He opened his father’s eyes to the massive influence of voices like Rogan and Von. As a Gen Zer, Barron belongs to a generation often criticized, sometimes fairly, sometimes not. While they might not always be grounded in reality, they are tuned into podcasts — earning them the nickname the “podcast generation.” This group is deeply embedded in audio culture, leading the shift from traditional media to various digital platforms, with nearly seven hours of media consumption each day. Yes, each day.

And Gen Xer stars like Joe Rogan have capitalized on this shift, drawing in young audiences with unscripted, long-form conversations on everything from politics and culture to aliens and sports. His genuine approach builds trust and shapes opinions, holding real power over how young listeners absorb information and view the world. It highlights the influence of podcasts in shaping modern thinking, where a single compelling voice can steer conversations, impact millions, and even sway election outcomes.

Due to podcasters’ revolutionary impact on politics, the belief has spread that a related but much different corner of the new media world — the so-called “manosphere” — was key to Trump’s re-election. The manosphere is an online ecosystem shaped by figures like Andrew Tate and the “Fresh and Fit Podcast,” which focuses on dating, relationships, and gender dynamics, often from a controversial angle. Thanks to largely left-leaning media, both Tate and the “Fresh and Fit Podcast” hosts have become synonymous with the often-misapplied term “misogyny.” This term is slippery, as the left has weaponized it to label anyone who dares to challenge modern feminist narratives — narratives that often assert men are literally trash and celebrate female promiscuity.

To paraphrase Ben Shapiro, many of the voices in the manosphere space are like “terrible doctors.” They are adept at diagnosing the disease but terrible at prescribing the cure. Yet, their appeal persists. The same factors that fuel Rogan and Von’s success — mainstream media’s implosion and a thirst for authenticity — are propelling the rise of the manosphere. You might not agree with what Tate says, but he undeniably knows how to sell a message. Is he genuine? Again, he’s certainly skilled at selling the image of authenticity.

The new mainstream

SYFY/Getty

The appeal of the manosphere space is amplified by what’s known as the diploma divide, where men and women increasingly pursue separate paths shaped by diverging priorities and growing disillusionments. More women are choosing careers over families and focusing on climbing the corporate ladder instead of dating. Trump’s election win has prompted some young American women to discuss boycotting men altogether.

This notion echoes South Korea’s 4B movement, which champions rejecting dating (biyeonae), sexual relationships (bisekseu), marriage (bihon), and childbirth (bichulsan). Interest in this movement spiked after the election, with platforms like TikTok and X flooded by hashtags and conversations embracing the concept. Here in the U.S., the list of boycotted behaviors is, at least judging by some TikToks, rapidly expanding, to include churchgoing and “trad” lifestyle signifiers increasingly favored by younger men.

Slapping the manosphere label — a term often used to imply an online cesspool of bigotry and misogyny — onto figures like Rogan and Von is not only misleading but downright wrong. These men are known more for irreverent humor, eclectic interviews, and thought-provoking conversations than chauvinism. The assumption that their audiences consist solely of men is profoundly disconnected from reality. Joe Rogan’s podcast, in fact, boasts one of the largest followings among female listeners in the United States. Von also has a significant female audience.

Similarly, and no coincidence, over four in 10 female voters chose Trump, with a majority of white women casting their ballots for him. This statistic alone shatters the caricature of the “bad orange man” as universally reviled by women. One might even say it’s surprising more women didn’t vote for Trump, given the superficiality of Kamala Harris’ campaign — full of empty platitudes and performative joy.

The polarization deepens as many left-leaning women refuse to date right-leaning men. Meanwhile, more men are aligning with conservative values, rediscovering religion, and questioning the modern feminist agenda. On the other side, women are increasingly stepping away from religious affiliations. This realignment is creating a cultural chasm, marked by friction and factionalism that extends far beyond political affiliations and reaches into the most personal aspects of life — marriage, family, and community.

The manosphere didn’t necessarily help get Trump elected. The Gen Z and Gen X podcast bros leading alternative media did. Now, debates over reproductive rights, gender roles, and shifting expectations for men and women at work and home are only set to intensify — unless the broad MAGA coalition of younger men and women step up to lead their fellow Americans away from a deeply destructive war of the sexes.

​Technology, Joe rogan podcast, Manosphere, Barron trump podcast, Podcasts donald trump, Trump, Joe rogan, Tech