Pope Leo XIV announced appointments of U.S. bishops that some characterized as being anti-Trump after a public feud with the administration.

Among the appointments were bishops that had criticized the attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, as well as the strengthening of immigration enforcement.

‘We are a diverse nation with people from all over the world. Diversity is a good thing. Diversity is of God.’

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar previously claimed that immigration enforcement had caused fear in immigrant communities.

“The federal government has pursued a ‘shock and awe’ campaign of aggressive threats and highly visible operations of questionable legality that go far beyond mere immigration ‘enforcement,'” he said.

Menjivar has been named as the new bishop for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia.

Father Robert Boxie III has been named as the new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington, but he previously defended policies on diversity.

“In a lot of ways we have made great progress, but in so many ways, I feel like we’re regressing,” Boxie said in an interview with OSV News in 2025.

“It’s really frustrating — especially this moment that we’re living in. The attacks on ‘DEI’ — I don’t even know what that means anymore. It’s a term that’s been hijacked. It means a lot of things to a lot of different people.”

He went on to defend diversity as central to the U.S. and to the Catholic Church.

“I think at its core, it’s what America is all about. We are a diverse nation with people from all over the world. Diversity is a good thing. Diversity is of God,” he continued. “And the fact that it’s been turned into something negative — or something that should be avoided or not talked about — just flies in the face of who we are as Americans.”

RELATED: Vatican finally responds to Trump’s invitation for Pope Leo to join Board of Peace

A third bishop referred to the rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as “sickening unrest.”

Others rejected the framing of the appointments as having any political dimensions at all.

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​Pope leo vs trump, Bishop appointments, Anti immigration bishop, Catholics vs trump, Politics 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fired back at the ActBlue Democratic donation organization after it filed a lawsuit Friday accusing him of violating the Constitution.

Paxton filed a lawsuit last month accusing ActBlue of illegally accepting donations forbidden by campaign laws. The portal has faced similar allegations from Republicans for years.

‘It is retaliation against constitutionally protected political speech and association, and it is exactly what the First Amendment forbids.’

The ActBlue lawsuit accused Paxton of violating the organization’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of the Constitution.

“ActBlue is trying to take me down,” Paxton responded on social media. “I sued the fundraising platform for deceiving Americans by lying about its donation processes that allow fraudulent and foreign donations. I will hold those who break the law accountable.”

ActBlue’s chief legal officer, Lawrence Oliver, made the case against Paxton.

“Ken Paxton has spent more than two years using the power of his office to investigate, harass, and sue ActBlue,” Oliver wrote in a statement.

“The timing of Paxton fighting for his political life in his run for a U.S. Senate seat and his use of the Attorney General’s office to attack ActBlue should not be lost on anyone. He is wasting taxpayer dollars to benefit his political ambitions,” he added.

“That is not law enforcement,” Oliver concluded. “It is retaliation against constitutionally protected political speech and association, and it is exactly what the First Amendment forbids.”

Among the claims made against Paxton was that his investigators tried to use an American Express gift card on ActBlue in an attempt to show the ease with which illegal donations could be made. Although they failed three times, ActBlue alleges that Paxton hid these facts from the Texas court.

RELATED: Texas AG Paxton accuses Democrat donation portal ActBlue of illegally funneling foreign money into US campaigns

ActBlue also reposted a message from a Democratic activist against Republicans on social media.

“Let’s be clear about something: the only reason Republicans are targeting ActBlue is that they want to destroy the Democratic Party’s ability to raise money from small-dollar donors,” the post reads. “It’s a completely bulls**t attack, and people in glass houses should not throw stones.”

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​Ken paxton vs actblue, Actblue free speech, Actblue fraud, Democratic donations fraud, Politics 

A compromise between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools led to the city agreeing to bus students to the “International Workers’ Day” protest.

Activists across the world are joining in the May Day celebrations and protests while advocating for political causes across the left-wing spectrum.

‘The future belongs to the youth, and so they’re going to have to pick up the mantle and take it up,’ Queen Weiner said.

That includes some of the students of the Chicago public school systems thanks to the teachers’ union.

The union was demanding that staff and students have the entire day off so they could join the protests, but they agreed instead on busing students out for “field trips” to protest.

The union got other concessions, including an agreement for zero retaliation against those who chose to participate in the protests.

“The fight for justice, dignity, respect, and the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed and the justice that workers endured to sacrifice,” said Don Villar, the secretary and treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor.

Protesters will march to Daley Plaza after a rally in Union Park.

Queen Weiner, a retired member of the teachers’ union, told WTTW-TV that she showed up to the protest to battle billionaires.

“I’ve been fighting in the struggle for a long time,” Weiner said. “And, you know, the future belongs to the youth, and so they’re going to have to pick up the mantle and take it up.”

Some parents were not as enthused as Weiner was about the time off from instruction.

“We are already seeing kids all over the district that are not being pushed to their standards. Taking another day from instruction for them is not beneficial for the kids,” one parent of a CPS student said to WGN-TV.

Others were upset that the children were being placed in a “high-risk situation” at the protests and some said there should have been parental input in the decision.

RELATED: Video shows brawl after high school walkout protester allegedly hit pro-ICE man — and the man is charged with child abuse

The Kids First Chicago nonprofit said some parents were upset at the loss of instruction time.

Queen Weiner went on to say she hoped the students and teenagers were encouraged by the protest to “know that the fight never stops.”

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​Chicago teachers union, May day celebrations, Chicago public schools, Parents angry at teacher unions, Politics 

A debate over the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran nearly ended in fisticuffs on a CNN panel between Scott Jennings and a liberal commentator on Thursday.

Adam Mockler of the liberal MeidasTouch Network pointed to inflation and higher gas prices to argue that the decision to attack Iran has been a failure for the Trump administration.

‘Do you have the attention span of a gnat? Is that what you have?’

Jennings argued that the war has been successful insofar as it has significantly set back Iran’s program to gain nuclear weapons. Others on the panel argued that the U.S. was the aggressor in the war, while ignoring Iran’s previous attacks.

“I mean honestly they have been at war with us for 47 years,” said Jennings.

“We all know that Scott Jennings is more than happy to defend a war with a country that starts with the letters I-R-A that we are currently failing that is going to put us trillions and trillions of dollars more in debt,” Mockler responded.

“I was only a few years old while you were in the administration defending prior endless wars. Now this war is failing,” he added.

“Eight weeks is endless to you? Do you have the attention span of a gnat? Is that what you have?” Jennings laughed.

“I debated you on TV four to six weeks ago, and you said we were weeks away from it. Now you’re making condescending remarks because you can’t defend the fact that this war is not going your way,” Mockler pressed on.

“Not going your way?” Jennings repeated, exasperated.

“Name one political concession!” Mockler continued.

“Get your f**king hand out of my face! First of all,” Jennings said sternly.

CNN host Abby Phillip stepped in to calm the panel down.

“I’m not going to have this guy’s hand in my face,” Jennings added. “Honestly.”

Mockler went on to jab at Jennings in a post on social media.

“MAGA beta male with low emotional control and high cortisol CRASHES OUT on young man preoccupied with war,” he wrote along with a video of the altercation.

RELATED: Scott Jennings obliterates liberal spin on Charlie Kirk: ‘The evidence here is overwhelming!’

Also in the mix was Geraldo Rivera, who countered with his own experience covering a previous attack on U.S. soldiers by Iran.

“In 1983, I was in Beirut when the Marine Corps barracks was blown up by a suicide bomber sponsored by the Iranians. Two-hundred-thirty Marines died,” he said.

Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive journalist who ran unsuccessfully for Congress, replied by suggesting that the murder of 230 Marines had a statute of limitations.

“That’s awful, that’s terrible, but it’s not 1983,” she said.

CNN published 10 minutes of the debate, including the altercation between Jennings and Mockler on its YouTube channel.

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​Scott jennings video, Jennings vs adam mockler, Us-israeli strikes on iran, Heated cnn debate, Politics 

When another alleged would-be assassin set his sights on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the room was full of journalists across the political spectrum.

And despite the threat on Trump’s life, BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales believes their coverage of the event has only continued to prove the media’s bias and hypocrisy.

“You would think that when he was almost assassinated again and they were there to witness it, that maybe they might be able to fairly and accurately cover the story, but no, actually, they can’t,” Gonzales says.

“That’s actually just how bad they are and how evil they are. They just, in true arrogant, narcissistic fashion, they just wanted to make it about them,” she continues, before playing a clip of CBS News’ Weijia Jiang.

“This is a room full of reporters. So, I know you’ve already seen the president’s tweet. My apologies, his post on Truth Social,” Jiang said at the WHCD after the attempted assassination. “And law enforcement has requested that we leave the premises consistent with protocol.”

“I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it. And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are,” she continued.

“I saw all of you reporting, and that’s what we do,” she added.

“‘Our job is so dangerous,’” Gonzales comments, mocking Jiang. “‘It’s all about us. … Our freedoms are under attack. The right for us to do our jobs is under attack.’”

“Actually, lady, the reason that we are in the position that we are in, where people are after the president as much as they are, is because you guys continue to misrepresent and distort reality and stir up a bunch of little activists who go on to then try to murder Donald Trump,” she continues.

“So, I’m just not having it from you. I’m really not,” she adds, pointing out that just moments before the attempted assassination, a journalist on CNN said that Trump “figuratively” wants “journalism dead.”

However, the coverage only got worse as the week went on.

“This one is going to take the award for the most disingenuous piece of s**t reporting from the most insufferable and arrogant excuse for a news anchor there is: Norah O’Donnell from ‘60 Minutes,’” Gonzales says.

“The so-called manifesto is a stunning thing to read, Mr. President. He appears to reference a motive in it. He writes this quote, ‘Administration officials, they are targets.’ And he also wrote this, ‘I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.’ What’s your reaction to that?” O’Donnell asked Trump in an interview.

“Well, I was waiting for you to read that, because I knew you would. Because you’re horrible people. Horrible people,” Trump responded. “Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody.”

“You should be ashamed of yourself reading that because I’m not any of those things,” he added.

“We all know what you’re doing,” Gonzales says, referencing O’Donnell. “He knows what you’re doing.”

“Stop embarrassing yourself,” she adds.

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​Activists, Assassination, Bias, Blazetv, Cbs news, Correspondents dinner, First amendment, Hypocrisy, Journalism, Journalists, Media, Reporting, Sara gonzales, Trump, Weijia jiang, Whcd, White house, Cnn, 60 minutes, Norah o’donnell, Cole allen, Trump assassination attempt, The blaze, Blaze news, Blaze podasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Sara gonzales unfiltered 

As the 2026 primaries ramp up, Democrats may be forced to embrace a scandal-ridden candidate most infamously known for an apparent Nazi tattoo.

Maine’s Democratic Senate primary flew into a tailspin after Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race this week, leaving Graham Platner as the presumptive nominee.

‘He’s a blind date for the Democratic Party.’

Platner pitched himself to voters as a blue-collar veteran, but his talking points were quickly overshadowed by a myriad of scandals, including some politically incorrect comments about black people and, of course, the alleged Nazi tattoo. Notably, Platner has since gotten the tattoo covered up.

“I think this is a democratic rebellion against Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senate establishment,” Democratic strategist Len Foxwell told Blaze News. “We know that Chuck Schumer’s name is mud among rank-and-file Democrats who feel that neither he nor his leadership have been nearly effective enough in counteracting the policies and the rhetoric of this president.”

The frustration with Democratic leadership may be the driver behind the embrace of Platner, who, despite the Nazi controversy, is speaking to an audience that feels disenfranchised by the establishment. These same scandals would be disqualifying for most political candidates, but several Democrats have already begun making excuses for Platner’s political missteps.

RELATED: Once-favored Democrat suspends Senate campaign, opening door for extremist Graham Platner

Photo by Sophie Park/Getty Images

“He’s been very clear about the fact that he went into combat on behalf of the United States,” Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said in an interview with Punchbowl. “He went through a really rough period, PTSD-type period, and he has himself said that there are lots of things he’s done and said that he completely regrets. And I do believe people should have second chances and that people can learn from their mistakes.”

Even though Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer recruited Mills himself, he is now hesitantly backing Platner as the presumptive nominee to face off with Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

“After years of allowing Trump’s abuses of power, Senator Collins has never been more vulnerable and we will work with the presumptive Democratic nominee Graham Platner to defeat her,” Schumer said in a joint statement with Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.

Prominent progressive commentator Adam Mockler was pressed about Platner’s controversial past. CNN’s Abby Phillip listed out some of Platner’s offenses and asked Mockler if it would be acceptable if a Republican candidate were caught in the same scandals.

“I think we’re entering a new era,” Mockler said. “And we’ll see what the base wants. We’ll see who wins when the actual election happens. But for the past decade, Democrats have been unified by our opposition to Donald Trump, and now, Graham Platner has a forward-looking message.”

RELATED: Mocking Jesus and the Virgin Mary? Scandal strikes again for Maine Democrat Senate candidate with ‘Nazi’ tattoo

Sophie Park/Getty Images

Although it’s hard to imagine a political landscape where Democrats willingly overlook Platner’s baggage, Foxwell argues that Platner’s appeal is not just pragmatic but also genuine.

“They are more inclined to lash out at the establishment and to take a risk on a blind date, which I believe Graham Platner is,” Foxwell said. “I believe he’s a blind date for the Democratic Party, and he has enormous political upside. He is a strong, natural political athlete, but he is by no means the safest candidate to send against Susan Collins in November. He has a lot of baggage, and Susan Collins is going to have a massive amount of money at her disposal to reinforce those negatives to the electorate.”

“Susan Collins is obligated to make this race against Graham Platner, and Graham Platner’s path to victory is all about making the race about Susan Collins and Donald Trump,” Foxwell added. “Victory is going to go to the one who is ultimately successful.”

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​Donald trump, Len foxwell, Graham platner, Chuck schumer, Susan collins, Maine, 2026 primary, Senate primary, Janet mills, Nazi tattoo, Reddit, Chris van hollen, Adam mockler, Cnn, Senate democrats, Senate republicans, Politics, Kirsten gillibrand, Abby phillip 

With just one month until California’s gubernatorial primary election, the latest polls show the race is still anyone’s game. The big question now is whether Democrats’ failure to rally their support behind a single candidate will result in a disaster for the party.

‘The stakes are so incredibly high.’

California’s primary election operates on a nonpartisan basis. This means that the two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Several polls have shown Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host and small business owner Steve Hilton — both Republicans — leading the pack. If California Democratic voters remain split in the primary, there is a chance that Bianco and Hilton could advance as the top two candidates to the general election.

A CBS poll conducted from Apr. 23 to 27 showed that 26% of California voters remain undecided. However, it revealed growing support for Democrats Tom Steyer, a climate advocate and businessman, and Xavier Becerra, a former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, who may be emerging as the Democratic Party’s front-runners.

Fifteen percent of those polled said they would likely vote for Steyer, while 13% selected Becerra. Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter received 9% of the vote, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former California State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa received 4%, and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond received 1%.

The latest poll showed Hilton securing the most support, with 16% of the vote. Bianco trailed with 10%.

RELATED: Democrats narrow field in California’s crowded gubernatorial race to avoid primary disaster

Tom Steyer. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Alternatively, a poll conducted over the same period by Gudelunas Strategies, sponsored by California Is Not For Sale, showed Becerra with a growing lead — nine points ahead of Steyer and one point ahead of Hilton.

Democrats started the primary with eight high-profile candidates. The field narrowed slightly after former State Controller Betty Yee and disgraced former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race.

RELATED: Democrats narrow field in California’s crowded gubernatorial race to avoid primary disaster

Xavier Becerra. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Rusty Hicks, the chair of the California Democratic Party, previously urged more Democrats to end their bid in hopes that a clear front-runner will emerge.

Hicks told the Guardian on Friday that the state’s open primary “needs to be revised and repealed.”

“The current system we have does not work,” he said.

“The stakes are so incredibly high,” Hicks continued. “We have democracy itself under attack, and the United States [is no longer] the beacon of hope for democracies around the world the way it once was.”

California will begin sending mail-in ballots out to voters by May 4.

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​News, California, California governor, California gubernatorial race, Chad bianco, Steve hilton, Tom steyer, Xavier becerra, Rusty hicks, Politics 

A video of a man walking around in a Ku Klux Klan robe in Rhode Island shocked many into believing racism was making a resurgence — but police say it was something else entirely.

The video shows the man skulking around a gazebo on Main Street in West Warwick at about 2 a.m. Monday and went viral on social media.

‘It’s weird because I know there’s racism around here, but not like that. That’s a whole different level of racism.’

“When you see a pointy hood and two eyeballs staring at you, I mean what the hell else is it?” local Ryan Fitzgerald said. “It didn’t look like the boogeyman. It looked like the KKK to me.”

He added, “It’s weird because I know there’s racism around here, but not like that. That’s a whole different level of racism.”

The hooded man was also caught on surveillance video from a business named Candy’s Curiosities & Vintage. The owner said the video upset her.

“It churned my stomach to watch that,” said Leslie Letourneau.

The video made national headlines and led to an investigation from the West Warwick Police Dept. Only days later, police said the jig was up.

It turns out the video was recorded by Fitzgerald and his brother Sean.

In a press release Friday, police said they had dedicated “significant investigative resources” to the incident and determined that the brothers had “orchestrated the event in an effort to generate attention on social media and in the news.”

RELATED: Activists rage over racist vandalism at Sacramento school. The district says it was a hoax.

The brothers admitted the scheme and provided evidence that they alone were responsible for the incident, according to police. The brothers told WJAR that Ryan wore the robe while Sean filmed him.

They also denounced the KKK, and police found no evidence that the two had any affiliation with the group.

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​Kkk robe and hood, Ku klux klan, Viral video, Racial hoax, Politics 

On April 28, at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the Biden administration’s use of the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (which protects access to abortion clinics and other facilities), Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) grilled abortion advocate Jessica Waters and pulled no punches about what “reproductive health care” really means.

The clip of their back-and-forth has gone viral for its powerful exposure of the grim realities of abortion.

On a recent episode of “Pat Gray Unleashed,” Pat and the panel played the footage and reacted to Gill’s genius questioning strategy.

“You’re an advocate for abortion, for abortion policy. What’s your favorite type of abortion?” Gill asked.

Waters euphemistically replied, “I am an advocate for patients having access to the full realm of reproductive health care.”

But Gill doubled down and asked the question again.

When Waters responded that she does not have a preferred method of abortion, Gill launched into a list of different abortive procedures, which he graphically described.

“The first type is called a suction abortion. This is when the cervix is dilated and a strong suction 29 times the power of a household vacuum cleaner tears the baby’s body apart and sucks it through the hose into a container. Do you prefer that method?” he asked, calling the procedure “gruesome.”

“What about this one?” he continued. “This one is called dilation and curettage. After dilation of the cervix, a sharp looped knife is inserted into the uterus. The baby’s body is cut into pieces and extracted often by suction. Do you prefer that method?”

Waters answered Gill’s questions by saying that she “[stood] by her former testimony” and reiterating that she is “an access to reproductive health care advocate.”

“You don’t want to talk about abortion itself. Why is that? Is it because it’s uncomfortable to talk about? It should be uncomfortable,” Gill followed up before dropping a third and particularly barbaric procedure.

“How about this one? It’s called dilation and evacuation. Forceps are inserted into the uterus, grabbing and twisting the baby’s body to dismember him or her. If the head is too large, it must be crushed in order to remove it. You prefer that method?” he asked.

Calling abortion “barbaric and evil,” Gill continued, “How about this one? It’s called the saline injection. It’s when a 20% salt solution is injected through the mother’s abdomen into the baby’s amniotic fluid. The baby’s skin is burned off. The baby ingests the solution and dies of salt poisoning, dehydration, and hemorrhaging of the brain. Do you prefer that method?”

“I would prefer to talk about the subject of the hearing,” Waters replied.

“This is the subject of the hearing. This is about protests outside of abortion clinics. I’m asking you about abortion,” Gill stated. “ I wouldn’t want to talk about this either if I were you because it is barbaric and evil.”

While Pat and his co-hosts were sickened to hear the horrific details describing abortion procedures, they acknowledge the genius of Gill’s questioning tactics.

“Yes, incredibly difficult to hear and really tough to talk about. But powerful. I mean, that was expertly done,” says Pat.

Not only did Gill force Waters to face the dark reality of what she advocates for, but it also spread necessary awareness.

“That’s on the congressional record forever now,” says Keith Malinak.

“People need to understand what happens during these procedures,” Pat argues.

To see the clip of Gill and hear more of Pat’s commentary, watch the video above.

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​Abortion advocate, Abortion clinics, Biden administration, Blaze media, Blazetv, Face act, House judiciary subcommittee, Jessica waters, Pat gray, Pat gray unleashed, Rep brandon gill, Reproductive healthcare, Texas