Two men were arrested after they were found squatting at a family’s home in Texas while they were away on vacation, according to Houston police.

Connie and Joe Cases told KRIV-TV that they were alerted by a relative about a strange man on their front porch at their home on Thiess Road. He was identified as 43-year-old Jerry Vallade.

‘They drank all our alcohol, chopped up some brisket, had hot sauce out.’

“He told him he knew us, because he’d seen our name,” Connie Cases said to KRIV. “As he’s talking to him, our Jeep comes pulling down the road with the other thief driving it.”

They said the other man got out of the Jeep and walked off to a gas station before police arrived. He was identified as 40-year-old Dustin Gamblin, and within an hour both men had been arrested.

When the couple returned, they found that the men had helped themselves to their food and their alcohol and had even worn their clothing. They also found weapons, money, and electronics missing.

“They drank all our alcohol, chopped up some brisket, had hot sauce out,” Connie Cases said.

The couple found evidence that the men intended to return to the home and continue their unauthorized residence when they were rudely interrupted by the rightful owners.

“I’m sure they were going to stay longer — Connie just found some boudin in our freezer. I guess they were going to cook it tonight if we didn’t come home,” Joe Cases said, referring to Cajun/Creole sausage.

Connie Cases said that when she went to take the Jeep to be cleaned at a car wash, she discovered a bag of meth inside the console. Police said the men had drugs in their possession and that they found drugs inside the home as well.

RELATED: Woman says judge refused to evict squatters in her house to avoid them being homeless over Christmas — while she was homeless

The Cases were thankful that the men didn’t make a mess of their home.

“At least they didn’t tear the house up,” Joe Cases said. “It could’ve been worse.”

They did, however, use the couple’s toothbrushes and leave dirty clothing in their hamper. Connie Cases suspected that the men were homeless and that they stayed in the woods near the home to befriend their dogs before making their move.

The two men face numerous felony charges, including drug possession, breaking and entering, and unauthorized use of a vehicle. Gamblin was given a $60,000 bond, while Vallade was given a $35,000 bond.

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​Squatters leave meth, Meth-lovin squatters, Couple returns from vacation, Texas squatters, Crime 

After one fan was arrested for throwing a sex toy at a WNBA game, other fans did not heed the warning — as they have continued throwing them on the court.

On Tuesday night, green dildos were thrown at Barclays Center during the Liberty-Wings game and at the Crypto.com Arena.

In the Los Angeles game, the sex toy was thrown onto the court and appeared to hit Fever star Sophie Cunningham, before Sparks star Kelsey Plum kicked the green object away from the court.

“Stop throwing dildos on the court,” Cunningham posted on X following the incident. “You’re going to hurt one of us.”

While the women of the WNBA are not happy, BlazeTV host Alex Stein is a fan of the development.

“The WNBA is being barraged by a bunch of fake penises, and America loves it actually. So much so that the betting lines are getting more action on whether or not a dildo will be thrown on the court than on who will win or lose the game,” Stein says on “Prime Time with Alex Stein.”

And it’s true. Crypto-based prediction market Polymarket is allowing users to put money on whether or not more dildos will fly. One user even earned more than $6,000 following the latest sex toy stunt.

“I, for one, am all about this. I’m actually going to start going to a lot of WNBA games,” Stein says.

“This is brilliant,” he continues. “I just love that we have hacked the WNBA where we can have a gambling edge.”

Want more from Alex Stein?

To enjoy more of Alex’s culture jamming, comedic monologues, skits, and street segments, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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The Trump administration recently ended the Transportation Security Administration’s outdated shoe-removal rule — a long-overdue rollback of post-9/11 security theater. But at the same time, it’s resisting a bipartisan push to rein in something far more intrusive: the agency’s unregulated use of facial recognition technology at airports.

The Traveler Privacy Protection Act — co-sponsored by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) — would set limits on the TSA’s biometric surveillance program at airports.

Facial recognition checkpoints are already being piloted at major airports. TSA officials have made clear that their goal is to replace traditional IDs altogether.

Here’s what the bill does:

Restores consent: Manual ID checks would become the default again. Passengers would have to opt in to facial recognition. The TSA would be required to notify travelers clearly that they can opt out.Limits retention: Most biometric data would have to be deleted within 24 hours.Restricts sharing: The TSA could no longer hand over biometric data to other federal agencies or private entities, except in very narrow circumstances.

The legislation follows a bipartisan letter sent in November 2023 to the Department of Homeland Security inspector general, requesting a full audit of the TSA’s biometric collection, retention, deletion, and cybersecurity protocols. The letter was co-authored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

“TSA has not provided Congress with evidence that facial recognition technology is necessary to catch fraudulent documents, decrease wait times, or stop terrorists from boarding planes,” the senators wrote.

Despite that, the TSA appears to be quietly lobbying against the bill.

When asked directly whether the TSA was fighting the legislation, Kennedy said: “The short answer is yes; the long answer is hell yes.”

Behind-the-scenes pressure

The Senate Commerce Committee had planned to mark up the bill just before the August recess. But at the last minute, the legislation was pulled from the docket.

Officially, the travel industry raised concerns. But Politico reported that behind the scenes, TSA leadership — backed by political appointees — played a central role in derailing the bill. Republican staffers familiar with the process said the agency helped coordinate opposition that ultimately killed the markup.

It’s not hard to see why TSA brass would resist oversight.

Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill previously served as TSA chief of staff during part of Trump’s first term. After leaving government, she joined BigBear.ai, a company specializing in facial recognition and identity verification powered by artificial intelligence. She eventually became the firm’s president.

Now she’s back — nominated to lead the TSA for the duration of Trump’s administration.

AI, contracts, and civil liberties

Under McNeill’s leadership, the TSA has pushed to expand its use of AI-powered surveillance tools. In 2023, officials openly discussed plans to eliminate boarding passes and photo IDs altogether in favor of biometric scans.

“Imagine embarking on a journey where the seamless orchestration of technology transforms traditional security checkpoints,” said Kristin Ruiz, the TSA’s deputy chief information officer, at an AI summit last year. “AI-powered advancements signify an evolution driven by data science, analytics, and intelligent automation.”

That vision may sound efficient. But it’s also a red flag for anyone who doesn’t want American airports to become nodes in a Chinese-style surveillance state.

The TSA isn’t alone. The Department of Homeland Security has been inking massive contracts with tech companies specializing in surveillance.

Palantir Technologies, co-founded by Trump ally Peter Thiel, has landed a $1 billion contract with the DHS. The company also has similar contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Pentagon, now worth a combined $10 billion.

RELATED: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act hides a big, ugly AI betrayal

Photo by DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images

Palantir’s market cap now exceeds $400 billion — bigger than Home Depot or Coca-Cola. Since its first DHS deal was announced in April, the company’s stock price has jumped 131%.

It doesn’t need a marketing team. The federal government is its customer.

Palantir has also benefited from the revolving door.

Gregory Barbaccia, Palantir’s former head of intelligence, now serves as the chief information officer of the federal government.Clark Minor, a longtime Palantir employee, now holds the same role at HHS.Jacob Helberg, a senior adviser to Palantir CEO Alex Karp, was appointed to lead the State Department’s economic and trade policy.

This is the ecosystem driving the TSA’s resistance to reform: private contractors, political insiders, and intelligence bureaucrats profiting from biometric surveillance — at your expense.

The stakes

Facial recognition checkpoints are already being piloted at major airports. TSA officials have made clear that their goal is to replace traditional IDs altogether. And if this bill fails, there may be no legal limit to how far the agency can go.

Congress has a choice: Protect passengers or protect the Big Tech-Big Government industrial complex.

At the very least, senators should not confirm McNeill without hard, enforceable commitments: clear opt-outs, data deletion requirements, and strict limits on sharing and retention. The federal government should not be harvesting and storing your face just so a contractor can hit its quarterly earnings target.

You don’t build a free society by handing over the keys to Big Tech and hoping the companies don’t abuse them.

​Opinion & analysis, Opinion, Ai, Artificial intelligence, Facial recognition, Facial recognition technology, Transportation security administration, Tsa, Palantir, Palantir ceo alex karp, Big tech, Big government, Security, Ha nguyen mcneill, Traveler privacy protection act, Jeff merkley, John kennedy, Ed markey, Roger marshall, Ted cruz, Privacy, Liberty, China 

A former DOGE employee known as “Big Balls” was reportedly brutally beaten in an attempted carjacking.

“Big Balls,” whose real name is Edward Coristine, was left bloodied by a group of “thugs” in Washington, D.C., after trying to protect his girlfriend.

President Donald Trump called Mr. Coristine an “incredible man” and threatened to take federal control of Washington, D.C., until crimes of this nature were stopped.

“Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control. Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“The Laws in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14. … If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City,” he continued.

“If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALIZE this City. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump concluded.

“This image and this guy is going to end up being the George Floyd for white people, that he is going to be a rallying cry. It’s clear cut who the hero is here. It’s clear cut who the good guys and bad guys are here. This isn’t controversial. This is a smoking gun,” Whitlock says.

“He’s a rallying point, a hero, a line in the sand. That’s what black people, Black Lives Matter used George Floyd as, ‘This is the example of how America treats black people.’ I think white people are about to say, ‘This is an example of how black people treat white people,’” he adds.

“I don’t think so,” BlazeTV contributor and former Patriots wide receiver TJ Moe argues.

“Nobody believes anything anymore. And that is, I think, what’s going to stop the next George Floyd from happening. Nobody has any idea what’s real. Like what are the actual details? We always wait to see,” he explains.

“George Floyd was different. And I also don’t think it’s very easy. People don’t love to hear this, but just look, 90% of black people vote the same way. Ninety percent of black people, I think, feel like they’re victims. … It’s very easy to get black people running in the same direction. It’s not easy to get white people running in the same direction,” he continues.

“Fifty percent run the other way the second they hear that the other 50% is going this way,” he says, adding, “So this rallying cry, like you’re going to get all the white people, I don’t see it.”

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Sharing, Video phone, Video, Upload, Free, Camera phone, Youtube.com, Jason whitlock harmony, Jason whitlock, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Big balls, Doge big balls, Doge, Elon musk, President donald trump, Washington dc crime, Tj moe, George floyd 

According to court documents obtained by Blaze News, Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) has been ordered to appear for a court hearing regarding a request for a restraining order filed by Miss United States Lindsey Langston. The restraining order filing was first reported by Drop Site News.

Mills has been battling numerous allegations of improper behavior, but the latest allegations have to do with harassment and threats made against an American beauty queen who said she had a relationship with the congressman.

Langston broke up with Mills, and he allegedly threatened to send private videos of her to her acquaintances to embarrass and humiliate her.

On Thursday, in an apparent attempt to shift the narrative, Mills said in a statement to the Floridian that a judge had denied the application of the restraining order against him.

However, while an emergency protection order was rejected in Columbia County, according to Daytona Beach News-Journal, a restraining order can be still be granted after both sides present evidence at a hearing for consideration. The Journal reported that a hearing had been scheduled. The matter has not been fully adjudicated.

Blaze News has reviewed a copy of a court order from a judge in Columbia County. That document set the hearing for August 18 at 1:30 p.m. via Zoom for a hearing before a judge. As the respondent, Cory Mills was told to appear. The order states that if either party fails to appear, they will be bound by the ruling of the judge.

In addition to reporting on the upcoming hearing, the Daytona Beach News-Journal also noted that Mills has retained the services of an attorney to represent him in the matter.

On Tuesday, Lindsey Langston told Blaze News that she had met Mills when she was in her twenties, about a year before he won his first congressional election. Langston claimed that they had a romantic relationship and that Mills proposed that they get married and begin a family.

After a tumultuous relationship, Langston broke up with Mills, and he allegedly threatened to send private videos of her to her acquaintances to embarrass and humiliate her.

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​Restraining order, Cory mills, Beauty queen vs cory mills, Date violence restraining order, Politics 

A Florida teacher says she did not intend to violate a state law that forbids her from using a name for a student that does not match the student’s biological gender without parental approval.

Melissa Calhoun said Tuesday that she was not aware she was breaking the state law and did not have any political motivation. She was given a written reprimand and suspended from teaching for a year, but the district now says she will not be rehired after the probation period.

‘We must have trust in our teachers to act in partnership with families, not come between parents and their children, especially when it comes to these meaningful conversations.’

“There was no intent behind it. I was just trying to teach a student in my classroom,” Calhoun said to WESH-TV. “I immediately owned my actions. In reality, I had forgotten about the law.”

She was allowed to retain her teaching certificate despite the suspension and she says she reapplied to teach at Satellite High School, where she was teaching when she made the comment.

Dr. Mark Rendell, the superintendent of Brevard Public Schools, issued a lengthy statement on Tuesday accusing the teacher of consciously and deliberately violating the law.

“The Florida Department of Education has issued a formal reprimand and placed a former Brevard Public School teacher, Melissa Calhoun, on a one-year probation for knowingly and repeatedly violating state law by referring to a student by a name that did not match their biological gender, without parental consent,” Rendell wrote.

He went on to seemingly contradict the claims that Calhoun made in order to justify the decision to not rehire her.

“This was not a mistake. This was a conscious and deliberate decision to engage in gender affirmation without parental knowledge,” he added. “We notify parents when students are absent or struggling with classwork; it is unacceptable to withhold information on matters of such personal significance. This was not a case of confusion or lack of training.”

School district and state officials were divided on how harsh a punishment Calhoun should face. She will have to pay a $750 fine and also take a college-level course in ethics.

RELATED: Poll finds an overwhelming majority approve of what’s in Florida’s parental rights bill when it is described accurately

“Mrs. Calhoun has acknowledged that her actions were intentional and that she was aware of the law and violated it. That is deeply troubling,” Rendell added. “We must have trust in our teachers to act in partnership with families, not come between parents and their children, especially when it comes to these meaningful conversations.”

Calhoun said she will seek a teaching position elsewhere.

“As Superintendent, I want to reaffirm our district’s unwavering commitment to parental rights,” Rendell concluded. “Teachers hold a powerful position of influence, and that influence must never override the rights of parents to be involved in critical decisions affecting their children.”

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​Florida teacher misgendered, Melissa calhoun, Florida fires teacher over gender, Politics, Satellite schools misgendering