Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky returned to the Senate on Monday after a long absence due to his health issues.

The former leader of the Senate had been absent from Congress for three months before the newest session began Monday.

The slim Republican majority in the Senate meant his vote was pivotal toward passing any legislation opposed by the Democrats in the minority.

McConnell said in a statement that his recovery had been “a long and often frustrating process,” according to Axios.

“Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June,” he added. “I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues.”

He added that his recovery had been stymied by the “lingering effects” of his bout with polio in childhood.

The slim Republican majority in the Senate meant his vote was pivotal toward passing any legislation opposed by the Democrats in the minority.

“I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors,” McConnell added, “I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.”

Reporters posted at McConnell’s residence recorded video as the 84-year-old senator left his residence in a wheelchair on his way to the Senate.

In a brief statement at the Capitol, he said he was determined to vote on a farm bill and to punish Russia.

RELATED: Mitch McConnell’s replacement might be chosen in court first

McConnell is also expected to vote on the nomination of Matthew Byrne to be a district judge in Ohio.

“Elaine and I are very grateful for all the continued well wishes from our fellow Kentuckians, and I’m glad to get back to more of business as usual on their behalf this month,” he added.

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

​Mitch mcconnell, Us senate, Congress, Politics 

Over the past decade, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has continuously dodged allegations that she married her brother to help him obtain legal immigration status in the United States. Last week the controversy exploded anew as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Benny Johnson an investigation into the claim is under way.

On Sunday, another Trump administration official, border czar Tom Homan, confirmed the existence of an “ongoing criminal investigation” of Omar by the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations division.

‘We’re gonna take a look at it. If we think that there’s a crime, we’re gonna prosecute that crime.’

Homan’s admission came during a segment on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing.”

Homan told Fox News that “if someone committed immigration violation, if someone committed marriage fraud or anything like that, regardless if they’re a congressman or not, no one’s above the law.” When pressed he further, confirmed the existence of a current criminal investigation into Omar.

Homan and Mullin are not the only Trump administration officials to claim that investigations into Omar and the validity of her citizenship are under way. In May, Vice President JD Vance told a reporter, “We’re gonna take a look at it. If we think that there’s a crime, we’re gonna prosecute that crime. And that’s something the Department of Justice is looking at right now.”

For her part, Omar has consistently denied the allegations. In March, after an earlier claim of fraud by Vance, her chief of staff released a statement to Fox News: “This is a ridiculous lie and desperate attempt to distract from the pedophile protection party’s unpopular war of choice, increasing gas prices, and rapidly dropping polling numbers.”

RELATED: DHS secretary: Ilhan Omar married her brother, and consequences are coming

The allegations have dogged Omar since she won her primary for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016. In August of that year, Scott Johnson reported at Power Line blog that a since-deleted post on Somalispot claimed that “Omar married her brother Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009, implying that the latter marriage assisted his entry into the United States.”

Power Line’s Johnson further looked into marriage records and reached out to those involved. He received a response from attorney Jean Brandl, which was the first in a long line of Omar denials regarding the allegations, “There are people who do not want an East African, Muslim woman elected to office and who will follow Donald Trump’s playbook to prevent it.”

Brandl continued, “Ilhan Omar’s campaign sees your superfluous contentions as one more in a series of attempts to discredit her candidacy.”

RELATED: JD Vance reveals Ilhan Omar is under federal investigation — and it may be about her marriage

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

In 2020 after the allegations again surfaced, Omar unequivocally denied the allegations via a statement. She wrote, “A number of baseless rumors have been made recently about my personal life and family. I will say it again here: they are absolutely false and ridiculous.”

Omar went on to detail her side of the marriage timeline.

The Department of Homeland Security and Rep. Omar have not responded to Blaze News’ requests for comment.

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

​Department of homeland security, Federal investigation, Ilhan omar, Immigration status, Jd vance, Markwayne mullin, Tom homan, Politics 

Gen Z was told casual sex was no big deal while being promised a future with a loving partner through dating apps.

Dr. Debra Soh says young people, especially young women, are now dealing with the consequences.

“I don’t think casual sex is good for either sex, but especially for women,” Soh tells BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey, explaining that it’s “slightly different” for men.

“Women do tend to become more attached after sex. Whereas for men, hormonally it’s different,” she says.

While women release bonding hormones during sexual activity, Soh tells Stuckey that men’s hormones “go back to baseline.”

“So they actually disengage after sex and lose interest in their partner,” she says.

This is why Soh believes it’s “very irresponsible” that so many “feminist influencers and podcasters tell their young fans that they should be promiscuous or that they should have sex on the first date.”

“They’re telling their young fans to engage in behavior that is ultimately going to be self-destructive. And I do think this is an example of intrasexual competition in that women compete with other women and men compete with other men for sexual partners,” she explains.

“So I find that really sad, because I see it, especially with Gen Z women. I say Millennials, probably, too, really bought into this idea that having sex on the first date is not a big deal. That casual sex, if men can do it, women should do it,” she adds.

But it’s not just casual sex that’s killing modern love.

“You can kind of see some of the obvious issues with being able to swipe left or right,” Stuckey says. “It’s superficial. It’s based on aesthetics. But one thing that you said that I hadn’t thought about is that having more options is … a historical anomaly.”

“So our ancestors before us did not have this roster of people within a 200-mile radius that they were judging based on a self-assessment and pictures,” she continues.

“The paradox of choice speaks to this,” Soh explains. “So there have been studies showing that … when people are given fewer options, they’re more likely to actually make a choice and to be satisfied with that choice.”

“So when you’re on a dating app, it feels as though there is an unlimited number of potential partners. And so people are constantly seeking the next best thing,” she continues.

“I think there are very many of us who are just not present in terms of the dating process. … That’s a side effect of being online and just how so much of romantic interest or courtship is based through online connections or lack thereof, I suppose, nowadays,” she adds.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

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

​Allie beth stuckey, Casual sex, Dating app, Dr debra soh, Hookup culture, Hormones, Modern dating, Women, Blazetv show 

Carnegie Mellon University has been forced to take action against a Nigerian-born professor after yet another anti-white post she made on social media went viral.

Linguistics professor Dr. Uju Anya posted a message about dancing over the deaths of white males before online sleuths started reposting other previous anti-white missives. She also mocked critics who threatened to report her to the university.

‘I meant every word I said in my tweets responding to white men. … May they all eat s**t.’

“Die first, white man, then ask yourself why I’m dancing,” she allegedly wrote on the X platform on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. The message was in response to a critic who had asked her why she only celebrated the deaths of white men.

Screenshots of the post quickly went viral, and Anya ridiculed her detractors, who included tech billionaire Elon Musk.

“Carnegie Mellon University knows exactly who they have. They poached me from my previous job, aggressively recruiting me with a massive salary and stellar benefits. So baby, run tell them they f**ked up, and see if they pick up your call,” she reportedly wrote.

“Keep crying, loser. My department chair just texted me saying they’re throwing all of your emails in the trash,” she reportedly added with three laughing emojis.

Then the university responded hours later.

“Dr. Uju Anya is currently on voluntary professional leave from the university and is not teaching courses on our campus this academic year. We are deeply concerned by recent hostile and threatening social media posts by Dr. Anya and are reviewing this matter closely,” read the statement from the university.

“To be clear: These posts incorrectly imply our university’s endorsement and are contrary to our community standards and values as well as our commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and welcoming campus community,” they added in a second post.

Anya’s X account also does not exist any more.

Anya first made headlines in 2022 after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, when the academic posted an insidious message wishing that the queen had suffered greatly.

“I heard the chief monarch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is finally dying,” she wrote. “May her pain be excruciating.”

She deleted that post, which was against Twitter policies at the time. Anya also later claimed that the British government had “massacred and displaced” half of her family.

RELATED: Black elementary school teacher posted alleged anti-white threats on social media

Anya had also reportedly responded, “May he rot in piss,” to the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s death.

In a post on Instagram, she reportedly claimed to have been “doxxed” after “fascist white supremacist MAGA trolls” incited threats against her on social media.

“I meant every word I said in my tweets responding to white men and all others insulting and maligning me. I do not retract or apologize. May they all eat s**t,” she apparently added.

In 2024 Anya said black men doubting an activist’s claims of assault were using “white supremacist tactics” to “dehumanize” her. That story collapsed after a police investigation that included surveillance video that contradicted the activist’s claims.

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

​Social media, Racism, Anti white racism, University, Politics 

A 15-year-old girl is accused of shoving a 29-year-old man off a moving Chicago train to his death after a fight — but she’s not the only suspect.

The girl returned to court Monday to face murder charges, WBBM-TV reported, adding that the victim’s family demanded that the other attackers, or their parents, come forward.

‘Fix the trains. Whatever’s happening with the trains, it shouldn’t have been that easy.’

Chicago police told the station that they arrested the teenage girl Friday — four days after authorities said she pushed the victim off the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train.

The girl was charged with felony counts of first-degree murder, mob action, murder by other forcible felony, and aggravated battery to a transit employee, WBBM reported.

The girl appeared in court Saturday, the station said, and a judge ordered her to stay in custody after finding probable cause on all counts. On Monday the girl again was ordered detained until her next hearing in October, WBBM said.

Police said the girl was one of three people who used force to push Kyle Bickham from a moving CTA train along the Dan Ryan Expressway last Monday around 2:30 p.m., which caused his death near 69th Street, the station said.

Police had not made any other arrests, WBBM said.

“Y’all took a part of me that I can’t get back. Like, just turn y’all selves in,” said the victim’s brother, Christopher Bickham Jr., according to the station. “Like, I forgive y’all already.”

RELATED: 11-year-old girl charged with aggravated battery after 8 to 10 youths brutally beat up 63-year-old man on Chicago train

Bickham was on his way home from work at the time of the attack, WBBM said, adding that police said some sort of fight preceded the shove off the train.

Police said three people pushed Bickham onto the third rail, and he was hit by another train, the station said.

“I wish this pain on no one. No one else. I wish that no one else has to go through this,” said the victim’s father, Christopher Bickham Sr., according to WBBM. “Fix the trains. Whatever’s happening with the trains, it shouldn’t have been that easy.”

Violence aboard Chicago trains is not a new problem.

In April, police said seven females and two males physically attacked a lone passenger aboard a Chicago train.In January, prosecutors said a male recorded cellphone video of himself fatally stabbing a sleeping man on a Chicago train in an unprovoked attack.In July 2024, an 11-year-old girl was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and felony robbery after eight to 10 youths brutally beat up a 63-year-old man on a Chicago train.In January 2023, an armed man tried to rob a passenger aboard a Chicago train — but it turns out the suspect picked the wrong victim: a concealed carrier who pulled out his own gun and shot the suspect.In July 2022, six robbers with weapons attacked and tried to rob a Chicago train passenger, but the victim pulled a knife and fought back. In the end, three of the suspects were wounded and hospitalized, all six were arrested — but the victim also was wounded and hospitalized.Just days after the July 2022 attack, another robbery victim stabbed to death a 15-year-old male who pulled a gun on him aboard a Chicago train.

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

​Murder, Teen girl, Train, Chicago, Shove, Crime 

What was supposed to be a luxury getaway with his wife turned fatal for British-Nigerian influencer Igho “Tiny” Ubiribo.

The businessman and social media personality died after undergoing a penis enlargement procedure at a clinic in Thailand, where a cosmetic injection allegedly led to a pulmonary embolism.

The bizarre and tragic case has caught the attention of BlazeTV hosts Stu Burguiere and Dave Landau — who are stunned not only by the deadly outcome but by the growing popularity of procedures like “penis enlargement.”

“He was a British-Nigerian businessman who documented his luxury lifestyle online, which is a really unique approach to social media,” Stu says.

“I didn’t even know that was a real surgery. I thought that was more of a joke,” he continues, noting that the choice of location for the surgery was a little strange.

“If you’re thinking through, like, where am I going to go to get a penis enlargement surgery? Would you go to Thailand for that?” he asks Dave.

“No, I wouldn’t go to Thailand. … I would never ever go anywhere except a first-world country if I wanted to get a surgery done,” Dave answers.

Stu points out that while the case is “ridiculous to talk about” because of the term “penis enlargement,” that what happened was “actually really bad.”

“A sudden blockage of blood vessels in the lungs, a pulmonary embolism,” he says.

“They say, by the way, it could result in loss of sensation, erectile dysfunction, infection, inflammation, and having a bend or kink in the new penis shape due to scarring,” he explains.

“There’s nothing good that can come of this,” Dave adds.

Want more from Stu and Dave?

To enjoy more of Stu and Dave’s lethal blend of wit, humor, and insightful commentary subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Dave landau, Penis enlargement, Stu burguiere, Surgery, Pulmonary embolism, Thailand, Igho ubiribo, Blazetv show 

As you might expect, Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck wasn’t going to miss the GOP’s first-ever 2026 Republican Midterm Convention. It was President Trump’s September 9 keynote speech that drew him in the most.

On this episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn walks through four moments from the speech that he says tell you who Trump is — and where the pitch still isn’t landing.

1. Long-term vision

Since Trump returned to office in 2025, Glenn has been defending his agenda as long-term foundation work — not short-term quick fixes.

One line in Trump’s speech, he says, confirmed this: “And I want you to remember me in four or five years when this country is rocketing. Remember, I’m the one that got it started.”

“That’s verification of everything I’ve been telling you. He’s working long-term,” Glenn says.

“He’s fixing the plumbing and the electricity and everything. … While everybody’s like, ‘Yeah, you know, this wallpaper is bad, and you know, our kitchen table is broken,’ he’s like, ‘No, we got to repoint the entire foundation of the house or nobody’s going to care about the wallpaper.”’

He also notes Trump’s humility in using the word “started.”

“Meaning, it’s not just him alone,” says Glenn, “which I know that’s little, but to me, I watch for moments of who he really is.”

2. Campaigning for a party that hasn’t delivered

Trump’s humility was far from subtle in the segment of his speech about the southern border wall.

“Ted Cruz worked very hard on the wall and so did John Cornyn,” he acknowledged.

“We built this massive, beautiful, great wall. Beautiful because it works. … Zero illegal aliens have entered our country from the southern border in the last 15 months,” Trump added.

Glenn believes this moment is crucial.

Trump, he explains, was “being gracious,” not only by praising the two senators but by showing up at the convention to help Republicans “who have really done nothing for him.” Add their poor midterm odds, and the near-certainty that the press will frame the loss as “Trump’s failure,” and his motive becomes obvious, says Glenn: he’s taking that on “for the country, not for him.”

3. An unpopular assist

Another remarkable moment, he says, was Trump highlighting Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) despite knowing it would be “unpopular.”

Over loud booing from the audience, Trump said, “John is working hard. … He’s got great opposition from the Democrat Schumer and these guys. They’re terrible. … He’s going to have great success, you watch. We are going to have great, great success with our Republican senators.”

“I have never seen Trump lose a room — never. Not once,” says Glenn.

“What he’s doing there is [saying], ‘Guys, I need this guy.’ … I don’t know if that’s a winning strategy with John Thune, but again, that’s something that all the people in the press said he’d never ever do,” he adds.

4. A number that doesn’t land

But the “biggest” moment of Trump’s speech, says Glenn, is when he addressed foreign investment numbers — but it wasn’t the “biggest” in a positive sense.

“We have more money being spent from outside countries and companies — over $20 trillion. That’s five, six, seven times higher than any country ever. Not just here, any country ever,” Trump said, noting that this figure could rise by the midpoint of his term.

Glenn believes that the applause Trump received for this comment was a “Pavlov response.”

“He doesn’t need to stop this point. He needs to stop saying it like this,” he criticizes.

Glenn argues that what Trump needs to highlight instead is how these foreign countries are investing in the United States and why that’s good for Americans.

“How are they investing? They’re building factories. This is a nation that is going to build cars again, in our own factories again. … That $20 trillion is the job for your son, or if you’re just getting into college, that factory will be open, and we’ll be taking applications. We are building America’s strength again. We’re going to be builders again!” he exclaims.

He pleads with Trump to focus on tangible outcomes instead of just numbers so that the “average person” can understand how what he’s doing benefits them directly.

“He’s not using the language the average person understands or relates to — and yet at the same time, I think everybody in that room walked away liking him.”

To hear more of Glenn’s analysis, watch the video above.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Donald trump, Rnc, Glenn beck, Blazetv show 

Everyone deserves a second chance, according to Caroline Ellison’s new boss.

Upon reading Ellison’s Tumblr page and Substack, the CEO thinks readers will understand too.

‘I believe in redemption.’

Ellison infamously ran Alameda research, a crypto-investment firm, while dating disgraced crypto-exchange mogul and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

Alameda, which was also founded by Bankman-Fried, had a $65 billion line of credit with FTX and was used to lend Bankman-Fried money to allegedly make political donations.

Ellison was sentenced to two years in prison after she pleaded guilty to fraud-related charges, but she was released after 11 months.

Now, the CEO of a nonprofit says Ellison has been working for him since July and accepted a full-time role in August to “develop our funding platform and research how to effectively direct philanthropic dollars.”

Austin Chen runs Manifund, which describes itself as a nonprofit that “helps great charities get the funding they need.”

Chen admitted in a recent blog post that he felt indebted to the FTX Future Fund, the charitable arm of FTX that funded Manifold Markets, which was also founded by Chen, with Manifund operating as a side project.

“I believe in redemption,” Chen wrote. “Caroline has admitted her faults, worked to make creditors whole, and served her time in prison. I’d like to give her the opportunity to contribute back to the world; I hope that the world will concur.”

Chen boasted about Ellison’s online accounts as the first thing that attracted him to her professionally, including her Tumblr titled “Fake Charity Nerd Girl.”

RELATED: Caroline Ellison, Sam Bankman-Fried’s partner in FTX crime, sprung early from prison

Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The CEO also cited Ellison’s writings on an effective altruism website. While “EA” is described as a philosophical movement with the intention of providing the greatest amount of evidence-based good, it is effectively a nonprofit movement that justifies its decision-making by declaring its own moral leanings as impartial.

“Poverty and disease remain unsolved; billions of animals suffer hell on earth,” Chen wrote in relation to the hiring. “I, my team, and many EAs I know, are often burning the midnight candle to address these wrongs. I don’t wish to sideline a pair of capable hands.”

In the same post, Ellison was revealed to have been writing under the pseudonym “Carol” for the company and provided statements about her new role.

“I’m deeply sorry for what I did, and I completely understand why people may not want to work with me,” Ellison said of her past. “But I’m very grateful to Austin for giving me a second chance, and judging me on my current work performance rather than my past. I feel very lucky not only to have a job, but to be working somewhere that I think is doing great work and has a mission I believe in.”

RELATED: Caroline Ellison sentenced to 2 years in prison over massive FTX crypto-scandal

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

With Ellison at the head, Alameda Research allegedly used $100 million of FTX customer deposits to bribe Chinese officials. She blamed Bankman-Fried:

“He directed me to commit these crimes,” Ellison reportedly said in court.

During trial, Ellison reportedly told jurors that Alameda Research would lend money to Bankman-Fried and other FTX executives for political donations. Bankman-Fried donated a reported $70 million to Democrats ahead of the 2022 midterms; he was the second-highest donor behind George Soros.

Ellison was making $20 million in salary and bonuses in 2021 as head of Alameda Research.

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

​Cryptocurrency, Sam bankman-fried, Caroline ellison, Ftx, Manifund, Tech