The sports world has exploded with support for President Donald Trump since his re-election, with several athletes publicly showing that they back the president.

Perhaps his most famous supporter from the sports world was revealed on election night. Many fans rejoiced and others groaned when the “The Great One,” Wayne Gretzky, was spotted in pictures during an election party last week at Mar-a-Lago.

Not only was Gretzky in attendance, he sported the increasingly popular white “Make America Great Again” hat with gold letters.

Gretzky’s daughter, Paulina, also posted a family photo from the Trump resort. The photo included her parents, brother Trevor, and her husband, professional golfer Dustin Johnson.

Trump has also had a major impact in football, where his popular dance has quickly become the go-to celebration for many players.

Specifically, noted supporter and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa showed his moves after a sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers en route to a 23-20 win. For the dance, Bosa was joined by his a pair of his teammates: defensive linemen Sam Okuayinonu and Leonard Floyd.

“Nick Bosa hit the Donald Trump dance after a sack,” a reporter wrote as the caption for the video.

As the footage circulated the internet, Trump himself noted on his Truth Social platform, “NICK BOSA IS A GREAT PLAYER!”

A little over a week before the presidential election, Bosa wore a MAGA hat during a postgame interview on the field. Although the interview-bomb lasted just a few seconds, the NFL fined him over $11,000 for violating the league’s rules on political messaging.

The Trump celebrations didn’t stop with Bosa, however.

‘They’re eating the dawgs.’

Over at Drake university, receiver Trey Radocha performed a professional-tier rendition of the Trump dance after a touchdown against St. Thomas on Saturday. Drake won 22-19.

Northern Illinois University’s Tristen Tewes somersaulted his way into the end zone before doing the Trump dance during a 42-28 win over Western Michigan.

Then, after the Ole Miss Rebels took down the Georgia Bulldogs 28-10, their social media team celebrated the win with a Trump reference.

“They’re eating the dawgs,” Ole Miss wrote, in reference both to Georgia and a statement Trump made at the presidential debate.

“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats,” Trump said in reference to police reports in Springfield, Ohio.

Honorable mention goes to Michael Taaffe from Texas for his dance during a 49-17 stomping of the Florida Gators.

As well, quarterback Katin Houser from the East Carolina University Pirates was credited by some as being the first to do the dance on Saturday during a 49-14 win over Florida Atlantic.

The celebrations are sure to keep coming, as the dance moves are getting increased fanfare and eyeballs for some lesser-known schools.

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​Trump, Election, Nfl, Football, Ncaa, Wayne gretzky, Politics 

Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, and
self-identified “Childless Cat Lady” Taylor Swift were among the many coastal celebrities who endorsed Kamala Harris in the lead-up to the vice president’s monumental defeat. It turns out that the production of inauthentic election-time adoration and ideological conviction was expensive.

Federal filings revealed that the campaign, which is
reportedly indebted to the tune of over $18 million after blowing roughly $1 billion on Harris’ latest failed presidential run, poured boatloads of cash into influencer networks and production companies linked to big names in the entertainment industry.

Federal Election Commission filings show, for instance, that the Harris campaign committee
paid Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions $1 million on Oct. 15.

Winfrey tried her apparent best on more than one occasion to generate excitement for Harris. In September, she
hosted a rally in Michigan, suggesting that there was a “grassroots movement” behind the vice president and that Harris inspired “a real feeling of optimism and hope.”

On the eve of Harris’ rejection by the majority of American voters, Winfrey
told a crowd in Philadelphia once again to vote, suggesting it might be their last opportunity ever to do so.

Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, rapper 2 Chainz, and Lady Gaga also made appearances at Harris’ final swing-state concerts. The Washington Examiner
indicated that the campaign blew over $15 million on “event production“-related costs.

‘It didn’t matter to have a bunch of celebrities talking to no one.’

Elements of the defeated Harris campaign
told the New York Post that former Obama campaign adviser Stephanie Cutter pushed the star-studded concert performances as a way to turn out lower-propensity voters — a plan apparently supported by senior Harris adviser David Plouffe, who has since taken steps to erase his social media presence.

One campaign source told the Post, “They said they were ‘spending to zero.’ I guess they overshot zero.”

Another source said that the costly events constituted “a real misuse of funds that could have been better spent on ads laying out economic polices” to irate and struggling voters. “It didn’t matter to have a bunch of celebrities talking to no one, because one, 75 million people already voted, and two, people were concerned about their own financial issues, not Oprah telling them America won’t exist.”

The Harris campaign apparently dodged the Post’s request for comment.

‘Now they are being squeezed by vendors and others.’

“Money can’t buy you love or a good candidate,” a Trump campaign adviser told the Examiner.

When compared to President-elect Donald Trump’s various podcast appearances, which were virtually all massively popular — especially his appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which has netted over 48.7 million views on YouTube alone despite
its initial suppression — Harris’ “Call Her Daddy” interview with Alex Cooper was a failure, netting fewer than 845,000 views on YouTube.

This promotional spot was not only ineffective but costly. An unnamed source told the Examiner that the Harris campaign spent six figures building a set for the vice president’s “Call Her Daddy” appearance.

Federal filings also indicate that the Harris campaign spent tens of millions of dollars on consultants to stimulate and simulate support online. The Examiner noted that Village Marketing Agency received over $3.9 million, ostensibly for its help
recruiting social media influencers to boost the vice president online.

Trump appeared to troll the Harris campaign on Truth Social over the weekend,
writing, “I am very surprised that the Democrats, who fought a hard and valiant fight in the 2020 Presidential Election, raising a record amount of money, didn’t have lots of
$’s left over. Now they are being squeezed by vendors and others.”

“Whatever we can do to help them during this difficult period, I would strongly recommend we, as a Party and for the sake of desperately needed UNITY, do,” continued the president elect. “We have a lot of money left over in that our biggest asset in the campaign was ‘Earned Media,’ and that doesn’t cost very much. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

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The editor in chief of a once-highly respected science publication has issued an apology after descending into an expletive-laden meltdown on election night when former President Donald Trump emerged the winner.

Last Tuesday night, Laura Helmuth, the editor in chief of Scientific American — the oldest continuously published magazine in American history — reportedly took to social media to unleash a series of invectives against those of her generation who voted for Trump.

“I apologize to younger voters that my Gen X is so full of f****** fascists,” she wrote, according to screenshots shared by the Daily Mail.

“Solidarity to everybody whose meanest, dumbest, most bigoted high-school classmates are celebrating early results because f*** them to the moon and back,” she apparently added.

Helmuth even apparently expressed shame for her Midwestern roots, decrying the entire state of Indiana as a haven for bigotry.

“Every four years I remember why I left Indiana (where I grew up) and remember why I respect the people who stayed and are trying to make it less racist and sexist,” she said, according to the Daily Mail.

“The moral arc of the universe isn’t going to bend itself.”

As might be expected, these alleged comments did not go over well, and soon social-media users began to call for Helmuth’s resignation.

“Wow you should fire your unhinged editor. She needs a long rest somewhere padded,” one user commented, according to the Daily Mail.

“She should be stripped of membership for any science organization she’s a member of. Trust in science is tanking because of these egregious, pathetic, bigoted scientists,” reportedly added another.

‘I am committed to civil communication and editorial objectivity.’

By Friday, Helmuth had backpedaled, issuing an apology for allowing the “shock and confusion” of the election results to get the best of her.

“I made a series of offensive and inappropriate posts on my personal Bluesky account on election night, and I am sorry,” Helmuth wrote in a statement, according to the New York Post. “I respect and value people across the political spectrum. These posts, which I have deleted, do not reflect my beliefs; they were a mistaken expression of shock and confusion about the election results.”

Despite evidence to the contrary, Helmuth also insisted that she does have the necessary temperament to separate her personal views from her professional responsibilities. “I am committed to civil communication and editorial objectivity,” she said.

However, Scientific American has hardly steered clear of political matters under her leadership. In 2020, the same year Helmuth took the reins as editor in chief, the outlet broke a nearly 200-year-old tradition of officially remaining above the political fray and endorsed Joe Biden for president.

The outlet likewise endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024.

Perhaps even more abhorrent, Scientific American has seemingly embraced junk science, especially regarding gender. In April, it republished an interview in which a man posing as a woman accused those who oppose gender ideology of peddling “misinformation” and perpetrating “epistemological violence,” as Blaze News previously reported.

The outlet also denied the possibility that wealthy elites profited from the pandemic, stressed the COVID-19 vaccine was safe, and declared the lab-leak theory regarding COVID-19 “false.” Scientific American even wasted ink, time, and money on multiple articles claiming that math, the NFL, and fighting obesity are racist.

In a post following the election, Helmuth also indicated that others at the outlet were having similar difficulty accepting the outcome, allegedly posting, “Any advice on what workplaces can do to help people who are devastated by the election? Thanks so much.”

Despite an obviously leftward lurch at the outlet, Helmuth claimed in her Friday statement that her offensive insults of Trump supporters “of course do not reflect the position of Scientific American or my colleagues.”

Scientific American did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

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Donald Trump won fair and square. Despite the Trump is Hitler narrative, the weaponization of the justice department against him, and two assassination attempts, America said, “We want more Trump.”

To be expected, the left is having a meltdown of cataclysmic proportions.

Dave Landau and the “Normal World” cast play some of the most epic lefty reactions to Trump’s big win. Enjoy.

– YouTube

youtu.be

Although the cast plays several clips, these are perhaps the most hilarious.

In clip one, a young woman sitting in her car screams, “No! No! Noooooo! Why? Why Why?! … Do you really hate me that bad?!” as she thrashes around violently.

In clip 2, a distraught and effeminate man laments, “You voted against me. You voted against my right to live. You voted against all the women and their rights. I hope you enjoy your cheap f****** gas.”

In clip 3, pop icon Cardi B listens to a TV commentator on election night announcing that Trump is nearing victory. She literally clutches her face in apparent agony. The caption over the video reads, “I hate yall bad.”

One clip features a woman just sobbing uncontrollably while her dog licks her face. A woeful Billie Eilish ballad plays in the background.

Another features a furious young man screaming, “I’m done! I’m done! I’m done! I’m done with you! I’m not with you, your mother, and your sister! I’m just done with all of this!”

In another clip, someone videos their mom rocking back and forth sobbing while watching election coverage. The caption reads, “My mom is freaking outtt. Kamala plsssss do ur thing.” Her mom then picks up a glass of wine and proceeds to chug it.

These are just a few of the most unhinged responses. To see more tearful, screaming, nonsensical reactions to Trump’s victory, watch the episode above.

Want more ‘Normal World’?

To enjoy more whimsical satire, topical sketches, and comedic discussions from comedians Dave Landau and 1/4 Black Garrett, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Normal world, Dave landau, 1/4 black garrett, Liberal meltdown, Trump victory, Trump 2024, Blazetv, Blaze media, Liberal reactions on twitter 

The NFL has fined San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa for sporting a “Make America Great Again” hat during a post-game interview.

Following a 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys on October 27, Bosa crashed an interview on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” where several of his teammates were speaking to network reporter Melissa Stark.

Bosa ran up behind quarterback Brock Purdy, pointed to his white and gold “MAGA” hat, and ran off-screen. The entire incident lasted less than five seconds.

The star player has since been fined $11,255 by the NFL over the political message, reportedly violating league rules. Players are prohibited from displaying personal messages or political messages of any kind on game day, according to NFL rules.

The NFL rulebook states the league “will not grant permission” for any player to wear messages that “relate to political activities or causes, other non-football events, causes or campaigns, or charitable causes or campaigns.”

This applies to the entirety of a “game day that a player is visible to the stadium and television audience (including in pregame warm-ups, in the bench area, and during postgame interviews in the locker room or on the field.”

‘It was well worth it.’

After wearing the hat, Bosa was asked about it during a post-game press conference:

“It appeared to be a political statement,” a reporter said to the 27-year-old.

Bosa simply replied, “I’m not gonna talk too much about it, but I think it’s an important time.”

About a week later, the day after Donald Trump won the presidency, reporters caught up with Bosa again in the locker room and asked him about a possible fine before it was handed down by the league.

“Nick, you could be fined for your hat; what are your thoughts on that?” a reporter asked.

Bosa paused, then said, “I don’t know; I haven’t got one yet. If it comes, it comes.”

“Did you feel that going in, that that could be a possibility?” a second reporter asked.

“It was well worth it,” the 49er replied. “I don’t think my position on speaking about it is going to change; clearly the nation spoke, and we got what we got,” he added.

Another media member questioned Bosa about the election and if he had watched any coverage. Bosa noted that he had “fun” and a “good time” watching before adding that he indeed “stayed up” to watch the results.

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​Nfl, Fearless, Nick bosa, Trump, Election, Sports 

Republicans will likely maintain their slim majority in the House, but several key races have not yet been called.

Republicans are just four seats away from the majority, currently holding 214 seats, while Democrats hold just 203 seats. In order for one party to win the majority, the party must hold at least 218 of the 435 House seats.

Although Democrats are leading 10 of the 18 uncalled races, Republicans are well on their way to maintaining their House majority.

California is the most likely path to victory for the GOP, with Republicans leading in four of the 10 uncalled congressional races. Republican incumbents John Duarte of California’s 13th Congressional District, David Valadao of California’s 22nd Congressional District, Ken Calvert of California’s 41st Congressional District, and Michelle Steel of California’s 45th Congressional District are all leading their Democratic challengers.

These four competitive California races would be enough to keep Republicans in the majority.

The GOP has another pickup opportunity in the neighboring state of Arizona. Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani of Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is currently leading Democratic challenger Kirsten Engel. Ciscomani’s is the only congressional race that has not yet been called in Arizona.

Up north, Republicans are guaranteed another seat in the race for Washington’s 4th Congressional District. Unlike most other states, Washington has a ranked-choice system, which allows voters to rank their candidates in preferential order rather than having a two-party primary like most other races. As a result, constituents are voting between two Republican candidates, incumbent Dan Newhouse and challenger Jerrod Sessler.

Newhouse is currently ahead of Sessler, but no matter which way the race pans out, Republicans will have secured the seat.

Similar to Washington, Alaska also adopted the ranked-choice voting system, though notably, Alaska introduced a ballot measure to end ranked-choice voting, which is currently on track to pass in the state.

Of the three Alaskan candidates, Republican challenger Nick Begich is leading Democratic incumbent Mary Peltola and independent candidate John Wayne Howe in the race for Alaska’s sole congressional seat.

While the race has not yet been called, Begich is leading Peltola by four points, making the longtime red state a likely layup for the GOP.

Republicans are leading a much tighter race out east in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. Republican incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks is currently ahead of Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan by just 0.2% with 99% of the votes counted. Miller-Meeks holds just a 1,200-vote advantage.

Although Democrats are leading 10 of the 18 uncalled races, Republicans are well on their way to maintaining their House majority.

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​2024 election, Election, House, House of representatives, House races, John duarte, David valadao, Republican majority, House majority, House republicans, Ken calvert, Michelle steel, Juan ciscomani, Dan newhouse, Jerrod sessler, Mary pelota, Nick begich, Mariannette miller-meeks, Politics 

President-elect Donald Trump announced Sunday that former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement Thomas D. Homan will serve as “border czar” in his incoming administration.

“The Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders (‘The Border Czar’), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” Trump
noted on Truth Social.

“I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” continued Trump. “Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.”

Homan, the president and CEO of
Border911, has proven himself to be a no-nonsense law enforcement official, unwavering in his belief that like other criminals, illegal aliens “should be afraid” when flouting America’s laws.

Trump promoted Homan to acting ICE director in January 2017, then nominated him as director.
According to the New York Times, illegal immigration arrests skyrocketed 38% under Homan from Jan. 22 to April 29, as compared with the previous year under former President Barack Obama, who gave him the government’s highest civil service award in 2015.

“These statistics reflect President Trump’s commitment to enforce our immigration laws fairly and across the board,” Homan said at the time.

Extra to criticizing so-called sanctuary cities and demonstrating a willingness to go after any of the tens of millions of illegal aliens who had stolen into the homeland, Homan helped blow up Democrats’ family-separation talking point,
underscoring that the U.S. has separated minors and adults at the border for over three decades.

‘I got down on my knees, put my hand on the child’s head, and said a prayer.’

When Homan — whose Senate confirmation never came — retired in April 2018, former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen
stated,

Under his exceptional leadership, the men and women of ICE have made significant progress in restoring the rule of law to our immigration system. Consistent with the priorities set out by President Trump, the past year has seen arrests increase by 40 percent, interior removals increase by 30 percent, and the highest number of MS-13 arrests since 2008. But perhaps most important to Tom is that employee morale at ICE is the highest it has been since 2010, which I believe is due in large part to his passionate leadership.

While the liberal media has attempted in recent years to characterize Homan as callous, he
revealed to the Atlantic in 2022 that his desire to end illegal immigration and secure the border was not born solely out of a sense of duty to the nation and his fellow citizens but also out of a sense of humanitarian responsibility to would-be border-jumpers.

In 2003, he was reportedly called to a crime scene in Victoria, Texas, where over 70 illegal aliens had been found crammed into a semitruck. When the trailer was opened, corpses tumbled out. Seventeen were dead, and two more would ultimately die. Among the dead was a 5-year-old boy — the same age as Homan’s son at the time.

“I got down on my knees, put my hand on the child’s head, and said a prayer, because I could only imagine what his last hour of life must have been like, how scared he must have been. Couldn’t breathe, pitch black, begging his father to help him. His father couldn’t help,” said Homan. “What was his father thinking? He’d put him in that position, right? His father was probably saying, ‘I can’t believe I did this.'”

‘What price do you put on national security?’

Homan added, “That one instance made me who I am today, because it’s preventable. We could stop this.”

Homan demonstrated the continued strength of his resolve in an interview last month with CBS News’ “60 Minutes.” When asked about the potential cost of deporting one million illegal aliens a year, Homan
said, “What price do you put on national security?”

The former ICE boss further revealed a resistance to emotional manipulation.

Correspondent Cecilia Vega concern-mongered about the possibility families might be separated as a consequence of mass deportation. Homan reassured Vega, “Families can be deported together.”

While Homan is likely to succeed in the position, the previous border czar, failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris, set the bar incredibly low. After all, she oversaw the
illegal entry of tens of millions of foreign nationals into the country, including terroristic gang members and human traffickers.

Homan
told Fox News over the weekend that the deportation campaign is “going to be a well-targeted, planned operation conducted by the men of ICE. The men and women of ICE do this daily. They’re good at it.”

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​Immigration, Border, Thomas homan, Homan, Tom homan, Trump, Trump administration, Illegal aliens, Deportation, Winning, Maga, Policy, Border czar, Politics 

The Senate returns to session Tuesday. The new members will be there too. They’ll have a candidate forum Tuesday night, where the men vying for Senate Republican leadership will make their case, and on Wednesday, the GOP senators and senators-elect of the 119th Congress will choose their next leader.

It’s an important job. Under Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), power and money have become more and more centralized while the Senate’s regular order has been pushed aside — and along with it, the power of Senate committees and their chairmen to seriously shape policy.

Inside the Senate, support can be mercurial … and how much does ideology play into it anyway?

And while the House of Representatives has its essential role in governance, and though its members are generally more raucous and more conservative than their counterparts in the upper chamber, you can expect all that to calm down in the next Congress. When the same party controls both chambers and the presidency, it’s business time — and the House tends to follow the Senate’s lead without all the drama of the last four years. So Senate majority leader? Important role.

The candidates are Sens. John Thune (S.D.), John Cornyn (Texas) and Rick Scott (Fla.). That’s two men with moderate, leadership-friendly records and a self-made billionaire known for angering McConnell and generally shaking things up. While the Republican base might have its favorite in that kind of race, the Senate is an entirely different animal.

For months, D.C. has called Thune the leader, Cornyn a possibility, and Scott a conservative protest run meant to pull concessions from the eventual leader, but not much backs this up aside from an aggressive, behind-the-scenes campaign by Team Thune to make it seem that way.

Granted, Thune and Cornyn fit the mold. Both have long been close to leadership (and less close with conservatives). Cornyn in particular has built a fundraising juggernaut with which he’s generously supported his colleagues (an important thing in an insular popularity contest). While lacking the treasure chest, Thune aggressively campaigned for his fellow Republicans throughout the last election. Scott has largely gone his own way, but over the past couple of years, he has distinguished himself for his willingness to challenge McConnell’s very un-MAGA agenda and also put forward an actual agenda (however unpopular with his colleagues) for Republicans to run on.

But it’s a secret vote, so no one actually knows who to hold responsible for what. As retired Sen. Lamar Alexander quipped in his December 2020 farewell address, in 2006, “I wrote 27 thank-you notes for 24 votes when I lost the race by one vote to be the Republican whip.”

The secret vote can be important. It allows senators to avoid retribution for opposing the eventual winner. It can also shield them from the influence of one president-elect, Donald J. Trump. While thus far Trump has declined to weigh in on the race, it is well in his interest to have a Senate majority leader he can work with for once. Members of his camp know this, and leaks and barbs are circulating Capitol Hill undermining this or that candidate.

For example, a video started shooting between staffers and members this week showing five clips of Thune speaking ill of Trump, followed by a clip from earlier in the week of the senator warning Trump away from trying to influence the election, and ending with a tweet by Donald Trump Jr. attacking both Thune and Cornyn as establishment liberals.

Then there’s the Axios piece last week reporting that months prior, Trump dismissed Scott as an unserious contender. Trump spokesmen denied it, but the point is blood is in the water. And if Trump wouldn’t have any impact on the election, why would Thune feel the need to warn him off? If he was comfortable in the big man’s support — or confident it wouldn’t have an impact — he would have invited it. (Though he has been courting the once and future president and, just as with Scott and Cornyn, is in frequent contact with him.)

Inside the Senate, support can be mercurial. While Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) joined Thune’s South Dakota colleague Mike Rounds in their support, Sen. Josh Hawley, a populist conservative from Missouri, announced his support Friday for Cornyn’s bid. Why? Cornyn apparently promised to support Hawley’s mission to get a bill covering federally caused radiation exposure for citizens of all 50 states through the Senate. Earlier this year, others on the fiscal right had offered to expand the bill to cover states including Missouri, but Hawley wanted all 50 states covered. Scott voted against that. The end.

And how much does ideology play into it anyway? Cornyn has taken a couple of stands in his life, including for the now-unpopular criminal justice reform. Do conservatives want a strong speaker who doesn’t share their views or one who is more malleable to the current mandate — a mandate Trump clearly earned? In all but two states a Republican senator won, Trump beat their winning tally by tens to hundreds of thousands of votes.

Then, Cornyn is courting conservatives you might imagine would otherwise vote for Scott. The day after Trump’s election, he released a statement promising a return to normal order in the Senate, including empowering committees — two things far more important to empowering the legislature than term limits for leadership (though he’s supported these as well). Another point in his favor? He has his own fundraising team and won’t be reliant on the McConnell people in quite the same way Thune would be.

Scott is the only one of them to put pen to paper and write out a plan for what the Republican Senate should be fighting for. That courage has been in short supply over the past five years in D.C. But will it make a difference now that Trump is back and his agenda is the agenda?

All this and more will be hashed out in behind-the-scenes negotiations this week, though true to fashion, McConnell’s team didn’t want even that to happen. He’s getting a lifetime achievement award from the thoroughly anti-MAGA American Enterprise Institute Tuesday night, and Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s candidate forum is disrupting the celebration. It’s perfect, really.

Blaze News: How Tim Scott plans to capitalize on GOP Senate gains

Glenn Beck: ‘A true rebirth of freedom’: Why Glenn Beck is ‘really hopeful’ about Trump’s second term

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IN OTHER NEWS

Goodbye (for now)

I’m absolutely thrilled to report that Sarah Bedford gave birth to a beautiful daughter Saturday morning. While I barely — I mean, barely — missed becoming a midwife, these next four weeks I’ll be tending to a healthy mom and healthy baby girl. God willing, you’ll hear from me again the week of Dec. 9. Until then!

​Opinion & analysis, Politics 

In the late hours of Nov. 5, North Carolina decisively awarded its 16 electoral votes to President Donald Trump, marking the 13th Republican victory in the state’s last 15 presidential elections. Only Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008 interrupted this streak. By the next day, Republicans had secured control of the North Carolina legislature, falling just one vote short of a veto-proof majority.

Despite this strong record in national and legislative races, pundits and optimistic Democrats still label North Carolina a “purple state.” The reason? A puzzling trend: While North Carolinians reliably vote Republican for president, the legislature, and the judiciary, they continue to elect Democrats to the state’s highest executive offices.

Dan Bishop knows where corruption runs deep within the department — and he’s ready to wield a meat cleaver to eliminate it from the start.

In the past 50 years, despite Republican dominance in presidential elections, North Carolina has elected only three Republican governors — Jim Holshouser, Jim Martin, and Pat McCrory. No Republican has served as attorney general in the state since Reconstruction.

With President Trump likely to run strong at the top of the ticket, 2024 presented Republicans with their best chance in years to end the party’s drought in the attorney general’s office. Rep. Dan Bishop (R), one of the House’s most effective conservative litigators, has earned a reputation for his sharp cross-examinations of Biden administration officials, including Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Leaving a clear path to re-election in North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District, he decided to enter the race for state attorney general.

Unfortunately for Republicans, their gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, was caught on video making remarks that were, to put it mildly, undiplomatic. Democrats seized on these comments, unleashing a relentless wave of attack ads targeting Robinson. The barrage not only hurt Robinson but also created a drag effect on other high-profile Republican candidates, including Bishop and lieutenant governor candidate Hal Weatherman. Robinson’s loss to incumbent Attorney General Josh Stein proved too heavy to overcome, pulling down Bishop, Weatherman, and other Council of State candidates with him. Although Bishop and Weatherman ran much closer races than Robinson, the downdraft from the top of the ticket was insurmountable.

Yet as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, North Carolina’s loss could become America’s gain.

The U.S. Senate already features some of the fiercest conservative cross-examiners, including Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and John Kennedy (R-La.). But if any House member has matched — or even surpassed — their impact, it’s Bishop. Known for his relentless and incisive questioning, he has proven himself as formidable as these renowned Senate interrogators.

A quick YouTube search reveals Bishop’s shocking effectiveness in cross-examining Democratic witnesses and defending President Trump’s border security policies. His sharp, relentless approach has repeatedly highlighted the dangers of the Democrats’ open-border stance.

One of his standout moments came in 2022 when he confronted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In a heated exchange, Bishop told Mayorkas, “You are one of the most assiduous bureaucrats I have ever seen at evading and filibustering responses when members have just five minutes to question you.”

Just over a month ago, Bishop brought mothers who had lost loved ones to crimes by illegal immigrants before the House Judiciary Committee, giving them a platform to share their stories. He reminded the committee of Kate Steinle, killed by an illegal immigrant on a San Francisco pier in 2015, emphasizing the human cost of unsecured borders.

Before his election to Congress, Bishop was known as one of North Carolina’s top commercial litigators. He appeared in Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” 10 times and was named a “Super Lawyer” seven times. Unlike President Trump’s 2017 attorney general pick, Jeff Sessions — whose main credential was early support for Trump — Bishop offers both staunch advocacy of Trump’s policies and a fierce commitment to tackling illegal immigration, stopping fentanyl, and addressing corruption within the Justice Department.

Respected by law enforcement, Bishop was endorsed by the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association and most sheriffs in the state. His unmatched tenacity, legal skill, and dedication to law enforcement make him a formidable candidate for attorney general.

One of President Trump’s top priorities must be restoring integrity to the Department of Justice, allowing Americans to have confidence in a fair judicial system free from partisan manipulation. Dan Bishop is best positioned to lead this effort. With firsthand experience on the House Judiciary Committee and the Weaponization of Government Committee, he has witnessed the Biden administration’s misuse of the DOJ to target individuals based on political beliefs for the benefit of the Democratic Party. Bishop knows where corruption runs deep within the department — and he’s ready to wield a meat cleaver to eliminate it from the start.

When President Trump evaluated a strong field of candidates for his vice presidential pick, he chose a true superstar in Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio). Appointing Dan Bishop as attorney general would add another powerhouse to Trump’s Cabinet — a conservative superstar committed to dismantling the corruption that has tainted America’s justice system and eroded public trust.

With Bishop at the helm, the Justice Department would swiftly move back toward accountability and integrity. He would be the anti-Garland: a professional lawyer with an outstanding track record devoted to integrity, blind justice, and the immediate de-weaponization of the government. Political prosecutors would be rooted out, and the Democrats’ manipulation of the Department of Justice would end on day one.

​Donald trump, Dan bishop, Attorney general, Weaponization of the federal government, Justice department, Corruption, North carolina, Opinion & analysis 

It is important to understand that Donald Trump won his resounding electoral victory despite still being under water in his favorables with the American public. What was more than a double-digit gap, though, is now a measly one or two points. It really is springtime for Hitler, Mel Brooks!

That means people overlooked quite a bit about a persona they didn’t care for because of the agenda they wanted him to pursue. And that’s really good news. Because that’s the definition of a mandate if I’ve ever heard one. It goes well beyond the fun we had with killer memes in order to embrace massive policy reform, if not outright revolution.

Poetry will be written and songs will be sung of our hideous joy in spreading seeds of … faith, hope, and love. God as our witness. You can’t stop us.

That’s right. America is back.

What about the calls to be magnanimous and show mercy to those who have tarred us as Nazis and fascists for much of the past eight years? Should we follow Abraham Lincoln’s advice and pursue “malice toward none … charity toward all”? Let me be clear: I have no intention of extending such mercy to our leftist countrymen before raw, unmitigated power goes on the march.

To those dreading the prospect of a Trumpian “reign of terror,” know this — there will be no mercy. Mercy is for the weak, and I offer no words of comfort for your fears. In fact, your worries should be even greater. Prepare for the reckoning ahead. You have been warned. Vengeance is coming.

Behold: For your insolence, we will cut, and maybe even slash … your taxes. And the cost of living. Interest rates. Inflation. No stone will be unturned. You might even be able to move to a different house! All will be brought to their knees with fiscal restraint and affordable living. Milk and eggs will once again flow in kitchens like a mighty river.

Like I said, no mercy!

For your disobedience, you will be rounded up into the choking confines of … secure borders and the guaranteed rights of citizens. Illegal aliens will be sent back to where they came from or put in jail instead of murdering and raping you. Your cats will not be eaten nor your pet squirrels assassinated.

Avert your eyes from such haunting justice!

For all your coercive tyranny, the pharmaceutical industy will be given a free pass to … never again bombard you with cult-inducing propaganda for its experimental toxins or to fund and anoint “experts” with lockdown, masking, or “social distancing” voodoo incantations. We will go so far as to make you healthier against your will for your treachery. Such is the darkness of our hearts.

For your chaotic worldview, we will go into the safe spaces where your women and children reside and deploy brigades of lethal, fully armed men. You have simply given us no choice. It will be your doing, not ours. Like conquerors of old have done, we will enter the domains of the vulnerable and impose our masculine patriarchal will by … making sure there are no bearded ladies or chicks with Adam’s apples bothering you any more.

There will be no exceptions to this. None. Not on your sports teams. In your bathrooms. In your classrooms. We will cleanse it all. Pronouns such as ‘ze’ and ‘shim’ will be cast back into the fires whence they came. Furthermore, your children’s healthy body parts will stay attached to their bodies so that their souls may not completely detach from reality by the time they become an adult.

Our ruthlessness on this front cannot be quenched. How glorious these drums of war!

Oh, and for your disgusting licentiousness, we will cast ourselves upon the earth like a biblical plague to finally, once and for all … get to the bottom of just what the hell is going on in Ukraine before our military becomes as gay as Zelenskyyyyyyyyyy.

That, and stick your “Happy Holidays” where the sun don’t shine, because the almighty wrath of “Merry Christmas!” is upon you like a sledgehammer!

This and more will we do. Oh, so much more. Poetry will be written and songs will be sung of our hideous joy in spreading seeds of … faith, hope, and love. God as our witness.

You can’t stop us.

​Donald trump, Maga, Satire, 2024 presidential election, Opinion & analysis 

Ask any southerner: Waffle House doesn’t close. It’s open 24/7, even on holidays — in fact, Christmas is its busiest day of the year. Its never-ending breakfast menu is a staple of American life.

So when Waffle House does close — when the bright yellow lights dim and the doors lock — you know things have gotten serious.

When a storm passes and you smell those hash browns frying again, it’s not just a diner reopening — it’s a sign that things are getting better.

Anyone who’s spent time at Waffle House knows it’s a bare-bones operation — simple booths, an open kitchen, and a no-frills menu from which you can even order a T-bone steak.

Waffle House restaurants are often located along highways in cities and small towns. They have a bit of a reputation for rowdiness, thanks to videos of late-night altercations surfacing online.

Yet the chain also has another, more surprising claim to fame: It’s uniquely well prepared for disasters.

Waffle House headquarters has a storm center and an entire operations and readiness team. Their extensive contingency plans include emergency response teams and pre-stocked supplies, making their closure or limited operation an indicator of something truly serious.

Scattered showers

The Waffle House Index is a term coined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to measure disaster severity based on the operational status of Waffle House restaurants. It’s kind of similar to the Big Mac Index, which correlates the exchange rate of a country to the local cost of a Big Mac.

Waffle House has more than 1,900 locations nationwide. Yet they all share a devotion to their surrounding community.

If a serious hurricane spirals out of the Atlantic Ocean, it’s most likely going to be faced with dozens of Waffle Houses — in 2022, Hurricane Ian knocked out at least 35 locations. FEMA noticed that these diners are so resilient that their status during hurricanes correlates with the impact of the disaster. It’s a quirky yet effective metric that exemplifies the odd but vital relationship between Waffle House and FEMA.

The Index has three levels:

Green: Waffle House is fully operational with a complete menu. This indicates minimal damage.
Yellow: The restaurant is open but serving a limited menu. Power outages or supply issues likely impacted operations.

Red: Waffle House is closed. This is a serious situation, as these diners rarely shut down.

Seeing ‘red’

The Waffle House Index first gained traction after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Waffle House closures closely followed the storm’s path, with restaurants shutting down in the hardest-hit areas.

The correlation became apparent — when Waffle House closes, FEMA knows things are bad.

The “red” status was invoked across the Carolinas during Hurricane Florence (2018), as many locations shut down completely due to severe flooding and infrastructure damage

In 2021, Waffle House closures in Texas gave FEMA a critical indicator of the severity of the power grid failure and infrastructure breakdown across the state

And most recently, during Hurricane Helene, Waffle Houses across Florida’s Big Bend and inland areas hit “red” as the storm devastated the region, signaling the need for urgent relief efforts.

American water

I won’t dwell on the history and logistics of the Waffle House Index. Every time there’s a major hurricane, the news media is flooded with stories about it.

Instead, let’s consider the deeply American cohesion of a federal agency and a chain breakfast joint.

The dynamic is familiar: private and public sectors, industry and state, a corporation working alongside a government agency. In the wake of Helene and FEMA’s disastrous response, snarky memes flooded social media, insisting that Waffle House outperforms FEMA.

This is silly. Waffle House is not more prepared and equipped than FEMA. But that’s also the wrong comparison to make. The relationship is closer to the dynamic between local and federal. Waffle House is more American because it’s so personal and real. FEMA is more American in its budget, structure, and enormity. America is a beast with the wild heart of a high school dropout.

A symbol of recovery

Waffle House’s ability to remain open during disasters is due to its robust disaster preparedness. Each location has a crisis management plan, pre-stocked supplies, and emergency teams on standby. This level of preparation sets Waffle House apart as a symbol of community resilience during crises.

The faster a Waffle House reopens, the more resilient the area is. When a storm passes and you smell those hash browns frying again, it’s not just a diner reopening — it’s a sign that things are getting better.

After a few days of eating MREs, Waffle House is practically gourmet — warm food, shared with lines of fellow survivors.

In America, victory over nature is often celebrated with a greasy plate of eggs and hash browns. What could be more fitting?

​Waffle house, Waffle house index, Fema, Disaster management, Hurricane helena, Hurricanes, Kevin ryan, Ain’t that america 

A California special education teacher is accused of grooming and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old student. The Los Angeles teacher also had sex with the underage boy in her classroom and provided him with marijuana, according to police.

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested 43-year-old Colleen Jo Matarico.

Matarico is in custody on $1.3 million bail.

Police said in a statement that Matarico of Valley Village “groomed and sexually assaulted a 13-year-old victim in her classroom, and later convinced the victim to have sexual intercourse in her vehicle.”

Police said the special education teacher also provided marijuana to the boy and added that “detectives believe there are additional, unidentified victims of Matarico who have yet to come forward.”

Matarico was charged with five counts of lewd acts with a minor, two counts of lewd acts with a minor 14 or 15 years old, and one count of furnishing marijuana to a minor.

Matarico’s LinkedIn profile states she is a special education teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

According to the John Burroughs Middle School website, Matarico was listed as “a teacher.”

School principal Dr. Steve Martinez told the school community Thursday in a message shared with the New York Post that the teacher was removed from campus after the school contacted police. The Post said Matarico wasn’t named in the letter.

“District protocols are being followed and we remain in cooperation with local authorities. Due to the ongoing investigation by law enforcement, we are unable to disclose additional details about this matter,” the principal wrote, according to the Post.

“We understand that some students may be impacted by this incident. Students can always reach out to teachers, counselors or school staff for support,” he added, the paper said.

Matarico is in custody on $1.3 million bail.

Police are urging any other victims to contact the LAPD’s Juvenile Division Abused Child Section at 424-259-7097. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact the Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-8477 or submit tips online at www.lacrimestoppers.org.

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​Grooming, Sexual assault, Teacher sex scandal, Bad teachers, Teacher arrested, Child sex abuse, Child sex crimes, Crime