blaze media

‘Ridiculous charade’: Bill O’Reilly torches Democrat senator over ‘seditious’ political stunt

Bill O’Reilly ripped into Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over his involvement in left-wing lawmakers’ most recent political stunt.

Kelly and five other Democratic senators put out a video calling on military members to disobey “unlawful” orders from the commander in chief, President Donald Trump. Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who reportedly orchestrated the video, admitted herself that she is not aware of any “unlawful” orders issued by the administration.

‘If you’re a responsible legislator, you don’t make things up.’

Kelly, who has an extensive military background, came under fire alongside his colleagues, with Trump and his allies branding the video “seditious.”

“I think the whole thing is contrived,” O’Reilly said. “I’m disappointed with Sen. Kelly. I think that he made a huge mistake by getting involved with this ridiculous charade.”

RELATED: It gets worse for Nashville Democrat who ‘hates’ her own city: ‘Burning down a police station is justified’

Because Kelly is a retired Navy commander, the Democratic senator is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, landing him an investigation from the Department of War.

“All servicemembers are reminded that they have a legal obligation under the UCMJ to obey lawful orders and that orders are presumed to be lawful,” a DOW statement reads. “A servicemember’s personal philosophy does not justify or excuse the disobedience of an otherwise lawful order.”

O’Reilly said Kelly’s irresponsible involvement in the Democrats’ political stunt was purely motivated by partisan affiliation.

“If you’re a responsible legislator, you don’t make things up,” O’Reilly said. “So if you don’t have an illegal order, then why are you talking about an illegal order? For what? What is the reason?”

“There’s only one,” O’Reilly added. “To embarrass Trump. To whip up hatred against Trump. That’s why they did it. I guess they didn’t have anything else to do on Monday.”

RELATED: ‘Canary in a coal mine’: Ousted speaker warns against the rising risk of GOP House resignations

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Kelly’s military background should have prevented him from such a public misstep, according to O’Reilly.

“But why would Kelly, who has a distinguished record both in the military and in Congress, why would he be part of it?” O’Reilly asked. “What’s the up side? And then, when all hell breaks loose, you weren’t expecting that backlash? … If they didn’t, they should retire.”

“What are you, 7 years old? When you go in there and tell the U.S. military not to obey orders because they may be ‘unlawful,’ you’re going to get push back.”

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

​Bill o’reilly, Donald trump, Mark kelly, Elissa slotkin, Pete hegseth, Senate democrats, Seditious six, Commander-in-chief, Department of war, Uniform code of military justice, Trump administration, White house, Politics 

blaze media

‘So dumb it hurts my soul’: DHS brutally fact-checks viral ‘new data’ from Cato Institute

The Department of Homeland Security has showed no signs of slowing down its deportation campaign against the “worst of the worst” in the country. However, many of its detractors have tried countless methods of obstructing its mission and undermining public support.

On Monday, Cato Institute Director of Immigration Studies David Bier challenged the “worst of the worst” narrative with “new data” regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions.

‘By the way, every single one of these illegal aliens broke our nation’s laws by being in the country illegally.’

“Most ‘criminals’ had immigration, traffic, and vice offenses. Not the ‘worst of the worst,'” Bier said.

RELATED: Charlotte school district attendance plummets after immigration raid, sparking concerns about illegal alien numbers

Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images

The pie chart shows that 73% of ICE detainees within the period of October 1-November 15 had “no conviction” and only 5% were “violent” offenders.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) highlighted the data, saying: “This is the scandal. Trump isn’t targeting dangerous people. He’s targeting peaceful immigrants. Almost exclusively.”

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to Bier via Senator Murphy’s post: “This is so dumb it hurts my soul. This is a made up pie chart with no legitimate data behind it — just propaganda to undermine the brave work of @DHSgov law enforcement and fool Americans.”

McLaughlin went on to set the record straight: “~ 70% of illegal aliens arrested have active criminal charges or criminal convictions. That doesn’t even include those wanted in another country for a crime, gang members, known/suspected terrorists, wanted by INTERPOL, human rights abusers. The list goes on.”

She then added what many people are thinking, for those who need to hear it: “By the way, every single one of these illegal aliens broke our nation’s laws by being in the country illegally.”

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

​Politics, Tricia mclaughlin, Dhs, Department of homeland security, Ice, Illegal aliens, Illegal alien arrests, Deportations, Worst of the worst 

blaze media

Male, 58, points gun at 12-year-old girls singing Christmas carols door-to-door, police say

A 58-year-old Maryland male pointed a gun at 12-year-old girls who were going door-to-door singing Christmas carols Saturday night, Anne Arundel County Police said.

Southern District officers responded to a report of an assault that occurred around 8:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of Point No Point Drive in Annapolis, police said.

‘… loud and belligerent behavior …’

The investigation revealed three girls were going door-to-door in the area, singing Christmas carols, when the suspect at one of the homes pointed a firearm at them from a window inside his residence, police said.

The suspect — identified as Paul Brian Susie — was located and taken into custody and charged with first- and second-degree assault and related charges, police said.

The firearm, a 40-caliber Glock handgun, was recovered, police said.

RELATED: Church of England reportedly urges clergy to alter Christmas carols to avoid offensive lyrics. But church has different view.

WJZ-TV said it all started after the girls knocked on Susie’s door. Citing charging documents it obtained, the station said the carolers ran away after seeing him pointing a gun at them from a bay window.

Susie admitted he was the man involved in the incident, the station said, citing documents. Officers located the loaded gun in a safe, WJZ added.

Susie also was charged with reckless endangerment as well as one count of wearing and carrying a handgun while under the influence, the station said, citing the Banner.

WJZ said an officer wrote the following in charging documents:

Given Susie’s reckless behavior in pointing a loaded firearm at a group of nonthreatening 12-year-olds he could clearly see on his well-lit stoop, his loud and belligerent behavior during my conversation with him, and his admission of consuming an alcoholic beverage, I know through my training, knowledge, and experience Susie was likely under the influence.

Susie was released from custody after posting a $10,000 unsecured bond, the station said, adding that he is due back in court Dec. 17 for a preliminary hearing.

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

​Annapolis, Maryland, Anne arundel county police, 12-year-old girls, Singing christmas carols, Arrest, Assault charges, Man points gun at girls, Crime 

blaze media

In defense of Karens: Do we owe America’s manager-summoning moms an apology?

Whether she’s demanding to speak to the manager, lecturing the barista, or calling the cops on a neighbor’s backyard BBQ — nobody likes a Karen. That’s why there are hundreds of thousands of internet memes aiming to mock her out of existence.

But maybe we’ve jumped the gun in villainizing America’s entitlement queens. Maybe Karens (irritating antics aside) serve a critical purpose in society.

That’s what Christopher Rufo and Jonathan Keeperman — BlazeTV hosts of “Rufo & Lomez” — argue.

“We need to mount a principled, unashamed, and unapologetic defense of the Karen archetype,” says Rufo.

The “Karen,” he explains, “is precisely the person who upholds the civic order. [She’s] the mother, the authority figure who is nosy enough and assertive enough to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. You’re transgressing these important pillars of our social order.”’

Keeperman, who once “wrote an impassioned defense of the Karen,” agrees: “In a society that is undergoing this decay and in which our sort of infrastructure doesn’t work and basic service has been degraded … the attack on the Karen is a way to avoid ever having to confront that these things are breaking down.”

The Karen, he argues, is one of the only ones bold enough to stand in the gap and demand order and quality in a world of chaos and low bars. Even if Karens do go about it in annoying, “hysterical [ways],” they nonetheless “demand that things work … demand that there is a certain baseline presumption and expectation of etiquette in our public spaces” — and that, he says, is a good thing.

But not all Karens are equal. The one screaming about micro-aggressions and misgendering is not the same as the one demanding that rulebooks and protocols be followed.

The latter, says Rufo, is a “defender of civilization,” a warrior for “right and wrong,” and a lover of tradition. But this “universal tough mother” who defends what is good, right, and true unfortunately has been conflated with the “tote bag NPR Karen.”

Rule-loving, high-expectation sticklers — annoying as they can be — are the last line of defense against civilizational sloppiness. Mock them into silence and the only Karens left will be the ones policing pronouns instead of pool rules.

To hear more of the conversation, watch the episode above.

Want more from Rufo & Lomez?

To enjoy more of the news through the anthropological lens of Christopher Rufo and Lomez, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Rufo & lomez, Chris rufo, Jonathan keeperman, Blazetv, Blaze media, Karens, Karen archetype 

blaze media

Trial update: Wisconsin judge accused of helping illegal alien escape detention set to appear at final pretrial hearing

In April, a Wisconsin judge allegedly helped a violent illegal alien evade federal officers who were waiting outside her courtroom. With her case finally going to trial next month, the judge is set to appear at a final pretrial hearing Wednesday.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan will appear in court for arguments about jury selection and other procedural questions, according to the Associated Press.

Jury selection will take place on December 11 and 12, days before the trial is set to begin.

The AP reported that prosecutors offered Dugan a plea deal, but it was declined. Her defense attorneys argued that Dugan is innocent and acted within her judicial authority.

RELATED: Wisconsin judge who allegedly helped illegal alien evade ICE just got some really bad news

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Dugan allegedly showed Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, a Mexican national who was facing three counts of battery, a side door to flee from federal officers. Flores-Ruiz was apprehended after a foot race outside the courthouse.

Jury selection will take place on December 11 and 12. Her trial will begin on December 15. Dugan faces up to six years in prison if convicted on charges of obstruction and concealing a person of interest.

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

​Politics, Ice, Federal officers, Hannah dugan, Milwaukee county circuit judge hannah dugan, Wisconsin judge, Activist judge, Eduardo flores-ruiz, Dugan, Illegal alien 

blaze media

Liberals’ twisted views on Charlie Kirk assassination, censorship captured by a damning poll

It has long been abundantly clear that there is a strong appetite for political violence and ideological uniformity on the left. A new Young America’s Foundation poll released on Tuesday indicated that this is indeed an intergenerational problem.

Shortly after the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Echelon Insights conducted a YAF survey of 1,021 registered voters ages 18-29 nationwide.

On the topic of Kirk’s murder on Sept. 10, respondents were asked which of the following two statements they agreed with more: “There is absolutely no justification for murdering someone over their viewpoints” or “Kirk’s viewpoints mean he brought this violence upon himself to an extent.”

Seventy percent of respondents answered that there was no justification for murdering a person over his views. While 90% of conservatives and 75% of moderates answered that there was no justification, 42% of self-described liberal respondents suggested that Kirk had it coming.

‘Three in ten young voters, however, say violence might be justified in some instances to shut those types of speech down.’

Young liberals’ responses to a follow-up question helped clarify that a great many just don’t want conservatives to be able to articulate their views in public.

When asked whether they believed “we are better off when strongly conservative viewpoints are able to be voiced and shared in the public square,” 53% of liberals said conservative viewpoints should be “shut down or kept out of the public square.”

RELATED: Blue cities reject law, reject order — and reject America

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Only 49% of all respondents supported expressions of conservative viewpoints in public. The statement lacked majority support in part because only 75% of conservatives indicated that society was better off when their viewpoints were not shut down in public.

Although young liberals majoritively favor censorship, YAF noted that a significant percentage of all respondents are far from absolute in their support for free speech.

“Fewer than half of young voters think that negative statements toward racial or ethnic groups or celebrating acts of violence should be protected as free speech — 42% and 48% respectively — and roughly 60% believe such expression should be reportable to employers,” noted YAF spokesman Spencer Brown. “Three in ten young voters, however, say violence might be justified in some instances to shut those types of speech down.”

Other polls in recent months and years have similarly highlighted the violent and censorious mentality that possesses so many on the left.

A Marist Poll conducted in late September found that 10% of Democrats strongly agreed and another 18% agreed with the statement that “Americans may have to resort to violence in order to get the country back on track.”

A survey conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University’s Social Perception Lab revealed in April that 55% of respondents who identified as left of center said that assassinating Trump would be at least somewhat justified.

RMG Research asked American adults in the wake of the September 2024 attempt on President Donald Trump’s life whether the country would “be better off if Donald Trump had been killed last weekend?” While 69% of respondents said no, 28% of Democrats answered “yes.”

The desire on the left to see consequence visited upon those who refuse to ideologically fall in line was also manifested during the pandemic, when a poll found that 45% of Democrats strongly or somewhat favored “having federal or state governments require that citizens temporarily live in designated facilities or locations if they refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine.”

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

​Charlie kirk, Turning point usa, Young america’s foundation, Yaf, Poll, Democrat, Liberal, Violence, Liberal violence, Survey, Politics 

blaze media

SCORE: Snag our Black Friday picks for best phones and tablets

Deals? In this economy? Well, yes. The biggest shopping season of the year still kicks off with Black Friday this week, and the discounts are there for those ready to take the plunge. As you shop around for great tech gadgets to bring home for yourself or your loved ones, consult our curated shopping list of the best new phones and tablets to consider this year.

Best phones to buy during Black Friday

2025 was an interesting year for smartphones. From completely new ultrathin handsets that defy physics, to high-resolution cameras with powerful zoom capabilities, to the next generation of foldables, there were plenty of options to fill your pockets. If you’re looking for the best, though, only a few standout hits deserve the top spot on your Black Friday shopping list.

If you’re not sure where to start, here’s what’s worthy of your attention.

Best iPhones for your wish list

For the first time ever, the base model iPhone 17 brought along many of the features once only found in the pricier Pro series, like ProMotion display technology with an extra-smooth 120Hz refresh rate and a 48MP camera that captures sharp images in crisp, clear detail. Starting at $799 MSRP, iPhone 17 is already Apple’s most affordable new phone, and this will get even better with Black Friday discounts.

For users who want a little more from their phone, iPhone 17 Pro Max is my personal favorite from Apple this year. It’s expensive, starting at $1,199, but it features the brand’s fastest phone chip to date that’s built for AI, a sharp triple camera system with hybrid zoom in tow, a vapor chamber that keeps the phone cool during long photo shoots or gaming sessions. Plus, it comes in three fun colors (cosmic orange, deep blue, and silver). Apple rarely runs deals on their own, but if you want to grab a 17 Pro Max for less than retail price, check Amazon, local stores, and carriers for holiday discounts.

Photo courtesy of Apple

One more thing: You might be tempted to spring for the iPhone Air this year, but be warned. It’s more expensive than the base iPhone 17, its battery life will barely get you through a day, and it has fewer cameras than other models. Unless you’re a thin-phone fanatic, it’s better to stay away from this one.

Best Android phones for your wish list

On the Android side, Google and Samsung both launched several new devices in the last half of 2025, and although they cater to different users, any of them would make a great gift for yourself or a loved one.

First, the Google Pixel 10 series continues to carve out a space for itself in the Android market. Just last month, sales hit an all-time record, making Pixel 10 Google’s best-selling phone ever. All three slab Pixel 10 models share the same Tensor G5 chip designed for Gemini Nano (Google’s local version of Gemini) as well as Google’s suite of AI-powered features, including Gemini Live for real-time conversations with Google’s AI, Magic Cue that surfaces important information on your phone when you need it, Call Assist to block spam calls, and more. I personally recommend Pixel 10 Pro (it has a bigger display, more RAM, and better camera features), but if you’re looking for the best value, it’s hard to beat the base Pixel 10 at just $799 before discounts.

RELATED: Here’s how to get the most annoying new update off of your iPhone

Photo by NIC COURY/AFP via Getty Images

The other Android phone that’s good enough to top your Black Friday shopping list is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7. As my personal favorite phone of the year, this foldable packs a ton of features into one device. In folded mode, it feels and functions like a regular phone, thanks to its new full-size outer display and ultra-thin frame. When unfolded, it works more like a tablet, making it easier to scroll through the web, read articles and e-books, reply to emails, play games on the bigger screen, and more. If there’s a clear downside, it’s that the Galaxy Z Fold7 is expensive at $1,999.99, but the price isn’t so bad when you think of everything it can do. This single device is a phone, a tablet, an e-reader, and even a desktop PC when connected to a monitor via Samsung DeX. It’s a versatile device for power users who like to do a lot with their phone, and if you use it in place of your other devices, the price starts to make sense, especially if you can find it on sale.

Photo courtesy of Samsung

One more thing: If you’re thinking about getting a Samsung Galaxy S25 series phone for Christmas, hold on just a second. The next-generation Galaxy S26 models are rumored to launch in late February. So unless you get a very good discount on an S25, it might be a better idea to wait and see what comes next.

Best tablets to buy during Black Friday

Tablets always make for great Christmas gifts. They’re usually cheaper than a phone, they don’t require a dedicated data plan, and they excel at all kinds of tasks, including browsing the web, consuming video, reading books, and more. If you’re not sure where to start, there are two tablets worthy of your attention.

Best tablet for Apple fans

Apple just launched its newest batch of iPad Pros in late October. They feature the latest ridiculously fast M5 chips built for AI workloads, video processing, and gaming. They’re impressive, but for most people, the new iPad Pro models are overkill. If you want to get the best gift for most people, look no further than the iPad Air that came out earlier this year. With a more-than-adequate M3 chip, Apple Intelligence-powered features, and Apple Pencil support, it’s a better value, priced at a cool $599 for the 11-inch variant and $799 for the 13-inch model.

Photo courtesy of Apple

Best tablet for Android fans

On the Android side, Samsung basically has the tablet market cornered. The new Tab S11 series landed in September with a new S Pen, upgraded Samsung DeX mode for better dual-screen multitasking with a connected monitor, Galaxy AI features like a drawing assistant and writing tools, and an ultra-thin design that’s both easy to hold and durable. There really isn’t a better tablet for Android fans out there, and this one just happens to start at $799.99 for the Tab S11 and $1,199.99 for the larger Tab S11 Ultra.

Photo courtesy of Samsung

The next level?

Looking for something a little more hands-free? No worries: Check out our top wearables list, coming soon.

​Tech, Black friday