Just six months after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law banning sex-rejecting genital mutilations and puberty blockers for minors, the high court’s questions and remarks during oral arguments on Tuesday regarding two cases concerning men competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams in Idaho and West Virginia signal that gender ideologues are set to lose more ground.

Background

Twenty-seven states have passed laws and/or regulations prohibiting males from participating in girls’ or women’s sports.

West Virginia, for example, enacted the Save Women’s Sports Act in 2021, requiring public school and collegiate sports teams to require athletes to participate on teams corresponding with their sex.

Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 15-year-old male transvestite in West Virginia who has pretended to be a girl since the third grade and taken puberty blockers, sued the state’s board of education as well as other officials, claiming that his exclusion from girls’ sports violated both Title IX and the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.

This case, West Virginia v. B.P.J., has been kicked through the courts and is now before the Supreme Court.

The other case taken up by the high court on Tuesday, Little v. Hecox, is highly similar.

RELATED: ‘Incredible victory’: Federal judge prohibits trans-related grooming efforts in California schools

Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Lindsay Hecox, a 24-year-old male student at Boise State University who took cross-sex hormones for only one year, wanted to join the women’s cross-country team, where his male physiology would serve as a tremendous advantage over his female competitors. He was unable to join the women’s team on account of Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which banned male transvestites from competing on female athletic teams.

Like the transvestite student in West Virginia, Hecox sued, claiming the Idaho law violated his constitutional rights.

Both cases were brought to the Supreme Court by the two states’ Republican attorneys general with attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom.

‘If we adopted that, that would have to apply across the board.’

“Men cannot become women; their biological differences are scientifically clear. And no ideological arguments attempting to justify allowing males to enter female sports can stand against this truth,” stated ADF president and chief counsel Kristen Waggoner.

The possibility that the SCOTUS will rule again against gender ideology has LGBT radicals panicking.

For instance, Erin Reed, the boyfriend of cross-dressing Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D), wrote that “depending on how the Court rules, these cases could reshape the legal framework governing transgender rights for an entire generation.”

The Human Rights Campaign wailed: “As transgender youth continue to face numerous targeted attacks from health care to education, these cases mark another key moment in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination that could have implications beyond the sports world.”

GLAAD previously stated: “Similar to misleading narratives about bathrooms and other single-sex spaces, propagating inflammatory scenarios about transgender women and girls participating in sports has become a common tactic in broader attacks on trans rights and equality.”

Conservative majority signal victory for sanity

In Hecox, liberal justices raised questions about whether the case might be moot because of the transvestic student’s claim that he won’t attempt to compete in collegiate women’s sports again; whether transvestic men with low testosterone levels might qualify as a sub-class deserving of a legal carve-out; and whether the Supreme Court could decide that while most men have an unfair advantage in women’s sports, the transvestite in this particular case does not.

Idaho Solicitor General Alan Hurst argued in turn that the case wasn’t moot, as Hecox has time left to change his mind about future participation; that it “will always be possible to carve the class down further”; and that an exception would not be administrable as it’d be invasive, requiring ongoing testosterone monitoring of the athlete.

Hurst — who on multiple occasions attempted to help remedy Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confusion — later emphasized in his rebuttal that male athletes pose a threat to women’s sports, citing a 2024 U.N. special rapporteur report that indicated that “over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports” as the result of male interlopers.

“Idaho’s law classifies on the basis of sex because sex is what matters in sports,” Hurst said. “It correlates strongly with countless athletic advantages like size, muscle mass, bone mass, and heart and lung capacity.”

RELATED: ‘Not medicine — it’s malpractice’: Trump HHS buries child sex-change regime with damning report

Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images

The conservative justices appeared to take Hurst’s point to heart and signaled skepticism about the arguments alternatively advanced by Hecox’s lawyer Kathleen Harnett against the Idaho law.

In addition to noting that the Idaho legislation is not discriminatory against all trans-identifying people as it does not bar women from men’s sports but only men — who enjoy physical advantages over women — from women’s sports, Justice Amy Coney Barrett alluded to scientific evidence indicating that testosterone is not the only advantage enjoyed by male athletes.

On theme, Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked, “Why would we, at this point, jump in and try to constitutionalize a rule for the whole country” while there remains scientific uncertainty and “strong assertions of equality on both sides?”

Kavanaugh, who has coached his daughters’ sports teams, also raised concerns about whether allowing “transgender girls to participate will reverse” the “inspiring” success of girls’ separate sports over the past five decades.

While Justice Neil Gorsuch asked whether trans-identifying individuals should be considered a “quasi-suspect” class entitled to a higher standard of scrutiny on account of their alleged history of discrimination, he appeared unconvinced by the argument that excluding boys from girls’ sports is a form of unconstitutional sex discrimination.

Chief Justice John Roberts pressed Harnett on whether she was challenging the distinction between boys and girls or seeking an exception to the biological definition of girls, and expressed skepticism about the possibility of such an exception.

Roberts appeared concerned about the broader ramifications of permitting exceptions to the definition of girl for a sliver minority of challengers, noting that “if we adopted that, that would have to apply across the board and not simply to the area of athletics.”

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A former member of the Donald Trump administration is set to take over Meta as president and vice chairman.

The appointment means an official from the president’s first administration will now be in charge of the massive social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

‘She is a fantastic, and very talented, person, who served the Trump Administration with strength and distinction!’

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta announced on Monday that it has called on 52-year-old Dina Powell McCormick to take the lead at the company. Powell McCormick served as Trump’s deputy national security adviser for strategy from March 2017 to January 2018.

Powell McCormick was married to Richard Powell, a public relations and communications executive, but is now married to Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Penn.). Powell McCormick’s maiden name is Habib; she was born in Egypt and speaks Arabic.

RELATED: Microsoft CEO: AI ‘slop’ is good for you — or at least for your ‘human potential’

Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

Powell McCormick was once referred to as Trump’s “Ms. Fix It,” and according to The Hill, informally advised Ivanka Trump during the transition period for Trump’s first term. She had previously worked as a senior White House adviser in the George W. Bush administration, was director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office from 2003 to 2005, and served as assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs in mid-2007.

Powell McCormick worked for Goldman Sachs for 16 years as a partner in senior leadership roles, according to Variety, after which she became vice chair, president, and head of global client services at BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank.

In addition, Powell McCormick is a fellow at Harvard, where she served as a teacher at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

RELATED: Meta accused of deleting scam ads to dodge government regulation

Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

President Trump praised the executive’s appointment in a post to Truth Social, calling Powell McCormick a “great choice” by Zuckerberg.

“She is a fantastic, and very talented, person, who served the Trump Administration with strength and distinction!” Trump wrote.

At the same time, Zuckerberg said the new president brings experience in finance, economic development, and government.

“She’ll be involved in all of Meta’s work, with a particular focus on partnering with governments and sovereigns to build, deploy, invest in, and finance Meta’s AI and infrastructure,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.

The Facebook founder also said that he and Powell McCormick will “deliver personal superintelligence” that will benefit billions of people.

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Secretary Pete Hegseth made a few stops in Texas on Monday as part of the War Department’s “Arsenal of Freedom Tour,” a month-long multistate campaign to promote the department’s priority of rebuilding and strengthening the U.S. military.

‘We are done running a peacetime science fair while our potential adversaries are running a wartime arms race.’

Hegseth delivered the oath of enlistment to Navy recruits in Irving and spoke to defense industry leaders at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth. He told the defense contractor’s employees that the U.S. military would no longer promote far-left ideology like diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“No more DEI. No more dudes in dresses,” Hegseth stated, receiving applause from the crowd.

“No more climate change worship and social justice and political correctness — we’re done with that,” he continued. “We’re unleashing the warfighter to be ready, trained, disciplined, accountable, and lethal.”

Hegseth also delivered remarks at SpaceX, alongside the company’s founder, Elon Musk.

RELATED: Sen. Mark Kelly responds to censure from Pete Hegseth with a lawsuit

Amanda McCoy/Forth Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Before inviting Hegseth to the stage, Musk kicked off the event by outlining SpaceX’s purpose.

“We want to make ‘Star Trek’ real … so that it’s not always science fiction, but one day, the ‘science fiction’ turns to ‘science fact,'” Musk said.

During his speech at Starbase, Hegseth shared how the Trump administration’s Department of War is dismantling bureaucracy and prioritizing military innovation.

“What you have built and what you will build here is a testament to the strength of American ingenuity and American invention,” Hegseth told SpaceX staff.

RELATED: US military attacks dozens of ISIS targets in Syria in retaliation for killing of 2 US troops, Hegseth says

Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

He blamed the consolidation of the Defense Industrial Base following the end of the Cold War for making it nearly impossible for new creators to secure business with the War Department.

“The result is a risk-averse culture that prevents us from providing our warfighters with the best resources that America has to offer. That ends today,” Hegseth declared. “We are done running a peacetime science fair while our potential adversaries are running a wartime arms race.”

The secretary also announced that xAI’s Grok would join the department’s GenAI.mil, a platform that integrates frontier artificial intelligence capabilities. The War Department announced the integration of Google Cloud’s Gemini in early December.

“For too long, Pentagon bureaucracy has hindered the speed and might of our manufacturing base, obstructing innovation and warfare solutions from companies like SpaceX and Lockheed Martin. Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, we are unleashing the full power of our Defense Industrial Base to advance our Peace Through Strength agenda,” read a War Department press release announcing Hegseth’s Texas trip.

“These engagements underscore the urgent priority of this administration: ensuring our warfighters have the cutting-edge, American-made equipment they need to dominate any battlefield. American manufacturing is back,” it added.

— (@)

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Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky threatened to push contempt of Congress charges against Bill and Hillary Clinton over their refusal to testify in the congressional Epstein probe.

The Clintons were subpoenaed by the Oversight Committee, which is chaired by Comer, but they refused to appear on the basis that the orders were “invalid and legally unenforceable,” according to a letter obtained by the New York Times.

‘No one’s accusing Bill Clinton of anything, any wrongdoing. We just have questions.’

“Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences,” reads the eight-page letter from the Clintons to the committee. “For us, now is that time.”

Comer has repeatedly threatened to hold them in contempt if they don’t appear for the closed-door hearing.

“Jeffrey Epstein visited the White House 17 times while Bill Clinton was president,” Comer said to reporters Tuesday. “No one’s accusing Bill Clinton of anything, any wrongdoing. We just have questions.”

He also responded on social media with a post that included photos of the former president from the Epstein files.

“You’re right, President Clinton. This is about right and wrong,” Comer replied. “Epstein’s survivors deserve justice and answers. Refusing to comply with a bipartisan, duly authorized congressional subpoena in our Epstein investigation is unacceptable. No one is above the law.”

The Clintons accused Comer of trying to embarrass them and said they would argue their case to members of Congress.

“We are confident that any reasonable person in or out of Congress will see, based on everything we release, that what you are doing is trying to punish those who you see as your enemies and to protect those you think are your friends,” they wrote in their letter.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) also called for contempt charges against the Clintons.

RELATED: ‘We need no such protection’: Clinton accuses Trump of selectively releasing Epstein files — and calls for complete release

They also argued that the subpoenas were “unwarranted because they do not seek pertinent information” and amount to “an unprecedented infringement on the separation of powers.”

If Comer follows through on his threat to seek a contempt charge in the committee next week, the committee would vote on the motion, and then it would have to pass a majority of the House. It would then be up to the Justice Department to prosecute, which could result in up to a year in prison and a possible fine of $100,000.

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While the left continues to melt down over the ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, new video from the agent’s POV has emerged — and BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales believes it’s the proof needed to absolve the agent of any wrongdoing.

“You’ll notice as soon as she starts, she realizes, ‘I’m gonna hit this guy.’ Her wife, who has just bailed from the car … she’s out there with her phone, and she’s harassing the agents, and you’ll hear her wife say, ‘Drive, baby, drive,’” Gonzales explains on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

When one agent asks Good to get out of the car, the new video instead reveals that she hits the ICE agent with her car.

“You’re there to harass them. You’re there to cause problems. You’re there to do exactly what you just did. F**k around and find out. That’s where I’m at,” Gonzales says.

“The worst part about it is that her son or daughter, her 6-year-old, is now orphaned. That sucks. I hate that for that child,” she continues, pointing out that the child’s father has already passed away as well.

However, despite the child’s tragic situation, Good appeared to have arrived on the scene with the intention of filming herself harassing the ICE officers.

“The Daily Mail released video showing she got there four minutes earlier, as I mentioned, stops, lets her wife out of the car so they could get their Instagram likes, so she could start recording everything and harassing the ICE agents and recording herself harassing the ICE agents,” Gonzales says.

“And then it shows when she drove off, she backed up and sped towards the officer. … In fact, she waited until she got to the middle of the road, as you can see, and just forgot how to drive,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Video, Video phone, Sharing, Camera phone, Upload, Free, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Renee nicole good 

On average, people spend five hours a day on their smartphones. That adds up to 35 hours per week (that’s almost a full-time job!), 150 hours per month, and 1,800 hours, or 2.5 months of time; 2.5 out of 12 months equals a bit over 20% of the year.

Although many of us are attached to our phones, most devices come with options to help you kick the habit or, at the very least, curb the impact it has on your life. Here’s how to retake your freedom by limiting your screen time on iPhone and Android.

Why are phones so addictive?

By now, we know our phones are addictive, but why? What makes that little rectangle in your pocket so appealing to pick up and even harder to put down?

At first, it was convenience. Smartphones made it easier to call family, text friends, and access the internet from the device in our pockets instead of logging onto the home desktop, dial-up signal buzzing along as we connected to the world wide web. Oh, what a time to be alive.

You can still use your phone while adding guardrails to take back your time and your sanity.

Somewhere along the way, though, smartphones morphed from fun, innovative, generally useful gadgets into little dopamine boxes that gave us a shot of those feel-good chemicals on demand, like a junkie jonesing for their next hit and getting what they want every time.

That’s not to say phones aren’t still useful. From contact lists, to calendar events, to traffic and weather at the push of a button, I can’t imagine not living without mine, and I’m sure many of you are exactly the same. But there’s a darker side to smartphones today. It’s the instant gratification now that keeps us coming back for more. Notifications, short-form videos, the latest trends online — all of it locks us in, even when we know better or want to step back.

Smartphones by themselves aren’t inherently bad, but when they’re abused, they can completely wreck your attention span, mental health, and quality of life overall. The good news is that you can still use your phone while adding guardrails to take back your time and your sanity.

How to limit screen time on iPhone

Apple’s iPhone comes with a “Screen Time” section baked directly into the Settings app. Open it up, dive in, and you’ll find several helpful options under the “Limit Usage” header.

“Downtime” restricts your phone to only the essential built-in apps (Phone, Messages, Safari, Maps, etc.), plus any other third-party apps that you set as “Always Allowed.” In this mode, you can either turn it on and off manually, or you can set a schedule for it to come on at a certain time of the day or week, like after you get home from work or on the weekend to disconnect. Once activated, you’ll only receive notifications, calls, and messages from the allowed apps and nothing else.

“App Limits” is a little less restrictive than Downtime, letting you set daily limits on specific apps instead of the entire system.

RELATED: New phone? Set it up like this — or you might kiss your data goodbye

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

You can add complete categories of apps — like your whole social media collection — or target specific apps that especially steal away your free time. Simply select the apps you want to restrict, choose how much time you’re allowed to use them per day (from 0 minutes to 23 hours), and you’re done. From there, your phone will lock down your chosen apps and notifications once you’ve used up your allotted time for the day, ensuring you put the phone down and do something else with your time. Note that even after the timer runs out for each app, Apple gives you the option to “ignore” the time limit by one more minute, 15 more minutes, or for the rest of the day, offering you more time with the app if you absolutely need it (which defeats the purpose of app limits entirely, but that’s how iPhone is set up).

If you want to get even more granular with your settings, “Communication Limits” will allow phone calls, Facetime chats, and messages from specific people during Downtime. For instance, you may only want to receive communications from your closest family and/or friends. Otherwise, you’re completely unreachable.

Screenshots by Zach Laidlaw

How to limit screen time on Android

Android phones come with an app called Digital Wellbeing. While the app may look a little different, depending on your make and model, every version basically does the same thing. It lets you track your screen time and add restrictions to help you take back autonomy from your device.

“App timers” lets you reduce the use of certain addictive apps by setting individual daily time limits. Once activated, you can use the app until the timer runs out. After that, the app will turn gray on your screen, and notifications will be silenced as it shifts into a paused mode until the next day. Unlike Apple’s App Limits feature, app timers on Android won’t let you borrow extra time for the day unless you go into your settings and disable the restriction entirely, helping you more effectively reduce app time.

“Focus” lets you set up a schedule to pause distracting apps at certain times of the day. Simply select which apps you’d like to restrict, set your schedule, and these apps will only be accessible during the days and times you allow for yourself. If you want even more control, the Modes feature in the main Settings app lets you set up different restrictions for different situations. For instance, the Bedtime mode can ensure you only get phone calls and messages from your favorite contacts at night. The Driving mode can ensure only your navigation and contacts apps are available when you get behind the wheel. You can even set up your own custom modes for work, the gym, and more.

If you’d rather be a little more lax in curbing your app usage, “screen time reminders” will nudge you with a notification if it detects that you’re spending too much time on any particular app on your phone. This can then either encourage you to reduce usage on your own, or if the app is addictive enough, you can add it manually to app timers.

When all else fails, take the nuclear option

Although our phones come with app reduction features built in, the sad truth is that device OEMs and app developers want us to use our phones. The more time we spend on these devices, the more likely we are to come back for another hit of dopamine, and the vicious cycle continues.

There’s only one tried and true way off the ride, and that’s to cut the cord entirely. That could mean deleting that addictive app from your phone so you can’t open it, even if you wanted to. It could also mean turning your device off and putting it in a drawer altogether, either for a day, a week, or however long is necessary.

Early studies show that “digital detox” has a remarkable impact on the brain, bolstering cognitive function, reducing stress, and improving sleep quality, just to name a few. Even just three days of little-to-no phone use can help, while prolonged usage prolongs negative effects and makes them worse.

Of course, everyone should choose what works best for them, but if you’re having trouble with cutting back on using your phone, the options outlined above are a great place to start.

​Tech, Screen time, Smartphone 

Scott Adams, creator of the iconic “Dilbert” comic strip and ardent Trump supporter, has passed away at the age of 68.

Adams passed away Tuesday morning after a battle with prostate cancer.

‘You should prepare yourself that January will be probably a month of transition one way or the other.’

Scott Adams announced his cancer diagnosis on his “Coffee with Scott Adams” show last May.

On the January 1 episode of his show, Adams suggested that his health was declining rapidly. His death was preceded by a visit to the hospital with issues like lower-body paralysis.

RELATED: ‘Argument accepted’: Dying ‘Dilbert’ creator and Trump ally Scott Adams says he’s becoming a Christian

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

“I talked to my radiologist yesterday … and it’s all bad news. So the odds of me recovering are essentially zero. I’ll give you any updates if that changes, but it won’t,” Adams said on Jan. 1. “So there’s no chance I’ll get my feeling back in my legs. And I’ve got some ongoing heart failure, which is making it difficult to breathe sometimes during the day.”

“But at the moment I can breathe, and I’m not in any pain,” he continued. “However, you should prepare yourself that January will be probably a month of transition one way or the other.”

On Monday, Adams was in hospice at his home in Northern California. His first ex-wife, Shelly Miles, told TMZ that Adams began receiving “end-of-life care” last week because his health was declining “rapidly.”

Adams is best known for the cartoon “Dilbert,” which first debuted in 1989.

His death was announced on the Tuesday episode of “Coffee with Scott Adams,” which can be viewed below:

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BlazeTV host Christopher Rufo participated in a roundtable meeting on Friday led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to discuss the ongoing, rampant welfare fraud by Somalis living in Minnesota.

‘Everyone should be outraged.’

The event was attended by journalists, lawmakers, and local business and nonprofit owners.

“The thing that I found astonishing about this fraud scheme is that it was an open secret for many of the people here in Minnesota,” Rufo stated.

“What I’d like to highlight is that this is a fraud story, but … this is also an immigration story. It’s an assimilation story. It’s a cultural compatibility story,” Rufo continued. “The reality is that the latest numbers, it seems to be that the Somali community, which represents about 1% of Minnesota’s population, is perpetrating approximately 90% of the systemic fraud in this state.”

“I think America works when America demands assimilation. And Minnesota will work when it demands assimilation to the culture of good government,” Rufo added.

RELATED: Exclusive: Bessent tells Rufo — ‘When the bear trap snaps,’ Minnesota fraudsters and complicit officials will face justice

BlazeTV host Chris Rufo. Image source: Blaze Media

He called it a “tragedy” that Minnesota, which had previously been known as the United States’ good-government capital, has had its reputation “tarnished as the fraud capital.”

“Everyone should be outraged,” Rufo remarked.

Bessent announced during a Friday press conference that the Treasury Department was launching multiple initiatives to put an end to the fraud rings and hold perpetrators accountable. The new initiatives included investigations into money-service businesses, lowering the reporting threshold for overseas transfers to $3,000 in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, and a new IRS task force assigned to probe COVID-era fraud, among several other steps.

RELATED: ‘Financial calamity’: Bessent blasts Minnesota Democrats’ massive fraud fiasco, launching sweeping interventions

Image source: Blaze Media

During the roundtable, Bessent revealed that there are also plans to provide incentives for whistleblowers to come forward with information.

“If these fraudsters want to turn on each other, we welcome that,” he said. “We will be offering cash rewards to whistleblowers to turn in their fellow conmen and women.”

Bessent stated that the fraud “cover-up” nearly enabled Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) to become vice president.

“What a tragedy it would have been for the American people for someone with no integrity, who was complicit and perhaps corrupt, to assume the office of the vice president,” he added.

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Police said a Pennsylvania homeowner shot at a pair of would-be car thieves early Tuesday morning, wounding one of them, WPVI-TV reported.

The incident in the 200 block of 2nd Street in Catasauqua took place at 1 a.m., the station said. Catasauqua is a borough in Lehigh County that’s about 15 minutes north of Allentown and just under an hour and a half north of Philadelphia.

‘Good old-fashioned FAFO.’

Investigators told WPVI the homeowner fired the shots at the two males as they were trying to steal a vehicle. The males reportedly were wearing black masks, the station said, adding that police said one suspect had a knife, and the other was carrying a bar.

Both suspects — including the wounded male — ran away, the station said.

Police are searching local hospitals for patients with gunshot wounds, WPVI said.

The homeowner was not injured, the station said.

No charges have been filed, WPVI reported, adding that the incident remains under investigation.

RELATED: Armed male allegedly breaks into home after midnight, but resident also has a gun — and a deadly shootout ensues

Commenters under WPVI’s Facebook post about the incident gave shoutouts to the homeowner who pulled the trigger:

“Hey, maybe the thieves will change their minds before they attempt to steal again!??” one commenter observed. “Kudos to the homeowner!!””Good job homeowner, do not charge this man for protecting his property,” another user insisted.”I love a story with a happy ending,” another commenter quipped.”Good,” another user wrote before adding “get a cap in both their asses.””Not everyone is an easy target, are they[?]” another commenter stated. “Good old-fashioned FAFO.”

Others encouraged the homeowner to get more time at the gun range:

“Learn from it and just go to the range a few times,” one user suggested. “Practice, practice, practice.””Sounds like the homeowner needs more target practice,” another commenter wrote. “The perp won’t have a chance to repeat the stupidity.””A shame he only wounded one,” another user said. “A couple of head shots would [have] been better.””Excellent!” another commenter exclaimed. “Now, get to the range to make sure next time it’s not just a wound.”

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In a highly anticipated city council meeting in a city in Oklahoma, residents debated whether to allow a massive mosque complex in a high-traffic area.

And on Monday night, the city council came to a decision.

The project included plans for a 42,000-square-foot community center, a mosque, a medical clinic, and a strip mall.

The Broken Arrow City Council has denied a rezoning request and conditional use permit for the proposed building project, leaving many residents relieved and others frustrated, KTUL reported.

The city council held a special meeting on Monday at Northeastern State University in anticipation of larger crowds.

RELATED: Comedian infiltrates Dearborn, Michigan — and the stories he returns with are WILD

Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

In the meeting that lasted more than three hours, residents debated the feasibility and desirability of having the building project completed.

While some raised objections about the growth of Islam in their city, many at the meeting turned to other practical concerns, such as traffic congestion, financial implications, and stormwater and floodplain issues, to name a few.

The Tulsa Flyer reported that roughly 45 people spoke during the meeting. More than half were opposed to the project.

The project included plans for a 42,000-square-foot community center, a mosque, a medical clinic, and a strip mall, the Tulsa Flyer reported.

According to the Tulsa Flyer, the Islamic Society of Tulsa bought the land in question and has owned it since 2014. The IST has historically congregated in that area for nearly 50 years.

The meeting ended in a 4-1 vote against the project.

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A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot anti-ICE activist Renee Nicole Macklin Good last week in Minneapolis.

It is abundantly clear, thanks in part to the multiple videos taken of the Jan. 7 incident, that: Good was blocking traffic with her vehicle in an apparent effort to interrupt a federal law enforcement operation; federal agents repeatedly ordered Good to exit her vehicle while her romantic partner issued derisive comments nearby; Good ignored the lawful orders and accelerated toward an ICE agent; and the ICE agent opened fire in self-defense as Good drove into him.

‘Each one is a micro-intifada which can spread and inspire others until we may finally shake off this noxious ruling order all together [sic].’

Despite all the evidence to contrary, Democrats and the liberal media have worked overtime to portray Good as a blameless victim of a callous federal agent. This task will likely be more difficult in light of new findings concerning the radical nature of Good’s anti-ICE group and its embrace of a “micro-intifada” stratagem.

Local sources recently informed the New York Post that Good was an anti-ICE “warrior” involved in an “ICE Watch” group dedicated to tracking and disrupting immigration enforcement operations as well as other law enforcement initiatives. The group also has a history of doxxing federal immigration agents on social media, providing illegal aliens with tips on how to evade arrest, and pushing leftist calls for revolution.

Neighbors told the Post that Good regularly attended the local chapter’s meetings and received “thorough training” from the radical group.

Homeland Security sources not only confirmed Good’s association with the group to Fox News but indicated that she had followed ICE agents to multiple locations before her fatal encounter last week.

RELATED: ‘You don’t want this smoke’: Philly DA and sheriff threaten ICE officers — DHS just laughs

Photo by Jason Alpert-Wisnia/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

The specific group to which Good apparently belonged shared various pieces of leftist agitprop and radical literature to Instagram, including a “de-arrest primer,” reported the Post.

The subversive instruction manual, which was apparently published in 2024, advocates for “pulling and pushing an officer off of an arrestee and/or breaking their grip on an arrestee”; helping arrestees escape by carrying handcuff keys to protests and opening the doors of law enforcement vehicles; and “totally surrounding the officers who have the arrestee or otherwise blocking them and/or their vehicle.”

“A hostile crowd at protest that’s shown its willingness to act often makes officers think twice,” says the manual.

The manual also features an image of masked radicals interfering with a fellow traveler’s arrest. The image is captioned, “Each de-arrest is a ‘shaking off’ which is to say each one is a micro-intifada which can spread and inspire others until we may finally shake off this noxious ruling order all together [sic].”

Good’s anti-ICE group makes repeated references in other posts to engaging in an intifada, an Arabic term meaning uprising that is often associated with violent radicalism.

In a Sept. 10 post, for instance, the group shared a graphic advocating for the globalization of the intifada, stating, “We call to resist colonial and imperialist oppression in all its forms, transcending borders in our unified struggle for our collective liberation.”

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Americans no longer go to church on Sunday — instead, they gather around the television and turn on the National Football League — which couldn’t be making its devotion to blatant corruption and devotion to identity politics clearer.

And BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock believes that this is all born out of the same belief system as the Somali day-care fraud in Minnesota.

“I’m going to connect what’s going on in the National Football League to what’s going on in Minnesota with Somalians and child day care and all this corruption we’re seeing,” Whitlock explains on “Fearless.”

And that he does, as according to Whitlock, there are two major competing ideas in America.

“There is the Trump movement and Make America Great Again competing against Barack Obama and his movement, hope and change. That’s the dichotomy we have going on in America,” Whitlock says.

“If you talk to the everyday people that believe in the MAGA movement, again, they long for a more biblically based world and culture. It’s not saying they’re perfect Christians. It’s not saying that they’re not filled with sin and flaws like everyone else. But they want a return to traditional values and a code of ethics and some morality to be a part of American society,” he continues.

On the flip side, those who follow Obama’s “hope and change” are “far more secular” and believe that we need to do something new and different because “America’s founding was corrupt, it was immoral, it had slavery.”

“And the NFL … has chosen a clear side. The NFL is pro change. The NFL does not want to look back. It wants to look forward. It wants to make America anew,” Whitlock explains, pointing out that the NFL even has a new slogan: “Inspire change.”

“The National Football League is America’s religion right now. People used to gather up on Sundays in churches all across America. Now we spend a lot less time in churches, and we spend a lot more time in the church of football on Sundays,” he says.

“The National Football League is our national religion,” he adds.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

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A county clerk in Michigan has sounded the alarm after a cross-check of state and local databases revealed that more than 200 noncitizens had been included in a jury pool — and one of them may even have voted.

On Monday, Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini issued a press release that quickly went viral on social media. Forlini claimed that because Michigan automatically registers driver’s license applicants to vote unless the applicant intentionally opts to decline, 239 noncitizens with Michigan driver’s licenses had been included in the pool of potential jurors for the 16th Judicial Circuit Court over a four-month period, even as noncitizens are ineligible to serve on juries.

‘Even if you give [Benson] the benefit of the doubt, you’d have to admit that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. But the problem is, I think she does.’

What’s more, after cross-referencing the noncitizens in the jury pool against the Michigan Qualified Voter File — maintained and monitored by Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson — Forlini’s office discovered that at least 14 of these noncitizens had been registered to vote at some point.

“Our QVF shows instances where some of these noncitizens potentially having a voting history. One in particular appears to have voted several times, all of which could result in felony charges,” Forlini said in a statement.

“We must find a way for the Driver’s License database to confirm citizenship,” he continued. “Many times there may be a language barrier, and applicants do not understand what they are signing. If this is not addressed, we risk compromising our jury trials and our elections.”

Forlini, a former state representative, is running for secretary of state as a Republican.

However, he’s hardly the only Republican outraged about the discovery.

Rep. John James, who is running for governor and whose congressional district includes much of Macomb County, posted a scathing video response on X, accusing Secretary Benson, who is running for governor as a Democrat, of either “corruption or incompetence.”

“Even if you give her the benefit of the doubt, you’d have to admit that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. But the problem is, I think she does,” James stated.

“The bigger problem for Michigan is: What do you think she’s going to do when she’s overseeing an election where she’s at the top of the ticket this time?”

RELATED: Rep. John James hammers Michigan GOP over political failures: ‘What are we even talking about?’

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Captain Michael Bouchard, who is running as a Republican to replace James as the representative in Michigan’s 10th district, indicated that the blame falls at the feet of Michigan Democrats like Benson but insisted that the issue affects all U.S. citizens, regardless of party.

“I’ve served our country in uniform, and I don’t take lightly the freedoms we enjoy as Americans,” Bouchard said in a statement to Blaze News. “Protecting those freedoms starts with protecting the integrity of our elections. After years of poor leadership by Michigan Democrats, we need to fix this now. This shouldn’t even be a political issue. Our elections must be fair, secure, and decided only by American citizens.”

Benson’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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Canada has exactly the kind of oil the United States needs. But when it comes to investing in the infrastructure to move it, America’s ally to the north is beginning to look as risky — and as politically hostile — as Venezuela.

That, Dan McTeague of Canadians for Affordable Energy tells Align, reflects a perverse governing philosophy towards the country’s energy abundance: “keep it in the ground.”

Carney can talk about buying China’s ‘windmills and solar panels,’ or he can ask whether China wants to buy oil — ‘because we got a pipeline.’

Canada’s self-inflicted pipeline paralysis is eroding its position in the U.S. market just as alternatives like Venezuelan oil come back online.

Oil, oil everywhere

Nowhere is that risk clearer than in Alberta, home to the vast majority of Canada’s oil production, where years of stalled pipeline projects have left the country’s most valuable energy asset effectively landlocked.

Canadian oil is the same kind Venezuela produces: heavy crude, high in sulfur, and ideal for making diesel fuel. Most U.S. refineries are designed specifically to process this type of petroleum, which is essential not just for transportation, but for agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and national defense.

Alberta has long sought to build a pipeline to the West Coast, primarily to secure reliable, long-term access to the U.S. market — while also giving Canada leverage to reach other buyers if American demand weakens or politics intervenes.

That project remains stalled, despite Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney — who has spent much of his career championing green energy and opposing pipelines — recently signing a memorandum of understanding with Alberta that is supposed to clear the way for construction. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is now demanding that pipeline construction begin by fall 2026.

Carbon crunch

In practice, the MOU changes little. It grants no approvals, streamlines no federal reviews, resolves no indigenous or legal challenges, and commits no public capital. By tying any future pipeline to rising carbon tax and decarbonization requirements, it arguably worsens the investment case — leaving no private sponsor willing to move first.

While the United States remains Canada’s natural customer, a West Coast outlet still matters. It gives producers pricing power, optionality, and insurance against sudden policy shifts in Washington — precisely the kind now emerging as Venezuela re-enters the picture.

The question is who would build such a pipeline — and whether it could be completed before the United States turns to cheaper Venezuelan oil to fill the gap.

Venezuela of the north?

President Donald Trump has floated asking oil companies for $100 billion to build infrastructure in Venezuela capable of moving oil north. Exxon’s CEO rejected the idea, calling Venezuela “uninvestable” because of its history of asset seizures and nationalization. Trump, however, could choose to push the project forward with public funds.

McTeague — himself a former Liberal member of Parliament — says Canada has made itself similarly unattractive to investors. He argues that policy choices — not geology — are the problem.

Canada, he says, is “blessed with abundance of resources,” but has embraced a governing narrative that tells producers to “keep it in the ground.” He adds that few countries would treat their most important economic output that way.

That mindset, McTeague argues, has frightened off private capital and left Ottawa with little choice but to build a pipeline itself. It also raises the stakes of Carney’s upcoming trip to China — not as a pivot away from the U.S., but as leverage.

Tilting at windmills

When Carney arrives in Beijing, McTeague says, he faces a choice. He can talk about decarbonization and buying China’s “windmills and solar panels,” or he can ask whether China wants to buy oil — “because we got a pipeline.”

The point, McTeague stresses, is not that China should replace the United States as Canada’s primary customer, but that Canada needs credible alternatives if it wants to be taken seriously by either.

McTeague also criticizes the MOU’s requirement that the industrial carbon tax rise sharply in coming years, arguing that it “defies economics and the realities of the marketplace.” In his view, decarbonization mandates are irrelevant to investors deciding whether a pipeline is worth building.

Time, he warns, is running out. Federal debt continues to grow, and Canada’s fiscal credibility is beginning to erode. Without pipelines, he says, the country risks running out of economic runway.

RELATED: The truth behind Trump’s Venezuela plan: It’s not about Maduro at all

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Over a barrel

McTeague also disputes the claim that the United States is energy-independent. While America produces roughly 12 to 13 million barrels of oil per day, it consumes about 21 million — leaving it dependent on imports.

Canada’s value, he argues, lies not just in volume, but in the type of oil it produces. U.S. shale oil is well suited for gasoline, but not for diesel, which he calls the global workhorse of modern economies — critical to transportation, agriculture, industry, and defense.

That is precisely the fuel Venezuela is now offering, potentially at a lower cost than Canadian oil burdened by carbon taxes and regulatory constraints.

Canada now finds itself between a rock and a hard place: Venezuelan oil threatening to undercut U.S. demand for Alberta crude, plus the political and logistical reality of building a major pipeline through British Columbia — on a timetable that is rapidly running out.

In energy terms, Canada is doing the unthinkable: choosing to be bypassed.

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