As jurors began deliberations late Tuesday morning in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony, they were instructed that they could consider a lesser charge of manslaughter, KTVT-TV reported.

Anthony was 17 when authorities charged him with murdering high school star athlete and fellow 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in a stabbing at a Frisco, Texas, track meet in April 2025.

‘These guys are much bigger than you. Do you turn your back and walk away and take a chance with these teenage boys with their raging hormones?’

The murder charge is a first-degree felony, the station said, and if the jury decides to convict Anthony on the murder charge, he would face a sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison.

According to Texas law, murder means a defendant “intentionally or knowingly causes the death of an individual,” KTVT said — but manslaughter means the defendant “recklessly causes the death of an individual.”

A conviction for manslaughter — a second-degree felony — would mean a sentence of two to 20 years in prison, the station said.

Criminologist Alex del Carmen told KTVT in a separate story he believes Anthony’s case meets the threshold of manslaughter: “He didn’t get up with the intent to kill someone, but he knew the risks taking that knife to campus and pulling it out. Self-defense or not, rational choices needed to be made.”

In addition, Anthony’s defense objected to jury instructions that didn’t include criminally negligent homicide as a lesser charge available for consideration, KTVT reported.

Criminally negligent homicide is a state jail felony, the station said, adding that it’s the lowest level of felony offense in Texas law and would bring a sentence of six months to two years in prison, KTVT said.

Prosecutor Bill Wirskye argued that criminally negligent homicide shouldn’t be an option for jury consideration since there is not “any evidence in the record that the defendant was unaware that his actions could lead to death,” the station said.

Collin County Judge John Roach overruled the defense’s objection, KTVT said.

RELATED: Karmelo Anthony murder trial: All prospective black jurors dismissed; 1 said he’d have ‘hard time putting a brother in jail’

In addition, the defense objected to jury instructions saying they can find Anthony’s self-defense argument not viable if they believe the defendant provoked the attack, the station said.

However, the prosecutor argued that a rational jury could find Anthony provoked the altercation, KTVT said, and therefore the instruction should remain. Judge Roach agreed with the prosecutor, overruling the defense’s objection, the station said.

The prosecutor waived the right to begin closing arguments Tuesday morning, so lead defense attorney Mike Howard was the first to address the jury, KTVT said.

Howard focused on his client’s self-defense argument, saying, “Austin Metcalf had no legal right to use force to eject Karmelo Anthony from that tent,” the station reported.

Howard added that “he had no legal right to put his hands on Karmelo” and that “Karmelo is in a public place,” KTVT noted.

Howard also asked the members of the jury to put themselves in Anthony’s shoes, noting that it was raining, the station said: “You want to get out of the rain. … Sure enough, one of the people at Memorial says, ‘Yeah, come on over.'”

KTVT said the defense attorney added that “Hunter Metcalf, or Austin, say, ‘Who are you? You need to leave.’ … These guys are much bigger than you. Do you turn your back and walk away and take a chance with these teenage boys with their raging hormones?”

“Austin and Hunter had the right to tell Melo to leave, but they did not have the right to use deadly force to make him leave,” Howard told the jury, according to the station. “Melo had an absolute right to [defend] himself against that.”

Howard also asked the jury, “How do you know in a split second of chaos when it’s too late? … Because if you wait too late to defend yourself, self defense is meaningless,” KTVT reported.

Anthony did not take the stand in his defense.

Following the defense’s closing argument, prosecutor Wirskye began speaking to the jury and rebutting Anthony’s self-defense claim, the station said.

“This is one of those rare cases where every important fact can be boiled down to one sentence: You do not get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoke the shove,” Wirskye said, according to KTVT.

“Why didn’t [Anthony] just not walk away?” Wirskye asked jurors, according to the station. “You see [he] had a choice to walk away and abandon the encounter.”

The prosecutor added that “you can meet deadly force with deadly force in Texas, but you can’t meet force — a shove — with deadly force — a stab. Size differential, it doesn’t work in this case; you don’t get to kill someone just because they are bigger than you,” KTVT reported.

Wirskye also told the jury that “self-defense has to be a reasonable belief — a reasonable belief means a belief that would [be] held by an ordinary and prudent person in the same situation as the defendant,” the station said.

“It has to be immediately necessary. Where was the immediate necessity to plunge a knife into an unarmed, young man?” Wirskye asked the jury, according to KTVT. “It’s not self-defense, folks — it’s murder. Murder, plain and simple.”

Notably, all prospective black jurors were dismissed during jury selection last week — and one reportedly said he’d have a “hard time putting a brother in jail.” Anthony is black; Metcalf was white. They attended different high schools and didn’t know each other.

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​Karmelo anthony, Murder trial, Austin metcalf, Texas, Fatal stabbing, Jury deliberation, Race, High school, Manslaughter, Closing arguments, Frisco, Crime 

Technology. I’m not a “technology writer” by any stretch of the imagination, but I find myself writing about it a lot.

I don’t opine about the next breakthroughs in AI or the newest generation of iPads that are set to be released at the end of Q3. Are there new iPads coming out in Q3? I don’t know. I’m not a technology writer.

But it is the most viable and scalable path forward in a world oversaturated with digital technology.

But I do think a lot about the role of technology in our lives. About the way we live differently alongside it and how we are shaped in strange ways by it.

Same but different

In some ways, it’s a very 21st-century concern. Technology — digital technology in particular — has been advancing at an unparalleled rate in our century, and it doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing.

But, of course, technology didn’t begin with the digital. Cars are technology. The washing machine was once cutting-edge technology. Same for the printing press, the mechanical clock, and the wheel. Technology has been around, advancing, and disrupting for a long time.

We live in a post-assembly-line world. That term — the assembly line — isn’t even particularly interesting to us. Same with the Industrial Revolution. That’s just something boring we learned about (and then promptly forgot) in middle school.

But the Industrial Revolution and the assembly line were quite radical at one point. They changed the way people work, and they disrupted society. A fair share of the carnage of the 20th century is due, in part, to the disruptions of the Industrial Revolution.

The train changed the way we move, the printing press changed how we learn, the telephone made us closer even when we were farther, the radio made mass society possible, the television made books less relevant, and the invention of the washing machine — yes, the mundane washing machine — played some role in the social revolutions of the 1960s.

All-consuming

In this sense, the age of AI is no different from the steam age. In another sense, however, it is unlike any technological revolution we have ever experienced: far more immersive and all-consuming than anything that came before.

Because it is more possible than ever to always be connected to everyone on earth in a perpetual state of latent distraction and worry, our time presents unique challenges for all thinking people who want to live a decent life that might be be hard to recognize to those who came before us.

For a few, the answer is blowing it all up. For many more, the answer is embracing every single aspect of every new form of digital technology imaginable like a dog lapping up fresh water. Both are wrong. The extreme answers are often the most alluring because they only require addressing one decision point. This way or that way? Once you settle on which, you just scale it out the whole way and set the cruise control.

RELATED: Want to be a man of action? Start a family

Ian Tyas/Getty Images

Split the difference

Yes, as with most things, the middle path is the way forward. I know, it’s not sexy, and it’s not at all alluring. Moderation never is. But it is the most viable and scalable path forward in a world oversaturated with digital technology.

Intentional technology use — that’s what it is, and that’s what we will call it. That first word is the key word: intentional. Most of the drift into toxic technology consumption and brain rot is due to being less than intentional in terms of how one uses technology.

Defaulting to “just using the phone” or “just asking Grok” or “just scrolling” because you have some time to waste. Concluding that watching more, streaming more, scrolling more, and outsourcing more of your decision-making to technology because there isn’t anything inherently wrong or immoral about it.

That kind of unintentional approach to technology can quickly lead to surrendering all of your agency to the bots. As the gamers would put it, you go from being a player to one of those automatons the player meets along the way: a non-player character.

Best intentions

To use technology intentionally is to ask if we can do it ourselves before enlisting digital help. Intentional technology use is asking ourselves if we like ourselves when we use some product, app, or digital service — and, if the answer is no, changing course.

Intentional technology use is setting aside time apart from technology so we can remember what it means to be purely human. Intentional technology use is about balancing convenience and thoughtfulness. It’s about managing the speed of the modern world without losing the pace of organic human society.

Intentional technology use isn’t about making everyone’s choices regarding technology the exact same. People will decide differently. Everyone’s lives won’t be alike. That’s a feature, not a bug.

The key is that first word — intention. Without that, we’re just floating down the stream, pushed wherever the currents of technological progress take us. The 21s century is unlikely to become less complicated. To thrive as humans in this most disruptive of times, we must keep asking ourselves the fundamental question: Who are we, and who do we want to be?

​Men’s style, Technology, Ai, Ipads, Family, Lifestyle 

Last September, President Trump issued a well-received proclamation intended to discourage the continued use and abuse of the now very well-known H-1B program. The policy, however, has hit a roadblock in the courts.

On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa sponsor fee is unlawful.

‘They’re hurting our country very badly.’

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin, appointed by Obama in 2014, ruled that the $100,000 fee violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution.

Judge Sorokin of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts argued that the policy is effectively a tax, and Congress had not clearly delegated the prerogative of levying it to the president. The judge agreed with the states that “the substance and application of the $100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax.”

RELATED: Paxton targets dozens of North Texas businesses after Sara Gonzales sounds alarm on H-1B fraud

Mandel NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

The lawsuit was brought in December by 20 states, many of which are led by Democrats and which draw heavily from the H-1B program.

“Every day, thousands of people with H-1B visas serve New Yorkers as doctors, teachers, and other skilled workers,” Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose state was among those who brought the suit, told CNBC.

“Today a court put an end to this administration’s illegal attempt to destroy this critical program and the many jobs it makes possible,” James said.

When asked for a response to the ruling, Trump told a reporter, “These federal judges are really giving us a hard time.”

“It’s really crazy what’s going on with the court system,” Trump added, according to CNBC. “They’re hurting our country very badly.”

The Trump administration intends to appeal the decision and expects it to be reversed.

In a statement to Reuters, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said, “President Trump has clear legal authority to restrict entry of any class of aliens he determines is not in America’s best interests, and that is ⁠exactly what he did.”

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​Constitution, Donald trump, Federal judge, H1b fraud, Letitia james, Massachusetts, Trump administration, Us district court, White house, Politics 

Texas Senate candidate James Talarico is facing scrutiny over his personal relationships after reports surfaced linking him to not one, but two former staffers during his time in the Texas Legislature.

“I’m very interested in the timeline here. Now, you know who’s not interested is the mainstream media,” Gonzales says.

“The legacy media, not interested in that at all because of course their entire existence is just to run cover for Democrats in any of these inappropriate workplace relationships,” she continues, before pointing out that there’s a deeper rabbit hole when it comes to Talarico’s workplace relationships.

“He seems to have a history of preying on young female staffers in the Texas Legislature. I’d like to introduce you to another Texas legislative staffer that he was in a relationship with, Irma Reyes,” she explains, showing a post on X from the former staffer.

Reyes did not deny a relationship with Talarico and instead simply requested “privacy.”

“Now I really have questions because the left has consistently told us through the Me Too movement that that kind of workplace imbalance of power is actually sexual harassment and that it doesn’t matter if the women consents because it’s just inherently wrong,” Gonzales says.

“It’s inherently abusive if the man is in a position of power over the woman. You’re not allowed to do that. That’s a no-no. That’s been their whole thing,” she continues, calling Talarico a “total weirdo.”

“And I think if the Democrats had any actual real principles or morals or values, they would be willing to call it out. But they don’t because they’re just evil ghouls,” she adds.

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​Sara gonzales, James talarico, The blaze, Irma reyes, Brianna menard, Texas legislature, Me too movement, Texas, Sara gonzales unfiltered 

New York Knicks fans were among the loudest of any in their reaction to President Trump’s appearance at the NBA Finals on Monday night.

There was one hurdle that Trump supporters in the building seemingly had to overcome though — their fellow Knicks fans.

‘He’s a genuine Knicks fan.’

The president attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals amid heightened security at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with the hometown Knicks hosting the San Antonio Spurs.

When the president made his first appearance on the in-arena big screen, it looked like Trump being the first sitting POTUS to attend an NBA Finals was not going over well with fans. A mixture of jeers and boos chorused through the building as Trump was shown alongside his granddaughter Kai during the national anthem; both of them smirked at the reaction.

However, as the night went on, Trump seemed to gain a bit more favorability, especially when the New York Fire Department made its way onto the court for a presentation.

The crowd erupted into chants of “USA! USA!” as the president pumped his fist along with some of the patriots in attendance.

RELATED: LA Dodgers pitcher refuses to comply with Pride Night, enraging progressive fans

The crowd seemed to cheer for the president later in the game when he was shown on-screen with Knicks owner James Dolan, but it is difficult to tell if the images of Trump shown on television were what garnered the reaction from fans.

Regardless of their support for the president, Knicks fans went home upset after their team lost 115-111, with the Spurs cutting into the Knicks’ series lead, which now sits at 2-1.

Chaos filled the streets after the game, and fights broke out despite a heavy NYPD presence. New Yorkers also seemed to target Spurs fans with violence, according to multiple videos posted on X. One younger male had his Spurs jersey ripped off of him, while an older man in a Spurs jersey was chased by a group of fans who were throwing objects at him.

RELATED: The NBA is finally going with a pro-America stance: ‘We’re proud’

– YouTube

Before the game, there was plenty of contentiousness surrounding Trump’s appearance, with multiple New York Democrats questioning his support for the team.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said it wasn’t clear to him that Trump was a real fan, while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) suggested Trump couldn’t name the “1993 championship team,” which is a strange reference as the Knicks did not win the Eastern Conference or the NBA Finals that year.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver cleared up some of the controversy in an interview with ESPN when he said Trump was invited to the game by the Knicks owner, and he even described the president as a “fixture at Madison Square Garden” in the past.

“Back in the old days, he had courtside seats. He was here all the time. He was at the draft. So he’s a genuine Knicks fan,” Silver stated.

Regarding Trump attending the game, the commissioner concluded, “I think we should be using sports to create more of a sense of community with people, not less.”

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​Fearless, New york knicks, Nba, Basketball, Donald trump, Sports, Adam silver 

Far-left Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman defeated former reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the primary election for L.A. mayor, according to the Associated Press and NBC News.

Raman will go head-to-head with incumbent Karen Bass in the November general election.

‘Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the LA runoffs after the big lead he had.’

Now, a week after Election Day and with 92% of the votes counted, Bass received 275,992 votes, Raman received 229,576, and Pratt received 207,757.

Many have criticized California for running a “rigged” election after Pratt had a 40,000-vote lead and a nearly 10-point advantage over Raman, which shrank rapidly over the weekend.

Raman, who gave a concession speech on election night, reacted on Monday to the latest vote-counting results.

“I’m incredibly honored that voters have given us the opportunity to advance to the general election for Mayor of Los Angeles,” Raman wrote in a post on social media.

“Now our fight for a healthier, safer, more affordable, and more joyful Los Angeles continues. For too long, City Hall has prioritized giving political advantage to powerful interests that fund elections. Meanwhile, working people pay the price in higher rents, depleted services, and a city that has stopped working for them.”

RELATED: ‘Absolutely RIGGED’: Critics question Raman’s ‘statistically impossible’ surge past Pratt in LA mayor race

HIGHFIVE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

“If you’re as frustrated by the broken status quo as I am, I hope you’ll join our movement to build a city that works for everyone,” she added.

Libs of TikTok replied to Raman’s post, calling her a “cheater.”

New Mexico state Rep. John Block (R) wrote, “After you conceded, your handlers stuffed inconceivable amounts of statistically impossible fraudulent ballots, thereby successfully stealing another election in the Third World failed state — also known as Los Angeles, California.”

RELATED: Spencer Pratt’s 40,000-vote lead vanishes in Los Angeles mayor race as California continues counting ballots

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

President Donald Trump also called the election “rigged.”

“Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had. 3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections!” he wrote.

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​News, Los angeles, California, Nithya raman, Spencer pratt, Karen bass, Donald trump, Politics 

A 41-year-old man confronted a teen about talking too loudly on his phone aboard a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus in the Bronx Monday, after which the teen shot the complaining man to death, police sources told the New York Daily News.

The victim was shot in the stomach on a Bx36 bus on East Tremont Avenue near White Plains Road around 2:30 p.m., police told the Daily News.

‘It’s really sad. … I don’t think I’ll ever get back on a bus.’

Medics rushed the victim to Jacobi Medical Center, where he died, the paper said, adding that the victim’s name was not immediately released.

The shooter was last seen fleeing south on White Plains Road and has not been caught, the Daily News added.

The shooter is estimated to be between 13 and 16 years old, the New York Post reported.

RELATED: ‘White boy,’ ‘cracker’: Subway rider dares to glance at hollering female behind him — so she veers into beatdown mode: Cops

The shooter was wearing a white T-shirt and carrying a black handgun, law enforcement sources added to the paper.

RELATED: Thug punches, kicks, stomps man to death in subway station because he didn’t like the way victim looked at him, officials say

The Post added that a bloodstain was still visible on the sidewalk after the shooting, and the area around the bus was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape as cops investigated.

“It’s really sad,” one man told WCBS-TV. “You know, I haven’t gotten on a bus in probably 30 years, but I don’t think I’ll ever get back on a bus.”

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​Fatal shooting, New york city, Bronx, Teen shooter, Confrontation, Bus, Mta, Man shot to death, Crime 

Lately, a new talking point has emerged online: Donald Trump no longer cares about his MAGA base.

The claim goes like this: The president has become too isolated in Washington and too focused on his own bottom line. Rather than looking out for the working-class men and women who elected him, he has descended into the same D.C. swamp he once denounced.

Politicians often sell out their constituents, and corporate pressure on Capitol Hill is enormous. But in Trump’s case, maybe, just maybe, a little hope is warranted.

It’s a crazy argument, and one that collapses on contact with his record.

Trump may not hold as many Rust Belt rallies as he once did. That should not surprise anyone. He’s busy doing the job of president. But fewer rallies do not mean he has forgotten the voters who sent him back to the White House.

Look at his policies.

Start with his fight against fraud. The endless theft of taxpayer money in Democrat-run Minnesota shows how severe the criminal abuse has become. That is why Vice President JD Vance held a meeting with state attorneys general to discuss the issue and press them to act.

The meeting came as the Trump administration declared a “full-scale war on fraud.” White House adviser Stephen Miller has argued that Washington’s fraud problem is so large that eliminating it could effectively balance the federal budget. This is not abstract accounting. Fraud steals from working-class Americans who both pay into federal programs and rely on them.

Trump is also fighting on housing. The president understands that the cost of a new home keeps rising, often because state and local officials stand in the way of reform. They bury builders in red tape, restrict supply, delay construction, and then wonder why young families cannot afford a starter home.

Trump recently pushed back against those NIMBY nabobs with an executive order that cuts through anti-housing regulations at the federal level while pressuring states and municipalities to do the same. The order takes particular aim at “green” building codes, beloved by Democrats, that delay home construction and drive up costs.

Trump is also streamlining the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, which underwrites loans to help working-class and rural Americans buy or build homes. He has also backed a bill to bar big financial firms from buying up single-family houses and driving prices higher by reducing competition.

Does that sound like a president who has forgotten his base?

Then consider prescription drugs. The global medicine market has become a racket. The United States develops and manufactures life-saving drugs while other wealthy countries impose price controls and pay below-market rates. American patients then get stuck making up the difference.

RELATED: Scott Bessent is the secret weapon for Trump’s economic plan

Ludovic MARIN/AFP/Getty Images

Americans today pay two to three times as much for prescription drugs as people in other developed nations. For seniors living on fixed incomes, that can mean skipped doses, delayed refills, and impossible choices between medicine, groceries, and rent.

Trump is demanding that foreign nations pay their fair share. He recently dispatched U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and health adviser Chris Klomp to press the German ambassador and demand that Europe’s wealthiest country stop underpaying for American medicines.

The president has already struck a deal with the United Kingdom that will require it to pay 25% more for U.S.-developed drugs. That means less cost-shifting onto American patients, and Trump has pledged to take the same fight to other freeloading foreign governments.

Trump is also protecting the working class by defending their right to vote. He recently signed an executive order declaring that voting is reserved for American citizens while cracking down on fraudulent ballots and strengthening mail-in voting safeguards.

Every illegal immigrant who votes cancels out the lawful vote of an American citizen. Election integrity is not a boutique issue. It is the foundation of self-government, and working-class Americans have the most to lose when powerful interests dilute their voice.

From cutting taxes to expanding apprenticeship programs, from growing the job market to presiding over historic blue-collar wage growth, Trump has kept his focus where it belongs. He still believes in striking deals that help the forgotten men and women of this country get ahead.

The media may miss this while obsessing over New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s latest performance. But Trump is still fighting the good fight.

Pessimism in politics is understandable. Politicians often sell out their constituents, and corporate pressure on Capitol Hill is enormous. But in Trump’s case, maybe, just maybe, a little hope is warranted.

​Donald trump, Working class, Maga, Rust belt, White house, Drain the swamp, Affordability, Illegal immigration, War on fraud, Opinion & analysis 

The race for the next California governor began with 61 official candidates looking to replace Democrat Gavin Newsom, with no clear early frontrunner. The top two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, proceed to the general election in November.

Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) and former Fox News host and small-business owner Steve Hilton (R) received the most votes in Tuesday’s primary election and will advance to the general election, according to Decision Desk HQ and RealClearPolitics. As of Tuesday morning, other election aggregators, including the Associated Press and NBC News, have confirmed Becerra’s spot in November’s runoff election, but not yet Hilton’s.

‘Enough with this disastrous system — universal mail-in chaos is killing election integrity and transparency.’

With 83% of the votes counted, Becerra received 2,177,556, Hilton received 1,975,062, and Democratic candidate Tom Steyer received 1,759,328. Hilton held a 2.7-point lead over Steyer as of Tuesday morning.

With many Democrats in the race and the party failing to coalesce behind one candidate, there was early speculation that two Republicans, Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, might be the two candidates to advance to the general election.

However, in the final days leading up to the primary, Becerra began to pull ahead in the polls. An Emerson College poll, which surveyed registered voters from May 27 to 28, reported Becerra with a stronger lead, securing 28% of the vote, followed by Steyer with 22%, Hilton with 21%, and Bianco with 12%.

RELATED: California Democrats’ search for a front-runner: Polls show 26% of voters undecided in fast-approaching gubernatorial race

Xavier Becerra. ETIENNE LAURENT/AFPGetty Images.

Steyer has criticized Becerra, labeling him a “corporate Democrat.”

“For too long, we’ve had a system where corporations buy off politicians to protect their profits,” Steyer said during a campaign rally.

“If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the story of Xavier Becerra’s campaign.”

RELATED: Democrats narrow field in California’s crowded gubernatorial race to avoid primary disaster

Steve Hilton. Mario Tama/Getty Images.

Hilton’s campaign criticized California for its vote-counting delay, calling it an “ABSOLUTE DISGRACE.”

“California’s election machine is a slow-motion disaster deliberately dragging out vote counts for 35 DAYS while the rest of the world tallies hundreds of millions in hours,” his campaign wrote. “Enough with this disastrous system — universal mail-in chaos is killing election integrity and transparency.”

Hilton stated that he will wait for the AP to call the race before declaring a victory.

“Thank you so much for all your congratulations! We always said we would wait for@AP_RaceCalls before declaring victory so we’re not popping the champagne just yet … but it’s definitely time for a beer!” Hilton said.

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​News, Xavier becerra, Gavin newsom, Steve hilton, Chad bianco, California, Politics 

An attempted beheading in the Kinnaird Avenue area of North Belfast was thwarted late Monday night after a stick-wielding Good Samaritan and other passersby intervened, giving the attacker a good thwacking.

Although he kept his head, the victim — a citizen in his 40s — was taken to the hospital in serious condition with “significant injuries to his face, neck, and back,” according to a police press release.

‘We do not have to live like this.’

The suspected attacker, a Sudanese national in his 30s whom the Police Service of Northern Ireland initially mistook for a Somali, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He remains in police custody.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said in a statement, “This brutal attack will have sent shock waves through the community, causing real concern. I want to reassure the local community that we are treating this attack with the utmost seriousness.”

Citing the supposed risk of further traumatizing the victim, Henderson implored “members of the public not to share or repost” images or footage of the attack.

Despite the urging by police, remigration activist Tommy Robinson and other transparency-oriented members of the British public have shared the horrific footage, which shows a black male sitting atop a bloodied victim, shouting something in a foreign tongue, then carving into the victim’s throat.

RELATED: British cop involved in Henry Nowak murder case resigns as fury intensifies over damning arrest footage

Tejas Sandhu/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

A burly gentleman armed with a hurling stick can be seen rushing into action and repeatedly hammering the suspect over the head. Another two men rush in to help — one attempting to pull the victim to safety and the other giving a few well-placed kicks to the aggressor’s head.

In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Hilary Benn, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, addressed the Good Samaritans who intervened, stating, “You showed the very best of humanity, and you have the profound gratitude of this entire House.”

Gavin Robinson, a member of the British Parliament for East Belfast who pressed Benn to comment on the matter, claimed that the Sudanese suspect behind the “medieval” attack was in the country on a five-year visa.

“Having abused the privilege of our nation, the perpetrator living in the U.K. under a five-year visa needs to be convicted and deported on the first flight out on a one-way ticket,” said Robinson.

While Benn refused to divulge whether the suspected attacker first entered Northern Ireland illegally, he said that “any foreign national who abuses the hospitality of this country to commit crimes should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them.”

Rupert Lowe, a British lawmaker who serves as leader of Restore Britain, demanded on Tuesday that Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who characterized the attempted beheading as “sickening” — provide “full details of this savage’s nationality, immigration status, and religion,” stressing that the “British people need to know the full truth.”

“I have had enough. The British people have had enough. We do not have to live like this,” wrote Lowe. “There is another way. Death penalty, mass deportations, end mass immigration.”

While British conservative politician Matt Vickers, the MP of Stockton West, did not advocate for the death penalty, he was among those who similarly demanded that the government release the relevant facts “to avoid speculation and prevent an information vacuum, which the independent reviewer of terror legislation has warned about.”

“If there have been failings on our borders, this is yet another reminder that we do need stronger borders and this is why we believe it is time to leave the [European Convention on Human Rights,]” added Vickers.

While some politicians want answers, others have expressed concern that this latest apparent instance of imported violence might be used by the right in criticism of Britain’s failed migration policies.

Colum Eastwood, an Irish politician who served as the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, stated, for instance, “The horrific scenes in North Belfast should not be used by English, right wing politicians to further their own ends.”

The Green Party stated, “There are those who will seek to use this to further their aims, to create division, marginalise vulnerable communities, and undo the steps we have made toward a more cohesive society. We must not let them.”

Mass protests are expected to rock Belfast on Tuesday evening.

Lowe cautioned protesters in advance: “Patriots — if you are protesting tonight, in Belfast or elsewhere, do NOT give Starmer what he wants. Stay calm. Keep your heads. Do NOT attack the police. The state will show you no mercy. The dangerous ‘far-right’ will be blamed, and your life will be ruined forever. It will be that brutal. However angry you are feeling now, it is not worth it. Protest — but do it loudly, do it peacefully.”

Tommy Robinson, who has advertised the protests, said in a statement, “Stop dumping these third world savages into our communities!”

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​Belfast, Sudanese, Migration, Britain, United kingdom, Migrant, Murder, Leftism, Borders, Starmer, Rupert lowe, Remigration, Deportation, Politics 

Social media influencer couple Jesse and Ashley Ridgway had been sharing their excitement about becoming first-time parents with their audience when one day they announced “a very difficult decision”: They were choosing to “terminate the pregnancy” because prenatal testing showed the baby had Down syndrome.

In the announcement, Jesse wrote, “Down syndrome isn’t a ‘blessing,’ it is objectively s**tty from a health perspective,” and listed various medical challenges associated with the condition.

He concluded his announcement by thanking his audience for being “understanding” about their decision.

But the majority of responses the couple received were the opposite of understanding.

The Ridgways’ announcement sparked a furious response from pro-life and disability advocates, as well as parents of children with Down syndrome, many of whom called the couple’s decision “evil” and accused them of being “murderers.”

While Glenn Beck was heartbroken by the Ridgways’ decision, he is plagued by a fear that goes deeper than one couple’s decision to abort their child: What happens when society begins measuring human worth by intelligence, independence, health, or convenience?

Citing LDS premortal life doctrine, Glenn speculates that the valiant angels in heaven who “fought on the front lines and cast Satan out” and thus needed less mortal testing were perhaps sent to Earth as people with Down syndrome.

“Have you ever met a Down syndrome kid? … Their default is love; their default is kindness,” he says, recalling his years working with Special Olympians.

“As a father of a daughter with cerebral palsy who has taught me more than anyone I know, she is my hero. The way she deals with things, her spiritual connections, the way she’s disciplined herself, the things she’s overcome. She’s my hero,” he continues.

While there have been many challenges that have come with raising a child with a disability, the hardest one, Glenn says, has been “seeing your child left out of things, seeing your child not understood.”

“But through all the pain that our children face and all the pain that we face, it is so worth it,” he says. “But you have to realize that life is not about you.”

But that’s the problem with abortion advocates, Glenn argues. They do have a self-centered perspective of life, believing life is about only them — their freedom, ambitions, and desires. Even those who claim that abortion benefits would-be disadvantaged children are merely masking their egocentrism, Glenn says.

He warns that when we make a practice of eliminating the weak, we “become more and more like an animal and less and less like a human being.”

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

Want more from Glenn Beck?

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​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Abortion 

We’re hearing a lot of noise right now about the federal gas tax.

Some believe President Trump already eliminated it. Others are convinced an executive order is about to slash prices at the pump.

Americans are asking why drivers in some states consistently pay dramatically more than drivers elsewhere.

The reality is more complicated.

Piece of the puzzle

Even if Congress suspended the federal gas tax tomorrow, fuel prices would remain far higher than many drivers expect. That’s because the federal tax has become one of the smaller pieces of a much larger pricing puzzle.

And that’s the part of the debate most headlines miss.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has announced plans to introduce legislation suspending the federal gas tax, which today adds 18.4 cents per gallon to gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon to diesel fuel. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has argued that the tax has largely outlived its original purpose, since the interstate highway system it helped fund is mostly complete.

The proposals immediately sparked headlines suggesting relief could be coming for drivers.

Even if Congress approved a suspension tomorrow, however, the savings would likely be smaller than many consumers expect. Most estimates suggest drivers might see roughly 15 cents per gallon in actual savings.

That’s real money, particularly for families with long commutes and businesses that rely on transportation. But it wouldn’t suddenly make fuel inexpensive again.

Because federal taxes are only part of the equation.

California scheming

The bigger story is what many states continue adding on top.

California remains the clearest example. While the national average for regular gasoline recently hovered around $4.17 per gallon, California drivers were paying nearly $6 per gallon on average, with some regions approaching $7. Diesel prices climbed even higher.

That gap isn’t an accident.

California drivers face some of the highest fuel taxes and regulatory costs in the country. State excise taxes, special fuel-blend requirements, low-carbon fuel programs, cap-and-trade costs, environmental fees, and refinery regulations all contribute to higher prices.

Those costs become permanent parts of the system, and consumers pay them every time they fill up.

RELATED: Cheap Chinese cars: Trojan horse built to undermine US security?

Jade Gao/Bettmann/Getty Images

Policy pain

That’s why Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) introduced the Gas Tax Reduction Act, which would reduce certain federal transportation funding to states imposing gasoline taxes above 50 cents per gallon.

Whether the bill advances or not, it highlights a reality many drivers already recognize: Policy choices can have a significant impact on fuel prices.

Drivers are often told that fuel prices are primarily the result of global events or market conditions. What receives far less attention is the role government policy plays in determining the final price consumers see at the pump.

Taxes, refinery capacity, fuel mandates, and transportation policy all play a role in determining what consumers ultimately pay at the pump.

Most consumers don’t follow every detail of energy policy, but they understand what happens when they fill up their vehicles. Higher fuel costs ripple through nearly every part of the economy.

Higher diesel prices increase shipping costs. Grocery prices rise. Contractors, delivery companies, farmers, and small businesses all face higher operating expenses that eventually get passed on to consumers.

Road rage

The gas-tax debate is resonating because many Americans are beginning to connect fuel prices to broader policy decisions. They’re asking why drivers in some states consistently pay dramatically more than drivers elsewhere. They’re questioning why taxes and fees continue rising while road quality often fails to improve at the same pace.

Those are reasonable questions.

The federal gas tax was originally created to help build and maintain the interstate highway system. Today, many motorists feel they are paying more while receiving less in return. Roads remain in poor condition in many areas despite billions collected annually from drivers.

At the same time, governments are already looking for new sources of transportation revenue.

As electric vehicles and hybrids become more common, many states are experimenting with replacement taxes, including EV registration fees, mileage-based taxes, and road-usage charges. Officials understand that gasoline-tax revenue eventually declines when fewer people buy fuel.

Transportation taxes aren’t disappearing. They’re evolving.

Political theater

Which brings us back to the current debate.

The real issue isn’t whether Congress temporarily suspends the federal gas tax and saves drivers a few cents per gallon.

The bigger question is how much of today’s fuel pricing structure is driven by decades of taxes, regulations, mandates, and policy decisions layered onto the cost of energy.

That’s the part many headlines overlook.

Americans don’t need more political theater. They need honest conversations about energy policy, infrastructure spending, refinery capacity, and the real factors driving transportation costs.

Because drivers don’t care about talking points when they’re standing at the pump.

They care about affordability.

And right now, many Americans feel they’re paying more every year while getting fewer answers about where all that money is going.

​Electric vehicles, Fuel prices, High gas prices, Gas prices, Federal gas tax, California, Gavin newsom, Lifestyle, Mike lee, Josh hawley