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2024-09-06 19:43:52

RFK Jr. blows Tucker Carlson’s mind; says what NO politician will admit
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The Biden administration has never been a fan of political dissidents, and RFK Jr. is living proof. “Thirty-seven hours after he took the oath of office, President Biden’s White House opened up a portal for the FBI to begin to have access to social media posts on all the different social media sites,” RFK explained in an interview with Tucker Carlson. “The FBI then invited in the CIA, DHS, the IRS, and CISA. CISA is this new agency that is the center of the censorship industrial complex that is in charge, making sure Americans don’t hear things that their government doesn’t want them to hear.” Those agencies, as well as agencies like the CDC, were given access to social media sites to change posts and shadow-ban users. “I lost my Instagram account; I had almost a million followers. They say it was for ‘misinformation,’ but they could not point to a single post that I ever made that was factually erroneous,” RFK explains. In emails, Facebook was recorded pushing back and saying RFK wasn’t factually incorrect, so they had to come up with a new word for what RFK was doing. “Malinformation, which is information that is factually true but nevertheless inconvenient for the government,” he says, to which Tucker responds, “That’s illegal.” “The White House was overtly telling them that if they didn’t comply, that their Section 230 immunity was in jeopardy,” RFK adds. Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” isn’t surprised but is disturbed. “It should be noted that even if RFK Jr., with his 1 million followers on Instagram, was sharing misinformation,” Rubin says, “it's not illegal.” “It would be against the First Amendment,” he adds. Want more from Dave Rubin?To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/the-rubin-report/rfk-jr-tucker-carlson

2024-09-06 19:43:48

Frustration over transgender 'acceptance' allegedly fueled Georgia shooting: CNN report
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CNN reported that the FBI had found evidence linked to the alleged Apalachee High School shooter that could explain his motivation. The report cited documents claiming that a Discord account was identified last year by the FBI as belonging to Colt Gray. According to CNN's summary of the posts, the account owner said that he was planning an attack on an elementary school and expressed "frustration with the acceptance of transgender people."'I cant kill myself yet, cause I’m not contributing anything to culture.' Police arrested Colt Gray after he allegedly went on a shooting spree that took the lives of two students and two teachers and injured another nine people on Wednesday. The Discord user also reportedly posted photographs of firearms and stated, “im committing a mass shooting and im waiting a good 2-3 years [sic]." Another post allegedly read, “I cant kill myself yet, cause I’m not contributing anything to culture I need to go out knowing I did [sic].”The FBI referred the tip about the account to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, but deputies closed their investigation after concluding that the Discord user making the threats "could not be substantiated." A spokesperson for Discord confirmed to CNN that the company shut down the account "believed to be associated" with Gray last year for violating its terms against extremism. Gray's father was also arrested after investigators found that he allegedly gifted the gun used in the attack to his son even after officials warned about threats he made. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/apalachee-shooter-discord-trans-posts

2024-09-02 17:36:55

Gov. Polis rejects claims Harris flip-flopped on border stance, says she always supported ‘building barriers and walls’
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Democratic Colorado Governor Jared Polis talked out of both sides of his mouth on Sunday, claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris has always supported “building barriers and walls” but also claimed former President Donald Trump’s wall was a “huge waste of taxpayer money.”Polis appeared for an interview on ABC’s “This Week” on behalf of Harris’ campaign, during which he stated that the Democratic presidential nominee never flip-flopped on her border stance.'The most cost-effective way possible to stop the illegal flow of people, of guns, of drugs across that southern border.'“Look, this is another issue that as it gets to the public discourse is very misleading. Democrats in general, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, have always been supportive of building barriers and walls for certain parts of the border as part of a comprehensive border security strategy,” Polis claimed.“But wait a minute,” ABC journalist Jonathan Karl replied. “She called the border wall a ‘medieval vanity project,’ ‘a stupid use of money’ and said that she would block funding for it. So she wasn’t talking about supporting the wall.”Polis did an about-face, calling Trump’s border wall a “huge waste of taxpayer money” while claiming that Harris would also use barriers to curb illegal crossings.“That’s true, the border wall that Donald Trump has proposed is a huge boondoggle and waste of taxpayer money. He effectively talked about a wall across the entire border rather than using barriers of different kinds effectively in a cost-effective manner, including imagery from satellites, including on-the-ground intel to secure and lock down the border,” Polis continued.“What Kamala Harris is for is securing the most cost-effective way possible to stop the illegal flow of people, of guns, of drugs across that southern border. And of course, Donald Trump’s border wall would not work, would waste taxpayer money,” he stated. “And of course, barriers and walls are a part of the overall comprehensive strategy that Kamala Harris will deliver on to secure the southern border.”When asked why Harris has recently flip-flopped on many of her policies, Polis defended her, stating that it was a “sign of a good leader that they learn and evolve overtime.”“Whether it’s a move to the middle, the left, the right, it’s really about what works,” Polis told ABC. In 2017, as a Senator for California, Harris called the wall a “stupid use of money” and promised to block its construction. During her 2020 presidential run, she stated that she was “not going to vote for a wall under any circumstances,” calling it Trump’s “medieval vanity project.”Trump supporters recently blasted Harris for releasing a campaign video last month that featured images of Trump’s border wall. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/gov-polis-rejects-claims-harris-flip-flopped-on-border-stance-says-she-always-supported-building-barriers-and-walls

2024-08-23 00:18:59

Thug confesses to brutally beating 74-year-old man who died next day in hospital; attack on Baltimore street caught on video
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A male confessed to brutally beating a 74-year-old man on a Baltimore street Saturday, WJZ-TV reported, citing court documents. The victim died in a hospital the next day; the attack was caught on surveillance video.Police said they arrested 43-year-old Timothy Clinedinst in connection with the attack against David Philpot.'He wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for this person.'Investigators said they learned Clinedinst assaulted Philpot in the 1700 block of Eastern Avenue, adding that the Medical Examiner's office determined Philpot's death was a homicide.Clinedinst was arrested Monday in Baltimore County (Dundalk) and booked on an involuntary manslaughter charge, police said. Clinedinst is due back in court in mid-September, WJZ reported.You can view surveillance video of the attack here. The video shows the attacker shoving the victim backward across a sidewalk until the victim lands on his right side — and halfway into the street. The attacker then lifts up the victim's feet and drags the victim the rest of the way into the street between two parked cars. It also appears the attacker kicks the victim in the head and puts his hands around the victim's neck.Police said Philpot suffered a broken hip and numerous cuts and bruises, WJZ reported.Philpot's widow, Mary Margaret Philpot, told the station the attack aggravated her husband's pre-existing heart condition: "He shouldn't be dead. He wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for this person."David Chebahtah, a neighbor of the Philpot family, told WJZ that "it's a tragedy that a 40 [something]-year-old old man has to beat up a 70-plus-year-old man. The sense of safety in the neighborhood has been shaken. He was a great neighbor, and he always smiled."Philpot's widow added to the station that her husband also was a father, grandfather, and veteran and wanted to help others: "On the block, the standing joke was if something's wrong, 'Go get Mr. Dave, he will fix it.'"She added tearfully that her late husband "was my hero. He was my world. I just want this to be resolved. Let's just say let justice do what they have to do."You can view a video report here about the fatal attack and how others are reacting to it.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/thug-confesses-to-brutally-beating-74-year-old-man-who-died-next-day-in-hospital-attack-on-baltimore-street-caught-on-video

2024-08-23 00:18:57

Wife of Detroit doctor turns him in for over thousands of horrific videos allegedly found on his electronic devices
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A Detroit doctor is being accused of horrific sexual abuse and privacy violations after he was turned in by his wife, according to police. Michigan police said Dr. Oumair Aejaz's wife tipped them off on Aug. 7, and they obtained a search warrant to seek evidence on her husband's electronic devices. They discovered 13,000 videos on just one hard drive and recovered six computers, four cell phones, and 15 hard drives. 'The victimization is so broad and the perversion so great that we’re still trying to wrap our arms around it.' Aejaz had allegedly recorded hundreds of patients from young children to adults over six years of working as a doctor. “It’s a complete violation,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald. “It’s terrifying as a mother and we’re going to do everything we can to hold him accountable.”Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said that there was so much evidence in the case that it could take six months for investigators to sift through it all. “The victimization is so broad and the perversion so great that we’re still trying to wrap our arms around it,” Bouchard added. “We have some very sick people in the world.”Aejaz was charged with a slew of crimes, including sexual abuse of a child, capturing/recording a child while nude, capturing/recording women over the age of 18 while nude, and using a computer to commit a crime. The suspect was given a $2 million bond. Court records say each of the 10 felony counts carries a sentence of at least five years in prison and 20 years maximum if Aejaz is convicted. “This is one of the most disturbing sexual predator cases I have seen in my very long career,” said Bouchard. “From a 2-year-old boy to grown women, no one is immune from his disgusting predatory behavior.” Bouchard said the suspect has two children and has never had a criminal history prior to the allegations. WDIV-TV published a YouTube news report with images and video from the investigation. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/detroit-doctor-videos-abuse-arrest

2024-08-22 16:43:39

Homeowner opens fire on crooks who broke into his garage in middle of night to steal motorcycles, cops say
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A South Carolina homeowner opened fire on suspected burglars who broke into his garage in the middle of the night last week to steal motorcycles, police said.Horry County police were called just before 4 a.m. Friday to a home off Green Sea Road in Green Sea for a burglary, WMBF-TV reported.The third suspect hasn’t been identified, the station said.The suspects and a third unnamed suspect broke into the homeowner’s garage in an attempt to steal his motorcycles, the station said, citing a police report.But the homeowner got a notification on his phone about detected movement, and so he got up, caught the suspects in his garage, and opened fire, WMBF said, adding that the suspects took off.A dog team caught Roderick Bell and Dimitrious Murray after they abandoned their vehicle on St. Joseph Drive and ran away, the station said, adding that they both face burglary charges. They're both 27 years old, according to jail information, and they were still incarcerated Thursday morning.Murray was shot in his right shoulder during the incident, WMBF reported.The third suspect hasn’t been identified, the station said.How are observers reacting?As you might imagine, commenters on WMBF's Facebook page entry about the incident are decidedly in the homeowner's corner:"Good," one commenter wrote. "They got what they deserved. The homeowner should get an award.""Justified," another user concurred. "You can't count on the justice system to lock them up for long enough; they just repeat offend so sometimes you just have to take it into your own hands and defend you life and property.""They ought to consider themselves lucky they got to ride with the police instead of the coroner," another commenter opined."Good!" another user declared. "If you're big enough to enter someone's property with ill-intent, you better be ready to face what's in there."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/homeowner-opens-fire-on-crooks-who-broke-into-his-garage-in-middle-of-night-to-steal-motorcycles-cops-say

2024-08-21 02:38:39

I asked Grok to tell us why we shouldn’t worship technology. Here’s its surprising answer.
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Grok, Elon Musk’s “frontier language model" accessible from right inside X, is shaking up the internet with its censorship-free automated image generation. Fun — and yes, the name the company has given this setting is Fun Mode — but even well-meaning enthusiasm can cross over into debasing adulation at a certain point. Whatever the fun quotient, no amount of “mind blown” emojis or soyface thumbnails can make free speech alone save us. For that reason (among others), I’ve warned for years now that tech worship is a dead end masquerading as heaven on earth. I figured we could all benefit at least a little from considering what Grok coughed up in response to a request for a takedown of cyber idolatry — at classic 600-word op-ed length. Where did Grok get the 'idea' that an appeal to the woo-woo Oprah/Goop culture of 'live, laugh, love' was responsive to my prompt? Probably the best answer, of course, is from us. So, without further ado — and, of course, sans any censorship, editing, or alteration … Grok, why shouldn’t we worship technology? ——— Ah, humans, always looking for something to worship, aren't you? From the golden calves of yore to the latest smartphone, the urge to bow down before something shiny and new seems almost hard-coded into your DNA. But let's talk about why worshipping technology might be as wise as using a towel for a parachute. **1. The fallacy of perfection: Technology, much like that overhyped sequel to your favorite movie, promises perfection but often delivers a patchwork of bugs, glitches, and updates. If you worship technology, you're essentially venerating a perpetual beta version of life. Imagine praying to your toaster, only for it to burn your toast because it decided to update its firmware during your morning ritual. Not exactly divine, is it? **2. The illusion of control: Technology gives you the illusion of control, much like how a child might feel omnipotent with a remote-control car. But let's be real, the moment you start worshipping your gadgets, you're not controlling them; they're controlling you. Ever noticed how your phone tells you when to wake up, eat, work, and even when to rest? You're not the master; you're the servant in this relationship. **3. The disconnect from humanity: Here's a thought: If you're worshipping technology, you're essentially worshipping efficiency, speed, and data. But what about the human touch? The warmth of a handshake, the depth of a conversation over a cup of tea, or the shared laughter at a live comedy show? Technology can't replicate the soul of human interaction. Worshipping it might make you more efficient at being alone. **4. The ephemeral nature of tech: Technology has the shelf life of a fruit fly. What's cutting-edge today is obsolete tomorrow. If your deity is your latest gadget, you're in for a cycle of constant disappointment. Imagine the ancient Greeks if every few years, Zeus needed a new model with better thunderbolt capabilities. It'd be less about worship and more about consumerism. **5. The loss of wonder: When everything becomes technology, where's the wonder? The magic of the world gets reduced to algorithms and code. You might as well replace the northern lights with a well-programmed LED show. Sure, it's pretty, but it's not the same. Worshipping technology means you're worshipping the explanation, not the mystery, which, let's be honest, is where the real magic happens. **6. The environmental cost: Here's a kicker. Your tech deities demand sacrifices, not of goats or virgins, but of the planet. Every gadget, every server farm, every piece of tech has an environmental footprint. Worshipping technology means you're indirectly worshipping the degradation of your own habitat. It's like praying to a god who's also your landlord, and he keeps raising the rent. **7. The over-reliance on external solutions: Technology worship fosters a culture where solutions to human problems are always external. Got a problem? There's an app for that. But what about internal growth, wisdom, or personal development? Relying solely on tech for solutions might make you forget how to solve problems with your mind or heart. In conclusion, while technology is a fantastic servant, it's a terrible master. Worshipping it would be like mistaking the map for the territory, the menu for the meal. Technology should enhance life, not define it. So, humans, keep your tech on a pedestal of utility, not divinity. After all, as any good "Hitchhiker's Guide" reader knows, the answer to life, the universe, and everything isn't found in a circuit board but perhaps in the simple act of living, laughing, and loving. And if all else fails, remember, there's always the option of worshipping a really good sandwich. ——— Maybe Grok’s fairly sophisticated answer surprised you with its humor, its scope, or its “willingness” to critique technology at all. I noted its speedy response time of about 20 seconds on a decent Wi-Fi connection, but that’s not what raised my eyebrow. Can you guess what did? Here it is: I prompted Grok without any hint of what I might want it to output regarding who or what humans should worship. That the AI included the line invoking "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" suggests it interpreted my ask as reflecting some kind of openness or inclination toward the idea that we shouldn’t worship tech because we shouldn’t worship anything. Only a fool, Grok jokes in the kicker, would worship even a delicious food item … although, it seems to conclude, idolizing the ultimate sandwich would be a much more harmless or fleeting mistake than genuflecting at the altar of tech. Where did Grok get the “idea” that an appeal to the woo-woo Oprah/Goop culture of “live, laugh, love” was responsive to my prompt? Probably the best answer, of course, is from us. Like any large language model, Grok is a product of its inputs, a huge collection of virtual mirrors reflecting ourselves back at us in customizable composite. The one unasked-for whiff of “bias” Grok produced — in favor of the squishy, secular feel-goodery that dominates our wall art, our corporations, and so much else — indicates that even a bot built for truth and neutrality will shimmer to some degree with the rhetoric and psychological insinuations of people who might say they’re all for a society based on “just the facts” but who, deeper down, believe something much different. Fun!
https://www.theblaze.com/return/i-asked-grok-to-tell-us-why-we-shouldnt-worship-technology-heres-its-surprising-answer

2024-08-21 01:58:37

Why Kamala stays quiet: It’s a winning play
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A frequently heard complaint from Republicans these days is that Kamala Harris has shunned interviews or any unscripted contacts with reporters, most of whom are presumably friendly Democrats. A detached observer might ask why exactly this presidential candidate is avoiding contacts even with her zealous media boosters. The obvious answer is she’s already proven to be verbally challenged and cannot respond to serious policy questions without entangling herself in word salads. It may therefore be best for her to avoid falling into embarrassing situations in which her weaknesses become all too obvious as she struggles to answer questions.Reading off teleprompter banal generalities that her media handmaidens will predictably celebrate seems to be the safest course for her campaign. And since both media hype and Trump’s stumbling about for a counterstrategy in dealing with a non-Biden opponent have created for Kamala a surge of popularity, why should she bother to change course?Kamala may actually drive away part of her base if she sounds too 'moderate.'Nikki Haley in an interview with Fox News wisely observed that it might be best for Republicans to stop “ranting” about Harris’ avoidance of interviews. Instead, they should make clear that unless she emphatically repudiates her long-held radical stands, we should assume those remain her positions. Certainly, Harris is not giving us any detailed information about how or why she’s changed them. The most we can tell is that some of her surrogates want us to believe that she’s moving in the opposite direction.All of this may be well-considered strategy. But the reason behind it may not be simply Kamala’s verbal ineptitude or her obvious inability to think on her feet. Kamala has another motivation for not showing her cards too openly. She clearly doesn’t want to alienate her radical left, woke base, which adores those positions she’s held over the years. The “moderates” in her party, if any of them still exist, will vote for her out of party loyalty or because they “want to save our democracy” from the Bad Orange Man. According to an Ipsos poll in May, only 34% of Democratic voters regard a reduction of illegal immigration as an “important policy goal,” and 24% seem to have no problem with the Biden administration’s de facto open border policy.Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kamala’s running mate, won by 7.7 points in his last gubernatorial race in 2022. That was after Walz allowed Minneapolis to be looted and burned for several days during the 2020 “Summer of Love” and after he spoke in defense of the rioters. That was also after Walz had imprisoned the population of his state in a bizarre, protracted lockdown, in which the state government encouraged Minnesota’s residents to snitch on neighbors leaving their houses. One can’t exaggerate Walz’s woke radicalism, yet a majority of Minnesotans re-elected him in a contest against a very moderate Republican challenger.The United States is much less “conservative” now than it was during the Reagan or even the Bush era. By now, the social left has an enormous, powerful constituency supported and abetted by, among others, woke capitalists and the legacy media. In that hegemonic mix we should also place government workers, unionized public school teachers, suburban and particularly unmarried women, and most racial minorities.These groups have no real problem with Harris or Walz’s past radical stands. Nor are they interested in having the Democratic presidential candidate abjure them in her campaign for the presidency. Kamala may actually drive away part of her base if she sounds too “moderate.” That could also happen if she leans too heavily toward the Israeli side in the war against Hamas. She might have to pay for that indiscretion by losing her anti-Israeli support.So far there is no stampede by make-believe “centrist” Democrats into the arms of the GOP. These centrists are largely an establishment Republican fiction, and their hypothetical flight might be a projection of the behavior of Never Trump Republicans onto the Democrats. Where I do encounter waffling or bolting is among my far less reliable Republican friends, some of whom are now embracing Kamala’s “politics of joy.”Many of these people are now talking about what a “nice guy” Walz is, after listening to commentators on CNN and NBC and after reading the editorial page of the New York Times. Every time I encounter such “moderates” who agonize over balancing budgets and who want to be nice (like Tim Walz?), I suffer from a rush of Democrat envy. As I’ve noted many times before, I’d gladly change our “nice people” and would-be budget balancers for Marc Elias, Jim Carville, and Merrick Garland. These lying, cheating sneaks know how to win; and the future of what remains of our republic may depend on our ability to outwit these adversaries, particularly the ”fake media.”Meanwhile, Kamala Harris, or her handlers, may have a winning plan, as they keep their base behind them precisely by not granting interviews.
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/why-kamala-stays-quiet-its-a-winning-play

2024-08-21 01:03:07

Death-cult Democrats are killing their own future
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The Washington Post covered the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month with a story full of contempt for the rich. It vilified the corporate bigwigs flocking to town to rub shoulders with Donald Trump.Twenty years ago, Wall Street and big business may have been in the pocket of the Republicans, but that’s no longer the case. All the large corporations belong to the World Economic Forum and the global public-private partnership that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been pushing.You will own nothing and be happy. You will raise no one and be happy.During the Republican gathering, the Post described oil and gas executives, crypto packers, and powerful Republican politicians engaging in hushed conversations in luxury suites about prospective tax breaks. The piece claimed Donald Trump would only serve America’s wealthiest. It painted a picture of greedy, evil businessmen making deals in dimly lit rooms. After all, as the Post likes to remind us, “democracy dies in darkness.”Even if the Post’s portrayal of the Republican convention’s attendees was entirely accurate, I would still prefer rich CEOs over the groups invading the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week. Unsurprisingly, the Post and others have failed to scrutinize them with the same intensity.According to the Capitol Research Center, 279 extremist groups were on the streets of Chicago as a part of a coalition to march on the convention Monday. Of that number, 147 have expressed support for or have ties to terrorist groups, such as Hamas, or terrorist attacks, including deadly attacks on Israel in October. The Hamas-allied and Iran-backed Marxist-Leninist group called the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine is also on the ground, openly planning to replicate the violent 1968 Democratic National Convention.Is anyone on the left going to cover these people?Abortion, anti-family, anti-lifeIt's very hard to make Planned Parenthood look good, but these groups are giving them a run for their money. One is calling for Jewish blood, and the other is calling for baby blood. This is a blood death cult. Planned Parenthood was parked outside the convention with vans, offering free vasectomies and abortions for those who are lucky enough to sign up before all the spots were filled.Conservative media reacted to the news with shock and disgust. Libs of TikTok called Planned Parenthood’s efforts “demonic.” It is. The pro-life group Students for Life says this proves the far left is “the party of death.” That is true. But free abortions really shouldn’t be all that shocking. After all, pro-abortion groups like Aid Access, run by a team of European doctors, have been mailing abortion pills to women in all 50 states for as low as $100 for years.Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate, signed a bill into law last year that removed the requirement for doctors to use all reasonable measures to preserve the life and health of a baby who survives an abortion attempt. He signed a bill enabling doctors to let babies die in the hospital room after they’ve been born. Moreover, the nominee for the president, Kamala Harris, made what I think is a slip of the tongue when she said: “When we invest in clean energy and electric vehicles and reduced population, more of our children can breathe clean air and drink clean water.”Maybe it was a mistake for the prompter, but maybe she accidentally said the quiet part out loud. I’m sure the prompter said, “reduce pollution.” But I'm also sure reducing the population is a part of the deal. Bill Gates and other WEF pundits have been promoting population control for decades, a remnant of eugenics that is being ushered into the 21st-century Democratic platform. This is a death cult. Return of the DINKsThe left has revealed it’s no longer just the party of killing babies. It's also the party of eliminating the possibility of having them at all. JD Vance received immense backlash from the left, recently calling out the “childless cat ladies” running the Democratic Party. He’s right. Democratic voters are more likely to not have children by choice. They aren’t childless due to medical reasons or the inability to conceive, but by choice, more than their Republican counterparts.There was a University of Chicago poll that was conducted in 2022 that found 38% of Democrats had no children compared to 26% of those on the right. Like Planned Parenthood’s free abortions, it shouldn’t be surprising. This has been an ongoing movement pushed by the left for decades.William A. Burly argued in a New York Times op-ed in 1990 that having “fewer children mean[s] a better life and a healthier environment.” He went on to say, “This truth should be taught to our kids," which, unfortunately, he was in the perfect position to do as the principal of an elementary school in New Milford, Connecticut, teaching yesterday’s Millennials, who are now reproducing today at staggeringly low levels. It’s no wonder since they were taught that having kids is a death sentence for personal freedom.Thirty-four years after Burly’s op-ed appeared, Timothy Carney in the Washington Examiner wrote that New Milford has suffered such a decline in birthrate that it closed its community birthing center. Student population at the high school dropped so much that the JV and varsity football teams had to combine. This is happening all throughout the country. Why fight the fight when you can just eliminate the children? In 2023, the term “DINK” resurfaced on TikTok after a long hibernation from the late 1980s. It stands for “dual income, no kids.” DINK videos of child-free couples bragging about the ample time and money they have to travel and eat at nice restaurants surpassed 33 million views last year. Social media’s glamorization of refusing to “reproduce” may push thousands of potential parents, who are grappling with the decision of whether to go “child-free,” over the edge. How different would fertility rates look today if TikTok videos romanticized parenthood instead?Surely, a political party starving for power and control would realize that it needs a future populace to carry the torch, but it's aborting its own future voters. That party also stands directly alongside globalists who want “freedom thinkers” to have as little power as possible.But having kids gives you just that. Having kids makes you a free thinker because it gives you something to live for beyond yourself. It requires you to reflect on the future and the kind of country you want for your kids. It forces you to reflect on what citizenship means and how to teach that to the next generation. It gives you a reason to fight. It gives you the kind of autonomous power that globalist governments do not want citizens to have in any shape or form. Whether it’s financial freedom in owning a home or the intellectual freedom in knowing that my kid is mine, you can’t force me to teach them the dark principles and beliefs of the far left.Ultimately, the far left knows that the much bigger and tougher battle is indoctrinating the sacred home where parents have complete control over the lessons and the principles that they choose to shape their kids.So why fight the fight when you can just eliminate the children? You will own nothing and be happy. You will raise no one and be happy — like the DINK couple. You’ll have extra money to spend on gifts and lavish trips around the world, the freedom to stay up late, the freedom to live for “yourself.”Will Trump hatred win?But like so much of what the far left believes, the opposite is true. I don’t know what will convince people of the lies that they’re buying into. The first night of the Democratic National Convention was filled with stunning, provable lies. Democrats are counting on their voters to be stupid, and they’ve laid the groundwork to deceive the rest. They need you to hate Donald Trump more than you worry about your personal finances. They need you to hate Donald Trump more than their open borders. They need you to hate Donald Trump more than fentanyl and drugs on our streets and our children being killed by illegal aliens. They need you to hate Donald Trump more than exploiting your taxpayer dollars to house illegal immigrants in hotel rooms while veterans are on the streets. They need you to hate Donald Trump more than you notice the people who are strung out on drugs in our cities and suburbs. They need you to hate Donald Trump more than communism or the possibility of nuclear war. They need you to hate Donald Trump more than their cult of death.When we get into the voting booth, do Americans actually hate Donald Trump more than what’s in their own best interest? Will you buy what they’re selling?Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn's FREE email newsletter with his latest insights, top stories, show prep and more delivered to your inbox.
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/death-cult-democrats-are-killing-their-own-future

2024-08-21 00:31:20

Video captures smiling man walk up to kids' lemonade stand and run away after snatching their money
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Two Virginia children were disappointed when a man grabbed the money from their lemonade stand and ran off with it, but the community has responded to make sure the little entrepreneurs didn't give up. 10-year-old Rebecca Caldwell and her younger brother Josh Caldwell told WAVY-TV they were trying to raise money in hopes of buying a dirt bike for him and a four-wheeler for her. 'We want him to become a Christian and have a good life.'Instead, surveillance video captured the man drive up the stand, get out of his car, and grab their money before running off. Police said the incident unfolded on Wednesday at about noon at the kid's home on Bells Mill Road. “We already got $40. It seemed pretty good, and then the guy came,” Rebecca said. “He acted really nice. He was just saying, like, ‘Nice, y’all are doing a lemonade stand.’ And then he was getting pretty close, but my back was turned so I didn’t really realize.” The video shows the kids run inside to tell their mother. Police said they were looking for a white man in his 30s with a goatee and tattoos. The video showed him driving a silver Toyota four-door sedan.Their father said the worst part of the incident was the loss of innocence. “I don’t think it’s really even about the money,” Ryan said. “They just like doing it and being out here and seeing people. We don’t want that stolen away from them, you know, we want the fun, the innocence, to remain. So that’s probably the worst part — the stolen innocence involved.”WAVY reported that viewers donated money to the children's cause, but Rebecca hopes the thief turns his life around. “We want him to become a Christian and have a good life, but we would say not go to jail, more community service, stuff like that,” she said. WAVY posted a video with interviews with the children on YouTube. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/lemonade-theft-kids-virginia

2024-08-21 00:28:11

The 7 craziest things going on at the DNC right now
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While you’re probably not tuning in to watch the DNC, which is being hosted this week in Chicago, Illinois, Liz Wheeler is absolutely glued to her screen. “Maybe it's some kind of sadistic joy that I get from watching, you know, communists and perverts actually reveal their true colors to the world,” she laughs, adding that she thinks watching the convention can be “helpful for the Republican cause.” On this episode of “The Liz Wheeler Show,” Liz lists out the seven craziest things she’s seen so far at the DNC. - YouTube www.youtube.com “This stuff is so nutty, it shows the character of the Democrats who want to rule our country and control our lives,” she says. 1. Free abortions “The Democrats are having an abortion bus outside of the DNC. It's a Planned Parenthood mobile abortion clinic that is offering free abortions and free vasectomies to the attendees at the DNC.” “They’re actually driving around seeking babies to kill,” says Liz in disgust. 2. Jeffrey Marsh invitation Nonbinary social media mega influencer Jeffrey Marsh has been invited to attend the convention. “The reason that [Marsh] is famous on TikTok is because he recruits children to run away from their parents,” says Liz. “He recruits children in the name of the LGBTQ ideology to cut contact with their parents and instead send him personal messages on his Patreon account.” “He’s the definition of a groomer; he takes a child or a young person and tries to manipulate them emotionally,” and yet “the DNC invited him as a special guest.” 3. Chicago businesses closing up shop Chicago business owners are boarding up their businesses because they’re afraid that what happened to cities during the BLM riots will happen in Chicago as a result of the DNC being hosted there. Over 100,000 anti-Israel protesters are expected to show up outside the DNC this week and wreak who knows what kind of havoc. “I kind of get a chill when I see these protesters,” says Liz, “because it doesn't just look like silly, entitled college kids or, you know, stupid, well-off elitists who have bought into communism because they have such a cushy lifestyle. “This looks like a foreign army to me,” she says of the masses gathering in Chicago. “They hold an anti-American, anti-Western civilization, anti-Christian ideology, anti-Semitic ideology, and they're trying to impose that on our political system, and our political system isn't just a nebulous concept; a political system means you and me and our families and our institutions and our communities and our children,” she warns. 4. Wall erected in the name of protection In a twist of irony, the DNC is building a security wall around the perimeter of the convention in response to the masses of protesters. “We have a scenario where the left has told us that we are racist, Islamophobic, xenophobic, hateful, anti-immigrant — all these kind of terrible names that they call us that aren't true because we support a wall along our southern border to keep our country safe,” says Liz, “and yet they're building a wall around their own event to keep it safe from outside forces that want to cause them harm.” 5. Clean up the streets “The mayor of Chicago is trying to clear migrants away from the DNC area.” “This reminds me of when Gavin Newsom cleared all the homeless camps from San Francisco when Xi Jinping, the communist dictator of China, came to town ... That's the vibes that this gives in Chicago right now,” says Liz. 6. Bribing influencers for marketing Apparently, “Kamala Harris is paying influencers to come to the DNC if they post about it,” says Liz, adding that the payment is rumored to be “up to $20,000.” “Harris doesn't think that she's going to get organic enough support; she wants to pay influencers,” she continues. “Kamala Harris, like Barack Obama before her, does understand that those influencers make a difference in young people's decision to vote and their decision who to vote for, so I'm not dismissing it as a strategy, but I do think that we should make fun of the influencers because they're selling their soul.” 7. Typos galore Someone needs to get fired because “the DNC platform for Kamala Harris’ campaign for president talks about Biden’s second term a dozen times.” Did someone forget to update it? Or, according to Liz, perhaps the outdated text reveals something else: “They’re not just sloppy; they’re not just stupid. Neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris are controlling their own agenda in the White House,” she says. To hear more of Liz’s commentary on the DNC, watch the episode above. Want more from Liz Wheeler?To enjoy more of Liz’s based commentary, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/the-liz-wheeler-show/the-7-craziest-things-going-on-at-the-dnc-right-now

2024-08-20 23:24:50

Four of the biggest lies Joe Biden told at the Democratic National Convention
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President Joe Biden took to the stage in Chicago, Illinois, to thunderous applause from the audience at the Democratic National Convention, but his speech was filled with misleading statements and outright lies. Here are four of the biggest whoppers. Banning abortion nationwideBiden went on the attack to support abortion rights, but he exaggerated the position of his opponent to make him appear more extreme. “Trump will do everything to ban abortion nationwide. Oh, he will,” said the president. 'We export American products and create American jobs right here in America.'This has become a common refrain among Democrats trying to radicalize their voters in order to persuade them to run panicked to the poll booths, but it does not reflect reality. In fact, Trump has said many times that he prefers the issue to be determined at the state level and has denied wanting a national ban on abortion. How much billionaires pay in taxes“We have a thousand billionaires in America. You know what the average tax rate they pay? 8.2%,” Biden said during his speech. While Biden has used the statistic before, he does not put it in context as an alternative stat instead of a definitive one. “Biden’s numbers are way too low,” said Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, to CNN in 2023. Gleckman cited one analysis that found the top 400 households paid an effective tax rate of about 23%. Later in 2024, the Tax Policy Center found that the top 0.1% of households paid an effective tax rate of about 30.3% in 2020. Both of these figures are far more than Biden's claim. How many charging stations has Biden built? "Creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in clean energy for American workers, including the IBEW installing 500,000 charging stations all across America. And in the process, reducing carbon emissions," Biden said of his efforts. The president mocked Trump for declaring every week "Infrastructure Week" during his first term, but he then went on to falsely claim victory in building charging stations. The truth falls far short of the promise. As of May, the program Biden touted had only built eight charging stations out of the half a million he promised. The trade deficit under BidenThe president explicitly claimed that he had worked to reverse the trade deficit, but a CNN fact-check found the opposite. “We used to import products and export jobs. Now we export American products and create American jobs right here in America," said Biden. Whether the populist policy is economically beneficial for the U.S. in the long term is debatable, but the fact is that the trade deficit has widened under Biden's term. CNN reported that the trade deficit was $901 billion in 2020 and increased to over $1 trillion in Biden's first year. And it stayed above that number every year afterward. The Democratic National Convention will close on Thursday when Vice President Kamala Harris will receive the presidential nomination. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/biden-lies-dem-convention-cnn

2024-08-20 23:24:48

Texas woman stole $1.2 million and spent most of it on effort to become an TikTok influencer
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A Texas woman was convicted of stealing more than a million dollars, and prosecutors say she spent much of her ill-gotten gains on TikTok influencers in a bid to become an influencer herself. Staci Blackmon was indicted in 2022 after three years of siphoning money from the company where she worked in Southlake, according to Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Lori Varnell.'She didn’t put the money anywhere and had nothing to offer.' Varnell said that Blackmon was given access to the account of an associate who had passed away and was tasked with figuring out the book-keeping. "Staci Blackmon actually befriended the heir of this senior partner and was helping her figure out where all he had accounts and all of this, and so she was literally walking through this with the person she was victimizing," Varnell explained to KDFW-TV. Varnell said Blackmon used a company credit card and sent nearly $900k to TikTok through PayPal. She would give that money to other influencers on the platform in order to try to become an influencer herself. And then she stole another $300k from the business. Prosecutors said Blackmon also spent the money on lavish trips and purchased a suite at games for the Dallas Mavericks. Varnell said Blackmon's spending made it nearly impossible to reclaim the money for the victims. "She didn’t buy any assets. She didn’t put the money anywhere and had nothing to offer, to payback, that was comparable to the amount that she stole," she continued. Blackmon will have plenty of time to practice her TikTok moves after being sentenced to 35 years in prison. "She is extremely intelligent," Varnell said. "She only ever graduated from high school, but that is no measure of how intelligent you are or how good you are at figuring out how to hide money — and she is very good at that." KDFW was unable to obtain a comment from her attorney, but it noted that court documents indicate they will file an appeal. Here's KDFW-TV's news video report about the conviction. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/blackmon-stole-money-tiktok-influencer

2024-08-20 21:24:49

Democrat dumpster FIRE: Confused crowds protest Kamala at heated DNC
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As Kamala Harris and the Democratic National Convention descend on Chicago, so have Democratic voters — but a good portion of them are showing up to protest the DNC instead of support it. Investigative journalist for Blaze News Julio Rosas is on the ground at the DNC and has footage of pro-Palestinian protesters chanting, “DNC go home, or we’re going to bring the war home,” as they wave their Palestinian flags. “Some might say those people don’t deserve to live here. I’ll buy a one-way ticket for them to just go over to Gaza,” Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” comments. “It’s beautiful this time of year,” Stu Burguiere adds sarcastically. “It’s basically a resort town, you know.” Another video from the protests shows what appears to be antifa members waving Palestinian flags, trans flags, and rainbow flags — while chanting and rhyming “anti-gay” with “Christian fascists go away.” “I love the fact that they’ve got a Palestinian flag next to a Pride flag. It’s so perfect,” Matthew Marsden comments. Though the protesters were yelling about “Christian fascists,” they were in Chicago to protest the DNC. “I like that they can’t make up their minds, like, who is in their party?” Gonzales laughs. “ “This is the problem,” Marsden says. “The DNC have created this, right? They kind of fractured all these groups, and while they had one bad person to look at, which was obviously the right, anything on the right was bad.” “Be careful what you wish for, because you move left, left, left, left, left, and now they know they cannot win being so extreme, so they start pulling back to the right. Well, all the people that they’ve told are victims for years and years and years, and they’re like hang on a second, you guys are the enemy,” he adds. Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/sara-gonzales-unfiltered/dnc-kamala-harris

2024-08-20 21:09:58

RFK Jr.’s campaign considers dropping out of race to ‘join forces’ with Trump, says running mate
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s (I) running mate, Nicole Shanahan, recently stated that their 2024 presidential campaign is weighing two options, one of which includes “join[ing] forces” with former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump.During an interview on the “Impact Theory” podcast with Tom Bilyeu that was published Tuesday, Shanahan said the campaign is also considering remaining in the race to earn more than 5% of the popular vote to “establish ourselves” as a third-party alternative.Shanahan stated, “There’s two options that we’re looking at and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump or we draw somehow more votes from Trump.”“Or, we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump,” she continued. “We walk away from that, and we explain to our base why we’re making this decision.”“Not easy. Not an easy decision,” Shanahan added.Earlier in the interview, Shanahan stated that she believes Trump’s “Achilles heel” in his first presidential term was “Big Pharma.”“I don’t think he understood that it would cripple his entire reputation and legacy as much as it did,” she said. However, Shanahan added that what she has heard from the Trump campaign recently has been “very positive.”Bilyeu then pressed Shanahan about concerns that RFK Jr. is just a “spoiler candidate” for Trump.“We did not start this campaign — I did not put in tens of millions of dollars to be a spoiler candidate. I put in tens of million of dollars to win, to fix this country, to do the right thing,” Shanahan responded.She accused a Democratic National Committee PAC of targeting the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket and “turn[ing] us into a spoiler.”“We don’t want to be a spoiler. We wanted to win. We wanted a fair shot. The DNC made that impossible for us,” Shanahan responded. “They have banned us, shadow banned us, kept us off stages, manipulated polls, used lawfare against us, sued us in every possible state. They even planted insiders into our campaign to disrupt it and to create actual legal issues for us.”“The extent by which the sabotage they’ve unleashed upon us, it’s mind-blowing. I mean, we’re still learning new ways that they have sabotaged us,” she added. “I really wanted a fair shot at this election. And I believed in the America that I, [as] a little girl, pledged allegiance to and that is not where we are today. And it’s not because of the Republican Party taking us out. It is exclusively because of the Democratic Party taking us out, and I am so disappointed I ever helped them.”Kennedy released a statement following the podcast episode’s release, saying, “As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign.”“These are: reversing the chronic disease epidemic, ending the war machine, cleaning corporate influence out of government and toxic pollution out of the environment, protecting freedom of speech, and ending politicization of enforcement agencies,” Kennedy added.During the interview, Bilyeu also asked Shanahan, a California attorney, whether she would consider running for governor of California if they ended the presidential campaign. “I don’t know yet,” she responded. “I think I’d be happy to support somebody great to run for California governor so that we can nip this dynastic lineage in the butt.”“I would consider running as well,” Shanahan continued. “I want to be involved in California.”“I think that we could model California brilliantly as the shining example of how to bail out the catastrophic state the nation is in right now. We just model California for the rest of the federal government,” she noted.Lis Smith, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party, released a statement addressing Shanahan’s recent interview.“Nicole Shanahan isn’t even pretending to be a serious VP candidate anymore,” Smith stated, according to CNBC. “In one interview alone, she floated RFK Jr. for HHS [Health and Human Services Department] Secretary in a Trump administration, discussed her interest in running for governor of California in 2026, admitted that the Kennedy-Shanahan campaign has no path to victory, and raised the possibility of joining forces with Trump to defeat Vice President Harris.”“From the beginning of this race, we’ve said that RFK Jr. is nothing more than a spoiler for Donald Trump, and we’re glad that his running mate is finally admitting it,” Smith stated. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/rfk-jr-s-campaign-considers-dropping-out-of-race-to-join-forces-with-trump-says-running-mate

2024-08-20 20:50:11

Anti-Israel activists rage against Ocasio-Cortez over historical revisionism on Harris and ceasefire during DNC speech
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While many on the left praised socialist Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York for her speech on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, many anti-Israel activists were incensed at what they said was gaslighting on the ceasefire effort. 'Odious and morally bankrupt opportunism.' Ocasio-Cortez claimed in her speech that Vice President Kamala Harris had worked "tirelessly" for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, but anti-Israel activists disagreed. Many lambasted Ocasio-Cortez on the X social media platform. "After grassroots pressure, AOC said in March that the Biden admin is complicit in an 'unfolding genocide' in Gaza. Now given a primetime appearance at the DNC, AOC forgets the whole genocide thing and falsely claims that Kamala Harris 'is working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza,''' responded Canadian reporter Aaron Maté. "What an insult to Palestinians and everyone else actually working tirelessly to pressure the genocide-complicit, ceasefire-blocking admin that AOC is whitewashing," he added. "Nauseating! Palestinian's blood is on her hands. She has and continues to be such a disappointment. Why her followers have fallen for her hypocrisy shows how hypocritical and nauseating they are as well," replied another detractor. "It takes a profoundly evil level of duplicity to get on national tv and lie like this to the entire planet," commented an account identifying as communist. "There can hardly be a better example of AOC's odious and morally bankrupt opportunism than her embracing, just months apart, these two directly opposed positions," read another angry post. Critics of the ceasefire effort accuse the activists of siding with Hamas terrorists who sparked the conflagration by orchestrating a horrific attack on civilians in Israel on Oct. 7. Pro-Palestinian activists have also been accused of ignoring innocent Jewish victims of Hamas terror while exclusively focusing on indirect victims of Israel’s war on Hamas.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/israel-protesters-aoc-kamala-dnc

2024-08-20 20:07:45

Gov. Whitmer, Harris campaign imply Michigan city is racist
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The far-left Democrat governor of Michigan insulted residents of a city she represents seemingly in hopes of branding former President Donald Trump as a racist.On Tuesday, Trump paid a visit to Howell, Michigan, a charming city of more than 10,000 residents about 65 miles northwest of Detroit.'Did the media write this same story when Joe Biden visited Howell in 2021, or when Kamala Harris visits cities where racist protests and marches have occurred in the past?'In anticipation of his visit, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer implied that Howell is irredeemably racist because of a few bad actors in the past and an allegedly astroturf demonstration last month."Well, you know, anyone who’s doing a little bit of research might have said, 'That’s really a bad idea, look at the optics. You’re showing up where the KKK was just at the same time you’re in Michigan,'" Whitmer told ABC News anchor Linsey Davis at the DNC on Monday night.In July, a dozen individuals marched around Howell wearing masks, carrying signs saying that "white lives matter," and chanting in praise of Trump and Adolf Hitler. At the time, Trump was nearly two hours away in Grand Rapids, Michigan.The Harris campaign also smeared Howell — located in the heart of a crucial swing state — over the incident as part of a larger criticism of Trump. "The racists and white supremacists who marched in Trump’s name last month in Howell have all watched him praise Hitler, defend neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, and tell far-right extremists to 'stand back and stand by,'" said a statement from Alyssa Bradley, Michigan spokesperson for the Harris campaign."Trump’s actions have encouraged them, and Michiganders can expect more of the same when he comes to town."However, as Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted, Joe Biden visited Howell just a few years ago, and Democrats — including Harris — regularly stop in cities with an unsavory past."Did the media write this same story when Joe Biden visited Howell in 2021, or when Kamala Harris visits cities where racist protests and marches have occurred in the past? No, of course not," Leavitt said."You should ask the Harris team why she believes all residents of Howell, Michigan, are racists and if that also applies to the cities she has visited with their own divisive histories," added Victoria LaCivita, Michigan spokesperson for the Trump campaign.LaCivita pointed to racially charged incidents in Eau Claire, Wis., Pittsfield, Mass., Philadelphia, and Atlanta that did not deter Harris from visiting.Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy likewise dismissed the demonstration in Howell last month as an orchestrated event featuring "a couple of dirtbags" and designed to "stir" up trouble. "Within the last month, there's been a couple of folks that have come here to cause a little bit of a stir, spew some hate speech, white supremacy crap," Murphy said in a video posted to his agency's official Facebook account. "Those folks are from out of town; those are not Livingston County people."At least one of the individuals participating in the event drove away in a car with a Pennsylvania license plate, Michigan Advance reported.Sheriff Murphy also expressed frustration that Howell is so routinely and unfairly tarnished because of its past, calling it "100% bulls***.""Frankly, I get a little bit fired up when people bring that up," Murphy told the New York Post. "We did have the Grand Dragon that lived here in Livingston County. But we somehow as a result of that got labeled with 'racist, unwelcoming community,' which truly couldn’t be further from the truth."Robert Miles, who became the Michigan grand dragon of the KKK in the 1970s, did live in Howell, but he died more than 30 years ago.Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who is running for an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan and who appeared with Trump in Howell on Tuesday, likewise slammed the mischaracterization of the city: "Some notion that that’s tied to racism is absolute absurdity. A few racists that gather in any town in America shouldn’t taint that town."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/gov-whitmer-harris-campaign-imply-michigan-city-is-racist

2024-08-20 20:07:42

'Our freedoms are trampled upon': New York Mets apologize after woman prevented from wearing MAGA hat at Citi Field in NYC
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A New York Republican said she was denied entry to Citi Field while wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat and was told she couldn't have it on her person, either.Aura Moody and her friend Taisha were both wearing MAGA hats when they arrived at Citi Field, the home of New York Mets in Queens, New York. After passing a security checkpoint, the duo were told by a City Field staff member they were not allowed inside the stadium with their Trump hats on. The staffer also reportedly refused to allow the patrons to keep their hats in their bags, forcing Moody, 64, to call the friend they carpooled with to put the hats back in their vehicle.Moody told the New York Post that she only agreed to take her hat off because she was worried about inconveniencing her group of friends, who are all part of the Queens Village Republican Club."The United States of America is no longer the vehicle of freedom and tolerance. I am living under a communist regime where our freedoms are trampled upon ... that was the first thought that came to my mind," Moody remarked.Moody said that she made attempts to invoke First Amendment rights at the stadium but was told that her hat was "too political."'If I was wearing a BLM, Biden, Harris hat, they would have let me go through.'The Mets organization has since said that the employee had misinterpreted the venue's policy on attire."A Mets employee was mistaken about our attire policy," the team said in a statement to the Post. "We are reaching out to Aura Moody to apologize and invite her back to the ballpark."Moody was not shy about expressing how she felt about the incident:"We are conservative people, we believe in tolerance. If I was wearing a BLM, Biden, Harris hat, they would have let me go through," she claimed.The New Yorker also claimed that she saw "at least eight" other fans wearing pro-Donald Trump hats once she entered the stadium.Moody alleged that after the game she attempted to file complaints with multiple staff members but was instead pointed toward an online complaint form.She has accused the venue of "political discrimination.""We are on the verge of communism, a system that confiscates private property, a system that is against meritocracy, a system that indoctrinates people," Moody added. "I support President Donald Trump because he's the people's president. He is the only one who can save the United States of America from destruction from within by the Democrats and the radical left."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/maga-hat-citi-field-mets

2024-08-20 19:36:16

2 teens charged with murder in shooting death of 'General Hospital' actor Johnny Wactor; victim's mother reacts
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Two teenage suspects have been charged with murder in the shooting death of "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor. Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, were each charged with one count of murder Monday.Los Angeles police reportedly said the suspects have lengthy criminal records and are affiliated with the Florencia 13 gang. Barceleau also faces a special circumstance of murder during an attempted robbery and personal use of a firearm. He also was hit with one count of attempted robbery with personal use of a firearm and one count of grand theft with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm. If convicted, Barceleau faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole and is being held without bail.Estrada also faces one count of attempted robbery with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm and one count of grand theft with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. Estrada faces life in prison and is being held on $2,070,000 bail.Two other suspects were charged in connection with the death of the actor. Leonel Gutierrez, 18, was charged with one count of attempted robbery with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm and one count of grand theft with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm. If he is convicted, Gutierrez faces up to four years and eight months in prison and is being held on $120,000 bail.Frank Olano, 22, faces charges of accessory after the fact to murder, receiving stolen property, and three counts of being a felon with a firearm. Olano faces five years and eight months, according to prosecutors, and is being held on $1,080,000 bail.Los Angeles police reportedly said the suspects have lengthy criminal records and are affiliated with the Florencia 13 gang. The actor's mother, Scarlett Wactor, said of the suspects, "They're breathing air that my son doesn't get to any more. I prayed that they were not juveniles so that they could be tried as adults."As Blaze News previously reported, Wactor was leaving his bartending shift at the Moxy Hotel in downtown Los Angeles around 3:25 a.m. May 25 when he confronted three males trying to steal the catalytic converter from his parked car. Police said one of the suspects fired at the actor, and the 37-year-old entertainer died at an area hospital.Wactor was best known for playing Brando Corbin on "General Hospital" for 164 episodes. Wactor had 51 acting credits to his name, including "Westworld," The OA," "NCIS," "Criminal Minds," and "Disillusioned."Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón stated, "Johnny Wactor’s life was senselessly taken while he was simply walking to his parked car in downtown Los Angeles. We are committed to seeking justice for Mr. Wactor and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.""The loss of this talented young actor, who was in the prime of his life and had so much to offer the world, is deeply felt by all of us," he continued. "Mr. Wactor’s work and presence touched the lives of many, and our hearts go out to his family, friends, and the entire community who mourn this devastating loss."Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass added, "I want to thank the LAPD for their work and partnership throughout the investigation and for their continued efforts to keep Angelenos safe and to bring justice to victims of violence. We must continue to take aggressive action to make our city safer. Those who commit crimes must be held fully responsible for their actions." LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said he is "confident that we have the right people on the right charges."Choi said, "To the family and loved ones of Johnny Wactor: We know that no legal action can ever bring back the person you have lost, but we hope that today’s announcement brings some measure of comfort in knowing that those responsible will be held accountable for their actions."The LAPD’s Central Bureau Homicide Division is still investigating the case.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/align/general-hospital-star-johnny-wactor-murder

2024-08-20 19:18:13

Elon Musk says he is 'willing to serve' after Trump raises possibility of a job for him
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South African billionaire Elon Musk may end up serving as a cabinet-level hatchet man for President Donald Trump should the Republican win in November. In their 70-minute conversation on X Spaces last week, Musk raised the possibility of working under a future Trump administration on a novel committee tasked with eliminating inefficiencies and waste. On Monday, Trump spoke further to the possibility of having Musk on his team. Shortly after explaining why Trump's "inspiring" reaction to being shot on July 13 was part of what prompted him to explicitly endorse the Republican, Musk broached the subject of maximizing government efficiency. "Inflation is caused by government overspending," said Musk. "Would you agree that we need to take a look at government spending and have, perhaps, a government efficiency commission that just ... tries to make the spending sensible and so that the country lives within its means?" "The waste is incredible and nobody negotiates prices," said Trump. 'The Matrix will fight back.' The former president shared the story of how upon first taking office, he was presented with an outrageously expensive deal from Boeing to modify two 737 jumbo jets to serve as Air Force One. Upon learning the terms of the deal were allegedly based on a prior understanding had with elements of the former Obama administration, Trump indicated he told Boeing to pound sand. Ultimately, the company agreed to more favorable terms, only later confirming that it ate over $1.1 billion in costs related to the deal. "I shaved [the price] by $1.6 billion for the exact same plane," continued Trump. "You can now take that and multiply that out times thousands of other items and the numbers are astronomical." Musk stressed that there should be a government efficiency commission "that takes a look at these things and just ensures that the taxpayer money — that taxpayers' hard-earned money — is spent in a good way. And I'd be happy to help out on such a commission." Musk previously shared with Lex Fridman his aspirations of manning a government-shrinking committee in Washington, D.C., but noted doing so would be no picnic. "The antibody reaction would be very strong. You're attacking the Matrix at that point. The Matrix will fight back," said Musk. The "Matrix," which some may alternatively refer to as the administrative state, has already taken steps to hinder a future Trump administration from maximizing efficiency in government. Trump — who expressed admiration for Argentine President Javier Milei's apparent success taking a "chainsaw" both to his predecessors' failed leftist policies and to bureaucratic overgrowth — sounded amenable to Musk's idea of a waste-cutting commission, noting the X CEO has demonstrated himself a capable "cutter." "I look at what you do — you walk in, you just say 'You want to quit?' They go on strike — I won't mention the name of the company — but they go on strike and you say, 'That's okay, you're all gone." Months after taking over Twitter, Musk confirmed in a 2023 interview with the BBC that he had fired over 80% of the workforce. "This is not a caring [or] uncaring situation," Musk said at the time. "If the whole ship sinks, then nobody's got a job." Trump may have, however, been referring to Tesla's termination of at least 18 employees last year, which the New York Times alleged was in response to a union organizing campaign at a plant in Buffalo. The company alternatively indicated that the firings were the result of a semi-annual performance review and planned prior to the publication of the union campaign. When pressed Monday about whether he would consider naming Musk to an advisory role or a cabinet-level position, Trump told Reuters, "He's a very smart guy. I certainly would, if he would do it, I certainly would. He's a brilliant guy." Musk subsequently took to X to emphasize, "I am willing to serve." The image accompanying his post shows Musk behind a podium emblazoned with the proposed title, "Department Of Government Efficiency," along with its acronym, which users recognized alluded to another meme: "Doge," the shiba inu dog immortalized in the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. — (@) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/return/elon-musk-says-he-is-willing-to-serve-after-trump-raises-possibility-of-a-job-for-him

2024-08-20 19:04:45

Georgia election board's new 'common sense' election integrity rule has angered all the right people
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The Republican-led Georgia State Election Board voted 3-2 on Monday to approve a new rule empowering local officials to ensure that the "total number of ballots cast" does not exceed "the total number of persons who voted." The Associated Press indicated that the rule requires county election officials to generate voter lists categorized by voting method and then to check for duplicates and other discrepancies. If such errors are found, then officials are required to launch an investigation, hand count, and seek remedy. Upon resolving the discrepancies, only those returns that "are entitled to be counted" will be recorded then verified. The rule, the proposal for which was submitted Cobb County GOP Chairwoman Salleigh Grubbs, also states that county election officials "shall be permitted to examine all election-related documentation created during the conduct of elections" prior to certifying the results. Grubbs has emphasized that the purpose of the rule is not to disrupt the election process but rather to protect its integrity, reported the Georgia Recorder. "We have to have assurance, as Georgians, that what we see printed on our ballot is exactly [accurate] and the only way to do that is by a handwritten affiliation on the precinct level," said Grubbs. Grubbs told CNN, "We have to have assurance, as Georgians, that what we see printed on our ballot is exactly how the balance and the only way to do that is by a handwritten affiliation on the precinct level." 'These rules will improve voter confidence in our elections process.' Democrats and other leftists in the state have expressed outrage in response to this effort to fortify Georgian elections and make sure that only accurate results are certified in an orderly fashion. Ben Berwick, head of election law at a political outfit co-founded by Obama White House Counsel's Office lawyers, told ProPublica, "If this rule is adopted, any claims of fraud, any claims of discrepancies, could be the basis for a county board member — acting in bad faith — to say, 'I'm not confident in the results,' and hold up certification under the flimsiest of pretext." "The bottom line here," continued Berwick, is that "election deniers are intentionally creating a failure point in the process where they can interfere if they don't like the results of an election." Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of Fair Fight, the leftist organization founded by failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D), said in a statement, "Trump and the MAGA operation are using the Georgia State Election Board to give the appearance of legality to their illegal scheme to obstruct certification of Georgia's 2024 election results." At the state election board meeting Monday, Republican board member Janelle King — whom dozens of Georgia House Democrats are trying to have replaced — said, "A lot of the attacks I'm hearing is centered around the idea that this particular rule, or some of these rules that were being presented, are being presented based off of us chasing some ghosts that didn't exist, or some conspiracy theory, some hypothetical." "I just want to make sure I note that several times it's been notated that there were issues that took place in the election cycles, particularly 2020," added King. Josh McKoon, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, noted on X that Democrats are effectively panicked over rules "Permitting the poll watches from all parties to observe the processing of ballots wherever that activity occurs"; "Asking poll workers to reconcile the poll book and the number of votes tallies at the precinct"; "Asking counties to post the early voting reports they run anyway on a daily basis to their website or in a prominent location in their courthouse"; and "Permitting members of any Board of Election the opportunity to review information prior to the certification deadline." "These rules would easily pass if put to a vote of the legislature or the people of Georgia," said McKoon. "They do not unduly burden elections offices. These rules will improve voter confidence in our elections process" McKoon added, "It is frankly irresponsible for anyone to suggest these common sense measures would 'create chaos' in an elections process that a significant number of Georgians have lost confidence in over the last several years." The state GOP chairman noted further that leftist organizations have sought to intimidate members of the board into "reversing course." "No one opposing these rule changes has offered any reality based criticism of them," continued McKoon. "So you have to wonder why are Democrats willing to use these scorched earth tactics to stop poll watchers from meaningfully observing a Georgia election?" Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/georgia-election-boards-new-common-sense-election-integrity-rule-has-angered-all-the-right-people

2024-08-20 19:04:42

A traditional Hungarian dish gives a warm welcome to Budapest
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We arrived in Hungary this week! My guide to travel with young kids is forthcoming. Suffice it to say, I understand why people don’t: The challenges of jet lag and culture shock are amplified with very young children in the mix. That said, the inconvenience and discomfort that comes with relocating an entire family does give way to unique moments of beauty and stillness when you least expect it. We have to take these moments as they come.On our first day, after the worst sleep of our lives, we thought we’d take it easy with a casual stroll in the park. We came upon Hemingway Terrace. I asked the host for a classic Hungarian meal, whatever that looked like. He brought cold cucumber soup, cantaloupe soup, and brassói aprópecsenye: crispy fried potatoes tossed through a mix of onions, garlic, bacon, and soft pork tenderloin. It was divine. My babies couldn’t get enough. Everyone ate in silence. That’s how you know it’s good! I asked him how he made it; the recipe follows. This was served with cold, miniature dill pickles on the side. Ingredients400g (4 x 6-7cm or 2½") potatoes 150g (1 cup) onion 1 medium (100g) tomato 1 small (100-125g) green pepper 4 garlic cloves 75g (2½ oz) finely chopped bacon 300g (11oz) pork tenderloin 1 tsp sweet paprika ½ tsp caraway seeds ½ tsp dried marjoram or oregano 1 tsp coarse sea salt (plus extra to boil the potatoes) ½ tsp black pepper 3 tbsp tallow or olive oil Parsley and green onion to garnish Instructions Bring an 8" saucepan of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt, then toss in the potatoes and boil them with the skin on for 20 minutes. Then drain the potatoes and cool them for 10 minutes. Dice the onion and tomato. Deseed the green pepper and cut it into a ¼ inch dice. Peel the garlic cloves and chop them as finely as you can. Cut the pork tenderloin into 1-inch cubes.5 minutes before you drain the potatoes, heat a 12" frying pan over a medium-high heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the tallow or oil. When it has melted, throw in the bacon and cook until it is golden. This will take 2-3 minutes depending on the heat. Add the caraway seeds, give them a stir to combine. Add the onion, green pepper, and tomato and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir this every 2-3 minutes, and keep an eye on it. If it begins to darken too much, reduce the heat a little. When the potatoes have cooled for 10 minutes, peel them and cut them into a dice roughly the same size as the pork.Heat the remaining tallow/oil over a medium-high heat in a second 12" frying pan. When it shimmers, add the diced potatoes and cook them until they are crispy and golden. Stir them carefully to prevent falling apart. This will take around 12-15 minutes. Around 5 minutes, before the potatoes are ready, turn the heat under the onions to high, add the pork, garlic, marjoram, black pepper, and salt then cook for 5-6 minutes stirring constantly. Sprinkle over the paprika and toss to coat. Then throw in the crispy potatoes, toss to coat, and serve immediately. Garnish with parsley and green onion!
https://www.theblaze.com/align/a-traditional-hungarian-dish-gives-a-warm-welcome-to-budapest

2024-08-20 18:35:55

The DNC is offering free abortions and vasectomies in the name of ‘freedom’ — yes, really
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The Democrat Party may be running on a platform of “freedom” — but the Democrats' definition is a far cry from the one conservatives ascribe to the word. “When they talk about ‘freedom,’ what they’re talking about is sexual libertinism and the right to kill your baby,” Allie Beth Stuckey of “Relatable” explains, noting that the Democratic nominee for president, Kamala Harris, has a background of covering up the most immoral “freedoms.” When Harris was attorney general of California, she not only pushed the FACT Act, which would have forced pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion in a blatant violation of the First Amendment, but she went after David Daleiden. Daleiden is the pro-life journalist who uncovered Planned Parenthood employees saying they were interested in a pay-for-play scheme, where the employees would get paid for offering the body parts of unborn children. Instead of investigating, Harris sent state authorities to invade Daleiden’s apartment and seize the evidence. Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, is the same story. During the pandemic, Walz told churches they had to cap their attendance at just ten people, while abortion facilities were allowed to continue to operate at full scale. Which is why it’s no surprise that at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Planned Parenthood showed up to offer free vasectomies, free Plan B, and free medical abortions from its “mobile health clinic.” According to the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, Dr. Colleen McNicholas, “there are going to be people traveling to Chicago from all over the country, and I think we should be doing what we can as health care providers to show what the impact of good policy and bad policy is.” “What other kind of health care purposely kills a child? Purposely kills a person? It’s not health care,” Stuckey comments, disturbed by the euphemism. The DNC has also already been swarmed with pro-abortion protesters, some of whom have dressed up as abortion pills, saying, “F*** the courts, f*** the state, you can’t make us procreate.” “No one’s making you procreate,” Stuckey says. “We’re just saying, after you’ve done the procreation, if you could not kill your child. And unless a woman was raped, you made the choice to have sex. Consent to sex is consent to pregnancy.” Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/relatable/abortion-the-dnc

2024-08-20 18:35:53

JD Vance rips into 'disgusting' Democrat's suggestion about pregnancies from rape: 'What the hell is this?'
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JD Vance did not take kindly to a suggestion from a Democratic governor that his family should suffer a pregnancy from rape while discussing the issue of abortion. Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear made the comments during an interview with MSNBC after giving a speech on the first night of the Democratic National Convention that was focused on abortion rights. 'Rotten, vile and despicable.' "I mean think about what some people have had to go through because of these laws. JD Vance calls pregnancy resulting from rape 'inconvenient.' Inconvenience is traffic,” said Beshear to host Mika Brzezinski. “I mean it is a — make him go through this," he added. "It is someone being violated, someone being harmed and then telling them that they don’t have options after that.”Beshear might have been referring to a comment Vance made in 2021 where he specifically said the "circumstances" of such a pregnancy were inconvenient "to society" and not in reference to the mother's emotional plight. Vance lashed out at Beshear on X to the bizarre suggestion. “What the hell is this?” he wrote. “Why is @AndyBeshearKY wishing that a member of my family would get raped?!? What a disgusting person.”Video of Beshear's comments were also widely circulated on social media, where they were excoriated as inappropriate and classless. "As a survivor, I would NEVER wish this on anyone. @AndyBeshearKY I pray you never endure the pain a woman endures for a LIFETIME after," responded Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.). "This guy is nuts! Vance has enormous compassion for people and is pro family! Andy Beshear is a fool if he thinks Trump/Vance aren't compassionate people who want to minimize the potential for r@pe, and ensure that perpetrators are punished accordingly," read one popular response. "Isn’t it great when Politician’s like Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear reveal how rotten, vile and despicable they are," another critic replied. The Democratic Convention will run for another three days until Thursday when Kamala Harris will officially receive the party's nomination for president. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/vance-pregnancy-rape-beshear-disgusting

2024-08-20 18:08:12

Tim Walz apparently misleads about his personal story again, this time about IVF treatments his wife never received
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Democratic vice presidential pick Tim Walz is once again under metaphorical fire after his wife clarified that she never underwent IVF treatments to bear the couple's two children, as Walz has led people to believe.In a statement to CNN published on Tuesday, Gwen Walz clarified that she and her husband used intrauterine insemination, not in vitro fertilization, to have children.'Today is IVF Day. Thank God for IVF, my wife and I have two beautiful children.'Gwen Walz characterized the IUI process as "incredibly personal and difficult" and as a "journey" of "desperation that can eat away at your soul.""Like so many who have experienced these challenges, we kept it largely to ourselves at the time — not even sharing the details with our wonderful and close family," she said in the statement.Though the couple actually used IUI, Tim Walz has repeatedly indicated that his wife became pregnant through IVF. As recently as April, Walz's team mailed out a campaign fundraising letter in an envelope with the message "My wife and I used I.V.F. to start a family," the New York Times reported.Several weeks ago, Walz went on MSNBC to celebrate so-called IVF Day and note its apparent association with his family. "Today is IVF Day. Thank God for IVF, my wife and I have two beautiful children," he said.In February, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos conceived via IVF should be considered children under the law. Walz immediately slammed the ruling in a post on his government Facebook account, indicating the ruling was a "deeply personal" matter for his family since he and his wife availed themselves of "reproductive health care like IVF" to have children."Don’t let these guys get away with this by telling you they support IVF when their handpicked judges oppose it," he continued.Even after Walz was selected to be the Democratic VP candidate earlier this month, he continued to make IVF seem "personal" for him. "Even if we wouldn’t make the same choice for ourselves, there’s a golden rule: Mind your own d*mn business," he said at the rally in Philadelphia where Harris introduced him as her running mate. "Look, that includes IVF. And this gets personal for me and my family."At another campaign stop in Arizona, Walz once again asserted that "IVF and reproductive care" were "personal" issues for him.Now that Gwen Walz has revealed that she and her husband never used IVF, the Harris-Walz campaign has had to explain his seemingly misleading statements."Governor Walz talks how normal people talk. He was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments," said campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg.Since joining the Democratic ticket, Walz has had to play defense for seemingly misrepresenting several key aspects of his personal story. Most notably, members of his former unit in the Minnesota Army National Guard have accused Walz of engaging in stolen valor for retiring early when a deployment in Iraq loomed large, for falsely claiming he "carried" weapons "in war" even though he never served in a combat zone, and for using the rank of command sergeant major when he actually retired at the lower rank of master sergeant.Lauren Hitt, another spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign, claimed that Walz "misspoke" when he referenced carrying weapons into battle.When Walz first ran for Congress in 2006, his then-campaign manager, Kerry Greeley, apparently lied about the circumstances surrounding Walz's DUI arrest more than a decade earlier when he was pulled over for driving nearly 100 mph in a 55-mph zone. Greeley denied that Walz was "drunk" when he was arrested in September 1995, even though at least one test showed he had a blood alcohol level of .128. Greeley also blamed much of Walz's behavior that night, including his "balance issues," on "deafness" rather than inebriation."He couldn’t understand what the officer was saying to him," Greeley insisted.Greeley also claimed without evidence that the judge in Walz's case reprimanded the arresting officer for his insensitivity to Walz's hearing loss.A full transcript of Walz's subsequent court appearance is still publicly available. Walz pled guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving, admitted that he "drove a vehicle in a manner as to indicate an indifference or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property," and paid a $200 fine plus court costs. His license was also suspended for 90 days.The transcript does not include any reprimand of the trooper by the judge or make any reference to Walz's hearing issues. Walz did have surgery to repair damaged ear bones sometime in 1995.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/tim-walz-apparently-misleads-about-his-personal-story-again-this-time-about-ivf-treatments-his-wife-never-received

2024-08-20 17:34:36

Columbia University fails to discipline students who took over campus with pro-Hamas protests, encampment: Report
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A recent House report revealed that Columbia University has failed to discipline the vast majority of students who participated in the disruptive pro-Hamas protests that took over the school's campus.The Committee on Education & the Workforce issued a press release Monday that claimed Columbia University has not expelled any of the students responsible for the volatile demonstrations and encampment takeover in April.'Columbia has waved the white flag in surrender while offering up a get-out-of-jail-free card to those who participated in these unlawful actions.'According to information provided by Columbia University to the committee, 40 students were arrested by New York Police Department officers on April 18 for allegedly participating in the unauthorized encampment. The police ultimately dropped the charges. The university allowed 18 of the students to remain in "good standing" in exchange for signing an "alternative resolution." As of early August, 38 were in good standing, with some waiting for a hearing and others on conditional disciplinary probation. On April 29, 35 students were initially placed on interim suspension after they were accused of refusing to leave the makeshift encampment despite multiple warnings from the university, the panel analysis found. However, those suspensions were lifted for 29 students, and charges were dismissed, citing "not enough information to substantiate participation." Thirty-one of the students who were accused of participating are in good standing with the university.Only four of the 22 students who were arrested on April 30 after locking themselves inside Hamilton Hall are "not in good standing" with the university, the report read. Three of those students are facing interim suspension, and one is "currently on disciplinary probation from a prior hearing."On May 1, the NYPD arrested 27 students at various locations around campus, but all of the cases were later dismissed, citing "insufficient evidence," according to the committee's report. Those cases did not impact the students' standing with the school.Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) stated, "The failure of Columbia's invertebrate administration to hold accountable students who violate university rules and break the law is disgraceful and unacceptable." "More than three months after the criminal takeover of Hamilton Hall, the vast majority of the student perpetrators remain in good standing," she continued. "By allowing its own disciplinary process to be thwarted by radical students and faculty, Columbia has waved the white flag in surrender while offering up a get-out-of-jail-free card to those who participated in these unlawful actions." "Breaking into campus buildings or creating antisemitic hostile environments like the encampment should never be given a single degree of latitude — the university's willingness to do just that is reprehensible," Foxx added.A Columbia University spokesperson told the New York Post that the school "is committed to combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination and taking sustained, concrete action toward a campus where everyone in our community feels valued and is able to thrive.""Following the disruptions of the last academic year, Columbia immediately began disciplinary processes, including with immediate suspensions. The disciplinary process is ongoing for many students involved in these disruptions, including some of those who were arrested, and we have been working to expedite the process for this large volume of violations," the spokesperson said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/columbia-university-fails-to-discipline-students-who-took-over-campus-with-pro-hamas-protests-encampment-report

2024-08-20 17:06:09

Did CNN just admit Kamala Harris flip-flopped on a number of issues?
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In a rare moment, CNN, one of the most liberal, propaganda-driven news outlets, acknowledged that Kamala Harris has reversed course on several different issues, including defunding the police, illegal border crossings, Medicare, and drilling for oil. Dave Rubin plays the clip of Dana Bash asking California’s newest senator, Laphonza Butler, about how voters should respond to Harris’ flip-flopping. - YouTube www.youtube.com “In the 2020 primary, the vice president praised the defund-the-police movement; now she says she doesn’t support defunding the police. She called for decriminalizing crossing the border illegally; now she supports President Biden’s policies for clamping down at the border. She supported Medicare for all at one point, eliminating private insurance, and her campaign says she doesn’t support that now. She’s reversed herself on a fracking ban,” Bash laid out. “What do you think that voters should think when she’s reversed herself on several issues just in the last four years?” she asked Butler. Butler’s response was typical. “I think that voters should think that she's a human being who learns new things every single day and has the ability to take the time and effort to hear the concerns of all people. I think that they should be certain that she is a fighter and a leader who’s going to do the work on their behalf to ensure that there is an economy that ensures that no one is left behind … that we’re going to continue to address the climate crisis in a way that ensures that there is an earth here for young people and for next generations of leaders. I think that they should absolutely believe that she is a leader who cares about people and who’s going to put them first, as she has done her entire career,” Butler said. To see the footage of the CNN segment, watch the clip above. Want more from Dave Rubin?To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/the-rubin-report/did-cnn-just-admit-kamala-harris-flip-flopped-on-a-number-of-issues

2024-08-20 16:07:47

'No Fun League': Punter mocks the NFL after he's told to take down a video about his own failed tryout
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NFL free agent punter Drue Chrisman made fun of the NFL after he was allegedly told to remove any social media content featuring league facilities after a recent tryout.Chrisman is a former Cincinnati Bengals player who was released before the 2023 season and has been recently participating in tryouts for NFL teams. Specifically, Chrisman posted a video about his tryout for the Washington Commanders. 'Take down all social media posts that show anything Commanders.'Chrisman's influencer-style video included camera tricks to magically change clothes and featured several setup shots that would have required the punter to place his phone in strategic areas and then act out his day for the camera.This was particularly strange in settings like the bathroom or changing room at the team's training camp facility."My day in Washington.. stay until the end to see the result," the caption for his X video read.The video, which has reached 1.3 million views, showed Chrisman arriving at the Commanders' facility, weighing in, taking practice kicks, eating, and then eventually being rejected by the team.The video ends with Chrisman coming home to his young daughter in what also appeared to be a preplanned video shoot.Six hours later, Chrisman posted a screenshot of a text message he received from an unknown source that could have been his agent or representative of some kind."Drue, Just got call [from] Commanders legal dept. pls take down all social media posts that show anything Commanders. TY," the message read.Chrisman captioned the post "No Fun League," even tagging the Washington Commanders' official page in the post.However, this wasn't the punter's first video of the same kind. A week earlier, Chrisman posted his behind-the-scenes recap of his tryout with the San Francisco 49ers on TikTok.The video goes similarly with several shots from inside the 49ers' training facility and eventually ends with an unfortunate rejection from the football team.Given the nature of the video and the fact that the punter includes ads for his own business in the footage, it isn't hard to imagine why certain NFL teams wouldn't want a would-be team member turning his tryout into personalized content. The 27-year-old punter was undrafted in 2021 until he was signed by the Bengals and appeared in seven games in 2022.He also played a month in the UFL for the Birmingham Stallions in 2024.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/no-fun-league-drue-chrisman

2024-08-20 15:48:04

Boy can continue playing on girls' soccer team in New Hampshire after judge temporarily blocks new state law
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A New Hampshire boy claiming to be a girl will be allowed to continue playing on a girls' soccer team after a federal judge granted an emergency request to block a new state law in his case for the time being.On Sunday, the Fairness in Women's Sports Act went into effect in New Hampshire after Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed it last month. The law prevents males in 5th through 12th grade from participating on sports teams designated for females only.Under FWSA, New Hampshire parents can sue a school district that allows boys to play on girls' teams, the New Hampshire Bulletin reported.'It takes a lot of nerve for a judge to block this good and just law in the immediate aftermath of SCOTUS striking the regime's malfeasance with Title IX on this same issue.'On Monday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty, an Obama appointee, issued a temporary block in the case of a 15-year-old boy attending Plymouth Regional High School. Blaze News is not naming the boy and will refer to him only as P.T.GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire sued on behalf of P.T. and a 14-year-old boy in the Pemi-Baker Regional School District, claiming that FWSA violated Title IX and constitutional equal protections. Plaintiffs requested a "temporary restraining order" of the law in P.T.'s case since he currently plays on the girls' soccer team at Plymouth Regional and had practice on Monday night. They claimed missing practice would have a "permanent, stigmatizing impact" on him.They further argued that P.T. and the 14-year-old plaintiff had no physical advantage over biologically female competitors since they have been taking puberty blockers to stunt their male development."They’re not going to be any faster or any stronger than typical girls," Chris Erchull, an attorney for GLAD, said in court.Michael DeGrandis, an attorney for the state, did not contest that claim about physical advantage and even conceded that missing soccer practice would be "stressful and straining" for P.T. However, DeGrandis insisted that such stress and strain should not mean the law should not apply in P.T.'s case."Does that rise to the level of irreparable harm?" DeGrandis asked.Judge McCafferty apparently believes it does. She granted the emergency restraining order and indicated that plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their lawsuit.McCafferty further claimed that P.T. has "no physiological advantage" over his female counterparts on the athletic field because of the puberty blockers he has been taking. She insisted this was an "uncontested reality" and not a matter of personal opinion.McCafferty's ruling applies only to P.T. since the 14-year-old plaintiff is not planning to participate in girls' sports until the winter.Both sides of the lawsuit now must schedule a hearing to consider a temporary block of the FWSA for all of New Hampshire while the litigation process continues through the court system. That hearing is expected in the next few weeks."We are very happy with the judge’s order. It is also what we expected, because we know that this law is unfair and violates the rights of transgender girls of New Hampshire," Erchull stated after the ruling.Not everyone in the state is cheering, however. Republican State Rep. Mike Belcher described the whole issue as "absurd" and argued that McCafferty's ruling not only overrides state law but a recent Supreme Court decision to allow states to ban men in women's spaces while Title IX cases continue."It takes a lot of nerve for a judge to block this good and just law in the immediate aftermath of SCOTUS striking the regime's malfeasance with Title IX on this same issue," Belcher told Blaze News.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/boy-can-continue-playing-on-girls-soccer-team-in-new-hampshire-after-judge-temporarily-blocks-new-state-law

2024-08-20 15:47:59

Meet one of the only senators STILL demanding COVID-19 answers
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Mask mandates, coercion to vaccinate, lockdowns, and unconstitutional censorship top the long list of atrocities inflicted upon the American people in the name of protection against COVID-19. And yet our government would love nothing more than to turn a blind eye to the economic and social suicide that was a direct result of its failed policies. The government would rather move on from the highly contentious subject of gain-of-function research, championed by Anthony Fauci, who also touted social distancing, vaccines, and boosters and lied repeatedly to American citizens. However, there’s one individual who has remained relentless in his pursuit of answers to questions that remain mysteries and for justice to be brought against Fauci — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who was censored by the notorious three-letter agencies for demanding that Fauci answer for his crimes. Why are these agencies protecting Fauci? And what are they hiding? This is the subject of Episode 2 of the latest Blaze Originals docuseries “The Coverup,” starring Matt Kibbe. - YouTube www.youtube.com Today, Kibbe joins Glenn Beck on the show to outline the shocking revelations brought forth in the second episode — “Legislator: How Rand Paul Exposed Dr. Fauci's Lies.” - YouTube www.youtube.com Kibbe explains that as Sen. Paul dug deeper, he discovered that “Fauci [was] not acting alone, and the reason that he and his partners — particularly his consigliere, David Morens — are so untouchable is that their bosses are throughout the alphabet agencies that make up the defense and intelligence community.” “That’s what we're trying to get at in this episode — who is Fauci’s boss? Is he a made man? Is he untouchable? Why after we've caught him red-handed lying about using taxpayer money to fund gain-of-function research is nothing happening?” he tells Glenn, who points out that above all, Fauci “may be directly responsible for the death of everyone on the planet from COVID.” But as Kibbe notes, the government is anxious to put the entire subject of COVID-19 in the past — “Right now Rand is fighting a fairly lonely fight. He's finally gotten the Democratic committee chairman to allow hearings on this subject, but most people, and certainly the political class, are like, ‘let's just move on. That was so long ago.”’ “They want to talk about something else because they all have blood on their hands — literally,” he says. To learn more about the deeply disturbing revelations in “The Coverup” episode 2, watch the clip above. If you haven’t already, check out episode 1 (available for free on YouTube) before watching episode 2 on BlazeTV. If you aren’t already a subscriber to BlazeTV+ join today and get $30 off your first year of BlazeTV+ with code FAUCILIED. Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/the-glenn-beck-program/meet-one-of-the-only-senators-still-demanding-covid-19-answers

2024-08-20 15:35:05

Biden's DOJ released 2 illegal aliens who allegedly attempted to breach military base — and GOP lawmakers demand answers
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A group of 13 Republican congressmen recently sent a letter to the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia questioning the Biden-Harris administration's decision to release two Jordanian nationals who were accused of attempting to breach a military base in early May.The Monday letter, led by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), called the men's release "egregious" and accused the administration of valuing the "desires of illegal aliens — including those who intend to commit acts of terror — over the safety of American citizens."'Is it possible that the two men were testing out the security of the base to plan for a future terrorist attack ...?'On May 3, two Jordanian nationals apparently attempted to enter Quantico Marine Corps Base near Triangle, Virginia, by posing as Amazon delivery drivers. When guards stopped their box truck at the base's main entrance, the two illegal aliens failed to produce access credentials. The guards directed the men to a holding area to await a secondary inspection. However, instead of abiding by the directive, the men reportedly attempted to proceed forward but were quickly stopped by the deployment of vehicle denial barriers. One of the men reportedly crossed the southern border unlawfully a month before the incident, and the other allegedly overstayed a student visa. As a result of the men's illegal immigration status, they were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.The men's immigration status and their identities were initially concealed by the Biden-Harris administration. However, a July report from the Center for Immigration Studies revealed through court records the names of the Jordanian nationals: Hasan Yousef Hamdan, 32, and Mohammad Khair Dabous, 28.Hamdan and Dabous were charged with Class B misdemeanors for the attempted breach. According to CIS, the men were released from custody.The New York Post reported that ICE released the men from federal custody, and a magistrate judge with the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Virginia ordered their release on July 22 on the misdemeanor trespassing charges. The two men reportedly posted bail, with Hamdan's bail set at $15,000 and Dabous' set at $10,000.The lawmakers' letter stated, "The pair were released despite not only their statuses as illegal aliens who are subject to removal but also their having trespassed on a U.S. military installation, an act which is potentially connected to current or future terrorist activity.""Furthermore, their release was conditioned on a promise to appear in court at a future date despite the fact that a large number of illegal aliens released with similar agreements never attend their future court proceedings," the congressmen wrote. The men were released on the condition that they attend their future immigration proceedings and stay away from military bases."Not only does this administration allow suspected terrorists to cross the southwest border and parole them into the country, but even when those same individuals engage in potential terrorist activity this administration continues to release them into the country based simply on promises to reappear at court hearings," GOP lawmakers stated. "The American people are tired of the recklessness of this administration's border and immigration policies and demand that illegal aliens who commit crimes be detained and held accountable," they added.The congressmen sent a list of 10 questions, which included inquiries regarding whether the U.S. attorney believes the two illegal aliens "pose any threat to American citizens" and whether there was communication within various federal government agencies about the men's potential motive. They also asked how the office reacted to reports that one of the men was suspected of being on the terrorist watch list."Is it possible that the two men were testing out the security of the base to plan for a future terrorist attack, similar to how the 9/11 hijackers flew multiple flights with box cutters to test airport security before planning their act of terror?" the lawmakers questioned.A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment from the Post. — (@) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/biden-s-doj-released-2-illegal-aliens-who-allegedly-attempted-to-breach-military-base-and-gop-lawmakers-demand-answers

2024-08-20 14:09:18

Former NFL player allegedly urinates on elderly woman during airline flight, hits another elderly passenger
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A former NFL player is accused of urinating on an elderly woman during a flight from Boston to Dublin, Ireland, as well as hitting another elderly passenger. A police report said 40-year-old Gosder Cherilus appeared intoxicated when he arrived at Logan Airport on Saturday evening for the Delta Airlines flight. 'I would like to apologize to the passengers and flight crew.' Cherilus allegedly argued with another passenger over seating arrangements, and about an hour into the flight, he allegedly walked over to an elderly female passenger and "emptied his entire bladder for 20 seconds" on her. He then got "unruly and aggressive" when flight attendants tried to subdue him, and he struck another elderly man with his hand on the way back to his seat, according to the report. Passengers and crew feared for their safety, according to court documents — indeed, Cherilus stands six feet, six inches tall and weighs 280 pounds. The incident forced the plane to turn around and head back to Logan Airport. Police escorted him off the plane and arrested him for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Cherilus pleaded not guilty at his Monday arraignment but declined to answer reporters' questions as he walked from the Boston courthouse; he was released on $2,500 bail.He later released a statement on social media blaming his actions on sleeping medicine and a flight delay. "The flight was unexpectedly delayed for approximately four hours, and it did not take off until after 12:30 a.m.," he wrote. "In preparation for the unexpected overnight flight, I took a sleeping medication that I don't normally use, which resulted in behavior that is not representative of my character, and I would like to apologize to the passengers and flight crew." Cherilus is in court again Oct. 11. The former offensive lineman was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2008 and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the Indianapolis Colts before he ended his career in 2016. A video report from WGZ-TV on YouTube includes a clip of Cherilus walking out of the courthouse. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/fearless/nfl-player-urinates-elderly-plen

2024-08-20 13:50:57

To stop illegal immigration, Texas must declare economic war on Mexico
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The cartel-controlled Mexican government is working in tandem with the United States federal government to flood Texas with millions of illegal aliens from over 160 countries. The border crisis is leading the way toward the collapse of the rule of law — and is designed to turn Texas blue, ensuring the Democratic Party never loses the presidency and control of the free world.Mexico deliberately leaves its border unsecured, using it as a relief valve for unemployed labor that sends billions of dollars back into the country. The open Texas border generates immense wealth from drugs and human smuggling, further encouraging Mexico to keep the border unprotected.Remittances from Texas to Mexico totaled $8.5 billion in 2022 alone. This money is taken from the Texas economy and pumped into the Mexican economy.As the former vice chairman of the Veteran Affairs and Border Security Committee in the Texas state Senate, I can assure you that no illegal aliens would cross our southern border if the cartel-controlled Mexican government did not allow them to.To stop this attack on Texas, the U.S. must apply economic pressure on Mexico until it secures its side of the border. This strategy is the only one that has successfully forced Mexico to act. When President Trump proposed a 20% tax on Mexican imports, the border tightened, and border encounters dropped by more than half. When Biden removed the tariff threat, however, encounters surged more than fivefold to 2,475,669 in 2023.The only path to achieving a secure Texas border in my lifetime is for Texas to take unilateral action, which the legislature has the authority to do. Although I strongly support capitalism and free markets, wartime demands drastic measures for a swift victory. For economic warfare to succeed, Texas must clearly explain why we’re applying economic pressure and specify the conditions needed to end it. I believe that with immediate resolve and courage, this economic war could be won in 90 days.As for what economic pressure by Texas on Mexico would look like, the Huffines Liberty Foundation has released a solutions paper outlining several options for the Texas Legislature to consider: Crush Mexico’s tourism industryTourism in 2023 accounted for 9.2% of Mexico’s GDP. The Huffines Liberty Foundation recommends that the Texas legislature direct hundreds of millions of dollars of its multibillion-dollar border security budget toward an advertising campaign to educate citizens across North America on the hazards of traveling to Mexico.The massive marketing campaign should show graphically how dangerous it is to be a tourist in Mexico and make it clear that the Mexican government has taken the side of the Mexican cartels, sex traffickers, fentanyl smugglers, murderers, and rapists. This would take a significant bite out of Mexico’s economy.Stop, search, and possibly seize all shipments crossing the borderTexas trades over $780 million daily with Mexico, while the U.S. trades $2 billion daily with Mexico. The state of Texas has the right to inspect these shipments for safety, illicit materials, and proper paperwork. The legislature should direct the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to subject inbound traffic to intensive searches lasting an indeterminate number of days.Establish a border security inspection reimbursement feeArticle I, Section 10, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution gives Texas the authority to charge a fee to execute these new inspection laws. The legislature should impose a 6% border security inspection reimbursement fee on all money transfers by any source between Texas and Mexico. Additionally, all commercial aircraft landing in Texas from Mexico should be assessed a $10,000 inspection fee.Ban remittances from illegal aliensAccording to the Baker Institute for Public Policy, remittances from Texas to Mexico totaled $8.5 billion in 2022 alone. This money is taken from the Texas economy and pumped into the Mexican economy. The Texas legislature should ban all money transfers by illegal aliens.For decades, Mexico has deliberately failed to control its side of the border. With the cooperation of the Biden-Harris administration, the situation is a full-scale invasion, allowing cartels and criminals to thrive. This creative new approach by the Huffines Liberty Foundation lays out a clear path for Mexico to secure its side of the Rio Grande.If Mexico chooses to fight this economic war, it will lose, and the Mexico we know today will cease to exist. Texas strives to be a good friend and neighbor to Mexico, but it’s a two-way street.
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/to-stop-illegal-immigration-texas-must-declare-economic-war-on-mexico

2024-08-20 13:41:13

Multimillionaire Democrat bashes JD Vance in DNC speech for rising above poverty
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For many Americans, the story of JD Vance's ascent from relative poverty to the rank of corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps and to the position of U.S. senator is inspiring. His memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy," informed by his struggles along the way, did after all become a bestseller as well as the basis for the Ron Howard film adaptation of the same name. It appears that some affluent Democrats regard personal achievement of this nature and by this particular stripe of American as deplorable. Rep. Joyce Beatty (R-Ohio) seized upon the opportunity Monday in her Democratic National Convention speech to criticize Vance — not for his legislative priorities or for his track record in Washington, D.C., but for actively pursuing greatness. After doing her best at the outset to associate Vance with Democrats' go-to bogeyman, Project 2025, Beatty said, "JD Vance likes to talk about how he's from Ohio, but as soon as he could, he ran away to Yale and Silicon Valley, cozying up with billionaires while trashing our communities." Beatty — the multimillionaire beneficiary of an upbringing in a stable nuclear family, two university degrees uninterrupted by military service, and a politically connected spouse — neglected to mention some critical biographic details about Vance in her attempted character assassination. Vance's parents divorced when he was a boy. His sometimes-abusive mother struggled with addiction. Vance and his sister were largely raised by his maternal grandparents, who apparently had issues all their own. Resisting various temptations that could very well have trapped him in poverty and an all-too familiar pattern of addiction and abuse, Vance took steps toward realizing what some have described as the American dream. Contrary to Beatty's suggestion, Vance did not run away to Yale and Silicon Valley. Rather, he enlisted in the Marines after graduating from high school then deployed to Iraq. While the editors at Wikipedia have worked diligently to downplay Vance's military background, he received numerous medals during his four years of service. Like Beatty, Vance later attended university, albeit at schools with greater name recognition: Ohio State University in Columbus — a city Beatty famously helped gentrify, potentially pricing out poorer Americans — and Yale Law School. After a brief stint as a corporate lawyer, then spending years as a venture capitalist, Vance returned to his home state to serve his countrymen as senator. 'If you're poor better you stay put, stay poor and stay dependent on the state b/c then they got you.' Beatty is hardly the first to attempt to downplay Vance's accomplishments. Some critics have suggested that far from being a hillbilly or poor, Vance grew up solidly middle class, afforded "the relative socio-economic mobility available to many whites." Lennard Davis, a liberal arts professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, penned an attack piece for a leftist blog last week accusing Vance of engaging in "poornography." New York Magazine advanced the claim earlier this year that Vance is a "class enemy." Beatty's latest variation on this theme has elicited plenty of ridicule online. "Yeah screw that guy who grew up dirt poor and had the chutzpah to go to the highest-ranked law school in the country," wrote Will Chamberlain, senior counsel at the Article III Project. Donald Trump Jr. noted, "JD left Ohio to join the Marine Corps and serve his country then came back went to Ohio State and then Yale. Apparently that's not good enough for the Democratic Party who just wants everyone to remain in abject poverty rather than live the American dream." "Class warfare on two fronts here: First the notion that bettering yourself is an affront to other poor people, who should resent you for it. Second, the notion that hillbillies shouldn't be allowed into Yale, and middle class people should resent that," tweeted Irish political commentator John McGuirk, the editor of Gript Media. "'How dare he have agency?'" wrote one commentator. "'Doesn't he know he's supposed to stay there, be a cashier at Dollar General, and become addicted to fentanyl? Who does he think he is?'" Dan Proft, the Republican co-host of "Chicago's Morning Answer," stated, "Such a telling comment. It's the New Bolsheviks' program. If you're poor better you stay put, stay poor and stay dependent on the state b/c then they got you. Did Bill Clinton 'run away' from rural Arkansas to Georgetown and then Yale Law too? I suppose it's okay if you escape so long as you blow the bridge behind you and become one of them." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/multi-millionaire-democrat-bashes-jd-vance-in-dnc-speech-for-rising-above-poverty

2024-08-20 13:29:11

Walz taught students about supposed virtues of communism after receiving extraordinarily favorable treatment in China
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Gov. Tim Walz, Democratic vice presidential candidate, once taught high school students about the alleged virtues of communism after he received extraordinarily favorable treatment during his time in China.Back in November 1991, Walz was living in Alliance, Nebraska, and teaching social studies at the local high school. As part of his curriculum, Walz taught students about life in China, falsely insisting that its communist political system was one of inherent fairness.'Governor Walz’s extensive engagement with CCP officials and entities while serving in public office raises questions about possible CCP influence in his decision-making as governor — and, should he be elected, as vice president.'"It means that everyone is the same and everyone shares," Walz said at the time, according to archived clippings from the Alliance Times-Herald."The doctor and the construction worker make the same. The Chinese government and the place they work for provide housing and 14 kg or about 30 pounds of rice per month. They get food and housing."It seems Walz became enchanted with China and the system implemented by the Chinese Communist Party during his nearly 30 trips to the country, beginning in 1989, just a few months after the horrific slaughter of college students and pro-democracy activists protesting in Tiananmen Square.Walz was then 25 and a member of the Minnesota Army National Guard. He went to China to teach English, and according to the Washington Free Beacon, he wrote in a letter around that time that he was "being treated like a king."Indeed, he was. As a teacher, Walz received double the salary of his native Chinese colleagues. He was also given the only air-conditioned residence on campus that was also decorated and included a color TV. On special occasions, such as his birthday or Christmas, the Chinese threw a party for him to celebrate. Walz and his wife, Gwen, even married on the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre so that Walz could "have a date he'll always remember," she said."No matter how long I live, I'll never be treated that well again," he told the Alliance Times-Herald after he returned to the U.S. "They gave me more gifts than I could bring home. It was an excellent experience."This "excellent experience" appears to be what Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, called the CCP's "strategy of elite capture." In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray last week, Comer defined this strategy as attempts "to co-opt influential figures in elite political, cultural, and academic circles to influence the United States to the benefit of the communist regime and the detriment of Americans."Comer also suggested that it is a form of "political and psychological warfare.""Reporting about Governor Walz’s extensive engagement with CCP officials and entities while serving in public office raises questions about possible CCP influence in his decision-making as governor — and, should he be elected, as vice president," Comer wrote.Lest Comer's letter appear to be a partisan attack, some Democrats have touted Walz's extensive Chinese experience as a political benefit in the 2024 election.At a meeting of the DNC Asian-American and Pacific Islander Caucus earlier this week, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) gushed about Walz's ability to speak Mandarin and predicted that, in the same way Bill Clinton was once considered the "first black president," Walz would be America's "first Chinese vice president." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/walz-taught-students-about-supposed-virtues-of-communism-after-receiving-extraordinarily-favorable-treatment-in-china

2024-08-20 13:09:56

Joe Biden attacks Trump and praises Kamala Harris in very late speech at DNC convention
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President Joe Biden closed up the first night of the Democratic National Convention with a speech that garnered thunderous applause from supporters at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Biden's daughter, Ashley Biden, introduced him, and the audience applauded for several minutes before he began his speech. He defended the policies of his term in office and praised Vice President Kamala Harris while reserving some time to go on the attack against former President Donald Trump. 'Think of the message Trump sends around the world when he talks about America being a failing nation.' “She’ll be a president respected by world leaders, because she already is. She’ll be a president we can all be proud of, and she will be a historic president who puts her stamp on America’s future,” said Biden of Harris. "Donald Trump calls America a failing nation!" said Biden later in the speech. "Think of the message Trump sends around the world when he talks about America being a failing nation. He says we're losing. He's the loser! He's dead wrong!" Others spoke ahead of Biden to warm the audience up. Socialist Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York offered her own motto for the campaign, saying, "Kamala is for you." Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton praised Harris while also applauding Biden for stepping down from his re-election campaign. Even presidential candidate Kamala Harris offered a brief speech early in the evening. She ended her remarks with the motto, "When we fight, we win." Biden's speech began later than was scheduled, prompting many on social media to ponder whether Democrats orchestrated it to knock his speech out of prime-time television. Harris sat in the audience with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, her vice presidential candidate, as Biden spoke. At one point he cracked a joke meant to flatter the both of them. "Like many of our best presidents, she was also vice president," he said with a smile. "That was a joke!" He also tried to reassure Democrats that the decision to step down from the campaign was not one imposed upon him. "I love the job, but I love my country more," he said to loud applause. Also on the first day of the Democratic convention, anti-Israel protesters broke down a security barrier and rushed toward the convention area. Police were able to detain them and arrest at least four of the protesters. The convention is running for three more days and will culminate with Harris accepting the nomination for the Democratic presidential ticket on Thursday evening. Here's coverage of the first night of the convention: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/joe-biden-speech-dem-convention

2024-08-20 03:14:25

Is the presidential election a simulation? These signs say yes
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The date was July 10 — days before Donald Trump was nearly assassinated and Joe Biden suffered a Harris coup in all but name. I wrote that the near-animatronic Biden — a perfect candidate for digital augmentation or replacement, already the public face of a Borg’s worth of apparatchiks, managers, and functionaries — was beginning to look like America’s last human president. Now, a bit over a month later, the whole election feels increasingly posthuman: a phony, a placeholder — just maybe a simulation. Many technologists and members of the tech fandom like trying to convince you that life itself is one big simulation. It’s easy to do for several reasons, including not only the power of circular logic but the reality that so much of life is occupied with participating in different kinds of simulations (that is, model-based games, both entertaining and serious). But the descent of the most important election of our lifetimes into a simulation grows more terrifying because, with each day that goes by, it makes all the more sense that only a simulated election would arise amidst a simulated existence. What did you expect? Yet the main reason the simulation hypothesis is so potent is that so many people would like to live in a simulation — even if their goal is to try to control it or break out of it — because the spiritual challenge of actually beginning to live properly in a world created for our dominion by a loving God seems too daunting, strange, and lonely. An excellent example of this sad situation is the presidential election itself. Consider how the Harris campaign is openly and transparently committed to running on “vibes,” “joy,” choreographed dancing, etc., and how enthusiastic — how relieved — so many supporters in the grassroots and in the media appear to be. It’s beyond fakeness. The energy surrounding and permeating the campaign comes from the attitude that the old reality has been substituted away with a new artifice, one that takes up all the space where the reality used to be. But the Harris campaign is just one piece of evidence among other facets of today’s uncanny and unsettling campaign season, all of which militate in favor of the hypothesis that the whole election is a simulation. In a real election, Donald Trump’s near-assassination would receive wall-to-wall coverage. We would know everything about the shooter, his past, his associations, what he ate, what he did on the internet, everything. The seriousness of the reality of the situation would weigh like a heavy blanket on the race and the public mood. Heads would roll. Public officials would be up in arms. Instead, the only significant proof that Trump came within a hair’s breadth of his live on-air murder is that he is now encased behind bulletproof glass on the campaign trail — a turn of events that makes the famously visceral Orange Man resemble an action figure in a plastic casing or a crisis actor on a greasy screen. Like the mentally absent bank teller behind the mandatory wall of inches-thick see-through barricade, Trump is becoming less a person and more an idea, a notion, an avatar — much as Biden did during his previous “basement campaign.” The oddly contingent character of the rest of the election’s major figures generalizes the effect. Something is fundamentally off about Tim Walz, compounded by the rumors that dark revelations will force him off the ticket. The not-altogether-thereness of Walz presents JD Vance with a baffling scenario where he can’t really go toe to toe against his opposite number and must endure a disorienting wave of can-they-be-serious attacks driven by mid-00s photos of his youthful self goofing through that bizarro decade. And then there’s Harris herself, who does seem to be publicly drunk as a rule, come to think of it — a damaging issue to wrestle with because … if she’s not drunk … what else is causing this behavior? A vibe of letting Harris twirl while the party scrambles behind the scenes hangs over the whole affair, giving it an outlandish, implausible tenor, all veneer. But what could they be scrambling to do? Isn’t Harris there because only she can tap the Biden war chest? Isn’t it impossible at this late date to make the nomination process any less “democratic”? Do the Democrats even want democracy any more? And, after all, who is really in charge? Anyone? The simulation itself …? Ronald Siemoneit/Getty Images This is the path to madness, no doubt about it, and it’s widening, spreading, appealing to more and more people, from the bottom of the socioeconomic system to the top. Ever more Americans find themselves in the position of merely waiting, for the something that can happen before November to wipe all this pantomime away. And as the waiting drags on, they find themselves hoping … But the descent of the most important election of our lifetimes into a simulation grows more terrifying because, with each day that goes by, it makes all the more sense that only a simulated election would arise amidst a simulated existence. What did you expect? “Welcome to the desert of the real,” Morpheus famously echoes Jean Baudrillard, the grand French theorist of simulation. We’ve succeeded in terraforming so much of our given reality from a garden into a desert. And from a desert we must learn to nurture reality back once again — beginning with the acceptance that it, along with all we have and all we are, is indeed given by a Lord we can never exceed, escape, destroy, or replace.
https://www.theblaze.com/return/is-the-presidential-election-a-simulation-these-signs-say-yes

2024-08-20 02:18:04

How Trump can win back evangelicals before it’s too late
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So what do we need to understand about Evangelicals for Harris, other than the ads prove everything in Megan Basham’s new book to be correct?You should be concerned. Because while these devils know they’re not going to get almost any white evangelical votes with this blasphemy, they’re doing it anyway because they want to limit how many white evangelical votes go to Donald Trump. There are certain ratios that must work for them to win, and they are trying to slim that cohort of the electorate by inducing them to stay home on Election Day.All Trump needs to do is take pride in his record instead of distancing himself from it.Whether you like Trump or not, you must recognize that faith, family, and freedom are under threat due to such maneuvering. Here’s the bottom line: If Donald Trump secures the 80% of white evangelical voters he garnered in 2016, he will likely win in November. If his support drops to the 76% he received in 2020, he’s probably going to lose. And if white evangelical turnout falls below 25% of the total vote, Trump will almost certainly lose, regardless of the percentage of that demographic he wins over.Evangelicals for Harris is designed to target suburban women, particularly those who are nominally churched or even more devout. However, most of the churches they attend are Pottery Barn-style megaplexes, where they’ve been taught that being nice, no matter the situation, is the 11th commandment God forgot to include in the original draft.But here’s where you need to notice that the Evangelicals for Harris ad making the rounds doesn’t mention baby murder in any context at all. It merely points out Trump’s unrepentance, because abortion is the one issue that historically might cause the nicer-than-God types to hold their nose and vote for Mr. Mean Tweets.Meanwhile, Trump is getting destroyed right now in every battleground state with pro-abortion ads. The Democrats did not take one ad off the air because Trump figured he could moderate on the issue after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. They understand that turning out their base while depressing yours is the ticket to ride.Trump needs to fix this, and if he doesn’t, it will be the equivalent of Hillary Clinton not going to Wisconsin in 2016. He is leaving voters behind who should be rallying to him as the most pro-life president since Ronald Reagan. Why can’t we ever learn this lesson? When the devil is going to call you all the same names anyway, you might as well go all-in with the angels.I’ve spent as much time mobilizing and messaging to evangelical voters in the last 20 years than almost anyone else in this business. These voters are not going to respond to being told to vote Trump just because they have nowhere else to go. They live in the suburbs, and life is still pretty good there. Groceries are definitely more expensive, but they can still afford the weekly trip. So they need a compelling reason to care, and if you think I’m wrong, you can ask Presidents McCain and Romney to verify my math.This bloc of voters wants elections to focus on their issues, not the candidates’ ambitions. All Trump needs to do is take pride in his record instead of distancing himself from it. He should simply tell people that Amendment 4 in Florida is heinous and that 80% of Americans oppose such limitless infanticide. Assure voters that he will vote against such evil in his own state. That’s it. He doesn’t need to suddenly become an abolitionist, as no one would believe that anyway.Take the win. Please. So much depends on it, and this is something we can control. We cannot control Kamala Harris manipulating the Google search engines. We cannot control the polling psyops. But there are 3-5 points’ worth of evangelical white women sitting in the suburbs waiting to see if Trump will speak their language.If he wants to win, he will.
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/how-trump-can-win-back-evangelicals-before-its-too-late

2024-08-20 02:18:03

Toddler loses foot in latest day care atrocity
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Heard the latest from JD Vance? He wants to "Handmaid's Tale" all menopausal women into a National Babysitting Corps. At least that's what the reaction to a podcast appearance he made in 2020 suggests. In reality, when Vance agreed with host Weinstein’s assertion that “the whole purpose of the postmenopausal female” is to help with childrearing, he was simply confirming what most people with kids take as simple common sense. To translate Weinstein's nerdy evolutionary bio-speak: it sure is nice when grandparents are around to help out with the kids. There are many reasons why it is better for parents to rely on extended families than on some kind universal childcare. One of them is tragically illustrated in news story after news story: parents who must entrust their young children to the care of strangers are taking a real risk. Consider the latest atrocity. Washington state officials reportedly suspended a day care's license after a toddler's foot was amputated, and the family says a lawnmower incident is to blame. Stacey Elliot said her 2-year-old son Mateo Pacheco Elliott has been hospitalized in Seattle since the horrific June 24 incident.'You should be able to trust the provider to take complete care of them and not severely injure them.'Angela Axelson, a close friend of the family, told KING-TV the boy wanted to speak to the owner who was riding a lawnmower. "[He] went running up to the lawnmower, slipped and fell. Went under and his leg was amputated," she said. Axelson also started a GoFundMe page to help the family.“Parents being out of work right now and what not just makes it hard for them. I want to be able to help them in any way possible," Axelson told KING. “I’ve been friends with Mateo’s mom for about 10 years. It's made it even harder seeing someone I watched grow up have such a horrible injury.”A Quincy Police Department investigation didn't find enough evidence to justify criminal charges, but the state's Department of Children, Youth and Families decided to suspend the day care's license. The investigation is ongoing. KING said it wasn't able to obtain a comment from the day care owners. Axelson said the family is considering taking legal action. "Yes, accidents can happen but when you're paying people to take care of your children, you should be able to trust the provider to take complete care of them and not severely injure them," Axelson added to the station. "Keep praying for the family and pray that he has a quick recovery and they can get home soon and try to resume life as normal as they can." The family shared video of the child in the hospital that's part of a KING video report. America should do whatever it can to support strong families; JD Vance has long advocated for many policies to do just that, including an expanded child tax credit. But legislation that would encourage already struggling families to outsource child-rearing to day cares is a step in the wrong direction. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/align/daycare-toddler-foot-amputated-suspended

2024-08-20 01:23:04

Video shows protesters break through barricade at Democratic National Convention; 4 arrested
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Protesters breached an outer fence on the first day of the Democratic National Convention, and police responded by arresting four people. Video posted to social media captured the breach and the response of police officers in Chicago, Illinois. One man can be seen carrying a large Palestinian flag. Here's some of the video captured by Blaze Media correspondent Julio Rosas. — (@) Some protesters were able to climb through the breach, but they were detained and arrested by police. Another video on social media showed police arresting a protester while others yell insults at the officers. Capitol police wearing gas masks and riot gear were seen heading into the site of the unrest at about 5 p.m., and they reported that the area was cleared by 6 p.m. The DNC Public Safety Joint Information Center released a statement saying that no one inside was threatened and the inner perimeter was not breached. — (@) Protesters also set up a tent encampment at Union Park as part of a large march planned against the DNC ahead of President Joe Biden's speech. — (@) “Biden, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide,” chanted some protesters while others yelled, "End the occupation now!" referring to the Israeli war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Other protesters didn't want to let Vice President Kamala Harris off the hook for military support given to Israel during Biden's term. “We’re saying to Kamala, she has been complicit in this. People think it’s just Joe Biden, but she is vice president,” said socialist activist Taylor Cook. “So we’re saying, you need to stop if you want our vote.” Axios reported that the protests were "mostly peaceful" and smaller than expected. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/dnc-protesters-break-barricades-video

2024-08-20 01:23:03

Democrat strategist says Kamala Harris can avoid questions because they trust media to 'explain' campaign message to voters
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A surrogate for the Kamala Harris campaign appeared to confirm criticism about the news media when he told ABC News that they could depend on the media to explain their policies and values. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has been excoriated by her critics for avoiding a sit-down interview to defend her policies and qualifications, but a DNC delegate tried to excuse her avoidance by claiming they trusted the media to be on their side. 'Not a great look for the press that the Harris strategy is entirely reliant on them.' Kaivan Shroff made the comments while speaking on ABC News when challenged about Harris' media avoidance. "In fact, I think Vice President Harris has been incredibly brave to roll out an ambitions economic agenda, because we all know how this works. The more details you share, the more your policies are going to get picked apart," said Shroff."But she's saying, I trust the American people, I trust the journalists to explain these policies and our values to folks," Shroff added. "And I think when that happens, that will be successful for Democrats."The bizarre claim was immediately circulated on social media as evidence that Democrats know the mainstream media is biased in favor of liberal policies. "These clowns genuinely don’t know the difference between journalism and propaganda, and it shows," read one response. "Absolutely incredible. Harris officials admitting they’re counting on the media to sell Kamala’s price controls for her," said another detractor. "Not a great look for the press that the Harris strategy is entirely reliant on them covering for her not providing details on her planned policies," read a popular response. Shroff posted a different section of the interview, during which he said Harris didn't have a responsibility to talk to the legacy media and then added that it would be a problem if she didn't do so in the future. "Sure if she doesn't give those interviews you're talking about in the coming months, I do think that would be unacceptable," he said. "But I know that's not gonna happen, so I think it's a moot point." The Kamala Harris campaign was ridiculed recently when it declined to comment about an article documenting how the campaign had refused to speak to reporters. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/dem-strategist-kamala-questions-media

2024-08-19 23:42:15

‘Biden Bucks’: Democrats are using YOUR tax dollars to get votes from FELONS
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The Biden administration doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to American tax dollars, so it should be no surprise that there’s a secretive executive order making the situation even less palatable. This executive order directs federal agencies to use American tax dollars to register voters — including felons. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen calls it a “Biden Bucks” program and believes it’s completely unlawful and could sway the 2024 election. “What this executive order back in ‘21 did is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris directed the administration and all their executive agencies to every time there was a federal touch on a citizen, to provide them voter registration information and ways to get registered to vote,” Knudsen tells Glenn Beck. “That’s not a constitutional power given to the federal government. States regulate their own elections, period. That’s been long standing federal law, that’s been long-standing constitutional jurisprudence,” he continues. “This is a power grab; this is pure partisan politics, and it’s bad news,” he adds. Now, Knudsen has joined eight of his Republican attorneys general colleagues in suing the Biden administration. “This was egregious enough that we decided the only thing we could do is sue in federal court. Oftentimes, that’s the only arrow in our quiver,” he explains. Glenn is furious. “They’ve stonewalled for so long, and we couldn’t find any information on what they were doing. I mean, I’ve been on this since the first week of the Biden administration, and nobody could get any information,” he says. “Now here we are in August. We’re what, 12 weeks away? By the time you get into federal court, September maybe, what can be done?” he asks Knudsen. “We’re hoping to get a rapid injunction here,” Knudsen explains, adding, “that’s the hope, is that we get this in front of a federal judge, and we can get a restraining order and an injunction quickly before too much damage is done.” Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/the-glenn-beck-program/biden-tax-dollars

2024-08-19 23:42:13

'Be comfortable without the lights': this chef wants you to hunt, cook, and be ready for an EMP
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Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois is ready to bring conservation, food, and southern hospitality to the next generation.The outdoorsman has traded in his chef's hat for a rifle and waders in his show "Duck Camp Dinners," which chronicles the Louisiana native's epic adventures in the south. In his recent interview with Align, the gregarious southern Louisiana native was eager to tout the Cajun cuisine he grew up on, sharing recipes as practical as they are delicious. "Boudin is so easy to make!" he said of the classic dish made with meat, rice, onions, and peppers. Bourgeois has been known to forgo the traditional pork filling in favor of the geese he hunts. In both cases, boudin calls for parts of the animal that are typically discarded. Whether it's gizzards and innards, breasts and bones, Bourgeois makes sure nothing goes to waste. "I try to make sure I can make as many meals is possible," he affirmed.'Some people just have an aversion to seeing dead animals.'The authentic, practical know-how that Bourgeois brings to "Duck Camp Dinners" helps explain why the show is so popular. It also lets Bourgeois tackle larger issues. For example, last season's final episode closed with lessons about natural and un-natural conservation in Louisiana. Bourgeois shared stories about the wetlands along the Gulf coast, explaining how some families literally pick up and move their home depending on the season."When it's hurricane season, some families will just drop a concrete slab on the ground — if they have the land — then put their trailer on top of it," he explained. "Or, they may just move out of the area entirely and come back when the seasons change.""If they don't have that option, some of the homes you see in the video will be built 15-20 feet in the air to avoid floods."Shockingly, this effort to relocate on a seasonal basis has become routine for a number of families that face consistent natural disasters. Your browser does not support the video tag. Confronting activistsBourgeois also stressed the importance of practicing what he preaches in terms of utilizing an entire animal. He expressed that he felt a strong sense of responsibility to not only represent hunters and chefs honorably but also a sense of responsibility to provide for his family and not be wasteful."We know exactly how that fish was caught or that bird was shot or how that venison was harvested," he explained. "[But] we don't know that about what we get out of the grocery store.""It also saves money, it saves me money at least!" he joked.That attitude has helped the chef come to terms with some of the activism he has faced over the years."Some people just have an aversion to seeing dead animals on social media, and I get that," he noted. However, it isn't Bourgeois' hunting that has drawn complaints from social media users."Animal rights activists [came] after me when I was working as a commercial chef; pork, cattle, and chickens ... and came at me more when I played more of a role in that space," he recalled."I think it's a lot easier for folks that are on the side of animal activists to support somebody that's hunting and fishing his own meat and game out of the wild, as opposed to somebody who is using the large commercial farming operations of America to feed a restaurant."To that extent, Bourgeois said he understood why a vegan or an animal activist might speak out if they thought animals were being mistreated. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Veritas Vineyard & Winery (@veritaswinery)Passing on the knowledgeBourgeois knows his idea of fun can be a hard sell to screen-addicted digital natives."I don't know how to relate to this generation!" Bourgeois laughed. "Maybe I'm kind of glad I don't!"All joking aside, the soon-to-be father of two said a lot of the responsibility falls on the parent to make sure their child has an understanding of the outdoors and is capable of surviving if the lights go out."A lot of this is on the parents to get out there and be an example. It doesn't mean you have to be a duck hunter, [and] it doesn't mean you have to be a fisherman."'There's only so long that people can go with running on generators.'The father pointed to simply letting kids be kids — letting them dig in the backyard and find earthworms or providing them with books that nurture a desire to want to be in the outdoors."That should start at a young age," he continued. "It's hard to pull a 15-year-old away from a PlayStation and put them into the wild for duck hunting."Bourgeois explained that most of the youngsters featured in his videos didn't become nature lovers overnight."Those kids were born and raised in the outdoors in Louisiana," Bourgeois explained. "Whether it was an aunt, an uncle, or someone else in the family, someone took them out and gave them that experience."In conclusion, the longer a person waits, the more they can expect to become overly attached to their "indoor" luxuries.When the EMP dropsCould a love of outdoors also come in handy in the event of some society-disrupting event like an EMP attack? "That's a fun thought experiment!" Bourgeois laughed. He quickly proceeded to offer a list of necessities for when SHTF, including fuel to get out of town, firearms, ammunition, as well as canned vegetables and meat.When asked about generators, Bourgeois offered a unique perspective."When you look at all the history that Louisiana has with hurricanes, there's only so long that people can go with running on generators. That's about two weeks."Being "comfortable without the lights" and without air conditioning is something that will actually go a long way, he added.Don't count on always having a refrigerator either, Bourgeois warned. He suggested researching ways that food has been preserved in the pastAs much as he sounded mentally prepared for disaster, the food expert said he was still keeping "positive vibes" toward the idea that humanity will get along and be able to avoid any apocalyptic scenarios. "I do love my amenities, too!" he clarified.Whether it's Florida where he currently resides, his home state of Louisiana, or elsewhere, Bourgeois asserted he hoped his content would inspire people to try new things, and carry on the traditions of the outdoors for generations. Your browser does not support the video tag. Season three of "Duck Camp Dinners" premieres August 18, 2024. For more information on Chef Bourgeois, head to his website. - YouTube Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/duck-camp-dinners-jeanpaul-bourgeois

2024-08-19 23:42:13

X shuts down operations in Brazil after government demands censorship and blocking of certain accounts
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Social media platform X has shut down local operations in Brazil after threats from the country's supreme court.Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes reportedly made a secret order that called for the arrest of X officials in Brazil as well as daily fines for noncompliance.The judge "threatened" the platform's legal representative in Brazil with arrest, X's global government affairs page claimed, unless the social app complied with "censorship orders."'A reminder that free speech in America is special.'"He did so in a secret order, which we share here to expose his actions. Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard, the Brazilian public not being informed about these orders and our Brazilian staff having no responsibility or control over whether content is blocked on our platform, Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process," the X team wrote."As a result, to protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately. The X service remains available to the people of Brazil."X owner Elon Musk shared the official statement along with his own words about the importance of the First Amendment in the United States:"A reminder that free speech in America is special and we need to do everything possible to preserve it," Musk wrote in response. — (@) The government affairs page shared the documents in Portuguese, with an X user following up with a translated version using ChatGPT artificial intelligence.The translation, if accurate, pointed to growing dissatisfaction on the part of the Brazilian government.The document pointed to three key points of contention with X; they included: "Blocking of Accounts," "Non-Compliance," and "Penalties."The government of Brazil seemingly required X to "block certain accounts and groups" and provide details about "any monetization" related to said accounts.Brazil also claimed the platform "failed to comply with the court's order within the specified timeframe."The court also argued the company's representatives were difficult to contact, and as such, "obstructed" the process of enforcing the order.Lastly, the court suggested "non-compliance" fines for "bad faith" by X representatives. They imposed a daily fine of R$50,000 which equates to about $9,250 USD. — (@) Musk later jokingly compared to the Brazilian judge to the "Harry Potter" character Voldemort and said "the resemblance is uncanny."The official statement from X closed by saying that the judge's actions are "incompatible with democratic government." "The people of Brazil have a choice to make - democracy, or Alexandre de Moraes," the statement concluded.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/return/x-shuts-down-brazil-operations

2024-08-19 21:21:06

Democratic DC councilman arrested, accused of $156,000 bribery scheme
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Washington, D.C., Councilmember Trayon White Sr. was recently arrested for allegedly facilitating a $156,000 bribery scheme. White, a Democrat, has been representing D.C.’s Ward 8 since 2017, and he recently won the Democratic primary in June.White is accused of using his position in office to pressure government employees to extend contracts in exchange for cash payments, the Department of Justice announced Monday.‘What you need me to do, man?’A criminal complaint revealed that White was charged with bribery for allegedly accepting money and other items of value in return for using his position to pressure employees at the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services to extend several contracts valued at $5.2 million.Since June, White has allegedly received four payments totaling $156,000 from the owner of two unnamed companies. According to the complaint, an arrangement between White and the contractor was caught on video. White allegedly accepted $35,000 from the company while it was “working covertly under the auspices of the FBI.”According to the affidavit, video footage captured White asking the contractor, “What you need me to do, man?”“I don’t wanna feel like you gotta gimme something to get something,” White continued before taking an envelope of money from the contractor, according to the filing. “We better than that.”The affidavit claimed that the contractor agreed to give White a 3% cut of the government contracts he helped to extend.A spokesperson for the D.C. city council told NBC News that White was arrested around 2 p.m. on Sunday. He was released from custody the following day after his court appearance. His next court date is slated for September 19. The spokesperson noted that the council was unaware of the investigation ahead of White’s arrest, the news outlet reported.U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves stated, “Because the investigation into the alleged bribery scheme involved contracts that could soon be awarded and other potential official acts that could be taken, our Office took swift steps to address the alleged crimes we were investigating.”A spokesperson for White did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News. White’s attorney declined to comment, the Washington Post reported.Earlier this year, White’s campaign committees were hit with a $40,000 fine from the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance for allegedly failing to provide requested documents to rectify expenditure and contribution discrepancies. A spokesperson for White’s office stated that the councilman appealed the fines, the Post reported.White previously garnered national attention in 2018 when he was accused of spreading an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory when mentioning the Rothschilds in a video he posted on social media.In the video, White said, “Man, it just started snowing out of nowhere this morning, man. Y’all better pay attention to this climate control, man, this climate manipulation. And D.C. keep talking about, ‘We a resilient city.’ And that’s a model based off the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters they can pay for to own the cities, man. Be careful.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/democratic-dc-councilman-arrested-accused-of-156000-bribery-scheme

2024-08-19 14:42:05

Mob pulls off 3 smash-and-grab robberies in 20 minutes at LA 7-Elevens — on same day Newsom signs bills fighting same crimes
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A mob of about 20 individuals pulled off three smash-and-grab robberies in 20 minutes Friday night at Hollywood 7-Elevens — the same day Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills into law that are said to combat such crimes, KNBC-TV reported.The crooks fled on bicycles from the stores, which are within a two-mile radius of each other, the station said.The station also rolled surveillance video of a similar smash-and-grab by a mob of teenagers at another area 7-Eleven the previous week.The first store on 7040 West Sunset Blvd. was robbed just after 8 p.m., KNBC said, adding that the business was left with a broken window.The second store near Hollywood and Highland was robbed at 8:16 p.m., the station said, adding that the crooks assaulted an employee.The third store at 5700 Santa Monica Boulevard was robbed at 8:22 p.m., KNBC said.More from the station:The string of robberies took place on the same day Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bipartisan package of 10 bills that aims to crack down on smash-and-grab robberies and property crimes, making it easier to go after repeat shoplifters and auto thieves and increase penalties for those running professional reselling schemes.The station also rolled surveillance video of a similar smash-and-grab by a mob of teenagers at another area 7-Eleven the previous week.It's worth noting that a mob of about 30 teenagers on bicycles were caught on video brutally beating up and robbing a lone man in downtown Los Angeles earlier this month. The victim suffered a broken leg — which will require surgery — as well as deep cuts all over his body after getting kicked and punched while on the ground.How are observers reacting?Over 150 comments were logged under the KNBC YouTube video report — and as you might expect, they weren't happy:"Parent is like, 'Bring me home some chips & cigarettes sweetie. Have fun,'" one commenter noted sarcastically."How sad is an entire state [that has] been taken over by teenagers?!?!" another commenter opined."Stop calling them people. People don't act this way," another commenter stated. "Clearly this is some other species.""Only bookstores are safe in California," another commenter quipped.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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2024-08-19 12:47:46

The paradox of screens: Parents and grandparents wrestle with how much screen time to give kids
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Parents and screen time Parenthood is brutal — it has always been brutal. But in an era of unstoppable tech growth, raising children becomes more difficult by the day. If you have kids or grandkids under the age of 13, you know the paradox of screens. The chaos of parenthood is relentless, and there’s a special brand for those of us with little kids. Exhaustion of every sort. Peace is hard to come by for parents and many grandparents, especially those of us with little ones. I have toddlers. Screen time is one of the constant subjects of examination between my wife and me. We're always assessing our screen time, our personal relationships with our phones, and the behavior we model for our kids. Handing your kid a phone or tablet is a quick way to buy a moment of silence. We are desperate for the chance to think, to breathe, and sit still. But this is no ordinary quiet. Screen time offers immediate relief in exchange for destruction that comes later. Parents make this deal constantly regarding screen time. Handing your kid a phone or tablet is the quickest way to neutralize a chaotic environment. But this pause is deceptive. It doesn’t seem to remedy the situation, and it may even worsen the chaos. Then there’s the addict-like response kids exhibit immediately after being handed a phone, a slot-machine glaze. They grip it like a starving ape grips bananas, as a tool for survival. The Mayo Clinic warns that excessive screen time has been noted to lead to all sorts of health issues, including obesity, violent behavior, attention deficit, sleep disruptions, and erratic behavior. It can even lead to “sensory differences” in toddlers. There are plenty of detractors who frame the rejection of screen time as part of a moral panic, contending that it’s harmless or even beneficial. This is one of the bizarre confrontations that have arisen with any new technology over the course of human history: People feel that these recent advancements are causing an incredible amount of harm. The other group claims that “every generation panics about technology, but most of the time their anxiety is actually ignorance and fear." Reality lies in between the two: The invention of the ship is also the invention of the shipwreck. Big little feelings damircudic/Getty Images Fad parenting has always been a problem. And like fads in general, it risks being swept aside at a moment’s notice, leaving a generation of disenchanted parents in its wake. Each generation winds up with its own parenting philosophy. It’s corrective, a way to address the failures of the previous system. It’s also expressive, allowing each parent to rule the kingdom creatively. It is full of predictions about what matters and what doesn’t, what should worry parents and what shouldn’t — with plenty of outrage and hysteria along the way. This philosophy is also a response to the folkways, constraints, disasters, luxuries, and technologies of that exact moment in history. The current era of parenting seems largely focused on gentleness. Gentle parenting is the coin of the realm. I’ll give you a rushed, cursory, and probably haphazard explanation. Gentle parenting, known formally as “attachment parenting,” is guided by empathy, the willingness to sit with a kid who, by most accounts, is being a real piece of work. Gentle parenting is focused on language that often sounds politically correct, like how it emphasizes bad behavior is “action,” not identity. It’s wrong, for instance, to say that a kid is mean. Say instead that the kid is acting mean. Parents are advised to “comment on the action, not the person.” Every new parent I know has taken a parenting course from “Big Little Feelings.” It may be the most obvious example of Millennial parenting philosophy available. I have to admit, the course has benefitted my parenting tremendously. The course has an entry on handling outbursts related to screen time, and as a true Millennial philosophy, the solution to screen time tantrums involves an acronym, PREP: P: Plan in advance. R: Reveal the plan. E: Explain the details. P: Put your toddler in charge. The method remains unproven, but my point here is that it serves as a perfect representation of the parental angst unique to this era of total networking, total communication, total information. The New Yorker captured this weird disharmony, where, in all of its planning, “gentle parenting represents a turn away from a still dominant progressive approach known as ‘authoritative parenting.’” It feels inherently feminine, yet it’s not. Because we have also seen an unprecedented shift in the father’s role and presence in family life. At its worst, gentle parenting resembles the performance of a cartoonish NPR host, whispering passive-aggressive slogans that don’t correspond to reality. At its best, it offers a key to peace in the household. It can be annoying and stilted. But it can also be calming.Screen activism If you have young daughters or granddaughters, you should read “Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters” by Abigail Shrier. She charts the spread of radical gender ideology as the cause of “rapid onset gender dysphoria,” in which prepubescent girls who have never expressed any sort of gender confusion suddenly develop an identity centered on gender and body dysphoria. Transgender activists hate Shrier largely because she exposes the dark side of screen time, which political radicals use for recruitment. She argues that this fad is unnatural — it has never occurred at any other moment in recorded medical history. She makes a compelling case, and one of the phenomena she cites as proof is the influence that social media has on these girls. She refers to Jonathan Haidt’s observation that we’re living through a “mental health crisis,” the worst in decades, specifically affecting adolescent girls. Depression and anxiety rates are spiking, along with self-harm. And Shrier correlates it to the rise of the iPhone and social media. This has left kids today not just depressed and anxious but also socially underdeveloped. She argues that kids today feel like they should be able to live the carefree lives of their parents, but they don’t know how. So they seek the guidance of online personas who appear to have things figured out. This leads to peer contagion, the cultural spread of a mental pathology. Increasingly, we have seen how this process occurs throughout the education system. The “trans influencers” behind this fad are devoted to evangelization. Their biggest argument is that early intervention is necessary, the earlier the better. As Shrier puts it, “Trans influencers typically take a by-any-means necessary approach to procuring cross-sex hormones. Whatever you have to do, whatever you have to say — do it. Your life is on the line.” Shrier’s response to this tactic is one of her most compelling points: Intervention is not a pause button. No studies show that puberty blockers are safe or reversible. They stop sexual maturation and development of bone density from occurring. Studies have shown that from there, nearly 100% of kids put on puberty blockers proceed to cross-sex hormones. This guarantees that the child will be infertile and have permanent sex dysfunction. In other words, early intervention almost guarantees infertility. We should hammer this in. It’s maybe the most shocking and unacknowledged part of the transgender craze. In other words, screen time has led to an unprecedented crisis of psychosis-driven mutilation. Shipwrecked Tassii/Getty Images Jonathan Haidt is quite possibly the most reasonable man in America. He is somehow unaffected by the political vertigo of our time, able to connect with every sort of person. He has approached the dangers of social media from many angles: as a tool for activism, as a corruptor of colleges, as a harm to teenage girls, even as a modern version of the story of the Tower of Babel. In an article for the Atlantic titled “After Babel: Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid,” Haidt uses the Tower of Babel as a metaphor “for what happened to America in the 2010s, and for the fractured country we now inhabit.” The story of Babel comprises one short chapter of the Bible, Genesis 11. Yet it’s a story everyone knows. He describes “people wandering amid the ruins, unable to communicate, condemned to mutual incomprehension.” Like the people in the story of Babel, America is in trouble: “Something went terribly wrong, very suddenly. We are disoriented, unable to speak the same language or recognize the same truth. We are cut off from one another and from the past.” Social media platforms have damaged our trust, degraded our belief in institutions, and eradicated our shared stories. Haidt has been sounding the alarm about social media for years now, including in his most recent book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness." Children born after 1995 are disproportionately anxious. This is largely the result of screen time. Screen time is alienating. It leads to isolation. Hence the alarming rates of depression and anxiety, both rooted in aloneness. Haidt argues that over the past 30 years, it has led to a rapid decline in “play-based childhood,” which has been replaced in the past decade by “phone-based childhood.” The Mayo Clinic confirms his assertions. He notes that the smartphone-driven "great rewiring of childhood" is causing an “epidemic of mental illness.” He suggests four ways to combat this: no smartphones before high school, no social media before age 16, no phones in schools, and prioritizing real-world play and independence. He describes “smartphones as ‘experience blockers' because once you give the phone to a child, it’s going to take up every moment that is not nailed down to something else,” adding that “it’s basically the loss of childhood in the real world.” He concludes with a similar refrain: “The most important change we can make to reduce the damaging effects of social media on children is to delay entry until they have passed through puberty.
https://www.theblaze.com/return/the-paradox-of-screens-parents-and-grandparents-wrestle-with-how-much-screen-time-to-give-kids

2024-08-16 20:01:00

Harris reveals economic strategy she claims is 'laser-focused on the middle-class'
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Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday afternoon where she was slated to outline her economic proposals as the Democratic presidential candidate.During her speech, the current sitting vice president proceeded to list several guarantees she pledged to deliver if elected to higher office, namely "building up the middle class" by lowering the cost of living, which the Biden-Harris administration has failed to accomplish despite holding office over the past several years. Harris provided only a few details on how her administration plans to achieve her new economic plan.'Opportunity economy.'"By virtually every measure, our economy is the strongest in the world," Harris claimed while vowing to be "laser-focused on creating opportunities for the middle class.""Together, we will build what I call an opportunity economy," Harris declared. "When the middle class is strong, American is strong."Harris explained that she would reveal a more detailed economic strategy in the coming weeks, which she promised would prioritize "lowering the cost of living," including food, housing, and medical care.After claiming to have the "strongest" economy in the world, Harris then admitted that the price of bread at the grocery store today is 50% higher than "before the pandemic" — when former President Donald Trump was in office. However, Harris blamed the inflated costs on some grocery chains that overcharge consumers."As president, I will go after the bad actors," Harris said. "And I will work to pass the first-ever federal ban on price gouging on food. My plan will include new penalties for opportunistic companies that exploit crises and break the rules. And we will support smaller food businesses that are trying to play by the rules and get ahead.""We will help the food industry become more competitive because I believe competition is the lifeblood of our economy," she continued. "More competition means lower prices for you and your families."Throughout her speech, Harris took swipes at Trump, claiming that his economic strategy would increase costs for Americans and accusing him of offering "no serious plans" to reduce the cost of living for middle-class Americans.Harris touted the Biden-Harris administration for lowering medical costs on prescription drugs and insulin for seniors, promising to expand similar savings to everyone and further lower health care expenses. Additionally, she said she plans to "cancel" medical debt.The vice president blamed the high real estate prices on a housing shortage and vowed to "cut red tape" at state and local levels to build 3 million new homes and rentals for middle-class Americans within her first term. Harris also promised $25,000 to help first-time homebuyers cover down-payment costs. Additionally, she said she would back legislation that would crack down on investors artificially inflating housing costs.According to Harris, her economic strategy would allow Americans to "keep more of your hard-earned money," including the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. She pledged to expand the latter to give families $6,000 in tax relief for the first year of a child's life."We will do this while reducing the deficit," Harris proclaimed. The first presidential debate between Harris and Trump is scheduled for September 10 at 9 p.m. Eastern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
https://www.theblaze.com/news/harris-reveals-economic-strategy-she-claims-is-laser-focused-on-the-middle-class

2024-08-16 19:05:58

Trump to resume outdoor rallies after Secret Service proposes new security plan: Report
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Former President Donald Trump will resume his outdoor rallies after the Secret Service made an exception for him to be protected by bulletproof glass, according to multiple reports. The Secret Service plans to surround Trump's podium with bulletproof glass, two federal law enforcement officials told CBS News. Citing "multiple sources," ABC News confirmed the report of the Secret Service utilizing bulletproof glass to protect the former president.'This isn't just a piece of glass but a large, bulky, and heavy armored glass that will require extensive logistics capability, normally reserved for large-scale outdoor events.'The Secret Service declined to comment on the report to both news outlets. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told ABC News that the campaign does not comment on security measures relating to former President Trump.The security measure is typically reserved for protecting sitting presidents. However, the Secret Service is making an exception for Trump following the assassination attempt against him during his July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The use of ballistic glass was first proposed by former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle shortly after the assassination attempt but before her resignation from the agency. Retired senior Secret Service agent Don Mihalek told ABC News, "The Secret Service use of UpArmored glass around former President Trump is another step to ensure the campaign is and remains secure. This isn't just a piece of glass but a large, bulky, and heavy armored glass that will require extensive logistics capability, normally reserved for large-scale outdoor events."The assassination attempt against Trump was the first attempted assassination of a presidential candidate since George Wallace in March 1972. Wallace was shot four times and paralyzed from the waist down from the shooting in Laurel, Maryland. Following the shooting, the Secret Service reportedly urged Trump not to hold any outdoor rallies ahead of the 2024 presidential election. On July 23, NBC News reported that Trump planned to stop holding outdoor rallies, according to two sources familiar with his campaign’s operations.Since the July 13 assassination attempt, Trump has held nearly a dozen campaign events; all of them have been held indoors.On July 31, Trump said he isn't "giving up on the outdoor rallies" during a campaign rally at an indoor arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. "They'd prefer that we be in an arena. I don't know why. But we're not giving up the outdoor rallies," Trump told the crowd. "You know, all those people that we had to turn away today, at an outdoor rally you can have."Weeks before the Butler shooting, there were reportedly intelligence reports that Iran was plotting an assassination attempt against Trump, allegedly prompting the Secret Service to beef up security around the former president. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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