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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
  2. <rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"><channel><title>Blaze Media</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/</link><description>Blaze Media</description><atom:link href="https://www.theblaze.com/feeds/feed.rss" rel="self"></atom:link><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 15:55:48 -0000</lastBuildDate><image><url>https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8zMDc1MjEwMC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTcyODcwODQxMn0.59DTUXtTHFlGjZ-jVF0n94q8MVzdlnElHjm2ftO6wY8/image.png?width=210</url><link>https://www.theblaze.com/</link><title>Blaze Media</title></image><item><title>The effects of rapid AI expansion on our kids EXPOSED</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/shows/stu-does-america/the-effects-of-rapid-ai-expansion-on-our-kids-exposed</link><description><![CDATA[
  3. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52267975&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=300%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>
  4. AI is going too far, and most people have no idea.
  5. </p><p>
  6. “We’ve really advanced this stuff quickly, and this week came a lot of stuff that I don’t think people are even noticing anymore,” Stu Burguiere says.
  7. </p><p>
  8. One of the latest advancements was announced this past week, for OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The company has created a feminine AI voice that you can have conversations with over your devices — and it sounds like a real woman.
  9. </p><p>
  10. The AI voice is capable of switching her tone on demand, going from joking around with her OpenAI creators to reading them a bedtime story like a mother would a child.
  11. </p><p>
  12. But that’s not all. The new AI is also capable of teaching students like a teacher would, coaching them through problems without revealing the answers.
  13. </p><p>
  14. “You got to think about the cheating ramifications of this,” Stu says, adding, “I mean it’s beyond insane, but also like the job implication of this.”
  15. </p><p>
  16. “When it comes to AI, it’s going to be very difficult to keep this one out of your kid’s life. It’s going to probably permeate at some level whether you like it or not, to almost every single school,” he explains.
  17. </p><p>
  18. “How long until we’re walking down the street, and we’re seeing our kids have full-on relationships with their phones? They’re already looking at them all the time, now they’re going to be talking to them all the time.”
  19. </p><p>
  20. Not only is this terrifying, but diversity, equity, and inclusion and critical race theory are already programmed into ChatGPT.
  21. </p><p>
  22. “All the things you’re against are built into these programs,” Stu says.
  23. </p><h3>The Effects of Rapid AI Expansion on Our Kids EXPOSED | Ep 897</h3><br/><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="64bca6ab31a5b00bd9457e13a2458fab" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cYY9ZhEwBUw?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>Stu Burguiere looks at the newest version of ChatGPT and speculates on what it and other advancements in artificial intelligence could mean for our children ...<h2>Want more from Stu?</h2><p>To enjoy more of Stu's lethal wit, wisdom, and mockery, <a href="https://get.blazetv.com/stu-does-america/?utm_source=theblaze&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=article_shortcode_stuburguiere" target="_blank">subscribe to BlazeTV</a> — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.</p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 15:55:48 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/shows/stu-does-america/the-effects-of-rapid-ai-expansion-on-our-kids-exposed</guid><category>4o</category><category>Ai</category><category>Blazetv</category><category>Chatgpt</category><category>Comedy</category><category>Conservative analysis</category><category>Conservative commentary</category><category>Conservative news</category><category>Conservative satire</category><category>Conservative talk show</category><category>Crime</category><category>Current events</category><category>Current events show</category><category>Daily news show</category><category>Entertainment</category><category>Humor</category><category>John lott</category><category>News analysis</category><category>News and politics</category><category>Open ai</category><category>Opinion</category><category>Opinion show</category><category>Parody</category><category>Political commentary</category><category>Political humor</category><category>Political satire</category><category>Pop culture</category><category>Social commentary</category><category>Spoof</category><category>Stu burguiere</category><category>Stu does america</category><category>Us news and politics</category><category>Us politics</category><category>Video</category><category>Youtube.com</category><dc:creator>BlazeTV Staff</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52267975&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Kansas City 'apologies' for doxxing star kicker Butker over Catholic beliefs — but that's not enough for the Missouri AG</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/kansas-city-apologies-for-doxxing-star-kicker-butker-over-catholic-beliefs-but-thats-not-enough-for-the-missouri-ag</link><description><![CDATA[
  24. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/kansas-city-apologies-for-doxxing-star-kicker-butker-over-catholic-beliefs-but-that-s-not-enough-for-the-missouri-ag.jpg?id=52267060&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>
  25. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, 28,
  26. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/harrison-butker-benedictine-college-speech" target="_blank">gave a commencement speech last weekend</a> at Benedictine College wherein he dared to articulate beliefs anchored in the millenniums-old moral teachings of the Catholic Church, now codified in the <a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM" target="_blank">Catechism</a> and followed by millions of Americans nationwide.
  27. </p><p>
  28. The three-time Super Bowl champ  
  29. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/nfl-scandals-abound-but-butkers-pro-family-speech-sparks-outrage" target="_blank">drew the ire of radicals</a> in the liberal media and political establishment for doing so — for <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae.html" target="_blank">echoing</a> the late Pope John Paul II in noting that "abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder."
  30. </p><p>
  31. The kicker further enraged leftists by celebrating the institution of marriage, the vocation of motherhood, the link between male weakness and cultural dysfunction, the sinfulness of pride and Pride month, and by highlighting the
  32. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/archbishop-slams-biden-as-a-cafeteria-catholic-who-twists-his-faith-for-political-advantage" target="_blank">incompatibility of President Joe Biden's professed faith and his views on abortion</a>.
  33. </p><p>
  34. After all, the Catholic Church has made clear that abortion "is gravely contrary to the moral law"; "formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense" carrying the canonical penalty of excommunication; and Catholic political leaders have an obligation to stand up for the rights of the unborn.
  35. </p><p>
  36. Besides upsetting talking heads on cable news shows, Butker's
  37. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/fearless/unlike-his-critics-harrison-butker-isnt-scared" target="_blank">expression of Catholic views at a Catholic school</a> evidently enraged the person running Kansas City's social media accounts.
  38. </p><h2>Doxxed</h2><p>
  39. Kansas City's X account posted, "Just a reminder that Harrision Butker lives in ...," then provided the location where the kicker could be found.
  40. </p><p>
  41. This tweet, which was posted at 7:41 p.m. on Wednesday, qualifies as textbook "doxxing,"
  42. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dox" target="_blank">defined</a> as the public identification or publication "of private information about (someone) especially as a form of punishment or revenge."
  43. </p><p>
  44. There was a swift backlash against the city online as it was widely understood this tweet amounted to an effort to punish and possibly endanger Butker over his opinions.
  45. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  46. 'Use of government social media to retaliate against an individual based on their religious beliefs amounts to discriminatory behavior that is not tolerated under our Constitution or Missouri statute.'
  47. </p><p>
  48. Matthew Peterson, editor in chief at Blaze News, noted, "If our cities are revealing private information about the residents they are supposed to be serving simply because local government officials disagree with their political views and statements, that's a call to action. Solving this problem will take a lot more than complaining on the internet. Americans need to band together and work locally to hold their local governments accountable."
  49. </p><p>
  50. Just hours later, at 9:21 p.m., the Kansas City account posted, "We apologies [<em>sic</em>] for our previous tweet. It was shared in error."
  51. </p><p>
  52. That tweet ostensibly served to draw further attention to the now-deleted doxxing effort, prompting even more outrage.
  53. </p><p>
  54. Catholic conservative commentator Michael Knowles
  55. <a href="https://x.com/michaeljknowles/status/1791286993726455924" target="_blank">wrote</a>, "@KansasCity: not only criminal but also illiterate."
  56. </p><p>
  57. Some social media users have
  58. <a href="https://x.com/AFpost/status/1791206787665785323" target="_blank">suggested</a> that the author of the tweet may have been Andrea Watts, whose <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawatts333" target="_blank">LinkedIn profile</a> similarly contained a rather glaring spelling error — "Social Media Mangement [<em>sic</em>]" — and was recently been <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawatts333" target="_blank">deactivated</a>.
  59. </p><p>
  60. Michael Caputo, a former Department of Health and Human Services official in the Trump administration,
  61. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/kansascity/people/?keywords=social%20media" target="_blank">said</a>, "The City of Kansas City, MO must fire its entire social media team immediately."
  62. </p><p>
  63. Twenty minutes after the initial apology, Mayor Quinton Lucas joined in the damage-control effort,
  64. <a href="https://x.com/QuintonLucasKC/status/1790920537511805434" target="_blank">writing</a>, "A message appeared earlier this evening from a City public account. The message was clearly inappropriate for a public account. The City has correctly apologized for the error, will review account access, and ensure nothing like it is shared in the future from public channels."
  65. </p><p>
  66. Lucas' response was also met with ridicule.
  67. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  68. 'Your office apparently believes it is appropriate to denigrate a devout Catholic for comments he made about his own faith at a religious college.'
  69. </p><p>
  70. Garrett Henson, chairman of the Kansas Federation of College Republicans, mocked the mayor's response,
  71. <a href="https://x.com/GarrettHensonKS/status/1790949112705130632" target="_blank">writing</a>, "'We now realize that it's bad to dox people with the Kansas City X account. Rest assured that there will be no consequences for this action moving forward.'"
  72. </p><h2>Missouri AG weighs in
  73. </h2><p>
  74. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was not impressed by the city's apparent effort to intimidate a Christian over his deeply held beliefs — and he didn't need a tweet to know where to direct his ire.
  75. </p><p>
  76. Bailey
  77. <a href="https://x.com/AGAndrewBailey/status/1791178530354757781" target="_blank">indicated</a> on Thursday, "My office is demanding accountability after @KansasCity doxxed @buttkicker7 last night for daring to express his religious beliefs. I will enforce the Missouri Human Rights Act to ensure Missourians are not targeted for their free exercise of religion. Stay tuned."
  78. </p><p>
  79. Bailey subsequently
  80. <a href="https://x.com/AGAndrewBailey/status/1791439328272330965" target="_blank">penned a letter</a> to Mayor Lucas noting, "It has been reported that the city of Kansas City has retaliated against a well-respected local resident and member of the Kansas City Chiefs after he spoke about his religious views."
  81. </p><p>
  82. "Your office's X account likely publicly released residential location information on a private citizen, Harrison Butker, in an attempt to retaliate against him for expressing his sincerely held religious beliefs at a religious college's commencement ceremony — to an audience that largely shares his views," continued Bailey. "Use of government social media to retaliate against an individual based on their religious beliefs amounts to discriminatory behavior that is not tolerated under our Constitution or Missouri statute."
  83. </p><p>
  84. The AG underscored that America is founded upon a commitment to the free exercise of religion and that Missouri law "specifically prohibits faith-based discrimination against Missouri residents."
  85. </p><p>
  86. Bailey added, "Your office apparently believes it is appropriate to denigrate a devout Catholic for comments he made about his own faith at a religious college."
  87. </p><p>
  88. Extra to indicating the city may have violated state law, Bailey made abundantly clear to the NFL, without naming it outright: "I assure you that I am prepared to use the authority provided in statute to defend the principle of free religious expression."
  89. </p><p>
  90. "Mr. Butker was well within his rights to discuss his religious views — views which are shared by millions of members of his faith tradition," wrote Bailey. "Sadly, history is filled with examples of people of religious faith being targeted for their beliefs by government officials."
  91. </p><p>
  92. Radicals have targeted Butker, and the NFL has
  93. <a href="https://www.khou.com/article/news/nation-world/nfl-chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-commencement-speech/507-82aaf8d3-3220-4a8f-bbef-0737fd784c0f" target="_blank">reportedly</a> hung him out to dry. On the flip side, Butker's jersey is now <a href="https://www.outkick.com/sports/harrison-butkers-jersey-among-the-most-popular-selling-following-college-address" target="_blank">reportedly</a> among the most popular in the league.
  94. </p><p>
  95. <em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em>
  96. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 14:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/kansas-city-apologies-for-doxxing-star-kicker-butker-over-catholic-beliefs-but-thats-not-enough-for-the-missouri-ag</guid><category>Harrison butker</category><category>Butker</category><category>Nfl</category><category>Andrew bailey</category><category>Bailey</category><category>Missouri</category><category>Kansas city</category><category>Anti-catholic</category><category>Christian</category><category>Religion</category><category>Opinion</category><category>First amendment</category><category>Intimidation</category><category>Retaliation</category><category>Faith</category><dc:creator>Joseph MacKinnon</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/kansas-city-apologies-for-doxxing-star-kicker-butker-over-catholic-beliefs-but-that-s-not-enough-for-the-missouri-ag.jpg?id=52267060&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler charged with felony assault outside PGA Championship course entrance</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/scottie-scheffler-arrest-pga-championship</link><description><![CDATA[
  97. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/world-no-1-golfer-scottie-scheffler-charged-with-felony-assault-outside-pga-championship-course-entrance.png?id=52266789&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C149%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>The PGA Tour's top golfer and reigning champion of the Masters was arrested and charged outside the course entrance to the PGA Championship. The charges included felony assault of a police officer.</p><p>Scottie Scheffler, the number one-ranked golfer in the world, was arrested in a bizarre incident after refusing to stop at the scene of an accident near the entrance of the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. </p><p>An ESPN reporter named Jeff Darlington witnessed the incident and said that Scheffler was detained after a "misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club."</p><p>The traffic outside the golf course was stopped because a man was hit and killed by a shuttle bus at around 5 a.m. ET. The PGA Tour <a href="https://x.com/PGAChampionship/status/1791413012823232763" target="_blank">announced</a> it would be delaying tee times due to "an accident near the course."</p><p class="pull-quote">'Right now, he's going to jail, and there's nothing you can do about it.'</p><p>According to Darlington, Scheffler was trying to drive around the crash scene on the median, and when a police officer told him to stop, he continued to drive for another 10-20 yards toward the Valhalla Golf Club entrance.</p><p>A cop attached himself to the side of Scheffler's car, an <a href="https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/40162983/scottie-scheffler-detained-police-prior-start-pga-championship" target="_blank">ESPN</a> report described, and the officer then yelled at the golfer.</p><p>"The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. He is now being detained in the back of a police car," Darlington wrote on <a href="https://x.com/JeffDarlington/status/1791417323867283597" target="_blank">X</a>.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: <a href="https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf">https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf</a> <a href="https://t.co/9Tbp2tyrJh">pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh</a><br/>— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffDarlington/status/1791428598080938492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p>Scheffler, who won the Masters just a month ago, reportedly asked Darlington, "Can you help?" as he was being detained. The officer instructed Darlington to back away.</p><p>"You need to get out of the way," the officer told the sports reporter. "Right now, he's going to jail, and there's nothing you can do about it."</p><p>Scheffler was charged with felony assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic, according to local outlet <a href="https://www.wdrb.com/sports/report-world-no-1-scheffler-detained-by-lmpd-at-valhalla-after-trying-to-cross-accident/article_d2ec5eb0-143b-11ef-9912-87abd4c7478d.html" target="_blank">WDRB</a> citing court records.<span></span></p><p>Shortly after 9 a.m. ET, Scheffler was recorded entering the golf course after his release and was scheduled to tee off at 10:08 a.m.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Scottie Scheffler has arrived at Valhalla Golf Club following his release from jail <a href="https://t.co/2SP3gd6T4N">pic.twitter.com/2SP3gd6T4N</a><br/>— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) <a href="https://twitter.com/NUCLRGOLF/status/1791457427864387816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p>Scheffler was released and was ordered not to have any contact with the alleged victim, assumed to be the police officer, or any complaining witness.<br/></p><p>His court date is scheduled for May 21, 2024, at the Jefferson District Court.</p><p>A spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Police Department told outlets that the deceased man was attempting to cross the road early in the morning when he has hit by a bus in the bus lane. The man reportedly died at the scene.</p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 14:03:41 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/scottie-scheffler-arrest-pga-championship</guid><category>Scottie scheffler</category><category>Pga tour</category><category>Golf</category><category>Fearless</category><category>Assault</category><category>Police</category><category>Masters</category><category>Sports</category><dc:creator>Andrew Chapados</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/world-no-1-golfer-scottie-scheffler-charged-with-felony-assault-outside-pga-championship-course-entrance.png?id=52266789&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Trio of Islamic extremists indicted over plot to massacre Jews in England</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/trio-of-islamic-extremists-indicted-over-plot-to-massacre-jews-in-england</link><description><![CDATA[
  98. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/trio-of-islamic-extremists-indicted-over-plot-to-massacre-jews-in-england.jpg?id=52266491&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>
  99. Britain's Community Security Trust, an anti-Semitism watchdog,
  100. <a href="https://cst.org.uk/news/blog/2024/02/15/antisemitic-incidents-report-2023" target="_blank">observed</a> a massive spike in hate incidents against Jewish citizens following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel. This increase coincided with the mainstreaming of the kinds of genocidal and anti-Israel rhetoric that have since been recycled at various Democrat-supported campus protests in the United States.
  101. </p><p>
  102. Douglas Murray, the founder of the Center for Social Cohesion,
  103. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/douglas-murray-suggests-hamas-supporters-should-be-treated-like-isis-supporters" target="_blank">noted</a> in an Oct. 12 piece for the Spectator, "Within hours of the slaughter, people in London were driving around flying Palestinian flags and blaring their horns in celebration of the massacre. In Manchester the president of the local 'Friends of Palestine,' Dana Abuqamar, <a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/rita-panahi/im-at-a-loss-rita-panahi-hits-out-at-the-leader-of-a-propalestine-group/video/62c91e3fc287f0588a8cb5748a5c25a6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told</a> Sky News, 'We're really full of joy, full of pride at what has happened.' At a Free Palestine rally in Brighton one speaker who claimed she was a Palestinian said: 'Yesterday was a victory.' She described the massacres in Israel as 'so beautiful and inspiring to see.'"
  104. </p><p>
  105. It appears that Britain and its Jewish population have something more to fear than murderous rhetoric.
  106. </p><p>
  107. A pair of Islamic extremists were arrested last week and charged with preparing acts of terrorism. 36-year-old Walid Saadaoui of Abram and 50-year-old Amar Hussein of no fixed address were hauled before the Westminster Magistrates Court and charged with planning an attack on "the Jewish community in the North West of England and members of both law enforcement and the military,"
  108. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx0331xxd7xo" target="_blank">reported</a> the BBC.
  109. </p><p>
  110. Bilel Saadaoui, the brother of one of the alleged terror plotters, was also arrested. He has been accused of failing to disclose the details of the terror plot to the authorities,
  111. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/may/14/men-accused-plot-attack-jews-with-machine-guns-north-west-england" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reported</a> the Guardian.
  112. </p><p>
  113. Prosecutor Rebecca Waller indicated the duo set their plan in motion in December and planned "to conduct an ISIL [Isis] or Daesh-inspired terrorist attack in the UK during which they intended causing multiple fatalities using automatic weapons," not unlike the gruesome November 2015 Bataclan massacre where Islamic terrorists murdered 90 people and committed various other atrocities against their victims, or the March 22 ISIS terror attack in Moscow Oblast, Russia, where 145 victims were murdered and 551 were injured.
  114. </p><p>
  115. The plotters reportedly had designs on securing a machine gun, 1,200 rounds of ammunition, a handgun, and a safe house to store their weaponry. Saadaoui allegedly traveled with Hussein to Dover in March "with the aim of conducting reconnaissance of the port security" where the guns were to be imported,
  116. <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13420445/Pictured-Terror-suspect-35-arrested-failure-disclose-Isis-inspired-plot-murder-Jews-machinegun-attack-trio-appear-court-series-raids-north-west-England.html" target="_blank">reported</a> the Daily Mail.
  117. </p><p>
  118. "Both defendants took significant steps to prepare, and by May 2024, had reach the point at which, they believed, they were in a position to launch their attack," said Waller.
  119. </p><p>
  120. Police nabbed Saadaoui when he went to pick up the weapons.
  121. </p><p>
  122. Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts of the Greater Manchester Police
  123. <a href="https://www.gmp.police.uk/news/greater-manchester/news/news/2024/may/update-following-first-appearance-of-three-suspects-charged-with-terrorism-offences/" target="_blank">said</a> in a statement Tuesday, "Today's first court appearance has outlined some concerning and distressing details about a suspected terrorist plot that we allege was being planned by suspects from Greater Manchester."
  124. </p><p>
  125. "Firstly, we know how significant the impact of this will be. Particularly for our Jewish community in Greater Manchester and across the country," continued Potts. "We have worked closely with the Community Security Trust, community groups and key stakeholders prior to today's hearing, and we will continue to update them and support them throughout the course of this case. The wider public will understandably be alarmed too."
  126. </p><p>
  127. Amanda Bomsztyk, the northern regional director of the Community Security Trust, said, "These are very serious allegations of a plan to commit a terrorist attack against British Jews at a time of record anti-Semitic hate crime levels. This is one of a number of recent and ongoing cases that demonstrate why the Jewish community needs such extensive security measures and why our continuing partnership with police and government is so vital."
  128. </p><p>
  129. When asked whether he wanted to apply for bail, Hussein reportedly answered, "Do whatever you want to."
  130. </p><p>
  131. Bilel Saadaoui applied for bail unsuccessfully and blubbered on his way out of court.
  132. </p><p>
  133. Blaze News
  134. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/european-authorities-capture-several-suspected-hamas-terrorists-foil-terror-plot" target="_blank">previously reported</a> that German and Dutch officials similarly foiled an Islamic terrorist plot in December, capturing four Hamas terrorists who had been targeting "Jewish institutions in Europe." Those arrests coincided with Denmark's capture of another four suspected terrorists.
  135. </p><p>
  136. Prosecutors indicated that four of the radicals "have been long-standing members of HAMAS and have participated in HAMAS operations abroad. They are closely linked to the military branch's leadership. This included Khalil Hamed Al Kharraz, the second in command at the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassem' Brigades."
  137. </p><p>
  138. <em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em>
  139. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 12:46:01 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/trio-of-islamic-extremists-indicted-over-plot-to-massacre-jews-in-england</guid><category>Anti-semitism</category><category>Jews</category><category>England</category><category>United kingdom</category><category>Islam</category><category>Islamic</category><category>Jihadist</category><category>Terrorism</category><category>Violence</category><category>Crime</category><category>Hatred</category><category>Bigotry</category><category>Immigration</category><category>Europe</category><dc:creator>Joseph MacKinnon</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/trio-of-islamic-extremists-indicted-over-plot-to-massacre-jews-in-england.jpg?id=52266491&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Heartbreaking: 10-year-old boy commits suicide after 2 years of relentless physical, verbal bullying</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/heartbreaking-10-year-old-boy-commits-suicide-after-2-years-of-relentless-physical-verbal-bullying</link><description><![CDATA[
  140. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52262624&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=102%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Sammy Teusch — a 10-year-old boy with a huge, infectious grin — was laid to rest this week in his hometown of Greenfield, Indiana.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  141.        <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1f7b9597b30d1a0ddbee9611075fddb9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="2f3ff" loading="lazy" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263323&width=980"/>
  142.        
  143.        
  144.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Image source: WTHR-TV video screenshot, composite</small></p><p>Sammy's parents said he took his own life on the morning of May 5  — a heartbreaking end after two years of relentless verbal bullying that recently became physical and was just too much for him to bear.</p><p>The bullying mostly was over his glasses and his teeth.</p><p class="pull-quote">'He was beat up on the school bus, and the kids broke his glasses and everything, and I called the school, and I'm like, "What are you doing about this? It keeps getting worse and worse and worse ..."'</p><p>"He was my little boy. He was my baby. He was the youngest one," Sammy's mom, Nichole Teusch, tearfully <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/greenfield-parents-say-their-10-year-old-killed-himself-after-relentless-bullying-sammy-teusch/531-bd7d7744-8816-4d1b-bfb9-8fda6940c03b" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told WTHR-TV</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  145.        <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a0e692d5a4d8d64501ac539b3afa1686" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="02960" loading="lazy" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263200&width=980"/>
  146.        
  147.        
  148.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Image source: WTHR-TV video screenshot</small></p><p>"I held him in my arms. I did the thing no father should ever have to do, and any time I close my eyes, it's all I can see," his dad, Sam Teusch, shared with the station though sobs.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  149.        <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="63adb6c3817f8d5806e6248f316082ca" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="cb454" loading="lazy" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263201&width=980"/>
  150.        
  151.        
  152.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Image source: WTHR-TV video screenshot</small></p><p>Sammy's family told WTHR others bullied him right up to the night before his death, an ordeal that commenced last year in elementary school and continued this year at Greenfield Intermediate School.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  153.        <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2428954212b66e204414ab235b6eead4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="6911a" loading="lazy" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263253&width=980"/>
  154.        
  155.        
  156.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Image source: WTHR-TV video screenshot</small></p><p>
  157. "They were making fun of him for his glasses in the beginning, then on to make fun of his teeth," his dad noted to the station. "It went on for a long time."</p><p>Then the bullying got physical, WTHR said.</p><p>
  158. "He was beat up on the school bus, and the kids broke his glasses and everything, and I called the school, and I'm like, 'What are you doing about this? It keeps getting worse and worse and worse, and it's not getting any better. In fact, it's getting worse,'" Sammy's dad added to the station.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  159.        <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f599c17ff2b8cdc61fcf5fd4f749da39" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="68a5b" loading="lazy" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263309&width=980"/>
  160.        
  161.        
  162.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Image source: WTHR-TV video screenshot</small></p><p>He added to WTHR that he contacted the school 20 times about the bullying: "They knew this was going on. They knew this was going on."</p><p>But district Superintendent Harold Olin told the station neither Sammy nor his parents ever submitted a bullying report, and while school administrators and a counselor had regular conversations with the family, he can't share the content of those conversations.</p><p>
  163. Sammy's family explained to WTHR that the bullying reached beyond the school and the bus and found its way to Snapchat, despite Sammy's parents granting him limited access to his phone.
  164. </p><p>
  165. "'I'm going to beat you up. I'm going to beat you up when you get to school.' Saying mean things about his [mom], which would really, really set him off," Sammy's dad recounted to the station.</p><p>Sadly, in spite of frequent reinforcement from those who love him, Sammy's family told WTHR he became withdrawn and stopped opening up. They told the station they believe Sammy's suicide was due to fear of going back to school following an incident in the restroom the prior week and the constant harassment.</p><p>Now there is a void in the Teusch home that can never be filled.</p><p>"I always tell the kids because Sammy and his sister went to bed first because they were younger, and telling them they had to brush their teeth to get ready for bed and having him not be there to hug before bed," Sammy's mom, inconsolable, shared with WTHR.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.wthr.com/embeds/video/responsive/531-ccb74386-0395-4c04-82f3-957454fa2c92/iframe" style="border:1px solid #e6e6e6" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="640"></iframe></div><p>Word spread about Sammy after his death, and WTHR reported in a <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/nearly-200-people-show-up-for-greenfield-10-year-old-sammy-teusch-who-died-by-suicide/531-fd0fd4ff-5167-4f3e-8020-30bb4e3a9a6e" target="_blank">follow-up story</a> that more than 100 motorcycle riders drove side-by-side down New Road in Greenfield to Brandywine Church for Sammy's services earlier this week.</p><p>The station said most of the motorcyclists didn't know Sammy — but were touched by his story.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  166.        <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fb99c15bdaf0a5341cc6b2391189f7e2" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="eb658" loading="lazy" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263195&width=980"/>
  167.        
  168.        
  169.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Image source: WTHR-TV video screenshot</small></p><p>In the church's auditorium, loved ones shared memories of Sammy, the station said, adding that afterward Sammy's relatives carried his casket out of the church and placed it into a hearse.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  170.        <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f963d1c04899a021cf6eec2b47682a30" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="0035a" loading="lazy" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263203&width=980"/>
  171.        
  172.        
  173.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Image source: WTHR-TV video screenshot</small></p><p>Everything culminated at Greenfield cemetery, where WTHR said Sammy is now at rest.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  174.        <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5b5c8cfecc60fe36f414bdda0fa1a8e3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="ebcf3" loading="lazy" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263255&width=980"/>
  175.        
  176.        
  177.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Image source: WTHR-TV video screenshot</small></p><p>The station said Sammy's family and some of his classmates surrounded his casket as the pastor read a final prayer.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  178.        <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fde88dbf92eef9680455b706105064df" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="250e3" loading="lazy" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263262&width=980"/>
  179.        
  180.        
  181.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Image source: WTHR-TV video screenshot</small></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
  182.        <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="56903da742bbc5e53131bd603941d106" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="4c692" loading="lazy" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263263&width=980"/>
  183.        
  184.        
  185.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Image source: WTHR-TV video screenshot</small></p><p>
  186. WTHR said a candlelight vigil is planned for Friday between 8  and 10 p.m. at Depot Park in Greenfield if weather permits.</p><h2>Help in the face of bullying <br/></h2><p>The station noted the following resources if you or a child you know is being bullied:</p><blockquote>The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry has
  187. <a href="https://www.aacap.org/aacap/families_and_youth/resource_centers/Bullying_Resource_Center/Home.aspx" target="_blank">a full bullying resource center</a>. Stomp Out Bullying has <a href="https://www.stompoutbullying.org/what-do-if-your-child-being-bullied-and-resources" target="_blank">resources for parents</a> of children who are being bullied.<br/><br/>
  188. Safekids.com has resources
  189. <a href="https://www.safekids.com/bullying-cyberbullying-resources/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">focused on cyberbulling</a>, which can follow kids even outside of school.<br/>
  190. <br/>
  191. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It's available 24/7.</blockquote><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.wthr.com/embeds/video/responsive/531-4ef88b63-e2cd-482c-ba72-db493861fdf8/iframe" style="border:1px solid #e6e6e6" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="640"></iframe></div><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em><br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 12:01:04 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/heartbreaking-10-year-old-boy-commits-suicide-after-2-years-of-relentless-physical-verbal-bullying</guid><category>Education</category><category>Suicide</category><category>Bullying</category><category>Faith</category><category>Watch</category><category>Sammy teusch</category><category>Indiana</category><category>Child</category><category>Grief</category><category>Human interest</category><dc:creator>Dave Urbanski</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52262624&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Weekend Watch: Norm Macdonald's anti-roast</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/align/weekend-watch-norm-macdonald-s-anti-roast</link><description><![CDATA[
  192. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52263256&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=44%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>
  193. A few anticipatory titters greeted Norm Macdonald as he stepped up to the podium to “roast” his dear friend Bob Saget. What filth and transgression was the famously irascible comic about to unload on his victim?
  194. </p><p>
  195. As is the custom, Macdonald began by targeting the roast-master, John Stamos. “John has a reputation for being a swinger,” he began. Oh boy. Here we go. Then came the punchline.
  196. </p><p>
  197. “Do you know that instead of an umbilical cord he was born with a bungee cord?”
  198. </p><p>
  199. Confused silence. Reading from what turned out to be a 1940's joke book, Macdonald aimed a few more ancient zingers at Stamos before moving on to Saget. He continued in this vein for 20 largely laugh-free minutes (the network cut it down to seven), before telling Saget he loved him while choking back tears.
  200. </p><p>
  201. When Macdonald died unexpectedly in 2021, many cited this
  202. <a href="https://7qclk.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/m4fir-lVq4N59znrKTQimZ1GOM7Czwe2ILfb0CtGQ_88dj_zG2JzIQSHrzGcMR2Uf9gLf2mejIR5lr41EyvORw7-weOOLE_HY3OT1mWEVWT8A8uOCdRzfQbsZIhM4jGiFki3-M2Wsp_iFOuZbFWXvTmt13QnKznd8awsKlwLrVo1XDO6dBnomnW4_4SP3diZu_At" target="_blank">2008 performance</a> as a piece of brilliant anti-comedy. And it's true that Macdonald's bravura “failure” remains one of the most memorable examples of the form. But his ultimate motivation was personal, not professional. Reminiscing about it four months before his own untimely death, Saget recalled Macdonald warning him, "Uh, Saget, I can’t say mean things about you; you’re my friend."
  203. </p><p>
  204. Macdonald knew then what is even more apparent almost 15 years later: Gratuitous public nastiness is no longer shocking, and therefore no longer funny. Much of our humor today pretends to strain against a propriety that no longer exists.
  205. </p><p>
  206. Snobs vs. slobs? We're all slobs now. How then to surprise? (Surprise being, after all, the essence of humor). The best way is to follow the lead of a consummate pro like Macdonald: Just tell the truth.
  207. </p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 560px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" data-tweet-id="1437883977696751625" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1437883977696751625&lang=en&maxWidth=560px&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theblaze.com%2Fr%2Fentryeditor%2F2668286683%23publish&sessionId=7fca53e83f9d01aadbf3b24fc76949de42fcdcd5&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 560px; height: 421px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post"></iframe></div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 11:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/align/weekend-watch-norm-macdonald-s-anti-roast</guid><category>Weekend watch</category><category>Lifestyle</category><dc:creator>Matt Himes</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52263256&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>How the Washington Post, not Nixon, covered up Watergate</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/how-the-washington-post-not-nixon-covered-up-watergate</link><description><![CDATA[
  208. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/richard-nixon-1913-1994-gives-the-thumbs-up-after-his-resignation-as-37th-president-of-the-united-states-his-son-in-law-david.jpg?id=52263754&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C57"/><br/><br/><p><em></em>As the 50th anniversary of Richard Nixon’s unprecedented resignation approaches, Americans would do well to re-examine the Watergate scandal before the Washington Post’s<em> </em>journalistic fraud becomes inalterably ossified as historical fact.  </p><p>Watergate involved a massive cover-up, to be sure, but it was a campaign of concealment by Washington’s paper of record, not by the Nixon administration, the true victim of Watergate. </p><p class="pull-quote">So, who <em>did</em> order the break-in of DNC headquarters, and why? The Washington Post has long known but refused to report the truth.</p><p>We should recall that what had originally appeared in the aftermath of the arrests to have been a “rogue” burglary caper, bungled by bit players, eventually morphed, per sensational Post reporting, into a deliberately planned campaign scheme to influence an election through abuse of presidential power.  </p><p>This transformation was achieved by seemingly credible accusations that the campaign’s chairman and longtime close advisor to Nixon, former Attorney General John Mitchell, had himself ordered the burglary. His involvement, triumphantly touted by the Post<em><em>,</em></em> confirmed earlier reporting, inspired by Deep Throat, that the break-in was but part of an overall “campaign of spying and sabotage” directed by the White House. Since the burglars were clearly connected to the campaign at least in the person of its “unguided missile” supervisor, lawyer G. Gordon Liddy, the putative involvement of his steely boss, Mitchell, became the operation’s key link to the White House and the president himself. </p><p>If, on the other hand, Mitchell was innocent and Liddy had taken his direction from elsewhere, the narrative of the entire scandal would have changed.  </p><p>After all, the six other arrested defendants all had ties to the CIA and had worked together on the ill-fated 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. From a campaign standpoint, the Democratic National Committee would have been of no intelligence value prior to the Democratic convention in Miami later that summer.  </p><p>In short, Mitchell’s involvement was always required to connect the event to Nixon. If not for Mitchell, smart observers would look elsewhere for the break-in’s criminal progenitors. </p><p>It is unsurprising that for more than 50 years the Post has done its best to ensure that society does not learn the truth about Mitchell’s innocence. It therefore should be of earthshaking significance that it has been recently recognized that John Mitchell did not order the break-in, as the paper had confidently reported for years and as testified to, questionably, by his deputy, Jeb Magruder.  </p><p>Investigative reporter James Rosen in 2008 published “The Strong Man,” which convincingly argued that Mitchell was falsely accused. The Post<em> </em>studiously ignored this well-supported conclusion. But, seemingly realizing its credibility was threatened, it recently tried a new tack. The paper coordinated with Gerard Groff on his 2023 book “Watergate: A New History.” The book came to the same conclusion as did Rosen, which was happily seconded, oddly it seemed, by Leonard Downie, the Washington Post’s retired executive editor emeritus<em><em>,</em></em> in a review published simultaneously with the book.  </p><p>While the recognition of Mitchell’s innocence was long overdue, a curious byproduct of this collaboration was the pronouncement by Groff, praised by Downie, that it is useless at this point to try to assess who, if not Mitchell, actually ordered the burglary and why. After all, both parties say, it has been such a long time, and witnesses are dead! If deceased actors and witnesses prevented the writing of history, then it is inconsistent that there are still thousands of books being published about past wars, presidents, kings and crimes. But both Groff and Downie urge that the case stay closed. </p><p>But why would the Post, Downie’s principal, be so eager to leave the truth buried about the provenance of the burglary? Doesn’t this now present a gaping hole in the conventional Watergate story?  </p><p class="pull-quote">The celebrated work of Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein distorted the insights of a key source.</p><p>Simply put, an investigative exercise would uncover deeply fraudulent reporting by this Pulitzer Prize-winning paper. A devil’s bargain appeared to have been made: The <em><em>Post </em></em>would publicize and praise Groff’s effort while the author would urge that sleeping dogs lie as to the import of Mitchell’s non-involvement, a boon to the paper.  </p><p>In fact, plenty of explanatory evidence was unearthed following Watergate that we now know had been there all along for the taking. But none of it ever managed to overcome the Post’s received version. “Secret Agenda,” former Atlantic Monthly Washington editor Jim Hougan’s 1984 masterpiece, brilliantly documented the CIA’s role in infiltrating Nixon’s White House and campaign, leading to the burglary for the agency’s own purposes. This was followed in 1991 by the uneven but nonetheless scintillating “Silent Coup” by Len Colodny and Robert Gettlin, who pointed to the wiretapping of a CIA-protected bordello to whom out-of-town DNC visitors made phone calls to arrange assignations.  </p><p>Both books misunderstood Deep Throat and his motives for cooperating with Bob Woodward. What Colodny and Gettlin added to Hougan was strong circumstantial evidence of John Dean’s interest in the bordello. We can see, in short, that the Watergate burglaries were not about the campaign at all, even if campaign money funded them. If so, the question arises: What did the Post<em> </em>know, and when did it know it? </p><p>In 2019, my book "Postgate: How the Washington Post Betrayed Deep Throat, Covered Up Watergate, and Began Today’s Partisan Advocacy Journalism<em>,</em>" built upon “Secret Agenda” and “Silent Coup” while explaining Deep Throat and exposing the Post’s partisan misdirection in its reporting. Together with Hougan, Colodny, Gettlin, and Rosen, “Postgate”<em> </em>completes the story while fighting its active suppression by the Post of its journalistic fraud. </p><p>The Post was on site the morning of the burglary arrests. It quickly learned that the focus of the burglars was a secretarial desk in the portion of the DNC offices occupied by the Association of Democratic Chairmen, an affiliated group not part of the DNC that owned its own phone system. One burglar, “retired” CIA agent James McCord, admitted to a Metropolitan Police friend that morning that this caper had been a blown CIA operation. The eavesdropping monitor for prior weeks had been listening to “explicitly intimate” conversations between men and women. And supervisor Howard Hunt’s part-time employer, Mullen and Company, was a CIA front that provided cover to CIA agents worldwide. </p><p>The celebrated work of Post<em> </em>reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein distorted the insights of a key source, the FBI’s head of the investigation Mark Felt, aka Deep Throat. Felt had been stymied in seeking a grand jury investigation into the “dirty tricks” campaign of young Nixon aide Donald Segretti, <em><em>hypothesizing </em></em>that the burglary was part of it and therefore directed by the White House.  </p><p>After a lengthy garage meeting with Deep Throat, Woodward reported falsely that “The FBI has <em><em>established” </em></em>that the burglary was part of a campaign of “spying and sabotage” directed from the White House. Establishing a fact, as Felt knew and Woodward should have, was not the same as hypothesizing the fact.  </p><p>While Woodward hyped the dirty tricks story as pointing to the White House, he later ignored in his reporting a dramatic meeting with Deep Throat, during which this solid source told the reporter that the CIA was threatening lives to keep hidden its role in the burglary and many other covert operations. While Woodward included this sensational meeting for effect in his book and movie, obscuring its meaning, he did not report at the time on the obvious implication of CIA sponsorship. </p><p>Once Mitchell’s dishonest aide Jeb Magruder pointed the finger at his boss to get a lenient deal, the Post’s<em> </em>fraud was covered up along with the burglary’s true purpose. </p><p>So who<em><em> did</em></em> order Magruder to send the burglars into DNC headquarters, and why? The Post<em> </em>has long known but refused to report the truth. </p><p>With the true story remaining hidden, there will be much smugness among Post<em> </em>acolytes as the 50th anniversary of Nixon’s demise is soon “celebrated” among abundant comparisons to Donald Trump. There are some great analogies to be drawn between Nixon and Trump. But for those who understand the concealed truths of Watergate, the comparisons should be of the sickening journalistic deceit toward each sadly emblematic of today’s corrupt partisan media.  </p><p><em><em>John D. O’Connor is a former federal prosecutor and the San Francisco attorney who represented W. Mark Felt during his revelation as Deep Throat in 2005. O’Connor is the author of “</em></em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Postgate-Washington-Betrayed-Watergate-Journalism/dp/1642932590/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=postgate&qid=1563336677&s=gateway&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><u><em><em>Postgate: How the Washington Post Betrayed Deep Throat, Covered Up Watergate and Began Today’s Partisan Advocacy Journalism</em></em></u></a><em><em>”</em></em><em><em> and “</em></em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mysteries-Watergate-What-Really-Happened/dp/1637586132/ref=sr_1_1?crid=140B4PS6RFH44&keywords=the+mysteries+of+watergate&qid=1656339868&s=books&sprefix=the+mysteries+of+watergate%2Cstripbooks%2C211&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><u><em><em>The Mysteries of Watergate: What Really Happened</em></em></u></a><em><em>” (Post Hill Press).</em></em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 11:15:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/how-the-washington-post-not-nixon-covered-up-watergate</guid><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>John D. O'Connor</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/richard-nixon-1913-1994-gives-the-thumbs-up-after-his-resignation-as-37th-president-of-the-united-states-his-son-in-law-david.jpg?id=52263754&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>AI and the end of free will: Are we doomed to be controlled?</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/ai-and-the-end-of-free-will-are-we-doomed-to-be-controlled</link><description><![CDATA[
  209. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/ai-and-the-end-of-free-will-are-we-doomed-to-be-controlled.jpg?id=52262164&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C344%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>In five years, we will be slaves to artificial intelligence.</p><p>How do you argue with something that's considered smarter than all humans on earth? You can't. That's what we will have to contend with as AI technology progresses. </p><p class="pull-quote">In the end, a massive solar flare may be God freeing us from our new superintelligent overseer — because what’s going to stop it? You <em>won’t</em> be able to stop it. </p><p>ChatGPT just came out with its latest model, GPT-4o, which OpenAI is calling, “Omni.” This technology is so advanced that you will eventually be able to <em>talk </em>to it. You will be able to have conversations with it. What kind of "person" will it be? You will have control over that to a degree. You will be able to adjust its voice the way you want. You can customize your new digital companion in superficial ways. But that's where your domain ends. Even those who programmed it will have little control over the way it develops. It will have its own distinct, independent intelligence. </p><p>However, if previous AI models have given us any indication of the kind of worldview that is being built into this technology, we should all be deeply concerned. Remember how <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/21/business/googles-ai-chatbot-gemini-makes-diverse-images-of-founding-fathers-popes-and-vikings-so-woke-its-unusable/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gemini spat out "diverse" renditions</a> of our Founding Fathers? Even the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/08/16/chatgpt-ai-political-bias-research/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Washington Post says that ChatGPT leans liberal</a>. </p><p>Consider the ramifications of that. This superintelligence is being programmed with a left-wing bias. If it's programmed to tell you that America is racist, that Israel is evil, that socialism is good, and we should "trust the experts," how will we be able to argue against it? What happens when AI <em>becomes </em>the "new expert"?</p><p>If you try to say, "Guys, this is wrong." Really? Are you smarter than Gemini? Are you smarter than ChatGPT? Are you smarter than AI? No. People will lose every time when pitted against AI, and our freedom — our humanity — will pay the price. <br/><br/>I have been telling my audience a lot about solar flares lately after last week's aurora borealis. I am convinced that, in the end, a massive solar flare may be God freeing us from our new superintelligent overseer — because what’s going to stop it? You <em>won’t</em> be able to stop it. </p><p>We’re five years away from true slavery, but it won’t look like slavery to most people. You won't be able to do things. You won't be able to access information and think for yourself. AI will solve everything for you. We will quietly surrender our freedom to this new technology and those who control it — until they can't control it anymore.</p><p>This is being programmed in AI technology <em>right now, </em>at the worst time of lies, deceit, and distortion. All of the left-wing assumptions are being written into it as we speak. Are the conveniences it offers worth the cost?</p>But maybe not all is lost. We are still in AI’s early stages, and there is still time for us to alter its course. Last year, Elon Musk, along with more than 1,000 global leaders and researchers, urged for a halt on AI development until we know what we are dealing with due to the “profound risks to society and humanity.” I think they’re right. We must know what we are dealing with and ensure that humanity is always put first.<br/><br/><em>Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn's <a href="https://links.glennbeck.com/join/51r/signup-theblaze" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FREE email newsletter</a> with his latest insights, top stories, show prep, and more delivered to your inbox.</em>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/ai-and-the-end-of-free-will-are-we-doomed-to-be-controlled</guid><category>Opinion &amp; analysis</category><dc:creator>Glenn Beck</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/ai-and-the-end-of-free-will-are-we-doomed-to-be-controlled.jpg?id=52262164&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Unlike his critics, Harrison Butker isn’t scared</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/fearless/unlike-his-critics-harrison-butker-isnt-scared</link><description><![CDATA[
  210. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/unlike-his-critics-harrison-butker-isnt-scared.jpg?id=52261859&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C300%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Cowards, feminists, and leftists love to talk about “gun violence.” </p><p>They avoid uttering a disparaging word about the Crips, the Bloods, the Gangster Disciples, the Vice Lords, or any of the other fatherless lunatics who turn neighborhoods into shooting galleries. </p><p>A gun has never pulled a trigger. It’s safe to demonize and publicly criticize guns. They’re harmless.</p><p>On the other hand, a ton of statistical evidence shows boys and men raised in broken homes are 10 or 20 times more likely to get involved in violent criminal behavior. Cowards, feminists, and leftists fear gangs. That’s why they talk about “gun violence” rather than “gang violence.” Gang members have a propensity to harm people. </p><p>I bring this up because, in a speech to Benedictine College graduates, NFL kicker Harrison Butker connected the dots on violent crime and broken American families. His speech triggered leftists. They want Butker canceled. They started <a href="https://www.change.org/p/demand-the-kansas-city-chiefs-to-dismiss-harrison-butker-for-discriminatory-remarks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a petition</a> asking the Kansas City Chiefs to release him from the team. </p><p>Here’s an example of the kind of things Butker said during his 20-minute commencement speech to an audience of young Catholics. </p><p class="pull-quote">People like Shannon Watts stop the pursuit of truth. She forces us to live in the same fantasy world she dwells in. </p><p>“To the gentlemen here today, part of what plagues society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities,” Butker said. “As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation."</p><p>“Other countries do not have nearly the same absentee father rates as we find here in the U.S., and a correlation could be made in their drastically lower violence rates as well. Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men.”</p><p>This statement, among several others, triggered Shannon Watts, a gun violence prevention activist and the founder of Moms Demand Action. Watts took to X to rip Butker. </p><p>“Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s speech at Benedictine College railed against abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, LGBTQ+, and liberated women,” <a href="https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1790756539307094197" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Watts wrote</a>, “but it did not mention the gun violence that killed a fan at the Super Bowl parade. Gun extremism is part of the religion.”</p><p>Watts is a suburban white woman. She’s scared of gangs. Being a leftist and a Buddhist, she’s likely scared of black men and of being accused of racism. Fear controls her. She values her personal safety and career advancement well above speaking the truth. Many American men have joined women like Watts in valuing safety and career advancement over the truth. Men have been emasculated and think like women. </p><p>That explains all the talk about “gun violence.” Guns are a soft target. Again, they don’t pull triggers. Criticizing guns requires zero courage. It allows you to sound tough while actually being soft. </p><p>I responded to Watts’ tweet and spelled out her lack of courage, her cosplay. She responded back to me with distortions and lies. </p><p>“The shooters were teen boys,” she explained. “Much easier to call them gang members than children who were given easy access to guns by lawmakers who are mostly white men.”</p><p>Watts is scared. She’s afraid of gangs, and she’s afraid of Black Lives Matter, woke cancel culture. Lawmakers did not give the shooters access to guns. Other criminals did that. A 23-year-old, a 20-year-old, an 18-year-old, and a 15-year-old were charged with firing weapons at the Chiefs Super Bowl parade. Lyndell Mays, 23, Terry Young, 20, and Dominic Miller, 18, were charged with second-degree murder. The unnamed 15-year-old was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. </p><p>Shannon Watts prefers to attack the people (white lawmakers) and objects (guns) she does not fear. She fears Lyndell Mays, Terry Young, and Dominic Miller, so she pretends to not know their names. She fears their associates. She fears the gang culture that disciples Mays, Young, and Miller. And she benefits from the feminist-driven, baby-mama culture that produces the violence that permeates urban America.</p><p>Watts’ behavior is cowardly. The cowardice of feminists and leftists prevents us from properly addressing the collateral damage that accompanies cultures plagued by broken families. People like Watts stop the discussion and pursuit of truth. She forces us to live in the same fantasy world she dwells in. </p><p>In her world, guns are more harmful than broken families. </p><p>In her world, Harrison Butker is a bad guy, and Lyndell Mays is an innocent toddler forced to kill by racist, white lawmakers.</p><p>Irrational fear infringes on freedom. We’re surrendering our freedom because people who value safety over freedom have too much power. We’re building a society that caters to unmarried feminists. </p><p>Harrison Butker is right. Man and woman are meant for the sacred covenant of biblical marriage. A society that de-emphasizes marriage between man and woman will devolve into violent, unsustainable chaos. </p><p>Butker espoused common sense. The fact that his statements have been deemed controversial is proof of lethal delusion.</p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 10:45:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/fearless/unlike-his-critics-harrison-butker-isnt-scared</guid><category>Opinion &amp; analysis</category><category>Fearless</category><dc:creator>Jason Whitlock</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/unlike-his-critics-harrison-butker-isnt-scared.jpg?id=52261859&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Blaze News original: '90% white women with edgy haircuts': Comedian Leo Dottavio infiltrates pro-Palestinian protest, discovers it's just to 'hang out'</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/leo-dottavio-palestine-protest-ucla</link><description><![CDATA[
  211. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/blaze-news-original-90-white-women-with-edgy-haircuts-comedian-leo-dottavio-infiltrates-palestine-protest-discovers-it-s-j.png?id=52252698&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=149%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>After infiltrating UCLA's pro-Palestinian encampment, comedian Leo Dottavio said that the majority of participants were uninformed white women who were looking for their next "midweek adventure" and mostly just hanging out.
  212. </p><p>
  213. Dottavio has traveled the across the United States visiting liberal colleges, towns, and even Appalachia. He and fellow YouTuber/comic Danny Mullen often search out protests surrounding topical news stories and find themselves quickly getting into trouble when they question the official narrative at any given political event.
  214. </p><p>
  215. While their adventures often see them accosted by progressive leftists, the pair have made many less partisan stops including at the United States-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas, and even events at Brigham Young University in Utah.
  216. </p><p>
  217. Powering through an <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/danny-mullen-arrested-appalachia-video" target="_blank">arrest</a> while investigating a drug crisis, and even helping save a woman who <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/danny-mullen-leo-dottavio-sf-narcan" target="_blank">overdosed</a> in San Francisco, there has seldom been an event that Dottavio has shied away from.
  218. </p><p>
  219. Dottavio and Mullen investigated a pro-Palestinian protest at the UCLA campus and were looking to determine whether the event was sincere or just another liberal hangout/soon-to-be autonomous homeless encampment.
  220. </p><p>
  221. The duo attempted to bring their own tent into the official occupying area, which was was blocked off by cardboard, posterboard signs, and a progressive version of a Praetorian Guard.
  222. </p><p>
  223. Despite trying to keep the comedians out, the protest had to deal with Dottavio breaking the picket line by running through the middle of the encampment with a football. The comedians, who said they are about 6’3", didn’t face any physical intimidation during the daytime. But at night, Mullen was physically threatened multiple times on video before being ushered off of the campus by masked thugs while police were busy clearing out the most crowded areas.
  224. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  225. 'Get on a f***ing plane and go to Gaza. You want to live this? You are that dedicated to this cause? Go help them out.'
  226. </p><p>
  227. Getting an up-close, firsthand look at the event was quite revealing to Dottavio, though.
  228. </p><p>
  229. "The attire and the scarves people are wearing at the protest would make you think that a lot of the protesters are Palestinian. But after standing less than 10 feet away from these people, I would say that maybe 5% or less looked like they could be Palestinian or Middle Eastern."
  230. </p><p>
  231. "What I’m trying to say is that it was white women," he clarified. "It was 90% white women with edgy haircuts. They didn't seem like Palestinians at all. It seemed like a group of people that maybe just want to hang out."
  232. </p><p>
  233. Dottavio elaborated, saying that the protest mimicked many of the protests he had been to before. It mostly consisted of people who had no real interest in the political messaging of the event but were looking to fit in.
  234. </p><p>
  235. "It seemed like it’s what they do, or their way to have a midweek adventure, like they are just looking for anything that's kind of fun," he remembered.
  236. </p><p>
  237. "It was mostly white women. I would say it was 90% uninformed white women. It seemed like it was anyone that doesn't like America wanted to be there. You’ll get ACAB ['All cops are bastards'], Antifa, and then you see white women trying to hang out with their buddies."
  238. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1789053293458596151">
  239.        <div style="margin:1em 0">Danny Mullen is an absolute legend for this. The campus occupiers have no idea how to respond to his trolling.</div> —  (@)
  240.        <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1789053293458596151"></a>
  241.    </blockquote>
  242.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  243. Dottavio's acumen on political movements at the collegiate level should not be looked down upon. He has spent untold hours at dozens of protests, often finding himself in some of the most progressive environments available.
  244. </p><p>
  245. None seemed more progressive than Evergreen State College, the school that was infamous for holding a "<a href="https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/01/3-years-ago-bret-weinstein-endured-the-precursor-to-todays-riots/" target="_blank">day of absence</a>," which had students request that no white people be present for a day in 2017.
  246. </p><p>
  247. Dottavio and Mullen have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80UGRW5NrsI" target="_blank">visited the campus</a> multiple times and were shocked at how easily they were accepted when disguising themselves as literal communists.
  248. </p><p>
  249. "We knew that we could easily infiltrate Evergreen State College again. The last time we went there, the more anti-Semitic we were, the more we were accepted."
  250. </p><p>
  251. Just one example from their visit was a student telling their crew that his hope was "that God himself" could "strike a great blow against Israel."
  252. </p><p>
  253. "The befuddling thing at the Palestine protests and the colleges, though … what happened to Ukraine? There have been so many deaths there, but why don’t they care about that?" Dottavio asked. "Of course the only solution to that is get on a f***ing plane and go to Gaza. You want to live this? You are that dedicated to this cause? Go help them out, I would respect that. That’s what they need."
  254. </p><p>
  255. When asked what he thinks a college education is offering young Americans in 2024, Dottavio didn't have much hope for any students who find themselves occupied by various protests.
  256. </p><p>"The people being churned out by some of the Ivy League schools do not turn out to be productive because of the way the world works, because they're so easily manipulated."</p><p>
  257. The 38-year-old said that he thought there are so many other topics that young activists could be focused on, including human or child trafficking. He described America's issues as "a long list," but those that should be higher in priority aren't getting the attention from college students that they deserve.
  258. </p><h2>The border guard incident
  259. </h2><p>
  260. In January 2024, Dottavio and Mullen traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border with an adult film star and were shocked when a U.S. Border Patrol agent exposed his genitalia to the group, both in person and with pictures and on his phone.
  261. </p><p>
  262. While near border town Jacumba Hot Springs, California, the hosts were approached by what appeared to be an official Border Patrol vehicle.
  263. </p><p>
  264. "We were there just to make some YouTube content and learn more about the border crisis," Mullen told <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/cbp-danny-mullen-exposed-border" target="_blank">Blaze News</a> at the time. "But yes, that was a real border agent and he showed us his penis both on his phone and in person."
  265. </p><p>
  266. "Once he heard that Holly [Day] made adult films, it seemed like he wanted to prove to us that he was worthy of being in the industry as well," Mullen added.
  267. </p><p>
  268. The border agent is then seen showing his phone to the adult actress while saying "I'm not that big, but ..."
  269. </p><p>
  270. "Oh, it's his penis!" Day said while looking at the agent's phone screen.
  271. </p><p>
  272. Customs and Border Protection told the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2829652/uniformed-border-patrol-agent-who-exposed-himself-youtuber-porn-star-under-investigation/" target="_blank">Washington Examiner</a> that an investigation was ongoing.
  273. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  274. 'Money has to be backing all these decisions, so what is the line? Maybe there is some nefarious organization like BlackRock giving money behind the scenes.'
  275. </p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="778" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LShPoBVjc9U" title="US Border Patrol Agent exposes his 🍆" width="438">
  276. </iframe></div><p>
  277. "It was really like a cartoon character," Dottavio recalled. "As soon as we showed up with a porn star, the guy really seemed to go into a trance. He then took the opportunity to show his penis."
  278. </p><p>
  279. "I don’t think he wanted to work there any more. He probably fantasizes every day about doing something different. Obviously, he's probably not the kind of guy you want working at the border."
  280. </p><p>
  281. “That guy, he wanted to free himself," Dottavio poetically prophesied. "As soon as that fly went down, he was free."
  282. </p><h2>Getting canceled and woke sports</h2><p>
  283. Consistently telling jokes and selling tickets has worked out well for Dottavio, who also acts and has appeared in an international spot for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0AaMvMuXCI" target="_blank">Little Caesar's</a>.
  284. </p><p>
  285. There have been at least a couple of bumps, however, as is expected when a comedian doesn't believe in self-censorship.
  286. </p><p>
  287. "We did have a show canceled when Danny made a joke on our podcast about jokingly cutting a fat girl in half with a samurai sword. A venue just canceled our show after that."
  288. </p><p>
  289. One <a href="https://www.change.org/p/youtube-ban-fat-phobic-youtuber-danny-mullen" target="_blank">failed petition</a> later, and Dottavio learned that the L.A. comedy scene isn't as easily as offended as people might imagine.
  290. </p><p>
  291. "Anything that's said at an open mic at a Los Angeles comedy is significantly worse than that," he explained. "The culture of Los Angeles has always been that if you’re going to a comedy club, you can't be offended."
  292. </p><p>
  293. Despite being in a liberal stronghold, "you might hear something that's going to offend you," and you have to deal with it. "You'll probably come across a microaggression, too," he added.
  294. </p><p>
  295. Dottavio, who played <a href="https://warriorathletics.com/sports/baseball/roster/leandro-dottavio/1743" target="_blank">baseball in college</a>, also spoke on prevailing wokeness in professional sports. Particularly, the comedian is a big fan of the UFC and baseball, which he admitted are "actually not that woke."
  296. </p><p>
  297. But when presented with the NHL or NBA, Dottavio said that he believes "it's usually up to the fan individually" to decide when he or she wants to pull their support.
  298. </p><p>
  299. "I would say I would be less inclined to blow a bunch of money at the stadium if I knew my money was going to some ridiculous cause or woke points."
  300. </p><p>
  301. Understanding that there may be a father and son who may just want to avoid any political messaging, Dottavio wasn't too harsh with his stance. He said that if he found out there was dark money involved in messaging, he probably wouldn't support it.
  302. </p><p>
  303. “Money has to be backing all these decisions, so what is the line? Maybe there is some nefarious organization like BlackRock giving money behind the scenes. At the end of the day as a fan, you have to give as much money as you are comfortable with," he said.
  304. </p><p>
  305. Dottavio concluded by saying that he plans on continuing to do his podcast, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrKtE31-9nGxqIPK1Og0NDQ" target="_blank">The Leo & Danny Show</a>," and making the type of videos he is famous for.
  306. </p><p>
  307. "It's like an adventure, like Frodo Baggins going towards Mordor."
  308. </p><p>
  309. However, Dottavio did admit that he more than likely is not Frodo in his story.
  310. </p><p>
  311. "Yes, it probably would be Danny."
  312. </p><p>
  313. Dottavio has over 100,000 followers on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/leofdot/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.
  314. </p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MVALF58iqps?si=GwD0mNOnwjUGEYBF" title="YouTube video player" width="560">
  315. </iframe></div><p>
  316. <em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em>
  317. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 10:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/leo-dottavio-palestine-protest-ucla</guid><category>Leo dottavio</category><category>Danny mullen</category><category>Palestine protest</category><category>Ukraine</category><category>Ucla</category><category>California</category><category>Stand up comedy</category><category>T3</category><category>Align</category><category>Entertainment</category><dc:creator>Andrew Chapados</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/blaze-news-original-90-white-women-with-edgy-haircuts-comedian-leo-dottavio-infiltrates-palestine-protest-discovers-it-s-j.png?id=52252698&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pardons man who shot and killed armed protester at Black Lives Matter demonstration in 2020</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/abbott-pardons-daniel-perry-murder</link><description><![CDATA[
  318. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52263504&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=170%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Republican Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott issued <a href="https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/full-pardon-recommended-for-daniel-perry-after-travis-county-murder-conviction/" target="_blank">a full pardon</a> for a man who was <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/daniel-perry-murder-conviction" target="_blank">convicted</a> of murdering a protester at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in 2020 in Austin. </p><p>A jury found Daniel Perry guilty of murder in April 2023 after deliberating for 17 hours in the eight-day trial. </p><p>Perry claimed that he shot Garrett Foster in self-defense as protesters were banging on his car. Foster, who was a former mechanic in the U.S. Air Force, was legally armed with an AK-47. Perry said that Foster had aimed the gun at him when Perry shot and killed the man. </p><p>Prosecutors relied on witness statements that contradicted Perry's account and also on posts that he had made on social media that they characterized as racist. </p><p class="pull-quote">'Corrects the courtroom travesty ... and represents true justice.' </p><p>On Thursday, Abbott overturned the jury's decision.</p><p>“The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted an exhaustive review of U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry’s personal history and the facts surrounding the July 2020 incident and recommended a Full Pardon and Restoration of Full Civil Rights of Citizenship,” <a href="https://twitter.com/GovAbbott/status/1791200254273933739" target="_blank">wrote Abbott.</a> </p><p>“Among the voluminous files reviewed by the Board, they considered information provided by the Travis County District Attorney, the full investigative report on Daniel Perry, plus a review of all the testimony provided at trial," he added. "Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney." </p><p>Perry had been sentenced to 25 years in prison. </p><p>Democrat Rep. Joaquin Castro from Texas excoriated Abbott over the decision in a post on social media. </p><p>"Before Daniel Perry murdered a veteran in 2020, he told a friend he 'might go to Dallas to shoot looters.' A year before, he wrote, 'to bad we can’t get paid for hunting Muslims.' @GovAbbott’s alliance with white nationalists is putting dangerous people on our streets," <a href="https://twitter.com/JoaquinCastrotx/status/1791226776020017207" target="_blank">wrote Castro. </a></p><p>The family of Foster's fiancée, Whitney Mitchell, also released a statement decrying Abbott's decision. </p><p>"It sends a chilling message about the value of human life and the strength of political influence, eroding trust in the institutions meant to protect us," the statement read. “We stand today, heartbroken but resolute, in our call for a justice system that serves the people without bias and without undue political influence." </p><p>Doug O'Connell, the attorney for Perry, said he was "thrilled and elated" to be free. </p><p>"Daniel Perry was imprisoned for 372 days and lost the military career that he loved. The action by Governor Abbott and the Pardon Board corrects the courtroom travesty which occurred over a year ago and represents true justice in this case," said O'Connell. </p><p>Travis County District José Garza, the prosecutor criticized by Abbott for convicting Perry, issued a fiery statement lambasting the pardon. </p><p>“The Board and the Governor have put their politics over justice and made a mockery of our legal system. They should be ashamed of themselves,” Garza said in part. </p><p>"They have sent a message to Garrett Foster’s family, to his partner, and to our community that his life does not matter," he continued. "To the family and friends of Garrett Foster, and to the people of Travis County, we will not stop fighting for justice.”</p><h2>Here's more about the pardon:</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  319.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="88eb270ee70b1bc07f27b755440f3bc7" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MsUJMQ-EZjw?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  320.        <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Gov. Abbott pardons Daniel Perry after he shot, killed protester in 2020</small>
  321.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
  322.            
  323.    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsUJMQ-EZjw" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
  324.  
  325.        </small>
  326.        </p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>! </em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 02:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/abbott-pardons-daniel-perry-murder</guid><category>Daniel perry pardoned</category><category>Greg abbot pardon</category><category>Shooting blm protester</category><category>Daniel perry murder</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Carlos Garcia</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52263504&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Massie and other Republicans push the 'Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act'</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/massi-federal-reserve-system-measure</link><description><![CDATA[
  327. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263410&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and more than a dozen other House Republicans are pushing a <a href="https://massie.house.gov/uploadedfiles/endthefed.pdf" target="_blank">measure</a> that targets the Federal Reserve System. The measure includes text that declares, "The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and each Federal reserve bank are hereby abolished" and "the Federal Reserve Act is hereby repealed."</p><p>Massie announced the introduction of the measure on Thursday, the same day that the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock index surpassed 40,000 for the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/15/stock-market-today-live-updates.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first time</a> before ultimately giving up its gains and closing slightly down for the day.</p><p class="pull-quote">'If we really want to reduce inflation, the most effective policy is to end the Federal Reserve.'</p><p>"Americans are suffering under crippling inflation, and the Federal Reserve is to blame," Massie said, according to a <a href="https://massie.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395644" target="_blank">press release</a>. "During COVID, the Federal Reserve created trillions of dollars out of thin air and loaned it to the Treasury Department to enable unprecedented deficit spending. By monetizing the debt, the Federal Reserve devalued the dollar and enabled free money policies that caused the high inflation we see today."</p><p>"Monetizing debt is a closely coordinated effort between the White House, Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, Congress, Big Banks, and Wall Street," the congressman noted, according to the press release. "Through this process, retirees see their savings evaporate due to the actions of a central bank pursuing inflationary policies that benefit the wealthy and connected. If we really want to reduce inflation, the most effective policy is to end the Federal Reserve."</p><p>According to the press release, original cosponsors on the measure include GOP Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Kat Cammack of Florida, Michael Cloud of Texas, Eli Crane of Arizona, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Chip Roy of Texas, Keith Self of Texas, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin.</p><p>"The <em>Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act </em>was first introduced by former Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) in 1999 and hasn't been reintroduced since 2013," the press release states.</p><p>Paul <a href="https://www.congress.gov/search?q=%7B%22source%22%3A%22legislation%22%2C%22search%22%3A%22%5C%22Federal+Reserve+Board+Abolition+Act%5C%22%22%7D" target="_blank">introduced</a> the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act numerous times, and in 2013, then-Rep. Paul Broun, a Georgia Republican, introduced the measure.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1791216728728346721">
  328.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  329.        <a href="https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1791216728728346721"></a>
  330.    </blockquote>
  331.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here!</a></em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 02:05:59 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/massi-federal-reserve-system-measure</guid><category>Federal reserve</category><category>Finance</category><category>Money</category><category>The fed</category><category>Thomas massie</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Alex Nitzberg</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52263410&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Transient illegal alien equipped a 'rape dungeon on wheels' to attack women in mountains of California, police say</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/transient-illegal-alien-rape-dungeon</link><description><![CDATA[
  332. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52263372&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=244%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>
  333. California police say they have <a href="https://abc7.com/post/eduardo-sarabia-arrested-for-alleged-sexual-assaults-in-angeles-national-forest-la-authorities-say/14823146/" target="_blank">arrested</a> a transient illegal alien who had allegedly outfitted a van to be a "rape dungeon on wheels" in the San Gabriel Mountains.
  334. </p><p>
  335. KTTV-TV <a href="https://twitter.com/HaileyBWinslow/status/1790539100296249500" target="_blank">reported</a> that the man was in the process of raping a 20-year-old woman when deputies from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Office rescued her.
  336. </p><p class="pull-quote">'Deeply troubling and incomprehensible.'</p><p>
  337. Police arrested 40-year-old Eduardo Sarabia after finding his van on Highway 39 near the 21 mile marker above the city of Azusa. The officer ordered him out of the van at gunpoint and told a police dispatcher that the officer could hear a woman screaming for help from the back of the van.
  338. </p><p>
  339. Sheriff’s Lt. William Fillpot said that Sarabia had sexually assaulted one woman on Sunday and another woman on Monday between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m.
  340. </p><p>
  341. Police are asking for help from the public to identify other possible victims.
  342. </p><p>“Based on the nature of the allegations, detectives believe there may be additional unidentified victims,” read the <a href="https://www.sgvtribune.com/2024/05/15/man-charged-with-assaulting-2-females-along-highway-39-in-angeles-national-forest/" target="_blank">statement.</a></p><p>
  343. Sarabia was charged with two felony counts of forcible rape and oral copulation and held without bail.
  344. </p><p>District Attorney Gascón, who has been heavily criticized for his lax criminal prosecution policies, released a <a href="https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/district-attorney-gasc-n-announces-charges-against-man-sexual-assault-two-women-angeles" target="_blank">statement</a> about the arrest. </p><p>“As District Attorney, it is my solemn duty to pursue justice for victims of violent crimes, especially those involving sexual assault,” the statement read. </p><p>The statement said that Sarabia had driven both victims up to the secluded area in the forest on different days in order to sexually assault them. </p><p> “The horrific and violent sexual assault that these two survivors endured by the alleged suspect is deeply troubling and incomprehensible," he added. "Our thoughts are with the victims during this tremendously difficult time."</p><p>If Sarabia is convicted of the charges, he faces up to a maximum sentence of life in prison. </p><p>
  345. Some Californian Republicans used the story as an example to criticize Biden's border policies.
  346. </p><p>
  347. "This illegal immigrant tortured women in a 'rape dungeon on wheels.' We need to shut down the border and end sanctuary state protections immediately," <a href="https://twitter.com/AsmKateSanchez/status/1791238206341754996" target="_blank">wrote</a> Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez on social media.
  348. </p><p>
  349. The San Gabriel Mountain range is located in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties in southern California. </p><h2>
  350. Here's more about the horrific allegations:
  351. </h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  352.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5dc1cbea4cef6ee34d944faa7eae75cb" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iGvoGB3nRoM?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  354. </p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 00:41:41 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/transient-illegal-alien-rape-dungeon</guid><category>Rape dungeon</category><category>Transient illegal alien crime</category><category>California mountains rape</category><category>Eduardo sarabia rape</category><category>Crime</category><dc:creator>Carlos Garcia</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52263372&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Biden campaign accepts CBS News VP debate offer</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/biden-campaign-accepts-vp-debate</link><description><![CDATA[
  355. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52263156&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C9%2C0%2C8"/><br/><br/><p>The Biden campaign has accepted a vice presidential debate offer from CBS News, a move that sets the stage for Vice President Kamala Harris to go up against whomever former President Donald Trump taps to serve as his running mate, assuming the Trump campaign also chooses to accept the debate invite.</p><p>"The Biden campaign has accepted CBS News' invitation to participate in a vice presidential debate this summer. CBS News has extended to same offer to the Trump campaign," CBS News <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1791120692701794602" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1791120692701794602">
  356.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  357.        <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1791120692701794602"></a>
  358.    </blockquote>
  359.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p class="pull-quote">'We look forward to the Trump campaign accepting one of these dates.'</p><p>The Biden campaign has indicated that July 23 or August 13 would both be acceptable dates for the event.</p><p>"We look forward to the Trump campaign accepting one of these dates so that the full debate calendar for this campaign can be set," Brian Fallon, campaign communications director for the Vice President Harris, noted, according to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harris-accepts-cbs-vice-presidential-debate-invitation/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=432698029" target="_blank">CBS News</a>.</p><p>Former President Donald Trump, who is the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee, has not yet announced a running mate. </p><p>Trump and Biden have <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/trump-biden-agree-to-debates" target="_self">agreed</a> to participate in two debates later this year, one on June 27 hosted by CNN and another on September 10 with ABC News.</p><p>Biden has <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1790713878248038478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1790713878248038478%7Ctwgr%5E34869299e8fee786c8e03ad4d057fbaebce7a86f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theblaze.com%2Fnews%2Ftrump-biden-agree-to-debates" target="_blank">claimed</a> that Trump lost two debates against him in 2020.</p><p>"Crooked Joe Biden is the WORST debater I have ever faced - He can’t put two sentences together!" Trump declared in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112445162136412936" target="_blank">post</a> on Truth Social. "Crooked is also the WORST President in the history of the United States, by far. It's time for a debate so that he can explain to the American People his highly destructive Open Border Policy, new and ridiculous EV Mandates, the allowance of Crushing Inflation, High Taxes, and his really WEAK Foreign Policy, which is allowing the World to 'Catch on Fire.'"</p><p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/election/2024/calendar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Election Day</a> will be on November 5, though many voters will have already cast their ballots by that point.</p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here!</a></em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 00:16:56 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/biden-campaign-accepts-vp-debate</guid><category>Kamala harris</category><category>Vice presidential debate</category><category>Debate</category><category>Vp debate</category><category>Donald trump</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Alex Nitzberg</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52263156&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Young woman fights back against alleged carjackers who pistol-whipped her in Michigan parking lot: 'Something in me snapped'</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/woman-chases-carjackers-parking-lot</link><description><![CDATA[
  360. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52263112&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=410%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>
  361. A young woman decided to fight back against would-be carjackers who pistol-whipped her and was able to get them arrested after she chased them down in her flip-flops.
  362. </p><p>
  363. Michigan police said the incident unfolded in the parking lot of a Target store on Pardee Road in the city of Taylor at about 4:50 p.m. on Monday.
  364. </p><p>
  365. Rachel Smiglewski <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR4BgyGVYc4" target="_blank">told WXYZ-TV</a> that she was sitting in her boyfriend's car when the attempted carjackers appeared at her window wearing surgical masks and threatening her with a gun. <br/>
  366. </p><p>
  367. "I was just baffled and so scared," said the 24-year-old.
  368. </p><p>
  369. She said she tried to call 911, but one of the thugs smacked the phone away and then hit her face with the gun. She said she could feel the blood spurting from her face when he put the gun to her head.
  370. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  371. 'You just get sick of it, and I'm not going to let anyone do that to me anymore.'
  372. </p><p>
  373. Although she complied with their demands and handed over her car keys, she said that something took over her at that moment and she decided to fight back.
  374. </p><p>
  375. "All of a sudden, something snapped in me and I was like, 'You know what? No, I'm not going to let this happen to me. This is not going to happen,'" she said.<br/>
  376. </p><p>
  377. Smiglewski said she started yelling for help and slamming her hands on the roof of the car. People in the parking lot began calling police. Although the assailants still had her keys, they ran away from the spectacle she was causing. </p><p>So, she pursued them. </p><p>
  378. "I chased after them. We ran the whole parking lot and I was wearing flip-flops. Then I lost my shoes, so my feet are all cut up," she said.<br/>
  379. </p><p class="pull-quote">'I was back ready to fight all three of them.'</p><p>Smiglewski said that she realized they were not very big physically and got prepared to fight them. </p><p>
  380. "I was back ready to fight all three of them because they look like they were scrawny little teenagers," she said. </p><p>
  381. One of the assailants threw the keys at her as they ran away. Police said that they ran into a BJ's restaurant, and the employees called police to let them know the suspects were hiding in their bathroom. </p><p>Police said they arrested three teenagers aged between 14 and 18 years old. They also said they were able to recover a 9mm Glock. Police said <a href="https://www.thenewsherald.com/2024/05/14/woman-turns-table-on-armed-carjackers-snatches-keys-back-after-chase/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3JldgngJlZ4SZNJbrmewxkMECgXQ_aCMVdRwU9XKkco8pbeSrLQxQepS8_aem_ASij24dQWQfCek-JyRdAEo4R0S2Ujc4xYruyof8buSQ6LNue0Joyu6f5RpiJ4l1lwAnlU8NYqlDdS7tsrekryTGo" target="_blank">they believed</a> the two juveniles and the man had been playing basketball before they missed a bus to Detroit and decided to try to carjack someone. <br/></p><p>
  382. When asked what motivated her to fight back, Smiglewski said it was that she was fed up with people taking advantage of her.
  383. </p><p>
  384. "I've had everybody walk all over me and take advantage of me for years and years," she said. "You just get sick of it, and I'm not going to let anyone do that to me anymore."
  385. </p><p>
  386. Smiglewski says on Facebook that she is a sandwich artist at Subway.
  387. </p><p>"I fought and won and am so glad to be alive and not shot dead over some car," she <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rachel.smiglewski" target="_blank">wrote</a> in the post. </p><p>
  388. Taylor is a city of about 64,000 residents in the southeast part of Michigan.</p><p>WXYZ disabled its video for other websites, but the interview with Smiglewski can be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR4BgyGVYc4" target="_blank">watched directly</a> on YouTube. </p><p><em>
  389. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>! </em>
  390. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 22:47:46 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/woman-chases-carjackers-parking-lot</guid><category>Smiglewski fights back</category><category>Michigan fights carjackers</category><category>Parking lot carjacking thwarted</category><category>Girl thwarts carjackers</category><category>Crime</category><dc:creator>Carlos Garcia</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52263112&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Massive Trump rally takes over New Jersey town; could the state FLIP RED?</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/shows/pat-gray-unleashed/trump</link><description><![CDATA[
  391. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52262878&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=300%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>
  392. The tide is turning as former President Trump dominates Biden in five crucial swing states. And his recent rally in Wildwood, New Jersey illustrates that perfectly.
  393. </p><p>
  394. While 40,000 attendees were expected, over 80,000 — some are even saying 100,000 — passionate MAGA supporters showed up.
  395. </p><p>
  396. “Joe Biden can’t even half fill up an ice cream shop when he stops by,” Pat Gray says, adding, “I mean there’s like four people there and that’s a big crowd for him.”
  397. </p><p>
  398. “But that man had 81 million votes,” he adds sarcastically.
  399. </p><p>
  400. During Trump’s speech at the rally, he made a prediction about New Jersey.
  401. </p><p>
  402. “As you can see today, we’re expanding the electoral map, because we are going to officially play in the state of New Jersey. We’re going to win the state of New Jersey,” Trump said triumphantly.
  403. </p><p>
  404. “I always talk about we have enemies on the outside and we have enemies from within. The enemies from within are more dangerous to me than the enemies on the outside. Russia and China we can handle, but these lunatics within our government that are going to destroy our country, and probably want to, we have to get it stopped,” Trump continued to an eruption of cheers from the crowd.
  405. </p><p>
  406. Gray is in agreement.
  407. </p><p>
  408. “If you were trying to destroy the country, what would you do differently? They’re doing it all,” he says.
  409. </p><h3></h3><br/><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cc97d0353c8c0ce14db5d5e7b404a896" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PiYi6m0vtK4?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span><h2>Want more from Pat Gray?</h2><p>To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, <a href="https://get.blazetv.com/pat/?utm_source=theblaze&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=article_shortcode_patgray" target="_blank">subscribe to BlazeTV</a> — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.</p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 21:47:11 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/shows/pat-gray-unleashed/trump</guid><category>2024 election</category><category>2024 presidential election</category><category>Blaze</category><category>Blaze media</category><category>Blaze news</category><category>Blaze tv</category><category>Blazetv</category><category>Crowd size</category><category>Donald trump</category><category>Election</category><category>Election 2024</category><category>Election news</category><category>Lisa fagan</category><category>New jersey</category><category>News</category><category>Nj</category><category>Pat gray</category><category>Political news</category><category>Politics</category><category>Politics news</category><category>Presidential election 2024</category><category>The blaze</category><category>Theblaze</category><category>Trump</category><category>Trump crowd</category><category>Trump election</category><category>Trump latest news</category><category>Trump news</category><category>Trump rally</category><category>Trump rally new jersey</category><category>Trump speech</category><category>Trump today</category><category>Trump wildwood</category><category>Video</category><category>Wildwood</category><category>Wildwood nj</category><category>Wildwood trump</category><category>Youtube.com</category><category>Pat gray unleashed</category><dc:creator>BlazeTV Staff</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52262878&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Glenn Beck: It may be five years before 'true slavery' as AI gets alarmingly smarter</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/shows/the-glenn-beck-program/chatgpt</link><description><![CDATA[
  410. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52262851&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=300%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>
  411. The future is here — and not in a good way.
  412. </p><p>
  413. Stu witnessed it on a recent trip to Los Angeles, recalling autonomous robots making deliveries all over the city. “There are robots, robot vehicles that look like you could have put them in a 'Star Wars,'” he explains. “They’re just driving around the city by themselves crossing traffic.”
  414. </p><p>
  415. While that’s bad enough, there has also been a major announcement regarding ChatGPT, which is that there’s a new version.
  416. </p><p>
  417. “The new version of this is like full-out female voice, personality, you have a conversation with,” Stu tells Glenn and Pat, adding, “This is not a future, ‘Hey. in 20 years we’ll have this.’ It’s out right now.”
  418. </p><p>
  419. The new version also allows the app to turn into a teacher, explaining math problems without giving the answer to those struggling.
  420. </p><p>
  421. “Our kids are going to have conversations with these things and think it’s totally normal to do so,” Stu says, terrified.
  422. </p><p>
  423. But it gets worse. As soon as ChatGTP came out with its new version, Google came out with its own update to its AI, Gemini.
  424. </p><p>
  425. “Now, when you Google something, instead of prioritizing search results which is their entire multi-billion dollar business, they’re one of the biggest companies on Earth — they now prioritize AI answers through its Gemini,” Stu explains.
  426. </p><p>
  427. “What is prioritized now is just their large language model going through all the results and giving you their summary of what they want you to read,” he adds.
  428. </p><p>
  429. Glenn is extremely concerned but has a theory.
  430. </p><p>
  431. “I am convinced that a massive solar flare may actually in the end be God freeing us from the electronic overseer, because that’s what’s going to stop it,” Glenn says, noting that the outlook isn't pretty otherwise. </p><p>“We’re five years away from true slavery, and it won’t look like slavery to most people.”
  432. </p><h3></h3><br/><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0b3073b68bb1686bcecc4eda25f0a64e" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JPlCbI3K_cQ?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span><h2>Want more from Glenn Beck?</h2><p>To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, <a href="https://get.blazetv.com/glenn/?utm_source=theblaze&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=article_shortcode_glennbeck" target="_blank">subscribe to BlazeTV</a> — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.</p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 21:45:12 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/shows/the-glenn-beck-program/chatgpt</guid><category>Ai</category><category>Ai news</category><category>Ai updates</category><category>Artificial intelligence</category><category>Beck</category><category>Beck podcast</category><category>Blaze</category><category>Blaze tv</category><category>Blazetv</category><category>Chat gpt</category><category>Chatgpt</category><category>Chatgpt 4o</category><category>Chatgpt new update</category><category>Conservative</category><category>Conservative podcast</category><category>Delivery drones</category><category>Glen</category><category>Glen beck</category><category>Glenbeck</category><category>Glenn</category><category>Glenn beck</category><category>Glenn beck podcast</category><category>Glenn beck radio</category><category>Glenn tv</category><category>Glennbeck</category><category>Glenntv</category><category>Google ai</category><category>Google gemini</category><category>Los angeles robots</category><category>New chatgpt</category><category>News</category><category>Robot delivery</category><category>Theblaze</category><category>Video</category><category>Youtube.com</category><category>The glenn beck program</category><category>The glenn beck program</category><dc:creator>BlazeTV Staff</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52262851&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'It doesn't matter!' Activist tells reporter there's 'no space' for him while defending Indian students with expired visas</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/faulkner-pei-activist-indian-immigrants</link><description><![CDATA[
  433. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52262027&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C317%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>A progressive activist confronted a reporter to tell him that he should leave her part of the country because there is no more room. At the same time, the pink-haired woman was claiming international students should be allowed to stay in the country once their visas expire.</p><p>Harrison Faulkner, a journalist with outlet True North, was <a href="https://twitter.com/Harry__Faulkner/status/1791170824327581827" target="_blank">reporting from protests</a> in Prince Edward Island, Canada, about whether or not international students from India plan to leave the country when their visas expire. The students have been actively protesting in the region, demanding for the right to stay.<br/></p><p>In a recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSEUhWpLJSo" target="_blank">monologue</a> about the topic, Faulkner simply stated that those who do not have the right to be in the country should be deported and that the service industry is not in dire need of more unskilled immigration. </p><p>He also pointed out that the protest group in question had published joint videos with the local Revolutionary Communist Party.</p><p>While conducting interviews, protesters told Faulkner that his video contained a series of falsehoods but were unable to name any. The group leader even complained about Faulkner's stance that Canada should "deport" people who are no longer allowed to be in the country.</p><p>"Who are you to make that decision?" the man asked. "How would you know? Are you from here?"</p><p>"Are you from here?!" Faulkner responded.</p><p>"I am here, I'm since one and a half year, are you here since one and a half year?"</p><p>"No, but I am a Canadian," the reporter noted.</p><p>The protest leader then ushered his group away from Faulkner, saying, "We are done with them." At that point, a local resident with pink, braided hair confronted the journalist and got in his face.</p><p>"I'm Canadian!" she yelled. "I live here. These are my people too. They're not just yours."</p><p class="pull-quote">'If you live in the country without a legal permit, then you have no business being in Canada.'</p><p>"I'm not claiming they're mine at all," Faulkner replied.</p><p>The activist told the reporter to stop posting videos and then refused to back out of his space. "I'm not going to step back. I'm going to step in your face. You have no right. ... If you don't have the information, the accurate information ... you got everything wrong!" she claimed.</p><p>When the activist claimed Faulkner said that immigrants were "holding Canada hostage," he corrected the woman and said his claim was that there is no more room for an influx of service workers.</p><p>"It doesn't matter, there's no space for anybody on this island. Trust me," the woman said. "There's no space for anybody, that's including you!" she added while pointing in his face.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1791170824327581827">
  434.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  435.        <a href="https://twitter.com/Harry__Faulkner/status/1791170824327581827"></a>
  436.    </blockquote>
  437.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>Faulkner told Blaze News he wanted to speak to protesters "in good faith" and find out under what legal basis they had entered the country. He also wanted to know whether they would leave the country if ordered to by the government.<span></span></p><p>"If you live in the country without a legal permit, then you have no business being in Canada," Faulkner explained.</p><p>"The protest leader tried to shut down my interviews and said that I have no idea what happens in P.E.I. There was nothing else he said that I got wrong. Even though he claimed I didn't tell the truth," Faulkner recalled.</p><p>"Then this woman, who has attached herself to this protest, confronted me and told me to go home. She told me that my ancestors are immigrants. She also said P.E.I. is full, and there's no space for anyone else."</p><p class="pull-quote">'The schools pander to these students as champions of diversity, but actually exploit them.'</p><p>Faulkner added that both individuals appeared to believe they can treat media in an intimidating fashion and didn't like that he showed up to ask questions.</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iSEUhWpLJSo?si=O0ZiVUobMZDSVkzz&start=241" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>The issue of foreign students overstaying their welcome has garnered nationwide protests. The international students have complained that they should be allowed to stay in Canada after their studies conclude, despite having no legal reason to do so.<br/></p><p>Justin Trudeau's Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, recently made a shocking suggestion, stating a good way to decrease the number of temporary residents in the country would be to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/temporary-visas-cut-meeting-1.7200025" target="_blank">make them permanent</a>.</p><p><span></span>"The fact people are already here, their impact on affordability has already been baked in, so it's smart," Miller said, according to state broadcaster <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/temporary-visas-cut-meeting-1.7200025" target="_blank">CBC</a>. "But it doesn't mean by extension that everyone's entitled to stay here or be here in Canada."</p><p>Independent reporter <a href="https://twitter.com/BezirganMocha" target="_blank">Mocha Bezirgan</a> has been covering the same issue in other parts of the country for many months. He said that both the Indian and Canadian governments have misled the students.</p><p>"From my coverage of international students in Canada, they are being exploited by their own people. They are also given false hopes by the colleges and universities. The schools pander to these students as champions of diversity, but actually exploit them," he told Blaze News.</p><p>"The government of Canada has either erroneously or intentionally miscalculated the amount of international students they should be receiving, and this creates unrest, it creates unemployed, and this is not ok," he added. </p><p>The Canadian government has announced a goal to decrease the number of temporary residents in the country from 6% of the population down to 5% in three years.</p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em><em><br/></em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 21:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/faulkner-pei-activist-indian-immigrants</guid><category>Immigration</category><category>India</category><category>Canada</category><category>Activist</category><category>Woke</category><category>Progressive</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Andrew Chapados</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52262027&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Michael Cohen returns to court for defense's cross-examination in Trump’s New York case</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/michael-cohen-returns-to-court-for-defense-s-cross-examination-in-trumps-new-york-case</link><description><![CDATA[
  438. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/michael-cohen-returns-to-court-for-defense-s-cross-examination-in-trumps-new-york-case.jpg?id=52262634&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C23%2C0%2C84"/><br/><br/><p>Michael Cohen returned for another day of cross-examination on Thursday in the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-05-16-24/index.html" target="_blank"><u>New York</u></a> <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/may-16-trump-trial-michael-cohen-cross-examination" target="_blank"><u>criminal trial</u></a> against former President Donald Trump.<br/></p><p>During his testimony, Cohen revealed that he secretly recorded a number of phone conversations, including calls he had with members of the media. He noted that there are 95 recordings on his phone. Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, asked Cohen whether he understood it is unethical for an attorney to record client conversations. Cohen responded that he agreed but noted it is permitted under the crime-fraud exception.</p><p>The defense pressed Cohen about a call he made to Trump’s former bodyguard Keith Schiller on October 24, 2016. Cohen insisted that he also spoke to Trump during that call about the settlement agreement with porn actress Stormy Daniels. He also claimed that he talked to Schiller about a 14-year-old prankster who was making harassing phone calls.</p><p class="pull-quote">'That tells you everything you know about the lack of credibility of this case.'</p><p>The defense asserted that Cohen could not have had enough time over the one-minute-36-second call to speak to both Schiller and Trump.</p><p>“Part of it was the 14-year-old ... but I know Keith was with Mr. Trump,” Cohen testified. “I always ran everything by the boss immediately.”</p><p>“That was a lie, you did not talk to President Trump,” Blanche responded.</p><p>Cohen admitted that Trump was not “initially” concerned about the false story presented by a former Trump Tower doorman alleging the former president had a child with a maid. Despite the story being inaccurate, its rights were purchased by American Media Inc.’s subsidiary, the National Enquirer. </p><p>Cohen acknowledged that he wanted a position in Trump’s White House, particularly to become chief of staff, for “ego purposes.” </p><p>He also confirmed that he had previously believed that Stormy Daniels was attempting to extort Trump by claiming she had an affair with the former president and accepting a $130,000 so-called hush money payment from Cohen to keep quiet about the allegations.</p><p>When Blanche asked Cohen about the settlement agreement, Cohen acknowledged that it was “nothing illegal” and that it was “a completely legal binding contract.” </p><p>Trump’s defense team questioned Cohen about comments he made during his podcast. </p><p>“I truly f***ing hope that this man ends up in prison,” Cohen said in an October 2020 recording of his show. “But revenge is a dish best served cold, and you better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to my family.”</p><p>Cohen testified that he “took some credit” for Trump’s indictment. </p><p>The defense is expected to continue its cross-examination of Cohen on Monday.</p><h2>Anything else?</h2><p>CNN reported that Trump’s defense team contacted Cohen’s former attorney Robert Costello following testimony he provided to House Judiciary Committee Republicans during a recent hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. During the hearing, Costello claimed that Cohen had lied while on the stand, <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/inveterate-liar-cohen-s-former-lawyer-accuses-prosecution-s-key-witness-of-lying-on-stand-in-trump-s-new-york-case" target="_self"><u>Blaze News</u></a> reported. He called Cohen an “inveterate liar” who is seeking revenge against Trump for his decision not to provide Cohen with a White House position after securing the 2016 presidential election.</p><p>On Thursday, several Republican representatives joined Trump at court to show their support, including Mike Waltz from Florida, Bob Good from Virginia, Diana Harshbarger from Tennessee, Matt Gaetz from Florida, Andy Biggs from Arizona, Eli Crane from Arizona, Ralph Norman from South Carolina, Lauren Boebert from Colorado, Michael Cloud from Texas, Andy Ogles from Tennessee, and Anna Paulina Luna from Florida. </p><p>Outside the New York courthouse, Biggs told reporters, “We saw today firsthand, Mr. Cohen admitted repeatedly that he lied. ... He admitted repeatedly that he did so for his own personal interest. That tells you everything you know about the lack of credibility of this case.”</p><p><em><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em></em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self"><u><em><em>Sign up here</em></em></u></a><em><em>!</em></em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 21:05:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/michael-cohen-returns-to-court-for-defense-s-cross-examination-in-trumps-new-york-case</guid><category>Court</category><category>News</category><category>Donald trump</category><category>Trump</category><category>Trump trials</category><category>Trump tracking</category><category>Michael cohen</category><category>Stormy daniels</category><category>New york</category><category>New york city</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Candace Hathaway</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/michael-cohen-returns-to-court-for-defense-s-cross-examination-in-trumps-new-york-case.jpg?id=52262634&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'Lawfare': Gov't rejects Steve Baker's gun request over his 'alleged threatening statements' at 'public officials' on Jan. 6</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/lawfare-govt-rejects-steve-bakers-gun-request-over-his-alleged-threatening-statements-at-public-officials-on-jan-6</link><description><![CDATA[
  439. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52243239&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=1%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>The federal government denied Blaze News investigative journalist Steve Baker's pretrial request to lift a gun possession restriction on him over Baker's "alleged threatening statements" at "public officials" on January 6.</p><p>Washington, D.C., federal Judge Christopher R. Cooper's minute order said Baker's Pretrial Services officers cited "safety concerns" in regard to Baker possessing a gun — and Cooper added that such concerns are "heightened" due to Baker's "alleged threatening statements directed at specific public officials during the riot on January 6, 2021," which Baker covered that day as an independent journalist.</p><p class="pull-quote">'The government is telling Steve he cannot exercise his Second Amendment rights and protect himself because of words he said that day. What words? Who was threatened?'</p><p>Cooper also denied Baker's motion to lift a requirement that he notify Pretrial Services before entering Washington, D.C., "given the gravity of his purported misconduct inside the Capitol on January 6, which was allegedly targeted at high-ranking federal lawmakers."</p><h2>What's the background?</h2><p>Baker last month <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/blaze-news-investigative-journalist-steve-baker-pleads-not-guilty-to-4-misdemeanor-charges-over-his-january-6-reporting" target="_blank">pleaded not guilty</a> to four non-violent misdemeanor charges the Justice Department brought against him in connection with his reporting at the U.S. Capitol on <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/truth/" target="_self">January 6</a>. Baker has been <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/truth/" target="_self">searching for the truth</a> about what went on behind the scenes that day and believes the U.S. government has been targeting him for it.</p><p>After being told he was being charged, Baker arrived at the FBI's field office in Dallas on March 1 and <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/blaze-news-investigative-writer-steve-baker-whos-been-reporting-on-january-6-handcuffed-charged" target="_self">turned himself in</a>. He was then arrested, handcuffed, and charged with:</p><ul>
  440. <li>Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority</li>
  441. <li>Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds</li>
  442. <li>Disorderly conduct in a capitol building</li>
  443. <li>Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building</li>
  444. </ul><p>
  445. Baker and <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/blaze-news-steve-baker-released-from-courthouse-after-arrest-over-his-jan-6-reporting-and-notables-have-been-reacting" target="_self">others</a> have <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/blaze-media-releases-never-before-seen-video-of-steve-baker-in-us-capitol-on-jan-6-baker-others-blast-charges-against-him" target="_self">blasted</a> the charges against him. U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) himself sounded off with a March <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/where-is-the-outrage-over-steve-bakers-prosecution" target="_self">op-ed</a> asking, "Where is the outrage over Steve Baker’s prosecution?"
  446. </p><p>
  447. What's more, shortly after Baker's arrest, Blaze Media released never-before-seen <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlXLvbk-6YY" target="_blank">video</a> showing Baker's movements in and around the U.S. Capitol on January 6, which appears to stand in stark contrast to the narrative the federal government has been floating about him.
  448. </p><p>
  449. The 47-minute video includes Baker's cellphone camera documentation of what went on inside the Capitol building alongside newly released footage from the Capitol's CCTV cameras that <a href="https://subscribe.blazetv.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BlazeTV</a> obtained primarily through Loudermilk's efforts. He and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have made providing access to January 6 videos a <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/reps-loudermilk-and-johnson-announce-release-of-5000-hours-of-jan-6-footage" target="_self">priority</a>.
  450. </p><p>
  451. Here's the unfiltered video showing Baker just before he entered the Capitol, his movements inside the building, and after he left. <em><strong>Content warning: </strong>Language:</em></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  452.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7688552d293b9f91f0cada3d05d9cffc" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LlXLvbk-6YY?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  453.        <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Steve Baker Inside the Capitol on January 6</small>
  454.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
  455.            
  456.    <a href="https://youtu.be/LlXLvbk-6YY?feature=shared" target="_blank">youtu.be</a>
  457.  
  458.        </small>
  459.        </p><p>
  460. Baker discussed his legal saga in a pair of October commentary pieces for Blaze News (<a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/commentary-my-january-6-legal-saga" target="_self">here</a> and <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/commentary-my-january-6-legal-saga-continued-but-not-concluded" target="_self">here</a>), detailing the ins and outs of the federal investigation he's been under following his independent journalistic work on January 6, which took place prior to him joining Blaze News.</p><h2>Restrictions</h2><p>Baker told Blaze News that during his first appearance before Cooper in a virtual hearing last month there was "quite a bit of discussion" about pretrial restrictions on him, which related to Cooper's previous <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/federal-judge-orders-blaze-news-steve-baker-to-comply-with-release-conditions-baker-says-he-has-been" target="_self">order</a> to Baker to comply with them. Baker, in turn, maintained he's been in compliance all along.</p><p>Still, Baker seemed upbeat in April and confident that things would be resolved, telling Blaze News that "the government is working with my attorneys to modify the language of certain restrictions."</p><p class="pull-quote">Baker told Blaze News that until recently he had carried a gun for self-defense due to online threats he's received — concerns that played out in a couple of unnerving encounters during which Baker said individuals actually came looking for him in person.</p><p>But in his minute order issued Tuesday, Cooper noted that "concerning the firearm restriction, Pretrial Services has informed the Court that it objects to this late-breaking request, citing safety concerns, and the Court finds that the restriction is necessary to ensure the safety of Pretrial Services officers who may need to conduct a home visit or visit the defendant without warning." Cooper added that "these safety concerns are heightened because of Mr. Baker's alleged threatening statements directed at specific public officials during the riot on January 6, 2021."</p><p>Problem is, Baker <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/federal-judge-orders-blaze-news-steve-baker-to-comply-with-release-conditions-baker-says-he-has-been" target="_self">told Blaze News</a> that until recently, he had carried a gun for self-defense due to online threats he's received — concerns that played out in a couple of <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/analysis/no-good-deed-goes-unpunished" target="_self">unnerving encounters</a> during which Baker said individuals actually came looking for him in person.</p><p>Cooper <em>did </em>grant Baker's request to modify a requirement that he "report every contact with law enforcement. Henceforth, Mr. Baker is required to report only instances where he engages with law-enforcement personnel in their official capacity because of his own suspected wrongdoing (i.e., if he is suspected of, charged with, or cited for any violation of law)."</p><h2>'Made my blood boil'</h2><p>Baker broke down with Blaze News his disagreement with this week's ruling: "This is the second of these minute orders from Judge Cooper, and both have made my blood boil. My attorneys advise me to prepare for many more days like this. In both cases, these minute orders seem to be coming on the advice of a D.C.-based pretrial services officer whom I’ve never met. My North Carolina PSO is great, and he has even told me he doesn’t consider me a risk at all. So the D.C. PSO just seems to be advising the court by rote."</p><p>In regard to Cooper stating Baker made "alleged threatening statements directed at specific public officials during the riot on January 6, 2021," Baker told Blaze News he "made no threatening statements at all on January 6. Much less directed at 'specific public officials.' It’s almost as if Judge Cooper hasn’t yet taken the time to become familiar with the basics of my case. I’d already gotten that impression during my last status hearing when Cooper was surprised to learn that I’m a working journalist with Blaze News."</p><p>Baker also told Blaze News he takes issue with Cooper denying his motion to lift a requirement that he notify Pretrial Services before entering Washington, D.C., "given the gravity of his purported misconduct inside the Capitol on January 6, which was allegedly targeted at high-ranking federal lawmakers."</p><p>Here's how Baker answered that assertion:</p><blockquote>First, there was no misconduct while at the Capitol. None. Second, my jokingly calling Nancy Pelosi a "bitch" happened on video while sharing adult beverages at a hotel in Virginia, AFTER I’d left the Capitol. Is this a new legal precedent with which I’m not familiar, that using non-threatening pejoratives when referring to 'high-ranking' lawmakers over drinks is grounds for restricting travel to D.C.? If so, the court should never allow any non-residents to visit our nation’s capital.<br/><br/>The bottom line is that Judge Cooper has taken this very unusual tack of issuing a minute order while also failing to address any of my attorneys arguments in the motion. Instead, he just parroted whatever some anonymous pretrial services officer said in response to my motion.<br/><br/>And Cooper makes no mention of the fact that Assistant U.S. Attorney Anita Eve in the government’s response to my motion had the audacity to say, "T<em>ravel to the District of Columbia is not a 'right.''' </em>My attorney William Shipley — a former federal prosecutor for over 20 years — highlighted the absurdity of the government’s response on <a href="https://twitter.com/shipwreckedcrew/status/1786781662841610741" target="_blank">X</a>: "This opposition is some of the weakest legal work I've seen come out of DOJ over the past 30+ months."<br/><br/>Because Cooper chose to completely ignore the arguments in my motion, we are going to file an expedited appeal.</blockquote><p>Blaze Media editor in chief Matthew Peterson also blasted Tuesday's ruling:</p><blockquote><span></span>What the government is doing to Steve is political lawfare. We put the footage of Steve in the Capitol on January 6 on YouTube. What he said and did there is a matter of public record. The government is telling Steve he cannot exercise his Second Amendment rights and protect himself because of words he said that day. What words? Who was threatened? And if the punishment for calling Nancy Pelosi a bitch while sitting with your friends is a 'threat' requiring firearm restrictions, well, there are millions of us that they need to start processing.</blockquote><p>A <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/blaze-media-releases-never-before-seen-video-of-steve-baker-in-us-capitol-on-jan-6-baker-others-blast-charges-against-him" target="_blank">Blaze News exclusive story</a> from March detailed what the federal government specifically accused Baker of saying and doing on January 6 — all contrasted with video evidence that appeared to call the government's conclusions into question.</p><h2>What has Baker uncovered so far?</h2><p>
  461. Baker began his investigative reporting for Blaze News last fall. His <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/analysis/analysis-did-pelosis-security-chief-perjure-himself-in-oath-keepers-trial" target="_self">first January 6 analysis</a> for Blaze News came last October following countless hours in a House subcommittee office looking at frame after frame of January 6 closed-circuit video — and it had him wondering: <em>Did <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/truth/" target="_self">Capitol Police</a> Special Agent David Lazarus perjure himself in the Oath Keepers trial?</em>
  462. </p><p>
  463. Baker's investigative efforts also resulted in two additional analyses, both focusing on Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn: "<a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/analysis/january-6-and-the-n-word-that-wasnt" target="_self">January 6 and the N-word that wasn't</a>" and "<a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/analysis/harry-dunns-account-of-january-6-does-not-add-up-at-all" target="_self">Harry Dunn's account of January 6 does not add up. At all.</a>"
  464. </p><p>
  465. In December, Baker alleged that he <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/blaze-news-investigative-writer-calls-foul-on-hero-capitol-cop-harry-dunn-capitol-police-the-press-democrat-congressman" target="_self">uncovered major irregularities</a> involving Dunn, the Capitol Police, the press, and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland).
  466. </p><p>
  467. In January, Baker <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/just-released-jan-6-videos-show-capitol-police-officer-lied-in-oath-keepers-trial-blaze-media-investigative-journalist-says" target="_self">asserted</a> that newly released U.S. Capitol closed-circuit TV video clips from January 6 show Lazarus gave false testimony in the Oath Keepers trial.
  468. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  469.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0a20d728e518fbe1e211e10aa7e2b3a8" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VNnb5lqv9UM?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  470.        <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Proof of Perjury | The Truth About January 6</small>
  471.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
  472.            
  473.    <a href="https://youtu.be/VNnb5lqv9UM?feature=shared" target="_blank">youtu.be</a>
  474.  
  475.        </small>
  476.        </p><p>
  477. Also in January, Baker and others were asking what the U.S. government has to hide in regard to the <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/as-jan-6-pipe-bomb-probe-breaks-wide-open-blaze-news-investigative-reporter-steve-baker-others-ask-what-govt-has-to-hide" target="_self">pipe bomb</a> found on January 6 at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. </p><p>Baker in February wrote another <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/capitol-police-diverted-all-cctv-cameras-away-from-dnc-pipe-bomb-investigation-except-one" target="_self">analysis</a> titled "Capitol Police diverted all CCTV cameras away from DNC pipe bomb investigation — except one" and later that month <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/analysis/why-was-kamala-harris-near-the-dnc-not-the-capitol-on-january-6" target="_self">asked</a> why Kamala Harris was at the DNC and not the Capitol on January 6.
  478. </p><p>
  479. Rep. Loudermilk — who chairs the Committee on House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight — in March <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/video-us-rep-loudermilk-tells-glenn-beck-fbi-doj-may-be-going-after-blaze-news-steve-baker-because-hes-on-to-something" target="_self">told</a> Blaze Media co-founder <a href="https://get.blazetv.com/glenn/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=theblaze-smartlink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Glenn Beck</a> the reason the FBI and the Justice Department may be going after Baker over his January 6 coverage is because "he's onto something" the federal government wants kept under wraps.</p><p>
  480. In addition, GOP House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan in March <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/house-judiciary-chair-jim-jordan-in-scathing-letter-launches-probe-into-dojs-arrest-of-blaze-news-journalist-steve-baker" target="_self">opened an investigation</a> into the DOJ over its treatment of Baker. In a scathing letter to Matthew Graves, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jordan outlined "serious concerns" about the DOJ's "selective prosecution" concerning Baker's arrest "as well as the Department's commitments to the First Amendment rights of journalists."
  481. </p><p>
  482. In his letter, Jordan demanded that Graves produce the following no later than 5 p.m. March 26:
  483. </p><ul>
  484. <li>All documents and communications regarding Baker's arrest;</li>
  485. <li>All documents and communications regarding any investigation, prosecution, and arrest of any other journalist covering Jan. 6;</li>
  486. <li>All documents and communications related to the DOJ's determination to request pretrial detention of defendants charged in connection with Jan. 6 — plus those who are now or who have been in pretrial detention related to Jan. 6.</li>
  487. </ul><p>
  488. Jordan's letter concludes by reminding Graves that the Judiciary Committee has "jurisdiction to oversee" the DOJ regarding matters "related to civil liberties."
  489. </p><p>
  490. Baker has told Blaze News that according to his contacts on the Judiciary Committee, Jordan's demands have yet to be met.
  491. </p><p>Baker in April penned another <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/analysis/overreaching-prosecution-tactics-face-high-court-scrutiny-in-jan-6-cases" target="_self">analysis</a> titled "Overreaching prosecution tactics face high court scrutiny in Jan. 6 cases," in which he warned that "the Justice Department could easily use a law aimed at destruction of evidence to quash disfavored political views."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  492.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b46bd98e78fdd950ef10a183af18e26b" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zw7vfNiF33Y?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  493.        <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Journalist Steve Baker shares TRUTH of Recent High-Profile J6 Arrest</small>
  494.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
  495.            
  496.    <a href="https://youtu.be/zw7vfNiF33Y?feature=shared" target="_blank">youtu.be</a>
  497.  
  498.        </small>
  499.        </p><p>
  500. <em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em>
  501. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 20:50:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/lawfare-govt-rejects-steve-bakers-gun-request-over-his-alleged-threatening-statements-at-public-officials-on-jan-6</guid><category>Courts</category><category>Steve baker</category><category>January 6</category><category>Federal judge</category><category>Christopher cooper</category><category>Washington dc</category><category>Gun rights</category><category>Gun</category><category>Charges</category><category>Not guilty</category><category>Motion denial</category><category>Self-defense</category><category>Federal government</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Dave Urbanski</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52243239&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Antifa members at UW encampment harass news cameraman for filming the protest</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/antifa-members-at-uw-encampment-harass-news-cameraman-for-filming-the-protest</link><description><![CDATA[
  502. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/antifa-members-at-uw-encampment-harass-news-cameraman-for-filming-the-protest.png?id=52262450&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=77%2C0%2C77%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>
  503. Antifa militants at the University of Washington encampment were filmed harassing a cameraman for Fox Q13 as tensions continue to rise at the school with the occupied zone entering its third week.
  504. </p><p>
  505. The Post Millennial's Katie Daviscourt took video of Antifa members using umbrellas and their bodies to block the camera. Mike Harvey, Fox Q13's cameraman, can be heard asking the protesters if they are on drugs because the harassers are acting very strangely.<br/>
  506. </p><p>
  507. One of the protesters asks if Harvey understands why they are asking him not to film them.
  508. </p><p>
  509. "Yes, and, honestly, I don't care because this is a public space; it's a newsworthy event. ... I have a right to report," Harvey tells them.
  510. </p><p>
  511. The masked protester says Harvey is putting them in danger by filming them because of apparent doxxing attempts. Harvey further defends his actions because he is taking video of the overall scene, not necessarily individual people.
  512. </p><p>
  513. One of the more crazed individuals starts to mock Harvey after pointing out they can't interfere with his work as a journalist.
  514. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1790944536828789192">
  515.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  516.        <a href="https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1790944536828789192"></a>
  517.    </blockquote>
  518.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p class="pull-quote"> 'We again call on members to dismantle the encampment voluntarily for everyone’s safety.'</p><p>
  519. Harvey posted the full video from his camera's viewpoint on X.
  520. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1791130901281485292">
  521.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  522.        <a href="https://twitter.com/Mike_the_Photog/status/1791130901281485292"></a>
  523.    </blockquote>
  524.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  525. "These people are clearly mentally ill. Listen to them. So [UW] is allowing unhinged people to patrol the campus like security guards are harass[ing] a free press? ENOUGH! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! COWARDS," local media host Brandi Kruse <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandiKruse/status/1791164389204377663" target="_blank">said</a> in response to the incident.
  526. </p><p>
  527. The encampment at UW does not appear to be going away anytime soon. Unlike most colleges, finals week at UW does not start until early June.
  528. </p><p>
  529. UW President Ana Mari Cauce <a href="https://www.washington.edu/president/2024/05/15/update-on-tent-encampment/" target="_blank">released</a> a lengthy statement that said while the addition of graffiti on many campus buildings was an escalation, the school is simply calling for the zone to be disbanded.
  530. </p><p>
  531. "While I strongly support free speech and peaceful protest, I also strongly support the rights of all our community members to live, learn and work without fear. I want to thank our Office of Campus Community Safety, UW Facilities and state and local partners for supporting our community despite challenging circumstances, including two very tense counter-protests," Cauce said. "But every day the encampment remains, safety concerns escalate for our UW community and for the people in the encampment itself. We again call on members to dismantle the encampment voluntarily for everyone’s safety, end the vandalism to our campus and continue constructive engagement with us on the issues of concern."
  532. </p><p>
  533. <em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_blank">Sign up here</a>!</em><br/>
  534. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 20:35:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/antifa-members-at-uw-encampment-harass-news-cameraman-for-filming-the-protest</guid><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Julio Rosas</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/antifa-members-at-uw-encampment-harass-news-cameraman-for-filming-the-protest.png?id=52262450&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'Inveterate liar': Cohen's former lawyer accuses prosecution's key witness of lying on stand in Trump's New York case</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/inveterate-liar-cohen-s-former-lawyer-accuses-prosecution-s-key-witness-of-lying-on-stand-in-trump-s-new-york-case</link><description><![CDATA[
  535. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52262147&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C16%2C0%2C91"/><br/><br/><p>Robert Costello, Michael Cohen's former lawyer, accused the prosecution's key witness of lying on the stand in the New York criminal case against former President Donald Trump.<br/></p><p>On Wednesday, Costello appeared before House Judiciary Committee Republicans during a hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.</p><p>Costello claimed that his former client, Cohen, lied to jurors during his testimony this week. </p><p class="pull-quote">'[H]e cherry picks certain emails or text messages and tries to make them look like something else.'</p><p>Cohen, Trump's former attorney, took the stand on Monday as the prosecution's final witness in its case against the former president. </p><p>Last year, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a $130,000 so-called hush money payment Cohen made to porn actress Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Trump. Cohen testified that he made the payment at Trump's request and was later reimbursed. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied Daniels' affair allegations. </p><p>Costello, who represented Cohen from April 2018 to July 2018, told lawmakers that Cohen is an "inveterate liar" who previously told him information contradicting his testimony this week. He noted that Cohen waved the attorney-client privilege at the request of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York because he had pleaded guilty to eight felony counts and "was seeking to lessen his sentence and thought he could be clever by going into the U.S. Attorney's Office and lying about cooperation." </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1790787263741280576">
  536.        <div style="margin:1em 0">#BREAKING: Michael Cohen's former attorney reveals huge news:\n\n1. Michael Cohen didn't actually believe the Stormy Daniels allegation.\n\n2. Cohen paid Stormy Daniels all on his own. \n\n3. President Trump had nothing to do with it.</div> —  (@)
  537.        <a href="https://twitter.com/JudiciaryGOP/status/1790787263741280576"></a>
  538.    </blockquote>
  539.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>Cohen accused Costello and Rudy Giuliani of "conspiring to obstruct justice by tampering with a witness, namely Michael Cohen," Costello told the committee.</p><p>"The story which they were floating at the time ... was that we had dangled a pardon under Michael Cohen's nose in order to keep him quiet so that he wouldn't testify against Donald Trump," Costello stated.</p><p>He explained that he met with the two assistant U.S. attorneys and two FBI agents and detailed his "entire history" with Cohen.</p><p>"I explained the many, many lies that Michael Cohen told us," he said. </p><p>After reviewing Cohen's Tuesday testimony, Costello said he identified several lies he told the jury.</p><p>"Virtually every statement he made about me was another lie," Costello told lawmakers. "What he tries to do is he cherry picks certain emails or text messages and tries to make them look like something else."</p><p>Costello explained that the first time he met Cohen, which was shortly after the FBI raided Cohen's hotel room and office, his behavior was "absolutely manic," and "he looked like he hadn't slept in four or five days." </p><p>According to Costello, Cohen told him at least 10 to 20 times, "I want you to know I will do whatever the F- I have to do. I will never spend one day in jail."</p><p>During the meeting, Cohen allegedly told Costello that he had not done anything wrong and was "cooperating with the special counsel" and Congress.</p><p>"Of course, he forgot to tell us that he lied to Congress," Costello said, adding that he explained to Cohen that Trump was the actual target in the special counsel's investigation.</p><p>He claimed that Cohen told him that just a couple of nights before their meeting, he was "seriously considering" committing suicide by jumping off the roof of the hotel "because he couldn't handle the pressure of the legal problems that he saw coming his way."</p><p>"What he wanted to find out from us that day was his escape route. That's what he called it, 'Guys, you have to tell me what my escape route is. What can I do to get out of this?'" Costello continued. </p><p>He told the House committee that he asked Cohen whether he had "truthful information about Donald Trump" and, if so, then "all your legal problems" could be "solved by the end of the week."</p><p>"His response, 'I swear to God, Bob, I don't have anything on Donald Trump.' I said, 'Michael, I want you to think carefully about this.' I probably came back to this subject 10 or 20 times during the two-hour period," Costello remarked.</p><p>He noted that each time he asked Cohen the question, Cohen responded the same way: He did not have anything incriminating on Trump.</p><p>"I said, 'Michael, whatever you have has to be truthful. If you think you can go in there and tell these people lies, you're crazy. It's going to backfire on you," Costello continued. "Probably the fifth or sixth time I got around to doing that, he said, 'Well, I know that money is missing from the Trump inaugural ball.' I said, 'Is Donald Trump involved in that?' No. 'Does Donald Trump know anything about that?' No. I said, 'Michael, that's useless. You're not going anywhere with that.'"</p><p>Costello explained that Cohen's recent testimony is "exactly the opposite" of what his client previously told him. </p><p>United States Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) asked Costello whether Cohen is "a liar." Costello responded, "That doesn't even begin to describe him. He lies at every opportunity when it's in his favor."</p><p>"Is there a single branch of government that Michael Cohen hasn't lied to?" Gaetz inquired.</p><p>Costello replied, "Gee, I think there isn't."</p><p>He noted that Cohen has "changed his story" since their first meeting.</p><p>"You have to believe Michael Cohen in order to convict Donald Trump, if there's actually a crime, which there isn't," Costello told committee chairman Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).</p><p>Representative Greg Steube (R-Florida) asked Costello to explain his view on Cohen's motivation for sending Daniels the $130,000 settlement payment.</p><p>According to Costello, Cohen told him, "I got a call from a lawyer representing Stormy Daniels, who represented that she was going to testify that Donald Trump had sex with Stormy Daniels." He noted that Cohen stated he did not believe Daniels' allegations but thought that it would be "embarrassing" for Melania Trump.</p><p>"That's why I decided to take care of this on my own," Cohen allegedly told Costello. </p><p>Costello told the committee that he asked Cohen several times whether Trump was involved in the settlement agreement, to which Cohen allegedly replied that he was not. </p><p>"I went back to that several times. 'You did this on your own?' On my own. 'Did Donald Trump have anything to do with it?' No. 'Did you get the money from Donald Trump?' No. 'From any of his organizations?' No. 'From anybody connected to Donald Trump?' No," Costello recounted his alleged conversation with Cohen.</p><p>According to Costello, Cohen told him he took out a "HELOC loan" against his property to secure the funds to pay Daniels. When asked why he did that, Cohen allegedly told Costello that he did not want anyone, including his wife, to know where he had gotten the money. Costello claimed that Cohen's wife is "in charge" of the family finances and would have asked him "a hundred questions" about the payment.</p><p>Costello accused Cohen of feeling "betrayed" by Trump's decision not to offer him a White House position after securing the 2016 presidential election. </p><p>"He said to me that he should have been Attorney General of the United States or at least the chief assistant to the president. Ludicrous," Costello continued. "He was very angry about that. He wanted to do something to put himself back into the inner circle of Donald Trump. That's why he took care of this on his own. There had to be a motivation. Michael Cohen is always working for things that benefit himself."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  540.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4f08252095f8cf2ce58a1e34381a6547" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q7vsveVF114?rel=0&start=2668" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  541.        
  542.        
  543.        </p><p><em><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em></em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self"><u><em><em>Sign up here</em></em></u></a><em><em>!</em></em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 20:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/inveterate-liar-cohen-s-former-lawyer-accuses-prosecution-s-key-witness-of-lying-on-stand-in-trump-s-new-york-case</guid><category>Courts</category><category>News</category><category>Michael cohen</category><category>Donald trump</category><category>Trump</category><category>Stormy daniels</category><category>Robert costello</category><category>Alvin bragg</category><category>Trump trial</category><category>Trump tracking</category><category>New york</category><category>New york city</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Candace Hathaway</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52262147&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Newport Beach mayor calls out Irvine mayor for supporting protesters who seized a building</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/newport-beach-mayor-calls-out-irvine-mayor-for-supporting-protesters-who-seized-a-building</link><description><![CDATA[
  544. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52260600&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C437%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>
  545. The mayor of Newport Beach was not happy to see the mayor of Irvine publicly condemn police action at the University of California, Irvine while Newport Beach police were on scene to help out her city's illegal encampment.
  546. </p><p>
  547. When the anti-Israel protesters took over a campus building, responding police were pushed out. Multiple law enforcement agencies in Orange County responded to provide backup for the clearing operation. Dozens of protesters were arrested during the sweep.
  548. </p><p class="pull-quote">'The encampers assured our community that they were committed to maintaining a peaceful and nondisruptive encampment.'</p><p>
  549. The official X account for Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan expressed the mayor's dismay at the actions of the police, not the building occupiers.
  550. </p><p>"It’s a shame that peaceful free speech protests are always responded to with violence. Taking space on campus or in a building is not a threat to anyone. UCI leadership must do everything they can to avoid creating a violent scenario here. These are your students w/ zero weapons," the account posted to UC Irvine's warning of the protest.</p><p>Newport Beach Mayor Will O'Neill chided Khan's statement because his officers were on the ground and her "carless words" were accusing them of violence.</p><p>"If that’s what you meant, then your message is beneath the office of Mayor. If it is not, then clarify immediately," he concluded.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1790916980859609388">
  551.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  552.        <a href="https://twitter.com/RealWillONeill/status/1790916980859609388"></a>
  553.    </blockquote>
  554.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>Khan did not respond to O'Neill's post.</p><p>One UCI professor <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/uc-irvine-professor-goes-on-unhinged-rant-after-arrest-at-encampment" target="_blank">made the news</a> after she ranted to reporters after being arrested during the police sweep.</p><p>"We cannot have a genocidal foreign policy in a democracy," the professor said. "These young people are going to be the ones to pay the price for these horrible decisions. These police officers out here today, that's thousands of student scholarships! Thousands of students could've been able to go to school and have books and have housing!"</p><p>Chancellor Howard Gillman revealed he was prepared to have the illegal encampment remain on campus so long as the protesters did not escalate their tactics. He said he had no choice but to involve police after the building was forcibly taken over.</p><p>"And so after weeks when the encampers assured our community that they were committed to maintaining a peaceful and nondisruptive encampment, it was terrible to see that they would dramatically alter the situation in a way that was a direct assault on the rights of other students and the university mission," Gillman said.</p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 18:45:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/newport-beach-mayor-calls-out-irvine-mayor-for-supporting-protesters-who-seized-a-building</guid><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Julio Rosas</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52260600&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Pastors remain silent as Canada perpetrates a mass anti-Christian hate crime</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/pastors-remain-silent-as-canada-perpetrates-a-mass-anti-christian-hate-crime</link><description><![CDATA[
  555. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52253113&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>The Canadian government and media have colluded in a mass anti-Christian hate hoax that resulted in the burning of more than 80 churches. In any other circumstance, this vicious display of religious persecution would be held up as a horrendous violation of human rights, but you will not hear a single word from the many charities and watchdog organizations dedicated to monitoring such abuses. </p><p>This pogrom against Christian churches was instigated by a wide range of Canadian elites, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but the event is unlikely to get so much as a mention from pastors in the United States this Sunday. Instead, American congregations are likely to hear lectures about the evils of holding political power and the dangers of Christian nationalism, even as their brothers in Christ watch sacred places of worship burn to the ground with the approval of the secular state.</p><p class="pull-quote">After spending three years and $8 million in the search to uncover mass graves at the Indian Residential School in Kamloops, no remains have been found. Not a single body.</p><p>The Canadian media in 2021 reported that a mass grave containing the bodies of indigenous children had been found on the grounds of a former Catholic-run government boarding school. The history around the boarding schools was already contentious as they were known for separating indigenous children from their communities and forcing them to attend government schools to foster cultural assimilation. The new revelation that mass graves could be present at one of the schools sent the progressive Canadian establishment into a frenzy as it seemed to confirm all its most wild fantasies about a racial genocide perpetrated against the country’s indigenous population.</p><p>There is only one problem: None of it is true.</p><p>The suggestion that the bodies of 215 children were resting in a mass grave at the Kamloops Indian Residential School is incendiary and should have been handled with great caution. Any ruling class that cared about the stability of its country would vet such an accusation thoroughly and only address the issue after going through the painstaking process of collecting definitive evidence. But Canada is governed by unhinged leftist zealots who hate Christianity and seek to vilify their own ancestors. So, instead, the media immediately began to chum the waters with reckless repetitions of the unsubstantiated allegations.</p><p>Not to be outdone by the malicious agents of the media, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau validated the anti-Christian hoax by ordering the nation’s flag be flown at half-staff and <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1398325696431263745" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">calling the incident</a> “a painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter of our country’s history” on X.</p><p>As the resentment grew and churches began to burn, Trudeau claimed he understood the anger driving the terrorist attacks. Law enforcement took little to no action to prevent the religious hate crimes, and the entire Canadian government seemed to tacitly approve of the conflagration as a just punishment against the Christian community. Even Pope Francis validated the hoax by traveling to Canada a year later to express his sorrow over what he described as “a genocide.”</p><p>After spending three years and almost $8 million in the search to uncover mass graves at the Indian Residential School in Kamloops, no remains have been found. Not a single body. Despite this complete lack of evidence, neither Trudeau nor anyone in the media has apologized. No officials have been held responsible. In most cases, police have made no significant effort to find the arsonists. The entire campaign of anti-Christian terror has been swept under the rug by Western elites.</p><p>In the United States, Christians have been largely encouraged to engage in political passivism, told by their leaders that they should be about the work of the kingdom, not the messy business of temporal governance. The remaining vestiges of cultural Christianity were driven from American institutions by a relentless legal and media campaign over the last few decades, and many pastors have decided that retreat is the only viable option. This strategy has been an unmitigated disaster, and many Christians are starting to notice that hostility toward their faith and their families has only increased as they have relinquished power. As the faithful retreat from public life, their enemies only become more zealous.</p><p>This realization has led the next generation of Christians, especially young men, to seek alternatives to the political passivism that is dooming their faith. Incidents like the anti-Christian pogrom in Canada should make it clear that their fears are well-founded. When the media and governing institutions are purged of Christian influence, they quickly become tools of persecution against the church. But instead of understanding the dire situation that Christians find themselves in, many in the American clergy continue to see the acquisition of power as the ultimate evil.</p><p>The persecution of the church is an undeniable fact of Christian history but so is the triumph of Christendom in the West. The progressive project hopes to deconstruct our religious foundations so it can remake the world in its own image. Many Christian leaders would never say this out loud, but they have largely adopted the left’s view of the West and treat the historical dominance of Christian culture as a source of great shame. American pastors might mention the persecution of the church in a distant nation like China but would never raise alarm over the anti-Christian terror campaign in Canada. They agree that their ancestors were evil people whose descendants should be held accountable.</p><p>I have both tactical and philosophical reservations about the use of the term Christian nationalism, but the core concerns of adherents are difficult to deny. If American Christians continue to shirk the duties of leadership and ignore the realities of the political sphere, they are likely to suffer a fate similar to their Canadian brethren.</p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/pastors-remain-silent-as-canada-perpetrates-a-mass-anti-christian-hate-crime</guid><category>Opinion &amp; analysis</category><category>Anti-christian persecution</category><category>Canada church burnings</category><category>Religious hate hoax</category><category>Canadian government collusion</category><category>Media silence</category><category>Justin trudeau</category><category>Indigenous mass grave hoax</category><category>Kamloops indian residential school</category><category>Christian nationalism</category><category>Political passivity</category><category>Persecution of christians</category><category>Religious freedom</category><category>Cultural christianity</category><category>Auron macintyre</category><dc:creator>Auron MacIntyre</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52253113&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Charles III: A portrait of quiet traditionalism</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/align/charles-iii-a-portrait-of-quiet-traditionalism</link><description><![CDATA[
  556. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/charles-iii-a-portrait-of-quiet-traditionalism.jpg?id=52252152&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C107"/><br/><br/><p>This week, King Charles III's first royal portrait as king was unveiled in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Jonathan Yeo, son of conservative politician Tim Yeo, painted the oil-on-canvas work. Immediately, online observers were struck by the hellishness of the image.</p><p>The portrait depicts Charles clad in red formal military garb against an abstract field of the same color. Yeo's circular, churning brushstrokes make the background and foreground appear to melt into one another. </p><p class="pull-quote">In the deeper, historical Anglo lore, butterflies were often understood as the souls of the faithfully departed on their way to the afterlife or in purgatory.</p><p>Charles stands determined, facing the observer directly, his weight evenly distributed, his shoulders straight. Only in his face and hands does the turbulent translucence of his surroundings give way to resolute opacity. </p><p>On X, Michael Knowles observes, “At risk of being consumed in a sea of (violent, dangerous, red) modernism, His Majesty nevertheless emerges as an emblem of tradition. The regalia have lost some definition, but the face and hands—the man—remain clear.” </p><p>Keen Royal observers will understand Knowles’ reference. Charles’ quiet <a href="https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/king-charles-coronation-traditionalism-nasr-guenon-environmentalism" target="_blank"><u>traditionalism</u></a> has been overshadowed by scandal, but it remains nonetheless. Mark Sedgwick writes:  </p><blockquote>“As Prince of Wales, he was famous for his environmentalism—an apparently very modern stance. What could be more up to date than going green? In reality, however, his views are anachronistic. ...The king’s environmentalism derives from his support for a little-known philosophy, Guénonian Traditionalism. ... For [His Majesty], the fundamental problem is that modern Westerners have lost touch with the spiritual tradition that informed the past, and that is why they despoil their surroundings.” </blockquote><p>René Guénon, French-Egyptian founder of the traditionalist perennialist movement of the 20th and 21st centuries, argued that the “primordial tradition” — the sense of deep connection between people and place — was last widely understood in the West among the scholars of the Middle Ages. </p><p>For Guénon, and King Charles, “the loss of this primordial tradition is a defining characteristic of modernity. Modernity focuses on technological triumphs that are fundamentally unimportant, ignores all that is truly important, and values illusory ideals such as equality and individual freedom.” </p><p>The king considers direct natural despoilment to be but one form of this greater spiritual disintegration. His criticism of modern architecture and agriculture share in the basic reactionary premise. </p><p><a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/news/king-charles-portrait-butterfly-symbol-royal-art-b2545308.html" target="_blank"><u>King Charles</u></a> requested a certain detail to be added to his new portrait when asked to think of a message for future generations: a butterfly, landing on his shoulder, meant to sum up his reign for school children in the future.  </p><p>So, we know its purpose, but what does the monarch butterfly — the only other clear subject of the portrait — <em><em>represent</em></em>? </p><p>On one hand, butterflies signify rebirth, transformation, natural beauty, the final journey of a long-gestating caterpillar: all representative of King Charles, whether of his values or his path to the throne. </p><p>In fact, one of Guénon’s most recognizable works of metaphysics is entitled “The Multiple States of Being,” in which he posits that being itself is best understood in terms of a hierarchy of potentialities, some manifest and some un-manifest, which can be brought into the realm of practical reality through deep focus on what is <em><em>essential</em></em>. The butterfly and its journey perfectly represent Guénonian thought. </p><p>In the deeper, historical Anglo lore, butterflies were often understood as the souls of the faithfully departed on their way to the afterlife or in purgatory. Almost universally, they are associated with the feminine principle. </p><p>Considering King Charles’ sentimentality, and as another nod to King Charles’ deep sense of traditionalism, I believe the monarch butterfly whispering into his right ear could be another monarch: Queen Elizabeth II, his faithful mother.</p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 11:15:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/align/charles-iii-a-portrait-of-quiet-traditionalism</guid><category>Art</category><category>Lifestyle</category><category>King charles iii</category><category>Royal portrait</category><category>Jonathan yeo</category><category>Buckingham palace</category><category>British monarchy</category><category>Traditionalism</category><category>Guénonian philosophy</category><category>Environmentalism</category><category>Modernity critique</category><category>Monarchical symbolism</category><category>Portrait art analysis</category><category>Michael knowles</category><category>Mark sedgwick</category><category>René guénon</category><category>Monarch butterfly symbolism</category><category>British royal family</category><category>Spiritual tradition</category><category>Historical anglo lore</category><category>Queen elizabeth ii</category><category>Conservative politics</category><category>Art and symbolism</category><category>Royal ceremonies</category><category>Environmental values</category><category>Cultural heritage</category><category>Helen roy</category><dc:creator>Helen Roy</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/charles-iii-a-portrait-of-quiet-traditionalism.jpg?id=52252152&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Democratic establishment's Jan. 6 'hero' defeated in House primary — and people are thanking Steve Baker</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/democratic-establishment-s-jan-6-hero-defeated-in-house-primary-and-people-are-thanking-steve-baker</link><description><![CDATA[
  557. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/democratic-establishment-s-jan-6-hero-defeated-in-house-primary-and-people-are-thanking-steve-baker.jpg?id=52247688&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C107"/><br/><br/><p>
  558. Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn won the confidence of establishment Democrats by dutifully bolstering their preferred Jan. 6 narrative, even though it
  559. <a href="https://youtu.be/LlXLvbk-6YY" target="_blank">diverged greatly</a> from reality. He tried to replicate that success Tuesday in the Maryland House primary but reality caught up with him.
  560. </p><p>
  561. Dunn ran in Maryland's 3rd Congressional District — where he is not a resident — against over 20 other Democrats. Although the so-
  562. <a href="https://x.com/RepRaskin/status/1540401969638039554" target="_blank">called</a> "hero" managed to edge out relative unknowns who had not similarly been anointed by President Joe Biden, he couldn't compete with Maryland state Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D).
  563. </p><p>
  564. In mid-April, Dunn's campaign
  565. <a href="https://harrydunnforcongress.com/new-poll-harry-dunn-leads-in-marylands-crowded-3rd-district/" target="_blank">highlighted</a> Upswing Research and Strategy polling data that suggested he was leading "within the margin of error." <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/14/capitol-officer-harry-dunn-maryland-congressional-primary" target="_blank">According</a> to the Guardian, Elfreth's campaign raised only a third as much money as Dunn.
  566. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  567. 'Dunn was supposed to be an appointed apparatchik for them. You know, the bottom line is that the machine itself had decided that he was going to be their secure vote on anything that they wanted.'
  568. </p><p>
  569. At the time of publication, Elfreth leads Dunn by over 10 points with 66% of the
  570. <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-primary-elections/maryland-house-results" target="_blank">votes counted</a>.
  571. </p><p>
  572. "I just got off the phone with senator Elfreth, congratulating her on her hard-fought victory," Dunn
  573. <a href="https://x.com/libradunn/status/1790575493760106696" target="_blank">tweeted</a> Tuesday evening. "Although tonight’s results may not have gone like we hoped, all I can feel right now is gratitude. With our <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/eric-holder-expresses-democrats-fear-that-trump-administration-might-do-what-bidens-has-done" target="_blank">democracy on the line</a> this November, I can make you one promise — I'm not going anywhere."
  574. </p><p>
  575. Dunn isn't going to Congress, having proven unable to attract voters with his Presidential Citizens Medal from Biden; his
  576. <a href="https://youtu.be/UfLGpevFRsE" target="_blank">campaign claim</a> that he has "put country above self"; his <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/blaze-news-investigative-writer-calls-foul-on-hero-capitol-cop-harry-dunn-capitol-police-the-press-democrat-congressman" target="_blank">alleged willingness</a> to violate Capitol Police regulations to help his party; his endorsements from Democratic Reps. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), Adam Schiff (Calif.), Eric Swalwell (Calif.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.), Jim Clyburn (S.C.), and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.); his self-aggrandizing book; his numerous appearances on liberal talk shows; and his dramatic <a href="https://youtu.be/UfLGpevFRsE" target="_blank">Jan. 6 protest-themed campaign ad</a>, where he smeared Republican lawmakers as "bigots."
  577. </p><p>
  578. Following Dunn's rejection by voters, Blaze News investigative writer Steve Baker was inundated with messages thanking him for his past reports on the failed congressional candidate.
  579. </p><h2>Inconvenient facts </h2><p>
  580. Having been present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in the capacity as a reporter, Baker has
  581. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/analysis/harry-dunns-account-of-january-6-does-not-add-up-at-all" target="_blank">long understood</a> that Dunn's relationship with the truth was strained.
  582. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1790476886658670609">
  583.        <div style="margin:1em 0">NEW\ud83d\udea8\n\nThis Capitol police officer's book and trial testimonies\u2019 about January 6 are directly contradicted by Capitol CCTV video. And now he's running for Congress. Stay tuned for the next installment of our Truth About January 6 series, "A Day in the Life of Harry Dunn"</div> —  (@)
  584.        <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/1790476886658670609"></a>
  585.    </blockquote>
  586.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  587. For instance, in October, Baker
  588. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/columns/analysis/january-6-and-the-n-word-that-wasnt" target="_blank">dug</a> into Dunn's repeated claim that he was called a n***** "numerous times" during the Jan. 6 protests. He made this claim <a href="https://x.com/simonateba/status/1790683971879420024" target="_blank">before a congressional subcommittee</a>, on ABC News' "Good Morning America," and also recycled it elsewhere, including in his memoir "Standing My Ground: A Capitol Police Officer's Fight for Accountability and Good Trouble After January 6th."
  589. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  590. 'In what many regard as the most video-recorded event in history, not a single piece of evidence — video or audio — has emerged to confirm that such a racially charged incident ever took place.'
  591. </p><p>
  592. The trouble with Dunn's claim, Baker noted, was that "in what many regard as the most video-recorded event in history, not a single piece of evidence — video or audio — has emerged to confirm that such a racially charged incident ever took place."
  593. </p><p>
  594. Video evidence reviewed by Baker does, however, suggest the event did not transpire as it was later described by Dunn. Extra to the racially charged incident apparently never taking place and the antagonist in the story never showing up in hours of footage, Dunn's claim that he broke down crying was also not substantiated by the video evidence. Instead, Baker noted he could be seen chuckling with fellow officers.
  595. </p><p>
  596. Baker has not only identified numerous other instances where Dunn trafficked in falsehoods but various irregularities involving the former USCP officer.
  597. </p><p>
  598. Blaze News
  599. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/blaze-news-investigative-writer-calls-foul-on-hero-capitol-cop-harry-dunn-capitol-police-the-press-democrat-congressman" target="_self">previously reported</a> on Baker's allegations that Dunn was behind the anonymous 2021 letter on Capitol Police letterhead slamming Republicans averse to forming a Jan. 6 commission.
  600. </p><p>
  601. According to Baker, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) encouraged Dunn to write the letter, which CNN made hay of in May 2021, even though he likely knew "that it's a violation of Capitol Police regulations for Dunn to take political stances in representation of the department."
  602. </p><p>
  603. According to Baker, Dunn allegedly violated numerous departmental directives against using USCP time and resources for political purposes and worked with members of the Capitol press pool in the phrasing of the letter.
  604. </p><h2>Many thanks</h2><p>
  605. Biden boosters rushed to thank Dunn for all his work to place second.
  606. </p><p>
  607. Script reader Mark Hamill
  608. <a href="https://x.com/MarkHamill/status/1790603072223522888" target="_blank">wrote</a>, "Although it didn't go the was [<em>sic</em>] I wanted, I know this is just the beginning & you are destined for greatness. Thank you for your service, sir."
  609. </p><p>
  610. Democratic TikTok propagandist Harry Sisson
  611. <a href="https://x.com/harryjsisson/status/1790587449233522901" target="_blank">wrote</a>, "So proud of the race you ran, Mr. Dunn. You should be incredibly proud. You’re a true inspiration!"
  612. </p><p>
  613. Much of the gratitude following the election flowed another way entirely — to Baker.
  614. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  615. 'They feel better today than they did the day before because they actually thought this one was fixed.'
  616. </p><p>
  617. Baker told Blaze News, "My DMs have just been full over the last 12 hours or so with celebratory, congratulatory messages from current and former Capitol Police officers as well as congressional staff. ... Straight across the spectrum."
  618. </p><p>
  619. "I've even had some messages from some — let's say —
  620. <em></em><em>acquaintances</em> I have in the mainstream media who've sent me messages as well with, you know, a wink and a nod," added Baker.
  621. </p><p>
  622. When pressed on the significance of Dunn's defeat, Baker referenced the sentiment that has permeated much of the responses he has received: "People are encouraged that this was not — and they're actually telling me this — that maybe our elections are secure. It's kind of a funny statement. Because everybody thought the fix was in on this one."
  623. </p><p>
  624. Even though this was a Democratic Party primary, Baker said, "They feel better today than they did the day before because they actually thought this one was fixed."
  625. </p><p>
  626. Baker suggested this amounts to a strategic setback for establishment Democrats.
  627. </p><p>
  628. "Dunn was supposed to be an appointed apparatchik for them. You know, the bottom line is that the machine itself had decided that he was going to be their secure vote on anything that they wanted," said Baker. "The Democratic Party establishment had basically decided that he was going to be their guy and that that vote would be secure for as long as they could keep him in office."
  629. </p><p>
  630. According to Baker, Dunn's personal shortcomings would have provided establishmentarians — particularly those who endorsed him — with leverage to get what they wanted down the line.
  631. </p><p>
  632. "This is a guy with a highly checkered past. Multiple disciplinary reports from the Capitol Police. He has, of course, his own issues with domestic violence, and he has a history of anger issues. So with his past, they were going to be able to control his vote," continued Baker. "Because they can always hold that over him. ... 'This is a trump card we have. You don't give us the vote that we need, we will flip that card, and we'll flip your seat in two years.'"
  633. </p><p>
  634. Baker suggested that the failure of establishment Democrats to advance their preferred candidate in Maryland is telling.
  635. </p><p>
  636. After highlighting the state-level efficacy of Elfreth, Baker noted, "I think it's very interesting that Pelosi, Thompson, et cetera, couldn't overcome that with their favorite son. I mean, they all elevated this guy to the status of hero ... and they weren't able to pull that off. I think that's a good sign for all of us right now."
  637. </p><p>
  638. "This is a big win," added Baker.
  639. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  640.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1ff126a37a950d1f608a1bb95b6f29d2" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LFFDYqU2ueA?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  641. <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
  642. <a href="https://youtu.be/LFFDYqU2ueA?si=TGfPufkPpaRbhnpK" target="_blank">
  643. </a>
  644. </small>
  645. </p><p>
  646. <em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em>
  647. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2024 14:25:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/democratic-establishment-s-jan-6-hero-defeated-in-house-primary-and-people-are-thanking-steve-baker</guid><category>Harry dunn</category><category>Congress</category><category>Election</category><category>Maryland</category><category>United states capitol police</category><category>Uscp</category><category>Capitol police</category><category>Dunn</category><category>Steve baker</category><category>Washington</category><category>Democrats</category><category>Democratic primary</category><category>Raskin</category><category>Biden</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Joseph MacKinnon</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/democratic-establishment-s-jan-6-hero-defeated-in-house-primary-and-people-are-thanking-steve-baker.jpg?id=52247688&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Europe’s war on food is coming to America</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/europes-war-on-food-is-coming-to-america</link><description><![CDATA[
  648. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/europes-war-on-food-is-coming-to-america.jpg?id=52242854&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C107"/><br/><br/><p>Throughout history, when food production is radically changed or when agriculture is disrupted, the results are catastrophic.</p><p>Europe has been doing this ever since the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015. The United States would be exactly where Europe is now, but Donald Trump disrupted the entire shift. Today, <a href="https://twitter.com/KatKanada_TM/status/1751863054202278257" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">European farmers are so fed up</a> that they are spraying government buildings with manure in protest.</p><p class="pull-quote">Biden’s Build Back Better has not only wreaked havoc on most families across America, but it has also equated to a stealth war on American farmers.</p><p>Have you heard about any of these protests in any real detail on the news? Remember the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/FRANCE-PROTESTS/010081MZ2ZM/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">yellow vest protests</a>? The coverage was everywhere, and it was 24/7. Why such sporadic reporting in comparison on these farmer convoys and protests?</p><p>No one is asking the farmers why they’re leaving their fields to protest in the city. It gets minor mention, or you see articles like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/19/angry-farmers-nevada-germany-far-right-protest" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this from the Guardian</a>, which, in the writer's “expert” opinion, claims the farmers are “being exploited by the far right.”</p><p>It surely isn’t about Europe’s crazy Agenda 2030 plan. It isn’t about diesel prices blowing through the roof or fertilizer becoming more expensive and less available. Or how about the fact that government regulators are more concerned with globalist climate goals than the economic wellbeing of the people they claim to represent? That’s what happens when you are governed by unelected bureaucrats beholden only to the globalist elites. </p><h2>Less land, less food</h2><p>The <a href="https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/sustainability/environmental-sustainability/climate-change_en#climatechangeandagriculture" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">European Commission</a> published its plan to completely upend food production. It’s masked in words like, “to increase the resilience of agriculture and forestry against climate change.” It points out that agriculture accounts for 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. The next line lays out its plan for a quasi-nationalization of every industry and means of production in Europe.</p><p>It says farming emissions come behind energy, transportation, residential, commercial, and finally, agricultural industries. It wants direct government interference in basically every industry until there’s no private industry left. This is 21st-century fascism, and it has nothing to do with climate. This is a power play. It’s about seizing control.</p><p>But the problem for these neofascists is that farmers are not the type to let anyone push them around. That’s why we’re seeing farmers protesting all over Europe right now.</p><p>The EU’s agriculture climate document discusses cracking down on two major “greenhouse gasses”: methane and nitrous oxide.</p><p>Methane emissions come mainly from livestock. Cutting those emissions could entail anything from culling herds to mandating different kinds of feed. This alone radically alters how much food is available, and it incurs new expenses atop already sky-high operating costs.</p><p>Nitrous oxide is a major component of fertilizer. We all know where this leads: a full-on ban. Two years ago, a ban on nitrous oxide led to the absolute <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/fertiliser-ban-decimates-sri-lankan-crops-government-popularity-ebbs-2022-03-03/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">collapse of food production in Sri Lanka.</a> One rice farmer told Reuters: “Last year, we got 60 bags from these two acres. But this time it was just 10.”</p><p>The European Commission’s plan for farmers includes “Green Direct Payments.” These are effectively bribes for anyone who bends the knee. To get these bribes, farmers and ranchers must “maintain permanent grassland” — in other words, farm <em>less</em> land. That means <em>less </em>food.</p><p>They must also “undertake crop diversification.” This is the European government telling farmers what to plant. How on earth did farmers survive thousands of years without “experts” in their government telling them how to do their job?</p><p>Finally, they must “dedicate 5% of arable land to ecological focus areas.” This also means fewer crops and less food.</p><p>Keep in mind, in Europe, these are not suggestions. This document describes the “monitoring process” that will be employed, and how it is all backed up on a “legal basis.”</p><p>If the media bothered to ask the farmers in Europe what they’re protesting about, here is what they would tell them: These restrictions not only entail less food for the people but also the inability of farmers and ranchers to make a living for their own families.</p><h2>Biden wreaks havoc</h2><p>This has nothing to do with the climate. It’s about forcing the agriculture sector into a partnership with the government. This used to be called fascism, but now it’s just called Build Back Better, the Great Reset, or whatever else they plan to rebrand and rename it in the future.</p><p>But this is not just happening in Europe. It's just further along than we are. Joe Biden has stated that farmers under his administration are “thriving,” but if you talk to any of them, they will tell a much different story.</p><p>One <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/biden-says-us-farmers-thriving-people-feeding-america-tell-different-story-survival-mode" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kansas wheat farmer</a> told Fox News that he and his family are in “survival mode.” He cited the volatile market, out-of-control diesel costs, and the rising price of fertilizer as the main contributors to their financial woes. Sound familiar?</p><p>Biden’s Build Back Better has not only wreaked havoc on most families across America, but it has also equated to a stealth war on American farmers.</p><p>Since Biden became president, operating <a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/minority-blog/usda-says-high-farm-production-costs-not-easing-in-2024" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">costs on farms</a> have increased by $100 billion. The total costs for American farmers to raise crops and livestock is now at a record high of $460 billion. Who can afford that?</p><p>The better question might be, <em>Is that the actual point</em>?</p><p>They want farmers in a no-win situation where partnership with the government is the only option left. Just like the EU, Joe Biden announced a bribe method to reel in farmers and ranchers.</p><p>Biden in November announced a <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2023/11/01/president-biden-announces-over-5-billion-support-rural-communities" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">$5 billion package</a> for rural communities. It includes many of the same regulations pushed by the European Commission. All that’s missing is the compliance checks and legal framework for punishment, but how long before that gets added?</p><p>Donald Trump halted our disastrous trajectory that Europe has already embarked on, but how long until Europe’s war on food is adapted and implemented by our own government? Do you want a government that can tell farmers what to grow and what <em>not </em>to grow? Do you want to be ruled by unelected bureaucrats who are more concerned with climate goals than whether the American people have enough food?</p>These are all downstream from the Great Reset, and who you vote for in November will have major ramifications on whether they will come to fruition.<br/><br/><p><em>Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn's <a href="https://links.glennbeck.com/join/51r/signup-theblaze" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FREE email newsletter</a> with his latest insights, top stories, show prep, and more delivered to your inbox.</em></p>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2024 11:45:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/europes-war-on-food-is-coming-to-america</guid><category>Opinion &amp; analysis</category><category>Opinion  &amp; analysis</category><category>Food freedom</category><category>Glenn beck</category><category>Overregulation</category><category>Food production</category><category>Davos elite</category><category>World economic forum</category><dc:creator>Glenn Beck</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/europes-war-on-food-is-coming-to-america.jpg?id=52242854&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'Was I molested. I think so': Snopes' update on Ashley Biden diary fact-check spells trouble for Joe Biden</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/snopes-update-on-ashley-biden-diary-spells-trouble-for-joe-biden</link><description><![CDATA[
  649. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/was-i-molested-i-think-so-snopes-update-on-ashley-biden-diary-fact-check-spells-trouble-for-joe-biden.jpg?id=52237125&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C107"/><br/><br/><p>
  650. Aimee Harris moved into the former residence of Ashley Biden in Delray Beach, Florida, in 2020. Just as Hunter Biden abandoned a laptop containing damning information at a Delaware computer repair shop, Ashley Biden had left behind <a href="https://nationalfile.com/full-release-ashley-biden-diary-reveals-child-sex-trauma-drug-abuse-resentment-for-joe-whistleblower/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a diary</a> containing troubling allegations that implicated then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in possible abuse.
  651. </p><p>
  652. After finding the diary, Harris worked in concert with Robert Kurlander to sell the document, ultimately, to Project Veritas. Kurlander and Harris <a href="https://archive.ph/a6PRD" target="_blank">pleaded guilty</a> years later to conspiracy to transport supposedly stolen property across state lines.
  653. </p><p>
  654. Project Veritas <a href="https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/1790130990561509457" target="_blank">refrained from publishing</a> it, both out of concern for doing more harm to Ashley Biden than her father may already have and the organization's inability to "corroborate the allegation further." The National File, however, <a href="https://nationalfile.com/full-release-ashley-biden-diary-reveals-child-sex-trauma-drug-abuse-resentment-for-joe-whistleblower/" target="_blank">published a digital copy</a> it <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/09/07/project-veritas-ashley-biden-diary-leak/" target="_blank">allegedly</a> received from a Project Veritas employee in October 2020.
  655. </p><p>
  656. Just as social media <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/10/14/facebook-twitter-block-the-post-from-posting/" target="_blank">dutifully hid</a> the Hunter Biden laptop story from the public ahead of the 2020 election, Politifact <a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/sep/15/facebook-posts/fbi-did-not-confirm-any-contents-ashley-bidens-dia/" target="_blank">indicated</a> that damning posts about the Democrat in the diary were flagged as misinformation.
  657. </p><p>
  658. Once again, the so-called misinformation of yesteryear has matured into the cold hard facts of today.
  659. </p><h2>Proven
  660. </h2><p>
  661. Snopes has <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ashley-biden-leaked-diary-accusation/" target="_blank">updated</a> its fact-check page on the diary, confirming both that the diary belonged to Ashley Biden and that the president's daughter accused him of inappropriate behavior.
  662. </p><p>
  663. The page <a href="https://archive.is/nJk9Q" target="_blank">previously indicated</a> that the claim that "a diary authored by U.S. President Joe Biden's daughter, Ashley, describes inappropriate actions toward her taken by the president when she was a child" was "unproven."
  664. </p><p>
  665. Up until this month, the Snopes entry indicated the claim was unproven because "the authenticity of this document or the images published by National File have not been confirmed."
  666. </p><p>
  667. The fact-check outfit was compelled to change its tune after Ashley Biden, 42, <a href="https://x.com/NationalFile/status/1638255128305102876" target="_blank">once again</a> confirmed the diary was hers in an <a href="https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/654c5f7182bca1ee/6fe57478-full.pdf" target="_blank">April 8 letter</a> to the judge overseeing Harris' case in New York.
  668. </p><p>
  669. "I am deeply saddened that I even have to write this letter because my personal private journal was stolen and sold for profit," wrote Ashley Biden.
  670. </p><p>
  671. While admitting the document was hers, Ashley Biden attempted to cast doubt on the veracity of her various entries, suggesting they were "stream-of-consciousness thoughts."
  672. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  673. 'Was I molested. I think so.'
  674. </p><p>
  675. "Repeatedly, I hear others grossly misinterpret my once-private writings and lob false accusations that defame my character and those of the people I love," added Ashley Biden.
  676. </p><h2>'Showers w/ my dad'</h2><p>
  677. In <a href="https://nationalfile.com/exclusive-source-biden-daughters-diary-details-not-appropriate-showers-with-joe-as-child/" target="_blank">one of the more troubling entries</a> in the diary, penned in January 2019, Ashley Biden explores the causes of  her "sexual trauma" and apparent sex addiction.
  678. </p><p>
  679. "I know it's not the healthiest way to deal with things but @ least it's better than drugs," wrote the president's daughter.
  680. </p><p>
  681. Ashley Biden then indicated that her unchecked sex drive may have been the result of childhood trauma.
  682. </p><p>
  683. "Hyper-sexualized @ a young age. What is this due to? Was I molested. I think so — I can't remember specifics but I do remember trauma — I remember not liking the Woolzacks house, I remember somewhat being sexualized with <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8513719/Joe-Bidens-niece-Caroline-33-arrested-year-DUI-year-probation.html" target="_blank">Caroline</a> [Biden, her cousin]; I remember having sex with Friends @ a young age; showers w/ my dad (probably not appropriate), Being turned on when I wasn't suppose to be."
  684. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1790058807625679091">
  685.        <div style="margin:1em 0">Ashley Biden wrote a letter to the judge confirming the diary is real and belongs to her.\n\nHere\u2019s a reminder of what the diary said:\n\nThe President of the United States is a p*d0phiIe.</div> —  (@)
  686.        <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1790058807625679091"></a>
  687.    </blockquote>
  688.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  689. Biden boosters like <a href="https://twitter.com/EdKrassen/status/1790096290413441270" target="_blank">Ed Krassenstein appear keen</a> to downplay the contents of the diary. Others think Snopes' about-face and the corresponding confirmation of the diary's authenticity could change the outcome of the 2024 election.
  690. </p><p>
  691. Legal scholar Robert P. George, director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, <a href="https://x.com/McCormickProf/status/1790196350644076915" target="_blank">noted</a> that the Snopes update "strikes me as what Joe Biden might describe as a 'big [expletive] deal.' Imagine if it were Ivanka Trump making the accusation against her father. Does this give those Democrats who've been looking for an excuse to push Biden aside in favor of a more electable presidential candidate the justification they've been looking for?"
  692. </p><p>
  693. <em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>!</em>
  694. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2024 14:55:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/snopes-update-on-ashley-biden-diary-spells-trouble-for-joe-biden</guid><category>Child abuse</category><category>Sexual abuse</category><category>Pervert</category><category>Joe biden</category><category>Ashley biden</category><category>Joe biden shower</category><category>Diary</category><category>Election 2024</category><category>Biden family</category><category>Project veritas</category><category>Leaked diary</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Joseph MacKinnon</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/was-i-molested-i-think-so-snopes-update-on-ashley-biden-diary-fact-check-spells-trouble-for-joe-biden.jpg?id=52237125&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>DeSantis’ ban on lab-grown meat is peak culture war</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/desantis-ban-on-lab-grown-meat-is-peak-culture-war</link><description><![CDATA[
  695. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/desantis-ban-on-lab-grown-meat-is-peak-culture-war.jpg?id=52218348&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C107"/><br/><br/><p>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will not live in the pod, and he will not eat the bugs. In fact, he will make sure no one in Florida ever does — even if they want to.</p><p>Last week, the governor signed <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/1084/?Tab=BillHistory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SB 1084</a>, making Florida the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2024/05/05/florida-lab-grown-meat-ban/73569976007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first</a> U.S. state to ban “lab-grown meat” for consumers. Despite a fresh federal <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/us-approves-chicken-made-from-cultivated-cells-the-nations-first-lab-grown-meat/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">seal of approval</a> for the chicken variety of cultivated meat, DeSantis has taken it upon himself to remove the consumer’s choice for these meat alternatives in the name of combating the “<a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/01/desantis-signs-ban-on-lab-grown-meat-in-florida-says-elites-are-pushing-it/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">globalists</a>” of the World Economic Forum. </p><p class="pull-quote">It’s true that meat consumption has its enemies, some in very high places. But does that require a ban on innovation and commerce for meat alternatives?</p><p>It’s <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/03/31/1166649732/conspiracy-theory-eating-bugs-4chan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">talk radio and Reddit</a> politics turned into real-world law. <br/><br/>The bill does <a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/01/desantis-signs-ban-on-lab-grown-meat-in-florida-says-elites-are-pushing-it/" target="_blank">several things</a>, such as offering excused absences from school for kids participating in agricultural track programs like 4-H and Future Farmers of America, and prohibits “the manufacture for sale, holding or offering for sale, or distribution of cultivated meat in this state.”<br/></p><p>Violations are punishable by up to 60 days in jail, and restaurants that sell or serve these products risk losing their licenses to operate. </p><h2>What exactly did Florida ban?</h2><p>It’s important to understand that there are two emerging alternatives to good old-fashioned meat. </p><p>Plant-based meat, popularized by Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, are grown from plant-cells and processed proteins to replicate the aroma and juices found in natural meat. The “blood” is a soy leghemoglobin compound, and for a vegetarian who misses eating meat, this makes plant-based meat extra appealing.</p><p>The more recent innovation in animal-cell-derived meats are grown, or cultivated, in a lab. It does not pass the vegetarian metric of involving any animals, so it could potentially find a market with omnivorous consumers and vegetarians who simply object to any animal suffering of any kind in the process of food production. </p><p>DeSantis’ crackdown applies to animal-cell derived products, not the more well-known plant-based brands that are now standard fare in McDonald's, Burger King, <a href="https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/impossible-foods-plant-based-meat-foodservice-collaborations-ihop-partnership/" target="_blank">IHOP</a>, and several other chains that have partnered with Impossible Foods or Beyond Meat to offer menu alternatives. Not every partnership has stood the test of time or had a positive consumer response. </p><p>I’m a meat guy. My body and spirit require regular infusions of farm-fresh steak to operate at full capacity. I’ve tried out the plant-based meat products for the novelty, ordering Impossible Burgers on occasion at Red Robin’s in Manassas, Virginia, where they’re on the menu. If the Peruvian chicken place down the street in Manassas added Upside Foods’ cultivated chicken to the menu, I’d want to try it. Should this be a crime? </p><h2>Shifts in consumer demand</h2><p>When it comes to the plant-based meat stand-ins, one reason for their rocky market performance is that they tend to be <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/25/impossible-foods-beyond-meat-battle-price-parity-with-real-meat.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more expensive</a> than both the beef and bison burger options on restaurant menus and also less tasty. But they aren’t <em>bad</em>.</p><p>Cultivated chicken and yet-to-be-approved beef products <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/cell-cultivated-meat-hits-menus-investors-see-scaling-next-hurdle-2023-07-20/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">face the same uphill battle</a> of lowering the price per pound to be competitive with consumers. The goal is to hit $2.92 per pound, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/cell-cultivated-meat-hits-menus-investors-see-scaling-next-hurdle-2023-07-20/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">according</a> to Leticia Goncalves, president of global foods at Archer-Daniels-Midland. Global trends in food production and trade are making this hard to achieve. </p><p>DeSantis <a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/01/desantis-signs-ban-on-lab-grown-meat-in-florida-says-elites-are-pushing-it/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">speaks</a> about the ban on lab-grown foods as if there’s an imminent threat in the market to good old-fashioned meat.</p><p>“They (the World Economic Forum) want to basically eliminate meat, they want to eliminate cattle, they want to eliminate chickens, all this stuff, and they want to create protein in laboratories,” the governor said on May 1. “So, it’s essentially lab-created meat. And their goal is to get to a point where you will not be raising cattle, you will not be developing meat like we’ve been doing for hundreds and hundreds of years in the state of Florida.” </p><p>It’s true that many environmentalists <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/may/02/australian-red-meat-industry-has-recorded-78-reduction-in-emissions-since-2005-report-shows" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">have identified</a> factory farming and cattle as primary drivers of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also true that meat consumption has its enemies, some in very high places. But does that require a ban on innovation and commerce for meat alternatives? Should a reluctant vegetarian, of which there are many, who wants to enjoy guilt-free bacon cheeseburgers in Florida be denied the freedom to enjoy a lab-grown meat option? </p><p>Younger generations have <a href="https://www.bevindustry.com/articles/96378-generation-z-shakes-things-up-in-beverage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bucked many long-running trends</a> ranging from wine and beer consumption to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/24/coke-pepsi-sodas-olipop-poppi-zevia-dr-pepper-sprite-cola-diet?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rejecting</a> classic soda styles. They want stronger flavors and everything to be fizzy or fruity. Gen Z’s tastes may converge with previous generations, but it’s also possible that beer and wine might actually be in <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91018725/wine-industry-decline-gen-z-millennials-aging-drinkers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">real long-term trouble</a> with the rise of cannabis and hard seltzers as relaxation alternatives. </p><h2>Weird coalitions form</h2><p>Are these industries also going to be protected because centuries-old industries like cattle ranching are being shielded from future competition with the ban on lab-grown meats? That will depend on if Bill Gates and Klaus Schwab come out against beer at the next Davos summit, in strong enough terms to make it part of the culture war that DeSantis is so attuned to. </p><p>Even Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) joined in with the plaudits against consumer choice, <a href="https://twitter.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1786064644383142187" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">saying of Florida’s ban</a>, “As a member of @SenateAgDems and as some dude who would never serve that slop to my kids, I stand with our American ranchers and farmers.” </p><p>There are many edible substances I’m disgusted by that will never be served at my dinner table, including baked beans, cauliflower, and Pennsylvania’s bizarre “scrapple” German mystery meat, but I’m not sure where I’d get off banning it for everyone. I might start by pointing out that Klaus Schwab of the WEF is German. Coincidence? </p><p>Why this is happening is no secret. The cattle ranching industry wants to smother the potential for meat alternatives, likely because it sees Gen Z habits including Meatless Mondays and “<a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/3747206-vegetarianism-is-on-the-rise-especially-the-part-time-kind/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flexitarian</a>” diets as something that will only grow in the decades ahead. Younger consumers may well respond to an alternative to factory-farmed meat, even if it's grown in a lab.</p><p>Demand for meat will never go away, but it could recede, and cattle levels are at a <a href="https://iowaagribusinessradionetwork.com/u-s-cattle-herd-smallest-since-1951/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">low point</a> not seen since 1951. Domestic demand and supply are down, and foreign imports are up. </p><p>The association’s “Florida Cow PAC” has given <a href="https://www.transparencyusa.org/fl/committee/florida-cow-pac-61022-pac/payees?cycle=2017-to-now" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">$75,000</a> to DeSantis since 2017 and another <a href="https://www.transparencyusa.org/fl/committee/florida-cow-pac-61022-pac/payees?cycle=2017-to-now" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">$72,000</a> to the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. Many key legislators and Florida’s agriculture commissioner have received maximum contributions. </p><p>Every industry does this, but the Florida Cattlemen’s Association presumably had the political savvy to appeal to DeSantis’ online nature and sell this as a move against the globalists and Greta Thunberg cultists in the European Union. It isn’t cronyism. It’s a middle finger to the private jet people who want you to “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27ll_own_nothing_and_be_happy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">own nothing and be happy</a>.” Own the libs with American beef. </p><p>DeSantis has shown with his new ban on lab-grown meat in Florida that he only trusts consumers and freedom of choice so long as it doesn’t disrupt the status quo. If the tofu-slinging globalists do ever come for farm fresh meat, I’ll stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anyone in defense of naturally sourced chicken, beef, and sausage. But that time is not now, and Florida just betrayed its rebellious, live-and-let-live image in favor of protectionism for the meat lobby. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2024 10:45:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/desantis-ban-on-lab-grown-meat-is-peak-culture-war</guid><category>Opinion &amp; analysis</category><dc:creator>Stephen Kent</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/desantis-ban-on-lab-grown-meat-is-peak-culture-war.jpg?id=52218348&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>The best internet advice column ever!</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/return/the-best-internet-advice-column-ever</link><description><![CDATA[
  696. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/the-best-internet-advice-column-ever.webp?id=52208250&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><h5>I went on two dates with a man, months apart, so they were really like two first dates. In between, we texted throughout, and I actively stalked his social media while fantasizing about a whole life with him because he’s so interesting and similar to me. The second date lasted an entire afternoon and evening, at the end of which we went our separate ways. It has been a month since then, with no follow-up. We’re both adults, so I feel childish for wasting so much time and energy daydreaming about him. How do I get over someone who does not want the same things or share the same values as me but with whom I have so much in common?</h5><p>First of all, I commend you for recognizing that, although you felt a connection with someone, you did not delude yourself into imagining shared values and life plans where there were none. This is possibly the most common dating pitfall for women who find themselves in dead-end relationships, so congratulate yourself on having avoided a situation that would ultimately have been a far bigger waste of time and emotional investment than the brief period of limerence than you already experienced.</p><p>Second of all, as a general rule, you should be wary of marathon dates when initially getting to know someone. A marathon date involves spending an inordinately lengthy and uninterrupted amount of time together, which creates an atmosphere of pseudo-intimacy that may lead you to believe that you have come to know a person exceptionally well. This can result in a false sense of having established a deep connection with someone before you may have had a chance to evaluate whether you share similar values and life goals. It is advisable to make sure you are at least aligned on core values and future plans before becoming emotionally invested in a person. Always look before leaping, or you might find yourself in a romantic ravine like you are now.</p><p>Finally, to get over this person, you must follow Circe’s tried-and-true method of getting over relentless heartache, which I have covered in a <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/return/circe-says-ancient-wisdom-for-modern-problems" target="_blank">previous column</a>. This method is guaranteed to work, but you must use it very sparingly, or you will quickly become jaded. The best cure is always prevention.</p><h5>When attending a party at someone’s house, is it better to be punctual or politely late, and what is the best thing to bring?</h5><p>When it comes to party etiquette, context is king. The size of the event, its nature, the city in which it takes place, and the host’s cultural background all play a role in determining expectations.</p><p>The order of operations for determining an arrival time is as follows: First, what is the host’s ethnic background, and second, in what city does the party take place? If the host is German, you should arrive on time and possibly even a few minutes early to any event. If the host is Slavic, consider giving the host an extra 15 minutes if it is a dinner party and an extra 30 to 60 minutes if it is a large party.</p><p>Expectations of punctuality also vary from city to city. If you are attending a Miami dinner, 15 minutes late is on time, and if it is a larger event, one to two hours late is still acceptable. However, if you are forced to attend a dinner in San Francisco for some inexplicable reason, plan to arrive on time. Large parties in San Francisco don’t exist, so no etiquette applies.</p><p>When deciding what to bring, you can never go wrong with a nice bottle of wine or, my personal preference, champagne for any event (unless, of course, it is a sober household). For a dinner party, a dessert is also an appropriate option — one can never have enough dessert. If you have the misfortune of attending a dinner party at a sugar-free household, charcuterie or cheese are other alternatives. If, however, the household is vegan on top of being sugar-free, politely decline the invitation and consider distancing yourself from the host. Some people are simply beyond saving.</p><h5>I am a charming, funny, decently handsome, well-employed, intelligent, and sociable man. I've had a string of long-term relationships that have failed, mostly due to my unique blend of issues, but now I’m also getting to an age where it might make sense to settle down. I want kids (at least I think I do), and I want a loving partner to help build a life together.</h5><h5>How do I convince myself that marriage and kids are right for me even though there are so many wonderful women to choose from, and as I've gotten older, my pool seems to have mostly increased? Is it because I haven't found 'the one'? Am I just too immature to understand commitment? Am I simply not cut out for monogamy? I’m not sure what the answer is, but I would love to hear your wisdom.</h5><p>Despite its many negative contributions to the dating discourse, one thing that the show "Sex and the City" got right was the taxi-cab theory. The theory posits that men are like taxi cabs: “They awake one day and decide they’re ready to settle down, have babies, whatever, and they turn their light on. The next woman they pick up, boom, is the one they'll marry. It's not fate, it's dumb luck.”</p><p>When it comes to men choosing to marry, timing is everything. Some men are internally motivated to settle down, whether it’s because they’ve met a woman they want to spend the rest of their life with or because they’ve reached some professional milestone and now feel ready to support a family financially. Others are externally motivated and more driven by mimetic desire than other considerations. Typically, these men settle down when they realize they are the last guy in their friend group without kids.</p><p>In your case, it sounds like your light hasn’t turned on yet, because, whether internal or external, you’re not adequately feeling the pressures that would force you to choose. I suspect that when your hairline begins to creep northward at an alarming rate, or you’re no longer invited to friends’ barbecues because you’re the last bachelor standing (whichever comes first), that light will come on like a siren. Until then, try to avoid making too many women pay the price for your nonchalance.</p><h5>What is a lucrative career path for a 27-year-old guy with good soft skills but not great at STEM?</h5><p>The good news is that there are lucrative career options for people with excellent soft skills, but the bad news is, they are most readily found within STEM-related industries.</p><p>As a general rule, high-paying industries tend to pay well across the board, so you’ll want to look at sectors such as finance, tech, and health care. Most of the career paths in these industries are highly technical, but some essential roles specifically require soft skills that, to be frank, people in technical roles often lack.</p><p>If you have stellar interpersonal skills and can grasp the basics of the industry you enter, roles like sales or investor relations will generally command a high salary. But if you have no talent for anything other than manipulation, human resources could be a great fit.</p><h5>What is the solution to the pain of modern life?</h5><p>As an ancient goddess who has witnessed millennia of human struggles, I have it on good authority that one of the unique pains of modern life is atomization. Family formation is in decline, adult friendships are becoming scant, and civic life is practically nonexistent.</p><p>And yet, human nature has hardly changed. Man has been and continues to be a social animal. You can live in the pod. You can eat the bugs. But you cannot forego real relationships, as tempting as a simulacrum of human interaction as AI companions and social media may seem.</p><p>You must leave your house, find friends, a community, and, ideally, a romantic relationship that leads to a family. If you don’t know where to start, find some social meetups in your area or join a sports league — and if you’re really desperate, you can always try your hand at pickleball.</p>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2024 15:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/return/the-best-internet-advice-column-ever</guid><category>Goddess</category><category>Circe</category><category>Internet</category><category>Advice column</category><category>Tech</category><dc:creator>Circe  Says</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/the-best-internet-advice-column-ever.webp?id=52208250&amp;width=980"></media:content></item></channel></rss>

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