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  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>Sun, 19 May 2024 14:30:00 -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>Bill Maher takes jab at the left's outrage brigade who believe Harrison Butker is 'history's greatest monster'</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/bill-maher-takes-jab-at-the-left-s-outrage-brigade-who-believe-harrison-butker-is-history-s-greatest-monster</link><description><![CDATA[
  3. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52274455&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C22"/><br/><br/><p>Comedian <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/bill-maher-and-bill-burr-agree-louis-ck-should-be-welcomed-back-in-hollywood" target="_blank">Bill Maher</a> recently struck down those outraged on the left who have been critical of Kansas City Chiefs kicker <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/the-view-co-host-sara-haines-proudly-displays-her-ignorance-and-prejudices-with-anti-catholic-rant" target="_blank">Harrison Butker</a>. The comedian said he does not understand why there is such pushback.</p><p>Butker, who is Catholic, made a series of remarks during his commencement speech at the private Catholic school Benedictine College. As a result, many on the left have been outraged, claiming that Butker <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/kansas-city-apologies-for-doxxing-star-kicker-butker-over-catholic-beliefs-but-thats-not-enough-for-the-missouri-ag" target="_blank">should lose his job</a> as a professional football player for the remarks.</p><p class="pull-quote">'I don't see what the big crime is. I really don't.'</p><p>During a panel discussion on Maher's "Real Time," the comedian mocked critics who have characterized Butker as "history's greatest monster."</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1791667403992043965">
  4.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
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  8.        <p>Maher said that he "can't express how much this guy [Butker] is not like me," adding that "[h]e's religious. He loves marriage. He loves kids... And he's now history's greatest monster."</p><p>"Again, I don't agree with much with this guy, but I don't get the thing. He said… ‘Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world.' Ok, that seems fairly, like, modern. ‘But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.’ I don't see what the big crime is. I really don't."</p><p>"And I think this is part of the problem people have with the left is that lots of people in this country are like this. Like he's saying some of you may go on to lead successful careers, but a lot of you are excited about this other way that people- everybody used to be. And now can't that be a choice too?" Maher added.</p><p>"And I feel like they feel very put upon, like there's only one way to be a good person and that's to get an advanced degree from one of those a****** factories like Harvard."</p><p>Maher also went on to address the irony of those on the left cherry-picking what to be outraged about.</p><p>"I find it very ironic that he's saying, ‘You know what, in my world, you know, we like the women to stay at home and just have babies’ and the college kids and the young people find this absolutely abhorrent, but they're demonstrating for Hamas, who make that the law!" Maher said. </p><p>"It's not just an opinion in Hamas, that you stay home and have the babies. They will enforce you [to do] that!"</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>Sun, 19 May 2024 14:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/bill-maher-takes-jab-at-the-left-s-outrage-brigade-who-believe-harrison-butker-is-history-s-greatest-monster</guid><category>Entertainment</category><dc:creator>Collin Jones</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52274455&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>London mayor calls Trump a racist and sexist while trying to build relationship with Republicans</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/london-mayor-calls-trump-a-racist-and-sexist-while-trying-to-build-relationship-with-republicans</link><description><![CDATA[
  9. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52274365&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C1%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Former President Donald Trump's latest critic is London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has called upon his own Labour Party to do more than they have to "call him out," according to a recent report by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/london-mayor-sadiq-khan-condemn-trump-racist-sexist-homophobic?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank">Fox News Digital</a>.</p><p>Khan did not pull any punches, claiming that Trump is a racist, sexist, and homophobe. The statements come after the UK's Labour Party is working to build a closer relationship with Republicans should Trump make it back into the White House.</p><p>However, Khan added that his party should not be "literally rolling out a red carpet for a state visit."</p><p class="pull-quote">'U.S. spending on European defense actually grew under President Trump, as did the defense spending of the wider alliance during his tenure.'</p><p>The report noted that Khan's remarks came shortly after foreign affairs chief David Lemmy said Trump's policies are "often misunderstood," and that he "wants Europeans to do more to ensure a better defended Europe."</p><p>Despite those in the Labour Party trying to generate a working relationship with U.S. Republicans, it does not appear Khan has any interest in solving differences with the Republican frontrunner. </p><p>Politico <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/sadiq-khan-donald-trump-racist-labour-call-him-out-united-kingdom/" target="_blank">reported earlier this week</a> that Khan said he has "more latitude" than some of his colleagues, but he noted that Trump is not someone who is merely "misunderstood."</p><p>“I’m quite clear, I understand on Trump,” Khan said. “He’s a racist. He’s a sexist. He’s a homophobe. And it’s very important, particularly when you’ve got a special relationship, that you treat them as a best mate."</p><p>“If my best mate was a racist, or a sexist or a homophobe, I’d call him out and I’d explain to him why those views are wrong.”</p><p>Khan added that he and his colleagues would form a relationship with whoever becomes U.S. president, "but I lost count of the amount of Republicans I’ve spoken to who are also worried about a Trump presidency."</p><p>Lammy previously referred to Trump as a "neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath," but he also conceded that there were important elements to Trump's presidency that helped European countries.</p><p>"Were his [Trump's] words in office shocking? Yes, they were. Would we have used them? No. But U.S. spending on European defense actually grew under President Trump, as did the defense spending of the wider alliance during his tenure."</p><p>Lammy recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with several Democrats and Trump allies, including Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.</p><p>Earlier this week, Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/05/16/biden-vs-trump-2024-election-polls-biden-losing-support-among-key-voting-blocs/?sh=740ccc2a8821" target="_blank">released a report</a> that suggested President Joe Biden and Trump are virtually tied in the presidential race.</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>Sun, 19 May 2024 13:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/london-mayor-calls-trump-a-racist-and-sexist-while-trying-to-build-relationship-with-republicans</guid><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Collin Jones</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52274365&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'Enemy of free speech': Journalist Eli Lake dismantles anti-Israel activists who lament the closure of college encampments</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/enemy-of-free-speech-journalist-eli-lake-dismantles-anti-israel-activists-who-lament-the-closure-of-college-encampments</link><description><![CDATA[
  10. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52274328&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C1%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>The Free Press journalist <a href="https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/eli-lake-on-israel-anti-semitism" target="_blank">Eli Lake</a> recently stated that <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/la-county-taxpayers-are-footing-the-bill-for-the-defense-of-ucla-s-arrested-protesters" target="_blank">anti-Israel activists</a> who have been causing problems across college campuses have been the "enemy of free speech" for several years, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/journalist-pans-complaints-anti-israel-encampments-being-shut-down-enemy-free-speech?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank">Fox News Digital</a>.</p><p>Lake said that these anti-Israel protesters "[s]etting up encampments in the middle of a quad or taking over a building and then now allowing Zionist students or Zionist professors to enter the quote, unquote 'encampments,' it's not free speech."</p><p>"It's discrimination," Lake continued. "Maybe you could say it's civil disobedience. But it's not a question of free speech."</p><p class="pull-quote">'So I think that one of the problems is there hasn't really been a balance and how the Middle East and this conflict has taught and therefore, some of it is that the professors have encouraged this kind of insane radicalism...'</p><p>Lake went on to suggest that the same anti-Israel activists who claim that they have had their free speech limited will overtly bar certain people groups from accessing their encampment and complain about someone who was invited to speak on campus.</p><p>"That insults our intelligence to take the claims of these people as if they are fighting for free speech when they just discovered that principle five minutes ago."</p><p>"Don't drag free speech into it. I wasn't born yesterday, and I've noticed that over the last 10 years, you have been an enemy of free speech. So don't then make free speech the last refuge of the antisemite," Lake continued. </p><p>Lake spoke at the <a href="https://dissidentdialogues.org" target="_blank">Dissident Dialogues</a> festival in New York City earlier this month, and he acknowledged that some of the activists may be sincere in their rage after seeing the images surfacing from Gaza. However, he said that the anti-Israel prejudice on college campuses has been part of a decades-long indoctrination effort.</p><p>"You have had two generations of professors teaching the history of this region that are activists and far-left activists in the tradition of [the late Palestinian-American professor] Edward Said," Lake said. </p><p>"And I don't have a problem with teaching <a href="https://forward.com/culture/467894/activist-professor-politician-aesthete-the-many-contradictions-of-edward/" target="_blank">Edward Said</a> on campus, but Edward Said's approach has been taught on these campuses at the exclusion of the school of historians they attack, namely [the late British-American professor] Bernard Lewis."</p><p>"So I think that one of the problems is there hasn't really been a balance and how the Middle East and this conflict has taught and therefore, some of it is that the professors have encouraged this kind of insane radicalism and also this delusion that somehow you can eliminate the state of Israel, which is not going to happen."</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>Sun, 19 May 2024 12:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/enemy-of-free-speech-journalist-eli-lake-dismantles-anti-israel-activists-who-lament-the-closure-of-college-encampments</guid><category>Culture</category><dc:creator>Collin Jones</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52274328&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Man charged with rape, murder of Memphis mother Eliza Fletcher gets 80 years for raping, kidnapping Alicia Franklin at gunpoint</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/eliza-fletcher-cleotha-abston-alicia-franklin-rape-murder</link><description><![CDATA[
  11. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52273101&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=14%2C0%2C123%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>The <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/tennessee" target="_blank">Tennessee man</a> charged with the rape and murder of <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/memphis" target="_blank">Memphis</a> mother <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/eliza-fletcher" target="_blank">Eliza Fletcher</a> has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for raping and kidnapping another woman. </p><p>In September 2022, Cleotha Abston made national headlines when <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/eliza-fletcher-missing-suspect-arrested" target="_blank">he was arrested in connection</a> with the abduction and murder of billionaire heiress Eliza Fletcher. Abston is accused of forcing the mother-of-two into a black SUV, which is reportedly seen on surveillance video. Fletcher, a 34-year-old kindergarten school teacher who had been jogging on Central Avenue in Memphis when she was kidnapped, was found dead days later near a vacant duplex.</p><p>In September 2021, Abston reportedly kidnapped and raped another woman at gunpoint. </p><p>On Friday, Abston was sentenced to 80 years in prison for the kidnapping and rape of Alicia Franklin.</p><p>Abston was sentenced in the Franklin case to 40 years in prison for aggravated rape, 20 years for aggravated kidnapping, and 20 years for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He waived his right to a formal sentence hearing.</p><p>Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee ruled that the sentences would run consecutively.</p><p>Judge Coffee said Abston treated Franklin with "exceptional cruelty.”</p><p>The judge <a href="https://wreg.com/news/local/cleotha-abston-agrees-to-80-year-sentence-in-alicia-franklin-rape-kidnapping/" target="_blank">told</a> the courtroom, "When this defendant placed a gun to her face, to her neck and told her quote 'BLEEP' if you say anything or move, I will kill you.' This is especially troubling."</p><p>Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman said in a <a href="https://www.scdag.com/news-releases/deputy-da-paul-hagerman-issues-statement-after-cleotha-abston-receives-80-year-sentence" target="_blank">statement</a>, "We've been committed to justice for Alicia Franklin and Liza Fletcher since the awful crimes against them. My office asked for, and he received an 80-year maximum sentence with no possibility of parole."</p><p>"His violent history and these crimes demand sentences that ensure he'll get out of prison, ever," Hagerman continued. "This sentence alone ensures that — but we are not done."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  12.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="15d91f7ba80cb33d4156fd1e4da1a3b1" 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/HLWINKGfuho?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  13.        <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Reaction to Cleotha Abston verdict</small>
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  16.    <a href="https://youtu.be/HLWINKGfuho?si=uzXsQ8b7JKz1l83N" target="_blank">youtu.be</a>
  17.  
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  19.        </p><p> Abston, 40, was not arrested until the death of Fletcher – a full year later after his <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/crime" target="_blank">heinous crimes</a> against Franklin.</p><p>Abston has a history of criminal charges dating back to the 1990s – starting when he was 12 years old. The judge said Abston was involved with more than 30 infractions during his life. </p><p>An autopsy report showed Fletcher died of a gunshot wound to the head, and also suffered injuries to her right leg and jaw.</p><p>Abston's trial for the suspected kidnapping and murder of Fletcher is expected to begin on June 17.</p><p>Prosecutors have said they will pursue the death penalty if Abston is convicted of first-degree murder in Fletcher's death. <br/></p><p>Abston has pleaded not guilty. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  20.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1c2b1c0772f8b6ce58b4b0f8114e6921" 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/zwWRde-B5J0?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  21.        <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Woman claims she was assaulted by suspect in Eliza Fletcher case l GMA</small>
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  24.    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwWRde-B5J0" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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  28.            <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>Sun, 19 May 2024 05:09:27 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/eliza-fletcher-cleotha-abston-alicia-franklin-rape-murder</guid><category>Murder</category><category>Kidnapping</category><category>Eliza fletcher</category><category>Alicia franklin</category><category>Rape</category><category>Cleotha abston</category><category>Memphis crime</category><category>Crime</category><category>Crime &amp; human interest</category><dc:creator>Paul Sacca</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52273101&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Alice Stewart, veteran GOP advisor and CNN commentator, dies at 58 just hours after appearing on network: 'Can't believe she's gone'</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/alice-stewart-sudden-death-cnn-tributes</link><description><![CDATA[
  29. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52273055&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C30%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Alice Stewart, a veteran GOP adviser and CNN political commentator, has died. She was 58.</p><p>Stewart's body was found outdoors in the northern Virginia neighborhood of Bellevue on Saturday morning, according to law enforcement officials. </p><p>Police said no foul play was suspected in her death and that Stewart likely suffered a medical emergency.</p><p>Just hours before her death, Stewart appeared on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" on Friday evening. </p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7FJAMLOA8y/?hl=en" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background:#FFF; border:0;
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  47.        </blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>
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  49.            <p>Stewart launched her career as a local reporter and producer in Georgia. She then worked as a news anchor in Little Rock, Arkansas.<br/></p><p>From there, she became the communications director for then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 2008 campaign for president. </p><p>Stewart also served as communications director for GOP presidential candidates, including former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, and Sen. Ted Cruz.</p><p>Tributes poured in for the longtime GOP adviser. </p><p>Sen. Cruz said in a <a href="https://x.com/tedcruz/status/1791957392332107821" target="_blank">post on the X</a> social media platform, "Alice was wonderful and talented and a dear friend. She lived every day to the fullest, and she will be deeply missed."</p><p>Former Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock <a href="https://x.com/BarbaraComstock/status/1791963149052022879" target="_blank">stated</a>, "So saddened to hear of the <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/sudden-death" target="_blank">sudden passing</a> of ⁦Alice Stewart. Alice was a smart, principled and talented role model for women in politics and media and always a delight to be with. She will be missed."</p><p><span></span>Kellyanne Conway –  ex-counselor to former <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_blank">President Donald Trump</a> – <a href="https://x.com/KellyannePolls/status/1791977345936412799" target="_blank">said</a>, "Alice Stewart was a remarkable woman of faith, a friend & colleague. She was the same person on-air & off-air: smart, witty, authentic, kind, respectful, insightful. She took the time to help those next in line. I loved &respected Alice & will miss her." </p><p>Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie honored Stewart by <a href="https://twitter.com/GovChristie/status/1791953034123108840" target="_blank">saying</a>, "I am stunned and saddened by the news of Alice Stewart’s passing. She was a political pro and a wonderfully nice person to just have a conversation with on any topic. I will miss Alice and will pray for her family."</p><p>Alyssa Farah Griffin – ex-communications director for former President Trump – <a href="https://twitter.com/Alyssafarah/status/1791952957107212564" target="_blank">remarked</a>, "Gutted over this news. Alice Stewart was smart, savvy, funny & most importantly kind. She felt like she was from another era - a more decent one where we'd disagree respectfully. She was kind to me when I was in a low place & I’ll never forget it. Sending love to those closest to her."</p><p>Stewart was hired by CNN as a political commentator ahead of the 2016 presidential election. </p><p>CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer <a href="https://x.com/wolfblitzer/status/1791968167146762558" target="_blank">stated</a>, "<span style="background-color: initial;">I’m so sad that my friend and </span><span style="background-color: initial;">CNN</span> colleague <span style="background-color: initial;">Alice Stewart</span> has passed away. It was only yesterday when she joined Maria Cardona and me for her always excellent political analysis. She was a very special person and we will miss her. May she Rest In Peace and may her Memory Be A Blessing."</p><p>CNN anchor Jake Tapper <a href="https://x.com/jaketapper/status/1791945425739493795" target="_blank">said</a>, "Horrible news about our beloved and gifted commentator Alice Stewart. Just awful. We are all gutted."</p><p>Political commentator Ana Navarro <a href="https://twitter.com/ananavarro/status/1791948386318344248" target="_blank">stated</a>, "I'm very sad about this news. Alice was kind, decent, hard-working and a woman whose faith sustained her. She was a breath of fresh air – always professional – at a time when lack of decorum and civility reign in political discussions. May she rest in peace."</p><p>CNN anchor Jim Acosta <a href="https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/1791949929952198835" target="_blank">added</a>, My heart is broken over the passing of our dear colleague Alice Stewart. We’ve been friends going back to the 2012 campaign. We spent so many weekends talking politics with the wonderful Maria Cardona – they always spoke so passionately but with kindness and civility. Alice was my friend and I loved her. RIP."</p><p>Democratic political strategist Maria Cardona <a href="https://twitter.com/MariaTCardona/status/1791968679896170839" target="_blank">said</a>, "I am turned inside out at this tragic news. As many know, Alice & I were like sisters from opposite ends of the political aisle. We debated but with respect. I will miss her dearly but seems God needed some top-notch communications help. RIP beautiful friend."</p><p>CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins <a href="https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/1791945658682732547" target="_blank">expressed</a>, "Just devastating news about our colleague Alice Stewart. She will always be remembered by her kindness above all."</p><p>Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile <a href="https://x.com/donnabrazile/status/1791944961807601686" target="_blank">said</a>, "I first met Alice when she joined CNN. A smart, wise and affable colleague who will be missed. My condolences to her family and many colleagues and friends. Rest in peace."</p><p>Former CNN anchor Poppy Harlow <a href="https://x.com/PoppyHarlowCNN/status/1791974079374749986" target="_blank">added</a>, "Sending my love and support to Alice Stewart’s family tonight. She was a remarkable woman who I always loved having on our shows. She was whip-smart, deeply thoughtful, and always kind. She will be so missed."</p><p>CNN anchor Dana Bash <a href="https://x.com/DanaBashCNN/status/1791957077910270370" target="_blank">paid</a> her respects, "Alice Stewart was a woman’s woman who brought kindness and support along with smarts and expertise. I met her in Iowa in 2007 covering the Huckabee presidential campaign and worked with her in politics before I got to call her a CNN colleague. I can’t believe she’s gone."</p><p>Former CNN anchor Brian Stelter <a href="https://x.com/brianstelter/status/1791957702215672304" target="_blank">said</a>, "Such an awful shock. Alice Stewart was a consummate pro who made every show she was on so much BETTER. More importantly, she had a huge heart and a generous spirit."</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>
  50.        <p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  51.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7e527e69235668a517598e47eba2ea26" 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/mWznALDxVBE?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  52.        <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">CNN political commentator Alice Stewart dies at age 58</small>
  53.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
  54.            
  55.    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWznALDxVBE" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
  56.  
  57.        </small>
  58.        </p>
  59.            ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2024 02:44:50 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/alice-stewart-sudden-death-cnn-tributes</guid><category>Celebrity deaths</category><category>Alice stewart</category><category>Cnn</category><category>Sudden death</category><category>Died suddenly</category><category>Ted cruz</category><category>Mike huckabee</category><category>Brian stelter</category><category>Jake tapper</category><category>Poppy harlow</category><category>Death tributes</category><category>Twitter reactions</category><category>Jim acosta</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Paul Sacca</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52273055&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Elon Musk demands Anthony Fauci be prosecuted after NIH admits to funding gain-of-function research at Wuhan lab</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/fauci-gain-of-function-musk-wuhan-lab</link><description><![CDATA[
  60. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52272883&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C39"/><br/><br/><p><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/elon-musk" target="_blank">Elon Musk</a> demanded the prosecution of <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/anthony-fauci" target="_blank">Dr. Anthony Fauci</a> after a <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/national-institutes-of-health" target="_self">National Institutes of Health</a> official confessed that U.S. taxpayer funds were used for risky <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/gain-of-function-research" target="_self">gain-of-function research</a> in Wuhan, China. The alarming admission by the top NIH bureaucrat directly contradicts sworn testimony that Fauci made when questioned by Congress. </p><p>On Thursday, acting NIH Director and current Principal Deputy Director Dr. Lawrence Tabak was questioned during a hearing by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. The hearing had a <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-nih-repeatedly-refutes-ecohealth-alliance-president-dr-peter-daszaks-testimony-tabak-testimony-reveals-federal-grant-procedures-in-need-of-serious-reform/" target="_blank">mission</a> to compel Tabak to "explain numerous inconsistencies between the public and private testimonies of NIH employees and EcoHealth President, Dr. Peter Daszak."</p><p>Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) asked Tabak about the NIH's role in risky gain-of-function research conducted at the <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/wuhan-institute-of-virology" target="_self">Wuhan Institute of Virology</a> through the Manhattan-based EcoHealth Alliance – the nonprofit organization that was involved in controversial coronavirus experiments.</p><p>Lesko inquired, "Dr. Tabak, did <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/nih" target="_self">NIH</a> fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through EcoHealth?"</p><p>Tabak replied, "It depends on your definition of gain-of-function research. If you’re speaking about the generic term, yes, we did."</p><p> The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic declared, "Dr. Tabak offered substantial evidence that Dr. Daszak purposefully misled both the NIH and the Select Subcommittee about EcoHealth’s efforts to comply with grant procedures."</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Did the NIH Fund Gain-of-Function Research in Wuhan? 🤔 <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRandPaul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenRandPaul</a> <a href="https://t.co/arlId1Vfcj">pic.twitter.com/arlId1Vfcj</a><br/>— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1791135493150700016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><p>Tabak's response also contradicts Fauci's repeated claims that there was no gain-of-function research at the <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/wuhan-lab" target="_self">Wuhan lab</a> funded by the NIH. <br/></p><p>As <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/paul-fauci-clash-wuhan-leak" target="_blank">Blaze News previously reported</a>, Fauci clashed with <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/rand-paul" target="_blank">Sen. Rand Paul</a> (R-Ky.) during a fiery confrontation before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in May 2021. </p><p>Paul asked Fauci, "Dr. Fauci, do you still support funding of the NIH funding of the lab in Wuhan?" </p><p>Fauci answered, "Sen. Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely, entirely and completely incorrect. The NIH has not ever, and does not now, fund 'gain of function research' in the Wuhan Institute."</p><p>In July 2021, <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/sen-rand-paul-files-another-criminal-referral-to-doj-alleging-fauci-lied" target="_blank">Paul pressed Fauci about the NIH</a> using taxpayer money to fund gain-of-research experiments at the Wuhan lab. </p><p>Paul asked, "Dr. Fauci, knowing that it is a crime to lie to Congress, do you wish to retract your statement of May 11, where you claimed that the NIH never funded gain-of-function research?"</p><p>Fauci replied, "Sen. Paul, I have never lied before the Congress. And I do not retract that statement."</p><p>Fauci, now 83, then attacked Paul by saying, "You don't know what you're talking about, quite frankly."</p><p>On Wednesday, Paul told <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/rand-paul-scientist-gain-of-function/2024/05/16/id/1164923/" target="_blank">Newsmax</a>, "So, you have this bureaucrat Anthony Fauci in charge of the money spigot who is not really a researcher in this, but saying adamantly that it wasn't gain-of-function. Why does he say that? Because he wants to escape responsibility for having funded research and for having made the terrible decision to fund research that led to a pandemic that killed millions of people."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  61.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a259c46b7205bad00ab08d43c093e437" 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/JSt7ls2zIoY?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  62.        <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Dr. Paul Questions Dr. Fauci on Wuhan Lab and Gain of Function Research - May 11, 2021</small>
  63.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
  64.            
  65.    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSt7ls2zIoY" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
  66.  
  67.        </small>
  68.        </p><p>On Friday, Elon Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1791480027416060350" target="_blank">wrote</a> on the X social media platform: "Prosecute/Fauci." </p><p>U.S. Code <a href="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2014-title18/pdf/USCODE-2014-title18-partI-chap79-sec1621.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Section 1621</a> states that anyone who "willfully and contrary to such oath states or subscribes any material matter which he does not believe to be true" is guilty of perjury and shall be fined or imprisoned up to five years, or both. The statute of limitations for perjury is five years from the time the statement was made.</p><p>The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services <a href="https://www.phe.gov/s3/dualuse/Pages/GainOfFunction.aspx" target="_blank">defines</a> gain-of-function research as:</p><blockquote>Studies, or research that improves the ability of a pathogen to cause disease, help define the fundamental nature of human-pathogen interactions, thereby enabling assessment of the pandemic potential of emerging infectious agents, informing public health and preparedness efforts, and furthering medical countermeasure development.</blockquote><p>In October 2014, the Obama administration halted all federal funding for risky gain-of-function studies. </p><p>Former President Barack Obama's White House <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/10/17/doing-diligence-assess-risks-and-benefits-life-sciences-gain-function-researcH" target="_blank">announced</a> a "pause" to "assess the potential risks and benefits associated with a subset of life sciences research known as 'gain-of-function' studies."</p><p>The NIH <a href="https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/nih-lifts-funding-pause-gain-function-research" target="_blank">announced</a> in December 2017 – when <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/donald-trump" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> was president – that it was lifting the funding pause on gain-of-function experiments. </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>Sun, 19 May 2024 01:15:31 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/fauci-gain-of-function-musk-wuhan-lab</guid><category>Anthony fauci</category><category>Covid</category><category>Elon musk</category><category>Gain of function</category><category>Gain of function research</category><category>Nih</category><category>Pandemic</category><category>Rand paul</category><category>Senator rand paul</category><category>Wuhan institute of virology</category><category>Wuhan lab</category><category>Covid origin</category><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Paul Sacca</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52272883&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Disturbing video shows 'extremely intoxicated' Diddy brutally assaulting former girlfriend, LA DA says rapper won't be prosecuted</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/diddyassault-video-girlfriend-hotel-la-da</link><description><![CDATA[
  69. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52272603&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=56%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Disturbing video has surfaced of <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/entertainment" target="_blank">entertainment</a> mogul <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/sean-diddy-combs" target="_blank">Sean "Diddy" Combs</a> brutally assaulting his former girlfriend at a <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/california" target="_blank">California hotel</a> in 2016. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has issued a statement on the physical assault and declared that the rapper will not be prosecuted. </p><p>The troubling footage obtained and released by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/17/entertainment/sean-combs-cassie-ventura/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> shows Diddy grab, shove, drag, and kick his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. CNN verified the location of the alleged attack that was captured by the hotel's surveillance cameras on March 5, 2016. </p><p>The alarming video shows Ventura walking barefoot down a hotel hallway on her way to the elevator. Seconds later, Diddy is seen wearing only a towel sprinting down the same corridor. </p><p><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/diddy" target="_blank">Diddy</a> is seen sneaking up on Ventura from behind and then smacking her in the back of the head and dragging her to the ground. He then kicks her while she is down. </p><p>The rapper grabs her bag and then stomps on her again. He grabs her by her jacket and drags her back toward his hotel room. </p><p> The Bad Boy Records founder walks back to the hotel room to drop off the bag, but then returns. </p><p>Ventura picks up a phone in the hallway near the elevators. </p><p>In the footage, Diddy appears to shove his then-girlfriend before hurling an object toward her. </p><p>The savage attack matches the allegations that Ventura made in a federal lawsuit that was filed in November 2023. In the suit, Ventura accused Combs of rape, sex trafficking, and domestic violence during their off-and-on relationship from 2007 to 2018.</p><p>Ventura alleged Combs "often punched, beat, kicked and stomped" her during their relationship, according to court filings.</p><p>The 37-page complaint read: "In or around March 2016, during an FO at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, Mr. Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye."<br/></p><p>"After he fell asleep, Ms. Ventura tried to leave the hotel room, but as she exited, Mr. Combs awoke and began screaming at Ms. Ventura. He followed her into the hallway of the hotel while yelling at her," the complaint continued. "He grabbed at her, and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her, causing glass to crash around them as she ran to the elevator to escape."</p><p>Ventura <a href="https://people.com/los-angeles-d-a-unable-to-charge-diddy-for-cassie-assault-video-8650761" target="_blank">reportedly</a> was able to flee from Combs and leave the hotel in a cab. However, the lawsuit said that "upon realizing that her running away would cause Mr. Combs to be even angrier with her, and completely stuck in his vicious cycle of abuse, Ms. Ventura returned to the hotel with intention of apologizing for running away from her abuser."</p><p>When Ventura arrived back at the InterContinental Hotel, security staff purportedly "urged her to get back into a cab and go to her apartment, suggesting that they had seen the security footage" of Combs assaulting her, according to the lawsuit.</p><p>"Upon information and belief, Mr. Combs paid the InterContinental Century City $50,000 for the hallway security footage from that evening," the lawsuit claimed. </p><p>The lawsuit was settled after one day. </p><p>At the time of the settlement, Ventura said that she "decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control." </p><p>Diddy said at the time, "We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love."</p><p>Combs – a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party – has consistently denied the assault accusations.</p><p>Douglas H. Wigdor, Ventura's lawyer, issued a statement in response to the newly-released video: "The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light."</p><p>Ventura's husband, model Alex Fine, posted a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7FM_EoulZk" target="_blank">statement</a> on Instagram on Friday that did not mention Diddy by name, "Men who hit women aren't men. Men who enable it and protect these people aren’t men."</p><p>Fine added, "To the abusers, you’re done, you’re not safe anymore, you’re not protected anymore and the men by your side are just as weak, you’re so miserable with yourself that d**th would be considered a kindness."</p><p>The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has put out a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7FwszzJMin/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=438a14f8-69a7-4534-865d-a7bdca0253f5" target="_blank">statement</a> declaring that the assault will not be prosecuted. </p><p>"We are aware of the video that has been circulating online allegedly depicting Sean Combs assaulting a young woman in Los Angeles," the statement began. "We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch."</p><p>The L.A. DA's office continued, "If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted."</p><p>Under California state law, the statute of limitations for simple assault is one year and three years for felony assault.</p><p>The statement concluded, "As of today, law enforcement has not presented a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs, but we encourage anyone who has been a victim or witness to a crime to report it to law enforcement or reach out to our office for support from our Bureau of Victims Service."</p><p>(<strong><em>WARNING: Graphic video</em></strong>)</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  70.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="184746adb2721f6d14b7b28db58fb0eb" 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/3Ti0hUQPy5U?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  71.        <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Sean 'Diddy' Combs seen on video assaulting Cassie Ventura in 2016</small>
  72.        <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
  73.            
  74.    <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ti0hUQPy5U" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
  75.  
  76.        </small>
  77.        </p><p><br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 21:28:09 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/diddyassault-video-girlfriend-hotel-la-da</guid><category>Cassie</category><category>Cassie ventura</category><category>Diddy</category><category>Diddy assaulting cassie</category><category>Diddy cassie</category><category>Diddy combs</category><category>Entertainment</category><category>Sean combs</category><category>Sean combs lawsuit</category><category>Video of diddy and cassie</category><category>Crime &amp; human interest</category><dc:creator>Paul Sacca</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52272603&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Former teacher gets lengthy federal prison sentence for taking student out of state for illegal sexual acts, abusing minor 30 times</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/former-teacher-federal-prison-sex-student</link><description><![CDATA[
  78. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52272361&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=102%2C0%2C145%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><strong> </strong>A former <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/arkansas" target="_blank">Arkansas teacher</a> has been sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for taking a student out of state to engage in illegal sexual acts. </p><p>On Wednesday, United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky sentenced Heather Hare to 13 years in federal prison for transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of unlawful sexual activity. Hare had faced a maximum sentence of no less than 10 years in federal prison and up to life imprisonment.</p><p>Hare was also sentenced to serve a lifetime of supervised release. </p><p>Hare was indicted on Aug. 1, 2023, and charged with one count of interstate/foreign travel for prostitution/sexual activity by coercion and one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. </p><p>Hare pleaded guilty in January, and the remaining charge was dismissed. </p><p>The 33-year-old woman had been a teacher at Bryant High School in Conway, Arkansas. She had taught Family Consumer Science classes until she resigned on April 1.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/teacher-sex-scandal-arrested-arkansas" target="_blank">Blaze News previously reported</a>, Hare turned herself in at the Saline County Detention Center on the morning of April 14 after the Saline County Sheriff's Office issued a warrant for arrest. Detectives suspected Hare of engaging in <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/sexual-misconduct" target="_blank">sexual misconduct</a> with a student. She was initially charged with felony charges of <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/sexual-assault" target="_blank">first-degree sexual assault</a>.</p><p>Investigators said that Hare met the student on his first day of senior year. </p><p>The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas stated in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-edar/pr/former-bryant-high-school-teacher-sentenced-13-years-federal-prison-transportation" target="_blank">press release</a> that Hare began "one-on-one counseling sessions with the minor victim," and eventually gave the minor her personal phone number. She also reportedly communicated with the student through Instagram and Snapchat.</p><p>She allegedly told the victim that she had a "dream" of them having sex. Hare later gave the student her home address. </p><p>Federal authorities determined that Hare and the student engaged in illicit sexual activity between 20 to 30 times throughout the 2021-2022 school term. The <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/child-sex-crimes" target="_blank">illegal sex acts</a> reportedly took place at Hare's home, her vehicle, her classroom, and in parking lots at Bryant High School. </p><p>In April 2022, Hare was the sponsor and chaperone to a class field trip to Washington, D.C. During the school trip, Hare and the student engaged in unlawful sexual activity. </p><p>United States Attorney Jonathan Ross said of the <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/child-sexual-abuse" target="_blank">child sexual abuse case</a>, "Teachers who have <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/tag/teacher-sex-scandal" target="_blank">sex with their minor students</a> should take note of today’s sentence for Ms. Hare which reflects the consequences of abusing her position of trust and taking advantage of the vulnerability of this minor to repeatedly engage in unlawful sexual activity."</p><p>He added, "Our office will continue to hold accountable those who are in a position of trust that target children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law, as evidenced by Judge Rudofsky sentencing Ms. Hare to 13 years in federal prison."</p><p>Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Corder of the Little Rock Field Office stated, "The FBI takes crimes against children very seriously. Today’s sentencing shows that the federal government will continuously work to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals who abuse their position of trust and authority to exploit children in our community."</p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self"><em>Sign up here</em></a>!</p>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 19:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/former-teacher-federal-prison-sex-student</guid><category>Crime</category><category>Teacher sex scandal</category><category>Sex crimes</category><category>Child sex crimes</category><category>Child sexual abuse</category><category>Bad teachers</category><category>Crime &amp; human interest</category><dc:creator>Paul Sacca</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52272361&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>'He'll be missed': Chris Pratt breaks silence after the death of his 'Guardians of the Galaxy' stunt double</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/he-ll-be-missed-chris-pratt-breaks-silence-after-the-death-of-his-guardians-of-the-galaxy-stunt-double</link><description><![CDATA[
  79. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52272060&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=95%2C0%2C91%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Actor Chris Pratt has finally broken his silence after learning about the death of his stunt double Tony McFarr. The stunt double reportedly passed away at his home outside Orlando, Florida, on May 13. The family still does not know the specific cause of death, according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/05/13/entertainment/chris-pratt-slammed-for-snubbing-anna-faris-on-mothers-day-2024/" target="_blank">New York Post</a>.</p><p class="pull-quote">'He'll be missed.'</p><p>Pratt shared a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prattprattpratt/?hl=en" target="_blank">statement on Instagram Stories</a>, writing: "Devastated to hear about the loss of my friend and former stunt double Tony McFarr. We did several movies together. We golfed, drank whiskey, smoked cigars, and spent endless hours on set. I’ll never forget his toughness."</p><p>“I remember he took a nasty shot to the head (in the title sequence of Guardians 2) and got several staples in his head – he came right back to work ready to go again,” he added. “He was an absolute stud. He was always a gentleman and professional.”</p><p>“He’ll be missed,” Pratt concluded. "My prayers go out to his friends and family, especially his daughter."</p><p>TMZ <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/05/16/chris-pratt-stunt-double-tony-mcfarr-dead-dies-guardians-of-the-galaxy/" target="_blank">reported</a> that McFarr's mother, Donna, said her son passed away on Monday at his Orlando home. And while no cause of death has been reported, she said his passing was "unexpected and shocking."</p><p>She went on to say that her son was "active and healthy," and that the medical examiner is running toxicology reports to find out what happened. </p><p>McFarr got his start on the big screen in 2011 when he acted as a stunt double for the hit television show "Bones." He went on to perform in well-known projects such as "Teen Wolf," "Homeland," "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 1," "Furious 7," and "Captain America: Civil War."</p><p>The news comes after actors Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling have been vocal about their appreciation for their stunt doubles following the release of their film "The Fall Guy." They have said that stunt doubles do not get the credit they deserve in Hollywood.</p><p>“They come in and take hits for us, and they’re always looking out for our safety,” <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/the-real-action-heroes-the-fall-guy-s-ryan-gosling-emily-blunt-shine-light-on-stunt-doubles" target="_blank">Gosling said</a>.</p><p>“They come to set, do the hard stuff and risk more than anyone – and sort of get none of the credit. It’s cut together to make it seem like you did it. So it’s really nice to be part of something that finally shines the light on them,” he added.</p><p>“And to show that it is an art form,” he concluded. “Because sometimes people think it’s just about taking a hit or falling down, but that’s just a small part of it.”</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  80.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="469a461f66e60e8c17ab302793de7266" 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/q_AbVHc6r7Q?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  81.        
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  83.        </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>Sat, 18 May 2024 18:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/he-ll-be-missed-chris-pratt-breaks-silence-after-the-death-of-his-guardians-of-the-galaxy-stunt-double</guid><category>Entertainment</category><dc:creator>Collin Jones</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52272060&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>OpenAI created the 'Superalignment' team to help keep 'superintelligent' AI safe, and now it has been disbanded: Report</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/openai-created-the-superalignment-team-to-help-keep-superintelligent-ai-safe-and-now-it-has-been-disbanded-report</link><description><![CDATA[
  84. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52272007&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>The <a href="https://openai.com/index/introducing-superalignment/" target="_blank">Superalignment team</a> at OpenAI, tasked with coming up with ways to govern and direct "superintelligent" AI systems, was previously promised 20% of the company's compute resources, but that never manifested. This resulted in the team not being able to sufficiently complete their job, according to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/17/openai-created-a-team-to-control-superintelligent-ai-then-let-it-wither-source-says/?guccounter=1" target="_blank">Tech Crunch</a>.</p><p>As a result, several team members, including co-lead Jan Leike, have decided to resign from their posts. Leike was a former DeepMind researcher who helped develop ChatGPT, GPT-4, and ChatGPT's predecessor, InstructGPT.</p><p class="pull-quote">'These problems are quite hard to get right, and I am concerned we aren’t on a trajectory to get there.'</p><p>In a lengthy thread, Leike posted to X, writing: "I joined because I thought OpenAI would be the best place in the world to do this research. However, I have been disagreeing with OpenAI leadership about the company's core priorities for quite some time, until we finally reached a breaking point."</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1791498178346549382">
  85.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  86.        <a href="https://twitter.com/janleike/status/1791498178346549382"></a>
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  88.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>“I believe much more of our bandwidth should be spent getting ready for the next generations of models, on security, monitoring, preparedness, safety, adversarial robustness, (super)alignment, confidentiality, societal impact, and related topics," <a href="https://twitter.com/janleike/status/1791498179885842909" target="_blank">he continued</a>. "These problems are quite hard to get right, and I am concerned we aren’t on a trajectory to get there.”</p><p>Now, the OpenAI's Superalignment team has been disbanded just one year after the company announced the group, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/17/openai-superalignment-sutskever-leike.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a>. The report mentioned that OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever has also decided to leave the company. </p><p>Leik said that OpenAI's "safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products."</p><p>When OpenAI's Superalignment team was announced in 2023, it noted that it was focused on "scientific and technical breakthroughs to steer and control AI systems much smarter than us."</p><p>The announcement added: "Superintelligence will be the most impactful technology humanity has ever invented, and could help us solve many of the world’s most important problems. But the vast power of superintelligence could also be very dangerous, and could lead to the disempowerment of humanity or even human extinction."</p><p>Co-founder and CEO Sam Altman <a href="https://x.com/sama/status/1791543264090472660" target="_blank">commented on Leike's thread</a>, writing: "i'm super appreciative of @janleike's contributions to openai's alignment research and safety culture, and very sad to see him leave. he's right we have a lot more to do; we are committed to doing it. i'll have a longer post in the next couple of days."</p><p>Leik <a href="https://twitter.com/janleike/status/1791498182125584843" target="_blank">wrote</a>: “Over the past few months my team has been sailing against the wind. Sometimes we were struggling for [computing resources] and it was getting harder and harder to get this crucial research done.”</p><p>Leike noted that OpenAI must be more focused on the safety of its technology, saying that "[b]uilding smarter-than-human machines is an inherently dangerous endeavor."</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>Sat, 18 May 2024 17:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/openai-created-the-superalignment-team-to-help-keep-superintelligent-ai-safe-and-now-it-has-been-disbanded-report</guid><category>Tech</category><dc:creator>Collin Jones</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52272007&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Former diversity manager for Facebook and Nike gets five years in prison for stealing $5 million</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/former-diversity-manager-for-facebook-and-nike-gets-five-years-in-prison-for-stealing-5-million</link><description><![CDATA[
  89. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52271946&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=15%2C0%2C12%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>The former diversity program manager for Nike and Facebook who stole more than $5 million from large companies to support her luxury lifestyle has been sentenced to five years in prison, according to the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/former-diversity-program-manager-facebook-and-nike-sentenced-federal-prison-5-million" target="_blank">U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia</a>. </p><p>Barbara Furlow-Smiles, 38, set up false business deals, invoices, and events—including a Juneteenth celebration—to pad her own pockets.</p><p>U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan said: "Furlow-Smiles shamelessly violated her position of trust as a DEI executive at Facebook to steal millions from the company utilizing a scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fake invoices, and cash kickbacks."</p><p class="pull-quote">'[S]he carelessly continued her fraudulent schemes at Nike, thinking she was untouchable.'</p><p>“After being terminated from Facebook, she brazenly continued the fraud as a DEI leader at Nike, where she stole another six-figure sum from their diversity program. Her prison sentence reflects the consequences of her decision to orchestrate an intricate scheme to defraud two of her employers for personal profit.”</p><p>The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/05/08/business/facebook-oversight-board-set-to-rule-on-from-the-river-to-the-sea-ban/" target="_blank">reported</a> that Furlow-Smiles pleaded guilty to the wire fraud scheme in December, which allowed her to take $4.9 million from Facebook before siphoning a six-figure amount from Nike.</p><p>The social media juggernaut claimed that Furlow-Smiles' "crimes also resulted in anguish amongst those employees that worked closely with her." Nike went on to say that her "complete lack of accountability or remorse was incredibly disappointing," per memos that were obtained by <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/16/facebook-nike-furlow-smile-prison-fraud.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a>.</p><p>From early 2017 to late 2021, Furlow-Smiles "led diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at Facebook and was responsible for developing and executing DEI initiatives, operations, and engagement programs," according to prosecutors in the case.</p><p>The U.S. Attorney's Office stated that Furlow-Smiles managed to get others involved in her schemes, noting that these individuals included "friends, relatives, former interns from a prior job, nannies and babysitters, a hair stylist, and her university tutor."</p><p>“As Lead Strategist at Facebook, Furlow-Smiles’ employer put an extreme amount of trust in her, only to have that trust completely violated,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “After she was fired, she carelessly continued her fraudulent schemes at Nike, thinking she was untouchable. As a result, she not only threw away a lucrative career, but will serve time behind bars for her excessive greed.”</p><p>The New York Post reported that neither Facebook nor Nike responded to requests for comment.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  90.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4c5a14ffd752863d3a23e46bf984dd75" 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/JbOlpqlN6mo?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  91.        
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  93.        </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>Sat, 18 May 2024 16:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/former-diversity-manager-for-facebook-and-nike-gets-five-years-in-prison-for-stealing-5-million</guid><category>Crime</category><dc:creator>Collin Jones</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52271946&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Zac Brown sues his estranged wife for violating a confidentiality agreement, seeks restraining order</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/zac-brown-sues-his-estranged-wife-for-violating-a-confidentiality-agreement-seeks-restraining-order</link><description><![CDATA[
  94. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52271806&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>Country music artist Zac Brown has filed a lawsuit against his estranged wife after she shared an Instagram post that he claims has damaged his reputation, according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/05/18/entertainment/zac-brown-sues-estranged-wife-kelly-yazdi-to-remove-an-instagram-post/?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=nypost&utm_medium=social" target="_blank">New York Post</a>.</p><p>Though it is unclear which of the 33-year-old model Kelly Yazdi's Instagram posts Brown is referring to, he has insisted that it violated a confidentiality agreement she had signed with him. Now, the country artist wants a judge to block her from making false, harmful, or defamatory statements, according to a <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/05/17/zac-brown-suse-estranged-wife-kelly-yazdi-restraining-order/" target="_blank">second report.</a></p><p>Brown is seeking emergency injunctive relief in the form of a temporary restraining order that will force Yazdi to take down the Instagram post in question. However, a judge has yet to make a ruling on the situation. </p><p class="pull-quote">'Our mutual respect for one another remains. We wish each other the best and will always appreciate our time together.'</p><p>It is uncertain if this Instagram post is the one Brown referred to, but on May 4, Yazdi wrote the following on the platform: "Projections. Gaslighting. Threatening. Stonewalling. Those are the ingredients of narcissistic abuse. That 'love' is conditional. 'Love' disguised as compromise when in reality, it was control."</p><p>"It nearly destroyed her… his betrayal forced her down a road through hell and brutal heartbreak, and the terrifying reality of narcissistic abuse… the scary truth that patiently waited to unmask itself only after vows were made."</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6iqoeorxlX/?hl=en" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background:#FFF; border:0;
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  104.                <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;">
  105.                    <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6iqoeorxlX/?hl=en" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
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  108.                        word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">See on Instagram</a>
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  112.        </blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>Brown reportedly proposed to the model and actress while on vacation in Hawaii in 2022. The couple married in a private ceremony in Brown's home state of Georgia in August 2023 before announcing their divorce four months later.</p><p>The two told <a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/12/29/entertainment/zac-brown-wife-kelly-yazdi-divorcing-after-4-months-of-marriage/?_ga=2.176072994.1004991523.1715742945-1123059210.1706427282" target="_blank">Page Six</a> that "[w]e are in the process of divorce" at the time.</p><p>“Our mutual respect for one another remains. We wish each other the best and will always appreciate our time together. As we navigate this personal matter, we simply request privacy during this time.”</p><p>Despite the announcement of a divorce, TMZ reported that there is no public record of a divorce case pending for the couple. However, Brown's attorney said the two recently filed for divorce.</p><p>This was not the first time Brown was married. He was previously married to jewelry designer Shelly Brown, with whom he shares five children. The two announced their divorce in October 2018 after being married for 12 years.</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>Sat, 18 May 2024 15:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/zac-brown-sues-his-estranged-wife-for-violating-a-confidentiality-agreement-seeks-restraining-order</guid><category>Entertainment</category><dc:creator>Collin Jones</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52271806&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Brawl erupts during Tennessee high school graduation after a student throws up gang signs</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/brawl-erupts-during-tennessee-high-school-graduation-after-a-student-throws-up-gang-signs</link><description><![CDATA[
  113. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52271770&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C259%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>A senior at a Tennessee high school apparently thought it was a good idea to hurl his diploma at another student as he was being escorted out of the graduation ceremony for throwing up gang signs, according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/05/18/us-news/tennessee-hamilton-high-school-graduate-throws-his-diploma-brawls-with-student-during-ceremony/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nypost&utm_source=twitter" target="_blank">New York Post</a>. As a result, an on-stage fight ensued. </p><p>Hamilton High School was in the middle of celebrating the graduation of its seniors inside the Cannon Center in Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday night when the fight broke out. Footage of the dispute has been shared across social media.</p><p>WREG <a href="https://wreg.com/news/local/fight-between-students-breaks-out-at-hamilton-high-graduation/" target="_blank">reported</a> that the incident stemmed from a prior incident with the two students. The student who started the fight threw up gang signs to one of his peers. As a result, a security guard witnessed the gesture and began ushering the student out of the ceremony.</p><p class="pull-quote"> 'Memphis has a huge problem, period. It’s a real problem with youth.'</p><p>However, as the student was being escorted from his seat, he could be seen throwing his graduation binder at another student seated in one of the back rows. Though the security guard grabbed the student who threw the binder, the student who was hit jumped over a row of chairs and pursued his attacker.</p><p>Reports noted that two other students ultimately got involved in the dispute, which prompted several security guards to jump in and break up the fight. The Post reported that one of the students was pepper sprayed by one of the security guards. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
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  118.            <p>Though the ceremony was temporarily disrupted, one speaker used the sound system to say "[w]e are not going to stop our graduation. We are going to continue because this is the Wildcat way."</p><p>Quita White, whose son graduated, said, "How do you fight at a graduation? It’s a time for celebration so why is everybody fighting? Why are you angry?”</p><p>As a result of the fight, all those involved were issued a Juvenile Summons or Misdemeanor Citation and soon released to their parents. Reports noted that one officer was injured during the dispute.</p><p>“He has a big bruise on his left eye, they broke his glasses, the front of his foot looks like it is fractured,” the wife of the injured worker said.</p><p>The woman, who has not been identified, blamed the school principal for ruining the other students' graduation day.</p><p>“Knowing that this was the end of the school year, knowing that these kids were battling to get each other,” she said. “Now they were not in school. But they gave him a packet. 'You guys can come and walk,'” the woman said.</p><p>The woman went on to say that she does not believe the students involved in the brawl should have been at the graduation at all. </p><p>White said, "Memphis has a huge problem, period. It’s a real problem with youth.”</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>Sat, 18 May 2024 14:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/brawl-erupts-during-tennessee-high-school-graduation-after-a-student-throws-up-gang-signs</guid><category>Crime</category><dc:creator>Collin Jones</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52271770&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Former NYT reporter sounds the alarm on liberal media, says 'you're called a fascist' if you question it</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/former-nyt-reporter-sounds-the-alarm-on-liberal-media-says-you-re-called-a-fascist-if-you-question-it</link><description><![CDATA[
  119. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52271690&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>Nellie Bowles, a former journalist for the New York Times, has recently warned that the mainstream liberal media is playing an important role in pushing along a progressive agenda, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/ex-ny-times-reporter-issues-warning-liberal-media-reveals-leave?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank">Fox News Digital</a>.</p><p>In her new book, "Morning After the Revolution," Bowles delves into topics she could not cover while at the New York Times. Some of these issues include cancel culture, transgender procedures for youth, and the origins of the pandemic.</p><p>Bowles appeared on "America's Newsroom" on Wednesday, saying that "[a]s a reporter at The Times, it was very frustrating to have to put blinders on my curiosity," adding that as a result, she "set out to write this book and ended up quitting the paper. And each chapter is a little bit of a journey and a feature of what I kind of would have written if I had stayed on staff."</p><p class="pull-quote">'When you're in the progressive world, as soon as you question any of it, you're called a fascist.'</p><p>Bari Weiss—former New York Times journalist and Bowles' wife—recently <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/nellie-bowles-knows-why-so-many-progressives-697" target="_blank">published a piece</a>, writing that "curiosity is what got Nellie kicked out of the club. But it gave her a place in a new club, the one that we at 'The Free Press' think that the majority of Americans are actually in."</p><p>“I became a reporter because I didn't trust authority figures. . . . As a reporter, I spent over a decade working to follow that curiosity," Bowles said. "It was hard to suddenly turn that off. It was hard to constantly censor what I was seeing, to close one eye and try very hard not to notice anything inconvenient, especially when there was so much to see.”</p><p>Bowles went on to say that working for the Times was originally her dream job, but she soon discovered that the topics she wanted to investigate and write about were "beyond the purview of a Times reporter."</p><p>After Bowles left the Times, she and Weiss started the Free Press. She said she did not have a specific plan to go out and change minds, but she simply wanted to raise questions about issues she felt were important, especially those related to progressive policies.</p><p>Bowles said: "I'm from San Francisco. I lived there my whole life. If you're not looking around and seeing the streets and starting to question some of the ideas that got us to that place, I think you're fooling yourself. I think you're an absolute fool if you don't do that."</p><p>Bowles has refused to identify as a liberal or conservative, claiming that she is trying to remain fair-minded.</p><p>"When you're in the progressive world, as soon as you question any of it, you're called a fascist," she said. </p><p>"Obviously, I reject the label, but also I just reject the premise that – I think that it's okay to look at San Francisco's DA, who at the time was saying that we shouldn't prosecute crime and we shouldn't put drug dealers in jail or prosecute them because drug dealers are victims, too. It's okay to look at that and say, that's absurd. That's ridiculous."</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>Sat, 18 May 2024 13:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/former-nyt-reporter-sounds-the-alarm-on-liberal-media-says-you-re-called-a-fascist-if-you-question-it</guid><category>Culture</category><dc:creator>Collin Jones</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52271690&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Biden marks 'International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia'</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/biden-statement-homophobia-transphobia-biphobia</link><description><![CDATA[
  120. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52270377&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/17/statement-from-president-joe-biden-marking-international-day-against-homophobia-transphobia-and-biphobia/" target="_blank">marked</a> "International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia" in a statement on Friday, a move that comes after his "Transgender Day of Visibility" <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/03/29/a-proclamation-on-transgender-day-of-visibility-2024/" target="_blank">proclamation</a> earlier this year. </p><p>He is likely to issue a Pride Month proclamation soon as well because so far during his White House tenure, Biden has issued a statement each year for all three LGBT-related occasions.</p><p class="pull-quote">'It is our shared moral responsibility to fight back against homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia, just as we must fight back against all hate-fueled violence'</p><p>"On the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, my Administration stands in support and solidarity with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) people around the world as they seek to live full lives, free from violence and discrimination. This is a matter of human rights, plain and simple," Biden said in the statement. </p><p>"It is our shared moral responsibility to fight back against homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia, just as we must fight back against all hate-fueled violence, at home and abroad," the statement declares. "Today marks the 34<sup>th</sup> anniversary of when the World Health Organization made the wise and overdue decision to declassify ‘homosexuality’ as a mental disorder. That was a victory for LGBTQI+ people and human rights defenders everywhere. 30 years later, the work of equality continues. The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to be a part of it."</p><p>In 2019, then-president Donald Trump issued a statement for Pride Month.</p><p>"As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions that LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation. My Administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invites all nations to join us in this effort!" Trump's <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/statement-from-the-president-9/" target="_blank">statement</a> read.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1134538168324300800">
  121.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  122.        <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1134538168324300800"></a>
  123.    </blockquote>
  124.        <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>Sat, 18 May 2024 03:58:31 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/biden-statement-homophobia-transphobia-biphobia</guid><category>President biden</category><category>Biden</category><category>Lgbt</category><category>International day against homophobia transphobia and biphobia</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=52270377&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Romney says he laughs at the term 'America first'</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/romney-laughs-at-america-first</link><description><![CDATA[
  125. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52270313&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah told MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle that he finds it "unimaginable" that there is "a growing isolationism" in the Republican Party.</p><p>Romney, who said the U.S. and its economy are connected with the rest of the globe, suggested that Germany would have ended up running the world if America held an isolationist view in the past.</p><p class="pull-quote">'America is putting ourselves first when we're involved in the world, when we stop bad people.'</p><p>The senator, who is <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/mitt-romney-retires-senate-gop" target="_self">not seeking</a> re-election this year, said that he laughs at the term "America first," which he suggested usually means isolationism. </p><p>"America is putting ourselves first when we're involved in the world, when we stop bad people," he asserted.</p><p>He said that if Russian President Vladimir Putin chose to invade Poland, that would draw the U.S. into war. "Or we could walk away from NATO. In which case, Putin is gonna keep on going and going," he said. "We're safe and prosperous when the world follows the orders that have existed over the last 75 years," he said.</p><p>Ruhle asked Romney whether there is any chance Romney could potentially serve as secretary of state if President Joe Biden wins another term — the GOP senator immediately rejected the idea.</p><p>Romney, who lost the 2012 presidential election to incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama, noted that he will not vote for Trump this year. He also didn't vote for Trump in <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/31/politics/mitt-romney-2016-presidential-vote/index.html" target="_blank">2016</a> or <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/21/politics/mitt-romney-trump-vote/index.html" target="_blank">2020</a>.</p><p>Last month, Romney supported passage of a package that included Ukraine aid and more. "After months of needless delay, Congress has finally approved much-needed funding for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the U.S. military’s operations in these key regions," he said in a <a href="https://www.romney.senate.gov/romney-statement-on-foreign-aid-package/" target="_blank">statement</a> at the time. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  126.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7308e47e0cbe92d5167187bd3dfb6f34" 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/5tg9jRkAOcs?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  127.        
  128.        
  129.        </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>Sat, 18 May 2024 03:05:43 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/romney-laughs-at-america-first</guid><category>America first</category><category>Isolationism</category><category>Mitt romney</category><category>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=52270313&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>GOP Senate candidate Larry Hogan advocates 'restoring Roe v. Wade as the law of the land'</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/larry-hogan-roe-v-wade</link><description><![CDATA[
  130. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52270246&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who just <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/hogan-and-justice-win-primaries" target="_blank">won</a> the Republican U.S. Senate primary in the state, has said that he supports a policy of "restoring Roe v. Wade as the law of the land."</p><p>"As governor, I protected the rights of Maryland women to make their own reproductive health decisions. I will do the same in the Senate by restoring Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. No one should come between a woman and her doctor," Hogan said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLarryHogan/status/1791143172384383084" target="_blank">tweet</a>.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1791143172384383084">
  131.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  132.        <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLarryHogan/status/1791143172384383084"></a>
  133.    </blockquote>
  134.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p class="pull-quote">'I am excited to launch Democrats for Hogan.'</p><p>The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/16/us/politics/larry-hogan-abortion-roe-v-wade.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a> reported that when asked whether he considers himself pro-choice or pro-life, Hogan noted, "Given the definition of what I'm supporting — women's rights to make their own decision — I would say that's pro-choice."</p><p>Hogan, who <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Larry_Hogan" target="_blank">served</a> as Maryland's governor from early 2015 through early 2023, has never voted for Donald Trump but wrote in his <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/larry-hogan-father-maryland-president-230997" target="_blank">father</a> Larry Hogan Sr. in 2016 and the late President <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/larry-hogan-votes-ronald-reagan-2020-presidential-election-latest/" target="_blank">Ronald Reagan</a> in 2020. He has <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/03/07/larry-hogan-trump-vote" target="_blank">said</a> that he will not vote for Trump or Biden this year.</p><p>Hogan has been <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/larry-hogan-seeks-democratic-support" target="_self">appealing</a> to Democrats for support.</p><p>"I am excited to launch Democrats for Hogan and have my good friend and former Democratic State Senator Bobby Zirkin on our team," Hogan said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLarryHogan/status/1790759375067341079" target="_blank">tweet</a>.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1790759375067341079">
  135.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  136.        <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLarryHogan/status/1790759375067341079"></a>
  137.    </blockquote>
  138.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>Prince George's county executive, Angela Alsobrooks, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/14/us/elections/results-maryland-us-senate-primary.html" target="_blank">won</a> the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Maryland this week and will be competing against Hogan in the general election.</p><p>"Larry Hogan won't protect abortion rights. Senate Republicans won't protect abortion rights. I will protect abortion rights. We will keep Maryland and the Senate blue," Alsobrooks said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/AlsobrooksForMD/status/1791245540807594374" target="_blank">tweet</a>.</p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1791245540807594374">
  139.        <div style="margin:1em 0"></div> —  (@)
  140.        <a href="https://twitter.com/AlsobrooksForMD/status/1791245540807594374"></a>
  141.    </blockquote>
  142.        <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><br/></p>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 01:50:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/larry-hogan-roe-v-wade</guid><category>Larry hogan</category><category>Maryland</category><category>Pro-life</category><category>Abortion</category><category>Pro-choice</category><category>Senate</category><category>Democrats</category><category>Republican</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=52270246&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Fetterman makes 'Jerry Springer Show' comparison after House committee proceedings descend into chaos</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/committee-proceedings-descend-into-chaos</link><description><![CDATA[
  143. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52270047&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability descended into chaos on Thursday as lawmakers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/naaFmY7mIjw?si=p0x3RafVWnK98ynr&t=2838" target="_blank">traded jabs</a>.</p><p>Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania quipped in a <a href="https://x.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1791471678137966855" target="_blank">post</a> on X, "In the past, I’ve described the U.S. House as The Jerry Springer Show. Today, I'm apologizing to The Jerry Springer Show."</p><p>Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded to Fetterman's comments, <a href="https://x.com/AOC/status/1791489796168122700" target="_blank">tweeting</a>, "I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a 'both sides' issue. But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one. And to the women of Pennsylvania: I’d stand up for you too. Enjoy your Friday."</p><p class="pull-quote">'Oh girl, baby girl, don't even play.'</p><p>The situation erupted shortly after GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said she wanted to know whether any committee Democrats "are employing, ah, Judge Merchan's daughter."</p><p>Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas questioned whether Greene knew why they were there.</p><p>Greene made a crack to Crockett about "fake eyelashes."</p><p>Ocasio-Cortez moved to "take down Ms. Greene's words" and then proceeded to berate Greene. "That is absolutely unacceptable," she declared. "How dare you," she continued, "attack the physical appearance of another person?"</p><p>"Are your feelings hurt?" Greene asked. "Awwww."</p><p>"Oh girl, baby girl, don't even play," Ocasio-Cortez said.</p><p>Later, while Greene agreed to strike her words, she declared, "I am not apologizing." </p><p>Greene, apparently speaking to Ocasio-Cortez, asked the Democrat why she doesn't debate her. "You don't have enough intelligence," Greene declared.</p><p>Later during the bizarre saga, Crockett asked Comer, "I'm just curious, just to better understand your ruling, if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody's bleach blonde bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?"</p><p>Crockett said in in a <a href="https://x.com/JasmineForUS/status/1791279505669083647" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweet</a>, "So MTG wanted to talk about my appearance in COMMITTEE?! It's against the rules to do… She refused to apologize! The chairman ruled that it was ok… AND I asked for clarification about what qualifies as 'engaging in personalities' & basically wanted to know if I could talk s[***] about her appearance as… well… y’all know what she looks like, right? PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES! This is what happens when mentally deficient people who can’t read and follow rules or just don't give a damn… somehow end up in CONGRESS!"<a href="https://x.com/JasmineForUS/status/1791279505669083647" target="_blank"></a></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  144.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fdc24ff83c2f5244c521aaa5c4e6e25d" 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/naaFmY7mIjw?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  145.        
  146.        
  147.        </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>Sat, 18 May 2024 01:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/committee-proceedings-descend-into-chaos</guid><category>Alexandria ocasio-cortez</category><category>Congress</category><category>House</category><category>House committee on oversight and accountability</category><category>Jasmine crockett</category><category>John fetterman</category><category>Marjorie taylor greene</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=52270047&amp;width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Wild video shows NYC couple beat the hell out of a thug who ambushed them in broad daylight; he ends up stabbed in the head</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/thug-attacked-stabbed-nyc-couple</link><description><![CDATA[
  148. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52270152&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C9%2C0%2C9"/><br/><br/><p>
  149. Surveillance video captured the moment a thug tried to ambush a couple that was walking their dog in New York City but ended up getting stabbed in the head when they fought back.
  150. </p><p>
  151. The New York Police Department said the alleged assailant followed the couple and their dog at about 2:45 p.m. on Thursday near 49th and Broadway in Queens before he attacked them.
  152. </p><p class="pull-quote">The NYPD said the 37-year-old suspect was transported to the Elmhurst Hospital for treatment over the numerous stab wounds.</p><p>
  153. Video of the daylight attack was <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/05/15/us-news/man-stabbed-multiple-times-after-wild-caught-on-camera-tussle-with-nyc-couple/" target="_blank">obtained</a> by the New York Post.
  154. </p><p>
  155. Video shows the suspect tossing his coat on the ground and jumping on the man, who is riding a scooter due to a foot injury.
  156. </p><p>
  157. Rather than capitulate, the couple immediately attacked the man and beat him with their fists. The attacker tried to escape, but they continued to hammer him with punches and kicks, even while holding on to a dog leash. The victim was able to put the assailant in a headlock as the woman hit him. </p><p>
  158. Eventually, the couple separated themselves from the suspect, but they yelled at each other, threatening to re-engage. At one point, a grievous wound could be seen on the assailant's head. </p><p>At that point, bystanders who had been casually watching then stepped in to keep them apart.
  159. </p><p>
  160. The NYPD said the 37-year-old suspect was transported to the Elmhurst Hospital for treatment over the numerous stab wounds. He was listed in critical but stable condition.
  161. </p><p>Photos of police investigating the incident showed that it happened in front of a taco restaurant. </p><p>
  162. Sources told the New York Post that police are searching for the couple involved in the fight. No arrests have been made.
  163. </p><p>
  164. It is unclear whether the assailant knew the couple or whether the incident was a random attack. </p><p>The violent crime rate in New York City is <a href="https://realestate.usnews.com/places/new-york/new-york-city/crime" target="_blank">slightly lower</a> than that of the national crime rate. Other cities like Los Angeles, California, have a much higher violent crime rate than New York City. </p><h2>
  165. Here's a news video about the incident:
  166. </h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  167.        <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2156c922e2ae78f58f9b49884b01746f" 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/XtBvdjzLDE0?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
  168. </p><p>
  169. <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>
  170. </p>]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 00:49:26 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.theblaze.com/news/thug-attacked-stabbed-nyc-couple</guid><category>Nyc attack thwarted</category><category>Couple stabs attacker</category><category>Thug attacks couple and dog</category><category>Nyc crime video</category><category>Crime</category><dc:creator>Carlos Garcia</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/png" url="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=52270152&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[
  171. <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>
  172. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, 28,
  173. <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.
  174. </p><p>
  175. The three-time Super Bowl champ  
  176. <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."
  177. </p><p>
  178. 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
  179. <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>.
  180. </p><p>
  181. 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.
  182. </p><p>
  183. Besides upsetting talking heads on cable news shows, Butker's
  184. <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.
  185. </p><h2>Doxxed</h2><p>
  186. Kansas City's X account posted, "Just a reminder that Harrision Butker lives in ...," then provided the location where the kicker could be found.
  187. </p><p>
  188. This tweet, which was posted at 7:41 p.m. on Wednesday, qualifies as textbook "doxxing,"
  189. <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."
  190. </p><p>
  191. 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.
  192. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  193. '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.'
  194. </p><p>
  195. 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."
  196. </p><p>
  197. 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."
  198. </p><p>
  199. That tweet ostensibly served to draw further attention to the now-deleted doxxing effort, prompting even more outrage.
  200. </p><p>
  201. Catholic conservative commentator Michael Knowles
  202. <a href="https://x.com/michaeljknowles/status/1791286993726455924" target="_blank">wrote</a>, "@KansasCity: not only criminal but also illiterate."
  203. </p><p>
  204. Some social media users have
  205. <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 has recently been <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawatts333" target="_blank">deactivated</a>.
  206. </p><p>
  207. Michael Caputo, a former Department of Health and Human Services official in the Trump administration,
  208. <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."
  209. </p><p>
  210. Twenty minutes after the initial apology, Mayor Quinton Lucas joined in the damage-control effort,
  211. <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."
  212. </p><p>
  213. Lucas' response was also met with ridicule.
  214. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  215. 'Your office apparently believes it is appropriate to denigrate a devout Catholic for comments he made about his own faith at a religious college.'
  216. </p><p>
  217. Garrett Henson, chairman of the Kansas Federation of College Republicans, mocked the mayor's response,
  218. <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.'"
  219. </p><h2>Missouri AG weighs in
  220. </h2><p>
  221. 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.
  222. </p><p>
  223. Bailey
  224. <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."
  225. </p><p>
  226. Bailey subsequently
  227. <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."
  228. </p><p>
  229. "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."
  230. </p><p>
  231. 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."
  232. </p><p>
  233. 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."
  234. </p><p>
  235. 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."
  236. </p><p>
  237. "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."
  238. </p><p>
  239. Radicals have targeted Butker, and the NFL has
  240. <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.
  241. </p><p>
  242. <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>
  243. </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>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[
  244. <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[
  245. <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 a 'hang out'</title><link>https://www.theblaze.com/news/leo-dottavio-palestine-protest-ucla</link><description><![CDATA[
  246. <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.
  247. </p><p>
  248. 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.
  249. </p><p>
  250. 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.
  251. </p><p>
  252. 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.
  253. </p><p>
  254. 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.
  255. </p><p>
  256. 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.
  257. </p><p>
  258. 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.
  259. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  260. '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.'
  261. </p><p>
  262. Getting an up-close, firsthand look at the event was quite revealing to Dottavio, though.
  263. </p><p>
  264. "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."
  265. </p><p>
  266. "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."
  267. </p><p>
  268. 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.
  269. </p><p>
  270. "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.
  271. </p><p>
  272. "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."
  273. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1789053293458596151">
  274.        <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> —  (@)
  275.        <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1789053293458596151"></a>
  276.    </blockquote>
  277.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  278. 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.
  279. </p><p>
  280. 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.
  281. </p><p>
  282. 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.
  283. </p><p>
  284. "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."
  285. </p><p>
  286. 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."
  287. </p><p>
  288. "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."
  289. </p><p>
  290. 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.
  291. </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>
  292. 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.
  293. </p><h2>The border guard incident
  294. </h2><p>
  295. 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.
  296. </p><p>
  297. While near border town Jacumba Hot Springs, California, the hosts were approached by what appeared to be an official Border Patrol vehicle.
  298. </p><p>
  299. "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."
  300. </p><p>
  301. "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.
  302. </p><p>
  303. The border agent is then seen showing his phone to the adult actress while saying "I'm not that big, but ..."
  304. </p><p>
  305. "Oh, it's his penis!" Day said while looking at the agent's phone screen.
  306. </p><p>
  307. 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.
  308. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  309. '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.'
  310. </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">
  311. </iframe></div><p>
  312. "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."
  313. </p><p>
  314. "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."
  315. </p><p>
  316. “That guy, he wanted to free himself," Dottavio poetically prophesied. "As soon as that fly went down, he was free."
  317. </p><h2>Getting canceled and woke sports</h2><p>
  318. 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>.
  319. </p><p>
  320. There have been at least a couple of bumps, however, as is expected when a comedian doesn't believe in self-censorship.
  321. </p><p>
  322. "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."
  323. </p><p>
  324. 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.
  325. </p><p>
  326. "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."
  327. </p><p>
  328. 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.
  329. </p><p>
  330. 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."
  331. </p><p>
  332. 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.
  333. </p><p>
  334. "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."
  335. </p><p>
  336. 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.
  337. </p><p>
  338. “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.
  339. </p><p>
  340. 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.
  341. </p><p>
  342. "It's like an adventure, like Frodo Baggins going towards Mordor."
  343. </p><p>
  344. However, Dottavio did admit that he more than likely is not Frodo in his story.
  345. </p><p>
  346. "Yes, it probably would be Danny."
  347. </p><p>
  348. Dottavio has over 100,000 followers on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/leofdot/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.
  349. </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">
  350. </iframe></div><p>
  351. <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>
  352. </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>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[
  353. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=52253113&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=174%2C0%2C126%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[
  354. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/charles-iii-a-portrait-of-quiet-traditionalism.jpg?id=52252152&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><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[
  355. <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=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>
  356. 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
  357. <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.
  358. </p><p>
  359. Dunn ran in Maryland's 3rd Congressional District — where he is not a resident — against over 20 other Democrats. Although the so-
  360. <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).
  361. </p><p>
  362. In mid-April, Dunn's campaign
  363. <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.
  364. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  365. '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.'
  366. </p><p>
  367. At the time of publication, Elfreth leads Dunn by over 10 points with 66% of the
  368. <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-primary-elections/maryland-house-results" target="_blank">votes counted</a>.
  369. </p><p>
  370. "I just got off the phone with senator Elfreth, congratulating her on her hard-fought victory," Dunn
  371. <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."
  372. </p><p>
  373. Dunn isn't going to Congress, having proven unable to attract voters with his Presidential Citizens Medal from Biden; his
  374. <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."
  375. </p><p>
  376. 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.
  377. </p><h2>Inconvenient facts </h2><p>
  378. Having been present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in the capacity as a reporter, Baker has
  379. <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.
  380. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1790476886658670609">
  381.        <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> —  (@)
  382.        <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/1790476886658670609"></a>
  383.    </blockquote>
  384.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  385. For instance, in October, Baker
  386. <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."
  387. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  388. '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.'
  389. </p><p>
  390. 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."
  391. </p><p>
  392. 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.
  393. </p><p>
  394. Baker has not only identified numerous other instances where Dunn trafficked in falsehoods but various irregularities involving the former USCP officer.
  395. </p><p>
  396. Blaze News
  397. <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.
  398. </p><p>
  399. 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."
  400. </p><p>
  401. 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.
  402. </p><h2>Many thanks</h2><p>
  403. Biden boosters rushed to thank Dunn for all his work to place second.
  404. </p><p>
  405. Script reader Mark Hamill
  406. <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."
  407. </p><p>
  408. Democratic TikTok propagandist Harry Sisson
  409. <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!"
  410. </p><p>
  411. Much of the gratitude following the election flowed another way entirely — to Baker.
  412. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  413. 'They feel better today than they did the day before because they actually thought this one was fixed.'
  414. </p><p>
  415. 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."
  416. </p><p>
  417. "I've even had some messages from some — let's say —
  418. <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.
  419. </p><p>
  420. 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."
  421. </p><p>
  422. 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."
  423. </p><p>
  424. Baker suggested this amounts to a strategic setback for establishment Democrats.
  425. </p><p>
  426. "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."
  427. </p><p>
  428. 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.
  429. </p><p>
  430. "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.'"
  431. </p><p>
  432. Baker suggested that the failure of establishment Democrats to advance their preferred candidate in Maryland is telling.
  433. </p><p>
  434. 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."
  435. </p><p>
  436. "This is a big win," added Baker.
  437. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
  438.        <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>
  439. <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
  440. <a href="https://youtu.be/LFFDYqU2ueA?si=TGfPufkPpaRbhnpK" target="_blank">
  441. </a>
  442. </small>
  443. </p><p>
  444. <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>
  445. </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[
  446. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/europes-war-on-food-is-coming-to-america.jpg?id=52242854&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><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[
  447. <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=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><p>
  448. 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.
  449. </p><p>
  450. 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.
  451. </p><p>
  452. 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.
  453. </p><p>
  454. 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.
  455. </p><p>
  456. Once again, the so-called misinformation of yesteryear has matured into the cold hard facts of today.
  457. </p><h2>Proven
  458. </h2><p>
  459. 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.
  460. </p><p>
  461. 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."
  462. </p><p>
  463. 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."
  464. </p><p>
  465. 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.
  466. </p><p>
  467. "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.
  468. </p><p>
  469. 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."
  470. </p><p class="pull-quote">
  471. 'Was I molested. I think so.'
  472. </p><p>
  473. "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.
  474. </p><h2>'Showers w/ my dad'</h2><p>
  475. 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.
  476. </p><p>
  477. "I know it's not the healthiest way to deal with things but @ least it's better than drugs," wrote the president's daughter.
  478. </p><p>
  479. Ashley Biden then indicated that her unchecked sex drive may have been the result of childhood trauma.
  480. </p><p>
  481. "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."
  482. </p><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1790058807625679091">
  483.        <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> —  (@)
  484.        <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1790058807625679091"></a>
  485.    </blockquote>
  486.        <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>
  487. 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.
  488. </p><p>
  489. 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?"
  490. </p><p>
  491. <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>
  492. </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[
  493. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/desantis-ban-on-lab-grown-meat-is-peak-culture-war.jpg?id=52218348&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><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[
  494. <img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/the-best-internet-advice-column-ever.webp?id=52208250&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=97%2C0%2C98%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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