Day: January 23, 2026
Liberal reporter frustrates American tennis stars by asking the same tired question
The Australian Open has become about politics instead of tennis, thanks to one reporter’s questions.
As men and women have won matches at the tournament in Melbourne, Australia, a male reporter has consistently popped up to ask players about their feelings about current U.S. politics.
‘We are very diverse, we are a home of immigrants.’
“I’ve been asking a lot of the American players just how it feels to play under the American flag right now. And I’m curious how you feel,” the man asked No.4-ranked Amanda Anisimova on Wednesday, with noted vocal fry.
Anisimova was praised for shutting the questions down, but it turns out the same reporter has asked the same divisive question to at least four other American tennis players.
The Women’s Tennis Association’s No.6-ranked Jessica Pegula faced almost the same question on Wednesday, though more specifically about living in Florida.
Pegula’s answer likely won’t please nationalists as much as Anisimova’s did.
“Personally Florida’s been, I think, OK. I think Florida, there’s a big melting pot of different people from all over, in Florida,” the 31-year-old went on. “So I feel like especially me being in South Florida, near Miami, I mean, there’s people of all over the country that come to move to Florida, and there’s a lot of international people that are there. I don’t know if that’s maybe why you kind of get a lot of different cultural differences in a good way honestly.”
The reporter, who is alleged by several outlets such as Breitbart and Yahoo to likely be the Athletic’s Owen Lewis, has not publicly confirmed he has asked the questions despite sharing that he has been in Australia covering the event.
Next up was men’s No.9-ranked Taylor Fritz from California, who on Thursday had just completed a second-round win. Fritz buried his head in his hands as he answered the question, albeit reluctantly.
“Not sure what we’re, like, specifically talking about, but there is a lot going on in the U.S., and I don’t know, I feel like whatever I say here is going to get put in a headline, and it’s going to get taken out of context,” he groaned. “So I’d really rather not do something that’s going to cause a big distraction for me in the middle of the tournament.”
On Thursday, No.9-ranked female Madison Keys from Illinois faced the reporter. Her reaction was much more progressive than her compatriots, saying, “I’m not a fan of divisiveness, and I think the beauty of the U.S. is we are a mixing pot.”
“We are very diverse, we are a home of immigrants. And I hope that we can get back to those values,” she added.
No.3-ranked woman and Florida native Coco Gauff took it a step further by bringing race politics into the mix with her response.
Gauff initially said she feels “a bit fatigued talking about it.”
She then claimed, “It is hard, also I think, being a black woman in this country and having to experience things, even online.”
She argued that “marginalized communities” are being affected, and the only thing she can do is “donate and speak out.”
Gauff then cited the fact that she posted a Martin Luther King Jr. video online recently and said, “We must keep moving forward,” as an example of her activism.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Toxic femininity crushed his gaming dream. Then the internet found out.
While video game player demographics are split almost down the middle — 53% male and 47% female — the gap is vastly wider when it comes to esports. Men dominate the category, taking up 95% of the available spots in game tournaments, while women only account for 5%. So what happens when a skilled male player gets paired with a less experienced group of girl gamers with a $12,000 grand prize on the line? Naturally, they kick him off the team in the name of misogyny.
What happened?
On January 18, 2026, streamer Kingsman265 went live on his channel as he met up with several other players in preparation for a Marvel Rivals tournament with a prize pool of $40,000, with $12,000 going to the winning team to be split among four players. As a rank 1 player himself, Kingsman265 had his eyes set on the prize money, which he planned to use to pay his college tuition, and he actually had a solid shot at winning it. However, during a practice match before the tournament, he quickly realized that his teammates were more interested in feminist politics than in winning.
Proof that he knew what he was doing, his warnings were positioned as insults.
The rest of the team was composed of three female players named Cece, Zazzastack, and Luciyasa. Kingsman265 quickly suggested a change to the team’s character lineup, recommending that they run a triple support setup to give their team the best shot at victory. The pushback was immediate, as the female players rejected his warnings, opting to play with characters they were familiar with instead of using a loadout that was more effective, especially in a tournament setting.
Things went downhill from there. Tensions rose at several points throughout the video, with Cece telling him to shut up after he pleaded his case for a triple support setup, even after he explained that they would lose without it. Another teammate told him to “shut the f**k up” after they lost a practice match, a moment that vindicated Kingsman265, as it displayed the team’s vulnerabilities in real time. Then Cece ended with “this is f**king getting annoying” as Kingsman265 continued to urge the team to change their strategy, to no avail.
The team went their separate ways to play ranked games apart for the night. Shortly after, Kingsman265 learned that he was kicked out of the tournament entirely by the organizer, BasimZB, for his allegedly “toxic” behavior. Basim later admitted that he made the wrong decision based on “misinformation” from Cece and her team.
Kingsman265 was ultimately relegated to the sidelines for the Marvel Rivals tournament, leaving him behind to watch his team get knocked out in the first round, proving that his instincts around their character lineup were correct.
The fallout
As the male gamer in this situation, Kingsman265 was made to look like the bad guy. He was unceremoniously kicked out of the tournament due to his “toxicity” in ganging up on three girl gamers as he tried to spur them to victory. Instead of recognition that his skills, knowledge, and ranking were proof that he knew what he was doing, his warnings were positioned as insults.
RELATED: 25 years later, the gaming console that caused so much chaos is still No. 1
Photo By Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Images
It wasn’t until Kingsman265 posted his video of the practice match, along with a conversation between Cece and himself dubbed the Cece Files, that the truth came to light. Not only did Cece and her team want Kingsman265 to be banned from the tournament, but they conspired to remove him, claiming that “there are plenty of people in line who are just as good. Kingsman, like everybody else, is replaceable.”
The aftermath was swift, with the internet quickly turning on the female team in favor of Kingsman265. Despite telling anyone who saw the video not to harass Cece and company, the message exchange between them shows that the internet has no tolerance for liars. She begged Kingsman265 to take down the video — or, at the very least, cut out the incriminating parts that made her and the team look guilty — but he refused, noting that it was a legitimate video. Cece lost several sponsorship deals and partnerships for her behavior.
All’s well that ends well
The whole debacle cost Kingsman265 his shot at a $3,000 grand prize to help pay off his college debt, but what came next was even sweeter. Once he was exonerated of any wrongdoing, Kingsman265 saw a huge boost to his channel, netting 139,000 followers on Twitch (and counting), 10,000 paying subscribers, and instant acceptance into the Twitch Partner Program, which will allow him to earn money for streaming online. As an added bonus, he received more than $3,000 in donations from supporters, surpassing the amount he would have earned from winning the Marvel Rivals tournament, and Marvel Rivals developer NetEase even sent him credits to buy skins for his character.
The good guy won in the end, leaving the all-girls team with a major loss in the tournament, loss in internet clout, and loss in their streaming careers. All of it could have been avoided if they had not made Kingsman265 out to be the toxic misogynist that he wasn’t, but if that had happened, his own gaming career wouldn’t be rocketing through the stratosphere at this very moment.
What happens online lives forever — the lies that are told and the truth that comes through in 4K — and the consequences are unavoidable. This is why it is always important to keep your receipts when tension erupts on the internet. You never know when you’ll have to defend yourself against cheats and liars who think they control the narrative.
He called 911 on Sara Gonzales for exposing a potential H-1B visa scam
When BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales decided to knock on the door of a home that she believes to be committing H-1B fraud, she wasn’t sure what she was going to find. And what she stumbled upon was strange, to say the least.
“The Indian scammers, news alert, they didn’t like it so much,” Gonzales jokes.
In a video of the confrontation, Gonzales is standing on the doorstep asking where the H-1B workers who are working for the company — whose address happens to be a residential home — are, while an Indian man, who appears to be the homeowner, steps outside and threatens to call the cops.
This company is called Qubitz Tech Systems LLC, which has 13 H-1B visas approved.
“Somebody is knocking on my door and then they are like threatening me,” the man said into his phone after dialing 911.
“I’m not threatening you, sir,” Gonzales responded.
And Gonzales is confident that this is just the tip of the iceberg with how much fraud there is going on in America.
This also isn’t the only company that appears to be committing H-1B fraud. 3BEES Technologies is another Texas company Gonzales looked into, which had 27 H-1B visas approved between 2022 and 2025.
When Gonzales went to the address listed for this particular company, she found an empty, under-construction office space with no signs of life.
“We exposed how many people, as it turns out, are creating phony companies, shell companies, so that they can import thousands upon thousands of workers into our country and then come here and suck up all of our resources,” Gonzales says.
“This problem doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” Gonzales says. “There are probably an insane amount of companies who are pulling this off. They’re going completely undetected by the government. Which, my question to the government is, where is USCIS on this matter?”
“If little old me can just go on the government website and pull these addresses and match them up and see if it looks legit, why isn’t the government doing that?” she asks.
“Look around you, look around your communities,” she says, adding, “tell me that this isn’t a much larger issue that’s happening intentionally by using loopholes and gaps in our visa system.”
Want more from Sara Gonzales?
To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
‘Fraud … for abortion’? Vance announces probe into Planned Parenthood’s $88M taxpayer-funded loans at March for Life
Vice President JD Vance attended the 2026 March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Friday, during which he announced that the Trump administration had launched an investigation into Planned Parenthood affiliates.
The crowd began to chant “JD” as Vance stepped onto the stage. He recalled that his first speech as vice president was at last year’s March for Life.
‘You should not be able to commit fraud and use taxpayer money for abortion.’
“Some of you may remember that in my remarks last year, I told you all, one of the things I most wanted in the United States of America was more families and more babies. So, let the record show, you have a vice president who practices what he preaches,” Vance said, referring to the recent announcement that he and second lady Usha Vance are expecting their fourth child.
Vance credited Trump for selecting Supreme Court justices who delivered “the most important Supreme Court decision in my lifetime,” Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Vance argued that Trump “shattered a 50-year culture of disposability … that treated human life as expendable the moment that it became inconvenient.”
“He empowered our nation and our movement to build a culture of life from the grassroots up. … Our vision is simple: We want life to thrive in the United States of America,” the vice president continued.
“We’re not trying to argue to the Supreme Court anymore. We are trying to argue to our fellow citizens that we must build up that culture of life,” he added.
RELATED: Nash Keen’s life proves the unborn deserve the law’s protection
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Vance pledged that pro-life supporters have an ally in the Trump administration.
The vice president announced that the administration on Thursday launched a fraud investigation into Planned Parenthood affiliates for “millions of dollars” in Paycheck Protection Program loans that were “unlawfully received and unlawfully forgiven by the Biden administration.”
“You should not be able to commit fraud and use taxpayer money for abortion,” Vance remarked.
He also mentioned a “historic” expansion of the Mexico City Policy to block international organizations that promote or perform abortion abroad from receiving taxpayer money.
Ahead of Vance’s speech, the March for Life played recorded remarks from President Donald Trump.
“For 53 years, students, families, patriots, and believers have come to Washington from every corner of the country to defend the infinite worth and God-given dignity of every human life,” Trump told attendees. “Six years ago, I was proud to be the first president in history to attend this march in person. Since then, we have made unprecedented strides to protect innocent life and support the institution of the family like never before — there’s never been anything like it.”
“Under the Trump administration, we’re strongly defending religious liberty. We’re bringing back faith in America. We’re bringing back God,” Trump added.
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
A Thursday press release from the Small Business Administration stated that the agency is reviewing more than $88 million in PPP loans provided to Planned Parenthood affiliates. The agency noted that it sent letters to 38 Planned Parenthood organizations requiring documentation proving their eligibility to receive the relief funds.
Melanie Newman, Planned Parenthood’s chief external affairs officer, issued a statement responding to the SBA’s action.
“Planned Parenthood member organizations follow the law — and previous investigations prove it,” Newman stated. “These latest politically motivated intimidation tactics are about the Trump administration finding every possible avenue to shut down Planned Parenthood health centers and make it harder for people to get high-quality health care from their trusted Planned Parenthood provider. That’s it.”
“And that’s what the Trump administration and its allies are focusing on today: shutting down Planned Parenthood health centers. Meanwhile, all across the country, people can’t afford to see a doctor; the hospitals they rely on are closing; even basic groceries are too expensive,” Newman said. “That’s what the Small Business Administration should be working on: making people’s lives better. Instead, they’re hellbent on making them worse.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
PHOTOS: Winter storm forecast turns Dallas grocery stores into a war zone
Everyone who lived in Dallas five years ago remembers the record-setting snowstorm in February 2021, and with a forecast that suggests similar weather coming up this weekend, many people aren’t taking any chances.
The storm in 2021 shut down the city for nearly a week, thanks to the roads icing over and limited equipment to respond to a weather event of that magnitude. Power outages shook the state, and disastrous accidents were caused by ice on the highways.
These factors, among others, led to shortages at the grocery stores, a fact many people have now recalled as they look at the upcoming forecast.
I found myself on a quest to find fruit, primarily apples and bananas, for smoothies on what could likely be one of the busiest days for area grocery stores this year. Here are some of the photos I took, which reminded me not so much of February 2021 as of March 2020, the beginning of the pandemic — yes, including carts full of toilet paper.
These photos were taken at an Aldi and a Walmart in Irving, Texas, on the evening of January 22, 2026.
Aldi
The shelf usually stocked with bread was almost entirely bare at AldiCooper Williamson
The bagel shelf, opposite the larger bread shelf, was similarly picked clean. Cooper Williamson
Before Aldi, I got most of my other groceries at Sam’s Club, which was packed but largely well stocked — except for the shopping carts. There were no shopping carts in the reserves at the entrance; they were all being used or in the parking lot.
As I waited in line for a slice of pizza before I began my shopping, I watched helplessly as a man snuck up and grabbed the cart that I had parked near the cafe. Back to the parking lot for another one.
The meat aisle was nearly empty.Cooper Williamson
Luckily, I had done most of my shopping at Sam’s Club and didn’t need any sandwich materials. Aldi was nearly clean out of all of them.
RELATED: Here’s what SHOCKED liberals the most when they tried to panic-buy guns in California
The bacon, butter, and yogurt sections.Cooper Williamson
But Sam’s wasn’t immune to the panic-buying hive mind that had overtaken all of Dallas. I was at Aldi because Sam’s too had been raided of all of its apples and bananas.
The best the stores had to offer at this point were some of the worst relatives of these coveted fruits.
There was not a single case of bottled water left in the store. Cooper Williamson
From a distance, I thought I had found the key ingredient for my smoothies after much searching. However, to my disappointment, what I thought were bananas turned out to be plantains — and there were no bananas in the store whatsoever.
No bananas to be found in the grocery store; only some ripe plantains. Cooper Williamson
Despite my failure to find bananas at Aldi, I had come too far and would not be denied. I ventured to Walmart, which proved to be even more chaotic than Aldi.
Walmart
Forced to park all the way in the back of the parking lot due to the crowds, I didn’t know what to expect as I walked into Walmart. Walking in, however, I quickly surmised that it would be similar to, if not worse than, Aldi. I ended up looking around the aisles to see what people were grabbing at the highest rate. Here are some of the Dallas snowstorm preppers’ favorites.
The poultry section was cleaned out. Cooper Williamson
Several varieties of milk were missing. Cooper Williamson
Like Aldi, the usually full aisle of bottled water packages was barren. Cooper Williamson
Americans love their vegetable oil. Cooper Williamson
Finally, I circled back to the produce section. At first, I was worried that I wouldn’t find any bananas when I saw entire shelves that looked like they had been raided hours before.
Crates of assorted fruits, some entirely empty. Cooper Williamson
The vegetable display showed which vegetables Americans would be willing to part with for a week or so. Cooper Williamson
However, in the midst of the empty shelves sat a display of bananas. Even this display, though stocked, was missing half of its capacity.
Caught up in the exciting moment of discovery, I forgot to get a photo of them, though I gladly spent the 86 cents for a bunch and readily made my way home after a long five hours of shopping.
The panic consensus
As I sit here writing this article on the morning of January 23, sipping on a green smoothie (bananas, apples, and all), I wonder whether this is the new reality. I wonder whether every time the forecast warns of a snowstorm, Southern states like Texas will overreact like the last few times we have gotten a storm forecast.
I complained earlier that it took me most of an evening to get all of my shopping done. While it’s true that I am a picky eater and not a very efficient shopper, it is astounding that it took going to four stores (yes, I also went to the Kroger near the Aldi to get romaine and apples for the smoothie) over the course of five hours to find a bunch of bananas.
In bad weather, it is true that the roads are only as safe as the people driving the cars. Growing up in Colorado, a place that gets a lot more snow, I always found it strange that Texas can’t handle a few inches of snow. And I also don’t remember people panic-buying food and water like they were preparing for a hurricane before the pandemic.
Perhaps this is just another reminder that the preppers aren’t as crazy as people make them out to be. I certainly don’t want to repeat my quest to the grocery store on the eve of the next cold front moving through Dallas.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
‘Jobs, jobs, jobs’ the AI mantra as fears take back seat in Davos
DAVOS, Switzerland – Biting cold, political tensions and doubts about artificial intelligence did nothing to curb the enthusiasm of business leaders in Davos over technology’s ability to create jobs.
Russia, Ukraine sit for tense talks on thorny territorial issue
KYIV/MOSCOW- Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Abu Dhabi on Friday to tackle the vital issue of territory, with no sign of a compromise, as Russian attacks plunged Ukraine into its deepest energy crisis of the four-year war.
Swiss bar owner released on bail after deadly New Year’s fire
_2026_01_05_15_50_35.jpg)
GENEVA – The owner of a Swiss bar that was engulfed in a deadly New Year’s Day fire was released from detention on Friday on bail, court authorities said.
