Category: Blaze Media
Democrat claims she was pepper-sprayed by ICE — but her video and DHS say otherwise
A Democratic U.S. representative appeared to undermine her own accusations against federal agents when she posted a video of herself claiming to have been pepper-sprayed at a protest.
The newly sworn-in Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials pepper-sprayed her during a raid at a taco restaurant in Tucson on Friday.
‘If her claims were true, this would be a medical marvel. But they’re not true. She wasn’t pepper sprayed.’
“ICE just conducted a raid by Taco Giro in Tucson — a small mom-and-pop restaurant that has served our community for years,” reads a post from the politician. “When I presented myself as a Member of Congress asking for more information, I was pushed-aside and pepper sprayed.”
She said in the video that there had been about 40 agents in vehicles, most of them masked, but that the community stopped them. She claimed she and her staffers were pepper-sprayed and she was pushed, despite identifying herself as a member of Congress.
“While I am fine, if that is the way they treat me, how are they treating other community members who do not have the same privileges and protections that I do?” she added.
Many on social media pointed out that she didn’t have the appearance of someone who had been pepper-sprayed.
Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, gave a spirited response to the Democrat’s claims.
“If her claims were true, this would be a medical marvel. But they’re not true. She wasn’t pepper sprayed. She was in the vicinity of someone who *was* pepper sprayed as they were obstructing and assaulting law enforcement,” McLaughlin wrote.
She went on to say that two agents were seriously injured by the mob that Grijalva joined.
RELATED: Church worker pretended to be ICE agent to extort $500 from massage therapist, police say
“Presenting one’s self as a ‘Member of Congress’ doesn’t give you the right to obstruct law enforcement,” McLaughlin added.
Grijalva said she happened to be getting lunch at the taco place when the raid operation began. She coughed once in the video and said it was because of the pepper spray.
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RFK’s alleged sexting partner splits with another publication amid scandal-ridden book release
Olivia Nuzzi’s fall from grace continues as she parts ways with another magazine.
Once a rising star in the journalism world, Nuzzi was first fired from the New Yorker in 2024 after news broke of her alleged sexting with then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., breaking the most basic forms of journalistic ethics and collapsing her engagement to then-Politico reporter Ryan Lizza. Nuzzi was later picked up by Vanity Fair to be West Coast editor.
The overlapping narratives inevitably caused a media firestorm.
Nearly a year later, the scandal has resurfaced after Nuzzi announced the release of her book “American Canto,” which apparently details her alleged behavior with Kennedy but refers to him only as “the politician.”
In the aftermath of the renewed interest in and attention to the scandal, Nuzzi and Vanity Fair “have agreed to part ways,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
RELATED: Trump calls New York Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi an ‘unattractive wack job’
Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for HBO
Nuzzi’s attempt at a comeback tour was met with a series of bombshell exposés written by her former fiancé, who began his career as an independent journalist following the scandal.
Lizza detailed in his Substack series how he found out about Nuzzi’s alleged sexting not just with Kennedy in 2024, but also with former presidential candidate Mark Sanford in 2020. Lizza went on to detail a toxic dynamic between Nuzzi and Kennedy, including graphic details about their sexual proclivities and the intense betrayal, while she insisted that the relationship was merely a “digital” one.
Despite the overwhelming evidence and multiple accounts of the behavior, Kennedy has denied the allegations.
RELATED: What the mainstream media’s outrage over RFK Jr.’s ‘affair’ is REALLY about
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The overlapping narratives inevitably caused a media firestorm, but it may not have translated into monetary success for Nuzzi’s new book.
Since its release on December 2, “American Canto” sat at No. 5,546 on Amazon’s best-seller list and at No. 3,059 in the Kindle store. Despite the onslaught of media attention, the supposedly “mesmerizing firsthand account of the warping of American reality over the past decade” is currently sitting at a brutal 1.69-star rating on Goodreads.
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Pregnant woman disappears without a trace — but a grisly forest horror scene sends cops straight to her mother and stepfather
Search parties spent weeks attempting to locate a missing Michigan woman who was pregnant. However, the frantic search ended in a disturbing discovery that shocked a community.
On Nov. 4, 22-year-old Rebecca Park was reported missing, according to the Wexler County Sheriff’s Office. At the time, Park was approximately 38 weeks pregnant.
‘The brutality and disregard for human life displayed here are deeply troubling.’
Following weeks of searching for the missing pregnant woman, Park’s remains were found in the Manistee National Forest on Nov. 25. However, Park’s child was no longer in her womb.
According to a statement by the Michigan Department of Attorney General, 40-year-old Cortney Bartholomew and 47-year-old Bradly Bartholomew “lured” Park to their home in Wexford County. Cortney Bartholomew is Park’s biological mother, and Bradly Bartholomew is her stepfather.
“The couple then allegedly tortured Park in an attempt to remove the unborn infant, resulting in the death of both,” the statement read.
“This is frankly evil personified,” Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey said at Tuesday’s arraignment, according to Michigan Live. “These two individuals created a plan, conducted research.”
Carey continued, “Mr. Bartholomew brought Rebecca to their home, forced her into another vehicle, and took her into the woods, where they stabbed her, forced her to lie on the ground while they cut her baby out, ultimately causing her death and the death of the baby.”
Carey said Park’s death is a “case of premeditated torture and murder.”
According to ABC News, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel stated, “This case involves a truly horrific homicide in which a young woman and her unborn child endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of the defendants.”
Nessel added, “The brutality and disregard for human life displayed here are deeply troubling.”
Nessel stressed that the evidence “reflects an extraordinary level of callousness and violence.”
“Rebecca had everything to live for, and our hearts are with her loved ones as they endure this unthinkable loss,” Nessel said.
Nessel vowed that justice would be “pursued in this tragic case without delay.”
Cortney Bartholomew and Bradly Bartholomew were arrested in connection with Park’s death.
The couple was each charged with one felony count of first-degree premeditated murder, one felony count of murder, one felony count of torture in a place of confinement, one felony count of conspiracy to commit torture, one felony count of assault of a pregnant woman with the intention to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, one felony count of conspiracy to commit assault on a pregnant woman with the intention to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, and one misdemeanor count of removal of a dead body.
If convicted of any of the felonies, the pair faces up to life in prison.
Court records identify Bradly Bartholomew as a habitual offender, which means he could face harsher penalties.
Both suspects were jailed without the possibility of bond.
People magazine reported that Cortney posted a video on her Facebook page on the same day that her daughter was due to give birth, with a caption that read: “My alibi of where I was the night my daughter came up missing.”
The video had a black screen with audio of Cortney’s 14-year-old son reportedly saying, “She gave me my meds at about 8:40. I don’t remember a lot as I just said, but she was there when I went to bed, and she was also there when I woke up the next day. I know that she never goes out and about when I’m sleeping just because she doesn’t like to drive at night.”
Park’s adoptive mother, Stephanie Park, told WWTV-TV and WWUP-TV that she had had custody of Park since she was a year old. The mother said that she has been taking care of Rebecca’s two young sons, ages 3 and 2.
Officials have not yet revealed if the remains of Park’s baby have been recovered.
Anyone with information on Park’s death is urged to contact the tip line at the Wexford County Sheriff’s Department at 231-779-9216.
The Wexford County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Blaze News.
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Jailed Venezuelan kingpin praises Trump; drops bombshell about the narco regime
Once upon a time, retired three-star Venezuelan General Hugo Carvajal Barrios was one of the most powerful men within the Caracas socialist regime. Now, he’s writing letters to President Trump and the American people from his jail cell, which he landed in after voluntarily pleading guilty in the U.S. to a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
And while many politicians, including Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), are criticizing President Trump for actions taken against Venezuelan narco-terrorists, BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is in full support of Trump — alongside Barrios.
Gonzales points out that Paul is “going out and giving these little, like, press junkets where he’s telling people, like, ‘Well, these guys weren’t armed. You need to prove that they’re armed first.’”
“You know what they’re armed with, Rand? Drugs that they’re bringing into our country to kill Americans with,” Gonzales says, adding, “That’s what they’re armed with.”
And in his letter, Barrios confirms Gonzales’ sentiment.
“I see the need to address the American people about the reality of what the Venezuelan regime truly is — and why President Trump’s policies are not only correct, but absolutely necessary to the United States’ national security,” Barrios began in his letter.
“I personally witnessed how Hugo Chavez’s government became a criminal organization that is now run by Nicolas Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, and other senior regime officials. The purpose of this organization, now known as the Cartel of the Suns, is to weaponize drugs against the United States,” he continued.
“The drugs that reached your cities through new routes were not accidents of corruption nor just the work of independent traffickers; they were deliberate policies coordinated by the Venezuelan regime against the United States,” he added.
Barrios went on to claim that the plan has “been successfully executed with help from FARC, ELN, Cuban operatives, and Hezbollah.”
“The regime has provided weapons, passports, and impunity for these terrorist organizations to operate freely from Venezuela against the United States. The regime I served is not merely hostile — it is at war with you, using drugs, gangs, espionage, and even your own democratic processes as weapons,” he wrote.
Barrios added, “I absolutely support President Trump’s policy towards Venezuela, because it is in self-defense and he is acting based on the truth.”
“He’s already been sentenced. He’s serving time in federal prison. And he’s like, ‘I just want to make this right within my soul.’ So I’m going to explain all of this to you,” Gonzales says.
“It probably makes a whole hell of a lot of sense why the Trump administration is going so hard on Venezuela regardless of whether they’re armed with guns. … Innocent Americans are dying, and they don’t have to, because of the Venezuelan government.”
“We need to do something about that,” she adds.
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Supreme Court will hear arguments for ending birthright citizenship
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear arguments for and against President Donald Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship.
The Trump administration appealed a lower court order that struck down the restrictions in July over a class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of children affected by the policy.
‘We look forward to putting this issue to rest once and for all in the Supreme Court this term.’
Trump issued the Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship executive order on his first day in office of his second term. The order prohibits granting citizenship to persons born in the country to mothers illegally or temporarily in the U.S. and whose father is not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident.
Opponents of birthright citizenship say it stems from a false reading of the 14th Amendment, which was intended to apply only to former slaves when it was ratified in 1868 after the Civil War.
“Congress has never passed a federal statute that confers birthright citizenship. So it’s not in the Constitution, it’s not in federal law, it’s not in the legislative history, and yet it is being used,” argued BlazeTV host Mark Levin.
“Birthright citizenship is the argument, is the position, is the policy the Democrat Party holds on to because they want monopoly power for all time,” he added, “and they don’t care if it’s foreigners or not.”
Supporters of the policy point to the longstanding precedent of automatically granting citizenship to babies born in America.
“No president can change the 14th Amendment’s fundamental promise of citizenship,” said ACLU legal director Cecillia Wang. “We look forward to putting this issue to rest once and for all in the Supreme Court this term.”
The case will be heard in the spring, and a decision is expected by early summer.
RELATED: DHS slams Newsom over illegal alien accused in death of 11-year-old boy on Thanksgiving
Others point to the troublesome practice of “citizenship tourism” as justification for the order.
“There is a tourism industry surrounding this whole birthright citizenship. Women come here before they give birth so that they can just give birth here, and then their babies become United States citizens. That’s nuts, and to [Trump’s] point, nobody else does this,” said Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” on BlazeTV.
The birthright order would not take away citizenship from those who already obtained it before the order went into effect.
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A Dem House Candidate Mandated the COVID Vaccine for County Employees—Then Gave Them Taxpayer-Funded Gift Cards as a Reward for Getting the Jab
Bucks County, Pa., commissioner Bob Harvie (D.), who is running to unseat Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), required 2,300 county employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine or lose their jobs during the pandemic. He then spent more than $115,000 in taxpayer funds on gift cards that rewarded staff who got the mandatory jab.
The post A Dem House Candidate Mandated the COVID Vaccine for County Employees—Then Gave Them Taxpayer-Funded Gift Cards as a Reward for Getting the Jab appeared first on .
WATCH: Jake Tapper Describes Pipe Bomb Suspect As ‘White Man,’ Airs Photo Disproving His Claim Minutes Later
CNN anchor Jake Tapper described the alleged Jan. 6 pipe bomber as a “white man” on Thursday—then aired a photo showing that was clearly not the case.
The post WATCH: Jake Tapper Describes Pipe Bomb Suspect As ‘White Man,’ Airs Photo Disproving His Claim Minutes Later appeared first on .
Conservative political group fined $95K after correctly identifying male athletes competing with women in Australia
A traditional gender activist group has been fined in Australia for the “vilification” of two transgender-identifying males who competed in women’s sports.
The Binary Australia advocacy group was found guilty in August of identifying the athletes and exposing them to ridicule and hatred from critics of the transgender agenda.
‘Women have effectively been erased from law and attempts to advocate regarding public policy are shut down for the sake of the feelings of a few.’
Binary Australia spokeswoman Kirralie Smith said the fine was an infringement on her free speech rights and said the group would appeal the ruling.
“It is disappointing that the word ‘woman’ has been redefined to include males and that the words ‘violence’ & ‘vilification’ have been applied to speaking the truth about information in the public domain,” she wrote on social media.
“Australians should be very concerned about their freedoms,” she added. “Women have effectively been erased from law and attempts to advocate regarding public policy are shut down for the sake of the feelings of a few.”
Transgender activist Heather Corkhill of Equality Australia praised the ruling and accused Smith’s group of inciting hatred and violence.
“These women were subjected to horrendous harassment online, including being publicly identified, outed, and misgendered,” Corkhill said of the male athletes.
“People who target vulnerable minorities to incite hatred and fear need to be called out and stopped,” she added. “Smith and her supporters are out of step with the law, out of step with community values, and out of step with modern Australia.”
The 95K in Australian dollars equates to about 63K U.S. dollars.
RELATED: ‘F**king horrific’: Liberals rage after largest girl youth group in UK bans trans-identifying boys
“Males should never be permitted to participate in female sport. As a registered third-party political campaigner and a woman, I should have the right to advocate for this without being penalized,” Smith continued.
“The law might state men can be women, but it defies the laws of nature and cannot be sustained,” she added. “Nothing will steal my joy in knowing that I am a woman and no male ever will be. I am proud to stand for truth and reality.”
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NYC councilwoman lays into ‘rich,’ ‘entitled’ Mamdani voters as mayor-elect plans to leave homeless encampments alone
The incoming socialist mayor of New York City says that he will end the clearing out of homeless encampments in the city once he enters office.
Zohran Mamdani made the comments during his “Hot Chocolate, Frozen Rent” event in Manhattan on Thursday, where he posited that homelessness is a result of “political choice.”
‘Radical left communists would rather the homeless freeze to death on the streets, live in tents without showers food or medicine than make sure they have PROPER housing.’
“If you are not connecting homeless New Yorkers to the housing that they so desperately need, then you cannot deem anything you’re doing to be a success,” he said.
“We are going to take an approach that understands its mission is connecting those New Yorkers to housing, whether it’s supportive housing, whether it’s rental housing, whatever kind of housing it is,” he added. “Because what we have seen is the treatment of homelessness as if it is a natural part of living in this city, when in fact it’s more often a reflection of a political choice being made time and time again.”
Republican NYC Councilwoman Inna Vernikov torched Mamdani over the announcement.
“The radical left communists would rather the homeless freeze to death on the streets, live in tents without showers food or medicine than make sure they have PROPER housing and mental health treatment which many of them desperately need,” said Vernikov.
While the mainstream media has tried to mischaracterize Mamdani as moderate, he has previously posited that the government might need to ban private property in order to address the housing crisis.
RELATED: Actor Jon Voight calls on Trump to ‘terminate’ election of Mamdani in NYC
“Mamdani voters are rich entitled liberals who never have to struggle and who believe that leaving the homeless on our streets in their tents is also appropriate PUNISHMENT for our ‘intolerant and racist’ neighborhoods,” Vernikov continued. “BRACE YOURSELVES.”
Mamdani shocked many when he won the Democrat nomination in the mayoral race despite being vastly inexperienced to run the massive city. At least one liberal commentator has compared him to Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King Jr.
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