Category: Blaze Media
Petition To Release Epstein Files Crosses Key Congressional Threshold
The discharge petition to release the Epstein files has officially surpassed the crucial 218-signature threshold, clearing the way for a potential floor vote. The final signature was secured just as Democratic Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva — who succeeded her late father, longtime Rep. Raul Grijalva — was sworn in as the newest member of the […]
Architect of South Africa’s ‘Genocide’ Case Against Israel, Supporter of ‘Armed Struggle,’ Slated To Enter US This Week
The South African official who spearheaded a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), arguing it was guilty of genocide, is scheduled to enter the United States on Thursday. The official, Naledi Pandor, spoke by phone with former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh shortly after Oct. 7, 2023, and has supported Islamist terrorism.
The post Architect of South Africa’s ‘Genocide’ Case Against Israel, Supporter of ‘Armed Struggle,’ Slated To Enter US This Week appeared first on .
Trump ‘shuts off’ deadly fentanyl pipeline by securing ‘historic’ deal with China: Patel
FBI Director Kash Patel traveled to Beijing last week to finalize a deal with China to end the fentanyl production pipeline.
‘The Chinese government agreed on a plan to stop fentanyl precursors.’
Patel joined White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday in the briefing room to share the results of that visit.
Patel credited the accomplishment to Trump’s “historic engagement with [Chinese] President Xi,” referring to the leaders’ meeting in October.
Patel reported that the FBI has seized 1,900 kilograms of fentanyl — enough to kill 127 million — so far this year, noting that it was a 31% increase compared to the same time frame last year.
“Fentanyl precursors are what makes up fentanyl. While we, the inner agency, the Department of Justice, have been fighting hard to seize and stop drug traffickers, we must attack fentanyl precursors — the ingredients necessary to make this lethal drug,” Patel stated.
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Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
He noted that he is the first FBI director to travel to China in over a decade.
“The Chinese government agreed on a plan to stop fentanyl precursors,” Patel said.
“The People’s Republic of China has fully designated and listed all 13 precursors utilized to make fentanyl. Furthermore, they have agreed to control seven chemical subsidiaries that are also utilized to produce this lethal drug.”
“Effective immediately, essentially, President Trump has shut off the pipeline that creates fentanyl,” he continued.
“This historic achievement has saved tens of thousands of lives.”
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Photo by DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images
China’s Commerce Ministry announced early this week that it would adjust requirements for some precursor chemicals, requiring a license to export them to the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Most fentanyl that enters the U.S. is from Mexico, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The office reported in September that fentanyl continues to be the leading cause of overdose deaths in the country.
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Newsom’s former chief of staff arrested on political corruption charges — and the governor tries to blame Trump
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s presidential hopes hit another stumbling block after his former chief of staff was arrested for alleged political corruption Wednesday.
Dana Williamson, 53, was indicted by a federal grand jury for nearly two dozen counts, and she was arrested, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in California.
A statement from a spokesperson for Newsom suggested that President Donald Trump was abusing the legal process to punish his political opponents.
Prosecutors allege that Williamson illegally funneled approximately $225,000 from a dormant political campaign to various business entities for an associate’s personal use between Feb. 2022 and Sept. 2024.
Williamson allegedly “conspired with a business associate to create false, backdated contracts” after she was subpoenaed over Paycheck Protection Program loans to her business.
She also is accused of illegally reporting personal expenditures as business deductions on falsified tax forms. The more than $1 million in expenditures included “private jet travel, luxury hotel stays, home furnishings, and designer handbags,” according to the release.
A statement from a spokesperson for Newsom suggested that President Donald Trump was abusing the legal process to punish his political opponents.
“Ms. Williamson no longer serves in this administration. While we are still learning details of the allegations, the governor expects all public servants to uphold the highest standards of integrity,” read the statement. “At a time when the president is openly calling for his attorney general to investigate his political enemies, it is especially important to honor the American principle of being innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a jury of one’s peers.”
However, the press release indicated that the investigation began under the Biden administration, undermining Newsom’s suggestion.
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“This is a crucial step in an ongoing political corruption investigation that began more than three years ago,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant. “As it always has, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to protect the people of California from political corruption.”
If convicted, Williamson faces decades in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
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Effort to release Epstein files finally advances after newly sworn-in Democrat becomes final signatory
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s highly anticipated discharge petition to release the Epstein files received its final signatory on Wednesday, allowing lawmakers to force a vote in the House.
Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona became the 218th signatory on the Epstein discharge petition just moments after being sworn into office on Wednesday. Grijalva joined the 213 Democrats who unanimously supported the discharge petition while just four Republicans — Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Massie — signed on.
‘Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap.’
With 218 signatures, lawmakers will be able to force a House vote on releasing the Epstein files.
Just hours before Grijalva’s swearing in, the White House confirmed that members of President Donald Trump’s administration met with Boebert in the Situation Room to address the discharge petition.
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
This meeting included a phone call from Trump as well as a face-to-face with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel. Despite the apparent pressure campaign, Boebert did not rescind her support for the discharge petition.
Despite the bipartisan uproar over the administration’s handling of the Epstein files, Trump maintains that the scandal is a Democrat “hoax” to distract from their disastrous shutdown.
“The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects,” Trump said in a Truth Social Post. “Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap. The Democrats cost our Country $1.5 Trillion Dollars with their recent antics of viciously closing our Country, while at the same time putting many at risk — and they should pay a fair price.”
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Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
“There should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicans involved should be focused only on opening up our Country, and fixing the massive damage caused by the Democrats!”
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ESPN fatigue: Stephen A. Smith pushes vaccines, racial drama, and no real journalism
ESPN is in trouble, and BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock isn’t surprised — especially considering that one of its “stars,” Stephen A. Smith, has been pushing woke nonsense on listeners since the tiresome events of 2020.
In one clip that Whitlock plays from 2022, Smith addresses an incident involving a Duke volleyball player, Rachel Richardson, who claimed that she heard racial slurs in a game against BYU.
“I’m saying, BYU, you did it by allowing this to happen and not addressing it expeditiously, not addressing it with the level of quickness and speed that you should have addressed it with. So now, instead of looking at that fool, that racist bastard that was spewing that nonsense towards Miss Rachel Richardson,” Smith yelled on ESPN’s “First Take.”
“This is why I have fatigue,” Whitlock comments, annoyed. “And y’all remember this. This is about some BYU student that allegedly called some black girl the N-word or something at a volleyball game. It made no sense. There was no proof of it.”
“And Stephen A. Smith’s on TV yelling and screaming and wagging a finger at some white kid that he doesn’t know who he is. There’s no proof that it happened. There never was any proof that it happened. He made a fool of himself and ESPN, and they allowed it to happen. This is supposed to be some media corporation that should have some understanding of the basic tenets of journalism. And they’ve platformed Stephen A. Smith as if he’s the face of sports journalism,” he adds.
But Smith’s BYU outburst is far from the worst of it.
“The virus has been especially brutal to my community, with data showing black Americans being far more likely to get infected, get hospitalized, and, yes, even die from COVID-19. And now the data shows black Americans are not getting the vaccine, at least not at the same rate as other communities,” Smith preached on ESPN.
“Just in Philadelphia, where Rite Aid pharmacies are distributing the vaccine, 87% of vaccinations so far have gone to white folks, reportedly,” he added.
“‘You gotta take this poison, y’all,’” Whitlock mocks. “‘Black people, my community. Now, yes, I lived in a gated community filled with white people, but when I say my community, I’m talking about you black people.’”
“‘You got to take this experimental vaccine and kill yourself. … My IQ is probably in the low 80s, but I’m a doctor and can tell you what vaccines you should take,’” he continues.
“This is insanity,” Whitlock says, adding, “And you wonder why people have fatigue.”
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Task force locates 101 missing children, arrests so many suspects the Memphis jail is running out of room: Report
A task force operation in Tennessee has led to 101 missing children cases being cleared, according to the U.S. Marshals, who also said more than 1,000 warrants had been cleared.
The Memphis Safe Task Force has been in operation for only several weeks, but the operation has led to more than 2,300 arrests and the seizure of over 389 firearms.
‘While investigative work is tedious, locating missing and endangered children is one of the things we are most proud of.’
The National Guard is a part of 31 state and federal agencies contributing to the Memphis Safe State Task Force.
“We are happy that we have been able to use our fugitive hunting skills to assist local and state authorities with finding these missing children,” said U.S. Marshals spokesperson Emily Williams. “What a testament to our partnerships to be able to work these cases together. While investigative work is tedious, locating missing and endangered children is one of the things we are most proud of.”
One case involved a 15-year-old who had been reported as a runaway on Sept. 1 and had allegedly indicated suicidal feelings. A tipster said that he had witnessed the boy living in a minivan with his father on his property in Hawaii. The property owner tried to kick them out of the location, but the man refused.
Officials said the father had a long criminal history that included domestic violence, abuse, drugs, battery, and burglary, both in California as well as Hawaii. On Nov. 6, the boy was recovered by officials and will be returned to Tennessee.
The dramatic increase in arrests has led to a shortage of space at the Shelby County Jail, according to Sheriff Floyd Bonner.
“When we were notified that the surge was going to occur, we started talking to the national marshals services, telling them that we weren’t prepared for this, but we couldn’t stop it, and we couldn’t delay it, they said it was going to happen,” said Bonner to WREG-TV. “We’ve been scrambling for a month now trying to get contracts signed and going back and forth with attorneys.”
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed that three inmates had died separately at the jail in just over a week’s time.
Other organizations involved in the task force included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, Health and Human Services, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency.
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Megyn Kelly and Stu Burguiere: Smartphones, no God, zero soul — the left’s humanity collapse
Death chants, celebrations of murder, aggressive protests, and violent demonstrations are mostly happening on one side of the political aisle. The Democrat Party is supposed to be all about tolerance, love, and inclusivity, so why are lefties so hostile? Why do they cheer when political opponents are murdered in cold blood? Why do they scream for the death of their own country while championing the causes of terrorists overseas? Why do they physically attack people for wearing MAGA hats or selling Charlie Kirk merchandise on the street?
In other words: Where did their humanity go?
This was a topic Stu Burguiere, BlazeTV host of “Stu Does America,” dove into with conservative firebrand Megyn Kelly on a recent joint episode.
The increase in left-wing violence, while certainly a multifaceted issue, is caused in part by the digital age, Stu speculates. “Young people in the last 20 years — their time socializing with other human beings is down between 50% and 70%” thanks to things like the iPhone and social media, he says.
Given that today “pet owners spend more time actively engaged with their cats than they do other human beings,” is it any wonder their sense of humanity has dwindled? “There’s a disconnect that’s brewing between younger people and just the people around them,” says Stu. “They don’t see them as humans. They don’t have any respect for them at all.”
Never was this clearer than when countless left-wingers across the country celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk. Stu laments the fact that feeling sadness for the brutal death of a man whose only crime was to share his opinions in the public square is still too high a bar for the left to clear.
Even feeling sadness for Charlie’s family — his widow, Erika, and their two young children — is too high a bar for some on the left. “There’s a baby boy who’s still sleeping in a crib, there’s a toddler girl who have no understanding that they will never know their father. And there’s a mother who’s trying to raise them,” says Megyn.
And yet numerous left-wing attacks have been aimed directly at Erika and her children. They’ve been mocked; their grief has been publicly celebrated; gruesome re-enactments of Charlie’s murder have circulated online.
Megyn says that while there’s plenty of people she loathes, especially in left-wing media, she would “never wish for them to get hurt.” “God forbid they ever got attacked, I would never celebrate it. I would shed tears for them,” she says.
But young progressives today seem incapable of feeling any emotion for people they disagree with. Are the screens they live behind numbing their humanity?
While the digital age has undoubtedly stunted social and emotional development, conservatives are just as embedded in this technological landscape, but their civility has largely remained more intact than that of their liberal counterparts.
Stu theorizes that the digital age has had more of a negative impact on the left because progressives often prescribe to collectivism — the belief that the group (society, community, race, class, etc.) is more important than the individual, and that people should be judged, valued, or treated primarily based on their membership in that group rather than their personal actions, character, or choices.
Collectivism is the foundation on which DEI, affirmative action, and race/gender quotas are built. It’s a mentality that inevitably leads to bigotry as human beings are reduced to group identity. This ideology, says Stu, exacerbates the negative effects of social isolation caused by our technologies.
However, the loss of faith is another important factor. “In general, right-wing families are connected with faith,” says Megyn.
Progressives, in contrast, are far more likely to be secular, with those who identify as very liberal being the most likely to reject faith altogether. That means they don’t prescribe to a set of moral ideals set by a higher power and therefore can more easily justify things like violence, hatred, and revenge.
But that doesn’t mean lefties aren’t religious at their core. “Wokeism,” which Megyn calls a “false god,” has become the religion of the left. All the fervency, enthusiasm, and commitment that propels people of faith is still there; it’s just channeled in directions that are “extremely damaging.”
To hear more of Stu and Megyn’s conversation, watch the episode above.
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Neighbors allegedly noticed something suspicious — now a teacher is accused of ‘extremely disturbing’ sex assault of student
An Illinois middle school teacher has been accused of sexually assaulting a student after her neighbors noticed something suspicious about her house and tipped off police, according to authorities.
Jessica Bergmann — a 34-year-old teacher at Washington Middle School in Aurora — was arrested on Friday without incident. Bergmann was charged with felony criminal sexual assault by a person in a position of authority and two felony counts for aggravated criminal sexual abuse, the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a Saturday statement.
‘Cases involving alleged abuse by a teacher strike at the core of community trust.’
Bergmann was released from custody after her initial court appearance, but she was ordered to have no contact with anyone under the age of 18 years old, the attorney’s office said.
The state’s attorney’s office said the Wheaton Police Department began an investigation after receiving leads about “suspicious incidents involving a minor male and an adult female.”
The Daily Herald said it obtained court documents indicating that the Wheaton Police Department launched an investigation in October after concerned neighbors tipped off law enforcement that a young male made frequent visits to Bergmann’s home.
The state’s attorney’s office said in the press release that Bergmann first met the alleged victim when he was a student at Washington Middle School. Bergmann — a math teacher at the school — also was a coach on a school soccer team, of which the boy was a member, according to prosecutors.
The attorney’s office noted that the student graduated from middle school, but Bergmann and the boy began “communicating via text messages and phone calls” when he was a sophomore in high school.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Wheaton Police Department Chief P.J. Youker accused Bergmann of having an “inappropriate sexual relationship with a student.”
The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office stated:
It is alleged that at some point in time, the relationship between the two turned sexual. It is further alleged that the relationship progressed further and that the victim would frequently go to Bergmann’s home, occasionally staying overnight, where the two would engage in sexual intercourse.
Berlin declared, “The profound abuse of trust and authority allegedly displayed by Ms. Bergmann is extremely disturbing and will be met with the full force of the law.”
Berlin also said in his statement:
Teachers are entrusted with our students’ well-being. They are given the awesome responsibility to guide and protect our students, not to harm or exploit them. A teacher who takes advantage of a student, as alleged in this case, is not only breaking the law, but they are also breaking the trust placed in them by the community, the school, and the victim’s family.
Chief Youker said of the alleged sexual abuse allegations:
Cases involving alleged abuse by a teacher strike at the core of community trust. This behavior is unacceptable, and the Wheaton Police Department is dedicated to fully investigating any reports involving this allegation, to fully ensure the safety of our community and our children.
The DuPage County Children’s Advocacy Center assisted in the investigation, according to authorities.
The Daily Herald noted that the student is now 17 years old.
At the time of publication, Bergmann was not listed on the employee directory for West Aurora School District 129.
Washington Middle School Principal Marchel Rogers and West Aurora School District 129 Superintendent Michael Smith did not immediately respond to Blaze News‘ request for comment.
Bergmann is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 1 in front of Judge Margaret O’Connell.
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New head of US Catholic Bishops said he would deny communion to pro-abortion politicians
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley is not in favor of giving politicians preferential treatment.
Coakley, archbishop of Oklahoma City, was elected as the next president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in a secret ballot on Tuesday and will serve a three-year term as president.
‘I think in many cases it becomes the right decision and the only choice.’
Coakley has set a strong precedent for supporting the denial of communion to certain politicians that dates back more than a decade.
Most recently, in 2022, Coakley spoke in support of Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone of San Francisco. As reported by Life News, Cordileone decided to withhold communion from Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at the time after she backed the Democrats as they blocked a vote on a bill to stop infanticide at least 80 times.
As Pelosi’s district encompasses San Francisco, Cordileone informed Pelosi she would be denied communion following her repeated dismissal of the archbishop, who attempted to speak with her about supporting “grave evil.”
Coakley supported the decision, saying, “I applaud the courage of Archbishop Cordileone and his leadership in taking this difficult step. Let us continue to pray for Abp. Cordileone, priests of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Speaker Pelosi, for the protection of the unborn, and for the conversion of hearts and minds.”
The new USCCB president has remained consistent, and the proof is showcased in an interview he gave in 2014.
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After Coakley said that many Catholic politicians have been at the forefront of “fostering so-called abortion rights,” he was asked about denying them communion due to the “severity” of their support for abortion.
Coakley replied, “I think one has to determine yet at what point it can be determined that they have come to that state of obstinate refusal to desist from that condition of manifest, grave sin.”
He told Life Site News, “I think we have an obligation as bishops, as pastors, to try to work with them to bring them to a change of heart and refusing them communion would be, not the first, but more than likely, the last stage in a serious [sic] of steps.”
The outlet then clarified, asking if it was something he would rule out or not.
“Oh, absolutely not,” Coakley reiterated. “I think it is something that Canon Law sanctions and that I think many bishops find themselves with no other choice but to make that decision. I think in many cases it becomes the right decision and the only choice.”
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VATICAN – 2022/06/29: US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (R), with her husband, Paul Pelosi (C), attend a Holy Mass for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul lead by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica. (Photo by Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Upon accepting his new role, Coakley wrote a statement on X about being “put out into deep waters” in his new position.
“Once again, the Lord is inviting me,” he wrote. “Please pray that I may be a faithful steward and a wise servant of unity and communion with our Holy Father, Pope Leo, and with my brother bishops.”
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