Category: Blaze Media
Federal Prosecutors Who Indicted 78 Fraudsters Aren’t ‘Adding Value’ in Minnesota, St. Paul Mayor Says
The Democratic mayor of St. Paul, Melvin Carter, said federal officials aren’t “adding value” in Minnesota because it was the “state’s law enforcement presence” that uncovered the largest COVID fraud scheme in the country. Federal prosecutors have indicted 78 individuals associated with that fraud scheme, while the state has indicted 0.
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‘Lawful and needful’: Navy admiral dispels Hegseth’s alleged ‘kill them all’ order during drug-boat strike
Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth remains on offense, as another military official stands up in defense of the infamous boat strike against alleged drug traffickers.
The Washington Post published a story claiming that Hegseth ordered Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley to “kill them all” during a September 2 strike on alleged drug boats, insinuating that the alleged order amounted to a war crime.
‘I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat, load it with drugs.’
Bradley echoed remarks made by Hegseth and members of the administration defending the strike and calling the Post’s reporting into question.
Lawmakers exiting the Thursday-morning meeting with Bradley reaffirmed that the accusations levied against Hegseth and his Pentagon were unfounded, claiming there was “no such order.”
RELATED: Trump’s boat strikes may leave one Venezuelan drug-smuggling pirate haven in ruins
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“The first strike, the second strike, and the third and the fourth strike on September 2 were entirely lawful and needful, and they were exactly what we would expect our military commanders to do,” Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said as he was exiting the classified briefing.
“Admiral Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all,” Cotton added.
RELATED: Turns out that Hegseth’s ‘kill them all’ line was another media invention
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Cotton went on to describe the footage of the strike that was shown to the lawmakers.
“I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat — loaded with drugs, bound for the United States — back over so they could stay in the fight,” Cotton said. “And potentially, given all the context we heard, of other narco-terrorist boats in the area coming to their aid.”
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Thanksgiving nightmare: Woman gives chilling ‘independence day’ confession about slashing boyfriend’s throat, police say
An Arizona woman allegedly admitted to trying to murder her sleeping boyfriend on Thanksgiving, according to court documents. What’s more, authorities said the woman told her boyfriend, “Today is my independence day.”
Tamala Rudeseal — a 52-year-old from Mesa — was arrested on Thanksgiving night and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on attempted murder and aggravated assault charges. Her bond was set at $1 million.
‘God, I hope he is dead; it’d be a favor to me, his wife, and his children.’
Police said Rudeseal called 911 around 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving and reportedly made several alarming remarks.
Citing court records, KPNX-TV reported that Rudeseal was heard saying during the 911 call, “I’m sick of what you do to me, today is independence day.”
Court documents also claim Rudeseal was heard saying, “Yes … I did just try to murder you,” and “I’m ready to go to prison.”
Police said when officers arrived at the residence, they found Rudeseal’s boyfriend with a cut running from his left ear to the center of his neck.
The wounded man was rushed to a local hospital and underwent emergency surgery for a neck laceration, according to KSAZ-TV. Officials told the news outlet that the man is expected to survive.
The boyfriend informed investigators that the couple had argued earlier in the day, court docs stated.
Arizona Family, citing court documents, reported that the man told detectives he was asleep when he woke to a sharp pain in his neck. Court records also state that he told investigators that he thought he was going to die but controlled the bleeding with his shirt until police arrived.
The boyfriend said he’d been in a relationship with Rudeseal for 11 years and that she is often depressed around the holidays, according to court records.
According to court docs, Rudeseal informed police that she told her boyfriend, “I’m going to slice your (expletive) throat.”
According to court docs, when asked by investigators if she was attempting to kill her boyfriend, Rudeseal responded, “Yes. God, I hope he is dead; it’d be a favor to me, his wife, and his children.”
According to court records, Rudeseal also told authorities, “I planned on doing the other side and then stabbing him in the heart.”
Records show Rudeseal complained to officers that her boyfriend “does not do anything around the house” except sit, smoke, and drink.
Police detained Rudeseal at the crime scene and recovered a large folding hunting knife close to where she was found, authorities said.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office told People magazine that the case is “currently under review by our office.”
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon told Blaze News that Rudeseal “is still in custody.”
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Halle Berry torches Gavin Newsom’s presidential hopes — for devaluing half of the population
Hollywood actress Halle Berry said she vehemently opposes the reported presidential aspirations of California Gov. Gavin Newsom over menopause health care.
The Academy Award-winning actress berated Newsom while speaking at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit.
The 59-year-old has become an advocate for expanding health care options for women going through menopause.
She said that the governor’s veto against the Menopause Care Equity Act (AB 432) led to her rejection of any presidential hopes he might have. The 59-year-old has become an advocate for expanding health care options for women going through menopause.
“Back in my great state of California, my very own governor, Gavin Newsom, has vetoed our menopause bill, not one, but two years in a row,” she said.
“But that’s OK, because he’s not going to be governor forever,” she added. “And with the way he’s overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us in midlife, he probably should not be our next president either. Just saying.”
Berry endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024.
Newsom argued that the bill was too far-reaching when he vetoed it the last time.
“Last year, I vetoed a substantially similar bill, stating that it would limit the ability of health plans to engage in practices that have been shown to ensure appropriate care while limiting unnecessary costs,” the governor said. “That is still the case with this bill — despite my call for a more tailored solution. This bill’s expansive coverage mandate, in conjunction with a prohibition on [utilization management], is too far-reaching.”
RELATED: Newsom tries to hit Trump administration on energy prices — and gets humiliated online
Video of Berry’s comments were widely circulated on social media.
Berry won the Oscar for best actress in 2002 for her role in “Monster’s Ball.” She was the first black woman to win the award in that category and, to date, the only one to do so.
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‘Matrix’ co-creator: ‘Trans rage’ drives my work
At 57 years old, writer Lilly Wachowski is still doing a lot of soul-searching.
Born Andrew, and one-half of the famous Wachowski Brothers, Wachowski and his older brother, Lana (60), born Laurence, are known for their iconic movie series “The Matrix.”
Both claim to be transgender.
‘As a trans person, the dark question that I had as a trans person was, “Who will ever love this?”‘
Andy became Lilly in 2016, while Larry was four years ahead, becoming Lana in 2012. Since then, the duo have leaned into their new identities, going so far as to retroactively characterize “The Matrix” trilogy as a “trans metaphor” in 2020.
Freedom fried
During a recent interview on “So True with Caleb Hearon,” Lilly Wachowski took another look back at his previous work and explained that he has a new perspective that helps him see how his work got him to where he is now, in relation to his gender status.
I look back on all of my previous work, and I see it because I’m looking at it from this higher place. It just creates this different perspective from this point of view up here, and I can see “Bound” — the first shot of the movie is a closet. And it’s like, “Okay, it looks like we’re going to be working on some stuff.”
Noting that “The Matrix” was about “liberation and identity and, like, freedom,” Wachowski then repeated a liberal trope about making art that can “will things into being that you need to see in the world,” before further saying that his movies have also been about finding love, while also being subliminal instruments for transgender storytelling.
RELATED: Dave Chappelle calls out censorious transsexual activists who claim his jokes cause violence
“A lot of the things that me and Lana were also writing about was love — that we needed to create stories that gave us a grounding to see that love was possible,” Wachowski tried to explain. “As a trans person … the dark question that I had as a trans person was, ‘Who will ever love this?’ … And it gave us this reminder that there was a future for us.”
Mad for it
Wachowski also noted another powerful source of creativity his new identity has given him: “trans rage.”
In 2017, he and a partner began working on a trans-themed screenplay — a process he described as “purging all this rage and horror out of the world and onto this page.”
After a few years executive producing the Showtime series “Work in Progress” — a vehicle for comedian and self-described “masculine queer dyke” Abby McEnany — Wachowski returned to the script in 2021, finding “catharsis” in responding to a world he found had become “way s**ttier for trans people.”
Wachowski channeled some of his rage into “creating caricature[d] buffoons of the right wing.” He also used it to inspire a vision of “an idealized family, a network, a Weather Underground of trans people coming together and supporting each other and holding each other up, trying to create a story that is the best of us.”
Larry Wachowski, now Lana (L), and Andy Wachowski, now Lilly (R). Photo by Bob Riha Jr/WireImage
Flip-flop
Wachowski’s new creative direction hasn’t been great for the bottom line.
A fourth installment of the beloved Keanu Reeves saga, “The Matrix Resurrections,” flopped when released in December 2021, making only about $38 million on a $190 million budget.
That’s less than a third of the $139 million its predecessor, “The Matrix Revolutions,” pulled in 2004 — and a far cry from 2003’s “The Matrix Reloaded,” which took in over $280 million.
The first “Matrix” made $171 million in 1999.
Cash-starved OpenAI BURNS $50M on ultra-woke causes — like world’s first ‘transgender district’
OpenAI is providing millions of dollars to nonprofits, many of which openly promote race politics and gender ideology.
In September, the ChatGPT creators announced it would be injecting $50 million into nonprofits and “mission-focused organizations” that work “at the intersection of innovation and public good.”
‘The Transgender District is the first legally recognized transgender district in the world.’
In order to be eligible, organizations must be a 501(c)(3) charity, located in the United States, and preferably have an annual operating budget above $500,000, but not more than $10 million. Simply put, OpenAI did not choose startups or struggling businesses.
On Wednesday, the AI company posted its lengthy list of recipients, stating that it had plans to distribute more than $40 million before the end of 2025.
First, OpenAI highlighted programs like a radio and digital media studio and a group that helps those with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
However, after about a dozen examples, OpenAI began listing organizations that operate with ethnicity-based missions.
This included STEM from Dance, which serves “young girls of color” across seven states. This also included Maui Roots Reborn, which provides “legal, financial, and social support to Maui’s immigrant and migrant” communities. This was followed by the Native American Journalists Association.
This was only the tip of the iceberg, though. The subsequent list of more than 200 entities included many other woke organizations as well as outright bizarre ones.
For example, the Transgender District Company out of Compton, California, is a literal district founded in the city in 2017 “by three black trans women — Honey Mahogany, Janetta Johnson, and Aria Sa’id — as Compton’s Transgender Cultural District. The Transgender District is the first legally recognized transgender district in the world.”
As well, the Source LGBT+ Center in Visalia, California, has transgender programs to hold “space for trans and nonbinary individuals.”
RELATED: AI-enabled teddy bear pulled off market after reportedly making sexual and violent suggestions
OpenAI is funding countless race-based organizations, with a particular focus on black women, for some reason.
Funding has been extended to groups like Black Girls Do Engineer Corporation (New York, Texas), the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, the Lighthouse Black Girl Project (Mississippi), and Women of Color On the Move (California, North Carolina).
Other strange organizations listed were focused simply on specific cultures, like the Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco, the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment Inc. (California), and the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan Inc. (Michigan).
Some grant recipients were seemingly just political or legal groups, such as: California Association of African American Superintendents and Admin, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality-California (California,) and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which operates in almost every state.
RELATED: AI chatbot encouraged autistic boy to harm himself — and his parents, lawsuit says
Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI Inc. Photographer: An Rong Xu/Bloomberg via Getty Images
While youth centers, YMCAs, and science-based organizations are sprinkled into the mix, it seems that, politically, only progressive and liberal groups received funding.
None of the groups mentioned had a “right-wing,” “conservative,” or “Republican” focus.
The race-based initiatives did not include any “white” groups or those based on European nations either — not even Ukraine.
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White House makes touching gesture to honor assassinated National Guard member, allegedly by CIA-linked Afghan
President Donald Trump’s administration is honoring fallen National Guard member Spc. Sarah Beckstrom in the wake of her horrific murder just yards away from the White House grounds.
The White House lowered all flags on the grounds to half-staff on Thursday after Beckstrom succumbed to her wounds on November 27, Thanksgiving Day. The suspect is a CIA-linked Afghan national who allegedly shot her and fellow guardsman Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in Washington, D.C, the day prior.
Beckstrom was only 20 years old.
‘The Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States.’
The proclamation from Trump’s administration extended the honor to “all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, December 4, 2025.”
The flags will also be lowered at American embassies, legations, consular offices, and military facilities across the world.
Flags at the White House are lowered to half-staff in memory of Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom.
May God bless her family, our National Guard heroes, and the United States of America. 🙏🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/OyOGMc0dv3
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 4, 2025
Twenty-nine-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was officially charged with Beckstrom’s murder, also allegedly ambushed 24-year-old Wolfe, who is miraculously expected to recover.
Lakanwal first came to the United States under President Joe Biden’s administration under the program Operation Allies Welcome following the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Lakanwal was also a member of a CIA-backed military operation to hunt down Taliban commanders.
RELATED: Suspect in National Guard shooting was part of CIA-backed unit that hunted down Taliban commanders
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
“In the wake of the disastrous Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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Major telecom giant says it’s ditching DEI — but is the new policy just a woke smoke screen?
One of the big three wireless carriers committed on Monday to ditching its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, AT&T’s Senior Executive Vice President David McAtee II stated that, after reviewing the company’s policies and relationships with external groups, he concluded that the “legal landscape governing diversity, equity, and inclusion (‘DEI’) policies and programs has changed.”
‘We believe in the importance of advocacy and inclusion of our many suppliers in every aspect of AT&T’s ecosystem.’
AT&T, which employs more than 110,000 individuals in the U.S., cited the Trump administration’s recent executive orders, Supreme Court rulings, and guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as reasons it had decided to alter its “employment and business practices to ensure that they comply with all applicable laws and related requirements.”
The company claimed that it has always supported “merit-based” employment opportunities.
“AT&T does not and will not have any roles focused on DEI. … We do not and will not use hiring quotas based on race, sex, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristics,” the letter reads.
“Further, consistent with the current law, we removed training related to ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ as well as any references to it from our internal and external messaging and will ensure that future training is consistent with guidance released by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission addressing training that could facilitate discrimination in the workplace,” AT&T added.
A 2021 report in the City Journal claimed that AT&T once offered employee training titled “White America, if you want to know who’s responsible for racism, look in the mirror.” The resource called racism a “uniquely white trait,” adding that white people “are the sole reason [racism] has flourished for centuries.”
The company previously told the New York Post in 2021 that the mentioned resources were offered “on a voluntary basis” in an effort to “build a workplace that is civil, inclusive, and understanding.”
“Whether an employee uses these resources or not is up to them, and does not affect their annual performance rating,” a representative told the Post. “We have a long and proud history of valuing diversity, equality, and inclusion, and will continue to do so.”
RELATED: Verizon shuts down DEI policies for its 105,000 workers
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. Photo by John McDonnell/Getty Images
While AT&T claims it has ditched DEI for good, it still hosts a “Culture and Inclusion” page on its website that features a quote from the company’s vice president of culture and inclusion, Michelle Jordan.
According to Jordan’s LinkedIn page, she previously worked as AT&T’s “Chief Diversity Officer” but left the role in February 2025, approximately a month after President Donald Trump issued an executive order to end DEI. In that position, which she held for roughly three years, she led the company’s “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts across the business, expanding equitable opportunities for our employees and the communities we serve, as part of how we generate equality for all.”
In November 2024, Jordan reportedly took on another role within AT&T as the vice president of culture and inclusion. In her current position, Jordan “leads initiatives that cultivate an inclusive workplace culture, ensuring all perspectives are valued and integrated into every aspect of the organization,” she writes.
“By championing programs that promote fairness and belonging, Michelle fosters an environment where innovation thrives, driving both employee engagement and business growth,” her LinkedIn reads.
Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
AT&T’s website also boasts that it is still committed to fostering an “inclusive culture” through its “Supplier Inclusivity program.”
“AT&T’s Supplier Inclusivity philosophy centers around our culture and values. We believe in the importance of advocacy and inclusion of our many suppliers in every aspect of AT&T’s ecosystem,” reads a quote from the company’s assistant vice president of supplier inclusivity and sustainability, Alexis Dennard.
Dennard’s LinkedIn states that in her role, she focuses on “empower[ing] minority-, women-, disabled, and veteran-owned businesses in the U.S. and worldwide.” Dennard reportedly has over 20 years of experience at AT&T and previously oversaw an employee newsletter that provided updates on “new initiatives in diversity and inclusion.”
AT&T and the FCC did not respond to a request for comment.
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‘There’s something wrong with him’: Trump doubles down on Tim Walz insult
In a Thanksgiving Day Truth Social post, President Trump didn’t just wish a happy holiday to the American people, but he took on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) for his fraud scandal in classic, scathing Trump fashion.
“As an example, hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great state of Minnesota. Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for ‘prey’ as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone,” Trump wrote.
“The seriously retarded Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both, while the worst ‘Congressman/woman’ in our Country, Ilhan Omar, always wrapped in her swaddling hijab … does nothing but hatefully complain about our Country, its Constitution, and how ‘badly’ she is treated,” he added.
And when pressed on his comments by the media, President Trump stood his ground.
“In that same post, you mentioned Tim Walz, and you called him what many Americans do find an offensive word, uh, ‘retarded.’ Do you stand by that claim of calling Tim Walz ‘retarded’?” a reporter asked.
“Yeah, I think there’s something wrong with him. Absolutely, sure. You have a problem with it?” Trump responded.
“You know what, I think there’s something wrong with him. Anybody that would do what he did, anybody that would allow those people into his state and pay billions of dollars out to Somalia. We give billions of dollars to Somalia. It’s not even a country because it doesn’t function like a country. It’s got a name, but it doesn’t function like a country,” he continued.
“Yeah, there’s something wrong with Walz,” he added.
BlazeTV host Pat Gray is thrilled with Trump’s comments, cheering, “He’s right about that.”
“I love it,” executive producer Keith Malinak chimes in, adding, “Accurate too.”
Want more from Pat Gray?
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Illegal drivers, dead Americans — this is what ‘open borders’ really mean
Wherever you’re reading this, your day almost certainly began on an American road. You might have driven your kids to day care, headed to work, or grabbed a coffee. Even cyclists rely on the same system. Those routines rest on one basic assumption: The people operating massive commercial vehicles are trained, vetted, and accountable.
The assumption is disintegrating because the country is still digging out from the chaos of the Biden administration’s border collapse. President Trump is trying to put the pieces back together, but the wreckage didn’t disappear overnight — and we see the consequences on our highways.
America’s highways shouldn’t become another casualty of Washington’s failures. Neither should American workers.
A recent tragedy in Florida makes the point. A 28-year-old man from India made an illegal U-turn on the turnpike and allegedly killed three people. He reportedly entered the United States illegally and still obtained a commercial driver’s license. In California, a 21-year-old — also allegedly in the country illegally — slammed his semi into stopped traffic on Interstate 10, killing three more. Authorities say he crossed the border in 2022 during the peak of the Biden administration’s open-border surge.
These cases aren’t flukes. They reflect a system that stopped taking seriously who gets behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound vehicle.
The incentives run in one direction. The trucking industry faces a driver shortage. Instead of raising wages and restoring what used to be a proud, middle-class profession, too many companies cut corners by hiring illegal labor willing to work for less. That choice endangers families on the highway and robs American truckers of the wages they earned by playing by the rules.
Every illegal driver creates two problems. First, a safety threat to everyone sharing the road. Second, downward pressure on American workers’ earnings. Flood the labor market with illegal labor, and you weaken the people who keep the country moving.
Trucking remains a central pillar of the American economy. Nearly everything in your home arrived on a truck. These jobs once supported families. They now absorb the fallout from policies that ignore the consequences of illegal hiring.
Fixing this requires basic seriousness. That means, at the very least, strict verification, no loopholes, and no more rubber-stamped licenses issued without proof of legal status. And no more pretending that illegal immigration leaves public safety and wages untouched.
Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The country depends on trucking. The system works only when drivers are properly trained, thoroughly vetted, and in the country legally. It fails when policymakers encourage shortcuts and lower standards to satisfy an open-border ideology.
This debate isn’t abstract. It’s about safety. It’s about economic fairness. It’s about recognizing that border policy shapes everyday life — including the safety of your morning commute.
America’s highways shouldn’t become another casualty of Washington’s failures. Neither should American workers. Both deserve leaders willing to enforce the rules that keep this country safe and prosperous.
