Category: Blaze Media
‘Slam Frank’: The Anne Frank musical with something to offend everyone
Ten years ago, I sat in the dark at the Public Theater in downtown New York City, surrounded by a murmuring crowd, waiting for the curtain to rise on a brand-new play called “Hamilton.”
At that point in time, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop musical had yet to become the behemoth it is now. Quite the opposite — there were no cast albums or Disney+ recordings, and aside from a few regional workshops years earlier and its word-of-mouth reputation as the “next big thing,” no one in the audience had any idea what we were in for.
A pansexual Latina Anne Frank with an Afro-Caribbean tiger mom and a chronically ‘neurospicy’ closet case for a dad? Now you’ve gone too far.
Expanding the form
The next few hours were filled with a strange, albeit thoroughly impressive, showing of lyrical prowess. Miranda had somehow managed to turn historian Ron Chernow’s 818-page Alexander Hamilton biography into a crowd-pleasing, pop-culture-infused depiction of the earliest days of a fledgling America.
More provocative was Miranda’s deliberate choice to cast primarily black and Latino actors to portray the founding fathers. While a few nitpickers balked at the spectacle of “people of color” portraying slave owners, most marveled at the audacious ingenuity of it: What could be more revolutionary than retelling the American story so that it reflects all Americans?
The crowd left the theater excited. There was no doubt that we had witnessed something groundbreaking. If Aaron Burr could be black and Alexander Hamilton Puerto Rican, what else was possible?
Decolonizing ‘Diary’
Eight years later, lyricist and composer Andrew Fox stumbled upon an answer. It came to him in the form of a (since-deleted) 2022 Twitter thread hotly debating a never-before-asked question: Did Anne Frank ever acknowledge her white privilege?
As is often the case, the online arguing devolved into acrimonious ad hominem and fruitless whataboutism. Fox realized that mere words would never get to heart of the matter. As with “Hamilton,” it would take the power of musical theater to win hearts and minds. And he would do Miranda’s non-white casting one better — reimagining Anne Frank herself as a person of color.
And so Fox and librettist Joel Sinensky set out to transform the “Diary of Anne Frank” into “Slam Frank,” an intersectional, multiethnic, gender-queer, decolonized, anti-capitalist, hyper-empowering Afro-Latin hip-hop musical.
Originally slated for three weeks at small off-Broadway venue the Asylum, “Slam Frank” has become a massive hit for the theater, which recently extended its run through the end of December.
Piercings and Patagonias
Want diversity? Look no farther than the viewers showing up in droves. At any given performance, you can find a septum piercing, a Patagonia vest, and a pair of bifocals all in the same row.
Yes, even liberals enjoy “Slam Frank,” despite the outrage it has provoked in some of their compatriots. “This whole project is head-spinningly grotesque and offensive,” went one post to the r/JewsOfConscience sub-Reddit. “Bringing up the holocaust and not mentioning the current genocide in Gaza just gives me the ick,” lamented another.
The irony of takes like these is thick, since one can imagine these same critics of “Slam Frank” being perfectly open to the idea of race- and gender-swapping other historical characters. But a pansexual Latina Anne Frank with an Afro-Caribbean tiger mom and a chronically “neurospicy” closet case for a dad? Now you’ve gone too far.
TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images
A real production
The show’s earliest marketing attracted attention with a simpler question: “Is ‘Slam Frank’ a real musical?”
The answer is a decisive “yes.” “Slam Frank” is not a social media gimmick or an expertly crafted exercise in long-form rage- bait. Again: It is a full-length show, with a cast, that is being performed on regularly scheduled dates at the Asylum NYC.
I know because I’ve seen it. “Slam Frank” is not just a real production, but an entertaining one. It is smartly written, balancing humor with sincerity, featuring songs composed and performed with impressive musicianship. Think Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s “The Book of Mormon” or the award-winning puppet extravaganza “Avenue Q” — but with a final gesture of leftist piety that pushes the logic of your average keffiyeh-clad student protester at Columbia to uncomfortable extremes.
The shocking finale is played so straight that plenty will miss the satire, and even those in on the joke may notice how easily it could be mistaken for peak-wokeness agitprop. If there is a clear “message” here, the show’s creators aren’t about to clarify it. “Slam Frank” is happy to offend each viewer in whatever way he, she, or they wish to be offended. How’s that for inclusive?
Trial update: Wisconsin judge accused of helping illegal alien escape detention set to appear at final pretrial hearing
In April, a Wisconsin judge allegedly helped a violent illegal alien evade federal officers who were waiting outside her courtroom. With her case finally going to trial next month, the judge is set to appear at a final pretrial hearing Wednesday.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan will appear in court for arguments about jury selection and other procedural questions, according to the Associated Press.
Jury selection will take place on December 11 and 12, days before the trial is set to begin.
The AP reported that prosecutors offered Dugan a plea deal, but it was declined. Her defense attorneys argued that Dugan is innocent and acted within her judicial authority.
RELATED: Wisconsin judge who allegedly helped illegal alien evade ICE just got some really bad news
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
Dugan allegedly showed Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, a Mexican national who was facing three counts of battery, a side door to flee from federal officers. Flores-Ruiz was apprehended after a foot race outside the courthouse.
Jury selection will take place on December 11 and 12. Her trial will begin on December 15. Dugan faces up to six years in prison if convicted on charges of obstruction and concealing a person of interest.
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‘Ridiculous charade’: Bill O’Reilly torches Democrat senator over ‘seditious’ political stunt
Bill O’Reilly ripped into Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over his involvement in left-wing lawmakers’ most recent political stunt.
Kelly and five other Democratic senators put out a video calling on military members to disobey “unlawful” orders from the commander in chief, President Donald Trump. Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who reportedly orchestrated the video, admitted herself that she is not aware of any “unlawful” orders issued by the administration.
‘If you’re a responsible legislator, you don’t make things up.’
Kelly, who has an extensive military background, came under fire alongside his colleagues, with Trump and his allies branding the video “seditious.”
“I think the whole thing is contrived,” O’Reilly said. “I’m disappointed with Sen. Kelly. I think that he made a huge mistake by getting involved with this ridiculous charade.”
Because Kelly is a retired Navy commander, the Democratic senator is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, landing him an investigation from the Department of War.
“All servicemembers are reminded that they have a legal obligation under the UCMJ to obey lawful orders and that orders are presumed to be lawful,” a DOW statement reads. “A servicemember’s personal philosophy does not justify or excuse the disobedience of an otherwise lawful order.”
O’Reilly said Kelly’s irresponsible involvement in the Democrats’ political stunt was purely motivated by partisan affiliation.
“If you’re a responsible legislator, you don’t make things up,” O’Reilly said. “So if you don’t have an illegal order, then why are you talking about an illegal order? For what? What is the reason?”
“There’s only one,” O’Reilly added. “To embarrass Trump. To whip up hatred against Trump. That’s why they did it. I guess they didn’t have anything else to do on Monday.”
RELATED: ‘Canary in a coal mine’: Ousted speaker warns against the rising risk of GOP House resignations
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Kelly’s military background should have prevented him from such a public misstep, according to O’Reilly.
“But why would Kelly, who has a distinguished record both in the military and in Congress, why would he be part of it?” O’Reilly asked. “What’s the up side? And then, when all hell breaks loose, you weren’t expecting that backlash? … If they didn’t, they should retire.”
“What are you, 7 years old? When you go in there and tell the U.S. military not to obey orders because they may be ‘unlawful,’ you’re going to get push back.”
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‘So dumb it hurts my soul’: DHS brutally fact-checks viral ‘new data’ from Cato Institute
The Department of Homeland Security has showed no signs of slowing down its deportation campaign against the “worst of the worst” in the country. However, many of its detractors have tried countless methods of obstructing its mission and undermining public support.
On Monday, Cato Institute Director of Immigration Studies David Bier challenged the “worst of the worst” narrative with “new data” regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions.
‘By the way, every single one of these illegal aliens broke our nation’s laws by being in the country illegally.’
“Most ‘criminals’ had immigration, traffic, and vice offenses. Not the ‘worst of the worst,'” Bier said.
Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images
The pie chart shows that 73% of ICE detainees within the period of October 1-November 15 had “no conviction” and only 5% were “violent” offenders.
Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) highlighted the data, saying: “This is the scandal. Trump isn’t targeting dangerous people. He’s targeting peaceful immigrants. Almost exclusively.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to Bier via Senator Murphy’s post: “This is so dumb it hurts my soul. This is a made up pie chart with no legitimate data behind it — just propaganda to undermine the brave work of @DHSgov law enforcement and fool Americans.”
McLaughlin went on to set the record straight: “~ 70% of illegal aliens arrested have active criminal charges or criminal convictions. That doesn’t even include those wanted in another country for a crime, gang members, known/suspected terrorists, wanted by INTERPOL, human rights abusers. The list goes on.”
She then added what many people are thinking, for those who need to hear it: “By the way, every single one of these illegal aliens broke our nation’s laws by being in the country illegally.”
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Male, 58, points gun at 12-year-old girls singing Christmas carols door-to-door, police say
A 58-year-old Maryland male pointed a gun at 12-year-old girls who were going door-to-door singing Christmas carols Saturday night, Anne Arundel County Police said.
Southern District officers responded to a report of an assault that occurred around 8:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of Point No Point Drive in Annapolis, police said.
‘… loud and belligerent behavior …’
The investigation revealed three girls were going door-to-door in the area, singing Christmas carols, when the suspect at one of the homes pointed a firearm at them from a window inside his residence, police said.
The suspect — identified as Paul Brian Susie — was located and taken into custody and charged with first- and second-degree assault and related charges, police said.
The firearm, a 40-caliber Glock handgun, was recovered, police said.
WJZ-TV said it all started after the girls knocked on Susie’s door. Citing charging documents it obtained, the station said the carolers ran away after seeing him pointing a gun at them from a bay window.
Susie admitted he was the man involved in the incident, the station said, citing documents. Officers located the loaded gun in a safe, WJZ added.
Susie also was charged with reckless endangerment as well as one count of wearing and carrying a handgun while under the influence, the station said, citing the Banner.
WJZ said an officer wrote the following in charging documents:
Given Susie’s reckless behavior in pointing a loaded firearm at a group of nonthreatening 12-year-olds he could clearly see on his well-lit stoop, his loud and belligerent behavior during my conversation with him, and his admission of consuming an alcoholic beverage, I know through my training, knowledge, and experience Susie was likely under the influence.
Susie was released from custody after posting a $10,000 unsecured bond, the station said, adding that he is due back in court Dec. 17 for a preliminary hearing.
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In defense of Karens: Do we owe America’s manager-summoning moms an apology?
Whether she’s demanding to speak to the manager, lecturing the barista, or calling the cops on a neighbor’s backyard BBQ — nobody likes a Karen. That’s why there are hundreds of thousands of internet memes aiming to mock her out of existence.
But maybe we’ve jumped the gun in villainizing America’s entitlement queens. Maybe Karens (irritating antics aside) serve a critical purpose in society.
That’s what Christopher Rufo and Jonathan Keeperman — BlazeTV hosts of “Rufo & Lomez” — argue.
“We need to mount a principled, unashamed, and unapologetic defense of the Karen archetype,” says Rufo.
The “Karen,” he explains, “is precisely the person who upholds the civic order. [She’s] the mother, the authority figure who is nosy enough and assertive enough to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. You’re transgressing these important pillars of our social order.”’
Keeperman, who once “wrote an impassioned defense of the Karen,” agrees: “In a society that is undergoing this decay and in which our sort of infrastructure doesn’t work and basic service has been degraded … the attack on the Karen is a way to avoid ever having to confront that these things are breaking down.”
The Karen, he argues, is one of the only ones bold enough to stand in the gap and demand order and quality in a world of chaos and low bars. Even if Karens do go about it in annoying, “hysterical [ways],” they nonetheless “demand that things work … demand that there is a certain baseline presumption and expectation of etiquette in our public spaces” — and that, he says, is a good thing.
But not all Karens are equal. The one screaming about micro-aggressions and misgendering is not the same as the one demanding that rulebooks and protocols be followed.
The latter, says Rufo, is a “defender of civilization,” a warrior for “right and wrong,” and a lover of tradition. But this “universal tough mother” who defends what is good, right, and true unfortunately has been conflated with the “tote bag NPR Karen.”
Rule-loving, high-expectation sticklers — annoying as they can be — are the last line of defense against civilizational sloppiness. Mock them into silence and the only Karens left will be the ones policing pronouns instead of pool rules.
To hear more of the conversation, watch the episode above.
Want more from Rufo & Lomez?
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Red State Reignites Redistricting Battle After Trump Turns Up Heat
‘Deserve to have fair representation’
China is arming itself with minerals America refuses to mine
The global energy system is buckling under the weight of its own contradictions. Electricity demand keeps rising, yet policymakers insist that renewables alone can carry the load. Artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and a wave of reindustrialization are driving consumption far faster than today’s grid can support. Nowhere is that tension more visible than in the United States, where soaring demand collides with aging infrastructure and unrealistic clean-energy mandates.
America stands at a crossroads. One path deepens dependence on foreign supply chains dominated by China. The other rebuilds domestic energy strength, restores industrial capacity, and creates high-wage jobs. The question isn’t whether a green transition will happen — it is who will own the minerals, the infrastructure, and the economic power behind it.
Energy dominance is not a slogan. It is the practical foundation of American greatness.
Electricity demand jumped nearly 4% in 2024, almost double the decade’s average. Data centers, electrified transport, and manufacturing growth are reshaping the energy landscape. The International Energy Agency projects global data-center power use will more than double by 2030, approaching 1,000 terawatt-hours. In the U.S., these facilities alone could soon account for 10% of national consumption.
Without major investment in reliable, affordable energy, this surge will strain the grid and weaken American competitiveness.
We have already seen the danger of relying on foreign suppliers. While Western governments debated climate rhetoric, China quietly secured control over the minerals the modern economy runs on — lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and rare-earths. Beijing now refines more than 70% of the global supply.
These materials aren’t optional. They are the foundation of EV batteries, grid storage, wind turbines, solar panels, and the defense systems that protect U.S. interests. Allowing China to dominate them puts both the economy and national security in a vulnerable position.
President Trump recognized that threat early. His energy-dominance agenda expanded domestic production, cut regulatory barriers, and revived investment in mining and industrial infrastructure. That legacy now forms the basis for a renewed push to bring extraction, processing, and refining back to U.S. soil.
The economic impact is substantial. Every new lithium mine, copper refinery, or processing plant means high-wage jobs, stronger rural communities, and a revived manufacturing base.
Private enterprise is already moving faster than any government program. BGN International — one of the world’s most dynamic energy and commodities firms — has expanded its American operations in liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas, the fuels that underpin grid reliability. BGN is also moving aggressively into critical minerals, supplying copper, aluminum, and rare-earth elements essential for the grid, clean-energy systems, and the emerging AI economy.
By linking American producers to global demand, BGN strengthens domestic supply chains and ensures that the value stays in the United States.
Meanwhile, Energy Transfer continues to expand its network of pipelines and terminals that move oil, natural gas, and the feedstocks needed for mineral processing and clean-tech manufacturing. Together, companies like Energy Transfer and BGN form the quiet engine of America’s comeback — building the infrastructure that powers the future, from LNG terminals to mineral-supply hubs in the Midwest.
This is what a real energy transition looks like: not offshoring, not dependence, but American innovation paired with American resources and American workers. The shift to cleaner energy can either hollow out the country or rebuild it. The difference lies in where we source, refine, and transport the materials that make it possible.
RELATED: ‘Reminiscent of the Manhattan Project’: Trump administration launches massive next-gen AI program
Nelson Ching/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Every ton of copper or rare-earth minerals refined at home is another step toward energy security — and another paycheck for an American worker.
America’s shale reserves, its underdeveloped mineral deposits, and its unmatched private-sector capacity give it every advantage in this new industrial age. What the country needs is leadership that understands the link between energy independence, manufacturing strength, and national power.
By investing in the fuels, minerals, and infrastructure that keep the lights on and the factories running, the United States can secure both its prosperity and its freedom.
Energy dominance is not a slogan. It is the practical foundation of American greatness. The world is entering an era in which whoever controls energy and critical-mineral supply chains controls the global economy. By unleashing its entrepreneurs and trusting its workers, America can lead that era on its own terms.
The next American century will not be powered by dependence or bureaucratic mandates but by free enterprise, industrial competence, and the spirit of self-reliance. Critical minerals and energy independence are not merely economic issues. They are matters of national pride, national security, and American leadership.
Woman admits to beating to death boyfriend’s 3-year-old son after horrific abuse, court records show
Dominica Mosby appeared before a judge on Thursday morning at the Shelby County Criminal Court to face a first-degree charge of murder in the death of a 3-year-old boy.
The 29-year-old woman allegedly admitted to horrible abuse of Kevin Horton, the son of her boyfriend, according to court documents. The boy was found beaten to death by police at a residence in Memphis, Tennessee, on Nov. 5.
‘I get to the house; she’s standing outside. … I go in there to see my son. He’s ice cold.’
Judge Taylor Bachelor ordered Mosby to undergo a mental health evaluation in the hearing that lasted only minutes.
Police said they were called to the residence on Beacon Hills Road by the boy’s father, who found him unresponsive. The boy was declared dead at the scene.
Mosby initially told police that she had the boy go to bed after he got sick, according to investigators. She later allegedly admitted that she burned the boy’s genitals and ear with a lit cigarette after he urinated on the floor.
Mosby said that when the boy disobeyed her, she hit him on the head and chest and stomped on him.
An autopsy report said the boy had a lacerated liver, internal bleeding from his stomach, bruising on his torso, as well as burns to his ear and genitals. A medical examiner determined the cause of death to be homicide.
“I get to the house; she’s standing outside,” recalled the boy’s father, Keith Horton. “I have the fire department all in the house. I go in there to see my son. He’s ice cold; he’s purple. He had been dead.”
Mosby was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and aggravated child neglect.
“I feel bad because we loved him. I loved him like he was mine. Like I had him. Like I love my oldest son,” the boy’s grandmother said to WHBQ-TV.
RELATED: Man sentenced to 50 years for ‘staggering’ torture of daughter, including force-feeding laxatives
She is being held without bond.
A GoFundMe page was set up by the boy’s aunt, who claimed that his biological mother was incarcerated and that some of the funds were needed to bond her out so she could attend the funeral.
Mosby is scheduled to appear in court next on Dec. 11.
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The campus left’s diversity scam exposed in 30 seconds flat
Anyone who attends a university event, browses a college website, or strolls through a city park has likely heard a Native American land acknowledgment. These statements now function as the incense of the modern academy — burned at the start of a ceremony, meant to signal moral clarity, and producing the intellectual equivalent of secondhand smoke.
Arizona State University, where I teach philosophy, posts these statements on the webpages of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and the Hayden Library. The library even affirms that “we are on Akimel O’odham land, and that always needs to be at the forefront of our thinking.”
Pluralism, the real kind, permits disagreement and debate. What we have now resembles stage-managed pluralism: You read the script you are handed, or you stay quiet.
The implication is clear: U.S. sovereignty becomes an open question. That is the point. These acknowledgments aim to “problematize” the legitimacy of the United States, a central goal of the academic decolonization movement.
For six years, ASU’s New College has required faculty to listen to one at the start of every meeting.
A harmless ritual? A gesture of respect? A symbolic nod?
I wondered the same — until I conducted a small experiment.
A revealing reaction
At last week’s New College faculty meeting — a meeting of state employees conducting public business — I asked a straightforward question.
“Given our commitment to diversity, may I also read a land acknowledgment of my own before each meeting?”
My acknowledgment was not provocative. It thanked the generations of settlers, farmers, builders, capitalists, and families who transformed the Salt River Valley into a place capable of supporting a world-class university. It affirmed that we serve all students and help them prosper.
I made a motion.
Discussion required only a second. Not approval. Not endorsement. Only a willingness to debate the proposal.
Not one person seconded it.
I did not ask colleagues to agree with my acknowledgment. I asked only to read it. In fact, I would gladly see everyone read their own. Let every faculty member present a statement, a grievance, or a cause they feel compelled to highlight. Why limit the practice to one perspective?
Yet the official record now shows that not one faculty member at ASU’s New College would second a motion to expand diversity.
Appearance vs. reality
The episode highlights a distinction philosophy once taught clearly — the distinction between appearance and reality. Faculty preach diversity in language that collapses into ideological uniformity. Many cannot describe a competing view without reducing it to a script: oppressed versus oppressor. Anyone who falls outside their categories becomes a threat.
My request challenged the boundaries of that framework. To the decolonization mindset, my acknowledgment represents the wrong category — heritage tied to “settler guilt” or “oppressor identity.” The ideology cannot imagine anything beyond that narrow frame.
Pluralism, the real kind, permits disagreement and debate. What we have now resembles stage-managed pluralism: You read the script you are handed, or you stay quiet.
The academic left rose to influence by praising inclusivity and toleration. Once in power, it exempts itself from those principles because tolerance, in its view, cannot extend to anyone labeled “bigot” and inclusion cannot extend to anyone lumped into the category “fascist.” Only the Marxist dialectic survives the screening.
The ideology behind the script
Some readers may think these acknowledgments amount to harmless gestures. They are not. They originate in decolonization theory, rooted in works like Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang’s “Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor,” which defines decolonization as the overturning of settler society. Practitioners describe their own project as Marxist; that is the label they choose.
Land acknowledgments do not describe history; they advance ideology. They treat land as permanently tied to racial or ethnic groups, a “blood and soil” logic the same theorists claim to reject. They question private property, Western legal concepts, and American national legitimacy.
Seen through that lens, the reaction to my request becomes predictable. The ideological system divides the world into oppressed and oppressor. My acknowledgment, in their view, inserts the “oppressor” and threatens the narrative.
Hypocrisy becomes impossible to miss. Faculty who go along to avoid conflict now face an uncomfortable truth: The ideology they tolerate openly rejects the pluralism a university claims to defend.
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Photo by: Spencer Jones/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Academic reasoning is out
One hopes university professors — presumably trained to evaluate arguments — could step outside ideological commitments long enough to examine their assumptions. The job once required that. But critical theory, as taught in many departments, closes off that possibility. It demands that every fact, dispute, or policy fit into a predetermined narrative of oppression.
Herbert Marcuse, in “One-Dimensional Man,” argued that intellectuals must not describe reality as it is but reshape society toward liberation from capitalism and Christian tradition. That approach leaves little room for honest debate.
The real remedy
Critical theory teaches that man is a victim of systems and structures. Scripture teaches that man is a sinner in need of redemption. Marxist theorists believe society must be remade. Christians believe the heart must be reborn.
Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again” — a direct claim about the human condition. Our deepest problem is not a defective system but a corrupted heart. No bureaucratic revolution can fix that. Ideologies that promise liberation from greed or power often create something worse when handed authority.
The human dilemma runs deeper than political structures, and the solution rises higher than any academic program. Here is the acknowledgment I would like to hear at our university: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
