Category: Blaze Media
Duffy, FAA freeze flight reduction plan at 6%
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday issued an emergency order to freeze flight reductions, keeping the 6 percent reduction in place. The emergency order, issued by Duffy and FAA administrator Bryan Bedford, came following “a recommendations from the agency’s safety team,” according to a statement. The current reduction level…
5 takeaways as the longest shutdown in history comes to an end
House lawmakers voted Wednesday to reopen the government, setting the stage to end the longest shutdown in U.S. history as the legislation now heads to President Trump’s desk. The 43-day stalemate had consumed Washington since it began on Oct. 1, freezing pay for federal workers, halting food aid to low-income families and snarling airline traffic…
Government set to reopen after historic shutdown: What to know
The House on Wednesday passed a bill to reopen the government, sending it to President Trump’s desk and setting up the end of the longest shutdown in U.S. history. That vote came after eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus cut a deal with Republicans and helped advance the legislative package. But the shutdown has…
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.
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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.”
RELATED: Trump scores win for American farmers as China commits to ‘massive’ soybean purchases
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.
RELATED: Gavin Newsom lashes out at Joe Rogan for accusing him of ruining California: ‘He did horrible s**t!’
“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.”
RELATED: Supreme Court rejects Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal on first day of session
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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