Morning Brief 2023-08-09

TOP OF HOUR 2
GUEST: Steve Baker
TOPIC: Investigative journalist receives grand jury subpoena over January 6 reporting.

BOTTOM OF HOUR 2
GUEST: Andrew Bailey
TOPIC: Will the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals STAY a preliminary injunction prohibiting the federal government from colluding with social media companies to suppress what they deem “misinformation"?

BOTTOM OF HOUR 3
GUEST: Jack Posobiec
TOPIC: The 2024 election is NOT going to be easy.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Banana Republic...

White House cocaine belonged to someone in ‘Biden family orbit’: Report
Soldier of Fortune publisher Susan Katz Keating made the shocking claim, citing three security sources, in a report published Sunday — even texting a number linked to President Biden in a bid to sniff out the culprit.

Putin Handed His Political Rival A Lighter Sentence Than Biden Wants To Give Trump
What does it say about our country that Putin goes easier on his political rival than President Joe Biden does his?

Glenn Beck poll: Most Americans do NOT support impeaching Joe Biden. What do YOU think?
Glenn wants to know what YOU think. Do YOU think Joe Biden is guilty of impeachable crimes? If so, do you think it's prudent for the House GOP to push impeachment proceedings?

Public is bored with Biden-backed indictments of Trump
The public's attention to Trump's legal drama has declined with each subsequent indictment, according to new data pulled across television, social media, and search activity.

White House accuses McCarthy of 'lying' to prop up 'baseless' impeachment 'stunt'
The White House says the claim that a "Russian oligarch" paid the Biden family $3.5 million has been "debunked."

Burisma Lobbyists Tied To Hunter Biden Worked For Ukrainian Prosecutor Who Let Burisma Off, Emails Show
Blue Star Strategies, a lobbying firm recommended to Ukrainian energy firm Burisma by Hunter Biden, worked for a Ukrainian prosecutor who let Burisma off, internal State Department emails show.

Burisma Was Told To Remove Picture Of Joe Biden From Its Website, Emails Show
Hunter and his business associates told Burisma to remove a picture of then-Vice President Joe Biden and Devon Archer from its website.

Trump's Save America PAC under investigation by Biden's DOJ
Biden lackey Jack Smith, who indicted Trump for a second time last week, is reportedly investigating the 2024 GOP front-runner's Save America PAC.

Judge Demands Special Counsel Explain Why He Used DC Grand Jury in Trump Documents Case
Florida-based federal Judge Aileen Cannon has asked the DOJ to justify its continued use of a District of Columbia grand jury in hopes of adding charges in the case against Trump regarding his handling of classified government records at his Florida home.

Biden says Grand Canyon is one of the ‘nine’ wonders of the world in latest gaffe
"The Grand Canyon — one of the Earth's nine wonders, wonders of the world, literally. Think of that. You know, it's amazing."

Why wouldn't people see politics in Trump indictments?
A CBS poll shows that 38% were more concerned that Trump tried to overturn an election, while 38% said they were more concerned that the charges and indictment against Trump are politically motivated.

Domestic News...

In win for pro-abortion forces, Ohio rejects measure making it harder to amend state constitution
The Associated Press called the contest in favor on the opposition, with 59.9% of voters rejecting the proposal as of press time.

Supreme Court Revives Biden Admin's Ghost Guns Regulation
The Supreme Court voted 5–4 midday on Aug. 8 to allow the Biden administration’s rule regulating so-called ghost guns that can be assembled at home to remain in force while the case remains pending before a federal appeals court.

Chinese-run biolab in California experimenting on deadly viruses was awarded over $500,000 in taxpayer funding
The black market lab — which was raided earlier this year — was found to be making illegal COVID and pregnancy tests and storing disease-riddled mice and hundreds of samples of pathogens, blood, and other dubious chemicals.

Portland jury finds Antifa militants not liable in Andy Ngo attack, defense attorney declares ‘I AM ANTIFA’
The defendant’s attorney told the jurors that she "will remember each one of their faces."

Post Millennial reporter's car smashed up shortly after conclusion of Andy Ngo-Antifa trial
"The windows were busted out, items were stolen, and personal identification documents were taken—I’m obviously upset," Katie Daviscourt tweeted.

DC council member calls for National Guard's help as city grapples with escalating violence
"We’re tired of this sh*t," Councilmember White said passionately. "Enough is enough."

Uvalde shooter's cousin arrested for alleged threats 'to do the same thing'
Nathan Cruz, 17, has been charged with making a terroristic threat to the public and making a terroristic threat to a family member.

FEC agrees to pay NRA $25,000 for hiding key documents
The Federal Election Commission agreed today to pay $25,000 to the National Rifle Association for hiding documents critical to the gun lobby’s effort to defend itself in a costly election lawsuit.

Florida Man attacks nurse, strips naked, floods ER in rampage: Police
Hospital personnel had to move the out-of-control patient to another room, where he allegedly yanked a pipe and caused major flooding.

These are the top 10 US cities where New Yorkers want to move
Three of the top seven are in Florida.

Politics...

Trump leads Biden by 4 points after indictments: Poll
In a head-to-head matchup for the party nomination, Trump beat DeSantis by a 65% to 26% margin.

Greater than 50% chance Biden isn’t on ballot in 2024: Sununu
"Look, I'm not saying it's definitely going to happen, but I think there's a greater than 50% chance he's not on the ballot come November 24."

No, Republicans aren't just racist; Kamala Harris is wildly unlikeable
The media trots out tired claims about race and sexism, but the VP is unpopular across the board. She's a legitimate target as Biden's struggling stand-in.

DeSantis Hires New Presidential Campaign Manager
DeSantis has hired his top adviser to lead his campaign as the primary season officially begins to heat up with the first GOP debate only a couple of weeks away.

Early House GOP efforts to resize government through appropriations target State, Energy
The Freedom Caucus has begun its tedious campaign to force the government to shrink through the 2024 appropriations process, with an early focus on foreign aid, taxpayer-funded media, green energy, and other favorite liberal causes.

Trump defends Christie: 'Do not call him a fat pig'
"No Christie, he's eating right now," Trump continued. Trump then pointed to a member of the audience, saying, "Sir, please do not call him a fat pig. That's very disrespectful."

Economy / ESG...

Bidenomics: Credit card balances above $1 trillion for the first time
The Fed's measure of credit card debt 30 or more days late rose to 7.2% in the second quarter, the highest rate since the first quarter of 2012.

Bidenomics: Democrats' excessive spending, mounting debt earn US credit downgrade
It turns out Democrats’ unlimited appetite for spending and their refusal to address growing deficits isn’t sitting well with close watchers of our economy, and this should serve as a warning that inaction is no longer acceptable.

Moody’s downgrades several US banks amid 'ongoing strain' in the banking sector
“Many banks’ second-quarter results showed growing profitability pressures that will reduce their ability to generate internal capital,” Moody's said in a note, adding that a mild U.S. recession is likely in early 2024.

Border...

US Authorities On Alert After Discovering New Chinese Migrant Smuggling Route
Federal authorities are growing increasingly concerned about a route Chinese migrants are utilizing to make their way to Florida illegally.

Chip Roy calls for showdown over out-of-control US border
"We have a moral obligation to protect our states, our nation, and, importantly, the migrant children getting abused from the disaster transpiring at our southern border."

Massachusetts governor declares state of emergency amid flood of illegal aliens
Many of the illegal aliens are arriving by plane from other states. In the past 48 hours alone, she said, 50 families have landed in the state in need of shelter.

WAR News... 

Gold Star mother rips Biden over what he said after her Marine son died in Afghanistan withdrawal
"When Joe Biden, our elected president, entered the room, when he approached me, his words to me were, 'My wife Jill and I know how you feel. We lost our son as well and brought him home in a flag-draped coffin,'" Cheryl Rex recounted.

Russia doesn’t care who it starves
The Black Sea is once again the "Inhospitable Sea," as both Russia and Ukraine deny each other control or safe passage in yet another front in this grinding war.

Russia Pulls Thousands of Soviet-Era Military Vehicles From Major Storage Facility
Russia’s largest known military equipment storage facility has been stripped of nearly half of the Soviet-era tanks and armored vehicles.

Russia shoots down two more armed drones headed for Moscow
Russian air defenses have shot down two armed drones headed for Moscow, the city’s mayor said, the latest in a surge of drone attacks on Russia’s capital city.

Entertainment...

From 'The Fabulous Baker Boys' to 'Barbie': The 'privileged victims' of the Left
I recently saw two films back to back that both reveal how America has gone from a country of confidence, common sense, and humor to one of bitterness, academic theory, and resentment.

Margot Robbie Says Life Got Way Better After She Met Her Husband: 'Being Married Is Actually The Most Fun Ever'
The A-list actress met her husband in 2013 and they have been inseparable ever since. They even collaborated together on "Barbie."

CEO Behind Hallmark Channel’s ‘Woke’ Journey Announces Plan To Step Down
Wonya Lucas came to Hallmark from TV One in 2020, taking the reins from former CEO and President Bill Abbott after backlash over Hallmark Channel’s removal of a commercial featuring a same-sex couple — and one of her priorities while at the helm was to increase “representation.”

Rapper Tory Lanez sentenced to 10 years for shooting Megan Thee Stallion
The artist was convicted of assaulting his ex-lover and begged in vain at sentencing not to be jailed over the 2020 attack that left her wounded.

Europe...

European Companies Record Billions in Losses From Russia Operations
European companies have suffered at least $110 billion in direct losses from operations in Russia since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, the Financial Times reported late Sunday.

I thought I had the stomach flu — I gave birth to twins
Lucy Shaw had what is called a cryptic or invisible pregnancy, which can occur if a woman has a hidden baby bump, a lack of pregnancy symptoms, hormonal issues, a contraceptive failure, or a false negative test.

'Vampire child' corpse discovered in cemetery with padlock attached to its ankles to prevent it returning from the dead
Archaeologists uncovered the 17th-century skeletal remains lying face down with a triangular padlock attached to its foot in Poland.

Italian farmer crushed to death by thousands of cheese wheels
A 74-year-old dairy farmer got creamed during a meltdown at his sprawling cheese warehouse in northern Italy on Sunday night when thousands of wheels of hard parmesan-style formaggio collapsed on top of him.

Environment...

Fact-check throws cold water on global ‘boiling’ claims
Was it the really the hottest July ever, as the Washington Post, the Associated Press, USA Today, and others reported? According to a group of fact-checkers who dug through the reports, the weather didn’t live up to the hype.

Biden grants interview to the Weather Channel
Biden, a notorious peddler of climate alarmism, is granting an interview to the Weather Channel, a notorious peddler of climate alarmism.

Electric school bus company beloved by White House, Kamala Harris files for bankruptcy
"They will remain yellow, but their heart will be green!" Harris said of Proterra's electric school buses.

Electric Cadillac Escalade to test GM’s EV strategy, cash machine
GM CEO Mary Barra has promised Wall Street that the automaker’s new EVs will be profitable. But slower-than-expected electric vehicle launches, inflated raw material costs, and emerging concerns about consumer acceptance have some doubting the automaker’s claims.

LGBTQIA2S+...

Target sued by investor over backlash to LGBTQ merchandise
A conservative legal organization sued Target on Tuesday on behalf of an investor, saying the retailer misrepresented the adequacy of its risk monitoring when customer backlash over LGBTQ-themed merchandise caught it by surprise.

Anheuser-Busch is selling off beer brands as Bud Light catastrophe continues
Tilray Brands said it had reached an agreement with Anheuser-Busch to purchase eight craft beer and beverage brands, including Shock Top, Blue Point, Breckenridge Brewery, Redhook Brewery, and HiBall Energy.

Ne-Yo Changes Course
"If I get canceled for this, then, you know what, maybe this is a world where they don’t need a Ne-Yo no more. And I ain’t got no problem with that."

Education...

Biden Admin Cites ‘Community Tensions’ As Mandate To ‘Mediate’ School District’s Adoption Of Youngkin’s Trans Policies
DOJ steps into deep-red Virginia school district after two pro-trans activists arrested at school board meeting.

Texas school district cancels prayer event, caving to pressure from out-of-state group
The prospect that educators, parents, and students would voluntarily appeal to an unspecified higher power for safety and wisdom ahead of the fall semester proved too much to bear for one activist group from out of state.

I Was an Asian 'Hurt' by Affirmative Action
My heartbeat was deafening as I shakily typed my login to the University of North Carolina's application portal. After agonizing months of anticipation, my decision for admittance to UNC-Chapel Hill was released: ACCEPTED.

Religion...

Confessions of Canceled Priests
"I Will Not Be Canceled in the Kingdom of God." Meet the Catholic heretics who oppose the pope — and believe they are the last true men of faith.

Technology...

A Simple Law Is Doing the Impossible. It’s Making the Online Porn Industry Retreat.
In just over a year, age verification laws have become perhaps the most bipartisan policy in the country, and they are creating havoc in a porn industry that many had considered all but impossible to actually regulate.

Cruise begins testing self-driving vehicles in Atlanta
Cruise said Monday it has started testing its self-driving vehicles in Atlanta as the company continues its ambitious plan to launch its robotaxi service in multiple cities.

Science...

Scientists work to make vaccine for 'Disease X,' the future pandemic
British scientists are working on a vaccine against Disease X, the hypothetical pathogen that will cause the next pandemic.

Mysterious ‘question mark’ picked up by James Webb Space Telescope
Is it aliens trying to tell us something? Is it the cosmos throwing questions back in our face? Is it the Riddler? What could possibly cause such a stylized piece of punctuation to appear on camera?

Sports...

Camden Yards erupts in 'free Kevin Brown' chant in support of suspended Orioles broadcaster
News broke Monday that the Baltimore Orioles had reportedly suspended their play-by-play man because he acknowledged — accurately — that the team wasn't very good in recent seasons.

Babylon Bee: Trump Indicted For Mocking US Women’s Soccer
"The sanctity of U.S. Women's soccer is never to be made fun of," said Jack Smith after reading the charges.

Animals...

Canceled: Washington & Lee University removes plaque honoring Robert E. Lee’s horse
Traveller had long been a fixture of campus culture at Washington and Lee University.

Escaped bear delays flight in Dubai
A bear being transported on an Iraqi Airways flight from Baghdad to Dubai Friday caused delays after it escaped from a crate in the cargo hold.

August 9, 2005 - Glenn talks about Miss Teen USA pageant being disturbing... Uncomfortable with teen girls parading around in bikinis... What role models do kids have today?... Woman secretly switched engagement diamond ring for cubic zirconia... Iran resuming nuclear activity... The Iraq war...

Trump's proposal explained: Ukraine's path to peace without NATO expansion

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / Contributor | Getty Images

Strategic compromise, not absolute victory, often ensures lasting stability.

When has any country been asked to give up land it won in a war? Even if a nation is at fault, the punishment must be measured.

After World War I, Germany, the main aggressor, faced harsh penalties under the Treaty of Versailles. Germans resented the restrictions, and that resentment fueled the rise of Adolf Hitler, ultimately leading to World War II. History teaches that justice for transgressions must avoid creating conditions for future conflict.

Ukraine and Russia must choose to either continue the cycle of bloodshed or make difficult compromises in pursuit of survival and stability.

Russia and Ukraine now stand at a similar crossroads. They can cling to disputed land and prolong a devastating war, or they can make concessions that might secure a lasting peace. The stakes could not be higher: Tens of thousands die each month, and the choice between endless bloodshed and negotiated stability hinges on each side’s willingness to yield.

History offers a guide. In 1967, Israel faced annihilation. Surrounded by hostile armies, the nation fought back and seized large swaths of territory from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria. Yet Israel did not seek an empire. It held only the buffer zones needed for survival and returned most of the land. Security and peace, not conquest, drove its decisions.

Peace requires concessions

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says both Russia and Ukraine will need to “get something” from a peace deal. He’s right. Israel proved that survival outweighs pride. By giving up land in exchange for recognition and an end to hostilities, it stopped the cycle of war. Egypt and Israel have not fought in more than 50 years.

Russia and Ukraine now press opposing security demands. Moscow wants a buffer to block NATO. Kyiv, scarred by invasion, seeks NATO membership — a pledge that any attack would trigger collective defense by the United States and Europe.

President Donald Trump and his allies have floated a middle path: an Article 5-style guarantee without full NATO membership. Article 5, the core of NATO’s charter, declares that an attack on one is an attack on all. For Ukraine, such a pledge would act as a powerful deterrent. For Russia, it might be more palatable than NATO expansion to its border

Andrew Harnik / Staff | Getty Images

Peace requires concessions. The human cost is staggering: U.S. estimates indicate 20,000 Russian soldiers died in a single month — nearly half the total U.S. casualties in Vietnam — and the toll on Ukrainians is also severe. To stop this bloodshed, both sides need to recognize reality on the ground, make difficult choices, and anchor negotiations in security and peace rather than pride.

Peace or bloodshed?

Both Russia and Ukraine claim deep historical grievances. Ukraine arguably has a stronger claim of injustice. But the question is not whose parchment is older or whose deed is more valid. The question is whether either side is willing to trade some land for the lives of thousands of innocent people. True security, not historical vindication, must guide the path forward.

History shows that punitive measures or rigid insistence on territorial claims can perpetuate cycles of war. Germany’s punishment after World War I contributed directly to World War II. By contrast, Israel’s willingness to cede land for security and recognition created enduring peace. Ukraine and Russia now face the same choice: Continue the cycle of bloodshed or make difficult compromises in pursuit of survival and stability.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

The loneliness epidemic: Are machines replacing human connection?

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Seniors, children, and the isolated increasingly rely on machines for conversation, risking real relationships and the emotional depth that only humans provide.

Jill Smola is 75 years old. She’s a retiree from Orlando, Florida, and she spent her life caring for the elderly. She played games, assembled puzzles, and offered company to those who otherwise would have sat alone.

Now, she sits alone herself. Her husband has died. She has a lung condition. She can’t drive. She can’t leave her home. Weeks can pass without human interaction.

Loneliness is an epidemic. And AI will not fix it. It will only dull the edges and make a diminished life tolerable.

But CBS News reports that she has a new companion. And she likes this companion more than her own daughter.

The companion? Artificial intelligence.

She spends five hours a day talking to her AI friend. They play games, do trivia, and just talk. She says she even prefers it to real people.

My first thought was simple: Stop this. We are losing our humanity.

But as I sat with the story, I realized something uncomfortable. Maybe we’ve already lost some of our humanity — not to AI, but to ourselves.

Outsourcing presence

How often do we know the right thing to do yet fail to act? We know we should visit the lonely. We know we should sit with someone in pain. We know what Jesus would do: Notice the forgotten, touch the untouchable, offer time and attention without outsourcing compassion.

Yet how often do we just … talk about it? On the radio, online, in lectures, in posts. We pontificate, and then we retreat.

I asked myself: What am I actually doing to close the distance between knowing and doing?

Human connection is messy. It’s inconvenient. It takes patience, humility, and endurance. AI doesn’t challenge you. It doesn’t interrupt your day. It doesn’t ask anything of you. Real people do. Real people make us confront our pride, our discomfort, our loneliness.

We’ve built an economy of convenience. We can have groceries delivered, movies streamed, answers instantly. But friendships — real relationships — are slow, inefficient, unpredictable. They happen in the blank spaces of life that we’ve been trained to ignore.

And now we’re replacing that inefficiency with machines.

AI provides comfort without challenge. It eliminates the risk of real intimacy. It’s an elegant coping mechanism for loneliness, but a poor substitute for life. If we’re not careful, the lonely won’t just be alone — they’ll be alone with an anesthetic, a shadow that never asks for anything, never interrupts, never makes them grow.

Reclaiming our humanity

We need to reclaim our humanity. Presence matters. Not theory. Not outrage. Action.

It starts small. Pull up a chair for someone who eats alone. Call a neighbor you haven’t spoken to in months. Visit a nursing home once a month — then once a week. Ask their names, hear their stories. Teach your children how to be present, to sit with someone in grief, without rushing to fix it.

Turn phones off at dinner. Make Sunday afternoons human time. Listen. Ask questions. Don’t post about it afterward. Make the act itself sacred.

Humility is central. We prefer machines because we can control them. Real people are inconvenient. They interrupt our narratives. They demand patience, forgiveness, and endurance. They make us confront ourselves.

A friend will challenge your self-image. A chatbot won’t.

Our homes are quieter. Our streets are emptier. Loneliness is an epidemic. And AI will not fix it. It will only dull the edges and make a diminished life tolerable.

Before we worry about how AI will reshape humanity, we must first practice humanity. It can start with 15 minutes a day of undivided attention, presence, and listening.

Change usually comes when pain finally wins. Let’s not wait for that. Let’s start now. Because real connection restores faster than any machine ever will.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Exposed: The radical Left's bloody rampage against America

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

For years, the media warned of right-wing terror. But the bullets, bombs, and body bags are piling up on the left — with support from Democrat leaders and voters.

For decades, the media and federal agencies have warned Americans that the greatest threat to our homeland is the political right — gun-owning veterans, conservative Christians, anyone who ever voted for President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden once declared that white supremacy is “the single most dangerous terrorist threat” in the nation.

Since Trump’s re-election, the rhetoric has only escalated. Outlets like the Washington Post and the Guardian warned that his second term would trigger a wave of far-right violence.

As Democrats bleed working-class voters and lose control of their base, they’re not moderating. They’re radicalizing.

They were wrong.

The real domestic threat isn’t coming from MAGA grandmas or rifle-toting red-staters. It’s coming from the radical left — the anarchists, the Marxists, the pro-Palestinian militants, and the anti-American agitators who have declared war on law enforcement, elected officials, and civil society.

Willful blindness

On July 4, a group of black-clad terrorists ambushed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Alvarado, Texas. They hurled fireworks at the building, spray-painted graffiti, and then opened fire on responding law enforcement, shooting a local officer in the neck. Journalist Andy Ngo has linked the attackers to an Antifa cell in the Dallas area.

Authorities have so far charged 14 people in the plot and recovered AR-style rifles, body armor, Kevlar vests, helmets, tactical gloves, and radios. According to the Department of Justice, this was a “planned ambush with intent to kill.”

And it wasn’t an isolated incident. It’s part of a growing pattern of continuous violent left-wing incidents since December last year.

Monthly attacks

Most notably, in December 2024, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione allegedly gunned down UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan. Mangione reportedly left a manifesto raging against the American health care system and was glorified by some on social media as a kind of modern Robin Hood.

One Emerson College poll found that 41% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 said the murder was “acceptable” or “somewhat acceptable.”

The next month, a man carrying Molotov cocktails was arrested near the U.S. Capitol. He allegedly planned to assassinate Trump-appointed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

In February, the “Tesla Takedown” attacks on Tesla vehicles and dealerships started picking up traction.

In March, a self-described “queer scientist” was arrested after allegedly firebombing the Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Graffiti on the burned building read “ICE = KKK.”

In April, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D-Pa.) official residence was firebombed on Passover night. The suspect allegedly set the governor’s mansion on fire because of what Shapiro, who is Jewish, “wants to do to the Palestinian people.”

In May, two young Israeli embassy staffers were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Witnesses said the shooter shouted “Free Palestine” as he was being arrested. The suspect told police he acted “for Gaza” and was reportedly linked to the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

In June, an Egyptian national who had entered the U.S. illegally allegedly threw a firebomb at a peaceful pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado. Eight people were hospitalized, and an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor later died from her injuries.

That same month, a pro-Palestinian rioter in New York was arrested for allegedly setting fire to 11 police vehicles. In Los Angeles, anti-ICE rioters smashed cars, set fires, and hurled rocks at law enforcement. House Democrats refused to condemn the violence.

Barbara Davidson / Contributor | Getty Images

In Portland, Oregon, rioters tried to burn down another ICE facility and assaulted police officers before being dispersed with tear gas. Graffiti left behind read: “Kill your masters.”

On July 7, a Michigan man opened fire on a Customs and Border Protection facility in McAllen, Texas, wounding two police officers and an agent. Border agents returned fire, killing the suspect.

Days later in California, ICE officers conducting a raid on an illegal cannabis farm in Ventura County were attacked by left-wing activists. One protester appeared to fire at federal agents.

This is not a series of isolated incidents. It’s a timeline of escalation. Political assassinations, firebombings, arson, ambushes — all carried out in the name of radical leftist ideology.

Democrats are radicalizing

This isn’t just the work of fringe agitators. It’s being enabled — and in many cases encouraged — by elected Democrats.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz routinely calls ICE “Trump’s modern-day Gestapo.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attempted to block an ICE operation in her city. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu compared ICE agents to a neo-Nazi group. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson referred to them as “secret police terrorizing our communities.”

Apparently, other Democratic lawmakers, according to Axios, are privately troubled by their own base. One unnamed House Democrat admitted that supporters were urging members to escalate further: “Some of them have suggested what we really need to do is be willing to get shot.” Others were demanding blood in the streets to get the media’s attention.

A study from Rutgers University and the National Contagion Research Institute found that 55% of Americans who identify as “left of center” believe that murdering Donald Trump would be at least “somewhat justified.”

As Democrats bleed working-class voters and lose control of their base, they’re not moderating. They’re radicalizing. They don’t want the chaos to stop. They want to harness it, normalize it, and weaponize it.

The truth is, this isn’t just about ICE. It’s not even about Trump. It’s about whether a republic can survive when one major party decides that our institutions no longer apply.

Truth still matters. Law and order still matter. And if the left refuses to defend them, then we must be the ones who do.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

America's comeback: Trump is crushing crime in the Capitol

Andrew Harnik / Staff | Getty Images

Trump’s DC crackdown is about more than controlling crime — it’s about restoring America’s strength and credibility on the world stage.

Donald Trump on Monday invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and deploying the National Guard to restore law and order. This move is long overdue.

D.C.’s crime problem has been spiraling for years as local authorities and Democratic leadership have abandoned the nation’s capital to the consequences of their own failed policies. The city’s murder rate is about three times higher than that of Islamabad, Pakistan, and 18 times higher than that of communist-led Havana, Cuba.

When DC is in chaos, it sends a message to the world that America is weak.

Theft, assaults, and carjackings have transformed many of its streets into war zones. D.C. saw a 32% increase in homicides from 2022 to 2023, marking the highest number in two decades and surpassing both New York and Los Angeles. Even if crime rates dropped to 2019 levels, that wouldn’t be good enough.

Local leaders have downplayed the crisis, manipulating crime stats to preserve their image. Felony assault, for example, is no longer considered a “violent crime” in their crime stats. Same with carjacking. But the reality on the streets is different. People in D.C. are living in constant fear.

Trump isn’t waiting for the crime rate to improve on its own. He’s taking action.

Broken windows theory in action

Trump’s takeover of D.C. puts the “broken windows theory” into action — the idea that ignoring minor crimes invites bigger ones. When authorities look the other way on turnstile-jumping or graffiti, they signal that lawbreaking carries no real consequence.

Rudy Giuliani used this approach in the 1990s to clean up New York, cracking down on small offenses before they escalated. Trump is doing the same in the capital, drawing a hard line and declaring enough is enough. Letting crime fester in Washington tells the world that the seat of American power tolerates lawlessness.

What Trump is doing for D.C. isn’t just about law enforcement — it’s about national identity. When D.C. is in chaos, it sends a message to the world that America is weak. The capital city represents the soul of the country. If we can’t even keep our own capital safe, how can we expect anyone to take us seriously?

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

Reversing the decline

Anyone who has visited D.C. regularly over the past several years has witnessed its rapid decline. Homeless people bathe in the fountains outside Union Station. People are tripping out in Dupont Circle. The left’s negligence is a disgrace, enabling drug use and homelessness to explode on our capital’s streets while depriving these individuals of desperately needed care and help.

Restoring law and order to D.C. is not about politics or scoring points. It’s about doing what’s right for the people. It’s about protecting communities, taking the vulnerable off the streets, and sending the message to both law-abiding and law-breaking citizens alike that the rule of law matters.

D.C. should be a lesson to the rest of America. If we want to take our cities back, we need leadership willing to take bold action. Trump is showing how to do it.

Now, it’s time for other cities to step up and follow his lead. We can restore law and order. We can make our cities something to be proud of again.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.