Morning Brief 2023-10-04

TOP OF HOUR 2
GUEST: Mark Levin
TOPIC: The Democrat Party MUST be stopped.

TOP OF HOUR 3
GUEST: Steve Baker
TOPIC: Analysis of Capitol Hill CCTV footage debunks "official" January 6 narrative.

Jeremiah 3:12

The House...

Matt Gaetz: America Is The Biggest Winner From McCarthy’s Ouster As Speaker
“Kevin McCarthy couldn’t keep his word. He made an agreement in January regarding the way Washington would work, and he violated that agreement. We are $33 trillion in debt. We are facing $2.2 trillion annual deficits. We face a de-dollarization globally that will crush Americans, working-class Americans.”

Following historic McCarthy ouster, House Republicans mull next moves
With McCarthy no longer leading the chamber, North Carolina GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry will serve as acting speaker.

First act by interim speaker of the House is to evict Nancy Pelosi from hideaway office
“Please vacate the space tomorrow, the room will be re-keyed,” read the email to Pelosi, according to Politico. The email indicated that the office would be used for "speaker office use." Pelosi lambasted the order in a statement issued by her office.

Top takeaways from Kevin McCarthy’s farewell speech
McCarthy says Pelosi told him she'd have his back and knocked Democrats for voting to remove him.

McCarthy fumes at Nancy Mace after ouster vote: 'I can't sit there and write your entire bill'
"As a survivor of rape, and I worked all year on a rape kit bill that hasn't seen the time of day, I cannot tell you how frustrating that is, as a woman, in this conference, in this Capitol, to have that happen. If you make a promise, you should keep it," Mace said.

‘Shouldn’t Be In The GOP’: House Republicans Slam Matt Gaetz, Others Who Voted Out Kevin McCarthy
“Walking down the halls of the Capitol you can hear Democrat offices cheering like they won the World Cup,” said Collins. “You tell me who just won.”

McCarthy ally reveals why he is voted to remove his 'friend' from the speakership
“My thought process is like this: Kevin McCarthy is my friend, and I hate to lose him as a friend, but I had the choice between that and my conscience and what my conscience tells me to do,” Burchett said. “My conscience tells me that we're $33 trillion in debt.”

Thomas Massie: 'The Next Speaker Is Going To Go Back to the Old Testament'
"The next speaker is going to go back to the Old Testament … and we're going to devolve to the former method, which was an omnibus bill every year and gang warfare to try and get your thing in the omnibus bill."

Rep. Nehls Nominates Trump For Speaker
“Kevin McCarthy will NOT be running again as Speaker. I nominate Donald J. Trump for Speaker of the House,” Nehls said on Twitter.

‘Nobody Pull A Fire Alarm’: GOP Congressman Trolls Bowman During McCarthy Removal Vote
Republican New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew trolled Bowman when he yelled out “Nobody pull a fire alarm!” before he voted in Tuesday’s vote.

Politics...

Analysis: Did Pelosi’s security chief perjure himself in Oath Keepers trial?
This is the beginning of a series analyzing video evidence recently made available to the public.

RNC slammed for snubbing conservative media in debates despite promises
After moderators' left-leaning questions sparked outrage, the RNC faced backlash for failing to include rising conservative outlets in hosting debates as the chairman had vowed, instead sticking to Fox News and bringing in Univision.

RNC threatens Christie, Ramaswamy debate ban over Fox News segment
The two were set to appear simultaneously on FNC’s "Special Report," which the RNC claims violated their pledge to only take part in sanctioned debates.

Democrat judge issues gag order on Trump after he criticizes court clerk photo with Chuck Schumer
“Personal attacks on members of my court staff are not appropriate and I will not tolerate it under any circumstance,” Engoron said. "Failure to abide by this order will result in serious sanctions."

DNC member reportedly suggests the best path to preserve 'Bidenism' may be to run someone other than Biden
"It would be irresponsible for us to not be concerned."

Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to felony gun charges in Delaware court
He was indicted in September on three felony gun charges.

David Weiss Appeared To Violate DOJ Policy By Sending Letters To Congress, Emails Show
Weiss appeared to violate Department of Justice policy by writing letters to Congress on behalf of Attorney General Merrick Garland, internal emails show.

Committee docs shed light on Hunter Biden’s escort payments, potential Mann Act violations
Document trove released by the House Ways and Means Committee details Hunter Biden’s interaction with a prostitute he deducted as a business expense as well as potential Mann Act violations.

Co-founder of Moveon.org: We Must All Work Together to Have a Trustworthy 2024 Election
The attack on the U.S. capitol on Jan. 6 is not forgotten as we see the next presidential election taking shape. False claims by Trump persist. Polls reveal that a substantial portion of voters continue to believe him even though charges of election irregularities were entirely dismissed in over 60 lawsuits filed by Trump or his allies.

Domestic News...

‘In The Middle Of A Revolution’: Tucker Sits Down With Victor Davis Hanson
"The next 12 months will be the most explosive in history."

Carjackings, Looting, And Murder: ‘Equity’ In Action!
Three pretty unnerving things have happened within the past week: Target cited crime and safety as reasons for closing another nine locations, a congressman was carjacked at gunpoint, and a Philadelphia-based journalist was murdered in his home.

Doocy eviscerates Jean-Pierre's attempt to blame GOP for Democrat's carjacking
Fox's Peter Doocy shredded Karine Jean-Pierre's effort to pin a congressman's armed carjacking in Democrat-run D.C. on Republicans, pointedly asking if Biden would park his Corvette there overnight, highlighting the admin's refusal to own the crime surge.

Fury as Minneapolis’ ‘woke’ DA Mary Moriarty allows accused rapists and killers to stay free
Minneapolis’ progressive district attorney is under fire for her woke policies that allow accused rapists, pedophiles, and killers to stay free — with even Minnesota’s George Soros-backed general attorney accusing her of taking it too far.

Portland public safety commissioner warns people NOT to call 911 unless they're at risk of death
Commissioner Rene Gonzalez told locals that its emergency service hotline was overwhelmed with people calling about members of the public suffering fentanyl overdoses. Oregon decriminalized hard drug use three years ago.

San Francisco Bay boaters forced to fight off 'pirates' as seafaring bandits ravage community
One resident said a pirate cut someone's line during a fight and let the boat drift out to the estuary with no way to get back.

Self-driving car mows down woman, leaving her trapped underneath vehicle
A woman was mowed down on a San Francisco roadway by two different cars, one of which was a self-driving vehicle. Since the car that struck the woman fled the scene and there were no passengers inside the self-driving car, officials have been left to piece together what happened.

Protesters show up at Seattle mayor's home after he proposed raising police budget for 2024
Protesters gathered with signs and marched to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell's home on Sunday afternoon, apparently upset that he had called for an increase in the city's police budget for 2024.

Both These Men Tweeted at the Creator of 'Dilbert' ... and Shared a Horrific Fate
Dilbert creator Scott Adams, known for his conservative leanings, was publicly criticized on Twitter by journalist Josh Kruger and social activist Ryan Carson. In eerie coincidences, both critics met violent ends in separate incidents amid rising urban crime.

Death penalty for child rape goes into effect in Florida
Florida courts now have a green light to send child rapists to death row. It was a measure that received bipartisan support as it rose through Tallahassee.

Charlotte Sena, 9-year-old girl abducted from NY park, was found safe inside cabinet of suspect’s camper
The break in the case came early Monday when the suspect reportedly dropped a ransom letter bearing fingerprints in the Sena family’s mailbox.

Pennsylvania mummy ‘Stoneman Willie’ to be buried after 128 years on display
An alcoholic pickpocket who was accidentally mummified by a mortician trying out a new embalming technique will finally receive a proper burial after being on display at a Pennsylvania funeral home for 128 years.

Top 10 US foodie cities list
When you think food, you think ... Orlando.

Economy / ESG...

The five best books on the Great Reset
What was once a “conspiracy theory” is now in the open, and the world's financial future hangs in the balance. Globalists and multinational corporations are building a financial network to control every aspect of our lives.

Biden’s drilling limits mean high prices are in the pipeline
In his latest blow to domestic energy production, Biden proposes the fewest offshore oil and gas leases ever, defying Congress and courts while restricting supply, hiking prices and boosting rivals Russia, Iran and China, reflecting an obsessive war on fossil fuels that hurts consumers and security.

A Raise for Auto Workers May Imperil Biden's Electric Vehicle Ambitions
Either UAW members can get a big raise, or automakers can push forward in the transition to electric vehicles.

Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO accused paying ‘recruiters’ $1,000 to lure young men to events for sex
Mike Jeffries is facing allegations of sexual exploitation after eight men claimed in a bombshell BBC News investigation that he headed an elaborate scheme to recruit them for sex events.

Immigration...

Mexico’s President Says 10,000 Migrants A Day Heading To US Border
About 6,000 migrants a day have come into Mexico from Guatemala in the last week, contributing to the surge at the U.S. border, Obrador said.

Mexico begins busing immigrants from Guatemala to US border
Under a new Mexican government initiative, transportation from north of the Guatemala-Mexico border is being provided to immigrants to ease the demand and pressure on public and private transportation systems.

WAR News... 

How Conservatives Quietly Outmaneuvered Weakened McConnell On Ukraine
The Senate GOP’s defiance of McConnell was confirmed when they, at the urging of Senate GOP steering committee members like Sens. Mike Lee and Rick Scott, passed House Republicans’ continuing resolution instead of the Senate bill.

Politico: Fighting against the USSR didn’t necessarily make you a Nazi
Suddenly the left cares about nuance when talking about history and doesn't support calling everyone a Nazi, including actual Nazis.

Western allies say they are running out of ammo to donate
"The elephant in the room is that not everyone in the alliance is yet spending 2% of their GDP on defence. That must be the floor for our defence spending, not the ceiling."

Flight Testing Of Air Force’s New Nuclear-Armed Cruise Missile Well Under Way
There have been at least nine flight tests of stealthy Long Range Stand Off missile prototypes, including one with a mock nuclear warhead.

Entertainment...

Late-Night TV returns, hits Trump early and often, silent on Biden
Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Kamala Harris, and even the Democrat candidate for the Virginia legislature caught performing sex acts for money online weren't targeted by Colbert, Fallon, or Kimmel during their extended monologues.

Disney plans to ‘modernize’ 'Bambi'
"Not to spoil the plot, but there’s a treatment of the mom dying that I think some kids, some parents these days are more sensitive about than they were in the past. And I think that’s one of the reasons that they haven’t shown it to their children."

Canada...

Meet the Four Men Being Held as Political Prisoners in Canada
The Freedom Convoy lead a mass act of civil protest in Jan 2022. For this, the Trudeau administration labeled them as racists and fascists — and then invoked the Emergency Measures Act for the first time in Canada's history, suspending the civil liberties of Canada's citizenry.

Europe...

Bedbug panic sweeps Paris as infestations soar before 2024 Olympics
A plague of bedbugs has hit Paris and other French cities, provoking a wave of insectophobia and raising questions about health and safety during next year's Olympic Games.

LGBTQIA2S+...

In stunning reversal, Pennsylvania school board bans boys from using girls' bathrooms
Follows a student walkout and successful pressure campaign.

Outrage ensues after men crash major conference for women in tech by identifying as non-binary
Female attendees at a major conference for women in technology were outraged after some males allegedly attended by identifying as non-binary in order to seek the high-paying jobs offered at the meeting.

Trans high school athlete places 5th in girls' race after being ranked 172 as a boy
In a video posted to X, a member of a racing crowd is heard saying "way to cheat, bro!"

Men banned from women's international fishing events after team refuses to compete with trans-identifying teammate
However, the policy only applies to events "where a higher physical strength can help."

Education...

NYC professor who threatened Post reporter with a machete avoids jail with wrist-slap therapy plea deal
Shellyne Rodriguez first made headlines when she was caught on video flipping out on a group of students who set up a table with anti-abortion materials at Hunter on May 2.

Toilets...

Charmin introduces first new toilet paper design in 100 years
Charmin announces a new feature that's been in the works for five years, the company said.

Doctors sound the alarm about laxative abuse dangers as brands across the country run out of stock
Miralax and Dulcolax are getting harder and harder to find in local pharmacies and retailers.

Why you shouldn’t use your phone on the toilet
“Using your phone while doing number two can lead to prolonged sitting on the toilet, which can cause strain and pressure on your rectum and anus."

AI...

AI could become 'extremely addictive' and 'enslave' people
OpenAI exec warns of risks of poor programming.

News execs lobby lawmakers on AI protections
Dozens of newspaper, digital, and magazine news executives descended on Capitol Hill last week to lobby members of Congress on copyright protections for their work in the era of artificial intelligence.

Church in AI takeover as sermon led by ChatGPT in artificial intelligence breakthrough
ChatGPT was used to transform the tradition of a Sunday service at the Violet Crown City Church, a Methodist church in North Austin, Texas.

Technology...

Emergency test set to blast phones — and conspiracy theorists are on high alert
A popular conspiracy theory is that the test will signal phones to activate potentially harmful compounds like graphene oxide that have made their way into people’s bodies. Others fear a Y2K-esque blackout to come from the routine test.

New Net Neutrality Rules Could Threaten Popular Services
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel has initiated a new rulemaking that would enact what are largely the same net neutrality rules tried back in 2016.

Do Social Media Algorithms Polarize Us? Maybe Not.
A series of studies suggest it's not algorithms that are driving political polarization, ignorance, or toxicity online.

Sports...

NFL Scores Monster Ratings For ‘Sunday Night Football’ Amid Swift Presence
Viewership among teen girls spiked 53% from the season-to-date average of the first three weeks of SNF, while the audience among women ages 18-24 was up 24%, and women 35+ increased 34%, per Nielsen.

Aaron Rodgers takes shot at Taylor Swift's boyfriend, calling him ‘Mr. Pfizer’
“Mr. Pfizer, we kinda shut him down a little bit,” Rodgers said on Monday, referring to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Oct 4, 2004 - Mount St. Helens could blow any minute… John Kerry Waffle House… Iran and the nuclear problem… Polls… More On Trivia: Baltimore vs. Kansas City… Top box office movies ('Shark Tale,' 'Ladder 49,' 'The Forgotten,' 'Sky Captain')… Glenn plays 'Look Who Told You So'…

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.