Morning Brief 2024-03-20

TOP OF HOUR 1
GUEST: Bernie Moreno
TOPIC: Moreno wins Ohio GOP Senate primary.

BOTTOM OF HOUR 1
GUEST: Ken Paxton
TOPIC: WHIPLASH: Courts block and unblock Texas law that would allow state police to arrest illegal immigrants.

TOP OF HOUR 2
GUEST: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)
TOPIC: A breakdown of all the latest cases being heard by the Supreme Court.

BOTTOM OF HOUR 2
GUEST: Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.)
TOPIC: Why Senate Democrats stalled the Laken Riley Act.

TOP OF HOUR 3
GUEST: John Ondrasik
TOPIC: We MUST call out evil when we see evil being done.

News...

NY Times: It Turns Out the ‘Deep State’ Is Actually Kind of Awesome
As we met the Americans who are being dismissed as public enemies, we discovered that they are … us. They like Taylor Swift. They dance bachata. They go to bed at night watching “Star Trek” reruns. They go to work and do their jobs: saving us from Armageddon. Sure, our tax dollars pay them, but as you’ll see in the video above, what a return on our investment we get!

CBS News: New video shows group constructing Jan. 6 gallows 8 hours before Capitol siege
A report by a GOP-led U.S. House subcommittee said the perpetrators remain unaccounted for by prosecutors.

'I’m pissed: Ex-Trump aide Peter Navarro blasts justice system before heading to federal prison
"I’m afraid for this country because this, what they’re doing, should have a chilling effect on every American regardless of their party. They come for me, they can come for you.”

Energy secretary says energy stockpiles to be refilled in 2024, but experts are skeptical
Biden drained the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to push gasoline prices down ahead of the midterm elections. With gasoline prices on the rise and another election on the horizon, plans to replenish the SPR might not pan out.

It’s Time For Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp And His AG To Indict Fani Willis For Perjury
How can Fani Willis credibly prosecute Trump when there are reasonable questions about whether she lied in a Georgia court three weeks ago?

Media turns on Fani Willis after judge finds ‘an odor of mendacity remains’ in her case against Trump
Like rats deserting a sinking ship, many in the legacy media are now calling for her to recuse herself from the case.

Eric Adams Drove Woman to Vacant Lot and Demanded Sex: Lawsuit
In the filing, former police administrative aide Lorna Beach-Mathura claims Adams — then a transit police officer — was giving her a ride home when he stopped at a vacant lot and requested sex from her ... in 1993.

Half of all New Yorkers will flee city in next 5 years as quality of life plummets post-pandemic: Poll
“People are fed up with the quality of life. There’s a general sense of lawlessness. You go into the CVS and there’s shoplifting. People’s cars get vandalized,” Queens Councilman Robert Holden told the Post.

Cops arrest NYC homeowner for changing locks on squatter, charge her with unlawful eviction
"It's not fair that I, as the homeowner, have to be going through this."

DC Mayor Says 'Don't Be So Down on DC' After Murder Spike
Mayor Bowser said a tourist told her over the weekend that he was surprised D.C. residents were so "down on themselves" considering the district’s abundant amenities and opportunities.

Politics...

NY Times: Democrats Are Meddling in Republican Primaries
Meddling in Republican primaries has become a regular tactic for Democrats in recent years. But it has become more ideologically complicated as President Joe Biden campaigns on the need to defend democracy from Trump-aligned Republicans like Moreno.

Trump-backed Moreno defeats ‘Old Guard’ rival in bitter Ohio Senate race
Republican Bernie Moreno, who was backed by Trump, will face off against incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown later this year.

Trump tightens grip on GOP with Tuesday primary victories while ally wins key race
Trump was projected to win every state of the night, a development that hardly came as a shock given all of his primary challengers of any standing had already dropped out of the contest.

Biden wanders off stage after spotting baby in crowd at Arizona campaign event
“Well, folks, I have to tell you straight up. I like you all, but I couldn’t resist that little baby.” Last year in Finland, the president nibbled on the shoulder of a little girl who recoiled as Biden attempted to kiss her on the temple.

'I need you badly': Biden stumps for Latino votes at Mexican restaurant
A recent New York Times poll found former President Donald Trump has a 6-point lead among Hispanic voters, a group Biden won by 24 points four years ago.

Thanks To Mail-In Voting, California Still Counting Ballots Two Weeks After Election
Like many states, California used the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak as an excuse to expand the use of unsupervised mail-in voting. Now officials are allowed to take up to 30 days to count ballots in California.

Economy / ESG / DEI...

Texas withdraws $8.5 billion from BlackRock over ESG in biggest such divestment
“BlackRock’s dominant and persistent leadership in the ESG movement immeasurably damages our state’s oil and gas economy and the very companies that generate revenues for our [Permanent School Fund],” Texas State Board of Education Chairman Aaron Kinsey said.

15M Americans — including those making more than $100K — buy groceries with ‘buy now, pay later’ apps as inflation rages
The BNPL loans, also known as point-of-sale installment loans, are short-term loans with fixed payments at little to no interest. They are being offered up by major retailers at checkout such as Walmart, Amazon, and Trader Joe’s.

Immigration...

Texas immigration law blocked again in 11th-hour legal whiplash
In a late-night turn of events, a Texas law that allows state police to arrest illegal immigrants was blocked again by an appeals court just hours after the Supreme Court allowed the measure to go into effect.

Conservatives hope Supreme Court's initial ruling on Texas immigration law inspires other states
Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon says decision should be "rocket fuel" for his state to empower local police to arrest and deport illegal aliens.

Mexico says it won’t accept immigrants back to its territory from Texas ‘under any circumstances’
“Mexico rejects any measure that allows state or local authorities to handle immigration control, detain or return nationals or foreigners to Mexican territory,” Mexico’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press.

DeSantis threatens to send Haitians who arrive in Florida to Martha’s Vineyard
"If you wanted to fly somebody to a South American country, wherever they’re from, it becomes a little bit more difficult because the federal government’s going to tell the host countries not to accept our planes.”

DHS whistleblower warns of disease threats due to Biden's open-border policies
Dr. Tom McGinn, a DHS whistleblower, claims that the agency's incompetence and Biden's open-border policies are failing to protect Americans from contagious diseases, as DHS lacks proper record-keeping, data analysis, and resource allocation to handle the unprecedented influx of migrants.

Foreign gangs exploit tourist visa system to rob affluent neighborhoods in Los Angeles
LAPD Chief Dominic Choi stated Tuesday, “I can tell you that we have a significant increase in burglaries from organized groups that are outside this country, that are coming into the country, and they are targeting high-end residents.”

Denver's food bill for feeding illegal aliens skyrockets
Denver currently faces a nearly $60 million budget deficit, and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has said for the city to maintain current services that are provided for illegal aliens, it would cost taxpayers well over $100 million over the next year.

WAR News...

Politico: Republicans fixate on messy Afghanistan withdrawal
The House Foreign Affairs Committee hammered the administration on Tuesday for its 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, seeking to keep the chaotic exit in the public eye even as the two retired generals who oversaw the evacuation offered few new details.

Charges dropped against Gold Star dad arrested after heckling Biden at State of the Union: Report
Steve Nikoui’s son, Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, was one of 13 U.S. service members killed in Kabul after Biden rushed a withdraw from Afghanistan so he could issue a press release saying all troops were out of the country by 9/11 in 2021.

America's $280 Million Military Mission in Niger Ends in Failure
Air Base 201 in Niger was the U.S. Air Force's largest construction project in history: a massive drone center that cost American taxpayers $280 million. Thanks to a change in the Nigerien leadership, Americans may have to give up that investment for good.

Israel...

Netanyahu: I made it clear to Biden, we must enter Rafah
“I emphasized to the president in our conversation, in the clearest way, that we are determined to complete the destruction of these [Hamas] battalions in Rafah. There is no way to do it other than the ground entrance.”

US to pitch Israel on securing Egypt-Gaza border as alternative to ‘smashing into Rafah’
A senior U.S. official said Washington envisions Israel, instead of wiping out Hamas, instead focusing on preventing the smuggling of weapons from Egypt into Gaza through the Philadelphi Corridor.

Schumer says he considered calling on Netanyahu to step down
Top Democrat gives interview to NYT in which he says he mulled calling on PM to resign but decided against it, not wanting to lecture Israel.

Democratic Senators in Swing States Mum on Schumer's Call for Israelis to Depose Netanyahu
Only a single Senate Democrat running in a competitive race has addressed Schumer's remark head-on.

Reuters: US Congress deal bars US funds to UNRWA until March 2025
The two sources familiar with the agreement said the funding would be blocked for a year and that details of alternative efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza would be discussed after the legislation is made public.

UN human rights chief: Israel’s ‘extensive restrictions’ on Gaza aid may be war crime
Israel’s “extensive restrictions” on aid entering war-ravaged Gaza, coupled with the ongoing war against the Hamas terrorist organization, could amount to using starvation as a “weapon of war,” which would be a “war crime.”

Ukraine-Russia...

Russian Spy Chief Claims France Planning to Send 2,000 Soldiers to Ukraine
“[The French soldiers] will become a legitimate priority target for attacks by the Russian Armed Forces,” the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin said. “The sword awaits all Frenchmen who ever enter the territory of the Russian World,” he added.

French Army Says Prepared for 'Toughest' Engagements
The statement from ground army chief of staff General Pierre Schill comes after President Emmanuel Macron said he would not rule out dispatching ground troops to help Ukraine fight Russia.

The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine Is Quietly Becoming A Korean Proxy Conflict
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the overall ten-year war is quickly spiraling into an East vs. West dispute with various political blocs and growing alliances supporting a particular party in the conflict.

Big-Ticket, Expensive, Heavily Armored NATO Tanks Mostly Overweight Duds in the Russo-Ukrainian War
One reason NATO’s best tanks haven’t performed up to expectations is that cheap drones are so dense over the battlefield that almost any time a tank breaks near the front line, swarms of drones buzz in to attack it.

Kangaroo Killed in Ukrainian Shelling of Russian Zoo
“We will never forget you, sweet girl. Grandi, when this living nightmare is over, we will plant the most delicious grape tree in our forest to honor you,” the zoo said in a statement.

China...

Blinken Warns China Against Attacking Philippines
Blinken underscored Washington’s “ironclad commitment” Tuesday to help defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack against its forces after clashes between Chinese and Filipino coast guards in the disputed South China Sea recently turned more hostile.

China says Hamas is 'part of the Palestinian national fabric'
Chinese diplomat Wang Kejian "emphasized that the Hamas movement is part of the Palestinian national fabric and that China is acting to preserve the relations with it."

Europe...

Conservative broadcaster GB News warned by government agency for having bias 'without exceptional justification'
A conservative broadcaster in the United Kingdom received an official government warning for not being impartial and having politicians appear on the network without on-screen opposition.

BBC pressured to suspend journalists who ‘liked’ videos celebrating Oct. 7 or wrote anti-Israel post
“Any journalist who likes anything that is overtly racist is clearly not credible,” said John Mann, the U.K.’s independent adviser on anti-Semitism.

Entertainment...

Aaron Taylor-Johnson Rumored to Have Been Offered Role as Next James Bond
“Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back,” a source reportedly told the Sun.

Eiza González Says She Was Denied Roles For Being ‘Too Hot’
This reads like Glenn's diary ... “Do I shave my head? Do I make myself less attractive? Do I not dress super-hot or do I dress super-hot or do I cover myself all the time?”

Media...

Report: Don Lemon also wanted free ride on Elon Musk’s rocket to host ‘first podcast in space’
“First podcast in space to be hosted by Don (via SpaceX),” a bulleted line item reads in the document sent to X by Lemon’s agents at United Talent Agency.

Trump sues Stephanopoulos and ABC News after they falsely claimed he was found 'liable of rape'
Stephanopoulos repeated the assertion more than 10 times during an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace.

Environment...

Planet 'on the brink,' with new heat records likely in 2024: UN
"Earth's issuing a distress call," U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said, pointing out that "fossil fuel pollution is sending climate chaos off the charts" and warning that "changes are speeding up."

California energy costs double national average, threatening EV adoption
The CPUC notes electricity bills have nearly doubled in the past decade and says that the state may soon be facing the point at which filling a Tesla Model 3 with energy will become more expensive per mile than driving a Toyota Camry.

LGBTQIA2S+...

Biden’s Top Intelligence Agency Says Crossdressing Makes Man ‘Better Intelligence Officer,’ Internal Docs Show
"I am an intelligence officer, and I am a man who likes to wear women’s clothes sometimes," reads the script from "Ed Wood" ... wait, no, that is the testimony from inside the intel community.

Former ‘Drag Race’ Star Accused Of Multiple Sexual Assaults: Report
Various men claim that Pierce supplied them with drinks, they passed out and awoke in a dazed state after they were allegedly sexually assaulted. In 2022, Pierce was invited to the White House by Biden for the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act.

82-Year-Old Woman Threatens Lawsuit After Trans Incident At YMCA Pool
Julie Jaman wants an apology from the city of Port Townsend and the YMCA after she was banned for voicing her concerns over a man being in the women's locker room.

Education...

Teacher says students are using nutmeg to get high
She said that an area school recently had conducted a “backpack check,” during which teachers found bottles of nutmeg in a couple of students’ bags.

Health...

Diabetes breakthrough: Brazilian cow produces human insulin in world first
The achievement could lead to more accessible and affordable diabetes treatment and potentially help relieve issues of insulin scarcity.

Technology...

Congress Only Wants To ‘Ban’ TikTok So The Deep State Can Use It To Spy On Americans
If a U.S. firm owns TikTok, the federal censorship industrial complex can use the platform as it has used virtually every other social media company: to spy on and manipulate American citizens.

Travel...

Alaska Airlines windshield cracks upon landing in latest drama involving Boeing jets
The flight was traveling from D.C. to Portland on Sunday when crew members noticed a crack on the inner windshield.

Animals...

NY man claims he was treated like ‘some kind of drug kingpin’ after 750-pound pet alligator seized
Tony Cavallaro told the Post that he’s confident “thousands of supporters” will help him win back 34-year-old alligator Albert who was seized from his house in a raid by state Department of Environmental Conservation workers last week.

March 20, 2012 - Why is Obama's 13-year-old daughter vacationing in Mexico?... A new gaffe from Joe Biden... Is this the dumbest administration ever?... Rick Santorum on the show... The six new steps OWS is taking... Why we need a day of fasting...

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.