EXCLUSIVE: A Ukrainian woman tells the REAL story of life in war-torn Ukraine.

SOPA Images / Contributor | Getty Images

Secretary of State Blinken just announced an additional $1 billion in aid to Ukraine during his surprise visit to Kiev. That brings the total sum of US aid sent to Ukraine to a whopping $76 BILLION. What's more? Biden asked for an additional $24 billion in aid destined for Ukraine. $100 BILLION later, and the war is STILL raging. Is there any end in site?

The answer is a resounding NO with the Biden administration continually touting the confident yet ambiguous declaration, "As long as it takes." What does that exactly entail? Will we continue to escalate our weapons shipments until Russia retaliates? Will we follow Ukraine into World War III? As long as the US unabashedly continues to aid Ukraine without a clear policy in mind, the war and its turmoil will continue...indefinitely.

Is there any end in site? The answer is a resounding NO.

From across the pond, it is difficult to put the continued toll of the war in perspective. However, the Ukrainian people encounter the heartwrenching realities of war every day. To give you a glimpse into the daily life of the Ukrainian people living in their war-torn country, a Blaze employee sat down with a Ukrainian woman living in the US, who opened up about her experiences during her trips to her homeland.

The Ukrainian people encounter the heartwrenching realities of war every day.

Her testimony paints a vivid picture of the harsh realities that the Ukrainians endure on a daily basis. As long as the war continues with no end in sight, their suffering will continue. One thing is clear: our leaders must demand an end to this war. The Ukrainian people deserve it.

To learn more about the REAL situation in Ukraine, be sure to tune into Glenn's special on Ukraine TOMORROW at 8:00 p.m. CT on Blaze TV. Here are the highlights from our sit-down with the Ukrainian woman, who wished to remain anonymous. The following has been edited for clarity and readability.

What is the state of morale of the Ukrainian people? 

“I saw many people who are holding on very strong, but when you touch them, when you give them a hug, they just break. They cry. And it’s such a deep cry… Because they cannot show their children that they are broken and there is no hope. They have to be strong for their kids and for [their] grandchildren."

How has the war taken a toll on the average citizen?

“Everything changed. They live in a war zone. I am from the western [region of Ukraine], and what you have there are people who are working for the front. There is lots going on. People are cooking or providing for people who are fighting. They’re sending buses of food and clothes and whatever is needed… [Western Ukraine] provides help."

What are some of the personal stories that you have witnessed? 

“I was at home, and [my sister] went on a walk with her husband and two children. Ten minutes later they were running back because they got the message on their phone that the rockets entered the Ukrainian sky, and they were flying towards our city.”

So the Ukrainian government sends people notifications?

“Yes, they get the notifications that the rockets are flying, which say, ‘Ok, they’re flying towards Kiev… or they’re flying towards this particular city. The trouble with this is that the rockets can change their direction. They always warn people on their phones. That’s what happened while I was there.”

You mentioned poverty. What does that look like for Ukrainians in day to day life?

“Compared to three years ago, bread is four times as much, so, it’s very expensive. It’s very hard to live. The state of life is not easy right now. People who have relatives overseas can survive. But for people who have none, it’s practically impossible to survive there. People there know how to survive on a little. It’s interesting, the mentality. They know how to survive on bread and water. If they don’t have food, they fast.”

How else has the war taken a toll on the average citizen?

"The war changed everything, but the biggest [change] is that they lost peace. They are haunted by the thought that they could be next. [The Russians] can kill them. [Russians] can attack their city, their home. My mom said that out of [her] seven children, I am the only one in a safe region [because] I live in America. She says, ‘Be grateful for the peace you have. Be grateful for the safety you have, because we don’t have that. We don’t have tomorrow. [We] can plan, [we] can have birthday parties, but we don’t know what’s going to happen today or in the evening or at night. If they’re going to bomb us, if they’re going to kill us. We don’t have tomorrow.’ That’s what my mom says.”

You mentioned that there are no young men left. How has that affected the country? How are the women and children providing for themselves?

“You have a nation that is fatherless and a nation of widows. There are lots of widows and orphans. When I was driving to my brother-in-law’s town, there was a display of young men who had been killed, pictures of young men [on] a town hall, [on a banner] who lived in that town, who were drafted and killed. I asked my brother-in-law, ‘How is it going here?’ He said, ‘They are taking our men. They are killing our young men. The working force, fathers, husbands. They need to go [fight in] the war, but you have unprotected children and wives and mothers who are left there. But, little by little, because of the war, they are killing young men. The towns are wiped out of young [men]. In my city where I walked, there are no young men walking [around], not many. This is the saddest part for me, that there are young guys who are fathers with young kids who have to fight. Husbands and sons, uncles, nephews... they’re gone.”

What was life like while living under communism?

"It was not easy to live under the communist system. I was a part of that. I experienced that. And when communism fell, I was 15 or 16. When we finally got this independence in 1991, we could live the way we want, like normal people live. [We could] say what we want, eat what we want, dress ourselves the way we want. We wanted to be our own people, you know? But the Soviet system was very gray. You wore the same clothes, you were going to the same school system--there were no private schools."

"The system was against Christianity, as well. They called us ‘gray mass.’ I remember this. They would always say, ‘If you stay gray and low, you will be ok. As long as you stay low and gray and do what they ask you to do, you’re fine. But as soon as you stick out and speak out and you are different, they will shoot you. They will put you in prison. They will poison you. They will find a way to get rid of you because you are different. So in 1991, it was like we want to be [free]. But now they are trying to put us back under their dominion.”

What does winning look like to Ukrainians?

“They just want Russians off our land. They don’t want [the Russians] to tell them what to do. We want to be free, and we want to live our lives, and work for ourselves, and feed our children. Our fault is that we are on the good soil and that we’re a hardworking people.”

Elon Musk calls it genocide—Why does the Left ignore South African farmers?

SAUL LOEB / Contributor | Getty Images

Biden’s DHS freed a Venezuelan hitman. But Democrats erupted when Trump offered refugee status to white farmers fleeing racial persecution. It would be laughable if it weren’t so morally bankrupt.

The left’s radical immigration agenda isn’t just dangerous, it’s hypocritical to the core. Some recent stories show just how radical leftists have become.

Let’s start with a story Blaze News reported this month that should infuriate every law-abiding American. A 42-year-old Venezuelan man — a known hitman tied to the brutal El Chamu gang and accused of four contract killings — was released into the United States after being caught crossing the Arizona border illegally in 2022. That’s right: arrested, deemed inadmissible, then set free.

Leftists' selective outrage reveals a disturbing truth: Their moral compass isn’t guided by justice or suffering. It’s guided by race and politics.

But it gets worse. The Biden administration granted this suspected murderer a work permit because, at the time, the U.S. wasn’t talking to Venezuela about taking back its criminals.

This man walked freely through our communities for nearly three years. He was finally arrested in February 2025 — not thanks to Biden but because President Donald Trump pressured Venezuela to resume accepting deportees. Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked him up in Grapevine, Texas, which happens to be in my backyard.

This is what happens when ideology overrides public safety. And it’s not an isolated case.

An activist judge

In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was just indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly helping an illegal immigrant evade ICE agents. Dugan reportedly got “visibly angry,” confronted federal agents in her courtroom, and then snuck the man — who was facing battery charges and had been deported once before — out a private exit for the jury.

This man is accused of punching one victim 30 times and attacking a woman who tried to intervene. Both victims were hospitalized. But Dugan, a sitting judge, allegedly aided his escape. That’s not just reckless — it’s criminal.

And yet, as usual, the left rushed to glorify her. Some are actually comparing Judge Dugan to Harriet Tubman. I wish I were joking! Leftist lawyer Jeffrey Mandell and his friends at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel are likening her actions to a modern Underground Railroad — as if protecting a violent illegal alien compares to the rescue of fugitive slaves.

It’s beyond insulting. Harriet Tubman risked her life to free human beings from bondage. Judge Dugan risked the public’s safety to help a man accused of brutal violence. The left’s delusional moral equivalence here reveals exactly how twisted their priorities have become.

Blind eye to genocide

Yet, these priorities don’t apply if you don’t have the left’s approved skin color.

President Trump has made it a priority to deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. That’s what this is really about. But instead of recognizing the distinction between lawful immigration and criminal activity, the left screams that Trump wants to “kick out all immigrants” and destroy the American dream.

Then, when the administration offers refugee status to 59 Afrikaners fleeing persecution in South Africa, the same people lose their minds.

These are white farmers and their families — victims of racial violence, land seizures, and targeted killings. The South African government passed a law in 2024 that allows for the confiscation of land without compensation. Political rallies routinely feature chants of “Kill the Boer,” referring to white farmers. A political party leader led one such rally in 2023 — and it wasn’t subtle. The crowd chanted, “Shoot to kill!” with bloodthirsty fervor.

Elon Musk, a South African native, called it open incitement to genocide. He’s right.

You’d think the self-appointed champions of compassion would welcome these families with open arms. But no — they’re furious. MSNBC analyst Richard Stengel dismissed their plight as “apartheid nostalgia.” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) called it “global apartheid.” And the Episcopal Church, which has helped resettle more than 100,000 refugees and proudly aids illegal aliens, publicly refused to help these 59 families. It even ended a 40-year partnership with the federal government over it.

Why? Because these refugees are white.

Jemal Countess / Stringer | Getty Images

Narrative-driven immigration

In summary, the left welcomed a Venezuelan gang hitman into the country and handed him a work permit. Leftists are defending a judge who allegedly helped a violent offender escape ICE. They have no problem with 10 million illegal immigrants who flooded the country under President Biden. But when it comes to 59 South African farmers fleeing actual persecution?

They call it racism. They shut down programs. They rage on television.

This isn’t compassion. It’s a radical ideological agenda that says borders should be open to criminals — as long as they fit the narrative — and closed to those who don’t.

It would be laughable if it weren’t so morally bankrupt.

Leftists' selective outrage reveals a disturbing truth: Their moral compass isn’t guided by justice or suffering. It’s guided by race and politics. Some victims are celebrated. Others are ignored, depending entirely on their skin color and the usefulness of their story.

America is at a crossroads. We can continue this reckless, backward approach — or we can choose sanity, security, and fairness. President Trump is trying to restore order, but the radical left is fighting him every step of the way. And if this latest circus has shown us anything, it’s that leftists are just getting started.


This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn: Why Memorial Day is not just another holiday

Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

They wore the uniform so you could live free. This holiday, ask yourself if you're living in a way that honors that sacrifice — or cheapens it.

Your son has been a Marine for what feels like an eternity. Only those who have watched their children deploy into war zones can truly understand why time seems to freeze in worry. What begins as concern turns to panic, then helplessness. You live suspended in a silent winter, where days blur and dread becomes your constant companion.

Then, in an instant, it happens. What you don’t know yet is that your child — your most precious gift — fell in combat 60 seconds ago.

This is a day for sacred remembrance, for honoring those who laid down their lives.

While you go about your day, unaware, military protocol kicks into motion. Notification must happen within eight hours. Officers are dispatched. A chaplain joins them. A medic may accompany them in case the grief is too much to bear.

Three figures arrive at your door. One asks your name. Then, by protocol, they ask to enter your home. You already know what’s coming. You sit down. He looks you in the eye and says:

The commandant of the Marine Corps has entrusted me to express his deep regret that your son John was killed in action on Friday, March 28. The commandant and the United States Marine Corps extend their deepest sympathy to you and your family in your loss.

This moment has played out thousands of times across American soil. In 2003 alone — just two years after 9/11 — 312 families endured it. In 2007, 847 American service members died in combat. In 2008, 352. In 2009, 346. The list goes on. And with every name, a family became a Gold Star family.

Honor the fallen

For most Americans, Memorial Day means backyard barbecues, family gatherings, maybe a trip to the lake or a sweet Airbnb. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying these things. But we must never forget why we can.

Ask any veteran who lived when others did not, and you’ll understand: Memorial Day is not just another holiday. It is a solemn day set apart for reverence.

So this weekend, reach out to a Gold Star family. Acknowledge their pain. Ask about their son or daughter. Let them know they’re not alone.

This is a day for sacred remembrance, for honoring those who laid down their lives — not for accolades but for love of country and the preservation of liberty. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

They died for the Constitution, for our shared American ideals, and the worst thing we could do now would be to betray those ideals in a spirit of rage or division.

We cannot dishonor their sacrifice by abandoning the very principles they died to protect — equal justice, the rule of law, the enduring promise of liberty.

This Memorial Day, let us remember the fallen. Let us honor their families. Let us recommit ourselves to the cause they gave everything for: the American way of life.

They are the best of us.


This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Trump exposes Left’s habeas corpus hijack in border crisis

Chicago Tribune / Contributor | Getty Images

Democrats accused the president of declaring war on civil rights. In reality, he’s defending habeas corpus while they drown it in delays and legal loopholes.

Tuesday’s congressional testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem turned heads for all the wrong reasons. Pressed to define “habeas corpus,” she stumbled. And while I respect Noem, this moment revealed just how dangerously misunderstood one of our most vital legal protections has become — especially as it’s weaponized in the immigration debate.

Habeas corpus is not a loophole. It’s a shield. It’s the constitutional protection that prevents a government from detaining a person — any person — without first justifying the detention before a neutral judge. It doesn’t guarantee freedom. It demands due process. Prove it or release them.

Bureaucratic inertia, activist judges, and political cowardice have turned due process into a slow-motion invasion. And the left knows it.

And yet, this doctrine — so essential to our liberty — is now being twisted by the political left into something it was never meant to be: a free pass for illegal immigration.

The left wants to frame this as a matter of compassion and rights. Leftists ask: “What about habeas corpus for migrants?” The implication is clear: They see any attempt to enforce immigration law as an attack on civil liberties.

But that’s a lie. Habeas corpus is not an excuse for indefinite presence. It doesn’t guarantee that every person who crosses the border gets to stay. It simply requires that we follow a process — a just process.

And that’s exactly what President Donald Trump has proposed.

Habeas corpus, rightly understood

Habeas corpus is the front door to the courtroom. It simply requires the government to justify why someone is being held or detained. It’s not about citizenship. It’s about human dignity.

America’s founders knew this — and that’s why they extended the right to persons, not just citizens. Habeas corpus isn’t a pass to stay in America forever — it’s a demand for legal clarity: “Why are you holding me?” That’s it.

If the government has a lawful reason — such as illegal entry — then deportation is a legitimate outcome. And yet, the left treats any enforcement of immigration law as a betrayal of American ideals.

The danger today isn’t that habeas corpus is being ignored; it’s that it’s being hijacked. The system is being overwhelmed with bad-faith cases, endless appeals, and delays that stretch for years. Right now, the immigration courts are buried under 3.3 million pending cases. The average wait time to have your case heard is four years. In some places, people are being scheduled for court dates as far out in 2032. Where is the justice in that?

This is not compassion. This is national sabotage.

Weaponizing due process

The left uses this legal bottleneck as a weapon, not a shield. Democrats invoke due process as if it requires the government to play a never-ending shell game with public safety. But that’s not what due process means. Due process means the state must play by the rules. It means a judge hears a case. It means the law is applied justly and equally. It does not mean an open border by procedural default.

So no, Trump is not proposing the end of habeas corpus. He’s calling out a broken system and saying, out loud, what millions of Americans already know: If we don’t fix this, we don’t have a country.

This crisis wasn’t an accident — it was engineered. It’s a Cloward-Piven playbook, designed to overwhelm the system. Bureaucratic inertia, activist judges, and political cowardice have turned due process into a slow-motion invasion. And the left knows it.

Abandon the Constitution?

Remember, the Constitution is not a suicide pact. But how do we balance the Constitution and our national survival without descending into authoritarianism? Abandon the Constitution? No. Burn the house down to get rid of the rats? Absolutely not. The Constitution itself gives us the tools to take on this crisis head on.

The federal government has clear authority over immigration. Illegal presence in the United States is not a protected right. Congress has the power to deny entry, enforce expedited removals, and reject bogus asylum claims. Much of this is already authorized by law — it’s simply not being used.

President Trump’s idea is simple: Use the tools we already have. Declare the southern border a national security emergency. Establish temporary military tribunals for triage. Process asylum claims swiftly outside the clogged court system. Restore “Remain in Mexico” so that the border is no longer a remote court room. Appoint more immigration judges, assign them to high-volume areas, and hold streamlined hearings that still respect due process.

That’s not authoritarian. That’s leadership.

The path forward

Trump is not trying to destroy habeas corpus. He’s trying to save it from being twisted into a self-destructive parody of itself. Leftists have turned due process into delay, justice into gridlock, and they’re dragging the entire country into their chaos.

It’s time to draw the line. Protect habeas corpus. Use it lawfully. Use it wisely. And yes — use it to restore order at the border. Because if we lose that firewall, we lose the republic.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.