The grandson of the man who created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups said Tuesday that the Hershey Company has not contacted him following his public criticism of the brand. He also accused company leadership of arrogance toward the Reese family.On Feb. 14, Brad Reese, the grandson of H.B. Reese, who created Reese’s in 1928, wrote an open letter expressing concern about alleged ingredient changes associated with the Reese’s brand. “How does The Hershey Company continue to position REESE’S as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built REESE’S trust in the first place?” Reese wrote.During an appearance on “The Glenn Beck Program,” host Glenn Beck referred to the dispute as the “chocolate wars” before pressing Reese on whether the company had responded to his concerns about changes with Reese’s.‘I mean, talk about a conflict of interest.’“Nothing. Zero,” Reese said.“They are so arrogant and condescending to anybody, especially in the Reese family, I find, unless they want something from you,” Reese said.Hershey said in a statement: “As we’ve grown and expanded the Reese’s product line, we make product recipe adjustments that allow us to make new shapes, sizes, and innovations that Reese’s fans have come to love and ask for, while always protecting the essence of what makes Reese’s unique and special: the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter.”Reese told Beck that tensions with company leadership date back years. He said he “kind of burned ... bridges” after helping stop the proposed sale of Hershey in 2002.“You have to understand, the Reese family has been creating the wealth there,” Reese said, arguing that the family has long played a role in building the company’s value.RELATED: ‘This is crazy’: Glenn Beck questions Obama alien claim and Trump's response Photo by Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesHe also discussed what he described as internal conflicts involving the Hershey Trust and past corporate leadership. Reese referenced a cousin who previously served as general counsel for Hershey and later became president of the Hershey Trust Company, which controls the Hershey Company. According to Reese, his cousin worked to “clean up” issues within the trust and the company.Reese then turned to what he described as a missed “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” when Hershey pursued a $19 billion acquisition of Cadbury Schweppes. He said the deal was “locked up” before it ultimately fell through and Kraft acquired Cadbury instead.Reese alleged there were conflicts of interest involving former executives and advisers tied to competing bids during that process.“I mean, talk about a conflict of interest,” Reese said.He also questioned whether corporate decisions driven by profitability are sustainable “long-term.”“Wall Street loves when you increase your margins at whatever cost to the public,” Reese said. “It’s long-term, is what I’m getting at. Is this going to not work out long-term?”RELATED: Glenn Beck reveals 5 reasons the US hockey victory over Canada was the moment America needed right now Photo by Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesReese framed his concerns as rooted in protecting what he views as his grandfather’s original legacy and questioned whether current corporate decisions serve the long-term interests of the brand.Hershey did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In a nearly three-hour interview released on February 20, Tucker Carlson pressed U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on several topics, including biblical claims to land “from the Nile to the Euphrates," Gaza civilian casualties, U.S. aid to Israel, and Christian Zionism, resulting in heated exchanges. The interview highlighted a divide within conservative America over U.S. foreign policy priorities, particularly the balance between "America First" principles and strong support for Israel.On a recent episode of the “Steve Deace Show,” host Steve Deace spoke with Huckabee about his recent interview with Carlson. “Overall, how did you feel it went?” Deace inquires.“Our interaction in the interview was just fine. I didn't understand a lot of the things that he was going with in terms of the questions, and it was very frustrating because normally when he has someone on his show, he gives them about 65% of the time and he takes about 35%. … But with both Ted Cruz and me, he interrupted constantly; he went off on tangents,” says Huckabee.Deace then turned to the section of the interview that drew the most attention. Carlson referred to a Bible verse in Genesis 15 promising Abraham's descendants land "from the Euphrates to the Nile," an area encompassing much of the modern Middle East, and asked Huckabee whether this verse implies Israel has a divine right to that entire territory today.In response, Deace said that Huckabee said that it would "be fine" but immediately added that Israel has no such endeavor.“[Tucker’s] side of the argument absolutely seized on this. … Some of these nations, I think, have even released statements in response,” says Deace, offering Huckabee a chance to “clarify” and “react.”“He was badgering me, trying to get me to say that Israel was going to try to do a conquest from the Euphrates to the Nile … and finally I said, tongue in cheek, ‘Yeah, they can have the whole thing,”’ says Huckabee. “Now then immediately what I said was ‘Tucker, Israel is only wanting to keep the land of Canaan, the land that they have.”’He went on to emphasize that Israel has no plans to expand beyond its current borders into Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or even Gaza.“Tucker clipped from that one statement, and then he marketed that all over the Arab world, where he apparently has some very strong contacts. Well, they got all spun up and did a blanket condemnation of what I had said,” Huckabee explains.“If you missed the last part of my answer, of course it kind of looks like that I said, ‘Yeah, just let 'em have the whole part’ — flippantly acting as if, ‘Yeah, that's fine with me.’ If you took it in its context, listened to the whole answer, you come away with a completely different view.”To hear more of Deace and Huckabee’s conversation, check out the full interview above.Want more from Steve Deace?To enjoy more of Steve's take on national politics, Christian worldview, and principled conservatism with a snarky twist, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Johnny Knoxville is not a regular human being, and his latest interview has cemented that fact.The "Jackass" series and movie star sat down with Rolling Stone, marking 25 years since his famous cover shoot with the outlet.'The whole world was closing in, and ... I have a lot of sympathy for myself then.'As a fifth "Jackass" movie is in the making, the new "Fear Factor: House of Fear" host discussed his greatest stunts, production hurdles, and even brain injury fallout. However, what is grabbing attention online is Knoxville's brief emotional breakdown during the interview.No bullAfter discussing what it feels like to have an eyeball come out of its socket — with Knoxville describing his vision at the time as "fuzzy" TV lines — host Alex Morris asks the stuntman if there was one stunt he thought he would never get to do again.At 54 years old and 16 concussions deep, the Tennessee native got choked up before answering."I don't want to get emotional. I can't. God damn. I hate when this happens," Knoxville begins, fighting back tears."No, this is good. I was gonna ask when the last time you cried was," the reporter says, trying to comfort her guest.Then Knoxville reveals the source of his pain:"I can't mess around with bulls anymore."Confused, Morris follows up, "And that — you're, and that makes you emotional?""Yeah. It's terrible," he replies, before getting deeper into the emotional reality of a stuntman.RELATED: Make your own record player: A simple project with a profound lesson 'Steer'ing his thoughtsThe host asks Knoxville why that makes him cry; was it the thought of his art form being limited by injury or the memory of catastrophic brain damage?"No, I just want to play with them," the actor reveals. "And I'm trying not to — trying not to indulge in those thoughts." Although the bull-induced injury was not the source of his emotional pain, Knoxville takes time to go into detail about the five- to six-month period during which he suffered from "catastrophic thinking" and "ruminating" thoughts."The whole world was closing in, and ... I have a lot of sympathy for myself then, because your brain's feeding you such terrible information. And people outside were telling me like, 'Your brain's playing tricks on you.' I'm like, no, no, it's happening. [But] nothing's happening."The same brain that comes up with stunts like being shot with riot control munitions and balancing a teeter-totter around a charging bull apparently turned its back on Knoxville. He describes his recovery time as his "creative brain turned against me" while his mind "just fell off a cliff."RELATED: 'He meant that s**t': Actors rage after man with Tourette's yells N-word during award show Photo by FOX via Getty Images Please, ClappOther parts of the discussion briefly touched on former Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) attacking the "Jackass" brand in 2001, as well as Knoxville's upbringing in a Southern Baptist Church in the 1970s.Real name Philip John Clapp, born 1971 in Knoxville, Tennessee, the action star said that the fire-and-brimstone talk was too much for him to handle at a young age."You know, you're 7, 8, just having to go and sit there and be quiet and listening about burning in hell. And I'm like, 'Wow.'""It was a lot," he adds. "I think that's why, maybe one of the reasons I hate being told what to do so much."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Manhattanite's comment about a homeless woman reportedly urinating on a public train led to a massive debate about whether public urination is a charming example of city life and culture.The person, identified only as Daniela, said her husband had been "traumatized" by the public urination, to which many responded by accusing them of being bigoted and fascist.The two of them were immediately ridiculed for not appreciating the deep cultural value of public urination."My husband was on a crowded train yesterday when a homeless woman got on, pulled down her pants, and peed all over the train in front of everyone," Daniela wrote."He hasn't stopped talking about it for the past 24+ hrs. It is the single most traumatizing thing that's happened to him in nyc," she added.The two of them were immediately ridiculed for not appreciating the deep cultural value of public urination by the homeless."You live one of the most coddled lives in the history of the human race and all you do with your world-historic luck and comfort is snivel and whine and waste oxygen," responded a user identifying as an Antifa member.Another responded, "Wow your husband must lead an extremely boring life.""If seeing someone experiencing mental distress is the most traumatizing thing that's ever happened to him, has your husband considered to stop being a weak little bitch?" another critic replied.Others, however, saw it as an example of lawlessness that erodes residents' quality of life."This is a great example of [something] that doesn't show up in crime statistics but INFINITELY degrades quality of live and gives a sense of lawlessness to the city," one response reads.Another debate thread led to the conclusion that the man's trauma showed why the nuclear family must be destroyed."I've been on the subway with homeless people that peed, screamed, all sorts of stuff. it was mildly uncomfortable but truly didn't impact my day in any way. maybe your husband needs to toughen up," replied a user identifying as Antifa, anti-Zionist, and democratic socialist."Agree that this probably isn't the single most traumatizing thing someone could see in a city but it's still not normal or OK and the left shouldn't act like it is. we all deserve to live in functioning cities where public displays of anti social behavior are not tolerated," one user responded."Having a baby really changed my mind about this stuff (unwell people experiencing episodes on public transit). I went from 'whatever, look the other way' when I was just a sturdy adult man on my own, to being like 'f**k f**k this guy is gonna kill my baby strapped to my chest,'" another user replied."'Having a baby made me fascist' is a real phenomenon. That's why we must abolish the nuclear family," a bizarre response reads. "Homeless ppl have children too, homeless ppl are sometimes children. And instead of thinking of them as human, you’re falling into racist and classist anxieties."RELATED: City councilman gets into physical altercation with gay bar manager after urinating on door in downtown Los Angeles Others made almost no sense at all."Right, the only way a person squatting down & pissing on the floor of a subway train would catch your attention would be if you're staring at people," reads one response to the original post. "Are you deliberately trying to be an asshole? Should a woman also 'stop staring' if a guy on the subway waves his d**k at her?"The original tweet garnered more than 5.8 million views.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!