My buddy Ryan Rhodes, who’s running for Congress in Iowa’s 4th District, drove north to Minnesota to see the chaos in Minneapolis up close. What he found looked worse than the headlines.“You have a really Islamo-communist set of people who we have imported” to this country, Rhodes told me. “I think you’ve got a lot of Muslim Brotherhood agents in there, people whose message is, ‘We have taken over this city.’ Forget just elections. We lose our country if we keep allowing these people to come in.”Americans can handle hard truths. They can handle sacrifice. They can handle a fight. What they won’t handle is watching the bad guys win again.Rhodes wasn’t talking like a guy chasing clicks. He sounded like a guy staring at the map and realizing tyranny doesn’t need a passport. It can sit three hours from your front door.So forgive me if I don’t have much patience for the foreign-policy sermonizing right now. How am I supposed to sell voters on “freedom in Iran” while Minneapolis slides toward lawlessness and Washington keeps acting powerless to stop it?That pitch collapses fast with working-class Americans, especially while the economy limps along and trust remains thin on the ground. Republican voters want competence, results, and consequences for people who harm the country. They want accountability at home first.We’ve lived what happens without it.COVID cracked Trump’s first term because bureaucrats and “experts” ran wild, issued edicts, trashed livelihoods, and faced zero consequences. Then the George Floyd riots poured gasoline on the fire. Cities burned while federal authorities watched the destruction unfold.Trump’s comeback last year required more than winning an election. It required overcoming a full-scale assault on the country’s spirit — and on the right to live as free citizens. The machine didn’t just beat Republicans at the ballot box. It hunted them. Roughly 1,400 Americans were rounded up by the Biden regime over the January 6 “insurrection.” They went after Trump too. They went after anyone in their way.Those four years didn’t just wreck careers in Washington. They reached down to the local level — school boards acting like petty dictators, public health officials issuing mask and jab mandates, and doctors’ offices turning into political compliance centers. Families paid the price.Now the country watches the same disease spread again.People see domestic radicals attack federal officers in the streets. They watch Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) posture like a man protecting the mob, not the public. They hear Minneapolis leaders talk like ICE has no right to exist inside city limits. The footage looks like a warning, not an isolated event.Remember CHAZ/CHOP in Seattle in 2020? That’s the template: Declare a zone off-limits to law, romanticize the lawlessness, and dare the state to reassert control. Every time the government blinks, the radicals learn the lesson: Push harder.Demoralization has started to set in. I see it on Facebook and on the ground. In Iowa, I’m seeing campaign photos that would’ve been unthinkable in past cycles: small crowds, low energy, people staying home. Iowa has its first open Republican gubernatorial primary in 15 years, and the mood should feel electric. Instead, it feels like exhaustion.As things stand, fewer Republicans will vote in the June primary than voted in the 2016 Iowa caucuses. That’s unheard of. Iowa has more than 700,000 registered Republicans. I wouldn’t bet on even 200,000 showing up.That should terrify the White House.RELATED: America now looks like a marriage headed for divorce — with no exit Photo by Madison Thorn/Anadolu via Getty ImagesTrump isn’t on the ballot in Iowa anymore. He doesn’t need to win another primary. But the movement still needs to win elections. It needs to win them in places like Iowa — and it needs to win them while the country watches cities like Minneapolis drift toward foreign-flag politics and open contempt for American sovereignty.Rhodes put it bluntly: If we don’t stop this, we’re watching an Islamic conquest play out in real time, one “sanctuary” city at a time. Great Britain didn’t fall in a day. It surrendered by degrees.So what do voters need to see now?Not another speech. Not another promise. Not another commission. Not another “investigation” that ends in a shrug.They need to see what they were promised when Trump ran for a second term: accountability.If the country watches Minnesota slide into open defiance of federal law and nobody pays a price for it, voters will conclude the system can’t defend them. And if the system can’t defend them at home, it has no credibility abroad.Start with Minnesota. Make it plain that “no-go zones” don’t exist in the United States. Enforce the law. Protect federal agents. Prosecute the people who assault them. Strip federal money from jurisdictions that obstruct enforcement. Treat organized lawlessness like organized lawlessness, not a political disagreement.Americans can handle hard truths. They can handle sacrifice. They can handle a fight.What they won’t handle is watching the bad guys win again — without consequences.

Captain America and Iron Man would be feigning progressivism in public while secretly voting Republicans down the ballot, according to stand-up comedian Chris D'Elia.D'Elia was discussing political influence in television shows with fellow comedians Erik Griffin and Brendan Schaub when he presented his theory.'Wolverine! Cyclops! Professor X, hello?!'The trio said that while some TV shows simply have entertaining characters that happen to be gay, the "gay agenda" becomes evident when certain storylines are forced.Team Trump"What I do think they do do, though, is with their big shows, they try to figure out how to put gay characters in it, or trans characters," D'Elia said on "The Golden Hour" podcast.This led D'Elia to theorize that even though superheroes are "all woke in the movies," they are definitely voting Republican at the ballot box."What superhero would be left-wing?! They wouldn't. They have so much power," D'Elia said, launching into a signature screaming tirade."Jarvis, what's up with this f**kin' trans s**t?!" he joked, mimicking actor Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man.""You know the real Captain America would be f**king Republican, secretly voting for Trump. And you know Iron Man would be talking to Jarvis about f**king woke bitches, dude!" he continued.RELATED: New 'Star Trek' DEI disaster flops despite airing for free: A 'huge, gay, glee club middle finger' Stable geniusGriffin prompted D'Elia to explain which members of the X-Men he feels are Republicans, which had the New Jersey native yelling into the microphone."Who's Republican, dude? Wolverine! Cyclops! Professor X, hello?! You think he's out there — in his mind, he's like, 'But secretly, f**k these woke, white liberal women.' Killing them left and right, dude, with his brain."Griffin — known for his work on shows like "Workaholics" — calmly delivered his thoughts about when shows go too far with their political agenda. The 53-year-old explained that shows have jumped the shark when they become "an after-school special" that has a political lesson to teach."To me, that's the agenda thing, is when you're trying to control how people think about stuff," he said.RELATED: Trump fatigue: Golden Globes host on why she kept jokes politics-free TranovisionThis inspired Griffin and Schaub to develop an idea for a new filter on platforms like Netflix, where users can opt out of seeing transgender or overly gay content."They just need a filter," Griffin explained. "Like, more than just age filter, right? What if they had a 'gay agenda' filter?"Schaub put a stamp on the topic and said that while he certainly enjoys a lot of new shows, "with the gay narrative, just leave it all out of the kids' stuff. But for the grown-ups, dude, you're a grown-ass person."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The alleged pipe bombs placed at two sites on Capitol Hill on Jan. 5, 2021, were not capable of exploding and thus were not bombs at all, an explosives expert said in a new federal criminal case filing.The devices, found along the rear of the Capitol Hill Club and under a bench at the Democratic National Committee building on Jan. 6, lacked the needed chemicals and proper fusing system that would have made them explosives, according to Brennan Phillips, a 20-year veteran of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.‘The two suspected pipe bombs in question do not contain an explosive filler capable of causing an explosion.’In a report created for pipe-bomb suspect Brian J. Cole Jr.’s defense team, Phillips rejected the FBI’s five-year-long insistence that the devices were “viable” and could have exploded.“Based on my review of the materials provided, the two suspected pipe bombs in question do not contain an explosive filler capable of causing an explosion,” Phillips wrote.The report, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., late on Friday, is just the latest complication for the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI in the prosecution of Cole, 30, a suburban Virginia man arrested Dec. 4 and charged a day later with two felony explosives counts.The defense filed the explosives expert’s report along with a motion to revoke the detention order keeping Cole locked up in the Rappahannock Regional Jail pending trial. A U.S. Capitol Police bomb robot heads for the alley behind the Capitol Hill Club to render safe a pipe bomb discovered about 12:40 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021.U.S. Capitol Police CCTVAt virtually the same time on Jan. 16, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali issued an order rejecting Cole’s emergency petition to reconsider the detention decision made by U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh.Phillips said the chemicals used in the devices were not properly constituted and thus incapable of sparking an explosion.“These chemicals need to be apportioned into a workable fuel-to-oxidizer ratio: 75% potassium nitrate (also known as saltpeter) 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur is the most widely cited Black Powder ratio," he wrote. Above: the Capitol Hill pipe bombs before they were processed by a bomb robot. Below: One of the devices reconstructed by the FBI.FBI images“The photos of the lab samples taken from the powders recovered from the two pipes show mostly large white particles with some flecks of dark material,” Phillips wrote, “which is not visually consistent with Back Powder but is consistent with inadequate mixing in a bowl.”The FBI cited purchases of various items the bureau claims Cole made between 2018 and 2022, including sulfur dust and potassium nitrate. No public FBI records cite the purchase of any charcoal. These sourced ingredients can pose a purity problem for use in black powder. Inert ingredients used in the products Cole allegedly purchased tend to blunt their effectiveness as components to make black powder, according to an independent investigator known online as Armitas, who has worked with Blaze News on the pipe bomb investigation.Like tiny lumps of coal“Quality black powder, whether commercial or made by a knowledgeable hobbyist in a home setting, is granular and resembles tiny lumps of coal (Thurman, 2010),” Phillips wrote. “This granular black powder, made from 75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur, is the result of a multi-step process that involves grinding, milling, pressing, and corning to achieve a high-quality product.”The process described by Phillips would be something that requires, at minimum, some level of hobbyist experience.“In the home environment, this is typically achieved by first purchasing or creating finely ground precursor chemicals. For example, a hobbyist might use a coffee grinder to grind lump charcoal into a fine powder,” Phillips said. “Once the finely ground powders of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur are acquired, they need to be combined into a homogeneous mixture. A common starting point is to mix the materials using progressively finer mesh screens.” Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' motorcade drives directly past a pipe bomb as it moves to evacuate Harris from the front of the DNC building on Jan. 6, 2021.U.S. Capitol Police CCTVThe “early-stage” powders that result from an “incorporation” process “are typically low-strength and require pressing to achieve the performance required for Black Powder firearms, or bomb making,” Phillips wrote.In addition to the problems with the fuel, Phillips said the Capitol Hill devices lacked an appropriate fusing system.“Beyond the lack of a viable explosive filler for the two pipes, neither device has a functional fuzing and firing system capable of igniting a flame-sensitive explosive filler,” he wrote. “Based on my experience and testing, a single 9-volt battery attached to a 1.5-inch square of steel wool will not generate enough heat to ignite Black Powder.”Constant controversyThere has been controversy surrounding the devices since their discovery between 12:40 p.m. and 1:05 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021. A prime example was the deviation from standard protocol by police and U.S. Secret Service agents when the device was found under a bush at the base of a park bench at the DNC building.The standard response to discovery of a suspected pipe bomb would be the immediate establishment of a blast perimeter and the evacuation of everyone in nearby buildings. Roads would be closed at the blast perimeter, and no one would be allowed to drive or walk inside.A Capitol Police counter-surveillance special agent who found the DNC device at 1:05 p.m. walked to a nearby Secret Service sport utility vehicle to notify agents of his discovery. Instead of an urgent reaction, the agents sat in their vehicles for more than two minutes, finishing their lunch. According to federal law-enforcement standards, the preferred evacuation distance from a pipe bomb is more than 1,200 feet.FBIEven after emerging from the vehicles parked in the DNC driveway, the agents acted nonchalantly, standing just feet from the device. A uniformed Capitol Police officer walked up to the park bench and took a photograph of the device.Pedestrians were allowed to traverse the sidewalk along South Capitol Street, walking mere feet from the suspected bomb. Vehicle traffic continued unabated on Capitol, Canal, and Ivy streets, as well as Washington Avenue.Commuter trains continued to rumble over the railroad trestle behind the DNC building for 20 minutes after the device was discovered.Inside the DNC, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris wasn’t evacuated for 10 minutes. Her motorcade pulled out of the underground garage and drove right past the bomb before circling the south end of the building and picking her up at the Ivy Street entrance.Despite the ostensible threat to Harris’ life, Democrats never claimed the pipe bomb was an attempted assassination. For more than five years since, Harris has neither commented on her close call with disaster, nor explained why she was at the DNC building instead of the Capitol, where as a U.S. senator, her vote was needed to certify the 2020 presidential election.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Second lady Usha Vance announced that she was pregnant with the fourth child of Vice President JD Vance.The second lady posted a statement from the vice president on social media Tuesday.'We are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family.' "We're very excited to share the news that Usha is pregnant with our fourth child, a boy. Usha and the baby are doing well, and we are all looking forward to welcoming him in late July," the statement reads."During this exciting and hectic time, we are particularly grateful for the military doctors who take excellent care of our family and for the staff members who do so much to ensure that we can serve the country while enjoying a wonderful life with our children," he added.The two have been married since 2014 after meeting at Yale University and have two boys, Ewan and Vivek, and a daughter named Mirabel. Many congratulations and blessings were sent to her from prominent politicians, some of whom pointed out that the child would be the first to be born to a sitting vice president."Congratulations!" replied Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). "This is great news. Children are a gift from God." "Children are such a blessing, and this baby boy is blessed to have both of you as his parents," responded Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. "Congratulations to our friends ... on this wonderful news! Abraham and I are thrilled for you and your family," replied Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. RELATED: TPUSA straw poll shows dominant front-runner for 2028 nomination "Congratulations! Children are a blessing," said Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas.Prior to marrying JD Vance, his wife clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts on the Supreme Court. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!