If you’re like me, nearly every single social media post in your feed over the last week has been about the senseless assassination of Charlie Kirk. And emotions are running high.From those who loved him. From those who hated him. From those who didn’t really follow him but are lamenting the state of discourse in our country.The emotions you’re feeling as a result of this and any other type of atrocity are wasted if you drink them away.I came across one post in particular in which an emotional person suggested a way to cope with everything that’s happened. And I found myself yelling out, “No! Don’t! That’s the last thing you should do. And I don’t think Charlie would want you to, either.”What is it?Have a drink. “Pour one out” for Charlie, the colloquial term for having a drink for a fallen friend.Maybe you’ve seen those posts. We live in a culture that uses anything as an excuse to imbibe. To drink. To get drunk. But especially culture loves to capitalize on tragedy. It tells us that drinking alcohol is not just a way to handle difficult emotions, but the best way to handle difficult emotions, tragedy, and grief.Your candidate loses an election? Drink.Work sucks? Drink.A family member passes away? Drink.Your team loses? Drink.The kids are a little feral? Mommy, drink a lot!So when someone so respected, who spoke on behalf of a generation, is brutally murdered in broad daylight, culture wants you to drink that atrocity away instead of sitting with those painful, confusing, and whatever-else emotions.In fact, even though drinking is at an all-time low, we’ve still been programmed to think that drinking to deal with our uncomfortable feelings is right, good, and necessary. At minimum it’s accepted.Trust me, I know.Hitting rock bottom I’m the best-selling Christian author who became an alcoholic (not the other way around) after hitting the toughest stretch of my life a few years ago. I knew what I should do to best handle all the emotions in that season, but instead, I took the easy path: I drank all the uncomfortable feelings away.It wasn’t until I found myself a year and a half into a bottle with no bottom and a “night in” that ended with me drunk, alone, and wading in my own excrement at 1 a.m. in Miami’s South Beach that I asked, “What has my life become?”I’m not saying that having a drink in the wake of Charlie’s murder means you will become an alcoholic. But if I’m being honest, I never thought I’d get to the point I did either. “I don’t look like those people who drink their lives away,” I told myself. And I didn’t. But rock bottom still came.And I wish someone had told me sooner that drinking away my challenging emotions can easily turn into something I thought it never would — because it can turn you into someone you thought you’d never be.Charlie didn’t drinkI think Charlie understood that, too.“The top-performing people I’ve ever been around, they are very against alcohol, against substances," he said on his show in May in a video titled, “Why I Don’t Drink.”“And they’ll tell you they perform better, they think clearer, they have better memory, better recall, more energy, more pace.”“I also find that some of the people that drink the most, they're hiding something, they're masking something,” he concluded.Let pain fuel your purposeIf Charlie Kirk’s murder has affected you, don’t mask this pain. I beg you, please don’t. Because it can end up doing things to you that are way worse in the long run.RELATED: A drunkard's terrifying vision: The dark truth behind alcohol’s 'spirit' name Photo by ZzzVuk via iStock/Getty ImagesIn the end, the emotions you’re feeling as a result of this and any other type of atrocity are wasted if you drink them away. They just are. Instead, I want to suggest that you use them to motivate you — to boldness, to action, to something better. Don’t numb them; name them. And then use them as fuel. Do good as a result of this evil.In fact, Charlie knew there wasn’t just a better option but a best option when it comes to what to do with complex emotions, an option that has transformed my life: Bring those emotions to the great healer, Jesus. While I didn’t know Charlie personally, I think, from everything I’ve read and seen, that’s what he would have wanted.But whatever you do, I know this: He wouldn’t have wanted you to “pour one out” for him.Or maybe, I guess, that’s exactly what he would have wanted. Pour it out. Leave it alone. Put it down.He did.

For over a week and a half, Texas A&M's president has been under fire for his now-viral behavior — caught on video — talking to a student who objected to the gender ideology taught in a children's literature class. Now, the president is facing the music. Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III will step down on Friday following a deepening controversy involving former gender studies senior lecturer Melissa McCoul. McCoul was using course materials including the Trans Student Educational Resources "Gender Unicorn," a visual graphic suggesting that gender identity and gender expression are distinct from sex and that there are other sexes besides male, female, and intersex.'His ambivalence on the issue and his dismissal of the student’s concerns by immediately taking the side of the professor is unacceptable.'After a whistleblower shared objectionable course materials and video of her exchange with McCoul and with Welsh, she demanded to the president's face that the lecturer be fired. Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison (R) amplified the issue on social media after he became aware of what the student was fighting against. "It took tremendous courage for a relatively young lady to stand up to an authority figure alone as a sole voice in that class — to somebody who had the potential to fail her, to harm her professionally," Harrison told Blaze News. "And she had the courage not just to stand up to the professor but to take her concerns all the way to the president of the university and to have the foresight to record him."RELATED: 'Fish rots from the head': Student claims some scalps after exposing trans propaganda at Texas A&M — but the fight's not over Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesAlthough McCoul was fired on September 9, a day after Harrison shared the incident on X, many have insisted that there was a deeper rot that needed to be removed, starting with Welsh."His ambivalence on the issue and his dismissal of the student’s concerns by immediately taking the side of the professor is unacceptable," Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R) said on X. "Most parents, students, and Aggie alumni expect Texas A&M to reflect the values of our state and our nation as well as A&M’s rich history. If President Welsh will not or cannot reflect those values, then change needs to happen."Rep. Harrison celebrated Welsh's resignation in a Thursday evening X post: "WE DID IT! TEXAS A&M PRESIDENT IS OUT!! Another MASSIVE victory for the LIBERTY BOTS against the Austin Swamp Rats! As the first elected official to call for him to be fired, this news is welcome, although overdue."With an eye to the future, Harrison added, "Now ... END ALL DEI AND LGBTQ INDOCTRINATION IN TEXAS!!"Blaze News reached out to Welsh for comment.Board Chair Robert Albritton said regents will appoint an interim president and initiate a national search for a permanent president "in the coming days," according to WFAA. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The House narrowly passed a short-term funding bill that keeps the government open and boosts funding for security for government officials in light of Charlie Kirk's atrocious assassination. The GOP-led continuing resolution is a slim 91-page bill that keeps the lights on through November 21. In accordance with the White House request, the bill also includes spending anomalies that increase funding for security, allocating $30 million for Congress, $30 million for the executive branch, and $28 million for the judicial branch, totaling $88 million. 'Republicans are doing the actual work of governing.'The CR passed the House Friday morning in a 217-212 vote, with Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana bucking their party. Just one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, joined 216 Republicans to keep the government open before the September 30 funding deadline. RELATED: Exclusive: GOP slams Democrat spending plan as 'stale leftovers' riddled with radical left-wing policies Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images"House Republicans passed a clean continuing resolution that preserves President Trump's rescissions and keeps the government funded while we work to finalize conservative full-year appropriations bills and return to regular order that will deliver real results for the American people," Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger (Texas) said. "Now the Senate must act swiftly to pass this CR and avoid the costly disruption of a government shutdown. House Republicans are doing the actual work of governing while Democrats demand a progressive reckless wish list instead of working with us to put Americans' priorities first."Although one Democrat eventually aided Republicans in passing the continuing resolution, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is still digging his heels in. Schumer and his Democrat colleagues are insistent that the Republican-led funding bill will push the government to shut down. Democrats even proposed their own funding alternative that boasts a hefty $1.5 trillion price tag, including a continuation of $350 billion worth of Biden-era subsidies, funneling millions to illegal aliens and left-wing organizations, and reversing billions of dollars in spending cuts Congress already codified. RELATED: Why did Cory Mills come to Ilhan Omar's rescue? Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Despite Democrats' grandstanding, the Republicans' resolution is headed to the Senate and is expected to sail through sometime next week. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Prosecutors said a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus was crowded on Sept. 8, and it was difficult for riders to exit, WBZ-TV reported.Investigators said it was around 1 p.m. when 32-year-old Luz Pineda, who was with her 3-month-old baby, wanted to get off the bus at the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/Warren Street stop in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, WCVB-TV reported.Prosecutors said the woman — who has no recollection of the incident — suffered a facial cut, a ruptured blood vessel, and a concussion.But a 63-year-old woman apparently was in the way.Pineda allegedly asked the woman to move from the exit, but she refused, WBZ said. Prosecutors said the pair began to argue, Pineda started screaming at the woman, and then she kicked the woman's shopping cart off the bus, WBZ noted.Pineda allegedly then upped the ante, turning her attention to the victim herself. Prosecutor Jacqueline Cassano said Paneda "pushed her off the bus," WCVB reported, adding that video shows the victim being pushed off the bus and landing face-first on the sidewalk.RELATED: Witnesses say elderly man asked woman to 'be nicer to passengers' — then she pushed him out bus door. He died a month later. Prosecutors added that Pineda took off her sweatshirt and put her hair up in a bun, WBZ said, possibly to change her appearance to evade police. Pineda later was seen leaving the bus through a door with a stroller, WCVB added.Bystanders as well as the bus driver stood over the victim before paramedics arrived to render aid 20 minutes later, WCVB reported, adding that prosecutors said the woman — who has no recollection of the incident — suffered a facial cut, a ruptured blood vessel, and a concussion.More from WBZ:Police said a witness recorded video of the incident and posted it on social media. Investigators were able to corroborate it with surveillance video from the bus. Pineda was allegedly identified in the video by neighbors and two anonymous individuals.Pineda's defense attorney said she was coming back home from an appointment at Boston Children's Hospital with her 3-month-old, who was born prematurely. He said he hadn't viewed the video but that the victim was preventing Pineda and her baby from exiting the bus.Pineda also has prior charges for assault and battery on a family member and a guilty probation for trafficking cocaine, which she violated.Pineda was arraigned Thursday on a charge of assault and battery on a person older than 60 causing injuries, WCVB reported. Pineda pleaded not guilty during the hearing in Roxbury District Court, WBZ added.RELATED: Female school bus driver accused of choking middle school boy who has special needs: 'Put her hands around his neck and started squeezing and scratching' A judge set Pineda's bail at $5,000 and said she must stay away from and have no contact with the victim or any witnesses, WBZ noted, adding that she also was ordered to stay off MBTA property, including buses and trains. Pineda is due back in court Oct. 3 for a pretrial hearing, WBZ said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The left and the right have been at each other's throats in the past week attempting to pin accused assassin Tyler Robinson's motives on the other side. However, one obscure and patently false theory has gained more traction online than expected, frustrating many on the right. Claims have abounded that Robinson is connected to the Groypers or the Groyper Army, a group of online supporters of Nick Fuentes, a provocateur and political gadfly who positions himself to the far right of Turning Point USA and promotes an America First agenda. The main argument of this theory, explained by Forbes, for example, is that the Groypers have famously been at "war" with Charlie Kirk and mainstream conservatism, often criticizing Turning Point USA's stances on several issues. These claims are baseless, as even Fuentes has stated.'Unfortunately for them, that claim doesn't fit any of the facts on the ground (not that they give a damn about that).'On Saturday, Fuentes suggested his enemies were using the theory to "frame" him and his supporters: "My followers and I are currently being framed for the murder of Charlie Kirk by the mainstream media based on literally zero evidence. After the Left gunned him down, they celebrated and justified it. They said I was next. Now they are blaming me."RELATED: Charlie Kirk's suspected assassin — now facing death penalty — makes his first court appearance Photo by Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesReuters published a story on September 13 that included a statement allegedly from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Rachel Kleinfeld suggesting that the symbology on the bullet casings indicates that the shooter was a part of the Groyper movement. According to an editor's note, the article has been corrected and no longer includes this statement, although it is unclear whether it was corrected because editors realized it was false or if it was improperly attributed to Kleinfeld. It does not appear that Reuters issued an official retraction, and those statements were subsequently repeated by other outlets. The speculation was also largely entertained on social media.For those reading into the messages on the bullet casings, the engravings are ideologically scattered at best and politically incoherent at worst. The engravings reportedly read: "Notices bulge OwO, what’s this?"; "Hey fascist! Catch!" alongside an up arrow, a right arrow, and another three arrows pointing downward; the words of prominent Italian anti-fascist song "Bella Ciao"; and "If you read this you are gay LMAO."RELATED: Explosive alleged text messages between suspected Kirk killer and his transgender roommate obliterate liberal narrative Photo by Chet Strange/Getty ImagesMatt Walsh of the Daily Wire effectively dispelled the claims that Robinson was a Groyper or even a right-winger, noting the "fascist" label on one of the bullet casings. In a post on X, Walsh said, "Unsurprisingly the Left is gearing up to pin this on Nick Fuentes by claiming the killer was a Groyper. Unfortunately for them, that claim doesn't fit any of the facts on the ground (not that they give a damn about that). The killer labeled Kirk a 'fascist.' That is a term only ever used by the Left as an insult to the Right. The idea that he killed Charlie for not being right wing enough, but also considered Charlie a 'fascist,' is totally incoherent. Absolute nonsense."The Daily Caller called out CNN anchor Abby Phillip for spreading the theory that Tyler Robinson may be a Groyper because he dressed up in a tracksuit for Halloween. Theories abounded that the costume was a reference to the "Slavic squat" meme, which features a cartoon of a frog squatting and smoking a cigarette, dressed in a tracksuit.On Friday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) shared Robinson's own family's characterization of his politics. "During a recent dinner, Robinson allegedly said in conversation with another family member that Kirk was coming to UVU. 'The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate," Cox said."The family also reportedly shared that Robinson had become "more political" in recent years, which further weakens the already spurious theories otherwise. “There clearly was a leftist ideology with this — with this assassin," he added Sunday.The X account Anonymous, which has nearly 5.3 million followers, also disseminated claims that Robinson was a Groyper "based on his memes and rhetoric" as well as from anonymous posts.While many outlets and social media users noted the potential connection to the Groyper movement, some cautioned that the Pepe the Frog meme is used in many other online contexts as well. As one Bluesky commenter noted of this meme, "Its the anon mask of its time, ended up so widely used by so many different types of edge lord that it has no meaning other than 'Ive been deep in the internet too long.'"To the contrary, more evidence has since come out that likely places Robinson well away from the right wing. For instance, officials claim that Robinson was in a romantic relationship with a trans-identifying male roommate who wants to transition into a woman. In a post shortly after Charlie Kirk was shot, Fuentes said, "This feels like a nightmare. One of the most horrific things I’ve ever seen. I feel absolutely gutted and devastated. Pray for Charlie Kirk’s soul, his young family and for our country. The violence and hatred has to stop. Our country needs Christ now more than ever."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!