Michigan police said one person has been arrested in connection with the gruesome discovery of the remains of three elderly men in the basement of a Detroit home.Police were called to the home on Edsel St. Wednesday at about 1 p.m. on a report of a missing person, when they were approached by a man who said he had been attacked at a nearby home.'They were left in a basement area covered in old, dirty clothing, and one person was covered in a carpet.'When they went inside the home on Edsel, they found the three bodies in the basement."When units finally got inside, the minute you opened the door, you can see the blood, it's just a horrific scene," said First Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald."Not to go into too much detail on it, but we believe at this point they all met the fate of blunt-force trauma. There were some stab wounds on a couple of them," he added. "They were left in a basement area covered in old, dirty clothing, and one person was covered in a carpet."The family of one of the victims identified him as Norman Hamlin, a 66-year-old military veteran. The other two victims were identified as 65-year-old Mark Barnett and 72-year-old William Barrett.Neighbors near the home said it was a known drug house."There's some speculation, that I don't like to get into too much, that possibly some drugs were used in the location," Fitzgerald said, noting that nothing was found in that regard.The suspect was described as a 27-year-old black man and was detained on Thursday. He had a connection to the victims, according to police, as well as a criminal history that included carjacking, armed robbery, felony firearm, and fleeing from police."It was a brutal scene inside, just awful," Fitzgerald said.RELATED: Video shows wild car chase after rescue of 11-year-old from alleged kidnapper and torturer One of the neighbors said Hamlin was a good man but had fallen into drug use. "He got involved in the wrong way and actually seemed to have set up a safe environment for people to come over and use," said Joel Bond to WDIV-TV. "Of course, as we know, that’s dangerous. You don’t know who’s coming into your house." The man who approached the police told them he had been hit in the head twice with a hammer, but that appeared to be unrelated to the three deaths.Hamlin was a Marine veteran who had served in the Persian Gulf War and was the owner of the home.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

We live in a world where self-absorption reigns supreme. Accordingly, the concept of self-denial is incomprehensible to most and anathema to others. Yet this is what Lent means. It is the most countercultural idea in America — and indeed in the entire Western world. That’s because we’ve lost our moorings, which are grounded in Christianity.The dominant culture celebrates self-indulgence, not self-denial. Drug users are only one example.Like any virtue, self-denial atrophies if it is not practiced. And the results of atrophy are inauspicious for everyone.The streets of New York abound with smoke — the sweet smell of marijuana is everywhere. This is also true in many urban areas, as the pace of legalization quickens. Some, like the editorial board of the New York Times, which supported legalization, are now shocked to learn that a record number of Americans are hooked on drugs, jamming hospitals and driving recklessly. Habitual users are psychotic, functioning like zombies. Their nonstop vomiting should be a wake-up call, but it isn’t. This is the cost of “liberation.”The dominant culture also celebrates gambling, yielding similar results.Not only can we bet on games, we can bet on each play. Bookies have been replaced by phones, and allegiance to the home team is waning, as the only thing that matters is winning. Some ballparks, like the home of the Washington Commanders, even have betting stations for fans too bored to simply watch the game. A growing number of young men are addicted to gambling, finding themselves deeper in debt. This is the cost of “liberation.”Many young women choose sex to satisfy their craving for self-indulgence. If they wind up pregnant, they find their “solution” at a Planned Parenthood clinic. Young, promiscuous men are just as irresponsible, looking to medical technology to rid themselves of their self-induced diseases. This is the cost of their “liberation.”Self-denial is admittedly not easy, and it is more difficult in societies that glamorize self-indulgence. But it is a virtue that actually does liberate.One way to show people that we love them is by making sacrifices that redound to their benefit. Making sacrifices requires a degree of self-denial — giving up something to aid someone else. Mother Teresa could not have comforted those in her employ without great sacrifice, and it was her capacity for self-denial that allowed her to prevail.Like any virtue, self-denial atrophies if it is not practiced. And the results of atrophy are inauspicious for everyone. A society that views self-denial as oppressive is nurturing narcissism, not selflessness. Yet that is what we are doing, led, as always, by the ruling class.Self-indulgence is not only self-destructive; it is ultimately antisocial. We are all affected by those who allow their appetites and passions to conquer them, and that is why it is incumbent on those who occupy positions of moral authority — clergy, parents, and teachers — to welcome Lent, regardless of their religious convictions.This essay originally appeared at Catholicleague.org.

The latest Epstein file dump, which included an additional 3 million documents along with roughly 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, prompted widespread public shock and outrage over its revelations of Epstein's apparent connections to prominent figures worldwide as well as grotesque but unverified accusations of child sacrifice and satanic rituals.While the file release has not resulted in any new criminal charges or prosecutions, Christians, says BlazeTV host Rick Burgess, can walk away with one certainty: We’re getting closer to the end times. “What we're seeing right now in our society is foreshadowing of the end times,” the “Strange Encounters” host warns.Rick says the reign of the antichrist will be preceded by a movement toward “globalization.”“If you're not watching these globalists right now, you better keep an eye on them. … I believe the Epstein files show us Satan working his plan,” says Rick.The convicted sex offender, who he believes was “demon-possessed,” built a dark empire composed of “great influencers” — “celebrities,” “royals,” “politicians,” and “the super intellectual” — who “come from everywhere,” he says.Citing Daniel 7, Rick reminds us that the “antichrist will be an outstanding orator, an intellectual genius, a military leader without parallel in human history, a shrewd, calculating, manipulating politician, and the ultimate religious charlatan.”“If you look at the clientele in the Epstein files, it's all there. It's all there,” he declares.“Do you really think these men with all this influence … need Epstein to go help them get dates? Are you kidding me? You think they have a problem getting dates with the wealth, the intellect, the celebrity, the power that they all have?” Rick asks.“No — they're going after something that is crude; they're going after something that is depraved; they're going after underage girls for their jollies. That's wicked. That's evil.”The level of depravity in Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring, he says, goes far beyond the typical temptation and sin we see in “a bachelor party that got out of hand” or even seeking out “adult women prostitutes.”These are people who “want to sexually abuse a child,” he says, noting that this kind of wickedness has long been “an underlying part of paganism.”“If you go to paganism, you find sexual lewdness. You find young boy and young girl prostitutes … and you find, ultimately, the sacrifice of the innocent child because there's nothing more wicked than that. And all of that we're seeing as these Epstein files come out,” says Rick.This combination of unmitigated evil and powerful elites from all over the world is a sure sign that end times are drawing nearer, he says.“When you look at Epstein's files and you look at what's going on with all these influential people, they represent the characteristics of the spirit of antichrist — not the person, because he's not been revealed yet, but the spirit of antichrist, putting together what antichrist is going to need.”To hear more, watch the full episode above.Want more from Rick Burgess?To enjoy more bold talk and big laughs, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Newly released police bodycam video from a 2024 alleged hazing incident at a University of Iowa fraternity house has been going viral.A short clip of the incident posted on X was nearing 52 million views Friday evening, while a YouTube video clocking in at over an hour has eclipsed 250,000 views as the weekend commences.'We finally found a pledge class that isn't the worst ever.'The video shows dozens of shirtless pledges from the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity — some of them covered in ketchup and blindfolded — in a dark basement as police and firefighters converge on the bizarre scene after a fire alarm was activated, KCRG-TV reported.RELATED: Oregon U. official reportedly says 'go f*** yourself if you voted for Donald Trump.' He's also a hazing prevention speaker. "This is the police department! This stops here! Who's in charge?" one officer asks in the video, after which a voice is heard saying, "They're upstairs."Another official asks the group as a flashlight shines on them, "Does anyone want to be forthcoming about what's going on?"But they're mum on the matter."Looks like we have quite a bit of hazing," one official is heard saying in the bodycam video.One male wearing a white Iowa hoodie — and apparently drinking a beer and vaping — is seen in the raw clip apparently making life difficult for police at the scene.RELATED: Unhinged student who flipped Turning Point USA table gets arrested and faces 5 charges Image source: University of Iowa Police bodycam video screenshot, redacted"You got f**kin' nothin'," he tells officers at one point. In another segment he tells a cop, "You guys can f**kin' leave, how 'bout that?" and "there's no hazing."Officers found 56 pledges in two dark rooms during the incident, KCRG said."They're just messin' with them," one male, another apparent non-pledge, tells an officer after being asked what had been going on.While no one appeared to reveal specifically who was in charge, the station did say the pledges "responded in unison" that no one was there against their will.KCRG said prosecutors charged one arrestee with interference with official acts, but the charge was later dropped.The University of Iowa suspended Alpha Delta Phi until the summer of 2029, the station said, adding that three fraternities presently are under suspension.The "Circling Back" podcast, however, expressed quite a different perspective on the bodycam video, as one podcast participant noted, "We finally found a pledge class that isn't the worst ever."The podcast crew also remarked that the frat pledges seemed decidedly less interested in obeying "actual law enforcement" than their frat leaders: "These guys need to be celebrated."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A former official of the Biden and Obama administrations threatened corporations and others who cooperate with the Trump administration during a podcast interview. Rice made the comments while a guest on the "Stay Tuned with Preet" podcast with former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara. 'This is not going to be an instance of, you know, forgive and forget. The damage that these people are doing is too severe to the American people and to our national interest.' "It's not gonna end well for them. For those that decided that it was, you know, that they would act in their perceived, very narrow self-interest, which I would underscore is very short-term self-interest, and take a knee to [President Donald] Trump, I think they're now starting to realize, 'Wait a minute, you know, this is not popular, Trump is not popular,'" Rice claimed. "If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are going to, you know, play by the old rules, and, you know, say, ‘Oh, never mind. We’ll forgive you for all the people you fired, all the policies and principles you’ve violated, all, you know, the laws you’ve skirted.’ I think they’ve got another thing coming," she added. Rice said Democrats would have an "accountability agenda" if they make substantive gains in the midterm elections and curtail President Donald Trump's power. "You know, companies already are starting to hear they better preserve their documents," Rice added. "They better be ready for subpoenas. If they’ve done something wrong, they’ll be held accountable, and if they haven’t broken the law, good for them." She pointed to some polling showing that Americans were souring on the president's record on immigration and economics. "This is not going to be an instance of, you know, forgive and forget. The damage that these people are doing is too severe to the American people and to our national interest," she said. RELATED: Majority of Americans approve of Trump's response to anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images Rice also praised the protest against the president's immigration enforcement operations. "The people of Minnesota, above all, have shown us how bravely … it is possible to come together and to have an impact, and to do so through peaceful, nonviolent, mass protest," she added. "So I think that is a very important sign, and I think it will have knock-on effects in many other parts of the country."However, recent polling shows a majority of Americans approved of the president's response to protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!