We all lament the “uniparty” Republican governors and senators who appear to care more about Ukraine than America and more about woke special interests than the general welfare. Yet the GOP rank and file continue to sleep through primaries every cycle‚ enabling the worst offenders to win renomination‚ even in deep red states. How do we expect to change the party if we reflexively renominate the same swamp creatures‚ such as four-term U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)? Primaries are largely driven by money and name ID‚ which is why the grassroots has always struggled to beat the country-club Republicans‚ especially because almost all of them have the mendacity to run on our issues during a primary. During the past few cycles‚ not a single milquetoast Republican governor or senator has lost a primary‚ including those who pushed masks and lockdowns. Beginning with the Tea Party in 2010‚ however‚ Republicans began to gain momentum in the primaries‚ culminating with the stunning defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) by Dave Brat in June 2014. But ever since the 2016 cycle‚ we have lost ground in primaries. Why? It’s a reflection of a paradoxical trend: The party supports Donald Trump overwhelmingly but then re-elects the very swamp creatures down the ballot whose impotence served as the impetus for Trump’s rise in the first place. The prevailing sentiment among today’s right-leaning chattering class is that “the primary is over.” Sure it is — among the presidential candidates. But the down-ballot primaries are just beginning in March. Yet for the fifth cycle in a row‚ the non-presidential contests have little energy or intensity behind them. Trump has dominated the presidential race. He has also endorsed a host of establishment Republicans in House and Senate races. As a result‚ Trump will defeat Nikki Haley by more than 50 points in most states while down-ballot Republicans well to Haley’s left will defeat conservative candidates by equal margins. Defeating incumbents in a primary is nearly an impossible task‚ and beating better-funded established candidates even in open seats is an uphill battle. Trump could have been a great equalizer by lending his support to the underdog candidates for the past four or five cycles — and he could have changed the party single-handedly. The problem is Trump’s criteria for an endorsement. It needs to be personal to him‚ and it must appear likely from the get-go that the good guy will win so he can boast of his winning record. The trouble is that most insurgency candidates start out as severe underdogs (which is why they need Trump’s high-profile support)‚ and most establishment Republicans got smart and learned to “say nice things” about Trump even as they undermine Trump and his base on core issues. Thus‚ Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott can be Ukraine-firsters‚ but because they gave Trump a “beautiful endorsement‚” Trump returned the favor. Inexplicable endorsements It’s become a kind of ritual for establishment Republicans‚ except instead of painting their doorposts with the blood of a lamb‚ they don the red MAGA cap to secure Trump’s blessing. They could still do the bidding of the health care cartel and the Chamber of Commerce‚ but if they mouth the correct pieties‚ Trump will lend his support no matter how superior the challenger may be. When Trump and his movement are focused on a certain primary — usually only when it is deeply personal to the former president — you can easily see the success and begin to wonder what the party would have looked like if we had paid greater attention to excellent candidates across the board. Take Wyoming‚ for example. Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney didn’t simply lose her primary in August 2022. She was humiliated with just 29% support. Yet on that same night‚ Governor Mark Gordon — who is to the left of Cheney on some key fiscal issues — trounced his primary challenger by 32 points. To Trump’s credit‚ Gordon was one of the few incumbent RINOs he declined to endorse. But unlike in Cheney’s race‚ Trump didn’t endorse Gordon’s challenger‚ either. And the results show. This year‚ John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)‚ the No. 3 Republican in the Senate‚ is up for renomination in August. Although he looks more conservative than Gordon and Cheney on paper‚ he is part of the same Mitch McConnell leadership that is reliably pro-Ukraine and believes we must avoid a government shutdown at all costs. Trump has already endorsed Barrasso‚ which forecloses any opportunity even to recruit a superior candidate. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) are superb examples of red-state RINOs who are sailing to re-nomination this cycle with Trump endorsements. Wicker is being challenged by Dan Eubanks‚ a co-founder of Mississippi’s House Freedom Caucus. Knowing Wicker’s lukewarm record‚ it would stand to reason that the entire Trump movement – including Trump himself – would get behind Eubanks. But we can’t have nice things. During the past few cycles‚ not a single milquetoast Republican governor or senator has lost a primary‚ including those who pushed masks and lockdowns. In 2022‚ Governors Greg Abbott of Texas‚ Kay Ivey of Alabama‚ and Mike DeWine of Ohio all won re-election despite credible primary challengers. The former two secured Trump’s endorsement in the primary‚ and although Trump waited until the general election to endorse DeWine‚ it’s shocking he didn’t support DeWine’s primary challenger given the governor’s liberal record. It’s one thing for Trump to support Republican incumbents as a sitting president (although he was billed as a different kind of Republican)‚ but it’s quite another to interfere on behalf of the establishment once he left office. In the notorious 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race‚ Trump interfered on behalf of Mehmet Oz‚ one of the most liberal and self-destructive GOP candidates in recent memory‚ at a time when conservative Kathy Barnette was surging. And that was an open race. We also got the much more moderate Katie Britt over the more conservative Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama because Trump switched his endorsement due to a personal spat. Never mind that Brooks was such a loyal Trump supporter that he was nearly arrested in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot. Lengthy list of lukewarm candidates You go down the roster of names of lukewarm Republican incumbents from 2020 and 2022‚ when Trump endorsed even in the primary‚ and the list is painfully long. Using Ballotpedia’s list‚ I would include the following red-state senators among Trump’s primary endorsements in 2020 as individuals who are wasting a red seat: Dan Sullivan (Alaska) Jim Risch (Idaho) Joni Ernst (Iowa) Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) Bill Cassidy (Louisiana) Cindy Hyde-Smith (Mississippi) Thom Tillis (North Carolina) Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) Mike Rounds (South Dakota) John Cornyn (Texas) Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia) And here is the list of from 2022: John Boozman (Arkansas) Mike Crapo (Idaho) Chuck Grassley (Iowa) Jerry Moran (Kansas) John Hoeven (North Dakota) I only picked the names that anyone with a modicum of MAGA cred would necessarily concede are antithetical to our values and wasting red seats. Yet Trump endorsed them all. Not all of them had challengers‚ but because it became known that Trump would reflexively endorse any incumbent who didn’t call him a name‚ most credible challengers didn’t embark on the impossible task. The chilling effect of a Trump endorsement is real. After I worked to recruit against Mitch McConnell in 2014‚ he became extremely unpopular with Kentucky voters even though he won his primary easily that year. But we had no chance to recruit against McConnell in 2020 because Trump endorsed him‚ along with Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) over conservative Chris McDaniel that same year. This cycle‚ we are stuck with Democrat-in-all-but-name Jim Justice for U.S. Senate because Trump endorsed him early.Nice words vs. great deeds The even greater danger comes from the possibility that the McCarthy-McConnell axis will use Trump to attack conservatives. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) hates House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.) and Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) because they led the fight to remove him as speaker of the House. McCarthy and McConnell are supporting a primary challenger to Good in Virginia and recruited a candidate in Montana to run against Rosendale for the Senate seat he is seeking. Trump has endorsed McConnell’s candidate against Rosendale‚ and his inner circle is working against Good and Rosendale — in Good’s case‚ because he initially endorsed Ron DeSantis‚ and in Rosendale’s case because he refused to take Trump’s phone call pressuring him to support McCarthy. Talk about MAGA coming full circle! Hard-core Trump supporters often bristle defensively at the criticism that the GOP has not changed in any meaningful way since Trump’s rise to power. They argue that it’s the Republicans’ fault‚ not Trump’s. Trump is awesome. Blame the RINOs for screwing up his presidency. Or so the argument goes. If that’s true‚ then Trump deserves the blame‚ not plaudits‚ for refusing to back an army of candidates as awesome as he is. He hasn’t drained the swamp; he’s refilled it. Do we want candidates who will only say nice things in public about one man‚ or do we want candidates who will do great things for the country?

Don't let them touch that dial! The fight to keep AM radio in our cars isn't over yet. Currently awaiting Senate approval‚ the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act requires all new motor vehicles manufactured and sold in the U.S. to have devices that can access AM broadcast stations installed as standard equipment‚ at no extra cost. “I believe these automakers stood up to remove AM radio as part of a broader pattern we see of censoring views that are disfavored by Big Business‚” Cruz remarked. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the bill in May 2023‚ in response to announcements from Tesla and BMW that they would no longer include AM radio in their cars because of electromagnetic interference. The legislation has found wide bipartisan support‚ notably from Republican Senator Ted Cruz (Texas)‚ who in December took the unusual step of requesting a unanimous consent decision to approve the bill. This was blocked Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)‚ who said the mandate would be an overstep of congressional power. AM Radio Bill Vote BLOCKED - We Want to Keep AM Radio in ALL CARS Is the threat AM radio poses to car manufacturers strictly technological? Cruz is skeptical. “I believe these automakers stood up to remove AM radio as part of a broader pattern we see of censoring views that are disfavored by Big Business‚” Cruz remarked. “I think this is consistent with what Big Tech has done‚ silencing views they disagree with. And so this bill is all about preserving consumer choice — letting consumers decide." Discontinuing AM radio in cars could also endanger the many Americans‚ especially in rural areas‚ who depend on it for information during times of disaster. “The Emergency Broadcasting System is the primary reason for our support‚” said Tom Brand‚ executive director of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters. “We feel that it’s important for everyone‚ no matter what zip code they live in‚ to have access to emergency information from weather to a message that could come from Washington‚ D.C.” Now is the time to contact your elected representatives and tell them to pass this important bill. Lauren Fix is a nationally recognized automotive expert‚ journalist‚ and author. She is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers as well as an ASE-certified technician. Lauren has been fixing‚ restoring‚ and racing cars since the age of ten.

The 25th Amendment makes it clear that if a majority of the president’s cabinet members believe he is unfit for office‚ the vice president must take over. After Robert Hur’s bombshell report that concluded President Joe Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified military and national security information‚ many Americans believe it’s high time that the 25th Amendment be invoked. In the report‚ Biden was described as a “sympathetic‚ well-meaning‚ elderly man with a poor memory.” The report also claimed that “it would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him.” The president will not face charges after a year-long investigation into his handling of classified documents‚ which he disclosed to the ghostwriter of his memoir. Pat Gray‚ Keith Malinak‚ and Jeffy are a few of the Americans who believe this report‚ as well as the disastrous press conference that followed‚ is enough to get Biden out of office. “This is a big problem for them‚ because the only way for them to win this battle is to get him out in front of the press‚ but that works against them‚” Jeffy tells Pat and Keith. Biden seems to be in complete denial‚ telling reporters that he is still the “most qualified person in the country to be the president of the United States.” “That was clearly a joke‚” Gray comments‚ adding‚ “very funny moment there.” Want more from Pat Gray?To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

Joe Rogan is convinced the day of reckoning draws nigh for those who have participated in the mutilation of the mentally compromised in the name of "gender-affirming care." Fresh off reaching a new deal with Spotify estimated to be worth $250 million‚ Rogan told New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the Feb. 7 episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience" that the recent story about de-transitioners in the New York Times is yet another sign the pendulum is swinging back and poised to knock down the exponents of transgender hysteria. "Even the f***ing New York Times wrote a major story about de-transitioners — so people who were convinced at an early age that they were trans and now they are de-transitioning‚" Rogan told Rodgers. "Their lives are ruined; their bodies are ruined; they can't have children anymore. They lost their breasts or penis. It is in-f***ing-sanity!" "This is what Jordan Peterson was warning people about in 2016 when I first met him‚" continued Rogan. "And everybody was like‚ 'Why do you care about what's happening in colleges? These are just fringe things that are happening in colleges.'" "Those people are going to graduate‚ and they're going to enter into the workforce‚ and it's a new mentality that exists. It's not an objective reality mentality. It's an ideologically-based mentality that's going to change the world at large unless we stop it in its tracks‚" said the host. A bright light in a dark place Rogan was referencing Pamela Paul's Feb. 2 piece in the Times‚ which highlighted how the ever-expanding trans regime's medicalization and victimization of minors is not as advertised. Grace Powell‚ a woman who had body issues as an adolescent‚ told the Times she was swayed by the false narrative "that if you don't transition‚ you'll kill yourself." Consequently‚ she had her parents cart her off at the age of 17 to a so-called gender specialist. In her senior year of high school‚ Powell started taking irreversible‚ sterilizing cross-sex hormones. Before college‚ she had her healthy breasts lopped off. The mutilated young woman indicated that at no point during her medical or surgical transmogrification did anyone ask her about her body dysmorphia or depression. Therapists and doctors just gleefully ran her through the process‚ assuring Powell the chemicals and slices would ultimately help. Paul noted that former advocates are also jumping ship‚ including Stephanie Winn‚ an Oregon therapist trained in "gender-affirming care" who has come out against rushing minors into the process. Her belated resistance prompted an investigation by her professional overseers and criticism from LGBT radicals. Even some die-hard LGBT activists and transvestites are taking a step back. Aaron Kimberly‚ a woman who attempts to pass as a man‚ left her job working at a British Columbia clinic in protest after she was instructed to support hormone therapy for patients regardless of whether they were mentally ill or "severely unwell." Paul also noted how social constructivists have not only worked hard to play up anecdotal and self-reported cases as demonstrative of greater sex-change trends but have also attempted to suppress real evidence indicating sex-change medical interventions are both unnecessary and harmful. They are now finding it increasingly hard to maintain their deceptions. High time for lawsuits Rogan stressed that the Times' publication of Paul's de-transitioner piece "is big." "Do you know why? ... Because of trial lawyers. Everyone is going to get sued‚ and it's going to be a big f***ing problem because you've got thousands of people that have unfortunately given into this‚" said the podcast host. According to Rogan‚ these lawsuits would hold those in the mutilation industry to task for ignoring children's long-understood inability to properly calculate risk‚ understand consequence‚ and resist manipulation — the same understanding that previously led to consent laws as well as to prohibitions on kids getting tattoos and joining the military. Already‚ various victims have begun to sue the medical practitioners who savaged their bodies. Blaze News reported in September that Luka Hein‚ a Nebraska woman whose sex-change surgery left her breastless‚ in a constant state of pain‚ and most likely infertile‚ has filed a suit accusing University of Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC medical practitioners Jean Amoura‚ Perry Johnson‚ Stephan Barrientos‚ and therapist Megan Smith-Sallan of malpractice. Harmeet Dhillon‚ the founder of the Center for American Liberty‚ representing Hein in the case‚ said‚ "Doctors should not behave to vulnerable children or families in this manner‚ period. Doctors should not be mutilating and permanently disfiguring children‚ period‚ without some medical necessity‚ which did not present itself in this case." Dillon has also been involved in de-transitioner Chloe Cole's legal action against the Permanent Medical Group‚ Kaiser Foundation Health Plan‚ and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals that "performed‚ supervised‚ and/or advised [her] transgender hormone therapy and surgical intervention" — a process that began when Cole was just 13 years old. After Cole sued‚ Kayla Lovdahl of California similarly sued Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and four doctors for causing "deep physical and emotional wounds and severe regret." The Daily Signal recently noted that a law firm was launched in Dallas last year that singularly serves de-transitioners looking for the equivalent of their pound of flesh. Campbell Miller Payne — founded by Jordan Campbell‚ Ron Miller‚ and Josh Payne — indicated in December that it already filed lawsuits on behalf of four clients and was discussing potential action with an additional 40 prospective clients. Multitudes of clients will likely pursue such legal services over the coming years. A paper published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology in August indicated so-called gender-affirming surgery tripled from 2016 to 2019. The study‚ which was not exhaustive‚ identified 48‚019 victims who underwent sex-change mutilations. 56.6% of victims underwent breast and chest procedures. 35.1% had their genitals mutilated. 7.7% of the patients were between he ages of 12 and 18. Just as the number of sex-change surgeries has skyrocketed in recent years‚ so has the number of youths branded with "gender dysphoria" diagnoses. A 2022 Reuters report indicated that the number of minors ages 6-17 diagnosed with gender dysphoria jumped from 15‚172 nationally in 2017 to 42‚167 in 2021. It appears the apparent social contagion worked strongest in solidly blue states such as California‚ New York‚ and Washington. Aaron Rodgers intimated that the sex-change industry successfully preys upon children's concerns about fitting in and ostracization: "It's kind of in vogue to be non-binary or whatever." "I don't know why they're just so hell-bent on going after the kids‚" continued Rodgers. "Obviously ... there's huge money in it." "Leave the kids alone‚" added the NFL quarterback. "Leave the f***ing kids alone‚" agreed Rogan. — (@) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

If you were an original fan of “Duck Dynasty‚” then you surely recall the culinary wonders that came out of Miss Kay’s kitchen. From frog legs to squirrel and dumplings to fried deer steak‚ Robertson recipes should be in every foodie’s personal cookbook. Lucky for you‚ BlazeTV just launched a new show called “Cooking with the Robertsons.” Episodes drop the second and fourth Mondays of the month starting TODAY. To learn how to whip up a pot of duck gumbo that Phil says will make people say‚ “I have hit pay dirt of the highest caliber ever‚” go to blazetv.com/robertson and use code ROBERTSON30 to get $30 off your subscription. — (@) Want more from the Robertsons?To join the Robertsons as they cook up their favorite family recipes‚ pray‚ and dig in‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

The Senate’s package of aid for Ukraine‚ Israel‚ and Taiwan is not a plot against Donald Trump‚ no matter how hard Vance tries to convince you otherwise.

Over the next decade‚ total federal health-care expenditures will approach $35 trillion.

‘This bill is about forcing the current president to get the Ukrainians the weapons and aid they need to make it through 2024‚’ a senior GOP aide told NR.

Judge Scott McAfee will move forward with an evidentiary hearing on Thursday‚ as previously scheduled.

An NSA spokesman said that Netanyahu and Biden have ‘a decades-long relationship that is respectful in public and in private.’