The Stanley Cup champions were not shy about showing their support for President Trump.The Florida Panthers visited the White House to celebrate their second-straight league championship over the Edmonton Oilers.'I'm so proud to be an American, and I'm so proud to be here with you.'Trump praised the team on Thursday, shaking hands and listing accomplishments as he remarked that many of the players and staff would be participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, many of them representing the United States.Before accepting gifts from the players, the president introduced team owner and billionaire Vincent Viola, who made the Panthers' support for the administration indisputable. "I'm going to make it pretty clear that we are honored to be here, we are honored to be here with you as the president," Viola said, keeping his words short.Then star player Matthew Tkachuk took the podium to relish being an American at the White House."I want to say on behalf of the whole organization, mainly the players, we are so honored to be here. Being an American ... nothing beats this, I'm so proud to be an American, and I'm so proud to be here with you," Tkachuk said, motioning to Trump.RELATED: Video: Golfer attacks NHL fighter, learns valuable lesson: 'You're not a tough guy!' Tkachuk noted the pain and effort that is required to win a Stanley Cup, stating, "Winning, it takes a toll, you pay a price for it."The 28-year-old certainly relished the moment and said he looked forward to wearing the red, white, and blue at the Winter Olympics."Representing you and the millions back here, next month at the Olympics, will be one of the highlights of my life as well," he told the president.Defenseman Seth Jones then presented President Trump with a Stanley Cup ring, captain Aleksander "Sasha" Barkov gave the president a No. 47 jersey, and Tkachuk presented Trump with a golden hockey stick.As the team dispersed, an orchestral version of "We Are the Champions" by Queen played as Trump walked off the stage.RELATED: Gov. DeSantis trolls Canada over lack of Stanley Cup wins as Canadian tourists pour into Florida despite claims of boycott Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images The Panthers kept the Stanley Cup out of the hands of Canadian teams for yet another year with their second-straight win over the Oilers and their third-straight appearance in the finals.No Canadian team has won the cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. Interestingly Florida's other team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, appeared in three-straight finals before the Panthers and won two also.Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who is widely regarded as the best player in the world, has split fans in recent years for defending the highly controversial gay pride nights in the NHL."It's not my call, but obviously it’s disappointing," he said in 2023. "I certainly can't speak for every organization. ... I know in Edmonton, we were one of the first teams to use the Pride tape," the star boasted.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

While there have been mixed reactions to the January 3 capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro by the U.S., few have shown greater support for the move than opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. On Thursday, Machado visited President Donald Trump at the White House and presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize, which she won in October. 'María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done.'When asked in a Fox interview why she gave her medal to the president of the United States, Machado had a simple answer: "Because he deserves it." "It was a very emotional moment. I decided to present the Nobel Peace Prize medal on behalf of the people of Venezuela."RELATED: Venezuelan freedom fighter wins Nobel Peace Prize — and she immediately dedicates it to Trump for his support Photo by Drew ANGERER/AFP via Getty ImagesThe medal was presented to Trump in a large golden frame with text that reads: "To President Donald J. Trump in Gratitude for Your Extraordinary Leadership in Promoting Peace Through Strength." The text further calls the award a “Personal Symbol of Gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan People.”After the meeting, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!"A White House official confirmed to CNBC that Trump intends to keep the medal. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

New information has surfaced regarding the January 7 death of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer after obstructing a deportation operation and ultimately endangering the officers' lives. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Good suffered four gunshot wounds, contradicting earlier reports of the January 7 incident that said she had three gunshot wounds. Good was brought out of the vehicle to a snowbank and then the sidewalk to get 'separation from an escalating scene involving law enforcement and bystanders.'Citing the Minneapolis Fire Department's incident report acquired through a state Data Practices Act request, the Tribune reported that paramedics found Good unresponsive, not breathing, and with an "inconsistent" and "irregular" pulse. Good was brought out of the vehicle to a snowbank and then the sidewalk to get "separation from an escalating scene involving law enforcement and bystanders," the Tribune wrote.RELATED: 'That's what the Bible tells us': Renee Good's former in-law surprises CNN host with his message Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty ImagesAccording to the Star Tribune, the incident report said that Good had two gunshot wounds to her right chest, one on her left forearm, and one "with protruding tissue on the left side of [her] head."Blood was flowing out of her left ear, according to the outlet's summary of the report. Lifesaving efforts were given at the scene of the shooting, in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, and at the hospital, Hennepin County Medical Center. These efforts were stopped around 10:30 a.m. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

50 Cent is going from sin to sanctity.Hot on the heels of his recent Netflix documentary on the debauched downfall of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, the rapper turned producer is set to release an urban crime drama inspired by the life of fourth-century Ethiopian monk Moses the Black.Even in our compromised state, saints remain scandalous and alluring precisely because they cut against our deepest desires and despair.Fans of Fox Nation’s "Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints" will remember the violent bandit turned desert-dwelling ascetic as one of the series' most fascinating subjects. Officially recognized by Pope Leo XIII in 1887, the former slave has long been venerated as the patron saint of nonviolence and is widely praised as a symbol of the power of peace and repentance.Out for blood"Moses the Black," a loose retelling of that story set against the backdrop of modern-day Chicago, follows Malik (Omar Epps), a gang leader fresh out of prison and seeking to avenge his murdered friend.Complicating his quest his is grandmother, an Orthodox Christian who gives him an icon of St. Moses, whom she describes as a "saint who was also a gang member." Haunted by frustration, loss, and a lifetime of sins, Malik starts having visions of the saint, who warns him that the bloody path he has embarked upon is one he will regret."Moses" — which also features hip-hop notables Wiz Khalifa and Quavo — makes for an interesting companion piece to director Yelena Popovic’s previous outing, 2021 St. Nektarios biopic "Man of God." Where that film depicts sanctity as something preserved through obedience and suffering, "Moses" imagines it reclaimed from disorder. Mean streetsMalik navigates an inner city filled with dealers and enforcers locked into violent criminal lives, casually killing rivals or shooting up funerals over petty grudges. These sequences are among the film’s darkest and do not soften their portrayal of brutality or drug use."Moses" is clearly a personal project for the platinum-selling artist born Curtis Jackson, whose own background mirrors Malik's. Raised by a single mother in Jamaica, Queens — herself a drug dealer who was murdered when he was 8 — Jackson entered the drug trade at a young age. After barely surviving an attack by a rival in 2000, Jackson released his debut "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" in 2003.Although that album cemented Jackson's association with the violence and materialism of gangsta rap, its cover found him wearing a jewel-encrusted cross necklace. The tension between survival and transformation is one Jackson understands firsthand.As he has said:I believe in God. I didn't survive being shot nine times for nothing. I didn't claw my way out of the 'hood just 'cause it was something to do. I know I've got a purpose, a reason for being on this planet. I don't think I've done everything I'm supposed to do yet. But I do know this: I ain't going nowhere 'til I've done it all.Redemption songThere is something unsettling and compelling about the lives of saints. Even in our compromised state, they remain scandalous and alluring precisely because they cut against our deepest desires and despair. The film’s greatest strength is its depiction of how Catholics and Orthodox Christians turn to saints during moments of trial, seeking models of repentance and change — models Malik strains toward but does not easily inhabit.RELATED: Blaze News original: 6 more pro-Trump rappers Steven Ferdman/GC Images/Getty ImagesThe film’s ambitions, however, exceed its budget. Extensive handheld camerawork — whether a stylistic or budgetary choice — sits uneasily beside green-screen flashbacks and CGI-heavy desert scenes. The rough Chicago footage clashes with these elements, and the film might have benefited from a tighter focus on Malik’s interior struggle. Exaggerated performances from the supporting cast further push many scenes into melodrama.Despite its "faith-based" trappings, "Moses the Black" is emphatically not a family film. It includes graphic violence, coarse language, and crude sexual innuendo, narrowing its audience to those inclined to receive its warning. Still, its central claim — that mercy extends even to the gravest sinners — lands with force in a culture starved for hope."Moses the Black" will be released through Fathom Entertainment on January 30.

Four articles of impeachment have been filed against Minnesota Democrat Governor Tim Walz, and BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales believe not only that it has been a long time coming, but that far more needs to be done to rectify his actions.“A person whose name is always synonymous with Somali fraud, it seems — sorry, I guess legally I have to say, like, ‘allegedly,’ seems like things are coming back to bite him,” Gonzales says on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.” “Of course, I’m talking about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.”“Now, I would say, if the left wants to constantly impeach Donald Trump over nothing, we should probably impeach all of them over the things that they did that are actually crimes,” she continues.The four articles that have been filed against Tim Walz include Article I: Violation of Oath of Office through Concealment of Fraud; Article II: Interference with Oversight and Investigations; Article III: Prioritizing Political Considerations Over Lawful Administration; and Article IV: Failure to Steward Public Funds.“The only way in which he gets away with this is that it’s Democrat-run in Minnesota and the Democrats just won’t ever do this to one of their own. That’s the only way, because all the receipts we’ve gone over ad nauseum, like, the receipts are there that he did all of these things,” Gonzales says.Walz has also dropped out of the next gubernatorial race, which he claimed he was doing to get to the bottom of the fraud.“Tim Walz is like, ‘I’m dropping out to help get to the bottom of' why he was such a facilitator to fraud, I guess,” Gonzales mocks, before playing a clip of Walz making the excuse.“Every minute that I spend defending my own political interest would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who want to prey on our differences,” Walz announced.“So I’ve decided to step out of this race, and I’ll let others worry about the election while I focus on the work that’s in front of me for the next year,” he added.“Oh, okay. It’s all the other people who are the problem,” Gonzales says.“Now, obviously, I think Tim Walz should be impeached. I actually like President Trump’s idea better, which is that he just needs to be hauled away in handcuffs, which is what he posted on Truth Social,” she laughs.“That is my president,” she adds.Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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