The fight between President Donald Trump and blue states has escalated over the government shutdown.  In the past few weeks, the Trump administration has used the Democrats’ play to shut down the government against them by canceling or freezing federal dollars for various projects in Democrat-controlled areas, which frequently use taxpayer dollars for programs like DEI that run contrary to the president’s preexisting executive orders. According to a recent New York Times report, the president’s administration has paused or canceled almost $28 billion in blue congressional districts and states.  The Daily Signal reached out to members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to get their views on the administration’s hardball tactics. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., explained to The Daily Signal how he viewed the Trump administration’s decisions.  “Now, regarding this shutdown, the president has the unenviable task of making the selections of what gets funded and what doesn’t in these circumstances. And look, you know, this is a bipartisan vote [that] has happened to open the government, including Pennsylvania state’s Sen. [John] Fetterman [D-Pa.],” Perry said. Perry voiced his support for the Trump administration’s decision to withhold $40 million in funding from California over its lax English language proficiency standards for truck drivers. “[W]e are going to have something to say about that, because we don’t want people killed by people that shouldn’t be here (illegally) to support California’s whatever their program is. So if that’s what it takes to do that, I’m fully supportive of that,” Perry added.  The announcement by the Department of Transportation regarding the withheld funding comes after an illegal alien allegedly killed three people after trying to perform an unlawful U-turn on the Florida Turnpike. The alien had been granted a driver’s license by California, but was able to, “correctly answer only two questions out of 12 given for English language proficiency by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration after the fatal accident.” “[T]he president has to choose between things like WIC, the military, federal projects, including projects in [Chuck] Schumer’s state of New York,” Perry told The Daily Signal about the shutdown more broadly. “The bottom line is right now, Democrats who voted for the CR in March now refuse to vote for it in October. The same exact CR, the same exact funding, actually their funding that they voted for in the Biden administration,” Perry concluded.  Perry, a retired Army National Guard brigadier general, praised the Trump administration for its plans to repurpose about $8 billion of unused research funds to pay American troops during the shutdown. “It does impress me that the president obviously has the same priorities as the vast majority of American citizens,” Perry noted, adding, “American citizens know that people in uniformed services put their lives on the line and are on duty ready for the battle at a moment’s notice, some in harm’s way as we speak, and most Americans think that they should be paid for that.” Perry is familiar with the reality of war having flown 44 combat missions. “[I]f [the Democrats] want to rationalize not paying the military, not paying federal law enforcement, not paying for women and infant children, not paying SNAP benefits, they can take that up with their constituents, their bosses,” Perry said. “Republicans have done their job to fund the government. Despite the shutdown, the Trump administration has gone out of its way to protect services for WIC and our soldiers, which is in total contrast to Obama, who tried to create maximum pain,” Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., told The Daily Signal. “Republicans continue to support reopening the government while Chuck Schumer and the Democrats have voted 11 times to keep it closed, thereby handing the keys over to the Trump administration who is now empowered to make prudent decisions in compliance with the shutdown,” the Florida congressman, who previously served as the chief financial officer of Florida, declared. The post Transportation Committee Members React to Trump Cuts to Blue States appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. In the UK, Greater Manchester Police has moved ahead with plans to introduce Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology across parts of the region, using two Home Office-funded vans equipped with advanced cameras to scan crowds in busy areas and at major events. The force maintains that the purpose is to prevent crime, locate wanted people, and protect vulnerable residents. Yet the decision comes on the heels of a serious reprimand from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which only months ago faulted GMP for mishandling sensitive video data. The first public use of the vans is scheduled for October 21 and 23 in Sale town centre. Each vehicle will direct high-resolution cameras toward selected spaces, capturing faces in real time. The software then produces a digital facial map of every person detected, comparing it against a “bespoke” watchlist of individuals sought by police. When a potential match is found, the system sends a notification to nearby officers who must confirm the person’s identity before deciding whether to act. GMP says that any data not generating a match is “automatically and immediately deleted,” claiming the process leaves no biometric trace. Police officials say that the technology has undergone ethical review. The Greater Manchester Independent Police Ethics Committee gave its approval in August 2024, and Assistant Chief Constable Rick Jackson insisted that its use follows “strict criteria around the necessity and proportionality” of surveillance. Jackson described the system as a “precise and targeted tool” rather than a dragnet operation. Similar language has been used by other forces already employing facial recognition, including the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police, both early adopters since 2017. Now, with LFR capable of processing vast amounts of biometric information instantly, questions over how responsibly that data will be managed have intensified. Facial recognition systems, mass CCTV coverage, license plate tracking, and data-sharing agreements between public agencies have turned the UK into one of the most surveilled societies in the democratic world. Local councils, transport authorities, and police forces now have access to technologies that can track movement, monitor behavior, and identify individuals within seconds. The government presents these systems as instruments of efficiency and safety, arguing that they deter crime, manage crowds, and protect vulnerable people. Yet the cost is a growing normalization of constant surveillance and a shrinking space for privacy. The use of LFR exemplifies this trend. Once confined to pilot projects, it has now become routine for police forces to deploy cameras capable of scanning thousands of faces in real time, matching them to databases of people deemed “of interest.” Of course, the technology is already making mistakes, resulting in lawsuits. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post UK Expands Live Facial Recognition Surveillance as Greater Manchester Police Join Nationwide Rollout appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Jen Psaki Suggests That Usha Vance Is a Hostage

Dem Poll: Voters Blame GOP for Schumer Shutdown by, Er ...

I think we can all agree that both are a pain.

Didn't know reptiles peed solids? Urine for a treat.

Although we regret to inform you that you shouldn't get too excited – there's still a long way to go.

Three Culiseta annulata mosquitos were recorded by a local insect enthusiast.

An all-female video game tournament was turned on its head when it allowed a male to compete and win an enormous cash prize.A Fortnite gaming tournament called the Milk Cup says that it was created to provide women with more opportunities to succeed in video game competitions. "It's a space designed for women to compete at the highest level, for serious money," the company says. However, it took just one year since the tournament's inception for it to become dominated by a male.'It felt crazy to lift that trophy.'The 2025 Milk Cup in San Diego, California, boasted a $300,000 prize pool and alleged $78,000 first-place prize. This year's top prize was award to a duo of gamers going by "XSet" Nina Fernandez and allegedly transgender gamer Vader, a male who believes he is female. The pair placed second in 2024.Vader celebrated the win on his X page, exclaiming, "1st ($78,000) at [Milk Cup] LAN WE F**KING DID IT."Nina and the tournament organizers similarly celebrated the victory online.Vader's X profile seemingly lists him as "18" years old, with a transgender flag next to the age. A gamer ranking website also lists him as born in July 2007. His Twitch profile describes him as using "she/her pronouns.""[Our win at Milk Cup] shows you can be your true self and not be apologetic about it," Vader said on a post-match press panel, per ESports Insider. "There are spaces for everybody, so never give up.""It felt crazy to lift that trophy," Vader added, saying he wanted to "prove people wrong." "Anybody can participate in esports. Don't let people stop you. Don’t let comments get to your head. Believe in yourself."While online communities often cater to such delusions, it may come as a surprise that the tournament itself is backed by a nonprofit organization that operates under the United States Department of Agriculture. RELATED: Gen Z gets the freedom to voice chat with strangers — and they can't handle it The website "Gonna Need Milk," representing the organization behind the tournament, claims that "in a world where male athletes take center stage," the organization is "redirecting the spotlight to women."The company further explains it is making an effort to, perhaps ironically, "drive awareness to gender inequality in sport."The bottom of the page denotes that the website is maintained and funded by MilkPEP, the Milk Processor Education Program, which came into existence after the creation of the Fluid Milk Promotion Act of 1990. The USDA's National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board sponsors both MilkPEP and Gonna Need Milk. At the same time, MilkPEP boasts that the tournament is run by a collaboration of all-female teams and that its program is "funded by the nation's milk companies."RELATED: CRASH: Amazon Web Services outage cripples apps, megacorps, and doorbells, shocking a fragile America Dan Wheldon celebrates his winning of the 89th Indianapolis 500 by drinking milk. Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images Blaze News reached out to MilkPEP and Gonna Need Milk to see if they took issue with a male gamer winning the all-female tournament; neither entity responded. The USDA was also asked if the inclusion of the male violated federal orders. A representative for the USDA said the agency could not provide a response to the question within a reasonable time frame due to "the ongoing government shutdown."Gamers Vader and Nina were also asked to comment on what the determining factors should be regarding allowing a male in the female category and whether they had a response to the backlash; neither responded.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Health officials in California recently confirmed that monkeypox, a virus spread almost entirely in the West by and among homosexual men, has once again reared its ugly head in the United States.The Oversight Project, a government watchdog group, is calling on policymakers poised to tackle the latest outbreaks to drop the political correctness that tripped up previous approaches to the disease.Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project, told Blaze News, "Public officials should be honest about how and where monkeypox is spreading, should not be worried about offending anyone, and should pull the fire alarm if animals and children start catching it."Monkeypox is a nasty disease caused by a virus in the same genus as the virus that causes smallpox. While endemic in various African regions, monkeypox made a global play in early 2022.Individuals infected with monkeypox may experience a painful rash that can look like pimples or blisters, respiratory problems, exhaustion, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and chills. The disease can be spread via respiratory droplets, through "direct contact with a rash or sores of someone who has the virus," and through "contact with clothing, bedding, and other items used by a person" with the virus.A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine noted that of the 528 infections diagnosed between April 27 and June 24, 2022, 98% of those infected were homosexuals and that "transmission was suspected to have occurred through sexual activity in 95% of the persons with infection."RELATED: 'Trans' fad is dying out among American youth, and straightness is ascendant: Study Photo by Ronaldo Silva/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesMonths after then-President Joe Biden stated in May 2022 that "everybody should be concerned" about the virus, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra declared that a "public health emergency exists nationwide." Numerous states including Illinois and New York subsequently rushed to declare statewide disaster emergencies.'They should shut down gay bathhouses.'While the Biden administration and various state health authorities appeared willing to admit that the spread was predominantly among homosexuals, they nevertheless generalized the threat, glossed over the nature and locations of the spread, and refrained from cracking down on super-spreader venues in the same fashion they had when tackling COVID-19 — while in some cases fretting both privately and publicly about feeding into homosexuals' "sexual shame and stigma."Such efforts to gloss over critical facts and to pretend the virus presented a danger to the general population evidently caused consternation behind the scenes.The Oversight Project flagged, for instance, a May 27, 2022, email in which Dr. Stephanie Cohen, then-medical director of the San Francisco City Clinic, noted to other officials at the San Francisco Department of Public of Health that while she supported the "desire to not stigmatize gay men/MSM and agree that other populations can be affected, I worry a bit that we are not being fully transparent about current [epidemic]."The Oversight Project noted that "officials were primarily concerned with not stigmatizing, the exact opposite of the COVID response."The watchdog group further revealed that while health officials around the country were well aware that the disease was being spread at LGBT events and homosexual venues such as bathhouses, they refrained from seeking health crackdowns on such locations.The disease, which the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases under Anthony Fauci was reportedly cleared to conduct gain-of-function experiments on, has apparently made a comeback.Last week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the City of Long Beach's health department both confirmed new cases of monkeypox in their respective jurisdictions.The announcements by both health authorities appear to have once again been worded to avoid stigmatizing homosexuals. The Long Beach health authority noted, for instance, that "Mpox can spread through specific behaviors, regardless of a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation."The Los Angeles County DPH, echoing the state health authority, did, however, note that the disease primarily impacts "communities of gay and bisexual men" and that risk can be mitigated by reducing the number of sexual partners, limiting attendance at "sex or circuit parties," and refraining from sharing "fetish gear" and sex toys."Monkeypox is back. We encourage policymakers to follow the science instead of political correctness this time," stated the Oversight Project.When asked what prioritizing science over political correctness would look like in practice, Howell told Blaze News, "It means they should shut down gay bathhouses if they're again epicenters for monkeypox."Editor's note: Mike Howell is a contributor to Blaze News.Like Blaze News? 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