Trump Invites Auto Execs to the Grand Reopening of the Open Road CAFE

There have been plenty of claims and counterclaims about what exactly happened during the September 2 second strike on a drug boat. On MS NOW's Thursday edition of Ana Cabrera Reports, retired Major General Steven Lepper claimed that even if all the new evidence that says that the boat’s crew re-boarded the vessel and radioed for help is true, it doesn’t matter because they are still considered shipwrecked. To make his analogy, Lepper utilized bad analogies and played the role of an Air Force man wandering outside of his area of expertise to talk about naval matters. Cabrera introduced Lepper as the former “deputy legal counsel to the joint chiefs chair” and not a signee of “National Security Leaders for Biden.” Nevertheless, she did manage to ask him about how “The New York Times is also reporting this morning one of those survivors reportedly radioed for help. General, do these new details change the legal calculus? Was a second strike justified?” Lepper claimed it did not, saying, “Having a radio doesn't in and of itself deprive shipwreck persons of their protection from attack. Even if the radio could summon friendly forces, which I understand has been alleged here, they're still shipwrecked unless they engage in a hostile act.”     He then reached for a poor analogy, “We need to be really careful about arguments like this, because they have the potential implications for U.S. forces. For example, downed U.S. airmen are equipped with survival kits that include life rafts and radios. Those radios are expressly intended to call for rescue by friendly forces. International law also considers downed airmen shipwrecked and deserving of protection and rescue. Under those circumstances, would we agree that having radios makes them lawful targets? I don't think so.” Downed airmen, by definition, no longer have their plane, while it has been reported that these guys still had their vessel. But as for that vessel, later in the segment, Cabrera played a clip from House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Jim Himes where he declared the video showed an attack on shipwrecked sailors but also, “The last thing I'm going to say. The last thing I'm going to say is that the admiral confirmed that there had not been a kill them all order, and that there was not an order to grant no quarter.” Cabrera then wondered, “General, what stands out there?” Lepper echoed Himes, “Well, what stands out there is that there are apparently a lot more facts here than either The Washington Post or any other media outlet has reported up to now. And you know, again, what the secretary described at the cabinet meeting about a boat being on fire and what has subsequently been reported as two survivors climbing back into the boat, all still lead me to the conclusion that these were survivors who were likely wounded, who may have been in a boat that continued to be able to float but could not take them to shore. As noted above, Lepper claimed the radio was not sufficient to hit the boat again. However, is it really so hard to believe that some other drug traffickers could have come along and either repaired the vessel or taken on the drugs themselves? Lepper wasn’t interested in that. Instead he doubled down, “Under all these circumstances, when you add all these facts up, the conclusion under the law is that they were shipwrecked, and unless there was some kind of hostile act or the capability of engaging in a hostile act that would render the protections that the law affords them moot, then our obligation when we hit them with the first strike was to rescue them, not continue to target them.” If the boat, which was carrying drugs, was still afloat, it was a perfectly legitimate target. Naval commanders target vessels. If the survivors of the first strike decided to climb back onboard what they knew by that point was a military target, that is a choice that is going to have consequences. Here is a transcript for the December 4 show: MS NOW Ana Cabrera Reports 12/4/2025 10:35 AM ET ANA CABRERA: And The New York Times is also reporting this morning one of those survivors reportedly radioed for help. General, do these new details change the legal calculus? Was a second strike justified? STEVEN LEPPER: Well, facts matter, and that's why we're pleased that the Congress is going to investigate this. But assuming that this is a lawful armed conflict in the first place, which is something that most legal experts dispute, having a radio doesn't in and of itself deprive shipwreck persons of their protection from attack. Even if the radio could summon friendly forces, which I understand has been alleged here, they're still shipwrecked unless they engage in a hostile act. We need to be really careful about arguments like this, because they have the potential implications for U.S. forces. For example, downed U.S. airmen are equipped with survival kits that include life rafts and radios. Those radios are expressly intended to call for rescue by friendly forces. International law also considers downed airmen shipwrecked and deserving of protection and rescue. Under those circumstances, would we agree that having radios makes them lawful targets? I don't think so. … JIM HIMES: The last thing I'm going to say. The last thing I'm going to say is that the admiral confirmed that there had not been a kill them all order, and that there was not an order to grant no quarter. CABRERA: General, what stands out there? LEPPER: Well, what stands out there is that there are apparently a lot more facts here than either The Washington Post or any other media outlet has reported up to now. And you know, again, what the secretary described at the cabinet meeting about a boat being on fire and what has subsequently been reported as two survivors climbing back into the boat, all still lead me to the conclusion that these were survivors who were likely wounded, who may have been in a boat that continued to be able to float but could not take them to shore. Under all these circumstances, when you add all these facts up, the conclusion under the law is that they were shipwrecked, and unless there was some kind of hostile act or the capability of engaging in a hostile act that would render the protections that the law affords them moot, then our obligation when we hit them with the first strike was to rescue them, not continue to target them.

During their coverage of Tuesday night's special Congressional election in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District, CNN, like many in the mainstream media, attempted to turn what turned out to be a 9-point win for Republican Matt Van Epps into some kind of victory for Democrat loser Aftyn Behn and her party. But that wasn't all. CNN actually gave viewers inaccurate and outdated information regarding the results, and the status of the election itself, while looking like they acted to protect Behn. It had been the narrative of Democrats, and the liberal media, that even if Van Epps and the GOP won and held on to the seat given up by Mark Green, who resigned in July, Democrats could still claim 'victory', by losing by less than they did last November, when Green and Donald Trump both won the district by around 20 points. That number was brought up again and again, pushing the narrative. Kaitlan Collins used it a couple of times during an interview with eventual loser Behn, before throwing it to John King, who she quickly interrupted just 30 seconds after saying good-bye to Behn.    KING: Well, she is about to be involved. Kaitlan, in one of the fascinating conversations that is happening all across the country as Democrats try to think about, do we go left or do we go center as we head into the 2026 midterms? Who are our best candidates? So.. COLLINS: John, can I can I pause you just for one moment? Because we can now make a projection in this race. CNN can project that Matt Van Epps, the Republican in this race, is going to be the next representative of the Seventh Congressional District and Tennessee winning this special election... But but continue with what you think the biggest takeaways will be. Did CNN not know they had called the race when Behn was still on with them thirty seconds prior? Wouldn't that have been a great opportunity for a first reaction? Were they protecting the feelings of the losing Democrat?  Collins then threw it back to King who was ready with a rah rah pep talk -- 5-much pep -- for Democrats. KING: She [Behn] just made a very important point to you, and a very factual point to you. She has made this a much, much, much, much, much closer race than just a year ago when Donald Trump and the then Republican incumbent, Mark Green carried this district by 22 points....We're at 83% of the vote counted... But you've got a four point race...Simple math for the people at home,  22 to somewhere in the ballpark of four or five, that's huge, huge progress for the democrats. He seemed ecstatic. When Laura Coates took over thirty minutes later, things got really bizarre. Of course she kept the narrative going, claiming that, "Democrats do fall just short in a deep-red Tennessee House race." COATES: .There are close calls and then there are warning signs. And the lights may be flashing red at the GOP headquarters tonight. They're holding on to a critical Congressional seat in ruby red Tennessee. But the results, hardly what they want heading into 2026, even for a special election. One that saw the Republican candidate Mike Van Epps win for the Seventh Congressional District. But he's only leading Democrat Aftyn Behn by seven points... She said SEVEN, while the Graphic on the screen showed an 8.9% difference. And she said "Mike Van Epps," not "Matt." Later, addressing DNC Chair Ken Martin, she lowered the margin of victory even more. "But she (Behn) did lose by a couple of points in a district as described went overwhelmingly for Trump." The dictionary says "a couple" means two. Inaccurate, again, but nothing compared to the crawl, the headlines that scroll by on the bottom of the screen. CNN had called the race at 9:29 pm ET. But starting at 10:37, on NewsNight with Abby Phillip, and repeated five more times after that, through the Coates show, this is what viewers saw 'crawling' across their screen: "Tuesday's Special Election in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District, normally a conservative stronghold, is giving Democrats hope that their recently successful message of affordability can help them spring a major upset. The contest pits Trump backed Republican Matt Van Epps against Democrat State Rep. Aftyn Behn. The winner will replace former Rep Mark Green who resigned in July..." CNN had called the race, it was over! That crawl was for PRIOR to the election. Wrong margin, outdated information, letting the loser go just before announcing that she had lost. Maybe had they not been so obsessed with pushing their political agenda, CNN would have gotten it right.

Billions of taxpayer dollars in Minnesota have somehow gone to Somalia — including to Al-Shabaab — one of the worst terrorist groups in the world.And Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey seems to care more about the feelings of the Somalian immigrants now under scrutiny than those of the taxpayers whose money has been stolen from them.“We are here to respond to a number of credible reports from several media outlets relaying that there are as many as 100 federal agents that will be deployed to the Twin Cities with a specific focus on targeting our Somali community,” Frey said on December 2.“To our Somali community, we love you and we stand with you. That commitment is rock-solid. Minneapolis is proud to be home to the largest Somali community in the entire country. They’ve been here for decades, in many instances. They’re entrepreneurs and fathers,” he continued.“Is anybody arguing with this? Is anybody arguing with the Somali community? They are not coming in to target the Somali community. They are coming in to target the fraud that is happening in the Somali community,” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck responds.“He immediately jumps to race because that’s what that means. Once you start talking about a collective, ‘They’re coming after the Somali community,’” he mocks, “You know you’re into racism; you’re into some ism.”Glenn points out that it’s actually “very reminiscent of Hitler.”“That’s what he did. Everybody’s the same. Only the certain German elites, only the certain Germans with blue eyes and blond hair … can rule the world. That’s racism,” Glenn explains. “When you’re saying they’re coming after the Somali community, what you’re saying is, ‘Oh, well, they’re racists coming in.’ But what he’s actually saying is, ‘Look, we are lumping every Somali in our community as clean.’”“That’s racism. Just like I can’t say every Somali is dirty. You send in teams of professionals to find out who’s involved in this. And I don’t care if they’re Somali or they’re the governor. If they broke the law, they need to go to jail,” he continues.Frey went on to claim that fighting the fraud within the Somali community is “not American.”“That’s not American. That’s not what we are about. And we’re going to do right by every single person in our cities,” Frey said, before going on to attempt — and fail — to speak in Somali.“At least practice it in the mirror first,” BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere laughs.“Why are you speaking Somalian to them?” Glenn asks. “Why? Have they not melted in?”Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The future of rideshare transportation is here — but no, the cars aren't flying yet. Uber, in partnership with a company that specializes in autonomous vehicles, just launched its first service area in Texas. On Wednesday, Uber announced that it will be launching fully autonomous robotaxis as part of its rideshare service. At launch, the robotaxis will be available in a 9-square-mile area from downtown to uptown Dallas, Turtle Creek, and Deep Ellum. 'We're proving how AVs and drivers can work side by side to make transportation more convenient, sustainable, and affordable for people everywhere.'Avride, a self-described leader in the autonomous vehicle and delivery robot industries, modified Hyundai Ioniq 5 models to convert them to robotaxis.RELATED: Tesla soft-launches Cybercab in Austin, Texas Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images The press release noted that an "on-board specialist" will be monitoring behind the wheel at launch. The fully autonomous, driverless ride will roll out in the future. "We're excited to launch autonomous rides in Dallas with Avride, as we continue to build towards an increasingly electric and autonomous future," Sarfraz Maredia, the head of autonomous mobility and delivery at Uber, told The Hill."With the world's largest hybrid network, we're proving how AVs and drivers can work side by side to make transportation more convenient, sustainable, and affordable for people everywhere," Maredia continued.Avride, a tech company originally affiliated with Russian giant Yandex, has also developed autonomous delivery robots. These robots have been rolled out in several places. Asked about future plans, an Avride spokesperson told Return that the company will start with a smaller fleet and "expand to hundreds of Avride robotaxis across Dallas in the next few years." Return reached out to Uber for comment but has not yet received a response.

OpenAI is providing millions of dollars to nonprofits, many of which openly promote race politics and gender ideology.In September, the ChatGPT creators announced it would be injecting $50 million into nonprofits and "mission-focused organizations" that work "at the intersection of innovation and public good."'The Transgender District is the first legally recognized transgender district in the world.'In order to be eligible, organizations must be a 501(c)(3) charity, located in the United States, and preferably have an annual operating budget above $500,000, but not more than $10 million. Simply put, OpenAI did not choose startups or struggling businesses.On Wednesday, the AI company posted its lengthy list of recipients, stating that it had plans to distribute more than $40 million before the end of 2025. First, OpenAI highlighted programs like a radio and digital media studio and a group that helps those with developmental and intellectual disabilities.However, after about a dozen examples, OpenAI began listing organizations that operate with ethnicity-based missions.This included STEM from Dance, which serves "young girls of color" across seven states. This also included Maui Roots Reborn, which provides "legal, financial, and social support to Maui's immigrant and migrant" communities. This was followed by the Native American Journalists Association.This was only the tip of the iceberg, though. The subsequent list of more than 200 entities included many other woke organizations as well as outright bizarre ones.For example, the Transgender District Company out of Compton, California, is a literal district founded in the city in 2017 "by three black trans women — Honey Mahogany, Janetta Johnson, and Aria Sa’id — as Compton's Transgender Cultural District. The Transgender District is the first legally recognized transgender district in the world."As well, the Source LGBT+ Center in Visalia, California, has transgender programs to hold "space for trans and nonbinary individuals."RELATED: AI-enabled teddy bear pulled off market after reportedly making sexual and violent suggestions — (@) OpenAI is funding countless race-based organizations, with a particular focus on black women, for some reason.Funding has been extended to groups like Black Girls Do Engineer Corporation (New York, Texas), the California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute, the Lighthouse Black Girl Project (Mississippi), and Women of Color On the Move (California, North Carolina).Other strange organizations listed were focused simply on specific cultures, like the Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco, the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment Inc. (California), and the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan Inc. (Michigan).Some grant recipients were seemingly just political or legal groups, such as: California Association of African American Superintendents and Admin, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality-California (California,) and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which operates in almost every state.RELATED: AI chatbot encouraged autistic boy to harm himself — and his parents, lawsuit says Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI Inc. Photographer: An Rong Xu/Bloomberg via Getty Images While youth centers, YMCAs, and science-based organizations are sprinkled into the mix, it seems that, politically, only progressive and liberal groups received funding. None of the groups mentioned had a "right-wing," "conservative," or "Republican" focus. The race-based initiatives did not include any "white" groups or those based on European nations either — not even Ukraine.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

At 57 years old, writer Lilly Wachowski is still doing a lot of soul-searching. Born Andrew, and one-half of the famous Wachowski Brothers, Wachowski and his older brother, Lana (60), born Laurence, are known for their iconic movie series "The Matrix."Both claim to be transgender.'As a trans person, the dark question that I had as a trans person was, "Who will ever love this?"'Andy became Lilly in 2016, while Larry was four years ahead, becoming Lana in 2012. Since then, the duo have leaned into their new identities, going so far as to retroactively characterize "The Matrix" trilogy as a "trans metaphor" in 2020.Freedom friedDuring a recent interview on "So True with Caleb Hearon," Lilly Wachowski took another look back at his previous work and explained that he has a new perspective that helps him see how his work got him to where he is now, in relation to his gender status.I look back on all of my previous work, and I see it because I'm looking at it from this higher place. It just creates this different perspective from this point of view up here, and I can see "Bound" — the first shot of the movie is a closet. And it's like, "Okay, it looks like we're going to be working on some stuff."Noting that "The Matrix" was about "liberation and identity and, like, freedom," Wachowski then repeated a liberal trope about making art that can "will things into being that you need to see in the world," before further saying that his movies have also been about finding love, while also being subliminal instruments for transgender storytelling.RELATED: Dave Chappelle calls out censorious transsexual activists who claim his jokes cause violence "A lot of the things that me and Lana were also writing about was love — that we needed to create stories that gave us a grounding to see that love was possible," Wachowski tried to explain. "As a trans person ... the dark question that I had as a trans person was, 'Who will ever love this?' ... And it gave us this reminder that there was a future for us."Mad for itWachowski also noted another powerful source of creativity his new identity has given him: "trans rage."In 2017, he and a partner began working on a trans-themed screenplay — a process he described as "purging all this rage and horror out of the world and onto this page."After a few years executive producing the Showtime series "Work in Progress" — a vehicle for comedian and self-described "masculine queer dyke" Abby McEnany — Wachowski returned to the script in 2021, finding "catharsis" in responding to a world he found had become "way s**ttier for trans people."Wachowski channeled some of his rage into "creating caricature[d] buffoons of the right wing." He also used it to inspire a vision of "an idealized family, a network, a Weather Underground of trans people coming together and supporting each other and holding each other up, trying to create a story that is the best of us."RELATED: 'X-Men' writer 'really happy' that 'X2' was referred to as the 'gayest film' — claims the movie was about 'exclusion' Larry Wachowski, now Lana (L), and Andy Wachowski, now Lilly (R). Photo by Bob Riha Jr/WireImage Flip-flopWachowski's new creative direction hasn't been great for the bottom line. A fourth installment of the beloved Keanu Reeves saga, "The Matrix Resurrections," flopped when released in December 2021, making only about $38 million on a $190 million budget. That's less than a third of the $139 million its predecessor, "The Matrix Revolutions," pulled in 2004 — and a far cry from 2003's "The Matrix Reloaded," which took in over $280 million. The first "Matrix" made $171 million in 1999.

Hollywood actress Halle Berry said she vehemently opposes the reported presidential aspirations of California Gov. Gavin Newsom over menopause health care.The Academy Award-winning actress berated Newsom while speaking at the New York Times' DealBook Summit.The 59-year-old has become an advocate for expanding health care options for women going through menopause.She said that the governor's veto against the Menopause Care Equity Act (AB 432) led to her rejection of any presidential hopes he might have. The 59-year-old has become an advocate for expanding health care options for women going through menopause."Back in my great state of California, my very own governor, Gavin Newsom, has vetoed our menopause bill, not one, but two years in a row," she said. "But that's OK, because he's not going to be governor forever," she added. "And with the way he's overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us in midlife, he probably should not be our next president either. Just saying."Berry endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024.Newsom argued that the bill was too far-reaching when he vetoed it the last time. "Last year, I vetoed a substantially similar bill, stating that it would limit the ability of health plans to engage in practices that have been shown to ensure appropriate care while limiting unnecessary costs," the governor said. "That is still the case with this bill — despite my call for a more tailored solution. This bill's expansive coverage mandate, in conjunction with a prohibition on [utilization management], is too far-reaching."RELATED: Newsom tries to hit Trump administration on energy prices — and gets humiliated online Video of Berry's comments were widely circulated on social media.Berry won the Oscar for best actress in 2002 for her role in "Monster's Ball." She was the first black woman to win the award in that category and, to date, the only one to do so.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Adam Kinzinger’s Wife Threatens Repubs 'Normalizing Trump' and YEAH, That Was Really Really REALLY Dumb

88-Year-Old Army Vet to Get Life-Changing Sum in Surprise Ceremony to Help Him Retire