Uriah Heep formed in 1969 when guitarist Mick Box recruited a lineup that would become one of hard rock’s most enduring acts. The band has released 25 studio albums of original material, 20 live albums, and 41 compilation albums. Twelve of the band’s albums charted in the UK, with Return to Fantasy reaching number seven in 1975, while Demons and Wizards peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200 in 1972. The band achieved massive commercial success particularly in Germany during the late 1970s, where the single Lady in Black became a major hit. The band’s best selling album is The post Complete List Of Uriah Heep Band Members appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Amid mounting pushback, Sen. Dick Durbin, a pro-abortion Democrat from Illinois, declined a lifetime achievement award on Tuesday he was scheduled to receive from the Archdiocese of Chicago. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, head of the Archdiocese of Chicago, had planned to present Durbin with the honor at the “Keep Hope Alive” Benefit on Nov. 3. The announcement drew widespread criticism due to Durbin’s history of abortion advocacy despite identifying as Catholic. “Senator Durbin today informed me that he has decided not to receive an award at our Keep Hope Alive celebration,” Cupich wrote in a Sept. 30 announcement of the senator’s decision. “While I am saddened by this news, I respect his decision. But I want to make clear that the decision to present him an award was specifically in recognition of his singular contribution to immigration reform and his unwavering support of immigrants, which is so needed in our day,” Cupich added. The Illinois Democrat, who plans to retire at the end of his term in 2026, voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which prohibited late-term abortion procedures, and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would have mandated care for babies who survive failed abortions. The decision to award Durbin the lifetime achievement award faced strong pushback from several American bishops, including Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Durbin’s home diocese. “Given Senator Durbin’s long and consistent record of supporting legal abortion—including opposing legislation to protect children who survive failed abortions—this decision risks causing grave scandal, confusing the faithful about the Church’s unequivocal teaching on the sanctity of human life,” Paprocki said in a statement to The Pillar on Sept. 19. “Honoring a public figure who has actively worked to expand and entrench the right to end innocent human life in the womb undermines the very concept of human dignity and solidarity that the award purports to uphold,” the bishop said. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, who barred self-professed Catholic Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi from receiving Communion in 2022 due to her stance on abortion, similarly urged Cupich to reconsider his decision. “It’s an absurd notion to even think of giving a Catholic honor to Dick Durbin, who spent his career in Washington promoting the most extreme abortion agenda possible,” Steve Cortes, senior political adviser to CatholicVote, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Dick Durbin doesn’t just insist that abortion is legal, he wants it celebrated, shouted from the rooftops, and paid for by taxpayers, to boot.” “When Durbin wasn’t pushing abortion in the Senate, he was busy opposing traditional marriage and creating an open borders crisis that led to a massive wave of totally preventable child trafficking. Dick Durbin is the kind of politician who should be disciplined by Church leaders, not honored,” Cortes added.Meanwhile, Cupich used his statement to defend at length his decision to honor the pro-abortion senator. “Some would say that the Church should never honor a political leader if he pursues policies diametrically opposed to critical elements of Catholic social teaching. But the tragic reality in our nation today is that there are essentially no Catholic public officials who consistently pursue the essential elements of Catholic social teaching because our party system will not permit them to do so,” Cupich said. “Total condemnation is not the way forward, for it shuts down discussion. But praise and encouragement can open it up, by asking their recipients to consider how to extend their good work to other areas and issues,” he added. On Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV appeared to defend Cupich’s plan to give Durbin the award “I think it’s important to look at the overall work that a senator has done during, if I’m not mistaken, in 40 years of service in the United States Senate,” the pope told reporters, according to the Catholic News Agency. “I understand the difficulty and the tensions. But I think as I myself have spoken in the past, it’s important to look at many issues that are related to the teachings of the church,” the pope added. “Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion,’ but is in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life. Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.” Durbin’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post Pro-Abortion Democrat Declines Catholic Award After Pro-Life Backlash, Pope Comments appeared first on The Daily Signal.

What Democrats Are Fighting For: Free Obamacare Plans

The artsy self-regard was off the charts on Monday’s PBS News Hour, whose producers surely felt blessed that they were able to work into their “Arts in Action” segment, Bruce Springsteen’s surprise appearance at a New York film festival the night before, in which he called the Trump administration “treasonous.” Co-anchor Amna Nawaz: At a surprise New York film festival performance last night, rock legend Bruce Springsteen publicly expressed concern for the political climate in the country, saying — quote — "We're living through particularly dangerous times." But as the Trump administration increasingly targets free speech and the arts, musicians and artists of all kinds are facing a difficult decision, whether to speak out or keep their heads down. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown looks at some of what is and isn't happening for our series Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy as part of our Canvas coverage. As their taxpayer funding elapsed, PBS was still goading the Left to be more fervently outspoken against Trump and shaming anyone who failed to do so. Brown introduced us to a leftist "multimedia artist" from Los Angeles who insisted he was not an activist, yet told Brown: Patrick Martinez: A lot of my work deals with police brutality, police murder. I think that my upbringing informs my choices..... On screen was one of Martinez's deathless works -- a montage painting featuring caricatures of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, and other victims of police misconduct -- and someone taking a bat to a Minneapolis police car. Brown: These days, Martinez's work is exhibited in major museums, including the Whitney in New York and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. But when President Trump ordered ICE raids in his community and the National Guard to Los Angeles, Martinez responded, photographing his neon works, printing them on corrugated plastic and handing them out at protests. …. Brown: But while some individual artists are addressing the moment, the larger art and museum worlds have mostly avoided directly confronting the Trump administration.... Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times: You see a kind of — much more of a cowed, capitulating stance on the part of the art world, I think a sense of resignation. It may be just something they have to hunker down and weather for the next four years under Trump.... As if the world is suffering from a lack of protest art. Brown put Springsteen's political pomposity on display. Springsteen, Musician: The America that I love, the America that I have sung to you now… Brown: Among prominent musicians who've spoken or sung their protest, Bruce Springsteen… Springsteen: … is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. Brown: … whose war of words with Donald Trump dates back to his first term and was reignited this year by the rock star while on tour in Europe. The back-and-forth got so heated, the president threatened to investigate Springsteen and Beyonce for appearances they made on the 2024 campaign trail for his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. Trump didn't want them investigated for campaigning, it was about how or whether they were paid to appear. The Times reporter furthered the myth that artists have clammed up for fear of Trump reprisal. Pogrebin: This is a new day we're living in, where even those who would seem to be empowered and independent of Trump just don't want to poke that bear. What I'm wondering is whether or not this will have some really lasting effects that will have to be built back from, whether they will feel more cautious going forward. Anchor Nawaz wrapped up the story with an unusual bit of praise, as if pleased with the anti-Trump Resistance play-acting PBS had aired: “Another terrific report from Jeff Brown there.” A transcript is available, click "Expand." PBS News Hour 9/29/25 7:45:40 p.m. Amna Nawaz: At a surprise New York film festival performance last night, rock legend Bruce Springsteen publicly expressed concern for the political climate in the country, saying — quote — "We're living through particularly dangerous times." But as the Trump administration increasingly targets free speech and the arts, musicians and artists of all kinds are facing a difficult decision, whether to speak out or keep their heads down. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown looks at some of what is and isn't happening for our series Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy as part of our Canvas coverage. Patrick Martinez, Artist: I'm wanting to represent the time that we're living in and not look away. Jeffrey Brown: Patrick Martinez is a multimedia artist born, trained and making art in Los Angeles, who started telling the story of the America he lives in well before Donald Trump's 2016 election. Patrick Martinez: A lot of my work deals with police brutality, police murder. I think that my upbringing informs my choices. When I choose to paint the landscape, I take objects and materials that are from areas that are discounted. When I produce work, a lot of that messaging tends to put me in a light that people will label me an activist, but I'm more just kind of paying attention. Jeffrey Brown: These days, Martinez's work is exhibited in major museums, including the Whitney in New York and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. But when President Trump ordered ICE raids in his community and the National Guard to Los Angeles, Martinez responded, photographing his neon works, printing them on corrugated plastic and handing them out at protests. Patrick Martinez: It's self-preservation to be making this work, right? But it also shows you what I thought about what was happening in these times. And me sharing it helps people cope with everything that they're kind of going through right now. And if they don't have the words to kind of come up with, they can use my work as a placeholder. Jeffrey Brown: But while some individual artists are addressing the moment, the larger art and museum worlds have mostly avoided directly confronting the Trump administration. Robin Pogrebin is a culture reporter for The New York Times. Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times: You see a kind of — much more of a cowed, capitulating stance on the part of the art world, I think a sense of resignation. It may be just something they have to hunker down and weather for the next four years under Trump. You have seen a few isolated examples. Amy Sherald is a prominent artist who upon hearing that one of her paintings was possibly going to be pulled by the Smithsonian board from a upcoming show at the National Portrait Gallery, decided to cancel the entire exhibition. That was a very bold move. It's an example of an artist who can kind of afford to take that risk. She is a very solid success. Jeffrey Brown: The Smithsonian, for the record, says it was adding a video to accompany a painting, not taking the painting out of the exhibit. Bruce Springsteen, Musician: The American that I love, the American that I have sung to you now… Jeffrey Brown: Among prominent musicians who've spoken or sung their protest, Bruce Springsteen… Bruce Springsteen: … is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. (Cheering) Jeffrey Brown: … whose roar of words with Donald Trump dates back to his first term and was reignited this year by the rock star while on tour in Europe. The back-and-forth got so heated, the president threatened to investigate Springsteen and Beyonce for appearances they made on the 2024 campaign trail for his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. And Sheryl Crow, whose song "The New Normal," she said, is a response to a political moment she describes as so unbelievably bizarre. Singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, long known for her activism, is still at it with new urgency, she says. But she also wonders why the music world has been mostly quiet. Ani DiFranco, Musician: Why aren't there more? Why isn't protest music the top of the pops like it was in other eras of American political turmoil and change and evolution. I think one thing that we are all suffering from is fatigue, crisis fatigue and doom fatigue. Manuel Oliver, Activist: Tell me now what happened. Jeffrey Brown: Manuel Oliver was thrust into the worlds of art and theater after the killing of his 17-year-old son, Joaquin, in the mass shooting in Parkland Florida on Valentine's Day 2018. Manuel Oliver: In order to scream out the urgency of fixing what happened to Joaquin, I found art as an excellent way of sending that message. And that could be painting sculptures and in this case theater. What happened on Joaquin's side? Jeffrey Brown: In 2019, Oliver produced the first version of his one-man play, "Guac." In it, he tells the story of Joaquin's vibrant, but short life, his horrific murder, and Oliver's fight to honor his son through advocacy for gun reform. Manuel Oliver: He is the one that is motivating us and, I will prove it to you. Jeffrey Brown: The play is always evolving, and so when ICE deportations of undocumented migrants escalated, Oliver felt the need to respond. One such addition, a tweet by his son written shortly before he was killed that Oliver believes is especially relevant today. In the post, Joaquin calls out President Trump's first-term policy of separating undocumented migrant families. Manuel Oliver: We thought that it was very important that if we're talking about Joaquin, we should add Joaquin's own words, and so people will understand this as an issue that Joaquin would be really mad about. Jeffrey Brown: Another change reflects the moment for Manuel Oliver himself as a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Venezuela. Manuel Oliver: I'm one of those guys that has been targeted as criminals and bad hombres. So, on the play, I had a line. I won't be deported for doing this (expletive deleted). I correct myself now, which I didn't before. Like, wait a minute, I am an American citizen, but I still can be deported. And that's a new reality. Sam Jay, Comedian: He didn't even get in office yet, he was like, yes, we taking Canada. (Laughter) Sam Jay: And I was like, I kind of agree with that. Jeffrey Brown: Sam Jay, a former writer for "Saturday Night Live" with her own HBO and Netflix specials, has long used comedy to make sense of current events. Sam Jay: I think mainly my place is to be honest, to tell my truth from my perspective. I tend not to lean right or left in anything that I say or do. And I kind of like to live in the gray. Jeffrey Brown: Jay's new stand-up show is titled "We the People," tackling subjects such as race and social media in America to try to figure out why the country is so divided. Sam Jay: I felt like the conversation was kind of stuck as far as where we are as Americans, where we're going as this democracy. Jeffrey Brown: And how does comedy do that in ways that other art forms don't? Sam Jay: I think because comedy is kind of main-veining art in a little bit of a way. It's like a direct conversation. Jimmy Kimmel, Host, "Jimmy Kimmel Live": We hit some new lows over the weekend. Jeffrey Brown: Late-night comedy, of course, has become the stuff of 24-hour news, with the short-lived suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's show and the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's. Do you think that will impact other comedians? Sam Jay: I mean, I don't think there's a way it won't. Does it lean towards people getting more active and going like, hey, something scary is going on, or do people duck and hide? Jeffrey Brown: What about for you? Sam Jay: I'm going to just keep doing my shows and saying what I believe in and getting on stage for as long as I'm allowed to do that. Jeffrey Brown: One prominent player in all this still… Actor: A dictator from the Middle East. Oh, relax, guy. Jeffrey Brown: … "South Park," which has garnered attention and eyeballs with its skewering of President Trump since it began its 27th season this summer. What's next for the arts world as a whole? The New York Times’ Robin Pogrebin: Robin Pogrebin: This is a new day we're living in, where even those who would seem to be empowered and independent of Trump just don't want to poke that bear. What I'm wondering is whether or not this will have some really lasting effects that will have to be built back from, whether they will feel more cautious going forward. Sam Jay: It's stressful, bro. Jeffrey Brown: For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Jeffrey Brown. Sam Jay: This is on us, and when I say us, I mean… Amna Nawaz: Another terrific report from Jeff Brown there.

Don Lemon and Joy Reid appear to be in a competition for who can sound the least intelligent in front of an audience, and BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock isn’t sure who is winning.“Men who look like you, men who vote like you, and men who sound like you. White men, something is broken. Something is cracked deep inside when so many of you believe the answer to fear, to loss, to change is violence,” Lemon said on “The Don Lemon Show.”“Are you listening to me? I hope I’m saying it loud enough for the people in the back,” he added.“Don Lemon has always been difficult for me to understand. This feels almost intentionally stupid so that he can be mocked and ridiculed by people that disagree with him. So that he can spark a conversation,” Whitlock says on “Jason Whitlock Harmony.”“Have you looked at the statistics on the violence among black men? Did you look at the violence that happened as a result of George Floyd and Jacob Blake and Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown and Eric Garner and so on and so forth? Are you kidding? Are you kidding me?” he adds.But Lemon, of course, isn’t alone in his ridiculous statement, as former MSNBC host Joy Reid had to throw some nonsense out into the universe as well.“If you go back before the 20th century, there were no income taxes. There were no regulations on business. You could earn as much money as you want, leave 100% of it to your children with no taxes. That’s the world they want back. And to get it back, they need society to change. They need people to be less modern. They need people to want fewer things,” Reid said on BET while attempting to equate the Trump administration to fascism.“When I heard that I was like, ‘Is she talking about heaven?' No taxes. I get to earn as much as I want. I get to leave it to my family. Man, that sounds awesome. When we say ‘Make America Great Again,’ if that’s what they’re talking about, man, sign me up," Whitlock says.When deciding who made the “dumber statement,” Whitlock’s panel is having a hard time — but Wilfred Reilly believes it was Reid.“It’s a tough competition, but I’d probably have to say Joy Reid. You know, Don Lemon, I mean, I think everyone on the panel knows this, but you know, crime is high across the board in the USA, but if you look at murder, black murder rate — seven times the white murder rate,” Reilly says.“That’s an absurd, racist thing to say,” he says. “But Joy Reid … she doesn’t know what fascism is. I mean, fascism is, you know, it’s the system, business, and government working together.”“She went through, ‘You’re not going to pay taxes, the government’s not going to be involved in every aspect of life. You can leave 100% of your money to your son or your little girl,'” he continues.“I would be very comfortable … going back to that world,” he adds.Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The FBI called U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund just after 3 p.m. on Jan. 6 to offer help from its SWAT teams, but the number of agents the FBI sent to the Capitol was just 55, Sund told Blaze News.The FBI’s Washington Field Office was receiving calls from frantic members of Congress holed up in their Capitol offices after crowds breached the building at 2:12 p.m. Assistant FBI Director Steven D’Antuono, head of the Washington Field Office, called Sund just after 3 p.m. and offered help, the former Capitol Police chief said.‘They’re not trained for it — the plainclothes guys.’Sund said he does not understand FBI Director Kash Patel’s assertion that 274 special agents were deployed to the Capitol primarily to do “crowd control.”He said FBI special agents wearing body armor would not be properly outfitted for crowd control.“They’re not equipped for crowd control. They’re not trained for it — the plainclothes guys,” Sund said. “I don’t even know what training their tactical guys have, but at least they’d be a little bit better equipped with possibly tactical helmets and gas masks.”Sund said while compiling figures from his call for mutual aid, he tallied the count from the FBI at 55 special agents.“That evening we were calculating what resources had come in,” he said. “And the number I've been given all along was 55 from FBI.“So the 17 or more law enforcement agencies that ended up coming in — I think it added up to 1,764 officers — included 55 from the Washington Field Office of the FBI. I had to get that number from somewhere. The 55 is a lot different than 274.”Sund said he coordinated the effort with FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich.“So I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll take whatever help you can send,’” Sund recalled. “He said, ‘We’re going to send over our WFO SWAT team, but he is going to send them directly to where the members of Congress [are].’ And I said, ‘No, let’s not do that. Let’s have you come to Lot 16, and that way I can put you with a Capitol Police officer.’”A leaked report from the House Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding January 6 said 274 FBI special agents deployed to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.Some of those agents responded to the scenes of pipe bombs found at the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee, the report said. Director Kash Patel said the 274 agents were sent mostly to do "crowd control" after a riot was declared at 2:20 p.m.Just before the call from D’Antuono, Sund called the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to request law enforcement mutual aid. The National Capital Region Mutual Aid Agreement was activated, followed by a Regional Incident Communication and Coordination System message that alerted agencies over a multistate area, Sund said.RELATED: FBI Jan. 6 report sets off a firestorm: Why did it take 56 months to disclose 274 agents at Capitol? FBI SWAT teams patrol the U.S. Capitol and adjacent office buildings before a joint session of Congress reconvened on Jan. 6, 2021.Photo by Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty ImagesNearly 1,800 officers responded to the Capitol as a result. The New Jersey State Police reached the U.S. Capitol before the D.C. National Guard. The Guard was delayed by three hours, 19 minutes due to resistance and interference at the Pentagon, a House investigation found.By 3:06 p.m., tactical teams from the FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals, U.S. Park Police, U.S. Secret Service, Capitol Police, and other agencies were sweeping the Capitol to find and eject any remaining protesters. That effort started on the top level of the Capitol and moved down, according to security video.‘The number I’ve been given all along was 55 from FBI.’The major SWAT response was prompted in part by the 2:44 p.m. shooting of Ashli Babbitt in the hallway outside the Speaker’s Lobby.After he shot Babbitt, Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd made a false radio report, claiming he was taking fire and was prepared to fire back. Byrd never corrected his statement over the radio. He was never fired upon, and the only shot fired in the Capitol on Jan. 6 was the one he fired, killing Babbitt.Capitol Police security video shows that an FBI tactical team pulled up in the House Plaza parking lot in an armored vehicle at 2:32 p.m. The SWAT team entered the Capitol’s South Doors at 2:53 p.m., just minutes after an ATF tactical team.The FBI declined a request for comment from Blaze News.Sund said at about 6:05 p.m., while walking to brief U.S. senators with Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger, he noticed 20-25 members of what he believed to be the FBI Hostage Rescue Team.“It could have been their SWAT team, but it sure looked like they were highly equipped, and it looked like their hostage rescue team,” he said.RELATED: Senate sergeant at arms who oversaw January 6 found dead Tactical teams from the FBI and U.S. Secret Service stage in a hallway at the Hart Senate Office Building at 7:02 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021.U.S. Capitol Police CCTVThe HRT is not part of the Washington Field Office. Based in Quantico, Va., the HRT is the FBI’s only full-time tactical team, ready at all times for high-risk missions including counterterrorism.Capitol Police security video shows FBI special agents wearing body armor securing the hallways of House and Senate office buildings as members of Congress prepared to resume their session on the 2020 election results after 8 p.m. on Jan. 6.Sund was forced to resign by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) right after Jan. 6. While Pelosi and others sought to place blame for Jan. 6 on Sund, his testimony before various investigative bodies over more than four years has established that it was Pelosi, generals at the Pentagon, and former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy who created the disastrous delay in deploying the National Guard.“[Gen.] William Walker had testified if he had been given an authorization right away when I first reached out to him, he thinks he could have had people there before they breached the Capitol, which would’ve been huge,” Sund said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Trump administration has been facing increased pressure to fix the fraud and abuse of work visas in the midst of a multifaceted battle against the immigration problem. To that end, the Department of Labor's new Project Firewall promises to maximize measures for holding companies accountable if they are in violation of the law. According to a press release detailing the plan for Project Firewall, the DOL and its relevant partners will increase accountability measures for H-1B-sponsor employers.'By rooting out fraud and abuse, the Department of Labor and our federal partners will ensure that highly skilled jobs go to Americans first.'Companies found to be in violation of the H-1B program rules may face "collection of back wages owed to affected workers, the assessment of civil money penalties, and/or debarment from future use of the H-1B program for a prescribed period of time," per the press release. One notable characteristic of the plan, launched on September 19, is U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer will "personally certify the initiation of investigations for the first time in the department’s history."RELATED: American jobs first: Hefty new H-1B visa fee will likely curb legal immigration, especially from India Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images“The Trump administration is standing by our commitment to end practices that leave Americans in the dust. As we re-establish economic dominance, we must protect our most valuable resource: the American worker. Launching Project Firewall will help us ensure no employers are abusing H-1B visas at the expense of our workforce,” said Chavez-DeRemer in a press release.“By rooting out fraud and abuse, the Department of Labor and our federal partners will ensure that highly skilled jobs go to Americans first,” she continued. On X, the Department of Labor's account noted that Project Firewall "protects Americans and ensures they are prioritized in the hiring process."The plan also involves a greater level of coordination among governmental agencies, including the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While these increased measures of accountability will be met with some enthusiasm, others have expressed concerns about the Trump administration's handling of H-1B fraud, especially after the administration's partial walk-back of the $100,000 application fee it announced recently. Data shows that each year the government receives hundreds of thousands of H-1B visa applications, almost all of which are certified. These jobs often break the six-figure salary threshold, which some people point out is not fair to American workers, many of whom are struggling to find a job in today's market. The plan will presumably resume after the government returns from the shutdown caused by Democrats.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Last Monday night, the liberal New York elite gathered at the storied Gramercy Theater for a benefit billed coyly as a "A Night of Music and Peace."Presumably on hand to represent the peace was Avraham "Miko" Peled, the Israeli-American founder and president of Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Dar Alhurriya (Palestine House of Freedom). As for the music, that was left to guitar legend Eric Clapton, 80 years old but still with impressive enough chops to justify the invitation-only event's average ticket price of $2,500.'I’m walking the halls of Congress with people who have no regard for human life!' said Omar, seemingly oblivious to the irony.Inside, the crowd of around 150 — mostly older white folks, many accessorized with solidarity-signaling keffiyehs — were invited to purchase Clapton concert tees and signed copies of Peled's autobiography, "The General's Son," as staff herded them toward the clump of folding chairs that constituted the floor seating.White RoomAs Peled took the stage, the audience erupted in chants of "Miko! Miko! Miko!" — a response that was at once curiously rehearsed-sounding and off-puttingly frenzied, like a gaggle of preschoolers greeting the appearance of Elmo on "Sesame Street."After a few thank-yous, Peled wasted no time before introducing the night's star attraction. Clapton, who much earlier in his career urged his countrymen to "keep Britain white" by expelling the "w*gs" and "c**ns" turning it into a "black colony," now aimed his guitar — a Fender Stratocaster painted to look like Palestine's flag — at colonizers of a lighter hue.Looking uncannily like an aged Andy Dick, the octogenarian guitarist expertly belted out early Cream classics like "White Room," "Sunshine of Your Love," and a rendition of "Hoochie Coochie Man" that had second-generation pundit Max Blumenthal singing along and pumping his fist in the air, gyrating next to a man sporting a Hawaiian shirt and fedora bearing the slogan “End Wars!”Blues hammeredBlumenthal wasn’t the only politico celeb accounted for. His Grayzone colleague Aaron Maté had also made it out to celebrate the global intifada, along with his father, superstar addiction expert Gabor.In the middle of "Tears in Heaven," a semi-famous comedian and former mayoral candidate — now four IPAs in — turned to your correspondent to mention what a close friendship he enjoyed with Roger Waters, who he claimed was also in attendance. “Blues, blues, blues, blues!” he later yelled out after Clapton and Co. had wrapped up what was indeed an exemplary specimen of the genre (their fourth in a row), before turning to the bartender to screech about how unfair it was that rich people paid less in taxes.Tepid WatersMuch to this writer's surprise, his name-dropping proved credible a little bit later when none other than the Pink Floyd co-founder himself materialized on stage, dressed in his usual all-black ensemble of cigarette skinny jeans and potbelly-constraining T-shirt.To thunderous applause, Waters essayed some pre-song banter about “this horrible thing called Zionism," only to resort, seconds later, to the activist's version of lip-syncing. Apparently not prepared to speak from the heart, Roger produced his iPhone and played a video of himself speaking at a recent college protest. "I'm so proud of all the young people in all the universities," said the tiny onscreen Waters. "Zionism is over, and criticism of Israel and its genocidal policies has never been anti-Semitic.”Putting his phone away, the IRL Waters then treated the audience to a rendition of his little-known 2024 single, "Under the Rubble."RELATED: The genocide that isn’t: How Hamas turned lies into global outrage Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty ImagesIlhan communication As the band left the stage, the crowd clamored for more, chanting "Free, free Palestine."Instead of an encore performance of "Wish You Were Here," it was rewarded with something almost as invigorating: the spectacle of Ilhan Omar — draped in her usual liberating headscarf — strutting onstage to accept a miniature wrestling championship belt from event organizers.“I’m walking the halls of Congress with people who have no regard for human life!” said Omar, seemingly oblivious to the irony of making such an accusation given the left's ongoing celebration of Charlie Kirk's assassination. She lifted the belt and walked off stage; the audience cheered. The evening was over. Eric Clapton waved, sporting a smile that said “please don’t cancel me again.” Intoxicated by overpriced well drinks and the spirit of revolution, the departing crowd raised defiant fists to the night sky, only tucking them away discreetly when it was time to saunter across the street and into the trendy boutique hotel for the afterparty.

Republicans are imitating Obama’s approach by needling Democratic voters to the point that they take leave of their senses. And it could backfire.

Here We Go Again: Raging Senate Dems Forget That They're Not in Power, Vote to Continue Schumer Shutdown