vehicle fire that fatally burned Edward Stephen Koza

A coal power plant in Utah is set for a green transformation having reached its decommissioning year, as billions are being set aside to use modernize it with hydrogen gas. A rare geologic feature underneath the plant will allow them to store the gas in copious amounts, making it the perfect place for that transformation […] The post Hydrogen Gas Blend Will Reduce Power Plant’s Emissions by 75%–as it Helps Power 6 States appeared first on Good News Network.

Of the lower court judges who have blocked President Donald Trump’s executive orders and other administration actions since he returned to office in January, Democrat appointees have outnumbered Republican appointees by about 3-1. The ratio is evidence of a common practice called “forum shopping” that is done with highly politicized litigation. Forum shopping is where plaintiffs in a lawsuit seek to have their cases heard by certain judges in certain judicial districts who they believe will be more friendly to their arguments and more likely to rule in their favor. Federal district judges have blocked Trump’s executive actions on immigration policy, election integrity, transgender policy, and federal employees, as well as initiatives by the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency.  Of 61 lower court judges who have ruled against Trump—in some cases more than once—49 were appointed by Democrats. Of those, former President Barack Obama appointed 21, former President Joe Biden appointed 19, former President Bill Clinton appointed nine, and President Jimmy Carter appointed one. The others were appointed by Republican presidents, including Trump, who appointed five of the judges who ruled against his policies.  These numbers are based on published reports and an artificial intelligence analysis.  Notably, some Democrat appointees who halted Trump’s policies in one case sided with his administration in another case.  For example, Obama-appointed D.C. District Judge Tanya Chutkan became known before Trump won a second term for presiding over the criminal case against him for challenging the 2020 election outcome.  Chutkan ruled against Trump in two separate cases over his clawing back of federal climate grants from nongovernmental organizations yet left in effect Trump’s policy in cases involving the U.S. Agency for International Development and DOGE, according to data from The Associated Press.  In another example, Biden-appointed Judge Deborah Boardman of the federal District Court of the District of Maryland blocked Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship; however, in a separate case of federal employee unions trying to block DOGE actions, she left a Trump policy in effect, according to an AP tracker of Trump litigation.  As of Tuesday, federal courts have blocked or partially blocked 88 Trump initiatives but allowed 49 to stand, according to The Associated Press. Another 78 cases are pending.  Since Trump took office in January, there have been 40 nationwide injunctions against his policies in cases that started in a federal district court.  Nationwide injunctions are the “ideal temptation for forum shopping,” said Curt Levey, president of the Committee for Justice, a conservative legal group.  “Forum shopping is nothing new, but the numbers demonstrate, (a) it has been taken to new heights, and (b) the [left-leaning advocacy groups] are very effective at it,” Levey told The Daily Signal. “You can find a plaintiff anywhere, so there is an open field for forum shopping. And, ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ is real. Judges are people with emotions, and a number of judges will rule against Trump no matter what.” Trump was recently critical of Judge Timothy Reif, whom he appointed in his first term to the U.S. Court of International Trade. Reif joined an Obama appointee and a Ronald Reagan appointee to strike down most of Trump’s tariffs.  Forum shopping is incentivised in part by the Senate tradition of what is known as blue slips, said John Malcolm, director of the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation.  A blue slip is where both senators from a state, regardless of party, are asked to initially approve or disapprove of a president’s judicial nominee from that state. A senator who approves of the nominee returns the blue slip to the Senate Judiciary Committee. If a senator does not approve, he withholds his blue slip, and the nominee may not be considered by the committee. While it’s not legally binding, senators have for the most part honored the tradition. “Blue slips are honored as vetoes for district judges, there is debate whether blue slips should apply to appellate court judges,” Malcolm told The Daily Signal. “Both parties honor this system.” Conservative-leaning groups also forum shop when suing a Democrat administration, Malcolm said. But, he added, Democrat-appointed judges are more likely to impose nationwide injunctions rather than injunctions that are limited to only the litigants involved in the case the judge is presiding over or only to the geographical district in which the judge presides, which has traditionally been the practice for injunctions.  Among the most famous judges involved in these cases stopping Trump’s policies has been James Boasberg, an Obama appointee to the federal District Court of the District of Columbia, who issued orders prohibiting certain deportations. Among the other judges involved in these cases are Biden appointee Judge Brendan Hurson of the District of Maryland. He blocked Trump’s order banning so-called sex-change surgeries for minors. Judge Brian Murphy, also a Biden appointee of the District of Maryland, ordered the return to the United States of a Guatemalan illegal immigrant the administration had deported.   The post Biden, Obama Judges Make Up the Bulk of Rulings Against Trump Policies appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Mohamed Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and is facing state attempted murder charges in the attack Sunday on a group of pro-Israel supporters in Boulder, Colorado, but he is just one of thousands of illegal aliens who have been charged with or convicted of crimes in the U.S. in recent years.   Soliman used an improvised flame thrower and incendiary devices to attack a group of people demonstrating in support of freedom for hostages who have been held captive since Oct. 7, 2023, in Gaza. He entered the U.S. in 2022, but overstayed his visa and did not have legal status.   Mohamed Soliman (Boulder, Colo., Police Department) The incident is far from the first time an individual living in the U.S. illegally has been charged with a violent crime.   The following are just a few of the illegal aliens who have been arrested or charged with violent crimes carried out while they were living in America.   Charged in Murder of Girlfriend   Keycy Robinson Alexis Barrera-Rosa (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) In April, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Keycy Robinson Alexis Barrera-Rosa, a Guatemalan living in the U.S. illegally. Barrera-Rosa has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Guatemalan migrant Lesbia Mileth Ramirez Guerra, who he is accused of burying in a heavily wooded area near Cedarville State Forest in Prince George’s County, Maryland.   Charged in Murder of 16-Year-Old Rafael Govea Romero (Edna, Texas, Police Department) Rafael Govea Romero, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, faces capital murder charges in the death of 16-year-old cheerleader Lizbeth Medina.   The teen’s mother, Jacqueline Medina, found her daughter dead with a stab wound in the bathtub of their apartment in Edna, Texas, about 140 miles southeast of San Antonio.  Romero had reportedly been stalking Medina leading up to her killing, according to KTRK-TV.   Fatally Shot Girlfriend  Brandon Ortiz-Vite (Michigan Department of Corrections) In November 2024, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced to 39 years in a Michigan prison after being found guilty of killing his girlfriend, Ruby Garcia.   Garcia was found dead on a side of the road in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in March 2024 with gunshot wounds to the head.  Immigration and Customs Enforcement says Ortiz-Vite was deported to Mexico in the fall of 2020, but returned to the U.S. without permission, according to the local Michigan news outlet MLive.   Charged With Murdering 11-Year-Old  Juan Carlos Garcia Rodriguez (Harris County, Texas, Jail) Juan Carlos Garcia Rodriguez, an illegal alien from Guatemala, has been charged with capital murder in the death of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez in Texas.   Maria was found wrapped in a trash bag and stuffed in a laundry basket under her bed last summer. Police report that Maria was sexually assaulted and killed while her father was at work, according to KHOU-TV.    Sexual Assault of a Child Jose Guadalupe Perez-Garza (Texas Department of Public Safety/Sex Offender Registration website) Authorities arrested Jose Guadalupe Perez-Garza, a Mexican national, in May after finding he had previously been deported and had a criminal history, including aggravated sexual assault of a child. Perez-Garza was convicted and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2013. He had been deported in January, but had returned and was rearrested. 6 Illegal Aliens Charged in Mother’s Killing   (Lancaster, South Carolina, Sheriff’s Office via Department of Homeland Security) In May, local authorities in South Carolina announced the arrests of six illegal aliens from Honduras for the murder of Larisha Sharell Thompson, 40, a mother of two.   The illegal aliens include Asael Torres-Chirinos, Jarby Ramos-Ardon, Jeyson Salgado-Pineda, and three juveniles whose names were not released.  The Department of Homeland Security reports the May 2 killing to have been “random,” explaining that the suspects “allegedly pulled up alongside Thompson, fatally shot her and attempted to enter her vehicle.” The three adult suspects have been charged with murder, the New York Post reported. MS-13 Gang Member Facing Laundry List of Charges Nelson Vladimir Amaya-Benitez (DHS) On May 12, ICE arrested Nelson Vladimir Amaya-Benitez, 26, a previously deported illegal alien from El Salvador, in Gaithersburg, Maryland.   Amaya-Benitez’s rap sheet dates back to 2017 and includes charges of armed robbery, theft, and malicious burning in the second degree.   The post At a Glance: 10 Illegal Aliens Who Committed Violent Crimes in US appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The fourth time was the charm for Faizan Zaki, of Allen, Texas, who last Thursday night won the 100th National Spelling Bee. The word that won it for the 13-year-old—who was last year’s runner-up and who had participated twice before that—was eclaircissement, which he spelled without the slightest hesitation. It’s a French noun meaning “the clearing up of something obscure” or “enlightenment.” “Obscure” is wholly inadequate to describe many of the words the youthful spellers had to contend with—among them corylaceous, polyptoton, radicicolous, savonnerie, meliponine, and Uaupes and Baguio (yes, even proper nouns, which didn’t used to be the case)—at the annual spellathon, which dates back to June 1925. I represented my home state of Maine at the National Spelling Bee when I was in the eighth grade, finishing fifth in a field of 72 contestants. This year’s Bee had 242, which was why the words had to be so mindbogglingly obscure; namely, to winnow the field, lest the Bee go on forever. This isn’t a new problem, but it’s been e-x-a-c-e-r-b-a-t-e-d in the five years since I wrote the following p-r-e-s-c-r-i-p-t-i-o-n five years ago Wednesday on June 4, 2020: How do you spell “canceled”? Does it take one “l” or two? According to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary, the official dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the preferred spelling is with one “l,” but using two is an acceptable alternative. Either way, the annual National Spelling Bee—which was supposed to have taken place last week—was canceled, yet another casualty of COVID-19. (It was the first time since World War II that the Bee had been canceled.) But as someone who represented my home state of Maine at the National Spelling Bee when I was 14 and in the eighth grade, it’s my contention that the Bee is also suffering from longer-term wounds. It should use the year off to triage those. When I took the stage at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., where the Bee was held each year back then, I was one of 73 finalists. Over the years since, it has grown like “The Blob” of cheesy science-fiction movie fame. At the Bee in May 2019, there were 562 contestants, 270 from regional bees and 292 who applied through something called the “RSVBee program.” The Bee’s organizers say the RSVBee program “allows more spellers from highly competitive areas, or those that don’t have sponsors” to participate. They say it was intended to “increase fairness,” but mostly it has increased its unwieldiness. The upshot is, with a field of competitors that large, it has become necessary for the Bee’s sponsor, media conglomerate E.W. Scripps Co., to make the list of words that contestants have to spell exponentially more difficult than they were back in my day, if only to cull the herd. Otherwise, the Bee would go on interminably. Indeed, the 2019 contest ran for five days, May 26-30. The Bee I was in took just two days: After nine rounds and 464 words on Day One, 23 of us survived to see Day Two. By the time the winner of my Bee was crowned, the total number of words spelled was 571—only slightly more than the number of competitors last year. At the 2019 Bee, eight co-champions were crowned, CNN reported, “after running out of words that were challenging enough for the contestants.” The obscurity and difficulty of the words used now are hard to exaggerate: Three from last year’s finals were “omphalopsychite” (one who stares fixedly at his navel to induce a mystical trance; i.e., a navel-gazer); “geeldikkop” (a serious disease of southern African sheep); and “auftaktigkeit” (the principle in music that all musical phrases begin on an upbeat). Compare those with the final two words I spelled correctly to win the Maine championship—“rheostat” (a resistor for regulating an electrical current by means of variable resistances) and “terrazzo” (a mosaic flooring consisting of small pieces of marble or granite set in mortar)—or the word I lost out on by misspelling at the national finals, “risibility” (the ability or inclination to laugh). As you can imagine, I was neither able nor inclined to laugh when the judges’ bell rang, indicating that “r-i-s-e-a-b-i-l-i-t-y” was incorrect. I’d never heard of the word before, and the definition provided by longtime pronouncer Richard Baker prompted me to think of “rise”—as in “getting a rise out of someone”—as the possible root word for “risibility”; hence, my “r-i-s-e-.” In hindsight—which, as they say, is always 20/20—if I had thought of “visibility,” then simply changed the “v” to an “r,” I’d have remained in the running. I finished fifth in that field of 73, but two other contestants went down immediately after me, so if I had just spelled “risibility” correctly, I’d have finished no worse than second runner-up, and perhaps … who knows? The final word spelled by the winner that year was “interlocutory” (a plea or appeal made during the progress of a legal action). The second- and third-place finishers went out after misspelling “egalitarian” and “quoits” (a flattened ring of iron or circle of rope used in a throwing game), respectively. Note how much easier those words were than the examples cited above from last year’s Bee, the ninth spell-off to be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center just outside the nation’s capital in National Harbor, Maryland. (It was moved there in 2011 after 15 years at the Grand Hyatt Washington. That year, there were “only” 275 competitors, fewer than half as many as in 2019.) When Scripps announced April 21 that the 2020 Bee was being canceled, it initially held out hope that the competition could be postponed till later in the year. Given the uncertainty about how long the coronavirus pandemic would last, organizers opted instead to cancel it altogether. Scripps should use the year between now and June 1, 2021, the planned start date for next year’s Bee, to totally overhaul the format, which currently involves a preliminary written spelling test that you don’t even need to score 100% to proceed. Organizers should make the national finals more like the Miss America pageant, with just one candidate from each state and from each foreign country that sends participants. Let the U.S. spellers slug it out at the state level like they did back in my day. That way, organizers could ratchet back down the difficulty (and obscurity) of the words that contestants have to spell from their current ludicrous levels. That might be the one good thing to come of COVID-19’s cancellation (with two l’s) of this year’s spellathon. The post At 100, the National Spelling Bee Needs a M-A-K-E-O-V-E-R appeared first on The Daily Signal.

June 1 marked the beginning of Pride Month, and even though President Donald Trump has taken up residence in Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser again proclaimed the nation’s capital the “gayest city in the world.” Other cities, however, are trying to give Bowser and D.C. a run for their money. Bowser delivered this title at a May 31 ceremony outside the mayor’s offices at the Wilson Building, two days after the Pride flag was raised there. Calling Washington the “gayest city in the world” has become a common refrain for the mayor. Bowser first made the declaration in 2023 when, despite criticism over rising crime rates, she posted, “I am proud to be the Mayor of the best city in the world, and the gayest city in the world.” Pride celebrations in “the gayest city in the world” were well underway long before June. Events began in mid-May as the city opened its fiftieth year of Pride celebrations, this time as the host of WorldPride. On May 13, The Folger Shakespeare Library raised the curtain on a “racy” production of the playwright’s “Twelfth Night,” boasting of the show’s “gender fluidity.” The WorldPride website is advertising drag shows for adult audiences, including a “Drag Brunch with Mama Shirley Naytch” every day from May 18 to June 8. The annual Capital Pride Parade, redubbed the WorldPride Parade this year, will take place Saturday, June 7. Pride marches have already begun across the country, however. Turning Point USA covered West Hollywood’s Pride Weekend, where public indecency during the June 1 parade reached shocking levels. The California city placed public urinals along street sidewalks, in full view of attendees. As children looked on, fire trucks rode by with near-naked men dancing on top. Gov. Tim Walz wanted in on the action, too. His June 1 post on X featured a Minnesota proclamation that highlighted the state’s efforts to “recognize and celebrate the significant contributions of LGBTQ+ people,” boasting about the state’s 2023 ban of “conversion therapy” and its work as a “trans refuge state.” No matter who you are or who you love, you are welcome here.Happy Pride Month, Minnesota! pic.twitter.com/utvvEsFwNx— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) June 1, 2025 After a long list of pro-LGBTQ+ accomplishments, Walz finished, “Now, therefore, I, Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim June 2025 as PRIDE MONTH in the State of Minnesota.” The post We’re Only Three Days into Pride Month, But Things Are Already Getting Weird and Wild appeared first on The Daily Signal.

NEW: State & DHS Revoke Visas for Boulder Terrorist Family, Detained for Deportation

For years, Glenn Beck has been warning of the changes coming to warfare. The next major war, he predicted, would be fought not with machine guns and fighter pilots but with artificial intelligence and drones. Last weekend proved him right. On Sunday, June 1, Ukraine launched a major drone attack, dubbed "Operation Spiderweb," targeting Russian air bases across five regions. Employing over 100 drones, Ukraine struck key military airfields, reportedly destroying or damaging around 41 Russian aircraft, including nuclear-capable bombers, causing an estimated $7 billion in damage. Marine veteran and Glenn’s chief researcher, Jason Buttrill, says Operation Spiderweb just changed warfare forever. From satellites to fracking rigs, conflict has long been the driver behind innovation, he explains. “Wars have always pushed technology.” Last weekend, Ukraine essentially turned “a $20,000 semi-truck into an aircraft carrier. That's what we're looking at right now.” These drones “took out 30%” of Russia’s “strategic bombers,” says Glenn. “We’ve never been able to do anything like that.” “The name of the game changed this weekend,” says Jason, calling Operation Spiderweb “a test drive.” “Is that good or bad?” asks co-host Stu Burguiere. “There's an argument that if drones are killing drones, that's maybe a better place than where we've been over the past century where it's people that are doing all the dying.” “That is the question of our times,” says Glenn. Jason says his mind “goes to the same conclusion that the war planners of World War II had when they created the nuclear bomb.” Warfare shifted from killing soldiers in World War I to bombing factories in World War II to weaken the enemy, but since factories and drone control centers are in cities where people are, drone warfare may end up killing many civilians. Right now, Vladimir Putin and his security council are asking, “Where are these things being produced? Where are they being trained? Where are they learning to do these things? Where are they pushing the button to do these things?” The answer, Jason says, is in “cities,” which is a “very bad thing” for Ukraine citizens considering “Russia does have the ability to counter.” However, Ukrainian leaders just proved that “[they] do have cards,” and they are “not coming from a place of weakness,” Stu points out. Will this revelation drive Russia to the peace table? “How do you as Vladimir Putin address your people and say, ‘Hey, we just made peace after they just took down 30% of our strategic bombers?’” Glenn asks. “I don't see how you can,” says Stu. To hear more of the conversation, watch the clip above. 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.

Lured by the prospect of receiving payment for an outstanding debt, a drug trafficking rival of Mario Espino came to Espino's Florida residence in October 2023, federal officials said. But no payment was made, officials said. Agents found the victim in the back seat with a pillowcase over his head and zip ties and electrical cords around his wrists, officials said. Instead, the rival — who also worked with Espino previously — was subjected to 18 hours of torture and physical abuse, officials said. According to court documents, Espino plotted with Jacob James Guest and Joey Lawrence Eugene Young to kidnap the victim, officials said, adding that the trio bound, beat, and tortured him. As part of the victim's torture, Espino and Young resorted to “pouring hot sauce in [his] eyes and anus,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Sullivan wrote in Espino’s sentencing memorandum, according to the New York Post. Espino, Guest, and Young also demanded 10 kilograms of fentanyl as ransom from the trafficker’s cartel drug sources, officials said. RELATED: Fentanyl from Canada is killing Americans — but Trudeau cares more about prosecuting the Freedom Convoy Fentanyl seized. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images The Post, citing court records, added that Espino had been frustrated over being cut out of the victim's drug business.On October 11, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office rescued the victim from a vehicle that Espino, Guest, and Young abandoned when law enforcement approached, officials said. Agents found the victim in the back seat with a pillowcase over his head and zip ties and electrical cords around his wrists, officials said. Espino, Guest, and Young also left behind 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, 100 grams of fentanyl, a firearm, and more than $10,000 in cash, officials said. The United States Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida, on Thursday announced that U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced Espino — now 25 years old — along with Guest and Young — now 24 and 25, respectively — to federal prison for drug trafficking, kidnapping, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes. Espino received 22 years and 6 months behind bars while Guest got 20 years and Young got 25 years, officials said, adding that each of them previously pleaded guilty to the offenses. RELATED: Savage drug lord tied to torture, murder of DEA agent dragged to US to face justice after Trump pressures Mexico over cartels Brian A. Jackson/South Florida Sun Sentinel In regard to what could happen next to the defendants, Amy H. Filjones — public affairs specialist for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida — told Blaze News that the Sentencing Reform Act eliminated parole for federal crimes committed after November 1, 1987.Tampa attorney Ron Frey added to Blaze News that "early release into a supervised release can be possible via various programs and through earned good time credit. However, this is all subject to eligibility and the specific characteristics of each particular defendant.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

He played on hundreds of hits but you wouldn't find any gold records on his wall: Since the '80s until his death in 2023, he was locked away for murder. The post Jim Gordon: From A-List Drummer to Convicted Killer appeared first on Best Classic Bands.