News Scream 7 The Many Controversies Haunting Scream 7‘s Release How Scream 7 went from franchise sequel to one of the year’s most controversial films By Matthew Byrd | Published on March 2, 2026 Photo: Paramount Pictures Comment 0 Share New Share Photo: Paramount Pictures Scream 7 was released in theaters on February 27, 2026, following a prolonged production process mired in controversy. The film is currently the subject of boycotts and protests due to events related to its production and content as well as much larger global political and industrial events that the film’s production has touched upon. At present, there is little indication that the controversies surrounding this film will be resolved anytime soon. Given that they are both numerous, spread over a long period of time, and especially relevant to recent events that both reshape and reinforce them, it can be difficult to keep up with them, if you were aware of them at all to begin with. This is a breakdown of the situation surrounding Scream 7 based on the major events that have occurred to date. What Scream 7 Was Originally Supposed to Be Scream 7 reportedly began production in 2023, shortly after the release of Scream VI. At the time, it was believed that Scream VI directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett were attached to the sequel. Notably, they had previously expressed interest in bringing back Neve Campbell as Sidney in Scream VI. That agreement reportedly fell apart due to pay disagreements, though it’s believed they were interested in finding a way to incorporate Campbell into their plans for Scream 7. Little else is known about what Scream 7 looked like at this early point in the production process. However, it is widely believed that it would have been a continuation of 2022’s Scream and Scream VI, which continued the events of the previous Scream films while introducing a large cast of new characters who were slowly becoming more prominent than the franchise’s legacy characters. However, the first major shake-up for the film happened in August 2023 when Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett left Scream 7 due to scheduling conflicts believed to be related to their next project, 2024’s Abigail. Since then, Gillett has said that the pair were “exited” from the film, but did not elaborate on the exact meaning of that phrase. The duo also noted that they had hoped to offer “An end to the Sam Carpenter story” started in the previous movies but that they “designed Scream VI so that the story feels complete.” Director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) was then brought on to helm the sequel. At the time, everything seemed to be back on track. Why Melissa Barrera Was Fired From Scream 7 On November 21, 2023, we learned that actor Melissa Barrera (who portrayed Sam Carpenter in Scream VI and 2022’s Scream) had been fired from the production of Scream 7. The news came as quite a shock given that Carpenter was one of the central characters of the previous films and seemed to be an irreplaceable part of the franchise moving forward. We soon learned that Barrera had actually been fired from the project due to social media posts she had made about the Gaza war not long after Israel began invading and bombing Gaza in response to a surprise attack launched by the political and militant group Hamas (and aided by other militant groups) on October 7. The tactics utilized by Israel soon drew criticism from politicians and citizens across the world, including Melissa Barrera, who accused Israel of committing genocide in the region. At the time, it was suspected that Barrera was fired over an Instagram story that contained the following message. “Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity, no water… People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.” A representative from Scream 7 production company Spyglass Media Group later told Variety that Barrera was fired because the studio has “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.” In that same article, Variety suggests that Barrera may have been fired for a post that said, “Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself.” As that same report noted, that particular statement was criticized by some who alleged that it was intended to further the conspiracy theory that suggests there is a controlling Jewish influence in the media that dictates its messaging regarding certain subjects. However, there was no indication at the time that there was a specific message that caused Barrera to be fired, and that it was instead a response to the series of messages posted by the actress. Melissa Barrera also shared the following Instagram post in response to Spyglass’ statement: “First and foremost I condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people… Every person on this earth — regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status — deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom. I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism. I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence.” The decision to fire Melissa Barrera drew immediate criticism from fans and industry members. However, the most impactful responses would soon come from inside the house. Why Jenna Ortega and Christopher Landon Left Scream 7 The day after Barrera’s firing, we learned that actress Jenna Ortega (who played Tara Carpenter in Scream VI and 2022’s Scream) had also decided to leave the production of Scream 7. At the time, the shocking departure of Carpenter was officially attributed to a “scheduling conflict” related to the actress’ shooting obligations for the Netflix series Wednesday. Skipping ahead a bit, Ortega later disputed that claim in a 2025 interview where she stated that she actually left the production due to Barrera’s firing and the other creative changes made to the project during that time. “It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling,” Ortega told The Cut. “The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If Scream 7 wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.” In the case of both departures, little effort seems to have been made by Spyglass or Scream 7 distributor Paramount Skydance to convince either actress to return to the project. Barrera’s firing was a nearly instantaneous decision, and it’s not clear how much (if any) communication happened between the actress and the studio between the time of the posts and the time of her firing. There is also no official indication that any attempt to remedy the situation (especially in regards to Ortega’s departure) was ever made. The idea that Ortega had left due to scheduling conflicts was widely spread at the time by official studio sources. Director Christopher Landon also exited Scream 7 around that same time. While the news of Landon’s departure didn’t hit until December, the director later said he had actually made the decision to leave the production weeks before. At the time, the only official explanation for Landon’s departure was a message that the director left on Twitter that read “This is my statement: [broken heart emoji] Everything sucks. Stop yelling.” However, the director later clarified his position in subsequent interviews. “There was no movie anymore,” said Landon in an interview for the book Your Favorite Scary Movie. “The whole script was about her. I didn’t sign on to make ‘a Scream movie.’ I signed on to make that movie. When that movie no longer existed, I moved on.” Landon also endured quite a bit of blowback over the Barrera firing, even though he says he was not involved with the actual decision in any way. Here is what the director had to say in a 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “People were threatening to kill me and my family, to the point where the FBI was getting involved. I got messages saying, ‘I’m going to find your kids, and I’m going to kill them because you support child murder. The head of security at various studios and the FBI had to examine the threats.” At this point, Scream 7 has lost its originally intended directors and two of its biggest stars. The project is also mired in controversy over the nature of those most recent departures. However, Paramount Skydance and Spyglass remained determined to see it through to completion. How Scream 7 Was Reworked After the Firings and Departures In March 2024, actress Neve Campbell announced that she had agreed to play Sidney Prescott in Scream 7. In that same Instagram post, she confirmed that Kevin Williamson (writer of the original Scream) will return to co-write and direct the upcoming sequel. Aside from the fact that some suspected that Campbell would never return to the Scream franchise, the news came as a surprise for the simple fact that we hadn’t really heard anything about the production of Scream 7 following the departure of several key pieces of talent the previous year. Now, the movie was apparently not only back on with a new star, writer, and director, but was seemingly being re-imagined as more of a nostalgic callback to the original movies rather than a continuation of the softly rebooted world that we had come to know from the previous two Scream films. The velocity of that pivot became apparent in the coming weeks when we learned that Courteney Cox, Patrick Dempsey, Mason Gooding, Matthew Lillard, and David Arquette had all agreed to reprise their previous roles in the franchise in the upcoming installment. At the time, the Arquette casting arguably raised the most eyebrows. Not only was Arquette’s character believed to be dead, but the actor believed his appearance was supposed to be a surprise and didn’t expect a public announcement. We eventually learned that Williamson’s new Scream 7 script focused on Sidney and her relationship with her daughter (played by franchise newcomer Isabel May). While cast members from the recent, re-imagined Scream movies would return in this latest installment, the movie had gone from what was believed to be a rough continuation of 2022’s Scream and Scream VI to something else entirely. In subsequent years and months, we would learn just how much work had to be done to turn Scream 7 around. Variety recently reported that the costs associated with rewriting the Scream 7 script as a result of the firings and departures were around $500,000. Though described as a somewhat reasonable figure given the size of the property and the scope of the situation, this figure is also the result of a highly controversial series of decisions that not only negatively impacted the lives and careers of those involved but drastically impacted the creative direction of the franchise. So far as that goes, the far bigger number associated with the film’s reworking is Neve Campbell’s salary. That same Variety report reveals that Neve Campbell was ultimately able to secure a $7 million deal to star in the film. Campbell has said that she didn’t think she could “live with herself” if she had accepted the offer she received for Scream VI, and received the support of many of the series’ legacy cast members for her decision to skip that film. What the Scream 7 Cast and Crew Have Said About Melissa Barrera’s Firing Previously, Melissa Barrera also supported Campbell’s decision to skip Scream VI over the feeling that the actress was not being valued properly by the studio. She called Campbell “brave” for her decision to sit out. Campbell has not yet publicly commented regarding their feelings about Barrera’s firing and the film’s other behind-the-scenes controversies. For that matter, few members of the current Scream 7 cast and crew have publicly commented regarding the matter. In the aforementioned Your Favorite Scary Movie book, Jasmin Savoy Brown, who plays Mindy Meeks-Martin in the film, noted that the situation has been “really sad and stressful” and said that “actors are expected to know as much about politics as politicians. And, in today’s day and age when everything is online, everyone thinks they’re an expert in everything, which isn’t the case. I also think there is a clear difference between talking politics and standing up for people who don’t have a voice. It’s not politics, it’s human life.” More recently, Scream 7 star Anna Camp shared a social media post that stated “Boycotts didn’t work, the critic’s hate didn’t work, the pathetic leaks didn’t work… Audiences, casual moviegoers and fans have overwhelmingly shown up for this movie in the face of a smear campaign by critics due to political reasons, an online boycott that has ranged from annoying to harassment.” Camp later apologized for the post and claimed she had “reposted someone else’s story that does not reflect my personal beliefs.” No further explanations for how or why the post was shared or what Camp’s personal beliefs are have been provided at this time. Though he is not in the recent Scream films, legacy cast member Jamie Kennedy is one of the few members of that franchise to publicly criticize Barrera’s firing. While Kennedy’s politics differ greatly from Barrera’s, Kennedy stated that Barrera should be “allowed to have her beliefs” and suggested that the studio should have simply talked to her if they had a problem with what she said or how it was said. Officially, Scream 7 began filming on January 7, 2025. Though most of its filming went by without further high-profile incidents (beyond the subsequent interviews which clarified the nature of the initial controversy), the project continued to face scrutiny from fans who would become far more vocal about their concerns as the film neared release. The Scream 7 Protests and Boycotts Scream 7 has faced protests and calls for boycotts ever since Melissa Barrera was fired in 2023. That incident touched upon much more widespread protests regarding the Gaza war occurring at the time and drew the additional ire of franchise fans who bemoaned both the decision to fire Barrera and the changes in creative direction that decision would inevitably result in. Rather than be naturally quelled by time, those protests have arguably become more vocal in the weeks leading up to Scream 7’s recent release. Around 25 protesters gathered at the Scream 7 premiere with Palestinian flags, signs that, among other things, encouraged people to cancel their Paramount+ subscriptions, and chants that included “Palestine will live forever!” The protest’s organizers (who include Entertainment Labor for Palestine, CODEPINK LA, and Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles) issued a statement that confirmed they were there to bring “attention to the industry’s widespread silencing of pro-Palestinian voices and its whitewashing of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza” as well as “raise awareness about the Boycott Scream 7 campaign and urge audiences to refrain from supporting the film.” Though Paramount and Spyglass did not officially comment on the most recent protests, many others did respond to the movement. Two of those responses are especially worth highlighting in the context of this grander story. The first came from Melissa Barrera who wrote “I see you” with a heart emoji on her Instagram page not long after the premiere protests. In a previous interview with The Independent, Barrera had this to say regarding those who supported the film and those who protested it: “There are always going to be people that love you and people that hate you, and people that are open to a story continuing, and people that think that continuing it is ruining it. If they want to go watch the next one? Cool. If they don’t? Also cool. You just gotta act according to how you preach. And that depends on what you value, what your morals are, and whether you can separate that from art or not. There are people who can’t listen to R Kelly anymore, or Michael Jackson, or can’t watch Woody Allen films anymore. And then there are people who don’t care.” The second notable response came from Kevin Williamson who told a Variety interviewer the following during a red carpet interview: “We live in a world where a lot of bad things are happening out there, and I think a lot of people want to be heard and they want to have their voice heard about the bad stuff that’s happening. My heart goes out to them. I don’t know if canceling Paramount+ is the way to do it. But I think people should listen to their inner self and do what feels good for them.” Williamson’s statement is one of the rare statements from an active Scream 7 cast or crew member regarding the ongoing protests and the controversies that caused them. His comment also reveals another layer to this story: Paramount’s involvement in Scream 7. How Paramount’s Actions Helped Fuel the Scream 7 Controversy In recent years, Paramount Skydance has been involved in a number of social scandals and controversies largely related to the political ties of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison and the ways they have been reflected in the company’s actions. From downplaying (and removing) DEI initiatives, to reworking the political direction of CBS News, to supporting President Donald Trump both vocally and through actions that further his administration’s controversial policies, Paramount Skydance has often found itself at the center of some of the most important political and media decisions facing the United States today. As of the time of this writing, they have also begun the process of completing their acquisition of Warner Bros. studio: a move that some industry insiders worry will further the company’s increasingly apparent political preferences and possible agendas. As it relates to this story, Paramount employees have already expressed concerns about the company’s internal policies regarding the Gaza war and their ability to express their thoughts on the subject safely. In October 2025, 30 Paramount Skydance employees across various departments and levels of leadership sent a letter to David Ellison in which they admonished the CEO and the company for condemning industry calls for an Israeli film boycott. In regards to Paramount’s statement that they intend to “promote mutual understanding,” the letter stated the following:“How can a company with this supposed creative mission actively ignore, suppress, and silence internal calls for years to champion stories that shed a light on the reality that marginalized and excluded communities, particularly Palestinians, face every day?” At the time, there was no indication that the letter was responded to internally or that the company formally acknowledged receiving it. The Paramount factor is not necessarily the heart of the Scream 7 controversy, though. At least not in terms of the longest-standing and most vocal protests against the film. Many of Scream 7’s controversies revolve around the firing of Melissa Barrera, the ways that decision impacted the rest of the production, and what that decision says about the changing political power landscape in Hollywood, the United States, and the world. This is a woefully inadequate place to discuss the depth of the Gaza war, its history, the many lives lost and impacted by the conflict, and the numerous political and social issues (as well as divides) that have resulted from it. It is one of the most significant global events in recent years and it will continue to impact global politics, military actions, and, most importantly, the lives of those who have suffered, died and continue to suffer and die as a result of what has happened and what will happen. That the production of Scream 7 even touches upon such an event gets to the heart of the controversy. In the Melissa Barrera firing, though, we find an example of a fear that has become especially prevalent in the very generation that the recent Scream films were targeting not long ago: the fear that freedom of speech and freedom of protest are rapidly becoming endangered rights. The scope of these protests and boycotts both online and in the world reveal the extent of Scream 7‘s dramatic changes and what the project has come to represent in the eyes of some. Scream 7 has gone from a continuation of a legacy series re-imagined for a new generation to a legacy sequel aimed to appeal to the nostalgic urges of an older generation. The fulcrum of that creative pivot was the decision to fire a key cast member over statements that touch upon some of the most crucial political and social issues of our times and the roles the film’s distributors have increasingly become more involved in during recent years. And at the end of it all, there is the movie itself. As of the time of this writing, Scream 7 debuted to a 36 Metacritic score and 33% Rotten Tomatoes score. It is, according to available shared professional review metrics, the lowest rated entry in the franchise to date. In its opening weekend, though, it grossed $64 million domestically and $97 million worldwide, which makes it the most successful opening for any entry in the franchise (not adjusted for inflation). Rumors of an eighth Scream film persist, but there is no telling where the franchise goes from here from a creative standpoint at this time. [end-mark] The post The Many Controversies Haunting <i>Scream 7</i>‘s Release appeared first on Reactor.

Books The Stormlight Archive Ranking the 5 Most Cinematic Scenes from Brandon Sanderson’s Wind and Truth Which epic fights and key dramatic moments are you most excited to see? By Drew McCaffrey | Published on March 2, 2026 Wind and Truth cover art by Michael Whelan Comment 0 Share New Share Wind and Truth cover art by Michael Whelan I’m sure I’m not alone in my excitement and curiosity over the recent news that Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere is slated for screen adaptations on Apple TV, starting with movies based on the Mistborn books and a Stormlight Archive TV series. It’s a huge deal for one of the biggest authors in the current SF/Fantasy landscape. It seems like a match made in heaven: Sanderson already has some experience with screen adaptations—he was an erstwhile consultant on Amazon Prime’s Wheel of Time show, and by all accounts came away with some strong impressions on what not to do—and even more than that, his books are famous for featuring some of the most cinematically written action scenes in recent memory. How about Kelsier vs. the Steel Inquisitor? Bridge Four’s heroic rescue mission in The Way of Kings? Dalinar’s “You cannot have my pain” speech or Shallan’s encounter with the Midnight Mother in Oathbringer? And that’s not to mention the most recent installment of the series, Wind and Truth. It seems like the perfect time to look back at the five most cinematic moments from the fifth volume of The Stormlight Archive and consider just how awesome this stuff might look on the screen… #5 – Adolin and Shallan Face Off Against Abidi in Shadesmar With how strange, how deeply alien the world of Roshar is, Sanderson has been judicious in how he rolls out new environments in The Stormlight Archive. Shadesmar really doesn’t get much attention in the series until Oathbringer, and it’s not until Rhythm of War that we start seeing extended action scenes in the Cognitive Realm. But Sanderson went all-out with Shadesmar fight sequences in Wind and Truth, starting with the Heavenly Ones attacking Shallan and Adolin and the Windrunners on their journey home from Lasting Integrity. This sequence (found in Chapter 9) stands out to me for a few reasons. There’s the dual-battleground aspect, with the fight taking place both in the air and below the surface of the bead sea. There’s the absurdity of Adolin riding his horse through the air. And there’s the most cinematic element, to me: Shallan unlocking substantiation, the ability to create solid, tangible illusions. You can just picture how that would play out on the screen, maybe cutting to black or cutting away after the shocking revelation that her copy really did stab Abidi. “Reality,” Shallan hissed, “is what I decide it to be.” #4 – Humanity Arrives on Roshar Most of this list is going to be fight scenes—and for good reason, given which author we’re talking about, here—but this one from Chapter 46 is a Big Deal nonetheless. This figure wore a simple blue robe tied at the waist, and had a beard that had barely started to grey. He strained to hold the way open as thousands of refugees flooded around him, clutching their meager possessions. The sheer spectacle of the massive Elsegate opening over the muddy plains of pre-Shinovar, revealing the fiery hellscape of Ashyn. The panic, the urgency, the overwhelming movement of humanity’s survivors pouring out onto Roshar. This is the kind of scene that makes me wish it were even remotely feasible to put The Stormlight Archive on the big screen. Imagine this in IMAX: Dalinar and Navani surrounded by the mass of refugees, Shallan moving through the crowds on the lookout for the Ghostbloods. Ishar, majestic with power. In the background, their world burned. The very sky seemed to be on fire, and the people were covered in ash and soot. We’ll have to settle for the small screen on this one, but it still has plenty of drama and spectacle to offer if done well! #3 – Szeth vs. Rit in the Stoneward Monastery I’d hazard a guess that this Honorbearer duel will be on pretty much everyone’s personal Top Five from Wind and Truth. For one thing, it’s the first of the series of epic showdowns which constitute Szeth’s pilgrimmage. There’s a lot of hype built up going into this showdown in Chapter 41; we’ve known that Szeth was going to cleanse Shinover since 2020, and we knew that he’d have to handle the Stone Shamans. But up through Rhythm of War, we’d never really seen what Stonewards could do. Rit speared straight at him atop her column of liquid stone, and as he dodged, the entire floor rose in a wave. Szeth flew around the top of the vaulted room, but there wasn’t space to flee. He was forced to engage her as she rode the center of the wave of stone.[…]A moment later, jets of [the floor] launched upward like streamers, trying to catch him—splashing against the ceiling, then hardening. And whoo buddy, does this live up to the hype! The way this scene is written, with Szeth flying around, the floor shifting and warping, Rit re-creating the entire inside of the monastery… it honestly reminds me of the sheer dynamism of the fight between Kelsier and the Steel Inquisitor in The Final Empire. Sanderson excels at these high-movement fight scenes. It’s clear what’s going on, despite the chaos, and it’s the sort of visualized action that’s practically made for the screen. On top of that? It all leads up to Szeth finally unlocking Division. Finally. Szeth swelled with a power that was immediately familiar. The stone had captured him, holding him, but that allowed him to touch it. Time to burn. Burn, baby, burn. #2 – Adolin vs. the Thunderclast If there’s anything in Wind and Truth that comes closest to the spectacle of a Michael Bay movie, this is it. I mean, right? From Chapter 82: Adolin pulled the chain out of the crumbling facade of the building, then spun to see a terrifying sight: a hand, large enough to blot out the sky, swinging for him. Giant freaking rock monster plowing through the city, wreaking havoc, leaving total carnage in its wake. Adolin rigging a trap, multiple Shardbearers working together to take it down. Heavenly Ones zooming around overhead, using boulders as bombs. Tons of splashy visual effects potential there, plus the added emotional weight of Adolin’s loss at the conclusion of the sequence. The thunderclast reached down and grabbed the chain in its fists. Then, straining for a moment, snapped the chain with a sharp peal of breaking metal. It threw the remnants to the street, then continued on, relentless, toward the dome. Great stuff. #1 – Szeth vs. Pozen and the Edgedancer Yeah, this scene (found in Chapter 53) stands head-and-shoulders above everything else for me: The adrenaline pulse of Szeth abruptly yanked into the Cognitive Realm and ambushed. The visual possibilities offered by this setting. The pure competence of everyone involved, as they manipulate Shadesmar around them. The always-exciting breathless momentum of an Edgedancer zooming around. The walls of the large tube hardened, and Szeth now scrambled on curved, solid ground. He ran for the open end of the tunnel as—just behind him—the wall crashed open and the Edgedancer entered. She skated along the side of the tube, her powers giving her grace and speed. Szeth spun and Lashed himself backward to stay ahead of her, but the tube kept extending, beads falling into place. And Nightblood. Oh yeah, Nightblood. For how long has this fandom been asking Sanderson what Nightblood looks like in Shadesmar? A decade? Now we know, and it’s glorious. Szeth ripped his right hand from the beads.And released an explosion of light.In that hand he held not a jet-black sword, but a blazing, radiant line of golden light. Glowing like the sun itself, so bright it made the Edgedancer gasp and stumble back, shading her eyes with her left hand. I can see Szeth shifting through the bead sea, using the tunnels around him, deflecting and anticipating the Edgedancer Honorbearer. Finally wielding Nightblood in a blazing spectacle to kill the Honorbearer—permanently. If done right, the lead-up to this could lead to one of the most talked about moments in the whole show. Honorable Mentions There are plenty of other great scenes in Wind and Truth that practically beg to be adapted to the screen. I debated including Szeth’s final fight with all the Honorbearers, using Nightblood to wield all the Surges. Or how about Lift saving Zahel from the Feruchemist Axindweth? Another that stood out was Adolin’s “Momentum” chapter, early on in Azimir. (That one could even integrate flashbacks to Dalinar in The Way of Kings; that’d be a great visual adaptation twist.) What would make your list of best scenes to adapt from Wind and Truth? What key moment did I leave off that deserves a spot? And what scenes in general are you most excited in the upcoming adaptations? Let me know in the comments![end-mark] The post Ranking the 5 Most Cinematic Scenes from Brandon Sanderson’s <i>Wind and Truth</i> appeared first on Reactor.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is briefing congressional leaders today on Iran, an administration official told The Daily Signal. The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran early Saturday morning in Operation Epic Fury. Trump characterized it as the beginning of “major combat operations.” Trump confirmed that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed following the strikes, along with 48 Iranian leaders. Four U.S. service members have been killed in the operation so far, the Pentagon has said. The Gang of Eight is composed of the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives and the two chambers’ intelligence committees. This includes Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Mark Warner, D-Va.; and Reps. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and Jim Himes, D-Conn.. On Tuesday, Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, FBI Director John Ratcliffe, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine will brief the full membership of both chambers of Congress according to Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for global public affairs and communications for the National Security Council. On Monday morning, the Department of War briefed the staffs of members of several national security committees in both chambers, Johnson said in a statement shared with The Daily Signal. The briefing on the military action in Iran lasted over 90 minutes, he noted. The post Rubio to Brief ‘Gang of Eight’ Monday on Iran appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Nothing Says 'Heaven' to a Dead Ayatollah Like a Flock of Little Girls

You've got to be ready at dawn tomorrow to see something pretty incredible.

Good things are worth waiting for, but it’s still an excellent reason to see this one if you can.

On Sunday’s edition of MS NOW’s The Weekend: Primetime, co-host Catherine Rampell labeled President Trump’s comments about U.S. service members killed in the Iran conflict “relatively callous.” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) agreed: “That’s the word I’ve used as well.” Moments earlier, however, the show had aired a clip of Trump saying: “We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen. America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against basically civilization.” Callous? Rampell instead focused on a separate Trump comment to NBC News: “We expect casualties, but in the end it’s going to be a great deal for the world.” Trump Expressed ‘Immense Love and Eternal Gratitude’ for Fallen — MS NOW Called Him ‘Callous’ pic.twitter.com/utEYRgVxNa — Mark Finkelstein (@markfinkelstein) March 2, 2026 Inelegantly phrased, perhaps. But the underlying sentiment — that sacrifice serves a larger cause — is deeply rooted in American wartime rhetoric. In the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln honored Union soldiers with the hope “that these dead shall not have died in vain.” Rampell also criticized U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz for saying in response to the deaths, “freedom is never free.” Yet that sentiment is widely used in America to convey gratitude for military sacrifice. It is even inscribed at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. [see image], a national tribute dedicated in 1995 by President Bill Clinton. The central contrast was stark. Despite airing Trump’s expression of “immense love and eternal gratitude” to the families of the fallen, MS NOW still accused him of being “callous.” That’s not analysis — it’s liberal media bias. Here's the transcript. MS NOW The Weekend: Primetime 3/1/26 6:00 pm ET AYMAN MOHYELDIN: Also new tonight, Trump posted a new video on his Truth Social about the three U.S. service members killed in action in Kuwait. Five other service members seriously wounded, though they have not yet been identified. Trump took to Truth Social this afternoon vowing to avenge their deaths, adding that there would likely be more casualties.  PRESIDENT TRUMP: We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen. America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against basically civilization.  CATHERINE RAMPELL: We've heard some strange commentary from this administration, acknowledging the lives that have already been lost by U.S. service members. We had a tweet earlier today, not just the administration, by the way, from your colleagues in the House. We had a tweet earlier today from Mike Waltz, saying freedom is never free. Donald Trump himself said these casualties are "going to do a great deal for the world." What do you make of what to me seem like relatively callous expressions of condolences for those who are making the ultimate sacrifice for their nation?  SETH MOULTON: That's the word I've used as well. And the troops and the Gold Star families deserve respect, not callousness. But let's not forget that this is a man, Donald Trump, who called our veterans, and this is well documented, he called them suckers for serving, losers for getting killed in combat, and he attacked John McCain, a true American hero, for getting captured. So that's actually what he thinks about those who go to serve as opposed to those like himself  who dodge the draft, fabricate a medical excuse to not serve himself.  And it's not lost on me, as a War on Terror veteran, that his sons, which are about the same age, could have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, never served. And you don't see Barron signing up to serve either. So this is not a president or his family who fundamentally understands anything about putting your life on the line for our country. 

The last month has brought renewed attention to crime lords allegedly stealing $3.5 billion from California’s hospice system. Congress and the Trump administration are investigating, and rightly so. The dying deserve dignity, not to have their safety net looted.But hospice is not the only target — and not every thief wears a ski mask.The federal government does not have to accept California’s bookkeeping tricks.Across California, politicians and their allies exploit Medicaid — a federal program meant to help the poor — to paper over budget holes they created. They do it through a bureaucratic “shell game” that shifts billions while patients and taxpayers pick up the tab.The mechanism is called an intergovernmental transfer. Local public providers or government agencies spend Medicaid funds. The state then counts that spending as its own and uses it to draw matching federal dollars. When that money arrives, the state sends it back to the same providers as higher reimbursements. Those providers end up receiving more than they originally spent, even though the state did not put up additional state funds.This scheme has driven ambulance reimbursements into the stratosphere.Between 2022 and 2024, the cost of publicly funded ambulances in California soared from $339 to $1,168 per trip. The state now asks for 2026 reimbursements to rise to more than $1,600. That increase means more than $1,200 per ambulance ride that does not go to patient care. It pads the state’s books and props up obligations like California’s failing pension system.This is not a straightforward street scam. It is worse: legalized looting with official letterhead.Families pay the price. Patients pay the price. Honest providers pay the price.Imagine what that extra $1,200 per ride could do if it went where Medicaid dollars are supposed to go: patient care, staffing, equipment, response times. Now imagine what happens when ambulance companies that are not connected to the right politicians cannot compete and start shutting down. When that happens, the people harmed will not be the insiders who designed the system. It will be the sick, the poor, and the vulnerable.I know what it means to depend on a functioning safety net.My brother has level 3 autism spectrum disorder — the most severe diagnosis. He is nonverbal. He cannot feed himself, dress himself, or use the bathroom without help. My parents cannot leave him home alone because he can wander into danger. Keeping him safe requires 24-hour supervision.My parents knew what that meant. They also knew they wanted him at home, not in an institution.Medicaid and In-Home Supportive Services, which helps cover the cost of at-home care, made that possible. Those programs kept our family together. They gave my parents a way to provide love and stability that no facility can replicate.It has still been hard. The work never ends.RELATED: Dr. Oz exposes alleged fraud in Los Angeles — so Gavin Newsom calls for investigation into his ‘racially charged’ claims Photo by Alex Wong/Getty ImagesMy brother’s diagnosis hit my parents like a crisis. They answered with courage. They had more lucrative opportunities elsewhere, but they stayed with the Army because it was the only employer that could guarantee my brother’s access to health care.We are a military family. We understand service and sacrifice. We also understand the moral bargain behind safety-net programs: Taxpayers step up so that families in crisis do not collapse.That bargain fails when politicians treat Medicaid as a slush fund.These financial shell games cost taxpayers billions and create nightmares for families like mine who follow the rules. This is not robbing Peter to pay Paul. This is robbing Peter and leaving Paul on the street.Americans should be sickened by the heartlessness of anyone who steals from programs designed to serve the vulnerable — whether the thieves are organized crime syndicates or the well-connected insiders who know how to work California’s bureaucracy. Hospice exists so that people can die with dignity. Ambulances exist to get patients to care quickly. Neither exists to generate money for the state and its chosen beneficiaries.Here is the good news: Congress and the Trump administration have started digging into hospice abuse. The bad news is that those investigations and policy changes can take years.Ending Medicaid ambulance intergovernmental transfer abuse could be done in a matter of days.The federal government does not have to accept California’s bookkeeping tricks. President Trump can direct federal agencies to stop approving these inflated reimbursement schemes and demand reforms that put patients first. One signature could force California to stop gaming Medicaid and start serving the people the program was built to help.

Michael Jordan is now dominating a new sport, and has started off 2026 by breaking records.Jordan's 23XI racing team settled an antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR in December, after alleging the racing organization is a monopoly that uses unfair practices to decide which teams are guaranteed participation. Now that Jordan's team has acquired that guaranteed (chartered) status, they have hit the ground running and immediately set an all-time record in 2026.'It's time for change.'In the 77 years of NASCAR racing, no team has ever won the first three races of a season until Jordan's 23XI team. Astoundingly, driver Tyler Reddick has won the Daytona 500, EchoPark Speedway, and the Circuit of the Americas to start the 2026 season, despite having zero first-place finishes in all of 2025."It’s time for change," Jordan told Fox NASCAR reporter Jamie Little after the race. "Time for change, and the guys feel the same thing. Tyler came in with the most pressure, I guess. Everybody expected him — or he had a chance — to win three in a row, and that's the hardest one to win. He kept to his strategy, and man, the guys put together a great car."Jordan gave all the credit to his team and drivers, saying, "I just put up the money. I'm just a competitor.""That's what it’s about — winning."RELATED: Michael Jordan sues NASCAR but is dealt major legal blow just 2 days before his driver competes in Cup Series championship Just under Reddick at the top of the standings is another one of Jordan's drivers, Bubba Wallace. Wallace drives car No. 23, representing the number Jordan made famous during his time in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls.Reddick drives car No. 45, a number Jordan briefly wore when he came out of retirement in 1995, before switching back to 23 in the playoffs that year."It's one race, but it was so important, so fitting that we were able to get three in a row and make history," Reddick said after the race, per NBC Sports. "Just trying to remember everything that I knew was going to be important there at the end and just tried to minimize the mistakes."RELATED: It's personal: Michael Jordan is more charitable than the media tells you Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images Jordan's lawsuit, which included team Front Row Motorsports, challenged NASCAR's charter program that consists of 36 charter teams who are guaranteed to compete in the field of 40 for each race.The remaining four spots are decided by a rather complex system that differs depending on the race. In general, non-chartered teams typically compete in a qualifying race or win a spot based on their qualifying time.As Fearless reported in 2024, Jordan's side argued that the unpredictability of being an non-chartered team meant the possible loss of drivers and sponsors from week to week, while binding the teams to the specific series (NASCAR), its tracks, and suppliers.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Rick James’ death struck the music world like a tidal wave. In the 1980s, the “Super Freak” singer had taken funk music out of the nightclub and delivered mainstream hits on a silver platter. He had sold over 10 million records, was a Grammy Award winner, inspired countless artists, and become an icon in his own time. Then, suddenly, he was gone. George Rose/Getty ImagesRick James’ cause of death was a heart attack, but the drugs in his body may have contributed to his demise. On August 6, 2004, Rick James was found dead by his full-time caretaker in his Hollywood home. He was 56 years old. By that point, it was well known that James had indulged in numerous vices throughout his career, including hard drugs. He had once even described himself as an “icon of drug use and eroticism.” So, many fans feared that James had died of an overdose. However, Rick James’ cause of death turned out to be a heart attack. That said, a toxicology report also revealed that he had nine different drugs in his system at the time of his death — including cocaine and meth. The Los Angeles County coroner said that “none of the drugs or drug combinations were found to be at levels that were life-threatening in and of themselves.” Still, it’s believed that the substances in his body — as well as his long history of drug abuse — contributed to his early demise. While the coroner’s findings did provide a sense of closure to James’ loved ones, it also left many of them saddened. Apparently, James had ravaged his body to such an extent for so many decades that by that point, it could take no more. This is the tumultuous story of Rick James’ death. The Turbulent Early Years Of Rick James Wikimedia CommonsBefore Rick James became a superstar, he dabbled in a life of crime as a pimp and burglar. Born James Ambrose Johnson Jr., on February 1, 1948, in Buffalo, New York, Rick James was the third of eight children. Since his uncle was bass vocalist Melvin Franklin of The Temptations, the young James had music in his genes — but a potpourri of trouble would nearly lead him to a life of obscurity. Accompanying his numbers-running mother on her routes to bars, James got to see artists like Miles Davis and John Coltrane at work. James later said that he lost his virginity at age 9 or 10, and claimed that his “kinky nature was there early.” As a teen, he began dabbling in drugs and burglary. To avoid the draft, James lied about his age to join the Navy Reserve. But he skipped too many Reserve sessions and ended up getting drafted to serve in the Vietnam War anyway — which he dodged by escaping to Toronto in 1964. While in Canada, the teen went by “Ricky James Matthews.” Ebet Roberts/Redferns/Getty ImagesRick James at the Frankie Crocker Awards in New York City in 1983. James soon formed a band called the Mynah Birds and found some success. He also befriended Neil Young and met Stevie Wonder, who urged him to shorten his name. But after a rival ratted James out for going AWOL, he surrendered to authorities and spent a year in jail for draft evasion. After he was released, he moved to Los Angeles to meet up with some friends from Toronto, who had since set their sights on Hollywood. While there, James met a socialite who wanted to invest in him. His name was Jay Sebring, “a cat who’d made millions selling hair products.” Sebring invited James and his then-girlfriend to a party in Beverly Hills in August 1969. “Jay was in a great mood and wanted to take me and Seville to Roman Polanski’s crib, where the actress Sharon Tate was living,” James recalled. “There was gonna be a big party, and Jay didn’t want us to miss it.” This party would later turn out to be a site of the Manson Family Murders. How The King Of Punk-Funk Went From A Life Of Decadence To Decline Flickr/RV1864Rick James with Eddie Murphy, a close friend and occasional collaborator. Luckily for Rick James, he avoided being killed by Charles Manson’s followers — all because he was too hungover to attend the party. However, his budding fame as a performer eventually led to a different kind of darkness: addiction. In 1978, James released his debut album and soon became a star. Touring the world while selling millions of records, James became so wealthy that he purchased the former mansion of media mogul William Randolph Hearst. But he also used his money on drugs. And his casual cocaine use of the 1960s and ’70s became a regular habit by the 1980s. “When I hit it that first time, sirens went off,” he recalled of his first time trying freebasing cocaine. “Rockets were launched. I was sent reeling through space. At the time, the physical exhilaration of smoking coke in pure form overpowered any semblance of sense I ever possessed.” L. Cohen/WireImage/Getty ImagesRick James, pictured just two months before his death in 2004. For years, James had unapologetically pursued drugs — and wild sex — along with his music. But after his mother died of cancer in 1991, James said, “There was nothing to keep me from descending into the lowest level of Hell. That meant orgies. That meant sadomasochism. That even meant bestiality. I was the Roman emperor Caligula. I was the Marquis de Sade.” Around the same time, James was found guilty of assaulting two women. Disturbingly, one of the women claimed that James and his then-girlfriend had imprisoned and tortured her over a period of three days in his Hollywood home. He spent over two years in prison as a result. After he was released in 1995, he tried to make a comeback in the music industry. But while James had once produced Eddie Murphy’s hit song “Party All The Time,” his own party was clearly coming to an end. In 1998, after his final album peaked at No. 170 on the Billboard charts, he suffered a debilitating stroke that abruptly halted his entire career. Inside The Death Of Rick James YouTube/KCAL9The Toluca Hills Apartments, where Rick James died of a heart attack in 2004. Though Rick James spent several years out of the limelight, he made an unexpected return in 2004 — thanks to an appearance on Chappelle’s Show. Chronicling his infamous escapades to a comical effect, James introduced himself to a whole new audience who was not only happy to hear him speak but also to see him perform on stage once again at awards shows. But later that year, he would breathe his last. On August 6, 2004, Rick James was found unresponsive in his Los Angeles home. His personal physician said Rick James’ cause of death was an “existing medical condition.” Meanwhile, his family attributed the death to natural causes. Fans awaited clarity on the legendary singer’s final hours as many grieved their loss. “Today the world mourns a musician and performer of the funkiest kind,” announced Recording Academy president Neil Portnow, shortly after Rick James’ death. “Grammy winner Rick James was a singer, songwriter, and producer whose performances were always as dynamic as his personality. The ‘Super Freak’ of funk will be missed.” On September 16th, the Los Angeles County coroner revealed Rick James’ cause of death. He died of a heart attack, but had nine drugs in his system at the time, including meth and cocaine. (The other seven drugs included Xanax, Valium, Wellbutrin, Celexa, Vicodin, Digoxin, and Chlorpheniramine.) Frederick M. Brown/Getty ImagesRick James’ children — Ty, Tazman, and Rick James Jr. — at his funeral at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles. Just a couple of months before he died, Rick James had accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Rhythm & Soul Awards that was made of smooth glass. He then famously quipped, “Years ago, I would have used this for something totally different. Cocaine is a hell of a drug.” Though he insisted in his later years that he had kicked his old habits, his toxicology report clearly showed that wasn’t the case. While Rick James’ cause of death was not a drug overdose, it’s possible that the substances in his body — as well as his past drug abuse — contributed to his demise. By the time the tragic report was revealed, it had already been weeks since James was laid to rest. Around 1,200 people had attended the public memorial. “This is his moment of glory,” his daughter Ty said at the time. “He would’ve loved to have known he had this much support.” In the end, the coroner ruled Rick James’ death an accident. It was ultimately a heart attack that led his body to shut down for good. And while the singer had ingested a cocktail of substances and medications before his final moments, none of the drugs had directly caused him to die. During Rick James’ funeral, journalist David Ritz recalled a fitting sendoff. “A giant joint was placed atop one of the speakers facing the mourners,” Ritz wrote of the otherwise somber scene. “Someone lit it. The smell of weed began drifting over the hall. A few turned their heads to avoid the smoke; others opened their mouths and inhaled.” After learning about the death of Rick James, read about the last days of James Brown. Then, take a look at 33 photos of the crack epidemic that ravaged America in the 1980s and early ’90s. The post The Inside Story Of Rick James’ Death And His Tumultuous Final Years appeared first on All That's Interesting.