HBO’s John Oliver had two distinctly outrageous hot takes on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight. First, Oliver called ICE operations that seek to enforce immigration laws “state-sanctioned kidnapping,” and later, during his deep dive into presidential libraries, claimed that former President Ronald Reagan is in hell. During the immigration portion of the show, Oliver praised people who are protesting ICE, “Perfect! Well done to everybody involved. And I absolutely love that that woman said, 'I came to bother ICE,' because that seems reasonable to me. If ICE can show up and bother some guys at their roofing job, then bystanders should be able to bother ICE at their state-sanctioned kidnapping job. It is only fair. And look, this administration is clearly still hell-bent on trying to intimidate communities with shows of force, which is why it's so important for them to be met with strong pushback each and every time because this administration is obsessed with appearances.”     Later, Oliver began his discussion on presidential libraries by playing a clip of a video that is shown at the Reagan Library that highlights Reagan’s love of horses. Oliver reacted by taking a Reagan quote and trying to make it weird, “And, look, my position on horses is clear, I think, but Reagan's quote, 'There's nothing as good as the inside of a man is the outside of a horse,' might be the dirtiest thing I've ever heard. He should've been put on a watch list. He should've been banned from petting zoos and merry-go-rounds.” He then added, “I sincerely hope they don't have horses in hell, because they are not safe.”  Oliver’s animosity towards Reagan is nothing new. Back in March, Oliver claimed the best thing about Reagan was that “he’s dead” and that “if you brought Reagan back from the dead and told him all the racist shit Trump's managed to do in less than two months, he'd cum so hard he'd die again.” Also, back in June, Oliver tried blaming Reagan for the woeful state of air traffic control. Finally, Oliver isn’t the only liberal comedian to declare Reagan is in hell: outgoing CBS host of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert, is also fond of such “jokes.” Here is a transcript for the October 5 show: HBO Last Week Tonight 10/5/2025 11:18 PM ET JOHN OLIVER: Perfect! Well done to everybody involved. And I absolutely love that that woman said, "I came to bother ICE," because that seems reasonable to me. If ICE can show up and bother some guys at their roofing job, then bystanders should be able to bother ICE at their state-sanctioned kidnapping job. It is only fair. And look, this administration is clearly still hell-bent on trying to intimidate communities with shows of force, which is why it's so important for them to be met with strong pushback each and every time because this administration is obsessed with appearances. … And, look, my position on horses is clear, I think, but Reagan's quote, "There's nothing as good as the inside of a man is the outside of a horse," might be the dirtiest thing I've ever heard. He should've been put on a watch list. He should've been banned from petting zoos and merry-go-rounds. I sincerely hope they don't have horses in hell, because they are not safe. 

Monday marked a major point in MSNBC’s split from parent company Comcast as NBC correspondents not based in Washington D.C. would no longer appear on MSNBC with D.C.-based reporters severing ties on October 20. But the funniest aspect of Monday’s split was the release of a new code of conduct — dubbed “10 core principles” by an executive with MSNBC’s new parent company, Versant — that include things like “accuracy,” “fairness,” and “integrity.” Shared with Poynter, the first one listed was integrity with this definition: “We uphold the highest ethical standards. We respect the law when reporting the news. We advocate for journalists’ rights. We protect and defend press freedom and the First Amendment. We respect our colleagues, our sources and the communities we cover.” Cue The Price Is Right sad trombone. If the network soon to be known as MSNOW was concerned about integrity, why then did they have to settle a defamation suit in February for false stories about a Georgia doctor shows had dubbed “the uterus collector?” Or anything that came out of the mouth of Joy Reid during either of her stops at the network? Play the womp, womp sound again after hearing point two about “accuracy”: “We aim to be accurate in our reporting 100 percent of the time. If we establish that our reporting is flawed, we take prompt action to correct or clarify the mistake.” Point four was supposed to go hand-in-hand: “Opinion: The views expressed by our opinion journalists and contributors are based on accurate, reported facts.” In between the two was one about “fairness,” which they said MSNBC would “report the news with an open mind[.]” Back in August, our Bill D’Agostino found MSNBC teamed up with CNN to recite debunked D.C. crime stats 73 times in a 24-hour period. Another example occurred on Monday itself with Deadline: White House host Nicolle Wallace and legal analyst Mary McCord falsely claiming the fire at a South Carolina judge’s home was tied to the Trump administration. Investigators had said, in fact, there’s no evidence it was an act of political violence. And back during the election season, MSNBC falsely claimed then-Senator JD Vance (R-OH) was lying about Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) embellishing his military record. We could go on, but needless to say, accuracy and integrity are things no one should associate with such a partisan network. Points seven through nine — perspectives, transparency, and independence — were also laughably false when it comes to both the network’s past and where’s headed: Perspectives: We believe our audience is best served when our journalism reflects a variety of perspectives on the world we cover. Transparency: We disclose to our audience any commercial initiatives that may intersect with our editorial content. Independence: We avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest. We do not accept gifts or favors that could appear to influence news judgment. On the “perspectives” plank, at least CNN has four actual conservatives — Scott Jennings, Shermichael Singleton, Brad Todd, and David Urban — on their payroll. Who does MSNBC have? John Kasich and Carlos Curbelo don’t count. Versant senior vice president of standards and editorial partnerships for news Brain Carovillano emailed staff and spoke to Poytner’s Tom Jones, arguing “core journalism values like fairness, transparency and accuracy are all critical to maintaining trust between news organizations and their audiences,” which in MSNBC’s case is “incredibly loyal and dedicated.” “Today, we’re stating our commitment to these core values as we step into a new era for our organization, but in many ways it’s a restatement of the principles we’ve always followed,” he added.

ABC News program The View knew that heated political rhetoric could incite someone to political violence, that’s why they joined in calls to bring down the temperature following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Thus, when they engaged in incendiary rhetoric during Tuesday’s episode – when they insisted that the National Guard was going to steal the upcoming midterm elections – it meant they didn’t care if someone tried to kill National Guard troops to stop them. The View was irked that President Trump was sending National Guard troops to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from the liberal extremists that have been trying to kill them (which they claimed wasn’t actually happening, but more on that later). “This is a pretext to stop the next election! That's what I think it is,” shouted co-host Joy Behar.     A short time later, Behar doubled down on her inciting rhetoric that the National Guard was a threat to the country and that they were going to do away with the right to vote: GOLDBERG: That's what the feeling is. BEHAR: And if they stop us from voting, that's the one thing people have. GOLDBERG: I mean, it's the one thing that makes us very different from lots of other countries. Our votes, they do count. I do know that they count. BEHAR: If we are allowed to vote.     With a tacit acceptance of Behar’s premise, moderator Whoopi Goldberg argued that “people will figure out how to vote” because “They don't want a dictatorship.” Pretend independent co-host Sara Haines had her own conspiracy theory about the deployment of the National Guard, it was all a distraction: HAINES: I would say it also might also be a distraction from the hearing that’s going on right now about the Epstein files. BEHAR: Right! HAINES: Some things have come up and AG Pam Bondi was dodging questions and attacking back. Do you not think maybe the whole civil unrest story line is maybe overblown? Earlier in the show, Haines proclaimed that there was no need for the National Guard because she could not personally find any evidence of a threat to the lives of ICE agents and claimed it was actually law enforcement who were the real threat: I was trying to dig deep because I kept thinking, ‘okay, I'm going to concede is this rising to the occasion where we need the National Guard?’ … I kept looking for a video … The problem is when you go looking for these videos, sometimes the aggressors are the law enforcement and the ICE agents, so that's problematic to their messaging right now.     Haines was either profoundly ignorant, had a massive blind spot in her news consumption, or knew she was lying. ICE agents had literally come under sniper fire at one facility and a gunman ambushed them at another; there was even a ramming attack in Chicago and the liberal leadership told the local police not to aid them. Goldberg had also clownishly claimed she had “never seen” the Insurrection Act invoked “in my lifetime.” Co-hosts Alyssa Farah Griffin and Sunny Hostin had to inform her that it was invoked during the Rodney King Riots in the 90s. Behar had really ramped up the rhetoric that could incite someone to violence in recent days. On September 17, she proclaimed that America was “screwed” with Trump as president and Republicans in power. A few days later, on September 30, she crashed out and insisted that “you're delusional” if you think America would “survive” Trump. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View October 7, 2025 11:05: 36 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: I don't know if we've ever been here. I know in my lifetime I've never seen. JOY BEHAR: Well, the Insurrection Act has been ordered by other people. Lincoln and – ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Rodney King in the 90s. SUNNY HOSTIN: 1992, H.W. Bush did. BEHAR: Yeah, they’ve done it HOSTIN: It wasn't done on January 6, though. BEHAR: If anybody knows about an insurrection, it's Donald Trump. But, you know, to me -- HOSTIN: It wasn't invoked then. It wasn't invoked then. BEHAR: The thing about it is that him sending military into Portland. Portland had an ICE facility protest of eight to 15 people. That was it. Then he made -- because he sent them in there, they've – it’s gotten worse. So he creates the problem. HOSTIN: Yeah. SARA HAINES: Well, I couldn't find -- you know you watch the January 6 footage – and I think they were just playing some – we all saw that and no one had to tell you how to feel about it. You looked at it and made your own judgment and it was clear to me. I was trying to dig deep because I kept thinking, ‘okay, I'm going to concede is this rising to the occasion where we need the National Guard?’ This -- The crowds that they are drawing are a fraction of when it's been used in history when they've actually decided to deploy the National Guard into these places. And I would just ask for some consistency then because when I look at the video of January 6, that was very clearly people uprising, vandalizing the Capitol, killing - HOSTIN: An insurrection. HAINES: Yeah, very much an insurrection. But there literally – there was video. I kept looking for a video here to say, when are we seeing things to this level? Because his administration is known for it’s messaging and owning a narrative. If they were seeing that I feel they would have pasted it everywhere. The problem is when you go looking for these videos, sometimes the aggressors are the law enforcement and the ICE agents, so that's problematic to their messaging right now. (…) 11:09:15 a.m. Eastern FARAH GRIFFIN: There is crime in American cities. But the way to deal with it is get the funding that you need for police, get the training that you need, and work with local officials. BEHAR: This is a pretext to stop the next election! That's what I think it is. HAINES: I would say it also might also be a distraction from the hearing that’s going on right now about the Epstein files. BEHAR: Right! HAINES: Some things have come up and AG Pam Bondi was dodging questions and attacking back. Do you not think maybe the whole civil unrest story line is maybe overblown? FARAH GRIFFIN: I think that Donald Trump also sees American troops in U.S. cities as a sign of strength. I think most Americans don't. I think they see it as societal breakdown. (…) 11:10:48 a.m. Eastern WHOOPI GOLDBERG: This is -- this is in order to make the case because in their minds, in all of their minds, they now believe they have carte blanche to do whatever they want to. BEHAR: That's right. HOSTIN: Yes. GOLDBERG: That's what the feeling is. BEHAR: And if they stop us from voting, that's the one thing people have. GOLDBERG: I mean, it's the one thing that makes us very different from lots of other countries. Our votes, they do count. I do know that they count. BEHAR: If we are allowed to vote. GOLDBERG: I think people will figure out how to vote. Because I don’t – One thing I believe I know about Americans is they don't want to be told what to do. They don't want to be -- they don't want that. You know, they don't want it. You can suggest some stuff, but they don't want you saying, you got to go over here and do this. They don't want that. They don't want a dictatorship. (…)

It’s not me. It’s you, a phrase rarely uttered in the dating world, and yet something Google seems to often repeat—but only when it has to. Such was the tech giant’s counsel-written statement in response to a subpoena from Chairman Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) House Judiciary Committee regarding censorship. From the letter:  “It is unacceptable and wrong when any government, including the Biden Administration, attempts to dictate how the Company moderates content, and the Company has consistently fought against those efforts on First Amendment grounds,” [emphasis added]. MRC Vice President Dan Schneider nearly went line for line in an op-ed on the Alphabet counsel letter, ripping it to shreds for being little more than a “sly censorship ‘confession.’” In the New York Post piece, Schneider made sure readers were eyes-wide-open regarding what the letter actually conveyed:  “Google admitted little, promised less — and pledged to change nothing. “It offered not confession but evasion.” Google “revealed nothing new;” it “admitted no wrongdoing;” the platform “volunteered nothing;” it “clarified nothing;” Google “said nothing;” and perhaps worst of all, it “changed nothing.” Indeed, Google’s censorship gig has been ongoing for quite some time now, as has been documented over and over and over and over and over again by MRC Free Speech America across its multiple platforms from Google Search to video (YouTube) to news aggregator (Google News) to artificial intelligence chatbot (Gemini).  But Schneider said enough is enough. “Free speech advocates can no longer take a wait-and-see approach,” he wrote, before offering a clear solution to cure the Big Tech online censorship problem: “Congress should make clear that Big Tech platforms are ‘common carriers,’ prohibited under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act from censoring users.” “The Federal Communications Commission can take action through its rule-making processes, and the Federal Trade Commission can penalize Google for deceptive advertising practices.” Then there’s the West’s digital ID creep. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave nearly the same answer as Google’s counsel in response to a question about why England needed digital ID: It’s not me. It’s you In an interview with the BBC, Starmer pointed the finger at U.K. citizens—not the Labour Party’s failed immigration policies—and demanded U.K. citizens obtain digital ID in order to protect them from illegal immigration. “[T]here’s no point, people saying to me, ‘Why do we need it?’ when we all acknowledge there is a problem,” claimed Starmer. “People are working illegally in our economy. It is amongst the reasons that people want to come to the United Kingdom. We have to deal with that. I made a pledge that we would do whatever was necessary, use whatever tools were available to deal with illegal migration, and I intend to do so.” Reform Party Member of Parliament Nigel Farage was having none of it. He rightly condemned it as a “means of controlling the population,” among other things.  “All that digital ID will be is a means of controlling the population, of telling us what we can and can’t do, of fining the innocent,” stated Farage. “And didn’t we see it all when we had the pandemic, when you had to have vaccine ID to travel, to do various things? Did that stop the COVID pandemic’s … spreading? Did it help? All it did was put cost and inconvenience on everybody else. I also worry about massive databanks being held by the government, being hacked by foreign governments, by private companies, by criminals. I do not see a single benefit to the government having digital ID other than them controlling what we do, what we spend, and where we go.” Several GOP politicians took note. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas (R) responded in an X post Sept. 26: “The idea is not fully complete. People might lose their ID. If I might suggest, the govt could mandate that the 18-digit number must be tattooed on their right hand & on their forehead. What could possibly go wrong?” So, too, did Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), calling it, “1984-ish.” DeSantis, for his part, has already taken concrete steps to combat the looming threat of digital ID in his state by passing a law forbidding their use. He addressed the issue across the pond, writing in an X post on Oct. 1, “Stopping digital ID in the UK will be a big win for freedom. It’s obvious that they want to use digital ID for access to banking, medical, and even voting. They will try to layer CDBC[sic] on top of it.” But if you think it can’t happen here in America. Think again. As I wrote back in March 2023, the foundation for a U.S. CBDC has already been laid.  First came President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14067 of March 9, 2022, “Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets,” which outlined the Biden administration’s priorities. “My Administration places the highest urgency on research and development efforts into the potential design and deployment options of a United States CBDC,” read the executive order.  Then, in June 2022, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell noted that CBDCs were already being examined and went on to praise how “a U.S. CBDC could also potentially help maintain the dollar’s international standing.”  Next, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen piled on, providing a report on “The Future of Money and Payments,” which included the following recommendations: (1) “Advance work on a possible U.S. CBDC, in case one is determined to be in the national interest;” (2) “Encourage use of instant payment systems to support a more competitive, efficient, and inclusive U.S. payment landscape;” (3) “Establish a federal framework for payments regulation to protect users and the financial system, while supporting responsible innovations in payments” and (4) “Prioritize efforts to improve cross-border payments, both to enhance payment system efficiency and protect national security.” The minority leader on the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), has also gone so far as to endorse the creation of an American CBDC. She even held a Senate hearing titled “Building a Stronger Financial System: Opportunities of a Central Bank Digital Currency.” Her counterpart in the House, House Financial Services Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), reportedly spearheaded the inclusion of pro-CBDC provisions in the massive stimulus bill requested by then-President Joe Biden (though the final statute did not contain her language). Rallying support in the House to block a proposed social credit system ban, Waters even called CBDC development “the next space race.”  And so, for all the reasons that Cruz, DeSantis and Farage have said, digital ID and its partner CBDCs are horrible—not to mention how they can and would be used to chill and suppress free speech. Free speech is the backbone of democratic societies, and we all saw how government colluded with the private sector to target and silence dissent during the pandemic. It looks like digital tyranny is rearing its head again in the U.K., and it could happen here in America, too, if we’re not careful. Freedom-loving Americans must stand up and say, “No,” now ... before it’s too late.

MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace and “Prosecuting Donald Trump” podcast Co-Host Mary McCord tried to blame President Donald Trump Monday for a fire at the house of a South Carolina judge who once ruled against the president – but, authorities say there’s no reason to suspect arson. Discussing a fire that burned down the home of South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein on Saturday, MSNBC Host Wallace and MSNBC Legal Analyst McCord, co-host of the “Prosecuting Donald Trump” podcast, accused Trump of instigating arson against the judge. Wallace framed the tragedy as “the fire that destroyed the home of a South Carolina circuit court judge who faced criticism from Trump officials after a ruling she made against the Trump administration”: “It comes amid a surge in hostility and threats against judges, as well as criticism directly from the Trump administration, including for Judge Goodstein after she temporarily blocked the Justice Department from accessing the files of millions of registered voters in South Carolina.” Judge Goodstein’s ruling against the Trump administration was  overturned by the South Carolina State Supreme Court. “When you’re starting to attack judges because of their rulings, we’re in a very, very dangerous position in this country – and it makes judges fearful,” McCord said presumptuously, going on to blame President Trump’s criticism of Goodstein for inspiring an attack on the judge: “He needs to know the power of his voice and how people respond to that.” “[T]here is no evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally,” according to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel. “SLED agents have preliminarily found there is no evidence to support a pre-fire explosion,” Chief Keel added in a statement. MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace and Mary McCord tried to blame Trump for the fire at the house of the South Carolina judge. In a proper society these people would be taken off the air. pic.twitter.com/yK8X6vSttX — MAZE (@mazemoore) October 7, 2025 Wallace and McCord appear to have taken their cue from Democrat Rep. Daniel Goldman’s (D-NY) social media post Sunday blaming Trump for inciting “the extreme right” to commit arson: "Trump, @StephenM and MAGA-world have been doxxing and threatening judges who rule against Trump, including Judge Goodstein. Today, someone committed arson on the Judge’s home, severely injuring her husband and son. Will Trump speak out against the extreme right that did this??" "You are vile. Deeply warped and vile,” Stephen Miller, Trump’s Homeland Security advisor, shot back, responding to the post: “While the Trump Administration has launched the first-ever government-wide effort to combat and prosecute illegal doxing, sinister threats and political violence you continue to push despicable lies, demented smears, malicious defamation and foment unrest. Despicable." Despite the findings reported by South Carolina Law Enforcement, MSNBC continues to express hope that it will be able to blame the fire on Trump – even in its online “update”: “UPDATE (Oct. 6, 2025, 6:18 p.m. ET): The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said enforcement officials said Monday afternoon that there is no initial evidence to indicate the fire was intentionally set. The investigation remains ongoing.” …. “Saturday’s fire comes one month after Judge Goodstein temporarily blocked the state from handing the Justice Department the personal data of millions of voters.”

A paraplegic man in Oklahoma City said he's been robbed twice in the space of a month and fears for his safety, KWTV-DT reported.Alan Prudhome noted to the station he believes those who stole from him did so believing that his disability makes him an easy target.'I wake up to somebody trying to take my bag off me that I keep everything in.'"Someone had pried the door open, went in and stole my TVs, my laptop, my computer," Prudhome told KWTV regarding what went down at this apartment. "Took a bunch of random things."Also stolen were cash and medicine — and even Prudhome's wheelchair, as well as hand controls he used to help him drive it, the station said. Photo by: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesPrudhome filed a police report believing it was a one-time incident, KWTV reported — but just a week later, an even worse incident occurred."I wake up to somebody trying to take my bag off me that I keep everything in," Prudhome recalled to the station. "I was like, 'What are you doing?'"Prudhome told KWTV a second individual later identified as Johnny Johnson walked out of his closet with a box of his belongings."I said, 'Why are you doing this to me?'" Prudhome noted to the station. "He said, 'It happened to me,' and I said, 'You're not paraplegic; you can do for yourself.'"After Prudhome called police, officers arrested Johnson in the area but never located the second suspect, KWTV reported.Prudhome told the station the two suspects from the second burglary live in the same apartment complex as him, but he wasn't sure if they were involved in the first break-in.Johnson was charged with one count of first-degree burglary and remained in custody Tuesday at the Oklahoma County Detention Center, jail records show. His bond is $15,000, and his next court date is Oct. 23, jail records also indicate.Prudhome set up a GoFundMe to help him make up for his losses, and it's raised just over $11,000 of a $16,000 goal.Then over the weekend, more good news came his way.After hearing Prudhome’s story, Stacy Reddig — owner of Wheelchairs for Veterans — told KFOR-TV, “I just cannot believe that somebody would steal this man’s medical equipment, so we jumped all over it."Redding's organization donated a brand-new manual wheelchair to Prudhome, which will help him get around easier, KFOR reported.“I can go where I need to go, and I don’t have to worry about not being able to get to appointments,” Prudhome added to KFOR.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Democratic politicians are in lockstep in refusing to call on Virginia attorney general nominee Jay Jones to end his race despite the release of disturbing text messages advocating for violence against a Republican lawmaker and his children.In the leaked text exchange with Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner from August 2022, Jones presented a hypothetical scenario in which he had two bullets and had to choose between shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, Adolf Hitler, and Pol Pot, the National Review reported on Friday. In this scenario, Jones declared he would shoot Gilbert twice.Jones stated that, in the event his colleagues across the aisle died first, he would "go to their funerals to piss on their graves." He also said that Gilbert and his wife should have to watch their children die, which he justified by claiming the couple was "breeding little fascists." 'I think it's a test for Virginia.'Coyner responded by asking Jones to "please stop," stating that "it really bothers me when you talk about hurting people or wishing death on them."Jones did not deny writing the messages but issued an apology for his comments."Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry," he stated in part. "I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children."RELATED: Democrat's vile texts wish death on GOP lawmaker — even MSNBC host demands AG nominee drop out of race Jay Jones. Photo by Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty ImagesHowever, the controversy did not end there for the AG nominee. Coyner shared on Monday more alleged disturbing comments by Jones.She told the Virginia Scope that during a "pretty heated conversation" with Jones about the removal of qualified immunity for police officers, he stated that "maybe if a few [cops] died" they would stop "shooting" and "killing people.""He firmly believed that if you removed qualified immunity, that police officers would act differently, and I firmly believe that it would not result in good public policy, and it would put police officers and the public's lives at risk if they have to second-guess themselves on a decision they're making in a moment where someone is doing something violent," Coyner said.Jones denied making those remarks."I did not say this," Jones told the Virginia Scope. "I have never believed and do not believe that any harm should come to law enforcement, period. Every single day, police officers put their lives on the line to protect our communities, and I am deeply grateful for their service and sacrifice. As attorney general, I will work hand in hand with law enforcement to support their work."RELATED: Texas National Guard deployed to Chicago amid increasing left-wing violence Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty ImagesJones' controversial statements advocating for violence prompted many Republicans to call for him to withdraw from the race. While some of his Democratic colleagues have rebuked his comments, none have insisted he end his campaign."I think it's a test for Virginia. It's now no longer right versus left in Virginia. This election's about, in my opinion, right versus wrong," Jones' opponent, Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares, told Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck on Tuesday.Miyares addressed Democrats' silence. "You had a few liberal columnists that have said this is beyond the pale, he shouldn't be in the race. But, to right now, [Democrats are] either dead silent or this sense of, 'We condemn the text messages. It's not acceptable, and Jay Jones should be held accountable for this,'" Miyares continued. "But they don't say what that means, and, by all accounts, they're continuing to campaign." When asked whether he had any plans to call on Jones to withdraw from the race, Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told Blaze News, "There is nothing that can justify these indefensible words, and they are contrary to all I've known about Jay Jones for decades. With hundreds of thousands of Virginians already having voted, it's up to Virginians to decide."Blaze News asked the same question of Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger, the Virginia Democratic Party, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D), U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Democratic Virginia U.S. Reps. Don Beyer, Jennifer McClellan, Bobby Scott, Suhas Subramanyam, Eugene Vindman, and James Walkinshaw.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Tensions are escalating between Chicago's Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), and the Trump administration.With Trump's White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller delivering strong remarks as of late and promising to rid American streets of crime, liberal cities have been put on notice that the federal government finally wants to put an end to the dangers of gang activity and criminality.'Being a welcoming city means being a city that embraces people equally with open arms.'Chicago has been known as a dangerous city for decades, but now that the feds are stepping in, Democrats are getting in the way. Chicago has a detailed history of supporting illegal immigrants on the municipal level. Here's how:The beginning of sanctuary city policiesChicago's sanctuary city status dates all the way back to 1985, when Mayor Harold Washington (D) signed an executive order that stated city workers could not ask people about their immigration status.The city joined other liberal strongholds like Cambridge, Massachusetts; St. Paul, Minnesota; as well as California cities Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Francisco, and Berkeley.That year, an estimated 80,000 people from Guatemala and El Salvador lived in San Francisco.The Welcoming City OrdinanceIn 2012, Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) all but officially made Chicago a sanctuary city with the Welcoming City Ordinance. Using careful terms, the ordinance implemented protections for illegal aliens "who have not been convicted of a serious crime and are not wanted on a criminal warrant."Ironically, Emanuel said the city was "welcoming those who play by the rules," but forced Chicago police to train with "immigrant advocacy groups to build trust within immigrant communities."The ordinance is still promoted today, with Chicago boasting that it prohibits city employees from assisting in the investigation of a person's immigration status, absent a federal or court order.RELATED: Texas National Guard deployed to Chicago amid increasing left-wing violence People lock arms as residents of Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood confront ICE agents in 2025. Photo by OCTAVIO JONES/AFP via Getty Images Lori Lightfoot blocks cops from helping ICEIn 2021, Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) updated the Welcoming City Ordinance to target police activity and even limit their ability to assist in federal investigations.According to the Chicago Police Department, the update declared that police could no longer detain, arrest, or hold anyone based on their immigration status or civil immigration warrants. It also prevented police from transferring criminals into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for immigration enforcement.The update even removed the use of the word "citizen" from official city forms, replacing it with "person" or "resident.""Being a welcoming city means being a city that embraces people equally with open arms, where no one has to fear being their authentic self, walking down the street, doing business, earning a living and taking care of their family," the mayor said at the time, per ABC 7.City council blocks effort to deport gang members and drug dealersIn January 2025, Chicago's city council voted 39-11 to prevent a vote on allowing police to cooperate with federal authorities in apprehending individuals accused of certain crimes.Police would have been allowed to work with ICE in relation to gang-related activities such as intimidation, loitering, and recruitment; drug dealing; prostitution; and sex crimes involving minors.The measure was tabled, though, and Mayor Johnson supported the decision with the claim Chicago emphasizes community safety and trust.Campaign to inform illegal aliensThat same month, Mayor Johnson launched an informational campaign for illegal immigrants to "Know Your Rights."Written in foreign languages like Spanish and Chinese, the city targeted public transit with ads to help illegal residents know their way around legal situations.Mayor Johnson said he was rejecting intimidation tactics from the Trump administration and reaffirmed that Chicago would remain a "welcoming and sanctuary space."RELATED: Chicago mayor creates 'ICE-free zones' meant to impede federal agents — White House fires off brutal response Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson at a news conference to address President Donald Trump's plan to send National Guard troops into the city on August 25, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images. Work permits for illegal aliens?Mayor Johnson asked President Biden in 2024 to help him secure work permits for illegal aliens in Chicago.This was one of Johnson's priorities on the first anniversary of taking office. Johnson worked with activist groups to attempt to extend permits to those who the city claimed have paid taxes in the U.S. for decades, not new arrivals.While it was unclear whether the taxes referred to sales taxes or income tax paid through fraudulent identities, Johnson said he wanted to "extend the same economic opportunities to our long-term undocumented brothers and sisters."Thankfully, his bid was unsuccessful.Suing the Trump administrationChicago and Illinois sued the Trump administration just this week over plans to deploy the National Guard to the city. The "deployment of federalized troops to Illinois is patently unlawful," the lawsuit stated, per CNN.The plaintiffs further asked the court to put a stop to the "illegal, dangerous, and unconstitutional federalization of members of the National Guard of the United States, including both the Illinois and Texas National Guard."Trump deployed 400 troops from the Texas National Guard to Chicago recently, as ICE agents have been under attack during ongoing protests and riots outside ICE facilities. The lawsuit also asked the court to declare the federalization of National Guardsmen illegal.President Trump, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth were all named as defendants.'ICE-free zones'Stunningly, Mayor Johnson announced "ICE-free zones" in October 2025, allegedly aimed at "reining in" the Trump administration."The order establishes ICE-free zones. That means that city property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as staging grounds for [ICE] raids," the mayor claimed.Johnson said ICE agents would not be allowed to "rampage" through the city. The mayor also said he wished to strengthen Chicago's role as a "welcoming city."The mayor claimed the move was in reaction to ICE using Chicago Public Schools' parking lots as staging sites for enforcement operations, though whether federal immigration agents have used schools during operations is unclear.In remarks to Blaze News, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that Mayor Johnson's demonization of ICE agents has increased assaults against them by "1,000%."She added, "Mayor Johnson has shown time and time again he does not care about the safety of our federal law enforcement officers or Chicagoans. ... His reckless policies not only endanger our law enforcement, but public safety."Blaze News has reached out to Johnson's office for comment.Like Blaze News? 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The incentive structure here is all wrong.