Conservative Twitter having a bill with woke new NPR CEO Katherine Maher's tweets drew a New York Times story (which isn't in the paper). The headline was gentle‚ about criticism over &;quot;Tweets Supporting Progressive Causes.&;quot; Benjamin Mullin noticed one showed Maher wearing a &;quot;hat with the logo for the Biden presidential campaign.&;quot; (He left out the Covid mask). He also noticed this colorful tweet:  &;quot;Had a dream where Kamala and I were on a road trip in an unspecified location‚ sampling and comparing nuts and baklava from roadside stands. Woke up very hungry.&;quot; NPR spokeswoman Isabel Lara rebutted Maher &;quot;was not working in journalism at the time and was exercising her First Amendment right to express herself like any other American citizen.&;quot; Now she is &;quot;fully committed to NPR's code of ethics and the independence of NPR's newsroom.&;quot; Maher repeated that line: NPR is independent‚ beholden to no party‚ and without commercial interests.&;quot; But just like her tweets‚ our search of Maher's campaign contributions show she's a fan of the Democratic Party:  -- In 2017‚ $1‚500 to former congressman Tom Perriello in an unsuccessful run for governor of Virginia. -- In 2018‚ $500 to Matthew Brown in an unsuccessful run for governor of Rhode Island. -- In 2020‚ it was a year for women of color: $275 (in 11 donations of $25) to Jennifer Carroll Foy in an unsuccessful run for governor of Virginia‚ $100 to MSNBC pundit Maya Wiley in an unsuccessful run for mayor of New York City‚ and $500 to the “Fair Fight PAC” of election-denying leftist Stacey Abrams‚ who still thinks she won the governor's race in Georgia in 2018. That's back when election denial was cool in Democrat media circles. Mullin's story ended with Maher at a &;quot;town hall-style meeting&;quot; with NPR employees‚ and naturally‚ she was asked about NBC's ill-fated decision to give a contributor slot to former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel‚ who was too close to election deniers. Maher proclaimed “I think that the most effective way that I have seen this play out is‚ if you’re bringing somebody into a story that is pushing a deliberate distortion‚ be extraordinarily well-prepared to push back and very prepared with the information necessary‚ the irreducible facts.” Take that‚ Stacey Abrams&;#63; PS: Christopher Rufo appeared on Fox News to underline Maher's wokeness:  Fox's Jesse Watters brings on Chris Rufo to describe NPR CEO Katherine Maher's old tweets: &;quot;It is the most vapid left-wing propaganda imaginable....It's like Mad Libs for Left-Wing women.&;quot; I hope @davidfolkenflik can realize if this sounds one-sided....what is NPR&;#63; pic.twitter.com/d9NntyCTR5 — Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) April 17‚ 2024

Actor and alleged comedian John Leguizamo joined Tuesday’s edition of The Daily Show on Comedy Central to have a calm and rational‚ adult-like reaction to polling that shows Donald Trump leading among Latinos. Just kidding‚ he decided to torture a pi&;ntilde;ata while going off a profanity-ridden Spanish tirade. Translated into English (hat tip to NewsBusters' Jorge Bonilla)‚ as he mauled the poor pi&;ntilde;ata‚ Leguizamo ranted‚ &;quot;Shit‚ [bleep]dammit‚ triple son of a [bleep]‚ mother[bleep]‚ [unintelligible] bastard&;#33;&;quot;     After the torture session concluded‚ Leguizamo continued‚ “I’m sorry. Where was I&;#63; Oh‚ yeah‚ right. It looks like the Democrats are in trouble‚ and you might be thinking‚ how is this possible&;#63; Donald Trump is winning Latinos&;#63; ‘Build the wall’ Donald Trump&;#63; ‘Mass deportations’ Donald Trump&;#63; Guy who thinks Daddy Yankee is a baseball player Donald Trump&;#63; But the truth is‚ in 2024‚ Latino voters have something else on their minds. Following a couple of news clips explaining that Latino voters are more worried about inflation than his race-based politics‚ Leguizamo claimed to understand‚ “That's right. For Latinos‚ this election is all about inflation&;#33; And that makes sense&;#33; Inflation is bad right now. They're going to have to change the name of the game show to The Price is [bleep] what-now&;#63;&;quot; And if your top concern is high prices‚ I get why you might lean Trump. People associate him with lower prices‚ even though he sells $400 sneakers that look like my cousin's Papo's teeth.” However‚ “The problem is‚ when it comes to fixing inflation‚ this cuchifrito-looking mother[bleep] ain't got shit.” After more news clips of Trump declaring his plan to reduce inflation includes additional oil drilling‚ Leguizamo reacted‚ “Well‚ you heard it here first‚ mi brothers: Trump's one and only plan to fix inflation is to drill for oil. But guess what: President Biden is already drilling more oil than anyone in history. More than Trump did when he was president&;#33;” Of course‚ Biden is also trying to appease the environmentalists‚ which doesn’t help with prices‚ but Leguizamo would rather make a Stormy Daniels-sex joke than discuss that‚ “Now‚ you know‚ maybe Trump has discovered some new special drilling technique that no one else knows about. Maybe he drills the oil real hard for 30 seconds‚ and then makes it sign an NDA. Just saying.” Somehow‚ it seems unlikely that going full Hulk on a party device and sex jokes are going to get people to change their voting preferences. Here is a transcript for the April 16 show: Comedy Central The Daily Show 4/16/2024 11:18 PM ET  JOHN LEGUIZAMO: Excuse me for a second‚ please. [Speaking Spanish] I’m sorry. Where was I&;#63; Oh‚ yeah‚ right. It looks like the Democrats are in trouble‚ and you might be thinking‚ how is this possible&;#63; Donald Trump is winning Latinos&;#63; &;quot;Build the wall&;quot; Donald Trump&;#63; &;quot;Mass deportations&;quot; Donald Trump&;#63; Guy who thinks Daddy Yankee is a baseball player Donald Trump&;#63; But the truth is‚ in 2024‚ Latino voters have something else on their minds.  … That's right. For Latinos‚ this election is all about inflation&;#33; And that makes sense&;#33; Inflation is bad right now. They're going to have to change the name of the game show to The Price is [bleep] what-now&;#63;&;quot; And if your top concern is high prices‚ I get why you might lean Trump. People associate him with lower prices‚ even though he sells $400 sneakers that look like my cousin's Papo's teeth. The problem is‚ when it comes to fixing inflation‚ this cuchifrito-looking mother[bleep] ain't got shit.  CNN TOWN HALL ATTENDEE: If elected president again‚ what is the first thing you would do to help bring down the cost to make things more affordable&;#63;  DONALD TRUMP: Drill‚ baby‚ drill.  MARIA BARTIROMO: Is your answer to getting inflation down‚ drill‚ drill‚ drill‚ independent oil&;#63;  TRUMP: Well‚ among other things‚ it's drill‚ drill‚ drill‚ yes.  BARTIROMO: What else&;#63;  TRUMP: It's drill‚ drill‚ drill.  BARTIROMO: What's your answer to getting inflation down&;#63;  TRUMP: There is no else. You have to get the oil.  LEGUIZAMO: Well‚ you heard it here first‚ mi brothers: Trump's one and only plan to fix inflation is to drill for oil. But guess what: President Biden is already drilling more oil than anyone in history. More than Trump did when he was president&;#33; Now‚ you know‚ maybe Trump has discovered some new special drilling technique that no one else knows about. Maybe he drills the oil real hard for 30 seconds‚ and then makes it sign an NDA. Just saying. 

Many immigrants to America arrived with little but the clothes on their back; others arrived in chains. Even as our history bears witness to the horrors of slavery‚ it also records numerous men who reacted to enslavement with incredible feats of valor. One such man was Robert Smalls. A skilled boat pilot‚ the 23-year-old worked with six other enslaved men crewing the Confederate steamship Planter‚ docked in the Charleston harbor. It was just before dawn on May 13‚ 1862‚ and the white captain had left the ship in the care of the black crew‚ as he often did. It was then that Smalls carried out his meticulous and extremely dangerous plan. Impersonating the captain by wearing his straw hat‚ and aided by the cover of darkness‚ Smalls steered the ship out of the harbor and past several heavily armed sentries‚ as well as Fort Sumter – captured by the Confederates the year before. He made it to a wharf where 16 other escapees waited‚ among them Smalls' wife and two children. From there they reached one of the Union ships blockading the harbor‚ narrowly avoiding being attacked as an enemy vessel. They were finally free and had given the Union army one more ship and a trove of munitions. The Union rewarded Smalls and his crew half of the value of the Planter. Smalls' share was enough for him to buy the house of the man who once enslaved him. Smalls went on to fight for the Union after personally lobbying Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to allow black soliders to serve. He ended up taking part in some 17 military actions‚ including the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1863‚ ultimately reaching the rank of captain. Smalls did not let his enslavement embitter him against America. Following the war‚ he served in the South Carolina state Assembly and Senate‚ as well as five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. &;quot;My race needs no special defense for the past history of them and this country‚&;quot; Smalls once said. &;quot;It proves them to be equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life.”

A woman who accused ex-Major League Baseball star pitcher Trevor Bauer of sexual assault was just indicted for fraud and theft by extortion against Bauer and another individual.What are the details&;#63;The grand jury indictment dated March 19 and filed Monday in the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County indicates that Darcy Adanna Esemonu &;quot;knowingly did obtain a benefit from ... Trevor Anthony Bauer by means of fraudulent pretenses‚ representation‚ promises‚ or material omissions&;quot; and &;quot;knowingly did obtain or sought to obtain property or services ... by means of a threat to in the future expose a secret or an asserted fact in a social media message or in any other manner&;quot; involving another individual‚ ESPN reported.Bauer's attorney told EPSN the other individual is not associated with Bauer.The sports network said Esemonu didn't respond to messages seeking comment‚ and the prosecutor listed on the indictment could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.More from ESPN:An arraignment hearing in the case is scheduled for April 26 in Maricopa County. Esemonu filed a lawsuit against Bauer in 2022‚ later updated in 2023‚ alleging he sexually assaulted her in 2020‚ which led to an &;quot;unplanned pregnancy.&;quot; In court filings‚ Bauer's attorneys described the situation as &;quot;a single sexual encounter&;quot; that &;quot;was consensual.&;quot; Bauer countersued Esemonu for fraud‚ saying she was attempting to harass and extort money from him in the wake of similar allegations made by three other women.In a statement provided to ESPN by his lawyers‚ Bauer said Esemonu demanded $3.6 million from him and &;quot;claimed I forced her to have an abortion&;quot; and &;quot;when I refused to pay her the $3.6 million she was asking for‚ she made up a bogus sexual assault claim and filed a civil suit against me.&;quot;Bauer said he paid $8‚761 for expenses he believed to be related to the woman’s reported pregnancy and its subsequent termination‚ the Associated Press reported.The sports network said attorneys listed for Esemonu in her lawsuit didn't respond to messages seeking comment.ESPN said Esemonu reported the alleged assault to the Scottsdale Police Department in December 2022‚ one week after she filed the suit against Bauer.Following Esemonu's allegation‚ a detective interviewed her‚ and police reports ESPN obtained indicate she &;quot;initially stated she had a miscarriage‚ but later referred to the miscarriage as an abortion.&;quot; The sports network‚ citing the reports‚ noted that Esemonu later told the detective she didn't have an abortion but miscarried prior to going to a clinic in another state. The detective stated that the medical records Esemonu provided &;quot;do not indicate&;quot; if she &;quot;was in fact pregnant‚&;quot; ESPN reported.One of Bauer's attorneys‚ Anne Chapman‚ contacted the Scottsdale Police Department in January 2023 to file a criminal complaint accusing Esemonu of &;quot;theft by extortion‚&;quot; the sports network added. In that complaint‚ Chapman told police Esemonu &;quot;had demanded financial compensation from her client for a pregnancy and abortion that was alleged to be false‚&;quot; ESPN noted.Remember when&;#63;Last fall‚ Bauer revealed damning texts reportedly from a different woman who accused him of sexual assault after he and the woman dropped their lawsuits against each other.Some of those texts:&;quot;Next victim. Star pitcher for the dodgers.&;quot;&;quot;Net worth is 51 mil&;quot;&;quot;Im going to his house wednesday. I already have my hooks in. You know how I roll.&;quot;&;quot;need daddy to choke me out&;quot;&;quot;Being an absolute WHORE to get in on his 51 million.&;quot;'What else do I have to do&;#63;'The AP said Bauer has been trying to revive his MLB career after serving a suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence‚ sexual assault‚ and child abuse policy in connection with sexual abuse accusations‚ which he denied.The Los Angeles Dodgers released the Cy Young award winner in January 2023; Bauer played last year with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Pacific League‚ the AP said‚ adding that he signed a deal to pitch five games for Mexico’s Diablos Rojos this spring and made his first appearance in an exhibition against the New York Yankees.“What else do I have to do to prove that this entire situation has been a massive lie&;#63; This is insane‚” Bauer said in a recorded video statement released Tuesday. “At what point do I get to go back to work and continue earning a living&;#63;” Criminal Charges Brought Against Trevor Bauer's Accuser youtu.be Like Blaze News&;#63; Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here&;#33;

World War III is looking closer than ever after this weekend‚ when Iran launched over 300 missiles and drones at Israel. However‚ Israel’s defense systems neutralized 99% of the attack. While it’s nothing short of a miracle‚ the world may have looked very different if more of those missiles hit their targets. “We could have very easily been in World War III today‚” Glenn Beck says‚ wondering if it’s the defense system to thank that we’re not‚ or if it’s the quality of Iran’s missiles. Jason Buttrill believes it’s the former‚ telling Glenn that Israel’s defense system is “as amazing as it sounds” — but it might not just be the weaponry. “99% success rate does not happen. So‚ I mean granted‚ there’s great technology here‚ but I think there’s some God work going on as well‚” Buttrill tells Glenn‚ adding that “they threw everything but the ayatollah’s kitchen sink at Israel over the weekend.” While Buttrill doesn’t believe they’re going to stop‚ he does believe this has thrown a wrench in Iran’s plans. “This set Iran back‚ I’m sure‚ like probably several years as far as whatever their eventual goal is‚” he says. “I thank God that we are pausing at least‚” Glenn says. “This will escalate into a world war‚ that fast. Everything in me says once the Middle East is set on fire‚ Russia and Ukraine and everything else‚ it’s just going to be dominoes.” If their failure can hold Iran off until the presidential election‚ Glenn has hope. “I just want to make it to‚ you know‚ January‚ in case he wins‚” he says‚ referring to Trump. “If he doesn’t win‚ I mean‚ we’re just going to keep seeing more and more of this.” Want more from Glenn Beck&;#63;To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling‚ thought-provoking analysis‚ and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

A 58-year-old elephant escaped from the circus Tuesday afternoon and roamed the streets of Butte‚ Montana. The bloodless parade‚ which stunned passersby and briefly brought traffic to a standstill‚ was peaceably terminated in time for the show to go on. The Jordan World Circus has been touring the Treasure State in recent days. It counts among its stars multiple elephants‚ including the escapee‚ Viola — who has alternatively been referred to in some reports by the name &;quot;Tola.&;quot; See on Instagram The general manager of the Civic Center‚ Bill Melvin‚ told the Daily Montanan that the gargantuan creature was spooked by a car backfiring. The African elephant lumbered some 100 yards away from the venue before her trainer could wrangle her and escort her back to the circus. In that brief window of time the elephant knew liberty‚ Viola lumbered across Harrison Avenue and into a gas station parking lot‚ halting traffic along the way. Lisa Rogers‚ an employee at the Town Pump off Harrison Avenue‚ told the Montana Standard that at the sight of the beast‚ &;quot;I jumped in the air.&;quot; Josh Hannifin‚ the comanager of the gas station‚ indicated that the elephant moved quickly‚ quipping‚ &;quot;There's never a dull moment working here.&;quot; Melissa Crosby‚ a real estate agent with a good view of the avenue‚ peered out just as Viola passed by. &;quot;I texted my husband and he thought I was losing it‚&;quot; Crosby told the Standard. &;quot;It was the high point of my day.&;quot; — (@) Viola's handler of 22 years‚ Armando Loyal‚ indicated that the elephant was getting a bath behind the Civic Center when a passing truck backfired. &;quot;She was trying to get away from the noise‚&;quot; said Loyal. &;quot;It was nerve-wracking.&;quot; The elephant's adventure was brought to a close in less than half an hour. &;quot;The circus‚ of course‚ is very professional‚ and they had a professional trainer and he was real calm and the animal was calm and they were able to get her right back‚&;quot; Melvin told the Daily Montanan. &;quot;It was not nearly as dramatic as you would think.&;quot; The damage was reportedly limited to the flattening of an old fence. &;quot;Everybody's back home safe and sound‚&;quot; added Melvin. The New York Post indicated that the circus was able to put on its 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows despite the escape. Don Kaltschmidt‚ the head of the Montana Republican Party‚ joked that Viola's self-guided tour signaled the GOP was &;quot;taking Silverbow County by storm.&;quot; After all‚ the elephant has been associated with Republicans since the 19th century‚ thanks to political cartoonist Thomas Nast. Jason Thielman‚ chief of staff for Montana Sen. Steve Daines (R) and the executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee‚ wrote‚ &;quot;Metaphor for 2024 senate race.&;quot; People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals activists similarly seized upon the incident for their cause‚ claiming‚ &;quot;Viola's desperate break for freedom follows decades of abuse and involuntary servitude at the hands of Carson &; Barnes Circus.&;quot; PETA suggested further that Viola had previously escaped in 2010 and in 2014. Like Blaze News&;#63; Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here&;#33;

Releasing into Steam Early Access next month‚ Gatekeeper is an indie roguelite shooter that blends the frantic‚ panic-inducing‚ and overwhelming hordes of Vampire Survivors with the sci-fi aesthetic of Risk of Rain‚ coalescing to create a unique roguelite experience. Despite seeming like a new release‚ Gatekeeper is actually the sequel to last year’s Gatekeeper: Infinity‚ an incredibly well-reviewed game that acts as a prologue to Gatekeeper itself. Continue reading New sequel to 92% rated roguelite game enters early access soon

If you're on the lookout for a new GPU‚ there is no shortage of great options on the market‚ and better still‚ they're all dropping their prices to draw you their way. This latest graphics card deal brings the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT down to its lowest-ever price‚ but you'll need a discount code to unlock the savings. Among the best graphics cards for raw gaming performance‚ the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT has been fighting it out with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super for a few months now. Both cards have moved in price through various deals‚ and while the 7900 XT is currently cheaper‚ you can now save an additional $10 on the price‚ taking the card down to $689.99 - there has never been a better time to upgrade. Continue reading AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT drops to a new‚ lower price in GPU deal MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review‚ Best gaming CPU‚ Radeon RX 7800 XT review

Valorant may not be the most demanding game to play on PC‚ but if you want to play at a high level‚ you need incredibly reliable performance. A new partnership between iBUYPOWER and Valorant Champions Tour Americas is bringing us new gaming PCs capable of such performance‚ and they're even delicately branded so you can show your love to the esports scene. While not aiming to be among the best gaming PCs‚ these iBUYPOWER x Valorant builds are targeting strong performance in Riot's premier free-to-play FPS. In clutch moments‚ these rigs won't let you down‚ but you'll need to pair them with the best gaming monitor to maximize your frame rate. Continue reading iBUYPOWER debuts new Valorant gaming PCs‚ available at Best Buy MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card‚ Best gaming PC‚ Best SSD for gaming