Sandwiched between several odes to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after VP Kamala Harris announced him as her running mate, NBC chief political analyst Chuck Todd conceded on MSNBC’s Tuesday installment of Andrea Mitchell Reports that his selection at the expense of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro raised a “yellow flag” about progressives’ ability to bully Harris. First, Todd had to get in the obligatory praise, “Look, I like to say, you know, sometimes people speak Washington and sometimes people speak American. Tim Walz speaks American, you know? He’s not going to tell you about his subcommittee chair, he’s not going to tell you about—I have a feeling he won’t talk about the Veterans Committee, he’ll talk about just helping veterans and things like that. So, in that sense, it strikes me that's what Harris is looking for.”     The fact that Shapiro is Jewish and doesn’t have patience for Hamas sycophants on college campuses led far-left Democrats to oppose him being Harris’s number two, which was not lost on Todd, “but it does tell me, I’m wondering, I have a yellow flag in my head going, ‘huh, if you squeal loud enough, she hears and responds.’ You know, there's going to be people that will come away from this experience thinking, ‘huh, the progressive backlash is what got her off of Shapiro or what got her off of Kelly.’” Todd spared Harris a red flag because, “In fairness, maybe they didn't vet either. Okay, that's also a possibility when all is said and done, but on substance, I can't help but have that takeaway.” Later in the segment USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page returned to MSNBC’s regular scheduled programming by alluding to the idea that Walz was the one who came up with the attack line that Republicans are “weird,” “You now, if the Democrats lose Pennsylvania and then lose the presidency as a result, there’ll be a lot of second-guessing about this decision. On the other hand, Tim Walz is the opposite of weird. Like in a dictionary, if you had ‘weird’ and ‘ant-weird,’ you’d have Tim Walz’s picture there as a high school coach and its history teacher, and a guy that seems as normal as can be.  If Walz is supposed to be the guy who ensures progressives don’t abandon Harris, it wouldn’t make much sense for Republicans to find him appealing, but that didn’t stop Page from trying to wish cast his bipartisan credentials into existence, “maybe in hindsight that'll turn out to be a great decision if Tim Walz is appealing to rural Americans and gets some swing and even Republican votes maybe they wouldn't have gotten with Shapiro on the ticket.” So, Walz is meant to shore up progressive support, but Shapiro wouldn’t appeal to Republicans? How does that make sense? Here is a transcript for the August 6 show: MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports 8/6/2024 12:08 PM ET CHUCK TODD: Look, I like to say, you know, sometimes people speak Washington and sometimes people speak American. Tim Walz speaks American, you know? He’s not going to tell you about his subcommittee chair, he’s not going to tell you about—I have a feeling he won’t talk about the Veterans Committee, he’ll talk about just helping veterans and things like that. So, in that sense, it strikes me that's what Harris is looking for, but it does tell me, I’m wondering, I have a yellow flag in my head going, “huh, if you squeal loud enough, she hears and responds.” You know, there's going to be people that will come away from this experience thinking, “huh, the progressive backlash is what got her off of Shapiro or what got her off of Kelly.” In fairness, maybe they didn't vet either. Okay, that's also a possibility when all is said and done, but on substance, I can't help but have that takeaway. … SUSAN PAGE: You now, if the Democrats lose Pennsylvania and then lose the presidency as a result, there’ll be a lot of second-guessing about this decision. On the other hand, Tim Walz is the opposite of weird. Like in a dictionary, if you had “weird” and “ant-weird,” you’d have Tim Walz’s picture there as a high school coach and its history teacher, and a guy that seems as normal as can be. I also wonder if Vice President Harris was affected by her own difficult relationship, fractious with Joe Biden— ANDREA MITCHELL: Absolutely. PAGE: — in the early years of their presidency, of their administration and that she didn't want that and maybe in hindsight that'll turn out to be a great decision if Tim Walz is appealing to rural Americans and gets some swing and even Republican votes maybe they wouldn't have gotten with Shapiro on the ticket, so remains to be seen, but I think often you are fighting the last war and that was for Kamala Harris the last war.

Since ABC’s The View was in between seasons, the Cackling Coven didn’t have a televised outlet to spew their gooey praise for Vice President Kamala Harris’s pick for running mate. Since their vanity couldn’t be satiated by a camera, they had to settle for posting their hot takes lauding Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) on X. Fake Republican Ana Navarro admitted she knew next to nothing about Walz but pledged her undying loyalty to the new Democratic Party ticket anyway. “I don’t know much about #TimWalz. As long as he hasn’t shot a puppy, stabbed a dead bear cub or attacked cat owners, and there are no rumors about him and a porn star or furniture, I’m good with him,” she proclaimed.   I don’t know much about #TimWalz. As long as he hasn’t shot a puppy, stabbed a dead bear cub or attacked cat owners, and there are no rumors about him and a porn star or furniture, I’m good with him. — Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) August 6, 2024   Navarro would be well served to check her cultish behavior. Walz was on record praising the kind of socialism she fled from when she immigrated from Nicaragua. “One person’s socialism is another person's neighborliness,” he touted. He also showed how little he cared about border security when he suggested that he would invest in a company that would make ladders taller than Trump’s border wall. Friday moderator Joy Behar had arguably the most cringe take. “These two will bring smarts and fun back. Enough with the non laughing [sic], angry, crowd,” she boasted, accompanied with grainy photos of both Harris and Walz.   These two will bring smarts and fun back. Enough with the non laughing, angry, crowd. pic.twitter.com/UKm4npEQkc — Joy Behar (@JoyVBehar) August 6, 2024   Moderator Whoopi Goldberg had deactivated her account long ago, Sara Haines hadn’t been active since the beginning of the year, and Sunny Hostin had only posted about a dog rescue group as of publication. As for faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin, she was the only one to provide a kind of rolling reaction to the pick. In a now-deleted post, her initial take announced her thoughts with one word: “Disappointing.” Her second response was to call it “An extraordinary missed opportunity” that Harris didn’t go with Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. “The progressive mob came for Josh Shapiro & a lot of it was gross & simply thinly veiled antisemitism,” she lamented. “But he has a bright future ahead because the VAST majority of this country supports Israel, stands w/our Jewish friends, & would love to see a Jewish VP &or POTUS someday.” In another post, she added: “The mini focus groups of my TL: progressives are cheering Walz, moderates & disillusioned R’s are disappointed.” Over time, she started posting some good things about Walz in a pros and cons list:   Pros of Tim Walz: -strong midwestern messenger. -executive experience as a governor -likely an effective surrogate in critical swing states of MI & WI -flipped a swing seat in Congress Cons: -seen as very progressive on guns & Gaza -not viewed as a moderating force on the… — Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) August 6, 2024   “Tim Waltz served in the Army National Guard. He’ll debate JD Vance who served in the Marines,” she noted. “Last cycle no one on the ticket served in the military. This time there are veterans on the bottom of both tickets.”

Like we saw on ABC and NBC, Tuesday morning’s CBS News Special Report heralded Vice President Kamala Harris’s pick of Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) as her 2024 running mate, calling him an “amiable” “centrist” with a “scrappy” but “easygoing” demeanor. On top of that, he was even seen as dreamy given he’s equally “comfortable talking in a t-shirt and a baseball cap as he is talking in a suit as he is talking in a tuxedo.” Senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang went first in boasting of Walz as “very popular” and “has a voting record on the issues that really lines up with Harris” and ensured there was “no abortion [ban] under his watch” and “passed a massive police reform package.” Jiang also trumpeted how Walz embodied “the power of one word” in political messaging with Walz allegedly coining the term “weird” to describe Republicans. CBS Mornings co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King repeatedly went to former Harris aide-turned-CBS News contributor Ashley Etienne to sing Harris’s praises (even though, like many who work for Harris, never stick around long). Etienne laughably said Walz “rallied his state and moved his state through incredibly tough times” and, in a dig at Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) (since she couldn’t say he wasn’t picked because he’s Jewish), said Walz “can speak to [voters] on their level about issues that matter most to them in a way that I think Shapiro and the others could not.” “I know him, as you put earlier, to be very scrappy...I will tell you he’s incredibly funny. He’s, you know, direct — well, you know, plain spoken and I think that’ll jive very well with the Vice President and her personality,” she added. In response, King gushed that he’s someone people will appreciate since they “like” those who are “plain speaking without being mean. If that’s the case, then why does he think, for example, half the country is “weird” and a bunch of “fascists”? Chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa was also enthralled, calling Walz “fun” and possessing “wit” who will be able to serve as Harris’s “attack dog” and “do it with a smile.” Costa later boasted of “centrist” Walz as someone “who seems amiable, easy-going, can crack a joke, talks about hot dish up in Minnesota, that famous dish they love to do — the casserole, can talk about fishing, but he’s also someone, it must be noted, who politically is well liked by progressives”: Walz a “centrist” and cooks casseroles. CBS’s Robert @CostaReports: He seems “like kind of a centrist Midwesterner in persona...” pic.twitter.com/z3qBDf5ivj — Brent Baker ?? ?? (@BrentHBaker) August 6, 2024 King showed how she felt about Walz: CBS's Gayle King on Tim Walz: “I’m telling you, there seems to be a lot of — there’s something appealing about a guy for people who say it is comfortable talking in a t-shirt and a baseball cap as he is talking in a suit as he is talking in a tuxedo.” pic.twitter.com/LM3uYz8yO9 — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) August 6, 2024 King let Etienne close things out by promoting Walz under the false notion that Republicans want to ban IVF (click “expand”): ETIENNE: Well, I think there’s one little tidbit we should be aware of and that both his children were conceived via IVF. So, the campaign is saying that he’s going to lean into the reproductive rights fight with the Vice President. This is the year of the woman. This is an advantage that she has over Donald Trump, and he’s going to be an active player, leaning into this issue as — as well. And so, to have a man with this level of conviction and his personal story lean in on this issue is going to be interesting to see on the campaign trail. But they think that he will be an asset when it comes to conveying that message to women, the threat that Donald Trump and Vance pose to their reproductive rights and other rights. KING: I — when you joined us on the broadcast earlier, you said this would be personal for Vice President Harris. This is someone you know well. So, if you could just take us behind the curtain a little bit, personally feelings — how — what do you think that it really — when she went to bed last night, and she woke up this morning, what do you think her first thought was when she woke up and said, Tim Walz is the guy for me? ETIENNE: I think it’s — I think it’s two things that, one, he’s proven that he can win tough races. And secondly, he’s got a deep compassion and conviction for the American people and the plight of the American people and he’s seen it on every end of the political — in every end of the political realm and field, so I think those were the things that probably took her over the edge. To see the relevant transcript from August 6, click “expand.” CBS News Special Report August 6, 2024 9:17 a.m. Eastern WEIJIA JIANG: He is very popular, and he has a voting record on the issues that really lines up with Harris. After George Floyd was killed in his state, he passed a massive police reform package. He said there would be no abortion under his watch in 2022. And, on economics, he said the Democrats really need messaging and to make it more clear. And, Gayle, let’s talk about messaging for a minute and the power of one word. In the early days that Vice President Harris was going to become the likely nominee, we were not talking about Tim Walz. And then, he went on television and one word — he said Republicans were weird and then he gained a lot of attention and his profile soared, and it never really stopped. And again, today, we can report that he will be joining vice president Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket and they will be stumping together in a matter of hours in Philadelphia. GAYLE KING: Weijia Jiang, you raise a really good point. Two weeks ago, we were not talking about Tim Walz but here we are this morning. (....) 9:19 a.m. Eastern ASHLEY ETIENNE: I think the breath of Walz’s experiences is probably what persuaded her most. I mean, being a military veteran, former teacher to a chairman in Congress to an executive governor who rallied his state and moved his state through incredibly tough times, I think makes him incredibly appealing to her and will provide her with this broad perspective that I think she needs, which is, you know, what are the challenging facing the American people, how do we implement legislation and rally congress around it and get it done on the ground in these states? So, I think he’s good for her for that reason and then also, what was just mentioned, the fact that he’s won in these very tough districts, in these tough red-leaning districts, I think, gives him and her — the ticket — a leg up when it comes to going into those areas where the one and two percent — those independent and disaffected Republicans are. He can speak to them on their level about issues that matter most to them in a way that I think Shapiro and the others could not. That’s going to be value add for her going into the next race when it’s going to be decided on the margins. (....) 9:20 a.m. Eastern ETIENNE: So, I — I can imagine he’s overwhelmed with excited but I know him, as you put earlier, to be very scrappy. And so, I can imagine he’s ready to get in and get dirty and push back in all kinds of ways. I don’t know that they had a really good solid relationship before this process started, but neither did she with Biden and neither did Obama with Biden. So, I don’t think that’s a really deciding factor. But I will tell you he’s incredibly funny. He’s, you know, direct — well, you know, plain spoken and I think that’ll jive very well with the Vice President and her personality. KING: Yeah, I think people like plain speaking without being mean. Thank you very much, Ashley. And we can say, Tim Walz, apparently a very good neighbor. He’s got a very nice lawn. Let’s go now to Roberta Costa — let’s go now to Robert Costa because, Robert, people say it doesn’t make a ton of electoral sense. What’s your take on that and why she picked Governor Walz? ROBERT COSTA: Good to be with you, Gayle. In the eyes of many top Democrats close to Vice President Harris, it may not make sense electorally if you were just speaking about a map, but to top Democrats, it does make political sense because they see in Governor Walz someone who can fill the void left by President Biden. President Biden was close to organized labor in this country. He was able to go to the industrial Midwest — I was there with him — and talk to union members and say, you have to stick with the Democrats. Don’t listen to former President Trump. I’m one of you. Let’s stick together as traditional Democrats. And Tim Walz, as the Minnesota governor, has built a record, but he’s also built a relationship with labor and other key constituencies inside the Democratic Party. And so, he’s going to help Harris rebuild that Biden-Harris coalition ahead November, along with all of the personal characteristics he does bring to the race. As Ashley said and as Weijia so ably reported, he has a personality, he has an ability to have a bit of fun, some wit, and he doesn’t mind taking a shot at the GOP. And often, your role as VP is to be the attack dog that can do it with a smile. (....) 9:24 a.m. Eastern KING: But it’s also interesting too, though, Nancy, because he was considered a dark horse. I think that’s what’s fascinating to many people. It seemed to have boiled down to, if you believe what you were hearing in the media, that it boiled down to Mark Kelly and Josh Shapiro, then over the last week we started hearing the name more and more about Tim Walz. What do you make of that, how he appeared, to some, coming out of nowhere, and it’s like running a race and, all of a sudden, he’s ahead of the pack? NANCY CORDES:: What I make of it was that all these people were having to, you know, go from a standing start. And, remember a few weeks ago, we were not even thinking about any of these people being a running mate because we thought that Kamala Harris would be the running mate to President Biden. Suddenly when that changed, yes, Pete Buttigieg, probably better known to a national audience, Josh Shapiro somebody who has been talked about as a person with presidential ambitions. They had the early edge because people knew about them. But Walz proved over the course of a couple weeks that he had really great communication ability. He had a way of making the case that some of the other top contenders didn’t and that could come in handy — not even necessarily in Minnesota, where Democrats haven’t lost a presidential race since 1972 — but in other Midwestern states, certainly like Wisconsin and Michigan, which are big battleground states this year. KING: I’m telling you, there seems to be a lot of — there’s something appealing about a guy for people who say it is comfortable talking in a t-shirt and a baseball cap as he is talking in a suit as he is talking in a tuxedo. I know we gotta go, but can we go back to Bob Costa for just a second? Because, Bob, do you think this was an attempt to satisfy the more liberal wing of the party? What are — what are your thoughts on that? COSTA: It’s fascinating, Gayle, politically, because you look at Governor Tim Walz and, if you have — if you know nothing about him, you see a guy who seems amiable, easy-going, can crack a joke, talks about hot dish up in Minnesota, that famous dish they love to do — the casserole, can talk about fishing, but he’s also someone, it must be noted, who politically is well liked by progressives in the House of Representatives, where he once served. Pramila Jayapal, who’s the leader of the Progressive Caucus, one of the key progressives in the House, she’s been a key stakeholder for him in recent days, saying I’d love to see Tim Walz on ticket. So had former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She’s been advocate for him, kind of winking in recent days that she’d love to see a former House colleague land on the ticket. When you have Pramila Jayapal and Nancy Pelosi both being boosters for your vice presidential candidacy, that says a lot, that even though you may seem like kind of a centrist Midwesterner in persona, politically he touches a lot of bases. (....) 9:27 a.m. Eastern KING: What do you think Tim Walz’s assignment will be in this campaign? ETIENNE: Well, I think there’s one little tidbit we should be aware of and that both his children were conceived via IVF. So, the campaign is saying that he’s going to lean into the reproductive rights fight with the Vice President. This is the year of the woman. This is an advantage that she has over Donald Trump, and he’s going to be an active player, leaning into this issue as — as well. And so, to have a man with this level of conviction and his personal story lean in on this issue is going to be interesting to see on the campaign trail. But they think that he will be an asset when it comes to conveying that message to women, the threat that Donald Trump and Vance pose to their reproductive rights and other rights. KING: I — when you joined us on the broadcast earlier, you said this would be personal for Vice President Harris. This is someone you know well. So, if you could just take us behind the curtain a little bit, personally feelings — how — what do you think that it really — when she went to bed last night, and she woke up this morning, what do you think her first thought was when she woke up and said, Tim Walz is the guy for me? ETIENNE: I think it’s — I think it’s two things that, one, he’s proven that he can win tough races. And secondly, he’s got a deep compassion and conviction for the American people and the plight of the American people and he’s seen it on every end of the political — in every end of the political realm and field, so I think those were the things that probably took her over the edge. KING: All right, well, Ashley, thank you so much. ETIENNE: Alright, Thank you. KING: Thank you, Bob and Nancy Cordes. Democrats will soon have a presidential ticket 13 days before their convention in Chicago and 13 weeks before the presidential election. So, recap, Tim Walz has been in office for five and a half years. He is the current chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. He was also in office during the crisis that followed the murder by police of George Floyd. And he will be the running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris. We have been waiting for the last 48 hours about who it was going to be. Now, we know. Get used to it, people. Harris/Walz is the ticket.

It's not that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif doesn't look like a woman — this is the Olympics, not a beauty contest. It's that Khelif doesn't punch like a woman, either — at least judging by Italian boxer Angela Carini's reaction after Khelif hit her in the face with a punishing straight right. Just 46 seconds into the bout, Carini gave up. Carini was in severe pain, but she wasn't injured. This was a pre-emptive decision for her own safety. Khelif hit with a power that Carini had never faced from any other female opponent in her boxing career. Now, maybe Khelif is simply that talented and Carini just a sore loser who met her match. But the news that Khelif had previously been disqualified from last year's world championships after unspecified sex testing by a different regulatory authority, the International Boxing Association, certainly raises suspicions — suspicions that won't be allayed any time soon. The IBA isn't allowed to reveal the tests it based the disqualification on. And the media instantly paints any attempts to pursue the issue as ideologically motivated — a "transvestigation," if you will. Making this a "trans" issue is disingenuous; ironically, activists refuse to admit that Khelif could be one of those rare cases in which sex really is on a spectrum: those classified as intersex or as having differences in sex development. In these cases, even a person with XX chromosomes could have significantly more testosterone than other women, providing a distinct physical advantage. Carini and other female athletes like her deserve clarity on this issue. In the meantime, the spectacle of Carini's despair in defeat remains haunting. It's the despair of someone denied the chance to prove herself in fair competition. It's this image that dissident artist Sabo highlights in his latest work, seen above. A biting commentary on what gender ideology has done to girls' and women's sports. Meanwhile, having already clinched a bronze medal, Khelif continues to tear through the competition. Khelif will face Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng late this afternoon in the semifinals.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch shut down on Monday a popular narrative that tries to undermine the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. As the country becomes more divided over politics, the Supreme Court has becoming increasingly targeted with partisan attacks, especially from people upset that many significant court rulings in recent years do not support the progressive agenda. In response to conservative rulings, critics have demanded numerous court reforms — including court-packing and term limits for justices — while conservative-leaning justices have been subjected to accusations of ethical impropriety, none of which have borne any actual fruit. 'In a democracy, you’re in the driver’s seat. You’re the sovereign. Those famous three first words of the Constitution empower you.' In a new interview, CBS News correspondent Major Garrett asked Gorsuch to respond to the en vogue narrative about the Supreme Court: that justices are ideologically driven and their decisions are not impartial. But according to Gorsuch, statistics prove the court is not a place where ideologues dig in their heels. "I read the other day that in ideologically divided cases — now I don't know what that means — this last term that I agreed with Justice Sotomeyer or Justice Kagan and Justice Jackson something like 45% of the time. That's the court I know," Gorsuch said. And when Garrett pressed Gorsuch on abortion and affirmative action, the justice once again proved why the narrative is not correct. "I would say those are deeply complex legal questions on which reasonable minds can, of course, and do disagree," Gorsuch said. "And that when it comes to Roe v. Wade, for example, what did the court decide? It decided that we the people should answer that question, not nine people sitting in Washington, D.C." And on affirmative action, Gorsuch said, "What did we decide? We decided that all people are created equal — that it’s not acceptable in this country to discriminate on the basis of race." Finally, Gorsuch dismantled the argument that Supreme Court rulings are stripping Americans of rights. On the contrary, Gorsuch said the court is "taking it back to you." "In a democracy, you're in the driver’s seat. You’re the sovereign. Those famous three first words of the Constitution empower you," he said. "Do you really want me deciding everything for you? "All I can say is I don't know better than you do on these questions and that most major Western democracies have decided these questions through the ballot box," Gorsuch explained. The "famous three words" to which Gorsuch referred, of course, are the opening words of the Preamble to the Constitution: "We the people." Perhaps no three words have had a greater impact on Western democracy than those, and it's telling that a Supreme Court justice felt compelled to remind Americans of the importance of those words.In another interview this week, Gorsuch delivered a prescient warning to President Joe Biden over his plan to reform the Supreme Court: "Be careful."Biden's plan, which includes imposing term limits on Supreme Court justices, could likely make the court more partisan. The plan calls for each president to appoint two new justices over a four-year term, thus turning over the court every 18 years. Under such a plan, Supreme Court appointments would almost certainly be tied to presidential politics in a way the founders did not want. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

NFL quarterback turned activist Colin Kaepernick has launched an artificial intelligence-based platform for creating comic books and graphic novels.The platform, called Lumi, said it allows artists to skip over gatekeepers, high production costs, and production timelines within the comic book and graphic novel industry. Lumi is led by Kaepernick and venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, a company that boasts dozens of startups in its portfolio."By leveraging advanced AI tools, Lumi enhances the creative process, allowing creators to focus on bringing their stories to life, while the platform handles all of the logistics," the company said in a press release.The platform can turn "any creator into Disney," it claimed. 'It's unclear what gatekeepers Mr. Kaepernick is referring to since he had a lucrative deal with Netflix for a show no one seemed to like.'Kaepernick transitioned into left-wing activism after kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games following losing the starting quarterback position on the San Francisco 49ers. He made vague claims of oppression and has since enjoyed several high-profile endorsement deals while allegedly also feigning attempts to return to the NFL.As such, the Lumi press release was not without activist language."Lumi aims to open the funnel, enabling anyone to access storytelling superpowers, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and equitable world," the company wrote.Funding has also come from unnamed tech executives from social media platform Meta and rapper Chamillionaire. Perhaps most notably, tech company Contextual AI has also thrown its hat in the ring after securing $80 million of its own. It is unclear, however, to what degree any technology from Contextual AI will be used for Lumi."Lumi addresses an unnecessary dependency on gatekeepers that slows creators down," Kaepernick said. "This allows creators to get back to what they ultimately want to do: create . The platform empowers creators to work freely and independently, deciding when and how they want to collaborate with others. This independence is crucial for fostering a vibrant and diverse creative ecosystem."While the platform potentially leads to a faster end product, it certainly leapfrogs many artists along the way in an industry already suffering."I think this is sad because it cuts out all of the talented artists, actors, and talent that create stories and replace them with soulless AI," Return's managing editor, Peter Gietl, remarked."It's unclear what gatekeepers Mr. Kaepernick is referring to since he had a lucrative deal with Netflix for a show no one seemed to like. It remains to be seen whether AI-created art will resonate with an audience; it hasn't so far, but I think it is possible a talented person could use these tools to create great art," Gietl added.Blaze News previously spoke with musicians regarding AI-generated music who overwhelmingly stated that any type of AI-based artform is likely to lack a human touch that resonates with audiences.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

If you thought the “White Dudes for Kamala” Zoom call was bad, then you’re in for a real treat with its extra-cringeworthy counterpart: “White Women Answer the Call.” Former public education teacher and feminist influencer Arielle Fodor led the charge, telling the other white women on the call that “BIPOC women have tapped us in as white women to listen and get involved in this election season.” “You are all influencers in some way,” she continued in an extremely condescending baby voice that she’s built her entire brand on. “If you find yourself talking over, or speaking for BIPOC individuals, or — God forbid — correcting them, just take a beat and instead, we can put our listening ears on.” Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” is horrified. “I choose to believe that is exactly what hell is like,” she tells Stu Burguiere and Matthew Marsden, who can’t help but agree. “Sin enough, we are in that Zoom call for all eternity,” Stu says, adding, “Is that really the rule though? You’re not allowed to correct a person because of the color of their skin now too?” If there were a “White Dudes for Trump” or a “White Women for Trump” Zoom call, it would likely not be received as well by the left — which would be understandable. “I tend to frown upon any organization that delineates itself by skin color. I feel like that’s bad in every circumstance,” Stu says. “We have really basic rules, like it’s an easy one to follow. Don’t make decisions based on skin color in any circumstance.” Marsden believes one former president helped us get to this point. And that president was Barack Obama. “I don’t think we’ve really completely understood all the damage that he’s done,” Marsden says. “The slippery slope was not just gay marriage, it was also his attitude towards race.” Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The Paris 2024 Olympics have been beset by debates about inclusivity and transgenderism since long before they started. The International Olympic Committee, perhaps seeking to avoid this controversy, officially does not take a position on whether transgender athletes can compete against athletes of their preferred gender, as opposed to the gender they were born with. "Each international federation is responsible for setting eligibility rules for its sport, including the eligibility criteria that determine qualification for the Olympic Games," the IOC said, per the Independent. The Olympics officially stopped performing chromosomal tests on athletes in 1999 and decided to push responsibilities onto individual athletic federations. According to the Yale School of Medicine, this was in spite of eight female athletes failing their gender eligibility tests for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Seven athletes had androgen resistance, meaning they were genetically male, and the eighth athlete was revealed to have had his testicles removed. Despite all eight athletes being males, they were permitted to compete in the 1996 Olympics. Since the abolition of IOC-led testing, different sports have instituted different bans as they see fit. For example, swimming categories are governed by World Aquatics. Since 2022, the federation has barred transgender athletes from competing in elite events, including the Olympics. However, athletes who completed a gender transition before the age of 12 can still compete against women. 'People have conspired against Algeria so that its flag doesn't get raised.' Cycling also follows the same guidelines for women's races but also reportedly has an "open" category for those who are transgender and wish to compete. Rugby and rowing follow similar guidelines requiring gender transitions before puberty, while triathlon, tennis, and archery have testosterone limits for their female athletes. In spite of the fact that the IOC does not have any official, uniform guidance on what a woman is or who is allowed to compete in women’s sports, that did not stop the IOC from lecturing the media and public on how they should talk about these issues. Weeks before the games, the IOC published a series of "portrayal guidelines" to discourage broadcasters from using "problematic" language when describing transgender athletes. The guidelines warned broadcasters of "unconscious bias," "gender stereotypes," and "gender bias," while asking journalists to avoid "words and expressions which could be interpreted as biased, discriminatory, or sexist." Spectators who have watched might have a different view entirely on what constitutes “discriminatory or sexist” behavior after seeing some of the competitions pit apparent biological males against females in contact sports. For example, in the women's 66kg boxing category, it took just 46 seconds for Italy's Angela Carini to decide that taking a punch from Algeria's Imane Khelif wasn't worth it. Khelif has been widely criticized after it was revealed that the International Boxing Association disqualified the fighter at the 2023 world championships. IBA President Umar Kremlev said at the time that Khelif had "XY chromosomes." Carini forfeited the match, breaking down in tears as the winner was announced. She later said that she "didn't give up, but one punch hurt too much, and so I said enough." Khelif reportedly blamed a "conspiracy" against Algeria as the reason for any gender-related accusations. "People have conspired against Algeria so that its flag doesn't get raised and it doesn't win the gold medal," Khelif said. The Algerian Olympic Committee also weighed in, calling claims surrounding Khelif's gender "baseless," according to Fox News. Lin Yu‑ting of Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) is another fighter accused of making a mockery of the sport by unjustly competing against women, fighting at 57kg. The IOC has acknowledged in its internal system (available to journalists) that Lin was stripped of a medal at the 2023 world boxing championships after "failing to meet eligibility requirements based on the results of a biochemical test.” Image by Blaze News via Bovada/Bodog The world of gambling has even recognized the apparent advantage, as per betting site Bodog, both boxers are favored to win the gold medal in their weight classes at the time of this writing. "It is sick and deeply troubling that the IOC is allowing this kind of gender manipulation to take place," former NCAA champion athlete Kaitlynn Wheeler told Blaze News. Before these fights, a different controversial boxer flew under the radar early on in the Olympics: Filipino fighter Hergie Bacyadan. The 75kg fighter lost her fight in the round of 16. The difference in this case was that Bacyadan is a female fighter who claims to be a man. Not only that, she says she will never take testosterone and continues to fight in the women's category. "Will never take [testosterone] and will never be on 'T,'" Bacyadan said on Instagram. "But I still consider myself as a Transman because my heart says so," she added. 'It's meant to humiliate us. Everyone knows this is wrong.' Those aren’t the only self-identifying transgender athletes competing at the Olympics, either. For example, Nikki Hiltz is a female athlete who has identified as "transgender and nonbinary" since 2021. Competing in the women's 1500-meter race, Hiltz — who uses the pronoun "they" — has so far chosen athletics over getting life-altering surgeries and treatments. "Going to the Olympics is such a dream of mine," Hiltz said, according to the Human Rights Campaign. "But it's also such a dream of mine to take testosterone or grow facial hair or have top surgery, and so I think sometimes I can really resent this sport." Similarly, Canadian soccer player Rebecca Quinn also identifies as nonbinary and transgender, using they/them pronouns. Since 2020, "Quinn" has preferred to be known by only her last name as a substitute for a full name. She has spoken out about her frustration stemming from outlets using her "deadname," which refers to a person's name prior to her alleged gender transition. "Nearly every publication, including LGBTQ news sources, has used my deadname while reporting my story. The news matters and it's crucial to write about trans people using their name & pronouns. Please do your research, change your headlines, and grow." — (@) Zambia's women's soccer team has faced similar controversy during these Olympic games, when players Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji both scored multiple goals against the Australian women, the Guardian reported. According to the report, it was originally believed that Banda was prevented from playing in the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations after failing a gender eligibility test. In Kundananji's case, the player was barred from the same tournament for elevated testosterone levels. However, the Telegraph conducted an investigation and determined that the truth was somewhat more complex. Instead, the outlet found after interviewing the Confederation of African football that neither player had undergone any gender eligibility tests, but rather both had tested positive for impermissibly high levels of testosterone and were removed from team rosters because they did not wish to take hormone suppressants. Zambian officials acknowledged to the English news outlet that Banda has abnormally high testosterone levels, and so did at least two other players, including Kundananji. The soccer players reportedly refused to take the suppressants due to unremunerated side effects. Comedian Leonarda Jonie, who has been very vocal on the subject, told Blaze News, "It's meant to humiliate us. Everyone knows this is wrong, especially the people who let it happen." "The powers that be, in this case the Olympics, want you to know that there's nothing you can do about it," Jonie added. This sentiment has been shared by former Olympic athlete Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner, who simply said, "Men don’t belong in women’s sports, period." Jenner blamed Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration for destroying Title IX, thus erasing women's sports. While some sports have taken the concerns of biologically female athletes seriously, it may be another few years before there are significant changes in all governing bodies across the world. Sports where the advantage of biological men seems obvious — such as weight lifting — are still allowing self-identification to rule as the law of the land, without any restrictions on testosterone levels or age of transition whatsoever. Unfortunately, it may take an incident in combat sports, like the boxing controversies, to turn the tide in biological women's favor.

The Biden-Harris administration’s Department of Homeland Security released at least 99 individuals on the terrorist watch list into the interior of the United States, according to a recent congressional report.The House Judiciary Committee published a report Monday that stated that Border Patrol agents stationed at the southern border encountered 250 illegal aliens on the terrorist watch list between fiscal years 2021 and 2023. According to the committee, the DHS recently told Congress that it released at least 99 individuals on the terrorist watch list into the U.S. The DHS reportedly stated that 34 other individuals are in federal custody but have not yet been deported.'Serious — and potentially dangerous — flaws.'According to Customs and Border Protection, the suspected terrorists encountered by Border Patrol agents were citizens from a number of countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.Immigration judges granted bond to at least 27 suspected terrorists and asylum to four between fiscal years 2021 and 2023, according to the report.The committee’s report read, “The open-borders policies of President Joe Biden and border czar Vice President Kamala Harris have allowed millions of illegal aliens to enter the United States, including terrorist organizations and other bad actors looking to harm Americans. In three-and-a-half years, the Biden-Harris Administration has released more than 5.4 million illegal aliens into the United States, with an additional at least 1.9 million known ‘gotaways’ escaping into the country.”“Among those more than 7.3 million illegal aliens are 375 illegal aliens on the U.S. government’s terrorist watchlist who have been apprehended by Border Patrol under President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’s watch. That is a more than 3,000 percent increase of watchlisted alien encounters compared to all four years of the Trump Administration,” the report added.The committee accused the Biden-Harris administration of “downplay[ing]” the open border’s national security threats, noting that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has claimed that each illegal alien is thoroughly vetted before being released into the interior of the country.In June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested eight Tajik nationals with potential terrorist ties. Three of the individuals had been previously released after scheduling an appointment through the administration’s CBP One app.Mayorkas has stated that the app allows federal officials to “screen and vet” before those individuals reach the border.“But the on-the-ground reality reflects serious — and potentially dangerous — flaws in the open-borders policies, as DHS has released into the country illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist,” the report added.The DHS did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The America First Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit on Monday against Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer (R), arguing that the Arizona county has failed to purge illegal immigrants from its voter rolls.A copy of the lawsuit, obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, claimed that Richer and his office have “ignored” maintenance requirements for county recorders. It noted that in 2022, the state lawmakers adopted “stricter voter list” requirements to ensure the removal of foreign citizens. The adopted laws require monthly reviews of local voter rolls and comparisons with federal databases to verify citizenship status.“[Richer] has failed to take the actions required by law to ensure that foreign citizens are removed from Maricopa County’s voter rolls,” the lawsuit read.Founder of AFL and former senior advisor to President Donald Trump Stephen Miller told the DCNF, “America First Legal is leading the charge to keep illegal aliens from voting in 2024.”“Maricopa County, in direct violation of state law, is refusing to remove illegal alien voters from the rolls,” Miller stated. “We are taking decisive action: suing Maricopa County for unlawfully permitting illegal aliens and foreign citizens to interfere in the 2024 election.”A recent Rasmussen Reports survey, noted in AFL’s lawsuit, found that slightly more than 1% of likely voters in battleground states, including Arizona, admitted they are not citizens.AFL previously sent demand letters to all Arizona counties, including Maricopa County, requesting the clean up of voter rolls. According to AFL, Richer’s attorney responded to the letter stating that his office would not be taking any further action, claiming it was already verifying voters’ citizenship status.However, a July press release from the AFL contended that more than 35,000 registered voters in Arizona never provided proof of citizenship. The group noted that roughly 10,000 votes decided the 2020 presidential election in Arizona.According to the New York Post, Arizona is one of at least 46 states that does not require documented proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Those seeking to register must only check a box claiming they are citizens. Proof of citizenship is required to vote in state or local elections in Arizona.James Rogers, AFL legal senior counsel, told DCNF, “How can Arizonans have confidence in the integrity of their State’s elections when the government officials in charge of administering that election are not even following the law?”“It is reasonable for Arizonans to be concerned,” Rogers added. “This lawsuit is about helping to restore the public’s trust by making sure that election officials follow the law and that foreigners are not able to influence the outcome of our elections.”The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!