Thousands of British girls were systematically raped, tortured, and trafficked by Pakistani grooming gangs from the late 1980s well into the new millennium. For years, authorities failed to help the victims and hold the pedophilic rapists accountable in part because of "nervousness about race." The British media, rendered largely useless by political correctness and an apparent disinterest in the fate of white, working-class children, similarly dropped the ball and in some cases even suppressed details about the horrific and widespread issue. Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, a critic of the "misguided dogma of multiculturalism," noted in September 2023 that the "systematic rape, abuse and exploitation of young girls by organized gangs of older men — and the disgraceful failure of the authorities to act despite ample evidence — is a stain on our country." Elon Musk generated serious waves Wednesday by suggesting that the recent refusal by the isles' stained Labour government to take a closer look at the historic abuse is connected with the leftist prime minister's apparent failures of yesteryear. "In the UK, serious crimes such as rape require the Crown Prosecution Service's approval for the police to charge suspects," Musk tweeted Wednesday. "Who was the head of the CPS when rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice? Keir Starmer, 2008-2013." The Financial Times noted that during the time period highlighted by Musk, Starmer served as director of public prosecutions, getting around to prosecuting elements of the Rochdale rape gang only during his final year in the position — after the scandal in Greater Manchester became too great to ignore. Starmer admitted in 2012 that the rapists had long escaped justice because police, prosecutors, and the courts had failed to understand the nature of the abuse. "In a number of cases presented to us, particularly in cases involving groups, there's clearly an issue of ethnicity that has to be understood and addressed," Starmer said. "But if we're honest it’s the approach to the victims, the credibility issue, that caused these cases not to be prosecuted in the past. There was a lack of understanding." The Financial Times indicated that the prime minister's office declined to comment on Musk's accusation. Hours after suggesting Starmer failed to hold rapists to account as a prosecutor, Musk suggested Starmer's Labour government has since added insult to injury. "Who is the boss of Jess Phillips right now? Keir Stamer," tweeted Musk. "The real reason she's refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Stamer (head of the CPS at the time)." Jess Phillips, whom Musk said "deserves to be in prison," has served as Starmer's parliamentary under-secretary of state for safeguarding and violence against women and girls since July. 'It's clear whose side she is on.' GB News reported that Phillips turned down the Oldham Council executive's request for a formal public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in their borough. Shadow Home Office minister Chris Philp told the BBC that Conservatives backed Oldham Council's request. In her response, Phillips reportedly suggested that she understands "the strength of feeling that a further inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham should be undertaken" but that "it is for Oldham Council alone to decide to commission an inquiry into child sexual exploitation locally, rather than for the Government to intervene." Former Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister Liz Truss noted, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs. Her title 'Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls' is a perversion of the English language. It's clear whose side she is on." '2025 must be the year that the victims start to get justice.' The Critic echoed Musk's suggestion that Phillips might oppose an inquiry for fear of uncovering "the extent of institutional complicity" but noted further that "one also can't help wondering if Phillips — who, at the last General Election, narrowly triumphed in her heavily Muslim Birmingham Yardley constituency over Jody McIntyre, a Muslim candidate campaigning on the issue of Gaza — fears upsetting her constituents." Tom Jones, writing for Unherd, suggested that "the reasons for refusing a Government intervention can be disputed, but it cannot be disputed that it is reprehensible. The case for a centralized inquiry is clear: while this request was for Oldham alone, there has been a rape gang scandal in over 50 British towns and cities. This is a staggering scale of depravity, and most cases are marked by close resemblances in their systematic nature." Jones noted further that the government has the resources, authority, and backing necessary to launch a proper inquiry, not to mention the distance that would be lacking should the council in Oldham investigate its own conduct. While the Starmer government appears uninterested in pursuing answers in Oldham, Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, noted Thursday morning, "The time is long overdue for a full national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal." "Trials have taken place all over the country in recent years but no one in authority has joined the dots," wrote Badenoch. "2025 must be the year that the victims start to get justice." Chris Philp told the BBC, "We need a proper national inquiry to look at all of these issues across all of the towns affected. And I'm afraid to say there are something like, you know, 15 to 25 different towns involved, covering thousands and thousands of victims." Philp noted further that the inquiry should examine why the pedophile rape gangs were "overwhelmingly of South Asian background." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Speaker Mike Johnson's re-election is set to take place Friday, but he may not have enough support within the Republican conference to secure another term. Although Johnson has obtained the support of President-elect Donald Trump, several Republican lawmakers are holding out on endorsing the speaker. Republicans hold an even narrower four-seat majority this Congress, giving Johnson very little wiggle room.'Johnson's issue is that his two outspoken holdouts currently are also the two people left who endorsed Trump's opponent in the primary, so I don't see them going back in the Johnson camp with just pressure from Trump.'Republicans hold 219 seats while Democrats hold 215. Assuming the two parties vote in lock-step, Johnson can afford only one Republican "no" vote, which has already been claimed by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. If Johnson receives two "no" votes, his support will be tied at 217 votes in favor and 217 votes against his speakership. "I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan," Massie said. "We’ve seen Johnson partner with the Democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget.""Mike Johnson is the next Paul Ryan," Massie said. "On January 3rd, 2025, I won’t be voting for Mike Johnson. I hope my colleague will join me because history will not give America another 'do-over.'" US Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and US Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) walk to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's (R-La.) office at the US Capitol on April 17, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)There is some leeway for Johnson if some Republican defectors vote "present" rather than joining forces with Democrats to strike down his speakership. As of this writing, several Republican lawmakers have signaled that they are undecided on whether they would support Johnson. "The reason I am still undecided on the Speaker vote (as opposed to a hard no) is it's not ALL the fault of Speaker Johnson & my desire is to give him grace & Trump room to deliver on a strong agenda for which we were elected," Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said. "But something MUST change." Roy primarily cited the most recent spending fight that took place right before Christmas in which Johnson first introduced a 1,547-page funding bill. The original bill was struck down by GOP defectors as well as Trump's political allies before the House even had the opportunity to vote for it. Eventually, a slimmer 116-page continuing resolution was introduced, narrowly averting a Christmas shutdown. Congress' annual Christmas tradition of jamming through a Christmas omnibus all "could have been avoided with any serious planning & communication," Roy said, "but instead coordinated efforts were undertaken to vilify those (half NOT freedom caucus) who honored their promise to constituents not to do so." With Massie's "no" vote and Roy's potential holdout, Johnson's speakership would be tanked on Friday. Notably, both Massie and Roy supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary, signaling they are less influenced by Trump's endorsement of Johnson than other lawmakers are."I don't see how Johnson gets 218 without major commitments to conservatives at this point," a House Republican aide told Blaze News. "Johnson's issue is that his two outspoken holdouts currently are also the two people left who endorsed Trump's opponent in the primary, so I don't see them going back in the Johnson camp with just pressure from Trump. Gonna need more than that at this point." Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks during a press conference at Mr. Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on April 12, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Although Roy and Massie have been the most outspoken about Johnson's speakership, several other Republicans have expressed hesitancy. "I'm going to talk to Mike and raise any concerns I have," Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee told Blaze News. "As of right now I'm still undecided." Republican Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas also told Blaze News that he "has no comment on the Speaker's race at this time." Following the funding debacle in December, Cloud signaled that he would be open to "personnel changes" to ensure Trump's agenda is delivered in the 119th Congress. "The chaos of this past week was both predictable and avoidable," Cloud said. "Weeks ago, I and others warned of these pinch points and urged leadership to involve members in crafting solutions. Unfortunately, we were ignored and locked out of the process. It wasn’t the rank-and-file members who failed this week—it was a failure of leadership that brought us here.""Come January, we will need to revisit how Congress operates to ensure it is structured to deliver President Trump’s MAGA agenda," Cloud continued. "Whether that requires personnel changes, process reforms, or both will be a critical discussion we must have."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill thanked Elon Musk for helping authorities figure out the cause of the explosion of a Cybertruck that was parked at the entrance of a Trump hotel in the city.Authorities determined the rented Cybertruck was rigged to explode, with the bed filled with gas canisters. While several people were injured, only the driver has been confirmed dead.Shortly after the explosion, Musk posted on X that his senior team at Tesla was working to determine how the truck exploded because Tesla had "never seen anything like this."During a press conference on Wednesday, McMahill said not only that Musk and his team were helpful but that the sturdy design of the electric vehicle limited damage to the Trump property.'He entered the active duty Army in December 2012 and was a U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier.'"Yes, actually, I have to thank Elon Musk specifically. He gave us quite a bit of additional information in regards to how — the vehicle was locked after it exploded, due to the force of the nature, or the nature of the force from the explosion, as well as, you know, to capture all of the video from the Tesla charging stations across the country, and he sent that directly to us. So I appreciate his help on that," McMahill said.At the time of the press conference, McMahill said his department was still figuring out how the truck was rigged to explode."The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken," Musk said on X.Like the electric pickup truck used in the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, the Cybertruck was rented through Turo, a car rental service.In a statement, the U.S. Army confirmed that the person connected to the Cybertruck rental was an active-duty Special Forces soldier who was on leave.“Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger enlisted as an 18X and served in the active duty Army from January 2006 to March 2011. Livelsberger then joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, followed by the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. He entered the active duty Army in December 2012 and was a U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier," the Army said."Additionally, U.S. Army Special Operations Command can confirm Livelsberger was assigned to the command and on approved leave at the time of his death. USASOC is in full cooperation with federal and state law enforcement agencies, but as a matter of policy, will not comment on ongoing investigations," the statement concluded.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose updated the state's candidate declaration forms this week after last year's disqualification of a House candidate over failure to disclose a "deadname."

The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday reportedly banned drones from flying over the sites of the New Orleans truck attack and the Las Vegas Tesla explosion.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk donated 268,000 Tesla shares to unnamed charities just before the new year, according to a regulatory filing Tuesday.