Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has sharply criticized a high-ranking appointee of California Gov. Gavin Newsom for dismantling the state’s emergency-response volunteer firefighting units. Shortly after Newsom appointed Matthew Beevers as adjutant general of the California Military Department in May 2023, Beevers decommissioned the Emergency Response Command, a highly trained joint command consisting of two volunteer units, according to Maj. Gen. Jay Coggan, retired commanding general of the California State Guard. “Your article was very important, because the fact is that dismantling volunteer fire departments is not only an additional cost, but it eliminates a force multiplier,” Issa said, referring to a Jan. 16 article on The Daily Signal. A Newsom appointee dismantled the state's volunteer fire department, @DailySignal reported. @DarrellIssa, R-Calif., said this ?created "an additional cost" and "eliminated a force multiplier.""This didn't fit a union agenda of the administration," he said. pic.twitter.com/fwBwemYd5C— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) January 31, 2025 Prior to Beevers’ decision, Emergency Response Command included Team Blaze, a firefighting detachment with two years of training to operate five fire engines specially designed to fight wildfires in terrain like that of Los Angeles and act as firefighting handcrews. More than 300 wildfires in Los Angeles and other areas of Southern California have killed at least 28 people, destroyed an estimated 16,000 structures, and burned more than 57,000 acres, according to CAL FIRE. “There’s no question at all, you cannot afford to have rank-and-file fire departments in these rural areas at any cost, so as a result, there were less people responding,” Issa said. “These volunteer teams, they’re protecting their own homes, they have long histories, and they’re very affordable. But this didn’t fit a union agenda of the administration.” A senior enlisted leader told The Daily Signal that the California Professional Firefighters Union complained to Cal Fire that it didn’t want “nonprofessional firefighters” on their fires. According to the enlisted leader, Cal Fire put pressure on Beevers, who is said to have caved because Taskforce Rattlesnake, a large program run by the California Military Department, is funded by Cal Fire.   California Professional Firefighters Union and Cal Fire did not respond to The Daily Signal’s requests for comment.   “In reality, these people don’t want their jobs,” Coggan, the retired commanding general of the California State Guard, told The Daily Signal, referring to the volunteer firefighters. “They’re just filling it during the gap.”  The website and social media accounts for the firefighting unit, Team Blaze, vanished in the days after the report on the controversial decision by Beevers. “Suppressing free speech is something the [Biden] administration did regularly,” Issa said. “It’s something that still happens in California.” “It’s a big part of what President [Donald] Trump and this Republican majority want to do, make sure it doesn’t happen again,” the California Republican continued. “We believe free speech, even when we disagree with it, is critical. The other side doesn’t.” Issa said there is “no question” that California’s far-left leadership is at fault for the consequences of the wildfires. “Multiple Democrat leaders and Democrat administrations, not just administrations, but the Legislature, has progressively made more fuel to be on the fire and less ability to on the ground and less ability to fight it,” he said. Issa added that California voters are frustrated with leaders like Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “They want to have government do what it’s supposed to do,” he said, “and for years, that hasn’t been what the leadership has done.” The post California Congressman Slams Newsom Appointee for Dismantling Volunteer Fire Unit appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Offshore Wind-ing Down in Europe

Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid down the law in Panama over the weekend, making expressly clear to President José Mulino that the Trump administration will not tolerate the influence of the Chinese communist regime over the Panama Canal as it now stands. It appears the Panamanian leader heeded the American's warning. Within hours of their meeting, Mulino announced that Panama will not be renewing its memorandum of understanding with China concerning its Belt and Road Initiative. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce indicated in a statement Sunday that Rubio impressed upon Mulino and Panama's foreign minister, Javier Martínez-Acha, "that President Trump has made a preliminary determination that the current position of influence and control of the Chinese Communist Party over the Panama Canal area is a threat to the canal and represents a violation of the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal." 'Absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights.' According to the Panama Canal Treaty and Neutrality Treaty signed in 1977 by former President Jimmy Carter and Panama's then-chief of government, Omar Torrijos, the canal "shall be permanently neutral" and in time of both peace and war "shall remain secure and open to peaceful transit by the vessels of all nations on terms of entire equality." Rubio reportedly told the Panamanian leaders that the current level of Chinese influence over the canal was "unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the Treaty." Evidently keen to avoid consequences — which Rubio apparently did not spell out in detail — Mulino announced that he will not only let Panama's Belt and Road Initiative partnership expire but will look into the possibility of terminating it early, as it was not set to be renewed for at least another year. Mulino also expressed a willingness to review a number of Chinese businesses in Panama, including the 25-year concession to the Chinese company that operates ports at both ends of the canal, reported Reuters. Mulino's announcement "that Panama will allow its participation in the CCP's Belt and Road Initiative to expire is a great step forward for U.S.-Panama relations, a free Panama Canal, and another example of @POTUS leadership to protect our national security and deliver prosperity for the American people," Rubio stated Monday. Through its BRI, the Chinese Communist Party helps poorer nations build ports, rail lines, and telecommunications networks, as well as secure financing. Since this assistance is usually unaffordable by design, the BRI effectively transforms countries into vassal states. The State Department noted during the first Trump administration that the Belt and Road Initiative "preys on other countries via unsustainable and corrupt lending while ignoring global labor and environmental standards." The department stated further that the Chinese military utilizes BRI to establish a presence in partner nations and to "challenge the United States globally." Panama was the first country in Latin America to partner with China on the BRI, signing a memorandum of understanding to that effect in 2017. Since 2017, China's influence in Panama has grown considerably, raising concerns stateside that America's ability to transit the canal it built in the early 20th century for a price tag of $375 million and thousands of lives could soon be strategically hindered. 'We gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn't give it to China.' A Congressional Research Service report updated on Dec. 17, 2024, noted that some U.S. military leaders are concerned that Beijing-linked companies along the canal "may present a security vulnerability for the United States." China presently controls ports at both ends of the canal through Hutchinson Ports PPC, a Hong Kong-based company closely linked to the regime in Beijing. Trump said on Truth Social in December that the canal and its independence from communist Chinese interference were "crucial for U.S. commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to U.S. ports." Weeks ahead of taking office, Trump stated at a press conference that the "Panama Canal is vital to our country. It's being operated by China. China. And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn't give it to China, and they've abused it. They've abused that gift. It should have never been made, by the way. Giving the Panama Canal is why Jimmy Carter lost the election, in my opinion." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he has become the acting director of the United States Agency for International Development after DOGE found questionable spending at the government organization. USAID has been charged with spending taxpayer money for foreign development and civil aid across the globe. Musk said that the more DOGE looked into the organization, the more it found spending on anti-American programs that were previously hidden. 'As we dug into USAID, it became apparent that what we have here is not an apple with a worm in it, but we have, actually, just a ball of worms. It's hopeless.'On Monday, Rubio announced that he had taken control of the department. He said that he had been frustrated with the organization during his time in the Senate. "I'm the acting director of USAID," Rubio said to reporters. "Every dollar we spend will be aligned with the national interest of the United States. USAID has a history of ignoring that and deciding that they're a global charity," he went on to explain. "These are not donor dollars; these are taxpayer dollars," he added. "We owe the American people assurances that every dollar we are spending abroad is being spent on something that furthers our national interest."Musk, who has been tapped to head the Department of Government Efficiency, claimed in comments on social media that USAID had a far worse problem than the proverbial "worm in the apple.""As we dug into USAID, it became apparent that what we have here is not an apple with a worm in it, but we have, actually, just a ball of worms," he said. "It's hopeless. USAID is a ball of worms. There is no apple. And when there is no apple, you just gotta basically get rid of the whole thing."After beginning to dismantle the organization, Musk derided the employees seeking help from politicians. "And the worms are crawling to their pet politicians to save them," he said on social media. USAID was founded by John F. Kennedy in 1961 and has an annual budget of $50 billion and more than 10,000 employees. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that Venezuela has agreed to repatriate its citizens living illegally in the United States.Trump wrote in a Saturday post on Truth Social that Venezuela has reached an agreement with the White House to accept its citizens, including members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua.'We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all Countries, and all Countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back.'Venezuela has historically refused to cooperate with U.S. repatriation flights. However, Trump’s tough stance on immigration appears to have pushed Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to reconsider.Trump’s envoy, Richard Grenell, visited Maduro in Venezuela on Friday. Grenell returned with six American citizens who were being detained by Maduro’s regime following the country’s July presidential election.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that Grenell’s visit does not indicate that the Trump administration recognized Maduro as the legitimate leader. U.S. officials have maintained that Maduro lost the election, recognizing challenger Edmundo González as Venezuela’s president-elect.Grenell told the Wall Street Journal, “The only award for Maduro was my physical presence, the first senior U.S. official to visit the country in years.”“It was a big gift to him to have a visit by an envoy of President Trump,” Grenell added.Mauricio Claver-Carone, the State Department’s special envoy for Latin America, told the Washington Post that the agreement between the U.S. and Venezuela to take back its citizens was “not a negotiation.”“The Venezuelan criminals of Tren de Aragua and other groups have to be deported and Venezuela has to accept them. It is their responsibility ... it is not negotiable. ... And if they don’t comply with these requirements, obviously, as President Trump himself has said, there will be major consequences,” Claver-Carone stated.Trump wrote on Saturday, “It is so good to have the Venezuela Hostages back home and, very important to note, that Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their Country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua.”“Venezuela has further agreed to supply the transportation back,” Trump continued. “We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all Countries, and all Countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back. Furthermore, record numbers of criminals are being removed from our Country, and the Border numbers are the strongest they have been since the First Term of the Trump Administration!”The Biden administration previously extended Temporary Protected Status to roughly 600,000 Venezuelan nationals residing in the U.S.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced last week that the Trump administration had terminated an extension that would have shielded Venezuelan nationals from deportation until October 2026. The existing protections are slated to expire in April and September.Leavitt noted on Friday that there are currently 400 Tren de Aragua gang members in custody waiting to be deported to Venezuela.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A tragic plane crash in Washington, D.C., has claimed the lives of over 60 Americans. Now, we’ve all been left wondering what could have caused it. The tragedy began when an American Airlines plane collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was carrying three military service members over the Potomac river in D.C., while the passenger plane was on its final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. “There were a lot of questions as to what in the world went wrong,” Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” comments. “You have this American Airlines flight that’s carrying potential figure skaters on the 2026 Olympic skating team flying from Wichita, Kansas, to D.C., and air traffic control staff.” According to the preliminary report, the number of air traffic control staff members was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic. There were 19 fully certified controllers as of September 2024, which was well below the target of 30. “Then, you add on top of that,” Gonzales says, “you have these new DEI initiatives and policies when it comes to the FAA and air traffic control.” Upon taking office, President Donald Trump signed a memo that “orders the secretary of transportation and FAA administrator to immediately stop Biden DEI hiring programs and return to non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.” The memo also stated that “safety and competence should be the only job criteria for FAA employees, yet the Biden administration violated the public trust — as well as the law — by prioritizing illegal DEI hiring.” “We just need for you guys to do your jobs so people don’t die in a plane crash,” Gonzales says. “It’s like, you had one job. I don’t care what color your skin is, I don’t care who you sleep with.” “DEI kills, period,” she adds. 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 risks pro-life advocates take these days when they head to the streets and tell others that abortion is wrong are numerous and dire. In this roundup, we'll be taking a look at how some of them were physically attacked over their convictions.'She just absolutely glared at me. She grabbed me by both of my shoulders and ... pitched me across the sidewalk. I landed on my left side and my left arm and my head.'But physical attacks are only a part of what pro-life advocates face. Leftists who bully, intimidate, and harass them can make the prospect of protesting on behalf of the unborn downright scary, too.Readers of Blaze News likely haven't forgotten the outrageous behavior of then-Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims, a leftist who posted video of himself harassing an "old white lady" saying the rosary near a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood in 2019. Brian K. SimsImage source: Pennsylvania House of Representatives, archivesThat ain't the half of it. Sims also offered $100 for the identities of young women praying in front of the same abortion facility. The mother of the teen girls soon told Tucker Carlson that Sims "came in hot ... yelling" at them and that she had to intervene. In the end, Sims' bullying sparked a pro-life rally in front of the Planned Parenthood featuring speakers such as Matt Walsh, Live Action president and founder Lila Rose, and iconic pro-life leader Abby Johnson.Oh, and does anyone remember the assistant principal from a Pennsylvania high school who resigned after he was caught on video in April 2017 screaming and cursing at teenage pro-life advocates on a public sidewalk in front of the school? Check out the still-startling video here.Zach Ruff, then dean of academics and student life at the STEM Academy in Downingtown, pointed at a sign one of the teen activists was holding that showed a photo of an aborted fetus and told the teen, “You can go to hell, where they are, too.” When the teen suggested that Ruff turn to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of his sins, Ruff stood inches from the teen's face and issued a scorching rebuttal: “Listen here, son, all right? I’m as gay as the day is long and twice as sunny. I don’t give a f**k what you think Jesus tells me and what I should and should not be doing.”The teens received a settlement that summer acknowledging that they had every right to be on that sidewalk. In a December 2017 article by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ruff told the paper he takes several medications, sees a therapist twice weekly, and rarely leaves the house without his husband.Then you have alleged intimidation courtesy of the FBI and by the likes of Jane's Revenge. How about an outspoken Democrat elected official who issued "literally a call to arms" against the pro-life movement? If that isn't enough to contend with, let's now take a look at some of what has happened when leftists got physical with pro-lifers.Elderly pro-lifer beaten to a pulp in vicious, unprovoked attack outside Planned Parenthood; another elderly pro-lifer knocked out cold in same attack, witness saysPro-life advocate Mark Crosby, 73, was severely beaten in a vicious, unprovoked attack outside a Planned Parenthood in Baltimore in May 2023, and a witness said a second pro-lifer, Dick Schafer, 80, was knocked out cold in the same attack.Local pro-life advocate John Roswell told LifeSiteNews at the time that Crosby’s “plate bone in his upper right cheek is completely fractured” and that he “is bleeding from some unidentified area behind his eye, and the bone eye orbit is completely shattered and will have to be replaced with metal.”Police told WJZ-TV that video of attack on Crosby "shows the suspect strike [the victim] in the face with a closed fist as [the victim] is on his back on the ground. The suspect is then observed standing up and with extreme force, kicks [the victim] directly in the face." You can view a video report here about the attack.Soon police released surveillance images of the suspect as well as surveillance video of the brutal assault. In the summer of 2024, police arrested 27-year-old Patrick Brice in connection with the attack, WBAL-AM reported. The 6'5" Brice was indicted on charges of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and assault on an elderly person 65 and over, according to the American Center for Law and Justice, which is representing the attack victims. ACLJ told Blaze News that the trial begins Wednesday.65-year-old pro-life advocate saying rosary outside Planned Parenthood gets decked with punch to the face — by a male support person for abortion provider, who wallops elderly pro-lifer a second timeA 65-year-old pro-life advocate who was saying the rosary in October 2018 outside a Planned Parenthood in Florida was hospitalized after a man who had apparently accompanied a patient to the clinic came outside and decked him with a punch before delivering another blow.A male exited the Planned Parenthood building and crossed the street to take photos of the group of about 10 protesters, Carol Gentile, one of the regular protesters, told the Naples News.The male then approached Joe Alger — who was saying the rosary — and got close to the 65-year-old's face and knocked him to the ground with a punch, Gentile added to the News, noting that the attacker followed that with a second punch.Other witnesses corroborated Gentile's account, the paper said, and noted that the attacker used obscene language and gestures. A sheriff's deputy later escorted a man fitting witnesses’ description of the attacker from the North Naples clinic into the back seat of a patrol car, the News reported, adding that he wasn't in handcuffs and there were no arrests.Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Sarah Scully told the News that "a fight broke out between a trespassed protester and a patient’s support person." Paul Van Valkenburg, a volunteer escort with Planned Parenthood, added to the paper that the punching victim earlier had trespassed on Planned Parenthood property and the sheriff’s office was initially called — and then called a second time in response to the attack.Grand jury refuses to indict 32-year-old female charged with assaulting 82-year-old pro-life woman outside abortion clinic; Black Lives Matter accuses victim — whose leg was broken and required surgery — of 'violence ... in the name of Christianity'A grand jury refused to indict a female charged with assaulting an 82-year-old pro-life woman outside Kentucky's only remaining abortion clinic, the Courier Journal said in a June 2019 report.Janaya Alyce Gregory, 32, was charged with second-degree felony assault after surveillance video showed her approaching Donna Durning outside EMW Women's Surgical Center on April 12 and allegedly pushing her to the sidewalk. Durning was hospitalized with a broken leg that required surgery and rehabilitation. You can view surveillance video here of the incident.Durning told the paper that "she just absolutely glared at me. She grabbed me by both of my shoulders and ... pitched me across the sidewalk. I landed on my left side and my left arm and my head."Gregory pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance, the Courier Journal said. Following the grand jury's decision, Black Lives Matter Louisville issued a Facebook post accusing During of "violence ... in the name of Christianity" toward those "seeking services for their reproductive health."Pierced-out shaggy creep actually kicks pro-life woman recording video of him at silent protestA pierced-out, shaggy male was caught on video kicking a pro-life woman during a silent protest on a Toronto street corner on Sept. 30, 2018, before running away when authorities were contacted, the victim wrote in an account for LifeSite.Marie-Claire Bissonnette, a youth coordinator for Campaign Life Coalition in Toronto, said she began recording her attacker on her cell phone after he committed acts of vandalism against other pro-life advocates. You can view video here of the incident.Jordan Hunt, 26, soon surrendered to police. He faced eight counts of assault and seven counts of mischief under $5,000, the Toronto Sun reported. Hunt also was charged with one count of assault in connection with an incident that occurred a month earlier, the paper said, but Constable David Hopkinson couldn't confirm whether it was related to a second video that surfaced showing a shirtless male harassing anti-abortion protesters. The male in that second video said, “Yeah, I tried to knock your stupid billboard to the side" and “if you don’t want me to f**k with your stuff, why are you trying to f**k with other people’s choices?"Also, a Toronto hair salon fired Hunt and identified him as the attacker in the Sept. 30 video. “It has been brought to our attention that Jordan Hunt has been caught on camera assaulting an innocent bystander at a pro-life rally. We don’t condone his actions, and he has been let go,” Noble Studio 101 noted in an Instagram post. “We believe that everyone has a right to an opinion and the right to voice their opinion without fear of physical violence.”Hunt was given eight months’ probation and a conditional discharge ordering him to stay 100 meters from any pro-life demonstration, not contact his victims, and attend counseling, according to a June 2019 Live Action report.'Oh, are you crying, little girl?' Thuggish female physically attacks pro-life advocate — and the ill-advised outburst comes back to haunt suspectJust one day after a shaggy male kicked a pro-life woman at a silent protest in Toronto — as described in the above story — another pro-life woman was physically attacked in the city.Those who recorded video of the attack told Global News that it occurred near Ryerson University on Oct. 1, 2018. The attacker first knocked down signs, then shoved pro-life activist Katie Somers, Global News said, before apparently reaching into Somers’ backpack, pulling out an object, and smashing it on the ground.The shoving continued, with the attacker doing a threatening "chest pound" as a crying Somers tried to get away. "C'mon, let's do it!" the attacker was heard saying. No one appeared to make any meaningful attempt to intervene, but a presumably pro-abortion woman could be heard on video mocking Somers: "Oh, are you crying, little girl? Did we hurt your feelings? I think we hurt her feelings."The following year, Gabriela Skwarko, 23, admitted she was responsible for the attack and pleaded guilty, Global News reported in a separate story. The Crown and defense counsel recommended that Skwarko receive a conditional discharge and 18 months’ probation, and the judge said he would accept the recommendation, the outlet said, adding that Skwarko was suspended from Ryerson for one year and lost her job with the university.'Burn, little Jesus freaks! Burn, burn, burn!' Anti-abortion group gets chilling death threats on voicemail after Molotov cocktail attackA Wisconsin anti-abortion group received a series of chilling death threats on voicemail after a Molotov cocktail attack damaged its headquarters in May 2022. One of the messages came from a sinister character who sang "Burn, little Jesus freaks! Burn, burn, burn!"Wisconsin Family Action was targeted after a Supreme Court decision draft overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked May 2. First came the Molotov cocktail attack, which resulted in fire damage; also a spray-painted message outside the offices read, “If abortions aren’t safe, then you aren’t, either."Later death threats and other vile messages were left on WFA voicemail, CBN News reported. One male left a message saying that "you’re all going to burn … you’re following the f**king devil" and that “I hope you all burn ... that’s what you deserve.” Another male declared that “whoever set that fire is a true American patriot. You people are just utter filth of the planet. And it’s too bad your whore mothers didn’t abort each and every last one of you. Hopefully, you all get cancer ...”Another guy sadistically sang, “Burn, little Jesus freaks! Burn, burn, burn!”'Hail Satan!' Spitting, twerking, violent pro-abortion mob descends upon pro-life group at collegeIn late September 2019, TFP Student Action set up a small demonstration with brochures and bagpipes at George Washington University in the nation's capital, and things soon got dicey. TFP Student Action said pro-abortion advocates soon employed social media to organize like-minded folks to gather and confront its members, who were quickly and vastly outnumbered."Hail Satan!" one counter-demonstrator yelled, the pro-life group said, while a male student offered, "I eat baby lungs for breakfast!" Perhaps the most disturbing moment took place when an angry woman spit on a pro-lifer. What's more, one TFP volunteer said he was kicked in the back of the leg, while another said students repeatedly hit his arm cast. At one point, the crowd converged around TFP Student Action, dancing and singing and flipping off the pro-life group.You can see all the action on this video.Muscular activist waving transgender flag slams into pro-life student marchers in front of cops; fails to get away unscathedA noticeably muscular individual was caught on video waving a large transgender flag while running into students participating in the Virginia March for Life in February 2024. What's more, video of the violent act shows police officers observing the whole thing.The culprit — who wore a maroon camisole along with a light red bandana that covered the individual's dark hair pulled back into a bun — was seen on the clip bounding through the middle of the march and purposely running into students, knocking them off balance, and ripping at one of their flags.A later video shows authorities walking the march disrupter down a sidewalk in handcuffs. The New York Post reported that a 42-year-old transgender activist was arrested. The paper, citing Capitol Police, said Noah Cleveland was charged with one count of disorderly conduct.Female who freaked out at pro-life advocates — and allegedly punched one who was recording video — is charged with assaultA female who freaked out at pro-life activists in front of an Alabama abortion clinic in May 2019 and allegedly punched one of them who was recording her was soon arrested.Huntsville Police told Blaze News that Elizabeth Underwood, 28, turned herself in and was charged with third-degree assault. She was released on $1,000 bond, police said.Mary Baggett, a sidewalk counselor, told Live Action she was recording video May 3 as she spoke to other pro-life activists in front of the Alabama Women's Center in Huntsville. Soon motorists appeared to argue with the pro-life activists, and one driver — a woman — emerged from her vehicle and began walking toward the pro-life activists."The woman who came up to me punched my hands. I must have been holding the camera with both hands, 'cause one is bruised pretty bad, but the one hand I hold the phone with is hurting, too," Baggett told Live Action. "Then she grabbed my phone and ran to her car. I went after her and demanded she give me the phone back, [and she] finally threw it in the grass."Pro-life advocates physically attacked outside yet another Planned Parenthood; police allegedly refused to press chargesAccording to the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, two Washington, D.C.-area pro-life advocates — Terrisa Bukovinac, founder and executive director of PAAU, and Michael Gribbin — were assaulted in July 2023 outside the D.C. Planned Parenthood.Bukovinac said the incident began when a female approached her and threw coffee in her face and hair, adding that when Gribbin tried to grab the female's coffee cup, her male partner assaulted him. Video shows the male throwing Gribbin to the street surface and repeatedly punching him; it also shows the female slapping Bukovinac in the face.The PAAU said that despite video of the assault, D.C. police have refused to press charges."Even as a progressive anti-abortion atheist, I understand that the abortion industrial complex is responsible for a mass genocide which will require immense bravery to dismantle," Bukovinac said. "Pro-lifers must be committed to total nonviolence to effectively challenge the institution of legal child-killing around the globe."The Daily Caller News Foundation, as part of its report, said D.C. police didn't immediately respond to its request for comment on the matter.Female assaults pro-lifer, vandalizes anti-abortion displays — then later laughs, brags to police while holding infant on her lap that she was called a 'hero'A female was caught on video in April 2019 assaulting a pro-life activist and vandalizing anti-abortion displays on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison — and then later sat in an interview with police with a baby on her lap and bragged that others "said that I'm a hero" for her premeditated actions.Campus police told Blaze News that Sasha Timofeeva was cited for vandalism and disorderly conduct stemming from the incident. Pro-life group Created Equal said the attack was against one of their members."You just tried to grab my f**king spray-paint," Timofeeva tells the pro-life activist in the video. "Are you going to tell the police that?""Because you're spray-painting our property," the activist replies. "Yeah, I'm going to tell them."Timofeeva was seen in another clip later that day with police while holding a baby in her lap and laughing and bragging that someone called her a "hero" during the incident. The officer, while noting that he "could take [her] to jail for this," tells Timofeeva he's issuing misdemeanor charges against her and that she'll need to appear in court. Court records show Timofeeva was found guilty of assaultive behavior stemming from the incident.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Joe Biden's Department of State spent at least $100,000 promoting "LGBTQ" propaganda abroad, according to a Republican congressman.House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.) said the Biden administration spent absurd amounts of money to promote publications and events in different countries.Mast appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation," where he talked about a "purging" of the State Department and freezing foreign aid as being "very important steps" toward securing the United States.Host Margaret Brennan immediately wanted to know what Mast meant by "purging."Mast replied by saying the department is riddled with hundreds of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives."What proof do you have of that?" Brennan asked, but Mast was ready for the question."Sure, let's list them off," he began. "Half a billion dollars to expand atheism in Nepal, $50,000 to do a transgender opera in Colombia, $47,000 to do an LGBTQ trans comic book in Peru, $20,000 a pop to do drag shows in Ecuador.""Shall I continue with more examples?" Mast asked.Brennan then downplayed the references and said it sounded like "there could be a review of things" at the department. She then noted "foreign aid" totals less than 1% of the budget, which she categorized as "small amounts of money."As reported by Fandom Pulse, the State Department allotted at least $32,000 through a federal grant to Peru for the creation of such a comic book.'Push back on this direct attack on LGBTQ+ Peruvians.'The grant, issued to Peru's government education system from April 7, 2022, through December 31, 2023, was awarded to "cover expenses to produce a tailored-made comic, featuring an LGBTQ+ hero to address social and mental health issues."The program was listed under "Public Diplomacy," with the stated objective of achieving U.S. foreign policy goals, advancing national interests, and enhancing national security.This was done through "informing and influencing foreign publics and by expanding and strengthening the relationship between the people and government of the United States and citizens of the rest of the world."Transgenderism was a hot-button issue even in Peru, likely at the same time the comic book was published. In May 2024, the country classified transgender identities as "mental health problems."Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said at the time that he would be working directly with the State Department to "push back on this direct attack on LGBTQ+ Peruvians" because the measure "moves Peru backward." It took just one month for the country to backtrack on its declaration.The news about the profligate spending under the Biden administration comes as President Trump's new administration has shut down USAID, the U.S. foreign aid agency that managed over $40 billion in 2023.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Trump administration is folding up the U.S. Agency for International Development and moving key components to the State Department in an effort to deliver on Trump's campaign promise to cut wasteful spending. The merger will result in staff reductions for USAID, as it has been uncovered how much taxpayer money has been spent on ridiculous left-wing causes around the world. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now the acting director for the remnants of USAID."Everything they do has to be in alignment with the national interest and foreign policy of the United States. The attitude that USAID has adopted over the years is ‘no, we are independent of the national interests; we fund programs irrespective of whether it is aligned or not aligned with the foreign policy. That’s ridiculous — these are taxpayer dollars," Rubio told reporters while in El Salvador on Monday.'It is really, really a sad day in America. We are witnessing a constitutional crisis.'"They’re supposed to take direction from the State Department. They do not. Not only do they not take policy direction, they’re completely uncooperative," he continued. — (@) USAID's long history of spending millions of dollars on programs and grants for causes that go against the country's foreign policy, especially Trump's foreign policy, has been documented by online enthusiasts.USAID gave almost $2 million in the form of a grant to an organization to "strengthen trans-led organizations to deliver gender-affirming health care" in Guatemala. Another award of nearly $1 million went to a recipient in Washington, D.C., to support "development, democracy, and innovation of inclusive development hub programs protecting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex individuals."A grant for almost $1.5 million was sent to an organization in Serbia to "advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities."A report from the Heritage Foundation from 2024 revealed, "Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) committees have been established 'in all Bureaus, Offices, and [overseas] missions.' USAID has created 'an agency-wide dashboard and DEI scorecard for all bureaus, offices and missions' to track staff compliance with the Administration’s DEI directives."The response from Democrats to Trump's efforts to cut wasteful spending has been predictably unhinged."It is really, really a sad day in America. We are witnessing a constitutional crisis. We talked about Trump wanting to be a dictator on day one, and here we are. This is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like! When you gut the Constitution and you install yourself as the sole power, that is how dictators are made," Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said during a press event."To all the employees at USAID, thank you, thank you, thank you. You keep America safe and you help people all around the world. And I want to apologize, I want to say I'm sorry that you have to put up with this offensive bulls**t coming out of this White House!" Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said to the crowd.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The trade fight with our neighbors is mostly costs and very little in the way of benefits.