Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (I) withdrew from the Arizona ballot on Thursday, a day before both he and former President Donald Trump are slated to speak at two separate events in the state.A spokesperson for the Arizona secretary of state confirmed RFK Jr.’s withdrawal to the Associated Press. Despite submitting more than enough signatures last week to appear on the Arizona ballot, RFK Jr.’s vice presidential nominee, Nicole Shanahan, and all of the campaign’s electors submitted notarized letters late Thursday withdrawing from the race in the state.Earlier this week, RFK Jr. announced that he plans “to address the nation” on Friday without providing any further details. He is slated to speak at 2 p.m. ET in Phoenix “about the present historical moment and his path forward,” his campaign reported.Earlier this week, Shanahan stated that the campaign is weighing staying in the race to “establish ourselves” as a third-party alternative or withdrawing from the race to “join forces” with Trump, Blaze News previously reported. She noted that it was “not an easy decision.”Trump responded to the endorsement rumors by stating that he would be “open” to considering RFK Jr. for a position in his presidential cabinet.Donald Trump Jr. told Glenn Beck on Wednesday that RFK Jr. “could be a really great asset” and added that he would be “open and welcome to the idea” of him taking a position in his father’s administration.“I love the idea of giving him some sort of role in some sort of major three-letter entity or whatever it may be and let him blow it up,” he said. “I think that’s what we need.”Several hours later and less than 15 miles away from RFK Jr.’s Friday event, Trump is scheduled to hold a rally hosted by Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action in Glendale. The Trump campaign teased Thursday evening that a “special guest” would join the rally, further fueling rumors that RFK Jr. would speak at the event.The former president plans to discuss his vision for lowering the cost of living and inflation, securing the southern border, and improving safety. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.Trump will be joined by Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Kari Lake, Republican nominee for U.S. Congress Abe Hamadeh, Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Congressmen Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, among others.Trump told Fox News Thursday evening that he has “no idea” whether RFK Jr. plans to endorse him for president. “It’s possible we will be meeting tomorrow and we’ll be discussing it,” he added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

For years, abortion was the issue that unified Republicans. Even when they disagreed on almost everything else, they rallied together during critical pro-life moments. But that was before the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision when Republicans had little influence over the outcome. Now that states can actually shape abortion policy, most Republicans are silent, even as the left pushes to codify abortion up to birth in the reddest states. Where is everyone?Conservatives have lost momentum on the life issue since Dobbs. We can discuss why this happened and who’s to blame for the setbacks in swing states or the lack of support for full abolition in red states. But let’s be clear: The left can’t naturally gain supermajority support for late-term abortion in deep-red states without Republicans deliberately backing down. Yet, that’s exactly what will happen in states like Florida and Missouri unless we demand Republicans unite to defeat these Soros-backed ballot initiatives.Most swing voters oppose late-term abortions, and Amendment 4 can’t pass without significant support from Republican voters.Florida Amendment 4 is a ballot initiative to change the Florida constitution in a way that will enshrine abortion all the way through birth as a fundamental right. Here is what the amendment says:No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.The misleading language of this amendment highlights why America’s founders distrusted direct democracy and why initiative petitions only emerged during the Progressive Era. Cultural Marxist mega donors poll-test specific language and place it on the ballot as a law change, even when it’s just a talking point. For instance, the term “viability” might suggest to many that it refers to early pregnancy when the fetus can survive. It’s well-known that most people support early abortions and exceptions while opposing late-term abortions. However, this is a late-term abortion amendment disguised by language that downplays its true intent.“Viability” refers to when a baby can likely survive outside the womb, around 24 weeks. For context, 47 out of 50 European countries ban abortion after 15 weeks. The most concerning part of the amendment is the second clause: “... or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” This clause permits abortions even past viability — and possibly even up to partial birth — as long as a healthcare provider deems it necessary. In practice, any Planned Parenthood doctor performing an abortion can claim it would be necessary, making the clause a loophole for late-term abortions.Moreover, the amendment lacks the legal definitions typically included in such measures. Terms like “viability,” “healthcare provider,” and “protect the patient’s health” are not defined. Without clear definitions, Florida’s constitution would prevent the legislature from regulating any aspect of abortion, including timing, methods, doctor qualifications, or clinic standards. This would eliminate all regulations that were designed to ensure the safety of clinics, such as those enacted after the Kermit Gosnell case. Additionally, enshrining abortion as a constitutional right would likely require taxpayer funding through Medicaid and all state health care programs.The amendment states that parents only need to be notified, not give consent, for a minor’s abortion, which would overturn Florida’s current parental rights law.Anyone reading the amendment’s language might assume it enshrines the right to an abortion only when a legitimate doctor determines the mother’s life is in danger — a scenario supported by a supermajority of Americans. Without a united Republican front, however, these amendments, which are more radical than any abortion policy in Europe, could pass in nearly all 50 states if we don’t act to stop them.You would expect Florida’s senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, to be vocal about the deceptive language on the ballot. You’d think Trump, as the GOP’s standard bearer and a Floridian himself, would fiercely criticize this language and use it to showcase how radical the Democrats have become on this issue. Yet, almost no Florida Republican is willing to join Gov. Ron DeSantis in opposing Amendment 4. Strangely, Trump won’t even commit to opposing it personally, and Rubio, who was once nearly absolute on the pro-life question, has remained silent.Pro-life activists have been reporting that their calls to the offices of GOP senators and congressmen have been spurned by staffers admonishing them that federal officials don’t get involved in state issues.As if abortion through birth in Florida is somehow akin to some parochial debate in a rural Florida county over zoning or garbage collection!What’s so difficult about simply saying, “We will not allow unrestricted abortion, which is more radical than the laws in the most liberal European countries, to be legalized in Florida”? Instead, prominent Republicans are behaving as if Amendment 4 is an extreme pro-life measure that bans abortion from conception, even when the mother’s life is at risk.The opposite is true, which is why Trump, who has already moderated his stance, would be the perfect spokesperson to oppose “extremism on both sides.” Amendment 4 represents the far end of the spectrum — a measure that, until recently, would only pass in a state like California.It’s appalling and indefensible for these Republicans to shirk their responsibility to fight this extreme abortion amendment. This is not just a battle we can’t afford to lose — it’s one we won’t lose if Republicans unite. Most swing voters oppose late-term abortions, and this amendment can’t pass without significant support from Republican voters. With the new law requiring 60% to pass a constitutional amendment in Florida and a one-million-voter registration edge, Republicans could lose some moderate voters and still secure the 41% needed to defeat it. In fact, two recent polls show the amendment only reaching 56% and 58% support, respectively.If these Republicans, especially Trump, would step up and unify their voters, they could defeat this amendment without needing a single crossover vote. If Trump came out strongly, expressing his support for exceptions but firmly condemning late-term abortion and unregulated, unsafe procedures without parental consent, the amendment wouldn’t even reach 50% support, let alone the 60% needed to pass.The abortion issue, in many ways, reflects a broader pattern within the Republican Party. There’s an inverse relationship between the importance of an issue’s outcome and how hard Republicans will fight for it. They often focus on important issues — just not when it really counts.

A Pennsylvania homeowner shot a burglary suspect twice in the face after the suspect reportedly refused to leave the homeowner's property over the weekend.Pennsylvania State Police said they were called to a home in the 800 block of Mae West Road in Henry Clay Township around 11:30 p.m. Saturday for a reported burglary in progress, KDKA-TV said. Henry Clay Township is about an hour and a half south of Pittsburgh near the Maryland and West Virginia borders.'Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and take appropriate action to protect their house, protecting their castle.'The intruder — identified as 62-year-old David Luczak of Cleveland — walked around multiple rooms of the home before exiting, Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele told the station.The homeowner — who had retrieved a gun — confronted Luczak on the driveway, and Luczak tried to re-enter, Aubele told KDKA. With that, the homeowner fired multiple shots, hitting the intruder in the face twice, the station said, adding that part of the incident was captured on a doorbell camera."It's very strange," Aubele told KDKA. "Thank God the homeowner was armed; this could have been a lot worse."Aubele announced Monday that the homeowner had been cleared of any wrongdoing and won't be facing charges, the station said: "I don't see any reason why we'd be charging him. He acted well within his rights."Police treated Luczak at the scene until EMS arrived, KDKA said, and he was flown to a hospital and was last listed in stable condition."He's very lucky. He's very lucky to have survived. Again, it's by the grace of God he's still here," Aubele told the station.He added to KDKA that officials are investigating the possibility that Luczak faces "a mental health situation." Aubele told the station that officials have spoken to Luczak's family but have conflicting information from him.Luczak was charged with murder in a 2013 homicide, the station said, adding that Aubele said he's unsure if Luczak was convicted.KDKA reported that Luczak didn't remove anything from the home Saturday, and Aubele told the station that officials were still determining if he had a weapon. Luczak will be charged with burglary and criminal trespass, KDKA reported."It's a very scary thing. It's not something we like to have happen in Fayette County," Aubele noted to the station. "Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and take appropriate action to protect their house, protecting their castle."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

That’s a wrap. The Democratic National Convention 2024 is in the books, and it’s hard not to feel a little funny about what we just witnessed. Yes: It was a show, complete with star power and a couple of former presidents. But it was also a funeral for the living, breathing, sitting president. And then there was a dance party on his grave for the raucous shotgun marriage that followed. Pink played. Monday night was a long affair. President Joe Biden finally came to the stage at 11:30 p.m. EST after most of the country had gone to sleep. It was his bitter farewell. He said he wasn’t angry, and leaving was his choice, but his own staff pulled the curtain back in repeated texts to reporters. The late-night treatment of the sitting president’s effective farewell speech was a final disrespect, they said. And Biden is reportedly so angry at the Obamas for their part in it all that Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate had to leave the convention when Barack and Michelle spoke Tuesday night. Those offering toasts did their best to pretend there hadn’t even been a funeral.But Monday’s ceremonies were a tragic formality. By sunrise Tuesday, the old man was buried and gone, and it was time to get onto the wedding festivities. It had been touch-and-go in the lead-up, so those gathered in Chicago did their best to forget that just five weeks ago every top Democrat in the country was desperate to find anyone but Kamala Harris to accept the nomination. It was a doomed but romantic search, untethered from reality, and it officially ended with Thursday night’s balloon drop. The newspapers, magazines, and TV shows did their part to change the narrative, dressing Harris up, doing her hair and makeup, plastering her picture on their covers without so much as a callback or interview from the bride herself. And those offering toasts did their best to pretend there hadn’t even been a funeral. Former first lady Michelle Obama paid tribute to “the sacrifices our elders made,” but it wasn’t about Joe – it was about her mother. Biden himself didn’t even catch a nod from the woman he worked closely with for eight years. “We’ve got energy,” she said. “We’re happy. We feel like a load’s been lifted off our shoulders.” Painful. In fact, Michelle talked about 2024 as if there hadn’t even been a Democrat in the White House for the past four years. It was as if Kamala Harris was the first ray of light the former first lady had seen since she herself was in the White House. (Remember: Michelle couldn’t bother to so much as mention Harris’ name at 2020’s DNC, if that tells you what she thinks of Joe.) Through it all, it was hard not to wonder how much the cheering Democrats would have preferred that Michelle was their nominee, but alas. Michelle’s husband followed and per usual had more grace than his wife. Former President Barack Obama paid a short tribute to the man he’d stabbed in the back, calling him a brother and a friend before getting onto the business of the night. Former President Bill Clinton wanted “to say one word about ... Biden,” who he bizarrely called an “improbable” president before claiming he’d “healed the sick” and “voluntarily gave up political power” (neither of which was true). "Now,” he concluded, “let’s cut to the chase.” Except that wasn’t the conclusion, and the former president would drone on for nearly twice as long as any other major speaker. Very bad form for a toast. Oprah Winfrey was the best to the bride. She had nothing to say about the current occupant of the White House (but no awkward shade to cast either). Sure, she was another woman the crowd might have preferred to the nominee, but no such luck. Instead, she joined the parade of old but distinguished retirees headlining a convention ostensibly about the younger generation. And then it was the big moment: the crowning of Kamala. Pink played the concert. There was dancing. And the curtain fell. Washington Examiner: Democrats pass the torch while playing the oldies Blaze News: Uncommitted delegates camp outside DNC after dozens vote 'present' rather than for Harris at convention roll call Blaze News: DNC theatrics continue as GASLIGHTING takes the main stage Sign up for Bedford’s newsletterSign up to get Blaze Media senior politics editor Christopher Bedford's newsletter.The fire rises: Washington Examiner: Biden DOJ’s 2024 voting battles raise alarm for election integrity advocates Democrats take elections seriously — and not just the running but the mechanics. It makes a difference (as we saw in 2020). It’s not just the partisan lawyers like Marc Elias, either. They legislate on it, they wage lawfare for it, and more and more they use the Department of Justice. Ashley Oliver reports: During the Biden administration, the DOJ has become more vocal about elections and made a concerted effort to expand access to voting, an entirely opposite approach from the Trump administration. The activity aligns with Democrats’ broader claims that Republicans want to make voting harder, which Democrats claim can disenfranchise voters or discriminate against racial minorities. Chad Ennis, a longtime attorney and vice president of the Honest Elections Project, observed that Democrats’ push for more voting access threatens election integrity. “They’ll couch it in under the guise of expanding voting rights, but it’s really, almost without fail, an attack on common sense rules to help make sure the elections run smoothly and fairly and accurately,” Ennis told the Washington Examiner.Blaze News: Supreme Court partially reinstates Arizona voting law requiring proof of citizenship in time for election printing deadline

University of Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin made a point-blank statement that the University of Alabama illegally recruited their kicker Graham Nicholson.In an interview posted to the official Miami (Ohio) Redhawks website, coach Martin made direct claims that the Alabama Crimson Tide program "stole" their kicker.'You media people, it's all pretend.'"All right, special teams, you lost your kicker," a reporter prefaced."We didn't lose him, he's at Alabama," Martin interrupted. "We know exactly where he's at."Martin then accused the media of playing "pretend" when it comes to the reality of the NCAA transfer portal."You media people, it's all pretend. No, Alabama stole our kicker, they illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us. That's a fact, but that's college football," he continued."We live in this La-La-World, let's not talk reality. I don't know why, every coach knows what's going on. Yeah, Alabama stole our kicker, a couple of other schools tried to steal him," Martin added.Alabama Head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke to media after a practice and was asked by a reporter about Coach Martin's claims."The Miami of Ohio coach accused you guys of tampering with the recruitment of Graham Nicholson. Do you have a response to that?" the reporter asked."I don't know anything about that, I guess that comment," DeBoer replied. "Yeah, I mean he (Nicholson) entered the portal and we reached out to him. So, that's how it goes, right? We did everything you're supposed to," he claimed.While it has not been specified exactly what the potentially illegal recruitment acts might have been, it has been speculated that since this was Nicholson's second time in the transfer portal, his deal with Alabama may have been predetermined.Barstool Sports' Connor Knapp suggested that since Nicholson entered the transfer portal in December 2023 and then again in April 2024, it was likely that his move to Alabama was already decided by the kicker before the transfer window.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Instead of being the bumbling screw-up and colossal failure of five months ago, Kamala Harris is now the front-runner. Pardon my skepticism.

Fox News Cut Trump's DNC Rebuttal OFF So He Found Another Way to Finish Making His Point and ROFL (Watch)

If You Missed the Dem Convention Here's an EXCELLENT Front-Page Summary

'We're in Danger Here': Trump Wasn't Told of the Manhunt Prior to AZ Press Conference

Go Big or Go Home: Army General Blasts 'Racist' Promotion System as Reason He Meddled to Help a Favorite