Column The SF Path to Higher Consciousness The Substance Is a Different Brand of Exploitation Film Absurd beauty standards meet deliriously vicious body horror… By Dan Persons | Published on February 26, 2025 Image: Working Title Films Comment 0 Share New Share Image: Working Title Films “Has she started yet? Eating away at you?” [There shall be spoilers right from the get-go. Ye have been warned.] What rough beast slouches toward Hollywood Babylon? In the case of The Substance (2024), it’s a grotesquely deformed creature, shambling its way down an empty Los Angeles street, a photo of a once-celebrated star superglued to its face (or what by default would be considered its face; it’s got at least two of them). The thing may have been human once, but the features we use to identify our own kind have been overwhelmed by a roiling, revolting mass of distorted flesh. Eyes are in the wrong place, limbs are akilter, breasts make a mockery of the term pendulous. It doesn’t so much walk as lurch; when it speaks, its voice is a distorted moan. It probably smells, too. The abomination is on its way to an assignation with nationwide fame, in the form of a hosting gig on a New Year’s Eve broadcast. Or at least its previous incarnation—a rising young media personality named Sue—was on the way there, before she made the fatal mistake of ignoring the very strict instructions of the miracle product that literally spawned her. Now the thing she has become stumbles down an empty studio hallway, its warped imagination conjuring the vision of a crowd of adoring fans. The worshippers smile. They applaud. They inundate the creature with praise: “So beautiful!” “We love you!” “This is where you belong!” They will vanish before the thing manages to reach the end of the hall, before its delusions will be permanently shattered before the merciless gaze of the cameras. One thing in the finale of The Substance (2024) that grabbed my attention: As the creature—dubbed, a title card helpfully informs us, “Monstro Elisasue”—approaches the TV studio, she’s greeted at the door by a stagehand, who doesn’t blink twice as he says, “Hurry up, you’re up in five.” It parallels an earlier moment in the film—before Sue’s complete metamorphosis—where the woman’s loathsome boss, Harvey (Dennis Quaid) fails to notice that her tight smile might be concealing the fact that her teeth are falling out; and a subsequent encounter in an elevator, where a fellow passenger tries to conduct a conversation, oblivious to the fact that Sue’s holding a ragged hunk of ear in one hand.  Confirmation bias is all over The Substance. It goes beyond Sue’s entourage failing to notice that the face grinning back at them is a pasted-on photo (with, as a coup de grâce, a grotesque splash of lipstick smeared across the two-dimensional lips), or that their Bright Young Thing is decaying right before their eyes. Everybody’s too dug-in to their own thing to be swayed by reality. That’s a fitting mindset in Hollywood, a town built on artifice and exploitation, where one’s career advancement is frequently facilitated by the ease which one can forget how many souls one has sacrificed along the way, including one’s own. It’s an ecology that ultimately spells doom for The Substance’s main protagonist, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore)—and one that she’s ultimately complicit in. Adored by millions, Elisabeth was once one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars—although possibly it was that brand of love that only lasts over the release of a few, trendy pictures. That window of time closed years ago, and the Industry has treated Elisabeth with the same level of care and respect it does any woman approaching middle age—in other words, none at all. In the ensuing decades, Elisabeth has been forced to follow the Jane Fonda workout route, fronting a group of lithe young bodies on her own exercise show. Even there, the star’s expiration date is running out—as The Substance begins, Harvey is berating his flunkies for their failure in finding a replacement for her, and not long after, ol’ Harv’s unceremoniously showing Elisabeth the door. Salvation of a sort comes in the form of a mysterious commodity—known only as The Substance—offered by equally mysterious vendors. The promotional video promises, “A better version of yourself, younger, more beautiful, more perfect.” With that kind of pitch, how can an over-the-hill celebrity, whose sense of worth only thrives under the warming glow of the spotlight, refuse? What Elisabeth receives in her first shipment is queasy array of syringes, nutrient drips, and intravenous catheters, and a set of disquieting instructions: Use the Substance only once; “stabilize” every day; and, perplexingly, switch off every seven days(?). No exceptions. There’s also one stern reminder: “You are one.” That last point is important, because what the Substance does is literally (and agonizingly) spawn a younger, more beautiful, more perfect version of Elisabeth out of a slit in her back. As the husk of Elisabeth lays dormant on the bathroom floor—sustained by that nutrient drip—the newly created doppelganger, who names herself Sue (Margaret Qualley), goes out, replaces Elisabeth on the exercise show, and rediscovers the joys of being a pretty young thing on the Hollywood scene. After a week of basking in the glow of her revivified stardom, “Sue” does an intravenous blood swap with Elisabeth, and the older incarnation resumes her life, free to bask in the glow of her self-imposed irrelevance.   It doesn’t take long for things to go pear-shaped. The first week goes well—Sue staves off decomposition with daily doses of Elisabeth’s spinal fluid (Fargeat does not deny us the cringy sight and sound of the tap entering Elisabeth’s back), and relinquishes her place at the end of seven days. After that, though, Sue begins to press her advantage—first taking a few extra hours, then extra days, and possibly extra weeks. Which is absolutely fine… for Sue. For Elisabeth, she wakes to discover that, Picture of Dorian Gray-style, her body is dramatically aging as Sue takes more time away: A withered hand here; then one whole side; then a progressive slide into full-on decrepitude. Reluctant to step outside her apartment, she inflicts passive-aggressive revenge for her younger counterpart’s excesses by becoming a creature of rabid consumption: Lounging in front of the TV, preparing meals culled from a book of “French” recipes that all seem to incorporate organ meats, and leaving Sue to clean up the disaster area she leaves behind. In a delicious bit of irony, both incarnations call the Substance vendors to complain that their worse half is making a mess of their lives, only to have the dispassionate voice remind them, “You are one.” “The balance needs to be respected,” Elisabeth declares to the voice. “So respect it,” the voice responds. The film was written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, and it’s heartening to see a woman director unafraid of going to extremes that would make David Cronenberg blanch—I estimate I cringed approximately every five minutes, and things didn’t improve upon a second screening. Yet for all that The Substance embraces the hyperbolic—and Dennis Quaid deserves some kind of award for hitting the stratosphere in his performance and refusing to come back down—perhaps the most devastating thing about the film is the conceptual twist contained in that oft-repeated phrase, “You are one.” We as genre lovers are well-schooled in the two-sides-of-the-same-coin scenario, tales that explore the duality of our natures by splitting our psyches into two distinct entities. Yet The Substance is no Frankenstein and his monster/Jekyll and Hyde/Good Kirk-Bad Kirk retread. Right from the start, it tells us that whether we are looking at Elisabeth or Sue, we are always looking at the whole coin. There are no sides to pick, no “better half” to root for. When Elisabeth eventually gets the best of Sue and begins to administer the syringe that will, as the lovely folks behind the Substance so delicately put it, “End the experience,” it’s not empathy that stays her hand. It’s the realization that she needs Sue out there to soak up the love she can no longer receive. Sue isn’t separate from Elisabeth, isn’t stealing anything from her. She’s merely a conduit through which Elisabeth can still feed upon the adulation of the masses. For that, Elisabeth is willing to surrender everything, up to and including her own deterioration. (Unfortunately, Elisabeth comes to this realization a bit too late. Once roused from her coma, Sue promptly beats Elisabeth to death.) The film industry has long taken a piquantly masochistic pleasure in presenting tales that explore the greed, shallowness, and baser instincts concealed behind the Tinseltown veneer—I suspect that’s what merited The Substance’s nod as nominee for this year’s Best Picture Oscar (I also wonder whether any Academy members merely heard that it was a kind-of modern-day Sunset Boulevard and didn’t bother to see for themselves how deliriously vicious it was). But for all that The Substance offers up the expected parade of self-serving egotism and cruelty—and there’s tons of that, to the point where I wished the film had provided at least one redeemable character—what makes The Substance especially damning is its exposure of how willing one is to betray oneself for the most trivial of rewards. Elisabeth is no admirable heroine, much as Moore’s performance stirs our empathy (I’d call it courageous, but too often that term is used as a synonym for “looking her age,” and Moore is doing way more than that); and Sue is no despicable villain. They are the same person, desperate for the acclaim of the crowd, and willing to do anything to themselves in order to retain it. I have to admit, I’m a little uncomfortable with my love for The Substance. It’s too much, way too much. It’s gruesome and nauseating and violent and garish. There isn’t a sincere emotion expressed by any of the characters, and the best that could be said about any of them is that they’re fools, if not out-and-out shits (watch Quaid down a plateful of shrimp in horrendous close-up, and see if you don’t retch just a little bit). None of that is by accident—it is, I believe, all in service of ripping away the bandage on a most unpleasant aspect of the human soul: Our capacity to sell ourselves out for whatever we regard as valuable. I marvel at Coralie Fargeat’s willingness to take something so dark and electrify it with such stunningly intense vision and brutal wit. The Substance is a fable you can’t tell your children, but it merits attention from us adults. I’m not good at predictions, but I’ll make one anyway: The Substance is not going to win the Oscar. It’s great that it was nominated, but I think it’s too much of an acid bath for the Academy’s general population. I could be wrong—don’t place bets based on my analysis. But what do you think? Does The Substance deserve to be hailed as one of the best films of 2024? Was there something else from last year that deserved its slot? And how many times did you go, “Oh… ew,” while watching it? The comments section below is open for your input. Just keep things civil and be mindful of others when you contribute. Remember, in terms of feelings, we are one…[end-mark] The post <i>The Substance</i> Is a Different Brand of Exploitation Film appeared first on Reactor.

Senate Democrats on Wednesday will attempt to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to combat the energy affordability crisis in the United States by forcing a vote on a resolution that, if it were to become law, would revoke his declaration of an energy emergency.  BILLS-119sjres10isDownload The joint resolution will be forced to a roll-call vote by Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. Given the Republican majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, however, it is unlikely that the measure will become law. Instead, members of Congress effectively will only be expending time to posture on the issue. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told his colleagues on the Senate floor that the legislative proposal is misguided because the United States faces a looming energy crisis.  “Thanks in substantial part to a movement to shut down fossil-fuel-fired power plants before reliable sources of clean energy are available to replace them, America is running out of power even as we face huge new power demands,” Thune said.   “If we don’t take action, we are going to be facing some very serious problems in the very near future, so I’m grateful to have a president who recognizes and acknowledges the energy emergency facing our nation. I look forward to working with him to unleash American energy production and achieve a secure, affordable, and reliable energy future,” the Senate majority leader added.   During his first week in office, Trump signed an executive order attempting to address the soaring energy prices that occurred during the administration of his predecessor, Joe Biden. During Biden’s tenure, gasoline prices increased by 30.5% and electricity prices rose by 28.55%. Natural gas prices increased by 33.30%. Such price increases were hardly surprising, given Biden’s campaign promise to end fossil fuel. “I want you to look at my eyes. I guarantee you. I guarantee you. We’re going to end fossil fuel,” then-candidate Biden told an environmental activist on Sept. 6, 2019. Trump has sought to spur the economy through making energy prices more affordable. On his first day back in office, Jan. 20, Trump’s energy emergency executive order directed the opening up of energy production, including on federal lands. “[T]o facilitate the Nation’s energy supply, agencies shall identify and use all relevant lawful emergency and other authorities available to them to expedite the completion of all authorized” energy infrastructure, the order stated. Trump also signed an executive order to explore drilling on the outer continental shelf, and he took the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement. The president also sought to ameliorate price increases caused by burdensome climate regulations through another executive action.  Trump’s energy actions are in stark contrast to Democratic attempts to hinder energy production. As president, Biden attempted to limit future offshore drilling on more than 625 million acres. At the more local level, Democratic governors of several states have acted to limit natural gas drilling in pro-drilling regions, such as northeast Pennsylvania. Reacting to the Senate Democrats’ measure, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources said, “Luckily, President Trump is committed to unleashing American energy and rescuing the country from the energy crisis that they have perpetuated. “Senate Republicans won’t let Democrats delay and obstruct any longer and will ensure the president has the tools necessary to deliver the results the American people expect,” Lee said. The post Senate Democrats Seek to Hamstring Trump on Energy Policies appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan subpoenaed the FBI on Monday for seven categories of information, including on the Biden Administration’s collusion with Big Tech. In a letter to the new FBI director, Kash Patel, Jordan states that during the mandate of his predecessor Christopher Wray and the former administration, the agency “departed from its core public safety mission” and was able to do this while avoiding “any real transparency or accountability for its actions.” We obtained a copy of the letter for you here. According to Jordan, this resulted in deep distrust in the FBI, which can be remedied by shedding light on the agency’s involvement in these activities. Regarding the government-Big Tech collusion, Jordan recalled that during the previous Congress as well, the Committee that he heads undertook to investigate how this was happening, and to what extent. The results of this oversight so far, as well as discovery in the Missouri v. Biden case (that continues to be litigated in a federal court), have revealed the FBI’s involvement. In order to determine what the agency’s exact role was and make sure it doesn’t deviate from its mission in a similar way going forward, the Committee is now requesting the documents that Christopher Wray, for the most part, had not produced. Jordan notes that a subpoena issued in August 2023 sought access to all of the FBI’s internal documents, communications, and notes about any meetings between its representatives and those of Big Tech, and also records related to the censorship of reports about the Hunter Biden laptop scandal. What the investigations have revealed to date is that the FBI was falsely presenting the story as “Russian disinformation” while in effect pressuring social media companies to censor it. Yet another, earlier subpoena, from February 2023, sent to Meta and Google, “revealed that the FBI, on behalf of a compromised Ukrainian intelligence entity, requested – and, in some cases, directed – the world’s largest social media platforms to censor Americans engaging in constitutionally protected speech online,” Jordan writes. To understand the full extent of the FBI’s role in any unconstitutional activities that also involve “coordination” with social media companies, the Committee wants Kash Patel to now provide all the relevant communications. The ultimate goal of the investigation is to establish if legislative changes are necessary to prevent the agency from acting in a similar way in the future. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Jim Jordan Subpoenas FBI: Unraveling Biden Admin’s Big Tech Collusion appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

These tiny houses are especially swoon-worthy due to subtle touches the owner has put on them. Bigger isn't always better…take it from these tiny houses! 17 Tiny Houses to Make You Swoon In a nation and especially in a time (Christmas) so wrapped up in consumerism it's nice to see the tiny house movement in full swing still. These tiny houses are especially swoon-worthy due to subtle touches the owner has put on them. Bigger isn't always better…take it from these tiny houses! Check This Out: Cook All of Your Favorite Outdoor Meals With This Amazing Ultra-Lite Tool! 1. Tiny House with a Tiny Wrap Around Porch Learn how to make your own tiny house here. via tiny house swoon | Your house may be tiny but your living area is vast. Use that outdoor space to enlarge your living area!   2. Tiny House with Rustic Log Roof via tiny house swoon | Straight but uncut small logs make good construction materials. It's also cheap too!   3. Well-lit Tiny House via good home design   There are windows in every nook and cranny in this teeny tiny house which lets in an abundance of natural light and  makes the space feel larger by expanding your view.   4. Wooden Tiny House via the tiny tack house |   Save for the trailer base of this tiny house, everything else is practically made of wood. From floors, counters, walls, cabinets, and the ceiling, everything is just awesome woodwork.   5. The Tiny House with a Giant View via the wall Street Journal | This tiny home is everything a ski enthusiast would covet – enough space to relax and 40 acres something to have fun with.   6. Two Loft Bedroom Tiny House via tiny house listings | Who says something so tiny can't have two bedrooms? Sometimes, it's just a matter of art.   7. Tiny Mailbox House | This looks like a mailbox inspired tiny homes, but a little asymmetrical. That cool strip of glass would be a good source of natural lighting though.   8. Timber-framed Tiny House via relax shacks This isn't just one good lookin' tiny house, it's a very sturdy one.   9. Elevated Tiny Home via tiny house pins Elevating the tiny house gives you more chance to expand the space and gives you more privacy.   10. Steel-clad Modern Tiny House on Stilts with Shutters via tiny house pins | | This one isn't your usual rustic, picturesque tiny house. Everything in this house shouts contemporary. It looks very cool though, in a modern kind of way.   11. Cider Box Tiny House via tiny house talk   Now this is a tiny home for full time living. Its's got everything – a full service kitchen, washer/dryer combination unit, lots of clever storage, a full bathroom, and a comfy bedroom.   12. Tiny House with Front Porch via tiny house pins | This one has a covered front porch and gable roof with dormers so you feel spacious while up in the sleeping loft   13. Pretty Tiny Home via boston globe This is one pretty house indeed. Surprisingly , it's also loaded with off-the-grid features like solar panel electricity, a system that feeds rainwater into the kitchen and the toilet, and a compost device for human waste.   14. Less is More via designboom |   | Living in less space means living in a simpler, more organized and efficient way.   15. Tiny Cabin on Wheels with a Porch via tiny house talk This tiny house has a side entrance and small covered porch designed for when the cabin’s parked for living.   16. Tiny House in the Woods via tiny house talk For a more off the grid experience, choose an off-the-grid location.   17. Stunning Trailer Tiny Home via business insider This is one fantastic tiny house on a  huge trailer. I wouldn't mind dragging this house anywhere.   Interested in learning more about tiny houses? Catch up on some reading: Related Articles 14 More Unbelievable Tiny Homes How to Build a Tiny House Essential Tools Every Homeowner Should Have for their Homestead       That’s all, fellow homesteaders! Did you enjoy our list of  tiny houses to make you swoon? Let us know in the comments section below what you thought of our list of tiny houses. Do you have a favorite tiny house design that’s a staple on your homestead? Share it with us and we’ll give it a shot. We love doing DIY homesteading projects and becoming more self-reliant by learning more about how everything works around the homestead. That’s why Homesteading was created. We want all folks looking to lead a self-sufficient life, either on a homestead or in an urban environment, to come together and learn from each other! Of course, we welcome your help in creating a community of homesteaders.  Come and share your homesteading tips and ideas, recipes and expect the best advice on self-reliance and homesteading trials from our team of long-time homesteaders, self-reliant wilderness, and preparedness experts. Want to write for Homesteading? Shoot us an e mail and make sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! Do you have Instagram? Don’t forget to join us @HomesteadingUSA. Click here to Like Us on Facebook. Click here to Follow Homesteading on Pinterest.

3,500 Psychologists Accuse the American Psychological Association of Antisemitism

MSNBC Bloodbath Continues, Hitting Most of Rachel Maddow's Staff Hard

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos announced a dramatic ideological shift for his newspaper’s opinion section toward free markets, and staff are predictably having a nervous breakdown over it. Bezos stated on X that he notified Post staff of significant changes being made to the opinion section: “We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.” In addition, said Bezos, “We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.” Bezos emphatically stated his confidence that “free markets and personal liberties are right for America. I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. I’m excited for us together to fill that void.”  This is a massive hard-to-starboard maneuver on Bezos’s part, given the life-sucking abyss of monolithic leftist sewage his newspaper’s opinion section has been over the years. It also follows Bezos’s surprising move before the 2024 election to bar his newspaper from making any political endorsements, because, who knew that maintaining neutrality constituted good journalism ethics! MRC Vice President of Research and Publications Brent Baker welcomed the news: "After a dozen years of ownership in which The Washington Post matched the liberal legacy media’s disdain for anyone not liberal, and became less and less relevant, it’s good to see Bezos recognize there’s a big audience out there in favor of basic American values. But it's sad Post journalists see this as an attack on them and not an opportunity." Along parallel lines, NewsBusters Executive Editor Tim Graham expressed surprise at Bezos’s move in a statement: It's one thing for Jeff Bezos to rule against an editorial endorsing Kamala for President. This is a more dramatic proclamation that flies in the face of the leftist culture of The Washington Post. To most Posties, ‘free markets’ sounds like a PR phrase for rapacious price-gouging greedheads.  I shared this note with the Washington Post team this morning: I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages. We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too… — Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 26, 2025 The Post staff’s reaction effectively proved Baker's and Graham’s point that they’re so wedded to their ideological wormhole that any shift to the center spells Armageddon. As insufferable Post columnist Philip Bump cried on Bluesky five minutes after Bezos’s X post went live: “[W]hat the actual fuck.”  Post Opinion Editor David Shipley immediately quit following Bezos’s announcement to his staff, perhaps he couldn’t fathom the idea of “personal liberty” and “free markets” actually being the guiding principles of his department. According to Bezos, “I offered David Shipley, whom I greatly admire, the opportunity to lead this new chapter. I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t ‘hell yes,’ then it had to be “no.” After careful consideration, David decided to step away.” It’s worth pointing out that Shipley — when he was a top brass editor for Bloomberg Opinion — had taken a leave of absence to join his boss Michael Bloomberg’s $1 billion-plus 2020 campaign, so he was never really a beacon for independent journalism to begin with. Post economics reporter Jeff Stein was erratic in his response to the Bezos announcement. “Massive encroachment by Jeff Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section today - makes clear dissenting views will not be published or tolerated there.” Is he serious? Did he have a brain fart about where he works? This is the same newspaper that grave-stomped over its dead conservative editor Wesley Pruden as “defiantly abrasive,” which is asinine considering how its obituary section treated the death of murderous Cuban dictator Fidel Castro when it hailed him in as a “romantic figure in olive-drab fatigues and combat boots.” “Dissenting views” won’t be “tolerated?” Oh shut up Stein. “I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side of coverage, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know.” Right Stein, we are all just waiting on the edge of our seats gorging on hopium to see what your decision will be in this scenario (sarcasm). Oh how terrible the prospect that Stein probably won’t be able to mindlessly simp for Bidenomics and disguise his opinion as news as he’s done in the past!

Surely by now you’ve heard the news. MSNBC's Joy Reid, whom Donald Trump aptly called a “mentally obnoxious racist” in his celebratory goodbye post on Truth Social, has been canned. Her show, “The ReidOut,” is no more. Sara Gonzales, BlazeTV contributor Matthew Marsden, and Blaze Media investigative journalist Steve Baker are over the moon with the news. In the spirit of farewell, the panel revisits some of Reid’s worst moments. 1. Pre-election panic In the final hours leading up to the election, Reid reminded everyone for the ten thousandth time that Donald Trump is a dictator comparable to history’s worst tyrants. “We've laid out the stakes in this crucial election, where one side stands for freedom, while the other meets the textbook definition of fascism — namely a far-right dictatorial regime, like Hitler's Germany or Franco’s Spain or Mussolini’s Italy, but also white-ruled South Africa before Mandela and the black majority took control,” she said. But she wasn’t done listing dictators. She then brought up “Vladimir Putin's Russia, Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, [and] Nicolás Maduro Moros of Venezuela today that suppresses the rights of women and minorities; uses military to execute the whims of a strongman dictator and controls and suppresses the press, education, the arts; rewrites history to suit a favored dominant racial class; foments extravagant corruption in order to enrich the dictator and his friends.” 2. Post-election woes Immediately following Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris, an utterly shocked Reid couldn’t understand how Harris had a “historic, flawlessly run campaign,” endorsed by the likes of Queen Latifah, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce and still lost. Ultimately, Reid blamed racism for Trump’s win. To Latino men, who voted for Trump at 55%, Reid said, “Y'all voted with Stephen Miller and David Duke and against your own sisters, who chose Kamala Harris with 60% of their votes, so you own everything that happens to your mixed-status families and to your wives, sisters, and abuelas from here on in.” 3. Thanksgiving spite Just a couple of weeks after the election, when Americans across the country sat down to Thanksgiving dinner, a great many of them beyond grateful that the nation had hope again, Reid took the opportunity to slander the 77 million voters who gave President Trump his mandate. “Make your own dinner, MAGA. Make your own sandwiches. Wipe your own tears. Troll amongst yourselves with Elon, and leave us alone,” said a spiteful Reid. “We don't want to put up with your trolling while we eat our Tofurky. …Our Thanksgiving, our choice.” To see the footage of Reid’s worst moments and hear the panel's commentary, watch the episode above. 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 wife of an American missionary who was slain in Africa has been “formally charged as a co-author in the murder,” according to his church. The wife is accused of masterminding a murder plot with her security guard lover. Beau Shroyer, a 44-year-old from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, moved his wife and five children to Angola in 2021 to carry out missionary work. 'With a heart full of faith and compassion, Beau’s mission was to make a difference and spread kindness wherever he went.'Shroyer described the area as a “remote bush village” with no electricity, sewer, or water systems, according to the Detroit Lakes Tribune. Shroyer, a former Detroit Lakes police officer, reportedly was found stabbed to death in the Southern Angola town of Thienjo on Oct. 25, 2024. Shroyer was killed in "a violent criminal attack," according to the SIM USA missionary organization with which he was working. Angolan police said men in a rental vehicle pretended to have car issues in a remote area. Shroyer allegedly attempted to help the men, but he was stabbed to death.Investigators connected his wife, 44-year-old Jackie Shroyer, with the alleged murder.Manuel Halaiwa, the superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Service, which is part of the Ministry of Interior of Angola, told the Angola Press Agency that there were “strong suspicions of a romantic relationship between the person who ordered the crime and her accomplice, the guard at the couple’s residence."Citing local law enforcement, the New York Post reported that Shroyer was having an affair with 24-year-old Bernardino Isaac Elias, a security guard at the Shroyers' home.The Angola Press Agency described Shroyer as the "mastermind" behind the alleged murder of her husband. She allegedly didn't want to return to the U.S. when her husband's mission ended.KSTP-TV reported that Shroyer was arrested in November 2024. Her alleged accomplices — Elias and 23-year-old Isalino Musselenga Kayoo — reportedly were arrested a short time later.Citing Angolan officials, the outlet reported that Elias asked Kayoo to carry out Beau Shroyer’s murder in exchange for $50,000. Lakes Area Vineyard Church — the family's church in Minnesota — stated in a Monday update that Jackie Shroyer had been "formally charged as a co-author in the murder of her husband."The church noted that Shroyer will remain in custody until her court date, which "will likely occur within the next six months."A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $15,000 to pay for Beau Shroyer's funeral expenses. "With a heart full of faith and compassion, Beau’s mission was to make a difference and spread kindness wherever he went," the crowdfunding post read. Troy Easton — pastor at Lakes Area Vineyard Church — called the tragedy "unimaginable, and yet it is very real. As a community we must cry out to the Lord for his grace, mercy, and comforting presence for the Shroyer children and family."Easton continued, "We must honor God and love each other by how we communicate about this, and we must continue to stand together, asking God to do in and through all of this what only He can."The five Shroyer children — ages nine to 17 — have been brought back to the United States to be with family, according to the Lakes Area Vineyard Church.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Eli Lilly Throws $27 Billion at America Because Tariffs Twisted Their Arm and They Liked It