The Acolyte Has Been Canceled (But Won't Be Deleted)

On Night Two of the Democratic National Convention, anchor Amna Nawaz was talking to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the PBS booth when they were joined by veteran PBS journalist Judy Woodruff. Nawaz took advantage by tossing aside her journalist hat and hosting a heartfelt feminist kaffeeklatsch hailing VP Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, as a feminist hero on “the cusp” of a historic feat, becoming the first female president, the way Hillary Clinton was supposed to have been in 2016. Nawaz: Madam Speaker, we should also say that we have Judy Woodruff joining our conversation, sitting next to you. I know you two have known each other for a long time on your own career paths. I wonder if we could take politics out of this for a moment, and take a moment to reflect on what we are seeing here. Democrat or Republican, once again we are on the cusp of putting a woman in the highest office in the land. I would love for each of you, if you don't mind, to reflect on what it took to get here, you navigating your path in politics, Judy, you covering politics, and how we arrived here. Isn't it presumptuous, that this will happen, just as they presumed it would happen in 2016? Pelosi initially didn’t hear the question, but eventually the conversation turned to prejudice against women in politics. Judy Woodruff: One question I would like to put to you is, you had dealings with Kamala Harris as district attorney in San Francisco, attorney general in California, then as a senator. What can you tell us about her leadership style? People are going to make a big deal or not about whether she is a woman. Is that a factor or not? Pelosi: When I ran for [House] Speaker I said don't vote for me because I'm a woman but don't vote against me because I'm a woman. I want you to know that I can get the job done and if I may, this is not about electing a woman president. This is about electing the best, strongest person and I know her very well. I know personally her as a person of deep faith who cares about the community and demonstrated that all the time….I'm not here to ask you to elect the next, a woman president of the United States. I'm here to ask you to vote for Kamala Harris for President of the United States. I think she has, what does leadership require? Vision, knowledge, judgment, strategic thinking, and a heart full of empathy for the people. As Night Two signed off, Jonathan Capehart got emotional over Michelle Obama’s angry speech. After Capehart said when he was first called upon, "Can I go last?" anchor Geoff Bennett came back to him a few minutes later and Capehart opened his heart, after universal praise from panelists Amy Walter, Judy Woodruff, and David Brooks on Michelle Obama’s speech. Bennett: Final word, friend. Capehart (emotional): I agree with everything that everyone said. The political analysis, I can't find fault with. I agree 100%. I'm going to speak personally. As American, and as a black person. Michelle Obama's speech and I'm trying not to look at Amna, because I have my handkerchief that she gave me for the holidays. Yesterday, I said in politics people want to be seen. They want to be seen in the way their politicians talk to them and talk about them. And when I pulled out my Amna hankie, it was when Michelle Obama said that Kamala Harris -- we never have the grace of failing forward. We never have the benefit of generational wealth. If things don't go our way we don't get to complain. That's how Michelle Obama lived her life, lives her life. That's how Barack Obama lives her [sic] life. That's how I live my life. And to hear that coming from the former first lady, is just too -- I'm sorry, but I feel seen. And I think people in this hall feel seen. And I'm certain millions of Americans feel seen. I'll leave it there. Sorry. Amna Nawaz: Don't apologize. Can't think of a better note to end this conversation on….

The producers didn’t plan for the biopic about the life of Ronald Reagan to open so close to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, but delays caused by the pandemic and an actors strike led to its release on August 30. It seems easier to portray a historical figure that no one currently living remembers. In the case of “Reagan,” the challenge would appear especially challenging. Actor Dennis Quaid, who plays Reagan, is more than up to that challenge. Quaid avoids what could have easily been a temptation to portray Reagan as a caricature. Though he resembles the 40th president with the help of hair enhancement and makeup, Quaid’s performance does not distract from memories of those who lived through his presidency. The film opens with real news footage of Reagan being shot as he left the Washington Hilton Hotel on March 30, 1981. It includes his now famous line to Nancy Reagan, (played convincingly by Penelope Ann Miller): ”Honey, I forgot to duck,” along with his quip to surgeons at George Washington University Hospital, “I hope you are all Republicans.” Those two comments endeared him even to many of his political opponents, including Speaker Tip O’Neill who is portrayed (by Dan Lauria), visiting Reagan in the hospital and elsewhere agreeing to cease talking politics at 6 p.m. when he and Reagan would discuss how to resolve their differences over drinks at the White House. While recalling his childhood, his early acting career, and Screen Actors Guild presidency during the blacklisting of Hollywood actors, writers and others alleged to be communist sympathizers, or members of the party, a good portion of the film centers on Reagan’s efforts to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the Soviet Union and United States. He responded to criticism for not meeting with a succession of Soviet leaders, saying “I would but they keep dying.” Eventually he meets with the reformist Michael Gorbachev, played by Olek Krupa, who bears little resemblance to the man he portrays (save for the birthmark on his head), but who sticks to the historical “script.” Reagan’s insistence on pursuing his Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars” to his critics) is rightly credited with contributing to the fall of the Soviet Union during the administration of his successor, George H.W. Bush. The film gets Reagan’s toughness and convictions right, but it also displays something absent from so much of today’s politics. They include his sense of humor (YouTube has a collection of some of his better jokes) and the fact that he treated even his adversaries with respect. One line that isn’t in the film but is an accurate depiction of his way of criticizing the beliefs of opponents without calling them names: “The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.” Unlike Meryl Streep’s portrayal of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady,” (it opens with her dementia while the Reagan film ends with his in a moving way that ought to bring tears to the eyes – it did to mine), “Reagan” is more of a love note to a man who did great things for his country and the world. There could be no better epitaph for any political leader. If you are under 40, go see it and learn something beyond what biased historians and the media have said about the man. If you are over 40 and lived through his presidency, go see it and be reminded of what real leadership looks like and how one man, in collaboration with a British prime minister and a pope, helped bring freedom to millions in Eastern Europe and restored the faith of many Americans in their country.

A man wanted for two 1989 Massachusetts rapes was arrested earlier this month after he was found living on a luxury yacht in Los Angeles, police said. Investigators said 71-year-old Stephen Paul Gale had been on the run after law enforcement said DNA evidence linked him to the rapes.'He has funds to have private attorneys, live on a yacht, and drive a Lincoln. But his money will not help him with our case .Gale was indicted in April for raping at gunpoint two women who were working at a clothing store in Framingham in 1989. He also was indicted for kidnapping and armed robbery. Police believe Gale suspected that he was being watched at the L.A. Marina because he was able to race away from officers who gave chase Aug. 8. Police used spike strips to disable his vehicle, after which they arrested him in the Westwood Medical Plaza Officials are looking to extradite him to Massachusetts to face trial. One of Gale's alleged victims told WCVB-TV she was relieved that he was finally caught. "I have waited for Gale's apprehension for 34 long years" the woman said. "I was 18 years old when I was raped while working at a retail clothing store during my college winter break. It has been nothing short of incredible investigative work and strength from his victims to continue our fight for justice."She claimed Gale had mutilated his fingers in order to prevent his identification and had assumed numerous aliases. "He has been living like royalty and had no issue walking a narrow boardwalk over water and driving to avoid arrest for 90 minutes," she continued. "He has funds to have private attorneys, live on a yacht, and drive a Lincoln. But his money will not help him with our case; we have him with solid DNA evidence, and two victims that have never forgotten his face and [have] never given up finding him." One of the suspect's neighbors told WCVB that he could not believe the accusations. He described the improvements he was making to his yacht in order to sell it and buy a bigger yacht. "I am so shocked. I am absolutely stunned," said Don Smollett. "Everything you can imagine new went into that boat. Electronics and everything. I couldn't afford anything like what they were putting on that boat. So he had money to do that," he added. "You never know who you talk to anymore, huh," Smollett concluded. Gale was held on $2 million bail. Video of the yacht and the police chase of the alleged rapist was published by WCVB-TV on YouTube. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Democratic National Convention continues despite the raging protests of confused pro-Palestinian Democrat voters standing outside in Chicago — and day two was one for the books. Not only did the show feature a cringeworthy dance routine from Chuck Schumer and an awkward entrance by VP pick Tim Walz, but it also featured a very special, famous guest. That guest was Michelle Obama, and she used the opportunity to give her best pro-Kamala performance to the American people, as she talked about “hope.” “Until recently, I have mourned the dimming of that hope, and maybe you’ve experienced the same feelings — that deep pit in my stomach, a palpable sense of dread about the future,” Obama told the crowd. “She’s talking about this ‘hope’ that she felt like was just escaping us, it was getting dimmer and dimmer until now that Kamala Harris is running,” Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” says, adding, “You guys have been in charge the last three and a half years.” “In fact, you guys have been in charge 12 of the last 16 years,” she continues, stifling a yell. “Why do you think things might not be going so hot?” Not only have the Democrats been in charge a majority of the past 16 years, Kamala Harris is the second most powerful position in an administration that has left the border open wide and continues to gaslight the American people about prices at the grocery store. “But that crowd is probably too stupid to figure that out,” Gonzales comments. Glenn Beck’s chief writer and researcher, Jason Buttrill, is in full agreement. “So are their candidates, to be perfectly honest,” he laughs, adding, “as you point out, they’ve only lost power in the last 12 years for four years. That’s it. And pretty much everything that happened was wiped out on day one of Biden’s presidency through executive order.” 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.

Ohio police say three adults were arrested after a 6-year-old boy was handcuffed by the hands and feet and bitten by a pit bull dog. The Ashland County Sheriff's Office said that police responded to a call of a dog attack at a home in the village of Savannah on Saturday afternoon. A caller to 911 told a dispatcher that a child had been bitten by a pit bull on the ear and the neck. 'It was horrible, because I couldn't take his pain away.' The boy was eventually airlifted to an area hospital in serious condition. Police questioned Angelina Williams of Cleveland, who is the mother of the boy. She told them she lived at the home with a family member of Robert Michalski, who owns the property and the dog. Investigators said they learned the boy "had been restrained with handcuffs on his hands and feet" before the dog attack and found Michalski and the dog hiding in a cubby hole during a search of the house. Police arrested Williams and Michalski and booked them into the Ashland County Jail before concluding that Williams' boyfriend, Taylor Desiree Marvin-Brown, had also participated in the "restraining" of the boy. He was arrested as well. WKYZ-TV spoke to Kydhatha Castellano, who is the boy's aunt and says she is his legal guardian. She said the boy lives with her in New York but was on a 2-week visit with his biological mother in Ohio. "It was horrible, because I couldn't take his pain away," she said. Castellano says he opened up to her about the incident and told her that they were punishing him because he was crying and they didn't like that he was crying. The boy was released from the hospital after surgery. Williams and her boyfriend were charged with endangering children and obstructing justice, both felonies. Michalski was charged with endangering children and tampering with evidence. The pit bull was captured and the investigation is ongoing, according to police. Photos of the horrific attack were published by WKYZ in its news video report on YouTube. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Decipher This from National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman

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