CNN anchor Jake Tapper called out Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to his face on Tuesday for attacking special counsel Robert Hur.What happened between Hur and Schiff?During Hur's testimony on Capitol Hill‚ Schiff accused Hur of inserting his own "personal‚ prejudicial‚ subjective opinion" of President Joe Biden's memory in his report to help Republicans. The premise of Schiff's lecture was that he believes Hur should have made political calculations to help Democrats. But Hur fought back."Congressman‚ what you are suggesting is that I shape‚ sanitize‚ omit portions of my reasoning and explanations to the Attorney General for political reasons‚" Hur told Schiff.What did Tapper say?Tapper confronted Schiff later in the day over his "outrage.""The basic argument you're making is that by calling President Biden a sympathetic‚ well-meaning old man‚ elderly man with a poor memory — which is how [Hur] thought he would come across to a jury — that that's political. But what part of that construct is inaccurate?" Tapper asked.Schiff‚ however‚ refused to answer the question.Instead‚ he claimed Hur vilified Biden's reputation by engaging in "a subjective‚ generalized — essentially political — assessment that is fodder during a campaign year." Schiff‚ without evidence‚ repeated his accusation that Hur was motivated by politics."This was deliberate. It was as if Hur decided‚ 'There's not enough evidence to prosecute him. So‚ I'm going to politically slime him instead‚'" Schiff claimed.But Tapper wasn't buying what Schiff was selling‚ and he used Hur's own testimony to disprove Schiff's complaints. Specifically‚ Tapper highlighted Hur's reasoning for not prosecuting Biden‚ which was not a lack of evidence but a belief that he could not win at trial.Tapper explained:What [Hur] would say is‚ "I had to explain why I wasn't prosecuting him. ... I'm not going to take this case before a jury because I don't know that we could win it. This person is going to seem sympathetic or I can't prove beyond a reasonable doubt‚ etc." Part of what he said in his testimony today was that we thought [Biden] did things willfully‚ but President Biden explained things that he forgot or whatever‚ and we couldn't necessarily impugn the claim of — that he just innocently forgot. We couldn't do that. That was another thing that he said.Schiff‚ however‚ refused to budge. He claimed Hur was "calculated" and "deliberate" in his decision to attack Biden‚ arguing he should have made political considerations to protect Biden.Finally‚ Tapper had enough."I just think that [Hur] felt like he had a special obligation to explain why he wasn't going to prosecute somebody that he thought had actually broken the law‚" the CNN anchor fact checked. — (@) Don't be fooled: Schiff‚ a seasoned lawyer‚ is playing political games.Despite his outrage‚ Schiff knows that Hur had to consider Biden's mental state because that is the only way he could determine if Biden "willfully" retained classified documents. And‚ as Hur explained at the hearing‚ Biden is the one responsible for making his memory an issue.Hur told lawmakers:The evidence and the president himself put his memory squarely at issue. We interviewed the president and asked him about his recorded statement‚ “I just found all the classified stuff downstairs.” He told us that he didn’t remember saying that to his ghostwriter. He also said he didn’t remember finding any classified material in his home after his vice presidency. And he didn’t remember anything about how classified documents about Afghanistan made their way into his garage.Indeed‚ top Justice Department officials disagreed that Hur's language about Biden's memory is gratuitous or otherwise out of line with DOJ policies.Hur found evidence that Biden broke the law‚ yet he had to explain why he chose not to prosecute. That reason‚ Hur explained Tuesday‚ is because he believed he could not convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that Biden willfully retained classified documents. Hur came to that conclusion because he believed Biden would present himself to a jury just as he presented himself to Hur during their interview last October: as "a sympathetic‚ well-meaning‚ elderly man with a poor memory."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A group of gamers who grew tired of the same diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion messaging that has permeated throughout television and movies are under attack for simply pointing out which video games include diversity-driven narratives. The peaceful gamers‚ who plainly list which games they don't recommend‚ are the latest target of cancel culture for noticing that one company is predominantly responsible for writing‚ tweaking‚ and consulting for the storylines of popular video games. That company is called Sweet Baby Inc.‚ a self-described "inclusion-focused narrative and consultation company." The company creates storylines‚ performs diversity consultations for existing storylines‚ and overall appears to act as an approval process for major gaming companies that want to ensure their projects pass the DEI checklist. It notes that its process includes a "multitude of perspectives" while bringing in "diverse voices to solve diverse problems." Its website also states that the company provides "Cultural Consultation‚ Sensitivity And Inclusivity Reading‚ Risk and Opportunities Assessment‚ and more." In addition to boasting that it can "assemble and lead" teams of "new and marginalized voices‚" the company also provides resources for "new and marginalized talent" with the potential to "change this industry if given the proper support." The company makes no secret about being diversity-focused‚ promoting its work for popular mainstream titles like Spider-Man 2‚ God of War Ragnarok‚ and Suicide Squad. Sweet Baby Inc.'s founder‚ Kim Belair‚ also told Marketplace in 2021 that the company was created as a place for women‚ "marginalized identities‚" and those who "don’t have a place." She even noted in 2020 that the goal of the company was to "make the industry a better and safer place." Despite all of its love of diversity‚ which presumably would include diversity of thought‚ at least one employee at the company was recently accused of trying to silence a group of gamers who wanted to steer clear of narratives Sweet Baby Inc. has worked on. As Bleeding Fool reported‚ narrative designer Chris Kindred appeared to make posts on X asking his followers to report a gaming community and its creator. Kindred allegedly told followers to "report the f**k out of this group" and "report the creator since he loves his account so much." Kindred also allegedly stated in a post that the group was a "curator harassment group" and claimed the group's creator was trying to get away with "discriminatory language." He also claimed the group was defying the code of conduct for Steam‚ the gaming platform that hosts it‚ by allowing comments that criticize Sweet Baby Inc. Steam's parent company‚ Valve‚ did not respond to a request for comment surrounding whether or not the group in question is breaking any terms of service or violating community standards. How it started vs how it's going.\n\nSweet Baby Inc. — (@) The group in question The community is called "Sweet Baby Inc Detected." Its purpose is to "not recommend" any game that Sweet Baby Inc. has worked on‚ warning other players of games that are made by companies that "want to destroy" particular franchises. The warning can be as simple as stating that Sweet Baby Inc. worked on the game; no derogatory or damaging remarks seem to be made by the group whatsoever. For example‚ for the game Gotham Knights‚ a label is applied that says "Sweet Baby Inc. involved. Proof on closing credits‚" with a link to the game's end credits that show two Sweet Baby Inc. writers are credited. Only 16 games are curated on the group's list; it is not a complex operation hell-bent on any form of hatred or harassment. The community has exploded in popularity since the controversy started‚ gaining hundreds of thousands of followers in a few short days. It sits at around 265‚000 at the time of this writing. The curating group's operator‚ a Brazilian who goes by Kabrutus‚ spoke to Blaze News about the apparent attempts to have his page mass-reported. "I wanted to find a way to help the gaming community organize itself and be able to make a stand against companies who just want to destroy franchises that we love‚" he said in response to why he started the community. Regarding Sweet Baby Inc.‚ he said that the company was essentially trying to get him canceled. "I think that they just want to silence anyone who doesn't like what they do. They even tried to get me banned on Steam and lose my 13-year-old account." The gamer also referred to a statement posted on the group's page‚ which noted that the group was not by any means "a group that is trying to 'kill' [Sweet Baby Inc.] or even convince people to not buy any game that they've worked on‚ everyone is free to buy any game‚ even if it's a game that SBI worked on‚ it's YOUR decision‚" the statement read. Referencing the "high number of reports" the group received‚ Kabrutus said that Steam directly contacted him and said that he needed to "take actions" with some of the potentially inflammatory remarks being made on the group's public posts. "I've already told my moderators‚ and we're working on it‚" he added. The Brazilian stated that Sweet Baby Inc. had not tried to contact him in any way‚ to his knowledge. Blaze News made multiple attempts to contact the company for comment regarding the remarks made by its employee Kindred‚ the community in question‚ and freedom of speech in general. It did not respond. Kindred also did not respond to a request for comment. Sweet Baby Inc.'s position While attempts to contact Sweet Baby Inc. failed‚ the company spoke to Kotaku for a friendly article that presented the overall theme that the company is not actually pushing diversity-driven narratives. CEO Belair told the outlet the following: Sweet Baby is‚ at its core‚ a narrative development company. That means anything from script writing to narrative design to narrative direction to story reviews. One of the things that we do offer is cultural consultations or authenticity consultations. For us‚ that generally means that we might be asked to look at a story if there’s a character in it who is marginalized in certain way‚ and [the studio] wants us to connect them with a consultant who can bring a little bit of authenticity. … But the perspective is never that we’re coming in and injecting diversity. … For the most part‚ it’s the reverse. It’s that a company has created a character and they want to make that character more representative and more interesting. Co-founder David Bedard also provided comment‚ echoing the sentiment that the company's work was not akin to injecting diversity. "Making something more representative and more joyful for a marginalized person in a video game is not a zero-sum game. It doesn’t make anything worse for the male character in the game‚ for the white character in the game." Belair continued‚ defending her work as more than "adding Pride flags" to a Spider-Man game. "People can’t imagine that we might do anything else but DEI. ... They can’t imagine that we’re just talented writers‚ that we’re talented narrative designers and that people are hiring us because we tell good stories‚ because we collaborate well‚ and because we write video games. They have to diminish our accomplishments to our identities." As YouTuber Asmongold TV pointed out‚ Kotaku author Alyssa Mercante took a strong stance in favor of the company's position. Infiltrating the group‚ she noted a meme that users posted comparing the femineity of female characters in the video game Stellar Blade to characters featured in games that Sweet Baby Inc. had worked on. This was followed by posts on X about "conspiracy theorists who live in echo chambers" who "get radicalized" by YouTube videos. "If you’re a woman/queer person/POC in this space‚ you’ve prob experienced harassment‚" she explained. The people attacking me wouldn\u2019t even speak to me in person. They wouldn\u2019t be at the places I hang out‚ or around the people I love‚ bc they live online and speak in echo chambers. Imagine them on the subway?! Getting a coffee at your corner shop? At a local show? ijbol — (@) Misdirecting statements Sweet Baby Inc.'s public position that DEI injection is not its mainstay in the industry is indeed peculiar given the reality that outside this latest controversy‚ diversity initiatives are promoted by the company consistently. Specifically‚ on its website‚ but also including its founder's statements‚ the company appears to take issue with outsiders presenting their own expressed views back to them‚ rejecting the notion that what the company was admittedly founded upon does not represent its current operations. As well‚ the company's Instagram page still links to a 2022 university screening of the film "Get Out." The event was part of a movie-night series focused on "award winning Black films." Promoting an event that was hosted by the Black Perspectives Office of Concordia University does indeed seem like an odd thing to do for a video game company that allegedly doesn't focus on diversity initiatives. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Boeing planes have come under intense scrutiny as more and more issues with aircraft arise. “Every other day I see a headline — and it’s usually United Airlines‚ by the way‚” that reads “Boeing flight has a problem‚” says Sara Gonzales. While planes malfunctioning is certainly deeply concerning‚ so is this: “A former Boeing employee known for raising concerns about the firm's production standards has been found dead in the United States‚” reports Sara. John Barnett worked for Boeing for 32 years but retired in 2017. “In the days before his death‚ he was actually involved in a lawsuit giving whistleblower testimony against Boeing‚” says Sara‚ adding that reports indicate that Barnett’s death is a result of a “self-inflicted gunshot wound.” “In 2019 [Barnett] told BBC that under-pressure workers had been deliberately fitting substandard parts to aircraft on the production line. He said that he had uncovered serious problems with oxygen systems‚ which could mean one in four breathing masks would not work in an emergency. He said soon after starting work in South Carolina‚ he had become concerned that the push to get new aircraft built meant the assembly process was rushed and safety was compromised.” Boeing‚ of course‚ denied all the allegations. “I think we're seeing who was correct in that analysis‚ and I don't believe that it was Boeing‚” says Sara. Quoting Barnett’s lawyers‚ she reads‚ “John was in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower retaliation case‚ which finally was nearing the end. He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on. We didn't see any indication he would take his own life. No one can believe it.” However‚ according to the reports‚ “there was a suicide note” found next to Barnett. “A hotel staff member found him after someone contacted the hotel for a wellness check on him. He had his right pointer finger remaining on the trigger with a gunshot wound near his right temple‚” says Sara‚ citing reports. “I don’t know if you still hold on to the gun after you do that‚” she says skeptically‚ adding that Boeing is a “very powerful” company.” “Let's say this‚” says Eric July of Rippaverse Comics. “If there was to be a company that could make things go away‚ it would for sure be them.” To hear more of the conversation‚ watch the video below. 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.

This water-cooled gaming PC looks like it was mined out of the rock by a very lucky geologist. Armed with a CNC machine‚ plenty of acrylic sheet and some expert 3D modeling skills‚ PC modder Søren Kirkegaard made this striking build inspired by the look of Citrine crystals. Thanks to our rapidly growing PC building Facebook page‚ we’ve seen many custom gaming PCs‚ from mods based on existing case designs to scratch PC builds. You can even submit yours for consideration right here. Here we talk to Søren about how he transformed his In Win 909 PC case into a crystalline beauty. Continue reading This water cooled gaming PC has stunning crystal effects MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card‚ Best gaming PC‚ Best SSD for gaming

The RTX 50 series is expected to offer sizeable generational improvements over the current RTX 40 series of GPUs‚ including to memory bandwidth. This spec might not seem so obviously important‚ but the rumored wider memory bus on the RTX 5090 will play a large part in making it so powerful. Sadly‚ though it seems that Nvidia doesn't plan to trickle down this spec bump to the RTX 5080 or other cheaper graphics cards. Continue reading Nvidia gives RTX 5090 specs a boost but leaves other GPUs out to dry MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GeForce RTX 4070 Super review‚ DLSS explained‚ Best graphics cards

A lot of retro style games miss the mark‚ trying to appeal more to pleasant memories of older experiences than proving their own worth‚ on their own terms. Last year's Sea of Stars‚ though‚ managed to stand out beyond nostalgic appeal‚ earning a place alongside other noteworthy throwback games — like the shooters Dusk or Trepang2 and adventures like Return of the Obra Dinn and The Excavation of Hob's Barrow. Now‚ creator Sabotage Studio has announced that it has an unexpected new update set to come to the game: a three-player multiplayer mode. Continue reading One of 2023’s best RPGs is about to get even better MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Sea of Stars review‚ Best RPG games‚ Best PC games

The past few weeks have seen the values of Bitcoin and Ethereum dramatically increase‚ renewing interest in cryptocurrency mining. Thankfully‚ this hasn't led to widespread graphics card shortages like we endured a few years ago‚ but crypto miners are now buying AMD Ryzen CPUs instead and availability is already drying up. Continue reading AMD Ryzen CPU stock is disappearing thanks to crypto miners MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Ryzen 7 7800X3D review‚ Best gaming CPU‚ Radeon RX 7800 XT review

Between Far Cry‚ Assassin’s Creed‚ Grand Theft Auto‚ and BioShock‚ we’ve had some of the greatest and most influential games of the last 20 years. Now‚ a new studio that combines talent from all of those series‚ is launching its first ever work‚ a dark‚ twisted 2.5D Metroidvania which is scheduled to arrive in the near future‚ but that you can play right this second. With hints of Little Nightmares and Hollow Knight‚ based on the new trailer and the studio’s pedigree‚ this is definitely one to watch. Continue reading Ex Far Cry and GTA devs are making a new Metroidvania you can try now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Metroidvania games‚ Best platform games‚ Best puzzle games

Vindictus: Defying Fate first caught our eye a few weeks ago when the action game spin-off of classic MMORPG Vindictus was debuted in a flashy trailer. With shades of Dragon's Dogma 2‚ God of War‚ and Elden Ring in its mythology-centered monster designs and playable heroes‚ Vindictus: Defying Fate immediately shot up near the top of our list of exciting upcoming games. Now‚ good news has arrived for anyone interested in seeing how the trailer's action feels first hand as Vindictus: Defying Fate has just launched a free limited-time Steam playtest. Continue reading Elden Ring style action game based on legendary MMO gets free playtest

The two presidential campaigns are failing to offer the voting public distinct visions of the country’s future.