California Governor Gavin Newsom came under fire from several media outlets for apparently exempting Panera Bread from a new law imposing high minimum wage requirements on businesses.  Newsmax host Chris Plante‚ Fox News host Laura Ingraham‚ The Washington Times opinion editor and Fox Contributor Charles Hurt and comedian and Fox News host Greg Gutfeld were among the critics and they were not kind‚ to say the least. On the Feb. 29 edition of Chris Plante: The Right Squad‚ Plante noted that California’s new $20/hour minimum wage for fast food was crafted to exempt “chains that baked bread and sell it as a standalone item‚” before adding that a billionaire donor to Newsom owns several dozen Panera locations.  Plante brutally summed up this situation‚ saying‚ “Gavin Newsom has a new campaign slogan: ‘Give me your money‚ and you'll be exempt from all of my ridiculous‚ terrible‚ bad policy ideas.’” Plante went after both Newsom and President Joe Biden‚ noting the difficult situation faced by restaurant owners in California and across the nation.  “Every other restaurant owner has the same problem‚ fast food or otherwise‚ that everything is more expensive; food is more expensive; labor is more expensive; energy is more expensive‚” Plante said‚ before adding‚ “Electricity is up 27% just since Joe Biden took office. This item is about a corrupt Democrat governor‚ creating a carve-out for a buddy of his who is really rich and can probably afford to pay more.” The infamous “buddy‚” billionaire Greg Flynn‚ has given at least $164‚800 to Newsom’s political campaigns‚ the New York Post reported. “Like every socialist authoritarian regime‚ in California‚ some people are more equal than others‚” said MRC Free Speech Vice President Dan Schneider. “Gavin Newsom and his cronies like to pretend that they care about others‚ while they take care of themselves and wreak the economy for others.”  Echoing Plante’s remarks‚ Fox’s Ingraham criticized this “strange carveout” that benefitted a donor on the Feb. 29 edition of The Ingraham Angle. Ingraham’s guest‚ Fox Contributor Hurt‚ blasted Newsom for this exemption and for supporting this job-killing law in the first place. “There's nothing in the world more damaging to workers than raising the minimum wage like this because‚ of course‚ instead of having an $18-an-hour job‚ they have no job at all‚” Hurt said.  Hurt went on to blast Newsom for protecting his friend’s business from the effects of a law he supported. Hurt said‚ “A grease ball like Gavin Newsom comes out and makes a carve-out for his multibillionaire friend so that his multibillionaire friend can keep a few more dollars in his pocket instead of giving it to those workers that Gavin Newsom claims he cares about and claims he wants to help‚ but it's not going to help anyway because they're just going to lose their jobs.” Fox’s Gutfeld mocked Newsom on the Feb. 29 edition of Gutfeld! for the carveout before hilariously exposing the governor. Gutfeld played a clip where Newsom used a phrase about questionable legislating “the sausage-making of politics” to describe the process.  “The phrase refers to the unpleasant way in which a process is carried out behind the scenes. When someone says‚ ‘You don’t want to know how the sausage is made‚’ it’s usually referring to something gross‚” Gutfeld said. He added: “But also it’s how politics is done. Gavin spoke the truth‚ when he makes sausage‚ he means making deals for his donor pals so they are exempt from the rules he enforces for others. It's the whole reason people like Gavin get into politics and why billionaires remain friends with people like Gavin‚ so they are immune from the political punishment they actually support.” Conservatives are under attack! Contact ABC News (818-460-7477)‚ CBS News (212-975-3247) and NBC News (212- 664-6192) and demand that it report on Gavin Newsom’s destructive policies.

Nicolle Wallace: back with a vengeance. Returning this week to her Deadline White House MSNBC show after an extended maternity leave‚ the object of Wallace's vengeance hasn't changed: she is arguably the most virulent Trump-hater of all the liberal-media talking hosts. On her Thursday show‚ a furious Wallace somehow analogized the decision of the Supreme to hear the case regarding Trump's claim of presidential immunity to the Access Hollywood "grab 'em by the p***y" tape. As Wallace put it: "The United States Supreme Court‚ which has some of the lowest approval ratings among the American public in its history‚ and which counts three Trump appointees among its members‚ yesterday decided to dignify a legal theory so contrary to the American experiment that it actually rhymes with Trump's Access Hollywood moment of infamy.  Basically arguing that when you're president‚ they let you do it. "  In addition to her strained Access Hollywood analogy‚ three other times Wallace said something truly confounding. -- First‚ she denounced the Supreme Court for coming "out of the closet" as being open to listening to the legal argument that America has "a king." Wait‚ Nicolle: we thought coming "out of the closet" is something you applaud! -- Wallace then condemned Trump for exercising his legal rights for purposes of delaying his various trials. Wallace described exercising those rights as "exploiting" them. The entire theme of Wallace's spiel was that no man should be above the law. Guess what‚ Nicolle? No man should be below the law‚ either‚ but sounds like you'd like Trump to be deprived of his legal rights!  -- Finally‚ Wallace was frustrated to the point of outrage that instead of America's "institutions" preventing Trump from getting elected‚ it will be up to the American people to do so: "we will once again‚ as citizens‚ have to use the power of our vote." So‚ it's a bad thing that citizens‚ via their vote‚ will have the ultimate power? Wallace would prefer that "institutions" rule this country‚ rather than the citizens? Whatever happened to "power to the people‚" Nicolle? Wallace was enraged at the Supreme Court for taking on the issue of Trump's presidential immunity. Yes‚ the Court could have refused to hear the case‚ and let the lower court ruling denying immunity stand. But has the possibility occurred to Wallace that the Supreme Court considered that establishing a president's lack of immunity in cases such as this so important that it didn't want the matter to be resolved with a simple denial of certiorari? That it wants to go on the record‚ as the highest court in the land‚ on the matter? You're condemning the Court now‚ Nicolle‚ but if legal prognosticators are right‚ you might be praising it before long.  Here's the transcript. MSNBC Deadline White House 2/29/24 4:00 pm ET NICOLLE WALLACE: Hi‚ everyone. 4:00 in New York. Americans woke up today in a nation where the highest court in the land is now out of the closet‚ as open to listening to a legal argument that America has a king‚ and not an elected president. That one man in our nation of laws might‚ just might‚ lawfully sit above the laws that apply to every single other American citizen.  The United States Supreme Court‚ which has some of the lowest approval ratings among the American public in its history‚ and which counts three Trump appointees among its members‚ yesterday decided to dignify a legal theory so contrary to the American experiment that it actually rhymes with Trump's "Access Hollywood" moment of infamy.  Basically arguing that when you're president‚ they let you do it.  Agreeing to hear this case at all IIis the hinge moment‚ no matter what happens next. It alone opens the door to turning America into a country where one person can commit crimes in his effort to overturn an election he loses‚ enlist others in that criminal conspiracy‚ and then‚ instead of facing any criminal accountability‚ just run for office again‚ and if victorious‚ erase every last vestige of criminal liability‚ criminal exposure‚ and accountability.  Let's also be crystal clear today about the logistical implications just of yesterday's news. A bell that cannot be unrung. As we pointed out on this program‚ over and over and over again‚ the Trump strategy is always the same one‚ and it's abundantly clear. It is always to delay‚ delay‚ delay‚ to run out the clock‚ slow down the entire legal process‚ exploit a defendant's due process rights so that a trial in any of these cases is so delayed and pushed back that it happens after the election‚ most likely.  And at that point‚ Donald Trump has made clear that if he wins‚ he will use his power to free himself‚ to liberate himself from what he publicly‚ on the stump‚ day after day smears as an unlawful and politically motivated prosecution.  And that tactic‚ whether wittingly or unwittingly‚ received a boon in yesterday's decision from the Supreme Court. The Court's decision comes despite the enormously high stakes of actually having a trial in this election interference case. And an enormous‚ and quite obvious‚ civic and public interest in it. A poll released earlier this month shows that 64% of all Americans wanted to see Trump go on trial before November 5th 2024. That number actually includes 38% of Republicans.  Now‚ even after oral arguments in April‚ the court will take as long as it decides to take to make any decision on whether any American president‚ in this case that includes Donald Trump‚ is above the law for anything they do while in office. Even if it includes crimes committed while trying to overturn the will of the American voter using any means possible‚ including violence‚ and threats against your own Vice President.  So‚ if legal accountability for Donald Trump is now delayed or maybe even denied‚ there is‚ as we've been told over and over again‚ a matter of political accountability. And on that front‚ no matter how much or how often Donald Trump lies to his base about the results of the 2020 election‚ the cold hard fact is that 81 million Americans voted against him and for Joe Biden in 2020.  And‚ I don't know if you're ready to hear this‚ but it looks like once again it's going to fall to us‚ the American people‚ to do what our institutions constantly‚ over and over again‚ fail to do. To determine what conduct is outside the bounds in a nation of laws‚ outside the bounds and norms in a democracy. We will once again as citizens have to use the power of our vote to answer that question. 

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton‚ which concern whether Florida and Texas can force online platforms to disseminate posts they would prefer to throttle or remove entirely. Most legal analysts we’ve read agree that the court seems poised to strike down both laws on First Amendment grounds. Even liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor remarked that the two states’ laws are “so broad that they stifle speech just on their face.” Both laws would mandate‚ on penalty of steep fines‚ that any “content moderation” performed by the platforms be done in a “viewpoint-neutral” way. We agree with what seems to be the prevailing view: that the First Amendment protects platforms’ right to engage in whatever content moderation they choose. By mandating essentially identical content moderation policies for all‚ Florida and Texas would deprive us of a crucial competitive advantage. “If the New York Times or Fox News refuse to publish articles I submit to them because they disapprove of my views or even just because they think my writings will offend their audience‚ they surely have a First Amendment right to do so‚” writes Ilya Somin at the libertarian Volokh Conspiracy blog. “If I don’t like Fox’s editorial policies‚ I can submit my content somewhere else. The same reasoning applies to Twitter or Facebook.” Were these laws to be upheld‚ would the removal of any content protected under the First Amendment satisfy their viewpoint-neutrality test? Even with community guidelines and moderation training materials explicitly and emphatically based on viewpoint neutrality‚ we believe the risk associated with removing anything other than patently illegal speech would simply be too high. Similarly for algorithmic curation of users’ feeds. Suppose a “neutral” algorithm‚ programmed to amplify or throttle content based solely on “engagement.” An algorithm’s predictions as to what will be engaging to any user or group of users will necessarily be “content-based.” Under these laws’ viewpoint-neutrality requirements‚ therefore‚ platforms would be reduced to delivering chronological — or‚ if they “think differently‚” reverse-chronological — feeds. Given that the entire “social media” business model relies upon curating and algorithmically manipulating content in ways that are necessarily content-based‚ the Florida and Texas laws would not only violate the platforms’ First Amendment rights‚ they would also decimate platforms’ revenue model. These are‚ after all‚ surveillance businesses‚ not platforms for personal expression. As Edward Snowden observed‚ “Businesses that make money by collecting and selling detailed records of private lives were once plainly described as ‘surveillance companies.’” The name “social media” is just a deceptive “rebranding.” Like any media company‚ their goal is to attract and keep the attention of their users — and monetize that attention. The main difference is that their digital footprint is larger‚ allowing them to use surveillance to monetize attention more effectively than a newspaper ever dreamed possible. Take the case of X (formerly known as Twitter). Once the prevailing belief became that X under Elon Musk wasn’t “moderating” as much as Twitter under Jack Dorsey (whether or not it was actually true)‚ advertisers abandoned the platform in droves. Many conservatives were happy‚ but they weren’t the ones left with a company that had lost half its market value. It’s one thing to forgo revenue in pursuit of something else; it’s quite another to be forced to sacrifice revenue because the law has prohibited your entire business model. Given that this is precisely what the Texas and Florida laws do‚ might they constitute a taking under the Fifth Amendment? We disagree with the content moderation and algorithmic manipulation practices of the traditional “social media” platforms. So much so that we’ve spent years working to offer alternatives. This is why we find it ironic that two “conservative” states have passed laws that effectively make it impossible to address the problems with content curation by competing in a free market. By mandating essentially identical content moderation policies for all‚ Florida and Texas would deprive us of a crucial competitive advantage. One change in the law could clear the way for competition to solve this problem. It relates to the “tension” perceived by some of the justices between immunity from liability for “user-generated content” under Section 230 and the idea that moderating that content is an “expressive activity” protected by the First Amendment. No‚ “social media” companies shouldn’t be forced to bake conservatives’‚ politicians’‚ or anyone else’s cake. Nor should they be able to eat their Section 230 cake and have it‚ too. Newspapers and other media can be held liable if their expressive activity is defamatory‚ for example. Why not “social media”? So while we applaud NetChoice for its First Amendment challenges to these state laws‚ we invite the company (and everyone else) to join our call to eliminate platform privilege and reduce the incentive for states to enact further “corrective” measures.

Three former Arizona Department of Education workers were charged with defrauding over $600‚000 from the state's voucher‚ the Associated Press reported Thursday.Delores Lashay Sweet‚ Dorrian Lamarr Jones‚ and Jennifer Lopez were indicted on conspiracy and money laundering charges for approving voucher applications for five fictitious students. The three workers allegedly forged birth certificates and special education evaluations to collect additional money for the made-up children.The state's Department of Education fired the workers after they were accused of using voucher money‚ funded by taxpayers‚ to purchase luxury goods. Jadakah Celeste Johnson and Raymond Lamont Johnson Jr.‚ Sweet's adult children‚ were also charged for their participation in the alleged scandal.Arizona Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes' issued a press release on Thursday explaining that the individuals allegedly involved in the scheme were accused of "engaging in fraud‚ conspiracy‚ computer tampering‚ illegally conducting an enterprise‚ money laundering and forgery related to the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program." The suspects are being charged with "multiple felonies.""They created ghost students with forged birth certificates – children that didn't exist – and gave them fake disability diagnoses that would make them eligible for larger funding amount‚" the state AG explained.Mayes claimed the state's voucher program is "ripe for abuse." She is encouraging the Republican-majority legislature to "design a better program." Today we announced major indictments in the ESA program. This program is ripe for abuse‚ and the Legislature needs to design a better program. — (@) The Arizona Education Association‚ a labor union‚ echoed Mayes' sentiment about the program.AEA President Marisol Garcia stated‚ "As every new headline makes clear‚ Arizona's ESA voucher program has been a complete disaster. The utter lack of accountability and transparency makes this program ripe for fraud and abuse. And yet ESA voucher proponents have blocked even the most basic‚ common-sense safeguards. It's time to rein in the ESA voucher program before it spins even further out of control."Randi Weingarten‚ president of the American Federation of Teachers‚ claimed that "vouchers drain essential funds from schools."Neal McCluskey‚ the director for Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom‚ defended the state's voucher program‚ noting that it "empower[s] families to choose education they feel is right" for their child by allowing tax dollars to follow the student."Anti-choicers are pouncing on fraud indictments in AZ‚ but it puts the lie to much of what they say: First‚ they say the program is legally a 'scam.' But clearly fraud is illegal in the program‚" McCluskey wrote on X. "And let's not pretend fraud doesn't happen in public schools.""Fraud is never good. But this is hardly a sign that AZ's ESA program is fundamentally bad‚" he added.United States Republican Senator John Kavanagh of Arizona also voiced his support for the school-choice program."I don't think that it's anymore damning of the ESA than when a bank teller steals money from the banking system‚" Kavanagh said‚ the AP reported. "It (the problem) is about the people‚ not the program."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Fraternity members at the University of Miami were caught in a leaked video of the young men allegedly engaging in a "nasty" hazing act in broad daylight. The University of Miami has confirmed the authenticity of the video and said an investigation has been launched. The leaked video footage obtained by WTVJ shows multiple shirtless frat members on campus. One of the fraternity members is squatting in a trash can. The other members appear to be chugging milk from a gallon container. The three men take turns spitting and vomiting the liquid on the individual in the trash can. During the unsettling video‚ the person recording the video is heard saying‚ "That's nasty!" The University of Miami confirmed the authenticity of the appalling video and identified the fraternity as Sigma Alpha Epsilon. "The University of Miami has received multiple reports related to alleged conduct violations by one of our fraternity chapters‚" the school said in a statement. "We are aware of videos being circulated but can only confirm the authenticity of one video. A full investigation is underway."The fraternity's national chapter told CBS News‚ "The Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity Service Center has received a report related to an alleged incident involving our Chapter at The University of Miami. We have placed our Chapter on a Cease &; Desist and are working jointly with the University to investigate."The University of Miami has an "absolute prohibition on hazing."The school defines hazing as: "An action or situation created on or off campus which recklessly or intentionally harms‚ damages‚ or endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purposes of‚ including‚ but not limited to‚ initiation or admission into or affiliation with any organization operating within the University of Miami."According to the school's Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook‚ "Students who are complicit to hazing will be charged with violating the university's complicity policy‚" and violators could face expulsion. The University of Miami notes that students may not consent to being hazed. In Florida‚ a person who commits an act of hazing upon another person who is a member of or an applicant to any type of student organization could be charged with a misdemeanor of the first degree or a felony of the third degree — depending on how severe the bodily injury is or whether the act results in death. The state of Florida defines hazing as: "Any action or situation that recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student" who is seeking "initiation into any organization operating under the sanction of a postsecondary institution‚ admission into any organization operating under the sanction of a postsecondary institution‚ affiliation with any organization operating under the sanction of a postsecondary institution‚ or the perpetuation or furtherance of a tradition or ritual of any organization operating under the sanction of a postsecondary institution."The Chad Meredith Act — signed into law in 2005 — was named after UM student Chad Meredith. He drowned in 2001 while trying to swim across Lake Osceola after drinking alcohol with two Kappa Sigma officers. At the time of his death‚ Meredith had a blood alcohol content level of 0.13.A civil jury ordered Kappa Sigma to pay Meredith's family $12 million in damages. No criminal charges were filed in the deadly incident. University of Miami investigates fraternity members for hazing www.youtube.com Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

House Republicans are making good on their promise to release over 40‚000 hours of CCTV footage from the events of January 6‚ 2021. After the FBI arrested Blaze Media journalist Steve Baker for his coverage of the January 6 protest‚ Representative Barry Loudermilk is announcing the release of 5‚000 hours of footage. “If you’re going to go after Steve Baker‚ you need to go after the dozens of other reporters that were present in the Capitol that day‚ who didn’t do anything wrong‚” Loudermilk tells Glenn Beck. “That’s why we wanted to make sure we got these videos regarding Steve and where he was out early‚” he adds. The 5‚000 hours of video footage will be available to the public on Rumble and will be rolling out over the course of the day. “We are going to continue every week with rolling out more and more‚” he tells Glenn‚ explaining that in around eight weeks‚ there should be all 40‚000 hours of video footage up. The videos House Republicans are releasing first are being released first partly because of what Steve Baker is going through. “That was part of it because we see the direction that certain people are going and what they’re trying to cover up‚” Loudermilk explains. Both Glenn and Loudermilk are well aware that Baker has done nothing wrong. “He offered all of it to the FBI‚ and‚ I mean‚ on day one‚ when he had it‚ he was like‚ ‘If you need it you can have it‚’” Glenn explains‚ adding “I mean‚ he was documenting.” “Our prayers are with Steve‚” Loudermilk says. “This is horrendous. It’s terrible. We’re going to be there to make sure that justice is done and that means that the freedom‚ our Constitution is upheld‚ and the truth be known.” Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling‚ thought-provoking analysis‚ and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

The Biden administration is demanding Fox News retract stories involving allegations of Biden family corruption.White House spokesman Ian Sams sent a letter to Fox News executives alleging the news network has promoted a "false‚ discredited" allegation of bribery involving President Joe Biden.Sams is referring to allegations that Alexander Smirnov brought to the FBI years ago — part of a controversial FD-1023 document — claiming Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Biden and his son‚ Hunter Biden‚ $5 million each in 2015 and/or 2016. Last month‚ special counsel David Weiss secured an indictment against Smirnov‚ a former FBI confidential human source‚ for allegedly lying about those claims. On the simple basis that Weiss has lodged the allegations against Smirnov‚ Sams complained that Fox News "has taken no steps to retract‚ correct‚ or update its reporting."He wrote:We feel strongly that all Fox News Digital articles on this topic should at a minimum be updated with editor’s notes informing readers that the source of this allegation has been federally indicted for making it up. We also feel strongly that Fox News Channel television personalities like Hannity and Watters‚ among others‚ should inform their viewers on air that they have been sharing a discredited allegation from a source who has been federally indicted for making it up.There are numerous problems with Sams' claims.First‚ in all of the stories that Sams cited‚ Fox News never reported Smirnov's allegations as substantiated fact. This is an important distinction. Fox News reports on the allegations as exactly that: unproven claims. Second‚ Sams purportedly does exactly what he claims Fox News is guilty of doing. Sams presumes the allegations against Smirnov are true‚ and thus‚ he assumes Smirnov's guilt‚ contrary to the defendant's presumption of innocence. Sams does this by asserting as a fact that the allegations Smirnov brought to the FBI about the Bidens are "false." But Smirnov has not yet seen a jury of his peers‚ and prosecutors have not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Smirnov lied. Thus‚ both Smirnov's claims are allegations and Weiss' claims are allegations — and reporting on mere allegations is not a journalistic transgression.For its part‚ Fox News has no plans to comply with Sams' demands‚ sources told CNN.In a formal statement‚ Fox News acknowledged its coverage of Smirnov's allegations and his run-in with Weiss‚ and the network vowed to continue reporting on it."Fox News Media has reported on all key developments since the announcement that Alexander Smirnov was charged with lying to the FBI‚ featuring the story prominently‚" the statement said. "We will continue to report on developments in all aspects of the ongoing investigations‚ hearings‚ and trials."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Defense attorneys for former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case pulled out all the stops during closing arguments Friday in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' ethics hearing‚ torching the Black Panther's daughter for her various alleged improprieties‚ abuses of power‚ and case-compromising public remarks. Revisiting the chief claims raised in their previous motions to disqualify‚ defense attorneys stressed that Willis personally benefited from her clandestine romantic relationship with Nathan Wade‚ the man she ultimately appointed special prosecutor and whose fat checks she ultimately approved. They argued further that she prejudiced potential jurors against the defendants and perpetrated a "fraud on this court." Craig Gillen‚ a defense attorney for Trump co-defendant David Shafer‚ echoed Trump lawyer Steve Sadow's suggestion that Willis injected race into the case through her remarks at the Bethel AME Church in Atlanta. Gillen also accused Willis and Wade of "systematic misconduct‚" stressing "they need to go." Willis arrived in time to watch Adam Abbate‚ an attorney for the DA's office‚ downplay her racially-charged attacks and argue that disqualification requires proof of a conflict of interest‚ not just the appearance of a conflict of interest. On the conflict of interest theme‚ John Merchant‚ defense attorney for Michael Roman‚ indicated Friday that $9‚247 ultimately could not be accounted for in Willis and Wade's testimonies‚ suggesting that amounted to a personal benefit the Fulton County DA received while prosecuting the case. Merchant argued that even the appearance of a conflict of interest justified Willis' removal as‚ at the very least‚ it undermined public confidence in the prosecution. "They did this‚ they knew it was wrong‚ and they hid it‚" said Merchant. Sadow stressed the lovers concealed their relationship from everyone. "Even daddy didn't know‚" he said‚ referencing Willis' father‚ who apparently had been left in the dark. Trump's lawyer suggested that this secrecy is what prompted the lovers to go to the condo belonging to Willis' old friend and employee‚ Robin Yeartie‚ in the lead-up to Wade's appointment. Abbate tried to cast doubt on the credibility of Yeartie's testimony. Yeartie previously told the court that it was her understanding that Wade and Willis were romantically involved as early as 2019. This claim contradicted the timeline advanced by Willis and Wade whereby the affair did not start until after Wade's appointment in November 2021. The defense sought to enter into evidence data collected from Wade's cellphone‚ which reportedly reveals Wade visited Willis' residence between January and November 2021 at least 35 times‚ usually in the evening for "an extended period of time." Blaze News previously reported that the data appears to indicate Wade and Willis also exchanged over 2‚000 phone calls and roughly 10‚000 text messages in 2021 prior to his appointment. While Abbate argued that the phone data was inadmissible on account of foundational concerns‚ he suggested the records confirm that Wade never visited what was technically Willis' home prior to April 2021. The state also suggested the number of phone communications "has no validity as to it relates them being in a relationship" and may be a miscount to begin with. McAfee said he would give the matter the consideration it deserves and provide an answer on Willis' fate sometime in the next two weeks. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Is Joe Rogan on the verge of converting to Christianity?Thanks to a clip of Rogan's podcast that theologian Paul Anleitner recently posted on X‚ people are wondering. Among them is Jordan Peterson‚ who reposted the clip with the comment "See you soon @joerogan." — (@) Peterson is a well-known Christ respecter who‚ unlike his wife‚ Tammy‚ has never quite managed actual religious belief. But maybe he'll point Rogan in the right direction. God works in mysterious ways.He was a connoisseur of 1970s femininity and could talk at length about the unearthly beauty and spiritual depth of murdered Playboy playmate Dorothy Stratten‚ whose distinct presence he could often feel‚ no matter where he was in the world.I've grown tired of Peterson's coy‚ Jungian approach to God‚ and I prefer the humble psychology professor he started out as as to the professional conservative influencer he's become. But I can't deny that a few years ago‚ the man in the Batman-villain suit was crucial in changing the course of my inner life. The ghost of Dorothy StrattenIn 1993‚ I moved to an industrial city north of Prague‚ about 30 miles from the Czech/German border. Ústí nad Labem had been around for almost a thousand years‚ but after half a century of socialist dictatorship‚ anything old had been replaced with hideous prefab housing estates and pollution-spewing chemical plants. It did have an old church from the fourteenth century‚ but I never went inside. It was just a relic of a time when being stupid and superstitious was the only option.I had gotten a job teaching English to engineers at a local natural gas distribution company. I was a 22-year-old Ivy League liberal arts graduate. I had no experience or knowledge worth sharing‚ of course‚ and my students were older‚ with careers and families‚ and they treated me with deference anyway‚ as well as with kindness and hospitality. In return‚ I pitied them as being hopelessly trapped in their small lives. I was meant for something bigger. I had no idea what‚ but I figured it would announce itself eventually.I fell in with the small community of foreigners in town — about 10 Americans along with a few Brits and Canadians — but kept my distance. They weren’t the kind of friends I had in mind for myself — they were too provincial and unsophisticated.Especially strange to me was a hulking gentle giant from Los Angeles named Chad. He was pushing 30 and lived off savings he had accumulated from a series of showbiz-adjacent jobs‚ including sales for a porn video distributer and caretaking an old Beverly Hills mansion now used for film shoots. The mansion had been the site of a lurid‚ high-society murder-suicide in the 20s and was haunted. He told us of strange encounters he’d had there alone late at night‚ the distant sound of piano music‚ which abruptly stopped as he moved toward it; a heavy‚ nauseating feeling of malice that descended upon him in certain rooms; the eerie sensation of being shoved. These stories held our attention‚ but they didn’t seem like a big deal to him. He had always been particularly sensitive to the supernatural‚ he said‚ and he had an endless supply of anecdotes bearing this out. There was the overwhelming mutual attraction he shared with a girl within seconds of meeting her a party only to realize they had been lovers in pre-revolutionary France‚ until he was garroted for trying to rescue her from prostitution. His vivid explorations of the lost city of Atlantis in lucid dreams and the aching sense it left him of being in exile. He was a connoisseur of 1970s femininity and could talk at length about the unearthly beauty and spiritual depth of murdered Playboy playmate Dorothy Stratten‚ whose distinct presence he could often feel‚ no matter where he was in the world.I found all this unforgivably hokey. And I felt it reflected badly on me and my future. But I had to admit he was funny and intelligent. We became friends‚ even though I secretly regarded him with detached‚ ironic amusement. I enjoyed the matter-of-fact‚ unpretentious way he delivered even his boldest claims. Once‚ in one of my regular hungover tailspins of anxiety‚ I asked him if he wasn’t afraid of nuclear war. He sighed with slight exasperation and explained that obviously‚ the higher beings protecting Earth would never allow it.This idea didn’t reassure me‚ but his relaxed‚ confident demeanor did. And I began to realize that maybe thinking crystals were nonsense didn’t make me a better person. Even if Chad weren’t the conduit to the spirit world he claimed to be‚ he was uncommonly empathetic and perceptive when it came to other people‚ which is why we all liked to be around him. Whereas my constantly shifting sense of who I was and what it all meant kept me in a state of agitated self-obsession.Surrounded by martyrs I was too educated to believe that evil left some kind of spiritual mark on a place‚ but just 50 years ago‚ this city I used as the backdrop for my inner drama had been ceded to Hitler. Then‚ it was bombed by Americans. And just after the war‚ it was the site of a brutal massacre‚ in which a mob of Czechs attacked their ethnic German neighbors‚ shooting and stabbing some 100 men‚ women‚ and children and throwing them off the town bridge. Maybe Chad was a kook‚ but at least he made me consider that there might be something at stake in this world. That it mattered what we did and even what we thought. That transcendent good and evil were real and could touch us.These abstract musings lost their appeal when Chad moved back to California and I moved to Prague. I was finally where the action was. Here‚ the visionaries weren’t so gauche as to talk about communing with the dead or the melancholy of old souls lost in the slipstream of time. They were there to summon the coming techno utopia‚ which required optimism and an eagerness to let go of the past. I was on board‚ but I was also undisciplined and easily discouraged. Everywhere I looked‚ I saw monuments to martyrs: the heretic priest burned at the stake‚ the ordinary civilians killed in the doomed uprising against the Nazis‚ the young medical student who set himself on fire to protest the Soviet occupation. Their resolve‚ like my frantic strivings‚ seemed meaningless in the face of oblivion.The obvious cure for this self-indulgent existential dread was to move to New York City and get serious about my life. I temped and lived in cramped apartments in cool neighborhoods and got a low-paying but status-signaling media job. I ran into an old college girlfriend with a sensible career and many of the same friends I’d had. We got married and had children and relocated to her hometown of L.A.‚ which I’d heard so much about from Chad.But he’d settled down in a small town outside Sacramento with a wife and son and an unremarkable job. He wouldn’t have fit into my life anyway. We were upwardly mobile and cultured‚ with high expectations for ourselves and our kids. It went without saying that we were good‚ tolerant people. Church was an occasional‚ unobtrusive reminder to be grateful and give back. We didn’t have any commitments that might make things awkward with our friends or put us at odds with our community.Binging Ram Dass I was comfortably settled but still imagined myself as on the verge of transformative‚ clarifying success. Until one day I didn’t. I wasn’t special‚ my kids would soon abandon me‚ and I was going to die. I tried to ease the panic with therapy‚ running‚ and Ram Dass videos on YouTube. Nothing really worked until I stumbled upon some old Jordan Peterson lectures. He was on the ascent at the time‚ notorious for his Toronto trans dust-up but not yet a full-fledged sensation. In some ways‚ his confidence in what we could know about life reminded me of Chad. I particularly liked his gnomic yet rigorously intellectual treatment of Christianity. It suggested a way I could take solace from a meaningfully-ordered universe without actually having to do anything as gauche as worship. Maybe "acting as if" God were real would be enough to improve my state.Then a goth girl I did plays with in high school re-emerged on Facebook as a devout Catholic stay-at-home mom and pro-life activist. After a few pointless arguments‚ I calmed down and started reading everything she posted without comment. It was fascinating to imagine being so gullible and narrow-minded. I watched videos she linked to and read books she mentioned. I embedded myself in this bizarre‚ backward culture. A few months later‚ I was sitting in my car saying the rosary for the first time‚ just to see what would happen.I entered the church about a year later. Just before the COVID lockdowns‚ I got a call that Chad had had a massive stroke. We hadn’t been in touch for years. I gave money to his recovery fund and got added to a text group of friends and family who unselfconsciously offered their prayers and invoked the healing power of God’s mercy. I was surprised at how natural I felt doing the same. And how praying actually felt like doing something helpful. I still include him in my daily rosary. Maybe it’s just guilt that I haven’t written or called lately‚ but I like to think he can pick up on it somehow. If so‚ I hope he humors me like I humored him 30 years ago. You never know where that might lead.

Most social media-friendly fans know about Helldivers 2 gear having secret buffs by now‚ but the scale of the different statistics for guns in the game creates an even more interesting picture. And now Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pilestedt has told us that weapons can have up to 50 stats. Continue reading Helldivers 2 guns have around 50 stats‚ and most of them are secret MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Helldivers 2 weapons‚ Helldivers 2 servers‚ Helldivers 2 system requirements