A concealed-carrying employee of a Chicago jewelry store shot a hooded male who was caught on video bashing a display case over the weekend. The suspect reportedly was released without charges.What are the details?Surveillance video inside the store on Jeweler's Row in the city's Loop area on North Wabash Avenue shows the suspect walking around for about a minute before taking off toward the entrance just before 11 a.m. Saturday‚ WBBM-TV reported.The male then began to bash a glass case‚ after which the employee behind the counter pulled out a gun and opened fire at the suspect before he tried to get away‚ the station said. — (@) It appears the employee — who is a FOID card and concealed carry license holder‚ WBBM said — fired two shots at the male‚ who quickly fell to the sidewalk just outside the store's entrance. Image source: YouTube screenshotVideo outside the store shows the suspect getting up‚ beginning to run off‚ then stopping and turning around and going back into the store's entrance to retrieve what appears to be a a bag of some kind. Image source: YouTube screenshot Image source: YouTube screenshotHe then runs down the sidewalk before heading up a stairwell to a train platform‚ WBBM said. Image source: YouTube screenshotPolice told the station a man was placed into custody a short time later and taken to a hospital for a gunshot wound‚ where he reportedly was stabilized.WBBM‚ citing store security‚ said the employee who opened fire was in custody as police continued to investigate.While the station said charges against the robbery suspect are pending‚ WLS-TV said the suspect as well as the concealed carrier were released without charges.How are observers reacting?Commenters responding to the WBBM video on YouTube were not happy about how authorities handled things in the aftermath:"And there's Chicago's problem‚" one commenter said. "The employee is in custody for defending his business‚ and the criminal will be released back into society.""Why is the shooter in custody?" another user asked. "He wouldn't have shot if a POS hadn't tried to rob him. How is he all of a sudden a criminal?""The employee shouldn't be in custody at all!" another commenter exclaimed. "I swear many of these anti-gun cities are looking for reasons to destroy gun owners.""It's really sad what has happened to this country‚" another user noted. "The criminals and inmates are running the asylum." Robber shot by Chicago jewelry store employee youtu.be Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

If Disney were still Disney‚ projects like “Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk” might not be necessary.The upcoming children’s show comes to us from actor/producer Kirk Cameron‚ a culture warrior offering alternatives to the new woke order.Last year‚ Cameron traveled to libraries across the country to read from his book‚ “As You Grow” as well as Ashley St. Clair’s “Elephants Are Not Birds.” Far-Left protesters‚ some dressed in drag‚ greeted him at select stops to interrupt his readings. “For the past four years‚ kids have been guinea pigs in politics‚ a bargaining chip. You can see that clearly in kids’ programming. To me‚ I was excited to do a project that would uphold the innocence of children.”Now‚ he’s preparing a children’s show brimming with the values Disney and like-minded platforms either ignore or decry.Cameron tells Align too many shows have “brainwashed children across the nation‚” with classics like “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” replaced by tales featuring non-binary characters and other progressive themes.The former “Growing Pains” star says the new show‚ which will lean on a crowdfunding campaign via WatchBrave.com‚ promises “world-class” talent like former “Sesame Street” puppet artist John Kennedy‚ who will bring Iggy the Iguana to life.“We’re going to make the coolest kids’ show ever‚” Cameron says of “Adventures‚” which will fuse live action‚ animation‚ and puppetry.The show’s life lessons may not be familiar to parents who grew up in simpler times. Cameron says “Adventures” will teach children about the dangers of socialism and DEI while arming them on how to “spot lies in the news.”“These are not the lessons Mr. Rogers had to teach back in the day‚” he says. “For the past four years‚ kids have been guinea pigs in politics‚ a bargaining chip. You can see that clearly in kids’ programming. To me‚ I was excited to do a project that would uphold the innocence of children.”Cameron‚ 53‚ understands the role pop culture plays in society today.“We see people like Taylor Swift or Beyonce or other celebrities and influencers create culture and tell people how to vote politically‚” he says. “If you look back in history‚ we didn’t have TV and Hollywood creating the culture. It was family that created the culture or religion.”Hollywood‚ by and large‚ doesn’t mirror Cameron’s values‚ but he has faith that the industry doesn’t reflect the country at large.“There’s more of us than there are of them‚” he says. “We’re seeing signs of it everywhere.”Actress Leigh-Allyn Baker‚ best known for Disney’s “Good Luck Charlie” and recurring work on NBC’s “Will &; Grace‚” is teaming with Cameron for the project. She brings decades of acting experience and vocal work with shows like Nickelodeon’s “Back at the Barnyard.”Baker points to “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” as one inspiration behind “Adventures‚” admiring the simplicity of its approach. Like Cameron‚ she has experience reaching out to young viewers‚ and she’ll bring a similar mindset to “Adventures.”“I never once dumbed down my performances [for children]. Kids are smart. They will get it‚” Baker says of her Disney days. “I would do the same performance for a kid that I would do for an adult. The material is different‚ but you bring the same level of honesty‚ sincerity‚ commitment‚ and vulnerability.”Like Cameron‚ Baker isn’t afraid to share her Christian faith in an industry that isn’t uniformly accepting of faith-based talent. She experienced plenty of professional blowback when she spoke out against mask and vaccine mandates during the pandemic‚ though.“I couldn’t believe people consider my viewpoint radical‚” she says.Cameron doesn’t have much faith in Disney returning to the values that founder Walt Disney established and maintained for decades.“There are forces that are very great and evil out there directing some of these companies. … That doesn’t mean everyone who works for Disney is evil‚” Cameron says. “My money is not on giant corporations or super-famous people converting to the right set of values. It’s a grassroots thing ... everyday moms and dads and employees and small-business owners … average people who have hearts surrender to what is true and good and right. That’s the kind of movement that heaven gets behind.”Cameron knows “Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk” is just one salvo in a larger culture war‚ but the importance of counterculture programming isn’t lost on him.“Now is the time for people to wake up‚ stand up‚ and lean in‚” he says. “It’s kind of a ‘now or never’ thing‚ and that’s not an exaggeration.”

When George Floyd died under disputed circumstances in 2020‚ a spontaneous‚ rapturous global movement emerged to lionize him and use his death to demand changes to our policing and criminal justice system. The movement succeeded‚ and it resulted in the worst crime wave in a generation. Laken Riley‚ a young nursing student in Georgia‚ was brutally murdered last week‚ allegedly by an illegal alien from Venezuela. Where are the cries of “justice for Laken”? Where is the serendipitous political movement to use her memory to shut down the invasion at the border? The crime wave we face is unimaginable but also completely avoidable. Even if George Floyd truly died at the hands of a police officer and not from a drug overdose‚ his death was not evidence of pervasive‚ racist police violence. Police are not killing black men wantonly. The same may not be said of the prevalent and completely avoidable trend of illegal alien violence. We all saw the images of Venezuelan migrants beating police in New York City. We all watched the Venezuelan criminal released from prison and flipping the bird at the American people. We saw the four Venezuelan punks who robbed an American on a Chicago train. We’ve long endured an underreported illegal alien crime wave‚ but this wave of Venezuelan invaders is qualitatively the worst we have ever faced. According to CWB Chicago‚ Chicago police as of the end of November had arrested nearly 700 self-identified Venezuelan nationals‚ up from 26 in 2022 and just six in 2021. Which brings us to Jose Antonio Ibarra‚ 26‚ a Venezuelan national illegally paroled by Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security in 2022‚ who is now charged with the murder of Riley on UGA’s Athens campus after the nursing student’s body was found brutally beaten in the woods. Ibarra is the new face of our Venezuelan problem‚ but he’s one of thousands. As Fox News reports‚ recently arrived Tren de Aragua gang members are terrorizing cities including New York and Chicago. The Border Patrol reported roughly 335‚000 encounters with Venezuelan nationals during the 2023 fiscal year‚ in addition to the 470‚000 granted temporary protected status by Biden. This doesn’t include apprehensions from the previous two years‚ nor does it include the “gotaways.” Yet only 834 Venezuelan nationals were deported in 2023.The crime wave we face is unimaginable but also completely avoidable. Unlike some other political causes born out of a gush of emotion from a highly visible murder or death (such as Floyd’s)‚ this is a problem that is 100% redressable if our government actually met its obligation to protect citizens from foreign threats. Just consider the magnitude of what we face. According to ICE‚ as of FY 2023‚ there were a whopping 6‚199‚629 foreign nationals (mainly illegal‚ but also criminal legal aliens) in its “undetained” docket. These are people who have been targeted by ICE for removal‚ which most likely means the overwhelming majority have criminal records in addition to immigration violations. Just 37‚000 of them are currently in custody. That means more than 6 million criminal aliens who were dangerous enough to attract ICE’s attention remain in the country indefinitely without being deported. Just how prevalent is the crime problem? In fiscal year 2020‚ during Trump’s last year when we were still making an effort to deport people‚ among those arrested by ICE were illegal immigrants with criminal histories that included: more than 1‚800 homicide-related offenses‚ 1‚600 kidnappings‚ 3‚800 robberies‚ 37‚000 assaults‚ 10‚000 sex crimes. In total‚ there were more than 374‚000 criminal convictions and pending charges — an average of four per illegal alien. This is just among those authorities found with very limited resources and with sanctuary cities shielding a large number of them. And‚ of course‚ it was before Biden allowed more than 7.2 million people to invade the country. Nothing is worth fighting for if conservatives don’t make Laken Riley’s death our George Floyd moment. This means Republicans must refuse to fund the budget at the end of the week without provisions defunding the border invasions. But it must also mean states begin assuming responsibility for deportations. The Constitution itself allows states to fight an invasion. But even if it did not‚ the Constitution is not a suicide pact. With 6.2 million undetained illegal aliens that even Biden’s ICE has targeted for removal‚ there is no way states can sit by while federal authorities do nothing. Every day‚ there are millions of ticking time bombs among people who should not be here. It turns out Laken Riley’s alleged murderer was arrested by the NYPD in September and charged with “acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation‚” according to a statement by ICE. As is the case with all sanctuary cities‚ Ibarra was released by the NYPD before a detainer could be issued. Jose Antonio also has an older brother‚ Diego Ibarra‚ who is another example of Biden’s lax border policies. He was arrested three times between September and December 2023 in Athens‚ Georgia‚ for various crimes but was released every single time. The first time an illegal alien is caught for a crime should be the last time he commits a crime in this country. This is a sanctuary city problem‚ but it is also a sanctuary nation problem. But ICE often refuses to apprehend those who only committed “low-level offenses‚” such as drunk driving or theft. Given that the feds refuse to deport‚ it is incumbent upon the states to identify the citizenship of every individual arrested and ensure that deportable aliens are not released onto our streets. Justice for Laken Riley and countless others like her demands no less.

Luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz will no longer target 2030 as the year it will complete its transition into manufacturing electric vehicles only.After announcing the goal in 2021‚ the German automaker blamed "market conditions" for a lack of EV sales and consumer demand not meeting expectations‚ a reality nearly every major automaker is now seeing. The company announced in its investors outlook that rather than go all-electric by 2030‚ it plans to be "in a position to cater to different customer needs‚" which include an all-electric drivetrain or an electrified combustion engine "until well into the 2030s."However‚ the brand did claim that it expects EV sales to make up half of its overall sales in the second half of the 2020s. In addition to stating that "customers and market conditions will set the pace of the transformation‚" Mercedes blamed an "exceptional degree of uncertainty" in automotive markets and cited nearly every major world conflict as its reasoning."Middle East conflict‚ the Russia-Ukraine war‚ and other regional crises" were noted‚ as well as "tensions" between the United States and China‚ and even "political relations" between the European Union and China.Supply chain issues and bottlenecks for critical production components were big risks the company stated‚ specifically for raw materials and energy. Along with inflation‚ nearly every conceivable factor was mentioned by Mercedes-Benz as a reason that EVs aren't selling through the roof.The company was much more confident when it made its ambitious announcement in 2021‚ committing $47 billion to complete an all-electric output by 2030."We are convinced we can do it with strong profitability‚ and we believe that focus on electrical is the right way to build a successful future and to enhance the value of Mercedes-Benz‚" head of Mercedes-Benz Ola Källenius said at the time. Mercedes did carve out a trap door for itself in 2021‚ however‚ when it said its sale of electric vehicles would be "where market conditions allow."Clearly that has not yet come to fruition‚ with the company saying its sales would "soften" and be "slightly lower" in 2024 compared to the previous year.The company remained confident that it is ready for the "tipping point" into the "all-electric era" and that improved efficiency in terms of battery life is on the horizon.Mercedes-Benz joins companies like Ford‚ Honda‚ and GM in its electric production slowdown‚ while the Biden administration has delayed requirements for restrictions on exhaust emissions ahead of the 2024 election.Still‚ Mercedes-Benz has faced some rather public blowouts for its electric models‚ which have been seen catching fire‚ not unlike other electric car brands.As reported by Breitbart‚ an EQB model caught fire while being charged in a Malaysian showroom on New Year's Eve 2023. The outlet also noted a Mercedes-Benz EQE350+ electric vehicle caught fire in a Florida garage‚ causing around $1 million in damage to the home.At the same time‚ Mercedes-Benz also announced it is advancing its automated driving programs and will look to "optimize its industrial footprint" as it hopes to lower costs for electric vehicle production to bring down prices.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An Illinois judge has been removed from the bench after he reversed a teenager's sexual assault conviction for raping a 16-year-old while she was asleep‚ according to the Daily Mail.Adams County Judge Robert Adrian was yanked off the bench after a three-day hearing was held in Chicago due to a complaint that was lodged against him. Adrian originally found then-18-year-old Drew Clinton guilty of sexually assaulting 16-year-old Cameron Vaughan during a graduation party in 2021.However‚ when it was time to sentence Clinton‚ Adrian said that the boy had already spent 148 days behind bars. The report noted that while Adrian could not sentence the teen to time served‚ he was able to overturn the verdict and set him free‚ per ABC News. Following the decision‚ the court commission decided that Adrian had "engaged in multiple instances of misconduct" and that he had "abused his position of power to indulge his own sense of justice while circumventing the law."As a result‚ the state Judicial Inquiry Board lodged a complaint against Adrian after he threw out Clinton's conviction in January 2022.Cameron‚ who is now 18 years old‚ said she passed out drunk in the basement and awoke to find Clinton sexually assaulting her while holding a pillow over her face. However‚ Clinton insists that the two had consensual sex and that Cameron was not as drunk as she claimed.At the time‚ Adrian said: "He [Clinton] has no prior record‚ none whatsoever. By law‚ the court is supposed to sentence this young man to the Department of Corrections. ... This court will not do that. That is not just. There is no way for what happened in this case that this teenager should go to the Department of Corrections. I will not do that."Even though he has been removed from the bench‚ Adrian insists that he did the right thing. He characterized his removal as "totally a miscarriage of justice. I did what was right. I've always told the truth about it."Court records from Adams County shows that Clinton's guilty verdict was overturned after prosecutors failed to meet the burden of proof that Clinton had committed the crime‚ per ABC News.But the commission found that Adrian's claim that "he reversed his guilty finding based on his reconsideration of the evidence and his conclusion that the State had failed to prove its case to be a subterfuge — respondent’s attempt to justify the reversal post hoc.” Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

We’ve arrived at the point with artificial intelligence where you don’t know what’s real and what isn’t real — except in the case of Google and its new AI app‚ Gemini. In one of my early books‚ I was warning about the dangers of AI‚ and I remember urging people not to fear the system. Don’t fear AI. Don’t fear the machine. Fear the programmers and the algorithms. Because whatever you put into that algorithm‚ it becomes reality‚ and it’s the basis of everything. Now let's look at how Google is programming its AI. Google just launched Gemini‚ an AI chatbot that is replacing its former chatbot‚ BARD. It can not only answer all your questions but also create a scene based on what you request in the chat box. Apparently‚ it has no problem producing images of black‚ Native American‚ and Asian people when prompted‚ but it refused to produce images of white people. Someone asked Gemini for an image of the founding fathers — white guys‚ obviously‚ but the query made no mention of race. It shouldn’t be that difficult‚ right? Gemini returned images of mixed-race founders. When asked why the founders were not depicted as white‚ Gemini responded:When you ask for a picture of a "White person‚" you’re implicitly asking for an image that embodies a stereotyped view of whiteness. This can be damaging both to individuals who don’t fit those stereotypes and to society as a whole‚ as it reinforces biased views. — (@) It continued: It’s important to remember that people of all races are individuals with unique experiences and perspectives. Reducing them to a single image based on their skin color is inaccurate and unfair. Gemini then encouraged the user to help create a “more inclusive” and “equitable society." So Fox News followed this down the rabbit hole‚ and Google replied immediately and took Gemini down. The company said people were working on fixing it. But are they? Whatever they did with their programming obviously had bias in it. You’re just not supposed to notice it. It’s supposed to be much more subtle than what ended up happening. And that’s what they will go back and fix. But they won’t go back and fix it by taking that out. They will fix it so that you don’t notice it. The bias will still be in there. Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn's FREE email newsletter with his latest insights‚ top stories‚ show prep‚ and more delivered to your inbox.

When is the Killer Klowns game release date? 1988 - the year that gave us this writer (you’re welcome)‚ we were all playing the Sega Genesis‚ and the internet wasn’t publicly available yet. It was a banner year for movies too‚ thanks to classics like Cocktail‚ My Neighbour Totoro‚ Die Hard‚ Beetlejuice‚ Child’s Play‚ and too many more to list. 1988 was also the year of the kitsch‚ camp B-movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space‚ a sci-fi‚ horror comedy that became a cult classic and is probably even better today thanks to the nostalgic imprint of the ‘80s. 2024 - the world would stop functioning without the internet; it feels like almost every new movie is a Marvel movie; Disney owns‚ well‚ everything; and videogames are taking over the world. Luckily‚ the Killer Klowns are back with their own videogame‚ taking on the film-adapted‚ asymmetrical multiplayer genre the likes of Evil Dead‚ Texas Chainsaw Massacre‚ and Friday 13th have all attempted before. Made by Illfonic and Teravision Games‚ the upcoming horror game puts you in the shoes of either the creepy killer clowns themselves‚ or the survivors trying to avoid falling victim to their colorful sci-fi weapons. Here’s what we know about the Killer Klowns from Outer Space The Game release date and everything it brings. Continue reading Killer Klowns from Outer Space release date‚ news‚ and more

Nier Automata and series director Yoko Taro appears to have been involved in what could be an elaborate tease for a third game during the ongoing Nier concert tour‚ according to one of the people claiming to have been in attendance. While this should absolutely be taken with a grain of salt‚ it feels like a rather fitting way of even having the conversation about a potential Nier 3. Continue reading Nier Automata might get a sequel‚ teased in the weirdest way possible MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best anime games‚ Nier: Automata review‚ Best RPG games

Despite doing a fantastic job of making every other modern shooter look about as exciting as doing your taxes‚ The Finals has struggled to maintain anywhere close to its launch momentum. After a surprise release at The Game Awards last year‚ The Finals crashed onto Steam with an almighty fanfare‚ reaching a peak of 242‚399 concurrent players. Months later‚ that number has dropped dramatically - at the time of writing‚ it's sitting at around 20k concurrents‚ with a 24-hour peak of 28k. Continue reading The Finals is too good an FPS not to fight another day MORE FROM PCGAMESN: The Finals settings‚ The Finals servers‚ The Finals classes

Inspired by Japanese Kumiko woodworking‚ PC builder Nick Falzone made this exquisite wood gaming PC with a custom hardline water-cooling system and some gorgeous craftsmanship. It's called Ikigai. 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 chat to Nick about how his gaming PC was built Continue reading This stunning AMD-powered gaming PC uses Japanese Kumiko techniques MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best graphics card‚ Best gaming PC‚ Best SSD for gaming