Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey was dealt a severe legal blow on Friday when his former co-defendant in a bribery case pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the top Democrat. Jose Uribe‚ a New Jersey businessman‚ admitted to seven charges in a Manhattan federal court‚ including honest services wire fraud‚ obstruction of justice‚ tax evasion‚ and conspiracy to commit bribery on Friday. Uribe admitted in court to providing a Mercedez-Benz to Nadine Menendez‚ the senator's wife‚ in exchange for his “using his power and influence as a United States senator to get a favorable outcome and to stop all investigations related to one of my associates.” He faces 95 years in prison for his crimes‚ and he has agreed to forfeit $246‚000 related to those criminal acts. Authorities have accused Menendez and his wife of accepting bribes in the form of cash‚ gold bars‚ and the luxury car in exchange for the senator's influence. Two other businessmen have been charged and have pleaded not guilty. In January‚ Menendez was nailed with superseding charges related to his alleged acceptance of luxury watches in return for his influence to help a New Jersey developer obtain a multimillion-dollar deal with the Qatari government. The previous charges are related to accusations of bribery that benefited the government of Egypt. Menendez has denied all charges against him. He has also resisted calls from his own party to resign from his office‚ including the vociferous criticism from Democrat Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. "We have a colleague in the Senate that's actually done much more sinister kinds of things. He needs to go‚" said Fetterman‚ who was comparing him to a Republican expelled from Congress. "Menendez is really a senator for Egypt‚ not New Jersey." Menendez was previously indicted in a bribery case in 2015 where he was accused of trading political favors for luxury flights‚ vacations‚ and other benefits. A judge declared a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a verdict‚ and prosecutors later dropped the charges. The 70-year-old Democrat was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 and has served as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The trial against the Democrat and two remaining co-defendants is scheduled for May. Here's more about the stunning development: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The University of Florida is the first college to fire all diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion employees in accordance with a new law signed by Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The university had previously dedicated $5 million to support DEI implementation but announced Friday that it would reroute that money to a faculty recruitment fund. DeSantis celebrated the announcement from his official social media account. "DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities. I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit‚" he tweeted. State Democrats‚ on the other hand‚ were outraged and furious. “I am stunned but not surprised at the elimination of DEI staff at University of Florida‚ my Alma Matter‚” said state Rep. Yvonne Hinson. “The culture wars engaged in the Republican dominated Florida House of Representatives will continue until Floridians have had enough and develop the will and determination to flip the majority in the Florida House.”“When will we stop with these made up culture wars that are literally costing people their livelihoods‚" responded Rep. Dianne Hart. "In an effort to prevent ‘indoctrination’ in our classrooms‚ we have in turn created an education system that is built off lies‚ falsehoods‚ and deceptive history. We can’t call ourselves the ‘free State of Florida’ when children aren’t free to learn the truth of their history‚ and see the diversity of humanity." In July‚ a report accused the University of Florida of underreporting its DEI initiatives to conceal the depth of its support of radicalism on campus. That same month‚ DEI experts and activists bemoaned the dwindling interest and investment into their political agenda by companies and corporations. “2020 was the year that we were definitely making strides — but there wasn’t any strategy‚ there wasn’t any plan‚” said business strategist Kim Crayton at the time. One estimate found that DEI investment had skyrocketed to as much as $3.5 billion in 2020. "It was a PR moment — corporate blackface‚" she added. "I told people at the time: ‘White guilt isn’t going to last.’”Among those companies accused of backing off of their support for DEI were Disney‚ Netflix‚ the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences‚ and Warner Bros. Discovery. Here's more about the development: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Horrifying video shows the moment that a woman appears to attempt to escape her captive at a gas station in Arizona. Unfortunately‚ the man brutally reigns her in and seemingly forces her back into the automobile. Police are asking the public for help in identifying the kidnapping suspect and victim. Around 10 p.m. on Feb. 23‚ chilling surveillance camera footage shows an SUV pull up to a Circle K gas station near Interstate 10 and Watson Road in Buckeye‚ Arizona. A man exits the vehicle to refuel the vehicle. Suddenly‚ a woman in the passenger's seat exits the car and makes a run for it. The male driver chases after her and brutally grabs her by the neck to bring her back to the vehicle. The vehicle is seen taking off at a high speed without getting gas. KSAZ-TV reported‚ "After the incident‚ police say the vehicle fled from the gas station on Watson heading toward I-10. Police believe the vehicle involved is a gray Nissan Rogue that was made between 2021 and 2023."Police are considering the incident to be an apparent assault and abduction."That video is extremely concerning to us‚ and we understand that that video would be concerning to the viewers that are watching it‚ so that's why we were here today‚ asking for information from the public to help us identify these two subjects‚ to help identify them and see if this woman is OK‚" said Sgt. Tamela Skaggs with the Buckeye Police Department.Skaggs added‚ "We know nothing about these two subjects – if they know each other‚ if they're in a relationship together - we don't know anything about them. The timing in this investigation is extremely crucial. Watching that video‚ we are concerned for that female. They’re too many unknowns in this investigation. That video right now is all that we have."Police are urging anyone with information about the case to contact them 623-349-6411. VIDEO: Apparent abduction caught on surveillance at Buckeye gas station 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!

Zygarde is a Legendary Pokemon from Pokemon X &; Y. This Dragon/Ground Type Legendary is one of the best and it finally made its debut in Pokemon GO a little bit ago. Here's a guide to help you understand Zygarde Cells.

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