Someone failed their high school civics class! Or at least that’s the impression Politico’s democracy investigator‚ Heidi Przybyla left during an appearance on MSNBC’s All In Thursday night. According to the reporter who’s supposedly brushed up on American governance‚ if you understood that your rights as a human came from a higher power‚ it made up part of a dangerous “extremist element” in American politics. She even rhetorically scoffed that people don’t believe we get our rights from Congress. “We hold these truths to be self-evident‚ that all men are created equal‚ that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights‚ that among these are Life‚ Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness‚” was arguably the most well-known line from the Declaration of Independence‚ which set down why the colonies were starting a revolution. But that fact seemed to be ignored or unknown to Przybyla as she lashed out at the political right. She was spurred on by a traitor to the Republican Party‚ former party chairman Michael Steele (filling in for host Chris Hayes) who despised how openly Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) showed his Christian faith: On the other side‚ Heidi‚ you've got the new speaker‚ Mike Johnson‚ who’s not afraid to wear his Christianity on his skleeve [sic] – sleeve‚ his collar‚ his lapel‚ his head‚ wherever he can wear it. How do members react to that? How are they responding to this real strong infusion of Christian nationalism into the body politic of the House?     Przybyla warned that the only people who believed in the idea of Natural Law and actively pushed the notion was the “extremist element” of “Christian Nationalism.” “[T]hey believe that our rights as Americans and as all human beings do not come from any earthly authority. They don't come from Congress‚ they don’t come from the Supreme Court‚ they come from God‚” she scoffed‚ flaunting her ignorance of Christian teachings in general. She did note that Natural Law was “a pillar of Catholicism” and has “been used for good in social justice campaigns. Martin Luther King evoked it in talking about civil rights.” But seemed to play the gender card while also dismissing Natural Law. “The problem from that is that they are determining‚ man – men – it is men‚ are determining what God is telling them‚” she decried. Well‚ Heidi‚ allow us at NewsBusters to give you a little lesson about Natural Law. As noted above‚ Natural Law was a driving force behind the founding of America. Thomas Jefferson also wrote in the Declaration of Independence: “…the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them‚ a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” Przybyla was rightfully dragged on social media by people all across the political aisle. “The problem here is that literally *ALL* Christians believe our rights come from God‚ @HeidiReports; there is literally not a single Christian denomination that believes otherwise‚” radio host Erick Erickson posted on X.   The problem here is that literally *ALL* Christians believe our rights come from God‚ @HeidiReports; there is literally not a single Christian denomination that believes otherwise. https://t.co/oOVF54rOEs — Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) February 23‚ 2024   Even NewsNation host Chris Cuomo took aim at her suggestion that our rights come from mortal sources. “Where does the constitution say your rights come from congress? (Cuz they dont)‚” he too posted on X. The flailing continued on Thursday as Przybyla took to X to defend herself‚ doubling down on the false idea that only Christian nationalists believed our rights come from God. “While there are different wings of Christian Nationalism‚ they are bound by their belief that our rights come from God‚” she proclaimed. She also asserted that the so-called Christian nationalists were trying to apply Natural Law to their “man-made policy agenda” like “banning abortion.” Clearly‚ Politico's democracy investigator needs to get a clue. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: MSNBC’s All In February 22‚ 2024 8:30:34 p.m. Eastern (…) MICHAEL STEELE: On the other side‚ Heidi‚ you've got the new speaker‚ Mike Johnson‚ who’s not afraid to wear his Christianity on his skleeve [sic] – sleeve‚ is collar‚ his lapel‚ his head‚ wherever he can wear it. How do members react to that? How are they responding to this real strong infusion of Christian nationalism into the body politic of the House? HEIDI PRZYBYLA: I talked with a lot of experts on this and I have seen it with myself with my reporting‚ Michael‚ which is that the base of the Republican Party has shifted. Right? Remember when Trump ran in 2016‚ a lot of the mainline evangelicals wanted nothing to do with the divorced real estate mogul who cheated on his wife with a porn star‚ and all of that. Right? So‚ what happened was that he was surrounded by this more extremist element. You’re going to hear words like “Christian nationalism‚” like the “new apostolic re-formation.” These are groups that you should get very – very schooled on because they have a lot of power in Trump's circle. And the one thing that unites all of them because there's many different groups orbiting Trump. But the thing that unites them as Christian nationalists‚ not Christians‚ by the way – because Christian nationalists is very different – is that they believe that our rights as Americans and as all human beings do not come from any earthly authority. They don't come from Congress‚ they don’t come from the Supreme Court‚ they come from God. The problem from that is that they are determining‚ man – men – it is men‚ are determining what God is telling them. And in the past‚ that so-called natural law is a pillar of Catholicism for instance‚ it’s been used for good in social justice campaigns. Martin Luther king evoked it in talking about civil rights. But now you have an extremist element of conservative Christians‚ who say that this applies specifically to issues including abortion‚ gay marriage‚ and it is going much further than that as you see‚ for instance‚ with the ruling in Alabama‚ this week that judges connected to the dominionist faction in talking about a lot of other issues including surrogacy‚ IVF‚ sex education in schools‚ there's a lot in addition. (…)

If you believe that men should use the men’s restroom and that minors should not be given gender-altering care‚ then the Friday edition of MSNBC’s Jose Diaz-Balart Reports thinks you are partly responsible for the recent death of an Oklahoma teenager who identified as non-binary. Guest host Yasmin Vossoughian welcomed president of the Human Rights Campaign Kelley Robinson to the show and implied conservatives are the reason why the teen died: Oklahoma's queer community‚ they are reeling and they are demanding answers after the death of a non-binary teen who allegedly faced bullying at school for months. Sixteen-year-old Nex Benedict died on February 8th one day after their family says they were attacked and assaulted in a bathroom at a school northeast of Tulsa‚ Oklahoma. It's unclear if the attack was related to this bullying. Police saying Benedict did not die as a result of injuries from the fight‚ but the cause of death has not yet been determined. Their death is coming as Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced 54 bills targeting members of the LGBTQ community. The state with the highest number of these anti-LGBTQ bills in the nation and that’s according to the ACLU.      Vossoughian then introduced Robinson‚ who made the connection much more explicitly‚ “There has to be full accountability. It does not take an expert to connect the dots on what happened in this tragic case. We saw a state that leads the pack in anti-LGBTQ+ laws‚ a state that has pushed forward anti-trans bathroom bills‚ gender-affirming care bans‚ they’re trying to get book bans across the finish line‚ and couple that bad legislative action with hateful rhetoric from the governor to the superintendent.” The whole segment was a not very well hidden attempt to get conservatives to shut up‚ as Vossoughian later asked‚ “Again‚ I guess I got to ask you what does accountability look like when this is happening state by state‚ right? Fifty-four bills targeting members of the LGBTQ community in Oklahoma alone and that's not the only state in which we're seeing this.” Robinson reiterated that simply rejecting notions such as gender being immutable is responsible for creating a hateful environment‚ “Yeah‚ the Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency for the first time in our history last year because of all these pieces of legislation that are moving forward. This year already‚ we've seen nearly 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across this country and every time they are introduced‚ politicians are spewing hate‚ hateful rhetoric towards our community. That's what's creating this culture of violence.” MSNBC would never suggest that the left has created a “culture of violence” when conservatives are on the receiving end of threats‚ but believing what was widely believed by just about everyone a few short years ago makes you responsible for death and high school bullying. Here is a transcript for the February 23 show: MSNBC Jose Diaz-Balart Reports 11:37 PM ET YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN: Oklahoma's queer community‚ they are reeling and they are demanding answers after the death of a non-binary teen who allegedly faced bullying at school for months. Sixteen-year-old Nex Benedict died on February 8th one day after their family says they were attacked and assaulted in a bathroom at a school northeast of Tulsa‚ Oklahoma. It's unclear if the attack was related to this bullying. Police saying Benedict did not die as a result of injuries from the fight‚ but the cause of death has not yet been determined. Their death is coming as Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced 54 bills targeting members of the LGBTQ community. The state with the highest number of these anti-LGBTQ bills in the nation and that’s according to the ACLU.  With us now to talk more about this is Kelley Robinson‚ president of the Human Rights Campaign. Kelley‚ thanks for joining us on this‚ appreciate it. What do you want to see happen here?  KELLEY ROBINSON: There has to be full accountability. It does not take an expert to connect the dots on what happened in this tragic case. We saw a state that leads the pack in anti-LGBTQ+ laws‚ a state that has pushed forward anti-trans bathroom bills‚ gender-affirming care bans‚ they’re trying to get book bans across the finish line‚ and couple that bad legislative action with hateful rhetoric from the governor to the superintendent. This is a moment where we have to make sure that Nex's life achieves some semblance of justice and we also have to ensure this doesn't happen to another child. So‚ we are calling for full accountability‚ especially for the superintendent‚ Ryan Walters.  … VOSSOUGHIAN: Again‚ I guess I got to ask you what does accountability look like when this is happening state by state‚ right? Fifty-four bills targeting members of the LGBTQ community in Oklahoma alone and that's not the only state in which we're seeing this.  ROBINSON: Yeah‚ the Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency for the first time in our history last year because of all these pieces of legislation that are moving forward. This year already‚ we've seen nearly 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across this country and every time they are introduced‚ politicians are spewing hate‚ hateful rhetoric towards our community. That's what's creating this culture of violence. So‚ accountability looks like the removal of Superintendent Ryan Walters. It looks like making sure the Department of Justice and the Department of Education use every tool within their power to make sure this is investigated to the fullest extent of the law and ultimately what it looks like is making sure that parents in Oklahoma and across this country are having the ability to support their kids in having welcoming environments‚ especially our black‚ indigenous‚ and kids of color‚ especially our trans and non-binary kids. We can do something to change the outcomes of what is happening in too many states‚ but it demands accountability now. It demands the removal of the superintendent. 

Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith claimed that podcaster Pat McAfee did not need to be as well versed in politics as Smith because of his skin color.Smith appeared on "Bussin' with the Boys‚" a podcast hosted by former NFL players Taylor Lewan and Will Compton. Smith commented on the differences between being a a successful host on a show on "linear television" versus podcasting.Lewan asked Smith about McAfee‚ who has had an extremely successful transition to ESPN with his less formulaic podcast‚ which hasn't been afraid to be controversial."You talked about being the man‚ number one for 12 years‚ and you see ESPN making a pivot to McAfee. Obviously great for the network. How do you in your mindset view a guy like McAfee‚ who is extremely good at his job in a lot of ways‚ is changing the course of mainstream media and all those things from a competitive standpoint? And also as a partner.""I'm an aberration in this regard‚" Smith began. "I love Pat McAfee ... love him to death‚ love him to death. I love his swag. I love the fact that he's an honest brother. He don't give a s*** and lets you know exactly where he stands. That's my kind of dude‚ that works for me‚" Smith continued.The broadcaster then alluded to the idea that because of McAfee's race‚ he didn't have the same necessity or requirement to be educated in politics as Smith does."Now‚ is he as polished politically as me? Nope‚ because he has no desire to be‚ number one. And number two‚ if we're being honest‚ he's white and I'm black. He didn't have to be‚ I had to be‚ so I get all of that and I'm not knocking him for it."Smith added that he still roots for McAfee as a "pioneer" in the podcasting field‚ just as he roots for all his friends and competitors. At the same time‚ Smith said he wants to be at the top.McAfee was at the center of controversy for most of 2023 when he had Super Bowl winner Aaron Rodgers on his show multiple times‚ showcasing a public feud with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.Rodgers has frequently made statements against large pharmaceutical companies‚ throwing McAfee into high-profile debates in the media.McAfee has explained‚ however‚ that his show was not very fond of being involved in "political wars and public beefs‚" adding that he and his fellow co-hosts will try to "avoid as many as possible" in the future. "I'm not stupid enough to accuse you of that with absolutely zero concrete evidence."\n\nAaron Rodgers gives his side of the controversy with Jimmy Kimmel — (@) Smith has recently been rumored to be replacing host Kimmel on his show after the 56-year-old's latest contract expires.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Critics of DEI have highlighted an apparent celebration of race- and sex-based discrimination in Microsoft's annual "Diversity and Inclusion Report." Microsoft proudly noted in the document that its black‚ Asian‚ and Hispanic employees earn more than their white counterparts. Additionally‚ it revealed that female employees earn more than male coworkers operating at the same level and in the same roles. The possibility that the tech giant is openly engaging in pay discrimination against employees on the basis of their immutable characteristics has prompted condemnation along with calls for legal action. Lindsay-Rae McIntyre‚ Microsoft's chief diversity officer‚ released the company's DEI report on Nov. 1‚ 2023‚ stating‚ "This year's report shows that we continue to be a more diverse Microsoft today than we have ever been. Looking at this year's data as well as our cumulative efforts‚ it's clear that we are driving positive change." In the "pay equity" section of the DEI document‚ Microsoft noted it is "committed to the principle of pay equity. Pay equity accounts for factors that legitimately influence total pay‚ including things like job title‚ level‚ and tenure. Our pay equity analysis adjusts for these factors in support of our commitment to pay employees equitably for substantially similar work." According to the document‚ as of September 2023‚ all American "racial and ethnic minority groups who are rewards eligible combined earned $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by US rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure." Employees are "rewards-eligible" if they have worked for more than 90 days in the fiscal year. Such employees account for roughly 94% of Microsoft's workforce. The document specifically states that black‚ Hispanic‚ and so-called "Latinx" employees working in the U.S. earn $1.004 for every dollar alternatively earned by a "rewards-eligible" white employee. Asian employees‚ meanwhile‚ "earn $1.012 for every $1.000 earned by US rewards-eligible white employees with the same job title and level and considering tenure." This apparent trend of systemic discrimination is not limited to race. The document indicates that "as of September 2023‚ inside the US‚ women who are rewards eligible earn $1.007 total pay for every $1.000 earned by rewards-eligible employees who are men" operating at the same level with the same job title. Microsoft appears to have been championing these pay deltas for several years. In its 2019 DEI report‚ the company noted‚ "As of September 2019‚ all racial and ethnic minority employees in the US combined earn $1.006 for every $1.000 earned by their white counterparts." Blaze News reached out to Microsoft for comment but did not receive a response by deadline. Libs of TikTok‚ who drew massive attention to the DEI document Thursday‚ wrote in response to the report‚ "HOLY SHLIT. In Microsoft's official 2023 Diversity &; Inclusion report‚ they openly admit that they are paying white people LESS than other ethnic groups in the name of 'pay equity.'" — (@) South African billionaire Elon Musk posed the question of whether the practice was legal‚ to which Libs of TikTok definitively responded: "No." The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission makes expressly clear on its website that "race discrimination involves treating someone (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because he/she is of a certain race or because of personal characteristics associated with race (such as hair texture‚ skin color‚ or certain facial features). The EEOC notes that federal law prohibits discrimination "when it comes to any aspect of employment‚ including hiring‚ firing‚ pay‚ job assignments‚ promotions‚ layoff‚ training‚ fringe benefits‚ and any other term or condition of employment." America First Legal‚ former Trump adviser Stephen Miller's nonprofit‚ said‚ "This is evidence of blatantly illegal discrimination‚ if true. If you are a Microsoft employee who is getting paid less because you are white or male‚ please contact us today." Michael Seifert‚ the founder and CEO of the unwoke Amazon alternative Public Square‚ wrote‚ "The only 'systemic racism' happening today is against white people." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A chief in the United States Navy has been charged with espionage and other crimes after he allegedly funneled classified information to "a citizen and employee of a foreign government."Chief Fire Controlman Bryce Steven Pedicini is a Tennessee native who enlisted in the Navy in 2008. He served on the USS Curtis Wilbur and USS McFaul before he was promoted to chief in August 2022‚ just a few short months before the alleged instances of espionage with an unidentified "foreign nation" began.On multiple occasions between November 2022 and February 2023‚ Pedicini is alleged to have met with a foreign national in Hampton Roads‚ Virginia‚ for the purpose of handing over "national defense" information‚ charging documents claimed. The documents further alleged that Pedicini had "reason to believe" the information he shared "would be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of a foreign nation."Pedicini was assigned to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center in Norfolk‚ Virginia‚ at the time these alleged offenses occurred‚ the Navy Times reported.Pedicini was also assigned to serve aboard the USS Higgins‚ a missile destroyer located in Yokosuka‚ Japan‚ and he reported there in April 2023 to oversee the AEGIS radar system. In the weeks following his arrival on the Higgins‚ Pedicini is accused of further trafficking classified information by failing to report a foreign contact‚ failing "to report solicitation of classified material by an unauthorized person‚" taking a personal electronic device into a restricted area of the ship‚ and photographing classified material‚ including at least one secret internet protocol router network "computer screen‚" the charging documents said.The last alleged incident occurred between May 13 and 17 in Japan‚ and Pedicini was placed in pretrial confinement on May 19. He was charged last month‚ and a motions hearing was scheduled for earlier this week. Officials have not stated when his trial will begin. "A Sailor assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) is suspected of mishandling classified documents and information. The incident remains under investigation and legal proceedings continue‚" said Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson‚ a public affairs officer with the U.S. Pacific Fleet‚ according to NewsNation.Naval Surface Forces declined to comment further‚ the Navy Times reported. The Navy’s defense attorney office did not respond to the outlet's request for comment‚ and Pedicini "could not be reached."The Navy Times claimed that Pedicini is the first Navy sailor to be charged with espionage in five years.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

United States Rep. Nancy Mace‚ a Republican from South Carolina‚ is planning on announcing legislation that would "protect" in-vitro fertilization‚ Axios reported Thursday.Mace told the news outlet‚ "We should do everything we can to protect IVF for women everywhere.""We are currently drafting a resolution to express our sentiment and then looking at legislative options‚" she added.Mace's pending legislative action is in response to a recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that declared frozen embryos have the same rights as "unborn children‚" Blaze News previously reported.The court's ruling concerns a lawsuit filed by three couples against the Mobile Infirmary Medical Center and the Center for Reproductive Medicine. The couples accused the clinics of wrongful death‚ negligence‚ and breach of contract after a Mobile hospital patient wandered into the area where the couples' frozen embryos were stored‚ removed them from the freezer‚ and dropped them on the ground. As a result of the rogue patient's actions‚ all of the couples' embryos died.Justice Jay Mitchell and Chief Justice Tom Parker determined that Alabama's Wrongful Death of a Minor Act "applies to all unborn children."Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argued Thursday that the "extreme right" will try to "exert government control" to ban birth control next."They came for abortion first‚" she posted on X. "Now it's IVF and next it'll be birth control."Despite Clinton's claims‚ many Republicans have spoken out against the court's ruling and the potential restrictions it could place on IVF treatments.Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) agreed with Mace‚ telling Axios that the court's ruling "goes too far." The ruling's restriction would "rob countless Americans of the joys of family life‚" according to Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.). Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Axios that he also does "not support restrictions on IVF" because he wants to "give those who want to be moms and dads that opportunity.""I'm troubled by and oppose the ruling‚" Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) told the news outlet. "I support women and families who choose IVF to bring life into this world. They have my love and respect."Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) also stood against restrictions on IVF‚ writing in a post on X‚ "As someone who struggled to get pregnant‚ I believe all life is a gift. IVF allowed me‚ as it has so many others‚ to start my family. I believe there is nothing more pro-life than helping families have children‚ and I do not support federal restrictions on IVF."Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) recently told CNN that he believes the Alabama Supreme Court "correctly assessed the law" in its ruling. "But I believe the Alabama law needs to change because the Republican Party cannot be the party against family formation‚" Gaetz continued. "People who want to have a family should have the government and the law on their side. And the notion that discarded embryos and IVF somehow turns people who want children and want families and want the American dream into criminals is really wrong.""Pro-life means being pro-IVF‚" Gaetz added.Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville (R) called the situation "a hard one.""Because again‚ you really want people to have that opportunity‚" Tuberville said. "We need more kids."He then added that he agrees with the court's ruling that embryos are children‚ the Hill reported.Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley also voiced partial support for the court's assessment‚ stating‚ "Embryos‚ to me‚ are babies."Haley later clarified her stance‚ noting‚ "I didn't say that I agreed with the Alabama ruling. What the question that I was asked is‚ 'Do I believe an embryo is a baby?'" Haley said. "I do think that if you look in the definition‚ an embryo is considered an unborn baby. And so‚ yes‚ I believe from my stance that that is.""The difference is — and this is what I say about abortion as well — we need to treat these issues with the utmost respect‚" Haley added.The Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Alabama at Birmingham‚ the state's largest hospital‚ announced Wednesday that it is pausing IVF services while it determines whether its patients or staff could face criminal charges or damages. On the same day‚ Alabama Fertility also announced that it had halted its IVF services.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A journalist accused of leaking videos of former Fox News star Tucker Carlson was arrested in Florida on Thursday and hit with 14 federal charges. Timothy Burke‚ 45‚ was charged with one count of conspiracy‚ six counts of accessing a protected computer without authorization‚ and seven counts of intercepting or disclosing wire‚ oral‚ or electronic communications. Burke faces up to 62 years in federal prison if convicted on all counts. Burke was released on the condition that he severs contact with his alleged co-conspirator.The Department of Justice stated that Burke and his co-conspirator "secured and used compromised credentials — usernames and passwords — to gain unauthorized access to protected computers owned or used by the victim entities." The indictment said Burke and the co-conspirator were able to steal unaired Carlson video clips by hacking into StreamCo — a U.S.-based online media streaming company used by Fox News. Federal prosecutors accused Burke and the co-conspirator of obtaining and stealing StreamCo proprietary information from its website and then "used that stolen StreamCo proprietary information to intercept‚ download‚ and save the StreamCo broadcaster-customers’ streams."The suspects allegedly stole video of Carlson caught on a hot mic after the "Tucker Carlson Tonight" show had ended. In May 2023‚ left-wing Media Matters published candid videos of Carlson interacting with Fox News staff. The videos were leaked a month after Fox News fired Carlson. Unaired video clips from Tucker's interview with Kanye West surfaced online in October 2022. Vice's technology blog Motherboard published the videos."Fox News recently aired a two-part interview between Tucker Carlson and Ye‚ the artist formerly known as Kanye West‚" the article reads. "Motherboard has obtained portions of the interview that were edited out of the final broadcast. These include numerous anti-Semitic sentiments from Ye‚ a strange and lengthy digression about 'fake children' he claimed were planted in his house to manipulate his own children‚ and a statement that he's vaccinated against COVID-19."Burke's lawyers — Mark Rasch and Michael Maddux — said in a statement‚ "This investigation apparently began after former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson’s interview with Kanye West‚ in which Mr. Carlson heavily edited out racist and anti-Semitic remarks by West. These reprehensible remarks were exposed by Mr. Burke’s intrepid — and perfectly legal — reporting on the information he found in public sources‚ on websites accessible without any user IDs or password credentials."Burke's lawyers sent a letter to an assistant U.S. attorney in July 2023 that read: "It was embarrassing because Mr. Burke was able to find and expose information about the Carlson/West interview‚" adding that Fox News "was embarrassed because it had made those feeds available to the public in a way that Mr. Burke could — and did — find them and disseminate them."Before entering the courthouse on Thursday‚ Maddux told the Tampa Bay Times‚ "It's not hacking; it’s just good investigative journalism. We obviously emphatically deny these charges‚ and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to defend him and exonerate him."Burke's legal team denied hacking into the Fox News database and claimed the journalist obtained the videos by following a hyperlink to live video feeds that didn’t require passwords and were not encrypted.Burke is married to Tampa City Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak — a progressive Democrat‚ according to Florida Politics."I am confident in my husband’s innocence‚ and I support him completely‚" she said in a statement.The Tampa Bay Times previously reported that FBI agents searched Burke's home in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa in May 2023. As part of the investigation‚ federal agents reportedly seized electronic devices and computers.Burke previously worked at the Daily Beast and Gawker's sports-themed website‚ Deadspin. He is most known for posting sports video highlights and screenshots on social media. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A 25-year-old mother brought her 7-year-old son to a school bus stop in Memphis to fight a boy his age — and then the mother beat up the boy's 13-year-old brother‚ who was protecting his sibling‚ police said.What are the details?Memphis police said a 13-year-old boy and his 7-year-old brother were waiting at a bus stop to go to middle school on December 1‚ 2023‚ when 25-year-old Rniya Criss pulled up with her 7-year-old son‚ WHBQ-TV reported.Criss wanted her son to fight the 13-year-old boy's younger brother‚ police told the station.But the 13-year-old boy intervened and said “his brother wasn’t going to fight anyone‚” the Charlotte Observer reported‚ citing police.Police said Criss then hit the 13-year-old boy in the face‚ WHBQ said. The victim said she also kicked him in the neck‚ WREG-TV reported. The victim soon fell to the ground‚ and he was left with a bruise on his eye and an injured neck‚ WHBQ added.Police told WMC-TV the victim's father flagged down an officer regarding his son being assaulted at a Douglass Middle School bus stop.According to the Observer‚ the family wanted to prosecute‚ adding that police said the siblings identified the woman from a lineup. A warrant was issued Dec. 8‚ the paper said‚ adding that records show she was arrested Wednesday.Criss was booked Wednesday in the Shelby County Jail on charges of assault-bodily harm and child abuse and neglect‚ jail records state. WHBQ said the charges are misdemeanors.WREG said Criss was scheduled to go before a judge Thursday. Jail records indicate she posted a $5‚000 bond Thursday.How are people reacting?Several hundred comments were posted to Yahoo News‚ which published WREG's story about the incident — and people were understandably disgusted:"You can't make this stuff up‚" one commenter stated. "Kudos to the older brother for protecting his sibling. I hope he's not badly injured.""This woman's son has no shot in life with trash like this for a parent. 7 years old? I have an 8- and 13-year-old. This is incredibly sad‚" another commenter said. "The 13-year-old was very brave and quite the hero to protect his little brother and the only one with any sense in this story.""There should be an exam for participation in society‚" another commenter quipped.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

What are the best Legions and Praetors in the Solium Infernum Bazaar? Despite Rituals‚ Powers‚ Promotions‚ and Diplomacy‚ there is one main part of Solium Infernum that will likely get most of your attention‚ and that's the Bazaar‚ the only place to get the highest quality workers to defend your claim for the throne. While our Solium Infernum review confidently points out the ways in which Solium Infernum is different to any other strategy game‚ it is still a strategy game‚ so your armies are still somewhat important however you choose to play. During a game‚ you must boost your armies‚ or Legions‚ with Praetors and artifacts‚ or bid on altogether new and more powerful Legions‚ all of which are obtained from the Solium Infernum Bazaar. Continue reading Solium Infernum Bazaar – the best SI Legions and Praetors MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Solium Infernum review‚ Solium Infernum guide‚ Solium Infernum Relics

Dying Light 2's plan to win back hordes of zombie-fighting players with the Firearms Update and Reloaded Edition is a resounding success so far. Since releasing on February 22‚ 2024‚ PC player counts have spiked on Steam. Continue reading Dying Light 2’s player count spikes on Steam with Reloaded Edition MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Dying Light 2 review‚ Dying Light 2 factions‚ Best zombie games