Hamas Accuses US of 'Selling Illusions' on Ceasefire

In the CNN This Morning vs. Morning Joe fair 'n balanced stakes, CNN definitely has the upper hand. Scott Jennings, an actual Republican, is a regular on CNN This Morning. In contrast, the only GOPers that Morning Joe deigns to have on are the "Republicans for Harris" variety. That trend continued on today's edition of CNN This Morning. Republican strategist Brad Todd got off some great snark, and didn't hesitate to go toe-to-toe with his Democrat counterpart. Todd scored the segment's first zinger, on the question of whether mics should be muted during the scheduled presidential debate on ABC.  "Kamala Harris should be very comfortable with the muted mic. We're on day 34 with her not doing any interview with a major journalist. Her mic's been muted for a month!" Even host Kasie Hunt couldn't stifle a chuckle in response. When Hunt asked Todd whether it could be in Trump's interest to debate, Todd deftly turned it into yet another jibe at Kamala's failure to do interviews: "Most people in the news media can't get to Kamala Harris to ask her a hard question. So it may take a debate for her to have a hard question. So no, I think he needs to debate." Hunt again had to go with Todd's flow, agreeing, "Yeah. I mean, okay. That's fair enough."  When talk turned to Harris' failure to conduct a serious media interview, Democrat strategist and former Obama comms adviser Ameshia Cross came up with more excuses than John Belushi in his tunnel scene in The Blues Brothers.  But Todd was having none of it, repeatedly pointing out that it's all about Harris not wanting to discuss her record of opposing fracking, private health insurance, and gasoline-powered cars. Todd also managed to get in the last lick on Harris' ducking of the media. Referring to her supposed status as Biden's key adviser, Todd said: "She's the last one in the room. Let's hear it!" Pushing back on the notion that Harris has been ducking interviews, Cross said that her campaign has promised to do one before the end of "next month"—which would be the end of SEPTEMBER. Until now, the Kamala campaign has been saying she'd do one before the end of THIS month. Does Cross know something the rest of us don't? Is Kamala planning to run and hide for yet another month?   Even Hunt seemed skeptical about Harris's interview scheduling. She said that Harris' advisers have said that she "is going to schedule an interview before the end of the month." Hunt put the emphasis on "schedule," seeming to leave open the possibility that before the end of August, the Kamala campaign will wriggle out, and announce the scheduling of an interview, but one that will not occur until sometime later. Right after polls close on Election Day, maybe?  Hunt—with exquisite understatement—also observed that responding under pressure in interviews is not Harris' "top strength," and that if it were, she would have already conducted an interview.  Harris' horror show of an interview with Lester Holt surely still haunts Kamala and her handlers. Here's the transcript. CNN This Morning 8/27/24 6:05 am EDT MARK PRESTON: [Referring to Trump interrupting Hillary Clinton during a 2016 debate] It's a bad image to have a man, let alone Donald Trump, trying to speak over another candidate. I mean, we just saw the clips. They weren't a pretty. There were funny but they weren't pretty. KASIE HUNT: Brad, what do you think about how they should be handling this? BRAD TODD: Well, I think first off, Kamala Harris should be very comfortable with the muted mic. We're on day 34 with her not doing any interview with a major journalist [Hunt chuckles.] Her mic's been muted for a month! So she should be happy to have it muted after the questions in the debate. You know, I always think that when you're the candidate trying to change the rules of the debate, then perhaps you're worried about how you're going to do in the debate. And that's how this looks to me with Kamala Harris. HUNT: Ameshia, you wanna push back on that? I saw you -- AMESHIA CROSS: Absolutely, because she's needling him because she can. Kamala Harris has the wind at her back. She has outsized fundraising. She has been able to amass, within a very short amount of time, historic levels of on-the-ground outreach. We're talking a campaign like none other we've seen in American history. It's quite often compared to the 2008 Obama campaign, but Obama's campaign did not do this in record speed. That's what we're seeing here. . . .  HUNT: Well wait. Hold on. I mean, Brad, do you see a world where not debating is good for Donald Trump? I mean, is that, I mean, if he is a little bit on his backfoot, it seems like a debate is something that might be able to change things for them. TODD: I think most people in the news media can't get to Kamala Harris to ask her a hard question. So it may take a debate for her to have a hard question. So no, I think he needs to debate. HUNT: Yeah. I mean, okay. That's fair enough.  . . .  Let's talk for a second about the interview question, because yesterday we also learned, and advisers said, she's going to, Kamala Harris is going to schedule an interview before the end of the month. She has started to get some pressure from fellow Democrats, including Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and others, who say that, hey, she is actually going to have to answer some more questions.  . . .  So Ameshia, have they let this go on a little too long, because it's now become the situation where the stories about whether she's going to do an interview, I mean, I realize that there are countervailing strategies often in terms of when you sit a candidate down with the news media. Sometimes it can be counterproductive ahead of a convention for example. But on the other hand, if you let it go on too long, it can get out of your control. CROSS: I think you're right. And that's also why her campaign has said that it's going to happen before the end of next month. And I think that that's very important. Be mindful: the DNC just ended last week. She was just became the official nominee on Friday. On top of that, we also saw that with the roll call, which was just a few days prior, the virtual roll call, that vote came through. This is something where we've had Kamala Harris atop the ticket, officially, for just a few days. So this is not, this is a very historic campaign, a very truncated campaign. But the pressure for her was to actually get out and talk to the voters. She's been doing that. She had to build that capacity. She also just chose her vice-presidential, her vice president as a running mate. The press is not her top priority. TODD: Hang on, hang on. She's been the Vice President of the United States. She's been preparing to be president, allegedly, for the three-and-a-half years.  CROSS: She's also been doing a lot of interviews as vice president. TODD: So how, therefore, she should have been able to do an interview on the first day. Why isn't she -- CROSS: It's not a question of ability. It is one of the campaign measuring the value of it's how much she needs to be out -- TODD: No, she doesn't want to answer for the fact that she was against fracking.  CROSS: She's expanding the map in a way that Joe Biden could not. TODD: She was against private insurance. She's against gasoline cars. She doesn't want to talk about it.  CROSS: She's having those conversations every day. TODD: She doesn't want to talk about what she said about it. HUNT: Let me push pause, because Mark, I will say that she, this has been something that people behind the scenes will acknowledge is something that is not her top strength. These unscripted moments where she's under pressure from interviewers. If it was her strongest, if it was her strongest move, they would have played it already. PRESTON: They would have played it, no question. . . .  TODD: She's stalled off one-third of this campaign, and members of the news media have let her. She's not, she's not answering questions about—we know her positions! She's against fracking. She's against private health insurance. She's against gasoline cars. That's what she told us when she ran for president last time. She doesn't want to talk about those positions. That's why she stalling off. PRESTON: And she should do an interview. I'm just politically saying, Brad, you have to acknowledge, it hasn't been that bad -- CROSS: She will do one. She will do one. It is coming. TODD: She'll show up on NPR, somewhere like that. But she's not going to take tough questions. CROSS: She's going to show up on a network and she's going to have a sit-down conversation. She has already said, her campaign has already said, that that's going to happen. If you're waiting for the day -- TODD: It's a month! It's a month! CROSS: She's actually on the ground. She's doing bus tours across the state of Georgia. She is talking to the voters. The voters are the people who are going to make this decision. TODD: She's the last one in the room: let's hear it!

For some time, Blake Lively has been the sweetheart of the internet for reasons that have little to do with her acting career. People seem to idolize the blonde beauty for her cutesy relationship with husband Ryan Reynolds, her bold fashion statements at red carpet events, and her close friendship with megastar Taylor Swift. However, it seems that overnight, Lively has been subjected to the volatile whims of cancel culture. Search her name on Google, and you’ll find a slew of articles smearing the formerly adored actress. What happened to turn someone with a “very large and very loyal fan following” into the latest Hollywood scandal? Lauren Chen, Blaze media’s resident film critic, breaks down the sudden brouhaha swirling around Lively. - YouTube www.youtube.com “It seemed like overnight … public perception of Blake Lively had done a complete 180, so I kind of did a deep dive trying to understand exactly what had happened, and it turns out, it all has to do with her latest film” – “It Ends with Us,” which is based on the popular novel by Colleen Hoover, Lauren explains. For those who don’t know, “It Ends with Us” is a contentious subject because it explores the themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse, so “regardless of Blake Lively's involvement, ‘It Ends With Us’ was going to be controversial.” According to social media, as well as reports from multiple online sources, readers are “divided on how well Hoover’s ‘It Ends with Us’ handles the topic of domestic abuse.” Many feel that the story romanticizes abusive relationships, while others praise it as a tale of breaking toxic cycles (as the title suggests). “This was going to be a tricky thing to navigate for the people involved with the film, period. And unfortunately for Blake Lively, it seems that the way she has been handling herself on the press tour for this film has convinced at least some people that no, she is not taking the issue of domestic abuse seriously,” says Lauren, adding that people have been comparing Lively’s statements about the film to co-star and director/producer of the film Justin Baldoni’s comments. For example, in one interview, Baldoni said, “If a Lily Bloom in real life can sit in this theater and maybe make a different choice for herself than was made for her; maybe she sees herself on that screen and chooses something different for herself. That’s why I made the movie.” Compare that statement to Lively’s answer when she was asked, “What’s your childhood dream?” at the New York City premiere of “It Ends with Us.” “To wear Britney Spears’ Versace dress,” the actress replied coyly, gesturing to her vibrant vintage gown, which Spears indeed wore in 2002. “There’s kind of a different vibe,” says Lauren, cringing. This is just one of several examples of the stark contrast between Lively’s recent comments and those of Baldoni. In one highly controversial video, Lively promotes the film by saying, “‘It Ends with Us’ is in theaters now, so grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it.” “A lot of people really took issue with that clip,” says Lauren, noting that critics accused Lively of “trying to get a Barbie movie thing going.” “Women were wearing pink to go see the Barbie movie. She's saying ‘wear your florals and go see this movie,’ and it's like, this is a movie about domestic abuse,” Lauren sighs, sympathizing with Lively’s naysayers. On top of “tone-deaf” marketing, Lively also chose to “[tie] in her own hair care line with the promotion of this film,” which resulted in even more backlash. Overall, people are upset that “Blake's behavior during the press tour doesn't really resonate with the actual content of the film,” says Lauren. However, that’s not where the scandal ends. Rumor has it that Lively and Baldoni are also at odds – extreme odds. According to an article from themarysue.com, “Lively, Sklenar, Jenny Slate, Isabela Ferrer, and Alex Neustaedter largely dominate this press. Meanwhile, Baldoni isn’t present or tagged in any of the posts, resulting in numerous comments questioning where he is.” “So it seems like Baldoni has been doing his own solo press for the movie, while the other co-stars and cast have been doing joint events,” says Lauren, adding that “none of the co-stars or the author of the book itself, Colleen Hoover, follow Baldoni on social media.” Blake Lively defenders, however, have speculated that the sudden online condemnation of Lively was sparked by Baldoni himself as revenge for being labeled difficult to work with. “Some are suggesting Justin behaves so poorly on set that he actually alienated the rest of the cast, and all of this blowback against Blake Lively is actually something that he and his team orchestrated in order to divert negative attention away from himself,” Lauren explains. While this is just hearsay right now, it does stand to reason when you consider the fact that Baldoni “actually [hired] the same crisis PR firm that previously represented Johnny Depp during the whole Amber Heard fiasco.” “It is true that after Justin started working with this crisis management PR team that a bunch of Blake Lively's old controversies did start appearing in headlines again,” says Lauren, pointing to the actress’ former scandals, such as her and Reynolds’ wedding venue, which used to be a plantation, an old quote from Lively when she used the term “trannies,” and an interview from 2016 during which Lively was rude to a reporter. Regardless of Baldoni’s involvement in the dredging up of the actress’ former controversies, one thing is clear: “Blake Lively is being canceled right now.” To hear more about the scandal, watch the clip above. Want more from Lauren Chen?To enjoy more of Lauren’s pro-liberty, pro-logic, and pro-market commentary on social and political issues, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

New teachers in Minnesota soon must "affirm" radical ideas about race and gender after a state education board updated its standards for licensing.In April 2023, the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board — a panel comprising 13 members, at least some of whom have been appointed by Democrat Gov. Tim Walz — updated its Standards of Effective Practice, required of all prospective educators applying for their initial teaching license.'You can’t force that kind of speech, you can’t require adherence to ideas that aren’t believed.'The standards read like a manual written by far-left radicals obsessed with race and making repeated reference to gender ideology: "The teacher understands the diverse impacts of individual and systemic trauma, such as ... racism, and micro and macro aggressions, on learning and development and knows how to support students using culturally responsive strategies and resources to address these impacts.""The teacher assesses how their biases, perceptions, and academic training may affect their teaching practice and perpetuate oppressive systems and utilizes tools to mitigate their own behavior to disrupt oppressive systems.""The teacher understands how ethnocentrism, eurocentrism, deficit-based teaching, and white supremacy undermine pedagogical equity.""The teacher ... approaches their work and students with [an] asset-based mindset, affirming the validity of students' backgrounds and identities."Among the "backgrounds and identities" that new teachers must "affirm" include those regarding "gender, gender identity, [and] sexual orientation," the standards say.These standards also affect Minnesota universities, both public and private, that offer teacher-licensing programs. Doug Seaton, founder and president of the nonprofit Upper Midwest Law Center, told the Federalist that while some Christian universities in the state will object to training their students to "affirm" gender statements that run counter to their faith, most will comply or will sue only when the state forces their hand."Some are not willing to do it [file a lawsuit] until they actually have their college programs tagged for noncompliance or their graduates actually not licensed as a consequence of not adhering to these standards," Seaton told the outlet.According to the Federalist, the new standards go into effect July 2025. Though the standards consider "religious beliefs" among its list of student identities, the gender-related statements violate the faiths of practicing Christians, Jews, and Muslims, effectively urging them out of the profession, the outlet noted.By forcing would-be teachers to "affirm" statements that run counter to their religious beliefs, Seaton argues that the new Standards of Effective Practice are unconstitutional. "They’re essentially requiring people to affirm these ideas that they don’t really believe, in many cases, as a condition of being a public school teacher or being part of a program to be a licensed public school teacher," Seaton explained to the Federalist. "You can’t force that kind of speech, you can’t require adherence to ideas that aren’t believed."Since he was tapped to be Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 presidential election, Tim Walz's record of supporting far-left ideas has made national news. Walz is apparently so committed to gender ideology that he signed a law that implicitly compels public schools in his state to put menstrual products in boys' bathrooms, prompting the nickname "Tampon Tim."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said that a "cabal of neocon elitist warmongers" is calling the shots in the government, not President Joe Biden. Gabbard made the comments while a guest on Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck's radio show Tuesday. 'They think that we as voters are so stupid as to fall for it, to fall for the lie.' Beck was criticizing a recent comment from a Hollywood celebrity who said he would support Vice President Kamala Harris (D) no matter what she said in an interview. Gabbard then launched into her invective. "This is important for voters to recognize. The more these Hollywood celebrities and other people say those kinds of things, it just reinforces ... that they think that we as voters are so stupid as to fall for it, to fall for the lie, the facade that they are creating," she said. She went on to accuse Secretary of State Antony Blinken of turning the State Department into "essentially a war department" and said former President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were among those actually in charge. "[There are] many others whose faces and names will not be on the front page or on your television any time soon," she continued, "both in the government as well as outside of the government in the military-industrial complex who are a part of this. They are this cabal of neocon elitist warmongers who will put their power and their profits ahead of people every day of the week." Elsewhere in the interview, Gabbard told Beck how she was helping former President Donald Trump prepare for the first debate against Harris. "I know how she thinks and how she is going to try to lay some traps, try to bait Donald Trump into walking into the narrative that she is gonna try to push for the American people," she said. "This really will be an opportunity for Donald Trump to expose that to the American people."Gabbard represented Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 until 2021. Here's part of the interview with Gabbard: — (@) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A teacher assistant in Nevada has been arrested and accused of attempting to contact a minor for the purpose of sex, according to authorities. A teacher's assistant was reportedly arrested by the Clark County School District Police Department on Aug. 23 and was booked into the Clark County Detention Center. The suspect was allegedly an employee of the Clark County School District. The arrest reportedly came on the same day that the investigation was initiated. Since the child sex crime allegations, the teacher assistant has been placed on leave as per the terms of her union contractJerusalem Garcia was reportedly charged with one count of contacting or attempting to contact a minor by a person of authority for the purpose of sex.According to KTNV-TV, the 20-year-old worked as a "specialized program teacher assistant" at the Eldorado High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Clark County School District Police Department did not disclose details of the alleged sexual misconduct aimed at a child. Garcia has been an employee of the Clark County School District since August 2021, as reported by KLAS-TV. Since the child sex crime allegations, the teacher assistant has been placed on leave as per the terms of her union contractThe investigation into the alleged teacher sex scandal is ongoing.As of the time of publication, the Clark County School District Police Department did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News. Since May, Blaze News has reported on 13 female teachers and school employees who have been accused or convicted of child sex crimes.In May, a former Arkansas teacher was sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for taking a student out of state to engage in illegal sexual acts and sexually abusing a minor as many as 30 times throughout the 2021-2022 school year.A female teacher was accused of sexually abusing a student at the "elite" New York City prep school where convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein once taught.A New Jersey special education teacher at an intermediate school was arrested in June and charged with one count of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.Last month, two former Georgia school employees were accused of sexually abusing students. The pair were self-described as "ride or die" friends who were involved in each other's weddings.Earlier this month, a Connecticut middle school lunch lady accused of sexually abusing and grooming a 14-year-old boy accepted a plea deal to avoid trial.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Jesse Kipf pleaded guilty to computer fraud and aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to more than six years behind bars. The post This Kentucky Man Hacked A Government Registry To Fake His Own Death And Avoid Paying Child Support appeared first on All That's Interesting.

The protester said that he was pushed as he ‘peacefully protested the CCP’s tyranny.’

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