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Friday’s CBS Mornings did its best to all but ignore Thursday night’s fiery debate on the Fox News Channel between Governors Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Gavin Newsom (D-CA) by stashing it in the Eye Opener (which we at NewsBusters don’t formally account as most of it’s teases for segments)‚ but the others stepped up to the plate with full stories on ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today. They took different approaches‚ however‚ as ABC used three-time bestselling Trump author Jonathan Karl to trash Trump’s lead 2024 GOP primary opponent while NBC’s Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker largely treated it like a substantive debate.     Karl began with the platitudes‚ boasting “it was billed as the red state versus blue state debate” and “preview[ing] perhaps of some of the issues‚ if not the candidates‚ we could see debated in next year's general election campaign.” The professionalism ended there as Karl quickly dismissed the entire event and channeled both Newsom and DeSantis’s opponents‚ which made sense given how financially lucrative Trump has been for him in terms of book sales. “At the start of the debate‚ California Governor Gavin Newsom‚ who isn’t running for president‚ taunted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‚ who is running‚ but trailing badly with a reminder that neither of them would likely be on the ballot next fall‚” Karl hyped going into a Newsom soundbite telling DeSantis that “neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.” Karl briefly touched on the fact that each candidate represented their party’s message on the economy‚ but went back to trashing DeSantis‚ who took on his employer’s parent company‚ Disney. The ABC correspondent also implied he viewed DeSantis as a third-place candidate behind Trump and Nikki Haley (click “expand”): KARL: For DeSantis‚ it was a chance to try to inject some energy into a campaign that badly needs it‚ as Newsom gleefully pointed out. NEWSOM: You're trolling folks and trying to find migrants to play games‚ trying to get some news and attention‚ so you can out-Trump‚ Trump. And‚ by the way‚ how's that going for you‚ Ron? You're down 41 points in your own home state. KARL: Less than a year ago‚ DeSantis was leading Donald Trump in polls of Republican voters‚ but he has been losing ground for months‚ now trailing Nikki Haley. HALEY: No one will outwork me in this race. KARL: And this has been a big week for Haley. She won the endorsement of perhaps the most well-funded conservative grassroots organization in the U.S.‚ Americans for Prosperity. But the reality is that Donald Trump‚ who has refused to debate anybody in this race‚ still has a commanding lead over both Haley and DeSantis‚ at least for now‚ although‚ George‚ that lead is smaller in Iowa and New Hampshire‚ which vote first. Karl and Stephanopoulos weren’t done as they then spent 41 seconds talking about....Trump (and‚ specifically‚ the reinstatement of a limited gag order in his civil fraud trial). In contrast‚ NBC chose to be adults. Co-host Hoda Kotb conceded it was “a highly unusual debate‚” but nonetheless covered “everything from the economy to crime‚ [and] immigration.” Welker followed and said it served as a “fiery face-off” and “battle between two men with deep political ambitions and eyes on the White House.” “There were fireworks from the start when DeSantis sharply criticized Newsom for visited a fancy French restaurant at the height of the COVID pandemic‚” she added going into a soundbite about DeSantis invoking French Laundry and then countered with Newsom blasting DeSantis on flying illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard. “DeSantis firing back‚ accusing Newsom of being soft on border security‚” she later said. Welker’s one miss was on abortion as she made it only about DeSantis’s position and ignored Newsom admitting he doesn’t believe there should be any reason or time limitation for when a woman can kill her child. After touching on DeSantis hitting Newsom over Biden’s age‚ Kotb was back live: “What was the point of that debate in the first place?” Welker offered only a mild dismissal‚ calling it a “great question” since DeSantis has struggled to stand out”‚ but framed the positives for both DeSantis and Newsom: [W]ith the Iowa caucuses over a month away now and his opponent Nikki Haley surging‚ a one-on-one debate presented him a real opportunity to potentially reinvigorate his campaign‚ taking on one of the most high-profile democratic governors and showing GOP voters what kind of a general election candidate he would be. This served as a chance for Newsom to assert himself on the national stage beyond California and establish himself as one of President Biden's main surrogates‚ despite all of the buzz about a potential run. But make no mistake: he's already getting plenty of buzz for the future[.] To see the relevant transcripts from December 1‚ click here (for ABC) and here (for NBC).

MRC President and Founder Brent Bozell raised the alarm about an MRC bombshell exposing “empirical” evidence that Big Tech companies are cheerleading President Joe Biden’s sinking re-election campaign ahead of the 2024 presidential election. In an interview with WMAL radio host Larry O’Connor on Wednesday‚ Bozell issued a dire warning that Biden’s presidential opponents have become subjected to draconian social media censorship a whopping 162 times. “The evidence is there‚” Bozell warned‚ highlighting another MRC Free Speech America exposé into Big Tech’s censorship of Republican leaders. The pro-Biden censorship is rampant‚ disproportionately affecting anyone who opposes the scandal-ridden Biden administration‚ including former President Donald Trump and formerly-Democrat candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “If you dare dispute the Big Tech-Silicon Valley belief about climate change; or COVID; or the RFK assassination; or transgender mutilation‚ you are knocked off of Big Tech‚” Bozell declared. “If that isn’t putting your thumb on the scales‚ I don’t know what is.” Related: Alarming Election Interference! Big Tech Censors Biden Opponents 162 Times Citing the report‚ Bozell drew attention to the fact that Republican tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy was the most censored presidential candidate. “Why?” Bozell queried‚ “Because he questions climate change‚ and he questions the climate agenda of this administration.” But the censorship doesn’t stop there‚ Bozell warned‚ highlighting that RFK Jr. — a Democrat‚ now running as an Independent — was the second most affected candidate. “He has been censored 17 times‚ particularly because of his questioning COVID-19 vaccines‚ but also discussing and questioning the death‚ the assassination of his own father‚” Bozell added. Indeed‚ MRC Free Speech America found that while the 2024 presidential cycle is just starting‚ Big Tech-led election interference is operating like a well-oiled machine. Out of 169 total cases of censorship recorded in MRC’s exclusive CensorTrack.org database‚ Biden’s social media accounts were scantly affected seven times over what Bozell described as “mostly technical issues” related to video ads. Bozell then highlighted that former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) were censored a combined total of 21 times for positions against abortion and transgenderism‚ respectively. Related: Google Continues Election Interference: Still Buries Trump‚ Other Biden Opponents The MRC president drew particular attention to anti-free speech Google and its video-sharing platform YouTube‚ where censorship ran rampant. “Of the 162 cases‚ who was responsible? It wasn’t TikTok. They were only a handful. It wasn’t X. They were only a handful. It wasn’t Facebook. They were only 10 of them‚” Bozell continued. “91% of the cases of censorship came from Google or YouTube and Google owns YouTube—so over 9 out of 10 examples of censorship are coming out of one company.” Strikingly‚ even Republican front-runner Trump was slapped down by Big Tech censorship‚ despite the former president’s notable absence from other major social media platforms (excluding his own Truth Social account). “In 2016‚ Donald Trump won because of what he did on Twitter‚” said Bozell. “In 2020‚ Donald Trump lost because Twitter and Facebook knocked him off and he wasn’t able to participate in the public conversation.” Related: SPECIAL REPORT: The Stealing of the Presidency‚ 2020 Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency‚ clarity on hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored‚ contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form‚ and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

Recently published projections for the U.S. population from the U.S. Census Bureau present a picture that should concern every American. It’s a snapshot of a dying society. It’s surprising and shocking that it’s not getting more attention. The Census Bureau projects that the U.S. population will stop growing toward the end of the century. After peaking at 370 million in 2080‚ it will drop to 366 million in 2100‚ less than 10% higher than where it stood in 2022. By 2029‚ the percentage of Americans over the age of 65 will exceed the percentage under 18‚ and by 2038‚ the number of deaths in the nation will exceed the number of births. Thinking about this in the most basic terms‚ at any point in time a given percentage of the population is working and net producing and a given percentage is not working and net consuming. As a population ages‚ the percentage working and producing shrinks and the percentage consuming grows. Our health care expenditures‚ for instance‚ consume almost 20% of our GDP. In 2019‚ 30% of our population was age 55 and above but consumed 56% of our health care expenditures. As the population ages‚ an increasing percentage of GDP will be required for health care. There’s discussion now about the viability of Social Security. At the core of this discussion is the economics of the system‚ in which the funds retirees receive come from the payroll taxes that those working pay. A diminishing number of those working per each retiree strains the financial viability of the system. Per the most recent report of the Social Security Trustees: In 1950‚ there were 16.5 working and paying for every retiree. By 1960‚ this was down to 5.1. Now it’s 2.7. The trustees project that by 2040‚ it will be down to 2.3; and by 2065‚ 2.1. So‚ we see the claim that‚ from a political perspective‚ there is a so-called social agenda -- marriage‚ family‚ children‚ abortion -- and an economic agenda -- spending and taxes -- and that these have nothing to do with each other is false. Abortion‚ the collapse of marriage and family‚ and dropping fertility rates have everything to do with the overall health of our society. As we look at this data from the Census Bureau projecting an aging country and a shrinking population‚ we need to look at the changing values prevailing in our culture as the number one culprit driving our problems. Earlier this year this year‚ The Wall Street Journal released polling done jointly with NORC (National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago under the headline “America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It.” Regarding religion‚ 39% said it’s “very important to them‚” compared to 62% who said in 1998 that religion is “very important.” Regarding having children‚ 30% said it’s “very important” compared to 60% who said it was “very important” in 1998. Among those under the age of 30‚ only 23% said having children is “very important.” Behavior reflects prevailing values. Americans are bringing fewer children into the world. The current U.S. fertility rate is 1.67 children per woman‚ well below the 2.1 needed to maintain the current population size. What has driven the collapse of our culture? One major culprit is misguided court decisions that pulled prayer and religion out of our public schools. Recently‚ Harvard economist Roland Fryer wrote in The Wall Street Journal about the need for “real school choice.” He appeals for the original vision of economist Milton Friedman for “parents to have the autonomy to select the optimal educational environment for their children‚ unbounded by geography or income brackets‚ and to take their full allotment of education funds with them.” Giving parents control of their child’s education would be a major step in combatting the widespread collapse in values that has so badly damaged our nation.

On Wednesday‚ a federal judge reversed a previous decision to enforce a temporary restraining order that blocked the Biden administration from removing and cutting razor wire placed by Texas officials along the southern border.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security‚ Customs and Border Protection‚ and Border Patrol in October‚ accusing the federal government of illegally cutting and destroying razor-wire fencing placed along Texas' southern border by state officials.Paxton claimed that the Biden administration was "undermining Texas's efforts to stem the flow of illegal immigration" and "fill the breach created by the federal government's indolence." The lawsuit noted that the federal government has cut Texas' strategically placed barriers on other occasions but has recently increased its efforts."Texas brings this lawsuit to end this ongoing‚ unlawful practice which undermines its border security efforts. This Court can and should enjoin the federal defendants from continuing to destroy and damage private property that is not theirs — without statutory authority and in violation of both state and federal law‚" Paxton's lawsuit stated.In late October‚ Chief U.S. District Court Judge Alisa Moses issued a temporary restraining order‚ blocking the federal government from removing‚ scrapping‚ disassembling‚ or encumbering Texas' barriers. The order did not prevent federal agents from tampering with the razor wire to "provide or obtain emergency medical aid."After hearing additional testimony early last month‚ Moses issued a new order on November 30‚ lifting the temporary restraining order.Moses wrote in her 34-page ruling‚ "The Court finds that there is insufficient evidence at this juncture to support a substantial likelihood of success" on Paxton's claims. "The possible harm suffered by the Plaintiff in the form of loss of control and use of its private property continues to satisfy the irreparable harm prong of preliminary-injunction analysis. The public interest calculation reflected in the Court's [temporary restraining order] decision stands‚" Moses added.According to the judge‚ the issues appear "unique to the Del Rio Sector‚" which is currently the most trafficked border crossing area in Texas. Therefore‚ the federal government argued that it proved that there was no "agency-wide directive" to remove the razor wire."The immigration system at the heart of it all‚ dysfunctional and flawed as it is‚ would work if properly implemented‚" Moses wrote. "What follows here is but another chapter in this unfolding tragedy. The law may be on the side of the Defendants and compel a resolution in their favor today‚ but it does not excuse their culpable and duplicitous conduct."Paxton stated that he plans to appeal the judge's ruling.A trial date for the case has not yet been set.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Marie Paradis — manager of a gas station convenience store connected to Stone's Auto Repair in St. Albans‚ Vermont — had been on edge after a number of robberies in the area in a short period of time. Image source: YouTube screenshotParadis shared with WPTZ-TV that her instincts told her to prepare for trouble Wednesday morning.“I went and heated some coffee‚ and I double-heated it to almost boiling‚" she recounted to the station. "Because I just had this feeling that if they tried something‚ I’m going to throw the coffee.” Image source: YouTube screenshotSure enough‚ Paradis saw a man dressed in all black and wearing a face mask approach the store‚ WPTZ noted."I knew something was wrong‚ and I was ready for him‚" she added to the station.Paradis told WPTZ she had already pressed the panic button when the man walked to the front counter — and he was carrying a gun‚ as surveillance video shows: Image source: YouTube screenshot'Open up the till'"He said‚ 'Open up the till‚' and I said no‚" she recalled to the station.Paradis recounted the crook's persistence to WPTZ — though she redacted his profanity: "I said open up the effin' till and give me all the money."She replied to the armed robber that the till's contents were staying put‚ the station said: "You're not getting any money from me."With that‚ the crook threatened to open fire.'Then shoot me'"I am going to shoot you if you do not give me that money‚" the man threatened‚ according to her recollection to WPTZ.Paraidis added to the station that she replied‚ "Then shoot me‚ because you're not getting the money."Video shows Paradis chucking her coffee toward the armed man's head: Image source: YouTube screenshotThen she pepper-sprayed him‚ forcing him to cover up and retreat: Image source: YouTube screenshotHe ended up taking off with some cigarettes and e-cigarettes — and no cash‚ the station said."I was thinking‚ 'I'm here to serve the people‚ and I'm here to protect this store‚" Paradis told WPTZ. "And that's what I'm gonna do‚ and I would do it again."Paradis added to the station that she was too angry to feel fear in that moment: "These are hardworking people that I work for‚ and I’m sick and tired of the robberies. Eight robberies in the last two weeks on our community. I’ve had it."The store owners told WPTZ they're grateful Paradis is OK — but they're frustrated that their employees must concern themselves with safety at work."Our employees have to come to work every day and worry about whether they’re gonna be broken into or not‚" Kim Stone told the station. "That shouldn’t be their first concern."WPTZ said despite some businesses having been hit twice by the rash of recent‚ very public robberies‚ police have yet to nab the culprits."We're small-business owners‚ and you work hard for your money‚" Stone added to the station. "And for someone to just come and just try to steal it‚ it just makes you angry."WPTZ said it contacted the St. Albans Police Department for comment but was told no one was available to speak with the news station. St. Albans store clerks fights back against suspect as string of robberies remain unsolved 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!