The Saber V2 is a powerful weapon you can get your hands on rather early in Blox Fruits. It has excellent damage at both close and long range‚ making it the perfect melee weapon for both PvP and PvE. There is a short but detailed quest that goes along with getting the original Saber‚ but once you have it‚ the rest is simple. How to get the Saber Related: How to get the Cursed Katana in Blox Fruits Before you try and get the Saber V2 in Blox Fruits‚ you will first need to get the original version to upgrade. Here are the steps you must follow. Screenshot: YouTube/Gameskeys Head to Jungle Island and press the five green squares located around the map. Once you have pressed all five‚ head to the center of the jungle‚ where you will find an island in the lake. Here you will find a torch. With the torch‚ head to the Desert area. Look for an abandoned house in the desert area. You will be able to enter this with the torch you pi...

Vile Powder is a useful item in Terraria that allows you to spread Corruption and summon the boss for the biome. It also is a useful ingredient. But how do you craft it‚ and can you make it in Crimson worlds‚ too? Getting Vile Powder in Terraria Vile Powder is available in a Corruption Terraria world. Throwing one will spread Corruption on the natural blocks that it touches. You can also throw it on a penguin‚ a goldfish‚ and bunnies into their nasty Corruption Counterparts. Vile Powder is more commonly used as an ingredient for the Bloody Spine or the Poisoned Knife‚ the former being needed to spawn the Eater of Worlds boss. You can find Vile Powder as a drop from enemies‚ although you can craft it to skip the fighting. To craft Vile Powder‚ all you need is one Vile Mushroom‚ which can be found dotted around the Corruption. They will grow back‚ so you can wait for more to spawn in if you can’t find any. Simply hit it to break it‚ and it&;...

It’s unclear anymore whether New York Times propagandist-in-chief Paul Krugman actually believes the pro-Bidenomics psycho-babble he spits out or if he’s just trolling at this point. Krugman tried bridging the gap between his illusion of a goldilocks Biden economy and the disgruntled‚ inflation-rattled consumers who aren’t as deluded as he is in his latest 1‚108-word hot take‚ “Is Poor Economic Sentiment All About MAGA.” In Krugman’s distorted view‚ Americans struggling to make ends meet against the increasingly tenuous cost of living squeeze is just a mirage. “The more I look into it‚ the more I’m convinced that much of what looks like poor public perception about the economy is actually just Republicans angry that Donald Trump isn’t still president.” Yeah‚ go with that Krugman. [Emphasis added.] Surely‚ it has nothing to do with the fact that the typical American household now has to spend at least an extra $11‚434 per year just to maintain the same standard of living they had in January 2021‚ right? As The Heritage Foundation economist EJ Antoni told MRC Business mocking Krugman’s take: “Sure‚ people should feel good about the economy because an authoritarian in his ivory tower told them to be happy.” In true Krugman style‚ the pseudo-economist doubled down on his absurd claim that 2023 was somehow “one of the best years ever” for the U.S. economy. “Last year was a very good one for the U.S. economy. Job growth was strong‚ unemployment remained near a 50-year low and inflation plunged‚” Krugman claimed. “Plunged” is a funny way of saying prices‚ as of December‚ were over 17 percent higher than they were since Biden took office. The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 11 that it “is now less affordable than any time in recent history to buy a home‚ and the math isn’t changing any time soon.” Also‚ five and eight million people are now missing from the labor force‚ which Antoni told MRC Business was “artificially reducing the unemployment rate.”   Krugman also conveniently neglected to mention that the U.S. government had “overstated” job growth in 2023 by a whopping 439‚000 jobs. The New York Post noted that the gross overstatement meant the “job market is not as healthy as the government suggests.” Not only did Krugman NOT disclose any of these factoids‚ he showed he was determined to bury his head in the sand: “Indeed‚ weak consumer sentiment may be almost entirely about MAGA.” [Emphasis added.] Antoni ripped Krugman for once again deceiving his readers. “If that’s the kind of scholarship emanating from a Nobel Laureate‚ then the award is more a marker of hubris and arrogance than achievement.” Krugman chalking up Americans’ discontent with Biden’s decrepit economy to partisan politics is typical for the guy who spent the inflation crisis trying to brainwash readers into believing the price squeezes were “transitory.”  Krugman even went as far to suggest that even though Republicans and Democrats tend to view the economy differently depending on whether one of their own occupies the White House‚ the left is more objective. “Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say that the economy is good when their party holds the White House and bad when it doesn’t.” Yes‚ Krugman actually wrote that. This is the same leftist Krugman who haphazardly claimed the markets would “never” recover if then-candidate Donald Trump were to win the 2016 election and doom-mongered about a “global recession.”  As for the overwhelming number of independents who have soured on the Biden economy‚ Krugman hubristically just told readers to forget about that statistic. “What about independents? Never mind. True independents‚ voters without partisan leaning‚ barely exist; data for independents is basically an average of voters who think like Democrats and voters who think like Republicans.” Of course he would just try to discount voters not affiliated with any party‚ because a Bankrate survey found in November 2023 that 59 percent of independent voters have expressed that their economic situation “has deteriorated since 2020‚” according to Fox Business. The numbers‚ it seems‚ just didn’t suit Krugman’s narrative‚ so he bypassed them. If you're wondering why Biden doesn't get credit for inflation coming down‚ this is why. People don't notice changes in the rate of change when the rate of change is already high. — 𝐉𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 ☧ (@Jay__Cost) January 11‚ 2024 But Krugman’s nonsense didn’t stop there. He all but outright suggested that survey respondents who were denigrating the Biden economy to pollsters were lying about their real economic plight. “As I and many others have pointed out‚ consumers’ behavior doesn’t match the grim answers they give pollsters: Actual consumer spending remains strong.” Antoni blistered this take by Krugman‚ asserting‚ “For Krugman to assert that the price level has nothing to do with people’s views on the economy‚ especially when the price level is rising faster than earnings‚ is absurd.” Naturally‚ Krugman also didn’t bother mentioning anything about Americans’ credit card debt situation. A recent Bankrate analysis found that 49 percent of credit card holders have been carrying debt month-to-month‚ a drastic increase from the 39 percent figure in 2021. And Americans’ total credit card debt is at a record $1.08 trillion. In other words‚ consumer spending amidst high prices makes more sense in light of this context‚ but Krugman chose to bury it. Krugman also tried to make the story of Americans’ bout with inflation an issue of supply shocks‚ which Antoni nuked: If the 40-year-high inflation under Biden were truly due exclusively to things like supply chain disruptions‚ as Krugman is alleging‚ then the removal of those problems should have not only reduced inflation rates‚ but reduced prices as well. But prices have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Instead‚ they remain almost 18 percent higher than when Biden took office. Krugman continues to display his elitism by telling the common man to not believe your lying eyes or your empty wallets.  As Antoni noted‚ “The economic recovery under Biden has been extremely unequal across income strata‚ with wealth and income gains going disproportionately to those who were already better off. For the vast majority of Americans‚ their real incomes are lower today than two‚ three or four years ago. They are going into debt at an alarming rate. Housing is unaffordable‚ and the American dream of homeownership is dead.”  Conservatives are under attack. Contact The New York Times at 800-698-4637 and demand it distance itself from Krugman’s nonsensical Bidenomics propaganda.   .   

“The Sopranos” debuted 25 years ago‚ but what makes it a masterpiece is how much older its themes are. In 1827 Goethe wrote a poem that begins‚ “America‚ you have it better.” The German genius ended with the wish that America’s children‚ when they took up the pen themselves‚ wouldn’t write stories about “Knights‚ robbers‚ and ghosts.” He wasn’t just warning Americans to stay away from childish entertainments and fairy tales — though it’s easy to guess what he’d think of “Star Wars” and other Disney products. America was a new land with new promise‚ and Goethe hoped that it would grow up to tell stories that didn’t depend on the bloody feuds and status conflicts of Europe‚ as attractive as those might be to the romantic imagination. Could a new nation‚ born from commerce and ideals of self-government‚ create the kind of art or entertainment that a continent of ruined castles and equally lawless heroes and villains had inspired? There’s a German angle here‚ which is also a “Sopranos” angle: Germany’s knights turned into robbers as the Middle Ages ended and the world of modern commerce began. The warfighters of an earlier age‚ and their ethos‚ were obsolete‚ but they still felt entitled to their old status — and to live off the labor of others. The knights‚ in other words‚ became gangsters. Tony Soprano‚ patriarch of the titular mob family‚ doesn’t know much about history. He gets what little he knows from World War II TV documentaries and Gary Cooper Westerns. He may be Italian‚ but he can’t tell Machiavelli’s “The Prince” from Prince Matchabelli. It’s one of series creator’s David Chase’s smart commentaries on ethnic assimilation that Tony takes for his heroes Cooper and America’s generals in the Second World War. Tony isn’t really Italian at all. He’s not a throwback to the Old World; he’s an American‚ and throughout the series he clashes with fellow mobsters who take Old World myths and values too seriously. Religion‚ family vendettas and honor all count for less than money with Tony. Voltaire and other European philosophers who hailed the triumph of commerce over feudalism made just that point: Instead of fighting‚ men should make money and settle their differences with profit. When one of Tony’s lieutenants is outed as a homosexual‚ the rest of his mob family and a rival gang are outraged and want the man killed. Tony is reluctant — not for any sentimental reason but because Vito is a “good earner.” Paulie Gualtieri‚ the Soprano goon most in love with mafia mythology‚ only annoys Tony with his stories of the good old days‚ and Tony’s equally contemptuous of Paulie’s claims to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary. The tragedy of Tony Soprano’s life — not in an objective moral sense but as a character unto himself — is that he’s neither a New World man nor an Old World one. He’s trying to be both but can’t. Late in the series‚ Tony has dreams in which he’s a traveling businessman who’s lost all proof of his identity. At the very beginning of the series‚ Tony is disillusioned by present-day America‚ in which men are no longer‚ like the characters played by Gary Cooper‚ “the strong silent type.” His mob-family heir‚ Christopher Moltisanti‚ lacks self-control: he’s an addict with dreams of making it big in Hollywood‚ a hedonist and escapist — an adolescent‚ not a man. Tony is afraid of his biological son‚ A.J.‚ following in his footsteps‚ but he also finds the boy weak and aimless‚ and A.J. ultimately goes to work for another mobster’s film company. Women don’t do so well in “The Sopranos‚” either. Tony’s daughter‚ Meadow‚ rebels against her father’s old-fashioned attitudes about race and sex‚ and she seems set to become a lawyer or a doctor — but her romances with wimpy modern men fail‚ and by the end she appears fated to become a mob wife‚ if she marries at all. The female psychiatrist Tony sees‚ Jennifer Melfi‚ is a symbol of independent womanhood and she is never drawn into Tony’s world‚ yet she too is missing something and is sometimes attracted to Tony’s simulacrum of traditional masculinity. “The Sopranos” has its flaws‚ and it may or may not be the best television show ever made. But we watch it a quarter-century after its debut‚ and it will be watched another quarter-century from now‚ because it brilliantly dramatizes conflicts as old as America‚ and even older. What does it mean to be a man or woman in a world defined by sexless money? In a modern setting‚ what becomes of all we thrill to and admire about chivalry‚ cowboys and supposedly honor-bound outlaws? America hasn’t yet fulfilled Goethe’s call to find new sources for our stories — but we still have something to gain from the very best tales of knights‚ robbers and ghosts. Daniel McCarthy is the editor of Modern Age: A Conservative Review. To read more by Daniel McCarthy‚ visit www.creators.com

Media softball interviews with Democrats are nothing new‚ but MSNBC Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski’s Thursday interview with First Lady Jill Biden was on a whole different level. As Brzezinski “questioned” Biden about everything from GOP “cruelty” to how great Joe is to 2024 being about democracy itself to abortion she made your church league’s slow pitch pitcher look like Nolan Ryan. Brzezinski began by sounding like she was one of Joe Biden’s speechwriters‚ “There have been Senate races‚ three presidential campaigns‚ eight years of your husband serving as vice president. Unthinkable personal loss‚ and challenge‚ and now democracy is on the ballot. What do you think when you hear people say‚ well‚ I just can't vote for Joe Biden this election? What is it they may not know about him at this point especially when the alternative seems to want to change this nation so radically?” Biden was happy to go along with the free campaign advertising‚ “Throughout all of this‚ you know‚ I saw Joe as steady and calm and resilient‚ and actually I -- when we got here‚ I felt that he knew how to rebuild this country because he had rebuilt our family out of tragedy.”     On the matter of Republicans and their investigations into Hunter Biden‚ Brzezinski again sounded more like a Biden campaign staffer than an interviewer‚ “Does yet another one give you any pause thinking of‚ like‚ the personal health and well-being for both of you? The division in this country‚ the cruelty of MAGA Republicans against your family. Does any part of you once in a while think‚ ugh‚ maybe we bow out?” Biden replied in a way that made it difficult to tell who the difference between interviewer and interviewee‚ “You know‚ that's why I want to go through yet another campaign‚ because I think as Joe says‚ democracy‚ our freedoms are what's on the line‚ and so Americans have a choice. You know‚ they can have strong‚ steady leadership‚ someone fighting for democracy‚ or they can choose chaos and division.” Staying on the Hunter subject‚ Brzezinski wondered‚ “How have you been coping personally with the onslaught of accusations against your husband and your family‚ including and especially Hunter as the focus of a House Oversight Committee hearing holding‚ holding him in contempt‚ obsessing over him showing pictures of him during vulnerable moments in his battle with addiction on the floor of the House. This would crush any family.””     Again‚ Biden would respond by repeating Brzezinski’s language‚ “Mika‚ I think what they are doing to Hunter is cruel‚ and I'm really proud of how Hunter has rebuilt his life after addiction. You know‚ I love my son and it's hurt my grandchildren and that's what I'm so concerned about‚ that it's affecting their lives as well.” Brzezinski then made the profound silly claim that‚ among other things‚ questioning Biden’s competency is a bridge too far‚ “What do you think when you hear Trump Republicans calling it the Biden crime family or--? One congresswoman‚ the Biden crime family sold out America‚ Marjorie Taylor Greene‚ he's a liar‚ he's mentally incompetent and let's not even talk about what ‘Let's Go Brandon’ means and U.S. Senators holding signs that say that.” The first lady then made a curious claim of her own‚ “It’s hard to realize our country isn’t it? I mean to look at it‚ what we used to have and what the other side‚ the extremists have turned this country into‚ I mean‚ we would never see things like that‚ say‚ ten years ago.” No‚ they would have just made slavery references or lead the media in Nazi references. Circling back to the beginning‚ Brzezinski lamented‚ “So democracy is on the ballot and also something has been lost in this last four years or during your husband's presidency as a result of the Trump presidency and that is a woman's right to choose. Women’s health care. How important do you think that should be‚ in a factor‚ for all Americans voting in the next election? It feels like we've slid back. I mean‚ I can’t believe my daughters—” Biden would reply by hyping Joe’s desire to “codify Roe‚” but what has really slid back are MSNBC’s standards for interviewers if it was even possible slide back even further. Here is a transcript for the January 11 show: MSNBC Morning Joe 1/11/2024 8:45 AM ET MIKA BRZEZINSKI: There have been Senate races‚ three presidential campaigns‚ eight years of your husband serving as vice president. Unthinkable personal loss‚ and challenge‚ and now democracy is on the ballot.  What do you think when you hear people say‚ well‚ I just can't vote for Joe Biden this election? What is it they may not know about him at this point especially when the alternative seems to want to change this nation so radically?  JILL BIDEN: Well‚ you know‚ Mika‚ when I was dating Joe‚ one of the things that drew me to him was his strength‚ and I -- at that point‚ he had been through the death of his wife and baby daughter in a car accident‚ and then‚ you know‚ later we experienced the death of our son to cancer.  Throughout all of this‚ you know‚ I saw Joe as steady and calm and resilient‚ and actually I -- when we got here‚ I felt that he knew how to rebuild this country because he had rebuilt our family out of tragedy and I think what people don't see is how hard Joe works every single day‚ that he gets up thinking what he can do for the American people‚ and he does that‚ you know‚ his job doesn't end when we just have dinner together at 7:00.  He's on the phone‚ and he's on the phone with leaders of foreign countries‚ and he's on the phone with his cabinet or he's on the phone with somebody who's lost their home because of a tornado or going through some personal problem. So I see that strength and that resilience and that steadiness every single day‚ and he's unflappable‚ and when I look at the man‚ you know‚ his integrity‚ his character has not changed‚ and he's unwavering. He's unflappable.  … BRZEZINSKI: Potentially another four years in the White House-- BIDEN: Yes. BRZEZINSKI: -- with everything you do here. Does yet another one give you any pause thinking of‚ like‚ the personal health and well-being for both of you? The division in this country‚ the cruelty of MAGA Republicans against your family. Does any part of you once in a while think‚ ugh‚ maybe we bow out?  BIDEN: You know‚ that's why I want to go through yet another campaign‚ because I think as Joe says‚ democracy‚ our freedoms are what's on the line‚ and so Americans have a choice. You know‚ they can have strong‚ steady leadership‚ someone fighting for democracy‚ or they can choose chaos and division.  … BRZEZINSKI:  How have you been coping personally with the onslaught of accusations against your husband and your family‚ including and especially Hunter as the focus of a House Oversight Committee hearing holding‚ holding him in contempt‚ obsessing over him –  BIDEN: Yes.  BRZEZINSKI: -- showing pictures of him during vulnerable moments in his battle with addiction on the floor of the House. This would crush any family.  BIDEN: Mika‚ I think what they are doing to Hunter is cruel‚ and I'm really proud of how Hunter has rebuilt his life after addiction. You know‚ I love my son and it's hurt my grandchildren and that's what I'm so concerned about‚ that it's affecting their lives as well.  BRZEZINSKI: What do you think when you hear Trump Republicans calling it the Biden crime family or--? One congresswoman‚ the Biden crime family sold out America‚ Marjorie Taylor Greene‚ he's a liar‚ he's mentally incompetent and let's not even talk about what "Let's Go Brandon" means and U.S. Senators holding signs that say that.  BIDEN: It’s hard to realize our country isn’t it? I mean to look at it‚ what we used to have and what the other side‚ the extremists have turned this country into‚ I mean‚ we would never see things like that‚ say‚ ten years ago.  … BRZEZINSKI: So democracy is on the ballot and also something has been lost in this last four years or during your husband's presidency as a result of the Trump presidency and that is a woman's right to choose. BIDEN: Yes. BRZEZINSKI: Women’s health care. How important do you think that should be‚ in a factor‚ for all Americans voting in the next election? It feels like we've slid back. I mean‚ I can’t believe my daughters— BIDEN: That’s why we have to keep fighting and we’re—and what Joe wants to do is to codify Roe and that's what we have to do. We have to keep fighting.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus grilled Anthony Fauci for 14 hours over two days this week as part of a closed-door deep dive into the origins of COVID-19‚ the rollout of novel vaccines‚ and controversial pandemic protocols. The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases claimed over 100 times just in the first day of questioning that he could "not recall" possibly damning information. Nevertheless‚ what Fauci ultimately willed himself to remember or admit was revelatory. "Dr. Fauci's transcribed interview revealed systemic failures in our public health system and shed light on serious procedural concerns with our public health authority‚" wrote Committee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio). "It is clear that dissenting opinions were often not considered or suppressed completely. Should a future pandemic arise‚ America's response must be guided by scientific facts and conclusive data." Social distancing was a crock Wenstrup noted after the second day of interviews that Fauci‚ who once cast himself as the physical incarnation of science‚ admitted that social distancing recommendations "forced on Americans 'sort of just appeared' and were likely not based on scientific data." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed in 2020 the need for adults and school children to "remain at least 6 feet apart‚" suggesting that a failure to space students far apart presented the "highest risk." The CDC further recommended the use of face masks when the physical distance of six or more feet could not be maintained‚ confidently claiming that in its guidance that "maintaining physical distance (≥6 feet) lowers the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection through exposure to infectious respiratory droplets and aerosols and is important‚ even if no symptoms are apparent. The CDC did not relax its guidelines until summer 2022. Dr. Scott Gottlieb‚ one of former President Donald Trump's commissioners of the Food and Drug Administration‚ suggested as much in 2021‚ telling CBS News' "Face the Nation" that the six-foot social distancing rule was "arbitrary" — a compromise between the CDC‚ which initially sought a recommendation of 10 feet‚ and an unnamed appointee in the Trump administration who suggested 10 feet was "inoperable." Gottlieb underscored that this arbitrary rule was "probably the single costliest recommendation that [the] CDC made‚" reported Forbes. Not a conspiracy theory Wenstrup indicated that Fauci admitted this week the lab-leak theory "was‚ in fact‚ not a conspiracy theory."Previously‚ Fauci all but led the campaign to discredit the likely scenario that the unhygienic Chinese communist-run lab at the center of the pandemic — where patients zero conducted gain-of-function experiments on coronaviruses — was indeed the origin of the virus. Cognizant of top immunologists' concerns that COVID-19 was created in a lab his agency helped fund‚ Fauci commissioned‚ edited‚ and gave final approval to a 2020 paper suggesting the virus had a zoonotic origin. Fauci failed to note his involvement with the impactful March 2020 study published the journal Nature‚ "The Proximal Origins of SARS-CoV-2‚" when later citing it on the national stage to shore up his claim that it was unlikely the virus originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology ⁠— thereby buttressing the Chinese Communist Party's denials. Last year‚ the subcommittee identified two possible motives behind the apparent efforts by Fauci and his allies to downplay the lab-leak theory and vilify its proponents: The virologists either wanted to "defend China and play diplomat" or "lessen the likelihood of increased biosafety and laboratory regulations." A third possibility may have been to displace blame. After all‚ federal documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit revealed in 2023 that the NIAID‚ under former director Fauci‚ funded dangerous experiments on coronaviruses at the WIV in China's Hubei province. In his testimony this week‚ the subcommittee suggested that Fauci "played semantics with the definition of a 'lab leak' in an attempt to cover up the inaccurate conclusions of 'Proximal Origin.' It is impossible for him to defend 'Proximal Origin' as definitive while simultaneously acknowledging that a lab leak is possible." Additional admissions and denials Fauci revealed not only that he failed to correct state-circulated junk science and advanced at least one erroneous presumption on his own but also that he: agreed with Trump's controversial order to restrict travel from China and other nations at the outset of the pandemic; advised imposing vaccine mandates on college students; did not bother to review proposals when signing off on every foreign and domestic NIAID grant; and could not confirm whether his former agency had any mechanisms to conduct oversight of the foreign labs it bankrolls. Wenstrup (R-Ohio) indicated further that the geriatric scientist was also willing to admit that the policies and mandates he championed "may unfortunately increase vaccine hesitancy for years to come." While making some telling admissions‚ the former bureaucrat doubled down on his past claim that the National Institutes of Health did not fund gain-of-function research in Wuhan. Fauci also denied the allegations that he visited the CIA during the pandemic or influenced the agency's investigation into the origins of the virus. The subcommittee claimed in September that "Fauci was escorted into Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Headquarters — without a record of entry — and participated in the analysis to 'influence' the Agency’s review." The committee will hear further testimony from Fauci later this year. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Democrats in Washington state are proposing an added 11% sales tax on all purchases of ammunition‚ for what they describe as a "privilege‚" which would not be applied to sales to government agencies.The 2024 legislative session in Washington opened with an attempt to create added barriers to the purchasing of ammunition.State Representatives My-Linh Thai and Liz Berry introduced House Bill 2238 that began with a prologue on gun violence."Gun violence remains a persistent health and safety threat for people across our state. In Washington‚ a person is killed by a firearm every 14 hours and nearly half of all suicides are from firearms‚" the bill's text began.From there‚ the bill went on to described that the use of ammunition would be viewed as a "privilege" for the consumer."There is levied and collected a tax upon each retail sale of ammunition at the rate of 11 percent of the selling price‚" section two described. "A use tax is levied on every person in this state for the privilege of using ammunition as a consumer at the rate of 11 percent of the selling price‚" the legislation added.The bill also declared that revenue from the newly imposed tax would go to programs aimed at preventing suicide and to firearm-related domestic violence.The law would not apply to sales made to "state‚ local‚ or tribal governments for the purposes of supplying law enforcement agencies."Representative Berry has made "ending gun violence" one of her stated priorities. "My bill to ban untraceable‚ homemade ‘ghost guns’ became law as well as other critical measures to ban high-capacity magazines‚ and prohibit open carry at the state Capitol‚ public demonstrations‚ local government meetings and election-related facilities‚" Berry wrote on her website.Other priorities of hers included "urgent action on climate change" and "reproductive justice &; LGBTQI+ rights."Berry has also advocated for making "gun dealers and manufacturers accountable" for gun violence.The same representative also supported legislation to prohibit the sale‚ manufacturing‚ and importing of a wide variety of semi-automatic firearms in the state‚ Axios reported. For decades‚ a federal law has prevented gun violence victims and survivors from holding gun dealers and manufacturers accountable for dangerous and irresponsible practices.\n\nToday the Washington State House voted to end this harmful practice.\n\n#EndGunViolenceNow — (@) Thai on the other hand did not make as extensive remarks in regard to gun legislation. Her campaign stated that she would "legislate for sensible gun laws that ensure the safety of our kids and communities."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Philadelphia police said three females repeatedly punched and stomped on a female crossing guard after an argument‚ after which the 29-year-old victim was hospitalized.What are the details?While the attack took place Nov. 30‚ police on Tuesday released information about the attack‚ including still images of the suspects.Police said the victim was working as a crossing guard at 2800 Cecil B. Moore Avenue around 3:40 p.m. when she was involved in an argument with three unknown females.Cops noted that the three females knocked the victim to the ground and punched and stomped her several times.The victim suffered bruising to her head and face as well as swelling to her nose‚ left hand‚ and right leg‚ police said‚ adding that the victim was taken to Temple Hospital for treatment of her injuries.Police said if you see these suspects‚ call 911 immediately and do not approach them. Call or text 215-686-TIPS (8477) to submit confidential tips. If you have any information about this crime or these suspects‚ police said to call Central Detective Division at 215-686-3093/3094 and ask for Detective Allen. Aggravated Assault 2800 CB Moore Ave DC 23 22 069757 youtu.be How are folks reacting?Commenters on a WTXF-TV story published on Yahoo News were far from happy about the situation. Here's a sampling from among more than 1‚200 (and counting) observations:"Even if identified‚ found &; 20 witnesses came forward‚ the city STILL wouldn't prosecute them. Probably reduce it to jaywalking‚" one commenter wrote. "Crime rules‚ the good citizens are thrown under the bus.""The way to decrease crime is to increase punishment‚" another commenter opined. "It'll deter some and keep the ones who do commit crimes off the street longer. It's a win-win.""Seems like a responsible and reasonable way for moral‚ thinking‚ introspective‚ intelligent human beings to behave‚" another commenter quipped."If you lived in that neighborhood would you come forward and identify any one of them?" another commenter wondered. "The police don't even want to go there."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

This week‚ Blaze News spoke with Dr. Eithan Haim‚ a board-eligible general surgeon working in a small town near Dallas who claims that Texas Children's Hospital in Houston‚ the largest children's hospital in the country‚ continued mutilating kids' bodies through so-called "gender-affirming care" even after telling the public that its gender program had been placed on "pause."From 2018 until last June‚ Dr. Haim was completing his surgical residency at a number of Houston-area hospitals‚ including TCH. Beginning in late 2021‚ Haim began to suspect the hospital had a secret clinical program for children who may or may not suffer from gender dysphoria. Though Haim had heard about transgender clinics for kids in places like California and Washington‚ he had no notion that one could exist in Texas‚ let alone at a hospital where he was working. It seems Haim was right to be suspicious. In March 2022‚ Texas Children's Hospital announced that it had "paused hormone-related prescription therapies for gender-affirming services" in response to recent statements from Texas AG Ken Paxton and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott‚ both Republicans. A few weeks earlier‚ Paxton had called transgender treatments on minors a form of child "abuse" that "must be halted.""This step was taken to safeguard our healthcare professionals and impacted families from potential criminal legal ramifications‚" said the hospital statement."The mission of Texas Children’s Hospital is to create a healthier future for all children‚ including transgender children‚ within the bounds of the law."Despite this assurance‚ minor patients continued to receive hormone blockers and to undergo gender-related surgery throughout 2022 and even into 2023‚ Haim told Blaze News‚ and it appears that hospital staff and administrators did not even try to hide the ongoing program. According to Haim‚ in January 2023 alone‚ transgender program directors were given the chance to feature their work during a Grand Rounds lecture to the TCH department of pediatrics‚ and a panel organized by students at Baylor College of Medicine‚ which is affiliated with TCH‚ held a publicly accessible Zoom conference about gender "care" for minors."Directors of a program that supposedly did not even exist ... were given the most prestigious opportunities to speak in the hospital‚" Haim said‚ "where they were having Zoom conferences with medical students‚ and they [would] talk about how they were running this really active clinic ... so that all these kids could be seen and how they could be screened for being transgender behind parents' back."At that point‚ Haim said he could not longer keep silent."This is all for something that has no basis in medical reality‚" Haim told us. "I knew that I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do something about it."Haim said he then spent months reaching out to a number of journalists to share his story but got almost nowhere until he connected with notable anti-woke crusader Christopher Rufo. On May 16‚ 2023 — just one day before the Texas Senate passed SB 14 banning transgender procedures on kids — Rufo helped Haim anonymously reveal his accusations against Texas Children's Hospital with an article published in the Manhattan Institute's City Journal.Within days‚ TCH CEO Mark Wallace issued a statement‚ promising to close the facility's gender-care program on September 1‚ 2023‚ even though the program was supposed to have been put on "pause" in March 2022. "We will work with patients and their families to manage the discontinuation of hormone therapies or source appropriate care outside of Texas. We will continue to offer psychosocial support and any form of care we can within the bounds of the law‚" Wallace wrote in a letter dated May 24‚ 2023. "The transition we will embark on is going to be immensely heart-wrenching‚ but we will lead through this adversity and navigate these next steps together with grace‚ love and compassion like we always do."When asked why Haim took his story to a conservative activist rather than his superiors at the hospital‚ Haim told Blaze News that he knew going through the chain of command wouldn't have done any good. "The misconduct is being perpetrated by the high level of the hospital‚" so going to those at that level would have been "a recipe for failure‚" he explained.Going public‚ even anonymously‚ still had consequences‚ though. A few weeks after the City Journal story went viral last May‚ Haim said two federal agents with the Health and Human Services Department showed up at his home — on his residency graduation day‚ no less — and warned him that he had become "a potential target for a criminal investigation."These alleged threats from federal agents operating under the purview of the Biden administration motivated Haim to reveal his identity and share his story on his terms. "Defense has no meaning if we don't take offensive measure to hold the people accountable who have abused their authority. So that's exactly what we intend to do."And Haim has now taken steps to put that plan of accountability into motion. In addition to his conversation with Blaze News‚ he sat down for another interview with Rufo‚ this time on video and without the cover of anonymity. He hopes that sharing his story with various outlets will help people realize the severity of the harm such clinical interventions do to children's physical and mental health. Haim even used words like "evil" and "malevolent" to describe them."You can't believe that they're taking 11-‚ 12-‚ 13-year-old kids and starting them down this path where they're going to have to adopt an identity that's based on hatred of their true self‚" Haim said. "And for the rest of their life‚ they're going to have to be on drugs‚ gonna have to deal with the complications from surgery."And it's all based on something that's not true."He said he also wants to draw attention to the antics used by those in power to intimidate whistleblowers. "All I had done was expose something to be true‚" he said. "Within 24 hours of the story's release‚ what we had exposed was voted to become illegal‚ and I'm the one being investigated."As Haim no longer works at TCH‚ he could not definitively state whether the gender-care program there is still in operation‚ but he believes it is now finally defunct. TCH CEO Mark Wallace did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Chicago schools lost $23 million in taxpayer-funded electronic devices in one school year‚ an annual report from the Inspector General of Chicago Public School recently revealed.The fiscal year 2023 report‚ which audited the 2021-2022 school year‚ found that CPS could not account for 77‚505 electronic devices‚ with an original purchase price totaling over $23 million. The technology devices included laptops‚ iPads‚ Wi-Fi hotspots‚ printers‚ document cameras‚ and interactive whiteboards.Of the missing items‚ 4‚897 were reported stolen‚ while 72‚608 were reported lost. Many of the devices were given to students and some to staff‚ and most were marked as "unassigned‚" meaning the items had not been "assigned to a person" and "could be assigned to a room or to 'None‚'" the report noted. Additionally‚ the report mentioned that the $23 million figure did not include the value of 35% of the missing devices‚ which "had a blank or $0 for a purchase price in the SY 2021-22 CPS asset inventory database.""Obviously‚ the items had values at time of purchase‚ but those values were missing‚ so the OIG's $23M figure is conservative‚" the report commented.The OIG also found that CPS failed to execute "search and recovery procedures" for the missing items. The district "sometimes didn't try hard enough to find or recover" the missing devices‚ it added.In many cases‚ the same students‚ or siblings‚ had reported multiple lost technology devices‚ the report found. A significant number of devices provided to students for remote learning purposes during the COVID lockdowns were reportedly never returned. Some staff claimed that there were no consequences for students who failed to return the items. The OIG's report is the first time inventory has been assessed since in-person teaching was shut down."During the first in-school post-Covid-19 inventory‚ CPS schools reported an unacceptably high percentage of technology devices as lost or stolen‚ based on a flawed inventory process in need of a serious overhaul‚" the report read.CPS Inspector General Will Fletcher told WGN-TV‚ "It's just wasteful‚ [and] that's what our office is here to address and that's what we do.""Our work uncovered an incident where there were a pair of siblings‚ a brother and sister at school who between them lost 9-10 devices‚ [and] there's no record or indication that the district reached out to the family‚ mentioned this was an issue‚ try to figure out what happened‚" Fletcher added.In a statement to Fox News‚ CPS said‚ "In a district of our size‚ some device loss is expected‚ but we remain concerned about the loss of any public asset.""Our CPS team will work to streamline our system for tracking resources‚ including devices‚ while enforcing compliance with Board policy‚" the district continued. "In a district where more than 72 percent of students are from economically disadvantaged families‚ it is crucial that we are sensitive to our families as we conduct any device recovery efforts."According to CPS‚ many of the devices were "well over five years old‚" and more than 12‚000 missing devices have since been recovered. The district estimated that the current value of the missing items is closer to $2.5 million.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!