The Department of Justice admitted in a new court filing that Texas National Guard soldiers did not block Border Patrol agents from saving migrants who eventually drowned in the Rio Grande last Friday.On Saturday‚ the Biden administration accused Texas National Guard soldiers of having "physically barred" Border Patrol agents from responding to migrants-in-distress. The suggestion implicit in the accusation is that the migrants could have been saved had the Texas soldiers‚ in the words of the White House‚ not "blocked U.S. Border Patrol from attempting to provide emergency assistance."But the Justice Department admitted in a filing to the Supreme Court that the migrants — two children and an adult woman — had already drowned when tried to enter the Shelby Park area‚ the area of riverfront that Texas seized control of last week.The court filing explains:On January 12‚ 2024‚ at approximately 9:00 p.m.‚ Mexican officials advised Border Patrol of two migrants in distress on the U.S. side of the river in the area near the Shelby Park boat ramp. Mexican officials also informed Border Patrol that three migrants — one woman and two children — had drowned at approximately 8:00 p.m. in the same area.This is a significant admission that undermines the accusations and suggests the Biden administration was dishonest in its accusations.Importantly‚ the government's own admission‚ filed by Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar (D)‚ corroborates what the Texas Military Department said about the incident‚ namely that "claims that TMD prevented Border Patrol from saving the lives of drowning migrants are wholly inaccurate."Mexican officials‚ meanwhile‚ recovered the bodies of the deceased migrants and confirmed that the migrants never entered U.S. territory.Still‚ the DOJ attempted to intimidate the Supreme Court."It is impossible to say what might have happened if Border Patrol had had its former access to the area‚" Prelogar wrote in the filing.What is clear‚ however‚ is that Border Patrol agents would not have been able to save the migrants because they unfortunately had already drowned when Mexican authorities alerted their U.S. counterparts of the tragedy. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

I can imagine the outrage from Republicans if Ibram X. Kendi wrote that Thomas Jefferson’s belief in the racial inferiority of the people he enslaved was the foundation upon which the Ku Klux Klan and Jim Crow laws were built.Not even a clear acknowledgment of Jefferson’s role in writing the Declaration of Independence would spare Kendi from the wrath of pundits and politicians on the right. He would be accused of unfairly judging an important historical figure using modern terms and ideas that don’t fit the realities of the past. Charlie Kirk‚ the founder of the influential conservative group Turning Point USA‚ is attempting this type of revisionist assessment of Dr. Martin Luther King‚= Jr. with the hopes of stripping the civil rights icon of his place in the pantheon of American heroes. Kirk took to social media on Monday to bemoan the “deification” of Dr. King‚ a cultural phenomenon he linked to the collapse of the black family‚ urban decay‚ and rising crime. My sense is that concern for the black community is not the real reason Dr. King is in the crosshairs of conservative influencers. Why?Concern for the least‚ the last‚ and the lost should be a feature of American culture‚ not a recruiting tool for self-serving communists.Because they claim the 1964 Civil Rights Act‚ his crowning legislative achievement‚ is the genesis of “diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion‚” which they see as the left’s preferred euphemism for discrimination against straight white men. I share the frustration many conservatives have expressed about DEI’s elevation of personal identity over merit. I also know that the people who use their race‚ sex‚ and gender identity to demand access to opportunity‚ then deflect the accountability that comes with the job undermine their own cause. That said‚ I predict attempts to blame King for DEI and diminish his cultural significance will fail because they are intellectually dishonest‚ historically unsustainable‚ and politically unwise. Three main criticismsMartin Luther King Jr.’s flaws and personal failings are neither new nor disqualifying. King’s critics employ three general lines of criticism to challenge his legacy. Christians who question King’s theology point to his rejection of key tenets of the faith‚ including the divinity of Jesus. The critiques of King’s doctrine have merit‚ but the only people making them are typically biblically orthodox Protestants — the type of people who are called “fundamentalist” by corporate media. The second major criticism of King was his social and economic philosophy‚ which typically gets compressed into accusations that he was a communist. As is often the case in life‚ the truth is far more complex. Yes‚ King criticized capitalism and decried wealth inequality. He also advocated wealth redistribution and supported a guaranteed annual income for all Americans. Those ideas‚ however‚ don’t make him a communist. King’s belief that the exploitation of the working class was a feature of free market economics sounds similar to the same objections Tucker Carlson raised several years ago. Likewise‚ conservative support for the earned income tax credit and child tax credit demonstrates that every person in favor of social programs for the poor is not a Marxist. Libertarian economist Milton Friedman supported guaranteed income for Americans because it provided more economic and social freedom than traditional welfare programs. King also explicitly rejected communism and stated it was incompatible with Christianity. Now‚ let us begin by answering the question which our sermon topic raises: Can a Christian be a communist? I answer that question with an emphatic “no.” These two philosophies are diametrically opposed. The basic philosophy of Christianity is unalterably opposed to the basic philosophy of communism‚ and all of the dialectics of the logician cannot make them lie down together. They are contrary philosophies.Lastly‚ King’s critics point to his moral failures‚ including adultery and plagiarism‚ as reasons he should be stripped of any honor. King’s personal shortcomings are well documented. Even his fellow progressives have pointed them out. The conservatives who subject King to such high standards of ethical conduct‚ however‚ don’t do the same for their heroes.Conservatives chastise the left for judging America’s founders by today's moral standards. They claim the history of chattel slavery in America must be put in its proper context. They rotate between a handful of predictable responses‚ including that every society in human history had slaves and Africans sold other Africans into bondage. These conservatives claim that the history of slavery in America should not be judged by today’s moral standards. Yet they blame Dr. King for the ideas they find objectionable today‚ more than 50 years after he was assassinated. First‚ they grab a clip of King talking about racism’s impact on black Americans — one century removed from emancipation — and the need for radical social and economic changes to address poverty. Then they make a few logical leaps and tenuous ideological connections and‚ with the wave of a hand‚ transform King from a civil rights leader who decried racial discrimination into a pink-haired DEI commissar who uses “she/they” pronouns and says too many white men are applying for positions within her company.Communism vs. slaveryThis type of sloppy thinking does a disservice to the conservative movement today. It also serves as a sharp contrast to the long history of serious thinking on religion‚ freedom‚ tradition‚ government‚ and the human condition that have defined the conservative movement for centuries. It also communicates‚ especially to many black voters‚ that to some conservatives‚ communism is worse than slavery. In this warped worldview‚ people who favor wealth redistribution are guilty of an unpardonable sin‚ but those who bought and sold human beings can always be redeemed. Someone’s political ideology must always be considered in context. Examining a person’s ideas about controversial issues is fair. Using an intergenerational daisy chain of political views to link one person’s ideas to someone who practices the opposite of those ideas decades later is not.Martin Luther King Jr. doesn’t have to be deified to recognize his contributions to American society. People who are angry about the rejection of qualified white applicants for jobs should be thankful laws exist that explicitly ban discrimination on the basis of race. This is the reason white workers have won racial discrimination lawsuits against nonwhite employers.The strongest advocate of a principle is the person who clings to it even when its benefits remain out of his grasp. This is what gave‚ and still gives‚ black Americans who lived through slavery and segregation a unique perspective on our founding principles as well as the space between the country’s creeds and deeds. Their experiences shaped their outlook on America’s past and future. I would not be surprised if a Tuskegee airman who served his country honorably in World War II‚ only to be treated like a second-class citizen at home‚ had complex feelings about his nation in the 1960s. That’s part of the human condition‚ not the effects of Marxist infiltration of the civil rights movement. If Charlie Kirk felt justified in calling a train derailment in East Palestine‚ Ohio‚ a “war on white people” that demanded a robust government response‚ surely he can understand why Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders in the 1960s called for federal action to combat voter disenfranchisement‚ lynchings‚ and church bombings. Concern for the least‚ the last‚ and the lost should be a feature of American culture‚ not a recruiting tool for self-serving communists.

New York City’s solitary confinement ban “is a serious threat” to the safety of inmates and staff‚ according to the federal monitor overseeing the city’s jail system‚ the New York Post reported Tuesday.In a letter to the city council‚ the federal monitor argued that the city’s move to prohibit jails from placing potentially violent inmates in solitary confinement would only “exacerbate the already dangerous conditions” in the jails. In December‚ the city council pushed through a controversial measure‚ Bill 549-A‚ that would only allow jail staff to separate inmates who have engaged in violence while in custody‚ Blaze News previously reported. Those inmates can only be isolated for four hours at a time in a “de-escalation” unit‚ the Post reported. All inmates must receive 14 hours of out-of-cell time per day‚ according to the bill.Supporters of the measure claimed that solitary confinement amounts to torture and should only be used in extreme circumstances. Critics argued that the bill would endanger other inmates and jail staff.New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams and police and jail guard unions strongly opposed the measure‚ which passed through the City Council in a 39-7 vote.The federal monitor’s recent letter to the City Council contended that solitary confinement is an “essential component” to maintaining jail safety‚ warning that the measure would “undermine the overall goals of protecting individuals” behind bars.“Those who engage in serious violence while in custody must be supervised in a manner that is different from that used for the general population‚” the letter continued. “The Monitoring Team strongly believes…that the various operational requirements and constraints that accompany the elimination of solitary confinement in Council Bill 549-A will likely exacerbate the already dangerous conditions in the jails.”The federal monitors further claimed that mandating a “global approach to out-of-cell time” would “significantly endangers both persons in custody and staff and is not consistent with sound correctional practice.”“The Department must be able to effectively separate those who have engaged in serious acts of violence from potential victims and‚ to some degree‚ limit their freedom of movement when they are engaged in congregate activity outside their cells‚” it added.The monitoring team also claimed that the restrictions could hinder the Department of Correction’s ability to comply with the 2015 Nunez court orders‚ which aimed to reduce jail violence and use of force by guards‚ the Post reported.In a separate letter to the City Council‚ Department of Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie wrote‚ “I believe I must warn you that implementing Intro. 549-A as written is a serious threat to the safety of incarcerated people and DOC staff; the very people we are supposed to protect.”“Separating persistently violent individuals from the general population is critical to maintaining a safe correctional environment‚” she continued. “That separation needs to be administered humanely‚ but it also must provide a meaningful deterrent for violent behavior.”A spokesperson for City Hall stated that the administration is “exceptionally grateful to the federal monitor for providing guidance on Intro 549-A and validating precisely what Mayor Adams has been saying all along — this bill could endanger both our Department of Correction staff and those in our care.”“The monitor also notes that this bill could impede our ability to comply with the Nunez court orders — something this legislation’s staunchest supporters claim to care deeply about‚” the spokesperson added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The FBI arrested a Nazi-supporting transvestite in Oregon last week over his alleged recent threats on a "Trans Woman Support Group" Facebook page. According to the criminal complaint‚ FBI agents in Eugene‚ Oregon‚ were tipped off on Sept. 26‚ 2023‚ that the suspect — a 56-year-old man who calls himself Elizabeth Ballesteros West — posted images of guns on the transvestite support page along with a complaint about bullying by so-called transphobic individuals. "Well‚ I wish I had better news to tell but what I'm writing to you right now is the fact that I'm at the end of my rope‚" wrote West‚ a testament to leftist intersectionality. "I'm probably gonna get fired from his job...I'm too old to keep looking for jobs and I've had it up to here being bullied by trans phobic a**holes I am left with no alternative." The FBI later learned that West was fired from his job the following month. The transvestite added in his Facebook post‚ "I'll probably have to go out in a blaze of glory. I've been preparing for this moment a long time at least then I'll be remember I have no family no friend." FBI special agent Damara Gonzalez suggested that West's September Facebook threat along with his stash of weapons‚ which he would not part with voluntarily‚ qualified him as "an interstate threat." After several more months of deranged and threatening posts‚ the FBI finally searched West's residence‚ vehicle‚ and person. During the Jan. 9 raid‚ they found a pistol in his car and seized 11 handguns‚ 16 rifles‚ and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition from his house. According to the complaint‚ agents also found a journal‚ which had written on the first page: "Blood‚ death‚ self torture self hatred wicked thoughts of mass murder at the gloved hands of the veil mistress." West's so-called veil mistress reportedly appeared in at least 48 of his hand drawings‚ usually depicted wielding a sword‚ "stabbing‚ hanging‚ mutilating‚ and killing men‚ most of whom she refers to as 'n******.'" West's derangement‚ while especially pronounced in recent years‚ allegedly goes back decades. The criminal complaint indicated that West was previously arrested in 1993 for sticking a shotgun in his father's mouth and pulling the trigger. The gun had fortunately not gone off. During previous hospitalizations‚ West was reportedly diagnosed with bipolar disorder‚ dissociative disorder‚ and PTSD. When initially interviewed by FBI agents concerning the Facebook threat‚ West said he "was lonely and felt suicidal in the past‚" especially after his recent discovery that he might have to pay out of pocket for a sex change surgery and in response to his boyfriend's death in 2017. A confidential source told authorities that West‚ long in a homosexual relationship‚ would attend neo-Nazi rallies with his boyfriend. Prior to his arrest‚ West was allegedly a prolific poster of pro-Nazi messages‚ memes‚ and videos on social media‚ denigrating both Jewish and black people; idolizing Hitler and the swastika; and celebrating the Christchurch mosque shooting in New Zealand. Throughout the month of December‚ West appeared to ramp up his output of vile and hateful content. On Dec. 7‚ West posted a picture of a Nazi flag with the caption‚ "Your time will come‚" according to the criminal complaint. Court Watch reported that the bio for West's supposed X account states he is "a Nazi dominatrix from Hell‚ who is tired of the blackening of America and Europe and ready to stand up to the Black orcs and the Jewish wizards." West later told agents his special loathing for black people stemmed from an alleged assault by three black men in 1990 and his black customers' tendency to "mis-gender" him intentionally. West's apparent antipathy for Israel and Jews appears to have been reinforced by pro-Palestinian sentiment. Following his arrest‚ West was booked into the Lane County Jail‚ where he was listed as a female inmate. There has been a trend in recent years of shootings committed by transvestites‚ including the Sept. 20‚ 2018‚ mass shooting outside a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen‚ Maryland; the 2019 STEM School Highlands Ranch mass shooting in Colorado; the November 2022 massacre at a LGBT club in Colorado Springs; the massacre of children at a Christian elementary school in Nashville in March 2023; and the mass school shooting in Perry‚ Iowa‚ earlier this month. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An Indiana homeowner fatally shot an intruder approaching him with a chainsaw last month — and WNDU-TV reported last week‚ citing court documents‚ that the killing has been ruled a "justifiable homicide."What are the details?Authorities around 9:20 p.m. Dec. 14 responded to a call about a shooting at a residence in the 1100 block of Beale Street in South Bend‚ the station said.Arriving officers found a man‚ now identified as 68-year-old Richard Davis‚ suffering from a gunshot wound‚ WNDU said‚ adding that he later died at a hospital.The subsequent investigation involving accounts from witnesses‚ including neighbors‚ determined that a homeowner and his wife were getting ready to enter their house when they received an alarm from their security system‚ the station said.The homeowner asked his wife to remain in their car while he approached the rear gate of their property‚ WNDU reported‚ citing court documents.The station said at that point‚ Davis was said to have approached the homeowner while holding a chainsaw above his shoulders. The homeowner said when Davis advanced toward him‚ he feared he would die or be seriously injured‚ WNDU reported.With that‚ the homeowner told police he fired his handgun once‚ striking Davis‚ and told his wife to call 911‚ the station said. Davis reportedly took the chainsaw out of the homeowner's garage prior to the shooting‚ WNDU said‚ adding that it isn't clear if the chainsaw was operating at the time. The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office said since it can't prove the shooting wasn't a justifiable homicide‚ no criminal charges will be filed in connection with the shooting‚ the station said. 'F*** around and find out'One commenter on WNDU's Facebook page adamantly defended the homeowner's actions."You do that on my property‚ it's called ... f*** around and find out‚" the commenter wrote‚ adding that "worthless people" should "quit breaking the f****** [law] and taking ... s***. More people need to start sticking up for their [property]. I bet the crime rate will go down."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

League of Legends is stirring all sorts of conversations with its latest season as is the case with each of the MOBA's major new patches. While fans discuss whether or not Season 14 is off to a good start as others gear up for Smolder's fiery arrival‚ Riot Games developers are taking to online forums such as Reddit to answer players' most pressing questions. One of the most recent AMAs sees a particularly interesting response come to light regarding the possibility of ranked ARAM. Continue reading League of Legends could be getting a ranked ARAM mode‚ yes‚ really MORE FROM PCGAMESN: League of Legends Season 14‚ League of Legends patch 13.23‚ League of Legends tier list

Starfield had quite an impressive launch‚ even when comparing it to Bethesda's usual RPG releases. According to the behemoth developer‚ the interstellar entry saw more initial sales than any of its older games‚ including the likes of Fallout 4 and Skyrim. Since the successful period‚ though‚ player numbers have dwindled and reviews have dropped with fans waiting for big updates containing new features. The first of 2024's major expected patches is now facing a delay it seems. Continue reading Starfield delays big update suddenly‚ cites newly discovered “issue” MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Starfield mods‚ Starfield outposts‚ Starfield traits

"They completely modified the valley at a level we've never seen. It's incredible." The post Huge Network Of Ancient Cities Uncovered In The Amazon Rainforest appeared first on All That's Interesting.

The Houthis have carried out attacks against commercial and military ships in the Red Sea since mid November.

People's Forum Director Looks Forward to When We 'Finally Deal That Final Blow to Destroy Israel'