White House spokesman Ian Sams became defensive on Thursday when CNN anchor Phil Mattingly confronted him over the changing narrative about President Joe Biden's alleged involvement in Hunter Biden's business schemes.For years‚ President Biden said that he never discussed business with his son. But that narrative began to change earlier this year after Devon Archer‚ one of Hunter's longtime business associates‚ testified to Congress that Biden had conversed with his son's business associates on numerous occasions. On Wednesday‚ the goalposts moved farther when Hunter Biden gave an exceptionally specific defense of his father."Let me state as clearly as I can: my father was not financially involved in my business‚" the first son said on Capitol Hill while defying a congressional subpoena.On "CNN This Morning‚" Mattingly highlighted the "evolution" of the narrative and pressed Sams about the specificity of the Hunter's statement. "Was that an intentional point of clarity‚ do you think?" Mattingly asked.Sams‚ however‚ became immediately defensive."I actually dispute the whole premise of that question‚" he said. Sams accused Mattingly of using "one of Jim Jordan's favorite little shiny objects— to try to take a semantic thing and make an argument" against the president. But Mattingly immediately shut down the accusation."With respect‚ I'm not siding with Jim Jordan here. I was in some of the White House press briefings where it was said explicitly the president did not talk to his son about business dealing. That is very clearly not the case and I think the statement from the White House has changed‚" the CNN anchor responded. "I'm not saying this is like an impeachable offense or some grand indictment‚ but it is a fact that the president said one thing that ended up being not true." — (@) Sams responded by accusing Mattingly of being dishonest."I dispute that that's true. That is not true. The truth is that he wasn't in business with his son‚" Sams said."Again‚ I'm not saying that he was in business with his son‚" Mattingly fired back.The last part of the exchange is telling. Mattingly never accused Biden of being involved in Hunter's business schemes; he was simply questioning the White House's changing narrative. Yet Sams twisted himself into a knot — ultimately not addressing the question — to defend President Biden from allegations that Mattingly never raised.Sams' response thus raises the question: if there is nothing to read into Hunter Biden's specific defense of his father‚ why dodge Mattingly's question? Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Certainly LeBron James loves the fact that he’s a billionaire; what’s ironic (and hypocritical)‚ however‚ is the fact that he hates the country that paved the way for him to become a billionaire. His latest cringeworthy political stunt occurred at his son’s basketball game this past Tuesday. The Laker’s power forward was filmed arrogantly walking into the arena during the national anthem and then sitting down as the song continued to play. Dave Rubin is disgusted by the flagrant disregard for our country but is also not surprised. “This has been consistent with LeBron James kneeling for the national anthem‚ sitting for the national anthem‚ [and] all of the BLM nonsense‚” he criticizes. “Michael Jordan‚ who is the true best player in basketball history ... went out of his way to be apolitical” because “he knew that everybody bought sneakers‚ everybody watched basketball‚ [and] that you watch sports and you participate in sports to get away from the day to day nonsense of the world” — a concept LeBron clearly doesn’t understand. Dave isn’t the only one who is repulsed by the superstar’s behavior‚ though. UFC legend Colby Covington also had some choice words for the athlete’s unapologetic disrespect. “If you hate America so much and you don’t like this country that gave you a billion dollars‚ leave it‚” he said‚ “or come deal with me.” “Go to China‚ go to the sweatshops where you employ all these laborers and use these women and pay them pennies on the dollar to make your millions.” “F*** you ... You’re a spineless coward‚ and you’re a b****‚” he fired before literally dropping the microphone and stalking off the stage. “I wanna get that guy on the show‚” laughs Dave. To see more of LeBron’s worst moments‚ watch the video below. Want more from Dave Rubin?To enjoy more honest conversations‚ free speech‚ and big ideas with Dave Rubin‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

UFC superstar Colby Covington blasted LeBron James on Wednesday after the Los Angeles Lakers' star power forward was caught on camera ignoring the national anthem.On Sunday‚ James attended a USC Trojans basketball game to watch his son‚ Bronny James‚ make his collegiate basketball debut. But James went viral after he walked into the Galen Center while the national anthem was being sung. When James reached his court-side seat‚ the NBA legend did not remain standing in observance of the anthem. Instead‚ he immediately sat down. — (@) During a press conference for UFC 296‚ Covington called out LeBron James for his history of kowtowing to China and his irreverence for the U.S."F*** LeBron James. If you hate America so much and you don’t like this country that gave you a billion dollars‚ leave it or come deal with me‚" Covington said."You go to China‚ go to these sweat shops that you employ all these laborers and use these women and pay them pennies on the dollar to make your millions‚" he continued. "F*** you‚ LeBron James. You're a coward. You're a spineless coward‚ and you're a b**ch."Covington actually made those comments after he had completed his press conference. He had walked away from the microphone‚ but returned about a minute later to condemn James. Colby Covington RANT on Government and LeBron James www.youtube.com While wearing a "Make America Great Again" suit jacket complete with former President Donald Trump's signature and a red‚ white‚ and blue version of his mugshot on the back‚ the welterweight fighter also spoke on politics."I can't believe they're using the Justice Department against [Trump]. Do you guys realize how corrupt this system is right now? They're weaponizing the justice system‚ the DOJ — it's political persecution‚" Covington said."They're scared of [Trump]. They know he's the greatest threat to the swamp. He stands for democracy‚ and they don't like that. There's a bunch of communist people running this country right now‚ and we need to get them out‚" he continued. "Our borders are wide open‚ inflation is higher than it's ever been. Our streets are burning‚ and we're sending money to Ukraine? For what? What happened to America first? That's what Donald Trump stands for." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A drunken man "sexually molested" a manatee statue at a Florida restaurant‚ threw alligator nuggets‚ got into a physical altercation with a worker‚ and went on an obscenity-filled tirade at a hotel that caused a traffic jam‚ police said. Anthony Michael Lessa‚ 23‚ was arrested on Friday night and charged with a misdemeanor count of disorderly intoxication‚ according to an arrest report from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.Lessa was reportedly dining at Rick's Reef‚ a bar and restaurant located in St. Pete Beach‚ Florida. Lessa allegedly became intoxicated at the restaurant and was hostile toward staffers. "The patron became upset when he was told he’d already paid his bill‚ then got angrier when he was asked to leave the restaurant‚" the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said. WOFL reported‚ "When staff confronted Lessa‚ he 'became belligerent' and 'sexually molested' a manatee statue in the presence of staff and other patrons‚ the affidavit said." See on Instagram Lessa is accused of being "physically aggressive" with a restaurant employee who asked him to leave. Lessa — from Pittsburgh‚ Pennsylvania — allegedly hurled gator nuggets in the restaurant before fleeing the scene.Approximately 30 minutes later‚ Lessa arrived at the Postcard Inn on the Beach‚ less than half a mile from the Rick's Reef restaurant. At the hotel‚ Lessa reportedly screamed obscenities at employees and "acted disorderly" before he was asked to leave. Lessa refused to leave so the hotel manager called police‚ according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. The hotel manager reportedly asked Lessa to calm down and offered to escort him to his room‚ but he refused to say which room he was in.According to the affidavit‚ Lessa exited the hotel and went to the parking lot‚ where he continued to hurl vulgarities. Deputies said the man's outburst caused a back-up in traffic on Gulf Boulevard. He was also accused of "disturbing of the peace of several other guests waiting for rides."During his arrest and subsequent pat-down‚ police officers discovered gator nuggets in his pocket‚ as seen in video released by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. A deputy is heard on video asking Lessa‚ "What is that? Oh‚ that was the crap you had that you were throwing in the other restaurant."Lessa responded‚ "Nuggets‚ yeah. Gator nuggets. Shark bites."A shoeless Lessa repeatedly asked the officers why he was being arrested and ordered them to contact his lawyer. Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputies reportedly detected a strong odor consistent with alcohol and observed that his pupils were dilated in a high-light environment. The suspect was in a heightened state with a short-term memory implication‚ deputies said.Lessa was arrested and booked into jail. He was released on Saturday morning. — (@) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Blaze Media investigative journalist Steve Baker on Thursday said the U.S. Department of Justice will be charging him for his Jan. 6 reporting. — (@) "My attorney has just been notified by @FBI that I am going to be charged by @TheJusticeDept for my journalistic efforts on #Jan6‚" Baker wrote Thursday on X. "I have to self-surrender on Tuesday. Charges are yet unknown. Stay tuned for more information to follow this afternoon." What are the details? Baker on Thursday told Blaze Media that FBI Special Agent Craig Noyes contacted his attorney in North Carolina and that Noyes said he doesn't know what the charges are — and won't know until the judge signs off on the warrant. Baker also told Blaze Media that if the Justice Department goes forward with charges‚ travel restrictions will be placed on him‚ which will hamper his reporting‚ as he's based in North Carolina but works a great deal in Washington‚ D.C.‚ covering trials‚ viewing Jan. 6 videos‚ and speaking face-to-face with elected officials. Given Baker has been writing Blaze Media investigative stories on Jan. 6 since early October‚ Baker said he "cannot help but think the timing [of the impending charges] is suspect." Blaze Media's editor in chief‚ Matthew Peterson‚ spoke out Thursday regarding the message Baker said the FBI delivered to his attorney. — (@) — (@) — (@) What's the background?Baker discussed his Jan. 6 legal saga in a pair of October commentary pieces for Blaze Media (here and here).In them‚ Baker said he'd been under federal investigation for the better part of two years following his independent journalistic work on Jan. 6‚ which began before he joined Blaze Media.More from Baker's first commentary:I made no effort to hide what I was doing on January 6. I did two different interviews that same day with WUSA‚ a CBS News affiliate in Washington‚ D.C. I also uploaded a short YouTube video commentary later that same evening.Upon returning to my home in Raleigh‚ North Carolina‚ I socked myself away for five days‚ doing a frame-by-frame analysis of my own videos. I then wrote and published on January 13‚ 2021‚ a 9‚500-word opus to my blog detailing what I experienced that day‚ titled‚ “What I Saw on January 6th in Washington‚ D.C.” That piece‚ and a February 24‚ 2021‚ follow-up‚ “Who was ‘Up the Chain’ on January 6?” has been viewed and read by hundreds of thousands of readers on my blog and various social media pages.I always expected that I would be contacted by the FBI at some point‚ at the very least to acquire my videos for the bureau's investigations. I did no violence or property destruction on January 6‚ and I certainly did not interfere with the election certification‚ as I didn’t enter the Capitol Building until well after both the Senate and House of Representatives had been evacuated.After the FBI made initial contact with Baker in July 2021‚ Baker said he and his attorney met in person with FBI Special Agents Gerrit Doss and Craig Noyes in North Carolina on Oct. 18‚ 2021. At the conclusion of the interview‚ Baker said he and his attorney volunteered to turn over Baker's Jan. 6 videos‚ but nothing came of that. Baker said his attorney got a Nov. 17‚ 2021‚ email from assistant U.S. attorney Anita Eve saying that Baker could expect to be "charged within the week" — and that the charges would be interstate racketeering and property damage‚ which Baker said were bogus. With that‚ Baker said he and his attorney informed the media that he — an independent journalist — was being prosecuted for his coverage of Jan. 6.Eve was forwarded a copy of Baker's press release‚ telling his attorney that she was "not thrilled" with it. His attorney replied‚ “Mr. Baker is obviously feeling threatened by the charges and is using his First Amendment right to garner support. ... Are you suggesting that he refrain from making further statements? ... He has nothing to hide. But he does have a right to speak truthfully about his experiences and share his opinions. ... It’s not fair to ask him to be silent while he endures federal prosecution.” His attorney again volunteered to turn over Baker's Jan. 6 videos.Despite the threat of charges "within the week‚" Baker said he didn't hear from Eve's office for nearly two years — and in August 2023‚ his attorney accepted service of a grand jury subpoena‚ signed by Eve‚ for all the Jan. 6 videos Baker personally recorded.Baker wrote in his second commentary that "grand juries generally are not convened for misdemeanor offenses but rather for felony charges." Curiously‚ he added that renewed interest from the Justice Department coincided perfectly with his discussions with Blaze Media to become a contributing investigative journalist and columnist.As Baker told Blaze Media on Thursday‚ he'd been "poking the bear rather aggressively."Later that same August‚ Baker and his attorney delivered a flash drive containing his videos to FBI Special Agent Noyes. Baker concluded his second commentary with the following promise: "The truth is‚ my life hasn’t been destroyed. Yet. But many others have been. I intend to show through my investigations that many lives have been destroyed for no good reason — and that cannot stand."How are others reacting?Bradford L. Geyer‚ an attorney who represented now-imprisoned Oath Keeper Kenneth Harrelson — who Baker said was unjustly accused on Jan. 6 — on Thursday told Blaze Media that "since Jan. 6‚ few reporters have uncovered as many vital stories as Steve Baker. It sadly seems plausible that the decision to charge him is influenced by his recent reporting and the new stories he's in the process of breaking. If the government believes this will silence him‚ we predict it will be sadly mistaken. Journalists play a critical role in upholding transparency and informing the public‚ making it vital for them to operate without undue interference from law enforcement. Providing journalists with protections and a buffer ensures the preservation of a free press‚ safeguarding the democratic principles of open discourse and accountability. Sadly‚ it seems that the historical high bar for investigating journalists at the Justice Department has been conspicuously lowered in some cases. Given the stakes‚ all journalists should rally to Steve Baker’s defense."Anything else?Baker's first Jan. 6 analysis came in October‚ following countless hours in a House subcommittee office looking at frame after frame of Jan. 6 closed-circuit video — and it had him wondering: did the security chief for then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi perjure himself in the Oath Keepers trial?Soon after‚ the slow pace of getting an unrestricted look at everything recorded on video prompted Blaze Media editor in chief Matthew Peterson's appeal to House Speaker Mike Johnson to release all the videos. On Nov. 17‚ Johnson did just that.Baker's investigative efforts also resulted in two additional analyses‚ both focusing on Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn: "January 6 and the N-word that wasn't" and "Harry Dunn's account of January 6 does not add up. At all."Just days ago‚ Baker alleged he uncovered major irregularities involving Dunn‚ Capitol Police‚ the press‚ and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland).Here's Baker speaking to Glenn Beck‚ founder of TheBlaze‚ on Oct. 4 about his first Jan. 6 investigative story for Blaze Media: Pelosi’s Head of Security Likely PERJURED Himself With Jan 6 LIE | Blaze Media EXCLUSIVE 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!

Ghostly Activities acquired the SLS Mini‚ which you’ve seen on Kindred Spirits. It’s a lightweight‚ structured-light sensor that scans the environment to detect ghostly figures. Adam Berry‚ a lead investigator on Kindred Spirits‚ sells the gadget on his site. SLS Mini Demonstration It takes about 20 seconds for the camera to start scanning the space for ghosts The ghost hunting gadget is fairly easy to assemble‚ and Adam has created a training video for it. You will need to download 2 apps. If you want to use IR with the SLS Mini‚ download Structure Uplink. To use without IR‚ download Nuitrack. SLS Mini Gallery Each SLS Mini comes with a carrying case SLS Mini uses a hand grip to hold SLS Mini mounts to a lightweight handgrip and uses your phone to record ghostly activity Each unit comes with a protective carrying case‚ which I really liked. Inside‚ you’ll find the SLS Mini securely held with foam. You’ll receive a power cord and a cable to connect the SLS camera to your iPhone. There’s also a universal tool to help tighten any screws on the grip. Adam’s training video makes it easy for you to assemble the gadget. You’ll also receive printed instructions to refer to. I thought it was a bit wonky to use the apps. One of them‚ the Nuitrack app‚ only displays the area for 3 minutes. Then‚ you have to restart the app to continue viewing the environment for ghostly figures. To record your screen‚ make sure you have the Screen Recording widget in your phone’s Control Center. To record audio for EVPs‚ then hold down the Screen Recording button for 3 seconds to turn on the microphone. If you have any technical questions‚ you’ll have to contact the manufacturer in the UK. That’s also listed on the printed documentation as well as mentioned in the training video. At first‚ I wanted to use an iPad mini with the SLS Mini‚ but the handgrip didn’t expand enough to hold it. It will hold the Pro Max versions of your iPhone‚ but I don’t think the handgrip will work for anything larger. I’ll use the gadget on a ghost hunt in January 2024‚ and I’m very excited to see what I’ll find. After that ghost hunt‚ I’ll write an in-depth review of the product. If you’re interested‚ you can buy this gadget from Adam Berry’s shop. Note: Jake bought the SLS Mini with his own money‚ so there’s no expectation of a positive review for the manufacturer or seller. The post SLS Mini Has Arrived! appeared first on Ghostly Activities.

Mind Over Magic is my newest obsession‚ and it comes as developer Sparkypants' debut game. You may recognize the publisher though‚ Klei Entertainment‚ as the brilliant team behind the classic survival crafting game‚ Don't Starve (and its equally impressive multiplayer counterpart‚ Don't Starve Together). The two joined forces to deliver their new game‚ Mind Over Magic‚ a stunning Frostpunk-like simulation game. Continue reading Don’t Starve Together publisher releases Frostpunk-like magic sim game MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best indie games‚ Best management games‚ Best simulation games

Mortal Kombat 1 is constantly expanding‚ with NetherRealm Studios regularly revealing more of what's to come in its recent fighting game. Its latest livestream detailed a few exciting upcoming additions‚ including a long-awaited crossplay launch date. As the developer initially explained the cross-platform capabilities wouldn't come until later‚ we finally know that we can expect to play with friends on other systems early next year. Continue reading Mortal Kombat 1 finally reveals crossplay launch‚ and it’s coming soon MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Mortal Kombat 1 review‚ Mortal Kombat 1 fatalities‚ Mortal Kombat 1 tier list

The Perseverance rover collected samples that may indicate there was once microbial life on Mars from a crater that held a massive lake billions of years ago. The post Mars Rover Discovers That A Large Crater On The Red Planet Once Held A Lake appeared first on All That's Interesting.

The newly discovered statue is a rare original piece by Philiskos of Rhodes‚ a famed sculptor whose work was often replicated. The post Hellenistic-Era ‘Dancing Muses’ Statue Unearthed After 22 Centuries appeared first on All That's Interesting.