The Biden-era State Department promoted censorship in Brazil, according to documents highlighted by former State Department official and free speech advocate Mike Benz. The State Department’s “Integrated Country Strategy” for Brazil warned about “disinformation during elections” and promised to “support Brazil’s democratic institutions by providing training, capacity building, and engagement.” Benz wrote via X on Sunday. Benz said that this 2022-era document served as “Yet another smoking gun” revealing the “deliberate” and “top-down” construction of Brazil’s censorship apparatus by the Biden-era State Department. The strategy explicitly singled out "disinformation on social media" as something it would ‘capacity-build’ to stop.” [Story Continues on MRC Free Speech America] 

The ABC News co-hosts of Disney’s The View were channeling their friend Jane Fonda on Wednesday as they took to viciously bashing America’s services members as Nazis. According to the gaggle of liberal extremists, the ICE agents as well as the soldiers with the National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles, California echoed “1938” Germany and the Nazis who were “just following orders.” Even the purported “conservative” on the panel took shots at them. As spewed by staunchly racist co-host Sunny Hostin, the soldiers and Marines in L.A. were there to be part of President Trump’s dictatorial “power grab” and “suppress peoples’ rights.” She demanded that Americans “wake up” to her “truth”: I think Trump is not doing this just for optics. I think that this is a test case so that he can dismantle some of our institutions. I think it's a power grab. I think he is trying to use the might have the military to suppress peoples’ rights. I think that is very clear. When you use the military against your own citizens, that is a sign of fascism. That is just the truth. We've seen it in history over and over and over again. People have to wake up to that! Minutes prior, Hostin blamed the violence in L.A. on ICE for carrying out their duty to deport illegal immigrants. “Let's all be very clear, what's happening in L.A. is a direct result of what ICE is doing in California. It is a direct result of that. This was created by ICE. Everything that we're seeing,” she bitterly sneered. Faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin pleaded with them to “not take the bait” and “start demonizing those individuals as opposed to a president.” “No one is demonizing them. We're saying this is the result of ICE,” Hostin hypocritically pushed back.     Despite also claiming she wasn’t demonizing the National Guard or Marines, ABC moderator Whoopi Goldberg (with help from co-host Joy Behar) invoked the Nazis and how they were “just following orders”: FARAH GRIFFIN: Correct, but I think it's very important to remember it's a commander-in-chief that’s made these decisions. They're following the orders. GOLDBERG: Yeah. Think back, y'all. Where have you heard that before? BEHAR: 1938! GOLDBERG: “I’m just following orders.” By my commander-in-chief. “We don't want to be what they were!” Goldberg shouted at Farah Griffin. Later adding: "We do have to be careful, because when we say things like, 'just following orders,' it leads to that." While Farah Griffin was trying to get them to not demonize American service members, she herself denounced their very presence. Despite repeatedly bragging about how she served in the Pentagon’s press shop, she bloviated about how Americans supposedly hated seeing the National Guard and Marines. “It's seen as societal disruption, it's seen as incredibly volatile, and it reminds us of our worst moments in history: after 9/11, after January 6, after the Rodney King Riots, BLM. Times when things were so volatile and society felt like it was really on the brink, that's when you had to deploy U.S. troops,” she decried them. Americans see the National Guard as heroes. They’re the ones who come to their rescue when natural disasters strike; they’re the angels who swoop down from heaven in helicopters to pluck them off their rooftops during flooding and amid the flames of wildfires, and do the literal heavy lifting during relief and recovery efforts. Americans love the troops. The View despises them. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View June 11, 2025 11:05:53 a.m. Eastern (…) ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: On that note, I was trying to kind of get into the head of Donald Trump on what he's doing around this and I think most of this is driven by politic. What I think he's doing is he is baiting liberals and liberal governors like Gavin Newsom into taking the bait and adopting rhetoric that he thinks will be divisive and damaging ahead of the midterms. So, what he wants to happen is he wants Newsom and Democrats to start chanting things like “defund ICE” and “defund the police.” Cause we know that that hurt Kamala Harris, we know it hurt Tim Walz. They had to run away from those previous positions. And he’s trying to create that sort of stand off right now. But here’s the problem, most Americans oppose rioting. That's just across the board. They may generally be like, if there's violence, if police officers are getting hurt, they don't like this. JOY BEHAR: But they’re very much for protests. Americans. FARAH GRIFFIN: They’re for peaceful assembly as enshrined in the First Amendment. But what I think Trump is missing here is seeing U.S. troops on U.S. soil is not a sign of safety and strength. That is not how the American spirit interprets it. BEHAR: You think? FARAH GRIFFIN: It's seen as societal disruption, it's seen as incredibly volatile, and it reminds us of our worst moments in history: after 9/11, after January 6, after the Rodney King Riots – BEHAR: Kent State. FARAH GRIFFIN: BLM. Times when things were so volatile and society felt like it was really on the brink, that's when you had to deploy U.S. troops. BEHAR: But he's creating it! FARAH GRIFFIN: But that’s what I’m saying. [Crosstalk] FARAH GRIFFIN: He’s misreading how it's going to be interpreted. SUNNY HOSTIN: That's what I was going to say. You know. Let's all be very clear, what's happening in L.A. is a direct result of what ICE is doing in California. It is a direct result of that. This was created by ICE Everything that we're seeing -- FARAH GRIFFIN: By the direction of the U.S. president though. They’re following orders by the way. HOSTIN: By the direction of the United States and Stephen Miller. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: But keep in mind, Gavin Newsom did not ask for them. He did not ask for them to come. HOSTIN: That is usually the protocol. GOLDBERG: That’s the protocol. HOSITN: That's the protocol. GOLDBERG: Okay. (…) 11:08:18 a.m. Eastern HOSTIN: I think Trump is not doing this just for optics. I think that this is a test case so that he can dismantle some of our institutions. I think it's a power grab. I think he is trying to use the might have the military to suppress peoples’ rights. I think that is very clear. When you use the military against your own citizens, that is a sign of fascism. That is just the truth. We've seen it in history over and over and over again. People have to wake up to that! FARAH GRIFFIN: But I want us to be very careful and not take the bait. The National Guard -- HOSTIN: I don’t think its bait. FARAH GRIFFIN: I haven't made my point yet. The ICE agents, those are nonpartisan actors for the most part who signed up for jobs, have served under multiple administrations, they did not necessarily sign up to be doing this, and they’re following an order of the commander-in-chief. And we could say they could all, I guess, resign in mass tomorrow – HOSTIN: But what is the bait? What is the bait? FARAH GRIFFIN: To start demonizing those individuals as opposed to a president. [Crosstalk] GOLDBERG: No, nobody is demonizing – HOSTIN: No one is demonizing them. We're saying this is the result of ICE. FARAH GRIFFIN: Correct, but I think it's very important to remember it's a commander-in-chief that’s made these decisions. They're following the orders. GOLDBERG: Yeah. Think back, y'all. Where have you heard that before? BEHAR: 1938! GOLDBERG: “I’m just following orders.” By my commander-in-chief. FARAH GRIFFIN: But again, can I just say. I want to finish. GOLDBERG: No, no, because this is my point, we don't want to be what they were! (…) 11:10:13 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: We do have to be careful, because when we say things like, “just following orders,” it leads to that. (…)

NPR CEO Katherine Maher recently traveled to London for the city’s SXSW festival because, apparently, she thinks London is the place to be when she needs to convince American lawmakers not to rescind her federal funding. While in London, Maher sat down for an interview with CNN International’s Max Foster that aired on his Monday installment of What We Know, where she insisted that NPR wasn’t on the left because nobody really knows what “left” means. She also claimed NPR is needed in order for people to have safe drinking water after hurricanes. Foster had more of a declaration than a question when he opined, “America's got lots of networks that aren't so common here in Europe, which are opinion-based networks, and that's a different culture. But you have to serve everyone. So you're trying to stay in the middle. And that's become harder.”     Maher agreed, “I think it's harder insofar as people don't agree on what the middle is now. It's not harder in the sense of our commitment to ensuring we're hearing from different voices. I also tend to think there's this perspective that, you know, people can be reduced to sort of political platforms, but in reality, when you drill down on people's preferences, they're far more complex than that.” After trying to use manufacturing jobs versus environmental protection as an example, Maher added, “And so, when we do really good reporting, what we're actually offering is the ability for us to hold that context, that nuance and that complexity in ways that allow people to connect with how it affects people's lives, as opposed to reducing it to sort of left versus right.” Okay, but what about issues that are pretty clearly left versus right, like eco-terrorism or abortion? Foster wasn’t interested in that. Instead, he proclaimed, “It's been undermined by parts of the right.” Later, Foster lobbed another softball, “When you're dealing with the Trump administration, you've got this particular challenge at the moment. They're effectively trying to take away your funding, which I know doesn't necessarily affect the national network, but does affect the local networks massively, doesn't it?”     Maher gladly took the opportunity to claim, “Our local network, I think is, it's such an under-realized part of what it is that we do, and it's very different from other public media broadcasters, which is why it's sometimes confusing for people to understand. We at NPR are a producer of news. We've got a newsroom, news gathering, culture, information.” She then warned, “So, it's about 100 million in annual funding that goes directly to stations. So, it's both a lot of money. And also, you know, it's relatively small compared to the size of the federal budget. And so, the way that these public stations work, these local stations is they play a critical role in emergencies -- not only in terms of emergency broadcasting, warnings, tornado watches, things along those lines, but recently, there were -- in the last year, Hurricane Helene, which hit North Carolina terribly hard. The residents of Asheville and the surrounding area went without drinking water, showering water, cooking water for more than –” After Foster interrupted to add “and internet,” Maher rolled on, “And Internet and news and electricity and all these things. The radio was the only thing that worked. It was the only thing that worked. And it was where people found safe drinking water. It was where people found information about their loved ones to know whether they were okay. So, this is what we're talking about. It's not just a medium of last resort, but it's really important that it is there.” Asheville is a city of nearly 100,000 people, and NPR is not the only radio station in town. Claiming NPR is necessary to direct people to safe drinking water after hurricanes is just emotional blackmail. Here is a transcript for the June 10 show: CNN International What We Know with Max Foster 6/10/2025 3:37 PM ET MAX FOSTER: America's got lots of networks that aren't so common here in Europe, which are opinion-based networks, and that's a different culture. But you have to serve everyone. So you're trying to stay in the middle. KATHERINE MAHER: Yes, yes. FOSTER: And that's become harder. MAHER: It -- I think it's harder insofar as people don't agree on what the middle is now. It's not harder in the sense of our commitment to ensuring we're hearing from different voices. I also tend to think there's this perspective that, you know, people can be reduced to sort of political platforms, but in reality, when you drill down on people's preferences, they're far more complex than that. When you go into local communities and you talk to them about what they want in terms of economic revitalization, they will recognize real tensions, perhaps around manufacturing and ensuring that their environment is something healthy for their children. And so, when we do really good reporting, what we're actually offering is the ability for us to hold that context, that nuance and that complexity in ways that allow people to connect with how it affects people's lives, as opposed to reducing it to sort of left versus right. FOSTER: It's been undermined by parts of the right. Do you feel all the brands are suffering from a lack of trust? I mean, where does that come from? MAHER: I think it's indisputable that media right now has a trust problem. And it's not just NPR, it's not just major broadcast organizations. We're seeing a real rise in people's trust in media influencers, news influencers. I would always note that usually those influencers are relying on other media organizations, reporting organizations. They don't have newsgathering. I don't know that that's necessarily a bad thing. I think what it teaches us is that people want a relationship not with an institution, but with an individual. We have a historic belief in media that the brand name of our organization is enough to convey trust, confidence and integrity. But people right now are really looking for relationships with the reporter. They want to understand why someone is saying what they're saying. That is as meaningful now as the brand of the organization itself. FOSTER: When you're dealing with the Trump administration, you've got this particular challenge at the moment. They're effectively trying to take away your funding, which I know doesn't necessarily affect the national network, but does affect the local networks massively, doesn't it? MAHER: Yeah. Our local network, I think is, it's such an under-realized part of what it is that we do, and it's very different from other public media broadcasters, which is why it's sometimes confusing for people to understand. We at NPR are a producer of news. We've got a newsroom, news gathering, culture, information. Our local stations are on the ground and they are doing local newsgathering. They're producing shows that are relevant to their local communities. The loss of federal funding will hit them first and foremost. So, it's about 100 million in annual funding that goes directly to stations. So, it's both a lot of money. And also, you know, it's relatively small compared to the size of the federal budget. And so, the way that these public stations work, these local stations is they play a critical role in emergencies -- not only in terms of emergency broadcasting, warnings, tornado watches, things along those lines, but recently, there were -- in the last year, Hurricane Helene, which hit North Carolina terribly hard. The residents of Asheville and the surrounding area went without drinking water, showering water, cooking water for more than – FOSTER: And Internet. MAHER: And Internet and news and electricity and all these things. FOSTER: They're still working. MAHER: The radio was the only thing that worked. FOSTER: Yeah. MAHER: It was the only thing that worked. And it was where people found safe drinking water. It was where people found information about their loved ones to know whether they were okay. So, this is what we're talking about. It's not just a medium of last resort, but it's really important that it is there.

The twin daughters of a top Los Angeles Democrat were arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon during the ICE riots in California, according to numerous reports. As of Tuesday, at least 378 people have been arrested in connection with the Los Angeles ICE protests and riots, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Included in those arrested on Sunday were 26-year-old twins Lucia Aguilar, who goes by Luz, and Antonia Aguilar. 'The allegations are deeply concerning, and I take them very seriously.'The Daily Mail and New York Post reported that the twin daughters are suspected of assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon. It was not certain what the two women reportedly used as a deadly weapon. According to jail records, both women were held on $50,000 bail before being released on Monday afternoon.Blaze News reached out to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department for comment but did not receive an immediate response. Both women are scheduled to appear in court on June 30.The two arrested suspects are the twin daughters of Rick Cole — a Democrat Pasadena City Councilmember and the former mayor of Pasadena. The Los Angeles Times noted that Rick Cole is also "a high-level aide to L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia.""I’ve just seen pictures of my two daughters on a curb in downtown Los Angeles in handcuffs [with] the LAPD. So I’m going to be figuring out where they are so I can go bail them out," Cole said, according to a video recorded during an anti-ICE demonstration in Pasadena on Monday. Cole claimed that the anti-ICE protests are "personal to me" and that he would protect illegal immigrants in Pasadena. He urged rallygoers to "organize" and "mobilize thousands" to "protect our neighbors." RELATED: 7 shocking players behind the anti-ICE chaos Rick Cole - Photo by Carlos Chavez/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images According to the official website of the city of Los Angeles, Luz Aguilar serves as the deputy for economic innovation and community growth for Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.The Los Angeles Times reported that Luz Aguilar was placed on unpaid leave after being arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon."The allegations are deeply concerning, and I take them very seriously," Jurado said in a statement. "While I respect the individual’s right to due process, I hold my team to the highest standards of conduct."Jurado's spokesperson, Lisa Marroquin, said the arrest is a "developing situation," and "appropriate action" will be taken following an investigation. Jurado was previously steeped in controversy when she made anti-police comments. In audio that was leaked in October 2024, Jurado is seemingly heard making a reference to the 1988 N.W.A. song, "F**k tha Police." "What's the rap verse? 'F**k the police,' that's how I see 'em." Jurado attempted to walk back the anti-police rhetoric. "In a meeting with students at Cal State L.A., I quoted a lyric from a song that's been part of a larger conversation on systemic injustice and police accountability for decades," Jurado said. "But it was just a lyric — and I'm proud to be accessible to young people and students, listening to their concerns and treating them like the future leaders they are."RELATED: Glenn Beck reveals the TRUTH behind LA’s 'Mad Max' riots and media cover-up Cole's boss, Kenneth Mejia, questioned whether the LAPD is assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in any way. "LAPD’s presence raises serious questions about whether we are abiding by our City’s mandate as a Sanctuary City and is a cause for concern and confusion regarding LAPD’s role,” Mejia said in a statement on Saturday. Police Chief Jim McDonnell declared that the LAPD is not involved in "civil immigration enforcement" and "will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual's immigration status."As Blaze News previously reported, President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to quell the violence erupting in Los Angeles over federal immigration raids on illegal aliens.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California is getting mocked and ridiculed over her characterization of the violent rioting in Los Angeles against immigration enforcement raids. Pelosi was criticizing President Donald Trump's response to the violence when she opined that the violence was likely due to "anarchists" and then offered her bizarre rationalization of the rioting. '[You] always have to be careful, whether you see a burned car, a broken window, whatever it is.' "I say this as a former party chair," Pelosi said to reporters on Tuesday. "When there is a gathering, a large gathering of people, the anarchists see it as an opportunity, and they move in.” “So [you] always have to be careful, whether you see a burned car, a broken window, whatever it is. It may be the exuberance of the moment, but it may be the anarchists setting in," she added. "I heard one of the former police chiefs of Los Angeles speak about this on Sunday.”She went on to criticize the press for not bashing Trump enough for her liking. Video of Pelosi's comments was posted to social media, where they were widely circulated. Many online thought Pelosi's description of the rioting was irresponsible, and they nailed the former speaker of the House with criticism. "This was quite the psychotic rant. I wonder how many martinis went into this diatribe," said commentator Kyle Becker."According to Pelosi, burning cops cars and Waymos are the product of exuberance. Careful, Nancy, you’re starting to sound like an anarchist yourself," said another critic. "Yes whenever I feel exuberant I always go and break a few windows and burn a couple of cars. Totally normal," joked another X user. "Exuberance of the moment, what a crock of s**t this lady is regurgitating. Tell that to the small business owners who's shops were looted; others who lost their cars and property. F**k this lady and all of those f**king cronies up there!" read another angry response. RELATED: Fact-check: President Trump authorized 20,000 National Guard troops for duty on Jan. 6, 2021 Photo by Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The beleaguered California GOP also weighed in on the Pelosi comment. “'The exuberance of the moment' ?!? Time to restore law and order," the group wrote. As the week wore on, protests that began in Los Angeles on Friday had spread to other parts of the country, some with violence and vandalism. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, said that the violence and vandalism of the ICE rioting had significantly eased on Tuesday evening, but she also accused Trump of needlessly escalating tensions. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Mickey Dolenz, Ronnie Wood, Mick Fleetwood and Randy Bachman were among the fellow greats celebrating the "musical and spiritual giant." The post Music World Offers Tributes to Brian Wilson appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

Saber Interactive has made some great games out of concepts that might seem, at first glance, like they'd be pretty dull. Mudrunner, Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game, Snowrunner, and, most recently, Roadcraft, are all essentially about getting a vehicle or its cargo from one place to another. What makes them compelling is trying to overcome the problems complicating these goals, all highly detailed due to the studio's attention to detail. Now, Military Logistics Simulator, a new game that mixes Roadcraft's emphasis on vehicle transport with Arma 3's focus on realistic military equipment, has arrived to offer a new take on this style of design. And you can try it right now with a new demo available during Steam Next Fest. Continue reading New simulation game feels like a unique cross between Roadcraft and Arma

A combustible situation is set to unfold this weekend, and too many stakeholders have an interest in seeing it combust.

God Only Knows: Brian Wilson, Founder of the Beach Boys, Dead at 82

Sen. John Kennedy Makes It Clear What Kind of an Intervention Rep. Maxine Waters Desperately Needs