In a recent episode of Morning Joe‚ MSNBC host Joe Scarborough pompously cheered on gun control activist Dr. Megan Ranney as she tried to correct Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) during a recent Senate hearing in which the liberal activist inaccurately claimed gun death rates for the state of Louisiana are higher than for the city of Chicago. He also allowed co-host Mika Brzezinski and Washington Post columnist Alexi McCammond to accuse Senator Kennedy of racism for focusing on Chicago even though the chairman of the hearing‚ Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)‚ emphasized Chicago in his introduction‚ and Dr. Ranney even referred to the high-crime city right before Senator Kennedy's question. The segment began with a clip of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump referring to Chicago and New York City each as a "crime den‚" leading Scarborough to respond: So Donald Trump and Republicans talk about crime dens in New York City. They talk about crime dens in Chicago. It reminds me of the hearing we saw this week of John Kennedy - Senator John Kennedy was talking about the shooting range -- the world's largest shooting range in Chicago‚ and a Yale professor corrected him and said‚ "Actually‚ death rates are higher per capita in Mississippi and Alabama." He soon added: "You know what‚ he ought to visit Louisiana -- Monroe‚ Louisiana‚ the most dangerous city --  I think I read a couple of months ago -- in America. Jacksonville‚" and listed out the rest of the top 10 states for "gun death" rates. But it seemed to go over Scarborough's head that Trump and Kennedy were both referring to gun-related crime‚ while Scarborough and Dr. Ranney were both referring to all gun-related deaths‚ including suicides‚ as the MSNBC host cheered Dr. Ranney for supposedly correcting Senator Kennedy with her misleading comeback. A clip was shown from the hearing in which Senator Kennedy asked Dr. Ranney if law-abiding citizens with guns in Chicago were responsible for the city becoming "America's largest outdoor shooting range‚" leading her to defiantly respond: "So Mississippi‚ Louisiana and Missouri actually have higher firearm death rates." After a clip of her suggesting that sprucing up neglected properties might lead to less gun violence‚ leading Senator Kennedy to mock her response as "word salad‚" Scarborough jumped in to obnoxiously imitate the Louisiana Senator's Southern drawl and to laughably claim that the liberal activist had "crushed" the Louisiana Republican. This Yale professor crushed him. And let's underline the fact he's talking about the shooting range in Chicago -- she points out correctly that his own state has higher death rates per capita. Forget about Illinois. Illinois ranks like 25th or 26th. Louisiana is in the top five. Louisiana the state has higher death rates per capita for guns than the city of Chicago. Scarborough even compared her to LeBron James beating an amateur on the basketball court. But according to 2019 FBI statistics‚ the per capita homicide rate in Chicago was 18.2 per 100‚000 residents compared to 11.7 in Louisiana. But‚ if one excludes the 10 Democrat-leaning counties in the state‚ focusing on the 54 counties that voted for Trump in 2020‚ the homicide rate only averages about 8.0 for most of Louisiana -- and even that encompasses homicides in a number of Democrat-leaning cities within Republican counties. That would include Monroe‚ Louisiana‚ which Scarborough mentioned had one of the highest homicide rates in the country -- and it's long been a Democrat-leaning area. More recently‚ in 2021‚ the statewide rate for Louisiana was about 9.5 percent compared to 22.4 in Chicago. Brzezinski suggested that Senator Kennedy was racially motivated in asking about Chicago‚ leading McCammond to agree. But‚ according to full footage of the hearing‚ Senator Durbin -- whose home state of Illinois is also home to Chicago -- highlighted the chaotic city's problems in his opening comments‚ and‚ just two minutes before Senator Kennedy began questioning her‚ Dr. Ranney recalled a friend of hers who was murdered there. Transcript follows: MSNBC's Morning Joe December 1‚ 2023 7:30 a.m. Eastern DONALD TRUMP‚ REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You look at these cities -- our great cities are -- New York City is a crime den -- Chicago is a crime den. You look at these great cities -- Los Angeles -- San Francisco -- you look at what's happening to our country. We cannot let it happen any longer. And one of the other things I'll do because‚ you know‚ you're supposed to not be involved in that. You have to be asked by the governor or the mayor to come in. The next time‚ I'm not waiting. One of the things I did -- let them run it‚ and we're going to show how bad a job they do. Well‚ we did that. We don't have to wait any longer. JOE SCARBOROUGH: So Donald Trump and Republicans talk about crime dens in New York City. They talk about crime dens in Chicago. It reminds me of the hearing we saw this week of John Kennedy - Senator John Kennedy was talking about the shooting range -- the world's largest shooting range in Chicago‚ and a Yale professor corrected him and said‚ "Actually‚ death rates are higher per capita in Mississippi and Alabama. In fact‚ if you look‚ in nine out of 10‚ Trump states‚ that you have the top 10 deadliest places to be with firearms. So it's just so funny when he talks about a crime den in Chicago and New York City. You know what‚ he ought to visit Louisiana -- Monroe‚ Louisiana‚ the most dangerous city --  I think I read a couple of months ago -- in America. Jacksonville. Look at the top 10 -- Mississippi‚ Louisiana -- number three is New Mexico. Now‚ that's the one blue state. Four is Alabama‚ five is Wyoming‚ six is -- where is six? What do we got for six? Alaska. Alaska. Seven‚ Montana; eight‚ Arkansas; nine‚ Missouri; and 10‚ Tennessee. Look at those red states. All of those red states have a higher death rate by guns per capita than New York‚ California‚ even Oregon. BRZEZINSKI: Yeah‚ I know we're kind of winding and weaving like we always do on Morning Joe‚ but can I show you that Senator Kennedy bite? SCARBOROUGH: I would love that. BRZEZINSKI: Okay‚ take a look at it. SCARBOROUGH: Thank you‚ Mika. BRZEZINSKI: You're welcome. SENATOR JOHN KENNEDY (D-LA): Why do you think that Chicago has become America's largest outdoor shooting range? Do you think it's because of Chicago's citizens who have no criminal record‚ but who have lawfully a gun in their home for protection or perhaps for hunting? Or do you think it's because of a finite group of criminals who have rap sheets as long as King Kong's arm? Dr. MEGAN RANNEY‚ YALE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: So Mississippi‚ Louisiana and Missouri actually have higher firearm death rates. Obviously‚ there's certain -- SENATOR KENNEDY: What about Chicago? Dr. RANNEY: So I don't live in Chicago. It's not my primary area of research. SENATOR KENNEDY: You don't have an opinion on that? Dr. KENNEDY: I think there's easy access to firearms combined with environmental conditions‚ lack of great education. There actually have been studies showing that when you green vacant lots and repair abandoned buildings in urban neighborhoods‚ you see decreases in gunshots and violence as well as in stress and depression in the neighborhoods around them. SENATOR KENNEDY: No disrespect‚ Doc‚ but that sounds a lot like word salad to me. SCARBOROUGH (imitating Senator John Kennedy's Southern drawl): Well‚ it don't sound like word salad‚ but it sounds like you're trying to talk like you didn't go to Oxford and you didn't endorse Kerry in 2004..." (...) And now he's going like‚ "It's like word salad." (returns to normal voice) What's so fascinating about this‚ Mark‚ is it would be like me trying to drive the lane on LeBron James‚ and then getting like jammed and knocked to the ground by just his sheer athleticism‚ and then me going‚ (switches to Southern drawl) "That looked like word salad." This Yale professor crushed him. And let's underline the fact he's talking about the shooting range in Chicago -- she points out correctly that his own state has higher death rates per capita. Forget about Illinois. Illinois ranks like 25th or 26th. Louisiana is in the top five. Louisiana the state has higher death rates per capita for guns than the city of Chicago. (...) And getting back to Senator John -- Senator John Kennedy -- went to Oxford and a John Kerry supporter and went to Oxford -- he makes a wild incorrect assumption about Chicago --  MIKA BRZEZINSKI: In a racist‚ rude way. SCARBOROUGH: -- the world's biggest shooting range‚ he is then corrected by a woman who says‚ "Actually‚ your state has higher death rates per capita than the city of Chicago‚ and then he insults her. ALEXI McCAMMOND‚ WASHINGTON POST OPINION EDITOR: Yeah‚ calling it "word salad" is just telling on himself that he couldn't understand what she was saying. I mean‚ like‚ when the facts do not back up your own points‚ then they are suddenly inconvenient to you and don't matter. You're rude or you cherry pick another set of facts to tell your story. I think what's incredible -- not in a good way -- is that people cannot hold two truths at the same time. They cannot say‚ "Yes‚ there is an issue in my state‚ and I'm doing X‚ Y‚ and Z to address it because it's a problem‚ but look at how it's out of control here‚ here and here‚" you know. It's as if they don't care about their own folks. BRZEZINSKI: The premise of this question was -- McCAMMOND: Right‚ because they're so concerned with‚ you know‚ black people in Chicago frankly.

Internet traffic cop NewsGuard has gotten worse. A new MRC Free Speech America analysis shows the notorious leftist media ratings organization is more biased against the right than ever before. MRC Free Speech America investigated NewsGuard for a third year in a row‚ finding that its 0/100 ratings scale has once again overwhelmingly favored left-leaning outlets over right-leaning ones. “NewsGuard is just another leftist group trying to censor conservatives‚” said MRC President Brent Bozell. “We have the proof.” Using the media list provided by AllSides that classifies publications based on their “right” to “left” bias‚ MRC researchers determined that NewsGuard provided a stellar average “credibility” rating of 91/100 for “left” and “lean left” outlets (e.g. The New York Times‚ The Washington Post‚ TIME‚ Vox). At the same time‚ it dinged “right” and “lean right” outlets like Fox News‚ the New York Post and The Daily Wire with an outrageously abysmal average score of 65/100.The latest analysis denotes a 26 point disparity. NewsGuard’s rating for right-leaning outlets in particular was worse than the still-low 66/100 average rating it slapped on right-leaning media across the prior two MRC studies released Jan. 6‚ 2023 and December 13‚ 2021. Despite this glaring bias‚ NewsGuard continues to try to hoodwink Americans into believing it adjudicates media outlet credibility using an “apolitical” process. NewsGuard’s treatment of legacy media outlets that egregiously maligned the Hunter Biden laptop bombshell by the New York Post during the 2020 election as “disinformation” is case-in-point. NewsGuard’s treatment of outlets who deceived readers into believing that the bombshell was fake news is damning given the significant impact Big Tech and Big Media’s censorship of the story had on the electoral outcome.  A 2020 MRC study showed that 45 percent of President Joe Biden’s voters weren’t fully aware of the Post story because the media and Big Tech suppressed it. “Full awareness would have led 9.4 percent of Biden voters to abandon the Democratic candidate‚ flipping all six of the swing states he won to Trump‚” effectively giving the former president 311 electoral votes. The Washington Post‚ USA Today and Politico are just three of the news outlets guilty of malfeasance for trying to make the Hunter Biden story disappear. Despite The New York Times later confirming post-election that the emails discovered on Hunter’s laptop were authentic‚ NewsGuard left The Post‚ USA Today’s and Politico’s flawless 100/100 scores untouched.  Apparently‚ such election interference by The Post‚ Politico and USA Today wasn’t enough to taint their perfect scores in the slightest.  Perhaps that’s because NewsGuard leadership was engaged in similar election interference on the same subject. NewsGuard co-CEO Steven Brill joined CNBC just before the 2020 election to castigate the Hunter Biden laptop story as a probable Russian “hoax.” The video clip of his appearance continues to plague the organization to this day: The string of left-wing media scandals that NewsGuard permitted to skirt by its hall monitors continues to haunt the firm. NewsGuard still gives leftist outlet BuzzFeed a perfect 100/100 score despite the expired site continuing to host the widely discredited Steele dossier that served as the nexus of the Trump-Russia collusion hoax. In fact‚ NewsGuard’s summary of the dead site’s “credibility” amounted to a hero’s eulogy. “The website for Pulitzer Prize-winning BuzzFeed News‚ publishing in-depth reports on politics and misinformation‚” NewsGuard fawned. “BuzzFeed announced in April 2023 that it is shuttering the unprofitable site.” (NOTE: Since AllSides did not include BuzzFeed in its media bias list‚ the defunct outlet was not included in MRC’s calculations.) But for media outlets on the “right” that draw NewsGuard’s ire‚ the firm appears to have no problem downgrading their credibility‚ and by extension attacking their advertising cash flows. NewsGuard wields its ratings as a cudgel‚ attempting to scare away advertisers from doing business with media and organizations that have been accused of promoting so-called “misinformation” or wrongthink on a whole host of issues like abortion‚ climate change‚ COVID-19 and elections. In so doing‚ NewsGuard effectively strips media outlets with which it disagrees of their ad money‚ slowly bleeding out their coffers.  The fact that  the leftist media ratings firm received government funding from none other than Biden’s Department of Defense makes its explicit bias against right-leaning media and organizations even more disturbing. In 2021‚ the DOD awarded NewsGuard a nearly $750‚000 contract for the purpose of investigating “misinformation fingerprints.” This is the same Biden administration that tried to erect a radical Disinformation Governance Board tied to leftist billionaire George Soros to collaborate with Big Tech companies to target Americans’ speech on social media platforms. But that’s not all.  Recent reporting also revealed that NewsGuard received significant funding from Big Pharma special interests. The financing came in the form of a funders consortium that included the consulting outfit Publicis Groupe. The Publicis Groupe happens to represent Pfizer‚ the pharmaceutical giant that has been at the center of the debate on the efficacy of vaccines against COVID-19. NewsGuard has a documented history of guarding the Big Pharma and government narrative on COVID-19 writ large‚ which in retrospect appears to be a major conflict of interest.  For example‚ of the right-leaning outlets on AllSides’s list‚ NewsGuard once again gave The Federalist the worst score with a failing 12.5/100. That’s the same score it held at the time of MRC Free Speech America’s first and second studies. After roughly two years‚ NewsGuard is still criticizing The Federalist’s questioning of the efficacy of masks for COVID-19‚ even though liberal CNBC (not on the AllSides list‚ but has a “95” NewsGuard rating) cited a study showing that cloth masks were only 37 percent effective at filtering out virus particles. NewsGuard’s cozy relationship with President Joe Biden’s administration has set off a legislative fight over the First Amendment implications of having the federal government back an overtly activist outfit that polices the internet and appears to target right-leaning media.  Rep. Richard McCormick (R-GA) proposed an amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that would prohibit government funding from being funneled into entities like NewsGuard and the similarly dystopian‚ Soros-tied Global Disinformation Index. GDI was also revealed to be funded by the Biden administration. In exclusive comments‚ McCormick cited MRC’s work‚ stating that his “amendment in the NDAA is something we can do right now‚ this year‚ to address the censorship of conservatives. MRC’s own research shows these organizations are heavily biased against conservatives and are the leading edge of the censorship industrial complex.”   NewsGuard Scores Anti-Israel Media as More Credible than Right-Leaning Media It isn’t enough that leftist media routinely get the rubber stamp of approval from NewsGuard. It seems the firm will even let them get away with parroting terrorist propaganda to attack the state of Israel. A recent MRC analysis found that NewsGuard maintained the flawless 100/100 scores of at least four leftist outlets — The New York Times‚ TIME‚ Politico and Reuters — that irresponsibly regurgitated the false claim from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry that an Israeli airstrike blew up the al-Ahli hospital. A U.S. intelligence assessment later concluded that Israel was not responsible for the bombing. Both the U.S. House and Senate intelligence committees also absolved Israel from the attack. Even the Canadian government cleared Israel of any wrongdoing in the incident.  But the damage had already been done. Following the shoddy reporting‚ a firestorm of anti-Israel furor sparked across the Middle East‚ and regional governments condemned the Jewish state. But according to NewsGuard‚ The Times‚ TIME‚ Politico and Reuters are all flawless when it comes to “gather[ing] and present[ing] information responsibly.” “Many media outlets have shown their true‚ radical colors‚ taking the side of butchers‚ murderers and rapists against the only democracy in the Middle East. Disgracefully‚ NewsGuard is running cover for these antisemitic outlets‚” said Dan Schneider‚ MRC vice president for Free Speech. He continued‚ “I get it; NewsGuard is out to choke off ad revenues to conservatives.While that is bad enough‚ doing this wet work on behalf of outlets that want to end the state of Israel is unforgivable.”  The Times was arguably the worst offender. Not only did the outlet run a glaringly false headline — “Israeli Airstrike Hits Gaza Hospital‚ Killing 500‚ Palestinian Health Ministry Says” — the outlet used a photo of the wreckage of a completely different structure. The Dispatch’s Jeryl Bier excoriated the newspaper for the blatant deception: “[T]he accompanying photo was not even of the hospital‚ but rather of a building in a city some 15 miles to the south.” Bier also concluded that The Times’s framing‚ bolstered by its misleading imagery‚ would “likely” lead Times readers to believe that the depicted carnage was of the “hospital in question.” The original‚ false story was plastered on the front page of the newspaper’s website with the misleading photo prominently displayed. Not only does NewsGuard’s Nutrition Label for The Times not mention its deception on the Israeli airstrike falsehood‚ the label hasn’t even been updated since May of 2022.  There is one possible explanation that could explain NewsGuard’s affinity for The Times. NewsGuard wrote in a disclosure buried at the bottom of the label that its deputy managing editor‚ Joyce Purnick‚ who is still listed as an employee of NewsGuard‚ not only worked for The Times but was married to the paper’s former executive editor Max Frankel: Joyce Purnick‚ a former reporter‚ editor‚ editorial board member and New York City columnist at The New York Times was a deputy managing editor for NewsGuard but was not involved in this nutrition label. Her husband‚ Max Frankel‚ was The Times’ executive editor‚ editorial page editor‚ and a Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent‚ [emphasis added].   Politico‚ for its part‚ never removed its Oct. 17 X post falsely blaming Israel for the al-Ahli hospital bombing. NewsGuard also just happened to release an Oct. 19 report railing against blue checkmark “superspreaders” of “misinformation” pertaining to the Israel-Hamas conflict on the X platform (formerly Twitter)‚ but Politico’s name was nowhere to be found in the report.  But for outlets like Fox News‚ the New York Post and The Daily Mail‚ which AllSides lists on the opposite side of the political spectrum and whose reporting on the hospital incident was much more accurate‚ NewsGuard gave each of the three less credible ratings than those that haphazardly ran with the Hamas talking points. Each of the three right-leaning outlets received low “Credible with Exceptions” scores of 69.5/100‚ 69.5/100 and 64.5/100 respectively.  Free Speech Alliance Members Condemn NewsGuard MRC Free Speech America tallied at least 20 of the 130-member MRC-led Free Speech Alliance (FSA) that have had their websites or affiliated publications targeted by NewsGuard’s online traffic cops. Some are speaking out in condemnation of the Orwellian firm. One of the strongest rebukes came from FSA member The Babylon Bee. The Babylon Bee Co-Owner and CTO Dan Dillion‚ who is also the CEO and Co-Founder of the publication’s sister news site Not the Bee. “We're aware that NewsGuard has given our site a laughably low trust score‚” Dillon told MRC. “It's not good for our business‚ but we take this rating as a badge of honor and an indication that we don't align with the mainstream narrative that they support‚ nor comply with the censorship complex they actively reinforce.”  Not the Bee got dinged with a 62.5/100 by NewsGuard in part because it supposedly “does not disclose that the site advances a conservative perspective that is apparent in its content.” This is grossly hypocritical in light of NewsGuard’s perfect scores for blatantly liberal outlets like the explicitly left-wing New York Times‚ which falsely purports that its over 100-year old pledge to “give the news impartially‚ without fear or favor‚ regardless of party‚ sect‚ or interests involved” still holds “true today.” This is the same publication that had the audacity to call a violent pro-Hamas protest that erupted in Brooklyn‚ New York just days after the terrorist organization’s Oct. 7 genocidal attack against Israel “mostly peaceful.”  However‚ as the New York Post pointed out in an Oct. 21 piece headlined‚ “Thousands of NYC protesters demanding eradication of Israel clash with NYPD‚” the so-called “Flood Brooklyn for Palestine” demonstration “descended into chaos as night fell‚ with protesters completely shutting down traffic‚ screaming at police and lighting small fires in the middle of the roadways.”  In another example of overt leftist bias from The Times‚ the paper tried to spin the political mayhem surrounding Biden’s bribery scandal to make the president seem like a martyr and a helpless victim of paternal instincts to shield him from the fallout: “Biden Puts Son First‚ In Spite of Political Price.” The editorial board at The Times even openly endorsed Biden for president during the 2020 election‚ which could explain its knee-jerk attempts to do damage control for him where possible‚ especially when it came to the issue of Biden’s culpability in America’s inflation crisis. What’s even more insulting is that NewsGuard admits that the newspaper also “does not disclose any ideological agenda on the site‚” despite conceding its history of consistently endorsing Democrats for president since 1956. But NewsGuard apparently has no issues showcasing its double standard by targeting Not the Bee more harshly than The Times. Dillion wasn’t having any of it: Our business‚ like many other conservative news and culture sites‚ is significantly affected by NewsGuard and similar left-leaning ‘trust and safety’ hall monitors like Snopes‚ because large corporations depend on third party ratings when deciding what content to recommend to their users. We've seen significant drops in our reach on Facebook and Google that coincide with drops in our ratings on these ‘independent’ sites‚ which all seem to come to the same conclusion that certain political views are simply not acceptable for amplification. While we are proud of the fact that these sites recognize our commitment to objective truth over narrative‚ we share frustration with other conservative outlets in the way that sticking to our ideals ultimately limits our ability to reach new audiences. Dillon wasn’t the only one to speak out. The Heartland Institute got hit by NewsGuard with an “unreliable” 30/100 in large part for rejecting the so-called “scientific consensus on climate change‚” a leftist talking point. Heartland president James Taylor called out NewsGuard for being nothing more than a gatekeeper for left-wing arguments while simultaneously masquerading as an objective journalism referee. “The NewsGuard scoring system has nothing to do with truth and accuracy but merely conveys the extent to which an entity produces material consistent with leftist propaganda narratives‚” Taylor exclaimed. “That being the case‚ I am surprised Heartland scored as high as a 30.” The Heritage Foundation‚ one of the most prominent think tanks in the U.S. also received NewsGuard’s ire‚ getting hit with a 69.5/100 score. “The political hacks from NewsGuard claim they’ll help you decide what news outlets you can trust. In reality‚ you shouldn’t trust anything from this overtly biased organization‚” said The Heritage Foundation Communications Director Rob Bluey. “Thanks to MRC‚ we now have proof that left-leaning outlets fare better than their conservative counterparts.” One of NewsGuard’s nonsensical quibbles was The Heritage Foundation’s repudiation of the $80 billion earmarked in Biden’s extremist $749 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) towards hiring 87‚000 new Internal Revenue Service “agents.” NewsGuard split hairs by arguing that the onerous Biden bill simply allows the IRS to hire “86‚852 full-time employees — not all audit agents‚ as the article suggested.” The headline of The Heritage Foundation’s article was “Fact-Checking Team Biden on Who Those 87‚000 New IRS Agents Would Audit‚” but NewsGuard didn’t disclose that The Heritage Foundation did note in its piece how “Calculations conservatively assume that only 57.3% of the Treasury Department’s estimated 86‚852 new IRS agents (49‚754 in total) would be assigned to enforcement.” In other words‚ The Heritage Foundation did specifically note that not all of the new “agents” would serve in auditing functions.   NewsGuard simply trusted the government propaganda of the Treasury Department officials to claim that “most new net hires will fill customer service and technology roles‚ not auditing functions.” Apparently‚ NewsGuard was unaware that the principle “trust but verify” serves as an effective pretext for diligent journalism to hold the powerful accountable.   NewsGuard also has an apparent penchant for attacking the pro-life movement. NewsGuard targeted pro-life‚ FSA member news outlets Life News and Live Action with abysmal 17.5/100 scores. By contrast‚ the abortion giant Planned Parenthood‚ which is notorious for repeatedly portraying itself as a medical care enterprise that just happens to also perform abortions‚ managed to maintain a higher‚ “generally credible” score of 75/100. Life News told MRC in a statement that NewsGuard’s “only mission is to purposefully target pro-life and conservative news outlets with false claims and biased‚ misleading fact-checks that are little more than a propaganda campaign for the radical left.” In the publication’s view‚ “NewsGuard is designed to smear and defame the good name of news outlets that provide reliable news and information to readers from a conservative and pro-life perspective and it knows some unsuspecting people will be fooled into thinking it provides objective analysis. But it should be exposed as a fraud.”  Despite receiving a “generally” credible rating from NewsGuard of 74.5/100‚ The Washington Stand — a Christian publication owned by the Family Research Council — also critiqued the outfit for its “ideological bent.” Washington Stand Editor-in-Chief Jared Bridges told MRC that he could “see the temptation a news organization might have to moderate and even liberalize their content to raise their score and thereby be more accepted by NewsGuard's audience.” He continued: “And that's the real question: do we want to be acceptable or truthful?  There are plenty of ‘acceptable’ news organizations in America today‚ but we're more interested in high truth than we are a high score.”  Reasons Congress Must Ensure NewsGuard Does Not Receive Taxpayer Funds The MRC in conjunction with 36 pro-free speech allies have publicly called on Congress to block any funding by the government to Orwellian entities like NewsGuard in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). “Our federal government never should have spent time and taxpayer money on censoring conservatives‚” members of the Free Speech Alliance wrote in the open letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). “That which government is constitutionally prohibited from doing‚ it cannot contract with others to do.” In addition to the extreme bias the firm displays against media that don’t comport with government and leftist narratives‚ this is just one of a myriad of reasons MRC pointed out as to why Congress should end NewsGuard’s funding. NewsGuard’s government funding is unconstitutional. It is fundamental to living in a free and fair society that agencies of the federal government may not endorse the products and services of private companies they favor. Nor may they weaponize national power against companies that officials have decided they dislike‚ absent duly enacted statutes and regulations and appropriate due process.  Financing from Big Pharma created a glaring conflict of interest. NewsGuard’s financing from Big Pharma special interests casts its notorious gatekeeping on issues related to COVID-19 and the vaccines into major doubt. The Washington Times reported Nov. 18 that NewsGuard received a $6 million investment from a consortium that included the Publicis Groupe‚ “which represents some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and health care companies‚ including COVID-19 vaccine maker Pfizer.” Shockingly‚ according to The Times‚ NewsGuard “denied any conflict of interest” and claimed that the “group’s investors have never contacted them and have no influence over the company’s rating system.” The way NewsGuard has treated right-leaning outlets that have questioned the government narrative on COVID-19‚ the subsequent lockdowns and the efficacy and safety of masks and vaccines is blatantly outrageous when viewed through the lens of its Big Pharma financing. NewsGuard has openly celebrated its dystopian collusion with the federal government. NewsGuard isn’t shy about its funding ties to the federal government. Apparently‚ it openly boasted of its government collaboration when it tried to convince Twitter to integrate its ratings system into the Big Tech platforms’ censorship operations in May 2021. Independent Journalist Lee Fang reported in RealClearWire that NewsGuard Co-CEO Gordon Crovitz’s pitch to Twitter included an “out-of-the-box tool that would use artificial intelligence powered by NewsGuard algorithms to rapidly screen content based on hashtags and search terms the company associated with dangerous content.” In exchange‚ the proposed “tool” would then redirect users to “official government sources only” on issues like COVID-19.  Other content-moderation partners Crovitz mentioned in his pitch‚ reported Fang‚ “include[d] ‘intelligence and national security officials‚’ ‘reputation management providers‚’ and ‘government agencies‚’ which contract with the firm to identify misinformation trends.” NewsGuard rates communist Chinese government propaganda as more credible than American publications. The reality that NewsGuard considers Chinese state propaganda to be more credible than American publications is nothing short of nefarious. The MRC first exposed this phenomenon in February 2022‚ and it still persists to this day. The China Daily‚ the Global Times and China Global Television Network (CGTN) and The People’s Daily— all run by the communist Chinese government — got scores of 44.5/100‚ 39.5/100‚ 44.5/100 and 39.5/100 respectively from NewsGuard. The Global Times‚ in particular‚ is the same outlet that has gone so far as to threaten Australia with becoming “cannon fodder” on Twitter. The People’s Daily is also particularly notorious for being the “official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee‚ and is the most influential and authoritative newspaper in China to represent the voice of the Chinese central government‚” according to OxfordReference.com. Despite being responsible for spewing propaganda emanating from the Beijing authorities‚ NewsGuard gives all four outlets the green checkmark for “not repeatedly publish[ing] false or egregiously misleading content.” By contrast‚ American publications like The Federalist (12.5/100)‚ One America News (25/100)‚ Newsmax (15/100)‚ Life News (17.5/100) and LifeSite News (17.5/100) are considered to be significantly less credible than Chinese state propaganda. (NOTE: Life News and LifeSite News are FSA members‚ but were not included in the AllSides analysis since they don’t appear in its Media Bias Chart.) METHODOLOGY: MRC Free Speech America utilized the AllSides media bias chart as a gauge to determine how NewsGuard rates outlets considered “left” and “lean left” in comparison to outlets considered “right” and “lean right.” AllSides listed 30 total outlets as “left” or “lean left” and 23 outlets as “right” or “lean right.” AllSides included the opinion sections of news websites as separate entities. MRC Free Speech America excluded any outlet that was characterized as “opinion” from the AllSides tally to keep the focus on news organizations for the analysis. (NOTE: Only two FSA members — American Spectator and Christian Broadcasting Network — were included in the AllSides analysis since their names appeared in the “right” list.) AllSides noted it has a “patent on rating bias and use[s] multiple methodologies‚” not a homogenous group or an algorithm. “Our methods are: Blind Bias Surveys of Americans‚ Editorial Reviews by a multipartisan team of panelists who look for common types of media bias‚ independent reviews‚ and third party data.” EDITOR’S NOTE: Readers should be aware that this report only uses the AllSides list to analyze NewsGuard ratings of outlets considered by AllSides to be “left” and “lean left” or “right” and “lean right” and does not necessarily reflect MRC’s characterizations of these outlets.      

Here in the prepping and survival community‚ we talk a lot about surviving disasters of all types. That means a lot of our discussion centers around major disasters‚ what we refer to as TEOTWAWKI events The post Do You Have an “After” Plan? appeared first on Survivopedia.

The Texas Supreme Court overturned the ruling of a Democratic judge who had allowed for a 31-year-old mother‚ well over 20 weeks along in her pregnancy‚ to end her child's life. Kate Cox‚ the mother of the child diagnosed late last month with Edwards syndrome — a survivable genetic condition that occurs in an estimated 1 in 2‚500 diagnosed pregnancies and 1 out of every 5‚000-6‚000 live births — is now reportedly headed out of state to have her baby eliminated. What's the background? Cox filed an emergency lawsuit earlier this month asking a Travis County judge to allow her to abort her child‚ as she was otherwise ineligible since her own life was not at risk. Texas abortion law prohibits abortions unless the mother "has a life-threatening physical condition aggravated by‚ caused by‚ or arising from a pregnancy that places the female at risk of death or poses a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function unless the abortion is performed or induced." The lawsuit indicates that Cox was told on Nov. 28 that her unborn child has full trisomy 18‚ also known as Edwards syndrome. According to the Cleveland Clinic‚ Edwards syndrome impacts a child's bodily development and growth. Children with the syndrome permitted to live frequently have low birth weight and defining characteristics such as low-set ears and clubfeet. Between 20% and 40% survive to their first month and roughly 10% survive past their first year. Those who survive can "go on to live fulfilling lives with significant support from their family and caretakers." Besides preferring a healthy baby‚ the lawsuit indicated that Cox was concerned that bringing the baby to term might risk her health and future fertility. While centered on Cox's complaint‚ the lawsuit‚ laden with pro-abortion rhetoric and slogans‚ did not appear to be about securing an exception but rather about changing the rule and rolling back the state's abortion law. In addition to indicating as much in the prayer for relief‚ the suit asserted under "Factual Allegations" that "Abortion is Health Care" and that "abortion bans are a paradigmatic example of ... government interference." Democratic judge approves Democratic Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble handed down a temporary restraining order on Dec. 7‚ stating‚ "The idea that Ms. Cox wants desperately to be a parent‚ and this law might actually cause her to lose that ability is shocking and would be a genuine miscarriage of justice." Gamble ruled that the mother should be allowed to off her child and that Dr. Damla Karsan of Houston should be protected from civil and criminal penalties if she carries out the abortion. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subsequently petitioned the state Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus‚ which would bar Cox's abortion from going forward in Texas. The petition asserted that the trial court had abused its discretion by granting final relief through a temporary restraining order; concluding that Cox's condition met the medical emergency exception; and by granting a temporary restraining order before determining jurisdiction. Paxton‚ who highlighted that Cox's life was not at risk‚ also made clear to various hospitals in the state that the temporary order would not "insulate hospitals‚ doctors‚ or anyone else‚ from civil and criminal liability for violating Texas' abortion laws." — (@) Over the weekend‚ Paxton's office stressed to the court‚ "The only question is whether Ms. Cox's condition meets the exception‚ regardless of how long the child is expected to live‚" reported the Associated Press. State Supreme Court upholds the law The Texas Supreme Court agreed with the attorney general's office‚ overturning Gamble's ruling Monday‚ reported the Texas Tribune. "No one disputes that Ms. Cox's pregnancy has been extremely complicated. Any parents would be devastated to learn of their unborn child's trisomy 18 diagnosis‚" wrote the justices. "Some difficulties in pregnancy‚ however‚ even serious ones‚ do not post the heightened risks to the mother the exception encompasses." The court further noted that the would-be abortionist‚ Damla Karsan‚ "asked a court to pre-authorize the abortion yet she could not‚ or at least did not‚ attest to the court that Ms. Cox's condition poses the risks the exception requires." Where Texas' pro-life laws were concerned‚ the court indicated they "reflect the policy choice that the Legislature has made‚ and the courts must respect that choice." The pro-abortion legal group representing Cox‚ the Center for Reproductive Rights‚ indicated in a notice to the courts Monday that Cox is leaving the state to seek an abortion elsewhere. The CPR further suggested in a statement that Cox received "an outpouring of support and offers" to help eliminate her child "from Kansas to Colorado to Canada." "While Kate had the ability to leave the state‚ most people do not‚ and a situation like this could be a death sentence‚" added the CPR‚ ostensibly glossing over both the death sentence it seeks everywhere to legalize and the affordability of a bus ticket from Dallas to Albuquerque. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Conservative Party member has apologized for speaking truth after she was accused of being "transphobic" and even insulting a "minority" when she criticized a Green Party candidate.U.K. Member of Parliament Rachel Maclean reportedly posted on X that a man who goes by the name Melissa Poulton is a "man who wears a wig and calls himself a 'proud lesbian‚'" MSN reported.She added that "while the Greens don't know what a woman is‚ my Worcestershire neighbours the people of Bromsgrove certainly do."Maclean is a politician from Redditch‚ England‚ which neighbors Bromsgrove‚ England‚ in the county of Worcestershire.Poulton was born a man and reportedly began transitioning in 2022 after 10 years in politics. It is unclear whether the transition is medical or simply self-identification. He joined the Green Party in 2020.Nonetheless‚ Poulton responded that the comments about him were "childish games from a government party who’s going to be out office.""I’m here for representation as a queer woman‚ as a woman with transgender experience‚" Poulton added.In an interview with BBC News‚ Poulton said that "without a shadow of a doubt" Maclean's comments were "transphobic."Poulton then said the member of Parliament was attacking a "minority" in reference to himself. \u201cWithout a shadow of a doubt it is a transphobic comment.\u201d\n\nBromsgrove\u2019s @TheGreenParty candidate @melissampgp condemns Tory Deputy Chairman @redditchrachel for social media remarks about her transgender identity. \n\n#PoliticsMidlands begins at 10am on BBC1\u2026 — (@) Poulton explained his alleged minority status to Metro and said that "representation matters. Transgender people represent 0.25% of the population according to the 2021 national census.""Transgender people deserve to be able to stand in all levels of government. I am proud to represent the Green Party in Bromsgrove."Poulton also unironically supports a 50:50 style of Parliament‚ meaning equal numbers of men and women in the government.Maclean has since deleted her post and apologized‚ saying she was "sorry for any offence caused. ... I believe everyone should be free to live their lives and fulfil their potential regardless of their sex‚ sexual orientation‚ or gender identity and to have the confidence and the freedom to be themselves."However‚ she also noted that there is a "clear difference between sex and gender and I will not shy away from speaking up about those differences."The Green Party leader in the U.K. called Maclean's remarks "deeply offensive."The Green Party currently holds one seat in the U.K. Parliament.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Alex Jones‚ who was just reinstated on X after being censored‚ recently joined Tucker Carlson on “Tucker on X” to discuss the neo-racism that’s become such a culture war in our modern day. Dave Rubin plays the clip of their brutally honest conversation. The race-based system “is a very effective system‚” Jones told Tucker. “But why do people put up with that?” asked Tucker‚ referencing the way only white people are expected to dismiss racism when it’s targeted at them. “I mean‚ like‚ if they were doing that to Malaysians or Filipinos or Hondourans‚ I would say you can’t do that; you’re not allowed to attack people on the basis of their race … not in a country like this because the country will fall apart and it’s immoral‚” he continued. “The reason they’ve done it is most of the enforcers of this” (anti-white racism) “are white‚ liberal women … and their cucked husbands‚” Jones explained. “Fair!” laughed Tucker. “So if you get around these white liberals‚ they live in the whitest areas” that are “totally scary to anyone with brown skin‚” but “they virtue-signal constantly and then say‚ ‘Yes‚ the white people are bad‚”’ Jones continued. To hear Dave’s thorough breakdown of what a “cucked” husband is and why Jones’ position on anti-white racism has merit‚ watch the clip 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.

On August 8‚ 2023‚ ferocious wildfires wracked the West Maui city of Lahaina‚ causing residents to panic and reducing many of their beautiful seaside homes to rubble. Blaze News was given copies of hundreds of 911 calls made on or to the island that fateful day‚ and these calls offer unique and deeply personal insights into what the horrific experience was like for those on the ground. With 100 people confirmed dead and four still missing‚ the Maui fires are now considered the worst in modern U.S. history. Thus‚ as might be expected‚ the 911 calls made in the midst of the fires paint a grim picture. Through our observations of these calls‚ Blaze News learned about limited water and human resources dispersed across the island‚ seniors left abandoned‚ and streets clogged with vehicles as flames and smoke surrounded them‚ threatening the people inside. Blaze News received these calls from Charles Couger‚ the founder of Blue Tarp Productions and an associate of Blaze Media‚ who received the calls as the result of a Freedom of Information Act request. Couger requested all 911 calls from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. on August 8‚ but he received calls as early as midnight and as late as 5:30 p.m. Blaze News did not receive any 911 calls between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Except in a few instances that Blaze News presumes to have been accidental‚ officials redacted all caller names and addresses before releasing the calls to protect callers' privacy. 'The whole forest is on fire': The Upcountry Maui fires While much of the reporting has focused on the fires in Lahaina‚ the story of the Maui fires actually begins on another part of the island in an area known as Upcountry. Just before 11 p.m. on August 7‚ 2023‚ a surveillance camera at the Maui Bird Conservation Center in the rural Upcountry community of Olinda captured a strange flash‚ and shortly after midnight on August 8‚ officials reported a brush fire in that area. At about the same time‚ 911 dispatchers began fielding calls about an enormous fire along Olinda Road by the bird sanctuary. This fire and a subsequent fire beneath the Kula Lodge in nearby Kula spread quickly‚ and together they eventually became known as the Upcountry Maui fires. The Upcountry region is approximately outlined in yellow with Kula Lodge pinpointed. Lahaina is noted in red.Screenshot of Google Maps At 12:38 a.m.‚ a mother called to relay a terrifying report from her daughter about the fires. "My daughter was trying to go home to the top of Olinda. She just called‚ freaking out‚ [saying‚] 'The whole forest is on fire‚ Mom‚'" the woman said. That call came shortly after midnight‚ in the earliest stages of the fires. By 5:18 p.m. that afternoon‚ a 911 operator told a concerned resident that the "big fire" she had seen was "below Kula Lodge‚" confirming that the fires that began more than 17 hours earlier had not abated. These Upcountry fires were indeed relentless‚ raging for days and then smoldering for weeks afterward. In all‚ about 1‚000 acres of Kula and the city of Olinda were destroyed. 'The electric went pop': The early-morning fire in Lahaina The route from Upcountry to Lahaina extends about 40 miles through mountainous terrain‚ so there is no indication that the Upcountry fires directly led to the fires that eventually broke out in Lahaina. However‚ Bob Marshall — the CEO of Whisker Labs‚ which sells in-home devices that detect electrical fires — tells ABC News in the video below that the Lahaina electrical grid became "incredibly stressed" on Monday night and into Tuesday morning‚ the morning of the Lahaina fires. At that time‚ Hurricane Dora also swirled over the ocean south of the Hawaiian Islands‚ and winds on Maui were especially strong in the days leading up to the fires. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) later claimed some gusts on August 8 reached 81 mph‚ though others put the number closer to 65 mph. Between the powerful winds and unusually dry conditions‚ the Lahaina region was especially vulnerable to a fire outbreak. At 6:34 a.m. on August 8‚ some six hours after the Upcountry fires started‚ a Lahaina woman called to report a brush fire that began after a "pop" from an electrical unit near Lahaina Intermediate School‚ located at the intersection of Ho'okahua Street and Lahainaluna Road. "There's a fire by ... Intermediate‚" she said. "I saw the electric went pop." Officials later determined that the fire began from a downed power line. CWeil · Early Morning Lahaina fire Screenshot of Google Maps In the next four minutes‚ 911 received five other calls about the fire at Lahaina Intermediate and the surrounding area along Lahainaluna. Though some of the callers expressed heightened concern as the fire crept nearer and nearer to homes in the neighborhood‚ this early-morning Lahaina fire apparently remained on the ground‚ and by 9 a.m.‚ the fire department declared it to be "100 percent contained." 'Someone should have stayed': The early-morning fire reignites About five or six hours after the fire department declared the early-morning fire in the Lahaina Intermediate School neighborhood to be completely "contained‚" it flared up once again. Only this time‚ it spread quickly‚ growing in size and scope. Exactly when the fire restarted is difficult to pinpoint‚ but a recent article from the Hawaii Tribune-Herald provided some clues. The Tribune-Herald claimed that the morning fire was never really extinguished and that it began to burn again almost as soon as "fire crews departed." "I was angry because they were leaving the area unattended‚" said 58-year-old Juan Advincula‚ who witnessed firefighters battle the morning fire. "It was the winds‚ the dryness‚ and the embers I was afraid of. Someone should have stayed." Because Blaze News did not review any 911 calls between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.‚ we could not independently verify that reporting. But whatever the reason for the fire's resurgence‚ people in Lahaina began calling 911 in the middle of the afternoon on August 8 with truly frightening reports: "There's a fire by my condo‚" said a caller at 3:37 p.m. "The electric pole behind our house ... went down. ... And it's dangling‚" said another a minute later. "Smoke [is] everywhere outside my window‚" a woman reported at 3:46 p.m. "It appears that there might be a structure fire‚ perhaps on the next block up‚" someone else reported at 3:47 p.m. Between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m.‚ Maui dispatchers received nearly 40 calls‚ more than one per minute‚ though some of these calls related to the Upcountry fires‚ which still continued to rage. Because of the Upcountry fires and other emergencies‚ the Maui County Fire Department and other county officials later defended the decision to dispatch firefighters elsewhere once the early-morning fire was considered "contained." County Fire Chief Brad Ventura noted that at that point‚ firefighters were needed for "numerous additional calls for service in other parts of West Maui‚" especially for downed power lines. The county also issued a news release about a week after the fires‚ clarifying the difference between "contained" and "extinguished" fires. Contained "means that firefighters have the blaze fully surrounded by a perimeter‚ inside which it can still burn‚" the news release said‚ according to the Tribune-Herald. "A fire is declared ‘extinguished’ when fire personnel believe there is nothing left burning." The Maui County Fire Department did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.'I just had to leave him': Some seniors left to fend for themselves Perhaps the most heartbreaking calls from the Maui fires involved members of older generations‚ some of whom were significantly disabled. On multiple occasions‚ callers reported that elderly residents were trapped in their houses or apartments‚ with no ability to evacuate the area without help — help that may never have arrived. A woman from the Hale Mahaolu Eono senior community near Lahainaluna and Kelawea Street called at 3:33 p.m. to say that several residents were still in their units even though community managers left earlier in the day. "My neighbor next door‚ she's very elderly‚ and then two doors down‚ she's 97‚" the woman said. She also mentioned a 90-year-old woman as well. During the course of her nine-minute conversation with dispatch — an unusually long call compared to the others made that day — a fire broke out just across the street. "Oh‚ no‚ no. We're on fire. F***. ... There's bushes on fire‚" she exclaimed as fire alarms wailed in the background. "It's too windy and smoky to go outdoors‚ and the air is‚ like‚ super‚ super hot‚" she added. The woman‚ who had no car‚ eventually managed to flag down a stranger to give her a ride‚ but it does not appear that any of the elderly residents joined her in the car. And sadly‚ "multiple people" from Hale Mahaolu Eono are listed among the dead‚ reported the AP‚ another outlet that accessed copies of the 911 calls via FOIA request. The residents at Hale Mahaolu Eono were hardly the only Lahaina seniors who were especially vulnerable during the fire. Just three minutes before the Hale Mahaolu Eono call‚ another woman dialed 911 to report that her uncle was "trapped." Though the caller did not mention the man's age‚ she did describe him as "handicapped." "I live on Lahainaluna Road‚ and our house is right next to the fire‚ and my uncle is still trapped in the house‚" she said. "... He's handicapped‚ and he needs an escort out." Yet another woman called at about the same time to report that she was forced to leave an aged‚ incapacitated family member inside his residence so that she could try to save the rest of her family. "He's an 88-year-old man. He cannot transport. He would literally have to be carried out‚" she explained to the operator. "... I just had to leave him because I have the rest of my family in the car." The woman informed 911 that the sliding door to the residence was unlocked in the hopes that medics could come to his aid. CWeil · 88-year-old man left behind About an hour later at 4:29 p.m.‚ as a motorist was speaking with an operator to try to figure out a way out of Lahaina‚ he interrupted their conversation with an alarming exclamation: "The old folks' home is on fire! The old folks' home is on fire‚ and there's probably old folks still in there!" The identity of the "old folks' home" in question is unclear‚ but according to other callers‚ it was located across from the Lahaina Surf apartment complex on Waine'e Street‚ a few blocks from the ocean and nearly two miles west of Lahaina Intermediate School‚ where the fire first began. According to a dispatcher‚ the call center received "multiple calls" about that fire. Twenty minutes after the reports about the fire at the "old folks' home‚" at 4:49 p.m.‚ a man called to report that he and his wife were unable to evacuate their residence because the wind was too strong for his wife to venture down several flights of stairs. "She walked outside‚ and the wind almost blew her over‚ and she can't get down the four flights of stairs‚" the worried husband said. "So we can't get out of here‚ and we're surrounded by smoke." Despite the couple's dire predicament‚ the operator had few options to offer‚ as so many first responders had been dispatched to fight the fires. "Where's your neighbors?" the operator wondered. "Do you have anyone around you that can help you?" When the man indicated that the "bunch of girls" nearby were unlikely to be much help‚ the operator replied‚ "Well‚ let me try my best to get a hold of somebody‚ OK‚ and try to send them your way." Less than 10 minutes later‚ at 4:56 p.m.‚ a man called from outside Lahaina‚ fretting about his parents who were still in town‚ as his dad stayed behind‚ trying in vain to put out the fire that had spread to his house. "My parents are stuck. ... They can't get out‚" the son began. "They just called to say‚ 'I love you. We're not going to make it‚'" he added with calm desperation. CWeil · I love you. We're not going to make it. Unfortunately‚ Blaze News was not able to learn whether these callers or their loved ones survived the fires‚ but the vast majority of those who perished in the fires were older. Of the deceased victims‚ almost 75% were at least 60 years old and a dozen were at least 80. The oldest victim was 97. 'There's no way out': Severe traffic jams keep people stuck in Lahaina Another common concern for callers was the difficulty in escaping Lahaina by vehicle. By 3:30 p.m.‚ the Lahaina Civic Center had already been set up as a designated shelter for fire refugees‚ and many people had access to transportation. But major roads like Front Street along the water and Lahainaluna Road‚ where the early-morning fire started‚ were soon clogged with cars. "Hi‚ I was just calling to see if there's any policeman directing traffic on Lahainaluna‚" one caller asked at 4:01 p.m. "I'm calling from Front Street‚ and ... we are stuck here‚" said another call made at the same time. "... We're wondering if there's any road closures or what's going on." "Hi. I'm stuck in the traffic trying to get out of the Kanakea area‚ and it looks like a house on Kanakea Loop may have caught on fire‚" said another a minute later. The Kanakea Loop is a neighborhood a few blocks north of Lahainaluna Road. "There's no way out‚ and we're trying to evacuate because the cops previously evacuated‚ but there is no way out. We're all trapped in the street‚" a person with a family in the car reported at 4:09 p.m. The family ultimately decided to leave their vehicle and walk. They weren't the only ones who chose to go by foot rather than by car. As the hours ticked by and gas‚ cell phone power‚ and patience began to dwindle‚ more and more people abandoned their cars and made a run for it‚ some for the civic center‚ others for the ocean. Though no one should be criticized for making choices to protect themselves and their families‚ leaving vehicles in the middle of the street did create an issue for those still hoping to drive away from Lahaina. One caller described the problem on a call made at 5:30 p.m.: "We don't know where we could go because people are just leaving their cars in the street‚ and we can't move up." The dispatcher's response to that caller echoed the responses given to many frustrated drivers anxious to get away from the fire and smoke: Stay the course. "Just stay in your vehicle and be patient with the traffic‚ OK? There's traffic all over the place‚ traffic jams‚ and they're trying to alleviate that right now‚" the dispatcher said. Another literal roadblock popped up unexpectedly just as some people thought they had discovered a route to safety. It seems that for a while‚ first responders were diverting cars onto a dirt road locally referred to as the old cane haul road‚ as well as to a bike path connected to it. The old cane haul road is located less than a mile inland from the ocean‚ just behind the Lahaina Civic Center‚ and runs parallel to Hawaii 30‚ the main road that follows the western coast of West Maui. Not only would the old cane haul road have alleviated some of the traffic‚ but it would have led escapees to the shelter established at the civic center. The plan seemed to work for a while‚ but according to one woman‚ "just some guy" who was "not an authority" blocked the route‚ forcing cars to go back the way they came. "The guy that closed the gate ... said we cannot go in any more because there's‚ like‚ lots of power lines down there‚" the woman explained to 911 at about 4:50 p.m. "So we go back‚ but we don't know where to go." Though that caller never mentioned the old cane haul road specifically‚ her repeated references to the "dirt road" and her description of a blocked path match a report made by another woman less than five minutes later‚ at 4:54 p.m. "They routed us straight through on the cane haul road‚ instead of going down to the main highway [HI 30]‚" that woman said. "And then now‚ they shut the gate for everybody to go through‚ and they put us going back towards the fire." The approximate location of the old cane haul road is shown in yellow and an existing bike path in orange. The black dot is the approximate location of the locked gate. (This map is intended to give only a rough idea of the location of the places mentioned. Readers are advised to consult it accordingly.)Screenshot of Google Maps and edited based on a similar map published by the Honolulu Civil Beat Someone eventually unlocked the gate‚ the Honolulu Civil Beat later reported‚ allowing "several dozen cars" to turn toward the civic center or flee the area. However‚ others returned to Lahaina and back to the fire. "It’s just sad to even think about‚" Saman Dias‚ the chair of a bicycling nonprofit‚ told the outlet. Two months after the fires‚ the Civil Beat openly questioned whether better utilizing the old cane haul road — itself the entry point of what the outlet called "a lesser-known network of private roads" that guide users further inland — could have saved lives that day. Maui County officials have been tight-lipped‚ with the Joint Information Center telling the outlet that retrospectively questioning the use of the old cane haul road was "irresponsible" during an ongoing investigation into the fires. 'Callous indifference': Electricity continues to flow across Maui High winds and other conditions had already caused many residences and commercial buildings in Lahaina to lose power before‚ during‚ and after the fires‚ but Hawaiian Electric Co. — which powers 95% of Hawaii‚ including most of Maui — never shut down its electrical power grid. That decision to keep electricity flowing through the city has led to severe backlash against HECO from critics who claim that electricity exacerbated the wildfire catastrophe. Such critics point to other fire-prone areas of the U.S.‚ such as parts of California‚ which have policies in place to shut electricity down pre-emptively when conditions increase the likelihood of fire. Maui‚ however‚ has no such protocols. In a statement issued days after the fires‚ HECO defended itself for not de-energizing regions of Hawaii during days of exceptionally high winds. The statement indicated that shutting the system down without prior notice would make firefighters' jobs more difficult since Lahaina water pumps require electricity. Whether the continued flow of electricity contributed to the Lahaina fires has not yet been determined‚ but HECO currently faces more than a dozen lawsuits that claim the utility company was at least partially responsible for the fires. "To operate Hawaiian Electric’s power lines under these conditions was reckless and represented an abdication of their fiduciary duties and a callous indifference to the loss of human life‚ tangible property‚ and natural habitat‚" one lawsuit read. HECO did not respond to the Civil Beat's request for comment on the lawsuits. 'I need an ambulance': Other noteworthy events mentioned in the 911 calls There are a few other events that occurred in Maui on August 8 that‚ while not directly related to the above topics‚ are still worth noting. Perhaps most important is the fact that‚ in addition to the Upcountry fires and the fires in Lahaina‚ there was yet another fire on the island on August 8. At 6:10 a.m. that day‚ a fire was reported near a high school in Kihei‚ located more than 20 miles south of Lahaina. Screenshot of Google Maps This fire may have been easily managed‚ as all calls about it stopped within five minutes or so. However‚ another fire erupted elsewhere in Kihei on August 9‚ the day after catastrophe struck Lahaina. Thankfully‚ the fire in Kihei remained at least 100 yards away from all area residences‚ Maui Now reported. Still‚ drone footage captured by Hawaii News Now reveals an extensive burn: On August 27‚ CBS News gave an update on all the Maui fires from earlier that month. By that time‚ Lahaina was 90% contained; Kula and Olinda in Upcountry were 90% and 85% contained‚ respectively; and Kihei was 100% contained‚ the outlet said. But the sheer force of these fires and their distance from one another exhausted resources and first responders alike‚ as water hydrants in Lahaina reportedly began to run dry and just 65 firefighters are typically on duty on the entire island on any given day‚ the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association estimated. And‚ as critical as containing the fires was‚ not all first responders could give the fires their undivided attention. Police and medics were still needed to perform other vital services‚ and several 911 calls regarded emergencies that were unrelated to the fires. "I need an ambulance‚" one man in Kihei reported at 5:02 p.m. on August 8. "My auntie ... just fell right now." The situation was quite serious‚ as the man called back 16 minutes later and indicated that his aunt was drifting in and out of consciousness. The dispatcher assured him at the end of that call that an ambulance was on its way. Another worried father called twice about his son‚ who had gotten into a moped accident. The father managed to transport his son to a police station but could not find anyone to render the young man medical assistance. Like the woman in Kihei‚ the man's son seemed to lose consciousness. "Just hang tight‚ sir‚" the operator told the father. "... The ambulance is coming right now." Other calls reported possible criminal behavior‚ including disorderly conduct and drunk driving. One woman even called to say that her father‚ who may have previously threatened to kill her family‚ had stopped by her house and refused to leave. Finally‚ Blaze News noticed that later in the afternoon on August 8‚ beginning around 4:30 or 5 p.m.‚ the 911 operating system no longer operated as smoothly as it had earlier in the day. On a significant number of recorded calls‚ no caller seemed to be on the line‚ leaving operators to repeat "hello?" into the void for about 30 precious seconds when time was of the essence. A few other calls about the fires were somehow misdirected to 911 systems on other islands and had to be transferred to Maui. Maui County encompasses the islands of Lana'i‚ Moloka'i‚ Kaho'olawe‚ and Molokini as well as Maui‚ so perhaps calls directed from other islands are not unusual. Still‚ the frequency of such calls seemed to increase later in the afternoon on August 8. A few 911 calls were also included in the 26-minute Blaze Originals documentary "What Really Happened in Maui?" which features BlazeTV host Lauren Chen and was produced by Charles Couger‚ the man who furnished Blaze News with the 911 calls. The documentary is available to all BlazeTV subscribers. To become a subscriber‚ click here. The official trailer for the documentary can be seen below: What Really Happened in Maui? | Official Trailer Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Angered drug lords reportedly hunted down police officers in the Mexican border city of Tijuana after their drug shipment was stolen. Two of the officers who are believed to have taken part in the theft were killed‚ according to KNSD. Three other police officers were also killed in the retributive act‚ leading authorities to conclude that the drug lords could have launched a generalized attack against the police.According to prosecutors‚ around six local and state police officers drummed up a plot to steal a large shipment of drugs in Tijuana from a warehouse where they believed the drugs to have been stored. — (@) Video footage was revealed last week showing the police officers' truck pulling out of the warehouse area with large bales of cocaine.State Prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade stated last week that three state detectives were being investigated in the case‚ along with three local officers in Tijuana.The Associated Press reported that Alberto Capella‚ the former head of Tijuana's police force from 2007 to 2008 and then again from 2011 to 2013‚ said that stolen drugs appeared to have belonged to the Sinaloa cartel‚ likely the most powerful cartel in the town. The cartel believed to own the drugs is run by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. According to reports‚ the cartel apparently knew who took the drugs almost immediately.Just hours after the theft on November 18‚ gunmen peppered the federal prosecutors' office in Tijuana with gunfire. And within an hour‚ one of the police officers believed to have taken part in the theft was gunned down on a street in Tijuana.A week later‚ on November 24‚ gunmen again targeted the state prosecutors' office with more gunfire. The AP reported that no one was injured in the attack.And then on November 27‚ a state detective who was under investigation for the theft was gunned down in his car while filling up at a gas station in Tijuana. It appears that the detective could see that the attack was coming‚ as he was able to get back in his car and move forward a few feet before members of the cartel got to him.The assailants apparently got away on a motorcycle.The recent attack is just the latest in Tijuana‚ which sports the highest homicide rate of any city in Mexico. The town has about 2.1 million people and has experienced around 2‚000 homicides annually over the past several years.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A teenage boy in Michigan is apparently facing charges after a child in Texas committed suicide while playing an online game almost a year ago.An investigation into the situation was kicked off in January‚ when police officers responded to a call about a possible suicide‚ according to Ryan Gable‚ Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that investigators entered the home to find that the child had died. The child was apparently still wearing a gaming headset and appeared to still be logged into the online game at the time of death. The specific game the two children were playing was not revealed.In the months that followed‚ investigators questioned a number of members of an online gaming group that stretched across the nation. And now charges have been brought against a minor who lives in Allen Park‚ Michigan‚ around 1‚000 miles away from the victim.A Facebook statement was posted on Friday‚ which stated that the minor from Michigan had "pled true to a felony charge of aiding suicide and a misdemeanor charge of harassment causing death." The names of the two children involved have not been released due to their age."During a lengthy investigation‚ which involved multiple search warrants‚ legal processes‚ and interviews with members of an online gaming community in multiple different states around the nation‚ a juvenile male suspect was identified in the State of Michigan‚" the statement continued. "Upon conclusion of the investigation‚ the case was presented to the Montgomery County Attorney’s Office. On December 7‚ 2023‚ the juvenile male suspect from Michigan appeared in a Montgomery County Court ..."Prosecutors claim that the suspect‚ a 16-year-old boy‚ had allegedly harassed the victim online‚ which resulted in the suicide‚ according to NBC News. The nature of the harassment is unclear.The suspect reportedly accepted a plea deal in the case‚ and he is set to remain under probation until he turns 18."The Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office takes investigations regarding cyberbullying seriously and will continue to investigate these cases to the fullest extent‚" the office said.Pierre Matta‚ senior clinical supervisor with Family Houston‚ urged parents who are concerned about their child's online activity to be open to a conversation and aware of the possibility of cyberbullying. "Parents really need to be proactive about trying to understand what games their kids are playing and who they're playing with‚" Matta said. Matta went on to claim that the gaming community has a problem with cyberbullying and harassment‚ adding that parents need to be proactive in contacting the gaming company if they discover that their child has been the target of bullying."That anonymity has really increased the likelihood‚ coupled with the violent nature of the games‚ it's really scary how much this is happening‚" Matta concluded.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A mother and her two children were run over by a car in the parking lot of a Christian school in Layton‚ Utah‚ last week. Between the initial trauma and the weight of the vehicle pinning them to the asphalt‚ the Ponson family was facing the possibility of a Christmastime tragedy; however‚ such was evidently not meant to be. Nearby‚ there was an airman from Hill Air Force Base and dozens of capable kids‚ all ready to help. "It's a miracle‚" Chris Crowder‚ associate pastor and CEO of the school‚ told KSL-TV. "We have just seen God do so many things here‚ and this is one of them." The incident occurred just before 4 p.m. on Dec. 5 in the parking lot outside Layton Christian Academy and Christian Life Center. Bridgette Ponson was walking with her 2-year-old son‚ Archer‚ and her 3-year-old daughter‚ Brightly‚ when a driver headed west ran them over. Police suggested it was likely an accident‚ indicating that the driver may have been unable to see the victims on account of the sun‚ reported KTSU-TV. While the little girl was able to wriggle free‚ her mother and brother remained pinned under the vehicle. Crowder indicated he summoned students inside the school to help the mother and child. "I didn't really know what was going on‚" said Crowder. "I looked across the parking lot and noticed the car and they were screaming‚ and so I ran over there and I look under the car and I see mom and child underneath the car pinned. ... I immediately just ran into the building because I knew I had to get a lot of people to lift this car." Around twenty kids answered the call to action. Surveillance footage shows kids rushing out and attempting to lift the vehicle. — (@) "I walked out‚ there was a lot of commotion going on and people were just telling me to help and I just dropped my stuff and ran over‚" student Theophious Roach told KTSU. Senior Airman Dominique Childress was picking up his children from the school when his son's kindergarten teacher alerted him to the commotion outside. Childress immediately bolted over and provided the rescue effort with some seasoned brawn. "I noticed legs come out and I was like‚ 'Oh‚ my gosh‚ there's an actual child under this car‚' so I was like‚ 'Hey‚ guys‚ switch it up‚ let's get the car high enough so we can get the kid out‚'" Childress recalled. "Somebody came‚ pulled the kid out and mom was able to get out 15 seconds later." One of the student rescuers‚ Junior Saripsat‚ said‚ "We did our best‚ and the moment I heard the kids crying I was like‚ 'Oh‚ thank God‚ the kids are good." Archer Ponson was airlifted to Primary Children's Hospital. His mother and sister were taken to a hospital by ambulance. KSL indicated the mother‚ who is said to have been protecting her little boy in her arms‚ had to have multiple surgeries. Her children‚ however‚ suffered no broken bones. All three are expected to recover. A GoFundMe campaign set up on the family's behalf to help the Ponsons cover their medical expenses has nearly hit its $35‚000 goal. Crowder said‚ "The kids were heroes‚ as well as the gentleman that was there and pulled them out." Layton Christian Academy stated‚ "We are so proud of the LCA student body. They leaped into action to save the lives of a mom and her two kids who were pinned under a car. Proud of you all." The father of the children‚ Andrew Ponson‚ met with the students who saved his family Monday. The heroic kids were also surprised at school by members of the Utah Jazz‚ who gave them tickets to the Dec. 30 home game versus the Miami Heat‚ reported KTSU. Childress‚ who similarly received tickets to the game as thanks for his hand in the rescue operation‚ stressed that the students "are the purest form of the word hero." Layton Christian Academy notes on its mission and values page‚ "We instill a spirit of service and compassion in our students‚ encouraging them to use their talents and resources to make a difference in the lives off others." Mission accomplished. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!