Second gentleman Doug Emhoff deleted a social media post celebrating Hanukkah after botching the story behind the Jewish holiday.On Monday‚ Emhoff posted a picture of himself and his wife‚ Vice President Kamala Harris‚ lighting a menorah candle to commemorate the holiday. The picture was accompanied by Emhoff's retelling of the Hanukkah story and its significance for the Jewish people."In the Hanukkah story‚ the Jewish people were forced into hiding. No one though they would survive or that the few drops of oil they had would last. But they survived and the oil kept burning‚" Emhoff wrote. "During those eight days in hiding‚ they recited their prayers and continued their traditions. That’s why Hanukkah means dedication. It was during those dark nights that the Maccabees dedicated themselves to maintaining hope and faith in the oil‚ each other‚ and their Judaism." — (@) A touching story — except it's not true.Hanukkah is not a celebration of Jews "hiding." Instead‚ the festival celebrates the Jewish victory over Antiochus IV Epiphanes‚ the Seleucid king who in the second century B.C. instituted a brutal campaign of Hellenization in Jerusalem‚ resulting in the desecration of the Jewish temple and persecution of the Jewish people.Antiochus' campaign triggered a rebellion‚ led by Judas Maccabeus‚ and the Jews eventually captured Jerusalem. With control of Jerusalem‚ the Maccabees cleansed and rededicated the temple‚ hence the name "Hanukkah‚" a word derived from the Hebrew root meaning "to dedicate" or "to consecrate." Later rabbinic tradition states there was only enough oil to light the temple menorah for one day‚ but it miraculously lasted eight days.Hanukkah‚ then‚ celebrates fighting and Jewish nationalism — not hiding. And the part about the oil is tertiary to the story‚ not central.Emhoff later deleted the social media post after being mocked online. He did not‚ however‚ provide an explanation for the blunder‚ which is perplexing when you consider the fact that he is Jewish. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Seattle high school student on a recent quiz answered "true" that "only women can get pregnant" and "all men have penises" — but his teacher marked his answers as incorrect and ultimately gave the student an F grade on the quiz‚ KTTH-AM reported.What are the details?Seattle Public Schools told KOMO-TV the quiz was given two weeks ago at Chief Sealth International High School. KTTH said the quiz — “Understanding Gender vs. Sex" — was part of a 10th-grade Ethnic Studies World History class.KTTH said the student’s mother wrote to the radio show of conservative commentator Jason Rantz expressing “frustration and anger" over her son's answers being marked incorrect but that her concerns conveyed to the school were “met with silence.” “I keep trying to wrap my head around how it is legal to teach inaccurate information and force students to answer against their beliefs or receive negative scores‚” the mother — who asked for anonymity for fear her son would face retribution — told "The Jason Rantz Show" on KTTH.More from the station: The mom told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH that she worries about the school routinely allowing teachers to bring political beliefs into the classroom. The gender identity issue is just one example. She also said her child‚ who is white‚ routinely faces scrutiny for his skin color and so-called privilege. She said various teachers have called her son‚ “f****d and racist‚” a “product of the patriarchy that teaches young boys not to care about anything‚” and that “he shouldn’t use the term straight to identify as because it's offensive.”What did the school district have to say? KTTH said a Seattle Public Schools spokesperson defended the quiz as “inclusive" and argued that it was appropriate for an Ethnic Studies course. “Seattle Public Schools is dedicated to establishing inclusive environments that allow exploration of contemporary issues‚ specifically examining the impacts of power systems such as racism and patriarchy‚” the spokesperson told "The Jason Rantz Show" on KTTH. “This commitment extends to fostering welcoming and inclusive settings where students‚ staff‚ and families have the freedom to express their authentic selves.”Mom 'proud' of her sonThe mother told the station she's “proud" of her son "because he refused to answer against his beliefs (which are medically and scientifically accurate‚ or at least used to be).” The district added to KTTH that the student's the failing grade on the quiz won’t be used against his overall grade in the class.How are folks reacting?It appears commenters are coming out in force‚ heading straight to the X account for Seattle Public Schools and making their opinions known right under an unrelated district post."Men can’t get pregnant‚" Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok responded.Others echoed that sentiment:"Men can’t get pregnant‚" another user said. "Fail me if you can.""Stop the indoctrination and teach‚" another commenter noted. "If you believe a man can get pregnant‚ you should not be teaching anything.""Any physician can tell you the student’s answers were technically correct despite your teacher’s fantastical‚ but scientifically inaccurate beliefs‚" another user declared. "Men and women are adult human males and females‚ respectively. No matter how much you wish to hijack the nomenclature‚ that fact remains. Men are born with penises and women are born with vaginas‚ unless they’ve surgically transitioned‚ but even still‚ their new genitals are not genuine penises or vaginas. Less than 1% of births have congenitally ambiguous genitalia. Pregnancy is not a social construct. Idc what gender the patient aligns with. Medically they’re female‚ and presumably an adult‚ thus a 'woman.' The truth is the truth‚ and you can’t change that. I don’t care who the truth offends."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The U.S. Department of Defense has raised the alarm after it suggested that China has implemented some of its artificial intelligence developments into the People's Liberation Army.The revelations could signal the beginning of an AI arms race between the U.S. and China‚ paving the way for an evolution in military operations for the future.James Anderson‚ who served as the deputy undersecretary of defense during former President Trump's presidency‚ shared with Fox News Digital that "the size‚ scope‚ and sophistication of Chinese military modernization programs is breathtaking.""The report makes clear that Beijing remains hell-bent on developing a world-class military force‚ despite its recent economic slowdown."The report Anderson referenced is the annual Pentagon report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China. The report noted the 2022 National Security Strategy‚ saying that "the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the only competitor to the United States with the intent and‚ increasingly‚ the capacity to reshape the international order."It goes on to say that "the 2022 National Defense Strategy identifies the PRC as the 'pacing challenge' for the Department of Defense‚" adding that China has sought "national rejuvenation" leading up to the nation's centenary in 2049."Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders view a modern‚ capable‚ and 'world class' military as essential to overcoming what Beijing sees as an increasingly turbulent international environment‚" the report noted.One of the primary ways in which China intends to "rejuvenate" itself is to implement "multi-domain precision warfare" that would seek to involve advances in big data and AI to "rapidly identify key vulnerabilities in the U.S. operational system and then combine joint forces across domains to launch precision strikes‚" per the report.The strategy is meant to aid China in coming up with "additional subordinate operational concepts" that would help the country win wars in the future. Fox News Digital reported that such developments would include advances in brain science‚ semiconductors‚ deep space‚ biotechnology‚ deep sea‚ and even polar-related technologies.The Pentagon's report went on to say that "Beijing has a clear understanding of its remaining S&;T deficiencies and wields industrial policies and the country’s massive tech transfer apparatus in an effort to close these gaps.""China also sustains high levels of R&;D funding and offers significant subsidies to domestic companies working on frontier technologies."Matt McInnis‚ a senior fellow for the Institute for the Study of War's China program‚ said that China intends to match or surpass the United States in AI development by 2025. Additionally‚ he mentioned that the U.S. "is at risk of falling behind China in this area‚ including the integration of AI into warfighting systems."However‚ he offered a silver lining‚ noting that "America still has enormous resources and potential to stay at the top of the AI game‚ though.""In addition to our more open and competitive environment for AI development … we may have an advantage in taking a slower‚ more deliberative approach to deploying AI in warfare.""China places enormous importance on AI and other advanced technologies to overtake the U.S. military‚ often to the detriment of the training‚ doctrine‚ and personnel development that the PLA also needs. AI is not the panacea for the PLA’s weaknesses‚" McInnis added‚ noting that it will be essential for the U.S. to locate "the vulnerabilities China creates by being over-dependent on AI." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The governmental transparency outfit Judicial Watch appears to have executed a successful pressure campaign to rid select voter lists of multitudes of ineligible voters in the District of Columbia. Judicial Watch notified election officials in D.C.‚ California‚ and Illinois that they had violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 "based on their failure to remove inactive voters from their registration rolls." While officials in California and Illinois have time left to act before Judicial Watch makes good on its threat of legal action‚ D.C. has indicated it has already begun taking remedial steps. The watchdog claimed in a Sept. 22 letter to the Monica Holman Evans‚ executive of the District of Columbia Board of Elections‚ that the board was in violation of Section 8 of the NVRA requiring it to "conduct a general program that makes a reasonable effort to remove the names of ineligible voters from the official lists of eligible voters for DC." The letter cited D.C. data provided to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission indicating zero voter registrations had been removed from November 2020 to November 2022. According to the watchdog‚ EAC data showed the number of inactive registrations in the district amounted to nearly one-quarter of the total number of Washington's registrations. Moreover‚ the notice stated "DC’s total registration rate — its total number of registrations divided by the most recent census estimates of its citizen voting-age population — is over 131%." Judicial Watch wrote‚ "In our experience‚ and as a matter of common sense‚ there is no possible way that the DC BOE is complying with the NVRA if it remove no registrations pursuant to that provision in a two-year period." The watchdog threatened to file a federal lawsuit unless the violations were corrected within 90 days. Evans evidently blinked‚ telling Judicial Watch in a letter last month that the board had taken "several list maintenance actions‚" including the removal of 65‚544 inactive voters on Oct. 30 who had allegedly voted in neither the 2016 nor 2020 general elections. Evans further noted that an additional 37‚962 "inactive" voters would soon be removed who had not voted in the 2018 general election‚ responded to address confirmation notices‚ or participated in the November 2022 general election. While thousands of inactive voters were moved off the list‚ 73‚522 voters were moved from "active to an inactive status on October 3‚ 2023 as a result of the 2023 biennial canvass process." Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said in a statement‚ "Dirty voter rolls increase the potential for voter fraud." "As Washington‚ DC's‚ quick cleanup of tens of thousands of names in response to Judicial Watch shows‚ there are potentially hundreds of thousands of names on the voter rolls that should be removed by California and Illinois‚" added Fitton. Although earlier this year‚ California saw over 1.2 million ineligible voters taken off rolls in Los Angeles County‚ the watchdog suggested that 46 counties in the state‚ containing over 14 million voters‚ "reported removing only a handful‚ or no registrations under the NVRA's change of address rules‚ or else failed to report any data at all." Illinois similarly appears to have trouble dropping ineligible voters from its lists‚ with 15 counties indicating zero removals from November 2020 to November 2022‚ according to EAC reports. Judicial Watch also noted in its letter to Bernadette Matthews‚ executive director of the Illinois State Board of Elections‚ that "15 Illinois jurisdictions have more voter registrations than citizens of voting age." It appears this is a problem for other states as well. The Republican National Committee demanded Friday that Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson clean up her state's voter rolls‚ citing a recent analysis showing 55 of Michigan's 83 counties have more registered voters than adults 18 or older‚ reported the Detroit Free Press. "More than 50 Michigan counties have a 100% or higher rate of voter registration‚" said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. "This is mathematically impossible and means that ineligible voters are on the rolls ahead of the upcoming 2024 election‚" continued the chairwoman. "The RNC is demanding that Michigan ensure only eligible voters can vote and will take legal action to ensure that outcome if necessary." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Argentina’s new libertarian President Javier Milei has been making waves for a while‚ especially during his campaign. However‚ naturally people wonder how many of the bold promises he made will actually be fulfilled once he takes office. Well‚ that day has come. Milei was officially inaugurated just two days ago‚ and already it’s pretty clear he’s a man true to his word. Dave Rubin plays the clip of him announcing which government agencies are toast‚ and let’s just say it’s a lengthy list. Of Argentina’s 21 government departments‚ Milei plans to eliminate the following: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports The Ministry of Culture The Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development Ministry of Women‚ Genders‚ and Diversity Ministry of Public Works Ministry of Science‚ Technology‚ and Innovation Ministry of Labor‚ Employment‚ and Social Security Ministry of Education Ministry of Transportation Ministry of Health Ministry of Social Development “Afuera! [Out!]” Milei yelled‚ ripping each of the listed ministries off the whiteboard. “The thievery of politics is over. Long live freedom‚ d**n it!” he fired. “The Milei vision – it's a winning vision‚” says Dave‚ “and we have to instill this in our institutions because if we do that‚ then we can crush the ever-growing government.” 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.

A man told a 911 operator that he had been shot in the testicle after his ex-girlfriend asked him to take a walk with her.Charlie Glenn‚ from Hamilton‚ Ohio‚ said that he doesn't want an apology from ex-girlfriend Tonya Nester and still loves her despite the incident that left the man with a bullet wound in his crotch.As FOX19 Cincinnati reported‚ the man stated that Nester "wanted me to take a walk with her‚ and I found out she had a pistol with her.""She said it was a pellet gun‚ and I said‚ ‘Let me see it because I’m not going anywhere with you if you got a gun‚’ and she pulled it out and shot me.’"Police stated that Glenn was able to get the gun away from the woman after she shot him."She pulled the pistol out and shot me‚ and I proceeded to take the pistol from her at that point and got her down‚" Glenn explained. "My family members called the 911 because I was shot and bleeding."The local outlet was able to obtain the 911 call in which the witness described 36-year-old Nestor fleeing the scene."She's trying to to take off out the door. She’s run out the front door because she’s trying to leave‚" the unnamed caller said."Which way did she run?” the operator asked. "Um‚ um‚ I don’t know‚" the caller replied.Glenn was then heard on the 911 call explaining his injury to the dispatcher."OK‚ is there more than one wound or is it just one?" the dispatcher asked."Is it just one wound‚ Charlie?" the caller asked the victim."One shot but I think it went through my testicle into my butt cheek and out."Eventually‚ witnesses were able to tell police that the suspect had run through an alley toward the woods‚ and Hamilton police arrested the woman approximately a half-mile from the scene of the crime.When asked if he wanted an apology from the woman‚ Glenn said he didn't and only wants her to get better‚ as she is on medication for some sort of mental disability."I still to this day love her‚ and if she ever gets better‚ well ..." Glenn told reporters.Nester faces a felony assault charge and is in Butler County Jail on a $100‚000 bond.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Harvard University has apparently decided President Claudine Gay will maintain her job at the prestigious institution. The development comes after the president appeared before Congress to give account for the apparent increase in anti-Semitic behavior on campus.The Ivy League university has reportedly lost more than $1 billion in donations since Gay's congressional testimony about anti-Semitism‚ according to the New York Post. Nevertheless‚ the Harvard Corporation — the university's highest governing group — decided that it would make no changes to Gay's post as president.The decision was made on Tuesday after Gay and university leaders held long talks about the situation.“As members of the Harvard Corporation‚ we today reaffirm our support for President Gay’s continued leadership of Harvard University. Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing‚” the Harvard Corporation said in a statement.The Harvard Crimson — the university's student-run newspaper — reported that the university's decision to allow Gay to stay on as president comes as University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill resigned on Saturday following testimony before Congress.It appears Gay received an immense amount of support following her congressional hearing. More than 700 faculty members signed a letter to the Harvard Corporation on Monday‚ insisting that Gay retain her position at the university. Additionally‚ the Harvard Alumni Association Executive Committee expressed uncontested support for Gay in a letter of its own. The Harvard Corporation conceded that the university should have released an "immediate‚ direct and unequivocal condemnation" of Hamas' slaughter of 1‚200 Israelis on October 7. It went on to say that "calls for genocide are despicable and contrary to fundamental human values‚" but this sentiment seems to fly in the face of Gay's seemingly anti-Semitic testimony last week. “President Gay has apologized for how she handled her congressional testimony and has committed to redoubling the university’s fight against antisemitism‚" the group said. However‚ it is unclear how Gay plans to make right her initial position. The hearing involved Gay‚ Magill‚ and MIT President Sally A. Kornbluth‚ all of whom were asked to step down from their posts by more than 70 members of Congress following the hearing. The Harvard Corporation apparently launched a separate investigation into accusations of plagiarism against Gay. The claim is that she plagiarized various portions of her 1997 Ph.D. thesis‚ which would be in violation of the institution's academic integrity policies. The New York Post reported that the group discovered "a few instances of inadequate citation‚" adding that "while the analysis found no violation of Harvard’s standards for research misconduct‚ President Gay is proactively requesting four corrections in two articles to insert citations and quotation marks that were omitted from the original publications.”Despite the whirlwind of controversy surrounding Harvard's president‚ the Harvard Corporation has expressed its unanimous support for Gay. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The movie‚ directed‚ written and starring Tom Laughlin‚ had a long journey on its way to the screen. Its memorable song was recorded - and charted - multiple times The post ‘Billy Jack’: One Tin Soldier Rides Away appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

Built in New Orleans’ lush Garden District in the 19th century‚ Buckner Mansion has a long‚ spooky history rife with rumors of ghosts and other paranormal activity. The post The Haunted History Of Buckner Mansion‚ The Opulent House Featured In ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ appeared first on All That's Interesting.

The battle over the government’s foreign-surveillance powers pits GOP security hawks against an alliance of progressives and civil libertarians.