A Chicago surgeon is accused of shooting and killing his ex-wife and her new husband at the couple's home in Ohio, according to police. The murder suspect was caught 400 miles away from the crime scene, after the alleged killer revealed damning evidence to authorities.

Nearly nine years after his divorce, 39-year-old Michael David McKee now stands accused of executing his ex-wife and her husband of nearly five years.

'We will continue to honor their lives and the light they brought into this world.'

Spencer and Monique Tepe were found dead on Dec. 30 at their home in the Weinland Park neighborhood of Columbus.

Citing court documents, WCMH-TV reported that the grisly discovery came after Columbus police received a 911 call at 9:03 a.m. Dec. 30 from a co-worker of Spencer Tepe, who was concerned that he had not shown up for work that morning.

"He's been reliable, and we cannot get in touch with him, his wife, his family, anybody that lives in that house," the co-worker stated. "He is always on time, and he would contact us if there's any issues. ... We're very, very concerned, and this is very out of character, and we can't get in touch with his wife, which is probably the more concerning thing."

During a wellness check, police reportedly discovered the couple's bodies.

Citing police records, WSYX-TV reported that Spencer Tepe was shot multiple times, and Monique Tepe had at least one gunshot wound to the chest.

The affidavit said the couple's two children, ages 1 and 4, and the family dog were found in the house unharmed.

Police records said there were no obvious signs of forced entry into the Tepes' home, and no firearm was found at the crime scene.

McKee was arrested Saturday morning in Rockford, Illinois, according to jail records from the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators zeroed in on a critical detail to locate the suspected killer.

Surveillance video recorded near the crime scene showed a person of interest walking in an alley, WBNS-TV reported, adding that detectives believed the video linked McKee to a car that arrived shortly before the shooting and left moments afterward.

Police later tracked the vehicle nearly 400 miles away in Rockford where Illinois officers confirmed the vehicle was registered to McKee, according to court documents.

Citing the affidavit, the New York Times reported that police said evidence indicated McKee had been "in possession" of the vehicle before and after the deadly shootings.

Records show McKee, a vascular surgeon, holds active medical licenses in Illinois and California, the Times added.

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McKee initially was charged with two counts of murder in the couple's deaths.

But on Monday, the charges against McKee were upgraded to premeditated, aggravated murder, records show.

The Columbus Division of Police told CNN that "detectives believe they met the elements" for McKee to face the more serious offense but did not specify what those elements are.

Premeditated, aggravated murder is a more serious offense and carries a possible life sentence without parole or the death penalty. That’s compared to 15 years to life in prison for murder.

Murder charges require prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant "purposely cause[d] the death of another," according to the Ohio Revised Code.

For aggravated murder, the state must prove the defendant committed the killing with "prior calculation and design," according to the Ohio Revised Code.

Aggravated murder also can apply if the death occurred during the course of committing a separate serious crime, such as rape or burglary.

McKee waived his right to an extradition hearing, according to CNN, which noted: "A public defender representing McKee requested a speedy return to Ohio to plead not guilty in the case."

RELATED: Pregnant woman found dead; now sordid family-affair accusations and mystery of her baby's grisly fate emerge: Court docs

The Tepe family said McKee's arrest represents an important step toward justice for Monique and Spencer.

The family said in a statement to WLS-TV, "Monique and Spencer remain at the center of our hearts, and we carry forward their love as we surround and protect the two children they leave behind. We will continue to honor their lives and the light they brought into this world."

The family also stressed, "Nothing can undo the devastating loss of two lives taken far too soon, but we are grateful to the city of Columbus Police Department, its investigators, and assisting law enforcement community whose tireless efforts helped to capture the person involved."

McKee married Monique Tepe — who was using her maiden name of Sabaturski at the time — on Aug. 22, 2015, according to court documents reviewed by USA Today. The couple divorced in May 2017, the documents note.

The pair had no children together, records show.

Monique and Spencer Tepe married in December 2020, according to their obituary, which reads, "Spencer and Monique met online and quickly grew their relationship into a solid foundation of love and respect with a side of goofiness."

The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

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The FBI searched the home of a Washington Post reporter, reportedly seizing a couple of her electronic devices.

The news outlet claimed that federal agents on Wednesday morning searched the home of Hannah Natanson, a Washington, D.C.-based reporter. Natanson has been responsible for “high-profile and sensitive coverage” of the federal government during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term in office, according to the Post.

'The alleged leaker was arrested this week and is in custody.'

The FBI reportedly searched Natanson’s electronic devices, seizing her phone and Garmin watch.

The Post alleged that the recent raid was a part of an ongoing investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a government contractor.

Perez-Lugones, a Maryland resident, is accused of unlawfully retaining national defense information, according to court records. He previously served in the U.S. Navy and held a Top Secret security clearance. Since leaving the military in 2002, he has worked as a government contractor in various capacities.

A January 9 affidavit described Perez-Lugones as currently working as a systems engineer and information technology specialist for a government contracting company based in Annapolis Junction, Maryland. His role allows him to maintain a Top Secret security clearance with access to information related to “intelligence sources, methods, and analytical processes,” which he has maintained since at least 2000, the court document read.

RELATED: SCANDAL: ICE has a leak problem

Photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images

In October, Perez-Lugones allegedly took screenshots of a Top Secret report, pasted the images into a Microsoft Word document, and printed it. He was also accused of writing classified information on a yellow notepad and taking the sheets of paper home on January 7. The following day, authorities searched Perez-Lugones’ home, allegedly discovering multiple documents that were marked as Secret, including a document found in his lunch box.

“One or more of these documents are related to national defense,” the affidavit read.

However, the criminal complaint did not accuse Perez-Lugones of disseminating any classified information to a reporter.

Perez-Lugones’ attorneys did not respond to a request for comment.

RELATED: Jack Posobiec’s prediction comes true in record time; classified Trump-Russia call conveniently leaked

Kash Patel. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

In December, Natanson published a report at the Post titled, “I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal,” in which she described receiving messages from more than 1,000 current or former federal government workers eager to share how Trump's leadership had negatively impacted workplace policies.

“People inside government agencies weren’t supposed to tell me about any of that,” Natanson wrote in the report, referring to articles in the Post that originated from tips she received from government workers.

When reached for comment, the FBI referred Blaze News to Director Kash Patel’s X post addressing the Wednesday search.

“This morning the @FBI and partners executed a search warrant of an individual at the Washington Post who was found to allegedly be obtaining and reporting classified, sensitive military information from a government contractor — endangering our warfighters and compromising America’s national security. The alleged leaker was arrested this week and is in custody. As this is an ongoing investigation, we will have no further comment,” Patel wrote.

— (@)

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My first experience with an activist journalist came in 2019. I had traveled to Oregon’s state capitol in support of a small group of Republican state legislators. They had refused to appear for a vote, to prevent the Democrats from passing a hotly contested education bill.

This was a strategy the Republicans had used before. Oregon is a solid blue, Democrat-run state. Often, the only tool the Republicans had to stop a bad bill was to leave town and thus deny the legislature their quorum (the necessary number of legislators needed to vote).

Did she really hate Republicans so much, she couldn’t contain her rage for the 10 seconds she was required to listen to my answer? She was a professional news reporter.

So that’s what they did. The Democrats were up to their usual money-wasting, ideology-pushing ways. So the Republicans went AWOL.

Breaking the ice

Our busload of Republican volunteers — about 20 of us — unloaded at the state capitol.

There was media everywhere. The day before, the Democrats had threatened to send the state police after the rogue legislators and drag them back to the capitol building.

To this, one of our more salty, cowboy hat-wearing legislators responded: “Send bachelors and come heavily armed.”

This was about as colorful as politics got here in Oregon.

So that’s why we were there. To show the public that those renegade Republicans had the support of their constituents.

We’d been told to look presentable and interact with the media if possible. I was wearing glasses, a sweater, and a button-down shirt. I looked like a school teacher or maybe a writer (which I am) or one of those retirees who volunteers for things (which I also am).

We gathered in the crowded capitol building. There were reporters and camera crews scattered throughout. I felt like I should break the ice and go talk to one.

I spotted a TV crew from the Portland Fox affiliate. The reporter was dressed up, hair and makeup camera-ready. She was probably 45 years old. She appeared to be a seasoned, professional reporter.

So I walked over to her and said: “Do you guys need to interview a Republican? Do you want a quote?”

“Yeah, sure,” she answered.

Spirited debate

At this point, I was still very new to politics. To me, it still seemed like a game. Like a friendly competition. But that’s what I liked about it. I enjoyed being part of a team and engaging in spirited debate with the other team.

But I also believed in fair play and maintaining a sense of humor. That was my take on the present situation. It was funny. The outlaw Republican cowboys versus the non-binary, they/them Democratic elites? This was a great story!

Which was why it was getting so much attention. And why the capitol was packed with people. Even the national news was covering it.

Seethe the day

The cameraman lifted his camera onto his shoulder. I straightened my sweater and brushed my hair back with my hand.

The reporter asked if I was ready, and I nodded. They turned on the camera.

In her professional voice, the reporter asked me if the Republicans’ leaving town was the proper way to debate an education bill.

She pointed the microphone at me, and I answered, “They’re totally outnumbered. But most people agree with them. So I do think it’s an appropriate strategy.” Or something like that.

That was it. A couple sentences. Clean and simple. She was going to need a quote from someone on the Republican side, so I gave her one.

Not only that, I knew to look at her and not the camera as I spoke. To actually listen to her question before I answered. So it would look good on TV.

But that was the problem. When I looked into her face, she was glaring at me. She had this look in her eyes. It was a look I was not prepared for. I’m not sure I’ve ever actually seen someone look at me like that.

It was a look of total hatred. Like burning, seething hatred. And it was leveled at me! And I was being cheerful and nice. I was helping her out!

Hate on the hour

That look on her face was disturbing. Once they turned the camera off, I just walked away.

What was this woman’s problem? Did she really hate Republicans so much, she couldn’t contain her rage for the 10 seconds she was required to listen to my answer? She was a professional news reporter. She was 45 years old!

If it were some 22-year-old who just graduated from “activist” journalism school, I could understand. But this was a grown woman. Had she never done this before?

Hey, lady: You’re not supposed to HATE people for having an opposing opinion. I DID YOU A FAVOR!

RELATED: 'Subhuman ghouls': People, WaPo trash Scott Adams hours after his death

Photo by Bob Riha Jr./Getty Images

‘Love’ wins

So now, several years have passed, and I see this same phenomenon almost every night on my local news. Not necessarily seething hatred. But something similar. Specifically: the constant messaging that any conservative position, on any issue, is — of course — totally evil. And that the left is always morally correct.

That’s what I saw in the eyes of that local Fox reporter. A total lack of perspective. A soulless fanaticism. She was like a “hate robot” with one mission: the annihilation of people like me!

Unfortunately, this behavior is commonplace now. The division continues to get worse. I don’t know what the solution is, except to point out that hating people, at this intensity level, can’t be good for your health. If you’re hating and seething, you’re probably hurting yourself more than anyone else.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s swearing-in ceremony went as one might expect, with the young politician praising the “warmth of collectivism” while dissing the “frigidity of rugged individualism.”

And BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere couldn’t be less surprised.

“You might think, well, you know, he won the election. Sure, he was a firebrand when he was out there on the campaign tour, but what’s he really going to be like as a mayor?” Stu asks on “Stu Does America.”

“He tried to make that very, very clear in his opening speech, where he talked about 'the warmth of collectivism,'” he adds, before playing a clip from Mamdani’s telling speech.

“We will draw this city closer together. We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism. If our campaign demonstrated that the people of New York yearn for solidarity, then let this government foster it,” Mamdani boomed.

“Because no matter what you eat, how you pray, or where you come from, the words that most define us are the two we all share: New Yorkers,” he added.

“It is unbelievable that anyone is falling for this after what has happened in our history. The ‘frigidity of rugged individualism,’ the thing that built America, he’s describing it as frigid and cold and awful, an awful experience,” Stu comments.

“And then the warmth, the warm blanket of collectivism. It’s not even hiding it. It’s not even the collectivism, the warmth of working together. He’s not even using an euphemism. He’s just coming out and saying it. He’s just saying, ‘Hey, let me just pitch this to you: Marxism,’” he continues.

“Now, of course, the warmth of collectivism is very, very known. Well known. They wrote a great book about it. It’s a little long. It’s called ‘The Black Book of Communism,’” he adds.

Stu points out that the book is a great one to have in your personal library, as it's an “endless telling of all the horrors of the world of communism and what it has done to us over the past hundred years.”

“We’re talking about, you know, millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of people dead,” he says. “Like we’re talking nine figures of people killed by this philosophy that the people of New York were just like, ‘You know, let’s try that here.’”

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The online world for Grand Theft Auto V is seeing a rare instance of censorship despite its usually anything-goes environment.

GTA Online is the game's online platform, which has thrived for more than a dozen years since its original 2013 release.

'Tasteless, unacceptable, and inappropriate.'

In December, publisher Rockstar Games launched a feature that allows players to design and publish their own missions online for other users to play. At this point in the game's lifespan, this was about the only thing that users could not yet do.

It only took a few days for this feature to be immediately taken to its limits, though, as at least one user took it upon themselves to recreate the murder of Charlie Kirk, which happened on September 10, 2025.

A user named "Yaarpen98" created a mission titled "We are Charlie Kirk," in which the gamer is meant to go on a rooftop and shoot a person standing in front of school under a fruit stand.

YouTuber ICER relayed fan reactions to the created mission, saying it had users split, with half of the fans saying it was simply dark humor and an example of player freedom. The other half of fans, he explained, described the mission as "tasteless, unacceptable, and inappropriate."

He added some have argued that "players have crossed a line that even the developers should not tolerate."

RELATED: Honor Charlie and put America first at the ballot box in 2026

As reported by Variety, Rockstar Games has banned missions of this nature and added "Charlie Kirk" to its list of prohibited terms through its "profanity filter." Furthermore, the developers will change the name of this tool to something that reflects how it will be used to flag content violations, not just profanity.

Rockstar's community guidelines already prohibit showcasing "violent extremism," which includes "glorification or promotion of real-world terrorist, extremist, or criminal organizations and their ideologies."

This rule has already been allegedly enforced in regard to rapper and producer Sean "Diddy" Combs, after missions that recreated a raid on his home were removed.

RELATED: Conor McGregor removed from Hitman video game after losing sexual assault case

Photo by Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images

A user named "Vexnyllith" said he created a mission that had authorities raiding the home of a "celebrity" known for "hosting parties and is wanted for serious crimes."

The user said he also created a mission called "Diddy Disciples," but both missions were removed. He then vowed to create a new series of missions and advised fans to follow him.

The mission creation feature is similar to that of Hitman Online, which also sparked controversy when UFC fighter Conor McGregor was removed from the game over real-life legal troubles.

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The Wall Street Journal has been accused of attempting to sow division between top members of the Trump administration regarding Iran.

The article, entitled "White House Weighs Iran’s Nuclear-Talks Offer as Trump Leans Toward Strikes" seemed to suggest that Vice President JD Vance was urging President Donald Trump to seek diplomatic solutions in Iran while Trump favored military strikes amid protests in the country.

'You don’t hate the media enough.'

The article was later apparently updated to include a statement from Vance's communications director, William Martin.

"In a statement issued after the Wall Street Journal's story published Monday a spokesman for Vance, William Martin, said that Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 'together are presenting a suite of options to the president, ranging from a diplomatic approach to military actions,'" the WSJ wrote.

RELATED: Biden-voting Secret Service agent stripped of security clearance after spilling beans to undercover reporter

Photographer: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

However, on Monday night, Martin took to X to clarify his full remarks to the outlet. He provided a screenshot of his statement next to a screenshot of the WSJ's reporting.

Martin captioned the side-by-side comparison: "Here’s the statement we sent the @WSJ to correct their fake news report and here’s the way they twisted it to strip out the part where we said they got the story wrong."

"You don’t hate the media enough," he added.

According to his X post, Martin's full statement to the Wall Street Journal reads:

The Wall Street Journal's reporting is not accurate. Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio together are presenting a suite of options to the President, ranging from a diplomatic approach to military actions. They are presenting those options without bias or favor.

Trump allies have argued that the outlet selectively edited Martin's statement to create the illusion of conflict within the administration.

"FAKE NEWS — the blatant attempts by those in the left-wing media to create the illusion of division between President Trump, VP Vance, and Secretary Rubio couldn’t be more obvious," CJ Pearson said. "Vance and Rubio are working in LOCKSTEP to carry out the President’s foreign policy priorities."

"Why would any conservative ever trust the Wall Street Journal to tell the truth at this point? They've become one of the biggest pushers of leftist lies and fake news in all of the media," Donald Trump Jr. said on X.

The Wall Street Journal did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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Democratic attorneys general from 12 states are suing the Trump administration in hopes of barring the Department of Health and Human Services from defunding various gender ideology initiatives.

President Donald Trump took a wrecking ball to gender ideology on his first day back in office, declaring in Executive Order 14168, "It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality. Under my direction, the Executive Branch will enforce all sex-protective laws to promote this reality."

James noted that in New York alone, over $80 billion in funding is at risk because of the requirement that applicants comply with the president's reality-affirming order.

In addition to requiring every agency to use the term "sex" and not "gender" in federal policies and documentation, the order tasked each federal agency with ensuring that federal grant funds "do not promote gender ideology."

Pursuant to the EO, the HHS released guidance to the U.S. government, the public, and external partners that sex is an immutable biological classification and that there are only two sexes, male and female.

The HHS also issued a new policy statement indicating that recipients of health, education, and research grants subject to Title IX requirements must be "compliant with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 ... including the requirements set forth in Presidential Executive Order 14168 titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government."

The Democrat-run states of California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington claim in their new lawsuit that the HHS' enforcement of the directives in Trump's EO violates the Administrative Procedure Act, the guarantee of separation of powers, and the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

RELATED: 'Not medicine — it's malpractice': Trump HHS buries child sex-change regime with damning report

Luis Soto/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

According to the states, the grant conditions are "impermissibly retroactive because they alter conditions attached to the funds Congress duly appropriated to HHS by imposing new conditions on existing appropriations of federal funds to the States."

They further alleged that the conditions not only constitute an attempt on the part of the HHS to unilaterally amend Title IX but are discriminatory, serving to "exclude transgender, intersex, non-binary, and gender-diverse individuals and make denial of their existence official policy."

California Attorney General Rob Bonta — who was barred last month from enforcing laws that keep parents in the dark about whether their kids are masquerading as members of the opposite sex at school — said in a statement, "HHS has overstepped its constitutional authority and ignored proper procedures in an attempt to codify its hateful agenda."

New York Attorney General Letitia James made clear what's at risk for each Democratic state: tens of billions of dollars in grant funding to ideologically captive institutions. James noted that in New York alone, over $80 billion in funding is at risk because of the requirement that applicants comply with the president's reality-affirming order.

James suggested that the directive was "cruel and unjust."

The Democrat-controlled states want the federal court in Rhode Island to declare the policy unlawful and to block the HHS from enforcing it.

Blaze News has reached out to the HHS for comment.

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If Netflix absorbs Warner Bros., the far left will secure a cultural monopoly unmatched in American history. This would place iconic franchises, mass distribution platforms, and elite political influence under a single ideological command structure.

Most coverage treats Netflix as a hybrid of Hollywood and Silicon Valley. That framing misses the decisive fact: The company already operates well inside the Democrat political ecosystem. Susan Rice’s role on Netflix’s board makes that unmistakable.

Susan Rice, Reed Hastings, Barack Obama, and their allies stand within reach of the most powerful political messaging system in American history.

Rice joined Netflix’s board in 2018 after serving in senior positions in the Obama administration. She returned in 2023 after leading Biden’s Domestic Policy Council. Her career spans national security, intelligence, and domestic governance, placing her at the intersection of political power and narrative control.

Rice represents a specific governing class. She served as Obama’s national security adviser and later ran domestic policy for Biden, exercising authority over both foreign and internal priorities. She has shown a willingness to use state power for partisan ends, including her role in the unmasking of Trump transition officials. She has also promoted the most aggressive progressive social policies, including medical interventions for minors under gender ideology.

Rice understands that political power does not rest solely on legislation or elections. It rests on shaping public perception. Institutions that control culture define what ideas appear reasonable, what questions seem illegitimate, and which outcomes feel inevitable.

That instinct was clear in her 2019 New York Times op-ed, “When the President is a Bigot, the Poison Spreads,” in which she accused President Trump of “overt racism” and “almost daily attacks on black and brown people.” The piece functioned less as analysis and more as moral instruction issued from elite authority.

Since returning to Netflix’s board, Rice has intensified her attacks on the Trump administration. She accused Vice President JD Vance of showing “fealty to Vladimir Putin” and derided Trump as a “surrender monkey” for resisting constant military escalation. These are not isolated remarks. They reflect an entrenched worldview that treats deviation from the foreign policy consensus as disqualifying.

RELATED: Can conservatives reclaim pop culture?

Photo by Ernesto S. Ruscio/Getty Images

Rice’s presence alone should concern anyone who values media pluralism. A Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros. would raise the stakes dramatically. Such a merger would consolidate production, distribution, and political alignment inside a single corporate structure.

Warner Bros. controls some of the most influential properties in American entertainment, including DC Comics, "The Lord of the Rings," Harry Potter, and a deep film and television catalog. These assets shape cultural imagination at scale. No serious observer believes they would remain politically neutral under unified ideological control.

Netflix’s existing output already shows how entertainment becomes a delivery system for political messaging. Iconic characters are refashioned to signal progressive virtue. Narratives favor mass migration, abortion, and sexual politics without engaging dissent. Ideology enters through repetition rather than argument.

The most consequential impact would involve foreign policy and the national security state. Entertainment does not debate policy; it conditions instinct. Audiences absorb stories that normalize permanent crisis, global intervention, and moralized obedience to authority long before they encounter those ideas in political form.

Rice is not operating alone, obviously. Netflix founder and chairman Reed Hastings is a major Democrat donor who tried to blacklist Peter Thiel in 2016 for supporting Trump. That same year, Netflix signed Michelle and Barack Obama to a reported $50 million production deal, renewed in 2024 for an undisclosed amount.

RELATED: Trump is right: Netflix’s merger would create a woke media monster

Photo by Vincent Feuray/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images

These relationships form a coherent network. Political power feeds cultural production. Cultural production shapes public opinion. Distribution ensures saturation. The loop closes without voters ever being asked.

My organization, the Oversight Project, will soon release an interim report examining Netflix’s role in social engineering under the guise of entertainment. The report documents how elite political priorities migrate into mass culture through corporate platforms that present ideology as entertainment.

A constitutional republic depends on a citizenry capable of self-government. America’s founders emphasized this repeatedly, and the First Amendment reflects their concern. Self-rule requires access to information and culture that are not filtered through ideological monopolies.

When dominant media platforms operate as unified political actors, that condition erodes. Citizens no longer encounter competing interpretations of reality. They receive moral direction from institutions that treat politics as settled doctrine.

A Netflix-Warner Bros. merger would accelerate this consolidation. It would fuse cultural memory, creative output, and political alignment into a single apparatus. The result would not be persuasion but control through saturation.

Susan Rice, Reed Hastings, Barack Obama, and their allies understand what is at stake. They stand within reach of the most powerful political messaging system in American history. President Trump must not allow it.

Prosecutors said a male recorded cellphone video of himself fatally stabbing a sleeping man on a Chicago train in an unprovoked attack early Saturday morning, WGN-TV reported.

Police responded to the Clark and Lake station just before 2:30 a.m. for a report of a stabbing, WGN said.

'Somebody got his ass.'

The victim, Dominique Pollion, had been asleep on the CTA Blue Line train for about an hour and had no interactions with the attacker before the stabbing, the station said, citing court documents. Police said the victim was 37 years old.

Prosecutors said Demetrius Thurman, 40, entered the train just before 2:20 a.m. and walked up behind Pollion while holding his phone in his right hand and a knife in his left hand, WGN reported.

Thurman began recording and allegedly stabbed Pollion once in the chest and once in the abdomen, the station said.

Pollion screamed, backed away down the aisle, and then collapsed, WGN said.

Thurman was accused of fleeing between train cars and then recording the scene through the window once the train stopped at Clark and Lake, the station said.

He allegedly told security officers "somebody got his ass" before leaving the station, WGN reported.

Security officers initially did not know Pollion had been stabbed since he was wearing multiple layers of clothing, the station said.

Paramedics found the stab wounds, WGN reported, but Pollion was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

RELATED: NYC subway rider pays brutal price after asking fellow passenger to stop talking loudly on cell phone

Detectives recovered CTA surveillance video of the incident, the station said, adding that Thurman was identified through the secretary of state’s facial recognition program using a still photo taken from the surveillance video.

In addition, a Chicago police officer recognized Thurman from a police bulletin about the stabbing, remembering he interacted with him a few days before on a Blue Line train, WGN reported.

Thurman was arrested Sunday wearing the same clothes he wore during the incident, the station said, citing documents. WGN said in its video report that Thurman also had the cell phone in his possession.

A relative of Thurman identified him to detectives, the station said, citing court documents — and he reportedly admitted to the crime.

A judge ordered Thurman detained during a Tuesday hearing on a first-degree murder charge, WGN reported.

His criminal history includes three traffic offenses — most recently in 2023 — as well as a DUI in 2017 and a disorderly conduct in 2014, the station said.

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There is a particular aesthetic that holds sway in vast territories of modern motherhood: the throw pillow stitched with Live Laugh Love, the stemless wine glass reading Mommy’s Sippy Cup, the Instagram reel joking that bedtime is encroaching on wine time.

We’re meant to laugh and recognize ourselves in it. It’s harmless humor, we’re told. A coping mechanism. A wink at how hard motherhood can be and why we deserve a mental “break.”

Alcohol allows us to take the edge off without ever naming what’s wrong, smoothing the dissonance between what we feel and what we think we should feel.

But what if the joke isn’t harmless? What if this cultural script, especially the version adapted and shared among Christian women, teaches mothers that it’s better to cope than to heal? What if the cost isn’t just personal, but burdensome for their children in ways that may not appear for years to come?

Jokingly giving women permission to booze it up guilt-free has helped wine sales skyrocket. Along the way, we’ve seen the rates of women dying from alcohol-related illnesses increase by 35%.

These numbers aren’t a coincidence. Overdrinking has become an acceptable way of life, and it is destructive in ways women don’t realize when they first pick up a glass.

Trading hope for cope

Motherhood is exhausting, in both good and hard ways. We’re raising children in an era of constant stimulation, economic pressure, social isolation, and relentless comparison. Many are doing this with less community support than ever before. Their fatigue is real, and feeling overwhelmed is justified.

But reaching for wine doesn't fix the problem. It just makes it worse.

Instead of offering meaningful support or naming the loneliness created by distance from extended family and lives increasingly lived through screens, our culture handed women a temporary salve for wounds that require real presence and care.

Never mind that alcohol worsens anxiety, disrupts sleep, and wreaks havoc with emotional regulation.

This “wine-mom” culture didn’t emerge accidentally. It was marketed by alcohol companies that realized mothers were an untapped demographic. They rebranded drinking as self-care, reward, and relief.

Christians didn’t stand apart from this trend. We joined it because it felt respectable and far removed from the caricature of addiction we were taught to fear. We weren’t legalists, after all.

In my book "Freely Sober: Rethinking Alcohol Through the Lens of Faith," I argue that Christian women have been lured into the same trap — and need a pathway out.

Intervarsity Press

Women's work-around

Christian women are often taught, explicitly or implicitly, to be grateful, content, and joyful no matter their circumstances. Complaining feels sinful, and naming dissatisfaction feels unspiritual.

Alcohol becomes a work-around. It allows us to take the edge off without ever naming what’s wrong, smoothing the dissonance between what we feel and what we think we should feel. It offers temporary relief without asking hard questions.

And because wine is so normalized — at times celebrated — no one intervenes. In fact, friends often encourage it. Churches rarely question it, and the jokes keep coming, even from those who are well-meaning. Overconsumption becomes a socially acceptable sin, and then we feel ashamed when it is hard to quit or cut back.

Numbing out

Most mothers who participate in wine culture are not falling-down drunk. I was a Christian mom, and to the rest of the world, I appeared to be thriving. Like many women, I was functional — which made the problem easy to ignore.

But our families don’t just get the part of us that keeps it together at the office or always makes it to the gym. They get us in every hard and holy moment. And a mother who is emotionally dulled night after night is less present, even if she’s physically there.

A mother who relies on alcohol to cope is often quicker to irritability and slower to patience. She’s less attuned to her children’s needs, less engaged in conversations, and less available for the simple moments where connection is built. Alcohol dulls perception, and children often communicate distress in the quietest ways — ways that are easy to miss. I know I did.

Children notice more than we think. They learn how adults handle stress, observe what celebration looks like, and internalize the message that hard feelings are something to escape, not endure. The damage of wine-mom culture is rarely dramatic, and that’s where the danger is. It erodes slowly, normalizing emotional absence and teaching that numbing out is fine.

Live, laugh, lie

The slogan itself is revealing when you look at it this way:

Live — avoid suffering.
Laugh — drown discomfort in humor.
Love — indulge yourself first.

It is a shallow creed for a culture allergic to pain. Christianity offers a radically different vision. It does not promise escape from suffering, but promises meaning within it. It does not offer numbing, but transformation. Alcohol promises rest, but Christ actually gives it.

Wine is a counterfeit, temporary relief that ultimately does more harm than good when taken in excess. The gospel does not call women to white-knuckle their pain, but neither does it tell them to anesthetize it. True rest comes from truth-telling, community, repentance, and renewal, not a drug-based substitute.

The hardest easy

For years, I believed the joke, or pretended to. I wasn’t reckless or spiraling and told myself I was just doing what everyone else was doing. Drinking to unwind, to cope, to feel “normal” again.

But slowly, I realized that alcohol promised something it could never deliver. It made hard days easier (for a few hours), but meaningful growth harder (for years). I justified my drinking based on cultural encouragement, running from the idea that sobriety might be a better choice for me.

When I finally quit drinking five years ago, sobriety didn’t magically fix my life, but it forced me to face it honestly — and that is the beginning of freedom. I want other women to know they too can feel that freedom.

RELATED: 3 healthy habits to bring you closer to God in 2026

Bettman/Getty Images

Choosing clarity

In modern America, mothers are often told they are victims — of systems, expectations, and circumstances beyond their control.

What we really need is permission to tell the truth — to admit hardship, even when it forces us to confront the ways we have chosen to cope with it. We need communities and opportunities that acknowledge this season of life without offering numbing as the solution. We need churches willing to name alcohol honestly, not as a forbidden fruit, but as a false savior. We need friendships built on presence, not punch lines or escape rooms.

Most of all, we need to hear that our motherhood struggles aren’t a failure. The desire to overcome the hard moments is totally normal, and it is understandable that we would look for an easy way to do so. But there are better, healthier ways to walk through these times. One of the most countercultural things a mother can do today is stay awake to her own life.

Choosing clarity, and the courage to seek better ways to live, changes a woman, her relationship with God, her family, and the mark she leaves on the world.

Liberal protesters have descended upon Minneapolis following the ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good — and after viewing footage from the protests, BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales can’t help but get “civil war vibes.”

“I do take them seriously that they want violence,” Gonzales says. “OK, I want to be clear. I do take them seriously that they are trying to take down America from within and that they do very much want a civil war.”

“Over the weekend, you’ve got more civil unrest, once again, you have all of these people putting their lives on the line to protest and obstruct ICE agents who are there to round up criminals. Like that’s all there is to it. They are there to cause a problem for the law enforcement officials who went out there to round up actual criminals,” she continues.

One clip from the weekend protests even shows a man screaming that he plans to buy a gun and learn how to use it because it’s “time for armed resistance against the United States of America.”

“First of all, I need the administration to take this very seriously. They need to take this extremely seriously. Any of these protesters who are out there threatening these ICE agents who are out there threatening, saying, ‘I’m going to get a gun and then I’m going to kill you,’ should be arrested,” Gonzales says.

“You’ve gone far over freedom of speech. You do not get to threaten someone with murder. You’re not allowed to do that. You know how I know? I’ve had people prosecuted for doing the same thing. You are not allowed to do that,” she continues.

And Gonzales can’t help but notice that the reason for their protest is about as ridiculous as it was the last time Minneapolis saw riots.

“And this is the state of leftism. They are rioting over a chick who tried to protect Somali criminals from being deported. And that is why I’m saying this is actually worse. People protesting this are actually like, this is actually dumber than the George Floyd protests,” she says.

“It’s actually dumber ... if you obstruct ICE, if you make the wrong decision, if you put their life on the line and they are forced to defend themselves or their partners or any other innocent people, they will do that,” she adds.

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The U.S. Secret Service has placed an agent assigned to Vice President JD Vance's protective detail on administrative leave after he allegedly divulged sensitive security secrets to an undercover female reporter.

In footage published on Tuesday by investigative journalist James O'Keefe, USSS agent Tomas Escotto appears to share various specifics regarding Vance's security detail with the reporter as well as photos revealing the methods used to transport the vice president.

'When one person falls short, it places an added burden on colleagues who are left to rebuild trust.'

"What we uncovered is troubling," said O'Keefe, who indicated that the engagements took place in the wake of the attempted break-in at Vance's Cincinnati home. "We hope that bringing this to light strengthens security and helps prevent future vulnerabilities in our government."

The video and text messages published by O'Keefe appear to show that Escotto, a self-identified Biden voter, provided the reporter with:

• real-time locations of the vice president;
• insights into Vance's future travel plans;
• the particulars of how far ahead and behind agents walk in relation to Vance;
• the security detail's shift schedule;
• photographs taken on duty containing location metadata; and
• photographs providing insights into how the vice president's vehicle is secured and stored for international travel.

After indicating in the footage that he only received his citizenship in 2018, Escotto criticizes the Trump administration's immigration policies, stating, "They're deploying tactics that shouldn't be deployed."

RELATED: Georgetown prof starts running after realizing he's talking to James O'Keefe — and his racial 'slurs' are on camera

Al Drago-Pool/Getty Image

O'Keefe noted that ahead of publishing the video, his team coordinated with the USSS, redacting sensitive operational details at their request.

Blaze News has reached out to Vance's office for comment.

Deputy Secret Service Director Matthew Quinn confirmed in a statement to O'Keefe that the incident is under investigation and "the employee involved has been placed on administrative leave with his clearance suspended and access to agency facilities and systems revoked."

The USSS is now also requiring all personnel to retake the agency's anti-espionage training "in order to ensure employees are aware of the threats posed by individuals aiming to exploit agency employees for information about our protective operations."

Quinn said in a memo to USSS employees that was obtained by O'Keefe, "Over the past several months, an agency employee was deliberately targeted and manipulated by a citizen-journalism media organization that misrepresented itself in an effort to get close to the employee and expose sensitive information. This is the second time in less than a year that our personnel have been subjected to this same deceptive tactic."

"When one person falls short, it places an added burden on colleagues who are left to rebuild trust that each of us works hard every day to earn and protect," added Quinn.

Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet was among those who emphasized the gravity of O'Keefe's damning exposé, stating, "This is one of the most disturbing videos I've seen in some time. Those tasked with protecting the president, VP, and their families should be a top national priority."

"That a Secret Service agent could be leaking sensitive information and endangering their lives is a national security threat of the highest importance," added Kolvet.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, noted, "The Secret Service is a dangerous mess."

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On December 18, 2025, the White House released an executive order on “Ensuring American Space Superiority.” The document begins with a premise that is less policy than existential stance: “Superiority in space is a measure of national vision.” This technical roadmap finds room for the terminology of providence, suggesting that a country’s greatness is now to be measured by its cosmic reach.

The order attempts to revive a specific American mythology. Since the 1960s, we have been told that space is the “final frontier,” a phrase that carries a reminder of 19th-century manifest destiny. The document reaffirms belief in America’s providential expansion, positioning the United States as the nation destined to lead in exploration, security, and commerce. It transforms orbits and planets into strategic high ground, repositories of resources that serve national ends.

Business leaders such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are the cultural heroes of this narrative.

We are, it seems, in the midst of a new space race. The memory of Apollo 11, that singular image of the Stars and Stripes planted in the lunar dust, remains the template. The order calls the return of Americans to the moon through the Artemis Program by 2028, a deadline meant to reassert leadership in a domain now crowded with rivals. The primary antagonist in this narrative is China, which has announced its own plans to land taikonauts on the moon by 2030. Former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has been blunt, citing China’s aggressive claims in the South China Sea as an analogy for what might happen in lunar locales.

While the 1967 Outer Space Treaty forbids claiming sovereignty in space, there is fear that the first mover will gain de facto control. The rhetoric has shifted. We have moved from the cooperative optimism of the Apollo-Soyuz era to a harder-edged strategic competition. The order even revokes certain prior structures, such as the 2021 National Space Council, in favor of a more “America First” approach. This is a shift from the “global commons” to the “ultimate high ground.”

The technical ambitions of the order are sweeping. It delineates four priority areas, beginning with a permanent lunar outpost by 2030. To achieve this, the government is leaning heavily on the “power of American free enterprise.” The order sets a target of attracting $50 billion in private investment into U.S. space ventures by 2028. Business leaders such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are the cultural heroes of this narrative, visionary risk-takers who are expected to provide the commercial replacement for the aging International Space Station by 2030.

RELATED: 'Who put them there?' Scientists struggle to explain UFO-like objects

Photo by Barney Wayne/Keystone/Getty Images

However, beneath the talk of economic growth and high-paying aerospace jobs lies a more somber preoccupation with security. The order directs the Pentagon to demonstrate prototype missile defense technologies, an “Iron Dome for America” in space. The U.S. Space Force is no longer merely a passive observer but now must develop capabilities to directly counter threats. We are entering an era of satellite dogfighting, where maneuverable spacecraft practice close-approach maneuvers near U.S. assets. In 2024, intelligence revealed that Russia was developing a nuclear-powered vehicle capable of carrying a weapon into orbit, a development the order addresses by instructing agencies to draft plans for countering such placements.

Perhaps the most striking technical goal is the National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power. The order calls for deploying nuclear reactors on the moon and in orbit by 2030. This deployment is a significant challenge, building small nuclear plants for extraterrestrial use, but it is seen as a necessary precursor for faster deep-space travel and energy-intensive lunar mining. The intent is to ensure that the foundational architecture of space activity, 50 or 100 years from now, bears a “Made in USA” stamp.

This drive for superiority explicitly equates technological progress with national destiny. The White House fact sheet links these efforts to a “pioneering legacy” that stretches from Lewis and Clark to the moon. The narrative is designed to rally public support, turning scientific milestones into geopolitical trophies. By connecting cosmic endeavors to broadband internet and weather forecasting, the administration tries to frame space superiority as a bread-and-butter issue rather than a merely abstract concern. Yet it cannot answer the deeper questions about our relationship with space. Marshall McLuhan once noted that with satellite technology, the Earth has become a “global theater” enclosed by a man-made environment. From this god’s-eye view, the planet becomes a dataset to manipulate rather than a home to nurture.

The order bets squarely on expansion, following the logic of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who said that, while Earth is the cradle of humanity, one cannot live in a cradle forever. However, as we venture out, the stakes are not merely who gets there first, or who builds the most, but whether our reach for the stars elevates the human spirit or merely extends our appetites into the void. The destiny we are shaping is, for the first time, interplanetary. Whether we go as guardian angels or warring gods remains the crucial question.

The mother of a 12-year-old boy is accused of horrific acts of sexual abuse that included her husband, the stepfather of the boy, according to Oklahoma police.

The boy had gone missing from the Chickasha home for nine days before he was found by volunteers at the family farm in Caddo County on Sunday.

'Some terrible world we live in. I think he went through a terrible ordeal, and I'm just thankful to God that he's alive.'

Police arrested his stepfather, 43-year-old George Franklin Cole Jr., and his mother, 33-year-old Kimberly Cole, while the boy was missing.

After he was found, the boy told police that he was trying to escape after years of torture from his mother and stepfather. He was placed in state custody while police investigated the allegations.

The Coles are accused of abusing the boy and another victim from as far back as 2020.

The stepfather allegedly bound the boy with handcuffs and zip-ties, stabbed him, and tased him. He also beat him with a nightstick and used a cattle probe on him, according to court documents.

The boy's mother was accused of similar crimes, as well as counts related to bestiality.

George Cole faces 14 felonies that include eight counts of child abuse, one count of child sexual abuse, three counts of child neglect, and conspiracy. Kimberly Cole faces 11 charges that include three counts of child abuse, three counts of child neglect, two counts of child sexual abuse, two counts of crimes against nature, and one count of conspiracy.

On Monday, George Cole appeared in court and received a $2.5 million bond. After returning to his cell, the man tried to killed himself by hanging, according to Caddo County district attorney Jason Hicks.

The boy's biological father is trying to regain custody.

RELATED: Ohio woman pleads guilty to horrific child sex abuse charges and bestiality — and will testify against husband

One of the relatives of the victim said that police returned him to the Coles after he ran away and sought help from his step-great-aunt. She also said she witnessed evidence of the abuse.

"It's just terrible thing. Some terrible world we live in. I think he went through a terrible ordeal, and I'm just thankful to God that he's alive," neighbor Vaughan Craddock said.

George Cole was hospitalized after his suicide attempt.

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On January 8, following the death of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer after she struck him with her vehicle, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) strongly hinted that civil war was in the cards.

“When things looked really bleak, it was Minnesota’s 1st that held that line for the nation on that July 3, 1863, and I think now we may be in that moment, that the nation’s looking to us to hold the line on democracy, to hold the line on decency, to hold the line on accountability, and more than that, to rise up as neighbors and simply say, ‘We can look out for one another,’” he said during a press conference addressing Good’s death.

His statement came just one day after Walz announced that he’d placed the Minnesota National Guard on a “warning order” amid tensions over federal immigration enforcement, protests, and Good’s shooting.

Many conservative media figures and Republicans have denounced Walz’s rhetoric as dangerous and inflammatory, arguing that he is intentionally stoking insurrection in hopes that a civil war will ignite.

But BlazeTV host John Doyle says that’s “not going to be the case.” On this episode of “The John Doyle Show,” Doyle explains why Good’s death isn’t going to be the catalyst that sparks civil war.

Reason #1: Good is white.

“You’re not exactly going to get people to come out onto the streets to more or less protest the death of a white woman — whether that is because, you know, they do not align with her racially or because they are, like, white liberals who do not view that to be as much of a tragedy,” Doyle says.

Reason #2: Normal people will continue doing normal people things.

“Not only are we going to enforce the law, normal people are just going to kind of allow us to do it, and it’s going to be really cool,” Doyle says.

“I like going on social media and seeing, like, my normie friends going about their lives, posting their Instagram stories, and I like seeing that because I know for a fact that all, like, the theater kids, all the leftists are seeing the normal conduct of people, and they’re seething about it. They’re angry because normal people just aren’t freaking waking up. And that makes me quite happy.”

Reason #3: It’s all theater.

“You had CNN running segments on this supposed uprising with experts warning of widespread civil unrest. Politicians, of course, were getting in on this, like Tim Walz alluding again to using the Minnesota National Guard to #resist deportations. He’s since cucked on this because that's all it is, right? It's intoxicating rhetoric,” laughs Doyle.

“It is trying to give the appearance of doing something when they’re going to have to completely surrender to the Trump administration and to the federal government. ... They are trying to give gibs to their activist base.”

“[Democrats] wanted it to sound like the prelude to something actually big, this like real event and this real energy that could be absorbed by some kind of political machine so that they could finally freaking stand up and resist and we could have our civil war. ... Except that is simply not going to happen because all these people do is complain and cry and bark,” Doyle says.

“They rarely bite. When they bite, it’s because they have control of the federal government,” he continues. And right now, they don’t.

To hear more of Doyle’s analysis, watch the video above.

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President Donald Trump said that he would seek to end federal funds to sanctuary cities and those states that have sanctuary cities by the beginning of February.

Trump made the comments during an address at the Detroit Economic Club, where he also advocated cutting credit card interest rates to a maximum of 10%.

'It breeds fraud and crime and all of the other problems that come, so we're not making any payment to anybody that supports sanctuary cities.'

"Starting February 1, we are not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens," the president said.

"It breeds fraud and crime and all of the other problems that come, so we’re not making any payment to anybody that supports sanctuary cities," he added.

When asked to elaborate on the decision, he offered no further details.

"You'll see," Trump said. "It'll be significant."

The Department of Justice had previously identified 11 states they considered to be sanctuary states that included California, New York, and Connecticut.

Trump has tried to cut federal funds twice before but was blocked by judges' rulings in both instances. In early January, he tried to cut $10 billion from child-care services but was blocked by a New York judge. In October, he cut almost $8 billion of funding from states that voted for Kamala Harris, but that effort was blocked by a Washington, D.C., judge.

He also touted his record on the economy during the speech.

"Growth is exploding, productivity is soaring, investment is booming, incomes are rising. Inflation is defeated," Trump said.

RELATED: Faith leaders organize 'underground railroad' to hide illegal aliens from Trump deportations

New York Immigration Coalition president Murad Awawdeh released a statement condemning the president's decision against sanctuary cities.

"Punishing states and cities that refuse to participate in the federal government's inhumane and cruel attacks on immigrants is simply a playground bullying tactic. New York's hardworking families, children, and elderly will pay the price if Trump gets his way," Awawdeh wrote.

"Federal funding belongs to us all, as part of our government's responsibility to ensure needs like healthcare, education, infrastructure, and public safety are met," he added. "We expect New York City and other sanctuary jurisdictions to call this bully's bluff by litigating this egregious violation of our City and State's 10th Amendment rights and the federal government's responsibility to provide essential services to all counties, cities and states."

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is warning that the federal government is about to crack down on migrant welfare recipients who send money overseas — and BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is shocked that it was ever allowed in the first place.

“And from now on, anyone who wires money out from one of these money service businesses has to check a box saying whether they are on public assistance. And if you are on public assistance, we are going to start pushing that you cannot wire money out of the country,” Bessent told Laura Ingraham on Fox News.

“Well, what if they lie and they don’t tell us they’re on public assistance?” Ingraham asked. “That’s a crime, lying on a federal form.”

“We’re going to follow it up, and we are going to push that you can no longer do that. The American people, our generosity has been taken advantage of,” he responded.

“Our generosity is funding al-Shabaab and Iranian interests. ... This is really bad,” Ingraham chimed in.

“The money is supposed to go for alleged asylum seekers and their families and children, and if you were wiring the money out of the country, one of two things must be true: You are getting too much money and your benefits should be cut, or you are part of this conspiracy,” Bessent said firmly.

“If the federal taxpayers are paying for you to live here, you’re not allowed to send their money. It’s not even your money. Their money, my money, you’re not allowed to send overseas. That should not be controversial at all,” Gonzales comments on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

“If you are so broke that you need taxpayer dollars, you are not allowed to send it overseas. You’re not allowed to send it to your family overseas. You’re not allowed to send it to terror groups overseas. You’re not allowed to send it to anybody overseas,” she continues.

And the amount of immigrants receiving benefits from taxpaying American citizens is not a small number.

“You’ve got over half of immigrant-headed households that receive cash, food, medical care, or housing benefits from taxpayers. Over half, according to the Center for Immigration Studies,” Gonzales says.

“We know that over half of these people are taking more than they are bringing to the table,” she continues, pointing out that money sent or brought back by migrants is “almost three times as much as global foreign aid.”

“Look at that chart: 822 billion versus 288 billion in foreign aid. ... This is just these people coming here, taking from us, and then sending it back home or sending it to their favorite terror group,” she adds.

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The man who was arrested for ramming protesters against the Islamic regime in Los Angeles was given a $0 bail and was released on his own recognizance.

Iranian dissidents have organized one of the largest political demonstrations against the ruling regime and have been met with brutal state violence in response. Hundreds have been killed in the clashes, with some estimates reaching over 1,000 dead.

'The demonstrators tore the signs off the truck and attacked the driver, who then drove toward a group of LAPD officers.'

Supporters of the dissidents have protested in cities across the globe, but one group in Westwood was violently attacked by a man driving a U-Haul truck.

Video showed protesters attacking the man as police dragged him away from the scene. He was later identified as 48-year-old Calor Madanescht. Only minor injuries were reported from the incident.

The truck had signs on it indicating that Madanescht was opposed to the demonstration. One side read, "No Shah," which refers to the ruling leader before the Islamic regime overthrew the Western-backed Shah.

However, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is trying to determine whether he intentionally rammed the protesters or was reacting to being boxed in by the protest.

He was only charged with a misdemeanor count of reckless driving.

"Officers stopped the truck and directed the driver to turn around," reads a statement from the Los Angeles Police Dept. on Monday. "The demonstrators tore the signs off the truck and attacked the driver, who then drove toward a group of LAPD officers."

Investigators said nothing significant was found inside the truck after it was impounded and searched.

Madanescht was booked into the Los Angeles County Jail but was released on $0 bail. The Los Angeles City Attorney will review the case.

RELATED: Trump has already reportedly approved attack on Iran but is giving the regime one last chance

Iranian and Middle East studies professor Ciruce Movahedi-Lankarani at USC told KABC-TV the man appeared to be opposed to both the Islamic regime as well as the previous Shah.

He went on to say that the regime's actions to cloud reporting on the demonstrations had made it difficult to ascertain how many people had been killed.

"It's difficult to know the scale and the size because the communications have been cut off, and that's by design, right?" Movahedi-Lankarani said. "The government doesn't want the news to be easily spread about what is happening there."

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued a statement of support for the anti-regime protesters and said that help was on the way.

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Socialist Democrat Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for the immediate release of an illegal alien who was detained by federal immigration officials while he was trying to complete a routine immigration appointment.

Fifty-three-year-old Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez is originally from Venezuela but was working as a data analyst at New York City Hall before he was detained.

'This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.'

"I am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment," the mayor wrote on social media Tuesday.

"This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values," he added. "I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation."

Bohorquez is being held at a detention center in Manhattan.

In a statement at a media briefing, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin said Bohorquez had been detained despite "doing everything right."

"DHS confirmed that this employee had gone in for a routine court appointment and was nevertheless detained. They provided no other basis for his detainment," Menin said. "On the contrary, he was a City Council employee who is doing everything right. He went to the court when he was asked."

She went on to say the man was a victim of "egregious government overreach."

Authorities claim that Bohorquez had a previous arrest for assault, according to WABC-TV, and Department of Homeland Security said he did not have work authorization to stay in the U.S.

New York City Council contradicted the claims from DHS.

"Contrary to claims by DHS, the City Council employee provided documentation showing he was authorized to remain and work in the country," they said to Newsweek. "He fully cleared all background checks. Any suggestion to the contrary is false."

RELATED: Mamdani makes bizarre promise about World Cup tix — and gets humiliated by community note

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that he had entered "on a B2 tourist visa in 2017 that required him to depart the U.S. by October 22, 2017" and called him a "criminal illegal alien."

"He had no legal right to be in the United States," she added.

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When President Trump announced his plan to ban large institutions from buying up American houses, Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck was initially thrilled.

“A conversation is happening in our country right now about housing, about corporations being able to buy homes and whether they should be allowed to do that at all. And my first instinct is no, because the pain this is causing — and the pain is real,” Glenn says.

“Young families are locked out. Rent’s rising faster than wages, communities hollowed out, and you have governments all around the world who are pushing for ‘you will own nothing and you’ll like it.’ Meaning, somebody owns everything. You’re just a constant renter. You’re a serf,” he continues.

However, “every libertarian bone” of Glenn’s reacted to the news that Trump is toying with passing a law addressing this with a resounding “no.”

“Banning ownership is not freedom. It’s just not. … Once you decide who can own property, you’ve crossed a line that history tells us is not easily crossed back in the other direction,” Glenn says.

“But here’s a part that we have to be honest with ourselves about, because pretending otherwise is honestly how we lose the country,” he continues. “What is happening in our country right now is not a free market. You can look at it that way, if you squint really, really hard and lie to yourself every day.”

“We’ve built something entirely different from the free market,” he says, pointing out that in a real free market, “risk matters.”

“In a real market, price signals mean something. … If you make a bad bet, you lose. But that’s not what’s happening. At least not at the corporate level. Okay? That’s not happening in housing. Housing has been transformed into a financial instrument,” he continues.

“It’s not about a house for a family. It’s about a financial instrument. And this isn’t by accident; this is policy. It comes from years of zero interest rates, trillions of cheap dollars, government-backed mortgages, pipelines that are all securitized, regulatory advantages that favor the size or the lawyers and the leverage that you don’t have access to,” he explains.

“Our federal government didn’t just invite Wall Street into housing. It pulled it by the collar and said, ‘You are doing these things because it’s good for our re-election, and I’ll protect you if there’s a problem.’ That’s not a free market,” he says.

This is why Glenn believes the answer is not to outright ban corporations from buying housing, but to address the real issues that have created this situation.

“The problem is not corporate ownership,” Glenn continues. “The problem is privileged ownership. The problem is when government quietly rigs the game.”

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