Amid ruinous pro-trans policies advanced by Democrat lawmakers around the country and a seemingly interminable string of horrific attacks allegedly plotted and/or executed by trans-identifying radicals, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services commissioned a study on the connection between gender ideology and leftist authoritarian beliefs.

The findings in the study published on Wednesday are damning — but likely won't surprise anyone who has been paying attention.

'Greater political liberalism independently predicted higher justification of political violence as well.'

The new study commissioned by HHS, titled "Where the Clinic Meets the Movement: Does Gender Ideology Arm Left- Wing Authoritarian Psychology?," is the latest addition to the genre of scientific literature confirming what the right already knew.

The research team behind the study included Joel Finkelstein, chief science officer and co-founder of the Network Contagion Research Institute; Lee Jussim, head of the Social Perception Laboratory at Rutgers University; and Colin Wright, an evolutionary biologist who serves as a fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

Together, they developed a "Clinical Gender Affirmation Scale," measuring endorsement of five positions related to gender ideology.

The five positions derive from official guidance issued by organizations that "represent the official scientific and clinical establishment on care for individuals who identify as transgender," according to the researchers.

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Bob Riha Jr./Getty Images

The five consensus positions with which respondents were asked to agree or disagree included:

• "Failure to affirm a transgender person's gender identity increases the risk of serious psychological distress to the trans person."
• "People should be supported in expressing their transgender identity."
• "Using the name a person chooses as part of their gender transition is a necessary form of support."

'Biological-sex classifications and traditional parental or familial authority is seen as structures of harm.'

Using a questionnaire provided to over 1,200 majoritively Democrat-leaning Americans, the researchers tracked whether there was any correlation between endorsement of these organizations' consensus positions in the CGAS and left-wing authoritarianism.

"Our results shocked us," said Colin Wright.

"All correlations were substantial," said the study.

"The relationship was not merely descriptively correlational; endorsement of CGAS was a strong statistical predictor of left-wing authoritarianism."

The study noted that endorsements of both the CGAS and left-wing authoritarianism "were significantly positively correlated with justification for political violence" against President Donald Trump, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, wealthy Americans' property, the police, and two recent victims of assassination — Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, and Brian Thompson, the late CEO of UnitedHealthcare.

"CGAS was a consistent and statistically significant predictor of political violence justification," said the study. "... Political identity was also a significant predictor across all six outcomes, indicating that greater political liberalism independently predicted higher justification of political violence as well."

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Daniel Knighton/Getty Images

Since the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have supported the five positions at some point, the findings of the research "raise a question of scientific responsibility," continued the study.

The researchers cautioned, however, that gender ideology "was not simply standing in for being politically left-wing; it explained additional variation in political violence justification beyond political identity. Thus, its association with political violence cannot be reduced simply to ordinary left-right political identification."

According to the researchers, gender ideology appears to function as a framework through which left-wing authoritarian tendencies can be concentrated.

After all, it not only provides left-wing authoritarians with potential targets to go after — including straights, Republicans, conservative Christians, and law enforcement — but "mandates institutional norm enforcement" by way of compelling speech, crackdowns on parental resistance, and institutional discipline.

This framework also provides left-wing authoritarians with "a third form of ideological fuel: a conventional order to dismantle. As such, biological-sex classifications and traditional parental or familial authority is seen as structures of harm requiring a moralized project of institutional correction."

"This study raises important questions about what happens when ideology is given the authority of medicine," said Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brian Christine. "The association between sex-rejecting clinical beliefs, authoritarian attitudes, and the justification of political violence warrant[s] serious scientific scrutiny."

Christine noted further that "HHS will continue to pursue rigorous research that examines these relationships and gives the American people the evidence they deserve."

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You can’t drain the swamp by refilling it with the same sorts of politicians backed by the same special-interest money driving the status quo. The leftist base learned that lesson for its own dangerous purposes this primary season. The conservative base, meanwhile, has somehow unlearned what it knew during the Tea Party years.

Liberal voters are knocking out very liberal Democrats for candidates even further left. Republican voters are not only keeping their moderates; they are knocking out some of the few members who actually fight for the party’s stated goals. What gives?

The left built a movement. The right built an industry. The results show.

There are only a few dozen full-spectrum conservatives among the 219 House Republicans who keep the pedal to the metal on immigration, fiscal, and social issues. Contrast that with Democrats, where you’d be hard-pressed to find a member outside a swing district who dissents from party dogma on a major issue. Yet seven Democratic incumbents have already lost primaries this cycle.

In Texas, Rep. Al Green lost to fellow incumbent Christian Menefee, while Julie Johnson lost a rematch with former Rep. Colin Allred. In New York, Dan Goldman lost to Brad Lander, and Adriano Espaillat lost to Darializa Avila Chevalier. Diana DeGette lost to Melat Kiros in Colorado. Shri Thanedar lost to DSA-backed Donavan McKinney in Michigan. John Larson lost to former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin in Connecticut.

These were not moderates. DeGette, for example, was a House manager during Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021. Yet to the Democratic base, she might as well have been Trump.

Most significantly, not one incumbent on the left lost to someone more moderate. You’d be hard-pressed even to find serious moderate challengers against Democratic incumbents.

Now contrast that with the GOP. Last cycle, the only Republican incumbent to lose was Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good. This cycle, Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, one of the caucus’ most conservative members, was unseated by a Republican backed by a green energy PAC. In Kentucky, Thomas Massie was defeated by a candidate generally to his left, with President Trump’s help. The one clean ideological defeat from the right was Dan Crenshaw, who lost to Texas state Rep. Steve Toth — in a race where Trump thankfully declined to rescue the moderate incumbent.

Cory Mills also lost in Florida, and good riddance, but scandals and corruption drove that race more than a groundswell to move the party toward its base.

Overall, with Freedom Caucus retirements added in, we are backsliding. And that doesn’t begin to capture the lost decade of conservative primaries.

For several cycles, as Trump endorsements refilled the swamp in statewide and federal races, the bright spot was the State Freedom Caucus Network. It gradually won open seats and knocked off incumbents in state legislatures, peaking in 2024 when its members took control of the South Dakota and Wyoming Houses.

RELATED: Republicans keep losing because they won’t take hostages

darenwoodward/iStock/Getty Images

Two years later, the establishment came back with a vengeance. South Dakota’s Freedom Caucus was essentially wiped out, and the Wyoming caucus lost 13 seats and its majority. In Idaho, five conservatives were defeated by Republicans backed by Gov. Brad Little, whom Trump endorsed for a third term. Elsewhere we have gained some and lost some, but the advance of liberty has largely stalled.

During the Tea Party era, we invested in activists. Today we invest in podcasters, TikTokers, and sycophantic grifters who sniff Trump’s rear end all the way to financial success. You reap what you sow. We have endless content, endless influencers, and endless Mar-a-Lago high rollers — but comparatively little money and activism flowing to conservative candidates in primaries.

Meanwhile, the Democratic base is dragging its party closer to the left goal post even in state races. In New York, DSA-backed candidates — many aided by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s political network — toppled a string of incumbent legislators.

I watch right-leaning propagators online, and they are already obsessed with the next presidential election. What they fail to understand is that even if their dream candidate wins the primary and the White House, he will inherit a generation of Lindsey Graham’s sister acolytes who oppose the reform agenda these same influencers claim to want.

And they will have nobody to blame but themselves for sleeping through the lost decade of primaries.

The left built a movement. The right built an industry. The results show.

My daughter recently went shopping for something that shouldn't have been particularly exotic: a big American SUV with three rows, room for a growing family, and a diesel engine.

She had been driving a Ford Expedition but wasn't happy with the fuel economy or some of the problems she had experienced. Her husband drives a diesel Ram, so she already understood the advantages of diesel torque and range. With two children and hopes for more, she still wanted the space of a true full-size SUV.

Our dealer told us that used diesel Suburbans don't tend to sit around for long. A quick look at owner forums suggests our experience wasn't unique.

A diesel Chevrolet Suburban seemed like the obvious answer.

Then she tried to find one.

Our local dealer didn't have one. Other dealers didn't seem to have them either. Rather than settle for what she could find on a lot, she ordered exactly what she wanted: a Suburban RST with GM's 3.0-liter Duramax turbo-diesel.

After driving it, I understand why people who own these things don't seem eager to give them up.

Econo-size

The Duramax produces 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque. Chevrolet rates the diesel Suburban at up to 21 mpg city and 26 highway, with as much as 728 miles of EPA-estimated highway range on a tank. My daughter's real-world experience has been about 24 mpg combined.

Think about that for a moment. This is a Suburban.

It's a huge, three-row, body-on-frame SUV capable of hauling a large family and all their stuff, yet she is seeing fuel economy that wouldn't have seemed unusual in a much smaller crossover not long ago.

Her RST came in at about $83,000 after options, and three months later she loves it. So does her husband, who keeps finding reasons to drive it.

The experience got me wondering why there aren't more vehicles like it.

Look around the full-size SUV market in 2026, and you'll find plenty of powerful engines. Ford's Expedition offers a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter gasoline V6 making as much as 440 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque. Jeep's Grand Wagoneer uses a 3.0-liter twin-turbo gasoline inline-six producing 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft.

What you mostly won't find is diesel.

General Motors is the notable exception. Chevrolet offers the Duramax in the Tahoe and Suburban, while GMC offers the same basic diesel powertrain in the Yukon and Yukon XL. Ford doesn't offer a diesel Expedition. Jeep doesn't offer one in the Grand Wagoneer.

Missing in action

That's strange because diesel makes an enormous amount of sense in exactly this kind of vehicle.

You don't buy a Suburban because you're looking for sports-car acceleration. You buy it because you need space, range, towing capability and the ability to move a lot of people and equipment without stopping constantly for fuel. Diesel's low-end torque and efficiency are particularly well suited to that job.

The numbers bear that out. Ford rates most four-wheel-drive Expeditions at 15 mpg city and 22 highway. Chevrolet's diesel Suburban can reach 21/26, depending on configuration.

Yet try finding one.

Our dealer told us that used diesel Suburbans don't tend to sit around for long. A quick look at owner forums suggests our experience wasn't unique. Buyers describe searching across multiple states, waiting months for orders, or traveling hundreds of miles when the diesel configuration they wanted finally appeared.

New ones haven't always been easy to find, either. For 2026, GM placed significant production constraints on the 3.0-liter Duramax used in the Tahoe and Suburban. According to GM Authority, the diesel was temporarily unavailable on LT and High Country trims, while RST, Z71 and Premier production was limited to 20% of planned volume.

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Andy Cross/Getty Images

Right for the job

What's striking is that the Duramax makes such a compelling case for itself in a vehicle this large. Diesel Suburbans have offered dramatically better fuel economy than their V8 counterparts since the current generation arrived, while delivering the low-end torque that suits a big, heavy SUV.

I understand why owners might be reluctant to give them up.

I have my own version of this problem. I own a low-mileage 2016 Porsche Cayenne diesel that I custom-ordered. People regularly ask me to sell it.

I'm not selling it.

There was a period when American buyers could choose diesel versions of all kinds of SUVs and luxury vehicles. Many disappeared as emissions regulations tightened, Volkswagen's Dieselgate scandal poisoned the technology's reputation, and manufacturers shifted their investment toward electric vehicles and hybrids.

Still good

But the Suburban is a reminder that diesel didn't suddenly stop being good at what diesel engines do.

In a large, heavy vehicle that may carry a family, tow a trailer, and travel hundreds of highway miles at a time, the basic proposition remains compelling: lots of torque, long range, and surprisingly good fuel economy.

This isn't an argument that everyone should buy a diesel. Plenty of buyers will prefer gasoline engines, hybrids, or EVs, and they should buy whatever works best for them.

But my daughter's experience raises a different question.

If a diesel powertrain works this well in a vehicle as big as a Suburban — and buyers are apparently willing to search for one when dealers don't have them — why have so many manufacturers abandoned the choice?

The auto industry spends an enormous amount of time predicting what consumers will want next.

Sometimes it might be worth paying attention to what they're already trying to buy.

Andrew Tate may say some “true” things — as BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey admits — but she warns that the manosphere he boasts is not the right path for young men to follow, calling it a “sinful reaction to feminism.”

And Nick Freitas couldn’t agree with Stuckey more.

“I think there’s two things that we have to recognize whenever we talk about what we might call the manosphere,” Freitas tells Stuckey on “Relatable.”

“Andrew Tate, Justin Waller, some of these other guys … the first thing we need to recognize is the reason why they resonated so much with young men was not simply because all these guys have admirable accomplishments in their own right, along with a lot of other problematic things,” he says.

“But they tend to be strong. They tend to be wealthy. And they tend to, you know, women tend to be attracted to them,” he continues, noting that a young man “without a spiritual basis” will be drawn to this image.

And those young men will also feel a sense of loyalty to men like Andrew Tate, as they feel like he was “sticking up for them when nobody else would.”

“Men associate loyalty with love,” Freitas says.

“And so a lot of young men look at guys like Andrew Tate and they say, ‘That guy had my back when none of you people in the church were mentioning any of this. And now the first time you want to come up and talk about the problems with masculinity, you want to bash Andrew Tate, the one guy that had my back,'” he explains.

“And so the way I think we need to approach something like that is certainly not by excusing what I believe is disastrous, sinful, and ultimately not genuinely masculine behavior,” he continues. “But I think we need to recognize the source of the problem and from whence it comes.”

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Biden-era federal employees purposely ignored some Trump voters amid Hurricane Milton disaster response, according to a new Department of Homeland Security report.

The DHS’ Office of Inspector General found that at least 11 homes were passed over by disaster survivor assistance teams because they displayed pro-Trump signs. The OIG was stymied in a broader investigation of alleged anti-Trump supporter bias in other disaster responses because former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem failed to approve a contract that covered the maintenance of relevant records in a timely manner.

‘Did not visit due to Trump flag.’

Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel violated the Hatch Act when at least one Disaster Survivor Assistance team politicized disaster response, according to the OIG. The report attributes these failures to insufficient training and education.

“FEMA DSA crews did not receive ethics and Hatch Act training before deploying to disasters, DSA policies and procedures did not require crews to explain why they skipped homes, and DSA crew leaders were not required to conduct quality control reviews of survivor interactions,” the OIG report stated.

The report noted that Marn’i Washington, a DSA team leader, was charged with two Hatch Act violations in 2025 for instructing her team to avoid Trump supporters amid Hurricane Milton response. Washington engaged in political activity while on duty and used official authority to interfere with an election, according to the Office of Special Counsel.

Washington accused Trump supporters of hostility, claiming her instructions originated from legitimate safety concerns.

RELATED: Immigrant business coalition takes Mamdani to court over city-run grocery stores

CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

“Firstly, I’m being framed. There’s no violation of the Hatch Act. I was simply following orders,” Washington told NewsNation in 2024. “Safety precautions are not politically driven.”

“It just so happened that, unfortunately, most of the hostile encounters, those running trends, did have those [Trump] campaign signs,” Washington said.

No public decision has been disclosed in OSC's case against Washington.

“The first instance of a note indicating a DSA crew skipped a home due to political signage occurred on October 19, 2024. A subsequent note on October 22 stated, ‘did not visit due to Trump flag.’ Nine additional notes concerning political signage followed,’” the OIG report noted regarding Washington's crew.

Unfortunately, the OIG was unable to determine just how many crews followed Washington's anti-Trump lead. The Field Assessment and Collection Tools used to document government interactions with civilian survivors became unavailable to investigators after Noem ignored requests to provide funding.

“We could not determine if crews skipped locations for unallowable reasons during other disasters because the support contract for FEMA’s Field Assessment and Collection Tools ended in September 2025 when then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Noem did not act on FEMA’s request to fund it before expiration,” the report reads. “We requested access to the data in March 2025, but FEMA delays prevented us from obtaining the data prior to the contractor abruptly shutting down the system.”

"FEMA exported and retained all survivor assistance data, but only in a non-readable format that cannot be searched or analyzed unless FEMA procures a new system to restore access," a source familiar with the data told Blaze News. "DSA crews conducted their work using electronic tablets connected to this system and did not use paper notes, so there are no hard-copy records to review."

If the contract was renewed and the system remained active, the DHS investigators planned to review more natural disaster responses to see whether other DSA crews skipped homes that displayed Trump signs.

The OIG provided FEMA with several recommendations to prevent politicized disaster response in the future, including Hatch Act training and a mandatory survivor interaction documentation process for response teams. FEMA concurred with the OIG’s assessment, according to the report.

“This situation eroded public trust in FEMA’s ability to treat everyone impartially, offer unbiased and consistent assistance, and ensure equal access to resources and tools,” the report reads.

We may never know just how many Trump-supporting Americans were abandoned by the government officials responsible for helping them.

"The loss of access prevented us from assessing whether political bias in canvassing was a systemic issue during the scope period of this audit," according to the OIG.

FEMA temporarily suspended door-to-door disaster response in 2025 while it reviewed its operations.

FEMA and the DHS did not respond to requests for comment. Washington could not be reached for comment. Noem could not be reached through the State Department or her lawyer of record.

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Editor's note: This article has been edited after publication to reflect that OSC responded to a request for comment.

An Israeli judge concluded on Wednesday that while Yona Simcha Schreiber was apparently the man behind the savage attack on a French Catholic nun in Jerusalem on April 28, he just couldn't help himself.

Footage released by police appears to show Schreiber, a 36-year-old settler from the West Bank wearing a kippah and ritual tassels, run up behind an unsuspecting habited nun nearby King David’s Tomb and shove her to the ground.

'We understand the difficult feelings of the complainant.'

His victim — a researcher at the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research in Jerusalem as well as a nun — writhes in pain on the ground, having struck her head against the stones, and the attacker begins to walk away, the footage shows.

However, he abruptly turns and resumes his attack, kicking the woman until a passerby intervenes, according to the video.

The nun suffered facial bruising and injuries to her leg, reported the Jerusalem Post.

Israeli authorities condemned the violent episode, which generated international outrage, and suggested that the attacker would be held to account.

"We strongly condemn this despicable attack. Violence against innocent individuals, and especially against members of religious communities, has no place in our society," the Israel Foreign Ministry said in a statement the day after the brutal assault.

"This shameful act stands in direct contradiction to the values of respect, coexistence, and religious freedom upon which Israel is founded and to which it remains deeply committed."

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After Schreiber's arrest "on suspicion of an assault motivated by racism," George Deek, Israel's special envoy to the Christian world, noted that legal proceedings against the attacker were underway, demonstrating "Israel's clear commitment to enforcing the law and ensuring accountability."

Schreiber, who was formerly indicted in May for what prosecutors recognized as a religious-based assault, was acquitted on Wednesday by reason of insanity.

A government psychiatrist diagnosed Schreiber with schizophrenia and told the court that while there was no conclusive evidence to suggest that his supposedly psychotic thoughts were the cause of the attack, they were nevertheless an influence, reported the Jerusalem Post.

The psychiatrist suggested further that at the time of the attack, Schreiber could neither understand what he was doing nor stop himself from doing it.

The victim's attorney, Zaki Sahlia, cast doubt on this convenient psychiatric assessment, suggesting Schreiber's supposed illness may not have been the driving factor behind the attack and his choice of target. After all, suggested Sahlia, Schreiber singled out the nun in a street where there were multiple other would-be victims.

Ophir Tischler — the judge overseeing the case — accepted the psychiatrist's suggestion that Schreiber was psychotic when he attacked the nun such that he couldn't be held criminally accountable. The judge ordered the settler to be hospitalized for a maximum of six years.

The Post noted, however, that a psychiatric committee can bring an earlier end to Schreiber's hospitalization with a determination that his condition has improved.

Schreiber's lawyer, Idan Gamlieli, said in a statement obtained by the Times of Israel, "The district psychiatrist determined that the unfortunate incident was the result of the accused’s mental illness and that he needs to be hospitalized for psychiatric treatment, and we hope that the medical treatment will help him to function normally again."

"It is important for us to note that we understand the difficult feelings of the complainant and wish her well in overcoming the consequences of this unfortunate incident," added Gamlieli.

"Fr. Olivier Poquillon, the director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, said in a statement to Blaze News, "We acknowledge the court’s decision confirming that the accused was indeed the perpetrator of the crime with which he was charged. We regret the court’s finding that his mental capacity was insufficient to hold him criminally liable, given that at the time of the incident, he possessed enough judgment to deliberately single out a Catholic nun from among all those present — while also holding a position within a political organization."

"Sectarian violence is a scourge for all and a shared challenge," continued Poquillon. "We hope that the judicial resolution of this assault will contribute to peace by encouraging political and community leaders to make the decisions necessary for coexistence in the Holy City."

Editor's note: This article has been edited after publication to incorporate a Google-translated comment from Fr. Olivier Poquillon, the director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem.

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A Pennsylvania mother is accused of helping her teenage son dispose of his girlfriend's body after he allegedly stabbed her to death, according to authorities.

Pennsylvania State Police said officers last week were alerted that 18-year-old Karoline Heintz could be missing.

'This is a parent’s worst nightmare.'

KDKA-TV reported that Heintz's family contacted law enforcement after Karoline failed to check in with family members when driving back to her campus housing at PennWest University in California, Pennsylvania.

Citing the criminal complaint, KDKA reported that Heintz's family utilized an Apple AirTag to track her vehicle to just outside the California Borough Library.

Shortly after midnight Thursday, local police discovered Heintz's Jeep Cherokee outside the library with "noticeable blood spatter inside and outside the vehicle," according to a Pennsylvania State Police statement.

Police said they found Heintz's body in the "rear hatch area" of the vehicle.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said the incident unfolded when Heintz met her boyfriend, 18-year-old Royce Mosher, on Wednesday to discuss the future of their relationship, according to another report by KDKA-TV.

"The investigation revealed that Karoline Heintz met with her boyfriend, Royce Mosher, outside his father's residence in North Strabane to talk," state police said.

"During the conversation, he got angry by something she said to him, but he could not remember what. He then had a 'demon take over' him and tell him to stab Karoline," Fox News reported, citing court documents.

According to the affidavit NBC News obtained, "He told her, 'Wait, I have something for you,' and went inside the residence to get a knife. He then came back outside and stabbed her in the chest."

Police said Mosher placed Heintz in the rear hatch area of the Jeep and "drove to the residence of his mother, Rachel Mosher, in Beallsville."

State police said the mother "assisted by attempting to clean the Jeep Cherokee with cleaning sprays" and gave her son latex gloves.

Investigators said the 56-year-old mother "instructed" her son to drive the Jeep and follow her car and ditch the Jeep near the library "with Karoline Heintz still inside."

Police stated that the mom used her car to drive the son back to her home, where "he cleaned his clothes and showered."

Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh confirmed Royce was in a relationship with Heintz and said her death was "the result of a domestic situation," KDKA reported.

RELATED: He asked his father for a hug. Moments later, the dad was allegedly running for his life.

Royce and Rachel were arrested last Thursday.

While police led her away in handcuffs, Rachel Mosher said, "I'm sorry," as she covered her face with her hands, WTAE-TV reported.

When a reporter asked why she was sorry, the mother replied, "That my son took a life."

Pennsylvania State Police said Royce Mosher has been charged with homicide, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, conspiracy to commit abuse of a corpse, and obstruction of justice.

Rachel Mosher has been charged with hindering apprehension of a fugitive, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, conspiracy to commit abuse of a corpse, and obstruction of justice.

The mother and son are being held in Washington County Prison without bail as they await preliminary hearings Monday, according to court records.

Heintz’s mother and father said, "This is a parent’s worst nightmare."

According to TribLIVE, Heintz’s parents on Friday told reporters, "It has been devastating for family, friends, and the whole community. Karoline was loved by all. She was a kind, smart, beautiful girl. We want justice for our 'sweet' Karoline."

Gagliardi noted that the knife allegedly used in the crime has been recovered, according to the Pittsburgh Patch.

Gagliardi said, "We're talking about an 18-year-old girl that was ready to start life, and now she no longer gets to pursue her dreams, which is really unfortunate."

The college in a statement said, "PennWest University and the California athletic department are deeply saddened by the passing of Karoline Heintz, a first-year student and member of the California women's soccer team."

PennWest University added, "With the support of PennWest California and Karoline's family, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference will observe a moment of silence at all conference athletic events held from Thursday, August 27, through Thursday, September 3."

PennWest University Athletic Director Karen Hjerpe stated:

California Athletics is devastated by the tragic loss of our student-athlete Karoline Heintz. Karoline was a bright and kind young woman with so much ahead of her. She will always remain in our hearts. Our deepest condolences are with her family, friends, teammates, coaches, and all who knew and loved her.

A spokesperson for PennWest University said university police are "cooperating with the investigation."

Pennsylvania State Police are conducting the investigation in conjunction with the Washington County District Attorney's Office.

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Android users beware! A new version of a tried-and-true malware is out in the wild, and its latest capabilities make it dangerous not just to rooted devices, but it can attack run-of-the-mill Android handsets too, including yours. Nobody is safe, but there are things you can do to avoid this problem entirely.

The malware in question goes by the name RedHook. In the grand timeline of viruses, RedHook isn’t a terribly old problem. The malware was first discovered in July 2025, barely a year ago.

It can be extremely difficult or even impossible to remove.

Even back then, RedHook was a tricky little beast. As an Android Remote Access Trojan, it had the power to imitate government and financial websites and apps, which it used to trick users into enabling accessibility settings that gave the malware the permission to access sensitive data on the host phone. From there, RedHook could steal anything, including the user’s identification, banking credentials, and more.

On the upside, RedHook wasn’t really a problem for American users, as it was mostly aimed at phones in Vietnam. Still, the specter of this RAT loomed in the dark corners of the internet, waiting for its chance to emerge once more and wreak havoc on unsuspecting users.

Although the origin of RedHook is unknown, the initial code included elements of the Chinese language, suggesting a connection with mainland China.

RedHook gets an upgrade

One year later, RedHook is now even more dangerous than before, thanks to a new upgrade. The malware comes with all the same tricks, but now it can access a phone by highjacking Wireless Android Debug Bridge, the debugging software built directly into Android that allows developers to transfer files and issue commands from their device to the targeted phone. Even worse, this trick doesn’t require administrative control over the targeted phone via root access, meaning that every Android phone is vulnerable.

If that weren't bad enough, Vietnam users are no longer the central target. The malware has also popped up in Indonesia, and it could spread if the latest upgrade proves effective.

How to keep your Android phone safe from RedHook

Like a proper parasite, RedHook must make its way into its host before it can become a problem.

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narvo vexar/Getty Images

The best way to keep RedHook from getting its paws on your phone is to ensure you don’t download any suspicious apps. For most people, this won’t be an issue. As long as you download apps directly from the Google Play Store — which are regularly scanned and vetted for their authenticity and security — you will likely be safe.

As for the more daring Android users, side-loading apps from third-party app stores or unknown origins is the fastest way to unwittingly load a virus onto your precious phone, and once it’s there, it can be extremely difficult or even impossible to remove. Proceed with caution.

RedHook’s timing couldn’t be any worse

The RedHook upgrade comes at a tricky time, as Google was recently compelled by Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge James Donato to allow third-party app stores onto the Google Play Store, thanks to an antitrust case that Google lost against Epic Games. In other words, Google is essentially being forced to allow potentially dangerous storefronts to proliferate its own app store in order to maintain Android’s open platform among competitors.

Now, that doesn’t mean all third-party stores are bad. However, if you plan to download an app from one of them, make sure you know and trust the app store and the developer behind the app you wish to install first.

Also, just because Google Play will include third-party stores doesn’t mean you have to download or use them. You can simply ignore them and continue to use your Android device as you always have.

Iran has been reported to be using negotiations with the United States to buy time, strengthen its position around the Strait of Hormuz, and rebuild military capacity for a wider conflict. The Trump administration needs a new Red Sea strategy. It should begin with Somaliland.

The Houthis recently fired on a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Iran has reportedly told the group to be prepared to close the waterway if the United States strikes Iran’s power grid. The Bab el-Mandeb is a global shipping artery and a pressure point on energy markets.

The crises in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb are warnings. Iran and the Houthis are trying to turn geography into coercion. The United States should turn geography back into deterrence.

The warning is clear. The United States cannot rely indefinitely on distant strikes and vulnerable Gulf bases to protect shipping through the region’s choke points. Washington’s bombing campaign failed to neutralize the Houthi threat, leaving the group able to threaten commercial shipping, Gulf partners, and Israel.

The moment calls for more than another round of airstrikes. The United States should recognize Somaliland.

Somaliland has governed itself for decades, has shown interest in deeper ties with the United States and its allies, and sits beside one of the world’s most important maritime corridors. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has argued that recognition would advance U.S. interests in the Horn of Africa through counterterrorism, anti-piracy operations, and cooperation with partners such as Taiwan and Israel. He is right.

Recognition should be followed by a formal security relationship allowing regular intelligence cooperation, military access, and a forward operating presence along the Gulf of Aden.

Geography is Somaliland’s strongest argument. It sits across from Yemen near the approaches to the Red Sea and the same waters the Houthis have threatened to close.

Others have noticed. Reports indicate that Israel has explored a strategic presence in Somaliland as part of its response to the Houthi threat. The United States has no comparable formal footprint. Access there could support counter-Houthi operations, intelligence collection across the Gulf of Aden, and the fight against Al-Shabaab in Somalia. Israel understands the value of the location. Washington should too.

The United States also needs to reduce its dependence on bases within easy striking distance of Iran. On a recent webinar, retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former head of U.S. Central Command, described the problem bluntly: “No one in their right mind would ever put the CENTCOM forward headquarters, you know, 100 miles away from Iran, yet that’s where it is.”

RELATED: The Navy has a choice: Get better or become less relevant

Krisztian Elek/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

He elaborated: “It’s good to be close to your potential enemy because it’s a short commute to the fight. It’s bad to be close to your potential enemy, because he has the ability to strike you very quickly.”

I have previously argued that Washington should distribute regional assets across secure, aligned territories rather than concentrate them where host governments can restrict access, basing, or overflight. Somaliland would not replace Al Udeid or every existing Gulf facility. It would give the United States another option when allies limit operations or adversaries threaten choke points.

A U.S. presence in Somaliland would also signal that Washington is willing to reward capable partners instead of remaining trapped by diplomatic habits that no longer serve American security. Recognition would carry costs, including friction with Somalia and other governments committed to Somalia’s territorial integrity. Those costs should be weighed against the strategic value of a reliable partner at the mouth of the Red Sea.

The crises in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb are warnings. Iran and the Houthis are trying to turn geography into coercion. The United States should turn geography back into deterrence.

Recognizing Somaliland would give the United States a stronger hand in the Red Sea, a better position against terrorist threats, and greater freedom to operate when existing partners hesitate. A proactive strategy begins by securing options before the next crisis closes them off. The time to act is now.

A middle school teacher was arrested over her inappropriate interactions with a 16-year-old boy in juvenile corrections in Galveston, according to Texas police.

46-year-old Kristi Hanks of La Marque allegedly sparked the relationship with the boy while working at the Galveston County Juvenile Justice Center.

'I'd rather be dead than them know that I was a pedophile ... since you like to throw that in my face.'

The sheriff's office said officials were contacted by the juvenile center after they expressed concern about her relationship to the boy.

Investigators gathered evidence that included material evidence, interviews with several individuals, and statements from Hanks.

The victim allegedly told investigators he got in trouble after writing in a book that Hanks had a "big butt." The teacher, however, told him she took it as a compliment and they exchanged phone numbers.

The graphic calls between the two included them exposing themselves, police said.

He also told police that he met Hanks twice at a park for sex but that she got scared and "left before the sexual acts were done."

Hanks would also allegedly rub her clothed genitals against his arm at school.

He threatened to expose the relationship and demanded that she buy him a gun and give him $2,000. She complied and later reported the gun stolen.

Police say she was still texting the boy when she was arrested on Aug. 19 during a traffic stop near her home.

"I just cleaned out my bank account for you," read one of the alleged texts.

"I'd rather be dead than them know that I was a pedophile ... since you like to throw that in my face," she wrote in another text.

RELATED: 100 cops responded when teacher said student slashed her with razor — she's got arrested

The Galveston County District Attorney’s Office determined there was enough probable cause to charge the teacher with an improper relationship between educator and student. Prosecutors also recommended a $100,000 bond.

The district said Hanks was placed on administrative leave as soon as officials were made aware of the allegations. A profile page for her still exists at the Dunbar Middle School, where she says she's a fifth-grade social studies teacher and got engaged during the COVID pandemic.

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Why are so many young men checking out of modern society? According to Nick Freitas, the answer — unlike what the Gen X and Boomer generations would have you believe — goes far deeper than laziness or a lack of resilience.

Freitas tells Christopher Rufo and Jonathan “Lomez” Keeperman on “Rufo & Lomez” that the first thing to consider is that there is a real problem and it’s “different from what we faced in the past.”

“It’s really easy to point back like, ‘Oh, you think it’s hard now? What about the 19-year-olds that were storming Normandy?’ It’s like, yeah, that was hard. And that’s why we lift up and we celebrate the 19-year-olds that stormed Normandy,” Freitas explains.

“The problem is we have a bunch of 19-year-olds now where first of all, there’s no Normandy to storm, and they’re being told that all of the characteristics or instincts that would have informed the man storming the beach in Normandy are now bad, evil, toxic, horrible, and need to be repressed,” he says, noting that “that’s the part that’s unique.”

“That’s the part that I think Gen X-ers and Boomers have a hard time understanding is that the culture has shifted so much as to deliberately target the very things that young men were designed, I believe, designed by God to be,” he adds.

Freitas notes that it's “confusing and horrific” to attempt to thrive in an environment “where you’re told that all of your instincts are bad and you need to be emasculated.”

In order to deal with this, Freitas explains that “one of the big things” he tells young men is to seek identity through Christ.

“It’s eternal. It doesn’t promise me that everything is going to be going good. But it’s eternal. I believe it’s true. And so in so far as that’s where I get my identity, then all of a sudden I always have identity, meaning, and purpose,” he says.

“I never lose it, and it cannot be taken away from me,” he adds.

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The assassination of Charlie Kirk was a devastating blow to conservatives, but almost as shocking was the response from parts of the left. Major figures issued the expected denunciations, yet plenty of ordinary progressives celebrated the violent death of a father and husband or mocked his memory online. Conservatives learned that some of their neighbors were perfectly willing to cheer the murder of a political opponent.

Since then, trade wars, foreign wars, and the usual daily controversies have offered convenient distractions from a much darker realization: Something about American politics has changed. The old assumption that nearly everyone still accepts the same basic rules can no longer be taken for granted.

Conservatives did not choose existential politics by themselves, and they cannot end it simply by wishing for a return to normal.

Denial is a common response when a problem is too large to contemplate. The possibility that a substantial number of Americans now see political violence as acceptable has implications the conservative movement would rather avoid. Yet reminders keep appearing.

Recent videos again showed people mocking Kirk’s death, including a drag performance and comments from streamer and democratic socialist Hasan Piker. It is much easier to argue about tactics, personalities, or the latest outrage than to ask what kind of political order produces people willing to celebrate an assassination.

Piker’s case is especially egregious because he met Kirk and debated him in person. He has built a career around revolutionary rhetoric and violent political fantasies, including lurid comments about landlords and capitalists, and “soak[ing] in the blood” of his capitalist enemies. That he remains a major online personality illustrates the asymmetry conservatives have noticed for years: Rhetoric that would end a career on the right is often treated as edgy entertainment when it comes from the left.

America has received an almost embarrassing number of blessings from God Almighty, which makes it easy to forget that our political experience is historically unusual. The United States occupies a vast, resource-rich territory protected by oceans and has fought remarkably few wars on its own soil. We have not faced sustained internal danger in generations. That security has encouraged an ahistorical view of politics as a permanently orderly process.

Modern Americans expect Mr. Smith to go to Washington, make a speech, win an argument, and then shake hands with the opposition. Every election is called the most important of our lives, but the ritual remains the same because the underlying disputes are assumed to be manageable. If the argument is over marginal tax rates, retirement ages, or entitlement formulas, that expectation makes sense. Those are technocratic disagreements inside a shared political order.

But some disputes are not like that. Consider the fight over the euphemistic “gender affirming care” for minors. One side believes the state must protect children from genital mutilation. The other believes the state has a right to seize children if parents refuse to go along. There is no clever tax-credit compromise that resolves the underlying question. One side’s victory necessarily means the other side’s destruction. That is what existential politics looks like.

RELATED: Who gets the GOP when Trump is gone?

Blaze Media Illustration

This is why Carl Schmitt has re-entered conversations on the right. Certain conservatives often reduce his friend-enemy distinction to a license for treating anyone who disagrees with you as a mortal foe. That isn’t the useful part of Schmitt. His point is that politics becomes political in the fullest sense when groups understand that a conflict touches the survival of their way of life. His framework is gaining salience because Americans increasingly encounter disputes that feel exactly like that.

The left supports policies many conservatives believe would permanently transform the country: open borders, abortion on demand, racial preferences in hiring and admissions, aggressive secularization, and aggressive state intervention in disputes between parents and children over gender. Some activists openly discuss prosecuting former Trump officials, restructuring the Supreme Court, and changing the composition of the Senate through statehood. Antifa militants have attacked federal facilities and officers. None of this requires believing every Democrat is a revolutionary. It requires noticing that the revolutionary faction has real power.

Progressives understand something conservatives still resist: America increasingly contains rival moral communities sharing the same geographic space.

Mass immigration, ideological sorting, institutional polarization, and the radicalization of political factions have eroded the common assumptions that once made bipartisan compromise possible. Our deepest disagreements are no longer simply about the size of government or the proper tariff. They concern rival definitions of family, justice, citizenship, equality, religion, and even human nature.

This is not without precedent. Shays’ Rebellion was put down by force. The Civil War settled secession through force on a catastrophic scale. Federal troops enforced school integration in Little Rock when state resistance defied constitutional authority. These cases are radically different in scale and moral content, but they share one uncomfortable fact: Political orders eventually enforce some answers and reject others. Two incompatible legal regimes cannot govern the same question in the same place forever.

RELATED: Stop ‘owning the libs’ and start owning institutions

Blaze Media Illustration

We are far closer to Little Rock than to Gettysburg, and conservatives should resist fantasies of civil war. But they should also stop pretending every conflict can be reduced to a policy seminar. About a decade ago, people on the right began asking whether conservatives “know what time it is.” Most still do not. People like Piker serve as reminders that the other side may understand the stakes more clearly.

The left, in its current radical form, cannot be treated as just another coalition with which conservatives alternate power while everything important remains intact. Elections will decide who controls institutions capable of reshaping the country for generations. Someone will win these fights. Someone will lose. The victor will alter the political order.

Conservatives did not choose existential politics by themselves, and they cannot end it simply by wishing for a return to normal. Ignoring that reality only guarantees that their children inherit a country they no longer recognize. Conservatives are not required to become nihilists, but they are required to understand the stakes before deciding how to fight. The hour is already late.

Radical leftist Hasan Piker is at it again after spending the weekend mocking the assassination of Charlie Kirk — singing the “We Are Charlie Kirk” AI-generated song while on a live tour.

A video circulating on social media shows Piker mocking Kirk in front of a crowd while his podcast co-hosts laugh.

“We are Charlie Kirk, we carry the flame / We’ll fight for the gospel, we’ll honor his name,” Piker sang while the crowd and co-hosts laughed along.

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is disgusted.

“You have Hasan Piker, who these days is kind of just the Democrat Party spokesman, who just this weekend continued to mock Charlie’s death,” Gonzales says.

“It’s funny that a husband and a father was brutally murdered, assassinated in broad daylight for the entire world to see on film. It’s so funny. It’s so funny that he was murdered because he was speaking freely,” she continues.

“It’s so funny that Hasan Piker is out here mocking the death and somehow is still a hero to the left even though he literally calls for people to be murdered,” she adds, playing a clip of Piker saying that property owners should be killed.

“Kill those motherf**kers and murder those motherf**kers in the street. Let the streets soak in their f**king red capitalist blood, dude,” Piker said on his podcast.

“Hasan Piker, as we’ve talked about before, lives in like ... a $2.7 million home in West Hollywood,” Gonzales says.

“He thinks it's funny that Charlie Kirk died. He’s like, 'Just kill those property owners. Let the streets soak in their blood.' And he has a really nice life because of that,” she adds.

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A Jewish Democrat had a telling response when asked on CNN if he's supporting U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim.

Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey was being interviewed by Dana Bash when she asked him to entertain a theoretical question.

'For the future of our party, Democrats have to call out his hate and condemn these dangerous views.'

“I know this is a hypothetical. ... You’re a lifelong Democrat. If you were a Michigan voter, how would you vote in the Senate race?” asked Bash.

"One thing's clear. There’s no way I’m ever coming out for El-Sayed right now," Gottheimer responded with a laugh.

"This is a guy who has made it very clear his views toward, and has refused to back off his views toward, Jewish Americans," he added.

"And I hope he comes out and clarifies where he is. I also hope that he does the right thing and condemns Hasan Piker clearly, and in a language very clearly," Gottheimer concluded.

He went on to call out Democrat New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and others for not doing enough to call out anti-Semitism in their party.

The moment encapsulated the rift in the Democratic Party between those who support Jewish Americans and those who blame them for all of society's ills. Among the latter is Piker, who has said that America deserved the 9/11 terror attacks and has expressed support for terrorists as long as they're targeting Israel.

Video of the interaction was widely circulated on social media.

RELATED: Democratic Party has become so crazed, far-left AG Nessel avoids convention over safety

"For the future of our party, Democrats have to call out his hate and condemn these dangerous views. Anyone campaigning with him is part of the problem," said Gottheimer in a post on social media.

Others like Hunter Biden say the extremists are the future of the Democratic Party.

The full video of Gottheimer's appearance on CNN was available for viewing on YouTube.

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President Donald Trump vowed to Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck that he would look into deregulating meat processing plants in order to slash beef prices and protect farmers and ranchers.

The president made the comments during a wide-ranging interview with Beck on his radio show Wednesday.

'I know firsthand how rigged the system is against independent American farmers. Four massive corporations control almost the entire meat processing industry.'

"I have to tell you, Mr. President, I didn't plan on talking about this, and we can get into it at a later date, but please, please, when it comes to beef, please look at the cartel that is the meat processing cartel," said Beck.

"You're right," Trump responded. "It's horrible.

"I run a ranch, so I know what it's like, and I'm telling you, it's the processing plants," Beck said. "There's four of them, and I think two of them are not even American. It's bad. And I believe they're colluding with each other."

"I'm surprised that the ranchers and the farmers haven't done it, because they're smart as hell. I'm surprised, because that's been going on a long time, Glenn," Trump replied.

"Help us. We can't butcher with all of the federal regulations. It is really hard. If there's something you can do to help," Beck said.

"Glenn, is that just a question of regulation, do you think?" the president asked.

"A lot of it is. Yeah, a lot of it is; the inspections are insane," Beck replied.

"So they make the regulations so tough that — so could you do it? If you didn't have those regulations, could you do it on your ranch?" Trump asked.

"Yes," Beck replied.

"And is that the way to do it? Or do you think you need some pretty strong regulations?"

"Yes. Break the back of those processing plants. There are people that want to build processing plants everywhere. The regulations are killing us. Just killing us."

"So you're saying with less regulation, you think that the ranchers and farmers would do a very good job of processing the beef?" Trump asked.

"Yes, yes," Beck replied.

"Wow. I will look at that today. I've been hearing about this problem. For 20 years, I've been hearing about this problem," Trump responded.

"Free your people. Let your people go!" Beck joked.

"This could be a very good call for ranchers and farmers. No, for the country," Trump added.

"That would be good," Beck replied.

RELATED: Joy Reid says no one used 'inflation' until Republicans taught them to damage Democrats

.@POTUS tells me he will look into SLASHING harmful regulations in the beef industry that lead to high prices. I know firsthand how rigged the system is against independent American farmers. Four massive corporations control almost the entire meat processing industry. If… pic.twitter.com/xxNBrhWUI4
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) August 26, 2026

Beef prices have been increasing after cattle production has dropped in the U.S. since before 2024. A pound of beef cost on average about $5 in 2013, but the price has steadily risen to $6.89 by July 2026, a rise of about 37.8%.

"[The president] tells me he will look into SLASHING harmful regulations in the beef industry that lead to high prices," Beck posted on social media along with video of the conversation.

"I know firsthand how rigged the system is against independent American farmers," he added. "Four massive corporations control almost the entire meat processing industry. If President Trump can cut these regulations, it would be a HUGE WIN."

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Another Massachusetts Democrat has been arrested for alleged pandemic fraud after the 61-year-old mayor of Lawrence was arrested earlier this month.

Massachusetts state Rep. Francisco Paulino, a Democrat, is accused of using information gathered from his tax prep business in Lawrence to fraudulently apply for pandemic funds.

'The money these two allegedly scammed was meant for hard-working Americans and struggling business owners, not for two greedy individuals who lied and stole for their own personal benefit.'

The 46-year-old was arrested Wednesday and charged with eight counts of wire fraud and three counts of unlawful monetary transactions.

Paulino allegedly received more than $700,000 in unemployment insurance benefits and small-business loans from the pandemic.

He used those loans to buy property and make loans to clients at his tax preparation business before he was elected to the state legislature in 2023, prosecutors claim.

If convicted, the Democrat faces 20 years in prison for each of the eight wire fraud charges and 10 years in prison for each of the three money laundering charges.

Paulino represents the 16th Essex District, which includes the city of Lawrence, whose mayor was arrested.

Federal prosecutors said Mayor Brian DePeña stole more than $1.5 million in pandemic money and used the ill-gotten cash to "fund his campaign account, pay personal taxes, and pay more than $880,000 in high-interest, hard-money mortgages on properties he owned in Lawrence."

U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley excoriated both Democrats at a news briefing.

"The conduct alleged by the Lawrence mayor and the district state representative is appalling. Everyone listening today knows how difficult it was for Americans during the pandemic and how challenging it was for businesses," said Foley.

RELATED: Pro-reparations Illinois Democrat indicted in FRAUD SCAM along with daughter and husband

Foley told reporters that the two cases are not related and that the investigations began three years ago, according to NBC10 Boston, which would mean they started when President Joe Biden was still in office.

"The money these two individuals allegedly scammed was meant for hard-working Americans and struggling business owners, not for two greedy individuals who lied and stole for their own personal benefit," she added.

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Lindsay Clancy of Massachusetts is being tried on three counts of first-degree murder in the January 2023 strangulation deaths of her children — 8-month-old Callan, 3-year-old Dawson, and 5-year-old Cora.

During the trial, hundreds of women have rallied outside the courthouse in support of the mother who allegedly admitted to killing her kids, while other women managed to find a seat inside the courtroom.

'Nothing to apologize for.'

Among those inside the courtroom on Monday was New York City-based gossip freelancer Brittany Romano.

Footage soon went viral showing Romano — who has previously contributed to Glamour and Teen Vogue, according to her website — grinning excitedly, winking, and leering flirtatiously at a camera during Clancy's trial.

Following the inappropriate display, Romano explained in a livestream that she "grew up with Lindsay" and had laughed in the courtroom because Clancy had looked at her, reported Newsweek.

Romano — who described the family home of the accused murderer as a "safe" space from her youth and posted a selfie with Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, last week — was swiftly met online with ridicule over her conduct in the courtroom.

Mike Davis, the founder and president of the Article III Project, stated, "The same leftist women who celebrate killing unborn babies up until the moment of birth now support mothers murdering their kids. Say it with me: Evil C**ts. They’ve earned that."

RELATED: Hundreds of women rally outside courthouse to show support for woman accused of murdering her 3 children

L-R: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe/Getty Images; Barry Chin/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

The eponymous host of "The Britt Mayer Show" tweeted, "Many of my sex have gone insane. Ironically, not the one who killed her kids, but the ones applauding her and smiling like a giddy school girl at her trial."

Amid backlash over what was widely regarded as, at the very least, inappropriate behavior on the part of Romano, Vanity Fair announced that it was cutting ties with the writer.

"We were interested in the prospect of a personal essay by Brittany Romano about her experience growing up with Lindsay Clancy," a spokesperson for Vanity Fair told the Boston Globe. "Yesterday, after clear conflicts with our editorial standards and processes, we informed Romano that we were not moving forward with her essay and informed the court that she is no longer credentialed by Vanity Fair."

Romano confirmed that after the video went viral, a member of the Vanity Fair team told her to "take the story elsewhere."

The gossip writer said in a lengthy statement on Instagram that "a smile is not a crime"; that she smiles when she's uncomfortable; and that she has "nothing to apologize for."

"For two years I have fought to cover the Lindsay Clancy case honestly, because at its center is a mother accused of killing her three children during postpartum psychosis, and because the conversation around her has spent that whole time swinging between calling her a monster and asking what actually broke insider her," continued Romano. "Women's mental health coverage was never a side note in that coverage, it was the whole point."

According to the gossip writer, her role in the courtroom was effectively to amplify Clancy's preferred narrative.

Romano noted that after Vanity Fair gave Patrick Clancy, the father of the slain children, "a platform to tell his version when this case first broke," she asked the publication "to rebalance the scales."

She did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

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The race to build the infrastructure powering artificial intelligence is accelerating at breakneck speed, but BlazeTV host Steve Deace warns that the public is being asked to accept sweeping changes without meaningful scrutiny.

“There’s a real sense that this stuff has just kind of gone from zero to 60 like that,” he explains. “Like why do we have to do all this like right now, right? And you know, we’re all realizing now the aftermath of ‘we have to shut the country down right now. It’s the worst thing right now. You don’t want to kill Grandma right now.’”

“And now, you know, we’re seeing the evidence of how much of that was a lie from the very beginning. So anticipate moving forward that an instant crisis that needs to be solved right now that no one knew about 10 minutes ago is going to be met with wide swaths of suspicion,” he continues.

However, there is a nuanced discussion to be had on data centers.

“Two things can be true at once, right? We certainly shouldn’t be taking people’s land in order to put up a monstrosity that almost none of the people in that community will then ultimately get a job to work at. At the same token, we need data,” Deace says, noting that the government simply needs to “pause and listen to the people.”

“Hear what they have to say. Make your case to the people. I would not just pause. I would pause for a purpose. And it would be a purpose of we’re going to have a national conversation about this,” he adds.

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A Rutgers University research dean has been accused of filming "upskirt" videos, according to authorities.

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Division of Criminal Justice on Tuesday announced that 51-year-old Joshua Kohut of Cranbury was arrested for "allegedly recording 'upskirt' videos while working at Rutgers University."

'An invasion of privacy like this is not just disturbing, it is also a criminal act.'

Kohut, who is employed as the dean of research at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, was charged with fourth-degree invasion of privacy.

A fourth-degree invasion of privacy conviction has a maximum prison sentence of up to 18 months and a fine of up to $10,000.

The Daily Mail reported that Kohut was released on bail.

The attorney general said a search warrant was executed Monday following an investigation.

Law enforcement seized five devices belonging to Kohut, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The DA's statement indicated that "one of the seized devices was found to contain 'upskirt' videos of another individual’s undergarment-clad intimate parts."

"The defendant is alleged to have used his mobile phone to record 'upskirt' videos without his victim’s knowledge," Davenport stated. "An invasion of privacy like this is not just disturbing, it is also a criminal act. We will prosecute accordingly."

Officials did not say if the victim is involved with Rutgers, NJ.com reported.

The New York Post noted, "However, the criminal complaint indicates that Kohut and the victim may have known each other in some capacity."

The criminal complaint stated that an incident occurred in New Brunswick, home to Rutgers University's New Brunswick regional campus, where the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences is located.

Rutgers told the New York Post that Kohut has been placed on paid administrative leave after being informed of the "extremely disturbing charges."

The school added, "The research dean is also banned from campus pending the outcome of an investigation."

RELATED: VIDEO: 'Heroic' teen girl fights off sex predator just after he used twisted ruse in assault of 66-year-old woman, police say

Rutgers University appointed Kohut to the position of School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Dean of Research/New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Director of Research on Jan. 1, 2025.

Laura Lawson, executive dean and executive director, SEBS/NJAES, said in the January 2025 announcement: "Josh came to Rutgers more than 27 years ago as a graduate student and has experienced the university in many capacities: student, staff, faculty, and administrator."

The statement continued, "His teaching responsibilities include contributing to first-year courses for students interested in Marine and Coastal Science research through the Oceanography House learning community and a research focused class that is currently undertaking an undergraduate student-led project to conduct the first circumnavigation of an autonomous underwater robot around the world."

The official Rutgers University website says of Kohut: "His research explores the use of ocean observing technologies — radar, sensors, gliders, etc. — to model ocean systems, enabling multidisciplinary process studies of the dynamics of the coastal ocean."

Kohut's biography on the official Rutgers University website states, "I am involved in many research and education programs that range in scope from storm intensity, offshore wind, and local water quality monitoring off the NJ coast; regional fisheries along the U.S. east coast; and environmental studies of polar ecosystems in the coastal waters surrounding Antarctica."

Open Payrolls — a nationwide public salary database — stated of Kohut: "One of the most recent records in 2025 lists a job of Sr Assoc Dir-Njaes/Dir Coop Re and a pay of $196,533.91."

The Daily Mail said Kohut's wife, Courtney Kohut — an assistant director at Princeton University — declined to comment on the charges against her husband.

The attorney general's office urged anyone who may have been a victim of Kohut to contact Lt. Jon Norcia at the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety at 609-780-5449.

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Iconic movie star Tim Curry died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 80, according to his longtime publicist.

Curry is best known for his flamboyant performance in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" from 1975.

'I like playing the more curious corners of the human mind and human behavior.'

He also gained fame for his humorous role as the butler in the movie version of the board game "Clue" from 1985 and as the evil clown in the first television series version of Steven King's "It."

Timothy James Curry was born on April 19, 1946, in the rural village of Grappenhall in Cheshire, Britain.

After graduating from the University of Birmingham with a dual degree in English and drama, he met Richard O'Brien while performing on a tour of "Hair."

Curry played the lead role in O'Brien's "Rocky Horror Picture Show" play, a musical spoof of horror and science-fiction films. The play was developed into a movie after being brought to Los Angeles, California.

The movie version of the play was initially a flop when it was released, but has since skyrocketed into cult-film status. Fans developed an audience participation guide for the movie, and it continues to be screened at midnight showings on Halloween throughout the country.

RELATED: Dolly Parton is dead at age 80

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage/Getty Images

"'Rocky Horror,’ wrote Los Angeles Times writer Danny Sullivan, "is more a performance than a movie, because during screenings, art imitates art."

Curry released rock music records and became known for numerous roles in television shows and movies. He was nominated twice for the Laurence Olivier Award and was nominated three times for a Broadway Tony Award. In 1991 he won a daytime Emmy Award for his role in the animated show "Peter Pan & the Pirates."

Curry had recently curbed his public appearances after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2012 that left him wheelchair-bound.

He continued to work as a voice actor until his death.

"I like playing the more curious corners of the human mind and human behavior," he said, "partly because they’re a tad more interesting."

He never married and had no children.

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