The grandson of the man who created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups said Tuesday that the Hershey Company has not contacted him following his public criticism of the brand. He also accused company leadership of arrogance toward the Reese family.

On Feb. 14, Brad Reese, the grandson of H.B. Reese, who created Reese’s in 1928, wrote an open letter expressing concern about alleged ingredient changes associated with the Reese’s brand.

“How does The Hershey Company continue to position REESE’S as its flagship brand, a symbol of trust, quality and leadership, while quietly replacing the very ingredients (Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter) that built REESE’S trust in the first place?” Reese wrote.

During an appearance on “The Glenn Beck Program,” host Glenn Beck referred to the dispute as the “chocolate wars” before pressing Reese on whether the company had responded to his concerns about changes with Reese’s.

‘I mean, talk about a conflict of interest.’

“Nothing. Zero,” Reese said.

“They are so arrogant and condescending to anybody, especially in the Reese family, I find, unless they want something from you,” Reese said.

Hershey said in a statement: “As we’ve grown and expanded the Reese’s product line, we make product recipe adjustments that allow us to make new shapes, sizes, and innovations that Reese’s fans have come to love and ask for, while always protecting the essence of what makes Reese’s unique and special: the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter.”

Reese told Beck that tensions with company leadership date back years. He said he “kind of burned ... bridges” after helping stop the proposed sale of Hershey in 2002.

“You have to understand, the Reese family has been creating the wealth there,” Reese said, arguing that the family has long played a role in building the company’s value.

RELATED: ‘This is crazy’: Glenn Beck questions Obama alien claim and Trump's response

Photo by Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

He also discussed what he described as internal conflicts involving the Hershey Trust and past corporate leadership. Reese referenced a cousin who previously served as general counsel for Hershey and later became president of the Hershey Trust Company, which controls the Hershey Company. According to Reese, his cousin worked to “clean up” issues within the trust and the company.

Reese then turned to what he described as a missed “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” when Hershey pursued a $19 billion acquisition of Cadbury Schweppes. He said the deal was “locked up” before it ultimately fell through and Kraft acquired Cadbury instead.

Reese alleged there were conflicts of interest involving former executives and advisers tied to competing bids during that process.

“I mean, talk about a conflict of interest,” Reese said.

He also questioned whether corporate decisions driven by profitability are sustainable “long-term.”

“Wall Street loves when you increase your margins at whatever cost to the public,” Reese said. “It’s long-term, is what I’m getting at. Is this going to not work out long-term?”

RELATED: Glenn Beck reveals 5 reasons the US hockey victory over Canada was the moment America needed right now

Photo by Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Reese framed his concerns as rooted in protecting what he views as his grandfather’s original legacy and questioned whether current corporate decisions serve the long-term interests of the brand.

Hershey did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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The House Oversight Committee's first closed-door hearing with the Clintons concerning their ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein encountered a brief snag moments into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's deposition.

Members of the committee traveled to Chappaqua, New York, this week to depose Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, after months of back-and-forth negotiations and a vote finding the two in contempt of Congress.

'Hillary is trying to get out of answering questions about Epstein because of a picture. Does this sound desperate to you?'

Hillary Clinton was scheduled to testify under oath on Thursday and Bill Clinton on Friday.

After initially defying congressional subpoenas and then pressing the committee to hold public hearings, Hillary Clinton's team abruptly halted Thursday's closed-door deposition when a photograph of her from the session was leaked on social media.

The picture of Clinton was shared by political commentator Benny Johnson, who stated that it was provided to him by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).

"This is the first time Hillary has had to answer real questions about Epstein. Clinton does not look happy," Johnson wrote.

RELATED: Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify under oath about Jeffrey Epstein this week

Photo by Melina Mara - Pool/Getty Images

A short time later, Nick Merrill, a Clinton adviser, exited the deposition hearing to address the media. He explained that the session had been temporarily paused after a photograph was posted to social media, which he described as being "against chamber rules that were read at the top of the meeting."

Johnson responded to Merrill's announcement by highlighting the inconsistency: Clinton had advocated for a public hearing, yet her team was displeased with the release of a photograph.

"The deposition is being filmed and will be released in full. Hillary wanted it to be done LIVE on TV. Rep. Boebert gave me permission to post a photo she took before the hearing started with credit," Johnson wrote in a post on X. "Hillary is trying to get out of answering questions about Epstein because of a picture. Does this sound desperate to you?"

Boebert replied to Johnson's comments, defending him for posting the photo of Clinton.

"Benny did nothing wrong," she wrote, adding that the deposition had proceeded after the temporary pause.

Ahead of Thursday's deposition, Clinton posted her opening statement on social media. She insisted that she has no information regarding Epstein's criminal activities or those of co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

"As I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13, I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices," Clinton wrote.

RELATED: Former Clinton official to quit Harvard University position amid backlash for Epstein ties

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

She accused House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) of refusing to hold any public hearings regarding Epstein.

"You have held zero public hearings, refused to allow the media to attend them, including today, despite espousing the need for transparency on dozens of occasions," she stated.

Comer has not ruled out holding public hearings, but has insisted that initial depositions will be behind closed doors.

Maxwell previously stated that she had gone to the Clintons' Chappaqua home "a few times." Maxwell also attended the wedding of the Clintons' daughter in 2010.

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An adviser at the U.S. State Department posted photographs from a visit from right-wing U.K. activist Tommy Robinson on Wednesday and outraged many politicians across the pond.

Joe Rittenhouse, a senior adviser at the Consular Affairs bureau of the State Department, posted the images and called Robinson a "free speech warrior."

'We need to engage this administration on the difference between that and incitement to violence and racial hatred.'

British politicians immediately lambasted the visit as an affront to U.S-U.K. relations. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has a history of criminal convictions related to his activism against mass immigration and Islam.

"The World and the West is a better place when we fight for freedom of speech and no one has been on the front lines more than Tommy," Rittenhouse added. "Good to see you my friend!"

Robinson posted a video of himself interviewing Republican Rep. Randy Fine of Florida and made the rounds to speak to many media outlets on the right.

Meanwhile, back in Britain, the politicians fumed.

"Yaxley-Lennon is being touted around Washington as a ‘free speech warrior.’ We need to engage this administration on the difference between that and incitement to violence and racial hatred," said Labour MP Emily Thornberry, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. "There should be no place in any democracy for the latter."

Labour MP Alex Ballinger said in a statement to Politico he was "disappointed" that the State Department had hosted a "convicted criminal" and "far-right agitator."

"Having worked alongside U.S. diplomats for many years, I suspect many of them will be embarrassed about it too," he said.

Labour MP Phil Brickell called the meeting a "complete outrage" and accused Robinson of peddling "racist tropes" in the past.

"The guy holds no elected role," Brickell added and questioned what basis the U.S. government had to recognize him.

A spokesperson for the State Department told Politico that Robinson visited "in an unofficial capacity on a tour."

"The government needs to send a clear signal to the U.S. president that this is unacceptable," said former Foreign Office Minister Catherine West, who went on to call the meeting "incredibly alarming."

She added, "For the U.K.’s key ally to do so is frankly disgraceful."

On the other hand, a spokesperson for the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer downplayed the visit.

The spokesperson said Robinson was "not a representative of the U.K." and added that the meeting was "a matter for the U.S. administration" and "not for me to speak to."

RELATED: Tommy Robinson has the last laugh after politically motivated terrorism arrest

Robinson went on to mock the negative coverage of his visit by some in the media.

"I posted a photo at the US State Department earlier, the legacy media have been falling over each other to condemn my visit, devastated that their decades of slandering is now transparent," he wrote. "Their power is gone."

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President Donald Trump announced in May that he was nominating Dr. Casey Means to become surgeon general.

Trump said that Means, a tech entrepreneur and Stanford-educated doctor who has long criticized the exploitative nature of the health care system, has "impeccable 'MAHA' credentials" and would help Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans."

It became painfully clear over the course of Means' nomination hearing on Wednesday that some lawmakers are anxious about her MAHA views on vaccines and other profitable pharmaceuticals.

'Devil's in the details.'

Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) — whom Open Secrets indicated has raised over $1.3 million from the health professional industry and $712,000 from the pharmaceutical/health product industry in campaign contributions since 2019 — noted that "some [parents] have been scared to vaccinate their children because they've been told incorrectly that vaccines cause autism."

Cassidy asked Means whether she believes "vaccines, whether individually or collectively, contribute to autism."

Means, who told lawmakers that she thinks vaccines "save lives," responded, "The reality is that we have an autism crisis that's increasing, and this is devastating to many families, and we do not know as a medical community what causes autism."

Means noted that the Trump administration is investigating the matter and suggested that "until we have a clear understanding of why kids are developing this at higher rates, I think we should not leave any stones unturned."

Cassidy rushed to suggest "there's been a lot of evidence showing they're not implicated."

While Means accepted such alleged evidence exists, she emphasized that "science is never settled."

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — who ranks in Open Secrets' "Top 20 Member Recipients of Money from Pharmaceuticals / Health Products, 1990-2024" — similarly pressed the issue, trying unsuccessfully to get Means to refute Kennedy's July 2023 assertion "that autism comes from vaccines."

RELATED: One for the ladies: Educate yourself about the risks of hormonal birth control

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Image

In her questioning, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) focused on one vaccine in particular: the hepatitis B shot, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under previous administrations recommended for all American children but as of this year recommends only on an individual basis.

Means has suggested in years past that "hepatitis B vaccine at birth is a crime."

When Blunt Rochester generalized her concern and asked whether Means thought it was "unethical and dangerous" to hypothetically withhold life-saving vaccines from children, Means noted, "I don't believe that Dr. Jay Bhattacharya or the HHS would be interested in withholding" them and stressed that the "devil's in the details."

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who has received over $600,000 from the health professional industry since 2019, grilled Means over her past criticism of hormonal birth control and its overuse — which has been linked to increased risk of breast and cervical cancers and other medical issues.

After Murray concern-mongered over Means' suggestions that hormonal birth control is consumed "like candy" and poses "horrifying health risks" to women, Means said, "I'm curious if you're aware of what the side effects of hormonal contraception are."

Means suggested further that while such medication should be "accessible to all women," women should be having thorough conversations with their doctors to ascertain "whether they are higher risk for side effects when prescribed the medication."

Kennedy noted at the time of Means' nomination that she "will help me ensure American children will be less medicated and better fed — and significantly healthier — during the next four years. She will be the best Surgeon General in American history."

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Texas Republicans are escalating their efforts to take on illegal immigration, and Rep. Brandon Gill is leading the charge. While BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is thrilled with his efforts, she’s well aware that her state is not even close to being out of the woods.

“Texas is kind of under siege right now,” Gonzales says to Gill.

“It is, and at this point, I believe we have 42 members of Congress in the Sharia-Free America Caucus. So it’s growing rapidly. We’re adding new members every single day,” Gill explains.

“This is a big issue. It’s not going away any time soon. And it’s our job as elected representatives to address it — and address it in a candid and straightforward way, which is to say that there are cultural incompatibilities here that we need to be aware of,” he tells Gonzales.

"I think our immigration system needs to reflect these, and I think we need to be determining who comes into our country. And we need to protect our culture,” he continues, pointing out that immigration is also one of the issues that touches everything else.

“It touches the quality of schools, the quality of health care, the cost of living, the cost of housing. I mean everything,” he adds.

Gill was also recently behind the Somalia Immigration Moratorium Act, which imposes a 25-year moratorium on immigration from Somalia into the United States.

And while much of the left is outraged by Gill’s moratorium, one member of Congress may have a little more disdain for him than the rest.

“Does Ilhan Omar give you the stink eye whenever she sees you?” Gonzales asks.

“Usually it’s much worse than that. I was giving a speech on the House floor about this bill in particular. And she was in the audience, and she was screaming. I could barely hear what she was saying, but she was … calling me names and all kinds of stuff,” he tells Gonzales.

“So she’s not a big fan of me, I will say,” he adds.

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Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are being lauded as heroes after they saved the life of a 4-year-old boy who almost drowned in a Minnesota hotel pool.

The officers were off duty and eating their lunch on Friday when a panicked mother asked them to save her son, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

'If our agents had not been there and stepped up, this would have been a tragic outcome.'

The two immediately provided CPR to the boy before Plymouth Police officers arrived and took over the emergency revival of the boy. After 10 minutes of additional CPR, the boy began breathing on his own. He was reported to be awake and alert after being transported to a local medical center.

The DHS included a letter from police that said the ICE officers had likely saved the child's life by attending to him immediately.

"In a situation like this, the first few minutes of emergency aid and quality CPR are critical. Without the quick response and professional actions [of the ICE officers], the outcome of this event would have likely been tragic," read the statement from the police.

They said that one of the ICE officers "tried to downplay" their heroic actions.

"On behalf of the Plymouth Police Department, I want to extend our thanks and gratitude for the efforts [of the officers] in saving the life of a 4-year-old boy," the department continued. "Much more than being in the right place at the right time, the ability to work effectively and efficiently in a chaotic and emotional scene is admirable. Truly excellent work."

RELATED: 'This is where ICE has come to die': Antifa member arrested for threats against feds, says DOJ

Police said the boy went into the pool to retrieve a toy and was under water for about five minutes before he was rescued.

"I want to take a moment to commend the heroism and swift action taken by these agents to save the life of a sweet, innocent child," read a statement from Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "If our agents had not been there and stepped up, this would have been a tragic outcome."

Plymouth is a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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A recent Fortune magazine article made waves with a grim admission: After more than $30 billion spent flooding classrooms with laptops and tablets, standardized scores keep sliding. Worse, neuroscientists now link more classroom screen time to lower performance. The device meant to modernize learning may be helping to unmake it.

Schools rushed into a technological revolution without asking the most basic question: What does this do to a child’s mind? Many teachers saw the answer firsthand and in real time. Administrators and “experts” ignored them because the fad sounded like “progress.”

A concerted push to remove screens from classrooms needs to begin now. Put the devices where they belong: limited tools, not the center of learning.

I taught history and civics in Florida public schools as the laptop trend took hold. Computers had sat in classrooms since my own childhood, but they played a supporting role. A few desktops in the back helped with research. A computer lab handled bigger projects. Most learning still happened on paper with books, notes, and conversation.

Then the Chromebook arrived: cheap, durable, limited, and perfect for one thing — living inside a web browser. Suddenly a district could put a machine not just in every room but in the hands of every student.

Buzzwords beat judgment

Public-school administrators love buzzwords. “Technological literacy” sounds noble, as if every ninth grader is training for Silicon Valley while working on their grammar assignment. Google did not just sell discounted laptops. It supplied a full ecosystem: Docs, Sheets, Slides, Classroom. The whole apparatus of schooling migrated into Alphabet’s software suite. Few people in the system asked why a private company wanted to become the operating system of childhood.

The laptop push also fit the religion of metrics. District offices love anything that produces dashboards, timestamps, and “engagement” graphs. A worksheet completed on paper frustrates the spreadsheet priesthood. A worksheet completed on a Chromebook generates data. The device did not just enter the classroom; it entered the managerial imagination, where metrics matter more than minds.

Once laptops became ubiquitous, the problems announced themselves. The deeper the integration, the harder it became to control.

Cheating became routine. Students searched answers in seconds. The larger problem went beyond quizzes. Googling replaced thinking. Kids refused to read because they assumed a quick search and a copy-paste counted as “learning.” Wikipedia became the default authority. Students stopped vetting anything because they treated the first search result as truth. Even writing shifted. Instead of building an argument, students stitched together paragraphs from the internet and hoped the teacher felt too tired to fight.

RELATED: The world changed, and now we homeschool

Cemile Bingol via iStock/Getty Images

The distraction machine

Schools tried parental controls. Teenagers treated those controls as a challenge. When thousands of bored adolescents share a building, they collaborate. A new filter went up; within days, kids found a workaround. Soon the screens again showed games, movies, even pornography — during class, in plain view, behind a pretense of “work.”

Students used shared Google docs as a covert messaging system. They gossiped, bullied, and planned actual crimes while keeping a document open to look studious. My school eventually held assemblies to remind students that everything typed into a document leaves a record and that bragging about criminal activity or sexual escapades can end up as evidence.

All of that raised another issue: privacy and capture. Google did not subsidize devices and software out of corporate charity. By making Google search and Google apps the center of a child’s information life, the system trained dependency. Google finds the truth. Google organizes the truth. Google presents the truth. A student’s education happens inside a Google ghetto. Pretend the company is not collecting that data if you want, but the incentives cut the other way.

Screens also fed the attention crisis. Administrators told teachers to stop showing videos longer than three minutes without pausing to explain because students could not stay focused. The device that was supposed to expand horizons kept shrinking attention spans. Teachers began competing with the entire internet for a child’s attention, and no lesson plan can win that contest for long.

Locked into the system

The system made escape difficult. Florida went all-in on Chromebooks and tied them to everything. Standardized tests moved entirely onto laptops. “Test prep” software got woven into daily coursework. Students with accommodations or limited English got pushed toward the device as a universal crutch. Denying a Chromebook got treated as denying an education. Teachers who resisted risked discipline.

I reached a point where my students mattered more than compliance. I rebuilt my classroom around paper, books, and discussion. Students used Chromebooks only for mandated testing and accommodations we could not meet otherwise.

The shift showed results fast. Students engaged more. Distraction dropped. Discipline improved. More assignments got finished. Grades rose.

Then COVID-19 struck.

RELATED: America’s new lost generation is looking for home — and finding the wrong ones

Wavebreakmedia via iStock/Getty Images

Remote learning turned the screen into the classroom itself. Even Florida, which resisted lockdown hysteria, shifted much of schooling online. Learning fell off a cliff. The lockdowns devastated achievement, but the damage did not end when students returned in person. After COVID, it became nearly impossible to pry students, parents, and administrators away from screen-based schooling. Digital integration became mandatory. No exceptions.

Now the corporate press arrives to play cleanup. Reporters discover the failure well after the money has been spent, the infrastructure has hardened, and a generation has been trained to treat a browser as a brain.

A way back

Public education is stuffed with managerial drones who chase consensus and trends while ignoring what helps students. The bureaucracy will keep this program alive through sheer inertia even as evidence piles up. Parents and lawmakers need to force a reset: paper-based instruction as the default, screens as a tightly limited accommodation, and tests that reward reading and writing instead of clicking. Districts should stop outsourcing childhood to Big Tech, stop laundering ideology through “digital citizenship,” and start treating attention as a scarce resource worth defending.

A concerted push to remove screens from classrooms needs to begin now. Start with elementary grades. Bring back books. Bring back handwriting. Bring back sustained attention. Put the devices where they belong: limited tools, not the center of learning.

Kids learn slower, but they learn for real.

Outrage has erupted as people have learned that a child sex offender has launched a bid to land a seat on a city council in California.

Rene Campos, who recently launched a bid to represent District 7 in Fresno, California, is facing some pushback over a highly concerning conviction not too long ago.

'I was raised in Fresno by a mother who taught me to protect the vulnerable, tell the truth even when it costs you, and never tolerate abuse of power.'

Campos was arrested in 2018 and later pled no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possession of child sex abuse material, according to court records. In October, he pled no contest to failure to register, records indicate.

However, the New York Post reported that he is perfectly eligible to run for office under California law.

RELATED: 'Sadistic' PA man sexually assaulted and cut 13-year-old girl at California motel after grooming her on Discord, feds say

Bill Oxford/Getty Images

This fact has sparked outrage at the prospect of a convicted child sex offender holding a seat of power. Others pointed out other obvious absurdities in the potential arrangement.

Nav Gurm, a small business owner and attorney who is opposing Campos for the District 7 seat, noted: "If someone is a registered sex offender, they can't be on campus at a school site; how are you going to be able to fulfill the duties of the job?"

Campos told ABC 30: "I believe Fresno deserves leaders who are honest from the very beginning, not the end. Going into this, I am putting my life out there."

Campos gave some information on his campaign website about his upbringing and the "values" he brings to the table, including "protecting the vulnerable": "I was raised in Fresno by a mother who taught me to protect the vulnerable, tell the truth even when it costs you, and never tolerate abuse of power. Those values didn't come from politics — they came from life."

While Campos claimed in the interview that he will not be running from his past, a review of his campaign website yielded no direct mention of his criminal past. Instead, there is one brief mention of a "legal situation that has been fully resolved" in the frequently asked questions section of the site.

Campos seemingly first announced his candidacy in late January, according to his Facebook page.

The primary election is scheduled for June 2.

Campos' campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise of revitalizing American jobs, and Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer acknowledged his role in recent economic developments during her 2026 State of the State address.

Whitmer publicly thanked Trump while speaking in the Michigan House of Representatives chamber at the state Capitol in Lansing on Wednesday.

Trump praised Whitmer, saying she had done an 'excellent job' and calling her 'a great person.'

“Michigan is open for business. New factories making batteries, cars, chips are opening in Marshall, Lake Orion, Holland, Bay City, Calumet, Hemlock, Ann Arbor, and Delta Township. A new fighter mission is coming to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County,” Whitmer said.

RELATED: 'This is disgraceful': Mamdani raked over the coals for attack on NYPD

Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images

She added, “Probably not on the bingo card, but I want to thank President Trump for his work on this.”

Her remarks were met with applause from the chamber.

The public show of appreciation follows multiple reported meetings between Whitmer and Trump at the White House, where the two have discussed manufacturing investment, tariffs, and the Selfridge Air National Guard Base mission. During one Oval Office appearance, Trump praised Whitmer, saying she had done an “excellent job” and calling her “a great person.”

RELATED: 'Sham businesses': Vance announces the halt of Medicaid funds to Minnesota over alleged fraud

Photo by Mandel NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

One earlier White House visit drew national attention after Whitmer was photographed shielding her face from cameras. Her latest remarks in Lansing, however, marked a visible shift, as she openly credited the president during a high-profile statewide address.

The recent industrial expansion across Michigan, along with the Selfridge announcement, shows strong collaboration between the Democrat governor and the Republican president on key economic priorities.

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A suspect who reportedly identifies as nonbinary opened fire on a Border Patrol agent during a traffic stop in New Hampshire on Saturday. This latest incident occurred roughly one year after members of a radical trans cult allegedly shot and killed an agent in Vermont.

A criminal complaint reviewed by Blaze News revealed charges filed Tuesday against Blu Zeke Daly, also known as Cullan Zeke Daly, stemming from an incident that occurred on Feb. 21.

'This individual did have a previous Massachusetts driver's license that was denominated to be male and now has a New Hampshire driver's license, which is denominated to be female.'

An on-duty Border Patrol agent patrolling the border between the U.S. and Canada in Stewartstown, New Hampshire, encountered a 2012 Honda Civic at roughly 11:30 p.m., according to the affidavit of an FBI special agent.

Daly, the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, provided the agent with a New Hampshire driver's license, according to the court document. After the officer asked whether Daly used any other names, Daly allegedly "immediately drove away," prompting the officer to follow at a distance.

The affidavit explained that Daly drove to the Pittsburg Port of Entry and stopped at a closed gate. When the officer exited his vehicle, Daly attempted to drive away.

While trying to turn the vehicle around, Daly allegedly fired a handgun at the officer.

The Border Patrol agent returned fire, shooting Daly and causing the suspect to lose control of the vehicle and hit a snowbank.

RELATED: The Zizians’ violent spiral: A trans group tied to killings across America

Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

A Smith & Wesson SD9 2.0 handgun and ammunition were reportedly recovered from Daly's vehicle.

The affidavit argued that there is probable cause to believe Daly committed the offenses of attempted murder of a federal officer and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.

WMUR reported that investigators have been unable to speak with Daly after the suspect was severely injured in the shooting.

The Department of Justice stated that Daly is currently receiving medical treatment at a New Hampshire hospital and is under guard.

U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan told WMUR that investigators have spoken with "people associated with the defendant."

Creegan called it "a miracle" that the Border Patrol agent was not injured.

RELATED: Vermont Border Patrol agent's fatal shooting tied to radical trans murder cult

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

"We're still investigating everything about this individual, including potential motivation and what could have prompted them to be in the border area at that time of night, and what would have caused them to fire at a Border Patrol agent executing routine duties," Creegan stated.

WMUR obtained court paperwork indicating that Daly was granted a name change in 2024, claiming to identify as nonbinary.

"This individual did have a previous Massachusetts driver's license that was denominated to be male and now has a New Hampshire driver's license, which is denominated to be female. So it's a reasonable assumption that the person has decided to transition their gender," Creegan added.

In January 2025, a Vermont Border Patrol agent was shot and killed while performing a traffic stop on Interstate 91. The suspects included two individuals tied to a group known as the Zizians, whose members mostly identify as transgender or nonbinary.

There are currently no confirmed connections between Daly and the Zizians.

"When you have something happen which targets a Border Patrol agent in that area, it would be a reasonable line of investigative inquiry to determine whether there is any connection to a broader network or group, because that does appear to exist — the allegations that did exist in the murder investigation involving the Border Patrol agent," Creegan told WMUR.

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On Tuesday night, President Trump delivered the 2026 State of the Union address — the best speech of his entire career according to Glenn Beck.

The address was packed with memorable moments, but one, he says, didn’t merely stand out in Trump’s two-hour speech, it stands out in history itself.

“There was no moment in presidential history in my lifetime that was as strong as [Reagan’s “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" line] — until last night,” he says.

And that moment was when President Trump said: “If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens."

“That's the easiest applause line ever presented in American politics. You shouldn't even think; you just stand up. That's not even partisan,” says Glenn.

And yet zero Democrats stood up.

“You don't damage your opponent when you do that. You damage your brand,” exclaims Glenn, adding that he’s unsure if Democrats can “survive the brand damage” they’ve caused themselves.

He brings up two of the people President Trump honored during his speech — the “angel mom” of 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina, who was stabbed numerous times and killed by an illegal alien, and 7-year-old Delilah Coleman, who survived life-altering injuries from a 2024 car crash caused by an illegal alien truck driver with a state-issued CDL.

“Calling for commercial licenses to be denied to illegal immigrants because of [Delilah] and calling it Delilah's Law — and you can't stand for that? You can't clap for removing dangerous rapists and criminals from the country?” Glenn asks in disgust.

“We can disagree on immigration policy all you want. We can debate visa quotas. You can argue about asylum reform. But when you can't stand for deporting violent criminals, that's not a strategy. That's the end of your brand. That's moral confusion,” he says, admitting that he was “stunned by that.”

“America looked at that and went, ‘Do these people hate our country?’”

To hear more of Glenn’s monologue and in-depth breakdown of Tuesday’s SOTU address, watch the video above.

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Between raucous cheers for America's gold-medal hero, New Jersey's new governor felt the brunt of sports fans' disdain.

Fans at the Prudential Center in Newark were treated to a fantastic pregame ceremony on Wednesday that celebrated Jack Hughes, who scored the gold medal-winning goal for Team USA against Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday.

'You guys are making me emotional.'

After a speech from Hughes got the crowd both pumped up and emotional, newly elected New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) and her husband, Jason Hedberg, were welcomed on the ice for the ceremonial puck drop.

After a parade of kids holding American flags adorably stepped onto the ice, the public address announcer welcomed the governor and the state's first gentleman before boos rained down upon them.

Some significant booing was also heard when the governor was again announced as she handed Hughes a folded state flag.

Beforehand, Hughes brought the house down with his speech, first celebrating alongside Buffalo Sabres player and fellow Team USA member Tage Thompson. Hughes brought Thompson onto the ice for a short lap before delivering his heartfelt remarks.

RELATED: NHL posts adorable 'girl dad' photo of hockey player — then deletes it after maniacal anti-Trumpers lose their minds

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"I'm so proud, and I'm so happy that the men's and women's USA hockey teams brought gold medals back to the United States of America," Hughes said to wild cheers.

As the arena's scoreboard showed a picture of Hughes that read, "The best in the world are made in Jersey," the star forward was on the verge of tears.

"You guys are making me emotional, but I'm so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils organization. And I'm so, so proud to represent the great state of New Jersey. So proud," he continued.

"From the bottom of my heart, all our, all my teammates, USA teammates, we just want to thank you guys for all the love and the support. We feel it. Thank you," the 24-year-old concluded.

RELATED: Team USA's amazing gold-medal gesture you may have missed

Photo by Andrew Maclean/NHLI via Getty Images

Hughes was awarded with a New Jersey state flag, a certificate, and a signing pen in honor of the state's recognition of his accomplishment.

Gov. Sherrill won the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election with 56.88% of the vote, beating out Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli by more than five points.

Moderates and independents both sided with Sherrill, according to exit polls, with health care being a strong driver of votes among liberal supporters.

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President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday night, touting his administration's achievements and laying the groundwork for the remaining three years of his term.

While Democrats attempted to distract from Trump's patriotic speech, Republicans embraced policies to improve the lives of everyday Americans, some of whom were in attendance at the State of the Union.

'I want to thank President Trump.'

Tuesday night, members of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative committee on Capitol Hill, hosted guests from North Dakota, Arizona, New York, Alabama, and elsewhere. While all of these guests come from different walks of life, the common thread is their appreciation for the president and his America First policies.

In a series of testimonials obtained exclusively by Blaze News, the RSC shows how real Americans feel about Trump's progress in America.

RELATED: 'Nobody wants to go fishing anymore!' Trump vows to defeat 'murderous' drug cartels as chaos sweeps Mexico

Fifth-generation rancher Ben Menges, who was the guest of Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani, laid out the roadblocks he previously encountered on the farm, but noted he was "looking forward to hearing" Trump's plan to address these regulatory burdens.

"We farm and ranch in Arizona because it's the desert, not in spite of the desert. And we're faced with a variety of issues; most of them stem around not having enough water," Menges said. "I've also discussed the issues of federal regulation and how it's impacted my grazing operation."

Retired Command Sergeant Major John Herring, who was the guest of Texas Rep. Monica De La Cruz, praised the tax cuts greenlit in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act as well as the administration's clampdown on the southern border.

"My wife is a small business owner," Herring said. "We're ranchers in South Texas, retired from the military. President Trump has done a fantastic job of helping us and improving our ways of life. The border security is tremendously better. The tax cuts have been tremendous for us."

RELATED: Watch the State of the Union tonight on BlazeTV's YouTube channel

Another small business owner, Kristin Chorne, who was the guest of North Dakota Rep. Julie Fedorchak, noted the positive impact Trump's tax reforms have had on her company and her employees.

"I'm representing my business, Gratitude Spa and Salon. We are an all-female-employee business: cosmetologists, aestheticians, massage therapists, nail technicians," Chorne said. "And so, we're super excited about the One Big Beautiful Bill and the no tax on tips portion especially, as well as the no tax on overtime — huge benefits for our employees."

"I've already had several employees come and talk with me, and they're getting anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 in refunds for 2025, so a big change for them from years past, where they've had to pay in."

RELATED: Every attendee who was awarded by Trump during the State of the Union

Law enforcement was also represented at the State of the Union, including Alabama Rep. Barry Moore's guest, Coffee County Sheriff Scott Byrd, and New York Rep. Claudia Tenney's guest, Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby. Both Milby and Byrd applauded Trump's crackdown on crime both in the homeland and on the border.

"I've been in the law enforcement business for 23 years, and these border closing is definitely helping our community," Byrd said. "They're slowing the drug trafficking down, which I've obviously seen in my county, in my community."

"I want to thank President Trump for his efforts in supporting law enforcement and making sure that people are held accountable and responsible for their actions, something that we haven't seen in a few years," Milby said. "What we have seen, though, is that people feel less safe, and that's what matters."

"You can do anything you want with statistics, but when people tell me that they don't feel safe because of what is happening with our criminal justice system, it's refreshing to know that we have the support and that we're going to hold people accountable and responsible rather than hold court in the street," he continued.

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Rep. Ilhan Omar's attempts on Tuesday to sabotage President Donald Trump's State of the Union did not go particularly well.

Not only did public support for the president's agenda reportedly spike while the Minnesota Democrat was screaming during his speech, but Omar's anti-ICE guest was hauled away by U.S. Capitol Police.

'All State of the Union tickets clearly explain that demonstrating is prohibited.'

The Somali-born ethno-nationalist announced on Monday that among the radicals she was bringing as guests to the SOTU was Aliya Rahman, an autistic non-straight activist who, though born in America, grew up in Bangladesh and has championed leftist causes since returning to the United States.

Omar made no secret that she chose to bring Rahman because of the woman's hostility toward U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, noting that "Rahman is now calling for ICE to face legal accountability for their aggression against civilians."

Trouble with the law

Rahman, 43, was arrested in Minneapolis on Jan. 13 after allegedly impeding federal law enforcement agents by blocking traffic with her vehicle.

While later claiming that she was on her way to a doctor's appointment and was seeking to avoid a chaotic scene, footage appears to show that Rahman wasn't in a rush to go anywhere. Despite ample room to drive forward and away from the scene, she appears to be idling in the intersection, blocking traffic, and yelling at federal agents.

Footage also shows Rahman failing to comply with repeated orders before being pulled out of the vehicle and carted away.

RELATED: 'You should be ashamed': Ilhan Omar melts down when asked to support Americans

Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security noted that the radical "clearly had enough room to move herself and her vehicle out of the way. Officers even walked away from her vehicle, thinking she was going to leave the scene."

"Instead, she remained at the location, continued to impede our officers, and found out the hard way," continued the DHS. "18 U.S.C. § 111 criminalizes impeding or interfering with federal officers."

Rahman — who has likened herself to George Floyd as well as to Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, an illegal alien who was fatally shot on Sept. 12 after reportedly driving his vehicle into an ICE officer — quickly became a symbol of supposed ICE brutality for Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Reps. Robert Garcia (Calif.) and Yassamin Ansari (Ariz.).

Another arrest

Omar complained on Wednesday that Rahman had yet another arrest, this time after a run-in with the Capitol Police on Tuesday.

"My guest, Aliya Rahman, stood up silently in the gallery during the president’s speech for a short period of time, part of which other guests were also standing," alleged Omar. "For that, she was forcibly removed, despite warning officers about her injured shoulders and ultimately charged with 'Unlawful Conduct.'"

Rahman reportedly stood up in protest during the part of President Donald Trump's speech where he called on Democrats to restore DHS funding and allegedly refused to sit when asked by police.

"The heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy," added the Minnesota Democrat.

Rahman told Democracy Now! on Wednesday, "The only reason I can think that they thought me standing silently there was a protest is because this point, my body, unafraid, even if broken, standing and looking at these people in their face, well that must be a protest to you."

The radical claimed that the sergeant at arms told her she was being detained for "standing up silently. No buttons, no facial expressions, no gestures, no signs. Not one sound. Standing up."

Capitol Police painted a different picture of the scene, noting in a statement obtained by CNN, "All State of the Union tickets clearly explain that demonstrating is prohibited."

"At approximately 10:07 p.m., a person in the House Gallery started demonstrating during tonight's State of the Union Address," continued the statement. "The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders."

The Capitol Police added that "it is illegal to disrupt the Congress and demonstrate in the Congressional Buildings, so 43-year-old Aliya M. Rahman of Minneapolis, MN, was arrested for D.C. Code §10-503.16 - Unlawful Conduct, Disruption of Congress."

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According to a recent video that surfaced on Wednesday, a Missouri driver found himself near a truck driver who was driving on the wrong side of the highway — reportedly for several miles.

X user MolonLabeBTC posted a series of short videos on Wednesday detailing his experience. The first video clearly shows a semi-truck driving into oncoming traffic from the opposite direction.

'We have learned that a truck driver with a Minnesota CDL who couldn't read basic road signs spent MILES driving the wrong way in an 80 TON truck!'

"Eighteen-wheeler going the wrong way down southbound 61. He is on the northbound lanes of 61, going the wrong way," a man can be heard saying in the video. The post reported that the video was captured about five miles north of Troy, just outside St. Louis.

The X user claimed in the caption to the first video that the trucker "nearly hit me head on before I pulled over to my left."

RELATED: Foreigners want to drive a big rig? They'll need more than work authorization papers, Duffy says

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

He added that the driver was "driving southbound in the northbound lane for about 3 miles." The driver eventually swung over onto the correct side of the highway. The truck appears to have eventually been pulled over by a state trooper.

The user uploaded several more videos of the person he identified as the truck driver. The suspect took out his own phone camera and began filming in return when he realized he was being filmed.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the incident, saying, "DISTURBING: We have learned that a truck driver with a Minnesota CDL who couldn't read basic road signs spent MILES driving the wrong way in an 80 TON truck! Thanks to Missouri law enforcement, this dangerous trucker is now out of service."

Secretary Duffy added that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is investigating the alleged carrier, Cargo Transportation LLC.

Blaze News was able to locate a Cargo Transportation LLC registered in Minnesota on the FMCSA registration portal. The USDOT number also appears to match the number on the side panel of the semi-truck in the MolonLabeBTC videos.

According to information that was current as of Wednesday, the USDOT status was listed as "active."

The physical address listed for this business also appears to be in an apartment complex, which is legal, but operators must be able to prove that it is the principal place of operations. According to FMCSA, "A motor carrier may designate as its principal place of business only locations that contain offices of the motor carrier's senior-most management executives, management officials or employees responsible for the administration, management and oversight of safety operations and compliance."

Blaze News left a message at the phone number listed in the company's registration page. Blaze News also reached out to the Missouri Highway Patrol.

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New York City police have arrested a 27-year-old male for his alleged role in a viral mob attack on police officers, which injured them, during a massive snowball fight Monday.

Gusmane Coulibaly was arrested Thursday morning, the NYPD said, adding that he also was cuffed less than three weeks ago for an attempted robbery in the transit system.

Police told WABC in an initial story that officers responded to Washington Square Park in Manhattan around 4 p.m. for a report of a number of people atop a roof — but cops were soon hit with snowballs, and multiple officers were taken to a hospital with facial cuts.

'Watching officers get pelted with snow while they are out in brutal weather protecting this city should make every New Yorker furious.'

But police soon added that officers were hit by more than just snowballs.

An earlier NYPD Facebook post indicated that "two uniformed police officers were inside Washington Square Park when two individuals intentionally struck the officers multiple times with snow and ice causing injury to their head, neck, and face. Anyone with information is asked to contact @NYPDTips or 800-577-TIPS."

RELATED: NYPD releases photos of pair wanted in viral mob attack on cops amid snowball fight

Image source: New York City Police Department

Then the number of wanted individuals increased from two to four.

RELATED: 'Despicable attack': Brazen mob pelts NYPD officers with snowballs, multiple cops reportedly injured — and it's all on video

Outrage was rampant among police officials and politicians.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Monday night wrote on X that she's aware of the videos of the attack on officers and that "the behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal."

The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York called the incident "unacceptable and outrageous," WABC added.

"This is the environment that NYC police officers are up against. Our police officers are being treated for their injuries, but the case CANNOT end there," the PBA said in a statement on social media, according to the station. "The individuals involved must be identified, arrested, and charged with assault on a police officer. And all of our city leaders must speak up to condemn this despicable attack."

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, both Democrats, blamed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) for setting a tone of disrespect toward law enforcement, given his history of anti-police rhetoric.

"This is disgraceful. But with a mayor who has a history of calling the police 'racist, evil, wicked and corrupt,' he set the tone," Cuomo posted on X. "Words have consequences. We are seeing that in the growing disrespect for law enforcement — just as we've seen it in the rise in antisemitism. Real leaders understand that. This mayor does not."

Adams echoed the sentiment: "Watching officers get pelted with snow while they are out in brutal weather protecting this city should make every New Yorker furious. It is disgusting behavior. And the politicians who constantly bash the police and refuse to have their backs are setting a terrible example. Leadership matters. Tone matters."

Mamdani on Wednesday replied to questions about the incident and whether he agrees with police top brass that responsible parties should be held criminally accountable.

"I've said that what I saw was a snowball fight. It should be treated accordingly," Mamdani said, according to WABC-TV. "It was one that got out of hand. But that's what it was."

RELATED: 'This is disgraceful': Mamdani raked over the coals for attack on NYPD

Former NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told WABC that Mamdani is putting his relationship with the police department at risk: "Not to back up the men and women is really, really bad. It's as bad as you can get. So this is a seminal moment right here, and we'll see how it goes from here. Because I think it's important to understand just how important this is to the police department."

One witness told WABC the snowball fight got out of hand when several young people began using the roof of one of the park's restrooms as a launching pad — and that officers were confronted after they arrived to investigate.

"It wasn't supposed to be violent. It was — it started out as — a very fun thing to do. And then, you know, it just escalated," Rahul Nag told the station. "Some people were confused, I think, because they thought they weren't NYPD, they were ICE, or they were working with ICE."

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Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the federal government will temporarily halt certain Medicaid payments to the state of Minnesota, citing what he described as verified fraud within a state-run program.

Vance said the move is aimed at ensuring Minnesotans are “good stewards of the American people’s tax money.”

'They’re going to fraudsters in Minneapolis. That is unacceptable.'

“We’re announcing today that we have decided to temporarily halt certain amounts of Medicaid funding that are going to the state of Minnesota in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligation seriously,” Vance said.

Vance clarified that providers on the ground in Minnesota have already been paid by the state. The federal government is pausing reimbursement payments to the state government, not direct payments to providers.

RELATED: 'This is disgraceful': Mamdani raked over the coals for attack on NYPD

Credit: Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Vance pointed to what he described as a confirmed case of fraud involving a program intended to provide after-school services to autistic children.

According to Vance, some individuals set up “sham businesses,” created fake clients, and even listed individuals “who are not even autistic” in order to collect Medicaid funds.

“A program that existed to ensure that autistic children had access to some after-school services has made a number of people rich,” Vance said, adding that the money “ought, by right, go to American citizens and to American families.”

He argued that the alleged fraud not only wastes taxpayer dollars but also diverts services away from children who genuinely need them.

“There are kids in Minnesota who deserve these services, who need these services, and they’re not going to those kids,” Vance said. “They’re going to fraudsters in Minneapolis. That is unacceptable.”

RELATED: 'Despicable attack': Brazen mob pelts NYPD officers with snowballs, multiple cops reportedly injured — and it's all on video

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

“One of the things I love about our country is that we’re a generous country,” Vance said.

“We take care of our fellow citizens who can’t afford medical care because they’re down on their luck.”

He added that programs like Medicaid and food assistance exist to ensure families have access to “food, medical care, after-school services when their family needs them.”

However, Vance said that in Minnesota and other states, “the generosity and the good hearts of our fellow Americans are being taken advantage of.”

“This is disgraceful. It has happened for too long,” Vance said. “Far too many people have gotten rich by taking what is the best of the American spirit and getting rich off of it instead of providing services to kids who need it.”

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's office and the Department of Human Services of Minnesota did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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Even after his theatrical State of the Union address, President Trump remains the only person who knows for certain whether the United States will strike Iran. That ambiguity does not signal confusion. It reflects a negotiator’s instinct: The threat of force often carries more value than force itself.

As a massive American armada gathers in the Persian Gulf — the region’s largest naval deployment since 2003, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford — the White House is also signaling that it still prefers a grand bargain to a regional war. For a president who has long said his legacy will rest on ending “endless wars” and who plainly covets a Nobel Peace Prize, a diplomatic breakthrough that dismantles Iran’s nuclear ambitions without a shot fired would be the ideal outcome.

The Geneva talks are more than another diplomatic set piece. They will test whether Trump’s 'art of the deal' can work against one of the most entrenched regimes in the Middle East.

The tension in Washington is palpable, and the president’s frustration is starting to show through his inner circle.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, recently offered a revealing glimpse during a briefing on the Gulf buildup. Referring to the sweeping mobilization of ships, personnel, and equipment, Witkoff said Trump is "curious" that despite the gathering of this massive armada, Iran has not yet "capitulated.”

That remark gets to the heart of the standoff. The strategy is pure Trump: maximize leverage, restate the “zero enrichment” red line, and wait for the other side to conclude that its only path to survival runs through a signed deal. But the clerical regime in Tehran has proved more stubborn than even Trump appears to have expected.

As the third round of negotiations began in Geneva on Thursday, there were real reasons for cautious optimism, even as rumors of a “multi-stage interim deal” continued to circulate.

For all its revolutionary bluster and posturing over ballistic missiles, the Iranian regime is facing a deep internal crisis. The mass protests that erupted in late 2025 and continued into early this year — with a fresh wave of student-led strikes reported this week — have badly shaken the system. Even after a brutal crackdown and sweeping internet blackouts, the grievances have not disappeared. The economy is in ruins, the rial has hit record lows, and the public has no appetite for a full-scale war with a superpower.

Inside Tehran, the divisions are growing. Hard-liners within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps still posture about delivering a “regret-inducing” response to American pressure. More pragmatic figures, however — reportedly now led by veteran negotiator Ali Larijani — are speaking more openly. They understand that a war with the United States could mean the end of the Islamic Republic itself. Reports suggest that even figures close to the supreme leader are searching for an off-ramp that preserves the regime’s core interests while winning enough sanctions relief to calm a restive population.

RELATED: ‘Can’t let that happen’: Trump stresses red line for Iran but holds out hope for peaceful resolution

Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images

The regional picture also favors Washington. Across the Gulf, Arab capitals are watching with a mix of anxiety and quiet approval. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and others do not want their cities caught in the blast radius of a regional war. But they are also weary of Iran’s regional meddling and nuclear progress. They want Tehran checked without turning the Gulf into a battlefield. That gives Trump useful diplomatic cover to keep the pressure campaign in place while leaving the Geneva door open.

The Geneva talks are more than another diplomatic set piece. They will test whether Trump’s “art of the deal” can work against one of the most entrenched regimes in the Middle East.

By combining military pressure, economic punishment, and the lure of a sweeping agreement, Trump has pushed Tehran into a corner. The regime is learning that this White House has little interest in the incremental half measures of the past. Washington wants a broader settlement — one that reaches beyond the nuclear file to the wider balance of power in the region.

If a deal comes this week, it will likely come because Tehran concludes that domestic collapse poses a greater danger than diplomatic humiliation. For Trump, that would amount to a crowning achievement: proof that his transactional style can deliver where decades of conventional diplomacy failed.

In the high-stakes contest between Washington and Tehran, the winner may not be the side with the biggest fleet. It may be the side that best understands the other’s breaking point.

Team USA's women's hockey captain is not happy with President Donald Trump or the men's hockey team.

Hilary Knight, who in 2026 became Team USA's all-time leading scorer in women's Olympic hockey, took multiple shots at the president this week after he joked with the men's team that he would have to invite the women alongside the men to the State of the Union address.

'I think that's being overshadowed by sort of a quick lapse.'

"We're going to have to bring the women's team," the president said jokingly on Sunday, adding he "probably would be impeached" if he didn't.

Although the women declined the invitation, citing "academic and professional commitments," Knight seemingly took offense to the remarks, revealing in subsequent interviews that she was sour over the president's joke.

"I thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate," she told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. "The way women are represented, it's a great teaching point to really shine light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats."

"It's not my responsibility" to explain "someone else's behavior" she added.

RELATED: Team USA hero Jack Hughes defends women's team for skipping White House visit: 'Everything is so political'

Also on Wednesday, Knight again described the president's remarks as "a distasteful joke" during an interview on "SportsCenter."

"I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke, and unfortunately that is overshadowing a lot of the success and the success of just women at the Olympics, caring for Team USA, and having amazing gold-medal feats," the women's captain told host Jay Harris.

Knight said the team was just trying to focus on celebrating the incredible efforts made by the men and women at the Olympics and "not detract from that with a distasteful joke."

"It was unfortunate," Knight added. She then claimed her male counterparts had a "lapse" in judgment by laughing at Trump's remarks.

"There's a genuine level of support there and respect [from the men], and I think that's being overshadowed by sort of a quick lapse, and, you know, I think the guys were in a tough spot."

RELATED: Trump personally congratulates Olympic men's hockey team, tells them he would be 'impeached' if he doesn't do THIS

While the American women were not at the State of the Union on Tuesday, Trump announced during his speech that the team would in fact be visiting the White House "soon."

At the same time, the women have accepted an offer to celebrate with rapper Flavor Flav this summer, with forward Alex Carpenter saying she planned on finishing her professional season before heading to Las Vegas to "take advantage of that."

"Go have some fun and celebrate like we deserve to," she said, per the New York Post.

Flavor Flav was designated the official hype man for both the U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

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President Donald Trump says that he, along with many Americans, is concerned about the energy demand and strain AI data centers are putting on the electrical grid.

In a brief moment during his 2026 State of the Union speech, the president gave remarks that, while only lasting a minute or so, could, in effect, save the American household hundreds of dollars per year.

'A single large AI data center consumes as much electricity annually as 2 million homes.'

"We have an old grid. It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that's needed," Trump said. "So I'm telling them, they can build their own plant."

These simple comments actually have a massive ripple effect when put into practice. When companies like Apple or Meta build sprawling campuses to house their AI and user data, the power has to come from somewhere, and it often comes at the price of the American family.

For example, Pew reported that data centers have accounted for over $9 billion in price increases in capacity markets for 2025-2026; this refers to the amount of electricity a provider says it will provide. This is expected to increase the average monthly residential electrical bill by $16 in Ohio and $18 in Western Maryland.

RELATED: Who makes the Waymos flooding American streets? China.

Photographer: Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Connecticut's Office of Legislative Research found that residents in Virginia could see an increase between $14 and $37 per month by 2040 due to data centers. At an average increase of $25.50, that's $306 annually.

Moreover, a Carnegie Mellon University study reported that data center growth could increase electric bills between 8% and 25% nationally.

"A single large AI data center consumes as much electricity annually as 2 million homes," AI researcher Josh Fonseca Rivera told Return. "In 2024, U.S. data centers collectively drew roughly as much power as all of Pakistan."

He added, "These costs are already reaching households. In Washington, D.C., residential electricity bills have risen approximately $10 per month due to data center demand. I think we can all agree that trillion-dollar tech companies should pay for their own power instead of pushing costs onto families."

RELATED: 'They can build their own': Trump deals blow to tech companies hoping to tap into the power grid

Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tech expert Josh Centers said that Trump actually undersold the existing problem.

"The grid has to be balanced down to fractions of a hertz every second, or the whole thing cascades into blackouts. Drop multiple data centers pulling as much power as a small city onto that, and you've got a serious infrastructure crisis," he explained.

"The dirty secret is these AI models are wildly inefficient. We're still running neural network math from the 1940s, just brute-forced with modern silicon and massive energy budgets," Centers added. Instead of using AI to write books, "hand kids a real book," he said, referring to his own work teaching children literacy.

One military tech CEO told Return that a co-existence between communities and Big Tech is possible, one that is mutually beneficial.

"The key will be making sure companies truly carry their share of infrastructure costs and that communities benefit from the added capacity," said Tyler Saltsman, CEO of EdgeRunner AI. "But if structured properly, this approach could protect ratepayers, encourage modernization, and use private investment to reinforce a grid that badly needs upgrading, which is a major attack vector currently."

During the State of the Union, the president referred to a new pledge, "Guaranteeing Rate Insulation from Data Centers."

The new legislation is meant to "guarantee consumers [are] first priority on the grid," ensure new data centers get their power from separate sources, and establish new transparency measures around data center utility usage.

"They're going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the company's ability to get electricity, while at the same time, lowering prices of electricity for you," Trump said.

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