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Reporter for local CBS station goes viral after refusing to downplay pro-Trump rally

5 days ago


In a video posted to X, Vinny Martorano, a multimedia journalist for the Sinclair-owned Austin CBS affiliate, was handed a phone during a livestream at the Texas Capitol and shown what appeared to be a message from station management. According to the brief exchange caught on camera, the instruction was to avoid focusing on celebrations in the street, where demonstrators were chanting and thanking President Donald Trump following the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Martorano glanced at the message, looked back toward the crowd, and responded, “All right. Well, I am,” before continuing his report.

'A large group of people in front of the Texas Capitol are celebrating the coordinated strike against Iran early this morning.'

The 30-second clip quickly spread across social media, racking up hundreds of thousands of views within hours. Many users framed the moment as evidence of media bias and praised Martorano for refusing to downplay a pro-Trump rally.

RELATED: UK prime minister reverses course, allows US use of British bases for strikes on Iran

Photo by Cheng Xin/Getty Images

The alleged text Martorano received didn't stop him from reporting what was happening.

When the livestream continued, Martorano opened his on-air report by noting that reactions across Austin were mixed.

"There are a lot of mixed opinions across Austin about the joint attack between the United States and Israel against Iran that happened earlier this morning," Martorano said. "Some people, like this group behind me, are thanking Trump and the United States government for following through with this attack against Iran, while other people across the city say there needs to be more peace in the Middle East."

Martorano made additional posts, covering the celebrations.

RELATED: Israeli officials say Khamenei is dead. Update: Trump confirms.

Photo by Natalia Campos/Getty Images

"A large group of people in front of the Texas Capitol are celebrating the coordinated strike against Iran early this morning," one of his posts read. "Some people I spoke with moved to Austin from Iran."

Eric Daugherty, chief content officer of Right Line News, praised Martorano for his honest reporting despite alleged pressure to do the opposite. "THAT'S how you do it!"

Editor's note: This article has been corrected after publication to remove an erroneous use of "former" before "President Trump."

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Landon Pfile

HBO Max and Paramount+ Combined Would Be Among World's Top Streaming Services by Subscribers

5 days ago

March 2 (UPI) — Paramount will combine Paramount+ and HBO Max into one streaming service if the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery passes federal scrutiny, Paramount CEO David Ellison said Monday. He made the announcement on an

The post HBO Max and Paramount+ Combined Would Be Among World’s Top Streaming Services by Subscribers appeared first on Breitbart.

Breitbart News

U.N. Atomic Agency Contradicts Iran, Says No Nuclear Sites Hit in U.S. Campaign

5 days ago

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an arm of the United Nations, stated on Monday that there is no evidence of elevated radiation levels in Iran or that its illicit nuclear enrichment sites were attacks during America's "Operation Epic Fury."

The post U.N. Atomic Agency Contradicts Iran, Says No Nuclear Sites Hit in U.S. Campaign appeared first on Breitbart.

Frances Martel

‘Wild, Wild West’: Trump DOT moves to shut down 550+ ‘sham’ truck driver training schools after axing 6,500

5 days ago


The Department of Transportation has moved to shut down another 550 commercial driver's license schools amid a new focus on crashes involving foreign nationals with U.S. non-domiciled CDLs.

'For too long, the trucking industry has operated like the Wild, Wild West, where anything goes and nobody asks any questions.'

The DOT announced on February 18 that it discovered the "sham CDL training schools" violated the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's safety standards. The agency issued notices of proposed removal from the FMCSA's national training provider registry.

The DOT found that some noncompliant schools used fictitious addresses and employed unqualified instructors who lacked the necessary licenses and permits for the vehicles they were teaching students to drive. In other cases, these schools provided training with vehicles that were not appropriate for the instruction being offered. Some training providers even admitted to investigators that they failed to meet their state's requirements.

FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said, "If a school isn't using the right vehicles or if their instructors aren't qualified, they have no business training the next generation of truckers or school bus drivers."

One of the schools on the DOT's proposed removal list reportedly provided training to school bus drivers.

The DOT informed Blaze News that these schools have not yet been closed, as they are still within the 30-day period to either provide evidence of compliance with federal safety standards or indicate their intention to complete the corrective actions specified by the FMCSA. However, the agency stated that it has already closed 6,500 CDL training schools.

RELATED: 18-wheeler speeding the wrong direction on highway was driven by — you guessed it

Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images

The findings resulted from the FMCSA mobilizing over 300 investigators and conducting more than 1,400 on-site sting operations over five days. While 448 schools were issued a notice of proposed removal, 109 training providers voluntarily removed themselves from the FMCSA's Training Provider Registry.

An additional 97 training schools remain under investigation for similar alleged violations.

RELATED: 'Couldn't read ... road signs': Video shows trucker driving the wrong direction on highway — Sec. Duffy responds

Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"For too long, the trucking industry has operated like the Wild, Wild West, where anything goes and nobody asks any questions," DOT Secretary Sean Duffy stated. "The buck stops with me. Under President Trump, my team is cracking down on every link in the trucking chain that has allowed this lawlessness to impact the safety of America's roads. American families should have confidence that our school bus and truck drivers are following every letter of the law and that starts with receiving proper training before getting behind the wheel."

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Candace Hathaway

Sara Gonzales infiltrates Democrats’ ‘People’s State of the Union,’ gets kicked out after trolling Joy Reid

5 days ago


In protest of President Trump’s State of the Union address, Democrats held their own “People’s State of the Union” featuring Joy Reid — and BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales was easily able to infiltrate it before getting kicked out after trolling the former MSNBC host.

“Now obviously, President Trump is the troller in chief, and I just try to learn from him like a young Padawan. And I just thought, you know what? I’m gonna do a little trolling as well,” Gonzales explains.

While there, Gonzales squeezed in some interviews with the audience — one of whom was dressed in an inflatable cat suit.


“So do cats, is their official position that they don’t like Donald Trump?” Gonzales asked the cat attendee.

“They definitely don’t like this guy,” the cat responded, holding a sign of JD Vance.

Another man was holding a sign that read, “MAGA is Putin’s tool.” When Gonzales asked how MAGA is Putin’s tool, the man responded “Figure it out. If you can’t figure it out, you’re part of the problem.”

“I mean, I feel like you would want to educate people as to exactly how that is,” Gonzales shot back, adding, “You don’t want to educate people? ... How much you were paid to be here tonight?”

“Fifty bucks and a bottle of Crown Royal,” he answered.

“Really? Does George Soros pay that to you?” she pressed, before he yelled back, “Fascist maggot, get the f**k out of here.”

After briefly heckling Reid, who took the stage and immediately began celebrating Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Gonzales was kicked out of the event — missing a performance by Reid and another woman singing.

“You guys can hear the claps,” Gonzales comments, adding, “There’s nobody there."

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BlazeTV Staff