The Fourth of July weekend produced a viral photograph of a “black woman surrounded by white nationalists” on a Washington, D.C., metro train, but there’s a lot of issues with the circumstances of that moment that keep it from being part of the left’s narrative that we’re living in Nazi Germany.

Times Now reported that the photograph was taken Saturday, the Fourth of July, by Reuters photographer Cheney Orr.

The men surrounding this female passenger are reportedly part of the Patriot Front white nationalist organization, which was started in 2017.

The group held a demonstration at the nation’s capital on Saturday, marching with flags in hand and their faces covered.

The woman sits with a blank expression as the men surround her while traveling to their destination.

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A Fourth of July celebration turned chaotic as a white female police officer found herself outnumbered by three black partygoers turned alleged assailants.

A block party in Chicora Community Park in Charleston, South Carolina, has taken place every year for the last decade, and Saturday started no differently, as WCSC reported 400 attendees were there to celebrate our nation’s founding.

City officials coordinated with event organizers this year, but police became concerned when they started receiving reports of firearms going off and attendees shooting fireworks at passing cars.

North Charleston Police Chief Ron Camacho told the outlet that officers announced the event was over after arriving on the scene and confirming shots fired.

“Officers made repeated public announcements, advising that the event had ended and directing everyone to leave the area safely in an attempt to de-escalate the situation,” Camacho described.

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1. Frostburg

Frostburg is frequently ranked as the safest city in Maryland due to its extremely low violent and property crime rates. It is a small college town with a strong sense of community, largely driven by Frostburg State University. Residents benefit from active neighbourhood involvement, low population density, and a calm rural atmosphere. The city also enjoys a stable economy and affordable housing, making it attractive for families and retirees seeking peace of mind.

2. Ocean Pines

Ocean Pines is a planned coastal community known for its peaceful environment and gated residential layout. The area records very low violent crime rates and benefits from strong neighbourhood associations. Its proximity to Ocean City makes it desirable for retirees and second-home owners who want security and leisure combined. Community policing and well-maintained infrastructure contribute to its safety reputation.

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(EASTERN SHORE, MD) – Maryland State Police are investigating two separate fatal crashes that occurred on the Eastern Shore over the Fourth of July weekend.

Around 10:15 p.m. on July 3, troopers from the Maryland State Police Easton Barrack responded to the area of eastbound Ocean Gateway (Route 50) at Mt. Holly Road for a report of a three-vehicle crash.

The driver of a Kia Soul, identified as James Demby, 43, of Cambridge, Maryland, was pronounced deceased on the scene. The driver of an Audi Q5, identified as a 40-year-old male; the driver of a Subaru Forrester, identified as a 17-year-old male; and a passenger in the Subaru, identified as a 17-year-old male, were all transported by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries. An additional passenger in the Subaru, a 17-year-old male, was flown by Maryland State Police Aviation Command to a local trauma center for treatment of his injuries.

The preliminary investigation indicates all three vehicles were traveling eastbound on U.S. Route 50 when, for reasons unknown, the Kia Soul attempted to cross between the Subaru and the Audi, subsequently striking the Subaru and then the Audi. The Audi came to rest in an embankment. The Subaru came to rest in the median. The Kia struck a light pole and then came to rest in a ditch.

Assistance on scene was provided by personnel from the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration and Fire Department. Lanes were closed for more than three hours.

Then, around 9:43 a.m. on July 4, troopers from the Maryland State Police Centreville Barrack responded to southbound U.S. Route 301 at Roberts Station Road for a report of a two-vehicle crash. One person believed to be the driver of the SUV was pronounced deceased on the scene. Their positive identification is pending autopsy results. No further injuries reported.

The preliminary investigation indicates that an SUV was traveling west on Roberts Station Road, approaching the intersection at U.S. Route 301, when for unknown reasons, it continued through the intersection and struck a tractor-trailer that was traveling south. The impact of the crash caused the SUV to become pinned under the tractor-trailer and catch fire. Both vehicles came to a rest on the shoulder of lane two. Police believe that speeding may have been a factor in the crash.

Troopers from the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division and Automotive Safety Enforcement Division are assisting with the crash investigation. Personnel from the Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff, Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration, and Natural Resources Police additionally assisted on the scene. Lanes were closed for more than three hours for the crash investigation.

The Maryland State Police Crash Team continues to lead these active and ongoing investigations.

On the Fourth of July, as Americans celebrated the nation’s founding and independence, Minnesota’s Somali Congresswoman Ilhan Omar released a video message declaring how she wants to make America into something “different.”

In the video, Omar reflected on joining Congress not to preserve or strengthen the United States as it exists, but to help create “a different kind of neighborhood, city, and country.”

WATCH:

The video confirms that her priorities and allegiance are not with Americans.

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A migrant driver of a semi-truck was arrested and charged with running down and killing a Chicago man who was trying to change his tire alongside a suburban highway late in June.

The accident occurred early in the morning of June 24 when 24-year-old Sebastian Stone pulled off to the side of I-80 near Torrence Ave. to change a flat tire. While in the process of changing the tire, Stone was struck and killed by a semi-truck, which did not stop after running him down, CWBChicago reported.

Police were called to the scene by witnesses, and officers found Stone dead on the side of the road.

Witnesses described the truck that struck the stranded motorist and gave police the license plate number, the name of the company on the side of the truck, and the truck’s company ID number. By 9 a.m., police had confirmed the witness statements with license plate reader data.

Officials also confirmed that the semi was being driven by Kulgeet Kang, 34, whose name is of Punjabi origin and common among Sikh communities.

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The Jews and the Left, Batya Ungar-Sargon’s latest book, takes readers through the long history of Jews in American political life, from George Washington’s praise for the Jews to FDR and the Civil Rights movement, concluding with the shock many Americans felt on October 7, when Hamas committed the 21st-century Holocaust that was not universally condemned.

Batya noted, “I wrote the book because the question that I get asked, maybe the most, especially by Christians, conservatives, Republicans, is ‘why do the Jews vote for the Democrats, when the Democrats hate them, and we love them?’”

Although the book ends with the aftermath of October 7, the results of the recent New York and Maine primary elections underscore the book’s relevancy today and are a dramatic postscript.  A direct threat to America’s values and ideals is the recently elected Democrat candidates that include Nazis, communists, and antisemites.

Maine Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner has a chest tattoo of the Totenkopf, the skull-and-crossbones icon adopted by the infamous Nazi SS unit.  He retweeted a post that characterized Judaism as a “death cult” and praised the military tactics that Hamas used in 2014 in the horrific execution of five Israeli soldiers.

Batya addresses the Nazi tattoo directly.

The left told people who were not Nazis, “You are Nazis, you are white supremacists.  You are evil.”  And now they’re lining up behind a guy with an actual Totenkopf tattoo and who knew what it was.  And that’s not a deal breaker for them?

In my book, I have this quote that applies: ‘Many in the Democratic Party insist that it is the radical left that has turned on the Jews, not the mainstream of the party.  But, few of the Democratic politicians are willing to take on the extremists on their side.’  Just look at House minority Senate leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), both supporting Platner.  We defeated the Nazis, because that was very important to us as Americans.  It’s not just Jews who should be upset about his candidacy.

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It’s 250 years and one day since the United States was formed, and we have radical Islamists nipping at our ankles to take over the country.

A Minnesota imam told Muslims they are here to replace Americans.

Speaking at an Islamic Center in Bloomington, he urged Muslims to rise to leadership through education and civic engagement, citing New York City’s Muslim mayor as proof that their moment has arrived.

“Americans are right to be scared that Muslims are here to replace them. We are the new kids on the block; this is our moment. They should be very scared.”

They don’t sound like they intend to ever assimilate. They come to Western nations to take us over because they are a supremacist, politicized religion.

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A man in North Carolina has been busted for a truly sickening crime, but the fact that he was even on the street to begin with was an absolute travesty.

As FOX Carolina reported, police on Sunday executed a search warrant for a home on Pebbleston Lane in Rutherfordton.

They were looking for a 30-year-old woman, Jordan Wishon. She had been reported missing on Friday.

During the search, the police discovered human remains buried on the property. It was later determined that these remains belonged to Wishon.

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Apparently, Toxic Queen Dodo Jasmine Crockett is desperately trying to stay relevant in Democrat circles after she lost to goofball Talerico in the Texas Senate primary.

That means this hateful idiot will not be back in DC next year after Texas Republicans altered the Congressional districts in the state. Certainly, MSNBC is saving a spot for this repulsive racist on their staff?

On America’s 250th Anniversary, Crockett lectured on the democratic contributions and inventions of black women. For that, Americans should honor specifically black women.

Via End Wokeness:

Jasmine Crockett: This Fourth of July, I say celebrate a Black woman that you know, because whether it’s an invention that she made or whether it’s the very democracy that still hangs by a thread right now, there is a Black woman to thank for her contributions.

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The United States declared its independence from Great Britain 250 years ago, but the flashpoint of the Revolutionary War which led to the Declaration of Independence happened when British forces marched to seize the colonists’ arms.

Thomas Gage, serving as the British commander in Boston and royal governor of Massachusetts, acted on intelligence about stockpiled rebel arms, ammunition, artillery and provisions in Concord, Massachusetts. The goal was to disrupt preparations for armed resistance or rebellion following the Coercive Acts, which led to “the shot heard around the world” during the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.

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A female police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina, was attacked and beaten by a mob during an apparent teen takeover-style event at a July 4 block party on Saturday. 

The North Charleston Police Department released a statement on the CRIMEWATCH platform, addressing the viral video of the incident in the Chicora-Cherokee community.

“A neighborhood block party had been permitted by the city of North Charleston in advance of the holiday,” they said. “Earlier that day, police leadership met with event organizers to discuss the event, including traffic and parking plans to ensure emergency vehicles could safely access the area if needed.”

At approximately 8:30 p.m., officers began receiving reports of gunfire and individuals firing fireworks toward passing vehicles. Officers responded immediately and were informed by attendees that several people had begun discharging firearms,” the statement continued.

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A new Federal Reserve working paper found the record surge in illegal immigration during the Biden administration triggered higher home prices and rents.

The findings arrive as immigration remains a polarizing political issue. Republicans argue former President Joe Biden’s border policies strained housing and public resources, while Democrats say immigration helped ease labor shortages and supported economic growth.

The paper, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, combines immigration court records with government administrative data to measure how the unprecedented wave of illegal immigration between 2021 and 2024 affected local labor and housing markets.

The authors caution the study is a preliminary draft circulated for professional comment and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

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Absolute chaos erupted in Newport Beach, California, on Saturday night as non-residents visiting the peninsula brawled, rioted, looted, and destroyed a grocery store on the 4th of July.

Newport Beach Police were forced to close beaches and bars due to the mayhem.

Mounted police broke up a massive brawl on the beach just north of the Newport pier.

More than 100 people were arrested.

Additional footage shows a Pavillions grocery store completely destroyed after the rioters looted the place.

The out-of-towners ignored a directive by Newport Beach Police and launched mortars on the beach.

Christian Zedig, a 32-year-old Swedish police officer and father of two young daughters, died following a violent assault by an African mob in Copenhagen, Denmark, during a World Cup viewing party.

Zedig, who was vacationing in Copenhagen, was watching the Norway vs. Ivory Coast World Cup match at a crowded fan zone/screening event at Islands Brygge when a fist fight broke out.

The off-duty officer tried to intervene and break it up, but was subjected to severe violence by the mob and was repeatedly punched, kicked and stomped, including multiple blows to the head, according to witnesses.

He was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries but died on July 2.

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Paul Pelosi, the husband of former Speaker of the House and Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), is in the crosshairs of law enforcement… again.

Representative Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, has been charged with a misdemeanor after an alleged hit-and-run in the same spot he got one four years ago.

Paul, 86, has been accused of crashing into an unoccupied parked car on the shoulder of a roadway just after 2.30pm in Yountville, a small town in the Wine Country of California, on Thursday.

He was driving close to the palatial vineyard estate he shares with Speaker Emeritus Nancy in tony St Helena when he smashed into a parked car.

Cops say, rather than stopping, Paul continued to drive his brown convertible until it shuddered to a halt and blocked an intersection – the exact spot he previously got a DUI in 2022.

Yountville is a very small community, so the antics, including the drunk driving incidents, of Paul Pelosi are well known. As is the fact that, thanks to his high-profile and powerful wife, the majority of them have probably been swept under the rug.

The last time Paul Pelosi made headlines was in 2022, first because of a DUI where Pelosi crashed his Porsche and collided with another driver. Pelosi was arrested and booked on charges of driving while intoxicated. He pleaded guilty, and a Napa County judge sentenced him to three years of probation. In October 2022, Pelosi was attacked with a hammer by leftwing activist David DePape at the Pelosi’s Napa home. Pelosi suffered a brain injury, which required surgery and hospitalization. Nancy Pelosi and her Democrat cadre tried to blame the incident on Republicans and rightwing violence.

DePape was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his crime.

The Daily Mail story linked above also mentions a 1957 incident when Pelosi was only 16. Pelosi was driving too fast, and flipped his sports car, killing his older brother David.

A newspaper report at the time said Paul would be cited for misdemeanor manslaughter. In the end, there was no court case, and he was exonerated by a coroner’s jury.

His brother had urged him to drive slower before the fatal smash, according to a patrolman quoted by the San Francisco Examiner.

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America’s midterm elections are four months away, and newly released polling shows a blaring warning sign for Republicans.

Although Republicans currently control the White House, the US Senate, and the US House of Representatives, there has been constant gridlock between the US House and the US Senate, preventing the Senate from passing many bills sent to it by the House.

Voters across the country, therefore, seem willing to give Democrats a chance to hold some power.

New polling conducted by JL Partners for the Daily Mail shows that if the election was held tomorrow, 50 percent of likely voters would select a Democratic candidate at the ballot box.

Just 42 percent would select a Republican candidate, while eight percent of respondents, all likely voters, were unsure of who they would vote for.

Turnout is an issue that causes headaches for political operatives in both parties,  particularly in midterm election years, but voting enthusiasm is high with both Democrats and Republicans.

Fifty-seven percent of Republicans and 56 percent of Democrats who responded to the Daily Mail’s poll noted that they were ‘very enthusiastic’ to vote in this year’s midterms.

Younger voters, aged 18 to 29, across party lines, were least likely to ‘very enthusiastic’ to vote in the midterms. Only 42 percent of voters in that demographic noted that response, the lowest of any other category.

Find out what cost $200 in 1790 but now costs more than $400,000.

By Sylvia Xu

|

July 03, 2026Updated:July 03, 2026

As America celebrates its 250th year of independence, the USS Alabama, one of America’s most powerful symbols of service and sacrifice still stands watch over Mobile Bay.

The USS Alabama, the World War II battleship known as the “Mighty A,” has been the centerpiece of USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park for decades. For generations of Alabamians, the ship has served as more than a tourist attraction. It is a monument to the Americans who fought to defend the nation in one of history’s most consequential wars.

Commissioned in August 1942, the USS Alabama first operated along the East Coast before serving in the North Atlantic, where it helped guard against the threat of German heavy ships.

In 1943, the battleship was transferred to the Pacific, where it became part of the American campaign against Japan. Over the course of its World War II service, the USS Alabama helped support major operations across the Pacific and earned nine battle stars.

The ship’s wartime service ended in one of the most symbolic places imaginable. In September 1945, the USS Alabama led part of the American fleet into Tokyo Bay after Japan’s surrender, closing out a journey that had taken its crew from the Atlantic to the Pacific and through some of the most demanding years in modern American history.

The USS Alabama was home to a crew of roughly 2,500 Americans during its wartime service.

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The report says that the wreck remained one of history’s great lost treasures until famed salvager Mel Fisher finally located its main debris field in 1985 after a 16-year search. That breakthrough yielded hundreds of millions of dollars in treasure, but archaeologists and recovery teams have continued to uncover new artifacts from the sprawling debris field ever since.

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Tuesday’s birthright citizenship ruling by the Supreme Court has provided Americans with the answer to an ever-pertinent question — who is an American citizen?

Debates likely won’t cease as the highest court in the land issued a 6-3 ruling on President Donald Trump’s executive order — issued his first day back in office on Jan. 20, 2025 — saying the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution only grants birthright citizenship to persons who have at least one parent that is a permanent resident or citizen.

The court struck down this order, effectively saying that anyone born here under any circumstances whatsoever is a citizen.

That leads us to Illinois Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez. The circumstances of her birth are an example as to how this ruling is going to turn out when looking to the next generation of public officials.

In an article on Ramirez from January 2023, CNN noted her mother crossed the Rio Grande River when she was pregnant. Ramirez would be born into a family of Guatemalan immigrants on June 2, 1983, in Chicago, Illinois. In other words, her mother was an illegal alien and had a baby here that became a citizen anyway.

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Azzubair Outen-Fleming, 16, was captured by US Marshals in Colorado Springs and now faces murder charges in Philadelphia

A Pennsylvania teenager believed to be responsible for the death of Penn State student Billy Schmidt, who was shot as he walked home from an NBA Finals watch party, was arrested at the Colorado home of a distant relative following a month-long manhunt, hour before his accomplice surrendered to police, authorities said Thursday.

Azzubair Outen-Fleming, 16, was captured in Colorado Springs by the U.S. Marshals Service after he tried to deny his true identity, the agency said. He is being housed at a juvenile detention center pending extradition to Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, officials issued warrants for Outen-Fleming and 16-year-old Kaiseem Smith, who was also allegedly involved in the shooting death. Smith surrendered to the Philadelphia Police Department, the Marshals Service said hours after announcing Outen-Fleming’s capture.

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Summary:

• NatGas, Nuclear, Coal Power Generation Keep PJM Alive 
• First Day of Heat Dome Across Mid-Atlantic; Last Through Weekend 
• “Set Your AC To 78F”: NYC Socialist Pleads With Residents As Fragile Grid Faces Blackout Risk

GridStatus’ website shows the PJM Interconnection under severe peak-demand stress as heat-driven cooling loads surge across the Mid-Atlantic and eastern U.S.

PJM load is near 158 GW, net load is around 142 GW, and real-time power prices are sharply rising to about $929/MWh.

The fuel-mix chart shows the grid is heavily reliant on natural gas and coal, which together account for about 64.2% of all power, with nuclear at 20.6%. In total, gas, coal, and nuclear account for about 84.8% of the power being generated, while solar and wind remain in the high single digits.

Peak power prices across PJM are expected at around 6 p.m. local time.

The grid is operating near record load and relying heavily on gas-fired generation to prevent rolling blackouts.

Do not let climate-crisis socialists pretend otherwise: policies that reduce dispatchable fossil-fuel power leave grids extremely fragile and prone to failure when demand spikes.

Meanwhile, President Trump and the Energy Department are moving to keep fossil-fuel power generation online to preserve grid stability.

Why Democrats pushed for a power grid increasingly dependent on unreliable wind and solar, while stripping away the stable baseload capacity needed during peak demand, is no longer just an energy-policy question; it is a national security question.

“Set Your AC To 78F”: NYC Socialist Pleads With Residents As Fragile Grid Faces Blackout Risk

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A Maryland teenager received a get-out-of-jail-free card despite his involvement in a violent sex crime, thanks to the intervention of a woke state Democrat.

As WBFF reported, the State Attorney’s office revealed on June 29 that a 13-year-old has been released on probation with electronic monitoring despite being found to be involved in the rape of two 6-year-old girls in Calvert County.

The Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case, recommended that the youth be placed in a secure “out-of-home” facility to receive treatment and counseling.

While this was already an outrageously soft recommendation, what happened next was more shocking. The teen was returned to the home where some of the abuse allegedly occurred.

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Yes, the city of Buffalo made sure to hoist the flag of a foreign nation on America’s birthday week after they had canceled fireworks on Independence Day.

Here’s Buffalo’s weenie mayor explaining why he canceled the fireworks show.

(Somehow, it was our nation’s founding holiday that lost out on the deal.)

City officials in Mogadishu Buffalo are on the hunt for some rapscallion who yanked the Somali flag from the Niagara Square flagpole because he apparently took exception to the city celebrating Somalia during America’s birthday week.

Something about pirating a pirate nation’s flag is just perfect.

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It appears that Minnesota officials aren’t the only ones putting their Somali residents first.

Buffalo, New York, has announced two things in a very unfortunate succession of events in a 24-hour period.

First, according to Spectrum News, there will not be a fireworks display this Saturday for the Fourth of July.

Second, the city wishes everyone a very happy Somali Independence Day. A group that included a city council member raised the Somali flag above City Hall to mark the nation’s independence from Italian and British colonialism on July 1, 1960.

This is a prime example of our officials putting America last.

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Update: Two people are dead in the shooting; three total were shot.

At least three people were shot at Fairlane Mall in Dearborn, Michigan, on Friday afternoon.

Per WXYZ: Sources are confirming to 7 News Detroit that multiple people have been shot at Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn.

Metro Detroit News is reporting that there may be two shooters.

The condition of the surviving shooting victims is unclear.

The mall is on lockdown.

The gunman is still at large.

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Well, this isn’t as big a deal as the 250th anniversary of American liberty, but it’s worth raising a glass to; on Saturday, July 4th, federal subsidies for wind and solar energy projects will end. To date, these have cost the American taxpayers around $141 billion.

That’s good news.

The Trump administration is set to cut subsidies for new solar and wind power projects on Saturday. Estimates suggest the subsidies have cost taxpayers more than $141 billion over the past 16 years, more than any other energy source.

The Working Families Tax Cuts, a signature piece of President Trump’s tax legislation signed a year ago, set Saturday as the deadline for federal tax credit subsidies on any new solar or wind projects not currently under construction.

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright touted the subsidy deadline and criticized solar and wind energy projects in a video posted to social media Thursday.

“The wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun doesn’t always shine,” Wright said. “They drive up the system costs and increase Americans’ electricity prices.”

That much is certain. This has always been one of the primary problems with these alternative energy sources; they are intermittent, in addition to being low energy density sources. Moving from a high-density source to a low-density one never did make good sense. Subsidizing it made even less.

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Pardons follow President Trump’s right-to-repair memo earlier in the week

President Donald Trump on Friday announced full executive pardons for more than half a dozen people he claims were “persecuted” by the Biden administration for simply “fixing their car.”

In a Truth Social post Friday afternoon, the president took aim at federal prosecutions he characterized as part of the “Weaponization and Stupidity” of the prior administration, saying, “I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!”

Those who received clemency were charged after circumventing emissions control regulations that are no longer in effect, a White House official told Fox News Digital.

They include: Joshua Davis; Matt Geouge; Jonathan Achtemeier; Tim Clancy; Ryan and Wade Lalone; Barry Pierce; Aaron Rudolf; and Mackenzie Spurlock.

President Donald Trump previously signed a presidential memo to make it easier for Americans to repair their own cars by protecting the right to fix vehicles and opening up more options for approving aftermarket parts. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Maryland is a state known for its rich history, diverse communities, and scenic landscapes. From the waterfront neighborhoods along the Chesapeake Bay to the vibrant streets of Baltimore and the state’s many historic towns, Maryland offers residents a unique blend of culture, education, and economic opportunity.

Like every state, however, Maryland experiences varying crime rates from one community to another. While many cities and towns remain safe places to live, work, and visit, some municipalities report higher-than-average violent crime rates based on annual law enforcement data.

Quick Guide

• State: Maryland
• Region: Mid-Atlantic, United States
• Ranking Based On: Violent crimes per 100,000 residents
• Includes: Assault, robbery, rape, and homicide
• Best For: Residents researching relocation, travelers, and safety-conscious visitors
• Important Note: Crime rates can vary significantly between neighborhoods, and many parts of these cities remain safe and vibrant.
• Source: areavibes

This ranking highlights the 10 cities in Maryland with the highest reported violent crime rates per 100,000 residents. The figures are intended to provide context rather than define an entire community. Crime levels can differ significantly between neighborhoods, and many of these cities continue investing in public safety initiatives, community policing, and crime prevention programs.

10. Hagerstown

• Population: 40,940
• 714 violent crimes per 100k
• violent crimes per day: 1.96
• chance of being a victim: 1 in 140
• Total Crimes / 100k: 3,177

Rounding out our list at #10 is Hagerstown, MD. With a population of 40,940 and a violent crime rate of 714 per 100,000 people (70% higher than the Maryland average), some parts of Hagerstown are incredible unsafe.

The violent crime rate consists of 409 counts of assault, 223 counts of robbery, 73 counts of rape and 9 counts of homicide. Residents can expect to have a 1 in 140 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime.

Antifa is not a “myth” or right-wing boogeyman, it is a real movement that has enjoyed leniency for too long…

The Department of Justice announced the entire Antifa cell in north Texas has been given heavy sentences after pleading guilty or were found guilty for their involvement in an attack on an ICE facility last year.

The long sentences were in response to the Trump administration designating Antifa as an international and domestic terrorist organization. Activists in the movement have long organized and carried out attacks under the guise of fighting “facism.” Most recently, Antifa militants have been carrying out attacks on ICE and DHS personnel and facilities in response to the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan.

The DOJ said the ringleader of the attack in north Texas, Benjamin Hanil Song, was sentenced to 100 years in prison. A responding local police officer was shot in the neck during the incident.

With the remainder of the defendants, the total sentence for time to serve in prison is over 556 years among the 15 individuals:

• Ines Soto was sentenced to 50 years
• Joy Gibson was sentenced to 15 years
• Rebecca Morgan was sentenced to 15 years
• Lynette Sharp was sentenced to over 9 years
• John Thomas was sentenced to over 9 years
• Seth Sikes was sentenced to 6 years in prison
• Nathan Baumann was sentenced to 22 months

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The Fourth of July is one of the busiest beach weekends, but scattered thunderstorms brought on by a historic and deadly heat wave have created a very dangerous situation for swimmers looking to cool off.

A family of four was struck by lightning while enjoying a beach day on Friday in Fort Myers, Florida. One was killed, and three were taken to a hospital where they are in stable condition, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Viktar Kiryk, 51, was identified as the sole fatality. Authorities said Kiryk was pulled out of the water by bystanders and first responders at around 2.20pm.

The Fort Myers Beach Fire District shared just after 3pm that they were still at the scene after a lightning strike involving multiple patients.

A bystander deployed an AED (automated external defibrillator) and started to perform CPR.

When the fire department arrived, Kiryk’s family members were transported to a local hospital, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The department warned residents and visitors to ‘immediately seek shelter when you hear thunder or see lightning,’ issuing a reminder that ‘when thunder roars, go indoors.’

‘This tragic incident serves as a heartbreaking reminder that Florida’s summer storms can develop rapidly,’ the sheriff’s department added.

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Donald Trump has long boasted that his record is deserving enough to be added to Mount Rushmore, but the President seems more convinced now than ever as he drops hints about his inclusion on the historic monument.

The President spoke at the South Dakota memorial on Friday night to kick off the long-anticipated and highly publicized America 250 celebrations.

Before taking the podium, Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting a gold-plated engraving of Mount Rushmore with his face added to the far right of the monument, alongside Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt.

‘I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come. And we’re gonna have a lot of fun tonight,’ Trump said in a voiceover as the camera panned the gold engraving.

The Trump administration also heavily hinted at Trump’s addition to the monument, handing out cookies on Air Force One showing his face etched in the mountain alongside Lincoln.

‘Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Black Hills, South Dakota. Five Presidents,’ was engraved in frosting.

The President’s new daughter-in-law, Bettina Trump, shared an image of the cookie on her Instagram stories.

Betsy Klein, CNN’s White House correspondent, also posted the cookies on X, writing, ‘The cookies served to the first family and to the press aboard Air Force One today were… different.’

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Rep. Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul, have spoken out after he allegedly crashed his convertible into a parked car in Napa County before fleeing the scene.

“Mr. Paul Pelosi has personally apologized to the owner of the vehicle and assured them that he would take responsibility for the damage to their vehicle,” a spokesperson for the Pelosis said in a statement to The California Post.

“Speaker Pelosi will not be commenting further on this private matter.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul, have spoken out after he allegedly crashed his convertible into a parked car in Napa County before fleeing the scene.

The statement comes as Paul, 86, faces a recommended misdemeanor hit-and-run charge stemming from Friday’s crash in Yountville.

According to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the 6700 block of Yount Street at about 2:30 p.m. after a witness reported seeing a northbound vehicle slam into the rear of a parked car on the shoulder.

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Driver Michael Bon held an active non-domiciled CDL despite DHS terminating his parole and ordering him to leave the US

rdered to leave has been charged in the death of a Pennsylvania State Police trooper who had recently moved home to help care for his mother during her cancer treatment.

The crash is the latest in a series of fatal wrecks involving noncitizen commercial truck drivers that have prompted the Trump administration to tighten commercial driver’s license rules.

Michael E. Pahira Jr., 44, was conducting a commercial vehicle inspection along Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County on Wednesday morning when another semi-truck left the roadway, struck his marked patrol vehicle and the truck he was inspecting before hitting the trooper, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Both semi-truck caught fire after the crash. Pahira later died at a local hospital.

The driver, identified as 33-year-old Michael Bon, a Haitian national living in Brockton, Massachusetts, was charged with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving and six additional lesser charges. He is being held at Schuylkill County Prison on $700,000 bail. His next court date is scheduled for July 15.

The Department of Homeland Security has lodged an immigration detainer against him.

Michael Pahira joined the Pennsylvania State Police in 2007 and most recently served as a Motor Carrier Enforcement Inspector, conducting commercial vehicle inspections to help keep the state’s highways safe. (Pennsylvania State Police)

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Nine people in Maryland were injured after a docked boat exploded, with four airlifted to a hospital due to the severity of their injuries, police said.

The explosion occurred on July 4 around 4.20pm on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in Chesapeake City, a small town northeast of Baltimore on the border with Delaware, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. 

The 32-foot-long boat had just refueled in front of a seafood restaurant called Schaefer’s Canal House before the explosion.

Among those injured, seven were on the boat, and two were on a nearby dock, the fire marshal’s office said. None have been publicly identified. 

Maryland State Police Aviation Command airlifted four of the victims to a Christiana Care Health Net facility, while the remaining injured were transported to local hospitals by ambulance.

Vincent Hunter Dortenzo, a spokesman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police, told the New York Times that the airlifted victims suffered serious burns.

No fatalities have been reported. The current condition of the people who were injured is unclear. 

The explosion prompted a multi-agency response consisting of multiple helicopters, paramedics and more than half a dozen fire companies.  

Up until now, when it comes to real estate, Blackstone was best known in recent years for dumping many of its trophy office properties – which in the aftermath of work from home never recovered their projected cash flow potential – at a huge discount. Now, it may be pulling a page from its old, pre-Lehman playbook  by calling the top in yet another commercial real estate segment: data centers.

Two days ago we reported that Blackstone was selling its stakes in a trio of data centers across Northern Virginia for $3.5 billion, cashing out of part of a bet it made less than three years ago. According to Bloomberg, Digital Realty Trust would pay $1.2 billion of cash and offer $2.3 billion of its shares (which the PE giant has largely cashed in by now) to Blackstone funds; in exchange, the data center company will acquire Blackstone’s 80% interest in two 96-megawatt data centers in Manassas, Virginia, and a 50% interest in a 96-megawatt center in nearby Sterling.

We said that “the question is why did Blackstone decide to pull the cord now, just as fresh doubts are creeping whether the Mag 7s will continue funding the AI expansion with virtually unlimited capex.”

Two days later we have an answer.

The digital ink is barely dry on its Virginia data center sales, and we learn that Blackstone’s QTS (QTS Realty Trust) is again quietly fading its AI exposure by walking away from plans to build its portion (which at this point is the only portion left after its partner already pulled out days ago) of a 2,100-acre data center campus in Virginia – also known as Prince William Digital Gateway which would house as many as 37 data-center buildings – handing a win to residents who fought for years to topple the project. 

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The WNBA Commissioner, the Media, and Caitlin Clark’s Coach, Support Clark Attacker Rather than Clark.

These people are sick.

A quarter of the WNBA’s revenue is related to Caitlin Clark.  This is her impact on the league.

Clark puts up stats like this.

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Former First Lady Jill Biden’s memoir, View from the East Wing, debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller list on June 21. But how much of its sales were genuine sales from interested readers is unclear.

In fact, when the book appeared on the bestsellers list, it came bearing a dagger (†) symbol, the small mark the Times attaches when retailers report bulk purchases mixed in with regular sales. A book doesn’t earn that symbol by accident. It earns it because the paper suspects something other than organic demand is propping up the number.

Whatever propped it up didn’t hold.

The book slid to No. 3 the following week, then vanished from the list entirely. Circana BookScan, the retail data source most of the publishing industry actually trusts, tells an even blunter story: the memoir dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 to No. 16 on its hardcover nonfiction chart across successive weeks. By the week ending June 20, it had moved just 3,221 print copies, bringing its total U.S. print sales to 29,539. For a book marketed as a cultural event timed to a midterm cycle Democrats are already sweating over, those numbers look thin.

Statistician Nate Silver, the founder of FiveThirtyEight, noticed the pattern immediately.

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Secret Service missed 102 radio warnings and failed to block a known line-of-sight risk at the campaign rally, OIG said

The U.S. Secret Service “missed multiple opportunities” to prevent or disrupt the July 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump as he spoke to supporters during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General said in a report released Thursday.

The 64-page document detailed several lapses in security that allowed Thomas Matthew Crooks to get a line of sight of Trump as he stood on stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the July 13, 2024, event.

“The Secret Service’s overall lack of policy and processes coupled with limited intelligence sharing and poor collaboration and communication with protectee staff and state and local law enforcement set the conditions that led to missing opportunities to prevent and detect the attempted assassination,” the report states.

Among the OIG’s findings was a failure to warn Trump’s protective detail that Crooks had a range finder and a long gun and had climbed onto the roof of a nearby building due to a lack of communication between the Secret Service and local law enforcement.

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July 4 is a license-free fishing day throughout Maryland, so if you have a friend or relative who doesn’t currently fish, take them out with you.

Large red drum are providing catch-and-release fishing for anglers near the mouth of the Potomac River.

White perch can be found in the tidal rivers and creeks, sometimes mixed in with spot and croaker.

All the tidal rivers have populations of blue and channel catfish, and the larger female blue catfish are showing signs of being finished with spawning; they are now on the prowl to build up body stores. .

Check out the full report.

Eight death row inmates could soon be marched into Idaho’s newly built $1.2million execution chamber, after the state officially made the firing squad its primary method of carrying out the death penalty.

Beginning July 1, Idaho became the only state in America where condemned inmates will, by default, face a hail of bullets instead of lethal injection—a dramatic policy shift prompted by last year’s botched attempt to execute convicted murderer Thomas Eugene Creech.

Republican Gov. Brad Little, who seeks a third term this November, signed both firing squad bills into law. The 2025 bill delayed implementation so IDOC had time to rebuild its execution chamber.

State officials have now unveiled the chilling blueprint for exactly how those executions will unfold in the Maximum Security State Prison, from recruiting volunteer police officers to pulling the trigger, to the possibility of a second volley of bullets if the unlucky inmate survives the first.

Rather than relying on prison execution specialists, Idaho will recruit six volunteer law enforcement officers to form each firing squad.

Three primary officers will fire the fatal shots from, while two alternates stand by in reserve. A sixth officer will act as team leader, loading the IDOC -owned rifles and directing the execution.

The identities of every volunteer will remain confidential under state law. Only the prison director and deputy director will know who the shooters are.

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Secret Service knew Thomas Crooks was on roof TWO MINUTES before he shot Trump, bombshell intelligence report reveals

The report details that local law enforcement notified the Secret Service of a ‘suspicious person’ on the roof at 6:09 pm. Trump was shot at eight times at 6:11 pm.

‘The Secret Service’s overall lack of policy and processes coupled with limited intelligence sharing and poor collaboration and communication with protectee staff and state and local law enforcement set the conditions that led to missing opportunities to prevent and detect the attempted assassination,’ the OIG report said.

The OIG report is based on 92 interviews, more than 70,000 documents, and a 3D model used used to reconstruct the event site and to identify the locations of individuals before, during, and after the shooting.

It found that the Secret Service failed to detect Crooks’s drone flight used to view the campaign event stage – citing both an under-trained operator, who had received just 20 minutes of informal training – as well as a broken ethernet cable that was fixed roughly one half-hour after Crooks had already flown his drone over the site, undetected.

The report also revealed that Trump’s own campaign staff refused to let agents park trucks blocking the shooter’s sightline because they’d be ‘too close to [President Trump’s] press shot.’

That was one of many damning revelations made in the report, which also faulted the lack of formal communications established with local law enforcement, thereby depriving them of additional communications regarding Crooks, as well as a lack of communications and intelligence sharing with leadership in the Pittsburgh Field Office.

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California has become so ashamed of this great nation and its founding principles that some homeowners’ associations now recoil at the very sight of an American flag.

That appears to be the case in one neighborhood in San Marcos, California, where the HOA has said flags must come down just days away from the Fourth of July.

The New York Post reported Sunday that Amy and Chris Cooke, along with their neighbor Terry Collins, alleged that the HOA has been acting vengefully in the wake of President Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory.

Even prior to the election, the association sent out a letter saying the flag gave a “political or affiliative view” indicating it would “degrade the common area.”

Amy Cooke, 62, commented, “We are outraged, if you want to fly your flag fly it, this is America.”

“We are the land of the free and home of the brave, this is crazy,” she added.

“The American Flag is a symbol of freedom, we know where their brain is at.”

The Cookes have reportedly flown their flag for 20 years in honor of Chris’s grandfather, Alexander Christie, who died fighting in the Pacific Theater during World War 2. As his ship sank, Christie died trying to save anyone he could, being posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Navy Cross.

In the months before the 2024 election, the three neighbors were told by the HOA about flying flags only in “exclusive use” areas.

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A Minnesota pardon board that includes Gov Tim Walz among its three members has issued a full pardon to a convicted Laotian child-molester, torpedoing Homeland Security’s effort to deport him. The 42-year-old convict, Tou Lue Vang, submitted a letter to the board saying he regretted what he did — and just like that, his criminal record is now clean as a whistle via unanimous decision.

“Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” said DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting. Tou Lue Vang lost his legal status following his conviction for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.”

In a storyline that has Democrats co-conspiring to infuse precious “diversity” into the American bloodstream over more than three decades, the Clinton administration granted Vang legal status after he entered the United States as a child in 1994. Now, 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz has  helped guarantee that the convicted sex fiend will be safe from deportation. The two other members of the pardon board are Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and chief Supreme Court justice, Natalie Hudson.

Vang was convicted of sexually assaulting a girl who was just 10 years old when his perverted acts began. He repeated the offense with the same girl between 2002 and 2004, and pathetically tried to buy her silence with an offer of just $10 in hush money.  After his conviction, an immigration judge ordered his removal way back in 2006.

When he was first interrogated by police, Vang tried to sweep away the gravity of his actions, telling them, “it is a cultural thing…to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12.” Apparently, Walz — who’s heralded as a reliable “ally” for the LGBTQ crowd and famously put tampons in school-kids’ boys rooms — thinks diversity in sexual morality is our strength too. Vang’s pardon quest was bolstered by a supportive letter to the board from his victim, along with many letters of support from the “community.”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is reportedly floating a proposal to hand the US government a 5% stake in the ChatGPT maker as the company looks to cement ties with the Trump administration and blunt mounting political pressure over the explosive rise of artificial intelligence.

Altman has argued that giving the public a financial stake in one of Silicon Valley’s most valuable AI companies would be the best way to share the economic benefits of the cutting-edge tech, the Financial Times reported.

The proposal carries an enormous potential price tag. Based on OpenAI’s most recent private valuation of about $852 billion following its March fundraising, a 5% stake would be worth roughly $42.6 billion.

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We reported on some of the bilge that Jill Biden had been trying to serve us up in her book, “View From the East Wing.”

If the purpose of the book was to salvage her reputation, I don’t think it did that since it raised even more questions about how she dealt with Joe’s cognitive issues.

Not only did it make her look worse — if that’s possible — she also upset Democrats that she’s bringing this all up again just as they approach a tough midterm. She even ticked off some former Biden aides, and there was some ugly back and forth. Probably not a good idea to tick them off, given what they might know.

Now there are even questions about her book and how it’s been selling, as our sister site Hot Air reported.

It hit number 1 on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction list on June 21, but that was with a big caveat, a †.

What that dagger symbol means is that the Times has reason to believe the number of books sold is influenced by “bulk sales.”

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Smith declared ‘you ain’t going anywhere with three White dudes’ while questioning the Lakers’ revamped roster

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith says the Los Angeles Lakers have too many White guys to succeed in the NBA.

On Wednesday, he mocked the team’s trade for Walker Kessler, pairing him with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

“Where the hell the Los Angeles Lakers think they are going with a bunch of White dudes?” he asked on his podcast. “Your three top players are White dudes. Really? This is basketball.”

He then asked, “In NBA history, when has a team led by three White dudes ever gone to the promised land? Somebody gotta say it.”

To answer his question: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge.

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Happy 250th Birthday America. We will be open 10 to 4 today and 12 to 3 Sunday. 32993 Old Ocean City Rd Parsonsburg, MD 21849. 410-430-5349. Albums, CD’s, Furniture, Stereo Equipment, Art Gallery and the list goes on and on. Get out of the heat and shop in an air conditioned building.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson proved once again why she is unqualified to sit on the Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., which were consolidated into a single ruling. The Court found that state laws prohibiting men from competing in women’s sports do not violate Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause.

However, despite declining during her confirmation hearings to define what constitutes a woman, Justice Jackson took up the issue in her dissent, arguing that Title IX could be interpreted to include individuals whose gender identity differs from their biological sex.

“The majority is wrong to suggest that the term ‘sex’ in Title IX ‘cannot plausibly be interpreted to refer to anything other than biological sex.’ Ante, at 10,” Justice Jackson wrote. “Title IX makes room for individuals to live in the gender they choose; it cares not just about sex assigned at birth but also about individuals’ ability to match (or not) their gender presentation to their gender identity.”

Yet another civil conflict is brewing this week as the Supreme Court tackles a number of foreign citizenship debates, including Temporary Protection Status (TPS) and Birthright Citizenship. The court has ruled that hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian migrants residing in the US under TPS are no longer safe from mass deportations (a win). But, they have also ruled in favor of migrant anchor babies (a big loss).

Both issues deal with changing American perceptions on what is “constitutional” when it comes to foreign access to citizenship. The Supreme Court’s decisions aside, I find it mind boggling that this debate has been ongoing for so many decades. Frankly, foreigners should not have any citizenship rights under the constitution until they have demonstrated assimilation. Until that time, there should be a separate set of rules handling newcomers (and invaders).

When it comes to TPS and the Haitians, the leftists are raging. Despite this status supposedly being “temporary” (the Obama Administration originally claimed these people would only be in the US for 18 months), many of these foreign transplants have been enjoying the benefits of unearned American citizenship for 16 years or more.  Yet, when Haitians protest the TPS decision, what flag do you see them flying?  That’s right – They fly the Haitian flag, not the American flag.  This tells us everything we need to know.

The liberal position on this issue is crystal clear: They believe that the constitution protects foreign migrants and their cultures from overt scrutiny. Meaning, foreigners don’t have to prove themselves worthy of citizenship, they get access regardless. Liberals also believe that it should be extremely difficult to remove migrants once they enter the country.

Keep in mind, this is the LIBERAL position. The woke position is far worse.

The radical left argues that western borders should not exist at all. For other countries, borders are fine. For the US and Europe, borders must be erased. Furthermore, they assert that the American economy must be treated as an open marketplace rather than a closed system. In other words, foreigners should be allowed to feed on the system whenever they please, transfer that wealth back to their third world hovels, and then come back for more.

The “empathetic” liberal position creates the foundation for the militant woke position. It’s rooted in a propaganda narrative created in the early 20^th century: The claim that America’s entire identity is a “melting pot” of cultures and nationalities and that there is no original source identity. This false origin story was produced by New York socialists and it’s been spread by Hollywood for decades.

The famous poem called “The Colossus” imprinted on the Statue of Liberty is often used to elevate the melting pot myth. It was added in 1903, over 20 years after the statue was built. It’s author, Emma Lazarus, was a Zionist feminist with ties to numerous socialist movements. The fantasy of the melting pot of “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” was then popularized heavily in the 1960s and 1970s by far-left activist groups and the establishment media.

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We all knew that this would be coming. In 2026, the rate of AI-related layoffs has greatly accelerated, and that means that large numbers of good paying jobs are suddenly disappearing from the economy. This is occurring when we are already facing one major crisis after another, and so the timing could not be worse. Many young people specifically chose a major in college that would prepare them for positions in the tech industry because those were supposed to be the jobs of the future. Unfortunately, the AI jobs apocalypse is wiping out those jobs the fastest.

Let me give you some cold, hard numbers that will clearly demonstrate what I am talking about.

According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the number of announced job cuts in the United States last month was the highest that we have seen during the month of May since the peak of the last pandemic…

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The infections, reported between May and June 16, have affected individuals ranging in age from 5 to 86 years old. Health officials have confirmed 20 hospitalizations so far, though no deaths have been reported. Experts are urgently investigating the source, as none of the patients reported recent international travel—the typical route for such infections.

The parasite triggers cyclosporiasis, an intestinal infection notorious for producing severe, watery diarrhea along with intense abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and other debilitating symptoms. In many cases, symptoms emerge about a week after exposure and can persist for weeks or even a month if untreated, raising risks of dehydration and prolonged discomfort.

“Local, state, and federal (CDC, FDA) public health authorities are investigating several clusters of cases in more than one state. Investigations to identify potential sources are ongoing,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated.

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On Tuesday the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear Grant v. Higgins, a case centering on whether AR-15 ownership is protected by the Second and Fourteenth Amendments.

The case was distributed for conference on June 29, 2026, and cert was granted on June 30.

The SCOTUSBLOG summarized the case: “Whether the Second and 14th Amendments guarantee the right to possess AR-15 platform and similar semiautomatic rifles.”

SCOTUS’s decision to take up Grant v. Higgins comes on the heels of the court’s 9-0 ruling in Hemani (2026) and its 6-3 ruling in Wolford (2026).

In Hemani, SCOTUS ruled against the prosecution of Ali Hemani for being a marijuana user in possession of a firearm and in Wolford SCOTUS ruled against concealed carry gun controls enacted by Hawaii post-Bruen.

A second case, consolidated with Grant v. Higgins, is Viramontes v. Cook County, a case which centers on Cook County’s “assault weapons” ban.

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It’s so hot in Europe right now that unvetted African and Middle Eastern migrants have filed for asylum at Santa’s workshop. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1,000 people have died in Europe as a brutal early-summer heat wave travels through the region. The weather has turned into political theater for outsiders. One side insists this is an example of climate change, and only Greta Thunberg can save us. The other argues these deaths could have been prevented if European countries had ended their war on air conditioners.

War on Air Conditioners

During the extreme heat wave, the European Commission shut off its air conditioning system on the first seven floors of its 13-story headquarters in Brussels. The upper floors, where Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the bloc’s 26 commissioners work, were exempted from the shutdown.

Good Morning Britain recently aired a segment questioning whether it is selfish to install an air conditioner during a heat wave. French Minister of Ecology Monique Barbut is worried that air conditioners will cause animals to die. Germany ran public service announcements discouraging the use of AC because of global warming.

Suffice it to say, all the hot air emanating from Europe’s war on air conditioners is a case study in the Theater of the Absurd.

While scores of European nations do not have outright bans on AC units, they have instituted numerous regulations that effectively limit their use. Germany’s strict building codes, Belgium’s environmental rules, and the United Kingdom’s tight controls for AC installation in new homes. These measures do not necessarily prohibit the device’s usage, but leftists have erected obstacles to reduce the technology’s presence in homes or public places.

Setting aside the regulatory nature, the government’s attitude toward air conditioning is irrational. The primary reason for the anti-AC stance? The environment.

They argue that AC bolsters electricity demand, uses high-impact refrigerants, and that the continent’s infrastructure is not designed for air conditioning. But a deeper dive into the data suggests that European leaders may be more focused on exerting control than on listening to the science.

Air conditioning accounts for less than 3% of CO2 emissions (data centers represent 0.5%!). Industry? Twenty-four percent. Transportation? Twenty-two percent. Buildings? Eight percent. Space heating also uses 100 times more energy than air conditioning, and yet nobody is trying to outlaw staying warm in the winter.

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Populist movements have exposed a deep divide between Western elites and voters—but their biggest challenge may be turning backlash into a lasting governing strategy.

Iguess there’s nothing to do about my reluctance to write this post other than to write my way through it.

Across the West, the political elites have become estranged from their native populations. This process began in the years after the demise of Communism, and it accelerated in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The causes are manifold: Cheap money during a long period of low interest rates, ideological radicalization, the lack of clear political alternatives, the cancerous growth of state bureaucratic systems, and the social consequences of globalization within the political classes all played a role. Probably we have yet to understand the causes fully, but the upshot is that our elites have been pursuing crazy policies that are obviously detrimental to their own populations for decades now. They had a head start in wreaking their destruction because the West had accumulated a lot of prosperity they could burn through before anyone began to feel the pain of their idiocy, and also because of various structural advantages, including their control of broadcast media.

As postwar television democracy succumbs to the internet and as it is increasingly clear that the fat years are behind us and the future portends nothing but ever leaner years as far as the eye can see, an organic opposition has taken shape. This is the populist backlash, and in each national context it has had different political consequences, although the movement itself is broadly similar everywhere. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz spent 16 years attempting to establish “illiberal democracy” before they were voted out in May. In the United States, where Trump has succeeded in loosely aligning all three branches of government behind his agenda, the MAGA movement is at the height of its influence. In the United Kingdom, Nigel Farage’s Reform and more recently, Rupert Lowe’s Restore have all but eclipsed the Tories. In Germany, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) continues to accumulate support despite withering opposition from the cartel parties and the state itself.

The establishment has reacted to the backlash very strangely. We would expect elites to adjust their politics and adopt elements of the populist program to defang their opponents. Instead, they have ceded incredible ground by doubling down on the very policies that caused the backlash in the first place. Part of this is because we are governed by stupid and parochial elites who don’t understand what is happening to them and why. Another part, however, is probably that elites have assessed the new opposition and decided that this is a passing moment that they can either manage or outlast.

I’m not sure they’re right, but more and more I’m also not sure they’re wrong. Since sometime last year, I’ve been thinking a lot about the limitations that beset populist political movements everywhere they have arisen. These limitations aren’t anyone’s fault; for the most part, they’re expressions of where these new politics come from and what they are. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t real and potentially also very bad for those who want to live in reasonable, sensible countries with reasonable, sensible politics.

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There’s no longer much foreign reporting on television with the exception of natural disasters, or countries where Americans are engaged in military action. That’s certainly true of Europe – except for Britain. The networks, surely focused on ratings, display a fascination with the Royal Family.

On Monday, NBC’s Today featured a four-minute report from London-based Molly Hunter obsessing over Prince Harry’s planned visit to his home country to promote the Invictus Games for veterans that he founded. ABC and CBS also offered full reports speculating on Prince Harry’s visit and whether Meghan Markle and their children will also attend.

On June 17, NBC’s Hunter performed a four-minute Today report (complete with “In Depth” graphic) on the Earth-shaking story that 12-year-old Prince George will attend the Eton College private boys’ school in the fall, just as his father and Prince Harry did. To pad the report, she also touted how Princess Kate did a 24-hour mountain climb for charity after her recovery from cancer.

ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, NPR, CNN, and MS NOW cannot be bothered for much more substantive British matters, like a recent report on the rape of young girls that came from Member of Parliament Rupert Lowe. The report estimates rape gangs victimized at least 250,000 girls across 149 local British authorities since the 1990s. It says many victims were young teenagers. Some were as young as four years old.

The story erupted in America with Elon Musk, as Fox News reported he “reignited international attention on Britain’s grooming gangs scandal this week, amplifying a citizen-funded report that accuses the U.K. government of failing to protect children and teenagers from organized sexual exploitation.” Musk tweeted on June 16: “The politicians who turned a blind eye to the Rape of Britain must go to prison.”

The American networks have been completely obsessed with the Jeffrey Epstein files over the last year, constantly exploring how much guilt Donald Trump bears for his long-ended friendship with Epstein. So why can they not spare two or three minutes for this story?

You can guess. The report found nearly 90 percent of the men convicted of rape gang offenses from 1997 to 2018 had “distinctly Muslim names.” Of these offenders, the overwhelming majority were Pakistani Muslim. The report states the obvious: “Political correctness, fear of racism and fear of losing electoral support from certain demographics have taken precedence over the protection of British children.”

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