Just over two months ago, former President Donald Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. On Sunday, law enforcement thwarted yet another attempt on Trump’s life. Now, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are scrambling for answers on what transpired at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club and how to protect the former president and current Republican nominee. The Secret Service engaged a gunman in an incident law enforcement is calling an assassination attempt while Trump was golfing Sunday afternoon. The suspected gunman, identified by investigators as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, fled the scene in a Nissan SUV before law enforcement tracked him down, pulled him over, and took him into custody just north of West Palm Beach. Routh allegedly left an AK-47-style rifle at the scene. He has been charged so far with two firearm counts: possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.  Routh’s political activity and background, however, are raising eyebrows on Capitol Hill. He started a group called the International Volunteer Center that sought to coax Americans and foreign troops into fighting on behalf of Ukraine against Russia in the current war, Semafor reported. “We need to burn the Kremlin to the ground,” one X post from Routh’s suspected social media account read, according to CNN. Another read: “I am willing to go and fight and DIE to beat Putin,” the Telegraph reported. In a phone interview with CNN, Oleksandr Shaguri, a representative of Ukraine’s foreign legion, said that Routh “was offering us large numbers of recruits from different countries but it was obvious to us his offers were not realistic.” “We didn’t even answer, there was nothing to answer to. He was never part of the legion and didn’t cooperate with us in any way,” Shaguri told CNN, adding that Routh’s ideas were “delusional.” The would-be assassin also self-published a nearly 300-page book titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War: The Fatal Flaw of Democracy, World Abandonment and the Global Citizen-Taiwan, Afghanistan, North Korea and the End of Humanity,” CNN reported, a work that makes the case for more U.S. involvement in conflicts overseas. Routh also regularly published anti-Trump comments on what is believed to be his X account. “I will be glad when you gone,” one post reads, CNN reported. Another proclaimed “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose”—a line often uttered by Vice President Kamala Harris and her presidential campaign. “The American people want ANSWERS!” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told The Daily Signal in an exclusive email. “For President Trump’s life to be threatened not once but TWICE is absolutely unacceptable!” The House task force empowered to investigate the first Trump assassination attempt on July 13 in Butler announced it would be briefed on the second assassination attempt in West Palm Beach. “The task force is monitoring this attempted assassination of former President Trump in West Palm Beach this afternoon,” reads a statement from Chairman Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., the ranking member. “We have requested a briefing with the U.S. Secret Service about what happened and how security responded. We are thankful that the former president was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms. The task force will share updates as we learn more.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, announced that the state will carry out its own investigation into the second attempt on Trump’s life. “The state of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club,” DeSantis said in an X post. Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., wished the former president well Sunday afternoon. “I’m glad President Trump was unharmed, and I’m grateful that law enforcement was able to identify this individual and intervene,” Thune wrote on X. “I’m continuing to pray for the former president’s safety and security.” Trump thanked law enforcement and the Secret Service for protecting him in a Truth Social post Sunday night. But on Monday morning, Trump posted that the rhetoric of President Joe Biden, Harris, and other Democrats led to the attempts on his life. “Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!” Trump’s Truth Social post reads in part. “The media’s ‘coverage’ of these two incidents is laughable,” Norman also told The Daily Signal. “It seems like everyone has already forgotten what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania.” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, seemed to concur with Norman’s assessment of the media’s reaction to Sunday’s assassination attempt. “Let’s be clear what is happening: For the second time in three months, someone has tried to kill President Trump, and leftist media is blaming him for it,” Lee told The Daily Signal. “This dangerous argument ‘ad Hitlerum’ Democrats have indulged in for almost a decade is ripping our country apart, and they need to stop immediately.” Nevertheless, Norman, referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Ky., said he remains “cautiously optimistic that the speaker’s task force will get to the bottom of this horrible political violence.” “I am very glad that my colleague and friend Rep. Higgins is on the task force because I trust him to ask the right questions and ensure accountability and transparency for ALL that were involved with both attempts on President Trump’s life,” Norman added in the email. Although the Secret Service succeeded in thwarting the attempt on Trump’s life Sunday, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said he has some pressing questions. “A former president who was struck by an assassin’s bullet two months ago, and who Iran and others continue to plot against, deserves heightened security,” Johnson told The Daily Signal. “What doesn’t the Secret Service understand about that?” This is a developing story and may be updated. The post Lawmakers Scramble to Make Sense of Second Trump Assassination Attempt appeared first on The Daily Signal.

On May 25, 1977, George Lucas introduced an entire galaxy of characters in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. From there, the universe expanded with more movies and television shows, and fans became infatuated with Boba Fett, Ashoka Tano, Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, and so many more. Keep reading because the force is strong with the best characters in Star Wars. When she learned her father placed a... Source

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Wrong time, wrong place, wrong group – or quite the opposite, depending on the point of view. But G20 ministers were meeting in Brazil last week, just as the country keeps putting its own democracy and laws to the serious test in an escalating “war” with Elon Musk’s X. It took no time for G20 to show which side it’s taking in the battle between a government given to online censorship and in clear need of controlling the political and media narratives, versus a major social platform that has broken ranks with its peers as an obedient executioner of censorship, including on behalf of various governments. G20 ministers who converged on Maceio in northern Brazil late last week didn’t quite spell all this out (does anybody speak clearly anymore? The higher, the fewer, as they say). But, the writing is clearly on the wall: a statement issued on Friday is chock-full of words such as, “misinformation,” AI (and coming up with new regulation around this), and digital platforms’ “accountability.” There is even talk of the need for online platforms to place themselves “in line with relevant policies and applicable legal frameworks.” Was this written by Brazil’s government, or by G20, some might wonder, half-amused? However, the story is not amusing – one of the persistent arguments coming out of X is that the seemingly incessant flow of censorship demands is in fact breaking Brazil’s own Constitution and applicable law. Therefore, this particular point in the G20 readout might sound not only like the organization itself falling in line with Brazil – and other autocratic-presenting governments – but also engaging in a fair amount of hypocrisy. Not for nothing, Brazilian officials are happy with this turn of events. The country’s presidency secretary for digital policy Joao Brant has basically suggested in statements for wire services that the moment may be momentous. “It is the first time in the G20 history that the group recognizes the problem of disinformation and calls for transparency and accountability from digital platforms,” AP quoted Brant. There’s more: G20 has adopted “guidelines” to deal with the development of “AI” – also a regular feature in the narratives pushed by governments and entities prone to online censorship. It’s almost like seeking a way to assure that censorship will go on, and grow stronger, in a future AI era. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post G20 Ministers Meet in Brazil To Discuss “Disinformation” Censorship Agenda appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is very busy these days in the media, promoting his ideas of what the future of humanity should look like, and he is given a chance to do that both on streaming networks like Netflix, and legacy broadcasters like ABC. It remains a mystery why this man’s opinions on these big topics matter or should matter, let alone be implemented anywhere, given his background. And that’s the already mentioned Microsoft, a poster child for corporate oppression in the tech market, and in many aspects the controversial Gates Foundation. This mystery was not explained, though, as Oprah Winfrey on ABC let Gates promote regulation that would essentially create a de jure version of what is already de facto happening: the Big Tech-Big Government collusion. Only, going forward, Gates seems to prefer that to be legitimized (instead of being treated as unconstitutional in the US, which it is right now), and a regulated policy to be referred to as “companies working with the government.” And why? Gates, of all people, cynically cites the need to “craft something that’s not just profit driven.” The question Gates was trying to answer while presenting his thoughts on this future dystopian hybrid “partnership” was whether he thought Microsoft and others making money from “AI” products are obligated to “help us manage and navigate through this change,” as Winfrey put it. Gates’ response shows once again that “AI” is and will continue to be used, in public messaging, as one of the ways to justify and normalize the increasing entanglement between the government and powerful private entities. As for “misinformation,” Gates is – but of course – worried, and it seems he has chosen to refer to himself as “naive” when it comes to the earlier days of personal computing and the internet. (He has mentioned this supposed “naive” persona in other interviews.) And it’s important to view Gates as “naive” back then if you’re going to believe the things he is saying now. Winfrey was interested in how what is happening around the “AI” today can be informed by what was “missed” regarding social media and the internet as a whole. Other than branding himself as “naive” (and ABC choosing to illustrate his comments with footage of Alex Jones and his website – to which Jones reacted with quite a few choice words), Gates said this: “We thought the internet, the availability of information would make us all a lot more factual. The fact that people would seek out kind of a niche of misinformation, we were a bit naive, and bringing those lessons up, let’s get ahead of this. Let’s get the politicians to be users and have a dialogue about maximizing the benefits while minimizing the negatives.” If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Bill Gates Wants To Shape AI and “Misinformation” Control and Oprah Is All Ears appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Google on Trial: Ads, Algorithms, and Antitrust – Week 1 Breakdown appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Putin Orders Massive Expansion of Russian Army

Where Is the Hype For Polaris Dawn?

WASHINGTON — The long-awaited World War I Memorial opened Friday in Pershing Park, across the street from the storied Willard Hotel and down the road from Old Ebbitt Grill, a historic restaurant where you can still see the doughboy helmet one young man accidentally left at the bar before shipping off to the European trenches. D.C. has a lot of monuments, and a number of them are beautiful. Many of the newer ones, however, are not. The Martin Luther King Jr. Monument comes to mind. Its harsh, blocky features would be far more at home in Tiananmen Square than overlooking the picturesque Tidal Basin. Then there’s Frank Gehry’s monument to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is more like a monument to Gehry himself and which quickly and deservedly became a homeless camp. This is true civic art: A beautiful public work that lifts the viewer’s eyes upward toward the heavens and shows him what heroism and sacrifice and patriotism look like while not hiding the price our soldiers and our country paid. Sculptor Sabin Howard’s contribution, “A Soldier’s Journey,” breaks that losing streak. Simply put: It’s stunning. It begins the moment an American soldier’s young, sweet-faced daughter hands Daddy his helmet for war, and his wife, standing in for a reluctant America, tries to hold him back. The viewer is guided along as he marches to war with his comrades from many different branches and backgrounds, into the trenches, through searing gas attacks, and limping back home again. In the fray, we see bold heroism, excruciating pain, and the cross rising above the battlefield, disguised as shattered beams. Our man returns home, but you can see the war will live on in the haunted eyes of his comrade, whose eyes are turned behind him instead of home, to his family and his country. But it’s the end that will cause a grown man to choke on emotion. Back home, the soldier’s daughter takes the helmet back from her daddy, but she isn’t smiling, and there’s no sweetness in her face. She’s looking down now. She knows what her father has been through, and it’s taken her innocence in much the way the First World War robbed the West of its own self-confidence. This is true civic art: A beautiful public work that lifts the viewer’s eyes upward toward the heavens and shows him what heroism and sacrifice and patriotism look like while not hiding the price our soldiers and our country paid. It also marks a new phase in the fight to regain public beauty from the self-important “expert” class that’s given us so many ugly buildings and statues while telling us we’re just not intellectual enough to understand. Howard knows this, and he’s very open about that war. “I was raised within Western civilization and the Italian Renaissance, and that was the lineage that I was going to play forward,” he told Blaze News, "so I didn't have any confusion about making some sort of brutalist sculptural reference to the modern era [of art], because the modern era [of art], from my perspective, should be wiped off the map, just as the modernists have wiped off the previous history off the map.” Stay tuned for a deep dive on the matter in the coming week, including more of Blaze News’ hour-long interview with Howard, as well as interviews with other artists and architects on the front lines. And next time you’re in D.C., go visit “A Soldier’s Journey.” If you have the time, catch it at midday, when the sun is hitting it just right, or come back in the evening when it’s masterfully illuminated. And don’t forget to make time for a mint julep at the famous Round Robin bar next door. Or maybe even a stop at that doughboy’s haunt, the Old Ebbitt.

An elderly woman from Tennessee is accused of sextorting a teen boy from Minnesota, according to authorities. The Anoka County Sheriff's Office reportedly was notified of a financial sextortion plot involving a 17-year-old boy in Linwood Township on Sept. 30, 2022.The woman allegedly threatened to share the explicit photos with his friends and family if he didn't pay her money.The victim — now 19 years old — allegedly began communicating with an unknown woman online. KMSP-TV reported that the boy sent nude photos of himself to the woman. The woman allegedly threatened to share the explicit photos with his friends and family if he didn't pay her money.Authorities said the geriatric alleged sextortionist demanded he send money to her Venmo account, after which the teen purportedly sent an initial payment of $1,700.The alleged victim ended up sending the woman a total of $2,204.54 by September 2022, according to law enforcement. Authorities identified 70-year-old Stephanie Godby as the alleged sextortion suspect. Law enforcement reportedly linked Godby’s birth date, social security number, phone number, and address to the Venmo account that received payments from the boy. Police have yet to locate Godby. Godby — of Dandridge, Tennessee — was charged in absentia with one count of coercion and one count of theft by swindle.Law enforcement noted that there could be additional sextortion victims. Godby's Venmo account had received similar payments from people around the country, according to subpoenaed records.According to the records, one payment sent to Godby's Venmo account had a message that read: “Leave my husband alone for good, this is all you’re getting from me.” Detectives are still investigating the alleged sextortion scheme and are attempting to collect additional information regarding her bank account and phone records.Law enforcement did not disclose how the alleged victim and Godby initially met.The FBI defines financially motivated sextortion as: "When predators pose as someone else online to coerce victims into taking and sending sexually explicit photos and videos — and then immediately demand payment or threaten to release the photo to the victim’s family and friends."According to FBI data, financially motivated sextortion victims are typically males between the ages of 14 and 17.From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations had received over 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors. The sextortion schemes involved at least 12,600 victims — mostly boys — and led to at least 20 suicides.As Blaze News reported in August, a young man from Pennsylvania allegedly believed he had met a girl online and sent her sexually explicit images of himself. However, the recipients of his photos reportedly turned out to be two Nigerian males who were financially sextorting the alleged victim — who committed suicide after not having enough money for the blackmail demand. Blaze News previously reported about a 16-year-old Mississippi boy who committed suicide after being hoodwinked in a sextortion scheme in 2023.In 2022, a 17-year-old Michigan boy committed suicide after falling victim to a sextortion scheme orchestrated by three Nigerian men.South Carolina state lawmaker Rep. Brandon Guffey (R) lost his 17-year-old son, Gavin Guffey, to suicide in 2022 because of a sextortion scheme.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Alex Jones may be associated with tin foil hats, but he’s often also associated with being right while wearing them — which has earned him some serious respect in the eyes of those on a quest for the truth. It all really took off when Jones received tips that there was a gathering of elites rife with ritual sacrifices in a section of California woods called Bohemian Grove. “What did you see? And how did you get in?” Glenn Beck asks the famous “conspiracy theorist.” “It’s a 2,700-acre redwood grove in the most beautiful place in America, Sonoma County,” Jones explains. “They’ve got over 100 camps in it. Some are big and nice, depending on how elite you are.” “Really, it’s a big art thing. At the time, I went with the sensational stuff of the occultic stuff, and the ritual that they do in the middle of July every year,” Jones explains. “That’s what blew up with the Evangelical Christians.” “Definitely, it’s occultic, and there’s vibes of that everywhere,” he adds, explaining that the gathering is a Germanic Druidic spin-off of Skull and Bones. “So, it kind of has that seal on it of the Skull and Bones, Germanic mystery school, hyper Masonic, super secret, inner, inner Masonic stuff.” While there were over a thousand in attendance, Jones recalls seeing Danny Glover and Clint Eastwood. “I didn’t run up because there’s security everywhere, and I only snuck in. I snuck in during the day, went around the security in the woods. They beef it up a lot now,” he explains. While most reporters who’ve attempted to gain access ask questions right away, Jones refrained, which he believes helped his case. Filming wasn’t allowed, so in order to capture the footage, Jones had to climb up a redwood tree and stay out of sight. He was questioned twice by sheriff’s deputies and secret service, but he said he made it look like he “was just hanging out.” After he'd found the perfect spot to film, that's when he caught the ritual. “Oh my gosh, there’s the pond, and there’s the owl, the little lake, and there’s bats flying around us and it’s twilight,” Jones recalls. “There was a whole kind of gay vibe going on too. I had some of the greens keepers go, ‘Hey, baby,’ and whistle at me.” Jones then got the shot of the ritual, noting that the owl was “theater.” “But the occult is what theater comes from,” he says, adding, "I'm not saying they're all devil worshippers or even bad, but there is a cultic thing to it." Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.