ESPN's Andscape website made a hard push for racial identity politics to kick off the NFL season, focusing on the apparent importance of race among NFL quarterbacks.Andscape, an ESPN-owned site, is self-described as "a Black-led media platform" that is purposely pushing "the diverse stories of Black identity."It's about page also cites its stated goal of pursuing the "shared mission of illuminating the culture and experience of Blackness."To start the NFL regular season, Andscape lived up to its mantra and delivered overwhelmingly racially fueled content focusing on black NFL quarterbacks. The ESPN outlet declared that not only is the sport in the "era of the black quarterback" but that black quarterbacks need to work harder to get the same respect as white quarterbacks.'Quit writing about it, quit talking about it, quit shoving it in everyone's face.'Jason Whitlock of "Fearless" called out the strange reporting and declared that "the media is actually destroying sports," not the actual competitors. "It's the media.""They're doing a story, 'half of quarterbacks are black.' Black. Black. Black. The blackity blacks are doing blackity black," Whitlock hilariously continued. "No one cares!"Whitlock then downplayed the narrative that glass ceilings are continuously being broken."[They've] won Super Bowls, played in Super Bowls, inducted into the Hall of Fame, MVPs, first-round draft picks ... but ESPN and Andscape can't find anything else compelling to do than tell everybody 'hey half the quarterbacks in the NFL are black.' Black. Black."The host added that the angle being taken by ESPN diminishes the sport, their platform, and the accomplishments of the players. — (@) Whitlock recited the beginning of one of Andscape's two leading articles titled, "The Era of the Black Quarterback."The piece claimed that for years sportswriters contacted black quarterbacks for commentary whenever another black quarterback would accomplish a feat."Then, suddenly, reporters stopped calling," Whitlock mockingly read. "Quit writing about it, quit talking about it, quit shoving it in everyone's face," he continued.The "Fearless" commentator then assured ESPN that Americans, including black Americans, are not as obsessed with race as they are."They don't tune into sports thinking they are going to get a replay of 'Roots' and '12 Years a Slave,'" he said.Another leading article on the ESPN site included an interview with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts; the article mentioned his race nearly two dozen times.This included commentary on apparent unequal treatment of black quarterbacks, an alleged "black quarterback fraternity," and that black quarterbacks have inherently learned not to "remind the audience that [they're] black."In terms of any potential racial disparity, it doesn't actually seem like the NFL has any at the quarterback position. As of the start of the 2024 NFL season, 15 of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the league are black, while 16 are white. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is of Samoan descent.Fritz Pollard was the first black man to play in the NFL in 1920 and also the first coach in 1921.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Linda Sun is the former deputy chief of staff to New York Governor Kathy Hochul and a former aide to former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Now, she’s facing a federal indictment for allegedly operating as an undisclosed agent of the People’s Republic of China. Sun was arrested by the FBI at her $3.6 million home in Long Island on charges of being a foreign agent for the CCP. Federal prosecutors believe that she schemed to advance the interests of the CCP while working in the New York state government in exchange for millions of dollars, and are charging her with failing to register as a foreign agent, visa fraud, and alien smuggling. Her husband has also been charged in a money laundering conspiracy, which is reported to have afforded the pair their lavish lifestyle, complete with their extravagant Long Island home, a $1.9 million condo in Hawaii, and a 2024 Ferrari. “Being an agent of the CCP really pays, apparently,” Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” comments. Sun reportedly blocked Taiwan from accessing Governor Hochul, altered New York State messaging to be more favorable to the CCP, removed any references to Taiwan, and ensured that New York officials did not publicly address the CCP’s persecution of the Uyghurs. The CCP agent began her political career as chief of staff for New York State Assembly member Grace Meng, who is now a member of Congress. Meng’s father, Jimmy Meng, was the first Asian-American to be elected to the legislature in New York history. He was later arrested for wire fraud during an FBI sting investigation. “I’m just saying, if Linda Sun’s mentor was Grace Meng, whose father we already know was arrested for wire fraud,” Gonzales says. “It seems like all of these people are corrupt. Seems like maybe we should look into this woman who is now in Congress.” Sun was a part of the diversity initiative under Cuomo and made it clear she didn’t believe there were enough Asian-Americans working in the government. “I’m unsure how you can argue, how you can sit there and argue as an Asian person there isn’t enough representation in the government when you are literally Asian and you got your start working with Asians who were working in the government,” Gonzales comments. “Make that make sense,” she adds. Gonzales also notes that this isn’t the only time a Democrat has been outed as a Chinese spy, as Democrat Eric Swalwell was found to have had an affair with a Chinese spy. “Democrats have kind of a big Chinese spy problem,” Gonzales says. Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Pope Francis sparked criticism and comparisons with Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance after commending Indonesians for continuing to have large families.The pope has been touring southeastern Asia this week and made a stop in the cathedral in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta on Wednesday to meet with outgoing President Joko Widodo and to address a crowd filled with nuns, clerics, lay Catholics, and others.In 2020, America averaged just 1.6 births per woman, down significantly from an average of 3.6 births in the 1950s.During his remarks, Pope Francis praised Indonesians for having families with "three, four, or five children." He called babies "the greatest richness that a nation can have" and slammed countries that effectively imposed "a law of death ... by limiting births."The pontiff also lightheartedly insisted that Indonesia could serve as an "example" to other countries around the world, where some "families prefer to have a cat or a little dog instead of a child."Pope Francis did not name any particular country that implicitly or overtly encourages pet ownership over parenting, though birth rates in Western countries have dropped sharply in recent decades. The United States, for instance, averaged just 1.6 births per woman in 2020, down significantly from an average of 3.6 births in the 1950s, the World Bank reported.Additionally, fully 62% of Americans own at least one pet, and more than half of those pet owners believe their pets are as much a part of the family as human members, according to a Pew Research Poll published last year.The pope has data on his side, but his comments nevertheless reminded some of the "childless cat ladies" comments previously made by Sen. Vance of Ohio.In 2021, Vance, who is Catholic, told then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the U.S. was under the control of Democrats, big corporations, and "a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too," per NPR.In reporting on the pope's recent comments, The Hill published an article entitled "Pope Francis enters 'childless cat ladies' debate, praising Indonesians’ large families."Other, less prominent individuals have made similar remarks on social media, the Daily Mail reported. A quick X search indicates that some users have indeed linked Pope Francis and Vance over their respective comments regarding children and cats, though X posts on the subject have remained almost completely obscure, receiving little or no interaction from other users.The relevant clip of the pope's speech in Jakarta can be seen here.Wednesday was not the first time Pope Francis spoke out against declining birth rates. At a conference in Rome back in May, he said, "Homes are filled with objects and emptied of children, becoming very sad places. There is no shortage of little dogs, cats, these are not lacking. There is a lack of children."Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has also sounded the alarm about low birth rates. In April, he tweeted that "if birth rates continue to plummet, human civilization will end."Reuters noted that while Indonesian birth rates do surpass those of most Western countries, its birth rate is still declining.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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Illustration: The Verge Google is testing its new “Ask Photos” feature that lets you explore your library of pictures in new ways. The feature, which Google first previewed in May, is rolling out to select Google Labs users in the US and will let you ask things like, “Where did we camp last time we went to Yosemite?” or “What did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?” Using Google’s Gemini AI models, the Photos app will then offer a response based on the content in your photos, as well as pull up images relevant to your question. GIF: Google Google is putting an AI assistant in Photos, too. Google says you can even use Ask Photos to complete tasks, such as summarizing things you did on a recent vacation or choosing the best pictures of your... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is developing new tools that aim to give creators on the platform more control over content that copies their voice or likeness using generative AI. In its announcement post, YouTube said the new likeness management tech will help to safeguard its creators and partners while enabling them to “harness AI’s creative potential” by promoting responsible AI development. The first tool, described as a “synthetic-singing identification technology,” will allow artists and creators to automatically detect and manage YouTube content that simulates their singing voices using generative AI. YouTube says the tool sits within its existing Content ID copyright identification system and that it’s planning to test it under a pilot program next... Continue reading…