President-elect Trump nominated Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister on Sunday to head the Drug Enforcement Administration, prompting backlash from several Republicans. Chronister was criticized for his handling of the COVID pandemic, which Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) called "disqualifying." Most notably, Chronister boasted at the time about arresting a local pastor who "intentionally and repeatedly disregarded" state and local COVID regulations by holding church services. Chronister has also come under fire for celebrating Pride Month, releasing 165 inmates due to social distancing regulations, encouraging social distancing on boats, and even withholding paid sick leave for deputies who were unvaccinated."I’m going to call 'em like I see 'em," Massie said in a Sunday post on X. "Trump’s nominee for head of DEA should be disqualified for ordering the arrest a pastor who defied COVID lockdowns.""Trump’s pick for DEA head, Chad Chronister, arrested pastors during COVID and let criminals out of jail," Liz Wheeler, host of "The Liz Wheeler Show" on BlazeTV, said in a Sunday post on X. "Mr. President, please withdraw his nomination. The last thing we need in federal law enforcement is a stupid power abuser."Chad Chronister is a COVID tyrant who arrested a Christian pastor for holding church in person during the pandemic.Chronister held a press conference bragging about the arrest.Chronister abused his power; he’s unfit to lead the DEA.Trump should withdraw his nomination. pic.twitter.com/8jXtoPIX8q— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) December 1, 2024 Chronister has also come under fire for celebrating Pride Month, releasing 165 inmates due to social distancing regulations, encouraging social distancing on boats, and even withholding paid sick leave for deputies who were unvaccinated."Trump’s pick for DEA head Chad Chronister withheld taxpayer money from unvaccinated deputies if they got sick," Wheeler said in a Sunday post on X. "He gave taxpayer money to vaxxed deputies. Despicable.""Please, Pres. Trump, withdraw this nomination," Wheeler continued. "The last thing we need in federal law enforcement is more tyranny."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A member of the popular 1970s band the Village People is grateful to President-elect Donald Trump for making the group's classic tune "Y.M.C.A." great again.In a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, 73-year-old Victor Willis — the self-described "singer and writer of the lyrics" for "Y.M.C.A." — claimed that he has "benefited greatly" from Trump's use of the song at his campaign rallies."Y.M.C.A. was stuck at #2 on the Billboard chart prior to the President Elect’s use," Willis wrote. "However, the song finally made it to #1 on a Billboard chart after over 45 years (and held on to #1 for two weeks) due to the President Elect’s use."Willis added that the "financial benefits" have been nice too, claiming that the song has grossed "several million dollars" since Trump began playing it.'I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for choosing to use my song.'Willis was not always fond of Trump using the song. Four years ago, Willis asked him to stop, claiming that the complaints he had received about the song's use during Trump events had become a "nuisance."However, there were some complications associated with asking Trump to cease using the song. For one thing, Willis admitted, the Trump campaign had "every right" to continue playing the song at rallies, despite Willis' misgivings, because it had "obtained a political use license from BMI," a performance rights organization.Additionally, Willis' view on the subject began to soften after he realized that Trump seemed "to genuinely like Y.M.C.A." and was "having a lot of fun with it," he said. At that point, Willis said he "didn’t have the heart to prevent" Trump from continuing to use the song, especially since so many other artists had withdrawn their works from his rally playlists.Now that "Y.M.C.A." has become a hit once again on account of Trump's rallies and iconic dance moves, Willis, who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, has fully changed his tune. "I’m glad I allowed the President Elect’s continued use of Y.M.C.A. And I thank him for choosing to use my song," he wrote.In his post, Willis also took issue with people calling "Y.M.C.A." a "gay anthem," calling that label "misguided" and even "defamatory." Though Willis acknowledged that some members of the Village People are gay and that gay men may have met up at their local Y to engage in unsavory "activities," the song was never about gay people or a gay lifestyle."When I say, 'hang out with all the boys' that is simply 1970s black slang for black guys hanging-out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that," he explained."Get your minds out of the gutter."Willis, who has been married to his second wife for 17 years, even threatened to take legal action against any outlet that refers to "Y.M.C.A." as a "gay anthem," beginning next month. He believes that, if anything, "Y.M.C.A." is popular because of its "appeal to people of all [stripes] including President Elect Trump."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The NFL released a fiery statement against a Houston Texans player who caused a concussion and then blamed Islamophobia and racism for some of the outrage over the hit. Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair crashed into Trevor Lawrence as the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback began to slide after a running play in the second quarter of the game Sunday. Lawrence's head slammed into the ground, and he immediately exhibited what appeared to be an involuntary "fencing posture" indicating a traumatic brain injury. 'Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling.' The injury to Lawrence led to a large brawl between Texans and Jaguars players on the field. Lawrence was diagnosed with a concussion and entered into concussion protocol. The team's coach said the team has not yet determined if the quarterback would return for any games or just sit out the rest of the season if he clears the protocol before season's end. On Tuesday Jon Runyan, the vice president of policy and rules administration for the NFL, issued a letter condemning Al-Shaair for several violations of player safety rules. "Video shows you striking the head/neck area of Jaguars' quarterback Trevor Lawrence after he clearly goes down in a feet-first slide," Runyan wrote. "You led with your forearm and helmet and delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of your opponent when you had time and space to avoid such contact." In an attempt to lessen the chances of brain injuries occurring, the NFL forbids players from hitting quarterbacks while they are running if they slide to stop and also forbids unnecessary hits to the head. Some have criticized the new rules as too restrictive and difficult for defenders to observe. "Your lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football and all those who play, coach, and enjoy watching it, is troubling and does not reflect the core values of the NFL," Runyan added. 'You don’t know my heart nor my character which I don’t need to prove to any of you.' On Monday, Al-Shaair released a statement apologizing to Lawrence and saying he did not intend to harm him. "I've always played the game as hard as I could. Never with the intent to harm anyone and anybody that knows me knows that. My goal is to hit you as hard as I can then I pray you're still able to get up and play the next play," he wrote. "I genuinely didn't see [Lawrence] sliding until it was too late," he added. "And it all happens in the blink of an eye. To Trevor i [sic] genuinely apologize to you for what ended up happening." He also criticized some fans for sending him what he said were racist and Islamophobic insults over the incident. "To the rest of the people who I’ve been called every single name in the book from reporters with their hands ready for a story to find their villain, to racist and Islamophobic fans and people, you don’t know my heart nor my character which I don’t need to prove to any of you," he added. "God knows my intentions and anyone who has been a teammate or friend of mine knows my heart."Al-Shaair had used the "My Cause, My Cleats" NFL charity campaign to show his support for Palestinians and to criticize Israel for its military operation in the Gaza Strip. "All Praise to Allah," he wrote. Lawrence also issued a brief statement on Sunday. "Thank you to everyone who has reached out / been praying for me. I’m home and feeling better. Means a lot, thank you all," he wrote. The Texans will face the Miami Dolphins, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Baltimore Ravens without Al-Shaair. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Unbelievable! Biden’s Handing Out Disaster Aid in Africa While Americans Still Suffer in North Carolina

SHE'S GONNA BLOW Part 2! JoJoFromJerz Is NOT Dealing Well With Dems Calling BIDEN Out Over Hunter Pardon

President Joe Biden Looks as Confused as Usual in Angola

Everyone Disappoints Keith: New Jarvis Thread Highlights Olbermann Demanding Democrats Resign

House Democrats Just Tried to Memory-Hole a Tweet in Which They Mocked Struggling Americans

'The View' Spew: Whoopi and the Ladies Laughably Laud the 'Great Gift of Freedom' of Hunter Biden Pardon

Illustration: The Verge Microsoft is asking the inspector general at the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether agency management improperly leaked news of its antitrust investigation into the company, and make their findings public. Bloomberg first reported that the probe was underway last week, which The Verge later confirmed. The investigation covers Microsoft’s cloud and software licensing businesses, AI, and cybersecurity offerings. Now, Microsoft’s corporate vice president and deputy general counsel Rima Alaily is accusing FTC management of leaking details of the probe, in violation of the agency’s own ethics guidelines. The agency instructs new employees that “the existence of an FTC investigation is nonpublic information,” though it may be disclosed after the Office of Public Affairs determines the target of a probe already made it public in a press release or government filing. Still, the guidelines add that the Commission has authority to make “appropriate disclosures” when “it determines that doing so would be in the public interest.” Alaily writes that the information and sourcing in the Bloomberg story “strongly suggests” the details came from “within the FTC.” She says that the story “appears to be consistent with an unfortunate trend over the last two years of the FTC strategically leaking nonpublic information,” citing a September report from the FTC IG that found a “steadily increasing” volume of “unauthorized disclosures” of nonpublic information to the press. The FTC declined to comment on the Microsoft letter. Microsoft claims it learned about the FTC’s information demand “like the rest of the world, through the Bloomberg story.” Even when it inquired with FTC staff about the validity of the story, Alaily says, they wouldn’t confirm the information demand existed, and she adds that Microsoft still hasn’t seen the information demand reported by the press. The letter is the latest example of a more aggressive approach Microsoft has taken in recent months when it comes to antitrust scrutiny of its business. In October, Alaily accused Google in a blog post of launching an astroturf group “to discredit Microsoft with competition authorities, and policymakers and mislead the public.” Microsoft has mostly flown under the radar in past years as a target of antitrust lawsuits while its Big Tech peers were hit with complaints from US regulators. But it’s increasingly faced scrutiny in both the US and in Europe amid major cybersecurity issues, its acquisition of game studio Activision Blizzard, and its partnership with OpenAI. Still, the fate of any existing investigation will ultimately depend on how officials in the incoming Trump administration view the matter.