Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker told reporters this week that he stands by the content of a controversial graduation speech. In May, the three-time Super Bowl champion became the newest cancel-culture target after he delivered a pro-Catholic commencement speech that affirmed traditional values at Benedictine College. His speech went viral, resulting in a petition — with nearly 240,000 signatures — demanding he be fired; one critic even said a woman should replace him. 'I'm still going to love you no matter what your opinions are, no matter how different we may be.' On Wednesday, Butker spoke with the media at the Kansas City Chiefs training camp, fielding multiple questions about the controversy. "I prayed about it and I thought about it and I was very intentional with what I said and I stand behind what I said," Butker said. "And I really believe if people knew me as a person and understood that I was coming from a place of love and not a place of trying to attack or put people down, that I only want the best for people. And that's what I was trying to say there. And I think the people that were in that gymnasium all understood what I was saying," he added. In his graduation speech, Butker urged the female graduates not to believe the "diabolical lies" of the culture, which tell women that being a mother and wife is not a worthy vocation. Critics accused Butker of misogyny and devaluing women. But he said on Wednesday those accusations are far from true. "I think my whole career I've talked about how I'm a husband and I'm a father before it comes to me as a kicker. It's something I've always preached," he said. "My wife had never heard me speak publicly and she was there for that moment ... And I was getting emotional, looking at her crying and understanding that she has sacrificed so much for me," Butker continued. "She has completely changed her life around and she has made sure she is focused on being the ultimate wife and the ultimate mother. "And I love her so much for that. And I see how happy and excited she is day to day to wake up and embrace that life," he explained. "And she pushes me to be a better husband and a better father and focus on my three children and focus on her over maybe trying to be the best kicker I can be out on that field." Most importantly, Butker shared a message for his critics — one that reflects his Christian faith. "I want people to know that no matter what I say, it might be the complete opposite of you: I'm still going to love you no matter what your opinions are, no matter how different we may be," he said. "I'm going to love you and we're going to get along and probably be good friends." Earlier this week, Butker signed a new contract with the Kansas City Chiefs — a four-year extension worth $25.6 million — making him the highest-paid NFL kicker of all time. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In the wake of the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony mocking the Last Supper, members of a conservative advocacy group headed to Paris to protest such routinized attacks on Christianity. They were promptly arrested and left to conclude that the underlying problem is perhaps worse than first imagined. The watchdog group Open Doors revealed in its latest annual report that one in seven Christians worldwide — over 365 million Christians — faces "high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith." Blaze News previously reported that the 10 worst countries for Christians are North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea, Yemen, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Christians stand a good chance of being tortured, imprisoned, raped, and murdered for their faith in these third-world nations as well as in countries far higher up the list, such as China. Attacks on Christians and on their churches are not limited, however, to Africa, the Middle East, or the Orient. Arielle Del Turco, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the FRC, revealed in a report earlier this year that between 2018 and 2023, there were at least 915 acts of hostility against American churches. Canada, too, has seen hundreds of churches razed by radicals since 2021. Against this backdrop of anti-Christian persecution and hatred, the French — who have seen their fair share of anti-Christian attacks — kicked off the 2024 Olympics with a ceremony mocking Christianity. The opening ceremony contained a scene intended to resemble Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." However, instead of depicting Christ and his disciples, the ceremony's designer, Thomas Jolly, instead had several transvestites strike poses on either sides of a morbidly obese lesbian named Barbara Butch. Jolly then had a virtually naked man painted blue — intended to represent Dionysus, Greek god of wine-making — set upon the table as a substitute meal. The ceremony generated significant controversy and elicited denunciations from various Christian institutions around the world, including the Vatican. The Madrid-based conservative advocacy group CitizenGo started a petition demanding an apology and an explanation from all members of the International Olympic Committee. "Enough is enough! This grotesque spectacle was an affront to everything we hold sacred, and it cannot go unchallenged," said the petition, which had over 392,500 signatures at the time of publication. "All too often, we stand by and do nothing while they step on us and mock our Christian faith. But after today, I’ve seriously had enough! What happens if we stay silent? Our faith, our Christian symbols, will become a permanent parody promoted by queer, LGBTI, and trans lobbies, backed by our globalist leaders and the international left." CitizenGo sent a bus into the heart of Paris Monday with "Stop attacks on Christians!" written on the side. The bus was also emblazoned on one side with images of both Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" as well as a photograph of the Olympic ceremony mocking the religious imagery, striking a damning contrast. Catholic activist Caroline Farrow alleged that despite having no issues early in the day, the bus was ultimately stopped "at gunpoint" by French police who surrounded the vehicle and claimed they were "conducting a 'public demonstration without the government's permission.'" 'They are tyrannical, anti-Christian bullies.' A lawyer for the group claimed, "It appears impossible to constitute the crime of failing to communicate a protest because there is no protest in the presence of one unique vehicle. The prosecutor pushed the law to its limits to stop the bus and limit their free speech." According to Farrow, six members of her team — including two from the U.K. — were arrested, then taken to the police station "where they were put in handcuffs and transferred to a second secure facility." "They are tyrannical, anti-Christian bullies. It's absurd," the group said on X. "Fearing the campaign's impact and the stain on France's image to the world, the political elites viciously censored CitizenGO in a manner akin to an authoritarian regime," continued Farrow. "The French police, under political orders from high-level political authorities, arrested six campaigners and the bus driver. All of their belongings were confiscated, they were stripped and searched, and they were illegally denied to call their personal lawyers. [S]ome were even not allowed to call their family members and were held on non-existent charges." Farrow suggested further that the effort to shut up the protesters backfired, granted their bus, which was "clearly offensive to the French police and authorities, [was] still parked at the Police Station in District 16th, 3 blocks from the Arc de Triumph in front of everyone in the middle of downtown Paris." The conservative group indicated that French police escorted their bus out of the city the next day. Ignacio Arsuaga, president of CitizenGo, tweeted, "Our lawyer tells us there is no case, and that the prosecutor ordered the gendarmerie to arrest the campaigners even though there was no case." "We are now going to file a lawsuit against Macron, the Attorney General, and the gendarmerie. Woke governments are becoming increasingly totalitarian," added Arsuaga. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A major recreational vehicle retailer was ordered to take down a giant American flag. However, the RV retailer has defied the order mandated by officials in California.Camping World RV Sales is located in French Camp, California — about 80 miles east of San Francisco. The RV retailer had flown a giant American flag above its dealership until April when county officials ordered it to be taken down over concerns over the flagpole. The Camping World CEO declared that the American flag would stay up — no matter what the county says.San Joaquin County officials told KTLX that there were concerns regarding the flag pole's foundation and the pole's proximity to property lines and Interstate 5, should the pole collapse. “Camping World’s flagpole was installed with neither a building permit nor planning approval, therefore they are in conversation with the code enforcement division," the county said in a statement to the outlet. On Monday, Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis ordered the dealership to restore the American flag to the top of the pole. Lemonis said Camping World's flagpole is installed securely and "rooted deeply in the ground."Lemonis noted that there are "hundreds" of Camping World locations with giant American flags, and there are no issues. "If we felt like we were putting people in danger or causing any issues with air traffic, which would absolutely not be okay, then I wouldn’t do it," Lemonis told KTLX."It's symbolism about how we feel about this country. We have a lot of veterans who work for us, and a lot of veterans who shop with us," Lemonis added. He declared, "I happen to be an immigrant. I was given the blessing of being able to enter this country and become a citizen, and I'm grateful for it. It's been part of my life since I was a little child down in Miami, Florida, where we had the largest flag pole in Miami at our car dealership."Lemonis conceded that he may have kept a flag down if it was used for marketing purposes while ironing out the permit issue with the county. The Camping World CEO declared that the American flag would stay up — no matter what the county says.San Joaquin County officials said Camping World has applied for a building permit for the flagpole and the application is under review.This is not the first time that Camping World has faced government scrutiny for flying a massive American flag. In May 2019, the American flag was declared to be too large at the Camping World location in Statesville, North Carolina — roughly 40 miles north of Charlotte.Camping World defied the order by Statesville officials to take down the flag. The business was fined $50 a day for the flag violation.Lemonis told Fox Business at the time, "We have flown this flag for a long time. As I told the city ... it’s not coming down under any circumstance."Attorneys for Lemonis declared in a filing that the huge American flag "represents the fundamental values — freedom, courage, and equality before the law — that unite all Americans and transcend party politics. ... In keeping with this tradition, The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized that the act of flying the flag is a form of political expression protected by the First Amendment."Attorneys for Statesville cited a North Carolina state law that declares there can be size restrictions on flags "for the purpose of protecting the public health, safety, and welfare."In a settlement with the city, Camping World was allowed to keep the American flag up, but had to pay more than $14,000 in fines for originally breaking the town's ordinance, plus pay an additional $2,000 in legal costs.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The survival genre is one that’s increasingly stuffed with games that seem to suck up all the attention and light, with little left for anyone looking to challenge the big names. Titles like Manor Lords, Once Human, Valheim, Palworld, Soulmask, and Rust all form a rock solid wall which means it can be tough to break through. Gaslamp fantasy game Nightingale is one that has hit that wall head on, with a tough launch which has seen its Steam numbers struggle in the months following. Thankfully, developer Inflexion Games is working on a big relaunch for the title, and the first details are out now. Continue reading Nightingale revamp detailed as dev shares new Realms Rebuilt info MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games on PC, Best crafting games on PC, Best fantasy games on PC

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Image: Oculus Studios Meta is closing Ready at Dawn, the first-party studio behind VR games like Echo VR and Lone Echo, Android Central reported on Wednesday. The shutdown is effective immediately. Meta acquired the studio in 2020. As for why Meta is shutting down the studio, here’s what Android Central said: One report in mid-July said that Meta was cutting its Reality Labs division’s budget by 20% by 2026, and an internal memo sent to Meta employees by Gio Hunt, VP Oculus Studios — seen by Android Central — supports this reasoning. A Meta spokesperson told Android Central that the cuts weren’t being made to “save money,” per se. Rather, these cuts are being made to ensure that Reality Labs stays within the new budgetary constraints and that Oculus Studios... Continue reading…

Nanoleaf’s Essentials Matter line, which includes an A19 bulb and light strip, will be one of the first Matter products to work with Apple Home’s Adaptive Lighting feature. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge A major feature of Apple Home will soon work with Matter devices. With iOS 18, Apple is enabling Adaptive Lighting for smart lights connected to its smart home platform through Matter, the interoperability standard developed by Apple, Amazon, and Google. The feature, which automatically adjusts the color temperature of smart lights throughout the day, currently only works with a few brands. Adding support for Matter bulbs means it should work with many more. Gimmy Chu, CEO of Nanoleaf, confirmed to The Verge that his company is currently testing the feature on its line of Essentials Matter lights. “We are one of the partners that are part of the launch of Adaptive Lighting on Matter products,” he said in an interview. “For the past... Continue reading…