President Joe Biden’s “unity” rhetoric after the attempted assassination Saturday of former President Donald Trump is “manipulation,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said Monday.  Biden had a “missed opportunity” Sunday night to truly unite the country, Lee said during a panel discussion at The Heritage Foundation’s Policy Fest at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Lee’s accusation came two days after the shooting at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A shooter with a rifle on a nearby roof wounded Trump in the right ear, critically wounded two rallygoers, and fatally shot a third before Secret Service agents shot and killed the gunman.  “My general rule of thumb is that when someone is speaking from a position of immense power, as [Biden] certainly is, a call for unity, unless it’s accompanied by a description, an explanation, a formula, a prescription for how you get to unity, something that actually can and does tend to unify people—if you don’t have that, then it’s manipulation,” Lee told Mollie Hemingway, editor in chief of The Federalist, in an onstage interview.  “It’s a passive-aggressive, backdoor way of saying, ‘Everyone unite behind me,’” Lee added.  The Utah Republican called Biden’s tactic “one of my pet peeves in politics.” Lee also told Hemingway: “I think he had a real missed opportunity because … this is the kind of moment where a president of the United States can and should say, ‘Hey, let’s all get united at least around a couple of things, and here’s what those things are, and here’s what I’m going to do for my part in order to do that.’ I think that could have helped.”  One way Biden could “bring down the temperature,” Lee argued, would be to end his administration’s two criminal prosecutions of Trump, widely seen as political, and ask state-level prosecutors drop charges against the former president.  A Florida court partially granted Lee’s wish earlier Monday, dismissing the Justice Department’s classified documents case against Trump. Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, ruled that special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment to prosecute the case was unconstitutional.  “It’s with good reason that the Constitution limits who can do what in the executive branch,” Lee, a lawyer who  specializes in the Constitution, told Hemingway while discussing the ruling in Trump’s favor in Florida.  Lee said the Biden administration’s efforts to imprison Republicans’ chosen presidential candidate “is not the sort of thing we expect from the United States.” In a Sunday night address to the nation on the attempt to kill Trump, Biden said “there is no place in America for this kind of violence,” adding that “unity is the most elusive goal right now.”  The post ‘MANIPULATION’: Sen. Mike Lee Dismisses Biden’s Calls for Unity After Trump Shot  appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. In recent years, it has become clear that advertisers have a lot of control over online speech. Advertising boycotts and demonetization efforts by advertisers have emerged as potent tools to influence the content hosted by platforms. When advertisers withdraw from platforms, citing content disagreements, it effectively limits what can be said or shown, as creators and platforms alike rely heavily on advertising revenue. The situation creates a precarious environment where the threat of losing financial support can compel platforms and creators to self-censor, often sidestepping topics that might be deemed controversial by some advertisers. This financial vulnerability opens up a broader debate about the sustainability of relying solely on traditional advertising models, which can be whimsical and politically or culturally biased. To combat this, Rumble, a video-sharing and cloud services platform, has introduced an intriguing model. By forming strategic partnerships with brands that align with its mission and values, Rumble is exploring new monetization pathways that do not solely depend on mainstream advertising networks. This approach was vividly illustrated in a recent announcement where Rumble revealed collaborations with three unique brands: Pawsitive, Be Naked, and 5G Free. Each brand offers products that cater to specific lifestyles and concerns—pet health, male wellness, and EMF protection, respectively. By integrating these brands into its platform, Rumble not only diversifies its revenue streams but also enhances its value proposition to both creators and viewers. Creators get new ways to monetize their content without altering their message to suit the fickle preferences of traditional advertisers. Similarly, viewers gain access to specialized products that resonate with their interests, which can enhance their engagement with the platform. Rumble’s approach could potentially set a new standard in the digital economy, demonstrating that platforms can thrive without compromising on the diversity of voices they host. This model supports a more stable revenue base and reduces the platform’s vulnerability to external pressures from advertisers who may disagree with the content. Moreover, it gives brands that may not have the scale to engage with larger advertising networks a chance to reach targeted audiences, fostering a more inclusive market ecosystem. Commenting on the initiative, Rumble’s Chairman and CEO, Chris Pavlovski said, “Brand advertisers have previously boycotted companies that foster diverse user opinions. If certain factions of corporate America refuse to engage with sizable market segments, Rumble will bridge the gap. By partnering with these brands, we not only elevate our revenue but further our pursuit of a free and open internet ecosystem. We aim to provide brand partnerships that aid creators monetization on our platform.” If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Rumble’s Bold New Path: Independent Products to Bypass Demonetization Fears appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

NYT: It's Only a 'Narrative' That Trump is Being Persecuted

The Anunnaki are said to be a group of deities in several ancient Mesopotamian cultures like the Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian. The term Anunnaki is often used in ancient texts as referring to a group of gods. The name is a derivative of the names heaven and earth, Anu and Ki but is also translated by some as “those of royal blood” and also “princely offspring”. Some even believe the Anunnaki are sons and daughters of the gods, heaven, and earth. The Annunaki were the main gods of the Sumerian pantheon. Their name and certain aspects of their mythology… This premium content is for PLUS+ members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read. The post Anunnaki: Did Aliens Create the Human Race? appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Meet Opie, an adorable Goldendoodle who’s melting hearts across the internet. This fluffy bundle of joy recently became a big brother, and his first encounter with his new human sibling is nothing short of magical. Love knows no boundaries. The heartwarming moment when Opie meets his newborn baby brother has taken the online world by... The post Goldendoodle meets baby brother and it quickly turns into the most heart-melting footage appeared first on Animal Channel.

On Monday morning, the White House correspondents on ABC, CBS, and NBC all eagerly played the role of unofficial Biden press aides by touting his Sunday night address to the nation as a plea to use the attempted assassination of Donald Trump as “an urgent plea...to cool down the political temperatures” and a task for Americans “to unite” by “restor[ing] civility”.  None of them mentioned Biden’s harsh record smearing Republicans as racists and national security threats Instead, CBS and NBC left it to their colleagues with ABC not mentioning Biden’s record at all. And, in another case of bias by omission, none pointed out that, Biden had another mental gaffe when he said differences should be resolved at the “battle box”.     ABC’s Good Morning America even played the clip of Biden talking about “the battle box”, but didn’t acknowledge it as a slip-up. Co-host and former Clinton official George Stephanopoulos boasted that Biden “condemned political violence, saying we cannot allow to it be normalized.” Chief White House correspondent and lead Biden apple polisher Mary Bruce was ebullient, gushing that Biden made “an urgent plea for Americans to cool down the political temperatures in this country” because what happened Saturday was “simply not who we are, and is challenging Americans to use this moment to unite us rather than divide us.” Bruce conceded “we are in the middle of a very divisive campaign”, but instead of pivoting to how Biden would have a role in said decline in civility, she insisted Biden’s “well aware of” this being a tense election season. “[H]e says this is a time of testing and what comes next, whether the rhetoric can be dialed down, so much of that will depend on these two candidates. Are they able to articulate and outline their very different visions for the future of this country without ratcheting things up,” she added before concluding the Biden campaign will resume it’s full-throated campaign (i.e. attacks on Trump) by Monday night and “putting ending political violence front and center in this race.” NBC’s Today trotted out chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander to be Biden’s walking press release. Alexander led into a non-“battle box” clip of Biden by praising Biden for “delivering a very clear message, an effort to lower the temperature and again condemning political violence.” After the clip, he fluffed Biden’s pillow with tiresome biographical propaganda (click “expand”): You know, political violence was the motivating factor for Joe Biden to run in 2020 after Charlottesville then the January 6 attack. That’s been a defining theme of his presidency. Among the challenges going forward right now, how sharply he can make the case against Donald Trump that he is a threat to democracy, while still casting himself as a calming force.  The President, we should note, spoke with Mr. Trump late Saturday. White House aides tells us that call was short but good and respectful and we have just learned the First Lady Jill Biden spoke with Melania Trump by phone yesterday afternoon. Immediately after the shooting, the Biden campaign notably took down its TV ads, postponed a scheduled trip to Texas for today, but we are told with the RNC convention ramping up tonight, Hoda, they’ll resume some of that political activity and the President will hit the road again for events beginning tomorrow. Alexander left the calling out of Biden to Trump campaign correspondent Garrett Haake, who noted Biden said on Friday that “Trump is a threat to this nation” and correspondent Kate Snow, who both-sided the heated words from Democrats and the GOP. Over on CBS Mornings, senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang hyped Biden using the Oval Office as the choice of venue as “[a] testament to how much weight he wants to put behind that message of rejecting political violence” and “urged Americans to restore civility and to recommit to resolving differences peacefully, calling the upcoming presidential election a, ‘time of testing for the United States.’” Jiang followed suit from Bruce and Alexander by wrapping with how Biden will resume being political on Monday night Biden officials — campaign officials tell CBS News that tonight after President Biden does a primetime interview — and of course, that first night of the RNC, they will resume drawing a contrast with Republicans and Trump, while being mindful about rhetoric. Co-host Tony Dokoupil did the job of pointing out some of Biden’s divisive statements later in the show, including one of Biden saying Trump’s “willing to sacrifice our democracy” was proof “measure and calm haven’t exactly defined American politics lately”. In a man-on-the-street segment, he even gave airtime to Republicans accusing the media of being responsible for our divisions. To see the relevant transcripts from July 15, click here (for ABC), here (for CBS), and here (for NBC).

There’s a reason even MSNBC executives decided to keep Morning Joe off the air — in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt of President Donald Trump. They were terrified that Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski or any other of their regular guests would call Trump a “threat” to democracy, label him “fascist” or even compare him to “Hitler.”  On Monday, CNN reported: “A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the decision was made to avoid a scenario in which one of the show’s stable of two dozen-plus guests might make an inappropriate comment on live television that could be used to assail the program and network as a whole.” Their instincts were correct. It’s happened a lot.  The following are just 14 of the worst instances (via the MRC’s archive) of the Morning Joe cast and crew attacking “Hitler” Trump and his supporters as a bunch of “fascists” who will “end” democracy:   Biden Botched the Debate But At Least He’s Not a Fascist with a “Cold, Vile and Merciless Heart”     “The choice is one terribly bad night versus a decade of destruction to our core beliefs, our democratic values, and, yes, our Constitution. Someone who stumbled over his words for 90 minutes versus someone who lied to the American people over and over again. A man slowed down by a cold versus a man with a cold, vile, and merciless heart. I think in the days and weeks ahead as we move away from this debate, clarity will hopefully set in. For me, Joe Biden is still the man for this moment.”— Co-host Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, July 1, 2024.   Must Vote for Biden, “Authoritarian” Trump Is a “Threat to American Democracy”      “The thing I don’t understand is, understanding that this guy is [Donald Trump] an authoritarian, understanding the dangers that he presents, and then saying, ‘Well, I can’t stand Joe Biden either.  ….I hate his policies. I’m going to just write in a vote.’ Well, if you feel like democracy is on the line, if you feel there is an authoritarian in waiting, what is so offensive about voting for a man who’s presided over the strongest economy in the world?...I’m grateful that Republicans like Paul Ryan are not voting for Donald Trump….I just wonder how you can say he’s an authoritarian, he’s a threat to American democracy….I’m not going to vote for the one guy that can keep him out of office.”— Host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, June 13, 2024.   Republicans Reinforcing Trump’s “Violent Anti-Democratic Ways”      “Our democracy is a privilege. It is fragile, and it is a privilege and Republican leaders following Donald Trump’s autocratic tendencies are validating and reinforcing his violent anti-democratic ways on such a grand scale….They almost remind me, of sort, of the entitled children of America’s democracy. Entitled because they don’t care what it took to build it. Unappreciative of the sacrifice that it took to get here and emboldened for their own advancement of power. So, I hope they watch today [D-Day commemoration] and open their hearts to the concept of democracy rather than their own anti-democratic road to power.”— Co-host Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, June 6, 2024.   This Might Be the “Last Election in American History”     “The cowardice of the administration, and, unfortunately, on these elite colleges, having people that are now running these elite colleges on faculty boards that….burned down college campuses in the 1960s, that were responsible for the election in part of Richard Nixon in 1968 because of the chaos on college campuses, because of the chaos in Chicago….They gave America Richard Nixon and five more years of war….Let’s see if they’re now going to elect Donald Trump for, I don't know, maybe the last election in American history.”— Co-host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, April 29, 2024.   Trump Supporters Are Voting for “Tyranny” “I hope the people that are voting for Trump in these primaries enjoy the tyranny that may be coming to this country, because the tyranny is what it’s about….He doesn’t believe in women’s rights. He believes women needed to be punished….Where is he on any rights? I think about Obamacare, the 20 some million people that have Obamacare now, he’s determined to get rid of it.” — Former MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, January 16, 2024.   If Elected, Trump Will “Execute” As Many People As He Can Get Away With!     “When people go, ‘Oh, you can’t compare him to past Nazi leaders, you can’t compare him to this past Nazi leader or that past fascist leader, because he hasn’t done.’ — well, what hasn’t he done? He hasn’t done the things that the American judicial system did not allow him to do last time, but may very well allow him to do this time….The only thing that stood between him and the destruction of American democracy was the federal judiciary. He will do, he will get away with, he will imprison, he will execute whoever he is allowed to imprison, execute, drive from the country.”— Co-host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, November 21, 2023.   Trump Will Wipe Out the “Judiciary” and “Free Press”     “I always tell people, if you want to see what Donald Trump is going to do if he gets reelected, don’t think about him lining up people against the wall and having them shot. Just see what [Viktor] Orban has done in Hungary where he’s bragged about having illiberal democracy, and he’s wiped out the judiciary, he’s wiped out the free press. And Anne [Applebaum], I suppose, that’s probably what Donald Trump will look for as a blueprint if he gets elected again.”— Co-host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s  Morning Joe, October 23, 2023.   Trump Is a “Monster” Like Bin Laden, Will End Democracy If Elected     “From time to time, America faces threats from monsters who want to destroy our democracy. That happened in 1861 with the Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln and Northern soldiers and Northern voters came to our rescue, saved the Union. The same thing happened in 1933….Franklin Roosevelt came to power, saved our economic system. Pearl Harbor, 1941, we were bombed. Our system was very much in danger, our democracy, many people were giving it up and saying that the democracy had seen its last days. Franklin Roosevelt helped put a coalition together at the last minute to save democracy and freedom around the world. 9/11/2001, Osama bin Laden and other terrorists hated our democracy, tried to destroy it. You see where I’m going. What we see in this indictment is that on January 6, 2021, Donald Trump, just like those other threats to American democracy, tried to destroy our system….Donald Trump, threatening to do it all again but even more effectively, saying he’s going to institute a presidential dictatorship, that we may assume is going to take our democracy away.”— MSNBC presidential historian Michael Beschloss on Morning Joe, August 2, 2023.   A Joe Manchin Third Party Run Would Elect a “Fascist” Republican President     “Do you think he really wants to help a fascist get elected president? Because that will be his legacy for the rest of his life. [West Virginia Democratic Senator] Joe Manchin helped elect a fascist.”— Co-host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, July 18, 2023.   Vote For “Constitutionalist” Biden Over “Seditionist” Trump     “We have a pretty clear choice in this political season. We can choose a constitutionalist, a party that has been pretty faithful to the Constitution, which is the party of the incumbent president. Or, we can favor a party that has been shockingly but persistently supportive of a insurrectionist [Donald Trump] or a seditionist….It’s pretty basic. Do you want a constitutionalist [Joe Biden] or do you want an insurrectionist?”— MSNBC presidential historian Jon Meacham on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, June 23, 2023.   If Trump Wins Democracy Could Be “Over!” The “American Experiment At an End”     “We’re in a fight for American democracy, and he’s [Donald Trump] becoming more and more explicit on how he wants to take American democracy down!...One year from now, it can be over. American democracy can be over. Donald Trump one year from now could win. He’s told us what he’s going to do. So when I say American democracy is going to be over, I haven’t said this. Donald Trump is the guy that said it. He’s the one talking about executing generals that are not loyal enough to him. Or a guy that's talking about terminating the Constitution if it gets in the way of his power. He’s a guy that’s talking about taking off news networks that he disagrees with. He’s the guy that’s talking about prosecuting and putting in jail people who disagree with him….So a year from now, it can all be over. The American experiment at an end. One. Year. From. Now.”— Co-host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, December 18, 2023.   Trump Win 2024 Win = It’s the End of America, As We Know It     “Donald Trump has instilled such fear in other Republican candidates that they go right up to the trip wire of answering the question of if he does indeed, God forbid, become President of the United States again, it poses a threat to national security, and a threat to the larger existence of the United States of America, as we know it?”— MSNBC contributor Mike Barnicle on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, November 18, 2022.   Please Vote Democrat to Stop the “Rise” of Trump’s “Fascist” America     “It could be argued that today’s Democrats are too weak, too fragile, too woke, too elitist, too disconnected from the realities of working Americans, and yet the Democratic Party is the world’s last best hope against fascism against an extreme autocratic anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-contraception, anti-freedom collection of fascists who dominate the Trump wing of today’s Republican Party….They’re claiming control over your bodies, your health, your life…..What does Donald Trump’s America look like?...It looks like a 13-year-old rape and incest victim being ordered by the state to have a forced birth of her rapist’s baby….For all the Democratic Party’s flaws, they’re the only party that can stem this continued rise of fascism. Register and vote. Work toward an overwhelming majority that can protect your body, protect your freedoms, and just may save our country.”— Co-host Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, June 27, 2022.   Exploiting Holocaust Remembrance Day To Slam “Neo-Fascist” Republicans     “These 2022 elections, they’re not a referendum on Joe Biden. They’re not a referendum on Nancy Pelosi. They’re not a referendum on Chuck Schumer. They’re really a referendum on the Republican Party….Republican voters are going to have to decide where they want to go. Do they want to move back towards the views of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher? Or do they want to move in a more neo-fascist direction, a direction that they were going that of course culminated on January 6. So on this national, on this Holocaust Remembrance Day, that’s one thing I’m thinking about.”— Host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, April 27, 2022.

The BlackRock asset management company confirmed Sunday that the man who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally once appeared briefly in a video ad for the company. The company said it had pulled the ad but made it available to law enforcement for investigation. 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks had appeared in an ad seated in a high school classroom in Bethel, Pennsylvania, where he was from. Crooks' appearance in the ad fueled some conspiracy theories by those critical of the massive company that has been tied to the DEI movement. The company said Crooks did not receive any compensation for appearing in the ad, which was made to promote retirement planning. The company also called the assassination attempt "abhorrent" in a statement to Reuters. “We’re thankful former President Trump wasn’t seriously injured, and thinking about all the innocent bystanders and victims of this awful act, especially the person who was killed," the statement read. Law enforcement has made no public statements about the possible motive for Crooks' actions. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is not happy that members of her own party see the writing on the wall.The day after a lone gunman tried to assassinate Donald Trump, Axios reported that a top House Democrat privately admitted that President Joe Biden is going to lose his re-election bid, and Democrats must now change their election priorities accordingly. 'They were having a very bad political day, and then we had this supernova event.'"We've all resigned ourselves to a second Trump presidency," a senior House Democrat told the publication.That candid admission upset Ocasio-Cortez. The New York Democrat accused her unnamed leader of employing a "kind of leadership [that] is functionally useless to the American people" and demanded that person retire."If you're a 'senior Democrat' that feels this way, you should absolutely retire and make space for true leadership that refuses to resign themselves to fascism," she reacted. "This kind of leadership is functionally useless to the American people. Retire." — (@) The context of the senior House Democrat's comment is about how the assassination attempt changed the political discourse around the election, which prior to the assassination attempt had primarily focused on the growing number of Democrats calling on Biden to step aside as their party's presidential nominee. But, as the Axios story suggested, the political calculus has changed after Saturday's shocking incident.Indeed, according to NBC News, the Democratic Party's campaign to persuade Biden to step aside has come to a "standstill.""They were having a very bad political day, and then we had this supernova event. Now, it's frozen," one career Democratic strategist told NBC News of his own party. "If you're an advocate for: 'How do we tell the old man it's time to go?' — it's really hard to have that conversation publicly. This event blocks out the sun right now."Another Democratic consultant told NBC News the party should refocus its energy on House and Senate races, understanding Trump's political momentum will be hard to slow down."The presidential contest ended last night," the Democratic consultant said. "Now it’s time to focus on keeping the Senate and trying to pick up the House. ... The only positive thing to come out of last night for Democrats is we are no longer talking about Joe Biden's age today."Yet another Democratic insider described his party's predicament in simpler terms."We're so beyond f***ed," that person told NBC News.Pollster Nate Silver, meanwhile, confirmed Monday the view relayed by the top House Democrat to Axios is a "common" view in the Democratic Party — at least privately."The quote isn't an outlier," he explained. "There's a great deal of reporting that many Democrats, probably including a majority of the House and Senate, think Biden is a very likely loser. But they aren't doing anything about it because they're self-interested and risk-averse."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The assassination attempt on Donald Trump — and his reaction — will undoubtedly go down as one of the most iconic moments in American history. The former president was on stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks took aim at him from a rooftop nearby. A bullet hit Trump’s ear as he turned his head, and that head turn appeared to saved his life. After going down, Trump rose to his feet while surrounded by Secret Service agents and told them to “wait.” He then yelled “fight, fight, fight,” as he pumped his fist in the air. Not a day later, Trump sat down for his first interview after the attack. The former president told reporters from the Washington Examiner and the New York Post: “I’m not supposed to be here; I’m supposed to be dead.” “I’m supposed to be dead,” he repeated. Trump then told reporters that he wants “to try to unite our country” but doesn’t “know if that’s possible.” “People are very divided,” he added. Dave Rubin isn’t shocked that it’s happened, but he believes Trump’s reaction was “absolutely incredible.” “What’s most amazing about what happened was not that Trump got shot, right, because that actually wasn’t surprising,” Rubin says. “It was more like ‘Oh they finally did it.’” Rubin also recalls Trump telling his supporters that he’s not the real target; rather, it’s the average American citizen who is the real target. “In the end, they're not coming after me. They're coming after you — and I'm just standing in their way,” Trump said after his historic federal indictment in Georgia. “Doesn’t that really feel right right now? Doesn’t it?” Rubin asks, adding that not only is Trump standing strong after the attempt on his life, but he showed up at the Republican National Convention today. “He ain’t taking any time off,” Rubin says in admiration. Want more from Dave Rubin?To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.