She previously suffered a miscarriage

Movies & TV Heretic Heretic Makes a Charming Entry in the Religious Horror Genre By Leah Schnelbach | Published on November 11, 2024 Credit: A24 Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: A24 If you’ve heard anything about Heretic it’s probably that it’s another great villain turn from Hugh Grant, and I’m pleased to report that his performance surpasses the hype. While, alas, there is no song-and-dance number, he’s even better here than in Paddington 2. All of the bumbling, stammering, and twinkling that made him such a charming romcom star now curdles into a performance designed to fool young women into feeling safe so he can get them where he wants them. But the movie is more than just a star turn for Grant as the nefarious Mr. Reed; Sophie Thatcher (Sister Barnes) and Chloe East (Sister Paxton) match him in every scene, the mood and design are creepy and perfect, some of the twists are great, and, best of all, this movie is stuffed with ideas. They don’t all work, at least for me, but what a blessed relief to spend two hours with a movie that wants you to think. Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton are a pair of young Mormon women in their mission era. An explanation for the un-initiated: In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, young people are encouraged to spend two years (for men) or 18 months (for women) volunteering as missionaries. They go out in pairs or small groups, visiting houses and speaking to people on the street about Mormonism, working to get sit-down discussions with people who are interested in converting. They have to live by strict rules and dress codes while they do this, including the one that becomes a plot point in Heretic, which is that missionaries aren’t supposed to be alone with a potential convert of the opposite gender unless they have a chaperone. The movie joins Sisters Barnes and Paxton as they walk through the town they’ve been assigned (I think it’s in Colorado), trying and failing to speak to people. After a long and fruitless day of work, the Sisters end up at the large rambling house of one Mr. Reed, who has contacted their homebase church about a visit. In other words, he’s invited them to come, and has expressed interest in the Church. After their shitty day, the two are hoping this means he’ll really listen to them, and maybe even consider more visits. Sister Barnes, the older and more experienced of the two women, is hoping that the more naive Sister Paxton will finally net her first conversion. When Mr. Reed eventually opens the door (just as the driving rain outside turns to sleet), he cranks the befuddled charm up to 11, insists that his wife is just out of sight making a pie and will join them in a moment, and ushers the two Sisters in for their chat. Credit: A24 This is not a typical horror movie, or even thriller. Yes, the women stumble into an uncanny world and realize their mistake too late, and yes, they’re kind of in a cat-and-mouse game with a captor who holds all the power—but the thing that makes Heretic fun is that most of the action is conversation. Sisters Barnes and Paxton have come to the house ready for a debate. Mr. Reed reached out to the church and said he was interested in learning more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, so they’re expecting to sit and speak with him, for a long time, about their faith. They’re seeing this as, possibly, the first of several conversations, that will hopefully end with him choosing to convert. The movie stays true to this, and allows the conversations between the Sisters and Mr. Reed to play out exactly the way they would in real life—lulls, pauses, awkward jokes, rote recitation, argument, moments when Mr. Reed seems to defeat one of their points, and moments when they pull the conversation back their way. It takes its time making Mr. Reed more and more argumentative. Gradually, Mr. Reed transforms into a smarmy, condescending, cruel man, who slams a copy of The Book of Mormon down, bristling with tabs and annotations, challenges them on polygamy, and needles them about obscure decisions their church made a century and a half before they were born. And where the heck is this alleged wife, anyway? Obviously, a horror movie that’s also a two-hour long theological debate is not going to be everyone’s slice of blueberry pie, but I loved it. Credit: A24 Now you might ask yourself: If Mr. Reed is going to be so cantankerous about Mormonism, why did he invite two missionaries into his home to discuss it? It turns out that he’s obsessed with the concept of iteration. According to Mr. Reed, many things that are popular in the 2020s—songs, games, even religions—are actually echoes of earlier things, and if you pay attention, and pick the current stuff apart, you can trace original ideas back to their sources. Putting this into practice with a song, he plays them the Hollies’ 1974 song “The Air That I Breathe”, and when they insist they’ve never heard it, he explains that they actually have because surely they’ve heard Radiohead’s “Creep”, or more recently, Lana Del Rey’s “Get Free”, both of which came under legal scrutiny for using the song’s melody and chord progression—the Radiohead song from the Hollies’ publisher, and Lana Del Rey’s from, hilariously, Radiohead themselves. He also walks them through another example in the gaming world that is both hilarious, and a fun meta commentary on the misogyny that echoes through the whole film. That’s all fine, but then he also applies it to religion. What is Mormonism if not the latest riff on Christianity persevering? And what is Christianity of not a riff on Judaism? If Judaism is the “source” text, shouldn’t it offer the most direct experience of God? In which case why wouldn’t everyone who wants to have a relationship with God just be Jewish? What is even the point of you, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? And then Mr. Reed goes a step further. Christians want to believe that Jesus is the messiah, the savior, the Only Begotten, etc.—but what about all those other savior figures, born of virgin mothers, amassing followings, and then dying and resurrecting in stories told across ancient Egypt, Sumeria, Greece, and so many others? Dare I ask: What would Osiris do? The Sisters, who were a little baffled but intrigued by the music and gaming examples, push back when Mr. Reed applies his iteration theory to religion. Sister Barnes points out that Islam doesn’t fit into his narrative at all, and also that one of the messianic figures has a “freaking bird head”, which sets him slightly apart from the most likely human-headed Jesus. But what’s more important is that Mr. Reed is trying to get them to accept that with all these stories flailing around, the only possible truth is meaninglessness (terrifying though that may be); it’s fascinating to watch Sister Barnes push back on that, while Sister Paxton tries her best to be unfailingly polite to Mr. Reed, even though she’s scared to death of him. And that brings me to maybe my favorite aspect of the movie, which is its ultimate respect for Mormonism. Mormonism tends to be a pop cultural punching bag, with outsiders focusing on the plural marriage, the “magic underwear”, the oeuvre of Matt Stone and Trey Smith, Angels in America, the soaking, the wacky afterlife, the denomination’s extremist fundamentalist arms. (As though every religion and denomination doesn’t have its own wacky afterlife, or extremist fundamentalist arms?) Anyone who’s in a slack or group chat with me knows that I too have gently dinged the church from time to time, and I’ll cop to it: I make fun of the caffeine prohibition, because I am addicted to caffeine and the idea of living without it genuinely frightens me; I make fun of the earnestness, because I am creature of irony, and true earnestness drives me up the fucking wall. Naturally earnestness is Heretic‘s secret weapon. At one point, after the women have realized that they’ve stumbled into a horror movie, Mr. Reed gives them a choice. If they want to leave they can go through a door marked “Belief” or the one marked “Disbelief”—but they have to choose, they can’t go back out the way they came in. He’s trying to tell them that their lives are different now, they are not who they were when they turned up at his front door. But of course, this is Mr. Reed deciding for them that their lives are different, and that this conversation-turned-lecture on religious history has rewritten their brains, just as his research on religious history rewrote his. I am reminded of a New Testament class I took once, approximately a billion years ago, at a college that no longer exists. After an entire semester of picking apart the Gospels and Letters and archaeological finds and pumpernickel-dense German theology, on the very last day of class, a student put his hand up and asked the professor, “But can’t we prove any of the miracles?” The second half of the movie is about how they respond to Mr. Reed’s attempt to control their narrative and force his idea of “truth” on them, but saying much more will spoil the whole thing. The twists pile up, some more successful than others, until the film hits an ending that can be interpreted in a bunch of different ways that may or may not pay off the masterfully tense first hour. I think it worked for me more than it didn’t. I don’t do binaries, but especially this week I appreciate a movie that sets an older man who loves control and humiliation against a pair of young women who use cooperation and love to fight him. Credit: A24 One final note, that doesn’t have anything to do with the plot of the movie: from a certain point of view, the single best moment in Heretic happens during the credits. I’m not saying that to disparage the movie, which, as I’ve said, I enjoyed immensely, but the line in question is a simple line of text that says “No generative AI was used in the making of this film.” Could this become a gauntlet, please? An incredibly low bar that other filmmakers are encouraged to clear? It’s possible—likely—that talking about art and culture, and holding standards for that art and culture, is going to become even more difficult in the months and years ahead. (It’s already been difficult, as the screams of “just let people enjoy things!” and “how much did you shills get paid for this” have become louder and louder.) Using generative AI is not skilled labor. AI can’t do what I do, any more than a computer can program itself, or a robot can really clean your home or teach your children. I mention all of this because Heretic is fun and inventive and mostly a great time at the movies, and it was made entirely by people, and call me crazy but I think human art should be made by humans. I think more filmmakers should make it clear that it’s all their own work, and i think we should hold the line against letting machines do a piss poor job of something that has given life meaning for thousands of years.[end-mark] The post <em>Heretic</em> Makes a Charming Entry in the Religious Horror Genre appeared first on Reactor.

Excerpts Fantasy Read an Excerpt From Hache Pueyo’s But Not Too Bold The Shape of Water meets Mexican Gothic in this sapphic monster romance novella wrapped in gothic fantasy trappings. By Hache Pueyo | Published on November 11, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from But Not Too Bold, a new fantasy novella by Hache Pueyo, out from Tordotcom Publishing on February 11th. The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious House⁠—Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides.Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must take up her duties, locking and unlocking the little drawers in which Anatema keeps her memories. And if she can unravel the crime that led to her predecessor’s execution, Dália might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.But there’s a gaping hole in Dália’s plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path. 1 The old keeper of the keys was dead, but no one heard her muffled scream, her crushed bones, or the iron keys that fell on the floor, clinking and clanking. In fact, they only knew she was gone when a note arrived to the second floor, delivered by the empty elevator: HIRE A NEW KEEPER OF THE KEYS; URGENT; BEFORE DAWN. The maid that found the typewritten letter—the owner of the house could not handle a pen, but her long fingers moved comfortably on typewriter keys—nearly fainted. Asking for a new employee was as good as a death certificate. Everyone knew that. It was then that they had to call Dália at ten in the morning, after removing all the belongings of the deceased from the house. When she unlocked Ms. Matilde’s bedroom, Dália expected to find the former keeper of the keys, but there were only empty wardrobes and a bed whose covers and pillows had been plucked until only the bare mattress remained. Even the colorful beads that Matilde hung from the headboard had been scoured from the room, like she had never existed in the first place. Only two familiar faces remained: a tarantula in a tank and the majordomo, a brooding man known as Lionel. “I did not expect to promote you under such circumstances,” started Lionel, looking defeated with his elbows on his thighs, a ghost sitting on the velvet armchair. Lionel had not shaved from one day to the other, and his brown hair fell on his face like a curtain clawed by a cat. “But she didn’t give us a choice. Time to go to the third floor, Dália.” Had she been any other employee, those words would have felt like a slap, but she was Dália, only Dália, who had been trained her entire life to assume this role. Swallow your fear, she had learned with Matilde. You must learn to avoid being seen. At the age of eight, when Matilde took her to the third floor for the first time, her mentor instructed her to cover her nose with a perfumed handkerchief as she walked on the carpet smelling like carrion, and smiled proudly when Dália did not throw up. “What happened?” “What do you think?” Lionel left the embellished envelope on the bed and stood up. His spider, a cobalt blue tarantula, observed Dália from her owner’s pointy shoulder. “She was devoured, like everyone else. It’s true that she rarely eats her keepers, but… It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Anatema requires a replacement right away.” Dália looked at the tank. The Brazilian black was still immobile in her cage, partially covered by leaves. She imagined her next to her own pet tarantula, a Chilean rose: one tank over the other, or side by side, under the window. “When do I start?” The preparations took a good deal of the day. It was not uncommon, not in the Capricious House, to have all the employees rearranging schedules and rooms after someone’s death, but usually, it was one of the brides and, sometimes, one of the maids who worked on the third floor. Buy the Book But Not Too Bold Hache Pueyo Buy Book But Not Too Bold Hache Pueyo Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget The eccentric house had been commissioned by Anatema herself; she even brought the renowned architect Arnau Torroella i Fajó, one of the most important names of Catalan Modernisme with Gaudí, Montaner, and Cadafalch, to realize a most ambitious construction. A neo-Gothic palazzo with Germanic inspiration, a flat facade with graffito, crowned by a stepped Flemish pediment adorned by ornate tiles and macabre creatures, gargoyle-like. The interior had three floors and an ample attic, all of them as richly decorated as the exterior. Stained glass in every window; a music room covered in tapestries; two enormous kitchens with tiled floors; a fireplace of sculpted stone so large that an entire troop could march out of it; colorful chandeliers, cabinets, wallpapers; and comfortable bedrooms for every single employee of the house. The intention was clear: the house had to reflect its mistress. The Capricious House, or Casa Caprichosa, as Torroella i Fajó named it, became a regional landmark, partially hidden by the large field of poppies that surrounded it. It was near many villages, and everyone knew that the person who lived there was as wealthy as she was solitary, but they were partially wrong in their assessments. The owner was not a person. And she was not solitary— she was hiding. By the end of the afternoon, Dália was ready and standing in front of the elevator on the second floor. The elevator was another peculiar construction, with a gate made of  copper and wrought iron, a secondary folding door made of varnished mahogany, a half-length mirror, a Persian rug on the floor, and levers under the buttons. Nothing was allowed to be ordinary in the Capricious House. Dália crossed the double doors. “Remember,” warned Lionel, even though she already knew what he would say. “Never mispronounce her name. Ah-nah-teh-mah, and you must say it very clearly, not Anathema. Don’t look at her face. Don’t contradict her. Don’t…” “Lionel,” Dália interrupted. “I’m ready.” The man was as white as a sheet of paper. He took an indigo ribbon from his pocket, one she recognized as Matilde’s, and gave it to her. “For your hair,” said Lionel. The two of them wore the same standard suit that every other employee of the upper floors wore. The difference was that his uniform had a turquoise cravat, representing the second story, while the indigo of the ribbon represented the third. After he spoke, Lionel gave her a compact bottle, which Dália left in the pocket of her jacket. “Anatema’s favorite.” After the doors closed, the elevator began to ascend slowly, and Dália turned to look at the mirror. She untied her old turquoise ribbon and wrapped the new one around her curls, arranging them on the back of her neck with a simple bow. Two strands fell on her face, as black as her eyes and the rest of her clothes. Outside, the spiral staircase coiled around the elevator glass panes, revealing the mint-colored walls of the third floor, with its golden peacocks and blooming branches. With a jolt, the elevator stopped, and the iron gate opened with a clunk. The corridor carpet had a saying embroidered on it: BE BOLD, BE BOLD The highest floor—save for the attic, accessed only by Anatema and her brides—was even more ostentatious than those below. It had the same Art Nouveau decoration as the rest of the house, but with gilded handrails, crystal china cabinets, endless shelves filled with books, and, of course, tarantulas. Dália crouched to take one of the spiders in her hands, leaving her on the stairs. Beyond its immoderate architecture, the Capricious House had two peculiarities: the poppies of all colors that kept growing even after being harvested, and the tarantulas that appeared everywhere. It was all so excessive that it became an issue, and the employees had to be creative to deal with the circumstances. With the poppies, they brewed teas, arranged flowers, envisioned gastronomic decorations, and prepared morphine for the sick; they also smoked opium, sold paregoric elixirs, and produced laudanum. The latter was consumed by the owner in colossal amounts. To deal with the tarantula plague, they cooked the spiders or kept them as pets. They had the dalmatians for hunting, the chickens and goats for eggs and milk, and the spiders in tanks, their loyal companions day after day. Dália walked slowly. She knew the third floor like the palm of her hand. Matilde taught her every corner and crevice before she could even dream of going upstairs, just like she taught her what each key was for and how to distinguish one from another. She could see them when she closed her eyes: a brass mortise key, slightly crooked, three Yale keys, almost identical except for discreet lines on their thin sides, a key made of pure gold… Dália stopped in front of the closed door of the library, where the phrase she found in front of the elevator continued in front of every room: BE BOLD, BUT NOT TOO BOLD She knocked. KEEPER OF THE KEYS? Dália winced at the sound. The voice was at the same time a whisper and a booming echo, and the entire corridor shuddered with her. “Madam?” The double doors swung open. At first glance, there was no one inside. The library was in complete disarray: disorganized papers were scattered across the desk, and the heavy wooden doors had crumpled part of the thick, red rug. The shelves had ancient and recent tomes in varying states of repair, some of them coverless and coming apart at the seams. A brown tarantula walked between her legs and fled to the corridor. Dália looked up. The owner of the house observed her from a cove in the ceiling, and there was no other word to describe her except gigantic. In fact, she was so big that, if she stretched all eight articulated limbs, the space of the library would not be sufficient for her, and Dália doubted the corridor would be, either. Her legs folded like a spider’s, ending in three funneled fingers, thirty centimeters each, and her thin body reminded Dália—if only in outline—of a horribly narrow and tall woman. Though in reality, she suspected that the body was divided into two arachnid tagmata. Anatema blinked from her lower lid upward; even the slightest, most commonplace action was unnatural when she did it. The movement brought Dália’s attention to Anatema’s face, the only part of her that was vaguely human. An oval shape, a nose plastered on the skull, two eyes of the deepest ink blue, a nictitating membrane, and lips with lines like a ventriloquist’s dummy. Lips which, Dália knew, unfolded like the lie they were to reveal the true mouth underneath, starting from the nostrils and continuing down to the end of the esophagus, displaying powerful chelicerae where her jaw should have been, and several rows of sharp fangs that went from her gums to her throat. Anatema blinked again, and her neck, thicker than Dália’s entire body, extended until her face was in front of Dália’s. Nose to nose, she asked: WHAT IS YOUR NAME, KEEPER OF THE KEYS? Dália almost tumbled down to the rug. Anatema’s voice was an animal’s screech, barely comprehensible, and fury dripped from it like saliva from a tongue. Close up, Dália could see that her human face was a mask, nothing but the aggressive mimicry of an arthropod searching for prey. She lowered her eyes. “Dália, madam.” Anatema curved her neck, considering. Her face was still, but the lines that hid her mouth moved almost imperceptibly. DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU ARE HERE? “Ms. Matilde passed away, and you requested my services.” Dália understood, under such a close inspection, why the brides that came from time to time always fled after finally seeing their suitor. It was a terrible sight indeed, but a hypnotic one as well. Her silvery skin, bedecked with minuscule scales, glimmered even in the half-light produced by the curtains, and it acquired shades of blue as it continued down her trachea. The velvet robe, indigo colored and tied carelessly around her waist, covered her four upper limbs and her torso, and her long hair, also part of the mimicry, was straight, black, and gray. Anatema widened her mouth. The skin unglued from her face like the petals of a flower, revealing complex sequences of fangs, teeth, pincers, and a turquoise tongue so long that she wrapped it around Dália’s neck to bring her closer. “The old keeper of the keys was a thief.” Her voice now came directly from her windpipe. Dália did not dare to move. Anatema took the flask of laudanum that Lionel had given Dália from the pocket of her jacket and hid it inside her own robes. “Are you one, too?” “I swear I am not.” Dália was immobile, a statue like so many others in the house. She was not afraid. All the employees knew they could die for any given mishap, but they also knew how to calm their mistress down. “What did Ms. Matilde steal from you?” Anatema used one of her back legs to reach the heavy bunch of keys from the desk. She dropped it into Dália’s hands, who noticed one she had never seen before: a tiny little key, made of copper, stained with still-red blood. “Come to the treasury and you will see.” What Anatema called a treasury was the tall wall in front of the elevator, with hundreds of little marquetry doors, drawer over drawer like an endless cabinet. THE KEY, said Anatema, unlocking the rolling ladder as her voice reverberated inside Dália, who climbed the steps toward the door with inlaid marble she was pointing at. The redness on the key would not go away, no matter how many times she tried to remove the blood with her nail—and it was the one she had to use to unlock the little door so the drawer would reveal itself, unfurling elegantly. Inside was a miniature house, containing a tiny bed with crumpled covers, a narrow oven with a kettle that never ceased to whistle, a pot of poppies, a recently opened letter, a window with a view to the garden. It had everything, except an equally small person inhabiting it. Dália understood the problem right away. Matilde had shown her the interior of the drawers on different occasions, and all of them had similar miniatures, woven by Anatema herself. The miniatures moved like they were real, and represented a memory of every bride and maid she had ever devoured. This one lacked the doll representing the deceased. “That’s not all,” said Anatema behind her. The creature reminded her of a specter, her hair trickling over Dália’s shoulders, her cold breath brushing against the skin of her neck. “After eating her, I reconsidered. She might not have been the thief. Maybe it was someone who knew where the keys were. That’s why I called you. I want to know who robbed me.” Dália locked the drawer carefully and descended the ladder. “How are we going to discover that?” “We will spend the night in the library, just you and I, little one,” Anatema announced. “The door will be closed, and if there is no theft, I will assume the keeper of the keys was innocent, and I will eat you, her apprentice, instead. If there is another theft, I will assume both of you are innocent, and we will need to find the real culprit.” Dália glanced at the stairway out of the corner of her dark eyes. In front of the steps leading to the attic was the last part of the warning: LEST THAT YOUR HEART’S BLOODSHOULD RUN COLD 2 Matilde selected Dália from a group of children brought to the house by local orphanages. The future keeper of the keys, she had announced proudly, while the others were taken by launderers and cooks and maids. None of them ever moved up from the first floor, even after fifteen years passed. Matilde took her by the hand as they went up the stairs, smiling when the girl gawked at the golden handrails and sculpted arches. It’s just like having a granddaughter. Older employees mentored orphans and raised abandoned newborns to pass their knowledge to younger generations. It was part of the rules of the house: those who worked there, lived there, and would die there, one day. Usually, only people who had nowhere else to go chose such a life, but some of the employees provided for entire families with their substantial wages. They rarely mingled with the villagers nearby, and outsiders recognized them for their prideful stances, dark uniforms, and blue ribbons or cravats, expecting them to be as conceited and distant as they looked and acted. What is she like? Dália had asked when Matilde tucked her into bed that very first night. Madam is an Archaic One. Matilde offered in response an enigmatic smile. There are very few of them nowadays. She remembered imagining a very old woman with a crinkled face, white hair, and sunken eyes. Once, many Archaic Ones roamed the land, Matilde had continued, her voice lulling her to sleep. A long, long time ago… Matilde herself was old, wasn’t she? She was well past her sixth decade, but her earthy skin only had two deep lines, and her dark gray hair grew in thick short curls. Only her hands, marked with freckles and bulbous veins, gave away her age. It doesn’t matter what she is, Matilde had caressed Dália’s face, gently closing her eyes. What matters is that you’re here. Is it Ms. Matilde?” Dália asked in a whisper. Anatema nodded, her fake face concentrated and still. They had been locked in the library for hours. It was late in the night, and Dália had to turn on the electric lamps, since the darkness didn’t bother Anatema and she could go on for hours without thinking of light. The owner of the house had been weaving a doll with a familiar look: an elderly woman with a stout body and curly hair, wearing a black suit and an indigo ribbon instead of a tie. Dália sat by her side to watch her weave. Her stomach growled, reminding her of the time, and Anatema spoke again: EAT One of her limbs stretched toward the other desk to remove the crystal lid off a candy jar, grabbing a handful of Turkish delight. Her long fingers stopped centimeters away from Dália’s mouth. “Are you going to create a drawer for Ms. Matilde?” Dália chose a rosewater candy covered in sugar. “Do you regret eating her?” Anatema snaked her head closer. Her eyes revealed nothing, as neutral as her closed mouth. SHE WAS A GOOD KEEPER OF THE KEYS Dália took another Turkish delight, closing her eyes after swallowing a particularly sweet bit. She supposed she could not expect reasonable explanations from Archaic Ones. “Is it her bedroom?” Anatema stopped weaving. One of her arms bent unnaturally behind her back, and she typed a letter. The paper flew, folded, and inserted itself inside a beautiful envelope, disappearing under the door. MATILDE NEVER TOLD ME ANYTHING Dália wiped the sugar off her fingers with a napkin. She was frighteningly calm at the possibility of facing death. Maybe because Matilde had prepared her for the idea that they could be eaten at any time, maybe because Matilde herself had met the same fate, as if that was the immutable future of every keeper of the keys. “I could have delivered the letter to Lionel myself, if you wanted.” NO YOU STAY HERE The last words felt like they had been hammered into her chest. Dália knew Anatema had already made up her mind because of the content of the letter, but she failed to understand her fury. “Of course, madam.” The softness of Dália’s answer seemed to calm her down. Anatema looked at her with curiosity, surrounding her with the extending neck, a blue boa constrictor with a human mask. DO YOU KNOW HOW I MAKE THE MEMORIES? “The miniatures?” Dália removed a black strand from her own forehead, taking a deep breath to relax her stiff shoulders. MEMORIES She shook her head. Dark circles stained her face as the hours passed, and sometimes her eyelids faltered, closing for a few seconds before opening again. Two slices of silver skin unfolded from Anatema’s jaw, and part of her mouth opened: “All the memories I have woven were made out of stories. Extracts of happiness shared by my brides, fragments of my workers’ lives, any detail that makes you little creatures what you are.” Matilde’s miniature spun above Anatema’s hand, and the tiny bunch of keys the doll was holding clinked. “This is why I cannot forgive the thief for stealing the memory of my last bride from me.” The last bride had been a girl who lasted three full weeks, more than most, in addition to the many months she had come to the house as a visitor during the courtship. Dália didn’t remember her face very well; she only remembered her beautiful dresses and the poppy bouquets she had in her arms whenever she left. She had been preoccupied with Matilde, who was not acting like herself at the time. The fatigue, Dália supposed, was caused by age; Anatema’s whims and desires must have worn her down over time. “Did Matilde tell you any story?” “Never,” said Anatema with her real voice. “She claimed to only need her job. So be it, then. She will keep working in her memory, if that’s what she liked most.” Dália looked at the miniature forming on the table. It was part of the third floor, with its mint carpet and walls. It even had the painted peacocks, the golden handrails, and the little wooden doors of the treasury. “She didn’t tell me much, either,” confessed Dália while a pistachio Turkish delight melted on her tongue. “I think Ms. Matilde lived only for work.” Anatema made a thoughtful sound. In her hands, the silk web turned into architecture and furniture, bringing everything to life while she pulled and twisted the translucent threads. “I still don’t understand. That one memory, in particular…” Anatema’s hair fell over the miniature, black and silver spreading around the fake green floor. “I don’t know why anyone would be interested in it. My treasures are only valuable to me.” “Archaic art is very rare, madam,” suggested Dália. “It might have been for money.” “It might,” Anatema repeated, and her voice grew shrill and distorted as she said the two words over and over again. “Isn’t it suspicious that you even considered that? I wonder what’s crossing your head right now. If you’re trying to find a way to avoid your fate…” “I would never dare.” Dália cracked her neck, finding a more comfortable position on the leather chair. “All my life is here, in the Capricious House. I don’t dream of the outside. I only want to keep your keys; that’s all that matters for me.” Anatema left the miniature on the desk, and the doll marched across the tiny representation of the corridor. “We’ll see what happens after dawn, but I hope you’re being sincere.” Dália observed in silence as the owner of the house finished the memory. Her body ached with hunger and fatigue, but she had learned to control both things. Never say no to Anatema, Matilde had taught her. I never met such a capricious woman. Sometimes, Dália took small naps, lulled by the soft sound of the cuckoo clock’s pendulum. She stood up with a jump when the automated bird left its home to announce the time: six o’clock. “Time to discover the truth,” said Anatema. Dália rubbed her eyes and fixed her ribbon. Time to die, her mind corrected, but she only nodded quietly. “Any last words?” The creature left her work aside and straightened her back, her thin torso growing until her head reached the ceiling. Her upper arms fell to her sides like a human being, but the other limbs were on the floor like the spider she was. “I always enjoy giving some time to a person before eating them. Some like to speak. Others pray. If you’d like privacy to cry, I can wait for you outside.” Dália tidied her black suit and dragged the chair back to its place. “Can I ask you something?” “Is that your last wish?” Anatema looked amused, curling her neck until her face was almost upside down. “You want to satisfy your curiosity? Be my guest.” “Why do you eat all your brides?” Dália asked. What a waste of my last minutes of life, she thought, feeling like an insect paralyzed by the strong venom of a predator. Still, she raised her chin to face Anatema. “I’ve always wanted to know.” “Why?” Anatema repeated the question, more to herself than to Dália. “Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? I hate being seen.” Excerpted from But Not Too Bold, copyright © 2024 by Hache Pueyo. The post Read an Excerpt From Hache Pueyo’s <i>But Not Too Bold</i> appeared first on Reactor.

A person stepped in to help a kitten born in an animal shelter. Now, the young cat is flourishing in ways no one imagined. MeoMegynMeo, the kitten, was born in an animal shelter and spent the first few weeks of her life in a kennel due to a lack of resources. She ultimately became the sole survivor of her litter. When a staff member noticed her declining health, they reached out for help.Megyn, president at Critical Kitten Care Fund, sprang into action when she was contacted. "Meo was referred to me as a vet tech noticed she was very wobbly, emaciated, and weak," Megyn shared with Love Meow.At six weeks old, Meo weighed a mere 230 grams, about a third of what she should have. Her fate was uncertain, but Megyn was determined to give her a fighting chance. MegynMegyn was informed by the shelter that the kitten faced several health challenges. Meo couldn't walk properly, her hind legs splaying out as she tried to move. A vet visit revealed that her wobbliness was likely due to malnourishment and low muscle tone.During the first week, Meo spent hours snuggling with Megyn, often falling asleep tucked away in a soft blanket in her arms. MegynMeo hadn't learned to eat on her own due to her cataracts, which limited her vision. To help her, Megyn guided the kitten to her food and taught her how to eat. "Once she was eating well, she quickly rebounded."After getting her fill, she loved to nestle against her human for maximum comfort. Megyn"She went from not being able to walk to running in less than a week."As her legs strengthened and her posture improved, Meo grew more active and curious about her surroundings. She trailed behind her foster mom like a duckling, imprinting on her as she pitter-pattered across the room. "Once she gained enough muscle mass, she was running and playing like a kitten should." MegynThough her vision was limited, her keen hearing helped her track the sound of her human's footsteps. After her daily adventures, she enjoyed curling up on a warm lap, purring herself to sleep."She has learned how to navigate the world despite her vision impairment." MegynIn one week, Meo blossomed into a bundle of energy. She was still tiny but acted like the lively seven-week-old kitten she was."The whole time, she had been nothing but full of love. She purred the instant I pet her when she was 230 grams at six weeks old and hasn't stopped purring since. She has such a zest for life and loves playing with any toy, especially toys that make noise." Megyn"Once she's tired out, she wants nothing more than to cuddle up with any human or creature she can find. Despite her congenital anomalies and neglect, this girl has been so resilient thanks to her desire to live and love."With good food, physical therapy, and plenty of room to roam, Meo's legs were corrected, allowing her personality to shine through. MegynAt eight weeks old, Meo finally reached the one-pound mark, a huge milestone showing how far she'd come."Meo has conquered her final hurdle - stairs. Being visually impaired, she struggles with depth perception. Going up is much easier than going down for her." After weeks of practicing safely going downstairs, "I'm happy to report she's finally getting the hang of it." Megyn"Meo loves people more than anything and is known to fall asleep in the middle of play if she's on or near a human. Some people have blankets or stuffed toys to help them get cozy. Meo has her people."Meo is about four months old now and always a baby at heart. Megyn"I'm so grateful for how far she came from being so severely emaciated to catching up to the proper weight. No matter how big she gets, I hope she'll always be someone's baby." MegynShare this story with your friends. More on Meo and Megyn's fosters on Instagram and Critical Kitten Care Fund on Instagram.Related story: Man is Drawn to a Cat Who Has Waited for Nearly 800 Days at a Rescue Since She was Just a Kitten

BOOM! Free Speech Was on the Ballot and Won Big

In his first post-2024 election appearance on Fox News Channel’s Life, Liberty & Levin on Sunday, Media Research Center Founder and President Brent Bozell called out how the liberal media’s “attacks on Donald Trump backfired in 2024” and how the astute American people saw through their propaganda. Host Mark Levin kicked off the insightful conversation by pointing out how the liberal media “have a complete disconnect with the American people, and my theory is this, they don't care.” “The corporations that own these platforms, they don't care. It's of no consequence to them, and they are a poison to the body politic, as they get more cancerous with their propaganda,” he added.     Bozell remarked that he’d “never seen anything like this and I've been involved in politics for 45 years” and noted: “We've never seen a situation where the American news media had a lesser appreciation for the world view of the American people.” Citing a recent MRC study proving the imbalance of TV coverage of the Trump and Harris campaigns, Bozell coupled it with recent Gallup and YouGov polls about popularity and trust to show that the American people rejected what the liberal media was trying to sell them [Click “expand”]: With Donald Trump, it was 85 percent negative. Now, this is after someone shot him in the head and some other person almost killed him, and still they did nothing but attack him for two years. Meanwhile, with Kamala Harris, it was 76 percent positive coverage she got. So, day and night that they've got it. Okay, so what happened? Gallup took a poll at the start of this campaign. They found Trump's positive was at 41 percent, his negative was at 55 percent, that's negative 14. When it was all said and done with, his positive was 44 percent, his negative was 54 percent, that's a negative 10. Donald Trump went up in the polls, not down. And then there's more interesting data. Gallup then took another poll of the American news media themselves to ask if they were trusted. The trust factor, get this, Mark, the trust factor in the news media, after 85 percent negative attacks on Donald Trump, 31 percent trust factor, the lowest in recorded history. On top of that, another poll from YouGov, an organization called YouGov, that goes into a deep, deep analysis where they find out exactly what you're thinking, found only seven percent of the American people trust the news media today. “The attacks on Donald Trump backfired in 2024,” he expertly deduced. “The Democrat Party and the media are so totally disconnected from the public. You see, they don't want to know what the public thinks. They want to impose their views on the public,” Levin commented. Levin’s concern then moved to how, “as long as these mega oligopolies own these platforms, do they really care?” “So, not a single outrageous person like Joy Reid, they're never fired. They're not held to account,” he argued. “Well, I think the news media are the only industry in the United States today where management is not allowed to control its employees,” Bozell said. He put the onus on the management for letting the inmates run the asylum: The management of Comcast, the management of all of these companies, they know what I just said. They know the dishonesty. They know everything that is going on with the national news media, but they don't dare get involved in the newsroom because of the backlash. Look what happened with Jeff Bezos and The Washington Post. Even a left winger like Jeff Bezos is seeing the catastrophe in American journalism today. When he just suggested, we need to bring some conservatives just to bring balance to this; oh my God. It was like the day -- no, nothing is going to change. These people hate conservatives. Following a commercial break, Bozell called out the liberal media for trying to keep the American people ignorant of Vice President Kamala Harris’s far-left policy positions [Click “expand”]: It's stunning, isn't it that they are lecturing the American people about how Donald Trump is the end of democracy. How can you have a functioning democracy when you have an illiterate American people? That's the thing that scares me. Even though Donald Trump won this election, the fact of the matter is that Kamala Harris' own supporters had no idea where she stood. They had no idea that on abortion, that she supports all abortion at all times for anybody at any age, for any reason, paid for by the American people. The most radical view in the world. They had no idea she's come out in favor of opening the borders, no criminal charges for crossing the borders. They have no idea that in 2019, she went forward to the ACLU and saying, if elected, she would legalize all drugs. That's heroin, that's fentanyl, that's LS, you name it. She would legalize. “Her Marxism was there. They didn't cover it,” he said. “So, that's still a very, very scary thought to me that they have the ability not just to try to destroy somebody, but to never let you know who it was you really elected.” Bozell called for conservative “to be a lot more creative in their thinking, ambitious in their thinking, and really put their money where their mouth is” when it comes to ways to get around the filter of the liberal media. “So, what do you do going forward? I think you have to develop more [platforms for conservative speech],” he said. “I think it's very interesting what he's doing with Truth Social, what the Trump Organization is doing. They see it. They see not just the need, but the opportunity. There is a market opportunity for conservatives to go there.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: Fox News Channel’s Life, Liberty, Levin November 10, 2024 8:41:39 p.m. Eastern MARK LEVIN: LEVIN: Welcome back, America. We're here with my buddy, Brent Bozell, the head muckety-muck of Media Research Center and NewsBusters, they do such a fantastic job of policing the media, which is why we wanted you here. Brent Bozell, just another lousy cycle of phony media with their phony coverage. Democratic Party, left-wing media insulated from the American people, based primarily on the East Coast, with a few places in LA and Chicago. They have a complete disconnect with the American people, and my theory is this, they don't care. The corporations that own these platforms, they don't care. It's of no consequence to them, and they are a poison to the body politic, as they get more cancerous with their propaganda. Your take on what just took place in this election with the media. BRENT BOZELL: I've got to tell you, Mark, that I've never seen anything like this and I've been involved in politics for 45 years. The Media Research Center has been around for 37 years. I've never seen anything like this. We've never seen a situation where the American news media had a lesser appreciation for the world view of the American people. But by contrast, we've never seen a situation where the American people had a greater appreciation for the left-wing world view of the American media. I think you can argue that the press played a pivotal and I think, the ultimate role in the election of Joe Biden in 2020 by simply covering up all the scandals around him. They tried it again in 2024. They went with the same level of hostility – actually even more hostile than ever, and while also covering up Kamala and it backfired, and I'll show you how it happened. With Donald Trump, it was 85 percent negative. Now, this is after someone shot him in the head and some other person almost killed him, and still they did nothing but attack him for two years. Meanwhile, with Kamala Harris, it was 76 percent positive coverage she got. So, day and night that they've got it. Okay, so what happened? Gallup took a poll at the start of this campaign. They found Trump's positive was at 41 percent, his negative was at 55 percent, that's negative 14. When it was all said and done with, his positive was 44 percent, his negative was 54 percent, that's a negative 10. Donald Trump went up in the polls, not down. And then there's more interesting data. Gallup then took another poll of the American news media themselves to ask if they were trusted. The trust factor, get this, Mark, the trust factor in the news media, after 85 percent negative attacks on Donald Trump, 31 percent trust factor, the lowest in recorded history. On top of that, another poll from YouGov, an organization called YouGov, that goes into a deep, deep analysis where they find out exactly what you're thinking, found only seven percent of the American people trust the news media today. The attacks on Donald Trump backfired in 2024. LEVIN: And you're right, you and I have been around a while watching these things. The level, I mean, it is real hate speech, Hitler and all the rest of it, and then attacking half the country. The Democrat Party and the media are so totally disconnected from the public. You see, they don't want to know what the public thinks. They want to impose their views on the public. That's really the difference here. But Brent Bozell, as long as these mega oligopolies own these platforms, do they really care? I mean, CNN means nothing to this massive company; Paramount, CBS means nothing to them. I mean, Comcast, okay, MSNBC, it's like, you know, it's like a gnat on my neck, and all of these other things. So, not a single outrageous person like Joy Reid, they're never fired. They're not held to account. I mean, at least Bezos said, ‘hey, look, my newspaper, we're going to have a little bit more balance. If you people don't like it, get out.’ And they resigned, like a normal business. What do you make of this, this disconnect? BOZELL: Well, I think the news media are the only industry in the United States today where management is not allowed to control its employees. The management of Comcast, the management of all of these companies, they know what I just said. They know the dishonesty. They know everything that is going on with the national news media, but they don't dare get involved in the newsroom because of the backlash. Look what happened with Jeff Bezos and The Washington Post. Even a left winger like Jeff Bezos is seeing the catastrophe in American journalism today. When he just suggested, we need to bring some conservatives just to bring balance to this; oh my God. It was like the day -- no, nothing is going to change. These people hate conservatives. They believe, just like she believed, they believe that the America -- that conservatives are racist, misogynist and want to end democracy. When they attack Donald Trump, Mark Levin, they're attacking you, they’re attacking me, they're attacking every conservative in America. That's what they believe. LEVIN: When we come back Brent Bozell, so what does a nation do when we have a media that's not a free media, that is a propaganda operation for the hard core left in one party, in a Republic, the Republic clearly will survive, but how does this play out over time? We'll be right back. (…) 8:51:00 p.m. Eastern LEVIN: Welcome back, America. I'm here with Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center. Brent Bozell, so what happens to a Republic when the so-called ‘free press’ isn't free, it's a propaganda operation that undermines the society. BOZELL: It's stunning, isn't it that they are lecturing the American people about how Donald Trump is the end of democracy. How can you have a functioning democracy when you have an illiterate American people? That's the thing that scares me. Even though Donald Trump won this election, the fact of the matter is that Kamala Harris' own supporters had no idea where she stood. They had no idea that on abortion, that she supports all abortion at all times for anybody at any age, for any reason, paid for by the American people. The most radical view in the world. They had no idea she's come out in favor of opening the borders, no criminal charges for crossing the borders. They have no idea that in 2019, she went forward to the ACLU and saying, if elected, she would legalize all drugs. That's heroin, that's fentanyl, that's LS, you name it. She would legalize. They have no idea that she's a green sponsor -- co-sponsor, which is the most radical takeover of the American economy, of the world economy in the history of man. On and on, her Marxism was there. They didn't cover it. So, that's still a very, very scary thought to me that they have the ability not just to try to destroy somebody, but to never let you know who it was you really elected. LEVIN: So what happens now? They're not going to correct themselves. They don't really care. Nobody is going to get fired or held to account. If they don't make a nickel or the ratings are down, companies that own them don't care. They're not going to do anything about it. So what is it? We have competition, we have a free country, so we have more platforms that are created; new technologies. I mean, this sort of thing is really what's going to save us in terms of a true free press, right? BOZELL: Yes, yes, I think one of the lessons from 2024: Donald Trump just bypassed the conventional news media. He went to what to social media, which is what he did in 2016, what Obama did in 2012 and 2008, but he did it in a more sophisticated way. You know, he went to these places -- Joe Rogan has an audience, what -- three, four times the size of NBC on a regular basis. He went to these platforms where they truly connect with the American people. So, what do you do going forward? I think you have to develop more of them. I think it's very interesting what he's doing with Truth Social, what the Trump Organization is doing. They see it. They see not just the need, but the opportunity. There is a market opportunity for conservatives to go there. Conservatives have to be a lot more creative in their thinking, ambitious in their thinking, and really put their money where their mouth is. If they develop these new platforms, ultimately, the hell with NBC News. LEVIN: I might add, one of the areas that's getting absolutely no attention, which is very frustrating to me, is conservative talk radio. It's as strong, it's as vibrant as it's ever been. The legacy of Rush, many of us are standing on his shoulders, but I was looking at a Pew Research study. It said that it's as big as ever before, that upwards of 30 percent of the American people get their information from talk radio. Look, my show runs simulcast on podcast, on satellite, on – you know, airport radar systems, on sonograms on everything we can do, but conservative talk radio is why Soros is trying to buy up all these stations, because it's as strong as ever before, and Donald Trump used it to his advantage. It's under the radar, he used it. There's still -- yes, go ahead. BOZELL: Well, I think conservative, I mean talk radio is the most market driven media that exists today. You either have a market or you don't. And if you don't have a market, you don't get advertisers, you go out of business. It's as simple as that. What you've had is historically, one Democrat after another, one liberal after another, has been presented as a talk show host. Every single one of them has cratered. The only way you can do that is when the American people have their money taken from them, and you have to go with NPR, but there's no market demand for the left. There's an absolute market demand for the right, because of people like you, because people want information that they know they're not getting from CBS News, but they're getting -- there's more news coming from commentary radio than there is from the news media when they purport to be reporting news. LEVIN: Brent Bozell, thanks for everything you do, everything you're going to do. God bless you, my friend. Be well. BOZELL: Thank you, Mark. Thank you.

A male athlete playing on a women's NCAA volleyball team faced jeers and chants from a crowd demanding fairness in women's sports.San Jose State University's women's volleyball was defeated by San Diego State University on Saturday, but the score was not what caused the most commotion. The game saw around triple the usual attendance; however, much of the crowd was not happy to see SJSU's transgender athlete Blaire Fleming. Born Brayden, Fleming is a 6'1'' male whose inclusion on the team has sparked five separate forfeits from opposing teams and even caused his own teammate to speak out against him.As OutKick's Alejandro Avila reported, Fleming was greeted by a section of fans holding a "Save Women's Sports" banner.The crowd members also chanted, "No men in women's sports!" as Fleming stood on the court.'Shame on you for not protecting women.'One attendee in the opposing bleachers allegedly attempted to get the fans silenced, but upon complaining to security, the on-duty guard reportedly said the fans were not violating any guidelines, citing free speech.SDSU staff seemingly felt differently, however, and were reportedly on high alert, looking to stamp out any forms of "hate speech" that may occur during the game. This included SDSU's associate athletic director of operations, Dave Noll, who confronted one of the fans leading the chants. The fan was identified as a man named Patrick Higuera.Noll approached Higuera, accompanied by venue security, and told him he was violating the guidelines put forth by the Mountain West Conference.The two exchanged words in an intense, face-to-face standoff."Shame on you for not protecting women," Higuera said to Noll. Protesters at San Diego State University hold a sign in opposition to a male athlete on San Jose State's women's volleyball team.Image courtesy Alejandro Avila / OutKickSDSU athletics issued a statement that said its staff is "trained to intervene in interactions in which there are disruptions, complaints or reported concerns, which occurred.""Guidelines and policies are in place that help to ensure a safe environment for our student-athletes, staff and guests," the statement reportedly added."Our athletic events are opportunities to support our teams, celebrate our community, and set a positive example for our student-athletes and guests. Poor behavior, including disrespectful language, taunting and any unsportsmanlike conduct, does not reflect the values we uphold, including the Mountain West Conference's sportsmanship guidelines, and undermines the positive spirit of the game," the statement concluded.Unfortunately, SJSU has failed to adequately protect its female athletes. According to Fleming's teammate Brook Slusser, the school has predominantly focused on the male athlete's well-being during team meetings and discussions."We've had meetings, and it's a lot of just checking in on Blaire. ... We were like 'what about us?'" Slusser told Blaze News. "It's mostly just saying you can't be the person to ... identify Blaire's gender identity. 'Blaire needs to do that for himself,'" the girls were told.According to an assistant coach, who has since been suspended, SJSU head coach Todd Kress has filed complaints against his own athletes for speaking out against Fleming.Kress has allegedly filed at least one Title IX complaint against Slusser on the basis that she has referred to Fleming using masculine pronouns during media interviews. Kress allegedly described this as a threat to the rights of trans women.Kress was asked specifically about these views and whether or not he believes Fleming should be allowed to play with or against women. However, he has not responded to requests for comment from Blaze News. Blaire Fleming talks to teammates during a loss vs. SDSU on Nov. 9, 2024.Image courtesy Alejandro Avila / OutKickLike Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is not going to take directions from discontented liberals. Since last year, progressives have demanded that Sotomayor, 70, needs to retire from the Supreme Court so that President Joe Biden can nominate a young liberal justice in her place. Democrats are angry about the court's current composition, which includes six conservative justices and three liberals, and they fear another Ruth Bader Ginsburg situation: a liberal justice not retiring only to pass away while still on the court, thus allowing a Republican president to nominate a conservative justice to replace a liberal one. 'She just turned 70 and takes better care of herself than anyone I know.' The demand for Sotomayor's retirement took on new life last week after Donald Trump's resounding victory. It's a "hair-on-fire" moment for Democrats, Politico reported. Not only are there demands coming from progressives on social media, but Democratic members of the Senate are "actively engaging" in a conversation about how to push Sotomayor into retirement before Biden's presidency ends and the next Congress is sworn in, according to Politico. Democrats so much want Sotomayor to retire that Bakari Sellers, a former Democratic state lawmaker turned liberal pundit, even floated the possibility of forcing her out and replacing her with Vice President Kamala Harris. But Sotomayor reportedly has no plans to retire. Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, and CNN all reported that the Supreme Court's most liberal justice will not retire, citing people and sources close to Sotomayor. "She's in great health, and the court needs her now more than ever," one source told CNN. "This is no time to lose her important voice on the court. She just turned 70 and takes better care of herself than anyone I know," a person close to the justice told the Wall Street Journal. In January, Sotomayor made headlines when she admitted that she lives in "frustration" when the Supreme Court hands down rulings that she disagrees with, saying that "every loss" leaves her "traumatize[d]." She followed up those remarks by admitting in May that she sometimes cries after court rulings. "There are days that I've come to my office after an announcement of a case and closed my door and cried," she said. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

After Kamala Harris’ devastating loss, liberals across the country are scheming ways to get their pick into the White House anyway. NewsNation contributor Kurt Bardella has his own idea. “If you’re President Joe Biden, there’s nothing left to run for, there’s nothing left to really do. Pardon your son, then resign, and elevate Kamala Harris to the presidency and make one more mark in the history books while you can,” Bardella told the rest of the panel. Christopher Bedford is not impressed with Bardella’s idea, telling Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson of “Blaze News Tonight” that his “opinions are stupid” — especially considering that Biden doesn’t seem too devastated by her loss. “Joe Biden’s opinion on Kamala Harris’ loss was on full display,” Bedford says. “He practically ran to the microphone at a quick jog, he was wearing his sunglasses, he had a big smile. He said, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’ like he was a rock star there to greet adoring fans, not someone delivering the somber message about the future of our republic.” Not only does Bedford believe there’s absolutely no chance the president steps aside, he also doesn’t think it would be right in the first place. “This idea that he should just give Kamala Harris, who didn’t win a nomination first round, didn’t win a nomination the second round, has never won anything on the national level, the presidency as some kind of participation trophy is just what happens when you get an entire generation of participation trophy losers who become adults,” Bedford explains. “It completely infantilizes her, and it’s a really embarrassing suggestion,” he adds. Want more from 'Blaze News Tonight'?To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A southern California public high school teacher went on a profane rant in his Advanced Placement world history class against President-elect Donald Trump the day after the election — and that teacher has been placed on administrative leave.KABC-TV reported that the teacher from Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, which is in Riverside County, used profanity and "made fervent anti-Trump remarks during a discussion with students."The station said the unnamed teacher's comments were recorded and have gone viral on social media."This s**t is not a f***ing game!" the teacher told students. "Does that make sense, everybody? I can't emphasize this enough. Can you end up in a concentration camp in your lifetime? Yes. Can you end up with no human rights? Yes. Will it happen to you? Most likely not, which is a good thing. But has Donald Trump quoted Hitler? Yes. Does he embody some of Hitler's ideas? Yes."The teacher also seemed incredulous that Trump handily beat Vice President Kamala Harris: "Why did he win the election? A rapist, draft-dodging coward. Treasonous scum. Why would he win?"He also said, "God, I f***ing hate the patriarchy. If you're a young man right now in front of me, I hope you hate it, too. Because it's not hurting you; it's hurting everyone you love. You get the privilege of not being born with a uterus, so it doesn't affect you; it's affecting everyone else. I'm so f***ing sorry, guys. You deserve better. Look at me! You! Deserve! Better!"Corey DeAngelis, executive director of the Educational Freedom Project, posted numerous snippets of the teacher's rant on X.Now what?A Moreno Valley Unified School District spokesperson told KABC the teacher will be on administrative leave pending the outcome of a review."We were recently made aware of an incident at one of our high schools, in which a staff member's discussion about the election results turned unprofessional," the district said in a statement, according to the station. "We do not condone the behavior that occurred, and an immediate investigation has been launched."Student walkout planned Students told KABC they're planning a school walkout Tuesday in support of the teacher; the station added that more than a thousand people have signed an online petition urging the district to allow him to return to Valley View High. "It's just devastating to know that they're trying to get him out all because of his opinion," student Sarah Ghawi told KABC.Mykael James, who was in the class Wednesday, added to the station, "I think they're trying to make him seem like a bad guy because of what he said. I know it was very strong-toned, but that's how he gives his lecture as a professor."James also told KABC she believes her teacher's words were "appropriate. I didn't take it the wrong way." She also told the station he was "offering up a one-on-one apology after class."You can view KABC's video report here about the teacher's remarks.Not the only incidentThe Valley View High School teacher's outbursts were not the only recent cases of Trump derangement syndrome exhibited by America's educators.An Ohio high school English teacher reportedly was placed on administrative leave over a TikTok video in which she encourages men who voted for Democrats to identify themselves so that women will know who the “safe men” are.A Florida high school teacher reportedly was suspended and is under investigation after telling students, "If you are not white, you are going to be in trouble over the next four years as far as the living situation of the United States, and I'm not kidding."An Idaho high school teacher reportedly is under fire after allegedly telling a Trump supporter on social media, "I hope your mistress or daughter have an unwanted pregnancy, wait, I looked at your picture, you don’t have a mistress…and probably never got anyone to have a daughter by you unless it was by force."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!