Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down in episode 37...

Oriental hornets are high-key heavyweights.

The ssstudy also involves the longest python ever captured in Florida. Fantastic.

Resent research shows how a 10 week course can teach blind and sighted people to echolocate.

Occupying your campus with a months-long CHAZ for Jihad gets you sympathy and free food! But a lone folding table advertising the school’s conservative club gets you subject to a food fight. Members of UC Berkeley’s Turning Point USA chapter were tabling on campus on Wednesday when a wild they/them walked over and threw tomato soup all over everyone. The crime was caught in a viral video posted on TPUSA’s X account.  Today at a @tpusastudents tabling event at UC Berkeley with Chloe Cole and Harrison Tinsley, this individual threw a full bottle of tomato juice all over the TPUSA chapter members, staff, and their table. @Harrisontinz @ChoooCole VC: @uhneti pic.twitter.com/CTWd4rfpsm — Turning Point USA (@TPUSA) October 23, 2024 “Hey!” screamed one of the members,” as the unidentified specimen chucked the soup on their display of posters. The creature appeared to be a man dressed like a woman. But it wasn’t acting very ladylike.  “What? You’re worried that I’m going to stain your f*cking signs that are telling lies to people?” it asked, after pouring some more at students and staffers. One witness questioned “why would you do that,” to which the creature responded with a shrug and even more soup. It began to walk away, only to return and attack everyone else in sight. “Can you please not do that?” a woman complained. “Why?” the culprit, with a faded 5 o’clock shadow responded. “Because this is our stuff. We’re allowed to table here, we actually have a permit,” she added as if the group needed to explain themselves to the guy assaulting them. The culprit then snatched another witness’s phone from his hands. “Don’t touch me!” he said. “I’m not touching you, I’m grabbing your phone,” the culprit responded. After taunting the group for a little longer, it chucked the now- soup empty carton at them and finally stormed off. “Behold, the tolerant left,” a random bystander gestured as he walked by. The culprit is still at large, as the university administration has publicly stated nothing in response. But these shenanigans are nothing new to UC Berkeley, which has devolved from the bastion of America’s free speech movement in the 60’s to a reincarnation of East Berlin.  In 2019, a leftist thug punched my colleague, Hayden Williams in the eye as he was helping the same TPUSA chapter table on campus. President Donald Trump invites Hayden Williams — who was violently attacked on campus last month at UC Berkeley — on stage to talk at CPAC pic.twitter.com/JdkfN2kRAk — Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) March 2, 2019 Then-President Trump responded with the Campus Free Speech Executive Order, a signing which we both bore witness to.  #BREAKING President Trump on Free Speech Executive Order: “Under the guise of speech codes & safe spaces & trigger warnings these universities have tried to restrict Free Thought, impose total conformity, and shutdown the voices of great young Americans.” pic.twitter.com/uMdij5xfKm — The Columbia Bugle ?? (@ColumbiaBugle) March 21, 2019 Sadly, it seems our current President has annulled that document.

In a shocking move, the official page dedicated to Free Speech Week promoted an event devoted to a new and pernicious type of censorship: media literacy.  Free Speech Week was founded in 2005 by The Media Institute and the National Association of Broadcasters “to raise public awareness of the importance of free speech in our democracy – and to celebrate that freedom.” However, Free Speech Week’s official X account reposted an event at the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse dedicated to “Media Literacy.”  Free Speech Week reposted Wisconsin Watch Board Member Richard Brown’s post on X: “Had an amazing time at #FreeSpeechWeek at @UWLaCrosse discussing the importance of #MediaLiteracy! Grateful to the Center for Transformative Justice and the Joint Committee on Civil Discourse for hosting. Special thanks to Ashley Nowak, Caleb Colon-Rivera, and Taylor Cole Miller!”  Had an amazing time at #FreeSpeechWeek at @UWLaCrosse discussing the importance of #MediaLiteracy! Grateful to the Center for Transformative Justice and the Joint Committee on Civil Discourse for hosting. Special thanks to Ashley Nowak, Caleb Colon-Rivera, and Taylor Cole Miller! pic.twitter.com/zN0zo5q6km — Richard E. Brown (@richardebrown17) October 24, 2024 MRC Free Speech Vice President Dan Schneider blasted Free Speech Week for highlighting the event. “The left has two terms that mean censorship, one is content moderation and the other is media literacy,” Schneider said. “It is shocking that the fakers who organize Free Speech Week would be promoting censorship. The left believes that to protect democracy, you have to first end it. They think that to protect free speech you have to censor speech.”  Organizations purporting to promote “media literacy” such as NewsGuard and Ad Fontes routinely work to demonize right-leaning media outlets.  MRC Free Speech America Associate Editor Joseph Vazquez has exposed NewsGuard’s rampant bias in three successive studies, showing that the media ratings firm has routinely granted highly favorable ratings to left-leaning news outlets. Most recently, Vazquez found that NewsGuard gave right-leaning media outlets an average score of 65% and left-leaning outlets an average score of 91%—a 26-point disparity. Prior studies found disparities of 25 in January 2023 and 27 points in December 2021.  An MRC investigation into Ad Fontes by MRC Assistant Editor Luis Cornelio and MRC Senior Counsel for Investigations Tim Kilcullen found an even worse disparity in ratings. Ad Fontes gave left-leaning outlets an average rating of 64% and right-leaning outlets an average rating of 32%—a 32-point difference. Beyond mere bias, both media literacy firms have engaged in anti-free speech activity. Ad Fontes has partnered with schools to impose their media preferences on students, while their partnership with Microsoft and Meta may pose a threat to advertising on right-leaning media. NewsGuard disturbingly pitched its services to Twitter, offering to use its ratings system to assist censorship on the social media platform.  Conservatives are under attack! Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

Wait a second! We thought "America: Love It Or Leave It" was a phrase used by jingoistic, racist, sexist, homophobic, right-wing Neanderthals! But there was Joe Scarborough on today's Morning Joe, breaking out a close facsimile of the phrase to condemn . . . Trump supporters! Scarborough was reacting to Trump having yesterday said, in reference to the porous border that Biden-Harris have created, "We’re a dumping ground. We’re like a garbage can for the world." Scarborough and Willie Geist got up on their super-patriot high horses to condemn Trump and his fans, with Scarborough finishing with this: "If anybody believes that America is a garbage can, that's voting this election, they're just stupid. They just don't know the facts. They may want to move somewhere else if they think it's such a hellhole."     Sorry, Joe. But it's your fellow libs who always threaten to move to another country if their candidate loses--though sadly, they never seem to make good on their vows! Be assured that, regardless of the election's outcome, Trump supporters won't be going anywhere! Scarborough, of course, deliberately misreads Trump's casting of America as a garbage can.  Far from hating America, from the start of his political career nine years ago, Trump's goal has been to make America great -- again! Wonder how Joe and Mika might feel if their hometown of Jupiter, Florida [current black population 1.5%] were turned into a Sunshine State version of Springfield, Ohio, with a huge influx of recent Haitian immigrants? We saw that when Governor DeSantis sent just a few dozen Venezuelan immigrants to Martha's Vineyard—a sister island to Scarborough's Nantucket hangout—locals quickly organized a more civilized version of the bum's rush. Note: The liberal media loves to trash Trump for pronouncing Harris' first name as Ka-MA-la. But as you'll see at 0:55 in the clip, Willie Geist goes Ka-MA-la himself! In recent times, the formerly more moderate Geist has become much more lib-partisan. Could Geist be eyeing Scarborough's chair when he eventually vacates it?  But you don't suppose that despite his harsh on-air condemnations of Trump, Willie, with his Ka-MA-la, might be signaling his secret membership in the Orange Man Clan? Here's the transcript. MSNBC Morning Joe 10/25/24 6:03 am EDT JOE SCARBOROUGH: The crazy thing is, again, these people that used to be flag wavers for America, now will wave their Trump flags. They sit back and smile and will vote for a guy that disparages the United States of America constantly, says he's going to arrest his political opponents, and disparages generals who have given their entire lives for this country. . . .  WILLIE GEIST: Yeah, in Donald Trump's eyes, being a patriot, a term that he has used and his supporters use, being a patriot means supporting him, doing what he thinks is right. It has nothing to do with the country or the Constitution. It has to do with Donald Trump. Yesterday, calling America a garbage can. He's called America a hell hole, a Third World country. It brings to mind the line that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro likes to use a lot, which is, "Hey, Donald Trump, stop s-talking America. What is it with you? Why do you think America is so terrible?" Kamala Harris' campaign has kind of seized on this, as we saw at the convention first and ever since. And that is, patriotism has been reclaimed. We are, we support freedom. We support the Constitution, not Donald Trump. But I think the good news is, I think most Americans do not believe that America is a hellhole or a garbage can. A lot of us are proud to have lived here our entire lives. We celebrate the country. And we'll see if people vote that way. SCARBOROUGH: Well, let me just say, if anybody believes that America is a garbage can, that's voting this election, they're just stupid. They just don't know the facts. I don't mean to bore people -- MIKA BRZEZINSKIl: They might want to take a trip. SCARBOROUGH: I don't want to bore -- yeah, they may want to move somewhere else if they think it's such a hellhole.

This week, Donald Trump set the political world afire with an appearance at a McDonald’s in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. There, he donned the famous McDonald’s apron, cooked up some fries and served customers at a drive-thru window. All the while, he looked like he was enjoying himself thoroughly -- which he certainly was. Trump has the momentum, and he knows it. But it’s more than that. Whatever Trump’s other failings, at his root, Trump likes people. And not just people of his class or who share his background. He likes dealing with human beings. Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to commemorate Oct. 7 with Trump, where he met with the family of an American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza. Trump connected with them on an emotional level. Whether it’s Jewish Americans from New Jersey dealing with the horror and tragedy of having their son held by the world’s most vicious terror group or Pennsylvania voters who just want to meet Trump and pick up a Happy Meal, Trump is comfortable with his fellow Americans because he’s unapologetically what he is. That’s simply not true of Kamala Harris. Off-script, Harris remains a disaster. Her “60 Minutes” interview with Bill Whitaker was filled with word slaw, spin and platitudinous drivel; her Fox News interview with Bret Baier flew completely off the rails, with Harris unable to defend even the most basic decisions by the Biden administration. She is apparently now taking time off the campaign trail to prepare for an NBC News interview as well as a CNN townhall -- events that, for a normal candidate, would require zero prep time in a hotel conference room. Then again, this is the same woman whose staff had to hold a “mock dinner” to prepare her for a dinner with Washington journalists and newsmakers. Axios reported, “Harris aides even considered including wine in the mock prep so Harris could practice with a glass or two.” What’s more, Harris seems to be a permanent resident of the uncanny valley. She does a mildly credible job of appearing warm and human ... but only just. Her interactions always reek of the staged and the manipulated. Every move is calculated -- and transparently so. Twelve-time Best Actress nominee Katharine Hepburn once reportedly described Meryl Streep’s acting as too mechanical: “Click, click, click,” she reportedly told biographer Scott Berg, “referring to the wheels turning inside (Streep’s) head.” That’s Kamala Harris with actual, real human beings. And it shows. Which is why the media have gone apoplectic about Trump’s McDonald’s visit. Trump’s critics pointed out that the McDonald’s was actually formally closed for his visit and claimed that the event was “staged” -- a peculiar critique given that Trump has been the victim of two assassination attempts, and presidential campaigns require places of business to be secured before candidates enter. The critics even went so far as to attack the local franchise for its health record years ago. The desperation comes from an obvious place: This was a Trump win. And it was a Trump win because Trump wasn’t pretending; he didn’t don jeans and a T-shirt in order to cosplay as one of the boys, Tim Walz-style. Instead, he showed up in his traditional suit, put on an apron and started handing out fries and chit-chatting with the customers. It was a moment of authenticity, and it showed as such compared with the polyester joy presented by the Kamala campaign. Harris can’t shake the fundamental reality that she has been, for decades, a highly stylized political product. Kamala 1.0 was a progressive prosecutor; Kamala 2.0 was a hard-charging prosecutor; Kamala 3.0 was the furthest left member of the United States senate; Kamala 4.0 was a moderate. And Kamala 5.0 is whatever she needs to be at any given moment. But what she truly needs to be is human. And that’s the problem: She isn’t.

An Arizona mother won a major First Amendment victory earlier this week when a justice of the peace dismissed the case against her after she was arrested in connection with publicly criticizing a city official.On August 20, 32-year-old Rebekah Massie and her 10-year-old daughter attended a city council meeting in Surprise, a suburb of Phoenix. During the public comment portion of the meeting, Massie stood at the podium and slammed city attorney Robert Wingo for accepting a raise despite poor job performance.As Massie expressed her views on Wingo, Mayor Skip Hall repeatedly interrupted her, insisting that her criticisms of Wingo violated rules regarding public comments at city council meetings. That rule read that "oral communications during the City Council meeting may not be used to lodge charges or complaints against any employee of the City or members of the body."Massie did not deny that she was violating that rule but insisted that the rule was unconstitutional. "That's a violation of my First Amendment rights," she said during the meeting, as Blaze News previously reported.After Massie continued speaking in defiance of Hall, the mayor eventually ordered security to arrest her. She was then charged with trespassing, a class 3 misdemeanor, as well as resisting arrest and obstructing government operations, both class 1 misdemeanors. She also claimed the arresting officer threw her to the ground and against a wall during the incident.At a hearing to formally dismiss the charges on Wednesday, Justice of the Peace Gerald Williams excoriated the city rule proscribing public criticism of officials."That policy regulated not just speech; but political speech," Williams wrote, apparently aghast. "No branch of any federal, state, or local government in this country should ever attempt to control the content of political speech. ... In this case, the government did so in a manner that was objectively outrageous," he continued."The Defendant should not have faced criminal prosecution once for expressing her political views."Williams ultimately decided to dismiss the case with prejudice so that no prosecutor could refile the charges, claiming "justice" demanded such a decision.'We want to make it crystal clear to governments across the United States that brazenly censoring people and betraying the First Amendment comes with a cost.'In a statement to Blaze News, Massie expressed "relief" at the ruling and at all the support she has received from other freedom-loving people."For more than two months I’ve been living with the threat of punishment and jail time — being taken away from my kids, even — for doing nothing more than criticizing the government," she said, adding, "Free speech still matters in America."Bret Royle of Feldman Royle, who represented Massie in the case, is also gratified by the court's decision. "Rebekah should never have been detained, let alone criminally charged, for speaking her mind," Royle said in a statement to Blaze News. "That’s the kind of thing that happens in tyrannical countries but should never happen here. No American should face jail time for exercising their freedom of speech, and we’re relieved the court agreed."It seems the government recognized that Mayor Hall and others likely overstepped their bounds because both sides wanted the charges against Massie dropped, Williams noted in his decision. Surprise has likewise dropped the rule about publicly criticizing officials.Massie has also joined forces with FIRE, a legal organization dedicated to protecting free speech, which has since filed a federal lawsuit against the city for the now-defunct rule."This is an incredible win for Rebekah and an important message to government bureaucrats around the country that the First Amendment bows to no one," said FIRE attorney Conor Fitzpatrick in a statement in Blaze News. "The fight goes on in Rebekah’s lawsuit against the City of Surprise [and] Mayor Hall. ... We want to make it crystal clear to governments across the United States that brazenly censoring people and betraying the First Amendment comes with a cost."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An audience member at a news conference asked UFC President Dana White for a fight contract in what may be one of the most bizarre moments of the year for the promoter.During Thursday's presser for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, media members and fans were asked to line up behind microphones to ask fighters on the card — and White — some questions.'If he wins that night, I'll sign him!'About 30 minutes into the news conference, a man wearing a plain white T-shirt stepped up to the mic and grabbed it firmly."I am an undefeated elite athlete from Tajikistan. Nabotov Dorobshokh, nine wins, zero losses," the man said.The unknown fighter then begged the UFC president for a chance at fighting in the promotion: "Dana, I don't have a question, I came here for a fight on short notice. I've never had a manager, I did it all by myself, please give me a chance. Dana, I want to fight in the UFC, please give me a chance, I'm ready, please give me, Dana."The crowd erupted in support for Dorobshokh as the UFC president smirked."Umm ..." White paused, looking confused. "What's your record?" he then asked."9-0," Dorobshokh responded.White then asked what weight he fights at — and with a translator's assistance, White and the audience learned Dorobshokh is a "lightweight," or 155 pounds.In a video posted to X, White invited the fighter to the stage, shook his hand, and then directed him to some staff members off-screen before moving on to the next question.It was later revealed that the UFC immediately went to work with the unknown fighter. White explained in a subsequent interview with TMZ that his team got him on a card in South Korea.White told TMZ that the promotion ZFN, started by UFC legend Chan Sung Jung, is hosting the event in South Korea in December. White said he will the watch the new prospect's bout while he's in the country filming his own YouTube show, "Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight.""I'm going to have [Jung] put that kid on the card, and we're going to find out what he's got," White declared. "If he wins that night, I'll sign him!" White may have been hesitant to put Dorobshokh in a UFC-related event after discovering the fighter's record is actually 7-0, two fewer wins than he had originally claimed. Even when factoring in Dorobshokh's amateur fights, it's hard to see where the Tajik fighter got to nine wins. It's not usual for the occasional Russian MMA fighter to have a fight record discrepancy due to the validity of some regional fight promotions in the country.UFC 308 airs Saturday, while ZFN's Z-Fight Night 2 takes place Dec. 14.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!