In a revealing Sunday interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, former first lady Melania Trump revealed some of the political backlash she has faced as the wife of embattled former President Donald Trump. First lady Trump revealed that “the bank suddenly informed me they will not be able to do business with me anymore.” She also claimed that an “email distribution service provider just rapidly terminated my agreement.” As Farage himself pointed out, 'This is serious political persecution at the very highest level of our system. If they can do it to me, they can do it to you, too.'These instances of disenfranchising people may seem only to affect the individuals, but the practice of de-banking has broader consequences as well. She also detailed an incident with a university involving a philanthropic effort. She was donating money to help foster students gain access to scholarships. The university initially accepted her donation but, upon learning her identity, refused to accept her contribution. In this incident, Melania said, “They didn’t want to do business with me because of political affiliation, my political beliefs.”Organizations refusing to associate with individuals over political differences is not a one-off occurrence with the former first lady; rather, this shows how ubiquitous this practice has become in our current political climate. For example, Alliance Defending Freedom’s Jay Hobbs described a disturbing trend among banks that shut down organizations that differ from them in political or religious belief. He detailed an incident involving Bank of America and Indigenous Advance Ministries, a “charity [that] serves widows and orphans in Uganda, helping to meet basic physical needs while striving to equip and strengthen Christians to share the Gospel with their fellow Ugandans.” Bank of America informed the charity that it no longer wished to associate with Indigenous Advance’s “business type” because it exceeded the “bank’s risk tolerance.” This caused many headaches and inconveniences for the organization, which was preparing for an upcoming trip to help the widows and orphans. De-banking was brought to more people's attention when, in 2023, Nigel Farage, a figurehead of the U.K. Independence Party, claimed that his banks in the U.K. were closing his accounts. There is a great deal of evidence that his bank, Coutts, did intend to “exit” Farage as a customer, including some inside communications released in a dossier and obtained by Farage. These communications included statements about him, citing “significant reputational risks of being associated with him” and that his opinions were “at odds with our position as an inclusive organisation.” Apparently, Nigel Farage holds beliefs contrary to those deemed acceptable by the banks with which he freely associated. His bank closed his account simply because it was a “bad look” to continue this association. These incidents have many worrying consequences in our heated political climate. As Farage himself pointed out, “This is serious political persecution at the very highest level of our system. If they can do it to me, they can do it to you, too.”De-banking is a serious issue that is becoming increasingly widespread. It affects political leaders and actors and trickles down to private citizens associated with political figures, their philanthropic efforts, and legitimate charities. This de-banking effort is a clear weaponization of legitimate banking practice for political and religious purposes, and organizations that engage in this behavior need to be held accountable if real politics are to continue.

A former preschool teacher's assistant has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography after a parent in Georgia noticed there was more money in their 13-year-old's bank account than should have been. Police said that the child had been paid by Mark Penfield Eichorn to create a pornographic video of himself and send them to Eichorn. An investigation found that a 12-year-old friend of the victim also participated in the 90-second video. 'The man was working as a teacher's assistant at the St. John's Episcopal School in Abilene when he was arrested but he was terminated soon afterwards.' Georgia police contacted the Abilene Police Department, which conducted a search warrant in May at Eichorn's residence in Texas and found nude images of children who appeared to be under the age of 10 years old. After being arrested, Eichorn admitted to paying the children $200 through Venmo for the video after engaging with them through Snapchat. Digital records corroborated the admissions. He also allegedly admitted to trading child pornography on social media as well as touching a child inappropriately. Alarmingly, after Eichorn was indicted he was asked by law enforcement officials about the children in Georgia, and he responded, "just those two?" The man was working as a teacher's assistant at the St. John's Episcopal School in Abilene when he was arrested, but he was terminated soon afterward. Eichorn could face up to 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. After an investigation, police also arrested another teacher and the head of school for failure to report child abuse in the case. Police said no students at the school were at risk at any time. A news video report about the heinous case can be viewed on the KTAB-TV YouTube account. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

While victims of Hurricane Helene suffer after losing everything, Kamala Harris thought it’d be a great time to sit down with Alex Cooper of the famous “Call Her Daddy” podcast. Kamala told Cooper that she thought it’d be a worthwhile interview because she and her “listeners have really got this thing right,” which she specified as them being “real.” “What I love about what you do is that your voice and your show is really about your listeners, and I think especially now, this is a moment in the country, and in life, where people really want to know they’re seen and heard, and that they’re part of a community, that they’re not out here alone,” Kamala continued. Kamala might have failed to realize it, but just two episodes before hers, Cooper interviewed another woman on “Blow jobs, hall passes, and frat daddies.” So it’s no surprise that Cooper’s biggest question for Kamala was about abortion. “I want to take a moment and can we try to think of any law that gives the government the power to make a decision about a man’s body?” Cooper asked. “No,” Kamala laughed, repeating “no” over and over again. Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” is understandably exhausted from hearing Kamala’s lies. “Lady Kamala, your boss Joe was in charge of a government that forced everyone, regardless of their genitals, and I know you don’t think genitals have anything to do with gender, but regardless of their gender, you guys forced people to be injected with an experimental vaccine that turned out not to be a vaccine,” Rubin says. “Why did I see a friend this weekend who has myocarditis because of the vaccine?” he adds. 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.

You're the putative King of All Media, and you have Vice President Kamala Harris in your studio. What do you ask first? So many options! 'I plan on waking up on November 6 with Madam President,' the governor said before Kimmel silently cried, 'Cleanup on aisle 4!' If you said, “Do you nap?” give yourself a gold star. That was literally Howard Stern’s first question when the veep's softball interview tour stopped by his studio. Never mind that Harris can’t even navigate easy interviews, supplying Team Trump with more commercial fodder than any campaign could crave. Just know that Stern followed up his fawning interview with President Joe Biden a few months back with another cringe-fest weeks before Election Day. Howard, it’s time to hand over your crown … Walz-y move Harris’ ace VP pick isn’t much better. Gov. Tim Walz sailed through his softball question barrage from Jimmy Kimmel this week, the host practically waving a flannel shirt in the air to remind us that Walz is just reg’lar folk. And then Walz pulled a Walz. “I plan on waking up on November 6 with Madam President,” the governor said before Kimmel silently cried, “Cleanup on aisle 4!” Final 'Boss' Amazon Freevee is “Sorry Not Sorry” about ending its “Who’s the Boss?” reunion plans. The streamer flirted with an update on the ABC sitcom starring Tony Danza and a young Alyssa Milano. The actress is much better known these days for her far-left bona fides and hosting the “Sorry Not Sorry” podcast. Maybe her becoming a hard-left radical who alienates large swaths of the country factored into the decision … Feig fumbles 'Jackpot' If Judd Apatow once ruled as Hollywood’s King of Comedy, Paul Feig was its crown prince. Feig co-produced “Freaks and Geeks” with Apatow and later directed “Spy,” “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat.” He also directed episodes of “The Office,” ”Parks and Recreation” and “30 Rock.” Not too shabby. And then he foisted the “Lady Ghostbusters” debacle on an unsuspecting public in 2016. Did Feig misplace his funny bone? Has anybody seen it? He expanded his genre focus after that debacle (“A Simple Favor,” “The School for Good and Evil”) before returning to comedy with this year’s “Jackpot!” That Prime Video original might be the worst comedy of the year. Years, to be exact. So the news that he’s directing “The Housemaid,” a thriller starring Sydney Sweeney, brings a sigh of relief. There’s nothing funny about Feig’s comedy tailspin … Warner Bros. to Phillips: Joker's on you Todd Phillips, meet the Warner Bros. bus backing over you. Phillips’ “Joker” earned the studio north of $1 billion back in 2019. That gave Phillips all the creative freedom necessary to make a musical sequel. Yes, “Joker: Folie a Deux” is a musical about a murderous mental patient and his new gal pal (Lady Gaga). The film, naturally, is tanking stateside. Now, according to World of Reel, studio suits are using industry mags to blame Phillips for the debacle. They’re not wrong, per se, but using studio leaks to malign an artist who swung for the fences and missed feels wrong. But it’s oh, so right for kind, tolerant Hollywood … 'SNL' dunks on Dems Is “Saturday Night Live” regretting its transformation into MSNBC light? The show’s bipartisan approach to political satire evaporated during the Obama years. It's only gotten worse since then. The show mostly ignored President Joe Biden’s obvious mental decline and VP Kamala Harris’ word salad recipes. Yet the first two “SNL” episodes of the new season, its 50th, suggest the show may be trying to channel its earlier incarnation. Over the weekend, Jim Gaffigan played Gov. Tim Walz as, well, a knucklehead. The show even had Gaffigan, a raging anti-Trumper off screen, reciting Walz’s “friends with school shooters” line from the recent VP debate. Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris is shown drowning her sorrows in wine, a possible nod either to those who think she’s a cool wine mom or that her incoherency is tied to the bottle. It’s even more noteworthy because we’re mere weeks from Election Day and “SNL” has been a reliable part of the Democrats’ machine for more than a decade. Even a far-left sketch show may not be able to resist the grossly incompetent Harris-Walz ticket.

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Buddhism was founded over two and a half millennia ago in India by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha (Sanskrit for ‘awakened one’). Like the practitioners of Hinduism, Buddhists believe in the concept of reincarnation, and the only way to escape the perpetual cycle of rebirth is through the attainment of Enlightenment. Having attained the state of Enlightenment whilst meditating under a Bodhi tree, the Buddha went on to spend the next 45 years of his life teaching many others the way to achieve Enlightenment. These teachings of the Buddha were eventually compiled by his followers. One such compilation is the Tibetan Kangyur.  Read moreSection: ArtifactsAncient TechnologyNewsHistoryAncient TraditionsRead Later