Democrat Candidate Says He’s Not A Creepy Pervert, Just Mexican
'Sometimes that humor doesn't translate'
Mary Clarke: Beverly Hills socialite who traded haute couture for a habit
Mary Clarke grew up in Beverly Hills, surrounded by mink coats and parties hosted by Hollywood stars. She died in a ten-by-ten concrete room inside a Mexican prison.
In between, she raised seven children, survived two marriages, ran a business, and eventually walked away from comfort to live among violent criminals and forgotten men. If her life unsettles your assumptions about what holiness looks like, it should.
The institutional Church, for its part, did not immediately know what to do with a twice-divorced woman living inside a men’s prison and calling herself a nun.
She was born in 1926 to Irish immigrant parents who had clawed their way into California comfort without losing their faith or their social conscience. Her father built a successful business and moved the family to Beverly Hills, but he made sure his daughter understood that glamour was not the point. Mary absorbed the lesson, even if it took several decades and two divorces before she fully acted on it.
Broken promises
Her personal life was, to put it charitably, complicated. She married at 19 and watched the union fail due to gambling debts and broken promises. She married again and eventually found herself running her father’s company and managing what looked, from the outside, like a well-ordered life. It wasn’t enough. She hadn’t failed at life. She had excelled at a version of it that no longer satisfied her.
The turning point came in 1965, when she crossed the border into Tijuana with a priest and walked into La Mesa prison. What she saw there — the overcrowding, the degradation, the absence of basic dignity — did not strike her as someone else’s problem. She drove back to California and could not stop thinking about the faces she had seen.
So she went back. Then again. And again.
Each time she loaded her car with medicine, food, and clothing. Eventually the prison visits stopped being a charity project and became the center of her life. Beverly Hills was no longer home. It was the detour.
Heroic or insane
By 1977 her children were grown, her second marriage was over, and she made a decision that most people around her considered either heroic or insane. She sold or gave away nearly everything she owned, sewed herself a simple habit, took private vows, and moved into a concrete room inside one of the most feared prisons in Mexico, with nothing but a cot, a Bible, and a Spanish dictionary.
La Mesa was not a rehabilitation center in any optimistic sense. Drug traffickers ran the economy. Poorer prisoners slept on bare floors. Violence arrived without warning or apology. Into this world entered a middle-aged American woman with no official authority, no institutional backing, and an apparently unshakable conviction that every man in that prison still bore the image of God — however obscured it might be by crime, cruelty, or despair.
She walked into riots. She stepped between armed men. She spoke calmly into chaos. And more often than seemed statistically reasonable, people put their weapons down. She coaxed dentists to offer free clinics, persuaded bakers to donate bread, and reportedly sourced secondhand toilets from junkyards so that prisoners might have something the rest of the world takes for granted. She sat with the dying, prayed with guards, and confronted judges who handed lighter sentences to the wealthy than to the poor.
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The weight of years
The institutional Church, for its part, did not immediately know what to do with a twice-divorced woman living inside a men’s prison and calling herself a nun. For years she lacked formal status and could not even receive Holy Communion. She carried on anyway.
Eventually church leaders recognized the depth of her vocation. Bishop Posadas of Tijuana and Bishop Maher of San Diego both blessed her work, and she was received as an auxiliary Mercedarian, an order with a historic mission to prisoners. She later founded her own community, the Eudist Servants of the 11th Hour, specifically for older women called to serve after raising families or finishing careers.
That last detail matters. She was not looking for women who had not yet lived. She wanted the ones who had — women who carried the weight of years, of mistakes, of choices made and unmade — and she asked them a simple question: What now? It lands differently when you are old enough to realize that time is not infinite.
Mother Antonia Brenner died on October 17, 2013, at age 86. By conventional Catholic measures, she was a complicated figure: divorced twice, lacking formal vows for years, living far outside the expected parameters of religious life.
By any other measure, she spent three decades feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the imprisoned — the precise works the gospel names without ambiguity.
She was fond of saying she had never met a prisoner not worth everything she could give.
The record suggests she meant it.
Robust Homeland Security Must Be Funded, Not Shut Down
Americans deserve a DHS strengthened by recent resource increases, and as agile and effective as possible in carrying out its core mission.Taking a cruise to Mexico? Here's what you need to know amid cartel chaos
Some cruise lines decided to bypass stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, this week due to ongoing violence in the country following the death of cartel leader Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes.
Oseguera, a 59-year-old drug lord who led the Jalisco New Generation cartel, was killed by the Mexican army during a security operation over the weekend in the town of Tapalpa. Six other cartel associates were also killed in the raid.
'We've made the decision to shift itineraries on a handful of sailings to bypass Puerto Vallarta for the next few weeks.'
Oseguera's death sparked violence in the streets from his apparent supporters, who set fires to vehicles and blocked roads in western Mexico.
The U.S. briefly issued a shelter-in-place order for tourists in certain parts of Mexico, including Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Ciudad Guzmán, Tijuana, Chiapas, and Michoacán. That order was lifted on Tuesday.
Carnival Corporation told Blaze News that it had altered itineraries to skip stops in Puerto Vallarta.
"Our team has been monitoring things in Mexico throughout the week, and cruise tourism has continued to operate normally across most of the country. That said, we've made the decision to shift itineraries on a handful of sailings to bypass Puerto Vallarta for the next few weeks," Carnival Corporation said. "Our cruise lines are directly notifying affected guests and travel advisors."
A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line also stated that the company had bypassed a scheduled stop in Puerto Vallarta.
"The safety and well-being of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are always a top priority. Due to ongoing security operations and the recent U.S. travel warning issued for select areas in Mexico, Norwegian Bliss' scheduled call to Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 25, 2026, has been canceled. We are closely monitoring the ongoing situation and any additional itinerary updates for ships scheduled to call to Mexico in the near future will be communicated directly with impacted guests," the spokesperson told Blaze News.
Royal Caribbean told Blaze News on Wednesday that "the safety and security of our guests and crew are always our top priority" but that there had not been any changes to the cruise line's visits.
"Should there be, we will contact impacted guests and travel agents directly," the company said.
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'Nobody wants to go fishing anymore!' Trump vows to defeat 'murderous' drug cartels as chaos sweeps Mexico
President Donald Trump vowed to reassert American dominance against the "murderous" cartels in Mexico during the State of the Union Tuesday.
"As president, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must," Trump said.
'We're also restoring American security and dominance.'
Trump's remarks come just days after Mexico went up in flames following the death of Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, one of the country's "most sinister cartel kingpins."
Oseguera Cervantes was the head of the notorious Jalisco New Generation cartel, whose vast and violent criminal enterprises prompted the Trump administration to classify it as a terrorist organization.
RELATED: Watch the State of the Union tonight on BlazeTV's YouTube channel
"We're also restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere, acting to secure our national interests and defend our country from violence, drugs, terrorism, and foreign interference," Trump said.
"For years, large swaths of territory in our region, including large parts of Mexico, ... have been controlled by murderous drug cartels. That's why I designated these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations."
The cartel boss was captured by Mexican special forces on Sunday with the help of complementary American intelligence in Jalisco, igniting chaos across the country. In the moments after his elimination, footage showed a Costco engulfed in flames as well as firefights and roadblocks in the streets across Mexico.
The chaos prompted a shelter-in-place advisory from the State Department, leaving many tourists no other option but to hunker down at their resorts.
Trump's warnings to cartels was not unique to Mexico. Tuesday night, the president reflected on the military campaign he led against alleged Venezuelan drug boats leading up to Nicolas Maduro's capture, joking that his intervention impacted the drug business and the fishing business.
"Nobody wants to go fishing anymore!" he said.
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'Start driving north': US tourists stranded in Mexico after slaying of top cartel boss 'El Mencho' sparks chaos
The U.S. State Department issued an advisory on Sunday instructing Americans in Jalisco State as well as in several other Mexican states to "shelter in place until further notice" following the elimination of Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, Mexico's most-wanted cartel boss.
With firefights breaking out across the country, radicals blocking key roads, and flights being canceled, many tourists really had no other option than to hunker down.
Mexican Army special forces, aided by the nation's air force and national guard, launched a military operation on Sunday aimed at capturing Oseguera Cervantes in Tapalpa, Jalisco.
'The United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice.'
Under Oseguera Cervantes, 59, the Jalisco New Generation cartel became one of the most formidable criminal enterprises south of the border.
The State Department noted that the CJNG, which the Trump administration designated a terrorist organization last February, "has been assessed to have the highest cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine trafficking capacity in Mexico, and over the past few years, includes the trafficking of fentanyl into the United States."
In addition to trafficking deadly drugs, the savage and allegedly cannibalistic CJNG developed a reputation for murdering Mexican police and rival drug traffickers. The cartel was also allegedly involved in several assassination attempts against Mexican government officials.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated that the U.S. provided intelligence support to ensure the success of Sunday's operation. Mexican officials confirmed that "complementary information was provided by U.S. authorities within the framework of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the United States."
"'El Mencho' was a was a top target for the Mexican and United States government [sic] as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland. Last year, President Trump rightfully designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization — because that’s exactly what it is," Leavitt said in a statement.
"President Trump has been very clear — the United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved," added Leavitt.
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Mexico's Secretariat of National Defense indicated that while attacked during the operation, Mexican military personnel "repelled the aggression," resulting in "four members of the 'CJNG' criminal group dying at the scene and three others being severely wounded, who lost their lives during their airlift to Mexico City."
Oseguera Cervantes was among those wounded in the operation who apparently perished in transit.
Although Mexican and U.S. officials reported that Oseguera Cervantes was eliminated during the operation, the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense said that a forensic evaluation will nevertheless be undertaken to confirm that the cartel terrorist is dead.
In the wake of the operation, in which officials seized numerous armored cartel vehicles and rocket launchers, Mexican Army and National Guard troops mobilized to Jalisco and neighboring states to maintain a modicum of order.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — whose party has numerous members accused of being in bed with the cartels — underscored that "we must remain informed and calm."
'The good guys are stronger than the bad guys.'
Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacan, and Guanajuato indicated that seven Mexican National Guard troops were killed on Sunday along with seven others, reported the Associated Press.
Just before midnight on Sunday, the U.S. Dept. of State Bureau of Consular Affairs reiterated the need for American citizens to shelter in place, noting that "while no airports have been closed, roadblocks have impacted airline operations — most domestic & int’l flights are cancelled in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta."
Consular Affairs noted further that all rideshares are suspended in Puerto Vallarta and toll roads in various parts of the country are temporarily suspended.
One tourist claiming to be in Puerto Vallarta captured footage of thick columns of smoke billowing up on either side of his resort. Footage reportedly taken by a Canadian tourist stranded in Puerto Vallarta shows smoke-filled streets caused in one instance by a flaming bus.
David Miranda, a Chicagoan whose vacation in Puerto Vallarta has evidently gone off the rails, told WSB-TV, "There's blockages, there's cars on fires, there's buses blocking the roads. So nobody can take an Uber, can take a taxi, can take a bus. Everything is blocked."
"We don't know how we're going to get food, because it's Airbnbs," said Miranda. "So everything is closed, the corner stores — everything is closed."
Lefty Karkazis of San Francisco also found himself trapped in Puerto Vallarta.
"We were supposed to fly out of here at 2 p.m. So local time, at approximately 10 o'clock, we came downstairs, trying to get a taxi to go to the airport," Karkazis told KPIX-TV. "And [the hotel staff] told us that nothing is moving, all the roads are blocked because there's apparently a cartel operation that is affecting all the flights in and out."
His United Airlines flight was reportedly canceled.
"The next flight out for San Francisco from United is on Thursday. So we might end up staying until Thursday. I don't know," continued Karkazis. "We're just going to go from there. And the worst-case scenario, like I told my wife, we're just going to rent a car and start driving north."
The Trump administration commended the Mexican military on a job well done.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that the slaying of "one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins" is a "great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world."
"The good guys are stronger than the bad guys," added Landau.
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'Even stronger': President Trump optimistic even after SCOTUS strikes down tariffs
Mere hours after the Supreme Court handed down its decision on Trump's tariffs under the authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, President Trump responded with a lengthy Truth Social post. Though the court ruled against him, Trump was not nearly as angry with the decision as might be expected.
On Friday afternoon, President Trump posted an unexpectedly optimistic message in the wake of SCOTUS' decision. Trump's layered response, which echoed very closely his live reaction in a press conference, spilled into two separate posts.
'Today I will sign an Order to impose a 10% GLOBAL TARIFF, under Section 122, over and above our normal TARIFFS already being charged.'
Trump began by praising the "Strength, Wisdom, and Love of our Country" exhibited by dissenting Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh before attacking those in the majority:
"The Democrats on the Court are thrilled, but they will automatically vote 'NO' against ANYTHING that makes America Strong and Healthy Again. They, also, are a Disgrace to our Nation. Others think they’re being 'politically correct,' which has happened before, far too often, with certain Members of this Court when, in fact, they’re just FOOLS and 'LAPDOGS' for the RINOS and Radical Left Democrats and, not that this should have anything to do with it, very unpatriotic, and disloyal to the Constitution."
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Trump then suggested that the court "has been swayed by foreign interests" who are "dancing in the streets" as a result of the ruling.
However, Trump then said that the decision was largely a positive development because it clarified the president's authority under the IEEPA only, while leaving open several other avenues for imposing tariffs: "All of those TARIFFS remain, but other alternatives will now be used to replace the ones that the Court incorrectly rejected."
He drew from Justice Kavanaugh's dissenting opinion to illustrate the "different direction" that he will pursue, "which is even stronger than our original choice." As Trump noted, Kavanaugh wrote,
Although I firmly disagree with the Court's holding today, the decision might not substantially constrain a President's ability to order tariffs going forward. That is because numerous other federal statutes authorize the President to impose tariffs and might justify most (if not all) of the tariffs issued in this case. ... Those statutes include, for example, the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Section 232); the Trade Act of 1974 (Sections 122, 201, and 301); and the Tariff Act of 1930 (Section 338).
Trump omitted Kavanaugh's mention of "a few procedural steps" that may be required with these other avenues for tariffs that the IEEPA does not require.
Nearing the end of his post, Trump argued that the Supreme Court had unintentionally made the president's "ability to both regulate TRADE, and impost TARIFFS, more powerful and crystal clear, rather than less."
As a result, Trump issued several orders at the end of his post, indicating his intention to continue the tariffs, including a "10% GLOBAL TARIFF," under the existing statutory authorities cited earlier in the post:
"Therefore, effective immediately, all National Security TARIFFS, Section 232 and existing Section 301 TARIFFS, remain in place, and in full force and effect. Today I will sign an Order to impose a 10% GLOBAL TARIFF, under Section 122, over and above our normal TARIFFS already being charged, and we are also initiating several Section 301 and other Investigations to protect our Country from unfair Trading practices," Trump wrote.
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CCP playbook: Peter Schweizer reveals China’s plot to vote in US elections
Investigative journalist Peter Schweizer, author of "The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon,” knows the real cost of immigration — and just how China and other world powers are using it to subvert the United States.
“We’ve had this great debate in our country — an important one — about immigration as it relates to jobs, violence in our streets, American culture — hugely important, but I think we’re missing the larger picture, which is the weaponization of immigration,” Schweizer tells BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler on “The Liz Wheeler Show.”
“And what do I mean by that? Foreign actors — that includes the government of China, the government of Mexico, the Muslim Brotherhood — see immigration as a weapon that they can deploy against the United States,” he says.
“And so when people come from overseas, they certainly bring themselves, their family, they bring their culture, but they also often bring political networks. And these are political networks that are antithetical to the United States. So these foreign powers view immigration very differently than we do,” he continues.
While China, Mexico, and the Muslim Brotherhood are all vastly different in their beliefs and culture, Schweizer explains that they all have one thing in common.
“They’re all united in this sense that immigration is a means to subvert the United States. Those are not my words. I actually quote these people as saying that themselves,” Schweizer tells Wheeler.
And China’s plan to subvert the United States is one of the most insidious.
“The Chinese government says that every year for the past 13 years, every single year, roughly 100,000 Chinese babies have been born in the United States. That’s the Chinese government estimate,” he explains.
“So do the math. That’s 1 million Chinese babies that were born in the United States, who are taken back to China by their parents, raised in the CCP system. And by the way, when they turn 18, they’re going to be able to vote in our elections. They’re U.S. citizens. They’re going to be able to donate to political campaigns. They’re going to be able to apply for sensitive government jobs,” he continues.
“And let’s remember that 2016 presidential election — Trump, Hillary Clinton — it was settled by like 72,000 votes,” he says. “So this is a massive ... vulnerability.”
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