Sara Gonzales calls out left’s hypocrisy over Michael Jackson biopic success



Many leftists pin their hatred of Donald Trump on their unproven claim that he was involved with Jeffrey Epstein — but that isn’t stopping them from supporting an alleged abuser at the box office.

And BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is tired of the hypocrisy.

“They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, we hate pedophiles. We are the party against pedophiles, and the Republicans are always protecting pedophiles. If there’s anything we hate, it’s pedophiles,’” Gonzales mocks.

“Actually, that’s historically not been the case. Has not been the case, as documented with all of these Democrats involved with Jeffrey Epstein, but also they have apparently been crawling all over each other to go watch a movie about [an alleged] renowned kiddie diddler,” she continues.

The movie is Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic, which brought in a whopping $218.8 million globally over its opening weekend and became the biggest domestic opening of all time for any biopic.


“Michael Jackson, when it comes to him, technically he was cleared in the legal system in 2005,” Gonzales says, though she isn’t buying it.

And according to a report in People magazine, Gonzales may be on to something.

The report claims that the director of the biopic allegedly made an extra $25 million to remove child sex abuse allegations.

“That’s a lot of money to pay the director and a producer to remove things from the movie if they weren’t true,” Gonzales says, pointing out that it’s not the first time allegations of abuse have been suspiciously squashed.

“You also had the documentary ‘Leaving Neverland,’ which was 2019. And the biggest accusations that came out were highlighted in this. ... But guess what? If you missed it and you want to go back to check it out, you’re not going to be able to see it because the Jackson Estate sued to remove it from the internet, just like they buried it in the movie and got paid off,” she continues. “Are you sensing the trend yet?”

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Trump floats teaming up with the Iranians on a new opportunity to keep the seas open



The U.S. and Iran reached a fragile ceasefire agreement on Tuesday before President Donald Trump's threat of civilizational annihilation could be put to the test.

Trump subsequently noted that the U.S. "will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made," adding that "this could be the Golden Age of the Middle East!"

'It is madness.'

When asked on Wednesday whether he was amenable to the Iranians charging a toll for all ships that transit the Strait of Hormuz — the body of water between Iran and Oman linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, across which one-fifth of the world's oil customarily travels — Trump told ABC News' Jonathan Karl, "We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture. It’s a way of securing it — also securing it from lots of other people."

"It's a beautiful thing," Trump said, hours before Iran reportedly halted oil tankers attempting to pass through the strait, claiming Israel had violated the ceasefire by firing on Lebanon.

While now apparently open to such a partnership with Iran, Trump suggested to reporters on Monday that the U.S. could unilaterally impose tolls on vessels attempting to pass through the strait, reported The Hill.

RELATED: Israel ramps up attacks on Middle East target despite US-Iran ceasefire

Elif Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images

"What about us charging tolls?" said Trump. "Why shouldn’t we? We’re the winner."

He also said during the press briefing, "We want free traffic of oil and everything else."

Such tolls on vessels transiting a natural strait would seem to run afoul of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — ratified by the U.S., 170 other nations, and the European Union — which guarantees vessels the "right of transit passage" through straits used for international navigation; bars states bordering straits from hampering transit passage; and states that "no charge may be levied upon foreign ships by reason only of their passage through the territorial sea."

Tolls can be levied only at man-made canals, according to the U.N. agreement.

Of course, the agreement's authority and enforceability could be tested.

"All international law, unfortunately, is fragile," Saleem Ali, chair of the University of Delaware's geography department, told the New York Times. Ali noted that international laws depend on mutual respect between nations.

Blaze News has reached out to the White House for comment.

The idea clearly doesn't resonate with everyone.

Karen Young, a senior research scholar at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, told Blaze News, "It is madness to think we are jointly collecting fees to help secure profits to the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]."

Former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy expressed a similar objection, writing, "If President Trump lets the Iranians charge a toll for ships in the Strait of Hormuz, then every time you fill up your car at the pump, you will put money straight in the pockets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This would be a humiliating disaster for the US."

Joint venture or no, it appears that Iran aspires to keep sweating passersby in the Strait of Hormuz, now for crypto tributes.

Hamid Hosseini, a spokesman for Iran's government-linked Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, told the Financial Times that his nation intends to force ships passing through the strait to pay the cryptocurrency equivalent of $1 per barrel of oil and notify Iranian officials of their cargo during the two-week ceasefire.

"Once the email arrives and Iran completes its assessment, vessels are given a few seconds to pay in Bitcoin, ensuring they can’t be traced or confiscated due to sanctions," said Hosseini. "Everything can pass through, but the procedure will take time for each vessel, and Iran is not in a rush."

Reuters estimated last week that if Iran charged each vessel $2 million to transit the Strait of Hormuz, as it had already in one instance, and traffic were restored to prewar volume — 150 ships down the strait — Tehran could bring in around $110 billion annually.

According to the European think tank Bruegel, the $2 million per vessel, which "translates to roughly $1 per barrel," would prompt the world oil price to rise "by only $0.05-$0.40 per barrel, relative to the pre-war level," with Gulf exporters absorbing the bulk of the toll.

Of course, for Iran to impose tolls, it must first keep the strait open.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

White House requests $1.5 trillion for Pentagon's 2027 budget. Here's what the administration has in mind.



The Trump White House has proposed that Congress increase the Pentagon's budget by nearly 44% compared to last year to roughly $1.5 trillion and reduce non-defense spending by $73 billion, or 10%.

"This is a $441 billion or 44-percent increase from the 2026 enacted level in combination with the $151.5 billion in mandatory funding provided through the Working Families Tax Cut Act," the budget request says.

While nearly $1.2 trillion of the total would reportedly come from the regular appropriations process, $350 billion would alternatively come through a budget reconciliation bill.

'I'm very wary.'

This request is in addition to the $200 billion supplemental package requested by the Department of War to sustain the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.

According to the White House, the requested sum — which would reportedly raise U.S. military spending to its highest level in modern history — would help restore "the readiness and lethality of the force by ensuring America's warfighters are trained, equipped, and medically ready to fight and win."

In addition to funding a pay raise of 7% for all Pentagon military personnel ranked E-5 and below, of 6% for E-6 to O-3, and of 5% for O-4 and above, the requested budget would help:

  • Fund the "next-generation missile defense shield" outlined in President Donald Trump's executive order titled "The Iron Dome for America";
  • "Secure and defend America's vital national and economic security interests in, from, and to space";
  • Fund the procurement of 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships;
  • Fund the procurement of 12 unspecified "critical" munitions at a time of dwindling stores of Patriot missiles, Standard Missile-3s, and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors;
  • "Fix longstanding shortfalls in the National Defense Stockpile" of critical minerals;
  • Secure 85 F-35 jets;
  • Prioritize the development and production of the F-47, a sixth-generation combat aircraft Boeing won the contract to develop last year;
  • Boost America's drone manufacturing base; and
  • Scale the Armed Forces' "AI ecosystem," among other initiatives.

The White House further proposed that Congress continue to "eliminate millions of wasteful and egregious spending related to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and other 'woke' policies" at the Pentagon.

RELATED: America First means taking care of our own, not another war

Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Numerous Democratic lawmakers rushed to criticize the White House's budget request.

Rep. Mike Thompson (Calif.), for instance, stated, "Trump wants $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon while eliminating the programs that help you pay your heating bill, fund your child's education, and keep your family healthy. This isn't a budget. It's a betrayal of the American people."

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said that "the only responsible thing to do with a budget this morally bankrupt is to toss it in the trash."

There may also be some resistance on the right.

"I'm very wary of voting for excessive spending in defense," said Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett (R), Politico reported.

'It is the most robust increase in defense spending in many years.'

Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) said in an op-ed on Friday that while he supports maintaining America's stockpiles, strengthening the defense industrial base, and maintaining "the capabilities needed to deter China," he "cannot support funding for further military operations without a formal declaration of war."

The budget request has, however, found a number of staunch supporters in the GOP.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a joint statement, "This funding will ensure our military remains the most advanced in the world, supporting an unparalleled force capable of defending our interests in the 21st century."

"America is facing the most dangerous global environment since World War II. Growing threats from adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Islamic radicals, and narco-terrorists require decisive action and renewed urgency to reinvest in our defenses," the duo continued. "This bold commitment provides the resources needed to rebuild American military capability and confront those challenges head-on."

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.) celebrated the budget request, stating, "It is the most robust increase in defense spending in many years, and it is more than justified by the threats we face throughout the world."

Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said in a note to Congress appended to the budget request, "President Trump promised to reinvest in America's national security infrastructure, to make sure our Nation is safe in a dangerous world. The 2027 Budget upholds this promise and would ensure that the United States continues to maintain the world's most powerful and capable military."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Virginia Redistricting Battle Will Test Republicans’ Post-2024 GOTV Operation

If this measure passes, it 'would make Virginia the most gerrymandered state in the country,' Virginia GOP Chair Jeff Ryer told The Federalist.

Here’s How To Cook Good Food On $15 A Day Or Less

The $15-a-day debate is about whether we still value self-reliance, basic household skills, and personal responsibility.

Texas first: Gov. Abbott freezes H-1B visas after damning report from BlazeTV's Sara Gonzales



Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed all state agencies on Tuesday to "immediately freeze" new H-1B visa petitions, citing "recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa program" and the "federal government's ongoing review of that program to ensure American jobs are going to American workers."

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales, who exposed a rash of possible H-1B visa fraud in the Lone Star State earlier this month, welcomed the governor's directive.

'Bad actors have exploited this program by failing to make good-faith efforts to recruit qualified US workers before seeking to use foreign labor.'

Gonzales told Blaze News, "I am thrilled to hear our work exposing the abuse of the H-1B system is being taken seriously, and I commend Governor Abbott for taking necessary steps to protect American workers in the state of Texas from having their jobs stolen from them."

"I hope this is the first of many statewide actions that course correct on this issue," Gonzales added.

RELATED: 'A direct path to Citizenship': Trump announces official launch of Trump Gold Card visa program

At the outset of her investigation, Gonzales scrutinized a pair of companies that on paper appear to have relied in recent years on scores of foreign workers: 3Bees Technologies Inc. and Qubitz Tech Systems.

3Bees Technologies Inc. — whose agent, director, and president is Vamsi Krishna Vajinapally — had 27 H-1B beneficiaries approved in 2022 and 19 visa petitions apparently denied the following year. Qubitz Tech Systems had 12 H-1B beneficiaries approved last year.

RELATED: America should eliminate the H-1B and replace it with THIS

BlazeTV

Gonzales' visits to the supposed offices of both companies — a vacant construction site in one case and a vacant, prison cell-size room with a single chair in the other — proved eye-opening, prompting her and others to question whether the companies and their visa sponsorships were above-board.

"Once you start scraping data from H-1B databases, you start seeing immediately all of these patterns," Gonzales said in her damning report. "The biggest question I have right now is: If we were able to find this with just a little bit of Google-searching and follow-up, why hasn't [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] done anything to combat this?"

When pressed for comment, Abbott's office referred Blaze News to his directive, which states:

Evidence suggests that bad actors have exploited this program by failing to make good-faith efforts to recruit qualified U.S. workers before seeking to use foreign labor. In the most egregious schemes, employers have even fired American workers and replaced them with H-1B employees, often at lower wages. Rather than serving its intended purpose of attracting the best and brightest individuals from around the world to our nation to fill truly specialized and unmet labor needs, the program has too often been used to fill jobs that otherwise could — and should — have been filled by Texans.

Per the governor's directive, state agencies are prohibited from initiating or filing any new petition to sponsor a non-immigrant worker under the federal H-1B visa program unless given express permission by the Texas Workforce Commission.

The governor has also given public universities and various state agencies until March 27 to provide an account of how many H-1B visa holders they are currently sponsoring; the countries of origin of their sponsored H-1B visa holders; the expected expiration date for each sponsored visa; and the efforts taken to ensure that Texan candidates were afforded a reasonable opportunity to apply for each position filled by an H-1B visa holder.

"State government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities — particularly those funded with taxpayer dollars — are filled by Texans first," Abbott wrote in his directive.

The H-1B visa program enables U.S.-based employers to temporarily hire foreign workers into specialized positions that American citizens supposedly can't do. H-1B specialty occupation workers are generally admitted for a period of up to three years, which can in most cases be extended for another three years.

While Republicans are taking action, lawmakers from both parties have in recent years expressed concerns about H-1B visa fraud and abuse, proposing amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act that would reform or even abolish the program.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' H-1B Employer Data Hub indicates that over 41,500 H-1B visa beneficiaries were approved for fiscal year 2025 in Texas. Oracle America Inc., Tesla Inc., AT&T Services Inc., Hewlett Packard, American Airlines, Texas A&M's flagship campus, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center were among the top sponsors.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Don’t Wait Until You Die To Give Your Kids Their Inheritance

A dollar at 25 can change a destiny. A dollar at 55 barely moves the needle.

Federal Reserve obliges Trump, cuts interest rates for the third time this year



In a move championed by President Donald Trump, the Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by 0.25% to a range of 3.5% to 3.75% on Wednesday, the third cut this year, lowering borrowing costs and giving some lift to a flagging job market.

Only three members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors voted against the cut: Stephen Miran, who wanted to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 0.5%, and Austan Goolsbee and Jeffrey Schmid, who both figured it was presently best not to have any cuts at all.

'Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace.'

Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist for the financial services firm RSM US, noted in a Tuesday analysis that the Fed was faced with the "difficult choice of either aggressively fighting inflation or hoping to revive a sluggish labor market and slowing economic activity when it meets on Tuesday and Wednesday."

Rate cuts can help boost the stock market — encouraging spending, investing, and business activity by lowering savings rate and borrowing costs. However, by increasing the supply of money, they can also exacerbate inflation.

The annual inflation rate was around 3% for the 12 months ending September, according to U.S. Labor Department data. The Fed's inflation target is 2% over the longer run — hence the resistance to another cut by some policymakers.

"The [Federal Open Market Committee] seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. Uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated," the Fed said in a statement on Wednesday. "The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate and judges that downside risks to employment rose in recent months."

In light of its goals and "the shift in the balance of risks," the FOMC determined that a drop in the rate by 0.25% was worthwhile.

"Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace. Job gains have slowed this year, and the unemployment rate has edged up through September," the Fed noted further. "Inflation has moved up since earlier in the year and remains somewhat elevated."

The rate-cut decision on Wednesday comes months after the Fed similarly lowered its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points in September to a range of 4% to 4.25%, and after weeks of disagreement on the central bank's 12-member policy committee regarding the prudent way forward.

Chris Brigati, chief investment officer at the financial services company SWBC, told the Financial Post ahead of the announcement that the Federal Reserve was divided on how to proceed with rate cuts in 2026 "given the delicate balance between job market weakness and still-elevated inflation."

"There is also uncertainty about the new Fed chair, and that may also add to the central bank's reluctance to make any major rate moves in the months leading up to Chair Powell's term ending," Brigati added.

RELATED: Can presidents fire all federal bureaucrats at will? Supreme Court to hear case with major implications.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Image

In search of someone suitable to replace Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, whose term ends in May, the president has been interviewing various candidates, including Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, both members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors; former Fed governor Kevin Warsh; and BlackRock fixed-income chief Rick Rieder. Top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett is, however, reportedly regarded as the frontrunner.

The president told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday, "We're going to be looking at a couple of different people, but I have a pretty good idea who I want."

When asked in his interview with Politico the previous day whether it is "a litmus test that the new chair lower interest rates immediately," Trump said yes and noted, "We're fighting through interest rates."

The Federal Reserve also released on Wednesday its regional bank presidents and governors' quarterly set of economic projections. They anticipate a rise in the unemployment rate from 4.4% in September to 4.5% by year's end; the GDP to grow by 2.3% in 2026; and inflation to sink, but nowhere below their 2% target.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In Defense Of The Penny (Because Nobody Would Pay A Nickel For These Thoughts)

The penny’s detractors nickel and dime us to death with their arguments for efficiency over and against tradition.