CNN's Christiane Amanpour issues crazed response to Hegseth criticism of the media



CNN's chief international anchor, Christiane Amanpour, was ridiculed after she posted an unhinged response to criticism from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth compared some of the mainstream media to the Pharisees of the Bible during a media briefing Thursday morning.

'You have *never* been in the United States military, and you should be absolutely drummed out of journalism for attempting to equivocate (sic) yourself to an [actual] member of the military.'

Amanpour fired back in a lengthy rant on social media, where she appeared to claim that she had a similar rank as Hegseth when he left the military.

"Using the Pentagon podium to lash out at journalists in extreme biblical terms is unprecedented, misguided, and frankly wrong on the substance," she wrote.

"Ever since Sunday School Catholic classes, I have been well aware of the Scribes and the Pharisees. They were the bad guys against Jesus, the good guy ... in current U.S. good v evil war parlance. Bearing witness to the truth is what we journalists are commanded to do, without fear nor favor," she added.

Hegseth pointed out that the Pharisees had ignored the miracles that Jesus Christ was performing and instead waited to catch him breaking the laws of the Old Testament. He compared that to the media ignoring the president's accomplishments to criticize him.

"I am also well aware of the Ten Commandments, and therefore urge any government radical anywhere, to follow the 9th ... against bearing false witness," Amanpour continued.

"And finally an observation: the current Secretary of War, f/k/a Defence, left the military with the rank of Major," she added. "I recall my dogtag in the first Gulf war had the rank of major ... the very same rank. Just sayin'!" she concluded.

She was immediately mocked online for the bizarre statement.

"Read the last paragraph, folks. If @CNN had any editorial standards, Christiane Amanpour would be fired for her bizarre attack on @SecWar's military service," one response reads. "Why is a journalist mocking the rank of major, which @PeteHegseth earned while risking his life in Iraq & Afghanistan?"

RELATED: Hegseth goes viral for 'Pulp Fiction' prayer at the Pentagon

"A Major, really? Perhaps, a major pain in the ass, but definitely not Major," another user said.

"You have *never* been in the United States military, and you should be absolutely drummed out of journalism for attempting to equivocate (sic) yourself to an [actual] member of the military. Quite literally the definition of stolen valor," another detractor said.

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Anti-Trump penis costume lady beats the charges



A woman who wore an inflatable phallic costume to protest against the Trump administration beat all charges at a Fairhope court in Alabama.

Police body-camera footage captured the moment that an officer pushed a 62-year-old grandmother to the ground at a No Kings protest after she refused to take off the costume on Oct. 20, 2025.

'We have some growing and relearning to do about the rights the citizens of this town have.'

The officer told Renea Gamble that the costume was offensive at the time, but her defense attorney argued in court Wednesday that the arrest violated her constitutional right to free speech.

He also pointed out that the officer did not at the time accuse her of causing a traffic hazard, which is what she was charged with.

"He just found her to be offensive," David Gespass said to reporters outside of the courthouse. "I mean again, that’s all he talked about when he was testifying was ... not when he was testifying, when he was confronting her was, 'I’m not going to put up with this in my town.' He said nothing about her causing any problems with traffic."

On the other side, city attorney Marcus McDowell argued that no one had the "constitutional right to wear a seven-foot penis costume on the side of the road."

Fairhope Municipal Judge Haymes Snedeker found the penis lady not guilty on three charges and dropped the charge related to causing a traffic hazard.

He also found that the officer had probable cause to arrest Gamble but that there was not enough evidence to prove her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Gamble celebrated the ruling outside the courthouse.

"We have some growing and relearning to do about the rights the citizens of this town have," Gamble said. "They happen to be on par with the rest of the nation and as Alabamians, we dare to defend our rights, and this fight is not over!"

RELATED: VIDEO: Female No Kings protester wearing phallic costume tossed to the ground by cop

Gespass said that Gamble's civil rights had been violated and suggested that they may file a lawsuit over the incident.

Some of the locals said they were disappointed in the verdict, while others said the embarrassing story had put a national spotlight on the city.

Before she was arrested at the protest, in keeping with the theme of her costume, Gamble held a sign with a message opposing dictators, but with an extra letter added to make the message explicit.

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RFK Jr. turns the tables on Democrats and reveals 1.5M illegal aliens unlawfully received Medicaid



Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. corrected the record during his testimony before Congress on Friday morning after Democrat lawmakers spread false information about the Trump administration's health care policies.

'It is the Democratic policy to benefit billionaires.'

Kennedy appeared before the House Education and Workforce Committee to answer questions about the HHS' priorities.

Following his opening statement, Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) posed the first question to Kennedy, asking whether he was "responsible for the measles outbreak."

Kennedy acknowledged that he had been accused of that but said the accusation was "not science-based."

"The measles outbreak began in January 2025, before I took office. ... The measles outbreak is not an American phenomenon; it is global," he replied.

He explained that in 2025, the U.S. had approximately 2,200 measles cases, while Mexico had more than three times that amount, despite having one-third of the U.S. population. Canada reportedly had twice as many cases, even though its population is just one-eighth of that of the U.S. In Europe, the number of cases was nearly 10 times that in the U.S., despite having twice the U.S. population, Kennedy said.

RELATED: 'Truly a fool's errand': Top CDC adviser, RFK Jr. ally resigns from vaccine panel

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Heather Diehl/Getty Images

"Two little girls died tragically in the Mennonite community in Texas. Mennonites have not vaccinated since 1796. So, this has nothing to do with me," Kennedy stated.

He mentioned attending the funeral of one child and spending the day with the family of the other.

"Both of them told me that when they took their children to the hospital, they were treated as pariahs. They were shamed. They were not given proper treatment. Both families believed their daughters, and their own doctors believe, their daughters could have been saved if the hospital gave them proper treatment," Kennedy continued.

"There's a lot of people in this country who, for religious reasons or other reasons, are not gonna vaccinate. And I believe that we need to treat them with compassion and understanding and empathy and get them the treatments they would get anywhere else in the world except for this country," he added.

Kennedy was later questioned by Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), who pressed the secretary about "kicking 15 million Americans off of their affordable health care."

"Have you met with everyday Americans who have lost their health insurance just this last year?" Casar asked.

"I meet with everyday Americans every day," Kennedy replied. He also noted that he spoke with the advocacy community "on virtually everything that we regulate" and "more tribes and tribal leaders than any HHS secretary in history."

Casar then asked whether Kennedy had met with Americans who would be impacted this year by "cuts to Medicaid."

"There are no cuts to Medicaid. ... We are increasing Medicaid spending by 47% over the next 10 years. ... How is that a cut? That is only a cut in Washington, D.C.," Kennedy responded.

RELATED: 'Rogue' Biden judge blocks critical pieces of RFK Jr.'s vaccine reform

Greg Casar. Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Casar ignored Kennedy's comments and pushed forward with his line of questioning.

"Have you met with any of the 1.4 million people who have lost their health insurance just this last year from dropping off of Obamacare?" he asked.

"They're almost all illegal immigrants. ... We found 1.5 million illegal immigrants illegally collecting Medicaid," Kennedy remarked.

Casar attempted to corner Kennedy into admitting he had dedicated time to meet with billionaires but not with everyday Americans. However, Kennedy repeatedly denied this and turned it back around on Casar by slamming Democrats for Obamacare.

"It is the Democratic policy to benefit billionaires," Kennedy said. "The insurance companies' stocks raised by 1,000% after Obamacare was passed. The money was not going to Americans; it was going to them."

"It was you who did it," Kennedy declared.

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Supreme Court sides unanimously with Big Oil in environmental lawsuit from Louisiana parishes



A series of lawsuits seeking potentially billions of dollars from oil companies for environmental damage to Louisiana's coastal areas got a substantial setback from the U.S. Supreme Court.

The court said 8-0 that one lawsuit would be moved out of the state's courthouses and instead considered in federal court, considered a more favorable judicial venue for the oil companies.

'A jury in one of the most conservative, pro-oil and gas communities in the country found that Chevron was liable for billions of gallons of toxic waste dumped into the Louisiana marsh.'

The ruling included only eight of the nine justices because Justice Samuel Alito recused himself over his stock holdings in ConocoPhillips.

The companies argued that the case belongs in federal court based on their predecessors' production of aviation fuel supply at the behest of the federal government during World War II. All of the justices agreed with that argument.

"Chevron's case fits comfortably within the ordinary meaning of a suit 'relating to' the performance of federal duties," Clarence Thomas wrote in the court opinion.

The ruling overturned a 2024 decision from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana.

The ruling will likely be consequential for other cases of parishes suing oil companies for environmental damages.

Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, a plaintiff in the case, ⁠said she was confident they would win against the oil companies, despite the setback.

"A jury in one of the most conservative, pro-oil and gas communities in the country found that Chevron was liable for billions of gallons of toxic waste dumped into the Louisiana marsh," Murrill said in a statement. "It doesn't matter whether this case is in state court or federal court — I am confident the outcome will be the same."

Murrill referred to a jury ruling ordering Chevron USA Inc. to pay $740 million to the Plaquemines Parish.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has backed the lawsuits despite being a supporter of the oil industry in general.

"Simply changing where the case will be heard, as has happened, will not deter our efforts to have Big Oil held accountable for the damages they caused and the enormous restoration they owe the people of Louisiana," said John Carmouche, an attorney representing local state leaders.

RELATED: A red-state lawfare shakedown heads to the Supreme Court

In January, Oversight Project president and Blaze Media contributor Mike Howell argued that the Louisiana lawsuits were contrary to President Donald Trump's energy independence policies.

"President Trump's agenda prioritizes American energy dominance. His actions abroad reinforce that priority. Yet Republicans in Louisiana are not merely opposing that objective — they are using the very lawfare tactics they claim to despise to undermine it," Howell wrote.

"Lawfare does not become acceptable because Republicans use it," he concluded. "And environmental shakedowns do not become conservative simply because they originate in a red state. If the right intends to oppose lawfare, it needs to oppose it everywhere — especially when its own allies are the ones doing the shaking down."

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From Immigration To Gerrymandering, Democrats Keep Using The Word ‘Temporary’ To Mean ‘Forever’

Democrats label policies or programs 'temporary,' knowing full well once they're in place they're almost impossible to undo.

Trump Admin Officials Pull Democrat Inflation Tactic Amid Iran War

'Overarching economic pending disaster'
Minnesota GOP Senate Candidate Michele Tafoya Floats Pathway To Citizenship For Illegals
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Minnesota GOP Senate Candidate Michele Tafoya Floats Pathway To Citizenship For Illegals

'Very nuanced problem'

'That's not what I say': Allie Beth Stuckey takes David French to task over 'toxic empathy' smear in rare interview



BlazeTV's Allie Beth Stuckey sat down with New York Times columnist David French in a rare, candid debate about the concept of "toxic empathy," which Stuckey wrote about in her book "Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion."

'You are using the title of my book, and you called me the foremost architect of this concept of toxic empathy.'

Stuckey confronted French's mischaracterization of her views on empathy in his NYT op-eds, in which he argued that some Christians who align with President Donald Trump have waged a war on empathy.

"My issue is, really, we don't have enough empathy, that empathy needs to be more holistic," French said.

"In my view, one of our big problems is not enough empathy and, particularly amongst very partisan people, very selective empathy, so that 'only my ally's experience really matters,'" he continued.

French called it a "cultural phenomenon," particularly among parts of "MAGA Christianity," to dismiss empathy for human suffering as "toxic." He claimed instead that it is "incomplete" or "selective" empathy.

Stuckey contended that "selective empathy" that leads to "immoral decisions is a form of toxic empathy." She continued to press French on his articles.

"I tell both sides of the story. ... I'm actually doing what you say needs to be done, which is expanding compassion, but I don't end there. Because I think you would agree, we don't get anywhere if both sides are just saying, 'Well, my story's sadder. No, my story's sadder,'" Stuckey stated.

She argued that ending there "actually paralyzes you from making a good moral decision." She instead called for Christians to be thoughtful and consider both sides of the story, giving the example of illegal immigrants and victims like Laken Riley, a 22-year-old college student who was murdered by a foreign national who was in the U.S. illegally.

"We have to ask discerning questions: What is biblically true? What's morally true? What's politically true, logically true, historically true?" she added.

RELATED: David French catches flak for claiming Talarico, a pro-abortion Democrat, 'acts like a Christian'

David French. William B. Plowman/NBC

During the exchange, Stuckey noted areas of apparent agreement, stating, "It doesn't really sound like you disagree with me here, but it did sound like you did in the articles."

"In 2025, you said, for example, 'If people respond to the foreign aid shutdown and the stop-work orders by talking about how children might suffer and die, then they're exhibiting toxic empathy,'" Stuckey said. "That's not what I say toxic empathy is."

"Well, it's absolutely what I see a lot in the public discussion," French responded.

"You are using the title of my book, and you called me the foremost architect of this concept of toxic empathy. But I don't say that toxic empathy is someone caring about children dying, and that's how you describe it in the article," Stuckey remarked.

"I'm not putting this all on you," French said. "One of the sad things that has occurred is this global, larger attack and talk about empathy has led to an immediate response when you talk about human suffering. I will see many Christians say, 'That's toxic empathy.'"

RELATED: Pro-life support plummets among churchgoers despite faith resurgence

Allie Beth Stuckey, David French. Image source: BlazeTV

During the interview, the two also discussed gender, abortion, French's defense of voting for Vice President Kamala Harris (D) in the 2024 presidential election, and his support for Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) in the upcoming Texas Senate election against either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).

As part of his argument for voting for Harris over President Donald Trump, French cited the abortion rates under Trump's administration compared to those under former President Barack Obama.

French, who considers himself pro-life, told Stuckey, "The largest drop in abortions actually occurred during the eight years of the Obama administration." While he admitted that the rise in abortion rates under Trump is the result of multiple factors, he argued that the Republican president perpetuates a problematic culture of "libertinism" that "is incompatible with a pro-life ethic."

"Complex social phenomena typically don't have singular causes. ... We've been dealing with some culture changes that I think are really negative. ... America is a lot more libertine, and Donald Trump is a very libertine man. He does what he wants," French said.

Megan Basham, a journalist for the Daily Wire, reacted to Stuckey's interview with French, criticizing the columnist for his abortion-rate argument.

"Oh my gosh, that is such a ridiculous response. French had said something similar about Obama. He said that the abortion rate went down under Obama because Obama gave people hope. Absolutely idiotic. The truth was, red states enacted more restrictions under Obama and that what was what was bringing the abortion rate down. And French is too smart not to know that," Basham wrote. "So what does that make him?"

Kylee Griswold, the managing editor for the Federalist, added, "Additionally, abortion #s under Trump 2 can't be divorced from the Biden-Harris administration removing the in-person dispensing requirements for mifepristone — which is how most abortions are performed. An egregious move that puts women at SERIOUS risk and also causes abortion in red states to SKYROCKET."

In a separate post, Mollie Hemingway, the editor in chief of the Federalist, wrote, "David French struggles and faceplants with his attempt to justify to @conservmillen why he endorsed Kamala Harris, given her lengthy track record of persecuting prolife Christians and journalists."

Not the Bee commended Stuckey for the debate.

"I love your way of confronting men like French. I'd say in this case, it would have made sense to bring up the fact that if you follow his logic, speaking to somebody about the Gospel could be equated to telling them an unkind truth. They are sinners. They are incapable of saving themselves, and they need Jesus. That's not 'kind.' But it's necessary. If you avoid unkind truths, you will never share the Gospel," Not the Bee wrote.

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Archangel Michael statue may yet win the battle against the ACLU after an army of warriors rallies to its cause



A Massachusetts city in the Greater Boston area commissioned a pair of 10-foot-tall bronze statues heavy with cultural and historical significance to honor police and firefighters outside their new public safety headquarters.

Upon learning that the city of Quincy's new statues — one depicting Florian, a third-century firefighting Roman Christian, and the other depicting the winged archangel Michael stepping on the head of a demon — also carried religious significance, the American Civil Liberties Union and a handful of secularizing activist groups joined a few locals in suing last May to block the installation.

'The ACLU has pitted itself against the very heroes who keep our communities safe.'

The city, which will make its case before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court with the help of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty on May 6, has received an outpouring of support from first responders' groups and unions, religious groups, and others keen to defend free speech found intolerable by thin-skinned critics.

The International Association of Fire Fighters and its Bay State affiliate, among the groups that submitted court filings in support of the city, noted that "for the firefighting community, there is perhaps no better image for this project than St. Florian."

Norfolk Superior Court Judge William Sullivan, the Democratic appointee who blocked the planned installation in October, previously argued that the statues "serve no discernable secular purpose."

The IAFF flatly rejected that argument.

RELATED: Whose past predicts your future?

Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

"Florian, to be sure, is venerated as a Catholic saint. But that isn't why the City of Quincy is putting him on its public safety building," the IAFF's court filing reads. "Rather, that choice reflects a centuries-old tradition that honors Florian — entirely apart from his significance in the Catholic Church — as a symbol of the courage, selflessness, and sacrifice of firefighters around the world."

Moreover, the association underscored that Florian's legend is now "part of the cultural fabric of firefighting."

The National Association of Police Organizations similarly said of the St. Michael statue, "Although Michael's origins are religious, his significance extends far beyond that context. He is the archetype of core law-enforcement virtues: justice, courage, leadership, and defense of the innocent."

The National Fraternal Order of Police echoed this understanding and drove the point home:

The erection of these statues shows no semblance of religious subordination or favoritism. For this Court to prohibit these statues would not only run contrary to the text and purpose of the Religion Clauses of the Massachusetts Constitution but would also rob the people of Quincy of a special opportunity to honor their firefighters and police officers.

While the Knights of Columbus highlighted America's and Massachusetts' rich histories of acknowledging religion in public art, the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team and the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty discussed the likely fallout of the ACLU prevailing in this case and how that result might disproportionately impact minority faiths.

They noted, for example, that a ruling against Quincy might set a precedent for denying practicing Jews the ability to build an eruv in public — a demarcated area, created by placing nearly invisible wires on existing utility poles, that permits Jews to carry essential items on the Sabbath.

The American Legion said in its filing that giving the secularists a win here "would put the Massachusetts Constitution on a collision court with the federal one." The Legion noted further that while a state may not favor a religion, it "also may not favor nonreligion by adopting a posture of hostility towards faith."

Joseph Davis, senior counsel at Becket and attorney for Quincy, stated, "By picking this fight, the ACLU has pitted itself against the very heroes who keep our communities safe."

"This broad coalition of firefighters and police — along with diverse faith communities, public policy experts, and legal scholars — proves just how out of touch the ACLU has become," Davis continued. "We’re hopeful the court will see through this attack and side with Quincy."

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