Canadian Legislation Provides A Chance To Stop Medically Assisted Murder
Canadian MPs can choose to kill the government’s plan, not the Canadians who are struggling.Canadian MPs can choose to kill the government’s plan, not the Canadians who are struggling.The Epstein files may be Trump’s biggest liability yet
President Trump snapped at a reporter who asked him about Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday.
Trump is massively misreading his base on this one — and it could cost him the midterms.
President Trump should not underestimate how much goodwill he’s lost among his base due to Pam Bondi’s mishandling of the Epstein files.
People care about the Epstein story, not only because of his sickening crimes against children but because evidence exists of a government cover-up.
Evidence like Epstein’s autopsy showing injuries incongruent with suicide; evidence like Buckingham Palace’s response to ABC’s nuked report on Epstein, Prince Andrew, and President Bill Clinton; evidence like former federal prosecutor Alex Acosta saying he was told to back off because Epstein “belonged to intelligence” and then discovering his Justice Department emails had mysteriously disappeared.
And now, government officials are telling us to ignore the evidence in front of our eyes and believe them — without evidence. Nope. Not happening. We voted for radical transparency and justice. We’re not letting it drop.
The president should not underestimate how much goodwill he’s lost among his base due to Attorney General Pam Bondi’s mishandling of the Epstein files. People are furious. I would know — I was collateral damage in Bondi’s infernal Epstein binder debacle. She should have been fired on the spot.
Country singer John Rich tells a story about eating dinner with Trump, who turned to him and asked — genuinely curious — “Why do people boo at my rallies when I brag about the COVID vaccine?” And then Trump listened to Rich’s answer: People were hurt by that jab.
President Trump should listen to his base about Epstein, too.
We have been hurt by the deep state weaponizing the government against us: calling us terrorists, censoring us when we questioned the outcome of the 2020 election, or the origin of COVID, or rejecting transgender ideology. Trump’s base has been insulted, targeted, subject to violence, arrest, and political persecution for supporting him and our America First agenda.
RELATED: The Epstein case proves one thing: The elites are protected
Forgive us if we refuse to believe government officials now who are asking us to accept a narrative that contradicts the evidence we can see. We will no longer be subject to gatekeepers. Don’t insult our intelligence. Don’t belittle us.
We voted for President Trump because he promised justice.
- Justice for COVID.
- Justice for January 6 and the mysterious RNC and DNC pipe bombs.
- Justice for Russiagate.
- Justice for the phony Ukraine impeachment.
- Justice for the lawfare against Trump.
- Justice for censorship and Big Tech collusion.
- Justice for jailed pro-lifers.
- Justice for journalists targeted by the FBI.
- Justice for parents labeled domestic extremists.
Justice isn’t dismissing those crimes and moving on. Justice means arresting the swamp creatures who perpetrated the crimes and dismantling the corrupt institutions that enabled them to do so.
That’s why the Epstein case is foundational. That’s why Trump’s base has a visceral reaction to being told we would get the Epstein files — and now we are told we’re getting nothing.
Bondi didn’t tell us the truth. She seems more interested in being a Fox News star than keeping promises. Something is fishy about the Epstein stuff — his racket, his death, his friends, his alleged intelligence agency connections. Patting us on the head and telling us “nothing to see here” is infuriating. It will not do.
President Trump should not underestimate the significance of this moment. He’s losing goodwill by the day — and Bondi is to blame.
Trump is smart. He cares about his base. He listens. He should listen now, so that it doesn’t cost him the midterms.
The Epstein memo is a joke — and the joke’s on us
Late Sunday evening, the Department of Justice and the FBI quietly dropped a two-page memo on Axios — a pathetic attempt to bury the Jeffrey Epstein scandal once and for all.
Instead, they lit a fire.
If the goal was to rebuild trust, this failed spectacularly.
Even longtime Trump supporters are furious. The memo offers nothing new. It doesn’t present fresh evidence. It doesn’t announce new investigations. It simply reviews old files and claims to find nothing of interest.
The first sentence tells the tale: The Justice Department and FBI “conducted an exhaustive review of investigative holdings relating to Jeffrey Epstein.” In plain English: They looked at what they already had. That’s it. No digging. No subpoenas. The Federal Bureau of Investigation simply acted as the Federal Bureau of Review.
They may as well have stamped the two-pager: “Nothing to see here.”
No client list. No blackmail ring. No suspicious circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death. According to the memo, none of it exists — at least not in the files current political leadership received.
So what happened to the promise of transparency? Of real oversight? If reform means letting the same entrenched bureaucrats investigate themselves, then nothing has changed.
The FBI and Justice Department officials have spent years turning a blind eye to crimes committed by the ruling class — crimes that threaten national security and corrupt the very institutions charged with upholding the law. Just ask anyone who remembers the Clinton email scandal, the Alfa Bank hoax, the Biden family’s foreign cash pipeline, or the Uranium One deal swept under the rug.
Now we’re supposed to believe they took Epstein’s crimes seriously?
Shifting the blame — with vague suggestions that “Epstein belonged to the intelligence services” — doesn’t cut it. It’s a dodge, not an explanation. Jurisdictional excuses don’t fly when public trust is on the line. Americans want answers from the people who once claimed they would deliver them.
The entire premise of public skepticism surrounding Epstein was that the U.S. government never truly investigated him. He was widely believed to be an asset. If that’s the case, why would the FBI have a smoking-gun confession just lying around in its files?
And even if someone had written down every sordid detail, would we really expect a mid-level bureaucrat to produce it on command?
The memo only accounts for one corner of the federal government. What about the intelligence community? What about foreign actors? What about the rest of the system?
The choice to give this exclusive to Axios is equally baffling. This is the same outlet to which the Trump administration handed the Biden-Hur audio tape — the story co-authored by a reporter who collaborated with Jake Tapper on a book abetting the cover-up of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. That release was botched too: dropped on a Friday evening, selectively edited, and spun to discredit critics.
So why trust Axios with another political bombshell?
Predictably, Axios buried the lead and used its piece to promote a tangential swipe at President Trump, implying — via Elon Musk’s speculation — that Trump might be named in the Epstein files. That’s the kind of media framing the Justice Department and FBI just handed to the American people.
And let’s not forget: This wasn’t just a Justice memo. It was a joint DOJ-FBI release. In Washington, that means one of two things. Either both agencies want credit, or both want cover. This reeks of the latter.
Nothing in the memo aligns with public statements from political leadership.
RELATED: Is the FBI salvageable? Here’s what bureau insiders have to say
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi declared that the Epstein client list was “sitting on my desk right now.” That same month, she wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel saying she had Epstein’s contact list and that the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York still hadn’t turned over thousands of documents. Then in March, Bondi said she had a “truckload” of evidence. But now we’re told no such list exists and all of that evidence amounted to nothing?
Patel promised, “I will do everything, if confirmed as FBI director, to make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened.” A two-page memo? That’s the “full weight”?
Deputy Director Dan Bongino vowed, “I’m not letting it go, ever.” So why does this feel like a shoulder shrug? Are we just supposed to “let it go” now?
It all adds up: grandstanding promises, empty symbolism, pointless stunts — like handing out Epstein binders to influencers at the White House — and now, a slapdash memo dumped just as Bibi Netanyahu sits down with President Trump, which will only fuel speculation that Epstein was connected with Israeli intelligence. If the goal was to rebuild trust, this failed spectacularly.
The Epstein saga isn’t going away. This memo doesn’t answer questions — it raises more. And the longer officials play games, the more the public will suspect they’re hiding something.
Until leaders stop playing defense and start delivering real accountability, don’t expect the American people to move on. They won’t.
Liberal lawmaker melts down after priest stands firm, denies him communion over deadly bill
A Catholic priest in England reportedly warned a Liberal Democrat member of parliament in his parish that he would be refused communion should he vote in favor of the United Kingdom's controversial assisted suicide bill.
Despite this warning, Chris Coghlan voted in favor of the bill on June 20 and claimed he did so in accordance with his "conscience."
While Coghlan underscored in a Saturday op-ed that his faith is irrelevant to his parliamentary responsibilities, Father Ian Vane of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Dorking, England, indicated that the liberal's political decisions were very much relevant to whether he could receive the Eucharist.
'Intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder.'
After learning that he would be denied communion — evidently not in person, as the Observer indicated the lawmaker didn't even show up to the relevant masses — Coghlan had an ugly meltdown online, calling the priest's actions "outrageous"; accusing Fr. Vane of "completely inappropriate interference in democracy"; filing a complaint with Bishop Richard Moth, the bishop of Arundel and Brighton, who publicly campaigned against the bill; and suggesting lawmakers' faith should be publicly considered when they vote on matters of possible relevance.
"I was deeply disturbed to receive an email from my local priest four days before the vote on Kim Leadbeater's assisted dying bill saying if I voted in favour I would be 'an obstinate public sinner,'" Coghlan noted in his op-ed. "Worse, I would be complicit in a 'murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded.' Such a vote would, he wrote, be 'a clear contravention of the Church’s teaching, which would leave me in the position of not being able to give you holy communion, as to do so would cause scandal in the Church.'"
Coghlan suggested that the priest was in the wrong and had wrongly characterized so-called "assisted dying" as a "murderous act."
While the leftist lawmaker indicated his faith was "profoundly important" to him, he appears to have greatly misunderstood or altogether missed the church's unwavering moral stances on euthanasia and suicide.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly states that "intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator."
The Catechism also states that "suicide is seriously contrary to justice, hope, and charity" and is "forbidden by the fifth commandment."
RELATED: Martyrs don’t bend the knee — even to the state
Canon 915 in the Code of Canon Law forbids the administration of communion to those who obstinately persevere "in manifest grave sin."
One year prior to becoming pope in 2005, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger signed a memorandum on the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith clarifying that:
Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.
In other words, Fr. Vane did exactly as expected by the church and echoed the Catholic Church's longstanding moral teaching when warning then admonishing Coghlan.
In advance of the parliamentary vote on the legislation, Bishop Moth, the recipient of Coghlan's complaint, encouraged Catholics in his diocese to "pray earnestly that the dignity of human life is respected from the moment of conception to natural death" and to urge their members of parliament to vote against the bill.
"While the proposed legislation may offer assurances of safeguards, the evidence is clear that, in those countries such as Canada and Belgium (to take just two examples) where legislation approving 'assisted dying' is in place, it takes little time before the criteria for 'assisted dying' expand, often including those living with mental illness and others who do not have a terminal diagnosis," wrote Moth.
Despite being framed as a "stringently limited, carefully monitored system of exceptions" around the time of its legalization in 2016, state-facilitated suicide is now a leading cause of death in Canada, accounting for 4.7% of all Canadian deaths last year.
As Moth indicated, so-called medical assistance in dying in Canada is not just killing moribund people, but individuals who could otherwise live for years or decades, as well as victims whose primary symptom is suicidal ideation.
After parliament voted 314 to 291 in favor of changing British law to legalize assisted suicide earlier this month, Catholic Archbishop John Sherrington, lead bishop for life issues for the Catholic Bishop's Conference, reiterated the church's opposition to the legalization of assisted suicide, noting, "We are shocked and disappointed that MPs have voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. This Bill is flawed in principle with several provisions that give us great cause for concern."
Coghlan claimed that after the vote, his priest "publicly announced at mass that he was indeed denying me holy communion as I had breached canon law."
'There is no in-between. Choose.'
The leftist politician continued complaining on X, writing, "It is a matter of grave public interest the extent to which religious MPs came under pressure to represent their religion and not necessarily their constituents in the assisted dying vote."
"This was utterly disrespectful to my family, my constituents including the congregation, and the democratic process. My private religion will continue to have zero direct relevance to my work as an MP representing all my constituents without fear or favour," added Coghlan.
Blaze News reached out to Fr. Vane for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
In addition to stressing that religion should effectively be neutralized in public so that Britain could "be a secular country" — par for the course in a nation where silent prayer can already result in a criminal record — Coghlan suggested that lawmakers' faith should be publicized and taken into account when relevant to parliamentary votes.
RELATED: Delaware assisted-suicide law promotes 'death culture,' attacks life's sanctity and medical ethics
"Constituents’ [sic] absolutely should know if an MP is of faith on a conscience vote and is obliged by their faith to vote a certain way and/or is under pressure from religious authorities from their faith to do so. It is potentially a clear conflict of interest with putting their constituents first," wrote Coghlan.
The Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton told the Observer in a statement, "Bishop Richard spoke to Mr. Coghlan earlier this week and has offered to meet him in person to discuss the issues and concerns raised."
While the leftist lawmaker received an outpouring of support online from secularists, he was also met with biting criticism from orthodox Christians.
Dr. Chad Pecknold, associated professor of systematic theology at the Catholic University of America, noted, "Mr. Coghlan, I've taught Christianity and Politics for many years. What you express is not a Catholic but a Liberal view that your faith should be something private. Western civilization was built upon the very public nature of Christianity. Your faith is either Liberal, and you have owned it, or your Faith is Catholic, and you have denied it. There is no in-between. Choose."
"Good work by this priest," wrote Fr. Matthew Schneider, a priest with the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi. "If you are not a devout member of a Church, it should not matter if you receive Communion. If you are a devout member, your faith should penetrate your life enough to vote in accord with common good, & not for murdering the sick & disabled."
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FBI arrests alleged accomplice in Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing — and he shares suspected terrorist's hatred
Guy Edward Bartkus, the 25-year-old suspected terrorist killed in the May 17 bombing of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, allegedly left behind a nihilistic manifesto acknowledged by the FBI that equated human life to a disease gripping the planet, condemned religion, championed Satan over God, and called for a "war against pro-lifers."
"Basically, I'm anti-life," Bartkus allegedly said in a 30-minute audio recording explaining why he apparently decided to bomb a fertility clinic. "And IVF is like kind of the epitome of pro-life ideology."
The suspect appears to have been neither alone in his hatred for life nor alone in his plot to bomb the American Reproductive Centers in Palm Springs.
The FBI arrested Daniel Jongyon Park on Tuesday night at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in connection with the bombing.
Park, a 32-year-old from Washington state, fled the country two days after the bombing. He was arrested by Polish authorities on May 30, despite an alleged attempt to "harm himself." Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly helped ensure that he was deported to the United States on June 2, where he was charged with providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists.
RELATED: Why a fatherless man bombed a fertility clinic — and the dark truth it exposes
"This defendant is charged with facilitating the horrific attack on a fertility center in California," Bondi said in a statement. "Bringing chaos and violence to a facility that exists to help women and mothers is a particularly cruel, disgusting crime that strikes at the very heart of our shared humanity."
Bondi expressed gratitude to America's "partners in Poland who helped get this man back to America."
According to the Department of Justice, Park allegedly provided the suspected terrorist with the explosive precursor materials ultimately used in the attack, approximately 270 pounds of ammonium nitrate — 90 pounds of which he allegedly shipped just days before the Palm Springs bombing, which destroyed the clinic, damaged surrounding buildings, injured numerous people, and flung the bomber's remains as far as the rooftop of a hotel a block away.
The suspect, who the FBI indicated filmed the attack and the events leading up to it, appears to have assembled the bomb at his home in Twentynine Palms, where federal agents reportedly found massive quantities of explosive materials, including pentaerythritol tetranitrate — a chemical compound used in commercial detonators.
'Would you press the button to end their suffering and speed up the process of extinction of life on Earth?'
After allegedly sending Bartkus the first shipment, Park — who allegedly made six separate online purchases totaling 275 pounds of ammonium nitrate between October 2022 and May 2025 — stayed at the suspected terrorist's house from Jan. 25 to Feb 8., during which time he told people his name was "Steve."
Citing records from an AI chat application, the DOJ indicated that Bartkus researched how to make powerful explosions using ammonium nitrate and fuel three days before Park came to visit him.
The criminal complaint against Park indicates that federal agents discovered "explosive precursor chemicals and multiple recipes for explosives, including recipes for explosive mixtures containing ammonium nitrate and fuel" at his house. One of the recipes apparently corresponded with the explosive mixture used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
RELATED: New evidence could blow open the Oklahoma City bombing case
Bartkus' family members allegedly told investigators that he and Park were "running experiments" in the suspected bomber's detached garage, where FBI agents later discovered chemical precursors and laboratory equipment as well as packages listing Park's home address.
The duo apparently bonded over their anti-natalism and their "pro-mortalism" — the belief that non-existence is always preferable to life.
'Those who aid terrorists can expect to feel the cold wrath of justice.'
The criminal complaint indicates that Park made numerous social media posts expressing such views, allegedly writing, for instance, in 2016 in response to the question, "What have you actually done to not have children?" that "a better question is what did you do to make other people not have children."
In April 2025, Park allegedly wrote "yes" in response to the question, "If you had the technology to wipe out a tribe of people on an isolated island and no one would know about it after the tribe's life was gone, would you press the button to end their suffering and speed up the process of extinction of life on Earth?"
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said of Park's arrest, "Domestic terrorism is evil and unacceptable. Those who aid terrorists can expect to feel the cold wrath of justice."
Park could face up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted.
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Delaware assisted-suicide law promotes 'death culture,' attacks life's sanctity and medical ethics
Delaware Governor Matt Meyer, a Democrat, stated that he was "proud" to legalize physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.
Meyer signed House Bill 140 into law on Tuesday, amending Delaware's code concerning end-of-life options and making it the 11th state in the nation to legalize assisted suicide in certain situations.
'It turns the tools of healing into lethal weapons.'
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Eric Morrison (D), permits mentally capable adults diagnosed with a terminal illness to opt for physician-assisted suicide if they are given only six months or less to live. It requires that those considering the life-terminating option be presented with alternative options, such as comfort care, palliative care, hospice, and pain control. Additionally, the law first requires two waiting periods and a second medical opinion on the patient's prognosis.
The bill reads, "This Act permits a terminally ill individual who is an adult resident of Delaware to request and self-administer medication to end the individual's life in a humane and dignified manner if both the individual's attending physician or attending advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) and a consulting physician or consulting APRN agree on the individual's diagnosis and prognosis and believe the individual has decision-making capacity, is making an informed decision, and is acting voluntarily."
Upon signing the bill into law on Tuesday, Meyer claimed it advanced "compassion."
"We're acknowledging today that even in the last moments of life, compassion matters," he stated. "Every Delawarean should have the right to face their final chapter with peace, dignity, and control."
"This signing today is about relieving suffering and giving families the comfort of knowing that their loved one was able to pass on their own terms, without unnecessary pain, and surrounded by the people they love most," Meyer said. "It gives people facing unimaginable suffering the ability to choose peace and comfort, surrounded by those they love. After years of debate, I am proud to sign HB 140 into law."
Delaware lawmakers shot down the measure last year.
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C., have similar laws.
Delaware's End-of-Life Options Act will go into effect next year.
RELATED: England legalizes assisted suicide — former prime minister says government abuse will be prevented
Paul Dupont, the policy director at the American Principles Project, told Blaze News that Delaware's new law signals a "troubling trend."
"Delaware becoming the 11th state to legalize physician-assisted suicide is a symptom of the troubling trend in our culture that continues to devalue life to the point of promoting death as a solution to suffering. It undermines the dignity of every person and creates an environment where the elderly, disabled, and marginalized feel their lives are burdens," Dupont said.
He added, "Instead of allowing this 'death culture' to take over our country, states need to pass pro-life and pro-family legislation that affirms the worth of every individual to counter these harmful policies."
Ryan T. Anderson with the Ethics and Public Policy Center argued that physician-assisted suicide "violates the fundamental principles of medical care."
Anderson told Blaze News, "It turns the tools of healing into lethal weapons. And it threatens to fundamentally distort the doctor-patient relationship because it reduces patients' trust in doctors and doctors' undivided commitment to the life and health of their patients."
"The 'option' of physician-assisted suicide provides perverse incentives for insurance providers — public and private," he continued. "It offers a quick way to cut costs in a world of increasingly scarce health care resources. And it's the weak and vulnerable and marginalized who will be most at risk in a culture in which assisted suicide is permitted."
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'Haunt me the rest of my life': Father reportedly kills family and himself in murder-suicide on same day as son's graduation
A Nebraska father reportedly killed his entire family and himself in what authorities suspect was a triple murder-suicide. The dad allegedly murdered his wife and children on the same day as his son's high school graduation — and just days after being released from a mental hospital.
Around 9:45 a.m. Saturday, deputies with the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office reportedly responded to an emergency at a home in Johnson Lake.
'But my husband tries to kill himself ... a lot.'
Deputies found the dead bodies of four individuals "with fatal knife wounds," the Nebraska State Patrol said in a press release. Police allegedly also discovered a knife at the grisly crime scene.
Police identified the deceased individuals as 42-year-old Jeremy Koch, his 41-year-old wife, Bailey Koch, and their sons, 18-year-old Hudson Koch and 16-year-old Asher Koch.
Just days before the tragedy, Bailey Koch launched a GoFundMe campaign titled "Jeremy’s Battle: Mental Health Support Needed."
"But my husband tries to kill himself ... a lot," Bailey wrote.
She noted that Jeremy attempted suicide four times, including a near-fatal collision in 2012 during which "he drove straight into a semi on the highway."
Bailey said her husband was diagnosed with severe depression in 2009.
The wife said Jeremy went seven years "without experiencing dark thoughts" until July 2024.
She said that because of her husband's mental illness, he could not consistently work at the family's landscaping and greenhouse services business.
Bailey wrote, "In March, just a couple months ago, I woke to Jeremy shaking me awake saying, 'Something is wrong.' He was standing over my bed with a knife ready to end his life."
The mother said she was able to "talk him down and into accepting help."
Jeremy was admitted to the Richard Young Hospital for inpatient mental health treatment for the fourth time.
She said her husband refused to eat or drink while at the hospital and was "slowly completing suicide."
Bailey said Jeremy was released from the hospital on Thursday so he could attend his son's high school graduation.
"But it appears Jeremy is reacting negatively to our attempt with a new mental health med ... one he's been on for a whole three nights," she wrote.
Bailey continued, "And yes, he's having suicidal thoughts, so he had some tears of frustration and sadness."
The wife noted that she was not going to bring Jeremy back to the mental hospital until after Hudson's graduation.
Bailey thanked those who had donated to the GoFundMe campaign.
"Oh my heart, you guys!!! I cannot thank you all enough for the support ... financial, through messages of support and suggestions, and through prayers," she wrote. "We feel you holding us as we fight this battle and know God placed you in our lives, so we feel His presence."
The crowdfunding campaign ended on Sunday after raising more than $20,000.
News Channel Nebraska reported that Lane and Peggy Kugler — Bailey's father and mother and the grandparents of the two teen boys — said in a Facebook post: "What I saw will haunt me the rest of my life."
The Kuglers said they were the first to discover their loved ones dead — "lying in their beds."
Bailey was a special education teacher with Holdrege Public Schools.
"Our Holdrege school community is grieving after a tragic event that has deeply affected us all," the school district stated. "Our hearts are with everyone impacted."
The sons attended Cozad High School, where Hudson was supposed to graduate Saturday.
"Cozad Schools was made aware of a tragic situation that will deeply affect our Cozad community," the school district said. "Our thoughts are with all those impacted during this incredibly difficult time."
Bailey also said Hudson was supposed to move to California for a "three-year bonsai apprenticeship" after graduating high school.
Asher was a freshman in high school and a "rockstar golfer on the varsity team."
Bailey said, "Proud parents here."
You can watch a local newscast from KLKN-TV here about the tragedy.
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How teacher's alleged grooming of student led to marriage-ending affair, chilling suicide pact, possible 105-year prison term
A former Florida teacher faces up to 105 years in prison for his alleged grooming and sexual abuse of a teen girl, which resulted in her suicide attempt.
Damian Conti is a 36-year-old former Advanced Placement English teacher at the SouthTech Academy, a charter school for students in grades 9 through 12 in Boynton Beach.
'She's alive by miracle.'
According to investigators, Conti began messaging a 16-year-old female student through text, Instagram, and school email in August 2023.
Conti allegedly offered to be the girl's academic mentor.
The teacher reportedly would meet the student on a daily basis near her locker after school ended.
Attorneys for the alleged victim's family said Conti met the teen at Starbucks and visited the teenager at her job — and even brought his 4-year-old son with him. He also allegedly gave the teen gifts.
Conti purportedly persuaded the girl to join the volleyball team, which he coached.
He allegedly made excuses to remove her from volleyball practice and take her into his classroom alone, according to investigators.
The Palm Beach Post reported, "The student said he confided in her about his work and home life and encouraged her to vent her own frustrations. As their trust deepened, he began sharing intimate secrets about his marriage and sex life."
The girl allegedly told investigators that Conti told her he "liked her" in October 2023.
Shortly after, Conti began to sexually abuse the minor, according to the teen. The alleged sexual assaults occurred in a shopping plaza parking lot, his classroom, and in storage closets at SouthTech Academy.
The former teacher allegedly gave the girl driving lessons.
In January 2024, an administrator at the SouthTech Academy reportedly emailed Conti a warning about driving the underage student around in his car after a video of the girl entering Conti's car began to circulate on TikTok.
"I want to remind you that you should not be transporting students in your car," assistant principal Erin Kurtz wrote to Conti. "If you are transporting them for a field trip, the appropriate paperwork should be on file, and there should always be a minimum of three people."
Citing court records, the Post reported that Conti told the alleged victim that Kurtz had questioned him about inappropriate conduct with a different teenage girl a year prior. Conti allegedly bragged about how quickly he had convinced the assistant principal that the allegations were unfounded. However, he reportedly continued to sexually assault the first alleged victim.
Conti and the second alleged victim reportedly told investigators that their last sexual encounter happened on Feb. 5, 2024 — the same day as his wedding anniversary, according to divorce documents Conti's wife filed three weeks later.
'Scared of death.'
The next day, a classmate — who had access to her social media accounts — wanted to "mess with her" by logging into her Instagram and messaging her from there. The classmate allegedly told detectives that he also logged into her Instagram to see if she was "talking smack" about him.
“Lo and behold, she was talking smack about me,” he told police.
The male classmate also said he noticed "curious" messages in the girl's private messages between her and an account seemingly belonging to Conti. The classmate took screenshots of the conversations between the teacher and student and then reportedly shared them with school administrators.
Eileen Turenne — the now-former principal of SouthTech Academy — suspended Conti after seeing the messages. The principal summoned the teen girl, who allegedly told deputies that Conti instructed her to delete the messages between the pair, which she did.
The student refused to answer any of the principal's questions and demanded an attorney, according to court records.
The teen claimed that Turenne asked her to vacate the campus, despite not having approval from the girl's parents, which school policy requires.
A school receptionist allegedly asked Turenne to confirm that the student should be released from the campus, despite not having parental approval.
"Yes," Turenne reportedly replied. "Get her out of here."
According to court documents, when the receptionist asked a second time about releasing the student, Turenne responded, "I will deal with it later. Just tell (Jane Doe) to sign on behalf of her parent."
The girl's attorney, Victoria Mesa-Estrada, said, "The school waited for the water to spill before they took any action to protect her. And when they pushed her out, they basically turned her into the hands of the predator."
Turenne reportedly retired from SouthTech Academy three days later.
'This case is much more than just the sexual abuse of a minor by a teacher.'
The teen left SouthTech Academy on Feb. 6 and reportedly met Conti at a Home Depot near Lake Worth Beach, according to surveillance cameras at the hardware store.
According to court documents, the teen selected 30 feet of rope and 15 feet of chain. The teen allegedly told an employee that she was building a tree house.
However, the rope reportedly was to be used for the teen and Conti to commit suicide.
A civil lawsuit the girl's parents filed against SouthTech Academy and Conti claimed he initially agreed to the suicide pact but later changed his mind.
The teen told investigators Conti touched the rope and then said he was “scared of death.” He then allegedly told the teen not to commit suicide.
The pair then walked out of the Home Depot store together and “went their separate ways,” according to court records.
Shortly after, Conti claimed to have called his therapist for advice on what to do. The therapist allegedly told him to immediately call 911, which he did. Conti allegedly told police of the girl's suicide plans but reportedly did not inform police that he was with her at the hardware store when she purchased the rope.
Upon receiving news of the suicidal teen, police launched an immediate search for the girl. With the assistance of the girl's parents, who tracked her location through their phone, deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reportedly found the teen hanging from a tree behind a church less than an hour after the 911 call.
Officers cut the rope and resuscitated the girl before rushing her to the pediatric intensive care unit of St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach. The teen seemed to be in such grave condition that her mother nearly fainted when she saw her daughter, a deputy said.
The alleged victim reportedly has made a slow recovery from her injuries.
The same day — Feb. 6 — Conti was arrested. Police said Conti admitted to having a sexual relationship with the girl.
Conti allegedly told the arresting deputy there were "feelings that shouldn’t have been there," and “I should have stopped it.”
Conti was fired from SouthTech Academy the following day.
'He's facing a whole lot of hurt.'
Investigators discovered thousands of messages between the teacher and student, which lawyers claim contain "highly inappropriate and/or explicit sexual content."
WPEC-TV reported that Conti initially was charged with six counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
During a hearing last October, prosecutors allegedly offered Conti a plea deal that would give him a 25-year prison sentence. Conti rejected it.
Earlier this month, prosecutors hit Conti with an additional charge of attempting to assist in self-murder.
If convicted, Conti faces up to 105 years in prison.
Assistant State Attorney Alexa Ruggiero reportedly told Assistant Public Defender Lily Boehmer in an email, "This case is much more than just the sexual abuse of a minor by a teacher. Some of the most upsetting evidence includes the defendant taking this young girl to the store to buy materials to end her life."
Ruggiero noted that there is additional evidence "to corroborate his involvement with her attempted suicide."
Mesa-Estrada stated, "We're not only talking about a sexual predator, but someone who aided and abetted her suicide attempt. She's alive by miracle."
Former Palm Beach County state attorney Dave Aronberg told WPBF-TV, "The one fact in his favor is that he said that he called 911, and that is how they found her, was able to save her life. That's the kind of thing that could help him at trial, but still, he's facing a whole lot of hurt."
Conti's jury trial is scheduled to begin June 23.
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Race is not righteousness — Jesus died for our sin, not our skin
For as often as the phrase “Christ is King” trends on social media, it seems like a growing number of self-professing Christians have forgotten that it was sin — not skin — that kept Jesus on the cross.
Millions of Americans gathered this past Easter Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Apart from that ultimate sign of self-sacrifice, we would still be in bondage to sin and face the penalty for indulging it — spiritual death and eternal separation from God. That’s because, according to the Bible, we are all born in sin and remain spiritually dead unless we turn from our sin and place our hope and trust in Christ.
No argument reveals a smaller mind than the impulse to link sin to skin for ideological gain.
Messages circulating on X often sound wildly different, but many follow the same script. On any given day, you’ll find someone — often claiming to be Christian — warning that a specific group poses a unique threat to the American way of life.
Some wrap their claims in the pseudo-academic language of “race realism” and genetic determinism. Others frame it as cultural criticism. But the message stays the same: Those people over there are the real problem.
Years ago, I noticed this pattern in how some black progressives invoked slavery and Jim Crow to argue that “whiteness” itself is an inherently evil force driving racism.
Today, a growing number of white conservatives fire back with crime statistics, claiming black Americans are inherently violent.
Meanwhile, a rainbow coalition of agitators — including Hispanics and Asians — spends its time urging followers to “notice” Jewish control of everything from pornography to U.S. foreign policy.
Different faces, same poison.
Ethnic and political tribalism has convinced many Americans that moral decay is always someone else’s fault. It’s not our problem. It’s their problem.
They chase any story or video that reinforces their worldview and dismiss anything that challenges it. A white police officer involved in a fatal shooting of a black man becomes proof that policing itself is systemically racist. A black teenager who commits a crime becomes a symbol of supposed racial dysfunction — not an individual but a statistic.
Many in this mindset obsess over IQ scores and genetic theories. But no argument reveals a smaller mind than the impulse to link sin to skin for ideological gain.
Christ’s death on the cross should convict every one of us to examine our own hearts. The moment you start measuring your worth by someone else’s failure, you’re already losing the moral battle. Comparative righteousness is a foolish and dangerous game.
The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18 illustrates the danger of self-righteousness. Pharisees prided themselves on strict adherence to the law, so it’s no surprise that the one in Jesus’ story thanked God for his supposed moral superiority. He fasted, tithed, and avoided obvious sins. He was especially grateful not to be like the tax collector — a judgment that, on the surface, seemed justified.
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
Jesus shocked the crowd with the conclusion: It was the tax collector — not the outwardly religious Pharisee — who went home justified. He drove the point home with a final line that still cuts: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The world would look very different — better, even — if more people, especially Christians, followed the example of the tax collector instead of the Pharisee.
Every person, family, and community carries its own burdens. Certain sins may show up more often in some groups than others, but that only looks like moral deficiency when we stop measuring ourselves against God and start judging others as the standard.
That’s why I advocate an “inside-out” approach to social commentary. I focus first on the issues that are common, pressing, and personal. Telling hard truths is difficult enough. It’s even harder when the messenger comes off as an outsider taking shots rather than someone who cares enough to speak from within.
Conservatives have every right to criticize America’s cultural collapse — but they should think twice before using China’s Xi Jinping to deliver the message. And if even Vivek Ramaswamy can’t offer light criticism without backlash, maybe it’s not just the left that has a problem hearing the truth.
The inside-out approach beats the alternative. It forces us to confront our own flaws instead of obsessing over everyone else’s. The outside-in method puts the sins of others under a microscope, while hiding the mirror that would show our own.
That’s why I don’t understand black pastors in neighborhoods torn apart by gang violence who spend their sermons denouncing “white supremacy” or DEI. Those things may be worth discussing — but they’re not why kids are dying in their streets.
Likewise, a white pastor in Wyoming would do much more good addressing his state’s sky-high suicide rate — often involving firearms — than speculating on how rap music and absent fathers are ruining black teenagers in Chicago.
Nothing’s wrong with offering honest insights about what plagues other communities. Tribalism shouldn’t stop us from grieving or rejoicing with people who don’t look like us. But the problem comes when we frame both vice and virtue in ethnic terms.
The apostle Paul didn’t tailor his warnings about idolatry, greed, lust, or murder based on ethnicity. His message was universal because the human condition is universal.
That’s why Christians must always remember: Jesus died for our sin, not our skin.
Climate hysteria sets stage for suicidal behavior: Study
Climate alarmists are future-oriented in their activism. It turns out, however, that their obsession may, in some cases, ensure that they will never meet the imminent world they tried to shape with demonstrations, public tantrums, ruinous leftist policies, and vandalism.
A paper by European and Canadian researchers published Friday in the journal Nature Medicine examined the "associations between climate-related hazards and the spectrum of suicidal behaviors, from suicidal ideation to self-harm and suicide mortality."
Citing previous studies, the researchers noted that, unsurprisingly, people directly exposed to extreme weather events may experience an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Slow-moving albeit similarly devastating environmental phenomena appear to similarly have an emotionally destabilizing impact on some individuals — the Indian farmer, for instance, who is driven to despair by drought, low crop yields, and the prospect of destitution or even starvation.
The study suggested, however, that individuals who are not directly impacted by changing weather patterns have also been observed getting bent out of shape to the point of depression and suicidality.
"Negative psychological responses related to the observed and anticipated impacts of climate change, such as climate anxiety, eco-anxiety and climate-related guilt have also emerged as a potential risk factor for poor mental health and suicide-related behavior," said the study, adding that international surveys have indicated "concern about climate change is associated with feelings of despair, hopelessness, anger, frustration, and guilt, especially among younger populations."
'Exposure to the report had a weaker association with perceived threat and climate change concern among politically right-leaning individuals.'
A study published in the Annual Review of Environment and Resources noted that while so-called climate change "has long been seen as psychologically distant from many people and therefore as a rather non-emotional problem," this view has changed in recent years, partly as a consequence of climate alarmist propaganda pushed in the media and in schools — propaganda that inevitably oversells bad news and overlooks good news, such as carbon emissions' greening of the planet.
"Many people experience climate change and other global environmental problems indirectly, or vicariously, through media representations rather than from direct exposure," said the study. "Exposure to climate change information through the media plays an important role in determining how worried people are about climate change."
A 2019 study found that Norwegians' exposure to an alarmist United Nations report on climate change was associated "with greater perceived threat from climate change and increased climate change concern."
The induction of concern worked particularly well with left-leaning individuals:
Exposure to the report had a weaker association with perceived threat and climate change concern among politically right-leaning individuals, compared with their left-leaning counterparts, and there was no association between exposure to the report and climate change concern among individuals who self-identified as being on the far-right end of the political spectrum.
These manufactured concerns can turn malignant and metastasize.
A 2020 American study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that climate change anxiety is not uncommon, particularly among younger adults, and is correlated with emotional responses — responses that apparently drive some victims of propaganda to swear off having children. A 2021 Lancet-published survey of 10,000 youths ages 16-25 indicated that 39% of respondents expressed hesitancy about procreating on account of climate change.
The study published last week in Nature Medicine identified various pathways from "climate-related hazards to suicidal behaviors."
For those in the camp of the indirectly impacted, such as the Norwegian cohort confronted with the U.N. concern-mongers' report, chronic, vicarious exposure to climate change can result in lowered well-being, which in turn sets the stage for suicidal behaviors.
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