Trump and Rodman meet face-to-face, and a close insider claims POTUS has big plans post-midterms



The president may be campaigning to help Republicans in the midterms, but he is allegedly already making plans for after the election.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump made stops in Texas and Oklahoma, but he took some time out for an old friend who has a storied history in both places.

'So long as I'm here, you're not going to have any problems.'

When the president visited Peterbilt Motors in Denton, Texas, he was greeted by the towering, pink-haired character who is Dennis Rodman.

Rodman went to college at the nearby North Central Texas College and also attended Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant, Oklahoma, where Trump held another rally later in the day.

In Texas, Trump pointed out Rodman in the crowd, calling him "the greatest guy" and a "friend for a long time."

Trump communications adviser Margo Martin later posted a video of the two meeting face-to-face, where the president called Rodman the "best rebounder in the history of basketball," with Rodman responding that Trump is "my friend."

A source described as "close to Rodman" revealed to the New York Post that the president has big plans to reconnect with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the midterms, saying, "Trump wants to refocus again on North Korea and start talking about Kim Jong Un."

The source added, "Dennis believes he's the ambassador of goodwill between North Korea and the United States. As Trump ponders what to do next, he's been soliciting ideas, and one of those key people he's talking to is Dennis."

The news comes as Washington Post reporter Josh Rogin claims that Rodman had a falling out with Kim Jong Un after allegedly getting too drunk during his last visit.

"He can't help Trump with North Korean diplomacy anymore," the reporter claimed.

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A White House official told Blaze News: "President Trump in his first term held three historic summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula. U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed. President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong Un, without any preconditions. There has been no change on this policy."

As Trump toured the facility in Texas, a reporter asked if he was "brokering any peace with North Korea with Dennis today."

Trump replied, "I can tell you this: We have a good relationship, and you're not going to have any problem — so long as I'm here, you're not going to have any problems."

"Somebody else comes, you could have some big problems," the president added.

Joining Rodman at the Texas event was his girlfriend, a rapper called Yella Yella, who also said hello to the president.

"You're with that guy?!" Trump asked her. "What the hell are you doing with him for?" he continued, as others laughed off-camera.

The rapper proudly posted images from the event on her Instagram page with the caption, "Hanging With TRUMP ... wow," with a shocked face and goat emojis.

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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Rodman, now 65, reportedly joined the president's motorcade for the ride to Oklahoma, 740 the Fan reported.

The former athlete allegedly told Reuters that he hoped to speak to the president about "life."

When asked if he was going to North Korea in the near future, Rodman reportedly replied, "If you buy the ticket."

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'These people have to be exterminated': Man allegedly threatens to 'shoot up' Texas Capitol — as Trump visits the state



An alleged plot to kill people at the Texas state Capitol in Austin has been thwarted, law enforcement officials say.

The suspect made several threats indicating that he wanted to shoot up the Capitol, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

'I am going to the Capitol and I am going to shoot it up.'

40-year-old Benny Caldera Jr. of Converse was arrested at his home at about 3 a.m. on Wednesday, just one day before the alleged planned attack was to occur.

Texas DPS said officials received a tip about the alleged plot and determined along with FBI investigators that it was a credible threat.

President Donald Trump also happens to be visiting Texas on Thursday, in order to speak at a Peterbilt truck factory outside Dallas.

An arrest warrant claims that Caldera made the verbal threats while speaking with his friend, who then reported Caldera's alleged remarks to the authorities.

"I love you, if you don't see me again," Caldera allegedly said to his friend, adding, "I am going to the Capitol and I am going to shoot it up."

Caldera also allegedly told his friend that he was planning the attack because of his anger against AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

He allegedly added about AIPAC, "These people have to be exterminated."

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on social media that the suspect was apprehended only hours after officials received the tip.

"Threaten Americans or our institutions and law enforcement will move FAST. Investigation ongoing," he added.

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Caldera was booked into Bexar County Jail and given a $75,000 bond before being transferred to federal custody Wednesday night.

At the state level, he has been charged with third-degree felony making a terroristic threat against a public servant. Federal charges have not yet been announced.

In Nov. 2023 the suspect was charged with carrying a weapon without a license.

Officials said they believed there was no threat to the Capitol and there is increased law enforcement presence at the Capitol on Thursday.

"Texas will NOT tolerate threats of violence against our Capitol," said Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) on social media.

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BlazeTV’s Sara Gonzales’ H-1B investigations earn Dao journalism prize finalist spot



Since 2023, the Dao Feng and Angela Foundation, in partnership with Young America’s Foundation’s National Journalism Center, has given a set of annual awards for journalism it calls accurate, courageous, and in the public interest — a counter to what the organizers describe as a media establishment that “protects power rather than challenges it.”

Former winners include Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and Bari Weiss for the Twitter Files; Susan Crabtree for her Secret Service reporting; and the Federalist for its series on the Russia collusion story.

This year, BlazeTV's Sara Gonzales is a finalist in the multimedia category for her investigation of H-1B visa abuse in Texas — a $10,000 prize. Winners will be announced November 19 in Washington, D.C.

Gonzales has spent over a year investigating businesses in North Texas that sponsor H-1B workers. Again and again, the address on file was a home residence, an empty office, or a space with no signs of any business operations. Several of Gonzales’ visits turned into heated confrontations, but the end results were always fruitful.

Her work has drawn multiple official responses. Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) opened an investigation into suspected H-1B abuse by Texas businesses, first sending civil investigative demands to three North Texas companies and later expanding the probe to nearly 30, crediting Gonzales with getting it started.

Governor Greg Abbott (R) froze new H-1B petitions at state agencies and public universities through May 2027 and ordered a review of how those institutions were already using the program. By summer, Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito had joined her in Dallas as the federal probe moved into the same companies she had been filming.

Gonzales’ eight exposés follow the same pattern. She finds a North Texas-based company approved to sponsor H-1B workers, visits the address on file, and films what actually takes place there: a house, an empty office, a day care with no children, a food truck.

Several visits turned into arguments. In more than one, someone called the police. Later installments went farther, including workers who say they paid for visas they never received and a sponsor accused of not paying the employees he had brought in.

That reporting is what the Dao Prize judges singled out. Asked about the nomination, Gonzales said, “It’s very rewarding to see my hard work in uncovering H-1B fraud being recognized alongside so many other great journalists.”

To see Gonzales root out H-1B corruption and fraud that costs American workers their jobs and taxpayers their money, watch the video above. Check back in November to find out if she takes home a prize.

Editor’s note: Blaze News editor in chief Christopher Bedford is a member of the Dao Prize committee. Like the other members of the committee, he is unable to vote on nominations from his own organization.

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American jobs, American dominance: Vance, Abbott break ground on new shipyard in Texas



The renaissance of American shipbuilding is here, the Trump administration says, and Texas will play a leading role in it.

President Donald Trump noted early last year that "the commercial shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce of the United States has been weakened by decades of Government neglect, leading to the decline of a once strong industrial base while simultaneously empowering our adversaries and eroding United States national security."

The Chinese shipbuilding market grew from under 5% of global tonnage in 1999 to 54.6% in 2024. That year, China launched 1,400 merchant vessels, whereas the US launched only five.

The administration has now taken a major step in turning that ship around.

Vice President JD Vance joined Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday in breaking ground at the site of a new shipyard in the Port of Brownsville that will initially be capable of producing vessels of up to 850 feet but potentially of over 1,200 feet in length.

Vance said that the facility represents "the American dream renewed and an American dream built by American workers, created by American companies, and ensuring that the next generation of America's future is in our hands and in the hands of our fellow citizens."

"The seas of the world will be ruled by warships built in the great state of Texas," stated Abbott.

Saronic Technologies' Port Alpha shipbuilding facility is expected to generate up to 10,000 jobs and to have an economic impact on the Lone Star State of approximately $264.5 billion, according to the governor's office.

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Saronic, which announced in July that it would invest over $3 billion in the project and have the facility open for operations by 2028, said that Port Alpha will have an estimated $160 billion in regional impact for Cameron County. Abbott broke down the financial appeal further, noting that "Saronic is going to be providing about $750 million in annual paychecks to Texans."

"For ten years, Texas has ranked number one in the United States for creating new jobs, and Port Alpha will build on that record to strengthen Texas’ workforce and shape the arc of national security," said Abbott.

Saronic Technologies Inc. is a relatively new Austin-based defense company whose co-founders include Navy SEAL combat veteran Kostadino Mavrookas, retired Marine Lt. Col. Rob Lehman, and Indian engineer Vivhav Altekar.

Marauder. Courtesy of Saronc Technologies

The company's bread and butter has in recent years been the development of dual-use maritime drones both for military operations and for commercial applications.

Saronic was selected earlier this year for the U.S. Navy's Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel Marketplace, and the company's 180-foot Marauder — an autonomous vessel with a top speed of 25+ knots and a modular payload capacity of 150 metric tons — participated in the program's at-sea testing phase. The Navy awarded Saronic a production contract for the Marauder this week.

"America’s maritime future depends on our ability to build again," Mavrookas, the company's CEO, said in a statement.

"Built from the ground up to deliver ships at a speed and scale not seen since World War II, this investment is about more than constructing a shipyard," continued Mavrookas. "It is about rebuilding the industrial capacity, workforce, and manufacturing advantage required to ensure American maritime leadership for decades to come."

Mavrookas' company highlighted how China has in recent decades eclipsed America as the the world's preeminent shipbuilder. According to the Congressional Research Service, the Chinese shipbuilding market grew from under 5% of global tonnage in 1999 to 54.6% in 2024. That year, China launched 1,400 merchant vessels, whereas the U.S. launched only five.

By 2035, Port Alpha is expected to produce up to 20 ships per year.

"At opening, Port Alpha will introduce an initial 150,000 gross tons of annual shipbuilding capacity, more than double the current U.S. commercial shipbuilding capacity," said Abbott's office.

Although the planned shipyard will be built on 835 acres at the Port of Brownsville, there are plans to potentially expand the shipyard such that it would cover 4,400 acres.

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Texas woman prostituted out missing 16-year-old runaway, police say



A 35-year-old woman was charged with sexually trafficking a missing 16-year-old who had run away from home, according to the Harris County Constable of Precinct 4 in Texas.

Police said they began an investigation into a report of a runaway juvenile when they received information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

'They begin to trust these traffickers, and once they trust them and they go with them, then they end up getting thrown onto the street or on online ads or even taken.'

The FBI said the juvenile was being trafficked out of a home in north Harris County.

Police obtained a search warrant but were unable to find the juvenile at the home. Instead they found Brandi Lowe.

"From the evidence that we got from the home, we were able to establish that the female that we took into custody was in fact doing a lot of the stuff online, trying to solicit individuals to basically sell her out as a 16-year-old child," Constable Mark Herman said.

Herman said police were "resilient" in their efforts that night to locate the missing juvenile after Lowe's arrest.

"We didn't give up. We ended up getting a location of a possible hotel she was staying at. We went to the hotel, and we found her with a male subject that we felt was a part of this also," he said.

"And she was rescued, put in a safe place," Herman added.

Lowe was charged with promotion of prostitution of a person under 18 years old and held on a bond of $20,000.

The juvenile was reunited with her family, and police indicated that some more people may be arrested in the case as the investigation continues.

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Private investigator Betty Simons told KHOU-TV that these kinds of cases typically begin through online interactions.

"A big thing that we see is that they're groomed online, whether that's through Xbox, PlayStations, social medias, you know, so they're groomed online or even in the schools," Simons said. "They begin to trust these traffickers, and once they trust them and they go with them, then they end up getting thrown onto the street or on online ads or even taken."

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Talarico goes straight to Paxton’s voicemail — and turns it into a campaign ad



James Talarico scored some points with an easy political play: Pick up the phone, "call" Ken Paxton, and publicly challenge him to a debate.

The video quickly went viral, with Talarico urging his Republican opponent to join him on Fox News before Texans head to the polls.

The short clip shows Talarico on the phone, before saying, “Hey Ken, it’s James, I’m calling to invite you to a debate on Fox News. Texans start voting in less than a month, and they deserve to hear from both of us before they do. I’ve accepted four local TV debates, but we haven’t heard from you, and we’re running out of time."

“So if Fox News is where you’ll be most comfortable, I’ll be there because I think it’s that important. Bret Baier can moderate, we can both take questions, and Texans can hear from us directly,” he continued.


“So give me a call back, man. I look forward to hearing from you,” he added.

BlazeTV host Pat Gray wonders if Talarico’s confidence means he’s the “program director at Fox now.”

“We already cleared it with Bret. He’s got on the schedule,” Jeff Fisher laughs.

Executive producer Keith Malinak points out that at least four local stations have agreed to host the debate, but Paxton hasn’t answered the invite — which he calls “completely unacceptable from the Paxton camp.”

“The guy who’s ahead is the one who is begging for debates,” he adds.

The ad, Malinak and Fisher say, has been “effective.”

“It should be addressed,” Fisher says.

The ad was posted days ago, and there’s still been no response from Paxton.

“They actually didn’t return USA Today when they reached out for comment,” Malinak says.

“Does he want to win?” Gray asks.

“I don’t know,” Malinak answers, adding, “Honestly, I don’t believe he does at this point. The evidence points to no.”

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Sara Gonzales reacts: James Talarico's ‘mentor’ gets exposed as a FRAUD by undercover video



Texas Senate Democrat candidate James Talarico has long made wild and untrue statements regarding Christianity, and now it’s become clear why.

His own pastor, Dr. Jim Rigby, holds equally insane beliefs about the religion, and he was caught on camera proudly announcing them.

“James Talarico calls Jim Rigby his mentor,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales comments. “And so Jim Rigby, according to his biography on the St. Andrews website, has a love of world religions and a passion for social justice.”

“And of course, James Talarico has referred to him as the biggest influence on him as a Christian and a human being,” she adds, before playing undercover footage obtained by Blaze Media of Rigby discussing the “problem” with evangelical Christians.


“They are people who are just not that smart, and like abstract thinking, which is where a lot of the liberal stuff and the principles of human rights, all that stuff, comes up ... it doesn’t show up on their radar,” Rigby told the undercover reporter unwittingly.

“They panic when that stuff is laid out in front of them. They know there’s something they’re not seeing. It’s like they have black-and-white vision and somebody’s showing them a color photograph or something like that,” he added.

But that’s not the worst of it. When Rigby was asked by the reporter if he needed to profess the belief that “God became a baby and that a virgin had a baby” in order to become a member of his church, Rigby answered that “we all got in by lying.”

“That’s the least you can do,” he added.

“It’s just a social club that we have,” Gonzales mocks, “We call ourselves Christians, but we don’t actually intend to live by any of the principles set forth in the actual document, the Bible.”

Matthew Marsden is shocked by the footage but unsurprised that he’s linked to Talarico.

“I don’t get this Talarico thing,” he says. “It’s almost as if they went, ‘Let’s get the worst possible candidate, especially for Texans, and let’s roll him out and let him just express what he thinks.’"

“And he’s still in the running. It is completely mind-boggling to me,” he adds.

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Armed Texas homeowner comes face to face with burglar in bedroom in middle of night — and doesn't hesitate



An armed homeowner in Austin, Texas, came face to face with a burglar early Wednesday morning and opened fire.

Austin Police officers responded at 3:51 a.m. to a report of a burglary in the 200 block of Virtus Bend, police said.

'Way to go homeowner.'

The preliminary investigation determined that the suspect entered a residence, proceeded into the bedroom, and was shot by the homeowner during the commission of the burglary, officials said.

When officers arrived on the scene, they located a black male — later identified as 24-year-old Dmario Antonie Jones — with apparent gunshot wounds, officials said.

Officer Aaron Townsend told KEYE-TV that police found the male with "obvious trauma to his body" in the home's front yard.

Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services attempted lifesaving measures, but Jones was pronounced dead at 4:10 a.m., officials said.

Homicide detectives and the Austin Forensic Science Crime Specialists responded to process the crime scene, officials said.

Detectives interviewed the homeowner, who has been fully cooperative with the investigation, officials said, adding that the homeowner has since been released and no charges have been filed at this time.

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One commenter under KEYE's Facebook post about the incident declared, "Way to go homeowner."

Those with information can contact police at 512-974-TIPS and can submit tips anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477, officials said.

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