Beijing chastises America after sending Chinese warship to cut off US destroyer in Taiwan Strait



Communist China is becoming increasingly brazen with its anti-American military provocations.

Over the weekend, a Chinese warship cut in front of the USS Chung-Hoon, an American destroyer, which was conducting a routine transit of the Taiwan Strait along with the HSMC Montreal, a Canadian frigate.

According to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the USS Chung-Hoon and Montreal were traveling Saturday "through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply."

During the transit, the Luyang III, a Type 052D Chinese guided-missile destroyer, "executed maneuvers in an unsafe manner in the vicinity of Chung-Hoon," overtaking the U.S. destroyer on its port side then crossing its bow at 150 yards.

While the American vessel maintained its course, it did, however, slow its advance to avoid a collision.

After cutting off the American destroyer without signaling, the Luyang reportedly crossed the Chung-Hoon's bow a second time starboard "to port at 2,000 yards."

USINDOPACOM later stressed that the "U.S. military flies, sails, and operates safely and responsible anywhere international law allows."

Footage shows one of the communist ship's maneuvers:

\u201cThe US Navy releases video showing a Chinese warship came within 150 yards of its destroyer in the Taiwan Strait, in what the military officials called an 'unsafe interaction' https://t.co/h54Objqb8n\u201d
— Reuters (@Reuters) 1685951700

To add insult to injury, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin defended the threatening gesture, suggesting that the American presence in international waters, parallel to the democratic island nation of Taiwan, was the provocation at issue.

Wenbin said, "China’s military actions are completely justified, lawful, safe and professional. ... It is the U.S. that should deeply reflect upon itself and correct the wrongdoings," reported the Los Angeles Times.

Chinese defense minister Gen. Li Shangfu similarly defended the warship's interference in the free movement of the U.S. Navy, telling the world's top defense officials gathered in Singapore Sunday, "we must prevent attempts that try to use those freedom of navigation (patrols), that innocent passage, to exercise hegemony of navigation."

Shangfu added, "Mind your own business," suggesting the U.S. should instead take "good care of your own territorial airspace and waters" — which were recently invaded by a Chinese spy craft.

NBC News reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, present at the same forum Sunday, emphasized that Washington would not "flinch in the face of bullying or coercion" from China and that it would maintain is presence both in the South China Sea and along the Taiwan Strait.

This is not the first time in recent weeks that China has tested the resolve of American forces.

On May 26, a Chinese J-16 fighter pilot "performed an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver during the intercept of a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft," according to USINDOPACOM.

Video of the encounter shows the communist jet cut ahead of the American reconnaissance aircraft, forcing it to fly into its wake. This incident took place in international airspace.

The May 26 buzzing was reminiscent of a Dec. 21 incident during which a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter pilot came dangerously close to a USAF aircraft during an intercept over the South China Sea. The communist jet flew in front of and within 20 feet of the nose of the RC-135.

TheBlaze previously reported that the Dec. 21 interception and subsequent provocation took place while the American plane was conducting legal, routine operations in international airspace.

\u201c#USINDOPACOM Statement on #PRC Unprofessional Intercept: "We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law."\n\nRead more\u2b07\ufe0f\nhttps://t.co/jeAEg1lHXz\u201d
— U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (@U.S. Indo-Pacific Command) 1685475002

Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, told PBS in December that he sees "the current strategic environment as really dangerous — the most dangerous time I have seen in 38 years."

China's "inability to operate in accordance with the rule-based order" is a destabilizing force in the region, he suggested.

Extra to compromising the safety of American servicemen, destabilizing the region, and flouting international law, China appears to be actively undermining critical American infrastructure.

TheBlaze recently detailed a Microsoft report that revealed Volt Typhoon, a state-sponsored outfit in China often tasked with espionage and information gathering, "is pursuing development of capabilities that could disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crises."

Volt Typhoon has reportedly hit critical infrastructure in Guam and other American regions, affecting communications, manufacturing, transportation, government, maritime, and other sectors.

While commissioning hackers to chip away at America's cyber defenses and continuing its unprecedented military build-up, China continues to target the U.S. with intimidation and coercion campaigns, deadly fentanyl, and threats.

Despite Beijing's various ongoing efforts to undermine the U.S., the Chinese defense minister claimed Sunday that the world was big enough for China and the U.S. to grow together, reported the Daily Mail.

"Severe conflict or confrontation," conversely, "will be an unbearable disaster for the world," claimed Shangfu.

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Woke National Weather Service hails '#TransDayOfVisibility'



The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service has endorsed radical leftist gender ideology by marking International Transgender Day of Visibility.

"To promote justice, equality, and equity for the transgender community, the National Weather Service family champions and stands alongside our transgender employees on this day and every day! #TransDayOfVisibility," the National Weather Service tweeted on Friday.

Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon sarcastically responded to the NWS post by tweeting, "This is important because no one in the media or government ever acknowledges anyone in the transgender community."

The NOAA Climate.gov Twitter account retweeted the NWS post and declared, "Happy #TransDayOfVisibility."

\u201cHappy #TransDayOfVisibility \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\u201d
— NOAA Climate.gov (@NOAA Climate.gov) 1680290097

On Thursday, President Joe Biden had issued a proclamation declaring Friday as "Transgender Day of Visibility" — he had previously issued proclamations in 2021 and 2022 as well.

NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which quoted from and linked to the president's proclamation in a tweet on Friday.

\u201cToday, we show millions of transgender and nonbinary Americans that we see them, they belong, and they should be treated with dignity and respect. #TransVisibilityDay\n\nhttps://t.co/H5wFQHbbAh.\u201d
— U.S. Commerce Dept. (@U.S. Commerce Dept.) 1680268627

The State Department also marked the day.

"On Transgender Day of Visibility, the United States reaffirms that transgender rights are human rights. We celebrate the achievements and resilience of transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming persons around the world. We recognize their bravery in their hard-fought work for equality, inclusion, and the full recognition of their human rights, which continues to this day," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

"At the same time, we underscore the work that remains to ensure that all transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming persons are able to live authentically, safely, and with dignity. This work includes ensuring that all persons are able to secure identity documents that fully reflect who they are. Transgender persons deserve to live free from violence, discrimination, and stigma," Blinken said.

Earlier this month, a transgender woman from Argentina was among the honorees at the International Women of Courage Awards ceremony hosted by Blinken and first lady Jill Biden at the White House — a transgender woman is a biological man who identifies as a woman.

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Air Force Academy football player suddenly dies after collapsing while walking to class. He was 21 years old.



The Air Force Academy said a cadet suddenly died on Monday after he collapsed while walking to class.

Cadet 3rd Class Hunter Brown, 21, was walking to class from his dorm when he experienced a "medical emergency," the Air Force Academy said in a statement. Monday was the first day of class following the winter break.

First responders performed lifesaving measures, but Brown ultimately passed away. Officials have not yet determined a cause of death.

Brown was a sophomore member of the Air Force Falcons football team. He played on the offensive line and appeared in two games during the 2022 season.

\u201cWith heavy hearts we share the loss of a cadet. \nC3C Hunter Brown died Monday after suffering a medical emergency while on his way to class. \nOur thoughts are with his family, friends, teammates and fellow cadets.\n#NeverForgotten\u201d
— U.S. Air Force Academy (@U.S. Air Force Academy) 1673388150

The Air Force Academy said cadets were notified of Brown's sudden death on Tuesday.

"It is with a heavy heart and profound sadness I share with you that we have lost one of our own," Brig. Gen. Paul D. Moga, commandant of cadets, told cadets. "He leaves behind friends, grieving teammates, a grieving cadet wing, and a devastated family."

In a statement, Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark commemorated Brown.

"Hunter was a standout offensive lineman on the Falcon football team and was well-respected in his squadron," Clark said. "The entire U.S. Air Force Academy mourns his loss, and our hearts and condolences are with his family, his squadron, and all who were touched by this incredible young man."

Troy Calhoun, head coach of the Air Force Falcons football team, said:

Our players, staff and entire Academy have been so blessed and fortunate to have Hunter as a part of our lives. He was a pure joy to coach and have as a teammate. He was tough, a great worker, and no one unselfishly pulled harder for others than Hunter. His mom and dad, Candyce and Dustin, raised a wonderful son who made each of us a better person. We love our great brother, and our thoughts and prayers are with Hunter's incredible soul and his family.

The Air Force Academy said the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the El Paso County Sheriff's Office are investigating Brown's tragic death.

Dems push banks to 'atone' for slavery, 'redress past wrongs' by funding higher education for 3 generations of black Americans



Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and fellow Democrats held a House committee hearing on Wednesday during which witnesses claimed that banks should seek "atonement" for financing and supporting slavery in the United States, Fox News Digital reported.

The House Financial Services Committee, led by chairwoman Rep. Maxine Waters, held a hearing on "The Role of Financial Institutions in the Horrors of Slavery and the Need for Atonement."

\u201cTogether, Chairwoman @RepMaxineWaters & @RepAlGreen have led the charge to expose the ugly history some of our nation\u2019s financial institutions have with slavery. Watch part II here. \ud83d\udcfa: https://t.co/XzrDoIfMpy\u201d
— U.S. House Committee on Financial Services (@U.S. House Committee on Financial Services) 1670430589

The witnesses, who primarily consisted of university professors, directly blamed financial institutions for the wealth disparity between white and black Americans while offering several solutions to bridge the gap and atone for their involvement.

Democratic Representative Al Green from Texas argued that the wealth and success of U.S. banks were "built on the backs of enslaved people."

William Darity, a professor of public policy at Duke University, agreed with Green's sentiment and stated that the slave trade significantly contributed to the growth of the financial industry.

"The collective amount required to close the disparity for approximately 40 million black American descendants of persons enslaved in the United States will come to at least $14 trillion," Darity said. "This is a sum that cannot be met reasonably by private donors or other levels of government."

Assistant professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts, Dania Francis, suggested that banks allocate resources to studying the impact of their role in slavery-era activities.

Acting vice president of the Inclusive Economy Center for American Progress, Lily Roberts, said financial institutions need to invest in "programs to redress past wrongs."

"Financial institutions are fully capable of learning their own history and understanding their own roles in past injustice," Roberts said. "Next, they must work to ensure that they counter contemporary wrongs and avoid the easier instinct to think of historical context as separate from current circumstances – and be held accountable in doing so by the federal government, by shareholders, and by customers."

Dr. Sarah Federman, associate professor at the University of San Diego's Kroc School of Peace Studies, suggested providing three generations of black Americans with free higher education and investing in the economic development of black communities.

"We are not pursuing criminal justice, but transitional justice through which institutions differentiate themselves from a prior criminal regime by addressing the harm and committing to ethical behavior going forward," Federman said. "Most financial institutions that profited from slavery have not done this work."

"When legacy corporations continue profit from their heritage brand and strength due to ill-gotten gains but do not participate reckoning work, they continue their complicity with the prior regime," she claimed.

Man charged in Paul Pelosi assault is reportedly in US illegally; he told authorities that he planned to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and break 'her kneecaps' if she 'lied'



David DePape, the man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi with a hammer in the couple's San Francisco home last week, was in the U.S. unlawfully due to a "longtime" visa overstay, Fox News reported, citing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enformcent source.

The Democratic congresswoman was not in San Francisco when the incident took place, according to a statement from spokesperson Drew Hammill. But in an affidavit, an FBI special agent noted that during a recorded interview with the San Francisco Police Department, the man said that he had intended to keep the congresswoman hostage and break the lawmaker's "kneecaps" in the event that she "lied."

\u201cNEW: Per ICE source, David DePape, the suspect accused of beating Paul Pelosi in his home with a hammer after breaking in, is currently in the U.S. illegally as a \u201clongtime\u201d visa overstay. @FoxNews\u201d
— Bill Melugin (@Bill Melugin) 1667245692

"DEPAPE stated that he was going to hold Nancy hostage and talk to her. If Nancy were to tell DEPAPE the 'truth,' he would let her go, and if she 'lied,' he was going to break 'her kneecaps.' DEPAPE was certain that Nancy would not have told the 'truth.' In the course of the interview, DEPAPE articulated he viewed Nancy as the 'leader of the pack' of lies told by the Democratic Party," the affidavit states. "DEPAPE also later explained that by breaking Nancy's kneecaps, she would then have to be wheeled into Congress, which would show other Members of Congress there were consequences to actions. DEPAPE also explained generally that he wanted to use Nancy to lure another individual to DEPAPE."

The man noted that he had broken into the residence via a glass door, according to the affidavit.

Depape has been charged in connection with the episode.

"The complaint charges DePape with one count of assault of an immediate family member of a United States official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison," according to a press release from the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of California. "DePape is also charged with one count of attempted kidnapping of a United States official on account of the performance of official duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison."

Paul Pelosi underwent surgery following the attack, but is expected to recover. "Mr. Pelosi was admitted to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where he underwent successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands. His doctors expect a full recovery," Hammill said in a statement last week.

\u201cRichmond Man Charged With Assault And Attempted Kidnapping Following Breaking And Entering Of Pelosi Residence\nhttps://t.co/Fyl7wwFkh7\u201d
— U.S. Attorney NDCA (@U.S. Attorney NDCA) 1667247216

Empty streets & air raids in northern Japan after North Korea fires a ballistic missile overhead



On October 3, just days after Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to the Korean Peninsula's Demilitarized Zone, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan — the first time it has done so in five years.

The missile, believed to be the Hwasong-12, proved capable of reaching Guam. It was airborne for 20 minutes, reached an altitude of 620 miles (over twice as high as the International Space Station) and ultimately traveled 2,800 miles before smashing into the Pacific Ocean.

Upon detecting the launch, Japanese officials halted trains in the northern Hokkaido and Aomori regions and urged citizens to take shelter.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's office indicated that a missile was "believed to have been launched from North Korea" and that citizens should "evacuate to the inside of a building or go to the basement."

\u201cBREAKING: Air raid sirens sounding in Japan following reports of North Korea missile fire, missile reportedly overflew the country and landed into Pacific Ocean\u201d
— Insider Paper (@Insider Paper) 1664838074

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo reportedly cautioned Americans in the area that there was a possibility the missile was headed toward Japan.

Later, Japanese officials acknowledged that "the aforementioned missile is believed to have passed through the Pacific Ocean."

Condemnation

The U.S., Japanese, and South Korean governments quickly condemned the attacks.

Kishida stated that the "firing, which followed a recent series of launches by North Korea, is a reckless act and I strongly condemn it."

The Japanese prime minister was referencing several earlier launches of short-range ballistic missiles by the communist regime into the East Sea, including two fired just hours after the U.S. vice president's departure from South Korea last week.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol indicated that the regime's "reckless nuclear provocations" would be met by a stern response.

Adrienne Watson, the spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, stated that "the United States strongly condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) dangerous and reckless decision to launch a long-range missile over Japan."

Watson added that the act was "destabilizing" to the region and in contravention of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The Security Council previously called on the communist regime to "cease its illicit activity" and voted 15-0 to sanction the rogue nation.

In response to the imposition of parallel U.S. sanctions against North Korea in 2017, Pyongyang responded: "The U.S. mainland will sink into an unimaginable sea of fire on the day when it dares to touch our country by stupidly causing mischief and brandishing its nuclear and sanctions clubs."

The regime also threatened to hit U.S. military bases in Guam with the same type of missile believed to have been fired this week.

Responding to these threats to the U.S. homeland in a speech to the U.N., on September 19, 2017, former President Donald Trump stated: "The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

North Korea withdrew from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003, after the U.S. alleged the regime was pursuing an illegal uranium enrichment program. It refuses to return to nuclear diplomacy with the U.S.

This latest missile launch is reportedly another step toward the regime's test of a nuclear weapon, expected to occur after China's communist party congress starting on October 16.

Adrienne Watson emphasized that the U.S. "will continue its efforts to limit [North Korea's] ability to advance its prohibited ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction programs, including with allies and U.N. partners."

Military response

The U.S. and South Korea quickly responded to the communist regime's first missile launch with what the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff characterized as a "combined attack squadron flight and precision bombing drill."

Four U.S. F-16 fighter jets and four South Korean F-15s fired on an uninhabited island in the Yellow Sea. The drill evidenced the allies' ability to accurately obliterate communist targets with "overwhelming force" and "to respond resolutely to any provocation from North Korea."

Last week, the two countries also conducted joint military exercises, in which the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan participated. The North Korean regime allegedly regarded these exercises as invasion rehearsals.

On October 1, the 7th Fleet conducted exercises with Canada and Japan, reiterating its "commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific."

In response to the latest missile launch, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stated: "The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts," noting further that while "the event does not pose a threat to U.S. personnel, or territory, or to our allies, we will continue to monitor the situation."

\u201c.@INDOPACOM's statement on #DPRK's most recent missile launch\n\ud83d\udd0e https://t.co/X2NwCs7dTu\u00a0\u00a0\n\n#\uac19\uc774\uac11\uc2dc\ub2e4 | \ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddf7 #ROKUSAlliance \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 | #WeGoTogether\n@ROK_MND | @DeptofDefense | @USForcesJapan\u201d
— U.S. Forces Korea (@U.S. Forces Korea) 1664860744

USINDOPACOM added that the "U.S. commitments to the defense of Japan and the [Republic of Korea] remain ironclad."

Biden says the Catholic Church wouldn't agree with Lindsey Graham's abortion bill



On September 13, Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham (S.C.) introduced a bill entitled "Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act." The proposed bill would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.

This week, President Joe Biden, the second self-declared Catholic president in U.S. history, discussed Graham's bill when speaking to a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York. He said, "I happen to be a practicing Roman Catholic. ... My church doesn't even make that argument now."

The claim that pro-abortion policies comport with church teaching or that the act itself is regarded as permissible by the church, though both have been repeated by other Democrat politicians and are potentially politically expedient, is wrong, at least according to the pope and the church.

Not according to the pope

Earlier this summer, Pope Francis referred to Biden's support for abortion as "incoherent." Referring to an unborn baby, the pope said, "There is human life. Is it fair to eliminate a human life?"

In 2018, Pope Francis answered in the negative, claiming it is wrong to take a human life, regardless of what age or stage of development it is in. "Getting rid of a human being is like resorting to a contract killer to solve a problem."

The pope added, "How can an act that suppresses an innocent and helpless life as it blossoms be therapeutic, civil or, simply, humane?"

Pope John Paul II, recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 2014, condemned abortion and euthanasia as moral "crimes," which he suggested had been misconstrued as individual rights in a growing "culture of death."

Building on his predecessor's thematics, Pope Francis has since criticized a "culture of indifference and waste" and urged families not to allow themselves "to be poisoned by the toxins of selfishness."

"We are victims of the throwaway culture. ... Today [abortion] has become a 'normal' thing," he said in an address on September 27, 2021, "a habit that is very bad; it is truly murder."

This summer, the pope told Reuters that he respects the Supreme Court's June 24 ruling, which overturned Roe v. Wade. While admitting he did not understand the full legal significance of the court's ruling from a "technical point of view," he emphasized that abortion "is a problem."

He suggested that the science is clear. "Science today and any book on embryology ... tells you that 30 days after conception there is DNA and the laying out already of all the organs. ... It's a human life — that's science. The moral question is whether it is right to take a human life to solve a problem."

While aboard the papal airplane on September 15, Pope Francis said, "It is true that the West degenerates. ... The West has taken the wrong paths." Contrary to Biden's suggestion, the Roman pontiff stated, "If you kill — with motivation, yes — in the end you will kill more. It’s not human. Let’s leave killing to the animals."

Not according to the Catholic Church

"The Catechism of the Catholic Church" is an official document that summarizes the main beliefs of the Catholic Church. It indicates the church's explicit condemnation of abortion along with its procurement, its provision, and its support. Furthermore, it indicates that those who formally cooperate in an abortion are excommunicated and thereby cut off of from the church.

With scriptural and theological reasons and corroborates also provided, the catechism states the following :

  • "Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception" (2270);
  • "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law" (2271);
  • "Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life" (2272);
  • "The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin" (2273); and
  • "Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being" (2274).

According to its catechism, the Catholic Church not only condemns abortion of the kind Graham's bill seeks to ban, but would similarly support the prohibition of abortions before 15 weeks, including the killing of embryos.

American bishops speak out

After the Dobbs decision, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore issued a statement saying, "In response to the Dobbs decision, I called for the healing of wounds and repairing of social divisions ... and for coming together to build a society and economy that supports marriages and families, and where every woman has the support and resources she needs to bring her child into this world in love."

\u201cBishop Chairman Responds to Executive Order on Abortion Access | Background resources and full statement by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore here: https://t.co/YcNdUXg7dX\u201d
— U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (@U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) 1657399465

Furthermore, he said, "It is deeply disturbing and tragic that President Biden is choosing instead to use his power as President of the United States to promote and facilitate abortion in our country, seeking every possible avenue to deny unborn children their most basic human and civil right, the right to life."

Archbishop Lori said that after the Dobbs ruling, Biden sought to use "the power of the executive branch ... to facilitate the destruction of defenseless, voiceless human beings."

In August, responding to Biden's executive order facilitating abortion, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities stated: "Continued promotion of abortion takes lives and irreparably harms vulnerable pregnant mothers, their families, and society. It is the wrong direction to take at a moment when we should be working to support women and to build up a culture of life.

In 2008, then-Vice President Joe Biden was similarly called out by Bishop Joseph Martino (now bishop emeritus). "I cannot have a vice president-elect coming to Scranton to say he's learned his values there when those values are utterly against the teachings of the Catholic Church."

At the time, Kansas City's Archbishop Joseph Naumann said of self-declared Catholic politicians who support abortion: "They cannot call themselves Catholics when they violate such a core belief as the dignity of the unborn."

Graham's bill

According to Graham, by adopting his bill, "We would be in the mainstream of most everyone else in the world. ... There are 47 of 50 European countries that have banned abortion from 12 to 15 weeks."

Graham explained the significance of the 15-week mark. Besides the fact that over 90% of abortions in the U.S. are executed before 15 weeks, it is at that point in a pregnancy that "science tells us" that unborn babies have the requisite nerve endings to feel pain.

He asked, "If you need to provide anesthesia to keep the baby from feeling pain to help save its life, should we as a nation be aborting babies that can feel excruciating pain from an abortion?"

Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, claimed, "Politicians voting against this bill will stand against science and the American public, not to mention compassion for women and babies."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another self-declared Catholic who has suggested it is "sinful" to restrict abortion, suggested that Graham's bill is the product of "those in the party that think life begins at a candlelight dinner the night before," those she would also refer to as "extreme MAGA Republicans."

The bill, as proposed, would, among other things, eliminate "particularly gruesome or barbaric medical procedures," preserve "the integrity of the medical profession," and mitigate fetal pain.

More than a dozen Democrats arrested at abortion rights protest in DC; AOC pretended to be dragged away in handcuffs



Several Democratic lawmakers were arrested at an abortion rights protest outside the Capitol on Tuesday as demonstrators railed against the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

"Squad" members Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and other Democrats including Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Alma Adams (D-N.C.), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) were among those escorted away from the demonstration by police, The Hill reported.

According to police, the protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court building illegally obstructed traffic.

At 1:18 p.m., U.S. Capitol police tweeted that demonstrators were "starting to block First Street, NE."

"It is against the law to block traffic, so officers are going to give our standard three warnings before they start making arrests," police said.

Two minutes later the police said they started making arrests after warning the demonstrators to "get out of the street."

\u201cWe have already given our standard three warnings. \n\nSome of the demonstrators are refusing to get out of the street, so we are starting to make arrests.\u201d
— U.S. Capitol Police (@U.S. Capitol Police) 1658251100

By 1:35 p.m. the protest was cleared. Capitol Police said a total of 34 arrests were made for crowding, obstructing, or incommoding, including 16 members of Congress.

Axios later reported that 17 lawmakers were arrested. They are:

  • Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.),
  • Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)
  • Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.)
  • Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)
  • Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.)
  • Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.)
  • Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)
  • Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.)
  • Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.)
  • Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.)
  • Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)
  • Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.)
  • Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.)
  • Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.)
  • Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas)
  • Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
  • Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)

Video posted on Twitter showed police officers escorting lawmakers away from the demonstration.

\u201cMultiple members of Congress, including @AOC, being arrested by Capitol Police for blocking traffic outside the Supreme Court in abortion rights demonstration:\u201d
— Andrew Solender (@Andrew Solender) 1658251633

As Ocasio-Cortez was taken away by police, she held her hands behind her back as if she was handcuffed, but she was not. Video shows her raising her fist in defiant salute to the other protesters.

\u201c.@AOC has just been escorted by police away from the Supreme Court.\u201d
— Douglas Blair (@Douglas Blair) 1658251543

Some of the Democrats issued statements after their arrest.

"There is no democracy if women do not have control over their own bodies and decisions about their own health, including reproductive care," Maloney said.

A spokesman for Pressley told The Hill that the congresswoman participated in a protest against the "cruel and callous decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and strip away abortion rights for everyone who calls America home."

Speier, who reportedly led the protest, tweeted she was, "Proud to march with my Democratic colleagues including ⁦⁦@DemWomenCaucus⁩ members, and get arrested for women’s rights, abortion rights, the rights for people to control their own bodies and the future and our democracy!"

\u201cProud to march with my Democratic colleagues including \u2066\u2066@DemWomenCaucus\u2069 members, and get arrested for women\u2019s rights, abortion rights, the rights for people to control their own bodies and the future and our democracy! #BansOffOurBodies #WeWontGoBack\u201d
— Jackie Speier (@Jackie Speier) 1658253161


In June, the Supreme Court overruled its abortion precedents in the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, which said the Constitution does not protect the right to abortion. It was an unambiguous victory for the pro-life movement in America, which had campaigned and peacefully protested for Roe to be overturned in Washington D.C. for nearly 50 years without incident.

Autopsy shows Ohio teen beaten to death outside LeBron James' school suffered gruesome injuries



The teenager who was beaten to death outside a school founded by LeBron James in Ohio suffered gruesome injuries, according to a preliminary autopsy report.

Ethan Liming was beaten to death in the parking lot of the I Promise School in Akron on June 2.

Donovan Jones, 21, Tyler Stafford, 19, and DeShawn Stafford Jr., 20, were playing basketball at the elementary school. As TheBlaze previously reported, Liming and his friends drove into the parking lot and then sprayed the young men playing basketball with water gel beads from a toy called a "SplatRBall" gun.

The three young men fled the basketball court.

During a bail hearing earlier this month, Stafford's lawyer, Jonathan Sinn, claimed that his client believed that he was being attacked by a "fully automatic firearm."

Ethan's father, Bill Liming, asserted that his 17-year-old son attempted to defuse the tense situation.

"When he got out of the car and told people to relax, it's a joke, it's a joke, and the individuals didn't like that. One individual attacked [Ethan], the father told the Akron Beacon Journal.

A fight erupted between three young men and Liming and his three teenage friends. The other teens were able to escape, but Liming was beaten to death. The three young men fled the crime scene.

A preliminary autopsy report revealed that Ethan Liming died of blunt-force trauma to the head.

The Summit County Medical Examiner found that Liming had a broken occipital bone.

"The occipital bone is the trapezoid-shaped bone at the lower-back of the cranium (skull)," according to Verywell Health. "The occipital bone houses the back part of the brain and is one of seven bones that come together to form the skull."

The Daily Mail reported that the teen suffered a broken neck.

The Akron Beacon Journal reported that Liming suffered a head laceration, a black eye, and a footprint on his chest wall. The outlet added that police found an unresponsive Liming lying on his back, bleeding from his head, nose, mouth, and ears. Liming's cellphone was smashed.

A final autopsy report is expected to take weeks.

U.S. Marshals arrested the three young men who are suspects in the deadly beating on June 11.

All three suspects have pleaded not guilty to murder and felonious assault. They are being held on a $1 million bond.

\u201cEarly Saturday morning, the NOVFTF arrested 3 suspects for the fatal beating of an Akron teen outside of the I Promise school in Akron.\u201d
— U.S. Marshals (@U.S. Marshals) 1655128814

Earlier this month, Bill Liming told WEWS-TV, "We would do anything we could possibly do to turn the clock back and have him in my arms again. And to see his face again, but they robbed me of even that ability. And they destroyed my child's face and his head."

"People keep saying, 'Oh, you do these things and you deserve, you get what you deserve.' I don't think anybody's child would ever deserve what happened to him," the father said. "Nobody's child would deserve what they did to my child."

LeBron James tweeted about the deadly attack at the I Promise School, "Our condolences goes out to the family who lost a loved one!! My the heavens above watch over you during this tragedy! Pray for our community!"

Love triangle murder: Fugitive yoga teacher accused of killing romantic rival is captured in Costa Rica after evading authorities for 43 days



The Texas woman who is accused of killing a romantic rival has been captured in Costa Rica, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 34, is accused of fatally shooting Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson, 25, in Austin on May 11. Wilson, a Vermont native and world-class cyclist, was in Austin to compete in a cycling race.

Investigators say Wilson went out in Austin with Colin Strickland – who is a fellow professional cyclist and allegedly Armstrong's on-again, off-again boyfriend. Moments after Strickland dropped Wilson off at the residence she was staying at, Armstrong's SUV arrived at the home, according to surveillance video.

Police discovered Wilson unconscious and bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds after responding to a 911 call. First responders attempted to resuscitate Wilson, but she was pronounced dead at the crime scene.

On May 12, police questioned and released the yoga teacher.

“Armstrong was mistakenly released from custody on the misdemeanor warrant because her date of birth in our report management system did not match the date of birth on the warrant,” Austin Police Detective Richard Spitler said during a press conference on May 25.

A tipster informed authorities that Armstrong had recently obtained a handgun and that she became enraged over the love triangle.

"Months earlier, according to the tipster, she allegedly grew furious after learning that Strickland was involved in a romantic relationship with Wilson," Fox News reported. "Police said one of two 9 mm handguns they recovered at Strickland’s home was 'significant to the investigation.'"

The arrest affidavit from last month said Armstrong and Strickland were in a romantic relationship for about three years before the couple took a break. During that time, Strickland and Wilson reportedly began seeing each other.

Armstrong sold her Jeep Grand Cherokee to a CarMax for $12,200 on May 13.

\u201cThe U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force has located the vehicle that was registered to homicide suspect Kaitlin Marie Armstrong.\nInvestigators with the task force learned that Armstrong sold the vehicle May 13th to a CarMax dealership in south Austin for $12,200 dollars.\u201d
— Chris Walker (@Chris Walker) 1655994219

The next day, Armstrong took a flight from Austin International Bergstrom Airport to Houston, then boarded a connecting Southwest flight to LaGuardia Airport in New York.

On May 17, Austin police issued a homicide warrant for her arrest in connection with Wilson’s murder.

Armstrong was last seen on May 18, at Newark International Airport in New Jersey.

Armstrong allegedly used a fraudulent passport to board a United Airlines flight to San Jose, Costa Rica.

On Wednesday, Armstrong was captured at a hostel on Santa Teresa Beach in Provincia de Puntarenas in Costa Rica. The U.S. Marshals Office of International Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service worked with authorities in Costa Rica to apprehend the murder suspect.

Armstrong will be deported back to the United States. She has been charged with murder and unlawfully fleeing prosecution.

\u201cThe Austin woman accused of killing world class cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson May 11 has been captured in Costa Rica.\nhttps://t.co/fz9FiUyWjQ\u201d
— U.S. Marshals (@U.S. Marshals) 1656605167

"The Marshals Service elevated the Kaitlin Armstrong investigation to major case status early in this investigation, which likely played a key role in her capture after a 43-day run," U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas Susan Pamerleau said in a statement. "This is an example of combining the resources of local, state, federal and international authorities to apprehend a violent fugitive, bring an end to that run and hopefully a sense of closure to the victim’s family."

Wilson was an elite mountain biking and gravel cyclist who had won several races this year. She recently resigned from her job at a bike company to pursue a career as a professional cyclist. Wilson was the favorite to win the Gravel Locos race in Hico before she was murdered.