ESPN’s failure to broadcast National Anthem at Sugar Bowl makes former anchor Sage Steele glad she left



From the time she was a child, Sage Steele wanted to be a sportscaster. And after years of climbing the ladder, she landed her “dream job” at ESPN in 2007.

Nearly 17 years later, however, it all came to a screeching halt when Steele left the sports network after settling lawsuits she filed against both ESPN and its owner, Disney.

What happened to make Steele leave the job she loved at one the top sports networks in the world?

Anyone who watches ESPN and/or Disney already knows the answer to that question. Wokeness is what happened.

“These [ESPN] executives talk so much about DEI and, you know, inclusiveness and accountability and accepting, and then when it came time for me to have my own opinions off the air on my private time — I never crossed that line; I was a sportscaster, not a political analyst — that's when I got punished. And when I got punished for being me when the others were allowed to talk about abortion on an NBA show, that's when I said, 'Okay, enough,'” Steele told Blaze News Tonight’s Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson at AmericaFest two weeks ago.

What opinions did Steele share that landed her in hot water with the network? It all started when on a podcast with Jay Cutler, Steele expressed her displeasure with being forced to get the COVID vaccine.

“That day that I recorded that podcast — mid-September 2021 — was the last day possible for me to become fully vaccinated to comply with ESPN/Disney's vaccine mandate policy. I waited to the very last moment to get it because I was contemplating walking away from my entire career over the jab,” she recounted. “I didn't have the ability to walk away financially, nor did I want to (I love my job), and so I literally came [to Cutler's podcast] from this stupid grocery store where I had gotten my shot sobbing because I felt forced.”

When Cutler asked her about the bandage on her arm and her tears, she candidly told him the truth: “I think it's sick and scary for any company, employer, business to force their people to do something to their bodies.”

Before she knew it, her assignments were taken away, and she was suspended and taken off the air. Thankfully, she didn’t bend the knee.

Although Steele calls the events that led to her departure from ESPN as “devastating,” she is grateful for the new path it has set her down.

“I have this crazy platform just from talking about sports. What a waste it would have been to stay quiet,” she told Jill and Matthew.

She is also glad to have her name removed from a company that due to “timing issues” didn’t broadcast the National Anthem at the Sugar Bowl last week, even though it was sung by New Orleans native Samyra in the wake of the Bourbon Street terrorist attack that left 14 dead.

In response to the scandal, Steele tweeted the following.

To hear more about Steele’s tumultuous exit from ESPN and the exciting path she’s leading now, watch the clip above.

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You'll Never Trust the News Again After This #Shorts | DM CLIPS | RUBIN REPORT
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You'll Never Trust the News Again After This #Shorts | DM CLIPS | RUBIN REPORT

Ottawa police are ticketing Freedom Convoy protesters, warning them to leave or face arrest



Canadian truckers and other Freedom Convoy demonstrators are being ticketed by Ottawa police and warned to leave downtown immediately or risk arrest after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seized emergency powers to end the vaccine mandate protest.

Authorities informed the truckers that they could lose their licenses and have their vehicles seized by the government under the Emergencies Act, which Trudeau invoked Monday.

As police handed out tickets, several protesters remained defiant, according to the Associated Press. Some truckers reportedly ripped up leaflets ordering them to leave. Others threw the warning in a toilet put out on the street, while still others remained in their trucks and continued to honk their horns.

"I will never go home!" one demonstrator shouted.

The protesters are reportedly preparing to be removed by force, but police have not indicated if or when they will take such action.

For three weeks now, the Freedom Convoy protesters have log-jammed downtown Ottawa with thousands of trucks, while elsewhere protesters have attempted to form blockades at border crossings between the U.S. and Canada. The movement began as a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates imposed on truckers who cross the border for work but won broad support from those opposed to coronavirus restrictions generally and Trudeau's leadership the pandemic.

While the protests appear to be mostly peaceful, Ottawa residents have complained about being inconvenienced by the inability to access downtown, and some have reported they were harassed or intimidated by demonstrators.

Trudeau has called the protests "illegal" and variously referred to the demonstrators as racists, sexists, extremists, and fringe. After invoking emergency powers on Monday, Trudeau gave police greater authority to make arrests and impose fines on the protesters, whom he accused of engaging in "illegal and dangerous activities."

Authorities also claimed the power to have financial service providers seize funds donated to support the protests without a court order to do so.

With their enhanced powers, Ottawa police are reportedly "optimistic" they can regain control of downtown and remove the estimated 360 vehicles that remain, down from a high of about 4,000.

The police appear to be using the same tactics they used to clear the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan. Police there had distributed leaflets warning those participating in the blockade that they would be arrested unless they ceased and desisted.

Once enough of the protesters had left the area, police arrested those dozens that remained and cleared the blockade.

Caught on tape: SHOCKING video reveals what Trudeau's 'hateful' and 'violent' protesters are really doing



Addressing the convoy of truckers protesting COVID vaccine mandates, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, "There is no place in our country for threats, violence or hatred."

Trudeau has refused to meet with the convoy of protestors, who have remained in the downtown area of Ottawa since last weekend, saying he has "chosen to not go anywhere near protests that have expressed hateful rhetoric, violence towards fellow citizens and a disrespect, not just of science but of the frontline health workers, and quite frankly, the 90 per cent of truckers who have been doing the right thing to keep Canadians safe, to put food on our tables."

"What Trudeau is trying to do there is frame this as ... these are terrorists, they're white supremacists — the behavior of some of these people," BlazeTV host Dave Rubin said on "The Rubin Report." "Now, that's interesting. I've been watching an awful lot of videos of these people, and they're in trucks, they're waving flags, and there are scary words like 'liberty' and 'freedom' on the flags ... and I thought ... we've got a staff of people here. Can we find video of the bad behavior?"

Dave's team did indeed find video footage of anti-mandate protesters engaged in the shocking behaviors of cleaning up garbage after protests, shoveling sidewalks, and even — gasp! — apologizing politely for bumping into one another.

Watch the video clip below to see more of this revealing video footage or find more from "The Rubin Report" here.

Can't watch? Downliad the podcast here.


Will the Freedom Convoy's Surprise Move Force Justin Trudeau to Respond? | DM CLIPS | Rubin Reportyoutu.be

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Justin Trudeau Proved Wrong as 'Freedom Convoy' Greeted by Massive Crowds | DM CLIPS | Rubin Report
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Justin Trudeau Proved Wrong as 'Freedom Convoy' Greeted by Massive Crowds | DM CLIPS | Rubin Report

Will the Freedom Convoy's Surprise Move Force Justin Trudeau to Respond? | DM CLIPS | Rubin Report
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Will the Freedom Convoy's Surprise Move Force Justin Trudeau to Respond? | DM CLIPS | Rubin Report

Actress Evangeline Lilly stands in solidarity with anti-vaccine mandate protesters



Actress Evangeline Lilly, a pro-choice Democrat, spoke out against vaccine mandates Thursday in an Instagram post that stirred online controversy.

The "Ant-Man" and "Lost" star revealed that she attended a protest against vaccine mandates in Washington D.C. last weekend, calling the mandates "not safe."

"I was in DC this weekend to support bodily sovereignty while Canadian truckers were rallying for their cross-country, peaceful convoy in support of the same thing," Lilly announced, referencing the ongoing Freedom Convoy in Canada traveling from Vancouver to Ottawa in protest of the country's vaccine mandates.

She was one of thousands of people rallying in D.C. on Sunday. Crowds gathered on the National Mall chanted "no more mandates" and called on the government to end the mass firing of workers who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

A look around the Defeat the Mandates rally taking place at the Lincoln Memorial.pic.twitter.com/u8oMkD0iLD
— Alejandro Alvarez (@Alejandro Alvarez) 1642963995

"I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will ... under any threat whatsoever," the 42-year-old actress wrote after the protest.

"This is not the way. This is not safe. This is not healthy. This is not love. I understand the world is in fear, but I don't believe that answering fear with force will fix our problems," she continued.

"I was pro-choice before COVID and I am still pro-choice today," she said.

The reaction to her post was unkind.

"This is pro ignorance. Ugh, this comes from a highly privileged white woman who think she's being woke when the reality is just that she hasn't read enough," one commenter wrote on her post.

"This goes beyond personal choice- it is about caring for others (especially those who are immune-compromised) during a pandemic. It is selfish to remain unvaccinated," another said.

Many people on social media interpreted Lilly's post as a stance against the COVID-19 vaccines, but that's not what she wrote. Lilly said she was against vaccine mandates, and the first picture in her post features a protester with a sign that reads, "Vaxxed Democrat for Medical Freedom."

This is not the first time the movie star has caused controversy with an Instagram post on COVID-19. In March 2020, Lilly wrote a post that she would not self-quarantine because she valued her freedom.

"Where we are right now feels a lot too close to Marshall Law for my comfort already, all in the name of a respiratory flu," she said at the time. "It's unnerving ... Let's be vigilant right now. And kind. Watchful and gracious — keeping a close eye on our leaders, making sure they don't abuse this moment to steal away more freedoms and grab more power."

But after widespread backlash to her comments, Lilly apologized for showing "insensitivity" to those that had suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also stated that she began social distancing like everyone else two days after her controversial post.

Video shows vaccine mandate protesters stage sit-in at popular Times Square restaurant: 'They arrested me for trying to eat at Olive Garden'



People protesting New York City's restrictive vaccine mandate staged a protest at the popular Olive Garden restaurant in Times Square on Friday night. Several protesters were arrested following the boisterous demonstration.

A group of New Yorkers launched a protest at the Olive Garden to show their disdain for the city's vaccine mandate that requires people ages 5 to 12 to show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and people 12 and older to show proof of two doses of the coronavirus vaccine.

Video shows the protesters — who refused to provide the restaurant with verification that they had received the COVID-19 vaccine — gathered in the Olive Garden restaurant.

"Victorious, we shut them down," a demonstrator boasts as employees of the restaurant refuse to serve the unmasked protesters.

"Take off your mask, free your face," another protester tells employees of the restaurant. "Stand up to your bosses."

The protesters chanted "U-S-A!" and sang "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Oliya Scootercaster of Freedom News TV reported that the restaurant closed after the protesters were there for two hours. The protest was over by 10:40 p.m., but the restaurant allegedly shut down before its usual Friday closing time of 1 a.m.

"Victorious, we shut them down" - anti-mandate protesters occupied the Olive Garden in Times Square for 2 hours. \nAfter two hours, instead of being arrested, the business decided to stop operation for the night and closed.pic.twitter.com/SxH2uSkxbV
— Scootercaster (@Scootercaster) 1642216116

New York Police Department officers were summoned to the restaurant, and most of the demonstrators dispersed.

Video from independent photojournalist Leeroy Johnson shows protesters being escorted out in handcuffs by NYPD officers.

"I got arrested. They arrested me for trying to eat at Olive Garden, that’s what happened," a protester said.

While being taken away by police, a protester shouts, "This is the Civil Rights movement again!"

Another demonstrator screamed, "Wake up New York! Wake the f*** up!"

Some onlookers applauded the protesters and called them "heroes."

Content Warning: Explicit language:

#Breakingnew \nMultiple protesters against mandates were just arrested at Olive Garden in NYC that's for the vaxxed only , Activists attempt to order food and were refused service. The #NYPD was called and told them to leave or they will be arrested. \n#VaccinePassports #Fridaypic.twitter.com/GAeNZGXCZp
— Leeroy Johnson (@Leeroy Johnson) 1642219463

Four protesters were arrested after refusing to leave the restaurant, according to the New York Post. "Three men and a woman were expected to be charged with trespassing, according to officials," the outlet reported. There were no reports of vandalism, according to Fox News.

There have been similar anti-vaccine passport protests at restaurants in New York City, including at Carmine's in the Upper West Side, Cheesecake Factory in Queens, and a Burger King in Brooklyn.

Multiple People Arrested At Olive Garden Protesting Vaccine Mandates in NYC www.youtube.com

Will Fauci's Latest Goalpost Move Cause Even Democrats to Abandon Him? | DM CLIPS | Rubin Report
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Will Fauci's Latest Goalpost Move Cause Even Democrats to Abandon Him? | DM CLIPS | Rubin Report

Thousands take to the streets of downtown Los Angeles to protest city vaccine mandate



Thousands gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Monday to protest the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which will take effect on Dec. 18.

The "March for Freedom" rally was organized by Firefighters 4 Freedom, a group of California first responders that opposes the coronavirus vaccine requirements imposed on city workers by the Los Angeles City Council.

The group said the protest was attended by firefighters, police officers, electrical workers, sanitation workers, and other city employees who fall under the mandate's requirements, KTLA-TV reported. Aerial footage showed a large crowd of people gathered outside City Hall, many carrying "thin blue line" and "thin red line" flags and signs that said "stop the mandate."

Attendees that spoke to reporters said they weren't opposed to the COVID-19 vaccines, but rather thought the government shouldn't have the power to force people out of their jobs if they aren't vaccinated.

"I'm here to show support for the men and women in law enforcement, the firefighters, those working in sanitation ... who are here not so much against being vaccinated, or the vaccine, but they're against being forced to do so by our local government," Moses Castillo, a retired LAPD detective, said.

John Knox, a member of Firefighters 4 Freedom, said the vaccine mandates are unconstitutional.

"That's an overreach on the government's part, because it's not your right to tell me what I do with my health care, what I put into my body," Knox said.

In August, the city council approved an ordinance requiring all city employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 20, unless they receive an exemption for medical or religious reasons. But before the mandate went into effect, the city council voted to extend the deadline to Dec. 18 to give city workers more time to get vaccinated.

There is no testing option for city workers who do not receive a medical or religious exemption from the vaccination requirement.

Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) warned in October that unvaccinated employees "should be prepared to lose their job" if they won't comply with the mandate.

The mandate is opposed by the Los Angeles firefighters' union, which objected to the lack of a testing option. United Firefighters of Los Angeles City President Freddy Escobar told the L.A. Times last week that the L.A. Fire Department is already facing worker shortages because of the mandate.

At the federal level, President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate on businesses with 100 or more employees has been temporarily halted by a federal court, based on "grave statutory and constitutional issues with the mandate." The Biden administration is preparing its legal response.

In the meantime, the White House on Monday said businesses should move forward with implementing federal COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirements, anticipating ultimate victory in court.