Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is disturbed — but unsurprised — by the recent brawl out of Cincinnati, and he blames the “culture of fear” for why such a violent attack is able to take place in his state.

“Glenn, I think that the basic point is common sense. We should not have everyday, hardworking Americans who are afraid to go into their cities — particularly a city like Cincinnati — for fear of assault, for fear of battery,” Ramaswamy tells Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck on “The Glenn Beck Program.”

Ramaswamy also spoke to one of the victims of the Cincinnati brawl, Holly, who was knocked out cold by a black man.

“At the time I had spoken to her, one of the things that surprised me is that she said not a single state or local official had even reached out to her at that point in time. And that was on Monday, after the Friday night of the incident, which was remarkable,” he explains.

“And I can see why, in part, because there is a culture of fear around these issues relating to violence and urban crime,” he adds.

According to the stats, the current risk in Cincinnati of being a victim of violent crime is 1 in 137.

“So, my view is, I don’t care what Democrat or Republican Party you’re in. I don’t care what your skin color is. We ought to be united around the issue of fighting and violent crime in our cities. And this is, in part, directly the result ... of this defund the police, the anti-cop, anti-rule of law culture that spread across the country,” Ramaswamy tells Glenn.

Glenn was, of course, also disturbed by what he’d seen in the video footage of the attack.

“What I saw were people that were cheering it on or not involved suddenly jumping in and getting involved, which was terrifying. When the female went down, I thought they killed her. I mean, her eyes were open. She was out cold,” he recalls.

“I’ve talked to her several times in the last week, Glenn, and it is very sad. She’s a working mom. She’s a single mother, and she’s somebody who on a rare occasion went to the city to have a good time for a friend’s birthday party,” Ramaswamy explains, noting that the victim was forced to call an Uber after the attack.

“There wasn’t an ambulance,” he tells Glenn. “She called an Uber.”

Not only that, but Ramaswamy also refers to reports that one of her assailants was let out on bond for a different alleged crime earlier that month.

“So, we’ve got to rethink some of the breakages in our judicial system,” he says.

“And that’s why I’m running for governor,” he continues, adding, “I do think that we have had too many politicians who have tried to sweep these issues under the rug for too long.”

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5 charged in Cincinnati mob attack — and new details emerge about woman punched in face, apparently knocked out cold by thug

While police in Cincinnati said they've charged five people in connection with the brutal mob beatdown that took place downtown over the weekend, details have emerged about the woman seen in a cellphone video of the attack getting punched in the face by a thug — and apparently knocked out cold.

"We have victims and suspects identified,” Police Chief Teresa A. Theetge said Monday, according to NewsNation. “We have charged five people, and we anticipate there will be more. Anyone who put their hands on another individual during this incident in an attempt to cause harm will face consequences.”

'You had a grown man who sucker punched a middle-aged woman. ... That person ought to go to jail for a very long time — and frankly, he's lucky there weren't some better people around because they would've handled it themselves.'

Fox News said the incident is now under investigation as a potential hate crime. The names of those charged have not been released yet, WXIX-TV reported.

NewsNation said the mob attack took place just after 3 a.m. Saturday, and police arrived at 3:12 a.m. after the beatdown had ended. NewsNation said most participants had departed but that victims were still present.

One of the victims was a woman in a blue dress who in the main cellphone video is seen apparently trying to intervene on behalf of one of the beaten-up men, but she's punched in the back of her head by another female — and seconds later a male punches her in the face, knocking her flat on her back on the street. (The violence against her begins at the 1:35 mark — and it appears the clip may not be viewable unless you're signed into X.)

A disturbing close-up of the woman's face shows her eyes wide open and body motionless before a few people try to help her up.

Vivek Ramaswamy — who's running for Ohio governor — posted that image on X and noted that he interacted on Monday with the brutalized woman: "I spoke to Holly earlier today (the woman tragically assaulted in Cincinnati this weekend). She’s a single working mom who went to a friend’s birthday party."

Ramaswamy also noted in his post that "Holly said not a single local or state official had yet reached out as of earlier this afternoon, other than one police detective" but that she "appreciates the kind words and prayers from patriots across the country."

Vice President JD Vance had harsh words for those who hurt the woman, particularly the male who punched her down to the surface of the street: "You had a grown man who sucker punched a middle-aged woman. ... That person ought to go to jail for a very long time — and frankly, he's lucky there weren't some better people around because they would've handled it themselves."

Earlier in the aforementioned main cellphone clip, the man she was trying help — dressed in a white shirt and black pants — was chased into the street and knocked down before multiple attackers repeatedly punched and kicked and stomped him over the course of nearly a minute amid hooting and hollering.

A set of three other videos appear to show the same beatdown from different vantage points — and additional victims are seen. (Again, the clips may not be viewable unless you're signed into X.)

One that lasts 23 seconds shows three other men knocked to the surface of the same street. Then one attacker leaps and lands his body atop one of the male victims — pro wrestling-style — while the victim is still lying on the street surface. Afterward, a laughing, smiling male pulls the attacker away.
Another video that lasts 12 seconds shows what appears to be the same victim from the 23-second video getting pummeled from behind and knocked to the ground as a voice is heard saying "sleep him again!" The victim is then dragged by his foot into the middle of the street.
The third video — which lasts one minute and 14 seconds — appears to show what preceded the beatdown in the main video. It shows the man dressed in the white shirt and black pants — who was beaten up in the first video — squaring off with a male in a red shirt and black shorts who would soon take part in the mob attack. It appears to show the man dressed in the white shirt and black pants making physical contact with the male in the red shirt and black shorts — and then it's on.

An additional Facebook video appears to show even more of what occurred prior to the mob attack. It depicts what seems to be a verbal argument and minor scuffle that was on its way to calming down, and then the man dressed in the white shirt and black pants seems to lightly slap the face of the male in the red shirt and black shorts, which — as noted above — leads to the beatdown.

However, BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock on Monday stated on “Jason Whitlock Harmony" that he's heard the argument that the man dressed in the white shirt and black pants — a white man — "started it" by making physical contact with the male in the red shirt and black shorts — a black man, and that was justification for the mob attack.

"That's ridiculous to me," Whitlock said. "The level of attack on this man? Completely unjustified."

BlazeTV contributor Shemeka Michelle agreed, telling Whitlock the attack was "definitely unjustified. When they tried to show the video of the guy in the red being pushed and acting as if that was justification. ... But for all of these people to jump in — and it wasn't just men jumping in; there were women jumping in as if they were men."

Whitlock on Sunday posted a message on X calling out the mob attack, saying that "this behavior and lack of national outrage are unsustainable. It's unsustainable. The anti-white bigotry at the root of this behavior must be addressed. Sickening."

NewsNation reported that Police Chief Theetge blasted bystanders, noting that despite the preponderance of people with cell phones out and recording the beatdown, only one person called 911.

“For all those people recording with cell phones and for us to only get one call is unacceptable in this city,” Theetge added, according to the outlet.

The chief also ripped those who posted videos of the attack on social media given that the clips don't show the full context of it, NewsNation said: “That social media post and your coverage of it distorts the content of what actually happened and makes our jobs more difficult.”

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'Anti-white bigotry': Mob beats victims down to street — including male who punches woman in face, apparently knocks her out

Cellphone videos show a mob pummeling several people on a Cincinnati street over the weekend and beating them down to the ground — including a male who's seen punching a woman in the face, knocking her flat on her back and apparently out cold.

Cincinnati police said the incident occurred Friday night on Elm and Fourth Streets, WXIX-TV reported.

'It will ... be the responsibility of the court system to hold these violent thugs accountable.'

Cory Bowman — Cincinnati mayoral candidate and the half brother of Vice President JD Vance — posted video of the disturbing beatdown on X. You can view the video here.

The video shows a man dressed in a white shirt and black pants getting punched from behind and then chased into a street by two males — one in a red shirt and black shorts and the other in a dark shirt and white shorts. Amid increasing hooting and hollering, they throw him to the street surface, and a female and a third male join in and stomp the male in the white shirt several times.

After a few seconds, as the mob grows larger, the third male who had just joined the beatdown — dressed in a white shirt, long blue jean shorts, and black shoes — returns to stomp the male several more times and deliver a series of punches to his head.

Then the male dressed in the red shirt and black shorts who originally chased the man into the street returns to punch and kick the victim in the head numerous times. The victim finally is helped to his feet but quickly loses his balance and falls to the street again. Soon others help him back up and he is led away from the scene.

Seconds later, a woman in a blue dress who appeared to be intervening on behalf of the beaten-up man gets punched in the head from behind by another female — and then it appears that the male dressed in the white shirt, long blue jean shorts, and black shoes who helped beat up the male victim punches the woman in the blue dress in the face, knocking her flat on her back on the street.

A disturbing close-up of her face shows her eyes wide open and body motionless before a few people try to help her up.

Bowman also posted on X a set of three videos appearing to show the same beatdown from different vantage points.

One that lasts 23 seconds shows three other men knocked to the surface of the same street. Then one attacker leaps and lands his body atop one of the male victims — pro wrestling-style — while the victim is still lying on the street surface. Afterward a laughing, smiling male pulls the attacker away.

Another video that lasts 12 seconds shows what appears to be the same victim from the 23-second video getting pummeled from behind and knocked to the ground as a voice is heard saying "sleep him again!" The victim is then dragged by his foot into the middle of the street.

The third video — which lasts one minute and 14 seconds — appears to show what preceded the first video Bowman posted. It shows the man dressed in the white shirt and black pants — who was beaten up in the first video — squaring off with the male in the red shirt and black shorts who would soon take part in his beatdown. It appears to show the man dressed in the white shirt and black pants making physical contact with the male in the red shirt and black shorts — and then it's on.

Here's how WXIX described things:

An anonymous witness reported that the situation started several minutes before the fight shown in the videos. The footage captured a man, who, according to the witness, seemed to be intoxicated.

The witness says the man walked away, but returned about 15 minutes later with a group of people who were overheard making racial comments.

The video provided to FOX19 NOW, the witness says, shows people in the group trying to de-escalate the situation before the fight started.

Things escalated and punches were eventually thrown, the witness stated.

The video shows the man in the white shirt hitting the man in the red shirt.

A handful of prominent individuals weighed on the incident.

BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock on Sunday posted the following on X, presumably in reference to primary male victim and the woman who was punched in the face after trying to intervene on his behalf: "When you're at church today or in your secret place, say a prayer for this man and his wife. This behavior and lack of national outrage are unsustainable. It's unsustainable. The anti-white bigotry at the root of this behavior must be addressed. Sickening."

Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge on Saturday evening told WCPO-TV that she's in "complete disgust" over the violence and that "the behavior displayed is nothing short of cruel and absolutely unacceptable. Our investigative team is working diligently to identify every individual involved in causing harm."

WCPO added that a Cincinnati Police Department spokesperson said police weren't aware of the incident until the videos were posted.

The Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police, which represents city police officers, also issued a condemnation — and a plea to "hold these violent thugs accountable."

"The violence this video shows downtown is disgusting," Cincinnati FOP President Ken Kober told WLWT-TV. "What's equally disgusting is those who chose to watch and record instead of calling 911, attempting to defuse the situation, or render aid. I have full faith in the Central Business Section Investigators; they will make arrests in the near future. It will then be the responsibility of the court system to hold these violent thugs accountable."

Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Vivek Ramaswamy — Republican candidate for Ohio governor — posted on X that "reckless violence has no place in Ohio. Restoring law & order on our streets shouldn’t be a partisan issue. I invite @amyactonoh & other Democrat leaders in our state to join us in condemning this kind of violence and supporting stronger law enforcement in our cities."

Democrat Ohio state Rep. Cecil Thomas — whose district includes parts of Cincinnati — added to WLWT that the videos "turned my stomach" and "makes me wish I was still on the force."

"I've just observed several video clips of an assault that took place last night in our downtown," Thomas said, according to WLWT. "It turned my stomach, and I was angry and totally embarrassed to see such behavior, especially, during the Music Festival weekend that's has been historically free of such horrifying violence, not to mention a Reds home game. There are so many visitors from around the country currently in our city."

Thomas continued: "It's this kind of behavior that makes me wish I was still on the force. It's unacceptable under any standard, and those involved should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Therefore as your State Representative, I trust that there will be a full and complete investigation of this incident by the Cincinnati Police Department and to bring charges against all involved. There's enough cameras in the area as well as cellphone videos to clearly determine how it started and who all was involved. I'm asking for anyone who may have information, including, cellphone footage to please notify authorities or call my office; 614-466-1645. All involved should be held accountable."

WLWT reported that Democrat Mayor Aftab Pureval had not provided a comment on the incident. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that it texted Pureval's spokesman for comment but has not received a response.

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Don’t Overcomplicate Babymaking

No normal person has children for the good of the country or to own the libs, nor should they.

‘Waste, fraud, and abuse’ hype masks the real issue: Entitlement bloat

It’s the oldest trick in Republicans' playbook: They campaign on cutting spending and shrinking government, but when it comes time to pass actual legislation, they increase spending instead. To distract from that reality, they point to “waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Listen closely to all the hype about the DOGE — the Elon Musk-inspired, unofficial Department of Government Efficiency — and you’ll find nobody proposing to eliminate or structurally reform any major programs. Instead, leaders are giving Americans the impression that we can solve our inflation and debt crisis by trimming foreign aid, selling vacant buildings, and slashing overpayments in programs where waste and fraud are features, not bugs. This time must be different.

Cute messaging about egregious wasteful spending, which offends no corporate or individual constituency, will not solve the current crisis.

On the upside, an unprecedented conservative media campaign, led by Musk, has spotlighted wasteful spending and the need for cuts. On the downside, despite all the social media buzz, no one has presented a serious plan to reduce, eliminate, or restructure the key programs driving deficits and inflation. In fact, in December's budget bill, Musk and Donald Trump backed an additional $110 billion in deficit spending without using any so-called wasteful programs as offsets.

Recycling the idea of cutting “waste, fraud, and abuse” — “no, really this time!” — might have worked before the $7 trillion COVID-19 debt bomb. But it won’t dent the $1.2 trillion in annual money printing needed to service the debt’s interest. Telling Americans we can achieve fiscal solvency simply by cutting painless waste, reducing foreign aid, or making government more “efficient” sets us up for failure.

The only way to curb inflation is to level with Americans about the real source of the problem: consensus spending by both parties, not the “waste, fraud, and abuse” they keep blaming. Either we cut those programs or accept inflation — no middle ground. The silver lining is that inflation’s bite has created a mandate to make a trade-off: We can end dependency on certain programs if we muster the political will.

We don’t need an AI tool or a latter-day Manhattan Project to figure out how to balance the budget. We already know what must be done; the challenge lies in devising the right messaging and political will to enact it.

The federal budget isn’t a mystery. According to the Congressional Budget Office, fiscal year 2025 will bring another $2 trillion deficit, with $7 trillion in spending and $5 trillion in revenue — and that’s before factoring in any expansion of Donald Trump’s first-term tax cuts. The CBO projects $1.1 trillion in interest on the debt, but those figures have repeatedly been revised upward.

The 10-year outlook appears even bleaker, especially once we factor in the CBO’s unrealistic revenue projections, its consistent underestimates of spending, and its failure to account for major catastrophes — such as COVID-19, the Great Recession, or annual weather disasters — that always push deficits beyond expectations. For example, while the CBO estimates the $7 trillion budget will only rise to $10.3 trillion by the end of the 10-year window, our spending has already doubled over the past decade, largely because of COVID-19.

What, then, drives our $7 trillion budget for fiscal 2025? Let’s break down the major government expenditures.

The “untouchables” of our budget make up the overwhelming majority of the tab. Social Security, Medicare, military, and veterans’ programs (both discretionary and mandatory), plus interest on the debt, total more than $5.2 trillion of the $7 trillion budget. Several hundred billion dollars of Medicare is offset by user premiums, bringing the net “untouchable” spending closer to $5 trillion. Yes, one could shave off some Pentagon waste and address Social Security and Medicare overpayments, but tightening eligibility would spark a political backlash that Trump may not want.

No hidden stockpile of “waste, fraud, and abuse” exists to eliminate. The only way to lower the deficit is to target the remaining $2 trillion, which includes discretionary spending and nonuniversal entitlement programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, and housing.

Republicans will also need to devolve education, agriculture, transportation, and energy spending to the states. They must eliminate housing subsidies and mortgage giants like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. In other words, they must convince the American people that the choice is between dependency programs or permanent stagflation and unaffordability. Cute messaging about egregious wasteful spending, which offends no corporate or individual constituency, will not solve our current crisis. Honesty remains the only viable path forward.

Republicans should craft their reconciliation bill to fully repeal the Green New Deal and all climate regulations, reset discretionary spending to pre-COVID-19 levels, and enact welfare reform stronger than the 1996 measure. Some commentators falsely claim Social Security and Medicare are the only paths to reducing deficits, neglecting the many “other mandatory spending” programs that are not universal. Coupled with substantial health care reforms to lower consumer costs, this approach offers the only realistic way to address inflation.

Congress cannot focus solely on tax cuts this time. Yes, lawmakers should extend the 2017 tax cuts and add targeted cuts to spur small-business growth, but unlike in 2017, the primary emphasis should be on curbing government spending. A frank discussion about the true nature of these expenditures is essential to meet the mandate of lowering inflation at long last.

Vivek’s Plan To Turn Ohio Into Silicon Valley Shows He Doesn’t Understand My State At All

In Vivek Ramaswamy’s long-awaited announcement of his run for governor, I was struck by how little substance he offered.

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5 charged in Cincinnati mob attack — and new details emerge about woman punched in face, apparently knocked out cold by thug

'Anti-white bigotry': Mob beats victims down to street — including male who punches woman in face, apparently knocks her out

Don’t Overcomplicate Babymaking

Vivek’s Plan To Turn Ohio Into Silicon Valley Shows He Doesn’t Understand My State At All

The decline of customer service — and why it matters

Accountability is the best way to honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy

Man admits to raping girl thousands of times and impregnating her — he has agreed to unbelievable plea deal

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