Florida sheriff: New video shows deputy fighting armed shoplifting suspect, fatally shooting suspect as he runs away with gun



Newly released bodycam and surveillance videos show a Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputy fighting an armed shoplifting suspect last fall and then fatally shooting the suspect as he runs away with a gun, authorities said.

The incident took place at a Walmart in southwest Miami-Dade on the morning of Nov. 6, WFOR-TV reported.

'We are grateful at this time. The circumstances could have gotten so much worse.'

Deputies were notified that a male allegedly was shoplifting inside the store, the station said, adding that surveillance video shows the suspect walking through the aisles before exiting the building, the station said, citing the sheriff's office.

Authorities said a deputy tried to stop the male as he left the store, WFOR said, citing the sheriff's office.

The male in question later was identified as 36-year-old Kennedy Graham, the station said.

More from WFOR:

Body camera video shows Graham running from the deputy as a struggle breaks out. In the footage, the deputy can be heard yelling, "Don't resist, don't resist," as the two wrestle on the ground.

Deputies say the officer called for backup while trying to detain Graham.

Investigators say the video was slowed down to show Graham was armed during the encounter. Store surveillance video shows the deputy pinning Graham to the ground and holding him by the neck with his legs as Graham continued to fight back.

At one point, Graham dropped the gun, then picked it up again and ran, investigators said. The deputy is then seen pointing his weapon and firing.

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Graham was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the station said, adding that no one else was hurt.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz back in November defended the deputy's actions, WFOR said: "I will say this, this individual had an extensive criminal past. We are grateful at this time. The circumstances could have gotten so much worse."

Investigators also displayed the weapon they say Graham was carrying at the time of the shooting, the station said, which added that the deputy involved has not been identified. WTVJ-TV reported that Graham's gun was loaded.

"We recognize that incidents of this nature raise questions and concerns within our community, and I believe the public has the right to see critical incidents involving law enforcement," the sheriff's office said in a Thursday statement, according to WFOR.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is still investigating the incident, which is standard practice in police shootings, WTVJ added.

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PHOTOS: Winter storm forecast turns Dallas grocery stores into a war zone



Everyone who lived in Dallas five years ago remembers the record-setting snowstorm in February 2021, and with a forecast that suggests similar weather coming up this weekend, many people aren't taking any chances.

The storm in 2021 shut down the city for nearly a week, thanks to the roads icing over and limited equipment to respond to a weather event of that magnitude. Power outages shook the state, and disastrous accidents were caused by ice on the highways.

These factors, among others, led to shortages at the grocery stores, a fact many people have now recalled as they look at the upcoming forecast.

I found myself on a quest to find fruit, primarily apples and bananas, for smoothies on what could likely be one of the busiest days for area grocery stores this year. Here are some of the photos I took, which reminded me not so much of February 2021 as of March 2020, the beginning of the pandemic — yes, including carts full of toilet paper.

These photos were taken at an Aldi and a Walmart in Irving, Texas, on the evening of January 22, 2026.

Aldi

The shelf usually stocked with bread was almost entirely bare at AldiCooper Williamson

The bagel shelf, opposite the larger bread shelf, was similarly picked clean. Cooper Williamson

Before Aldi, I got most of my other groceries at Sam's Club, which was packed but largely well stocked — except for the shopping carts. There were no shopping carts in the reserves at the entrance; they were all being used or in the parking lot.

As I waited in line for a slice of pizza before I began my shopping, I watched helplessly as a man snuck up and grabbed the cart that I had parked near the cafe. Back to the parking lot for another one.

The meat aisle was nearly empty.Cooper Williamson

Luckily, I had done most of my shopping at Sam's Club and didn't need any sandwich materials. Aldi was nearly clean out of all of them.

RELATED: Here's what SHOCKED liberals the most when they tried to panic-buy guns in California

The bacon, butter, and yogurt sections.Cooper Williamson

But Sam's wasn't immune to the panic-buying hive mind that had overtaken all of Dallas. I was at Aldi because Sam's too had been raided of all of its apples and bananas.

The best the stores had to offer at this point were some of the worst relatives of these coveted fruits.

There was not a single case of bottled water left in the store. Cooper Williamson

From a distance, I thought I had found the key ingredient for my smoothies after much searching. However, to my disappointment, what I thought were bananas turned out to be plantains — and there were no bananas in the store whatsoever.

No bananas to be found in the grocery store; only some ripe plantains. Cooper Williamson

Despite my failure to find bananas at Aldi, I had come too far and would not be denied. I ventured to Walmart, which proved to be even more chaotic than Aldi.

Walmart

Forced to park all the way in the back of the parking lot due to the crowds, I didn't know what to expect as I walked into Walmart. Walking in, however, I quickly surmised that it would be similar to, if not worse than, Aldi. I ended up looking around the aisles to see what people were grabbing at the highest rate. Here are some of the Dallas snowstorm preppers' favorites.

The poultry section was cleaned out. Cooper Williamson

Several varieties of milk were missing. Cooper Williamson

Like Aldi, the usually full aisle of bottled water packages was barren. Cooper Williamson

Americans love their vegetable oil. Cooper Williamson

Finally, I circled back to the produce section. At first, I was worried that I wouldn't find any bananas when I saw entire shelves that looked like they had been raided hours before.

Crates of assorted fruits, some entirely empty. Cooper Williamson

The vegetable display showed which vegetables Americans would be willing to part with for a week or so. Cooper Williamson

However, in the midst of the empty shelves sat a display of bananas. Even this display, though stocked, was missing half of its capacity.

Caught up in the exciting moment of discovery, I forgot to get a photo of them, though I gladly spent the 86 cents for a bunch and readily made my way home after a long five hours of shopping.

The panic consensus

As I sit here writing this article on the morning of January 23, sipping on a green smoothie (bananas, apples, and all), I wonder whether this is the new reality. I wonder whether every time the forecast warns of a snowstorm, Southern states like Texas will overreact like the last few times we have gotten a storm forecast.

I complained earlier that it took me most of an evening to get all of my shopping done. While it's true that I am a picky eater and not a very efficient shopper, it is astounding that it took going to four stores (yes, I also went to the Kroger near the Aldi to get romaine and apples for the smoothie) over the course of five hours to find a bunch of bananas.

In bad weather, it is true that the roads are only as safe as the people driving the cars. Growing up in Colorado, a place that gets a lot more snow, I always found it strange that Texas can't handle a few inches of snow. And I also don't remember people panic-buying food and water like they were preparing for a hurricane before the pandemic.

Perhaps this is just another reminder that the preppers aren't as crazy as people make them out to be. I certainly don't want to repeat my quest to the grocery store on the eve of the next cold front moving through Dallas.

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How a Walmart employee helped rescue a woman who said her boyfriend strangled her multiple times that day



Nebraska law enforcement officers said a 47-year-old woman early last week informed them that her 31-year-old boyfriend had strangled her five to six times that day and had been preventing her from contacting authorities and leaving his presence.

It turns out the alleged victim was able to finally get the attention of police — with the help of a Walmart employee.

Barnhouse didn't let her leave for the previous two days, as she was trying to get her belongings from the camper and return home to Kansas, officials added.

Gage County Sheriff's deputies around 5:45 p.m. Oct. 28 responded to the Diamond T Truck Stop Camper Row on US HWY 77 just north of Beatrice for an assault that had occurred earlier in the day, the sheriff's office said.

RELATED: Male, 55, accused of grabbing 15-year-old by neck, throwing him to floor of In-and-Out Burger — and it's all caught on video

Image source: Gage County (Neb.) Sheriff's Office

Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the 47-year-old woman from Hutchinson, Kansas, who told deputies that her boyfriend — 31-year-old Justis Barnhouse — had strangled her five to six times that afternoon, officials said.

Barnhouse took the woman's cell phone so she couldn't contact police about the incident, officials said. Barnhouse didn't let her leave for the previous two days, as she was trying to get her belongings from the camper and return home to Kansas, officials added.

However, officials said that when the woman and Barnhouse went to the Walmart in Beatrice, she got the attention of a Walmart employee and asked the worker to follow her to the restroom.

The sheriff's office said that allowed the woman to give the employee details about the strangulation — and the employee notified law enforcement.

When deputies arrived at the Diamond T Truck Stop Camper Row, officials said Barnhouse was there — and deputies arrested Barnhouse for assault by strangulation as well as third-degree domestic assault with two priors.

Barnhouse was lodged at the Gage County Detention Center on his charges, officials said. Jail records indicate Barnhouse was still behind bars Wednesday morning.

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Walmart, other major companies retreat from sponsoring H-1Bs following Trump administration's reforms



Last month, the Trump administration issued a proclamation targeting the abuse of the H-1B visa program. Though some confusion about the order ensued, the effects of this first attempt at reform are beginning to be felt at some major companies that have historically used H-1B workers, who hail primarily from India.

The proclamation, signed on September 19, 2025, was the first of what many hope to be multiple reforms of the H-1B visa program.

'No current or future sponsorship is available.'

The proclamation introduced a $100,000 fee for the sponsorship of new H-1B applications for those outside the United States. According to a White House fact sheet, the primary goals of the proclamation are to protect American jobs, combat H-1B abuses, and prioritize American workers.

This high price to pay for foreigners has caused some companies to rethink their hiring practices.

RELATED: Supreme Court rejects case that would reconsider H-1B-related visas

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that major companies such as Walmart, Deloitte, and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation have shied away from extending sponsorships for new H-1B applicants.

Recent job postings dated after the proclamation in mid-September confirm that companies have changed their policies. Deloitte says in one post that qualified applicants for a software automation developer must not need employer sponsorship "now or at any time in the future."

Deloitte did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Recent Walmart job postings also have an advisory to the same effect: "No current or future sponsorship is available," an October 2 job posting for a software engineer reads.

A Walmart spokesperson told Blaze News, "Walmart is committed to hiring and investing in the best talent to serve our customers, while remaining thoughtful about our H-1B hiring approach."

In a post from October 22, a Cognizant job opening has a similar message: "Cognizant will consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in the United States without the need of employer sponsorship."

In a statement to Blaze News, a Cognizant spokesperson said, "Cognizant has built a resilient business model that attracts top talent locally and globally. Over the past several years, we have significantly reduced our reliance on visas, using them only for select technology roles that supplement our U.S. workforce. We employ thousands of American citizens nationwide and have invested heavily in creating a robust local talent pipeline.

"The recently announced proclamation is expected to have limited near-term impact on our operations. Cognizant’s scale and global footprint provide multiple levers to continue to serve our clients in the U.S. and globally," the Cognizant spokesperson continued.

According to its website, Cognizant employs over 300,000 people around the globe, many of whom are employed in the United States through visa programs, particularly the H-1B visa.

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Washington, D.C., Feels Neither Safe Nor Clean Because It’s Not

When your daily life in a city is marked by a series of fearsome conversations, signs of squalor, and dangerous encounters, no rational person can call it safe.

Good guy with a gun, Good Samaritans confront 'crazed' man accused of stabbing 11 at Walmart in 'life-or-death moment'



Tragedy struck Michigan over the weekend when a suspect stabbed 11 people inside a Walmart — however, multiple people stepped up and confronted the suspect in the parking lot, including a man armed with a gun.

The Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office said in a statement that a man entered the Walmart in Garfield Township just before 5 p.m. Saturday. Garfield Township is about eight minutes south of Traverse City and about two hours north of Grand Rapids.

'At first, it was disbelief. I thought maybe it was like a terror attack.'

The suspect "used a folding knife to stab 11 people," according to police.

A sheriff’s deputy was at the crime scene around 4:46 p.m., law enforcement stated.

"At the time of the deputy’s arrival, multiple citizens, including one who was armed with a pistol, were confronting the male suspect in the parking lot and preventing him from harming further people and from leaving," the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office said. "The deputy took the suspect into custody without further incident."

Witness Julia Martell told NBC News that the suspect looked "crazed" and that the situation was "surreal."

"All I know is I saw a knife, and I ran away from the knife, and now I have no idea where the knife is," Martell said. "I'm still sitting and grappling with the weight of realizing that it was kind of a life-or-death moment."

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Videos also show a group of citizens confronting the suspect in the parking lot of the Walmart. During a press conference, Sheriff Michael Shea noted that one of the Good Samaritans was armed with a gun.

Video from the Walmart parking lot shows the brave citizens approaching the suspect, who was still brandishing a knife with a 3.5-inch blade.

One of the citizens is heard yelling, "Throw the knife that way! Drop it! Throw the knife away!"

Witness Steven Carter told the Associated Press that he was loading his truck in the Walmart parking lot when he saw a man with a knife stab a woman in the throat.

"At first, it was disbelief. I thought maybe it was like a terror attack,” Carter said.

Carter added that the suspect was subdued after someone tackled him to the ground.

"And then it was fear, disbelief, shock. ... It was just amazing," Carter said. "And it all happened fast. Like, he was totally subdued on the ground by the time police arrived."

The video shows the suspect being detained next to a sheriff’s vehicle.

Witness Tiffany DeFell added to the AP that "it was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out. This is something you see out of the movies. It's not what you expect to see where you're living."

Sheriff Shea described the citizens' actions as "remarkable" and said he "cannot commend" them "enough," according to WANE-TV.

"When you stop and look from the time of [the] call to the time of actual custody, the individual was detained within one minute," Shea stressed.

RELATED: Florida woman, who doused herself in Diet Mountain Dew to tamper with evidence, learns her fate in murder of elderly roommate

The victims were rushed to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City.

The sheriff's office listed the 11 stabbing victims as: a 29-year-old female, a 38-year-old male, a 39-year-old male, a 41-year-old male, a 55-year-old male, a 65-year-old female, a 67-year-old female, a 70-year-old male, an 80-year-old female, an 82-year-old male, and an 84-year-old female. Shea said one of the victims was a Walmart employee.

During a press conference, Munson Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tom Schermerhorn revealed that one of the victims had been treated and released, two were in serious condition, and the remainder were in fair condition. All are expected to survive their stab wounds.

Police identified the suspect as 42-year-old Bradford James Gille of Afton, Michigan. He was arrested and transported to the Grand Traverse County Jail.

Police said Gille had a criminal history of "assaultive incidents, as well as controlled substance violations."

Citing Michigan court records, NBC News reported that Gille's criminal history included charges for public intoxication, misdemeanor assault and battery, misdemeanor aggravated assault, drug possession, and assault with a dangerous weapon. Court documents said a charge of malicious destruction of tombs and memorials was dismissed after Gille was found to be incompetent to stand trial.

Investigators have yet to determine a motive for the stabbing.

Michigan prosecutors are seeking a terrorism charge against Gille in addition to 11 counts of assault with intent to murder, one for each stabbing victim, according to NBC News.

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Read it and weep: Tariffs work, and the numbers prove it



Just about every influencer, economist, and politician predicted President Trump’s tariffs would unleash an inflation tsunami. Prices would spike and consumers would drown in a rising tide of costs.

Yet here we are, deep into summer, enjoying beach days and backyard barbecues. The price of lawn chairs and beach balls remains well within reach. So where’s the inflation?

Is it worth surrendering political and economic independence just to shave a few cents off the price of some Chinese-made junk?

According to the latest government data, inflation hasn’t surged. In fact, it’s lower than it was this time last year. The experts missed again. Why?

The short answer: Tariffs don’t necessarily drive inflation.

The Walmart effect writ large

Think about how Walmart keeps its prices low. It’s the biggest store in town, so it sets the terms. Producers either cut their costs or lose shelf space. Everyone wants access to Walmart customers, so they play along — and prices fall.

Now scale that logic up. America is the biggest consumer market in the world. In 2024, Americans spent more than $19 trillion on consumer goods, including over $4 trillion on imports.

This gives us leverage. When America slaps tariffs on foreign goods, those producers face a choice: Eat the cost or risk losing access to our market. And they know they’ll get outcompeted if they try to pass the full cost on to American buyers.

That’s exactly what’s happening. Recent surveys show about two-thirds of manufacturers expect their foreign suppliers to eat the tariff costs instead of raising prices on U.S. consumers.

Dodge the tax: Buy American

Here’s the other thing the panic-peddlers don’t say: Tariffs are avoidable. They’re a tax on imports. Buy American, and you don’t pay.

And while $4 trillion in imports sounds massive, it only accounts for about 13% of the U.S. economy. That’s not nothing, of course, but it hardly amounts to the kind of widespread pressure needed to trigger across-the-board inflation.

RELATED: Trump’s latest tariff could tank the very industries he wants to protect

Photo by Andrej Ivanov / Contributor via Getty Images

Instead, tariffs apply pressure in the right places. They force foreign competitors to compete with American producers or lose market share. That creates new opportunities for domestic manufacturers — and when they scale up, costs per unit drop. It’s basic economics — and it just happens to be a win for sovereignty.

Want lower prices? Close the trade gap

The media talk about consumer prices like they’re the only prices that matter. But they ignore the other kind of inflation — the kind tariffs can help tame.

Every year, we import more than we export. That trade deficit doesn’t just disappear. We pay for it by selling off our assets and racking up debt. Foreigners now hold trillions in American real estate, farmland, and commercial property.

In 2024 alone, foreigners bought $42 billion in residential real estate, $8 billion in farmland, and $12 billion in commercial properties. That drives up housing costs and shuts American families out of the market.

Then there’s the debt. Foreign entities hold more than $8.6 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities. We owe them interest. Every year, we ship more than $150 billion abroad just to service that debt. We’re borrowing money from our rivals to buy their products. That’s suicidally stupid.

Cheap isn’t the goal

Even if tariffs raised prices slightly — which the data says they haven’t — so what? Cheap isn’t the mission. National survival is.

That’s the argument I make in my book, “Reshore: How Tariffs Will Bring Our Jobs Home and Revive the American Dream.” America isn’t just an economy. It’s a nation — a people, a language, a culture, a way of life.

We can’t offshore everything and expect to remain free. Tariffs are essential to keep our economy self-sufficient. They secure our borders, protect our workers, and defend our future.

Ask yourself: Is it worth surrendering political and economic independence just to shave a few cents off the price of some Chinese-made junk?

I didn’t think so.

Billionaire Walmart heiress funds anti-Trump chaos, backs radical 'No Kings' protests



Christy Walton, a geriatric heiress to the Walmart fortune who had a 2% stake in the company as of last year, has made no secret of her liberal bent and has proven willing to shovel money into initiatives she apparently reckons will further the cause.

Walton, whose net worth Forbes presently puts north of $19 billion, co-hosted a fundraiser last year for Kamala Harris' doomed presidential campaign and recently poured cash into a group supporting Senate Democrats.

She previously dumped tens of thousands of dollars into the Lincoln Project, the anti-Trump group founded by a handful of former Republican operatives, including John Weaver, who allegedly had a habit of sexually harassing young men online. Walton continued donating to the group even after it staged a fake white supremacist rally in late 2021 to smear then-candidate Glenn Youngkin ahead of the Virginia gubernatorial election.

'We will make action everywhere else the story of America that day.'

After throwing her money behind various political failures, she now appears keen to support something more consequential.

While fellow travelers were attacking police and federal law enforcement agents in Los Angeles, the Walmart heiress set about promoting even more unrest, placing a full-page ad in the New York Times on Sunday featuring an image of the Statue of Liberty and a list of collective declarations, including "we defend against aggression by dictators" and "we uphold and defend the Constitution."

While nearly identical to an anodyne ad she placed in the paper in March, Walton's new ad also contained a call to action along with a QR code directing viewers to a website for the "No Kings" demonstrations planned across the country for June 14.

RELATED: Sen. Fetterman breaks ranks, admits the truth about Democrats' radical position on the anti-ICE riots

An April 50501-organized protest in Nevada. Photo by KIA RASTAR/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

According to the organizers' tool kit for the demonstrations, "NO KINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration."

The event page notes, "On June 14th, we rise up."

President Donald Trump is planning to celebrate the 250th birthday of the Army with a parade in the nation's capital. The No Kings rally is supposed to serve as a leftist counterpoint.

The tool kit states: "Instead of allowing this military parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption."

While the Associated Press suggested the No Kings rally would involve a march to the White House, organizers claim on their website that they are not holding an event in Washington, D.C., directing fellow travelers in the area to instead find a mobilization in Virginia or Maryland.

RELATED: White House warns radicals now massing in Boston, elsewhere in wake of LA riots: 'Think twice'

National Guard stands watching in front of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles after the anti-ICE riots. Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

No Kings counts among its partners various radical organizations such Planned Parenthood, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and the Organization for Black Struggle. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), fresh off defending his private jet usage to and from speeches condemning inequality, is also apparently a supporter.

Randi Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers boss instrumental in keeping kids out of the classroom during the pandemic, is hosting a "No Kings Day Town Hall" Tuesday evening, promising to help fellow radicals "get ready to organize, mobilize, and build power for the future." Other such events are planned in the lead-up to the nationwide uprising.

The outfit behind the protests promoted by Walton is the 50501 Movement, a leftist anti-Trump protest group.

Blaze News previously reported that the Massachusetts chapter of the 50501 Movement was behind the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest in Boston on Monday.

Kylie Bemis, an organizer with 50501, framed the protests as a response to an "act of war."

"This is an attack on American liberty," Bemis said in a statement obtained by Boston.com. "The right to freedom of speech and due process of the law must be protected above all else, and the response by the Trump administration is tantamount to a declaration of war against the American people."

'President Trump will always do what is needed to keep American citizens safe.'

Blaze News reached out to the email provided at the bottom of Walton's ad but did not receive a response by deadline. However, a source familiar with Walton's thinking on the topic told Blaze news that the "ad is a personal message from Christy that focuses on encouraging people to engage peacefully and civically in next weekend's events on June 14th."

"Her message promotes peaceful dialogue and the sharing of diverse views and voices," continued the source. "She condemns violence in all forms and continues to emphasize the importance of listening to one another."

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) intimated that Walton's advertisement might have less to do with ideology and more to do with maximizing the value of her stake in Walmart, noting, "Looks like the Walmart dynasty is big mad about China tariffs."

— (@)

Walmart declined Blaze News' request for comment. The Walton family office could not immediately be reached for comment.

When asked about the forthcoming nationwide protests, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson previously told Blaze News, "Any individual who wants to mimic the violence, lawlessness, and rioting in California should think twice."

"President Trump will always do what is needed to keep American citizens safe, especially when weak Democrat leaders fail to do so," added Jackson.

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Pride Month is on the run. Here’s how to finish the job.



For years, the stroke of midnight on June 1 triggered a corporate and bureaucratic avalanche of rainbow flags across America. Logos changed colors overnight. Government agencies raced to outdo each other in their displays of “inclusion.” From Walmart to the Pentagon, one message rang loud: Dissent from the LGBT agenda would not be tolerated.

This year tells a different story.

Conservatives tend to back off once momentum swings their way. They declare victory, let up, and give the left room to regroup. That reflex must end.

Pride Month 2025 has limped into view. The rainbow wave has receded quite a bit. Now is the time to send it packing — permanently.

The evidence lines up. Target, still smarting from last year’s boycott, scaled back its displays. Other major retailers stayed quiet. Their social media teams left June’s usual fanfare on the cutting-room floor. Under the Trump administration, government agencies that once issued rainbow-laced press releases now operate under strict orders to stand down.

The tone of the country has changed. Americans have grown tired of relentless cultural propaganda, and corporations — always sensitive to backlash — have noticed. When the incentives shift, so does the behavior.

This change marks a win. But it also poses a risk.

Conservatives tend to back off once momentum swings their way. They declare victory, let up, and give the left room to regroup. That reflex must end. The left doesn’t retreat — it regathers. Letting up now guarantees a resurgence later. We have Pride Month on the run. We need to chase it out of public life.

Don’t mistake temporary silence for surrender. The left hasn’t abandoned its agenda. School boards still promote radical curricula. Teachers’ unions haven’t backed down. Cultural elites remain committed to enforcing a worldview that blends LGBT ideology with abortion politics — united by their rejection of divine order. They’re wounded, not defeated. And this is the moment to press the advantage.

Victory doesn’t come from symbolic wins. It comes from sustained action.

Step one: We need bold churches. Pastors must speak clearly and unapologetically about what Scripture teaches. Romans 1:26-27 speaks plainly about rebellion against God’s design. The pulpit isn’t a platform for public relations — it’s a battleground for truth. If pastors go silent, congregations scatter.

We need men like Daniel, who stood firm in the midst of a corrupt regime and “resolved that he would not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). A culture in crisis needs shepherds with spine.

If your pastor never addresses these issues, urge him to do so. The flock needs clarity. The country needs truth.

Step two: Congregations must reject the lie that LGBTQ ideology is normal. It isn’t. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture defines humanity as male and female and defines marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman. That’s not hate. That’s clarity.

Loving your neighbor doesn’t mean affirming sin. It means telling the truth with compassion — just as Jesus did when he told the woman caught in adultery, “Go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11).

Normalizing sin isn’t kindness. It’s cruelty.

Churches must function as sanctuaries of truth, not echo chambers for cultural conformity.

Step three: Take the fight to the institutions.

Run for school board. Run for city council. Run for state legislature. Support candidates who oppose the LGBTQ agenda and the abortion movement without apology. These aren’t separate fights — they’re two limbs of the same ideology. Both elevate the self above Scripture. Both distort what God created.

We need leaders like David, who stood before Goliath and said, “You come to me with a sword ... but I come to you in the name of the Lord” (1 Samuel 17:45). That spirit must guide our political efforts.

RELATED: How Christians can take back what Pride Month stole

Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Every seat counts. Every school board, council, and committee sets policy that shapes culture. Leaving them uncontested means surrendering the ground our children stand on.

This is the moment. The left is reeling. Pride Month isn’t gone, but it’s staggering. We hold the high ground. We hold the truth. And we serve the God of whom the psalmist declares, “The Lord is my strength and my shield” (Psalm 28:7).

So hold the line.

Don’t compromise. Don’t wait. Don’t hand back what you’ve reclaimed.

Chase this agenda from our churches, our classrooms, and our public institutions.

Pride Month is on the run.

Finish the job.

Woke pastor teams up with Al Sharpton to revive Target’s woke agenda



Dr. Jamal Bryant, a liberal black preacher at a Baptist megachurch in Georgia, is angry that Target stores have dropped the secular left’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative. And so, along with Al Sharpton, he has urged black people to boycott Target.

Bryant is leading a deceitful political scam while insisting he is a man who seeks to help black people. DEI has never been about that. Instead, proponents of DEI play the race card, using black Americans to advance what amounts to a godless agenda. Worse, in pressuring Target to restore DEI, this man of the cloth is undermining the gains Christians have made in getting the retailer to remove homosexual-themed children’s clothing from their stores.

Should Bryant’s boycott grow enough to overwhelm complacent Christians, it could possibly provide Target a new political lifeline (and excuse) to reverse course on DEI.

As many will recall, back in 2023, Target made national news when conservative influencers and media outlets reported how the national retailer was using customer profits to target children with a marketing campaign promoting pro-homosexual-themed apparel. This was bad enough by itself.

You boycotted, Target listened

What added insult to injury was the way Target seemed to be riding a wave of some organized propaganda campaign pushing drag-queen story hours — where perverse men dressed in women’s clothing would read books to children — often while behaving in lewd and suggestive ways.

As a result, a tsunami of public outrage ensued, and an untold number of Americans immediately decided to boycott Target stores.

It made a difference: Target got the message that the bulk of its consumers reject the woke agenda. In June 2024, the retailer announced that it would no longer sell children’s apparel as part of its “Pride Collection.” Even though Target still sells merchandise that promotes the homosexual lifestyle, the removal of this apparel from the children’s departments is nonetheless a victory for morality.

This victory was followed by President Donald Trump’s executive order against DEI in January, which prompted Target to join other major companies — including Walmart, McDonald’s, and Ford — in announcing it would end several corporate DEI initiatives.

A counter-boycott

This is when the left-wing preacher Bryant stepped into the breach to stage a counter-boycott that attempted to mimic what conservatives had done.

Protesting against the corporate practices that include selling homosexual-themed paraphernalia to children is an odd move for a man with the title of preacher — one would hope he is in agreement with biblical values.

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Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images

In fact, Bryant has never publicly denounced Target’s previous practices. Yet, he’s chosen now to speak up and fight for Target to restore DEI. And so has Twin Cities Pride, a homosexual activist group, which also lashed out at Target for ending its DEI initiatives.

Seeing that Bryant is taking the same side as Twin Cities Pride, it’s hard not to conclude that Bryant’s passionate drive to pressure Target to reinstate DEI is motivated by his full-throated agreement with the far left’s secular agenda.

There’s more proof of this.

Woke, not Christian

Not long ago, Bryant appeared on a podcast and engaged in a heated exchange about political and spiritual matters with Pastor Mark Burns, a black conservative pastor who has gained fame for his support of President Trump.

The takeaway from some online viewers was that Bryant did not align with the standard scriptural interpretation that the Bible supports only traditional marriage and opposes abortion.

To make matters worse, Bryant seems to be making inroads with Target CEO Brian Cornell. In a symbolic gesture of agreement, Cornell reached out and met with Al Sharpton because of Bryant’s boycott.

It’s important to note that Cornell was also CEO of Target back in 2023 and had initially refused to back down from selling rainbow-colored onesies for infants and T-shirts that say, “Pride Adult Drag Queen ‘Katya,’” “Trans people will always exist!” and “Girls Gays Theys.” He was so adamant about pushing the homosexual agenda on kids that, in response to conservative backlash, he told the press that he thought it was “the right thing for society.” Cornell also admitted that this agenda is directly linked to Target’s DEI initiatives: “The things we’ve done from a DEI standpoint, it’s adding value,” Cornell said.

Hold the line

Based on these comments, can there be any doubt that Target would love to restore DEI, including its children’s “Pride Collection”? Of course not. But the social pressure against it is finally having an effect. That is, it was until Bryant and others began to get louder.

Let there be no doubt: Should Bryant’s boycott grow enough to overwhelm complacent Christians and conservatives, it could possibly provide Cornell a new political lifeline (and excuse) to reverse course on DEI. If that happens, you can bet that all perverse children’s merchandise will return to store shelves.

Editor’s note: A version of this article appeared originally at Chronicles Magazine.