As Pride Month begins, BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock has noticed the usual Pride celebrations are much quieter — and Shemeka Michelle and Bryson Gray agree that America’s cultural landscape may be shifting.

But while it’s less prominent, “Pride” is still alive and well.

“I saw that it was trending ‘Pride Month’ over X. And I went and I saw so many sports organizations just saying happy Pride Month. And I’m thinking this is where men are supposed to be dominant, or straight men are supposed to be dominant. Yet, they’re giving all of this praise to gay sex. And it is very frustrating,” Michelle says.

“But I did look to see Target hasn’t said anything as of yet. Walmart hasn’t said anything as of yet. So some of these big corporations that had these huge displays in 2023 … they aren’t doing that now,” she continues.

Bryson Gray also thinks we’ve made “progress.”

“I can just tell you that from my own career, I think culturally it’s more acceptable to criticize and call out the LGBT. So progress, yes. Have we killed it? No, sir,” Gray says.

While the obsession with Pride Month appears to be fading, Whitlock asks if Black History Month and black pride should be tackled next.

“I think black history is just simply a part of American history wherever it fits. So I get the separation because of the history of this country. So I’m not going to say I’m against Black History Month, but I do think it should just be a part of American history,” Gray answers.

“And I think racial idolatry is a problem and that does stem from pride obviously,” he adds.

“Yeah, I hope that we can get rid of black pride,” Michelle chimes in. “I’m sick of seeing it. I was just saying I hate the term ‘black love.’ I don’t like ‘black girl magic,’ ‘black boy joy,’ ‘black excellence.’ I don’t want any of those things.”

“I don’t want to have ‘black love.’ I just want to have love. I want to cultivate it and learn how to love like God told us what love is,” she adds.

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​Fearless, Jason whitlock, Jason whitlock harmony, Shemeka michelle, Bryson gray, Pride, Black, History, Fearless with jason whitlock 

Yet another left-wing extremist with ties to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) has been unearthed through a CNN investigation.

Mamdani endorsed Darializa Avila Chevalier in her campaign to replace Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a longtime Democrat, in New York’s 13th Congressional District.

‘I have grown considerably since in the years since these tweets.’

The report found that Chevalier deleted a social media account that advocated the abolition of police, prisons, and borders. She also advocated the seizure of private property and nationalizing major industries, policies popular in communist countries like Venezuela and Cuba.

“We’re gonna defund and abolish. You don’t get to water down our movements,” one deleted post reads.

“It means ending policing full stop. Period. No more police at all ever,” another reads, with several clapping emojis added.

“In New York they don’t say ‘I love you,’ they say ‘NYPD suck my d**k’ and I think that’s beautiful,” she posted.

She also called the Democratic National Committee a “big fraudulent white nasty status quo bitch” and added in another tweet, “I have no nuance to add. F**k Kamala Harris.”

Chevalier is a 32-year-old doctoral student and investigator from the public defender’s office in New York City.

The contest between her and Espaillat is considered another proxy battle in the war between the establishment, centrist Democrats and the upstart, far-left, socialist extremists.

The CNN report noted that the New York Post and Politico previously reported on extremist posts from Chevalier, but CNN’s report unearthed new deleted tweets from a review of hundreds of messages.

Chevalier released a statement to CNN that did not deny the authenticity of the posts.

“My opponent wants to live in the past. He is re-litigating social media posts from half a decade ago and continuing to champion an outdated politics that fails to serve our people,” Chevalier said. “I have grown considerably since in the years since these tweets, and I am focused on our community and our community’s future.”

Mamdani, meanwhile, reiterated his support for Chevalier.

“In Congress, she’ll take on corporate greed, bad landlords, and D.C.’s broken political system,” he said.

RELATED: Mayor Mamdani’s wife apologizes for insulting Israel, using N-word and gay slur in past tweets

“At a time when power is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, Darializa will fight in Congress for New York City’s working families,” Mamdani added. “She’s the champion we need for a city New Yorkers can actually afford.”

The Democratic primary election between Chevalier and Espaillat will be held June 23.

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​Mayor zohran mamdani, Darializa avila chevalier, Deleted tweets, Communist policies, Politics 

The president said Tuesday that he has agreed to reschedule the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in order to defy the wishes of the man who allegedly tried to assassinate him.

The ritzy event on April 25 ended abruptly after Cole Allen allegedly rushed through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun, prompting the Secret Service to usher President Donald Trump away.

‘This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling.’

Two months later, the president says the event has been rescheduled.

“In a sign of Strength and Fortitude, it was just announced that The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which violently ended rather abruptly on April 25th, will be rescheduled to July 24th,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account Tuesday. “This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling.”

He went on to say that White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang asked him to speak at the rescheduled dinner and he accepted.

“I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out,” he continued. “In any event, it will be a ‘HOT’ ticket!”

The suspect was captured in the Washington Hilton lobby and charged with a slew of crimes, including the attempted assassination of a president and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty.

Along with the surveillance video appearing to show Allen rushing into the event with a gun, investigators also discovered a manifesto where the suspect allegedly confessed to planning to kill the president.

RELATED: DOJ releases new video of WHCD shooting to dispel ‘friendly fire’ rumor

The new location of the dinner will be the Waldorf Astoria on Pennsylvania Avenue, a ballroom that the president renovated during his private career before entering office and sold in 2021.

Allen faces life in prison if convicted of the charges.

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Athletes and celebrities have long appeared alongside political candidates — especially if they’re on the left — so it was a welcome change when New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart introduced President Donald Trump at a recent rally.

“President Trump was at a rally, and he had, which is pretty common for presidents to do, had a celebrity slash athlete introduce him,” BlazeTV host Ron Simmons explains on “Relatable.”

“What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here. And without further ado, I’m grateful, I’m honored, I’m pleasured to introduce the 45th and 47th president of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump,” Dart announced.

“Athletes and celebrities do this all the time. They do it all the time,” Simmons comments.

However, the women of “The View” do not see it the same way.

“For somebody to back a guy like Trump, whose history in discrimination and racism goes back to housing discrimination in the ’70s; DEI attacks and posting pictures of the Obamas as apes when he’s on a team that’s 55% to 60%, the NFL, is that many people, that much percentage of black people,” Joy Behar commented.

“That is just the definition of stupidity and racist in my opinion,” she added.

“I don’t think Joy Behar has any joy. She might want to change her first name,” Simmons jokes, asking, “Do they believe every person of color hates Trump? Do they believe that? Is that what they really believe?”

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Speaking from a classroom at Schuyler Middle School in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Monday detailed the results of a statewide end-of-year survey on the state’s school smartphone ban.

Now in place for a full academic year, the ban has yielded encouraging results for students, educators, and parents alike.

The state law prohibits “unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day,” including lunch, recess, homeroom, study halls, and open periods.

‘Social interaction between students, especially in the hallways and at lunch, has increased significantly.’

Individual schools are given discretion over how to enforce the policy. Methods of device storage range from students’ lockers to large lockboxes to the increasingly popular Yondr pouches specifically designed for phones.

The ban applies to public school districts, charter schools, and boards of cooperative services.

RELATED: Gavin Newsom signs bill to ban cell phone use in California public schools

Two students hold the Yondr pouches that lock their smartphones and prevent them from being used.Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Hochul’s office received 585 responses to the survey from teachers and school administrators, representing a mix of all grade levels. Forty-seven percent of the responses came from New York City, while 53% came from the rest of the state.

“Eighty percent reported that the students are behaving better in a more engaged way. They’re collaborating more. They’re talking to each other. … They’re acting like kids again, feeling that burden lifted from their shoulders. And they’re participating in class discussions. And teachers are feeling they can finally teach,” Hochul said.

Specifically, 311 respondents reported more active participation in discussions, 282 reported improved peer collaboration, and 273 reported better focus on assignments.

Bullying has also decreased as a result, with 60% of respondents reporting a decline in bullying and cyberbullying incidents.

“Young people could just go through the day without being harassed,” Hochul stated.

Ziad Attia, a senior at Blind Brook High School in Westchester County, shared with Blaze News his experience with the smartphone ban: “Social interaction between students, especially in the hallways and at lunch, has increased significantly.”

Attia explained that while the students are meant to store their phones in their lockers, “as long as they’re out of sight, they’re fine with it.”

However, Blind Brook junior Guy Golan took a more critical stance: “Students will find ways to use their phones regardless of who is telling them not to.”

Golan went on to say that “administrators rather than teachers” are the ones doing most of the enforcing, adding that he has witnessed students using their phones secretly in the bathrooms or in corners.

“Students are still able to use their phones when they feel it is necessary since faculty members cannot monitor them everywhere in the building,” Golan said, highlighting potential challenges in schools with more lenient storage policies.

As of this spring, at least 38 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students’ use of cell phones in schools, according to an Education Week tally.

“I successfully fought for New York schools to go phone-free because our kids succeed when they’re learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling — and these survey results show our nation-leading policy is working,” proclaimed Hochul.

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Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt has something that professional politicians can’t manufacture: authenticity.

And BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler explains this powerful trait has left his opponents terrified.

“If we had a video camera on the faces of the Democrat political strategists and on Spencer Pratt’s opponents, you can bet your bottom dollar that they are just shell-shocked by this. They don’t know how to deal with this. They are so scared,” Wheeler says.

The reason why the Democrats are “scared,” she explains, is because while Pratt is all about no-nonsense policy, they have no policy to run on at all.

“They can’t run on Karen Bass’ record. They can’t run on Nithya Raman’s ideology. So what they do instead as their sort of final move — this is one week before the election; people are already casting early votes — is they try to use famous people to invoke groupthink among voters,” she continues.

And unlike past elections, this strategy isn’t working — as Pratt’s “X factor,” which Wheeler explains as “political savvy that can’t be taught” — is winning over voters left and right.

“It allows him or it enables him to speak in a way to voters that is not only relatable, but completely without the fear of offending the politically correct police,” she says, before playing a clip of Pratt demonstrating this “political savvy.”

“What are your plans for the over 40,000 homeless in Los Angeles?” a reporter asked Pratt.

“Well, they’re not homeless. They’re drug addicts. Most of these people are addicted to fentanyl and meth. This isn’t Spencer making it up,” Pratt responded.

“No matter what anybody tells you, we have housing and shelter for everyone that’s living on the street. They are choosing to be on the street because they want to do drugs. They don’t want rules. They don’t want to listen. They want to have animals to abuse. This idea that they are forced on the street right now is a lie that our city is perpetuating,” he continued.

“We’ve paid $24 billion to house these 40,000 people. There’s spots for all of these people. They are choosing, because they’re an addict, and you can do fentanyl and sewer meth on the sidewalk with no repercussions,” he added.

When the reporter pressed him on how he plans to address the “homeless” issue, Pratt explained that he plans to use federal land to build facilities for them in just 90 days — but only for the true Los Angeles homeless who want to change their lives for the better.

“These 40,000 people, 60% of them, City Watch just announced this week, are not from Los Angeles. They’re not from California. These people have been bussed in by scam rehabs, scam NGOs, scam homeless nonprofits. These people, when I unplug them and say, ‘You’re not taking our tax money any more,’” they’re all going to go to Seattle, where the mayor will welcome them,” Pratt said.

“So the people that want to keep doing drugs and live on the sidewalk — a lot of these people are going to leave. The other ones, there’s a lot of criminals, there’s people that are getting naked in front of kids. They’re going to jail,” he continued.

“Not everyone goes in the same box. So we have the money, we have the resources, and we have the facility,” he added.

“The reason that this is so effective,” Wheeler says, “the reason that the political savvy, the X factor that Spencer Pratt possesses, is so effective is because voters recognize authenticity when they see it.”

“Spencer Pratt is giving it to them straight,” she adds.

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​The liz wheeler show, Liz wheeler, Spencer pratt, Los angeles, Nithya raman, Karen bass, Election, Homelessness, Crime, Democrat 

President Donald Trump has announced who will replace Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

Gabbard announced her resignation as DNI last month after serving in the office for a year and a half. She cited her husband’s “extremely rare form of bone cancer” diagnosis as the main reason.

‘Bill is a great guy who recognizes that the bureaucracy of the intel community must respond to the elected leadership.’

Now, Trump has appointed William Pulte to take her place as acting director.

Pulte was the head of Pulte Homes, the third-largest homebuilder in the U.S., with billions in revenue, before he was picked by Trump to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

“I am appointing the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, William J. Pulte, to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Tuesday.

“William has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago,” Trump added.

Pulte used the resources of the FHFA to find evidence of alleged mortgage fraud committed by some of Trump’s most vehement political enemies, including Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James and former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).

Some Democrats cited those investigations as evidence that Pulte will do the same as DNI.

“I will be a hard NO on FISA Section 702 reauthorization,” wrote Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California in a statement on social media. “Whether or not the totally unqualified and corrupt Bill Pulte gets confirmed, trump’s nomination of Pulte has already shown trump would have no problem with weaponizing intelligence against Americans he doesn’t like.”

RELATED: Pulte calls for investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell — and for his removal

Vice President JD Vance praised the decision.

“Bill is a great guy who recognizes that the bureaucracy of the intel community must respond to the elected leadership (rather than the other way around). He’ll do great!” he wrote on social media.

For the time being, Pulte will serve as acting director. He will need Senate confirmation to become the official director.

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The hits keep coming for Graham Platner, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in the race for one of Maine’s U.S. Senate seats.

On Monday the women of “The View” trashed Platner’s campaign and said he has no business being anywhere near Congress after grappling with so many scandals.

‘You’ve shown me who you are, and I heard you. This man should be nowhere near Congress.’

The most recent revelation that Platner, who is married, sent sexually explicit messages to at least half a dozen women in recent years is just the latest sting for his campaign.

“On the heels of apologizing for a tattoo associated with Nazis, the offensive posts about a wounded U.S. soldier. Now his wife, Amy Gertner, is responding to reports that she gave his campaign a heads-up about her husband sending sexually explicit texts to several different women,” said Whoopi Goldberg.

“Horrible. There is no doubt that this guy, Platner, is flawed, flawed, flawed in many ways,” added Ana Navarro.

“It is disturbing, and it is horrible. And why can’t we do better? Why can’t we have better candidates?”

“This guy just seems like a guy of not very good character,” said former Trump staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin.

“Don’t die on the hill of a guy who’s going to be a headache for you for years to come.”

Sara Haines took special offense to Platner previously saying a U.S. soldier should have died on the battlefield.

“If you are capable of saying that at any time in your life, you’ve shown me who you are, and I heard you. This man should be nowhere near Congress. We’ve already got a wealth of people we need out. We’re not sending one like this in.”

“So he’s a cheater,” added Sunny Hostin. “He’s an anti-Semite — because the fact that he had that tattoo for 20 years and didn’t know what it was is a lie. So he’s a liar, a racist, an anti-Semite; he’s a homophobe. So he’s all the things. And character does matter.”

Hostin also did not accept Platner’s excuse that his racist comments were caused by post-traumatic stress disorder from his experiences in combat as a Marine.

“I know a lot of soldiers that have PTSD that aren’t racist,” she said.

However, despite all of the problems they cited with Platner, Hostin went on to say they needed the victory in Maine to take control of the Senate away from Republicans.

The Republican Party in Maine posted clips of the most critical comments in a video that was widely circulated on social media.

RELATED: Trans-identifying 15-year-old plotted to kill classmate in order to resurrect Newtown shooter

In response to the sexting scandal, Platner’s wife put out a video calling the story “gossip” and trying to downplay it. Many described her video as uncomfortable to watch.

Platner is presumed to be the Democratic nominee to run against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has been criticized by many in her own party for being moderate and centrist. Platner’s main Democratic rival, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in late April.

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​Graham platner, Susan collins, The view, Maine senate race, Politics 

Gay pride is still the norm for Major League Baseball, but the way teams are going about it is slowly changing.

Throughout June, pro baseball teams will once again put their marketing budgets toward recognizing lesser-held sexual orientations, with 97% of teams participating in the festivities.

‘46% of MLB fans claim “Pride Nights make them ‘less likely’ to attend MLB games.”‘

At the same time, though, these promotions have become increasingly unpopular among sports fans. Several recent studies have pointed to a near-even split between supporters and detractors; for example, Forbes noted a study that found “48-55% rated the Pride promotions negatively or neutral.”

Civic Science’s own research found that 46% of MLB fans claim “Pride Nights make them ‘less likely’ to attend MLB games.”

Furthermore, a Morning Consult study stated that “almost half of U.S. adults (47%) said they support leagues hosting Pride Nights.”

To that end, the only MLB team that has refrained from hosting Pride Night is the Texas Rangers, which have never hosted such an event. They do sell Pride-themed merchandise online, however.

Blaze News reached out to other MLB teams to find out whether they have changed their approach to Pride Nights for 2026 given the growing division it has sown among fans.

RELATED: Here are all the NFL teams that haven’t virtue-signaled for Pride Month

Jeremy Chen/Getty Images

Teams that responded mostly followed a new Pride Night trend being adopted by many MLB franchises: Instead of having a grand celebration and handing out gay-themed merchandise to all ticket-holders, fans have the option to purchase a special Pride package that includes tickets and memorabilia.

The St. Louis Cardinals organization is focused on making sure all fans “feel welcome at the ballpark, are respectful towards others, and can freely share in the commonality of our love for the Cardinals and the game of baseball,” a Cardinals spokesperson told Blaze News.

The Cards are offering a Pride-themed team cap for fans who buy a “theme ticket.”

The Cincinnati Reds commented that they have partnered with “Cincinnati Pride” and honored a recipient with a Pride Community Advocate Award. As part of their special ticket package, the Reds have included a cross-body bag that features the transgender flag on the strap.

A representative of the Detroit Tigers asked Blaze News for further context about the Pride-related questions but did not provide a response to any of the queries. Among many other promotions like “Juneteenth” jerseys, the Tigers are offering a Pride package that includes a rainbow-strapped belt bag.

RELATED: 5 pro athletes who boldly take a knee — for Jesus Christ

Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos/Getty Images

The New York Yankees told Blaze News that they would continue to work with organizations to celebrate the Legacy of Pride, which has included donations to the Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship Initiative. “Stonewall” refers to a riot at a gay bar in New York City that was raided by police in 1969.

The Yankees organization noted that they have partnered with groups like Jewish Queer Youth, an organization that allegedly “empowers Jewish queer teens.”

The Yankees will also offer limited-edition Yankees Pride caps that are sold with specific tickets.

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The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll over her testimony in Trump’s sexual abuse lawsuit — and her past incriminating podcast appearances may be coming back to haunt her.

“I know my own pleasures, and that doesn’t involve buying things. Where my pleasure comes is making him so pissed off he can’t think. We need to prick his little balloon constantly. And one of the ways to do that is to give his money to women’s reproductive rights,” Carroll said in an interview on MeidasTouch.

“Can you imagine how angry?” she asked happily. “It’s just so delicious thinking about how pissed off he’ll be.”

“Heaven, heaven. It’s the revenge that we all love,” she added.

“Hell yeah to killing babies in the womb,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says, mocking Carroll and her interviewer on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

“She’s just saying, ‘I just wanted to be a thorn in his side. I just want to piss him off.’ That’s all this is about,” she adds.

In another interview on “The Bulwark” podcast, Carroll revealed to the host that she needed to be “f**kable” to win her case against the president.

“I had a talk show, a TV talk show in 1996. I went through that, some of the shows, took screenshots of my hair cut in a bob, and then I found the hairdresser and the makeup person who made me look like that in 1996. She came every day to trial, did my hair and makeup exactly like it was in 1996. I wore the exact same clothes I wore in 1996,” she explained.

“And it was enough. It was enough,” she continued, adding, “It was a trick.”

“A lot of thought went into, as she says, making sure that she looked f**kable, because I guess judges only rule in your favor if you are,” Gonzales says.

“This is the woman we’re supposed to believe?” she adds.

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A knife-wielding ex-con got a deadly taste of his own medicine late last week courtesy of the victim he robbed, fought, bit, and stabbed in Brooklyn, the New York Daily News reported.

Dan Costume, 34 — who was released from prison in 2024 — entered a stranger’s apartment in Flatbush through an unlocked door late Friday night, law enforcement sources and the victim told the paper.

‘He was acting in self-defense.’

The 45-year-old tenant spoke to the Daily News in Spanish, telling the paper that he had just come home from playing soccer. But the tenant’s wife had departed their apartment on Avenue D near East 31st Street to run an errand — and left the door unlocked, the Daily News said.

When the tenant emerged from the bathroom, he caught Costume stealing two cell phones, a laptop, and other belongings, the tenant told the paper.

“He was in shock that there was a random person in his house,” a relative of the tenant told the Daily News in English as she listened to the tenant’s account in Spanish.

The tenant wrapped his arms around the intruder from behind to try to get him to drop the stolen goods, the relative told the paper.

“They started battling between each other,” the relative added to the Daily News.

Costume bit the tenant’s hands and cheek, then pulled out a knife from his pocket and stabbed the tenant in the back of the neck, the tenant told the paper.

Then the victim reportedly turned the tables on the robber.

Sources told the Daily News that the tenant was able to disarm Costume and use the robber’s own knife to stab Costume in his thigh and lower back.

The tenant then shoved Costume out of the apartment and into the hallway, the paper said, adding that the burglar fled down a stairwell and out of the building, dripping blood as he dropped the stolen property.

Costume collapsed outside the building, the Daily News said, and medics rushed him to Kings County Hospital where he died.

The tenant was treated at the same hospital and released, the paper added.

RELATED: Axe-wielding thug allegedly threatens Florida car-wash employees — then 1 victim violently turns the tables on him

Kyle Mazza/Anadolu/Getty Images

A bruise and teeth marks were still visible on the tenant’s cheek days later, the Daily News reported, adding that the victim needed medical staples to close two gashes in his neck and on the back of his head.

“He was acting in self-defense,” the tenant’s relative told the paper. “Everything happened so fast.”

The Daily News, citing sources, said prosecutors decided not to charge the tenant after reviewing the case because he acted in self-defense.

Costume’s father and sister told the paper they haven’t seen much of him since he left home at age 18, noting that he was in and out of the criminal justice system.

Costume’s family members added to the Daily News that police had come looking for him several times before they knocked on their door Saturday to notify them of his death.

Costume was conditionally released from prison on parole in October 2024 after serving a one-and-a-half to three-year sentence for a Brooklyn attempted burglary conviction, the paper said, citing public records.

The tenant who killed Costume viewed surveillance video showing Costume getting into the apartment building through a back door near where garbage is kept, the Daily News reported.

The tenant also is in “a lot of pain,” a relative told the paper, as he recovers from the wounds he suffered during the fight with Costume.

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There’s plenty of talk about how AI chatbots will take everyone’s jobs by the end of the decade, but so far, few companies have gone all in on the supposed wave of the future. One such company that did take the plunge, however, is Meta. After recently laying off 8,000 employees in favor of an AI workforce, Zuckerberg is already reaping the repercussions of little-to-no human oversight as AI just caused one of the most devastating Instagram account breaches in its history.

The Instagram bungle of the decade

Over the weekend, news broke that Instagram accounts were being hacked en masse with no clear reason why. Many of the targeted accounts included rare handles of high value, well-established accounts with more than a decade of ownership, and high-profile accounts belonging to elite users. Some of the most notable victims included the Obama White House and the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force John Bentivegna. Stranger still, account owners claimed that their passwords were changed without their knowledge or consent.

Platforms and apps will eventually require Real IDs for both age and identity verification.

At least in the case of Obama’s account, the hackers posted propaganda depicting former Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani holding hands with former Iraqi Deputy Commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, both eliminated at the hands of the U.S. military in 2020. The images included Arabic messages claiming that the White House is under Shiite control.

The exploit wasn’t due to a Meta system breach or password leak posted to the internet. As internet sleuths started to pore through the information, they discovered that Meta’s AI-powered identity verification system was easily duped into transferring ownership to thieves.

How hackers secretly stole Instagram accounts overnight

An X account that goes by Dark Web Informer published a video to their feed detailing exactly how hackers gained access to these high-profile Instagram accounts. The process was so simple that practically anyone could pull it off.

The hacker enabled a VPN on his device and set it to the location of the account owner to trick Instagram into believing that he currently resided in the area.The hacker went to the “forgot password” section of Instagram and typed in the target account handle.On the next page, instead of choosing to send a recovery email that would alert the owner of the hacker, they selected “Get Support,” which opened a chatbox with the Meta AI support assistant. Note that this is an AI-powered chatbot, not a real person.From here, the hacker could tell the chatbot that the recovery email addresses on file were no longer valid and that any security codes should be sent to a new inbox, which pointed directly to an email address owned by the hacker.Meta AI support assistant sent an email to the new inbox with no additional verification, prompting the hacker to paste that code into the Meta AI chat to prove he was the person submitting the request.The Meta AI support assistant accepted the verification code and allowed the hacker to proceed with changing the password on the account.The hacker confirmed the new passcode, taking ownership of the handle and essentially locking the original owner out of the account entirely.

Other reports claim that the Meta AI support assistant may also prompt users to submit a selfie or video of themselves to verify their identity before proceeding with the password change. However, these safety measures were also easily thwarted by creating an AI-generated photo or video of the owner’s face that was good enough to trick the Meta AI support assistant into permitting access.

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As you can see, this exploit could be used on any account, anywhere, anytime, and the Meta AI support assistant gave up the ghost every time. The exploit has since been patched.

Zuckerberg made a mistake, but users lose in the end

If there were ever a way to prove that AI chatbots weren’t ready to replace humans in the workplace — especially in high-profile positions like account security — this is it. Meta has abused its workforce over the last several months, tracking their keystrokes to train AI and even sending 10% of its staff to the unemployment line, all to usher in the AI revolution where bots do all the work and humans are left to muddle through the mediocrity of degrading technology, fewer employment opportunities, and AI overload.

Unfortunately, these types of security breaches are just another reason that platforms and apps will eventually require Real IDs for both age and identity verification, and we’ll have no choice but to play along or lose access to the apps and services we use every day.

In the end, the only way for executives like Zuckerberg to learn that it’s better to keep real people on the payroll in lieu of AI is for the consequences to hit fast and hard. Unfortunately, this time, users were hit the hardest, but at least Zuckerberg’s decision to turn account security over to AI is a mistake he gets to own and atone for in whatever litigation is sure to come his way for his careless decisions.

​Ai, Tech, Hackers, Instagram, Meta, Mark zuckerberg, Online security 

Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists have discovered hundreds of hatching eggs that could be carrying infectious diseases packed in layers of foam, according to a press release obtained exclusively by Blaze News.

The 337 eggs, incorrectly manifested as “winter jackets,” were shipped from Germany and headed to Alaska. CBP revealed that the items, seized on May 27, lacked proper documentation.

‘These interceptions highlight the vigilance and dedication our CBP agriculture specialists demonstrate daily.’

“Hatching eggs include all avian species, including poultry, game birds, racing pigeons, and other birds,” the CBP reported.

“These live eggs are shipped to the United States for hatching or reproductive purposes. Upon arrival, the eggs would be incubated, hatched, and raised,” the CBP continued. “For agricultural purposes, hatching eggs fall under regulations for live animals and are highly regulated because they can carry Newcastle disease and avian influenza.”

The eggs were seized and turned over to the local U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The CBP noted that the USDA does not allow the importation of hatching eggs from countries that have highly pathogenic avian influenza.

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Ian Waldie/Getty Images

The department warned that such unauthorized shipments risk spreading diseases that could impact the U.S. food supply.

Since the start of an avian influenza outbreak in Feb. 2022, nearly 207 million birds in the U.S. have been affected, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Outbreaks have occurred in over 2,000 flocks in all 50 states and one territory.

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Image source: Customs and Border Protection

“Our nation’s food supply is constantly at risk from diseases not known to occur in the United States,” stated Eric Zizelman, the port director for the Port of Cincinnati. “These interceptions highlight the vigilance and dedication our CBP agriculture specialists demonstrate daily. Our specialists mitigate the threat of non-native pests, diseases, and contaminants entering the United States. They ensure the United States is safe from harmful diseases that could affect our food supply.”

CBP encouraged international travelers to declare all items acquired abroad and advised those who wish to bring plant and animal materials or other agricultural items to first consult the CBP Information Center section on the agency’s website.

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​News, Avian flu, Customs and border protection, Cbp, Cincinnati, Us department of agriculture, Usda, Politics