Spanish authorities say at least 34 people have died during the sudden and startling invasion of the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta in Morocco.

Reports initially said thousands of people were overrunning the small province in northern Africa, but authorities have since said that the invasion grew to tens of thousands of migrants.

‘Ceuta is a Spanish city, and what happened yesterday deserves our full reproach, our condemnation at the strongest possible level of rejection, condemnation and consideration as deplorable.’

Spain’s Ministry of the Interior said about 25,000 migrants had been expelled from Ceuta back to Morocco and 150 migrants were being removed per minute.

Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, said about 60,000 migrants had overrun the province and also reported the official number of those dead so far.

He went on to call the situation “absolutely unsustainable” and criticized the government’s response as action “taken too late and insufficiently.”

Despite the claims of the interior ministry, some videos on social media apparently show the migrants continuing to stream in while troops look on.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez referred to the invasion as an “attack” on his country and “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity” at a news conference Friday.

“Ceuta is a Spanish city, and what happened yesterday deserves our full reproach, our condemnation at the strongest possible level of rejection, condemnation and consideration as deplorable.”

RELATED: Mamdani vows to protect migrants in apparent DEFIANCE of Supreme Court ruling on TPS

Adri Salido/Getty Images

Some suspect that the invasion was sparked by a Spanish Supreme Court decision which found that migrants crossing by land could be expelled without due process, but those who entered the country by sea required documentation before they were deported.

The U.S. State Dept. also issued a statement decrying the illegal crossings into Spain.

“The United States stands with the people of Spain, and all Europeans, against this egregious violation of their sovereignty and human rights,” the statement read.

“This unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government’s deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe,” the agency added. “We are considering actions to defend Americans at home and abroad from this threat and stand ready to assist other European allies considering similar options.”

RELATED: ‘Absolute chaos’: THOUSANDS of migrants OVERRUN border into Spain from Morocco — at least 9 people dead

France 24 reported that most of the migrants were Moroccan and were seeking jobs in Europe. Migrants told them it took up to four hours to swim into Ceuta from Morocco.

A local workers’ association leader told CBS News it had become a major humanitarian crisis with thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, sleeping in parks and on the sidewalks.

Sánchez accused “human trafficking mafias” of exploiting the ruling by the Supreme Court.

“This demands one of the strongest condemnations, particularly of the human trafficking mafias that deceive many young people, many of whom find death, whether in the ocean or at this border,” he added.

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​Mass migration, Europe, Spain, Morocco, Invasion, Politics, Ceuta 

This week, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson discussed with Michelle Obama, of all people, the importance of justices appearing impartial — and so far, the reactions to their conversation have been just about what you’d expect.

She told the hosts on the Wednesday episode of “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” that “we all have to believe that there is a judicial system that is going to be fair, that is going to be neutral, that when you bring your dispute to the court, that judge doesn’t have any pre-existing stake in the particular issue.”

‘Can’t make this up.’

It’s a surprising take, considering Jackson’s background.

For one thing, former President Joe Biden explicitly chose Jackson for the Supreme Court on the basis of her race and sex, though she said during her confirmation hearing that she could not define “woman” because she’s “not a biologist.”

Jackson has also made a habit of penning bias-saturated jeremiads that have in some cases been extreme enough to raise the eyebrows of even other liberals on the bench. For instance, she:

insinuated in her lone dissenting opinion in Trump v. American Federation of Government Employees that President Donald Trump was some sort of power-hungry menace and that those on the bench who failed to stop his “wrecking ball” were sycophantic enablers whose decision was both “hubristic and senseless”;claimed in her dissenting opinion for Trump v. CASA Inc. that the Trump administration’s request to address universal injunctions — which the high court found “likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts” — amounted to a request “to engage in unlawful behavior”;accused her colleagues in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard of “let-them-eat-cake obliviousness” for their colorblind approach and claimed that race-based college admissions address “the well-documented ‘intergenerational transmission of inequality’ that still plagues our citizenry” to the “benefit of us all”; andechoed LGBT ideologues in her lone dissenting opinion in Chiles v. Salazar, claiming that “a robust professional consensus now acknowledges that sexual orientations and gender identities range widely” and that reality-affirming therapy for trans-identifying kids was ineffective and harmful.

Despite these opinions, Jackson and Obama seem to believe that Jackson has been a relatively neutral jurist.

RELATED: Platner’s replacement in Maine is a family man — just not in the way voters might expect

Obama pressed Jackson about whether she has to closely monitor her exposure to news, media, and other content “so that there isn’t a bias.”

After noting that certain individuals employed at the court screen her invitations for various appearances and events “to make sure that there are no ethical conflicts,” Jackson replied that “there are lots of limits on what judges can do, and I try to be very, very mindful and scrupulous with respect to that because, as you say, our obligation is to be unbiased in our approach.”

“And, so, you have to then navigate all the sources that could make for an appearance of partiality, which you want to avoid,” the Biden nominee continued. “So there are lots of things that I end up not accepting for that reason. News sources, I think, you know, I don’t have a lot of time — unfortunately, you know — but I do, you know, the normal, general media sources are made available, and I think it’s harder when you’re talking about — there’s so much social media now.”

Jackson’s expression of concern about bias and perceptions of bias while in the company of a rank partisan like Michelle Obama struck some critics as insincere or at the very least tone-deaf.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) highlighted the cognitive dissonance, writing, “Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says SCOTUS must avoid even the appearance of political bias … while appearing on Michelle Obama’s podcast.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) wrote, “Ketanji Brown Jackson finds a way to inject political bias into just about everything she does. Whether it’s attending the Grammys, joining Michelle Obama’s podcast, or refusing to define the word woman, she couldn’t care less about remaining impartial.”

“DEI hire justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says she’s careful about which public engagements she accepts because she has to be impartial … As she appears on MICHELLE OBAMA’s podcast,” Libs of TikTok tweeted. “Can’t make this up.”

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​Joe biden, Ketanji brown jackson, Marsha blackburn, Michelle obama, Us supreme court, Politics 

Virginia Democrats are welcoming criminals back to the ballot box.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has restored voting rights to 66,085 felons in her first six months in office. That’s 56,000 more than former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) restored during his entire four-year tenure, according to the official annual reports filed by the secretary of the commonwealth.

‘A shameful relic of our Jim Crow past.’

“I’m proud that — after contending with my predecessor’s efforts to deny Virginians their fundamental rights — we have restored the rights of more than 66,000 Virginians who have served their time,” Spanberger said in a Friday press release. “These Virginians deserve the right to use their vote, make their voices heard, and be recognized as contributing citizens to our Commonwealth and country.”

Spanberger’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Under Youngkin, applicants were required to submit a formal Restoration of Rights form detailing whether they had completed all terms of incarceration, were on probation or parole, or had been convicted of a violent offense.

Felons were also asked if they had “paid all fines, fees, and restitution” or were currently paying them, according to court filings.

Spanberger’s administration axed those safeguards.

RELATED: Illegal immigrant allegedly attacks Virginia police — after dodging persecution for allegedly choking his wife

JASON REDMOND/AFP/Getty Images

The new team “re-established processes to both review applications and proactively identify — and restore the rights of — Virginians who have lost their right to vote” and is using “a streamlined, online system that removed unnecessary questions added during the Youngkin administration,” according to the press release.

The removed questions included the requirement to report probation status and fine repayment.

The governor also instructed Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon King to expand “proactive identification” of eligible ex-convicts.

Current eligibility is determined by whether a person has been convicted of a felony and is no longer incarcerated.

“By giving these Virginians back their ability to make an impact at the local, state, and national levels, we are empowering our neighbors to take hold of their second chance,” Spanberger said. “This fall, voters can cast their ballots for Virginia to no longer strip so many of our neighbors of their fundamental rights — a shameful relic of our Jim Crow past.”

Virginia voters will decide in November whether to pass a constitutional amendment automatic restoration of voting rights for released felon inmates.

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​Virginia, Abigail spanberger, Democratic party, Voter rolls, Politics, Felons 

Pregnant celebrities on red carpets may make later-in-life motherhood look effortless, but BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey is warning that the reality is far more complicated.

Most recently, Anne Hathaway graced the red carpet in a beautiful dress, showing off her bump at 43 years old. While this is Hathaway’s third baby, many women are taking it as proof that women can and should wait until their 40s to become a mother.

“She’s a beautiful pregnant woman. I am so happy for her,” Stuckey says. “And I’m so glad that she is on social media. She’s on the red carpet showing that you can do all of these things. You can have a baby. I also love that she is showing that you don’t have to stop having a baby when you’re 35 just because they call you ‘geriatric’ or whatever it is.”

“You can keep having a baby, and it’s beautiful. It doesn’t ruin your life,” she adds.

Now, the media is running with Hathaway’s pregnancy and making it seem as if it’s as easy to get pregnant in your 40s as it is in your 20s or 30s.

“The Wall Street Journal published an article on July 13 titled, ‘Your 40s used to be middle age. Not anymore,’” Stuckey explains.

“While I am happy about all the things that I listed, and I’m happy about the contribution of another image-bearer of God to the world, and I think motherhood is fantastic, the risks have not changed in association with pregnancy after 40,” she continues.

“Am I saying that you shouldn’t do it if you are a married woman? No. But just because we changed the name because geriatric was offensive doesn’t mean that the risks don’t exist. It is much more difficult to get pregnant after 35 and especially after 40,” she adds.

But the risks don’t just affect the mother.

“The risks to the baby do increase after that,” she says.

And it’s not just the health risks associated with later pregnancies that have Stuckey concerned, but the unrealistic view of time.

“It is pushing this idea that you can party through your 20s, chase your career through your 30s, choose to settle down when you are 38 and you will be just as likely to get married and have children and be a trad wife when you are 45 as if you did it when you were 25,” she says.

“I just don’t want to sell women this unrealistic vision of what their life will absolutely look like if they defer marriage for promiscuity and for their career to be a girlboss forever,” she continues.

“I don’t have a problem obviously with women getting pregnant later in life. I have a problem with us presenting that as if it … is the ideal,” she adds.

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​Allie beth stuckey, Anne hathaway, God, Motherhood, Trad wife, Wall street journal, Blazetv show 

Republicans are worried that the election for one of Texas’ seats in the U.S. Senate is slipping away after astounding results from the most recent polls.

Three of the polls show Democrat candidate James Talarico beating Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton, and a fourth shows a tie. Another three show Paxton beating the Democrat.

An average of the poll had Talarico above Paxton by 0.7%.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah called on conservatives to back Paxton in light of Talarico’s extremist opinions and policies.

“Now is the time for every Republican to support @KenPaxtonTX. No exceptions. We can’t have a senator from Texas who thinks ‘God is nonbinary,'” wrote Lee with a link to the polling. Paxton defeated one of Lee’s colleagues, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, in the Republican primary runoff after receiving Trump’s endorsement.

Two of the polls showing the Democrat winning were Fox News and New York Times/Siena polls, while the ones showing Paxton winning included Quantus and YouGov.

An average of the poll had Talarico above Paxton by 0.7%.

The Decision Desk election analysis group noted that Talarico was faring far better against Paxton in polling on the road to the election than Beto O’Rourke did when he tried to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in 2018. O’Rourke lost that contest.

Paxton most recently went on the attack after a report documented evidence that Talarico might have violated the residency rules when he ran for state representative in 2022.

“James Talarico has proven he has zero regard for Texans and the rule of law. He’s been lying to voters and shamelessly committing election fraud to hold onto power,” he wrote on Tuesday.

RELATED: Yet another bewildering anti-Christian statement from James Talarico has been unearthed

The Talarico campaign claimed that the discrepancy came from processing delays and denied the allegations.

Democrats have a slim chance of winning the U.S. Senate in the midterms, but a victory in Texas would go a long way to help their cause.

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​Ken paxton, Us senate, James talarico, Polling, Midterm elections, Mike lee, Politics 

Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has completely reversed course over comments he made during COVID about vaccine skepticism.

In Oct. 2021, the Brooklyn Nets said they were not allowing point guard Kyrie Irving to practice or play basketball with the team until he got the coronavirus vaccine.

‘I need to do better. I’m not alone, but I’m responsible for me.’

Smith was among those who heavily criticized Irving for his vaccine reticence.

“Kyrie Irving, I happen to believe, is an intelligent brother whose heart is in the right place,” Smith said at the time. “But now, you’ve regressed to an alarming level of self-righteousness. It not only makes you look hypocritical and untrustworthy, it makes you look what I know you are not, which is flat-out stupid.”

Smith went on to catch the coronavirus despite claiming to have been vaccinated.

In a video published Thursday, Smith cited the appearance before Congress of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the architect of the U.S. coronavirus response, to explain his change of heart.

“There were many people encouraging folks to [get vaccinated] anyway. Kyrie Irving wasn’t one of them,” Smith said. “In my opinion, particularly hindsight-wise, it didn’t make him stubborn or selfish; it made him brave.”

He went on to apologize to Irving.

“Kyrie Irving did nobody wrong. We did him wrong. I did him wrong. And for that, I’m sincerely sorry,” Smith added. “I just thought it was important to say that. … I need to do better. I’m not alone, but I’m responsible for me.”

RELATED: ‘Shame on you!’ Stephen A. Smith tears into people celebrating the killing of Charlie Kirk

He concluded, “I need to do better. And I will.”

Fauci refused to answer questions from members of Congress and instead over and over again pled the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

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​Anthony fauci, Basketball, Sports, Stephen a smith, Politics, Covid vaccine 

Fairfax County officials are facing heavy criticism after the suspect in a violent domestic dispute and an attack on a cop turned out to be an illegal immigrant who was never prosecuted despite allegedly attacking his wife in April.

Officers responding to a domestic disturbance call attempted to arrest Nehemia Fuentes Banegas on Tuesday after he allegedly stabbed himself while threatening his wife. Fuentes Banegas then allegedly fled on foot, hid in a bush, and lunged for a police officer’s service weapon in a frenzied ambush, according to police.

‘3 in 10 residents of the county are immigrants.’

Fuentes Banegas was shot by officers in the ensuing struggle, though the bullet only grazed his shoulder. He is being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

Fuentes Banegas was previously cited for reckless driving and driving without a license, according to court records. His race was recorded as white.

Fuentes Banegas is a Honduran national who illegally entered the country in 2022, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“This criminal illegal alien from Honduras attacked a law enforcement officer and attempted to take the officer’s gun,” DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis said in a statement. “He has now been charged with attempted disarming of a law enforcement officer.”

“ICE is calling on Governor Abigail Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this dangerous criminal from jail,” she continued.

RELATED: DOJ goes to special court to send mother of terrorists back to Afghanistan

Fairfax County J&DR Court Database

In 2021, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano signed a procedure memorandum barring cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

“To improve community safety, restore trust, and ensure all have equal protection of the law, employees of the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office shall not assist federal agents with civil immigration enforcement,” the memo reads.

The document also notes that “3 in 10 residents of the county are immigrants.”

Descano Chief of Staff Laura Birnbaum acknowledged that Fuentes Banegas recently faced other criminal charges. A warrant reveals he was accused of “imped[ing] the blood circulation or respiration of another person by knowingly, intentionally, and unlawfully blocking or obstructing the airway … resulting in wounding or bodily injury.”

“Nehemia Fuentes faced charges earlier this year, but his wife, the victim in the case, indicated to prosecutors and other officials at a hearing in May that she did not want to prosecute at the time,” Birnbaum told Blaze News. “This kind of outcome is not uncommon in situations involving domestic violence, where prosecutors have little recourse if a case hinges on a victim’s testimony or cooperation.”

Commonwealth of Virginia/Warrant of Arrest

Birnbaum directed Blaze News to Sheriff Stacey Kincaid when asked if authorities notified ICE after Fuentes Banegas’ initial arrest.

“As required by statute, whenever an undocumented person is booked into the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, ICE is notified that person has been taken into custody,” a sheriff’s office spokesperson told Blaze News.

The Fairfax County Police Department directed Blaze News to its press release when reached for comment.

“As they were responding to the scene, they encountered both the husband, our suspect, running from the scene and the wife pointing out to our responding patrol officers that, ‘Yes, that is in fact my husband,’” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said in a press conference.

“Our suspect takes his right hand, he grabs the firearm that the police officer had in his hand,” Davis said. “The officer, obviously startled, discharged his firearm three times.”

A trial date has yet to be set. ICE has lodged a detainer for Fuentes Banegas, a DHS spokesperson told Blaze News.

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​Department of homeland security, Illegal immigrant, Law enforcement officer, Police, Immigration and customs enforcement, Virginia, Politics 

Officials say they are investigating cyberattacks against municipal systems in Minnesota for possible links to Iranian groups.

Minnesota officials previously revealed that state water operations were targeted by cyberattacks on Sunday and Monday.

‘I don’t think there was an Iranian cyberattack. I think Minnesota ought to get its act together.’

On Thursday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned water and wastewater operators that they could be similarly attacked.

CISA said there was a significant increase in the attacks on “programmable logic controllers” involving outside actors changing passwords and locking out the operators. The agency urged operators to remove the PLCs and other operational technology from the internet as soon as possible.

“This activity has resulted in boil water notices and sustained manual operations,” CISA said.

The CISA warning did not mention Iran or Minnesota, but U.S. officials told ABC News that investigators were trying to determine if the hostile regime was responsible for the cyberattacks.

The preliminary suspicion was first reported by the New York Times.

CISA recommended even the most rudimentary of digital security practices, including enabling password protections and changing default passwords.

President Donald Trump, when asked about the possibility of the attacks coming from Iran, blamed Minnesotan officials instead.

“I don’t think so. I think that Minnesota is behind it,” the president said to reporters. “You know who is behind it? Minnesota. Because they’re grossly incompetent. I don’t think there was an Iranian cyberattack. I think Minnesota ought to get its act together.”

He went on to say there would be more revelations about corruption in Minnesota coming from his administration.

RELATED: New study: One Chinese cyberattack could make your taps run dry

“Cyberattacks against critical infrastructure require a coordinated, whole-of-government response,” said John Israel, Minnesota’s chief information security officer, in a statement.

“This incident demonstrates why Minnesota has invested in strong cybersecurity capabilities and partnerships” he added. “Our response worked as intended, enabling agencies at every level of government to rapidly coordinate, contain the incident, and help prevent more serious impacts to critical services.”

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​Cyberattack, Iran, Minnesota, Donald trump, Politics 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is championing his new government-run grocery stores, claiming they’ll bring lower prices and better access to food in underserved neighborhoods.

But Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck — as well as 50 chambers of commerce — see something very different.

“Fifty chamber of commerces voted this week to sue the city of New York. Fifty chamber of commerces. Not 50 CEOs, 50 chambers,” Glenn begins, noting that they’re suing over the $70 million being used to open five government grocery stores, one per borough.

Mamdani is promising these stores will feature a 30% discount.

“I want you to think now as a person that owns a small store or a bodega. Do the arithmetic that every bodega owner in Queens did the second they heard that. A grocery store is one of the thinnest businesses in America,” Glenn says.

“One to 2% net margin. You come with your cart, and you’re paying $100. The man behind the counter clears $1.50. The store clears a $1.50. We went to the store. I think we spent like $350. They’re making less than five bucks off of me,” he continues.

“Why? Because he has to pay the rent and the landlord. He has to pay the property taxes through that rent,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the city-run grocery store doesn’t pay any rent.

“It doesn’t pay property tax. It can’t go out of business because losing money is not failure for a government store. It’s a budget line,” Glenn says.

“One analysis this week projected the city loses about 28 cents on every dollar those stores will ring up. Twenty-eight cents in loss. So the competition is not between two grocers. It’s between a grocer and a grocer’s tax collector,” he adds.

And this isn’t the first time this has been tried in recent history.

“Kansas City ran a small version of this in 2024. The city-supported grocery store lost the state close to, I think, it was like $900,000. The nonprofit that was brought in to run it ended up suing the city over the condition of the store,” Glenn explains.

“So what would work?” he asks.

The answer, he says, is to “stop looking at collectives.”

“Feed the person, not the storefront,” he says, adding, “put money in the hands of the family.”

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​New york city, Zohran mamdani, Glenn beck, Grocery stores, Socialism, Blazetv show 

Todd Blanche is aiming to be the next attorney general of the United States. Standing in his way are the Epstein survivors who say he brushed them off, two senators with nothing left to lose, and a questionable connection to one of Epstein’s closest partners in crime.

On the second day of Blanche’s confirmation hearing earlier this month, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said a meeting with survivors needed to happen before he would vote to confirm Blanche. Survivors weren’t having a stand-in — they wanted Blanche and got him that same afternoon, pressing him on compensation, prosecutions, and unaddressed leads.

Blanche interviewed Maxwell and granted her immunity for her statements.

Blanche reportedly said only the FBI could open new investigations and that he couldn’t make commitments that day.

Dani Bensky, who has been identified as one of Epstein’s victims, described a frustrating meeting with Blanche, telling CNN, “He danced around his wording, repeatedly interrupted us, and could not commit to anything that would demonstrate good faith or begin to restore trust.”

That’s the survivors’ side of Blanche’s trouble.

The other side is a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund tied to Trump’s May settlement with the IRS, which Blanche has since declared dead — though concerns, raised chiefly by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Tillis, remain regarding the possibility of a revival of the fund.

RELATED: Trump BLASTS Cornyn and Tillis for holding AG nomination HOSTAGE

Oliver Contreras/AFP/Getty Images

These threads have spelled trouble for Blanche — as has his connection to Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell. On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring that Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker who aided Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of underage girls, should never receive a presidential pardon — though it carries no legal force.

Last year, as deputy attorney general, Blanche interviewed Maxwell and granted her immunity for her statements.

In her floor remarks, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who introduced the resolution earlier this year, cited a report that Blanche had floated the idea that Maxwell’s attorney “might expect something in return for her candor.”

Rosen said she was pushing for a vote now specifically because Senate Republicans are inching toward confirming Blanche as permanent attorney general.

RELATED: DAMNING report at prestigious academy finds Jeffrey Epstein — and 46 other alleged abusers — molested students

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images

Trump, for his part, has floated another option entirely: pulling the nomination and resubmitting it after Cornyn’s and Tillis’ terms end in January, when neither will still be in the chamber to block it.

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​Attorney general, Ghislaine maxwell, Jacky rosen, John cornyn, Thom tillis, Todd blanche, Politics, Fbi, Jeffrey epstein 

A man set out to scale Montana’s tallest mountain, but he suffered a gruesome injury along the way. Yet still, the man miraculously hiked 10 miles down the mountain.

KTLA-TV reported that 32-year-old David Cifaldi and two hiking companions were crossing Montana’s ominous Froze-to-Death Plateau and approaching the summit of Granite Peak on the morning of July 20.

‘A couple of inches the other way, and this would be a different story.’

The Mountain Guides, a hiking website, said that Granite Peak is Montana’s highest summit with an elevation of 12,803 feet.

“This formidable mountain is located in the heart of the remote and scenic Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, just north of Yellowstone National Park,” according to the Mountain Guides, which noted, “Granite Peak is considered by many to be the most difficult high-point summit after Denali.”

Cifaldi suffered a grisly injury from a freak hiking accident during his arduous trek: He was impaled by his own steel-tipped trekking pole.

The Associated Press reported that a 44-inch steel-tipped pole “passed through the flesh beneath Cifaldi’s left arm, missing any vital organs, and protruded from his back.”

Cifaldi proclaimed that he needed to get off the mountain.

“I was like, ‘We’ve got to get off this mountain.’ And they’re both like, ‘I don’t know about that,'” Cifaldi told the AP.

Cifaldi joked, “‘Tis but a flesh wound.”

Cifaldi, a wound care nurse in Montana, and his friends considered getting a helicopter to rescue him on the mountain. However, they decided that a helicopter rescue would be very expensive.

“Search and rescue coming to help you is free. The flight’s not,” Cifaldi explained.

“That was a factor in me deciding to self-rescue,” Cifaldi continued. “But the fact that I had two experienced great friends with me and we had the ability to contact search and rescue if something went wrong made that a lot more of an easy decision.”

The quick-thinking Cifaldi stated, “I think my nurse brain clicked on. As soon as I was able to self-assess and establish that this was not life-threatening right now, I was pretty convinced I was going to get off that mountain under my own power.”

(WARNING: Graphic video)

RELATED: Hero fishermen save 38 dogs on the verge of drowning in Mississippi lake

The group utilized a satellite-based communication device to inform local authorities that they planned to rescue Cifaldi themselves.

Stillwater County Search and Rescue team commander Ty Williams told the Associated Press that the first emergency call about Cifaldi was received at around 9:44 a.m. on July 20.

“There was no danger to anybody else. He didn’t want our help, and so we’re not going to essentially violate his rights or go against his wishes by forcing our help on him,” Williams stated.

However, the impaled hiker would have to hike approximately 10 miles and descend about 5,000 feet to travel to a trailhead where Cifaldi’s friend had parked a vehicle, according to the Associated Press.

A GoFundMe campaign launched to help Cifaldi financially said, “David navigated the plateau’s snowfields and boulder fields, made his way down past Mystic Lake, and reached the trailhead entirely under his own power — never once complaining, staying in remarkably high spirits. Near Mystic Lake, he even asked one of us to hike ahead and warn other hikers, so no children would have to see the wound.”

It took the group more than six hours to get to the friend’s vehicle, and then they transported Cifaldi to a local clinic.

Doctors at the clinic informed Cifaldi that he would need more advanced medical treatment when he returned to his hometown of Billings, Montana. The AP reported that Cifaldi’s friends drove him for treatment at the St. Vincent Regional Hospital — where Cifaldi works as a nurse.

Doctors were able to remove the pole from Cifaldi.

The friend with the vehicle, Jesse Ross, credited Cifaldi’s confidence for conquering the challenge of hiking down the mountain with such a severe injury.

“The only reason it was possible at all was his confidence,” Ross told the AP. “Who are we to say anything? He’s the medical person. Our job is just to support at that point.”

Cifaldi declared, “I think 99 times out of a hundred I would make the same decision.”

The GoFundMe campaign, which raised nearly $10,000, said Cifaldi may require surgery, missed time from work, and now faces “significant medical bills for an injury that happened while doing something he loves.”

Cifaldi told KSL-TV, “I feel very lucky. A couple of inches the other way, and this would be a different story.”

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​Montana, News, Survivor story, Politics