What should have been a peaceful Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, turned into a political ambush. Roughly 30 anti-ICE protesters pushed into the sanctuary mid-worship, chanting slogans and confronting church leaders as families tried to pray.

Disgraced former CNN anchor Don Lemon was there, too, livestreaming the chaos.

If activists can storm a church mid-service, scream at families, and then hide behind the First Amendment, the standard becomes simple: The loudest mob sets the rules.

The Department of Justice has opened a formal investigation and signaled that federal protections for houses of worship may apply. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon noted on the “Glenn Beck Program” that the activists’ conduct could implicate the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which bars intimidation, obstruction, and interference with the free exercise of religion in places of worship. The protesters may have also violated the Ku Klux Klan Act, a post-Civil War law that makes it illegal to terrorize and violate the civil rights of citizens.

According to multiple reports, the demonstrators were tied to the Racial Justice Network and aimed their protest at a church leader they accused of working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The protest followed rising tensions in Minnesota after the fatal shooting of anti-ICE activist Renee Nicole Good during a confrontation with federal agents.

Lemon framed the entire spectacle as civic virtue. He insisted he was “not an activist, but a journalist” and argued that protest inside a church remains constitutionally protected speech.

The footage tells a messier story.

Video released after the incident shows Lemon interacting with the group beforehand, appearing familiar with organizers and the plan. One outlet described the operation as “Operation Pull-Up.” That undercuts the narrative Lemon later pushed — that he simply arrived to document an event that unexpectedly “spilled” into a worship service.

Intent matters. So does outcome. The outcome looked like this: a sanctuary overrun, a service derailed, congregants shaken, and children crying while activists shouted and gestured at the pews.

That is far from “peaceful assembly.” It is targeted disruption.

The First Amendment protects speech. It does not grant a roaming license to invade private spaces and commandeer them for political theater. Rights have edges because other people have rights too. Worshippers do not lose their liberty because activists feel righteous.

That basic distinction keeps a free society from collapsing into a contest of intimidation.

RELATED: Americans aren’t arguing any more — we’re speaking different languages

Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images

This case matters because it tests whether the country still draws that line. If activists can storm a church mid-service, scream at families, and then hide behind the First Amendment, the standard becomes simple: The loudest mob sets the rules. Next week it will be another church. Then a synagogue. Then any gathering that activists decide deserves punishment.

The Justice Department is right to examine the FACE Act here. Congress passed it to stop coercion dressed up as protest — the use of obstruction and intimidation to prevent Americans from exercising basic freedoms. That principle doesn’t change because the target shifts from an abortion clinic to a church sanctuary.

The press corps’ selective outrage makes the problem worse. Cultural elites demand “safety” and “inclusion” in every other arena, but many of them treat Christian worship as an acceptable target. They police speech in classrooms and boardrooms, then shrug when activists shout down prayer.

That double standard signals something deeper than hypocrisy. It signals permission.

Lemon’s defense captured the rot in one sentence: Making people uncomfortable, he said, is “what protests are about.” Fine. Protest often makes people uncomfortable. But discomfort does not justify trespass. It does not excuse intimidation. It does not cancel someone else’s right to worship in peace.

A society that cannot protect sacred spaces will not protect much else for long. If the law refuses to punish conduct like this, the lesson will spread fast: Invade, disrupt, harass — then claim virtue and dare anyone to stop you.

America does not need a new normal where mobs treat churches like political stages. It needs consequences.

​Opinion & analysis, First amendment, Freedom of speech, Freedom of religion, Don lemon, Protests, Cities church, St. paul minnesota, Face act, Ku klux klan act, Racial justice network, Harmeet dhillon, Civil rights, Justice department, Cnn, Glenn beck, Operation pull-up, Activists, Church, Ice, Ice raids, Mass deportations, Renee nicole good, Intimidation, Disruption, Prayer, Harassment 

Minnesota state Senator Omar Fateh called for the governor to issue an eviction moratorium to help his “neighbors” who are having a tough time making ends meet under the threat of deportation.

The Trump administration has increased immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota after more and more evidence of government welfare and relief fraud in the Somali community.

‘Our neighbors are terrified to leave their homes, go to work and many are now struggling to make ends meet.’

Fateh said in a statement on social media Monday that Democratic Gov. Tim Walz should place restrictions on evictions to help those affected by the crackdown.

“Minnesota is in an emergency. Our neighbors are terrified to leave their homes, go to work and many are now struggling to make ends meet,” he posted.

“Minnesotans are already stepping up to help their neighbors in need — it is time for the governor to enact an eviction moratorium,” he added.

Many on social media reacted with scorn to the suggestion.

“Go to work? You mean scam and fraud? That is not real work,” one critic responded.

“If they are terrified, they are illegal or commiting fraud[.] Sane law abiding citizens aren’t terrified,” another replied.

“Another scam in the works!” another detractor said.

A similar moratorium was demanded by unions in Los Angeles to protect illegal immigrants from evictions over their inability to continue to work while being hunted by federal immigration enforcement agents.

Fateh, a son of Somali immigrants to Minnesota, is best known for his failed campaign for Minneapolis mayor. Democratic-Farmer-Labor Mayor Jacob Frey took the office with nearly a 6% margin over Fateh in November.

RELATED: Minnesota news outlet is getting wrecked over story on Somali migrants’ economic impact on Minnesota

Walz has also been accused of obstructing investigations into the Somali fraud in Minnesota, though he has denied the allegations and claimed to have ordered criminal probes into the schemes.

Republicans in Minnesota have already drawn up articles of impeachment against Walz.

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​Omar fateh, Minnesota eviction moratorium, Minnesota somali fraud, Deportation threats, Politics 

Police in Redlands, California, said officers responded to a call of shots fired shortly before midnight Thursday at a home in the 1500 block of Church Street. Redlands is about 15 minutes southeast of San Bernardino.

Police said the homeowner arrived at his residence and armed himself with a handgun before checking his house — after which he confronted an intruder, who pointed a shotgun at the homeowner.

‘Mr. Carrion should have been IN Church, not ON Church Street.’

The homeowner won the gun battle.

Police said the homeowner shot the intruder and then immediately exited the residence to call 911.

Arriving officers cleared the home and followed a blood trail that led to the back yard, where they found the suspect suffering from a single gunshot wound, police said.

What’s more, the suspect had property from the home on his person, police said.

Police also recovered the shotgun, which the suspect found inside the home in question, authorities added.

RELATED: Armed, masked crooks trying to steal car encounter gun-toting homeowner, cops say — and the homeowner isn’t playing around

Image source: Redlands Police

Daniel Torres Carrion, 52, of Redlands was arrested for attempted robbery, burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon and transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Carrion later was discharged from the hospital and booked at West Valley Detention Center, where he was being held in lieu of $300,000 bail, police said.

Those with information about the incident or other suspicious activity are asked to contact Redlands Police Dispatch at 909-798-7681, ext. 1, KTLA-TV reported.

Nearly 400 comments have hit the police department’s Facebook page in regard to the shooting as of Monday night. The following are a few highlights:

“Give the homeowner a cigar!” one commenter exclaimed. “Fantastic, I’ll be glad to help buy another box of shells.””It’s why I carry,” another user acknowledged. “I don’t have to go find my gun in the house; it’s on my hip.””Mr. Carrion should have been IN Church, not ON Church Street,” another commenter quipped.”Wonder how long before the burglar’s family is in the news complaining that the homeowner should have just let him rob the place?” another user wondered. “That he had no right to shoot him.””Stand your ground! Protect your person and property!” another commenter declared.

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​Crime thwarted, Homeowner shoots intruder, California, Redlands, 2nd amend., Guns, Gun rights, Arrest, Attempted robbery, Burglary, Assault with a deadly weapon, Crime 

When Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. flipped the food pyramid upside down, he exposed a decades-old government lie — and “Culture Apothecary” host Alex Clark tells Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck that the government hid the truth for a reason.

“When I was growing up, the food pyramid, it just came out in the ’90s. This was in every single textbook in public schools. And it really wasn’t designed for health, like we all thought. Come to find out, it was all designed for profit,” Clark tells Glenn.

“It was not just bad science. It was completely rigged. So the dietary guidelines were written by these committees that were riddled with conflicts of interest. They were people that were tied financially to grain producers, the sugar interest groups, ultra-processed food companies,” she continues.

At the base of the food pyramid, Americans were told they needed to be consuming 11 servings of grains per day.

“They were shelf-stable and they were really profitable. So that had nothing to do with health,” Clark says.

“We were also told that fat was the enemy. So I’m sure you remember, Glenn, like everyone was saying low-fat,” she adds.

“Yeah, and we got fat once everybody started going low-fat,” Glenn chimes in.

“Yes! So we were told butter was bad, eggs were the enemy, beef, you know, red meat was bad for you, they’re all dangerous,” Clark responds.

“It all kind of ends up leading to higher rates of heart attacks and heart disease, and the group eating less fat had more heart attacks. And they buried this data for 16 years. We knew that this was happening,” she explains.

“This is why the new dietary guidelines matter so much. … For the first time maybe ever, Glenn, the government is telling parents the truth, at least about this,” she adds.

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To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Alex clark, Blaze media, Blaze news, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Blaze podcast network, Blaze podcasts, Blazetv, Camera phone, Culture apothecary with alex clark, Food pyramid, Free, Glenn beck, Government lies, Health and human services, Rfk jr, Robert f kennedy jr, Sharing, The blaze, The glenn beck program, The trump administration, Upload, Video, Video phone, Youtube.com 

An Oklahoma man who tried to commit suicide in jail after being accused of monstrous sexual abuse of his 12-year-old stepson is brain-dead, according to police.

George Franklin Cole Jr., 43, and Kimberly Cole, 33, were arrested after their son went missing for nine days from their Chickasha home on Jan. 11.

The state was likely to take him off of life support and declare him dead.

When volunteers found the boy at the family’s farm, he told investigators that he had run away to escape after years of torment at the hands of his mother and his stepfather.

The stepfather had stabbed and tased the boy after binding him with zip-ties and handcuffs, according to the boy. He had also beaten the boy with a nightstick and abused him with a cattle probe.

He was charged with 14 felonies that included eight counts of child abuse, one count of child sexual abuse, three counts of child neglect, and conspiracy.

The mother was charged with similar charges, including crimes against nature related to bestiality.

Caddo County district attorney Jason Hicks said the stepfather tried to commit suicide by hanging after he returned to his cell on Jan. 12 from his first court appearance.

On Friday, the county confirmed to KFOR-TV that the man had been pronounced brain-dead.

A motion to modify bail for the man said that he had been in critical condition since the suicide attempt and had been on life support. The state was likely to take him off of life support and declare him dead.

RELATED: Ohio woman pleads guilty to horrific child sex abuse charges and bestiality — and will testify against husband

If he dies, the charges will die with him. If he is able to survive, then the charges can be revived against him.

The mother will face her own charges related to the alleged abuse of her child. The boy’s biological father is trying to regain custody of his son.

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​Chickasha child sexual abuse, Oklahoma child torture, Cole family stepson abuse, Stepdad abuses stepson, Crime 

The Nobel Foundation said that its Peace Prize was not transferrable after a Venezuelan activist said she offered her prize to President Donald Trump.

The president acknowledged the offer in a post on Thursday and said that he had accepted the award from María Corina Machado after meeting with her at the White House.

‘A laureate is free to keep, give away, sell, or donate these items.’

“It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much,” he added. “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”

The Nobel Foundation released a rare statement Monday saying the prize cannot be passed on to someone else.

“A Nobel Peace Prize laureate receives two central symbols of the prize: a gold medal and a diploma. In addition, the prize money is awarded separately. Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma, or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize. Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,” the committee said.

“A laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced,” they added. “A Nobel Peace Prize can also never be revoked. The decision is final and applies for all time.”

However, the committee also went on to say there was no restriction on a recipient giving away the award.

“The Committee does not comment on laureates’ subsequent statements, decisions, or actions. Any ongoing assessments or choices made by laureates must be understood as their own responsibility,” the committee said. “There are no restrictions in the statutes of the Nobel Foundation on what a laureate may do with the medal, the diploma, or the prize money. This means that a laureate is free to keep, give away, sell, or donate these items.”

RELATED: Venezuelan freedom fighter wins Nobel Peace Prize — and immediately dedicates it to Trump for his support

Machado had presented the award to president for his efforts in helping the people of Venezuela resist the totalitarian Maduro regime.

“It was a very emotional moment. I decided to present the Nobel Peace Prize medal on behalf of the people of Venezuela,” she told Fox News later.

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​Nobel peace prize, Trump nobel, Nobel committee on trump, Maria corina machado, Politics