Approximately 200,000 foreign truck drivers will no longer be able to renew their commercial driver’s licenses following the Department of Transportation’s final rule that took effect on Monday.

The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the final rule, “Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses,” in February to prevent “unqualified foreign drivers” from operating big rigs and buses on American roadways.

‘Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first.’

A press release from the FMCSA noted that in 2025, non-domiciled drivers caused 17 fatal crashes and 30 deaths.

The announcement followed a nationwide audit that found “systemic non-compliance” in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs in several states.

The final rule’s key provisions include limiting non-domiciled CDLs to foreign nationals with H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 visas. It also terminated Employment Authorization Documents as acceptable proof of eligibility. Additionally, it required state licensing agencies to verify the eligibility of foreign nationals through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system.

RELATED: Foreigners want to drive a big rig? They’ll need more than work authorization papers, Duffy says.

Sean Duffy. Photographer: Ryan Collerd/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Therefore, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders, and those relying solely on work authorization documents are no longer eligible to obtain a CDL.

Foreign nationals who no longer meet these qualifications may continue to drive as long as their current license remains valid. However, they will not be able to renew their licenses once they expire.

RELATED: ‘Imminent hazard’: Trump administration shuts licensing loophole after illegal alien trucker allegedly causes fatal crash

Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Washington Post estimated that the final rule, which took effect on Monday, will impact about 200,000 CDL holders.

“For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems — wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated during February’s announcement of the final rule. “Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first. From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head on.”

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​News, Sean duffy, Department of transportation, Transportation department, Dot, Daca, Deferred action for childhood arrivals, Temporary protected status, Tps, Asylum seekers, Employment authorization document, Ead, Commercial driver’s licenses, Cdls, Commercial driver’s license, Cdl, H-2a, H-2b, E-2, Federal motor carrier safety administration, Fmcsa, American trucking industry, Trucking industry, Trucking, Politics 

In a major upset, a Republican has finally made an inroad in what was once considered a safe Democratic county in Virginia.

Democratic candidate Muhammad “Sef” Casim lost a special election for a vacant seat on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to Republican Jeannie LaCroix following a precipitous loss of support from his own party.

‘I want to make clear that the foolishness of my actions during my college days did not translate then, and most definitely does not indicate now, any prejudice or hatred I hold towards the Black community.’

On March 10, LaCroix received 1,694 (43.73%) of the votes compared to Casim’s 1,436 (37.07%). Democrat Pamela Montgomery, a write-in candidate who launched her campaign barely one week before the election, drew from Casim’s votes, though how many is unclear, according to WJLA.

Casim faced calls from his own party to back out of the race after past social media posts, which he described as “offensive to the Black community,” resurfaced during his campaign.

RELATED: ‘So pathetic’: Virginia governor nailed with backlash over response to possible terror attack at Old Dominion

Chair at-Large Deshundra Jeffersonpwcva.gov

Prince William County Republican County Chairman Jacob Alderman called for the immediate withdrawal of support for Casim, posting screenshots of many of Casim’s past posts and reposts, which he described as “a disturbing pattern of racist, misogynistic, antisemitic, anti-Christian, and anti-American views.”

The posts, which come from X, all appear to be from over a decade ago, with many of them dated between 2012 and 2015.

Posts include Casim allegedly writing or reposting other accounts saying: “Never call a tiger ‘tigga.’ Only tigers can call themselves ‘tigga’”; “This girl’s fav match going on, No dangerous Hindu male”; “the person below is a dirty slut”; and “Heading ot [sic] VCU in the morning with my N***a.”

Casim wrote an apology on Facebook on February 28: “Nobody’s history is perfect and I am no exception. 14 years ago I had made social media posts that were disrespectful and posted a reference to my friend using a term that is quite frankly, offensive to the Black community. There is no excuse for this and I deeply apologize. I want to make clear that the foolishness of my actions during my college days did not translate then, and most definitely does not indicate now, any prejudice or hatred I hold towards the Black community.”

Potomac Local reported that several Democratic elected officials called on Casim to step away from the race over the “racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic” remarks.

Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair Deshundra Jefferson issued a separate statement on March 2 criticizing Casim’s past remarks — and his apology. “I am deeply disgusted by the past comments Sufiyan Casim made — as well as his lack of responsibility and accountability. No apology should start with the words, ‘Nobody’s history is perfect and I am no exception,’ as it dismisses the pain that one’s words have caused,” Jefferson stated.

LaCroix will assume the role of Woodbridge District supervisor following the election upset, which was triggered after former Supervisor Margaret Franklin won election to the Virginia House of Delegates 23rd District in January.

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​Politics, Virginia, Muhammad sef casim, Sef casim, Democrat, Republican, Democrats, Jeannie lacroix, Special election, Black community, Racist, Woodbridge district supervisor 

As Hollywood continues to embrace diversity mandates — which couldn’t have been more clear at the 96th Academy Awards — the film industry is sending the wrong message about merit and inspiration.

“The Academy Awards came up with new criteria for how to win or be eligible to even win the Best Picture nominee,” Whitlock says, noting that potential winners had to meet DEI requirements.

“At least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors submitted for Oscar consideration is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group in a specific country or territory of production,” read some of the Representation and Inclusion Standards of the Academy Awards.

“At least 30% of all actors not submitted for Oscar consideration are from at least two underrepresented groups which may include women, racial or ethnic group, LGBTQ+, people with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing,” reads another guideline.

“This is all programming. This is all brainwashing. This is all a reflection of unreality,” Whitlock says, before playing a clip of Michael B. Jordan, who won the award for Best Actor.

“I stand here because of the people that came before me. Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith. And to be amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys,” Jordan said.

He then added, “I just want to say thank you for everybody in this room that has something to do with my success.”

“You know, he rattles off this group of black actors,” Whitlock comments, pointing out that when it was his dream to be a great sportswriter, he didn’t choose his heroes based on skin color.

“What — you’re telling me that in 2026, the only people that can inspire black kids are other black people? I just — I don’t get this. This is so limiting,” he continues. “White people get to be inspired by any and everybody. There’s a white kid, right now, today, that’s sitting around saying, ‘Hey, I want to be like LeBron James.’”

“They get access to be inspired by whatever human being is on the planet. Their options for inspiration are limitless. We’re telling black kids, subtly and straightforwardly, that the only people that can inspire you are other black people,” he adds.

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Fearless with jason whitlock, Fearless, Jason whitlock, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Dei, Oscars, Michael b jordan, Programming, Brainwashed, The oscars, Diversity equity inclusion 

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) says her deceased security guard who faked his identity was a committed employee who respected others.

Diamon Mazairre Robinson was living for years under the alias “Mike King” and had served on Crockett’s security team “for years,” according to Crockett’s team. Robinson was shot and killed by Dallas SWAT last Wednesday after a standoff in the parking garage of a children’s hospital.

‘What we’re now learning about his past doesn’t fit the person we came to know as Mike King.’

Robinson is seen on police dashcam video fleeing law enforcement before refusing to come out of his car in the parking garage. Detectives negotiated with Robinson for more than an hour before he came out of his car.

As Robinson reached for a handgun, law enforcement can be heard hearing yelling, “Don’t do it!” However, he still pulled the pistol, and officers fired when the pistol appeared to be raised. Robinson was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Despite Robinson having lived for years under a fake identity, with multiple weapons charges and stolen government plates, Rep. Crockett still came to his defense in a press release.

“As a former public defender, I’ve always believed people are more than the worst thing they’ve ever done. I believe in redemption. The man we knew showed up with respect, care, and commitment to protecting others,” Crockett wrote in an X post, while sharing an official statement.

RELATED: Jasmine Crockett claims she was ‘targeted’ and cheated out of the Senate by Republicans

After Crockett’s team explained it had “followed all protocols” and were approved to use the security “vendor,” the press release said, “This situation reiterates the need for Capitol Police to provide security for members of Congress, especially under this administration’s new normal of inciting attacks on those who dare speak out.”

Robinson was then described as someone who used legal “loopholes without malice,” with Crockett’s team saying they were “unable to locate any violent offenses” in his criminal history.

Dallas Police Deputy Chief William Griffith told reporters on Monday that Robinson pretended to work for nonexistent federal agencies. This included the “special dignitary police.”

“That agency does not exist within the federal government,” Griffith said. “So that’s who he portrayed to be. … So there was no actual federal agency that he worked for that existed.”

Authorities also revealed that Robinson had posed as a federal officer for the fake agency, produced identification cards for it, and had two active felony warrants from 2017 for theft. Additionally, he had a parole violation, two vehicles with stolen government plates, and multiple stolen firearms, one of which was the gun he pulled during the police standoff.

RELATED: SWAT team kills Jasmine Crockett’s fugitive security guard after suspect pulls gun on police

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

“He’s very good at hiding his true identity,” Griffith added, noting it took one to two weeks of investigative work to determine who Robinson was.

Still Crockett’s team — referring to Robinson as Mike King — said there was “never any reason to suspect he wasn’t who he held himself out to be.”

“He never endangered our team, worked diligently, coordinated with local enforcement, and maintained positive relationships throughout the community,” the press release went on. “What we’re now learning about his past doesn’t fit the person we came to know as Mike King.”

Neither Crockett nor her team responded to Blaze News’ request for comments.

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The U.S. under President Donald Trump has decapitated both the Venezuelan and Iranian regimes. Trump confirmed on Monday that he now has his sights set on another country.

When asked whether the “next” country up was Cuba and whether the approach taken will “look like Iran or Venezuela,” Trump said, “Can’t tell you that. I can tell you that they’re talking to us. It’s a failed nation. They have no money. They have no oil. They have no nothing. They have nice land. They have nice landscape, you know. It’s a beautiful island. I think they have great people.”

‘They’re a very weakened nation.’

After extolling the entrepreneurial spirit of the Cuban people and noting that many expatriates would love to visit the communist-controlled island, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “All my life I’ve been hearing about the United States and Cuba. ‘When will the United States do it?'”

Trump said he believes he will have “the honor of taking Cuba. … That’s a big honor.”

When asked to clarify what such a takeover might look like, the president said, “Free it, take it — I think I can do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation.”

Cuba’s electrical grid completely collapsed on Monday. The Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines noted in social media posts on Tuesday that efforts were still under way to restore electric systems around the country.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that the impact of the American-imposed oil blockade, which has been in effect for months, “is tremendous.”

RELATED: Cubans torch communist headquarters in protest of blackouts and food shortages

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel at an “anti-imperialist” protest in front of the U.S. embassy in Havana.

Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 29, accusing the Cuban government of “extraordinary actions that harm and threaten the United States” and signaling that any nation that directly or indirectly sells oil to Cuba will have its exports to the U.S. slapped with additional tariffs.

In addition to prompting Mexico to suspend energy shipments to Cuba and cutting off the flow of Venezuelan oil to Havana, the U.S. has reportedly seized shipments bound for the island and intercepted vessels searching for fuel in the Caribbean Sea.

Cuba’s energy crisis and worsening food shortage have exacerbated internal tensions and prompted protests. On Friday, for instance, protesters reportedly burned and ransacked a local communist party building — an incident Díaz-Canel suggested was the result of “distress” caused by the U.S. blockade.

U.S. and Cuban officials have been negotiating over the the fate of the island, four sources said to be familiar with the talks told the New York Times. The U.S. has reportedly signaled to the Cubans that the Trump administration might be satisfied with Díaz-Canel and some regime elders faithful to the murderous ideals of Fidel Castro getting the boot and the Cuban people figuring out the next steps.

“Direct conversations with the United States are about finding, through dialogue, solutions to the differences that exist between the two countries,” Lianys Torres Rivera, Cuba’s chief of mission to the U.S., told Politico. “The conversations are not about Cuba’s internal affairs — our constitutional system, our political model, our social and socialist economy which we Cubans have built.”

On Sunday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One, “We’re talking to Cuba, but we’re going to do Iran before Cuba,” adding that “people have been waiting 50 years” for possible action on the Cuban front.

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​Interventionism, Western hemisphere, Cuba, Communism, Collapse, Donald trump, Cuban, Regime change, Takeover, Golden age, Manifest destiny, Politics 

A federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden obliged medical establishmentarians on Monday, blocking three critical elements of the Trump administration’s vaccine reform.

Brian Murphy — a Boston-based U.S. district court judge who previously barred the Trump administration from swiftly deporting illegal aliens — paused Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reconstitution of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the federal panel whose vaccine recommendations become official policy at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

‘How much embarrassment can this Judge take?’

In addition to freezing out Kennedy’s ACIP appointees prior to their planned discussion of COVID-19 vaccines this week, Murphy also halted the health secretary’s reform of the child vaccination schedule as well as Kennedy’s May 2025 directive rescinding the recommendation that pregnant women and healthy kids get the COVID vaccine.

The shake-up

As of early 2025, all 17 members of the ACIP were Biden appointees.

Some of the members were brazen partisans. Oliver Brooks, for instance, made a habit of donating to Democrat candidates, including failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and called for research to be “intentionally antiracist.” Noel Brewer, a 2020 Biden donor, similarly demonstrated a DEI-lensed preoccupation with race.

Most members had collected small fortunes in consulting fees and research support from some of the very pharmaceutical giants whose products the panel had recommended, prompting questions about the members’ loyalties and commitment to public health.

RELATED: FDA finally admits COVID-19 vaccine killed kids: ‘This is a profound revelation’

JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images

Kennedy noted in a June 9 article, “The committee has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine.”

“It has never recommended against a vaccine — even those later withdrawn for safety reasons,” continued Kennedy. “It has failed to scrutinize vaccine products given to babies and pregnant women. To make matters worse, the groups that inform ACIP meet behind closed doors, violating the legal and ethical principle of transparency crucial to maintaining public trust.”

On June 10, Kennedy announced that he had canned all 17 members of the ACIP, accused the panel of “malevolent malpractice,” and vowed to appoint “highly credentialed physicians and scientists who will make extremely consequential public health determinations by applying evidence-based decision-making with objectivity and common sense.”

Medical establishmentarians melted down over the removal of the Biden holdovers.

Susan Kressly, who was the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics at the time, said, “We are witnessing an escalating effort by the administration to silence independent medical expertise and stoke distrust in lifesaving vaccines.”

Their fury was compounded when Kennedy announced whom he was appointing to the newly vacant panel — experts such as Dr. Robert Malone, an early pioneer in messenger RNA technology, and Dr. Cody Meissner, a professor of pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth who ruffled feathers in 2021 by criticizing ruinous mask mandates for children.

In January, the Trump administration dealt those clinging to the status quo another upset, modifying the childhood immunization schedule.

RELATED: The Conspiracy Instinct

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Whereas previously, the CDC recommended that kids get vaccines for 18 diseases — loading them up with twice as many doses as their European counterparts — the Trump administration reduced its list of vaccination recommendations for all children to jabs for the following 11 diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal conjugate, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, human papillomavirus, and chickenpox.

The lawsuit

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups sued the administration in July over its termination of COVID vaccine recommendations for healthy kids and pregnant women, then amended their complaint to incorporate challenges to the ACIP shake-up and changes to the immunization schedule updates.

‘We will keep appealing these lawless decisions.’

Judge Murphy echoed the plaintiffs’ talking points in his ruling on Monday and said, “There is a method to how these decisions [about which vaccines to make available through insurers and government programs] historically have been made — a method scientific in nature and codified into law through procedural requirements. Unfortunately, the Government has disregarded those methods and thereby undermined the integrity of its actions.”

Murphy questioned the qualifications held by the majority of current ACIP members but spared his fellow Biden appointees who previously served on the panel from such scrutiny.

He also said that the ACIP, as currently staffed, violates Congress’ requirement that such committees “be fairly balanced.”

Murphy, opting for stays over injunctions, stayed Kennedy’s appointments of new ACIP members, all votes taken by the new ACIP members, and the January changes to the childhood immunization schedule.

The response

The medical groups behind the lawsuit celebrated Murphy’s ruling.

Andrew Racine, president of the AAP, called it “a historic and welcome outcome for children, communities, and pediatricians everywhere.”

“This decision effectively means that a science-based process for developing immunization recommendations is not to be trifled with and represents a critical step to restoring scientific decision-making to federal vaccine policy that has kept children healthy for years,” added Racine.

“Today’s ruling is a win for public health and reaffirms that national vaccine policy should be guided by rigorous, evidence-based science, not politics,” said Jason Goldman, president of the American College of Physicians. “Scientific consensus and overwhelming evidence demonstrate that vaccines are safe and effective.”

The HHS said that it will appeal the ruling.

“We look forward to this judge’s decision being overturned just like his other attempts to keep the Trump administration from governing,” wrote HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche noted, “We will keep appealing these lawless decisions, and we will keep winning. The question is, how much embarrassment can this Judge take?”

Dr. Robert Malone said that the “rogue judge” had “inserted himself between the elected executive branch and its constitutional authority to govern.”

Malone, who faced years of abuse for questioning the safety of mRNA vaccines and the severity of COVID-19, emphasized that “the political timing of this ruling is impossible to ignore” and that “the practical consequences of Monday’s ruling are serious.”

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​Acip, Vaccine, Vaccination, Big pharma, Pharmaceuticals, Maha, Make america healthy again, Health, Science, Clotshots, Jab, Vaccine schedule, Robert f kennedy jr, Rfk jr, Rfk, Hhs, Politics 

Free speech isn’t dying in one dramatic moment. It’s getting shaved down in two different ways — both deliberate, both dangerous.

The first track is blunt-force censorship. It looks like platform bans, coordinated deplatforming, demonetization — and in some countries, handcuffs.

The First Amendment requires vigilance — and a culture and an infrastructure that respect not only the right to speak, but the ability to be heard without invisible manipulation.

When Joe Rogan reacted to reports that more than 12,000 people in the United Kingdom had been arrested over social media posts, he said the U.K. has “lost it.” Hyperbolic? Maybe. But the concern is real. Americans still recoil at the idea of police knocking on someone’s door over a tweet. In parts of Europe, that line keeps moving.

Take the arrest of Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan over posts criticizing trans activists. Agree with him or not, the point stands: Government shouldn’t referee online speech disputes. Speech that would receive constitutional protection in the United States is treated elsewhere as a criminal offense. That isn’t progress. It’s just regression dressed up as “social responsibility.”

We aren’t immune in the United States. We just do it differently.

The First Amendment still blocks direct government suppression in most cases. But a parallel system has grown up alongside it — one where Big Tech companies act as speech gatekeepers. They decide who can speak, who gets heard, and who disappears into digital exile. You may have the right to talk, but if you can’t reach anyone in the modern public square, what does that right mean?

That’s the predictable result of handing global communication infrastructure to a handful of corporations with opaque rules and shifting political winds. Platforms remove accounts, throttle content, suspend monetization, and slap “misinformation” labels on disfavored opinions. The rules move, enforcement varies, and appeals are a black box.

Jeff Dornik, founder of Pickax, a fast-growing platform branding itself as a free-speech alternative, puts it bluntly: “You can’t have freedom of speech without freedom of reach. It’s quite literally written into the First Amendment: ‘abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.’ If you limit reach, you abridge speech.”

That brings us to the second track — subtler and arguably more insidious.

It’s algorithmic manipulation. It’s the Overton Window nudged by code instead of Congress. It’s the illusion of free speech paired with the quiet denial of reach.

Dominant platforms defend themselves by insisting they support “freedom of speech.” Ask conservatives who’ve watched Big Tech suspend them, kneecap their businesses, or bury their content, and they’ll translate it the same way: Say what you want — we decide who sees it. Freedom of reach is optional at best.

Algorithms decide what trends, what goes viral, and what gets buried on page six of your search. They shape perception, reward some views, starve others, and then hide the rulebook. Users adapt. They soften language and avoid topics entirely. They self-censor — not because they got banned, but because they learned the cost of crossing invisible lines.

RELATED: The European Commission wants your free speech. Elon Musk is in the way.

Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Dornik argues that algorithms can be more corrosive than outright censorship: Instead of punishing speech the powers-that-be don’t like, they dangle engagement and monetization to train creators to censor themselves — “essentially getting you to rewire your own brain.”

“Almost all of the Big Tech platforms are using algorithms to manipulate us,” Dornik says. “The byproduct of this form of censorship is that it’s almost impossible to create community.”

He’s not wrong about the incentive structure. When creators wake up to find engagement cut in half after an unpopular opinion, they get the message. Stay inside the narrative. Don’t challenge the consensus. The window narrows — not because voters demanded it, but because code enforced it.

That’s why the free-speech debate can’t be reduced to arrest statistics. It’s about who controls visibility. It’s about whether speech is meaningfully free when distribution gets manipulated behind the scenes.

America still has the strongest constitutional speech protections in the world. But constitutional protection is only part of the story. Culture matters. Platform design matters. Incentives matter. When creators depend on systems that can quietly demonetize or suppress them, speech becomes conditional.

That’s the gap platforms like Pickax say they want to fill: no shadow bans, no algorithmic throttling, no opaque moderation. The feed is chronological and long-form content is encouraged. Creators own their content, and monetization is simple and direct.

Pickax held a launch event on February 24, with an all-day livestream featuring many of its creators. Dornik called it more than a rollout: “One of our primary missions with Pickax is to build human-to-human connections. We do this by eliminating the computer-driven algorithms … allowing our users to become the algorithm.”

RELATED: California’s next dumb tech idea: Show your papers to scroll

Photo by Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Skeptics will say alternative platforms stay niche or ideological. Maybe. But the fact that they keep gaining traction tells you something: People sense the digital public square has been curated, filtered, and sanitized in ways that don’t feel organic.

Free speech has always been messy. It has always included opinions we dislike and arguments we reject. Far from a flaw, that’s the system as it is supposed to work.

The alternative is a world where governments arrest people for posts — and corporations erase dissent with code. One is loud and authoritarian. The other is quiet and corporate. Both undermine open discourse.

The First Amendment is not self-executing. It requires vigilance — and it requires a culture and an infrastructure that respect not only the right to speak, but the ability to be heard without invisible manipulation.

No algorithms and no more shadow bans. No “reach dropped — try boosting.”

If we lose that fight, we won’t lose it all at once. We’ll lose it post by post, throttle by throttle, until only approved voices remain.

​Censorship, Free speech, Social media, First amendment, Overton window, Uk, Big tech, Opinion & analysis, Arrests, European union 

An axe-wielding male allegedly threatened a pair of car-wash employees in Ocala, Florida, last week — but one of the victims managed to violently turn the tables on him.

Marion County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Tidal Wave Auto Spa on SW 95th Street Road over a reported disturbance around 8:30 p.m. March 8, officials said.

‘I timed [it] so that once he lowered [the axe], that’s when I shot the takedown.’

Upon arrival, deputies said they found an 18-year-old victim restraining 36-year-old Bryce Thayer.

The investigation revealed that Thayer approached two employees at the car wash as they were closing, officials said.

Thayer was told to leave the property, officials said, but Thayer became angry and approached the two victims in a threatening manner while wielding an axe.

Officials said the 18-year-old victim lunged at Thayer in an attempt to disarm him and was able to get him on the ground. The second victim then was able to remove the axe from Thayer’s grip, officials said, and the 18-year-old victim restrained Thayer until deputies arrived.

RELATED: Teen robbers open fire on victim behind Texas Family Dollar, but victim also has a gun — and turns the tables lethally

Leodan Pino, 18, told WOFL-TV that his instincts took over amid the unnerving ordeal.

“I hear some screaming, someone yelling something,” Pino told the station. “Something along the lines of, ‘Where’s my wife? I can’t find my wife.’”

Pino added to WOFL that he knew he had to act.

“I timed [it] so that once he lowered [the axe], that’s when I shot the takedown,” Pino told the station. “I got on top of him, and I controlled the situation.”

WOFL reported that one of the car-wash workers — presumably Pino — hit Thayer in the face several times to disorient him.

Thayer was taken into custody, officials told the station, and he was found in possession of drug paraphernalia — a glass pipe believed to be a methamphetamine pipe.

He faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and a drug paraphernalia charge, WOFL said.

Thayer was taken to the Marion County Jail, and bail was set at $65,000, the station reported.

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​Crime thwarted, Florida, Marion county sheriff’s office, Arrest, Axe, Disarmed, Ocala, Car wash, Self-defense, Fighting back, Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill charge, Tidal wave auto spa, Drug paraphernalia charge, Crime