Media reports on the death of prior traffic stop rules for immigration operations are greatly exaggerated, according to the feds.

Many in the media rushed to report on a memo outlining traffic stop rules in order to imply that the administration is reacting to criticism by weakening engagement standards.

‘This memo makes no changes to how ICE conducts vehicle stops. ALL officers have always received vehicle stop training.’

The memo indicated that there were no circumstances where officers would be “authorized to engage in vehicle pursuits or [precision immobilization technique] maneuvers” against vehicles with drivers who refuse to pull over.

“ICE issues new instructions on vehicle stops after shootings, new guidance shows,” said a CNN headline Thursday.

“New ICE guidance bans high-speed car chases and sets tighter rules for traffic stops, a memo obtained by the AP shows,” was the headline at the Associated Press.

“ICE Forced to Rein In Two Controversial Tactics Within 24 Hours,” blared out Newsweek.

When a spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement was asked to comment on the “new” rules, they said there was “nothing new” in the memo.

“Occasionally, ICE leadership issues guidance reminders to law enforcement officers,” read the spokesperson’s statement to ABC News. “This memo makes no changes to how ICE conducts vehicle stops. ALL officers have always received vehicle stop training.”

The spokesperson added, “Vehicle stops and arrests of illegal aliens continue.”

RELATED: Illegal alien bites 3-year-old’s face in horrifying random attack — DHS blames Biden policies

The latest controversial shooting involved a migrant named Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, who was DoorDashing in Austin, Texas.

Perez initially complied with immigration officers’ demands on September 20 but then allegedly fled in his car and also allegedly clipped an officer with the side mirror on his car. After a car chase, an officer shot him in the back.

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​Traffic stop, Immigration and customs enforcement, Illegal immigration, Mainstream media, Politics 

Four suspects charged in a viral road-rage beating and robbery of a 63-year-old man in the St. Louis area were left behind bars on $250,000 cash-only bonds after a court hearing Thursday, KSDK-TV reported.

St. Louis County Prosecutor Melissa Price Smith added to the station that it should stay that way: “They are a danger to the community, all four of them.”

‘I apologize for kicking and slapping him. I was in the wrong.’

Mary Moore, Tamara Logan, Davion Alfred, and Martinez Logan each face felony charges of second-degree robbery, third-degree assault, and second-degree burglary in connection with the incident, KSDK said.

Price Smith added to the station that they could face a maximum of 29 years each in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

The foursome’s court appearance came just hours after the victim was released from the hospital, where he was recovering after being stomped, punched, and robbed — all after a fender bender on a Jennings street Sept. 19, KSDK said.

Price Smith said “the individual who hit the back of their car went to check on them,” and “they brutally attacked him. This is not the way people behave in civilized society. This bond is appropriate for this charge,” the station said.

More from KSDK:

During Thursday’s hearing, three of the suspects chose to waive their bond hearings and opted not to request a reduction. Meanwhile, Davion Alfred represented himself in court to argue for a lower bond amount, but Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Doug Dolan opposed any modification, citing public safety concerns and flight risk. The judge agreed with prosecutors and denied Alfred’s request, keeping the $250,000 cash only bond intact for all four individuals.

Following the brutal attack, the suspects stole $100 from the victim’s wallet and went through his vehicle, even taking bags full of items intended as Goodwill donations, the station said, citing court documents.

Bystanders recorded video of the attack, and the footage went viral, KSDK said.

What’s more, the county prosecutor told the station she first became aware of the incident through media reports before formal charges were submitted to her office, the station reported.

RELATED: Brutal beating: Man, 45, bumps into teen at state fair, then gang of a dozen ‘kicked and stomped’ on man’s face, fiancée says

Charging documents include confessions from the suspects, KSDK reported, adding that prosecutors said an interview with suspect Tamara Logan that KSDK broadcasted assisted with their investigation. The station said Tamara Logan admitted on camera to her role in the attack.

“I apologize for kicking and slapping him. I was in the wrong,” Logan said, according to KSDK.

Moore also told the station, “At that moment, my mindset was, ‘I’m angry, I’m upset, my kids are hurting, my vehicle is gone. I wasn’t really thinking, ‘Oh, this is an elderly man.’ My actions, they’re not OK at all. I am hurt and I am disappointed in myself.”

Price Smith told KSDK that “this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.”

A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 21, the station noted.

According to a previous KSDK story, court records state that victim Lance Jeffries was driving his Chrysler Caravan when he rear-ended a vehicle. Police told the station Moore, Alfred, their children, and extended family members were returning home from a trip to the zoo.

Jeffries pulled over and exited his vehicle to check on the group, which had pulled in front of him, the station said.

Moore, Alfred, and Martinez Logan got out of the car, and Tamara Logan arrived at the scene a short time later, KSDK said.

Police said Alfred repeatedly punched Jeffries in the head, after which he fell to the ground, the station said, adding that police said Moore repeatedly kicked Jeffries, Tamara Logan stomped him while he was on the ground, and Martinez Logan dragged him.

Jeffries at one point blacked out, KSDK reported.

Police said Alfred took Jeffries’ keys and went through his wallet, the station noted, adding that Alfred and the others went through his car and removed trash bags filled with his Goodwill donations.

“They took my dad’s wallet. They went in his car. They robbed my dad,” Valancia Jeffries, the victim’s daughter, told KSDK. “They kicked my dad in the face. They kicked him in the chest. When I say we were so devastated and so heartbroken. We just want justice for my dad.”

Police said Jeffries’ keys, wallet, and cell phone were found on top of his car, and his wallet had been rummaged through and was missing $100, the station said, adding that Jeffries was unable to speak and was taken to the hospital. The group of attackers claimed Jeffries was drunk, police told KSDK, and made no mention of the beat-down.

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​St. louis county, Missouri, Arrests, Road rage, Physical attack, Robbery, Burglary, Assault, Crime 

Recent polling generally indicates that congressional Democrats are poised to come out on top in the midterm election. CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is not convinced, however — especially considering pollsters’ track record.

“We’ve had really good Democratic polls coming out from Ohio, Michigan, Iowa,” Enten told “CNN News Central” talking head John Berman on Wednesday.

‘There’s a very, very strong chance that Republicans hold onto the United States Senate.’

A Marist Poll published on Wednesday showed U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D) leading former Rep. Mike Rogers (R) 51%-44% in Michigan. The latest USA Today/Suffolk University poll shows Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown leading Republican Sen. Jon Husted 47%-44% in Ohio. According to a Fox News survey conducted from Sept. 24-28, Democrat Josh Turek has a two-point lead over Republican Ashley Hinson in the U.S. Senate race in Iowa.

“Fool me once, shame on you,” continued Enten. “Fool me four times, I just have to ask the question: Could it happen again?”

Enten highlighted how the GOP outperformed September 2024 polls concerning Senate races and the White House by 9 percentage points in Iowa, 6 points in Ohio, and 5 points in Michigan. That same September, national polls suggested that Kamala Harris would win a presidential election that she ultimately lost in a landslide.

“I will note that the leads that the Democrats have in all of these races right now are under how much the GOP outperformed back in 2024,” said Enten. “So you look at this, and you go, ‘You know what? Maybe we should just hold on a second here because we’ve seen this dance before’ — and it was not a dance that Democrats like when the votes were actually cast and counted.”

RELATED: CNN analyst pours cold water on Democrats’ dream of a political takeover in November

Emily Elconin/Getty Images

Berman insinuated that Trump not being on the ballot this time around might be a factor, but Enten noted that the lesson from the 2018 election — Trump’s first midterm election — is that “it’s the same exact story.”

“The GOP outperformed September polls in the major 2018 statewide races by 6 points in Iowa, 6 points in Ohio, and 8 points in Michigan,” said Enten. “The bottom line is this: Over the last few [election] cycles, whether it be 2018, 2016, 2020, 2024 — Republicans have outperformed their September polls by at least 5 points in all these three states where Democrats right now are ahead.”

The data analyst suggested further that if Republicans outperform their Midwest polls as they did in 2018 and 2024, then even with Democrats carrying states such as Alaska, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas, there could end up being a 50/50 split in the U.S. Senate with Vice President JD Vance serving as the tie-breaker.

“So if history holds in terms of the GOP outperforming their September polls, well, there’s a very, very strong chance that Republicans hold onto the United States Senate, even if Democrats win in places they don’t historically win in, like Texas,” said Enten.

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​Midterm election, Congress, Senate, House, Polling, Harry enten, Cnn, Abdul el-sayed, Mike rogers, Sherrod brown, Jon husted, Politics 

Those of a certain age will remember the era of infomercials and QVC.

For the younger set, “infomercials” were long-form commercials on cable TV, usually late at night. They ran for five, 10, even 30 minutes, incorporating elements of narrative — usually with laughable skill — to give the feeling that you were watching an actual show rather than a paid advertisement. They hawked products for the home and kitchen with a number to call to place your order.

Most of us are just going to click onto the next thing, unaware that the News-ique (TM) item left a Truth-ette (TM) trace in our minds.

QVC — “Quality, Value, Convenience” — was/is a TV channel that was nothing but one big infomercial, with on-camera hosts showing off products and bantering with each other and customers who called in. It was online shopping before there was an online.

Both marketplaces were famous for offering products that simulated much more valuable items. One such product was the pinnacle: a cubic zirconia stone that was (supposedly) visually indistinguishable from a diamond. It’s got everything: sparkle, allure, and the look of a real diamond at a fraction of the price!

Diamonique is forever

The best part is the name: Diamonique. Those branding this luxury obviously followed the old drag queen convention for choosing a stage moniker: Take a name denoting quality, seriousness, or at the very least referring to an actual person, then give it a little comic twist that lets you know immediately you’re dealing with an imitation. Classic drag queen names of this type include:

Hedda Lettuce

Virginia Hamm

Anita Mann

… to name just a few.

As you can see, Diamonique fits right in.

So glittering was Diamonique that this imitation spawned imitators of its own, the best of which is Diamelle. When you can’t afford Diamonique, turn to Diamelle!

Authentic imitation news

What’s amusing in jewelry marketing doesn’t carry over in news and journalism — or what is alleged to be news and journalism. There’s a “news” marketing practice all over social media that gives you what appears to be a news story but is not.

I call this News-ique (TM). It has the look and feel of real news but at less than .01% of the value. It’s all over Twitter/X and other social media platforms.

The News-ique (TM) formula:

Choose a topic guaranteed to rile people whether they’re left, right, or center. The closer the topic is to today’s “discourse” on social media, the better.Write a lede sentence or short paragraph making a claim that flatters the interests, views, but especially the biases of the reader. The text should confirm the reader’s prior assumptions.Include an image that looks very much like it is advertising a published news story, but do NOT include a link to that apparent story. It might or might not be published somewhere, but you can’t know from the original post — that’s the News-ique Difference (TM)!

Post nothing else. Do not follow up with a link. Watch outrage flow, and collect clicks and cash.

Know your News-ique

Here is an example of News-ique (TM), a post on X from an alleged news account, Europa.com. The post includes a picture of the subject against a background that looks “newsy” and “official.”

It says this:

Poland’s Spokeswoman for Children, Monika Horna-Cieślak, used her official powers to take the children of a woman who was rude to her and place them in an orphanage.

Horna-Cieślak, 36, who is herself childless, had intervened in a public park in Warsaw before being told by the mother of an unruly child to mind her own business. She then leveraged her authority to have the children seized and placed into care.

Why is it News-ique (TM) and not news? Because there’s no link to a fuller source or documentation. There is no follow-up in the thread, only responses from X users.

I do not know if this item is real. I have not checked by doing my own search. It does not matter if this particular item is real or not; it is representative of countless posts every day that use the News-ique (TM) formula. My concern is not the content of the story, but the packaging, intent, and effect.

News-ique (TM) works because it presents plausible outrages. It’s believable that a head of a government ministry for children’s concerns would abuse her position and target a mother who criticized her. This type of thing happens. We know government officials sometimes abuse their authority and get away with it.

Filling in the gaps

But what if there is more to this story about a Polish official?

What I’m about to write is pure speculation used to demonstrate possibilities. I’m not giving you facts; I don’t even know if the original claim is true.

Let’s assume the core of the claim is true. What if the mother did not merely tell the minister to mind her own business? What if she smacked her with her purse? What if she made false and defamatory claims about her online? What if the minister observed that mother abusing her child?

The whole story changes if any of those factors are true. If the mother were abusing her child and the minister intervened, then the minister would have been doing the job she is in office for. She looks like a heroine instead of a villain.

Again, everything I just wrote was speculation. That’s the point: Without context, detail, and at least some provenance for the original claim, all we are doing is writing fiction while treating that fiction as fact.

The political and cultural content cuts in both directions. This example plays to the fears — often real and legitimate — of people with a right-wing bent and to libertarians and other freedom-minded people. But News-ique (TM) items just as often flatter the assumptions of left-leaning people.

RELATED: FACTION NEWS: The day the media taught me it’s always wrong to be right

H. Armstrong Roberts/Classicstock/Getty Images

New pollution

The News-ique (TM) approach contributes to political, cultural, and emotional pollution. It leaves an impression of truth in the minds of readers and “consumers.” And no, it doesn’t just work on “stupid people.” It works on most people, smart and stupid, left and right, hysterical or stoic. Items that flatter and confirm our prior assumptions are mentally sticky; they leave a trace you might call Truth-ette (TM). Few are immune.

At best, News-ique (TM) is irresponsible and lazy when the content is real and tells a true story. At worst, and I suspect in the majority of cases, it’s a deliberate choice to shade the truth and deprive readers of full context. Outrage gets clicks and cash; sober consideration does not.

Some might push back: “You can use Google/Siri/Whatever to check for yourself.” True. But most people won’t. Not even smart people will usually take the time unless they’re going to comment or use it in an essay or podcast. Most of us are just going to click onto the next thing. We won’t necessarily be aware that the News-ique (TM) item left a Truth-ette (TM) trace in our minds.

Sometimes, we’ll subconsciously incorporate that item into our view of what’s true about the world. This has happened to me and has probably happened in cases I’m unaware of. When I become aware that I’ve been foolish and failed to check veracity, I admit it in the same thread where I made the claim. Better not to react without having the facts first.

Unstoppable

There is nothing you or I can do to stop News-ique (TM). There is no way to change the social media incentive structure so this is not a profitable game. The only thing we can do is increase our skepticism and discernment.

“Then just stay off social media” is not a workable answer either. Social media is toxic and full of mind games. But it is also the medium through which we can learn many actually true things happening in the world that mainstream news simply will not tell us.

Social media is where we can find “citizen journalists” like Nick Shirley who document problems like fraudulent Somali day cares paid for by American taxpayer dollars. When mainstream media gets wind of stories like Shirley’s, it works hard to discredit them, as you see in this CBS News piece. It is also where we can hear directly from politicians and government officials without ABC/NBC/CBS/NPR/NYT leaving out important words to slant the story.

We are never going to have a world “back” where “official news” can be relied on. That world never existed anyway; we just didn’t have any way to fact-check the fact-checkers before.

If you see a “news story” on Twitter/Instagram/TikTok, make sure you know whether it’s news or News-ique (TM). Check whether context or links are given. If they are, cross-reference the claim against other sources. If they are not, you are reading News-ique (TM).

Diamonique can give you sparkle for the soirée at an affordable price. News-ique (TM) is a bad bargain at any price.

​Cable tv, Mainstream media, Qvc, Social media, Skepticism, Lifestyle, Culture, Intervention, News 

The citizenry is mad at Taco Bell.

What started as a meme has morphed into a social commentary on the economy and corporate greed.

‘Prices for almost every major fast-food chain had exceeded inflation.’

Bean counters

What started as a meme has morphed into a small economic referendum after a 20-year comparison of Taco Bell menu prices began circulating on social media.

The post contrasted purported 2006 prices with what customers pay today. A crunchy taco, according to the graphic, went from 69 cents to $1.99. A Crunchwrap Supreme went from $1.89 to $6.49.

“This doesn’t even take into account the shrinkflation factor,” one user complained. “All these items are smaller, have less filling, or just flat out taste worse than they used to.”

Another remembered getting two double-decker tacos and a medium soda for $2.99.

In the end, the fast-food industry in the United States has become predominantly known for two things: fights and overpriced food.

For the latter, the prices are outpacing inflation. A 2024 analysis by FinanceBuzz looked at 10 longstanding menu items at a dozen major fast-food chains and compared their prices with a decade earlier. Every chain it studied had raised prices faster than overall inflation over that period, which was roughly 32.5%, with Taco Bell being one of the biggest culprits at 81%.

Fast food, in other words, really did get expensive unusually fast.

RELATED: Want to avoid fixing Canada’s problems? Just blame Trump.

Marcin Golba/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Big Mac attack

Historically, brands have blamed “increased commodity costs” and labor costs on the spike in food prices.

Economists Orley Ashenfelter and Štěpán Jurajda studied wage rates and Big Mac prices at nearly every McDonald’s in the United States between 2016 and 2020. They found that increases in minimum wages were passed almost entirely into higher restaurant prices.

Their estimate suggests that a 10% increase in the minimum wage raises the price of a Big Mac by about 1.4%.

The president of McDonald’s USA said in 2024 that salaries, food, and paper had increased about 40% in the past five years, as did the average price of McDonald’s menu items.

Portillo’s CEO said that same year that prices in each market have to go up to cover the cost of labor commiserate with minimum wage increases, while Chipotle’s CEO made similar claims too.

RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: A year after Charlie Kirk’s death, Sabo’s ‘controversial’ tribute finally goes on display

Taco Bell in 1994. Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images

Border run

Some have related the prices to a shift in company priorities. An article from Medium alleged that fast-food chains are more akin to tech companies now, scraping app data or being more like real estate developers. The latter is essentially the plot of the McDonald’s-themed movie “The Founder.”

Are prices still going up?

Yes, but they haven’t gone over inflation. In March, Grocery Trade News noted restaurant prices had gone up 3.8%, while groceries had only risen 1.9%.

The current inflation estimate for 2026 is 3.4%.

Will we ever reach the prices of the purple and green Taco Bell era again? Outlook not so good.

​Taco bell, Inflation, Mcdonald’s, Lifestyle 

Can Britain still change course, or has the country already passed the point of no return?

After attending the Unite the Kingdom rally, BlazeTV host Nick Freitas is asking that question — and Konstantin Kisin, who is an immigrant himself, has some answers.

“Do you believe that there is any chance within the next five to 10 years that there is a party that controls parliament with enough of either a majority or a ruling coalition that they will significantly curtail immigration and actively deport illegal immigrants?” Freitas asks Kisin.

“I think there is no reason why Reform can’t do that, other than the legislative system is set up in such a way that they’re going to have to sweep away a lot of Blair-era legislation,” Kisin answers.

“Actually, the reason that the Conservative Party wasn’t able to deal with the issue is partly they didn’t realize that when Blair was in power, they basically legislated their values into law,” he continues.

“So now, things like net zero, not deporting illegal immigrants, etc., it’s the law,” he explains, noting that despite all of this, “Reform, if they are elected, can address that problem.”

Kisin likens the influx of immigrants to inflation and people’s general understanding of it.

“The difficulty is, Nick, that it’s like inflation. Inflation goes down from 3% to 2.5%, and people say, ‘Things are getting cheaper.’ You don’t understand how inflation works. Inflation is the rate of change,” he tells Freitas.

“So getting mass immigration down from its peak of almost a million a couple of years ago to a couple of hundred thousand is great. You still have a couple of hundred thousand people coming in,” he continues.

“The challenge that people are really frustrated by is the fact that the country has changed very dramatically and in ways that they don’t like,” he says, adding, “And undoing that is a much bigger project than reducing the number of people coming in.”

“Making the Argument with Nick Freitas” is available on BlazeTV+, YouTube, and major podcast platforms.

Start watching Nick Freitas NOW at blazetv.com and use the promo code NICK40 for $40 off your BlazeTV+ subscription.

​Britain, Immigrant, Immigration, Inflation, Konstantin kisin, Nick freitas, Reform, Blazetv show 

The president may be campaigning to help Republicans in the midterms, but he is allegedly already making plans for after the election.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump made stops in Texas and Oklahoma, but he took some time out for an old friend who has a storied history in both places.

‘So long as I’m here, you’re not going to have any problems.’

When the president visited Peterbilt Motors in Denton, Texas, he was greeted by the towering, pink-haired character who is Dennis Rodman.

Rodman went to college at the nearby North Central Texas College and also attended Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant, Oklahoma, where Trump held another rally later in the day.

In Texas, Trump pointed out Rodman in the crowd, calling him “the greatest guy” and a “friend for a long time.”

Trump communications adviser Margo Martin later posted a video of the two meeting face-to-face, where the president called Rodman the “best rebounder in the history of basketball,” with Rodman responding that Trump is “my friend.”

A source described as “close to Rodman” revealed to the New York Post that the president has big plans to reconnect with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the midterms, saying, “Trump wants to refocus again on North Korea and start talking about Kim Jong Un.”

The source added, “Dennis believes he’s the ambassador of goodwill between North Korea and the United States. As Trump ponders what to do next, he’s been soliciting ideas, and one of those key people he’s talking to is Dennis.”

The news comes as Washington Post reporter Josh Rogin claims that Rodman had a falling out with Kim Jong Un after allegedly getting too drunk during his last visit.

“He can’t help Trump with North Korean diplomacy anymore,” the reporter claimed.

RELATED: A warning for Republicans: Stop telling struggling Americans the economy is fine

A White House official told Blaze News: “President Trump in his first term held three historic summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula. U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed. President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong Un, without any preconditions. There has been no change on this policy.”

As Trump toured the facility in Texas, a reporter asked if he was “brokering any peace with North Korea with Dennis today.”

Trump replied, “I can tell you this: We have a good relationship, and you’re not going to have any problem — so long as I’m here, you’re not going to have any problems.”

“Somebody else comes, you could have some big problems,” the president added.

Joining Rodman at the Texas event was his girlfriend, a rapper called Yella Yella, who also said hello to the president.

“You’re with that guy?!” Trump asked her. “What the hell are you doing with him for?” he continued, as others laughed off-camera.

The rapper proudly posted images from the event on her Instagram page with the caption, “Hanging With TRUMP … wow,” with a shocked face and goat emojis.

RELATED: ‘Just follow the money’: NFL doctor reveals why so many players are getting injured

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Rodman, now 65, reportedly joined the president’s motorcade for the ride to Oklahoma, 740 the Fan reported.

The former athlete allegedly told Reuters that he hoped to speak to the president about “life.”

When asked if he was going to North Korea in the near future, Rodman reportedly replied, “If you buy the ticket.”

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​Dennis rodman, Donald trump, Kim jong un, North korea, Oklahoma, Politics, Texas 

A Canadian brewery has fired one of its owners who may have dared to question the mass Indian graves hoax.

After spending time fighting forest fires, planting trees, then working on a bottling line, John Adair took a risk and started a brewery with several other people in Sooke, British Columbia. It turns out that the real risk wasn’t starting a business in a small municipality but doing so with people who would instantly throw him under the bus to appease woke cranks.

‘Show me the evidence.’

The Sooke Brewing Company announced on Thursday that “John Adair has been terminated, effective immediately,” adding that his “views and actions do not reflect the values of Sooke Brewing Company, its ownership, or its staff.”

Adair had apparently done the unthinkable: He allegedly wore a shirt to work on Wednesday emblazoned with the statement, “Show me the evidence.”

While a shirt signaling a desire for evidence might appear innocuous to most people, the management team at the brewery deemed it “offensive” because of the day on which Adair allegedly wore it.

Since 2021, Canada has observed “National Day for Truth and Reconciliation” on Sept. 30, owing to legislation pushed by a former Liberal minister. According to the Canadian government, this federal statutory holiday — which is also known as “Orange Shirt Day” — was established to recognize so-called “survivors” of Canada’s now defunct residential school system.

The residential schools — which were in many cases operated by various Catholic dioceses as well as by Anglican and Presbyterian churches — were established across Canada in the 1880s as part of a federally mandated campaign to educate poor Indian children who had no alternative local school options and to assimilate them into contemporary society.

RELATED: Trump is right about the Smithsonian. Canada shows what happens when woke history wins.

Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

An estimated 150,000 children attended the schools over the course of a century.

“Orange Shirt Day” took off in the wake of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation’s announcement that children’s remains had been discovered in an apple orchard near a former Catholic-run residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Despite an absence of any real evidence of children’s remains in that area, what followed was a literal firestorm:

Hundreds of churches were torched and/or vandalized.Statues remembering historic figures were toppled.Canada Day festivities were canceled around the country.Catholic dioceses were targeted for extortion.Canadian institutions lowered the national flags in memory of the supposedly missing children.Then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other officials in Ottawa expressed grief over the supposed discovery.

A radical parliamentarian even passed a motion with unanimous consent demanding that the Canadian government “recognize what happened in Canada’s Indian residential schools as genocide.” Thousands of children allegedly did die while attending the schools, but the main killer was reportedly tuberculosis, which similarly swept through non-Indian populations.

In the years since the First Nation’s announcement, tens of millions of federal dollars have been wasted in hopes of recovering children’s graves that simply aren’t there. Not a single body has been found to date.

The Canadian self-flagellation nevertheless continues unabated, while activists lean on the Liberal government to criminalize skepticism about the unmarked graves hoax and the imagined “genocide.”

Leah Gazan, a member of the socialist New Democratic Party, has a private member’s bill before the House of Commons that would amend Canada’s Criminal Code so that anyone who “wilfully [sic] promotes hatred against Indigenous peoples by condoning, denying, downplaying, or justifying the Indian residential school system in Canada or by misrepresenting facts relating to it” would be guilty of an indictable offense punishable by up to two years in prison.

According to City News, a photo of Adair wearing a “Show me the evidence” T-shirt taken on Wednesday was widely circulated on Threads and was also shared on Reddit, prompting outrage and an effort on Google Reviews to tank the brewery’s score.

RELATED: Canadian state media backs secret plot to trap and humiliate Indian mass-grave skeptics

Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The woke online mob apparently figured that the shirt was referring to the unmarked graves or at least had something thematically to do with “Orange Shirt Day.”

The brewing company, which did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment, said in one of multiple statements on Facebook:

We are aware of the photograph circulating online showing a member of the Sooke Brewing Company ownership group wearing an offensive T-shirt while working at the brewery on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We want to be unequivocal: the message displayed on that shirt does not reflect the values of Sooke Brewing Company. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day to honour Survivors, remember the children who never returned home, acknowledge the profound and ongoing harms caused by residential schools, and reflect on the responsibility we all share in advancing reconciliation.

In the post announcing Adair’s termination, the company noted, “We are committed to Truth and Reconciliation and to respectful relationships with local First Nations communities and have reached out to First Nations leadership to listen, understand their concerns, and determine the appropriate next steps to ensure something like this does not happen again.”

When asked for comment, Adair told Blaze News, “Given the circumstances, I’m currently seeking legal advice before making any public statement.”

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​Unmarked graves, Justin trudeau, Canada, Kamloops, Hoax, Politics 

For years, the right has rented legal capacity by the hour. This week, the Oversight Project is changing that.

We are launching a new law firm led by Jeff Clark and backed by a multi-million-dollar investment from philanthropist Tom Klingenstein. Its job will be straightforward: provide rapid-response representation to people we believe are being hit with politically motivated subpoenas, investigations, lawsuits, and professional disciplinary actions — and pursue lawful remedies against those who abuse those processes.

The next time one of ours gets the subpoena, the bar complaint, the investigation, or the lawsuit, someone will be there to answer it.

In practical terms, we are building something the right has long lacked: a public-defender-style legal network for our side.

With Klingenstein’s help, the project aims to raise $10 million over two years and hire at least 15 lawyers. Clark already has a small legal team at the Oversight Project. The new firm will expand that capacity, pair it with our investigators, and build specialized expertise in constitutional, administrative, ethics, and First Amendment law.

That’s the news. The reason for it is simpler.

You are not going to get the politics and policy you want if your political allies are in jail, tied up in frivolous proceedings, fighting for their professional licenses, or going broke paying lawyers. You certainly will not get durable policy wins if people who might otherwise enter public life decide the personal price is too high.

Politics does not require everyone to become a political actor, and it should not. Most people should be able to focus on faith, family, work, and community. But some people choose to step into the public fight on everyone else’s behalf. They need a fair chance to survive it.

Lawfare threatens that. The left has learned to move political disputes from the ballot box and public square into criminal cases, civil litigation, bar proceedings, subpoenas, and investigations. It also has a much larger institutional legal ecosystem — major firms, nonprofit litigators, advocacy organizations, and in-house lawyers — capable of imposing costs and absorbing them.

The right is better positioned than it used to be. Conservative legal groups have built sophisticated litigation shops. Investigative organizations have become more aggressive. Procedural challenges, public-records suits, and constitutional litigation are no longer unusual.

But one hole remains: institutionalized capacity to represent individuals at little or no cost when the process itself becomes the punishment.

The right’s usual answer has been a legal-defense fund: raise money and pass it through to private firms billing hundreds or even thousands of dollars an hour. A few prominent figures get help. Plenty of staffers, lawyers, activists, and public servants do not.

I have seen that firsthand. A friend of mine, a young White House official, received a subpoena from the January 6 Committee and an unfriendly call from the FBI. The quotes he received merely to respond to the investigation were far beyond his means. I represented him pro bono.

RELATED: Inside Jack Smith’s Trump dragnet

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Most people in his position do not happen to have a friend who can do that. We are renting legal capacity we should own.

Jeff Clark understands the cost personally. He was arrested and indicted in Fulton County’s 2020 election case; those charges were later dismissed. He was swept into the federal investigation that became special counsel Jack Smith’s election case. He was subpoenaed by the January 6 Committee. And his D.C. Bar disciplinary case remains pending.

Clark knows what it costs to spend years inside criminal, congressional, and professional-disciplinary machinery. That’s one reason he is the right person to build this.

The new firm will defend clients when subpoenas, bar complaints, investigations, or lawsuits land. Salaried, mission-driven lawyers inside a nonprofit can represent far more people for far less money than a model that depends entirely on outside counsel.

Defense, however, is only half the plan.

Pairing the lawyers with Oversight Project investigators means we can also find the records behind abusive conduct and pursue damages, fees, sanctions, and other lawful consequences where the facts support them. A movement that only absorbs blows will eventually be outspent and worn down. The goal is to change the cost calculation for anyone who believes legal process can be weaponized without consequence.

That distinction is critical. This is not a license to manufacture cases against political opponents. If we become what we say we oppose, we have built nothing worth defending. The answer to abusive legal process is aggressive, lawful representation backed by evidence.

RELATED: The right needs a public defender network for lawfare

Tomloel/Getty Images

The firm will also build the next generation. We want young, hungry lawyers to get real responsibility early, work beside experienced counsel, and learn how to run cases rather than spend years carrying bags for partners. Lawyers who choose public duty over careerism should have a path to leadership.

For too long, much of the conservative legal movement has focused on commercial and regulatory questions important to major institutions. Other organizations have done strong work on the First and Second Amendments, education, abortion, and religious liberty.

We need that work. We also need lawyers ready to represent people fighting over election law, immigration, executive power, administrative government, and the emerging legal fights around populist and nationalist policy.

The left built a legal machine because it understood that legal infrastructure is political infrastructure. The right cannot keep renting lawyers by the hour and hoping donor generosity arrives after the damage is done.

That era is ending.

Jeff Clark and the Oversight Project are building a permanent institution to defend our allies and make abusive legal tactics more expensive to use. Judge us by the work.

But the next time one of ours gets the subpoena, the bar complaint, the investigation, or the lawsuit, someone will be there to answer it.

​Lawfare, Oversight project, Republicans, Democrats, Jeff clark, Legal defense, January 6, Lawsuits, Religious liberty, Opinion & analysis 

Would you let Google snoop around your closet? Your closet is a sacred domain for your most personal items, and now Google wants to peek inside. A new feature in Google Photos lets you virtually mix and match clothing items to create new outfits without physically trying them on. All it needs is an AI scan of you and your photo library to build your digital wardrobe.

That’s what the company hopes you’ll allow with the new Wardrobe feature in Google Photos. This was first announced back in April of this year, and after several long months and a multi-stage rollout, it is finally available to both Android and iOS users through the Google Photos app.

If your creep-o-meter is already leaning at full tilt, you’re not alone.

To find the new Wardrobe feature, open the Google Photos app, tap the “Create” tab at the bottom, and select “Outfit try-on” at the top. From here, you can start to build your digital wardrobe. All you have to do is let Google scan through your photo library in search of existing images of you that its AI can use to identify your face, body type, and clothing options from outfits you own.

If your creep-o-meter is already leaning at full tilt, you’re not alone. There’s something a bit skeevy about unleashing Google’s AI on your entire library so that it can build a digital model of you and every outfit you have worn throughout thousands of images.

And yet, for the sake of this article, I hit the button and let it root through my digital life to see what Wardrobe was all about. The process can take several hours, so feel free to run it in the background while you go about your day, if you’re so inclined.

Wardrobe in Google Photos/Zach Laidlaw

Alas, I didn’t meet the minimum requirement to put my wardrobe to use. You need at least 1,000 photos of yourself wearing easily identifiable clothing; otherwise the feature will come up blank.

For those who fit the bill, though, the feature lets you digitally “try on” up to six different items — including shirts, pants, and accessories — in your closet without going through the trouble of putting them on, similar to the clothing picker in the movie “Clueless.” This lets you easily see which items would go well together to better plan an outfit for the day.

The only thing you can’t do is add photos of clothes you find online to see how they look on you without buying them. Google’s Wardrobe is strictly meant for the things you already wear — at least for now.

RELATED: Google’s new daily helper knows all about you. Just how creepy is it?

Marina113/Getty Images

Naturally, Wardrobe in Google Photos raises plenty of concerns for potential misuse and abuse. For instance:

It’s available to anyone with “an eligible Google Account that meets the minimum age requirements for your country or region.” In the United States, that age limit is 13. Digging deeper into Google’s age restrictions, users as young as 13 are permitted to use Google AI via Gemini, though some generative AI photo features are reserved for users 18 years old and up. It’s unclear where Wardrobe fits into this structure and whether or not minors can be scanned and uploaded into the system.Google Photos lets you choose which person you want to stylize at the initial setup, aside from yourself. That means you can technically select a friend, family member, or a complete stranger to use as a digital doll to test outfits as you see fit.Some garments are more intimate than others. There is no documentation as to how Google’s Wardrobe handles more private apparel, should these appear in a photo scan.

Blaze News reached out to Google to clarify these misuse and abuse concerns, and a spokesperson provided the following response:

We take protecting kids seriously. We have strong safeguards for the Google Photos Wardrobe feature, including restrictions on allowed clothing types, modesty guardrails to prevent nudity, and age limits that prevent access by younger users.

Google added that revealing clothing, like swimwear and lingerie, are prohibited for all users. “Child account holders” under age 13 cannot use the Wardrobe in Google Photos at all, though based on Google’s age criteria, underage teenagers may still have access. Lastly, Wardrobe is governed by Google’s generative AI prohibited use policy that strictly prohibits the creation of intimate imagery, child exploitation, and abuse.

Since Wardrobe is closely tied to Google’s AI endeavors, it’s restricted to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers for now. However, as with many of Google’s paid exclusives, Wardrobe could eventually trickle down to free customers as well. Luckily, Google’s Wardrobe feature can’t activate until you enable it manually.

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​Google, Google ai, Artificial intelligence, Tech