A star pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers would not bow to gay Pride on Friday night, marking another instance of what has become a consistent occurrence for the organization for the last few years.

The Dodgers’ 2026 Pride Night against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium was not without controversy, but the most contentious moment was saved for the end of the game.

‘Blake Treinen is not a team player.’

In a year when MLB teams have significantly toned down home-game promotions of certain sexualities — most teams are simply offering special ticket packages — the Dodgers opted to wear hats that celebrate transgenderism, among other things, for the fifth straight year.

However, the team’s progressive celebrations hit a bump in the road of total compliance when pitcher Blake Treinen entered the game in the ninth inning. “Blake Treinen’s coming in!” the announcer said as Treinen entered the game.

As he jogged out to the mound, it was obvious to all that he was wearing a standard Dodgers cap, devoid of special themes. Viewers were apparently triggered over the idea that the 37-year-old wouldn’t simply comply.

“Imagine hating gay people so much that you refuse to wear a hat with a rainbow on it,” one viewer wrote on X.

RELATED: LA Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen puts Christian faith front and center ahead of World Series: ‘Make heaven crowded’

Popular baseball account “Not Gaetti” said fans should be horrified that Treinen won’t put the rainbow hat on.

“Whatever your beliefs, it should horrify you that a guy who gets paid $11,000,000 per year can’t be bothered to wear his employer-assigned uniform for the 5 minutes he spends in the ballgame,” the fan wrote. “Blake Treinen is not a team player.”

These comments don’t represent everyone’s views, though, especially not all Dodgers players or fans.

Recently retired Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was famously outspoken about the Pride Nights and even chose to write a Bible verse on his rainbow hat last season.

Kershaw had taken issue with the celebrations for years, speaking out against the team inviting the highly controversial and anti-Christian activist group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in 2023. Kershaw said at the time he felt the group was making fun of his faith.

The group’s invitation to Dodger Stadium also spawned a massive protest in response.

RELATED: Justin Bieber confesses Christian faith in candid livestream

Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

The Dodgers debuted their Pride hats in 2022, and interestingly, although Treinen has played on the team since the tradition began, this was the first time he pitched on a Pride Night. Treinen was injured during the 2022 and 2023 events and simply wasn’t put into the games in 2024 and 2025.

Last year, Treinen made headlines for a different kind of political activism when he wore a message in support of Charlie Kirk after Kirk was assassinated during a campus tour stop in Utah.

Treinen’s hat read “Charlie Kirk” across the side, with a cross on both sides.

Treinen pitched one-third of an inning on Friday. The Dodgers won 1-0 on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.

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​Fearless, Mlb, Pride night, Baseball, Los angeles dodgers, Blake treinen, Christianity, Sports 

In a quiet Washington suburb, a married couple thought they were raising their three children in a safe and supportive community. Instead, they say they found themselves locked in a years-long battle with school officials and state policies over their daughter’s gender identity.

The couple spoke anonymously to Heywire News.

According to the parents, their 10-year-old daughter was assigned one of her elementary school therapists after she reportedly spoke to a classmate about harming herself. Over the next few months, the parents were left in the dark by the school, not receiving any information on their daughter’s progress, they claimed.

‘The school was hiding things from us, the teacher was hiding things from us.’

One day, the therapist finally informed the parents, but it was not what they expected to hear.

“[The therapist] was using male pronouns and a different name to explain to me that our daughter wanted to come out to us as a boy, and she was giving us a few days to process this,” the mother said.

According to Washington state law, all school districts must adopt a policy that prevents employees from disclosing “a student’s transgender or gender nonconforming status to … the student’s parents” unless the student consents.

Traumatized by the news and worried for their daughter’s future, the parents decided on homeschooling. Years later, she returned to school as a high school freshman.

RELATED: Librarian refuses to move LGBTQ+ propaganda away from kids — and seals her fate

The choice to allow the girl to attend public school again would only end up worsening the situation.

“The school was hiding things from us, the teacher was hiding things from us. … There were other students that were working against us,” the mother said.

A staff member in an after-school program even provided the girl with a burner phone and set up a host family so that she could run away from home, the parents claimed.

“They had devised a plan for her to run away. Adults planning with the child to take them from the parents. And hide them and allow the state to control them,” the father exclaimed to Heywire on the brink of tears.

Since Washington state law allows minors seeking gender-related treatment to remain in a licensed youth shelter for up to 90 days without parental permission, the father decided to uproot his family and move across the country to the East Coast in fear of losing control of his daughter.

“The state can house your child, not divulge any details as to their location, physical health, mental health. You’re essentially separated from your child, and the state knows where they are, but the parents don’t. That was the primary concern,” the father explained.

He added, “There’s a lot of kids that we know and families that we know that have been torn apart by this. Not only in our neighborhood, but in the county, in the state. I mean we’re not a one-off here. This has become pervasive.”

Vicki Murray, the director of the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center, focuses her research on school choice and parental rights in education. In a statement to Blaze News, Murray said, “When there is a real concern about a student’s safety, mandatory reporting and child welfare protocols are the appropriate mechanism — not a blanket policy of withholding information from parents. … Outside of documented safety concerns, the default should be transparency with parents.”

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​Transgender, Politics, Washington state, Education 

Six people were hurt in a stabbing at New York City’s Penn Station Sunday evening, the Associated Press reported, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Monday night’s Game 3 NBA Finals matchup between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden — the storied entertainment venue located above Penn Station in the same midtown Manhattan complex.

A suspect was taken into custody after the attack, which took place around 7 p.m., the AP said.

‘Penn Station is not known for being the most safe area, especially in the evening, especially with just how busy it’s been recently with the Knicks game [and] Trump coming.’

Paramedics found one victim with serious injuries, two with moderate injuries, and two with minor injuries, the outlet said, citing the city’s fire department.

The AP said those five victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, while another individual whose condition was not immediately known was taken to a separate hospital.

In a roped-off area near Tracks 5 and 6, medical gloves, discarded bandages, and traces of blood still marked the floor Sunday night, the AP said.

RELATED: Thug reportedly with 131 prior arrests just got charged with setting homeless man on fire while victim slept

In addition to the huge crowds expected to descend upon Madison Square Garden for the first NBA Finals game there since 1999, Trump said he plans to attend the game as well, the outlet said.

The president’s plans prompted heightened security measures involving the Secret Service, the New York City Police Department, and other agencies around Madison Square Garden and surrounding blocks, the AP said.

However, authorities did not immediately indicate if the stabbing would affect security plans for the game, the outlet noted.

Sources told the New York Post that 51-year-old Hector Deleon “unleashed the unprovoked attack … inside the New Jersey Transit boarding area.”

The Post said sources indicated that Deleon is believed to be homeless and was arrested in May in New Jersey on assault and narcotics charges. The paper said details of that arrest were not immediately available.

Sources added to the Post that the victims of the stabbing attack were all men who range in age from 30 to 60 and were believed to be innocent bystanders.

“Wow, I mean, I guess I’m not surprised, though,” Sanai Rashid, 21, told the paper. “I mean, Penn Station is not known for being the most safe area, especially in the evening, especially with just how busy it’s been recently with the Knicks game [and] Trump coming. It’s been a bit of a messy summer in general. I think crime does go up as well, but I do think there probably should be more security in Penn Station, but that’s devastating.”

The AP called Penn Station one of the nation’s busiest transportation hubs, which serves Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit, and New York City subway lines and is used by “hundreds of thousands of commuters and travelers each day.”

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​Arrest, Madison square garden, Nba finals, New york city, Penn station, Police, Stabbing, Donald trump, Security concerns, Crime 

A tourist attraction meant to captivate children ended up with one of them being beaten up.

China’s flagship robots have shown to malfunction so much that it is hard to take the showcase from February as seriously as before, and now they are endangering children.

‘The humanoid was described as a “Jerk clown robot.”‘

Months ago, Unitree, one of China’s leading robotics companies, was showing off moves that seemed both futuristic and flawless. Now, the cracks have begun show in the models, along with the distinct possibility that they are being used as spy machines.

The latest hijinks from the Unitree G1 model took place at Children’s Day in Xinjiang, China. The public seemingly lined up at the popular tourist spot called the Urumqi Botanical Garden, Newsflare reported, to see a kung-fu demonstration from one of the humanoid bots.

While performing a routine, a robot fitted with a blue wig took just seven seconds to kick a nearby child in the stomach.

RELATED: ‘Anti-clanker’: Why millions of people are cheering this android’s humiliation

The routine was seemingly stopped, with the robot slowly backing off as it was likely being controlled in some manner.

The bot was described as a “jerk clown robot” by Russian outlet RT, which reported that while the child “was not seriously hurt,” his mother complained that staff at the event were slow to react.

Days earlier, children were presented with similar robots in a “Waste-to-robot” event for kindergartners in Huaibei, Anhui Province, of China. Children crafted their robots out of waste for a presentation, before getting getting their hands on one of Unitree’s expensive ($13,500) G1 bots.

The event was a celebration in the lead-up to Children’s Day.

In late May, another G1 took a stumble seen around the world during an attempt at a Michael Jackson dance routine.

RELATED: China debuts ‘scary’ martial arts robots capable of backflips and weapons training

Feng Shufeng/VCG/Getty Images

While dancing to the classic song “Billie Jean,” a G1 face-planted on a flight of stairs and remained motionless until it was embarrassingly dragged offstage by a staff member.

A different dance routine went off the rails in February when a street-performer bot took a tumble. The robot flailed as the likely owner tried to grab it, resulting in a swift kick in the face that reportedly left the man’s nose bloody.

Axios reported on research last year that showed there was public-facing spyware installed in some of Unitree’s robots, meaning anyone with the proper information could view live camera feeds without login credentials through the bots, specifically Unitree’s G01 robot dogs.

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​Robots, China, Xinjiang, Unitree, Tech 

Will artificial intelligence disrupt and revolutionize the betting industry moving forward?

Some companies are looking to answer that question ahead of the 2026 World Cup, by compiling data and feeding it through AI agents.

‘Are soccer fans better off with AI rather than simply going with the odds?’

One such company fed Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.6 over 1,200 data points to predict every match in the World Cup and determine the outcome.

The analysis from Action Network delivered 57 pages and more than 19,000 words on who would win which match, mapping out an entire bracket for soccer fans.

AI predictions

Using “international form, World Cup history, squad market value” and “coach profiles,” the in-depth look from Claude had France as the winner over Argentina in the final.

World Soccer Talk took a similar approach with Google Gemini and included analysis of style of play, performance under certain climates, squad depth, and manager performance. The AI spit out Spain as the most likely winner of the tournament. However, asking Gemini for a simple prediction straight up would have garnered the same outcome, with Spain winning 2-1 over France.

RELATED: FIFA president reveals why World Cup tickets are so expensive — because they can be

FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

Microsoft CoPilot figured the consistency, “elite depth,” and pipeline of talent were reasons enough to predict France as the likely winner, according to AS.

An “unusually strong blend of factors” such as prime-age talent and an “established possession-based system” were among the factors ChatGPT gave to place Spain as the likely winner for 2026, in a 2-1 win over France.

The only AI to go slightly off-the-board was Grok, which cited “unmatched” squad depth coupled with elite attackers as the reason why Brazil will likely win the tournament, 2-1 over France.

AI versus the house

By using either complex analyses or even simply posing the question to chatbots, are soccer fans better off with AI rather than simply going with the odds?

The short answer is no.

Gamblers will steal lean with their intuition and real-life knowledge of the teams, and while these reports could assist in completing a bracket, casual or for-fun bettors are just as well off to go with the favorites.

Most odds-setters have listed Spain and France as neck-and-neck favorites to win, typically around +450.

RELATED: Computers are now depreciating slower than cars — the reason is enraging

Luke Hales/Getty Images

Grok going with Brazil to win it all — which is listed as the fourth or fifth favorite behind England and sometimes Argentina — is the only outlier of the popular chatbots that did not go with a favorite.

What this likely means is that the information that is publicly available and provided to the chatbots is essentially the same; this is not the same as an NFL team using their own internal scouting data to find their next draft pick — this is chatbots farming the same data used by odds-makers and coming to similar conclusions.

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​Ai models, Artificial intelligence, Chatbots, Gambling, World cup, Tech 

President Donald Trump joined Kristen Welker of NBC News’ “Meet the Press” in a Wisconsin barn for an interview that aired on Sunday, covering a wide range of topics, including the war in Iran, Israel’s escalating attacks against Lebanon, the economy, and the prospect of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates.

It became unmistakably clear nearly 40 minutes into the interview that the American president’s patience had been sapped by Welker’s incessant needling and contradictions.

‘You know that these elections are rigged.’

Late in the interview, Trump defended his proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which would provide compensation to victims of government weaponization, making whole those who’ve “been hurt so badly by radical left lunatics that worked for the Biden administration and Sleepy Joe.”

Welker — whose approach does not appear to have undergone any refinements following her humiliating interviews with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — responded both by concern-mongering about restitution going to certain Jan. 6 protesters and by pushing back against the president’s characterization of ex-FBI Director James Comey as a “dirty cop.”

The NBC News talking head proceeded to claim, repeatedly, that the president’s narrative regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, protests was baseless. Welker stated that there was “no evidence” that there were FBI agents ushering Jan. 6 protesters into the Capitol; “no evidence” that there were “dirty cops” on the scene; and “no evidence” that the Biden administration had sent innocent people to prison.

RELATED: Spencer Pratt’s 40,000-vote lead vanishes in Los Angeles mayor race as California continues counting ballots

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Welker then attempted to pivot to a different subject, but Trump refused to let her have the last word on the matter.

“There’s a lot of evidence,” said Trump. “Listen to me: There’s tremendous evidence. There’s nothing but evidence.”

“Well, it’s not been presented in a court of law,” said Welker.

Trump, unfazed by Welker’s many interruptions, stated, “The election was rigged. It was a dirty election — and it’s happening again right now in California.”

Welker tested Trump’s patience again only to find that she had exhausted it.

After she said there was no evidence of improprieties in the California elections, Trump said, “They’re crooked just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked.”

“To be fair, I’m not crooked,” said Welker. “But let’s continue.”

“Really? Well, you play right into their hands then,” said Trump. “You’re either crooked, or you’re stupid.”

“You play right into their hands with this stuff. You know that these elections are rigged,” continued the president. “Your network knows that they’re rigged. Do you know that I won an election in a landslide, and I got 94% bad press. You know why I got that? Because you have no credibility.”

The sputtering talking head’s attempts to salvage the interview proved to be in vain as Trump was properly incensed.

“Your elections in this country — we’re like a third-world country. Your elections are crooked, and you’re crooked, and ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” said Trump. “And so is ABC and CBS and CNN. You’re one-sided, crooked networks. Let’s call it quits. I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”

Welker complained about having to travel “all the way” to Wisconsin for the interview and pleaded with Trump to stay. After leaving her with some advice — “straighten out your press” — the president rose to his feet, stepped on his lapel microphone, and marched off.

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​California, Donald trump, Election, Fake news, James comey, Jan 6, Kristen welker, Meet the press, Nbc news, Stolen election, Politics 

Pride Month is underway, and no one is more excited for it than the Boston Public Library — as the library is kicking off the month with a schedule of 19 drag queen story hours for children.

“Children and families are invited to come and celebrate Pride Month with drag queen Ms. Patty for a fun-filled story hour of songs, stories, and more!” one advertisement reads.

Another advertisement boasts a “bilingual drag story time with Just JP” — which is for children just ages 3 and up with an adult.

“A bilingual story hour celebrating Pride Month that raises awareness of gender diversity, promotes self-acceptance, and builds empathy through an enjoyable literary experience,” the advertisement reads.

“Sin induces insanity too. If we look at the Boston Public Library, it’s hosting 19 drag queen story time events. I had to double check that. Nineteen drag queen story time events for children during Pride Month,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey says, shocked.

The age limits for the different drag story hours range from 18 months to 5 years old.

“Now, when you think about what a drag queen is, it is a man with prosthetic breasts, with fake nails, with huge hair, with lots of makeup, performing in this case for children,” Stuckey says, asking, “Now, what good reason do we have to present a cross-dressing man that uses a character version of femininity to perform to children?”

“There is something inherently sexual about drag. Don’t let anyone tell you different, that it’s just about inclusion, it’s just about something different, showing kids that it’s OK to be different. No, it’s sowing confusion, and it is sowing seeds of weird sexuality from a very early age. There’s no good reason for it.”

“This is all funded by the taxpayers in Boston. I just want to remind you of that. As of this month, the city faces a budget deficit of nearly $50 million,” she adds.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Relatable, Allie beth stuckey, Boston, Drag queen story hour, Lgbtq, Pride month, Relatable with allie beth stuckey 

Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt was on track to advance to the November general election for mayor of Los Angeles against incumbent Karen Bass. However, over the weekend, third-place challenger L.A. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman began to make substantial gains amid California’s week-long vote-counting process.

Pratt appeared to have a strong lead over Raman on Wednesday, one day after the election, with over 40,000 more votes. That lead slowly shrank over the next several days, dropping to a 33,000-vote lead on Friday.

‘43,000, huh? Where have I seen that number before…?’

Raman jumped from roughly 111,000 votes on Wednesday to 197,000 as of Monday morning, allowing her to squeak past Pratt by just over 3,000 votes, according to the Associated Press.

“On election night, Pratt led Raman by about 40,000 votes — roughly a 10-point advantage,” KTTV reporter Matthew Seedorff stated. “As of tonight, Raman now leads Pratt by about 3,100 votes, a net swing of more than 43,000 votes since Tuesday.”

“43,000, huh? Where have I seen that number before…?” Pratt replied in a post on social media, sharing a screenshot of a March article about the 43,699 homeless people living in Los Angeles. “Probably nothing.”

Nearly one week after Election Day, California has counted only 83% of the votes.

The AP has not yet reported who will go head-to-head with Bass in the runoff race.

RELATED: Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman shrink Karen Bass’ lead in tight race for LA mayor: Poll

Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

The final polls leading up to the election showed the three candidates separated by a few points.

A survey conducted May 19-24 by the University of California Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times gave Bass just a one-point lead over Raman and a four-point lead over Pratt, which the Times referred to as “statistically insignificant” for the incumbent mayor.

When asked which issues matter most to them, nearly all of the surveyed Pratt supporters expressed concern about waste and political corruption, as well as crime and public safety. Meanwhile, Bass and Raman supporters, who provided similar responses, stated that they prioritize protecting immigrants, moving the homeless indoors, and building more affordable housing.

RELATED: Democrats unleash ‘secret weapon’ to go after Spencer Pratt in a last-ditch effort to end his campaign

HIGHFIVE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

While the mayoral race is nonpartisan, Pratt, a registered Republican, has run an impressive campaign in the Democratic stronghold city where only 15% of the population is registered as Republican.

Voters will begin receiving mail-in ballots for the general election in early October.

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​News, Spencer pratt, Karen bass, California, Los angeles, Nithya raman, Politics 

Several U.S. servicemen say they were screened for mental illness after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

They are given a voice in the documentary “Duty to Disobey,” which showcases stories from current and former military members who were seemingly treated with malice under the Joe Biden administration.

‘An 11x rise in neurological deficits after the vaccine.’

The production comes from Children’s Health Defense, an organization founded in 2007 that was chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from 2015 to 2023.

Cattle call

In the documentary, military members described the mass amount of vaccines they were given during their service time, with one describing soldiers as being “lined up like cattle” to receive shots they never agreed to.

Much of the documentary’s first half touches on the history and duty of those in the military to lawfully disobey orders, the primary thesis of the film. Some examples like the Abu Ghraib prison as well as the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War were provided as instances in which soldiers were criticized for not refusing unlawful orders.

“In court, it is never a defense to say, ‘Well, I was ordered to do it,’ if you knew it was unlawful,” said Nick Kupper, retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant.

RELATED: D-Day drama ‘Pressure’ celebrates forgotten values

Shocking numbers

The film also discussed Gulf War syndrome and linked it to the anthrax vaccine as an example of when disobeying an immunization would have proved beneficiary to service members. Veterans Affairs says, “Further research has found no evidence that links the anthrax vaccine with illness among Gulf War Veterans.”

The film follows discussions with armed forces members like Dr. Theresa M. Long, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army who said she experienced a medical practitioner’s lifetime of epidemiology in terms of vaccine side effects.

This included heart attacks, strokes, and even multiple sclerosis in young soldiers as a result of the vaccine, she claimed.

Pete “Doc” Chambers, a retired lieutenant colonel and Green Beret for the U.S. Army, said that Long alerted him to internal statistics about the vaccine side effects and was just as shocked to see the numbers.

“1,100% — an 11x rise in neurological deficits” after the vaccine, Chambers claimed, which refers to abnormal neurologic function in a specific part of the body, caused by injury or dysfunction in the brain.

Doc also said that after he and Long exposed the true nature of the injuries, the internal network went offline, and figures were presented differently once the service went back online.

RELATED: ‘Glowing orbs’ disclosed in military UFO docs — 10 feet in front of an intelligence official

LEX EDELMAN/AFP/Getty Images

‘Insider threat’

Several people featured in the documentary said they were tested for mental health issues when they dared to link the mRNA vaccine to medical problems they were having. A former major and chaplain said he was taken for a mental evaluation after being told he must have something wrong with him if he thought his heart problems stemmed from the vaccine.

A staff segreant was described as an “insider threat” in internal documents that said he may have been “potentially radicalized by an anti-US government group in the wake of his refusal to take the COVID vaccine.”

“Duty to Disobey” is an eye-opening production that provides relatively shocking information even to those who may go into their viewing having already agreed with its premise.

At just over an hour, the documentary goes into potential remedies for the former members that suggest job and schooling offers and updates to the U.S. military’s religious accommodation process.

However, the bulk of the piece centers around the extraordinary stories and hardships suffered by servicemen during the COVID-19 years.

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​Lifestyle, Vaccines, Military, Covid-19