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I'm George Gerbo, and welcome to Washington Times Weekly, where we get a chance to sit down with our reporters and talk about their coverage of the latest news and events. And joining us today is Capitol Hill reporter Lindsey McPherson.
Spencer Pratt is liberal Los Angeles’ favorite new villain.The former "The Hills" star became an unlikely political gadfly after his house burned down in the January 2025 Palisades Fire. Ever since he launched his increasingly high-profile mayoral campaign, Hollywood’s liberal elite and the prestige media can’t resist conflating the man with the heel he played on the MTV series.'That whole plot was scripted.'But just because it's called "reality TV" doesn't mean it's real.Apparently the smart set now needs a refresher in what it likes to call "media literacy."Rube tubeIn late April, Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" called Pratt "a candidate who makes white women over 40 go 'Oh yeah! That guy ... ew,'" while splicing together clips from the 2000s hit.Host Ronny Chieng described Pratt as exhibiting "TV villain behavior."Rolling Stone referred to Pratt as a villain several times in its piece on Pratt, quoting several lines from the show as evidence of his character.Same goes for "nonprofit & nonpartisan" outlet Cal Matters, which said that being "a villain on a reality TV show" and having one's house burn down are not qualifications to become mayor of Los Angeles.None of the 42-year-old candidate's detractors seem to have considered what most of us find obvious: "The Hills" was made up, and Pratt was playing a role. RELATED: Karen Bass roasted over plan for free dental care for homeless meth addicts Charley Gallay/Getty Images Curtain call-outFor those who require proof, the show — which drew in 6 million viewers at its height — exposed its own artifice in its 2010 finale, with star Brody Jenner watching as the backdrop literally pulled away to reveal a set, complete with producers and lighting. Jenner's co-star then came out of a car that was shown to have driven away just seconds before.So scripted was "The Hills" that producers even shot an alternate ending.Pratt's wife, Heidi, has also copped to the show's lack of reality. "That whole plot was scripted," she said about a storyline involving her job promotion. "I pretend-worked there, so it was obviously a pretend promotion," she noted.RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel's sister-in-law slammed with backlash for reportedly bullying local business — over Spencer Pratt cookies Cuba libreThose scorning Pratt for his fictional villainy might also be surprised by the truth about other well-known "Hills" plots. Spencer dating Audrina? Whitney becoming Lauren's boss at Teen Vogue? "Totally fake."In typical heel fashion, Pratt seems to relish the charges of villainy — even using them against his opponent, Mayor Karen Bass (D). When former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Lisa Rinna suggested Pratt's reality TV background disqualified him for office, Pratt shot back, "Hey Lisa, if you're against me because I was on a TV show in my 20's, wait til you learn what Karen Bass was doing in her 20's."Pratt was referring to Bass’ involvement in the Venceremos Brigade, a far-left activist group tied to communist Cuba during the 1970s. The organization organized trips for young American radicals to work and train in Fidel Castro’s Cuba at the height of the Cold War, drawing everyone from Maoists to self-described revolutionaries into the orbit of the regime.Bass has acknowledged traveling to Cuba multiple times with the group as a young activist, though she has downplayed suggestions that she held any leadership role.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
A recent Gallup poll revealed that 71% of Americans are opposed to the construction of a data center in their community. The opposition is bipartisan, with primary concerns revolving around increased water and electricity usage, environmental impact, and higher utility bills.
If you are a parent who is interested in FIRE, you should listen to Andy Hill's podcast, Marriage, Kids, & Money on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. It's a great show that talks
Letter in a Bottle from Grandma in 2010, rediscovered in 2024.
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned nearly four years ago, countless pro-life organizations have pushed new regulations on abortion. Many of those same groups have rushed to declare victory, claiming that conservative states are now “abortion-free.”But when pro-life organizations declare any state “abortion-free,” they celebrate a victory that does not exist — and drastically overstate the impact of pro-life laws.The preborn babies murdered under the cover of our laws deserve more than semantic victories. They deserve equal protection.These claims don’t just mislead. They undermine the cause these organizations claim to champion.Exaggerating victoriesThe claim that some states are “abortion-free” isn’t rare. It has become standard messaging.Students for Life published a map three years ago declaring that 14 states are now “abortion-free.” Frank Pavone, who leads Priests for Life, has made the same claim about Mississippi. National Right to Life called Kentucky “abortion-free” as recently as last summer. LifeNews has become notorious for amplifying inflated or misleading abortion claims from pro-life groups at the state level.These declarations suggest abortion has been eliminated in these states. The reality says otherwise.Pro-life leaders do not make clear that in every state labeled “abortion-free,” abortions remain legal for women who want to kill their preborn babies.Many conservative states shut down abortion clinics and imposed penalties on providers. At the same time, those states wrote explicit exemptions into law protecting women from prosecution for willfully obtaining abortions.That wasn’t a mistake. Pro-life organizations crafted and promoted that policy.Self-induced abortionsLegal immunity for women who murder their preborn babies created a massive loophole. It also opened the door to a surge in self-induced abortions.Women in “abortion-free” states can order abortion pills online from telehealth providers operating under shield laws in blue states or from overseas providers.In many cases, it remains perfectly legal to order these pills, possess them, and use them at home. The scale of this practice — even in conservative states — is staggering.Consider Kentucky, which National Right to Life called “abortion-free.”In Kentucky, more than 2,800 women in 2024 received mail-order abortion pills through telehealth providers alone, according to data from the Society of Family Planning.That does not include the more than 4,300 Kentucky women who traveled to other states for abortions in 2024, according to the Guttmacher Institute. It also does not capture self-induced abortions outside the formal medical system.Kentucky is not an outlier.RELATED: How a pro-life law in Kentucky lets mothers get away with murder Carl Lokko via iStock/Getty ImagesWhen all available data is considered, the 14 conservative states that have banned or mostly banned abortion — the same states pro-life groups often call “abortion-free” — saw at least 250,000 preborn babies murdered in 2024.That number represents a sharp increase from the 181,000 abortions recorded in those states in 2019.In other words, pro-life laws have not created states with fewer abortions. They have created states where abortion has shifted away from clinics and toward self-induced abortions at home — abortions that remain legal for the mother who commits them.How can abortion increase while pro-life organizations claim success? Because many have misrepresented what they mean by “abortion-free.”When these groups say “abortion-free,” they mean abortion clinics have closed. They do not mean abortions have stopped. It’s like calling a city “crime-free” because the district attorney refuses to prosecute criminals. The semantics conceal the reality.Opposing abolitionEven more troubling, major pro-life organizations often oppose the bills that would actually abolish abortion.When lawmakers introduce equal protection bills — proposals that would make abortion illegal for everyone, including pregnant mothers — pro-life organizations often mobilize against them.This has happened dozens of times across the country. The reasoning stays consistent: Pro-life groups insist women are victims of abortion and should not face legal consequences, even when they deliberately order abortion pills and self-induce abortions at home.When pro-life groups oppose equal protection bills and then claim their states are “abortion-free,” they don’t merely exaggerate. They sabotage.Everyday anti-abortion Americans hear “abortion-free” and assume the fight is over. Activism slows. Political pressure fades. Donations and support shift elsewhere. Meanwhile organizations that should be pressing for equal protection instead suppress the only laws that would actually end abortion.In the meantime, abortion continues unabated — simply moved from clinics to living rooms.The pro-life establishment has redefined victory to fit what it has achieved, not what it claims to seek. It has declared victory over a substitute target — abortion clinics — while the killing of preborn children continues through abortion pills and interstate travel.RELATED: Why the pro-life movement fails without a Christian worldview wildpixel via iStock/Getty ImagesDemanding honestyAmericans who oppose abortion deserve honesty from the organizations claiming to represent them.If abortion can still be performed legally in a state through mail-order pills, that state is not “abortion-free.” If abortion numbers rise rather than fall, victory has not arrived. If pro-life groups oppose laws that would make abortion illegal for everyone, they owe the public an explanation.Abolishing abortion requires equal protection under the law: making the killing of any human being illegal for everyone, without exception or compromise.Until major pro-life organizations support that principle, their claims of creating “abortion-free” states remain not just premature but dishonest.The preborn babies murdered under the cover of our laws deserve more than semantic victories. They deserve equal protection — and Americans who oppose abortion deserve leaders honest enough to admit when that goal remains unmet.
A Democrat mayor joined a mob of activists to shut down the painting of a mural in honor of Iryna Zarutska in Providence, Rhode Island, but the muralist is getting the last laugh.Mayor Brett Smiley said the mural was against the values of the city after the owners of a prominent gay bar previously said they would allow it to be painted on one of their walls.'She worked to build a life for herself and lost it along the way. This mural is our way of honoring her on a building owned by an immigrant family who understands that journey.'Halfway through the commission of the mural, the owners of the Dark Lady changed their minds and said on social media that the outrage from the LGBTQIA+ community forced them to stop the painting.Now the mural has found a new home at a Lebanese restaurant instead of the gay bar.The owner of Opa the Phoenician on Atwells Avenue is donating space for the mural on Federal Hill."She was once an immigrant chasing the American dream," said Francois Karam about Zarutska. "She worked to build a life for herself and lost it along the way. This mural is our way of honoring her on a building owned by an immigrant family who understands that journey." He went on to say that the decision wasn't made out of political motivation. A Change.org petition garnered more than 13,600 signatures from those who demanded that the mural be returned to the Dark Lady's wall. In an email statement to Blaze News, the petition creator lamented that the voices against the mural had won. "While I appreciate that a version of Iryna Zarutska's mural has been allowed to go up at Opa Restaurant on Atwells Avenue, this is no real victory. It’s a quiet concession to political pressure," said Anthony D'Ellena, a local Republican committee chairman. "Mayor Smiley called the original prominent mural ‘divisive’ and used his influence to bully the first business into removing it," he added. "Now Iryna gets a diminished, tucked-away tribute on a side wall instead of the bold, visible memorial she deserved in downtown Providence." A separate petition on Change.org opposing the mural garnered 15 signatures.RELATED: New butterfly species named in honor of Ukrainian woman brutally murdered on NC light rail D'Ellena said in an update to the petition that he would continue to fight for the return of the mural. The brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska, an immigrant who survived the war in Ukraine, was captured on security video from the Charlotte, North Carolina, light rail system. A suspect with a history of mental illness and violent crime was arrested and sparked a campaign against lax law enforcement policies.Mayor Smiley is running for re-election in 2026 against another Democrat on the ballot as well as a third Democrat candidate who is a convicted child molester.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
This week on the Active Self Protection Podcast we sit down with Beverly Hills, CA resident Adam and discuss the recent day he was walking home from coffee and was accosted by two random thugs who
Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) is reminding Maine voters she remains on the ballot as pressure mounts for Democratic front-runner Graham Platner to drop out as each successive scandal jeopardizes Democrats’ chances of flipping a crucial Senate race.
Bitcoin meetups for the UK and Ireland for 17th - 23rd February 2025.
