@The Blaze
WNBA star Caitlin Clark may be known for her incredible skills on the basketball court, but sportscasters don’t seem to care about that. Rather, they choose to focus on something else: her race. “When given a chance to talk about Caitlin Clark, they’re always going to racialize it and try to demonize Caitlin Clark’s fanbase,” Jason Whitlock of “Fearless” comments. “Covering the WNBA this past season, Caitlin Clark’s rookie year, for all of the conversation that surrounded her, some which was fair, and some which wasn’t, the one thing that I cannot deny is the amount of little girls that were showing up to follow her,” ESPN analyst Monica McNutt said in a recent interview on BBC. “She was a white girl from the middle of America, and so she represented a whole lot to a lot of people,” McNutt continued, adding, “We attach our fandom to these icons for all types of reasons, and sometimes they may not be based in all truth.” Whitlock believes the interviewer, BBC journalist Katty Kay, spurred on the race baiting. “Did you see the strategy of the white liberal woman that was there to spur on the race baiting?” he asks. “She’s trying to lob up a softball, ‘play the race card Monica McNutt,’ and this is where I’m going to defend Monica McNutt.” “There’s that kernel and element of truth that Caitlin Clark and all the little suburban white girls that have hopped on board with the WNBA have hopped on board because Caitlin Clark resonates with them more so than the, and I’m just generalizing here, than the angry black lesbians who dominate the WNBA.” “There’s a high percentage of them, and they all like to get in front of a microphone and express their anger and demonize whiteness. The entire league went head over heels for Black Lives Matter,” he continues, adding, “So yes, have parents in suburbia and little girls in suburbia said, ‘Hey, I can relate to Caitlin Clark, look at her nuclear family, look at her Catholic nuclear family, she’s like us, she has a boyfriend.’” “Yes, people find that relatable,” 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.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/fearless-with-jason-whitlock/caitlin-clark
WNBA star Caitlin Clark may be known for her incredible skills on the basketball court, but sportscasters don’t seem to care about that. Rather, they choose to focus on something else: her race. “When given a chance to talk about Caitlin Clark, they’re always going to racialize it and try to demonize Caitlin Clark’s fanbase,” Jason Whitlock of “Fearless” comments. “Covering the WNBA this past season, Caitlin Clark’s rookie year, for all of the conversation that surrounded her, some which was fair, and some which wasn’t, the one thing that I cannot deny is the amount of little girls that were showing up to follow her,” ESPN analyst Monica McNutt said in a recent interview on BBC. “She was a white girl from the middle of America, and so she represented a whole lot to a lot of people,” McNutt continued, adding, “We attach our fandom to these icons for all types of reasons, and sometimes they may not be based in all truth.” Whitlock believes the interviewer, BBC journalist Katty Kay, spurred on the race baiting. “Did you see the strategy of the white liberal woman that was there to spur on the race baiting?” he asks. “She’s trying to lob up a softball, ‘play the race card Monica McNutt,’ and this is where I’m going to defend Monica McNutt.” “There’s that kernel and element of truth that Caitlin Clark and all the little suburban white girls that have hopped on board with the WNBA have hopped on board because Caitlin Clark resonates with them more so than the, and I’m just generalizing here, than the angry black lesbians who dominate the WNBA.” “There’s a high percentage of them, and they all like to get in front of a microphone and express their anger and demonize whiteness. The entire league went head over heels for Black Lives Matter,” he continues, adding, “So yes, have parents in suburbia and little girls in suburbia said, ‘Hey, I can relate to Caitlin Clark, look at her nuclear family, look at her Catholic nuclear family, she’s like us, she has a boyfriend.’” “Yes, people find that relatable,” 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.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/fearless-with-jason-whitlock/caitlin-clark
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison over a 2022 shooting that injured one man.Velasquez was a prolific UFC champion who knocked off legendary foe Brock Lesnar for the belt in 2010; his last fight was in 2019.Now, the former fighter pleaded no contest to attempted murder and other charges connected to the shooting before a Santa Clara, California, judge handed down a five-year sentence. NBC Bay Area reported Velasquez's lawyer had requested just probation, but the judge denied this request. It is believed, however, that the 42-year-old will likely serve just one year after getting credit for time served in jail and in-home confinement.The Santa Clara County district attorney had recommended a sentence of 30 years to life.Velasquez alleged that Harry Goularte molested Velasquez’s son while he was attending a childcare center operated by Goularte’s mother, Patricia Goularte, and his stepfather, Paul Bender, who run the daycare out of their home in San Martin, California. A lawsuit accusing the business operators was filed in 2022 on behalf of the young boy, the L.A. Times reported.'I know what I did was very dangerous to other people.'Velasquez was recorded on video driving behind a truck with the three defendants in the vehicle during a high-speed pursuit, which reportedly ended with Velasquez ramming his truck into their vehicle before shooting Bender in the shoulder while trying to shoot Goularte.After Velasquez entered his plea, he gave remarks before his sentencing."The way that I handled things was not the way to do it. We cannot put the law in our own hands," he said on the "Kyle Kingsbury Podcast." "I know what I did, and I know what I did was very dangerous to other people."Bender reportedly no longer has full use of his right arm, while Goularte's mother called the sentence "extremely disappointing.""It's based on an alleged allegation that has no basis. It is unfounded. We are looking for the opportunity in Harry’s case to prove that."The judge reportedly said the situation was a unique case and could not be heard in a vacuum, and noted the accompanying circumstances had to be taken into account.Multiple UFC fighters spoke out in support of Velasquez, including former champion Jorge Masvidal and contender Gilbert Burns. Both fighters took to their X pages to write "#FREECAIN." — (@) Fighter agent Ali Abdelaziz went into further detail and said, "This is why I will never live in California.""They tried to give this man 30 years for protecting his family and the person who violated his family is still walking in the streets."This is why I will never live in California, they tried to give this man 30 years for protecting his family and the person who violated his family is still walking in the streets— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) March 24, 2025 Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
A licensed embalmer was arrested after she allegedly cut off a dead man's genitals and stuffed them into his mouth. The horrific incident was reported to Houston police by an embalming student at the Memorial Mortuary and Crematory in Texas. The trainee claimed to have seen 34-year-old Amber Paige Laudermilk commit the act after finding out the man had been a registered sex offender. 'No matter what one thinks of his life, the law requires that he be treated with dignity in death.' Police said that Laudermilk used a scalpel to stab at the genitals of Charles Roy Rodriguez in February. Rodriguez had been charged with sexual assault in 2001 and received 10 years of deferred adjudication before he died at the age of 58 of natural causes. Rodriguez was cremated after the alleged desecration of his corpse. “This case is about two troubled people: the victim who was a registered sex offender and the defendant, who is accused of viciously attacking his dead body,” said Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen in a post on Facebook. “No matter what one thinks of his life, the law requires that he be treated with dignity in death.” After Laudermilk allegedly committed the abuse, one of the witnesses said Laudermilk remarked, "You didn't see anything," in a manner that was perceived as a threat. “I don’t know the suspect’s past, but we have the utmost empathy for anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault or is the family or friend of someone who has been the victim of a sexual assault,” Rosen concluded. “The facts clearly indicate she was angry and I hope after this is resolved in the courts, she gets the help she needs.”Rosen posted an update that Laudermilk had turned herself in and was being held at the Harris County Jail with a bond of $5,000. Video from the mortuary can be viewed on the news report from KPRC-TV on YouTube. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
One the world's most prominent gain-of-function researchers — whose methods were adapted by researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology for work on chimeric viruses — and one of the scientists who helped furnish Anthony Fauci with what he needed to downplay the lab-leak theory are now sounding the alarm about dangerous new coronavirus experiments conducted by the Chinese. Criticism may have been easier this time around, given that the critics and their friends do not appear to be directly linked to the dangerous research in question. Ralph Baric and W. Ian Lipkin expressed concern in a March 3 New York Times op-ed that Chinese scientists "are experimenting with viruses in ways that could put all of us in harm's way." Baric, a professor in the departments of epidemiology and microbiology at the University of North Carolina, is a leading proponent of gain-of-function research who successfully fought for an exemption from the Obama administration's moratorium on the dangerous practice in order to keep manufacturing artificial SARS-like viruses. He became an especially controversial figure during the pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 7 million people worldwide. Lipkin, the John Snow professor of epidemiology at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, was one of the co-authors of the controversial March 2020 paper "The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2," which Fauci used on multiple occasions to suggest to the American public that COVID-19 was not a lab leak but rather an animal virus that jumped to a human. Lipkin, who later thanked Fauci for his "efforts in steering and messaging" regarding the virus' origins, has reportedly long had a cozy relationship with Chinese communist authorities. Baric and Lipkin indicated that they are particularly concerned about experiments conducted by WIV researchers and other Chinese scientists on a deadly coronavirus called HKU5-CoV-2. These experiments are detailed in a recent paper published in the scientific journal Cell. The duo noted that the virus at the heart of the study "belongs to a subgroup of viruses that are classified alongside the one that causes MERS and that can have fatality rates far higher than that of the virus that caused the Covid pandemic." While HKU5 can infect humans and has the potential to be far more lethal than SARS-CoV-2, Chinese scientists have apparently been meddling with the fully infectious virus in a lab with "insufficient" containment controls. There are multiple biosafety level ratings for laboratories ranging from BSL-1 to BSL-4. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "each biosafety level builds on the controls of the level before it." 'Potentially dangerous research should not be done without proper precautions.' A BSL-4 lab, for instance, is designed to handle microbes that are "dangerous and exotic, posing a high risk of aerosol-transmitted infections" that could prove fatal. Researchers in such a lab must manipulate the infectious agents using a gas-tight sealed container with a double HEPA filtered exhaust while wearing protective gear. Alternatively, they must wear a full-body, air-supplied positive pressure suit. Researchers must also undergo routine medical surveillance for signs of infection. Such a high-security lab must also be located in a separate building or in a restricted zone of an existing building with double locking doors and provided with a dedicated supply of air along with decontamination systems. Despite the dangers posed to the researchers and the rest of mankind, the Chinese researchers have instead been experimenting in a lab described as BSL-2 plus. BSL-2 labs are meant to handle only microbes that pose, at worst, moderate hazards to researchers and the environment. "Decisions about what level of precaution is appropriate for research are typically made by a study's lead scientist and an institutional biosafety committee," wrote Baric and Lipkin. The lead scientist on this dangerous study was Shi Zhengli, whose track record for safety is less than stellar and with whom Baric has previously collaborated. According to a 2021 article in the MIT technology review, Baric asked Shi, who is the director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the WIV, for the genome of a new coronavirus Shi found in bat excrement. He apparently wanted to take the "spike" gene from the novel virus and stick it into a copy of a SARS virus he had on hand. Ultimately, Baric's team tested the resultant chimeric virus on humanized mice and in a petri dish of human airway cells and discovered that it could indeed infect humans. Baric and Lipkin noted in their op-ed that while the relevant authorities in China apparently approved the dangerous new experiments on HKU5, "it is not sufficient for work with a new virus that could have significant risks for people worldwide." "Work with viruses that have the potential to become threats to public health should be restricted to facilities and scientists committed to the highest level of safety," added the duo. According to Baric and Lipkin, governmental and nongovernmental agencies that fund research on viruses should require "proof that investigators meet global standards." Additionally, scientific journals should insist on similar standards for the studies they accept. The duo concluded, "Potentially dangerous research should not be done without proper precautions to prevent deliberate or accidental spread." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Hunter Biden was forced to drop a lawsuit because of his financial woes, and critics on social media pounced to connect it to his father leaving the Oval Office. Biden's paintings had been selling for up to $75,000 each when his father was in office, but he admitted in a legal filing that he had run out of money for a defamation lawsuit because he could no longer sell the paintings. 'The scam was simple. Hunter promised Joe’s power, Joe Biden showed up, and millions of dollars went into the Bidens’ pockets. The grift is over.' “Since late 2023 and through today, my income has decreased significantly,” said Biden in the court filing about a lawsuit against Garrett Ziegler, a former White House aide in the Trump administration. He admitted that he had sold 27 art pieces for up to $55,000 prior to Dec. 2023, but had sold only one painting since then for $36,000. He added that sales of his memoir had dropped to 200 sales a month from 500 previously. “Given the positive feedback and reviews of my artwork and memoir, I was expecting to obtain paid speaking engagements and paid appearances, but that has not happened,” Biden said in the filing. On top of everything, Biden's rental home was damaged in the Pacific Palisades fire, and he has had trouble finding a permanent place to live. Critics alleged that the paintings were a way for the Biden family to trade political favors in return for technically legal payments to the former president's son. In one case, a businessman who reportedly purchased at least one of Biden's paintings was later named by the former president to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. Those allegations fueled mocking commentary on social media about Biden's financial revelation."It's truly unfortunate timing for Hunter Biden that his artistic inspiration dried up at the exact moment that his father ceased to be president," responded Charles C.W. Cooke of National Review. "Hunter Biden isn’t able to sell his totally legitimate paintings now that his dad is out of office," replied Andrew Kaczynski of CNN. "Hunter Biden chose to go into the Joe Biden business. Made millions. When he evaded paying taxes, a new friend who just happened to be a Joe Biden supporter gave him millions in 'loans.' But now Joe Biden is out, nobody's buying the art, and the Biden business has gone bust," said journalist Byron York. "Selling influence and access to Joe Biden was the Biden family business model. The scam was simple. Hunter promised Joe’s power, Joe Biden showed up, and millions of dollars went into the Bidens’ pockets. The grift is over," wrote Rep. James Comer (R) of Kentucky. Biden has been in a legal fight over paying child support to Lunden Roberts, a former stripper he reportedly met at a Washington, D.C., strip club and impregnated. In 2023, a judge said that Roberts could have one of Biden's paintings as part of the child support agreement and that the child they share could choose the painting. The child's name is Navy. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Florida's new attorney general, James Uthmeier, announced on Thursday that his office has launched an inquiry into brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate to see if any of the crimes they are accused of committing in Romania also occurred within the state's jurisdiction.The Tate brothers returned to the United States after their ban barring them from leaving Romania while awaiting trial was lifted. They took a private plane to Fort Lauderdale, where Andrew told waiting reporters after landing that they are innocent of the human trafficking charges.Uthmeier was DeSantis' chief of staff.The Romanian Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism said the case against the duo is still pending and that should they violate the in-place restrictions, there will be harsh penalties. They will have to return to Romania in four weeks.Governor Ron DeSantis (R) said he was not involved in the brothers' ability to return to the United States, adding that Florida is "not a place where you're welcome with that type of conduct.""I don't know how it came to this. We were not involved. We were not notified. I found out through the media," he said."Early this morning, I directed my office to work with our state law enforcement partners to conduct a preliminary inquiry into these individuals. Florida has zero tolerance for human trafficking and violence against women. If any of these alleged crimes trigger Florida jurisdiction, we will hold them accountable," Uthmeier explained.Uthmeier was recently sworn in as the state's attorney general after Ashley Moody was appointed by DeSantis to the U.S. Senate to replace Marco Rubio, when Rubio was selected to be the federal secretary of state. Uthmeier was DeSantis' chief of staff.The Tates' attorney reportedly said DeSantis should resign over his comments "if he has a problem with welcoming or protecting American citizens."President Donald Trump told reporters during his meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer that he was unaware of whether the United States pressured Romania to get the travel restrictions lifted.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
President Trump’s shock-and-awe strategy is working beautifully, but it’s usually Democrats whose jaws are on the floor. However, his recent announcement to turn Gaza into an America-owned boomtown has everyone dumbfounded — including Glenn Beck. While Glenn doesn’t necessarily agree that America should own lands that belong to Israel, he can’t help but see the absolute genius in Trump’s plan. Glenn explains that Trump’s idea to own Gaza equates to “all of the Palestinians in Gaza going away,” but nobody is talking about that because they’re too busy talking about how “the United States wants to make Gaza into the Riviera.” Trump drops a proposal and suddenly “we are not talking about moving 1.7 million people into other countries,” says Glenn, calling the tactic moving “the Overton window.” This kind of strategy, however, wouldn’t work if Trump was a bluffer. But he’s not. “He never bluffs,” says Glenn, calling this trait “the best thing about Donald Trump.” Glenn explains that when Trump presents a proposal like this, everybody takes him seriously, and they should. Truth be told, Trump most likely would jump at the opportunity to own and run Gaza. But is that really in the cards? “I don’t think so,” says Glenn. To hear his full analysis, watch the clip above. Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Republican holdout Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Monday that she would vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Gabbard's nomination appeared to be on the ropes after some Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee grilled her over her support for whistleblower Edward Snowden and questionable comments about the intelligence community. 'Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size.' Among the swing votes were Collins, who said her concerns were satisfied after she personally spoke with Gabbard and heard that she planned to reduce the size and scale of the DNI office. “After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence,” said Collins in a statement. “The Office of the Director of National Intelligence … has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size.”Gabbard's nomination may come down to Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who grilled her about Snowden during the hearing. She said unequivocally that she believed Snowden broke the law but would not say whether she still believed he deserved a pardon. Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said afterward that he was surprised by her response to the line of questioning. "I was surprised because that doesn't seem like a hard question on that," Lankford said Thursday. "It wasn't intended to be a trick question by any means."The committee will likely vote on Gabbard's confirmation on Tuesday. If the committee approves, the entire Senate will vote on the confirmation. "I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security," Collins concluded. Collins came out against the nomination of Pete Hegseth to head the Department of Defense, but he was confirmed in a tie vote that was decided by Vice President JD Vance. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
The Biden Department of Health and Human Services has extended liability protection to COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers and administrators through Dec. 31, 2029, precluding vaccine recipients who reportedly end up injured or their surviving family members from holding those responsible to account. Kim Mack Rosenberg, general counsel for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Children's Health Defense, called the decision from the outgoing administration "very concerning," not only because it protects pharmaceutical companies and the government but because it "allows for largely unfettered product development." Health Secretary Xavier Becerra suggested in his declaration that continued coverage for the manufacture, testing, development, distribution, administration, and use of FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act "is intended to prepare for and mitigate the credible risk presented by COVID-19." Although the federal public health emergency for COVID-19 expired on May 11, 2023, and the virus has reportedly moved from a pandemic to the endemic phase, Becerra suggested that COVID-19 continues to both "present a credible risk of a future public health emergency" and "cause significant serious illness, morbidity, and mortality during outbreaks." Citing these supposed risks, he suggested that it was necessary to renew liability protection to ensure the continued development and stockpiling of vaccines. 'The only threat is a loss of air-tight liability that leaves the vast majority of victims out of luck.' The Congressional Research Service previously noted that under the HHS declaration, covered persons in most cases cannot be sued for losses — including death, physical or mental injury, and business interruption loss — relating to the use or administration of COVID-19 vaccines. The sole exception to PREP Act immunity is for death or serious physical injury caused by "willful misconduct." To qualify as willful misconduct, the covered person must have "acted (i) intentionally to achieve a wrongful purpose; (ii) knowingly without legal or factual justification; and (iii) in disregard of a known or obvious risk that is so great as to make it highly probable that the harm will outweigh the benefit." The liability protections for the COVID-19 vaccines were first introduced in January 2020. This is the 12th extension. Children's Health Defense CEO Mary Holland suggested the Biden administration was "attempting to tie the hands of the incoming administration in its treatment of emergencies and pandemics. This is not the way elections and transfer of power are supposed to work." Ray Flores, who serves as senior outside counsel for Kennedy's organization, told the Defender, "It is preposterous that HHS extended PREP Act protections based on a no-longer-existing threat. The only threat is a loss of air-tight liability that leaves the vast majority of victims out of luck." Bloomberg Law reported that Becerra's declaration comes amid calls for COVID-19 vaccines to be covered under the HHS' Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. In its notice, the HHS indicated that Americans injured by COVID-19 vaccines will still be unable to seek compensation through the VICP. COVID-19 vaccines are instead covered "countermeasures" under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program. The PREP Act authorizes the CICP to provide some compensation to individuals who suffered serious physical injury as the direct result of the supposedly "safe and effective" COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines have reportedly been shown in some cases to cause significant harm. A study published January in the pharmacotherapy journal Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety indicated that "COVID-19 vaccination is strongly associated with a serious adverse safety signal of myocarditis, particularly in children and young adults resulting in hospitalization and death." In addition to noting the well-documented correlation between the COVID-19 vaccines and increased risk of heart conditions, a study conducted by the Global COVID Vaccine Safety Project — a Global Vaccine Data Network initiative supported by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the HHS — and published February in the journal Vaccine detailed troubling links between the AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer vaccines and medical conditions such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, brain and spinal cord inflammation, Bell's palsy, and convulsions. Despite suggesting vaccinations were still worthwhile, a 2023 study published in the Elsevier Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences noted that "a survey has found that 65% of participants experience adverse reactions." As of Nov. 1, 13,520 claims were filed with the CIPC. Of the 3,438 decisions made so far, only 65 claims were found eligible for compensation. Of that number, only 18 claims were compensated. The claims cited a wide range of injuries, including blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks. There were also 671 claims stating the COVID-19 vaccines resulted in death. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Lawmakers and the National Football League have reportedly discussed resurrecting the canceled logo of the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins. Montana Sen. Steve Daines (R), a firm believer that the American Indian logo "is a depiction of pride and strength," recently told Fox News' "America Reports" that there are "good-faith negotiations" under way leaning toward the league and the Commanders "allow[ing] this logo to be used again." Leftists embarrassed by American history and grudging of Western greatness committed to a campaign of deracination and iconoclasm in the summer of 2020, digging up graves, toppling statues, renaming animals, switching out historical place names, melting down busts, and knocking out church windows. While the Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers led the way, this was not just a governmental effort. Corporations similarly rushed to break with tradition and sacrifice iconic brands to the woke zeitgeist. The NFL was no exception. Activist investors leaned on major sponsors to threaten to terminate their relationships with the Washington Redskins unless the team, owned by Daniel Snyder, dropped its name. FedEx and other woke sponsors obliged them. Despite vowing "never" to change the name, Synder ultimately caved, and the team announced in July 2020, "We will be retiring the Redskins name and logo." In the woke frenzy, critics and eager iconoclasts appear to have overlooked the history of the logo. Walter "Blackie" Wetzel, an American Indian who served as Blackfeet tribal chairman and president of the National Congress of American Indians, designed the logo. Don Wetzel Jr., Blackie's son, told the Guardian that his father called the logo "his Most Beautiful Chief." 'It is not a caricature.' The circled image of the feathered chief was reportedly a composite of portraits of a Blackfeet chief named Two Guns White Calf. During a hearing earlier this year, Sen. Daines, ranking member of the Senate National Parks subcommittee, explained the state significance of the logo and its history: "In 1971 Blackie met with George Herbert Allen, who was then the head coach and general manager of the Washington Redskins. Knowing that Coach Allen admired and supported Native Americans, Blackie Wetzel encouraged him to replace the team’s 'R' logo with something that represented Indian Country." Cowboy State Daily reported that public opinion polls taken between 2016 and 2020 consistently showed that a majority of American Indians — between 50% and 90% — indicated they were not offended by the Redskins name. "Blackie brought Coach Allen designs based off prominent Native American figures including Blackfeet Chief Two Guns White Calf," continued Daines. "On behalf of the team, Coach Allen adopted the now iconic logo that’s placed prominently on this beautiful helmet that I received from former players. I am proud to display it today. Make no mistake, this logo was inspired and envisioned by Wetzel as a tribute to Native Americans. It is not a caricature. It is a depiction of pride and strength. Of courage and honor." Daines made clear that he doesn't want the name restored but that the "failure to properly honor the pride and history embodied by the iconic logo must be made right by both the new team ownership and the NFL. Doing so would honor the Blackfeet tribe, my constituents, in Montana." An opportunity to pressure the the league and the team came in the form of a piece of legislation that would permit the Washington Commanders to use the federally owned land whereon the derelict Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium now stands as the site for a new stadium. Daines spent months blocking the bill in the Senate, insisting upon the restoration of the logo. On Nov. 19, he changed his tune and voted the bill out of committee. The Montana senator explained to "America Reports" last week why he ultimately supported the bill, signaling optimism that the team might embrace its old logo. 'I think Senator Daines was misled.' "We were calling out leaders in case of, really, woke gone wrong. The irony is that they were canceling Native American culture as the DEI movement went way too far," said Daines. "We have good discussions with the NFL and with the Commanders. There's good-faith negotiations going forward that's going to allow this logo to be used again — perhaps revenues going to a foundation that could help Native Americans in sports and so forth," said the Montana senator. "We're making good progress, and based on the good-faith negotiations, I made a decision to support this bill yesterday in the committee." Daines indicated in a statement that he voted in favor of the bill's passage out of committee "with the condition that the team follows through on the commitments made to the family." "I urge the team to continue their dialogue and reach a conclusion that honors their past, honors Don Wetzel's vision to use the logo to help Indian Country and honors the will of the Blackfeet Tribe to restore the logo to place of honor and prominence," added the senator. The Native American Guardians Association reportedly wanted Daines to see through his blockade of the bill until the team officially restored the logo. NAGA president Tony Henson told the Cowboy State Daily, "Honestly, we were disappointed that Daines did let the legislation go through. I think Senator Daines was misled about the Redskins language." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!