Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas issued his verdict Friday at the 11th Circuit Judicial Conference in Point Clear, Alabama: The nation's capital is "a hideous place" oriented both toward character assassination and away from the truth.

During his hour-long appearance at the conference Friday, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle asked Justice Thomas about working in a mean-spirited world, reported the Associated Press.

Justice Thomas explained to Mizelle as well as to the other judges, attorneys, and others with business in the federal appeals court who had gathered for the conference, "We're in a world and we — certainly my wife and I the last two or three years, it's been — just the nastiness and the lies, it's just incredible."

'I think what you are going to find, and especially in Washington, people pride themselves on being awful.'

"But you have some choices," continued Thomas. "You don't get to prevent people from doing horrible things or saying horrible things. But one you have to understand and accept the fact that they can't change you unless you permit that."

Democrats and other radicals have long attacked Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas. These attacks appear historically to have been most pronounced around the time of consequential Supreme Court decisions where his vote could spell trouble for leftist designs, such as as the court's 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization or the court's 2000 decision in Bush v. Gore.

The latest attack campaign grew out of a coordinated reaction to a ProPublica report last year, which indicated that Thomas legally accepted three rides and vacations from Republican donor Harlan Crow.

While turning a blind eye to the questionable actions of liberal justices, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) joined the chorus of Democrats condemning Thomas, writing, "Justice Thomas has brought shame upon himself and the United States Supreme Court with his acceptance of massive, repeated and undisclosed gifts. No government official, elected or unelected, could ethically or legally accept gifts of that scale. He should resign immediately."

Anti-Israeli activist Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) similarly demanded last year that Thomas resign.

While Democrats frequently attempt to anchor their antipathy toward Thomas in a perceived scandal, sometimes they don't bother pretending it's about anything besides partisan politics. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), for instance, has repeatedly called Thomas an "Uncle Tom" on account of his constitutionalist views on affirmative action and other issues.

The liberal media has taken part in this long-standing campaign to vilify Thomas and to pressure him to resign.

The now-defunct magazine Emerge ran an issue with an illustration of Thomas shining the late Justice Antonin Scalia's shoes, reported Newsweek.

Instead of offensive cartoons, alleged comedian John Oliver tried a bribe on his HBO show "Last Week Tonight." Oliver pledged to pay Justice Thomas $1 million annually and buy him a $2.4 million Prevost luxury motor coach if he resigned.

Justice Thomas indicated Friday that there are "reckless" people who lurk about the city keen to "bomb your reputation."

"They don't bomb you necessarily, but they bomb your reputation or your good name or your honor," said Thomas. "And that's not a crime. But they can do as much harm that way."

Justice Thomas also told Mizelle, "I think what you are going to find, and especially in Washington, people pride themselves on being awful. It is a hideous place as far as I'm concerned."

Justice Thomas indicated that he and his wife have taken to RVing to avoid the kind of personalities that predominate in Washington.

"You get to be around regular people who don't pride themselves in doing harmful things, merely because they have the capacity to do it or because they disagree," said the Supreme Court justice.

Christopher Bedford, senior editor for politics and Washington correspondent for Blaze Media, indicated Justice Thomas' statements ring true.

"In Clarence Thomas' long and distinguished career in Washington, D.C., he was greeted by terrible people who treated him terribly. That's continued throughout his entire tenure — from then-Senator Joe Biden lecturing him on legal theories that Biden, by the way, had no idea about, to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture washing him out of black history, to the indignities and political attacks that his wife has had to endure," Bedford told Blaze News. "There's no reason at all for Clarence Thomas to like this city one bit."

"It's really a great benefit to us that he makes the sacrifice of staying here as opposed to just hitting the road and driving across the country, which is what he likes to spend his off time doing," added Bedford.

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An armed DoorDash driver turned the tables on a couple of would-be carjackers last week in a Philadelphia suburb.

The driver arrived just after 2:30 a.m. Tuesday to deliver food at the Lynnewood Gardens Apartments in the 1900 block of Humphrey Merry Way in Cheltenham Township, WCAU-TV reported, citing police.

Delivery drivers 'feel the need to arm themselves for their own personal protection, and it's incidents like this that kind of reinforce that philosophy.'

It was at that point that two people — one with a gun — confronted the DoorDash driver, police told the station.

The driver told police one of the suspects demanded his keys, after which the driver threw them to the ground, WCAU reported.

The tables turn

Police said the driver — armed with a legally purchased gun and a permit to carry — soon heard a gunshot and fired back, the station said.

The two suspects ran off, but WCAU said a K-9 found 18-year-old Divine Allen Hargrove hiding near a garage.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

According to the station's video report, Hargrove also was near a ghost gun that police said was loaded with an extended magazine containing 26 rounds of live ammunition.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Officials said Hargrove told police he was the victim, but the DoorDash driver described the males who approached him, and Hargrove matched, WCAU said.

Hargrove was arraigned on robbery and gun charges and taken to Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail, WTXF-TV reported. The bail amount was $100,000 cash, WCAU added.

The other suspect got away, WCAU said, and no one was hurt.

Investigators added that the resident at the address for the DoorDash delivery didn't place the order, WTXF reported.

Officials told the station similar robberies have been reported in the area.

Lt. Andrew Snyder of Cheltenham Police told WCAU that investigators believe carjacking was the suspects' motive since DoorDash drivers don't deal with cash.

Snyder added to the station that delivery drivers "feel the need to arm themselves for their own personal protection, and it's incidents like this that kind of reinforce that philosophy."

Snyder also told WCAU that police "really want to hear from anybody who may have been a victim of something similar who just didn't report it or felt that they didn't want to get involved."

Those with information should contact Cheltenham Police at 215-885-1600 or email PoliceTips@CheltenhamPA.gov, WCAU added.

DoorDash driver shoots back at would-be carjackers in Montgomery County youtu.be

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After dangling the threat over House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for over a month, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia finally pulled the trigger on May 8 and sought to oust him from the speakership.

But in a peculiar show of bipartisanship, the bulk of lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle joined together to spike the ouster effort in a 359-43 vote to table the matter.

"The Uniparty has spoken, and Mike Johnson is their speaker."

Only 11 House Republicans voted against the motion to table the issue: Greene, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Alex Mooney of West Virginia, Barry Moore of Alabama, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Chip Roy of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Eli Crane of Arizona, Eric Burlison of Missouri, and Andy Biggs of Arizona. Thirty-two Democrats also voted against the motion to table, while seven Democrats voted present.

"The Uniparty has spoken, and Mike Johnson is their speaker," GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky declared in a written statement to Blaze News after the vote on Wednesday.

Johnson ascended to the speaker's chair last year after prior House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was booted from the post. Following the McCarthy ouster, the House GOP struggled to agree on a replacement before finally tapping Johnson for the role.

Back in March, Greene fired a warning shot when she filed a motion to vacate.

"The current Speaker has shown he cannot stand up to the Democrats. I filed a Motion to Vacate because it's time the American people have leadership in Congress that will fight for their values and stop funding the left's agenda," a tweet on Greene's @RepMTG X account declared at the time.

— (@)

In April, GOP Reps. Massie and Gosar cosponsored Greene's motion to vacate.

Then, in an April 30 statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) announced that if Greene sought to oust Johnson, they would vote to table the motion to vacate.

"We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed," the Democratic trio declared in the statement.

Greene indicated that she would seek to oust Johnson the following week.

During an interview on "60 Minutes," Jeffries said, "Even though we're in the minority, we effectively have been governing as if we were in the majority because we continue to provide a majority of the votes necessary to get things done."

Greene and Massie made four demands.

During a phone interview with Blaze News on Wednesday before Greene later took to the House floor and sought to oust Johnson, Massie characterized the four points as "suggestions," which he indicated were for the benefit of the GOP, the nation, and the institution.

One of the asks was for Johnson to follow "the Hastert Rule, which means no bills are brought to the floor unless the majority of the majority, which is the majority of Republicans, support it," Greene said during an appearance on Steve Bannon's "War Room" program.

They were also seeking the defunding or elimination of special counsel Jack Smith's "illegitimate prosecution" of former President Donald Trump, as well as an end of U.S. funding for Ukraine, Massie noted while speaking to Blaze News.

Another request was his "shutdown prevention plan," Massie noted, explaining that "instead of shutting down the government, have an automatic 99% [continuing resolution]" if the House fails to pass its 12 individual appropriations bills.

"He's ignored every warning. He continues to behave like he's representing the uniparty or doing Chuck Schumer's bidding," Massie said to Blaze News of Johnson, adding, "This week we've given him a chance to show us he will fight for our conference" and "principles," but "we don't see him doing that."

Shortly after Blaze News spoke to Massie, Greene took to the House floor and sought to oust Johnson, a move that was met by audible boos in the chamber.

The new motion to vacate that the congresswoman put forward on Wednesday laid out a lengthy list of grievances against the speaker.

In a post on X, Massie shared what he said was the "full text of" Greene's "motion to vacate the office of Speaker of the House." The text included statements such as:

• "Mike Johnson cast the deciding vote against requiring a warrant for U.S. person queries of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Section 702 data."

• "By passing the Democrats' agenda and handcuffing Republicans' ability to influence legislation, our elected Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has aided and abetted the Democrats and the Biden administration in destroying our country."

— (@)

Greene and Massie have referred to Johnson as a "Uniparty Speaker," but other Republicans regard the speaker much differently.

In a statement responding to questions from Blaze News about whether he supported the speakership ouster effort and the four demands Massie and Greene had made, GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska — who was one of the 196 House Republicans who voted to table Greene's motion to vacate — described Johnson as an individual who is committed to "doing the right thing for" the nation.

"I oppose the efforts of two or three Republicans to vacate Speaker Johnson. He's an honest man and dedicated to doing the right thing for our country. He's being attacked for passing FISA, a budget and the Ukraine supplemental, all things that I and the vast majority in the House all supported," Bacon said in the written statement. "I'd give no concessions to 1.5% of the GOP who are making them. These individuals had the chance to vote and speak against these bills but it is not enough for them. They want to forbid the vast majority of the House from doing its will."

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who instigated the removal of McCarthy from the speakership last year, was also among the bulk of Republicans who voted to kill Greene's effort, but in a tweet explaining his decision, Gaetz actually praised Greene, saying that she "made a truthful, compelling case against Mike Johnson" and "should be commended for this work."

"I voted to table the motion for one principal reason — with a two seat majority in an election year I believe 2-3 Republicans could be susceptible to bribes to resign or even vote for a Democrat. Democrats would then instantly deem Trump an 'insurrectionist' to bar him from the ballot," Gaetz said in the tweet. "House Republicans must do better. We must be led better. We must return Trump to the White House."

— (@)

Trump spoke highly of Greene in a post on Truth Social but expressed opposition to her move to target Johnson's speakership, calling the speaker "a good man who is trying very hard."

"I absolutely love Marjorie Taylor Greene. She's got Spirit, she's got Fight, and I believe she'll be around, and on our side, for a long time to come," the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee wrote. "However, right now, Republicans have to be fighting the Radical Left Democrats, and all the Damage they have done to our Country. With a Majority of One, shortly growing to three or four, we’re not in a position of voting on a Motion to Vacate. At some point, we may very well be, but this is not the time. We are leading in the Presidential Polls by a lot, both Nationally and in the Swing States."

"Likewise, we are doing well in the Senate, and I believe will do well in the House. But if we show DISUNITY, which will be portrayed as CHAOS, it will negatively affect everything! Mike Johnson is a good man who is trying very hard. I also wish certain things were done over the last period of two months, but we will get them done, together. It is my request that Republicans vote for 'THE MOTION TO TABLE.' We WILL WIN BIG — AND IT WILL BE SOON!" Trump concluded.

When speaking to Politico during an interview with the "Playbook Deep Dive" podcast, Johnson claimed that the Hastert Rule has not been violated during his speakership. He said that he does not anticipate any additional Ukraine funding requests prior to the end of the year.

The speaker, who said he thinks Trump will win the election, noted that he intends to remain in the speakership.

"Will the 'accidental' Speaker win in next Congress? Conservatives should ask themselves: Do you want a speaker who passes majority Democrats bills despised by a majority of GOP? If that's winning, it's hard to imagine how losing could be any worse," GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky tweeted, earning a retweet from Massie.

— (@)

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Papa John's pizza founder John Schnatter said using Shaquille O'Neal to replace him as the national face of the brand was a racist thing for the company to do.

Schnatter left the company in 2018 months after stepping down as CEO when tapes of private conversations with a public relations company surfaced. The audio clip included him saying the N-word but not in a disparaging manner.

The 62-year-old was heard saying that Kentucky Fried Chicken icon Colonel Sanders "called blacks n******," before saying that he never faced public backlash over his alleged position. Schnatter later released the full transcript, which read as follows:

"Up in New York we made a decision. We're going to go out and get killed again, then I don't have to worry about doing the ads. And I got to tell you, heaven forbid this company if they're not going to use me at all. After I've looked at this research, I mean, I'm just not seeing how you're not going to tell the Papa John story and let them — what bothers me is Colonel Sanders called Blacks n******. I'm like, I've never used that word. And they get away with it. Yet we use the word debacle and we get framed in the same genre. It's crazy. The whole thing's crazy."

The former CEO issued an apology but alluded that the quote was out of context.

"News reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media training session regarding race are true," he said. "Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society," Schnatter added, according to Forbes.

During an interview on "Fearless" with host Jason Whitlock, the entrepreneur remarked that the company's decision to replace him with O'Neal, the retired NBA champion seen in countless branding campaigns, was a racist move.

"Of all the things, that was the most racist. They used a black guy to cover up what they did to a white guy. That's racist. They did it right in front of America. He was just a shield to cover up their infidelity and what they did to me," he explained.

"No good news is going to come out of that company for the next 12 months."

"Of all the things that was the most racist. They used a black guy to cover up what they did to a white guy. That's racist... He was just a shield to cover up what they did to me." Papa John Schnatter on Shaquille O'Neal replacing him as the face of Papa Jon Pizza.

— (@)

Schnatter went on to say that audiences shouldn't feel sorry for him.

"I'm a hard guy to feel sorry for, so you got to just get over that, and I got to get over that real quick," he remarked.

"When this started out and I heard about this, I thought this is crazy. This is kind of funny. You're going to paint me as a racist. There's no way, there's no history of it, there's no examples of it, no way."

Representatives for O'Neal did not respond to request for comment.

Host Whitlock suggested that the Papa John's team should bite the bullet and reach out to Schnatter and repair the image of the franchise.

Schnatter said in a different portion of the interview that the company's stock value had dropped an estimated 30% in 2024. Shares in Papa John's have dropped about $20 from February to May 2024.

He explained that it would be wise for the company to "have the founder back," knowing that he is pro-Papa John's, pro-people, and pro-humanity. Schnatter admitted, however, that he did have a "bit of a bad taste" in his mouth from the whole ordeal but doesn't hold any animosity.

"It was a pretty dirty thing to do, [but] I think that would be really good for the brand and the franchisees."

"I'm not going to hold my breath," he continued. The Indiana native explained that he wasn't sure if the company had enough integrity to call on him despite the fact that "no good news is going to come out of that company for the next 12 months."

Schnatter added that it would be no easy task to get Papa John's back on track quickly, with its 6,000 stories in 50 countries and 100,000 employees.

"It's fixable, but you really got to know what you're doing, and you got to make quick decisions."

The former chairman also noted that the margins on food service would need to go "down to zero," which wouldn't meet the company's "Wall Street number."

He likened anything less to simply "rearranging chairs on the Titanic."

As President Joe Biden remains passive, foreign powers like China, Russia, and Iran are asserting their dominance over key regions.

“What’s going on here is we lack people with the guts, with the courage to speak out about what’s right versus what’s wrong,” Mark Levin explains, noting that while we sit back idly, Vladimir Putin is making moves.

“If we had a clean bill to provide armaments to Ukraine to stop Putin. Putin, who’s already annexed Crimea. Putin, who’s already annexed half of Georgia. Putin, who’s looking at the Balkans in Poland and Romania,” Levin says, adding, “Why are we deaf to this, why are we blind to this?”

“And why do we pretend? ‘Oh, China, they can take Taiwan,’” he mocks. “Taiwan is next. They control the South China Sea,” which he explains “from a military, national security perspective would be a disaster.”

In addition, the Red Sea is now “basically controlled by Iran,” which sees most of the world’s oil flows. “Wouldn’t that be a disaster, too?” Levin asks.

And he’s not finished.

“Why do the Communist Chinese control both ends of the Panama Canal? How the hell are our Navy supposed to get from one ocean to the other without going all the way down and all the way around? We built that damn canal,” he says.

Levin believes we’re not only allowing but provoking these moves.

“So, we’re provoking a fascist, a former KGB murderer, Putin. We’re provoking the Iranians by our very existence and defending our friends in Israel. We’re provoking the Communist Chinese by having our Navy move through the South China Sea,” Levin says.

“We’re provoking everybody with this idiot in the White House who’s undermining the United States military,” he adds.

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After facing backlash, Target will limit which stores sell LGBTQ-themed merchandise for Pride Month.

Last year, the retail giant became the target of a boycott for selling "tuck-friendly" bathing suits, LGBTQ onesies for babies, and other pro-trans and pro-LGBT merchandise. Target later removed some of the LGBTQ products — or moved them to less trafficked areas of their stores — after losing billions of dollars in market value.

'Target’s decision is disappointing and alienates LGBTQ+ individuals.'

The backlash resulted in a sizeable drop in revenue for the second quarter of 2023.

Target executives have seemingly learned their lesson.

This year, Target will use its discretion when placing LGBTQ products in its stores, only selling such items "in select stores, based on historical sales performance," the company announced last week.

That's a significant policy change. In previous years, Target offered Pride Month merchandise in all of its retail stores.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Despite the change, Target still wants everyone to know it is an LGBTQ ally.

A company spokesperson said:

Target is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride Month and year-round. Most importantly, we want to create a welcoming and supportive environment for our LGBTQIA+ team members, which reflects our culture of care for the over 400,000 people who work at Target.

The ferociously pro-LGBTQ Human Rights Campaign, meanwhile, is upset at Target's decision.

"Pride merchandise means something," claimed HRC president Kelley Robinson. "LGBTQ+ people are in every zip code in this country, and we aren’t going anywhere. With LGBTQ+ people making up 30% of Gen Z, companies need to understand that community members and allies want businesses that express full-hearted support for the community. That includes visible displays of allyship. Target’s decision is disappointing and alienates LGBTQ+ individuals and allies at the risk of not only their bottom line but also their values."

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