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Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, announced a military operation to rescue four hostages in Haiti and threatened the gangs involved.In a statement on social media, Bukele issued a statement to the gang leaders and gang members that said if the hostages were not safely returned, he would mount a larger operation.'We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too.'Bukele said in the post translated by X from Haitian Creole that the four hostages were "cowardly" taken after they went to a market."Our kidnapped men are not combatants," he wrote. "They are aviation technicians who are part of our mission in Haiti, within the framework of an international mission. Our mission consists only of pilots and technical personnel, whose primary job is to carry out medical evacuations and save lives, not to wage war."He went on to say that if the hostages were not returned alive, the Haitian gangs would face a far greater military operation."We have a single objective: to bring our four compatriots back home alive, without any harm," the president wrote."However, I want you, the gang leaders, to understand one thing very clearly: Today's attack is nothing compared to what is coming if we do not get all four hostages back alive. And do not take our word for empty threats," he added."We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too," Bukele added.The president has been praised for taking a hard line against organized crime in El Salvador by sending criminals to an infamous prison for terrorists. Crime has dropped in the country, but humanitarian groups have accused Bukele of violating human rights and implementing an authoritarian state.He added a video in the post that appeared to show military trucks in the operation in Haiti.RELATED: Two Texans allegedly plotted to kill men on island with homeless mercenary force and take women and children as sex slaves The operation was in retaliation for gang attacks on a gang suppression force with over 2,000 troops from El Salvador, Chad, Jamaica, and Guatemala. "To the gang bosses terrorizing Haiti: Your days of operating with impunity are numbered," said Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, on Monday. "You can burn vehicles, erect barricades, terrorize the local police, terrorize civilians, but the Gang Suppression Force is coming for you. The international community will not tolerate it." "We still have time to avoid this,' Bukele added in his statement Wednesday. "Return our four compatriots to us alive, without any harm, and everything will go back to how it was before the kidnapping. The decision is in your hands," he concluded.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Abdul El-Sayed wants to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate, but BlazeTV hosts Stu Burguiere and Dave Landau believe he’s one of the weaker Democrats running this November — and his latest controversy isn’t helping.“El-Sayed’s a uniquely bad candidate for the Democrats,” Stu says, noting that the “Republicans have a chance there.”“You feel like when you’re coming down [to] the closing days of a campaign, you’d rather not be answering questions about your family being on the terrorist watch list and being in the Muslim Brotherhood. It’s suboptimal,” he adds.“Michigan Democrat confirms sister-in-law’s terror watchlist lawsuit days before Obama campaign appearance,” one headline from Fox News reads.“He had to fight back against this because people are like, ‘Hey, we were thinking, like, what if U.S. senators didn’t have sisters that were on the terror watch list,’” Stu jokes.And in a clip of El-Sayed on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” it’s clear that he didn’t make things much better.The clip begins with an older clip where a reporter asked El-Sayed if he had any ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, to which he responded “no.” The reporter then asked if his family did, and he responded “no” again.However, resurfaced tweets from El-Sayed’s half sister are calling that answer into question.“Had an amazing talk with my mom about her activism in the Muslim Brotherhood during the early 70s while she was in college #respect,” one X post from his half sister reads.“My family has long been MB, but I’ve always felt that it has navigated the political sphere poorly/destructively,” she wrote in another.And in another, she wrote, “Praying for all my family that supports the #MB in #Egypt. Lie low, stay safe.”When another NBC reporter called him out for the contradiction, El-Sayed responded, “And you want to ask me about what was happening in Egypt in 1970? Are you serious?”“I’m telling you, like, I have no ties,” he added.“Your mother had no ties?” the reporter pressed.“I have never had these conversations with my mother. ... You’re using hearsay evidence from a tweet. ... It’s just not serious,” El-Sayed said again.“You’ve also gone after the president for truthfulness, so when people ask you a question, they all do expect the truth,” the reporter continued.“Are you insinuating that somehow I was lying?” El-Sayed asked.“Yes,” Stu answers for the reporter. “And you’re lying again there.”“And your sister tweeted it. It’s not hearsay,” Dave agrees.“It’s not hearsay,” Stu adds. “Your freaking sister has said it not just once but multiple times.”Want more from Stu and Dave?To enjoy more of Stu and Dave's lethal blend of wit, humor, and insightful commentary subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

"Saturday Night Live" veteran Kenan Thompson appears to be the only current cast member publicly scolding Shane Gillis over his controversial opening monologue.And Thompson is prepared to treat the 38-year-old comedian like a naughty child.'I think you need to educate yourself on how things might impact people.'Performance reviewSpeaking at Axios' Media Trends Live event in New York City on Tuesday, Thompson said he would have to sit Gillis down for a little talk if he returned to host "SNL.""I'm sure we would have a conversation of, like, 'How do you think that went?' ... Like a little kid," Thompson told host Sara Fischer."I would just sit him down and be like, 'So what do you think we could change there, pal?' And just figure it out."Thompson's remarks stand out among reactions from Gillis' "SNL" colleagues. The current cast has largely avoided publicly criticizing the comedian, while prominent alumni Dana Carvey and David Spade have come to his defense.Even Michael Che, who co-hosts the show's "Weekend Update" segment, declined to condemn Gillis when pressed during an appearance on "Today.""That's comedy," Che said, explaining that he couldn't criticize Gillis for a joke that didn't land.Carvey was less reserved."I just didn't understand the kerfuffle — only because to me, I just saw it as what we call, I'll just say it, a joke!" Carvey said on his "Fly on the Wall" podcast with Spade.Not every former cast member has been supportive. Ego Nwodim and Cecily Strong have both mocked Gillis' joke about women dressing like "whores" at the gym.But Thompson, now in his 23rd season on "SNL," has offered perhaps the most patronizing response yet.RELATED: Joe Rogan pounces on uproar over Shane Gillis joke about women dressing like 'whores' at gyms 'Harmful' ha-hasThompson said he didn't necessarily consider Gillis a mean person, but suggested the comedian needed to learn that his jokes could hurt people."I don't think jokes are necessarily harmless just because they're jokes and you didn't intend it to be a certain kind of way," Thompson said. "I think you need to educate yourself on how things might impact people."He also warned that comedians must balance their "creative liberties" with "watching your step as far as harmful words are concerned."The remarks came more than a week after Gillis' third hosting appearance on "SNL," during which he joked that women at his gym were dressing like "whores."RELATED: 'I say worse things than that every day': Jimmy Carr issues hilarious defense of Shane Gillis Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty Images Stealing the spotlightThompson also seemed annoyed that the controversy had drawn attention away from the rest of the episode."Everybody's focusing in on this one specific word," he complained, adding that other parts of the monologue and the show were getting "overshadowed."The actor pointed to new cast member Grace Reiter's performance and musical guest Rosalía, saying both deserved more attention than the debate over Gillis' remarks."It's sad, because nobody is even talking about it," Thompson said.He went on to complain that the discussion had become a "back-and-forth on what's offensive and what's not."When asked whether Gillis would be invited back, Thompson acknowledged that the decision wasn't his to make.But he insisted that a return would require a "real chat" about avoiding behavior that creates a "wave pool" for the rest of the cast.For now, Gillis has not publicly responded to Thompson's proposed fatherly intervention.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A man was arrested after he allegedly rammed his car into Australian Member of Parliament Helen Haines, an independent lawmaker.Haines was getting something from her car outside her Wangaratta office in the state of Victoria when the man drove his Toyota Land Cruiser into her, pinning her against the car.'Motivation is one of ⁠these things that we absolutely need to explore. His motivation for this, what we allege is a deliberate attack, is very much a centerpiece of the investigation.' Then he reversed and drove into Haines again, according to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.Bystanders rushed to help Haines while a local barber detained the 43-year-old alleged attacker until police arrived. He was later identified as Brendan Nugent.Doctors amputated Haines' left leg at a Melbourne hospital on Monday, and two days later her right leg was amputated as well."The good news in all this is that Helen is alive and she’s stable. That is the most important thing for our family," her husband said to reporters outside the hospital on Wednesday. "We are grateful and thankful that, at this stage, both her heart and her mind are in good shape."Prime Minister ⁠Anthony Albanese characterized the incident as a "deliberate attack."No link between the suspect and Haines was initially discovered by investigators, Victoria Police Chief Mike Bush said."Motivation is one of ⁠these things that we absolutely need to explore. His motivation for this, what we allege is a deliberate attack, is very much a centerpiece of the investigation," Bush said.Police are investigating whether he might have extremist anti-government views."Like everyone, we're examining social media associations, talking to witnesses, friends, and colleagues," Bush added.Nugent was charged with one count each of dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, and causing harm to a public official. He was also charged with cannabis possession and cultivation.RELATED: 'Complete lizard person': Chuck Schumer gives stunningly tone-deaf remarks following Australia attack "It's a reminder that the world is a more dangerous and divided place than it was a generation ago," Albanese said on Wednesday."I think that Australians do want to see their politicians be able to go about their business, to be able to get something from the back of their car, for goodness sake," he added.Wangaratta Mayor Irene Grant said the 30,000 residents of the town are stunned over the incident."What has happened to Helen has caused the community to step back in utter disbelief. We can't believe it; people are horrified by what has happened,” she told the AFP.Haines is 65 years old and has been married to her husband for 40 years.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!