R Magic Brow

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky wrote in a statement Monday that he is still recovering from a fall in June and released a photo of himself in an apparent attempt to quell suspicion about his absence. The photo shows a smiling McConnell alongside his wife, Elaine Chao. It was reportedly taken on Sunday from a rehabilitation facility. Unlike the previous photo released, he is not holding a newspaper or any other item that might help verify when it was taken.'He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.' McConnell released a statement in the press release lamenting that he would not be able to attend the annual Fancy Farm Picnic, a massive church fundraiser in Kentucky that has been running for more than 140 years."I'm still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors' orders," he wrote. "As always, I appreciate all of your continued well wishes, and I'm looking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon," he added.The Office of the Attending Physician, the specialized unit that provides health care to members of Congress, also released a statement on his condition. "Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls," the office said. McConnell's bout with childhood polio continues to affect his health, the office added. "He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office," it concluded. Chao reportedly traveled to China days before McConnell's fall, and three days after his hospitalization, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. shared a photo of Chao with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. She has since returned to Kentucky. RELATED: Kentucky governor makes unusual request as mystery deepens over Mitch McConnell's health Mitch McConnell press release McConnell has been heavily criticized by Democrats as well as some in his own party for being far too secretive about his condition. "Allowing speculation to continue in the media is not fair to the Senator or to Kentuckians," reads a statement from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), "and my hope is that this provides him the opportunity to share the information in a transparent manner, direct from the source." McConnell previously announced that he was not running for re-election. He is the longest-running senator for Kentucky and has the longest record of leading the U.S. Senate.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An adherent of the "religion of peace" drove a white van into Germany's largest annual LGBT Pride event on Saturday, killing one and injuring at least 29 individuals before smashing into a tree nearby Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.After plowing through the pro-diversity festivities, homegrown terrorist Abdul Ballout — a 21-year-old German citizen with foreign ties — attacked passersby with a knife, then fled the scene, according to German interior minister Alexander Dobrindt.'The rainbow has suffered a crack today.'Yannicka Riebensahm, a Berlin-based performer and activist who performs under the name Nyya, spoke at the vigil held on Saturday evening for victims of the attack and complained about the identity of the suspect, noting that she had hoped it was not a foreigner "but a Christian white person" who had mowed down the non-straight revelers.Other attendees at the vigil waved LGBT imperial colors, and one held a sign that said, "From grief, to anger, to resistance!"Some Berlin LGBT organizers have demanded that the Islamic terrorist attack not be "instrumentalized for political ends."Ballout, who was born in Germany three years after his mother's arrival from Lebanon in 2002, was previously known to police, having committed multiple crimes, including aggravated assault and predatory extortion, and belonging to the "Islamist scene," said Dobrindt.RELATED: Activists RAGE against Democrat who admits hiding LGBTQ+ support to appease Muslims The LGBT event before a Muslim terrorist drove into it. RALF HIRSCHBERGER/AFP/Getty ImagesTawfik, the terrorist's father who lives in Lebanon, told Der Spiegel that his son had been "brainwashed."According to German prosecutors, the suspect traveled to Lebanon last year with the aim of joining ISIS, reported PBS. Ballout successfully met up with what he figured for militants, but before he could wage jihad, he was arrested by Lebanese authorities and sentenced by a military court to three months in prison.Ballout subsequently returned to Germany and was arrested at the airport, according to PBS. In May, he was convicted both of plotting a serious act of violence threatening national security and of publishing ISIS propaganda.Dobrindt told reporters, however, that Ballout's original sentence was suspended. Instead of serving one year and 10 months in youth custody, the terrorist was released from detention within days of his conviction pending an appeal of his sentence by prosecutors.Following the attack, Andre Lehmann, a top official at Germany's largest non-straight NGO, LSVD+, said in a statement, "The rainbow has suffered a crack today. This is a dark day for our community and our country. Our thoughts are with everyone directly affected."The City of Berlin said that the motto of this year's Christopher Street Day parade was "Taking a stand is hot," and that organizers were urging people "to take a stand for an open society, for democratic values, and for the equal rights of queer people."German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated early on Sunday, "This is an attack on our society.""The act will be investigated and pursued with the utmost severity," added Merz.On Sunday, German special forces caught up with the suspect in the greater Berlin area. Ballout attacked police, then "suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene."Following the attack, Alternative for Germany — or AFD, an ascendant rightist party that the German establishment has for years subjected to lawfare for sounding the alarm about the fallout of mass migration — blasted Merz's ruling CDU Party for "once again shirking responsibility."AFD said that contrary to the suggestion by elements of the CDU, "the problem is not 'hate and incitement on the net,' but rather a far too lax approach to Islamist threats and all those who have been massively endangering the lives and security of citizens in Germany for eleven years now — let into the country by the CDU."AFD reiterated its demand for "the immediate detention of Islamist threats and consistent deportations."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A knife-wielding male entered a Southern California restaurant "frightening customers and staff" earlier this month, according to law enforcement — that is, until a concealed-carrying patron stepped into the fray.Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to a report of a person armed with a knife at Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que in the 11300 block of South Street in Cerritos just after 2 p.m. July 19, KABC-TV reported.'He pointed a gun at him, told him to put the knife down, [but] the guy kept walking toward him like Michael Myers.'Deputies told the station that a preliminary investigation found that the armed male entered the restaurant and ran through the kitchen/service areas "frightening customers and staff."However, a customer who was "lawfully armed and possessed a valid concealed carry permit" confronted the male and ordered him to drop the knife, deputies told KABC.But the male with the knife reportedly charged toward the customer, and the customer shot him, the station said.In addition, a sheriff's department source told KABC that the knife-wielding male apparently stabbed himself before walking into the restaurant.A restaurant employee told the station that what went down resembled a horror movie."I just saw a guy run in the restaurant with his throat slit, and he had a knife. Once he went to the main dining area with all the guests, I guess there was another guest that was sitting down," the employee recounted to KABC. "He pointed a gun at him, told him to put the knife down, [but] the guy kept walking toward him like Michael Myers. He shot him."Investigators told the station they believe the incident began prior to the male getting to the restaurant. The sheriff's department source added to KABC that the male with the knife had been driving a stolen truck before abandoning it and stabbing himself at a nearby Starbucks on South Street.Magaly Zacarias told the station she saw the driver before he ran toward Lucille's: "I noticed a driver driving recklessly into the plaza. He just left the car there, ran off to Lucille's, and it seemed like he had a knife in his hand, and he was also wounded. I got a closer look at the car, and it seems like there was already blood all over the steering wheel and inside of the car."RELATED: 'Anyone who breaks into someone's home should expect to get shot': Gun-toting Florida homeowner takes care of business Zacarias works nearby and added to KABC that the deadly incident was a shock to her and others who work in the area: "We were really anxious, especially because this plaza is safe, so it was a little shocking for us to hear what was happening."Daniela Reyes of Cerritos told the station that she and other frequent shoppers also were shaken."It's just crazy to think about, because what if we were, well, knock on wood, but what if we were nearby and something like this happened?" Reyes noted to KABC. "And now it's like, OK, we have to be careful with our surroundings."Javier Reyes added to the station that he hopes security is increased: "Hopefully there's more security, because this is kind of unacceptable that this happened, and it makes me worried to go out for a nice Sunday dinner."More from KABC:Homicide investigators and the sheriff's department deputies had the restaurant blocked off as the investigation continued. Witnesses and employees were being questioned.Investigators have not released the name of the man who was shot and killed. They also have not released a possible motive for why he hurt himself and then went to the restaurant.Deputies said the customer who shot the armed man remained at the scene and is fully cooperating with investigators.Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A former NFL linebacker has been removed from the United States by immigration enforcement, apparently after years of living in the country illegally.Daniel Ogama Adongo played professional rugby union in South Africa before being recruited by the NFL in 2013.'Our communities are SAFER now that this criminal is OUT of our country.'Adongo, now 37, was in his prime when the Indianapolis Colts brought him aboard, but the Kenyan played in a total of only five games over the course of two seasons, never recording a tackle.After being waived by the Colts at the end of 2015, Adongo reportedly overstayed his visa in 2016, followed by a series of arrests over the last decade.Fox News reported that the linebacker was arrested for crimes like criminal mischief with damage, felony intimidation, battery, and disorderly conduct. One of the arrests led to a one-year jail sentence in 2020.According to the Daily Mail, another arrest stemmed from a 2017 incident when Adongo allegedly threatened his Uber driver with a hatchet.A Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Adongo's removal in March, according to Fox News, and he was deported on June 20 after being detained in Chicago.RELATED: Video shows Canadian 'illegal alien' slapping teen; assault suspect 'has no business being in our country': DHSThis CRIMINAL and former NFL linebacker has been DEPORTED after he broke our laws. Daniel Ogama Adongo, from Kenya, has a criminal record in the U.S. that includes arrests for criminal mischief with damage, felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct.Our communities… https://t.co/NNsS6tVHtd pic.twitter.com/PPdYCBcq1P— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 25, 2026The Department of Homeland Security responded to a news story about Adongo, saying he was "DEPORTED after he broke our laws.""Our communities are SAFER now that this criminal is OUT of our country," the department wrote on X.ICE Chicago told Fox News that Adongo was "clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he's been removed."The comments came from Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson, who added, "Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes."RELATED: Video: MLB player ruptures his testicle mid-game — then shocks his manager with what he does next Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Adongo was born in Nairobi in 1989 and was signed by the Colts without any football experience. His two games came in 2013 and 2015, as he bounced between the practice squad and the full-time roster starting in July 2013, until his eventual release in December 2015.Police had been called to Adongo's home multiple times throughout that season, the Daily Mail stated, but there were no charges filed at the time. He was later suspended by the NFL in 2016 following an investigation. Around 12 months later, he was arrested in Indianapolis for the alleged hatchet incident.As noted by Pro Football Reference, Adongo had his suspension lifted by the NFL commissioner on October 4, 2016.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!