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Russell Brand has openly admitted to a troubled past, but he also says finding Jesus changed his life.Now, after being convicted of rape, he faces a lengthy prison sentence. But Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck says his review of the trial has left him with serious questions about whether the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.“Russell Brand is a dirtbag, or was a dirtbag. I don’t know if he still is … but his own admission, he’s a dirtbag. Like, a bad one,” Glenn begins, noting that Brand admittedly “did all kinds of unspeakable things.”“Then apparently changed his life. Some people say he’s a grifter. I don’t happen to believe that, but I tend to believe the best in people, so I’m never a good judge of that because I always want to believe that people can change,” he says. “But I think he did. I think he changed,” he continues, “and he wasn’t doing those kinds of things any more and admitted that he had done those things and said, ‘I thank God I found Jesus.’”When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Glenn notes that Brand became “very outspoken” against the pandemic response.“That’s almost a death sentence in England, the U.K.,” he says.Glenn argues that Brand's growing prominence was followed by a wave of scrutiny and, eventually, allegations from two women.“So they went after Russell Brand. And they did everything they could. And it just made him bigger and bigger and bigger, and then, suddenly, two women come out and they say he did unspeakable things to them, you know, behind stage at some place,” he continues.“So he’s arrested, and he’s tried for rape. And believe me, what was said in court sure looks like rape to me,” he adds.But while Glenn believes rape should carry serious consequences, he isn't convinced the case against Brand left no room for reasonable doubt.“There are those people who absolutely know Russell Brand is absolutely guilty. There are those who think he’s absolutely innocent,” he says, admitting, “I don’t know.”“What I do know is I don’t trust the system,” he continues, “because I’ve read enough of what happened in the trial that would make me say, ‘Where’s the reasonable doubt here? How did you get past that reasonable doubt?’”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.

A Colorado man was arrested in New York over "unspeakable" and "horrifying" allegations that he planned to sexually abuse three young children.The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to a disturbance at a house on Manning Road in the town of Malta, New York, on Monday at about 12:15 p.m.'He wanted to extremely and very physically and brutally rape and assault the 3-year-old autistic girl.'A caller told police that a private child-predator sting had gotten 42-year-old Preston G. Purdy of Boulder to travel to the home with child pornography, the sheriff's office said.The caller said Purdy had flown to New York seeking to sexually assault three young children, ages 3, 8 and 11 years old, according to the sheriff's office."He is accused of attempting to engage in vaginal and anal sexual contact with two children through forcible compulsion and attempting to insert a foreign object into a child’s rectum through forcible compulsion, which would result in injury," read a statement from the sheriff's office on Facebook.Purdy was charged with four felony counts of attempted first-degree rape and at least one felony count of attempted first-degree aggravated sexual abuse.He was booked into the Saratoga County Jail after an arraignment with Malta Town Court Judge Ellwood A. Sloat Jr."To say that Purdy’s intentions were unspeakable, horrifying and send a chill down every parent’s spine is a major understatement," read a statement from Sheriff Jeffrey Brown."This case truly demonstrates the worst of the worst."Eric Arthurs told WNYT-TV that he was the person who pretended to be a mother offering her children to Purdy online. He said he's organized predator sting operations because he was a victim himself."He had every opportunity to say no or to block the profile or to stop responding in text at any given time,” Arthurs said."He wanted to extremely and very physically and brutally rape and assault the 3-year-old autistic girl," Arthurs said in a separate interview with WTEN-TV. RELATED: VIDEO: Man allegedly wanting to meet underage girls shot and killed by police after he pulled gun Investigators found that Purdy had allegedly purchased twist ties, vodka, and marijuana gummies after landing in New York, according to WNYT. The items can also allegedly be seen in a video that Arthurs posted online of his interactions with Purdy.Saratoga County District Attorney Brett Eby said the online video would likely be admissible as evidence in court. He added that more charges were likely based on Purdy allegedly possessing child porn at the time of his arrest. Malta is a town of about 17,400 residents 23 miles north of Albany in Upstate New York.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

When children get bored, screens are increasingly beating out make-believe.A new survey commissioned by toy manufacturer Playmobil found that children ages 4 to 9 were more than twice as likely to reach for a screen when bored as they were to invent a game, story, or imaginary world.'27% said their child will spend between three and four hours of the day on a screen.'Dad botTwenty-eight percent of children surveyed said they would use or ask for a screen when boredom struck. Just 12% said they would make up a game, story, or pretend world.The nationwide U.K. survey questioned 2,000 parents and 2,000 children. Parents seem well aware of the problem — and many aren't particularly happy about their own role in it. Fifty-four percent admitted feeling guilty about relying on screens to keep their children occupied.RELATED: THREE'S ALLOWED: West Hollywood makes polyamory official Mark Makela/Corbis/Getty Images Buzz killDuring school holidays, while parents are working, 27% said their children spend between three and four hours a day on screens.According to 86% of parents surveyed, at least one toy or activity their child once enjoyed has been partly replaced by screens.It's practically the plot of this summer's "Toy Story 5," in which Woody, Buzz, and the gang find themselves competing for Bonnie's attention with a tablet.Parents may wish their children were more eager to exercise their imaginations, but plenty of kids would like a little help from Mom and Dad.Seventy-four percent of parents said they wished their children spent more time playing imaginatively. Meanwhile, 38% of children said they wished their parents would play with them more often.RELATED: Actor Ryan Phillippe says he's done with politics — but progressives tell him he's not allowed CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images Room and boredParents offered some excuses of their own. Twenty-one percent said they sometimes run out of ideas for imaginative play, while 28% said the pressures of everyday life leave little time to join in.Research psychologist Dr. Amanda Gummer cautioned against concluding that children have simply lost their imaginations. The findings, she said, suggest that screens have become the "quickest and most familiar option" when boredom strikes. Her advice to parents was relatively simple: Give children a prompt, idea, or challenge and let them take it from there.There may be some urgency. The survey found that children believed they became too old for pretend play at an average age of 9.76.Of course, children aren't the only ones staring at screens.A separate finding released from the Playmobil research this month showed that 28% of children wished their parents would put their phones away more often, while 38% wanted Mom and Dad to play with them more.Maybe the kids still have imaginations after all. They just need somebody to play with.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

If chatbot users lose access to their internet connection, it's game over.However, one AI company doesn't consider that to be an option.'They want to spy on you.'It's been more than two years since military tech contractors at EdgeRunner AI first revealed their software was capable of operating missile defense systems and satellites in an offline environment.It was later revealed that the company was undergoing trials with U.S. soldiers, issuing them an offline chatbot that provided assistance in the battlefield with mission-critical details, all while their system remained inaccessible to the enemy or hackers.On Tuesday, computer company HP Inc. formally recognized the technology's importance and announced its partnership with EdgeRunner AI to bundle the software within its new products.HP will sell its new AI PCs to the military, federal agencies, and companies in critical industries, EdgeRunner CEO Tyler Saltsman told Blaze News, with an embedded localized model that prevents the need for high-bandwidth or cloud-connected environments, making sure none of the data leaves the computer."The end customer will be able to buy the EdgeRunner bundle with their device just like they buy Microsoft Word or Excel today. It will come pre-installed and ready out of the box," he confirmed.The advantages of EdgeRunner in sensitive environments can be explained as a simple, offline process. Users "never transmit data to the cloud," maintain "uninterrupted access," and are using an AI agent trained on relevant military doctrine and operational data that no one can touch, Saltsman explained.RELATED: 'They want to spy on you': Military tech CEO explains why AI companies don't want you going offline HP Googlebook. Gabby Jones/Bloomberg/Getty Images The same privacy of EdgeRunner's offline capabilities that appeal to government entities are exactly what consumers should be asking for, too, Saltsman previously said.During an exclusive interview with Blaze News, the CEO explained that his technology was not only paramount to maintaining a technological edge over the enemy, but also represented what he felt was the future of AI agents for the general consumer.When asked why leading AI providers are online-only and require a perpetual connection, Saltsman answered by revealing the industry's biggest overarching plan: "They want to spy on you.""They want your data, they want your prompts, they want to learn more about you," he continued.More than a year later, Saltsman's views haven't changed, and he reiterated that commercial AI models are hosted "in the cloud.""This means your private data is sent to external servers, and you are subject to expensive usage-based fees. If you lose network connectivity, you lose access to your AI capabilities."RELATED: Space Force AI chatbot now capable of operating missile defense systems and satellites for soldiers EdgeRunner AI is used on a military laptop. Image provided to Blaze News courtesy of EdgeRunner From the HP side, president and head of U.S. public sector Todd Gustafson said that the new partnership will help bring the product to industries that need it most."By combining HP’s high-performance computing platforms with EdgeRunner AI's domain-specific intelligence, we aim to identify validated configurations that can support local AI workloads in demanding customer environments," Gustafson said in a press release.Saltsman's message has remained consistent over the years and is not dissimilar to many of the entrepreneurs in his field; his mission remains focused on advancing the capabilities of the American warfighter while placing added priority on the individual life of the soldier."Our partnership with HP gives us a massive distribution partner to bring mission-tuned intelligence to the tactical edge for the warfighter," Saltsman added.When asked if the general consumer should be demanding more security and privacy from their AI provider, Saltsman was clear."Yes, absolutely. Users should assume that any data they give their AI provider will be used for training purposes. Local AI solves this. Consumers, enterprises, and governments should all have a sovereign AI strategy."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!