Fed agents unleash tear gas, rubber bullets as protesters swarm ICE facility

Federal agents used non-lethal munitions to shut down a large group of protesters who tried to block law enforcement vehicles from entering and exiting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday night.

The chaotic scenes unfolded when agents deployed rubber bullets, tear gas and flash bangs to disperse the crowd who had swarmed the compound, according to video captured by Turning Point USA’s Frontlines.

It was the latest in a series of protests outside the ICE building in the sanctuary city which have raged for about a week and a half.

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Hundreds of mostly masked protesters had marched on the streets before sunset, some holding signs reading “Nobody is illegal on stolen land” and “Protect immigrants and refugees.” Several were wearing keffiyehs, a symbol often associated with left-wing protest movements.

They then gathered outside the Macadam Avenue building and could be seen trying to block the entrance. 

As nighttime fell, tensions escalated and protesters rolled a dumpster in front of the ICE entrance, prompting a barrage of non-lethal blast balls being fired by law enforcement on a rooftop, per the video.

Despite multiple warnings to disperse, the protesters refused to leave. Officers in riot gear then advanced, firing munitions while tear gas filled the air, forcing the group to eventually retreat. Homeland Security cited the need to clear the area so several government vehicles could exit safely.

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Smoke grenades were launched at riot police, who responded with overwhelming force to break up the protest.

Rioters were later heard chanting, “Whose streets, our streets,” and shouting profanities at law enforcement.

It is unclear how many people were arrested in total. Fox News Digital reached out to Homeland Security for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

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The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said it arrested two people during the broader demonstration. 

Eduardo Diaz, 22, was cited for unlawfully directing a laser pointer at federal officers and later booked on a U.S. Marshal’s hold, while Mariana Rivera-Loza, 19, was arrested for criminal trespass near the Portland ICE facility after ignoring multiple warnings and carrying a shield. 

PPB said it doesn’t engage in immigration enforcement and was responsible for maintaining public safety around the protest. 

Flaring Iran nuclear crisis provides first major test for pivotal Trump trio

A trio of key Trump administration officials — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt — are in the midst of facing their first major foreign policy test in their high-profile admin roles after Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran and President Donald Trump weighs involving the U.S. in the conflict. 

The trio ascended to their roles with widespread fanfare among many MAGA conservatives, though many critics just months ago questioned if their prior careers prepared them for what was to come. The current flaring tensions with the Islamic Republic could be the final arbiter of which side was correct. 

“President Trump leads from the front, and he has assembled a highly-qualified, world-class team that has helped him achieve numerous foreign policy accomplishments this term,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox Digital on Wednesday when asked about the trio’s test on Iran. “The American people trust the President to make the right decisions that keep them safe, and he has empowered his team to meet the moment and advance his foreign policy goals.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 

Secretary Hegseth was one of Trump’s more controversial nominees among critics, as Democrat lawmakers and left-wing pundits slammed Hegseth as unqualified for the job.

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“This hearing now seems to be a hearing about whether or not women are qualified to serve in combat. And not about whether or not you are qualified to be secretary of defense,” Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth said during Hegseth’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in January. “And let me just say that the American people need a secretary of defense who’s ready to lead on day one. You are not that person.” 

“Is Pete Hegseth truly the best we have to offer?” asked Democrat Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, ranking member of the committee. 

Hegseth battled against claims he would lower previous standards for the secretary of Defense and that his vows to strengthen the military could be bluster once he was in the role and juggling oversight of the entire military. 

“As I’ve said to many of you in our private meetings, when President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense,” he said in his opening statement during his confirmation hearing. “He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser focused on warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness. That’s it. That is my job.” 

Hegseth was confirmed to the role after Vice President JD Vance issued a tie-breaking vote when Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell joined Democrats in voting against the confirmation. 

Hegseth is an Ivy League graduate and former National Guard officer who was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay during his military career, which began in 2003. He is also the recipient of a handful of military awards, including two Bronze Stars. He appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday and was pressed about the Israel–Iran conflict. 

“They should have made a deal,” Hegseth said. 

“President Trump’s word means something — the world understands that,” Hegseth said, referring to Trump’s repeated pressure on Iran to make a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program as the conflict spiraled. 

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“And at the Defense Department, our job is to stand ready and prepared with options. And that’s precisely what we’re doing,” Hegseth continued. 

He did not reveal if the U.S. would assist Israel in the ongoing strikes on Iran, but that the Pentagon is in the midst of preparing options for Trump. 

Any potential U.S. involvement in the strikes could pull the country into war against Iran. 

“I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said Wednesday on whether he would order a strike on Iran. “I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

Hegseth was among high-profile Trump officials who joined Trump in the White House’s Situation Room as the president and his team closely monitor the flaring conflict. 

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard 

Director of National Intelligence Gabbard is another Trump official who faced an intense confirmation hearing as critics argued she was unqualified for the role. 

Gabbard is a former Democrat who served in the U.S. House representing Hawaii from 2013 to 2021, a former member of the House Armed Services Committee and an Iraq war veteran. However, she had never held a formal position within the intelligence community before serving as director of national intelligence. 

Ahead of her confirmation, Gabbard’s critics slammed her as lacking the qualifications for the role, questioning her judgment over a 2017 meeting with then-Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, labeling her as sympathetic toward Russia, and balking at her previous favorable remarks related to former National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.

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“Those who oppose my nomination imply that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, my own conscience and the Constitution of the United States,” she said during her confirmation hearing. “Accusing me of being Trump’s puppet, Putin’s puppet, Assad’s puppet, a guru’s puppet, Modi’s puppet, not recognizing the absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of five different puppet masters.” 

She ultimately was confirmed in a 52–48 vote. 

Gabbard’s March testimony before the Senate dismissing concerns Iran was actively building a nuclear weapon is back under the nation’s microscope after Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran. Israel’s strikes were in direct response to Israeli intelligence showing Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a short span of time. 

Trump was asked about Gabbard’s testimony while traveling back to Washington Monday evening from the G7 summit in Canada, and the president said he did not “care” what Gabbard had to say in previous testimony, arguing he believes Iran is close to building a nuke. 

“You’ve always said that you don’t believe Iran should be able to have a nuclear weapon,” a reporter asked Trump while aboard Air Force One on Monday. “But how close do you personally think that they were to getting one?” 

“Very close,” Trump responded.

“Because Tulsi Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community said Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon,” the reporter continued. 

Trump shot back, “I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one.”

When Gabbard appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee in March, she delivered a statement on behalf of the intelligence community that included testimony that Iran was not actively building a nuclear weapon. 

“Iran’s cyber operations and capabilities also present a serious threat to U.S. networks and data,” Gabbard told the committee on March 26. 

The intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003,” she said. She did add that “Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.”

“Iran will likely continue efforts to counter Israel and press for U.S. military withdrawal from the region by aiding, arming and helping to reconstitute its loose consortium of like-minded terrorist actors, which it refers to as its axis of resistance,” she warned. 

However, as critics picked apart Gabbard’s past comments, the White House stressed that Gabbard and Trump are closely aligned on Iran. 

A White House official told Fox News Digital Tuesday afternoon that Trump and Gabbard are closely aligned and that the distinction being raised between Gabbard’s March testimony and Trump’s remarks that Iran is “very close” to getting a nuclear weapon is one without a difference. 

The official noted that Gabbard underscored in her March testimony that Iran had the resources to potentially build a nuclear weapon. Her testimony in March reflected intelligence she received that Iran was not building a weapon at the time but that the country could do so based on the resources it amassed for such an endeavor. 

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt 

Leavitt is the youngest press secretary in U.S. history, assuming the role at age 27. 

Some liberal critics, such as Joy Behar of “The View,” attempted to discount her appointment when she was first tapped by Trump, and she has since emerged as a Trump administration firebrand during her routine White House press briefings. 

Though Leavitt has overwhelmingly been praised by supporters of the president for her defense of the administration and repeated fiery exchanges with left-wing media outlets during briefings, her tenure has overwhelmingly focused on domestic issues. 

Leavitt has kept the nation updated on issues such as mass deportation efforts, Trump’s ongoing list of executive orders affecting policies from transgender issues to electric vehicles, national tragedies such as the terror attack in Boulder targeting Jewish Americans and Trump’s wide-ranging tariff policy that affects foreign nations. 

Though the administration entered office with a war raging between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the ongoing war in Israel after Hamas attacked the country in 2023, the Israel–Iran conflict provides Leavitt with her first major international crisis that could include U.S. involvement. 

Leavitt’s highly anticipated first press briefing since Israel launched its preemptive strikes is scheduled for Thursday. 

‘Globalize the intifada’ phrase stirs tensions on the NYC campaign trail

Middle East tensions seeped onto the New York City campaign trail this week as President Donald Trump considers striking Iran. 

When asked by The Bulwark podcast host, Tim Miller, if the phrases “Globalize the intifada” and “From the river to the sea” make him uncomfortable, mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani explained he doesn’t support banning language, comparing that leadership style to Trump. 

“The very word has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, which is a word that means ‘struggle.’”

The clip has since gone viral, as Jewish advocacy groups and influencers slammed Mamdani for what they say is a refusal to condemn the phrase “Globalize the intifada,” a rallying cry that has been used by pro-Palestinian protesters resisting the war in Gaza. 

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“Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize ‘globalize the intifada’ is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors. Since 1987, Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history,” the United States Holocaust Museum fired back at Mamdani in a social media post. 

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According to the American Jewish Committee, the phrase “calls for people from around the globe to participate in rising up against Israel.”

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, widely considered the frontrunner in New York City’s mayoral race, called on all candidates to “denounce” Mamdani’s comments for claiming THE language is “subject to interpretation.”

“That is not only wrong, it is dangerous. At a time when we are seeing antisemitism on the rise and in fact witnessing once again violence against Jews resulting in their deaths in Washington D.C. or their burning in Denver, we know all too well that words matter. They fuel hate. They fuel murder. As the US Holocaust Museum so aptly said, all leaders or those running for office must condemn the use of this battle cry. There are no two sides here,” Cuomo said. 

A young Jewish couple who worked at the Israeli Embassy were killed while leaving the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington last month. The suspect shouted, “Free Palestine!” while in police custody. Colorado police also responded to a terror attack at a pro-Israel event that left multiple people injured in Denver last month. 

Mamdani, who is vying to be New York City’s first Muslim mayor, has been criticized by his competitors, including Cuomo, for his views on Middle East politics, which reached a boiling point this week amid ongoing strikes between Israel and Iran. 

During the mayoral debate, Mamdani said, “Israel has a right to exist,” he but refused to agree that Israel has the right to exist as a “Jewish state” but rather “as a state with equal rights.”

New York Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi, who has endorsed Cuomo, slammed Mamdani’s comments, writing, “In Israel, the first and second intifadas, were terrorist attacks to kill Jews over a sustained period. ‘Globalize the intifada’ is not ‘subject to interpretation,’ it is wrong, dangerous and deadly. This is disqualifying and must be stopped.”

Another New York Democrat, Rep. Ritchie Torres, piled on the criticism, saying, “Even if we stipulate—for the sake of argument—that ‘Globalize the Intifada’ is not a call to violence (even though it clearly is), what matters is not the speaker’s intent but how the phrase is received by many in the Jewish community.”

An emotional Mamdani addressed accusations that his comments were rooted in antisemitism during a press conference on Wednesday. 

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“I get comments that say the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim. I get threats on my life, on the people that I love,” Mamdani said, before adding, “Antisemitism is such a real issue in this city, and it has been hard to see it weaponized by candidates who do not seem to have any sincere interest in tackling it, but rather in using it as a pretext to make political points.”

But Elisha Weisel, son of Elie and Marion Wiesel, authors and survivors of the Holocaust, told Fox News Digital that “globalizing the intifada is code switching for kill the Jews” and joined Cuomo’s call for all candidates to denounce the controversial phrase. 

“I can’t see into Zohran Mamdani’s soul, so when he doubles down on saying that globalizing the intifada is a good thing, I genuinely can’t tell whether he’s just completely naive or evil. Neither one of those is a good characteristic for someone in charge of our city. We need to keep antisemites out of the mayor’s office,” Weisel added. 

Mamdani’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for further comment. 

Military-trained father accused of killing daughters eludes capture in wilderness

The manhunt for the Washington father accused of killing his three young daughters has expanded as federal and state law enforcement officials continue to comb through the dense wilderness in search of the military-trained survivalist. 

Authorities said this week that they are combing through the Teanaway Valley and Blewett Pass areas as the search for Travis Decker continues into its third week, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office. 

“If you have trail cameras or doorbell cameras, please check them for suspicious activity,” the department said in a statement. “If you have residences in these areas, check them for anything missing – no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.” 

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The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Decker is wanted for allegedly killing his three daughters – Paityn, 9; Evelyn, 8; and Olivia, 5 – after their bodies were found near a Washington campsite earlier this month. 

Authorities began searching for Decker on the evening of May 30 after his ex-wife notified police that he had not returned the couple’s three children from a court-mandated visitation, according to court documents. Three days later, the girls were discovered near Decker’s abandoned vehicle with plastic bags over their heads and their hands bound, police said. 

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The update comes one week after the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) announced a group of hikers reported seeing a lone individual who appeared unprepared for the wilderness near Colchuck Lake. 

When authorities responded to the tip, they “spotted a lone, off-trail hiker from a helicopter,” adding the individual “ran from sight as the helicopter passed,” CCSO previously said in a press release. 

The lake is located approximately 40 miles from Blewett Pass and 60 miles from Teanaway Valley by car. 

A new flyer depicting renderings of ways Decker may have changed his physical appearance was released by authorities on Tuesday. The updated poster includes photos of Decker with and without facial hair and wearing a baseball hat. 

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Officials also quashed a TikTok video reportedly showing CCSO Sheriff Mike Morrison announcing Decker’s arrest after a long standoff. 

“To be clear, Mr. Decker is not in custody and CCSO had no part in making the video,” the department wrote in a Facebook post. 

The U.S. Marshals Service has taken on the role of lead agency in the hunt for Decker, who is a former member of the military with extensive experience in wilderness survival. The Washington National Guard is also assisting local law enforcement with aerial search efforts and surveillance.

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Officials warn that Decker is considered armed and dangerous but do not have reason to believe he is a threat to public safety. 

The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker’s arrest. He is charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and kidnapping.   

Iranian dissidents slam Whoopi’s ‘misguided’ claim comparing Black Americans to Iran

Iranian dissidents are speaking out over Whoopi Goldberg’s “offensive” claim that life for Black Americans is equivalent to living under Iran’s brutal autocracy.

“Whoopi Goldberg’s comparison between being Black in America and living under Iran’s authoritarian regime is deeply misguided and dismisses the brutal realities faced by millions of Iranians,” Dr. Sheila Nazarian told Fox News Digital. 

Goldberg sparked backlash during a heated argument with her fellow “The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin on Wednesday. Griffin elaborated on the many human rights violations perpetrated by the Ayatollah’s regime in Iran was guilty of, including executions of gay people and imprisonment of women who go outside with their hair uncovered. 

“Let’s not do that, because if we start with that, we have been known in this country to tie gay folks to the car. Listen, I’m sorry, they used to just keep hanging Black people,” Goldberg insisted as Griffin pushed back and said the situations weren’t comparable.

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“In the year 2025 in the United States, is nothing like if I step foot wearing this outfit into Iran right now,” Griffin said. 

“It is the same,” Goldberg responded. 

When Griffin tried to explain that life in modern-day America was night and day with the theocratic regime in Iran, Goldberg countered, “Not if you’re Black.”

Nazarian, a renowned plastic surgeon whose family fled Iran in 1985 when she was six after her father was put on a government list to be killed, told Fox News Digital that Goldberg’s comparison was not only inaccurate but deeply offensive.

“While racism is a serious and ongoing challenge in the U.S., comparing this to life under a totalitarian theocracy like Iran is not only inaccurate – it’s offensive to those who suffer daily under that regime. In Iran, the government controls nearly every aspect of life. People can be imprisoned, tortured, raped or even executed for peaceful protests, for criticizing the regime, or simply expressing their opinions online,” Nazarian said.

Iran’s theocratic regime is deeply unpopular with its public, and widespread anti-government protests frequently break out in the Islamic Republic. The country was gripped by widespread unrest after Iran’s morality police were accused of murdering Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman, for not wearing a hijab in public. 

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“It’s astonishing that Whoopi Goldberg would even suggest that life for Black Americans is somehow equivalent to living under the rule of the Ayatollah in Iran. The very fact that she, as a woman — and a woman of color — has a platform where she can speak freely, express dissenting views, and appear uncovered on national television is proof of the immense freedoms she enjoys,” Iranian-American journalist Lisa Daftari told Fox News Digital.

This is not the first time Goldberg has faced controversy for comments she made. In 2022, Goldberg was suspended from “The View” following remarks about the Holocaust that many found offensive. 

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Goldberg claimed that The Holocaust wasn’t “about race” instead saying the genocide of six million Jews from 1933 to 1945 was the result of “man’s inhumanity to other man.” The daytime talk show co-host swiftly apologized for her comments, saying she “misspoke.”

Fox News Digital reached out to “The View” for comment.

Harry Potter author reminds singer of assault conviction in clash over women’s spaces

Singer Boy George got called out in a particularly sharp way by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling after he picked a fight with the author this week on transgender rights.

In an X post from June 11, Rowling asked, “Which rights have been taken away from trans people?” 

The singer, whose full name is George O’Dowd, and was convicted of falsely imprisoning and assaulting a male escort in 2007 and served four months in prison in 2009, responded to Rowling’s post, saying, “The right to be left alone by a rich bored bully!” 

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Rowling posted a reply of her own, calling out the differences between the author and singer, citing gender, fame, O’Dowd’s crime and freedom of speech. 

In her lengthy reply, she addressed why she believes it is critical to keep biological men out of women’s spaces. 

“For more than half my life I was a regular anonymous person,” Rowling said. “Some of those years were spent in poverty. That’s why I understand the importance of single-sex spaces for women who’re reliant on state-funded services. That’s why I understand why mixed public changing rooms are a problem for women. That’s why I have a problem with men ‘identifying’ into women’s rape crisis centres, domestic abuse and homeless shelters that are supposed to be single-sex. I don’t stand against gender identity ideology because I personally still need those services, but because my life has taught me exactly how vulnerable women are when they don’t have the money/influence I have now.” 

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The world-famous author and advocate for women also brought up Boy George’s assault and prison time. 

“You yourself have been convicted of violent assault,” Rowling said in the post. “The overwhelming number of people who commit crimes of violence are male, just like you. That’s why I don’t want to see men identifying into women’s prison cells or any of the spaces mentioned above. Not all men are violent or predatory, but enough are to make safeguarding necessary.”

She ended her reply by saying she thinks that the singer no longer values “non-conformity.” 

“Lastly, I’m a writer who believes in freedom of speech and belief,” Rowling said. “As we both know, the safe, fashionable thing in the arts world right now is to do exactly what you’re doing: parrot TWAW [Trans Women Are Women] and sneer at the unenlightened plebs who think sex is important and matters. For a man who was once all about non-conformity, George, you couldn’t have become more predictably or more tediously conformist.” 

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In a Monday reply on X about the feud with Rowling, Boy George addressed her personal appearance. 

“The demolition of her filler face is more laughable! The dragon has been slayed!” he stated in the post.

In a subsequent post on Tuesday, he said, “I do not hate women. I cannot be clearer than that. I don’t hate men either. I’m just not anti trans. We have [lived] together for centuries without having to be separated. Some men need to be taught to respect women more and some women need [to] stop blaming all men for the bad deeds of the few.”

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Elon Musk reacts to massive SpaceX Starship explosion at Texas Starbase

SpaceX’s Starship exploded Wednesday night during a test at SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. 

Around 11 p.m. local time Wednesday, “the Starship preparing for the tenth flight test experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase,” SpaceX said in a post on X.

“A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,” the company said. “Our Starbase team is actively working to safe the test site and the immediate surrounding area in conjunction with local officials. There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue

The rocket’s explosion was caught on camera by several livestreams of Starbase.

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Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 shared a NASASpaceflight stream on his Facebook page.

“Whoa! Whoa! No,” a man can be heard saying once the explosion happened. “Oh, my God.”

The caption at the bottom of the stream read: “SpaceX is expected to perform a static fire test of ship 36. The second in this series of testing for flight 10.”

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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk appeared to shrug off the incident in a post on X Thursday morning.

“Just a scratch,”  he said.

Christian singer follows Jelly Roll’s lead with phone change to focus on ‘right people’

Brandon Lake’s collaboration with Jelly Roll on his new album, “King of Hearts,” inspired him to set more boundaries in his own life. 

“He had told me how he threw his phone in the river after his Bridgestone show in Nashville. I was like, ‘Tell me more about that,'” Lake told Fox News Digital. “He’s like, ‘I’m calling you from a flip phone right now.’ And literally, because of that, I got a new phone. It’s not a flip phone, but I needed to get a new number. I needed it to kind of focus in on my circle of people.”

Jelly Roll went viral last December when he threw his phone into a river, admitting that he felt overwhelmed at the time about all the calls and texts he was getting.

Lake told Fox News Digital that too many people had access to his old number as he got more successful.

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“And while I would love to be friends with everyone… the bigger things have gotten, the smaller I’ve had to go,” he explained. “And really make sure I have the right people around,” adding that he’s started setting boundaries. 

He released his new album “King of Hearts” this month. 

“I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time,” he said of the album release. “Funny enough, I got this tattoo a while back on my finger, King of Hearts, and just as like a reminder. More than focusing on the products and the things that I’m making, that I exist to minister to people, to minister God, but also like, ministry’s about people, I’m here to reach people, love on people, serve people, and I wanna be a king of hearts, and shepherd people well, no matter what I’m doing.” 

While Lake loves singing about his faith, there’s one thing he says he wouldn’t sing about when asked. 

WATCH: Brandon Lake was inspired by Jelly Roll throwing his phone in a river to set his own boundaries

“I wouldn’t sing about drugs or, you know… I’m sure there’s plenty of things. I just can’t really think. I do know what I want to sing about and that’s my faith, that’s what my family does. I wanna sing about things that have changed my life and I know that can change other people’s lives.” 

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Lake said Jelly Roll first heard his new song “Hard Fought Hallelujah” on TikTok before he decided to collaborate with him on it. 

He said when he first wrote the song he wasn’t sure if “the world would hear it.” 

“But when you live with it for a while, and you show a few friends, the way they respond to it kinda usually tells you a lot, and we knew it was special,” he continued. “And putting it out, I’ll tell you, I would never would have imagined that Jelly Roll would have said yes. And the coolest part of the story is that he heard that song on TikTok. Before I even asked him to jump on it and fell in love with the song, was waiting for it to come out.”

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By the time he reached out to ask Jelly Roll if he’d want to record it with him “because I just felt like the lyrics would really resonate with his story, he was like, ‘Oh, I know what song this is. I’m definitely, I would love to be a part of it.’ And then it’s just produced an amazing friendship, and he’s like a brother to me now.”

He and Jelly Roll have bonded over being husbands and fathers, and he said the country star has given him lots of encouragement in his career. 

Lake said he began to have his first mental health struggles a few years ago after he finished his first tour. 

He said his family thought they were doing the right thing, heading straight for a family vacation to Disney World, but he hadn’t had time to decompress after the tour, and he suffered his first panic attack. 

“Well, a lot of people, Disney World’s like heaven. To me, it was hell on earth at that moment in my life,” he said. “I didn’t have enough time to just like process, right? Everything, all my dreams were coming true. I just wrote with all my heroes. Just came home from my first tour and I just crashed. And one thing I had to learn was just very physically, I had adrenaline fatigue. And when you are in adrenaline fatigue, your emotional management system is under attack. Even your immune system is under attack. You can get sick, all of that.”

WATCH: Brandon Lake explains inspiration behind his new ‘King of Hearts’ album

He said he began to have scary thoughts and every insecurity was amplified. 

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“I isolated myself instead of running to community and running to my wife and saying, ‘Hey, I’m having some wild thoughts,’” he explained. “And I went into a full-blown panic attack, and it was just like the voice of the enemy was so overwhelming. Every lie and insecurity was so overwhelming.” 

He added, “I had a friend send me a voice memo of him praying over me because I was too prideful to pick up the phone. I thought, I’m gonna fix this myself. And when he prayed over me and I listened to it, I broke. I broke. In a great way.”

Lake finally told his wife about what he’d been struggling with, “and then I kind of began my journey, met with, started going to counseling and just realizing the toll, that the pace of life I was in, like what it was having on me, negatively. And that, I needed to find tools to stay in a healthy place.”

Since then, Lake said he’s hired a health and performance coach who helps him “spiritually, emotionally, physically.” He’s changed his diet, and he wears an aura ring to monitor his sleep and HRV. 

“Spiritually speaking, though, I was trying to fill this void and chase another excitement,” he explained. “And when I came home and I didn’t have another thing to be excited about, I would try to fill it with even good things, like time with my wife and other things.”

He said it got to the point where he was so “needy” that his wife told him “’Babe, I cannot fill. I can’t be for you what you need.’ And so my counselor said one of the most elementary but helpful things. And he said, ‘Brandon, you need to relearn how to go to God first and most.’ First and most, and I wasn’t taking these things to God, and my identity was wrapped up in the things I was doing over who he’s called me to be.” 

He said living on a farm has also been therapeutic. 

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Even moving out to the country has been very healing, and I needed to do something opposite of tour and the big platform,” the Christian worship singer explained. “I need to get my hands dirty. I bought a tractor. I cut the grass. I moved some dirt, and it’s been very healing.” 

He added, “We’ve got cows. We have many donkeys. Tomorrow — we had a storm come through — so tomorrow, I will go from New York City to back home in the sticks outside of Charleston, South Carolina, and we had a storm come through, and a bunch of trees fell. So, I will be chainsawing some trees and making firewood and doing just very normal, yeah, just some dirty work.”

Lake said that will “do more for my heart and my head than a lot of things out there. And it’s just crazy how simple. I mean, there’s doctors prescribing people with depression time in the woods instead of pills, like time in nature. And I think God made it that way for a reason, made us that way, for reasons where it’s, man, just being by the creek will revive you.”

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“No one has just encouraged me more than him and just being like, ‘Dude, you’ve got what it’s, what it takes.’ And I’ve stepped on some really scary stages in the past few months, and he’s just believed in me every step of the way. And it’s just been, it’s been incredible.” 

“King of Hearts” is out now. 

Stephen A Smith: Caitlin Clark ‘instigates’ some resentment from WNBA opponents

ESPN star Stephen A. Smith suggested on Wednesday that Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was responsible for some of the resentment toward her in the WNBA.

Smith and “First Take” panelists Monica McNutt and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo broke down the skirmishes between Fever and Connecticut Sun players. Clark was on the receiving end of an eye poke from Sun guard Jacy Sheldon and was then bumped to the floor by Marina Mabrey.

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Clark and Sun players were talking trash throughout the game as tensions began to rise early and eventually boil over. Fever guard Sophie Cunningham also got into the fray with a hard foul on Sheldon late in the game. Both players were ejected.

Smith reiterated his stance that he believed there was “resentment” toward Clark but said he had no problem with the frenzy that took place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, noting the highly competitive nature of all the athletes on the court.

“Now, here’s the thing about, because I want to make sure everyone understands what I’m about to say,” Smith began. “Caitlin Clark being that ‘golden goose’ per se, that ‘rising tide that’s lifting all boats,’ I stand by my past proclamations that there’s resentment toward her because of that. But I want to take it a step further. There’s also resentment toward her because she instigates resentment toward her sometimes. Oh, Caitlin can clap at ya now, Caitlin can antagonize ya now.

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“Remember, in college, the whole Angel Reese thing started because when Caitlin was giving it to everybody else, she was the one waving in their face and that’s why when Angel Reese and LSU got a whole of her, Angel Reese was like (waves hand in front of face), ‘Yeah, it’s your turn.’ That’s where it came from. It was instigated by Caitlin Clark. She got a comeuppance and she was big enough to embrace it and accept it and say, ‘Yo, I deserve it, it was my turn because they got me good.”

Smith pointed out that Clark does her fair share of trash talking and can dish it out as well as anyone.

He then compared her to Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.

“On top of the fact that she could play … but she’s kinda like what Larry Bird was when Larry Bird was shooting the lights out and stuff like that but Larry Bird also talked junk,” he said. “Dr. J was one of the nicest, sweetest people on the planet. People were saying he was making house calls, helping invite the NBA into America’s living room, and Dr. J swung on Larry Bird. Why? Because Larry Bird says, ‘I’m gonna hit this jumper right here on you,’ Bam! ‘I’m gonna hit this 3 right here on you,’ Bam! … Caitlin Clark is that person as well. The vitriol that she gets, some of it is self-induced, I just happen to love it because that’s sports.”

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The WNBA gave an additional fine to Cunningham for her involvement in the fracas after the Sheldon foul. She received a standard fine automatically for the Flagrant-2 foul. Mabrey’s technical foul was upgraded to a Flagrant-2 foul, and she received a standard fine for that.