ALT: Glep Smiling Friends

Chirag Bahri was working on board a tanker when six men seized it. For almost eight months, he and his colleagues were held captive, an experience that would change his life for ever

Brandon Herrera (left) and former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz clasp hands at a San Antonio rally during Herrera's first failed House run. Brandon

See live results from the 2026 Alaska Senate primary election as Republican and Democrat votes are counted by candidate and county.

Nick Begich leads all three AK at-large matchups but never clears 55%. His closest challenger is an independent 79% of voters can't identify.

Brandon Herrera (left) and former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz clasp hands at a San Antonio rally during Herrera’s first failed House run. Credit: Michael Karlis Brandon Herrera, the gun influencer running as a Republican to represent Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, is facing fresh controversy — this time over resurfaced video of him referring to children as “cum trophies” and dismissing the political opinions of mothers. Herrera, known to online fans as the “AK Guy,” first posted the clip on social media platform X in 2023. It received fresh attention this week after being reposted by PatriotTakes, an online account that seeks to highlight outrageous comments made by right-wing figures via online platforms. Sign up “The fact that you kept your cum trophy doesn’t make you any less wrong about the dumb shit that you say,” Herrera said in the clip re-shared by PatriotTakes. “Being a mother doesn’t make your opinion any more or less valid. Just because you let somebody creampie you doesn’t mean I have to give a shit about your political opinions.” Herrera is running against Democrat Katy Padilla Stout, a former school teacher, to represent the congressional district held until recently by now-former U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales. The red-leaning district includes a portion of western San Antonio along with a long swath of the U.S. Mexico border. > GOP candidate Brandon Herrera on moms advocating politically: > > “Just because you let somebody creampie you doesn’t mean I have to give a shit about your political opinions. > > The fact that you kept your cum trophy doesn’t make you any less wrong about the dumb shit they you say.” pic.twitter.com/NmnnXT5jnp > > — PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) July 17, 2026 Herrera’s camp didn’t immediately respond to the Current’s request for comment on the clip. However, when Austin American-Statesman reporter Faith Bugenhagen reached out with a similar inquiry, his campaign responded by sending her a photo of a cream pie, she tweeted. > Asked @TheAKGuy 's campaign for comment in response to these resurfaced remarks, this is what they sent: https://t.co/7ER0e07Rwr pic.twitter.com/DUggkBfxJb > > — Faith Bugenhagen (@FBugenhagen_) July 29, 2026 ### KEEP SA CURRENT! Since 1986, the SA Current has served as the free, independent voice of San Antonio, and we want to keep it that way. Becoming an SA Current Supporter for **as little as $5 a month** allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls. Join today to keep San Antonio Current. The resurfaced video and the Herrera campaign’s apparently unapologetic response are only the latest controversies the YouTuber has faced since he mounted his first run for the congressional seat in 2024.His campaign faced criticism over online videos in which he poked fun at veteran suicides, joked about the Holocaust and mocked the appearance of President Donald Trump’s son Barron. This election cycle, Herrera’s campaign has come under scrutiny over accusations it funneled $2.7 million in campaign contributions into a shell company to avoid reporting how the money was actually spent. * * * _**Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.**_ **_Follow us:Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed_** * * * ## Gabby Giffords, Sheriff Salazar endorse Katy Padilla Stout for U.S. House Padilla Stout is running against gun influencer Brandon Herrera in the race to represent a wide swath of South Texas in Congress. ## Proposed ban on Big Bend border wall fails in U.S. House funding panel Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar sought to bar the Trump administration from using federal funds to build border barriers in the national park, which is rarely traversed by migrants. ## ‘AK Guy’ joins rival in opposing Trump’s Big Bend border wall In a rare moment of bipartisanship, both MAGA congressional hopeful Brandon Herrera and Democratic opponent Katy Padilla Stout agree walling off Big Bend is a bad idea. ### Related Stories ​

(Bethel, AK) – On June 29, 2026, Bethel Superior Court Judge Will Montgomery sentenced 27-year-old Matt Atcherian to 60 years to serve across two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the First Degree,...