A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to late “Friends” actor Matthew Perry is set to be sentenced in court.

According to the Associated Press, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who admitted to selling the actor large doses of ketamine, will be sentenced during a hearing on Wednesday.

His lawyers have called a prison sentence ‘neither necessary nor warranted.’

Plasencia, 44, is not accused of selling Perry the dose of ketamine that is believed to have killed him on October 28, 2023.

Perry had been taking lower doses of surgical anesthetic ketamine as a treatment for depression and sought more from Plasencia after his doctor denied him the amount he desired. Plasencia admitted to selling Perry higher doses of ketamine despite having knowledge of Perry’s substance-abuse problems.

RELATED: ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry dead at 54, actor allegedly drowned in hot tub

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

According to court documents, Plasencia texted another doctor saying that Perry was a “moron” who could be exploited.

“Rather than do what was best for Mr. Perry — someone who had struggled with addiction for most of his life — defendant sought to exploit Perry’s medical vulnerability for profit,” the prosecution’s sentencing memo said.

Perry struggled with addiction for many years.

U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett is expected to give Plasencia three years in prison after he pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distribution of ketamine.

His lawyers, who have asked for leniency since he has already lost his medical license, clinic, and career, have called a prison sentence “neither necessary nor warranted.”

Perry’s family members and others are expected to be given a chance to speak prior to the sentencing.

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​Politics, ‘friends’, Matthew perry, Ketamine, Addiction, Dr. salvador plasencia, Judge sherilyn peace garnett 

More than a year and a half after a Democrat congressman was indicted on federal charges under the Biden presidency, President Trump has announced that he will be granting an “unconditional pardon.”

On Wednesday morning, President Trump announced on social media that he will be granting a “full and unconditional PARDON” for embattled Texas Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar.

‘It has tested our faith in ways we never expected, but it has not broken it. We still believe in justice.’

In the post, President Trump slammed Joe Biden for weaponizing the Department of Justice and the FBI against his political opponents — including members of his own party.

Trump suggested that Cuellar was targeted by the Biden regime because of his unflinching demands for tighter border security.

RELATED: ‘The border is not secure’: Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar says Biden’s border policies allowed ‘over 5 million’ migrants to enter the US

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“Sleepy Joe went after the Congressman, and even the Congressman’s wonderful wife, Imelda, simply for speaking the TRUTH. It is unAmerican and, as I previously stated, the Radical Left Democrats are a complete and total threat to Democracy! They will attack, rob, lie, cheat, destroy, and decimate anyone who dares to oppose their Far Left Agenda, an Agenda that, if left unchecked, will obliterate our magnificent Country,” Trump said in the post.

“Because of these facts, and others, I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda. Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!”

In the Truth Social post, Trump included a letter written by the Cuellars’ daughters, Christina and Catherine, who asked for a full and unconditional pardon.

In the letter, they wrote, “This ordeal has taken a deep emotional and financial toll on all of us. It has tested our faith in ways we never expected, but it has not broken it. We still believe in justice. We still believe in America — a country built on truth, fairness, and compassion, even during the hardest of times.”

Cuellar and his wife were indicted on several federal charges related to bribery in May 2024, though they were never convicted.

At the time, Trump said, “Biden just Indicted Henry Cuellar because the Respected Democrat Congressman wouldn’t play Crooked Joe’s Open Border game. He was for Border Control, so they said, ‘Let’s use the FBI and DOJ to take him out!’ This is the way they operate.”

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​Politics, Henry cuellar, Doj, Fbi, Weaponization of the federal government, Democrat congressman, President trump, Pardon, Border security, Joe biden 

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth shared a meme on Sunday depicting the eponymous star of the children’s book franchise “Franklin the Turtle” and the television adaptation “Franklin” dressed as an American soldier, perched on the side of a Bell UH-1 helicopter, and firing a rocket-propelled grenade at maritime drug-runners.

The AI-generated illustration, shared after lawmakers from both parties expressed concerns over American strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, was made to look like the cover of a book in the series, complete with a title — “A Classic Franklin Story: Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”

‘We doubt Franklin the Turtle wants to be inclusive of drug cartels … or laud the kindness and empathy of narco-terrorists.’

The viral meme, which Hegseth captioned “for your Christmas wish list” and had over 25.6 million impressions on X on Wednesday, evidently enraged various liberal media personalities and Democrats as well as the Toronto-based publisher of the Franklin books.

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) also complained about the meme, stating on the Senate floor, “He wants to be taken seriously, but yesterday he posted a ridiculous tweet of a cartoon turtle firing on alleged drug traffickers — a sick parody of a well-known children’s book. This man is a national embarrassment.”

Kids Can Press said in a statement, “Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity.”

RELATED: Trump’s boat strikes may leave one Venezuelan drug-smuggling pirate haven in ruins

Photo by Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Image

“We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values,” added the Canadian publisher.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell responded to the publisher’s condemnation, stating, “We doubt Franklin the Turtle wants to be inclusive of drug cartels … or laud the kindness and empathy of narco-terrorists.”

Unfortunately for Kids Can Press and Democratic critics, their condemnations of the fictional turtle’s enlistment in MAGA memes appear to have only helped fuel the desire by trolls to depict Franklin in other provocative fake titles including, “Franklin Guards the Woman’s Locker Room,” “Franklin Gets Falsely Accused of War Crimes,” “Franklin Assists with 20 Million Deportations,” “Franklin Explains What Fauci Deserves,” and “Franklin Learns about George Floyd’s Autopsy.”

One fake book cover titled “Franklin Gets a New Job” features an image of the turtle, this time dressed up as a Department of Homeland Security agent, arresting the eponymous Latin American star of the animated children’s show “Dora the Explorer.”

Another fake cover titled “Franklin and Pete Hegseth Laugh at Communists” features an image of the war secretary and the turtle riding their bikes past four slovenly leftists.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) also got in on the fun.

Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who was among the Democratic lawmakers who urged the military last month to “refuse” allegedly illegal orders from the Trump administration, called on Hegseth to resign on Tuesday in the wake of a report claiming that the war secretary ordered SEAL Team 6 to leave behind no survivors in a recent boat strike.

Luna responded with a fake Franklin cover titled “Franklin Shows His Classmates How to Identify a Spook.” The fake cover features an image of the turtle directing his fellow woodland critters’ attention to an apparent caricature of Slotkin on a chalkboard.

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​Franklin the turtle, Book, Publisher, Pete hegseth, Department of war, War department, Hegseth, Meme, Trolling, Chuck schumer, Democrats, Liberals, Politics 

On November 28, the Washington Post published an explosive report accusing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of war crimes connected to the Trump administration’s controversial military strikes on alleged drug trafficker boats in the Caribbean — a claim even the New York Times refuted with five official sources.

Hegseth then trolled his critics by posting an AI-generated meme parodying the children’s book franchise “Franklin the Turtle.” The image depicts Franklin dressed in military gear firing a rocket launcher from a helicopter at drug-smuggling boats, the fake book cover reading, “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”

— (@)

The meme infuriated military veteran and Democrat Senator Mark Kelly (Ariz.). In a press conference on December 1, he accused Hegseth of acting like “a 12-year-old playing army.”

“It is ridiculous; it is embarrassing; and I can’t imagine what our allies think of looking at that guy in this job, one of the most important jobs in our country,” he spat.

“He is in the National Command Authority for nuclear weapons, and last night, he’s putting out on the internet turtles with rocket-propelled grenades killing,” he continued.

Glenn Beck finds Kelly’s remarks a bit ironic. Kelly is, after all, currently under Pentagon investigation for contributing to a video put out by six Democrat lawmakers urging active-duty military and intelligence personnel to “refuse illegal orders” — an act President Trump labeled “seditious behavior.”

“Let me ask you, where were you on the leadership of the Pentagon when they pulled out of Afghanistan? Were you saying, ‘What are our allies thinking about that?’” Glenn fires back.

He then brings up Biden’s secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, who in January 2024 secretly underwent prostate cancer surgery and was hospitalized for complications without informing President Biden, the White House, or his deputy for days, sparking a major scandal over transparency and national security risks in the chain of command.

“You want to talk about being in line with the nuclear weapons?” Glenn scoffs.

“More importantly, Mr. Kelly, let me ask you: What do you think our allies thought about the health of our nation when several Democratic senators got together and, for the first time in American history, pulled a Venezuela and questioned the military and said, ‘We will hold you responsible for any crimes against humanity. By the way, we’re not telling you what those are. We’ll judge when we get back into power. And don’t listen to the commander in chief’?” Glenn asks, referring to the traitorous video Kelly helped create.

“If people in the Duma would have made that exact same video and said, ‘Question the authority of Putin,’ … how would we analyze that? Would we think that Putin was strong? Would we think that their society is strong? Would we think that they’re a nation that can defend itself, will defend itself, is willing to go to war?” he continues, pointing out the glaring irony of Kelly’s criticism of Hegseth.

Hegseth’s Franklin meme, whether you agree with it or not, isn’t the scandal the left desperately wants it to be. But the video put out by the “seditious six,” which Glenn says is clearly “trying to collapse the United States, make our enemies stronger, and foment a color revolution.”

“So, please don’t preach to me about how embarrassing it is that he’s putting a cartoon out,” he continues.

To hear more of Glenn’s scathing commentary, watch the clip above.

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.

​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Blazetv, Blaze media, Franklin, Franklin meme, Pete hegseth, Mark kelly, Seditious six, Donald trump, Wapo, Washington post, New york times, Narcoterrorists 

Republicans’ prospects in the coming midterms and in 2028 depend on whether the party delivers on the core promises of President Trump’s 2024 mandate. Analysts can debate which element of that mandate carries the most weight — taming inflation, avoiding foreign entanglements, or restoring American manufacturing — but one commitment stands out for its clarity and its political power. It sits at No. 2 on agenda 47: “Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.”

Promise No. 1 — sealing the border — is already well underway. That makes mass deportation the decisive test of the coalition that put Trump back in office.

Voters did not support a symbolic crackdown on illegal immigration. They supported a measurable, large-scale operation.

Voters who formed this coalition expect results, not excuses. If they sense drift or retreat, enthusiasm collapses. And once that energy collapses, the old Republican apparatus regains its opening to steer the party back toward a pre-Trump agenda — even if that shift results in losing Congress or the White House in 2028.

A party cannot hold a coalition together if it fails to deliver on the promises that built it.

The Eisenhower standard

Trump set a high bar for himself when he compared his plan to the 1954 Eisenhower operation. He did that because the illegal immigration crisis has reached historic levels, and because voters, in poll after poll, signaled support for mass deportation on a scale few would have imagined a decade ago. They reached a simple conclusion: The country has been pushed past its limit.

As 2025 closes, however, the numbers fall short of expectations. Even the administration’s most generous internal projections place this year’s removals around 600,000. That figure includes categories beyond the Immigration and Customs Enforcement removals most Americans associate with deportation. The true ICE number will be lower.

But even accepting the 600,000 estimate, the figure amounts to only 4.2% of the conservative estimate of 14 million illegal immigrants in the country — or 2.9% of Trump’s own 21 million estimate. No one knows the exact number, but everyone can see this: The removals remain far below the mandate.

The 1954 comparison underscores the gap. Eisenhower’s operation removed or induced the departure of roughly one million illegal immigrants out of an estimated two to five million — roughly 30% using a middle-range estimate. Today’s effort hasn’t come close to those numbers. We’re not even in the same hemisphere.

Funding must move now

The Trump administration faces obstacles Eisenhower never did: a legal system engineered to delay deportations indefinitely; an activist judiciary hostile to enforcement; state and local officials who obstruct federal immigration law; and a political climate in which ICE agents face sustained hostility and, in some cases, violence. The environment is different.

But meaningful action remains possible.

The administration should begin by pushing the $45 billion allocated to ICE through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into immediate, strategic deployment. That requires industrial-size detention infrastructure, not scattered partnerships with small facilities dressed up with branded names. A mass deportation program demands a foundation capable of sustaining it.

The second step carries political risk: rejecting the narrowing of “mass deportation” to criminal illegal immigrants alone. That redefinition cannot stand. With only about 500,000 criminal illegal immigrants in the country, focusing exclusively on that group guarantees a token enforcement effort, not a mass removal program.

Voters did not support a symbolic crackdown. They supported a measurable, large-scale operation.

RELATED: Judges break the law to stop Trump from enforcing it

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

No more PR stunts

Quantity requires worksite enforcement — the same strategy that drove the 1954 operation. Concentrating enforcement where illegal immigrants gather in large numbers is the only credible way to meet the promise. Anything less becomes a public-relations exercise.

Political and corporate interests will fight tooth and nail to stymie the effort. They prefer an enforcement regime that preserves cheap labor, avoids political controversy, and allows them to claim credit for supporting “border security” without bearing any of the cost.

But the country needs a policy that matches the scale of the problem, not a performance of seriousness designed to placate donors and editorial boards.

Republicans must treat this mandate as a matter of political survival. If they fail to meet it, they risk losing the very coalition that returned Trump to office. The result is predictable: an establishment revival inside the GOP and a collapse of populist momentum heading into 2028.

Voters asked for decisive action. They asked for measurable progress. They asked for a departure from the decades of drift that allowed the crisis to grow. Now they expect the administration to deliver.

​Opinion & analysis, Mass deportations, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, One big beautiful bill, Dwight d. eisenhower, Operation wetback, Activist judges, Open borders, The courts, Congress, Donald trump, Tom homan, Statistics, Illegal aliens, Border wall, Violence against police, Political violence, 2026 midterms, 2028 presidential election 

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is launching his latest endeavor to uproot woke culture in the federal government by bringing Christmas to the Department of War, and Blaze News has exclusively learned about some recent changes at the Pentagon that are sure to bring everyone into the holiday spirit.

For instance, Hegseth will be holding the first ever Pentagon Tree Lighting Ceremony on Wednesday afternoon as well as revamping the old Christmas tree on the grounds.

Bald eagles were seen flying overhead.

This ceremony serves as a major course-correction from previous Pentagon leadership, contrasting starkly with President Joe Biden’s Department of Defense.

Under Hegseth’s leadership, this is the first time the Pentagon has decorated for Christmas at this scale, according to a DOW official.

RELATED: Exclusive: Moses Ezekiel’s historic sculpture finally set for installation in Arlington Cemetery, by the Southern graves it once marked

Photo by STAFF/AFP via Getty Images

To commemorate this new era at the Pentagon, Hegseth also signed off on removing the old Amelanchier tree that was planted on the grounds around 2008. The old tree had been declining for some time and was slated to be removed within the next year.

The tree was replaced by a 14-foot Nellie Stevens Holly from the Green Works Nursery in Chantilly, Virginia. Bald eagles were seen flying overhead while the new tree was being planted, one DOW official told Blaze News.

RELATED: Exclusive: Sen. Blackburn introduces bill that would bar military ‘leftists’ from disrespecting Trump in key way

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

All Pentagon staff and their families were extended an invitation to the lighting ceremony, according to a DOW official.

“We are pro-family and pro-Christmas at the department,” the official told Blaze News.

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​Pete hegseth, Department of war, Department of defense, Donald trump, Pentagon, Joe biden, Christmas, Christmas tree lighting, Family, Politics 

Deputies from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office in upstate New York responded to a reported physical altercation involving a weapon in Vernon on Monday evening, officials said. Vernon is about 40 minutes east of Syracuse.

It was reported that an individual in the 3300 block of Simmons Road was acting erratically and pointed what was believed to be a handgun at two victims, officials said.

‘That didn’t work out so well for him apparently.’

The two victims tried to retreat into a nearby residence, but the suspect advanced toward them with the weapon, officials said.

A fight then broke out between the suspect and one of the victims, officials said, and the victim managed to get the weapon away from the suspect.

Arriving deputies took the suspect into custody without issue, officials said.

RELATED: Video: Woman pulls male intruder out of her car, throws him to the ground with ease — while her amazed husband watches

Image source: Oneida County (N.Y.) Sheriff’s Office

The suspect was identified as Glenn A. Wallis, 40, of Vernon, officials said, adding that Wallis was taken to the Kurt B. Wyman Law Enforcement Building.

Wallis was charged with two counts of menacing in the second degree — a class A misdemeanor — along with one count of harassment in the second degree, which officials defined as a “violation.”

However, officials said a member of the Criminal Investigation Unit also charged Wallis with one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, which is a class D felony.

According to WUTR-TV, the weapon that Wallis was brandishing was a pistol-style pellet gun.

Wallis was then taken to and held at the Oneida County Correctional Facility to await a hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday, officials said.

Wallis was still behind bars Wednesday morning, according to the jail record Blaze News reviewed. The jail record also indicates that Wallis’ criminal possession of a weapon charge is a “previous conviction.”

Comments under WUTR’s story about the incident on Yahoo News were none too kind to the arrestee:

“He appears to have brought a toy gun to an old-fashion[ed] beat down,” one commenter said.”Normal behavior for those a little further down the evolutionary ladder,” another commenter wrote.”A pellet gun? He should thank the Good Lord it didn’t happen in some areas of Texas! He also looks VERY good for the circumstances, ’cause those two victims had mercy on him. There are folks who would’ve beat him TWICE as hard because it was a pellet gun!” another commenter stated.”That didn’t work out so well for him apparently,” another commenter said.”This is what FAFO looks like!” another commenter declared.

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​Crime thwarted, New york state, Arrest, Physical attack, Gun threat, Turning the tables, Attacker beaten, Vernon, Menacing, Criminal possession of a weapon, Harrassment, Crime 

New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson decided to bring attention to the worldwide persecution of Christians while on the field Monday night.

The rookie from Virginia decided to promote his faith through the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats program, which allows players to champion a cause or nonprofit of their choosing on their cleats during games.

‘I’m living proof of what the mercy of God can do.’

On “Monday Night Football,” Henderson rushed for 67 yards on just 11 carries in a 33-15 win over the New York Giants. During the game, the 23-year-old wore cleats dedicated to persecuted Christians around the world.

Henderson partnered with the Global Christian Relief Fund to promote messages like, “Pray for Persecuted Christians,” “Faith Endures,” and Bible passage Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The shoe design featured raised crosses, praying hands, and blood drops to symbolize the blood of Christ and the blood of martyrs. Additionally the cleats featured a map highlighting regions around the world where Christians are persecuted, including Central America, Southeast Asia, and most of Africa.

RELATED: Rookie NFL QB declared the new Obama — and the ‘most powerful black man since 2009’

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. – DECEMBER 1: A detailed view of the My Cause My Cleats worn by TreVeyon Henderson #32 of the New England Patriots prior to the game against the New York Giants. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

The same day, Henderson shared a video on X from Global Christian Relief with the caption, “Will you stand with them?”

The video showcased Christian suffering from around the world.

The Ohio State alumnus has not been shy about showing his faith publicly. The pinned post on his X page from 2024 came at the height of his college career and focused on a strong Christian message.

“I’m living proof of what the mercy of God can do, for all the things I’ve done and the choices made that I regret I would still be lost,” Henderson wrote last July.

“But Jesus took the old me and he made it new, that’s what the mercy of God can do,” the star added, before citing Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”

RELATED: Army, Navy release stunning uniforms ahead of historic matchup honoring America’s 250th birthday

The support for persecuted Christians has gained mainstream momentum recently, even from the likes of platinum-selling rapper Nicki Minaj.

At the beginning of November, she shared a post from President Donald Trump and wrote that she felt a “deep sense of gratitude” that she can “freely worship God” in the United States. The president’s post said that Christianity was under threat in Nigeria with thousands of Christians being killed.

Minaj, whose real name Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, took her cause to the United Nations at an event organized by U.S. entities.

“In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted,” Minaj said, according to the BBC. “Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart … simply because of how they pray.”

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​Faith, Fearless, Nfl, Football, Christianity, Cause, Nonprofit, Nigeria, Sports 

The woke pastor of the North Chili United Methodist Church in Upstate New York recently surprised his congregation with the news that he plans to masquerade as a woman full-time and take cross-sex drugs.

No longer sporting the beard he wore in his headshot photo on the United Methodist of Upper New York website, Rev. Phillip Phaneuf, 51, donned rainbow stoles and told his congregation on Nov. 23, “I am inviting you to join me in a season of creative transformation for myself and, I think, for all of us.”

‘They do not support me.’

“I’m transitioning. I’m affirming and saying to all of you that I am transgender,” continued Phaneuf. “The best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman; I’m giving up pretending to be a man.”

The Methodist pastor, who is hardly the UMC’s first transvestite pastor, called for the Holy Spirit’s involvement in the process and cautioned his parishioners about the “fear of the unknown” in such circumstances.

In an apparent attempt to assuage such fear, Phaneuf told churchgoers that while he’s changing his name to “Phillippa,” they could still call him “Phil”; that his personality wouldn’t change; and that he would continue to prioritize “belonging.” He noted, however, that he was now identifying as an “asexual” and that his face, name, body hair, voice, and clothes would change — adding that there is no such thing as “girls’ clothes or boys’ clothes.”

Phaneuf — who claims his pronouns are now “she, her” — said that he wouldn’t become the “pronoun police,” as he expects that no one will “misgender or mispronoun out of malice.”

The legacy media appears keen to respect Phaneuf’s wishes, with even the New York Post playing along and Fox News Digital refraining from using his correct pronouns.

RELATED: ‘Not medicine — it’s malpractice’: Trump HHS buries child sex-change regime with damning report

Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Methodist pastor claimed during his sermon that the scriptures, Methodist theology, his district superintendent, his bishop, and the UMC are “okay” with his transition.

At the expense of alienating thousands of congregations, the United Methodist Church has accommodated LGBT activists’ demands in recent years. For instance, the 2024 General Conference removed the church’s 40-year ban on non-straight clergy last year and dropped the prohibition against performing same-sex weddings.

While the pastor claimed that his superiors were receptive to his transvestism, he told his congregation that his parents were “absolutely not.”

“They texted me this morning and asked for me to tell you all that they do not support me and that they have chosen their convictions and their beliefs over supporting their child,” said Phaneuf.

Despite his parents’ alleged rejection of his lifestyle choice, the pastor was quick to lean into his superficial female role-play, getting his ears pierced, wearing makeup, and throwing on a wig.

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​United methodist church, Methodist, Christian, Lgbt, Transgender, Trans, Leftism, Gender ideology, Philip phaneuf, Politics 

Could hormonal birth control be turning women into NPCs?

That’s “non-player characters,” by the way. You may remember the meme, which reached the height of its popularity a few years ago and has largely disappeared now.

Only now, many decades after it was unleashed on the world, are we starting to understand hormonal contraception’s effects more fully.

The NPC is a person who lacks any kind of unique identity. Who they are is completely determined by their social circumstances and by the values and information fed to them by a narrow range of approved sources: the government, scientists and “experts,” the mainstream media, Hollywood and Netflix, handpicked celebrities and influencers.

The NPC exercises no independent judgment, no free-thinking of their own. They simply do as they’re told, and they get very angry if you don’t do the same.

The NPC is represented by a special Wojak — a cartoon person — with grey skin and generic facial features: pindot eyes, a semi-triangle nose, and a horizontal line for a mouth.

During the pandemic, for example, the NPC meme was used to mock everyone who chose to “trust the science” unquestioningly. It was also widely used in Donald Trump’s first presidency to describe devotees of the mainstream media who repeated its various platitudes and mantras ad infinitum — “orange man bad,” “diversity is our strength,” and so on.

That sync-ing feeling

A new study suggests that hormonal birth control reduces the “functional individuality” of women’s brains, making them more alike with one another. Making women NPCs, in other words.

Researchers analyzed the brain activity of 26 users by means of MRI scans. They looked in particular at something called “functional connectome fingerprinting,” a method of identifying patterns of brain connectivity that are distinct to each person.

They found that while each woman’s brain patterns remained identifiable, the overall distinctiveness of those patterns was reduced by hormonal birth control.

In basic terms, there was a general “dampening” or “normalizing” effect on the brain as a whole.

The changes affected certain networks more than others, though: networks involved in executive function, muscle control, perception and attention, and the so-called “default mode network,” which is active during various kinds of introspection, including daydreaming, thinking about oneself and others, remembering the past, and planning for the future.

The default-mode network is central to the creation of an “inner self” and a coherent “internal narrative.”

In other words, a distinct identity.

RELATED: Time for RFK Jr. to expose the dark truth about the pill

Rattankun Thongbun via iStock/Getty Images

Mood for thought

In truth, I might have been exaggerating just a little bit when I said birth control could be turning women into NPCs. Yes, we’ve seen changes in particular regions of the brain that are associated with particular functions, but the researchers didn’t investigate the actual effects of these changes — I’ve simply inferred what they might be.

The researchers did note evidence that the changes were associated with increases in negative moods, which many of the participants recorded, but we can’t say much more than that, at least not yet.

What we need is more research. This might look at direct evidence of the effects of hormonal birth control on female behavior, preferences, and character: things like individual decision-making processes and personality traits like conformity.

Brainsplaining

There are plenty of studies that already do that kind of thing with hormones, especially testosterone. Some have shown that a dose of testosterone will make a man more likely to stand up for himself and defend a minority opinion, even in the face of disapproval from the majority. Studies have also shown that testosterone makes men more comfortable with inequality and hierarchy, which is usually couched as an “antisocial effect,” but when you remember that virtually every society in history has been hierarchical, except our own — at least in principle — that doesn’t really make much sense.

Still, we have every reason to be concerned about the effects of hormonal birth control on women’s brains and their behavior. As the study notes, more than 150 million women worldwide use hormonal birth control, and if it is changing the way their brains work, that obviously could mean significant effects in the aggregate, with the potential to touch more or less every aspect of life, from personal relationships to politics.

Retrograde research

Of course, this is a controversial stance to take, even as evidence mounts. The drug makers don’t want to lose money if women stop taking hormonal birth control, and the champions of “liberation” don’t want women to stop either. The entire sexual revolution was kickstarted by the pill, and “equality” as we understand it is predicated on women having total conscious control over their bodies.

Anybody who says women shouldn’t take hormonal birth control, or just that they should think carefully before they do, is immediately denounced as retrograde, sexist, or, as we’ve seen with recent viral social-media trends, a purveyor of dangerous “medical misinformation.” And that includes women who’ve been on hormonal birth control themselves and quit, and female medical professionals like Dr. Sarah Hill, the author of the very well-reasoned and evidenced book, “This Is Your Brain on Birth Control.”

My new book, “The Last Men: Liberalism and the Death of Masculinity,” is a call to get serious about the effects of hormones on politics. Deadly serious. Testosterone, in particular, is rapidly disappearing, in large part because we’ve created a world that’s reliant on thousands of chemicals and substances that mimic the “female” hormone estrogen. We had created that world long before we even knew what many of those chemicals are, let alone what they do to us.

The same is true of hormonal contraception. Only now, many decades after it was unleashed on the world, are we starting to understand its effects more fully, having built a world that is reliant upon it to function.

Our hormonal interventions remain clumsy and short-sighted. In truth, we’ve not come all that far from the first bright spark who decided to lop off a bull’s testicles to bring it under control. In that first brutal act, endocrinology — the science of hormones — was born, a science still very much in its infancy.

​Maha, Birth control pills, The pill, Hormonal birth control, Testosterone, Health, Lifestyle, Women, Rfk jr, Make america healthy again 

Texas just sent a blunt message to Silicon Valley: You don’t get to censor Texans and then run home to California.

In a world where Big Tech routinely decides who may speak and who must be silenced, Defense Distributed v. YouTube, Google, and Alphabet has become a defining moment in the national fight over digital free expression. The shock isn’t the censorship at issue; it’s the fact that Big Tech — for once — lost.

In a time when Americans are desperate for leaders willing to stand up to media and tech conglomerates, Texas showed what real resolve looks like.

Defense Distributed, a Texas company, committed the unpardonable offense of promoting the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

Our videos and ads — some of them simply announcing court victories — were throttled, suppressed, or removed by YouTube and Google. None of this surprised us. These platforms built vast empires on controlling information and burying viewpoints that fall outside their ideology.

Texas prepared for this fight

The surprise is that Texas saw this coming and armed itself for the conflict. HB 20 — now Chapter 143A of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code — directly prohibits viewpoint-based censorship by major platforms. The law doesn’t hint, suggest, or politely advise. It states outright: Social media companies may not censor Texans for their viewpoints, and lawsuits brought under this chapter stay in Texas courts no matter what boilerplate corporate contracts say.

So when Defense Distributed filed suit, YouTube and Google reached for their favorite escape route: forum-selection clauses that force nearly every challenger into California courts, where Big Tech enjoys home-field advantage. It’s a delay tactic, a cost-inflation tactic, a shield against accountability — and it almost always works.

But Texas slammed that door shut before they reached it.

No escape

HB 20 doesn’t merely frown on these clauses; it voids them. The statute declares that any attempt to waive its protections violates Texas public policy — public policy the law describes as “of the highest importance.” The legislature anticipated Big Tech’s usual playbook and locked the gates years in advance.

The federal court recognized this. Judge Alan Albright ruled that transferring the case to California would directly undermine Texas’ strong public policy. Under federal law, courts cannot enforce a forum-selection clause that contradicts a state’s deeply rooted interests — especially when the legislature spells those interests out with the clarity found in HB 20.

Silicon Valley does not hear the word “no” very often. Big Tech’s money, influence, and political allies usually clear the path. But in a federal courtroom in the Lone Star State, Texas’ commitment to protecting its citizens from ideological censorship outweighed Silicon Valley’s customary dominance. The court refused to let YouTube and Google drag the case back to California.

The fight stayed in Texas — exactly where the legislature intended.

A national shift and a model for states

The timing matters. Americans now understand that Big Tech can shape elections, suppress dissent, and curate truth itself. HB 20 was mocked by the press, attacked by activists, and targeted by corporate lobbyists from the moment it passed. Yet today, it stands as one of the most potent legal tools in the country’s fight against digital censorship.

HB 20 is no longer just a statute; it is proof that a state with conviction can push back and win.

RELATED: Big Tech CEOs should leave policy to the politicians

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

This victory is more than a procedural ruling. It affirms that Big Tech’s era of unchallenged authority is not inevitable. Defense Distributed didn’t merely keep our lawsuit in Texas; we preserved the principle that powerful corporations cannot hide their censorship behind “terms of service” fine print.

Texas drew a line in the sand, and — for once — Silicon Valley stopped.

In a time when Americans are desperate for leaders willing to stand up to media and tech conglomerates, Texas showed what real resolve looks like. This ruling promises that citizens still have a fighting chance, that speech still matters, and that even the world’s largest corporations remain subject to the laws of a state determined to defend its people.

​Texas, Big tech, Censorship, Opinion & analysis, Defense distributed, Second amendment, First amendment, Youtube, Google, Alphabet, Hb 20, Legislature, The courts, Silicon valley, Elections, States 

We have built a world overflowing with noise, convenience, and endless choice, yet something essential has slipped out of reach. You can sense it in the restless mood of the country, the anxiety among young people who cannot explain why they feel empty, in the angry confusion that dominates our politics.

We have more wealth than any nation in history, but the heart of the culture feels strangely malnourished. Before we can debate debt, or elections, we must confront the reality that we created a world of things, but not a world of purpose.

You cannot survive a crisis you refuse to name, and you cannot rebuild a world whose foundations you no longer understand.

What we are living through is not just economic or political dysfunction. It is the vacuum that appears when a civilization mistakes abundance for meaning.

Modern life is stuffed with everything except what the human soul actually needs. We built systems to make life faster, easier, more efficient — and then wondered why those systems cannot teach our children who they are, why they matter, or what is worth living for.

We tell the next generation to chase success, influence, and wealth, turning childhood into branding. We ask kids what they want to do, not who they want to be. We build a world wired for dopamine rather than dignity, and then we wonder why so many people feel unmoored.

When everything is curated, optimized, and delivered at the push of a button, the question “what is my life for?” gets lost in the static.

The crisis beneath the headlines

It is not just the young who feel this crisis. Every part of our society is straining under the weight of meaninglessness.

Look at the debt cycle — the mathematical fate no civilization has ever escaped once it crosses a threshold that we seem to have already blown by. While ordinary families feel the pressure, our leaders respond with distraction, with denial, or by rewriting the very history that could have warned us.

You cannot survive a crisis you refuse to name, and you cannot rebuild a world whose foundations you no longer understand.

We have entered a cultural moment where the noise is so loud that it drowns out the simplest truths. We are living in a country that no longer knows how to hear itself think.

So people go searching. Some drift toward the false promise of socialism, some toward the empty thrill of rebellion. Some simply check out. When a culture forgets what gives life meaning, it becomes vulnerable to every ideology that offers a quick answer.

The quiet return of meaning

And yet, quietly, something else is happening. Beneath the frustration and cynicism, many Americans are recognizing that meaning does not come from what we own, but from what we honor. It does not rise from success, but from virtue. It does not emerge from noise, but from the small, sacred things that modern life has pushed to the margins — the home, the table, the duty you fulfill, the person you help when no one is watching.

The danger is assuming that this rediscovery happens on its own. It does not.

Reorientation requires intention. It requires rebuilding the habits and virtues that once held us together. It requires telling the truth about our history instead of rewriting it to fit today’s narratives. And it requires acknowledging what has been erased: that meaning is inseparable from God’s presence in a nation’s life.

RELATED: A nation without trust is a nation on borrowed time

Denis Novikov via iStock/Getty Images

Where renewal begins

We have built a world without stillness, and then we wondered why no one can hear the questions that matter. Those questions remain, whether we acknowledge them or not. They do not disappear just because we drown them in entertainment or noise. They wait for us, and the longer we ignore them, the more disoriented we become.

Meaning is still available. It is found in rebuilding the smallest, most human spaces — the places that cannot be digitized, globalized, or automated. The home. The family. The community.

These are the daily virtues that do not trend on social media but that hold a civilization upright. If we want to repair this country, we begin there, exactly where every durable civilization has always begun: one virtue at a time, one tradition at a time, one generation at a time.

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​Crisis of meaning, Faith, Economic strain, Opinion & analysis, Meaning, Abundance, Life, Culture, Childhood, Debt, God, Humanity 

The Old State Saloon in Eagle, Idaho, achieved national prominence last year when it launched what it deemed “Heterosexual Awesomeness Month.”

The punch line? The plucky watering hole chose June for its 30 days of celebrating all things straight — which, of course, immediately ignited fuses dangling from left-wing noggins given that June has long been Pride Month and all.

‘WE ARE PLANNING A HUGE PROTEST THIS WEEKEND AT UR POS SALOON! GOD DOESN’T LIKE UGLY AND Y’ALL GOING STRAIGHT TO HELL!’

Well, the Old State Saloon once again is managing to poke at the left — this time offering free beer for a month to all those who help Immigration and Customs Enforcement capture and deport illegal immigrants.

The bar’s Saturday X post reads, “ALERT: Anyone who helps ICE identify and ultimately deport an illegal from Idaho gets FREE BEER FOR ONE MONTH at Old State Saloon!”

On the same day, the Department of Homeland Security reposted the saloon’s offer with a humorous GIF underscoring how floored the agency is with the promotion helping its cause — and the repost has received a whopping 3.7 million views. The Old State Saloon replied, “Let’s go! Deport them all!”

Part of the deal, however, is that those who want to claim the month-long sudsy prize must “send a detailed email with any evidence, photos, videos, summary of events, dates, and times” to deportations@oldstatesaloon.com.

One person asked the bar, “Hold up! Is there a limit per month? Limit on months?” Old State replied, “2/day for one month” and “at our discretion, may award multiple months to one person if multiple illegals are deported.”

RELATED: ‘Heterosexual Awesomeness Month’ under way at Idaho saloon — and minds are exploding across the fruited plain

Photographer: Yuvraj Khanna/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The bar on Sunday announced its “first big winner” of the free beer offer: Ryan Spoon, vice chair of the Ada County Republican Central Committee in Idaho. Spoon told Newsweek he “had a free Moon Dog Amber Ale” and “a great chat with the owner, Mark Fitzpatrick, whom I also consider a friend.”

More from the magazine:

Spoon previously made headlines when he publicly called for immigration raids on state Representative Stephanie Mickelsen’s farm, alleging the employment of undocumented workers. Days later, immigration agents visited Mickelsen Farms, leading to the arrest of one employee.

With all the attention the bar’s offer of free beer is generating, it should come as no surprise that a wave of left-wing backlash has been quickly growing.

But the Old State Saloon isn’t backing down from any of it — in fact, the bar is reposting on its X page the nasty feedback it has been receiving. The missives range from what clearly are fake one-star reviews — aimed at lowering the bar’s average customer scores — to some interestingly worded threats.

One of them read: “I hope you get swatted like all the sad little MAGAT bitches who think they’re doing something right. You’re not, you racist piece of s**t. I’ll be dancing a jig in a week when your busted-up s**thole is closed forever. Maybe I’ll stop by first [to] see if a cleansing fire might be the ticket.”

“U RACIST ASSHOLES!” another message read. “WE ARE PLANNING A HUGE PROTEST THIS WEEKEND AT UR POS SALOON! GOD DOESN’T LIKE UGLY AND Y’ALL GOING STRAIGHT TO HELL! BITCHES.”

Old State offered the following reply: “You better hurry up because according to all your criminal friends, Old State Saloon will be burned down by then! Let’s be real: You aren’t going to do anything. But you sounded pretty tough for a minute there.”

What’s more, on the day after the launch of the free beer campaign, Old State actually took things to another level, noting that the month of December is now “Merry Snitchmas” and a collection of new specials is on tap: “Manly American Mondays — all American citizen males who support ICE get one free beer! Ladies’ ‘I’m Telling’ Tuesdays — BOGO for American woman willing to tell ICE about any illegals, to get them deported. Wednesday: American heterosexual couples get 10% off their entire bill. Get married and make American babies, if at all possible!”

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​Woke culture, Leftists, Eagle, Idaho, Bar, Free beer, Ice, Illegals, Backlash, Old state saloon, Politics 

Buckle up, America — because if you’re driving anywhere in this country, you’re already under surveillance.

I’m not talking about speed traps or red-light cameras. I’m talking about Flock Safety cameras, those sleek, solar-powered, AI-driven spies perched on poles in your neighborhood, outside your kid’s school, at the grocery store, and along every major road.

The Institute for Justice has filed a federal lawsuit arguing that Flock effectively builds detailed, warrantless movement profiles of ordinary people.

These cameras are not just reading your license plate. They’re building a digital DNA profile of your vehicle — make, model, color, dents, bumper stickers, roof racks, even temporary tags — and logging where you’ve been, when, and with whom you’ve traveled.

And guess who has 24/7 access? Your local police, HOAs, apartment complexes, and private businesses — all without a warrant, without your consent, and often without you even knowing they exist.

Worse than you think

I’ve been warning drivers for decades about government overreach, from cashless tolls to black-box data recorders. But Flock Safety? This is next-level.

Founded in 2017 in Atlanta, Flock has exploded into a $3.5 billion surveillance empire with over 900 employees and a single goal: blanket every city in America with cameras. As of 2024, it has already deployed 40,000 to 60,000 units across 42 states in more than 5,000 communities. That’s not a pilot program. That’s a national tracking grid.

Here’s how it works — and why it should terrify every freedom-loving American.

Pure surveillance tools

Flock’s Falcon and Sparrow cameras don’t enforce speed or traffic laws. They’re pure surveillance tools.

Mounted on utility poles, traffic signals, or private property, they use automated license plate recognition (ALPR) and Vehicle Fingerprint™ technology to capture high-resolution images of your vehicle’s rear, including the license plate with state, number, and expiration, plus the make, model, year, color, and unique identifiers like dents, decals, roof racks, spare tires, even paper plates. They record the time, date, and GPS location, using infrared imaging for 24/7 operation, even at 100 mph from 75 feet away.

The data is uploaded instantly via cellular networks to Flock’s cloud servers, stored for 30 days, and accessible through a web portal by any approved user. That includes police departments across state lines through Flock’s TALON investigative platform. Drive from Georgia to New York, and every Flock camera you pass logs your journey. No warrant needed in most states.

RELATED: Why states are quietly moving to restrict how much you drive

F8 Imaging/Getty Images

Staggering scale

The scale is staggering. Milwaukee has 219 cameras with 100 more planned. Riverside County, California, uses 309 cameras to scan 27.5 million vehicles monthly. Norfolk, Virginia, has over 170 units. Raleigh, North Carolina, has 25 and counting.

Nationwide, Flock claims it logs over one billion vehicle scans per month. These cameras cost $2,500 per year per unit, are solar-powered with no wiring required, and can be installed in hours. HOAs love them, schools want them, police can’t get enough, and new units go up daily, often without public notice or approval.

Flock CEO Garrett Langley loves to brag about Flock’s crime-stopping potential. But what he doesn’t mention is that you’re tracked whether you’re a criminal or not.

No opting out

There’s no true opt-out for the public — every passing car is still scanned and logged — but some neighborhoods and agencies use Flock’s SafeList feature to avoid nuisance alerts. SafeList doesn’t exempt anyone from being recorded. It simply tells the system not to flag certain familiar plates (residents, staff, permitted vehicles) as suspicious. The camera still captures the vehicle, stores the image, and makes it searchable; it just won’t trigger an alert for those approved plates.

Flock cameras can photograph more than a license plate — sometimes the interior of a car, passengers, or bumper stickers — but this varies by angle and lighting, and the system is not designed to gather facial images.

Privacy nightmare

This is a privacy nightmare. The ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation call it mass surveillance. A small-town cop in Ohio can search your plate and see everywhere you’ve driven in Florida. Rogue officers have abused ALPR before, stalking exes, journalists, activists. Data breaches? Flock says its cloud is secure, but we’ve heard that before.

A 2024 Norfolk, Virginia, ruling initially held that Flock’s system amounted to a Fourth Amendment search requiring a warrant. But that decision was later reversed on appeal. Meanwhile, the Institute for Justice has filed a federal lawsuit arguing that Flock effectively builds detailed, warrantless movement profiles of ordinary people. If that case succeeds, it would be a true game-changer.

Yes, finding a kidnapped child or stolen car is good. But at what cost? This creates a chilling effect: Will you avoid a protest, a church, a gun shop, a clinic, knowing you’re being logged? This isn’t safety. This is control.

Fighting back

So what can you do right now? Start by finding the cameras — contact your police, city council, or HOA and ask where the Flock cameras are and who has access.

Demand transparency: Push for public hearings, warrant requirements, data deletion after 24 hours, and no sharing outside your jurisdiction. Support the fighters like the ACLU, EFF, and Institute for Justice. Spot the cameras yourself — look for black poles with tilted solar panels and a small camera box.

It’s time to post your opinions on X, call your reps, show up at meetings — let’s stop the surveillance.

Flock’s CEO dreams of a camera in every U.S. city. But liberty isn’t free, and it shouldn’t come with a tracking device.

Drop your thoughts below — I read every comment. Share this information with every driver you know. Because if we don’t fight now, soon there’ll be nowhere left to hide.

​Flock safety, Lifestyle, Surveillance state, Auto industry, Align cars 

A man living in Oklahoma was convicted for charges related to the attempted sexual trafficking of a minor after getting caught in an undercover sting operation.

Braulio Luna, 59, arranged to purchase an 11-year-old girl for sexual activity, but unbeknownst to him, he was speaking to police officers pretending to be human traffickers.

‘There is actually … code words that people use to advertise these. And once you are in the trade, you understand what these code words are.’

The operation involved officers posting ads as a mother who was trying to sell her 11-year-old daughter.

“Mr. Luna responded to that ad and started making preparations to actually purchase an 11-year-old for a sexual encounter,” said Maj. Adam Flowers of the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office to KFOR-TV.

Investigators noted that Luna brought a McDonald’s Happy Meal with him to purchase the fictitious girl, which they said demonstrated his intent to exploit a minor.

Rather than finding his intended victim, Luna found deputies waiting in a hotel room and was arrested on August 29, 2024.

Luna confessed to investigators that he had harmed a child in the past, and police are working to identify that victim.

“But unfortunately, it’s kind of like a cold case. We know they’re out there. We just don’t know who they are. He wasn’t forthcoming with that,” Flowers added.

Luna pleaded guilty to felony child exploitation and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He must serve at least 18 years before being released.

Court documents indicated that Luna would also be deported to his country of origin after serving his time in prison. He was a legal U.S. resident but not a citizen.

RELATED: Oklahoma attorney allegedly took Viagra and bought condoms before meeting to sexually assault 5-year-old, but it was a police sting

Flowers said that traffickers use everyday apps such as Snapchat, Tinder, and Facebook to seek their victims.

“There are numerous websites out there that cater to this type of black market, illicit activity where people are selling themselves for sex,” Flowers said.

“Family members, foster families, even kids that are being trafficked by pimps,” he explained, “they all have people that use these apps for illicit purposes. There is actually … code words that people use to advertise these. And once you are in the trade, you understand what these code words are.”

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​Happy meal child trafficker, Buying 11-year-old girl, Braulio luna, Immigrant child trafficking, Crime 

For the first time in years, the world once again views the United States as a force for strength, order, and peace. Clear, consistent American leadership backed by resolve is restoring the U.S. role as the world’s stabilizing power. That clarity is already reshaping some of the most entrenched conflicts, from the Middle East to Eastern Europe.

The breakthrough in Gaza illustrates the shift. What looked like a permanent cycle of bloodshed has given way to a ceasefire, the safe return of hostages, and the growing global isolation of Hamas — a terrorist group that has long thrived on regional instability. The success rests on American influence, quiet coordination with regional partners, and the renewed credibility that comes from a White House that means what it says.

After years of drift and decline, the world once again knows where America stands.

The same seriousness is now visible in Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent visit to Washington may lead to a negotiated end to a devastating conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and destabilized global energy and food markets. Zelenskyy described his meetings as a “big chance” to finish the war.

President Trump’s peace plan to end the Russia-NATO war in Ukraine will stop the bleeding, enable reconstruction, and reduce the strain on U.S. ammunition stocks at a moment when the Pentagon must prepare for a potential conflict with China.

US diplomacy regains stature

Strength backed by diplomacy — not drift or apology — is what puts the United States in high esteem with much of the world again. Nations respect a country willing to confront aggression and equally willing to help broker reconciliation.

That same clarity guides the administration’s approach to economics and trade. When America projects strength abroad, it must also defend economic interests at home.

Rebuilding America’s economic strength

After years of watching U.S. innovation shipped overseas, the administration has signaled that America will build, produce, and lead from within. That principle drove President Trump’s deal with Australia to break China’s grip on rare earth minerals — metals essential to everything from fighter jets and missiles to smartphones and electric vehicles.

For years, Beijing used its near-monopoly on mining and refining these materials as leverage, threatening to cut off supplies whenever the U.S. challenged its aggression. The deal with Australia strengthens both nations’ capacity to mine and process these strategic resources, allowing the U.S. to build advanced technology and military systems without bowing to Chinese pressure. It’s another example of President Trump converting economic strength into national security strength.

America’s return to Central Asia

Last week, President Trump hosted a meeting of the C5+1 — the United States and the five Central Asian republics: Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Founded in 2015, the group has rarely received presidential-level attention. That changed with Trump’s direct engagement.

Trump emphasized access to Central Asia’s vast reserves of rare and strategic minerals. Turkmenistan emerged as a potential transit hub for processing and exporting these resources to America. Airlines from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan signed agreements to purchase 37 Boeing aircraft. The president also announced the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a new trade corridor designed to boost connectivity and economic integration across the region.

Leaders reaffirmed commitments to counterterrorism cooperation, energy security, and balancing regional influence from Russia and China.

RELATED: America’s addiction to Chinese money runs deeper than we care to admit

Photo Illustration by Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Strength in technology policy

The administration’s posture on technology sends a message as unmistakable as a carrier group in the Pacific: America will defend its industries from predatory foreign dominance.

The recent approval of the Hewlett Packard Enterprise-Juniper Networks merger reflects that stance. The decision, made in consultation with national security officials, counters the global reach of China’s state-controlled telecom giant Huawei and strengthens U.S. data networks in an era defined by artificial intelligence and 5G. The move also signals that America will no longer sabotage its own companies to satisfy globalists or Beltway bureaucrats.

Predictably, Democratic attorneys general led by Colorado’s Phil Weiser — joined by congressional voices such as Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — denounced the decision. But their reflexive criticism doesn’t alter the administration’s commitment to peace-through-strength policies that protect American interests.

A world steadied by American resolve

When the U.S. leads with confidence, the world responds with respect. Whether confronting turmoil in the Middle East, pressing for stability in Europe, or rebuilding supply chains and industries essential to national security, American strength has produced a safer, more stable international environment.

After years of drift and decline, the world once again knows where America stands.

Peace through strength brought the world back to the table. Strength through accountability will keep it there. That is the kind of respect no adversary can test — and no ally will forget.

​Trump, America, Middle east, Military, Nato, Diplomacy, Opinion & analysis, Donald trump, Maga, America first, China, Russia, Peace deal 

After years of gaslighting by the Biden administration, the Food and Drug Administration is finally coming clean to the American people and admitting that “at least 10 children died after and because of receiving the COVID vaccine.”

A memo written by Dr. Vinay Prasad, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, concluded that “no fewer than 10” of 96 child deaths reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System between 2021 and 2024 were related to COVID vaccination.

Prasad even claimed the numbers could be higher.

“Now, this is something that I’ve been trying to sound the alarm on for a very, very long time. And it is very refreshing to hear this coming to light,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says, though she notes that the entire vaccine schedule needs to be scrutinized further.

“Wait till you hear about the CDC schedule,” she adds.

As for the COVID vaccine, Gonzales points out the heavily ignored but well-reported uptick of myocarditis following inoculation in children.

“You had these young boys who were developing it — not normal, despite what the Biden administration tried to tell you. And then Johnson & Johnson, that clot shot was quietly taken away when it killed people,” she says.

“Despite the fact that all of these drug makers try to hide the negative effects, despite all of that, despite what you see in front of your very eyes, you still have doctors trying to peddle total f**king lies,” she continues, before playing a clip from an MS NOW segment where a doctor belittles the FDA’s findings.

“Here we just have the FDA saying, ‘Trust us, we know this to be true,’ without giving us any clear evidence,” Dr. Paul Offit tells Ana Cabrera on “Ana Cabrera Reports.”

“In fact, NBC reports that the memo did not include the children’s ages or medical histories, timelines, or documentation for the deaths he references, does not identify the manufacturer of the vaccine. The FDA’s findings haven’t even been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Doctor, what do you make of that? And do we have any details about these deaths?” Cabrera asks.

“No, it’s an unprofessional and irresponsible thing to do,” Offit replies.

“That’s Dr. Paul Offit — he has gotten totally rich. Totally rich. He is one of the benefactors of the fact that you go and inject your child with poison because you think that they need it to go to school. He is one of the largest benefactors of that,” Gonzales comments.

“So, please, who are you going to believe? Who are you going to believe? The man who stands to financially benefit from the vaccine program? That guy? By the way, total retard. Or the FDA, who is looking at this objectively?” she continues.

“The COVID shot is just the tip of the iceberg,” she adds.

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​Upload, Free, Video, Camera phone, Sharing, Video phone, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Ana cabrera, Fda, Vaccines, Vaccine mandates, Vaccine side effects, Vaccine deaths, Fda vaccines, Fda vaccine approval, Dr paul offit 

The Republican candidate has prevailed in the special election for the 7th congressional district of Tennessee.

With 81% of the vote in, Matt Van Epps, a Trump-endorsed Republican, holds a lead of more than 11,000 votes over radical Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn. CNN and NBC News among other outlets have called the race for Van Epps.

‘I hate all of the things that make Nashville.’

Though as of this writing he hasn’t yet claimed victory on social media, Van Epps did tweet, “THANK YOU, TENNESSEE,” shortly after media began calling the race.

Behn has not commented on social media.

However, she has lately had to answer for some previous comments and behaviors that indicate an erratic temperament and a deep-seated animus for Nashville, the city she was running to represent in Congress.

“I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville, apparently, an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country,” she said.

In 2019, Behn also stormed into the office of Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, and security had to come in and forcibly remove her, video revealed. She then began kicking, screaming, and sobbing on the floor.

By contrast, President Trump described Van Epps as a “phenomenal Candidate” and a “MAGA Warrior” in a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning.

RELATED: Trump torches Nashville-hating Democrat for string of scandals: ‘How the hell can you elect a person like that?’

Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images

The special election was held on Tuesday to replace former Republican Rep. Mark Green, who abruptly retired in June after helping pass Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Green said he planned to pursue a private sector opportunity that was “too exciting to pass up.”

By holding the seat, Republicans will keep a 220-213 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, though Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has already announced she plans to resign in January. Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill also stepped down from her seat after winning the New Jersey gubernatorial election last month.

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​Matt van epps, Aftyn behn, Tennessee, Special election, Mark green, Mikie sherrill, Marjorie taylor greene, Politics 

A federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration cutting federal funds to Planned Parenthood in 22 states on Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston sided with a group of Democratic state attorneys general who had filed a lawsuit against the provision in the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July.

‘We won a court order stopping the federal government from playing politics with our health care system.’

Talwani said that the lawsuit would likely prevail when considered fully, but she paused the injunction to allow the administration seven days to appeal.

The same judge also blocked the cutting of abortion funds in July, but an appeals court later allowed the cuts to continue while the lawsuit progressed. The former order was criticized as “unjust judicial activism” by Lila Rose of the Live Action pro-life group.

Planned Parenthood said that at least 20 clinics had shut down since the order to cut funding was renewed during appeal. It argued that as many as 200 centers would shut down if the order was allowed to stand.

Alexis McGill Johnson, the CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, argued that the order would reduce availability of other health care provided to women.

“This case is about making sure that patients who use Medicaid as their insurance to get birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment can continue to do so at their local Planned Parenthood health center, and we will make that clear in court,” Johnson said in July.

Among those celebrating the order was New York Attorney General Letitia James, an avowed opponent of the president.

“We won a court order stopping the federal government from playing politics with our health care system and defunding Planned Parenthood,” James wrote. “We’ll continue our lawsuit to defend New Yorkers’ health care and reproductive freedom from unconstitutional attacks.”

RELATED: Former Planned Parenthood director committed suicide after apartment raided by police in child pornography investigation

Talwani was appointed to the court in 2013 by former President Barack Obama.

She is also responsible for blocking Trump’s cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program over the government shutdown in October. The president responded by blaming Democrats for refusing to vote to end the shutdown.

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BlazeTV host Christopher Rufo broke a massive story surrounding the Somalian community in Minnesota last week. Members of the community “allegedly participated in complex schemes related to autism services, food programs, and housing.”

Prosecutors estimate billions of taxpayer dollars have been stolen and some of it has ended up in the hands of a terrorist organization in Somalia.

“For example, the Housing Stabilization Services Program — meant to cost $2.6 million per year — exploded to $104 million annually by 2024 and $61 million in just the first half of 2025 before being shut down because the vast majority of it was fraudulent,” explains BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey on “Relatable.”

Somali-owned nonprofits like Feeding Our Future were also claiming to feed thousands of children daily “with fake rosters and invoices,” before using the money to fund luxury vehicle purchases and “overseas real estate,” she continues.

“Say you were a Republican who had been running in Minnesota and you had run on, ‘Hey, we got to cut spending, and we have to cut the taxpayer dollars that we are giving to Feeding Our Future.’ What would the liberal media have said? ‘Oh, you’re evil. How dare you DOGE this. You don’t want to feed innocent children. You want these innocent children to starve,’” she says.

Separately, a $14 million autism services fraud ring allegedly paid Somali parents cash kickbacks to enroll kids, despite the children not having autism diagnoses.

“What are we doing?” Stuckey asks. “I mean, if this is happening in Minnesota, and this is actually being uncovered in Minnesota, which is pretty incredible, like, what’s happening in California? What’s happening in Illinois? What’s happening in New York? What is happening in Houston, these Democrat-run places where there are these large Somalian Islamic groups?”

“I mean, you’ve got to give them credit. They look out for themselves. They’re going to put themselves first. They’re looking out for Somalia. They’re looking out for Afghanistan. They’re looking out for Islam. They’re looking out for their people,” she continues, pointing out that these scandals have “erupted” since Governor Tim Walz (D) took office in 2019.

“If he ran right now, every Democrat in the state of Minnesota would vote for him. I mean, we already had someone in the state of Virginia win after texts were leaked that said that he wanted to kill his opponent’s children,” Stuckey says.

“So I don’t think that fraud is, like, the moral limit that the current Democrat Party has,” she adds.

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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