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Lee Strobel doesn’t mind those who question his midlife Christian conversion.

Strobel’s shift from an atheist to rock-ribbed Christian came to life in 2017’s “The Case for Christ.” The film, based on his life story, showed how Strobel’s efforts to debunk the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the legal editor of the Chicago Tribune had the opposite effect.

‘There is evidence that points — compelling [evidence] — to the truth of biblical miracles and contemporary supernatural encounters. I’m not afraid of that.’

He says his shoe-leather reporting confirmed the resurrection. Looking back, Strobel tells Align his change of heart ruffled some professional feathers.

“After I became a Christian at the Chicago Tribune, somebody told me later that they overheard somebody in the newsroom say, ‘What happened to Strobel? He became a Jesus freak, like, overnight,’” Strobel says, laughing.

Miracle miles

Now, Strobel is back on the big screen with “The Case for Miracles,” in select theaters Dec. 15-18 via Fathom Entertainment. The film finds Strobel and director Mani Sandoval hitting Route 66 in an old Ford Bronco to swap stories and reflect on modern-day miracles.

Among the most poignant? A young woman with severe multiple sclerosis who is able to leave her hospice bed following a crush of community prayers.

It’s part travelogue, part documentary, and Strobel only wishes he had time to share even more remarkable stories on-screen.

“We had to leave out so many good ones. … We had another case documented by medical researchers … a guy who was healed from a paralyzed stomach,” he says. “He was prayed for, felt an electric shock go through him, and for the first time was able to eat normally.”

“He’s fine to this day,” he adds. “It’s the only case in history of its kind of [someone] spontaneously healed from this stomach paralysis.”

Meeting in the middle

Strobel says the film offers two very different perspectives on modern-day miracles given the key players involved.

“Mani grew up in a Pentecostal home. There was an anticipation that the miraculous would take place,” he says. “I was an atheist [growing up].”

The film is based on Strobel’s 2018 book of the same name, but he hopes the Fathom Entertainment release reaches a broader audience beyond his loyal readers.

“I think that cinema is the language of young people,” he says. “If we want to share this account, this evidence of the miraculous with a young generation, what better way than on the big screen? Among younger people, there’s something about a film that register deeply with them. … We should seize opportunities to communicate to those outside the faith.”

RELATED: Lee Strobel’s top supernatural stories to challenge your atheist friends

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Creative control

And the timing couldn’t be better. Faith-friendly films and TV shows are all the rage in today’s pop-culture landscape. Think the groundbreaking series “The Chosen,” along with the upcoming “Passion of the Christ” sequel from Mel Gibson.

Both Netflix and Prime Video are producing faith-friendly content, and recent hits like “Jesus Revolution” flexed the power of spiritual stories.

“It satisfies me on a creative level when I see films that deal with very important topics, like the existence in God, in a way that’s creative and that aren’t going to make people cringe but sit forward in their seat and anticipate what’s coming next,” he says.

And that creative explosion has only begun, Strobel predicts.

“In three, four, or maybe five years, we’re gonna see stuff where we say, ‘Oh, I never thought of doing that,’” he says of the genre.

The incredible made credible

Strobel isn’t a filmmaker by trade. He’s a busy writer, having penned more than 40 books that have been translated into 40 languages.

Strobel, like the late Charlie Kirk, doesn’t mind interacting with skeptics on- or off-screen. He welcomes it. The book on which “The Case for Miracles” is based starts with an extended dialogue with noted atheist Michael Shermer.

Strobel eventually befriended Shermer, who has a cameo in the film version of “Miracles.”

“I let him have his say,” he says of their early exchanges. Strobel is confident in his faith and the miracles he sees flowing through it.

“There is evidence that points — compelling [evidence] — to the truth of biblical miracles and contemporary supernatural encounters,” he says. “I’m not afraid of that.”

For Strobel, a miracle requires four key elements:

Solid medical documentation;Multiple, credible eyewitnesses who have no motive to deceive;A lack of natural explanation; andAn association with prayer.

Meet all four requirements, he says, “and maybe something miraculous is going on.”

Strobel doesn’t mind that some of his former colleagues may question his religious conversion. He’s comforted by the fact that he has company in that regard.

“I’ve seen so many journalists coming to faith. … I think God is stirring something in the culture right now,” he says.

​Faith, Abide, Entertainment, Lee strobel, Movies, Faith-based, Apologetics, Christianity, The case for miracles, Culture, Miracles, Align interview 

The mother of a slain pregnant woman found in a Michigan forest has confessed to committing grisly acts against her daughter and her unborn grandson, according to new court documents. The case also has taken a shocking twist as sordid accusations of illicit family affairs have emerged.

As Blaze News reported earlier this month, 22-year-old Rebecca Park — who was approximately 38 weeks pregnant — was reported missing Nov. 4, according to the Wexford County Sheriff’s Office.

‘Your baby is gonna die.’

Following weeks of intense searches for the missing pregnant woman, Park’s body was found in the Manistee National Forest on Nov. 25 — just three days after she was due to give birth. However, Park’s child was no longer in her womb.

The Michigan Department of Attorney General stated that 40-year-old Cortney Bartholomew and 47-year-old Bradly Bartholomew “lured” Park to their home in Wexford County. Cortney Bartholomew is Park’s biological mother, who gave up her daughter for adoption as a young child; Bradly Bartholomew is her stepfather.

“The couple then allegedly tortured Park in an attempt to remove the unborn infant, resulting in the death of both,” the attorney general said.

According to MLive, Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey said, “Mr. Bartholomew brought Rebecca to their home, forced her into another vehicle, and took her into the woods, where they stabbed her, forced her to lie on the ground while they cut her baby out, ultimately causing her death and the death of the baby.”

Cortney initially denied any involvement in the murder of her daughter, according to police.

However, Cortney later confessed to cops that Park was still conscious when she cut the baby out of her daughter while Bradly held a knife to her throat, according to court documents.

Cortney claimed she cut the baby out of Rebecca in an attempt to save the child so she could then take him to his father, court documents allege.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by UpNorthLive, “When she cut the baby out, Cortney said that Rebecca was still conscious, and Bradly was holding the knife to her throat.”

Court docs added that Cortney told Rebecca to lie back and said, “Your baby is gonna die.”

The affidavit said Bradly told law enforcement that the baby was not alive when the child was cut out of the womb. Cortney informed investigators that the baby was not breathing or crying when the child was removed from the womb, court documents state.

Court docs also indicate that Bradly told detectives that after Cortney couldn’t revive the baby, she said, “The bitch killed my baby.”

According to the affidavit, Bradly accused Cortney of killing her daughter because she wanted another child, but the couple couldn’t adopt because he’s a convicted sex offender.

“Bradly agreed that he believes that Cortney is capable of slicing open her own flesh and blood and taking a baby out,” the affidavit reads. “He agreed that Cortney is obsessed with wanting another baby in her care and custody.”

When Cortney asked about her grandson, who had just been cut from his mother’s womb, Bradly replied, “Oh, I stuck him in a cooler, stuck him in a trash bag, threw him in the trash,” the affidavit states.

RELATED: Stunned judge reveals fate of woman involved in deadly kidnapping of 2 young sisters found in a pit — 1 did not survive

“I slit her f**king throat, bitch deserved it,” Cortney claimed her husband told her, according to Law & Crime.

In a strange twist, Cortney allegedly admitted to having a romantic relationship with her daughter Rebecca’s fiancé — 43-year-old Richard Falor — who also is the father of Rebecca’s unborn child.

“Cortney then reports how Rebecca and Richard Falor were initially dating, and [when] they broke up, a relationship between herself and Richard then commences,” the affidavit indicates.

Court documents claim Cortney rejected Falor and that he then resumed his relationship with Rebecca.

“Cortney also reported that Richard had returned to her residence and raped her, forcefully, causing her to have a miscarriage of the baby she was carrying,” the affidavit states, adding that “a report of this incident was made with the sheriff’s office, however, Cortney said Richard was not charged.”

Cortney claimed that Falor had been abusive and aggressive with Park, and she encouraged Rebecca to leave him.

The affidavit reads, “[Cortney] again claimed that this was a revenge plot because she had a sexual relationship with Richard and because Richard got Bradly put in jail. She claimed that Bradly wanted to hurt Richard.”

The 18-page probable cause affidavit alleges that Falor turned in Bradly last year on a sex offender registration violation.

Bradly received a 180-day jail sentence for an unspecified violation related to his being on the sex offender registry, according to court records obtained by People magazine.

Court documents indicate that Cortney told authorities that Bradly said Falor also deserved what’s coming to him, and it “just happened to be your daughter that’s going to pay for it.”

Cortney claimed Bradly told her that he planned to cut the baby out of Rebecca right in front of Falor after doing an internet search about C-sections, court docs say.

The stepfather asserted that Rebecca’s sister — 21-year-old Kimberly Park — also had a “relationship” with Falor.

“Bradly reported that Kimberly is jealous of Rebecca, and that he is aware that Kimberly has had a relationship with Richard in the past,” the affidavit states.

Over the last two weeks, Rebecca’s mother, stepfather, sister, and fiancé have been arrested.

People magazine reported that Kimberly has been charged with tampering with evidence, lying to a police officer, and filing a false report. She is on house arrest after her bail was reduced from $750,000 to $5,000.

Falor was charged with distributing methamphetamine, according to the New York Post. He pleaded not guilty Dec. 2.

Cortney and Bradly each were charged with one felony count of first-degree premeditated murder, one felony count of murder, one felony count of torture in a place of confinement, one felony count of conspiracy to commit torture, one felony count of assault of a pregnant woman with the intention to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, one felony count of conspiracy to commit assault on a pregnant woman with the intention to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, and one misdemeanor count of removal of a dead body.

If convicted of any of the felonies, the pair faces up to life in prison.

Court records identify Bradly Bartholomew as a habitual offender, which could result in harsher penalties.

The Bartholomews were jailed without the possibility of bond.

Court appearances by Cortney and Bradly have been postponed until Jan. 13, 2026, WWTV-TV and WWUP-TV reported.

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​True crime, Rebecca park, Rebecca park mother, Rebecca park update, True crime news, Crime, Michigan 

Elon Musk fired back at the governor of California after he ridiculed the billionaire entrepreneur for being estranged from his transgender-identifying son.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was defending his comments in support of transgender health care when he took a potshot at Musk and his son, which many found to be in poor taste.

‘I assume you’re referring to my son, Xavier, who has a tragic mental illness caused by the evil woke mind virus you push.’

“I want to see trans kids; I have a trans godson. There’s no governor that’s done more pro-trans legislation than I have, and nobody has been a stronger advocate,” Newsom said in the video.

Newsom posted a video of his comments, along with a snipe at Musk apparently comparing his relationship with his trans-identifying godson to that of Musk with his son.

“Correct. We’re sorry your daughter hates you, Elon,” he wrote.

Musk took the high road in his response.

“I assume you’re referring to my son, Xavier, who has a tragic mental illness caused by the evil woke mind virus you push on vulnerable children,” Musk responded.

“I love Xavier very much and hope he recovers,” he added. “My daughters are Azure, Exa (she goes by Y) and Arcadia, and they do indeed love me very much.”

Others piled onto Newsom for the bizarre insult.

“Sick bastard. Gavin, tell your henchmen to leave kids alone,” Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas replied.

“This is raw evil, from a government account. I will do anything I can to stop this cretin from gaining more political power,” Palantir founder Jon Lonsdale responded.

“One of the primary motivations of the Left in pushing gender ideology onto children is to divide them from their parents and undercut the family unit. They relish in it and will not stop no matter how many elections they lose,” Kaylee White of Fox News replied.

RELATED: Newsom gets nailed with online backlash over AI video with Trump in handcuffs

“Most vile of vile,” actor Dean Cain responded.

Newsom is considered a front-runner in the possible candidates for the Democratic nomination for president in 2028. In one recent poll, he garners 24% of support from Democratic voters, just behind Pete Buttigieg, who has support from 28% of those polled.

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Comedian and actor David Spade offered an example of people deliberately avoiding even mentioning Christianity while trying to keep the faith’s holiday traditions in place.

Spade made the comments about a local mall ceremony to light a non-Christmas tree on his podcast with fellow “SNL” alum Dana Carvey, who agreed with his criticism. The “Fly on the Wall” episode was published on Sunday.

‘I’ve never met someone from another religious faith that was upset about a Christmas tree.’

“I will say that Christmas is taking a little bit of a beating lately,” Spade said.

“It is December, and I saw the other day there was a tree-lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree in some dopey mall, but it said ‘tree-lighting ceremony,'” he added. “And they were careful not to say the word ‘Christmas’ during the whole ceremony.”

“No!” Carvey responded.

Spade went on to mock the idea of lighting a tree for a non-Christmas holiday reason.

“Why? So it’s just a tree?” he asked.

“To consciously avoid that, then what is the tree for?” Spade continued. “A December to remember? Is it a Lexus dealership? Why do we have — for the whole month? Isn’t it for Christmas?”

Carvey pointed out that Christmas has come to include everyone because it has become somewhat secularized.

“I’ve never met someone from another religious faith that was upset about a Christmas tree,” he added.

“I’d say stop that bulls**t,” Spade said.

“Yeah, ’cause everyone loves Santa and the tree and all the trappings,” Carvey replied.

“They like all things about it,” Spade said. “Don’t say that word.”

RELATED: Nigerian Christians are being murdered by Islamic radicals. This congressman has had enough.

Spade also made brief mention of the horrific persecution of Christians in Africa.

“Like, is this where we get the hammer? You can’t say that about anyone else. … We’re taking a beating down in Africa. It’s like, this is not the year to be Christian. I will tell you that,” he added.

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​War on christmas, Celebrities on christmas, Persecution of christians, Politics, David spade 

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales believes it’s high time that we stop allowing foreign-born people to serve in Congress — because historically, their allegiance doesn’t seem to be with America.

“The most obvious example is, of course, Ilhan Omar, who helped all these Somalians pull off all this fraud in Minnesota allegedly,” Gonzales says on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

“The restaurants that are using your taxpayer money to go funnel to terror groups, she’s, like, hosting parties at,” she continues.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has also been quite open about where her allegiance lies, which is reflected in a clip Gonzales has on hand of Omar speaking to her fellow Somalis in Somali.

“Sleep in comfort, knowing I am here to protect the interests of Somalia from inside the U.S. system,” Omar said, adding, “I am as concerned about Somalia as you guys are.”

“Now this is why I just can’t stop talking about this, because this goes against the oath that everyone has to take when they become naturalized. It literally says on the form, ‘I hereby declare on oath that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen,’” Gonzales comments.

And Omar is hardly the only foreigner in the United States government raising a red flag. There’s also Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar (D) — who made the trip from India to the United States in 1979.

“So he had lived his entire life, growing into adulthood, in India, like tried and true Indian at the point that he came here,” Gonzales comments, before showing a video of Thanedar speaking about the articles of impeachment he introduced against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

“Today I introduced articles to impeach Secretary Pete Hegseth for murder and conspiracy to murder since day one. Secretary Hegseth has disgraced that once-proud office that he holds, from issuing orders to kill everybody on board a small boat,” Thanedar said in a thick Indian accent.

“He was struggling for some of those words,” Gonzales comments.

“He’s been here this long, he still hasn’t bothered to brush up on his English. And on top of that, he seems to not be clear on like, ‘Hey, we’re America. When terrorists try to kill Americans, we kill them.’ That’s a thing. You don’t negotiate with terrorists,” she continues.

“If you don’t like it, go home,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Camera phone, Free, Sharing, Upload, Video, Video phone, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Secretary pete hegseth, Secretary of war, Ilhan omar, Shri thanedar, Foreign congressman, Somalians, Somalia, Immigration, Immigration crisis, Sara gonzales unfiltered 

An NFL star running back who has been outspoken about his Christian faith is facing criticism for uttering what some call a gay slur while live on television.

Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons was celebrating the team’s upset victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday when he joked about playing “smear the queer,” a common kids’ game.

‘It was not reflective of my beliefs and I am so sorry to those I offended seriously!’

Robinson was talking about a play during the game that appeared to be from backyard football and added, “Smear the queer, that’s what this is, smear the queer!”

Someone on the set quickly tried to correct him by saying, “Kill the carrier,” a more politically correct name for the game.

On Friday, Robinson posted an apology on social media.

“Hey everyone I want to apologize for the insensitive comment I made in the broadcast, it was a football game we used to play as a kid but that’s not an excuse,” he wrote.

“I recognize the mistake and make sure to do better in the future,” he added. “It was not reflective of my beliefs and I am so sorry to those I offended seriously!”

Video of his comments were posted to social media, where it garnered millions of views.

Robinson has often talked about his Christian faith and established a foundation to give back to society in four areas: “Faith, Homelessness, Youth, and Literacy,” according to his website.

RELATED: Liberals spew hatred at NFL player for pointing at Trump and doing his dance: ‘Yousa hoe a** n***a’

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

“I do all the things that is necessary for me to continue my relationship with God. Even after games, in postgame interviews, I never go without saying ‘God’ first,” he said after getting drafted for the NFL.

“I play for Him. I play for God,” he added. “I do everything in my life for God, so He’ll only continue to keep blessing you. My faith is my biggest thing.”

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​Bijan robinson, Nfl gay slur, Christian nfl players, Smear the queer, Politics, Sports 

With major tax breaks just around the corner, Senate Majority Leader John Thune reveals the real reason Democrats are skipping out on major tax breaks.

Several blue states across the country are opting out of the major tax breaks promised in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including provisions like deductions for seniors and no tax on tips. These tax breaks are set to go into effect on January 1, 2026.

‘They are doing it because of Trump derangement syndrome or a blind allegiance to high-tax policies.’

These policies are popular across the political spectrum, yet Democrats are depriving their constituents of the opportunity to reap the benefits. Some of these states include Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Maine, as well as Washington, D.C.

The Treasury Department called this a deliberate act of “partisan stonewalling,” suggesting Democrats are denying their constituents crucial financial relief.

RELATED: Blue-state ‘Grinches’ are stealing your tax relief, says Treasury Secretary Bessent

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

“This partisan stonewalling is a direct assault on the very families and workers liberal politicians claim to champion,” the department stated. “By denying their residents access to these important tax cuts, these governors and legislators are forcing hardworking Americans to shoulder higher state tax burdens, robbing them of the relief they deserve and exacerbating the financial squeeze on low- and middle-income households.”

Thune echoed the department’s concerns, saying Democrats are getting in the way of overdue tax relief for millions of hardworking Americans.

“Affordability starts with more money in your pocket,” Thune told Blaze News. “Republicans passed the Working Families Tax Cuts so that every working family, regardless of where they live, can have more money and new opportunities to get ahead.”

“It is outrageous that Democrat politicians would try to stop seniors, tipped workers, and people who work overtime from receiving this historic tax relief,” Thune added.

RELATED: ‘Very low-IQ person’: Jasmine Crockett launches Senate campaign with funny video that may give the GOP the last laugh

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Thune speculated that the Democrats’ refusal to embrace even Trump’s most popular policies is rooted in an inexplicable “blind allegiance” to high taxes, or just plain old Trump derangement syndrome.

“Whether they are doing it because of Trump derangement syndrome or a blind allegiance to high-tax policies, Democrat leaders like Governor Mills, Hochul, and Pritzker are making explicitly clear that Democrats prioritize high taxes and regulatory burdens over the financial well-being of the people they represent,” Thune added, referring to Governors Janet Mills of Maine, Kathy Hochul of New York, and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois.

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​John thune, Scott bessent, Treasury department, Senate republicans, One big beautiful bill, Donald trump, No tax on tips, Trump derangement syndrome, Colorado, New york, Illinois, Maine, Washington dc, Blue states, Kathy hochul, Jb pritzker, Politics 

“Truth. Justice. Whatever.”

Hollywood’s disdain for America is official with the poster tagline for this summer’s “Supergirl.”

‘I don’t care for Owen Wilson, and I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.’

How the industry embraced the problematic “girl” part of the name is a debate for another day. Just know that Hollywood hasn’t been cozy with the classic Superman slogan, “Truth, justice, and the American way,” for some time. The 2006 Brandon Routh reboot infamously ditched that last part, as did this year’s James Gunn version.

Now to show us that this Supergirl can’t even, the phrase is purposely imploded. And to be fair, the results come off better here, if only because the newest Supergirl is a rebel without a cause (or home planet).

Those offended by ditching “the American way” may be more outraged by the accompanying trailer. It looks as gloopy as this past summer’s “Superman” reboot, but with half the gravitas and action.

Prediction: Superhero fatigue goes nuclear in 2026 …

Jay Zzzzzz

Slackers never grow up. They just stay in their parents’ basements indefinitely.

That isn’t true for Jay and Silent Bob. The slacker heroes from Kevin Smith’s imagination refuse to call it a career. They’ve appeared in two features as the key attractions and several Smith movies like the “Clerks” franchise and “Mallrats.”

Now Smith is warning us there’s a third Jay and Silent Bob film in the works. “Jay and Silent Bob: Store Wars” will start production next year. But will anybody show up?

“Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” made under $5 million in 2019. Smith’s last film, “The 4:30 Movie,” didn’t earn enough for BoxOfficeMojo to include its figures.

Smith may have come of age during the ‘90s via “Clerks” and “Chasing Amy,” but his devoted flock has done nothing but shrink since then. Bigly.

Smith, 55, and co-star Jason Mewes, 51, may seem too old to keep cracking pot jokes, but Smith deserves credit for finding enough cash in his sofa to keep his franchise afloat …

Pulp Friction

Quentin Tarantino can’t get criticism out of his system.

The former video store clerk was set to make “The Movie Critic” his 10th and final film, but he got cold feet and went back to the proverbial drawing board. Since then, he’s been criticizing … everything, including specific movie stars.

That’s an unofficial no-no in celebrity circles, but Tarantino is out of you-know-whats apparently.

The director recently slammed actor Paul Dano (“The Batman,” “Love and Mercy”), dubbing the actor “weak sauce” and worse, as part of that now-infamous “Bret Easton Ellis Podcast” interview.

Hollywood stars rallied around Dano, saying he was far better than what the mercurial director dubbed him. Tarantino also shredded two more stars as part of that conversation.

“I don’t care for Owen Wilson, and I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.”

Wilson has yet to publicly respond, but Lillard did just that at a recent Comic-Con-style event, the GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio.

“Eh, whatever. Who gives a s**t,” Lillard said before revealing that he actually does give a bleep.

“It hurts your feelings. It f**king sucks,” he said. “And you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn’t say that to somebody who’s a top-line actor in Hollywood.”

So far, Lillard’s former co-star Scooby Doo has no comment …

RELATED: These are the definitive recordings of 35 favorite Christmas carols: Don’t argue, just listen

Photo credits, clockwise from top left: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images; Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images; Robin Platzer/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images; Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images; George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images; David Redfern/Redferns

‘Jingle’ jerk

The war on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is over, and the good guys won. The song continues to play every Christmas season despite a woke attempt to cancel it. The less problematic “remake” by John Legend and Kelly Clarkson was quickly forgotten.

Now former MSNBC host Joy Reid is declaring war on … “Jingle Bells.” And you’ll never guess why. Just kidding.

The song’s writer, James Lord Pierpont, allegedly penned the ditty for racially charged reasons, according to Reid. To her credit, if anyone knows about racially charged topics, it’s a former TV personality who sees racism around every corner.

To her, Elvis Presley’s nickname, “The King,” is racist.

She used a Massachusetts plaque as her “proof” of the song’s racial components, along with Pierpont’s days fighting for the Confederacy. The song’s lyrics appear as benign then as they do now.

Maybe she could record her own version of the song, a la Legend and Clarkson, and watch it follow eight-track tapes, pagers, and MSNBC into the dustbin of history.

​Hollywood, Entertainment, Christmas, Culture, Joy reid, Christmas carols, Baby it’s cold outside, Quentin tarantino, Toto recall 

A Democratic congressman is facing scathing criticism for his description of the horrific attack on two National Guard members that left one dead.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D) of Mississippi was trying to interrogate Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem when he appeared to severely minimize the terrible attack. Thompson is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

‘Bennie Thompson should apologize and retract this disgusting remark.’

“Madame Secretary, you and the gentleman from [National Counterterrorism Center] reference the unfortunate accident that occurred with the National Guardsmen being killed,” said Thompson.

“You think that was an unfortunate accident? That was a terrorist attack!” interjected Noem.

“I mean, look, I’ll get it straight,” he replied in an annoyed tone.

“He shot our National Guardsmen in the head!” she added.

Thompson appealed to the committee chair to censure Noem for interrupting his questioning.

“It was an unfortunate situation, but you blamed it solely on Joe Biden. I want you to know who approved the asylum application for this same person?” he continued.

Noem responded that the suspect in the shooting had been allowed into the country during the evacuation of Afghanistan during the Biden administration, but Thompson continued to harangue her about the approval of his asylum under the Trump administration.

Video of the exchange was widely circulated on social media, and the bizarre comments led to furious condemnation.

“Note to Democrats: The killing of National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom was not an ‘unfortunate accident.’ It was a premeditated terrorist attack,” replied Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on social media. “Bennie Thompson should apologize and retract this disgusting remark. Well done, @Sec_Noem for refusing to let Democrats downplay terrorism.”

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard excoriated Thompson on Fox News and said the moment exemplified a common problem among political leaders.

RELATED: National Guard shooting suspect is Afghan national who entered US under Biden program

“It is absolutely infuriating,” said Gabbard. “This is someone who is a very, very senior leader in Congress, who for a long time has led the Homeland Security Committee in Congress. The fact that he cannot and refuses to directly identify this attack for what it was, a terrorist attack on our own soil against our National Guard.”

“This exchange really points to the egregious and longstanding problem that we’ve seen,” she added, “which is leaders, some on both sides of the aisle, who refused to identify this Islamist terrorist threat for exactly what it is, which is one of the reasons why we find ourselves in the position that we are in today.”

Thompson later said that he had misspoken when confronted by a CNN anchor about the comments.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who polling indicates is the 2028 Democratic front-runner for presidential nomination, emphasized his support for gender ideology in a recent interview with the New York Times’ Ezra Klein.

Newsom’s radical remarks caught the attention not only of Republicans but of Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj, who suggested the governor’s views would alienate even mentally ill “trans” adults.

‘The Vance > The Gav Nots.’

In the interview published on Wednesday, Newsom told Klein that while he — like the supermajority of Americans — does not support male transvestites in women’s sports, he nevertheless wants “to see trans kids.”

“I have a trans godson,” Newsom said. “There’s no governor that’s signed more pro-trans legislation than I have, and no one has been a stronger advocate for the LGBTQ community.”

The “godson” whom the Democratic governor referenced in this and other defenses of his trans alliance is billionaire oil heir Natalia Williams, the 33-year-old great-granddaughter of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty who had her breasts removed and now calls herself Nats Getty.

Newsom’s goddaughter is “married” to male transvestite Giselle Getty, formerly Gregory Lazzarato.

An X account managed by the Republican National Committee said in a response to the governor’s comments subsequently shared by the GOP, “Gavin Newsom gushes about how he wants to see the gender mutilation of children.”

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

Photo by Bob Riha Jr./Getty Images

Minaj was evidently among the multitude of people sickened by Newsom’s statement, writing, “Imagine being the guy running on wanting to see trans kids. Haha. Not even a trans ADULT would run on that. Normal adults wake up & think they want to see HEALTHY, SAFE, HAPPY kids.”

“GavOUT,” Minaj continued. “Send in the next guy, I’m bored.”

Minaj followed up her tweet with a message suggesting that Newsom thinks he’s Tom Cruise, but the difference is that “his next mission IS impossible.”

Normalcy advocate Robby Starbuck noted that if Minaj is going to troll Newsom “from now until 2028 then he has a big problem because Gavin’s counting on the black vote and Nicki has a big enough megaphone to let them know how evil Gavin’s policies are. Dude lets 13 yr old girls get their breasts cut off in his state.”

Newsom has ratified numerous bills pushing the radical trans agenda in his state, including:

SB-107, making California a so-called sanctuary for child sex-rejecting mutilations;AB-1084, making it easier for transvestites to obtain inaccurate identification documents;AB-223, requiring any petition for a change of sex identifier by a minor to be kept confidential by the court; andAB-1955, banning school districts from requiring school officials to inform parents if a child begins to identify as “transgender.”

A Pew Research Center survey revealed earlier this year that 56% of Americans support a ban on sex-rejecting medical procedures for minors.

Whereas Minaj is highly critical of Newsom, she’s clearly sweet on the 2028 Republican front-runner, Vice President JD Vance.

“Vance is an assassin,” she wrote. “Don’t debate him. On anything. Quick as a computer. Maybe quicker. He’s the best blend I’ve ever seen of us&them.”

In a separate message, Minaj noted, “The Vance > The Gav Nots.”

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​Nicki minaj, Transgender, Trans, Lgbt, Leftism, California, Election 2028, Gavin newsom, Newsom, Transvestite, Minaj, Politics 

President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security is continuing to roll back Temporary Protected Status, which was widely granted to numerous countries under the previous administration’s leadership.

On Friday morning, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a press release announcing that the DHS will terminate TPS for Ethiopia.

‘Conditions in Ethiopia no longer pose a serious threat to the personal safety of returning Ethiopian nationals.’

The current TPS designation was set to expire on Friday. Ethiopian nationals without another lawful basis to remain in the U.S. have 60 days to leave the country.

Those individuals are encouraged to use the Customs and Border Protection’s CBP Home mobile app to report their departure. They will receive a plane ticket and a $1,000 exit bonus.

The DHS may begin making arrests and deportations after February 13 for those who fail to leave voluntarily. They will not be eligible to return to the U.S.

“Temporary Protected Status designations are time-limited and were never meant to be a ticket to permanent residency,” a USCIS spokesperson stated. “Conditions in Ethiopia no longer pose a serious threat to the personal safety of returning Ethiopian nationals. Since the situation no longer meets the statutory requirements for a TPS designation, [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem is terminating this designation to restore integrity in our immigration system.”

RELATED: Trump DHS makes ‘temporary’ finally mean temporary again, revoking Biden’s free pass for 4,000 foreign nationals

Kristi Noem, Donald Trump. Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

TPS was first extended to Ethiopia in December 2022 under former President Joe Biden, whose administration claimed the designation was necessary due to “ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions.”

“Ethiopia faces armed conflict in multiple regions of the country resulting in large-scale displacement. In addition, Ethiopia has been experiencing severe climatic shocks exacerbating humanitarian concerns over access to food, water, and health care,” Biden’s DHS stated.

RELATED: 25 years after a Central American hurricane, Noem’s DHS to end associated immigration Temporary Protected Status

Joe Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas. Photographer: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas extended the TPS designation in April 2024.

“While some residual challenges in regions affected by the conflicts remain, there are signs of improvements in the country,” Trump’s DHS wrote in a Federal Register notice that will be published next week.

“The Secretary has determined that, while some sporadic and episodic violence occurs in Ethiopia, the situation no longer meets the criteria for an ongoing armed conflict that poses a serious threat to the personal safety of returning Ethiopian nationals,” the DHS continued.

Trump’s DHS previously terminated TPS for Burma, Haiti, South Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela. Countries that continue to hold TPS designations into 2026 include El Salvador, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen.

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​News, Temporary protected status, Tps, Immigration crisis, Immigration, Joe biden, Biden administration, Biden admin, Trump admin, Trump administration, Department of homeland security, Dhs, Kristi noem, Ethiopia, Uscis, Us citizenship and immigration services, United states citizenship and immigration services, Politics 

President Donald Trump’s Department of Transportation announced new action against another Democratic-led state that it claims has been illegally issuing non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses.

On Friday morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed that an audit from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that over half of New York state’s non-domiciled CDLs were issued illegally. The audit sampled 200 records and discovered that 107, or 53%, were issued in violation of federal law.

‘What we uncovered in New York is not an administrative oversight.’

There are reportedly 32,000 active non-domiciled CDLs that were issued by New York.

According to the DOT, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles defaulted to issuing eight-year licenses to foreign drivers who applied for non-REAL ID licenses, regardless of when their legal status expired.

“This systemic failure allows the state to blindly grant long-term commercial driving privileges to foreigners that expire long after the expiration of their lawful presence in the country,” the DOT stated.

Additionally, the department claimed that New York failed to provide any evidence that it had verified the lawful presence of foreign individuals before issuing them commercial driver’s licenses. In some instances, New York allegedly relied on expired lawful presence documents to issue licenses.

RELATED: Trump DOT threatens to pull millions from Tim Walz’s state, boots 3,000 shady CDL trainers to clean up trucker licensing mess

Sean Duffy. Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images

As a result of the concerning findings, the DOT has demanded that New York immediately pause the issuance of new or renewed non-domiciled CDLs and commercial learner’s permits.

The state has also been asked to conduct an internal audit to identify licenses that were issued in violation of federal regulations. The DOT warned that the state risks losing $73 million in federal highway funding if it fails to revoke all illegally issued licenses held by foreign drivers immediately.

“When more than half of the licenses reviewed were issued illegally, it isn’t just a mistake — it is a dereliction of duty by state leadership. Gov. [Kathy] Hochul must immediately revoke these illegally issued licenses. If they refuse to follow the law, we will withhold federal highway funding,” Duffy stated. “This administration will never stop fighting to keep you and your family safe on our roads.”

RELATED: Trump DOT hammers Gov. Shapiro, threatens to pull millions after state hands CDL to ‘suspected terrorist’ illegal alien trucker

Photo by GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images

During a Friday morning press conference announcing the findings, Duffy explained that states that illegally issue CDLs endanger American drivers nationwide, since the licenses allow interstate operations.

Duffy described New York as the worst offender for issuing licenses in violation of federal law. The DOT has given New York 30 days to come into compliance.

California and New York account for half of the non-domiciled CDLs issued in the nation, Duffy stated.

“What we uncovered in New York is not an administrative oversight,” FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs stated during the press conference. “It’s a systematically, grossly unacceptable deviation from a federal safety regulation that has been on the books for a long period of time.”

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​News, Department of transportation, Dot, Transportation department, Sean duffy, American trucking industry, Trucking industry, New york, California, Kathy hochul, Commercial driver’s licenses, Cdl, Cdls, Commercial driver’s license, Non-domiciled cdl, Non-domiciled cdls, Non-domiciled, Politics 

Time magazine named its 2025 “person of the year” — but it wasn’t just one person.

Instead, the magazine celebrated the “Architects of AI” as its person of the year. This includes tech leaders like Jensen Huang, Mark Zuckerberg, Lisa Su, Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Demis Hassabis, Dario Amodei, and Fei-Fei Li.

“This is one of those things that I think they try to be different to get people interested in it. And I’m not all that interested in the Time person of the year or anything really that Time does these days. But I will say, this one’s been interesting to watch through the prediction market lens because, you know, the favorite going into this announcement was AI,” BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere says on “Stu Does America.”

However, while “interesting,” the claims the Time article made were more than a little dystopian in nature.

“The drumbeat of warning that advanced AI could kill us all has mostly quieted; the ‘doomers’ have been marginalized, now used by AI’s ruling class as a punch line. … But the risk-averse are no longer in the driver’s seat,” the article reads.

“Thanks to [Nvidia CEO Jensen] Huang, [SoftBank’s Masayoshi] Son, [Sam] Altman, and other AI titans, humanity is now flying down the highway, all gas no brakes, toward a highly automated and highly uncertain future,” it adds.

“That sounds like a bad idea to me,” Stu comments. “Especially after living through the cellphone all gas, no brakes approach. We’re like, ‘Yeah, let’s just do it.’ 13 hours a day? How much time do you need to spend staring at your phone? That shouldn’t affect humanity in any way.”

The article goes on: “For decades, humankind steeled itself for the rise of thinking machines. As we marveled at their ability to beat chess champions and predict protein structures, we also recoiled from their inherent uncanniness, not to mention the threats to our sense of humanity.”

“Leaders striving to develop the technology, including Sam Altman and Elon Musk, warned that the pursuit of its powers could create unforeseen catastrophe. This year, the debate about how to wield AI responsibly gave way to a sprint to deploy it as fast as possible,” it continues.

“Isn’t that, like, the intro to every tech horror film ever made?” Stu asks. “That is like, ‘Hey, you know, we decided not to think about what would happen. I’m just going to go for it.’ It’s like we’re in Jurassic Park.”

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The high-profile deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is once again in the spotlight after an “activist” judge once again temporarily threw a wrench in the Department of Homeland Security’s work.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis issued an order barring immigration enforcement officials from detaining and deporting Garcia.

‘This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts.’

Judge Xinis, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, upheld requests from Garcia’s lawyers for a temporary restraining order against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, Newsweek reported.

Garcia was freed from immigration detention on Thursday after months of being in limbo, the Associated Press reported.

RELATED: Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s days in the US may be numbered after court’s latest ruling

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

“For the public to have any faith in the orderly administration of justice, the Court’s narrowly crafted remedy cannot be so quickly and easily upended without further briefing and consideration,” Xinis wrote.

Garcia’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, celebrated the news of the restraining order and his client’s release.

“Yesterday’s order from Judge Xinis and now the temporary restraining order this morning represent a victory of law over power,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who allegedly faced death threats from twin brothers from New Jersey earlier this week, told Newsweek that the decision was “naked judicial activism.”

“This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts,” McLaughlin added.

Garcia, an illegal alien and alleged MS-13 associate living in Maryland, was deported to an infamous Salvadoran prison earlier this year before being returned to the United States for continued processing of his case.

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​Politics, Dhs, Department of homeland security, Ice, Tricia mclaughlin, Kilmar abrego garcia, Deportations, Obama, Judge paula xinis, Maryland 

An Atlanta homeowner shot two juveniles who were taking packages from his porch Thursday afternoon, police said.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told WXIA-TV that officers responded around 3:30 p.m. to the 800 block of Celeste Lane in the Mays neighborhood, which is part of the Villages of Cascade complex, after reports of shots fired. The townhomes are down the street from a high school, the station said.

‘At that exact moment, was he realistically and reasonably under an apparent threat?’

WXIA said a 15-year-old was shot in the foot while a second juvenile was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Police told the station late Thursday night that he made it through surgery and is expected to survive. WXIA said in its video report that the second juvenile was shot in the arm.

Schierbaum told the station that investigators determined the two juveniles were taking packages from a townhome when the homeowner came outside and opened fire.

RELATED: Texas homeowner brings his AK-style rifle — and his armed wife — to confront suspected car thieves. One shot is all it takes.

The homeowner was taken to police headquarters for questioning, WXIA said, and officers executed a search warrant at the residence as part of the ongoing investigation.

“That search warrant is allowing us to gather evidence, is allowing us to gain clarity,” Schierbaum added to the station.

The chief also noted to WXIA: “The Atlanta Police Department takes gun violence very seriously. It’s been the charge of Mayor [Andre] Dickens to address gun violence in our city; that’s why you see a robust response. But anytime a child is injured in our city, we really take that seriously. And we want to make sure we know what’s happening as individuals being held accountable.”

RELATED: Texas homeowner shoots and kills man trying to steal his car, police say

The station added that the shooting is stirring debate over the use of deadly force to protect property.

Atlanta criminal defense attorney Joshua Schiffer, who is not affiliated with the case, told WXIA that people in Georgia have the right to protect themselves and their property, but deadly force must be justified.

“Were these two young men on the doorstep acting in a violent or threatening manner, or were they running away? What juncture did the homeowner decide to discharge their personal weapon using deadly force, and were they justified? That’s going to depend on the facts,” Schiffer told the station. “At that exact moment, was he realistically and reasonably under an apparent threat?”

Police added to WXIA that charges, if any, will depend on evidence and witness statements gathered as part of its investigation.

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​Atlanta, Police, Porch pirates, Juveniles shot, Shooting, Guns, Homeowner shoots porch pirates, Wounded, Crime 

Instead of the usual Nativity scene this time of year, St. Susanna Catholic Church in Dedham, Massachusetts, featured something far less Christmasy: a sign reading “ICE was here.” Rather than celebrate the joy of the Incarnation, the pastor, Fr. Stephen Josoma, wanted to suggest that Jesus and His family had been abducted by federal agents and couldn’t make it to Bethlehem.

To be fair, this year’s stunt was tame compared with the church’s 2018 display, when the infant Jesus appeared — in a cage. Back then, the leftist narrative insisted that Trump’s “goons” were snatching innocent immigrant families and throwing their kids in cages while deporting the parents.

Fr. Josoma is at least forthright. The pro-immigration bishops, by contrast, wrap their open-borders stance in warm, fuzzy language about ‘compassion’ and ‘Christian charity.’

When complaints poured in, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston offered mild disapproval and asked that the display be removed. One wonders what he would do if a priest used the Nativity to condemn transgenderism — perhaps a bubble of Mary saying, “It’s a boy!” and baby Jesus responding, “Of course I am.” Would the archbishop quietly distance himself again, or would he move to defrock the priest by morning?

The bishops’ real position

By now, it’s no secret that many Catholic bishops share Fr. Josoma’s immigration politics. Their public statements this year made that obvious: endless denunciations of border enforcement and deportations and near-total silence on the humanitarian crises created by Biden’s failed border policies — including the disappearance of some 400,000 migrant children, many of whom ended up in forced labor and sex trafficking.

Pope Leo XIV has only magnified this confusion. Though he recently muttered a few words denying he supports open borders, his actions and rhetoric signal the opposite. He consistently encourages mass migration into the West, especially from the poorer regions of the Global South.

Passive-aggressive rhetoric

All this might be tolerable if it weren’t so passive-aggressive. Fr. Josoma is at least forthright. The pro-immigration bishops, by contrast, wrap their open-borders stance in warm, fuzzy language about “compassion” and “Christian charity.” They never explicitly endorse illegal mass migration, but every message they send clearly communicates support for it.

Worse, they frame the debate as a false dilemma: either welcome millions from the Third World with open arms and open wallets, or turn everyone away and treat them like garbage. In their telling, unrestricted immigration is Christian charity; any attempt at regulation is moral failure. Like the Good Samaritan caring for the mugging victim, Americans are told to fund luxury-hotel stays and generous entitlements for ex-convicts from Haiti.

Little is said about the profound cultural and social challenges posed by non-Christian mass migration. Western Europe’s experience with Muslim migration is well-documented: spikes in crime, poverty, and urban decay.

In the United States, Muslim and Hindu migrants increasingly form self-segregated enclaves, complete with their own customs and sometimes their own informal legal norms — communities where Christian Americans are outsiders in their own towns.

Some progressive Christians claim this is an opportunity for evangelization. Yet no one in the church seems interested in actually evangelizing. Instead the faithful are browbeaten to be more “accommodating,” while bishops host endless interfaith dialogues with leaders who preach backward belief systems fundamentally at odds with liberal democracy.

Follow the money trail

Why then have bishops embraced such a self-destructive position? Two reasons stand out.

First, many bishops are simply committed leftists. Under Pope Francis — for most of the woke era — this meant preaching climate dogma and celebrating the LGBTQ agenda. Under Pope Leo, it means promoting open borders and a global welfare regime. The ideology changes, but the political alignment remains.

Second, mass migration pays. State and federal governments funnel enormous sums to Catholic NGOs for immigrant resettlement. “Caring for the stranger” has become a lucrative business. Vice President JD Vance, himself a Catholic, was blunt when he said much of the bishops’ outrage at border enforcement comes down to the billions of dollars at stake.

By shutting the border and deporting illegal migrants, the Trump administration is threatening a revenue stream.

Lingering hypocrisy

For conservative Catholics, the bishops’ partisan protests have become intolerable — especially after their submissiveness during COVID. Having failed as shepherds when it mattered most, they still presume they possess the moral authority to demand open borders forever.

It feels reminiscent of the Catholic Church’s reaction to the Black Death. As Barbara Tuchman recounts in her excellent history of the 14th century, the Catholic Church ramped up the sale of indulgences to replenish its coffers after the plague. Revenue rose. Respect collapsed. The peasant uprisings that followed eventually swelled into a continent-wide revolt that split Christianity.

RELATED: Viral video shows priest tossing ICE out of his church and mocking Trump — but it’s not what it seems

Photo by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Today’s immigration racket is unlikely to cause that level of destruction, but it is still a serious problem. Younger Catholics — anyone not a Baby Boomer — now tune out the clergy’s homilies about “harsh treatment” of migrants. They know it isn’t true. The Catholic Church in America is already as diverse and welcoming as a religious institution can be.

I was reminded of this recently at a Mass celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The only service I could attend was the evening Spanish Mass. Among Filipinos, Vietnamese, Latinos, Tejanos, and a handful of fellow gringos, I listened to our Indian priest celebrate the liturgy in Spanish, accompanied by a choir singing mariachi-styled hymns.

Nothing about this scene matched the bishops’ narrative of a hostile, unwelcoming Catholic Church. Perhaps if more of them bothered to attend or celebrate such a Mass, they would drop the sanctimonious posturing and address real problems.

That alone would be a welcome Christmas gift.

​Opinion & analysis, Stephen josoma, Catholic church, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice raids, Holy family, Nativity scene, Dedham, Massachusetts, St. susanna’s catholic church, Anti-ice protests, Anti-ice nativity scene, Leftists, Pope leo xiv, Boston archdiocese, Boston archbishop, Donald trump, Open borders, Jd vance 

After a long battle, a D.C. Circuit panel froze a federal judge’s order blocking President Donald Trump’s effort to ban the use of hormones in the military — which would effectively disqualify all transgender people from military service.

The court decided that this policy advances military interests, with two judges ruling in favor and one judge — who was appointed by Obama — dissented.

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales couldn’t be happier with the decision.

“I definitely don’t think that a man who is mentally ill enough, who thinks that he’s a woman, should be in that realm at all … luckily, this appeals court, well, two out of three of them agreed,” Gonzales says.

BlazeTV host and columnist Auron MacIntyre is pleased with the decision as well, but he points out that it’s not exactly reassuring that the decision came down to several circuit judges.

“It really is terrifying that the effectiveness of our military could come down to whether or not you got the right guy appointed to a particular circuit judgeship. It’s insane that anyone but the commander in chief determines who is or is not in the military,” Macintyre says.

“Military is not a place for you to do your social science experiments or work out your feminist fantasies. Military is a place where we kill people who are trying to murder us. This is literally the most important type of decision you can make,” he continues.

“You do not fool around and try to do some kind of DEI stuff with this,” he adds. “The idea that you would put mentally ill men in the military and put them anywhere near combat … that’s just disgraceful.”

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​Free, Video, Upload, 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, Trump trans military ban, Lgbtq agenda, Biden lgbtq military, Pete hegseth, Hormones in military, Trans in military, Transgender, Mental illness, Trans mental illness 

The leftist identitarian organization Black Lives Matter has long been attractive to bad actors keen to manufacture outrage and cash in on liberal guilt. While some BLM activists have already been exposed as criminals, it appears the rot goes far deeper.

The Justice Department announced on Thursday that a federal grand jury has indicted the executive director of Black Lives Matter Oklahoma City, Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, on charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

‘It is not about me at all.’

Dickerson, a 52-year-old pro-abortion and pro-Palestinian activist, is accused of embezzling millions of dollars and blowing various funds on recreational travel, shopping, real estate, and even a new vehicle.

Although not itself a registered tax-exempt organization, BLMOKC was apparently able to accept charitable donations through its affiliation with the Open Society Foundations-supported leftist organization Alliance for Global Justice — its fiscal sponsor — on the conditions that it use its funds only as permitted by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and account for the disbursement of all funds received upon request.

The indictment alleges that the BLMOKC under Dickerson began hitting people and organizations up for cash in a big way around the time of the deadly 2020 BLM riots, ultimately raking in over $5.6 million.

Dickerson told the Oklahoman in July 2020, “It is very humbling to be able to serve my community and help people in this manner. But I also understand it is not about me at all. That it is all about being community.”

The DOJ indicated that BLMOKC was supposed to use grant money from national bail funds to post pretrial bail for race rioters, though it was sometimes permitted to keep some or all of the bail money when returned for the purposes of establishing a revolving bail fund or in service of its supposed “social justice mission.”

It turns out Dickerson had other ideas.

RELATED: University of Minnesota faces backlash over project that seeks to cure the ‘Whiteness Pandemic’

Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images

According to the indictment, from June 2020 through at least October 2025, Dickerson allegedly embezzled funds from the BLM chapter’s coffers, depositing at least $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts.

Rather than use the funds for so-called social justice or to spring thugs from jail, Dickerson allegedly blew the money on trips to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic; on costly retail shopping sprees; on a personal vehicle registered in her name; and on six real estate properties either deeded in her name or in the name of an entity she alone controlled.

Dickerson, who apparently had access to the group’s bank, Paypal, and CashApp accounts since its inception in 2016, also allegedly spent at least $50,000 on food deliveries for herself and her kids.

The indictment alleged further that Dickerson, adding insult to injury, repeatedly submitted false annual reports to Alliance for Global Justice, claiming that she had used the BLM chapter’s funds only for tax-exempt purposes.

“We seek to combat and counter acts of violence, create space for black sustainability and creativity, advocate for non-racist, non-oppressive policies, demand justice, and develop black power,” states the website for Dickerson’s BLM chapter.

The website’s donation page was still up at the time of publication.

Dickerson has been charged with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. For each wire fraud charge, the BLM activist faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. For each of the money laundering charges, she faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Dickerson indicated in a Facebook video on Thursday she was not in custody and that she was “fine.” While she suggested she could not make an “official comment” about the indictment, she said, “A lot of times when people come at you with these types of things … it’s evidence that you are doing the work. That is what I’m standing on.”

The indictment in Oklahoma comes just months after Massachusetts-based BLM activist Monica Cannon-Grant pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud conspiracy, 10 counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and two counts each of filing false tax returns and failing to file tax returns.

The race hustler, whose Violence in Boston organization partnered with BLM, duped people into thinking she was helping reduce violence and promoting social awareness, when in fact, she was using their donations to enrich herself. She also defrauded the Boston COVID-19 relief fund, the Boston Office of Housing Stability, and other institutions.

Last year, BLM activist Tyree Conyers-Page of Ohio was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors indicated that Conyers-Page defrauded donors of more than $450,000 that they collectively gave to his “Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta” organization, which he falsely claimed was a nonprofit.

WPDE-TV reported in May 2023 that federal tax filings from 2020 to 2022 revealed only $30 million of the $90 million BLM raised went to other charitable organizations; $22 million went to expenses; $1.6 million went to BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors’ father for security service; and $2.1 million went to BLM board member Shalomyah Bowers for consulting.

While activists sued the organization in the wake of reports that BLM co-founders Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Melina Abdullah treated themselves to a $6 million mansion in Southern California with donation money, their suit was dismissed in June 2023 by a judge who concluded their “complaint fails to sufficiently allege the how, when, where, to whom, and by what means” misrepresentations were tendered.

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​Black lives matter, Blm, Grifter, Race, Racist, Identitarian, Cullors, Tashella sjheri amore dickerson, Fraud, Wire fraud, Laundering, Embezzlement, Department of justice, Oklahoma, Blm okc, Politics 

The Trump administration is challenging bureaucracy and freeing up the tech industry from burdensome regulations as the AI race speeds on. This week saw Trump’s most recent efforts to keep the United States on the leading edge.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that will challenge state AI regulations and work toward “a minimally burdensome national standard — not 50 discordant state ones.”

‘You can’t expect a company to get 50 Approvals every time they want to do something.’

“It is the policy of the United States to sustain and enhance the United States’ global AI dominance through a minimally burdensome national policy framework for AI,” the executive order reads.

The executive order commands the creation of the AI Litigation Task Force, “whose sole responsibility shall be to challenge state AI laws inconsistent with the policy set forth in … this order.”

RELATED: ‘America’s next Manifest Destiny’: Department of War unleashes new AI capabilities for military

Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

The order provided more reasons for a national standard as well.

For example, it cited a new Colorado law banning “algorithmic discrimination,” which, the order argued, may force AI models to produce false results in order to comply with that stipulation. It also argued that state laws are responsible for much of the ideological bias in AI models and that state laws “sometimes impermissibly regulate beyond state borders, impinging on interstate commerce.”

On Monday, Trump hinted that he would sign an executive order this week that would challenge cumbersome AI regulations at the state level.

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday, “There must be only One Rulebook if we are going to continue to lead in AI.”

“We are beating ALL COUNTRIES at this point in the race, but that won’t last long if we are going to have 50 States, many of them bad actors, involved in RULES and the APPROVAL PROCESS,” Trump continued. “THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT ABOUT THIS! AI WILL BE DESTROYED IN ITS INFANCY! I will be doing a ONE RULE Executive Order this week. You can’t expect a company to get 50 Approvals every time they want to do something.”

The order is framed as a provisional measure until Congress is able to establish a national standard to replace the “patchwork of 50 regulatory regimes” that is slowly rising out of the states.

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​Politics, Tech, Ai, Artificial intelligence, Executive order, Ai revolution, President trump, Trump, Ai litigation task force, Truth social, National standard for ai 

Washington is watching and worrying about a U.S. Supreme Court case that could very well define the future of American self-government. And I don’t say that lightly. At the center of Trump v. Slaughter is a deceptively simple question: Can the president — the one official chosen by the entire nation — remove the administrators and “experts” who wield enormous, unaccountable power inside the executive branch?

This isn’t a technical fight. It’s not a paperwork dispute. It’s a turning point. Because if the answer is no, then the American people no longer control their own government. Elections become ceremonial. The bureaucracy becomes permanent. And the Constitution becomes a suggestion rather than the law of the land.

A government run by experts instead of elected leaders is not a republic. It’s a bureaucracy with a voting booth bolted onto the front to make us feel better.

That simply cannot be. Justice Neil Gorsuch summed it up perfectly during oral arguments on Monday: “There is no such thing in our constitutional order as a fourth branch of government that’s quasi-judicial and quasi-legislative.”

Yet for more than a century, the administrative state has grown like kudzu — quietly, relentlessly, and always in one direction. Today we have a fourth branch of government: unelected, unaccountable, insulated from consequence. Congress hands off lawmaking to agencies. Presidents arrive with agendas, but the bureaucrats remain, and they decide what actually gets done.

If the Supreme Court decides that presidents cannot fire the very people who execute federal power, they are not just rearranging an org chart. The justices are rewriting the structure of the republic. They are confirming what we’ve long feared: Here, the experts rule, not the voters.

A government run by experts instead of elected leaders is not a republic. It’s a bureaucracy with a voting booth bolted onto the front to make us feel better.

The founders warned us

The men who wrote the Constitution saw this temptation coming. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison in the Federalist Papers hammered home the same principle again and again: Power must remain traceable to the people. They understood human nature far too well. They knew that once administrators are protected from accountability, they will accumulate power endlessly. It is what humans do.

That’s why the Constitution vests the executive power in a single president — someone the entire nation elects and can unelect. They did not want a managerial council. They did not want a permanent priesthood of experts. They wanted responsibility and authority to live in one place so the people could reward or replace it.

So this case will answer a simple question: Do the people still govern this country, or does a protected class of bureaucrats now run the show?

Not-so-expert advice

Look around. The experts insisted they could manage the economy — and produced historic debt and inflation.

The experts insisted they could run public health — and left millions of Americans sick, injured, and dead while avoiding accountability.

The experts insisted they could steer foreign policy — and delivered endless conflict with no measurable benefit to our citizens.

And through it all, they stayed. Untouched, unelected, and utterly unapologetic.

If a president cannot fire these people, then you — the voter — have no ability to change the direction of your own government. You can vote for reform, but you will get the same insiders making the same decisions in the same agencies.

That is not self-government. That is inertia disguised as expertise.

A republic no more?

A monarchy can survive a permanent bureaucracy. A dictatorship can survive a permanent bureaucracy. A constitutional republic cannot. Not for long anyway.

We are supposed to live in a system where the people set the course, Congress writes the laws, and the president carries them out. When agencies write their own rules, judges shield them from oversight, and presidents are forbidden from removing them, we no longer live in that system. We live in something else — something the founders warned us about.

And the people become spectators of their own government.

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

Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

The path forward

Restoring the separation of powers does not mean rejecting expertise. It means returning expertise to its proper role: advisory, not sovereign.

No expert should hold power that voters cannot revoke. No agency should drift beyond the reach of the executive. No bureaucracy should be allowed to grow branches the Constitution never gave it.

The Supreme Court now faces a choice that will shape American life for a generation. It can reinforce the Constitution, or it can allow the administrative state to wander even farther from democratic control.

This case isn’t about President Trump. It isn’t about Rebecca Slaughter, the former Federal Trade Commission official suing to get her job back. It’s about whether elections still mean anything — whether the American people still hold the reins of their own government.

That is what is at stake: not procedure, not technicalities, but the survival of a system built on the revolutionary idea that the citizens — not the experts — are the ones who rule.

​Opinion & analysis, Trump v. slaughter, Supreme court, Neil gorsuch, Administrative state, Permanent bureaucracy, Donald trump, Rebecca slaughter, Lawsuit, Constitution, Fourth branch, Presidency, Article ii, Experts, Debt, Covid-19 tyranny, Self-government