Category: blaze media

As more people become aware of the way the H-1B visa program is transforming Texas, many are turning to see what their leaders have to say about it.

Unfortunately, in the case of Texas, the answer is not what Americans might expect from a red state.

‘We will continue to celebrate Diwali here in the great state of Texas.’

In a resurfaced video clip, Governor Greg Abbott (R) can be heard giving a message to the “Indian community,” apparently around the time of Diwali.

“As long as I’m governor of this great state, Texas will be a land for the Indian community,” Abbott says in the clip.

RELATED: ‘Massive scheme’: Federal visa fraud indictment in Dallas intensifies pressure on Abbott over H-1B visas

ARUN SANKAR/AFP/Getty Images

“We will continue to celebrate Diwali here in the great state of Texas. Happy Diwali, everybody!”

The clip, which went viral on Monday, appears to originally be from a November 3, 2024, Diwali celebration at the governor’s mansion.

A video of his remarks was uploaded on TikTok two days after the event, on November 5, 2024.

Diwali is a major Hindu holiday, celebrated in the lunar months of Ashvina and Karttika, that marks the victory of light over darkness, according to Britannica. A notable feature of this pagan holiday is the “row of lights” that is associated with the celebrations.

Abbott’s office has previously denied to Blaze News any involvement in facilitating the H-1B program in Texas, noting that it is a federal program. His office has also touted the governor’s pause of H-1B visas at state-sponsored institutions.

A Blaze News analysis of Department of Labor data from the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 found that Texas companies sponsored and certified over 11,200 H-1B visa applications, second only to California, which brought in over 13,700 H-1B visas, according to available data.

Blaze News reached out to Abbott’s office for comment about the resurfaced video but did not receive a response.

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​Politics, H-1b visas, H-1b, Governor greg abbott, Greg abbott, Indian, Indian invasion, Diwali, Texas, Department of labor 

The special election to replace former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia could have a lot more to do with foreign policy than candidates initially anticipated.

Greene’s falling out with President Donald Trump marked a major fracture within the GOP, prompting a special election to fill her seat on Tuesday. Apart from the typical party distinctions, foreign policy could be the deciding factor between the Democrat and Republican nominees vying to represent Georgia’s 14th congressional district.

‘He has gone insane, and all of you are complicit.’

Democratic nominee Shawn Harris has taken a harsh stance against the ongoing war in Iran, which has become increasingly unpopular with voters, while Republican nominee Clay Fuller has remained a supporter of the conflict.

The horseshoe theory about the political spectrum seems to be in full swing as Greene’s increasingly critical remarks about the war and the Trump administration more broadly seem to echo Harris’ positions far more than Fuller’s.

RELATED: This scandal-ridden Democrat just got one step closer to being expelled from Congress

ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP/Getty Images

Days before the special election, Greene doubled down on her criticism of the war, condemning Trump’s Easter ultimatum to Iran.

“Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump’s madness,” Greene said in a response to Trump’s post threatening to attack civilian infrastructure like power plants and bridges. “I know all of you and him and he has gone insane, and all of you are complicit.”

“Trump threatening to bomb power plants and bridges hurts the Iranian people, the very people Trump claimed he was freeing,” Greene added. “On Easter, of all days, we as Christians should be reminded that the son of God died and rose from the grave so that we can be forgiven once and for all of our sins. Jesus commanded us to love one another and forgive one another. Even our enemies.”

RELATED: Veterans slam Democrat candidate for allegedly fudging military record

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Greene has refrained from endorsing either candidate, although Fuller has secured support from Trump. While an endorsement from Trump would typically all but guarantee the candidate’s success, especially in a rural, red district in Georgia, Harris narrowly outperformed his Republican challenger in March.

In a crowded 17-candidate race, Harris brought in 37% while Fuller finished with 35%. The candidates’ respective numbers were likely affected by the many candidates who no longer qualify for Tuesday’s election. It should also be noted that a Trump-endorsed Greene beat Harris by nearly 30% back in 2024.

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​Donald trump, Marjorie taylor greene, Special election, Georgia, Iran war, Mtg, Clay fuller, Shawn harris, Iran, Politics 

Artemis II is preparing to make history as it faces a very important milestone in the voyage’s 10-day journey to the moon and back.

The lunar mission, launched on the evening of April 1, is preparing to fly by the dark side of the moon on Monday.

‘The Artemis II crew is preparing for today’s lunar flyby, when they will see the Moon’s far side.’

Artemis II is preparing to set a new distance record from Earth, which was last set by the manned Apollo 13 mission in April 1970, according to NASA.

NASA said that Artemis II will surpass the previous record of 248,655 miles by about 4,105 miles. The astronauts are expected to travel a maximum distance of 252,760 miles from Earth.

RELATED: NASA astronaut gives very American response to DEI questioning

NASA

Live coverage of the flyby event will begin at 1 p.m. ET Monday and continue through 9:45 p.m. ET.

The seven-hour lunar observation period will begin around 2:45 p.m. ET, and the astronauts are expected to reach their closest approach to the lunar surface around 7 p.m. At their closest distance, NASA said, the moon will appear to the astronauts about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.

On Monday morning, NASA posted two photos of the inside of the spaceship with the caption: “Morning routine: Wake up, shave, make the bed, witness something that’s never before been seen by human eyes.”

“The Artemis II crew is preparing for today’s lunar flyby, when they will see the Moon’s far side,” the caption continued.

NASA reported that the crew received a message from the late Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell as they prepared for this historic day. The message, recorded before Lovell’s passing last year, said:

Hello, Artemis II! This is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood! When Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and I orbited the moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity’s first up-close look at the moon and got a view of the home planet that inspired and united people around the world. I’m proud to pass that torch on to you — as you swing around the moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars … for the benefit of all. It’s a historic day, and I know how busy you’ll be. But don’t forget to enjoy the view. So, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, and all the great teams supporting you — good luck and Godspeed from all of us here on the good Earth.

The Orion spacecraft is expected to depart the Moon’s sphere of influence on Tuesday afternoon at a distance of 41,072 miles.

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​Politics, Artemis ii, Nasa, Orion, Moon, Lunar observation, Space travel, Jim lovell 

Just days after announcing it would be shutting down its artificial intelligence video generation platform, OpenAI put the brakes on another project.

While the terminology remains vague, it seems Sam Altman’s company could be drawing a line as to what it deems “adult” content.

‘We still believe in the principle of treating adults like adults.’

Those familiar with the adult-themed project at OpenAI have “indefinitely” shelved their plans to release an erotic chatbot, per the Financial Times. OpenAI confirmed that before moving forward with such a product, the company wanted to be able to fall back on long-term research about the effects AI sex chats have on users and any emotional attachments that might be created.

OpenAI said there is no “empirical evidence” available at this time.

RELATED: Sam Altman tells BlackRock he wants AI on a meter ‘like electricity or water’

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images

Last year, Altman announced that ChatGPT would start including more content, including erotica, to “treat adult users like adults.”

But in early March, OpenAI made its first announcement that “adult mode” was being delayed. That decision was made in part to focus on more pertinent tasks. “We’re pushing out the launch of adult mode so we can focus on work that is a higher priority for more users right now,” a spokesperson told reporter Alex Heath, “including gains in intelligence, personality improvements, personalization, and making the experience more proactive.”

“We still believe in the principle of treating adults like adults, but getting the experience right will take more time,” the company stated.

Inside sources since told the Financial Times that the company will refocus on core products after staff and investors expressed concern about the sexualized AI content. The upside to this endeavor was allegedly too small for OpenAI.

RELATED: Sam Altman says NSA can’t use OpenAI — then tells staff they don’t have a say in military actions

Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The revelations follow hot on the heels of other strategy-shifting announcements. The tech giant has recently tightened up its offerings, shuttering generative AI service Sora.

“What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing,” the company wrote on X. “We’ll share more soon, including timelines for the app and API and details on preserving your work.”

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​Return, Ai, Openai, Chatbot, Sex chat, Sam altman, Chatgpt, Tech 

A gun-toting North Carolina homeowner said he “didn’t have any hesitation” after spotting an intruder in his Charlotte residence last week and “just let it fire,” WSOC-TV reported.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police told the station the scene unfolded along Glen Brook Road off West Sugar Creek Road early Wednesday morning.

‘He saved my life, saved my dog’s life.’

A man and woman who didn’t want to be identified told WSOC they woke up to loud banging.

“You don’t know what their intentions are; you don’t know anything,” the man recounted to the station. “All you can do at that moment is protect yourself.”

The man added to WSOC the intruder was in the home for about 10 seconds — and he soon saw the intruder in the hallway and immediately began shooting.

“I didn’t have any hesitation,” the man added to the station. “As soon as I knew someone was coming in, I just let it fire, let it go.”

The homeowner also told WSOC he’s not sure if he hit the suspect, who ran away. Afterward, the couple hid in the bathroom until police arrived, the station said.

RELATED: Machete-wielding females beat up homeowner in robbery try, cops say. But victim ends attack with single shotgun blast.

“He saved my life, saved my dog’s life,” the woman told WSOC. “I mean, I couldn’t ask for a better significant other in this situation.”

The station said the victims are now wondering what may happen next.

“Now it’s just a matter of, ‘Will they come back, what will happen?'” the woman noted to WSOC.

The station said it reached out to police to inquire if they have any leads on the intruder.

Under North Carolina’s Castle Doctrine, homeowners are allowed to use deadly force against intruders, WSOC said, adding that there is no duty to retreat, and the law protects residents from legal liability.

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​Crime thwarted, North carolina, Charlotte, Home invasion, 2nd amend., Self-defense, Guns, Gun rights, Shots fired, Crime 

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed over the weekend that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested two relatives of an Iranian terrorist whom President Donald Trump had whacked at the end of his first term.

In January 2020, President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general who commanded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.

‘They are now in ICE custody.’

“Soleimani made the death of innocent people his sick passion, contributing to terrorist plots as far away as New Delhi and London,” Trump said in the wake of the lethal drone strike on Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. “Today we remember and honor the victims of Soleimani’s many atrocities, and we take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over.”

Despite her uncle’s role in supporting the Iraqi insurgency against American forces, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar managed to enter the U.S. on a tourist visa in June 2015, said the DHS. Afshar’s daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, entered the following month on a student visa.

Both women were granted asylum in 2019. The niece became a green card holder in 2021, and Soleimani’s grand-niece became a green card holder in 2023, both under the Biden administration.

The DHS noted that Afshar’s numerous trips back to Iran — she disclosed in her naturalization application that she had returned at least four times since her receipt of a green card — “illustrate her asylum claims were fraudulent.”

RELATED: Iranian regimists throw a fit after Trump threatens to send their country back to the ‘Stone Ages’

Mandel NGAN/AFP/Getty

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Saturday, “I terminated both Afshar and her daughter’s legal status and they are now in ICE custody, pending removal from the United States.”

ICE arrested both women in Los Angeles on Friday.

Rubio added that “the Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes.”

The State Department accused Afshar of promoting Iranian regime propaganda, celebrating attacks against American soldiers and military facilities, denouncing America as the “Great Satan,” and expressing support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a foreign terrorist organization, all while residing in the U.S.

“Afshar Soleimani pushed this propaganda for Iran’s terrorist regime while enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as attested to by her frequent posting on her recently deleted Instagram account,” said the State Department.

In addition to the pending deportation of mother and daughter, Afshar’s husband has also been barred from entering the United States.

Narjes Soleimani, Soleimani’s daughter, said in a statement obtained by the BBC, “The individuals arrested in the U.S. have no connection whatsoever to Martyr Soleimani and the claims made by the U.S. State Department are false.”

The terrorist’s daughter claimed further that the U.S. was “fabricating lies against a great figure.”

Trump said in his Wednesday address to the nation that Soleimani “was an evil genius, brilliant person, a horrible human being.”

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​Soleimani, Iran, Iranian, Assassination, Department of homeland security, Ice, Marco rubio, Great satan, Deportation, Donald trump, Hamideh soleimani afshar, Politics 

With California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) nearing the end of his term, numerous candidates have stepped up to replace him in the upcoming gubernatorial primary race on June 2.

Sixty-one individuals appear on the official certified list of candidates competing for California’s top office. While there is currently no clear front-runner, several notable candidates have emerged. These include former Rep. Katie Porter (D), Rep. Eric Swalwell (D), climate advocate and businessman Tom Steyer (D), Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco (R), and Fox News host and small-business owner Steve Hilton (R).

‘With President Trump’s full backing and federal support, we are going to take California back and make it better than ever before!’

President Donald Trump released a post on social media on Sunday attempting to tip the scales in favor of his preferred candidate in the crowded race.

“I have known and respected Steve Hilton, who is running for Governor of California, for many years,” Trump wrote. “He is a truly fine man, one who has watched as this once great State has gone to Hell.”

Trump gave the current governor the nickname “Newscum” and criticized him and other Democrats for doing “an absolutely horrendous job.”

“People are fleeing, crime is increasing, and Taxes are the highest of any State in the Country, maybe the World,” Trump continued. “Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so! With Federal help, and a Great Governor, like Steve Hilton, California can be better than ever before!”

RELATED: Republicans are leading the field in the California governor race

Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images

Trump declared that Hilton has his “COMPLETE & TOTAL ENDORSEMENT” in the upcoming primary.

“He will be a GREAT Governor and, importantly, WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!!!” Trump added.

Hilton’s campaign thanked the president for his endorsement.

“With President Trump’s full backing and federal support, we are going to take California back and make it better than ever before!” the campaign wrote. “This is the moment California has been waiting for!”

RELATED: USC accused of racism after minority candidates don’t qualify for gubernatorial debate — so USC makes drastic decision

Steve Hilton. Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Newsom has previously stated that he has “some concern” about how crowded the race has become. He told CBS News in early March that he was not yet ready to endorse any of the candidates.

“I don’t have an endorsement,” he stated. “There might be a moment [for that] in the next few months.”

Several recent polls show Hilton with a narrow lead, while other surveys favor Bianco, Swalwell, or Porter. The top two finishers in the primary, regardless of party affiliation, will appear on the ballot in November.

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​News, Gavin newsom, Newsom, California, Donald trump, Trump, Steve hilton, Chad bianco, Katie porter, Eric swalwell, Tom steyer, California gubernatorial race, California governor race, California governor, Politics 

Catholic churches across the U.S. and other parts of the Western world welcomed historic numbers of new members over the weekend. Although popularly characterized as a “surge,” some analysts have suggested the flood of new and often young converts is actually a rebound.

Prior to welcoming 20 people fully into the faith during the crowded Easter Vigil at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, Archbishop José Gomez said, “Tonight your story will be joined to His story, to the beautiful history of salvation, the great story of God’s love for His people.”

‘This generation just seems open to the call of the Lord.’

Altogether, 8,598 catechumens and candidates were received into the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles this Easter, reported Angelus News.

On Saturday, Archbishop Ronald Hicks welcomed some of the over 3,600 new catechumens who reportedly joined the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of New York this Easter season, telling a packed house at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, “It does feel good when you belong, and we belong to Jesus and we belong to our church.”

Father Andy Matijevic of Holy Name Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Chicago told WBBM-TV, “We had six Masses so far, last night and a few this morning, and all of them have been packed inside.”

Holy Name, which held overflow Masses on Sunday, reportedly saw 18 people baptized and another 23 confirmed, contributing to the archdiocese’s total of over 600 catechumens who received the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil.

Chicago Catholic noted last month that the archdiocese was also set to welcome 445 individuals from other Christian traditions this past weekend, representing a 78% increase in members over last year.

RELATED: Catholic church sees huge surge in conversions — due to inclusivity?

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Father Burke Masters, whose St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Parish in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale reported a 124% year-over-year increase in new members, told WLS-TV that the average age of those being received into the church is 28 years old.

St. Mary’s Church near Texas A&M’s campus in College Station, Texas, also managed to roughly double its 2025 Easter baptism numbers, welcoming 61 catechumens into the Catholic Church. Again, most of the newcomers were apparently young adults.

“Most of the [new members] are students, most of them are invited by other students, most of them also maybe heard a call or were drawn to the church,” Rev. Will Straten told KBTX-TV. “So it’s great to see more students desiring to be baptized and to live the faith.”

Boston Archbishop Richard Henning, who saw the churches under his purview similarly packed over the weekend and expected over 680 catechumens to join the Church at Easter, told CBS News, “I think this generation just seems open to the call of the Lord in a way that we’ve not seen in a while.”

Numerous other American dioceses — such as the Archdiocese of Newark — similarly reportedly years-high numbers of new Catholics converts, as did dioceses elsewhere in the Western world.

In Canada, for example, the Archdiocese of Toronto counted a total of 2,050 adult catechumens baptized at its Easter Vigil celebrations — a 12.4% increase over last year. Other Canadian dioceses, including those covering the cities of Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver, were also reportedly set for significant growth over the weekend.

In France, over 13,000 adults were set to be baptized into the Catholic Church over the weekend, including more than 700 catechumens in Paris, reported the National Catholic Register.

The numbers appear especially high in large part because conversion numbers in recent decades had fallen so low.

According to U.S. diocesan statistics compiled by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University and analyzed by the Pillar, there was a precipitous decline in the number of people becoming Catholic from 2000 to 2020.

Whereas, for instance, there were 173,674 adults baptized or received into full communion in 2000, that number reportedly had plummeted to 70,796 in 2020.

The Pillar noted that while there has been a significant increase in the number of new adult Catholics following the pandemic, the number of babies baptized every year has dropped by over 50% since 2000.

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​Religion, Catholic, Catholic church, Church, Conversion, Baptism, Religiosity, Faith, Catechumen 

When BlazeTV host Rick Burgess first read the story of Jesus casting out a demon from a young boy after the disciples had been unsuccessful, he was confused.

“I remember the first time that I heard it … I didn’t understand it. I thought, well, are they different kinds of demons you’re supposed to do different things to? And why didn’t the disciples know this?” he reflected on a recent episode of “Strange Encounters.”

While many interpret this story to mean that there are different ranks or strengths of demons, with more powerful ones requiring specific disciplines, Rick says this misses the main point.

The disciples’ issue was never tactics or strategy; it was self-reliance.

According to the three gospel accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus stumbled upon his disciples arguing with the religious elite after they had been unsuccessful at casting out a demon from a young, mute boy, who would convulse, foam at the mouth, and self-harm as a result of being possessed.

After speaking with the boy’s father, who uttered the famous words “I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24), Jesus cast out the demon and restored the boy to health. Afterwards He privately addressed His disciples, who were upset that they were not able to do it themselves, as they had previously been casting demons out successfully.

Jesus told them that “this kind can only come out by prayer” (Mark 9:29 — with some manuscripts adding “and fasting”).

But contrary to popular belief, this isn’t Jesus saying there are different strategies for different demons, says Rick.

He argues that the disciples “let their power go to their head” and had stopped “consecrating themselves under the authority of Jesus.”

“These disciples started thinking they were casting out demons. They’ve never cast out a demon. Jesus cast out demons,” says Rick.

“Even when a human being casts out a demon, the human being brings the demon to Jesus. You and I have no ability to cast a demon out of anyone — not by our own strength. The only thing that gives the redeemed power against demons is Jesus,” he continues.

Even the highest ranking angels rely on the authority of Jesus to rebuke the demonic.

Rick references the story from Jude where the archangel Michael is disputing Satan over the body of Moses. Rather than attacking Satan with harsh accusations or trying to condemn him on his own authority, Michael simply said: “The Lord rebuke you!”

“He rebuked Satan by bringing in Jesus,” says Rick.

The disciples, he argues, should have done the same thing when they were attempting to rid the boy of the unclean spirit.

“The disciples have no ability to cast out demons unless they access the power of Jesus, and they had stopped doing that. They started thinking they had the power,” Rick explains, “and Jesus is saying, ‘Y’all better get back to prayer. You better get back to fasting. And you better get back to concentrating on me.’”

To hear more of Rick’s spiritual analysis, watch the episode above.

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​Strange encounters, Strange encounters with rick burgess, Rick burgess, Blazetv, Blaze media, Christianity, Spiritual warfare, Demonic possession, Jesus’ disciples 

For the past few years, a familiar narrative has taken hold in American automotive media: Chinese electric vehicles are about to reshape the global car market.

Reviewers highlight low prices, sleek interiors, and giant screens. Commentators talk about a coming wave of imports that could challenge American, European, and Japanese automakers. Some even point to BYD surpassing Tesla in global EV sales as proof the shift is already happening.

Some reports suggest a large number of brands could disappear, merge, or restructure in the coming years.

That all sounds compelling — until you ask a simple question: What does this actually mean for a buyer?

Because right now, most of these vehicles aren’t even for sale in the United States.

Tariffs and regulations keep them out. So a lot of this hype is based on overseas test drives and showroom impressions — not real ownership in North America.

And where these vehicles are being used, the story isn’t nearly as clean.

What happens in real-world driving

Cold weather is one of the first reality checks.

Like all EVs, Chinese EVs lose range in low temperatures — sometimes up to 30% to 40% of their range.

That’s not a small difference. That’s the difference between getting home comfortably and watching your battery percentage like a hawk.

Shorter range means more charging. Charging takes longer in the cold. And more energy goes to heating the battery and cabin instead of driving the car.

If you live somewhere with real winters, this isn’t theoretical. It’s your daily routine.

The problem with ‘cool’ features

A lot of the appeal here is design — flush door handles, fully electronic entry, big minimalist interiors.

It looks great in photos; a different story in real life.

Electronic door handles and latches depend on power and sensors. Lose power after a crash, or deal with freezing conditions, and those systems can fail or become harder to use. There have already been reports of handles sticking or not working properly in cold weather.

That’s the trade-off with adding complexity to basic functions.

And when something breaks, it’s not a simple fix. It’s usually more expensive, more specialized, and more time-consuming.

Here’s the bigger issue

The structure of China’s EV industry may matter more than any individual feature.

Over the past decade, government incentives fueled a wave of EV startups. Dozens of companies jumped in. A lot of them are now competing on price, trying to survive.

And not all of them will.

Analysts at firms like Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase expect consolidation. Some reports suggest a large number of brands could disappear, merge, or restructure in the coming years.

That’s not just industry chatter. That’s a real risk for buyers.

Because if the company behind your car disappears, what happens next?

Who provides software updates? Who supplies parts? Who services the vehicle?

That “great deal” doesn’t look so great if you can’t get support — or if resale value drops because buyers don’t trust the brand will still be around.

We’ve seen this before with failed automakers. The difference now is how dependent vehicles are on software.

RELATED: How government and Big Tech can wreck your new car’s resale value

Denver Post/Getty Images

Price isn’t the whole story

There’s no question Chinese automakers have pushed prices down in some markets.

But price is only part of the equation.

Many of these companies are operating on thin margins while spending heavily to stay competitive. That creates pressure — and in some cases, instability.

Some brands will make it. Companies like BYD and Geely have the scale.

Others won’t.

And you don’t get to choose which one you bought after the shakeout happens.

What American buyers actually care about

Even if these vehicles eventually reach the U.S., they’ll be competing on more than price.

American buyers care about reliability, service access, resale value, and long-term support.

That’s not something you figure out in a quick test drive or a YouTube review.

That’s built over time — through dealer networks, parts availability, and how a company stands behind its product.

And that’s where newer players still have something to prove.

Don’t buy the hype

Chinese EVs are real. Some are competitive. Some are impressive.

But the idea that they’re about to flood the U.S. market and take over leaves out a lot.

They face trade barriers, infrastructure challenges, and a major shakeout at home.

For buyers, the takeaway is simple: Don’t buy the hype — buy what actually works for your life.

Look at how the vehicle performs in real conditions. Look at who’s going to support it. Look at what it’s likely to be worth in a few years.

Because in the end, the question isn’t how a car looks in a headline, but how it holds up when you’re the one paying for it.

​China, Auto industry, Ev, Tesla, Byd, Lifestyle, Align cars 

Trial lawyers are poised to accomplish in courtrooms nationwide what politicians have thus far failed to write into statute. The effects of this effort — undertaken without the deliberation of the nation’s representative bodies — are likely to rival those of even the most sweeping laws.

The product of social media platforms is not loaves of bread or pianos or widgets, it is speech, protected by the First Amendment.

A jury in Los Angeles is determining whether Meta and YouTube are liable for design features alleged to have substantially aggravated a young woman’s psychological disorders.

As thousands of similar lawsuits are ongoing — with more likely to follow — the determination of the Los Angeles jury will echo loudly in the deliberations of other juries across America.

These echoes will prove dissonant with Americans’ love for, and dedication to, free speech. Meta’s Instagram and YouTube were said to have disseminated speech too well, working too successfully to configure their products to maintain users’ interest.

This is supposed to constitute “addicting” their users. In fact, it is the aim of every business — from media organizations to retail stores to restaurants to attract and retain customers, to earn profits by marketing a product that consumers value.

In short, it is the business of entrepreneurs to give the people what they want. The product of social media platforms is not loaves of bread or pianos or widgets, it is speech, protected by the First Amendment.

Meta and YouTube are charged with having designed their products to include features — such as “infinite scroll” and individualized algorithmic recommendations — which allow and incentivize their users to view too much speech for too long.

As National Review’s Andrew McCarthy put it, “the plaintiff’s lawyers argued … a theory that the case was not about the content but about the processes by which the platforms present the content.” Despite titanic efforts to harden this distinction, it melts under the heat of elementary scrutiny. Platforms’ design features are impotent absent content that intrigues users.

Mike Masnick, editor of Techdirt, put it this way:

Here’s a thought experiment: Imagine Instagram, but every single post is a video of paint drying. Same infinite scroll. Same autoplay. Same algorithmic recommendations. Same notification systems. Is anyone addicted? Is anyone harmed? Is anyone suing?

Social media algorithms sort and distribute speech — a function without which individuals could neither access speech online nor effectively find an audience for their own speech.

RELATED: The new censorship doesn’t say ‘no’ — it says ‘no one can see it’

Delihayat/Getty Images

Whatever the plaintiff’s attorneys contend, the liability imposed upon Meta and YouTube cannot be severed from the content they host and disseminate. Without the latter, the former would never be imagined, much less found by a jury.

The plaintiff in the case, a young woman known as Kaley or “KGM,” was brought up in anguishing conditions, the daughter of a mother who physically and emotionally abused her. She “was self-harming around when she was in the 6th grade,” reads the Associated Press account of the trial.

It is unsurprising that she, as a young girl, withdrew to social media to find something like peace, fulfillment, and satisfaction. It is equally unsurprising that she used social media to excess and leveraged her every chance to obtain engagement.

More generally, it is anything but certain that users’ affinity for social media is rightly termed an “addiction.” Likewise, research purporting to prove that social media has caused an epidemic of psychological disorders among children — the research of Jonathan Haidt, for example — has proven to be faulty, rife with faulty methodology and confirmation bias.

It is obvious that some misuse social media and their lives are, consequently, diminished. But this no more indicates that the platforms are “defective” in some legally cognizable sense than the mere existence of obesity in America indicates that McDonald’s or Taco Bell’s offerings are “defective” — or that fast-food restaurants ought to be held liable for occurrences of diabetes.

RELATED: Predatory gambling apps are using loopholes to avoid state laws

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Humans are a diverse bunch. That a minority, suffering from particular difficulties or vulnerabilities, cannot engage with this product or that in a healthy fashion should not, in a courtroom or the public square, constitute the basis of a totalizing rebuke.

Should the Los Angeles verdict stand, social media companies, confronted with the prospect of liability, are bound to remake their products to prevent any allegation — credible or otherwise — that their platforms cause or worsen whatever psychological distress from which users might suffer.

“If media companies must worry about liability whenever their expressive outputs are thought to be ‘harmful,’ the universe of available content would be reduced to the safest, blandest, and least engaging stuff imaginable,” warns Ari Cohn, the lead counsel for tech policy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The operations of Instagram and YouTube broke no law enacted by Congress or a state legislature to regulate the workings of social media. Even so, this litigation, if successful, will be regulatory in its effect, resulting in the contracting of the free and open internet.

​Free speech, Social media, Social media ban, Internet, Trial lawyers, Social media lawsuit, Meta, Youtube, Social media addiction, Opinion & analysis 

It’s a running joke in the Beltway that defense contractors put up billboards advertising, say F-35s, at the Pentagon City metro station. Your everyday commuter, even in Washington, isn’t picking up fighter jets off the shelf at Costco on Sundays. But a chunk of the people who work on defense contracts will pass through the Pentagon’s metro stop, and Lockheed Martin knows this.

In practice, Beltway newsletters are funded to the hilt by the businesses they cover.

In theory, the same logic fuels D.C.’s media business. In the last two decades, the capital city has become dominated by a constellation of powerful media outlets that deliver niche, social-media-based coverage of the federal government. Think Politico, Semafor, Punchbowl News, and Axios.

These publications produce insider email newsletters that cover the daily pulse of Capitol Hill, foreign affairs, and the White House and are written specifically for staffers, journalists, and lobbyists. Web 2.0 made this business model possible, and it’s only grown as mass media flails.

Typically a reader will see at the top of each day’s newsletter some version of “Sponsored by” or “Brought to you by” followed by the name of a major corporation or interest group. Sponsor ads will be inserted sparingly, with political motivations ranging from explicit to subtle. Examples of corporate sponsors include Meta, BlackRock, Microsoft, and many, many more.

Anthropic, for example, sponsored Politico’s Playbook newsletter immediately after its high-level negotiations with the Pentagon fizzled in March. The ads didn’t have much to do with defense, focusing mostly on children, learning, and Claude’s efficiency.

The goal instead was to buy goodwill — to make powerful people think nice thoughts about Claude as they read the news.

This is all supposed to be aboveboard because, as ever, advertising departments insist they maintain a strong firewall that keeps journalists unaware of business decisions. Some news outlets, for what it’s worth, are very disciplined about this, but many aren’t.

And nothing prevents the latent affection that can bloom between journalists and their frequent sponsors, who also regularly work with their sources and subjects.

During COVID, one reporter friend of mine shared warm feelings about a major tech company precisely because that company kept its employees working during hard times. Imagine the hypothetical dilemma of a local paper forced to choose whether to blow the whistle on a family-owned landscaping business that also happens to be one of the publication’s most faithful advertisers.

Then scale that up to the international level.

In practice, Beltway newsletters are funded to the hilt by the businesses they cover. The system is not comparable to D.C.’s metro system — getting some advertiser cash from RTX for a few square feet of a dirty wall. The D.C. newsletter model is thoroughly corrupting.

RELATED: America has a spending problem Congress refuses to fix

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This is because news outlets are becoming increasingly brazen about corporate partnerships. It was somewhat amusing to see DataRepublican recently pick up on a report my colleagues at “Breaking Points” produced last year about Punchbowl News.

DataRepublican, a relentless investigator of political money trails, noticed the outlet had been flamboyantly defensive of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). Many of Thune’s donors also happen to sponsor Punchbowl.

Last year, a source leaked one of Punchbowl’s latest pitch decks for corporate advertisers to “Breaking Points.” The document offered editorial influence for cash. Granted, Punchbowl dressed the offer up in corporate language, but its invitation was unmistakable. Corporations can pay them to cover a “mutually agreed upon topic” in podcast series, “editorial deep dives,” and events.

The pitch deck even included a sample of Punchbowl’s work with Google on “custom content.”

This is undeniably a breach of basic journalistic ethics. But nobody in D.C. bats an eye. Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer, the founders of Punchbowl, are beloved in Washington. They are called upon for sober analysis, win awards, and lecture others on journalism.

What’s funny is that D.C. reporters honestly do not believe these dishonorable financial relationships influence their coverage. This is a common — and entirely reasonable — misconception about how Washington works.

The wall between Washington and the world grows taller. An insular city becomes more insular, and the citizens it serves become more distant.

Corporations and their lobbyists do not approach journalists and say, “Here’s $20,000, write something nice about the F-35 Lightning.”

A famous 1996 BBC interview sheds light on what’s really going on. Journalist Andrew Marr asked Noam Chomsky, “How can you know that I’m self-censoring?” “I don’t say you’re self-censoring,” Chomsky replied. “I’m sure you believe everything you’re saying. But what I’m saying is that if you believed something different, you wouldn’t be sitting where you’re sitting.”

This is the way the system actually functions. Sherman, Palmer, and their peers in the business see themselves as genuine shoe-leather reporters, covering politics without fear or favor.

The perception of the “facts” and of right and wrong just happens to fall within the same range of beliefs shared by their subjects and sponsors.

Why might John Thune, the leader of the Senate GOP, share donors with a center-left Beltway rag? Thune and Punchbowl are cogs in the same machine, and the corporate cash is the grease on its wheels. Some of those wheels get a bit squeaky at times, but the machine never stops.

Meta can pay a newsletter to host a breakfast on internet safety where journalists will exchange cards and conversation with executives and lobbyists. They won’t meet the parents who say Meta failed to protect their child from sex predators. Those stakeholders are typically not organized or wealthy enough to pay for face time with executives.

RELATED: Tax-exempt hospitals are not putting their patients first

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As a consequence, the wall between Washington and the world grows taller. An insular city becomes more insular, and the citizens it serves become more distant.

One reporter who spent years working at one of the Beltway rags put it this way:

It’s important to understand that corporate sponsorships are central to the business model. Honestly, the newsroom at Politico is only about half of the actual company. They have an entire floor in their Rosslyn office for business operations. When you have that level of financial interdependence, it inevitably spills into the newsroom. Even if there’s not an explicit bias in reporter stories or Playbook it still creates an institutional alignment with corporate interests and priorities that runs afoul of what we expect from a truly adversarial or accountability-driven press.

This story isn’t as sexy as cash being exchanged for coverage in some back-alley deal. The problem is much worse than that. It’s the final form of the American media’s shared worldview with its powerful subjects. They’re in control, and the rabble must be tempered.

The interests of politicians and journalists used to look like a Venn diagram: divergent with small overlap. Now that picture is just a circle.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the American Mind.

​Media, Dc, Opinion & analysis 

You see it constantly, some version of this claim: “The cost of child care is the single biggest obstacle to working women and families.”

From there come the familiar conclusions: “The state needs to subsidize child care.” “We need affordable day care for working moms.”

No, we don’t.

While claiming to elevate women, feminism has steadily lowered the status of motherhood and homemaking.

What we need is to recognize that it’s not normal — nor healthy — for children to be farmed out to strangers during their earliest years so that Mom can be “more than just a mom” with her career.

Yes, there are millions of families in which both parents must work to keep a roof over their heads. But there are millions more who don’t need two incomes. What gets called “need” is often just lifestyle expectation. What children actually need rarely enters the calculation.

Luxury expectations

Modern expectations in 2026 America look less like necessity and more like luxury — something closer to the “hands-off” child-rearing of aristocratic households than to ordinary family life.

People talk about “affordable day care” as if it were self-evidently necessary. It isn’t. It only sounds that way because repetition has made it seem normal.

Behind it sits an unspoken belief: “It is right and proper — even ideal — to leave our children with hired strangers for most of the day.”

Even 40 years ago, that would not have sounded normal. Most people still believed that all else being equal, children were best raised by their mothers (and with a father in the home). Day care might be necessary — but it was understood as a regrettable second-best option.

Today, even many conservatives won’t question it. To do so invites accusations of harming mothers or failing to support “hardworking single moms.”

But prolonged parental absence is not neutral. Children need their mothers, especially in their early years. We can cite studies, but we don’t need them to see what’s plainly in front of us.

Strikingly, the people who claim to “need” day care are often those who don’t. What they want is a standard of living that would have been considered extravagant a generation or two ago.

RELATED: Socialist Mamdani rolls out costly ‘free’ child care program to NYC workers — after crying financial crisis

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Maxed-out minimums

Take Democrat Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Colorado. She has cultivated an image as a sainted working mother, bringing her small child onto the House floor while lamenting the lack of day care for “working moms.”

There’s just one problem: Congress has had full-time day care on Capitol Hill since 1987.

What’s happening here isn’t necessity — it’s performance. The question she avoids is whether her child’s needs might outweigh the demands of a camera-facing career.

And it’s not just politicians. Middle-class Americans have adopted a set of “minimum” expectations that earlier generations would have recognized as indulgent:

Two cars (preferably full-size SUVs). Separate bedrooms for each child. A full slate of extracurriculars. No trade-offs between career ambition and motherhood. Children’s needs subordinated to adult preferences. Government support for single parenthood without fathers in the home.

Modern-day Tudors

In the feudal world, there was a distinction between a woman and a lady. A woman belonged to the working class; a lady to the aristocracy.

Women raised their children directly — feeding them, caring for them, folding them into the rhythms of daily life. Ladies did not.

In the Tudor royal court, for example, a noblewoman did not breastfeed. A wet nurse was hired in advance and took over immediately. Children were raised by nurses, governesses, and tutors, with parents appearing only intermittently.

The result was distance — emotional, developmental, and often moral.

For all our technological differences, the psychology isn’t so different today. The aristocratic habits of detachment have been democratized. What was once a marker of nobility is now treated as a baseline expectation.

There are better models to follow.

An old-fashioned approach

I have a friend, Tasha, a Catholic mother of nine. Her husband works full-time; she manages the home.

They don’t have two SUVs. They don’t have a large house. But they have what they need: a home, a van that fits everyone, good food, clean clothes, and a stable, loving family life.

How does she do it? The way families did for generations — before the late-20th-century promise that women could “have it all” and should expect it immediately.

She shops carefully. Buys in bulk. Reuses what she can. She hasn’t outfitted each child with personal screens to keep them isolated. Her household is structured around shared life, not individual consumption.

Degraded status

While claiming to elevate women, feminism has steadily lowered the status of motherhood and homemaking. For decades, we’ve heard that women are “more than just mothers,” that raising children prevents them from “being someone.”

Consider what that sounds like to a child.

The desire for status is natural — for men and women alike. Motherhood once carried that status. As it has been stripped away, many women seek it elsewhere.

But the substitute — career-first identity combined with outsourced child-rearing — is narcissistic, materialistic, and ultimately unsatisfying. It can be hard on families and hard on children.

It’s also hard on mothers themselves. I’ve known many women who report that their contentment increased when they let go of “girlboss” career-woman expectations to concentrate on raising their children and making the home a nurturing place for their families.

Where now?

How do we fix this? I don’t know. Many Western families can’t get by on a single income. Men who want to be good providers can work hard and it’s still not enough. Some mothers need to work.

But we can acknowledge that economic reality without accepting how it has distorted us. We can stop demanding a government solution to what is fundamentally a problem of values. We need to reacquaint ourselves with what we really are as men and women and what we really need. I can’t give a road map for how to achieve this. But it has to start by hauling our aristocratic assumptions into the sunlight and seeing them for what they are.

​Lifestyle, Culture, Motherhood, Day care, Babies, Childcare, Intervention 

Watching the reports out of Old Dominion University following the terrorist attack last month, the details came in the way they always do. Confusion. Fear. Families waiting for answers that arrive agonizingly slow.

There are no clever observations for moments like this. Only grief, a sober anger at what has been done, and a quiet respect for those who move toward danger despite the risks.

In the hours that followed, law enforcement stood before the microphones and said something familiar about the terrorist.

Past behavior predicts future performance.

The gospel does not offer a refined version of our past. It replaces it.

It was not delivered with edge or indignation. It sounded more like a sigh, the kind that comes from seeing the same pattern unfold one too many times.

We all understand what that means.

As Americans stood in grief, that phrase was repeated as the events were recounted. Members of the media, pundits, and political officials picked it up as well, and it echoed for days. And it lingered. You know how some phrases land hard and stay with you?

Past behavior predicts future performance.

I couldn’t shake it. It followed me for several weeks. As Easter approached, that phrase pressed further.

While the pattern is clearly seen in terrorists and career criminals, the harder question is whether that diagnosis is limited to them. Or does that diagnosis reach further — into the human condition itself?

The apostle Paul describes the same struggle with unsettling honesty, doing what he does not want to do and returning to what he knows he should leave behind. The issue is not merely what we do, but what we are by nature.

That uncomfortable truth points to something we recognize much closer to home — not in acts of terror or even criminal behavior, but in patterns we cannot seem to break. We see that uncomfortable truth in the anger that resurfaces, the grudges we carry, the actions we excuse and quietly return to.

Our actions are different in degree, certainly. They are not the same in consequence — but not unrelated.

Scripture does not blur those distinctions, but it does press deeper than behavior. And that is where the discomfort settles in.

RELATED: Scripture or slogans — you have to choose

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Because if this is not just “out there,” then we are not merely observers of the pattern. It’s one thing to recognize the pattern in others. It’s another to consider whether it touches us as well. And that raises a question most of us would rather not sit with for long.

Are we simply watching something broken in the world, or are we looking at something that runs through us as well?

Because if it is the latter, then the problem is not occasional, but continual.

It is not just in headlines, it is in our hearts. And that is a harder place to stay.

Because if the future depends on us, then the trajectory is not uncertain. It is already set.

Our culture often insists that we are basically good people.

If so, then why would we need a savior? If not, then what are the implications?

The men who framed this country wrestled with that thought. They did not build a system on the assumption that people would consistently do what is right or that they are basically good. They built a government filled with oversight that restrains what is wrong, because they knew what resides in the human heart eventually shows up in government.

Which raises a harder question than any press conference can answer.

What breaks the pattern?

Because history suggests we do not. We adjust, we regulate, we respond, and all of that has its place. But none of it reaches far enough to change what drives the pattern in the first place.

And this is precisely where Easter speaks.

RELATED: Where Easter really comes from

Bernard Jaubert/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

It’s not that people try harder or gradually become better versions of themselves. Left to ourselves, we cannot change. We must be changed.

The gospel does not offer a refined version of our past. It replaces it. Not my record, but His. Not a cleaned-up life, but a different standing altogether.

What Scripture calls sin is not managed at the cross. It is judged. And what we could not produce is given.

That is why the Resurrection matters.

Because death has always been the final confirmation that the pattern holds. It is where every life, left to itself, arrives. But if death itself is overturned, then the pattern it confirms is no longer absolute.

Something has interrupted it.

The apostle Paul captured it in a single phrase:

“And such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Were.

Left to ourselves, the pattern holds. It always has. But Easter declares that we are not left to ourselves.

Past behavior may predict future performance. It often does. But it is no longer the final authority.

Because the One who stepped into history, took our past upon Himself, and walked out of the grave now defines the future of all who belong to Him.

Not a second chance or a fresh start, but a new standing.

Not my record, but His. And that changes everything.

​Easter, Old dominion university attack, Jesus, Christians, Gospel, Sacrifice, Apostle paul, Savior, Christ, Opinion & analysis, Resurrection 

On April 1, NASA launched the Orion spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years.

While some celebrated the news as a historic feat, others condemned it as a waste of resources and an overstepping of natural limits.

“I had a lot of people push back and say, ‘Glenn, space is a waste of money, and it’s our Tower of Babel trying to make ourselves look so great,”’ Glenn Beck says.

But he disagrees. “I don’t look at it that way. I look at it from the view of an explorer, and I believe God wants us to explore.”

On this episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn speaks with Christian astrophysicist Hugh Ross about the ethics of space travel from a biblical perspective and the conspiracy theory that the first moon landing was fake.

Ross agrees with Glenn that space exploration does not overstep godly boundaries.

“He made us curious. … I think God gave us a curiosity for a reason. He really does want us to explore, but I think He also wants us to do it in the most efficient and effective way possible,” he says.

Glenn then pivots to the conspiracy theorists who hold that the 1969 moon landing — when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were live-broadcasted walking on the moon — was a hoax.

“A lot of people say we never even went to the moon the first time. … Did we go to the moon, and does it matter?” he asks Ross.

“I actually got to watch the moon landing live on television when I was much younger,” Ross says, “and what really thrilled me was watching Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong putting up a laser reflector.”

“There’s now three laser reflectors on the moon. Physicists beam laser beams off them every single day, and it’s because of those laser reflectors that the Apollo astronauts put on the moon that we’re able to test theories of gravity to a degree we’ve never been able to do before,” he adds.

But these laser reflectors aren’t the only proof.

“The vehicles left behind by the astronauts are still there, and they’re being photographed on a regular basis,” he explains.

Glenn then likens moon landing deniers to the people who contend there’s no evidence that the Great Flood documented in Genesis actually happened.

But Ross has spent years gathering scientific and biblical evidence to argue the contrary. His new book, “Noah’s Flood Revisited,” is a deep dive into his theory that the flood indeed happened — just not the way many have traditionally interpreted it.

To hear Ross explain his fascinating theory, watch the video 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, Ross hughes, Christianity, Space exploration, Race to the moon, Artemis ii 

The late Christopher Hitchens had no shortage of objections to Christianity. But he reserved special contempt for hell — a doctrine he believed reduced faith to fear and the divine to a “celestial dictatorship.” A God willing to resort to such primitive extortion was hardly worthy of man’s admiration, let alone worship.

Hitchens also certainly knew that bringing up eternal damnation was a good way to unsettle his Christian sparring partners, who often seemed vaguely embarrassed by the punitive side of the faith.

‘I am no longer shocked by the realization that I may be judged,’ he wrote later. ‘It has ever after been obvious to me.’

Peter Hitchens had no such compunctions. Although he was every bit the cosmopolitan sophisticate his older brother was, it was precisely fear — base, desperate, and visceral — that led him back to the Anglicanism of his British childhood.

He was well aware of how unfashionable a motivation this was. “No doubt I should be ashamed to confess that fear played a part in my return to religion,” he later wrote in his 2010 memoir “The Rage Against God.”

The gift of fear

But it was the truth, and he was too rigorously honest to pretend otherwise. Besides, moments in his career as a globe-trotting journalist — crashing a motorcycle, dodging gunfire, confronting an angry mob — had taught him that fear could be a gift, a way of focusing the mind on what was essential to survive. Who was to say that it couldn’t produce the same clarity in matters of the soul?

The crucial moment happened not in some far-off danger zone, but on a vacation in Burgundy with his then-girlfriend.

There, seeking a break from fine food and wine, he dutifully made a brief cultural excursion. Standing before the famous Beaune Altarpiece, 15th-century painter Rogier van der Weyden’s massive polyptych depicting the Last Judgment, Hitchens initially expected very little.

Instead, he found himself rooted to the spot, mouth agape in terror.

The figures in the painting did not seem distant or medieval. “They were my own generation,” he wrote. Naked and therefore stripped of period detail, they seemed unnervingly modern — recognizable, immediate. “They were me and the people I knew.”

One detail stayed with him: a figure recoiling in terror, “vomiting with shock and fear at the sound of the Last Trump.”

Good and evil

The encounter forced him to confront something he had spent years dismissing — that the Christian account of judgment, of good and evil, might not be a relic of the past but a description of reality.

Raised in the Church of England, Hitchens discovered atheism as a teenager. As the 1960s gave way to the ’70s, this adolescent rebellion gave way to an enthusiastic embrace of revolutionary politics with confidence. Reason and progress, Hitchens believed, could create a far more durable moral order than religion ever had. Like many of his generation, he assumed that once Christianity faded, nothing essential would be lost.

Experience had already chipped away at this faith in humanity. His reporting had taken him to societies where ideological systems had already tried to replace older moral frameworks. What he found — especially in the Soviet sphere—was not liberation but repression. Systems that promised a new moral order instead revealed how fragile moral claims become when they rest on nothing beyond power.

Then came that worn yet still vivid tableau, before which the 30-something Hitchens “trembled for the things of which my conscience was afraid.”

RELATED: Chuck Norris: Martial arts legend who submitted to a mother’s prayers

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Inevitable judgment

“I am no longer shocked by the realization that I may be judged,” he wrote later. “It has ever after been obvious to me.”

That recognition did not produce instant conversion. But it changed him. A year later, faced with a private moral decision, he found himself held back — by the same fear of doing wrong. “Without Rogier van der Weyden,” he wrote, “I might have done that thing.”

Hitchens did not return to Christianity for comfort. His account of faith is unsentimental, grounded in the belief that moral reality is not something we create and certainly not something we can escape.

The latter fact can chafe, leading to a rejection of God that is nowhere near as rational as its proponents would like to think. Instead, argues Hitchens, it amounts to a wishful thinking no less deranging than any “pie in the sky” sentimentality.

The most urgent question

That conviction has shaped his public life ever since.

Today, Hitchens defends Christianity not as a private belief or cultural artifact, but as the foundation for any coherent understanding of justice, responsibility, and human worth. Remove it, he argues, and what remains is not freedom but confusion — and, eventually, coercion.

The two brothers — one a leading “New Atheist” and author of “God Is Not Great”; the other the most outspoken defender of Britain’s disappearing Christian heritage — may not seem to to have had much in common.

But what they did share is a willingness to challenge a sacred assumption of modern life: that faith is optional, interchangeable, and purely subjective.

To both Peter and Christopher Hitchens, the question could not be more urgent. To ignore it leads to hell — either here on Earth on in eternity. Wherever we think we’re headed, the beginning of wisdom is to undertake the journey with our eyes open.

​Christopher hitchens, Peter hitchens, Rage against god, Lifestyle, Religion, Art, The last judgment, Hell, Rogier van der weyden, Beaune altarpiece, Culture, Atheism, Christianity, Converts, Faith 

For many people across the U.S., Easter Sunday means pastel-colored clothes, jelly beans, Cadbury eggs, or marshmallow Peeps. But Easter is far more than a cultural tradition or seasonal celebration. It is a declaration that should actually shape the way we live and has the power to transform lives: He is risen!

That truth, echoed by believers all around the world every Easter Sunday, is the foundation of a faith that calls us not to a life of comfort, but to a life of commitment.

To follow Christ is not only to receive the hope of eternal life, but to carry that hope into the world around us.

Too often, we treat Christianity as a system designed to make life easier, provide emotional reassurance, or help us get something from God. Scripture makes it clear, and believers throughout history have experienced, that true Christianity costs us something. It calls for surrender, obedience, and a willingness to follow Christ even when the path is difficult.

It’s natural to gravitate toward a version of Christianity that prioritizes comfort over sacrificial living. But in truth, persecution and hardships are not only possible but an expected outcome for a life of wholehearted devotion to following Christ.

Jesus Christ, our example, willingly left the comfort of heaven’s glory to enter a broken world and dwell among us. He lived among the very people He created, walking dusty roads, experiencing hunger and fatigue, facing rejection and temptation, enduring suffering — all ultimately to make the Father known.

Throughout His ministry, He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and performed miracles — yet He never wanted people to follow Him merely for those “simple” benefits.

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, massive crowds followed Him simply for the possibility of free bread. They wanted miracles and meals. But He wanted them to look past all of that and see that the true gift was Himself. “I am the bread of life,” He told them. “Believe in me!”

Only a few individuals would see past their own desires and take the step to say, “I believe, and I will follow you no matter what.” As a result, they would be forever changed and go on to change the world.

RELATED: Where Easter really comes from

Bernard Jaubert/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

This is the truth of the Christian life: Following Christ requires us to embrace discomfort, sacrifice, and even suffering. The Bible does not hide this reality, but Easter reframes that suffering in light of something greater.

The cross is not the end of the story.

On that first Easter morning, everything changed. Jesus’ resurrection was not only a victory over death, but a promise that suffering does not have the final word. Sin, brokenness, and the grave were defeated. Because of this, even while withstanding hardship, believers can live with an unshakable hope rooted in the promise of eternity.

As we read in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.”

And this hope is not meant to be kept to ourselves.

Years ago, a friend of mine who was overseas asked a shop owner, “Excuse me, sir, do you know Jesus Christ?” The man turned around and said, “We’ve got Pepsi, we’ve got Coke, but we don’t have Jesus Christ.” He had never heard the name of Jesus, so he thought Jesus Christ was a new soft drink.

As someone who grew up in different cultures, I’ve seen firsthand the harsh truth that many people around the world still haven’t heard the gospel.

Here in Texas where I live now — in the heart of the Bible Belt — it can seem like there is a church on every corner. On the other hand, I have gone more than 300 miles in some countries without passing a single church. As ambassadors for Christ, we still have so much work to do.

After all, even in places like Texas, we have neighbors, co-workers, and friends who may recognize the name of Jesus but do not really understand what His death and resurrection are all about.

For many, Easter remains a holiday without meaning, a tradition without truth.

This is where the calling of every believer becomes both a responsibility and a privilege.

RELATED: Easter changes everything: What the empty tomb means for you today

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To follow Christ is not only to receive the hope of eternal life, but to carry that hope into the world around us. It is to reflect His love and choose to live so that others are drawn to the reality of who He is.

That calling may be uncomfortable, to require us to step outside our routines, and even to risk rejection, but it is also one of the greatest privileges we are given: to bring light into a suffering world.

Easter is a time to remember Christ’s sacrifice and His victory over sin, Satan, and death. He poured out His life so that we might partake of Him and be made like Him. That process requires obedience, faithfulness, and self-denial.

But for all who trust Him and choose to live for Him as an act of worship, He will fill them with His presence. He will refresh, replenish, and empower us to bring His healing presence into the world around us.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by RealClearReligion and made available via RealClearWire.

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Scripture has many warnings about anger. Ephesians 4:31 tells us to put away “all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor.” Psalm 37:8 warns against anger and wrath. James 1:20 says “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

And yet, anger is an emotion we all experience. Even Jesus himself expressed it at times.

So how do we know when our anger is righteous and when it leads us into rebellion against God?

On a recent episode of “Unashamed,” Al and Jase addressed this very question, drawing on the longstanding wisdom of their father, Phil Robertson — the late beloved patriarch of the family.

The key, they explain, is examining what the anger is rooted in. Righteous anger, when boiled down, is ultimately an overflow of love rather than hate.

Al shares a personal example.

“My dad … became angry at me when the lifestyle that I was living was against the covenant of our family,” he reflects.

“I took that as I was being forsaken and shunned by him, … but I was 180 degrees wrong. The only reason he had that conversation is because he did love me.”

When Al finally turned from his prodigal ways, his father’s anger immediately gave way, revealing the deep love that had fueled it all along.

“When I came back, guess who was right there waiting — not with hate, not with forsakenness, not with separation, but, ‘Welcome home, son’? The same dad,” he says. “Why? Because his love for me never stopped.”

“A lot of times people think anger is a sin, but it’s not a sin. Anger can lead you to sin,” Al continues, noting that the Bible mentions anger “over 600 times,” but “85% of the 600 times, God is the one who’s angry.”

To hear the Robertsons dive deeper into the powerful tension between God’s love and wrath — especially how they beautifully intersect at the cross — watch the episode above.

Want more from the Robertsons?

To enjoy more on God, guns, ducks, and inspiring stories of faith and family, 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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Just because something sounds Christian doesn’t mean that it is. Nobody knows this better than BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey, who frequently exposes lies wrapped in Christian-sounding language

On this episode of “Relatable,” Allie unravels three common “Christian mythical mottos” and shines a light on the deception underneath.

Myth #1: “Christianity is a relationship. It’s not a religion.”

Allie acknowledges that this phrase is usually employed with good intentions — typically when Christians are evangelizing specifically to people who have “come out of legalism” or are brand-new to Christianity and are “confused about some of the rules and the standards.”

In these cases, the evangelizer is most often trying to push someone “into daily conversation with and pursuit of Jesus.”

“And there is part of that that is really true and really good,” says Allie.

“Christianity says that you can have a relationship with God right now, no matter what you’ve done or who you are, by grace through faith in Jesus. Okay? So yes, Christianity is a relationship,” she concedes.

But that doesn’t change the fact that it is “also a religion.”

“If you look at the roots of the word ‘religion,’ you can go all the way back to the ancient use of the Latin word, which is relegere,” meaning “to go through again — especially in thought or in word,” Allie explains.

“I love this connection because it implies a routine, a habit, a discipline of repetition that turns an isolated belief into a pattern of thought that dictates a person’s life.”

Another closely related Latin word — religāre — means to “bind again or to tie back.”

“You’ll notice the shared prefix in these words, which is re-. It’s the prefix that we see in repeat, rehearse, rebound, redo. Re- … means to do it again, to repeat,” says Allie.

“Christian religion is the practice of rebinding ourselves to the things of God … rebinding ourselves through grace-filled effort — Holy Spirit-inspired effort — to His wisdom, His ways, the good things of the Christian life.”

Citing the book of James, which explicitly refers to Christianity as a “religion,” Allie concludes, “Scripture does not preach that our Christian faith is not a religion; rather, it’s the one true religion. Religion and relationship in Christianity are not pitted against each other.”

Myth #2: “God answers all of our prayers; the answer might just be no.”

“It is true that God says no; it is not true that God answers every prayer,” Allie says frankly.

The Bible, she explains, explicitly outlines several “kinds of people” whose prayers God may ignore: “those who have personal and selfish motives” (James 4:3); “those who remain in sin and will not heed God’s law” (John 9:31; Proverbs 28:9); “those who offer unworthy service to God” (Malachi 1:8-9); “those who reject God’s call or have no faith” (James 1:6-7); “those who are violent” (Isaiah 1:15); “those who are self-righteous” (Luke 18:11-14); and “those who mistreat God’s people (Micah 3: 2, 4).

“There are several other passages that we could go through that indicate that God sometimes does not hear or does not respond at all to certain prayers due to a person’s heart condition, motives, or relationship with Him,” says Allie.

For Christians, however, who the Bible says are free to approach God’s throne with confidence (Hebrews 4:16), she says it’s difficult to determine whether or not God answers all their prayers.

“I simply don’t know for sure that the answer is always that God is responding to every single prayer that a Christian has … but we do know for sure that for the nonbeliever, it is not true that God hears and answers every prayer,” Allie says.

Myth #3: “Share the gospel; when necessary, use words.”

This maxim expresses the idea that “we preach the gospel by just how we treat people” and that “preaching at people and trying to push religion down their throats is not something that’s going to be convincing,” says Allie.

“It is true that your life serves as an inspiration. It is true that what we do absolutely matters and how we live our life is a testimony to what we believe — 100%.”

But this doesn’t excuse us from the biblical mandate to take the gospel to all nations.

“We are called to preach the gospel with our words. If anyone could have preached the gospel only using deeds, it would have been Jesus, because Jesus perfectly lived out the gospel in his actions. And yet he didn’t just do the deeds. … He constantly preached the gospel using his words,” says Allie.

Between Jesus’ example and the many verses that call believers to speak the gospel (Romans 10:14, 17; 2 Timothy 4:1-2), there is no escaping the reality that Christianity is “a word-based faith.”

“The Bible obviously strongly affirms that our actions, our love, our holy living must back up our message and that hypocrisy undermines it, and it also repeatedly emphasizes the gospel itself must be verbally proclaimed,” Allie concludes.

To hear more, watch the episode above.

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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The soccer president from the tiny island nation of Curaçao says divine intervention has brought his team to the World Cup and, in turn, to the United States and in front of President Trump.

The executive’s faith is also what has him confidently saying that everyone involved will lead with love, including the president.

‘President Trump will make sure that this will be a World Cup that will not be [forgotten].’

Gilbert Martina, president of the Curaçao Football Federation, humbly avoided bragging about his hard work that turned his nation’s soccer program around. Instead, he credited a long but fruitful “divine journey.”

In an interview with Blaze News, Martina spoke in detail about his many run-ins with divine intervention, including his trip to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in December.

There, at the World Cup draw, he sat just a few yards away from Trump and came to believe that Trump will act with love and grace to make it the biggest World Cup in history.

“We are all spiritual beings, and we have to take care of each other, and we have to globalize love,” Martina passionately decreed. “And football unites. That’s the slogan of FIFA. So I’m sure all stakeholders and even President Trump will make sure that this will be a World Cup that will not be [forgotten], ever, because it’s the biggest on this planet.”

RELATED: Unpaid bill has Foxboro refusing to grant license for World Cup games at Gillette Stadium

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Divine intervention

The former insurance director and CEO of a medical center attributed most of his accomplishments to his divine journey with spirituality and faith. This starts with daily gratefulness, prayer, and meditation before preparing for what is ahead, Martina said.

Persistently pointing to this divine journey, he said he always believed his country would qualify for the World Cup. He offered no other explanation as to how such a small nation could unite in under a year for “a greater purpose.”

“With the universe, with God, with the cosmos, whatever name we want to give it,” his team started “co-creating beauty,” he explained. “Then the magic happens.”

Martina also said there were too many instances and overlapping themes to ignore. On the very day he got the job as president of Curaçao Football Federation in April 2025, he predicted to his wife that his team would make the World Cup.

“There is no coincidence,” Martina declared.

RELATED: Seattle plans World Cup ‘Pride match’ — and two countries that prosecute gays will play in it

ANGEL BATTA/AFP/Getty Images

Putting in the work

What the executive also explained — without giving himself the proper credit — was how he brought his country out of the Stone Age in terms of organization and formalities.

Before his election as president of Curaçao’s soccer federation, the tiny country of about 150,000 had a program that was in shambles. Hotels and travel were not organized, players were not paid on time, and soccer teams within the country were at odds.

“Too much distraction,” Martina said, expressing the stress of the job. “There’s so much things that we had to professionalize, and so that was the focus.”

He continued, “Because if they’re not focused [on qualifying] … you will have too much distraction.”

After Martina became president, Curaçao went undefeated in eight matches (five wins, three ties) and qualified for the World Cup. There, the team will share Group E with Germany, the Ivory Coast, and Ecuador, with its first game against Germany on June 14.

Message for others

Martina compared his approach to life, and to a successful nation, with a hummingbird.

“A hummingbird isn’t going to a garbage nest at KFC or Pizza Hut. A hummingbird always goes for the best nectar, the best flowers, because that’s the best of the best,” he said, mirroring advice he gives in his book, “Healthy Minds, Healthy Nation.”

Martina insisted that people should strive for the best, whether it is in performance, organization, or even nutrition.

“That’s a powerful message. … When we are able to convert that into our daily life, purpose, and intention, beautiful things happen.”

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