Category: blaze media

The top songs this Christmas should certainly offend anyone who thought “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was worthy of outrage.

At the height of the woke era, media outlets argued over whether the 1944 Frank Loesser classic should be banned, as radio stations pulled the song because its lyrics allegedly alluded to “date rape.”

‘Baby, I’m a dog, I’m a mutt.’

The media apparatus sprung into action with parody after cross-dressing parody. Few defended the song — surprisingly, Variety was one of the biggest outliers — and the “Me Too” mantra carried on looking for more scalps to take.

Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” soon received similar treatment, despite garnering almost a billion views on YouTube. With featured artist Pharrell saying the song he profited off of was evidence of a prominent “chauvinist culture,” that art was not allowed to exist as art.

While offense can be taken in any generation’s music, it seems appropriate to note that it seemingly goes one direction, and progressive cookie-cutter sexual content cannot be questioned.

This has not changed in 2025, as slop tops the charts with stereotypical soft-core imagery.

Sombr, ‘Back to Friends’

Topping the Billboard charts in the rock and alternative category as of Dec. 17 is “Back to Friends” by Sombr. In this song by New Yorker Shane Michael Boose, he talks about the difficulty of returning to a normal friendship with some one he has slept with.

The song about being forgotten by a presumed love one remains fairly generic until the music video is taken into account, which features multiple gay make-out scenes juxtaposed with explosions of lava.

RELATED: Taylor Swift isn’t a role model — and it’s time for moms to stop pretending she is

Leon Thomas, ‘Mutt’

The R&B and hip-hop category is led by Leon Thomas’ “Mutt.”

Although the song came out in 2024, it is hitting new highs for the 2025 Christmas season, with lyrics about Thomas convincing a woman that there is no need for them to wait to have sex, because, “Baby, I’m a dog, I’m a mutt.”

Thomas notes that he wishes for him and his new lady to “break in” his new apartment, while adding that he believes in the Second Amendment, with the lyrics: “Thirty-two, like my pants size ’cause a n***a tried breaking in.”

The song is really not offensive, but neither are lyrics from the 1940s saying, “My mother will start to worry.”

RELATED: The viral country anthem that has girlboss Twitter melting down and trad women cheering

Kehlani, ‘Folded’

Not to be forgotten at No. 2 on the R&B list is Kehlani’s “Folded.”

Kehlani Ashley Parrish, an Oakland-born singer who once aspired to be a Juilliard-trained dancer, shows off her moves in the video, where she sports a completely see-through dress and essentially dances naked alongside women in their underwear.

Again, while this is not a new phenomenon for a music video, it seems extremely egregious when placed next to the 1949 film “Neptune’s Daughter” that popularized “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”

While Kehlani carries laundry and talks about folding clothes in her music video, the obvious inference is that she is talking about her preferred sexual position.

The lyrics website Genius states, “Here, Kehlani seems to be implying she can ‘fold’ her body for her lover if they decide they want to become romantic again.”

Taylor Swift, ‘The Fate of Ophelia’

It comes as no surprise that Taylor Swift is topping the pop charts with “The Fate of Ophelia,” even though the music video came out in October. Swift obviously sexualizes herself — maybe Dean Martin did too? — as a 1950s showgirl, but the song centers on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and has Swift nearly dying from heartbreak in the lyrics.

Some lyrics are almost direct lifts from “Hamlet,” but the song as a whole is light-years away in terms of degeneracy in comparison to the other items on this list.

However, it is hard to imagine how it is conceivable that Swift dancing in lingerie and being groped on a pirate ship is less controversial than, “My sister will be suspicious (Gosh, your lips look delicious).”

While music lovers may notice that wild offense-taking now skips the industry unless it serves a political purpose, that equilibrium rarely holds forever. Cultural pendulums do swing.

When they do, the correction sometimes arrives loudly — through provocation, politics, or spectacle. But just as often, it comes quietly, in the form of art that refuses to scandalize at all.

Ella Langley, ‘Choosin’ Texas’

Which brings us to Ella Langley. Topping the country charts this Christmas with “Choosin’ Texas,” the Alabama native commits a far subtler transgression: She sings plainly about heartbreak, drinking alone, and the ache of love gone wrong — without sexual exhibitionism, ideological signaling, or manufactured outrage. She even manages to say a few positive things about Texas and Tennessee. In 2025, that kind of restraint may be the most disruptive posture left.

​Align, Christmas, Carols, Holidays, Christmas song, Pop, Country, Hip hop, Rap, R&b, Rock music, Lifestyle 

A certain smug comfort belongs to people who have never stood between a riot line and a camera, never smelled accelerant on the wind, never watched their phones lose signal while fire chewed through an entire neighborhood. They talk about “heated rhetoric” and “charged atmospheres” as if danger were theoretical. For women reporters on the ground, it isn’t.

The front line is not a metaphor. It is a place. And it is getting more dangerous by the year.

This is not a gadget story. It is a survival story.

I have covered Antifa riots where the mob knew my name before I reached the sidewalk. I have been screamed at, followed, and threatened by people who publicly denounce violence while privately practicing it. I have watched law enforcement stand down under progressive policies that place the comfort of agitators above the safety of citizens. And I have learned, the hard way, that when cities become unlivable, women pay first.

The left loves to talk about “lived experience.” Here is mine: Democrat governance has made America’s major cities objectively less safe, and being a female independent journalist in them now requires the mindset of a survivalist.

That became brutally clear during the Los Angeles wildfires of 2025.

I was there when the sky turned orange and evacuation orders contradicted one another. Cell towers failed. Emergency lines were overwhelmed. Friends and family lost homes — not hypothetically, not statistically, but completely. In that chaos, the only reason I was able to coordinate help, locate people, and call for assistance was a satellite phone. While 911 systems collapsed, that device worked. No signal dependency. No excuses.

That is not a gadget story. It is a survival story.

The same lesson repeats itself elsewhere. In Washington, D.C., shootings now occur in places that once felt immune — near offices, events, and corridors of power. I was at Butler. I have been steps away from moments that could have gone very differently. Anyone insisting that “these things don’t happen here” is either lying or sheltered by privilege.

When whistleblowers reach out to me, they do not do it over casual cell calls. They use secure satellite communications, because they understand something our leaders prefer not to acknowledge: privacy is safety. Satellite phones are resistant to interception, independent of fragile infrastructure, and immune to spam and shutdowns. When people have something dangerous to say, they choose tools that help keep them alive.

This is not paranoia. It is pattern recognition.

People have died hiking because there was no signal. Boaters have vanished because help could not be reached. Hurricanes do not care about ideology. Fires do not check voter registration. Yet one party consistently opposes disaster preparedness, energy independence, and resilient infrastructure — while demanding blind trust in systems that fail precisely when they are needed most.

Preparedness is not extremism. It is common sense.

Redundancy in communication is not political. Neither are solar-powered backups or hardened devices. Nor is concern about electromagnetic vulnerabilities when our lives run through centralized, fragile networks. Thinking ahead does not make you radical. It makes you female in a country that keeps telling women to be brave while stripping away the tools that make bravery survivable.

And yes, it matters who builds those tools.

If I am calling for help, I want American customer service — American voices, American-owned companies. Safety should not come with a foreign accent and a hold button. Trust is part of security.

This is why satellite phones, solar chargers, emergency kits, and hardened cases are no longer niche products. They are rational responses to an increasingly unstable political and physical environment. They are also meaningful gifts — because nothing says you care like giving someone a way to come home alive.

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

Photo by Jay L Clendenin/Getty Images

Which brings us to 2026.

Around President Trump, TPUSA events, or Republican members of Congress, the threat environment is asymmetric. The left has normalized political violence while denying it exists. Media figures excuse it. Politicians minimize it. Prosecutors decline to prosecute it. And women journalists who refuse to conform are expected to absorb the consequences quietly.

I won’t.

The question voters should ask heading into the midterms is not which party sounds kinder on cable news. It is which party acknowledges reality — and equips Americans, especially women, to survive it.

One side treats chaos as a political tool. The other treats safety as the foundation of freedom.

I know which one kept me connected when the fires closed in. I know which one refuses to pretend riots are “mostly peaceful.” And I know which one understands that strong borders, strong policing, resilient infrastructure, and personal preparedness are not luxuries in dangerous times.

The front line is expanding. It runs through our cities, our forests, our streets, and our inboxes. Women are already on it — whether policymakers realize it or not.

The only question left is whether America will choose leaders who take our safety seriously or continue sacrificing us to ideology.

Because the danger is real. And pretending otherwise is the most reckless policy of all.

​Opinion & analysis, Disorder, Law and order, Civil unrest, Riots, Natural disasters, Wildfires, Floods, Emergency, Preparation, Supplies, Satellite, Power grid, Mostly peaceful protests, Anarchy, Border security 

When it comes to gas prices, what a difference one administration can make. After peaking above $5 a gallon under President Biden, prices at the pump are now at their lowest levels in more than four years — and still falling. Today, the national average for regular gas sits at about $2.85, and a growing number of stations are dipping below $2. That’s a real Christmas gift for working families, one that makes a meaningful difference.

Falling gas prices bring immediate relief to households worried about affordability while also easing pressure across the broader economy. Compared with this time last year, Americans are saving a collective $400 million per week at the pump, according to GasBuddy.

Cheaper fuel deserves celebration, but there is more work to be done to lock in these gains and drive prices even lower.

Most people associate the One Big Beautiful Bill Act primarily with tax cuts. But it may prove to be one of the most consequential pro-energy laws passed in years. Lower gas prices do not happen by accident. They are the result of deliberate policy choices — specifically, President Trump’s reversal of the anti-energy agenda pursued by the Biden administration.

That agenda, driven by radical environmental activists, sought to force a rapid transition away from oil and gas regardless of cost. It relied on higher taxes, blocked infrastructure projects, restricted leasing, and constrained production. Taken together, those policies drove up prices and fueled inflation that hit working families hardest.

On day one, President Trump moved quickly to unwind many of those decisions, issuing nearly half a dozen energy-focused executive orders that restored certainty for producers. That early action was followed by his signature legislative achievement, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which combined broad-based tax relief with policies designed to restore American energy dominance.

The bill reduces production costs by repealing the Inflation Reduction Act’s misguided fee increase on oil and gas produced on federal lands. It cuts that fee by 25%, making domestic production more attractive and more affordable for drillers.

Just as important, the OBBBA restores predictability to federal leasing. The law mandates nearly 40 offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of America, Alaska, and other regions. It also establishes quarterly onshore lease sales and biannual offshore sales, giving the private sector long-term certainty. Under President Biden, leasing all but ground to a halt, with fewer leases issued than at any point since the 1960s — crippling the pipeline of future energy projects.

The bill also repeals or tightens a range of Green New Deal-style tax credits that heavily subsidized renewables at the expense of oil and gas. Those credits masked the true costs of renewable projects and distorted electricity markets, contributing to grid instability and higher energy prices.

RELATED: 5 truths the climate cult can’t bury any more

Justin Hamel/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The bottom line is simple: The OBBBA encourages more oil and gas production at lower cost. Over the next decade, that means a steadier supply of crude ready to be refined into affordable gasoline.

Still, Congress and the administration should not take their foot off the gas. Cheaper fuel deserves celebration, but there is more work to be done to lock in these gains and drive prices even lower.

At the top of the list is permitting reform. Energy projects routinely take longer to permit than to build. Environmental reviews intended to inform decisions have morphed into open-ended processes that stretch on for years. Even approved projects can be tied up indefinitely by duplicative reviews and serial lawsuits from activist groups. The result is uncertainty that discourages investment and delays infrastructure Americans depend on every day.

America First energy dominance is working, and families are saving real money because of it. The House has already passed several pro-energy permitting reforms, but meaningful engagement with the Senate will be required to deliver a comprehensive overhaul to the president’s desk. Without permitting reform, the full benefits of the OBBBA’s energy provisions will remain unrealized.

The lesson is clear: Energy dominance follows when government gets out of the way. If permitting reform advances next year, producers will gain the certainty and speed they need to deliver reliable, affordable energy to consumers. In 2026, Congress should finish the job.

​America first, Gas prices, Energy policy, Trump administration, President trump, Opinion & analysis, Joe biden, One big beautiful bill, Oil, Economy 

An educational program meant to help students make up for their mistakes in school is apparently being misused by racial equity proponents and leading to children receiving high grades for very little work.

Credit recovery is a practice in which students, usually of high-school age, are given a second chance to learn a subject and prove their proficiency in that subject outside of normal class time.

‘Credit recovery is the scandal hiding in plain sight in American education.’

Proponents say the practice can be very positive and effective when students fail because of circumstances out of their control, such as a death in the family or sudden financial loss and duress.

But in recent years, the program has seemingly been manipulated by diversity, equity, and inclusion advocates, resulting in even worse educational outcomes. Rather than giving students a second chance to prove themselves, the policy is being abused to unfairly allow failing students to pass on to the next grade level without actually completing learning objectives.

Some manage to complete the “recovery” work through make-up courses that can last a few hours or even a few minutes.

“The credit recovery classes have become, in many instances, get-out-of-jail-free cards for students who are chronically absent, truant, or are chronic disruptions in class,” wrote Mike DiMatteo, a former teacher, for the Freedom in Education organization.

“They’re receiving the same credit, but doing significantly less work — often as little as one-third to one-half of what a traditional course requires,” he continued. “The evidence supports these concerns: Critics have raised alarms when students complete a semester of work in a matter of weeks or even days. In one egregious example, the NCAA discovered students receiving grades and credits for a semester’s worth of work in a matter of days, sometimes hours, and in some cases just minutes.”

DiMatteo cited one anecdote of a student who received an A- and a year’s worth of credit in biology after only one four-hour recovery class split over two days.

“In Los Angeles, which reported that 16,000 students took at least one credit recovery course in 2016-2017, a student described raising his biology grade from an F to a C in one week,” he added.

One study from 2020 found that credit recovery policies were being used to help disadvantaged black students but that often they ended up hurting rather than helping the students.

RELATED: Mass. teachers union says standardized tests have allowed ‘white supremacy to flourish’

Robert Pondiscio, a teacher and American Enterprise Institute senior fellow, calls it an educational “scandal.”

“Credit recovery is the scandal hiding in plain sight in American education,” he wrote. “When districts say they’ve raised graduation rates to pre-COVID levels, ask what percentage of graduates finished with one or more classes completed with ‘credit recovery.'”

The policy is just one part of the puzzle explaining how public schools are seemingly failing children more and more, as standardized testing shows across the nation.

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​Grade credit recovery, Grade inflation, Why schools are bad, Education in america, Politics 

The youth are always cooking up some new saying, joke, or dance move that makes older generations scratch their heads and shrug. Most of the time, these trends are innocent and silly, but there’s one that’s wildly popular right now that has a much deeper meaning than most realize.

Earlier this year, a song titled “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Philadelphia rapper Skrilla went viral on social media, sparking a trend where kids randomly yell “six seven.” The phrase gained explosive traction through youth basketball culture — syncing with highlight reels of 6’7″ NBA star LaMelo Ball and viral courtside chants at games — before spreading widely among children.

While the phrase in the song is speculated to be a reference to 67th Street in Philly, the meaning behind the internet trend is ambiguous, with some interpreting it to mean “whatever” or “so-so.” Most agree, however, that it’s just a nonsensical, internet-fad slang phrase intended to be absurd and annoying.

Rick Burgess, BlazeTV host of the spiritual warfare podcast “Strange Encounters,” however, says parents who dismiss this trend as the foolish whims of adolescents have the wool pulled over their eyes.

The phrase “six seven” in Skrilla’s song may be pitched as a reference to a street in Philadelphia to squash any skepticism surrounding the viral phrase that has our youth in a chokehold, but it’s really a dark Easter egg pointing to the sinister beliefs of the artist.

Rick plays a clip that’s gone viral of Pastor Nathan Bentley at LifePoint Church in San Tan Valley, Arizona, warning that Skrilla is “a self-confessed member” of the Church of Satan, who has boldly admitted in podcast interviews that he worships pagan gods — even sacrificing animals to them for career success in Hollywood.

“He talks about since he’s really dedicated himself to this, since he’s begun to put blood oaths into it, his career took off,” Bentley said from the pulpit.

And it’s true. Last year, on the “No Jumper” podcast with Adam Grandmaison, Skrilla admitted to sacrificing animals as part of his religion.

Bentley also pointed out the song’s strange combination of sex and drug themes and the iconic “Baby Shark” earworm composed for children. “Now, tell me, why would a rapper, who’s got this hardcore persona, who’s singing about things that are very mature and whatnot, throw in the middle of his song the ‘Baby Shark’ thing?” Bentley asked, positing that the artist’s explicit intention was to lure children.

Rick, who dove into the research himself, confirms everything Bentley warned of.

“It’s ugly, ugly stuff,” he sighs.

“Do you want your children doing some sort of ritual with six and seven that comes out of a pagan religion … and includes worship of pagan gods, animal blood sacrifices, omens, mysticism, [and] blood oaths?” Rick asks.

If the answer is no, he encourages squashing this trend in our homes.

“The demons that I think are clearly at the root of this six-seven thing — I think one of the things that they have banked on is that all of us, as parents and grandparents, will think it’s cute and will determine it is no big deal,” he says.

“And if you let it continue with your children and grandchildren, that’s certainly your decision. … But I would go find out everything I could possibly find out about ‘six seven.’ … And I pray that your children are not about to experience a strange encounter.”

To learn more, watch the full episode above.

Want more from Rick Burgess?

To enjoy more bold talk and big laughs, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Strange encounters, Rick burgess, Spiritual warfare, Demons, Demonic ritual, Animal sacrifice, Blazetv, Blaze media, Skrilla, Six seven, 6 7, 6 7 trend 

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd related a horrific series of alleged crimes that spun out of a disagreement over a football game.

47-year-old Jason Kenney shot and killed his wife at their Lakeland home before shooting his 13-year-old stepdaughter twice, once in the face, according to Judd.

‘You’re drinking, you’re using cocaine again. … You need God.’

Kenney and his wife got into an argument after she suggested that he turn off the television as he was watching “Monday Night Football.” The argument escalated and led his wife to tell their son to go call the police.

The 12-year-old boy ran over to their neighbor’s home, but as he left the home, he heard gunshots.

When deputies arrived, they found the man’s wife, Crystal Kenney, dead, and the stepdaughter shot twice. They rushed her to the hospital in critical condition.

Judd said that Kenney fled the scene and called his sister in upstate New York. He allegedly told her that he had done something terrible and that he would not let police take him to prison for the rest of his life.

Police caught up with the man at his father’s home, where he had barricaded himself inside a shack.

They heard a gunshot and found his dead body when they entered the shack.

Judd said that police found a note written by Kenney’s wife to him, but said they could not determine when it had been written.

“You’re drinking, you’re using cocaine again. This is not the way the family should be. You need God,” she wrote.

He said that she had been a regular churchgoer and donated to her church every week.

“When you go in there, there is a beautiful Christmas tree with lots of Christmas presents under it, just like the nuclear family should be,” said Judd. “The only thing he did right that night was shoot himself.”

RELATED: Wife and son helped father dismember man’s body with a chainsaw after a lethal poker game

Judd said the 12-year-old boy was unharmed and noted that he was Kenney’s biological son. Also unharmed was his wife’s 1-year-old daughter, who was found sleeping in a crib.

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​Jason kenney murders, Family murder suicide, Murder over nfl football game, Niners fans murder, Crime 

The social media team for the Los Angeles Chargers was reviled by many for apparently editing a video to make it appear as if an opponent team’s player had yelled a racial epithet on the field.

The video was posted to the X platform but deleted after Cooper Beebe of the Dallas Cowboys criticized the post and denied the suggestion that he had used a racist slur.

Beebe’s words were bleeped out, which he said gave the false impression that he had said something racist.

“Imagine bleeping out what I said to make me seem racist. You guys are POS,” Beebe posted in response.

Beebe explained that he was calling out a play on the field but was accused of using an expletive. The exchange led to a penalty on the team and more trash-talking.

“He was talking s**t to me,” said Chargers player Daiyan Henley in the video. “He called me a bad word. I don’t know what he said — he said something, he pointed at me, [and] he called me a bad word. That’s called karma. Instant karma.”

Beebe’s words were bleeped out, which he said gave the false impression that he had said something racist. He later deleted his message from social media.

The Chargers’ social media team was castigated by many for the post.

“So we just move on pretending like the [C]hargers twitter account didn’t delete a tweet accusing [C]ooper [B]eebe of being racist?” read one very popular response.

RELATED: Christian NFL star apologizes for reference to kids’ game that likely left LGBTQ crowd seething

“Cooper Beebe is literally one of the nicest people in the league. @chargers Stop being mad cuz you have like 5 total fans and a stadium nobody likes,” read another response.

The Chargers went on to beat Dallas by a score of 34 to 17 in the game depicted in the video.

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​Chargers social media team, Cooper beebe racist, Dallas cowboys racist, Nfl racism, Sports 

A failed Democrat vice presidential candidate was mocked and ridiculed on social media after trying to mock President Donald Trump on student loans.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz tried to bring up the president’s past history in business to assail him for new rules on student loans that will force borrowers to pay their debts back.

‘If you had a shred of shame maybe you’d resign. … You’re a disgrace.’

“Says the guy with 6 bankruptcies,” wrote Walz in response to the CNBC headline: “Trump administration to start seizing pay of defaulted student loan borrowers in January.”

The odd response was immediately assailed by many on social media who brought up the investigation into massive government benefit fraud in the Minnesotan Somali community. Walz has been accused of obstructing efforts to uncover the alleged fraud schemes.

“STFU, Tim. If you had a shred of shame maybe you’d resign before Christmas after allowing billions of dollars to go to Somali 3rd world pirates. You’re a disgrace,” responded Eric Daugherty of Florida’s Voice.

“Bold talk on ‘responsibility’ from a governor whose own state is under investigation for industrial‑scale fraud in federal nutrition and social‑service programs,” read another response.

“Lots of businesses file bankruptcy, Tampon Tim. What businesses have you created? Except the Somalian Small Business Association of Minnesota, of course,” read another popular response.

“You talking about anything related to tracking money is like [M]agic [J]ohnson talking about safe sex,” joked another critic.

“Funny how he’s lecturing on fiscal responsibility while presiding over historic fraud and theft,” said another detractor.

RELATED: Minnesota news outlet gets wrecked for story on Somali migrants’ economic impact

Earlier in December, Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced an investigation into the fraud and what role Walz might have had into the scams.

“Today, I have ordered an investigation into the network of Somali organizations and executives implicated in these schemes,” said Loeffler at the time. “Despite Governor Walz’s best efforts to obstruct, SBA continues to work to expose abuse and hold perpetrators accountable, full stop.”

While it is true that Trump has filed for bankruptcies for six of his businesses, that is a small percentage of the over 540 businesses he has been associated with.

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​Tim walz pantsed, Walz vs trump, Trump on student loan debt, Social media vs tim walz, Politics 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Friday that she is expecting another baby in May 2026.

Leavitt told Fox News Digital that her baby will be a girl. She and her husband, Nick, had their first child, a son named Niko, in 2024.

‘I am beyond excited to become a girl mom.’

“My husband and I are thrilled to grow our family and can’t wait to watch our son become a big brother,” said Leavitt. “My heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for the blessing of motherhood, which I truly believe is the closest thing to heaven on Earth.”

She went on to say she was “extremely grateful to President Trump and our amazing chief of staff, Susie Wiles, for their support, and for fostering a pro-family environment in the White House.”

Leavitt released a photo on her Instagram account showing the sonogram image of the new baby from a decoration on her Christmas tree. She also showed off her baby bump.

“Nearly all of my West Wing colleagues have babies and young children,” she continued. “So we all really support one another as we tackle raising our families while working for the greatest president ever.”

She will continue in her position as press secretary, according to a senior White House official.

RELATED: Pregnant libs film themselves taking Tylenol in display of Trump derangement syndrome

“2026 is going to be an amazing year for the president and our country, and personally, I am beyond excited to become a girl mom,” she added.

Leavitt will be the first pregnant press secretary in U.S. history, according to Fox News Digital.

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​Karoline leavitt, Pregnancy, First pregnant press secretary, Trump admin pregnancies, Politics 

In the spirit of the Christmas season, many departments of the Trump administration wished people a merry Christmas this week. And in most cases, they remembered to keep Christ at the center of the message.

In a video reposted by the Department of Labor, Fox News highlighted posts from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner.

‘Merry Christmas, America. We are blessed to share a nation and a Savior.’

The Department of Labor’s post was captioned, “Psalm 33:12. God Bless America.”

Psalm 33:12 reads: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X: “The joyous message of Christmas is the hope of Eternal Life through Christ. Wishing everyone a blessed holiday season filled with hope and peace.”

RELATED: ‘Terrorist scum’: Trump announces Christmas Day strikes in Nigeria in response to persecution of Christians

Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Rubio’s post included an illustration of the Nativity scene with the words of Isaiah 9:6 below.

— (@)

In a separate post, the Department of State wrote: “Wishing the American people a joyous and peaceful Merry Christmas.”

— (@)

“The Infinite has become an infant,” Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner wrote on X. “As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we are reminded to adopt the humility, love of neighbor, and servant leadership that Christ embodied.”

Likewise, the Department of Homeland Security’s X account posted a short video of some of America’s beautiful landscapes with the caption, “Rejoice America, Christ is born!”

The DHS posted another video with nostalgic Christmas footage accompanied by the caption: “Merry Christmas, America. We are blessed to share a nation and a Savior.”

— (@)

In a humorous post, the Department of Energy posted an image of Santa Claus carrying a large sack of coal with the caption: “Merry Christmas! Coal isn’t just for the naughty this year.”

Earlier in December, the White House posted video of President Donald Trump saying: “With the birth of Jesus, human history turned from night to day. His word and his example call us to love one another, to serve one another, and to honor the sacred truth that every child is specially made in the image of God. Merry Christmas!”

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​Politics, Department of labor, Psalm 33:12, Isaiah 9:6, Marco rubio, Department of state, Department of homeland security, Christmas, Merry christmas, Scott turner 

Earlier this month, two National Guardsmen and an interpreter were killed after they were ambushed in Syria.

On Wednesday, the remains of the two members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, were returned home to Iowa in a solemn Christmas Eve for their grieving families.

Both soldiers were posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.

The caskets of Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, and William Nathanial Howard, 29, were returned to Des Moines, Iowa, and greeted by their families on the tarmac.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R), and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn (R) joined senior leaders of the Iowa National Guard at the transfer ceremony, according to the Associated Press.

RELATED: Trump promises ‘big damage’ after 2 National Guard soldiers killed in Syrian ambush

Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

The soldiers’ remains were first flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where President Donald Trump paid his respects and met with family members of the deceased.

The Independent reported that both soldiers were posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.

Following the attack, President Donald Trump promised “a lot of damage done to the people that did it.”

Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, a U.S. civilian working as an interpreter, was also killed in the attack. He was buried in Michigan over the weekend, the AP reported.

Citing the Iowa National Guard, the AP said that soldiers’ funerals will take place in the coming days.

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​Politics, Edgar brian torres-tovar, William nathanial howard, President trump, Trump, Syria, National guard, Iowa national guard, Des moines iowa, Kim reynolds, Ayad mansoor sakat 

A Pennsylvania resident returned from grocery shopping to discover a “WANTED” flyer affixed to the resident’s vehicle.

The flyer, provided to Blaze News, features photographs of four Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and reads, “WANTED: ICE AGENTS TERRORIZING WORKING PEOPLE.”

‘ICE is focusing on the worst first through targeted enforcement. However, it is also a crime to live in this country illegally.’

It urged State College residents to share information about the federal officials, directing them to send details to a Proton Mail email address “if you see these ICE agents or have information about them.”

The flyer claimed that federal immigration officials “kidnapped 24 immigrant workers in State College [on] August 19.”

“THEY ARE ENEMIES OF WORKING PEOPLE AND ARE NOT WELCOME ANYWHERE IN OUR COMMUNITY,” it read. “SHARE WIDELY TO DEFEND IMMIGRANT WORKERS! DRIVE ICE OUT OF CENTRE COUNTY!”

It was unclear who created the flyer.

RELATED: Unruly anti-ICE protesters shut down NOLA city council meeting — police carry out activist

Image source: Anonymous tip

The Department of Homeland Security has reported a drastic uptick in assaults against ICE agents amid the rise of far-left activists attempting to doxx federal authorities.

The flyer’s mention of the August arrests appeared to refer to Enforcement and Removal Operations’ “targeted enforcement operation in Bellefonte,” according to a press release from ICE.

The agency noted that a suspected MS-13 gang member was among the 24 arrested as well as another individual with several criminal convictions, including for assault. Another seven individuals had final orders of removal, the agency reported.

RELATED: Los Angeles County Democrats vote to ban ICE from using masks — and the DOJ issues defiant response

Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

“ICE is focusing on the worst first through targeted enforcement. However, it is also a crime to live in this country illegally,” ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Brian McShane stated about the arrests. “Knowing this, ICE has been empowered to vigorously search out, arrest, and remove anyone violating federal immigration law.”

During a press conference following news of the arrests, several immigrant rights groups claimed that many of those arrested were traveling to work at a construction site when they were detained.

The DHS did not respond to requests for comment.

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​News, Illegal immigration crisis, Immigration crisis, Illegal immigration, Immigration, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Pennsylvania, State college, Doxxing, Dox, Doxing, Anti-ice, Politics 

The media and conservative pundits may have buried the Department of Government Efficiency, but they have yet to carve a date of death on its tombstone. While DOGE in Washington may have appeared to insiders as a vanity project, voters saw it as a mandate — one that Republicans at the federal level have largely set aside in favor of politics as usual.

But activists have not forgotten. In red states across the country, they are still demanding accountability. And in Idaho, that pressure is finally producing results.

If Idaho can succeed and follow Florida’s lead, there is no serious reason other red states cannot do the same — unless they are prepared to admit they never intended to keep their promises.

For what appears to be the first time, state legislators serving on Idaho’s DOGE Task Force concluded their 2025 work with a meeting that departed from months of cautious, procedural discussion. Members asked harder questions, voiced long-simmering frustrations, and issued a recommendation that could reshape the state’s fiscal future: urging the full legislature to consider repealing Medicaid expansion, a costly policy that has drained taxpayers of millions.

Red states can’t stall forever

Idaho may not be Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ DOGE-style reforms have produced consistent wins for fiscal sanity and limited government. But it is doing more than other red states, such as North Dakota, where a DOGE committee stacked with Democrats predictably ignored the voters’ mandate.

The Idaho meeting exposed growing dissatisfaction with the task force’s approach. Over the summer and fall, the committee — charged with identifying inefficiencies — repeatedly deferred to state agencies for suggestions on cuts. Unsurprisingly those agencies offered little beyond cosmetic changes.

Idaho state Rep. Heather Scott (R-LD2, Blanchard) gave voice to that frustration. “What is the goal of this committee?” she asked, pressing colleagues to offer recommendations that actually matter. “Twenty thousand here, 50,000 there, or removing old code is not meaningful efficiency,” Scott said. Repealing Medicaid expansion, she argued, would be one of the “best decisions” the state could make.

Nibbling at the edges

Scott’s experience on the Idaho task force stands in stark contrast to the early federal DOGE efforts, which moved aggressively to slash U.S. Agency for International Development’s workforce, freeze fraudulent payments, and cancel billions in corrupt contracts. By comparison, Idaho’s task force had mostly nibbled at the edges. This recommendation marked its first serious step toward substantive reform.

Another revealing moment came from co-chairman state Sen. Todd Lakey (R-Nampa), who read a letter from a small-business owner offering health insurance to employees. Workers routinely request schedules capped at 20 to 28 hours per week to preserve Medicaid expansion benefits — even though full-time work would require only a modest contribution toward employer-provided coverage.

The result is a perverse incentive structure: businesses struggle to find full-time workers while taxpayers subsidize underemployment. The government fuels workforce shortages through welfare, then spends more taxpayer dollars trying to fix the shortages it created. This welfare-workforce vortex is the opposite of efficiency, and it is spreading nationwide.

The meeting’s most explosive moment came from state Rep. Josh Tanner (R-Eagle), who described Idaho’s Medicaid reimbursement structure as resembling “money laundering.”

Citing analysis from the Paragon Health Institute, Tanner explained how provider assessment fees allow states to inflate Medicaid spending to draw down larger federal matching funds, cycling the money back through enhanced payments. Paragon has described these arrangements as “legalized money laundering” — schemes that shift costs to federal taxpayers while enriching connected providers or funding unrelated priorities.

Nationally supplemental payments now exceed $110 billion annually, siphoning hundreds of billions from taxpayers over a decade.

RELATED: Turn off the money; they’ll leave: Elon Musk nails the border truth

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

DOGE’s second life

My sources tell me that hospital lobbyists went into panic mode after the meeting, urgently contacting Capitol officials to contain the fallout from Tanner’s remarks.

For the first time, the task force aired real frustrations, documented real harms, and named real abuses. That alone offers reason for cautious optimism.

Idaho now has committed conservatives in positions of influence. With the task force’s recommendation to revisit Medicaid expansion heading to the legislature, the state has an opportunity to govern as it campaigns — preserving liberty, restoring accountability, and expanding opportunity.

If Idaho can succeed and follow Florida’s lead, there is no serious reason other red states cannot do the same — unless they are prepared to admit they never intended to keep their promises in the first place.

​Doge, Elon musk, Red states, Usaid, Opinion & analysis, Idaho, Florida, Ron desantis, Spending cuts, Department of government efficiency, North dakota, Medicaid, Corruption, Waste fraud and abuse, Accountability, Opportunity 

Christians in Nigeria have faced increased persecution recently. President Trump has landed a major surprise blow against those responsible.

On Christmas Day, President Donald Trump announced a “powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!”

‘The symbolism of doing this on Christmas should not be ignored.’

“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing. Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper.”

Trump’s post concluded, “May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”

RELATED: Rapper thanks Trump for defending Nigerian Christians; president threatens to ‘completely wipe out’ their jihadi attackers

— (@)

On X, War Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the attack and the Nigerian government’s cooperation with the United States in facilitating the strike.

“The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. The [Department of War] is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas. More to come… Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!” Hegseth wrote.

Trump previously threatened to “do things in Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about” and “go into that now disgraced country guns-a-blazing.”

Responding to the announcement, Fox News’ Peter Doocy said, “The symbolism of doing this on Christmas should not be ignored.”

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​Politics, Nigeria, Isis, Isis strikes, Nigerian christians, Peter doocy, Christmas, Merry christmas, Department of war, Terrorist scum, Pete hegseth 

The young conservative movement is experiencing a notable leadership gap amid ongoing chaos in the online right-wing space. Sure, there are passionate influencers and rising political voices, but no one has fully stepped up to unify and guide the broader coalition with a commanding presence.

One person investigative journalist and BlazeTV host Christopher Rufo thinks might be able to step into the role, however, is Vice President JD Vance. But Rufo’s co-host Jonathan Keeperman isn’t sure Vance is up for the job either.

In this episode of “Rufo & Lomez,” the hosts debate whether JD Vance can step up as the unifying leader the conservative movement needs amid escalating chaos.

“I’ve been so far a bit surprised that the vice president hasn’t tried to step into this role,” says Rufo, arguing that Vance has both the “charisma” and the “authority” to effectively lead the movement.

“I’ve known JD over the years. … It does feel like he has some hesitation or maybe even some fear,” he adds.

While Keeperman agrees that Vance “has all of the tools and charisma and … the right talking points” to be an excellent leader, his role as the vice president would actually be a hindrance.

“I don’t think JD Vance should actually do that in his vice presidential position. Not right now. I think it’d be a bit presumptuous. I think people might kind of see it as him stepping in to sort of correct a situation that I think needs to just happen organically,” he counters.

For one, Vance’s position prohibits him from “[speaking] candidly about the administration.”

“Whoever is going to step into this role has to feel credible to this audience, and part of that credibility is going to come from just speaking honestly about all of these different things happening in this ecosystem — whether it’s the different personalities, the ideas, the sort of ideology that’s animating Trump but also the specific actions that the Trump administration is taking,” Keeperman explains.

In other words, the kind of leader people will follow needs to be an outsider who can speak brutal truths about the current administration, and Vance, as Trump’s right-hand man, can’t be that person.

Secondly, President Trump is still the top dog, Keeperman explains. For his VP to assume the authority of this role as the leader of the conservative movement “might not sit well inside of this coalition.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Rufo concedes. “We need some sort of native figure to step up in the same way that Charlie Kirk did, in the same way that Tucker had done.”

To hear more of the conversation, watch the episode above.

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​Rufo & lomez, Chris rufo, Jonathan keeperman, Jd vance, Charlie kirk, Tucker carlson, Conservatives, Young conservatives, Blazetv, Blaze media, Gop 

With the first Turning Point USA AmFest convention since Charlie Kirk’s death in September now concluded, TPUSA’s Andrew Kolvet offered his insights on the convention and the political path ahead.

Earlier this week, Kolvet told Fox News in an interview that Turning Point is “all in” for one of Charlie Kirk’s closest friends in politics.

‘Charlie was very close to the vice president and had basically endorsed him already for months beforehand.’

“We’re all in behind Vice President JD Vance. Charlie considered him a generational talent and somebody that could lead this nation forward,” Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” said.

Kolvet remarked that it was almost natural for the organization to support JD Vance given Charlie Kirk’s relationship with him. “Charlie was very close to the vice president and had basically endorsed him already for months beforehand. It was no surprise for us. It was no surprise for those who were close to us.”

RELATED: TPUSA straw poll shows dominant front-runner for 2028 nomination

Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk announced her endorsement of JD Vance during her speech at America Fest on the first day of the convention.

“We’re gonna ensure that President Trump has Congress for all four years,” she said. “We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance, elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible!”

Andrew Kolvet reiterated the organization’s support for the vice president while urging people to stay focused on the present: “We’re very happy for the here and now, so we’re going to let the next year play out, but heading into 2028, we’re excited to get behind him. And the machine that Charlie built and that’s still in place at Turning Point is going to be all in for the vice president.”

Vice President JD Vance gave a speech on unity on the last day of the convention, refusing to condemn dissident voices despite loud demands within the conservative movement.

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​Politics, Charlie kirk, Erika kirk, America fest, Amfest, Vice president jd vance, Vp jd vance, Trump, Turning point usa, Andrew kolvet 

A single man had near-unending influence over the infrastructure of the largest North American cities.

Robert Moses, born in 1888 in New Haven, Connecticut, helped pioneer large-scale urban infrastructure built around cars and commerce. His top-down planning approach later influenced other controlled, master-planned environments, including those created by Walt Disney.

‘An extraordinary man who, denied power within the normal framework of the democratic process, stepped outside that framework.’

Moses held many titles during his time in politics and city/park planning, including secretary of state of New York (1927-1929), the first chairman of New York State Council of Parks (1924-1963), and the first commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (1934-1960).

Mr. Moses’ neighborhood

Moses’ influence can be seen all over New York City, and he is predominantly responsible for turning a collection of neighborhoods into the common metropolis that most cities appear as today.

It was Moses’ idea to run expressways right through the middle of cities to maximize access to commercial zones. He was responsible for infrastructure projects like the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Staten Island Expressway, and the Cross Bronx Expressway. Many bridges that lead into New York City and Manhattan were his doing as well.

FDR Drive, where the United Nations headquarters is located, is also a creation of Moses.

All’s fair

Aside from numerous bridges and expressways, Moses also built nearly 30,000 apartment units by 1939, which is discussed in his biography, “The Power Broker,” by Robert Caro.

The book describes Moses as “an extraordinary man who, denied power within the normal framework of the democratic process, stepped outside that framework to grasp power sufficient to shape a great city and to hold sway over the very texture of millions of lives.”

It was that influence and power in New York that led him to becoming the president of the World’s Fair in 1964. Which, according to a documentary by Defunctland, led to Moses implementing mass evictions in low-income neighborhoods to make way for road systems.

RELATED: Comedian Shane Gillis shocks ESPN crowd with Epstein and illegal alien jokes: ‘This is Disney’

Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Moses planned to make at least half of the fairgrounds permanent and openly said that much of the infrastructure was meant to stay as part of his vision of a futuristic park. This plan mirrored Moses’ suggestions for many of the city projects he worked on.

Shopping block

At the same time, the fair was more heavily commercialized than any before it. Moses abandoned the visual and thematic consistency of earlier fairs to maximize profit, allowing companies to design their own exhibits in exchange for high rental and repair fees — services that were allegedly monopolized by a small number of favored contractors.

Moses’ success in commercialization was noted by Disney, who wished to replicate his overall design thesis when plotting out Disney World in Florida. The two had worked together on the 1939 World’s Fair, for which Disney created a special promo cartoon and even licensed a Donald Duck Day.

The first animatronics were created for the 1964 iteration of the fair as well.

Moses’ influence goes far beyond Disney, though. He either directly consulted on, or influenced, the planning of at least a dozen North American cities. He is responsible for the infrastructural theory that cities should be focused on commercial centers, not residential housing.

Room for vroom

The idea that cars should move swiftly through cities on expressways took hold in places like Portland, where Moses was hired to help design the freeway network.

In Pittsburgh, Moses put his skills in planning both parkways and parks into practice when he was hired by the Pittsburgh Regional Planning Association to solve congestion issues. He ended up building the Penn-Lincoln Parkway, the Crosstown Boulevard, and the Point State Park.

RELATED: Tragic Kingdom: String of mysterious deaths shakes Disney World

Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer/D23 EXPO via Getty Images

Moses acted as a consultant for a “high-speed freeway” in New Orleans in the 1940s and “stressed the benefits of removing vehicle traffic from the crowded streets,” according to an article by urban planning expert Jeff Brown.

While most of his suggestions were not taken in New Orleans, they were in Hartford, Connecticut, where he planned another freeway. The city declined his suggestion to build a parking garage in tandem with the expressway, though.

Interestingly, Moses’ road was reportedly placed through a slum in order to capitalize on “urban renewal funds” to help pay for the project.

Goin’ south

Other cities like Boston, San Francisco, Baltimore, Memphis, Phoenix, and Toronto, Canada, have seen indirect influence from Moses. In the 1940s and 1950s, Moses eventually faced resistance, and many of his highway projects were scaled back or canceled, according to the New World Encyclopedia.

As the desire for Moses’ planning skills eventually soured, he and others looked to opportunities in Latin America.

The article “Transforming the modern Latin American city: Robert Moses and the International Basic Economic Corporation” discusses how in 1950, the mayor of Sao Paulo, Brazil, hired a commercial corporation headed by Nelson Rockefeller to design the public works for the city.

Moses was appointed director of studies to work in the “Program of Public Improvements” for Sao Paulo and allegedly caused great controversy in Brazil due to his intentions to import American companies to operate in the country.

Moses’ influence is still visible in major cities where congestion is chronic and housing is scarce. Disney World succeeded for a simpler reason: It was designed entirely around consumerism, without the complications of cars, housing, or civic life.

In that sense, Disney World represents a kind of Robert Moses ideal — an urban space devoted purely to consumption, perfectly controlled, and freed from the democratic friction and human needs that constrained Moses in the real world.

​Align, Cities, Robert moses, Disney, City planning, New york, Infrastructure, Pittsburgh, New orleans, Brazil, Rockefeller, Christmas, Lifestyle 

The concerns of many Americans about their economic well-being may be at the highest level since the Great Depression. Politico recently reported that 46% of Americans say their cost of living is the worst that they can remember, including over one-third of Trump voters. Nothing better exemplifies this than the many “30-somethings” who are unable to purchase a home.

Financial anxieties center around affordability, which is the proxy for evaluating whether the economy is meeting the public’s needs. Affordability is the degree to which households can responsibly pay for essential goods and services.

In the end, the nation’s affordability dilemma is about the confidence people have in the country’s economic future.

Gregg Ip, an economic commentator for the Wall Street Journal, says that affordability cannot be measured solely by economic data, but must also account for perceptions of financial security.

President Trump opined that concerns about affordability are a “hoax” created by Democrats for political purposes. Most Americans would disagree. While the runaway inflation of the Biden presidency has moderated, widespread concerns about affordability persist. According to a recent Politico poll, nearly half of the nation found the cost of their groceries, health care, utilities, and housing to be unaffordable. About half of the respondents said food costs are difficult to manage, and more than a quarter skipped medical appointments because of the cost.

In the 2026 midterm elections, it will be incumbent upon Republicans and Democrats to make an affordability agenda “job one.” These agendas should be the yardstick voters use to cast their vote for members of Congress and state officials.

The U.S. affordability crisis is multidimensional, requiring a dual-track strategy that combines structural reforms with immediate and affordable relief for the most vulnerable citizens. Each party’s affordability agenda should demonstrate when households will realize cost-of-living relief, avoid another round of inflation, provide market incentives for innovation, supply expansion and productivity gains, demonstrate distributional fairness, and stress choice over federal mandates.

Restoring an affordable economy will require that failed federal policies be reversed and the president and Congress focus on fixing long-term root causes.

To make goods and services more affordable, public policies should aim at increasing private-sector housing construction, modernizing domestic energy regulations, expanding production, encouraging competition in the health care insurance market, avoiding deficit spending that can rekindle inflation, rolling back regulations that increase consumer and business expenses, and devolving social and educational programs to the states to tailor taxpayer-friendly solutions to local challenges.

The nation’s affordability dilemma is not only about the price of goods and services. It concerns the relationship between costs, income, and the perception of financial security. In the end, it is about the confidence people have in the country’s economic future.

RELATED: All I want for Christmas is for Vivek Ramaswamy to stop embarrassing the GOP

Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images

When households and businesses feel “squeezed,” they lose faith that public or private institutions are protecting their interests. A September 2025 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center found that just 17% of Americans trusted the federal government to do the “right thing” most of the time. Similarly, the July 2025 Gallup survey reported that less than 30% of Americans had confidence in U.S. institutions.

The major impediments to addressing the high cost of living are deep ideological divides over causes and solutions. Progressives emphasize government mandates and regulations, subsidies, and deficit spending. Conservatives stress fiscal restraint and market-driven solutions. Adopting common-sense economic reforms requires compromise and the rejection of left and right extremism driven by grievances and rage.

There is no more important issue for voters than which candidates and parties will boldly tackle the affordability challenge. Success will be influenced by policies that encourage business investment and innovation and workers keeping more of their income.

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

​Inflation, Economy, Housing prices, Food prices, Cost of living, Affordability, Opinion & analysis, 2026 midterms, Republicans, Democrats 

Michael Jordan gives back far more than he gets credit for.

After six NBA championships and a Hall of Fame career, Jordan is now known most for his Air Jordan brand, memes of him crying, and compilations of him expressing personal grievances that fueled his athletic prowess.

‘Did you get all the stuff?!’

What does not get as much media play is Jordan’s long history of charity toward low-income communities, disaster relief, and sick children.

In fact, even when Jordan was being mocked with the “it became personal” meme following the airing of his 2020 Netflix documentary, “The Last Dance,” he was giving millions to feed the hungry during the Christmas season.

In late November 2020, months after the documentary released, Jordan donated $2 million of profit from the movie to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief program. He focused on the Carolinas, where he played college basketball, and Chicago, where he won his NBA championships.

This came at a time when the organization had announced that more than 50 million Americans were struggling with food bills due to COVID-19.

What may be even more notable, though, is Jordan’s history with the Make-A-Wish organization.

RELATED: ‘You don’t get my respect’: NHL legend PK Subban goes off on NBA culture in explosive rant, says he’s tired of the excuses

As the NBA reported in 2019, Jordan has been chief ambassador for Make-A-Wish since 2008, donating more than $5 million to the charity while granting hundreds of wishes over a 30-year span.

His donation totals catapulted in early 2023, when Jordan celebrated his 60th birthday by giving a whopping $10 million donation to Make-A-Wish, the biggest contribution the company had ever received.

But what is seemingly more impactful than his donations is Jordan’s willingness to reach out to young fans of his who are struggling, sick, or even similarly to him, a meme.

The latter is exactly what happened to Jeffrey from Spokane, Washington, in 2016. Jeffrey was spotted wearing Jordan’s Chicago Bulls gear at a local basketball park. Viewers were shocked at how similar he looked to the NBA legend, and the video quickly became a laughing stock online as it appeared an adult man was mimicking a professional athlete.

However, Jordan became aware of the nuanced details of the story, including that Jeffrey was developmentally disabled. He has a seizure disorder, mild retardation, and autism. His mother told reporters that Jeffrey was diagnosed at the age of 4 when he complained of painful headaches.

Just months after the meme took off, Jordan sent Jeffrey a massive haul of Air Jordan goods — and even gave him a phone call.

RELATED: Michael Jordan sues NASCAR but is dealt major legal blow just 2 days before his driver competes in Cup Series championship

“Did you get all the stuff?!” Jordan is heard asking Jeffrey. After Jeffrey confirmed, Jordan followed up, “Is it enough?!”

The two laughed. “Enjoy yourself, and I’m going to be watching for you,” Jordan added.

“All right … I love you,” Jeffrey threw out to his hero.

“Love you, man,” Jordan replied.

The greatest basketball player of all time, who famously said, “Republicans buy sneakers too,” has made so many charitable donations that the NBA has an entire page dedicated to his philanthropy.

It notes $2 million of relief funds to victims of Hurricane Florence in 2018, $500,000 to stock libraries and preschools in Charlotte in 2016, and $250,000 to food banks in 2012, among many other donations.

In November 2025, Jordan continued his tradition of helping others during the holiday season, with a $10 million donation to a North Carolina medical center in honor of his mother.

The Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, will name its neuroscience institute after Deloris Jordan, according to ESPN.

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​Fearless, Michael jordan, Charity, Make a wish, Food bank, Sports 

What many don’t know is that there are two sides to Donald Trump: the public persona known for scathing Truth Social posts and humiliating contentious reporters and the incredibly gracious family man behind the bombast.

Before Glenn Beck knew the difference, he believed Trump to be an insincere grifter, spurring him to make some public statements he deeply regrets today.

On a recent episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn shared a story about Donald Trump that nearly drove him to tears.

Before Trump announced his presidential run in 2015, he and Glenn were friendly after hitting it off at one of Larry King’s birthday parties. During one conversation, Trump urged Glenn, who traveled often for work, to stay at one of the Trump hotels.

Glenn agreed to try it out and booked a room at the Trump International Hotel in New City during a business trip. However, at the time, he was on a strict diet for health reasons that only allowed him to eat 70 specific foods. As a result, a personal chef had to accompany him everywhere he went.

“And so I called [Trump] up, and I said, ‘Hey, I’m coming to New York. I have a chef that has to travel with me because I can only eat these 70 things, and it has to be exact. … Could you accommodate?’ … And he’s like, ‘Absolutely, not a problem,”’ Glenn recounts.

However, during Glenn’s stay in NYC, he got a phone call informing him that his father was about to pass away, requiring him to cut his trip short.

“Somehow or another, [Trump] found out that I left. I go to Seattle; my father dies; I come back home, and he calls me up, and he said, ‘Is there a reason you left early from the hotel? Did something go wrong?’ And I said, ‘Yes, sir. My father passed away.’ And he said, ‘Oh my gosh, Glenn, I’m so sorry to hear that,”’ Glenn says, calling Trump “so relatable and so kind.”

However, Glenn’s kindly opinion of the future president immediately soured when Trump announced just a week after their phone conversation that he was running for president.

“I can’t believe I’m confessing this. This is so horrible for me to say. This is one of the worst things I’ve done in a long time,” he says, fighting back tears.

“I remember getting on the air as soon as he announces [his candidacy] … and I said, ‘That son of b***h has been courting me this whole time. He has been setting me up for an endorsement. That’s what this whole thing has been about.’ And I assume the worst of him,” Glenn confesses.

Today Glenn knows the real Donald Trump — the one whose children and grandchildren worship the ground he walks on. He knows that the attentiveness and kindness Trump showed him after his father passed away wasn’t performance or grift. It was genuine.

“He was just such a gracious guy, and I spat in his face for it, and I regret it. Anything that you think he is, anything the press says he is, he’s not that guy,” says Glenn.

To hear Glenn retell the story in detail, watch the video above.

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