Category: blaze media

President Donald Trump linked his latest push to take control of Greenland to his snubbed Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump and his administration has championed the idea of taking Greenland primarily for military and strategic advantages, even threatening retaliatory tariffs against noncompliant countries. Many European leaders flinched at the idea, including Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

‘The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.’

While Trump would prefer for Greenland to fall under America’s domain, Støre and other Europeans are eyeing “proportionate countermeasures” to the tariffs and the proposed territorial acquisition.

In a letter addressed to Støre, Trump pushed back on the Europeans’ grievances, saying he has “done more for NATO than any other person since its founding.”

RELATED: Venezuelan freedom fighter honors Trump: Machado insists ‘he deserves’ Nobel Prize after capture of dictator Maduro

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,” Trump said in the letter.

“Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway?” Trump added. “There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States.”

RELATED: ‘Make America Go Away’: Protests erupt in Greenland after Trump threatens tariffs on Europe

Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images

“The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you!”

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​Donald trump, Nobel peace prize, Europe, European union, Greenland, Jonas gahr store, Nato, Russia, China, Politics 

President Donald Trump has vowed to “take out” the Republican leader in the Indiana Senate for failing to enact the administration’s preferred congressional map.

With the 2026 primaries fast approaching, Republicans and Democrats have been gone head-to-head in several states over congressional redistricting. While both parties have seen some success in redrawing districts to their partisan benefit, Indiana Senate Majority Leader Rod Bray’s chamber struck down a new map that would have created two red congressional seats.

‘Republican’s House majority continues to shrink.’

“I was with David McIntosh of the Club for Growth, and we agreed that we will both work tirelessly together to take out Indiana Senate Majority Leader Rod Bray, a total RINO, who betrayed the Republican Party, the President of the United States, and everyone else who wants to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said in a Truth Social Post.

“We’re after you Bray, like no one has ever come after you before!”

RELATED: Vance casts tiebreaking war powers vote after Republicans betray Trump

Kaiti Sullivan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

McIntosh confirmed Trump’s statement, saying he and the president are “aligned.”

“Rod Bray is going down,” McIntosh said in a post on X.

Trump’s frustration with Bray comes as the Republicans’ House majority continues to shrink with resignations, impending retirements, and the tragic death of GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California.

Because of the successful redistricting efforts of blue states like California, many Republican seats are rated “toss-ups” by the Cook Political Report, leaving a lot of wiggle room for Democrats to regain control of the House. Just four Democrat-held seats are currently rated “toss-up,” while 14 Republican seats share the same electoral uncertainty.

RELATED: California Republican suddenly dies at age 65

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

There is also a trend of alternating between unified and divided governments every Congress, with the latter half of a president’s term often being paired with an opposing Congress. Although this is not the case for every modern presidency, it is an observable pattern that pundits and political operatives are bracing themselves for.

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​Donald trump, Rod bray, Indiana, Redistricting, Redistricting battle, Prop 50, Gavin newsom, California, Truth social, David mcintosh, Rino, Republican in name only, House republicans, Mike johnson, Cook political report, House democrats, Congress, Politics 

Democrats have made no secret of their contempt for the men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who daily put their lives at risk to keep dangerous criminal noncitizens off American streets.

Evidently keen to go beyond just demonizing ICE agents, a Maryland Democrat has proposed legislation that would deny them future jobs in the crime-ridden state’s enforcement agencies.

Adrian Boafo, a Democrat member of Maryland’s House of Delegates who is currently running for Congress, proposed legislation earlier this month titled the “ICE Breaker Act of 2026,” aimed at punishing “those who are motivated to support this Administration’s immigration policies and principles by joining ICE.”

‘The ICE Breaker Act of 2026 is an unserious, frankly stupid bill.’

“Under Donald Trump, Steven Miller [sic] and Kristi Noem, ICE has ceased to function as a lawful and legitimate law enforcement agency,” said Boafo. “Instead it operates as a lawless and unconstitutional paramilitary operation.”

“Accordingly, this bill prevents individuals who chose to join ICE after January 20, 2025 in support of this administration’s immigration agenda from serving in trusted law-enforcement positions within Maryland state government,” added Boafo, who claimed elsewhere that ICE agents are neither trained nor qualified to serve as police.

The Department of Homeland Security recently indicated that ICE received over 220,000 applications and hired well over 10,000 new officers over the past year, doubling the number of personnel from 10,000 to roughly 22,000.

Boafo, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, will reportedly formally introduce the bill when the General Assembly reconvenes this week and has promised to introduce similar legislation in Congress if elected in the midterms.

RELATED: ‘You are on notice!’ Don Lemon backs anti-ICE radicals who stormed Saint Paul church — but DOJ vows reckoning

Adrian Boafo. Photo by Eric Lee/Washington Post/Getty Images

The proposed legislation has been condemned by various officials in the state.

Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler suggested Boafo’s bill was “another poorly thought out piece of legislation and one motivated purely by political purposes.”

Gahler told WBFF-TV that ICE agents “have a legitimate law enforcement mission to fulfill, and this delegate wants to punish them for taking an oath of office and doing the job they are constitutionally sworn to do.”

“How sad can Maryland’s legislature — how low can they go?” said Gahler. “The hate, the Trump derangement syndrome would be the basis.”

Betsy Smith, spokeswoman for the National Police Association, underscored that contrary to Boafo’s suggestion, ICE agents have to undergo strict scrutiny and relevant testing in order to join state law enforcement agencies.

“It sounds as though this politician wants people to believe that an ICE agent can just come into their town and tomorrow be a patrol officer,” Smith told WBFF. “It’s simply ridiculous.”

Smith further stressed that it is “ridiculous to not hire ICE agents during a police understaffing crisis.”

“This is a dumb idea,” Republican Del. Kathy Szeliga told the Washington Post. “Law enforcement hiring should be based on the training, experience, and conduct of the candidate, not a partisan litmus test tied to some president you don’t like.”

Maryland House Minority Leader Jason Buckel (R) cast doubt on the legality of the proposed legislation and suggested it was “not worthy of serious consideration.”

Republican Del. Matt Morgan emphasized the discriminatory nature of the proposed hiring ban, writing, “What about ICE agents hired under Biden or Obama? The ICE Breaker Act of 2026 is an unserious, frankly stupid bill for the purpose of political pandering.”

Despite its vilification by Boafo and other Maryland Democrats, ICE has worked overtime to make the state safer.

For instance, earlier this month, ICE arrested Oscar Miguel Argueta-Del Cid, an illegal alien from El Salvador who was convicted of sexually abusing a minor in Montgomery County, and last month ICE arrested Kevin Alexis Mendex-Ortiz, a criminal noncitizen from Honduras who caused a head-on collision in Prince George’s County that sent an American citizen to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Blaze News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

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​Maryland, Democrats, Adrian boafo, Democrat, Leftism, Crime, Immigration, Us immigration and customs enforcement, Law enforcement, Ice breaker act, Employment, Illegal aliens, Politics 

The richest man in the world has made a hefty donation to a pro-Trump Republican looking to take over the Kentucky U.S. Senate seat occupied by Mitch McConnell for 40 years, Axios has reported..

Last week, billionaire businessman Elon Musk donated $10 million to the Fight for Kentucky super PAC, which supports the candidacy of Nate Morris, founder of waste and recycling giant Rubicon.

Axios implied that the Musk-Morris connection may have come about because of Vice President JD Vance.

Morris has billed himself as a MAGA warrior and the antithesis of McConnell. In a scathing campaign video titled “Garbage Day,” Morris suggests that McConnell is a “trash Trump” “career politician” who has been “dumping” on Americans and Kentuckians in particular for decades.

“We’ve let the garbage pile up in Washington, D.C., for far too long. I’m running for Senate to help President Trump clean up the mess,” Morris states in the ad.

McConnell announced last February that he would not seek an eighth term.

RELATED: Mitch McConnell announces Senate retirement

Axios implied that the Musk-Morris connection may have come about because of Vice President JD Vance, whom the outlet described as “close to” Musk and a “personal friend” to Morris.

Axios also indicated that Musk’s massive donation is a sign that he intends to use his wealth in support of Republicans in the 2026 midterms.

Morris did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment but did retweet a post about the Axios report. Requests for comment sent to Musk’s various businesses received no response.

The Axios report did not include a statement from Morris or Musk.

Thus far, President Donald Trump has not endorsed any candidate in the race. In his campaign video, Morris characterizes other Republicans running for the seat — Congressman Andy Barr and former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron — as McConnell’s “puppets.”

Several Democrats have tossed their hats into the ring, including Amy McGrath, who was trounced by McConnell in 2020. However, whoever prevails in the Republican primary is expected to win the general election in November.

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​Elon musk, Mitch mcconnell, Nate morris, Rubicon, Politics 

In one of the clearest examples of elections having consequences in recent times, Virginia’s new lieutenant governor’s swearing-in ceremony made history for its unorthodox changes.

On Saturday, Ghazala Firdous Hashmi took her oath of office to fill the lieutenant governor seat. However there was one major twist to the proceedings: Instead of placing her left hand on the Bible, Hashmi swore her oath on the Quran.

Hashmi sees her election and inauguration as a sign of Virginia’s ‘continued progress toward a more representative and inclusive democracy.’

“Place your left hand on the Quran,” the woman directing the inauguration instructed Hashmi.

“I, Ghazala Firdous Hashmi, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States,” she said during the ceremony.

RELATED: Progressive wins VA race despite admitted indifference to ‘sexually explicit material’ in schools

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

According to her official website, Hashmi was born in Hyderabad, India, and was brought to the United States as a child.

She is the first Muslim woman to hold statewide office in the nation and the first South Asian-American to be elected to statewide office in Virginia.

Hashmi sees her election and inauguration as a sign of Virginia’s “continued progress toward a more representative and inclusive democracy.”

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​Politics, Islam, Quran, Ghazala hashmi, Muslim, Muslim woman, Virginia, Lieutenant governor, Inauguration, Hyderabad india 

Every Friday evening, our house goes offline. My wife and I close our laptops, silence our phones, and step away from the world for about 24 hours.

We don’t watch any movies, don’t listen to any music, don’t drive anywhere in the car, and don’t buy anything at the store. Our kids may not be as plugged in as my wife or I am, but they too retreat from the world outside our family.

I remember what actually matters. I feel less angry, less anxious, and less consumed by things beyond my control.

We do this every week because we observe the Jewish Sabbath, which begins just before sundown on Friday night and ends just after sunset on Saturday.

Pressing pause

The truth is not many people observe the Sabbath like we do. Of course, all traditionally inclined Jews observe in our same way, but there aren’t that many traditionally observant Jews in the world. In terms of world population, the number of people who take a 24-hour break from the internet every single week on the Sabbath is rather small.

That number should be larger. I say that not because I think more people should be religious in the same way we are; in my view, everyone has their own faith, and it’s not my place to tell people what to believe. But I do think people should observe some sort of Sabbath because it’s good for you.

I’m not the first to suggest that both gentiles and Jews could benefit from this ancient tradition. The late Charlie Kirk observed the Sabbath much like we do. At the time of his assassination, he was preparing to launch a book on the personal benefits of stepping away from the world every Friday evening.

Creative control

I can personally vouch for all the benefits the Sabbath brings. Getting away from the internet for a solid 24 hours every single week keeps me sane. Really, I’m not exaggerating. I would lose my mind without it. I don’t know how I would handle being plugged in 24/7 — 24/6 I can do, but no more than that.

To be honest, I feel myself starting to get sick of X, Instagram, news, and everything else searchable by Friday afternoon. I feel myself starting to get physically ill and more angry than I ought to be as the hours wind down before the weekend.

After six days of online living, I start to feel like a rubber band about to snap. Too many competing signals crowd my brain, making it impossible to think clearly. By the time the sun begins to set, I hate the internet so much that I just want to unplug from everything.

So that’s what I do.

And why not? Even God — the original Sabbath-keeper — needed a break after creating the world:

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made (Genesis 2:2-3, NKJV).

And He didn’t have social media.

Stranger danger

Never before in history have human beings had such constant access to the wider world. We can read news from every corner of the globe, peer into places our ancestors never knew existed, and absorb information about people we don’t know and never will. We can even enjoy the strange, modern pleasure of being insulted by random strangers online who, for reasons known only to them, have decided they hate us.

These are all recent developments — and they come with modern, often negative consequences.

Our ancestors never lived in a world like this. And it is, frankly, a wild one. It has a way of convincing us that trivial things matter more than they do, of distracting us from what truly matters. It pulls our attention away from our families and from God and pushes it instead toward a constant stream of strangers, gossip, and noise. It wears on you. It drives you a little crazy.

I think we’re seeing the effects of that now. A world permanently plugged into the internet is a world slowly losing its bearings. People become meaner, more confused, more absorbed in distant controversies and less attentive to the people right in front of them. They become less themselves and more like the mob — less human, in a subtle but troubling way. The always-online state has made us coarser, and we are worse for it.

RELATED: Erika Kirk joins Glenn Beck to discuss Charlie’s legacy and his book on honoring the Sabbath

Glenn Beck, Erika Kirk. Image source: Blaze Media

Keeping quiet

Every week when I unplug, I arrive at the same realizations. They usually come sometime around Saturday afternoon. I remember what actually matters. I feel less angry, less anxious, and less consumed by things beyond my control. I feel more like myself. My mind is clearer. My heart is gentler. I am, quite simply, more at peace.

I wish I could remember all of this without the Sabbath. But I can’t. I’m not perfect — far from it. And maybe, just maybe, God knew something about the people He created when He gave us a day of rest.

I step away from the internet and the world of work every Friday night. I don’t think you have to do it exactly the way I do — or even on the same day — for it to matter. Maybe for you it’s Saturday night to Sunday night. Maybe it’s all day Sunday until Monday morning. Whatever works for you is fine.

I only know what works for me: turning off my phone every Friday evening, watching my wife and daughter light the Shabbat candles, sharing a meal together, not checking the news, and spending 24 hours in a small, quiet cocoon — safe, for a time, from a chaotic world.

​Men’s style, Judaism, Faith, Sabbath, Charlie kirk, Lifestyle, Internet, The root of the matter 

A Texas Army sergeant stationed at Fort Hood was arrested after video showing a 3-year-old boy being brutally beaten went viral on social media.

Waco Police said Paul Thames, 29, is the male seen in a Ring doorbell camera video beating the child, KWTX-TV reported, adding that the clip was recorded at the Legend Apartments and shared with law enforcement.

‘Are you going to stop playing?’

Thames is being held on a federal detainer at the McLennan County Jail, the station said.

A spokesperson with the 1st Cavalry Division confirmed to KWTX in an email that Thames is a sergeant stationed at Fort Hood.

“We are aware of the arrest of Sgt. Paul Thames for abuse of a child. The 1st Cavalry Division is in communication with law enforcement. We are disgusted by the video that has been posted,” the official told the station. “The behavior of Sgt. Thames does not reflect the values of the 1st Cavalry Division or the U.S. Army.”

RELATED: Woman admits to beating to death boyfriend’s 3-year-old son after horrific abuse, court records show

The video shared with KWTX shows the male picking up the toddler and hitting him at least five times in the torso with a clenched fist, the station said.

The boy is heard crying as the man pulls him up by the face and asks, “Are you going to stop playing?” KWTX reported, adding that the male then walks away with the child.

Police were dispatched around 5:20 p.m. Friday to the apartment complex located at 2400 Corporation Parkway to investigate the incident, the station said.

Police added to KWTX that the child was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where medical personnel evaluated him, and he was later released.

Thames surrendered to authorities and was booked into the McLennan County Jail late Friday night, the station said, adding that he was charged with injury to a child, a third-degree felony.

Thames’ bond was set at $200,000, but KWTX said the county jail confirmed that he was being held on a federal detainer.

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​Physical attack, Us army, Fort hood, Waco, Texas, Arrest, Child beating, Federal detainer, Ring camera, Injury to a child, Felony, Paul thames, Crime 

Everyone’s favorite Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, is fighting for a Texas Senate seat — and while she once had a commanding lead — new polling shows that changing.

Just last month, an article from CBS News read, “A poll last month from Texas Southern University showed Crockett leading Talarico by eight percentage points, 51% to 43%, with 6% undecided. During a recent campaign stop in Fort Worth, Crockett told CBS News Texas, ‘I will always run like I’m behind. That’s the only way I know how to run. So let me tell you, if I’m not in D.C., I will be here in Texas fighting to earn every single vote that I can.”

“That’s our girl. Inspiring, an inspiring candidate, Jasmine Crockett. Now you might say, ‘Wait a minute. Isn’t she a crazy leftist? Why are you saying she’s our girl?’ Because I want her to win this primary so very badly. I want her to run in basically every race that I follow because she’s just absolutely fantastic,” BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere comments.

However Stu has terrible news for those who love Crockett as much as he does.

“I hope you’re sitting down. ‘Texas 2026 poll: Talarico leads Crockett for Democratic Senate nomination,’” Stu reads.

“This is crushing. It’s crushing. And look, it’s not over yet. Still got plenty of time here to turn this around, but I am a little nervous in that she was up eight last time. And now James Talarico 47%, Jasmine Crockett at 38%,” Stu says.

“Still 15% undecided though. That’s 15% that could go to our girl Jasmine Crockett. She is losing now and that’s a 17-point swing from the last time,” he continues.

“Of course, if people are hearing her speak and listening to her policies, well of course she’s going to lose. That’s unfair. We shouldn’t be focusing on those things. That’s not what Jasmine’s here to do,” he says, adding, “Very disappointing. I’m disappointed in you Texas.”

Want more from Stu?

To enjoy more of Stu’s lethal wit, wisdom, and mockery, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Sharing, Video, Upload, Free, Video phone, Camera phone, Youtube.com, Stu does america, Stu burguiere, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, James talarico, Jasmine crockett, Senate texas, Texas senate, Jasmine crockett texas senate run, Jasmine crockett polling 

Ex-CNN talking head Don Lemon joined other radicals in storming a Christian church on Sunday in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The White House and the Department of Justice indicated that those who disrupted the service, intimidated churchgoers, and screamed incessantly at the altar about Renee Good — a subversive who died driving her SUV into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent — may soon face a reckoning.

Rushing the altar

Radicals from Racial Justice Network, Black Lives Matter Minnesota, and BLM Twin Cities assembled on Sunday for a so-called “ICE Out Action.” Rather than interfere with ICE operations like the woman whose name was on their lips, they rushed into Cities Church and did their best to drown out sounds of worship.

‘A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest!’

Nekima Levy Armstrong, founder of the Racial Justice Network and former president of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP, claimed responsibility for the disruption and indicated that Cities Church was targeted because “David Easterwood is a Pastor at this church and the Acting Field Director for the ICE office in St. Paul.”

Footage from an October Department of Homeland Security press conference appears to feature the same David Easterwood who is pictured on the church’s website. Blaze News has reached out to ICE and Cities Church for comment.

“It’s time for judgment to begin,” said Armstrong.

The mob refused requests from church officials to leave the premises and instead screamed and chanted in the aisles and pews.

In one video of the mob action, Armstrong yells, “Someone who claims to worship God, teaching people in this church about God, is out there overseeing ICE agents. Think about what we experienced. The murder of Renee Good at the hands of ICE. A Venezuelan national shot by ICE.”

RELATED: Don Lemon calls for ‘black people, brown people’ to take up arms against ICE

Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

After alluding to two individuals who were shot, one fatally, while allegedly attacking federal agents, Armstrong yelled, “How dare you claim to be a pastor of God? … You are involved in evil in our community.”

In another potentially incriminating video that BLM Minnesota shared online, radicals can be seen blocking the altar, yelling Renee Good’s name, and pressing parishioners individually to answer whether they support ICE. One pair of visibly upset churchgoers can be seen in the video comforting one another while the radicals angrily condemn members of law enforcement.

Don Lemon, posing as a journalist on the scene, advocated for the mob action, stating, “There’s nothing in the Constitution that tells you what time you can protest. You can protest at any time. That’s the whole point of it — is to disrupt, is to make uncomfortable, and that’s what they’re doing, and that’s what I believe when I say everyone has to be willing to sacrifice something. You have to make people uncomfortable in these times.”

Lemon — who suggested in October that “black people, brown people” should take up arms against ICE — lectured lead Pastor Jonathan Parnell after Parnell said the mob action was “unacceptable” and that it was “shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship.”

RELATED: Blocking ICE with ‘micro-intifada’: Good’s group taught de-arrest, cop-car chaos before her death

Photo by Jason Alpert-Wisnia/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

“There’s a Constitution and the First Amendment to freedom of speech and freedom to assemble and protest,” Lemon told Parnell, excusing the mob’s interference and intimidation tactics.

Federal response

“President Trump will not tolerate the intimidation and harassment of Christians in their sacred places of worship,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “The Department of Justice has launched a full investigation into the despicable incident that took place earlier today at a church in Minnesota.”

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon indicated that her office was looking into potential violations of the the Freedom of Access to Clinics Entrances Act “by these people desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.” Dhillon noted further that the FBI had been “activated too!”

Although liberally and primarily used by the previous administration to lock up pro-life activists, the FACE ACT also prohibits the use of force, threat of force, or physical obstruction to injure, intimidate, or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise their First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.

Violations can result in prison time and hefty fines as well as civil lawsuits.

— (@)

Dhillon said in response to Lemon’s defense of the mob action, “A house of worship is not a public forum for your protest! It is a space protected from exactly such acts by federal criminal and civil laws! Nor does the First Amendment protect your pseudo journalism of disrupting a prayer service. You are on notice!”

After speaking with Pastor Parnell and Dhillon, Attorney General Pam Bondi stated, “Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law.”

“If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails,” added Bondi.

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​Protest, Mob, Blm, Black lives matter, Bigots, Anti-christian, Anti-ice, Us immigration and customs enforcement, Customs, Immigration, Ice, Minnesota, Minneapolis, St. paul, Don lemon, Leftist, Leftism, Liberal, Renee good, Face act, Freedom of access to clinic entrances act, Politics 

A new meta-study — a study of studies — reveals an inconvenient truth about weight loss itself: Willpower still matters. Manufacturers of GLP-1 injectables like Wegovy and Ozempic would prefer we forget that, since forgetting it is profitable.

The counter-claim — that diets and exercise are no match for our genes and environment — is one fat-positivity influencers have pushed for years. Now it has been eagerly adopted by companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to market their new, lizard-venom-derived blockbuster drugs.

People who stop taking weight-loss drugs regain weight at an average rate of 0.4 kilograms per month — roughly 10 pounds per year.

Business is booming. One in eight American adults have taken a weight-loss drug at one time — and this is only the beginning. Uptake remains far below its theoretical ceiling: More than 70% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, including roughly 40% who are clinically obese.

Shred-pilled?

What comes next is obvious. Adoption will surge as delivery methods improve, especially pills. People don’t like needles. Pills are much easier to swallow.

Just before Christmas, the Food and Drug Administration approved a pill version of Wegovy, imaginatively branded the Wegovy Pill. Pill versions of competing drugs, including Mounjaro, are expected to follow this year.

Some time ago, I predicted that a weight-loss drugmaker would become the largest company in the world within a decade. I made that prediction when Novo Nordisk — the Danish maker of Wegovy and Ozempic — became Europe’s most valuable company, with a market capitalization of roughly $570 billion, more than $200 billion greater than Denmark’s entire GDP. (It has since fallen a few spots.) I now refine that forecast: The pharmaceutical company that perfects the weight-loss pill — balancing results, side effects, and cost — will be the largest company on Earth.

There are already more than one billion obese people worldwide. There is no obvious reason why every one of them couldn’t be prescribed a daily pill.

RELATED: Fat chance! Obese immigrants make America sicker

Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images

Chubby checkers

Which brings us back to the meta-study. One of the central unanswered questions surrounding these drugs is what happens when patients stop taking them. Does the weight stay off — or does it return?

In practice, many people don’t stay on them long. Roughly half of users discontinue weight-loss drugs within a year, most often citing cost and side effects, which can include severe gastrointestinal distress, vision problems, and — in rare cases — death.

What happens after discontinuation matters enormously. If the weight returns, many users will be forced to remain on these drugs indefinitely — possibly for decades — to avoid relapse. Pharmaceutical executives have generally been reluctant to acknowledge this implication, though some have done so candidly.

Habit-forming

The researchers behind the new meta-study asked a sharper question still: How does stopping weight-loss drugs compare with stopping traditional interventions like diet and exercise?

The answer is stark. People who stop taking weight-loss drugs regain weight at an average rate of 0.4 kilograms per month — roughly 10 pounds per year. That is four times faster than the weight regain seen in people who stop exercising and restricting calories.

Four times.

The explanation is not mysterious. Pills do not build habits. Diet and exercise do. With drugs, appetite suppression is outsourced to chemistry rather than cultivated through discipline. Remove the compound, and users are left with the same reserves of willpower they had before. Evidence so far suggests that changes to brain chemistry, hormone signaling, and metabolism fade along with the drug itself.

Even when people who diet and exercise relapse, the habits they developed tend to soften the fall. That counts for something.

None of this is to deny that weight-loss drugs can be a valuable tool. For many severely obese people, they may represent the only realistic chance of meaningful weight reduction. If we want to reduce the burden of chronic disease, drugs like Wegovy will have a role to play.

But their rise should not excuse the abandonment of harder truths. Sustainable weight loss still depends on choices, habits, and character — and on reshaping a food environment that makes bad choices effortless and good ones rare. Pharmaceuticals may assist that work. They cannot replace it.

​Maha, Health, Lifestyle, Rfk jr, Make america healthy again, Weight loss, Ozempic, Glp-1, Diet, Exercise, Big pharma, Wegovy, Novo nordisk, Willpower 

Both Bill and Hillary Clinton refused to appear after the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed them for closed-door depositions regarding Jeffrey Epstein and the federal government’s handling of his crimes. The slippery duo even sent letters to Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) in advance of their scheduled dates, calling the subpoenas invalid and nothing more than political retribution.

Now the committee is seeking to hold both Clintons in contempt of Congress, which could result in jail time if they’re found guilty.

Many conservatives are elated at the prospect of seeing Washington’s most scandal-laden couple behind bars, but Glenn Beck says jailing the Clintons for this particular crime would be a huge mistake.

He equates incarcerating the Clintons over contempt of Congress to giving an arsonist a book of matches.

“We now have all of these scandals, all of these NGOs making all kinds of money on your tax dollars, funding the destruction of America as we know it. We’re all in bed with giant corporations and the WEF — the Clinton Foundation is all lined up in it,” he says.

This insidious network is behind all the violent anti-ICE protests, the death-to-America-style riots, and the push for socialism that is destroying the country from the inside. But all the while, these elites have been quietly building an elite-controlled system that will be implemented when the old system has been successfully burned to the ground.

The Clintons, Glenn explains, have their finger on the red button that could set off chaos like we have never seen before and usher in the Great Reset he has been warning about for years. To tempt them to push it — especially at a time when Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) is hinting at civil war — is insane.

It’s not that prosecuting and jailing the Clintons are completely off the table, but to use your ace card on the Epstein case, which Glenn insists will never go anywhere, is stupid.

“Are we going to find out what really happened with Epstein? I don’t think so — ever. Why? Because all of the evidence has been in the hands of the Republicans and the Democrats and the Republicans and the Democrats over and over and over again for years. … [The evidence] has all been destroyed. It’s all gone,” he says.

It’s no secret — even to the Democrats — that the Clintons “are very bad people. … They have spooked everybody because they’re so good at being very bad people. Even the people in the press who used to be for them are now just so scared of them,” Glenn continues.

“You don’t try to kill the king unless you can kill the king. You don’t try to take out the Clintons and wound them, because they’ll kill you. And I don’t mean that literally. Or do I?” he winks.

If you really want to take out the Clinton empire, “you better come prepared with the goods,” and unfortunately, to the utter dismay of all, the Epstein case isn’t the “goods” we were told it was.

Even so, there are plenty of “goods” on the Clintons, says Glenn. “We have it all,” he says, referring to the long list of documented scandals the Clintons have been central in.

While Glenn would “love” to see Bill and Hillary perp-walked for committing the same crime that landed former Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro behind bars, he knows that it would only cause more chaos in America’s streets.

“Remember, they’re the arsonist. You don’t want to hand them matches. And it’s not because they’re above the law, not because they’re untouchable, but because this specific path leads to nowhere good. You don’t have anything on them. And they will use it for all that it is worth,” he warns.

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

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​The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, Hillary clinton, Bill clinton, Clinton crime family, Clintons, Epstein, Epstein case, Wef, Ngos, Blazetv, Blaze media, Blaze news 

Protests erupted Saturday in Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland, as demonstrators push back against President Donald Trump’s renewed bid to acquire Greenland, chanting that the Arctic island is “not for sale” and insisting that Greenlanders should determine their own future.

The demonstrations followed Trump’s announcement that he would impose new tariffs on several European countries unless a deal is reached for the U.S. purchase of Greenland. In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump said Denmark and other European nations would face a 10% tariff beginning Feb. 1, with the rate increasing to 25% on June 1 if negotiations fail.

‘This is our home.’

Trump framed the situation as a global security concern while outlining the tariffs.

“This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet,” Trump said.

“This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”

RELATED: ‘Tariff king’: Trump considers imposing economic pressures to secure Greenland

Danish and German soldiers arrive at the Danish Arctic Command building on January 16, 2026, in Nuuk, Greenland. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

According to Reuters, thousands of protesters marched through Nuuk toward the U.S. consulate, carrying Greenlandic flags and banners while chanting “Kalaallit Nunaat,” the island’s name in Greenlandic. The demonstration was led by Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who addressed the crowd outside the consulate to loud cheers.

A demonstrator, Naja Holm, told Reuters that the protest was meant to send a clear message. “I’ve come here today because I think it’s important to show that Greenland is not for sale. It is not a toy. This is our home,” Holm said.

RELATED: Rubio reportedly reveals Trump’s plan to acquire Greenland to bolster US defense

Photo by Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images

Some protesters wore red baseball caps styled after the “Make America Great Again” hats worn by Trump supporters, but altered to read “Make America Go Away.”

Trump has argued that Greenland is critical to U.S. national security due to its strategic location in the Arctic and its mineral resources. He has also warned that China and Russia are seeking greater influence on the island and has said U.S. control would strengthen Western security in the region.

The dispute has prompted sharp responses from European leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron warned that tariff threats were unacceptable and said Europe would respond in a unified manner if the tariffs are implemented.

“No intimidation nor threat can influence us, neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations,” Macron wrote in a post on X. “Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Greenland’s status is not up for negotiation by outside powers.

“Our position on Greenland is very clear — it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes,” Starmer wrote, criticizing the use of tariffs against NATO allies.

Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark with a population of roughly 57,000. While all political parties represented in Greenland’s Parliament support eventual independence, they differ on timing and have said they would prefer remaining within Denmark over becoming part of the United States, according to Reuters.

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​Politics, Greenland, Tarrifs 

The first performance car I ever drove was my mother’s daily driver — a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda 383 convertible, yellow with a black top and black interior.

I was 16, and that car left an impression that has never really gone away. So reviewing the all-new 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack Plus feels especially timely.

It doesn’t pretend to be the cars I grew up with, but it proves there’s still room for performance, personality, and attitude.

This isn’t a throwback, and it isn’t powered by a V-8 — though I’ll admit I wish it were. Instead, Dodge has reinvented its most recognizable nameplate as a modern, gas-powered performance sedan, blending contemporary technology, standard all-wheel drive, and serious straight-line speed. The question isn’t whether this Charger is fast enough. It’s whether a muscle-car icon can evolve without losing its soul.

Room for V8

Power comes from a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six offered in two configurations: a 420-horsepower version producing 469 lb-ft of torque and a more aggressive 550-horsepower delivering 531 lb-ft. Both pair with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive — a major departure for the Charger. Dodge has clearly left physical room under the hood for a possible V-8 revival someday, but for now, this turbo six carries the performance torch convincingly.

On the road, the Charger Sixpack Plus delivers numbers that still feel worthy of the name. Zero to 60 mph takes just 3.9 seconds, the quarter-mile passes in 12.2 seconds, and top speed reaches 177 mph.

Fuel economy is rated at a respectable 20 mpg combined. An active transfer case with front axle disconnect allows the car to change personalities, while a 3.45 rear axle ratio, mechanical limited-slip differential, performance suspension, and Brembo brakes keep this nearly 4,850-pound sedan composed.

Launch Control, Line Lock, and an active exhaust make it clear that Dodge still expects owners to visit the drag strip — an idea reinforced by the complimentary one-day session at the Dodge/SRT High Performance Driving School.

Modern muscle

Inside, the Charger blends muscle-era cues with modern tech in a way that feels deliberate. The leather-wrapped pistol-grip shifter, flat-top and flat-bottom steering wheel, paddle shifters, and 180-mph speedometer nod to the brand’s roots. Uconnect 5 with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital driver display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and available navigation bring it firmly into the present. The standard nine-speaker Alpine audio system sounds good, while the optional 18-speaker upgrade delivers serious volume and clarity.

Optional packages push the Charger noticeably upmarket. Leather performance seats, heated and ventilated fronts, heated rear seats, a head-up display, surround-view camera system, wireless charging, ambient lighting, Alexa built-in, and a power tilt-and-telescoping steering column all add comfort and convenience.

Despite its performance focus, the Charger remains practical, with seating for five and up to 37 cubic feet of cargo space when the rear seats are folded.

From Bludicrous to Black Top

From the outside, the Charger Sixpack Plus still looks like a modern muscle car. Trims range from R/T Sixpack to Scat Pack and Scat Pack Plus models in both two- and four-door configurations, all with standard all-wheel drive, rear-drive mode, Launch Control, Line Lock, and dual-mode active exhaust.

Options like Bludicrous blue paint, the Black Top Package, available 20-inch wheels wrapped in massive 305-section tires, and a full glass roof let buyers dial in the look. Details such as bi-function LED headlights and key-fob-activated window drop add a layer of polish.

Safety tech is well covered, with standard automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. Optional front and rear parking sensors and side-distance warning make daily driving easier.

RELATED: Why speed limits don’t make our highways safer

John Chapple/Getty Images

Plenty to like

Pricing for the 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack Plus ranges from $51,990 to $64,480, with my test vehicle climbing to $68,355 when fully equipped. Warranty coverage includes three years or 36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and five years or 60,000 miles on the powertrain, though complimentary maintenance isn’t included.

There’s plenty to like here. The 550-horsepower turbo six is genuinely quick, the rear-drive mode adds real fun, and straight-line performance remains a core strength. The downside is weight — the Charger doesn’t feel like a true sports car in corners — and traditionalists will miss the sound and character of a V-8.

Still, in a segment increasingly defined by electrification and downsizing, the 2026 Dodge Charger Sixpack Plus stands as a modern interpretation of American muscle. It doesn’t pretend to be the cars I grew up with, but it proves there’s still room for performance, personality, and attitude in a changing automotive landscape.

​Test drive, Muscle cars, 2026 dodge charger six-pack plus, Dodge, Barracuda, Lifestyle, Auto industry, V8, Align cars 

Muslim immigrants don’t shy away from letting Americans know what their intentions are with our country — and BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales has the video evidence to prove it.

In a man-on-the-street-style clip Gonzales shares from the account Muckracker on X, a young man stops to talk to a group of Muslims in Ohio who happen to be Somali.

“America will become a Muslim state,” one man yells.

“Our goal is to make America Islam,” he yells again.

“That’s not a conspiracy theory. … No, they’re actually saying it very loudly and proudly,” Gonzales says on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

“They’re, like, right there, right in front of your face, saying all of the quiet parts out loud. But there are a lot more seemingly benign ways that they are infiltrating America to just sort of create this society that’s perfect for them, like, something you wouldn’t expect: our food,” she continues.

And host of the “Hearts of Oak” podcast and former campaign manager for the U.K. Independence Party Peter McIlvenna has been sounding the alarm about this seemingly innocent Trojan horse.

“The Halal food market is a huge thing, I think it’s something like $2.2 trillion globally and going to hit $4.5 trillion within about eight years, 2033, growing at nearly 10% a year. And here in Texas, the big hot spots for halal food are Houston and Dallas, growing around 22% a year,” McIlvenna tells Gonzales.

“And it kind of goes unnoticed, and I call it economic jihad, because it is using the levers of power to [insert] Islam in all areas of society,” he says. “And Islam is very smart as an ideology.”

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According to Salon, nicotine use is apparently the preserve of stupid men, right up there with weight lifting and a fondness for firearms.

This is how you know a substance is having a moment. When something offers even a modest benefit — focus, alertness, a slight edge — it attracts not curiosity but alarm. The kind usually reserved for the stuff that will actually kill you: heroin, fentanyl, toxic masculinity.

Nicotine is not cigarettes. This distinction matters, though it is treated as apostasy in contemporary wellness discourse. Nicotine, isolated and controlled, has been studied for decades. In small doses, it produces a measurable cognitive lift: sharper attention, faster reaction time, improved working memory.

That isn’t influencer folklore. Far from it. It’s why exhausted academics used it to push through marking and deadlines, why surgeons relied on it during long overnight shifts, and why soldiers carried it in environments where fatigue killed faster than bullets — long before Salon’s feeble attempt to dismiss it as a “scam.”

I use Zyn regularly. It helps me concentrate. That’s the entire story. I don’t feel enlightened. I don’t feel transformed. I don’t feel the urge to start a movement. And, crucially, I don’t feel compelled to use the product in any anatomically creative fashion.

Tucker Carlson, a former Zyn user turned rival nicotine entrepreneur, recently aimed a jab at his old brand, joking that its devotees have abandoned the instructions altogether in favor of a more southern route of administration.

I can’t speak for others. I can only report that I place the pouch exactly where the instructions suggest, write my sentences, and get on with my day. If a shadow subculture of rogue pouch experimentation exists, it has somehow escaped my notice.

Backside-bracing humor aside, the Salon piece really zeroes in on Carlson, quoting him at length and treating his remarks with a gravity usually reserved for Senate hearings.

Carlson has described nicotine as “super important,” arguing that the country has grown sadder and less healthy since it was discouraged and that its return coincides with people seeming, on balance, happier — though it is not entirely clear which people he has been interacting with, given that most Americans currently look one minor inconvenience away from spontaneous combustion.

He has also referred to it — again, with comic exaggeration — as a “life-enhancing, God-given chemical” that can make you “feel better than you’ve ever felt.”

The language is clearly playful, designed to provoke rather than persuade. But exaggeration doesn’t automatically mean error. Mild stimulation can brighten mood and restore alertness, particularly in a culture permanently exhausted by poor sleep and low-grade stress.

In a culture serious about public health, nicotine would barely rate a mention. We’d be too busy going after the sugar cartels poisoning the body politic with obesity and diabetes or the doctors throwing drugs at problems better addressed in the confession booth.

Instead, nicotine is singled out not because it is uniquely hazardous, but because it violates the aesthetic rules of modern wellness as defined by smug, affluent, urban commentators who have never missed a meal or a night’s sleep. To them, nicotine belongs to the wrong people — MAGA rubes, rednecks, bumpkins — rather than credentialed strivers in co-working spaces.

Nicotine stimulates rather than soothes. It activates rather than dulls. It may even nudge testosterone upward, however modestly. And for that social transgression alone, it is treated not as imperfect, but as suspect.

Well, it’s time to push back. Think of nicotine as coffee’s scruffier cousin. Coffee is embraced because it has been ritualized, monetized, and moralized into submission — latte art, loyalty cards, sanctioned dependence. Nicotine, by contrast, still carries the faint scent of agency. It has not been fully tamed, branded, or absolved by consensus. You use it because you want to function better, not because it comes with a yoga mat and a manifesto.

The real scandal is not that influencers exaggerate nicotine’s benefits. Influencers exaggerate everything. They once convinced millions that celery juice could heal trauma. The scandal is that nicotine provokes panic precisely because it works, within limits, for some people.

It requires no subscription or expert guidance. It is relatively cheap, widely available, and stubbornly unimpressed by credentialed gatekeepers. That alone makes it dangerous in a wellness economy built on scarcity, jargon, and endless scams. A substance that delivers a small, practical benefit without demanding anything in return beyond a few dollars isn’t easily controlled — and so it must be pathologized rather than tolerated.

None of this requires indulging the more unhinged claims now circulating online. Nicotine doesn’t cure herpes. It doesn’t raise IQ. It can’t turn a fat, lazy slob into a Navy SEAL. Anyone selling it as a miracle deserves mockery.

But pretending nicotine is uniquely dangerous while applauding sugar binges, SSRIs handed out like breath mints, and total screen immersion is selective hysteria. It’s moral panic dressed up as concern, aimed squarely at the wrong target.

Nicotine is not a lifestyle. It is not an identity, but a tool. Used deliberately, occasionally, it can help certain people think more clearly for a short stretch of time. That is all. The insistence on treating it as either a demonic poison or a sacred molecule is the same mistake from opposite ends of the spectrum.

Let the haters hate. I, like Carlson, will continue to use nicotine. I’ll stick with Zyn, use it occasionally, and — this seems important to clarify — continue to administer it exactly as instructed.

​Culture 

The alternate reality Democrats have constructed is falling apart in real time. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said the following when asked to comment on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shooting a woman in Minneapolis who was attempting to run over the agent with her car: “What we saw today was a criminal, a criminal, murder a woman and shoot her in the head while she was trying to escape and flee for her life.”

She then called “disgusting” the “editorializing” of those who argue that the ICE agent was in front of the car as it was accelerating, just before he fired. “Watch it for yourself, watch it for yourself,” she concluded, with supreme confidence that any viewer would see with the same skew of her own lens.

A significant portion of the American media and popular culture has normalized the idea that totalitarians have taken over the government.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) went even harder over the rhetorical cliff in responding to the shooting. He classified interpretations of the ICE officer’s action as self-defense as “bull***t” and demanded that ICE “get the f**k out of Minneapolis.” Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) in New York followed suit, calling the event a “murder” and a “horror.”

It is a stark bit of evidence of how American society has been warped by the twisted rhetoric of the radical left regarding political conflict in our country.

The video from the officer who fired at the vehicle indicates clearly, however, that it was accelerating in his direction, with him close enough to touch the hood. How is it possible to watch video footage and see it as the “murder” of someone “flee[ing] for her life”? The vehicle was illegally blocking a law enforcement vehicle. Instead of complying with the demand to exit the vehicle as any sane person would do, the driver hit the gas, making contact with the law enforcement officer before being shot.

Are we to believe that ICE agents came there precisely to kill her?

The New York Times published a video analysis that supposedly debunks the claim that the agent fired in self-defense. How? Well, the wheels of the SUV turned to the right just in time to avoid hitting the agent. Never mind that the agent was standing just in front of the vehicle when it started to move forward quickly, and he moved to avoid it. By the Times’ logic, the agent would apparently have been justified to use force only after the SUV had hit him.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said he doubts an FBI investigation of the shooting could reach a “fair outcome.” He’s given no reason why he believes this. But of course, if your view is that all sides not directly aligned with you ideologically are Nazis, this is a logical conclusion.

One might first hypothesize that Ocasio-Cortez, Frey, Walz, Mamdani, and others who share their bizarre interpretation of the evidence are cognitively challenged in some way. We do not wholly discount this possibility.

But the more likely answer is that such things become possible when a significant portion of the American media and popular culture has normalized the idea that totalitarians have taken over the government and are actively looking to kill their opponents. In such a scenario, attempting to run over the totalitarians with your car might not only be an acceptable choice — it might be the most moral one.

The Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin connected the event to the language the far left has been using to describe ICE: “This is the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians who fuel and encourage rampant assaults on our law enforcement who are facing [a] 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats.”

There is no doubt that political radicals have been foaming at the mouth about ICE and other aspects of the Trump administration’s policies in the most extremist language. They’ve justified using violence against them even since before the first Trump administration took office.

RELATED: Fraud thrived under Democrats’ no-questions-asked rule

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The alleged assassin who murdered Charlie Kirk in September, who was involved in a relationship with a transsexual, had come to believe that Kirk and other conservatives who criticized the overreach of trans radical activism were such a deadly threat that only lethal force was appropriate. He wrote anti-fascist messages on the casings of the bullets he used.

None of this is a surprise in a culture in which American nationalism is seen as the equivalent of Nazism and violent attacks against the Trump administration and its supporters are cheered on and encouraged. And it is not just the explicitly political media that embraces this insanity.

Witness the response to “One Battle After Another,” the recent film by Paul Thomas Anderson, loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland.” Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, the film cheerleads for a radical anti-fascist terrorist organization as they wage war on American police and immigration forces. Penn is cast in a stupendously comical role as a caricature of which the left never tires: He is a military figure and a white supremacist who nonetheless is sexually attracted to nonwhites. All of the admirable figures in the film are revolutionary terrorists. The response by critics in the mainstream media has been a virtually unanimous cheer.

We are in a dangerous place. Leftist radicals are giving no indication of cooling their rhetoric — or their actions.

Buckle up. It is going to get rougher before it gets better.

Editor’s note: This article appeared originally at the American Mind.

​Opinion & analysis, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice raids, Fascism, Antifa, Leftists, Political violence, One battle after another, Paul thomas anderson, Charlie kirk assassination, Department of homeland security, Tricia mclaughlin, Tim walz, Alexandria ocasio-cortez, New york times, Self-defense, Jacob frey 

From Iran to Jordan to Gaza, former Muslims have been having incredible encounters with Jesus — and it’s happening in their dreams.

“We estimate that about one 1 out of every 3 Muslims that comes to faith in Christ has had a dream or a vision of Jesus. We have maybe half now. There was a team that was in Jordan getting trained from Saudi Arabia on how to do secret church,” Tom Doyle of Uncharted Ministries tells BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey on “Relatable.”

“Thirty-nine people. They didn’t know each other. They were all from different areas. They found out through the internet. They came to this conference, and the leader asked at the end, ‘How many of you had a dream about Jesus or a vision before you came to faith in Christ?’ All 39,” he explains.

“Over 200 times in the Bible, there were dreams. Maybe he’s using that today,” he adds.

“Why do you think that Jesus seems to be using dreams as a way to communicate with these people?” Stuckey asks.

“Jesus always met people where they were. I mean, you look at the woman with the issue of blood, and she was despised, and he said, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you.’ He just met her there,” Doyle says.

“How would he be meeting Muslims through dreams? That’s how Islam started. Muhammad went into a cave and had a dream. And he says Jibreel, who is supposed to be Gabriel, downloaded the Quran, which, we don’t believe that’s what happened. We believe it was demonic,” he continues.

Doyle points out that dreaming is seen by Muslims as a “viable way that God can communicate truth to them.”

“And also, the last week in Ramadan, they have a night. … It’s called the night of power or the night of destiny, and Muslims will cry out, ‘God, if you’re there, show me yourself. Come to me in a dream, in a vision,’” Doyle says. “That’s the number one day of the year that Muslims have dreams about Jesus.”

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 trial of a Virginia man accused of orchestrating a scheme to have his wife killed began Tuesday. The man’s former au pair, who prosecutors say was having an affair with him, testified that another man was lured to the crime scene through a fetish website.

As Blaze News previously reported, 40-year-old Brendan Banfield was arrested in September 2024 and indicted in connection with the February 2023 double murder that occurred in his home in Herndon — which is approximately 20 miles west of Washington, D.C.

‘He mentioned his plan to get rid of [Christine].’

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis and Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced in a statement that officers “descended upon an appalling scene” on Feb. 24, 2023.

Officers discovered Christine Banfield — Brendan Banfield’s 37-year-old wife — in an upstairs bedroom suffering from stab wounds to her upper body. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Police said 39-year-old Joseph Ryan was found dead in the home from apparent gunshot wounds to his upper body.

Investigators soon set their sights on Brendan Banfield and Juliana Peres Magalhaes — the family’s Brazilian au pair, who was 21 when she began working for the family in October 2021.

Chief Davis stated, “We know Brendan Banfield and Juliana Magalhaes, the family au pair, were involved in a romantic relationship at the time of the murders.”

According to WJLA-TV, Magalhaes claimed she began an affair with Banfield in August 2022.

When Magalhaes asked Banfield about the possibility of him divorcing Christine, WJLA reported that he allegedly told the au pair that a divorce would cost too much money and that he didn’t want to split child custody.

“He mentioned his plan to get rid of [Christine],” Magalhaes told prosecutors, according to the New York Post. “Initially, he didn’t know what he would do. He just mentioned that he would think about it [and] let me know when he thought about it.”

RELATED: Career criminal with over 20-year-long rap sheet reportedly gets sweetheart plea deal — now a beloved teacher is dead

Citing prosecutors, WTOP-TV reported that two months before the murders, Magalhaes and Banfield went to a shooting range; Banfield then returned to the range on Jan. 28, 2023, and bought a Glock from the range.

WJLA added that Magalhaes claimed Banfield instructed her to get a new phone and Apple ID and ordered her to park in a different location on the day of the murders.

Citing prosecutors, Fox News noted that Banfield — a former IRS special agent — was impersonating his wife on a fetish website for a month. Ryan was then “summoned to the couple’s million-dollar Herndon home” through the site, according to the New York Post.

Court documents also show Magalhaes told investigators that Ryan was framed as a home intruder.

‘There’s somebody here; I shot him. But he stabbed her. She’s bleeding. She’s got several marks on her neck. What do I do?’

Court TV reported that Ryan went by the username “TacoSupreme7000” on the site and responded to the messages, believing he was talking to Christine Banfield. Court TV added that Magalhaes read messages aloud to the jury, saying that she and Brendan asked Ryan to bring restraints and a knife to the Banfield home.

Magalhaes on Tuesday testified that “Christine … yelled back at Brendan, saying, ‘Brendan, he has a knife.’ That’s when Brendan first shot Joe.”

According to NBC News, lead prosecutor Jenna Sands told the courtroom this week, “Brendan enters the bedroom, first shooting Joe in the head, picks up the knife that Joe had brought and stabs Christine repeatedly in the neck. He directs Juliana to shoot Joe a second time with her gun. This time the bullet enters Joe’s chest with Christine dead or dying.”

Magalhaes was arrested in October 2023 in connection with Ryan’s alleged murder.

Magalhaes was originally charged with second-degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in October 2024. She will be sentenced after Banfield’s trial.

According to CNN, Banfield was heard identifying himself as a federal agent in the 911 call to report the stabbing and shooting.

Banfield reportedly told the emergency dispatcher, “There’s somebody here; I shot him. But he stabbed her. She’s bleeding. She’s got several marks on her neck. What do I do?”

Banfield’s attorney, John Carroll, questioned Magalhaes’ motivation for taking a plea deal after nearly a year of protesting her innocence.

“The whole reason she was arrested was to flip her against my client,” Carroll claimed.

WDCW-TV reported that Brendan Banfield was charged with aggravated murder in connection with his wife’s death, plus child abuse and endangerment charges, since the Banfields’ 4-year-old daughter was at home at the time of the deadly shooting and stabbing.

If convicted on all of the charges, Banfield faces a maximum punishment of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 13 additional years of incarceration, a judge said on Monday, WDCW reported.

Banfield pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Fairfax County Police Department and Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Blaze News.

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​Murder, True crime, True crime news, Christine banfield, Joseph ryan, Brendan banfield, Love triangle, Crime, Virginia, Affair, Au pair, Herndon, Arrests 

Most people can care for an ill or disabled loved one for a week on compassion alone. Some can do it for a month. A few can make it a year or two.

But when care stretches into decades, compassion stops carrying the load. Emotion fades. Circumstances grind. What remains isn’t how someone feels about a life. What remains is whether they believe that life still matters.

When a culture treats reality as optional, action becomes dangerous and courage looks reckless. Without shared moral ground, bravery itself becomes suspect.

Caregiving strips life down to essentials. It forces a question our culture prefers to keep abstract: Why does this life still have value when it costs so much to sustain it?

C.S. Lewis warned that a society cannot survive if it mocks virtue while demanding its fruits. In “The Abolition of Man,” he described “men without chests” — people trained to think and desire but not to stand. Without a formed moral center, courage collapses. Duty feels suspect. Endurance looks irrational.

Caregivers learn this in a harsh classroom.

You cannot sustain decades of care if human worth is negotiable. You cannot rise day after day to guard the vulnerable if life’s value depends on productivity, independence, improvement, or the absence of suffering. Long care requires stewardship — the conviction that a life has been entrusted to us, not evaluated by us.

I once met a man who told me he was dating a woman in a wheelchair. He spoke with genuine enthusiasm about how good it made him feel to do everything for her. He sounded animated, even proud. He talked at length about his experience, his emotions, the satisfaction he drew from being needed.

He said very little about her.

I asked how long they’d been dating.

“Two weeks,” he said, beaming.

I smiled wearily and told him, “Get back to me in two decades.”

Care that depends on how it makes us feel rarely survives once feeling fades. What endures over decades isn’t the satisfaction of being needed. It’s settled clarity about the worth of the person being cared for, independent of what the caregiver receives in return.

RELATED: Christian, what do you believe when faith stops being theoretical?

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In that man’s excitement, everything centered on his emotions. What was missing was any recognition of her value apart from her condition — or apart from what caring for her did for him.

I didn’t hear, “I’m dating a woman,” or “I’ve met someone extraordinary.” I heard, again and again, “I’m dating a woman in a wheelchair.” The chair became the headline, not the person. He might as well have celebrated the better parking.

She had become useful to him. That’s not the same thing as being valued.

This way of thinking doesn’t stay confined to personal relationships. It scales.

The public reckoning surrounding Daniel Penny exposed it. He acted to protect others he believed were in danger — not because it felt good but because action was required. That kind of clarity now unsettles a society more comfortable with sentiment than obligation.

We claim we want people to intervene, to protect others, to act decisively when danger appears. Then someone does, and we hesitate. We second-guess. We prosecute. We distance ourselves.

We want courage but not conviction.

Lewis wouldn’t be surprised. When a culture treats reality as optional, action becomes dangerous and courage looks reckless. Responsibility suddenly feels threatening. Without shared moral ground, bravery itself becomes suspect.

Francis Schaeffer traced the path forward from that confusion. Once a culture detaches human worth from anything objective, it stops honoring life and starts managing it. Value becomes conditional. And conditions always change.

That logic now shows itself in plain view. When Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) pushes to legalize medical aid in dying in New York, the same fracture appears. We punish those who act as though life must be defended, while elevating leaders who treat life as something to administer and conclude.

Those aren’t separate debates. They’re the same belief, applied differently.

If life holds value only when it functions well, caregiving becomes irrational. If worth depends on autonomy, dependence becomes disposable. If suffering disqualifies, endurance becomes foolish.

And yet caregivers endure.

RELATED: Caregiving decisions begin in the bathroom

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That clarity came back to me during a conversation on my radio show. A man described a brief illness his wife had suffered. The house fell apart. Meals became takeout. Work got missed. Romance disappeared. He sounded exhausted just recalling it.

“What carried you through?” I asked.

He paused. “I guess … love.”

“How long did this last?” I said.

“Five days.”

“I guess … love” carried him through five days.

Uncertainty can survive a week. It cannot sustain 14,000 days.

He wasn’t wrong though. Love matters. But love that sustains five days must anchor itself in something deeper to sustain 40 years.

Caregivers may begin with compassion. They endure with conviction.

A life doesn’t become less valuable because it becomes harder to carry.

Caregiving isn’t a special category of moral life. It is a concentrated version of the human condition. What sustains caregivers over time is what sustains courage, faithfulness, and duty anywhere else.

Lewis reminded us that our feelings don’t create value. They respond to it. When we reverse that order, we don’t become more compassionate. We lose our bearings.

Treating human worth as conditional may flatter our emotions. It may even make us feel noble. But it trains us to prize how we feel over the people entrusted to our care.

Over time, that trade leaves us prosecuting men like Daniel Penny while electing leaders like Kathy Hochul.

It might soothe the heart for a moment.

It cannot sustain a society.

​Caregiving, Long term care, Human dignity, Opinion & analysis, C.s. lewis, Faith, Love, Endurance 

Joel Osteen preaches a heretical prosperity gospel; Timothy Keller’s “third way” softens biblical truth for acceptability; and Rick Warren’s seeker-sensitive approach waters the gospel down into a self-help guide.

What do all three of these pastors have in common?

They “were really not preaching so much for the people in the pews but because they wanted a broader cultural acceptance from more mainstream or academic or globalist institutions,” says BlazeTV host Steve Deace. “And so they altered their approach as pastors within their own churches in order to appeal to an audience that was actually not sitting in their churches.”

While Osteen, Keller, and Warren belong to an older generation of preachers, Deace is concerned that that same hunger for approval is cropping up in younger generations of pastors who have been seduced by social media fame.

On this episode of the “Steve Deace Show,” Deace interviews senior pastor of East River Church in Ohio, Michael Foster, about how influencer culture is slowly creeping in and corroding the pulpit.

Some of these young pastors, says Deace, are “not really preaching to Michael in the third row whose marriage is on the rocks, and he’s lost the respect of his kids, and he doesn’t know how to get it back. [They’re] preaching to @dontjewmebro43 on X.”

“I’m not really preaching the gospel to him, but I’m preaching some nascent gospel applications that may or may not be adjudicated properly in order … to feed his fury, to give me the engagement that I want,” he rails, imitating these people-pleasing ministers.

Foster, who’s written several essays on this subject, says that it’s critical that pastors know their individual sheep.

“He’s got particular sheep. You see this in the New Testament when you have Paul preaching the same gospel, the same teaching, but he addresses problems in Colossae that aren’t in Corinth and problems in Corinth that aren’t in Colossae,” he says.

On the other hand, “Influencing speaks to … broad generalizations over a national level.”

“Because the influencer online social media culture is such a huge part of our lives, it is reshaping ministry right now where people are speaking to not maybe the actual issues in their church but the things that they’re hearing other people talk about in their feeds,” says Foster.

“It’s training people to not be pastors anymore, just to be talking heads, to be commentators.”

“Is there a way for you as a pastor to avoid falling into this trap without a really solid elder board and accountability in your life personally?” asks Deace.

That question, says Foster, is the equivalent of asking: “Could you ride a roller coaster without a roller coaster bar and survive it?”

There are three tips he gives to ministers that will help ensure they stay in the lane of pastor and not veer into the influencer lane:

1. Strong elders who are involved in sermons and accountability.

2. Tailor sermons toward specific congregational needs, not broad issues/topics.

3. Reject fame and notoriety if they come.

On the latter, Foster says, “You have to have an abusive relationship with celebrity as a pastor. I think you have to hate it, right? Spit in its face. If it comes back for more, well, that was its choice.”

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

Want more from Steve Deace?

To enjoy more of Steve’s take on national politics, Christian worldview, and principled conservatism with a snarky twist, 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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