Category: blaze media

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) signed an “ICE on Notice” executive order on Saturday, threatening to prosecute Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for potential misconduct.

Johnson’s executive action directed the Chicago Police Department to “investigate and document alleged illegal activity by federal immigration agents and refer evidence of felony violations to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for prosecution.”

‘Instead of working with us, Illinois sanctuary politicians RELEASE violent criminals from their jails directly back into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.’

CPD officers are directed to document federal enforcement activities, including by recording body-camera footage and verifying names and badge numbers of federal supervisory officers on the scene. Police are required to submit a complete report detailing any alleged violations.

Any documented illegal activities will be shared with the public, according to the city.

The mayor claimed that the order created “a framework for public accountability in the event federal agents violate local or state law while operating in Chicago.”

Johnson further alleged that the Trump administration’s federal immigration operations have “violated constitutionally protected rights.” He also claimed that ICE activities have “destabilized communities” and “provoked life-threatening confrontations.”

RELATED: Seattle’s sanctuary mayor orders local police to investigate ICE activities

Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images

“Nobody is above the law. There is no such thing as ‘absolute immunity’ in America,” Johnson stated. “The lawlessness of Trump’s militarized immigration agents puts the lives and well-being of every Chicagoan in immediate danger. With today’s order, we are putting ICE on notice in our city. Chicago will not sit idly by while Trump floods federal agents into our communities and terrorizes our residents.”

In a statement to the Center Square, Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara Jr. called Johnson’s executive order political bluster.

“The only good thing in that piece of toilet paper is ‘no CPD member will be required to arrest any federal agents,'” Catanzara said.

Catanzara raised concerns that the order requires police to document any allegations of misconduct against a federal agent.

“That needs to be a two-way street, and I will advise our members of such. Citizens can also be named offenders,” he said.

“These claims of criminal misconduct by ICE law enforcement are FALSE,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with WLS-TV.

McLaughlin stated that under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, “ICE is held to the highest professional standard, and officers regularly receive ongoing training.”

“As our brave law enforcement arrests and removes dangerous criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, rapists, and gang members from our communities, America can be proud of the professionalism our officers bring [to] the job, day in and day out,” the statement continued. “Instead of working with us, Illinois sanctuary politicians RELEASE violent criminals from their jails directly back into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.”

McLaughlin contended that the state’s sanctuary policies had led to the release of 1,768 criminal illegal aliens since January 20. She noted that there are over 4,000 immigrants with active detainers currently incarcerated in Illinois jails.

RELATED: Illinois governor signs law to counter Trump administration’s ‘depravity’ — DHS fires back immediately

Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson (D) took similar action against federal immigration agents last week, requiring the Seattle Police Department to investigate, verify, and document immigration enforcement activity.

The Seattle Police Officers Guild called the mayor’s action “toothless virtue-signaling rhetoric,” declaring that the “concept of pitting two armed law enforcement agencies against each other is ludicrous and will not happen.”

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​Chicago, News, Illinois, Brandon johnson, Immigration crisis, Illegal immigration crisis, Illegal immigration, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Department of homeland security, Dhs, Politics 

Every year, at the coldest time of the year, our furnace goes out. I’ve written about it before, I’m writing about it now, and I’m sure I’ll write about it again. Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” I say, “In this world, nothing is certain except winter — and our furnace breaking.”

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about modernity: not just as an era, but as a way of life, and as a particular relationship we have with technology and the natural world. Winter has a way of provoking those thoughts. It’s unforgiving outside and warm inside, and that contrast shapes not only our environment but our state of mind. Winter invites introspection whether we ask for it or not.

You don’t actually want to go back to 1198 or 1598. At most, you want to go back to 1998 — before things took such a strange turn.

It also reminds us of something more basic: Winter wants to kill us.

Cold truth

Without insulated homes, reliable transportation, and warm clothing, many of us simply wouldn’t make it. Maybe that isn’t true everywhere. It’s not true in places with mild winters. But it is true here, where the temperature tonight is expected to dip to ten below zero. In places like this, modernity doesn’t just make life comfortable — it makes it possible.

That’s easy to forget. I turn the thermostat up and the furnace obeys. I want it to be 67 degrees, and it becomes 67 degrees. No delay, no doubt. I can count on warmth in the same way I count on the sun rising tomorrow — until I can’t. Then the house turns cold, the basement office becomes unusable, space heaters migrate upstairs, and our seemingly invincible HVAC world collapses all at once. Annoyance quickly turns into perspective.

The furnace, of course, is only one small example. This isn’t really about heating systems or cold weather; it’s about how easily we take the blessings of the modern world for granted.

RELATED: Why does our furnace go out every winter? (and other burning questions)

Heritage Images/Getty Images

No thanks

We all do it. Whatever we have now quickly becomes the baseline. We stop remembering what life was like without it. You see this with people who move to America from poorer parts of the world. After a decade, they are often just as accustomed to convenience as those born into it. You might expect memories of hardship to linger, but they rarely do. Perhaps death once sat closer to daily life, even in developed societies, and kept gratitude sharper. Perhaps something else has changed. Either way, ingratitude seems to come naturally to us now.

Medicine is a clear example. How many of us would be dead without modern medical care? Many. Imagine surgery without anesthesia. Imagine life without optometry or dentistry. It’s not a romantic picture.

The same goes for something as mundane as mail. People love to complain about the USPS, but in much of the world, a functioning postal system barely exists. I know someone who lived in Africa building embassies for the U.S. government, and he told me that local mail simply wasn’t usable. Here we send letters, order books, ship packages, and trust that they will arrive — and that if they don’t, someone will make it right. That trust is a modern miracle we barely notice.

Horse power

Or consider transportation. We can wax poetic about the romance of horse-drawn travel, but the truth is, we would hate it. It might charm us for a day or two, but before long, we’d be desperate to return to cars, trains, ferries, and planes. Modern speed isn’t just convenient — it reshapes what a human life can contain.

Lately I see a lot of anger directed at modernity itself. Some of it is understandable. There are technological and medical “advances” that drift away from the good and toward the destructive. That frustration is real, and I feel it too. But rejecting the modern world wholesale is neither wise nor serious. You don’t actually want to go back to 1198 or 1598. At most, you want to go back to 1998 — before things took such a strange turn.

Our task, then, isn’t to flee modernity, but to refine it. We cannot escape it — and we shouldn’t want to. The better path is gratitude without naivety: thankful for the blessings, alert to the dangers, and willing to curb excess without denying reality. If we do that, we may yet manage to build not just a modern world, but a good one.

​Men’s style, Furnace, Lifestyle, Winter, Gratitude, The root of the matter 

President Donald Trump made a not-so-veiled threat to sue Hollywood leftist Trevor Noah, who made a snide remark associating Trump and Epstein’s island while hosting the 2026 Grammys.

Though he did not attend, Trump appeared to be the main focus of the music award show on CBS Sunday night. Bad Bunny, slated to perform at the Super Bowl next Sunday, sneered, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out.”

‘Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast.’

Billie Eilish, who won the Song of the Year award for “Wildflower,” also repeated tired lines about immigration, including that “no one is illegal on stolen land.” She then punctuated her anti-American diatribe with a “f**k ICE” jab.

After Eilish’s acceptance speech, host Trevor Noah piled on, making what appeared to be a joke tying together Trump, Greenland, and even Epstein’s notorious island.

“Song of the Year! Congratulations, Billie Eilish! Wow! That is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland,” Noah said.

“Which makes sense,” he continued. “I mean, because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

Perhaps sensing that he had crossed a line — and perhaps recalling that the Grammys were airing on a network that recently agreed to shell out millions to settle a lawsuit with Trump — Noah, who is not expected to host the Grammys again after six tries, added: “I told you it’s my last year. What are you going to do about it?”

It seems Trump may have taken that statement as a dare.

RELATED: ‘$15 Billion’: Trump sues another major news corporation for defamation and libel

Early Monday morning, Trump ripped into Noah for making a “false and defamatory statement” about Trump and Clinton paling around on Epstein’s island.

“WRONG!!! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media,” Trump railed on Truth Social.

Trump then indicated he may file a lawsuit if Noah does not retract.

“Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast. It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$,” the president added.

Trump also referenced his previous successful lawsuits against ABC and host George Stephanopoulos.

“Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you!” the president warned.

CBS and Noah’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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​Trevor noah, Donald trump, Billie eilish, Grammys, Ice, Epstein, Politics 

When Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) survived what appeared to be a sort of acid attack, Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck’s first thought was, “In her country, in some Muslim countries, in some Muslim communities, that happens to women and they spray battery acid on their face.”

He thought she should be deservedly freaked out.

“I thought, ‘Wow … she must be concerned, because she knows in Muslim communities, some people do that,’” Glenn says. “But that’s not what this was.”

“This was some guy who looked like Fred Flintstone that took a syringe and filled it with, are you ready? This is horrible. Filled it with apple cider vinegar. Now I’m not sure if you’re aware of this … I believe that can stain a nice sweater like that. It can leave a mark,” Glenn jokes.

“We should be clear,” BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere chimes in, “we do not have any evidence of this particular apple cider vinegar attack staining that sweatshirt or discoloring the stripes, but that is a possibility.”

“Now I agree, Glenn, like legitimately when I first saw that, we didn’t know what this liquid was. It could have been really dangerous. I’m not minimizing, like, that could have been scary for her. She is a divisive figure. It could have been something terrible,” he continues.

“And the person who did it looks completely insane and on something to me in the video. Like just looks completely crazy. A crazy person charges you, gets close to you, gets close to any public figure, there is the possibility that it turns into something really, really bad,” he adds.

However while what happened could have been much worse, Stu points out that because it isn’t, the story would usually disappear.

“When typically, we find out it wasn’t something bad, the story pretty much goes away. I could give you dozens of examples of conservatives … getting hit in the face with a pie. A conservative being glitter-bombed, right?” he explains. “These things happen all the time. And when they are happening, there is real risk to that person.”

“When you have a person who hates you that much, to run up to you, and be that close to you, it could have gone in a very ugly direction. When we find out that it didn’t, it is a quick incident that goes away almost immediately with no additional coverage,” he continues.

“Not the case with Ilhan Omar. Ilhan Omar, the next day after this incident, was the top story at the New York Times all day long. All day,” he adds, pointing out that in one of the top New York Times articles on the event, they framed it as Trump’s fault for being “xenophobic” and “racist” toward Omar.

“I can’t take it. Because all I can think of is what they’re doing … to every single member of ICE right now. I can’t. I can’t. My head will explode,” Glenn comments.

“100%. They are demonizing these people. They’re calling them Nazis every single day on television,” Stu adds.

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​Video, Free, Upload, Sharing, Camera phone, Video phone, Youtube.com, The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, The blaze, Blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Ilhan omar, Apple cider vinegar attack, Ilhan omar attacked, Muslim, Islam, Acid attacks, Stu burguiere 

A female employee at a disabled adult care facility in Florida was arrested last week after she allegedly twerked in the faces of patients in the Panama City facility, WMBB-TV reported.

Panama City Police got a tip on Jan. 15 about possible abuse and exploitation of disabled adults, the station said, citing court documents.

Authorities told the station that the patients in the video appear to be nonverbal, infirm, and incapable of providing consent.

Authorities said a video they received showed four women dancing in a sexually explicit manner known as twerking in front of disabled patients, WMBB reported.

One female in the video was seen making physical contact with a patient by “placing her breasts in the face and also one leg on the patient” while twerking, the station said, citing court documents.

Josalynn Janeice Hart, 29 — a facility employee at the time of the incident — can be seen in the video dancing on a sink and twerking on a table where at least two disabled patients were sitting, WMBB said, citing authorities.

RELATED: Females twerking atop police car caught in the act with cruiser’s dashcam. Now all 3 are ID’d — with a little help from AI.

The station said Hart was not seen in the video making direct physical contact with any of the patients, but she’s allegedly seen witnessing the other females continuously making physical contact with a patient while Hart danced and twerked near the faces of two disabled patients.

WMBB said it was alleged that Hart failed to report the physical contact with a patient.

Authorities told the station that the patients in the video appear to be nonverbal, infirm, and incapable of providing consent.

Hart was charged with lewd and lascivious exhibition of an elderly or disabled person, failure to report abuse, and neglect of a vulnerable adult, WMBB reported.

The station said it’s unknown if Hart still is employed at the facility or if the other females seen in the video are facing charges; the name of the facility wasn’t reported.

WMBB said Hart was arrested Tuesday and released Wednesday from Bay County Jail on her own recognizance.

Some commenters on the station’s Facebook post about the incident wondered why the other females in the video aren’t also in trouble:

“If you arrest one, why not all?” one commenter asked.”Why is she the only one being prosecuted?!” another user inquired.

One commenter simply wondered, “What happened to professionalism?”

A year ago, a Georgia health care worker was accused of twerking on the head of a disabled patient and then posting video of the act on TikTok for social media likes. The arrested female smirked for her mugshot.

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​Florida, Panama city, Twerking, Arrest, Released on recognizance, Disabled adult care facility, Ewd and lascivious exhibition of an elderly or disabled person, Failure to report abuse, Neglect of a vulnerable adult, Crime 

Yes, a company called Fanvue has taken a step into the cyborg dystopian future with its introduction of an AI-based version of OnlyFans. New tech has made it possible and, for the moment, profitable to spin up non-human avatars — complete with voices, “personalities,” and, of course, finely tailored physical forms — to pull in the expanding audience of lonely and socially awkward or just tired, and mostly male, denizens of the fast-deteriorating cyber realm.

Fanvue, as with the bevy of similar startups hitting the internet, is essentially OnlyFans, but the twist is that the “creators” have open access to AI. Artificial voices, personages, events, acts, and so forth are all on offer in the new digital landscape. The voice, the hair, the body — none of it is real at all. Add a $100 million market capitalization, and you might see where this is going.

Maybe sites such as Fanvue force most women back into the real world, where they need to interact with other real humans.

With both Only Fans and its AI mimickers like Fanvue, creators upload content, followers subscribe, and whatever happens behind the paywall stays behind the paywall. (Just don’t violate the generous but firm guidelines in the Terms of Service.)

In the scramble to replace humanity online, Fanvue is, if not leading the pack, making bold strides into designing how that erasure goes down. The company boasts 200,000 “creators” on the platform, to whom it has paid out more than $500 million. Similar companies jockeying for position will likely fight over brand-name recognition and then be absorbed under some yet-to-be-determined single umbrella. Maybe it’s Fanvue. Or will OnlyFans simply buy them all?

OnlyFans creators do have at least some cachet with their existing followers. And until the next crop of perhaps less human-oriented followers steps up with debit cards in hand, the small contingent of OnlyFans creators who make a living (very attractive women) will probably continue to do well.

RELATED: The crazy reason Matthew McConaughey just trademarked himself

Photo by PG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Maybe you have seen the clips of decidedly non-European men positioned in front of a camera, pantomiming, smiling, pretending. On the split screen, we can see how the Kling (or similar) motion control software instantly transmogrifies the middle-age Indian man (from the cases we’ve seen) into a rather convincing young, highly attractive, English-speaking female (to take just one of many iterations). She’s ready to talk to you! The opportunities for delusion, fraud, and manipulation by way of the human proclivity toward self-deceit just got multiplied a thousandfold. Customer service runarounds just got 10 times more convoluted.

The assumption is that, for millions if not billions of customers, video-to-video and image-to-video technology like Kling, which allows users to transfer specific motions, facial expressions, and gestures in live time from a reference video is more than enough to satisfy consumers as well as producers. Everybody wins!

Or not? Digital puppeteering can’t help but subvert the quality and value of human-to-human interaction — you know, that thing that started and perpetuates all of our experience on earth. Yet so dilapidated are our circumstances that it’s actually very hard to say whether or not this is an improvement in moral terms. You see, on the one hand, maybe sites such as Fanvue force most women back into the real world, where they need to interact with other real humans. On the other, maybe the price for artificial intimate interaction with digital entities stabilizes and even more young, shiftless, and financially abused men have nowhere else to turn but to simulated companions.

Justine Moore, a partner at A16z, gets credit for putting the puzzle together in a semi-viral X thread last week: “I predicted this in ’23 when I saw a few creators start using AI to sell voice clips and extra images. But now the future is here — anyone can be a hot girl online. It’s all thanks to NB Pro [and] Kling Motion Control.”

Consider that with these minor steps forward into really convincing motion transfer and voice technologies, the level of human discernment required to combat fraud, at every level, just shot through the roof. You get a FaceTime or X call from someone. Is it really that person? We are presented with an audio-visual clip of some sort, it’s labeled “BREAKING.” Maybe it looks important, or maybe the context really has immediate impact, but we won’t be entirely sure if it’s real.

Fanvue’s big step into a very particular timeline nightmare shouldn’t have been inevitable, yet it also seems foretold. It surely spells deep trouble — and signifies a turning point where we must make an active, daily choice to be, and not just seem to be, human.

​Tech 

The Department of Justice scored a Democrat fraud hat trick in Georgia: A third politician has been charged with fraudulently obtaining unemployment funds from the government.

Georgia state Rep. Dexter Sharper, a Democrat, was charged Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice with “making false statements to fraudulently obtain thousands” in COVID-related funds after he allegedly claimed unemployment benefits while he kept working.

‘The alleged activities describe a disgusting abuse by an elected official who appeared to trade his integrity for money destined for those in need.’

Sharper applied for the benefits in 2020 that were available as a result of the pandemic, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg.

He allegedly claimed that he was unemployed and obtained about $13,825 in unemployment while he was actually making up to $2,231 of income per week at one job and up to an additional $275 weekly as a musician. He applied for the benefits and then made fraudulent weekly statements that he wasn’t working in order to receive unemployment payments, prosecutors said.

“While many of his constituents and fellow citizens were losing jobs and desperately needed unemployment assistance during the pandemic, Representative Sharper allegedly pretended to be out of work to collect a share of unemployment benefits for himself,” said Hertzberg. “When government officials lie to take money, and do it while holding an elected office, it violates the trust of citizens and weakens faith in our elected government.”

The first Georgia Democrat nailed for stealing fraudulent unemployment benefits was Karen Bennett, who resigned before pleading guilty on Jan. 21 to federal charges of making fraudulent statements. Prosecutors said she stole $13,940.

A second Democrat, state Rep. Sharon Henderson, was indicted on Dec. 2 for similar accusations related to the alleged theft of $17,811 in pandemic unemployment funds.

RELATED: Dr. Oz exposes alleged fraud in L.A. — so Newsom calls for probe into ‘racially charged’ claims

Sharper declined a request for comment from the Georgia Recorder on the advice of counsel, and a spokesperson for the Georgia House Democratic Caucus also declined to comment.

“These charges point to some disgraceful conduct at the highest level, which should shock and repulse every citizen,” said Georgia Inspector General Nigel Lange. “The alleged activities describe a disgusting abuse by an elected official who appeared to trade his integrity for money destined for those in need.”

Sharper’s biography appears to have been scrubbed from the Georgia House of Representatives website, but a version of the page archived at the Wayback Machine said he founded “Sharper Bounce Houses & More” as well as the “Dexter Sharper Fresheners” business. He has four children with his wife, Chequella Shipman Sharper.

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​Rep dexter sharper, Georgia state rep fraud, Doj charges dem fraud, Pandemic unemployment fraud, Politics 

According to the young Bryce Crawford, God transformed his life and gave him the boldness to share Jesus with people most Christians avoid.

“The head of the KKK, furries, politicians, homeless people. What do all of these groups have in common? They need Jesus. They need to hear the gospel,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey says on “Relatable.”

“Bryce Crawford knows that. That’s why he goes to everyone, everywhere, and preaches the good news of Jesus Christ,” she says.

And in a recent conversation with Crawford at AmFest, he explained just how he reaches those who seem to want to be reached the least.

“How do you explain the gospel to someone who has no Christian contact? They don’t know anything about what you’re talking about,” she asked Crawford.

“I kind of explain it like a murderer, like a criminal. You know, a murderer commits a crime, and if the police officer arrested them and then took them to doughnuts and coffee, you’d be like, ‘That’s a little weird. No, the murderer deserves jail!’” Crawford explained.

“And in the same way a murderer deserves jail and deserves to be punished is the same way you and I deserve to be punished, because you don’t have to teach a 4-year-old to be selfish and not share and pitch fits and hit the mom or hit the dad when they’re upset,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter how good of a parent you are. It’s in their nature. But it’s a gift from God that God substitutes his wrath on us with his grace. And I think the ultimate thing for me is explaining forgiveness. You know, forgiveness is canceling the debt someone owes you. And God has canceled the debt that we owe Him with His life,” he added.

While Crawford has had a lot of great conversations with those whom he disagrees with, he has had a few that have momentarily stumped him.

“I talked to the Hebrew Israelites a lot,” he told Stuckey, explaining that this specific group believes that “if you’re not black, you’re going to hell, basically.”

“It’s hard to talk with people that are prideful and that take Scripture out of context. You know what I mean? And so, I just say, ‘Okay, thank you,’ or, ‘Oh, I don’t know, but this is what I do know,’” he explained.

“The Holy Spirit can take over and give you words, but we can’t let false doctrine sway us aside. Those guys can be a little iffy,” he added.

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​Upload, Camera phone, Sharing, Free, Video phone, Video, Youtube.com, Relatable with allie beth stuckey, Relatable, Allie beth stuckey, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Bryce crawford, The gospel, Furries, The kkk, Hebrew israelites 

America’s past energy weakness wasn’t accidental. It was a result of misguided political pressure.

While Washington politicians congratulated themselves on “green leadership,” they systematically strangled the most energy‑rich state in the nation: Alaska. The result has been higher costs, increased foreign dependence, and a national security posture that makes our adversaries smile.

Alaska proves what Washington refuses to admit: You can develop resources responsibly, or you outsource damage to others.

Revitalizing the Alaskan oil industry is the key to reversing these costly mistakes.

The Trans‑Alaska Pipeline System was built after the 1973 Arab oil embargo made the danger of foreign dependence painfully clear. Authorized by Congress and completed in 1977, the 800‑mile pipeline has moved more than 17 billion barrels of oil to U.S. markets.

At its peak, TAPS delivered over 2 million barrels per day, dramatically reducing reliance on OPEC and reinforcing American energy security. It funded public services, created tens of thousands of jobs, and helped stabilize global markets — all while operating under some of the toughest environmental standards in the world.

The truth about foreign energy dependence

The United States still imports billions of barrels of oil every year. Roughly 20%of our petroleum needs are met by foreign suppliers. While Canada and Mexico are reliable partners, global pricing and supply remain hostage to instability in the Middle East and geopolitical maneuvering by OPEC+.

This instability is the cost of blocking domestic development. If America won’t produce energy, others will — often with weaker labor laws, worse environmental practices, and profits flowing to regimes aligned against U.S. interests.

Environmental activism does not stop the demand, but it does decrease American leverage.

In Alaska, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain alone holds an estimated 7.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil, with total North Slope reserves exceeding 10 billion barrels. Development could deliver up to 1.2 million barrels per day at peak production — enough to materially offset foreign imports and extend the life of TAPS.

This untapped potential is why restrictions on Alaska energy development were so destructive. They ignored economic reality and national defense in favor of ideology.

Recent deregulatory efforts show the correct path forward: Open ANWR and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, streamline permitting, modernize infrastructure, expand offshore access, and invest in liquid natural gas for both domestic use and exports to allies.

Cheap energy is a conservative value

Affordable energy lowers grocery bills, keeps manufacturing competitive, restrains inflation, and allows young families to build lives without fleeing high‑cost states. It is no coincidence that states with affordable energy policies attract investment and jobs while those with ideological energy policies hemorrhage both.

Alaska understands this reality very well. In a cold, remote state, energy reliability is not optional. That same realism should guide national policy.

Natural gas, large‑scale hydro, clean coal, and next‑generation nuclear are the way forward. They don’t collapse during cold snaps. They don’t require permanent subsidies. And they work at scale.

A country that depends on foreign energy can be easily manipulated and destabilized. A country that exports energy sets its own terms.

Alaska’s location makes it a critical asset. LNG exports from Alaska strengthen allies while undercutting Russian influence and Chinese leverage. Continuing to restrain the state’s energy potential does nothing but weaken America and strengthen our rivals.

RELATED: What’s Greenland to us?

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

The choice in front of us

Critics repeat the same tired scare tactics, but reality tells a different story.

Wildlife adapted around the Trans‑Alaska Pipeline. Fisheries can easily coexist with modern development. Today’s monitoring, engineering, and land management dramatically exceed anything available a generation ago.

Alaska proves what Washington refuses to admit: You can develop resources responsibly, or you outsource damage to others.

America can keep pretending that energy comes from press releases and foreign tankers, or we can reclaim the proven model that once made it strong: Produce at home under American rules, for American families.

The path to energy independence doesn’t run through climate conferences or regulatory delay. It runs through Alaska.

​Alaska, Oi, Lng, Alaska oil, Alaska pipeline, Trans-alaska pipeline project, Opec, Foreign imports, China, Russia, Opinion & analysis 

In 1865, the economist William Stanley Jevons looked at the industrializing world and noted a distinct, counterintuitive rhythm to the smoke rising over England. The assumption of the time, a naive view that persists with a certain obstinacy, was that improving the efficiency of coal use would lead to a conservation of coal. Jevons observed precisely the opposite. As the steam engines became more efficient, coal became cheaper to use, and the demand for coal did not decline; it skyrocketed.

This phenomenon, later called the Jevons Effect, suggests a fundamental truth of economics that we seem determined to forget: When a resource becomes easier and cheaper to consume, and demand for it is elastic, we do not consume less of it. We often consume a great deal more. We find new ways to burn it. We expand the definition of what is possible, not to rest, but to fill the newly available capacity with ever more work.

The result is not a workforce at rest.

We are standing at the precipice of another such moment, perhaps the most significant since the steam engine. The age of AI is upon us, bringing with it efficiencies that promise to do for knowledge work what mechanization did for physical labor. The rhetoric surrounding this shift is familiar. We are told that AI will free us from drudgery, that it will automate the contract reviews, the basic coding, the marketing copy, and leave us with a surplus of time.

Lesson learned?

We have heard this song before. In 1930, John Maynard Keynes predicted that by 2030 technological progress would reduce the workweek to 15 hours. He imagined a world in which productivity was so high that we would opt for leisure. As we survey the frenetic landscape of the American workplace in 2026, we can see that he was largely wrong. We did not take our gains in time; we took them in goods and services.

The history of computing serves as a prologue to the current AI moment. When mainframes were scarce and costly, they were tools for the Fortune 500. As costs fell and efficiency rose, through the minicomputer era to the ubiquitous personal computer, we did not declare the problem of computing “solved.” We adopted roughly 100 times more computers with each step change in affordability. The cloud era erased barriers to entry, and suddenly a local shop could access software capabilities that, in the 1970s, were the exclusive province of massive conglomerates.

When high-level programming languages replaced the tedium of low-level coding, programmers did not write less code. They wrote much more, tackling problems that would have been previously deemed infeasible. Today, despite the existence of open-source libraries and cloud platforms that automate vast swaths of development, there are more software engineers than ever before. Efficiency simply allowed software to infiltrate every domain of life.

RELATED: How Americans can prepare for the worst — before it’s too late

Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Now we have LLMs and coding agents. These tools lower the “cost of trying” still further. A task that once required a team — analyzing customer data with advanced models or building a prototype application — can now be attempted by a lone entrepreneur.

From production to orchestration

Consider Boris Cherny, the engineer who created Claude Code and used it to submit 259 pull requests in a single month, altering 78,000 lines of code. Every single line was written by Claude Code. This is not a story of labor reduction; it is a story of a single human scaling his output to match that of a large team. The barrier to initiating a software project or a marketing campaign is falling, and in response, companies are green-lighting projects they would have previously shelved.

The result is not a workforce at rest. Instead we see a shift in which the human role evolves from producer to orchestrator. We are becoming “gardeners,” cultivating and pruning fleets of AI agents. The span of control for a single worker increases, one person supervising what five or 10 might have done previously, but those displaced workers do not vanish into leisure. They move on to supervise their own agents, in different projects, expanding the frontier of what is built. This is the Jevons Effect in a strong form. The “latent demand” for knowledge work is proving to be great.

In the United States, where the cultural ethos tilts toward growth and innovation, this tendency to convert efficiency into more work is acute. Marketing employment, for example, grew fivefold over the last 50 years, precisely during the era when tools like Photoshop and Google Ads made the job in some ways easier. Efficiency turned marketing from a niche activity into a requirement for every business, spawning sub-disciplines that didn’t exist a generation ago.

Why bother?

The danger, of course, lies in the lack of distinction between “can” and “should.” An enduring lesson of the Jevons Effect is that efficiency does not confer wisdom. Technology can tell us how to execute a task faster but cannot say whether the task is worth doing. As roles transition into oversight, reviewing, and coordinating the outputs of AI, we must still ask if those outputs are solving meaningful problems. The crucial factor is human judgment. When more things are possible, the burden falls on us to decide what goals are actually worth the time.

We are not heading toward a 15-hour workweek. We are heading toward a world of expanding projects, in which efficiency lowers the cost of work and raises the amount we choose to do. The coal is cheaper, the fire is hotter, and we are shoveling as fast as we can.

​Tech, Jevons paradox 

The Metropolitan Police banned a “Walk with Jesus” event from taking place in a London borough, citing concerns it would provoke the members of the community.

‘To save Britain, we must reinstate Christianity back into the heart of government.’

In a December social media post, the United Kingdom Independence Party announced a march scheduled for January 31 in Whitechapel, a predominantly Muslim community.

“Join our parade in Whitechapel worshipping Jesus Christ,” the post reads, describing the month as “dedicated to the holy name of Jesus.”

UKIP encouraged individuals who wished to participate in the march to gather outside Whitechapel Tube Station.

“Christ is King,” UKIP wrote. “All the Glory and honour to him.”

The Metropolitan Police revealed on January 23 that it was imposing conditions on the march “to prevent disorder.” Those conditions included a ban on anyone taking part in the event “in the London borough of Tower Hamlets,” which encompasses Whitechapel.

RELATED: Tommy Robinson has the last laugh after politically motivated terrorism arrest: ‘Free speech won!’

Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

“They have been imposed to prevent serious disorder and serious disruption. Breaching the conditions, or encouraging others to do so, is an arrestable offence,” the Metropolitan Police stated.

“We have encouraged UKIP to consider the very real likelihood that their presence in Whitechapel could lead to serious disruption or serious disorder and to consider an alternative proposal,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman stated. “We are not saying that the UKIP protest, in isolation, will be disorderly. But we do know that many will find it provocative and that provocation is likely to lead to an adverse local reaction.”

“We reasonably believe, based on the information available and on previous similar incidents, that the coming together of the UKIP protest with opposing groups who are hostile to its presence would be highly likely to lead to violence and serious disorder,” Harman added.

He claimed that the decision was not based on politics or whether the event would offend others, but based “solely on our risk assessment for serious disorder.”

Harman insisted that the conditions did not constitute a ban, noting that UKIP was welcome to put on the march elsewhere.

“If they will engage with our teams we are confident a less provocative location that avoids the risk of serious disorder can be identified,” Harman said.

Authorities noted that it was the second time UKIP had proposed a gathering in the Whitechapel area in recent months. However, it did not explain why the area was deemed a greater safety risk.

RELATED: Patriots flood London streets for Unite the Kingdom festival: ‘Cultural revolution has begun’

Nick Tenconi. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

UKIP shared a video from its leader, Nick Marcel Tenconi, on Friday, announcing that participants should gather at Marble Arch, which is located outside the borough of Tower Hamlets.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we are fighting for the soul of our great nation,” Tenconi stated. “The battle we are in is to save Britain. The war we are in is a holy war. And the crisis we face is spiritual crisis. … To save Britain, we must unite. But we can only do this if we return to our faith before any kind of unity can be achieved. That’s why we have always failed. To save Britain, we must reinstate Christianity back into the heart of government.”

“We will be marching this Saturday, the 31st of January, meeting at Marble Arch at 12 p.m. to honor the holy name of Jesus Christ and to stand up for our faith,” Tenconi announced.

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​News, U.k., United kingdom, London, Whitechapel, Tower hamlets, United kingdom independence party, Ukip, Christian, Britain, Nick marcel tenconi, Nick tenconi, Politics 

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson (D) on Thursday announced several measures to prepare for a potential increase in federal immigration enforcement activities in the city.

‘The biggest losers are the people she was elected to serve.’

The mayor’s office aims to “protect city residents” from immigration enforcement activities, a press release from the city reads. Wilson’s office stated that it had “no information indicating a surge” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection agents in the area. However, it claimed there is a “critical” need to prepare, citing the “increased activity over the last year” and the “unpredictable, chaotic, and violent behavior of the federal government.”

As part of these efforts, Wilson declared that she is directing the Seattle Police Department to investigate, verify, and document immigration enforcement activity with “in-car and body-worn video.” Local police will also be required to verify federal agents’ official identification and “secure scenes of potentially unlawful acts to gather evidence for transmittal to prosecutors.”

The SPD will share this information for other city departments and “trusted” local organizations “to ensure everyone has the latest and most accurate information.”

Additionally, Wilson plans to issue an executive order prohibiting federal immigration agents from using city-owned or controlled property for their law enforcement activities. The mayor has called on other local government bodies to take similar action against ICE.

Residents are encouraged to post signs on their properties indicating that federal agents may not enter without a warrant.

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

Photo by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images

Wilson has also announced that the city will invest $4 million in taxpayer funds to support organizations providing community services and legal defense assistance to immigrants.

“Whoever you are, and wherever you come from: If Seattle is your home, then this is your city,” Wilson stated. “And it’s our responsibility as city leaders to move quickly and get organized so we can keep people safe. That is why I am taking immediate steps today to bar federal agents from using city property for federal civil immigration enforcement activity, update SPD protocols, and support trusted community partners to aid the community response, which is our most powerful tool.”

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes declared that local law enforcement agents are “here to keep you safe, regardless of your immigration status.”

“The City of Seattle is a welcoming city, and my officers will continue to abide by all laws and regulations that prohibit our participation in immigration enforcement. While we have no authority over federal agents or federal policies, we will document incidents if and when notified. The Seattle Police Department’s primary responsibility is the life safety of ALL people,” Barnes said.

RELATED: Democrat mayor says he has ‘no desire’ to jail repeat criminals — he wants to know their ‘life story’ instead

Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images

The Seattle Police Officers Guild president, Mike Solan, pushed back on Wilson’s directive, stating that the union would not force its members to comply, calling the mayor’s announcement “toothless virtue signaling rhetoric.”

“The concept of pitting two armed law enforcement agencies against each other is ludicrous, and will not happen,” Solan said. “I will not allow SPOG members to be used as political pawns.”

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told MyNorthwest that Wilson’s actions were “legally illiterate.”

“Enforcing federal immigration laws is a clear federal responsibility under Article I, Article II, and the Supremacy Clause,” the spokesperson stated. “While this Seattle sanctuary politician continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto the streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals and make Seattle safe again.”

“How does this serve the people of Seattle? The biggest losers are the people she was elected to serve,” the spokesperson added.

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​News, Seattle, Katie wilson, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Customs and border protection, Cbp, Department of homeland security, Dhs, Immigration crisis, Immigration, Illegal immigration crisis, Illegal immigration, Politics 

When former NFL quarterback Cam Newton recently took aim at Jason Whitlock, he boasted about his influence on culture and warned Whitlock that he’s “not plum dumb.”

But Whitlock isn’t buying it.

“One thing about me, Mr. Whitlock, my voice to the culture is way more heavier than I even expected it to be. I owe a service to speak up for the muzzled, for the muted, the forgotten, or the overlooked,” Newton began.

“To make sure my dialect, my tone, my vernacular is not only factual, but it’s also relatable to my kind. My kind is not just a color. … So be careful, Mr. Whitlock, because you fell victim to what I really wanted you and others to understand. I may look some dumb, but I ain’t plum dumb,” he continued.

“So I’m comfortable in my skin. Are you comfortable in yours?” he asked.

“I’ll start with your last question,” Whitlock responds. “Am I comfortable in my skin? And he’s saying that he’s comfortable in his. And so I’m going to deal with your question legitimately.”

“I think what you mean is, am I comfortable being black? But let me answer your first question. Am I comfortable in my skin? My skin is not a color,” he explains, noting that “no,” he is “not comfortable” is his skin.

However, it’s because he has “a biblical worldview.”

“I know that I’m a wretched, lustful ignoramus and that the Bible and Christianity actually teaches me to deny myself — that my instincts, what I want to do, will lead me astray. And so I get up every day and go to war with Jason Whitlock,” Whitlock says.

“Because I have figured out that the things that I want actually hurt me, damage me, and that the Bible and the whole point of Christianity is denial of what I want.

“As it relates to ‘am I comfortable being black,’ which is the question you were really asking,” he continues. “Not only am I comfortable, I enjoy it. I love it. It’s the way God made me. Yes, I’m very comfortable with my skin color. I’m very uncomfortable with who I am. And I fight it every day,” he adds.

And while Whitlock admits he is flawed, he points out that Newton is likely no different from him.

“You’ve impregnated a stripper or two. Sounds like you like strippers. So did I. I had to fight myself and retrain, reprogram my brain so that I would deny myself my lustful thoughts. … If we’re doing life right, we should not be comfortable with our desires. We should be submitting to His desires,” Whitlock says.

“Cam, I think you know this, because your dad’s a minister. And I think you’re in rebellion to this, perhaps because your dad’s a minister,” he continues. “But that is the difference between me and you.”

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The FBI is abandoning General Motors.

For generations, the black Chevrolet Suburban has been a rolling symbol of federal authority. Its size, shape, and presence are instantly recognizable — whether pulling up to a courthouse, idling outside a hotel, or leading a motorcade through city streets. That familiarity, however, is precisely why the FBI’s recent decision to move away from armored Suburbans in favor of BMW X5 Protection SUVs deserves a closer look. Despite the political noise surrounding the change, the rationale behind it is not ideological. It is practical.

While BMW is a German brand, all BMW X-series SUVs — including the X5 — are manufactured at the company’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, plant.

Under FBI Director Kash Patel, the bureau has reportedly ordered a fleet of armored BMW X5 Protection SUVs to replace the Chevrolet and GMC models traditionally used for executive transport. The reasons cited by the FBI are straightforward: The BMWs cost significantly less, attract less attention, and are built in the United States. Taken together, those factors point to a procurement decision driven by economics and operational efficiency — not symbolism or brand preference.

Frugal fleet

According to FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson, vehicle fleet decisions are routinely reviewed based on security needs, usage patterns, and budget considerations. In this case, the BMW X5 Protection was selected after comparing costs and capabilities with other armored options. Williamson said the move could save taxpayers millions of dollars by choosing a less expensive vehicle while still meeting the bureau’s protection requirements.

The cost differences are hard to ignore. Government-spec Chevrolet Suburban Shield vehicles produced by GM Defense have been reported to cost anywhere from roughly $600,000 to as much as $3.6 million, depending on armor level, drivetrain configuration, and mission-specific equipment. Even conservative estimates put a new armored Suburban at around $480,000 per vehicle. By contrast, the BMW X5 Protection VR6 is generally priced between $200,000 and $300,000 — less than half the cost of many armored Chevrolet and GMC alternatives.

When multiplied across an entire fleet, those numbers add up quickly. Savings of $200,000 or more per vehicle matter for an agency under constant pressure to justify spending. From a taxpayer perspective, the question is simple: If the required level of ballistic protection can be achieved for significantly less money, why wouldn’t the FBI pursue that option?

The BMW X5 Protection VR6 is not a standard luxury SUV fitted with aftermarket armor. It is engineered from the factory with integrated ballistic protection designed to meet VR6 standards, including resistance to high-powered rifle fire and explosive threats. These vehicles are already in service with governments and diplomatic protection units around the world, including the U.S. State Department, which uses armored BMWs to protect American diplomats in high-risk regions. This is a proven platform, not an experiment.

Stealth mode

Cost, however, is only part of the story. The FBI has also indicated that the BMWs are less conspicuous than traditional government vehicles. That claim may seem counterintuitive until one considers how closely the Suburban is associated with federal authority. A line of black Suburbans with dark glass immediately signals government transport. Their presence often draws attention.

The BMW X5, even in armored form, blends more easily into traffic — particularly in urban and suburban areas where luxury SUVs are common. It does not carry the same visual shorthand of authority. From a security standpoint, reducing predictability and visibility can be an advantage. A vehicle that does not immediately announce its purpose may attract less attention and lower risk in certain situations.

Critics argue that the publicity surrounding the purchase undermines any claim of stealth, and that may be true in the short term. Over time, however, the novelty fades. What remains is a vehicle that looks like countless others on the road, rather than one that announces its role at a glance.

RELATED: A federal ‘kill switch’ for your car is coming — and neither Democrats nor Republicans will stop it

United Archives/Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

American-made

Another point often lost in the debate is where these vehicles are built. While BMW is a German brand, all BMW X-series SUVs — including the X5 — are manufactured at the company’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, plant. It is BMW’s largest production facility worldwide and one of the most significant automotive exporters in the United States by value. The armored X5s used by the FBI are built by American workers on American soil.

That reality complicates claims that the FBI is abandoning American manufacturing. Both the Chevrolet Suburban and the BMW X5 are products of U.S. factories, assembled by U.S. labor, and supported by domestic supply chains. The distinction lies not in where the vehicles are built, but in how much they cost and how effectively they meet the agency’s needs.

Government fleets have always been guided by pragmatism. Federal agencies regularly reassess equipment based on performance, cost, and evolving threats. The FBI’s decision fits squarely within that tradition.

The emotional attachment to the Suburban is understandable. Introduced in 1935 as the Carryall Suburban, it is the longest-running nameplate in American automotive history and has served military, law enforcement, and civilian roles for nearly a century. But symbols come at a price, and in this case that price appears to have climbed sharply.

Time will tell

Imagining a single Suburban costing as much as $3.6 million is enough to give any budget analyst pause. Even at the lower end of reported figures, the cost difference between an armored Suburban and an armored BMW X5 is substantial. In an era of heightened scrutiny over federal spending, paying more than double for a vehicle that may also be more conspicuous is difficult to justify.

That does not mean the BMW choice is without trade-offs. Long-term maintenance costs, parts availability, and service complexity will ultimately determine whether the savings persist over the full life cycle of the vehicles. German engineering can be expensive to maintain, but heavily armored Suburbans are also highly specialized machines with their own costly upkeep requirements. The true comparison will emerge over time.

What is clear now is that the decision is rooted in cost control and operational considerations — not political signaling. The FBI did not choose BMW to make a statement. It chose BMW because the vehicles were cheaper, less visually obvious, and built domestically.

For taxpayers, the takeaway is straightforward. If a federal agency can meet its security needs while spending significantly less money, that is not a controversy. It is what responsible stewardship is supposed to look like. The badge on the grille may spark debate, but the math behind the decision tells a far more practical story.

​Drivers, Lifestyle, Align cars, Fbi, Chevrolet suburban, Buy american, Bmw, Bmw x-5, Made in america, Auto industry, Kash patel 

A bill advancing through the Massachusetts Senate would make reducing how much people drive an explicit goal of state transportation policy. It is called the Freedom to Move Act.

The bill, SB 2246, does not impose mileage caps on individual drivers. There is no odometer check, no per-driver limit, and no new fines or taxes written into the legislation. Instead it directs the state to set targets for reducing total vehicle miles traveled statewide — targets that would be incorporated into transportation planning, infrastructure investment, and long-term emissions policy.

When reducing driving becomes a formal state objective, personal mobility inevitably becomes something to be managed.

Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts, as it is in many states. From that perspective, lawmakers argue the bill simply aligns transportation policy with existing climate mandates. The state already has legally binding emissions reduction goals, and supporters say those goals cannot be met without addressing how much people drive. SB 2246, they argue, is about planning — not punishment — and about expanding alternatives rather than restricting choices.

Planning … or punishment?

The bill also establishes advisory councils and requires state agencies, including the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, to factor VMT reduction into project development and funding decisions. In theory, this means greater emphasis on public transit, transit-oriented development, walking and biking infrastructure, and land-use policies designed to shorten commutes. Supporters emphasize that the legislation does not ban cars, restrict ownership, or mandate lifestyle changes. It simply provides a framework for offering residents more options.

The practical implications, however, deserve closer scrutiny — especially outside the state’s urban core. In greater Boston, where transit access is relatively dense, reducing car trips may be feasible for some commuters. In suburban and rural areas, the reality is very different. Many residents drive long distances to work because there are no viable alternatives. Families juggle school, child care, medical appointments, sports, and jobs across multiple towns. Small businesses rely on vehicles for deliveries, service calls, and daily operations. For these drivers, “driving less” is not a preference — it’s a constraint imposed by geography.

Future restrictions

Critics also worry that while SB 2246 does not cap individual mileage today, it lays the groundwork for future restrictions. Once statewide VMT reduction targets are established, pressure will mount to meet them. That pressure could influence everything from road funding and parking availability to congestion pricing, zoning decisions, and the collection of driving data. Even without explicit mandates, policy signals matter. When reducing driving becomes a formal state objective, personal mobility inevitably becomes something to be managed.

There is also the issue of trust and execution. Massachusetts has struggled for years to maintain and modernize its public transportation system. The MBTA’s well-documented reliability problems have eroded confidence among riders and taxpayers alike. Promising expanded transit options while existing systems remain fragile leaves many residents skeptical that alternatives to driving will arrive quickly — or equitably.

RELATED: EPA to California: Don’t mess with America’s trucks

Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images

National trend

From a broader policy standpoint, SB 2246 reflects a national trend. States and cities across the country are experimenting with VMT reduction as a climate strategy, encouraged by federal guidance and funding priorities. The premise is that cleaner vehicles alone are not enough and that total driving must decline to meet emissions targets. Whether that assumption holds as vehicle technology evolves — including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and increasingly efficient internal combustion engines — remains an open question.

Supporters argue that thoughtful planning now can prevent more disruptive measures later. By gradually reshaping transportation and development patterns, they believe emissions can be reduced without dramatic lifestyle changes. Opponents counter that history suggests incremental planning often leads to more intrusive policies — especially when initial targets prove difficult to meet.

What makes SB 2246 significant is not what it does immediately, but what it signals about the future of transportation policy. It reframes driving not simply as a personal choice or economic necessity, but as a behavior the state has an interest in reducing.

As the bill moves to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, lawmakers will have to weigh climate goals against economic realities, regional disparities, and personal freedom.

Massachusetts residents should pay close attention. SB 2246 may not tell you how many miles you can drive today — but it helps define who gets to decide how transportation works tomorrow.

​Climate change, Drivers, Emissions, Freedom to move act, Lifestyle, Massachusetts, Mileage limits, Align cars 

As Minnesota erupts in protests with cries of racism and tyranny over the recent ICE shootings, BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey says she’s “having deja vu to 2020.”

“Like, are we really doing this again?” Stuckey asks.

“So many women in my DMs have yet again fallen for the very same psychological and political traps that were laid for us in 2020 and, in some ways, were laid for us all the way back in the Garden of Eden,” she explains.

In 2020, Stuckey recalls people suddenly becoming “very feverish about things like masks.”

“We were getting a lot of propaganda. It was almost like Trump’s enemies realized that they can harness this as a tool to try to help him lose the election. And then George Floyd happens, the riots happen, the protests,” she says.

“And, of course, you remember that right away, the reaction by most people, especially in the evangelical world, was to condemn racism, to condemn police brutality, to condemn white supremacy, to almost apologize to their black friends, to post the black square, maybe put their Christian spin on it,” she continues.

Of course, those same people ignored the deaths of young people like Tony Timpa and Justine Damond, who were also unarmed, in non-threatening positions, and killed by police officers.

“But they didn’t have the right skin color. And so they didn’t point to the systemic white supremacy, the institutional racism that has plagued our country since its very beginning,” Stuckey says.

“That’s just not true. That’s not politically true. I mean, black Americans have a large segment of the vote. They almost always vote Democrat. Barack Obama won his election two years in a row. It’s not true that these voices are politically unheard, but that was used by Christians to justify violence and to check themselves and to check their privilege and to commit to being an anti-racist,” she continues.

“And I had read too much Thomas Sowell and too much Walter Williams at that point in my life to buy into that. But I’m telling you, for real, it was really hard. It would have been so much easier at the time to shut up about that and to just not say anything, to just post the black square,” she says.

And while both of the recent ICE shootings have been of white people, they were white people defending the honor of minorities and white people playing into the propaganda that minorities need saving, just like in 2020.

“They’re buying into lies, and they’re very tied to it,” Stuckey says.

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Springfield, Ohio, featured prominently in 2024 election-time debates as a case study in the fallout of the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous immigration policies — a place where President Donald Trump suggested migrants were “eating the pets of the people that live there.”

The blue-collar city, which had a population of just over 58,000 in 2020, was flooded in subsequent years by tens of thousands of Haitian migrants — migrants whom Springfield Mayor Rob Rue admitted “taxed” the “infrastructure of the city, our safety forces, our hospitals, our schools.” According to the city, there are upwards of 15,000 migrants presently residing in Clark County alone.

‘Temporary means temporary.’

Many of the Haitians who overwhelmed Springfield and other American cities initially entered the U.S. illegally but were spared deportation on account of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status. That status, which Haitian migrants have enjoyed since January 2010 and roughly 350,000 Haitian migrants enjoy today, is set to expire on Tuesday.

In anticipation of a potential immigration crackdown following the designation’s expiration date, Mayor Rue and members of the Springfield City Commission approved a resolution on Tuesday urging federal law enforcement to “comply with city policies on masks and officer identification to preserve the public peace within the community.”

Blaze News has reached out to Mayor Rue for comment.

Former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reinstated Haiti’s TPS in 2021, then doubled down in subsequent years, expanding eligibility for protection along the way.

The Trump Department of Homeland Security announced in July, however, that Haiti’s temporary status was coming to an end.

“After reviewing country conditions and consulting with appropriate U.S. Government agencies, the Secretary determined that Haiti no longer continues to meet the conditions for designation for TPS,” said the announcement in the Federal Register. “The Secretary, therefore, is terminating the TPS designation of Haiti as required by statute.”

RELATED: Trump administration halts visas for 75 nations whose people gobble up American welfare

Photo by Luke Sharrett/Getty Images

While DHS initially sought to terminate the TPS designation for Haiti on Sept. 2, 2025, the termination was blocked and the status preserved until Feb. 3 by the New York-based U.S. district court judge overseeing the case Haitian Evangelical Clergy Association v. Trump.

In November, the DHS noted that “in compliance with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York’s final judgment, the current Temporary Protected Status designation period for Haiti ends February 3, 2026.”

The loss of status would not only mean that previously covered Haitians will lose their work authorization but that they could be given the boot.

Emily Brown, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law’s Immigration Clinic Director, told the Ohio Capital Journal, “At that point, they could potentially be arrested, detained, or put in removal proceedings unless they have already applied for some other form of relief they have in addition to TPS, or that they are applying for in addition to TPS.”

The ACLU of Ohio is among the liberal activist groups panicking over the prospect of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeting Haitian migrants in Springfield starting on Feb. 4.

“This despicable surge in lawless ICE officers descending upon Springfield will ignite swells of fear within the Haitian community, terrorize our black and brown neighbors, and cause considerable damage to citizens and non-citizens alike,” stated J. Bennett Guess, executive director of the ACLU of Ohio.

“The ACLU of Ohio urges state and local elected officials to do everything in their power to protect the 30,000 Haitians living in Central Ohio,” he continued.

Prior to Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes — a Biden-appointed lesbian judge who previously worked as a lawyer to fight the first Trump administration’s immigration policy — could decide to suspend the expiration of Haiti’s TPS.

Reyes may be emboldened, after all, by a ruling on Wednesday from a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The panel — comprising three Democrat-nominated judges — suggested Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her authority when ending the TPS for Venezuela and Haiti.

The appellate court’s ruling won’t have an immediate effect, as the U.S. Supreme Court cleared Noem in October to revoke temporary legal statuses while litigation proceeds.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in response to the appellate court’s ruling, “Temporary means temporary, and this is yet another lawless and activist order from the federal judiciary who continues to undermine our immigration laws.”

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​Temporary protected status, Tps, Haiti, Haitian immigrants, Haitian migrants, Migrants, Immigration, Illegal aliens, Springfield, Ohio, Deport, Politics 

Something important shifted in this country when a Sunday worship service in Minneapolis was interrupted by protesters. It was a deliberate, premeditated intrusion into a space set apart for worship.

This was not spontaneous. There was planning, agreement, and coordinated action. This sort of strategy requires a different posture.

Churches across the country are already alert. Security teams exist for a reason.

For generations, houses of worship were understood to be off-limits.When that boundary is crossed, we are no longer debating policy. We are testing whether restraint still exists and whether consequences still matter.

The line has been drawn. This is not an issue that can be treated casually or observed with indifference. Anyone who refuses to condemn the coordinated disruption of worship — or, worse, excuses it — has already chosen a side.

Moments like this tempt Christians toward outrage or bravado. But Scripture does not train the church for theatrics. It trains the church for endurance, clarity, and readiness.

This incident likely would not have unfolded the same way where I live in Montana. People here are not especially theatrical about conflict. Responsibility is assumed, and consequences are not abstract. Most folks are armed, and in many churches, that includes the pastors.

The reality beneath that observation is sobering. Churches across the country are already alert. Security teams exist for a reason. In a culture shaped by real church shootings, sudden disruption inside a sanctuary is no longer interpreted as mere protest. Provocation introduced into an environment already conditioned for worst-case scenarios increases the risk of irreversible outcomes.

Every police officer will attest that domestic calls are often the most unpredictable and volatile. Not because violence is inevitable, but because instability compresses time and judgment. When emotions are high and trust is thin, even small disruptions can escalate quickly.

Families who live with addiction or severe mental illness understand this intuitively. They remain vigilant not because they want conflict, but because unpredictability makes it necessary. Boundaries are not set because change is guaranteed, but because safety is required.

A space shaped for reverence, restraint, and peace cannot be treated as if it can absorb chaos without consequence.

In such situations, vigilance and preparedness are not aggression. They are necessary parts of responsible stewardship.

Intimidation rarely seeks hardened targets. Visibility, restraint, and hesitation make certain spaces attractive to disruption. Where ambiguity is denied, intimidation fails.

It is difficult to imagine these kinds of coordinated disruptions taking place in historically black churches. Not because those congregations are hostile, but because intimidation has never been indulged there. Those churches were forged when intrusion and disruption were never theatrical.

This is not a call to intimidation in return. It is a call to clarity.

When tensions rise, someone must lower the temperature. If one side refuses, the other is obligated to establish boundaries for safety.

Anyone who has dealt with addiction understands this principle. Change cannot be forced, but boundaries must still be set. Recovery, incarceration, or death often follow prolonged chaos. These are realities repeatedly observed when destructive behavior is indulged.

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The people setting boundaries are not the cause of the crisis. They are responding to it.

Scripture never promises that moments like this will not come. Jesus warned His followers that hostility would arrive. Paul urged believers not to avenge themselves, but to overcome evil with good.

Scripture states that what can be shaken will be shaken, so that what cannot be shaken may remain (Hebrews 12:27).

That truth is carried not only in Scripture, but in the church’s hymns.

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes.
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

There is no clenched fist in that stanza. It shows a relief from strain because vigilance has been transferred to someone stronger. Calm is possible, not because the threat is small but because God is not.

So when worship is interrupted and the lines are clearly drawn, the church does not respond with hysteria or silence. It responds with moral clarity, firm boundaries, and settled confidence grounded in an unshakable kingdom. The path for believers is steadiness shaped by truth, restraint, and trust in God rather than reaction to provocation.

The church has never endured because it intimidated back. It has endured because God does not abandon His people.

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One of the most revealing features of modern Christianity — across Catholic, Protestant, and nondenominational churches alike — is how Jesus is so often presented: gentle, affirming, and above all reassuring. He is described primarily as the “Prince of Peace,” a title that appears only once in scripture (Isaiah 9:6), or reduced to a generalized ethic of niceness often summarized as “Jesus is love.”

The problem is not that these ideas are false. It is that they are radically incomplete.

Jesus prays for His followers, not for the world as such. He commands love of neighbor, but He never pretends that truth and allegiance are optional.

Scripture presents God as merciful, gracious, and abundant in goodness and truth (Exodus 34:6), but the same passage insists that He “will by no means clear the guilty.” Love, in the biblical sense, is inseparable from justice.

When Jesus commands His disciples to love one another, the apostle Paul clarifies what this means: to fulfill the law and do no harm to one’s neighbor (Romans 13:8-10). Love is not affirmation of wrongdoing; it is obedience to God’s moral order.

This distinction was not always obvious to me.

Scriptural reckoning

For much of my life, I was a Christian in name only — attending church, absorbing familiar slogans, and assuming that the moral core of Christianity consisted of kindness paired with a firm prohibition against judgment or righteous anger. That changed four years ago when I began reading scripture seriously, first through a Jewish translation of the Old Testament and later through a King James Study Bible in weekly study with a close friend.

We made a simple but demanding commitment: start at Genesis and read every verse, in order, without skipping the difficult passages. We are now in Matthew 6. This approach differs sharply from curated reading plans that promise familiarity with the Bible while quietly filtering out the parts that unsettle modern sensibilities.

Reading scripture this way forces a reckoning.

Anger management

Consider Matthew 5:22, where Jesus warns against being angry with one’s brother “without cause” — a qualifying phrase absent from many modern translations. That distinction matters. Without it, the verse suggests that all anger is sinful. With it, scripture acknowledges a truth borne out repeatedly: Anger can be justifiable, but it must be governed.

Jesus Himself demonstrates this. He overturns tables in the Temple (Matthew 21:12). He rebukes religious leaders sharply. He experiences betrayal, grief, and indignation — yet never loses control. The lesson is not emotional suppression, but moral discipline.

Reading the King James Bible makes these tensions impossible to ignore. Its language is austere and elevated, but more importantly, it preserves a view of humanity that allows for courage, judgment, and resolve alongside mercy. This stands in contrast to many modern ecclesial presentations of Christ, which portray Him almost exclusively as a comforting presence whose primary concern is emotional reassurance.

RELATED: The day I preached Christ in jail — and everything changed

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No more Mr. Nice Guy

But Jesus explicitly rejects this reduction. In Matthew 5:17-20, He states plainly that He did not come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them. The New Testament does not replace the Old; it completes it. The Old Testament establishes the moral and civilizational framework. The New Testament builds the interpersonal life of faith upon it.

Jesus is eternal (John 8:58), one with the Father and the Spirit (John 14). He is not absent from the demanding and often terrifying episodes of Israel’s history. The same Christ who calls sinners to repentance is present when God judges nations, disciplines His people, and establishes His covenant through struggle and sacrifice.

This continuity matters because it exposes the weakness of a Christianity that treats faith primarily as therapy. Churches shaped around likability and marketability inevitably soften doctrine. Hard truths drive people away; reassurance fills seats. The result is a faith that speaks endlessly about peace while avoiding the cost of discipleship.

A pastor at my church recently put it well: It is better to hold a narrow theology — one that insists scripture means what it says — and to extend fellowship generously to those who submit to it, than to hold a broad theology that can be made to say anything and therefore demands nothing. Jesus prays for His followers, not for the world as such (John 17). He commands love of neighbor, but He never pretends that truth and allegiance are optional.

This is why Jesus’ own words about conflict are so often ignored. In Luke 22:36, He tells His disciples to prepare themselves, even to the point of acquiring swords. The passage is complex and easily abused, but its presence alone undermines the notion that Jesus preached passive moral disarmament. Scripture consistently portrays a God who calls His people to vigilance, readiness, and courage — spiritual first, but never abstracted from the real world.

Cross before comfort

Many of Jesus’ parables involve kings, landowners, or rulers — figures of authority, stewardship, and judgment. The Parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19 is especially unsettling. There Jesus depicts a king rejected by his people, fully aware of their hatred, and describes the fate rebellion would merit if this were a worldly kingdom. The point is not to license violence, but to make unmistakably clear that rejection of Christ is not morally neutral.

Modern Christianity often flinches at this clarity. It prefers a Jesus who reassures rather than commands, who affirms rather than judges. But scripture presents something sterner and more demanding. Jesus does not seek universal approval. He seeks faithfulness. He does not promise comfort. He promises a cross.

As the late Voddie Baucham frequently observed, the cross is not a symbol of tolerance; it is a declaration of war against sin.

The question Christianity ultimately poses is not whether Jesus is kind — He is — but whether He is Lord. And if He is, discipleship is not a matter of sentiment, but allegiance.

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When the Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this month regarding whether or not laws from Idaho and West Virginia banning transgender athletes from competing on teams aligning with their gender identity are constitutional, many interesting characters showed up outside to protest.

And one of them crashed out while being interviewed by a conservative reporter.

“I think the problem arises when we have females that don’t want to play sports against males, and after their objection, the males are still put on the team anyway,” the reporter said.

“We’re not men. We’re not males,” the man, who calls himself a woman, responded.

“You guys separate sex and gender, don’t you?” the reporter asked.

“Yes, of course,” the man responded.

“So, then you have to acknowledge that you’re male —” she began to answer, before he cut her off to yell, “No! I will never acknowledge that! Never put those words in my mouth!”

“Never put it in my mouth,” he continued.

“I’m putting it in my mouth,” she responded.

“Take it out!” he yelled back, completely deranged. “I am not male.”

“Can I ask you what makes you a woman?” the reporter asked.

“My mind. Even implying that I’m male is an insult, and it spits in my face and that of every other trans person in this place,” the man continued.

When the reporter then addressed the man’s wife, saying her husband was being aggressive and using the pronoun “he” to describe him, the man yelled, “She.”

“You can’t just put lipstick on a pig,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales comments on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

“No one’s fooled, sir. You’re still a dude. You’ll always be a dude. Deal with it, and get some therapy while you’re at it,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

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

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