Category: blaze media

Rachel Wilson was born to a Marxist feminist mom and a hard-core conservative, Rush Limbaugh-loving dad. Spoiler alert: It didn’t work out.

Rachel struggled in school but not because she wasn’t smart. On the contrary, she was too smart. By kindergarten she had already figured out that school wasn’t about learning but about obeying rules. When college rolled around, Rachel was so over traditional education that she turned down a full-ride art scholarship.

At 20, she became a mom and felt she had found her calling. But when returning to work at just four weeks postpartum loomed, Rachel realized just how toxic the modern system was.

She began asking questions about how we got to a place where it’s normal for babies to be shipped off to day care and new moms forced to return to work just days after birth.

Her questions landed her deep in feminist literature, where she discovered that the origins of the feminist movement are not what we’ve been told. The story of abused women oppressed by the patriarchy, forced to slave away at the stove and have babies until they perished, is the lie the radical left sells us.

The truth? It’s far more sinister than most realize. Elites, the CIA, and occultists are the ones who shaped women’s liberation — not to free women, but to control society.

On a recent episode of “Normal World,” Rachel joined Dave Landau, ¼ Black Garrett, and Angela Boggs to unpack the dark history of feminism outlined in her book “Occult Feminism: The Secret History of Women’s Liberation.”

“There’s a whole hidden history to women’s liberation that nobody knows about,” says Rachel. For example, most “don’t know that there was way higher participation in anti-suffrage groups among women than pro-suffrage groups.”

However, the most shocking revelation Rachel uncovered during her research was that the feminist pioneers were almost all involved in occultism.

“Not a couple, but most of them dabbled in occult practices, whether it’s like witchcraft, spiritualism. …There’s an old saying that there was never a suffragette that didn’t sit around the seance table,” she says.

“There was a lot of anti-Christian sentiment within the suffrage movement. They had radical lesbian separatist female pastors in like 1895 helping to rewrite the Bible.”

Their core belief was that “Christianity was invented by the evil patriarchy to control women and force them to be rape slaves.”

“Lucifer was actually a symbol of women’s liberation in the 1800s. They openly said Lucifer was the good guy; he was trying to enlighten us and make us free and liberated, and God’s actually the bad [guy],” says Rachel, noting that these aren’t her opinions but the real words of the original feminists.

Later, “the CIA pushed [the feminist movement],” not for the sake of women’s freedom but rather for the sake of control.

“We’ve been lied to about everything at this point,” says Dave.

To hear more about Rachel’s book and the wild origins of the feminist movement, watch the episode above.

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To enjoy more whimsical satire, topical sketches, and comedic discussions from comedians Dave Landau and 1/4 Black Garrett, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Normal world, Dave landau, Rachel wilson, Occultism, Feminist movement, Feminism, Cia, Blazetv, Blaze media 

The United States once led the world in manufacturing, producing more than 25% of global industrial output. Today, China holds that title, controlling over 30%, while the U.S. struggles to maintain even half that share.

Plenty of factors drove this decline — decades of offshoring, the collapse of industrial job bases, and an obsession with short-term profits over long-term strength. But if America wants to reclaim its industrial leadership and restore economic self-reliance, we need more than reshoring slogans and infrastructure bills.

Innovation isn’t an expense. It’s an investment — in national security, in American workers, and the future of US leadership.

We must fix and expand the research and development tax credit.

A recent Wall Street Journal analysis focused on our loss of industrial capacity. But capacity starts with innovation. Every new factory, process, and product begins with research — and that remains our greatest untapped advantage.

Yet Congress has punished companies for investing in R&D. Since 2022, the tax code has forced businesses to amortize R&D expenses over five years instead of deducting them immediately. That change has choked innovation, especially among small and midsized manufacturers that depend on near-term tax relief to fund future growth.

The result? Reduced domestic innovation, fewer advanced manufacturing breakthroughs, and an economy less equipped to compete with subsidized foreign rivals.

R&D incentives work

The research and development tax credit was meant to drive economic growth. It helps businesses offset the steep costs of developing new technologies, improving production, and staying competitive.

But today’s credit falls short. It’s too small, too complicated, and — after the amortization change — actively harmful.

Now compare that to China. Beijing offers “super deductions,” direct subsidies, and aggressive industrial policies tailored to national priorities. The results speak for themselves: China leads in semiconductors, solar, electric vehicles, and other strategic industries.

Four immediate fixes

To reverse course and restore American competitiveness, Congress must act.

Restore full expensing of R&D investments so businesses can deduct costs in the year they’re made — not years later.
Expand the R&D credit to reach startups, family-owned manufacturers, and small tech firms that often drive innovation but struggle to access support.
Streamline eligibility rules and reduce audit risks that discourage many companies from claiming the credit at all.
Create bonus credits for R&D tied to domestic manufacturing in key sectors like semiconductors, energy, defense, and infrastructure.

R&D as economic infrastructure

American manufacturing won’t come back without innovation. You can’t revive the auto industry, reshore chip production, or scale clean energy without continuous investment in research and development. And without smart tax policy to back it, capital won’t go where it’s needed.

Lawmakers in both parties love to talk about supporting U.S. industry. But support doesn’t come from speeches — it comes from policy. If Congress is serious about restoring American manufacturing, it should start by fixing the one tax tool designed to keep us competitive.

The auto industry didn’t boom just because someone built a car. It took Ford’s innovation of the assembly line and the machines to make it work. Thomas Edison didn’t invent the light bulb — he made it viable. Steve Wozniak didn’t invent the microchip, but he made the personal computer scalable.

Inventors didn’t build the modern economy. Innovators did.

Innovation isn’t an expense. It’s an investment — in national security, in American workers, and in the future of U.S. leadership.

​Opinion & analysis, Manufacturing, Research, Development, National security, Economy, Industry, Microchips, Science, China, Innovation, Tax credit, Congress, Tax reform, Budget 

Across the nation, radical activists and their allies in government wield accusations of “hate” as a weapon to silence dissent and shame those who dare protect children from harmful ideologies.

When my organization, Courage Is a Habit, was labeled a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center for our unapologetic stand against transgender ideology in K-12 schools and transgender trafficking bills, we faced a choice: Defend ourselves against the smear or redefine it on our terms.

Hate is the natural response of any sane person who sees children being indoctrinated, mutilated, or stripped of their innocence.

We chose the latter.

As I told Blaze News in April, “Absolutely we are a hate group. 100%. We hate what’s happening to children. We hate the people that pass transgender trafficking bills, which is what this HB 1312 is, essentially. We hate that children are getting sterilized and mutilated before they can even get their driver’s license. We hate everything that you stand for. We want to run you out of schools. We want to run you out of any political office.”

This is a call to American patriots to rethink the “hate” accusation and embrace it as a badge of courage. By reframing this tactic, we can neutralize its power, refocus the debate on protecting children’s innocence, and reclaim the moral high ground from those who seek to dismantle parental rights and our American way of life.

The weaponization of empathy

For too long, kind-hearted Americans have fallen into a trap. Radical activists, like those pushing HB 1312 in Colorado, exploit our empathy by framing their agenda as compassion and labeling opposition as “hate.”

HB 1312 seeks to undermine parental rights by prioritizing state control over children, allowing the government to facilitate transgender decisions without parental consent. When parents push back, they’re accused of being “hateful” toward the trans community.

“There’s no reason to go to the table with people who are echoing the hateful rhetoric going around about the trans community,” Colorado state Rep. Javier Mabrey (D) asserted.

This tactic is deliberate and dishonest. It shifts the conversation away from their degeneracy and our mission to protect children from irreversible medical decisions and preserve parental authority. The “hateful” accusation forces good parents into a defensive crouch, justifying why they aren’t “hateful.”

This is a losing game. The more time we spend rebutting their labels, the less we focus on exposing their agenda: The erosion of parental rights, the sexualization of children, and the destruction of innocence under the guise of “inclusion.”

Redefining ‘hate’ as righteous indignation

At Courage Is a Habit, we’ve chosen to lean into the “hate group” label because we hate the ideology and policies that harm children.

Hate, in this context, is the natural response of any sane person who sees children being indoctrinated, mutilated, or stripped of their innocence. We hate that bills like HB 1312 enable schools to keep secrets from parents. We hate transgender trafficking bills that allow states like California and Maine to remove custody from out-of-state minors, simply for the fact that their parents do not agree with transgender treatments. We hate that kindergarten children are being influenced to believe they’re born in the wrong body.

Patriots must embrace this reframing. When accused of “hate,” don’t deny it. Instead, redirect it. Say, “Yes, I hate what’s happening to our children. I hate policies that put ideology over their safety, and I hate your dishonesty”

This approach disarms the accuser by rejecting the accuser’s premise.

The moral high ground belongs to us

The radical left wants you to believe that opposing this agenda makes you a bigot. But protecting children is not hate. It’s the highest form of nobility. It’s protecting the most innocent among us who cannot yet make life-altering decisions. It’s love for truth, which demands we acknowledge biological reality over ideological fantasy.

When we stand against transgender ideology in schools, we’re defending the innocence and future of the next generation.

The moral high ground belongs to those who prioritize children over politics. Transgender child mutilation advocates may cloak their agenda in compassion, but their policies betray their true priorities.

The Cass Review, a comprehensive 2024 study from the United Kingdom, found that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones carry significant physical and psychological risks, with little evidence of long-term benefits. Yet radicals dismiss these findings, accusing critics of “transphobia” instead of engaging with the facts.

A call to courageous action

Patriots, it’s time to stop apologizing and start acting. Here’s how to reframe the “hate” accusation and turn it into a rallying cry.

Own the narrative: When labeled as “hateful,” embrace it with clarity. Say, “I hate policies that harm kids. I hate ideologies that confuse and exploit them.” This neutralizes the smear and keeps the focus on the real issue.
Speak with conviction: Don’t shy away from strong language. Call them what they are: Transgender trafficking bills that prioritize ideology over evidence. They’re an attack on parental rights and a betrayal of children’s trust.
Educate and mobilize: Share resources like the Cass Review or stories of detransitioners, young people who regret irreversible procedures pushed by activists. Attend school board meetings, write to legislators, and demand transparency in education.
Build community: Connect with other parents and patriots through organizations like ours or local groups opposing woke ideology. Together, we can amplify our voices and expose child mutilation advocates who constantly gaslight parents.
Stay focused: The left wants to distract you with bad-faith tactics. Don’t take the bait. Keep the conversation focused on the horrors these leftists support and why it’s noble to hate what they’re doing to children’s innocence.

Courage is a habit

We’ve learned that courage is a habit, built through small, consistent choices to speak truth — even when it’s hard.

Being called a “hate group” isn’t a scarlet letter; it’s a badge of honor. It means you’re a threat to those who would harm children and erode freedom. So wear it proudly. Hate what’s happening to our kids. Hate the policies that betray them. And let that passion fuel your fight.

The time for defense is over. It’s time to go on offense. Run these ideologies out of our schools. Run their champions out of office. Protect our children, not just for today, but for generations to come. As I said, “We hate everything that you stand for” — and we’re not backing down.

Make courage your habit.

​Hate group, Lgbt, Protect children, Transgender ideology, Splc, Southern poverty law center, Courage is a habit, Opinion & analysis 

Mark Levin pulls no punches when it comes to the state of postsecondary education in America.

Commenting on the recent assault of Jay Sani, brutally beaten in February for wearing a MAGA hat on campus, Levin declares, “Washington State University, like virtually every other university or college in America, sucks.”

This incident reflects Levin’s broader concerns about academia. He laments that it’s nearly impossible “to get an education without the ideology, without the propaganda, without demagogic faculty members, without feeling threatened by people in your class.”

Reflecting on his own college experience, Levin recalls a time when “the professors were liberal, but they weren’t talking about blowing up America.”

“I don’t remember a single Islamist professor. In fact, I don’t remember a single Islamist student (I didn’t say Muslim; I said Islamist). I don’t remember anybody in there saying ‘death to America’ or ‘we have to overthrow the American Empire’ or any of that stuff,” he adds.

Sure, there were some Marxists and lefties, “But nothing like there is today.”

Free speech was also respected, even by those on the left.

“I would stir the pot, you know. I remember in history and political science and these other relatively useless courses that I took, I remember saying things in order to get a rise out of a couple of the students,” he recalls. But that was OK because “there really was free speech.”

This reminiscing led him to recall a memorable moment from his law school days at Temple University Law School in North Philadelphia. In his constitutional law and civil rights class, taught by a professor who was also “the vice chairman of the Philadelphia ACLU,” a provocative stunt became one of his fondest memories.

One day, “This professor brings out a copy of either Playboy or Penthouse, and he opens it to the centerfold and says, ‘Is this First Amendment-protected free speech?’”

The majority of the women in the class, who “were all radical left-wing kooks” and walked around “bra-less,” objected, screamed in outrage, and stormed out of the room.

“I’m sitting in the back, and I’m laughing. Why? Because here you have the liberals fighting with the liberals, the left is fighting with the left,” Levin recalls. “That was about as entertaining as law school ever got, to be perfectly honest with you.”

For more details on this unforgettable story and Levin’s reflections on the state of higher education, watch the clip above.

Want more from Mark Levin?

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​Levintv, Mark levin, Woke college students, Liberal academica, Free speech, Marxism in education, Blazetv, Blaze media 

Mark Carney’s sudden rise to power in Canada didn’t come through a traditional political path — and that’s exactly what makes him so dangerous. He’s not a grassroots leader or a battle-tested public servant. He’s a seasoned progressive globalist, handpicked by the elites for a much bigger purpose: to serve as a North American enforcer for the Great Reset.

Now serving as Canada’s newly elected prime minister, Carney holds one of the most powerful political positions in the Western hemisphere. With deep roots in central banking and a long history of pushing radical climate and financial agendas, Carney sits atop one of America’s most influential allies, and his ascent couldn’t come at a more pivotal time for the future of Western freedom.

Mark Carney’s true allegiance lies with the globalist elite, not the people of Canada.

While critics might say his limited political experience is a weakness, the reality is quite the opposite. Unlike most career politicians, Carney has spent the past decade engineering massive shifts in global economic power. He’s been one of the Great Reset’s primary architects — and now, with control over one of the world’s most influential economies, he’s more dangerous than ever. Although Canada’s economy isn’t as large as many other global powers, its government holds influential seats in numerous institutions and international forums, such as the G7.

Carney’s unexpected political elevation isn’t just a development for Canadians. It’s a five-alarm warning for the United States — particularly for Donald Trump and the populist movement that threatens to upend the globalist order.

Master of ESG enforcement

Before entering politics, Carney ran two of the most powerful central banks in the world: the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England. He’s the only person ever to have led both. During his time at the Bank of England, he emerged as one of the loudest voices in the push for climate-based financial reforms, demanding that major banks and investment firms bake environmental social governance criteria and climate risk assessments into their decisions.

Carney also played a key role in launching and operating the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero — a coalition of financial giants in the banking, insurance, and investment industries dedicated to steering trillions in capital toward achieving the United Nations’ climate goals.

Under Carney’s leadership, the alliance didn’t just promote ESG; it attempted to weaponize private finance to crush the fossil-fuel industry and force ESG compliance across Western markets, including here in the United States. It wasn’t just about policy; it was about power — reordering the free world’s economy by manipulating the most powerful financial institutions on Earth.

A Great Reset foot soldier

Carney’s agenda doesn’t end with ESG. He’s also been a senior figure at the World Economic Forum — the think tank behind the radical Great Reset. That globalist initiative aims to redefine capitalism, prioritizing equity, sustainability, and “stakeholder governance” over prosperity, merit, and individual rights.

Carney has been parroting these goals for years, advocating for a model in which state and corporate power merge to manage society from the top down. It’s soft authoritarianism masked as enlightened progress.

Even more troubling for Americans, Carney has publicly pushed to dethrone the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. While heading the Bank of England, he proposed creating a new synthetic global digital currency — what he called a “synthetic hegemonic currency” — that would diminish the U.S. dollar’s supremacy.

If this plan were ever implemented, it would send the American economy into a tailspin. Our reserve currency status underpins global confidence in the dollar and helps keep inflation at bay. Strip that away, and not only would international faith in America plummet, but moreover, the trillions of dollars now parked abroad could flood back into our economy and trigger a devastating inflationary surge.

Carney is also an outspoken proponent of central bank digital currencies, a deeply concerning form of state-controlled digital money. Critics rightly warn that such tools could be used to monitor, restrict, or even shut down individual financial transactions based on government or central bank mandates.

Trouble up north

Carney’s influence doesn’t need to stop at Canada’s border. With his deep ties to international banking institutions, radical environmental policy, and Davos elites, he’s uniquely positioned to rally foreign governments and multinational corporations against Trump’s America First policies.

Whether by pressuring U.S. allies to adopt anti-fossil fuel ESG mandates, working to isolate America financially through global monetary schemes, or helping to revive international climate agreements that punish U.S. industry, Carney could lead a coordinated global resistance to Trump’s efforts to restore American energy dominance, economic independence, and national sovereignty. In short, he gives the globalist left a new general to wage economic warfare from just across our northern border.

Let’s be clear: Carney doesn’t hold office in the United States, but his influence reaches across our borders. His rise to power is a signal flare for every freedom-loving American. His victory represents a trial run for the kind of centrally controlled society that the World Economic Forum wants to export across North and South America.

Carney’s true allegiance lies with the globalist elite, not the people of Canada. His presence at the helm of one of America’s closest allies gives the internationalist movement a powerful foothold just beyond our northern border. As President Trump fights to restore American sovereignty, he’ll face not only the entrenched bureaucracy in Washington but also an increasingly hostile global order led by figures like Carney.

This is not just a Canadian political shift — it’s a move in a much broader campaign to re-establish progressivism across the Western world.

​Opinion & analysis, Canada, Mark carney, Donald trump, Globalism, Great reset, Environmental social governance, Esg, Bank of england, Bank of canada, International relations, Economics, Digital currency, Environmentalism, Fossil fuels, Populism, Deep state, Elites, Davos, World economic forum, Dollar 

There’s been a stunning increase in recent years of people interested in the supernatural. Anyone truly looking can see that the materialist worldview has failed us. There are cracks in it — too many unanswered questions, too little hope.

What’s peering through those cracks on the other side has become the crux of many podcasts. People want to know what’s out there lurking beyond our sensory perception, pulling invisible strings and influencing reality in ways we can’t fathom.

But while the secular world grasps for answers, Christians are standing strong in biblical truth, offering real answers about this mysterious unseen world.

One of them is Rick Burgess.

His new podcast, “Strange Encounters,” isn’t about Bigfoot, space aliens, or the Loch Ness Monster. It’s a deep dive into the supernatural fabric of God’s spoken cosmos — an exploration of angels and demons and the spiritual warfare that impacts us all.

But what does it look like to live among these spiritual beings? How do we approach their existence?

Scripture has the answers.

Join us for the debut episode of “Strange Encounters”: “Angels & Demons: What Does the Bible Say?” as we search for the truth, hear spine-chilling stories from people with firsthand experience, and win the spiritual war raging around us. Watch it below.

www.youtube.com

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​Rick burgess, Strange encounters, Angels and demons, Spiritual warfare, Bible, Biblical truth, Unseen realm, Blazetv, Blaze media, Spiritualism 

We’ve all seen the headlines: More and more U.S. land is being bought up by foreign nationals. It’s an alarming trend — one that should concern every American.

Foreign adversaries, often with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, are purchasing U.S. farms and land. While Chinese-owned agricultural land remains a small piece of the pie of the country’s total agricultural land, the amount has increased significantly in recent years.

Foreign actors like China are acquiring tracts rich in natural resources like water and fertile farmland.

Chinese ownership of agricultural acreage in the U.S. has increased more than fivefold between 2011 and 2021. That alone should be enough to send a chill up the spine of every American.

You don’t have to be a policy expert to understand the danger this trend poses to U.S. sovereignty and national security. Even the average American citizen can recognize the threat. Some of the land in question is close to secure U.S. facilities, such as military bases. In other cases, foreign actors are acquiring tracts rich in natural resources like water and fertile farmland. America’s food security and resource independence are not luxuries but vital to our national interest. We cannot afford to allow that power to slip away.

The national security threats from Chinese purchases of U.S. land and real estate are growing. Nearly half of U.S. states have introduced or passed legislation to combat foreign land acquisitions, particularly from China. Many have tightened laws or proposed state constitutional amendments to block foreign nationals from owning agricultural or sensitive real estate.

The good news is that Texas is joining the fray to combat real estate sales to foreign figures, and a bill is currently moving through the state legislature to tackle the issue. This is a necessary step to protect all Texans and Americans.

But state and federal action alone aren’t enough.

Local leaders need to rise to the challenge by supporting state actions against these foreign threats. Many of these foreign purchases need some form of local approval. County commissioners can be a robust line of defense by monitoring applications for changes in the use of large tracts of land.

Consider the case of Grand Forks, North Dakota. In 2021, the Chinese agribusiness giant Fufeng Group purchased 370 acres to build a corn processing plant valued at $700 million. The industrial facility would have been just 12 miles from Grand Forks Air Force Base. The deal sparked immediate concern from the Air Force, members of Congress, and local officials. It appeared the project might slip through the cracks and get approved, but ultimately, the Grand Forks City Council voted unanimously to strike it down.

Local government plays a vital role. Your city or county commissioners don’t just manage roads and zoning — they sit on the front lines of national security. These local officials must step up and support federal and state efforts to confront the threats we face.

Working together, we can defend the nation’s natural resources, safeguard military assets, and put the interests of American citizens first.

​Opinion & analysis, Chinese communist party, National security, Land, Commission, Zoning, Farmland, Sovereignty 

President Trump on Thursday announced a new tariff deal with the United Kingdom — the first major agreement to follow the “Liberation Day” tariffs that forced 90 countries to come crawling back to the negotiating table.

Earlier in the week, India offered a zero-for-zero tariff deal — free trade on pharmaceuticals, steel, and auto parts. Trump declined.

America doesn’t just need tariffs to protect jobs and industries. It needs them to defend its sovereignty.

Predictably, the free-trade faithful slammed the U.S.-U.K. deal as “managed trade” that would harm consumers. They rushed to embrace India’s offer instead. They’ve got it backward.

Trump’s “managed trade” with the U.K. will do more to strengthen America’s economy — and serve American workers — than any so-called “free trade” agreement with India. Why? Because developed and developing nations operate in fundamentally different economic worlds. One-size-fits-all trade policy doesn’t work.

Free trade is a myth

This may offend professional economists who worship the rational-consumer model, but it must be said: Different countries are different. These aren’t surface-level quirks. They reshape the entire trade equation and make real free trade — not just difficult — but impossible.

Start with wages. In 2024, the median American worker earned $61,984. The median Briton earned $47,162 — both figures in U.S. dollars for easy comparison. The U.K. lags behind but not by much. If the U.K. were a U.S. state, it would rank somewhere in the middle. Free trade with the U.K. won’t trigger mass offshoring because our labor markets are comparable.

India is a different story. The median Indian worker earned just $3,925 last year. For the price of one American, a company could hire 16 Indians. That wage gap makes offshoring to India almost inevitable in labor-intensive industries. Cheap labor wins.

But wages aren’t the only issue. Legal systems, tax regimes, geography, infrastructure, language, climate, cultural norms, business ethics, and demographics all create market asymmetries that domestic policy can’t overcome.

Take China. American companies operating there face rampant intellectual property theft. Westerners assume legal systems deter crimes like fraud and theft. In reality, cultural norms prevent most bad behavior long before the courts get involved.

China doesn’t share America’s cultural regard for property rights — especially when it comes to outsiders. Since 2001, China has stolen an estimated $5 trillion in American intellectual property. Chinese courts have refused to hold anyone accountable. This isn’t an exception. It’s standard practice.

Doing business in China isn’t like doing business in America, Canada, Australia, or Europe — where common values and legal recourse create a relatively level playing field.

Free-trade advocates can slash tariffs and harmonize regulations all they want, but they can’t fix these deeper, structural imbalances. They can’t rewrite culture or eliminate corruption. These asymmetries make truly free trade impossible.

Spot the differences

In my book “Reshore: How Tariffs Will Bring Our Jobs Home and Revive the American Dream,” I argue that American workers are among the most productive in the world — more productive than their counterparts in Germany, Mexico, or almost anywhere else.

That’s why the U.S. typically runs trade surpluses — or small deficits — with developed countries like the Netherlands, Australia, and the U.K.

So why do highly productive American factories shut down and relocate to China, Mexico, or India — where it takes more labor to produce the same output?

Because productivity doesn’t equal price.

The price of a good reflects more than just labor. If a Chinese manufacturer steals its technology instead of inventing it, it can undercut American competitors who spent years funding research and development.

That’s not a free market. It’s rigged.

Tariffs defend more than jobs

Global free trade is a myth. Nations can’t trade freely while market asymmetries persist. The only way to achieve true parity would be to unify the world’s economies, legal systems, cultures, and political structures. That’s the goal of the European Union, World Trade Organization, and World Economic Forum. Coincidence? Hardly.

America doesn’t just need tariffs to protect jobs and industries. It needs them to defend its sovereignty. Globalism doesn’t level the playing field — it sells it to the lowest bidder.

​Opinion & analysis, Tariffs, Trade, Liberation day, Great britain, India, China, Free trade myth, Economic nationalism, Ip theft, Competition, Trade deficit, Research, Development, Manufacturing, World trade organization, Wto, World economic forum, Sovereignty, Employment, Jobs 

It was another surreal moment in the bizarre relationship between President Donald Trump and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, staunch political opponents who nonetheless seem to have a genuine affection for each other — at least when face to face.

Carney was in Washington, D.C., Tuesday to meet with the president in his first foreign trip as an elected prime minister. Given that Carney won Canada’s April 28 federal election largely by vowing to stand up to Trump, a little tension might have been expected at the White House news conference.

Carney insisted that Trump must stop alluding to Canada as the 51st state if negotiations are to proceed unimpeded.

Instead, Trump called Carney “a talented person.” Carney described Trump as “a transformational president.”

No hard feelings

For his part, Trump seems to have been sincere — after all, the president endorsed Carney on three different occasions and was happy to take credit for his victory in typical Trumpian fashion.

Carney’s words, however, were a far cry from the tough rhetoric he used while propelling his Liberal Party to a fourth straight term in power. On the campaign trail, Carney vowed to fight Trump and his tariffs every chance he got — tough talk that had no small part in securing his victory.

Clearly any tariff talk was going to go on behind closed doors — at least Trump certainly wasn’t giving anything away during the two leaders’ first official appearance together.

Each man was surrounded by close advisers. Trump had Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while Carney looked to Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, and International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

No business

For most of the conversation with the anxious media, Trump behaved as if Carney weren’t even sitting beside him, almost never referencing his presence or even why he was in Washington.

Carney sat in perfect subservience to the master.

Trump held forth in his usual manner, talking about any issue that came to mind except tariffs. In fact, he dismissed the significance of the neighboring countries’ economic relationship: “We don’t do much business with Canada from our standpoint. They do a lot of business with us. We’re at like 4%.”

Carney was quick to point out how ridiculous this statement was — that Canada is in fact “the largest client of the United States.” It was probably the clearest moment of truth the banker turned politician has had since he decided to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party.

‘Maybe even greater than mine’

Trump introduced Carney like an old friend and valued colleague:

It’s a great honor to have Prime Minister Mark Carney with us. As you know, just a few days ago, he won a very big election in Canada, and I think I was probably the greatest thing that happened to him, but I can’t take a vote. They were — his party was losing by a lot, and he ended up winning. So I really want to congratulate him.

Was one of the — probably one of the greatest comebacks in the history of politics, maybe even greater than mine. But I want to just congratulate you. Was a great election. Actually, we were watching it with interest, and I think Canada chose a very talented person, a very good person, because we spoke before the election quite a few times, and it’s an honor to have you at the White House and the Oval Office.

That was news! They spoke several times during the election? Carney had only mentioned one conversation.

A ‘transformational’ president

Carney returned the collegiality, saying, “Thank you for your hospitality and, above all, for your leadership. You’re a transformational president.”

The prime minister explained that Trump was so transformational because of his “focus on the economy, with a relentless focus on the American worker, securing your borders, ending the scourge of fentanyl and other opioids, and in securing the world.”

Carney, in a jaw-dropping sequence, explained that he too was fighting for exactly the same things and that he would

transform Canada with a similar focus on the economy, securing our borders, again, on fentanyl, much greater focus on defense and security, securing the Arctic and developing the Arctic. And you know, the history of Canada and the U.S. is that we’re stronger when we work together. And there’s many opportunities to work together.

And I look forward to, you know, addressing some of those issues that we have, but also finding those areas of mutual cooperation so we can go forward.

Trump nodded and said, “That’s great. Very nice. Thank you very much. Very nice statement.”

Fighting words

There was one moment of defiance from Carney as Trump again raised the specter of Canada becoming part of the United States. “Respectfully, Canadians’ view on this is not going to change, on the 51st state,” the prime minister said.

Trump genially agreed to disagree, insisting that his relationship with Carney was “very friendly,” even as he reiterated his position that the U.S. did not want to buy any Canadian cars or steel.

Nor did Trump budge on the existing tariffs on cars and steel. When a reporter asked if there was anything Canada could do to roll the tariffs back, the president replied with a flat “no.”

No love lost

Trump quickly moved the conversation to a happier subject: how much he loathed former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

I won’t say this about Mark, but I didn’t like his predecessor. I didn’t like a person that worked for him. She was terrible. Actually, she was a terrible person, and she really hurt that deal very badly, because she tried to take advantage of the deal, and she didn’t get away with it. …

We had a bad relationship having to do with the fact that we disagreed with the way they viewed the deal, and we ended it. You know, we ended that — that relationship. Pretty much the USMCA is great for all countries. It’s good for all countries. We do have a negotiation coming up over the next year or so to adjust it or terminate it.

Carney managed to get a word in on the USMCA free trade deal between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, calling the defunct treaty “a basis for a broader negotiation. Some things about it are going to have to change. And part of the way you’ve conducted these tariffs has taken advantage of existing aspects of USMCA, so it’s going to have to change. There’s other elements that have come, and that’s part of what we’re going to discuss during the campaign.”

Positive post-mortem

The two leaders spent another few hours in private meetings before Carney emerged at the Canadian embassy in Washington to explain what progress had been made.

“I conveyed to the president today what our countries have long proven to be true: that Canada and the United States are stronger when we work together,” said Carney.

“Really today marked the end of the beginning, of a process of the United States and Canada redefining that relationship of working together. The question is, how we will cooperate in the future. How we can build an economic and security relationship built on mutual respect and common interests, that delivers transformational benefits to our economies.”

Carney insisted that Trump must stop alluding to Canada as the 51st state if negotiations are to proceed unimpeded.

“I’ve been careful always to distinguish between wish and reality. I was clear there in the Oval Office, as I’ve been clear throughout on behalf of Canadians, saying this is never going to happen. Canada is not for sale; it never will be for sale,” said Carney.

​Mark carney, Justin trudeau, Canada, Tariffs, White house, Donald trump, Culture, Trade war, Letter from canada 

One of the biggest political fights of Donald Trump’s early second term just ended — and not in his favor.

The country didn’t rally behind Ed Martin, the president’s nominee for U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., because of his résumé. And the fight was never about Martin alone. It was about the first real clash between two irreconcilable political forces that had managed a brief post-election détente.

The Senate took its first scalp — and it was a big one.

After Trump’s big victory, most of his Cabinet picks cleared the Senate with some turbulence but no real roadblocks — except for Matt Gaetz at the Justice Department. That era just ended. The honeymoon is over.

After weeks of public drama, the Senate — with Republican help — forced Trump to pull Martin. Trump reassigned him to duties inside the Justice Department that don’t require Senate confirmation. He named Judge Jeanine Pirro in Martin’s place, a figure seemingly more palatable to senators who either opposed Martin outright or refused to defend him. The administration cast this as a “double down.” In reality, the Senate won.

The consequences go far beyond who runs the D.C. office. Martin’s defeat sends a clear message: The Senate will challenge Trump’s ability to govern. That includes the looming budget reconciliation battle, judicial confirmations, and the future of the America First movement.

Traitorous Thom Tillis

With no filibuster-proof majority, Trump’s window to act remains narrow — and shrinking.

Martin’s supporters and opponents split along familiar lines. On one side stood the Democrats: Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Sen. Adam Schiff (Calif.), Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), and House attack dog Jamie Raskin (Md.). They had help from establishment Republicans and anti-Trump legal elites. Senator Thom Tillis led the GOP sabotage effort, backed quietly by the Wall Street Journal editorial board and the usual anonymous gang of Republican senators who prefer to knife the president in private.

On the other side stood Trump, his team, and a bloc of loyal senators including Mike Lee (Utah), Tommy Tuberville (Ala.), and Rand Paul (Ky.). Law enforcement organizations backed Martin, as did nearly every Republican state attorney general (except three) and Jewish leaders who stood up for him after a failed smear campaign falsely branding him anti-Semitic. Martin had prosecuted Hamas — unlike his Biden-era predecessor.

This was more than a nomination fight. It was a battle between the GOP’s old guard and its future. The result will shape whether Trump can deliver on his second-term agenda — or get strangled by the same Beltway forces that worked to undermine his first.

The calendar never favored Martin. His 120-day term would expire May 20. For a confirmation to happen, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) needed to notice a hearing by Monday, move him out of committee by Thursday, and schedule a floor vote by May 19. Tillis waited until the last minute to air his “concerns” — and only met with Martin that Monday.

The meeting reportedly turned hostile, with Tillis mocking the death of Ashli Babbitt. Grassley then declined to notice Martin’s hearing. The swamp knew exactly what it was doing. With the clock running, Martin’s nomination began to wither.

Lukewarm Republicans had always hoped for this outcome: let Martin “time out” without casting a vote. But grassroots support surged, and the base refused to stay quiet. The plan collapsed. To avoid giving Judge James Boasberg the power to name a successor, Trump replaced Martin himself.

Protecting ‘norms’? Not exactly

Democrats played this masterfully. Schumer, Durbin, and Schiff funneled opposition research to legacy media and pliable Republicans. The smears didn’t stick — neither the false anti-Semitism claims nor the soft attacks on Martin’s legal ethics — but the damage was done. “Controversial” became the tag.

Democrats understood the moment. Post-Cabinet, pre-reconciliation, and perfectly timed to fracture the Senate GOP. They sent Martin 561 written questions — more than some Supreme Court nominees get — and then whined to the press when they didn’t like his answers. They told Republicans to protect Senate “norms.” And like clockwork, some did.

Many of these same Republicans voted without hesitation for Biden’s most extreme picks during the last evenly divided Senate. Back then, they claimed to defend “institutional norms.” Now, they enable Democrats to shred them.

Democrats knew the political impact of blocking a president’s U.S. attorney pick for D.C. It’s usually a voice vote. Martin’s predecessor, Matthew Graves, coasted through. So did Eric Holder under Bill Clinton. Blocking Martin wasn’t normal — it was a deliberate strike.

What happens next will determine whether the Senate helps or hinders Trump’s agenda. If Tillis emerges stronger from this, Republicans will reward a man openly working against the president. He’s up for re-election, most likely facing former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), and faces no GOP primary challenge. If he keeps swinging left, he could stall confirmations for judges and Justice officials and block efforts to fight the lawfare campaign against Trump.

That this situation is even possible shows how broken the Republican Senate remains. No one worries that a Democrat would do this. Remember: Even Joe Manchin, the so-called “independent,” voted to protect Biden Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from impeachment — just to spare fellow Democrats from a tough vote.

Patriots who backed Martin must recognize the cost of this defeat. The Senate took its first scalp. The White House swapped staffers. But the message was unmistakable: Sabotage works.

If the America First movement fails to hold the saboteurs accountable — and simply moves on — the Senate will do this again. And again. Until nothing of the agenda remains.

We can’t let that happen.

​Opinion & analysis, Donald trump, Ed martin, Thom tillis, Senate confirmation, James boasberg, Chuck schumer, Adam schiff, Rino republicans, Republicans, Democrats, Media bias, Weaponized justice, Washington d.c., Department of justice, Chuck grassley, Deadline, Betrayal, 2026 midterms 

Yesterday, smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel, signaling the election of a new pope. An hour later, the Vatican announced Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, as the next head of the Roman Catholic Church.

At the time these events were unfolding, Glenn Beck was interviewing Bishop Joseph Strickland, who was removed from office by Pope Francis after he came out publicly against him for diverting from the Catholic faith.

Before the election of Cardinal Prevost, Bishop Strickland had warned that “there are wolves roaming freely in the conclave.”

Is Leo XIV one of them?

In the following interview, Bishop Strickland and Glenn react to the live announcement of Robert Prevost’s election. Bishop Strickland then shares what he knows about him.

“He was head of the congregation for bishops,” says Strickland. “He’s a relatively new cardinal.”

“Two years ago, Pope Francis chose him to replace Marc Ouellet as prefect of the Vatican’s bishops, handing him the task of selecting the next generation of bishops,” adds Glenn, reading from Prevost’s biography.

“What do you know — good guy, bad guy? Any clue?” he asks, noting that Prevost’s past is “clouded by allegations of covering up sexual abuse claims,” although these “were denied by his diocese.”

“As head of the congregation for bishops, frankly, in my opinion he made some really bad choices,” says Strickland. “Of course, it was Pope Francis, but [Prevost] was involved in naming bishops that I find very troubling.”

Strickland also notes that Prevost’s chosen name — Leo XIV — is an interesting choice.

“The predecessor, Leo XIII — he had visions of evil taking the church, and the St. Michael prayer, the archangel prayer, came from Leo XIII. … He was good, and he was strong in a lot of ways,” he says, calling Prevost’s choice of name “significant.”

The best thing we can do, he says, is “keep praying.”

To hear more of his thoughts on Pope Leo XIV, watch the episode above.

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​The glenn beck podcast, Glenn beck, Pope francis, Robert prevost, Bishop strickland, Leo xiv, Blazetv, Blaze media, Catholic church, Vatican 

Eighty years ago this week, the world changed — but the truth about it was nearly buried.

May 8 marked Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day — the formal end of World War II on the European front. But the war actually ended a day earlier. On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender. Peace had come to Europe. The guns fell silent. But hardly anyone knew it — because Stalin didn’t like the terms.

For a brief moment on May 7, we had peace — real peace. And one man had the courage to say so.

The Soviets hadn’t been present at the signing, and Stalin insisted on a second ceremony, one in which his representatives could take part. That would come a day later. Until then, everyone was ordered to stay silent — including the press.

Edward L. Kennedy, an Associated Press reporter few Americans remember, stood in the room when the Germans signed the treaty ending World War II. He witnessed history and immediately called his editors in New York: “It’s over. Peace is here.” The story hit the wires before he even hung up.

Then the U.S. government intervened. Officials cut the line and ordered him to hold the story. The reason? Stalin wasn’t ready. The message was clear: Suppress the truth for Soviet theater.

Kennedy pushed back. AP policy allowed withholding news only when lives were at risk — and this wasn’t that. The war had ended. The killing had stopped. But politics overruled principle. U.S. censors suppressed his initial dispatch.

Kennedy refused to stay silent. After warning his AP colleagues in the States, he contacted the AP office in London. The story broke anyway and spread around the world.

But retribution was swift. Kennedy was immediately fired, stripped of his credentials, and labeled a traitor. This once-renowned war correspondent was blackballed, pushed to the margins of journalism. His story was erased, his name forgotten — all because he told the truth 24 hours too early.

Years later, the Associated Press admitted it was wrong. The AP acknowledged Kennedy’s integrity. But by then, he was dead — killed in a car crash in 1963. He never lived to see his name restored.

A small town in California eventually erected a statue in his honor. The inscription reads simply: “The man who gave the world 24 hours of peace.”

A timely lesson

Truth-tellers get smeared as traitors. Dissenters are exiled. And one day — whether in seven years or 30 — the same people doing the canceling and condemning will quietly say: “We were wrong. That was a troubled time. We didn’t know what we were doing.”

Then, just like they did with that brave reporter, they’ll try to rewrite the record, once the consequences no longer fall on them.

VE Day matters because it marks the defeat of one totalitarian regime — and the dawn of another. We toppled fascism only to step straight into a Cold War with communism.

But for a fleeting moment on May 7, the world had peace. And one man dared to tell the truth.

It’s also why Donald Trump is right: America should call this Victory Day. Europe already does. Europeans still thank us every year. But we, in the land that made victory possible, have largely forgotten.

We shouldn’t. Because the fight against tyranny never really ends. Whether it’s fascism in the 1940s or the ideological authoritarianism of today, we are always one generation away from losing our freedom.

Take up the torch

We live in a time when cities proudly fly new ideological flags every week, when illegal gang members are shielded from deportation under the guise of “equity,” and when the truth is sacrificed at the altar of political power.

But take heart: The truth always prevails.

Eventually, the pendulum swings. Eventually, sanity returns. And when it does, the people who stood for what’s right — no matter the cost — will be vindicated.

Edward Kennedy didn’t tell the world about peace to become a hero. He didn’t do it for the statue. He did it because it was right. That’s why we do what we do — why we speak out, why we keep telling the truth. We must, for our children, our families, and our future.

So this week, as we celebrate VE Day, remember the victory. Remember the cost. And remember the man who gave the world 24 hours of peace.

Because someday, they’ll try to rewrite the story again, and it’s our job to make sure they don’t.

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​Opinion & analysis, World war ii, Joseph stalin, Europe, Edward l. kennedy, Associated press, Censorship, Treason, Soviet union, Truth 

The LGBTQ community is furious over a police raid against a gay bar in Pittsburgh, and some are linking it to the rhetoric coming out of the Trump administation.

Witnesses said nearly two dozen police officers raided the P Town bar on Baum Blvd. on Friday at about 11:30 p.m. The surprise inspection from the Nuisance Bar Task Force included officers from the city health department, the local fire department, and state police.

‘States are emboldening bigots with their own bigoted legislation — we cannot allow it to happen.’

One report said that the officers arrived during a rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by local drag queen Blade Matthews, and they had to wait several minutes until the performance was over to order the attendees out of the bar.

“Dozens of state police, geared up with bulletproof vests, flooded the bar and told us to get out,” read one witness account. “None of the officers would explain what was happening. We stood in the rain for maybe 30 minutes or so until most patrons were let back in.”

One officer reportedly asked to take a selfie with the transgender performer Amanda Lepore.

“Fortunately the situation was calm and orderly, but they really just overtook this queer space with an entire fleet of police to ‘count heads’ or whatever their excuse was,” the witness added.

A statement from the bar said that the officers acted professionally and no patrons were mistreated.

A writer at the Canary news website linked the raid to the policies of the Trump administration.

“As the government fans the flames of a culture war, both police and members of the public are emboldened in persecuting and vilifying queer people,” the article read.

“Historically, queer people are over-policed in public spaces, be it bars, bathrooms, or otherwise. States are emboldening bigots with their own bigoted legislation — we cannot allow it to happen,” the article continued.

Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey recognized the historical harassment of LGBTQ people but explained that the raid was merely a police action to enforce city ordinances about occupancy limits.

He said they did find a few violations.

“I take personal responsibility for ensuring that our City Services are equitable, and we will continue to work to build trust and prioritize the safety of our most marginalized residents,” he added.

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​Pittsburgh bar raided, Lgbtq bar raided, Cops raid bar, Lgbtq discrimination, Politics 

A Florida woman was attacked and killed by an alligator while sailing on a canoe on Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities.

A husband and wife were canoeing in a 14-foot boat in approximately two and a half feet of water at the mouth of Tiger Creek near Lake Kissimmee, Florida.

‘Gator grabbed her out of the canoe. He tried to fight the gator off. We’re at the last place he saw her.’

Suddenly, the canoe drifted over a large alligator.

Citing officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, ABC News reported, “The gator thrashed and tipped the canoe over, throwing both the husband and wife into the water.”

The fish and wildlife officials said 61-year-old Cynthia Diekema of Polk County landed on top of the alligator. The husband reportedly attempted to stop the alligator attack but was unfortunately unsuccessful.

WKMG-TV obtained the radio transmission from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, which indicates that the victim’s husband attempted in vain to fight off the massive animal.

“Gator grabbed her out of the canoe,” a deputy can be heard saying in the audio. “He tried to fight the gator off. We’re at the last place he saw her. He left the paddle here where he last saw her at.”

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, PCSO deputies, marine units, and an alligator trapper were dispatched to the scene, the commission said.

Wildlife officials revealed on Tuesday that trappers had recovered an 11-foot-4-inch alligator matching the length description of the gator involved in the fatal attack. Trappers also recovered a second alligator, up to 11 feet in length.

Diekema’s body has since been recovered.

The FWC launched a full investigation into the animal attack.

Roger Young — the executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — called Diekema’s death a “devastating loss” during a press conference on Wednesday.

Young noted, “While alligator attacks resulting in fatalities are extremely rare, this tragedy serves as a somber reminder of the powerful wildlife that share our natural spaces.”

Young said of the victim’s friends and family, “Our heartfelt prayers go out to them. This is a devastating loss, and our hearts go out to everyone affected by this tragedy.”

This is the second alligator attack in the area since March. A woman suffered an alligator bite on her arm while kayaking on a canal between Tiger Lake and Kissimmee Lake.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission urges the public to “never feed an alligator and keep your distance if you see one. Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. And keep pets on a leash and away from the water.”

You can watch a local WTSP-TV newscast on the fatal alligator attack here.

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​Alligators, Animal attack, When animals attack, Alligator attack, Florida, Florida man, Florida woman, Mauling, Mauled to death, News 

The transgender sports controversy has arrived in the central coast of California, where students and parents are debating about whether to allow transgender athletes in school sports.

A 16-year-old transgender student demanded the Lucia Mar Unified School District protect him and other “queer students” at Arroyo Grande High School during a meeting of the board on Tuesday.

‘I saw a biological male watching not only myself, but the other young women undress. This experience was beyond traumatizing.’

“Hello, I am the transgender athlete who was ruthlessly slandered at the last school board meeting,” said the student, who spoke anonymously for the sake of his safety.

“I am not only here to rebuild my reputation, but also to demand that the LMU school district take real and immediate action to protect queer students from harassment we face every day. As a transgender student, I’ve been threatened and harassed on a nearly weekly basis,” he added.

“My safety has been compromised multiple times,” the student said, “and yet the students responsible rarely face consequences due to deeply flawed district policies. Worse still, the danger doesn’t only come from other students; it comes from adults in this very community.”

Here the student named several people he accused of spreading “harmful misinformation and hateful rhetoric.” He said they also handed out scripts to members of the track and field team with wording to “dehumanize” and “intimidate” queer youth at the school.

This is not just a policy issue,” he concluded. “This is a matter of basic human rights. I am demanding that the LMU school district stop standing by as the human rights of transgender people are being threatened. You must act now!”

Video of the student’s comments was posted to social media.

A female student also spoke at the meeting and asked for the district to protect female athletes from unfair competition from biological males identifying as females. In a previous statement to the board, she said that the male student was watching her and other female students undress in the locker room.

“I went into the women’s locker room to change for track practice, where I saw a biological male watching not only myself, but the other young women undress,” she said tearfully. “This experience was beyond traumatizing.”

Another speaker pointed out that the school officials were acting in accordance with California law.

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​Trans hs athlete, Lucia mar unified school district, Arroyo grande high school, California transgender, Politics 

Since at least the 1960s, North American adults have steadily become more childlike. What we call adolescence used to end at around age 17 or 18, but now we grant the right to be childish and irresponsible up until at least age 30.

And with the recent Canadian elections keeping woke crybaby Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party in power, the full emotional immaturity of older adults was on display this week.

In fancy psychological terms, this kind of blame-shifting is called having an ‘external locus of control.’

More on this below. First, we have to go back in time and set the stage.

Cursed children

It started in the late 1990s, when a children’s fantasy book series took the world by storm; the inevitable blockbuster movie franchise soon followed. In a somewhat surprising twist, fans were as eager to follow Harry Potter’s adventures on paper as in the multiplex. With each new installment, breathless news reports showed mothers and children lined up around the block to get into bookstores on publication day.

Adults were delighted to see kids this interested in reading. J.K. Rowling had cast a spell on a generation already succumbing to the lure of constant screen time — even a decade before the smartphone.

But as in many a fairy tale, the spell came with a catch. The kids who were enraptured by Rowling’s saga of child wizards and witches stayed enraptured. Instead of graduating to more sophisticated reading, they chose to remain perpetual Hogwarts students. A 10 year-old immersed in a magical fantasy world is charming; by age 30, the magic starts looking like a curse.

Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff

The most prevalent example was the tendency of fully grown adults to identify themselves by their Hogwarts “house.” For those who may have forgotten their Harry Potter lore, upon matriculation, each Hogwarts student would consult a magical “sorting hat,” which would assign them to a “house” or dormitory — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin — based on their characteristics and abilities.

From about 2010, I started noticing 25-year-olds putting “House Gryffindor” on their social media profiles. At red lights, I’d see a car ahead of me plastered with stickers identifying their Harry Potter “house.”

The “grown-ups” were hauling themselves off to Harry Potter theme parks, throwing Harry Potter-themed house parties, and fighting with each other in cesspits like Tumblr over whose magic was better.

Don’t be ‘mean’

The slide from adulthood into adult infantilization in America has been slow enough that many older people either didn’t notice it or thought it was just a passing trend. As a young adult at the time, I found it baffling and embarrassing.

I was very much in the minority. Whenever I’d remark on how new and strange it was to see 30-year-olds publicly proclaiming loyalty to a movie series for 10-year-olds, other alleged grown-ups would tell me I was either being “mean” or “spoiling their fun.”

When I pointed out that these retorts also sounded like something a 10-year-old would say, you can imagine the response. I was half expecting to be called a booger-head by people old enough to have their own children.

Arrested development

Arrested emotional development is a serious, society-wide problem in America and across most of the industrialized West. In the 90s and early 2000s, we started to notice that young adults were living at home with their parents much longer, were failing to get driver’s licenses and full-time jobs, and spent a lot of time following hobbies and pursuits they developed before puberty.

And despite the insistence that the only reason for this was that it was “too hard” in “this economy” to expect an 18-year-old to go out and get an apartment, that wasn’t true. The helicopter parenting of the 90s, with its insane fixation on safetyism — this is when it became “too dangerous” for kids to walk to school — handicapped the Millennial generation and stunted their maturation.

What we might call “extended adolescence” has moved up in age brackets. Even adults of 50, 60, or 70 years today carry themselves more like what we expected from teenagers sassing back to Daddy-O in the 1950s. And the Canadian elections brought it to the fore.

Maple leaf rag

Back in January, it seemed that Canadians had finally had enough of Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party’s policies: the unchecked immigration, the forced vaccinations, the jailing and “debanking” of the Freedom Convoy protesters, the lies about nonexistent “mass child graves” at schools for Indian kids.

Trudeau’s popularity had tanked so much that he resigned. The people wanted change, but Trudeau’s replacement, Mark Carney, offered little to differentiate himself from his predecessor. Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party was expected to win by its highest margin in years.

That didn’t happen. Apparently Canadians were content with business as usual. Why did they throw away this chance to right the sinking ship?

Blame Trump

Trump, of course. At least, that’s the reason countless adults on social media and in the news have given for the Canadian election results.

You see, Canadians voted as they did because the American president “made” them too fearful to do anything else. He said mean things. He “scared” the Canadians. His jokes about annexing Canada and making it the 51st U.S. state, you see, were “threats.” People were “terrified” of the mean orange man, and if it hadn’t been for his “bullying,” then Canadians would have been able to put a new party in power.

Consider this chart, posted on X by Jack Posobiec. The survey found that, for Canadian voters 60 and older, “dealing with Trump” was their number one election priority.

That’s remarkable. “Dealing with” the president of another country was more important to this set than the fact that their country has turned into a Communist hellhole.

The bogeyman did it

Here are some typical “thoughts” from Canadian voters and American onlookers taken from threads on X.

“Trump cost conservatives this election.”

“TBH, I dont blame them, when the world’s leading superpower who sits on your border implies he’s going to take over your country, yeah well it might affect people’s decisions.”

“[Trump’s] interference with the Canadian elections was one of the most counterproductive acts I have ever seen a politician do.”

This is absurd. Nay, it’s pathetic. It’s babyish. It’s a child blaming his own bad decisions on some bogeyman because the child wants to escape accountability for his own behavior. Except these are alleged grown-ups.

In fancy psychological terms, this kind of blame-shifting is called having an “external locus of control.” It means that instead of taking responsibility for one’s own decisions and actions, one blames them on someone or something else. It’s a mark of arrested emotional development.

Can we have adulthood back, please?

​Josh slocum, Trump, Cluster-b, Canadian election, Mark carney, Harry potter, Psychology, Lifestyle, Intervention 

The Trump administration kicked three Democrats off of a government commission and simply locked one of them and his staff out of their offices.

The White House told the Hill that the firings were made from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which oversees product hazards, issues recalls, and sets standards for manufacturers. The CPSC was the group behind the controversy over a suggested ban on gas stoves.

‘This is an appalling and lawless attack on the independence of our country’s product safety watchdog.’

All of the three fired from the five-person commission were appointed by former President Joe Biden and had been confirmed by the U.S. Senate. They included Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, and Richard Trumka Jr., the son of the late president of the AFL-CIO union.

Sources indicated to the Hill that Hoehn-Saric and his staff were locked out of the commission’s building, while the other two were notified of their firings.

William Wallace, the director of safety advocacy for Consumer Reports, issued a statement Friday decrying the action.

“This is an appalling and lawless attack on the independence of our country’s product safety watchdog,” said Wallace. “Anyone who cares about keeping their family safe should oppose this move and demand that it be reversed.”

The incident mirrored a similar action taken by the Department of Government Efficiency in February when Democrats were not allowed entry into the offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Democrats were outraged and called the action illegal and unconstitutional.

“For more than five decades, members of Congress from both parties have supported the role of an independent, bipartisan CPSC,” continued the statement from Wallace. “Today’s Congress must step up to defend the agency, reject this power grab, and reaffirm that our laws actually mean what they say on the page.”

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​Trump fires 3 dems, Dems fired from cpsc, Consumer product safety commission, Politics 

President Donald Trump surprised the country with a new pick for surgeon general this week, announcing that he is now nominating Dr. Casey Means for the coveted position.

“Casey has impeccable MAHA credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans,” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“Dr. Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History,” he added.

Means and her brother, Calley Means, have risen to mainstream fame after playing a significant role in shaping the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. Before skyrocketing to fame, the Stanford-trained physician became a wellness influencer and co-wrote a book about the chronic disease epidemic with her brother, “Good Energy.”

Despite her long list of credentials and advocacy for a truly healthy America, conservatives are skeptical of the nomination — accusing Means of being a “psyop.”

“I first heard about Calley Means through Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson,” Steve Deace of the “Steve Deace Show” says of Casey’s brother. “If Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson are now places where the CIA goes to drop psyops, by the end of today, close of business, you guys are all going to be receiving a ‘goodbye cruel world’ note from me.”

“I saw a lot of those posts in my social media feed yesterday. Now, I’m not against investigating these people, vetting these people, but you know, we’ve talked a lot about vindication and the thirst trap of vindication,” Deace continues, noting that he understands why people are suspicious.

“When you’ve been marginalized for as long as people like you guys have, you kind of have an embedded identity because of that, and the temptation is to view bandwagon jumpers as suspicious and traitors,” he explains.

And unless the MAHA movement can realize they don’t need to be so afraid of everything and everyone, the MAHA movement won’t last long.

“At some point, you have to move beyond perpetually grieved and frustrated. I’m just telling you, in this world, you cannot govern without aligning with people who weren’t there with you from the start, and you’re going to have to risk being betrayed,” Deace explains.

“Just like, ‘Hey, if you want to get married, if you want to find the right one, you’re going to have to risk getting your heart broken,’” he adds.

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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A Democrat mayor was arrested after allegedly trespassing into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Newark, New Jersey, and the incident was captured on video.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka accused the ICE detainment center of acting in violation of local laws before he was taken into custody by Homeland Security. He has criticized the center for a lack of safety inspections and proper permits.

‘That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.’

Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, made a statement about the arrest on her social media account.

“The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon,” wrote Habba.

“He has willingly chosen to disregard the law,” she added. “That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.”

Baraka, who is also running for the Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey, said his goal was to get inside the center.

“We are trying to get in, and we are going to get in today,” said Baraka to WNJB-TV. “It doesn’t matter who is inside; I think they may have detainees; they shouldn’t be in there. We allowed the courts to negotiate this when there were no detainees and just workers, GEO, and us. ICE doesn’t have a long-term lease with these folks, so GEO is completely responsible and hiding behind ICE right now.”

He claimed that officials of the detainment center were not allowing fire officials inside to inspect the center.

“Fire officials can go inside a building at any time they want to do any inspections, and they’re not allowing them in,” said Baraka. “Fire officials were here, code officials were here yesterday, and they wouldn’t let us in. And now I am here today.”

The GEO Group, which operates the center, denied the allegations and accused the mayor and others of creating a publicity stunt.

Here’s one of the videos of his arrest:

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Bill Gates appears desperate to convince the world of his magnanimity and of his fellow billionaire Elon Musk’s maleficence.

Gates, 69, recently went on a liberal media tour, telling late night script-reader Stephen Colbert, the New York Times Magazine, the Financial Times, and other outfits reflexively receptive to his preferred narrative all about his intention to spend $200 billion on philanthropy before closing down the Gates Foundation — which underwent a name change in January in the wake of reporting about Gates’ relationship with child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and then the billionaire’s divorce.

According to the New York Times Magazine, this potential charitable giving is especially important after the Trump administration’s termination of programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development that Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized “did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States.”

Gates, whose foundation’s relationship with USAID has been likened to a “money-laundering scheme — one that ‘cleans’ both wealth and power for people like Gates while sustaining thousands of projects, employees, and placeholders in organizations that rely entirely on a circular flow of public funds” — suggested to the Financial Times that diseases such as measles, HIV, and polio could see a massive resurgence as a result of the USAID cuts championed by Musk.

Elements of the scientific community have furnished Gates with hypotheticals and estimates to lean on. For instance, a preprint study published by the Lancet and amplified by Nature, despite its lack of peer review, suggested that a:

complete cessation of US funding without replacement by other sources of funding would lead to dramatic increases in deaths from 2025-2040: 15.2 (9.3-20.8) million additional AIDS deaths, 2.2 (1.5-1.9) million additional TB deaths, 7.9 million additional child deaths from other causes, 40-55 million additional unplanned pregnancies and 12-16 million unsafe abortions.

“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” said Gates.

‘They were put in the woodchipper.’

“I’m not even sure the administration understands what is going on in the field because we do have, for the first time in 25 years, we have more children dying,” continued Gates. “Instead of it going down, it’s now going up. And unless we reverse pretty quickly, that will be over a million additional deaths.”

Gates suggested that while his foundation will spend roughly $10 billion a year on global health, with a focus on vaccines and maternal and child health, this private philanthropy would not make up for the American taxpayer dollars saved through USAID cuts.

The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, began exposing in December that USAID had blown taxpayer funds on anti-American, leftist causes and radical initiatives.

The administration discovered, for example, that the USAID previously blew:

$45 million on DEI scholarships in Burma;
$1.5 million “to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities”;
$6 million to “transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles”;
$19 million for two separate “inclusion” programs in Vietnam;
$2 million on sex-change activism in Guatemala;$20 million for a “Sesame Street” show in Iraq;
$2 million for “activity to strengthen trans-led organizations to deliver gender-affirming health care” in Guatemala;
$37.7 million to study HIV among “sex workers (SWS), their clients, and transgender (TG) people” in South Africa; and
$1 million to assist disabled people in Tajikistan to become “climate leaders.“

“Unfortunately, you know, there was a weekend where it was decided they [USAID] were criminals and they were put in the woodchipper, and so we lost a lot of capacity there. Now, we can get it back,” Gates told Colbert. “Eventually, Congress is the one who will have the final word on this.”

Gates suggested to the New York Times Magazine that he is counting on Congress to once again undermine the Trump agenda where funding is concerned but realizes “the cuts are so dramatic that even if we get some restored, we’re going to have a tough time.”

The billionaire also expressed confidence that future administrations will not similarly cut back foreign aid, noting that he sees it “as a four- to six-year interruption.”

Elon Musk, responding to another interview where Gates claimed the DOGE would cost two million lives, wrote, “Gates is a huge liar.”

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