Despite his well-known aversion to using the “other N-word” and discussing the issues connected to nuclear deterrence and nuclear saber-rattling by America’s adversaries, the president, during his recent trip to Asia, dropped a bombshell of his own.

On October 29, President Trump posted a brief statement on Truth Social about nuclear weapons testing, which contained the following key points:

The United States has more nuclear weapons “than any other country.”During Trump’s first term in office, the U.S. accomplished a “complete update and renovation” of existing U.S. nuclear weapons.Because of other countries’ testing programs, the president has “instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”The process of testing our nuclear weapons “will begin immediately.”

Sadly, whoever provided the president with the background information for each of his statements is manifestly unaware of the easily ascertainable facts. The president is being extremely poorly served by his own staff.

The president appears to have been informed that the Department of War is responsible for nuclear weapons testing. It is not.

First, the Russian Federation has more nuclear weapons than any other nation. Its stockpile of nuclear weapons available to the Russian military is about 5,200, while its overall stockpile is about 5,600. The numbers for the U.S. are about 3,700 and 4,400, respectively. This information is readily available in public sources such as the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Yearbook or the annual assessments published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Second, during the president’s first term, progress was made on the Strategic Modernization Program initiated in 2010. Still, no new platforms (submarine-launched ballistic missiles, bombers, or land-based missiles) were deployed between 2017 and 2021. Instead, we rely today on aging systems that are decades old.

Importantly, a small number of modified, low-yield submarine-launched warheads were produced and placed in service, and development of new Air Force nuclear warheads began, but none were deployed.

Related: America must lead the Mars race before China claims the final frontier

Photo by NASA/Getty Images

Third, the president’s staff has a profound misunderstanding about the difference between the test of a nuclear system’s delivery vehicle (i.e., a ballistic or cruise missile) and the test of a nuclear warhead. In the days before the president’s post, Russia conducted a test of a new cruise missile and a new trans-oceanic torpedo (both of which, incidentally, are not constrained by the new START treaty). Tests of missile systems are commonly conducted by all the nuclear powers, including the United States.

Today, with the sole exception of North Korea in 2017, neither Russia nor China nor any other nuclear power has conducted a nuclear warhead test in this century. To be clear, the U.S. intelligence community has raised concerns that both Russia and China may be covertly carrying out extremely low-yield tests of experimental nuclear designs, but those do not appear to be the “tests” to which the president’s Truth Social post was referring.

Finally, the president appears to have been informed that the Department of War is responsible for nuclear weapons testing. It is not. That responsibility belongs to the Department of Energy. Based on over 30 years of neglect, that department would be unable today to conduct a nuclear weapon test in the near future. Based on estimates provided by the Department of Energy to Congress, it would take 24-36 months to do so, at a cost of several billion dollars — dollars that have not been authorized or appropriated by Congress.

When asked, on his return flight from Asia, why he had delivered this signal of U.S. strategic nuclear weapons muscle-flexing, the president said he believed that if others were testing, then we should too. Depending on the state of our own nuclear weapons (currently assessed by the military as being reliable), and if he had been properly informed on the facts that others had resumed testing of nuclear weapons, there would be something to this argument. But as things stand, the president owes it to himself and to America’s national security to improve the quality of advice he is being provided on the vital issue of nuclear deterrence and our ability to sustain it — and soon.

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

​Trump, Nuclear weapons, Russia, China, Nuclear tests, Opinion & analysis 

A new study has uncovered an alarming trend: Fewer regular churchgoers believe the Bible is clear on transgenderism and homosexuality.

The survey — conducted by the Family Research Council and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University — found that only 47% of regular churchgoers believe that scripture is “clear and decisive” about “whether homosexuality is morally acceptable.” That’s a significant decline from 63% in 2023.

The moment believers treat biblical truth as negotiable, Christians become yet another cultural echo chamber.

Researchers, meanwhile, found that 26% believe the Bible is “unclear or ambiguous” about homosexuality, while another 16% said they believe scripture doesn’t address the issue.

Even worse, only 40% of regular churchgoers said the Bible is “clear and decisive” on “whether transgenderism is morally acceptable,” a 12-point drop from 2023. Nearly a quarter (23%) said they believe the Bible is “unclear and ambiguous” on trans ideology, while 24% said they believe the Bible doesn’t address it.

These results demonstrate that American churches are experiencing a crisis of biblical truth.

But how?

But these results are surprising for two important reasons, not least of which is that they appear to refute suggestions of a Christian revival in America.

First, while these are two issues central to the progressive project that have largely become cultural orthodoxy, a growing number of young people are rejecting the left’s version of the good life. Thus, you’d expect the data to reflect the trend away from progressivism and toward objective truth.

Second, the Bible is by no means unclear or ambiguous on either issue — no matter what “progressive Christians” say.

On homosexuality, the Bible establishes in Genesis that central to the union of man and woman (i.e., marriage) is the ability to reproduce. This prescription is reaffirmed countless times. Jesus even cites Genesis when challenged about the true purpose of marriage (hint: He does not affirm homosexuality). Moreover, as the fledgling church grappled with questions of sexual morality, the apostles affirmed that sexual immorality of any kind — that is, porneia, or any sexual activity beyond the confines of a marriage between one man and one woman — is sinful and contrary to God’s design. This, of course, includes homosexuality.

On transgenderism, Genesis is clear: God created man and woman, a complementary pair that reflects the divine union. God chooses our gender for us — not our feelings.

So what do we do?

First, we must name this for what it is: not a cultural or data problem, but a discipleship problem. The Bible hasn’t changed, and scripture isn’t suddenly vague. The truth is that many pastors and churches have gone quiet on these important issues, which demand moral and biblical clarity.

Silence has a cost, and now the bill is due. When pulpits grow timid, the pews grow confused.

Second, Christians must recover confidence in the Bible’s authority. God’s word is true and timeless. It doesn’t need to be apologized away or reinterpreted to acquiesce to our cultural moment. It speaks as clearly today as it always has. Cultures and politics may change, but God’s truth remains the same.

The moment believers treat biblical truth as negotiable, Christians become yet another cultural echo chamber — and lose their saltiness.

RELATED: The poisoned stream of culture is flowing through our churches

ChristinLola/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Third, Christian leaders must teach clearly, intentionally, and with conviction what the Bible says about sex, marriage, and human identity. Christians today are drowning in confusion, as this study proves. They desperately need clarity, truth, and courage to stand up for biblical truth and to live it out.

Finally, Christians must take heart and remember that decline isn’t defeat. It’s never the end of the story. Every generation of God’s people has faced moments of crisis and confusion. Revival is found on the other side of those moments. And it happens when ordinary Christians rediscover and reaffirm the power of God’s word and refuse to bow to cultural idols.

But that renewal only comes when Christians stop apologizing for what God has already made clear, is making clear, and will continue to make clear.

Now is the moment for Christians to decide what kind of witness they will be. One that bends to the culture? Or one that stands firm on the Rock? The world is desperate for truth. Thankfully, we have access to God of truth, and in the end, He wins.

​Survey, Christianity, Christian, Church, Homosexuality, Transgenderism, Lgbtq ideology, Trans ideology, Culture war, Biblical truth, Faith 

Canada already has one of the world’s most expansive and permissive euthanasia programs. Under current law, adults don’t even need a terminal illness to apply for Medical Assistance in Dying. Chronic illnesses and disabilities are qualifying conditions as long as the patient is of sound mind.

But some advocacy organizations, such as Dying with Dignity Canada, want the law to be expanded to include “mature minors” — youth as young as 12, who they argue can demonstrate full decision-making capacity, with added “safeguards” such as mandatory parental consent for teens 15 and younger. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds, they argue, are mature enough to agree to be euthanized without their parents’ permission.

Canada’s Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying apparently agrees. In February 2023, the committee determined that “eligibility for MAID should not be denied on the basis of age alone.”

While the Canadian government has announced no plans to expand MAID in this way, the issue of “mature minors” will likely resurface in 2027, when Parliament re-evaluates the program’s next major expansion — whether to allow MAID for people whose only medical condition is a mental illness.

When Pat Gray, BlazeTV host of “Pat Gray Unleashed,” heard of Canada’s MAID advocacy for minors, he had no other word for it than “evil.”

“Nothing else explains that,” he sighs. “It’s unbelievable. Canada has just, they’ve gone off a cliff.”

To hear more, watch the video below.

Want more from Pat Gray?

To enjoy more of Pat’s biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Pat gray, Pat gray unleashed, Blazetv, Blaze media, Canada, Maid, Assissted suicide, Euthanasia 

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear,” wrote C.S. Lewis in “A Grief Observed” after the death of his wife. Grief often strips away our certainties, leaving us to fear if God is who we thought He was, or if our suffering has any meaning at all. In allowing grief to become his teacher, Lewis left a road map for others, showing how to sit with sorrow, process it, and respect both loss and trauma.

That understanding doesn’t come casually; it takes time. In that willingness to observe pain rather than manage it lies a quiet reverence, a recognition that some experiences are not meant to be conquered but understood.

Suffering doesn’t exist to make us louder or more righteous. It exists to make us wiser — to teach maturity, not mobilize outrage.

I watched a young widow step into public life just weeks after her husband’s death. The world called her strong — and maybe she is — but what I saw most was sorrow: raw, recent, and surrounded by noise.

We rush to praise courage yet hesitate to sit with grief. Pain now unfolds before an audience eager to watch and quicker still to turn sorrow into argument. The question isn’t whether we’ll look, but how. Will we meet grief with reverence or rhetoric?

Suffering doesn’t exist to make us louder or more righteous. It exists to make us wiser — to teach maturity, not mobilize outrage.

When nations grieve

What’s true for one heart is true for a nation. After 9/11, America was ready to fight — and we did. But what did we learn? How did we grow? What did we lose along the way? Pain can rally a nation, yet fail to mature its people. Did we take enough time to observe our national trauma?

The lives lost, the wounded carried home, and the enormous resources spent all suggest we did not. And what is true of nations is true of hearts: When we rush past pain, we forfeit the wisdom it offers.

The thought that God rules our pain can make us flinch. If God doesn’t rule it, suffering has no purpose — something to endure but not to transform. His sovereignty may not always appear kind, yet as William Cowper reminded us, “Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.”

In four decades as a caregiver, I’ve learned that trauma has its own language, one that will not be hurried or managed. It needs presence, patience, and space. Dr. Diane Langberg, who has spent her life among the wounded, often reminds us, “We dare not rush what God Himself is willing to sit with.” That is ministry: sitting beside, not speaking over.

The wisdom of mourning

The Jewish people understand this. When someone dies, the bereaved sit shiva — seven days of stillness and shared silence. Friends come not to fix but to accompany. Then comes sheloshim — 30 days to move slowly back toward life. For a parent, mourning extends a full year. Their wisdom tells us what our culture forgets: Mourning isn’t an interruption of life; it’s part of it.

We can learn from that rhythm. When tragedy strikes, our nation lowers its flags to half-staff. For a day or two, we pause, reflect, and pray. Then the flags rise again and life resumes. That is understandable for a country, but not for a soul. For the bereaved, the flag stays lowered long after the headlines fade.

Even the church can hurry the hurting. We mistake composure for recovery and public strength for peace. But grief that is forced to perform eventually breaks in private and sometimes spills into public.

When my wife, Gracie, lost her legs and entered decades of agony, healing did not come through attention or activity. It came through grace, tears, and time, mostly in obscurity. People see her sing or laugh and assume she has gotten over it, that she’s moved past it. What they do not see is that she had to redefine her life; this is her life. Someone once told me, “Process the pain privately, share the process publicly.” That wisdom has steadied us for years.

The quiet saints of suffering

Our culture is too quick to parade its wounded on stages when they would be better served by sitting in stillness, in pajamas or sweats, without having to put on makeup or smile for the cameras.

I’ve seen that truth in lives like Joni Eareckson Tada’s, who has lived with quadriplegia (paralysis affecting all four limbs and the torso) for nearly 60 years after a diving accident. In her, suffering has distilled faith into something deep and steady, strong enough to hold her and extend grace to others who suffer.

Forgiveness, like healing, takes time. To forgive is not to excuse or forget; it is to trust God with justice and mercy, believing He knows what we cannot. Forgiveness is faith expressed with open hands — the slow loosening of the grip around another’s throat.

Philip Yancey once observed that grace, like water, flows to the lowest places. That is where I have found it: in hospital corridors, in the lonely watches of the night, and in the long quiet of waiting rooms. Not in applause or attention, but in the hush where pain meets patience.

RELATED: The poisoned stream of culture is flowing through our churches

Photo by Anadolu / Contributor via Getty Images

The best model for us

Our culture distracts us from sorrow, rushing past pain as if speed can save us. “Don’t look in the rearview mirror,” people say. “Keep moving forward. Get past it.” But some wounds do not recede with distance. They remain, reshaping who we are and how we see the world. Grief, but only if we resist the urge to flee from it.

Scripture tells us that Jesus Himself was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). If He carried sorrow, then sorrow itself is not unclean. His setting apart for redemption doesn’t happen on cue, not in our timeframe. It unfolds in God’s time, often unseen and unhurried. Our pain, when entrusted to Him, becomes something consecrated, set apart not for ruin but for restoration. In His hands, our sorrow becomes sacred ground.

When trauma shatters a life, our calling is not to elevate but to shelter. We are called to stand nearby like those who sit shiva, unhurried and unafraid of silence. We can only observe another’s trauma, but God enters it. The wounds in His hands and side show us that He understands the anguish of loss, rejection, even death. His way is not avoidance but presence, and His model is a good one for us.

Solitude with God is not empty silence, but the stillness where His healing takes root. The psalmist wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In that quiet, we see what countless believers across the ages have discovered: Even what was meant for evil, God weaves for good. He does not waste our sorrow. When we trust His timing, the trauma observed gives way to the grace observed.

​C. s lewis, Mourning, Grief, Opinion & analysis, Caregiving, Caregivers, Faith, Religion, Erika kirk, Pain, 9/11, William cowper, God, Prayer, Wisdom 

Renting a car should be simple: You reserve a vehicle, drive it, and return it at the end of your trip.

But for millions of travelers each year, what seems like a straightforward process can quickly become a source of frustration and unexpected costs.

In 2024, US car-rental companies collected more than $2 billion in optional insurance and add-on fees.

Hidden fees, deceptive insurance upsells, false damage claims, and overpriced extras have become all too common, turning a simple rental into a costly experience. Understanding how rental companies operate and knowing what to watch for can save you time, money, and stress.

1. Hidden fees

One of the most pervasive problems in car rentals is the hidden fee. Travelers are often lured in with low advertised rates, only to be shocked when extra charges appear on their final bill.

These can include cleaning fees, administrative charges, or taxes that were not clearly disclosed. A rate that appears to be $25 a day can quickly balloon when additional costs are tacked on. The key to avoiding these surprises is vigilance: reading the contract carefully, asking for a full breakdown of potential charges, and choosing reputable rental companies that provide transparency from the start.

2. Fuel charges

Fuel charges are another frequent source of frustration. Many agencies offer prepaid fuel options, promising convenience at a flat rate. In reality, these plans often overcharge travelers. A prepaid tank might cost $70, while filling up locally could cost half that. The best strategy is to select a policy requiring you to return the car full and refuel it yourself, giving you control over price and avoiding overpayment.

3. Insurance upselling

Insurance upselling is a classic tactic at rental counters. Agents may encourage you to purchase extra coverage, claiming your personal insurance or credit card benefits are insufficient. Many credit cards already include rental car insurance, and personal auto policies often extend coverage to rentals. Knowing what protections you already have, and bringing proof, allows you to confidently decline unnecessary insurance and avoid paying for coverage you don’t need.

RELATED: 10 tactics to beat even the pushiest car salesman

Mark Sullivan/Getty Images

4. Damage claims

Damage claims can create even bigger headaches. Renters are frequently billed for scratches, dents, or other damage that existed before their rental. Without proper documentation, disputing these charges can be difficult. To protect yourself, inspect the car thoroughly before and after driving, take comprehensive photos or videos, and ensure any pre-existing damage is recorded by the rental agent. A few minutes of documentation can prevent thousands of dollars in unjust repair charges.

5. ‘Free’ upgrades

Even seemingly generous “free” upgrades can carry hidden costs. A larger or fancier car may require premium gasoline, have lower fuel efficiency, or carry higher insurance rates. What seems like a perk can quickly become an unexpected expense. Always confirm the details of any upgrade before accepting it and assess whether it truly makes sense for your trip.

6. Early return penalties

Timing is another area where fees can accumulate. Early returns may trigger additional charges, as some companies consider schedule changes disruptive to their fleet planning. Returning a vehicle late, even by an hour, can also result in steep penalties, sometimes amounting to a full extra day’s rental. Understanding the agency’s policies, communicating any changes in advance, and planning your return carefully are essential to avoid unnecessary fees.

7. Unauthorized driver penalties

Unauthorized drivers are another hidden cost. If someone not listed on the rental agreement drives the vehicle, you may face significant penalties. This can be particularly costly during family trips when multiple people share driving duties. The solution is straightforward: Ensure every driver is added to the contract up front. Some companies even offer one free additional driver, which can reduce the financial burden and prevent insurance complications.

8. Location surcharges

Location surcharges are a more subtle form of deception. Renting at airports or central city locations is convenient, but convenience comes at a premium. Airport locations can be 20% to 30% more expensive than nearby off-site branches. Taking the time to compare rates at alternative locations and factoring in transportation costs can yield substantial savings.

9. Add-on accessories and services

Additional accessories and services: GPS devices, car seats, and toll passes are often priced exorbitantly. Renting a car seat can cost $15 to $20 per day, adding up to over $100 for a week-long trip. Smartphones equipped with navigation apps can replace GPS units at no extra cost, and parents can often check car seats on flights for free, avoiding rental fees altogether.

Protect yourself

The reality is that the rental industry profits heavily from these practices. In 2024, U.S. car-rental companies collected more than $2 billion in optional insurance and add-on fees, a significant portion of which came from products renters didn’t truly need. Legal challenges have occasionally forced companies to settle claims over hidden fees and false damage charges, but systemic issues remain.

Navigating this environment requires preparation and awareness. Researching rental companies in advance, documenting the condition of the vehicle, confirming coverage with your insurance and credit card, and reading the fine print of agreements are essential steps. Avoiding high-pressure sales tactics, understanding the cost implications of upgrades, and planning for return times can save significant money and prevent unpleasant surprises.

While consumer advocacy and regulation are slowly increasing transparency, renters remain the first line of defense against these tactics. Until industry-wide standards are strictly enforced, vigilance is essential. Understanding how companies maximize profits and where they might bend the rules puts you back in control of your rental experience.

Renting a car doesn’t have to be stressful. With careful planning, attention to detail, and knowledge of potential pitfalls, travelers can avoid unnecessary costs and enjoy a smoother, more predictable journey. In the world of car rentals, the most important tool is not a GPS or a car seat, it’s knowledge.

​Car rentals, Scams, Consumer protection, Lifestyle, Rip-offs, Hidden fees, Align cars