Washington’s latest fights make one thing unmistakable: Democrats shift their arguments as needed, but always in service of higher taxes, higher spending, and a bigger federal footprint. When the question earlier this year was whether to keep current tax policy and avoid a massive tax hike, Democrats fought against keeping current policy.

Now, after forcing a government shutdown, they claim they must preserve current — but temporary — Obamacare subsidies. Two opposite stances, one consistent goal: bigger government.

On taxes, ‘current policy’ doesn’t count. On spending, ‘current policy’ functions like holy writ.

Earlier this year, Congress faced a hard deadline. Lawmakers had to choose between extending the 2017 American Job Creation Act tax rates or letting them snap back to pre-2017 levels — a $4 trillion tax increase across income brackets. Republicans pushed to retain the lower rates. Democrats pushed for the tax hike.

Democrats insisted the looming deadline was Republicans’ fault and said the surge in revenue would help slow growth in deficits and debt. Republicans ultimately prevailed and passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Democrats erupted.

We all know what happened next. Less than three months later, Congress approached the September 30 deadline for annual appropriations. With negotiations still incomplete, Republicans advanced a clean, short-term extension to keep the government open. The House passed it. President Trump signaled he would sign it. Senate Democrats filibustered it.

Republicans tried over a dozen times to reopen the government. Senate Democrats blocked them every time — until this week. Their central demand: extend the temporary “emergency” premium subsidies that Democrats expanded during the pandemic. Those subsidies, scheduled to expire, broadened eligibility beyond 400% of the federal poverty line and boosted benefits for those below it. Democrats already extended them once through 2025.

Now, with the pandemic long over — President Biden signed the resolution ending it on April 10, 2023 — Senate Democrats want the emergency expansions made permanent.

The inconsistency could not be clearer.

When expiring tax law meant taxes would rise, Democrats described preventing that increase as a tax cut — even though extending the law simply kept existing policy in place. The fact that the policy had been the law for eight years meant nothing.

But when expiring pandemic-era subsidies would return Obamacare to its original structure, Democrats suddenly insist that current policy must prevail. They now treat temporary emergency expansions — linked explicitly to COVID, extended once already, disproportionately benefiting upper-income households — as untouchable programs that must become permanent.

On taxes, “current policy” doesn’t count. On spending, “current policy” functions like holy writ.

RELATED: Trump officially ends ‘pathetic’ Democrats’ record-breaking shutdown

Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The reasoning shifts, but the outcome never does: Democrats always land on whatever argument leads to more government. Their broader shutdown demands confirm it — ending Medicaid reforms and restoring spending levels President Trump and Republicans reduced. Every item points in the same direction: more federal dollars out the door.

Democrats note that Republicans, too, support keeping some expiring policies. True. Which makes the underlying purpose even more important to identify.

Republicans fought to maintain 2017 tax levels so Americans could keep more of what they earn — and keep that income out of Washington’s hands. Democrats want permanent expansion of Obamacare subsidies to preserve and grow benefits for people who were never intended to receive them, locking in a larger federal role.

Future fights will come; today’s climate guarantees them. One more thing is just as guaranteed: Democrats’ arguments will continue to change as needed, and their demands for higher taxes, higher spending, and a larger federal government will not.

​Opinion & analysis, Democrats, Taxes, Spending, Big government, Congress, Government shutdown, Donald trump, 2017 tax cuts, American jobs creation act, Tax increases, Obamacare, Subsidies 

We are born with an intrinsic ability to recognize beauty, be it a sunset, a piece of art, or a fellow human being. The second our eyes behold something beautiful, we can’t help but stop and admire. No one teaches us to react this way; it just happens naturally.

Michelle Obama, however, argues otherwise. On a November 12 podcast episode titled “The Power of Hair: Identity, Legacy & Black Womanhood,” the former first lady posited that the world needs to be taught how to appreciate black beauty in particular.

The episode, which featured Cosmopolitan beauty editor Julee Wilson, actor and producer Marsai Martin, and stylist and founder of Esthetics Salon Yene Damtew, was part of the promotional content for Michelle’s new book, “The Look” — a glossy vanity project that repackages the same grievance-laden identity politics she’s been peddling for years under the guise of empowerment and joy.

After declaring that “there isn’t a standard of beauty” and that what we see featured in magazines is merely “taste” and not beauty, she stressed the need “to start educating people about all kinds of beauty.”

“Our beauty is so powerful and so unique that it is worthy of the conversation and it’s worthy of demanding the respect that we’re owed for who we are and what we offer to the world,” she added.

“I didn’t need an education on [beauty]. I can remember at a very early, early age the ability [to recognize], ‘Oh, that’s a beautiful woman; that’s a handsome man,”’ counters Jason Whitlock, BlazeTV host of “Fearless.”

“Fearless” contributor Shemeka Michelle agrees. “You don’t have to teach about beauty — it just is. Michelle sounds so silly, and every time we turn around, here she comes, just another round in the victim Olympics.”

Contrary to Michelle’s belief, objective beauty is real, but “attitude,” Jason argues, can certainly go a long way in the beauty department. Kindness, confidence, faith in Christ — these are all beautifiers, he says.

Unfortunately, many women, he says, adopt the kind of attitude that detracts from the natural beauty they possess. “That’s this feminism that many black women and girlbosses have attached themselves to,” he says. “It erases a lot of their beauty. That bitterness and anger just is not attractive.”

“When you’re sitting around and you’re a multimillionaire and the world has kissed your butt and … then you’re still angry and whining and complaining and demonizing America, it’s just very unattractive,” he says.

Jason and Shemeka both agree that Melania Trump, with her timeless poise and quiet grace, is a far better example of beauty than Michelle Obama will ever be.

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

Want more from Jason Whitlock?

To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Jason whitlock, Fearless, Jason whitlock harmony, Blazetv, Blaze media, Michelle obama, Race politics, Beauty 

The Trump administration has plans to root out fraud in the country’s food stamp program.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides benefits to approximately 42 million Americans, costing about $100 billion in the fiscal year 2024.

‘Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends.’

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Thursday that the administration will require Americans receiving food stamps through SNAP to reapply.

Rollins told Newsmax that this effort would “make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayer-funded benefit … that they literally are vulnerable and they can’t survive without it.”

Rollins explained that she sent letters to every state, requesting data on SNAP benefits. She noted that 29 states, primarily those led by Republicans, responded to the request.

She stated that “186,000 deceased men and women and children in this country are receiving a check.”

RELATED: Supreme Court rules in favor of Trump administration to extend pause in SNAP funding

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

“That is what we’re really going to start clamping down on. Half a million are getting two [payments],” Rollins said, noting that this included data from only 29 states.

“Can you imagine when we get our hands on the blue-state data what we’re gonna find?” she added.

“It’s going to give us a platform and a trajectory to fundamentally rebuild this program,” Rollins continued.

The secretary described one instance in which an individual used the same Social Security number to obtain EBT cards in six states.

RELATED: ‘Absurd’: JD Vance blasts activist Obama judge’s apparent overreach on SNAP handouts amid Democrat shutdown

Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

She noted that President Donald Trump has made cracking down on SNAP fraud a priority, adding that 120 arrests have already been made.

It is not yet clear when beneficiaries will be required to reapply for the benefits.

“Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends,” a USDA spokesperson told The Hill. “Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it. Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work. As well as ongoing analysis of State data, further regulatory work, and improved collaboration with States.”

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​News, Donald trump, Trump, Trump administration, Trump admin, Brooke rollins, U.s. department of agriculture, Department of agriculture, Agriculture department, Snap, Snap benefits, Supplemental nutrition assistance program, Food stamps, Waste fraud and abuse, Politics 

Faith is everything to me. I believe in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, and I’m not shy about saying so. Many Americans feel uncomfortable talking about faith, and many others insist religion should stay out of the public square. I disagree. As a Christian, I want more people to know Jesus, who loves them more than they can imagine.

But I also know that people walk different spiritual paths. Some pray differently. Some worship a different god. Others reject religion altogether. America now holds more faith traditions — and more people with no faith — than at any point in our history. That diversity can spark friction, and as politics fills the void left by declining religious belief, many have turned ideological loyalties into a kind of substitute religion.

America’s diversity guarantees disagreement. It always has. But even in conflict, we can find places to unite.

The risk is obvious: These differences can push us toward a breaking point. The warning signs already surround us. In a moment like this, we need grace.

What grace demands

In Christianity, grace is God’s love poured out freely. Eternal life is His gift — not because we earn it or because we are good, but because God is good.

On Earth, grace takes a more practical form. It means giving each other the benefit of the doubt. It means forgiving mistakes. It means choosing generosity instead of suspicion. And it means approaching someone else’s beliefs with curiosity rather than contempt.

For reasons I still struggle to understand, Americans have stopped trying to understand one another.

Last year, I hosted a meeting of community, business, and faith leaders in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The agenda was full of topics that normally light a fuse: poverty, economic exclusion, racial tensions. Before we began, I admitted that some of the terms we would use carried heavy baggage and that I might say something imperfectly myself. I asked only one thing: a little grace.

That simple request set the tone for the whole day. People pushed through the hard conversations and started looking for solutions. We found common ground in places no one expected. The debate stayed calm because everyone extended grace before they demanded it.

I wish that spirit were more common today.

Why grace is hard — and necessary

Too many people explode at the first sign of disagreement. They judge others more harshly than they judge themselves. They dismiss someone with a different view as beyond redemption. The unspoken thought is always the same: Why bother? They won’t listen to me, so why should I listen to them?

RELATED: Dear Christian: God didn’t call you to be a ‘beautiful loser’

Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

It’s a natural impulse, but grace calls us to something higher. It reminds us that the person across from us carries the same human frailties we do.

Grace does not mean surrendering your convictions. It does not ask you to dilute what you believe or pretend serious disagreements don’t matter. It simply asks you to respect the strength of someone else’s convictions, even when you oppose them. It asks you to accept that everyone is imperfect — including you. And because each of us hopes for forgiveness when we stumble, grace asks that we extend that same forgiveness to others.

America’s diversity guarantees disagreement. It always has. But even in conflict, we can find places to unite. Recovering that unity starts with a simple choice: showing each other a little grace.

​Grace, Christians, Americans, Opinion & analysis, Civil society, Unity, Discourse 

Is economic doom on America’s horizon?

“The end of the year economic data is beginning to come out and to say that it’s not the best might be an understatement,” says Glenn Beck. “There’s some warning signs for 2026 and beyond.”

In this riveting episode of “Glenn TV,” Glenn outlines three potential economic futures for 2026.

Outcome #1: A K-shaped economy

A K-shaped economy, Glenn explains, happens when “the rich get richer,” while the middle and lower classes suffer. “They lose jobs; they’re priced out of basic goods and services; and in the case of young people now just hitting the workforce, they fail to achieve the American dream and own any kind of property,” he explains.

What happens next is people, especially youth, begin to see things like socialism and even communism as salvation. This just played out in New York City with the election of Muslim Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor.

Once the American people at large start seeing centralized power as the answer to all our problems, “The American experiment goes away,” warns Glenn.

Outcome #2: Outcome #1 on steroids

The second possibility, says Glenn, is everything in outcome number one plus a long chain of economic disasters: unemployment skyrockets thanks to artificial intelligence; then the Fed goes on an interest-cutting spree; this leads to bailout programs and money printing; inflation soars; and finally, the U.S. dollar dies.

Outcome #3: Weather the storm, thrive in the revolution

A third potential outcome, says Glenn, is that “what we’re seeing right now [with the economy] is just temporary pain.” It’s plausible that every economic slump is something “the Trump administration has been preparing for.”

“I just got off the phone with the president yesterday, and we spoke about this,” says Glenn.

Trump’s response? “I got it.”

“He knows we’re on the brink of major societal change … but a new economic global system is now being built by him, and all of the levers are being pulled to ensure we remain resilient for the change that is coming,” says Glenn.

Change, whether we like it or not, is inevitable, he assures. “We’re at the threshold of another industrial revolution,” where development will be so rapid, it will eclipse the achievements of all human history combined.

“How we navigate this new world depends on the moves that we’re making right now,” he says.

To hear Glenn’s full in-depth breakdown, watch the episode above.

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​Glenn beck, Glenn tv, Blazetv, Blaze media, Zohran mamdani, Socialism, Donald trump