There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
…We have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:1
The true Christian may safely look forward to a future state that is as happy as perfect love wills it to be! No one who has felt the weight of his own sin or heard from Calvary the Saviour’s mournful cry, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” can ever allow his soul to rest on the feeble hope popular religion affords. He will—indeed, he must—insist upon forgiveness and cleansing and the protection the vicarious death of Christ provides. “God has made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” So wrote Paul, and Luther’s great outburst of faith shows what this can mean in a human soul: “O Lord,” cried Luther, “Thou art my righteousness, I am Thy sin!” Any valid hope of a state of righteousness beyond the incident of death must lie in the goodness of God and the work of atonement accomplished for us by Jesus Christ on the cross. The deep, deep love of God is the fountain out of which flows our future beatitude, and the grace of God in Christ is the channel by which it reaches us! Even justice is on our side, for it is written, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2015). Evenings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings (p. 45). Moody Publishers.
This will form a solemn meditation, my soul, for thy evening thoughts to be exercised upon. And, perhaps, under grace, it may lead thee to some sweet improvements in the contemplation of the distinguishing grace manifested to our rebellious nature; while judgment the most awful and everlasting overtook the higher nature of angels. If we humbly inquire what was the nature of their sin, all we can gather of information concerning it was, that it was rebellion against God. One part of the Scripture, indeed, tells us, that “there was war in heaven. Michael (by which we understand, Michael our Prince, the Lord Jesus Christ, Dan. 10:21) and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought, and his angels, and prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.” (Rev. 12:7, &c.) By which it should seem, that the cause of this contest of the devil with Christ was personal, and on account of the kingdom which Jehovah gave him as God Mediator over angels and men. And hence, when these apostate spirits left their own habitation, and were cast out, they set up a kingdom, in opposition to the Lord’s. And from their bitter hatred to Christ and his kingdom, they wreaked all their malice in corrupting and seducing our nature to join in rebellion against God. Hence “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world,” beguiled our first parents, and introduced sin and death into this our world; which hath passed, and must pass upon all their posterity, because all have sinned, and come short of God’s glory. Pause, my soul, over the solemn account. Think, duly think, of the fallen state into which, by nature and by practice, thou art brought by this apostasy. And when thou hast had thy mind thoroughly impressed with the awfulness of such a situation, turn thy thoughts to the due contemplation also of the love, and grace, and mercy of God, in thy recovery. Sweetly dwell on the love of God thy Father, in the gift of his dear Son, for the purposes of redemption. Mark well the blessed features of the Son in his work of mercy, in this great accomplishment. And do not overlook, but delight evermore to contemplate, the love of God the Holy Ghost in condescending both to bring thee acquainted with the grace of the Father, and of the Son, and to incline thine heart to the thankful belief of it, and love of both! And that the whole subject may have its full influence upon thee, to induce in thee all the suitable and becoming affections of love, thanksgiving, holy obedience, and praise to the Author of such mercy, mark well the distinguishing nature of that grace, which hath left fallen angels in their ruin and misery, reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day, while bestowing pardon, reconciliation, and favour, upon fallen men, amidst all our unworthiness, sin, and rebellion. And, O Lamb of God! give me the continued grace to meditate for ever on the unequalled love of thine heart, who passeth by the nature of angels to take on thee the seed of Abraham; that in all things thou mightest be made like unto the brethren, in being a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of thy people!
Hawker, R. (1845). The Poor Man’s Evening Portion (A New Edition, pp. 47–48). Thomas Wardle.
Ever to be remembered is that best and brightest of hours, when first we saw the Lord, lost our burden, received the roll of promise, rejoiced in full salvation, and went on our way in peace. It was spring time in the soul; the winter was past; the mutterings of Sinai’s thunders were hushed; the flashings of its lightnings were no more perceived; God was beheld as reconciled; the law threatened no vengeance, justice demanded no punishment. Then the flowers appeared in our heart; hope, love, peace, and patience sprung from the sod; the hyacinth of repentance, the snowdrop of pure holiness, the crocus of golden faith, the daffodil of early love, all decked the garden of the soul. The time of the singing of birds was come, and we rejoiced with thanksgiving; we magnified the holy name of our forgiving God, and our resolve was, “Lord, I am thine, wholly thine; all I am, and all I have, I would devote to thee. Thou hast bought me with thy blood—let me spend myself and be spent in thy service. In life and in death let me be consecrated to thee.” How have we kept this resolve? Our espousal love burned with a holy flame of devoutedness to Jesus—is it the same now? Might not Jesus well say to us, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love”? Alas! it is but little we have done for our Master’s glory. Our winter has lasted all too long. We are as cold as ice when we should feel a summer’s glow and bloom with sacred flowers. We give to God pence when he deserveth pounds, nay, deserveth our heart’s blood to be coined in the service of his church and of his truth. But shall we continue thus? O Lord, after thou hast so richly blessed us, shall we be ungrateful and become indifferent to thy good cause and work? O quicken us that we may return to our first love, and do our first works! Send us a genial spring, O Sun of Righteousness.
Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. Passmore & Alabaster.
This will show us the way in which holy men of old derived comfort from the great miracle of the Red Sea. Here is Asaph, almost in despair, encouraged by remembering the Lord’s wonders of old. 1 I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the LORD: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. His spirits sank so low that like a sick man who cannot eat what is good for him, he was unable to believe cheering truths. 3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. (God’s people know by experience the lonely glens of soul trouble.) Selah. (This is a musical pause, or perhaps it means “lift up the tune.” Let us lift up our hearts.) 4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. 6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. 7 Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? (These questions are suggested by fear, but they may serve as the cure of fear. Their answers are both self-evident and heart-cheering.) 8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? 9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. 10 And I said, This is my infirmity: (This accounts for most of our fears. They have no real ground, but are based upon our weakness of faith. The evil is in us, not in providence; the change in our hearts, not in the immutable God:) but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. 11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. 12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. (“Remember,” “meditate,” “talk,”—this is a wise order. Imitate it.) 13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? 14, 15 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. 16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled. (Quiet caves of the sea, far down in the abyss, were stirred with fright; and the waters fled as if they feared the face of the Lord.) 17 The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. Lightnings flew like bolts from the bow of God, and the rain dashed down in torrents. 18 The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook. (According to Josephus there was a terrible storm when the Egyptians were in the midst of the sea; there would seem from the text to have been rain, tempest, and earthquake combined. All the elements are the allies of Israel, and the enemies of the ungodly.) 19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. Our God has mysterious ways of delivering his people, but deliver them he will. 20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. They felt no storm and feared no ill, but were as quiet and safe as sheep protected by their shepherd. Even thus shall all the saints be secure, while their enemies are utterly overwhelmed.
I’ll call to mind thy works of old,
The wonders of thy might;
On them my heart shall meditate,
Them shall my tongue recite.
Thy people, Lord, long since have thee
A God of wonders found:
Long since hast thou thy chosen seed
With strong deliv’rance crown’d.
Sound the loud timbrel o’er Egypt’s dark sea!
Jehovah hath triumph’d: his people are free.
Sing, for the pride of the tyrant is broken,
His chariots and horsemen all splendid and brave,
How vain was their boasting! the Lord hath but spoken,
And chariots and horsemen are sunk in the wave.
Sound the loud timbrel o’er Egypt’s dark sea!
Jehovah hath triumph’d: his people are free.
Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 84). Baker Book House.
Exodus 34:1 and 27 — After Aaron’s sin in Exodus 32:2, we see the 8th and 9th time the phrase “And the LORD” followed by “said” or “spoke”. We saw yesterday that the LORD used Aaron’s name 40 times before he sinned, but the LORD has yet to mention Aaron’s name since, and He will not do so until the 10th time. Sin breaks fellowship with God.
Exodus 34:7 — The LORD God will punish the great-grandchildren of sinners for the sins of their parents. Sin has consequences that can last for generations. Fetal alcohol syndrome describes consequences for someone other than the drinker. The LORD is repeating a warning He made earlier in Exodus 20:5, but lest we think the Old Testament deity is merely vengeful, both times He contrasts 3-4 generations of judgment with (Exodus 20:6, Exodus 34:7) thousands of generations of “hesed” for His people. Hesed (חֶ֖סֶד), shows up in the KJV as kindness (Genesis 24:12), mercy (Exodus 20:6), goodness (Exodus 34:6), and lovingkindness (Psalm 103:4).
Exodus 34:12 and 15 — Remember these verses when we get to Joshua 9:15.
Matthew 27:1 — This “morning trial” was the third Jewish trial of Jesus, done to give a semblance of compliance to the requirement that judgment in a capital trial cannot occur the same day as the trial.
Matthew 27:16 — The Unusual Films production Wine of Morning (1955) is based on what the life of Barabbas could have been.
Psalm 33:12 — Lloyd Larson based his choral work “Blessed Is the Nation” on this verse.
Psalm 9:4 — Let us turn into the house of wisdom and feast on the provisions set before us!
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In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, holiness unto the Lord, (Zechariah 14:20)
Happy day when all things shall be consecrated, and the horses’ bells shall ring out holiness to the Lord! That day has come to me. Do I not make all things holy to God? These garments, when I put them on or take them off, shall they not remind me of the righteousness of Christ Jesus my Lord? Shall not my work be done as unto the Lord? Oh, that today my clothes may be vestments, my meals sacraments, my house a temple, my table an altar, my speech incense, and myself a priest! Lord, fulfill Thy promise, and let nothing be to me common or unclean.
Let me in faith expect this. Believing it to be so, I shall be helped to make it so. As I myself am the property of Jesus, my Lord may take an inventory of all I have, for it is altogether His own; and I resolve to prove it to be so by the use to which I put it this day. From morning till evening I would order all things by a happy and holy rule. My bells shall ring—why should they not? Even my horses shall have bells—who has such a right to music as the saints have? But all my bells, my music, my mirth, shall be turned to holiness and shall ring out the name of “the happy God.”
Futility. That is what every attempt at rebellion against God entails. Every railing of sin, every shaking of the fist in His face, results in the same thing: nothing. We serve an unchanging God, and nothing can diminish His perfections.
For I, the LORD, do not change. – Malachi 3:6
Thomas Brooks once said, “If it could be carried by votes, God would be voted out of the world; for the language of the carnal heart is, “Leave us alone! We have no desire to know Your ways!” (Job 21:14).”
We live in a society that attempts to determine its own truth and morality. Our culture votes in and enacts many laws that call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Yet, truth and righteousness will never be established by popular vote—all of the world’s statutes that celebrate sin and punish good will never alter the word of God.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever. – Psalm 33:11
The doctrine of God’s immutability should do two things for the believer. First, it should leave us in awestruck wonder since it is so far beyond our complete comprehension. The second thing it should do is comfort us. Just as no sin can diminish His perfections, neither can our excellencies increase them.
Even when the political winds shift in favor of righteousness, we should rejoice, but it does not add to the excellencies of God. He is the standard bearer, and his perfections are not dependent upon whether we acknowledge them. With this knowledge, all believers can release a massive sigh of relief. We sometimes act as if God needs our defense, as if His glory hinges on our efforts. We sometimes feel like we must be His protector. We are not God, and living like He depends on us is exhausting. He has called us to find our rest in Him, not the other way around.
The best thing we can do is point people to the place where his excellencies are most clearly on display: the word of God. We often feel that we must be creative and develop something new and exciting for the Lord to be known, some new movement that gets the world excited. Our attempts to manufacture excitement for God will always fade, but His Word endures forever. His revelation is not in need of our embellishment—it is already perfect.
If you are in Christ Jesus, your salvation is as unshakable as his nature. Just as his perfections can never be diminished, neither can his grip on those he has redeemed. He alone is the rock of our salvation that will never be moved (Psalm 62:6). May we point others to Him through His word with a confidence that is not derived from our abilities but from His immutable splendor.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. – Hebrews 13:8
For 1,700 years, the Nicene Creed has been believed and memorized and confessed by Christians as a standard of their faith.
Of all the special anniversaries and observances you are planning to commemorate this year, I’m guessing that not many of us have this one marked on our calendars: “Celebrate 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed.”
But I invite you to spend a few moments doing just that.
An Ancient and Unifying Standard
It was all the way back in 325 A.D. that the Nicene Creed got its start at a council of church leaders in Nicaea, a city that was part of what we now know as Turkey.
Seventeen hundred years is a long time—seventy generations. And for all that time, century upon century, the Nicene Creed has been believed and memorized and confessed by Christians as a standard of their faith.
The Nicene Creed also has been and continues to be a key symbol of the unity of the church of Jesus Christ. While there might be some important things that divide us, the Nicene Creed bears witness to the shared faith of Christians around the world. It is claimed as a doctrinal standard by Orthodox, Catholic, and most Protestant churches, thus representing the vast majority of Christians. It is spoken regularly in worship in many of those churches, making these words among the most recited throughout history and in the world today.
Reciting creeds in worship is not as common in Christian Reformed congregations today as it has been in the past, but the Nicene Creed is one of the three creeds (including also the Apostles’ Creed and the Athanasian Creed) that, when combined with our three confessions (the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort), summarize our beliefs as a church. While we understand the Bible to be the only infallible and authoritative text for our faith, these creeds and confessions guide and form our understanding of what the Scripture teaches.
What Is a Creed?
The word “creed” is just a shortened form of the Latin word credo, which means “I believe.” So a creed is a statement of belief. It summarizes in a brief, memorable form the basic teachings of the faith.
If you are familiar with the Apostles’ Creed, you recognize much of the Nicene Creed. That’s because the Nicene Creed is an expansion of that earlier creed, which in turn had its origin in the baptismal confession of new believers. Before they were baptized, they would be asked if they believed in God; Jesus Christ, God’s Son; and the Holy Spirit. Each time, they would respond, “I believe.” And then they would be baptized in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This trinitarian confession was later formulated into the Apostles’ Creed.
But even as they believed, confessed, and were baptized into this triune name, those early believers wrestled with an important question: What is the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Are they all God? And if so, are they three gods? This is the question the Nicene Creed was written to address.
One God
If there was one thing God’s people in the Old Testament learned in the long history of God’s gracious dealings with them, it was that there is one God, and that God alone is to be worshiped and served. This central belief is recited morning and evening as a mini-creed to this day by Jews in the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:4).
The church of Jesus grew out of the soil of the Old Testament, and Jesus and the rest of the New Testament affirmed this Old Testament teaching as authoritative for himself and his followers. Jesus claimed the one God, the God of Abraham, as his own Father—and our Father as well—and prayed that we would be in him as he is in the Father (John 17:20-23).
Who Is Jesus?
But Jesus, the faithful and obedient son of Israel, is revealed in the New Testament to be much more than an ordinary human. He was the very Son of God sent down from the Father.
He said things like, “Before Abraham was born, I am!”—claiming both his own pre-existence and the divine name in one astonishing assertion (John 8:58).
Jesus also revealed, particularly in the gospel of John, the close relationship he has with the Father, saying things such as “I and the Father are one” and “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” and “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 10:30; 14:9, 11).
In response to these revelations, the first disciples called Jesus “Lord,” a title that was also the one used for God in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. And in at least seven places in the New Testament, Jesus is directly called “God” (John 1:1; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; and 2 Pet. 1:1).
Jesus’ followers also worshiped him, something Jewish believers reserved for God alone (see Matt. 2:11; 14:33; 28:9; Luke 24:52; John 9:38). In the vision of the heavenly throne room in Revelation 4-5, both God the Father and Jesus the Lamb are worshiped together by the whole creation.
One and Three
But how do these two truths fit together—that there is only one God, but also that both Jesus and the Father are divine? One answer given by a pastor named Arius early in the fourth century ignited the controversy that led to the Nicene Creed. He argued that since there is only one God, Jesus is not God, but rather a creature of God. He thought Jesus was a sort of super-angel: glorious like God, but not eternal with God nor fully divine. This teaching disturbed the church, and in A.D. 325 Constantine, the first Christian emperor, called the Council of Nicaea to address this question. A bishop named Athanasius (our third creed is named after him) championed what became the position of the council, arguing that Jesus was God from eternity and had the same nature as the Father. As the Nicence Creed says, Jesus is “God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father.”
It would take another 60 years of theological wrangling after the Council of Nicaea for the church to come to a consensus that this understanding truly reflects the Bible’s teaching. Politics complicated things (as it is known to do) as various emperors supported either the teachings of the Arians or of the Nicenes in turn.
And what about the Holy Spirit? After much debate, a second council at Constantinople established the church’s teaching about the Spirit and added them to the creed in 381. The council judged that the Holy Spirit is also a distinct person of the Trinity: eternal, fully divine, and properly called “Lord” and “Giver of Life,” who “‘with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.”
For 1,700 years the Nicene Creed has defined our trinitarian faith—that God is one, but eternally exists in three persons as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is mystery here, but for Christians it is not simply a mystery of ignorance, but a mystery of glory and of adoration. The creed reminds us that it is this one God who, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has created us, redeemed us, and is sanctifying us to live with and worship God forever in the splendor of God’s triune majesty.
Happy anniversary, Nicene Creed!
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
Posted at Reformation Scotland:A recent poll of 10,000 people in Britain has shown that 62% of people aged 18–24 would call themselves “very” or “fairly” spiritual, compared to just 35% of those aged over 65. Meanwhile, only 13% of 18–24-year-olds call themselves atheists, compared to a quarter of those aged 45–54 and 55–64.
Although this may signal a new form of openness among younger people, it does not mean that this generation are turning back to God. When asked how they “feed their sense of the spiritual,” people were more likely to mention “enjoying nature” or “mindfulness” than “participating in religious practices.” Of this age group, 40% identified themselves as Christian, and 21% as Muslim. Young people are also said to have a growing interest in astrology, while they find organised religion “fluffy” and unwilling to engage with hard questions.
Yet, although spirituality may offer some calm and comfort in life, it is too vague and individualistic to bring us true happiness. Long ago, the preacher Solomon offered wise advice to young people to orient themselves to what is truly real and truly good. What can possibly give us confidence and comfort, not only for the challenges of everyday life, but to face death and the judgement which follows? “Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). More than enjoying nature, this “remembering” involves connecting with the one living and true God in a new and life-changing relationship. Alexander Nisbet explains further in the following extract from his writings on Solomon’s wisdom in the Book of Ecclesiastes.
The intention of Solomon the Preacher is to stir people up to make timely preparation for death and judgment. He urges us to do the one thing that mainly makes people fit to appear before their judge, “Remember thy Creator.”
“Remembering” God is frequently mentioned in Scripture, and it means that we should labour to entertain clear thoughts of the attributes of God, particularly those which are usually blessed for leading people to repentance (Ps. 22:27), drawing our hearts to trust in the Lord (Psalm 20:7), and making us committed to praising Him (Psalm 97:12) and pursuing all the duties of new obedience (Deuteronomy 8:11). These include His power and terribleness (Nehemiah 4:14) and His grace and love (Song 1:4).
In urging us to remember in this way, the Preacher presents the Lord to us as Creator. This is not to exclude other considerations of Him, as if nothing else about God was useful to be remembered, but because God is naturally known to all under the consideration of Creator. Thinking of Him as our Creator is very effectual for influencing us to live to Him (seeing He is the one from whom we have our existence), and constantly to depend on Him (seeing He is the one from whom we have our daily preservation, effectively an ongoing creation).
Trump will bring ‘something bold, of biblical proportion to Mideast’, says incoming ambassador Huckabee Huckabee says Gaza could have been Singapore, Hamas turned it into Haiti. “As long as Hamas exists, that is a threat to the Israelis,” Huckabee stated. “They have said even as recent as two weeks ago that they would try to do another October the 7th. So let’s not be in any way fooled that they want peace. They don’t. They want the destruction of the Jewish state. The one thing we know is that Hamas is not going to be able to exist. That’s just a done deal.
Hostage deal at an end? Hamas delays next release ‘indefinitely’, claiming Israeli ceasefire violations The terror organization Hamas declared it would suspend the planned rounds of hostage releases “indefinitely” on Monday, citing alleged Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz called Hamas’ actions “a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement,” adding that he instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to remain “at the highest level of alert for any possible scenario in Gaza and to protect the communities.”
Netanyahu: US visit was ‘historic turning point’, whole region could be changed Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to Israel on Sunday after his week-long trip to the U.S., highlighting the near complete alignment of the two governments on several issues. The visit was “a historic turning point for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu declared, adding the meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump brought “considerable achievements that can ensure the security of Israel for generations,”
Trump issues ultimatum to Hamas with deadline to release all hostages On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Hamas, stating that the ceasefire agreement should be canceled if all hostages held in Gaza are not released by noon on Saturday. “If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12:00 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire. Let all hell break loose,” Trump said, adding, “Israel can override it.”
Hamas official threatens: ‘October 7th was just a prelude’ Khaled al-Qa’id, one of the few remaining Hamas leaders, claimed a military victory in Gaza and warned, “October 7th was just a prelude.” He stated, “The October 7 attack was merely a prelude to the complete liberation of the entire Land of Israel from Jewish control.”
‘Powerful offensive in Judea and Samaria will continue’ – IDF chief Outgoing Israeli army Chief-of-Staff Herzi Halevi pledged during an IDF exercise on Sunday that the military would continue its “powerful offensive” against terrorists in Judea and Samaria. In late January 2025, the IDF launched Operation Iron Wall, a widescale counter-terror operation in Palestinian Authority-controlled enclaves within Judea and Samaria.
Israel hits Syria-Lebanon arms smuggling tunnel The Israeli Air Force on Sunday carried out a precision strike on a tunnel that according to the Israeli military was used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons from Syria to Lebanon. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the tunnel in the Beqaa Valley had been struck previously, and was targeted again to prevent its restoration.
Arab affairs analyst says, ‘We forfeited everything in Phase A, immense damage’ Arab affairs analyst Zvi Yehezkeli believes that if Israel does not return to fighting or implement Trump’s plan, scenes of Gazans on the border fences will become permanent. “I heard the Defense Minister’s statement that anyone who approaches the fence will be responsible for his own fate. There is a feeling in Gaza that Hamas is currently moving toward an outline that will dictate the next stage of negotiations. Hamas’ working assumption is that it will succeed in regaining control over any territory to which it returns in northern Gaza, without entering into any battle over the land,” Yehezkeli said.
Ben-Gvir proposes law to block aid to Gaza The Chairman of Otzma Yehudit, Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with part members Limor Son Har-Melech and Yitzhak Kreuzer, have submitted a proposed legislation to completely halt humanitarian aid transfers to the Gaza Strip.
Trump Clarifies Palestinians Would Not Have ‘Right to Return’ to Gaza Under His Plan Baier interjected, asking Trump if the Palestinians would “have the right to return” to the land. “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing,” Trump said. “In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.”
How USAID funded terror states which killed US soldiers USAID sent $9.3B to Islamic terror states that killed 3,000 American soldiers. And over $18 billion to Islamic terrorist states. USAID support for Somalia had doubled under the Biden administration and with $3.3 billion from USAID allocated in the last 5 years. the threatened withdrawal of funding must have been a painful blow for Omar, who is very close to the Somali regime. Former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Khaire had stated “the interest of Ilhan are not Ilhan’s, it’s not the interest of Minnesota, nor is it the interest of the American people, the interest of Ilhan is that of the Somalian people and Somalia.” Somalia, along with other Islamic terrorist entities, including the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas in Gaza, were among the top beneficiaries of USAID cash.
California Gov’t App Advises Teens To Drop Christianity And Embrace The Occult An official “mental health” app backed by the state of California is targeting vulnerable children with controversial propaganda involving the occult, the New Age, homosexuality, transgenderism, fornication, and more. The attack on biblical principles and precepts is clear. But critics are sounding the alarm. Under the guise of helping California teens with self-esteem and emotions, the new program, known as “Soluna,” features blatantly pagan and occult themes. From magicians and Tarot cards to channeling “that high priestess” and touting lesbian characters, the controversial topics are ubiquitous.
US Must Recognize ‘New Realities’ If Serious About Peace In Ukraine, Kremlin Tells Trump Over the weekend President Trump said he has spoken directly to Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, something the Kremlin neither confirmed nor denied, only saying that communications with the US administration are currently being conducted through various channels. “I do believe we’re making progress,” Trump had told reporters, adding that he expects there to be more communications to come. “We want to stop the Ukraine-Russia war.”
Under-Reported Trump Order Has Sweeping Implications For DEI At Universities Little noticed in the blizzard of executive orders issued by President Trump is this provision in Executive Order No. 14173 for getting federal money: if you want federal money, you will have to “certify” that you do not “operate any programs promoting” DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) “that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.” And the order eases the way for enforcement through whistleblower claims.
Russia Would Accept Foreign Peacekeeping Troops In Ukraine, On One Condition On Monday Moscow’s ambassador to the UN rejected that this is a serious option. Amb. Vassily Nebenzia said in an interview with RIA Novosti that such a plan would have to have approval of the United Nations Security council, of which Russia is a permanent member. “’Peacekeepers’ cannot operate without a mandate from the UN Security Council. Otherwise, any foreign military contingents sent into the combat zone will be regarded as ordinary combatants under international law and a legitimate military target for our armed forces,”
Warfare On Lawfare “It is axiomatic that those who are beneficiaries of waste, fraud and unnecessary government spending will be the most threatened by the cuts that DOGE is making in these programs. These beneficiaries of waste and fraud are also extremely worried about the reputational, legal and potential criminal risk they will suffer by being exposed by DOGE” the Party of Chaos using federal judges to oppose the dismantling of their gigantic grift scaffold. In other words, more lawfare to obstruct any earnest effort to effectively reform the management of our country.
Overcoming Death?: Artificial Intelligence Used To ‘Communicate’ With Dead Loved Ones How much would you pay to “speak” to a loved one who had passed away? Well, apparently there are companies out there willing to take your money in exchange for “large language models trained on the deceased’s speech patterns, chat logs and more” to communicate with you just like your loved one did in life. This creates the illusion that you’re “crossing the border between life and death.” What’s really behind this?
Irish teacher who has been punished for standing up to “transgender” ideology asks why the Church has betrayed its Christian faith Transgender ideology is inherently anti-Christian and leaves young people tragically and irreversibly harmed. Enoch Burke, an Irish teacher who is a Catholic, has been persecuted by the state for standing up for children and his Christian beliefs. His crime was to refuse to call a child “they/them” and to return to his place of work while the appeal for his dismissal is waiting to be heard. For this “crime,” he has spent more than 500 days in jail in three stints and faces fines of over €190,000.
CDC Warns 43 US States Have ‘High’ or ‘Very High’ Flu Activity Influenza activity has reached its highest levels for the winter season and is still increasing across the United States, according to data published on Feb. 7 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
USAID Funded Massive ‘News’ Platform, Extending ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’ To Billions Worldwide In addition to propping up far-left corporate media outlets like Politico and the BBC with taxpayer funds, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has funneled half a billion dollars to a secretive non-governmental organization operating a global news propaganda matrix. WikiLeaks published the bombshell report in the overnight hours that shows the massive taxpayer-funded state propaganda network – operating as a shady NGO – called “Internews Network”:
Islamic Conquest in America: New York Church Converted into Mosque as Muslims Celebrate Victory The conversion of St. Anne’s Church into a mosque is not just a real estate deal—it’s a symbolic conquest that exposes the West’s accelerating decline, as Islam advances with unwavering determination while Christianity crumbles under complacency, weak leadership, and self-inflicted surrender.
Montana Considers Becoming First State to Ban mRNA Vaccines “Gene-based vaccines, or mRNA vaccines, are the most destructive and lethal medical products that have ever been used in medical history. I am asking you to support this bill banning gene-based vaccines so we can halt continued harm, disability, and death of our citizens.” — Dr. Christine Drivdahl-Smith
Spot The Difference: Biden’s Army Ad vs Trump’s The US Army just recorded 12 year high recruiting numbers. Why? Well possibly because the military is no longer advertising itself as some sort of LGBTQ+ activist Summer camp.
Families whose relatives were allegedly killed by the UK state using midazolam has final hearing before inquest This Thursday, a final pre-inquest hearing is being held to investigate whether 50 people were victims of murder using midazolam and opioids in end-of-life care protocols in 2020. Following this hearing, an inquest will be held to establish whether these people were victims of involuntary euthanasia using state-sanctioned end-of-life protocols. The inquest could decide if the use of midazolam and opioids under the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (“NICE”) NG163 guidance was, in fact, unlawful killing.
“Illustrious examples are displayed to our view, that we may imitate as well as admire. Before we can be distinguished by the same honors, we must be distinguished by the same virtues. What are those virtues? They are chiefly the same virtues, which we have already seen to be descriptive of the American character — the love of liberty, and the love of law.” —James Wilson (1790)
Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler
FEMA luxury fraud exposed and corrected: Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency got some results on behalf of American taxpayers yesterday, exposing a FEMA payment last week of $59 million to house asylum-seekers in luxury New York City hotels — a city that has already spent a mind-boggling $7 billion since 2023 on the illegal immigrants in its midst. A recent payment “violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” Musk said. “That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals!” In more good news, there’s been some accountability, too: A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Services has confirmed the firings of four FEMA employees who were responsible for the $59 million payment.
Schumer’s “abuse of power” tipline backfires: “I’m launching a new portal for anyone who wants to expose corruption, abuses of power, and threats to public safety with the legal protections of being a whistleblower,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced in a social media post on Monday. Included was a link to a new hotline that Senate Democrats created in response to Donald Trump’s actions to drain The Swamp. Schumer’s announcement was soon inundated with commenters noting that Trump was already engaged in cleaning up Washington’s corruption. Comedian and commentator Tim Young quipped, “We already have that… it’s called DOGE.” Senator Ted Cruz added, “Great! I wanna report: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer. And the entire corrupt Democrat party that weaponized & abused the federal government for the past four years.” It appears that the Democrats can’t get out of their own way.
Trump sets a firm hostage deadline: Donald Trump doubled down Monday night, issuing a stern warning to the Hamas barbarians. “As far as I’m concerned,” said Trump from the Oval Office, “if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock — I think it’s an appropriate time — I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out.” Military force is a particularly tough task, of course, because Hamas is holding hostages. Asked the beginnings of a question about possible retaliation, Trump cut the reporter off and said, “You’ll find out. And they’ll find out, too. Hamas will find out. They’re gonna find out what I mean. These are sick people. And they’ll find out what I mean Saturday at 12.”
Migrants turn around: A “new trend” has started since Donald Trump took office; instead of heading north, migrants are turning around and going south. Thanks to the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, a growing number of migrants are “turning back from Mexico,” states Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks. “These individuals cited the heavy security posture along the U.S.-Mexico border and Mexico’s containment efforts as key reasons for reversing course. Families in these groups made a life-saving decision, avoiding the dangers of cartel-controlled territory, where extortion and violence are rampant.” Banks added, “Our enforcement efforts are working.” On Sunday, the number of migrant encounters on the Texas border was 303, which is down significantly from an average of 8,000 a day back in December. Go figure; simply enforcing the law is actually solving much of the problem.
NY Dems back off special election delay gambit: With Republicans holding a razor-thin majority in the House, New York Democrats sought to ensure that the margin remained as small as possible by introducing a bill to delay a special election to fill the seat soon to be vacated by Representative Elise Stefanik, who was nominated to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. State and national Republican leadership cried foul over the obvious politically motivated move. Stefanik is exiting a safe red district, which is why the state Democrats tried to undermine democracy. However, following the negative press and Republican objection, Democrats have backed off. Republican Assembly Leader Will Barclay observed, “It was a terrible piece of legislation in policy and principle.”
Google nixes DEI calendar markers: No longer will Google Calendar mark woke observances such as Black History Month, Pride Month, Women’s History Month, or Indigenous Peoples Month. Google explained that its decision to nix these DEI-motivated acknowledgments was months in the making and had more to do with the incessant demand for recognizing everything. “We got feedback that some other events and countries were missing — and maintaining hundreds of moments manually and consistently globally wasn’t scalable or sustainable,” explained a Google spokesman. Going forward, Google Calendar will show “only public holidays and national observances from timeanddate.com globally, while allowing users to manually add other important moments.”
DAR fights to keep the trannies out: Just as the Boy Scouts officially rebranded themselves as “Scouting America” in a milquetoast attempt to “meet the evolving needs of young people,” the nation’s oldest female-only genealogical society appears to be fighting a losing battle to maintain its age-old brand integrity. The national governing board of the Daughters of the American Revolution rejected a proposed amendment from a Texas-based chapter that would’ve reinforced the organization’s female-only admission standards. “Daughters,” after all, ought to mean “daughters,” don’t you think? The amendment would’ve defined a woman as “a biological female at conception, having only naturally occurring X chromosomes, exclusive of Y chromosomes, and certified as female or girl on the original birth certificate.” Sounds like common sense to us, but apparently not to the DAR governing board. We wonder: What would George Washington think?
Grenell to temporarily head Kennedy Center: Only a handful of senior-level Trump staff have been carried over from his first administration, but one of them is his highly competent former acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell. Recently returned from a successful mission to the socialist dictatorship of Venezuela, where he secured the release of six American prisoners, Grenell has since been appointed by Trump as temporary head of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “Ric shares my vision for a golden age of American arts and culture,” posted Trump. “No more drag shows, or other anti-American propaganda — only the best.” Grenell is a shrewd choice — not only because he’s tough, but also because, right or wrong, his status as a gay Republican might make him a bit more bullet-proof from the Left than just any other awful hideous terrible abominable right-wing Trump hack.
Headlines
Senate advances Gabbard’s nomination to become DNI (Roll Call)
Trump administration ordered by judge to unfreeze federal spending (Newsweek)
“You’re fired!” It’s the line that made Donald Trump famous on “The Apprentice,” and it’s working pretty well for him in the federal government to kick off his second term.
He began with offering buyouts to federal workers. He continued with gutting USAID of 99% of its employees and firing a slew of other executive branch personnel. Then he turned his sights on America’s military academies, firing the boards of visitors for all of them.
“Our Service Academies have been infiltrated by Woke Leftist Ideologues over the last four years,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I have ordered the immediate dismissal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard.” He added, “We will have the strongest Military in History, and that begins by appointing new individuals to these Boards. We must make the Military Academies GREAT AGAIN!”
According to Fox News, “The boards consist of appointees from various sources, with six members being chosen by the president, four from the speaker of the House, three from the vice president, and one each from the House and Senate Armed Services committees.”
Firing them isn’t unprecedented, of course. Joe Biden did the same thing to Trump’s appointees in 2021. However, since retaking office three weeks ago, Trump has been relentless in his mission to root out the radically left-wing elements of the federal government.
The firings follow other changes at the Pentagon. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth promised to drop a bomb on DEI in the military, and so far, he and the commander-in-chief have delivered. Trump quickly signed multiple executive orders restoring meritocracy to the ranks and prioritizing readiness. Part of that is banning “transgender” individuals from joining and halting “gender-affirming care” for any already enlisted. “Effective immediately,” says a new memo from Hegseth, “all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for service members are paused.”
In compliance with Trump’s executive orders, the Defense Department began cracking down on left-wing books and other learning materials distributed at all schools serving U.S. military families last week. This action affects roughly 67,000 students in 160 military schools worldwide.
The U.S. Naval Academy, which was sued in 2023 for racial discrimination in its admissions practices, launched a review of its clubs for the same purpose. The U.S. Air Force dropped its Diversity and Inclusion Studies minor and is reviewing other things. In short, big changes are afoot.
The DOD guidance states, “Efforts to divide the force — to put one group ahead of another — erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.” Establishing groups or gearing admissions based on race or sex, by definition, divides the force.
Hegseth put it this way: “I think the single, dumbest phrase in military history is, ‘Our diversity is our strength.’ I think our strength is our unity.”
Two weeks ago, I predicted that these sorts of changes would be a boon to recruiting. Last week, that prediction came true. It seems that Trump, Hegseth, and the military are only getting started restoring greatness to the ranks.
Douglas Andrews: The Stunning Cost of Fentanyl — A grim study puts a gigantic dollar amount to our nation’s death toll.
Emmy Griffin: DeVos Says to Kill the DOE — The former education secretary eloquently explains why every single schooling decision should be left to the states.
Jack DeVine: What’s Not to Like? — Hey Democrats, if you want to win back disaffected voters, don’t keep blocking the changes they voted for.
Thomas Gallatin: NJ Offshore Wind Farm Dying — Governor Phil Murphy’s wind farm boondoggle may finally be done.
Gary Bauer: The Silent Insurrection — Leftists embedded in the federal bureaucracy are working nonstop to block anything the Trump/Vance administration tries to do.
How Trump and Elon Are Dismantling the Deep State — As funding to USAID was being cut, Democrats called a massive protest, wherein roughly 15 people and other semi-anthropoid creatures crawled out from under a rock to attend the historic event.
“Curious that talented athletes frequently credit God when they win, but we rarely see them blame God when they lose.” —astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson
Gaslighting
“I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly since Watergate. The president is attempting to seize control of power and for corrupt purposes. The president wants to be able to decide how and where money is spent so that he can reward his political friends, he can punish his political enemies.” —Senator Chris Murphy
“They are dismantling the federal government, which will deny the American people the services and the resources that allow them to raise their families, have a secure economy, and a secure future for themselves.” —Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro
Stranger Than Fiction
“What Trump Could Learn From Hitler on NIH Funding.” —headline in The American Prospect
For the Record
“How the federal government is wasting taxpayer dollars: –$2.5 million for electric vehicles for Vietnam. –$2 million for transgender operations in Guatemala. –$1.5 million for DEI in Serbia’s workplaces. –$70,000 for production of a ‘DEI musical’ in Ireland. –Meals for al Qaeda-affiliated fighters in Syria.” —Senator Marsha Blackburn
Re: The Left
“On the one hand it’s hilarious and pathetic — but on the other it’s incredibly instructive — that US corporate media continues to refer to propaganda outlets funded by USAID as ‘independent media.’ Trump and Musk attack ‘independent media’! (by cutting their US Govt funding).” —Glenn Greenwald
“Democrats have finally found someone they hate more than Donald Trump. Elon Musk, who is currently running roughshod over the federal bureaucracy with a sleep-deprived team of brilliant young tech geeks, is the public enemy of the hour.” —Rich Lowry
Observations
“Did everyone else understand that Non Governmental Organizations, ie, NGOs, receive most if not all of their funding from the government, or was I just being ignorant? If NGOs receive most if not all of their funding from the government, what is the basis for calling them non-governmental?” —Bill Ackman
“NGO’s are a way for the deep state to funnel taxpayer money to left wing causes and figures. What they do is basically legalized bank robbery.” —Robbie Starbuck
Upright
“Gazans lost a war they started. People lose land when they lose wars. True for all of human history, true today.” —Buck Sexton
Belly Laugh of the Day
“I love Donald Trump as much as a straight man can love another man.” —Elon Musk
And Last…
“Donald Trump is only busy on days that end in ‘y.’ In other words, he’s the polar opposite of AWOL Joe Biden.” —Nate Jackson
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NEWS: Trump administration halts gender transition procedures in the U.S. military
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FOCUS STORY: Barna report reveals surprising openness among U.S. teens to conversations about God
•
MAIN THING: Jonathan Pokluda on recognizing spiritual warfare and fighting back against the enemy
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LAST THING: 1 Timothy 4:16 – “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
President Donald Trump issues a warning to Hamas, “release all of the remaining hostages by Saturday at noon,” and if they are not back he says “let hell break out.” And in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convening the security cabinet today, telling the Israeli military to prepare for any possible scenario in Gaza. Here at home, the battle over cutting government spending, along with waste, fraud, and abuse. We’re going to look at what Elon Musk is trying to do and the political pushback he is facing. And Tunisia, it is a country with a long history of Christian faith. Now it’s predominantly Muslim, but Christians there are standing firm in their faith. All those stories and more right now on CBN NewsWatch.
(Worthy News) – Wycliffe Bible Translators, a leader in the field for decades, is close to achieving their Vision 2025 objective of making the Bible accessible in every language by 2025, a target established in the late nineties. Currently, translations into only 888 languages remain, a feat made possible through strategic partnerships with global churches and the adoption of advanced AI technology, according to CBN News.
“Our focus is how do we see God’s word come to these languages that have never had scripture in their own language and that is our heart passion and that’s what we’ve been about for these 80-plus years,” John Chesnut, president of Wycliffe Translators told CBN News.
Chesnut from Wycliffe Bible Translators highlighted the significant strides made since 1999, noting, “As of today, it is about 888 remaining languages that are on our list anyway, so it’s been huge, huge progress.”
He attributes this success to robust partnerships with local churches globally. Chesnut added, “The new thing that we’re seeing God do is that he literally is raising up his church around the world and taking on this effort. They’re owning it now. They’re the ones that are doing it. And more and more, our role is coming alongside of these groups to say, ‘Can we help you accomplish what God has placed on your heart?’”
Moreover, artificial intelligence is contributing to their efforts. “God’s using it for his glory as well. So, we have a new tool that just has been out here for probably about a year or so that if a New Testament has been translated they can use the material from the New Testament to load into the software and it will draft an Old Testament in just a few days.”
Chesnut explained how translators are equipped with innovative tools to aid their work, even in regions without a written alphabet.
“We have another AI tool that, where there’s nothing written, no scripture yet at all, that will gather words from the community and then it uses that to teach the machine on how to draft translation too. So, that’s where there’s nothing started to help accelerate that as well,” he said.
This technology, he believes, could significantly hasten the fulfillment of the Great Commission. “This is the first generation that can look and say, ‘This could happen during our lifetime.’ And I mean, it’s an incredible day to be part of what God’s doing around the world.”
CNN’s Scott Jennings argues against federal judges ruling that the executive branch has authority to control how money is spend by the government:
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think there’s a difference between saying whether you’re complying with the law and then you have these individual district court judges setting effectively broad federal policy that is specifically reserved for the president of the United States.
I think we do have a constitutional crisis and it’s being caused by these judges. They’re not here to tell us how to spend the money. They’re not here to set broad federal policy. That is the president’s job as elected by the people. These judges are supposed to be settling discreet, specific matters, not policy setting.
I think Vance is right. I think Trump has a point. And these judges want nothing more to continue the lawfare against Trump.
…
My answer to that simply is It is the executive branch’s job to figure out how to spend money once it is appropriated by Congress. And sometimes they spend money that’s not been appropriated, but the correct political control is between the executive and the Congress, not some random federal judge.
…
I get it. You want individual federal judges who hate Donald Trump —
GRETCHEN CARLSON: No, I don’t.
JENNINGS: — to tie him up for four years.
CARLSON: No, I don’t, not at all.
JENNINGS: If you want a big policy question decided, let the Supreme Court do it. But in the interim, the executive has to be allowed to govern.
…
ABBY PHILLIP: In the meantime, you’re supposed to comply with the court’s rulings. Am I wrong about that?
CHRIS SUNUNU (R), FORMER NH GOVERNOR: Well, you’re supposed to comply. But Scott’s absolutely right in that the court cannot say you have to spend these dollars today.
So, as a governor, I dealt with this. We got things challenged in state court and federal court. It’s all judge shopped by the way. Judges don’t randomly get these cases. There’s a reason that these cases are filed in Boston, the Boston court or district, Rhode Island, because they know they’re going to get a judge —
PHILLIP: That’s a great bipartisan practice as well.
SUNUNU: Yes. Oh, both sides do it. I mean, I think —
HONIG: I think that was that district court and judge one guy in Texas shut down Joe Biden.
JENNINGS: But you raised the right point. Should the president, the singular president, should he have to share the presidency with 300 district court judges? No, absolutely not.
ALENCIA JOHNSON, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER, HARRIS 2024 CAMPAIGN: But the point though, you made a really good point, that there have been judges that shut down some of President Biden’s executive actions, and they understand, the Biden administration understood that he ignored the checks and balances.
JENNINGS: “The Supreme Court tried to stop me, but they never will.” Who said that? Who said that? Who said that? Joe Biden.
PHILLIP: Yes. But, Scott, he actually didn’t ignore it.
JENNINGS: He did. They continued to plow forward with student loan forgiveness. No, he didn’t.
HONIG: Let me set the record on that. I hated the student loan forgiveness policy.
JENNINGS: What did he say out loud?
HONIG: I thought it was, I thought it was a ridiculous policy. I thought it was unconstitutional. I predicted it would get struck down. It did get struck down and I applauded. He did not ignore it, though. He went and tried under a different law.
JENNINGS: So, he ignored it.
HONIG: No, that’s not ignoring it.
HONIG: But let me just understand where you stand. If a district court judge rules in a way that the president dislikes, should the president listen or should the president defy?
JENNINGS: If a district court judge tries to usurp the authority of the chief executive of this country, he should absolutely defy it. There’s a difference between broad policy decisions and discrete disputes between parties. That’s the difference. If I want a policy decided, I’ll take it to the Supreme Court.
…
So, you’re saying that a judge should decide how and when money is spent for years and not the president of the United States?
PHILLIP: Scott, let me explain it a little bit more slowly. A judge is saying —
JENNINGS: You don’t have to talk to me like that. I have a position on this and you have an opinion. We can disagree.
PHILLIP: Yes, but I’m saying you listen to me because you’re not listening and you’re making claims that are not connected to the facts. The judge is saying, Congress appropriated a certain amount of money. We need to litigate this. While we litigate this, we’re going to put a hold on the actions that you took that might be unconstitutional.
JENNINGS: So while we litigate this, I’m a judge and I’m in charge of the executive branch and you’re not? Forget it. I totally disagree.
SUNUNU: You just can’t compel the executive branch to spend the dollars. You can’t do that. They can’t say we’re going to start — the judges are going to start writing a check.
…
JENNINGS: Look, no matter who the president is, the duly elected chief executive of this country, they should not be sharing the broad plenary powers of the presidency with 300 individual district court judges. That is not what the people want.
PHILLIP: That is a great position to take when you are in power.
JENNINGS: I will believe it no matter what.
PHILLIP: When you are not in power, it’s a totally different situation.
Well, who could’ve seen this coming? The UK’s Labour government, in its infinite commie wisdom, decided that family farms should be treated like corporate cash cows.
Over the weekend there were a flurry of viral posts on X – led by Elon Musk – suggesting that Ron Paul should head up the auditing of the Federal Reserve…and even that he should be tapped as Fed Chairman! Millions who have followed his often lonely crusade against the Fed are finally seeing some results. Can it happen…and how?
Leftist outlet Axios has published an article claiming that mental health experts are seeing a huge increase in patients who are Democrat voters complaining of “despair and burn out” in the wake of President Trump winning the election and taking office for the second time.
The piece claims that the worn out whiners are whinging about not being able to keep up with the pace of Trump’s “rapid fire policies.”
Mental health experts are seeing an increase in patients, largely Democrats, citing burnout and despair in part to the energy required to keep up with Trump’s rapid-fire policies.https://t.co/rUEiMsN6aC
The article notes “Mental health professionals say even people who don’t see themselves as directly affected by administration actions are feeling frazzled by the dizzying pace and Trump’s enduring ability to command attention.”
“They may feel it through the venting of a spouse, the distress of a neighbor with a trans child or an anxious friend who works for a government contractor,” it hilariously adds.
The piece further states that Andrea Bonior, a Georgetown University psychology professor “said she’s seen an uptick in patients, particularly Democrats, expressing a sense of burnout, guilt and despair at losing an old way of life.”
It adds that “Bonior pointed to federal workers who aren’t sure if they’ll be let go as well as others concerned about their immigration status or worried about loved ones whose refugee flights were canceled.”
“It feels, no matter which way you go, you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m being ruled by a very different system that I thought I was living in,’” New York-based neuropsychologist Sanam Hafeez told Axios.
Yes.
Won’t someone think of the bureaucratic federal workers and the illegal immigrants who now face “uncertainty” because borders and limits on government spending have been restored.
The world’s smallest violin is playing for them.
Diagnosis: cope and seethe complications due to TDS.
Perhaps these despairing Democrats need to hold some more group crying sessions and go ‘forest bathing.’
Pollster Mark Halperin previously predicted that America will experience the biggest mental health crisis in its history during a second Trump term.
Halperin urged that Trump has been so demonised for years that for tens of millions of Americans, Trump now becoming President again is “so traumatic” that it will become “impossible for even the most mentally healthy person to truly process and incorporate in the daily life.”
“They think that their fellow citizens supporting Trump is a sign of fundamental evil at the heart of their fellow citizens and of the nation,” concluded Halperin.
We’re already seeing Democrats completely losing it, screeching about Elon Musk being a Neo-Nazi and one State Rep. even saying she has sterilised herself as a protest against Trump.
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