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 live in a culture characterized by self-sufficiency. We don’t like to ask for help. Have a problem? Get an answer in an instant from the computer. But what if the problem is something that can’t be solved with the collected wisdom of the internet? In that case we need a better source.As the Books of 1 and 2 Samuel open, Israel is in a tough spot. Harassed by her enemies, the nation needed to make a change. God raised up one last judge, Samuel, to lead them to victory and to guide them back to righteousness (1 Sam. 7:6). But righteousness is hard work. What if there could be a way to guarantee victory while avoiding righteousness? Israel looked at how the other nations did things and said, “Give us a king to lead us” (v. 6).On the surface, their request seemed innocent enough. God had permitted Israel to have a king in the Law (Deut. 17:14–21). The problem was why they wanted a king. They wanted a king who would do the things God had promised to do for them (1 Sam. 8:20)! God had already promised to defend, lead them, and fight for them if they obeyed him. He also promised to fight against them if they disobeyed! What Israel wanted was security without righteousness. They wanted the blessings of obedience without the commitment that obedience requires. In this way they rejected God from being king over them. They turned Him into their employee, rather than submit to Him as their ruler.So, God gave them the kind of king they asked for—Saul, and he proved to be a failure. Later, God would give them the kind of king they should have asked for, David. He proved to be a leader who, although not perfect, led Israel in righteousness.
Go Deeper Why did Israel want a king? What does it mean to want security without righteousness? Why does that fail? Extended Reading: 1 Samuel 8-10
Pray with Us Oh Lord, how often we want the security of Your protection without true commitment, and Your blessings without true obedience. By Your Spirit, keep us away from disobedience, hypocrisy, and shallow faith.
I am commanded to pray always, Luke 21:36(ESV) to pray continually, 1 Thessalonians 5:17(ESV) to devote myself to prayer, Colossians 4:2(ESV) because I must always have in myself a disposition to the duty, must be constant in it, and never grow weary of it or give it up; and yet, I cannot be always praying, I must come down from this mount. Nor may I be over long, so as to make the duty a task or toil to myself or those who join with me. I have other work that calls for my attendance. Jacob wrestles with the angel, but he must go for the day breaks. Genesis 32:24(ESV) I must therefore think of concluding. The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, must be ended. Psalm 72:20(ESV) But how shall I conclude so as to have the impressions of the duty kept always in the imagination of the thought of my heart?
We may then sum up our requests in some comprehensive petitions, as the conclusion of the whole matter.
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip me with everything good that I may do his will, working in me that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:20-21(ESV)
Now may the Lord direct my heart to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5(ESV)
And the God of all grace, who has called me to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after I have suffered a little while, restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish me. 1 Peter 5:10(ESV)
And now, O Lord, what do I wait for? Truly my hope is in you; Psalm 39:7(ESV) and on you do I depend to be to me God Almighty, a God all-sufficient. Genesis 17:1(ESV)
Do for me far more abundantly than all that I am able to ask or think, according to the power at work within me: Ephesians 3:20(ESV) and supply all my needs according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19(ESV)
He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
Mark 6:5-6
We can gather up the meaning of this whole account in just a few words: Limited views mean limited lives. That is, if your view of life is so narrow and crabbed, so withered and shrunken as to include nothing but what you can see and feel and taste and smell and hear and reason, then your life is going to be horribly deprived and poverty stricken. This is how it was in Nazareth. Jesus had been in Nazareth the year before. They tried to kill Him on that occasion because He would not do what they wanted. Now He comes back again and teaches in the synagogue, and they are astonished. They ask the right questions: Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to Him? What mighty works are wrought by His hands!
But their answers to their own questions are horribly limited. Who is this? Is this not the carpenter? Why, He made the table in our house. I remember when we used to feed Him tea and sandwiches for lunch when He came to help us build the house where I live! He was just a carpenter! And His brothers and sisters live here–we know the whole family! Why, He couldn’t be this powerful a man! And they did the incredible–they took refuge in that final resort of all weak and small minds–they ridiculed Him. They took offense at Him and began to discount all He had done.
Therefore, Jesus pointed out to them that this is characteristic of fallen human nature. There was no recognition of His worth, no honor accorded Him in His own hometown. And as a result, there was no mighty work done there. He responded to the few who had faith, but there was nothing the town could boast of. And is it not amazing that through all these centuries, though Nazareth has never been forgotten as the town in which Jesus grew up, yet to this very day it is regarded in Palestine with some sense of embarrassment! They missed their great opportunity.
What is this all saying–this entire account of the healing of the woman, the raising of Jairus’s daughter, and the reception given him by the people of Nazareth? It is saying to us today, Lift up your eyes and look beyond the visible to the realities of God. Live in the full dimensions of life, as God intended life to be. Life can never be explained entirely in terms of the natural. We are left impoverished and despairing if all we have to depend on is our natural resources, natural power. But God is rich in grace, rich in power, rich in inward strength and sympathy, and His cry to us is, No longer be unbelieving, but believe and have faith that I am at work, and I will enrich your life beyond your wildest dreams.
Teach me, Lord to respond with the touch of faith–not the thronging of admiration, but the touch of faith–to this Blessed One who, now in our midst, is ready to meet our need.
Life Application
Are we responding with life-changing faith as we encounter the living Jesus in the pages of Scripture? Is our life vision being expanded by His indwelling presence?
21When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ “
32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
35While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?”
36Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ). 42Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
1Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
4Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
“He that watereth shall be watered also himself” – Proverbs 11:25
If I carefully consider others, God will consider me, and in some way or other He will recompense me. Let me consider the poor, and the LORD will consider me. Let me look after little children, and the LORD will treat me as His child. Let me feed His flock, and He will feed me. Let me water His garden, and He will make a watered garden of my soul. This is the LORD’s own promise; be it mine to fulfill the condition and then to expect its fulfillment. I may care about myself till I grow morbid; I may watch over my own feelings till I feel nothing; and I may lament my own weakness till I grow almost too weak to lament. It will be far more profitable for me to become unselfish and out of love to my LORD Jesus begin to care for the souls of those around me. My tank is getting very low; no fresh rain comes to fill it; what shall I do? I will pull up the plug and let its contents run out to water the withering plants around me. What do I see? My cistern seems to fill as it flows. A secret spring is at work. While all was stagnant, the fresh spring was sealed; but as my stock flows out to water others the LORD thinketh upon me. Hallelujah!
knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. (6:6–7)
The third principle Paul stresses is that the old sinful self has been killed. The phrase knowing this obviously is an appeal to what should be common knowledge among believers, those to and of whom Paul is speaking. “You should be well aware,” he was saying, “that in Christ you are not the same people you were before salvation. You have new life, a new heart, a new spiritual strength, a new hope, and countless other new things that had no part in your former life.” When Christ redeemed us, our old self was crucified, that is, put to death and destroyed. Old does not translate archaios, which simply refers to chronological age, but rather palaios, which refers to something that is completely worn out and useless, fit only for the scrap heap. For all practical purposes it is destroyed. In a passage quoted above from Colossians, Paul declares “I have been crucified with Christ,”—that is, my old “I” is dead and no longer exists—“and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). In other words, our new life as Christians is not a made-over old life but a new divinely-bestowed life that is Christ’s very own. When Scripture is compared with Scripture, which responsible study of it always includes, it becomes clear that the “old self” to which Paul refers in Romans 6 is none other than the unregenerate, in-Adam man described in chapter 5, the person who is apart from divine redemption and the new life it brings. The dualistic view that a Christian has two natures uses unbiblical terminology and can lead to perception that is extremely destructive of holy living. Some who hold such views go to the perverted extreme of the Gnostics in Paul’s day, claiming that because the evil self cannot be controlled or changed and because it is going to be destroyed in the future anyway, it does not much matter what you let it do. It is only “spiritual” things, such as your thoughts and intentions, that are of significance. It is not surprising that in congregations where such a philosophy reigns, immoral conduct among the membership as well as the leadership is common and church discipline is usually nonexistent. Paul asserts that such a perverted view of Christian liberty is known by well-taught believers to be false and destructive and that it should be condemned out-of-hand in the church. In Romans 6:6 Paul mentions three marvelous truths that should protect believers from such false views about the old and new natures. The first truth is that our old self was crucified with Him, that is, with Christ. Crucifixion does not simply produce extreme suffering; it produces death. To be crucified is to die. The old … self of every believer was crucified with his Lord, or else he has not been saved. There is no such thing as a true Christian who has not died with Christ. In Ephesians, Paul writes in some detail about the old self or the old man. He tells believers: “But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph. 4:20–24). The Christian’s new self is actually in God’s own likeness! As John Murray and other New Testament scholars have pointed out, both “lay aside” (v. 22) and “put off” (v. 24) translate Greek infinitives that in this context should be rendered as infinitives of result. In other words, Paul is not giving an admonition or command but rather a statement of fact about what has already been accomplished, finished. Murray therefore translates verse 22 as, “So that ye have put off according to the former manner life the old man” (Principles of Conduct [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957], see pp. 211–19). Another scholar, Bishop Handley Moule, translated that verse as, “Our old man, our old state, as out of Christ and under Adam’s headship, under guilt and in moral bondage, was crucified with Christ” (The Epistle to the Romans [London: Pickering & Inglis, n.d.], p. 164). Still another expositor and commentator, the late Martyn Lloyd-Jones, rendered the verse: “Do not go on living as if you were still that old man, because that old man has died. Do not go on living as if he was still there” (Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 6 [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1972], p. 64). Even if verse 22 is taken as a command, it would not be a command to reject the dictates of our old self-which the apostle has just declared has been crucified and is now dead, and therefore cannot dictate to us anymore. It would rather be a command for us not to follow the remaining memories of its sinful ways, as if we were still under its evil mastery. Declaring again that true believers have already been removed from the presence and control of the old sinful self, Paul tells the Galatian church, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24; emphasis added). In a somewhat parallel passage in Colossians, Paul clearly states that a believer’s putting off the old self is a fait accompli, something that has already and irreversibly been accomplished. “Do not lie to one another,” he says, “since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him” (Col. 3:9–10). It was not that every Colossian believer was fully mature and had managed to gain complete mastery over the residual old self. Paul was saying rather that every believer, at any level of maturity, can claim that his old self already has been laid aside “with its evil practices.” In exactly the same way, his new self in Christ is already “being renewed” into conformity with the very image of the God who has recreated him. The second great truth Paul gives in verse 6 about the old and new dispositions is that our body of sin might be done away with. The phrase might be does not here carry the idea of possibility but is simply an idiomatic way of stating an already existing fact. In other words, our historical death to sin at the cross in Christ results in our sin being done away with. Those truths are so nearly synonymous that verse 6 is almost a tautology. Sin that is dead (crucified) is obviously done away with. Paul states the truth in those two different ways in order to make his point more understandable and to remove any possible ambiguity. Both the NASB (done away with) and the King James (“destroyed”) can suggest that our body of sin is annihilated. But katargeō (done away with) literally means “to render inoperative or invalid,” to make something ineffective by removing its power of control. That meaning is seen clearly in the term’s rendering in such other passages in Romans as 3:3, 31 (“nullify”), 4:14 (“nullified”), 7:2 (“released from”). As every mature Christian learns, the more he grows in Christ, the more he becomes aware of sin in his life. In many places, Paul uses the terms body and flesh to refer to sinful propensities that are intertwined with physical weaknesses and pleasures (see, e.g., Rom. 8:10–11, 13, 23). New birth in Christ brings death to the sinful self, but it does not bring death to the temporal flesh and its corrupted inclinations until the future glorification. Obviously, a Christian’s body is potentially good and is intended to do only good things, else Paul would not have commanded believers to present their bodies to God as “a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1). It can respond to the new holy disposition, but does not always do so. As Paul explains more fully in chapter 7 of this letter, a believer’s unredeemed humanness-of which he uses his own as example-remains with him until he is transformed to heavenly glory. And, as both Scripture and experience clearly teach, the remaining humanness somehow retains certain weaknesses and propensities to sin. The tyranny and penalty of sin both in and over the Christian’s life have been broken, but sin’s potential for expression in his life has not yet been fully removed. His human weaknesses and instincts make him capable of succumbing to Satan’s temptations when he lives apart from the Spirit’s Word and power. He is a new, redeemed, holy creation incarcerated in unredeemed flesh. To combat that remaining weakness in regard to sin, the apostle admonishes believers later in the present chapter: “Just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification” (Rom. 6:19). The third great truth Paul gives in verse 6 about the old and new natures is that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Again, the translation leaves the meaning somewhat ambiguous. But as the apostle makes unequivocal a few verses later, “Thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:17–18; emphasis added). All the verbs in those two verses make clear that a believer’s slavery under sin has already been broken by Christ and is henceforth a thing of the past. Several verses later, Paul reiterates the truth that the believer’s new enslavement to righteousness is made possible because he is now enslaved to God (v. 22; emphasis added). In other words, the immediate context of should no longer be slaves of sin carries the more precise—and extremely significant-meaning that believers can no longer be slaves of sin. As already noted, Paul does not teach that a Christian is no longer capable of committing sin but that he no longer is under the compulsion and tyranny of sin, nor will he dutifully and solely obey sin as he formerly did. For all genuine Christians, slavery to sin no longer exists. The reason, of course, is that he who has died is freed from sin. Because the old life has died, what characterized the old life has died with it, most importantly slavery to sin, from which all the redeemed in Christ are once and forever freed. In his first epistle, Peter strongly emphasizes that truth. “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh,” he says, “arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God” (1 Pet. 4:1–2). Peter is not, however, teaching sinless perfection in this present earthly life, because he goes on to give the severe warning: “By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler” (v. 15). Martyn Lloyd-Jones offers a helpful illustration of the believer’s relation to his old sinful disposition (Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 6 [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1972], pp. 26–27). He pictures two adjoining fields, one owned by Satan and one owned by God, that are separated by a road. Before salvation, a person lives in Satan’s field and is totally subject to his jurisdiction. After salvation, a person works in the other field, now subject only to God’s jurisdiction. As he plows in the new field, however, the believer is often cajoled by his former master, who seeks to entice him back into the old sinful ways. Satan often succeeds in temporarily drawing the believer’s attention away from his new Master and his new way of life. But he is powerless to draw the believer back into the old field of sin and death.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1991). Romans (Vol. 1, pp. 323–327). Moody Press.
6, 7. For we know that our old self was crucified with him, so that the body of sin might be destroyed, that we should no longer be slaves of sin—because the one who died is freed from sin. The wicked error of the antinomians, a subject which has been on the apostle’s mind from the very beginning of this chapter, and to which he also alluded previously, helps to explain verses 6, 7. What Paul is saying is this: instead of wallowing in sin in order that grace may increase, we should bear in mind that such a course would defeat the very purpose of our lives as believers. Paul says, “For we know,” thereby appealing to that which could be assumed as common knowledge among believers, including the addressees. The important fact with which they were assumed to be familiar was this: that our old self (lit. “our old man”) was crucified with Christ. This old self is the person we once were, our human nature considered apart from grace. When the apostle now states that this old self was crucified with Jesus, it is clear that he again proceeds upon the basis of the believers’ solidarity with Christ. Just as he considers all human beings as present “in Adam” (cf. 5:12, 17, 19), so he views all believers as being present “in Christ.” Therefore, in a sense, when Christ died on the cross, his true followers all died there with him. We are reminded of Gal. 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me; and that (life) which I now live in flesh I live in faith, (the faith) which is in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.” The passing of time has nothing to do with this. Since Scripture regards us as already present in Adam, it can also view us as ever being present in Christ. The purpose and result of our solidarity with Christ in his crucifixion is “so that the body of sin might be destroyed,” that is, that, by means of Christ’s crucifixion and our crucifixion with him, this destruction might take place. With the expression “body of sin” (verse 6, cf. “old self,” also verse 6; and see also “I,” 7:14) is probably meant the person in his entirety, viewed as controlled by sin. It is clear that the reference is to human nature apart from regenerating grace. Does Paul mean then that in this present life the believer can reach such a degree of holiness that he does not commit any sin? He does not, neither is that fallacy taught anywhere else in Scripture. See Matt. 6:12; Rom. 7:14–25; James 3:2; 1 John 1:8. But there is a vast difference between (a) committing a sin and (b) constantly living and delighting in sin. By the power and grace of the Holy Spirit a person can indeed reach the point where he no longer desires to be a slave of sin. For a synonym of this phrase “slaves of sin” see 2 Peter 2:19, and note the words of Jesus as reported in John 8:34. See N.T.C. on John, Vol. II, p. 53. To all this, Paul now adds, “… because the one who died is freed from sin.” In light of the context the meaning would certainly seem to be, “The person who has by God’s sovereign grace been regenerated and converted, so that he no longer delights in sin but rather fights it, can be assured of the fact that God has, on the basis of Christ’s atonement, forgiven his sins, with the result that he is now truly free, justified in God’s sight.” However, several commentators, in their attempt to explain this passage, immediately point to the familiar rabbinical (and more general) rule according to which “death pays all debts.” An appeal is frequently made to the fact that Paul had been trained under the famous Jewish teacher Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) and was therefore well acquainted with rabbinical lore. Now it need not be denied that in a formal manner the apostle may indeed here and there reveal the results of this earlier training. According to Scripture by no means all of the teaching of the rabbis was bad. Study the following passages: Matt. 23:1–3; Mark 12:28–34; Acts 5:34–39; 23:8, 9. Does this mean, then, that when Paul states his views with respect to such subjects as speaking in tongues, qualifications for ecclesiastical office, the position of women in the church, etc., we are justified immediately to dismiss that with which we do not happen to agree, basing our negative attitude on the supposition that Paul’s views on such matters were influenced by the rabbis? But such reasoning is hardly fair. A thorough examination of Paul’s epistles reveals that on ever so many important subjects he had by the study of Scripture and the illumination of the Holy Spirit arrived at a position that differed substantially from that of the rabbis. See, for example, the following passages: Rom. 2:9, 14, 15, 17–29; 3:9, 20, 21 f.; chapters 4, 5; 7:6; 9:8, 11; 10:3; 11:7; 14:17; 15:9–12; 1 Cor. 1:22–24; 3:16; 7:19; 9:20; 10:25; 15:1 f.; 2 Cor. 3:14; 5:20, 21; 11:22f.; Gal. 1:6f.; 2:19–21; 3:1 f., 24; 5:2–4; 6:12–16; Eph. 2:8–10, 11–22; Phil. 3:2f.; Col. 1:24f.; 2:11, 12, 16f.; 3:11; 1 Tim. 1:3, 4; 4:1 f.; 6:13–16; 2 Tim. 2:8; Titus 3:4f.; and see especially 1 Thess. 2:14–16. Besides, one cannot very well endorse a low estimate of Paul’s statements and still cling to the view that Paul wrote by inspiration. In the present instance the appeal to the quoted rabbinical rule helps little if at all in the interpretation. The apostle refers, of course, to “death to sin,” the determination (followed by action) by God’s grace and power no longer to live in sin. When a person no longer feels at home in sin he can be sure of the fact that he has been freed from the guilt of sin and that even the power which sin has been wielding over him is on the way out. It was the desire to live this kind of new life that caused people to come forward in order to be baptized. The water of baptism, by whatever method it is applied (immersion, pouring, sprinkling) symbolizes and seals the cleansing power of the Spirit (Ezek. 36:25; 1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 5:26; Heb. 10:22). It symbolizes and seals what God has done and is doing, and, as a result, incorporation of the person into the fellowship of God and of his church. On the error of underestimating the significance of the sacraments see above, p. 152; of overestimation, p. 151.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Vols. 12–13, pp. 197–199). Baker Book House.
Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth. (Jeremiah 15:19)
Poor Jeremiah! Yet why do we say so? The weeping prophet was one of the choicest servants of God and honored by Him above many. He was hated for speaking the truth. The word which was so sweet to him was bitter to his hearers, yet he was accepted of his Lord. He was commanded to abide in his faithfulness, and then the Lord would continue to speak through him. He was to deal boldly and truthfully with men and perform the Lord’s winnowing work upon the professors of his day, and then the Lord gave him this word: “Thou shalt be as my mouth.”
What an honor! Should not every preacher, yea, every believer, covet it? For God to speak by us, what a marvel! We shall speak sure, pure truth; and we shall speak it with power. Our word shall not return void; it shall be a blessing to those who receive it, and those who refuse it shall do so at their peril. Our lips shall feed many. We shall arouse the sleeping and call the dead to life.
O dear reader, pray that it may be so with all the sent servants of our Lord.
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten. (Joel 2:25)
Yes, those wasted years over which we sigh shall be restored to us. God can give us such plentiful grace that we shall crowd into the remainder of our days as much of service as will be some recompense for those years of unregeneracy over which we mourn in humble penitence. The locusts of backsliding, worldliness, lukewarmness, are now viewed by us as a terrible plague. Oh, that they had never come near us! The Lord in mercy has now taken them away, and we are full of zeal to serve Him. Blessed be His name, we can raise such harvests of spiritual graces as shall make our former barrenness to disappear. Through rich grace we can turn to account our bitter experience and use it to warn others. We can become the more rooted in humility, childlike dependence, and penitent spirituality by reason of our former shortcomings. If we are the more watchful, zealous, and tender, we shall gain by our lamentable losses. The wasted years, by a miracle of love, can be restored. Does it seem too great a boon? Let us believe for it and live for it, and we may yet realize it, even as Peter became all the more useful a man after his presumption was cured by his discovered weakness. Lord, aid us by Thy grace.
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
One of the delightful things about studying the Bible is that just when we think we have mastered one of its great doctrines, another complementary doctrine comes along to challenge our still-limited understanding of Bible truth and stretch our vision. We have a case in point in Romans 10. If you can remember back to the beginning of Romans 9, you will recall that this great middle section of the letter began with the doctrine of election. Paul was asking why it is that not all Jews are being saved and whether the fact that they are not means that God has broken his promises to them, promises recorded in the Old Testament. He answered by teaching the doctrine of election, saying that the promises of God are for God’s elect people only and that not all Jews, any more than all Gentiles, are elect. He gave three Old Testament examples: Abraham, who was chosen out of a pagan background; Isaac, who was chosen as the son of the promise rather than his half brother, Ishmael; and Jacob, who was chosen by God rather than his twin brother, Esau. Then, having made his point about election, the apostle went on to teach about divine reprobation, the doctrine that God deliberately passes by some, who are left to perish in their sins, while saving others. He illustrated this by the case of Pharaoh, concluding, “Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden” (Rom. 9:18; quoting Exod. 9:16). Most people who first read about or hear of these two doctrines, election and reprobation, do not like them. They seem wrong, which is why Paul takes so much time to explain and defend them. His defense occupies most of the remainder of Romans 9. But here is the amazing thing. After having explained and defended these doctrines, as only Paul can do, and also presumably after having convinced us of their profound truth, the apostle now seems to be saying something utterly contradictory. He says that anyone who wishes can be saved. At the end of Romans 9 he had quoted Isaiah 28:16, which says that “the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” So far so good! That form of the verse, the Old Testament form, is not the least bit inconsistent with the doctrine of election, even in appearance. “The one” means “the elect one.” But Paul is not content to leave the verse in that form. Instead of leaving it as it is, he alters the subject of the sentence by substituting the word “anyone” for “the one,” thereby universalizing it. And lest we miss what he is doing, he makes his point twice, once by requoting Isaiah 28:16 in verse 11 and then by saying the same thing over again in a quotation from Joel 2:32 in verse 13. We have already studied the first statement, the alteration of the Old Testament quotation in verse 11: “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” The second quotation says, “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (v. 13). What a stretching of our minds! On the one hand, “God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden” (Rom. 9:18). That teaches the doctrines of election and reprobation. But, on the other hand, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” That is the universal gospel offer.
A Welcome Doctrine
I do not mean to suggest by this introduction to Romans 10:12–13 that there can ever be a contradiction in the Bible, of course, for there cannot. The Bible is God’s book, and God does not contradict himself, alter his truth, or lie. In this case, the explanation is that although everyone is free to come to Jesus Christ in salvation and may indeed come if he or she will, the only ones who do come are those whom God has chosen and regenerated, because it is only their rebirth that enables them to trust Christ. But that is not the thrust of these verses. Verses 12 and 13 are not in Romans 10 to give us a theological explanation of election in reference to the parallel truth, which is the gospel offer. They are there to extend the gospel offer, which is clear from what follows, since in the very next section Paul appeals for messengers to take the offer of salvation for all who will trust Jesus Christ as Savior throughout the world. What a welcome teaching this is—“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” If it were not for this teaching, we might think that the doctrine of election necessarily excludes us or that the gospel is for people other than ourselves. But here we are told that it is for you and me, all of us, if we will trust Jesus. It does not make any difference who you are or what you may or may not have done. You may be rich or poor, educated or uneducated, advantaged or disadvantaged. You may be passive or highly motivated. You may be religious or not religious at all. You may be moral, or you may be very immoral. You may have lived in sin a long time. You may have committed adultery or stolen money. You may even have murdered someone. It does not matter. The text says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
“There Is No Difference”
But perhaps you are still thinking that there is some difference that might exclude you. If so, you need to see that any possible differences are excluded on two counts. Paul expresses them as two reasons why “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile. This means that there is no meaningful difference between any two peoples, of course. Because, if ever there could have been a difference, it would have been the difference between the Jewish people and all others. God had chosen the Jewish people to be a nation through which he would send the Messiah. And not only that, he had given them the law and made special promises to them. Paul knew these advantages and appreciated them, because he had listed them in the ninth chapter of Romans: “Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!” (Rom. 9:3–5). If ever any people had the advantage of position and promise, it was the Jewish people. Yet “there is no difference between Jew and Gentile” so far as the gospel is concerned. Why? Because all are sinners—Paul has made this point in the first two and a half chapters of the letter—and because no sinner, however favored, is able to achieve a right relationship to God by his or her abilities. God has done this himself for sinners through the death of Jesus Christ, and this death is for all who will trust him. In other words, Jesus did not die only for Jews. He died for Gentiles, too. He died to save all who will call on him for salvation.
The same Lord is Lord of all people. If there were different gods, we might expect that the various peoples of the world who worship these different gods would be treated differently by them. But because there is only one God, it is reasonable to expect that in matters of salvation this one God will treat all his creatures on an equal basis. And he has. We might say that this statement, “the same Lord is Lord of all,” is summarized by what Paul wrote to his young protégé Timothy: “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). There is a disagreement among commentators whether “Lord” in this verse means Jesus or God the Father, since it could mean either. Charles Hodge presents both sides. The majority of commentators refer the word to Jesus because it is used of him in verse 9, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,” and because the word is so often used of Jesus in the New Testament. On the other hand, says Hodge, in the next verse “Lord” refers to the Father, since the verse is a quotation from Joel, who uses “Lord” that way. Again, the idea is nearly parallel to Romans 3:29–30, where Paul wrote, “Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.” There is probably little difference in meaning between these two possibilities, since Jesus is fully God, and God the Father is seen only in Jesus (John 14:9). Nevertheless, as Hodge says, “the analogy of Scripture … as well as the context” is in favor of referring it to Christ. In my judgment, the perfect illustration of these points, embracing the combined truths of “one God and one mediator” is the statement the apostle Peter made when he was brought to the house of the Roman centurion Cornelius, as told in Acts 10. Cornelius was a devout man to whom God had given a vision of an angel who told him to send to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon Peter who would bring him a message from God. Cornelius sent two of his servants and a soldier, and while they were on their way, God gave a corresponding vision to Peter to prepare him for their visit. Peter “saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners” (v. 11). In it were many animals that were unclean according to Jewish dietary laws. Then Peter heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat” (v. 13). Peter replied as any devout Jew would, “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean” (v. 14). The voice said, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (v. 15). This happened three times for emphasis. About this time the men sent by Cornelius arrived, and Peter understood that the vision was in reference to their request. Normally a Jew of Peter’s standing would not have entered the house of an “unclean” Gentile. But, being prepared by God, Peter went with them and arrived the following day to find a large gathering of people whom Cornelius had called together. “We are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us,” said Cornelius (v. 33). Peter began, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. [This is] the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all” (vv. 34–36). These are the exact same points Paul makes in Romans 10:12: that there is no difference between peoples and that the same Lord, in this case, clearly Jesus, is Lord of all. Peter then went on to explain the gospel, beginning with the appearance of John the Baptist to announce Jesus and continuing with the details of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Then he said, “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (v. 43, emphasis added). Again, this is the exact point Paul makes in Romans 10:13. As a result of Peter’s explanation, Cornelius and the others believed on Jesus as their Savior, the Holy Spirit came on them in a verifiable way, and they were baptized. The results were proof to Peter, as well as to those Jews who came with him, that, as Paul says, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Calling on Christ
Those words are from Joel 2:32, of course, as I pointed out earlier. What is so significant about them is that they conclude that great parenthesis in Joel’s prophecy that looks ahead to the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit at Pentecost and to the proclamation of the gospel to all peoples that followed the Spirit’s coming. As a matter of fact, Peter quoted these exact words at Pentecost, saying,
This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Acts 2:16–21, emphasis added; cf. Joel 2:28–32
What does it mean to “call on the name of the Lord”? What did Joel mean, and what were Peter and Paul getting at by quoting him? The words “call on” are simple words that embrace a great deal of truth. Sometimes they are used of worship. For example, at the beginning of the Bible, we are told of a time when “men began to call on the name of the LORD” (Gen. 4:26). That is, they acknowledged or worshiped him. Again, there are times when the words seem to refer explicitly to prayer. A clear example is the contest between Elijah and the priests of Baal in which Elijah issued a challenge: “You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God” (1 Kings 18:24). A third use of the words is for praise. This is a frequent use in the Psalms, as in Psalm 116:12–13:
How can I repay the LORD
for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD.
That is, “I will praise him.” In the New Testament the words often refer to believing on God or trusting God or Jesus. That is a fourth meaning. For example, in Acts 9 we are told of Paul’s attempts to arrest all who “call on [Jesus’] name” (Acts 9:14, 21), that is, the followers of Jesus. The same meaning is present in 1 Corinthians 1:2, where Paul addresses the letter to “all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours,” that is, to those who believe on and are followers of Jesus. This is what you and I are to do. If you are not a Christian, you have been ignoring the true God. You have not been praying to him, and you are certainly not trusting him. Now you are challenged to reverse that entirely. You are to worship, pray to, and praise God—as he is revealed in Jesus Christ. Above all, you are to believe on Jesus himself and trust in what he has accomplished on the cross by dying for your sin. The Bible’s promise is that you will be saved if you will do this. That is, you will be saved from your sin and from the wrath of God that hangs over you because of it. I do not care what your condition up to this point may have been. You may have made a shipwreck of your life and be sinking in the waves like Peter was when he started to walk over the Sea of Galilee to Jesus but then took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the churning sea about him. Peter was about to perish, but he called to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” and we are told that “immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him” and so rescued Peter (Matt. 14:28–31). You may have been fighting Jesus like Paul had been trying to do earlier through his attempts to destroy Christianity. But when God stopped him on the way to Damascus, Paul called on the Lord Jesus Christ and was saved. Perhaps you have been utterly ignorant of the gospel, like the Philippian jailor. But you have been alerted to your need, and you are calling out now as he did, “What must I do to be saved?” The answer is, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30–31). You need to respond, like the jailor did, and commit yourself to Christ. But don’t put it off. You need to call on Jesus today.
Call on Jesus Now
In the summer of 1991, I was in northern Michigan to speak to student leaders of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. On the final day of my week there, when I did not have to speak, I drove to Sault Ste. Marie, where the impressive Soo Locks link Lake Superior with Lake Huron. Not far from the locks is a retired Great Lakes freighter, the Valley Camp, now turned into a maritime museum, and inside the Valley Camp are tragic remains of one of the greatest naval disasters of modern times, two badly mangled lifeboats from the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald. This is her story. The Edmund Fitzgerald was a Great Lakes freighter nearly a thousand feet long, almost as long as the Empire State Building in New York City is high. She had sailed to Duluth, Minnesota, to pick up iron ore, and now, during the first week of November 1975, she was making her way across Lake Superior to the Soo Locks to bring the ore to the industrial cities of the South. The first day out, a terrible storm moved down out of Canada to the lakes. That is common enough on the Great Lakes in the winter months, but this was a particularly bad storm, with waves reaching twenty-five or thirty feet in height. The captain of a freighter that was following the Edmund Fitzgerald, from whom we have sworn testimony to what happened, was worried. Somewhere along the way, the Edmund Fitzgerald began to take on water and developed an increasingly strong list to starboard. She sank low in the water. The captain of the other ship kept in radio and radar contact, but the Fitzgerald’s captain kept reporting that everything was all right. The last communication from the doomed freighter was this tragic message: “We are holding our own.” Minutes later the ship headed into a wave that washed over her low-lying decks, and she never came up. In less than ten seconds the Edmund Fitzgerald sank, with the loss of all twenty-seven people aboard. The captain of the ship that was following reported that she simply disappeared from his radar screen. One minute she was there. The next she was gone forever, the prop that was still turning driving her directly downward until she broke into pieces on the lake bottom. If you have not called on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, your state is like that of the stricken freighter. You are headed into judgment—and who can say how close you may be to the ultimate disaster? Do not say, “I am holding my own.” Only a fool would say that when he or she is sinking, and you are sinking. Instead, call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Do so confidently, because, as our text says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Boice, J. M. (1991–). Romans: God and History (Vol. 3, pp. 1229–1236). Baker Book House.
12, 13. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord (is Lord) of all and richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Note the following: a. “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.” The word “for” shows that what immediately follows proves the preceding line which states that no one who puts his trust in him will ever be put to shame. Though the fact that, as concerns the way of salvation, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, is emphasized by Paul again and again, it must have been very difficult for Jews to believe this. What? Did Paul really mean to say that they, the highly privileged descendants of Abraham, were in God’s eyes not any better than Greeks or Gentiles? Even today are there not many church members who endorse the theory that the Jews, as a people, are still the objects of God’s special delight and that a glorious future is in store for them? Note how, in many books written by authors who cling to this opinion, the truth expressed here in 10:12 is touched on very lightly, is passed over very quickly. Nevertheless, so thoroughly convinced was Paul of its importance that he dwelt on it, at least mentioned it, again and again. Let the reader see this for himself by carefully examining the following passages: Rom. 1:16; 2:11; 3:10–18, 22–24: 3:29, 30; 4:9–12; 5:18, 19; 9:24; 10:12; 11:32; and elsewhere in Paul’s epistles: 1 Cor. 7:19; Gal. 3:9, 29; 5:6; 6:15; Eph. 2:14–18; Col. 3:11. That there is indeed no distinction between Jew and Greek is clear from the fact which the apostle states in the following words: b. “For the same Lord (is Lord) of all and richly blesses all who call on him.” Not only is it true that one and the same God is God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews (cf. Rom. 3:29), but also, as the apostle states here in 10:12, that the same Lord (=Jesus) is Lord of all. God is rich! In fact, his wealth is incalculable. If there is anything at all which, for the moment, he does not possess, all he has to do is assert his sovereign will, and there it is! See Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26. All the gold and silver belongs to God (Hag. 2:8). Every beast of the forest is his, and so are the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps. 50:10–12). And if God is rich, then so is Christ, for Christ is God. Eph. 3:8 mentions the unsearchable riches of Christ. Rev. 5:12 shows that the Savior is indeed worthy to receive all this wealth. But not only is God infinitely rich, he is also intensely desirous to bestow his riches on his creatures. He is rich in revealing to them his kindness, patience, glory, and mercy (Rom. 2:4; 9:23; Eph. 2:7). He is, in fact, generous beyond the capacity of human words to express. See such a precious passage as John 1:16, according to which one manifestation of divine grace or favor is hardly gone when another one arrives, like the waves of the ocean which follow one another in close succession as they dash against the shore. Truly “He giveth and giveth and giveth again.” Especially when one lives in a state that borders on the ocean (or makes a visit to such a state)—for example, Florida—it is rewarding, when watching the constantly approaching billows, to reflect on John 1:16. See N.T.C. on John, Vol. I, pp. 88, 89. It hardly needs to be added that here too what is said with reference to God applies also to Christ, who, “though he was rich, yet for our sake became poor, that we through his poverty might become rich” (cf. 2 Cor. 8:9). Note also that, according to Paul’s inspired teaching, not only a few people, or a certain group of people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are the beneficiaries of this enormous wealth, but that, on the contrary all who call on God in Christ receive a rich blessing. The Lord richly blesses—literally, is rich toward—them all. Of course, this calling on God—or specifically on Jesus—must be done in the spirit of the centurion (Matt. 8:8) and of the publican (Luke 18:13). Proof of this universality (in a sense) of divine generosity is offered hy Paul in his third sentence: c. “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” See Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 1:2. That which here in Rom. 10:13 follows the word “For” is an exact reproduction of what in our Bibles is found in Joel 2:32 but in the Hebrew Bible and the LXX in Joel 3:5. In fact, in the present case even the word everyone was already in the original of the Old testament passage. Contrast this with Rom. 10:11 where, in quoting Isa. 28:16, Paul himself inserted this word. For “will be saved” see the explanation of 10:9.
Israel Is Reponsible for Its Own Rejection. That Rejection Is Not Arbitrary. “All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and defiant people” 10:14–21
14 How, then, can they call on one in whom they have no faith? And how can they have faith in one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can people preach unless they have been commissioned? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith (comes) from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask, “Can it be that they never heard (it)?” Of course they did:
“Into all the earth there went out their sound,
And to the ends of the inhabited world their words.”
19 But I ask, “Can it be that Israel did not understand?” First, Moses says,
“I will make you envious of a non-nation,
And with a nation (that is) senseless will I make you angry.”
20 And Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I was found by those who did not seek me;
I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
Rom. 10:13 stated, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The connection between the line and the beginning of the subsection, verses 14–21, is clear, for in 10:14 the subject of calling on the Lord is continued by means of the question, “How, then, can they call on one in whom they have no faith?” The spirit of this question, especially in light of what follows in verses 16 and 21, indicates that the apostle is leveling a charge against Israel. He is saying that because of Israel’s lack of faith it is fully responsible for its rejection by God. In other words, that rejection, to the extent in which it was real, was not arbitrary but deserved.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Vols. 12–13, pp. 346–348). Baker Book House.
International Planned Parenthood cuts nearly 1,000 jobs due to Trump defunding Alliance Magazine reports that IPPF has released survey data indicating that its loss of $87.2 million has translated to 40 percent of its member associations laying off 969 jobs staffers across 34 member associations, with 1,394 so-called “health sites” either closing down or canceling their planned openings. Further, the cuts could still fatally impact those who have not yet shut down. “Of the 77 member associations who responded, 33 reported their financial sustainability has been impacted, while 27 reported reduced capacity to engage in partnerships, movement building, and networking with other civil society organisations,” the report says.
Russia uses new ballistic missile in major attack on Kyiv and warning to the West Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s capital on Friday using new ballistic missile that it says flies at 10 times the speed of sound and is unstoppable by air defences. The strikes coincide with a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington and send a clear warning to Kyiv’s NATO allies.
Mike Johnson says he won’t allow compromise on Hyde Amendment after Trump urges ‘flexibility’ Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has said he won’t “allow” a compromise on the Hyde Amendment after Trump’s suggestion that Republicans may need to be “flexible” on federal abortion funding. Johnson told reporters on Wednesday, “We are not going to change the standard that we’re not going to use taxpayer funding for abortion. I’m just not going to allow that to happen.” Most other Republican lawmakers seem to be standing firm on keeping the Hyde Amendment in place as well.
Khamenei slams protests as Iran imposes nationwide internet blackout Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday vowed the Islamic republic would not back down in the face of the biggest protests in years, as authorities pressed an internet blackout as part of a crackdown that has left dozens dead.
EU’s flagship industrial-scale insect farming operation goes bust Last month, French insect farming startup Ÿnsect entered judicial liquidation, marking the end of a company that raised over $600 million despite its ambitions to build insect-based protein at an industrial scale. The trend towards insect-based foods is linked to the UN’s Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”), promoting sustainability and forced behavioural modifications. They claim the aim is to provide alternative sources of protein to humans … .
Trump’s Air Strikes Targeted a Scientific Research Institute, Venezuela Says On Wednesday, the country’s science and technology minister Gabriela Jimenez shared footage of an obliterated building which she says housed the mathematics department at the IVIC. On top of this, Jimenez said that four other IVIC buildings were targeted for destruction: the physics, chemistry, ecology, and nuclear research centers. “Two missiles struck the area directly,” Jimenez wrote on Telegram referencing the mathematics center, per AFP which translated the comment. “The attack was total: these areas housed servers and equipment essential to our computer networks that were completely devastated.”
US Amb Huckabee: Decision whether to strike Iran is up to Israel, Hamas has no future in Gaza US won’t pressure Israel to accept Turkish troops in Gaza, Huckabee vows. Israel and the United States are discussing possible military actions against the Iranian regime, but will decide how to proceed based on their own interests, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Kan News Huckabee stressed that Washington and Jerusalem are in close discussions about the issue.
The Face of Terrorism Is Entering a New & Dangerous Era — The World Is at Risk of Being Blindsided Terrorism is entering an unprecedented phase, and the international community is not prepared for it. The threat is no longer driven solely by non-state actors operating on the margins. It is increasingly shaped by deliberate state behavior that treats extremist organizations as instruments for short-term political gain. What is emerging is a new wave of terrorism with a new architecture. … the enabling environment for terrorism has widened, hardened, and become politically protected.
Iranian Christian: Jeremiah’s Prophecy Unfolding in Iran’s Uprising Arziyeh Amirizadeh is an Iranian American who immigrated to the US after being sentenced to death by hanging in Iran for the crime of converting to Christianity. “To understand the overthrow of the Islamic regime, we can refer to the book of Jeremiah,” Marziyeh said, citing chapter 49, verses 34-39. She emphasized verse 38: “And I will set My throne in Elam, And wipe out from there king and officials—says GOD.”
Hamas saxa: Georgetown taps Hamas apologist Mehdi Hasan as visiting fellow Georgetown University has enlisted Hamas apologist and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan as a visiting fellow to lead a discussion series that “will explore the role of debate, media, and persuasion in our deeply polarized society.” As a Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service Spring 2026 Fellow, Hasan’s discussion group will center on the topic “Who’s Afraid of a Tough Question? Debate, Division, and Democracy in a Polarized Age.” Georgetown’s decision to bring on Hasan follows years of the journalist making polarizing and inaccurate remarks.
Iran protests: Crown Prince appeals to Trump amid blackout, deadly crackdown Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late Shah, on Friday issued a direct appeal to US President Donald Trump to intervene urgently as massive protests continue in the Islamic Republic and are now in their 13th day. “Mr. President, this is an urgent and immediate call for your attention, support, and action. Last night you saw the millions of brave Iranians in the streets facing down live bullets. Today, they are facing not just bullets but a total communications blackout.
When Caracas cracked: How the US broke through Venezuela’s Iranian, Russian, and Chinese defenses MILITARY AFFAIRS: Venezuela’s military arsenal, sourced from Russia and Iran fail under technologically and operationally superior US attack. The overnight US operation that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas this past week will be studied for years as a case of overwhelming technological and operational superiority defeating a heavily armed but brittle defense system. Venezuela had accumulated over the years from Iran, Russia, and China – a mix of air defenses, fast boats, drones, and small arms that, in theory, was meant to deter, or at least complicate any foreign intervention.
US to triple Patriot missile production in historic defense deal Lockheed Martin has signed a new agreement with the US Department of Defense (DoD) that will dramatically accelerate production of the PAC‑3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE), one of the world’s most advanced air‑and‑missile defense interceptors. A sweeping seven‑year framework agreement reached aims to boost annual output from roughly 600 interceptors to as many as 2,000, marking one of the most significant expansions of US missile manufacturing in decades.
Tehran test: ‘the next eruption is coming, and the volatility just keeps growing’ The unrest in Iran and chants of ‘death to the dictator’ do not yet threaten the regime, but amid Trump’s threats and after the blow dealt in Operation Rising Lion, Khamenei has reason to worry; Prof. Lior Sternfeld says that even if this wave fades, the next eruption is inevitable. What distinguishes the current unrest is its context. This is the first protest wave since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war and since Operation Rising Lion, which inflicted unprecedented blows on the regime. It is also the first wave since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who inspires genuine fear in Tehran
Keane warns Iranian regime to take Trump ‘dead serious’ on protest killing threat amid ongoing demonstrations senior strategic analyst retired Gen. Jack Keane gave a grave assessment of the state of the Iranian regime amid its crackdown on anti-government protests and hinted at what could come next on “Special Report” Friday. “If I was in the Iranian regime, I would take President Trump dead serious here,” Keane warned. On Friday, President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post the U.S. is “locked and loaded and ready to go” if the Iranian regime shoots and kills protesters. His message comes as anti-regime demonstrations enter their second week, and at least 44 protesters have been killed by Iranian security, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
The CCP Is Sending A Chilling Message To All Believers: Obedience To God Will Be Punished Corey Jackson of the Luke Alliance — an advocacy group focused on supporting China’s unregistered churches — described China as “one of the worst abusers of human rights in the world,” and recent events added fresh evidence. On Tuesday, a new wave of arrests shined a glaring spotlight on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing hostility toward people of faith — persecution that seems to escalate by the day.
JD Vance takes lead in defending Minnesota ICE shooting, dares Democrats to engage Vance stands up for ICE agent, blames driver in Minnesota shooting. Vance challenges Democrats on law enforcement support. “Attack me, attack the president of the United States. Don’t attack our law enforcement officers,” Vance said. … he wrote that “media” should ask “every congressional democrat and every democrat who’s running for president” whether they believe the ICE agent “was wrong in defending his life against a deranged leftist who tried to run him over?”
We Are Living In World War III, And There Have Been Two Dozen New Developments Those that have been waiting for World War III to arrive can stop, because it is already here. The largest war in Europe since World War II just continues to escalate, multiple wars are raging in the Middle East, an effort to overthrow the Iranian government is underway, China is threatening Taiwan, the U.S. is seizing Russian oil tankers, Venezuela was just attacked, and now we are being warned that military operations in Mexico, Colombia, Cuba and Greenland could soon commence. … over half of the nations on the entire planet are either engaged in military conflict or are funding military conflict. A time of global war is upon us, and so many war rumors are flying around that I could not possibly keep up with them all.
Rome Woos Evangelicals Rome has always pushed for ecumenical unity, but in recent years the effort has intensified. The Vatican—and even the White House—are speaking in ways that make many evangelicals say, “Maybe the Catholic Church isn’t so different after all.” On November 9, Pope Leo XIV delivered a message full of phrases evangelicals instantly recognize: Christ as “the true sanctuary of God,” “the only mediator,” and “the only Redeemer.” He even acknowledged the church’s “frailties and mistakes.” It sounded humble. It sounded biblical. It sounded…almost evangelical. But then came the pivot. Despite all the Christ-centered language, the Pope ended by urging people to “invoke Mary, Mother of the Church,” and ask for her “intercession.”
Tornadoes touch down in Mississippi as severe storms sweep across the state Multiple tornadoes touched down in Mississippi on January 9, 2026, as a powerful storm system moved through the Deep South, producing damaging winds and heavy rainfall. The U.S. National Weather Service issued Tornado and Flash Flood Watches for large portions of the state, warning of further severe storms through January 10 as the system continues eastward.
UK SALVATION: Bible Sales Surge 134% in Britain and Hit Record Level, as Generation Z Embraces Christianity in Droves The United Kingdom is decadent in many ways, with a leftist-Globalist Labour government fraying the social fabric with unchecked mass migration, killing the economy with ‘green’ suicidal policies, and using rampant censorship to keep citizens in line. But now, we’ve come to the point in which something new and positive is unfolding, and it’s verified by numbers: Bible sales in Britain ‘have hit their highest level on record’.
We Are Living In World War III, And There Have Been Two Dozen New Developments Those that have been waiting for World War III to arrive can stop, because it is already here. The largest war in Europe since World War II just continues to escalate, multiple wars are raging in the Middle East, an effort to overthrow the Iranian government is underway, China is threatening Taiwan, the U.S. is seizing Russian oil tankers, Venezuela was just attacked, and now we are being warned that military operations in Mexico, Colombia, Cuba and Greenland could soon commence. As I mentioned the other day, over half of the nations on the entire planet are either engaged in military conflict or are funding military conflict. A time of global war is upon us, and so many war rumors are flying around that I could not possibly keep up with them all.
Both Sides Gear Up For “War” As An Internal Revolution Begins To Erupt In The United States The left wants to get millions of activists into the streets during the months ahead, and just like last time around they are hoping that an incident in Minnesota will be the spark. Meanwhile, ICE has initiated a “wartime recruitment” strategy and is planning to meet any protests head on. Both sides absolutely hate one another, and we have already seen so many incidents of violence. This is such a tragedy, because none of us should want to see Americans fighting against Americans. Unfortunately, I am convinced that the civil unrest that we are witnessing will greatly escalate as 2026 rolls along.
Protesters chant ‘we support Hamas’ near New York City synagogue, Jewish school Anti-Zionist protesters in New York City chanted in support of Hamas at a rally near a synagogue and Jewish school on Thursday. The demonstration was the first significant protest under New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, and had raised safety concerns in the neighborhood, but police kept the protesters apart from neighborhood residents and away from the synagogue entrance.
Operation Talla: How Britain became a police state under the guise of covid Operation Talla was an unlawful and unconstitutional assault on the British people – and ordinary police officers – by the UK state. It was the kind of oppressive secret policing that we usually associate with historical regimes like the East German Stasi, Iain David writes.
Dems Incite Violence Against ICE Nate Jackson The heated rhetoric against ICE agents finally led to the death of a protester who used her car to obstruct operations and attack an officer.
A Predictable Shooting in Portland Douglas Andrews Just a day after a leftist agitator was shot in Minneapolis for trying to run over federal agents, a similar shooting happened in Portland.
CBS Anchor Announces Plan to Start Doing Journalism Emmy Griffin “Here’s my promise to you,” claims Tony Dokoupil. “You come first. Not advertisers, not politicians, not corporate interests.” The proof will be in the pudding.
Hilton Hotel Causes ICE Storm Samantha Koch The backlash after a hotel’s apparent ban against DHS agents staying there reveals the sometimes high cost of political posturing.
California’s One-Party Government Isn’t Aging Well Sophie Starkova It wasn’t that long ago that the Golden State was viewed as a model of the future for the rest of the country. That’s changing rapidly.
Trump Still Desires a Greenland New Deal Nate Jackson The American president wants to bolster U.S. national security, obtain greater access to valuable resources, and oust old Europe from the Western Hemisphere.
Looking Beyond Minnesota’s Fraud Scandal Michael Smith How fraud, non-assimilation, language, logistics, and an opaque informal banking system combine to create a national security issue.
MN Welfare Scandal Reveals Power of New Media Thomas Gallatin The fall of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz demonstrates that legacy media outlets failed to either do their jobs or to protect another Democrat.
Seditionist Kelly Censured by DOD Douglas Andrews In an action meant to enforce good order in the American military, War Secretary Pete Hegseth is moving to bust retired Navy Captain Mark Kelly and reduce his retirement pay.
America First Gets a Big Win in Venezuela Nate Jackson The operation to apprehend Nicolás Maduro was a stunning success, and it opens the door for meaningful change in the entire Western Hemisphere.
Can’t We All Just Get Along? Jack DeVine Our society is in deep trouble if many of us would rather see our country fail than see our political opponents succeed.
Good News: MAHA Fixes Dietary Guidelines Emmy Griffin The food pyramid has been flipped on its head, emphasizing whole foods and limiting processed foods while enraging leftists on social media.
The Palisades Fire One Year Later Michael Swartz Now that we’re a full year beyond the disastrous wildfire in Southern California, not much has changed for struggling residents.
Goodbye, Tim Walz Emmy Griffin It’s not a resignation, but the Left’s favorite Midwestern dad is at least dropping out of the Minnesota governor’s race due to an epic fraud scandal under his watch.
Is Scott Adams Finding Jesus? Thomas Gallatin The popular Dilbert cartoonist is dying of terminal cancer, but has recently announced he is embracing the Christian theory.
QUOTES Non Compos Mentis “I have a message for ICE. … Get the f**k out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here.” —Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey regarding this week’s ICE shooting “The presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city. We’re demanding ICE to leave the city immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities.” —Jacob Frey “I’m so sorry if I offended [Republicans’] Disney princess ears. … I think the most inflammatory action is killing somebody.” —Jacob Frey “They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: That is bulls**t.” —Jacob Frey “I’ve seen the video. Don’t believe this propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice.” —Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz The BIG Lie “Blood is clearly on the hands of those individuals within the administration who have been pushing an extreme policy that has nothing to do with immigration enforcement.” —House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) Emotional Manipulation “Renee Good wasn’t a threat — she was a mom with stuffed animals in her glove box.” —Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) Yellow Journalism “Outrage after I.C.E. officer kills U.S. citizen in Minneapolis.” —CNN headline Insurrection Threat? “When things looked really bleak, it was Minnesota’s 1st that held that line for the nation on July 3rd, 1863. And I think now we may be in that moment.” —Tim “Stolen Valor” Walz Delusions of Grandeur “I’m accountable for this [fraud]. And because of that accountability, I’m not running for office again. But I have a year to continue to improve on a record that I think will stand up against anybody’s. A record that has made Minnesota better.” —Tim Walz Can’t Fix Stupid “I’m never going to back down from these guys. I’m going to continue to speak out. I’m going to continue to do my job and — as much as I can — highlight how wrong these people are and how outrageous this is and how dangerous. So I’m not going away.” —seditionist Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) Village Idiots “[Donald Trump] isn’t just killing people overseas. An ICE agent … shot and killed an unarmed 37-year-old woman during an ICE operation in Minneapolis. … Get the f**k out of Minneapolis! Get the f**k out of all of these cities!” —”comedian” Jimmy Kimmel “From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year. Tyranny is booming over here.” —Jimmy Kimmel to a UK audience during Christmas “The ‘prosecute the former regime at every level’ candidate has my vote in 2028.” —”Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings Dumb & Dumber I “We will govern expansively and audaciously. … To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this — no longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives.” —NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani “Love will be our guide as we pursue our agenda. [W]e will return the vast resources of this city to the workers who call it home.” —Zohran Mamdani “We will answer to all New Yorkers, not to any billionaire or oligarch who thinks they can buy our democracy.” —Zohran Mamdani “Palestinian New Yorkers … will no longer have to contend with a politics that speaks of universalism and then makes them the exception.” —Zohran Mamdani Dumb & Dumber II “Donald Trump’s unconstitutional military action in Venezuela is putting our troops in harm’s way with no long-term strategy. The American people deserve a President focused on making their lives more affordable.” —Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker “Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable. That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise.” —former Vice President Kamala Harris “That’s one of the problems with this action in Venezuela — how does it actually improve the quality of life of everyday Americans? How is it in America’s national security interest?” —Hakeem Jeffries “The American people voted for lower costs, not for Trump’s dangerous military adventurism overseas that won’t make the American people safer.” —Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “He’s willing to risk American and Venezuelan lives for political gain, but refused to extend a critical lifeline to families fleeing the very crisis he claims to oppose.” —Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) “Clearly, the President has decided that Congress is nothing more than a pesky accessory.” —Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) “Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality.” —Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) on Trump’s Maduro operation “Yes, we can all agree [Nicolás] Maduro was an illegitimate president who did horrible things in that country and was corrupt. The way he was removed from that country matters. We are supposed to be a nation of laws. The way we did it was against international criminal law. It’s against the United Nations. We can’t do it.” —”The View” co-host Sunny Hostin “Maduro is a bad guy. We took him out. So is Kim Jong-un, so is [Vladimir] Putin, so is — what’s that other guy in Hungary? And we’re going to go into all these countries and just kidnap the leaders?” —”The View” co-host Joy Behar Fact-Check: False “I am not guilty. I am a decent man. I am still the president of my country.” —indicted narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro Stranger Than Fiction “Transgender Woman Afraid She’ll Be Deported After Stealing COVID Funds.” —Newsweek headline For more insightful quotes, see our Short Cuts.
The Trump Card Our president has opted to attack a foreign country, capture their president and his wife, then declare, “We’re going to run the country …” They’re still debating the “attack a foreign country” sense of this and all, but this may be his biggest blunder yet, as it appears to constitute an invasion of a foreign nation without congressional approval. (How would we react if another nation attacked Washington D.C. and arrested our president?) The War Powers Resolution only allows action like this in the case of imminent threat to Americans and it doesn’t appear that Venezuela constituted an “imminent threat.” Now … will we see a president get dismantled by the Constitution … or vice versa?
Justice or Retaliation? The Pentagon is seeking to demote Senator Mark Kelly after he has retired because of his “seditious statements” urging the military to refuse to follow orders on Mark Kelly’s definition of “unlawful orders.” It will decrease his retirement pay. The story says “The Pentagon” is trying to do this, but it’s obviously Pete Hesgeth, the Secretary of Defense … who appears to be going to war with the Left … kind of like the “Secretary of War.”
Homeland Security? The DHS reported that a Minneapolis Hilton Hotel canceled reservations for ICE agents assigned to work in Minneapolis during the fraud investigations. Clearly, the local owner is operating his own “homeland security” scheme of trying to protect Minneapolis against law enforcement. (Don’t make this about Hilton Hotels as a corporation. It should be noted that Hilton dropped the hotel from its listings.) It does suggest an atmosphere of opposition to federal law enforcement, which suggests that the majority of Minneapolitans are rightly represented by their local government … opposing their nation. (The whole fraud investigation is enough of a problem to force Governor Walz to drop out of his reelection bid.)
A Map to be “All Over” Trump has pressed boundaries with things like tariffs and now an invasion of another nation for … “law enforcement,” just to name a couple. But he urged Republicans to be “flexible” in demanding restrictions on federal funds for abortion coverage. Arresting a foreign president is (apparently) a high principle, but discouraging baby-killing isn’t. He freezes $10 billion in child care funds on principle. He forces Venezuela to surrender 30 to 50 million barrels of oil on principle. He has suggested the invasion of Greenland and even talked of “owning” the Western hemisphere. He is all over the map … and his “principles” are very unclear to me.
Prejudicial Another performer has snubbed their audience by canceling their performance at the Kennedy Center. Sonia De Los Santos cited an “unwelcoming climate” at the Kennedy Center toward immigrants … even though there is zero evidence of any bias in any sense at the Kennedy Center. Clearly the problem is the presence of Trump’s name on the building … a highly prejudiced reason to slight the audience and refuse to perform. It should be clear who the “unwelcoming” folk are these days. Thumbing their noses at audiences because they don’t like a name on the building is a classic ad hominem error in this case.
Your Best Source for Fake News In January of 2025 before Trump took office, Biden put a $25 million bounty on the capture of Maduro (see here). So an awkward moment occurred when Biden had to pay Trump the $25 million bounty for capturing him. I had to laugh at the January 6th article in the Bee about how the Democrats were solemnly remembering the only riot they didn’t like. That’s way too close to true. And on the “What’s Next?” front, there’s a piece on Trump leading a SEAL team to capture the rogue dictator, Gavin Newsom. Funny stuff.
It’s an odd predicament for a leading Democratic presidential contender. Gavin Newsom’s biggest strength – political spin and performance come almost second nature to him – could also be his biggest liability as he strains to remake the tarnished image of the state he has governed for the last seven years.
Newsom, with his smooth-talking, rapid-fire responses and his attempt to out-Trump Trump on social media aggression, is everything Kamala Harris wasn’t in 2024. But neither Californian can easily shake the biggest millstone dragging down their White House ambitions. Their failed progressive policies have sullied the Golden State’s image, driving up prices, homelessness, and mismanagement. The failures have not only driven citizens away but are also likely to turn off voters in swing battleground districts as well.
California’s failures weren’t Harris’ biggest weakness in 2024 – her word salads were. But the Golden State’s downward spiral was a close second.
As wildfire victims held vigils and prayer circles on the anniversary of the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires, Newsom on Thursday attempted to flip the script on California’s role as a GOP punchline.
In his final State-of-the-State address after years of releasing video-taped remarks, Newsom cast Trump’s control of Washington as a “carnival of chaos” amid the Democratic furor over an ICE agent shooting and killing a woman in Minnesota. He then positioned California as a “beacon” of fairness and resistance to Trump’s heavy-handed Washington rule.
Addressing the California legislature, which had just observed a moment of silence for the slain Minnesota woman, Renee Nicole Good, Newsom repeatedly pointed to Trump as a power-hungry threat to democracy who abused his power to call in the National Guard to quell unrest over ICE arrests and raids.
“The president believes that might makes right, that the courts are simply speed bumps, not stops. That democracy is a nuisance to be circumvented. Secret police, businesses being raided, windows smashed, citizens detained, citizens shot, masked men snatching, people in broad daylight, people disappearing,” Newsom charged.
“None of this is normal,” he added.
After throwing out the red meat for the Democratic base, Newsom then set out to normalize California’s dizzying array of failures under his watch.
“The state is providing a different narrative — an operational model, a policy blueprint for others to follow,” he told state lawmakers.
Newsom’s defiant defense of his state as a shining example for others to emulate may come as a shock for those who haven’t been watching his reinvention as a social media agitator and leader of the national redistricting battle.
But Newsom’s attempt to go on offense on his biggest weakness – his policy failures – was his most audacious and sweeping thus far. After mimicking Trump’s belligerent social media style, Newsom stole another Trump play, labeling the state’s critics as suffering from “California Derangement syndrome,” a revision of the “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” which MAGA world deploys to brush off condemnation.
“The declinists,” the pundits and conservative critics simply don’t know the updated facts, Newsom asserted, arguing that they are working to “tear down, to try to attack all of our progress.”
Early data for 2025, he said, indicate a 9% decline in homelessness, the first drop after an explosion of unsheltered people in California. He failed to mention that from 2019 to 2024, under his watch, homelessness rose to 188,000, a net increase of 37,000, or 24%, even though the state spent roughly $24 billion trying to curb it.
“So, our investments paid off,” he claimed without an explanation.
Newsom acknowledged that the decline was “not good enough,” and more work needs to be done as long as big homeless encampments still exist in major cities around the state. He failed to mention the high number of homelessness deaths across the state that could be contributing to the 9% decline, as well as the danger of allowing any encampments to remain.
Just hours after the speech, a fire at a homeless camp in a Los Angeles suburb broke out, the second in the last two weeks.
Newsom also claimed credit for “double-digit decreases in crime” across California, without acknowledging that those figures are still higher than pre-pandemic levels in some areas and that property crime continues to plague major cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.
While touting minor California successes, he often followed up by acknowledging that there is still “work to do” when it comes to bringing down housing costs, overall “affordability,” lowering crime rates, and improving fire insurance coverage.
Though he noted that he had debated whether or not to mention high-speed rail, another frequent target for fiscal conservative attacks, he hailed the $13.8 billion spent so far and progress on projects in the state’s agricultural Central Valley as one of the “great economic investments” in the region. Those lines, he said, “will make commute times shorter and make life more affordable.” He failed to mention that the project was launched in 2008, and more than 17 years later, no trains are running.
Newsom even touted California’s status as having the highest taxes of any state in the country, stressing that Democrats in the state had designed the most “progressive” system in the country, which he argued is far fairer for middle-class and low-wage earners.
“So, the question to all of you — who are the high tax states? Just consider Texas. Just consider Florida, the two most regressive tax states in America,” Newsom said. “They’re hammering their low-income earners. They’re hammering them more than their wealthiest. Who are the high-tax states? California stands for fairness.”
California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin, responding to the address, cast Newsom as not only out of touch but deranged.
“Governor Newsom told Californians that homelessness is down, crime is at record lows, schools are improving, and Los Angeles is recovering after the Palisades fires,” she said. “Governor Newsom painted a picture of a California that exists in his imagination.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Republican representing parts of Sacramento in Congress, assailed the address as pure gaslighting.
“For once, Newsom is right,” he said. “California has led the nation during his tenure – in homelessness, unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, gas prices, electricity costs, debt, and outmigration. That is the true state of our state.”
Kiley also provided a preview of the conservative line of attack that could haunt the governor leading into the 2028 presidential race.
“California, also, of course, leads the nation in fraud … Minnesota’s fraud scandals have just ended Tim Walz’s political career,” Kiley said. “California’s should likewise end Gavin Newsom’s.”
This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.
Susan Crabtree is RealClearPolitics’ national political correspondent.
The Gateway Pundit previously reported on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s comments regarding the ongoing Somali fraud exposé in Minnesota. Bessent said that the Treasury Department was investigating several money transfer services for their involvement
Today, in an update, Secretary Scott Bessent held a press conference in St. Paul, Minnesota with online participating in which he officially announced several initiatives that the Treasury Department was taking to target fraud, waste and abuse in Minnesota. Secretary Bessent said that these initiatives will be “protocols” for other states.
“Our citizens have a right to know that their tax dollars are not being diverted to fund acts of global terror or to fund luxury cars for fraudsters. Democratic Governor Tim Walz has allowed welfare programs and fraud to spiral out of control. Billions of dollars intended for hungry children, housing for disabled seniors, and services for children with special needs were diverted to people who cheated the system, some of whom are not even American citizens,” Bessent stated.
The Treasury Department is “thoroughly investigating the fraud, including funds sent to Somalia through money service businesses” that are outside of formal banks. “These funds could have potentially been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.”
The Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the IRS are leading the investigation as to whether or not these financial institutions are in compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and Treasury regulations.
As such, Secretary Bessent announced several initiatives by Treasury to target fraud in Minnesota. “The Minnesota protocols will serve as a genesis and launching pad for investigations into other states,” Bessent said.
“First, we have followed the money and identified the money service businesses that may have transferred taxpayer funds overseas. Our team at FinCEN has just provided formal notification to these businesses that they are under investigation.” The investigations seem to be related to anti-money laundering laws being followed with the Secretary vowing that they will be held accountable for any crimes they committed.
FinCEN also issued a “geographic targeting order” (GTO) that would require reporting of additional information be provided about funds transferred outside of the United States. This order is for institutions in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. Bessent later explained that the GTOs would lower the threshold for reporting outbound wire transfers to $3,000 and that the same changes may be utilized in other states.
“This will put a microscope on these businesses, advance prosecutions, and assist in the recovery of funds laundered internationally,” Bessent said. “Fraudsters in Minnesota stole at least $300 million meant for children in need and we must prevent fraud of this scale from occurring in the future.”
The IRS also intends to announce a task force to investigate pandemic-era tax incentives and misuse of 501c3 tax-exempt status “by entities implicated in the Minnesota-based social services fraud schemes.”
Lastly, the Treasury Department will provide training to Minnesota law enforcement “on how to utilize financial data such as Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to better combat these fraud schemes.”
When asked by the Daily Wire about Tim Walz’s role in all of this and whether his decision not to seek re-election was related to anything uncovered, Bessent said he could not talk about ongoing investigations but did say, “It’s clear that Gov. Walz has been negligent in his fiduciary duties as chief executive…And we are actively pursuing all leads to see the level of involvement, whether its limited to just negligence and incompetence or if its something more than that.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (bottom left); the SUV driven by ICE Watch member Renee Good; the scales of justice; and an ICE agent. CREDITS: YouTube screenshot/X screenshot/Shutterstock
Christians must recognize that when mayors declare their cities off limits to the rule of law and private citizens take that declaration as a license to try to protect criminals by weaponizing their vehicle against law enforcement, there can be severe and potentially lethal consequences — as seen this week in Minneapolis.
Yesterday in Minneapolis, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were conducting a lawful immigration operation when Renee Nicole Macklin Good allegedly weaponized her vehicle in an attempt to run over federal agents. An ICE agent fatally shot Macklin in what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as self-defense. The investigation is ongoing, and body camera footage has yet to be released.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey immediately blamed federal agents for the shooting, telling ICE, in an expletive, to “get out of Minneapolis” and accusing them of sowing chaos. This despite the fact that ICE agents were performing their constitutional duty to enforce immigration laws — the same laws that apply in every state, including Minnesota.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association condemned the “irresponsible” and “reckless rhetoric from political leaders attacking law enforcement,” stating it “has real and dangerous consequences for officers on the street” and “fuels hostility.” DHS reports a 1,300 percent increase in assaults and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats against ICE agents — directly linked to the demonization by sanctuary politicians in deep-blue cities and states.
Border Czar Tom Homan refused to pre-judge the incident, emphasizing the need for a full investigation, including body camera footage, before drawing conclusions.
So, how should Christians think about all of this?
First, reckless rhetoric from left-wing leaders is endangering law enforcement and undermining the rule of law.
Mayor Frey’s inflammatory response is dangerous. When elected officials vilify federal agents who are enforcing the law, they create an environment where violence against law enforcement becomes justified in the minds of agitators and anarchists.
Make no mistake: ICE agents risk injury or death while performing their duty. These are not rogue actors. They are federal law enforcement officers executing immigration laws passed by Congress and upheld by the courts. When politicians like Frey demonize them, they fuel the very hostility that leads to incidents like this.
A 1,300 percent increase in assaults and an overwhelmingly increase in death threats against ICE agents didn’t happen in a vacuum. It happened because left-wing politicians and the left-wing media have made federal immigration enforcement a villain rather than recognizing it as the legitimate exercise of governmental authority. When you repeatedly call people Nazis, don’t be surprised when your supporters believe you and act accordingly.
Second, federal agents have a constitutional duty to enforce immigration laws nationwide — no city is exempt.
As Brit Hume observed, “These ICE agents had every right to be there and had a duty to be there. They are this nation’s enforcers of the immigration laws. There’s no evidence here they weren’t doing their job or doing it improperly.”
The same Constitution that governs Texas, Florida, and Georgia also governs California, New York, and Minnesota. Local mayors don’t get to declare their cities autonomous zones exempt from federal law. They don’t get to treat American cities like independent city-states where the U.S. Constitution doesn’t apply.
Mayor Frey’s statement is reckless and irresponsible precisely because it suggests that Minneapolis operates under different rules. It doesn’t. Federal immigration law applies uniformly across all 50 states. When ICE agents enforce that law in Minneapolis, they’re doing exactly what they’re authorized and required to do.
Third, Minneapolis’s history of anti-authority chaos is repeating itself under soft-on-crime leadership.Poll: Do you think young people are becoming more conservative?(Required)Do you think young people are becoming more conservative?(Required)YesNoEmail(Required)
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Let’s not forget: Minneapolis under Mayor Frey was ground zero for the 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots that metastasized across the country. Over $500 million in property destruction and over $200 million in uninsured losses to small businesses happened in that city, and let’s not forget the burning out of Third Precinct police station that also happened during the BLM riots.
These weren’t federal agents causing chaos. These were Marxists and anarchists who have a problem with any authority, local or federal. Their view of utopia resembles the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, where violence and anarchy are celebrated as “social justice” in the name of “protest.”
The same anti-authority mindset that burned Minneapolis in 2020 is at work today. When Department of Homeland Security (DHS) describes Macklin Good as “weaponizing her vehicle” to run over an agent and agitators are blocking lawful operations, we’re witnessing opposition to authority itself — not opposition to specific policies.
Fourth, while tragic, Macklin Good’s death is the fault of no one but herself.
When law enforcement of any kind asks you to step out of your vehicle, you obey. This is incredibly basic, but if actually followed, the number of fatalities at the hands of law enforcement would drop to virtually zero. When police stop you, you do not try to run away and you certainly should not try to hit those officers with your vehicle.
This tragedy was entirely avoidable, but because a mother decided her duty to obstruct law enforcement, try to flee, and accelerate straight at them superseded her duty to comply, she is now dead.
Christians must recognize what’s at stake here. Scripture is clear: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to the governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13-14).
This doesn’t mean government is infallible or beyond critique. We have critiqued government numerous times. But it does mean that legitimate governmental authority — including federal immigration enforcement — deserves respect and obedience unless it commands us to sin.
The loss of Renee Nicole Macklin Good’s life is tragic. Every human life bears the image of God, and her death should grieve all of us. But we must also recognize that when someone attempts to weaponize a vehicle against law enforcement — whether at a traffic stop or during an immigration operation — there can be severe and potentially lethal consequences. This is not complicated. This is basic cause and effect.
The social justice mindset has rotted people’s minds to the point where they no longer understand truth, justice, consequences, or personal responsibility. Toxic empathy has replaced biblical realism. We feel bad about outcomes while refusing to acknowledge that actions have consequences.
Christians must stop the insanity of toxic empathy. We need a healthy dose of biblical realism: If you attack law enforcement, if you weaponize your vehicle against federal agents, you may be met with lethal force. That’s not injustice. That’s law enforcement protecting their lives while performing their duty.
Politicians who win local mayoral elections don’t have the right to make their own laws that contradict the Constitution. They don’t get to set up independent autonomous zones where federal law doesn’t apply. And Christians cannot side with lawlessness — I don’t’ care who you are — simply because the left frames law enforcement as the enemy.
The full investigation will reveal what happened, and body camera footage will provide clarity. Until then, we should not rush to judgment. But what we can say now is this: ICE agents have every right and duty to enforce immigration laws, even in Minneapolis. Mayor Frey’s inflammatory rhetoric endangers all officers. And Christians must stand for the rule of law while rejecting the toxic empathy that excuses violence against authority.
Pray for law enforcement who risk their lives daily. Pray for Macklin Good’s family. Pray for wisdom for our leaders. And pray for a return to sanity in our cities where the rule of law — not the rule of the mob — prevails.
The left wants to get millions of activists into the streets during the months ahead, and just like last time around they are hoping that an incident in Minnesota will be the spark. Meanwhile, ICE has initiated a “wartime recruitment” strategy and is planning to meet any protests head on. Both sides absolutely hate one another, and we have already seen so many incidents of violence. This is such a tragedy, because none of us should want to see Americans fighting against Americans. Unfortunately, I am convinced that the civil unrest that we are witnessing will greatly escalate as 2026 rolls along.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, Rachel Maddow revealed what the left’s plan is…
Rachel Maddow Calls for More Protests Against President Trump
“Once you have 3.5% of a population protesting nonviolently against a dictator or an authoritarian, that is essentially an unstoppable force that they can’t oppose.”
If you do the math, that would be more than 10 million people in the United States.
They want to flood the streets with far left activists just like they did in 2020, and they fully understand that there will be widespread violence just like we saw back then.
And now the death of Renee Nicole Good has given them exactly what they needed.
The mainstream media is portraying her as an innocent victim, but the truth is that she had been recruited as an anti-ICE “warrior” and she was simply doing what she had been recruited to do…
Renee Nicole Good, the mom who was killed by a federal agent after veering her car toward him, was an anti-ICE “warrior” and was part of a group of activists who worked to “document and resist” the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota, The Post can reveal.
Good, who moved to the city last year, linked up with the anti-ICE activists through her 6-year-old son’s woke charter school, which boasts that it puts “social justice first” and prioritizes “involving kids in political and social activism,” multiple local sources said.
“She was a warrior. She died doing what was right,” a mother named Leesa, whose child attends the same school, told The Post at a growing vigil where Good was killed Wednesday.
She never should have been there.
And we all knew that clashes between ICE and anti-ICE radicals would eventually produce this sort of an incident.
Protests have erupted nationwide after an ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis Wednesday.
Renee Nicole Good, 37, was killed during an immigration enforcement operation in a residential neighborhood south of downtown.
While heated protests were happening in Minnesota, demonstrations also took place or were expected to Thursday in New York City, Seattle, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Antonio, New Orleans and Chicago. Protests were also scheduled in smaller cities later this week in Arizona, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.
Needless to say, these protests were very well funded.
The protest tonight in New York City against ICE is being paid for and organized by ‘PSL New York City – Party for Socialism and Liberation’
They are funded by Neville Roy Singham who lives in China and works with the CCP
He donated over $20 million to entities like the Justice and Education Fund, which supports Party for Socialism & Liberation activities like protests
He also funds groups with heavy Party for Socialism & Liberation leadership overlap
In other words in a huge networks of organization of professional protesters working to take down America
If the left thinks that they can get the Trump administration to back down, they are wrong.
According to CBS News, approximately 2,000 federal agents have been deployed to Minneapolis for a 30 day “surge”…
The Trump administration has begun a massive deployment of hundreds of Department of Homeland Security agents to the Twin Cities area as it escalates its federal crackdown amid a widening fraud scandal in Minnesota, multiple law enforcement officials familiar with the plan told CBS News.
The crackdown could involve roughly 2,000 agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation branch and Homeland Security Investigations, the agency’s investigative arm tasked with fighting transnational crimes, the officials said. They requested anonymity to discuss operations that have not been publicly announced.
The plan is for the agents and officers to oversee a 30-day surge in operations in the Twin Cities area, making the region the first major target of the Trump administration’s expanded immigration crackdown in the new year, officials said.
We heard the word “surge” being used a lot during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Using military terminology is only going to increase tensions.
And the Washington Post is telling us that ICE has begun a $100 million “wartime recruitment” strategy…
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are planning to spend $100 million over a one-year period to recruit gun rights supporters and military enthusiasts through online influencers and a geo-targeted advertising campaign, part of what the agency called a “wartime recruitment” strategy it said was critical to hiring thousands of new deportation officers nationwide, according to an internal document reviewed by The Washington Post.
The spending would help President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation agenda dominate media networks and recruitment channels, including through ads targeting people who have attended UFC fights, listened to patriotic podcasts or shown an interest in guns and tactical gear, according to a 30-page document distributed among officials this summer detailing ICE’s “surge hiring marketing strategy.”
The Department of Homeland Security has spoken publicly about its fast-tracked effort to significantly increase ICE’s workforce by hiring more than 10,000 new employees, a surge promoted on social media with calls for recruits willing to perform their “sacred duty” and “defend the homeland” by repelling “foreign invaders.” The agency currently employs more than 20,000 people, according to ICE’s website.
If they are preparing for “war”, who do they intend to fight?
I am sure that many of you have seen those ads by now.
There are a lot of unemployed people out there these days, and so I am sure that they are getting a lot of applications.
Vice-President JD Vance says that as ICE hires more people, we will soon see members of ICE going “door-to-door”…
“I think if we’re to see those deportation numbers ramp up as we get more and more people online working for ICE going from door-to-door making sure if you’re an illegal alien you’re going to have to get out of this country and if you want to comeback apply through the proper channels.”
The Trump administration seems to believe that they will be able to get the left to back down.
But instead, the violence just continues to increase.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released new statistics Thursday indicating a sharp increase in assaults, vehicular attacks, and death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) law enforcement officers over the past year. According to DHS, assaults against ICE officers rose more than 1,300 percent during the first year of the Trump administration. DHS reported 275 assaults between January 20 and December 31, 2025, compared to 19 assaults recorded during the same time period in 2024, which the department characterized as a 1,347 percent increase.
DHS also reported a significant rise in vehicular-related incidents involving ICE personnel. Between January 21, 2025, and January 7, 2026, ICE officers experienced 66 vehicular attacks, compared to two during the same time span the previous year, an increase DHS calculated as 3,200 percent. In addition, DHS said it has recorded an 8,000 percent increase in death threats directed at ICE law enforcement officers, though the department did not specify the underlying totals in the release.
It is going to get a lot worse.
ICE is ramping up their “wartime recruitment” strategy so that they can conduct more operations in 2026, and the left hopes to mobilize millions of people to oppose them.
Those that have been waiting for World War III to arrive can stop, because it is already here. The largest war in Europe since World War II just continues to escalate, multiple wars are raging in the Middle East, an effort to overthrow the Iranian government is underway, China is threatening Taiwan, the U.S. is seizing Russian oil tankers, Venezuela was just attacked, and now we are being warned that military operations in Mexico, Colombia, Cuba and Greenland could soon commence. As I mentioned the other day, over half of the nations on the entire planet are either engaged in military conflict or are funding military conflict. A time of global war is upon us, and so many war rumors are flying around that I could not possibly keep up with them all.
But I certainly do my best to keep my readers informed. The following are two dozen of the latest developments…
#1 It appears that Iranian protesters are being gunned down on a widespread basis now. One Iranian doctor told TIME that six hospitals in Tehran have recorded a total of at least 217 protester deaths…
As protests against Iran’s government swelled significantly in size on Thursday night, the regime responded in many places by opening fire. A Tehran doctor told TIME on condition of anonymity that just six hospitals in the capital had recorded at least 217 protester deaths, “most by live ammunition.”
The death count, if confirmed, would signal a feared crackdown presaged by the regime’s near-total shutdown of the nation’s Internet and phone connections since Thursday night. It would also constitute a direct challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump, who earlier in the day warned that the regime would “pay hell” if it killed protesters who have taken to the streets in growing numbers since Dec. 28.
#2 Protesters aren’t just being gunned down in Tehran. According to the NCRI, at least 10 young people were just shot by government security forces in Fardis…
Reports from across Iran indicate that last night, repressive forces murdered many protesters in several cities, particularly in Tehran and its surrounding areas. These acts are unequivocally a crime against humanity.
On January 8, in Fardis, Karaj (Siah-Noush neighborhood), repressive forces committed a horrific crime by firing directly at protesters. In one instance, at least 10 youths were killed or wounded, their bodies left on the ground. The regime is attempting to conceal the extent of this massacre by implementing a complete communications blackout. The names of the martyrs will be released once their identities have been confirmed and the details verified.
#3 Internet access for the general population in Iran has been “completely cut off”…
NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, said on X that the internet had been completely cut off across the country by early evening Thursday local time, a tactic that officials have used during past protests to prevent unrest from spreading and videos of violence leaking out of the country, analysts say.
Iran “is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout,” the group said.
#4 One expert is telling us that the primary reason why the Iranian government shut down the Internet was because they intended to use violence against the protesters…
“For the first time, the government decided to shut the internet yesterday, and usually when they shut the Internet, it means that they’re going to use violence against people,” Maziar Bahari, editor of the independent IranWire news site, told CBS News on Friday.
Bahari said activists and journalists outside Iran had heard reports of security forces shooting at people in different parts of the country, but that the information was impossible to verify.
#5 The protesters in Iran are not backing down. In fact, it is being reported that important buildings are being set on fire in multiple cities…
Several videos showed protesters setting fire to the entrance to the regional branch of state television in the central city of Isfahan. It was not immediately possible to verify the images.
Flames were also seen in the governor’s building in Shazand, the capital of Markazi province in central Iran, after protesters gathered outside, other videos showed.
Thousands are marching in the streets of Iran, setting fire to billboards of the Ayatollah Khomeini, renaming streets after President Trump, and standing against the government’s thugs in sometimes deadly encounters. In response, the Islamic Republic has now reportedly called in foreign militias to quell the protests, including Hezbollah, the Houthis, the Iraqi militia, and the Quds Force.
#7 Initially, U.S. officials didn’t seem to believe that the protesters had a chance of overthrowing the regime, but now that assessment appears to be changing…
U.S. intelligence assessed Iran protests lacked “sufficient energy” to challenge regime stability, officials told Axios.
That assessment is now being revised “in light of recent events.”
Recent events: 100+ cities protesting. Protesters breaking Ayatollahs’ compound gates. IRGC shooting people after prayers. Total internet blackout. Competing massacre claims.
So U.S. intelligence watched protests spread nationwide, monitored escalation to anti-regime chants, and concluded: not threatening. Then something happened that made them reconsider.
What changed? We don’t know. But reassessment itself reveals U.S. wasn’t expecting this escalation.
#8 President Trump continues to threaten to attack Iran if the Iranian government doesn’t stop killing protesters…
This time, however, the protests are playing out under the threat of a direct U.S. intervention by President Trump.
“I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots — they have lots of riots — if they do it, we are going to hit them very hard,” Mr. Trump said Thursday during a radio interview.
#9 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is ready for war with both the United States and Israel…
Iran is willing to negotiate with the United States but is also prepared for war with the US and Israel, Tehran’s top diplomat said Thursday, warning that the Middle East could soon face a major escalation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday afternoon, addressing reporters at a press conference shortly after landing.
Araghchi said that the Middle East now faces “unprecedented threats,” blaming Israel, while warning Israel and the US that Iran is prepared for a new war.
Vladimir Putin unleashed his sinister nuclear-capable 8,000 mph Oreshnik missile in a strike on the outskirts of Ukrainian city Lviv, Russia confirmed.
The menacing attack close to NATO and EU territory was aimed at Europe’s largest underground gas storage facility, it is believed.
The Defence Ministry said in a statement that the strike was a response to an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on one of the Russian dictator’s residences at the end of December.
#11 According to one report, the warheads from the Oreshnik missile “destroyed Europe’s largest underground gas storage facility”…
The multi-warhead missile destroyed Europe’s largest underground gas storage facility, the Bilche-Volytsko-Uherske in Stryi.
The capacity of this facility accounted for over 50% of all Ukrainian gas storage.
Reports of #Oreshnik attacks in Lvov oblast, presumably is response to US seizure of a Russian ship & drone attacks on strategic targets in Russia.
The Russians are sending a message: See what we can do! Better back off! Are you listening now? Don’t make us angry!
But the message received in the West: Ha! You’re scared of us! You’re weak! We can do whatever we want but you’ll only strike the Ukrainians. Get ready for more of the same!
#13 The Russians also just hit Kyiv really hard, and the mayor of the city is encouraging residents that are without power to temporarily evacuate…
The latest Russian aerial barrage largely pummeled Kyiv, leaving close to half a million people without electricity in Kyiv and the surrounding region, officials said, as temperatures plummeted — prompting Mayor Vitali Klitschko to urge residents to temporarily evacuate the capital if possible.
Klitschko said nearly 6,000 apartment buildings — half of the city’s total — were without heat. Water supply was disrupted in some districts, he said, and he urged residents, “who have the opportunity to temporarily leave the city” to find “alternative sources of power and heat.”
#14 Predictably, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is using the latest Russian attacks as an opportunity to urge President Trump to take strong action against Russia…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a fresh call for U.S. President Donald Trump to take action against Russia after the latest deadly strikes by Kremlin forces—including with their new hypersonic Oreshnik missile—in Moscow’s revenge for an alleged attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state residence that Kyiv and Washington say did not happen.
“A clear reaction from the world is needed. Above all from the United States, whose signals Russia truly pays attention to,” Zelensky said in an X post on Friday. “Russia must receive signals that it is its obligation to focus on diplomacy, and must feel consequences every time it again focuses on killings and the destruction of infrastructure.”
The US is in the process of seizing a tanker in the Caribbean as Washington continues efforts to thwart alleged drug smuggling.
The US Coast Guard seized the oil tanker Olina from Russia’s “shadow” fleet. The Olina had previously left Venezuela and was returning to the region, but was falsely flying the flag of East Timor, which is typical of the so-called “shadow fleet” of ships that avoid sanctions.
The Olina was carrying Russian oil. It is involved in the export of Russian oil and oil products from Russian ports on the Baltic and Black Seas, as well as the Pacific region, mainly to China, India, and Turkey.
#16 The Chinese are telling President Trump that they will do whatever they want with Taiwan…
China’s Foreign Ministry has responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that he’d be “very unhappy” if Beijing attacked Taiwan.
“Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. How to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese ourselves,” ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters at a Friday news conference. “This is China’s internal affair that brooks no external interference.”
#17 The IDF just conducted new strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza…
Israeli strikes killed at least 11 Palestinians in separate strikes in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, medics said, in what the military said came in response to a failed rocket attack by militants in the enclave. The two sides have traded accusations of breaching a ceasefire agreed in October, and many obstacles remain to further progress.
#18 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is saying that President Trump has given him a green light to move Israeli forces into southern Lebanon…
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told cabinet ministers that US President Donald Trump has given the green light for a fresh Israeli offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Kan news reports, without citing sources.
The report says both Jerusalem and Washington are unhappy with the Lebanese government’s efforts to tackle the Hezbollah threat.
#19 After grabbing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, President Trump is warning that the U.S. will get to decide which oil companies will have the opportunity to operate in Venezuelan territory from now on…
Trump said oil companies will spend at least $100 billion to rebuild Venezuela’s energy sector. The U.S. will provide security and protection so “they get their money back and make a very nice return,” he said.
The U.S. will decide which oil companies enter Venezuela, the president said. The White House will “cut a deal with the companies” Friday or shortly thereafter, he said.
“One of the things the United States gets out of this will be even lower energy prices,” Trump said.
#20 President Trump has announced that the U.S. will soon begin bombing drug cartels in Mexican territory. Needless to say, this will cause our relations with Mexico to take a sharply negative turn…
Donald Trump said the US will begin land strikes on drug cartels in Mexico as he warned that the only limit to his global power is his ‘own morality’.
The president announced the military action against narcoterrorists just days after the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
‘We are gonna start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico, it’s very sad to watch and see what’s happened to that country,’ Trump told Fox News Thursday night.
#21 Colombian President Gustavo Petro is hoping that his upcoming meeting with President Trump will help “stop a world war”…
Speaking for the first time with a U.S. news network following his first-ever conversation with President Trump, Colombia’s left-wing President Gustavo Petro said Thursday that he was glad to have been invited for a meeting at the White House, and he hoped an ongoing dialogue with Mr. Trump would “stop a world war.”
In the wake of the U.S. attack on Venezuela and capture of the country’s former president, Petro said any attack on his country by the U.S. would start a civil war in Colombia, and “would be dumb policy.”
#22 On Friday, President Trump warned that the U.S. will soon take Greenland one way or another…
Donald Trump offered an ominous warning in his ongoing campaign to acquire Greenland. During his meeting with oil and gas executives today, the president said “we are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not”.
His justification? “If we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor,” Trump said.
“So we’re going to be doing something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way.”
#23 One recent survey discovered that two-thirds of Republicans support “military intervention in countries beyond Venezuela”…
While President Donald Trump campaigned against ‘forever wars’ during his 2024 campaign, two-thirds of Republican voters back military intervention in countries beyond Venezuela.
New polling from the Daily Mail, conducted by J.L. Partners, showed that 67 percent of GOP registered voters supported further military intervention.
That’s compared to just 25 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of independents.
#24 In preparation for what is coming, President Trump is asking Congress to increase the size of the military budget from about a trillion dollars to 1.5 trillion dollars…
President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared he would ask Congress for a $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, a massive $500 billion increase from this year’s Pentagon budget.
The huge boost likely reflects how expensive some of Trump’s military ambitions are, from the Golden Dome air defense effort to his call for a new battleship design. Neither of those programs could be fully funded under current spending levels.
Wow.
I don’t even know what to say.
World War III is here, and a lot of people are loudly cheering.
I simply do not understand that.
Because it is just a matter of time before someone decides to start using weapons of mass destruction, and once we reach that stage everything will change.
On Friday evening, Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, announced that the USDA has suspended all federal financial rewards to Minnesota.
“Enough is enough! The Trump administration has uncovered MASSIVE fraud in Minnesota and Minneapolis—billions siphoned off by fraudsters. And those in charge have ZERO plan to fix it,” Rollins said on X.
“Today, the USDA is SUSPENDING FEDERAL FINANCIAL AWARDS to Minnesota and Minneapolis, effective immediately, until sufficient proof has been provided that the fraud has stopped,” she said.
“No more handouts to thieves! Time to drain the Minnesota swamp and put American taxpayers first,” Rollins said.
“The widespread and systemic fraud associated with federal benefit programs in the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis demonstrate an inability to handle federal resources without additional oversight and accountability measures in place,” Rollins said in a letter to Minnesota Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Rollins accused the Democrat leaders of refusing to provide basic information or take common sense measures to stop the fraud.
“Therefore, because of your failed leadership and abysmal financial management oversight, I am notifying you that, effective immediately, I am suspending payments on all active awards and any future awards from USDA to the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis, currently totaling over $129.18 million,” Rollins wrote.
She continued, “Within 30 days, you shall provide USDA with payment justifications for all federal dollar expenditures from January 20, 2025 to the present. Going forward, all transactions on awards to the State of Minnesota or the City of Minneapolis will require such payment justification.”
“If those payment justifications are not received, awards will remain suspended,” she said.
Enough is enough! The Trump administration has uncovered MASSIVE fraud in Minnesota and Minneapolis—billions siphoned off by fraudsters. And those in charge have ZERO plan to fix it.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following recent ICE-related shootings, Democrat leaders stepped forward to remind the nation that everything would be much safer if law enforcement would just stop enforcing the law.
According to Democrat lawmakers, the recent spate of violence and rioting could all have been avoided if law enforcement agents had just avoided conflict and sought peaceful resolutions by not preventing criminals from continuing to break the law.
“Clearly, the problem here is the enforcement of laws,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. “They’ve constantly inflamed, prodded, and goaded mostly peaceful criminals into unavoidable acts of civil disobedience by tyrannically carrying out the charge entrusted to them. What gives them the right? Other than their badges.”
Other Democrats were quick to agree, noting that nearly all criminal reports filed somehow involve law enforcement agencies.
“I don’t think it’s very polite of them to arrest people,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “And things would be so much calmer if they just didn’t do that. I understand that it’s their job and all, but maybe they should just not do their jobs. They need to stop preventing protesters and lawbreakers from doing whatever they want. It’s simple.”
At publishing time, Democrats had reintroduced impeachment charges against Donald Trump for allegedly not following the law.
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