All Activity

Grimm and Grimmer View in browser Donald Trump, as even some of his fiercest admirers will admit, is not always a paragon of personal virtue. Although the president’s aides sometimes treat him like he is a toddler, as the political scientist Daniel Drezner has observed, he’s not an especially well-behaved one. Trump often acts in ways that would result in detention or other punishment for an elementary-school student: bald-faced dishonesty, name-calling, unkindness, refusal to share, and an inability to use an inside voice. Put another way, Trump sometimes seems as though he missed out on all of the lessons that children are supposed to learn from fables and fairy tales. (Meanwhile, his administration is seeking to evict some lessons about tolerance from classrooms.) But perhaps that’s uncharitable: Trump isn’t ignoring those fables; he’s just taking different lessons away from them than the familiar ones. Here’s a set of classic stories and their morals, reinterpreted for MAGA political correctness. “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” Plot: Three brother goats must cross a bridge guarded by a malicious troll who wants to eat them. Walking in succession, they are able to trick the greedy troll into waiting for the third and largest brother, who throws the troll into the water, killing him. With the troll slain, the bridge is free for all to pass. Moral: The goats could have saved time and made money by threatening to destroy the bridge and kill the troll, then proposing a joint venture with the troll to split the proceeds paid by those wishing to cross the bridge. The Rainbow Fish Plot: A fish is covered in beautiful iridescent scales. The scales make him very proud, but they also make him isolated in society, because other fish envy them and resent the Rainbow Fish for not sharing. After giving a single scale away, he makes his first friend. Soon, he has given away all of the scales except for one, and has created a tight-knit social group with the other fish. Moral: Friendships are fundamentally transactional. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” Plot: A family of three bears, upon preparing their breakfast, find it too hot to eat and decide to take a walk. When they return, they discover that a girl named Goldilocks has sampled their breakfast, sat in (and broken one of) their chairs, and is now sleeping in one of their beds. Goldilocks, startled by the bears’ arrival, jumps out the window and is never heard from again. Moral: People with golden hair are entitled to whatever they want and must not face consequences for their actions, especially if those are official acts. “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” Plot: The burghers of a small German town beset with a rat infestation hire a man with a magical pipe to lure the rodents away, which he does, coaxing them to their death in a nearby river. But when he comes to collect his reward, the local authorities refuse to pay him. In retaliation, the piper uses his instrument to lure away the town’s children, who are never seen again. Moral: Always pay vendors what they are owed. Charismatic European leaders are a threat to the future of your society. “The Ant and the Grasshopper” Plot: An industrious ant spends all summer gathering food for the cold months, while a lazy grasshopper dances and sings. Once winter hits, the grasshopper is cold and hungry, and goes begging for food from the ant, who refuses to share any of its bounty, upbraiding the grasshopper for failing to plan. Moral: Ants are small and weak, and the grasshopper is entitled to destroy them and take the food he needs. He might also consider levying tariffs. “Hansel and Gretel” Plot: Two young children are abandoned in the wilderness by their parents, who cannot afford to feed them. They come to the house of a witch, who locks them up and plans to cook and eat them. But when the witch tries to put Hansel into the oven, Gretel pushes her in instead, burning her to death. The children, freed, take the witch’s treasure and return home with a means to live. Moral: Unaccompanied minors are a violent danger and must be expelled. “Rumpelstiltskin” Plot: After a foolish miller falsely asserts that his daughter can spin straw into gold, the king imprisons her and says that he will marry her if the story is true and kill her if it is not. Weeping in her cell, she is visited by a magical imp who offers to turn straw into gold for her in return for her firstborn. The ruse works, and she marries the king and bears a child. The imp returns for the baby, and the queen is bereft. The imp agrees to give up his claim if she can guess his name, the wildly implausible “Rumpelstiltskin.” Although she cannot guess the name, she overhears him saying it to himself and is able to keep her child. Moral: If you’re in the business of turning things into gold, trying to keep a low profile is counterproductive. Just plaster your name all over everything. “Cinderella” Plot: A girl is mistreated by her stepsisters, who call her Cinderella. One day, an invitation comes for all young women to come to a ball so that the prince can choose a wife. The wicked stepsisters force Cinderella to stay home working, but her fairy godmother provides a magical gown and carriage—with a warning that she must leave by midnight, when she will revert to her normal appearance. At the ball, the prince is smitten but cannot get her name before she dashes out just before midnight, leaving behind one glass slipper. The following day, he canvasses the kingdom until he finds the woman who fits the slipper and marries her. They live happily ever after. Moral: This story’s message is perplexing, riddled with mysteries and contradictions. Why would it matter whether the shoe fits, and why would a wealthy prince want to stay married to the same person forever? And how big was the prince’s ballroom anyway? Related: David Brooks: Why do so many people think Trump is good? The infantilization of President Trump (From 2017)

🛑 Johnson boxed in Johnson hit a wall he couldn't scale last night when a broad coalition of House Republicans blocked him on a FISA extension. Why it matters: The Senate bailed Johnson out by voice-voting an emergency short-term extension. But Johnson has more than two dozen Republicans to flip. Opposition came from both conservatives — who want stricter warrant requirements on the surveillance authority — and Republicans who favored a clean extension. The big picture: Johnson has repeatedly held votes open and endured plenty of drama — sometimes calling in help from President Trump — to pass tough votes despite vocal conservative opposition. Last night's last-minute negotiations and late-night vote doomed the deal, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who voted against the rule, told us. The bottom line: Giving too much ground on warrants risks losing intelligence hawks. Giving too little could lose privacy-minded conservatives. — Kate Santaliz

🚔 Shutdown endgame Expect a few plot twists, but Senate GOP leaders are confident they can pass a budget resolution to fund ICE and the Border Patrol by the end of next week. Why it matters: As the House struggles to resolve its internal divisions on FISA, the Senate is moving ahead on a separate track — advancing a budget resolution to fund immigration enforcement, with a "vote-a-rama" as early as Wednesday. Once the Senate passes a budget resolution, the DHS funding fight will shift back to the House. Speaker Mike Johnson could try to pass the non-immigration portions of DHS funding, which cleared the Senate two weeks ago. Or he could wait for the Senate to pass a broader reconciliation package, expected to include from $65 billion to $75 billion for three and a half years of funding for ICE and Border Patrol. Zoom in: Republicans still need to work out the size and scope of the package — and whether it needs to be paid for. "We need to do a much broader reconciliation," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a video posted to X, repeating an argument he made behind closed doors this week. "Let's not think small. Let's think big." "There needs to be a price. What was the price for Elizabeth Warren and the radical Democrats for shutting down the government? Congratulations, guys: You just increased ICE by 10%," Cruz added. Zoom out: If the House falters on extending FISA beyond the current 10-day reprieve, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is prepared to act with a three-year extension. "We've just got to have optionality here," Thune said today. And on the budget resolution he is committed to a "skinny" approach — and he has the president's backing. The bottom line: Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told reporters he "would love to see how we can pay for this," but he ultimately expects a resolution to pass. "I think all amendments are always hard," he said. "But you have a right to do it, and you've got a right to try to be convincing. We'll see how good I am." — Hans Nichols

Defense team in Charlie Kirk murder case says courtroom cameras are unfairly tilting case PROVO, Utah (AP) — Defense witnesses in the prosecution of the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk said Friday that conjecture in the media over his guilt and depictions of him as a “monster” are making it impossible for Tyler Robinson to get a fair trial. https://apnews.com/article/tyler-robinson-charlie-kirk-camera-ban-39c6672b630539a97b7caaffa4cd9e43?

Ford recalls 1.4 million F-150 pickup trucks to fix a gearshift issue Ford is recalling almost 1.4 million of its F-150 pickup trucks in the U.S. because of a gearshift issue that may lead to the loss of control of vehicles and increasing the risk of a crash. https://apnews.com/article/ford-recall-nhtsa-76d4f43013e44dd7b5fdc1582a9aadb4?

Ukraine’s army evolves under fire, with new units challenging Soviet legacy When a Ukrainian agricultural tycoon founded a volunteer unit of 30 people in the early days of Russia’s invasion, he had no certainty he would live to see what came next — but he did, and so did the force he created. The group says it now has a 40,000-strong corps, and it is widely seen as one of Ukraine’s most effective fighting formations within official defense forces. Its rapid expansion reflects a broader transformation of Ukraine’s military. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Photos show damage after Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, as residents take shelter EU officials in Hungary to discuss unlocking billions of euros held while Orbán was in charge

Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz, but Trump says blockade on Iranian ships and ports will stay in force Iran said Friday it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but Trump said the American blockade on Iranian ships and ports “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program. Trump initially celebrated the Iranian announcement, posting on social media that the strait was “fully open and ready for full passage.” But minutes later, he posted that the U.S. Navy’s blockade would continue “UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE.” Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Oil prices fall sharply and Wall Street rallies toward a record as Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz The Supreme Court hands a win to oil and gas companies fighting environmental lawsuits in Louisiana Air Canada will suspend flights to JFK for nearly 5 months as jet fuel costs surge Federal officials order flight cuts at Chicago O’Hare to reduce airport delays China urges travelers to avoid Seattle airport after 20 scholars were denied entry to the US About 15 Latin American deportees from the US arrive in Congo France’s foreign minister says 85-year-old widow detained by ICE returns home County prosecutor charges ICE agent with assault for pointing gun at people on Minneapolis highway FACT FOCUS: Trump says drug trafficking by sea is down 98.2%. The numbers don’t show that US sanctions sons of Nicaragua’s leaders and officials in the country’s gold industry US urges nations to back ‘trade over aid’ plan as UN warns against privatizing assistance Sen. Warren calls for greater transparency into Federal Reserve nominee’s financial holdings Washington steps up scrutiny of prediction markets California attorney who tried to help overturn 2020 election loses law license Trump administration restores funding to Manhattan Second Avenue subway project after NY sues Zohran Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji apologizes for the ‘harmful’ social media posts she made as a teen

Data: U.S. Census; Note: Limited to names in the top 1,000 in 2020 and excludes the name Doe; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals The country's 10 fastest-growing last names are all predominantly Asian, Alex Fitzpatrick and Erin Davis report from new census data. Meanwhile, six predominantly Hispanic last names have joined the top 15 since 2000: Garcia, Gonzalez, Hernandez, Lopez, Martinez and Rodriguez. 📝 The data reflects cases where most people with a particular last name self-identified with a single race or origin on their census forms. The Census Bureau explains: "For example, 'Garcia' is a predominantly Hispanic last name because 91% of the people named Garcia chose Hispanic in their response." Data: U.S. Census; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals 🍲 The numbers illustrate the ever-changing makeup of the American melting pot, fueled partially by immigration trends. There are some constants, though. Eight last names were in the top 15 both in 2020 and in the very first census, way back in 1790: Brown, Davis, Johnson, Jones, Miller, Smith, Williams and Wilson. Go deeper.

Well, it seems the Pope is backing away from some of his rhetoric against the 'image'... "Pope Leo XIV said Saturday that remarks he made this week in which he said the "world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants" were not directed at President Donald Trump, a report said. The pope, speaking onboard a flight to Angola during his 10-day Africa tour, said reporting about his comments "has not been ‌accurate in all its aspects" and his speech "was ⁠prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting," according to Reuters. The news outlet cited the pope as saying his comments were not aimed at Trump. "As it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate the president, which is not in my interest at all," the pope reportedly said. Trump last Sunday accused Pope Leo XIV of being "terrible" on foreign policy as the pontiff has criticized the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. "He talks about 'fear' of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon," he continued. During a speech in Cameroon on Thursday, the pope said, "We must make a decisive change of course — a true conversion — that will lead us in the opposite direction, onto a sustainable path rich in human fraternity." "The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters!" he added. "Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth," the pope also said. ".... https://www.foxnews.com/world/pope-leo-says-remarks-world-ravaged-handful-tyrants-aimed-trump-report

Trump expects Iran deal this weekend Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Image U.S. and Iranian negotiators will probably meet this weekend to hammer out a final peace deal, President Trump told Axios' Barak Ravid today. Trump said over the phone: "The Iranians want to meet. They want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend. I think we will get a deal in the next day or two." Multiple U.S. officials and other sources briefed on the negotiations have told Axios that significant progress has been made. Yet gaps still remain on critical issues. 💸 One proposal under discussion: The U.S. would release $20 billion in frozen Iranian funds if Iran gives up its stockpile of enriched uranium. (Axios scoop.) The plan also involves a moratorium on Iranian enrichment. ⚓️ Trump told Barak that he's not going to lift his Strait of Hormuz blockade until a deal is reached, and stressed he wants the strait open for everybody. Iran announced today that it would open Hormuz for the rest of the ceasefire, which expires next Tuesday. It's unclear if ships will brave the narrow waterway, given the uncertain conditions and threat of Iranian mines. Two of President Trump's posts this morning. Screenshot: Truth Social 🇮🇱 Trump also said the deal will "make Israel safe" and stressed that "Israel is going to come out great" at the end of the war. At the same time, he made clear he wants Israeli strikes on Lebanon to end: "Israel has to stop. They can't continue to blow buildings up. I'm not gonna allow it." Some in the Israeli government oppose a deal and want to continue the wars in Iran and in Lebanon — though that likely won't be possible without Trump's approval. Go deeper.

I believe the above was said with a straight face. Unless you were living under a rock it is really difficult to give the benefit of the doubt to this. How could anyone miss the lie upon lie about Hunters laptop? Russian Hoax has to be even worse, that was deliberately concocted to bring down a presidency. The long deliberate coverup of Bidens cognitive decline. Or is the left still declaring all of that to be true? Or more importantly the democratic citizen. Do they still believe all of the lies? How quick do the democratic party as a whole whine and condemn about the lies of Trump? Tell me when republicans declared war on a candidate as they did Trump as he came down the elevator Like sexual misconduct situational ethics again. The condemnation of Trump for sexual misconduct would be laughable if not so pathetic. Think back a few years, Ted Kennedy bragged about a waitress sandwich with another democrat politician and Clinton lied and had sex in the Oval Office. I distinctly remember here and other online sources making the statement " Well that dosent" stop him from being a good president". It really isnt dishonesty or sexual misconduct that disturbs the democratic party. It is when the democrates end up with egg on their face.. Situational Ethics is practiced to a fine art

Families Fume Over Pathetic Meals for American Forces in Trump’s War A picture of a gray slab of mystery meat has sparked outrage. U.S. Navy families have spoken out about the state of the food being served to their sons and daughters amid President Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East. Food stocks, along with morale, have plummeted in the region following the U.S. Postal Service’s temporary suspension of mail delivery to 27 military ZIP codes. Packages already in transit are reportedly being held without a clear delivery timeline. Crew on board aircraft carriers the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford are beginning to feel the effects. Pictures obtained by the Center on Conscience & War and published by USA Today show the grim meals the sailors and Marines are being served. One sailor on the USS Abraham Lincoln said, “The food is tasteless, and there’s not nearly enough, and they’re hungry all the time,” one community organizer trying to get packages to the afflicted fighters reported. One image shows a dry patty, plastic-looking carrots, and a slab of processed meat on a plastic tray. Another now-viral image shows shredded meat and a single tortilla on a mostly empty tray. “We have the strongest military in the world. You shouldn’t be running out of food, and you shouldn’t not be able to get mail on the ship,” Dan, 63, the father of a service member struggling with the situation told USA Today. “The one thing we had over our adversaries [was] we fed our people,” Dan, who also served in the Marines and asked the paper to identify him only by his first name to shield his child from potential retaliation, added. MAGA Rep. Randy Fine pledged to fix the issue in an X post laden with his regular dose of Islamophobia. “This is what we’re feeding our brave men and women overseas as they fight Muslim terror in Iran. I know everyone is trying, but our servicemembers deserve so much better than this. I’m going to work with our military to get this fixed ASAP,” he posted, sharing the images. Dan’s daughter is aboard the USS Tripoli. The warships are tasked with enforcing the U.S. blockade of ships leaving Iranian ports, according to the U.S. Central Command, though they may be receiving new orders after President Donald Trump announced Friday morning that the Strait of Hormuz had reopened. A Texas mother whose son, a Navy sailor, is also aboard the Tripoli, said her son has complained about hunger. Her family has spent at least $2,000 on care packages, she said, but none have reached her son due to the postal issues. She told USA Today that her son told her that he and his colleagues ration and share food. Supplies “are going to get really low,” the sailor told his mother in messages seen by USA Today. He added that he doesn’t anticipate a restock until the ship returns from its mission. “Morale is going to be at an all-time low,” he wrote. Things are no better on the USS Gerald R. Ford, which, on April 15, broke the record for the longest deployment of any aircraft carrier since the Cold War, at 295 days. It docked in Crete in the Mediterranean on March 23 after a laundry fire ravaged the ship. It is also reportedly plagued with plumbing problems. The Daily Beast has reached out to the Pentagon and the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/families-fume-over-pathetic-meals-for-american-forces-in-trumps-war/?

ADRA Prepares Response After Cyclone Maila Widespread damage reported across Western and Choiseul provinces as relief efforts begin. https://adventist.news/news/adra-prepares-response-after-cyclone-maila

Spring Meeting highlights the joy and challenges of the global Seventh-day Adventist Church. https://adventist.news/news/church-leaders-call-to-trust-god-enjoy-his-blessings-among-major-challenges

Some include factual historical accounts. Others include "occult" history, i.e., narratives that are difficult or impossible to verify. What I found interesting is that some of the stories were lifted from other Christian publications and duly credited. In those days, being Protestant meant something. Anti-Catholicism was not unique to Adventism.

FISA Section 702: Will Congress Let Trump Keep Spying On Americans? (With Ken Klippenstein) David Sirota speaks with independent investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein about the FBI’s new NSPM-7 “pre-crime” center — and the upcoming vote in Congress that would allow President Trump to keep spying on Americans without a warrant. https://www.youtube.com/live/AcV1Ol0M9yg?

Human Rights Watch: China raises pressure on underground Catholics to join official church Chinese authorities are increasing pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled official church while tightening surveillance and travel restrictions on all of China's estimated 12 million Catholics, according to Human Rights Watch. A report from the U.S.-based group said the heightened pressure was part of a decade-old campaign to ensure that religious denominations and independent churches are loyal to the officially atheist Communist Party. A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said China protects religious freedom and accused Human Rights of falsehoods. Read more. Why this matters: China’s Catholics have been divided between an official, state-controlled church that didn’t recognize papal authority and an underground church that remained loyal to Rome through decades of persecution. Pope Francis, in 2018, sought to ease Vatican-China tensions with a deal giving the state-controlled church a say in naming bishops — a task traditionally exclusive to the pope. Despite that deal, “Catholics in China face escalating repression that violates their religious freedoms,” said Yalkun Uluyol of Human Rights Watch. “Pope Leo XIV should urgently review the agreement and press Beijing to end the persecution and intimidation of underground churches, clergy, and worshippers.” RELATED COVERAGE ➤ China and the Vatican agree to extend an agreement on appointing bishop Pope Leo XIV names first Chinese bishop, signaling he is continuing Vatican’s controversial accord Christian heartland opens window into fight for China’s soul

What a new Gallup poll shows about young men’s religious revival A new Gallup poll shows more young men in the U.S. say religion is “very important” in their lives compared to young women — the first time young men have surpassed young women on this measure of religiosity going back 25 years. Gallup's latest data shows that 42% of men in the U.S. ages 18-29 said religion is very important to them, a notable increase from 28% in 2022-2023. Over the same time, young women's attachment to religion has stayed low, at about 30%. Read more. Why this matters: This marks the first time young men have overtaken women by a big margin on this measure, which goes back to 2000. Gallup reports aggregate findings every two years to ensure the estimates are stable. Several decades ago, young women were much more attached to religion than young men, but that's shifted. More recently, young men and women's religiosity was roughly similar. The new increase in young men's religiosity also contrasts with the minimal change seen since 2022-2023 among older men and women. The gender gap reversal is only happening among adults under 30, according to Gallup's data. Among adults aged 30 and older, women remain more religious than men. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Converts are finding Eastern Orthodoxy online. The church wants to help them commune face-to-face These influencers are teaching Christianity online — and young people are listening Young adults are waiting in line to worship at this fast-growing Atlanta church

Trump challenges Pope Leo’s critique of Iran war amid the pontiff’s African peace tour Pope Leo XIV began his papacy nearly a year ago seemingly content to stay out of the headlines. This past week, however, he has been constantly in the media spotlight, embarking on an ambitious four-nation trip to Africa while engaging in a dramatic exchange of words with U.S. President Donald Trump. It has changed the world’s perception of Leo and his mission. Read more. Why this matters: The pope, who had customarily avoided singling out world leaders for criticism, made clear that he considered aspects of Trump’s approach to the war with Iran “unacceptable.” Leo held firm, even as Trump assailed him as “weak” and soft on crime. In Algeria, Leo highlighted themes of peace and unity, promoting Christian-Muslim coexistence in the majority Muslim nation at a time of global conflict, and honoring the locally born inspiration of his spirituality, St. Augustine. In Cameroon, Leo blasted the “handful of tyrants” who are ravaging Earth with war and exploitation, preaching a message of peace in the epicenter of a separatist conflict that's considered one of the world’s most neglected crises. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ A dispatch from inside the Vatican bubble during a remarkable exchange between pope and president Pope blasts ‘tyrants’ ravaging the planet during his visit to Cameroon Pope urges young people to resist temptation of corruption in big Mass in Cameroon Pope Leo in Algeria walks in footsteps of his spiritual father, St. Augustine Many US Catholics are dismayed by Trump’s unprecedented broadside at the first American pope A country-by-country glance at Pope Leo’s trip to Africa

Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz, but threatens to close it again as the US maintains its blockade BEIRUT (AP) — Iran said it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but questions lingered Saturday about how much freedom ships actually had to transit the waterway as Tehran maintained its grip on the who got through and threatened to close it again if the U.S. kept in place its blockade of Iranian ships and ports. https://apnews.com/article/us-iran-war-lebanon-israel-talks-pakistan-hormuz-17-april-2026-4bd5a29af608ecbd72356559b3c55d67?

The Oxford handbook of Adventism is a 605-page book on Adventism. It is one of some 1,600+ handbooks produced by the Oxford University Press. Many, not all, of the editors and contributors to the book are Seventh-day Adventists. While its price may be beyond many people, I consider it to be well worth the purchase. For more information check out the review by Reinder Bruinsma Spectrum has published a review of this book which may be accessed at: https://spectrummagazine.org/culture/books-film/does-the-oxford-handbook-of-seventh-day-adventism-accurately-represent-the-faith-community-a-review/ Amazon is currently selling this book. See: https://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Handbook-Seventh-day-Adventism-Handbooks/dp/0197502296/ref=sr_1_1?crid=WMR5ZD1T0VBC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.O_zzT3LLu3Y9vU7t84-OarxAJ9CPvHCr2fjc_331PJjQCGVRbqqX0nv9oVNUdb1kpXcKCfEzhviYWSrctBWMkhF8tgA2e1MFfu-AZ4Mq136hXEpZMmzUbIzOf-T9wrTX.et6VA9bkmcVSgiILPq76HZ-NR7nFe5Y6jRdoTXQjebo&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+oxford+handbook+of+seventhl-dayl+adventism&qid=1776557123&sprefix=%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-1

I said that FOX appeared favorable to Trump, not that they were accurate in their reporting. My entire perception of contemporary America is based on internet news. I'm not surprised that AP is a source for other outlets. The bias is also evident in their stories. The killing of a protester in Minnesota was portrayed in a misleading way, as if he was an innocent bystander. He wasn't. Video showed him actively interfering in the arrest of another person. News emphasized he was a licensed gun carrier. A person carrying a firearm who actively interferes in the arrest of another person gets killed. Why does that surprise you? News outlets are often nothing more than rabble rousers, stirring up , triggering them to act on their antisocial tendencies, i.e., disrespect of authority, law and order and other things necessary to maintain a safe society. Interesting ph, that what Pete Hegseth said the other day is about exactly my perception of AP, even though he and I have never met, probably have very different life trajectories, etc. Recently I listened to a news broadcaster saying that Israel is hated, the most hated country in the world ~everybody hates Israel. Not a mainstream news source but a very public one. I certainly don't hate Israel, although It's probably a mistake for America to be fighting their wars. Trump's daughter converted to Orthodox Judaism. His grandchildren are being raised as Jews. Why does it surprise people that he's helping Israel? Reporters should stick to reporting, rather than commenting, on the news. People, nations, and others who want to start trouble with Israel should watch the movie Munich and read Genesis. Israel believes it has a God-given right to land occupied by Palestinians. World opinion is not going to dissuade them from recovering what they believe is rightly theirs, however the news portrays them.

Here Are the Real Sufferers of Trump Derangement Syndrome Trump supporters need to look closer than they think. If anybody suffers from a derangement linked to President Donald Trump, it is not the opponents who viscerally object to our current president’s malignant narcissism, unending lies and determined manipulation of what is un-American in us. Actual Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is among those who so blindly support our current president. They imagine that opposition to him arises not from simple decency but from conspiracies hatched against him simply because he is Trump. In one manifestation of real TDS, Trumpers discerned a sinister plot at work when longtime Obama strategist 71-year-old David Axelrod was granted an April 9 audience with Pope Loe XIV at the Vatican. Axelrod is Jewish, but he feels a bond with the Pope as a fellow son of Chicago and dedicated White Sox fan. Axelrod is also the father of a developmentally disabled daughter who found secular salvation and happiness in a remarkable residential facility founded by a nun on the city’s North Side and run under the auspices of Catholic Charities. “For the first time, her days were rife with activities and her life was filled with friends,” Axelrod wrote in The New York Times in 2021. “While she has the care and supervision she continues to need — and always will — she also is more independent than we ever could have hoped.” Axelrod added, “Most of all, she is happy. Genuinely happy.” Axelrod’s daughter celebrates her birthday every year by going with her friends to a White Sox game. He and his wife, Susan Landau Axelrod, marked last year’s outing by presenting each in the group with a memento honoring the team’s new number one fan, the recently elevated Pope XIV. “We gave them all Sox jerseys they were selling with Pope Leo and the number 14 on the back,” Axelrod told the Daily Beast. Axelrod and his wife took pictures of their happy daughter along with her buddies and arrived at the Vatican with a perfect gift. “We have him photos of them with their backs to the camera and facing,” Axelrod said. In more recent days, some Catholic sufferers of real TDS suggested online that there was something suspect about a Jewish Democratic political strategist getting a papal audience even a lifelong Catholic would have trouble securing. But the difference in faiths may have actually helped Axelrod. Leo is proving to be a pope who embraces the Latin origin of pontiff. Pontifex means bridge builder. The real TDS sufferers further suggest that Axelrod traveled to Rome to prepare for an Obama sitdown with Pope Leo to further a Democrat scheme. “Barack Obama doesn’t need me. If he wants to visit with the Pope," Axelrod told The Daily Beast on Thursday, “I suspect he would be received. He doesn’t need any intermediary.” Axelrod says it is equally silly to propose that his papal audience had anything to do with the Pope’s criticism of Trump’s bombing of Iran. “For the longest time, I’d been trying to find a way to get to see him,” Axelrod told the Daily Beast on Wednesday. “Finally, a couple months ago, I got a date, an audience... I sure didn’t know when, when I got that date, that we would be at war.” Axelrod played no role in the Pope’s opposition to war and advocacy for peace. But real TDS sufferers such as Republican analyst Hal Lambert saw a sinister plot. “This is 100% political, ok? This is all about trying to hurt President Trump’s Catholic vote during the midterms and Republicans in the midterms,” Lambert said on CNN on Monday. “If you look at what... play out the dots here. David Axelrod goes and visits Pope Leo last week. They’re talking about Obama going to visit Pope Leo. Pope Leo is from Chicago. All of a sudden, now, Pope Leo is out attacking Trump and the policies of the United States and Israel.” Lambert further noted that three cardinals had voiced opposition to Trump’s immigration policies. ‘Hal, there are just a lot of flaws in this argument,” CNN host Abby Phillip told him. “There’s no flaws,” Lambert insisted.”Axelrod is the chief strategist for Obama. The pope is saying he’s not political. Why is he meeting with the chief strategist for both Obama’s campaigns and in the White House?’ Lambert told the Daily Beast on Thursday, “[Axelrod’s] not Catholic, he’s not Protestant. He was born Jewish…They’re not talking theology.“ He continued, “Within days, you have three Cardinals, come out and do a 60 Minutes interview. And then you have the Pope ratchet up his attacks on Trump. So, I mean, I’m just laying out the facts of what happened.” The Trump administration continued to dismiss Pope Leo’s pronouncements. Vice President JD Vance, a recent Catholic convert, said the pope “should be careful” when talking about theology. “In some cases it would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality,” Vance advised, as if that did not include war and social justice. Down in Miami, the Trump administration canceled $11 million contract for a Catholic Charities program that had tended to unaccompanied migrant children for decades. The move raised the specter that other Catholic programs might be targeted. On Thursday morning, the news site Catholic Arena posted on X photos of Axelrod and his wife meeting with the Pope. They are presenting him with the birthday photos of their daughter and her friends in the White Sox jerseys with Leo and 14 on the back. Numerous sufferers of real TDS posted comments. One read, “So, doesn’t take long to have a private few minutes with the Holy father and pass private messages from prominent democrats or coordinate strategy.” Another read, “LOL, a Jewish man who has never met Leo and yet gets a private meeting with Leo to give him baseball photos….OMG! Nice AI generated pictures as well! You liars are going to burn in Hades.” And another, “So this non-Catholic private citizen gets over an hour with the Pope just because his daughter is in a Catholic run home? When do the parents of the other children there get an audience? Nothing at all to see here!” And another, “If I was planning to meet and recruit the Poope (sic) into a conspiracy to overthrow a sitting US president, I’d want to make that meeting appear like it was no big deal. Maybe even exchange a few benign souvenirs in a photo op.” And yet another, “Sure thing: a notorious political operative (and non-Catholic) like Axelrod travelled all the way from the U.S. to Italy and went through all the necessary hassle to get a private audience with the Pope, just to give him a couple photos of the White Sox. Seems legit.” Or maybe just deranged. https://www.thedailybeast.com/here-are-the-real-sufferers-of-trump-derangement-syndrome/?

Trump Uses Secret Billionaire Meeting to Plot Next Egomaniacal Move The legacy-obsessed president is pushing to put his name on everything. President Donald Trump’s constant urge to etch his name on everything under the sun shows no signs of abating. The legacy-obsessed Trump, 79, pushed for his name to be slapped on New York City’s Penn Station during a secret meeting with billionaire New York Knicks owner James Dolan last week, Page Six reports. The New York real estate mogul-turned president is apparently itching to stamp his name onto yet another corner of public life, after already getting it plastered across the Kennedy Center, Navy battleships, the Institute of Peace, the Palm Beach airport, and more. It’s unclear what Dolan, who owns the Madison Square Garden arena above Penn Station, said in response to Trump’s egomaniacal pitch to rename the nation’s busiest railway station after himself. Trump, who took control of long-planned efforts to revamp Penn Station from the MTA last year and handed them over to Amtrak and the Department of Transportation, is weighing one proposal to move Madison Square Garden and build a fountain in its place, Gothamist reported last month. The plan can only move forward with approval from Dolan, who has previously rejected the idea. When reached for comment, White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the Daily Beast in a statement, “President Trump is focused on saving our country – not garnering recognition.” “While we don’t comment on private meetings that may or may not have happened, President Trump undoubtedly supports a strong and revitalized Penn Station that can better serve New York and New Yorkers,” Ingle added. The Daily Beast has reached out to Dolan’s Madison Square Garden Company for comment. Trump previously sought to make the renaming happen through another backroom deal, offering New York Senator Chuck Schumer the release of funds for major infrastructure projects that he has withheld in return for having Washington-Dulles International Airport and the Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station renamed after himself, according to reports. The president later insisted that Schumer had offered the renaming, a claim the Senate minority leader quickly shot down as an “absolute lie.” Trump then pivoted to dismissing reports that he sought to attach his name to the station as “FAKE NEWS.” “The naming of PENN Station (I LOVE Pennsylvania, but it is a direct competitor to New York, and “eating New York’s lunch!”) to TRUMP STATION, was brought up by certain politicians and construction union heads, not me - IT IS JUST MORE FAKE NEWS!” he wrote on Truth Social on Feb. 16. The Trump administration suspended $18 billion in funds for New York City infrastructure projects last October amid the government shutdown—though some of the money has since started flowing again following legal challenges. Asked about a potential renaming of the Midtown transit hub, which honors the late New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the state’s Governor Kathy Hochul said last month, “It will over my dead body.” “We are not messing with that man’s memory,” she added. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-uses-secret-james-dolan-meeting-to-plot-next-egomaniacal-move/?