Washington Update

Target's Aisle of Denial

No parent ever thinks it will happen to them. One day, they wake up and their son or daughter is just gone -- lost to a world they never saw coming. Some parents have said it's like living in a horror film or screaming through a nightmare they can't wake up from. Years later, when their children come to regret it -- the cut and scarred bodies, the unfamiliar faces, the knowledge they can't have babies of their own -- they'll wonder about the strangers who sold them these lies. The people in corporate board rooms, behind movie cameras, or stocking shelves who told them the way to get noticed and valued was to be someone else. The soulless companies like Target, who don't care if your son or daughter is next.

Suspension of Disbelief: Fairfax County to Punish Students over Pronouns

Living as a Christian could get a student suspended from public school in Fairfax County, Virginia. Last week, the school board conducted an annual review of its Regulation 2601, proposing edits to a 70-page-long document on "Students' Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R), and parents noticed something shocking. According to a short provision buried deep in the document, students could face suspension for up to five days, and possibly further punishment, for referring to a fellow student according to their biological, God-given sex.

In the Face of Church Attacks, a Bold Stand for Truth Emerges

As the list of vandalized churches and pro-life organizations continues to grow due to pro-abortion extremist attacks in the wake of the leaked Dobbs Supreme Court decision, the silence from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is becoming increasingly deafening.

Dems Defend Abortion to the Ends of the Birth

When the Supreme Court justices met Thursday for the first time since the leak, life looked anything but normal. Now they head into the city from secret locations, leaving their homes in the care of entire swat teams. By this point, they've heard about the waves of violence against pro-lifers and the vote on the most radical abortion bill in America's history. They pull into the Court, surrounded by eight-foot barricades, knowing that in just nine days, the entire country has been turned upside down.

Yellen for Abortion Is Never Good

The pending U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization has dominated most conversation on Capitol Hill over the past week. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's comments at the Senate Banking Committee hearing were no exception.

Grotesque California: Abortion Tourism Is not Normal

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) wants to make sure you know how much he approves of abortion. Wednesday, he announced $57 million in state funding to promote abortion -- on top of $68 million he announced in January. The package includes $40 million to abort babies of low-income women, $15 million to subsidize pro-abortion activism, and $1 million each to maintain an abortion website and to research other avenues to bankroll the abortion industry.

A Transformational Moment for the American Family Association

For 45 years, the American Family Association (AFA) has stood at the forefront of upholding and strengthening "the moral foundations of American culture" and "giv[ing] aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission." With Wednesday's grand opening of the 20,000-square-foot, two-story Don Wildmon Center for Cultural Transformation in Tupelo, Miss., AFA will be well equipped to "combat the forces that seek to destroy Christian influence in America and overthrow the founding principles of our republic" for years to come.

GOP to Disney: You've Lost a Friend in Me

It's been an unusually quiet week for corporate America after one of the biggest cultural bombshells of the modern age. The news that the Supreme Court might be on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade hasn't unleashed an army of woke CEOs on the country like most people expected. On the contrary, most of the country's brands seem surprisingly mum on an abortion issue that would have sent them into the stratosphere as recently as February. What changed? Experts say one thing: Disney.

Beyond Roe: The Dems' Terrifying New Normal

If it was a "show vote," then it did its job. When Democrats decided to put the most extreme abortion bill ever drafted on the Senate floor, it showed people plenty. If anyone was under the illusion that Joe Biden's party was remotely reasonable on the issue of life, they learned pretty quickly that those days are over. Today's Democrats don't want to keep Roe v. Wade. They want to go beyond Roe -- to federal tyranny and coercion to unlimited, taxpayer-funded abortion right up until the moment of birth. And this vote proves it.

Empathy Fail: 'I Can Taste' Your Frustration, Says Biden on Purpose

Inflation statistics for April were released this morning, and they can't be what Democrats were hoping for. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "The all items index increased 8.3 percent for the 12 months ending [in] April, a smaller increase than the 8.5-percent figure for the period ending in March." The slight decrease, due to a 2.7-percent decline in energy prices, has been rendered meaningless by spiking national average gas prices over the past 10 days, which reached a new record high today of $4.404 per gallon.

Leftists Church and Destroy in Roe Rampage

When Joe Biden stepped in front of the press pool this morning, there was one inflation he didn't address: the inflation of violence. Since last week's stunner of a SCOTUS leak, the only thing that hasn't shocked America is the Left's crazed response. With their usual disregard for people's dignity, privacy, and property, pro-abortion radicals have been on the march from New York to California, burning, spray-painting, and bull-horning their way through the country -- reminding everyone that the only kind of "protests" they understand are the dangerous ones.

WHO's Afraid of the Big, Bad Freedom

Wait, WHO's grabbing power? Yes, they are. Flush off their unprecedented interference during the COVID pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) is acting to ensure they have even more power next time around. The Biden administration is helping to fast-track it. "The Biden administration is reportedly spearheading... amendments to the international health regulations that would drastically increase the powers of the executive of the World Health Organization," warned Michael Alexander of the World Council for Health. Under these new amendments, "the director general would have the right... in conjunction with his internal staff... to unilaterally declare a public health emergency in a member state without that state's consent."

City of Haven to Remove 'In God We Trust' from Police Cars

Last week, during a city council meeting in Haven, Kansas, council members voted on removing the "In God We Trust" decals from police vehicles. Council Member Sandra Williams introduced the measure by emphasizing that she did not think the police department was the proper forum to be talking about God.

Unrest Assured in Left's Hysteria over Roe

For Justice Brett Kavanaugh, it probably feels like 2018 all over again. With a hundred protestors outside his home, screaming at his daughters' windows, the parallels to his ugly confirmation hearing were everywhere. And thanks to the angry mob's ringleaders, the family's flashbacks aren't going away any time soon. "We're about to get doomsday," neighbor Lacie Wooten-Holway said, justifying her decision to share the Kavanaughs' address, "so I'm not going to be civil to that man at all."

States of Perpetual Motion: Legislatures Remain Engaged on Trans Issues

World War I began with a single bullet, but within a few years an ever-widening web of alliances had sucked nearly all the world's major powers into the bloodiest war on record. The conservative counter-offensive in the transgender culture war is on the same trajectory. In the latest development, Alabama's Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection (VCAP) Act took effect on Sunday, becoming the first bill banning gender transition procedures on minors to take effect in any state.

Father, Give Us Hearts to Stand Courageous

Sometimes, things around us -- in our culture, communities, even our families -- can seem so dark and difficult that we are tempted to give up and withdraw inward to ourselves. We may be tempted to stew, sit, and then throw up our hands with the thought: "What's the point?"

Dobbs Leak: The Week's Worst 'Christian' Takes on Abortion

"When words are many, transgression is not lacking" (Proverbs 10:19), so it's little surprise that among all the ink spilled over the leaked Dobbs decision draft, there were at least a few shockingly poor takes.

Full Court Pressed by Roe Riots

There've been some over-the-top reactions to the Supreme Court leak, but the fanatics have really outdone themselves with their latest idea: a Mother's Day strike. On Twitter, abortion zealots posted one thread after another urging people to cancel their Sunday plans to protest a decision that would give more women the chance to experience motherhood. "Mothers don't want flowers," an angry Petula Dvorak lashed out in the Washington Post. "They want bodily autonomy." In a bitter diatribe against chocolate, brunch, and cards, she argues that the entire holiday is "disempowering." Moms don't want toast in bed, according to Dvorak. They want the power to deprive other women of it.

Overturn Roe, Untold Joy Awaits

Just before the birth of my son, I received a card from a dear friend, a mom of four: "Congratulations! I am praying for you. Untold joy awaits."

'Her Children Arise and Call Her Blessed'

God's powerful purpose of motherhood is not diminished by the culture's attempt to reject it or redefine it any more than the efforts to deny the sanctity of human life robs it of God's image indelibly imprinted on the soul of every human being.

After Roe, Pro-Lifers' Work Has Just Begun

The Biden White House has once again entered crisis mode over the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting majority support for overturning Roe v. Wade. Apparently the Gender Policy Council (whose name reveals their priorities), has held "nonstop meetings... conversations about what they could do to expand abortion into red states," FRC President Tony Perkins described. "They're debating a number of executive and regulatory actions the administration could take to make it easier for... particularly poor women to have access to abortion."

Dems Race to Stop SCOTUS's Trial Blazers

Now that the country has had a few days to process the Supreme Court scoop of the century, the mood is changing. As shock gives way to suspense, the entire country is waiting -- waiting to see whodunit, waiting to see if the justices will expedite the ruling, waiting to see if the ruling we saw is final. The Left, on the other hand, is not waiting. From President Joe Biden to the radical governors across the country, the extremists are on the warpath -- ready to do anything and everything to keep their Roe v. Wade killing culture alive.

Barna: Kids Will Be What They See

"Kids these days" are shaped by watching their parents. That's the takeaway from the Cultural Research Center (CRC) at Arizona Christian University's latest survey. "Young children are watching their parents. They're listening to their parents, and they're trying to put those two things together," said George Barna, CRC Director and FRC Senior Research Fellow for the Center for Biblical Worldview. "The problem is, they're seeing a contradiction between word and deed. The conclusion we discovered that children draw is, 'what a shame. My parents seem as confused as I am. So, this faith that they're talking about must not have the answers.'"

Title IX Rule Delay Is Good News for Women and Children

We learned last week about the Biden administration abandoning, at least for now, U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) plans to force millions of taxpayers to pay for other people's gender transition procedures. These procedures include surgeries and hormone treatments for children as well as adults. Another unexpected delay: U.S. Department of Education rulemaking related to Title IX. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona revealed last week during a House Appropriations committee hearing that the Biden administration's self-imposed April deadline for the proposed new rule has been shifted to May.

Dems Push for Second Opinion on Abortion

Another 24 hours have come and gone, and Americans are no closer to answering the burning questions on everyone's minds: who leaked the draft Supreme Court ruling on Roe -- and why? In the aftermath of Monday night, the media is scrambling to play amateur detective, throwing out possible motives and scenarios, while the biggest story -- Alito's actual opinion -- falls below the fold. The Supreme Court is on the verge of wiping out the bloodiest stain on America ever left by an activist court, and the message to both sides should be: get ready.

Affirm Foundation: Scripture Helps Parents Combat Trans Craze

In a final rule released Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) surprisingly omitted a proposed change to bundle so-called "gender transition" procedures into private insurance plans. Dr. Jennifer Bauwens believes comments submitted by Family Research Council, other policy organizations, and thousands of individual citizens are the reason. "By backing off this rule, they don't have to respond to our comments," explained Bauwens, Director of FRC's Center for Family Studies, who drafted FRC's comment. "The science behind this ideology is really flimsy." Federal agencies are legally obligated to answer every comment submitted to a proposed rule." FRC President Tony Perkins agreed they "avoided responding because... a scientific debate... [would] expose what's behind the curtain."

Even in Divisive Times, The Flag of Religious Freedom Still Flies

Amid the furor that was unleashed on the Supreme Court after a leak of a draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade, an actual decision affirming religious liberty was handed down the same day but received scant attention. In a rare unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that the city of Boston's refusal to allow a Christian flag to be flown in front of City Hall violated the First Amendment rights of a Christian group known as Camp Constitution who submitted an application for the flag to be flown.

Is the End of Roe within Breach?

It was the scene that wasn't supposed to play out for another seven weeks -- angry protestors outside the Supreme Court, clutching signs and shouting at the building's dark offices. As word of the unprecedented leak on Dobbs started to spread, the crowd swelled, spilling into the sidewalks until the wee hours of the morning, as everyone speculated on what this window into the most important abortion ruling in 55 years could mean. While police raced to put up barricades around the court after the scandal hit the wire, one thing was crystal clear: a seismic shift on one of the fiercest political debates in America was already underway.

While Roe Takes on Water, Mississippi Is Full Steam Ahead

A leaked, early draft of the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling -- in which a majority of the court would uphold Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban and strike down Roe v. Wade -- sent the Left into hysterics this week, but the state of Mississippi has good reason to keep calm and carry on. "Once we went through the Dobbs case and had the oral arguments," explained Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, "we knew then that it was very important in Mississippi that we show the way that we lead when it comes to setting up a scenario in a post Roe v Wade world."

Medical Experts Agree to Disagree on Levine's Latest Lie

Anyone who's followed the latest culture wars understands that there's not a lot of consensus between the two sides, especially on the LGBT front. So the idea that anyone -- least of all Joe Biden's second-in-command at HHS -- would suddenly declare that there's absolute agreement on the Democrats' unpopular agenda to transgender children is unbelievable, even from this administration. It's also news to medical experts across the disciplines, who didn't waste any time setting the record straight.

Staying Strong to the Finnish

Päivi Räsänen, a courageous Member of Parliament of Finland, is back on trial for the Bible. Räsänen was acquitted of criminal "hate speech" charges for quoting the Bible, specifically Paul's description of homosexuality as sin in Romans 1:24-27, and for publishing a pamphlet titled, "Male and Female He Created Them." Prosecutors have now appealed the case, hoping to relitigate the entire case in front of a new audience. "Unlike many other legal systems, under Finnish law, the prosecutor can appeal 'not guilty' verdicts all the way to the Supreme Court of Finland," explained FRC President Tony Perkins. "Yes, unfortunately, that is what we expect," responded Lorcán Price, attorney for ADF International who represents Räsänen. "This case is now headed to the Court of Appeal first."

'Menstrual Equity' Kicks off a Period of Confusion in Schools

According to a new poll, Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) is officially the least popular governor in America. And considering the law she just signed, it's not hard to see why. Thanks to the Menstrual Dignity Act that just passed, local taxpayers are now on the hook for thousands of new tampon dispensers in boys' bathrooms. This latest madness, which affects every public school and college in the state, is expected to cost up to $400 a machine. And school custodians aren't the only ones upset about it.

Re-Lie-Ability: Biden Administration's Defining Feature

Only totalitarians read George Orwell for ideas. Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the establishment of a "Myths and Disinformation Governance Board" which eerily resembles the "Ministry of Truth" from 1984. Readers of the novel will remember that the Ministry of Truth's sole purpose was to promulgate lies, just as the Ministry of Peace was devoted to prosecuting war.

Calling All Dads, Sons, Husbands, and Brothers!

The number of practicing Christians in America is declining at a record rate. Over the last decade, the percentage of the U.S. population that self-identifies as Christian has fallen by 15 percent. This statistic is a snapshot of a larger trend that has been occurring since the 1960's. Over the last 60 years, church membership in America has fallen by a staggering 25 percent--fully one quarter of the population has stopped going to church.

Biden: Schools Are No Mom-and-Pop Shop

It should have been a standard award ceremony on Wednesday, when President Biden hosted the 2022 National and State Teachers of the Year at the White House. But Biden just couldn't resist throwing parents under the school bus. "They're all our children," he said. "And the reason you're the teachers of the year is because you recognize that. They're not somebody else's children. They're like yours when they're in the classroom."

Dallas Area Pastors Encouraged to be 'Stirred' at Pastors Briefing

On Thursday, Family Research Council hosted its third Pastors Briefing of the year, this time at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. The event, which drew pastors from throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, was designed to equip, educate, and encourage pastors to faithfully navigate recent cultural and political trends. Pastors heard from various national speakers and received FRC resources, including new material from FRC's Association of Churches and Ministries and the Center for Biblical Worldview (CBW).

A New Strategy in the Legal Fight to Protect the Unborn Proves Successful

As the pro-life movement awaits the U.S. Supreme Court's pivotal Dobbs decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade in the coming months, a heartening new legal strategy has emerged after a recent federal court victory in Texas that could prove to be a blueprint for other states to follow in order to protect unborn children.

Disinformation Nation: Biden to Launch New Censorship Board

There's virtual anarchy on our southern border -- costing U.S. servicemen their lives -- and what is Homeland Security's priority? Policing free speech. In news almost too impossible to believe, the man presiding over the collapse of our immigration system, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, testified Wednesday that while millions of illegals stream into our country, destroying property and preying on local communities, his focus will be "countering misinformation" before the midterm elections. "The goal is to bring the resources of (DHS) together to address this threat," Mayorkas said. What threat? The biggest one to the Left's control: the truth.

Senate GOP: Southern Poverty Lawyer a Poor Choice for Judge

Nancy Abudu isn't a household name, but her employer -- an anti-Christian group called the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) -- certainly should be. The "civil rights" organization, whose fall from grace rocked the Leftist establishment a handful of years ago, turned out to be a hive of racist scam artists that exploited its donors and sexually harassed employees. Turns out, the so-called hate watcher was the biggest hater of them all. And now, thanks to Joe Biden, one of their top attorneys is on the verge of becoming a judge on one of the most important courts in the country.

Depressed Teens, Unsuppressed Phone Addiction

New CDC data on American high schoolers' mental health "echo a cry for help," said Debra Houry, Acting Principal Deputy Director. More than a third reported "poor mental health," 44 percent felt "sad or hopeless," and around one in ten attempted suicide. "It's a mental health crisis," said Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, Director of the Center for Family Studies at Family Research Council.

GOP Schools Dems in Education Politics

These days, Democrats can't even turn around without bumping into another poll that reminds them of the shellacking that awaits in November. The prophecies of doom are everywhere now, including the pages of their most reliable water-carriers: the mainstream press. At headquarters, where strategists wince with every Joe Biden interview, the hand-wringing must be at an all-time high now that they've officially lost their edge on a longtime party winner: education.

Taking the Sting out of Babylon's Cultural Quarrels

Ever wonder what the cultural weather will be in a few years, months, or days? Just ask the meteorologists at The Babylon Bee. I'm joking, of course. The Babylon Bee is a satire site, and prudent readers never, ever take a word they say seriously. But they do have a strange knack for nearly predicting future events -- for instance, the recent news of Twitter employees literally crying about Elon Musk buying the company. That may be because "humor is [taking] a little bit of truth... and magnify[ing] it," said FRC President Tony Perkins.

In the Face of Atrocities, Ukraine's Resilience Shines Through

During a visit to Eastern Europe in early April, Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) received an unexpected call from a Ukrainian friend.

Biden Blurs the Boundaries of Border Crisis

"We have plans," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said irritably when he was pressed about the border disaster. "We are executing on those plans." That's news to our teams on the U.S.-Mexico line. If you ask local border patrol, like reporter Carine Hajjar did, the president's strategy (if he has one) is a joke. One agent, who was loading up a group of migrants to process, actually laughed when he was asked if the administration had a plan to deal with the nightmare they're all living. "Not that they've told us," he said.

Coach Kennedy Prays for Keeps at SCOTUS

With all of the bad things he's done in his life, Joe Kennedy is still amazed that "the thing that got me in trouble was praying." Seven years after he lost his job as assistant coach of the Bremerton High School football team, he has no regrets for living out his faith at every game. Regardless of what the Supreme Court says about his public prayers, this Marine veteran knows better than anyone that the battles -- on the field and off -- belong to the Lord.

Woke Mob a-Twitter over Free Speech's Return

One perk of being the world's richest man is influencing issues you care deeply about in ways others can't. For years, conservatives have protested Twitter's ongoing censorship of people and ideas which threaten to undermine their Leftist orthodoxy; Elon Musk just bought the whole company for $44 billion. "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy," explained Musk, "and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated."

Disney's Cinderella Story Comes to an End at Reedy Creek

For once, Disney has no comment. Bob Chapek's company, whose loudmouth Leftists pushed the CEO into a losing war with Florida leaders, had nothing to say Friday when the governor pulled the plug on Disney's sweetheart deal with the state. To most people's surprise, the company that couldn't keep its mouth shut on the state's popular parental rights in education bill couldn't find the words to respond to the GOP's elimination of their autonomous district (after the Magic Kingdom tried to sprinkle fairy dust on public policy). "The entertainment giant has not commented publicly on the proposal to dissolve its government," reporters point out--a dramatic shift from the outspokenness that got them into this mess. Has Disney learned its lesson? Don't count on it.

Taxing Their Patience: GOP Fed up with Corporate Wokeism

If you gave 1,000 American voters three tries to guess the top policy proposal of the Republican party, not one would answer "more taxes," but many might associate the GOP with "lower taxes," or "pro-business" policy. It might surprise them that a new document released by the Business Roundtable calls for more taxes, practically the opposite of its stated goal, to "promote a thriving U.S. economy and expanded opportunity for all Americans." The tax they propose, "a price on carbon," is basically a tax on living, moving, and especially producing. The "tone deaf" proposal is "the last thing we need," noted House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), "harmful to working families... already struggling from inflation [and] high gas prices."

Shining a Light on Religious Liberty around the World

When a bomb went off at his son's school in Afghanistan last week, Mohammad Hassan rushed around the city looking for his son. Hours later, Hassan found him in a refrigerated drawer of a hospital emergency room. Weeping, he told the Washington Post, "He was so smart, and he had so many dreams." The school is in a neighborhood in Kabul populated mostly by Hazara Muslim, a religious minority group now in mourning after a recent rash of attacks. These new tragedies are only the latest examples for why the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is calling for the State Department to designate Afghanistan a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) on religious freedom.

Good Warning America: Florida Sends Disney (and Friends) a Message

Disney CEO Bob Chapek wasn't the only one waking up to an uncomfortable new reality Friday morning. Across corporate America, Chapek's counterparts probably all had the same uneasy feeling about what had transpired in Tallahassee the day before. Conservatives have exacted a pound of flesh in the woke wars -- and not just any pound of flesh, but a gash in the credibility of one of the biggest entertainment brands in the world. The message was simple: if woke companies want to carry the water for the Left and declare war on parents, then at least in Florida, lawmakers are going to side with parents.

CDC Control Towers over Average Fliers

America's most notorious COVID troll has reemerged to demand everyone crossing his bridge must pay his toll. As the Biden administration officially appeals its overturned mask mandate, Dr. Anthony Fauci came out of hiding long enough to admit that the federal government's transportation mask mandate is really about power and control. "We are concerned," said Fauci, "about courts getting involved in things that are unequivocally public health issues."

Missouri, Show Me You Care about Kids like Miles

People sometimes ask me what it's like to be a parent going through this nightmare. It feels powerless, honestly. My son was only eight when his mom took him to a gender clinic that would change all of our lives. She never told me. She never asked my opinion. We shared joint custody of Miles, but it was only by accident that I stumbled on his medical records and learned that my innocent, vulnerable autistic son was weeks away from his first puberty-blocking drugs. It's a shock no parent gets over.

A Pro-Life Infrastructure Is in Place for a Post-Roe America

As an increasing number of states enact pro-life legislation ahead of the pivotal Dobbs Supreme Court case this summer, which could potentially return the authority to govern abortion back to the states, a predictable narrative has emerged in the mainstream media: abortion restrictions are "destroying" women's health care and are "oppressing" low income women.

A Whole New World for Disney after Florida Retaliates

If Disney didn't know conservatives meant business, they do now. Four weeks into this national drama between Florida and CEO Bob Chapek, state leaders aren't just speaking out -- they're hitting back. After years of sitting down and taking it when corporate bullies stick their noses in social issues, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) is finally making an example out of a company that took their war against parents too far. And to most Americans, who are sick of having their values mocked and shamed by Big Business, it's about time.

Ukraine Invasion Turns Grizzly for the Russian Bear

Russia's blitzkrieg-like invasion of Ukraine has turned into a bit of a stalemate. When Vladimir Putin first launched his assault in the last week of February, he expected a swift victory lasting no more than a week or two. As the war approaches its third month, Representative Pat Fallon (R-Texas) predicted on "Washington Watch" that it already has "the makings of Afghanistan 2.0 for the Russians."

Celebrate Earth Day by Investing in Humanity

April 22 marks Earth Day, and this year's theme is "Invest in our planet." On this day, environmentalists and nature-lovers around the world unite to appreciate the beauty of God's creation (whether they recognize it as such or not) and advocate for its conservation. However, respect for the earth ought never to be in opposition to respect for humanity -- the pinnacle of God's creation. As some environmental extremists have begun to favor population reduction as a means to improve the planet, it is more important than ever to affirm that valuing the blessing of children and caring for creation are not mutually exclusive.

A 40,000-Foot View of Freedom

Monday afternoon, airline passengers whooped and hollered when flight crews informed them the federal mask mandate was finally over. Crews and passengers responded to the news by ripping off masks mid-flight. Most commercial airlines and Amtrak quickly followed suit to drop their masking policies, as did rideshare services Uber and Lyft. Airlines "were urging that the mandate be lifted sooner," said Dr. Andrew Bostom, clinical trial epidemiologist at Brown University.

The Lie of Biden's 'Lifesaving' Treatment

"I have this intense rage in me over the harm that was done to me..." -- Julie, 27\rWhen Julie woke up from her double mastectomy in the children's hospital in Syracuse, she expected to feel elated. Instead, she only felt numb. It wasn't supposed to be like this, she thought. Years later, she looks back with anger at the "collaborative idiocy" that crushed her spirit, permanently scarred her body, and left her feeling empty, betrayed, and alone. Like so many victims of the mutilating treatments this White House calls "livesaving," Julie will never fully get her life back. We've gone too far, the survivors of this movement are crying out. And no one, not even the president, is listening.

How Polish Churches Are Loving Their Ukrainian Neighbors

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked a humanitarian crisis unlike anything seen in Europe in nearly a century. Millions of Ukrainians are fleeing across the border to safety in surrounding countries as Russian forces continue to attack their homeland.

Under Biden, the Party's over for Moderates

Maybe to some people, Joe Biden's fixation with gender identity feels out of character. But to others, who've watched the president undergo his own radical transformation in recent years, it makes more sense. The man who stood in front of America and defended the rights of little children to change their identities has, in many ways, done the same thing himself -- splitting from decades-old policy positions to assume a completely different political persona. When a reporter asked about Biden's transition -- was he officially identifying as a progressive? -- White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki replied that the president "is not eager to be labeled." Well, Joe Biden may not know what he is, but at least we know what he's not: a moderate.

University Pays Professor over the Costliest Pronoun Yet

After spending four years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, a publicly funded university in Ohio has finally agreed to do what they should have done in the first place -- respect a professor's First Amendment right to free speech. As part of the settlement, Shawnee State University agreed to pay $400,000 in damages and attorney's fees, rescind a written warning issued against him in June 2018, and lift all requirements for the professor to use false pronouns to identify a student.

The Fantastic Four: Several States Push Life across the Finish Line

In the lead-up to the biggest Supreme Court ruling on abortion in 50 years, local leaders certainly aren't sitting around waiting on the justices. Four states inked brand new pro-life protections into law this last week: Kentucky (thanks to a legislative override), Arizona, Oklahoma, and Florida--all significantly limiting the window when it's legal to have an abortion. Governor Kevin Stitt (R-Okla.), who was the latest target of the White House's ire, joked, "I know I'm doing something right when this administration criticizes the laws that we're passing." For a behind-the-scenes look at what put his state's bill over the finish line, don't miss Stitt's conversation with Tony Perkins on this week's "Washington Watch."

Disney Gets Tangled in Big-Picture Pushback

As much as it would pain the Left to admit it, Bob Chapek was right. The Disney CEO, whose back must hurt from bowing to so many LGBT demands over the last month, warned that getting involved in Florida politics would "divide and inflame." At the end of the day, it's "counterproductive," he tried to argue. Four weeks and a nationwide boycott later, the company and its extremist hijackers are learning a painful lesson: This isn't the conservative movement of 10 years ago. They're squaring off against a Georgia-hardened, nationwide parents-led rebellion that doesn't back down to bullies. Not anymore.

Like a Moth to the Blame, Biden's Deflection Continues

Most pundits can't decide which is more surprising: the fact that Joe Biden's approval rating is the lowest ever recorded by an elected president -- or that he got there despite around-the-clock support from the press. "It's not an exaggeration to say that Biden has the corporate media, Big Business, academia, the Deep State, Big Tech, and all of Hollywood working 24/7 to protect him," John Nolte points out, "and he's still entering the Easter weekend in the worst shape of any elected president in recorded history."

'Behold the Lamb of God': The Passover-Good Friday Connection

Easter isn't over yet! At the White House, President Biden hosted the first egg roll in two years, despite the rain and colder-than-normal temperatures. But there's a lot more to the holiday than bunnies and jelly beans -- especially this year. In one of the rarest occurrences on the calendar, the Jewish Passover was celebrated on the same day as Good Friday. Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Pastor Jack Hibbs talked about the significance of that connection in a special interview with Tony Perkins. Don't miss their conversation as we continue to celebrate our Risen Savior!

Why 'Good Friday' Is So Good

For many people, 2022 began with a lot of promise. But recent developments have once again reminded us of the consequences of living in a fallen world. Over the past few weeks, headlines have been dominated by ghastly war crimes committed against the Ukrainian people. We've also learned about five fully formed babies who may have been the victims of illegal partial-birth abortions or infanticide in our nation's capital, and rising prices for gas and other consumer goods are forcing families to make difficult decisions. A divisive U.S. Supreme Court confirmation seems to have only exacerbated partisan political tensions.

With Great Power Comes Migrate Responsibility

The president's border policy has been called a lot of things -- a disaster, a cataclysmic failure, even political malpractice. But the most accurate description is the one nobody's using -- and that's intentional. While people across America explode in frustration wondering why the White House won't even use the word "crisis," that's because -- to them -- it isn't one. As Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R-Texas) pointed out, the emergency at the border could have only been created by three things. "It's either negligence, stupidity, or the plan. It's the plan."

The Public Health Scandal No One's Talking About

While the Biden administration doubles down on COVID, they're keeping another pandemic at arm's length. Data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show "reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States decreased during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but most resurged by the end of that year." After STDs set new records for six straight years, gonorrhea and syphilis cases increased again in 2020, while the CDC explained a slight dip in chlamydia cases to COVID-related reductions in diagnoses, "rather than a reduction in new infections." Most concerning of all, 53 percent of reported cases occurred in young people, aged 15-24. Yet, "America isn't taking the STD crisis seriously," complained an STD advocacy group.

A Ray of Hope for Fatherless Children in the Sunshine State

It's a statistic that cannot be emphasized enough: one in four children in America grow up without a father in the home. As our country lurches from one crisis to the next, it is the surge in crime that is perhaps the most unsettling crisis of all. As average Americans witness the breakdown of law and order and feel unsafe in their communities, one can't help but get a sense that our society is gravely ill and on the verge of breakdown. While the Left flails around trying to explain away the crime surge, a simple hypothesis remains stubbornly clear: if one in four American children grow up in homes without the formative law and order that an involved father provides, common sense tells us that this absence of law and order is going to manifest itself in society when these fatherless children grow up and leave the home.

Escape from Xinjiang: The First Christian Family Speaks out

When Ovalbek Turdakun opens his eyes on Easter morning, nothing will feel familiar. Six thousand miles away from the life they knew, he and his family will be celebrating the Resurrection in safety -- a luxury that few survivors of the Xinjiang camps will ever know. Touching down on American soil late Friday night, Ovalbek, his wife, and 12-year-old son exhaled for the first time in four years -- the horrors of China finally behind them. This Sunday, they'll sit in church pews without fear, openly worshipping the God who delivered them to freedom.

China to Hollywood: Don't Say Gay

The Left doesn't mind when China controls the conversation, but they sure care when American parents do. That's the incredible hypocrisy of the Florida law hysteria. Woke CEOs are pitching a fit that states want to silence talk of sex and gender for kindergarteners, but if China wants to censor it? One entertainment group says: no problem.

A Rising Price Steals All Meals

Red alert for families: "inflation is rising three times faster than your paycheck," warned Representative Kevin Brady (R-Texas). "The average family in America, now, since Joe Biden became president, is paying an extra $5,700 more to buy the exact same things that they were before." On Tuesday, the Labor Department released the March 2022 inflation numbers, reporting that the consumer price index (CPI) had risen 8.5 percent from a year before. Inflation hasn't been this high since December 1981, when Raiders of the Lost Ark was in theaters. "Today's report was expected to be bad. It was worse than that," said Brady.

Disney's Trans Parent Trap

When Disney turns 100 next year, there could be a lot of empty seats at the party. Americans -- who had plenty of reasons to be suspicious of the company before Florida's law -- are furious with Bob Chapek's kingdom now. After decades of pushing the LGBT envelope, Disney is finally reaping the whirlwind for trying to rub families' faces in their extremism. In the war between parents and every woke CEO who aided and abetted the Left, this was the final straw. And both sides know it.

Bad Sport: After Losing in Congress, Biden Rigs the Game

The Biden administration appears to be auditioning for a guest appearance on "Whose Line Is It Anyway," the game show where everything is made up, and the points don't matter. The Department of Education has proposed a new rule to effectively rewrite Title IX, transforming it from an instrument to protect women into a cudgel for unchivalrous males to beat them with.

A Conversation No Parent Should Miss...

If you're looking for an honest take on the transgender debate in America, Tony Perkins sat down with FRC's Dr. Jennifer Bauwens on Monday to get to the bottom of this very emotional issue. A longtime clinician who worked in trauma-related treatment, Dr. Bauwens cuts right through to the heart of the debate -- offering practical tips for parents, the science behind gender confusion, the real motives of the Left, and hope for every child and family struggling to cope in this dangerous new world.

Are DOD Schools Fit for Service?

Military service is a family affair, with military spouses and children sharing in the sacrifices associated with deployment and service in general. In recognition of this fact, in 1986, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) designated April to be the Month of the Military Child. The DoD suggests 50 ways schools can honor military children, including special recognition, school assemblies, and the like.

Biden Fails in the Blanks on Key Issues

In the mad dash to turn things around before "a tornado hits Democrats" this November, the president has tried a lot of things. He's spent more, mandated more, and floated wild ideas like stacking the Supreme Court and federalizing elections. He's turned to his green lobby, his rainbow lobby, his deep blue progressive base lobby. But none of Joe Biden's "solutions" have actually bothered to address our real problems. The disaster he's made of the economy, southern border, foreign policy, U.S. energy production, and education are like fires raging out of control. And yet -- even now -- seven months away from a political reckoning for his party, there's not a single sign that Biden is ready to pivot.

GOP Plays Hardball on Girls' Sports, Trans Treatments

There are plenty of ways to end up in the doghouse with voters, but Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb (R) certainly found the fastest: vetoing a bill on girls' sports. Two weeks into the blowback, the governor is still trying to dig out of the hole he created for himself. But based on the latest polling, he's going to need a lot bigger shovel.

The Trump Policy Dems Agree to Keep

"To make an end is to make a beginning," wrote conservative poet T.S. Eliot, and the U.S. Congress is (belatedly) realizing how true that is. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are mobilizing plans to terminate on May 23 a pandemic-era measure empowering border agents to turn migrants away, known as Title 42, members of Congress are exploring bipartisan efforts to stop them. The question many are asking is, after we end Title 42, what happens next?

Biden's Trans Obsession: A Tough Fact to Follow?

Joe Biden did warn us. When he ran for president, there were a lot of issues his campaign happily downplayed. Transgender extremism wasn't one of them. From tweets to townhalls, Biden couldn't have made it clearer that he'd be bringing an LGBT focus with him to the White House. The media tried to run interference -- insisting Biden's words had been twisted or painting conservatives as lying alarmists. Now, a year and a half into his administration's gender-twisting twilight zone, we know who was lying. And it wasn't Joe Biden.

We Must Acknowledge the Damage Inflicted by Transgender Ideology

There are at least 24 international LGBTQIA+ awareness days in addition to Pride Month. Some of these days are Drag Day, Pronouns Day, Trans Awareness Week and Month, and Trans Parent Day. No other subject known to humanity has been afforded such a salute on our yearly calendars as the LGBTQIA+ issue. Of course, these occasions provide political proponents ample opportunity to commemorate the day with a legislative agenda.

Parents: Nationwide, They're on Kids' Side

Waukesha, Wisconsin conservatives went three-for-three in Tuesday's school board elections, shutting out the progressive "slate" opposing them. A third of the nine-member school board stands for election each year, with the seats going to the three candidates who receive the most votes. Current incumbents finished in 5^th and 6^th place on election day; the third incumbent was eliminated in the February primary. "The Waukesha community -- and others around our county -- have spoken loud and clear," said newly elected school board member and Waukesha dad Mark Borowski. "They want change, so we are charged with giving it to them."

Citi Banks on Wokeness until Republicans Intervene

CitiGroup may be concerned about equity, but not when it comes to political views. The U.S. banking firm, in a knee-jerk reaction to Texas's heartbeat law, stunned investors last month by announcing that it would start footing the bill for employees who had to leave the state for an abortion. Hotels and plane tickets will be on us, CEO Jane Fraser declared, staking out radical new territory in the financial sector. Now, a handful of weeks later, CitiGroup is finding out that there's a price to joining the woke bandwagon. And losing Congress's business might be one of them.

Paul: 'I'll Stand up, Even If It's Unpopular'

If you ever wondered what a single person in the minority could do, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) just provided a pretty compelling example. After days of being a one-man thorn in the Democrats' side, the Kentucky Republican pulled out an impressive win today on a bill that could have had major consequences for the unborn. While everyone was in a rush to get more Russian sanctions out the door, Paul's decision to slow things down may have saved lives in a lot more places than Ukraine.

America Can't Ignore the Left's Complicity in Infanticide and Child Abuse

In a U.S. House Education & Labor Committee hearing on Wednesday, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra refused to answer whether or not partial-birth abortion is in fact illegal (it is), instead restating boilerplate Democrat language about how he supports the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. When pressed by Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Becerra also refused to commit to investigating the University of Pittsburgh's alleged illegal human tissue extraction from the bodies of aborted babies.

Separated by Birth: Two Parties, Two Very Different Abortion Views

When D.C. homicide units pulled up to the brick rowhouse last Wednesday, it was already an unusual scene. As forensic teams carried out red biohazard bags and coolers, news was already starting to circulate about the gruesome evidence inside: the bodies of five perfectly-formed baby boys and girls, thrown away in an abortionist's garbage eight blocks from the White House. Some of them, experts believe, could be victims of a crime that Democrats argue never happens -- the cold-blooded infanticide that to this day they refuse to stop.

Stonewalling Jackson: GOP Fights to the End

While Democrats celebrate the all-but-certain confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, Republicans have a message for Joe Biden: enjoy it, because she may be the only extremist you get. If the November elections are the bloodbath experts predict they'll be, the script in the Senate will flip. And Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is warning Democrats that the GOP's new bargaining power may come in very handy for future vacancies.

Disney Turns Snow White with Rage at Florida Parents' Bill

No one envies White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki's job. It's no fun defending the Biden administration's every flub and fumble -- especially the intentional blunders. Despite daily fielding hostile questions on camera, Psaki on Monday looked none too comfortable defending, once again, her boss's obsessive antipathy towards Florida's new law protecting Parental Rights in Education. To a straightforward question -- "At what age does the White House think that students should be taught about sexual orientation and gender identity?" -- the talented spin artist stumbled painfully through a non-answer, glancing repeatedly at her notes.

'Human Tsunami' Puts Border on the Brink

Under Barack Obama, 1,000 people a day "overwhelm[ed] the system." Anything over 4,000 was considered a "crisis." So what does Joe Biden call 7,100 illegal border crossings every 24 hours? Just the beginning, apparently. The White House, determined to take sole ownership of the "worst administration ever" mantle, has decided to turn the catastrophe at the border up to doomsday levels by lifting the COVID restrictions that kept some migrants at bay. Starting May 23^rd, agents warn, a million crossings every six months is going to sound like a dream scenario compared to what's coming.

'I Am the Master of My Faith': How Dumping Christianity Is Trending

A trendy, new hashtag tempts Christians to look wise in the world's eyes. "There are 293,026 posts on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #deconstruction," reported apologetics writer Alisa Childers earlier this year. "The vast majority are from people who've deconverted from Christianity, become progressive Christians, embraced same-sex marriage and relationships, rejected core historic doctrines of the faith, or are on a mission to crush the white Christian patriarchy."

Preparing for a Post-Roe America

When gruesome and grotesque remains of unborn aborted babies were recently discovered in our nation's capital, it was a reminder of the work that remains to be done to fully create a culture of life across our nation. As the Supreme Court stands poised to throw out the infamous Roe v. Wade decision when deciding Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in the coming months, our nation's pro-life community must be prepared to respond with open arms to women facing unplanned pregnancies -- and a strong legislative and legal affirmation of life at all levels of government policymaking.

Funding Nemo? Florida GOP Takes Aim at Disney Perks

If Disney sounds like an island of woke delusion, that's because -- legally -- it is. Thanks to a special legislative carve-out, the Magic Kingdom has been operating as its own self-governing district for more than half a century. They can approve their own construction projects, bypass local zoning laws, even install their own nuclear power plant without asking permission. It's been a sweetheart of a deal for Disney, until now. Turns out, there's a price to pay for declaring war on Florida parents -- and the company's local autonomy might be one of them.

KBJ's Defining Moment: What It Means for Washington

Regardless of how Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearings go, it's safe to say they'll be remembered for one thing: her inability (or outright refusal) to define the word "woman." Jackson's "I'm-not-a-biologist" answer has been memed, parodied, and mocked the world over. But it's also, one news outlet warns, contagious. Just how deep does this gender illiteracy go? All the way through the Biden administration, a survey of agencies shows.

School Board Perfects Anti-Christian Hostility to a Science

The headline could read, "Local officials wage LGBT culture war, illegally discriminate against minority community," but you won't find this story covered by Slate or Buzzfeed. That's because the facts of this story turn the Leftist media's preferred narrative on its head. The school board of Somerville, Massachusetts delayed, and has moved to deny, an application by a large, Hispanic, immigrant church to found a religious school for grades K-8. "Here you have a church just trying to offer a ministry to its own people [and] to the surrounding community," said Massachusetts Family Institute President Andrew Beckwith on "Washington Watch."

NCAA Warned to Stay in their Lane after Swim Controversy

Representative Mary Miller (R-Ill.) and other members of Congress threw the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a life preserver yesterday, writing the embattled organization's president a letter with a stern warning, "if the NCAA is unwilling to protect women, Congress will be forced to take immediate action." The NCAA is drowning in a pool of its own making after allowing a male swimmer to outrace all the females in the women's 500-yard freestyle championship race. Congress is offering the NCAA a chance to do the right thing voluntarily, but it's unlikely that the NCAA has enough sense or boldness to recognize that before Congress cracks down.

This is not a Drill: Biden Spills Strategic Oil Reserve onto Market

President Biden yesterday announced plans to release over 180 million barrels of oil (30 percent) from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve over six months in an attempt to lower gas prices as "a wartime bridge to increase oil supply until production ramps up later this year." "My plan is going to help ease that pain today and safeguard against tomorrow," said Biden. "It's time to deliver true, long-term energy independence in America once and for all. And I'm going to continue to use every tool at my disposal to protect you from Putin's price hike." There are two words that describe someone who promises one thing and does the opposite. One is politician. The other is liar.

Dems Give Thomas an Offer He Can't Recuse

The Left has never needed an excuse to vilify Clarence Thomas. The longtime Supreme Court justice has been a thorn in the side of Democrats' lawless agenda for 30 years. So it's really no surprise that of the thousands of pages of texts submitted to the House's January 6^th Committee, his wife's messages to the White House just "happened" to be leaked to the press. Now, in their latest attempt to dispatch their judicial foe, the president's party is arguing that being married to someone with political views should be grounds for impeachment.

Biden Administration: Parents Shouldn't Be Seen or Heard

When the federal government tries to usurp the freedoms of the American people, said Congressman Jody Hice (R-Ga.) on "Washington Watch," "you give them an inch and they become a ruler." That dynamic was on full display throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and nowhere more than governmental interference in school reopening. Now we've learned that the "science" was actually dictated by the teachers' unions, according to a report issued by Republicans on the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

Confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson Would Be a Loss for Children

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden's nominee to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court, has attracted immense controversy in her Senate confirmation hearings. Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is poised to vote on Jackson on April 4, have verbalized concern about her record of doling out weak sentences for users of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Jackson may not be able to define what a woman is, or answer when life begins despite advocating for abortion, but she surely must know that allowing pedophiles to prematurely walk free is wrong -- right?

States Move to Protect the Unborn, Parental Rights, and Women's Sports

Given the high-profile nature of goings-on in the U.S. Congress, it can be easy to lose track of legislative developments in the states. However, the U.S. Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization has recently drawn many people's attention back to state laws and legislative efforts, as the prospect of states regaining their jurisdiction over laws to protect the unborn comes into view for the first time since Roe v. Wade took it from the states nearly 50 years ago.

Mickey's Mantle of Radicalism

Apparently, Disney isn't planning to make nice with parents anytime soon. Thanks to bombshell video, leaked Tuesday, Americans are starting to understand just what kind of Fantasyland the company is. Corporate President Karey Burke painted a horrifying picture of the company's future projects, insisting on an employee Zoom call that she wants a "minimum of 50 percent of its characters to be LGBTQIA" and other minorities. "I'm here as the mother of two queer children," Burke said, "one transgender child and one pansexual child." And "going forward," she insisted, those are the stories Disney should be telling.

Biden Administration Hangs Welcome Sign at Southern Border

Today's edition of "if you thought X was bad, just wait until President Biden makes it worse" will feature America's southern border -- again. As soon as today, the Biden administration is expected to nix a policy responsible for turning away more than a million illegal migrants since Biden took office. Invoked in March 2020, Title 42 is an emergency pandemic measure, "not really an immigration policy," explained Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.). Under Title 42, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have turned away more than 1.7 million migrants since the pandemic began.

A Finnish Line for Freedom

It's an incredible victory in a trial that should have never taken place. After months of wondering about her fate -- and the fate of religious freedom in general -- Finnish member of Parliament, Dr. Päivi Räsänen, was finally cleared of all charges, three years after her Bible tweet ignited an international firestorm. After months of anxiety and global scrutiny, both Räsänen and Rev. Juhana Pohjola, who was also accused of "hate crimes" for his orthodox views of sexuality, can breathe a sigh of relief.

Abortion's Knocking, WHO's There

A party that can't even define the word "woman" would have a field day with "human rights." That's what Republican Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been warning people since the latest Russian sanctions bill flew through the House and landed at the Senate's door. Just because Congress wants to help Ukraine stop the senseless killing doesn't mean it should open the door to senseless killing of another kind: abortion.

A Good Woman Is Hard to Define

In D.C., Democrats are confused about what a woman is. In California, they're confused about what a judge is. Governor Gavin Newsom (D), apparently desperate to set new disapproval ratings, made the unbelievable decision to put another biological man in woman's clothing on the court. At a time when the debate over transgenderism has never been more heated, Andi Mudryk's appointment makes it clear exactly where Democrats stand -- and it isn't with reality.

White House Fact-Checks President Biden

President Biden's weekend trip to Europe calmed our frightened NATO allies like a porcupine in a group hug. He exclaimed about Vladimir Putin on Saturday, "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power." Was he trying to start World War III? The White House instantly jumped into clean-up mode, reassuring the world that President Biden "was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change."

Republicans Even the Score on Girls' Sports

When photographer Erica Denhoff first saw the segment on Lia Thomas, she thought something was "honestly wrong." After stopping and rewinding the "Today Show" multiple times, she was certain: NBC had altered the picture. Gone was the swimmer's Adam's apple, his harsher -- more male -- features. "I pride myself on providing authentic images as a photojournalist," she told the Washington Examiner. This wasn't the shot she'd taken, Denhoff insisted. The network had airbrushed the face of the biggest story in sports to fit the transgender narrative. But considering the country's reaction, they'll have a much harder time glamorizing something else: their argument.

In Governor's Race, YouTube Elects for Censorship

YouTube is actively preventing Pennsylvania voters from casting informed ballots in the upcoming primary election. That's the only conclusion to draw from YouTube's decision over the weekend to remove a candidate forum hosted by the Pennsylvania Family Institute (PFI). "YouTube offered no specifics of what is alleged to be in violation, beyond indicating that it had to do with content related to the 2020 Presidential election," said PFI President Michael Geer. "That election was not mentioned in our questions, and we can only conclude that the YouTube censors did not like the answers given by one or more of the candidates."

Calling All Men: Join FRC in North Carolina!

Don't miss FRC's next Stand Courageous men's conference Friday and Saturday, May 6^th and 7^th, at Green Street Baptist Church in High Point, North Carolina. If you haven't been to one of these events before, Stand Courageous brings men together from coast-to-coast for a life-changing call to biblical masculinity. Tony Perkins and Lt. General (Ret.) Jerry Boykin will both be leading this conference, along with host pastor Brandon Ware, Charles Flowers, Joaquin Molina, Larry Jackson, and Stu Weber.

Disney Dwarfed by Goofy Transgender Push

Disney has created some iconic villains over the years, but they've crossed the line with their latest: Texas. In news no one can believe, the company synonymous with children has decided to pick a fight with a state protecting them. The announcement, which came Monday, is just the latest stop on CEO Bob Chapek's apology tour after he failed to defend transgenderism in Florida soon enough for the radical mob's liking. Now, after two weeks of penance that's included everything from multi-million dollar LGBT donations to the formation of a gay and transgender task force, Disney is the closest its ever been to a final break with American parents -- and reality.

Congress Has a Serious Human Rights Problem on Its Hands

In recent weeks, a little-known provision of human right law was tampered with as it made its way through the House of Representatives. Family Research Council called attention to the problems with this altered text, but because it was attached to bills cutting off Russian oil and suspending trade relations with Russia and Belarus, not as many took notice. This language must not be allowed to pass the Senate.

Plane is the Science... and the Government Overreach

When free people don't defend their rights, they lose them. That's why this week FRC Action has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration's "arbitrary and capricious" airplane mask mandate. Family Research Council's legislative affiliate filed the suit on Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on behalf of FRC Action, two FRC Action members, and a child. Tony Perkins is participating in the case both as president of FRC Action and as the father of the child.

'The Rivers of Blood Flow down the Street'

They were the words of a father, spoken after a month of unspeakable loss. "Save your sons from war," Volodymyr Zelensky said emotionally. So many of your children, he wanted Russians to know, are being "sent to die on our land." It was a moment of raw humanity, a plea to stop the carnage. But it was also a poignant reminder that grief never takes sides. Thousands of Russian bodies, some frozen and bootless, now dot the Ukrainian roads and countryside. Lying next to charred tanks or stacked in the refrigerated compartments of trains, they are the grim reminder of war's price.

Big Apple, Bigger Controversy: No Christians Allowed

Not too long ago, there was at least this understanding about hot-button issues: there are good people on both sides. Now, thanks to the woke hijacking of America's towers of business, tech, sports, education, and entertainment, those days are long gone. Anyone who disagrees with the Left now is not only undeserving of respect -- but cast out like a societal leper. It doesn't matter how mainstream your beliefs may be. As the firing of Kathlyn Barrett-Layne in New York City proved, there's no room at the table for anyone with Christian views.

Spring Breaks Miami in Shooting Wave

Spring Break 2022 ended in Miami Beach with a bang -- or rather with a bunch of them. Multiple shootings along the beachfront Ocean Drive prompted city officials to announce a curfew for the rest of the week from midnight to 6 pm. "We can't endure this anymore. We just simply can't," pleaded Mayor Dan Gelber. "This isn't your mother and father's spring break. This is something wholly different."

A Define Line on Ketanji Brown Jackson

Reporters walking to the Senate Judiciary Committee for the first round of Ketanji Brown Jackson hearings must have wondered if they were lost. There were no protestors, no "handmaidens," no overwhelming presence of Capitol Police. Four years ago, in the disgrace that was Brett Kavanaugh's hearing, there were 22 arrests before 11 a.m. Two years later, on Amy Coney Barrett's first day, 21 people were handcuffed before the session even started. Without the Left's screaming, tantrums, and constant disruptions against a Republican nominee, it hardly feels like a modern Supreme Court confirmation debate.

Gutless Govs Refuse to Be Team Players on Sports

It's not every day that a politician has the chance to be a hero in one of the most high-profile debates in the country. And it's also not every day that a leader turns the chance down. This week, it happened twice. To the shock of Indiana and Utah voters, their governors had the opportunity to make the biggest statement on girls' sports since the Lia Thomas swimming scandal erupted last weekend. Both of them refused.

Before the Uyghurs, There Were the Rohingya

Inflation is so pervasive these days, even the number of U.S. genocide declarations is accelerating. In the first 75 years since the Holocaust, the U.S. State Department concluded a genocide was committed six times. In the past two years, it has added two more. Last January, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared China's oppression of the Uyghurs a genocide, and on Monday, Secretary Antony Blinken announced, "I've determined that members of the Burmese military committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya."

The Ind. of The Road for Girls' Sports?

It doesn't take a whole lot of moral courage to protect girls' sports in the middle of a nationwide controversy. But apparently, it takes a lot more than Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb (R) has. In a move that defies logic, timing, politics, and state values, the man heading up one of the biggest fan bases in America wants people who just watched Lia Thomas to believe: transgenderism isn't hurting anyone.

Would You Stay and Fight for America?

When Russia invaded Ukraine, laying waste to the country, the response of many Ukrainians awed and inspired the world -- Ukrainians rallied in support for their country, taking up arms as their lives were put on hold. Grandmas, school teachers, and people of all walks of life volunteered to join the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF). However, the same desire to stay and fight might not be true of many American citizens if they were put in a similar situation.

Transgenderism Has a Science Problem

In the fight over transgender treatments for kids, everyone from President Joe Biden to national medical organizations are defending these life-altering therapies as "necessary." Just this week, a court reinstated its temporary ban on Texas's protections for children, arguing that they could cause "imminent and irreparable harm." Even the state's Leftist medical association is throwing its support behind drugs and therapies that can destroy a young person's body, insisting that it's "developmentally appropriate care." Other doctors and experts argue that laws putting a pause on gender transition are supported by basic scientific facts. Who's telling the truth?

The Bee Responds to Twitter's Sting

"We're not going to take it down." They thought about it, but the team at the Babylon Bee believes that deleting a post because Twitter can't embrace the truth is one of those tipping points in life. "These little things, these basic fundamental truths, these realities [are what] we're being asked to deny and pretend [they] aren't there," the Bee's Joel Berry explained on "Washington Watch." He takes listeners behind the scenes of the censorship story that's stealing national headlines on Monday's radio program.

Twitter's Plan Bee: Censorship

"This is real life." To Babylon Bee creator Adam Ford, it was important to make that distinction, since even the world's greatest satirists couldn't imagine a scenario like this one. Twitter, king of conservative censorship, wielder of the all-powerful on/off switch, had done it again. In the growing genre of it-sounds-like-fake-news-but-isn't, Big Tech's thought police locked the Bee's account for recognizing something all of us have been tested on since high school: biology.

NCAA's Swim Controversy Drowns out Real Storylines

Not everyone at last weekend's NCAA women's swimming championship raced against Lia Thomas -- but they were all overshadowed by him. For hundreds of girls who'd worked years to get to this moment, that was the greatest tragedy of the circus that unfolded in Atlanta. Despite all of the interesting rivalries and personal bests, what most people will remember wasn't the girls' triumph and hard work -- but the controversy. For every parent, coach, and swimmer, Thomas wasn't just part of the story. He was the story.

It Takes a Citi... to Abort a Child

The Left's Long March through the Institutions captured the banks long ago, but this month it flexed its muscles. Citigroup Bank informed its shareholders that it would begin paying travel expenses for employees to obtain an out-of-state abortion. The letter thumbed a not-so-subtle nose at Texas's innovative pro-life law, stating, "In response to changes in reproductive healthcare laws in certain states in the U.S., beginning in 2022 we provide travel benefits to facilitate access to adequate resources." I'll be honest; partisan banking wasn't on my 2022 bingo card, or even my wish list.

Doubting Thomas's Win: The Swimming World Erupts

"I want people to wake up to the world we are creating for women." That was the emotional appeal of an Ivy League mom, who's desperately been trying to find a legal solution to the Lia Thomas swimming controversy. But she didn't find one in time for this week's NCAA championship in Atlanta, where the biological male competed, sweeping events that should have belonged to women. It's a joke, one commentator raged -- "and biological women are the punchline."

Surviving the Yale Mob: What a Vicious Protest Says about Ivy Law

Kristen Waggoner doesn't get usually get nervous. As one of Alliance Defending Freedom's top attorneys, she's argued before the Supreme Court, tackled high-profile cases, and spoken in front of her share of hostile crowds. But something about her visit to Yale University Law School last week felt different. "I can count on about one hand when I get really [anxious] before something," she said. This was one of those moments. Walking into a room filled with a raging student mob didn't just mean she was in danger -- it meant the culture of free speech in higher education was on the verge of complete collapse.

The Kremlin's Crimes and Putin's Punishment

President Joe Biden just declared what every red-blooded American with two eyes and a television believes: Vladimir Putin "is a war criminal." After initially mishearing a reporter's question and answering "no," the president clarified that he does, in fact, believe the Russian autocrat is guilty of war crimes. This was one "Candid Joe" moment the White House could stomach. Biden was "speaking from his heart," explained Press Secretary Jen Psaki, "and speaking from what he's seen on television."

Biden's Weak in Review

To the White House's dismay, the headline didn't come from the Babylon Bee, but the liberal New Yorker: "Poll Shows Zelensky Leading 2024 Presidential Race." It was meant as satire, but for the team riding on Joe Biden's Titanic, it exposed something that anyone watching the Ukrainian crisis already knew: this president is no leader. And being confronted with one -- as Americans were in the form of Volodymyr Zelensky -- only confirmed it.

It's Noun or Never: Teacher Fights for Job in Trans Name Fight

Can three letters cost you your job? They can if they're "s-h-e." That's the unbelievable drama playing out for the latest time in Kansas's Fort Riley Middle School. When math teacher Pamela Ricard refused to use a boy's name for a female student, the Geary County School District gave her a choice: embrace the lie or lose your job.

D.C. Establishment Tires of People's Convoy

The People's Convoy veered off its well-trodden path this week. Instead of circuiting D.C.'s beltway interstate Jericho-style, they waded into the city itself -- while keeping to the freeway. Not that they had any choice. D.C. Metropolitan Police were out in force, maintaining rolling road closures to funnel the convoy away. Drivers were "blocked at every single exit," convoy co-organizer Brian Brase told "Washington Watch" viewers, "even though we had no intention of going off the interstate." The convoy peacefully passed through the city, with the same overreaction by the government, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Mr. Zelensky Goes to Washington

For members of Congress, who filed in to the dark-paneled congressional auditorium this morning, the mood was somber. Instead of the ornate House chamber, where important speeches to both chambers are usually held, the special room in the Capitol's visitor center had the feel of a situation room. And to the men and women there, wearing U.S.-Ukrainian pins, that's exactly what it was. Almost 5,000 miles away, the most unlikely of heroes had come to plead for his people from the belly of a war he didn't ask for. "The destiny of our country is being decided," President Volodymyr Zelensky urged, his larger-than-life face creased by weeks of sleepless nights. "I call on you to do more."

Better Schools Start in the Church

If you want to change education in America, all you need is a church. That's what a community in Columbus, Ohio is preaching to the rest of the country with the opening of Westside Christian School. This fall, thanks to eight local churches and some private donations, the neighborhood of Hilltop is opening a special charter school for children who aren't getting the best instruction -- or values -- from government classrooms. "We want to help our kids grow up with a Christian worldview," said Pastor Ben Douglass. And you can too.

Abortion by Thesaurus: A Professional Guide

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Luke 1:42 should read, "And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the fetus leaped in her uterus." Does that sound too extreme? Uncharitable? Check out their "Guide to Language and Abortion" released this month. It argues against using terms like "baby" or "unborn child" because "centering the language on a future state of a pregnancy is medically inaccurate." They say doctors should instead use "embryo" through eight weeks, and then "fetus."

The Gas Is Always Greener on the Other Side

"I know a lot of people are struggling," Pastor Steven Allman said. "I understand the desperation," he admitted. But Allman, who heads up the Leeds Community Church in Maine, was still shocked that his parish's outside fuel container -- which can hold about 200 gallons -- had been completely drained and stolen. A member of the congregation made the discovery when people arrived to a "freezing cold" sanctuary Sunday morning. These are difficult times, Allman shook his head. And until Joe Biden changes course, there's no end in sight.

Turning Regret into Empowerment: The Detrans Stories

"It's in the schools. It's online. It's in cartoons and media. It's in the medical system. There is a coordinated attack on our children... And I would just say, you just cannot be too careful." --Brenton Netz, father of a gender-indoctrinated son \rHe said that he's the only adult in his son's life who is not affirming his "delusion." For Brenton Netz, dad of Miles, that's meant a painful last two years.

American Diplomats Scramble Dither and Yawn

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met Chinese Diplomat Yang Jiechi Monday in a meeting that outlasted the runtime of the original Star Wars trilogy -- seven hours. On the agenda was a "substantial discussion of Russia's war against Ukraine," including China's aid to Russia. While reports of the meeting are sparse on details, one White House official said the administration has "deep concerns about China's alignment with Russia" and that "the national security advisor was direct about those concerns and the potential implications and consequences of certain actions."

Courts Carry Heartbeat Law to Term

Unborn babies just won another Texas-sized legal victory. On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court unanimously ended the abortion industry's challenge to the state's 6-week abortion ban because of its unique enforcement mechanism through private legal action. "Texas law does not authorize the state-agency executives to enforce the Act's requirements, either directly or indirectly," said the court, so abortion groups could not invalidate the law by suing them. The law has already deterred Texas abortion businesses, saving the lives of 100 babies a day.

Anticipating Gen Z

Millennials, the generation born between 1984 and 2002, are a very significant force in American culture. Let's consider the tail end of the Millennial generation, those aged 18 to 24. That segment represents the latter third of the generation, comprising roughly 30 million individuals.

Seattle Pastor: 'God Is Not Done with This Nation'

"It's really foolish to think that if we start soft-pedaling [tough] issues in the body of Christ that we're going to be listened to on any of the other issues." For Pastor Alec Rowlands, that's been a guiding principle for the last 33 years. The head of Westgate Chapel, near Seattle, has been in ministry a long time, and he understands that we're living in the days of Isaiah 5 -- where good is called evil, and evil is called good. It's all the more reason, he believes, for the church to stand up for truth -- even in the heart of the radical West Coast.

Must-See Huckabee!

Under a radical administration like Joe Biden's, the question on everyone's minds is: What can American Christians do? Tony Perkins talked about that on TBN's "Huckabee" this past weekend. If you missed it, check out his conversation with the former governor of Arkansas!

Disney to DeSantis: Let It Go

If you want to know what a small world it really is at Disney, ask CEO Bob Chapek. The head of the happiest place on earth hasn't had a magical 72 hours after his decision to stay out of Florida's debate over sex education blew up in the company's face. Chapek, who tried to lay low on a bill to keep transgender talk out of K-3 classrooms, found out pretty quickly that when it comes to LGBT issues at Disney, things get, well -- animated.

Dems Use Ukraine to Invade America's Wallets

Record prices may be forcing Americans to cut back -- but not Democrats. Thanks to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Congress just rammed through a massive $1.5 trillion government spending bill that this maxed-out country can't afford. That didn't seem to matter to the majority party, who piled everything from their radical wish list onto a package that was supposed to be about Ukrainian relief. Turns out, the only aid Joe Biden's party really cares about is political.

Guatemala Declared Pro-Life Capital of Latin America

The international pro-life movement achieved a significant victory this week in Guatemala. On Wednesday, March 9, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei celebrated the Ibero-American Congress for Life and Family (CIVF) proclaiming his nation the "pro-life capital of Latin America." Joined by his cabinet, members of the Guatemalan Congress, religious leaders, and a large international delegation, Giammattei vowed to protect life from conception to natural death and promised to fight for families in his nation.

Omnibus or Omnibust? Pelosi's $1.5 Trillion in Woke Pork

To the rest of the world, Russia's invasion is a nightmare. For Democrats, it was an opportunity. The party of "never let a crisis go to waste" needed an excuse to ram through its radical government spending bill -- and the Ukrainians' suffering gave them just the opening they'd been waiting for. Unfortunately for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), exploiting a global catastrophe has its downsides. And in this case, it might mean Democrats are more divided -- and more unpopular -- than ever.

A World of Help for Ukraine

The first thing mothers feel when they get off the train at the Polish line is relief. The second is shock, followed by a rush of emotion and gratitude. There, at the Przemysl station, are lines of empty strollers and car seats free for the Ukrainian refugees. Displaced families walk the rows of cardboard boxes filled with toys and stuffed animals, try on winter coats from the mounds of donations, and rummage through diapers and other necessities. It's the locals' way of saying: let us help.

How to Stand -- With or Without a Platform

These days, it's easier to list the tech giants who have NOT de-platformed conservatives than those who have. Conservatives have finally had enough, a point they emphasized at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in a panel moderated by Tony Perkins. "Heading into Covid," said Washington Times President Chris Dolan, "we were ranked the fifth most reliable newspaper in America from a national survey of households.... Three years later, we're being knocked off platforms because we're not trustworthy. Nothing's changed besides the interpretation of us."

Dems Slip Harmful Human Rights Provision into Russian Sanctions

Congress is rushing through critical pieces of legislation, opening the door for unrelated and harmful amendments to be attached. This is exactly what happened yesterday when the House passed the Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act (H.R. 6968). It's a bipartisan bill to prohibit importing energy from Russia in the wake of Vladimir Putin's brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. However, House Democrats seized the opportunity to tack on a controversial amendment to a bill they knew would pass.

A Crude Assessment of Biden's Oil Fail

The rest of the world may have no use for Vladimir Putin, but in this White House, he's performing one very valuable function: scapegoat. For Joe Biden, who's been desperate to offload his share of the blame for this global catastrophe, the Russian warmonger has been a convenient option. When reporters press him about the pain at the pump, the president simply shrugs and says, "Can't do much about it right now. Russia is responsible." He's even taken to calling it "Putin's price hike" -- hoping Americans' outrage will help them forget: it was Biden who was punishing us all along.

Woke Sex Ed Spends a Day in the Florida Shun

At some point, maybe we should ask the Associated Press who they're associated with. Right now, all we can gather is that they're "associated" with the Democratic Party, the LGBT lobby, and any effort that distorts the news to suit the far-Left. That political bias, which has been on full display with the trucker convoy and election reform, was back in full force Tuesday, when the bastion of journalism couldn't even bring itself to call Florida's parental rights bill by its real name. After all, being honest might have exposed the real news: that most of the state supports it.

Busy Are the Peacemakers

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett embarked on an unprecedented diplomacy tour Saturday, flying to Moscow and then Berlin, and calling Ukrainian President Zelensky three times over the weekend. The substance of his three-hour long meeting with Putin is largely unknown, but one topic was "the number of Jews that are in Ukraine," whom Israel wants to get out of the country safely, CBN Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell reported. It's likely he tried to "mediate what's going on right now in Ukraine and try to bring some end to the hostilities," too. "Israel is in a unique situation," Mitchell explained, "having relationships with Russia and, of course, relationships with the West.

Biden Appoints another Abortion Activist

If you thought President Biden had finished appointing radical pro-abortion activists to key posts in his administration, think again. The president's frustration with HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has evidently not deterred him from promoting other figures who put politics over law and sacrifice every norm to advance abortion. Yet on Tuesday the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations voted 11-11 on just such a nominee, Sarah Cleveland, as Legal Advisor for the Department of State. Although the vote was tied, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer can bring her nomination to the floor with a discharge vote.

Bent But Not Broken

In Lviv, they can barely keep up. There are 200,000 mouths to feed, as women, children, and the elderly pour into the city along the western border. "But the trains are still going," the mayor warns, "and the numbers are growing." In other cities, shelters are at capacity. As families crowd into tiny underground spaces for days on end, places like Mariupol and Volnovakha are running out of food and water. "People are there 11 days now," one of the men says. "[They] are sick... There is no toilet... The basement only gets fresh air when there is no shelling," which lately, is rare. But Ukrainians are not broken, they want people to know. Not even close.

Putin an End to Russian Oil

President Joe Biden has set a lot of records since last year -- all of them bad. He added another one Monday when the United States hit the highest price of gas per gallon ever. Topping the record of $4.11 from his old boss, Barack Obama, Biden has the dubious distinction of presiding yet over another crisis: the collapse of America's energy independence.

Give up the Ghosting: DOJ Ignores States' FOIA Request

The Biden administration is so good at ignoring problems in hopes they will disappear that it could get adopted into a family of ostriches. But Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) is undeterred. Along with 13 other state attorneys general, he filed a lawsuit against the administration for ignoring Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed last fall. "I didn't use anything that any citizen or person in this country couldn't use," he informed "Washington Watch" viewers. "Ignoring me and thirteen other states, now for five months, thinking that we're just going to get bored and go away... is not going to be the final result."

Russian Commander: 'I Feel Shame That We Came to This Country'

The broken bodies lie in the city's rubble, their suitcases packed for the safe haven they will never get to. In Irpin, the carnage is covered by dirty sheets -- but the world is not looking away. To the mayor's horror, an entire family, including two little children, was killed in front of his very eyes when a rocket hit the local checkpoint. "This is murder," a passionate President Volodymyr Zelensky argued. "Deliberate murder." And the Russian people, who may never have the full picture of the nightmare unfolding in Ukraine, agree.

Russian Victory Would Mark End of Religious Freedom in Ukraine

Ukrainians are inspiring the world with their determination to fight back against Russia's unprovoked invasion. Enduring almost two weeks of attacks from one of the most sophisticated militaries in the world, the Ukrainian people have proven their resolve. They don't want to live under the control of Russia or Russian proxies, and for many good reasons. Among the countless tragedies and hardships that a Russian victory would mean for the Ukrainian people is a rollback of religious freedom.

Texas, Not Biden, Has Kids' Backs

The media's criticism has been blistering, but Texas conservatives aren't budging. Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and Governor Greg Abbott (R) are standing behind their decision to protect kids from mutilating surgeries and sterilizing hormones -- no matter how America's editorial pages rage. That's good news for parents -- and even better news for children, who might one day thank the duo for seeing the wisdom they couldn't in waiting.

Nike Swooshes in to Join Corporate Response in Ukraine

They work quietly, each man bending and turning in rhythm. Together, they form a long human chain -- sons and fathers moving in unison to fill sandbags for the attack they all know is coming. One hundred twenty-five miles to the west, Russian soldiers own the streets, giving these exhausted men all the motivation they need to keep working. For days, Odessa's families have braced for an invasion from the sea, a modern version of the horror their grandparents endured in 1941.

Obsession Is Nine-Tenths of Biden's Law

They were just 59 words of the president's State of the Union -- a tiny sliver in a 62-minute speech. But the reality of Joe Biden's transgender agenda is much more vast and all-encompassing than anyone could dream. At a time of war, inflation, and crises from every direction, the White House is spending precious time fighting anyone who dares to believe that children shouldn't be allowed to mutilate their bodies or permanently sterilize themselves under age.

Twitter: Silly Congresswoman, Girls' Sports Are for Boys

While the Kremlin tweets freely about invading Ukraine, Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) got suspended for Twitter for saying something Twitter thinks is much worse. Before I quote her, I just want to forewarn readers everywhere that her comment may incite you to radical acts of fairness and excessive levels of agreement. Here's what she said in the offending tweet: "Women's sports are for women, not men pretending to be women." So much worse than invading a sovereign nation, right?

Rubio: 'It Looks Like His Plan Is a Medieval-Type Siege'

She's become the face of Ukrainian mothers, a Kyiv tour guide who now wonders if anything will be left of the city to visit. Now, she's underground, doing emotional interviews with American media with her two boys and a baby in her lap. Her husband, like all men his age, has joined the country's defense force, and she has no idea if her boys will still have a father when everything is over. People ask why she didn't leave. It's my home, she replies. "If I stay here, [my husband] will fight better, because I will inspire him to be super strong -- like he inspires me to be super strong."

Apple Never Falls Far from the LGBT Tree

Forget Russia's nuclear armament, Ukraine, inflation, crime waves, and gas prices. Apple has tapped into the single greatest concern on everyone's minds: gender-neutral voice assistance. A month after its "pregnant man" emoji was the punching bag of social media, Tim Cook has out-woked himself. To appease the five people who felt slighted by the overtly male and female options for Siri, Apple's "Voice 5" will strive to be neither.

Rank Overreach and Filed Appeals

President Biden offered an olive branch in his Tuesday State of the Union address, but he only delivered a fig leaf. The rhetoric was inspiring: "We can't change how divided we've been. But we can change how we move forward -- on COVID-19 and other issues we must face together." The reality was quite different. Just the day before, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Justice Department's appeal of a preliminary injunction, which prevents the Navy from punishing SEALs who are challenging the military COVID vaccine mandate on religious grounds while the lawsuit proceeds through the courts.

Biden's SOTU Takes a Term for the Worse

One speech was never going to turn the country around, but it would have gone a long way in showing America that Joe Biden was willing to. After 13 months of hardship, loss, fear, and uncertainty, there was a lot of talk before the State of the Union that this was the president's chance to "reboot" his administration, to pivot after a catastrophic year. Instead, the president spent 6,476 words to say one thing: there was never anything wrong to begin with.

Women's Sports Shouldn't Be Collateral Damage in the Left's Campaign to Redefine Gender

This year officially marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a law from 1972 that mandates equal opportunities for women in education. While this anniversary deserves to be recognized, the threat of President Biden's flawed interpretation of this legislation looms larger than ever before.

Zuckerberg Delivers Ballots of Cash

If it looks, swims, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. On Tuesday a Wisconsin Office of Special Counsel reported a "bribery scheme" discovered in the 2020 election, in which the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) unequally funded "get out the vote" (GOTV) efforts in heavily Democratic counties. They conclude, despite Democrats' refrain about "no evidence of widespread voter fraud" (at least in elections where they win), that "security gaps... tend to enable bad actors to operate in the shadows," as shown by their catalog of "numerous questionable and unlawful actions of various actors in the 2020 election."

Infant Messaging: Dems' Abortion Bill Shows First Priorities

For the men and women milling about the Senate floor, it was a surreal moment. They'd been back in session barely two hours -- the first time, many will point out, since Vladimir Putin unleashed his war against the West. But instead of joining the rest of the world in racing to stop the threat against Europe, Democrats had other priorities: the spilling of innocent blood here at home. For the president's party, the timing of their unlimited abortion bill vote will be another thing Americans won't forget this November. It was a disturbing snapshot of the Left's leadership team, who made one of the first orders of business after Russia invaded Ukraine advancing their own war on the unborn.

'Prove You Are With Us'

With temperatures plunging below zero, the Ukrainians have a new enemy: the cold. Huddled in unheated subway stations, carparks, and bomb shelters, their allies in the U.S. watch the missiles hit their targets with fresh concern. "[The Russians] are destroying critical infrastructure," Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned, "which provides millions of people across Ukraine with... gas to keep them from freezing to death." For now, Kyiv's electricity, water, and heat are holding up, but no one is quite sure for how long.

Oh No, Canada: Locking up Pastors in the New Regime

Three weeks -- that's how long Pastor Artur Pawlowski has spent behind bars without a trial. He was denied bail in mid-February, although "he doesn't have a court date pending until March 10^th or 11^th," explained reporter Adam Soos. Pawlowski isn't in North Korea or China. No, he was targeted by Justin Trudeau's totalitarian regime of Canada. You would think a man jailed three times since COVID began, and arrested five times, would have to be some sort of criminal, hardened through long habit and a well-seared conscience. In reality, Canadian officials can't tell the difference between a criminal and a Christian.

Biden: Fenced in after a Year of Failure

Working at the White House hasn't exactly been a bed of roses lately, but you have to feel for the speechwriters. Trying to spin a year's worth of disasters into a triumph of modern liberalism would be hard even for the best fiction writers. And yet, heading into Tuesday's State of the Union speech, that's the task facing this president: pretending that his failures overseas, the high prices at home, and the deep unpopularity of this administration are all a fulfillment of his promise to do "great things."

Ukraine's Most Powerful Weapon -- Courage

They came briefly out of their hiding places Monday, desperate to find food before the three-mile Russian convoy makes it to Kyiv. At supermarkets, long lines spread around the block, as Ukrainians -- anxious to get back to shelter before more explosions -- raced to find anything on sparse shelves. For some, it was the first time they'd been outside in four or five days. As usual, no one has any idea what night will bring.

With Ketanji, Biden Tries to Tip Court's Scales

President Biden may have calculated that Jackson stood the highest chance (among his self-imposed, narrow subset, consisting only of African American women) of being confirmed by the Senate, because the Senate has already confirmed her three times. During the Obama administration, Jackson was confirmed as vice chairman of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and then as a district judge. Then last year the Senate confirmed her to the prestigious D.C. Circuit Court.

A Twilight for Freedom in Kyiv

Underground, it's an alternate universe. Children play ball in the subway hallways or sit on blankets watching their tablets. For the crowd of Ukrainians packed into the cities' makeshift bomb shelters, flashes of normal life are surprisingly calming. Families cluster by piles of belongings, petting their dogs and cats while jets roar overhead. For the third night in a row, they wonder what's left of their cities.

Texas Holds 'Em: GOP Moves to Stop Trans 'Abuse'

While the world implodes, the White House once again managed to find time to attack states that are trying to protect kids from the transgender agenda. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and Governor Greg Abbott (R), like a lot of leaders, see the Left's grip on our children and have taken concrete steps to address it. Not surprisingly, that hasn't sat well with the most radical transgender activist in America: Joe Biden.

Dems Bring Abortion on Demand until Birth Act to Vote

On February 28, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will bring the Abortion on Demand Until Birth Act, otherwise known as the Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA, S. 1975), to a vote. This legislation codifies Roe v. Wade's precedent of legal abortion through the entirety of pregnancy. The bill passed the House in September and needs 60 votes in order to pass the Senate. If the bill does pass and is signed into law, it will become the first-ever piece of federal legislation legalizing the killing of an unborn child.

Ukraine's Day of Infamy

It seems unfathomable that a week ago, the world's televisions were full of triumph and sport, international spirit and respect. Those same screens are unrecognizable now, as people from every continent woke up to a new reality: war. As images flash across monitors of explosions along the Ukrainian front, there's a certain disbelief that any of this is real. Families, hunkered down in bomb shelters. Children, pinned with bright stickers listing their blood types, parents' names, and phone numbers. Mothers and fathers, braced for news that their soldier sons have fallen. A new winter is blowing through the West, and no one is sure how -- or where -- it will end.

Florida Works to Bring Education into the Sunshine

The Left's worst nightmare is an informed parent. And in places like Florida and Missouri, legislators are doing everything they can to build an army of them.

Wish them Truck: Convoys Hit the Road for Freedom

Police helicopters whirred overhead. Dozens of police vans and cruisers idled at strategic intersections. From the noise in the nation's capital Wednesday night, you would have thought a massive manhunt was underway -- or that leaders expected fascist wannabes to torch the city any moment. D.C. Police have placed 500 extra officers on the clock, round the clock, as a "Civil Disturbance Unit" all week long. The only thing missing from this scene is a culprit.

The Great Wall of Corruption

The Olympics may be over, but the real games are taking place now -- in back rooms and board rooms. That's where Beijing is really winning, Peter Schweizer warns. In the biggest corruption scheme of the 21^st century, China is buying off U.S. politicians. And we aren't doing a thing to stop it.

Ukraine -- and the World -- Holds Its Breath

If an invasion happens slowly enough, will anyone notice? That's question Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin seems to be asking himself as he tests the resolve of Western leaders by slowly inching his massive army into Ukraine. Earlier today, the Ukrainian government responded to Russian forces entering dissident-controlled Ukrainian territory by conscripting military reservists, granting citizens the right to bear arms, and declaring a 30-day national emergency (unlike recent emergency extensions by two powerful North American cowards-in-chief, foreign invasion actually qualifies as a national emergency).

Biden's Radioactive Pick for U.S. Nuclear Team

While the world braces for war in Ukraine, Americans will be relieved to know that one of the men at the helm of Biden's Office of Nuclear Energy is a stiletto-wearing, Kink 101 enthusiast who likes tying up his sexual partners. In a White House bent on normalizing "queer culture," Sam Brinton's appointment as deputy assistant secretary of spent fuel and waste disposition is par for the deviant course. But to everyday Americans, who thought they were getting a "moderate" president, the picture of our newest government official standing over a man in a dog collar is a poorly timed reminder that voters elected anything but.

Let the Games Chagrin

The closing ceremonies of the 2022 Beijing Olympics couldn't come soon enough for NBC, who just broadcasted the biggest Games flop of the modern age. With ratings in the basement and its credibility in tatters, no one is quite sure what the network got for its $7.75 billion dollar investment -- except very expensive heartburn. When the curtain finally came down on the disaster that was the Winter Games, there were winners, to be sure. But there were, for the first time, many more losers -- and the sporting world that allowed China to host was the biggest.

Behind Ukrainian Lines

"The adults are back in charge." That's what Joe Biden wanted the world to believe after his sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin last June. "We'll find out with the next six months to a year whether or not we actually have a strategic dialogue that matters," he said. Well, less than a year later -- as Russian tanks roll through the separatist regions of Ukraine, beating the drums of war -- we have our answer.

Biden's One-Pandemic-Fits-All Approach

The White House has extended the national emergency in response to the COVID pandemic "beyond March 1, 2022." President Biden, who promised to "shut down the virus," will celebrate the second birthday of "two weeks to slow the spread" by pretending most people haven't resumed business as usual. Meanwhile, the disease is screeching to a halt, as every available metric -- cases, hospitalizations, deaths -- plummets. Washington, D.C. may also screech to a halt, as the U.S. Freedom Convoy piles in next week to protest ongoing, unwarranted restrictions. "I don't understand why he's doing it," exclaimed Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) on "Washington Watch."

Conversation Peace: Diplomacy Fizzles as Russia Ramps up

On the streets, people say, there isn't panic. Grocery stores still have food, and kids head off to soccer practice as if their country weren't on the brink of a full-scale war. But anxiety and fear hang like a darkening cloud. Ukrainian Alexandra Matzota says that when she wakes up in the middle of the night -- which is often now -- she checks the news "to see if we have been attacked." Like most families, they have an emergency plan in place now. They've stocked up on food, bought a wood-burning stove in case the power or gas is cut, and stockpiled fuel. But no matter how much she tells herself everything is fine, Matzota knows "you can't remain calm when 10 times a day you see statements about an imminent attack..."

Conservative Success: Locally Sourced in 2022

In the four million square miles known as America, it's easy to forget that Washington, D.C. is just a sliver. While most of the attention is focused on the noisy rectangle that holds our nation's capital, a lot of incredible things are happening outside the District -- especially on the issues we care about. From life and election reform to sports and gender, the states are teed up for a record year. So while the president might not be pushing good policy, take heart. Your locally-elected leaders are more than making up for it!

Ghost of a Bygone ERA

On Friday, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) sensibly withdrew the state from a lawsuit against reality. Under the previous, progressive administration, Virginia had joined Nevada and Illinois in suing the national archivist to recognize the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), approved by Congress in 1973. These three states argued that their ratification of the ERA brought the total number of ratifying states up to the constitutionally required threshold.

Canada Goes Tow to Tow with Truckers

They blasted their horns and sang "O Canada!" Some of the protestors linked arms as Ottawa police moved through the 300 semis and campers, arresting people along the way. Others locked themselves in their cars or defiantly rolled canisters of diesel down the blockade. But that was the extent of the "backlash." When officers started cracking down on the Freedom Convoy Friday morning, there were no Molotov cocktails. The truckers didn't torch government buildings or throw fireworks at mounted police. Ever since the demonstration started, they've been composed, peaceful. And the American Left can't stand it.

GOP Tries to Put Masks on the No-Fly List

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is hoping to permanently ground the federal aviation mask mandate with a lawsuit filed Wednesday. "The argument is pretty simple," he said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "didn't have the authority to issue these mask mandates for transportation hubs and commercial airlines.... There was no statutory authority from Congress, and certainly there was no authority to say that they were going to potentially impose criminal penalties -- which they do, if you listen to them, on every flight." To make it "some type of criminal felony," he argued, "Congress would have had to pass that."

Leah Sharibu's Grim Anniversary: Four Years in Captivity

On February 19, 2018, a beautiful fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl named Leah Sharibu was among more than 100 girls kidnapped by ISWAP-affiliated Boko Haram terrorists. Their abduction took place at 5:30 in the afternoon, when the girls were unexpectedly seized at Dapchi Girls' Science and Technical College.

Behind the Rings, a Bloody Harvest

Inside the high-tech cocoon of the Olympic Games, it's literally a different world. Robots whip up fresh pots of coffee and cocktails, while bowls of noodles magically appear from the ceiling. There are nail and hair salons, flower shops, menus with 678 food options, even "zero-G" beds. It's the closed loop the Chinese government wanted -- the "bubble" that would keep the questions at bay. Athletes go about their days, writing sports greatest stories -- while outside, a dirty secret lurks. There's a second genocide ripping through the provinces, a bloody trail almost too ghoulish to believe.

Faith at the Stake: The Trial Warning to the World

On Tuesday, a Finnish court heard its final arguments in a case that's captured the world's attention -- for all the wrong reasons. Päivi Räsänen, a Finnish member of parliament, has been on trial for weeks for practicing her faith in a country that supposedly has the freedom of religion. For tweeting a Bible passage and reaffirming her belief in the Bible's definition of marriage, the 62-year-old doctor and grandmother of seven faces three charges of what the country calls "ethnic agitation."

Brave Truckers and Faithful Pastors: The Uprise against Canada's Champagne Tyranny

Before there were the Canadian truckers, there were the Canadian pastors.\rIn case the preceding sentence is strange to you, here's what has been happening in Canada lately. Truckers from across the nation streamed into Ottawa a week or two ago. They did so in order to peacefully protest the loss of liberties.

Olympic Rings Hollow for Missing Generations

Heading into Wednesday's competition, China was a distant 11^th in the medal count. For this year's Olympic host -- and the world's largest population -- the ranking must come as a disappointment. If it is, President Xi Jinping isn't about to let on. "I don't care how many gold medals Chinese athletes win this time," he claimed. But there have to be moments when even he must wonder how much they could have accomplished with the generations China destroyed.

If at First You Don't Succeed, Pay for More Failure

It's one thing to assume a Leftist policy is bad -- and another thing to know for sure it is. That's the interesting situation the White House finds itself in now that another study has just blown an enormous hole in Biden's government-run pre-K plan. The $390 billion dollar proposal is based on a failed model, experts keep saying. Now, after a study of 3,000 students, we'll see if the Democrats are listening. If they don't, it's because they have one thing on their minds -- and it's not education. It's indoctrination.

Media Plays the Quiet Game on Latest Russia Hoax Revelations

The lamestream media can't stay quiet enough on the latest revelations of DOJ Special Counsel John Durham, tasked with investigating the origins of the Trump-Russia collusion hoax. According to Durham's latest court filings on Friday, Trump's claims that he was spied on are true. A tech executive, who had privileged access to Internet data to through a federal cybersecurity contract, used that access to "mine Internet data to establish 'an inference' and 'narrative' tying then candidate Trump to Russia."

U.S. Sponsors Fan the Olympic Flame

America's biggest companies may be downplaying their Olympic sponsorships at home, but in Beijing? You can't walk two feet without a flashy reminder of the U.S.'s heavy corporate presence. "At the bottom of the slope where snowboarders [compete]... an electronic sign cycles through ads for companies like Samsung and Audi," the New York Times explains. "Coca-Cola's cans are adorned with Olympic rings. Procter & Gamble has opened a beauty salon in the Olympic Village. Visa is the event's official credit card." Like most of today's corporate culture, it's the tale of two continents: demand "justice" at home, enable the violators of it abroad.

Waiting on a Price Fighter to Knock out Inflation

The around-the-clock Olympic coverage may be taking some of the heat off the White House, but the relief is only temporary. While Americans are distracted by medal counts, compelling stories, and governments who are worse than ours, the other February news is a rude reminder of how much the Biden administration has set us back. Most people already realize our economy is going downhill faster than the U.S. ski team -- what they don't know, thanks to Joe Biden, is when it will stop.

Califf Joins Biden's Who-Not-to-Hire Team

Robert Califf's nomination as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) didn't include the "unknowns" many nominees face. Senators know exactly how he'll handle the job because he held it once before. Based on his track record, he didn't deserve another chance. Yet the Senate confirmed him today in a 50-46 vote. Six Republican senators supported Califf's confirmation, which meant that he was confirmed even though five Democrats voted against him, and one Democrat was unable to vote. If Republicans had been united in opposition, Robert Califf's confirmation would have failed.

GOP Gives Big Business Feud for Thought

This Valentine's Day, there's no love lost between conservatives and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The word "strained" doesn't begin to describe the two sides' relationship after drifting even farther apart last year. Since the election, things have taken an increasingly bitter turn under the group's woke leadership, who seem to be enamored with Leftist organizations like Black Lives Matter that helped torch cities in 2020 and led to the shutdown of businesses the Chamber is supposed to represent. And by the looks of it, those fences aren't going to be mended anytime soon.

'Bible Trial' Wraps up in Finland

What secular European media has labeled the "Bible Trial" wrapped up in Finland today. Now, Finnish member of parliament P\u00E4ivi R\u00E4s\u00E4nen is left to wait for the verdict. This case has not only turned out to be one of the biggest religious freedom cases in Europe, but globally. Before closing arguments today, FRC's Special Advisor for Religious Freedom, Andrew Brunson, delivered a prayer pledge signed by 14,341 Americans committed to praying for P\u00E4ivi.

The Truck Stops Here

As the truckers' protest in Ottawa enters its third week, Canadian lawmakers are beginning to feel the pain. While some snarl traffic in the capital, other vehicles have blocked three U.S.-border crossings, including the busiest -- Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. Earlier today, protestors opened one lane to Canada-bound traffic, but Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency anyway. For protestors who don't return home, "there will be consequences, and they will be severe," Ford threatened -- up to $100,000 and a year in prison.

Biden FCC Nominee Presents Grave Danger to Free Speech

The nomination of a commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may seem like a routine matter, but in this time of unprecedented crackdowns on the freedom of speech, nothing about the federal regulation of media should be considered routine. Indeed, even a cursory look at Biden administration FCC nominee Gigi Sohn's background is cause for grave concern for free speech, which is why Senate Republicans are mounting strong opposition to Sohn potentially serving as an FCC commissioner.

The Olympics and Genocide Collide

A leader at Chinese state media outlet China Daily took to Twitter this week to troll the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The museum published a tweet remembering how the Nazis used the 1936 Olympics as propaganda, and warned that the Chinese government could use a similar tactic to cover up atrocities during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. In response, Chen Weihua called the Chinese government's policies in Xinjiang "vocational training."

America Is Recovering From COVID Overreach

"It's time we accept COVID is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives," said 70 percent of Americans in a recent Monmouth University poll. Echelon Insights reported 55 percent of voters believe COVID-19 should be treated as "endemic," while 38 percent believe it should be "treated as a public health emergency." Why are attitudes shifting away from a pandemic mindset? Perhaps its because, as a Kaiser Family Foundation survey found, 75 percent and 73 percent of adults are "tired" or "frustrated," respectively.

Biden: Parents' Rights in Schools Are 'Hateful'

President Joe Biden has moved one step closer to fulfilling his pledge to unite the country--by attacking parents. The president, whose primary qualification for office is that he isn't Donald Trump, played to type on Tuesday by sending a mean tweet regarding something irrelevant to his job. Taking a play out of the Terry McAuliffe primer for how to lose a governor's race, Biden called a Florida bill "hateful" for protecting parents' rights and requiring age-appropriate classroom discussions. Perhaps it's not the way he imagined, but the president has already convinced 58 percent of Americans that he's doing a bad job, according to a new CNN poll.

China's Relentless Abuses -- From Tiananmen Square to Today's Olympics

Thanks to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, all eyes are on China. And fortunately, some concerned observers are looking past the glitzy ice rinks, snowy slopes, and award podiums. Instead, they're paying close attention to what's going on beyond the scenes of NBC's carefully orchestrated and edited broadcasts. And what these observers are seeing is far from good news. It's the reason some are calling these China-hosted Olympics the "Genocide Games."

Missouri Moves to Protect Minors from Gender Transition

State Rep. Suzie Pollock of Missouri's 123rd district has just introduced H.B. 2649, the Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, to protect minors from harmful physiological gender transition procedures. Missouri is the fifth state to introduce a SAFE Act this year.

Gospel Saved from Indiana Counseling Ban

Now for some good news: pastors and Christian counselors in West Lafayette, Indiana preserved their ability to teach God's Word to young people, after the city council withdrew a proposed ordinance that would have banned it.

The Olympic Spirit Isn't Doing So Well in Beijing

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) describes the "Olympic Spirit" as one of "mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." If the IOC expected China to play along with this spirit when they inexplicably awarded the 2022 Winter Games to a communist autocracy with an unparalleled record of human rights abuses and brazen espionage, they are gravely mistaken and hopelessly naïve.

Corporate America Caves to China. Main Street America Must Not.

"The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" -- a classic theme of competitive sports -- is being continuously broadcast on NBC as the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics competition unfolds. But the corporate-sponsored programming is not winning the massive audiences that once celebrated the global games. In fact, viewership is shockingly low. The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics saw a historic slump in viewership, with just 16 million total viewers tuning in, down 43 percent from the previous games.

Natural Immunity: Don't Follow the Science Cherry-Pickers

A new study from Johns Hopkins on natural immunity to COVID-19 might prove Anthony Fauci's worst nightmare. "If you had a positive COVID test in the past, then you had a 99.3 percent chance of having circulating antibodies against COVID, and those antibodies were present up to 20 months, nearly two years after the infection," explained Dr. Marty Makary on "Washington Watch." The antibodies could last longer, but "that's as long as the infection has been around."

Tell Congress to Oppose the Global Respect Act

Don't be fooled by the name. The "Global Respect Act," a bill currently being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives, has nothing to do with respecting authentic human rights.

Pelosi Again Disqualifies Olympic Criticism

During Friday's opening ceremony, China kicked off its Genocide Games with an obvious PR stunt; one of two athletes who lit the Olympic cauldron was a woman of reportedly Uyghur heritage. The unmistakable message China is promoting is that Western criticism is incorrect, that there is no genocide against the Uyghurs in Xinxiang, that the U.S. declaration of genocide is baseless propaganda.

The Olympics Shouldn't Be the Propaganda Win China Wants

The television ratings for the 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony were down 43 percent compared to 2018. While this may surprise NBC executives hoping to make bank, it shouldn't be a surprise that Americans are less than enthused to tune in to what has been nicknamed the "Genocide Games."

Final Call -- Pledge to Pray for Paivi

In Finland, a member of parliament, Päivi Räsänen, is facing criminal charges. Her offense? Tweeting a Scripture verse (Romans 1:24-27) that reinforces biblical belief about sexuality.

Beijing 2022: A Golden Opportunity to Hold China Accountable

As much as China wants to dominate the ice and slopes at this year's Olympics, winning medals is only part of the goal. Its greatest victory, the regime knows, would be rehabilitating its global image. And in some ways, the propaganda game has already been won. Not only did Beijing win the hosting job from the International Olympic Committee over the world's objections, but it managed to convince some of the planet's biggest advertisers to pour their money into a country that spends its free time committing mass atrocities against its own people. Atrocities, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) argues, our athletes should ignore.

Truckers Refuse to Yield on Vaccine Mandate

COVID cases may be going down, but the health worker shortage is bigger than ever. In places like New York, leaders are desperately trying to fill the 34,000-person gap by either bringing in foreign nurses or throwing money at the ones already here. "We have to stop the hemorrhaging of current health care workers," Governor Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) insisted. Her state's solution? Four billion dollars in bonuses and higher wages. Conservatives have a better idea: end the job-crushing mandate.

The Evidence Is Clear: When Parents Are Engaged, Politicians Respond

In a review of all the political news in 2021, it would be hard to deny the impact of parents engaging the system. Politicians are responding to the undeniable force of concerned parents advocating for and protecting children. With state legislatures in full swing, we see many examples of legislation that reflect this much-needed pressure from parents: bills opposing the teaching of critical race theory (CRT), protecting students from gender identity ideology, providing oversight of libraries, and encouraging school curricula transparency.

The Lockdown Takedown: New Study Finally Isolates Facts

Three months after Dr. Anthony Fauci declared, "I am the science," the science begs to disagree. An explosive new study from Johns Hopkins has taken the world by storm, slamming the idea of mass lockdowns to fight COVID -- and destroying whatever scrap of credibility Fauci had left. Not only did the lockdowns disrupt lives, but they also had "little to no effect" in saving them. They hurt us socially, economically, and mentally, the researchers concluded, "with devastating effects." If the lockdowns benefited anyone, it turns out, it was the politicians -- who used them to expand power they never should have had.

Freedom on Furlough: Biden Ousts Military's Unvaxxed

Just how anti-freedom is the Biden administration? Even a military chaplain can't get a religious exemption! In an astonishing story, a Navy reservist complained to Fox News that his vaccine accommodation was denied -- even though he had his two commanders' approval. "That they're getting away with it just absolutely astounds me," the chaplain said on the condition of anonymity. "It's a kick in the gut for sure."

With All Eyes on the Olympics, China Threatens House Churches

The upcoming Olympics in Beijing are putting a spotlight on China's human rights abuses, and rightfully so. Religious freedom conditions are continuing to deteriorate in China. Things were so bad for one house church, that they fled together to South Korea. Now, that same group of Chinese Christians could be repatriated.

Beijing Can't Hold a Torch to Olympic Standards

The world's best athletes are already skiing their way down China's Genting Snow Park, but the slipperiest slope is that they're there at all. Two days away from the official kick-off to the 2022 Beijing Games, the international uproar is deafening. While hockey and curling get underway in China's state-of-the-art facilities, millions of innocent people are locked away in cells, waiting for their next beating, their next rape, or final breath. A six-hour plane ride away from the greatest sports spectacle of the last two years, the host is hiding the biggest torture network of the modern age. And the International Olympic Committee knew it.

China: More Than Meets the Spy

Whenever the U.S. goes head-to-head with China at the Olympics, there's always an intense competitiveness between the two sports superpowers. But that rivalry extends to a lot more than the Games, as FBI Director Christopher Wray spelled out in terrifying detail. China is determined to win where it matters -- in global supremacy -- and they'll infiltrate any American institution to do it. In most cases, he warns, they already have.

From Smash and Grab to Catch and Nab

How the famous outlaws of the Wild West would love today's California. Back in the day, they had to deal with sheriffs slinging six-shooters, possés of angry townsfolk, and private security literally "riding shotgun" on armed convoys. Today all it takes is a hammer and a backpack -- hoods are optional -- because the police won't apprehend criminals; there's just no point in catching them. The state changed the rules of "cops and robbers" so that "robbers" get to bolt as soon as they are taken to "jail."

Frozen Bear, Sulking Dragon

Yesterday's meeting of the United Nations Security Council was possibly its most exciting, ever. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield called for an open discussion on the crisis in Ukraine, saying, "This is not about antics. It's not about rhetoric. It's not about the U.S. and Russia. What this is about is the peace and security of one of our member states." Perhaps knowing the self-inflicted embarrassment that would follow, Russia and China haplessly attempted to block debate, but got steamrolled in a lopsided 10-2 vote (with three abstentions).

Restoring Accountability to the People's House

Since its inception in 1789, the United States House of Representatives has been known as the "People's House." This is because our Founding Fathers had a very specific purpose in mind when they formed the House -- that it would be a body that would fully represent public opinion, and therefore be fully accountable to that public.

How Inaccurate Prenatal Tests Benefit Planned Parenthood

On the day of this year's March for Life, congressional Republicans sent a letter to Acting U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock. Prompted by a recent New York Times exposé reporting that prenatal genetic screening tests are incorrect 85 percent of the time, the letter asks Woodcock whether the FDA will be taking any steps to regulate these prenatal screenings in light of the concerningly high rate of false positives...

Breyer Beware: Biden Looks to Out-Woke Justices

When Chief Justice John Roberts was asked what he'll miss most about his retiring colleague, he didn't hesitate. Justice Stephen Breyer, he said, was a dear friend with a "surprisingly comprehensive collection of riddles and knock-knock jokes." Now, the real riddle is his replacement. When Breyer finishes out his term in June, plenty of people will be knocking on the door. Who's there? If the president's track record is any indication, we already know one thing for certain. Whoever it is will treat the Constitution the same way this administration has: with contempt.

Dem Campaigns Make Light of Dark Money

If there's anything the Left hates more than Donald Trump, it's "dark money. They coined the term -- which stands for political contributions from undisclosed sources -- to create fear and resentment. But ironically, Democrats profit from dark money a whole lot more than Republicans. A new analysis of politically active nonprofits by the New York Times reveals over $1.5 billion was spent for Democratic candidates, compared to $900 million for Republicans -- more funds than the Joe Biden and Donald Trump campaigns raised combined. That's a lot of dough.

University of Pittsburgh Succumbs to Moral Depravity

Four months after 93 House and Senate members demanded answers from the Biden administration regarding federally-funded fetal tissue research at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), the university has released an investigative report stating that the institution is "fully compliant with federal and state regulatory requirements."

Tech Mate: How Silicon Valley's China Pals Compromise America

He calls it "the scariest investigation I've ever conducted." And anyone reading through the bombshell revelations of Peter Schweizer's new book are bound to agree. Most Americans knew the Chinese Communist Party was quietly trying to infiltrate our colleges, financial institutions, tech companies -- even our military. What they didn't know is who's helping them: Big Tech. Turns out, Silicon Valley isn't just sympathetic to the evil regime -- they're accessories to it.

Biden Takes a Vax to Americans' Privacy

While the rest of the world is winding down its COVID restrictions, Joe Biden is just getting warmed up. Almost two years into this government power grab, the White House is taking its overreach to new heights -- this time with a federal database so intrusive it would make China proud. If you thought privacy was a constitutionally-guaranteed right, buckle up. "Nosy" doesn't begin to describe this president's government.

State Legislators Kick off 2022 with a Bang

A month into 2022, state legislators are hard at work defending life, the family, and religious liberty. Family Research Council is currently tracking over 300 state-level bills that seek to do just that, and we hope more are on the way.

DirecTV Channels Its Inner Censor

The media likes to say Christians are a dying, ineffectual voice in the public square. If that were true -- if people of faith really had no influence in this country -- then why is the Left pretending to be one of them? They talk a good game, but radical Democrats are terrified of the impact that motivated believers are having in today's debates. So they put on a few clerical collars, cite a couple Bible verses, and declare themselves guardians of the democracy. At least that's what an organization called "Faithful America" did. It was only later that people started to wonder: faithful to who and to what?

'Pastors Need to Lead the Way If Life Is Going to Win'

This past week, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas announced it was dropping its appeal of a U.S. district court's dismissal of its case against the citizens of Lubbock, Texas. This decision makes Lubbock the first city since Roe v. Wade to uphold legislation completely protecting the unborn.

Congress Should Respect Human Rights; The 'Global Respect Act' Doesn't

The U.S. House of Representatives could soon consider the Global Respect Act (H.R. 3485). Although the title sounds benign, this bill would harm U.S. foreign policy by inserting a radical gender ideology into America's human rights efforts.

Russia's Gas Grip Has the World over a Barrel

If the White House didn't orchestrate Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement, then they certainly won't be unhappy about its timing. A vacancy on the Supreme Court is exactly what the PR spin doctors ordered for Joe Biden, who's had trouble changing the news cycle from the president's latest debacle-waiting-to-happen: Ukraine. And while it might turn a few heads in the short term, it won't do anything to quell the long-term problem of Vladimir Putin. As the rest of the world scrambles to pull Europe back from the brink of war, the burning question in most nations' minds isn't whether America can stop Putin -- but whether an America led by Joe Biden can.

Misdiagnosing COVID: Where Biden and the Media Got It Wrong

The U.S. Supreme Court dropped the hammer on the president's vaccine mandate almost two weeks ago, but the administration must have had a hard time saying goodbye. It took 12 full days, but OSHA, the government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, finally got around to shutting down the private employer "jabs for jobs" rule it never had the grounds to write. A defeated Biden formally withdrew his "emergency temporary standard" this week -- which, as it turns out, was never an emergency, but thanks to the justices, it sure was temporary.

Involved Parents Are America's Most Wanted

Round One in Virginia goes to Team Parents. On day one, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) announced a hotline for parents to report divisive material in the schools. In no time, that hotline began to expose woke ideology. "There were reports of a school in Fairfax County teaching a high school level course that included a privilege bingo game," said FRC Senior Fellow for Education Studies Meg Kilgannon, where, if you were white or male or were part of a military family, you had "privilege." Talk about an unrealistic, unfair portrayal of how real life works!

Finland Puts the Bible on Trial

Yesterday, Europe's biggest religious freedom case went to trial. A Finnish member of parliament, Päivi Räsänen, has been charged by the Finnish prosecutor general with three counts of "ethnic agitation," a hate speech provision in Finland's criminal code. Each count relates to Räsänen's respectful expression of widely held Christian beliefs.

Ukraine's Perfect Storm Unleashes a Torn-NATO Warning

Yesterday's headlines could have been written by J.R.R. Tolkien: the men of the West are mobilizing their forces to rush to the aid of a nation standing alone against an aggressive enemy who surrounds them with overwhelming numbers. In modern terms, NATO members are finally responding to Russia amassing 100,000 troops to the north, south, and east of Ukraine. Even the Biden administration has varied its policy of appeasement with a few vigorous actions; 8,500 American troops are "on alert for a possible rush deployment," said Washington Times reporter Guy Taylor on "Washington Watch."

Supreme Court Poised To Rule for Christian Flag

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments in an important free speech case. Shurtleff v. City of Boston deals with the city's decision to deny the application of an organization that wanted to fly the Christian flag on a city flagpole that is open to outside groups. Although lower courts sided with the city and against the organization wanting to fly the Christian flag, it appears the Supreme Court is poised to rule against Boston.

America Must Leave the Dirty Half Dozen Most Pro-Abortion Countries

In 1973, a small group of pro-lifers joined a Catholic attorney named Nellie Gray for dinner. Six months prior, the U.S. Supreme Court had issued its infamous Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy the default law of every state. These advocates for the unborn were determined not to let the one-year anniversary of the decision pass without acknowledging it with a march -- a protest demanding that Congress (as Nellie put it) "pay attention to 20,000 people coming in the middle of winter to tell them to overturn Roe v. Wade." And so, the March for Life was born.

Fatigue Identified as Major Side Effect of COVID Over-regulation

Thousands of Americans gathered yesterday in Washington, D.C. to protest the federal government's increasingly unreasonable COVID mandates. One year into President Joe Biden's term, he has done the opposite of his promise to "shut down the virus, not the country." Fatigue is a common symptom of COVID-19, but it's a universal symptom of the ridiculous mask and vaccine mandates that have long outlived their prudence and propriety. As other countries prepare to move on with their lives, President Biden insists that Americans must remain in a prison of our own making.

Does Genocide Fall "Below the Line" of Things You Care About?

Chamath Palihapitiya, billionaire part-owner of the Golden State Warriors, recently went viral for saying he's not at all concerned about an ongoing genocide currently taking place in the world's most populous country.

Hope Is on the March

The tens of thousands of pro-lifers who made the trek to Washington, D.C. this morning didn't just come to support the unborn. They came to see history. For 49 years, they've slogged through rain, snow, sleet, and freezing cold for the March for Life with one prayer in their hearts: an end to Roe v. Wade. Today, that dream is closer than ever.

Indiana's New Going Rate for Biblical Advice: $1,000

Imagine being stuck in a cycle of depression or an unhealthy relationship and not being able to get help. Well, unfortunately, people in 22 states don't have to imagine it. Thanks to a string of bad laws, something as simple as sitting down and talking to a counselor about your struggles with sexuality isn't allowed because it is illegal. And if the far-Left has its way, small towns like West Lafayette, Indiana will be next.

Virginians Get Generational Opportunity

It takes conviction to dismantle governmental machinery designed to advance the radical agenda of the political Left, and it takes creativity to refashion that raw material into something productive. In his first week on the job, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has shown he has the conviction, and he has the creativity.

King of the Bungle

The kinder reviews said it "didn't go quite as planned." But for anyone else tuning in to the longest presidential news conference in history, it was a disaster of epic proportions. The White House had been shielding Joe Biden from the press for months. And now we all understand why.

A Year in the Strife of Joe Biden

To Joe Biden, it's been a year. To the rest of the country, it's felt like an eternity. The one-year anniversary of this president's inauguration hasn't exactly been cause for nationwide celebration, as a good number of his voters will tell you. Twelve months into his catastrophic term, only 28 percent of the country would reelect him (and that was before his disaster of a press conference). So when a reporter asked if the country is more unified than when he took office, Joe Biden is right. They are more unified -- against him.

U.S. Complicity and Complacency Endangers Christians Worldwide

Early every year, Open Doors presents its updated World Watch List: "The top 50 countries where it's most difficult to follow Jesus." The 2022 list was introduced at a press conference on January 19, hosted by David Curry, Open Doors CEO. This year Curry's presentation included exceptionally worrisome information about new dangers globally, and deadly shifts in the free world's responses.

In Woke Schools, the Only Thing Being Assigned Is Gender

Maybe Democrats have decided that they don't need parents to win elections. That certainly wasn't the case in Virginia, where Glenn Youngkin (R) was just inaugurated as governor because his opponent thought schools knew better than moms and dads. And it probably won't be the case in Michigan either, but that hasn't stopped the state's tone-deaf Democrats from telling parents to get out of education -- and stay out.

Lab of Lies: How Fauci's Spin Changed the Debate

Americans haven't had a whole lot of reasons to trust Dr. Anthony Fauci after two years of COVID whiplash -- and they have even less reason now. Thanks to pages of emails just released by the Washington Post and BuzzFeed News, the country is getting a whole new look at the early days of the pandemic. And for the people in charge of the messaging, the cover-up is far from flattering.

Dems: To Save Democracy, We Must Kill It

Senate Democrats opened debate Tuesday on a bill to override state election laws with a grab-bag of Leftist pet issues. The party controlling the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and White House after the last federal election is insisting the entire election system is fundamentally flawed and must be completely overhauled. Don't ask me how that makes sense. Are they questioning the legitimacy of their own electoral victory? Are they going to impeach themselves next?

NBA Courts China with Uyghur Snub

Turns out, a lot more people care about the Uyghurs than billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya thought. The part-owner of the NBA's Golden State Warriors has gotten more than his share of blowback over his shocking comments about China's persecuted minority. Hear what the chairman of the board for the Uyghur Human Rights Project had to say about the controversy from Tuesday's "Washington Watch."

Greed between the Lines of NBA's Politics

Two days ago, most people had never heard of Chamath Palihapitiya. Now, the part-owner of the Golden State Warriors is all over social media, representing everything Americans have come to despise about the NBA -- its blatant hypocrisy, its spoiled detachment, and heartless opportunism. The billionaire venture capitalist has done us one favor, though. He admits it. When Palihapitiya says he doesn't give a flying flip about China's persecuted, we believe him. And we also realize -- in a league of phony social justice crusaders -- he's not alone.

Biden's Military Retreats into Wokeism

With all of the disruptions to daily life right now, it's hard to see past America's own crises. But there's a lot of volatility outside our borders these days -- and very little faith that our president has the strength to confront it. If the United States is hoping for any sense of stability, that has to change -- Republicans warn -- and fast.

Women Facing Violence in Prison Deserve Better

Every social movement has advocates on each side of the issue offering critiques and ideas that could change the tide of public opinion. This is certainly true of the women's movement in the United States. Regardless of your ideals and what side of the debate you take, it is undeniable that this movement has informed and educated our society on issues of trauma, domestic violence, and abuse.

Virginia Finds Hope in the Gov Compartment

Of all the things in short supply right now, optimism may be the hardest to find. After 12 disappointing months of an administration whose domestic and foreign policy failures are rivaled only by the number of illegals crossing the border, Americans everywhere are desperate for some sign of hope, some indication that the country they love isn't completely lost. This past Saturday, on a sunny day in Virginia, that hope returned.

How the Democratic Boom Led to Economic Bust

It isn't exactly the one-year anniversary card Joe Biden was hoping for. Twelve months into this ill-advised marriage, Americans have three words for how this president makes them feel: "frustrated" (50 percent), "disappointed" (49 percent), and "nervous" (40 percent). Any love they had for this administration has been lost -- and quickly. Just 25 percent of the country feels "calm" or "satisfied" by his leadership, and based on the crises we're facing, even that feels generous.

Religious Freedom Day: Biden Fails to Uphold America's First Freedom

Since 1993, the United States has formally observed Religious Freedom Day on January 16. The day honors the nation's first religious freedom law, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, passed in 1786. Like other presidents before him, President Joe Biden released a proclamation acknowledging the day. Although the president's comments on religious freedom were mostly encouraging, it is difficult to appreciate his rhetoric when many of his actions throughout the first year of his presidency have undermined the freedoms he claims to support.

Skillet's Sizzling New Album: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

Fans of Skillet lead singer John Cooper were counting down the days until the band's new album, Dominion, was released January 14^th. FRC's Joseph Backholm got an inside look at was behind Skillet's latest songs with Cooper on Friday's "Washington Watch." Don't miss what this agent of cultural change has to say in this special sneak peek.

Hollow the Leader: Biden's Empty Year Takes Its Toll

If you thought your week was bad, Joe Biden's was worse. The president, who is bleeding support with every empty produce aisle, has had his share of awful days. Still, his PR team probably wouldn't have chosen to spend his one-year anniversary in office next Thursday spinning a trifecta of defeats. In a matter of hours, Biden witnessed the end of the private employer vaccine mandate at the Supreme Court -- followed, that same afternoon, by a death blow to two of the Left's signature priorities: the crusade to end the Senate filibuster and his raging attempt to takeover U.S. elections.

At Christian Colleges, a Degree of Intolerance from DOE

Inflation is off the charts, Russia's on the verge of a Ukrainian war, shoppers can't find a bagged salad to save their lives, and what is Joe Biden's focus? Transgenderism. While the country fights to stay above water in the COVID surge, worker shortage, price hikes, and every other crisis this administration has made worse, the Department of Education has decided to take the fight over gender identity to Christian colleges. If this is their attempt to change the conversation, it's a pathetic one.

A Win at SCOTUS on Vaccine Mandates

On Thursday afternoon, the Supreme Court issued a mixed bag regarding President Biden's vaccine mandate. The Court struck down OSHA's mandate requiring all employers with over 100 employees to enforce a vaccine mandate. However, Justice Roberts and Kavanaugh sided with the liberal justices to permit the mandate on those working with Medicaid and Medicare recipients to move forward.

SCOTUS Ends Mandates for U.S. Businesses

In a huge blow to President Joe Biden, the U.S. Supreme Court responded to his COVID overreach the way most Americans had hoped: striking down the largest of his vaccine mandates. By a vote of 6-3, the justices agreed that the president had zero authority to demand that employers of 100 or more employees be vaccinated or bear the weight of routine testing.

Biden Fizzles While Home Burns

Let's hope whoever Joe Biden was trying to please with his Atlanta speech is happy, because the rest of the country is still scratching its head. While most Americans are struggling to find groceries (and wondering how they'll pay for them when they do), the man in charge was flying to Georgia to rail about nonexistent voting problems. And it's not just the president who's out to lunch. When the worst inflation number in 40 years hit, several Democrats were holed up in emergency meetings. But they weren't brainstorming economic solutions, CNN points out. They were there to persuade moderates to blow up the Senate rules.

All Trails Lead to Cardona in Parents-as-Terrorist Flap

For Joe Biden, the uproar his administration caused by calling parents "domestic terrorists" has been a controversy he never could shake. Since October, when Attorney General Merrick Garland threatened to sic the FBI on moms and dads who spoke up at school board meetings, the administration has been on the losing side of a very public PR battle. Now, the optics are worse. Just how much collusion was there between the administration and the National School Board Association (NSBA) in the weeks leading up to the letter? A lot more, it turns out, than any of us were led to believe.

The View from the Cheat Seats

For Joe Biden, the Atlanta speech checked all the boxes: a handful of out-of-context Bible verses (check), wild historical inaccuracies (check), gratuitous references to January 6^th (check), the abandonment of another decades-long political view (check), and a general shaming of any American who thinks consensus and honesty ought to be part of our governing structure. Twelve months into this White House, the president's rambling attack on democracy was the move of a desperate man at the head of a desperate party. It was also, as Rich Lowry put it succinctly, garbage.

Shining Light on the Left's Dark Money

The Left isn't just trying to cheat at elections -- they're also playing dirty in how to finance them. In an explosive story that's been brewing for months, investigative researchers have traced millions of dollars in extremist organizations to a dark-money "nonprofit" that's bypassing the IRS rules. If you thought the 2020 Zuckerbucks scheme was bad, hang on to your hats. The Democrats have more money secrets than anyone saw coming.

California Dreams up New Way to Shut Down a Christian Preschool

It's no secret that California Governor Gavin Newsom's (D) administration hates the church. Throughout 2020, state officials used every means at their disposal to shut down churches from serving their flocks, using COVID-19 protocols as their pretext. It took a lawsuit against Newsom and the Supreme Court's intervention to give churches back their constitutional rights to remain open, just as businesses and other gatherings were allowed to.

Biden's Lack of Shelf-Respect

From filet mignon to rapid tests. If you ask local grocers, that's the story of 2022 -- empty shelves, frustrated customers, record-high sick days, and a host of other problems they pin directly on the government. Two weeks ago, the best-selling item at New England's Stew Leonard's supermarket was steak. Now, the owner says, his truckers are in loading-dock bidding wars over COVID tests. Welcome to the alternate universe of the Biden administration, where we've beaten the virus, the CDC is above politics, and our supply chain crises never happened.

Is Religious Freedom Even on the Military's Radar?

The Defense Department didn't have any trouble getting 97 percent of its troops vaccinated -- but when it comes to granting some exemptions, well, they're just too busy. On Monday, the same day the Pentagon upped its alarm level on the virus to HPCON Charlie (Health Protection Condition Charlie), Pentagon spokesman John Kirby struggled to answer the looming questions -- from why the vaccinated troops were getting COVID to where the religious accommodations were. As usual, none of the department's answers did much to reassure anyone.

Biden Rattles Saber at Bear Threats of War

World diplomats meet this week to discuss what may be Europe's tensest security crisis in 30 years. Vladimir Putin has amassed an estimated 175,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, poised to invade the country if Western powers fail to appease the Russian Bear. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has responded that America will meet a Russian invasion with "massive consequences," including "economic, financial, and other consequences."

Swimmers Pool Their Resources to Fight Trans Onslaught

For parents in the stands of last weekend's Ivy League swim meet, there was only one way to describe it: "messed up." In the 48 hours since Saturday's head-to-head match-up of two "transitioning" athletes (one male-to-female, another female-to-male), most of the sports world is still rattled. Moms and dads who were there to witness it say they still can't shake the image of one of the swimmers, Yale's Iszac Henig, pulling down the top of her suit to reveal the scars from a recent mastectomy. "I wasn't prepared for that," one shaken University of Pennsylvania parent told a reporter. "I can't wrap my head around this."

Class Warfare: States Head into 2022 Fighting Curriculum

While school districts are fighting to over when students should come back to school, other leaders are trying to make sure critical race theory isn't there when they do. State legislatures are gearing up to kick off their 2022 sessions, and a slew of conservatives have one goal in mind: shut down CRT and other radical curriculum in the classroom. And Democrats are concerned their side isn't taking the threat seriously enough.

Don't Let Biden off the Hook for the Disaster He Left in Afghanistan

The media has largely moved on from the Afghanistan debacle, and many are all too eager to sweep the consequences of President Biden's botched withdrawal under the rug. Yet, the repercussions will last lifetimes.

Dems' Comparison to Pearl Harbor Bombs

Restraint doesn't come easy for Democratic leaders. When the chance came to rub the January 6^th riot in Republicans' faces, they couldn't help themselves. They went too far. Despite a year of plotting and scheming, the desperate Left overplayed its hand on the Capitol mob -- turning a moment that could have been to their political advantage into yet another reason the American people see the Democrats as unfit to lead.

Military Works to Boot Christian 'Extremists' from Its Ranks

January 6 was a convenient background for a lot of Democrats, but especially the ones in Joe Biden's Department of Defense. To them, it was a chance to highlight the dangers of conservatives -- and fight to get them out of the ranks, once and for all.

An Inside Look at the SCOTUS COVID Arguments

This morning the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two of President Biden's vaccine mandate cases. The first is imposed on all businesses with over 100 employees and the second is imposed on those working with Medicaid and Medicare. Taken together, many Americans are required to get the vaccine (or test) under these mandates. This is an unprecedented abuse of federal power that will hopefully be stopped by the Supreme Court.

United We Stand, Divided Dems Fault

The rest of the country already celebrated Christmas, but for Democrats, it's today. To them, the anniversary of the January 6^th riot marks one of the greatest political gifts ever given -- a terrible stain on our country that Joe Biden's party will forever exploit and distort to keep the outrage about conservatives burning. "Every day is January 6 now," the New York Times had the audacity to declare. And maybe for the far-Left it is. For a struggling and fractured party with no successes to speak of, the constant reminder of 2021's traumatic event seems to be the only thing they can grab to keep their socialist dreams afloat.

Filibuster or Filibluster? Schumer Threatens to Topple Senate Rules

Democrats don't have a whole lot of confidence heading into the midterm elections -- and who can blame them? Their president has turned botching COVID into an artform, destroyed America's credibility on foreign policy, and can't seem to persuade a Congress with two Democratic majorities to pass legislative measures that are essential to his government expansion. Now, instead of trying to prove to the American people that they still deserve to lead, they've turned to plan B: an unprecedented federal takeover of elections.

Pandemic of Obsolete Talking Points

Omicron is now the dominant coronavirus variant across the country, responsible for 95.4 percent of new cases last week, according to CDC data. President Biden's talking points have yet to catch up. "There's no excuse," he said Tuesday, "no excuse for anyone being unvaccinated. This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated, so we've got to make more progress." Did he skip a briefing or something? As early as December 20, the CDC warned, "anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don't have symptoms." That sounds like vaccinated Americans can not only catch the new variant, but spread it!

SPLC: Give Them a Bench, They'll Take a Mile

They haven't managed to kill the filibuster or ram through their federal election takeover (yet), but Democrats still have plenty of tricks up their sleeve to sabotage the vote. Their latest idea? Stacking the courts with wildly extreme political activists. While everyone's distracted with COVID and the pile of other crises this president has created, the White House is hoping to slip a who's who of radicals onto one of the most powerful courts in the country. And almost no one has noticed.

Students Left out of the Cold in Windy City Classrooms

Chicago parents woke up to a surprise this morning, and it wasn't a snow day. Nearly three quarters (73 percent) of the 22,000-member Chicago Public Schools (CPS) teachers' union voted Tuesday night to cancel in-person classes and resume virtual learning out of fear. The school district doesn't have authority to reinstitute virtual learning, explained CPS CEO Pedro Martinez; only the governor can do so. Therefore, he announced that if teachers refuse to work on Wednesday, he "will have to cancel classes" altogether, but other school facilities would remain open.

A Prenatal Test Shouldn't Determine a Life

Every year on my sister Marita's birthday, my mom tells the story of her birth. After a night spent wondering if my mom and baby Marita were going to live, my dad placed my sister in my mom's arms and said, "We've been blessed with a little angel."

AP Coverage: Only Spin Deep?

The Associated Press doesn't have an editorial section -- but they might want to add one, considering the radical opinions that they're masquerading as news. The latest example, an outrageous feature on state election reform by Nicholas Riccardo, was so nauseatingly partisan that it read like an internal strategy document from the DNC. The GOP's push for voter integrity, the reporter insists, isn't an effort to save democracy -- it's a plot to subvert it. And January 6^th, he wants readers to believe, was just the beginning.

Navy Mandate Capsizes in Court

Joe Biden ran on a platform of shutting down the virus. Twelve months in, he's shutting down freedom instead. Fortunately for Americans who care about things like liberty and personal choice, the courts for the first time in a long time are defending the constitution -- (thanks to the judges put in place by the Trump administration). In a string of smackdowns to the Left's COVID overreach, the Biden administration is on thinner ice than the drivers on I-95. And with a federal scoreboard of 10 court rulings to the president's zero, there's no sign it's slowing down.

The Science Is the Sticking Point

"Never let the facts get in the way of bad policy" could be the official motto of the Biden administration. It certainly describes the attitude of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which yesterday authorized a "booster" dose of the COVID vaccine for children aged 12-15 and for immunocompromised children aged 5-11. To authorize the booster for children, the FDA completely circumvented its own scientific advisory board. "Members of advisory panels have literally resigned over this issue," said Dr. Andrew Bostom, a clinical trialist and epidemiologist who is currently a research physician at Brown University. Whatever happened to "follow the science?"

New Year's, New Fears over Biden Booster Mania

While the rest of the country turns the page on 2021, Joe Biden seems absolutely determined to repeat last year's mistakes. Barely three days in, the new year is not ushering in new confidence about the president's leadership on COVID. On the contrary, Americans are more skeptical than ever that this administration has any idea what it's doing. With Omicron cases piling up faster than D.C. snow totals, this president's response is typical: shoveling more confusion onto a crisis that his decisions have only made worse.

Start the New Year Standing on the Word!

Now that we've started a new year, FRC would like to invite you to start another journey with us through the Bible. The "Stand on the Word" Bible reading plan provides daily readings through the Scriptures over two years that are chronologically organized. In other words, each reading takes you through the Bible as events happen in history. We encourage you to invite your family or a group of friends to join you in reading through the Bible. There is great spiritual synergy in reading the same page of Scripture together.

Debunking the Myths about Chemical Abortion

Thursday night, the Biden administration removed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) in-person dispensing requirement for the distribution of the drug mifepristone (Mifeprex; also known as RU-486 or simply "the abortion pill"). These safety regulations -- known as Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) -- are meant to prevent life-threatening complications that can occur when using mifepristone as part of the two-step chemical abortion regimen.

Congress Votes to Protect American Consumers and Human Rights

Gulzira Auelkhan, a 40-year-old mother, survived a "re-education" camp in Xinjiang. But then, she was transferred to work in a glove factory for less than half the minimum wage. Unlike most workplaces, Gulzira was not allowed to leave. This is not at all how American consumers want to think their Christmas presents are being made. Now, thanks to the U.S. Congress, this concern may not exist next year.

Five Ways Children Reveal the Meaning of Christmas

One of the great truths of the Christian faith is that God has an important reason for everything He does. As our omniscient Creator, God the Father knows precisely what is best for us. Therefore, we know that there is great significance in the central truth of Christmas: God came to us as a baby.

Cities Crack Down on Booming Steal Industry

Who would have thought progressive politicians would get tough on crime? Yet after two years of unprecedented criminal activity, those politicians are feeling the hurt from residents and businesses. In a dramatic about-face, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced an initiative to "be more aggressive with law enforcement" to end "the reign of criminals who are destroying our city."

Segregated Playground Joins See-Saw Battle over CRT

On one Denver school playground, wokeness is in full swing! To the astonishment of the Colorado community, Centennial Elementary was advertising a special "families of color playground night" on their outside billboard -- the brainchild of the school's "Dean of Culture," Nicole Tembrock. "Efforts like these are about uniting us," the district tried to explain -- although no one is quite sure how, since segregation is what divided people in the first place.

Millions Could Lose Their 'Right' to Abortion, Millions More Have Lost Their Right to Life

In the aftermath of the oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, many abortion advocates are concerned that millions of American women across multiple states could lose their "right to abortion" if Roe v. Wade is overturned. One article recently published by the Hill declared that 65 million women in 20 states are at particular risk of losing this "right," given their states' high probability of restricting abortion in the absence of Roe.

Here Comes San Jose Right down Tyranny Lane

All they did was meet together for worship in obedience to the Word of God. Then the government started fining them. Now, officials have shown up with a warrant and are interrogating their employees. The worst part of all is that the Supreme Court has twice ruled in favor of Calvary Chapel San Jose, yet still state and local governments are harassing them.

Gym Bags Privacy Policy after Trans Suit

A trip to California's Crunch gym got women's hearts racing all right -- but not the way most people were hoping. For customers expecting to enjoy a little privacy to change or shower, it was a shocking experience to open the door and see a biological man staring back. But unfortunately for Crunch's clients, that's the new normal after a legal settlement made it clear that women's safety doesn't matter.

Election Integrity: West Virginia to the Rescue?

In the closing days of 2021 with inflation at the highest levels in 40 years, record numbers of illegal border crossings, the sharpest increase in the homicide rate in modern history, what are your Senators scrambling to get done before their December break? Cramming through a multi-trillion-dollar spending package and legislation to empower the federal government to override state election laws. Americans are justified in wondering why Congress isn't doing anything to address soaring costs of goods and services, lawlessness on the border, and violence in our streets, and recent polling confirms this.

Houston, We Have a Solution

Six weeks after the 2021 general elections, conservatives are still winning races. Last Saturday, conservative candidates defeated two incumbents in four run-off elections for the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board of Trustees. Dr. Kendall Baker and former PTO President Bridget Wade both focused their campaigns against mask mandates and indoctrinating students with critical race theory. Although they are the only two conservatives on the nine-member school board, the radical school establishment and their media allies are shaking in their boots.

Hope in the Storm, Faith in the Healing

"The footage doesn't do it justice." That's how Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) tried to explain the piles of wreckage that sit where large swaths of his district used to be. "Until you see the devastation up close and personal," he says soberly, "it's hard to comprehend." For three days, he's been back at his office working phone lines and trying to connect tornado victims with help. But the shock of what people have been through is wearing off now, and people are trying to figure out how to rebuild their lives. "But unfortunately, it's going to be a long hard process."

Five False Claims Corrected in the Dobbs Oral Arguments

On December 1, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a case that poses the best chance in over a generation to overturn Roe v. Wade. Julie Rickelman, senior director of U.S. litigation for the Center for Reproductive Rights, argued that the Court should strike down Mississippi's Gestational Age Act -- the bipartisan legislation banning abortion after 15 weeks that was at issue in the case.

Build Back Biden? Not with This Price Tag!

President Joe Biden is doing everything he can to stuff his Build Back Better plan down America's chimneys, but he'll have a much tougher time of it after Friday's news. For the White House, the double whammy of the new inflation numbers and the bill's price estimates are going to make for tough sledding in the Senate, where two Democrats are already wary of the White House's spending bonanza. Trying to sell the country on higher taxes, trillions of dollars in new spending, special perks for illegal immigrants, the Green New Deal, and more social welfare is hard enough in normal times.

Can We Prevent Forced Uyghur Labor Already?

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1155, The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). It's an important bill -- the most important bill -- when it comes to confronting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on its human rights abuse. Yet, while this is an important milestone, there's still a process before it becomes law, and Congress should get moving.

This Christmas, Let's Remember the Tornado Victims

During a season typically marked by festivity and joy, it will be a much more difficult time of mourning and rebuilding for parts of the Midwest and the South after a devastating cluster of tornadoes ripped through numerous towns over the weekend. Kentucky was hit the hardest, with at least 64 people confirmed dead in the state and 105 still unaccounted for, as well as entire towns like Mayfield and Dawson Springs almost completely leveled. An additional 14 people have been killed across Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri.

Biden on State Voting Protections: Dash Away, All!

The best person to host a "democracy summit" probably isn't someone who wants to undermine elections, use the courts to subvert the rule of law, and thinks the best kind of government ignores individual freedoms. But then, Joe Biden probably isn't the best person to lead a democracy either.

Supreme Court (Mostly) Greenlights Texas's Unique Pro-life Law

Over a month after an expedited oral argument schedule, the Supreme Court today finally ruled in the much anticipated Texas Heartbeat Act case. There were actually two different decisions issued today. First, the Court entirely dismissed the Biden administration's attempt to challenge Texas, noting that the case had been wrongly accepted to begin with. Second, the Court issued a more complicated, longer opinion in Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson that was mostly a win for pro-lifers.

The Sleeper SCOTUS Case That Could Radically Change Education

The Supreme Court has, deservedly, received a lot of attention after oral arguments took place in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, a case that could mean the end of Roe v. Wade. But a different case over religious freedom and school choice programs could be just as significant and, like Dobbs, is giving the left heartburn.

Senate Gives Mandate the Heave Ho Ho Ho

We know what Joe Biden wants for Christmas -- a break from the hot seat. In normal times, he might have gotten it. Usually, the holidays are a great distraction from everything that's happening in Washington -- unless what's happening in Washington is affecting everything Americans are doing for the holidays. For this president, there's no fading into the snowy background when shoppers are paying twice as much for presents -- if they can get them at all!

Russia on the Naughty List over Ukraine

We know what Americans think of Joe Biden -- but what about the rest of the world? Everyone is about to find out, courtesy of major trouble brewing on the Ukrainian border. Just how badly has our global credibility been damaged by this administration? As the Kremlin moves closer to a terrifying invasion, the next several weeks will tell.

Missing the Christmas for the Trees

Ask a thousand Americans what is special about the Christmas season, and you'll get at least a thousand answers. But you'll hear some common themes: cheer, family, gifts, music, and -- from Christians at least -- the birth of Christ. During last week's ceremony to light the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) offered an answer you probably haven't heard before: public lands. "This year's tree is a symbol of the beauty and the importance of our nation's public lands, and it's a reminder of our responsibility to conserve public lands so that everyone, including future generations, can continue to enjoy them."

What Really Happened to the Women's Draft Provision?

One of the big reasons Americans can breathe a sigh of relief about the National Defense Authorization Act is Congressman Chip Roy (R-Texas). Like a handful of leaders in the House and Senate, he went to the mat over the women in the draft issue -- not knowing if Republicans had a chance to strip the language or not. Wednesday night, he came on "Washington Watch" to explain what led to the stunning turnaround.

A Hawley Jolly Christmas for Our Troops

Maybe it's the eggnog, or maybe it's the Democrats' lousy poll numbers, but whatever's fueling it, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are finally working with Republicans to get something positive done. For the first time since Joe Biden became president, the two sides are on the verge of passing something America actually wants -- the military spending bill. After 11 months of miserable partisanship, Democrats have apparently decided to stop playing games and take national security seriously. And for our troops, the rush of goodwill couldn't have come at a better time.

Xi Jinping Ordered a Genocide. Will There Be Consequences?

A new trove of leaked Chinese government documents confirms what was only previously assumed: Chinese President Xi Jinping himself authorized the brutal crackdown taking place against the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang region. Dubbed the "Xinjiang Papers," the hundreds of pages lend additional evidence that the Chinese government is committing crimes against humanity and even genocide.

An Urgent Letter of Particular Concern

Family Research Council released an important letter this week, addressed to President Joe Biden and expressing grave concerns about an alarming and unacceptable decision made by his administration. Along with 46 interfaith international religious liberty groups and individuals, FRC signed the letter urgently calling for President Biden to re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).

Republicans in Top Form on Draft Day

In a Congress run by Democrats, it's not every day that conservatives can celebrate a common-sense victory. So when word leaked that there'd been a dramatic change to the military spending bill, most Republicans were waiting for the other shoe to drop. By late Tuesday morning, the rumors about the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) turned out to be true: As part of a new compromise between negotiators, the language over forcing women in the military draft has been completely eliminated -- a stunning turnaround that wouldn't have been possible without a handful of leaders in the House and Senate, and more than 200,000 messages from people like you.

Confronting Another Evil Empire: China

Nearly 40 years ago, Ronald Reagan rightly characterized the then-Soviet Union as "the focus of evil in the modern world." Were he alive today and surveying the international scene, he might direct that same remark to China.

Mutate, Update, Repeat: The Flu-ture of COVID

You may know it as the fifteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, but you'll soon know "Omicron" in another context; it's the designation of the latest virulent variation of coronavirus sweeping the globe. First reported after Thanksgiving in southern Africa, the new variant has already reached 17 states in the U.S.A. -- even though the Biden administration imposed travel bans on eight African nations.

Wait Management: Days of Dobbs Prayer Ahead

The Supreme Court arguments may be over, but the speculation over what happens next is just beginning. A ruling on abortion in June could mean a lot for the midterms in November. But which side stands to benefit? A lot of that depends on what the justices decide -- and there are plenty of scenarios, legal experts explain.

FRC at the U.N.: Speaking Out on Religious Freedom

The United Nations has rather a dubious reputation in conservative circles. Understandably so, as powerful regimes like China use their influence at the U.N. to limit the participation of human rights groups or countries gang up to disproportionately condemn the small country of Israel. Yet, it is exactly this environment that makes it even more important for good organizations to speak out.

FRC in the States: Preparing for a Post-Roe World

It's a hopeful time for the pro-life movement in the United States. A decision in the monumental Dobbs. v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case is likely to come sometime next summer. Pro-lifers across the country are holding their breaths that the erroneous precedents set in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which falsely invented a constitutional right to abortion, may finally be overturned.

Senate Strikes Funding Deal in the Saint Nick of Time

If federal workers were hoping for an early start on their Christmas vacation, they're out of luck! No one is turning off the government's lights any time soon, thanks to a deal struck in the Senate late Thursday night. With Friday's shutdown deadline breathing down Democrats' necks, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) decided that maybe it wasn't such a good idea for his party to preside over another disaster and finally caved to the conservatives' demand: a vote on the vaccine mandate.

Profiles in Courage -- and Cowardice

A global social media movement asking #WhereIsPengShuai has yet to find convincing answers. The Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai disappeared after she publicly accused a former vice premier of China of sexually assaulting her. The social media posts in which she made the accusation were removed within 20 minutes of posting. But Peng's fans were faster than Chinese censors, saving her posts and demanding answers about her disappearance.

Powerful Words about Biden's 'Unconscionable Retreat' in Nigeria

For several years, Family Research Council has focused attention on the troubled African country of Nigeria. We have frequently reported about the rampant violence and killing of Christians by radical Islamist terrorists -- in the eyes of many seen as a "slow-motion genocide." In early 2021, FRC updated an extensive report on the relentless violations of religious freedom in that vast and influential African nation.

On Life and Death Roe

There were plenty of surprises inside the Supreme Court on Thursday, but the biggest one might have been outside it. "It was like a pro-life block party," FRC's Mary Szoch beamed. "There was just a palpable sense of hopefulness in the air -- a feeling that this was the moment [we'd] been waiting 49 years for." From dawn until well after the justices adjourned, the atmosphere was almost jubilant -- a preview, conservatives hope, of the celebration to come when the court rules on Roe v. Wade this June.

Senate on the Polarized Express with NDAA

There's only one December flurry that's bigger than the snow in D.C. -- and that's the rush to pass the NDAA. The National Defense Authorization Act has been the one constant in a city where consensus is rarer than a Santa sighting. The military's spending bill passes so reliably that it hasn't missed a year since West Side Story was in the theaters, and gas cost 27 cents a gallon! But that 60-year streak is on the line right now, and there's no one to blame but radical Democrats.

School Boards Make Quantum Leap for CRT

Woke radicals administrating our nation's schools want to have their cake and eat it too when it comes to indoctrinating their students into the deceptive, destructive ideology known as critical race theory. Leftists routinely deny this, from the White House on down, insisting that conservatives are making it all up to score political points. Yet occasionally the truth leaks out. Today, the Los Angeles Unified School District, which insisted "Critical Race Theory is not taught in schools," invited the Director of UCLA's Center for Critical Race Studies in Education to give a presentation as they discuss curriculum for a class on Ethnic Studies.

A Supreme Case for Lives

In the most-watched case of a generation, the eyes of the nation's pro-lifers were on the Supreme Court this morning as oral argument was held in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a case that will answer the question of "whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional."

COVID Shots for Tots? Leave It up to Parents

Over the course of 2021, we've heard a steady drumbeat about getting the COVID-19 shot from the Biden administration and from the mainstream media that began softly but has steadily increased in intensity. In the last few months, Biden and the media have tossed aside the drum and are now using a bullhorn: every American, without exception, must get the COVID-19 shot. Some state officials are now beginning to fall in line with this pronouncement by mandating the shot for children, following the FDA's emergency use authorization last month of Pfizer's COVID shot for children ages five to 11.

Iran from Responsibility on U.S. Nuclear Deal

Obama is no longer president, but the "team that is around Biden was the same one that was around Obama," said Congressman Michael Waltz (R-Fla.). That's why his approach to Iran seems like a blast from the past -- only weaker. This week, diplomats from six countries are meeting in Vienna to renegotiate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the U.K. are all there, but the U.S. is participating indirectly because Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018.

Courts Don't Offer Booster to Biden Mandate

While Ronald Reagan is remembered as the "Great Communicator," Joe Biden will not be remembered as the "Great Persuader." Although he's spent months trying to talk Americans into getting vaccinated against COVID-19, roughly 30 percent of our adult population is resisting his forceful overtures. Obviously, there are a number of reasons why so many people are opposed, but one thing is clear: Americans don't want the federal government to demand they get the vaccine.

Red Kettle Chips away at Biblical Worldview

Spot the flaw in this logic: the Bible says racism is wrong, and critical race theory (CRT) says racism is wrong; therefore, critical race theory is consistent with a biblical worldview. It should be obvious. One point of similarity cannot reconcile antithetical positions. Unfortunately, it's no longer obvious to The Salvation Army, who tried to mix the two together in a study guide titled "Let's Talk about Racism," withdrawn "for appropriate review" last Thursday after donors complained. The Salvation Army published an explanatory statement that, instead of apologizing, attacked its critics, insinuating "some individuals and groups have recently attempted to mislabel our organization to serve their own agendas."

Uganda Proves Why Relying on China Is So Dangerous

Some people remember it as the site where Israeli commandos rescued a hijacked plane decades ago, in a hugely successful mission known as "Operation Entebbe." Now, Uganda's only international airport is again the site of controversy. Facing challenges in paying its $200 million loan from China -- funds it used to expand its facility -- Uganda is learning a lesson that the rest of Africa should take to heart: Financial entanglements with an authoritarian bully is beyond dangerous.

Omicron: Country Pauses for a Moment of Science

Stand by for Act III. While the rest of the world reeled with the discovery of a new COVID variant, Omicron, at least one person appears to be basking in the spotlight once again: Dr. Anthony Fauci. Reveling in his celebrity-like status on the Sunday shows, the president's pandemic mouthpiece didn't let the absence of scientific information hinder his discussion about the latest COVID variant.

In Mississippi, a Prayerful, United Stand for Life ahead of Dobbs

In the almost 49 years since the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court, abortion has sharply divided America like no other issue has. But last night, the abortion issue united leaders from coast to coast and across ethnic and faith backgrounds for a national prayer gathering in Jackson, Mississippi ahead of the monumental Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court case that will be heard on December 1, which could potentially reverse Roe.

This Wednesday: The Case of All Cases

On December 1, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, a case that has the potential to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion on demand in America. In the lead-up to the case, abortion will once again be in the national spotlight, and when the court announces its decision sometime next year, it will generate massive media attention. What do pastors need to know about the Dobbs case so they can educate and prepare their congregations for the national conversation about abortion that will follow? Find out in David Closson's Gospel Coalition column, "The Supreme Court Case That Could Overturn Roe v. Wade."

Gratitude: The Power to Transform

This isn't the idyllic Norman Rockwell backdrop to Thanksgiving that most Americans would have chosen. With every negative headline, every crisis, gratitude is probably the last thing on most people's minds. We're hunting for bargains on turkeys and cautiously filling up grocery carts amid skyrocketing prices, but how many of us are actually stopping to look beyond the sting of the present to reflect on our true blessings -- and what kind of difference would it make if we did?

To Whom It May Ignore: U.S. Abandons Terror-filled Nigeria

When Pastor Silas Yakubu Ali didn't show up to preach on Sunday morning, there was one overriding feeling: dread. It wasn't like the 55-year-old leader of the Evangelical Church Winning All to be late. As the hour grew later, people in the congregation left to search -- each one praying that his disappearance wasn't what they all feared. In Nigeria, they knew, being a Christian or going to church could be a death sentence -- one that had been carried out thousands of times this year already.

House Democrats Ram Through $1.8 Trillion Mistake

If Democrats are good at anything, it's sticking taxpayers with the bill for their reckless spending. The routine is getting all too familiar: they lie about the contents to get their bill passed, greet popular outrage with contempt, lose the next election spectacularly, but sit back gratified -- knowing what they've done to transform America will never be undone. ObamaCare, anyone? Ten years later, House Democrats have passed another bill that dwarfs ObamaCare in both page count and price tag -- and the Senate might be dangerously on the verge of passing it.

Thanksgiving Tyranny: Mandate Women into War?

As we prepare to gather around the Thanksgiving table with family and friends, many of us remember the old adage advising us not to talk about religion or politics. This year though, many families are likely to be discussing both for a myriad of reasons. One such topic of discussion is an issue that hits close to home. Namely, should our daughters be mandated to register for the draft and thus subject to being mandated into war?

GOP Tries to Dodge Women's Draft

If the states manage to stop the president's vaccine mandate, they can thank Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Together with Donald Trump, no one worked harder to fill the courts with constitutionally-minded men and women than the man heading up the Senate's minority party. Without those four years of record-breaking judicial confirmations, a lot of the checks on Joe Biden's power we're seeing today wouldn't be possible. Historians may have different takes on the 45^th president one day, but one thing they can't deny is this: he brought balance back to the courts -- and our country is safer for it.

Taking Exception with Biden's COVID Inquisition

"How long have you held the religious belief underlying your objection?" The tone of the Biden administration's questionnaire template is aggressive and confrontational. The opening inquiry sounds more natural coming from someone with a gun to your head. Yet it is one of seven questions suggested by the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force to use when evaluating applications for religious exemptions from the COVID vaccine mandates. Other questions require employees to distinguish the COVID vaccine from others they may not object to, probe their medical history, and imply that religious exercise is limited to worship.

Biden Takes Aim at Trump's Pro-Faith Policies

Elections have consequences. Many of these consequences are obvious, but not all. Some come in the form of less-noticed changes in federal government agencies that most Americans rarely think about. Yet, the actions of these agencies can have wide-reaching effects, touching the lives of average citizens. The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) expected move to rescind a religious freedom safeguard implemented by the Trump administration is the latest example of the damage that can be done.

You've Gotta Fight for the Right in the Party

The Democrats are supposed to be the ones falling apart -- not the party that just put together the most stunning upset in an off-year election. And yet, the RNC -- for reasons no one can understand -- apparently doesn't want to follow the recipe for success that won Republicans Virginia (and got them a hair's breadth away in New Jersey). In what can only be called selfish ignorance, the committee's leadership is trying to shed the values that made their party an attractive alternative to begin with. And no one seems more surprised than the chairman who made the decision to walk away from voters in the first place: Ronna McDaniel.

When Will They Learn? Woke Loudoun District Loses Again

Loudoun County teacher Tanner Cross won a complete victory Tuesday over the most infamous school board in the country that provoked widespread pushback from parents with a radical, transgender bathroom policy. The school board had suspended Cross for criticizing the policy during a public comment period. But after the Virginia Supreme Court affirmed a District Court ruling reinstating the teacher, the school agreed to not punish him for his comments in a public forum, to remove any evidence of his suspension from his personnel file, and to pay $20,000 in attorney's fees to Alliance Defending Freedom, who represented him.

"Old Friends" or Not, Biden Must Get Tough on Xi

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met via video conference earlier this week for a three-and-a-half-hour discussion. Each leader's opening statements struck a conciliatory tone, pledging to work together. Yet, given the recent aggressive actions of the Chinese government and the persistent human rights abuses within its borders, the conciliatory tone is exactly the problem.

The Plane Truth about Vax Tyranny

What air travel needs right now is more restrictions, said 37 Democratic lawmakers in a letter to President Biden, saying, "as the nation approaches holiday season, we ask that you put in place requirements for airline passengers to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID or a negative test to board a domestic flight." Their call for further travel restrictions doesn't just unhappily coincide with the holiday travel season; they explicitly cite that as a reason to enact the restrictions.

In a Culture Starving for Hope, Believers Must Be Unashamed of the Truth

It's news to nobody that the Biden administration is floundering. With the president's approval rating reaching yet another new low after a fizzling vaccine mandate and an economy that continues to struggle with skyrocketing inflation, many Americans are becoming disillusioned with a government that is flirting with authoritarianism and seems hostile to the principles of capitalism and free markets. During volatile times such as these, hope can be hard to come by.

Standing Firm When the World Says, 'Give up'

"In this world, it is becoming more and more unpopular to be a Christian. Soon it may become dangerous."\rThose were the words of Melvin Laird, a former congressman and defense secretary for President Richard Nixon. He made that comment more than 50 years ago -- and if he thought it was difficult to practice his faith back then, he wouldn't believe the hostility of the culture today. The church is being pressed in from all sides, urged to abandon our faith or abandon the public square. We can do neither.

Biden's Education Problems Become A Parent

When Americans gather around the table next week, one thing they won't be thankful for -- polls already show -- is this administration. Not even the supposedly popular infrastructure bill can undo the gloom and doom for Joe Biden, who is failing where people feel it most. More than six in 10 Americans think the president hasn't accomplished much -- except maybe ruining the economy, which a whopping 70 percent say is in bad shape. Even his handling of the pandemic, a historically strong issue for Biden, is a net negative now. But that's not why the Left is panicking. His numbers on education are.

No Shots Fired: Biden Loses Emergency Mandate Duel

Unvaccinated employees in several states can mark themselves safe, for now, from OSHA's career-ending vaccine mandate after a three-judge panel of the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals put the rule on ice Friday. The panel issued a stay on November 5 pending an expedited judicial review, and have now reaffirmed that stay in a 22-page opinion. Their emergency ruling excoriates the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) so completely that the reader is almost -- almost -- embarrassed for the Biden administration.

'This Has Been a Long Fight, But Every Life Is Worth It'

While Joe Biden's climate "negotiator" was busy telling reporters that human rights wasn't "in his lane," another former secretary of State was painting a very different picture of the job. John Kerry may not think a little thing like genocide ought to get in the way of this administration's deal on the environment, but one of his successors loudly disagrees.

Kerry Signals Lane Change on China

It's a cry that rings out behind the barbed wire towers so frequently the Chinese guards are numb to it. "Don't do this -- please, don't do this!" This time, it was a fresh blood -- a Uyghur just hauled into headquarters named Abduweli Ayup. He was crying with terror as police started in, sexually torturing him until he passed out. When he woke, he says he remembers the strangest things, like the flies buzzing around the room. For once, he wished he was one of them. "Because no one can torture them. No one can rape them."

Job or Jab? Thinking Biblically about the Looming Vax Mandates

After nearly two months of waiting, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced last week that President Biden's vaccine mandate for businesses with more than 100 workers will go into effect on January 4. Millions of Americans are now on notice that they have 53 days to decide between their job or a jab. While the legal battles are already playing out in courtrooms around the country, Christians are prayerfully considering how to respond.

Dobbs Is a Moment That Will Transcend Ethnicity, Denomination, and Politics

For the first time in 48 years, a case is before the Supreme Court that could overturn Roe v. Wade, the infamous decision that has torn the country apart over the debate about unborn life in the womb since it was handed down in 1973.

A Woman's Right to Choose... Combat

Just how big of a deal is next week's debate over the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)? One Republican says he won't support anyone in the GOP for leadership position if they vote for it. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) called the idea of drafting women, an issue in this year's bill, "unbelievably absurd." FRC's Lt. General (Ret.) Jerry Boykin and Mary Beth Waddell, director of Federal Affairs, agree. Read why in their new column, "Women Must Be Protected in the NDAA." When you're done, your senators need to hear from you.

Veterans Day: Above All, Others

To everyone else, it was the Forgotten War -- defined by the reruns of M*A*S*H or the 19 figures on the National Mall, suspended in time on their long, cold walk through Korea. For the men who were there, fighting and dying in freezing reservoirs or snow-capped mountaintops, it was much more. It was a three-year battle -- a half a world away -- for freedom. And the echoes in our American story still linger.

Vax Mandate SEALs Military's Fate

For a man who supposedly cares about America's military, Joe Biden certainly has a funny way of showing it. While the rest of the country celebrates our nation's veterans, the president is waging war against the men and women who fight ours!

Put the Dollar on a Diet

The U.S. dollar has let out its belt a couple inches since exiting the pandemic lockdown. Newly released data for October shows consumer prices up 6.2 percent over a year ago, and wholesale (that is, supplier) prices up 8.6 percent over a year ago. The wholesale annual pace is the highest since the Labor Department began tracking the statistic in 2010, and the consumer price index (CPI) reached its highest rate since 1990. In other words, the entire control panel for the Biden administration is flashing red.

The Left Continues to Embrace Fear and Ignore Science

It's been two months since the Biden administration announced plans to require 100 million American workers to get the COVID-19 shot, and three months since the administration handed down mandates for all federal employees and military personnel. Yet in all that time, the administration still has not bothered to address the elephant in the room: Why trample on the constitutional and privacy rights of Americans to force a shot for a virus with an over 98 percent survival rate and to which nearly half of all Americans have natural immunity?

Library Associations Push Porn on Children, Parents Push Back

Books with graphic, sexually explicit content have been shelved in school libraries for years. Before social media, it was entirely up to individual parents to find this material and complain. Their complaints would sometimes result in the removal of one to two titles at one school (or perhaps on a good day, in a whole district). Other times, parents would find that the explicit book was defended on the grounds that it was "award-winning" or "inclusive." Now that parents can collaborate across state lines and share information, we can expect to see more actions taken by parents to defend children against pornography in the stacks of the school library.

Nigeria, Islamism, and the High Risks of Truth-Telling

In mid-August, all eyes were fixed on Afghanistan. The world media focused on the U.S. military's rapid and chaotic departure and President Joe Biden's awkward and contradictory explanations. And in the days and weeks that followed, the Taliban's atrocities in that country increased exponentially.

Chill for Biden in Latest Pollster Vortex

Never underestimate humanity's capacity to rationalize whatever they want to do, no matter how much evidence there is to the contrary. Take, for example, the latest spin on the 2021 elections. Last week, voters across the nation delivered stinging rebukes to Democrats, from the Republican sweep of statewide races in Virginia, to the nailbiter-that-shouldn't-have-been for the New Jersey governor's race, to the Republican victory for City Attorney in Seattle, to Leftist ballot initiatives to defund the police failing in Minneapolis and elsewhere, to the mayor of Buffalo, New York defeating an AOC-endorsed progressive with a write-in campaign. No matter the office or issue, voters voted against Democrats. The result was so stunning that even White House chief-of-staff Ron Klain couldn't help admitting, "voters sent a message on Tuesday."

Lacking Infrastructural Integrity

It was shaping up to be one of Joe Biden's worst weeks yet. Humiliated in Virginia and nearly so in New Jersey, Democrats woke up Wednesday morning reeling from rejection. Then came the news that the president's approval rating had collapsed (with a good share of his own voters saying he's done a "worse job" than expected and another two-thirds hoping he doesn't run again). By all rights, Biden's radical agenda was done -- kaput. Until late Friday night, when -- for reasons no one can fathom -- 13 Republicans decided to give the sinking party a life raft.

A Mandate by Any Other Name Is Just as Bad

"Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful," wrote George Orwell, "and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."

Pray That We Might Know Their Names: Uniting in Prayer for Dobbs

Since the Supreme Court's 1973 decision that legalized abortion on demand throughout the United States, over 60 million babies have been aborted. With a number so large, it can be challenging to feel a personal connection to each of the babies whose life has been lost. Still, it is essential to remember that each baby is a unique human being made in the image and likeness of God.

Tailoring Suits to Stop Biden

It's a good thing the White House doesn't handle 911 calls -- it might take two months to get a response! That's the irony behind the administration's vaccine mandate. The president used his "emergency" powers to write the rules and then was in absolutely no hurry to release them -- or, as we've learned by his January 4^th deadline -- put them into effect! If COVID is that urgent, Joe Biden has sure taken his sweet time showing it. But then, that's one of the most outrageous part of this whole process. The virus is no longer the emergency -- the attacks it enables on our freedoms are.

Are Dems Reconciled to Their Own Spending Spree?

Top Democrats are working overtime to pass their multi-trillion dollar Build Government Bigger pork package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi planned to hold a vote late Thursday and then postponed it until Friday. She's also evaded questions about how many votes the bill currently has. As of this writing, she still hasn't called a vote on this bill. These facts point to one conclusion: she currently lacks the votes to pass the massive spending package, and perhaps the small infrastructure package that accompanies it. "They added seven votes this afternoon," said Representative Mark Green (R-Tenn.) Thursday evening. And still it seems she hasn't reached the 218 votes needed to pass the bill.

This Sunday, Pray for the 340 Million Global Christians in Harm's Way

On the first Sunday of November, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is observed every year by innumerable Christian denominations. Across the world, tens of thousands of believers in over 100,000 congregations will heed that special call to prayer for individuals, families, and churches in locations where Christians are struggling with abuse and danger -- sometimes to the point of martyrdom.

Ways without Means: House Moves to Spend Big

Most politicians would have seen Tuesday's election drubbing as a reason to step back and reevaluate. Not these Democrats. After the shellacking her party took, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) doesn't seem a bit admonished about her agenda. On the contrary, she seems downright adamant about it. While her strategists panic, Democratic leaders are moving full steam ahead on a multi-trillion dollar plan that voters in even blue states just rejected. Maybe Pelosi wants to end her career "shoveling as much money out the door as possible," NRO speculates, but it's baffling why "scores of House Democrats... would elect to follow her off the cliff."

A Drop in the OSHA for Workers

The Washington Update has reported on Biden's plan to force COVID vaccines on employees of private companies since July. After months of uncertainty, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has finally published the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which "requires covered employers to develop, implement, and enforce a mandatory COVID vaccination policy with an exception for employers that instead establish, implement, and enforce a policy allowing employees who are not fully vaccinated to elect to undergo weekly COVID testing and wear a face covering at the workplace."

Education and the Virginia Elections: Thank You, Parents!

Much will be written about the impact education had as a political issue on the 2021 election in Virginia. Many people and organizations across the country are taking credit for leadership on this or that issue. The danger of believing your own press releases is very real in the heady days after an election win. When all is said and done, voters win elections. This year in Virginia, parents and grandparents made the difference.

The Night Is Youngkin

Parents are not just caretakers on behalf of the state. They are the men and women entrusted by God with the nurturing -- physical, mental, and spiritual -- of the little ones they raise. That's why public schools are designed to serve families, not the other way around. So when former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said recently, "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach," moms and dads across the state decided they'd had enough.

AMA Tries to Doctor Health Care

America's premier medical organization has grown bored of making sick people healthy and has turned its attention to making healthy people sick--in the head. At least, that's one interpretation of the motives behind the 54-page guidance the American Medical Association issued on Thursday, titled "Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative, and Concepts." The title, though clearly designed to put readers to sleep, masks the real purpose of the document: the politicization of medicine and a pledge of allegiance to wokeism.

Reconstructing American Manhood -- One NDAA at a Time

In September, a startling report was published by the National Student Clearinghouse regarding college enrollment. It found that almost 60 percent of college students were women, while only 40 percent were men. In the last five years, the percentage of male college students has decreased by an astonishing 71 percent. While there are certainly many factors that have contributed to this decline, there is no denying that young men in America are struggling with finding a sense of purpose.

Since September, 9,300 More Hearts Are Beating in Texas

On Monday, pro-lifers around the country anxiously waited while the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding the Texas Heartbeat Act (SB 8), which restricts abortion after a heartbeat has been detected (and has been estimated to save the lives of 150 babies every day). In this case, the Court will not be ruling on the constitutionality of abortion. Instead, the Court is examining an underlying procedural enforcement matter, and whether the federal government can intervene to block a state law like this. Until the Court issues its verdict, the lifesaving law will remain in effect.

Out of the Lockdown and into the Fired

President Biden's vaccine mandate on employees of private companies is expected soon as OSHA finalizes the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for publication in the Federal Register. That's the subtle, non-threatening way that the bureaucracy ruins the lives of millions of hard-working Americans. But much like the old quip about the Holy Roman Empire, OSHA's vaccine mandate will be neither Emergency nor Temporary nor Standard.

Big-City Mandates Hose Firefighters

On the calendar, it's All Saints Day -- but in cities across America, it's "all shots day." As vaccine mandates kick into effect in places like New York, the morning everyone was dreading is here. Firefighters, ambulance drivers, police, and even waste management employees will have to prove they've been at least half-vaccinated or be forced into unpaid leave. While Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) insists that he isn't having "second thoughts" about the dictate, plenty of locals are. Vinny Argo, who lives across the street from one of the 26 closed fire stations, looked at Brooklyn Engine Co. 284 and shook his head. "We're going to toast like marshmallows," he warned.

Biden's Post-Halloween Bellyache

Worse than razorblades in candy was the nasty surprise awaiting President Joe Biden in the NBC poll released yesterday. When given a choice, 71 percent of adults surveyed said they believe the nation is "off on the wrong track," while only 22 percent said the nation was "generally headed in the right direction." Even 48 of Democrats agreed America is on the wrong track. American confidence in Biden's leadership has gradually decayed throughout his first year; the percentage of adults who said America was on the wrong track was 63 percent in August, and 56 percent in April. Even NBC's Chuck Todd said he was "shocked" by this "scary news for Democrats."

At SCOTUS, Texas Pro-life Law in the Balance

Judging by the typically apoplectic reaction by much of the media to the Texas Heartbeat Act being heard at the Supreme Court today, you'd think the fate of Roe was being immediately decided today once and for all. Never mind that today the Court was merely examining two legal questions not directly related to abortion at all.

As America Teeters on Fiscal Disaster, Biden Worries about the Weather

"The House and Senate majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week," said Joe Biden yesterday. He then flew to Europe to attend a climate change summit without waiting to learn that the U.S. House once again postponed votes on both the massive Build Government Bigger spending package and the accompanying infrastructure bill. That's the Biden presidency in a nutshell: promise sweeping change on tiny majorities, without enough discipline and focus to ensure results.

Beth Robinson: A Track Record of Disdain for Religious Freedom

Yesterday, the Senate voted 51-36 to advance the nomination of Beth Robinson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The confirmation vote will likely take place next week. Robinson is currently serving as an associate justice on the Vermont Supreme Court and was a counsel to former Gov. Peter Shumlin (D-Vt.).

From Roe to Dobbs, a Prayer for Life

On Wednesday, December 1, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a case widely recognized as the greatest opportunity to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision in a generation.

Garland Suffers from Truth Decay

If Attorney General Merrick Garland learned anything from his House grilling last week, you wouldn't know it by the encore. Six days after he bombed in front of the lower chamber, embarrassing himself and calling the integrity of his entire department into question, Garland didn't seem eager to change people's first impressions. His second trip to the hot seat was equally disastrous in the Senate, where anyone watching would almost certainly agree with Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.): "Thank God you're not on the Supreme Court!"

X-Mess: State Dept. Approves Genderless Passports

Forget something on your trip... like your gender? No problem. Under new rules at the State Department (DOS), travelers don't have to know who they are -- or even what they are -- to get a passport. Building on Joe Biden's anti-science lunacy, DOS leaders announced this week that they've processed their first genderless passport. It's historic, they said, slapping themselves on the back. Historically dangerous, yes. Historically shrewd? Hardly.

Hero to Zero: Leftist Hate for their Heroes of Yesteryear

You've got to hand it to Joe Biden; he enacts policies no administration has ever considered before. Firing nurses in a pandemic, firing cops in a crime wave, firing truckers during a supply chain crisis, firing employees amid a labor shortage -- how does he keep coming up with this stuff? Maybe next, he'll try firing politicians amid tyrannical edicts.

How the White House Will Steal Christmas

The Grinch may have stiff competition in President Biden. Retailers, industry leaders and labor groups aren't sending their requests to the North Pole -- they are sending them to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, asking the president to push pause on the deadline for workers to comply with the COVID vaccine mandate, which has been set for December 8.

Biden's Weakness is Emboldening Authoritarians

As President Biden jets off to the G20 summit, the world leaders he'll be meeting with there have more reason than usual to doubt his commitments. Policymakers and experts are still trying to decipher the contradictory messages from the Biden administration regarding Taiwan. The answers remain unclear -- and in a tense region where any misstep can escalate into conflict, that's a big deal.

Military Coup in Sudan Alarms International Christian Community

On October 23, a shocking news story reported that a military coup had taken place in Sudan and that the prime minister had been arrested and taken captive.

The Doctor Is In... on Educating America's Children

Dr. Ben Carson is one of the most distinguished surgeons in American history. He's also a man raised in a single-parent home where his mother required him to write two book reports every week. Carson went on to earn his medical degree and become our country's leading pediatric neurosurgeon. He understands that with God's help, initiative and education can enable almost anyone to thrive. As he said on Monday's "Washington Watch," "I always say it really doesn't matter where a person comes from. A lot of it has to do with the way that they are educated."

Americans Remain Stranded in Afghanistan While Biden Looks On

On Tuesday, October 26 during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. military leaders faced intense questioning about the poorly executed American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that he believes they should resign.

The Rise and Fall of the Twin Terrors

If you thought the last wave of migrants to reach the southern border was big, just wait until the one currently traveling through Panama arrives. Panama's foreign minister warned that 100,000 migrants are en route to the U.S. To date this year, U.S. Border Patrol agents conducting biometric testing at migrant camps in Panama have identified 52 persons "in some way affiliated with al-Qaeda," according to reporter Chuck Holton. That's nearly three times the number of al-Qaeda operatives that perpetrated the hijackings of 9/11. And that's just the terrorists we've caught.

In Biden's Woke World, No Admiral Qualities

Joe Biden might not have a plan for the border, inflation, COVID, China, or the supply chain crisis, but don't worry! He has one thing under control. The president, who's up to his clenched fists in political problems, seems to think the best distraction for his messes is talking about the one thing he hasn't shut up about since day one -- gender equality. If you're wondering whether there are more pressing issues facing America, the answer is: not to this White House.

Bad Call: Authors of Anti-Parent Letter Phonying It in

Can a fake apology reverse political suicide? National School Boards Association (NSBA) CEO Chip Slaven and NSBA President Viola Garcia certainly hope so, after the blowback from their well-publicized letter to President Biden in which they asked the administration to open a domestic terrorism investigation into parents. On Friday the NSBA issued another letter, trying to distance itself from that previous letter. "We regret and apologize for the letter," they wrote. "We should have a better process in place."

Biden's Taiwan Gaffe Causes Confusion, But Actions Speak Louder

President Biden is back at it with his characteristic gaffes. But as leader of the free world, his gaffes can now have international consequences. Biden's latest misspeaks regarding U.S. policy towards Taiwan sent mixed signals to our allies and adversaries alike, inserting confusion into an already tense situation.

Biden's Department of Injustice and Intimidation

The Loudoun County School Board may be in the market for a new superintendent, thanks to a bombshell memo about the district's cover-up. According to emails, not only did Scott Ziegler know about the sexual assault by a boy in a girls' restroom, he alerted the board to it that same day -- which, for people keeping track, was three weeks before he publicly told parents there'd been "no incidents" related to gender neutral bathrooms. The revelation, which only confirmed most locals' suspicions, has Loudoun's leadership in a swirling mess of their own making.

Giving Shots in the Dark

Before sticking someone with an injection needle, you should be reasonably confident the results will be positive. That should be common sense, but the Biden administration has forgotten. In preparing to roll out vaccinations for children aged 5-11, the Biden administration has collected 28 million COVID vaccine doses. Not that the FDA has approved the vaccine for school-age children, but the Biden administration is ready to inject them as soon as the green light is given.

Texas Teaches Perseverance in the Fight for Life from 1973 to Today

In the Biden administration's latest attack on the Texas Heartbeat Act (SB 8), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the U.S. Supreme Court to place a hold on the law until legal challenges have been heard. In addition to requesting the Supreme Court to vacate the Fifth Circuit's stay of the district court's preliminary injunction, the DOJ took the unusual step of filing a petition for writ of certiorari before judgment -- that is, the DOJ asked the Supreme Court to rule on the issues before the Fifth Circuit.

Senate Dems Abandon the Fund-amentals

After an eight-month partisan slugfest over everything from COVID "relief" to human infrastructure bills, you'd think the Hill's Democrats would be ready to drop the pugil sticks and try a little bipartisanship. Think again. When Senate leaders put their appropriations cards on the table this week, conservatives couldn't believe what they saw -- another one-sided bundle of spending plans that wasn't even a half-hearted attempt at compromise.

All Action on the Southern Front

Washington leaks more than the southern border -- and that's proving to be an embarrassment to the Biden administration. The Washington Post obtained unpublished data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) showing a record 1.66 million persons were arrested at the border with Mexico during the 2021 fiscal year that ended in September. Only one year since 2010 saw more than 500,000 arrests at the border, and the most recent anywhere close to 2021 was all the way back in 2000, which previously held the arrests record with 1.64 million.

Biden's 'Build Back Better' Plan Includes Radical Goodie Bag

If passed, Congress's hyper-partisan reconciliation bill would force Americans to pay for the Left's favorite policies surrounding environmental law, labor law, and illegal immigration. It also includes provisions that will empower the partisan IRS to get even more involved in the lives of ordinary Americans.

American Prestige Lies Buried in Afghanistan's Graveyard

Administration officials are finally performing an autopsy on America's involvement in Afghanistan. Or at least, some departments are investigating some questions. On Monday, State Department Acting Inspector General Diana Shaw notified Congress of a new investigation into the Special Immigrant Visa Program, by which America admitted, in addition to a handful of legitimately qualified refugees, virtually anyone the Taliban wanted to load into a plane.

The Left's Reconciliation Bill Would Raise Energy Prices and Erase American Jobs

During a time in America when the price of basic household goods is rising and when employees across multiple sectors of the economy are facing a vaccine mandate or loss of their jobs, the Biden administration and progressives in Congress are now doubling down on making life even more difficult for the average American household. How? By making recklessly wasteful and counterproductive Green New Deal policies "the DNA" of the reconciliation spending bill that Democrats plan to push through by the end of October.

The Great American (Vaccine) Purge

Democrats have a new strategy to enhance the security of Americans: fire those who provide it. On Thursday, the U.S. Navy became the latest branch of the military to announce it will discharge sailors who don't meet their definition of "fully vaccinated" by November 28. Following President Biden's vaccine mandate, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directed all military personnel to be vaccinated against COVID on August 25. As the deadline looms nearer, the military is now forced to deal with the reality that many service members will not comply -- and they are increasingly turning from diktats to punishments.

Biden's Abortion-Zealous DOJ Just Won't Let Texas Go

In the latest iteration of the Biden administration's anti-Texas temper tantrum, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to place a hold on Texas' Heartbeat Act (Senate Bill 8) until the legal challenges against the law have been decided.

China's New Missiles Could Signal a New Arms Race

In a throwback to the arms race of the Cold War era, U.S. intelligence was surprised to learn last week that China had conducted tests on a new nuclear-capable hypersonic missile that circles the globe before heading to its target. American officials might have underestimated the advancements of China's military. Given the rising challenge China poses to the United States, this is not something we can afford to miscalculate.

Republicans Beat the Buzzer with Girls' Sports Win

Plenty of parents have been fed up with Joe Biden's fixation on letting boys into girls' private spaces. But after the rape of one teenage girl in Loudoun County schools and the sexual assault of another, even fewer states are buying the line that the Left's radical transgender policies don't hurt anyone. If anything, it made states like Texas even more motivated to keep the two sexes separate -- like voters demand, and students deserve.

School Boards Splinter as Anti-Parent Letter Explodes

When the National School Boards Association (NSBA) wrote to President Biden on September 29, they never expected it would blow up in their face. But given that the letter called on the federal government to investigate parents as "domestic terrorists" for speaking out at school board meetings, it's worth asking: what did they think would happen? Maybe they believed Washington's heavy jackboots would stamp out the last dying embers of the flame of liberty as they rode off into the sunset of their progressive utopia.

Apple Enables China's War on Faith in Its App Store

Last week, it was reported that a Bible app and Quran app had been removed from Apple's App Store in China following pressure from the Chinese government. This is hardly surprising behavior from the Chinese Communist Party. But now, an American company has been enlisted to do its dirty work.

Bored of Education: State Activists Team up to Indoctrinate

"I would have never dreamt a year ago that I would be caught up in something like this," Jason Martinez shook his head. "This," as Americans everywhere are finding out, is the conspiracy of top education officials to radicalize the country's children -- with the secret help of outside activists. And not, Martinez will tell you, just in places like Loudoun County and California.

Leftist Activists (and Now the DOJ) Are Tampering with Public Education

"Local control" of public schools is a hallmark of the American educational system. Community involvement and public accountability are held as paramount. In such a system, elected school boards should ensure the representation of all views in the making of school policies. Our system of government should mean that the natural tension and debate between different ideas and educational philosophies resolves into an agreement on goals that benefit all students and the community as a whole.

Biden's Plan to "Help" the American Family Is to Tax Them More

How does the Biden administration intend to pay for its proposed $3.5 trillion "Build Back Better" plan? By taxing the same hardworking American families the plan claims to help. In addition to advancing a radical progressive agenda, the plan carries a hefty price tag that will affect Americans of all backgrounds, both present and future.

America Contracts Staff Defection at Mandate Injection Site

On Tuesday, the Biden administration launched the long-anticipated process to force employees to take the vaccine. The Operational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) took twice as long to draft the "Emergency Temporary Standard" as they initially predicted, but it finally sent the text to the Office of Management and Budget for review. Still, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki refused to give a timeline for a final rule, saying only "it should be an indication that it's there and now it is being reviewed."

In Biden's "Families" Plan, Government Becomes Everyone's Caretaker

The most troubling aspect of the Biden administration's so-called "Build Back Better" plan is its unflinching attack on the foundation of society -- the family. Our nation is already grappling with the effects of low marriage and fertility rates and ever-increasing inflation that hits the working class the hardest. However, instead of fostering healthy families, the Biden administration's plan seems to favor the wealthy (often childless) coastal elites and seeks to superimpose the government into the role of caretaker and nurturer. Instead of "Build Back Better," the $3.5 trillion plan really ought to be called the "Anti-Family Budget Buster."

FRC Expert to Speak Out on Gender Dysphoria -- Be Sure to Tune-in

You won't want to miss tomorrow's appearance by our own Jennifer Bauwens, Ph.D., director of Family Research Council's Center for Family Studies, when she joins Family Policy Alliance's "Help Not Harm" Summit to discuss ethical standards for treating children struggling with gender confusion.

On Parents, Biden Sticks to His Foregone Collusions

The federal government isn't exactly a bastion of efficiency. In fact, entire late-night comedy routines have been written about the glacial pace of Washington. So how is it that Joe Biden's Justice Department managed to snap to attention and mobilize against parents within hours of the National School Board Association's complaint? That's simple, one legal group says, if it was the president's idea to begin with.

Tex Evasion: White House Fights to Stop Pro-life Law

Joe Biden may be the Left's puppet on a lot of things, but abortion isn't one of them. In the last two years, the one-time March for Lifer has become a true believer in the fringe wing of his party where destroying babies in the womb is concerned. His DOJ (when it isn't trying to prosecute parents for speaking up at school board meetings) has been frantically fighting to stop Texas's pro-life law from taking effect -- with almost eerie determination.

Biden One-Ups Obama on Taxpayer-Funded Abortion

President Biden's $3.5 trillion "Build Back Better" plan would be more aptly named the Anti-Family Budget Buster. But this bill would do more than just empty the pockets of hardworking American families. Clocking in at roughly 2,300 pages (more than twice the length of Obamacare), this reconciliation package seeks to massively expand taxpayer funding for abortion across America.

A School Horror Story That Didn't Fit the Narrative

When the phone rang, it was every father's worst nightmare. Come to campus, a school official said, your daughter has been assaulted. No one told Scott Smith that she had been sexually assaulted -- that a boy wearing a skirt had walked into the girls' restroom and raped his 15-year-old child. Then, imagine your anger as a parent to find out that the school wasn't going to involve the police -- that they'd decided to handle the matter (which ended up being two counts of forcible sodomy, one count of anal sodomy, and one count of forcible fellatio) "internally."

Here's to You, Mr. Robinson...

Talk about misreading your audience. Democrats have been scrambling for months to find an answer for the party's rift with suburban parents over Joe Biden's radical education policy. But instead of backing off and listening to the local outcry, they've dug in -- vilifying parents and deepening the divide between Washington Democrats and the rest of America. Now, by trying to sack a man who's championing the parents' cause, they've given Republicans exactly what the president didn't want: more ammunition.

The Plane Truth about Biden's Vaccine Mandate

You are not free to move about the country. No one has been since the coronavirus restrictions began. But now major airlines are piling on travel challenges above and beyond the government mandates. Beginning Friday, Southwest Airlines cancelled over 1,800 flights, leaving thousands of passengers stranded around the country. For perspective, Southwest flies approximately 3,300 flights per day; they cancelled 27 percent of their scheduled flights on Sunday alone.

PVS Summit: During Our Crisis of Leadership, Believers Must Lead

It's not news to anyone paying attention that we have a crisis of leadership in America. Our leaders in Washington, starting from the Oval Office on down, have bungled almost everything they have touched since January, often shooting themselves in both feet -- multiple times -- while the American citizenry is stuck paying the medical bills. From the Afghanistan disaster, to the fiasco along our southern border, to the vaccine mandate debacle, to the threatening of parental rights at school board meetings, to the inconceivably massive increase in our national debt, it's more than clear that our leaders are not just failing, they are threatening to bring down the country with them.

PVS Summit: As Storm Clouds Gather, Believers Must Hold the Line

For the first time, the Pray Vote Stand Summit (which builds upon the 15-year success of Values Voter Summit) is being held at a church -- Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. Why? "It's time for Christian voices to be heard," said Cornerstone's pastor Gary Hamrick. "We've been silent for too long. The church has fallen asleep, and it's time to wake up ... this is a grassroots movement among believers."

School Boards Want FBI Protection from Parents

Any parent who has watched or testified before a school board meeting understands how challenging it is to be heard and how often the work of the board bears little resemblance to the will of the people. Even with sympathetic elected officers, engaging the educational industrial complex is hard work. And recent action by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is making the job even harder.

Government Strong-Arming Fuels American Distrust

According to Pew Research, in the early 1960s nearly 80 percent of Americans trusted the federal government "to do what's right just about always/most of the time." Today, that number hovers around 20 percent.

Worldview is Central to Determining Views on Abortion

The month of October kicks off "Respect Life Month" in the Catholic Church, and with the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled to hear the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case on December 1, Christians across the country have begun praying in earnest for the case that could overturn Roe v. Wade. How will Americans react to the possibility of the Court altering the long-standing Roe ruling concerning abortion?

Manchin Walks the (Red) Line to Courageously Defend Hyde

The infighting among progressives on Capitol Hill is palpable as discussions intensify about the inclusion of the Hyde Amendment being a red line, or non-negotiable, issue on either side of the aisle. Leftists have taken direct aim at moderates who have concerns with the Democrats' proposed $3.5 trillion spending package. Some members such as Bernie Sanders have directly attacked Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)for his defense of Hyde, while several radical activists even accosted Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) in a bathroom stall and chased her through an airport.

The Truth Will Set Us Free from Vaccine Mandates

In new footage released by Project Veritas, three Pfizer scientists admit that natural immunity to the coronavirus likely offers better protection than the vaccine. Yet the CDC refuses to even address the possibility of natural immunity, and various vaccine mandates America's tyrants are considering allow no exemption for natural immunity.

A Tribute to Todd Akin

America lost and heaven gained a champion for faith, family, and freedom this past Sunday. Former Congressman Todd Akin, who represented Missouri's 2nd congressional district, was a faithful husband, father, patriot, servant leader, and a longtime friend. He entered into eternity after a long battle with cancer.

With Biden in Crisis, Less Is Less

Republican Members of Congress on Thursday sent a letter to President Biden eviscerating the administration's heavy-handed attempt to force coronavirus vaccination on health care workers who don't want it. Last month he directed the CDC "to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all staff within all Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities" as part of his whole-of-government approach to vaccinate "96, 97, 98 percent" of Americans.

Respect Life Month Comes at a Pivotal Time for the Pro-Life Movement

The month of October is nationally recognized as Respect Life Month; according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), this marks a 31-day opportunity to contemplate "why every human life is valuable and reflect on how to build a culture that protects life from conception to natural death." This year, Respect Life Month arrives as the national conversation on the future of abortion has reached a fever pitch -- and fortunately, the progress to build a culture that protects life is making great strides.

Tanner Cross to Speak at Pray Vote Stand Summit

Teaching physical education in Loudoun County, Virginia, Tanner Cross likely never thought he would rise to national prominence and find himself at the center of a heated debate over school policies. Yet, Cross's commonsense remarks before the Loudoun County school board propelled him to exactly that position.

Common Sense Missing in Debt Ceiling Debates

"This is an economic crisis of the Democrats' own making." This is how Congressman Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the ranking member on the House Ways and Means Committee, described the looming debt ceiling debate on "Washington Watch."

Vax Mandate Stabs Constitution in the Back

Three weeks after announcing a vaccine mandate for private companies of 100 or more employees, the Biden administration still doesn't have a timeline. When asked, Press Secretary Jen Psaki could only promise "more detail in the coming weeks." Coming from the administration that blew away previous records for the most executive orders in its first 100 days, this foot-dragging indicates there may be a reason for the delay. Law professor John Yoo suggests the biggest obstacles are constitutional. "I don't think the Biden administration is going to get through court on this one," he said on "Washington Watch."

To Summit All Up: Pray Vote Stand

For the past 15 years, around this time of the year, FRC and FRC Action held the annual Values Voter Summit. That summit served as a forum to help inform and mobilize citizens across America to preserve our bedrock values. Building upon the success of that event that stretched for a decade and a half, we see the need for an event with a sharper focus upon the true source of our strength. And just outside of our nation's capital on October 6-8, the Pray Vote Stand Summit is a conference that does just that.

Joe Manchin's Courageous Defense of Hyde

"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities," said Winston Churchill, "because it is the quality which guarantees all others." Among those others are wisdom, tenacity, and respect for that one is called to serve. Those qualities are rarely seen in Washington these days as a result of the Left's cancel culture campaign. So, when courage is displayed, stop and take note.

A Terror in Judgment

In another testy, day-long hearing, America's top generals refused to explain how America decided to leave Afghanistan. Every horrifying detail of our withdrawal has been well publicized, but still the decision to leave doesn't make sense. The general's testimony before the House Armed Services Committee failed to rectify the glaring discrepancy between their military judgment that America should leave 2,500 troops in Afghanistan -- delivered to Congress under oath -- and President Biden's declaration that no one told him we should leave any troops there.

Against the Will of the People, the Left Pushes Ahead with Vaccine Mandates

On Monday, a statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers went into effect in New York on the orders of Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul. This follows President Biden's announcement that he will attempt to put in place a vaccine mandate on all companies that employ 100 or more workers, which could potentially affect 100 million citizens. When it comes to the constitutional rights of Americans to decide whether or not to have a substance injected into their bodies, elected officials on the Left apparently can't be bothered.

A Milley-on Unanswered Questions

When President Biden's top military advisors appeared yesterday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Republican Senators gave them such a grilling that the smoke was palpable. Despite this, the American people are left with nearly as many unanswered questions as before.

With Vaccine Mandates, Personal Rights Questions Abound

In sports, "moving the goalposts" is a metaphor for altering the rules to suit one's needs or objectives, making it more difficult for someone else to succeed, keep pace, or achieve an opposing objective. When asked on Monday what percentage of Americans need to get vaccinated for the nation "to go back to normal," President Joe Biden replied, "[S]ome industries and some schools -- 96, 97, 98 percent." The president's response is just the latest indication that the goalposts have been moved again when it comes to vaccines and vaccine mandates.

Bidenomics: Over Tax, Overspend, and Inflate

It's been said that America has the greatest debt in the world -- it's all outstanding!

No One Expects the Coast Guard Inquisition

Their three weapons are coercion, confidentiality, ruthless disregard for conscience -- and an almost fanatical devotion to the Left. A leaked document shows Coast Guard top brass has directed chaplains to question servicemembers with religious objections to taking the coronavirus vaccine in a way that First Liberty's General Counsel Mike Berry describes as "nothing short of a modern-day inquisition." While most chaplains will resist, some may use it to justify psychological coercion.

Parents Stand Up to Pornography in School Libraries

For all the negative societal impacts attributed to social media, it turns out there are a few benefits to alternative media. One Texas mom's viral video about pornographic school library books is the latest example.

How Should Christians Use Religious Exemptions for Vaccine Mandates?

Understandably, many Americans are frustrated by the president's about-face on mandating vaccines. Vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans alike are concerned about what kind of precedent such a sweeping executive order could set. Those who do not want a COVID-19 vaccine are concerned about how the mandate will personally affect them. As I explained in a previous article, there are serious legal, constitutional, moral, and conscience concerns related to the president's vaccine mandate. Thus, it is no surprise that many people are asking about exemptions.

Speaking Up for Those Who Can't

Many marches and demonstrations that take place in Washington, D.C. are known for being angry and partisan. Over the weekend, March for the Martyrs broke that trend with a mission to stand in solidarity with a group often neglected -- persecuted Christians.

Do Female Athletes Need Abortion to Succeed?

Over 500 female athletes recently filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health claiming that abortion is needed to help them achieve their athletic goals. This claim is deeply troubling for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, no athletic competition or victory is worth sacrificing the life of a child.

House Dems United in Death

People say it's hard to find consensus in Washington, but Democrats have found plenty on one issue: abortion. At least in the House, the idea of middle ground has vanished. When it comes to the taking of innocent life, the battlelines are clear: Republicans are 100-percent opposed, and all but one Democrat is in favor.

Women Feel Draft through the House

The shiver that ran down your spine last night could have been the chill in the air -- or the draft in the House. Last night, over Republican opposition, Democrats passed a measure requiring all women ages 18 to 25 to register for the Selective Service, just as men are currently required to do. Or rather, Democrats stuffed that measure inside a gigantic, must-pass bill called the National Defense Authorization Act to soften Republican opposition with a cushion of $24 billion in increased defense spending.

Stop, Drop, and Role Play? Minn. Students Told to Act LGBT

Richfield, Minnesota parents and citizens have reported for duty, standing up to inappropriate and overly explicit content in their school system's sex ed curriculum. At this week's school board meeting speakers were civil, clear, and strong in their rejection of Advocate for Youth's 3Rs curriculum for their community, which is a notorious sex education curriculum that teaches children how to become sexually active.

Democrats: Hooked on a Ceiling

Convincing America to go along with their enormous spending plan has been an uphill slog for Democrats, but that's only half of the struggle. The measure is laden with so many whacky policies now that even fellow party members are opposed to it. With the country careening toward a fiscal cliff and a government shutdown on the table, House and Senate leaders have a choice: They can tamp down their $3.5 trillion shopping spree, or Democrats can go it alone and face the consequences. Either way, putting America on the path to socialism is a pricy gamble -- in dollars and seats.

Entrance for Geese Only

It takes a lot to infuriate our Arctic neighbors, but the Biden administration makes it look easy. The U.S.-Canada border is closed to Canadians for another month, said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, although air travel restrictions were lifted for dozens of countries, including Canada. The northern border has been restricted to "essential travel" since March 2020.

School Boards Chalk up New Victories on Woke Policies

Good news! More people are responding to the need to exercise oversight of public schools. The latest example: the Stafford County Board of Supervisors in Virginia voted to revoke funds used by the school to teach critical race theory and a prohibition on requiring students to identify their pronouns. Responding to a tip from a parent, supervisors gave clear guidelines to the school system, preventing expenditures on the 1619 Project or similar programs and disallowing over emphasis on preferred pronouns.

Making Cents of America's Financial Picture

Don't miss Tony's conversation with Liberty University's Dave Brat, who breaks down the economic landscape in America -- and what kind of impact Joe Biden's policies will have on our children.

Pentagon Can't Camouflage True Vaccine Agenda

"Woke, broke, or both?" It's a question the U.S. military can't avoid these days. Trapped in a sinkhole of Left-wing radicalism, our troops are so busy fighting climate change, white supremacy, conservative "extremism," and COVID to deal with America's real enemies. Now, as if the embarrassment of Afghanistan, a feeble commander-in-chief, and their top brass's betrayals weren't enough, the president says he's ready to fire anyone who won't get the vaccine.

Biden's U.N. Speech Falls Flat

In the wake of multiple international crises of his own making, President Biden arrived on the scenes at the United Nations General Assembly this week to deliver his first address as president. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on "Washington Watch" described Biden's speech as "walking into the United Nations and slapping a giant kick me sign on Uncle Sam's back." That's not exactly the image that the leader of the free world wants to convey.

Clueless Administration Flails as Border Crisis Deepens

When it comes to the Biden administration's position on immigration enforcement, the message is clear: mixed messaging rules the day.

When a Man Drafts a Woman

When the Biden administration unveiled its new maternity flight suits this spring, a lot of people were incredulous. Why would the military waste its time on something so unnecessary? But now, with Democrats about to force women to register for the draft, it's clear: we're going to need a lot more of them.

Keeping Tabs on Jabs

After repeatedly shooting itself in the foot for months, the Biden administration has finally lurched one step in the right direction -- and two steps in the wrong. This week Biden lifted the travel ban on most of Europe, replacing it with requirements that all foreign entrants to the U.S. must be vaccinated AND have a negative COVID test within 72 hours AND cover their nose and mask for the entire duration of the transcontinental flight.

Military, Religion, and Vaccine Mandates

Under the Biden administration, the armed forces have been aggressively pushing soldiers to get the COVID vaccine or face the consequences. The new rules threaten to harm military retention and recruitment. For Christians, vaccine mandates pose a host of complex questions and conscience concerns. Monday, First Liberty Institute attorney and Marine Corps reservist Mike Berry joined Tony Perkins on "Washington Watch" to discuss the military's recent efforts to force service members to get vaccinated.\r

A Mandate for Disaster

A lot of voters underestimated Joe Biden's ability to make a mess of things. But even with depressing headlines about the border, Afghanistan, inflation, COVID, and the Joint Chiefs, the president's allies are worried that the biggest catastrophe is Biden's own reputation. "I think he's got a pretty big credibility crisis on his hands," NBC's Chuck Todd admitted frankly. "Because all of these problems, in some ways, showed up after he said something basically the exact opposite."

While the World Burns, Biden Celebrates Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal

For an administration that came to power prioritizing the symbolic over the substantive, the Biden administration is hoping that the 10-year anniversary of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will provide some much-needed relief from a seemingly endless parade of bad news.

Biden Bungles Deport of Entry

"If the American people knew the truth at the border, they would be crying and screaming from the rooftops," insisted Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas). As of yesterday, nearly 15,000 migrants were huddled together under a bridge in the small border town of Del Rio (normal population approximately 35,000) due west of San Antonio, with hundreds more arriving every hour. Many migrants are simply wading through knee-deep water across a small dam in the Rio Grande. Most of the migrants arrived since Wednesday, when there were only 4,000. Border patrol has sent more agents to the area given reports that tens of thousands of migrants are on their way.

President's Prison Rule Cells out Women

Joe Biden may be headed for the beach, but don't expect it to be a vacation from his problems. When the president got on the plane this afternoon, the White House was frantically trying to clean up another mess of Biden's making -- this time on the southern border. In Del Rio, Texas, where more than 10,000 migrants are wading in the water on the U.S.-Mexico border, the president's team can't stop the flood of shocking images. It's just one more snapshot in his photo album of failures.

Biden Isn't Joe-King with Mandate

Attorneys general in 24 states sent a letter to President Biden yesterday, threatening legal action if he follows through on his threat to mandate private companies with more than 100 employees to require their employees either take the coronavirus vaccine, submit to weekly testing, or be fired. One of those attorneys general, Dave Yost of Ohio, explained further on "Washington Watch."

Who's Ready to Reconcile Spending $3.5 Trillion?

As the FRC team continues to pour over the text of the monstrous $3.5 trillion infrastructure package Democrats have assembled, we continue to find a liberal grab-bag of social policies.

Deep in Hiding, Afghan Christians Cling to Faith

They take turns staying awake, praying and walking the floor while others sleep -- blissfully unaware, at least for a few hours, that they are being hunted. They have no passports, no visas, and very little of what they need most of all: hope. For these Christians, in a safe house deep in Afghanistan, time is running out. Together, they live in fear of a single knock on their hiding place door -- from the Taliban.

Vaccine Mandate Takes Cheap Shots at Freedom

If Joe Biden thought his vaccine mandate would send Americans racing for the nearest CVS -- boy, was he wrong. People who were hesitant to roll up their sleeves before are outright adamant about it now, thanks to the heavy hand of government. Intimidation won't increase vaccinations, doctors are warning. But it will increase lawsuits -- and Arizona's is just the beginning.

Shed a Fear over Division

According to a new survey by Scott Rasmussen, more Democrats thought Donald Trump supporters (57 percent) and unvaccinated Americans (56 percent) posed serious threats than any other groups, even foreign adversaries like the Taliban (44 percent), China (44 percent), or Russia (37 percent). The survey of registered voters conducted on September 8 asked respondents to indicate which groups they believed constituted a serious threat to the nation.

Open Treason on Trump?

General Mark Milley wasn't exactly inundated with friend requests after he helped botch the disastrous situation in Afghanistan. In fact, when President Biden said it was on the general's advice that he closed Bagram Air Base, entire editorial boards were calling for the Joint Chief Chair's resignation. But long before Kabul, an unflattering picture of Milley had already emerged. His defense of critical race theory and the president's absurd climate change-as-a-security threat led many people to wonder if America's top military leader had turned woke. Now, after Tuesday's bombshells, they wonder if he's a turncoat.

Wishful Blinken: Secretary's Delusions Stun Congress

If it was humility or remorse that Congress expected on Afghanistan, they got neither. In two days of grilling from both sides, Secretary of State Antony Blinken sat through hours of criticism eerily unphased. Even when the embarrassment of the last several weeks was laid out in all of its unflattering glory, Blinken was surprisingly unemotional. The withdrawal, he insisted, was a success. The loss of life, loss of American credibility, and loss of order in the Middle East were just unfortunate side effects of what he calls "the right decision." And the scariest part, Michael Goodwin shakes his head, is that he believes it.

At Google, the Fix Is in for Silencing Pro-Life Messaging

Use of the abortion pill is surging. Reports indicate that almost 40 percent of all abortions are now carried out using the abortion pill. But as FRC and many other pro-life organizations have been pointing out, the abortion pill carries with it a substantial risk to the health of women.

Immune from Reason: Biden's Mandate Ignites a Nation

For most Democrats, creating political distractions is an art form. Not so much for Joe Biden, whose idea of changing the conversation on Afghanistan was starting a civil war over the COVID vaccine. Late last week, when the president threw down his national mandate, it was like taking people's minds off burnt toast by setting your house on fire. Sure, it got Americans to stop talking about the Taliban, but only because they were on the phone with their attorneys looking for ways to sue the government.

Congress A-Tax the American Economy

Democrats are running Congress like rowdy teenagers joyriding in a "borrowed" Lamborghini--they know they'll have to surrender the keys soon, so they'll extract every possible ounce of thrill they can. To fund their unprecedented spending proposals (running $3 trillion to $6 trillion), the House Ways and Means Committee has proposed an estimated $3.5 trillion in tax increases. While targeted at the wealthy, the brunt of the increases will fall on small businesses, families, and workers, forcing the struggling middle class down into the lower class.

Talibanned: Afghan Women Brace for a New, Restrictive Normal

When the Taliban swept through Kabul, stunning the world, leader Zabihullah Mujahid tried to soften the extremists' image. "We want to build the future and forget what happened in the past," he insisted. But forgetting will not come so easily for the West, who watched for years as hard-line Islamists brutalized their women and tortured non-conformists. Even now, reporters, former interpreters, and soldiers are being hunted down and massacred by death squads -- sparking plenty of doubts about a kinder, gentler Taliban.

Don't Forget to Remember

"Where were you twenty years ago," began my pastor, "on the morning of 9/11? If you can remember, please stand." Pews squeaked and pages rustled as hundreds stood -- a vast majority. The college students, noticeable because seated together in groups, did not stand. They hadn't been born yet, or were at least too young to remember. Forgetting is easy; all it takes is the inertia of time. Remembering is harder.

Too Much Spending -- Even for Democrats?

As the country continues to deal with converging crises in Afghanistan, at the border, and within our own economy, Democrats on Capitol Hill are set for a showdown between the radical progressive priorities of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the sensible call from Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to pause passage of a $3.5 trillion spending package which seeks to reshape almost every aspect of American life. Just this weekend, Senator Manchin went on the record on this topic, telling CNN's Dana Bash: "I can assure you the reconciliation bill will not be $3.5 trillion."

Standing Courageous in Central Florida

The FRC Stand Courageous men's ministry team was on the road again this past weekend in central Florida. Hosted by Pastor Cliff Lea at First Baptist Church in Leesburg, Florida, over 500 men packed out the worship center to hear our stable of speakers as well as attend some standing room only breakouts.

Vaccine Mandate Sticks It to Freedom

Twenty years ago today, Americans went to sleep never imagining the next morning would change our lives forever. We woke up to a once-in-a-generation nightmare carried out by extremists who despised our way of life, our liberties, and our God. Their hatred killed 3,000 innocents that day, but it did not kill America. Unfortunately for the terrorists, the people of this country were resilient -- even in unspeakable tragedy. We mourned, flew bigger flags, and rebuilt. It would have never occurred to us then that two decades later one of the greatest assaults on our sovereignty would come from our government itself. That the man we'd elect as president would one day tell us that confronting a deadly threat is "no longer about freedom and personal choice."

9/11 Failure & Hope, Then & Now

In 20 years, a child should grow from infancy to adulthood. From helplessness to competence. But in the two decades since that grievous Tuesday in September, an America that should be wise to the ways of evil seems in many respects to have taken a leap backward. The abject failure of leadership in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 makes for a tragic bookend to the war thrust upon us in 2001.

Live by the Courts, Die by the Courts

Among the silliest COVID-era interventions was the D.C. city government removing the rims from community basketball courts, effectively shutting them down and forcing would-be athletes indoors where their chance of infection was increased. Now, President Biden's Department of Justice threatens a more serious interference with another kind of court -- legal courts in Texas.

The Protest of Future Past

No mob of rioters broke down the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia. The statue was removed yesterday on the order of Governor Ralph Northam. Today, the state government is opening a 134-year-old time capsule buried in the statue's pedestal, and replacing it with a new time capsule.

A Biblical Perspective on Climate Change

Last week, President Joe Biden visited New York to survey the devastation from Hurricane Ida. During his press conference, the president referenced a recent U.N. report that tracks climate change. According to the report, "Global surface temperature has increased faster since 1970 than in any other 50-year period over a least the last 2,000 years." Not surprisingly, Biden used his remarks as an opportunity to advocate for expansive, big-government climate policies, claiming that worsening weather patterns merit a wide-ranging, government-led approach.

Afghanistranded: Biden Leaves Americans at Taliban's Mercy

It must have been a relief for the White House to put Joe Biden on a plane to New Jersey Tuesday. For the first time in weeks, the president got to talk about a disaster he didn't create. And yet, while he surveyed the wreckage from Hurricane Ida, the world's attention was still 6,900 miles away on the damage that can't be undone: Biden's disastrous exit from Afghanistan.

Abortion Activists Slow on the Draw

It's not like they didn't see it coming. Texas's new law protecting unborn babies where a heartbeat is detected (SB8) was passed in May, and Democrats "were asleep at the wheel," said Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. When the law went into effect last Wednesday, "suddenly everyone woke up."

Biden's Vaccine Push: A Mandate with Destiny

Joe Biden isn't a doctor, and he's certainly not your doctor. But that hasn't stopped the president of the United States from making every Americans' health decisions for them. The "scare-monger in chief," as former Civil Rights Division leader Roger Severino calls him, has decided that when it comes to COVID, the facts, the law, and the science don't matter. You will be vaccinated, this Democratic leadership says -- and surrender every constitutional right to privacy, employment, personal safety, and free speech until you do.

House Dems Drop Hyde-rogan Bomb

How many votes does it take to kill the Hyde Amendment? House Democrats discovered the answer last night, when they voted along party lines, 219-208, to pass the first appropriations bill in 45 years (since 1976) without the Hyde Amendment. A procedural vote that would have restored the Hyde Amendment was defeated 217-208, also along party lines. The labor and HHS appropriations bill now heads to the Senate, where it remains to be seen whether moderate Democrats like Joe Manchin (W.Va.) will fight to prevent taxpayer dollars from funding abortion.

Guilty until Proven Innocent

If you think China and North Korea are the only countries with "political prisoners," think again. According to some conservatives in Congress, some of the January 6^th rioters have been held in jail for months under what they consider abusive conditions. At a press conference earlier this week, Republicans warned about the possible mistreatment of some defendants and demanded that they be treated fairly.

FRC to Supreme Court: Overturn Roe!

The case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, concerning Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban, is the most consequential abortion case to come before the U.S. Supreme Court in years, and represents the best shot at overturning Roe v. Wade that we have seen in a long time.

Pelosi: The (No) Show Must Go on!

COVID doesn't care what political party you belong to -- it's an equal opportunity infector. But when it comes to how the virus is impacting both sides, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has reaped more than her share of benefits. Having control of Congress when a pandemic sweeps through the country has been unusually kind to the Democratic Party, as far as pushing their agenda goes. Turns out, setting the House rules during COVID has its advantages -- especially when you're clinging to the slimmest majority since World War II.

China Wins Gold in Human Rights Abuses

The Chinese Communist Party must be trying to win a gold medal for human rights abuses. Earlier this week, a 24-year-old received a life sentence, the first given under the 2020 security law abolishing political freedom in Hong Kong. What was his crime? He rode a motorcycle into police with a banner calling for Hong Kong's liberation, which the totalitarian regime determined deserved a life sentence for "terrorism" and "inciting secession." Last year, BLM rioters got off scot-free for considerably more violence.

Connecticut Parents Oust School Board Members over CRT

Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona withdrew a citation of a radical CRT program in documents earlier this month after embarrassing revelations about the radical nature of the materials promoted by the program. In his home state of Connecticut, parents are doing some house cleaning of their own on a local school board in Guilford.

CDC: Why Mask? Don't Ask

Yesterday new CDC guidance directed vaccinated persons to wear masks indoors over most of the country, and urged everyone in K-12 schools to wear masks in the fall. The guidance reversed the rules the CDC issued earlier this year, which recognized that people vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to wear masks because they are immune, at least to its most harmful effects.

With Southern Border Wide Open, Desperate Cubans Are Denied Chance at Freedom

A mere 90 miles from Florida's coast, the people of Cuba, who have been under the boot of a communist regime for over six decades, are crying out for freedom. For weeks, Cubans fed up with chronic food and medicine shortages and inflated prices brought on by their communist government, have held public demonstrations across the country. The brutal dictatorial government responded by lashing out against its own people with hundreds of arbitrary arrests and public beatings (including journalists), the disappearance of many demonstrators, and a nationwide internet outage.

Let's not Force America's Daughters to Register for the Draft

As Congress hashes out the contours of funding bills making their way through Congress this week, there is one in particular we shouldn't overlook: the Senate Armed Services Committee has approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require women to register for the draft. While framed as a woman's equality issue, this is actually unnecessary, dangerous, and very revealing of America's moral decline.

Infrastructure Deal Still under Construction

When ESPN asked followers what "isn't an Olympic sport but feels like an Olympic sport," Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) half-joked: "trying to negotiate a bipartisan infrastructure deal." Except in this case, the two sides are wrestling without anything to show for it. Five weeks after prematurely announcing a deal, the two sides seem farther apart than ever.

There's No Place Like Home -- to Learn

If someone told me 18 months ago that homeschooling American households would triple in a year, I would hardly have thought it possible. Nor would I have believed the Associated Press and the Washington Post could report positively on something as beneficial as homeschooling. As it turns out, nearly anything can change in a pandemic. By the fall of 2020, 11 percent of U.S. households were homeschooling their children, up from 5.4 percent in the spring of 2020, and 3.3 percent in the years before that, according to the Household Pulse Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

State Attorneys General Step up to Protect America's Children

Children in need of protection from harmful gender transition procedures seem to have fewer and fewer advocates these days. Whether political leaders willing to turn their backs on them or elites trying to stay in sync with the socially-liberal views of their peers, children are the ones being left to pay the price. The latest example is the ACLU's lawsuit against Arkansas's recently-enacted Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act.

CRT Shape-shifting in Education

Every once in a while, the Biden administration likes to pretend that it's listening to reason. Don't buy it. That's the message from conservatives, who are trying to keep parents from falling for the White House's line that it's backing away from critical race theory in the classroom. That's the impression Education Secretary Miguel Cardona was going for when he said that the department made an "error" promoting a radical group's CRT theories. Some people cheered, thinking the White House had finally seen the light. But if it sounds too good to be true, experts warn, that's because it is.

Faulty Censor Triggers Alarm

YouTube is a bully. Bullies like to pick on people smaller and weaker than themselves. For YouTube and its parent company, Google, that includes pretty much everyone. But bullies also back down when their targets fight back. And FRC will always fight back.

Finland Looks Reasonable on Gender Transition for Minors

Reason on the subject of gender transition for minors is increasingly prevailing on the international scene. With Finland's recent move to cut back on the practice, multiple countries in Europe, including Great Britain and Sweden, now recognize that performing potentially irreversible procedures on children that transform their endocrine systems and remove healthy sexual organs should not be the go-to intervention for treating psychological dissonance over one's biological sex.

Pelosi: On the Riot Side of History

When House Democrats started clamoring for their own January 6 commission, it was never about the facts. But the last person anyone expected to admit that is Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). But this week, the California leader showed her cards when she booted two of the five Republicans off the roster because she was terrified they'd ask some hard questions. And hard questions, we all know, is not what this probe is about. Political theater is.

To Follow the Science, Free the Science

CDC can stand for many things: Conspiracy for Deceptive Calculations, Cartel for Democrats after Coronavirus -- and probably more. But one thing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should stand for is good science. Whether they do is up for debate, as public health experts like Dr. Martin Makary have criticized the agency for public health recommendations concerning vaccination of minors that are based on "very sloppy data." There's no expert consensus behind many CDC policies. But instead of welcoming open scientific dialogue and inquiry, Makary says, the CDC "dug in early" and "dismissed" any dissenting voices. The question is, why?

Inside a Chinese Internment Camp

On Christmas Day in 2020, one Uyghur advocate in the United States was devastated to learn that her sister had been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Gulshan Abbas was a retired medical doctor in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government is launching a brutal crackdown on the Uyghur Muslim population. Detained by authorities since 2018, her sister, Rushan, believes that she was taken as a punishment for Rushan's advocacy work in the United States speaking out against human rights abuses in China.

Dems: All Good Things Must Come to a Spend

Forget reading the bill after you pass it -- now Senate Democrats want to pass a bill that doesn't exist! Taking their abuse of the legislative process to new heights, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) did something that no one learned on Schoolhouse Rock: he held a vote on nothing. Just trust us, Democrats cooed. It'll be great. Republicans, who've been stung by plenty of bills they had read, refused. Maybe Schumer needs a refresher on how Congress works -- but, as Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) pointed out, "Around here, we typically write the bills before we go."

California's Preferred Pronouns Are Free/Speech

There was no "he said, she said" in the unanimous decision issued by California's Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The three-judge panel unanimously ruled that a law requiring nursing home staff to address residents by their preferred pronouns violated free speech. The opinion calls the provision a "content-based restriction on speech," that permits some viewpoints while suppressing others. A California state court unanimously defeating such a draconian transgender mandate gives powerful evidence that liberty may not be quite dead out on the Left coast.

Protecting Life on College Campuses

The physical and psychological traumas associated with the chemical abortion regimen evince the unique horrors of the procedure -- even beyond what we are used to in the abortion context. Tammi, one victim of the abortion industry's embrace of this practice, reflected on her chemical abortion as "savage" and "horrific." She recalled extreme physical pain and fear throughout the process, ending in the ultimate delivery of her developing child, possessing undeniably human features, into a toilet bowl at her home.

Mischief Afloat in the Red, White, and Navy

A new Congressional report on the U.S. navy "found that a staggering 94% of sailors interviewed believe that the surface Navy suffers from a crisis of leadership and culture." Increased administrative burdens (750 annual reports per ship, most of them useless) and training not related to combat have eaten into the time American sailors are able to devote to honing mission-critical skills. "The noncombat curricula consume Navy resources, clog inboxes, create administrative quagmires, and monopolize precious training time," the report warns. The report highlights America's glaring unpreparedness at a time when America's primary strategic competitor, China, is beefing up its navy, threatening U.S. allies and interests around the world.

White House Economics: Inflation by Hot Air

It's been awhile since Joe Biden took math, and this week he proved he could use a refresher. During what was supposed to be a benchmark speech on the economy, the president left plenty of people scratching their heads with his Bidenomics. To stop inflation, he argued, you have to spend more. A lot more. As in, trillions of dollars more. Propping up his bloated infrastructure and family bills, the president insisted that if we pile on another $4.7 trillion in debt, "it'll take the pressure off of inflation." Nice try, but 71 percent of the country isn't buying it.

How "Woke" Culture Is Anti-Biblical

In November 1957, towards the beginning of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s leadership of the civil rights movement, he delivered a sermon at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. In describing the biblical importance of loving one's enemies, he said this:

Cuba: Give Us Liberty, No Matter the Cost

There's one thing most Cubans can agree on: the small island nation may never be the same again. "The history of Cuba will have to be rewritten after Sunday, the 11^th of July," one Catholic leader said. In just nine days, more than six decades of oppression was turned on its head, as people flooded to the streets -- risking their very lives to send a message America's forefathers know well: give us liberty, no matter the cost.

Social Media's Misinformation Overload

That of which you shall not speak shall henceforth be called "misinformation." No, that's not a pithy quote from days gone by. It's the new daily modus operandi of big tech. If they disagree with a position -- or if they merely fear a position is disagreeable, the label "misinformation" is applied.

The Boards and the Bees

The nation's eyes are on critical race theory, but just as critical is what's happening with sex ed. While parents everywhere rise up over the flood of woke curriculum, they're also getting a good look behind the curtain at what their children are hearing about sex. And it's just as shocking -- if not worse. It's so graphic, one Minnesota state representative told a reporter, that her colleagues didn't even want to look at the examples on the House floor. "We couldn't show this on the 10 [o'clock] news," she said, but "we want our fourth-grade children to be looking at it?"

Lost Religious Exemptions a Side Effect of Vaccine Laws

When some children are quiet for too long, their parents know to expect trouble. Some school systems deserve the same suspicion. Under the cover of the pandemic, the D.C. City Council passed an act authorizing schools to administer vaccines to children as young as 11-years-old without their parent's consent. It even authorizes the schools to "seek reimbursement, without parental consent, directly from the insurer."

'That Stadium Became a Sanctuary'

At a time when we truly need men to step up in our homes, churches, and communities, the "in person" return of Promise Keepers this past weekend at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, was indeed worth celebrating. Ken Harrison, whose résumé includes a tour in the Marine Corps and tough inner city assignments in law-enforcement, has persevered in leading a renewal of Promise Keepers, a ministry whose events back in the 1990s inspired millions of men to fulfill their God-given callings as husbands, fathers and sons.

The Cuban Dismissal Crisis

It took five days, but the White House has apparently had enough time to consider the question and agrees that yes, communism is a failed system. Even that admission was like pulling teeth from this president, who's been surprisingly muted in his response to the Cuban protests. But even his slow reaction was better than the outrageous responses from others on America's Left, who've decided the real villain in this crisis isn't the brutal regime -- but America!

House Dems Leave Taxpayers Hyde and Dry

The year was 1993. Republicans and Democrats flocked to the House floor, one right after another. The debate was eerily similar to the one some members of Congress had Thursday: should taxpayers be forced to pay for abortions? President Bill Clinton watched the fireworks from a couple of miles away from the White House, where he'd started this whole argument. For the first time in 17 years, he'd presented a budget with zero abortion restrictions, plunging Congress (and the country) into a furious debate that -- until this week -- had been a non-negotiable truce.

'They Need Our Faith'

"Every time I want to keep my silence, I think of our life in China." These are the words of Grace Gao, the daughter of Gao Zhisheng, a Chinese human rights lawyer who boldly defended house church leaders and Falun Gong practitioners. For his work, he and his entire family were targeted by the Chinese government. After years of suffering, Grace is speaking out -- for her family, and for all families and individuals enduring abuse for their advocacy.

From Torture to Triumph: Religious Freedom at Work

It was the middle of the night -- the only time of day when girls like Joy could slip into sleep and forget. On a dark April night, that fragile peace was shattered when she was nudged out of her dreams by a friend in her dorm. "Something is wrong," her classmate whispered. Outside, they heard the gunshots, coming from every direction. "Boko Haram is here." Startled awake, the girls looked at each other in silent terror. They all knew what the noises meant. The terrorists, the ones from their worst nightmares, had come.

Dems' Let's-Make-a-Deal More Trouble Than It's Worth

After months of gridlock in the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Democrats have reached an agreement to proceed with a $3.5 trillion -- with a T -- spending package. But their achievement may not deserve the headlines. The Democrats' agreement to spend trillions is not with Republicans, but with themselves. And, as Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) pointed out on "Washington Watch," "that's actually the Democrats on just the Senate Budget Committee."

Vaccine Acts Take a Shot at Parents' Rights

It's bad enough that President Biden wants to send the government to your doorstep to pressure your family to vaccinate. Now, his Department of Education -- and several communities around the country -- are trying to force the shots on children without parents ever finding out.

Reports of America's Death Are Greatly Exaggerated

Look up hyperbole in the dictionary, and you'll find a description of President Joe Biden's speech Tuesday at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center, warning Americans that state election security bills are a "21^st Century Jim Crow assault" on democracy. Among his more ridiculous exaggerations, Biden warned: "We're facing the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War. That's not hyperbole. Since the Civil War. The Confederates back then never breached the Capitol as insurrectionists did on January the 6^th. I'm not saying this to alarm you; I'm saying this because you should be alarmed."

Fear and Misinformation Drive the COVID Debate

Something strange is happening on the way out of the COVID pandemic. Instead of science and common sense leading the way, a sense of fear and an urge to shame seems to be at the heart of a push for universal COVID vaccination, particularly from the Left.

Worldview Wednesday: The Duty of Parents in Education

As the nation emerges from the set of political, health, and economic crises it has wrestled with over the past year, and as children head back to school in the fall, a battle is heating up: the fight for America's schools.

'I'm from the Government, and I'm Here to Vaccinate'

Most people were shocked when the president wanted to go door-to-door with his vaccine campaign -- but that's only the half of it. According to a Pentagon spokesman, the White House is also planning to go barracks to barracks -- requiring the men and women of our voluntary military to involuntarily surrender their freedom and take an unproven shot some of them don't want.

Biden's Big Mess on Big Tech

Free speech is getting a little more costly these days -- especially when it's offered by big tech. Case in point: just this week the American Conservative Union's YouTube account was served a seven-day suspension for allegedly violating the platform's community guidelines. Their crime? The group's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last weekend in Dallas, which was streamed on YouTube, supposedly contained "medical misinformation." The conference video contained a discussion of research from the Smith Center for Infectious Diseases & Urban Health and Saint Barnabas Medical Center -- which was apparently a bridge too far for the platform that hosts such "informative" videos as "Poodle Exercise with Humans."

Condom-Nation: Chicago's Fifth Graders Get Crash Course in Sex Ed

Chicago Public Schools' top doctor Kenneth Fox has been a pediatrician for 30 years. As Chicago schools move to make condoms available to students in the name of "prevention," Dr. Fox is leading the way. According to an article in the Chicago Sun Times, Fox believes, "Young people have the right to accurate and clear information to make healthy decisions. And they need access to resources to protect their health and the health of others as they act on those decisions."

The Boy Scouts: A Case Study in Compromise

After 100 years of teaching future presidents, explorers, and civil rights leaders to follow their moral compass, it's been sobering to watch the Boy Scouts lose their own bearings. And yet, the unhappy ending for one of America's proudest traditions was easy to predict once the organization started chasing the approval of critics it could never win. Now, eight years into this experiment in moral compromise, the country is watching one of the saddest "I-told-you-so" moments of a generation. Disgraced, bankrupt, unpopular, and on the edge of extinction, the Scouts' leadership is showing the world where cowardly conformity leads -- and it isn't where the culture promised.

What's Lost Is Foundational

Some time ago, America's political Left gave up on freedom because it realized Americans would never accept its political agenda if allowed to speak and think for themselves. Their scorched-earth campaign against America's identity has ignited cities (literally), commandeered elite institutions, muffled dissent, and atrophied masculinity. They increasingly target churches and families, the two benighted holdouts against their dystopian vision of broken relationships, broken dreams, and broken spirits.

Murkowski's Glacial Reception by Alaska GOP

In the days of Elijah, Ahab was king of Israel. Ahab's reign was so wicked Scripture records that "he did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him." (1 Kings 16:33). Amidst the idolatry of Ahab, Elijah went up to Mount Carmel and asked the people of Israel: "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him." (1 Kings 18:21). That day the Lord answered Elijah with fire from heaven and reminded the people that the idols of Ahab and Jezebel were powerless.

All Hands on Tech!

"If they can censor me, they can censor you." That was former President Donald Trump's warning to America when he announced a blockbuster class-action lawsuit this week against the titans of Silicon Valley. Harnessing all of the outrage and grassroots anger over the treatment of conservatives these last several months, the 45^th president is coming for the Big Tech Leftists at Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, with legal guns blazing. As far as he's concerned, they may be able to silence conservatives -- but they won't be able to stop them.

Teachers Learn the Wrong Lesson

America's largest teachers' unions must be competing to see who can most offend parents with their woke ideology. "How to Be an Antiracist" author Ibram X. Kendi delivered the keynote address at the American Federation of Teachers' (AFT) annual meeting Wednesday. Kendi's book says, "There is no in-between safe space of 'not racist.' The claim of 'not racist' neutrality is a mask for racism." Only last week, the National Education Association (NEA) made it clear: "we oppose attempts to ban critical race theory and/or The 1619 Project," celebrating CRT in dozens of resolutions. The NEA and AFT combined have over 4.5 million members.

Promoting Religious Freedom Even When the Government Doesn't

At 71 years old, Joseph Cheng left Hong Kong and headed for Australia following the enactment of a new national security law that essentially criminalized his pro-democracy activism. Having long been an influential figure for Hong Kong's Christians, he believes that the Christian faith motivates many Hong Kong Christians to stand against oppression: "You are ready to suffer in this life, and you seek a much more meaningful afterlife."

For Dems, It's Only a Matter of Crime

Now that America's crime wave is coming home to roost, the Left is pumping out ridiculous excuses faster than you can say "defund the police." It's Republicans' fault, the White House insists! It's the cops' fault, the media says! Or, it's no one's fault -- the violence isn't real! But the people's choice award had to go to MSNBC's Joy Reid, who compared the whole crisis to Shark Week. Because apparently, homicide and summer go together like Jaws and Richard Dreyfus.

'I Was Preparing for Death at Every Moment'

It was her worst nightmare -- come true. The mom of three had been dreading the day when the Chinese Communist officials would come after her. And one night, they did. That phone call, three years ago, feels like yesterday. It was the moment Zumrat Dawut would discover the truth that her government's officials were denying: the network of concentration camps for her people was real. Then she -- like so many millions before her -- disappeared to one.

Knock, Knock, It's Big Brother Joe

After the Biden administration failed to meet its target of vaccinating 70 percent of Americans by July 4, the president suggested he may turn to drastic measures to boost vaccination rates, including sending people "door-to-door -- literally knocking on doors." The remark earned swift criticism. Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) tweeted, "BIG red flags anytime the federal government is 'going door to door.'" His colleague, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) agreed that federal door-to-door visits are "only really contemplated in Constitution for the census."

A Fight for the History Books

"We oppose attempts to ban critical race theory and/or The 1619 Project," the National Education Association (NEA) said in a resolution late last week. At its 2021 annual meeting, America's largest teachers' union -- and largest union of any kind -- passed a slew of pro-CRT resolutions. They also approved "an already-created, in-depth study that critiques white supremacy, anti-Blackness, anti-Indigeneity, racism, patriarchy ... capitalism ... and other forms of power and oppression." The resolutions amounted to a declaration of war on parent organizations that have sprouted up as sentinels against encroaching wokeness.

Florist's Hopes Wilt with Latest SCOTUS Injustice

It was a devastating day for Barronelle Stutzman. The florist from Washington State, who's become a symbol of the struggle for religious liberty in America, learned last week that the U.S. Supreme Court will not hear her case, in which she declined to design flower arrangements for a same-sex wedding in accordance with her Christian beliefs.

A Book So Right, the Left Won't Touch It

What's wrong with good old fashioned "God and Country" patriotism and referencing the Good Book? Apparently, it's so offensive some won't stand for it.

Squad Dems: A Fourth to Be Reckoned With

Squad member Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) used the anniversary of America's Independence to parrot the 1619 Project's about continued racial oppression and fundamental injustice. She tweeted, "When they say that the 4th of July is about American freedom, remember this: the freedom they're referring to is for white people. This land is stolen land and Black people still aren't free." This is a textbook example of the 1619 Project's false narrative of American history.

LA Spa Massages the Meaning of 'Woman'

There was nothing relaxing about a trip to Los Angeles's upscale Wi Spa last Saturday. The ordinarily calm atmosphere was interrupted by a bitter protest over the shop's transgender policy, which allowed a man to expose himself in the women's locker room -- to the shock and disgust of female clients. In a video that exploded across social media, an irate customer demanded to know why it's okay "for a man to go into the women's section, show his penis around the other women, young little girls, underage? Your spa, Wi Spa, condones that? He is a man. He is not a woman!"

Louisiana, You've Come a Long Way, Baby

Right before the July 4^th break, Louisiana House Bill 146 -- a lesser-known pro-life bill -- was signed into law. What the bill accomplishes, however, is not only worth noting, but championing in Louisiana and in other states.

Celebrating America's Birthday

When was America born? Was it when Jamestown was settled in 1607? When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620? When the 13 colonies won the War of Independence from Great Britain in 1781? Today, revisionist historians and new progressive models claim that America was born when African slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619. While the American slave trade was tragic, immoral, and a grave human rights violation, it is inaccurate to say that the United States of America was founded on slavery.

China's Threat-Bare Foreign Policy

Maybe if we claimed the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) fireworks and 100th anniversary celebrations were contributing to global warming (climate change), the Biden administration might see that the CCP poses a greater danger to global peace and security more so now than at any point in its history. This week, satellite images uncovered that China is constructing what appear to be over 100 new silos to house intercontinental ballistic missiles, which could deliver nuclear warheads to anywhere on the globe.

A White House of Another Stripe

Elections have consequences. Yesterday's virtual White House Convening on Transgender Equality serves as the latest reminder. With officials like White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, director of the Domestic Policy Council Susan Rice, and Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine hosting, viewers could expect to hear fawning praise for President Biden and his 14 percent LGBTQ+ administration.

At the Southern Border, Humanitarian Crisis Escalates

It was just over a year ago, but it now seems like an eternity ago. In May of 2020, the Trump administration implemented new immigration policies that expanded the authority of federal immigration officials to more effectively enforce immigration laws by swiftly processing and returning illegal border crossers. Within weeks, the number of illegal crossers dropped dramatically, and they stayed low through the end of President Trump's term.

Let's Start Putting Our Money Where Our Faith Is

When looking at the cultural landscape from a biblical perspective, it's more than clear that America is in dire straits. But what's particularly striking in recent years is how corporate America has collectively decided to latch on to this moral decline. It wasn't that long ago that American companies were careful to steer clear of public advocacy or making donations to groups with a stake in contentious social issues such as abortion, LGBT "Pride," and "Defund the Police" in order to avoid alienating their customers.

School Board Boot Camp Was Held, and All 50 States Reported for Duty!

Yesterday, FRC Action hosted a very successful School Board Boot Camp. In response to the repeated requests of partners across the country, the four-hour training session provided information on what you need to know about running for school board or supporting people who answer the call to public service. At the end of the day, we learned that 97 percent of participants said they would definitely or probably recommend this event to others, and 66 percent said they would definitely be interested in one specifically for their state.

Does the Bible Really Condemn Abortion?

In recent weeks, the topic of abortion and the church has returned to the news. This perennial issue has reemerged due to the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops' decision to draft a document on the Eucharist. The controversy over this document is caused by the possibility that one section may reiterate the Catholic teaching that those who manifestly oppose Church doctrine on grave matters, such as abortion, should refrain from receiving the sacrament of Communion.

Southern Border: A Rio Overflowing with Crime

Kamala Harris has a big problem, and Joe Biden to thank for it. Since the president assigned his vice president to oversee the crisis at the southern border over three months ago, "thousands upon thousands of illegal immigrants have already streamed into our nation at levels not seen in two decades," according to Congressman Chip Roy (R-Texas). Yet for three months she dismissed calls to visit the border with unconvincing excuses like "we've been to the border," and "I haven't been to Europe. I don't understand the point you're making."

Cardona Challenged on Science and Women's Sports

The Biden administration continues to deny science -- this time, through the Department of Education. At a hearing last Thursday, Rep. Mary Miller questioned Education Secretary Miguel Cardona after his department claimed that affirming the biological and scientific reality of male and female in sporting events was "harassment." In an effort to safeguard teachers' ability to speak the truth, Rep. Miller asked Secretary Cardona to clarify how many "genders" there are.

Americans Are Naturally Pro-Life

At 37 weeks, I am well beyond the phase where people are afraid of offending me by asking if I am pregnant. In fact, the large, very visible "bump" that affirms the presence of another within me is almost impossible for people not to comment on.

Hammer Thrower Nails Contempt for U.S.A.

"If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." That phrase - often attributed to Bernard Baruch - could easily be applied to the tenor of our times, especially this past week.

Ohio Dems Pound the Table Against Girls' Sports

"There's an old saying. When the law is on your side, pound the law. When the facts are on your side, pound the facts. If neither the facts or law are on your side, pound the table." So Adam Schiff summarized a quip that has been evolving for at least a century. And so the Democrats did in the Ohio State House when Ohio State Representative Jena Powell proposed an amendment to protect women's sports. It's hard to believe this ruckus took place in what is supposed to be the deliberative, rulemaking body for the state of Ohio. Where do they think they are? A zoo? A construction site? A daycare? It's almost (almost) maddening enough to make me thankful unelected bureaucrats do most of America's legislating.

Southern Baptist Convention Takes Principled Stands for Truth

Recently, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) held its Annual Meeting to elect new leaders, commission missionaries, and issue statements (known as resolutions) on the denomination's view on important issues facing their churches. Among these resolutions were meaningful statements on the Uyghur genocide, the Equality Act, and the Hyde Amendment. These resolutions are important because they reflect the denomination's careful thinking on important political and cultural issues.

Rank Hypocrisy: Top General Pushes Military CRT

Ignoring the controversy over critical race theory didn't go so well for the Left. So they tried denying it. That was a bust. Now, they've moved on to a new strategy: digging in and defending it -- and, considering the latest clash over the military, that might be the worst idea of all.

Left Tries a Veteran Move on Abortion Pills

In a House where Republicans are in the slimmest of minorities, conservatives are accomplishing a lot more than the media's giving them credit for. Some of the victories are moral ones, standing up against bad bills -- or trying to change them behind the scenes in conversations that will never make a bit of news. But this week, what might have been a blip on the media's screen became a full-scale public debate -- all because FRC blew the whistle.

The Separation of Church and Hate

The gentleman doth protest too much. On Facebook Thursday, California Representative Jared Huffman (D) doubled down on his suggestion that the Catholic church should lose its tax-exempt status if U.S. bishops withhold communion from pro-abortion politicians. He stated in part:

FRC in the Spotlight...

What is the "Mayflower Church" and how does the Biden administration's policy affect it? Find out in a new Washington Examiner column from FRC's Arielle Del Turco.

The Left's Myth Interpretation of Critical Theory

Like a lot of parents, Marlene didn't plan to drive halfway across town and wade through crowds ten-people deep just to speak her mind. But when her seventh-grade daughter came home and told her she "didn't want to be white," something inside her snapped. "This is an immutable characteristic that I cannot change. She cannot change," the Missouri mom said indignantly. "This is culturally-sanctioned discrimination..." she argued. "[It's] child abuse." But if you ask the Left, critical race theory is none of those things. It isn't even real.

The Importance of Changing Your Pro-Choice Friend's Heart

When we die, each of us will give an account of how we lived our lives. We will face the question, "What did you do for the least of these?" Certainly, unborn children -- the most vulnerable among us who truly have no voice -- will be included in "the least of these."

Rumors Aren't the Only Thing Wrong with China's Government

Rumors are circulating that a high-level Chinese government official has defected to the U.S. and offered information about the origins of the covid-19 pandemic. Yesterday on Washington Watch, Gordan Chang joined Tony Perkins to discuss the implications if such rumors are true. Reports are still unverified, but if Dong Jingwei defected, it would be the highest Chinese Communist Party official to defect to the U.S.

Biden Military Wages Culture War

When Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a "stand-down" order for the military to start its witch hunt for violent extremism in the ranks, that was only the first symptom. Since then, the Biden administration has subjected America's men and women in uniform to a dizzying barrage of woke indoctrination. A whistleblower hotline set up by Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) has already received "well over 300 serious, credible complaints."

Pompeo: Biden's Weak Response to an Increasingly Dangerous Iran

Iran has been a grave offender of human rights, religious freedom, and a state sponsor of terrorism since its Islamic Revolution in 1979. Under the repressive regimes of two "Supreme Leaders" - Ayatollahs who ruled with an iron fist over their beleaguered population - thousands of Iranians have been executed, many more jailed and tortured, and millions have suffered deprivations of the most basic necessities: food, freedom, and fair treatment.

Schools vs. Parents: Va. Locals Expelled from School Board Meeting

Parents across the country are waking up to the indoctrination happening in public schools. Whether it's over the top LGBTQ+ lessons as social and emotional learning or racism promoted as racial justice, parents are not about to accept the status quo for their children. Washington elites may try to explain it all away, as Chuck Todd did on Meet the Press, but this outpouring of anger is not just "manufactured."

Biden: Dragging the Military into a New Era

At Nellis Air Force Base last week, pilots were gathered around a different kind of runway. That's because the southern Nevada post, home to one of the most advanced air combat programs in the service, made the controversial decision to host its first-ever drag queen show. To the amusement of America's enemies, some of our most skilled servicemen and women spent their Thursday night "discover[ing] the significance of drag in the LGBT+ community" at a base club -- a lesson sure to please their transgender activist-in-chief.

Dems Float Church-Exempt Status

Yet again, Democrats are outraged to discover that religious beliefs actually impact people's actions. In the latest dust-up, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted 168-55 on Friday to proceed with a draft document "on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church" that, when finalized, may deny the Eucharist to politicians who support abortion. Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) tweeted in response, "If they're going to politically weaponize religion by 'rebuking' Democrats who support women's reproductive choice, then a 'rebuke' of their tax-exempt status may be in order." You read that right: a sitting congressman casually suggested repealing the tax-exempt status of one of the largest religious organizations in America because they are upholding biblical truth.

Protecting Religious Freedom in the Culture and the Courtroom

At the heart of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, decided by the Supreme Court last week, lay both principles and people who will be affected -- faith-based organizations, vulnerable children, and religious freedom itself. Thankfully, the Supreme Court unanimously voted to uphold the right of Catholic Social Services in Philadelphia to serve their community without violating their conscience.

Czar Wars: GOP Demands Harris Border Replacement

By the time agents got to the truck, the 33 bodies crammed in the back were already passing out from the heat. Shirtless and dehydrated, almost half of the human cargo had to be hospitalized. At a sweltering 106 degrees, without water or air, who knows how many of the smugglers' victims would have survived? "Had our heroic agents not been able to free these trapped undocumented migrants," one Border Patrol chief said, "we could have seen 33 miserable deaths..." And they wouldn't have been the first casualties of a Biden administration living in denial about the immigration crisis. Not by a long shot.

The Lies We Pay For

The Department of Veterans Affairs hasn't wasted this many taxpayer dollars since the Obama administration. On Saturday, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough announced the VA would start the regulatory ball rolling on conducting transgender surgeries for veterans in their taxpayer-funded hospitals. The announcement was an early Father's Day gift for the transgender lobby -- although they probably are working to have the holiday renamed Happy Care-giver 1 or 2 Day.

Stand Courageous Makes a Stop in Colorado

Stand Courageous: It really is more than just the name of a conference. It's an exhortation to men across our nation to stand, commit, and follow through to be the husbands, fathers, and spiritual leaders they were called to be. The power of transformation was on display this past weekend as we saw men from 16 different states gather in Woodland Park, Colorado to be challenged to stand courageous as men.

The Tax Man Shunneth

Joe Biden keeps saying "America is back." But what he really means is Barack Obama is back. From the military and abortion to transgenderism and education, everything feels like a regurgitation of the 44th president's worst policies. The shades of Obama run deep, right down to the IRS -- the former president's favorite weapon for crushing the opposition. Under Biden, the tax agency's campaign of intimidation is back, and Christian organizations everywhere should brace themselves.

EEOC Institutes One-Click Ordering

No lines, no waiting, no jostling with strangers -- one Biden administration official has decided that policymaking should be treated like online shopping. Charlotte Burrows, Chairwoman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) posted guidance that dramatically redefined "sex" beyond anything else in federal law. Burrows acted unilaterally, and that's a big no-no. According to former Trump official Roger Severino, "You cannot, as a commissioner alone, rule for the entire EEOC."

American Fatherhood Is in Decline. Here Are Three Ways to Build It Up.

Father's Day 2021 comes at a unique moment in American history. According to the CDC, births in the U.S. reached record lows last year, with the number of births and the general birth rate both falling by 4 percent. The number of new fathers in America is currently at its lowest point in 42 years.

Fixing the Cracks in Philly's Liberty Bail

For Sharonell Fulton, it was her faith that led her to become a foster mom in the first place. "As a single woman of color," she said, "I've learned a thing about discrimination over the years." But never in her life, she tells people, has she experienced the kind of cruel religious prejudice that's been on display from Philadelphia's politicians. When the city tried to shut down Catholic Social Services for believing what the Bible says about marriage, she was speechless. What kind of people would be more concerned with an intolerant agenda than they are about children? Not the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, it turns out. Today, they sent a unanimous message to the city of un-brotherly love: Stand down!

Baker Battered by Leftist Mob

If you think Christian persecution doesn't exist in America, talk to Jack Phillips. The longsuffering baker, who's made more trips to court than most lawyers, was back in a judge's chambers this week. Unfortunately, winning at the Supreme Court hasn't made the road any easier for the Colorado Christian, who's been dragged through the legal mud for nine years -- risking jail, his business's ruin, and his livelihood just to live out his faith doing what he loves.

Department of Education Radicals Sell out Girls, Defy Parents

True to form, the Biden Department of Education has overstepped the bounds of law and common sense with its Notice of Interpretation issued this week. As promised in one of the very first Executive Orders signed by President Biden, girls will lose protections to biological boys presenting as girls in public schools if schools abide by this "guidance" from Washington.

Tweeting a Bible Verse Should Never Result in Jail Time

The case of Päivi Räsänen, a Finnish MP being prosecuted for her religious views, is drawing increasing international attention. And rightfully so, as this prosecution is a blow against the free expression of religious faith not only in Finland, but for those beyond that country's borders as well.

Shh, Nick, Don't Woke the Baby

What is the fastest way to alienate a sizable fanbase and scuttle the reputation of a longstanding entertainment icon? Saturate it with obnoxious, woke, political messaging. The latest program to adopt this strategy is Nickelodeon, who, after watching Disney send Star Wars into a tailspin, said "hold my Kool-aid." After Nickelodeon promoted LGBT Pride Month for the first time in 2020, they decided to up the ante, as if everyone knows children's programs need more sexual content.

House Members Take a Stand for Conservative Values

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) are to be commended for successfully blocking two dangerous yet largely overlooked bills on the floor of the House of Representatives last night. The LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act (H.R. 1443) and the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act (H.R. 239) would have both pushed harmful ideologies through what should have been a routine procedural mechanism for the House to pass uncontroversial bills. While these two destructive bills were blocked last night, by votes of 249-177 and 240-188, an alarming number of Republicans (31 and 22) voted for each.

Two Nevada Counties Declare a Constitutional Course Correction

It's come to this. After a year in which America saw government bodies commit unprecedented violations against the constitutional rights of ordinary citizens in the name of "public safety" because of COVID-19, two counties in Nevada have had enough. This week, Elko County and neighboring Lander County both declared themselves to be "constitutional counties," meaning that the elected commissioners in both counties "declared that the Bill of Rights will be upheld in their jurisdictions, even if it means standing against unconstitutional acts by state and federal authorities." They are the first two counties in the entire country to make this declaration.

Christian School or State Puppet?

With all the woke ideology permeating higher education, a college faithful to God's Word might seem like a contradiction in terms. But one of the unicorns is College of the Ozarks in Missouri, whose biblical worldview has led them into direct conflict with the Biden administration. The Christian university has asked the 8th Circuit Court to grant them an injunction against the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which ordered the college to violate its sex-specific dormitory policy and house students based on their self-proclaimed gender identity.

A Pro-Life Challenge for Governor Cooper

Before June 25, Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina has the opportunity to sign a pro-life bill preventing a physician from aborting a child if the physician is aware that the mother's reason for obtaining the abortion is due to the race or sex of the baby, or a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. This prenatal nondiscrimination (or PRENDA) bill passed the state House in May, and the state Senate on June 10, with only six Democrats in total voting for it.

Israel Enters Divisive, Uncharted Waters With New PM

On Monday, Naftali Bennett was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Israel -- ending 12 years of Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership as the longest serving and most accomplished Prime Minister in Israel's history. This turning point has been far from picture-perfect; it remains controversial and even worrisome to many Israelis. But after four separate elections in which Netanyahu was unable to form a large enough coalition to continue his leadership, a new alliance was finally formed.

At DOJ, a Brief Encounter with LGBT Outrage

It's Flag Day, and we all know which one the Biden administration is flying. This president has pledged his allegiance to the LGBT cause so completely that he can't even give religious freedom a passing nod without being skinned alive by the radical Left. Last week, when the Justice Department even hinted at defending the constitutional rights of Christian colleges, the fringe wing of the party blew a gasket. The DOJ is "aligning itself with anti-LGBTQ hate," they cried. Actually, the Justice Department was just doing its job. But they won't be doing it long, if outside extremists get their way.

Where There's Woke, There's Fire

Once is an anecdote, twice is a coincidence, three times is a trend, but "several hundred whistleblower complaints" is a blaring, flashing alarm. According to Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), U.S. military personnel are being force-fed a diet of "anti-American indoctrination" marinated in critical race theory. Along with Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Cotton recently created a web portal for whistleblowers to report "woke ideology" in the military, such as replacing military history training with lectures about "police brutality, 'systemic racism,' and 'white privilege.'" Another unit was forced to read "White Fragility," a popular critical race theory manifesto which insists certain people are inherently and unavoidably evil (racist) because of their skin color (white).

Terror by Night: The Burkina Faso Nightmare

Far from the public eye, jihadist forces have struck with little reaction from the American press. More than 160 civilians were murdered in a terrorist strike on two Burkina Faso villages this month. Another 40 individuals or more were injured in the attacks, which mark the deadliest episode of Islamic jihadism in the country in several years.

In Mother Words, Biden Disses Women

Joe Biden ran on an absurdly radical platform for a "moderate," but it looks like he saved a lot of his truly crazy ideas for the White House. Just when Americans think his policies can't get any more deranged, he unleashes a budget that cancels moms! In a bizarre attempt to transgender the English language, Biden has decided to bleep out the word "mother" and replace it with "birthing people" -- a demeaning term that reduces women to some sort of utilitarian breeding center in another effort to eradicate gender. And yet, when Biden's wokest leaders have been asked to explain the change, they can't or won't.

Eyes on the Price

If Americans are worried about inflation, they have reason to be! According to reports, prices have shot up faster and higher than they have in years. Everything from beans to burgers costs more, the Wall Street Journal says. Companies like Shake Shack, Campbell's, Smucker's, Cracker Barrel -- even Spam! -- they're all being forced to raise prices because of the broken supply chains, worker shortages, freight spikes, and just general uncertainty about how long this downturn will last. This is a "Made-in-Washington Inflation Spike," experts warn. And Joe Biden's policies are only going to make it worse.

FRC Pushes Back on Trans Indoctrination at Dept. of Ed

Thursday, FRC's Senior Fellow for Education Studies Meg Kilgannon testified before the Department of Education against proposed changes by the Biden administration that could destroy Title IX protections for girls' sports, result in the indoctrination of children, and entrench harmful transgender ideologies that threaten the health of children and the rights of parents.

Biden's Climate of Weakness

Standing in the hanger of an American airbase in England, Joe Biden had plenty of memorable moments. He botched the name of the Royal Air Force, got a bit of a scolding from his wife, and kept the troops at attention because, he chuckled, "I keep forgetting I'm president." As if he didn't have enough trouble being taken seriously, Biden wanted servicemembers to know that our biggest threat isn't China, Iran, or North Korea -- it's climate change. "This is not a joke," he said. But it sure sounded like one.

Omar's Extremism Too Much for Some Democrats

When the New York Times sat down with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) last year, she insisted, "I wouldn't run for Congress... if I was anti-American." Well, you could have fooled us. In the two years that Omar has been a part of the U.S. House, no one has been more openly hostile to the values and traditions of this country than the representative of Minnesota's Fifth District. She calls herself "a starter of fires," and this latest one--suggesting America and Israel are terrorists--won't be easy to put out.

Parents Sound Alarm on the Left's Classroom Warfare

What's black and white and red all over? Incensed parents of every race who have had enough of the Left's deceptive indoctrination of children in public schools. Earlier this week, parents packed out a school board meeting in Loudoun County, Virginia. You may remember reading about the school district because it suspended P.E. teacher Tanner Cross for voicing his opposition, as a resident of the community, to woke ideology during a public meeting, although a judge has now reinstated him. But parents' outrage against critical race theory in their children's curriculum isn't confined to a wealthy D.C. suburb; spontaneous revolts against out-of-control, woke school boards is America's new pandemic.

Virginia District Hears Parents Loudoun Clear

One thing was for sure: they didn't come to be quiet. The parents of Loudoun County, Virginia who were packed into every available chair at Tuesday's school board meeting were angry. For months, they'd been warring with the district over its woke curriculum in a feud so bitter that it made the national news. But it was the suspension of Tanner Cross, a P.E. teacher who spoke out about a new transgender policy, that turned the local temperature from hot to boiling.

Bipartisanship Meets the Great Wall of Congress

What's $700 billion dollars between friends? Too much, Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) decided. The GOP negotiator finally called it quits on her solo talks with President Joe Biden Tuesday after their infrastructure meetings went south. It was the latest chapter in a long and messy saga over an expensive White House proposal that even Democrats are squeamish about. And while Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) has promised a deal by July, no one is quite sure how. "We're running out of time," Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) fumed. But Democrats are running out of something much more important: options.

PVS Tonight: A Christian Response to LGBT Pride

Everywhere we turn these days, rainbow colors appear in almost every nook and cranny of our society. LGBT flags hang over businesses, social media sites are decked out with colorful logos, and even cereal boxes and children's TV shows are pledging their allegiance to the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. So how can believers navigate this culture of sexual anarchy that has become such a dominant and increasingly compulsory force in our society?

A Protest, A Prepared Church, and the Power of God

After 11 Supreme Court rulings on church closures, most government officials have realized (or been forced to realize) that their dictatorial powers to shut down churches are limited by the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights. But that acknowledgement has not settled upon Santa Clara County in California. Most churches remain shuttered in the San Jose area, because if they dare to meet in person, like Pastor Mike McClure's Calvary Chapel San Jose has been doing since last May, they will face significant fines.

Pro-Abortion Left Sets Sights on Codifying Roe

Democrats seem to have found a use for Congress again. After years of relying on the courts to do their dirty work, the far-Left has had to find other solutions after Donald Trump spent the last four years balancing U.S. benches. Now, suddenly, more liberals have seemed to awaken to the fact that there's a legislative branch too, and they're spilling all of their ink urging fellow abortion activists to use it. "The Supreme Court may toss Roe," the Washington Post tries to comfort its Leftist readers. "But Congress can still preserve abortion..."

Biden's New Weapon to Intimidate Schools

While the rest of America is racing to stop the transgender agenda, the Biden administration is on another planet -- one where the end of males and females is the only thing that matters. On one hand, the chair he appointed to lead the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is praising the Supreme Court's Bostock decision for trying to redefine the word "sex" -- and on the other, his Department of Education is going around the backs of the American people to force schools to eliminate girls' sports. Talk about selective hearing!

Twitter Blocks and Bans in Nigeria

In a telling display of social media arrogance, Twitter deleted a post by Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari after his broadcast of a public warning directed at his opponents. Buhari's Islamist regime responded to the Twitter block by banning the use of Twitter throughout Nigeria. And the president's henchmen have since broadcast threats against media outlets that ignore the ban's demands. Information Minister Lai Mohammed claimed that the government had acted because of "the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence."

States Push Back on Biden Abortion Funding

President Biden's budget request calls for repealing long-standing provisions preventing federal taxpayer funds from paying for abortion, but states have been working for years to protect taxpayers from having to subsidize the abortion industry. Despite the Biden-Harris pro-abortion agenda, the state momentum continues this year.

RNC Pride Tweet: The Elephant in the Room

A handful of days into this rainbow deluge, the air of LGBT pride is so suffocating that people could choke. It's plastered across social media, corporate logos, cereal boxes, even big box stores' pandering displays. This month, fans can't even go to a San Francisco Giants game without being bombarded with the league's first Pride-color uniforms. But one place conservatives thought they were safe from all this nonsense was the Republican National Committee. Turns out, their chairwoman is just as happy as anyone to pull on the LGBT jersey.

Dr. Fauci and Mr. Hide

For months, Americans were told to do what Dr. Anthony Fauci said. We shut down businesses and churches, locked up schools, and wore masks. Now, 800-pages of redacted emails later, the country's finding out that the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases hardly believed a word he said. Publicly, they were "following the science." But privately, were they hiding the culprit?

Honoring Friend and Philanthropist Foster Friess

On Thursday, May 27, the conservative movement lost a dear friend and champion, Foster Friess. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lynn, his wife of nearly 60 years, and his family.

Military Drafted into Biden's LGBT Parade

Forget the screaming children on the Rio Grande, the cyber attacks on our meat plants and pipelines. Don't worry about the overseas unrest or the price hikes on gas and food. The serious issues will have to wait. Because there's only one thing on the president's mind right now -- and that's Pride month.

Conservatives Score Big against the NCAA

For the refused-to-be-canceled crowd, it was a headline to celebrate. "The NCAA threatened states over anti-transgender bills," the big print of the Washington Post read. "But the games went on." It was the surest sign in a post-Georgia, Coke-boycotting world that fed-up conservatives were the newest force to be reckoned with. It's also the most recent evidence -- out of piles of examples -- that the Right side may be winning the woke wars.

President's Pride-orities out of Border

"Here, here! No, no! Don't go, no!" cried the 5-year-old boy. A viral video captured last Thursday showed the boy dropped off on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, abandoned in the desert with nothing but a teddy bear. Mexican cartels are conveying unprecedented numbers of children and other migrants to America's southern border. The border was a virtual ghost town as recently as last winter, but it has lurched precipitously towards disaster since President Biden took office. As Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) described it, "It is a crisis of proportions that I have not seen, I think, in my entire professional career."

Gym Teacher Exercises Faith in Woke District

Tanner Cross may teach P.E., but it might be grammar that costs him his job! That's the unbelievable situation playing out in Loudoun County, Virginia, where an elementary gym teacher dared to put himself on the wrong side of the gender wars during the public comment session of the local school board. "I love my students," he said firmly, "but I will never lie to them regardless of the consequences. I'm a teacher, but I serve God first -- and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa... It's against my religion, it's lying to a child, it's abuse to a child, and it's sinning against our God."

Networks Change Their Toon for Pride Month

There are lots of parents today who wouldn't think twice about sitting their kids down in front of the Disney Channel or Cartoon Network. And that, conservatives warn, is exactly the problem. Like so many other moms and dads, they're expecting the same kind of harmless storylines they watched in the 70s and 80s. What their children are seeing is anything but.

God Bless (Lubbock) Texas!

On Tuesday, just one month after Lubbock, Texas became the state's largest sanctuary city for the unborn (and the only sanctuary city for the unborn with an active abortion clinic), Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas agreed to stop performing abortions within the city limits. This announcement came after a federal district judge dismissed Planned Parenthood's lawsuit citing lack of standing.

MLB's Political Bunt Faces Court Challenge

Woke corporations are learning the hard way that their social activism has a price. Monday, Major League Baseball was slapped with a $1.1 billion lawsuit for pulling the 2021 all-star game out of Atlanta, Georgia. The Job Creators Network (JCN), an organization that advocates for small businesses, filed the lawsuit -- arguing that the MLB's decision cost Georgia businesses $100 million in lost revenue and is seeking $1 billion in punitive damages.

Democrats Take a Hike Deep in the Heart of Texas

After the 2020 election, it comes as no surprise to many that state legislatures, concerned with vast irregularities stemming from an unprecedented influx of mail-in ballots, last-minute changes to election law, and other irregularities, took up the cause of election integrity. States from Arizona to Florida, Georgia to New Hampshire, and elsewhere, have passed legislation to correct weaknesses in their respective state's election system.

China's Top Experts, Cheap Goods, and a Culture of Death

On Monday, in an effort to reverse China's rapidly declining birthrate, Chinese authorities announced expanding the country's two-child policy to three. The three-child policy is the third iteration of China's one-child policy instituted in 1979 for the purpose of slowing population growth. The one-child policy was carried out with unrestrained brutality and it proved all too effective.

Biden's Brutal Budget for the Unborn

Joe Biden got a lot of exercise during the 2020 campaign sprinting to the Left. He turned himself inside-out to prove his radical cred to everyone from Planned Parenthood to Squad socialists. But his biggest surprise, at least after 40 years of saying otherwise, was his flip on taxpayer-funded abortion. Pushed and prodded by reporters and activists, the self-professed Catholic finally took a question on the Hyde amendment that sealed the deal with his party's extremists. Asked by a liberal voter about the wall between taxpayer dollars and abortion, Biden replied: "It can't stay." Two years later, the test of whether he meant it has finally come. And the answer is: he does.

Live from the Pastors Roundtable!

Thursday, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins welcomed pastors from nearly every state and nine countries to our Watchman on the Wall virtual gathering. Though COVID restrictions that persist in DC restrained an in-person meeting, it did not restrain our message. In fact, FRC has worked hard to keep pastors informed, engaged and encouraged during the pandemic for one simple reason: Spiritual leaders are in the best position to provide biblical solutions to the escalating problems we are facing in America.

PVS: Where Persecution Abounds, Courage Abounds More

A growing number of American Christians are finding themselves in courtrooms when they choose to live out their faith in public. So what should believers know about their constitutional rights in order to have solid legal footing? But more importantly, how should Christians approach worldly persecution from a biblical perspective?

Biden Tries to Shanghai Voters on China

It's been called the "largest liable case in the history of the world," but Joe Biden doesn't seem to care if we get to the bottom of it. Finding out who's responsible for COVID might upset his cozy relationship with China -- and surely no one on the Left wants to admit what conservatives have known all along: the real conspiracy isn't the speculation that the killer came from a Wuhan lab, it's that some Democrats, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the communist regime were so desperate to cover it up what they say didn't happen.

On the Front Lines of Biden's Military Extremism

As the nation heads into Memorial Day weekend, a lot of our troops are thinking about the fallen. But some of them are mourning something else: the U.S. military they knew. In just four months, the culture of our fighting force is changing -- and fast. Under Joe Biden, one of the last bastions of American patriotism is on a collision course with a radical Marxist agenda that isn't just threatening our servicemembers -- it's threatening us.

Biden Team Keeps a Tight Lip on Planned Parenthood Loans

The Biden administration has continuously dodged questions on the unlawful participation of Planned Parenthood in the paycheck protection program (PPP), and Wednesday's Senate Small Business Committee hearing provided further evidence of the administration's unwillingness to give a straight answer regarding where taxpayer dollars are going amidst the pandemic. Although two officials were required to testify at the hearing, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen did not appear at all, and Small Business Administrator Isabel Guzman refused to answer even the simplest questions from Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

Kellogg's Spoon-feeds Activism with Woke Cereal

Kellogg's hasn't been sugar-coating its agenda for years. But its latest venture -- a "create-your-own-pronoun" cereal for kids -- is bowling over parents. "Boxes are for cereal, not people," the company insists about its new Together with Pride rainbow edition that donates $3 from every box to an extreme LGBT group, GLAAD, who's out to recruit and confuse your children. Of course, anyone who's been online or walked the aisles of a grocery store knows that some companies will do anything to pander to the radical Left. But this June, these brands are on a collision course with a group of fired-up American shoppers who might just eat them for breakfast.

States Race to Block Woke Curriculum

The United States of America is embracing and exporting critical race theory, while the individual states of America are doing the opposite. The Biden State Department recently encouraged American embassies around the world to fly the BLM flag "on the external-facing flagpole." Yes, you read that right. The new sales pitch of America's top diplomats is: "We hate our country and everything she stands for; you should, too." With self-aggrandizing totalitarian regimes like China and Iran aggressively peddling anti-American propaganda, why couldn't our own lifelong, diplomatic professionals come up with anything better?

Despite Lawsuits, Texas Judge Isn't Backing Down from Prayer

Judge Wayne Mack is a Justice of the Peace in Texas who has been in public service for over 33 years. When he was elected in Montgomery County, there were no medical examiners in the county, so he served as the coroner for the county. When there was a death in the county, he would bring volunteer chaplains to comfort the families. To thank the chaplains, Judge Mack would invite them to open his court proceedings with a short invocation. Who could object?

Unequally Woked: One Teacher's Stand to Stop the Left

"I've been hearing about this stuff happening in California and New York and all over the place. I didn't realize it was happening in my own backyard." And in Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana, neither did parents. It took a young, courageous Spanish teacher to stand up and say, "Not in my school district" to open the eyes of Americans all across the country. Now, a month later, his viral video is sparking a nationwide movement to expose the Left's biggest lie: it's not happening here. It is, Jonathan Koeppel insists. People just don't know it.

Men and Women Are Equal, Not Identical

If our cultural trendsetters ever think about men of former eras, they smugly dismiss them as ignorant savages and resume tweeting. But our forebearers knew what many today have forgotten: men are men, women are women, and there's a real difference between them. They didn't need an Ivy league postgraduate degree they spent the rest of their lives paying for, or even twelve years of state-mandated indoctrination. The difference between men and women has been, and always will be, as plain as the nose on your face. They are without excuse.

The Supreme Court Sets the Stage for the 2022 Midterm Elections

Instead of political party leaders setting the agenda for the mid-term elections, the Supreme Court decided to take over that role. The court's decision to review Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and answer whether all pre-viability abortion bans are unconstitutional, placed overturning Roe v. Wade at center stage heading into mid-terms. The problem is most Americas do not know what Roe did, and consequently, as Scott Rasmussen points out on "Washington Watch," most Americas do not know what overturning Roe would do. Education surrounding Roe v. Wade will have a major impact on how the issue plays out politically.

The Fighting Irish Fight Back

The White House called it a "scheduling conflict." But people at Notre Dame knew it was something else: a conflict of values. When Joe Biden didn't give the keynote address at Sunday's graduation ceremony, his absence was enough to make headlines. After all, it's been a modern certainty that the president or vice president of any new administration is at least invited to South Bend to headline the commencement. The only truly controversial visit was Barack Obama's in 2009, but that would be nothing -- protestors warned -- compared to the backlash over Biden.

Space Force Support Craters after Commander's Ouster

Joe Biden's Pentagon isn't interested in warriors. It wants social justice warriors. That was abundantly clear last week when a Space Force commander in Colorado was relieved of his duties for sounding the alarm about the "toxic" new trainings on critical race theory in the ranks. "They're rooted in Marxism," Lt. Colonel Matthew Lohmeier warned. Three months into the Defense Department's "extremist" witch hunt, America can call off the search. We found them -- calling the shots.

For Christians, the Time Is Ripe

After just four months of the Biden-Harris administration, many concerned citizens are wondering: What will America look like after four years of this mess?

After Ceasefire, Israeli Conflict Shifts to U.S.

There may not be rockets flying over Gaza, but there are certainly verbal grenades being lobbed on Capitol Hill. While the Middle East embraces a fragile peace, the ceasefire in Israel hasn't managed to stop the internal war here at home. For the first time in generations, a major political party is openly challenging our alliance with Israel. And the fallout, as our allies know, could be deadly.

Lego Toys with More LGBT Extremism

The Left is tearing down mainstream values -- brick by brick! Lego, the latest company to pander to the woke, just decided to test the waters with a rainbow set of "LGBTQIA+" figures. "Everyone is awesome!" the iconic toy company tweeted with a picture of the pack, which also boasts a transgender-flag colored spectrum. And if you've always wanted your kids to get an early education on cross-dressers, creator Matthew Ashton says you're in luck. Although the characters are supposed to be non-conformist, the purple figure is meant as "a clear nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there."

Different Joe, Same No

Under President Joe Biden, Democratic policy ideas have gotten so radical that even so-called "compromise" proposals are toxic. Biden's climate plan is nearly identical to the Green New Deal, Fairness for All is almost the same as the Equality Act, etc., and now there's a new "compromise" proposal on election law from Senators Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would be more of the same. They've "tried to shift away from the comprehensive overreach" of the first election overhaul, H.R. 1, FRC's Ken Blackwell said, but the truth is, it's just as lethal.

The Sin of Commission: Dems Push One-Sided Jan. 6 Probe

Joe Biden's Democrats aren't interested in bipartisanship. So why would their January 6 "commission" be any different? This week, as the far-Left tries to turn the Capitol riots into a synonym for jihadist terrorism, Republicans want to know: what's the point? Pursuing a 9/11-type probe would only politicize the tragedy even more. Besides, there's already a nationwide investigation into the events of that horrible day. It's called law enforcement. To add another layer of expensive, partisan, government-sponsored fault-finding sounds like just another DNC fundraising gimmick. And the American people know it.

With Biden Driving, Gaslight Is on...

President Biden must have his pipelines tangled. On day one, he unilaterally canceled the Keystone XL pipeline's permit. Last week, he did nothing after a Russian cyberattack crippled the pipeline serving a swath from Louisiana to Washington, D.C. But on Wednesday his administration waived sanctions against the Russian company in charge of building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The de facto policy of the Biden administration has become: Russian pipelines good, American pipelines bad.

Pennsylvania Power Outage: Voters Rein in Gov.

If you abuse power long enough, you'll lose it. That was the message from Pennsylvanians to Democratic Governor Tom Wolf, the first chief executive in the country to be stripped of some of his executive authority. The blowback -- which has brewing for months -- was a result of the governor's COVID policies, which voters have obviously decided were too oppressive and overreaching. To put an end to Governor Wolf's "dictatorship," as some called it, they've completely rewritten the state's emergency powers.

The Magnolia State Shines on the Unborn

We don't agree with the pro-abortion side on much, but we do agree on this: the stakes of the Supreme Court case next October are the highest they've ever been. And on the Left, there's understandable panic. The "right" to abortion was never a democratically-passed law, statute, or constitutionally-protected decision. It's an invention of activist judges, and when the Court hears oral arguments this fall on why states have a right to protect women and children, the future of unlimited, elective abortion looks uncertain for the Left.

Grassroots America Versus Biden

Near the top of President Biden's priority list is funding abortion with your tax dollars. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working overtime to repeal the Title X rule enacted under the Trump administration, which prevents federal family planning funds from going to abortion facilities. The rule cost Planned Parenthood $60 million. President Biden has also increased the Title X funding in his proposed budget for fiscal year 2022, which means there will be even more money available to subsidize abortion businesses. This is why elections matter; it's not just about whether someone sends mean tweets.

California's Persecution of Churches Comes to a Screeching Halt

California Governor Gavin Newsom's ability to close churches or limit their occupancy due to COVID-19 restrictions came to a sharp end this week. The state of California settled a lawsuit over coronavirus restrictions placed on churches, earning religious liberty a major legal victory.

Biden Arms Israel with Mixed Messages on Attacks

For a while, the sky was still. With smoke billowing through Gaza, the overnight lull was interrupted by more rocket fire. Israeli jets, which had been grounded in hopes of longer quiet, took off -- resuming a fight that shows no signs of stopping. On the West Bank, where fuel and humanitarian aid was finally getting through, an explosion of mortars put a halt to the convoys and the government was forced to close the border. To the north, new shelling from Lebanon came to an abrupt halt when Israel fired back. "I am sure that all our enemies around us see the price we have levied for the aggression against us," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned, "and I am sure they will learn the lesson."

A Swing and a Miss for the NCAA

It looks like the NCAA is nothing but a paper tiger after all. As states around the country considered bills to protect women's sports, the National Collegiate Athletics Association threatened it would only hold championships in locations "free of discrimination." In other words, they would withhold any tournaments or championships to punish states that required athletes to compete against their same biological sex. Some politicians, like South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R), were cowed into surrender. But others boldly held their course.

Biden Makes Alphabet Soup as COVID Threatens Faith Abroad

As the country faces a crossroad of crises, from a national gas shortage to rising inflation, President Biden has made clear his priority is the liberal social groups that got him elected not the American people. Monday, to celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, Biden doubled down on his support for the Equality Act. He argued that the Equality Act is necessary because "COVID-19 and rising authoritarianism around the world continue to widen economic, social, and safety gaps for LGBTQI+ people."

Biden Goes off the Deep Spend

The worst campaign ad is a bad economy. And right now, that's exactly what the Democrats in charge of every lever of government are worried about. While President Biden seems quite content to blow through trillions of dollars on programs Americans don't need -- or want -- the party's leaders are starting to exchange nervous glances about what the economic indicators (and past administrative bosses) are saying about the storm ahead.

A Supreme Chance at an Abortion Fix

Americans could use some good news right about now -- and this morning, the Supreme Court gave it to them. After 29 long years, the justices just took a case that every pro-lifer has been waiting for: a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. For the first time since 1992, the highest court in the land has a chance to deal a death blow to the precedent that's tied this country in judicial knots -- and robbed us of 62 million unique, irreplaceable lives. That could all change by this time next year when the Supreme Court has what some legal scholars are calling "the best opportunity they'll ever have to overturn Roe."

Tanden: Too Radical for Thee but Not for Me

Neera Tanden didn't pass the Senate's muster, but apparently, she's passed the president's! Monday, the White House announced that Tanden, Joe Biden's failed Director of the Office and Management and Budget (OMB) nominee, will start as a senior advisor to the White House. Tanden withdrew her nomination for Director of OMB on March 2, after pushback from Democratic Senators regarding her radical positions and controversial social media posts.

Funny You Should Mask, Biden Says

Public Relations 101: When you're getting hammered by critics, give the media something else to talk about. After the worst week of his presidency so far, Joe Biden resorted to that ploy Thursday with his "Hey, look over here!" decision on public masking. The CDC, who really has no power to impose a mandate to begin with, chose this week to inexplicably lift its guidance for anyone who's vaccinated. The world is literally imploding, every bad Biden policy is coming home to roost, and suddenly, Americans are free to show their faces again. Coincidence? Hardly.

Shock and Law: HHS's Becerra Plays Dumb on 2003 Ban

If there were such a thing as consistent fact-checking in the media, the head of Biden's HHS would be keeping them all busy. Xavier Becerra, the man with zero experience in health care that President Biden chose to oversee the country's health agencies, proved this week that his ignorance extends well beyond HHS. His abortion radicalism, unfortunately, does too. And that's what conservatives have been warning about from the beginning.

PVS: Biden's Families Plan Doesn't Care What Families Want

The government has a plan for your family. The Biden administration is calling it the "American Families Plan." What exactly is this plan? As FRC's Pray Vote Stand broadcast revealed, Biden's plan is a cornucopia of bad ideas, but its centerpiece is a thinly veiled attempt to indoctrinate America's children with progressive ideologies by providing free universal government-run daycare for toddlers, to the tune of $1.8 trillion (that's with a "t"). As Susan Rice, head of Biden's Domestic Policy Council, revealed to the New York Times, "We want parents to be in the workforce, especially mothers." So that's what the government wants. But is this what mothers want?

Crisis Mismanagement: Biden's Struggles to Respond

Maybe the reason Joe Biden isn't responding to the world's crises is because he hasn't gotten permission to! In some of the most revealing comments about the administration to date, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki raised plenty of eyebrows when she implied that the 78-year-old is on a short leash in public. They are the ones calling the shots -- Biden admitted, not him. And if that doesn't disturb you, Joe Concha argued, it should.

A Major's Step Backwards on Religious Liberty

The Biden administration doesn't mind if the military has chaplains -- it just doesn't want them to stand for anything. That's the message from the new commander-in-chief, who seems to be picking up right where his former boss left off. Transgenderism in, religious freedom out.

The World's Faithful: Paying the Ultimate Price

Across the globe, international religious freedom (IRF) is noticeably more at risk than ever before. Freedom to gather, worship, pray, and share beliefs and traditions of faith are increasingly violated. Spanning the world from Asia to Africa to the Middle East and beyond, numerous countries are repeatedly cited year after year for inflicting dangerous and deadly abuses upon their religious minorities. And Christians continue to pay the ultimate price for their faith.

Biden Isn't Fueling Anyone with His Useless Agenda

Joe Biden wants to be FDR, but he may have to settle for Jimmy Carter. The eerie echoes of those days are starting to replay in a lot of Americans' minds as they watch the world unravel -- almost overnight. By nightfall Tuesday, the lines for gas up and down the east coast were so long that the traffic jams spilled onto the main streets. People everywhere raced to fill up tanks and whatever else they could hold, as panic spread. Along the southern border, the state of emergency hit a fever pitch when the surge hit a two-decade high. In Israel, Arab terrorists are on the verge of "full-scale war." Prices are skyrocketing, inflation is shooting fear throughout the market, and what is the president's response? "This is progress."

'A Battle for the Future of Israel'

The sirens are a common sound in Israel, but this was no ordinary attack. Since Monday night, rockets have rained down with frightening frequency on the country's Iron Dome missile defense system, as children scream and cry from bomb shelters across Israel's border towns. The sky has been "on fire," the locals have said in the scant moments when cell service works. It is the heaviest fighting between the Jewish nation and Gaza terror groups in years -- and to the horror of people around the world, it shows no signs of stopping.

Senate: Fit to Be Tied on Democrats' Voting Bill

Nine hours into a hearing on the Democrats' election takeover bill, the Senate Rules Committee finally proceeded to a vote to pass the bill out of committee. It took so long because Republicans were busy offering amendments to draw attention to the outrageous provision of the horrible bill. It even included a religious test to prevent people of faith from serving on the independent redistricting commissions the bill would establish in every state.

Biden's Big Government Works Overtime for Unemployment

The evidence of it is everywhere -- at restaurants, factories, construction sites, even want ads. A couple in Chattanooga couldn't even go out to dinner without being greeted by a sign that read: "We are short staffed. Please be patient... No one wants to work anymore." In Indiana, the head of a trailer company told reporters, "I've never seen it this bad." Employers offer to pay more, give night and weekend incentives, and still -- they can't seem to find any applicants.

Amid Calls for Cancelation, Promise Keepers Stands Strong

The cancel culture must be getting desperate. After a month of having their lunch handed to them by Georgia, Montana, Arizona, Texas, and the conservative movement in general, the bullies on the Left are frantically trying to prove they're still relevant. The trouble is, fewer and fewer people are a) intimidated; or b) paying attention. But as Promise Keepers' Ken Harrison will tell you, that hasn't stopped the mob from making a stink about the big PK event scheduled for July in Texas.

What Happens When a Sex Shop Owner Runs the School Board?

It's a story that's becoming all too common. First grade students in Bellingham, Washington, were read a book in class about a child who claims to have "a boy body but a girl brain." When concerned parents complained that six-year-olds shouldn't be confronted with such sensitive topics at school, the teacher explained that she was just following school policy. After all, the book is from the school library's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion collection, she informed the worried parents.

Building Bridges on Infrastructure

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday that Democrats should push through an infrastructure package without Republican support. He didn't "agree" that Biden should wait for "consultation and dialogue" with Republicans. "The bottom line is the American people want results." You'd think from his comments that Democrats had already offered to negotiate, and that Republicans had stubbornly refused to make reasonable compromises.

HHS Announces that Ideology Is More Important than Patients

Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is wasting no time in pushing the radical Biden administration agenda. Today, HHS announced that it will begin interpreting and enforcing both Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act and Title IX's prohibition of "sex discrimination" to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Montana Is Helping Lead the Way on Common Sense

Despite other Republican governors folding beneath political pressure, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte (R) has not shied away from taking the bull by the horns. On Friday, Gianforte signed HB 112, a bill prohibiting biological males from competing in girls' sports -- a commonsense protection that has been, sadly, recently rejected by two of his Republican counterparts.

More than a Birthing Person: Motherhood and the Dignity of Life

While the term "birthing people" grabbed most of the headlines during yesterday's hearing on black maternal mortality, Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-Mo.) -- speaking to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform -- provided a powerful pro-life testimony which should not be overlooked. She described her experience as a single mother who gave birth to two children -- one at 23 weeks, and one -- who with the help of medical intervention at 16 weeks -- was carried to term.

Population Isn't All That China Loses with Its One-Child Policy

When the Financial Times reported that China is set to announce its first population decline since the famine that accompanied Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward, Chinese authorities rushed to dispel the report. After decades of coercive implementation of its one-child policy, which was intended to limit population growth, now the government does not want to admit population decline.

GOP: Big Tech Is Playing a Losing Game of Monopoly

They may have their own policing, their own spies, currency, and even their own court, but Big Tech isn't a government. And it's certainly not our government. After months of watching Silicon Valley decide what is and isn't speech, what is and isn't science, and who is and isn't welcome in the public square, Republicans have had it. The days of Facebook and Twitter operating like the world's ruling empire are numbered, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) warns. And the latest high jinks over Donald Trump's account will be one of a million reasons why.

Parents Drown CRT in Southlake

Lots of people are looking for unity in this country. Well, one Texas town found it -- fighting the extreme curriculum Joe Biden wants to bring to every town nationwide. Turns out, the fastest way to bring people together is to try to radicalize education. It's also, Southlake parents say, the surest way to lose.

Religious Freedom: Looking Forward, Looking Back

With every new day in Biden's America comes more evidence of just how much damage the administration is doing to religious freedom. As FRC's Pray Vote Stand broadcast made clear last night, even though Biden has already and will likely continue to unravel the gains that President Trump made for Americans of all faiths, the legacy that President Trump established to bolster the First Amendment freedoms of all Americans will continue to endure and resonate.

Voters Have a Vax to Grind with Dems

The New York Times wasn't laughing at Joe Biden's infrastructure plan. But the host of the paper's podcast was laughing at how popular the president's team thinks it is. In a sit-down with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the former candidate estimated that "20 or 30" Republicans might vote for the president's $2 trillion dollar joke of a public works bill.

The Real Cost of Biden's 'Families Plan'

President Biden recently announced his "American Families Plan," which proposes to "invest" $255 billion in childcare subsidies. The president said his plan will "allow roughly one million parents, primarily mothers, to enter the labor force." He promised this will save the average family $14,800 per year on childcare expenses by providing a range of affordable options for early childhood care and education -- all of which will include "developmentally appropriate curriculum, small class sizes, and culturally and linguistically responsive environments."

On the National Day of Prayer, Let's Pray for Religious Freedom

Last year, the annual National Day of Prayer was marked by the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. Across the country, many turned to prayer out of fear, others out of habit. Some prayed as a last resort. Amid panic, prayer brought peace to many of our friends and neighbors. As our nation emerges on the other side of the pandemic, we have much to be grateful for. However, deep political divisions, threats around the world, and persistent threats to religious freedom remind us that the urgent need for prayer remains.

Biden's Government Pre-K Not Okay with Parents

If the government can't educate our kids, why would we trust it to raise them? Joe Biden doesn't have a good answer for that, but it hasn't stopped him from introducing another 13-digit spending plan to let the state babysit your toddler. He calls it the American Families Plan, a "free" daycare system that would give radical Leftists an even earlier grip on our children. But for a party who supposedly cares so much about "the science," they certainly don't give a fig here.

Pro-life Lubbock Tells Abortion: No Trespassing!

The states aren't just taking the fight to the Left on election reform. They're making it clear to the Biden administration and every national Democrat that their radical social agenda doesn't fly in America -- not on gender and certainly not on life. If this year plays out the way some liberals think, "2021 will end up as the most damaging anti-abortion state legislative session in a decade." Maybe, the Left-leaning Guttmacher Institute points out, "ever."

John Kerry's Shocking Betrayal of U.S. Intelligence and Israel Security

Since Iran's 1979 Revolution, the Islamic Republic has been widely identified as the world's number one sponsor of terrorism. From then until now, the fanatical religious Iranian regime has funded, trained, armed, and launched clandestine attacks by numerous terrorist groups. Brookings Institute reports that Iran has backed "not only groups in its Persian Gulf neighborhood, but also terrorists and radicals in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Bosnia, the Philippines, and elsewhere. Iran calls this "exporting the Revolution."

Biden: It's My Way or the Repaved Highway!

"We're going to work with Republicans. We're going to find common ground." If Americans had a dollar for every time someone from the Biden administration said that, we could almost pay for the president's infrastructure plan! Of course, with the president on a multi-city "Getting America Back on Track" tour, it would probably be poor form to say what the White House is really thinking -- which is all of the ways they might pass this $2.3 trillion dollar monstrosity without the GOP's support.

Left Laments Bully-proof Election Reforms

Woke America isn't having a great two months. Now that Georgia's law is in the rearview mirror, a lot of corporate bullies have moved on to bringing down election reform bills in Florida and Texas -- unsuccessfully, the mainstream media points out. These days, states aren't just unmoved by the outside threats, they actually seem motivated by them. And Tallahassee's debate is the latest proof.

Convicted for Conviction? Finnish Leader Faces Jail for Bible Quote

Quoting the Bible can't land you in American prison (yet), but in Helsinki, it's a different story. In a case that's stunned the West, Finland's former Interior Minister and leader of the Christian Democrats, has been criminally charged for posting a picture of the Bible, opened to Romans 1:24-27. She was disturbed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church joining a gay pride event and decided to remind them what God says about homosexuality. Now, after a two-year investigation, the tweet could put her behind bars.

Dems Race Awareness of Hypocrisy with Scott Smear

Thanks to Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), we finally found all of those racists Joe Biden keeps talking about. They're on the Left, right under the president's nose. After Scott's inspirational response to the president's speech Wednesday night, we didn't have long to wait before the real party of intolerance came crawling out of its hole and attacked. In one of the most vile displays of hypocrisy, Democrats have apparently decided that it's okay to be prejudiced -- as long as the black man is a conservative.

Biden's Foreign Policy: Hanging by a Threat

For all of the rotten tomatoes that critics threw at Joe Biden's speech, there was at least one audience who appreciated it: America's enemies. Of all the dangerous, absurd things the president said, some of the worst were about our national defense. In places like Iran, China, and North Korea, the idea that racism is our homeland's biggest threat had to be music to most dictators' ears.

100 Days, 100 Reasons to Pray, Vote, Stand

Is Joe Biden a "moderate"? If one were to listen to the mainstream media leading up to the 2020 election, the answer would be a clear "yes." But 100 days into the Biden presidency, one thing is painfully obvious: Barack Obama's eight years are looking moderate compared to the extreme leftism of Joe Biden. With an approval rating the third worst of any modern president (but with glowing reviews from socialist congresswoman AOC), President Biden is failing at a historic level at "unifying" the country -- a distant promise from his inaugural address that seems centuries old already.

Figures of Speech? $11 Trillion Dollars

It was supposed to be Joe Biden's first address to a joint Congress. What it was, as anyone brave enough to tune in saw, was his first address to an almost empty room. The scene was certainly a downer, punctuated by a 100-days speech that reminded everyone just how long the next four years will be. "America is on the move again," the president insisted. In what a majority of Americans see as the wrong direction.

Woke CEOs Go Bully up in Fights

Corporate America: heavy on threats, light on action. After the big blow-up in Georgia, most businesses probably thought they'd scared the daylights out of Republicans by going on MSNBC and ranting against the state's election law. Turns out, the people who should be scared are the woke CEOs. Not only did Major League Baseball's All-Star move backfire, but fed-up conservatives seem to have universally decided to stop paying attention to the corporate rants.

As Biden Pushes CRT, More States Push Back

Red States Get Seat Revenge in Census

There's more than one way to get good government: move to it! According to the latest Census data, that's what a massive number of Americans who are sick of higher taxes, lockdowns, and regulations are doing. In other words, there's more than one set of migrant caravans in North America -- and the legal ones are pulling up to homes in places like California and New York, loading up the belongings of thousands of families and driving them to freer, cheaper states like Texas. You don't just have to vote at the ballot box, Chuck DeVore points out. You can vote with a U-Haul too.

100 Days: A Big Helping of Abortion Funding with a Side of COVID Relief

In three short months, President Biden has broken his promise to bring America together under a moderate administration and has pushed policies more so aligned with the progressive wing of the Democrat Party than with the average Democratic voter. Even Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), one of the most well-known progressives in Congress, said on Friday that President Biden has "exceeded expectations."

China's 'Sinicization' Plan Will Not Bring Down the Church

Last year, persecution adversely affected more than three million Christians in China. As the surging Christian population makes the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its General Secretary Xi Jinping nervous, Christians are increasingly targeted by the government.

Kerrying Favor with the Ayatollahs

In an audio recording leaked to a London-based news channel, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif explains that he learned of "at least" 200 Israeli attacks on Iranian targets in Syria, not from security personnel in his own government, but from former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. As Obama's top U.S. diplomat, Kerry who inked the agreement whereby we subsidized Iran's sponsorship of global terror and they pretended not to illegally advance their nuclear weapons program.

Sunlight and a Livestream Can Cure Voter Fraud Concerns

For a whole host of maladies, sunlight is the best disinfectant. In the months following the 2020 election, millions of Americans continue to harbor suspicion that many of the ad hoc changes to election law -- often without the input of the state legislature -- as part of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic negatively impacted the integrity of their state's election. For Arizonans, the 2020 election is one of the most contentious in recent memory.

California as Big Brother? The Supreme Court Isn't Having It.

California has decided to be Big Brother to anyone who wants to... donate to a charity? The state is requiring charities and nonprofits operating within California to share the names and addresses of their largest donors with the attorney general's office. Conservative groups have fought back, stating that this policy violates the First Amendment because it would discourage donors' freedom of association and speech.

Left-of-Century: Biden's 100 First Days

Joe Biden hasn't even been president for 100 days, and it already feels like an eternity. In just three months, the man absurdly dubbed a "moderate" has emerged from his campaign basement and dispelled that notion -- to the delight of the party's radicals. He has embraced the far-Left's all-out war on every pillar of democracy. Shell-shocked, Americans have watched this White House spend us into insolvency, inflame our divides, and lead a charge to radically makeover the Supreme Court, our states' election laws, the U.S. Senate, immigration policy, religious freedom, and human biology. He's exceeded expectations to be sure -- just not in the way most voters had hoped.

Republicans Pop off at Coca-Cola

"If politics isn't your business," Steve Tobak used to say, "keep your business out of politics!" That's a message Republicans are embracing a month into the Georgia election law fallout. Companies that raced into the fray, like Coca-Cola's CEO James Quincey, are finding out the hard way that getting involved in local issues isn't exactly a way to sell more soda. According to new polling, a majority of conservatives are thinking twice about quenching their thirst with a business that tried to quench America's ballot integrity.

Court-Packing Lacks Dem Backing

In the last handful of days, a surprising number of Democratic senators have decided to go on the record opposing court-packing. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said, "the more responsible thing to do is to keep it at nine justices." Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) followed suit. "I don't think the American public is interested in having the Supreme Court expanded. " Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) piled on, insisting "adding seats" would "politicize the court." What led to this sudden encounter with sanity? The one thing they all have in common: competitive reelection races in 2022.

A Word of Warming on the Border Crisis

It's been blamed for everything from bad acne to bad beer, so it makes sense that if the White House needs a scapegoat on immigration, global warming would fit the bill! America's supposed border czar, Vice President Kamala Harris (who's supposed to be addressing the crisis they won't call a crisis) pulled a Barack Obama this week when she was squeezed on the administration's non-action.

Dems Make Capitol Gains on Statehood

"Racist trash." Apparently, that's what you are if you object to the far-Left's policies. In an astonishing scene on the House floor Thursday, freshman Congressman Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) so ferociously attacked Republicans for opposing D.C. statehood that members asked his comments stricken from the record -- a concession he finally made, but not before the damage had been done.

The Big Sky's the Limit on Freedom

If Republicans want the Left to leave them alone, Governor Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.) has a pretty foolproof plan: Don't back down. The Big Sky leader has been signing so many good bills lately that his hand must be tired! And he's done it despite the bullies who've come knocking!

GOP to Planned Parenthood: Mind Your Loan Business

There are lots of ways to describe a business with $2 billion dollars in assets -- but "charity" isn't one of them. And yet, that's how Democrats must see Planned Parenthood, the "nonprofit" that just took in its biggest taxpayer-funded haul in history: $618 million dollars. Now, as if that weren't enough, they've stuck out their hand for more -- trying to cash in on the pandemic relief that clearly meant for small businesses. Well, Planned Parenthood isn't "small" and isn't eligible. And if the country's abortion tycoon doesn't give the money back, Senate Republicans want the government to come and take it.

H.R. 1: You Can Run, But You Can't I.D.

Senate Democrats worked themselves into a fury dressing down Georgia's election law in a hearing this week. They claimed the bill was thoroughly racist, and that 380 bills introduced in nearly every state were designed to suppress the minority vote. They insisted the only solution that would adequately counter this groundswell of racism was their federal election takeover, H.R. 1.

PVS: Justice Starts with Faith, Family, and Spreading the Gospel

In a severely divided nation, can the George Floyd verdict help garner healing and unity? It would appear not. In the wake of Derek Chauvin's conviction, many on the Left are clamoring for more police defunding. But as FRC's Pray Vote Stand broadcast revealed, the pullback from law enforcement has very little public support and highly lethal consequences.

Dems Paint Target on Georgia's Back

Democrats seem to think they can steamroll every issue by yelling "racism" loud enough. Someone needs to remind them the point of the proverb, "if you only have a hammer, everything is a nail," is to highlight the folly of applying the same solution to every problem. Earlier today, the Democrat-controlled (but not Democrat-majority) Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled, "Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote." Predictably, the hearing recycled debunked accusations about how Republicans want to block minority voters.

Pelosi's Unbalanced Justice

It's not the first time Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has had to put her foot in her mouth, but it may be the most telling.

U.S. Commission Calls out World's Worst Religious Freedom Violators

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report Wednesday, providing an overview of the world's top violators of religious freedom. The dire status of religious freedom around the globe is a call to action for the Biden administration to prioritize religious freedom in its foreign policy.

A Border Boiling Over

When the 10 Republican lawmakers arrived before midnight to tour the migrant holding facility in Donna, Texas, they were shocked by what they saw. "The migrants, dirty and exhausted, were sitting in row after row. Almost all were silent. The 'facility' was mostly benches, a line of porta-potties, some basic supplies, and a trailer with the sign MOBILE DENTAL UNIT," wrote the Washington Examiner's Byron York.

GOP House and Senate Take a Swing at MLB

If the bosses over at Major League Baseball think fans have moved on from their Georgia stunt, they're wrong. It's past time to deal with our pastime, Republicans say. And this week, a group of House and Senate leaders have unveiled a bill that would make the Commissioner Rob Manfred's All-Star move hurt. A lot.

Planned Parenthood Recommits to Founder's Eugenicist Mission

Alexis McGill Johnson, president and chief executive of Planned Parenthood, recently wrote an op-ed in the New York Times titled, "I'm the Head of Planned Parenthood. We're Done Making Excuses for Our Founder. We must reckon with Margaret Sanger's association with white supremacist groups and eugenics."

Troubled Waters: California Rep. Eggs on Rioters

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) doesn't represent the people of Minneapolis. In fact, when she stands in front of a crowd and spews dangerous rhetoric, she doesn't even represent Los Angeles County. When she travels to Minnesota to tell the mob to "stay in the streets" and "get more confrontational," she only represents one thing: the fringe Left.

HHS Chief's New (Re)search and Destroy Mission

If you think destroying perfectly healthy babies in the womb is horrible, imagine letting scientists pick through the bodies for parts. Based on last Friday's announcement, Democrats are perfectly fine with both. "We believe that we have to do the research that it takes to make sure that we're incorporating innovation," new HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra insisted when he reversed the ban on fetal tissue experimentation. But just how effective is this ghoulish "innovation?" Not very, experts say.

Biden: Planned Parenthood Shall Be Funded

Last week, the Biden administration moved to revoke the Trump administration's changes to the Title X program that increased health care options for women and shielded American taxpayers from funding the killing of unborn children.

Dems: Give Them a Bench, They'll Take a Mile

Packing the courts isn't the only way Democrats can get what they want. And they know it. As disastrous as adding four more justices to the Supreme Court bench would be, threatening it is almost as effective. Joe Biden learned that from the man he desperately wants to be: FDR. The 32^nd president wanted to overhaul the judicial branch, too, and never managed it. But what he did do to the courts was just as beneficial in the end -- he scared them.

States Drop the Gloves with the NCAA

At the end of the day, maybe the NCAA did conservatives a huge favor. Earlier this week, the woke collegiate sports association tried playing hardball with states that want to protect girls' sports. But so far, all they've done is motivate them!

Senate's Lack of Advice Is Leading to Consent to Biden's Radical Agenda

As the old adage goes, personnel is policy. Nearing his 100^th day in office, President Biden has made it abundantly clear that he plans to implement a radically liberal social agenda in America, demonstrated by who he's nominated to run the federal government.

Dems Pave a Gavel Road to Court-Packing

Now we've heard it all. Democrats, who were already the butt of jokes for calling childcare "infrastructure," have done us one better. According to House liberals, court-packing is too! In a tweet, Congressman Mondaire Jones, a New York liberal declared: "Supreme Court expansion is infrastructure." Like a lot of people, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) couldn't believe their eyes. "You just can't make this stuff up," she shook her head. And unfortunately, Democrats aren't. They're on the march to expand the court -- no matter what they call it.

Sitting on the Dox of California's Bay

If there's anything we've learned about the radical Left, it's that their calling card is intimidation. It's been liberals' most effective weapon for holding conservatives hostage in political debates for years. And this week, California Democrats are taking the idea to the extreme -- threatening to publicize the names, addresses, and employers of anyone who signs a recall petition. Why? Because they're terrified that Americans are on the verge of taking their blue states back!

Kemp: 'Corporate America Got Played. We're Winning This Battle.'

The Democrats had a nearly flawless plan to ram through their federal takeover of elections, H.R. 1. They just had to wait for some southern Republicans to hinder poor minorities' ability to vote, play the racially-charged "victim" card, and then insist that a federal solution was needed to override racist election laws passed by Republican-controlled state legislatures. Not only was the plan sophisticated and anti-racist, they thought, but surely none of these backwater racist Republicans would see through the trap. Or so believed the out-of-touch, coastal elites who created it.

For Biden, a Game of Win, Lose, or Withdraw

You know the president's decision to pull our troops from Afghanistan isn't popular when even the liberal media is concerned. Get a behind-the-scenes look at what this move would mean for the stability of the Middle East with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) on "Washington Watch."

At the NCAA, Intimidation Is the Name of the Game

In case companies hadn't noticed, now isn't exactly a good time to drop a bombshell about radical politics. Either the NCAA hasn't been paying attention to the massive uproar in Georgia, or they don't seem to grasp the intensity of the pushback. Either way, most Americans (including the moderate ones), are fired up about the abuse Republicans are taking over election reform -- and this time, they don't mind saying so. That's bad news for a woke collegiate sports association who's used to dangling a few championship games in front of states and getting their way.

CNN's Anti-Truth Bias Exposed

You'd think by now Leftists would know better than to capture their candid comments on-camera. But the investigative geniuses at Project Veritas, in their ongoing marathon round of Liberal Scandal Whack-a-Mole, have squarely hit on another doozy. The latest victim, to no one's surprise, is CNN, once again.

Is the Vaccine Passport a Good Idea?

Last week, President Biden announced that every American adult age 18 or older will be eligible to receive the COVID vaccine by no later than April 19. Already, over 75,000,000 American citizens, or 22.7 percent of the population, have been vaccinated. As more and more individuals receive the vaccine, there has been growing conversation about whether or not proof of vaccines, or "vaccine passports," should be installed to help ensure that those who haven't been vaccinated and thus may be carriers of the coronavirus are not able to spread it outside their home state or country.

Conservatives to Leftist Elite: None of Your Business

As far as breakups go, it was a messy one. But frankly, what happened in Georgia between Republicans and the corporate woke had been brewing for months. Sick of watching Big Business swoop into states and act like the fourth branch of government, conservatives' frustrations finally boiled over. After years of fighting alongside companies for the kind of economy that helped businesses flourish, Republicans had to come to grips with the obvious: the loyalty only went one way.

Big Business Willingly Enlists as Foot Soldiers for the Left

A cartel is formed when business leaders conspire together on how to force people to pay the prices they demand. But what is it called when CEOs conspire to force people to play by their rules on voting, not prices? English has no word for it because American corporations have never attempted to override American democracy -- until now.

Think Your Tax Dollars Will Never Fund Abortion? Don't Be So Sure.

If a federal law has saved almost 2.5 million lives, you'd think it's worth keeping on the books, right? This is exactly why conservative members of Congress are on a mission to preserve the Hyde amendment.

Arizona, Georgia Double-Team on Woke Sports

It'll be months before Major League Baseball knows how much its decision to move Atlanta's All-Star Game cost them financially. Fortunately, Americans won't have to wait nearly that long to understand how much it hurt the MLB politically. Thanks to Governor Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.), they already know. If the goal of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and his liberal pals was to scare other states into submission, Arizona's new law makes it quite clear: he's already failed.

Biden Gets Packing on the Supreme Court

Jeremy Wong has never been all that interested in politics. The young associate pastor at Orchard Community Church always tried to keep his focus on the congregation -- until COVID struck. Then, to his frustration, things changed. Suddenly, it was impossible to minister the way he and so many other pastors had under California's suffocating lockdown rules. By October, after months of trying to lead Bible studies and prayer meetings over Zoom, Jeremy had had enough. He decided to join a lawsuit to fight the state's over-the-top limits on in-home religious gatherings. Finally, late Friday night, something happened that he "never in [his] wildest thoughts" expected: they won.

California's Department of (Gender) Corrections

Just how dangerous is the effort to mainstream transgenderism? Very, liberal feminists are warning. Six months into California's so-called Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act, the fallout has been especially severe in a place most people don't think about: women's prisons.

Libs' Infrastructure: a Bridge to Nowhere

If arts funding is "COVID relief," then it's no surprise that child care is "infrastructure." In the Democrats' lexicon -- where abortion is "health care," election reform is "racism," and social justice is a "public works" project -- the fact that Joe Biden is trying to reimagine another word to fit his agenda is just par for their delusional course.

Pennsylvania Sees Dead People... on Voter Rolls

If the Left's ridiculous crusade against Georgia's election law was supposed to scare other states, it failed. Across the country, a historic number of bills are moving to keep the disaster we saw in 2020 from repeating itself. Instead of cowering under the Democrats' absurd lies about racism, leaders seem more motivated than ever to keep the Left and its pals from unduly influencing our elections. And the sweeping reforms in the Peach State were just the start.

Life and Freedom Get a Boost from the States!

Considering all of the garbage coming out of Washington, most conservatives probably need a pick-me-up -- some reassurance that the entire country isn't racing into a pit of extremism. If the election reform efforts aren't enough to cheer voters up, then there are a good many things happening on life and religious freedom that might!

Candy Jarred: Nestle, Mars Join Woke Wars

Some companies just can't resist touching the hot stove. Despite all of the grassroots pushback in Georgia -- all of the boycotts and outrage and public opinion polls -- two major U.S. brands have decided to wade into an even more controversial debate by launching a massive pro-transgender push for minors. In a stunning op-ed for USA Today, branch chiefs for Mars and Nestle announced Wednesday that they're coming for your kids in any state that's fighting for girls' sports or age limits on gender transition. We will "us[e] our influence," they warn, to crush fair competition, protections for children, and even religious freedom. And they're calling on every CEO in America to join them.

Biden's Pentagon Keeps SPLC in Reserves

The United States may not negotiate with terrorists, but it doesn't mind using resources tied to them in official military trainings. Despite being linked in federal court to a case of domestic terrorism, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) -- a favorite go-to "source" of the Obama Pentagon -- is making a comeback under Joe Biden's DOD barely two years after an explosive scandal that should have destroyed the Leftist group for good.

'We Don't Have until the Next Election. We Have to Stand Now.'

Most Americans probably don't know a lot about a rule in the U.S. Senate known as the "filibuster," but they should. Why? As was made painfully clear during FRC's Pray Vote Stand broadcast last night, the filibuster is the only thing standing in the way of America ceasing to be the free country that we know and love due to the disturbing policies that the extreme Left wants to force through the Senate and impose on all Americans without compromise.

Jim Scare-Crow: Debunking the Race Game in Georgia

"Claiming state voting reforms are racist is ridiculous. I should know." That was FRC's Ken Blackwell responding in USA Today to the absurd liberal narrative in Georgia and other states. Check out his new column here!

Coke Gets a Kick in the Can from Consumers

A week into the fiasco over Georgia's election law, most Americans want to know: just who are these woke CEOs listening to? Not to their shareholders, who can't make a profit when their companies alienate half of the country. Not to lawyers or legislators, who could set them straight on what the policy actually does. And certainly not to U.S. consumers, who are sending a resounding message that they're done with businesses who can't check their radicalism at the door long enough to read a 98-page piece of legislation.

Tucker Carlson Eviscerates Chemical Castration of Minors

Arkansas just did something historic: It's become the first state in the nation to enact the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act. This much-maligned bill does three things: It protects minors from puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and/or masculinization or feminization surgery (all of which have permanent, life-long effects) until they are adults and can make adult decisions.

The Leftist Meltdown over Popular Election Reforms

Once Georgia joined Iowa in enacting new laws to protect the integrity of the ballot box, the Left has become increasingly unhinged. After enlisting Major League Baseball, Delta Airlines, and Coca-Cola to try to bring about economic hardship in the state, the Left is now realizing hurting minority communities -- and openly lying about what the Georgia election reform law does -- is not likely to win over Americans to their perspective. The Left and woke corporations may not care about the truth, but Americans who vote and buy things do. So, what does Georgia's new law actually mean?

MLB Can't Lay a Glove on Georgia

If the Left wanted to make an example out of Georgia, they succeeded -- just not the way they intended. Five days into the Democrats' election law hysteria, Governor Brian Kemp's (R-Ga.) grit is winning the messaging war and inspiring millions of incensed Americans to start fighting right along with him. After months of conditioning corporations to do their radical bidding, Joe Biden, Stacey Abrams, and their co-conspiring CEOs have finally overplayed their hand. The pack of lies they tried to pass off about Georgia's voting reforms is coming back to bite them. And the blowback for baseball is just the beginning.

Atlanta Braves a Sneak Attack by Dems

Democrats certainly have an interest in weaker election laws, but is that what their frenzy in Georgia is really about? Or is there another agenda at work -- a more sinister, dangerous motive for the Left? According to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), this isn't about the Peach State at all. It's about every state. "This disinformation has a purpose," he warned. And the only way to stop it is for every American to understand exactly what it is.

Arkansas Makes History with Veto Override

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) had a say in the SAFE Act -- but he won't have the final one. This afternoon, barely 24 hours after the governor tried to sink a bill to protect children from life-altering transgender surgery and drugs, the state legislature voted to override him. By a 71-24 vote in the house and 28-7 vote in the senate, leaders like Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R) sent a resounding message that they won't be deterred from doing what's right for Arkansas kids.

Fans Intentionally Walk after Baseball's Activism

The 2021 baseball season isn't even a week old, and it's already over for some fans. Why? Because, as Andrew McCarthy so efficiently put it: the Left ruins everything. Sports, entertainment, toys, snack cakes, you name it. Their wokeness is a cancer, and it's taking every enjoyable, unifying, non-political piece of American life and destroying it. In Georgia, their crusade against the state's election law is built on a house of lies. And for once, GOP leaders aren't letting them get away with it.

Hutchinson Errs with the SAFE Side

"Image is always important for a governor," Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.) admitted at the end of his Monday press conference on the SAFE Act. And unfortunately I think it was ultimately image -- not protecting children -- that drove his decision to veto a bill that would have saved Arkansas's kids from a lifetime of misery. "I hope that my statement today... causes Republicans to think again about who we are," he insisted. Let's hope it does. Because if passing a common-sense laws that stops children from being sterilized is controversial, then there are a number of Republican leaders that have some soul-searching to do.

Warnock's Tweet Misses the Point of Easter

Over the weekend, millions of Christians celebrated Jesus's resurrection and victory over sin. In many churches, after a year plagued by the pandemic, Resurrection Sunday provided hope that despite life's hardships, Jesus has defeated death and reconciled repentant sinners to God. Pastors around the country reminded their congregants that Jesus's resurrection is at the center of the gospel and the reason we celebrate Easter.

Finding Hope on Good Friday

Over the last year, our country has faced enormous challenges. A pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens and millions worldwide. Many people are still out of work. Children in many states are falling behind as school re-openings lag. There is tremendous anxiety and strife along political, cultural, and racial lines. Some churches remain closed or are only partially open. For many, the future is grim.

Biden's Infrastructure Paves the Road to Ruin

A few weeks ago, Joe Biden sat down with historians to see how he could change America in a way no other president had. Wednesday, we found out his plan: he's going to bankrupt us. The FDR wannabe didn't even wait until the ink on his $1.9 trillion dollar blue-state bailout (a.k.a. "COVID relief") was dry before trucking off to Pittsburgh and announcing he wants to spend $2.25 trillion more. Conveniently disguised as an "infrastructure bill," the White House has found a way to tuck the Green New Deal into an innocent-sounding public works package. His puppets in the media might sell it that way, but the Republican Party is calling it what it is: highway robbery.

Filibluster? Dems Big Plan to End Senate Debate

There are 44 standing rules in the Senate, but only one seems to get all of the attention: the legislative filibuster. For Democrats like Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), it's suddenly become quite a nuisance. Instead of being able to ram every outrageous idea on their wish list through Congress and on to Joe Biden's desk, they've had to confront a sobering reality -- that's not how the U.S. Senate works.

Blinken Wrong about His Predecessor's Rights

The State Department launched its 45^th human rights report Tuesday -- but after Secretary Antony Blinken's latest comments, no one is quite sure what "rights" we're actually talking about. Under Biden, the administration has been pretty clear that they aren't interested in the Constitution's definitions or even moral law. They want to go back to cloaking their social activism in "freedom." And destroying the State Department's Commission on Unalienable Rights was only step number one.

This Week's PVS: Pray with Franklin Graham

While the country holds its breath on Arkansas's SAFE Act, Franklin Graham had a message for Governor Asa Hutchinson (R): sign the bill! On Wednesday night's Pray Vote Stand broadcast, the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelic Association and Samaritan's Purse prayed for common sense to prevail in Arkansas -- and every state where children are vulnerable to the transgender movement's lies.

Pelosi to Host Iowa State Unfair

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) believes she has the right to unilaterally overturn the results of a state-certified election. Faced with the smallest majority of any House Speaker in a hundred years, she now is seeking to eject Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) from Congress to give herself some breathing room. Miller-Meeks won the race for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District by six votes. While the election results from Iowa were certified after Miller-Meeks won multiple recounts Pelosi and the Democrats want to use their power to challenge and overturn the certified results.

President Biden's Biology Denial Will Ripple Throughout the Nation

Today, President Joe Biden proclaimed it to be "Transgender Day of Visibility." Decrying the supposed systemic discrimination of those who identify as transgender, Biden's proclamation only exposed just how out of touch he is with much of America.

The Radical Left's Ideology Is Being Injected into Minnesota Schools

Every 10 years, the state of Minnesota reviews and revises its academic standards, and the latest updates proposed for its social studies program in K-12 schools has turned heads for its blatantly left-wing political agenda. Although the timing of the update is unrelated to current events, the content is clearly a response to 2020's many protests and uprisings. The new curriculum is set to be steeped in left-wing ideology surrounding subjects like "whiteness," Christianity, and capitalism.

Protecting Girls: On a Need to Noem Basis

It's been a long 10 days for the people of South Dakota, who just watched everything that their legislature worked for vanish with one wave of the governor's hand. "It's maddening. It's frustrating," one statehouse member said about watching Kristi Noem (R) destroy their months of progress on girls' sports. Despite a week and a half of outcry from her constituents, Noem dug in and did not, as some people hoped, reconsider.

Arkansas: Better SAFE Than Sorry

Arkansas may have lost its bid for a national championship this week, but conservatives around the country are cheering on the state to become the first in another category: protecting minor children. Monday, after an emotional debate, the state senate voted 27-8 to send the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act to the governor's desk, where he could make history signing it into law.

Four Pinocchi-Joes on Georgia's Election Law

Last Thursday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed into law an election reform bill designed to address the controversies and problems of recent elections. The Left, predictably, went ballistic. They claim the law ushers in a new Jim Crow era. They claim it prohibits anyone from offering water to people waiting in line to vote. Even President Joe Biden repeated, "It's an atrocity. ... They pass a law saying you can't provide water for people standing in line, while they're waiting to vote." Biden also claimed the legislation "ends voting hours early" and amounts to "Jim Crow in the 21^st Century."

Must-See TV!

If you missed Tony Perkins's reaction to being sanctioned by China, check out this interview on Monday's Fox News. He talks about his work on behalf of international religious freedom and the Uyghur human rights atrocities.

GOP to Biden: Restore Law and Border

If the Biden administration won't call the border mess a "crisis," they're the only ones. Only four percent of the American people agree with the president that the surge isn't a "serious problem." As more pictures and eye-witness accounts break through the White House's blackout, the urgency on both sides is growing. After his pitiful performance on Thursday, the president's approval ratings on immigration are in an absolute freefall -- and the grim testimonies that leaders and local mayors are telling from the border aren't helping.

Going for Woke? More Businesses Say No.

The media would love for you to believe that every corporation is going woke -- but that isn't exactly reality, Zogby warns. Business leaders might feel the squeeze of the far-Left, and some might even surrender to it, but deep down, they're just as worried as the rest of us about what cultural extremists are doing to America. And now we have the data to prove it.

USCIRF Hits a Nerve on Uyghurs, China Retaliates

Some wear China's scorn as a badge of honor. Late last summer, when the communist regime lashed out at Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), he tweeted, "Last month #China banned me. Today, they sanctioned me. I don't want to be paranoid, but I am starting to think they don't like me." Turns out, China's government doesn't like a lot of people, including members of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) like Gayle Manchin and me.

Biden Cracks under Presser

If Americans were concerned that Joe Biden hadn't held a press conference, imagine how concerned they must be now that he has. After smashing the 100-year record for radio silence, most people assumed that the 78-year-old president would be a little more prepared to meet the press. What they got instead was a painful, hour-long confirmation that the fragile man leading our country has absolutely none of our crises -- the border, China, COVID, or fair and free elections -- in hand.

Building an Ark. That Respects Girls' Rights

After a week of fierce pushback, Governor Kristi Noem's (R-S.D.) controversial position on girls' sports just got even lonelier. The South Dakota governor, who's been hoping for cover on her veto from other state leaders, continues to stand alone now that Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) has inked his name to a law very similar to the one Noem rejected. Thanks to the hard work of the state legislature, the Land of Opportunity State is exactly that for female athletes.

States Lead the Way on Election Integrity

In an incredibly significant move for voters everywhere, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) signed SB 202 into law Thursday, a bill that makes sweeping reforms to the state's election law and corrects some of the weaknesses from 2020. After weeks of committee hearings and public input, the policy -- much to the relief of Georgians -- is now law.

Biden Loses in Chinese (Fact) Checkers

Of all the fiction in Joe Biden's press conference Thursday (and there was a lot), one of the most ridiculous allegations was about the Trump administration supposed indifference toward China's Uyghurs. With as many connections to China as he has, the president ought to know that Donald Trump, along with Mike Pompeo and the leaders of the State Department, not only helped the Uyghurs, but led a global coalition to crack down on China's abuse of the population.

All Hounds on Deck for #ProChoicePup Campaign

The abortion industry has done some stupid things over the years -- like putting forceps on its Christmas trees, fundraising on Mother's Day, opening abortion "spas," hosting condom art contests, and offering Black Friday deals -- but NARAL's latest "#ProChoicePup" hashtag is so ridiculous that Babylon Bee had to clarify that it's not satire. "In news that should surprise no one, the abortion industry is out of its freaking mind," Joel Abbott shook his head. Apparently, the far-Left can't get people on board with their agenda, so they've resorted to man's best friend.

Noem Could Still Settle the Score on Girls' Sports

It's difficult to imagine things getting much worse for Governor Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), who's faced an avalanche of criticism since deciding not to sign the state's popular girls' sports bill. Wednesday, days after running into what one conservative commentator called "a buzz saw," her team's frustration finally boiled over. After an unsuccessful media tour, which only dug the hole deeper, Noem's communications manager lashed out that his boss had been the victim what he called "conservative cancel culture." But if anything got canceled, conservatives fired back, it was South Dakota women's rights.

HHS's Second in Command Is First in Trans Advocacy

The Biden administration made history Wednesday, but not the kind that most Americans will celebrate. In a tight, near party-line vote, the Senate confirmed the president's transgender pick for deputy secretary of HHS, Rachel Levine -- whose idea of "health care" is sterilizing and mutilating young children. "This is a scary time in American history," former HHS leader Roger Severino said. And after Levine's first statement on the job, that might be an understatement.\r

USA Today Looks to Bounce ORU from NCAA

Everyone loves an underdog. Well, almost everyone. While the rest of the country rallies around Oral Roberts University, cheering on the Cinderella of this year's NCAA basketball tournament, USA Today says the slipper doesn't fit. The small Tulsa college is evangelical, they announce, as if it's news. That means they believe the Bible. And if they believe the Bible, an editor argues, there should be no place for them on the court -- or anywhere else in polite society.

Young at Heart of Hyde Debate

Only in the modern Democratic Party could protecting African-American children be considered racist. And yet, that's the messaging du jour for the Left, who's decided to play the race card on any issue that's remotely unpopular -- like overturning the ban on taxpayer-funded abortion. Of course, the Hyde amendment wasn't racist when Barack Obama supported it. It's only now, when the nation's been beaten into submission from months of George Floyd riots, that liberals could dare to make the argument -- and demand that the president's nominees do the same.

How You Can Help Cancel the Cancel Culture

The target that the cancel culture has on the backs of Christians and conservatives is nothing new. For the past decade, the Left has been working hard to silence Christian and conservative voices and lessen their influence in the public square. At the beginning, their tactics were more subtle -- public shaming and classification of people and groups who advocated for biblical values as hate groups by organizations that used to be legitimate, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Noem Forfeits Girls' Sports for Woke Corps

Donald Trump changed a lot of things about the Republican Party, but one of the biggest favors he did social conservatives was refusing to be intimidated by the issues. He took on the abortion lobby, the gender wars, LGBT extremism, the cancel culture -- and never once apologized. Say what you will about his tone or methods, but Trump didn't shy away from the hard questions. After four years of that, most conservatives have lost the appetite for compromise. That's bad news for Republicans who don't have the stomach for those fights -- because there's one thing our movement isn't willing to settle for anymore, and that's cowardice.

District of Democrats?

It's a catchy slogan -- "taxation without representation" -- but does Washington, D.C. really have a case when it comes to statehood? Anyone who's driven around the District has to wonder, following cars with that phrase plastered in protest on the bottom of the city's license plates. For decades, Democrats have tried to force a debate on D.C. statehood -- evoking strong feelings on both sides. Monday's House Oversight hearing, it turns out, was no exception.

Stand Courageous in Chino California!

The FRC Stand Courageous Men's Ministry Team was on the road again this past weekend in southern California. Hosted by our good friend Pastor Jack Hibbs at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, 3,000 men packed out the worship center and overflowed onto outdoor space to hear our stable of speakers as well as attend standing room only breakouts.

Trans Debate Hits too Close to Noem

There are defining moments in every political career -- decisions that have the power to rewrite a person's future. They can take a no-name conservative to celebrity status, or send a rising star cratering back to earth. Everyone with big dreams stands at those crossroads eventually -- and for Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), that time is now. The popular governor, who made a name for herself bucking COVID restrictions, has had her eye on bigger things in the Republican Party for a long time. But if she fails this test -- if she can't find the courage to stand up to the Left -- that's all she'll be remembered for.

Two's Company, Three's... Marriage?

What could the Left possibly want after same-sex marriage and transgenderism? Try polygamy. The media laughed off groups like FRC when we warned about that 15 years ago. Now, a decade and a half later, with American parents in the fight of their lives over girls' sports and city councils endorsing three-person relationships, it turns out we were right. The LGBT's fight was never about marriage -- it was about every sexual and social norm.

Dems Reframe Filibuster as Race Debate

It's no secret that a lot of Democrats are interested in abolishing or creating exceptions to the filibuster, a procedural rule which requires that 60 senators instead of a simple majority must agree to vote upon a proposed piece of legislation. With the Senate split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, and Vice President Kamala Harris acting as the tiebreaker vote, the filibuster is the only thing stopping Democrats from pushing their radical left-wing agenda through Congress and to the president's desk, where President Joe Biden will likely sign most of the Democrat-controlled Congress' bills into law. The Democrats' solution? Reframe a number of proposals as necessary for the advance of "civil rights," for which the filibuster should move out of the way.

Hart Failure Doesn't Stop Dems from House Dispute

So it's a "tragedy," "mockery," or "coup" if Republicans challenge an election result, but completely acceptable -- four months later -- if you're a Democrat? That's the incredible double standard on display this week in the U.S. House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is throwing optics to the wind to pad her Democratic totals. In one of the grandest displays of hypocrisy this country has ever seen, the Left is actually trying to boot a sitting member of Congress, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) after her election was certified -- without any evidence of fraud. And the GOP is the party of subversion?

Border Wars: Biden Takes Flak from Both Sides

Joe Biden doesn't mind calling the climate a crisis -- but when it comes to thousands of trafficked kids, separated from their parents in a border mess of epic proportions, it's a "challenge." Or is it? Even White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki couldn't help slipping up Thursday and labeling the situation what it truly is. "... You said, 'crisis on the border,'" one reporter pointed out. Annoyed, Psaki corrected herself. "Challenges on the border," she insisted. "So that doesn't reflect any change in the administration's view of things?" the reporter asked. "Nope," Psaki fired back.

State Dems Join GOP in Calling out Trans Agenda

The mainstream media would love for you to believe that this wave of opposition to the transgender agenda is a one-party operation. But the truth is, there's a big disconnect between what D.C. Democrats and the rest of their party think about this controversial issue. Protecting children from this radical agenda is a lot more bipartisan than Americans realize. And the effort of at least one state Democrat is proving it.

Biden: No More Mr. ICE Guy

Joe Biden won't talk to the press -- and he won't let his administration either! In news that ought to incense the American public, the president has ordered a media blackout on anything having to do with the immigration crisis. Everyone from border patrol to sector chiefs have been told to "deny all access" to the press, no matter how friendly they may be. That means no interviews, no photos, no facilities tours or ride-alongs without the White House's express permission. Just how desperate is the situation on the border? Enough to risk an administration-wide cover-up, it seems.

California Puts the Fear of Gods into Students

When a new curriculum is too woke for the New York Times, it has to be the most wildly out-of-step model this country's ever seen. It also has to be from California, which is one of the only states capable of taking public education to places even liberals would oppose. "The idea that a tax-supported public school system would, or could, be used to unleash this vicious cultural and spiritual poison into our young people's consciousness is both extremely offensive and quite possibly illegal," the Times's Brad Stephens wrote. And yet today, that "poison" is on the verge of becoming the Ethnic Studies standard for six million U.S. students.

Fairness for Who? 'Equality Act Light' Hurts Both Sides

Are LGBT activists really interested in finding middle ground on issues like religious freedom? Some in Congress naively think so, which is why the Fairness for All Act is currently being pushed as an alternative to the radical Equality Act. But as was made clear during FRC's Pray Vote Stand broadcast Wednesday night, Fairness for All is not so much a grand compromise as it is a narrow carve-out that gives lip service to the freedom to worship, all the while trampling on the constitutional freedom to live out one's faith in all realms of society. Also during the broadcast, a powerful first-hand testimony uncovered what is at the wounded heart of those struggling with gender identity.

An Immigration Crisis Customs Made by Biden

Joe Biden hasn't abolished ICE, but he's done something just as bad. He's made it impossible for the agency to do its job. Just two months into the White House's amnesty experiment, the scene along our southern border is chaos. And who's fault is it? According to the administration: Donald Trump's.

A Cash Course in Beating the Woke

The corporate mob may have some people shaking in their boots, but a new trend says there's no reason to. After January 6^th, when CEOs were tripping over themselves to say they'd stop giving to Republicans, it sounded like a death knell for fundraising. But, two months later, the threat has turned out to be an empty one. Everyday Americans pack a much bigger punch than these woke businesses, it turns out. And they're just getting started.

The Equality Act Is Bad News for Life, Family, and Freedom

Earlier this morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the infamous Equality Act, one of the Democratic Party's most radical pieces of legislation. If passed by the Left's slim majority in the Senate and signed into law by President Biden, the Equality Act would harm society at every level under the guise of fairness.

Sit in on the Conversation: Wednesday Night at 10pm ET

Tonight I'll be joining my good friend, Pastor Jack Hibbs, for a special "Happening Now" conversation at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, discussing the issues and trends facing our nation today. With the dramatic shift in our culture -- one that is increasingly hostile to followers of Jesus -- each of us needs to be informed, equipped, and ready to defend our freedoms. Click here to watch live at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT!

Biden Tells Taxes to Take a Hike

The Democratic establishment keeps gushing that Joe Biden's first months in office have been the most "consequential" in decades. Oh, they're consequential all right. Look at gas prices. And if the latest headlines are any indication, the pain at the pump is just the beginning.

Breaking News: Church Believes the Bible

Since the Supreme Court's decision in 2015 to redefine marriage, the movement to normalize homosexuality and same-sex marriage has moved at break-neck speed. While tech companies, the media, Big Business, and the entertainment and sports communities have largely fallen in line with the LGBT revolution, there has been one consistent outlier: the church. Despite calls to revise doctrine, the Catholic Church sent a strong message that they won't be bullied into capitulating on their long-standing beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

Facts Check the Washington Post

This week, the Washington Post was forced to majorly correct its January 9 report on President Trump's phone call with a Georgia elections investigator. The article's headline read "'Find the fraud': Trump pressured a Georgia elections investigator in a separate call legal experts say could amount to obstruction." In other words, one of America's largest newspapers publicly claimed that the sitting president had committed potentially criminal misbehavior.

Biden Pentagon Deploys Weaponized PR

America's biggest threat isn't China or North Korea. It isn't even Iran. According to this commander-in-chief, it's a 51-year-old talk show host who isn't afraid to call out this administration's absurd military priorities. Tucker Carlson probably had no idea how powerful he was until last week, when the Defense Department dropped everything it was doing to train its rhetorical guns on the Fox News commentator. When Tucker questioned this Pentagon's push for identity politics, he didn't just hit a nerve. He started a war -- the only kind, it seems, that this White House cares about.

Small Charges Show Big Problems with Election Fraud

Last week, an Illinois judge signed arrest warrants for five suspects on counts of forgery and perjury in the 2020 election. Such routine law enforcement of small-scale ballot fraudsters occur after every election. The warrants will therefore surprise nobody, least of all the proud pontificators who only months ago were loudly opining that election fraud never, ever happens.

Is Democracy Dead in Hong Kong?

In what looks like the abrupt end to what little democracy was left in Hong Kong, a new election law from Beijing now makes it impossible for anyone to run for political office without demonstrating their "patriotism." Of course, for Beijing, "patriotism" doesn't mean love of China. It means love of the Chinese Communist Party.

Biden's Fireside Splat

Joe Biden avoided talking to the American people longer than any president in the last 100 years. And when he finally did, it wasn't exactly worth waiting for. If you didn't watch the 23 minutes of this White House's revisionist history on the virus, count yourself lucky. It was an exercise in the dismal, partisan, hopeless rhetoric this administration was supposed to rise above. After more than 50 days of silence, all Joe Biden proved by coming out of the White House basement is that he's a sore and ungracious winner, who isn't above taking credit for the vaccine successes he inherited.

Book Battle a Prologue to More Censorship

Amazon is the world's biggest marketplace of everything -- but ideas. When Jeff Bezos's empire decided to de-shelve Ryan Anderson, dropping a book that it made plenty of money on as a best-seller, any illusions about the company being a "diverse, tolerant" business were already long gone. Now, a couple of weeks after the controversy, Amazon has decided to answer its critics. And there are a lot of them.

More Sports Bills Cross the Finish Line

"It's crazy we have to address it." That was Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves's (R) as he signed the second girls' sports protection bill in the country. But, he pointed out, that's where Joe Biden has forced this country: into a war over women's rights, privacy, fairness, and competition. At least in Mississippi, he vowed, "young girls... [will] have a fair level playing field." His daughters and every daughter will know -- "their rights are worth fighting for."

A Blunt Interview with the Missouri Senator

He's spent almost three decades in Washington, so the news that Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) has decided to retire was bittersweet. Don't miss our conversation looking back on his time in Congress, including a glimpse at what he might do back home in Missouri.

Democracy: HR 1 and Done

Mitch McConnell has served longer than any Senate Republican leader in history -- so it's safe to say he's seen some bad bills. There've been doozies like Obamacare, the Green New Deal, the Equality Act -- legislation to open the borders, ban homeschooling, and Medicaid for All. But nothing, McConnell insists, comes close to HR 1. In his opinion, the Democrats' federal takeover of elections is the most dangerous proposal of all. In 36 years, Mitch declared, "This is the worst bill I've observed in my time in the Senate."

A Dropbox That Isn't Syncing with Law

No one will ever know how much fraud there was in the 2020 election, but in states like Georgia, where new information is still coming out, there are plenty of reasons to wonder. Four months after the mess of last November, experts are still investigating what might have happened to Donald Trump's reelection bid. And what they've found is enough to get every American on the election reform bandwagon.

PVS: The Great Electoral Heist

What's the Left's version of "election reform"? It's HR 1, the deceptively named "For the People Act", a brazen attempt to force every state to turn over their election authority -- vested to them by the Constitution -- to Congress. Just how bad is HR 1? To name but a handful of the dozens of shocking ways it would subvert our free election system, HR 1 would: eliminate voter identification requirements, allow illegal immigrants and felons to vote, finance political campaigns with taxpayer dollars, invite fraud by providing universal mail-in ballots, expand Democratic seats in Congress by granting statehood to D.C., and so much more.

Two Appointments the GOP Should Cancel

It's usually an administration's cabinet nominations that get the most attention -- but two senators are making the case that Joe Biden's deputy picks may be the most controversial of the bunch. Is the president trying to slip in his most radical nominees under Americans' noses? And just how much power do the seconds-in-command at HHS and the State Department have over abortion and transgender policy? Too much, Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) warn.

These Days, Anything Can Get You Canceled -- Except Genocide

"They're not just labor camps, they are designed to strip them of their religious cultural identity." This is how Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) described the camps where 1-2 million Uyghur Muslims are detained by the Chinese government without trial and utilized as forced labor.

New Arkansas Law Sets up Direct Challenge to Roe v. Wade

On Tuesday, Arkansas S.B. 6, the "Arkansas Unborn Child Protection Act," was signed into law by Governor Asa Hutchinson (R). The act, which criminalizes abortion at all stages of pregnancy except when the life of the mother is at risk, paints a big, red target on Roe v. Wade. The bill passed the state senate (27-7) with three-to-one support and the state house (76-19) with four-to-one support. State Senator Jason Rapert and State Representative Mary Bentley worked tirelessly alongside the Arkansas Family Council to ensure the bill's passage.

Political Correctness Run a Duck

Cartoonists ought to be mocking the cancel culture -- not becoming victims of it! Apparently, not only is the mob overbearing and hypocritical, but humorless too. They've turned their corporate guns on everything from the gender-insensitive Mr. Potato Head to Pepe Le Pew, a Looney Tunes skunk the New York Times accuses of "normalizing rape culture." (What's next? A #MeToon hashtag?) Now, 27 years into a comic strip about a fictional duck, the banning of Mallard Fillmore in newspapers across the country is showing everyone where the liberal quack down might lead.

States Experiment with Un-Canceling Free Speech

Over the past few years, conservatives have noticed with increasing alarm as social media giants and other Big Tech companies pressed their thumb on the scales of public debate, muzzling one dissenting voice after another. These mega-corporations had successfully lobbied for special government carveouts on the theory that they provided a public forum that enabled free speech, but now aggressively work to censor news, facts, and opinions they don't like. But thankfully there are those working to bring their abusive behavior to an end.

Unity Need Not Apply at EEOC

For all its talk of unity, the Biden administration has proven itself to be as hyper-partisan as it gets after only a month and a half in office. The nearly two trillion dollar spending bill that passed the Senate last week was only the latest episode, as President Biden and Democrat leadership cast aside their former bipartisanship to ram through a bill that broke decades of precedent against using our tax dollars to fund abortion.

Evangelicals for Biden Lose Faith in Joe

They can't say they weren't warned. Everyone in America knew where Joe Biden stood on abortion -- because he told them. In 13 debates, multiple campaign ads, and a Planned Parenthood townhall, no one had any doubt that if this man won the White House, his folksy faith talk would take a backseat to his political deal with the far-Left. If Evangelicals for Biden want to say they never saw this COVID bill and its abortion funding coming, then they were the only ones.

Both Parties Ask for a Restraining Border

Liberals can mock the Trump border wall they want, but three months into Joe Biden's amnesty policy, even Democrats are sounding the alarm. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) has been watching what's happened along the Mexican border with absolute shock and says that if the White House doesn't do anything, there will be an immigration "crisis" in a matter of "weeks -- maybe even days."

Planned Parenthood Puts Liberal Arts to Work on Campus

If you sent your teenagers off to Christian colleges thinking they'd be safe from Planned Parenthood's tentacles, Students for Life says: think again! In a stunning new report, Kristan Hawkins's group is digging into 700 faith-based schools, and what they've found so far will surprise you. At least 25 religious colleges and universities have relationships with the abortion giant. And that, she believes, is just the beginning.

COVID Bill Is Asymptomatic of Relief

Joe Biden said he wanted to meet Republicans halfway on COVID relief. If that's the case, Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) fired back, he's a darn poor judge of distance. "This bill is dreadful," he vented. "It's an orgy of pork... The only way I know how to improve it is with a shredder."

NBA Courts China with New TV Deal

If nine percent of Americans consider China a "partner," they must all work for the NBA. The rest of the country, as the latest headlines make painfully clear, is done with the communist tyrants. Nine out of 10 Americans see China as a "competitor" or "enemy" now, and half think we should limit their power. Gallup's numbers for President Jinping are even worse. They put China's unfavorable rating at 79 percent -- the worst in the history of the polling company. And they don't have a whole lot of faith that Joe Biden's policies will help.

Snopes on the Ropes over Equality Act Review

Getting the truth out about the Equality Act hasn't been easy. As if the mainstream media isn't deceptive enough, now liberals have the fact checkers doing their dirty work attacking those who are trying to put the facts out. But who's checking the fact checkers?

Talk Is Cheat on Dems' Election Reform

The "For the People Act" -- or, as it should be called, the Stick-It-to-The-People Act -- is so bad that one Democrat was willing to risk of the wrath of his party to stop it. Wednesday, to the surprise of his entire caucus, Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) did something the Left couldn't believe: he listened to his district. When Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) put a bill on the table that would strip away every election safeguard in the country, people thought Thompson's vote was a sure thing. After all, he'd cosponsored the legislation. But when the time came to go down to the House floor, Bennie couldn't do it. His constituents opposed parts of the bill, he said later. And they're the ones he works for.

COVID Relief or Abortion Bailout?

If only nine percent of the $1.9 trillion COVID bill fights the virus, then what on earth does the other 91 percent do? Well, for starters, Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) pointed out, it tears down the firewall between taxpayers and abortion. The Democrats' priority isn't getting money into the hands of people who treat life -- they want to funnel billions to the abortionists who take it.

Al Robertson: A Beard's Eye View of Intolerance

The Robertsons know a little bit about staring down the cancel culture -- they did it before almost anyone else! Eight years ago, when liberals came after A&E over the Christian values on "Duck Dynasty," the Left found out pretty quickly that it wasn't a fight they should have picked. The Robertsons refused to back down -- winning the respect of millions of Americans and becoming a symbol of courage in the entertainment world.

Bethany Services Adopts a Radical View of Family

As evidenced by its name, Bethany Christian Services is a Christian adoption organization that does the vital, God-honoring work of placing needy children in the homes of adoptive parents across 30 states and in over a dozen countries around the world. On Monday, in a reversal of its long-standing tradition of adhering to biblical teaching on sexuality, Bethany announced that it would begin offering its services to same-sex couples.

On Nominees, a Neera Miss for Biden

Here's the thing with demanding civility -- you actually have to practice it. The Biden administration just learned that lesson the hard way. After two years of insisting on a kinder, gentler Washington, the president has raised plenty of eyebrows with his abrasive nominees. Neera Tanden was the surliest of the bunch, firing off years of social media insults as head of the radical Center for American Progress. She was everything Democrats said they hated in Trump: a brash, blunt, Twitter attack dog. Because she was one of them, the White House thought she'd be safe. They were wrong.

Joe Biden: The Two Trillion Dollar Man

"I'm hoping for infinity." That's what Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) joked to a reporter about how long Wednesday night's debate over virus aid will be. "I don't want it to pass," he said seriously, so an endless debate would suit him just fine. And an endless debate is what the Senate is in for, thanks to the reconciliation process Democrats are using to ram through their miserable excuse for "virus relief." At $1.9 trillion dollars, the price tag is steep -- but is it as steep as the price liberals could (and hopefully will) pay in the midterms?

Denial of Biological Reality Engenders Pushback in the States

"Men and women have -- at a minimum -- 6,500 genetic differences between us. And this impacts every cell of our bodies -- our organ systems, how diseases manifest, how we diagnose, and even treat [them] in some cases." Biological gender, as Dr. Michelle Cretella of the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) explains, is crucial to accurately treating and diagnosing patients. This is what the science says.

Tennessee: An All-Volunteer Force for Common Sense

In one of the more colorful descriptions of the Equality Act, Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) told reporters that he doesn't believe in discrimination against anyone but said, "this bill guts religious freedom... like a fish. And anybody that's suggesting otherwise is either not telling the truth, or they didn't graduate from kindergarten." While he and the rest of the GOP brace for the bill to hit the Senate, the good news is, the states aren't waiting. They're racing to put up shields of protection now.

When Academic Freedom Becomes Censorship and Make-Believe

There was a time when schooling existed to teach kids what was true and how to think critically. Now, thinking and truth are punished, especially on college campuses. Education student Owen Stevens learned that the hard way when State University of New York (SUNY) Geneseo suspended him from required field teaching programs. What was his crime? Saying things on Instagram like, "A man is a man, a woman is a woman. A man is not a woman and a woman is not a man." Or, "I do not recognize the gender that they claim to be if they are not biologically that gender."

'Fairness for All,' Justice for None

A lot has been made about the need for Republicans to "get on board" with some sort of alternative to the ill-conceived Equality Act. However, the "Fairness for All Act," introduced by Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) one day after the Equality Act vote in the House, is just as ill-conceived as the bill it is trying to replace. To constitute an acceptable alternative, a legislative proposal should actually solve a problem. While Fairness for All (FFA) backers may mean well, their proposal solves nothing.

What's Pork Doing on the Menu of Virus Aid?

Americans want COVID relief, but is that what the Democrats' bill is? Congressman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) says no. "This is the wrong plan at the wrong time and for all of the wrong reasons." Is it about pork or the pandemic? Find out in this interview from Monday's "Washington Watch."

SCOTUS Reiterates Its Open-Door Policy on Churches

It's a battle, Pastor Mike McClure said, that he "never wanted to be in." But it's a battle that God called him to fight -- and he knows it. Keeping his church open hasn't been easy, but then being obedient in the face of controversy usually isn't. Still, Pastor Mike pointed out, it's amazing when you do what's right how "the Lord just shows up." And late Friday, He wasn't the only one. The Supreme Court decided to weigh in too -- and the Christians of Santa Clara County couldn't be happier.

Nadler on God: He's 'No Concern of This Congress'

There were a lot of powerful arguments against the Equality Act, but Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) resorted to the ultimate authority: the Bible. During an intense debate on the House floor, the Florida representative said it was time for his colleagues to hear the truth about the transgender issue. But Democrats aren't interested in the truth -- or God. And far-Left radical Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) didn't mind saying so.

Pentagon Adds Training to Its Anti-Conservative Arsenal

There are a lot of threats in the world, but there is only one this president appears to care about combating -- conservatives. In yet another sign that America is doomed to a term of unprecedented extremism, the Biden administration just released its training materials for its "one-day military stand down" to weed out dangerous views. But what constitutes as dangerous? Good question, leaders say -- and not one they have an answer to.

Train Pork a Sign COVID Bill Is off the Rails

The bill was supposed to help America recover from COVID -- not make taxpayers sick. Unfortunately for our economy, Democrats don't seem to know the difference between a relief package and pork. The Left's 591-page excuse for a "rescue plan" is so loaded down with waste that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) might need the $112 million Bay Area transit expansion -- just to get out of town. Most voters, she ought to know, don't appreciate being railroaded.

Rand Paul Pushes for Sanity in the Transgender Debate

Keira Bell can never get her childhood back. And her body, a scarred and mangled reminder, reminds her every day. "I am living in a world where I don't fit in as male or as female. I am stuck between two sexes." Now 24, she's dedicated her life to stop teenagers from making the same mistake. Unfortunately, Keira won't get any help from the Biden administration. As Thursday's eye-opening hearing made painfully clear, this is one White House that doesn't mind how many children its agenda hurts.

Choice Words for Education in the Virus Age

If there's one silver lining to the coronavirus, it's that public education is finally being exposed for the fraud that it is. Not only are parents starting to see what their children are being taught, but the nation is waking up to the fact that teachers unions don't care about educating kids. They're about protecting and feathering their own nest. And frankly, moms and dads are tired of it.

Dems Try Turning the Cables on Conservatives

When it comes to censorship, one editorial board said, "it's about as subtle as carpet bombing." Liberals, who used to at least pretend to have some use for free speech, have dropped all pretense now. The war against a thinking culture is out in the open now, as shameless and determined as ever. To them, it's no longer enough to yank books off shelves, ban conservatives from the public square, and slap warning labels on thousands of years of proven science. They want to totally control the airwaves too. And they'll stop at nothing to force the carriers to do their bidding.

Biden Builds His Cabinet the Hard Way

Winning the Senate helped Democrats, but it sure didn't guarantee smooth sailing for Joe Biden's cabinet nominees. The party's one-vote majority has created plenty of heartburn at the White House, especially where controversial picks like Xavier Becerra, Neera Tanden, and Deb Haaland are concerned. Keeping the Democrats on board with his radical choices has been no easy task for Biden, let alone dealing with the GOP's suddenly united front. "Don't expect Senate Republicans to forget how the Democrats treated Mr. Trump's nominees," John Barrasso (R-Wy.) warned back in December. And they haven't.

'God Tells Us to Love Your Neighbor, Not Cancel Your Neighbor'

As Americans, we take pride in the fact that our forbearers gave their lives for the freedoms we hold dear. As recent events have shown, however, we can't afford to take those freedoms for granted and assume we won't have to fight for them here and now. As was made clear during FRC's Pray Vote Stand broadcast last night, the threats to religious freedom in America are real, but believers must realize that if we step up to the challenge, God will use these trials for His glory, especially when we show grace under fire.

Must-See TV!

For more on the latest headlines, check out Tony Perkins's Newsmax interview on Big Tech censorship and the Equality Act.

Biden's Pick for Stealth and Inhumane Services

Joe Biden wouldn't trust his health care to someone with zero experience, so why is he asking America to? That was one of the biggest questions at Tuesday's Senate grilling of Xavier Becerra, the president's surprising pick for HHS secretary. The California attorney general, who's never had a lick of training in medicine, science, pharma, or the health care world, is applying for a job to oversee -- not just the nation's pandemic response -- but the biggest budget of any U.S. agency as a complete novice. And Biden said Donald Trump's COVID plan was bad?

Equality Act: 'The Left's New Woke Heresy Code'

The U.S. House tomorrow will vote on the Equality Act. It will almost certainly pass, without a single Republican cosponsor. Then its fate will be decided in the Senate. It's hard to imagine just how damaging this bill would be. Essentially, it takes every issue the Left feels is a sacred cow and wraps it into one bill -- a legislative right to abortion on demand, special privileges for sexual orientation and gender identity, and the abolition of religious freedom.

Censored? Don't Get Mad. Get Gab.

He was canceled before the cancel culture. And looking back, maybe that was a blessing. Andrew Torba had a three-year head start to build his mob-proof business. Now, Gab is one of the only free speech havens still standing, giving tens of millions of oppressed Americans a social media platform to call home.

SCOTUS Fails to Blaze a Trial on Election Reform

"Befuddling." "Inexplicable." "Baffling." Those are just three of the words Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas used to describe his colleagues' latest response to the 2020 election. After three months of mixed signals, the justices finally turned down a case that had most conservatives holding their breaths -- a lawsuit against Pennsylvania's expanded mail-in balloting order. The issue, many said, was moot. But the dangers of lawlessness, Thomas fired back, is not.

Title X Marks the Spot of Latest Abortion Fight

There isn't a single pro-lifer in America who wouldn't love to see Planned Parenthood completely defunded. But without both sides of Congress firmly in the hands of conservatives, former President Donald Trump did the next best thing. He chipped away at the forced partnership between taxpayers and the abortion industry with the most powerful weapon in his executive tool box: HHS regulations. It took months of hard work, but the "Protect Life Rule" became a reality. Now, two years of liberal lawsuits later, the Supreme Court will finally decide if the policy can stand.

Canadian Beacon: Parliament Joins U.S. Fight for Uyghurs

The nine months felt like a lifetime, Tursunay Ziawudun remembered. Like most women, the nightmares from the camps still haunt her. Even in the United States, she can't escape the sound of the guards' footsteps, walking to her cell after midnight to take women to the "black rooms" where they would be raped -- over and over again. "Perhaps this is the most unforgettable scar on me forever," she said with a blank stare. "I don't even want these words to spill from my mouth."

STOP the Equality Act: Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Don't miss our own Joseph Backholm as he speaks tomorrow morning, at 10 a.m. (ET), at a rally to STOP the Equality Act hosted by our friends at Family Policy Alliance. He will be explaining why no Christian in their right mind can support this radical bill, which will be voted on in the House on Thursday. You can tune in to the rally here. Also check out Joseph's op-ed published today on the Equality Act, as well as another one published by our own Ken Blackwell.

Amazon Censorship Leaves a Plot to Be Desired

Ryan Anderson didn't even know his book had been pulled. There was no warning, no notification from Amazon that the title had been removed. A reader tipped him off when he tried to buy a copy and couldn't. That's strange, Ryan thought, logging on to Amazon to see for himself. Sure enough -- his bright blue and pink book cover, When Harry Became Sally, had been replaced with a message: this is no longer a functioning page. Because at Amazon, free speech is no longer a functioning principle.

Dems Forgo Equality Control with Radical Bill

The original U.S. Constitution can survive a bomb, a massive fire -- even a nuclear blast. But can it survive the House majority's agenda? Based on their latest bill, the Equality Act, no one is quite sure.

Florida Keys up Election Changes

Florida may not have had the same election issues as other battleground states in November, but that doesn't mean they're satisfied. Governor Ron DeSantis (R) believes the Sunshine State has a lot to be proud of when it comes to 2020, but he still thinks they can do better.

2022 Beijing Olympics Boycott: A Must for Human Rights

When President Biden took office, there was some hope he would, like Trump, be tough on China. But now, it's not so clear.

Study: Most Biden Voters Don't Know Scripture

Politically, Joe Biden's supporters skew liberal. They are more likely to support abortion, favor liberal policies on gender and sexuality, and oppose limiting the size and scope of government. Of course, this is not surprising. As a candidate, Biden ran on a liberal platform and attracted the support of people who share his political ideology. But while the political leanings of Biden's voters are clear, what do we know about their faith? A new study is revealing.

Ohio Public School Orders Teachers and Students to Lobby for LGBT Legislation

An assistant principal at a Hilliard, Ohio high school sent an email to faculty telling teachers to endorse a controversial piece of legislation and encouraged students to do the same. The Hilliard City Council is currently considering legislation that would include sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) as protected classes in the city.

Military Anti-Extremism Order Fails to Identify the Target

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. A memo from President Biden's Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directs commanders to conduct a "Stand-Down to Address Extremism in the Ranks." The goal, ostensibly, is to flush out people with extremist views from our nation's military. But the memo never defines "extremist or dissident ideologies."

America Must Disentangle Itself From China

"We must speak up for human rights. It's who we are," President Biden said at a town hall earlier this week. This is an American tradition worth upholding. Unfortunately, Biden fumbled through an answer in which he likened China's human rights abuses to "cultural norms" at the same event. Regardless of this confusion, there is much that the U.S. government can do to promote freedom and combat China's nefarious efforts across the globe.

Oh, Canada: Pastor Arrested for Pastoring in Alberta

On Tuesday, James Coates, pastor of GraceLife Church in Alberta, Canada, was arrested and placed in police custody for violating Canada's public health orders. Police officers and representatives from the Alberta Health Service (the "AHS") arrived at the church on Sunday. After monitoring the service, they determined that the church had violated public health orders, which limited attendance to 15 percent of building capacity and required attendees to wear face coverings and practice social distancing. Pastor Coates voluntarily turned himself in to police on Tuesday after he was told that police planned to arrest him.

Pray Vote Stand: Praying for Those Affected by the Winter Storms

Severe winter storms and extremely bitter temperatures have caused an unprecedented crisis in Texas and the surrounding region, as millions are still without power after four days. Don't miss this powerful and prayerful edition of Pray Vote Stand as Tony is joined by Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Pastor Roy Smith of True-Lite Christian Fellowship in Midland, Texas.

Rush Limbaugh: A Giant of Conservatism

Rush Limbaugh passed away yesterday at the age of 70 after being diagnosed with advanced lung cancer a little over a year ago. After an extremely successful broadcasting career that brought conservatism back into the mainstream, Rush was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Trump. Rush will be remembered not only for his tremendous contribution to talk radio but to America. Yesterday, FRC Senior Fellow Ken Blackwell appeared on CBN News's "Faith Nation" to share his thoughts on Rush Limbaugh's life and legacy.

With Cuomo, Democrats Are Fleeing a Sinking Ship

You know you're in trouble when your own party turns against you. That's the lesson New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is learning, or should be learning, right now.

Biden Admits He's Just Paying Lip Service to China on Human Rights

At a town hall meeting yesterday, President Biden stumbled over a morally confused statement suggesting he is unlikely to take meaningful action concerning human rights in China. This is more significant than the typical gaffes he is known for. To the countless victims of China's abuses who hope the U.S. will take up their cause, Biden is becoming a great disappointment.

For LGBT Activists, Critical Thinking Has Become Offensive

There are some things LGBT activists simply don't want to learn about. That's one of the lessons from a recent and on-going attempt to torpedo a study about gender dysphoria.

Green Energy Leaves America Out in the Cold in More Ways Than One

February gave Texas the cold shoulder this weekend as an extreme winter storm pounded the entire state. As of this morning, power had not been restored to more than 4 million Texans. Hundreds of thousands have also lost water after the water treatment plants in Fort Worth, Abilene, and elsewhere suffered power outages. A handful of deaths from the cold have already been reported, although we may not know the true toll until the state digs itself out.

The Impeachment Seven

As of this writing, millions of Americans across the country, particularly in Texas, are dealing with frigid temperatures and winter weather crippling the electric grid and local economies. Experts are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 variants, and their potential to prolong the pandemic. And what has the newly minted Democrat majority in the Senate been up to? An arguably unconstitutional impeachment of a private citizen.

Utah Parents Push Back Against the Transgender Agenda - and Win

A group of Utah parents have prompted a review of an "equity book program" in their local school district after a teacher read a book favorable to transgenderism to a class of third-graders. The book, "Call Me Max", written by transgender-identified author Kyle Lukoff, follows the story of a girl wanting to be seen as a boy.

FRC in the Spotlight

After observing the first few weeks of the Biden administration, the CEO of American's largest abortion chain Planned Parenthood says she is "over the moon" about the Biden/Harris administration's "vision" for expanding abortion. And it's easy to see why...

Impeachment: A Saga Put to Rest, or a Slumbering Beast Awoken?

With Saturday's vote in the Senate acquitting President Trump on the charge of "inciting" the mob who stormed the U.S. Capitol while Electoral College votes were being counted, many may be asking whether the era of impeachment is over (at least for now). Others may be asking whether impeachment as a political weapon is only just being awoken.

California and Maine Continue Pestering Religious Freedom

Over the past year, churches have faced unprecedented challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic, and they have demonstrated remarkable resilience as they have adapted to serve their congregations in new and creative ways. Many churches initially suspended indoor worship services to comply with government mandates and protect their communities by slowing the spread of the novel illness. During the summer months, when churches began cautiously reopening, courts generally deferred to local governments by upholding restrictions on indoor worship services and gatherings.

Alabama Bill Would Protect Children From Puberty Blockers

Legislation to prohibit doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to minors is advancing in the Alabama State legislature.

Connecticut Seeks to Stifle the Voice of Pregnancy Resource Centers

Last week, the Connecticut State Senate considered SB 835, "An Act Concerning Deceptive Advertising Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers." Contrary to its title, this bill is not about deceptive advertising. In fact, there is no substantial evidence that clients seeking services at Connecticut pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) have been or currently are being deceived. No, this bill is about silencing PRCs...

The Media's Quid Pro Cuomo

When New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) won an Emmy for his COVID press briefings back in November, no one knew how ironic the award would turn out to be. Three months later, Americans are finding out just how big of a performance Cuomo gave. A killer one, some would say. Now, knee-deep into a nursing home scandal that liberals are surprisingly silent about, we're learning just how much of an act his concern for New Yorkers really was.

Behind the Curtain of Planned Parenthood's 'Gender Factories'

They come with other girls, a woman inside the clinic explains, giggling like they're at the mall. Only they aren't at the mall. They're shopping for another gender. And Planned Parenthood is more than willing to oblige.

Is Biden Going Soft on China?

The first few weeks of Biden's presidency has seen the rollback of several Trump-era policies that put pressure on China. But while Chinese leaders may feel relieved, the United States has received nothing in return for the gradual easing of tensions.

Mob Mixes Business with Pressure

They used to call it "retail therapy." But for conservatives, there's nothing therapeutic about walking the aisles of stores that want to shut down your speech, cancel your bank accounts, or send cents on every dollar to Marxist groups who despise America. In an age when conservatives can't turn on the TV, send their kids to school, check their Facebook feeds, or watch sports without being reminded about the wokeness of corporate extremists, it's no wonder they're fed up. And fed up -- Gallup warns -- is exactly what they are.

The Wed Vote Red

There were a lot of interesting storylines from the 2020 election that got lost in the mess of recounts and court cases. But now that some of the fog is clearing, and both parties have a chance to follow the trends, Republicans are coming face to face with a stunning development. It wasn't just minority voters that ran to Republicans last November. If you're looking for the sharpest dividing line in the country, it was in a place most pundits didn't look: marriage.

Pray Vote Stand: 'I'm Not Going to Wave Anything White'

With election integrity concerns, a raging "cancel culture" on the prowl, and an administration in power with a clear agenda that is antithetical to biblical values, it's a challenging time to be a believer in America. So is it time to wave the white flag and throw in the towel? On the contrary, what became clear from last night's Pray Vote Stand townhall meeting held at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia is that the time is now for all believers to dive headfirst into the battle for our country.

Mark Cuban's Airball on Freedom

You might be a Leftist if you lay awake at night brainstorming which cherished American tradition to sabotage next. Back in November, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suspended the playing of the national anthem before home games. Because stands sit empty due to coronavirus restrictions, nobody noticed until Tuesday.

White House Fails to Give Girls a Sporting Chance

If Joe Biden wants to tear down an institution like girls' sports, the least he could do is have a good explanation for it. After three weeks, he still doesn't. Instead, his administration stumbles its way through questions, clumsily trying to defend a defenseless policy that would destroy 50 years of women's progress. The worst example came Tuesday, when Jen Psaki -- a mom herself -- couldn't seem to understand why endangering our daughters was a bad idea.

A Real Time out for Labeling Christians

As a late-night comic, Bill Maher has made a living making jokes at the expense of politicians, movie stars, and society's elite. As an avowed atheist, Maher has also routinely turned his comedic ire on people of faith. But after a recent monologue in which he referred to the recent attack on the U.S. Capitol as a "faith-based initiative" and described Christian theology as "magical religious thinking" and a "mass delusion," not many people are laughing.

Impeachment: No End Incite

A lot of people wondered what the Left would do without Donald Trump to kick around. Now we know: they'll follow him into private life and try to keep kicking him around. Now, like a bad habit they can't quit, Democrats are tossing aside every real issue facing America to take a second crack at impeaching a man who isn't even president. This time, though, their pathetic obsession with destroying Trump comes at a steeper price.

Supremes Side with Churches over Newsom

After months in court, two California churches achieved victories at the United States Supreme Court for themselves and churches around the nation. In a 6-3 decision released late last Friday, the high court enjoined California from enforcing the state's ban on indoor worship services. The pair of victories represent the latest wins for religious liberty since the outbreak of the coronavirus and subsequent lockdowns imposed by state and local governments.

Now That 'America Is Back,' What Is Our Foreign Policy?

In President Joe Biden's first major foreign policy speech last week, he took pains to emphasize that "America is back." Back to what, exactly? For now, that remains unknown, but several aspects of the speech are sure to raise eyebrows -- to say the least.

Pray Vote Stand LIVE Townhall: Tune in!

Don't miss Wednesday night's special Pray Vote Stand Townhall event -- live from Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia! If you're looking for hope in America, Pastor Gary Hamrick, Alliance Defending Freedom President and CEO Mike Farris, and I want to encourage you that there is a way forward in these challenging times. What is it? Tune in to PrayVoteStand.org at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on February 10^th to find out.

At Debt's Door with Biden's COVID Plan

Joe Biden learned a lot of things under Barack Obama -- but reaching across the aisle wasn't one of them. That's become quite apparent in the last week, as the new president charges ahead with a controversial COVID relief package that almost no Republicans support. Aides say the new president is trying to "avoid the missteps of the Obama years" -- but he's already repeating one of the biggest: talking about bipartisanship, but refusing to practice it.

Jeep Wrangles Viewers with Patronizing Ad

Unfortunately for football fans, the political ads didn't end when the election did! The millions of people who tuned into Super Bowl LV found that out the hard way, thanks to companies like Jeep -- who tried to sell cars with condescending ads that tell the 74 million Americans who didn't vote for Joe Biden that the country's in much better shape, because liberals always know better.

SCOTUS: Cracking the Case of Election Law?

On February 19, the Supreme Court will consider several lawsuits regarding the contested 2020 elections. These high-profile lawsuits, including those brought by attorneys Sidney Powell and Lin Wood, and the Trump campaign, will be considered for hearings at the Supreme Court's scheduled conference.

Vote-a-Rama: The Senate's Three-Ring Circus

For spectators, it may be the most entertaining tradition in the U.S. Senate. The members either pretend to hate it or actually do, but the stories that come out of vote-a-ramas are legendary. Quirky and humanizing, the political all-nighters are painful for both parties, but they always seem to produce funny anecdotes like back-room poker games, stealth happy hours, regional food wars, and coffee -- lots of it. There are the iconic images -- like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) throwing pepperoni rolls at reporters in 2015 or the parade of mattresses wheeled in for sleepy senators in 2017. To everyone, it's about survival -- which usually means calories, caffeine, and cots.

If It Ain't Vote, Don't Fix It

Guess what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made her top priority in this congressional session? If you said rigging the election system against Republicans, you'd be right! The very first bill that was introduced, H.R. 1, would do just that. Worse, it would usurp responsibility for regulating elections from state legislatures and give it to the same group of people who have used the same game plan to cement one-party rule in California (hint: it's not the Republicans).

2021: The Way Forward

The months ahead are going to test America and followers of Jesus, especially. But as Luke 18 urges, we must pray and not lose heart. We have to resolve to keep praying and standing until God gives justice. As believers, how do we navigate these challenging times? Next Wednesday, February 10, FRC is hosting a special, interactive Pray Vote Stand discussion to chart the way forward.

A Vision of Division

Sir Isaac Newton wasn't thinking about politics when he stumbled on the laws of motion. But physics, like politics, is about nature. And right now, Americans are responding to the liberal whiplash in a way that even science could predict: For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. Joe Biden is pushing -- and America is pushing back.

Battle of the Bulging Budgets

"Go big!" says Joe Biden on COVID relief. Or is it "Go broke?" Americans are about to find out. In the meantime, the Wall Street Journal warns, this isn't about the pandemic at all. It's about turning a big crisis into even bigger government.

Fencing out Freedom?

What does a 10-foot barricade around the Capitol communicate to the world? Wednesday night on our Pray Vote Stand broadcast, Congressman Ken Buck (R-Colo.) joined me to talk about the history of democracy's greatest building and what walling off the public would say about America. Later, Dr. Jim Garlow joined me to pray over the dangerous times our nation is facing -- and unpack what this fast erosion of freedom means for the church. Don't miss either conversation, available on demand below.

The United States of Election Reform

If the mess of 2020 accomplished anything, it was lighting a fire under conservative states. After weeks of election counting, recounting, and questions, more legislatures than ever are determined to stop Democrats from taking advantage of COVID again. Cheat-by-mail is going to end, they warn. And a record number of states are lining up to prove it.

A Parent Crisis in Black Families

The family structure among poor blacks, read the Department of Labor report, "is highly unstable, and in many urban centers is approaching complete breakdown." The year was 1965, and 25 percent of black children were born out of wedlock. Studies conclusively show that, on average, children who grow up in homes with a married mother and father grow up to have more education and income than children who don't.

Where's the Shame in Protecting Religious Liberty?

Elections have real-life consequences. This is true for religious protections, which can vary greatly depending on the incumbent presidential administration. The Department of Justice (DOJ) was a fearless advocate for faith during the Trump administration. Now, only two weeks into the Biden administration, a prominent appointee to the DOJ is making it known that she considers standing up for faith "shameful."

Picketing the Fence!

Are there really enough credible threats in the nation's capital to justify a permanent, razor-wire fence? Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) says no. Listen in to our conversation from Tuesday's "Washington Watch" about the Democratic leadership's willingness to turn the Hill into a Capitol fortress.

The Great Wall of Washington

According to Joe Biden, Democrats were supposed to be building bridges -- not walls! Tell that to his party's leaders, who are actually considering a plan to add a permanent, razor-wire fence around the Capitol complex. Despite major pushback from both parties, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have told reporters that they'll "defer to the experts" when it comes to securing America's representatives -- even if it means turning the People's House into a supermax.

Waking up to Woke Schools

The Left's radical insanity is so contagious, even the most secluded school districts aren't immune. The latest casualty is the public school district in Ames, a community of 62,000 residents in central Iowa, hardly a hotbed of Leftist radicalism. But this week, in observance of African American history month, the Ames school district is sponsoring a "Black Lives Matter week of action," foisting on children such principles as "globalism," "queer affirming," and "trans affirming."

Gender Battle Leads to Transitions of Power

When President Biden was sworn in, he called for unity. As it turns out, his administration instead came bearing a sword (and a pen) instead. From school bathrooms to school sports, the Biden administration seems bent on a radical transgender agenda that ignores reason, science, and basic common sense. And sadly, women and children will be hardest hit.

Biden: Fundamentally Trans-forming America

Joe Biden insisted that his administration would "look like America." If that's true, most Americans are ready for an extreme makeover. A week and a half in, the majority would agree: nothing this White House has done comes even close to resembling their values. Instead, it's been a 13-day parade of far-Left extremism that's snuffed out any hope that this president's "whole soul" is actually in "bringing America together." What it's in, as far as the Washington Post can tell, is an LGBT agenda that will blow the doors off of modern convention.

Missouri Loves Company of Hawley

The cancel culture likes a pushover. Unfortunately for them, they haven't found one in Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). The junior senator from Missouri has faced more criticism in 2021 than anyone but Donald Trump--and just like the 45^th president, he's not giving an inch. And if his approval ratings are any indication, the vast majority of people respect him for it.

Congressional Minority Fights for Pro-Life Majority

For someone who came late to his party's extremism, Joe Biden is already very good at it. The man who used to walk in the March for Life came full circle late last week, prying Americans' wallets open so that he could fund abortions overseas. To his supporters, it was good--but not enough. To his critics, it was even more motivation to fight back.