LAS VEGAS, NV /PRNewswire/ — A leading expert in election forensics, Dr. Walter Mebane, Jr. of the University of Michigan, has found statistical evidence of vote manipulation in the 2024 U.S. election. His working report analyzing the 2024 Pennsylvania election results corroborates the findings of Election Truth Alliance’s (ETA), a non-partisan nonprofit that recently shared an analysis of election results in three counties in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Mebane states in his Pennsylvania analysis that it is possible that “the election was decided or nearly decided by malevolent distortions of electors’ intentions”. Mebane is recognized internationally as a leading authority on election fraud detection, and his analysis of Pennsylvania employed his independent “eforensics” model. This model has been validated in professional scientific publications and has been used to evaluate the integrity of elections in countries such as Venezuela, Turkey, and Kenya.
Mebane’s analysis examines 7,040,360 votes across 67 Pennsylvania counties. The eforensics model estimates that between 25,000 and 225,440 votes in the Presidential race were possibly fraudulent. The range is due to Dr. Mebane applying several different forensic models in completing his evaluation.
The ETA recently conducted an independent analysis of election results from three Pennsylvania counties: Philadelphia County, Allegheny County (which contains Pittsburgh), and Erie County. Their analysis identifiedpatterns consistent with vote manipulation in all three counties, particularly in election day voting result data.
Working with Pennsylvania residents, the ETA has submitted ballot inspection requests in several counties across the state. The organization has also requested a meeting with the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth, Al Schmidt, in their continued pursuit of a hand audits of paper voting records from the 2024 U.S. General election.
“Statistics, no matter how accurate, cannot provide definitive proof of voting fraud or election manipulation,” said Nathan Taylor, Executive Director of the ETA. “Actual proof can only be found by comparing paper ballot audits to electronic voting records. However, statistical information from eforensics and other data analysis approaches can, and should, be used to identify precincts and counties where election fraud is most likely to have occurred.”
The Election Truth Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that supports election analysis, informed discussion, and peaceful action to identify and highlight potential election manipulation, interference, and irregularities.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Dr. Richard M. Swier, LTC U.S. Army (Ret.)http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Richard M. Swier, LTC U.S. Army (Ret.)2025-06-18 04:30:322025-06-18 04:32:11Election Forensics Expert Finds Vote Manipulation Concerns in Pennsylvania
Reactions to President Donald Trump’s deportation program have been violent, starting with riots in California and now expanding to reportedly include the assassination of an elected official in Minnesota. Here’s the latest on the protests, riots, violence, and unrest spreading across the country.
Anarchy in the U.S.
On June 6, Los Angeles erupted in riots, with activists violently targeting federal agents conducting immigration raids in the city. The surge of looting, arson, and assaults on federal and local law enforcement officers prompted Trump to federalize the California National Guard and deploy U.S. Marines to maintain peace. While the most violent of confrontations have largely subsided, L.A.-based civil rights attorney Jesus Arias led a group of hundreds of protestors against Marines on Sunday, urging the uniformed men to leave the city. Protestors chanted, “Marines go home!” and “Shame! Shame!” among other, more insulting phrases.
Golden State Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass (D) have both been critical of the president’s decision to deploy military troops to quell the mayhem that has engulfed the city for over a week, instead faulting Trump himself for the violence. In fact, the same day that protestors confronted Marines, Bass claimed that there are no Marines in the city. “I have to say that yesterday I spent time in the helicopter, so I went all over the city in search of these Marines. And I’m sorry, but I just didn’t see them,” the mayor said in a CNN interview. She added, “We don’t want them here. They don’t need to be here. Our local law enforcement [has] complete control of this situation.”
After days of rioters waving foreign flags, vandalizing property, dropping cinder blocks and concrete slabs on police vehicles, and launching fireworks and Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, Bass described Saturday’s “protests” as “overwhelmingly peaceful.” However, the “protests” in question included vandalism across much of downtown L.A. and a violent confrontation outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center.
Newsom and Bass have both been castigated for their failure to respond to the rioting. Actor and director Mel Gibson, a conservative Catholic and one of Trump’s ambassadors to Hollywood, blasted the Democratic duo in a podcast appearance Sunday. “Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have already proven their incompetence and poor leadership during the Los Angeles wildfires,” said Gibson, whose home was burned down in the catastrophic conflagration earlier this year. He continued, “Now, as we experience rampant lawlessness and civil unrest, it’s never been more clear. They’re unable to respond effectively and responsibly during calamity. Whether it’s sheer incompetence or outright malevolence, the reality is stark: California’s in a state of turmoil.”
The director of “The Passion of the Christ” called on his fellow Los Angeles residents to vote the Democrats out of power. “Why are Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass still in office? How much more of their destructive decision-making masquerading as leadership are we going to tolerate?” he asked. Gibson asserted, “It’s time to take back our community and our state and put the power and the privilege in the hands of competent leaders whose goals are to protect us and the way of life this nation was founded upon and promises to offer.”
Congressional Republicans are also asking why Newsom and Bass have failed to respond to so many serious crises. On Friday, the House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into Newsom’s and Bass’s management of the violent riots. “The rioters in Los Angeles committed vicious acts of violence and fearmongering directed at law enforcement and others. They set fire to vehicles and property around the city and assaulted officers with deadly weapons such as rocks and Molotov cocktails,” wrote Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee Chairman Clay Higgins (R-La.) in a letter to Newsom.
“In response to this violence … President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and yourself protested President Trump’s action to quell the violence caused by the rioters in Los Angeles, even resorting to falsely blaming him for the actions of violent rioters,” the congressmen wrote. They continued, “You champion California’s sanctuary policies, which prevent local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities. You have also made it clear that you intend to block the objectives of the federal government, and defend aliens, regardless of their immigration status, criminal activity, anti-American views, or incitement to riot.”
But Los Angeles is not the only city that has been wracked with riots. The Washington Stand previously reported that anti-deportation protests in other cities — including Chicago, New York, Omaha, Seattle, and Spokane — quickly devolved into riots. Over the weekend, police in Portland arrested multiple rioters. According to press releases, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) made at least three arrests Saturday night in connection with protests and riots outside an ICE detention facility and several more arrests Sunday night at the same location.
Rioters vandalized the ICE facility and assaulted federal agents, including throwing rocks at windows and the agents themselves. While the district attorney emphasized that charges may still be brought against others present at the riots who were not arrested over the weekend, the PPB emphasized Portland’s “sanctuary” status and reminded the public that PBP officers do not cooperate in immigration enforcement. Police were also busy in Austin, Texas, arresting eight people during a violent confrontation between rioters and ICE agents.
Was ‘No Kings’ a No-Show?
Shortly after riots broke out in Los Angeles, progressive activists announced a series of protests scheduled for Trump’s birthday, June 14. Entitled “No Kings,” the rallies were ostensibly hosted in opposition to the president’s agenda, including deportations. Mainstream media outlets have suggested that up to five million protestors attended the events across the nation, but others disputed these claims over social media, citing their own experiences attending or watching the protests.
One U.S. military veteran who visited two different “No Kings” rallies reported that the median age of protestors was around 70 years old, with women over the age of 50 making up the vast majority of attendees. In the video he attached showing one of the rallies, multiple protestors can be seen in wheelchairs or electric mobility scooters. Other social media users disputed claims that “thousands” of protestors attended the events, saying that the rallies were really attended by “several hundred not exceeding a thousand,” made up of “80% White retired age females.” The National Conservative account agreed that every “No Kings” rally “outside of California appears to be 95% White and completely dominated by women aged 55-75,” while another social media user reported that there was “not a soul under 45 at our local ‘no kings’ protest. Multiple people in walkers.” Blaze News reports have also asserted that the majority of “No Kings” rallygoers were “predominantly middle-aged” and “white.”
While Mel Gibson went to bat against Newsom and Bass, his Hollywood colleagues showed up to support the “No Kings” events. Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo were both seen at the New York City rally. Self-styled comedian Jimmy Kimmel and actors Marisa Tomei, Kerry Washington, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Leah Thompson, Jon Cryer, and singers Moby and Gracie Abrams showed up at other events across the country, according to Deadline. Other Hollywood elites, like actress Glenn Close and television personality Kathy Griffin, wrote social media posts in support of the rallies.
While many of the “No Kings” rallies were largely uneventful, a few did escalate into violence. According to the New York Post, multiple arrests were made in New York City, and violence erupted at “No Kings” rallies in areas like Atlanta. One rallygoer was fatally shot in Salt Lake City, Utah. Security guards at the event accidentally shot and killed 39-year-old Arthur Folasa Ah Loo when another individual, carrying a rifle, ran towards the rally. The rifleman, later identified as 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa, was subdued and arrested. The Texas State Capitol building in Austin was evacuated Saturday after the red state’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) identified a “credible threat” against state legislators. Texas DPS later confirmed that it had arrested an unnamed individual in connection with the threat, but no further information was provided.
Murder in Minnesota
Up north, threats against lawmakers tragically turned deadly. Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party, and her husband were shot dead at their home Saturday in what Governor Tim Walz (D) called a “politically motivated assassination.” Less than 24 hours after Hortman cast the deciding vote in the state legislature backing a provision denying state-funded health care to illegal immigrants, 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter allegedly showed up at her front door wearing a face mask and impersonating a police officer. He shot and killed both Hortman and her husband. State Senator John Hoffman (DFL) and his wife were also shot but survived. Boelter was located and arrested late Sunday evening.
Controversy surrounds the motivation behind Boelter’s shootings. Mainstream media outlets have noted that Boelter is reportedly an evangelical Christian who has spoken out against both abortion and LGBT activism, while Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions Commissioner Drew Evans said Saturday, “It would be premature for me at this point to really say exactly what the motivation might be,” based on texts Boelter sent and an alleged “manifesto” he left in one of his cars. Minnesota Democrats have claimed that they themselves were on a hit list.
Other Democrats across the country have shifted the blame to Trump, arguing that the president’s rhetoric has inspired violence. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) claimed that Trump’s rhetoric “encourages” political violence and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who was recently detained for rushing at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a press conference, said, “I think it’s more than appropriate to step back and say, ‘Why are tensions so high?’” He continued, “I can’t help but point to the beginning of not just the first Trump term, but the beginning of the campaign, the tone with which the president had launched his first campaign for president, served throughout his first term, and continues in this term.” Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) blamed “MAGA’s legitimization of political violence” for the assassinations. Perhaps referring to the multiple assassination attempts against Trump in 2024, he added over social media, “Yes, Republicans have also been the target of inexcusable violence, but this isn’t a ‘both sides’ issue.” In statements following Boelter’s arrest, Walz explicitly compared the assassinations to “mean tweets” and “demeaning someone.”
However, others have contradicted the narrative that Boelter is a violent, right-wing extremist. One report observed that Boelter was appointed to a state Workforce Development Board by Democrat and then-Governor Mark Dayton in 2016 and reappointed to the board by Walz in 2019. According to Minnesota state police, there was a stack of “No Kings” rally fliers in the car Boelter parked outside Hortman’s house. The police urged the public to avoid the progressive-run rallies amid concerns of political violence.
As of the time of writing, police have not yet publicly released any of Boelter’s writings but have suggested that he may not have been acting alone.
The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Family Research Councilhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngFamily Research Council2025-06-18 04:11:312025-06-18 04:20:31Political Violence Grips Nation as Progressives Push against Trump Agenda
Trump confirms Iran asks for U.S. intervention to stop Israeli attacks
Absolutely not! Since 1979, Iran has maimed, murdered, and terrorized millions of Israelis, they openly vow to commit genocide against Israel, they fund death squads to murder Israelis on six continents, and they are funding anti-Israel protests across the world. Now that Israel is giving Iran a much deserved ass kicking, Iran’s leaders want the U.S to stop Israel from engaging in further military action. All so that Iran can engage in more fake nuke negotiations. Fuck that! Israel must not stop Operation Rising Lion until Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal are compleatly destroyed.
U.S. President Trump on Monday confirmed reports that Iran had reached out to the U.S. to stop Israel’s attacks – however, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly rejected any chance for negotiations at the moment.
On the fourth day of Israel’s war against the Iranian regime, Trump was asked by reporters whether Iran had indeed reached out through mediators with a request to stop the Israeli strikes.
“Yes… They’d like to talk. But they should have done that before. I had 60 days, and they had 60 days. On the 61st day, I said, We don’t have a deal,” Trump said.
An official in Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ administration is the son of a Chinatown powerbroker and Democratic donor who has praised the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and works with foreign intelligence agencies, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation discovered.
Adam Ma has held multiple positions in Bass’ office, his LinkedIn profile states, and now serves as both the city’s liaison for Asian-Americans and director of commission appointments, according to the Los Angeles government website. Hisfather, who raised tens of thousands of dollars for Bass’ mayoral campaign, previously lauded the Communist Party for creating a “strong China” and is listed as an official by multiple arms of a Chinese government influence and intelligence service called the United Front Work Department (UFWD).
“If China didn’t have the CCP, there’d be no strong China today, overseas Chinese compatriots send the highest praise and admiration to the CCP,” Adam Ma’s father, Ma Shurong, said in July 2021 to commemorate the Party’s 100th anniversary, according to a DCNF translation of a Chinese government announcement.
“The Communist Party’s UFWD has, in fact, penetrated Karen Bass’s office,” Gordon Chang, China expert and author of “Plan Red: China’s Project To Destroy America,” told the DCNF. “There is a high probability that, wittingly or unwittingly, she is implementing Chinese Communist plans to take down our country. She may be a loyal American, but she has almost certainly become a danger to America.”
Bass, Adam Ma and Ma Shurong did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Bass has risen to national prominence as a central figure in the Democratic Party’s resistance to President Donald Trump’s deportation policies as Los Angeles struggles to grapple with a series of riots opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that began in the city on June 6.
Although the Trump administration’s “targeted enforcement operations” in Los Angeles have apprehended illegal aliens previously convicted of homicide, drug trafficking and lewd acts with a minor, Bass called for ICE to “stop the raids” during a June 9 press conference, saying she felt her city was “part of an experiment that we did not ask to be a part of.”
‘Overseas United Front’
Ma Shurong, whose English name is Derek Ma, has extensive ties to high-ranking CCP leaders and has served as an official within multiple UFWD agencies, according to Chinese government reports.
The UFWD’s operations are a “unique blend of engagement, influence activities, and intelligence operations that the [CCP] uses to shape its political environment, including to influence other countries’ policy toward the [People’s Republic of China] and to gain access to advanced foreign technology,” according to the House Select Committee on the CCP.
Among other positions, Ma Shurong is listed as an “overseas committee member” by the All-China Federation Of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC), which is a UFWD agency, according to the Department of Justice. Ma Shurong was one of 20 ACFROC officials who delivered speeches alongside that agency’s chief, Wan Lijun, during the group’s August 2018 conference within Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, according to the UFWD agency.
Over the last 10 years, Ma Shurong has met with leaders from at least 10 regional ACFROC branches including officials from Anji, Foshan, Jiangmen, Kaiping, Shantou, Taishan, Wuyi, Yunfu, Guangzhou and Guangdong, during which he repeatedly promised to strengthen cooperation with ACFROC, a DCNF translation of Chinese government documents found.
In addition to his ACFROC positions, Ma Shurong is also listed as a “director” by the China Overseas Friendship Association (COFA), which is “an important platform through which the UFWD co-opts and interacts with overseas United Front figures,” according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), a legislative branch commission created by Congress to monitor and investigate the national security implications of the relationships between the U.S. and China.
Ma Shurong has attended COFA conferences in China as well, including in 2019, with Chinese state media footage showing him smiling as General Secretary Xi Jinping greeted the UFWD agency’s top operatives. Four years prior, Ma Shurong was also among a group of select overseas Chinese leaders invited to meet with Xi Jinping when he visited Seattle in September 2015. Ma Shurong clapped for the dictator during his speech, Chinese state media footage shows.
Other UFWD arms have also identified Ma Shurong as a director, including the related China Overseas Exchange Association (COEA), which was an organization operating under the UFWD in its final years until it was subsumed by COFA in 2019, according to the Chinese government. As with ACFROC and COFA, Ma Shurong also attended COEA conferences in China, including one September 2017 meeting in Beijing, Chinese state media footage shows.
Adam Ma and his parents, Ma Shurong and Daisy Ma, all supported Bass’ 2022 mayoral campaign through fundraising and other activities, according to Chinese language news reports.
Ma Shurong and Adam Ma held a press conference endorsing Bass’ mayoral campaign in Los Angeles at the Golden Dragon Restaurant on Sept. 10, 2022, Chinese language news outlet ChineseNewsUSA.com reported. Daisy Ma also attended.
Several Chinese American lawmakers, including California Democratic Rep. Judy Chu, endorsed Bass during the event, footage shows. One photo from the event that Bass posted to X shows her standing beside Ma Shurong, Daisy Ma and other supporters.
The next month, Ma Shurong held a fundraiser for Bass at the Golden Dragon Restaurant on Oct. 13, 2022, which netted over $40,000 for her campaign, Chinese language news outlet Huarenone.com reported. Adam Ma and his mother both donated $1,000 to Bass around this time, according to records on the California Secretary of State’s website.
After Bass won the mayoral election, Ma Shurong and his wife attended her inauguration on Dec. 12, 2022, according to a Huarenone.com report. Bass was photographed at the event with both Ma Shurong and his wife, images accompanying the article show.
“From the start we decided to support her and feel happy that she will become the new mayor of Los Angeles,” Ma Shurong told reporters, before adding that he was also happy his son would be joining her team, according to a DCNF translation of the report.
Daisy Ma did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Adam Ma joined Bass’ team in December 2022 as a director of both her transition office and commission appointments, according to his LinkedIn profile.The next month, Bass served as the grand marshal during the Los Angeles Chinese Lunar New Year parade in January 2023, ABC News reported. During the parade, Adam Ma rode with the mayor in the city‘s vehicle, photos Bass included in an X post reveal.
Ma Shurong also participated in the parade, footage from the event shows, and was photographed by Sing Tao in a group photo with Bass, Chu and a former Los Angeles Police Department reserve commander named Chester Chong, who has also held multiple positions within UFWD arms like COFA and COEA, the DCNF previously reported.
As a representative for Bass, Adam Ma also attended another Chinese Lunar New Year banquet in Los Angeles in February 2023 held by the Chinese American Unity Alliance, according to ChineseNewsUSA.com. The Chinese American Unity Alliance is a nonprofit that is run by Ma Shurong and his wife, according to business records filed with the California Secretary of State.
Two officials from the Los Angeles Chinese Consulate also attended that banquet, including An Mingshuan, according to ChineseNewsUSA.com, whom the UFWD identifies as its consul. On behalf of Bass, Adam Ma presented his father and the nonprofit with a framed congratulatory award during the banquet, according to the ChineseNewsUSA.com report and accompanying photos.
Several months later, Adam Ma began working as Bass’ liaison for Asian Americans and the “LGBTQIA+” community in May 2023, his LinkedIn profile states. Adam Ma again rode with the mayor in the city’s vehicle during the June 2024 Los Angeles gay pride parade, footage Bass posted to X shows.
Adam Ma remains active in the Los Angeles mayor’s office and was recently photographed with Bass and others commemorating “Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month” on May 2, 2025.
The City of Los Angeles paid Adam Ma $129,534.10 in 2024, according to the California State Controller’s Office.
“CCP influence campaigns target local elected officials just like our national leaders,” New York Times bestselling author of “Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win,” Peter Schweizer, told the DCNF. “In many ways they can be even more effective there. Mayor Bass needs to come clean about her ties to these funders.”
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http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00The Daily Callerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Caller2025-06-17 06:00:192025-06-17 12:12:43EXCLUSIVE: How Chinese Intel Infiltrated LA Mayor Karen Bass’ Camp
President Donald Trump explained that he is planning on having his administration target Democratic cities as a part of its latest deportation efforts.
Trump posted a Truth Social on Sunday that he is directing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to expand its deportation operations to “America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.” The president added that these cities are the “core of the Democrat Power Center.” Trump explained his Truth Social while at the G7 Summit on Monday, telling reporters that he wants to go after “sanctuary cities” because they have been “overrun by criminals.”
“I want them to focus on the cities, because the cities are where you really have what’s called sanctuary cities, and that’s where the people are. I look at New York. I look at Chicago. I mean, you got a really bad governor in Chicago and a bad mayor, but the governor is probably the worst in the country — Pritzker — but I look at how that city has been overrun by criminals,” Trump said, naming New York and Los Angeles as well.
“Biden allowed 21 million people to come into our country. Of that, vast numbers of those people were murderous killers, people from gangs, people from jails, they empty their jails out into the U.S.,” he continued. “Most of those people are in the cities, all blue cities, all Democrat-run cities and they think they’re going to use them to vote. It’s not going to happen.”
The Trump administration has increased its pressure on leaders of sanctuary cities over the last several weeks. Tom Homan told NBC News government officials could face consequences if they obstruct federal agents’ official actions in response to rioting in Los Angeles, California, that resulted from ICE raids. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and Democratic Illinois Gov J.B. Pritzker later responded in a House Oversight Committee hearing, daring Homan to come and arrest them.
In May, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a comprehensive list of cities, counties and states that were allegedly refusing to cooperate with ICE. The list was later removed after some city leaders argued they shouldn’t be on the list, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Caller that the list would soon be reinstated.
“These Radical Left Democrats are sick of mind, hate our Country, and actually want to destroy our Inner Cities — And they are doing a good job of it! There is something wrong with them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“That is why they believe in Open Borders, Transgender for Everybody, and Men playing in Women’s Sports — And that is why I want ICE, Border Patrol, and our Great and Patriotic Law Enforcement Officers, to FOCUS on our crime ridden and deadly Inner Cities, and those places where Sanctuary Cities play such a big role. You don’t hear about Sanctuary Cities in our Heartland!” he added.
I’m an outdoors person, which is one reason that I’m a Big Fan of the NYS Adirondacks (see this great short video). That said, I’m not an ornithologist, so (like most people) I do not pay sufficient attention to some amazing things going on right under our noses. Here are two simple examples…
Northern Mockingbird —
Every Spring, a mockingbird comes to make a nest in the shrubbery right outside my NC coastal “office.” (This is our enclosed porch overlooking the Newport River, as I like water views.)
The mockingbird is pretty, and flies back and forth putting its nest together. Every so often, it takes a break and finds a comfortable perch to look over its handiwork. That’s when something startling happens — it starts to sing.
Almost all birds have one type of sound they make. For example, a crow does something like “Caw, Caw”. Not the mockingbird! It starts out with a melodic sound (like Chee, Chee, Chee). Then it makes a completely different sound. Then a third. Then a fourth. Then a fifth. Then a sixth! All of these are VERY different from each other. Here is a short video that gives some idea…
If that wasn’t enough, these birds actually have the ability to mimic other sounds like a car alarm, construction noise, some human sounds, etc… Here’s a good explanation of why they do all this…
Monarch butterflies spend generations migrating across the entire North American continent, and humpback whales log as many as 3,000 miles a month as they go between Alaska and Hawaii. But as impressive as they are, these charismatic critters have nothing on the Blackpoll Warbler—an unassuming bird with one of the most ambitious migration routes on the planet.
This warbler may not be much to look at—its striking bright white-and-black pattern is dulled by the olives, grays, and yellows that make up its fall and winter plumage. The bird is also lighter than an empty soda can—an average adult weighs in at just 12 grams. But new research confirms that these small creatures undertake one of the longest and most impressive migrations of the animal kingdom.
These birds take migrating to an extreme: Once they leave their breeding areas, they fly continuously for three days straight over the Atlantic Ocean before having a chance to stop in Colombia or Venezuela… To make the trek, the birds nearly double their weight before their non-stop flight.
The tiny songbirds fly over the western Atlantic, wings buzzing at 20 flaps a second. They ultimately make landfall (some three to four days later, after a 2000± mile nonstop flight) after roughly 3± million wing-flaps!
All this is done with no stops for rest, no stops for food, no stops for water…
Media Balance Newsletter: a free, twice-a-month newsletter that covers what the mainstream media does not do, on issues from COVID to climate, elections to education, renewables to religion, etc. Here are the Newsletter’s 2025 Archives. Please send me an email to get your free copy. When emailing me, please make sure to include your full name and the state where you live. (Of course, you can cancel the Media Balance Newsletter at any time – but why would you?
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00John Droz, Jr.http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJohn Droz, Jr.2025-06-16 15:44:172025-06-16 15:46:36Two Amazing Birds — Critically Thinking about some phenomenas in nature…
MINNEAPOLIS – Vance Boelter, the suspect accused of shooting two Minnesota state lawmakers, killing one and her husband, was captured on Sunday, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to Fox News.
Boelter, 57, was captured in Sibley County after a two-day manhunt. He allegedly killed former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, early Saturday morning at their Brooklyn Park home in Minneapolis. He also allegedly shot State Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in their nearby Champlin home in a related attack.
The Sibley County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News that Boelter “verbally” identified himself to authorities searching for him in the area on Sunday evening.
“The face of evil. After relentless and determined police work, the killer is now in custody,” the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “Thanks to the dedication of multiple agencies working together along with support from the community, justice is one step closer.”
Speaking at a press conference alongside other law enforcement officers after Boelter’s arrest, Brooklyn Park Police Department Chief Mark Bruley said there were more than 20 different SWAT teams involved in the search. He described it as “the largest manhunt in the state’s history.”
The manhunt included officers from multiple agencies on foot as well as the use of a helicopter.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Dr. Richard M. Swier, LTC U.S. Army (Ret.)http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Richard M. Swier, LTC U.S. Army (Ret.)2025-06-16 15:23:032025-06-16 15:27:34Democrat Assassin Vance Boelter Arrested Alive for Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Her Husband’s Murders
As the world processes reports of Israeli airstrikes against the Iranian regime’s military and nuclear weapons program, Christians should think carefully about how to respond. On one hand, we lament the loss of human life that wars bring as we follow our Lord in affirming, “blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). On the other hand, we also learn from Jesus that “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) will characterize this fallen world until he returns.
Recognizing that there sometimes is “a time for war” (Ecclesiastes 3:8), Christian theologians since the fourth century have developed universal principles for Just War — that is, defining the conditions under which war is justified. “Just War Theory actually goes back to [the fourth-century theologian] Augustine… who kind of articulated some of these principles,” said David Closson, director of FRC’s Center for Biblical Worldview, “and it’s been expanded upon since then.”
In a March interview on “Washington Watch,” Closson outlined six principles of Just War Theory:
First, “There needs to be a just cause. You can’t just go to war for any reason. … This rules out a war of aggression from the start.”
Second, “There has to be right intention. A nation goes to war to end grave injustice or to restore peace. You can’t just go to war because you don’t like your enemy, you don’t like the nation next door. You can’t go simply because of vengeance.”
Third, “A just war needs to be waged by a legitimate authority. This would rule out individual actors or groups.”
Fourth, “War should be a last resort. … Christians should never be the people itching to go to war. You exhaust all options before you think about war.”
Fifth, “There would need to be proportionate objectives — all things considered, in terms of loss of life that might be lost or money that might be lost. … The things that you might lose in a war can outweigh what you’re trying to remedy.”
Sixth, “There needs to be a reasonable chance of success. I would point people to Luke chapter 14.” In describing the cost of discipleship, Jesus uses this metaphor, “Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace” (Luke 14:31-32).
These principles provide a framework for analyzing Israel’s airstrikes against the Iranian regime through a biblical worldview. Because Israel’s strike meets each criterion, these principles also provide six reasons why Israel’s strike against Iran was justified, reordered below:
Just Cause: Self-Defense against Annihilation
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi complained in a letter to the U.N. that Israel’s airstrikes “amount to a declaration of war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
But Israel’s war with Iran did not begin on Friday morning. Israel’s war with Iran began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas — supported by and subservient to Iran — launched a surprise attack against Israel, killing more than 1,200 people, injuring thousands, and capturing more than 200.
Immediately after Hamas’s October 7 attack, Israel was thrown into a multi-front war against Iran’s extensive network of terrorist proxies in Gaza (Hamas), Lebanon (Hezbollah), and Yemen (the Houthis), as well as smaller outfits fighting from Judea, Samaria, Syria, and Iraq. On October 1, 2024, Iran itself launched missiles at Israel in response to Israeli forces invading Hezbollah-controlled territory in Lebanon.
While not every front in the war sees constant fighting, they are not random or disconnected. The Iranian regime seeks Israel’s annihilation as a necessary implication of its Islamist ideology, and both Israel and Iran understand this genocidal intent. In recent years, Iran has grown steadily closer to obtaining the weapons it needs to turn its ambition into reality.
“For decades, the tyrants of Tehran have brazenly, openly called for Israel’s destruction,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the airstrikes. “They’ve backed up their genocidal rhetoric with a program to develop nuclear weapons.”
Nearly two years ago, Iran and its proxies attacked Israel, with the avowed purpose of destroying the nation. Israel has deftly beaten back the lesser attacks. But, unless the Israeli government wanted Iranian nukes to destroy its cities, it had to strike Iran itself.
Right Intention: Crippling Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program
This points to Israel’s intention to carry out the strikes. Israel’s purpose was not to seize territory, take revenge on enemies, or gain worldly glory. As Netanyahu explained it, Israel carried out “a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival” by destroying its nuclear weapons program.
Thus, Israel did not bomb cities, civilian infrastructure, or ports. They bombed nuclear enrichment facilities, nuclear scientists, and (to further ensure their safety) the generals who would likely mount a counterattack.
Proportionate Objectives: Strikes against Legitimate Military Targets
These actions also fulfill the Just War principle of proportionality. This principle does not envision a sort of eye-for-eye equality in strikes, as the Biden administration often conceived it. Rather, it envisions means that are proportional to the ends. Israel sought to protect itself from a nuclear Holocaust by crippling Iran’s nuclear weapon program (it would obviously like to escape a conventional missile barrage, too). Therefore, Israel struckelements of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, along with related defenses, and the generals who might oversee a retaliatory strike.
Reasonable Chance of Success: Israel Previously Devastated Iran’s Air Defenses
Israel had ample reason to believe its airstrikes would be successful because it carried out preliminary strikes only months earlier. On October 26, 2024 (weeks after Iran’s missile barrage against Israel), the Israeli air force put on a dominant performance in Iranian airspace, demolishing Iran’s anti-aircraft defenses, missile and drone production sites, and other targets. Israeli planes prowled the sky for hours, carrying out 140 sorties across Iran, then returning home with no casualties.
The effect of this previous strike is that it left Iran vulnerable to future air attacks, particularly against its nuclear weapons program (Israel did not attack Iran’s nuclear weapons program in October due to intense pressure from the Biden administration).
“Israel will be able to operate there freely because they don’t have an anti-aircraft shield,” explained Caroline Glick, now a senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “If we attack again, will be able to just hover over any city, basically, in Iran that we need to, in order to attack the targets that we need to take out — whether it’s oil infrastructure, whether it’s nuclear infrastructure, or regime targets.”
Legitimate Authority: Netanyahu Is the Legal Head of Israel’s Government
Speaking of Netanyahu, his position automatically fulfills this next principle of just war. The prime minister is the legitimate head of the Israeli government. He leads a coalition government that controls a majority of seats in the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, which is popularly elected according to the Israeli constitution. This government, in turn, exercises authority over the Israeli military through the War Cabinet. Thus, the strikes were ordered by Israel’s legitimate authority.
This may seem obvious or overly simplistic, but it serves to highlight the contrast between Israel and most of its enemies. Iran’s terrorist proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis — are not legitimate authorities of nation states. They are terrorist militias that illegally seized territory by force. This is significant because, by definition, lawful authorities have a monopoly on the legitimate use of force, making all the attacks of these groups inherently illegal. And all these groups have taken their marching orders from the Iranian regime (which may be the legitimate ruler of its own territory, but not the territory of other nations).
Last Resort: All Diplomatic Efforts Failed to Dissuade Iran from Pursuing a Nuclear Weapon
Israel’s military strike on Iran’s uranium enrichment sites and other elements of its covert nuclear weapons came after all possible diplomatic efforts failed to dissuade Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon. Even if they could not know precisely how much time was on the clock, Israel knew that time was running out, so they threw this buzzer-beater.
Iran has “taken steps that it has never taken before to weaponize” its rapidly growing stockpile of enriched uranium, said Netanyahu. “If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time — it could be a year, it could be within a few months. This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival.”
The issue came to a head on Thursday, when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officially ruled that Iran had not complied with its treaty requirements to submit to external oversight of its nuclear stockpiles. Such a ruling could reinstate severe U.N. sanctions against Iran. In response to this step — the diplomatic nuclear option, if you will — Iran furiously announced plans to accelerate its uranium enrichment by opening a new facility. It also threatened that, if sanctioned, it would withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In 55 years, the only country to withdraw from the NPT is North Korea, which did so when it developed its first nuclear weapons.
“Over the past several decades, Western powers have tried to avoid this eventuality through sanctions against Iran, endless diplomacy, Barack Obama’s disastrous nuclear deal, and the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign of Trump’s first term,” wrote the National Review editors. “Multiple acts of sabotage and other covert activities by Israel set back Iran’s program at various points. But ultimately, Iran would not give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons, and Israelis had no choice but to act.”
This is, perhaps, the most debated point. State Department spokesman Ned Price called Israel’s attack “premature” because “diplomacy had not run its course.” But American diplomatic efforts have also not changed Iran’s position, which is that it has the right to enrich as much uranium as it wants, to levels far beyond what is necessary for civilian nuclear purposes.
On Thursday, Trump wrote that he had given “Iran chance after chance to make a deal,” and he warned the regime to strike a deal now or else there would be “much more to come” from Israel.
Conclusion
The fact that war is an unavoidable feature of our fallen world does not mean Christians should be fond of it. Even just wars, as outlined above, are permissible only under narrow conditions, as a last resort, by the proper authority.
By contrast, Christians are entrusted with “the ministry of reconciliation,” writes Paul, “that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
Christians should act and pray for peace, “because God can do what man cannot,” said FRC President Tony Perkins. “He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire” (Psalm 46:9). Sometimes, God even destroys not-yet-made nuclear missiles by means of other weapons.
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The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Family Research Councilhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngFamily Research Council2025-06-16 12:47:522025-06-16 15:02:386 Reasons Why Israel’s Strike against Iran Was Justified
“News is to the mind what sugar is to the body: appetising, easily digestible and extremely damaging.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
Most people think that consuming the news makes one an informed citizen who is equipped to form intelligent opinions on social and political issues. In this video, drawing from the Swiss author Rolf Dobelli’s book Stop Reading the News: A Manifesto for a Happier, Calmer and Wiser Life, we argue that the opposite is true: news consumption fosters ignorance, intolerance, passivity, and chronic stress.
“News organisations want you to believe they’re giving you a competitive advantage. Plenty of people fall for this. In fact, consuming the news is far from a competitive advantage; it actively disadvantages you…There’s no question that the dross we’re spoon-fed every day is not only completely worthless but actively damaging.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
To understand one of the problems with news consumption, we can turn to a well-known set of experiments conducted by psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier in the 1960s. In these studies, rats were subjected to electric shocks. One group could stop the shocks by turning a wheel; the other group had no means of escape. The first group of rats did not display any adverse effects to the shocks, but the rats that were powerless to stop the shocks developed what Seligman and Maier called learned helplessness — which is a condition marked by passivity, reduced motivation, and anhedonia – the inability to feel pleasure.
In many ways, the news functions like these electric shocks. We are continually bombarded with distressing reports that provoke stress, anxiety, fear, and a sense of hopelessness. Yet instead of turning off the news or taking meaningful action on the issues that concern us, we continue – day after day, year after year – to expose ourselves to this steady stream of negativity. In doing so, we place ourselves in a similar position to the helpless rats and we gradually develop a learned helplessness that insidiously seeps into our personal life. Or as Dobelli writes:
“…learned helplessness doesn’t just make us passive about what’s on the news…Learned helplessness spills over into every area of our lives. Once the news has made us passive, we tend to behave passively towards our family and our jobs as well – precisely where we do have room for manoeuvre. British media researcher Jodie Jackson takes a similar view: ‘When we tune into the news, we are constantly confronted with unresolved problems and the narrative does not inspire much hope that they will ever be solved.’ It’s no surprise, then, that we feel depressed when we consume the news, which confronts us with problems that are mostly impossible to solve.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
Another major problem with news consumption is that it promotes ignorance. Thomas Jefferson recognized this in 1807 when he wrote that:
“The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them.”
Thomas Jefferson, Memoirs, Correspondence, Private Letters
One of the reasons the news leaves us less informed is because it radically oversimplifies what it reports on. The world is a complex system, and social, political, and environmental issues are not linear phenomena with one or two clear causes. They are chaotic, non-linear processes shaped by hundreds, if not thousands, of interwoven factors – far beyond the capacity of the human mind to fully comprehend. Yet instead of acknowledging this complexity with intellectual humility and grappling with it through in-depth reporting, the news reduces events to simplistic narratives, sound bites, and catchphrases – which it presents as the truth. In doing so, the news distorts the reality of what it claims to explain. Or as Dobelli writes:
“Any journalist who writes ‘The market fell because of X’ or ‘The company went bankrupt because of Y’ is either an idiot or trying to pull the wool over their readers’ eyes. True, X and Y may well have had a causal impact, but this is far from proven – and other influences may well have been much more significant…News has to be extremely short even as it tells a story. This can only be done through a brutal process of simplification…Since the news is so telescoped, it’s necessarily a bullshit explanation…In this way consumers are given the illusion that the world is simpler and more explicable than it actually is, and the quality of their decision-making suffers.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
To make matters worse, these simplified explanations of social and political events are far from unbiased. Rather, they are filtered through the news outlet’s political agenda and shaped by the interests of government agencies and corporate advertisers. The media entrepreneur Clay Johnson admitted that: “For every reporter in the United States, there are more than four public relations specialists working hard to get them to write what their bosses want them to say.” (Clay Johnson, The Information Diet) The 20th century American writer Upton Sinclair asked: “When you read your daily paper, are you reading facts or propaganda?”(Upton Sinclair, The Brass Check) Or as Dobelli echoes:
“These days it’s much harder to distinguish between truthful, unbiased news items and those with an ulterior motive. There’s a vast industry of lobbying and leverage at work behind the scenes.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
By concealing its political biases, ulterior motives, and manipulative intentions behind reductive narratives and simplistic explanations that make the world seem far more comprehensible than it is, the news cultivates an intellectual hubris in its consumers. Today, many people hold strong opinions on virtually every issue amplified by the media, and with each new trending news topic, public discourse and social media are flooded with self-assured commentary. In effect, the news is cultivating a population of true believers; that is, individuals who are so convinced they know the truth that they are intolerant and even hateful toward those who hold opposing views. Hence, news consumption deepens societal polarization, erodes the possibility of civic discourse, and turns neighbors who might otherwise be friends into ideological enemies.
In an age when, thanks in large part to the news, the average citizen is highly opinionated, profoundly ignorant, and increasingly intolerant, the following wisdom of Marcus Aurelius is sorely needed:
‘You are at liberty not to form opinions about all and sundry, thereby sparing your soul unrest.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Or as Dobelli echoes:
“…it’s a serious mistake to think we need to form an opinion about everything. Ninety per cent of our opinions are superfluous. Yet the news is constantly urging us to form opinions. This robs us of concentration and inner peace…if you unleash a whirlwind of news on the population, it polarises the public…News and comments about the news bring out the worst in humanity…You only have to read the comments underneath any online article. The hatred you find there is alarming…”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
Consuming the news also erodes our ability to think deeply and sustain focus. In the past, the amount of news one could consume was limited by the distribution of newspapers or the production of an evening news broadcast. Today, twenty-four-hour news channels, websites, and social media feeds bombard us with a never-ending stream of news headlines that keep our minds in a state of perpetual distraction. According to the Pew Research Center, the average person consumes about 60 news items a day, or 20,000 a year. And as researchers at the University of Tokyo have observed, the greater number of news items one consumes the fewer neurons they have in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region of the brain critical for attention, impulse control, and moral reasoning. And as Dobelli writes:
“If you watch a news junkie, you’ll see this in action: their concentration span shrinks and they have trouble controlling their emotions…I always notice that the most passionate consumers of the news – even if they were once also passionate bookworms – no longer have the ability to read longer articles or books. After four or five pages they get tired, their attention dissipates, and they get restless. It’s not because they’re getting older or busier. Rather, the physical structure of their brain has changed.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
The news also feeds the undercurrents of stress and anxiety that plague modern life. Producers of the news exploit our negativity bias, or our predisposition to react more strongly to negative information than positive, with reports of wars, heinous crimes, riots, political gossip and turmoil, economic instability, potential pandemics and climate catastrophes. Graham Davey, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Sussex University and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, has demonstrated through his research that the more one consumes news the more stress and anxiety one suffers in daily life. And given that stress inhibits the functioning of our immune system and is implicated in a wide range of disease, we can safely say the news is making us sick. Or as Dobelli writes:
“…consuming the news reduces your quality of life. You will be more stressed, more on edge, more susceptible to disease, and you’ll die earlier. That’s an especially sad piece of news – but one that does, at least, deserve your attention.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
Because the news is so damaging to individual and societal well-being, Dobelli advocates for radical abstinence – cutting the news out of our lives entirely. For those skeptical about giving it up for good, Dobelli suggests we experiment with abstaining from the news for 30 days. During this period, the psychological and emotional benefits of news abstention become apparent and as Dobelli notes, very few who try this experiment will choose to go back. Or as he writes:
“During the initial stage of abstinence…you’ll have to literally force yourself not to consume any news…So – what should you do if you relapse? The same thing an alcoholic would: simply start again, reinstituting a zero-tolerance policy…For ten years I’ve consistently practised what I preach. The impact on my quality of life and decision-making has been remarkable. Try it. You’ve got nothing to lose. You have so much to gain.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
Abstaining from the news does not mean we have to stick our head in the sand and remain ignorant about important social, political, and world events. For we have access to a wide range of informational sources that can help us stay informed without falling prey to the pitfalls of news consumption. Long-form content, such as books, well-researched articles, podcasts, documentaries, textbooks, online courses, and academic journals, offer the depth and nuance needed to do greater justice to the complexity of world events, in a way that the news – with its short-form, oversimplified, biased reporting – cannot.
“Read books and long articles that do justice to the complexity of the world…After a few months, you’ll be rewarded with a clearer understanding of the world…Long-form pieces are the opposite of the news…Much of their content is valuable, providing new insights and background information. But be careful: these formats are far from a guarantee of relevance.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
With a clearer understanding of the world, we are better equipped to act as a genuine force for good in society. Dobelli notes that when he raises the idea of abstaining from the news, many respond with the following concern: If we stop following the news, who will hold the powerful accountable and drive social change? Yet given that the news manipulates public opinion — frequently to the advantage of those in power — and fosters learned helplessness rather than action, it should come as no surprise that “the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Revolutions of 1848, [and] the fall of the Soviet Union… did not need current affairs programmes, news websites or feeds.” (Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News)The most influential figures of these movements informed themselves – and inspired others – through books, pamphlets, public gatherings, speeches, debates, and meaningful conversation. For example, during the American Revolution Thomas Paine’s 47-page pamphlet Common Sense was profoundly influential in sparking revolutionary sentiment in America.
“How did people stay informed? They thought, and they debated…Is political discourse even possible without the news? This question suggests that one can only form a well-founded opinion via the news media. Yet that isn’t true.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
While abstaining from the news can reduce our ignorance and make us more aware of social issues, it also gives us the opportunity to redirect our attention toward what truly matters and what we can influence — our mental and physical health, our relationships, and our work. Two thousand years ago, the Stoic philosopher Epictetus opened his Enchiridion with the timeless insight: “Some things are in our control and others are not.” He went on to teach that peace of mind and a flourishing life depend on investing our time and energy on what lies within our power. And as Dobelli continues:
“Nintey-nine point nine per cent of all world events are outside your control…Devote your energies to things you can influence. There are more than enough of those – but an earthquake on the other side of the planet isn’t one of them.”
Rolf Dobelli, Stop Reading the News
According to the Pew Research Center, the average American spends between 58 and 96 minutes a day consuming news. Over the course of a year, this amounts to nearly an entire month of news consumption. But given the many harms we have explored, news consumption is more than just an enormous waste of time – it is a kind of mental poison. In choosing to abstain from the news, we cleanse and detoxify our mind and improve our psychological health.
“Just see these superfluous ones! Sick are they always; they vomit their bile and call it a newspaper.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Or as Dobelli concludes:
“The news is mental pollution. Keep your brain clean. It’s your most important organ…Still worried about missing ‘something important’? In my experience, when something truly important happens, you hear about it even if you’re living in a protected news-cocoon…Big news will inevitably leak out and find you…And if somehow you don’t hear about the bus attack, it doesn’t matter. On the contrary, you should be pleased. Worse things may be happening on other planets, and we are comfortable remaining in the dark.”
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Academy of Ideashttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngAcademy of Ideas2025-06-16 06:17:322025-06-16 06:25:57VIDEO: Why the News Promotes Ignorance and Mental Illness
USAID official and three company executives plead guilty in fraud and bribery scheme involving at least 14 contracts worth over $550 million
USAID Official Roderick Watson took bribes, was showered with lavish gifts— including cash, laptops, thousands of dollars in tickets to a suite at an NBA game, a country club wedding, down payments on two residential mortgages, cell phones, and jobs for relatives.
In exchange for the bribe payments, Watson influenced the award of contracts by manipulating the procurement process at USAID.
Watson faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Three government contractors and a USAID official have pleaded guilty to a scheme involving paying bribes in order to steer more than half a billion dollars in foreign aid contracts, the Department of Justice said Friday.
Roderick Watson, a USAID contracting officer, admitted to steering money to multiple companies in exchange for more than $1 million in bribes.
“Watson exploited his position at USAID to line his pockets with bribes in exchange for more than $550 million in contracts,” Guy Ficco of IRS Criminal Investigation said in a statement. “While he helped three company owners and presidents bypass the fair bidding process, he was showered with cash and lavish gifts.”
The scheme was possible because of the federal government’s racial “set-aside” laws known as 8(a) contracting, which allow contracting officers to give contracts to companies owned by minorities, women, or veterans without the usual competitive process.
Walter Barnes III, the founder of a Baltimore-area company predicated on taking advantage of those laws, admitted to paying bribes, including a country-club wedding, cash, and a trip to Martha’s Vineyard.
Barnes’s company is called Vistant, previously known as PM Consulting Group. It was awarded contracts on the pretense that it was “disadvantaged” because Barnes is black, even as it took in tens of millions of dollars. Barnes used a public defender in his court case, drawing a rebuke from the judge that he presumably had ample resources to pay for his own lawyer.
Also pleading guilty was Darryl Britt, the founder of 8(a) contracting firm Apprio Inc., which is received $271 million in federal contracts since 2004. Both companies also admitted criminal liability.
Beginning in 2013, Britt — a member of Carnegie Mellon University’s Business Board of Advisers — bribed Watson to award contracts to Apprio. When an 8(a) firm becomes too large, it “graduates” from its “disadvantaged” status. But minority contracting laws are notoriously exploited, with minority-owned firms existing simply to win contracts, then subcontracting out the work to other firms. That is often done openly, and above board, with “joint ventures.”
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00The Geller Reporthttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Geller Report2025-06-16 06:00:142025-06-16 06:01:17USAID Official and Three Corporate Executives Plead Guilty $550 Million in Fraud, Bribery Using DEI
Last month, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei told an enraged crowd of Islamists that President Trump’s statements weren’t even “worthy of a response.”
As the crowd chanted “Death to America”, Iran’s leader called Trump a liar, and warned that, “America should leave the region, and leave it will.” Then he called for the destruction of the Jewish State while the crowd chanted, “Death to Israel.”
The only question was whether America and Israel would take the regime’s threats seriously.
That question was answered when Israel, after two decades of trying to get the mostly fictitious “international community” to do something about Iran’s nuclear program, finally took action.
The endless negotiations in pursuit of an impossible deal that would somehow allow Iran to have nuclear technology without nuclear weapons were based on refusing to listen to what the Islamist terror regime said, as recently as weeks ago, and refusing to believe that it meant it.
To believe in a nuclear deal, you also had to believe that a terror state that gets its electricity from its abundant natural gas resources for a fraction of the cost of our electricity wanted a civilian nuclear program. To believe in any kind of deal with Iran, you had to believe, as the New York Times insisted to sell Obama’s nuke deal, that Iran “has a complicated relationship with the phrase” and that when it says, “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”, it doesn’t really mean it.
“The situation between America and Iran is this: When you chant ‘Death to America!’ it is not just a slogan – it is a policy,” Ayatollah Khamenei explained in 2023.
What did that policy look like in practice?
“‘Death to America’ means death to Trump,” Khamenei previously warned.
Last year, an Iranian operative was charged in a plot by the IRGC, Iran’s terror arm, to assassinate Trump before Election Day. The “complicated relationship” wasn’t so complicated and it’s not a metaphor. “Death to Trump” literally meant trying to kill the president. “Death to America” means the destruction of America. And “Death to Israel” means just what it says.
Apologists for the Jihadist regime in Tehran try to pretend that it’s about our foreign policy, but beyond chanting for the destruction of America, Israel and England, the chants at the Khamenei speech included “Death to the hypocrites and infidels” (meaning the deaths of all non-Muslims and insufficiently devout Muslims) and death to those who oppose the supreme power of Sharia Islamic jurisprudence in the form of its Ayatollahs, Mullahs and other theocratic tyrants.
According to Ayatollah Khomeini anyone who did not believe that Mohammed, Islam’s genocidal warlord prophet was a messenger of Allah, is defined as an infidel, and the only thing to do is to convert him, enslave him or kill him. “If one permits an infidel to continue in his role as a corrupter of the earth, the infidel’s moral suffering will be all the worse. If one kills the infidel, and this stops him from perpetrating his misdeeds, his death will be a blessing to him.”
Opposing the Ayatollahs just made America one of the first ‘infidels’ in line for destruction.
Not as a metaphor or a complicated relationship, but as violently graphic as the Muslim terrorists jumping up and down on the body of Navy diver Robert Stethem and then putting up a microphone to his face to broadcast the screams or removing the skin from the face of Colonel William R. Higgins before castrating, killing him and dumping his body near a mosque.
That’s ‘Death to America’.
The Israelis, who live much closer to Iran than we do, did not decide to escape into the extended Carter administration diplomatic dreamworlds about a deal with Iran. They understood that Iran was serious and they acted. Whatever we do or don’t do about Iran, we would be fools to pretend that the Islamic terrorist regime isn’t serious about wanting us dead.
And bigger fools to act like we can bribe or negotiate our way out of the threat.
Right now, Israel is doing our work for us in fighting Islamic terrorists. It’s doing it even though our elected officials keep sending mixed messages, undermining Israel, calling for restraint and pretending that the Middle East would be more stable if it were dominated by the terrorists.
Obama already tried that with the Arab Spring. It turned out the same way Carter’s Iran tampering and every experiment in nation building and democracy by the Bushes, Clinton and other administrations did. Instead of standing up to Muslim terrorists, we let ourselves be intimidated by them, by their sheer numbers, by their destructiveness and willingness to die.
But Israel, far smaller than us, a country tiny enough that you can walk its width, stood up to an entire region. Iran is 80 times Israel’s size, has 9 times its population and yet Israel did what so many of our administrations feared to do. Why? Because Israel understood what we deny.
Israel knew that the calls for genocide are real and that the alternative to action is death.
Faced with the threat of death, Israel instead brought death to the IRGC leaders of Iran’s death machine, to its commanders and struck at the machinery of its ballistic missile and nuclear program meant to kill millions. Its secret wasn’t just its brilliant strategy, but its grip on reality.
Israel took Iran seriously and acted seriously. It faced down death threats and delivered death to the terrorist enemies of civilization. That is what serious nations do. Unserious ones play word games and take refuge in wishful thinking. As we confront not only Iran, but Islamic terrorists around the world and in our own country, it’s time we get serious too.
If our enemies want to kill us, we have a choice between killing them or letting them kill us.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Jihad Watchhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJihad Watch2025-06-16 05:39:162025-06-16 05:43:41Israel took ‘Death to Israel’ seriously. We should take ‘Death to America’ seriously.
For the past several months at the very least, President Donald Trump has dominated headlines. His populist economic and immigration policies, conflicts with federal courts, and interactions with foreign governments have captured the public’s attention for weeks on end. But despite the Democrat-led outrage against the president’s most controversial agenda items, blue voters are significantly unhappy with their party’s leadership.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, most Americans (70%) disapprove of congressional Democrats’ job performance, while only 21% approve. However, a majority (53%) of Democratic voters themselves disapprove of congressional Democrats’ job performance, compared to only 41% who approve.
In comments to The Washington Stand, FRC Action Director Matt Carpenter explained, “Lately the Democrats have been on the wrong side of many of the so-called 80%-20% issues, but one issue Democratic voters and the American general public agree on is a strong disapproval of how Democrats in Congress are handling themselves.” He continued, “Unfortunately for Democrats in Congress, their base of support and the public at large agree on this point for different reasons.”
“The American people gave Trump a second term, with the first national popular vote win for a Republican presidential candidate since 2004, and a Republican Congress, to fix the border, enforce immigration law, tackle the cost-of-living crisis, bring some sanity to college campuses, end the pernicious gender ideology, and halt pro-abortion extremism,” Carpenter recounted. He continued, “The Democratic base is positioned diametrically opposite the Republican president and Congress on this agenda and want their elected representatives to do more to resist this agenda — which is incredibly popular among the average voting American.”
Carpenter concluded, “The Democrats in Congress are in a true catch-22. It would not be surprising to see some of the older Congressional Democrats announce their intentions to retire rather than run for reelection given their predicament.”
An Associated Press/NORC poll last month found that Democrats don’t have high hopes for their party’s future. Only 35% of Democratic voters were “optimistic” about the party going forward, compared to 36% who were “pessimistic.”
Some Democrats are disappointed with their elected representatives for not doing enough to oppose Trump and his agenda, despite Democrats introducing an attempt to impeach the president again and lobbying vociferously against his mass deportation program. But others are disenchanted with their party’s emphasis on policies and issues that, according to voters, are too extreme or too niche. A New York Times/IPSOS survey in February found that the majority of voters, including Democrats, consider the party to be out of touch with the priorities of most of America. Only 13% of Democrats, for example, listed LGBT issues as a top concern, while most voters reported that the emphasis the Democratic Party lays on LGBT issues is disproportionately high.
The Democratic Party was also found to be out of touch on economic issues. The overwhelming majority of Americans listed inflation and the economy as their top concerns, alongside health care and immigration, which aligned more closely with priorities voters ascribed to Republicans, while voters believed the Democrats’ top priorities to be abortion, LGBT issues, and climate change, none of which were issues voters considered important. A prior Gallup poll found that even though Democratic voters were more likely to rank abortion as a top issue than were Republicans or Independent voters, more Democrats cited the economy as a major concern.
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The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.
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In the early hours of Friday morning local time, Israel launched a series of deadly “preemptive strikes” against Iran, targeting military leaders and the nuclear refinement sites at the center of unfinished negotiations between Iran and the U.S.
Reports began circulating Thursday night (U.S. time) of explosions in Iran’s capital city of Tehran, with video footage depicting smoke in the air and fires in the distance. Israel’s defense ministry confirmed shortly afterwards that it was conducting a series of preemptive strikes against Iran, following reports that the country’s nuclear refinement facilities could possibly produce enough enriched uranium to develop nearly a dozen nuclear warheads.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel had attacked Iran in a move he dubbed “Operation Rising Lion.” He explained that the airstrikes were part of “a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.” Netanyahu continued, “This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat. For decades, the tyrants of Tehran have brazenly, openly called for Israel’s destruction. They’ve backed up their genocidal rhetoric with a program to develop nuclear weapons.” He posited that Iran has “taken steps that it has never taken before to weaponize” the enriched uranium Iran is suspected to have amassed. “If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time — it could be a year, it could be within a few months,” the prime minister added. He declared, “This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival.”
Iran’s state-run media outlet, the Islamic Republic News Agency, reported that Israeli strikes had succeeded in killing the head of Iran’s armed forces, Major General Hossein Salami, along with several other military commanders and at least two civilians employed as nuclear scientists. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later confirmed that Salami and two other high-ranking Iranian military leaders were “all eliminated in the Israeli strikes across Iran by more than 200 fighter jets.” Immediately after the “preemptive strikes,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly declared a state of emergency in Israel, in anticipation of retaliation from Iran. IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin confirmed in a video statement that Israel was targeting Iran’s nuclear development sites.
After withdrawing most U.S. forces and civilians from the area prior to the attack, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement asserting that the U.S. was not party to the strikes against Iran and warning the regime not to erroneously retaliate against American forces or installations. “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action is necessary for its self-defense,” Rubio wrote. He added, “President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-N.D.) largely echoed Rubio’s statements in his own press release. “Today, Israel has determined that it must take decisive action to defend the Israeli people. The United States Senate stands ready to work with President Trump and with our allies in Israel to restore peace in the region and, first and foremost, to defend the American people from Iranian aggression, especially our troops and civilians serving overseas,” Thune wrote. He added, “Iran should heavily consider the consequences before considering any action against Americans in the region.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price told CNN that Israel’s attack was “premature” since “diplomacy had not run its course. There was a window in which the administration had to potentially find a way to a diplomatic off-ramp here.” Price reported that talks with Iran were potentially scheduled to continue into September, at which point the matter would be passed to the United Nations Security Council if the U.S. had not reached a satisfactory agreement with Iran. “That window was not closing today. That window would not close tomorrow. But by undertaking this operation today, Prime Minister Netanyahu has very solidly shut that window,” Price said.
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff cautioned Republican leaders prior to Israel’s strike that retaliation by Iran could result in a mass casualty event, according to an Axios report. He pointed out that even without nuclear weapons, Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal is “as big of an existential threat” to Israel as the nation’s nuclear potential and may be able to overwhelm Israel’s air defenses.
As The Washington Stand previously noted, the U.S. has been engaged for several months now in negotiations with Iran surrounding the Middle Eastern regime’s capacity to produce nuclear weapons, with the next set of talks scheduled for Sunday. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned Israel not to attack Iran before the U.S. concludes its negotiations. As recently as Thursday, Trump asked Israel not to strike Iran, saying during a press conference, “I’d much prefer an agreement. As long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want [Israel] going in… I’d much prefer the friendly route.”
Following the strikes, however, the president posted on Truth Social, “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it,’ but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done.” He said that he had warned Iran that an attack by Israel “would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come — And they know how to use it.”
“Certain Iranian hardliner’s [sic] spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!” Trump continued. He warned Iran that an agreement with the U.S. would be in the country’s best interest. “There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire,” he wrote. Trump added, “No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
According to an Israeli official cited by The Spectator Index, Israel’s campaign against Iran will last at least two weeks.
Like what you’re reading? Donate to The Washington Stand! From now until June 30, your gift will be doubled to fuel bold, biblically-based reporting.
The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.
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“Whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved an entire World.” — Talmud (Sanhedrin 37a)
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you ….” — Ezekiel 36:26
For the past 33 hours our volunteers have been digging through rubble in Bat Yam after a direct hit by an Iranian missile. So far, our teams have recovered six bodies: a 60‑year‑old woman, a 70‑year‑old man, a 10‑year‑old boy, an 8‑year‑old girl, a 55‑year‑old woman, and an 18‑year‑old teen. We continue the search for others who may still be trapped alive.
We implore you to take every opportunity to use your energy, your time, your influence on others, and your sincerest of prayers to help save Jewish lives and “an entire world.” Do not underestimate your ability to save lives and even to influence The Almighty to intervene on behalf of Jewish lives at stake right now this very moment and forthcoming.
Every Zionist everywhere needs your loyal support for and devotion to Israel and Israeli lives. Right now, what is more urgent?
If you have never prayed before or if you have never called upon The Almighty “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” – Deuteronomy 6:5 – PLEASE NOW SAVE JEWISH LIVES AND “AN ENTIRE WORLD.”
Psalm 91 in Hebrew | with English Subtitles for Peace and Rest
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Beverly Newman, Ed. D.http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngBeverly Newman, Ed. D.2025-06-16 04:41:282025-06-16 04:42:48You Can Save Lives Now and “The Entire World”
Left-wing protesters on Saturday forced young children to take part in shouting obscenities directed at President Donald Trump during nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations, footage taken by the Daily Caller shows.
The “No Kings” protests took place in several cities across the United States, with some of them turning violent, including one in Portland, Oregon, where rioters stormed a facility used by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Reporters with the Daily Caller in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, California, observed children taking part in those demonstrations against Trump.
WATCH:
🚨 Little kid says “f*ck Trump” during ‘No Kings Day’ rally (mom tries to stop him)
In one video taken by a Daily Caller reporter in Washington, D.C., a young child can be seen using a microphone and saying “Fuck Trump” before his mother could snatch the microphone away. Many in the crowd laughed at the child’s comment.
A second video taken by a Daily Caller reporter in Los Angeles, where officials imposed a curfew after days of anti-ICE riots, showed a young girl beating apart a pinata in the form of Trump with a stick to the cheers of a crowd.
Some Democrats previously issued demands that ICE cease its operations in the Los Angeles area, claiming it was affecting the economy.
WATCH:
Video posted to social media on June 7 showed an individual, who the FBI later identified as Elpido Reyna in a post on X, throwing rocks at the windshields of vehicles containing federal law enforcement personnel with the FBI offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to Reyna’s arrest.
Two attempts on Trump’s life took place during the 2024 presidential campaign, one during a July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the other in September 2024 while Trump was playing a round of golf in Florida. Ryan Wesley Routh, who was charged with the September 2024 attempted assassination, declared his intent to end Trump’s death in a letter, according to legal filings.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00The Daily Callerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Caller2025-06-16 04:19:472025-06-16 04:26:25Liberals Force Young Children To Participate In Violent, Vulgar Anti-Trump Protests
