Nearly half of Americans now refuse to identify as either Democrat or Republican. According to a recent Gallup poll, independents make up a record 45% of the electorate, yet our political system continues to operate as though this plurality doesn’t exist — until now.Both major political parties are facing widespread public dissatisfaction, with 58% of Americans viewing the Republican Party unfavorably and 61% expressing unfavorable views of the Democratic Party. As confidence in the parties erodes, 2026 is shaping up to be the year that we see a handful of independents elected to Congress, disrupting the balance of power in Washington.Independents need only three to five seats to fundamentally transform American politics.For politically homeless voters, this moment calls for supporting credible independent candidates where they can actually win, especially in congressional districts where neither party is delivering for its constituents.While the Gallup poll shows the increase in independent self-identification metrics, which have been sitting at around 40% since 2011, there is a convergence of two major trends that make this moment in politics ripe for independents.The first major trend is the rise of Millennials and Gen Z as a central voting bloc. 2026 will be an election in which younger Americans make up a sizeable portion of the electorate, with projections currently holding that Millennials and Gen Z will account for over half of voters by 2028.Millennials are now well into their 30s, many serving in executive and senior leadership roles in politics and business, including prominent voices such as Vice President JD Vance and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D). Together, Millennials and Gen Z are becoming one of the most influential forces in the electorate.Unlike their predecessors, these two generations are far more likely to identify as independent. Many have never belonged to a political party in the first place. Younger independents are focused on issues like affordability, which both parties are failing to address. They gravitate toward candidates from either party who appear to be invested in their issues.The second trend is the broader integration of AI systems into everyday life — including politics. AI is the great leveler, much like the printing press fundamentally altered information systems and power structures centuries ago. It will be a game-changer in a similar way, and it’s a major reason why an independent movement in 2026 can make more progress than past efforts.RELATED: Republicans and Democrats are in revolt — for very different reasons Douglas Rissing/Getty ImagesThe two-party system, like the taxi industry before Uber disrupted it, represents an entrenched but flawed model that has resisted reform. AI provides the tools to completely bypass the old system, rather than slowly reforming it from the inside. Technology now democratizes campaign infrastructure, voter outreach, and message distribution pathways for alternatives that were previously impossible without massive institutional backing.Americans are hungry for more options at the ballot box. We can customize what we watch, what we drive, even which type of peanut butter sits on our shelves. Yet when it comes to politics, those options narrow dramatically. As the two major parties continue to struggle to meet the moment, voters’ appetite for credible alternatives is only growing stronger.In the private sector, we would call it a clear product-market fit. If there were two brands that people clearly rejected, competition would naturally emerge in the market. The same logic applies to politics. Recent polling from the Independent Center Voice discovered that 76% of voters would likely vote for “strong, well-funded independent candidate.”For far too long, the conversation among independents has fixated on electing a third-party candidate to the White House. They’ll find more luck channeling their dissatisfaction, frustration, and growing disillusionment toward Congress, where institutional change is more enduring. It’s in congressional races — not presidential ones — that the independent movement will be felt first.Independents need only three to five seats to fundamentally transform American politics. With growing concentrations of independent and “no party preference” voters across key districts, the foundation for change is already in place.The real question is no longer whether the independent movement will arrive, but whether the political system is prepared to respond.Editor’s note: This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.

Michigan police said one person has been arrested in connection with the gruesome discovery of the remains of three elderly men in the basement of a Detroit home.Police were called to the home on Edsel St. Wednesday at about 1 p.m. on a report of a missing person, when they were approached by a man who said he had been attacked at a nearby home.'They were left in a basement area covered in old, dirty clothing, and one person was covered in a carpet.'When they went inside the home on Edsel, they found the three bodies in the basement."When units finally got inside, the minute you opened the door, you can see the blood, it's just a horrific scene," said First Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald."Not to go into too much detail on it, but we believe at this point they all met the fate of blunt-force trauma. There were some stab wounds on a couple of them," he added. "They were left in a basement area covered in old, dirty clothing, and one person was covered in a carpet."The family of one of the victims identified him as Norman Hamlin, a 66-year-old military veteran. The other two victims were identified as 65-year-old Mark Barnett and 72-year-old William Barrett.Neighbors near the home said it was a known drug house."There's some speculation, that I don't like to get into too much, that possibly some drugs were used in the location," Fitzgerald said, noting that nothing was found in that regard.The suspect was described as a 27-year-old black man and was detained on Thursday. He had a connection to the victims, according to police, as well as a criminal history that included carjacking, armed robbery, felony firearm, and fleeing from police."It was a brutal scene inside, just awful," Fitzgerald said.RELATED: Video shows wild car chase after rescue of 11-year-old from alleged kidnapper and torturer One of the neighbors said Hamlin was a good man but had fallen into drug use. "He got involved in the wrong way and actually seemed to have set up a safe environment for people to come over and use," said Joel Bond to WDIV-TV. "Of course, as we know, that’s dangerous. You don’t know who’s coming into your house." The man who approached the police told them he had been hit in the head twice with a hammer, but that appeared to be unrelated to the three deaths.Hamlin was a Marine veteran who had served in the Persian Gulf War and was the owner of the home.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

We live in a world where self-absorption reigns supreme. Accordingly, the concept of self-denial is incomprehensible to most and anathema to others. Yet this is what Lent means. It is the most countercultural idea in America — and indeed in the entire Western world. That’s because we’ve lost our moorings, which are grounded in Christianity.The dominant culture celebrates self-indulgence, not self-denial. Drug users are only one example.Like any virtue, self-denial atrophies if it is not practiced. And the results of atrophy are inauspicious for everyone.The streets of New York abound with smoke — the sweet smell of marijuana is everywhere. This is also true in many urban areas, as the pace of legalization quickens. Some, like the editorial board of the New York Times, which supported legalization, are now shocked to learn that a record number of Americans are hooked on drugs, jamming hospitals and driving recklessly. Habitual users are psychotic, functioning like zombies. Their nonstop vomiting should be a wake-up call, but it isn’t. This is the cost of “liberation.”The dominant culture also celebrates gambling, yielding similar results.Not only can we bet on games, we can bet on each play. Bookies have been replaced by phones, and allegiance to the home team is waning, as the only thing that matters is winning. Some ballparks, like the home of the Washington Commanders, even have betting stations for fans too bored to simply watch the game. A growing number of young men are addicted to gambling, finding themselves deeper in debt. This is the cost of “liberation.”Many young women choose sex to satisfy their craving for self-indulgence. If they wind up pregnant, they find their “solution” at a Planned Parenthood clinic. Young, promiscuous men are just as irresponsible, looking to medical technology to rid themselves of their self-induced diseases. This is the cost of their “liberation.”Self-denial is admittedly not easy, and it is more difficult in societies that glamorize self-indulgence. But it is a virtue that actually does liberate.One way to show people that we love them is by making sacrifices that redound to their benefit. Making sacrifices requires a degree of self-denial — giving up something to aid someone else. Mother Teresa could not have comforted those in her employ without great sacrifice, and it was her capacity for self-denial that allowed her to prevail.Like any virtue, self-denial atrophies if it is not practiced. And the results of atrophy are inauspicious for everyone. A society that views self-denial as oppressive is nurturing narcissism, not selflessness. Yet that is what we are doing, led, as always, by the ruling class.Self-indulgence is not only self-destructive; it is ultimately antisocial. We are all affected by those who allow their appetites and passions to conquer them, and that is why it is incumbent on those who occupy positions of moral authority — clergy, parents, and teachers — to welcome Lent, regardless of their religious convictions.This essay originally appeared at Catholicleague.org.

The latest Epstein file dump, which included an additional 3 million documents along with roughly 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, prompted widespread public shock and outrage over its revelations of Epstein's apparent connections to prominent figures worldwide as well as grotesque but unverified accusations of child sacrifice and satanic rituals.While the file release has not resulted in any new criminal charges or prosecutions, Christians, says BlazeTV host Rick Burgess, can walk away with one certainty: We’re getting closer to the end times. “What we're seeing right now in our society is foreshadowing of the end times,” the “Strange Encounters” host warns.Rick says the reign of the antichrist will be preceded by a movement toward “globalization.”“If you're not watching these globalists right now, you better keep an eye on them. … I believe the Epstein files show us Satan working his plan,” says Rick.The convicted sex offender, who he believes was “demon-possessed,” built a dark empire composed of “great influencers” — “celebrities,” “royals,” “politicians,” and “the super intellectual” — who “come from everywhere,” he says.Citing Daniel 7, Rick reminds us that the “antichrist will be an outstanding orator, an intellectual genius, a military leader without parallel in human history, a shrewd, calculating, manipulating politician, and the ultimate religious charlatan.”“If you look at the clientele in the Epstein files, it's all there. It's all there,” he declares.“Do you really think these men with all this influence … need Epstein to go help them get dates? Are you kidding me? You think they have a problem getting dates with the wealth, the intellect, the celebrity, the power that they all have?” Rick asks.“No — they're going after something that is crude; they're going after something that is depraved; they're going after underage girls for their jollies. That's wicked. That's evil.”The level of depravity in Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring, he says, goes far beyond the typical temptation and sin we see in “a bachelor party that got out of hand” or even seeking out “adult women prostitutes.”These are people who “want to sexually abuse a child,” he says, noting that this kind of wickedness has long been “an underlying part of paganism.”“If you go to paganism, you find sexual lewdness. You find young boy and young girl prostitutes … and you find, ultimately, the sacrifice of the innocent child because there's nothing more wicked than that. And all of that we're seeing as these Epstein files come out,” says Rick.This combination of unmitigated evil and powerful elites from all over the world is a sure sign that end times are drawing nearer, he says.“When you look at Epstein's files and you look at what's going on with all these influential people, they represent the characteristics of the spirit of antichrist — not the person, because he's not been revealed yet, but the spirit of antichrist, putting together what antichrist is going to need.”To hear more, watch the full episode above.Want more from Rick Burgess?To enjoy more bold talk and big laughs, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.