As the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration, the Justice Department this week advanced cases against illegal aliens running criminal enterprises—including a gun trafficking scheme orchestrated from behind bars. In Georgia, the Justice Department announced the 25-year sentence of a Mexican illegal immigrant who used a contraband cell phone from inside a Georgia state prison to manage a massive drug and gun trafficking conspiracy. Servando Corona Penaloza, a Georgia state prison inmate, was sentenced on Wednesday to 25 years in federal prison for orchestrating the sale of more than 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl and the purchase of more than 200 military-style firearms transported to Mexico for use by Mexican cartels, according to the Justice Department. He was in prison serving a sentence for a Gwinnett County drug trafficking offense. Fourteen other members of Corona Penaloza’s organization were convicted and sentenced, with two defendants awaiting sentencing in the coming months, according to the Justice Department. “These defendants flooded our community with deadly drugs and used the proceeds of their drug deals to arm narco-terrorist Mexican cartels with high-powered weapons of war,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg in a public statement. The Georgia case was part of a larger Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, signed on the first day of his second term. The task force is a whole-of-government partnership charged with eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. “As a result of the exceptional and dedicated work by our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners under the auspices of Atlanta’s Homeland Security Task Force, there are no more drugs coming in—or firearms going out—at Corona Penaloza’s direction,” Hertzberg said. U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen sentenced Penaloza, 38, to 25 years in prison—at least 15 years of which will be served consecutively to his 30-year state prison sentence. This will be followed by 10 years of supervised release, according to the Justice Department. In March 2024, federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives identified numerous cash purchases of M249S firearms in the Atlanta area. These are military-style weapons with a retail cost of $10,000 to $12,000 per unit, according to the Justice Department. Concurrently, the Drug Enforcement Administration learned that Penaloza brokered large-scale cocaine and methamphetamine transactions and coordinated the importation and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl and thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine on behalf of a large Mexican drug cartel. The DEA probe found that Penaloza coordinated the drug and firearm sales by using a contraband cell phone while serving a 30-year state prison sentence. During the investigation, the ATF determined Penaloza and his conspirators organized the purchase and trafficking of at least 223 guns to Mexico valued at more than $700,000. Most of these guns were purchased with cash obtained through the drug sales. In November, Penaloza pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, and conspiracy to engage in concealment money laundering. Meanwhile, in Oregon, two illegal immigrants from Romania pleaded guilty to running a food stamp fraud conspiracy with others. The Justice Department worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the case brought against two Romanian illegal immigrants, Aramis Manolea, 35, and Cristina Manolea, 35, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States. The two have the same last name, but DOJ information and local news reporting on the case do not indicate how they are related. The stolen benefits were valued at $27,000, according to the Justice Department. From April 2025 through November 2025, the two conspired to use stolen Electronic Benefit Transfer account information, or EBT accounts, and PINs to fraudulently buy items eligible through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to the Justice Department. The goods were loaded into vans and trucks for shipment to California, according to the Justice Department. In November, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted the two on 26 counts related to conspiracy to defraud the United States, unauthorized use of access devices, possession, production, and trafficking of device-making equipment, and aggravated identity theft. Although they have not yet been sentenced, the two face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Both agreed to pay restitution and will be sentenced in late May.

The search is on; it always has been. Most people are highly familiar with the concept of a search engine. We can type a question and get an answer (or maybe dozens of them). That search can become an endless endeavor of jumping down into other topics and themes. The search engine can serve as an image for the human person. We are constantly searching. We look for meaning, for purpose. And we forever desire to know who we are, where we come from, and where we are going. A new documentary, “The Story of Everything,” explores these topics. “‘The Story of Everything’ is a cinematic exploration of the cosmos that reveals the hidden hand behind our universe,” the documentary’s synopsis reads. “From the precise laws that govern the stars to the intricate patterns found in every living cell, the film traces evidence of intentional design throughout nature. Whether examining distant star-forming clouds or the spiral structure of DNA, we discover a consistent signature woven into the fabric of existence.” Lee Strobel, the film’s executive producer, has his own story to tell about God’s existence and the study of theology. Strobel, the bestselling author of more than 40 books, was once an atheist, but today he is a devout Christian and an apologist. The documentary features numerous commentators, including professors from around the globe who specialize in mathematics and science. They are brought together by the desire to understand the evidence across the cosmos that points to the existence of God. The trailer for “The Story of Everything” includes snippets from interviews with many of the experts interviewed for the documentary. One notes that investigation into the universe reveals that “we are dealing with a system of manifold, complex design,” and another observes that it is simply a logical conclusion that “we associate information with a rational intelligence behind it.” The film is unique, being both beautiful and profoundly reliant on the advances of science and mathematics to showcase its thesis. “The Story of Everything” joins the growing trend of works examining proofs for God’s existence based on scientific findings and mathematical probability. One such book is “Science at the Doorstep of God,” published in 2023. In it, the book’s author, Fr. Robert Spitzer, who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy, references research showing that “66 percent of young scientists are believers in God,” while “76 percent of physicians are believers in God.” Clearly, the majority of scientists see no compelling reason in science to abandon faith in God. Many, in fact, are seeing that God and science align. Strobel’s involvement in apologetics makes him perfect for “The Story of Everything.” Apologetics is booming among Christians. Its name comes from the Latin word apologia, which means “a formal defense” or “justification.” Apologetics has its roots in Scripture, particularly St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s sermons to non-Christians that Jesus is Lord. Apologetics can be used to defend the faith against false claims as well as to show the overall rational coherence of the doctrines of the faith. Ultimately, apologetics (and the film “The Story of Everything”) boils down to the understanding of truth. Truth is the conformity between one’s mind and reality. God is either real or he isn’t real. There either is a creator of the universe or there isn’t. For many, investigating the evidence for God’s existence based on scientific findings and mathematical truths has led them to conclude that belief in God (the maker of everything) is both rational and significantly more plausible than atheism. Wrestling with the question of God’s existence is time well spent. Start by checking out “The Story of Everything,” and you might be amazed at what (and Whom) you encounter. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

As the Trump administration moves full speed ahead with artificial intelligence innovation, Texas state lawmakers are worried about unintended consequences for their constituents.  The AI boom is fueling the growth of hundreds more data centers, and Texas offers ample space for their construction. While Republican state lawmakers want Texas to support innovation so the United States can win the AI race against China, they are concerned about how the arrival of new data centers will affect rural communities’ access to water and electricity.  “We understand that AI infrastructure is about more than local economics, and we support it,” Texas state Rep. Helen Kerwin told The Daily Signal. “We have to support it to stay ahead in the race, but not at the cost of future generations having water issues and power issues.” Kerwin, the mother of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, represents a rural district where her constituents are concerned about the impact of data centers on their way of life.  She first engaged on the issue after talking to a 20-year-old third-generation farmer who was afraid he would lose his family’s land. He said he wanted to stay on the land, Kerwin said, but he told her “they are offering us a massive amount of money.” “He wants to carry on the family tradition, but then he said to me, what happens if I turn them down but my neighbor accepts the offer?”  Texas Rep. Mitch Little said he sees a lot of fear about the impact of data centers on the lifestyle of rural Texans.  “There’s a rising fear generally about the use and deployment of AI and how it’s going to reformat our culture and employment of people writ large,” he told The Daily Signal. “So I think there’s that inherent fear, and then there’s the not in my backyard fear of I don’t want a giant glowing hum like right next to my house. So those are the primary concerns that I’ve heard.” Data centers’ share of U.S. power use could jump from about 4.5% today to between 9 and 17% by 2030, according to a recent Electric Power Research Institute analysis. As data centers continue to proliferate, Americans across the country worry that costs will drive up household utility bills. In Texas, where resources are already scarce, this concern is especially pronounced among residents.  “Texans in general are always worried about electricity and water, and to the extent that they’re just mindful of that,” State Sen. Angela Paxton told The Daily Signal. “These are not unlimited resources for us here in Texas.”  While Texans are “no stranger to industrial booms,” data centers present a unique challenge to resources, Kerwin said. “I’m getting calls and texts from landowners, families, local leaders, especially agriculture,” she said, “who are very concerned about what this level of rapid development means for their water, their land, their power, even their communities.” A Republican delegation from Texas met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick a few weeks ago at the White House and discussed data centers, among other topics. Paxton said she was encouraged by Lutnick’s “America First” view of data centers.  “He understands these companies that come, they need to bring value to Americans,” she said. She praised Trump’s “rate-payer protection pledge,” which requires data centers to provide for their own energy and infrastructure. But she said it’s important that states maintain the ability to pass their own guardrails on emerging technology.  The White House introduced the first-ever framework for a National Standard on AI in March, which includes ratepayer protection. The framework is intended to preempt state AI laws in exchange for one national standard. “I actually think the states continuing to regulate can actually help provide a great blueprint for federal legislation going forward, if we can all work together,” Paxton said. “But you know that the federal government, and the White House in particular, have been very aggressive in wanting to promote AI innovation.” “I think we can have innovation and we can have regulation,” she said. “I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive.”  Kerwin suggested a pause on data centers to allow time for research on their effects.  “There is something that alarmed me to the point that I needed to take this on and try and see if there is any way that our state can do studies,” she said. “Take a pause to learn about what kind of impact these hyper-scale data centers are going to have for future generations.” “Too often rural communities feel like they learn about large projects after the key decisions have already been made,” she said.  “I think it’s time that we establish just some guardrails so that we know how impactful they’re going to be,” Kerwin added. 

From the president to plumbers, hundreds of Americans spent last week speaking the Word of God at the “America Reads the Bible” event in Washington, D.C. Among them, Tim Goeglein of Focus on the Family. “The reason I was so honored to be there and to read is because you can’t understand the founding of our country without understanding the centrality of the Bible,” Goeglein told The Daily Signal. “When you’re up there reading, you have a soulful sense, a very deep purpose, that you’re not just reading the scriptures, whether you’re in church or at another event. But that you are essentially sharing God’s holy word across the country and across the world in a way that is directly connected to the founding of the country.” Goeglein was asked to read Joshua 17–19, which to the casual eye seems a very dry accounting of the dividing up of the Promised Land among the seven tribes who had not yet received their inheritance. However, Goeglein says to dig deeper, because the chapters offer insight into America’s founding and the issues facing America today. “What was so profoundly meaningful to me is that I did a Bible study on the importance of those three chapters in Joshua. And it’s about nationhood. It’s about the division of the land. It’s about the importance of families and how they’re going to, essentially, come together in the ancient Hebrew civilization. And I thought to myself, this rings true to our own founding. So that was particularly meaningful.” Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom and Family Providentially, the importance of families, of history, and of faith is precisely the theme of Goeglein’s new book “What Really Matters: Restoring the Legacy of Faith, Freedom and Family,” which was released earlier this month. He calls the collection a “robust, unapologetic, winsome defense of marriage, family, parenting, human life, religious liberty, conscience rights, parental rights, pronouns that have fixed meanings.” Goeglein explains the “golden narrative” of “what really matters” is restoration. “It’s restoration, it’s renewal, it’s regeneration of the first institutions for the next 250 years of America.” The key, he adds, is asking, “What kind of country do we want 50 years from now?” “I argue very strongly in the book that the political class [is right to] talk about border security, immigration, taxes, war. [These are] all very important.” “But I think very often, they don’t talk about what really matters. And what really matters are the institutions that we’re talking about today. And I think that the Bible fully and completely underscores the importance in a strong, confident nation of strong families, strong marriages, strong parents, kids who were raised well. A faith- and religion-based community that is nourishing to those communities.” America’s seen the breakdown of these institutions since the 1960s, with a decimation of marriage and birth rates, the collapse of community, a decrease in church attendance, and an increase in loneliness. Goeglein emphasizes repeatedly that these last two are connected. The Quiet Restoration However, Goeglein sees a glimmer of life: first, in recent studies showing that young men are increasingly expressing a desire to be married and have children. A Gallup poll released mid-April indicates 42% of young men say religion is “very important” to them. That’s up from 28% in 2022–23. It also marks the first time men have surpassed women in this area in the 25 years Gallup has conducted the survey. Second, Goeglein cites the growth in homeschooling. Third, he couldn’t help but be inspired by the young people he encountered at an event connected to America Reads the Bible called “1630,” featuring young men and women aged 16 to 30. (You can read about his experience here.) “This is not an overstatement,” he exclaimed. “I came out of that room last night and I could have levitated home. These are young people who are spiritually energetic. They know what they believe, they know why they believe it. They’re not confused about first principles. I just find it incredibly encouraging.” Tim Goeglein speaking at the 1630 gathering held in conjunction with America Reads the Bible. (Tim Goeglein) It is tempting to be disheartened when looking over our current cultural wasteland. Goeglein compares it to the devastation of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena fires. However, he says, “You go back now and you’re starting to see signs of regeneration and renewal. It’s like walking through a forest after a wildfire. You know, when you go immediately, you are really shocked by what you see. You go a few years later and the grain is returned and the saplings are coming back. I think we are in a period of a kind of quiet restoration.” A restoration of what really matters. And just in time for America’s 250th birthday. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills has suspended her Senate campaign after failing to raise enough money to compete with socialist Graham Platner, who will now almost certainly face the perpetual centrist Republican Susan Collins in the general. Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Kirsten Gillibrand immediately backed Platner, proving that there’s virtually nothing a leftist can say or do that is disqualifying. So, for 20 years, you’ve had a Totenkopf tattoo, which depicts a skull and crossbones, most famously used by Hitler’s Schutzstaffel, the paramilitary organization that led, planned and executed the Holocaust? No problem! You’d think that picking this symbol out of all symbols that exist in the entire world would be problematic. Not for Schumer, self-styled defender of Jewish interests and author of the book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning.” In keeping with the message of his tattoo, Platner has also praised the Islamic supremacists of Hamas. Let’s face it, that’s not exactly extraordinary among progressives these days. How about boosting social media posts by neo-Nazi Holocaust deniers like Stew Peters? Does Schumer care that Platner is a self-described “long-time fan” and obsequious podcast guest of Jew-hating conspiracy theorist Nate Cornacchia? Apparently not. Does it matter to Schumer that the candidate also referred to himself as “communist”? The stigma of that word is fading quickly on the contemporary Left. Some Democrats laugh at the notion that Platner could be both communist and Nazi, even though the two ideologies are quite similar in many respects. And this communist has also endorsed “revolutionary violence.” Coming off the third attempted assassination of President Donald Trump by a would-be killer who embraced rhetoric virtually indistinguishable from Platner’s, you might assume that a major political party would be concerned about violent rhetoric. Not Schumer, who, to be fair, once threatened Supreme Court justices if they ruled against his partisan wishes. What if a Democratic candidate for the Senate referred to rural white Americans as “racist and stupid”? Not that long ago, that might have posed a small crisis for the national party. Especially in a state like Maine, which, as it turns out, is one, if not the, whitest state in the country and home to lots of rural Americans. Platner, who plays a working-class oyster farmer, is the nepo baby of a former assistant district attorney and major Democratic donor and attended a $75,000-per-year Connecticut boarding school. Which is to say, if Democrats fall for his schtick, they may or may not be racist, but they’re definitely stupid. Listen, everyone makes mistakes, though perhaps something less drastic than permanently inking Nazi imagery on their chest. Platner keeps apologizing for every new comment that pops up, and there will almost certainly be more. What if the man has shown terrible temperament and judgment, little intelligence and exhibited no perceptible skill that makes them right to serve in the most important deliberative body in the country? No problem. A few years back, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the influence of socialists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as largely irrelevant, noting that their influence extended to “like, five people.” Well, since that time, Democrats have abetted the rise of the unhinged Left at every turn, from communists to cultural wackos, and those preaching revolutionary violence. The Democratic Party has become such a big tent these days that unapologetic terror-shilling communist Hasan Piker, who tells his millions of followers to “soak the streets in capitalist blood,” has been invited into the movement by popular personalities on the mainstream Left such as Ezra Klein and Jon Favreau. Unsurprising coming from fans of Zohran Mamdani, a devotee of “globalizing the intifada” or, rather, the global violent targeting of Jews. These positions, it seems, only lift your stock on the contemporary Left. Ocasio-Cortez is quickly becoming a centrist in her party. At this point, what could a progressive say to be shunned by Democrats? What sin could precipitate the party abandoning a candidate? It’s difficult to think of anything. And please, don’t bring up former California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell, who is now dealing with multiple accusations of sexual assault and rape. Democrats lose nothing by abandoning a primary candidate in a deep-blue state. Come to think of it, the only offense that could conceivably turn the progressive Left against you is openly supporting Israel, as John Fetterman has found out. Otherwise, you’re good. COPYRIGHT 2026 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.