I ran my entire house on solar and batteries for 7 days, here’s what actually happened. Check out this setup on Anker's website: https://cityprepp.ing/34bxyg or Amazon: https://cityprepp.ing/b5jdyw In this video, I walk you through the @AnkerSOLIX E10 unit, showing how it powered my house for a week. Follow me on: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/cityprepping Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/cityprepping Twitter – https://twitter.com/cityprepping Website – https://www.cityprepping.com #LiveInPower #AnkerSOLIX #prepping

Chandra's X-ray Space Telescope, with some help from the Hubble, spotted a young Sun-like star about 120 light-years away with a powerful stellar wind. It's carving out its astrosphere, a bubble of relatively hot gas that's pushing into the surrounding, much cooler, interstellar medium. This is the same process our Sun went through 5 billion years ago when it created the heliosphere.

George Retes was heading to his job as a security officer in Ventura County, California, last year when he got caught up in an immigration raid near his job site. A U.S. citizen, Retes got out of his car to identify himself and tell Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers that he needed to go to work. Instead of letting the former Army infantryman and disabled veteran pass through, agents surrounded his car and threw tear gas behind it. They gave him conflicting instructions for driving his car, broke his window, discharged pepper spray in his face and then forced him to the ground. According to Retes, the agents would not allow him to retrieve his wallet for identification. They loaded him into a vehicle with other detainees, drove him for processing at Port Hueneme and then on to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles, where he sat for three days on solitary suicide watch, having been deemed by a social worker as a danger. Retes was released, without ever being offered a phone call or a lawyer. On Tuesday, he will be surrounded by lawyers, law enforcement, company executives, politicians, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Supreme Court justices as a guest at President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union of his second term. Accompanying the House Veterans Affairs Committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Mark Takano of California, Retes wants others to know that his wrongful detention, followed by what he said was a smear campaign by the Department of Homeland Security against him, can happen to anyone. “I hope my presence represents that they just can’t lie and have it be okay. I represent everyone else this is happening to,” Retes said in an interview with Military Times. Since the start of deportation operations under the Trump administration, ICE has arrested nearly 400,000 people, nearly 60% of whom have had prior charges or convictions, including 14% charged or convicted of violent crimes. The remaining 40% have largely been living in the U.S. peacefully, albeit without legal immigration status, or waiting asylum decisions or changes to their visas. Some have been U.S. citizens and at least eight have been American veterans, according to The Guardian newspaper. In January, two U.S. citizens — Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti, a Veterans Affairs nurse — were killed by federal agents while protesting immigration enforcement operations in the city. While the operations had divided the country before the Minneapolis shootings, the deaths sparked outrage over the operations. According to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in February, roughly six in 10 U.S. adults believed the immigration enforcement operations have “gone too far,” with roughly 62% saying Trump has overstepped his bounds sending immigration agents into U.S. cities and using federal law enforcement officers at public protests. Slightly over half — 52% — said the effort to deport immigrants living in the U.S. illegally has gone too far. The remainder said the operations have “been about right” (32%) or “not far enough” (14%). Retes, 26, a former E-4, who deployed to Iraq from 2019 to 2020 and was honorably discharged in 2022, said what is going on in the U.S. is not okay. “There’s really no other way to put it — it sucks. It’s so disappointing. This happened to me last year and seeing it just continue to happen and things getting worse and people dying … it just sucks,” Retes said. Takano said he asked the former soldier to join him at the speech as an example of the overreach of the Trump administration and the “heavy-handed immigration policies.” “George Retes is a U.S. citizen and an Iraq War veteran, and yet he was treated like an enemy by his own government,” Takano said in a statement. “His presence will speak volumes.” In October, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement calling the illegal detention of Retes a “false claim.” DHS officials said that Retes became violent, refused to comply with law enforcement and blocked their route by refusing to move his vehicle. He was arrested, they said, for assault. Retes said none of the statements were true “They can’t just say whatever they want and [it] be okay,” Retes said. Shortly after Pretti was shot, U.S. officials including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called him a “domestic terrorist.” They have since said they are looking further into the circumstances surrounding Pretti’s death. Retes said he connected “deeply” with Pretti’s death, watching agents put Pretti’s hands around his back and hold him near the ground, and the aftermath. He’d like the violence to stop and has filed a lawsuit against the federal government for violation of his constitutional rights and negligence. “It could easily have been me. The only difference is that the officers doing everything to me weren’t as trigger happy,” Retes said. The State of the Union is scheduled for 9 p.m. EST Tuesday and is expected to air live on all major networks as well as streaming on news sites, C-SPAN and YouTube.

On February 25, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Pung v. Isabella County, the latest legal challenge to the practice of home equity theft to reach the high court.  Pacific Legal Foundation’s fight to end home equity theft began in 2015 and has already included a victory at the U.S. Supreme Court. But the Pung case presents a question that the Court has not yet answered, opening a new path to vindicating homeowners’ rights.  What is home equity theft?  Home equity theft occurs when local governments or private lienholders seize a property for tax debt, sell it, and retain all proceeds, including the homeowner’s equity, which often far exceeds the actual tax debt owed. Although both the Constitution and Supreme Court precedent prohibit the government from taking more than it is owed in unpaid taxes, many local governments use opaque, convoluted processes to turn a hefty profit.  Rafaeli: The first victory   In 2014, Oakland County seized Uri Rafaeli’s house over a rounding error. When Uri Rafaeli miscalculated the interest on his property taxes and underpaid by a mere $8.41, the County foreclosed the property, sold it for more than $24,000, and pocketed the entire sum.  Uri partnered with Pacific Legal Foundation to challenge the theft, and in 2020, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled unanimously in his favor. The court held that it is unconstitutional for the government to take more than it’s owed.  Michigan’s reply  In December 2020, the Michigan Legislature responded with a strict new claims process for former owners who aim to recover their surplus equity. Under the revised law, homeowners must exactly adhere to the following constraints—and any mistake in the form or timing can void their claim entirely:  Submit a notarized claim form by July 1—before tax auctions even occur between August and October.  Deliver the form in person or by certified mail with return-receipt requested. No other delivery method, including even priority mail, will be accepted.  File an additional, duplicative court motion to pursue the surplus, if the government accepts your notarized claim form.  Appear in court.  Secure a favorable judgment confirming your right to the equity.   Pay the government a 5% “sales commission” out of the surplus proceeds sought by the owner.   Unsurprisingly, few homeowners are able to successfully navigate the labyrinthine process. Between Uri’s victory in 2020 and the next major ruling in 2023, the State of Michigan foreclosed about 19,000 properties and seized over $125 million in surplus equity. Homeowners were only able to recover $26 million.  Tyler: The Supreme Court ruling  In 2023, protections for homeowners’ rights were nationally recognized in Tyler v. Hennepin County when the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of Geraldine Tyler. The 94-year-old filed a lawsuit after the government seized her Minneapolis condo and kept the entire sale proceeds—over $25,000 more than she owed in taxes.  The Supreme Court’s ruling found that home equity theft violates the Takings Clause of the Constitution. Chief Justice Roberts summarized, “The taxpayer must render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, but no more.”  Shadow equity theft continues in Michigan  Following the Tyler decision, 19 states enacted reforms to protect homeowners from this abusive practice. But despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, five states—including Michigan—continue to engage in home equity theft through subtler practices. A recent research report details how these states confiscate homeowners’ equity, and how few homeowners successfully challenge the process to reclaim what the government has stolen.  Pung: A new question for the Court  When the government forecloses your property to collect a tax debt, it owes you just compensation for the value of the property exceeding that debt. But who decides the value of the property? That question is before the Court in Pung v. Isabella County.  The Pungs’ family home (owned by the Estate of Timothy Scott Pung) was seized and sold after a local government official retroactively denied a tax exemption and claimed that the family owed a supplemental $1,600 property tax. Because Pung disputed the denial, he didn’t pay the supplemental tax while state court litigation was ongoing. Isabella County foreclosed on and sold the home in a fire-sale auction for $76,000 and kept the entire sum.  The family sued in federal court. The court, applying Rafaeli, ordered the County to return the surplus proceeds to satisfy the Constitution’s Takings Clause.  But the Pungs argue that the County owes more than just the $74,000 it already took by selling their home at the depressed auction price. It also owes them the difference between their disputed tax debt and the property’s actual value, which the county itself conceded is about $194,000. The Pungs also argue that the County’s retention and wasting of the equity constitutes a fine that is grossly disproportionate to the family’s alleged offense—not paying what they were wrongly charged—and that this constitutes an excessive fine under the Eighth Amendment.  The Pungs’ lawsuit asks the U.S. Supreme Court to hold Isabella County accountable for destroying $118,000 in equity to deter nonpayment, or punish a protest over, a tax bill that was never owed.  If the Court rules in the Pungs’ favor, the victory will improve the remedy for victims of home equity theft. The ruling would empower former homeowners to claim just compensation from local governments, potentially reducing the number of homeowners bearing the burden of sacrificial auctions over small debts.  The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on February 25.  The post The evolution of home equity theft: from Rafaeli to Pung appeared first on Pacific Legal Foundation.

Quick question: What was the most popular movie of 2025? If you take a look at the year’s box-office grosses, you might say Ne Zha 2 or A Minecraft Movie, but don’t be fooled. KPop Demon Hunters leaves Ne Zha and Minecraft in its glittery dust. As of January, KPop Demon Hunters has been viewed a staggering 540 million times, according to Netflix. The surprise Netflix hit was more than a movie: It was a flat-out phenomenon. Its soundtrack landed four songs in Billboard’s top 10 simultaneously. “KPop Demon Hunters” was one of Google’s top trending searches of 2025, lagging only behind “Charlie Kirk.” The movie even dominated Halloween: The top five most-searched-for costumes in 2025 were all based on characters from KPop Demon Hunters. But not all was golden. We heard from plenty of readers who felt the film was problematic. The movie is based in Korean mythology, after all, and some parents pointed out that it takes more than a trio of pop stars to truly fight demonic influences: It takes Jesus. We totally get that. And yet, Plugged In still included KPop Demon Hunters in our own list of nominees for Best Movies for Teens. What gives? Kennedy Unthank and I had a chance to do a deep dive into KPop Demon Hunters—the good, the bad and the surprisingly resonant messages it contains. And while we completely understand why some parents might be wary of the film, we explore why many Christians have embraced it, too. So sit back, crack open a soda pop and listen to Kennedy and me dig into 2025’s biggest film. And once you’re done watching, let us know what you think below and on YouTube. The post KPop Demon Hunters – Plugged In Rewind appeared first on Plugged In.

SCRUBS is back on ABC, and the reboot's premiere, “My Return,” drops viewers back into the antics of Sacred Heart Hospital.

Milo Ventimiglia’s role in I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2’s shaped him as a man, friend and father. Once he read the script...

We're reaching the exit after "Life In The Fast Lane."