Head anywhere in the Southern United States, and you are likely to hear one distinct word: “y’all.” “Y’all,” which combines the words “you” and “all,” may be predominantly used in the South—but not for long. Paul E. Reed, a linguist at the University of Alabama who studies Southern American English and Appalachian English, told NPR in 2025 that “it’s expanded much more outside of the South” thanks to Americans under 40. (Add it to the list of Gen Z slang.) How “y’all” entered the English vernacular is a fascinating tale. Linguist Danny Hieber, PhD, explained the origin story of “y’all” to his TikTok followers—and it stems from a surprising language. @linguisticdiscovery What do all y’all think about “y’all”? @Landon If you enjoyed this video, you’ll love the Linguistic Discovery newsletter! Deep dives into how language works, language profiles, explainers of terms/concepts in linguistics, reviews, and more! LinguisticDiscovery.com/newsletter (Also available on Substack or Patreon.) #yall #yalldve #South #Southern #English #dialects #grammar #pronouns #linguistics #language#French#LingTok#LearnOnTikTok ♬ original sound – Linguistic Discovery – Danny Hieber, PhD A linguist explains the ‘y’all’ backstory According to Hieber, present-day English doesn’t have a plural form of the word “you” like other languages. In Old English, there were three forms of “you”: Thou (subject) Thee (object) Thine (possessive) Hieber goes on to explain that “you” became singular thanks to French. In French, “you” translated to: Tu (singular) Vous (plural + polite) “After the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, French had a huge influence on English,” he said. “So English speakers started borrowing that pattern into English and used ‘you’ to politely address one person.” He added that over time, this became the default way to address a single person. Along those same lines, the word “be” also followed suit. “It used to be that the verb ‘be’ was conjugated like this,” explained Hieber, with the plural use becoming “are.” “That singular verb got pulled along into the singular too, and now the conjugation of ‘be’ looks like this:” I am / we are Thou art / you are He, she, it is / they are However, it created a “gap,” and “English speakers have been trying to settle on a ‘you [plural]’ ever since,” said Hieber. Enter: y’all. @genteelandbard Where and how did the word “Y’all” begin in the southern United States? #genteelandbard #savannah #storytime #historytok #southerncharm ♬ Natural Emotions – Muspace Lofi The history of ‘y’all’ in the South There are many theories as to how y’all infiltrated American English in the 1700s, per NPR. One theory states that it has British origins, where the words “ye” and “aw” were combined and used in the British Isles. From there, Scots-Irish immigrants brought it to Appalachia in the U.S. The other theory is that it originated in West Africa, and when enslaved people were brought from there to the South, it began to spread. After the Great Migration, Black Americans brought the term north with them, expanding its use. However, the term “you guys” is still commonly used in most Northern states. There are also many regional variations throughout the country, including “yinz” (used in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) and “youse” (used in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Americans respond Viewers had lots of opinions on Hieber’s video, including how different regions have termed the plural form of “you”—and their thoughts on y’all: “Sorry… y’all is singular all y’all is plural.” “In the upper Ohio Valley, we also say things like, ‘All yinz guys,’ a sort of amalgamation of Pittsburgh’s ‘yinz’ (we’re an hour away), and the Midwest ‘you guys.'” “From CA but living in the south..I just cannot bring myself to say y’all..feels so unnatural.” “Washington born and y’all made it into my vocab.” The post A linguist from Alabama explains the surprising origin story of the Southern word ‘y’all’ appeared first on Upworthy.

No chance to slow down. The post Too fast, too free: How Sammy Hagar wrote America’s anthem of defiance amid the oil crisis first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Traditional Christianity (Orthodoxy & Catholicism) understands Christianity to be the new Israel and the church and Jesus Christ to be the temple - nullifying any religious significance to a Jewish Third Temple.

For the first time since WWII, a U.S. Navy submarine sunk an enemy vessel by a torpedo strike. “In the Indian Ocean, an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said. “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II,” he added. Watch below: For the first time since World War II, a U.S. torpedo has sunk a ship. The Pentagon released footage of a submarine strike on an Iranian warship, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. is “accelerating” its war against Iran — calling it a “quiet death.” pic.twitter.com/fwqhJVL4Xo — TIME (@TIME) March 4, 2026 The Iranian warship, the IRIS Dena, reportedly had just departed Indian waters after participating in a multinational naval exercise hosted by New Delhi. Sri Lanka’s navy recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 survivors from the incident. About 10 sailors reportedly remain unaccounted for. Military.com explained further: A second Iranian vessel entered Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone in the aftermath of the sinking, though officials have not identified the ship or explained its presence. Exercise MILAN is India’s flagship biennial multilateral naval drill, designed to foster maritime cooperation among participating nations. The 13th edition ran concurrently with the International Fleet Review 2026 in Visakhapatnam from Feb. 15-25, drawing representatives from 74 countries and 18 foreign warships. Iranian Navy Rear Adm. Shahram Irani attended and held talks with India’s chief of naval staff. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh presided over the opening ceremony under the event’s theme, “United Through Oceans.” The IRIS Dena represented Iran in both events. She sailed out of Visakhapatnam when MILAN concluded Feb. 25 and was heading home to Iran when a U.S. fast-attack submarine fired a single Mark 48 torpedo into her hull March 4, in international waters roughly 25 miles south of Sri Lanka. The U.S. Navy sent no surface warship to MILAN. Its only official presence was a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from Patrol Squadron 4. The guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney had been slated to attend but was diverted to Singapore on Feb. 15 before the exercise began, for reasons the Navy has not publicly disclosed. Three days after MILAN ended, the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury. The IRIS Dena was still in transit at the time. The incident has reportedly ignited a political controversy in India, with no public response from its government. “The Iranian ship will not be where it was if we had not invited it to talk part in our Milan exercise. We were the hosts. I am told that as per protocol for this exercise ships cannot carry any ammunition. It was defenceless. The Iranian naval personnel had paraded before our president. The attack by the US submarine was premeditated as the US was aware of the Iranian ship’s presence in the exercise to which the US navy was invited but withdrew from participation at the last minute, presumably with this operation in mind,” former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal said. “The US has ignored India’s sensitivities as the ship was in these waters because of India’s invitation. We are far from politically or militarily responsible for the US attack. Our ‘responsibility’ is at a moral and human plane. A word of condolence by the Indian Navy ( after political clearance) at the loss of lives of those who were our invitees and saluted our president would be in order,” he continued. The Iranian ship will not be where it was if we had not invited it to talk part in our Milan exercise. We were the hosts. I am told that as per protocol for this exercise ships cannot carry any ammunition. It was defenceless. The Iranian naval personnel had paraded before… https://t.co/3r8bWFJn8d — Kanwal Sibal (@KanwalSibal) March 5, 2026 More from the Associated Press: Sri Lanka’s navy said it had responded to a distress signal from the IRIS Dena, but by the time it reached the location, there was no sign of the ship, just patches of oil and sailors floating in the water. The rescued mariners were taken to a hospital in the town of Galle, on Sri Lanka’s southern coast. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the sinking illustrates the U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran is stretching beyond its borders and described the IRIS Dena as a “prize ship.” U.S. President Donald Trump has said one of the key objectives of the war is to wipe out Iran’s navy. A video released by the U.S. Department of Defense on X showed the moment of the torpedo attack. The Iranian ship appears to be hit by an underwater explosion that causes it to break apart, as a large plume of water rises up in the air. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. Navy of committing an “an atrocity at sea” in sinking the frigate and said on social media on Thursday that the United States “will come to bitterly regret” the attack. Araghchi said the IRIS Dena had been carrying “almost 130” crew. India’s navy and defense ministry said the Iranian warship had participated in the International Fleet Review and the multilateral naval exercise MILAN 2026, organized by the Indian navy in the port of Visakhapatnam from Feb. 15 to Feb. 25. The ministry said 74 countries had joined the events. The Iranian warship was seen sailing at sea during the exercises in a Feb. 17 post on X by the Indian navy. Another image showed several of its crew members posing on deck with the Iranian flag in the background. Araghchi stressed that the frigate had been “a guest” of India’s navy. The Indian government has not yet publicly commented on the incident.

Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces on Tuesday launched operations against “Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador,” U.S. Southern Command announced. “The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism,” U.S. Southern Command stated. “Together, we are taking decisive action to confront narco-terrorists who have long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere,” it added. “We commend the men and women of the Ecuadorian armed forces for their unwavering commitment to this fight, demonstrating courage and resolve through continued actions against narco-terrorists in their country,” said Marine Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command. On March 3, Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces launched operations against Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador. The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism. Together,… pic.twitter.com/MrkKZcrDbs — U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) March 4, 2026 POLITICO shared further: Since President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. has taken aggressive steps to curb the flow of drugs from the Southern hemisphere. The administration has conducted about 45 strikes against suspected smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, killing more than 150 people. In January, U.S. military forces executed a raid in Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro and take him to New York to face charges that include drug trafficking. Security in Ecuador has deteriorated in recent years. The Andean nation has become a major hub for cocaine trafficking. The situation took a dramatic turn in January 2024, when gangs stormed a TV station, taking staff hostage during a live broadcast and launched a wave of violence that prompted President Daniel Noboa to declare a state of emergency. Since then, the government has been engaged in a low-level internal armed conflict with the gangs as it tries to stabilize the nation. Noboa has courted the Trump administration over the past year in the hopes of securing assistance. He came to Washington for Trump’s second inauguration and Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Ecuador in September, and told reporters that the U.S. would “blow up” criminal groups if needed. Last November, Ecuadorians rejected a referendum to allow foreign military bases in the country. Ecuador President Daniel Noboa is allowing Trump to deploy US troops in his country even though his proposal to allow US military bases in Ecuador was resoundingly defeated by Ecuadorians in a referendum last November. https://t.co/vnUvMMrE78 — Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) March 5, 2026 NPR reported last November: The proposal was heavily backed by Noboa as a crucial step to confront drug traffickers and violent gangs. Homicide rates in some Ecuadorian cities are amongst the world’s highest, as local gangs, backed by international trafficking cartels fight for territory. The president says roughly 70% of global cocaine flows through the country. Even so, voters decisively opposed the plan. Voters also rejected measures to cut public funding for political parties, create a constitutional assembly to rewrite the country’s constitution and reduce the size of Congress. For many, the vote was a referendum on Noboa’s leadership. Rosita Guichimillo, a 48-year-old Quito homemaker, said she feared the constitutional revisions would place too much power in the president’s hands. “If he rewrites the constitution, he’ll do it to serve himself … and ruin the country even more,” Guichimillo said as she voted in the Ecuadorian capital under light showers. Ecuador has been battered by a surge in gang violence as criminal groups aligned with international cartels fight for control of trafficking routes. Coastal communities have been hit particularly hard, with struggling fishermen often coerced or recruited with promises of quick cash. “Ecuador sits on basically a river of cocaine,” said Adam Isacson, director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, according to USA TODAY. Ecuadorian forces sank a "narco sub" near its northern border as the nation works with the United States military to crack down on organized crime in the country. https://t.co/NLIke0aMf8 — CBS News (@CBSNews) March 5, 2026 USA TODAY noted: The country also has rampant corruption, Isacson said, which has allowed organized crime to flourish. Since taking office in 2023, Noboa has taken a hardline approach to fight crime, similar to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, another right-wing Trump ally who has overseen drops in crime with aggressive crackdowns that have suspended democratic and judicial norms in El Salvador. However, while Noboa has also been accused of human rights abuses, crime in Ecuador has continued to rise. Farah said militarized approaches to Latin American drug cartels can yield short-term gains. But, he added, drug traffickers typically seek to influence government rather than fight it, resulting in entrenched corruption in military ranks.

President Trump is pressing Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so he can focus on the war against Iran. “Every day I talk to Bibi about the war. I want him to focus on the war and not on the f***ing court case. I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the fighting against Iran,” Trump said in a phone interview, according to Axios. President Trump is urging Israeli President Herzog to pardon Netanyahu so that the Prime Minister can focus on bombing Iran. “Every day I talk to Bibi about the war. I want him to focus on the war and not on the f*cking court case. I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the… pic.twitter.com/2HgQdffLkQ — AF Post (@AFpost) March 5, 2026 Axios shared further: Trump has been pushing for a Netanyahu pardon since last June, arguing that his trial on corruption charges — ongoing since 2020 — is a “witch hunt” akin to the U.S. president’s own legal troubles. But Thursday’s comments — which Trump raised himself, unprompted — marked a dramatic escalation and direct intervention in Israel’s legal system at a moment of active war. “The president … should give Bibi the pardon today. I don’t want anything on Bibi’s mind other than fighting against Iran,” Trump told Axios. Trump claimed Herzog promised him five times over the past year that he would grant the pardon and never followed through. “He told me he would give it to him. But he has held it over Bibi’s head for a year.” “Tell him I am exposing him. That president better d*** well give him the pardon right now — and stop using it as leverage for his own political career,” he said. A senior Israeli official pushed back on Trump’s account, saying Herzog never promised a pardon. Trump previously said Herzog “should be ashamed of himself.” Footage below: JUST IN: Trump says the Israeli Preaident should be ashamed of himself for not giving Netanyahu a pardon pic.twitter.com/nHNApksg3L — Megatron (@Megatron_ron) February 12, 2026 More from The Times of Israel: Trump also asked Herzog to pardon Netanyahu when addressing the Knesset in October. There, the US president said, in reference to the gifts Netanyahu allegedly illicitly received, “Who cares about cigars and champagne?” In response to Trump’s comments on Thursday, the President’s Residence issued a statement praising the US president, but stressing Herzog’s prerogative to decide for himself on whether to grant Netanyahu a pardon. “President Herzog greatly respects and appreciates the tremendous contribution of Donald Trump to Israel’s security. He views him as the leader of the free world, a central ally of Israel, and particularly values his firm stance against Iran,” the statement said. Herzog’s office noted that Israel “is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law,” and as such, the pardon request is currently being dealt with by the Justice Ministry, which will offer its legal opinion, as per the law. “After the process is completed, the president will examine the request according to the law, the good of the country, and according to his conscience, without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind,” his office added.

Political cartoonist, A.F. Branco, gives a presentation at Hillsdale College on his cartoons related to Journalism and American democracy. February 3, 2026. BRANCO TOON STORE Hillsdale College Holds Center for Constructive Alternatives Seminar on Journalism and American Democracy HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College hosted its third Center for Constructive Alternatives seminar of the 2025-2026 academic year Feb. 1-4. The seminar, titled “Journalism and American Democracy,” explored the purpose and importance of a free press, standards of honest journalism, and recent changes in the delivery of news and opinion. Thomas G. West, professor of politics at Hillsdale College, spoke on “The Importance and Meaning of a Free Press.” “The future of press freedom depends on whether the victories won by Musk and Trump can be consolidated,” West said. “The problem for us goes deeper than mere partisanship. There is a serious view of justice held by the liberals — or as they prefer to call it ‘social justice.’ This view is what makes them so confident that their restrictions on publications outside the liberal consensus are worthy and necessary.”… READ MORE   DONATE to A.F. Branco Cartoons – Tips appreciated – $5.00, $10.00, $20.00 – It all helps to fund this website and keep the cartoons coming. Also, Venmo @AFBranco – THANK YOU! A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions (art and politics) and translated them into cartoons that have been popular all over the country in various news outlets, including NewsMax, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as Rep. Devin Nunes, Dinesh D’Souza, James Woods, Chris Salcedo, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, Rush Limbaugh, Elon Musk, and President Trump.

In a legal standoff between the judiciary and the White House, a federal trade judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately stop assessing emergency tariffs on millions of imported goods and begin the process of refunding billions of dollars to U.S. importers.