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Bishop Robert Barron’s evangelical powerhouse combines classic stories with truly unmatched aesthetics. What is a tongue-stone? Well, it’s just that: a triangular stone that looks an awful lot like a tongue, found in the high inland places of Europe since at least the Middle Ages. Their origin was mysterious until the 17th century, when a young scientist by the name of Nicholas Steno made a bold hypothesis. He proposed that tongue-stones bore a strong resemblance to shark teeth. In fact, he believed, they were fossils. This observation, and the principles Steno derived from it, laid the foundation for modern geology. But still, Steno’s greater calling lay ahead of him. This is the tale of “The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones” by Thomas Salerno. The prose is simple and accessible, and the intricate illustrations recall a Renaissance scientist’s notebook. The words of the book tell an impressive story, but so do its details, colors, and textures. This is no surprise coming from Word on Fire, a publishing company founded by noted digital evangelist Bishop Robert Barron. The Catholic company focuses on adults, printing beautiful annotated Bibles, scriptural commentaries, and philosophical texts. But Word on Fire Votive, the company’s children’s imprint, is equally as impressive, making the lives of saints accessible to children young and old. Studying the lives of holy people has been a part of Catholic practice for two millennia, and Word on Fire continues the tradition in fine style. One of Word on Fire’s catchphrases is “lead with beauty.” And boy howdy, did the editorial team get the message. Aesthetically, these books are stunning. The textures and construction of the books themselves have clearly been thought through. Each one is an act of thoughtful preparation. Photo credit Mark Guiney “Princesses of Heaven,” written and illustrated by the talented Fabiola Garza, features the lives of French soldier Joan of Arc, emancipated slave Josephine Bakhita, and more. The design is unapologetically feminine and stunningly done. Photo credit Mark Guiney “Saintly Creatures,” written by Alexei Sargent and illustrated by Anita Barghigiani, tells the story of saints through the animals (wolves, bees, ravens, and others) that befriended them. Photo used with permission Written by Cory Heimann, “The Light of the Saints” is a charming rhyming book elevated by the simple elegance of Tricia Dugat’s illustrations. Each page reveals a secret when a flashlight is shone through it from behind, making it a bedtime favorite. For authors, creatives, and parents, The Votive Podcast, hosted by editor Haley Stewart, provides a deeper dive on the mission of these books. The podcast offers “an exploration of art and literature that sparks the imagination,” featuring Votive authors, illustrators, public intellectuals, and parents. A recent episode features “The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones” author Thomas Salerno, who describes how to cultivate faith in science-minded children. The book is worth a read, and the podcast is worth a listen. This review is part of a series highlighting emerging young adult and children’s literature for conservative families. If you have a work or publisher to recommend, please contact the author at mark.guiney@heritage.org.  Disclaimer: The author served as an editor on the The Light of the Saints prior to its publication with Word on Fire. No compensation has been received for this review. The post Faithful Children’s Books Shine with Word of Fire Votive appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar had a strange and outright inappropriate reaction to Wednesday's tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis that left two children dead and several others wounded. Omar was on the scene after the shooting along with several other onlookers and emergency service personnel. The information...

Things got heated during the Mexican Senate’s recent public session. A recent video that has gone viral on X shows two Mexican Senate leaders pushing each other, eventually leading to punches being thrown. Watch the throwdown here: Mexico’s senate erupted into violence with punches, pushing and shouting after an opposition party leader grabbed the chamber’s president as the session was wrapping up https://t.co/9MLUQjnfwP pic.twitter.com/FMEIZbwR7a — Reuters (@Reuters) August 28, 2025 BNO provided background details of the fight: A brawl erupted in Mexico’s Senate when the chamber’s president and the leader of the opposition exchanged shoves and a punch during a public session. The fight broke out Wednesday between Senate President Gerardo Fernández Noroña of the ruling Morena party and Alejandro Moreno Cárdenas, leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Video of the incident shows senators singing Mexico’s national anthem at the presiding area. As the anthem ended, Moreno, widely known as “Alito,” tried to get Noroña’s attention. When a woman attempted to lead Noroña away, Moreno grabbed his arm, leading Noroña to push back. Moreno then shoved him several times and threw a punch. A staffer who tried to intervene was pushed by Moreno and fell to the ground, and as Noroña moved to leave the chamber, another legislator grabbed him by the collar and attempted to hit him. The confrontation ended with Noroña walking out after more shoving and heated words. According to Milenio, the clash began after PRI members repeatedly requested the floor during the session but were denied by Noroña in his role as presiding officer. As the anthem concluded, Moreno approached the podium and began arguing with him, leading to the physical altercation. Moreno, 50, has led the PRI since 2019. The PRI dominated Mexican politics for most of the 20th century but has been reduced to a weakened opposition in recent years. Under Moreno’s leadership, the party has continued to lose influence and now holds only a small share of seats in Congress. Noroña, 65, is a leftist politician and member of Morena, the populist movement founded by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. He became Senate president earlier this year after Morena and its allies expanded their congressional majority in the 2024 elections and Claudia Sheinbaum won the presidency. Another angle of the fight: ¡Hay tiro! Como ring de box agarraron la Cámara del Senado de #México los senadores Gerardo Fernández Noroña y Alejandro ‘Alito’ Moreno tras una acalorada discusión. pic.twitter.com/DfimoIoBEM — Luis Alberto Díaz y Los Noticieristas (@noticieristas) August 27, 2025 Things get heated at the U.S. Capitol, but not this heated!

This is a common theme that happens way too often. A Chinese doctor was caught at an airport attempting to steal confidential cancer research, allegedly. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agents inspected the Chinese doctor who worked at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. After a search, they discovered the doctor had sensitive cancer research. Fox News reported more on Li’s alleged crime and why the damage is already done: A Chinese doctor was busted in Texas for allegedly trying to smuggle cancer-related research back to China. Yunhai Li – a 35-year-old employed by the MD Anderson Cancer Center since 2022 – was confronted at an airport by officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection on July 9, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. The office said the authorities working in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations “found evidence Li was attempting to take sensitive medical information abroad during an inspection of his belongings.” “We were able to detain him as he was trying to get on a flight to China,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told Fox26 Houston. “That intellectual property stays with us, so we can save lives.” Li was charged with theft of trade secrets and tampering with a government record. The theft charge carries a penalty of two to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The Attorney’s Office said Li was staying in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant research scholar exchange visa provided by the State Department. The research he was working on was funded through the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, it added. Court documents viewed by Fox26Houston said Li uploaded sensitive data to his personal Google Drive account while working for MD Anderson, and when the institution found out about it and confronted him, he deleted the files. However, the documents added that Li also uploaded the data to a file-hosting service based on a Chinese server.   NEW – Chinese University of Texas research student, Yunhai Li, charged for espionage, theft of trade secrets. pic.twitter.com/hGnOXlEmkh — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) August 26, 2025 A Chinese national and former research student at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Yunhai Li [Center], faces charges of espionage and theft of trade secrets. Li allegedly downloaded ~90 gigabytes of sensitive research data, funded by the National… pic.twitter.com/01eIH6YBZp — Vanguard Intel Group (@vanguardintel) August 26, 2025 This isn’t the first time a Chinese National has attempted to steal U.S. research. In July, the Associated Press reported another Chinese National was arrested for stealing research: A Chinese national has been arrested on suspicion of hacking into several U.S. universities’ computer systems to steal COVID-19-related research, authorities announced on Tuesday. Xu Zewei is charged in a nine-count indictment in the Southern District of Texas for his alleged involvement in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021. Another Chinese national, Zhang Yu, was also charged in the indictment. Xu was arrested on Thursday in Italy and is awaiting extradition to the U.S. Authorities said Zhang remains at large. Xu and others are accused of targeting and hacking several U.S.-based universities, immunologists, and virologists conducting research into COVID‑19 vaccines, treatment and testing, according to court documents. “The hacking of these American universities is not just a violation of intellectual property rights. It’s an attack on American scientific innovation,” Nicholas J. Ganjei, the Houston-based U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said at a news conference. President Trump may want to rethink giving Chinese students 600,000 student visas: NEW: Trump says U.S. will now allow 600,000 Chinese students. In 2022 there were 290k Chinese students. In 2023 there were 277k Chinese students. HOW DOES DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF CHINESE STUDENTS PUT AMERICA FIRST? pic.twitter.com/aLEgy82G6R — Publius (@OcrazioCornPop) August 26, 2025

What happened today at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis was a horrific tragedy. I’m sure you’ve heard about the identity of the shooter by now, but in case you haven’t, the gunman was a mentally-ill, transgender man named Robin Westman. Before gunning down several children at the school, Westman posted a series of disturbing social media videos. Some of them showed his guns and magazines, on which he scrawled messages — including “Kill Donald Trump.” However, ABC News’ coverage of that message is highly questionable, to say the least. In fact, in an apparent attempt to paint Westman as a Trump supporter, ABC News refused to say the exact message. Instead, correspondent Aaron Katersky vaguely referenced that “President Trump’s name” was written on the gun… Watch this for yourself: BREAKING – ABC News, reporting on the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting, decided to mention that President Trump’s name was written on some of the suspects weapons without providing context, making it appear to viewers as if he were a supporter of the President. pic.twitter.com/Rs24ZP1pSw — Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) August 27, 2025 Absolutely ridiculous. What a pathetic, shameless attempt at manipulating the truth — and, the truth was, Robin Westman hated President Trump. He also hated Christians, as well as Jews. He was a deranged transgender monster who succumbed to mental illness — or, possibly something far worse and evil. While a lot of the focus from Westman’s scribblings is on his manifesto, this drawing, which reveals potential demonic possession, has been severely overlooked: This is more than mental illness,this is demonic possession. – “Кто?” = “Who?” – “Когда это закончится?” = “When will this end?” – “Помоги мне!” = “Help me!” – “Я не хочу.” = “I don’t want to.” – “Помоги” = “Help” – “Убей себя убей” = “Kill yourself kill” pic.twitter.com/1aWLBsu8yH — Harrison Krank (@HarrisonKrank) August 27, 2025 The mainstream media definitely won’t report on that. Meanwhile, the police are declining to reveal any motive this deranged, demonic shooter may have had. Per Fox News: Minneapolis police have confirmed the shooter who opened fire and killed two children while injuring 17 others from a Catholic school attending Mass at a nearby church had a manifesto, though the details about the video timed to be released on YouTube are sparse. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the manifesto appeared to show the shooter at the scene as well as “some disturbing writings.” “That content has since been taken down with the assistance of the FBI, and it now remains under active review by our investigators,” the chief said. When asked about the shooter’s relationship to the church or school, as well as a motive, O’Hara said he did not have any information to share. “I have no information to share on a motive other than saying, again, that there was some sort of manifesto that was timed to come out on YouTube,” he said. “It’s been taken down and our investigators are going through that to try and develop a motive from that.” He added that search warrants are being executed at three different residential locations, as well, to hopefully find more information and give investigators more insight into a motive.

In the wake of yet another school shooting carried out by a deranged, mentally-ill transgender, Jesse Watters just delivered perhaps his most powerful opening monologue ever. In about 5 minutes, he brilliantly and passionately exposed the transgender violence epidemic, fueled by Democrat leaders, that’s happening in our nation. And, he was absolutely spot-on. You have to watch this: VERY IMPORTANT: Everybody stop what you’re doing and watch this. Jesse Watters just delivered his most important and powerful monologue ever. He blew the lid off the trans violence epidemic, the media’s cover-up, and how Democratic leaders created it: “The media is bad at… pic.twitter.com/rblfklypKQ — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 28, 2025 VERY IMPORTANT: Everybody stop what you’re doing and watch this. Jesse Watters just delivered his most important and powerful monologue ever. He blew the lid off the trans violence epidemic, the media’s cover-up, and how Democratic leaders created it: “The media is bad at pattern recognition. Just two years ago another trans 20-something walked into a Christian school in Nashville with a rifle and shot 3 kids and 3 adults. They buried the manifesto and locked down the case.” “We’ve seen trans shootings in Colorado and in Maryland. They even shot up an ice facility in Texas. And it seems like half of Antifa is trans. A couple of they/thems just got popped for firebombing Teslas.” “Statistically, the trans population has been prone to violence. That’s not villainizing, that’s reality.” “The left is weaponizing trans kids and turning them into culture warriors. And they’ve been turned loose against the church, schools, and Trump. The trans clan has a militant wing, and it’s out for blood. They’re taking lives, defiling churches, and freaking everybody out.” “Tim Walz failed. Our leaders keep failing us. They failed us. Now there’s a growing trans epidemic and they won’t admit it. They created a crisis and then lie about it and blame you for not being compassionate. But their fake compassion is getting people killed.” I agree with every word. Thank you, Jesse Watters, for telling the truth about what’s happening in America right now. For exposing the horrific consequences of “affirming” rather than treating mental illness. For some additional context, keep in mind that the transgender gunman who murdered and injured many children today was in Tim Walz’s “trans refuge” state of Minnesota. That basically means that people who are deluded into thinking they are the wrong gender have free access to “gender-affirming” care in his state, regardless of age. And, yet, Walz, the MSM, and other Democrat leaders are staying totally quiet about that part. In fact, the New York Times (which is now referring to the biological male gunman as a “she”) claims to have zero idea about what could possibly drive him to the act: The person who the police say opened fire on a Catholic school in Minneapolis on Wednesday appears to have known the school well. Robin W. Westman, who officials said strafed the church through the stained glass windows, killing two children, was believed to have once attended the school at Annunciation Catholic Church, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. Her mother, Mary Grace Westman, worked in the business office of the church for five years before retiring in 2021. And in a video posted on social media, the suspect showed a hand-drawn rendering of the Annunciation interior. And Ms. Westman, armed with three weapons, seemed to choose the time carefully. She barricaded the doors during the first all-school Mass of the academic year, the police said. But it is hard to fathom what drove Ms. Westman to attack before killing herself, despite the dark and violent writings and videos she left behind. The attack killed an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old in the pews and injured 17 others, according to the Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara. The three weapons were purchased legally, police officials said. Give me a break. This has gone way too far. It’s time to start treating the “trans” sickness as what it is — a mental illness. pic.twitter.com/uvMCTPTGL3 — Allison Mahone (@Mahone3Allison) August 28, 2025 What are your thoughts on all this?