America’s electricity debate is drifting toward a dangerous simplification: that if prices rise or investment lags, the culprit must be “the market,” and the cure must be a return to monopoly-style control. Big public utilities want back in the generation game in this new world of AI-fueled load growth, but...

Germany passed a law requiring German men aged 17 to 45, 26% of the population, to obtain explicit written permission from the government before leaving the country for more than 3 months. It’s a step before conscription. Mr. Prochnow notes that the East Germans under Russian rule were not allowed to leave the country and travel abroad. It was even worse than that. I knew people in East Germany who had to get permission to leave their sector. There is a concern that this situation is reminiscent of past events. The author of the post below said it is a significant structural change, adding that two of the most brutal dictatorships took over Germany because the population learned to be obedient. “It fits into a broader pattern of ever-expanding state control in Germany. Increased surveillance, tighter regulation, pressure on free expression, broad censorship, and increasing interventions in areas once considered private are no longer isolated trends. They are becoming the norm in a country that was once known as the land of poets and thinkers. Goethe, Schiller, and Kant would turn in their graves if they could witness the steady decline of fundamental freedoms. “Equally striking is the lack of resistance among generally obedient Germans. Measures that in other countries, such as the U.S., would trigger massive public debate and widespread opposition are met in Germany with submissive silence. A society with a deeply ingrained Untertan mentality accepts such encroachments without protest and, in doing so, lowers its own threshold for further restrictions, effectively inviting the state to become even more authoritarian,” Porchnow writes. I’m not so sure it would stir that much resistance in the U.S.. The U.S. caved during the pandemic. Porchnow continues: “Once established, such measures tend to persist and expand. This was also evident during the COVID period, when Germany built a police-state-like system of control and suppression that it never fully dismantled afterward. Germany itself has experienced this even more dramatically before. Over the past century, two of history’s most brutal dictatorships were able to seize power in Germany because the population remained obedient and refused to resist early enough.” He said Germany has never successfully resisted authoritarianism and that this crosses a line. Germany is moving in a direction that should concern anyone who values individual liberty. A new law requires German men between 17 and 45 years old, nearly ten million people or about 26 percent of the population, to obtain explicit written permission from the government before… pic.twitter.com/MYgFk42Y2F — Torsten Prochnow (@TorstenProchnow) April 4, 2026 The Telegraph explains: “The government has introduced a new military service scheme this year that stops short of conscription but requires men born from 2008 onwards to take a medical exam and fill in a survey about their fitness for service. It has emerged that a clause in the law also requires men aged between 17 and 45 to obtain a permit from the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, before leaving the country for extended periods.” The post German Men 17-45 Must Get Permission to Leave the Country for More Than 3 Months appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sparked a wave of backlash when he responded to the shooting death of seven-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore, blaming her death on gun violence rather than the criminal who opened fire in his city in broad daylight. “Earlier today a seven-month-old baby was shot and killed,” he said. “A life that had barely begun was taken in an instant.” WATCH: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the fatal shooting of a baby in Brooklyn by a stray bullet a “devastating reminder” of the work that remains to be done to combat gun violence. https://t.co/fCUKHY42Hj pic.twitter.com/S6aePIpg6K — ABC News (@ABC) April 2, 2026 “This is not our first family to know this pain,” Mamdani said. “Too many children have never grown up into becoming adults. Too many parents have had to bury those they love most. We cannot accept this as normal in our city. We cannot grow numb to this pain, and today is a devastating reminder of just how much more work there is to be done to combat gun violence across the city.” New York City Councilwoman Vicki Paladino criticized Mamdani for laying the blame on guns rather than the criminals who fired them, saying in an X post, “Literally anything but blaming the criminals who our system releases onto our streets repeatedly, over and over again, with no consequences. Absolute disgrace.” Media Research Center Managing Editor Brittany Hughes pointed out the hypocrisy of Mamdani’s position, noting that he’d said nothing when an 83-year-old military veteran had been pushed onto the subway tracks. He later died from his injuries and an illegal alien was charged in his death. “An 83-year old veteran was killed in New York City last month after being randomly pushed onto the subway tracks by an illegal alien. Mamdani didn’t say a word because trains aren’t a good political prop, and he won’t condemn criminal aliens,” she said.

For two years, California Democrats have used claims of “price gouging” to justify price controls for oil companies and other radical environmentalist policies. But while California’s $6/gallon gas prices are the most expensive in the country, price gouging has nothing to do with it. A new report by CBS News California Investigates revealed a variety of factors are causing high prices, including global supply difficulties, refinery closures, and state policies. It found that the state’s high fuel prices are caused by a number of laws imposed by Democrats to protect the environment — not gouging by the oil companies themselves. Notably, California requires fuel stations sell a special gas blend intended to reduce emissions, which is more expensive to produce. The blend also means the state is an “energy island” that can’t simply import cheaper fuel from other states. The special blend adds about 10 to 15 cents per gallon of gas. Other factors include a 61-cent state excise tax per gallon; 23 cents per gallon from the state’s cap-and-invest program, which was created to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and 14 cents per gallon from the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Not on the list of oil refinery price gouging, which California Democrats have blamed for skyrocketing prices for years. In 2024, the California state legislature convened a special session during which it capped oil company profits. Two years later — and after the closure of two refineries that supplied almost 20% of California’s refining capabilities — state officials finally admitted there was no evidence of price gouging. Now, California is outsourcing some of its oil refining to Asian countries, CBS News California Investigates reported. Relying on those countries can increase gas prices, since oil must be shipped across the Pacific, sometimes taking weeks to reach the state. Delays in transit can spike prices in the event of global shortages or refinery outages. Even though global conflicts are exacerbating prices, the outlet found California’s gas prices were already higher than the national average, with 55% of the cost of each gallon coming from state-specific costs. Another factor is a “mystery surcharge” that appeared in 2015 after the closure of a major refinery, but refinery operating costs were already higher in California before that surcharge, UC Berkeley economist Severin Borenstein told CBS News California Investigates. After the state legislature found no evidence of price gouging, state officials said they found some causes of price increases. “We’ve identified certain dynamics that were creating those price spikes,” California’s National Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot told CBS News California Investigates. Crowfoot said the state is trying to balance both affordability and climate goals, according to the outlet. He said he was not “in a position to point a finger” when asked if there was evidence of price gouging. Last year, the California energy commission voted to pause its ability to set price caps on oil company profits for the next five years. Manager of the Chevron Richmond refinery Tolly Graves told CBS News California Investigates that price caps ignore the volatility of the industry. “Those good months are the only way we make a profit … if you cap the good months but don’t support the bad ones, it creates an unviable business,” Graves said. The Chevron refinery produces gas for 20% of cars in Northern California and 60% of jet fuel from Sacramento to San Jose, according to the outlet. Higher labor, energy, and regulatory costs all contribute to higher gas prices, Graves told the outlet. The state’s gasoline blend also requires specialized production that cost billions of dollars in investment. “It costs us hundreds of millions a year just to stay in business,” Graves said. “Things have to change for us to be willing to invest in a refinery in California.” California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office did not respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment.

Born Mitsuki Laycock on September 27, 1990, in Mie Prefecture, Japan, she is the daughter of an American father and a Japanese mother, and she later adopted her mother’s surname, becoming Mitski Miyawaki. Her father worked for the United States Department of State, which meant that childhood did not unfold in one fixed place. She lived in Turkey, China, Malaysia, the Czech Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo before eventually settling in the United States. Japanese was her first language, and that cross-cultural background would later become an important part of how listeners understood her songs, especially the The post Complete List Of Mitski Albums And Discography appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Morty wasn't always able to spend his days playing games – but now, he enjoys a life of luxury challenging his owner to Jenga competitions. The post Watch This Rescue Rabbit Reign as the Furry Champ of Jenga appeared first on Good News Network.

THE WASHINGTON STAND—We all need hope in these challenging days. There’s a popular saying about hope that goes something like this: “People can live about 40 days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for a few seconds without hope.” At Easter, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ, and the resurrection is all about hope. Now, Christian hope is a bit different than the typical meaning of hope. Most people think of “hope” essentially in terms of a wishful desire: “I hope it doesn’t rain” or “I hope my team wins the game.” For the believer, our hope is confidence based on facts. The Apostle Paul lays out the facts: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Critics claim that the resurrection of Christ is mere myth, a fabrication by the faithful, just a fable. What if they are right? Interestingly, Paul goes along with that hypothetical assertion in his first letter to the Corinthians and declares that the result would be devastating for the Christian faith (see 15:21-19). If Christ did not rise from the dead: 1) Preaching is pointless; 2) Faith is futile; 3) Disciples are deceivers; 4) Sin is sovereign; 5) Death has dominion; and 6) the Future only holds false hope. He concludes: “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (15:19). What a hopeless conclusion?! But here’s the Good News: The Bible offers convincing proof of the facts of Christ’s resurrection that first Easter, which provides the foundation for our hope. In the cold aftermath of Christ’s agony in the garden, His arrest, His trial, His scourging, His crucifixion, and His entombment, Jesus presented Himself to His followers as having been raised from the dead. Dr. Luke put it this way: “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). The text says that Jesus presented them “many proofs.” The old KJV puts it this way: “many infallible proofs.” As Luke wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, he chose a technical term that means that the Lord Jesus gave His disciples such compelling, convincing evidence, that together, these proofs drove away every doubt and quelled every question that He was risen indeed. Notice the word “many.” He gave them an overabundance of evidence that having been dead, He was now alive. Why should we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Because of the compelling and overwhelming eyewitness evidence of His resurrection. On 11 specific occasions we are told that Jesus appeared to His followers across a 40-day period. He appeared indoors and outdoors. He appeared on a mountain in Galilee and on a suburban road outside of Jerusalem. He appeared by day and by night. He appeared to individuals, small groups, and to one group as large as 500 people. He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, at dawn, in the garden, by the tomb (John 20:11-18), and then to a group of women who were coming to anoint His dead body (Matt. 28:1-10). His third appearance that first Easter was to two discouraged disciples on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32). When He came to their home, He blessed the bread, broke the bread, and gave the bread to them, and their eyes were opened, and they knew that it was the risen Lord. And on that same first Easter, the record tells us that He appeared to Simon Peter—a private, individual encounter between the risen Lord and this fallen follower that helped turn Him from Peter cowering before a servant girl to Peter boldly preaching at Pentecost (1 Cor. 15:5). The fifth and final appearance that Easter Sunday was in the evening to a gathering of the 10 in the upper room, Thomas being absent (John 20:19-23). Jesus came and stood in their midst, and when they saw His hands, feet, and side, they were overjoyed to see the risen Lord. The next week, Thomas, the doubter, came face to face with Jesus. Jesus said “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas fell on his face and cried: “My Lord and My God!” (John 20:24-29). According to Luke, Jesus even ate broiled fish as proof that He was risen indeed (Luke 24:36-49). This was no apparition hovering about. He had a body that functioned, one they could touch. He gave them infallible proofs. He appeared again to the disciples on the shores of Galilee, fixed them a meal and told them where to let down their nets for a miraculous catch (John 21:1-13). In 1 Cor. 15:6, Paul mentions the most impressive appearance of all, in which He appeared to over 500 people. This was likely the same appearance recorded by Matthew in Galilee when Jesus gave the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16:20). But then Paul makes this stunning statement: that most of them were still alive, in AD 55 when he wrote the first Corinthian letter. He put his own character and name on the line. Look them up! Ask them! You can find them! They have identities, addresses, and families! More than half of them are still alive! Someone observed that if those 500 people had testified six minutes each in a court of law, you would have more than 50 hours of accumulated evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ! The risen Christ also appeared to His younger half-brother James according to 1 Cor. 15:7. They grew up in the same Galilean home there in Nazareth, but in John 7:5, we are told that James didn’t believe in Him. And yet, something changed His brother James from being a doubter and a skeptic to becoming the first pastor of the Jerusalem church, a writer of Scripture, and a martyr for the Christian faith. Could it have been anything other than the appearance of his resurrected older half-brother, standing in the presence of this One who had grown up alongside him in that Galilean home? Our Lord appeared to all of the apostles and then appeared before ascending into heaven from the Mount of Olives (see Acts 1:9-11). All told, there are 11 specific times scattered across 40 days, not to mention the unrecorded appearances during that time. If we simply take the evidence as it is given to us in the documents of the New Testament, there is no other conclusion than to confess that Jesus Christ who was dead, is now alive, for God raised Him out of that tomb, and He triumphed over death, hell, and the grave. Convincing proofs. Too many people saw Him on too many different occasions for it to have been a hoax, a fabrication, a myth. There’s no way that 500 people could be kept under hypnosis. Somebody would have leaked it had it been a sham. He gave them infallible proofs. And years later, they were still convinced. The Apostle John wrote in his first letter: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life” (1 John 1:1). Jesus is the audible, visible expression of the invisible God! Half a century later, John still maintained that he had seen, heard, and touched the risen Lord. Or what about old Peter, that gruff fisherman, by no means a mystic? In his second letter, he said: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). And these same disciples who saw Him live and die and live again maintained their belief until their own deaths, most of them as martyrs. The Risen Christ offered convincing, infallible proofs of His resurrection from the dead. What does the fact of Christ’s resurrection mean for us? Because Christ has been raised from the dead, our preaching is profitable, our faith is fruitful, the Lord’s disciples are dependable, sin is subdued, death is defeated, and the future is fabulous! Because Christ is risen, He has taken the sting out of sin. He has taken the gloom out of the grave. He has taken the dread out of death. He has given us a hope that is rock solid and sure! That is Good News we should share with others who do not yet have that same confident, life-giving hope. Originally published by The Washington Stand. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Easter Means Hope appeared first on The Daily Signal.