The U.S. is poised to return to the moon this coming April as part of a reenergized manned space program that is emboldened rather than deterred by the risks and challenges irrevocably attached to the mission.   By pressing ahead, NASA and its many public and private sector partners are allowing scientific evidence rather than speculation to guide their decisions. They are also making a clean break with a concept known as the “precautionary principle” that has deep roots in the United Nations climate conferences that date back to the early 1990s.  As I explain in my new book “Climate Porn: How and Why Anti-Population Zealots Fabricate Science, while Targeting American Capitalism, Freedom, and Independence,” the precautionary principle as it is defined by climate activists is antithetical to what makes America tick.   The basic idea behind the concept is that when an activity is viewed as being potentially harmful to human health or the environment then precautionary steps should be taken even if the cause-and-effect relationship between the activity and theorized harmful results are not scientifically established. In other words, there should not even be a risk of a risk. Under this scenario, hysteria, fear, and misinformation could grind all meaningful human activity to a halt.   Imagine how different American history would have been if the precautionary principle had held sway with policymakers when the nation first attempted venturing into space. Alan Shephard’s famous line “Why don’t you fix your little problem and light this candle?” would not have found a receptive audience back in mission control during his 1961 spaceflight.  President John F. Kennedy’s patriotic march to the moon would not have materialized either. His comment, “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard,” would not have expression in a world where fear of failure trumped exploratory efforts.   In fact, there may not have been a free United States of America at all. George Washington would not have crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776 to launch a surprise attack on the Hessians in Trenton, New Jersey since the effort was risky and—and, well, it might not have worked at all.   The four astronauts (three Americans and one Canadian) who are part of the Artemis II crew will travel further into space than any human has ever traveled before and glimpse a side of the moon that has never been seen before, before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.   It takes a special kind of courage to be part of the upcoming 10-day mission, as it does with any human spaceflight. From the time of the launch at Cape Canaveral to the splashdown in the Pacific, there are risks that can never be completely eradicated. But they can be curtailed.   Like Apollo before it, Artemis is relying upon vigorous testing and scientific observations rather than mere modeling exercises that became a dominant part of what passes for “climate science.”   But times are changing and the wheel is turning. During a May 2025 energy symposium at The Heritage Foundation, scientists and economists dissected the numerous false assumptions behind climate models that have given rise to burdensome regulations.  Former NASA engineers, who are part of a group called The Right Climate Stuff have also taken a hatchet to what some call a “garbage in, garbage out” approach to modeling designed to produce desired policy outcomes.   “Climate Porn” goes into some detail about the climate movement’s assault on the scientific method and the corrective actions now underway. Independent, privately funded outfits like the Center for Environmental Research and Earth Sciences (CERES) are providing climate realists with valuable platforms to take a hard look at what really drives warming and cooling trends on Planet Earth.   During the Heritage energy symposium, CERES scientists called attention to solar influences on climate, which the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has persistently neglected to account for in its reports. In a new study, the CERES team concludes that “total solar irradiance” estimates the U.N. omits strongly suggests most of the warming since the 19th Century could be natural.   The climate is always changing, and those changes could present challenges to humanity particularly if the planet moves back into a cooling phase. But humanity will be in a stronger position to adapt and adjust to those changes if it is richer, wealthier, and more industrialized. A reinvigorated space program is a big part of that equation.  That means taking chances and accepting risks, but that’s the American way.   We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post How the Upcoming Moon Mission Transcends Anti-Scientific Climate Activism   appeared first on The Daily Signal.

You've gotta hand it to The New York Times: At least they don't make any bones about how fungible their journalistic integrity is. On Monday, Richard Grenell helmed his last meeting as the head of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. A longtime Donald Trump loyalist who...

Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian wants to tender his resignation, and who could blame him? However, there’s no one to accept it. Channel 14 reports that President Pezeshkian intended to submit his resignation to the Supreme Leader yesterday following the elimination of Ali Larijani. However, the IRGC informed him that a meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei is […] The post Iran’s President Tried to Resign But There’s No One to Accept It appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that Iranian intelligence chief Esmaeil Khatib was killed in a targeted overnight strike in Tehran.  Khatib was appointed Iran’s Minister of Intelligence in 2021 by the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after holding several roles in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Khatib would be the latest senior Iranian official to be eliminated in an Israeli strike.  “Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, including the arrest & killing of protestors and led terrorist activities against Israelis & Americans around the world,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. “Similarly, he operated against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini protests (2022–2023).” “The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence possesses advanced intelligence capabilities, overseeing surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations worldwide, particularly against Israeli and Iranian citizens,” the IDF added.  Khatib’s death, which has not been confirmed by Iranian officials, was first reported by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said that attacks on Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon would continue to be escalated.  “On this day, significant surprises are expected across all arenas that will escalate the war we are conducting against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” he said, according to the Times of Israel. “The intensity of the strikes in Iran is increasing. The Iranian intelligence minister Khatib was also eliminated overnight.” The State Department offered a $10 million reward for information on Khatib.  The announcement of Khatib’s killing comes just one day after the IDF eliminated Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian official and secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.  “Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership, and was a close associate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,” the IDF said in a social media post. “During the most recent wave of protests against the Iranian terror regime, Larijani personally oversaw the massacre that was carried out against Iranian protestors.” Larijani’s death was confirmed by Iranian officials who referred to him as a servant of God and a “martyr.”  He was taken out after issuing threats directed at President Donald Trump and American troops in the Middle East.

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** This summer marks the 250th birthday of the United States. In preparation for this historic moment, over 1,500 prominent Catholics from across America will soon gather in prayer for the country’s future at the 21st annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. Their witness testifies to the endurance of American Catholics over the past two and a half centuries, whose commitment to prayer — and refusal to be cowed by adversity or hostility — helped establish enduring concepts of human dignity, freedom, and excellence that powerfully shaped the world. Though secular forces seek to undermine Catholic beliefs and influence today, the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast annually reminds our adversaries that Catholicism has historically prevailed against great evil, and accomplished miracles, thanks to the prayers of those who refused to give up on their country or their faith. Catholicism played a role in offering peace and hope to settlers from the earliest days of the American founding. There is some evidence that Squanto, a Native American translator without whom the earliest pilgrims wouldn’t have survived their first winter in New England, was Catholic. Many of the Catholics joining Christian pilgrims for a better life in the new world were welcomed with pervasive anti-Catholic skepticism and legislation in the early American colonies. Undeterred, Catholics braved harsh conditions and uncertain futures — even death — to bring faith and civilization to America. The sacrifice of Catholic Jesuits such as Saint Isaac Jogues, who was brutally tortured and martyred by the Mohawks, as well as the missions, schools, and hospitals founded by the Jesuits, Spanish Franciscans, and other Catholics, played a pivotal role in shaping and sustaining the nation for generations to come. Their impact is evident in the number of major cities that were named after Catholic saints. Catholics also helped to establish and protect core American freedoms. Cecil Calvert, the Catholic 2nd Baron of Baltimore, was a primary driver behind the 1649 “Act of Toleration,” which made Maryland the first colony to pass religious freedom laws and later influenced the drafting of the First Amendment. Charles Carroll made history as the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, which drew upon concepts of the natural law originally derived from the logic of the Catholic Saint Thomas Aquinas. Carroll’s signature on that globe-shattering document was significant since most of the colonies didn’t allow Catholics to hold office at the time. Following the Revolutionary War, won partially thanks to the aid of Catholic King Louis XVI of France, two of Carroll’s relatives became the first Catholic members of Congress. In 1961, John F. Kennedy would make history as the first Catholic to become the president of the United States. Over the 17th to 21st centuries, Catholics continued shaping America through religious, philanthropic, and educational endeavors. To this day, the Catholic impact on American health systems and philanthropy can’t be overstated. Heroic figures such as Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and Saint Mother Frances Cabrini, like thousands of other religious sisters, braved anti-Catholic sentiment and horrible conditions to create dozens of schools, orphanages, and hospitals. Three major medical institutions today, the Columbus Hospitals in New York and Chicago and the Columbus Sanitarium in Seattle, were founded by Cabrini, while the U.S. Catholic parochial school system was established by Seton. Thanks to these and other Catholic efforts, the Catholic Church is universally respected as the leading philanthropic organization in America and the world. Catholics have also been vital forces in the key moral battles of the 21st century pertaining to human life and dignity. Catholic Bishops staunchly opposed segregation during the Civil Rights movement, while Catholic nuns and an estimated 35 Catholic priests marched in the historic Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights in 1965. When the Supreme Court of the United States legalized abortion in 1973, Catholics galvanized on behalf of the unborn. Catholic lawyer Nellie Gray responded by founding what is now the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world: the March for Life. Today, this peaceful protest draws over 100,000 Americans, including tens of thousands of Catholics, from across the country. Catholics also helped establish the pro-life safety net, which now boasts over 3,000 organizations and countless volunteers (many Catholic!) nationwide that care for women and children in need — despite violent hostility from pro-abortion opponents. As attacks on religious freedom increasingly threatened Americans’ right to practice their faith in the public sphere, Catholics boldly fought back. In 1993, Catholic lawyer Kevin “Seamus” Hasson founded the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which has won 13 Supreme Court cases in the past 15 years. In 1994, Catholic Alan Sears was a primary founder and president of Alliance Defending Freedom, which is now the leading religious freedom law firm in the world and has played a role in 83 Supreme Court victories. From attempts to force poor nuns to fund contraception in their healthcare plans, to attacks on pregnancy resource centers for not providing abortions, or pressure on religious employers and business owners to participate in activities that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs, both Becket and ADF have won hard-fought victories and established Supreme Court precedent that protects American freedoms for generations to come. And at a time when European nations imprison citizens for social media posts and prayer, Catholics at nonprofits and religious freedom firms such as Becket and ADF are leading the fight to protect men, women, children, and ultimately the truth — especially against attempts to allow biological males in women and girls’ sports and spaces, as well as the horrifying trend of transgender surgeries on children. These fights — over the gender wars, abortion, religious freedom, free speech, immigration — and so many others continue dominating news cycles and evoking despair among many that our nation is irreconcilably damaged and headed towards ruin. Yet on Thursday, Catholics will unite in prayer for the nation’s future at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. As they reflect on the challenges ahead and the past 250 years of American history, they have every reason for optimism. Catholics faced setbacks and discouragement at every period of our nation’s history, including many grave threats to truth and freedom in America today. Yet Catholic heroes like Jogues, Cabrini, Seton, Gray, Hasson, Sears, and so many others continue to lead us by example, teaching us to meet adversity with the hope and perseverance that only authentic prayer can sustain. I hope attendees of this year’s prayer breakfast take heart from this remarkable Catholic legacy. Through the power of prayer, we can similarly fight the good fight that God has entrusted to each of us for the benefit of our nation, and ultimately the world. *** Mark Randall is a board of director and chairman of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

If you want to get a crowd going, music is the best way to do it. People love a good sing-along. Whether you’re at a bar, a wedding, or just with friends, there are certain songs that when they come on the radio, you just can’t stop yourselves.  Things were pretty happy on the set of Happy’s Place during a recent taping. Reba McEntire got her fans going with some Sweet Caroline. No matter what kind of day you’re having, there’s nothing a little Neil Diamond can’t fix. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Reba McEntire (@reba) Reba Wanted Everyone to Join in the “Sweet Caroline” Fun Reba shared a video of the audience enjoying the Sweet Caroline moment on Instagram. “One of my favorite parts of each day on set: our sing-alongs with the audience! You can watch Friday night’s episode of#HappysPlace on @peacock now,” she wrote. “Bop bop bop…love this!!! Friday night’s episode was one of the funniest so far! I laughed out loud so much!!! Love,” a fan wrote. “I think it’s game over for the rest of us when the queen starts singing,” someone added. Others would love a chance to sing Sweet Caroline with Reba someday. “I would love to be in the live audience at one of your tapings, how amazing that would be! To have a chance to possibly meet you all that would be so awesome! Unfortunately, I live in Jersey,” a fan shared. Another fan wished Reba a happy early birthday. It appears the two of them share the special day, something this fan is very proud of. “We have a birthday coming up real soon!! I’m so glad this redhead gets to share her birthday with this famous redhead!!!” She wrote. This story’s featured image can be found here.