The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cut the number of vaccines it recommends for all children. It was based on a review of vaccination practices in other countries, and evidence of the benefits and risks of the shots on the CDC’s schedule. A review, prompted by a 2025 directive from President Donald Trump, […] The post This Is What Happened to the Childhood Vaccination Schedule appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

President Trump responded to the affordability of home ownership today, undoubtedly inspired in part by the New York City communists in power, hoping to end private home ownership. Large institutional investors have been buying up single-family homes, and he plans to ban the practice. Investors, like BlackRock, turn around and sell homes for increasingly higher […] The post President Trump Addresses the Wall St. Single-Family Home Grab appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

A woman in Minneapolis attempted to use her car to kill an ICE officer. It was an act of domestic terrorism as she attempted to plow into the agent who was in front of her car, and as other agents told her to get out of the car. An officer, fearing for his life, fired […] The post Democrats Blame ICE After Woman Accelerates Her Car Into an Agent appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

“The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin” would not be complete without a villain. Actress Emree Franklin plays the role of Morgian in the adaptation of Stephen R. Lawhead’s best-selling series, an “iconic” role she said was “just a dream” to take on. One of the defining features of Morgian is that she’s not evil from the get-go – her embracing the darkness within is a process that the audience gets to witness firsthand. Franklin told The Daily Wire during an interview that it was “such an honor and privilege” to portray such a vital character in the fantasy series. As legend goes, Morgian – the “Queen of Air and Darkness” – is a powerful sorceress who wields her evil powers and serves as the antithesis of Merlin, Arthur, and other characters who exemplify goodness. Like other leading stars, including Tom Sharp, Rose Reid, and James Arden, Franklin was blown away by the production scale and stunning on-site locations, saying it helped her get into character. “Getting to go to work in a literal castle… is pretty incomparable,” she said during the interview. “We really didn’t have any green screen. Every day, walking onto set and just seeing what our crew had created for us to play in… was amazing.” Costume and makeup played a central role in shaping Morgian’s identity as they served as a contrast between her and Reid’s character, Charis. The two were made to look identical in their hair styling and outfits, but had entirely different approaches to their powers. Some of the physical differences between the two women are more subtle, but still clearly convey their differences. “Morgian, she’s a very somatic character,” the actress explains. “In the books, she’s described as feline, and her eyes change from green to serpent green.” “These sort of animalistic clues were something I really tried to embody,” Franklin added, noting the difference between Reid’s “regal stoicism” as Charis and Morgian’s “slinky” conniving mannerisms.  That physical transformation portrayed a character shaped by insecurity and ambition. “At her core, she’s just a girl who wanted to be loved by her dad, her sister, and a boy,” Franklin told The Daily Wire. “And she didn’t get that love.”  “She believes that to attain power, she has to keep cutting away the parts of herself that are seen as weakness,” the actress added. As the season progresses, Morgian’s sacrifices grow “bigger and bigger,” marking an internal shift. Even at her most powerful, however, she remains fractured. “In the finale, even though she’s supposed to be at the height of her power, she’s also the most vulnerable she’s ever been,” Franklin says. “Chaotic. Not in control.”  Redemption, though not impossible, is unlikely. “I think she’s chosen her path. Her soul is corrupt,” Franklin said of her character. Off camera, the atmosphere was much lighter. Pre-production brought the cast together through stunt training, physical training, horseback riding, and dialect coaching, creating bonds that carried through filming and after. “There was a lot of laughter on set,” Franklin revealed, noting how this came in handy during emotionally heavy scenes. “You need that, or the work can pull you under.” She said the cast members are still close even now. “I met my best friends on the show,” Franklin said. “The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin” premieres January 22, 2026. Early episodes are currently available for DailyWire+ All Access members.

A “violent” agitator attempted to run over federal immigration agents in Minneapolis on Wednesday before she was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, the Department of Homeland Security said. The streets of Minneapolis descended into chaos as anti-ICE demonstrators attempted to block federal authorities from conducting immigration raids in the area. One of the protesters then allegedly “weaponized her vehicle” and tried to plow over agents with her car “in an attempt to kill them,” DHS said. An ICE officer, who was “fearing for his life,” fired “defensive shots” at the female agitator, who succumbed to her injuries, according to the agency. One federal law enforcement source told The Daily Wire that the woman took a bullet to the face. Video has since surfaced appearing to show the officers approaching the woman and asking her to get out of her car. She then backs up the car and attempts to drive away before an officer standing in front of the car fires multiple shots into the vehicle. Some federal agents were injured, but are expected “to make full recoveries.” DHS has labeled the incident “an act of domestic terrorism.” “This is the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians who fuel and encourage rampant assaults on our law enforcement who are facing 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats,” the agency said on X. Breaking news: Happening right now in South Minneapolis near Portland Avenue and 34th Street, people are protesting a shooting that occurred earlier today. #ICE #Minnesota #Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/urcr7SZB8j — Dymanh Chhoun (@Dymanh) January 7, 2026 Demonstrators further clashed with federal agents and were seen throwing snowballs at them as they attempted to block their operations, according to FOX 9. The agents responded by deploying what appeared to be chemical agents to control the angry mob. Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey responded to the incident by calling on ICE to “leave the city immediately.” “The presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city,” he said. The Trump administration deployed roughly 2,000 federal agents to Minnesota for the first operation of 2026.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, announced Tuesday that Medicaid payments to 14 programs in Minnesota will be deferred, and that a sweeping audit of those federally funded programs is underway, as the Minnesota fraud scandal and the response from the Trump administration continue to escalate. “The more we uncover, the more it becomes clear: It’s much worse than we were led to believe by state government officials,” he said in a video posted to X. Oz said that the “corrective action plan” provided to the federal government by the state of Minnesota on New Year’s Eve was “deeply insufficient.” “We will begin auditing Medicaid receipts and defer paying on claims based on fraud, waste, and abuse,” he said, noting that the programs listed as vulnerable came from the Minnesota state government. ?Minnesota Medicaid Fraud Update: pic.twitter.com/Dk0W07P1U8 — DrOzCMS (@DrOzCMS) January 7, 2026 The Daily Wire reached out to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s office for comment on the remarks from Oz. The announcement comes after Health and Human Services said last week that federal child care payments would be paused as well. Governor Walz opted not to seek re-election amid the intense scrutiny from fraud allegations within the Medicaid system and other federally funded, state-administered social services programs. On Tuesday, an audit from the Office of the Legislative Auditor underscored concerns in the state with a critical look at Behavioral Health Administration Grants through the state’s Department of Human Services. The report said that the Behavioral Health Administration “did not comply with most requirements [the audit] tested.” The report recommended that BHA “Establish sufficient internal controls to ensure compliance with grant requirements” and “conduct grant monitoring activities as required by state policies.” Specifically, the report said that the BHA “paid almost $296,000 to 11 out of 18 grantees for: Unsupported costs [and] Reimbursement requests with errors.” It also said that BHA “overpaid” over $41,000 to two entities with grants, and gave “$915,540 to 6 grantees for work performed before BHA executed grant agreements.” In addition, over a dozen “existing grantees” received $2.5 million despite “bypassing [the] competitive grant award process.” In response to the audit’s findings, Shireen Gandhi, the temporary commissioner for Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, said the findings are a “road map” for improvement at a legislative hearing on Tuesday. “With respect to the audit report, while it’s upsetting that DHS has findings in areas we have placed concerted effort, the OLA’s report highlights the importance of the grant compliance work already underway at the department. And the findings provide us with a road map for our focus going forward to continue strengthening oversight and integrity of behavioral health grants,” Gandhi said. “I take the report seriously, I accept responsibility for the findings, and I will ensure DHS closes the findings.” In Washington, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing regarding the fraud concerns. “The breadth and depth of this fraud is breathtaking, and I fear that this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said during the hearing. Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, took aim at the Trump administration while explaining his decision not to pursue a third term as governor. “I won’t mince words here. Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, in St. Paul, and online – want to make our state a colder, meaner place,” the Democrat stated. “They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family. They’ve already begun by taking our tax dollars that were meant to help families afford child care. And they have no intention of stopping there,” the governor added.

Editor’s note: This piece discusses the finale of Stranger Things, so there are obviously going to be spoilers. Consider yourselves warned if you are, like this author, a dork and plan to watch the show. Stranger Things concluded its fifth and final season with a two-hour New Year’s Eve release, nearly a decade after the vanishing of Will Byers launched a new era of Netflix original programming. Expectations for the final season rose to the heavens in the four years since the fourth season of Stranger Things. Fans were almost certain to be disappointed — and boy, were they. Initial waves of criticism gave way to a truly strange mass psychosis wherein superfans have convinced themselves that the series finale was actually a fake, and that creators Matt and Ross Duffer were waiting to drop the actual finale in the coming days. Those of us who did not develop a parasocial relationship with Gaten Matarazzo realized this was bunk from the start. But for those really pinning their hopes to these theories, Netflix has made it clear that Stranger Things is done. The finale we got was the finale we’re going to get. And yes, there are plenty of things to criticize with that episode, as with the whole final season: the bad dialogue, the continuity errors, the lazy acting. But I don’t want to talk about any of that. I want to talk about Steve Harrington. The fan-favorite character has gone on quite a journey. He began as a stereotypical 1980s jock, Nancy Wheeler’s unlikable boyfriend who bristles at her intelligence and beats up the nerds. The Duffer Brothers planned to kill him off at the end of season one, but they found themselves so charmed by Joe Keery’s performance that they reversed course. And then they did more than that: they gave Steve warmth and depth unmatched by any other character. Over the course of the show, he not only accepts Nancy’s independence but also her relationship with Jonathan Byers, one of the dorks he once beat up. He becomes a friend and mentor to the younger children, constantly putting his life on the line for their safety. And he grows close with Hawke’s character, Robin, accepting her quirkiness without a second thought. This character development was so effective that, in the run-up to the finale, fans made it clear that Steve’s death was the outcome they most feared. Fortunately for the legions of Harringtonians out there, Steve survives his final journey to a parallel dimension and makes it safely back to Hawkins. But that’s where things go off the rails. In the show’s penultimate scene, we see the cadre of older Hawkins kids reminiscing on the rooftop of the town radio station. Jonathan is making anti-capitalist films at NYU. Robin is dating girls at Smith. Nancy reveals that she’s dropped out of Emerson to work as a journalist full-time, and has a girlboss haircut and blazer to prove it. And what of Steve? Did he settle down and start having the six children he’s been so vocal about wanting? Did his repeated encounters with the supernatural inspire him to seek out a change of scenery? Or did he join up with the Hawkins police department as Hopper’s deputy, harnessing the skills he honed defending the world from Vecna? No, while all his friends move on to bigger and better things, Steve is still in Hawkins, coaching the high school baseball team. And lest it seem like Steve’s adventures with all those plucky kids had inspired him to pursue a career in education, the finale makes it clear: this is just the path of least resistance. Steve Harrington is a loser. As he grabs another beer in his poorly-fitting suit, his friends mock the fact that, in addition to his coaching duties, Steve is also teaching sex education. Steve gives them plenty of fodder for their ribbing, noting that he has “a strict A policy, B if you’re a real knucklehead.” There are jokes about him cycling through a series of vapid women, so clearly his plans for domestic bliss haven’t panned out. And lest you miss the point, he delivers this sad little monologue to all his posh friends in which he expresses his utter disbelief that they would ever want to leave Hawkins! “Come on, I mean, look at this place!” Steve bellows while looking wistfully at the horizon. “The sunset, the view. Woo! You guys are seriously telling me you don’t miss any of this? The forest, the quarry? Family Video?” This is the most unforgivable part. We’re meant to believe that after all this time — after years of personal growth and confrontations with mortality, to say nothing of countless trips to an alternate dimension — Steve Harrington is just another hometown hero who can’t fathom why anyone would want to leave the glory days behind. The problem isn’t that Steve didn’t want to leave Hawkins, or that he wanted to become a coach. Those are both fine choices for a young man to make, and consistent with the character we’ve grown to know and love. It’s the myopia, the pigheaded jock mentality that makes everyone roll their eyes, that feels like a betrayal. Steve doesn’t like the community or the fact that Hawkins is his home. He likes the quarry and the video store, the two lamest and most generic things you could think to name. It’s a last-second reversion to Season 1 Steve, a fundamentally uncurious brute whose gaze extended no further than the Friday night lights at Hawkins High. To the Duffer brothers’ credit, Steve’s ending isn’t entirely inconsistent with the show’s finale. The epilogue is very John Hughes, an effective tonal shift back to the 1980s nostalgia that launched the show, vibes that played second fiddle to the supernatural in later seasons. But the return to authentic 1989 didn’t stop the Duffer brothers from showing two openly gay characters living easy lives, or a girl graduating high school despite having spent the past two years in a coma — to say nothing of, you know, the aliens. Disbelief can be suspended, it seems, so long as it serves the narrative. And that narrative can’t countenance the jock being anything other than kind of sad. To be clear: I don’t think this is some grand neo-Marxist conspiracy to make kids eschew small-town life in favor of more degenerate pursuits like journalism. This is just another instance of a tiresome Revenge of the Nerds mentality we see all the time among creatives. It doesn’t matter that the Duffer Brothers created one of the most popular shows of the decade, one that largely owes its popularity to the shocking transformation of its stereotypical jock character. They probably got bullied for making home movies in high school, and so the cool guy had to be a loser in the end. Maybe it isn’t that malicious. Maybe the Duffers really did just get lazy, and making Steve a stereotype was just one of several ways they phoned in this final season. Either way, it’s a disappointing end to the best character arc in a mostly great show. Steve deserved better, and so did we.