Mick Fleetwood was a member of Fleetwood Mac from the start – and lived to tell the tale

Pope Francis remains in critical condition following a significant health “crisis” early this morning, the Vatican has announced. According to a statement from the Holy See, the pontiff suffered an “asthmatic respiratory crisis of prolonged magnitude” requiring high-flow oxygen therapy, raising renewed concerns over his fragile health. “The Holy Father’s condition continues to be critical, therefore, as explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger,” the Vatican announced. “Today’s blood tests also showed plateletopenia, associated with anemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions.” According to the Mayo Clinic, Plateletopenia, also known as thrombocytopenia, is a condition characterized by an abnormally low level of platelets in the blood. Platelets are essential for blood clotting and help prevent excessive bleeding. Low levels lead to significant bleeding risks. The Pope, 88, who has faced ongoing health issues—including a recent diagnosis of bilateral pneumonia—continues to be monitored closely by medical personnel. As reported in The Daily Wire on February 19, Pope Francis had already been facing complications stemming from bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, which led to his hospitalization at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic. At the time, the Vatican had confirmed his condition was serious but stable, noting the necessity of additional drug therapies to manage pneumonia.  Despite the severity of his condition—which saw a significant change after yesterday’s press briefing by doctors at Gemmelli Hospital—the Holy See reported that Pope Francis remained “alert and spent the day in an armchair, although in more pain than yesterday.” The prognosis remains guarded as doctors continue to evaluate his response to treatment, considering additional concerns associated with his prior gastrointestinal issues, low platelet count, and oxygen levels. This latest episode has further intensified concerns about the Pope’s ability to fulfill his papal duties. While Vatican officials have not discussed contingency plans, Pope Francis himself has previously acknowledged the possibility of resignation should his health prevent him from effectively leading the Catholic Church. As previously reported, he signed a resignation letter in 2013, entrusting it to the Vatican’s Secretary of State for use in the event of incapacitation. As the situation unfolds, prayers and messages of support continue to pour in from around the world, with faithful Catholics and global leaders expressing solidarity with the ailing Pope. The Vatican has assured that further updates will be provided as his medical team continues treatment and assessment.

Editor’s note: Following are the lightly edited remarks of Rep. Elise Stefanik at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Feb. 22. Hello America First Patriots!!! It is great to be back at CPAC with a Republican trifecta! A Republican House, a Republican Senate, and of course, President Donald J. Trump in the White House!We know none of this would have been possible without YOU — the American people.  So I want to thank YOU for years of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication to fire JOE BIDEN and elect President Donald J. Trump to Save America.  And believe me, we know—and in fact, no one knows this better than President Trump and his entire family—that this election win was not easy. The Left and their loyal stenographers in the mainstream media stooped to new and disgraceful lows.  They tried vicious smears, unprecedented attacks on his family, unconstitutional impeachments, and illegal lawfare by a weaponized and corrupt justice system.  President Trump even faced an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.  But by the Grace of God—He prevailed, and we are here today. God was truly watching over America on that fateful day.  We will always remember that day in Pennsylvania and God’s grace.  Just like we will always remember Nov. 5, 2024—the once in a lifetime victory of the most important election in history.  When President Trump delivered truly the greatest political comeback of all time winning the popular vote with an overwhelming mandate to Save America. A mandate to make America Strong Again, Safe Again, Healthy Again, Wealthy Again, and to once and for all Make America Great Again! And President Trump has wasted no time delivering on the promises he made to the American people.  He has already accomplished more in 4 weeks than President Joe Biden did in four years. The tremendous results speak for themselves.On day one, President Trump signed hundreds of executive orders securing our border, deporting illegals, unleashing American energy, ending woke DEI policies, lowering prices, increasing accountability, and ushering in a new Golden Age for the American people. President Trump rightfully declared a national emergency at the border and deployed the military including the 10th Mountain Division—from my home district in Upstate NY—to secure our nation.  Thank you to the soldiers and their families for saving our country and protecting our national security. Climb to Glory! President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law—the first bill passed by our House Republican Majority in Congress.  The President ended catch and release, restored Remain in Mexico, restarted building the wall, and rightfully designated cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.  President Trump is not only securing our nation, he is rebuilding the broken and failed Biden economy of inflation, malaise, and weakness.  President Trump is putting America FIRST by demanding fair and reciprocal trade, unleashing American energy independence, cutting regulations, and demanding our government work for We The People as President Trump DOGEs wasteful unAmerican spending. This is because President Trump knows that a strong, safe, and prosperous America at home is a strong America abroad. Our economic security, our border security, our energy security, is also our national security.  The world is watching as President Trump reasserts his America First Peace Through Strength foreign policy.  And I am so honored to have been nominated by President Trump to serve in his Cabinet as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations as a part of his national security team. My team is already hard at work on behalf of the President at Turtle Bay as I finish my work to enact his agenda in Congress on behalf of my constituents and the American people. When discussing this nomination with President Trump, the President shared with me that he sees great promise in the United Nations IF it focuses on its founding mission of international peace and security. Just look at President Trump’s record of international peace and security in his first term – he negotiated the Abraham Accords, the largest step to peace in the Middle East in over a quarter of a century.  President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign crippled Iran’s capability to threaten instability in the region.  His Administration marked the only time Vladimir Putin did not invade another country. There is no question that President Trump is the President of peace and deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for the historic achievements of his first term alone.  And now look at what President Trump has already accomplished in just one month – He secured the release of six American hostages in Venezuela, two Americans in Afghanistan, an American-Israeli citizen in Hamas captivity, a Pennsylvania teacher in Russia, and an American citizen in Belarus. The world knows that it is ONLY because of President Trump that the innocent hostages viciously taken by Hamas terrorists are finally, finally coming home including those today. President Trump is effectively working to bring peace to the Russia Ukraine War to stop the bloodshed. He restored maximum pressure on Iran and redesignated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.  Every head of state is clamoring to meet with President Trump because the world knows America First is BACK.  And at the UN, we are already at work with President Trump delivering results. We left the WHO which covered up the truth about COVID. President Trump terminated the America Last Paris Climate Agreement. President Trump withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council that is a corrupt farce run by the worst abusers on the planet.  The Trump Administration imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court – an illegitimate court fueled by raging anti-semitism and anti-Americanism.  And a top priority that I have worked on for years, we defunded UNRWA – the pro-Hamas terrorist front group that committed atrocities on Oct. 7. Make no mistake, as President Trump’s United States Ambassador to the United Nations, we will not only defund UNRWA, we will dismantle it.  President Trump reinstated the Mexico City policy to ensure your hard earned U.S. taxpayer dollars do not support foreign organizations that perform or promote abortions around the world.  The U.S. rejoined the Geneva Consensus Declaration to promote and strengthen opportunities for women and girls around the world and protect the family as the fundamental unit of society. Our U.S. embassies have been instructed to fly the beautiful American flag and only our American flag. This is moral leadership. This is strong leadership. This is President Trump’s America First Peace Through Strength. Let me ask you a question: Do you all remember that famous Congressional hearing with the antisemitic university presidents from Harvard and Penn?  I should say “former” Presidents after my questions. Five Down, so many to go. Mark my words, that hearing is the type of strong, moral leadership that I will deliver at the United Nations on Day One.  And I know that I will be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations and not the other way around.  And I will always stand up for the American people, American sovereignty, and our America First values.That means I will always defend America’s most precious ally Israel. I led the charge to expose the rot of antisemitism on college campuses, and I will lead the charge to root out the rot of the true den of antisemitism—and that is the UN.  This past week, we continue to see with crystal clarity that our fight to support Israel and eradicate Hamas is a fight between good and evil, light and darkness, life and death.  The hearts of the world shattered to learn the horrific fate of hostages Oded Lifshitz, Shiri Bibas, and her two precious baby boys Kfir Bibas and Ariel Bibas.  The world must never forget that Hamas terrorists savagely murdered over 1,200 innocent civilians including women, children, babies, and the elderly and took hundreds hostage committing unspeakable atrocities against humanity on Oct. 7 and thereafter.  As we learn more about Hamas’ evil murder leading to this devastating loss of life of these innocent victims, we are reminded that this must not be Israel’s fight alone. The heinous display of Hamas terrorists parading the coffins of murdered Israeli babies and lying about the remains of their mother to the cheers of a barbaric, animalistic pro-Hamas mob is an affront to all of humanity. It has never been more important to show our unequivocal support for our most precious ally and it is clear that under President Trump’s leadership, America stands steadfast in support of Israel and the Jewish people. And we will not rest until every hostage is brought home and Hamas is eradicated. I will work with President Trump, Secretary Marco Rubio, Elon Musk, and the DOGE team to ensure every single dollar that we send to the United Nations is in line with the institution’s founding mission of promoting international peace and security. We will not fund terrorism, we will not fund corruption, we will not fund antisemitism, and we will not fund anti-Americanism. The United Nations will hear loudly and clearly that President Trump’s America First peace through strength agenda and record of results is BACK and it is HERE TO STAY.President Trump has been relentless in pushing for a government that serves the interests of the American People. Which is why he sent DOGE to protect our hard-earned U.S. taxpayer dollars. Let’s talk about DOGE for a moment—the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’.This initiative is as common sense and America First as it gets—and yet Democrats have spiraled into an utter state of panic, calling President Trump and Elon Musk a threat to democracy.  When the truth is—DOGE is a threat to the swamp’s bureaucracy. DOGE is draining the SWAMP just like President Trump said he would. We need a Global DOGE! We must expose the reckless and antisemitic, anti-American spending at the United Nations—and we will.So get ready—we are still only one month in, and must work together to Make America Great Again!  Thank you again to all the patriots here at CPAC and across the nation, for your unwavering support for President Trump, and our fight to save America. God Bless You, God Bless President Trump, and God Bless the United States of America! The post Trump’s UN Ambassador Elise Stefanik Calls for a Global DOGE appeared first on The Daily Signal.

OXEN HILL, Md.—White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said President Donald Trump is “reclaiming control” of the federal government after four “painful” years. “Every single day, the entire White House staff, the entire administration, the entire Cabinet on behalf of President Trump and his extraordinary leadership is getting the lies out of our schools, the men out of women’s sports, the poison out of our foods, the woke out of our military, the predators off our streets, and the illegal aliens the hell out of our country,” Miller said Saturday, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference just outside of Washington, D.C. He said Trump has issued 70 executive orders that establish that the federal bureaucracy works for Trump, and not the other way around. “He is the elected head of our government. And to all the people in the media, all the people on the radical Left, all the people in the Democratic Party screaming about democracy, Donald Trump is the one who is saving democracy. Donald Trump is the one who is saving our Constitution. Donald Trump is the one who is saving America. And any federal bureaucrat who defies the lawful orders of this president will be fired,” Miller said. Miller said bureaucrats in agencies like the FBI, CIA, and Department of Justice must adhere to Trump’s directives or face serious consequences. “Every day under President Trump, he is saying ‘Hell no’ to DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion],” he said. “He is saying ‘Hell no’ to CRT [critical race theory], he is saying ‘Hell no’ to the indoctrination of our children, and he is saying ‘Hell yes’ to the idea that America belongs to Americans.” He reminded the audience of how much the president has overcome to get to this point. “Let me ask you this question: When the lawsuit came against President Trump, when the lawfare came against President Trump, when the weaponized law enforcement intelligence division came against President Trump, and when the bullets came against President Trump, did he falter?” Miller asked. “He is fighting for your family,” he continued. “He is fighting for your children. He is fighting for your future. He is fighting for the fundamental idea that this country belongs, not to the bureaucrats, not to the radical Left communists, not to our foreign enemies, not to the criminal cartels, not to the criminal aliens.” The post Trump Is ‘Reclaiming Control’: Senior White House Official Issues Warning to Delinquent Bureaucrats appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Conservatives are Blowing a Golden Hollywood Opportunity

PolitiFact writers Maria Ramirez Uribe and Amy Sherman teamed up on Friday to give Elon Musk a “pants-on-fire” rating for his claim that former President Joe Biden’s immigration policy was “a giant voter importation scam.” To reach such a conclusion, the duo engaged in plenty of hyperliteralism and bad faith arguments. Uribe and Sherman cited Musk's recent CPAC appearance where he declared, “That is why the Biden administration was pushing to get in as many illegals as possible and spend every dollar possible to get as many, because every one of them is a customer. Everyone's a voter. The whole thing was a giant voter importation scam." The idea behind Musk’s claim is old and revolves around the idea that Democrats would be less tolerant of illegal immigration and “comprehensive immigration reform” where such illegal immigrants are granted citizenship if it was likely that they would vote Republican. The authors first sought to rebut Musk by arguing Biden did not literally import them, “There were historically high levels of illegal immigration during the Biden administration, but there is no evidence that Biden ‘imported’ those people to become voters. Factors such as natural disasters and economic or political turmoil in a persons’ home country lead people to migrate.” Of course, Musk just meant that Biden was unwilling to do anything about the border in the early days of his administration and instead was incentivizing it. However, Uribe and Sherman continue, “Additionally, Musk’s statement ignored that the Biden administration removed and deported immigrants in the U.S. illegally, and it stepped up efforts in 2024 as he ran for reelection. (He dropped out in July.)” Yes, at some point the bad polling became too much for Biden in an election year, but that doesn’t discredit Musk’s point. However, perhaps, the worst part of Uribe and Sherman’s post was when they tried to attack Musk on a point he actually agreed with them on, “Federal law requires U.S. citizenship to vote in national elections, and would-be voters sign a form that attests under penalty of perjury that they are citizens when they register to vote. The citizenship process takes several years.” However, they also report, “Musk acknowledged at CPAC that it might take years for immigrants to gain citizenship, but it would be ‘an investment that is guaranteed to pay off.’" Uribe and Sherman also tried to argue Musk is wrong because the Republican share of the Latino vote was higher in 2024 than in previous election cycles. While that is true, it does not follow that Musk deserves a pants-on-fire rating. Democrats are surely aware that is a problem for them, so PolitiFact should consider the possibility that Democrats’ less dovish stance on the border in recent months is because their perception of the political benefits has changed since the early days of the Biden presidency. Finally, people ascribe negative motives to politicians all the time. People accuse Musk of attaching himself to Trump to enrich himself and his fellow “oligarchs.” There’s not any more evidence for that than there is of the most literal interpretation of Musk’s Biden claim, but PolitiFact doesn’t give them a pants-on-fire rating.

One summer, I went to an orphanage in Honduras with just a few sets of clothes. At the end of my time there, I realized how little I actually needed to get by. I left most of my clothes at the orphanage with the Honduran girls, and by the time I returned home, I was overwhelmed with the sheer volume of stuff I owned. It’s always a good reality check — a humbling reality check — to leave the luxuries of America, go to a third-world country, and then return with a new perspective on materialism. A friend recently reminded me that “everything we own will eventually end up in the dump.” This stuck with me, because the pressure to buy things keeps growing as digital ads constantly bombard us with promises that the latest and greatest products will make us "happy." The convenience of Amazon Prime, Shein and H&M’s cheap clothes, and fast shipping fuel our impulse to buy more. You can worship and serve only one: God or something else. We get a dopamine rush each time we purchase something online and another one when it shows up on our doorstep. Consumer spending in America reached an all-time high of $16 billion in the third quarter of 2024, according to Trading Economics. We’re addicted to buying stuff. We’re spending an exorbitant amount of money trying to keep up with the latest trends, rich friends (a lot of them actually buried in credit-card debt), and the hottest new fashion lines. But Jesus never called us to "keep up with the Joneses." Unfortunately, much of the American church has bought in to this lie. I’ve been guilty of falling into this trap myself. The world, ads, and perfectly staged Instagram posts all tell us we need more, but Jesus calls us to be in the world — not of it. We should be set apart. Has all of our “stuff” transformed us into more happy, more grateful Christians? No. King Solomon reminds us of this powerful truth in the book of Ecclesiastes. As the richest king in the world, King Solomon “had it all.” Every material possession he could want, Solomon owned. Every luxury that life could offer, Solomon enjoyed. Nothing was withheld, yet Solomon longed for meaning and satisfaction because he couldn’t find it in material abundance. He was coming up short. We see this same pattern in celebrities and politicians today. They have what most people seek — money, power, and fame — and yet they often lead sad and unfulfilled lives. At the beginning of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon claims that "all is vanity," a declaration that largely summarizes the book. He explores the meaninglessness of life through all 12 chapters and declares midway: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Timothy echoes a similar reality in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” The Bible never says money is evil, but rather the love of it is. Jesus is clear in Luke 16:13: "You cannot serve God and money.” You can worship and serve only one: God or something else. Solomon ends Ecclesiastes with this charge, “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). We should heed his advice. As the richest king on Earth, Solomon had everything at his fingertips. Yet he teaches that what really matters is loving and serving God. When we reach heaven’s gates, God is not going to ask us what kind of car we drove, what kind of house we lived in, or how much money we earned. He will, however, hold us accountable for how we stewarded our money, possessions, and time. The solution to greedy sin-nature is found in contentment. It’s a lifelong lesson. We must practice contentment every day, and it starts with gratitude. Last summer, my husband and I moved into a small home built in 1979. This is the first house that we have owned, so we were thrilled to say goodbye to our apartment of two years. We finally had space to breathe and a great yard for our kids to play in. We’ve had a lot of people come through our doors since moving. But I never expected to hear some of the comments we’ve received from people: “Your kitchen is small, and you don’t have a lot of storage space in it.” “Wow, the floor squeaks there.” “Why did you buy this house?” I doubt every remark was ill intentioned. But it started to make me feel insecure about my home and less grateful for it after hearing those comments. I battled feeling “less than” because these comments made it feel like our house wasn't good enough and, therefore, we weren't either. Thankfully, these feelings didn’t last long. But it’s a good reminder that our value in Christ is not dependent on material possessions. Timothy also says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:6-7). Nothing is inherently wrong with owning nice things or having a new house or being financially astute. But most importantly, God has called us to use everything He’s blessed us with to serve Him, his kingdom, and others. He did not call us to follow him and hoard riches. No, quite the opposite. God sees the heart. More often than not, material possessions are a hindrance to following Jesus, as the interaction between Jesus and the rich young ruler demonstrates. Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, and follow Him. Instead of forsaking his worldly possessions and pursuing Christ, the rich young ruler wallowed in self-pity, “grieving” as he walked away from his conversation with Jesus (Mark 10:22). The young man knew himself well enough to realize that giving up his stuff wasn’t a sacrifice he was willing to make. Jesus also knew this, which is why He gave that specific man this specific challenge. Christ knows each of our idols and asks us to lay them down. Materialism shows us where our allegiances lie. It uncovers what we most value. Do we value God or possessions? Jesus saw right through the rich young ruler’s heart, and He sees right through ours. In Philippians 4:11-13, the apostle Paul asserts that no matter what circumstance he’s in — abundance or need — the "secret" to life rests in contentment. We can be materially wealthy but spiritually broke, which is why God always looks inward. This world is not our home, yet we try desperately to live like it is. As God instructed us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth" (Matthew 6:19) because they’re fleeting. God’s truth sets us free from materialism. We only have to daily lay our treasures at the cross and focus on what really matters: eternity.