Look out‚ Joe: RFK‚ Jr. is on the Michigan Ballot

The trial of Donald Trump began in New York on Monday with jury selection. The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records‚ stemming from alleged payments of $130‚000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. This marks the first time in history that a president has faced criminal charges in a U.S. courtroom. The trial is not without its controversies. First‚ the presiding judge‚ Juan Merchan‚ made political contributions to the Democratic Party and Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign‚ a potential conflict of interest. It’s funny‚ in a mordant way‚ that Alvin Bragg upgraded Trump’s charges to felonies. He downgraded 60% of felony cases to lesser charges in 2023. Second‚ the judge’s adult daughter‚ Loren Merchan‚ is president of a company called Authentic Campaigns‚ a Chicago-based political consulting firm whose clients include U.S. Representative Adam Shiff (D-Calif.)‚ of Russia collusion hoax fame‚ and the Senate Majority PAC‚ a major Democratic Party fundraiser. Merchan’s clients and her firm have raised over $90 million in campaign donations‚ highlighting Trump's trial in their fundraising emails. That’s another major conflict of interest. New York law is fairly unambiguous on this point: A judge shall disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned‚ including but not limited to instances where: the judge knows that the judge or the judge's spouse‚ or a person known by the judge to be within the sixth degree of relationship to either of them … has an interest that could be substantially affected by the proceeding. Well‚ the judge donated to Biden‚ whose Justice Department is bringing another case against Trump. The judge’s daughter has raised millions on behalf of Schiff‚ one of the prosecutors in Trump’s impeachment and among the worst instigators of the Russia collusion hoax. This is two and three degrees of separation. Yet the judge has refused to recuse himself from presiding over the trial. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg campaigned for office in 2021 on prosecuting Trump‚ thanks in large part to more than $1 million in campaign contributions from organizations linked to George Soros. In an interview ahead of the election‚ Bragg called the case “charge ready.” Once elected‚ he made superhuman efforts to indict Trump on spurious charges stemming in part from unnamed crimes. Bragg upgraded the charges of falsifying business records with the intent to defraud‚ a misdemeanor under New York law‚ to felony charges. Bragg alleges that Trump can be charged with felonies because he had the intent to defraud in order to commit or conceal another crime‚ thus circumventing the expiration of the statute of limitations. This is a suspect legal theory at best. Bragg arguably lacks the authority to bring in federal charges‚ specifically campaign finance charges. Not even the U.S. Justice Department found that Trump broke campaign finance laws. It’s funny‚ in a mordant way‚ that Bragg upgraded Trump’s charges to felonies. It’s quite a break from old habits. Bragg downgraded 60% of felony cases to lesser charges in 2023. He reduced 938 of the most serious felonies‚ 834 of which were changed to misdemeanors. Upon taking office in 2022‚ Bragg told his prosecutors that they should seek jail or prison time for the most serious offenses‚ including murder‚ sexual assault‚ and economic crimes involving vast sums of money. Trump is facing jail time in this trial. Crimes should be prosecuted. Criminals should go to jail‚ by all means. But the selective prosecution of the former president by Manhattan’s district attorney and other progressive prosecutors should frighten all Americans. They are actively engaging in political interference‚ trying to deny Americans the opportunity to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice‚ and keeping that candidate off the campaign trail at a critical point in the presidential race. This Soviet-style show trial also shows the dangers of one foreign-born billionaire‚ with a distinct anti-American‚ globalist view of the world‚ choosing our nation’s prosecutors via political contributions. Love Trump or hate Trump‚ the political assassination of the former president should frighten all Americans. The words of Lavrentiy Beria‚ Joseph Stalin’s head of the Soviet secret police‚ “Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime‚” apply not only to Donald Trump but to all of us. Who will be next&;#63;

The newest trend in the student loan forgiveness scheme is to shame those who took out Paycheck Protection Program loans during the COVID-19 pandemic and use them as a benchmark for why student loans should be forgiven. It’s a phony comparison.First‚ let’s acknowledge that the U.S. government is the largest predatory lender in the world‚ preying on young people and enabling a wholesale transfer of wealth from youth to colleges and their administrators. Without a doubt‚ the government’s role in student lending has been to the detriment of young Americans. That needs to be addressed and fixed.But nobody wants to get to the root of the problem. Joe Biden and the Democrats just want to have a debt jubilee — one that would further enable colleges to keep charging exorbitant tuition for degrees that don’t produce an appropriate return on investment. That not only hurts college grads just starting out in life but also the taxpayer writ large.Student loan forgiveness isn’t a fix. It’s a wealth transfer.Progressive Democrats are now saying that PPP loans were “forgiven” and that means young people deserve forgiveness.This is very much apples and oranges.There is much to be done to ensure young people aren’t ensnared by five- and six-figure debt for degrees not worth a fraction of that amount.Mandates from local and state governments shut down mostly small businesses‚ running into the concept of eminent domain. The government cannot take your property “for the public good” for any period without reasonable compensation. Small businesses were able to get compensation — in many cases‚ only a fraction of what they were truly due — through the horribly structured PPP program.The program was structured pretty much from the get-go to be forgivable loans. If you met certain criteria‚ you understood you would not have to pay the money back.Some small businesses didn’t take the loans because they didn’t believe the government. Others were angered because of the hoop-jumping loan structure‚ when other entities‚ such as the Kennedy Center and various academic institutions‚ got relief directly and weren’t required to submit to the “loan” farce.Overall‚ the program was a disaster. While many small businesses did get part of their due compensation‚ the program was rife with fraud and‚ in many cases‚ didn’t send the money to the right people. The broader CARES Act‚ and the legislation that followed‚ spent trillions of dollars in the name of combatting the pandemic emergency.Individuals got direct stimulus. Renters and students with loans got pauses on their payments. It was a disgraceful free-for-all.The government lost track of some of its spending‚ and not enough individuals were held accountable.That was a horrible period‚ which was dragged out even longer with Biden’s American Rescue Plan that added more stimulus and ignited inflation to more than 40-year highs.But the PPP disaster and the student loan disaster are two different disasters. Student loans are personal loans for personal development that are not compensation for the government interfering in private property. Except for the loans set up for forgiveness from the outset (such as those linked to public service)‚ student loans are not taken out with any expectation or promise of forgiveness.Starting to forgive loans means that those who have paid their loans‚ who never went to college or who went to cheaper colleges they could afford‚ will now be forced to shoulder a part of the cost of the highly educated. It is picking winners and losers — which‚ of course‚ you could argue the government already does. But that does not mean we should enable more of it.I am for student loan forgiveness if the colleges who gave out degrees that don’t allow the holders to pay their loans back are on the hook for them.I am for getting the government out of the student loan business. I am for allowing such debt to be discharged in bankruptcy court and appropriate underwriting of student loans — like just about every other loan on the planet.There is much that needs to be done to ensure young people aren’t ensnared by five- and six-figure debt for degrees not worth a fraction of that amount.But these are separate issues. We can try to hold government to account for the messy PPP program without shaming those who used it by the rules.We can work to fix the college issue for young people. And we can do both in a way that is fair and makes sense.

You can’t blame conservatives for thinking the worst of John 'Don’t Call Me Cougar' Mellencamp.The singer’s Democratic bona fides are well known‚ and last year he told Bill Maher that the lives of black Americans haven’t improved since slave days.Is he auditioning for “The View&;quot;&;#63; MSNBC&;#63; Keith Olbermann’s X account&;#63;This week‚ a clip of the aging rocker went viral for all the wrong reasons. The snippet allegedly showed Mellencamp fleeing the stage after the crowd jeered his pro-Biden spiel.Conservatives pounced AND seized on the clip‚ eager to bury the snowflake singer.Except‚ it didn’t go down like that. Not even close.Mellencamp was droning on about the homeless crisis during a concert appearance in Toledo‚ Ohio‚ when someone shouted a spin on‚ “Shut up and sing&;#33;”He quickly apologized and belted out “Pink Houses.”Just kidding&;#33; He stormed off the stage. To his credit‚ he calmed down and returned to finish the gig.What a trouper&;#33;Meanwhile‚ too many conservative X accounts ran with the faux story‚ including the Daily Caller and Citizen Free Press. The latter commendably corrected itself on social media several hours later.We’re drowning in fake news thanks to the NPR-ization of the press‚ but conservatives shouldn’t make the problem worse. What’s the old journalism saw&;#63; If your mother tells you she loves you‚ check it out.And if an unhinged rocker seemingly says something cah-razy‚ fire up the Google machine before hitting &;quot;Send” on that Tweet.We don’t have 'Larry David' to kick around anymore.The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” crank‚ played of course by the real Larry David‚ said goodbye to his HBO sitcom earlier this month.The series finale aped the “Seinfeld” capper in more ways than one. Both episodes recalled the main characters’ bawdy behavior. Both proved unsatisfying.And yes‚ there’s definitely something wrong with that.Did David’s Trump derangement syndrome get the better of him&;#63;The 12th season started strong (“pretty‚ pretty good&;#33;”) but quickly ran out of steam. Only chronic scene-stealer J.B. Smoove delivered‚ while the show took extended pot shots at GOP darlings‚ including President Trump and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.The finale even featured Trump whistleblower Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. Comedy gold‚ right&;#63;The show’s spoof of Trump’s epic mug shot scored an early laugh‚ but the rest felt like sour grapes. Even the plot – Larry goes on trial for giving a parched Georgia voter a gulp of water – proved more exasperating than funny.To David’s credit‚ he never let the show go woke‚ but his hard-left politics did him‚ and us‚ few favors during what should have been the show’s victory lap.The new 'Civil War' movie seemed like another election-year swipe against Trump.Think again (and insert record-scratch sound here).Director Alex Garland’s “Civil War‚” an eerie snapshot of Americans fighting each other‚ nabbed $25 million to win the box office weekend. The story refuses to follow the Hollywood blueprint‚ stripping most of the political fights of the day away to focus on journalists covering the melee.That wasn’t good enough for some.Paste Magazine slammed it for both-sides-ism‚ taking a potshot at brave reporter Andy Ngo‚ who once suffered a brain bleed for covering the violent‚ fascist movement known as Antifa.&;quot;Civil War&;quot; is so dedicated to refusing to take a side that it even shows in its credits: There is footage in this movie from Andy Ngo‚ a right-wing parody of a journalist who has come to prominence in an age defined by a concerted effort to destroy journalism.Read the whole daffy column‚ and you might suffer a brain bleed yourself.And in the 'I’ll Take Insane Liberal Projection' for $200‚ John Legend claims President Donald Trump is the beneficiary of a two-tiered justice system.Really.Legend‚ who infamously pushed the defund-the-police debacle‚ spun his fictional yarn on‚ where else‚ MSNBC.“He’s got access to all kinds of lawyers that are filing this and filing that‚ delaying every trial. Most people don’t have access to that kind of lawyering‚ do not have access to the concessions the justice system will provide if you can afford it.”Somewhere‚ a well-meaning elderly man with poor memory is smiling ... at something.

If there is one area of life you would hope might be off limits to the left-wing insanity ripping through the nation like wildfire‚ surely it would be the field of medicine. When it comes to your health‚ politics should not have anything to do with how you’re treated by your doctor.Yet‚ a guest speaker‚ whose lecture was required by all first-year medical students at UCLA as part of their mandatory course on “structural racism‚” said a prayer to “the ancestors” and “mama earth.” She went on to criticize private property and accuse “colonizers” of “pimp[ing] and play[ing] mama earth.” She concluded her talk by having the students get on their knees and touch “mama earth” with their fists while she prayed. Then later‚ according to a report in the Washington Free Beacon‚ she led the students in chanting‚ “Free‚ Free Palestine.”Science is no longer at the helm of American medical schools. It has been replaced with the DEI obsession.Good times were had by all — unless you happened to be a Jewish student in that class.In February‚ Dante King‚ a guest faculty member of the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine‚ delivered a lecture titled‚ “Diagnosing Whiteness and Anti-Blackness: White Psychopathology‚ Collective Psychosis and Trauma in America.” King says white people are racist because they’re genetically predisposed to psychopathy. What any of this has to do with learning medicine is any commonsense person’s guess. But unfortunately for America’s medical future‚ this kind of left-wing propaganda is fast becoming the rule rather than the exception.Top-ranked Harvard Medical School has activist courses such as “Social Change and the Practice of Medicine‚” to teach aspiring doctors how to be “important advocates for social change.” At George Washington University’s School of Medicine‚ students take courses in: “How to Talk About Race‚ Power‚ and Privilege in Classroom and Clinical Settings‚” “Moving Beyond Bystanding ... to Disrupting Racism‚” and the ever-popular “Beyond the Binary: Navigating Pregnancy and Affirming Care for People with Diverse Gender Identities.”There’s also “Confronting U.S. History: We Must End Racism to End Health Disparities.” That course includes a webinar session with Nikole Hannah-Jones‚ creator of the New York Times’ “1619 Project.” I guess if all our doctors hate America‚ it makes patients healthier.At the Indiana University School of Medicine‚ first-year students in basic anatomy class are taught that gender is a “social construct‚” that sex and gender “fall along a continuum‚ rather than being binary‚” and that man and woman gender types are “oversimplifications.” These are all real classes‚ many of them required‚ at America’s leading medical schools.According to Do No Harm‚ an organization established to expose and combat this insanity‚ 23 of America’s top 25 medical schools now have antiracism instruction as a core part of their curriculum. One UCLA med student told Fox News last month that left-wing ideology is “laced through all four years of medical school.”“I would say there’s not any room for pushback‚” the student said. “It’s more framed as if this is the reality of medicine‚ or this is the reality of our society. And then the discussion is‚ what can we do about this&;#63; But it’s not a discussion of whether the premise is anything other than [the] objective facts.”UCLA medical students are asked to participate in climate activism including going to a “big oil resistance” event‚ pressuring state legislators to support a climate bill‚ and helping researchers at UCLA study “the environmental injustices of the prison industrial complex.”This movement goes beyond medical schools rebooting their curriculum or even just having a few activist classes. The State University of New York’s Upstate Medical University in Syracuse‚ which has been around since 1834‚ put together a diversity task force that produced a 164-page report demanding action like this: “Health care professionals must explicitly acknowledge that race and racism are at the root of these health disparities.”The report also requires all students and staff to be trained in “bystander intervention” for bias‚ and all new faculty members are required to sign a pledge affirming their commitment to diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion.Christopher Rufo reported on the oath that medical students at the University of Minnesota must now take that includes a pledge to “honor all Indigenous ways of healing that have been historically marginalized by Western medicine” and to recognize the harm caused by “white supremacy‚ colonialism‚ the gender binary.”Does this indoctrination create a greater passion for activism or for becoming better‚ more dedicated doctors&;#63;In 2022‚ a Wake Forest medical student was about to draw blood from a patient who made an apparently mocking comment about the “pronouns” pin that this female student was wearing. The medical student then retaliated by missing the patient’s vein on purpose so that she had to stick the patient twice. Then the student bragged about what she’d done in a tweet. After some backlash‚ Wake Forest eventually placed her on “extended leave.”In 2022‚ the president of the American Association of Medical Colleges said: “We believe this [diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion] deserves just as much attention from learners and educators at every stage of their careers as the latest scientific breakthroughs.”Really&;#63; DEI is just as important for medical doctors to follow as science&;#63; By the way‚ the organization he heads‚ in partnership with the American Medical Association‚ forms the accrediting body for medical schools in the United States.In 2022‚ the AAMC released its “DEI Competencies” report‚ which spells out the DEI propaganda that medical schools are expected to incorporate in their training of doctors. This unquestioning devotion to DEI now governs admission standards at medical schools. The AAMC now discourages schools from using the MCAT admission test to select medical students. Dozens of schools have made the MCAT optional.The University of Pennsylvania‚ an Ivy League school‚ now has guaranteed admission with no MCAT required for black students who meet GPA and internship requirements. They also get a 50% discount on tuition. The MCAT itself has been altered to try to create more equity in admissions. One-quarter of the questions are now about social issues and psychology.As part of broadening the admission process beyond a student’s aptitude for actually becoming a doctor‚ most med school applications now have DEI questions. One doctor‚ writing recently in the Wall Street Journal‚ says:I assume most people don’t know how politicized the selection and training of their future physicians has become. Even I‚ a physician‚ was unaware until my son went through the med-school application process.Nearly all the schools requested multiple essays providing a detailed explanation of the applicant’s dedication to DEI and participating in DEI-related activism. Some schools had essays querying the applicant’s activism for‚ or opinion of‚ progressive border policies. Most also requested that students discuss how they have been adversely affected by systemic racism (and if they haven’t been affected‚ then they should discuss what they plan to do to fight systemic racism‚ anyway).Science is no longer at the helm of American medical schools. It has been replaced with the DEI obsession. Does that make you feel safer when you think about booking your next checkup&;#63; And heaven forbid if you have go to the emergency room‚ let’s hope your doctor signed his DEI pledge and didn’t flunk out of “How to Talk About Race‚ Power‚ and Privilege in Classroom and Clinical Settings.” After all‚ I expect my doctor to explain my privilege before taking my vitals.The woke takeover of our medical schools must stop. Our safety depends on it.Want more from Glenn Beck&;#63; Get Glenn's FREE email newsletter with his latest insights‚ top stories‚ show prep‚ and more delivered to your inbox.

As they search for a winning campaign message this election‚ Republicans are consumed with turmoil over abortion. Bizarrely‚ as they move leftward on the issue and engage in mental gyrations to subvert a longstanding conservative stance‚ Republicans are all ignoring the lesson of Ron DeSantis and Florida: You do not need to sell out your values to win elections.DeSantis won over many pro-choice voters in 2022‚ carrying the female vote by seven points (white women in particular by 18 points) and the suburban vote by 18 points‚ even as 56% of Florida voters said abortion should be legal. Now‚ the state is poised to give Donald Trump the widest margin in modern presidential elections‚ despite the passage of the heartbeat bill. What gives&;#63;When you lead and govern with prudence‚ principle‚ and competence‚ every issue winds up being a winning issue.While not all swing voters agree with DeSantis and Florida Republicans on abortion‚ they appreciate his “whole life” approach‚ making the quality of life in Florida — from safety and security to cleanliness and economic prosperity — superb.According to a new Emerson poll‚ 57% of Florida voters believe the six-week ban on abortion is “too strict.” At the same time‚ Trump maintains a 13-point lead over Joe Biden in the Sunshine State‚ even as the same pollster has Biden leading by two points nationally. Hence‚ even as the national poll has Trump performing along the lines of his 2020 loss‚ it shows him winning a historic margin in Florida after carrying the state by just 3.36 percentage points four years ago.Clearly‚ one can govern strongly in favor of life so long as he has a broader message and list of accomplishments on comprehensive quality-of-life issues.Elections are not about issues in a vacuum (aside from individual ballot referenda). Elections hinge upon the amalgamation of the image‚ messaging‚ and accomplishments of the candidate and the broader party.Imagine if the broader GOP had the accomplishments of DeSantis‚ particularly on core quality-of-life issues&;#63;Safety and securityRather than receding to irrelevance after failing to win the presidential primary‚ DeSantis stepped up his fight for the freedom and security of Floridians every day since exiting the race. He accomplishes more in one week than other GOP governors do during their entire tenure.If the rest of America is government by anarcho-tyranny‚ Florida has now become a beacon of ordered liberty — freedom and prosperity for peaceful citizens with zero tolerance for criminals and anarchists.Suburban voters‚ regardless of their position on abortion‚ care about their quality of life. Everyone wants safety and security. While the rest of the country is degenerating into ubiquitous crime‚ carjackings‚ theft‚ and street vagrancy‚ Florida is moving in the opposite direction.Addressing the trend we see in blue cities where anarchist mobs attack and harass law enforcement‚ DeSantis signed SB 184‚ making it a crime to harass law enforcement and first responders. He also signed HB 601‚ which guts the Soros-inspired “civilian oversight boards” blue city governments established to second-guess every officer-involved shooting.Although every Republican claims to be pro-law enforcement‚ most others have not leaned on blue city officials to fight the anarchy. Red Texas is full of anti-cop blue cities. In Florida‚ by contrast‚ crime is at a 50-year low‚ and thousands of police officers are moving to the state and even receiving bonuses.Floridians‚ and hundreds of thousands of people seeking shelter there from other states‚ know that the Sunshine State will remain a beacon for ordered liberty while chaos and mob rule reign elsewhere.Given crime and political instability in Haiti‚ there was a broad expectation that thousands of Haitian refugees would throng Florida’s shores as we saw with the Cuban Mariel boat lift in 1980. Much to the shock of those who don’t know DeSantis‚ nobody has come so far. DeSantis’ stern warning about interior enforcement and his forward deployment of maritime assets have clearly deterred an invasion.The same principle holds for domestic unrest. Pro-Hamas protesters shut down major bridges and highways across the nation this week — except in Miami‚ where police had zero tolerance for road blocking. The police knew they had a mandate and weren’t afraid to use it. DeSantis also decided to crack down on street violence during spring break this year. In line with his ruthless efficiency in deploying law enforcement‚ this is the first year without widespread violence and no viral videos of wild street fights.Of course‚ there is the issue of porch piracy and shoplifting that is plaguing even red states. Florida became the first state to clamp down on flash mobs and made porch piracy a felony. Suburban voters like their packages to be delivered and stay on their porches.These are not sexy national issues‚ but they matter to voters.Land of opportunityWhile ensuring public safety‚ DeSantis has consistently cut the budget‚ accrued record surpluses‚ paid off a quarter of the state’s existing debt‚ slashed tolls‚ and cut sales taxes on baby items. Florida has the lowest per capita state government overhead in the nation.Florida also has more housing inventory by far than any other state‚ has had a substantially lower unemployment rate than the national average for 41 consecutive months‚ and is the number-one state for new business formation.Additionally‚ DeSantis has enacted a host of educational reforms‚ broke the back of teachers' unions‚ and fought to purge wokeness from K-12 schools and state universities.Even on issues that don’t make headlines‚ such as the complicated problem of homeowner’s insurance‚ DeSantis’ reforms are paying off. Seven more insurance companies have entered the market‚ and several of them are announcing a plan to extend relief to policyholders.Taken together‚ the entire political center of suburban voters in the state feels like it has a governor who cares about quality of life and is competent in enriching it. Some of those voters might disagree with the governor on this or that ideological issue. But he has been able to lean into those issues precisely because he offers a full package – whole life – tethered to a strong pro-life message on abortion.That’s likely why Florida Republicans now hold a massive enthusiasm advantage over Democrats and independents. This stands in sharp contrast to the rest of the nation where a reverse enthusiasm gap is fueling Democrats’ victories in special elections.When you lead and govern with prudence‚ principle‚ and competence‚ every issue winds up being a winning issue. When you are incompetent‚ unprincipled‚ hypocritical‚ and clownish‚ the few issues you still stand for seem to be political losers. As DeSantis often likes to say‚ “Decline is a choice.”

Steven Spielberg has a reputation for crowd-pleasing uplift‚ and rightfully so. Even &;quot;Schindler's List&;quot; had enough of a &;quot;Hollywood ending&;quot; that &;quot;Seinfeld&;quot; got a decent gag out of it. But Spielberg does go dark. And when he does‚ buckle up. His 2001 movie “A.I.” is neither for actual kids nor for kids “at heart.” It's a brutally effective existential dread generator‚ a disturbing meditation on humanity's folly and cosmic insignificance hiding beneath a lavishly-produced and star-studded Hollywood fairy tale. Which is probably why it's one of Spielberg's least commercially and critically successful outings. Which is not to say it's not well worth your time. Try to get the final scene between Haley Joel Osment (the artificial boy David) and Frances O'Connor (his “mother”) out of your head. It's a moment of tenderness staged before a black hole. &;quot;A.I.&;quot; confronts us with our duty toward our creations. Most obviously‚ of course‚ it asks us to ponder the popular question of whether a significantly advanced artificial intelligence could be deserving of some kind of autonomy. (The movie should come with a trigger warning for robot abuse). More broadly‚ though‚ you can take it as being about our autonomy. We don't like to think of ourselves as creatures‚ because that comes with implied obligations to a creator. David's quest to be real mirrors our own frantic attempts to forget how real we are. In both cases‚ the journey ends in illusion. Spielberg's 2005 &;quot;War of the Worlds&;quot; also hides a howling void at the bottom of the popcorn bucket. When the aliens come‚ they don't waste time scaring us; they don't even bother getting out of their eerie tripod spaceships. Just a causal zap from the onboard death ray‚ and fleeing‚ screaming humans are turned into a pile of dust. The dust evokes 9/11 (shooting commenced two months after the third anniversary)‚ as does the greater New York City setting (Tom Cruise's protagonist is a longshoreman whose backyard affords a view of the Bayonne Bridge). Most chillingly‚ so do the homemade missing persons posters plastered by the Hudson Ferry terminal. Cruise as always is inexplicably good at being both Tom Cruise and a convincing everyman. Here‚ his trademark cockiness is muted by his genuinely terrifying struggle to save his estranged kids from unthinkable calamity — all the while warding off thoughts of his own helplessness. To watch Cruise hold back tears as he sings &;quot;Little Deuce Coupe&;quot; to his terrified‚ exhausted daughter (Dakota Fanning) is to be reminded that the world's biggest star can also act.

1: Burbank‚ always. Burbank and Long Beach are the only two airports on earth that recall the gentlemen’s era of flying‚ artifacts you should enjoy while you still can. In general‚ you should always opt for smaller‚ local airports‚ but only if they’re not ridiculously far from your destination. You’re gonna let them force you to take your shoes off like a criminal&;#63; Give me a break. 2: Avoid LAX at all costs. If you must‚ make sure to get an Uber Black upon arrival at LAX. Your family should go hungry before you step on the LAXIT bus. What’s the opposite of a wonder of the world&;#63; That’s the LAXIT bus. Also‚ avoid layovers at Dallas airport‚ where the air conditioning is always on too high (you will likely get a cold) and where the only restaurants seem to be various forms of Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. Connecting in Denver is much preferable. 3: Spirit Airlines: never‚ ever. Never. 4: Get both CLEAR and TSA PreCheck. Best money I’ve ever spent. You’re gonna let them force you to take your shoes off like a criminal&;#63; Give me a break. 5: Centurion lounges are fine — but they’re not that great. Often cramped and over crowded‚ and much like soho house‚ they’re mostly a money trap for middle class people to falsely signal high class. Often‚ a good airport bar is preferable to a lounge. That said‚ they have much healthier food than the rest of the airport. 6: Never wait in line for an espresso at the airport. This is not espresso‚ it’s machine caffeine. Just get a normal coffee‚ it’s all the same. 7: Do not wear sweatpants. Do not look like a slob. You will feel so much better the whole day if you dress decently and not like a cretin. 8: The fastest way to pass time on your flight is to work on your computer‚ blast music on headphones‚ and drink. In fact‚ flying is one of the best “liminal spaces” to get work‚ particularly creative work‚ done. Remember the Kanye video of him making music on the plane&;#63; It’s a great feeling‚ one of the best in the world. 9: If delayed‚ don’t sit there frowning and lamenting your fate. Nothing looks stupider than an angry person sitting and waiting for their name to be called for a crumb of standby status. Delays are another opportunity to work and drink in the fertile liminal space of air travel. Same goes for layovers — do not fear layovers. Getting air and moving the muscles is healthier than more time in the poop tube‚ and you’ll feel much better upon arrival. 10: If your Uber driver asks‚ “How’s your day going&;#63;” that means he wants to chat. Chat with him; it’s good for you.Isaac Simpson (@disgracedprop) is the founder of the dissident marketing agency Will and host of &;quot;The Carousel&;quot; podcast.

Yes‚ Donald Trump is a mess at times. And‚ from the church’s perspective‚ there is an undeniable element of Barabbas about him for too many people who are not content with “he’d clearly be a better president than the current dementia patient” and who must instead must elevate him as a 21st-century Charlemagne. But we have a far bigger problem than that as believers and citizens. Its name is Judas. In our era‚ we have created a new heresy — we have “sanitized” scripture.Witness the bipartisan betrayal that played out in Congress this week. In the face of an ongoing border invasion‚ House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) violated every morsel of his mandate as a public servant to betray his base while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) similarly violated every morsel of his mandate to reward his. Anybody know the exchange rate these days for 30 pieces of silver&;#63; Johnson‚ aka Mr. Biblical Worldview‚ has taken the baton boldly from his nicer-than-God forebear‚ Mike Pence. Both men rose to a level of political power beyond that of any other evangelical in their generation. And both men sadly‚ but perfectly‚ personify the piety-over-conviction‚ flight-over-fight cowardice that has infested too many of America’s evangelical pulpits at great cost to the message and the mission of Christianity. (See Pence and his feckless leadership of the COVID Task Force as Exhibit A.) To that end‚ let me share with you my “Bible in a year” scripture reading from one morning last week: Moreover‚ [Jehoram] made high places [altars to the demon Asherah to perform sex rites as worship] in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray. And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet‚ saying‚ “Thus says the Lord‚ the God of David your father‚ ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father‚ or in the ways of Asa king of Judah‚ but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom‚ as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom‚ and also you have killed your brothers‚ of your father's house‚ who were better than you‚ behold‚ the Lord will bring a great plague on your people‚ your children‚ your wives‚ and all your possessions‚ and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels‚ until your bowels come out because of the disease‚ day by day.’” And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near the Ethiopians. And they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king's house‚ and also his sons and his wives‚ so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz‚ his youngest son. And after all this the Lord struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. In the course of time‚ at the end of two years‚ his bowels came out because of the disease‚ and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor‚ like the fires made for his fathers. He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign‚ and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David‚ but not in the tombs of the kings. If you're a Christian‚ you believe the God who cursed this wicked political ruler in a very violent‚ painful‚ and graphic way for demonically influencing the people was none other than Jesus Christ. Because to be a Christian is to believe Jesus Christ is God the Son of the holy trinity. But how many Christians even knew this message was in the Bible&;#63; I was talking to a sincere believer this week‚ and a real man’s man‚ too. Yet‚ when I quoted Nehemiah 13 about beating people and pulling out their beards for defiling the temple‚ he was stunned. He had no idea that was in the Bible. It’s a big problem. If you do go to a church that you can foresee never preaching on this passage‚ find another church. That church is part of the problem with the dying culture you are living through. Unfortunately‚ that is going to be a good many of the churches many evangelicals enjoy attending. In our era‚ we have created a new heresy — we have “sanitized” scripture. Most evangelical churches aren’t preaching open heresy‚ but they’re not preaching an open Bible‚ either. They are self-editing. They are determining‚ as if they were their own papacy‚ what scriptures you are to hear and which you are not. Which you can handle and which you cannot. Which will fill their seats and coffers and which will not. Nehemiah 13 won’t inspire another hit from Hillsong or another wave of false converts from the suburbs to tithe. And though that is no excuse for any believer‚ because part of our individual relationship with Christ is to seek him individually through his word‚ this new heresy plays right into our convenience-driven culture. Just as many parents were “too busy” to find out what their kids were learning at the government schools and now we are reaping a harvest of communists‚ degenerates‚ and God-haters (but I repeat myself) as a result‚ we also delegated our time spent in God's word to nothing more than Sunday mornings at church because we are otherwise “too busy” to do it ourselves every day. And now‚ just one generation later‚ we have ended up with soft-headed‚ sweater-vested‚ pleated khakied beta males like Pence and Johnson who think they are “loving their neighbors as they love themselves” by siding with the enemy against their own God. Many evangelical churches cater week after week‚ year after year‚ to those who have rejected God but are repackaged as “$eeker$.” If that sounds like a grift‚ it is. But you ask‚ doesn’t mercy triumph over judgment&;#63; Yes. But it doesn’t cancel it. There is still a hell‚ and people are sadly going there each day. And one of the reasons why is this sanitized-for-your-comfort heresy that makes church normies think they’re saved when they’re really false converts. We simply don't take making disciples seriously‚ which is a fundamental denial of the Great Commission to &;quot;disciple the nations&;quot; (disciple being the root word of discipline). Mere conversion is only the first step to discipleship. Just as your marriage may have been announced on your wedding day‚ and a marriage can’t proceed without a wedding‚ the ceremony itself is just beginning. How successful will your marriage be if it peaks on the wedding day&;#63; Not very&;#33; And neither will the bride (the church) adequately succeed her groom (Christ) by peaking at mere conversion. “By their fruit you will know them‚” our Lord says. Well‚ Pence and Johnson may be the most high-profile and influential evangelicals of their generation. In Johnson’s case‚ he’s one or two heartbeats away from holding the most powerful office on the planet. Yet what does the fruit of their public service reveal about them and the pastors who mentored them&;#63; The verdict is in. The evangelical church clearly failed such men and legions more. We needed Daniels. We needed Nehemiahs. Instead‚ they gave us Jezebels.

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