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The nun may have had to disguise herself as a man in order to get away with punishing herself.

The Democratic Party is lost. For eight long years, they made Donald Trump the bane of all existence, and despite the best efforts of the party, news media, intelligence services, Hollywood, and the activists, he’s back — and more powerful than ever. Worse, they don’t know the way out, but in all their infighting, three proposals are taking shape among the factions: The progressives, the pragmatists, and the possums. The progressives are the most obvious. Like vegans and atheists, their politics are the first thing they’ll tell you about. These Democrats counsel no retreat from the politics that got them so lost in the first place. "Democrats have been playing dead for too many years,” progressive icon Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) claimed last weekend. The cause is their religion, and you should never underestimate a cult. The progressives blame Joe Biden for their defeat and truly believe that if they’d just been better able to communicate, Americans would have agreed they hold the answers. True transgenderism hasn’t been tried ... you know. That sort of thing. Their old guard is visible, from Sanders to that old man in the ponytail waving his cane and mumbling old gospel songs. Plenty of professional Democrats are embarrassed by them (and, in the primaries last year, even took a few of the louder, less intelligent ones out). Still, they have a strong network of support among activists and (now-devastated) nonprofits. More, they maintain a revolutionary spirit. The cause is their religion, and you should never underestimate a cult. Progressives have a problem: They lack credible champions who can stick to their principles and be seen as serious presidential contenders. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) might be a rare exception. The blue-state Democrat has become one of the most consistent and vocal critics of the Trump administration. Unlike many of his colleagues, who limit their opposition to procedural battles, Murphy challenges Republicans directly on substantive issues like transgender rights and foreign aid. Then there are the pragmatists (or the pretend pragmatists). These men and women are in strategic retreat, pulling back from the most radical Democrat planks (with the smallest constituencies) while trying to maintain those deemed too important (or too sacred) to abandon. These Democrats include many state governors but are most noticeably captured by California’s Gavin Newsom. Long a champion of hard-left causes, Newsom read the polls, sensed the shifting winds, and began stepping back from his most progressive positions over the past year. Last week, Newsom sparked fury among progressives when he conceded to conservative activist Charlie Kirk that men dominating women in sports is “deeply unfair” and admitted that Trump’s ads on the issue were “devastating” against former Vice President Kamala Harris. Men playing in women’s sports is a perfect example of a narrow concession on a losing issue with a small constituency that used threats, intimidation, and money to masquerade as a mass cultural movement. Even CNN admits this. Late last week, one poll by the outlet showed that 94% of Republicans, 67% of Democrats, and 64% of independents agree with Newsom. “You rarely get 79% of the country to agree on anything,” data reporter Harry Enten said, “but they do, in fact, agree on the idea of opposing transgender female athletes in women's sports.” Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also fits in this lane. After Trump’s inauguration, he infamously removed his pronouns from his X bio, and in February he even criticized his own party’s devotion to woke politics as a “Portlandia” skit. (Remember: This is the same guy who called highways “racist.”) The reason for these sudden changes of heart is obvious: national ambition. Progressives are absolutely furious about it, and this makes sense; little inspires the hate of the faithful like an apostate. On the other side of this lane are those potential party leaders less tarred by the political excesses of the Democrats’ decade-long moral crusade, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Like most “centrist Democrats,” Shapiro enjoys the reputation less by his own moderation and more by how far his allies have gone to the left. Winning a swing-state lost by two of the past three Democratic presidential candidates carries a lot of weight in Democratic circles, however, and anyone guessing the future of the Democratic Party has eyes on his and Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s brand of swing-state liberalism. For his part, Beshear gained attention for winning in a full-blown red state, but it comes with a couple of caveats. First: Family name. “Beshear” draws a lot of water in the Bluegrass State; it’s unlikely that any other Democrat would have won there (even with the same policies). More: You might not hear much from him because while he looks good on paper, he’s not a very inspiring politician. While they’re less progressive than many of their peers, Shapiro and Beshear have also largely pursued the third path for Democrats: playing possum. This strategy was first articulated by former President Bill Clinton strategist James Carville, much to the rage of Sanders and Co., but it doesn’t have to mean surrender (as the progressives claim it does). Knowing when to stay silent might better describe this third path. A good example is House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who called for quiet decorum ahead of the president’s address to Congress last week. While he made Democrats’ positions known, he has shied away from the spotlight in early skirmishes with the administration. Thus far, however, Jeffries has shown little ability to restrain the progressives. Their antics during Trump’s address to Congress and their civil rights cosplay might as well be the face of the party, as far as casual observers are concerned. Laying low is obviously not a path out of the woods, but it might be a pretty good temporary strategy. First, the American people just thoroughly rejected Harris’ progressive record, and Democrats don’t have nearly the megaphone they did during the presidential campaign, so how will more street theater help? Second, the White House is at the peak of its power, but Republicans are famous for tripping over themselves. The time for political comebacks is never ripe right after a major defeat. The progressives don’t like that one bit. Indeed, another aspect that ties Team Pragmatic and Team Possum together is Team Progressive’s disdain for them both. Progressives are outnumbered among the front-runners for the next presidential race, but don't count them out. Like I said, never underestimate a cult. KTLA 5: ‘Disturbing,’ ‘disappointed’: LGBTQ+ advocates react to Newsom’s shift on trans athletes Politico: ‘It’s disgusting. There are kids waking up today in California with this news thinking that their governor hates them, and rightly so’ Advocate: How Chris Murphy is changing the Democratic Party and holding Republicans to account The Spectator: Democrats’ Trump derangement syndrome comes home to roost Blaze News: LGBT groups uneasy over Disney’s first Christian prayer since 1996 New York Times: ActBlue, the Democratic Fund-Raising Powerhouse, Faces Internal Chaos Sign up for Bedford’s newsletter Sign up to get Blaze Media senior politics editor Christopher Bedford's newsletter.

The ideological divide that separates conservatives and liberals has grown into a gaping chasm, especially since the Obama administration. It seems that our differences are nearly irreconcilable at this point. Never was this more obvious than last week, when the nation watched President Donald Trump give his first address to Congress since his historic return to the White House. No matter what he said or who he honored, the Democrats sat in stony, seething silence (except Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who yelled and shook his cane). There was nothing but glares from the left, even when a child with cancer was honored by the Secret Service. Many held signs of opposition; others wore pink to protest Trump’s attack on “women’s rights.” On the other side of the audience, Republicans whooped, applauded, and stood as President Trump shared the victories of the administration and reiterated what’s still to come. This is where we’re at. Is reconciliation even on the table at this point? In his recent op-ed, Steve Deace, BlazeTV host of the “Steve Deace Show,” argued that Democrats’ reaction to President Trump’s speech made one thing clear: “We can’t share a country with these people.” Now he joins “Blaze News Tonight” host Jill Savage and Blaze Media senior politics editor and Washington correspondent Christopher Bedford to explain why he believes the only answer is to “defeat” the left. “Why can’t we coexist with the left?” asks Jill. “Well, number one: They won’t coexist with us,” says Deace, noting that it was the Obama administration specifically that ushered in the era of “everyone who disagrees with me is a racist, misogynist, xenophobic, homophobic bigot.” The scary part is that “they’re sincere” when they call us these names. “It’s not just a labeling tactic,” says Deace. “I didn't want to admit it myself, because it would mean that politics in America has become a zero-sum game, and the minute it becomes a zero-sum game, now you're talking about cold civil war kind of stuff,” he adds. Sadly, “it’s very clear that we are there now.” “I like to describe it as a worldview steel-cage match, where two worldviews enter and only one is coming out,” says Deace. The Democrats, he explains, have adopted a worldview in which “ideology matters more than people.” “Whenever you get to a point in any human endeavor where the ideology matters more than what's best for human people, you have a cult, and I think that's essentially what [Democrats] are now,” says Deace. “We cannot share a culture together.” Christopher Bedford says that he has long had a feeling we would come to this point. It started back when ISIS was brutally murdering Christians and President Obama, at a Christian prayer breakfast, said something to the effect of “get off [your] high horse about gay rights and gay marriage.” “That’s when I realized they hate us. They really do hate us. It’s not just dialogue. They want to destroy us … and this guy was supposed to be the great unifier; this was supposed to be someone who would bring us all together, who would heal the racial sins of America's past and make it a great place, and he did the opposite,” he says, noting that Obama at least had the charisma to take diametrically opposed groups and form them into “a workable political coalition.” But once his term ended, “the lunatics [began running] the asylum.” Deace agrees. “Without that external packaging … the deal basically they're offering the American people is: Unless you are a fan of "The View" or MSNBC, we've got nothing for you, literally nothing … and in fact, we not only offer you nothing, we hate your guts.” To hear more of the conversation, watch the clip above. Want more from 'Blaze News Tonight'?To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The Trump administration is demanding accountability in Syria following reports that the terrorists now running the war-ravaged nation and their allies have resumed their slaughter of non-Sunni Muslims, Christians, and other minorities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Sunday, "The United States condemns the radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis, that murdered people in western Syria in recent days." "The United States stands with Syria's religious and ethnic minorities, including its Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities, and offers its condolences to the victims and their families," continued Rubio. Rubio added in his Sunday statement, "Syria's interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these massacres against Syria's minority communities accountable." 'We should take the opportunity to celebrate it, and pay tribute to those who brought it about.' Turkish-backed Islamic militants toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime in December — an act former President Joe Biden called "a fundamental act of justice." The group was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization that has long brutalized Christians and which was effectively spun off from Al-Qaeda, another terrorist organization that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton indicated in 2012 was "on our side in Syria." Before becoming Syria's president in late January, the specially designated global terrorist leader of HTS, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, suggested that the regime change that the Obama CIA and the Pentagon helped with was a "victory for all Syrians" and that there might be relative tolerance, including for non-Sunni Muslims and other minorities. The terrorist fooled various American officials and media personalities. The Washington Post's foreign policy columnist, for instance, wrote, "Syria is free. The rebels won. The people liberated themselves from tyranny." Trump critic Bill Kristol wrote, "The fall of a brutal dictator is rare enough that we should take the opportunity to celebrate it, and pay tribute to those who brought it about." Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) expressed hope in December that under the new terrorist leadership, Syria would "be a tolerant society accepting of people from all religious confessions." Recent mass killings and public executions have proven the Jolani regime's commitment to tolerance wanting and the nation's collective victory to have been short-lived. 'He has removed the mask, revealing his true face: a jihadist terrorist from the Al-Qaeda school.' On Thursday, Assad loyalists who refused to surrender their weapons launched an attack on Syrian security forces near the port city of Latakia in the western region largely populated by Alawites, adherents to an offshoot of Shia Islam, and Christians. The gunmen, who were apparently Alawites, seized control of Assad's hometown, Qardaha, reported the Associated Press. The Jolani regime dispatched tens of thousands of security forces and auxiliary fighters to the coastal region to launch a counteroffensive, killing hundreds of Assad loyalists. According to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, security forces also killed at least 973 civilians in 39 massacres and undertook "executions based on regional and sectarian affiliation." Women and children were reportedly among the butchered civilians. British parliamentarian Andrew Rosindell likened the violence to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and noted that "from the footage I have seen, Alawite Muslims, Christians, Druze, and other minorities are being hunted down, tortured, and murdered in cold blood," reported GB News. "This comes as a part of the unprecedented escalation of retaliatory actions and genocide which started on March 7 in four Syrian provinces," stated the Syrian Observatory. "The bloody actions, which are still ongoing, coincide with setting fire to civilian houses and forcible displacements, while no international authorities have interfered or taken any actions so far to put an end to those massacres." Reuters, which was unable to independently verify the watchdog group's death tolls, reported that regime officials have acknowledged the murder of civilians but blamed unorganized civilians and fighters, claiming they were trying to help security forces or take advantage of the chaos. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz tweeted, "al-Julani took off his galabiya, put on a suit, and presented a moderate facade. Now, he has removed the mask, revealing his true face: a jihadist terrorist from the Al-Qaeda school, committing atrocities against the Alawite civilian population." While the Jolani regime has suggested it was not directly responsible for the recent massacres, the European organization Christian Solidarity suggested that Damascus called last week for volunteers to mobilize while Sunni mosques across the country called for a jihad in the coastal region. Numerous residents in the coastal region told Reuters that thousands of Christians and Alwaites have fled in recent days, fearing for their lives. Some of those seeking to avoid executions at the hand of Sunni terrorists have apparently taken refuge at a Russian air base in Hmeimim. Ahead of the 2024 election, President Donald Trump vowed to "protect persecuted Christians." Vice President JD Vance echoed the president in October, writing, "The United States should fight against the persecution of Christians all over the world, and it will when President Trump is back in the White House." Like Blaze News? 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Secret Service agents shot a man they say was brandishing a weapon near the White House over the weekend, threatening to harm himself and others.Sometime on Saturday, D.C. Metropolitan police received a report from police in North Manchester, Indiana, claiming that an armed 27-year-old man was headed to the D.C. area with perhaps bad intentions. The report indicated that the man was emotionally disturbed and may have been looking to commit suicide by cop.Secret Service then found the car belonging to the "suicidal individual" and spotted someone who matched his description lurking near the White House, Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi said.President Donald Trump was not in any immediate danger from the gunman or shooting.Officers then tracked the man down on foot near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located about a block from the White House. Around midnight on Sunday, the situation escalated considerably when the suspect reportedly pointed a gun at himself and then at the officers. He also allegedly ignored multiple commands to drop the weapon, forcing Secret Service agents to take action and discharge their weapons."As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel," Guglielmi said in a statement.The suspect was wounded in the shooting and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The man's current condition is unknown. A rifle was also reportedly discovered in his parked vehicle.Thankfully, no officers were injured in the incident. The Secret Service has not confirmed how many shots were fired or the names of the officers involved. The name of the suspect likewise has not been released.Metro police confirmed that internal affairs officers, who are normally assigned to investigate officer-involved shootings, are continuing to investigate the incident. The department declined to give further comment, Reuters reported.President Donald Trump was not in any immediate danger from the gunman or shooting, as he spent the weekend at Mar-a-Lago in Florida and did not return to the White House until Sunday evening. However, he narrowly escaped death last July when a gunman opened fire during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Bullets from that shooting grazed Trump's ear, seriously wounded two attendees, and killed former fire chief Corey Comperatore.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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