For Deep Purple, The Long Goodbye has changed to We’re Not Going Anywhere. Indeed, it appeared the group was winding down when they announced Their fabled Long Goodbye tour in 2017. In recent years, they’d taken an admirable step up with two tremendous albums produced by Bob Ezrin — 2013’s Now What?! and 2017’s inFinite. Then they went into overtime with a third Ezrin-produced release for 2020 called Whoosh! followed a year later by the cheeky covers album, Turning To Crime. Now, they’re back with =1, their 23rd studio effort and fifth produced by Ezrin, and it’s a whole new band, with a few nods here and there to the past. It’s as if instead of hanging it up, the members of Deep Purple have dug in their heels this time around. Maybe it was the 50th anniversary celebration of Machine Head that got their blood boiling. Or more likely, it’s the fact that longtime guitarist Steve Morse had, for personal reasons, leave the group. That gaping hole could have ended it right then and there. Deep Purple prompted themselves for a bit of a readjustment. Hiring guitarist Simon McBride to replace Morse quickly put any doubts to rest. From the outset, =1 exhibits an attitude, a sniff of a snarl, affirming Deep Purple is still a viable rock and roll outfit. “Show Me” is a powerful starter and an indication of what Deep Purple has to say at this juncture of their career. Ian Gillan’s voice and distinctive tone glide through the verses, supported by the rumble of the rock-hard bass and drums from Roger Glover and Ian Paice. The pièce de resistance comes when keyboardist Don Airey and McBride engage and do the patented keyboard and guitar twist. It’s an important Deep Purple component. Airey churns out synth notes, which he does more than ever on this album, and McBride answers back with squeaky clean reverence before they both lock in and sprint to the break. One of greatest performances from McBride comes next. The infectious galloping riff that drives “A Bit On The Side” limbers up with shades of Ritchie Blackmore and Steve Morse-type flourishes. It’s arguable the guitarist’s playing isn’t as individualistic and defined as his predecessors. They are the template he’s using to mesh with the band. Yet it operates on a fresher, more energetic level with a flash all its own. For all practical purposes, he’s the man for the job and =1 hammers that point home. “Sharp Shooter” is cast in a classic mid-tempo Deep Purple mold, while “Portable Door” finds Gillan’s melody and lyrics at their optimum best with bit of a sardonic edge. As the first single from the album, it’s a spirited, lifting rocker that sheens and shines. All the pieces fall together here, as McBride and Airey take their solos and Gillan comes back to wrap his tale of veiled annoyance. Hopefully, it gets rolled out live for shows. The second single “Pictures Of You” chunks forth, beaming with all the trimmings of a hit from the golden age of 1972. “Lazy Sod,” the third single, is a snappier toe-tapper where Gillan offers an acerbic, humorous admission of being unable to solve the world’s problem, partly inspired by a posing question during an interview that referenced Dolly Parton. “Now You’re Talkin’” bears all the hallmarks of a classic Deep Purple track, rich in depth and booming with life. McBride delivers one of his standout performances throughout, bolstered by a cracking solo. Gillan goes guttural at one point and tempers it out for the rest of the tune. All of it comes to a close on a cosmic plane, sustaining the band’s edge and mystic. By the time you reach “Bleeding Obvious,” the album’s final epic, it should become — ahem — bleeding obvious that =1 is a definitive statement from one of rock’s most enduring and hard-working bands. The acoustics and piano that lush it up a little bit there toward the end only add to the band’s arsenal. In the scope of Deep Purple’s extensive discography, It’s not easy to assess where =1 sits. Even Machine Head had a slow start until “Smoke On The Water” was unleashed upon the world. With seemingly no expiration date, Deep Purple are on a new path with a spring in their step and a feather in their history. For them, even at this late stage in their run, =1 confirms that their determination to stay afloat and continue as a force in music rages on. ~ Shawn Perry

A Russian court sentenced American journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in a maximum security prison on Friday. The court found Gershkovich guilty of espionage in a case that the U.S. government and his employer, The Wall Street Journal, have denounced as fraudulent.

While the gender theorists fumble around trying to answer the “What is a Woman?” question, Sarah Huckabee Sanders answered it with a clarion call at the Republican National Convention. Her words were beautifully woven with the purpose of femininity. First, she honored Trump. Second, she lifted the name of God. And third, she emphasized her greatest role as a mother. Dressed in a cherry red dress and exuding pride in her country, Sanders praised Trump as an example of courage under fire while reminding us he is a father of five and grandfather of ten. With confidence and dignity, she modeled wisdom for younger women, which is what mothers are supposed to do. Not only is Sanders America’s youngest governor and the first female to lead “the great state of Arkansas,” but she is also the first mother to have served as White House Press Secretary, where she fielded attacks from the Left with unflinching grace. “America was safer under Donald Trump,” she announced at the RNC, reminding the world what is top-of-mind for women: our safety and security. “The Left doesn’t care about empowering women,” she stated plainly, “Biden and Harris can’t even tell you what a woman is.” That is the God-honest truth. While researching the creation of woman over the past few years, I discovered that not only is being a “man” an action — laying down one’s life to lift the woman at his side — but being a woman is an action too. It is the exact action Huckabee took in May of this year when she signed biological sex into law, defying Biden’s rewriting of Title IX to advance radical gender ideology. The action of womanhood is to speak on behalf of the vulnerable and to course-correct mankind when we are headed in the wrong direction. WATCH: Matt Walsh’s documentary “What is a Woman?” on DailyWire+ The word male in biblical Hebrew, zakar, means to remember who God is, what He says, and live it out. Men are responsible to carry the human family on their shoulders. Part of our purpose as women is to help them walk in that identity. While men lift us, women lift the home and family and stabilize mankind. Together, we pass on the ways of God to the next generation. In her Executive Order to Protect Women and Girls, Huckabee achieved this purpose by revisiting the original meaning of Title IX: to protect women, not harm them. When Title IX was passed into law in 1972, it was a succinct 37 words. Biden’s unilateral rewriting of Title IX resulted in 459,804 nonsensical words that divorce human beings from biological reality and put women at risk. Sanders unapologetically declared, it “turns back the clock on women’s opportunities, erodes student privacy, threatens women’s sports, and erases women,” which we can’t ignore. With unflinching accuracy, she called Biden on the carpet, saying it is “plainly ridiculous” for men to compete in women’s sports, receive access to women’s and girls’ locker rooms and private spaces, and snap away our scholarships. She lambasted this administration for rejecting reality and appeasing their Left-wing base over student’s safety.  “The government should celebrate, not erase, sex differences by providing proper protections for them,” she said, plain and simple–while making it illegal in Arkansas to force the use of inaccurate pronouns. She re-established “male and female” as the one and only definition of sex in her state. It’s refreshing and simple. The result of her measure? Girls in Arkansas don’t have to compete against boys. Their sports are safe; their locker rooms are safe; and their scholarships are safe. In Arkansas, political ideology doesn’t define sex; God does. Boom. That’s a woman for you. Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images Real women know we are worthy of protection. Real women honor God, men, and children. And real women speak up when it matters. The question remains why every Right-thinking governor in the United States hasn’t followed her wise example. What would happen if strong mothers and fathers stood united as a dividing wall between children and gender ideology? What would happen? Our daughters would be safe; our sons’ bodies and minds would be preserved; and children would know they are our first priority. In her speech to the RNC, Sanders lived up to the timeless definition of womanhood exhibited in Proverbs 8:2: “At the crossroads, she [wisdom] takes her stand.” “Ladies and gentlemen, we are not called to stand still in the face of great danger. You and I were put on this earth at a moment in time to charge boldly ahead,” Sanders said. I hope all women will follow her example. If they do, Matthew Arnold’s words will be fulfilled: “If there ever comes a time when the women of the world come together purely and simply for the benefit of mankind, it will be a force such as the world has never known.” What is a woman? We are daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, and grandmothers. We value strong, sacrificial fathers and raise warrior sons. We protect our daughters no matter the cost. And when the world is headed in the wrong direction, we stand up — maybe even wearing a beautiful red dress — and embrace the power of the feminine voice. Let’s not forget that in the Book of Proverbs, Wisdom is a She. * * * Jennifer Strickland is former international model, TEDx speaker, host of the I AM A WOMAN podcast, and an eight-time author, including titles such as Girl Perfect, Beautiful Lies, and her most recent release, I Am a Woman: Taking Back Our Name. She has worked with women of all ages for over 20 years through her ministry, U R More, and passionately aims to educate women, girls, men, and boys about the biblical truth of our identity. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

A top Democrat donor issued a statement on Friday urging President Joe Biden to end his re-election campaign as he continues to fall further behind former President Donald Trump in polling. Billionaire Silicon Valley venture capitalist Michael Moritz — who has given nearly $8 million to pro-Biden and anti-Trump political action committees thus far during the 2024 cycle — said that he will not give any more money to Democrats this cycle if Biden remains the nominee. “Sadly, President Biden has a choice — vanity or virtue,” he said in a statement to The New York Times. “He can either condemn the country to dark and cruel times or heed the voice of Father Time. The clock has run out.” “I would vote for Biden, but I would not give another penny to any fund-raising appeals from Democrats,” he added. Major Democrat donors informed the pro-Biden political action committee Future Forward earlier this month that they will freeze $90 million in donations if the president remains in the presidential race. The Times, citing “two people who have been briefed on the conversations,” reported that the frozen contributions include eight-figure donations from multiple people. According to the Times, one donor said Future Forward approached him multiple times about a contribution following Biden’s disastrous debate, but the donor said he and others are “holding off.” A Future Forward adviser reportedly said the Super PAC expected donors who had paused contributions to unfreeze them once the Democrats resolved the uncertainty surrounding Biden’s nomination. The potential blow to Biden’s campaign comes just hours after Biden sought to assuage fears surrounding his mental and physical capabilities by holding a rare solo press conference on Thursday.

The man charged by Tennessee police with criminal homicide over a deadly hit-and-run that left a beloved Nashville restaurant owner dead is believed by authorities to be an illegal immigrant, The Daily Wire has learned.  Police captured 29-year-old Ulises Raigoza Martinez on Thursday and charged him over the death of 42-year-old Matt Carney, the owner of Smokin Thighs, a popular chicken restaurant and bar in Nashville’s Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood. On Friday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer on Martinez, telling The Daily Wire it would be interviewing him immenently to confirm his immigration status.  Carney died earlier this month after spending over two weeks in the hospital. According to police, Carney was attempting to stop Martinez and 31-year-old Adrian Diaz on June 19 from stealing tools out of his vehicle parked outside of the restaurant when they struck him with a Nissan Frontier truck and sped off, leaving Carney seriously injured on the road.  Carney died on July 4 from his injuries. A GoFundMe was set up to fund a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the capture of the men who hit Carney, and to support his wife Molly. The fund has already raised more than $57,000. He was remembered as a pillar of his community in his funeral service at Brentwood Baptist Church last week.  Matt and his wife Molly. (GoFundMe) On Wednesday, ICE confirmed that Diaz, who police say was with Martinez when they struck Carney, was a Mexican national illegally in the United States, and said that he has been deported four previous times. He has an extensive criminal history including convictions in 2014 for aggravated burglary in Tennessee, possession of controlled substances in Indiana in 2019, and illegal re-entry in 2020 in Indiana. He is currently been held in Williamson County Jail and charged with evading arrest and drug possession. Martinez was charged Thursday with five counts, including criminal homicide, tampering with evidence, vehicle theft, criminal impersonation, and evading arrest. He is being held in Davidson County jail and scheduled to appear before a Nashville judge on Monday.  According to court records, Martinez previously had three felony theft charges dismissed in March by Nashville Democrat Judge Jim Todd. There had been a week-long manhunt for Martinez after police named him as a person of interest in Carney’s death. Police attempted to question him on July 10, but he took off in a vehicle with Diaz and 25-year-old Francisco Javier Martinez-Lopez, another illegal immigrant from Mexico.  Eventually, Martinez-Lopez and Diaz were arrested after a foot chase in a wooded area of Brentwood, Tennessee, but Martinez escaped. On Wednesday, Martinez was again spotted near Chattanooga, but again evaded arrest before being arrested Thursday morning in Nashville.  Carney grew up in Adair, Iowa, before graduating from Full Sale University in Orlando and moving to Tennessee. After moving to Nashville, he built up Smokin Thighs from the ground up, with the restaurant first starting as a food truck back in 2012 “Matt will be remembered for his joyful spirit, his loud laugh and his smile that lit up the room,” his obituary reads. “His friends knew him as the life of the party, with his positive attitude, jokes and loyalty to those he loved. He loved big.”

'Americans are watching the Democrats implode'

The Left’s efforts to push a fragile Joe Biden out of the presidential race are probably hitting an apex around now, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly showed up at the old man’s house to “forcefully” ask him to pack it up. Many Democrats are now looking around for political saviors. I’m not sure it’s going to be that easy. Why would any legitimate presidential prospect—outside of Vice President Kamala Harris—consider jumping into the unprecedented chaos of 2024? Right now, Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan or Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, or whoever, can sit back for the next four years, bolster his or her credentials governing purple states, build national profiles, reach out to key constituencies, and put together organizations in important states. Anyone who gets in now would be compelled to make a convincing case in a condensed time frame, relying on Biden’s terrible campaign people, in what is likely the most tumultuous presidential election in more than a century. For another thing, one would need to leapfrog over the very first black/Asian-American/woman vice president in history for the nomination. Is any white Democrat with a bright political future going to rely on a flash anarchic convention to sideline Harris? I’ve never met the woman, but the vice president doesn’t seem to have a temperament that would take kindly to being shoved out of the picture. And, to be fair, her only real job is to step in for the president if he’s unable to perform his duties. Democratic voters, twice, picked her for that task. Then, even if a potential candidate could pull it off, rather than brandishing some fresh and tested political message, that candidate would be thrust into the role of defending the administration’s unpopular record on the border or economy and so on. Does any politician who’s built up credentials as an effective governor want to spend the next three months scaremongering about Project 2025 and the end of democracy? Seems unlikely to me. But I guess you can never know. If Democrats lose the White House this year, the Left’s revisionist history is going to blame the debate debacle for sinking Biden’s reelection efforts. And, indeed, the day the media’s gaslighting of the president’s decline was exposed, it changed the dynamics of the race. The president, though, was already struggling to get his message out and running behind Donald Trump on virtually every important issue. Biden almost certainly pushed for an early debate to reset the race. Boy, that was a disastrous mistake. If he had waited, the media would have continued hiding his failing mental acuity until the campaign ran out the clock. As far as Shapiro goes, it should be noted that the Democratic Party is not exactly a welcoming place for Jews right now. The party’s pro-Hamas faction, which Biden had been trying to mollify since Oct. 7, 2023, is still here. Navigating that issue won’t be easy. With the ejection of Hamas apologist Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., from Congress—and hopefully, soon, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo.—the dynamics might change in 2028. If Dems take a beating—and I’m not as sold on that prospect as others seem to be—perhaps Democrats will try to moderate the national ticket. Sitting it out comes with some risk, of course. Perhaps Harris wins. I happen to believe she’s a weaker candidate than Biden right now. We never really know how the electorate is going to react. In most ways, though, waiting until 2028 makes a lot more sense for any accomplished Democrat. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Why Would Any Legit Dem Presidential Prospect Jump Into This Mess? appeared first on The Daily Signal.