The headline over at Mediaite focusing on former FBI Director James Comey spoke volumes. It read: “James Comey Warns GOP They Will Be ‘Deeply Sorry’ About Going After Political Enemies — Vows Dems Will ‘Someday’ Turn the Tables On Them.” The story began by reporting this: “Former FBI Director James Comey is warning Republicans that they will regret using the DOJ to target their political enemies because ‘someday’ Democrats will turn the tables on them.” Say what? One has to ask the obvious: Where was Comey when Democrats in the Biden era were already doing exactly what he warns about? (RELATED: Five Quick Things: The Well-Deserved Disgust of the American People) Trump has been targeted for prosecution by either the federal, Biden-era Department of Justice or state and local Democrat prosecutors so often that various media outlets have made a point of keeping track. CNN, for example, felt compelled to headline this in January of 2025: “Donald Trump’s criminal cases, in one place.” (RELATED: Merchan Will Jail Trump Unless SCOTUS Intervenes) The story reported: Trump was first indicted in March 2023 by the Manhattan district attorney on state charges related to a hush-money payment to an adult-film star in 2016. On May 30, 2024 he was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree by 12 jurors. Prosecutors alleged during the trial that Trump was a part of an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election. Further, they alleged he was part of an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, including the $130,000 payment. Trump pleaded not guilty. On November 19, 2024, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office told Judge Juan Merchan it would agree to delay Trump’s sentencing, which had been set for November 26, to allow time for the anticipated litigation around the president-elect’s expected motion to dismiss the case. On November 22, Merchan indefinitely postponed the sentencing and granted Trump’s request to file a motion to dismiss the case. On January 3, 2025, Merchan rejected Trump’s effort to throw out the jury’s verdict because of his reelection in November and upheld the conviction. Merchan sentenced Trump to an unconditional discharge on January 10.” In short, President Trump has become the most targeted-for-prosecution president in American history. And while Comey doesn’t mention it, he himself was heading the FBI when it decided to investigate Trump for ties to Russia that influenced the 2016 election. (RELATED: Judge Merchan Is a Hoodlum in Black Robes) And, laughably, Comey’s warning that “someday” Democrats will turn the tables on Republicans completely ignores that Democrats have already spent their time in federal, state, and local prosecution offices targeting Trump. The obvious is at hand. Democrats have long ago corrupted the American justice system to target their Number One political opponent — Donald Trump. And James Comey was fired on the day by the then-first-term president based on the advice of then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Why? As reported in the BBC: “Comey said he had ‘no doubt’ that he was fired by Trump to ‘change’ the Russia investigation, and called his sacking a ‘very big deal.’” Which is to say, Comey was using the FBI to target Trump over the Russian investigation and what would prove to be a bogus allegation that Trump had partnered with Russia to steal the 2016 election. Comey is now back in the news for the bizarre “seashell” story in which the ex-FBI Director publicized a photo of seashells on a beach linked together to read “86 47”. 86, in the vernacular, standing for ending or wiping out something, thus causing the image to be interpreted by the viewing world as a call for ending Trump. (RELATED: James Comey’s Riddle in the Sand) But the bottom line here is that Comey’s notion that Democrats could “someday” prosecute Republicans is years too late. Democrats have already long gone down this path, and done it, as mentioned, using the federal Department of Justice in the Biden era and the offices of the New York State Attorney General and Manhattan District Attorney. Yet the very fact that Comey would go down this road speaks volumes about the former FBI Director’s mindset when it comes to abusing a prosecutor’s position to target political opponents. But it should be said that if and when Democrats do in fact find themselves back in charge of the U.S. Department of Justice, there is little doubt they would corrupt the DOJ as they have already done it once. And disturbingly? Having gotten used to doing this with President Trump, it takes little imagination to see the DOJ in the hands of Democrats targeting another Republican opponent or office holder in the future simply because they now know how to do it. And are willing — oh so willing — to do it again. READ MORE from Jeffrey Lord: The Washington Shooting Hillary: Handmaiden to the Patriarchs of the Left Hillary Accepted Foreign Gifts The post James Comey Warns GOP — For Something Dems Did? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Years ago, I was familiar with two young adults from conservative Christian homes entering the world of LGBT activism and identity. Both of their conversions were accompanied by publicly adopting key elements of pagan spirituality. One, a young lady self-identified as “queer” and sported new transgender pronouns, began a side business selling tarot card readings. The other, a male who embraced a bisexual identity, began holding rituals invoking pagan deities. It was not clear to me whether occult practices or gay identity came first. They emerged about the same time. I have long noticed the partnering of pagan spiritual practices and LGBT identification. These two cases were not isolated. There has been strong evidence, if not much systematic research, of this connection for many years. (RELATED: Media Fawns Over Spiritual Guru Shaping New Age Thought) For example, Sascha Cohen, writing in a self-described LGBT online publication in 2018, pointed out that in “personal ads from queer women and nonbinary people from around the world, you’ll notice that … the majority of the users cite their star signs.” She goes on: “You’d be forgiven for assuming that literally everyone in our community believes in astrology. Queer women’s culture constantly reinvents itself, but its reliance on divination rituals like astrology … remains fixed.” She confidently claimed that belief and involvement in them are so strong among LGBT people that those who are skeptics feel alienated from other LGBT folk, and so hide it. “Many told me they feel stigmatized by the larger queer community for their [skeptical] beliefs, and would not allow their full names to be published for that reason.” As one of her interviewees said, “Subscribing to New Age beliefs is ‘part of the rules for being gay/queer.’” There are other indicators of this connection, well-known in the LGBT community. An alliance of radical feminist organizations (lesbians, of course, being well represented in these circles), established on Halloween in 1968, went by the acronym W.I.T.C.H. (standing for “Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell”). And yes, this included actual witchcraft involvement. They even formed covens. Today, a University of Washington LGBT group even has a “witchcraft channel” on their server. An article covering the latter for a publication at this university states, “Witchcraft is a place of inclusion and accepting uniqueness, making it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ people.” Just Googling the phrase “LGBT witchcraft” is an eye-opening experience. When I did so just now, the first two site headlines that popped up were, “Why Queers and LGBTQ People Love Witchcraft” and “The Kindred Spirits of Queer Witchcraft.” Said Vice Magazine in 2015, “witchcraft is seeing a resurgence among queer-identified young people.” A large survey from the 1990s, presented in a book by Berger, Leach, and Shaffer entitled Voices from the Pagan Census: A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States, confirmed that LGBT identification with paganism was highly disproportionate to their actual percentages in the population. According to Gallup polling, in 2023, only a bit over one percent of American adults identified as gay males or lesbians, and about four and a half percent as bisexual. But among neo-Pagans, nine percent identified as homosexual, and 19 percent as bisexual. LGBT Paganism and Native American Spiritual Beliefs Another interesting example of the LGBT embrace of pagan spiritual beliefs and practices is the high frequency with which LGBT folk invoke “Two Spirits” Native American beliefs and practices. They have good reasons for doing so. As the federal government’s Indian Health Services (IHS) website points out, Two Spirits practices have always included such things as “gender variation” (including cross-dressing) and “same sex … sexual and emotional relationships.” Says the IHS, “Today, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender native people throughout North America are reviving the Two-Spirit role and its traditions.” In fact, they often include Two Spirits “in the umbrella of LGBTQI+.” As for tarot cards, quite a few lesbians are deeply enamored with them. In fact, a hot ticket item on the Internet is “lesbian tarot decks.” Not to mention tarot cards for trans people. Cosmopolitan Magazine published an article covering the best tarot decks for LGBT people. There are even numerous online daily tarot card readings for lesbians, one of which has garnered over 400,000 views. In fact, a lesbian hero of sorts is a classic tarot card illustrator and occult figure named Pamela Colman Smith (1897-1951). She was also a sometimes book illustrator for and friend of Dracula author Bram Stoker. Believed with good (but not unimpeachable) reasons to have been a lesbian (she was never known to have dated men, had a long-term live-in female companion who was a well-known spiritualist, and spent a lot of time with homosexual and bisexual females), her “Rider-Waite” tarot cards are still the most widely used today. Then, there is the well-documented LGBT admiration for shamanism. (Specialists also refer to shamans as “witch doctors” or “medicine men,” to name just a couple of appellations.) Shamanism expert Robert Wallis tackles this in a 2007 article, which is now housed in a gay Internet archive. On “gender identity” and shamanism, he notes, “Shamanic behavior necessitates a broadening of the notion of gender to be more fluid and dynamic, to include not only male and female but also various mediating identities” including a “third gender,” or even “fourth or… multiple gender identit(ies).” In what sounds like modern radical transgender beliefs about children (can anyone say, “Admiral Rachel Levine”?), Wallis goes on: “children are understood to have decided which gender to be before or at birth, their genitalia adapting to their decision.” Moreover, he says, shamanism is often associated with cross-dressing. As for homosexuality, Wallis notes that shamans may have same-sex relationships not only with “non-human” spirits, but also “homosexual marriages in the ‘ordinary world.’” We must be careful not to overstate the degree to which shamans and shamanism included transgender and homosexual sympathies and conduct. Nevertheless, there are LGBT people who certainly underscore and celebrate these connections. Now, we have a shiny new Pew Research study, based on surveying 9,593 Americans and released May 21, examining Americans’ use of astrology, fortune telling, and tarot cards. This report, and its accompanying tables, adds substantial support to the claim that there is a strange affinity between LGBT identity and some occult beliefs and practices, as the LGBT community has long admitted. They found that 54 percent of LGBT folk “consult astrology or a horoscope … at least once or twice a year,” almost twice the percentage of non-LGBT who do so. Twenty-nine percent do so monthly or more often, which is roughly three times higher than others. And they are more than three times more likely to consult tarot cards than non-LGBT people — 33 versus nine percent. In fact, 15 percent do so once or twice per month, which is five times more than the population as a whole. Moreover, at 12 percent, LGBT respondents were twice as likely to consult a fortune teller, six percent doing so monthly or more (which is six times higher than the non-LGBT population). And they were much more likely than non-LGBT folk to believe in astrology (43 versus 26 percent). Women are far more likely to engage in these practices and hold these beliefs, and this seems to be true in the LGBT community as well. For example, lesbians are more likely than gay men to consult astrology “at least yearly” (63 versus 40 percent). Moreover, LGBT use of tarot cards, astrology, and fortune telling is more likely to be consequential. While only five percent of the non-LGBT ever make “big life decisions” based on this hokum, fully 21 percent — more than four times as many — LGBT adults do. There is no other demographic group that comes close. These strong ties between and sympathies for key occult beliefs and practices are typically unknown outside the LGBT community. It is not difficult to see why most “mainstream” journalists, social scientists, and religion specialists are reluctant to explore this. Publicizing the dark ties between so many in the LGBT movement and occult beliefs and practices is hardly likely to elicit sympathy or respect among everyday citizens. As for religious denominations, my guess is that these connections would be assiduously ignored by leaders among the beleaguered and shrinking mainline Protestants and Catholic liberals pushing for full LGBT inclusion and same-sex marriage if they knew about them. And they are probably already downplayed or denied by those in these circles who do know. It is likely that if you bring in a lot of one, you are going to get a lot more of the other, which I doubt religious liberals want to highlight. After all, occult beliefs and practices are incompatible with religious beliefs and practices that still purport to center on Jesus Christ, who would have exorcised, not embraced, such lunacy. READ MORE from David Ayers: Mom, Meet My New AI Girlfriend Yes, Americans Are Getting More Rude Gay Catholic Priests in Decline The post Paganism and LGBT: Kissing Cousins? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

For decades, the American education debate followed a rigid ideological binary: conservatives championed school choice, while progressives condemned it as a threat to public schools. But that divide is beginning to erode. Across the country, more Democratic leaders are supporting programs that give parents greater control over how and where their children are educated. When public schools fall short, having alternatives is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity. Nowhere is this shift more evident than in Pennsylvania, where the cracks in the public education system are hard to ignore. Roughly two-thirds of school districts cite student mental health as their top concern. Staffing shortages — from substitute teachers to special education staff — further disrupt learning and weaken schools’ ability to serve students effectively. At the same time, institutions like the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (PALCS) are gaining traction. As the state’s highest-rated online public high school, PALCS offers specialized programs in science, the arts, and career readiness. Its rise reflects a broader trend: families are increasingly seeking out educational models that better meet their children’s needs. (RELATED: School Choice Is Common Sense for Students) Alabama’s School Choice Success Story Alabama tells a similar story. Once ranked last in the nation, the state now sits 32nd in fourth-grade math and has seen improvements in reading. These gains didn’t come from major spending hikes, but from targeted reforms — early literacy efforts, better curricula, and improved instruction. A turning point came in March 2024 with the CHOOSE Act, which gives eligible families $7,000 per child for private school tuition or $2,000 for homeschooling expenses. Though some Democrats call Alabama’s move a diversion of public funds, its deeper purpose lies in affirming a family’s right to guide their child’s education. One of the clearest examples of the shifting perspective on school choice is Dakarai Larriett, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Alabama. Larriett’s support for school choice is rooted in experience, not ideology. Raised in Alabama, Larriett saw firsthand how public education can fall short. His mother, a public school teacher for 35 years, worked relentlessly to get him and his sister into top magnet schools — a process full of waitlists and red tape. Many parents, he notes, don’t have the time or knowledge to navigate such a system. “It would be selfish of me to say I don’t believe in these programs,” Larriett said. “Because I personally benefited from them.” Still, he recognizes that school choice can deepen inequity when only certain families can take advantage of it. “What about the kids whose parents don’t know how to navigate the system — or don’t even know they have options?” he asks. Larriett supports expanding school choice, but with guardrails: transparency, data, and equitable access. “I’m open to any policy that lifts up kids,” he explains. “But I want the data. I want to make sure it works for everyone — not just the lucky few.” His approach breaks from the traditional partisan script. In an environment where school choice is often dismissed as a conservative cause, Larriett’s willingness to reevaluate old assumptions is both pragmatic and necessary. He doesn’t idealize public education or vilify alternatives. He wants results — and believes the system should be held accountable for delivering them. Larriett represents a growing wing of the Democratic Party that sees school choice not as an attack on public education, but as a challenge to improve it. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, for example, supported a $100 million school voucher initiative in the state’s 2023 budget. Although he later dropped the proposal under party pressure, his initial support marked a notable break from Democratic tradition. Critics often argue that school choice drains resources from public schools. But that sidesteps a more urgent question: Are public schools doing their job? In New York, only 23 percent of eighth graders are proficient in math. SAT scores trail the national average, and over a third of New York City students are chronically absent. Despite heavy investments in diversity and inclusion programs, academic performance continues to fall. The debate is no longer just about public versus private. It’s about outcomes versus stagnation. Leaders like Larriett and Shapiro aren’t abandoning public education — they’re demanding that it fulfill its promise to serve all students, not just those in well-funded districts. If education is to remain the great equalizer in American life, it must work for every child. READ MORE from Gregory Lyakhov: Trump’s Energy Policies Are Transforming the Economy Trump’s New US–UK Trade Deal Puts America First School Choice Is Common Sense for Students The post Even Democrats Are Turning on the Party Over School Choice appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

by S.E. Gunn PhD, All News Pipeline: At publication time for yesterday’s article May 24, 2025, the White House had not yet posted the 4th EO the President Signed Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security but they did post the accompanying Fact Sheet. This EO is different from the others in that it does not state a […]

by Mike Whitney, The Unz Review: “Our single biggest priority is to improve the lives of the ordinary people.” Xi Jinping, President of China Polling data clearly shows that Americans prefer capitalism over socialism. In fact, it’s not even close. A 2021 Gallup survey found that 60% of Americans view capitalism positively, while only 38% […]

The Kremlin argued that President Donald Trump is exhibiting signs of "emotional overload" following his remarks characterizing Vladimir Putin as "absolutely crazy," in the wake of Russia's most extensive aerial bombardment of Ukraine to date.