She had a dream.Ariella Crouse was a sophomore in the fall of 2022 at Carlisle High School in Iowa when‚ before she went to bed one night‚ she cried out to God that she was going to kill herself unless He showed her He was real.She hadn’t prayed in years‚ but she had been going to church with her mom for about a year at that point. It was a church that regularly preached the truth about homosexuality and transgenderism‚ a world that Ariella was consumed by after years of emotional instability and therapy as well as being groomed into the lifestyle by a former middle school art teacher. In fact‚ she was in a relationship with a transgender satanist and thought she couldn’t care less about the preaching she had tried to shun.But then the dream.There were two fields set across from one another. Standing in one of them was Ariella. She was surrounded by nothing but barren‚ dry ground and a single dead tree.In the other was God. He was surrounded by what looked to be the Garden of Eden itself in His field. And then He spoke.The truth shall set you free. Even if you are isolated or being bullied like Ariella.“He told me that I was perfect when He made me‚” Ariella recalled as if it happened yesterday. “He said that there was nothing wrong with my body and that He created me in my mother’s womb.”Then she woke up‚ but it would be more accurate to say she was resurrected. She went to school the next day and ended the relationship she was in‚ which in turn led to rejection and constant harassment by her old friend group for going on two years now. It was deeply depressing to experience the rawness of this new loneliness — this new cross — for about two weeks‚ at which point she gave her life completely to her dream and fought back against the darkness by getting baptized.The clouds were lifted. For good. She was transformed‚ speaking now about her faith as a teenager almost as Peter did after being consumed by the tongues of fire on Pentecost. And her capacity for mercy and deep insights in a school district from which my book editor‚ Todd Erzen‚ had to rescue his own children is ... well‚ nothing short of miraculous.In the last three years‚ the Carlisle school district “war zone‚” as Ariella now calls it‚ has had a staff member convicted of a sexual relationship with a student‚ used a secret and illegal book committee exposed by the Iowa Freedom of Information Council‚ and had its gay-straight alliance teacher “resign” midyear and get suspended from X.“It’s always mind games‚” Ariella said of the bullies she once called friends. “They just can’t leave me alone‚ and I stopped reporting things because there is no point. Nobody does anything because the [LGBT group] is protected. But all of my old friend group have parents who are divorced or who just don’t care. Those are the broken homes that the enemy slithers into and into their broken hearts. They feel it’s the only thing they have to hold onto.”Looking back‚ Ariella knows she was helped long before she had her dream by being exposed to the truth “and not just what we think should make us happy” during the year she went to church and thought she was learning nothing at all.“Our church is not afraid to talk about everything that is going on in the world‚” she said. “Even though I rejected it‚ I still heard it.”How about that&;#63; The truth shall set you free. Even if you are isolated or being bullied like Ariella still is. The world wasn’t made perfect after her dream and her baptism‚ but she is happier than she has ever been. And she wants you to know why.More specifically‚ she wants you to know “who.”“Nothing is so severe now that I can’t run to God for help‚” she said. “Before I just really couldn’t talk to anybody. But faith is not meant to be easy. It’s a relationship‚ and relationships are hard sometimes. But I don’t have to feel alone anymore because I know that’s not true.”Amen‚ amen‚ I say to you. God bless you‚ Ariella. Thank you for your courage. May we all learn from it and go and do likewise in faith‚ hope‚ and love‚ because we desperately need to.

The NBA has its Caitlin Clark. His name is Anthony Edwards‚ or Ant-Man. Unlike Clark‚ most of you have likely never heard of him. He plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves‚ a franchise without much postseason success. Minnesota selected Edwards as the top draft pick four years ago. I’ll be honest: The first two years of Edwards’ professional career‚ I confused him for Anthony Bennett‚ the top pick of the 2013 draft who bombed in Cleveland and was later traded to Minnesota. Whenever I heard Edwards’ name‚ I assumed Bennett had found his footing in the association.Feminists and enemies of the patriarchy do not want young men properly developed. They don’t want to create more male icons. Obviously‚ I was wrong. Edwards and Bennett have nothing in common. Edwards is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard. Bennett was a 6-foot-8 power forward who now plays in the Canadian Basketball League. Whatever. Edwards is on the cusp of being the next big thing in basketball. On Sunday‚ behind his 40-point explosion‚ the Timberwolves eliminated Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns with a four-game sweep‚ winning Minnesota’s first playoff series in 20 years. In fact‚ it’s just the third playoff series victory in the 35-year history of the franchise. Casual basketball fans are about to be introduced to the most exciting and transformational player since Michael Jordan. Or should I say since Caitlin Clark&;#63;I’m serious. Right now‚ the 22-year-old Clark has a much bigger profile than 22-year-old Edwards. How come&;#63; Because Clark went through the proper branding and development program. She played four years of college basketball. She had two long NCAA Tournament runs. She connected with the most passionate fans in all of sports – college fans. She started local and blew up nationally. She grew up in the game the old-fashioned way‚ the superior way‚ the way things used to develop before social media amplified no-talent frauds. Remember the good-old days‚ when bands like Hootie and the Blowfish would play every little bar in South Carolina and then get signed to a major label&;#63; I lived in Rock Hill‚ South Carolina‚ in the early 1990s. Hootie would play at the local college bar‚ The Money. That’s what Clark has been doing for four years‚ traveling college town to college town building a passionate fan base. Edwards had a cup of coffee in college basketball. He played one year at Georgia and then declared for the NBA. He’s been toiling in relative obscurity for four years. Hardcore NBA fans were aware of his gifts and potential. Casual sports fans are just learning of Edwards. It’s why I believe the NBA should pay its 18- to 21-year-old prospects to stay four years in college. It’s a no-brainer. The one-and-done destruction of men’s college basketball has ultimately hurt the relevance of the NBA. Caitlin Clark is a superstar entering the WNBA. She’s bringing a massive audience with her. Anthony Edwards is in the beginning of the process of bringing an audience to the NBA. I’ll sound a bit conspiratorial here‚ but I think the destruction of men’s college basketball is by design. Feminists and enemies of the patriarchy do not want young men properly developed. They don’t want to create more male icons. If Anthony Edwards‚ Lamelo Ball‚ Ja Morant‚ and Zion Williamson played four years of college basketball‚ Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese would not be nearly as popular as they are now. Over the past two decades‚ we’ve paid closer and closer attention to the women’s game primarily because men’s college basketball is so weak and the players so transient. More than a decade ago‚ I started shouting that Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins were the two biggest stars in college basketball. This was back in 2012 and 2013. Griner played for Baylor and Diggins for Notre Dame. They had more name recognition than any of the men’s players. That trend has continued unabated. Men’s basketball at the collegiate and professional level is being harmed by the one-and-done rule. The NBA could fix this. It won’t because anything that supports strong men is being destroyed. It’s a controlled demolition.How else do you explain a league that benefited from Magic Johnson‚ Larry Bird‚ Michael Jordan‚ and Isiah Thomas building huge brands in college basketball passively watching its relevance decline as it depends on one-and-done players&;#63; The proper formula birthed the rivalry between Magic and Bird. It created the Jordan brand‚ Air Jordan sneakers‚ and record TV ratings. The current system can’t come close to duplicating the kind of traction and passion of the previous era. Why allow this&;#63; Why allow the women to duplicate the superior system&;#63;It only makes sense when you realize the anti-patriarchy crowd wants Caitlin Clark to be a bigger deal than Anthony Edwards. I still like Clark. I’m fascinated by her story. But in terms of real basketball entertainment‚ she does not remotely compare to Edwards. He plays above the rim. He’s charismatic. He has an intense passion for the game. He celebrates his teammates. His backstory is fascinating. He’s overcome a tough upbringing. He apparently has no connection to his dad. Across social media‚ people speculate that Michael Jordan is his father. It’s irresponsible speculation. But on the court and in appearance‚ he does resemble Air Jordan.All Edwards needs is a tiny bit of public-relations polish. He curses too much in press conferences. That’s my only complaint. He drops MFs and other profanities constantly when talking to the media. Later this week‚ if the Denver Nuggets eliminate the Lakers‚ Edwards and the T-Wolves will open a seven-game series against Nikola Jokic and Denver. Jokic is the best player in the NBA. He’s likely going to win his third MVP trophy in four years. A super-competitive Nuggets-T-Wolves series could launch Ant-Man to stardom.

TikTok banned&;#63; Anyone with children will likely greet the news with a yawn.Forget that the law President Biden recently passed doesn't instantly &;quot;ban&;quot; the hugely popular app. (Instead‚ it threatens a ban if Chinese parent company ByteDance doesn't sell off its American subsidiary within nine to twelve months — court challenges could extend that deadline by years.)It's not that parents don't understand the danger of China using TikTok data to compromise national security‚ it's that we've been warding off attacks by &;quot;foreign&;quot; agents for years. Big Tech wants our kids‚ and it's getting them at younger and younger ages. A recent U.K. study suggests that 30% of five- to seven-year-olds use TikTok. While moms and dads are free to be as draconian as they like cutting off access to the app‚ they still face hurdles. Some parents may not understand the extent to which TikTok is undermining their authority; even once they do‚ they may lack the technological know-how to discard the app while still allowing for some screen use. That's something Virginia-based American Parents Coalition aims to remedy. According to APC Executive Director Alleigh Marr&;eacute;‚ the TikTok problem requires a &;quot;two-pronged approach.&;quot;&;quot;We're supportive of the legislation‚ but we also recognize that ... you can't legislate parenting‚&;quot; Marr&;eacute; tells Align.Instead‚ the organization's recently launched TikTok Is Poison campaign offers parents a comprehensive education in how the app hurts children‚ while providing step-by-step guides to blocking the TikTok on various devices. American Parents CoalitionEssential to reaching parents is a certain neutrality; APC eschews judgment and shaming in favor of letting the facts speak for themselves. As a mother to three young children herself‚ Marr&;eacute; sympathizes with parents who may have gotten caught by surprise. &;quot;Nothing pisses me off more than having someone come after me for how I parent‚&;quot; says Marr&;eacute;. &;quot;We have to be able to speak to people with some compassion and humanity.&;quot; This includes acknowledging how radically social media has changed in a short time. &;quot;[Older] parents were assessing the risks of social media through the lens of Facebook and Instagram‚&;quot; says Marr&;eacute;. &;quot;[Those apps] have their own issues‚ but TikTok is a unique threat [that adds] a completely different set of information&;quot; to evaluating the effect of social media on children.TikTok is just one part of APC's overall mission to defend and restore parental authority from government and medical overreach. A crisis communications specialist who's worked for the U.S. Air Force as well as the Trump administration‚ Marr&;eacute; founded K-12 advocacy group Free to Learn in 2021 in response to the incursion of gender ideology and critical race theory into public school curricula. Free to Learn has achieved substantial grassroots victories‚ most famously in Loudon County‚ Virginia‚ which voted out its entire school board last year. While Free to Learn continues to operate‚ the need to take the fight nationwide led Marr&;eacute; to form APC last month. TikTok was the ideal issue to launch with‚ says Marr&;eacute;.&;quot;There's something for everybody to hate [about TikTok]‚&;quot; she says. &;quot;And so it really presented a unique opportunity ... to really rally the troops ... and build that broad coalition.&;quot;Broad is key. The way Marr&;eacute; sees it‚ there's nothing partisan about parents wanting to have a say in their children's education and medical treatment. Effective communication goes a long way toward winning over potential allies. To illustrate this‚ Marr&;eacute; relays an anecdote about a left-leaning friend of hers (&;quot;very much on the complete opposite end of the political spectrum&;quot;) who is adamantly opposed to red dye in foods. When the friend's child was given red-dye-containing Tylenol at school without parental approval‚ the friend &;quot;lost her mind.&;quot; &;quot;And I don't blame her‚&;quot; continues Marr&;eacute;. &;quot;Nobody should be giving your kid anything without talking to you about it.&;quot;Marr&;eacute; used the moment to help her friend understand &;quot;conservative&;quot; objections to teachers and other staff broaching the subject of &;quot;gender-affirming care&;quot; behind parents' backs. &;quot;I said to her‚ 'Look‚ this is exactly what you're talking about.' ... And it doesn't matter what it is ... that's your kid at the end of the day. And she kind of cocked her head and looked at me and said‚ 'I've never thought about it like that.'&;quot;

Republican commentators like to point out that Donald Trump’s lawfare problem may backfire on his political opponents. If the Democrats try to steal the presidential election by burdening the Republican candidate with frivolous lawsuits‚ then the Republicans will inflict similar suffering on their opponents once they get the chance. Why should we think that only Democrats can get away with such games&;#63; Perhaps the most detailed argument about this matter has come from Rabbi Dov Fischer‚ a regular columnist for the American Spectator. Fischer declaims against “the lawfare racket” targeting Trump‚ which is “is beyond anything that exists in American law.” He nonetheless insists that what we are seeing is a “retaliatory” move originating with the reckless impeachment of Bill Clinton. Fischer admonishes both parties against continuing this legal abuse. If Trump has more than a 50-50 chance of winning this November‚ that’s because Biden and his handlers won’t address convincingly the multiple crises they’ve caused. Aeschylus’ “Oresteia” may also have something to tell us about spiraling revenge. The interfamilial homicides in that trilogy go back to the blood curse (agos) laid on Agamemnon’s ancestor Atreus for an outrage committed against another relative. The cycle of revenge continues until Athena‚ patron goddess of Athens‚ persuades the Furies to end the bloodbath‚ thereby ending the trilogy. But invocations of a cycle of revenge may not really apply to the present lawfare. The Democrats need not be worried that payback will soon be hitting them. They are not necessarily predestined to lose November’s presidential race. They still have lots of cards to play‚ even if they are saddled with re-electing a shuffling‚ demented candidate who can hardly read from his teleprompter. New and more “inclusive” methods can be devised to give their party more votes‚ and hordes of Harvard-trained lawyers will be available to argue their case whenever the Democrats choose to dispute Republican electoral gains. The Democrats also enjoy the unquestioning support of their de facto party operatives in the corporate left-wing media and all those highly partisan appointees to the deep and surveillance states who owe their jobs to Barack Obama’s administration. Every Democratic appointment to the judiciary will do exactly as the DNC wants‚ and the cases against Trump and the way Democratic judges and district attorneys are handling them indicate to what extent the party can count on those who do their bidding. Given their PR and administrative advantages‚ Democrats do not have to worry for the foreseeable future about facing the kind of legal difficulties that now beset Trump. They incurred no repercussions by using a FISA warrant (that should never have been issued) to spy on the Republican presidential candidate and his staff. Hillary Clinton was never forced to bear any consequence for “bleaching” email messages containing subpoenaed security material. Congressional Democrats lost nothing by spreading false information about Trump’s being a tool of Vladimir Putin. And no one in the surveillance state working for the left suffered any penalty for falsely claiming that Hunter Biden’s laptop was a Russian creation intended to embarrass Joe Biden. Even with a deliberately torn-open U.S.-Mexico border and millions of illegal aliens stampeding into the country‚ the Democrats did remarkably well in the midterm elections. The media helped them center those elections‚ not on real issues‚ like inflation‚ open borders‚ and violent crime‚ but about hardly endangered abortion rights and January 6. Despite what appears to be Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s made-up case against Trump‚ in which we’re still trying to locate a crime‚ the percentage of those who view Trump as unfit for office because of the Democrats’ lawfare has risen in the last few months‚ according to a CNN poll‚ by six points. Although a majority of those polled believe Trump is being treated differently from other defendants‚ 37% think he’s being treated “too leniently.” If you’re wondering why anyone should believe these things‚ try listening to the account of the trial on CNN or network TV or pick up the latest edition of USA Today. I too would believe that Trump is a serial rapist and public menace if those were my only sources of information. In addition to their media sycophants‚ Democrats can count on the votes and donations of the vast majority of government workers and most of the ideologically engaged members of the judiciary. Let’s not understate the usability of these minions&;#33; If Trump has more than a 50-50 chance of pulling out a win this November‚ that’s because Biden and his handlers won’t address convincingly the multiple crises they’ve caused‚ from a deliberately planned border invasion and inflated economy to a surging crime rate and a rioting left-wing base. But even if Trump makes it into a second term‚ the left will still control valuable assets‚ starting with the media‚ the permanent government‚ and most educational institutions. These assets will enable Biden‚ Clinton‚ and Obama to avoid the types of ordeals their party has inflicted on Trump. Personally‚ I’d be delighted to see Trump’s opposition shoved up to their eyeballs in legal problems. With due respect to Rabbi Fischer and the Greek tragedians‚ a little vengeance in this case would provide me with overdue schadenfreude. But I doubt I’ll get my wish.

If you’ve listened to Joe Biden or any of his mouthpieces lately‚ you would hear all about how great the economy is. Naturally‚ Biden gets all the credit for “the best economy in the world.” Of course‚ if you live the life of a regular American‚ your experience has likely been much different. Inflation has been eating into your purchasing power‚ potentially coupled with any subset of dwindling personal savings‚ higher household debt loads‚ or not being able to buy a home. Massive deficit spending is generating diminishing returns. While previous data on the surface looked better than it was‚ recent data is beginning to show signs of that reality. The first read of the first-quarter gross domestic product came in Thursday almost a full percentage point below widely held expectations. The 1.6% annualized growth rate was middle-of-the-road growth at face value. However‚ in addition to coming in far below expectations‚ there are additional concerns that make that number even worse than it might seem at first glance. First‚ you might expect that if the economy is slowing‚ inflation would be too. That is not what is happening. The price component of the GDP report showed that consumer prices had increased — a bad outcome in general‚ but worse in the face of a slowing economy. This was reiterated on Friday with the Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge‚ the personal consumption expenditure price index‚ coming in above expectations. The personal saving rate ticked down again as well. When the economy is experiencing slower growth and rising inflation‚ you end up with the dreaded economic scenario of stagflation‚ an outcome that many of us have been warning was quite possible for some time. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon shared concerns recently about the economy turning into one that resembled the 1970s. Stagflation was a part of that era’s economic challenges — and Dimon’s worries. In addition to accelerating inflation is another vital issue: Recent and current growth has come at a massive cost‚ one that is ultimately borne by taxpayers. The government has been running enormous deficits‚ both in dollars and as a percentage of GDP. In fact‚ the deficit-to-GDP is running about double the historic average. It is highly unusual to run that type of deficit in a period of economic growth — normally growth shrinks the federal deficit. But the government has been trying to window-dress a story of growth using these massive deficits‚ and that deficit spending is generating diminishing returns. Moreover‚ that economic window dressing has been done at a very high cost‚ given that interest rates are at a level that hasn’t been seen in a decade and a half. This ensures that we as a country will be paying more and more for the appearance of a growing economy. Imagine what the GDP would show if the government hadn’t been running these massive deficits over the past several years&;#63; So other than debt closing in on $35 trillion‚ double the average debt-to-GDP‚ debt rating downgrades‚ accelerating inflation‚ a lower-than-average personal saving rate‚ record household debt‚ increasing debt defaults‚ and now a faltering GDP‚ the economy is doing just great. Thanks‚ Joe&;#33;

The 1981 TV drama “Skokie” did more than give Hollywood legend Danny Kaye one of his last meaty roles.The fact-based film showed the American Civil Liberties Union defending the worst free speech possible: Nazis marching in a Chicago hamlet teeming with Holocaust survivors.It’s easy to defend virtuous speech. Supporting odious speech‚ the kind that makes decent people wince‚ is more challenging.And all the more necessary.That ACLU is no more. The once fierce free-speech advocate stayed muzzled as Big Tech censorship marched across the West and cancel culture ran roughshod through our institutions. The group now fights for “racial justice” and other hard-left positions.PEN pals with Hamas&;#63;Will PEN America suffer a similar fate&;#63;Founded in 1922‚ PEN America exists to “champion the freedom to write‚ recognizing the power of the word to transform the world.” That’s ripped from the organization’s “About Us” page.It speaks volumes.So does this part of its credo‚ now anathema to the ACLU: “to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.”The Atlantic’s blockbuster investigation into PEN America reveals an institution on the brink of collapse. The body’s unwillingness to become a pro-Palestinian mouthpiece‚ down to declaring Israel’s counter-attack on Hamas following the Oct. 7 atrocities a “genocide‚” has left it scrambling to survive.PEN America just canceled its annual World Voices Festival‚ which will‚ according to the Atlantic‚ “encourage cross-cultural conversation and champion embattled artists.”Too many artists pulled out of the event‚ decrying PEN’s unwillingness to politicize the organization against Israel’s military assault.The group’s annual literary awards previously got canceled‚ too‚ after almost half the nominees withdrew their names due to similar outrage.Those critics want even more concessions. They demand the group’s CEO‚ president‚ and board resign for refusing to embrace the pro-Palestinian cause.The Atlantic article found an unsurprising reason for the recent hostility toward free expression: Its advocates tend to identify as conservative. And that’s not going over well with Team PEN.'Book ban' bamboozleFormer PEN America leadership I've spoken to echoes this‚ wondering if the right's relentless focus on threats to free speech unwittingly politicized the issue‚ creating the current confusion about PEN's purpose.It’s likely PEN America will limp along‚ even less impassioned about free speech than before‚ or just call it a day. In recent years‚ the group rallied against so-called book bans‚ ignoring how many protests involve graphic sexual content aimed at young students.To its credit‚ PEN America did warn about the rise of “sensitivity readers” censoring classic works by Roald Dahl‚ Agatha Christie‚ and Ian Fleming.Today’s artistic community leans aggressively to the left‚ and the modern left no longer considers free speech worth defending. It’s attacked as either “disinformation” or “hate speech‚” political labels meant to censor unwoke views.Consider the general apathy following the Twitter files revelations‚ in which conservative speech and contrarian views were censored by the social media giant.Today’s left injects politics into every part of the culture‚ from sports to academia. Is it any wonder to see a Drag Queen Story Hour reader demand kids chant “free Palestine”&;#63;It was only a matter of time before it targeted PEN America.Message to censors: 'You're FIREd'There is some hope on the cultural front‚ however. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has stepped up in a serious fashion in recent years. The apolitical group‚ formed in 1999‚ uses its clout and legal firepower to defend speech‚ protect professors unfairly fired for their views‚ and more.The group’s media-savvy mien matters. FIRE’s “So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast” tackles challenging issues in a forum where debate still reigns supreme.Group president and CEO Greg Lukianoff recently appeared in “The Coddling of the American Mind‚” a powerful documentary based on the 2015 book he co-authored with Jonathan Haidt. The film exposes the toxic woke elements that have taken hold across academia.And we’re seeing the fruits of that now at embattled Columbia University and elsewhere.Will PEN America screw up the courage to stick to its founding principles and fight back against its far-left foes&;#63; The Vegas odds don’t look promising on that front.Which means it will soon join the ACLU in virtue-signaling irrelevance. In that case‚ let's hope that FIRE manages to continue the struggle against true censorship. A struggle all but abandoned by a PEN no longer mightier than the horde.

Ada &;quot;Bricktop&;quot; Smith‚ who operated venues in Rome‚ Paris and Mexico City‚ brushed shoulders with the likes of Langston Hughes‚ Salvador Dal&;iacute; and Gertrude Stein

The escalation came after protesters ignored a Monday afternoon deadline to disperse or be suspended.

Babs Streisand Unleashes Fact-Free Meme About Differences in Republican vs. Democrat Economies

IT'S A DIABOLICAL ZIONIST PLOT: Twitter Laughs as Student Releases White Mice in UCLA Encampment