On Sunday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) chided the Democrats, saying they lack a “vision for the future.” The critique was made as Sanders was being interviewed by moderator Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” who brought up the senator’s so-called “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). “What Democrats lack right now is a vision for the future,” Sanders said. “How are we going to provide a decent standard of living for a younger generation, which, everything being equal, will be poorer than their parents? How do we repair a broken healthcare system? How do we raise the minimum wage to a living wage? How do we deal with a corrupt campaign finance system that allows billionaires to control both political parties?” He added: “Those are some of the issues that need to be discussed. And we’re going out around the country right now asking people – working people, run for office. They want to run as a Democrat? Great. They want to run as an independent? That’s great. But you got to get involved in the political process, because right now, the two party system is failing the working class of this country.” Sanders made the comment in the middle of responding to a question from Welker, who asked if he was trying to start a third party given his two failed campaigns in the Democratic Party’s presidential primaries over the years. “No, we’re not trying to start a third party,” Sanders said. “What we’re trying to do is strengthen American democracy, where faith in both the Democratic and Republican parties right now is extremely low.” He said that Democrats are “appropriately” talking about President Donald Trump’s “movement toward authoritarianism” while opposing the GOP’s reconciliation bill and the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk. Sanders also pushed back against Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who urged Democrats to stop harping on the “oligarchy” because the term does not resonate beyond coastal institutions, according to POLITICO. “I think the American people are not quite as dumb as Ms. Slotkin thinks they are,” Sanders said. “I think they understand very well, when the top 1% owns more wealth than the bottom 90%, when big money interests are able to control both political parties, they are living in an oligarchy. And these are precisely the issues that have got to be talked about.”

'That’s not her'

We have an overnight legend on our hands

'NASDAQ is now up in the month of April'

No, Trump Did Not Deport a US Citizen to Honduras

Neuroscientists have wondered how our brain decides what we notice—and what we ignore—in the constant stream of sights, sounds, and thoughts we experience. Now, new research suggests a small but powerful region deep in the brain, called the thalamus, acts like a control center for consciousness. A team led by Dr. Fang Zepeng (AAAS) studied brain activity in patients being treated for chronic headaches. Using tiny implanted electrodes, they tracked signals between the thalamus and the prefrontal cortex (the brain’s decision-making hub). Participants did a visual test where they reported what they saw while researchers separated conscious perception from automatic reflexes. The results? Certain parts of the thalamus—specifically the intralaminar and medial nuclei—lit up earlier and stronger when people became aware of an image. These areas worked in sync with the prefrontal cortex, forming a feedback loop that may “gate” what enters our consciousness. The researchers discovered that certain specific parts of the thalamus seem to have a key role in making us consciously aware of things. Consciousness was thought to arise mostly in the outer brain layer (cortex). New study suggest that deeper brain regions like the thalamus may kickstart awareness, challenging long-held beliefs. Understanding this loop could lead to better treatments for disorders of attention or awareness (e.g., coma, psychiatric conditions). The study highlights how different brain areas collaborate at lightning speed to shape what we perceive—and proves even “background” regions play starring roles in consciousness. The study is published in the journal Science. The post Scientists Have Discovered the Brain’s “Awareness Switch” appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Michelle Obama has taken the uncommon path of a former first lady and started a podcast where she talks about the important issues like how black women think they need permission to express pain. And it’s every bit as insufferable as one might expect. “We grew up with women who weren’t voicing the pain and the burden,” Obama told her brother, Craig Robinson, and Taraji P. Henson. “They made it look easy. And when you make stuff look easy, people assume that you must like this, it’s okay with you.” “We don’t articulate as black women — our pain — because it’s almost like nobody ever gave us permission to do that,” she continued, before Henson interrupted, asking, “And does anyone care?” “If we knew, I think we would care,” Robinson answered, before Obama continued waxing poetic. “We have to ask ourselves, the men in our lives, is ‘Why wait to be asked?’ It seems like what we go through is pretty obvious. I mean, maybe we’re not complaining, but we’re actually living life out loud.” Obama went on to lament that black women are “so easily labeled as angry and bitter” while white women are viewed as “lightness” and have “an ability to be in this world and see what’s going on.” “Are black women struggling to talk about their pain? Are they not free to do that in America?” Jason Whitlock of “Jason Whitlock Harmony” asks co-host Shemeka Michelle. “Initially I thought, ‘This is so stupid,’ because that’s all we hear and see is the pain of black women. That’s all they talk about. And I found it ironic that she was sitting there talking to Taraji P. Henson, who has complained over and over again. She pretty much tanked ‘The Color Purple’ because all she was doing was complaining,” Michelle says. “Maybe black women aren’t articulating ‘their pain’ in the correct way, because everytime I turn around I’m seeing some type of video where they’re tearing up the McDonald's, or trying to run over their baby daddy, or fighting in a Walmart in their pajama pants and their bonnets,” Michelle continues. “So maybe she has a point that they don’t ‘articulate’ their pain, because they’re busy showing out and acting like untamed gorillas,” she adds. Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

As Christians, we should know what we owe to our fellow Jesus followers — “one another” as the Bible calls us. Before we can effectively love our neighbor — “neighbor” in this context meaning those not yet a part of the family of God — we need to understand the importance of how we interact with our brethren in Christ.Paul’s prayers center on one thing: that believers may become more and more like Christ, growing into spiritual powerhouses.Obviously, we are to love one another. We are to model the early church as it is described to us in Acts. We are to mindfully learn and apply all the “one anothers” the Bible gives us. We are to speak truth in love to one another (and others, as well).One of the most powerful ways to love one another is to diligently pray for one another (James 5:16). And one of the most powerful ways to accomplish that is to pray scripture for them.This is nothing new. After all, many of us have been praying the Lord’s Prayer, which is straight out of scripture, for much of our lives. Many psalms also lend themselves to prayer and worship. Much scripture has been set to music so that we can pray in song, as well.But when it comes to powerfully praying for our brethren, the apostle Paul was a master. In God-breathed letters to at least three churches — the Colossians, the Philippians, and the Ephesians — he tells his flock exactly how he’s praying for them.Paul’s prayer for the ColossiansColossians 1:9-12:For this reason also, since the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and multiplying in the full knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.What a magnificent prayer! In a few short lines, Paul asked God that the Colossians might:Be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding: This is a wonderful starting place for praying for your fellow believers — that they understand and wisely follow God’s will for their lives.Walk worthy of God, pleasing Him in every wayAnd then he prayed specifically for how they could do that:Bear fruit in every good work and increase in the knowledge of God: These two categories are what should comprise our day-to-day existence! Knowing Him and making Him known. Sitting at His feet daily, and serving Him wholeheartedly.Be strengthened with all power, according to God’s glorious might, to attain perseverance and patience: Paul recognized that persevering and being patient only come through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit within us and are important enough to merit their own mention in his prayer.Joyously thank the Father, who has qualified us to share in His inheritance of our fellow saints in light: Here, he prays for his fellow believers to be filled with joy and gratitude, looking up to what lies ahead.If you’re praying for the believers in your life to understand God’s will, walk worthy and please Him, bear fruit and know Him better, be strengthened In God’s power, and joyously give thanks — you’re on target.Again, this was a prayer for a specific group of people from Paul. But because it is recorded in holy scripture, we know this prayer is God-breathed. What a privilege to be able to pray this exact prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can do that in general, praying for all our fellow disciples this way. But it is perhaps more meaningful to actually write out this prayer for a specific brother or sister, by name.For example:Lord, I continually ask You to fill Anna with the knowledge of Your will in spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that she will walk worthy of You and please You in every way — bearing fruit in every good work and growing in her knowledge of You. Please strengthen her with all power, according to Your glorious might, so she may obtain great perseverance and patience. And help her joyfully thank You, who has qualified us both to share in the inheritance of Your saints in the kingdom of light.Praying this way ignites my spirit. We know that when we pray in alignment with God’s will, He acts. How amazing that He’s given us scripture like this that demonstrates, in a very practical way, how He would have us pray for the “one anothers” with whom He has blessed us.Bonus question: How might you adapt this prayer for your unbelieving friends?Paul’s prayer for the PhilippiansAnother rich prayer is recorded for us in Philippians 1:3-6:I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.This is a good reminder to thank God for the Jesus followers He’s brought into our lives — and to start any prayer for them by expressing our gratitude for the blessings they bring to us.Note also the attitude he brings to his prayer time for them. He is mindful of their “participation in the gospel” — he is mindful that they are walking the same path as he is — and this brings him joy.His next thought is a verse we often quote as a reminder that “God isn’t finished with us yet.” Isn’t it interesting that he put it right here in a prayer for them? Almost like he wanted to remind himself that no matter what mistakes and stumbles he might have to address, these beloved friends were a work in progress, in the process of being sanctified. In other words, they were people deserving of his grace, too. Another good reminder.But the real meat of his prayer for them is found in verses 9-11:And this I pray, that your love may overflow still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may discover the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.That our love may overflow ... in real knowledge and discernment. What do those two things have to do with love?As for knowledge: Our agape love for our brothers and sisters does not spring from some sort of flowery sentimentality. It springs from scriptural truth. Scripture is what defines love, so we can’t love well without that knowledge. Again, we speak the truth in love and love others well with truth — always.As for discernment: It turns out love is not blind, after all. The Greek word used here for "discernment" is where we get our English word “aesthetic,” which as John MacArthur notes, speaks of moral perception, insight, and practical application of knowledge. “Love is not blind,” he says, “but perceptive, and it carefully scrutinizes to distinguish between right and wrong.”That biblical, perceptive love is what Paul wants overflowing in believers. Why?So that we can discover what things are excellent. This is about developing keen perception, distinguishing between which things are worthy of our time and which are hindrances. And what does this pursuit of excellent things net us?It means we are sincere and blameless as we transition out of this world and into our heavenly reward in glory with Jesus. It means that in this life, we are filled with the fruit of righteousness, again as a result of Jesus’ work. And what is the purpose of those results? The glory and praise of God.Don’t we all want someone praying these things for us? So let us pray them for one another — wholeheartedly and personally.Paul’s prayer for the EphesiansEphesians 1 is a magnificent chapter, and I encourage you to read it right now. Paul’s first prayer for the Ephesians comes toward the end of that chapter:Ephesians 1:15-19a:For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe.This is such a rich passage. Paul is telling the Ephesians that when he mentions them in his prayers, he does so with continuous gratitude for them — due to their exemplary faith, evidenced by their love for one another. And then he goes on to tell them what he asks God for, on their behalf:Wisdom: The ability to take knowledge and put it into action, or in other words, how to live well in God’s world. This is an attribute we should diligently seek always. The first nine chapters of Proverbs make a powerful argument for this pursuit.Revelation in the knowledge of Him: This is the continuing learning process (“revelation”) that we undergo as we learn more about God through immersion in His Word.Enlightened “eyes of the heart”That last one means seeing God clearly with a spiritually enlightened mind, which results in knowledge of three life-changing truths:The truth of the hope of His calling: a confident understanding of the hope He provides His children, and a grasp of what awaits us.The truth of the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints: again, starting to grasp the immense and glorious riches that are ours as His saints.The truth of the boundless power of His greatness toward us who believe.I love what John MacArthur says about this last point:God’s great power, that very power which raised Jesus from the dead and lifted Him by ascension back to glory to take His seat at God’s right hand, is given to every believer at the time of salvation and is always available. Paul therefore did not pray that God’s power be given to believers, but that they be aware of the power they already possessed in Christ and use it. — MacArthur Study Bible (notes)That’s really the point of Paul’s prayer for enlightened eyes of the heart: that we be aware of what God in Christ has already given us — and then we use it. This is indeed an immensely powerful prayer that we can personalize for our brothers and sisters. And there’s nothing wrong with asking our brothers and sisters to pray this for us, too.But Paul had one more spectacular prayer for his beloved Ephesian church. It is one of the most beautiful passages in all his letters (and there are a lot of beautiful passages, to be sure):Ephesians 3:14-19:For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.Praying this sublime language is an act of worship in itself, since it includes such a marvelous depiction of God’s unquestioned authority. But let’s look at what Paul is asking God to grant the Ephesians here “according to the riches of His glory,” which again are available to every Christ-follower:That God would grant them strength, derived from the power of the Holy Spirit within each individual, so that Christ dwells in their hearts through faith. In other words, that we would please Him by keeping our hearts clean through the power of His Spirit as we submit to His lordship.That God would grant them the state of being rooted and grounded in love — the self-sacrificial agape love given for us by Him, that we are to freely share.That God would grant them comprehension (awareness and understanding), along with all the other saints, of the vast immensity of the love of Christ, which surpasses simple head knowledge. We can’t know this kind of love without being His children.Knowing all of this leads to being filled with the fullness of God. It leads to spiritual strength as we discipline our minds and spirits to study, understand, and live by God’s word through His Spirit’s power — increasingly, as we mature in Him. Quoting my friend Dr. MacArthur one more time:Although the outer, physical person becomes weaker with age, the inner, spiritual person should grow stronger through the Holy Spirit, who will energize, revitalize, and empower the obedient, committed Christian.But wait — there’s moreHere are a few more of Paul’s prayers that you can personalize for those you are bringing to God’s throne room:1 Corinthians 4:1-91 Thessalonians 1:2-31 Thessalonians 5:23 (brief but such a good one)2 Thessalonians 1:11-12Philemon 4–7Paul’s prayers center on one thing: that believers may become more and more like Christ, growing into spiritual powerhouses. That is why these passages are so powerful when we pray them for each other, by name, specifically. Let’s love one another by praying this way.This article was adapted from an essay originally published on Diane Schrader's Substack, She Speaks Truth.

On Monday, April 21, Pope Francis passed away at his residence in the Vatican. Formerly the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio ascended to the papal throne on March 13, 2013. He took the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi, the medieval founder of the Franciscan Order. Francis’s reign as supreme pontif lasted 12 years. The Catholic Church is far older than the liberal notion of egalitarianism, just as it is far older than the modern conception of a political 'left' and 'right.' Before we move on to speculating about the next pope, I think it is appropriate to reflect on Pope Francis and the nature of his office. A hard time for traditionalists As an American conservative and a traditionalist Catholic, I asked myself how I felt inclined to reflect on the legacy of a pope regarded by many in my circles to have been a staunch liberal. Pope Francis’ reign — particularly the last four years — was a hard time for my community. I grew up attending the Traditional Latin Mass. My love for the traditional Mass and Sacraments was a deciding factor in my decision to abandon my career plans and spend a year in seminary discerning the priesthood. When Francis imposed severe restrictions on the celebration of the Latin Mass, I was, like many others, deeply hurt. Many of my friends and fellow community members felt that the Holy Father had joined the outside world in persecuting faithful Catholics who were drawn to the ancient liturgies of our ancestors. Unquestioned loyalty I agreed with them. I felt (and still feel) that the Vatican chose mistakenly and unfairly to persecute some of the most faithful, devoted communities in the Church. I also agreed with them that these persecutions — no matter how severe they might become — would never cause us to question our obedience and loyalty to the pope responsible for them. Similarly, my disagreements with Pope Francis on political issues such as mass migration, capital punishment, incarceration, policies surrounding COVID-19, and his openness to globalism (to say nothing of the more Catholic insider issues such as fiducia supplicans and fratelli tutti) never caused me to question my obedience to him. I loved Pope Francis as a son loves his father, and I never questioned my fidelity and loyalty to him as pope. The reasons for this loyalty are very simple: I am a Catholic, and he was the pope. No other reason is needed. Beyond left and right For a Catholic, his relationship to the pope and to the Church is in no way contingent upon the modern concepts of left and right, liberal and conservative. It is far more integral to his person than such labels can possibly be. It does not surprise me that this sort of relationship seems odd to many people. In this country, we tend to have an egalitarian view of leadership. We believe (rightly, in the case of the United State government) that our leaders represent us; they work for us. If they act badly or make a mistake, they ought to be criticized or ridiculed in the same way anyone else would be. The Catholic Church is far older than the liberal notion of egalitarianism, just as it is far older than the modern conception of a political “left” and “right.” Christ's man on Earth Our populist view of government simply does not apply to the papacy. The pope does not represent us; he represents Christ. He does not work for us; he works for God. To allow our loyalty to a pope to be determined by the alignment of his political views with our own is to treat God as our elected representative. The office of the pope as Vicar of Christ does not mean, of course, that Catholics cannot voice concerns or offer respectful critiques of a pope. For a Catholic, such concerns or criticisms must always be respectful and coming from a place of charity toward the person of the pope and concern for the well-being of the Church. The pope’s role means that he must be obeyed and respected, but it does not mean that he does not make mistakes. He is human, after all. 'Knavish imbecility' The Church has never claimed that its servants are faultless. Many leaders — and even popes — in the history of the Church have made mistakes and behaved badly. To point out such behavior is entirely appropriate, but to claim that a bad pope disproves the claims of the Church is akin to claiming the U.S. Constitution cannot be a workable system of government because Woodrow Wilson was a terrible president. Hilaire Belloc summed up the matter well when he wrote, “The Catholic Church is an institution I am bound to hold divine, but for unbelievers, a proof of its divinity might be found in the fact that no merely human institution conducted with such knavish imbecility would have lasted a fortnight.” For Catholics, our relationship to our Holy Father goes far beyond the policies we may or may not agree on, just as our Church goes far beyond our political alignment with those in the pews around us. To a Catholic, our Church is the one true Christian religion. Our membership in it is just as much a part of us as our arms and legs. Such is our loyalty to the Holy Father. Whatever we may think of him, however he may treat us, we know that Christ, who founded our Church, remains with us, “Even to the consummation of the world.” Taking the advice of St. Padre Pio, American Catholic conservatives such as myself will pray, we will hope, and we will not worry.

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