Last week, we heard loud and clear who the Spirit of the Age believes its enemies are.Thanks to Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, we learned ministering to young women seeking to kill their children would be viewed as a high crime, when pro-life activist Lauren Handy was sentenced to nearly five years in prison after she and others blockaded a Washington, D.C., late-term baby-murder facility in 2020.Maybe we should pay better attention to what signals we are receiving this time than we did during COVID.Then we watched tens of thousands of people sign a petition to have Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker fired for saying Catholic things at the Catholic commencement ceremony for the Catholic Benedictine College in Kansas, followed by a letter of disavowal from the NFL itself.Butker clearly would have been better off visiting massage parlors like the Cleveland Browns DeShaun Watson or New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Or maybe flee the scene of an accident he caused while driving erratically like his teammate Rashee Rice. Or assaulting his pregnant baby mama like Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller. Or being charged with assault via strangulation like Tennessee Titans' running back Hasan Haskins.Because there are no petitions to be seen there. That only happens when you uphold the dignity of life, marriage, family, and men and women like Butker did. Yes, the NFL will support the thug life over the good, the true, and the beautiful any day of the week now and twice on Sundays.Maybe we should pay better attention to what signals we are receiving this time than we did during COVID. Maybe we should not let the rogue justice system and the NFL get away with what the National Institutes of Health is doing now, as its representatives admit in broad daylight before Congress what myself and others were censored, shunned, and threatened for looking at data, pointing it out, and sharing it with people like you.We were told Francis Collins, who led the NIH during COVID and only recently retired, was a Christian. We were told he was one of us. If there was ever a time to have a spirit-led, spirit-filled believer who understood that science and faith don't have to be at war, COVID was it.But when it was time for the former head of the Human Genome Project to display the fruit of the spirit during a time when we needed Collins’ leadership the most, we were fed a host of lies and oppression in the form of lockdowns, masks, and poisonous jabs while churches were literally shut down and pastors, in some cases, were made enemies of the state.One of the most frightening verses in the entire Bible is when Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’"I think that applies to Francis Collins, and I think it will also apply to all of those in power who now fail to read the signs of the times and let pro-life heroes or Kansas City Chiefs kickers be sacrificed to the gods of wickedness and destruction.The shepherds of the flock with the power to do something are without excuse. Everyone must put their C.S. Lewis sorting caps on and decide whether they want to be counted with the Lord or among the liars or the lunatics.To that end, Pope Francis said in an interview over the weekend that conservative Christians are people who “cling to something and do not want to see beyond that. It is a suicidal attitude.”Well, with a hot take like that from anyone claiming to be a Christian leader, pro-lifers can expect to rot in jail whether or not they actually show up to protest at a baby-killing clinic, and it won’t only be commencement speakers who are canceled but entire Christian universities as well.The American Babylon is right around the corner because of the fecklessness and cowardice of our Christian leadership, if we aren’t in fact already living there.

About 4% of people suffer from a disorder called "amusia," which keeps them from recognizing and perceiving melodies and rhythms. As a result, they have no emotional or spiritual connection to music. What does it mean when a person doesn't like music? The sensei of self-promotion also admires the alliterative braggadocio of Eminem. Game recognize game? On the August 29, 2019, episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," magician and author Penn Jillette described the unique power of music in connecting people. He quoted jazz legend Thelonius Monk, "A genius is the one most like himself." Jillette was a contestant on "Celebrity Apprentice" in 2012 and 2013 and got to know pre-White House Donald Trump. Jillette told Rogan that in all the time he spent around Trump, he never saw him "show any joy or understanding of music." Street Fighting Man Curiously, our 45th president has portrayed himself as an ardent defender of the auditory arts from a tender age. In his 1987 memoir and master class "Trump: The Art of the Deal," the sensei of self-promotion brags about punching his second-grade teacher in the face "because I didn't think he knew anything about music." His 2004 follow-up, "Trump: Think Like a Billionaire: Everything You Need to Know About Success, Real Estate, and Life," doubles down on the title colons — and the claims of musicophilia: “In Trump Tower, we play a variety of music — anything from renditions of 'Moon River' to versions of Rachmaninov's famous piano concertos. Some people call it cheesy, but others love it, and so do I.” Other artists Trump admits to enjoying include Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. Also Elton John, whose 1972 hit inspired the "Rocket Man" honorific Trump bestowed upon North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The sensei of self-promotion also admires the alliterative braggadocio of Eminem. Game recognize game? Hardly: The artist also known as Marshall Mathers reportedly hates Trump's guts. I and I Still, it's all "one love" for dubmaster Donald, who's been known to relax to the soothing, spliff-burning vibes of reggae. When not blasting "Legend" on repeat like a University of Vermont sophomore on the first real day of hacky-sack weather, the Queens native grooves to the downtown tape-loop experiments of avant-garde composer Steve Reich. Trump's first presidential bid gave him a chance to share his eclectic taste with his fans. At rally after rally he strutted his stuff to a veritable MAGA mix tape of bangers, including tracks by Rihanna, R.E.M., Adele, Guns N' Roses, Queen, and many other artists who requested he cease using their work. Neil Young's "Keep On Rockin' in the Free World" proved especially resonant with Trump's apocalyptic "prophet without honor" persona: "There's a warning sign on the road ahead / There's a lot of people saying we'd be better off dead / Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them / So I try to forget it any way I can." Sadly, the grungy Bernie bro failed to appreciate the synchronicity. Exile on Main Street "You Can't Always Get What You Want" let Trump playfully troll his haters — until the Rolling Stones pitched a fit. Trump's response was that of a true fan: "I have no problem with that. I like Mick Jagger." Her majesty (as Keith Richards nicknamed his preening bandmate) may have abandoned Trump, but the King of Pop always had his back. During their decades-long friendship, Michael Jackson helped the Trump kids stack Legos to make tiny yellow Trump Towers and attended young Ivanka Trump’s ballet recital (a Christmas performance of “The Nutcracker”). The pair got along so well that day that Michael Jackson invited Trump to tag along as Jackson paid his condolences to the family of Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who died of AIDs in 1990. And when Jackson hid out with Elvis Presley’s daughter in the days before their 1994 nuptials, it was at Trump Tower. Can't Stop the Music When Trump lost the White House in 2020, the music didn't stop. Instead, the indefatigable 70-something hit the road for what's becone a Dylan-esque never-ending tour, pumping up the adoring crowds with “Simply the Best” by Tina Turner and the Village People's “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.” If Bill Clinton was our first "black" president, as novelist Toni Morrison famously quipped, perhaps Trump was our first "gay" one. His flair for drama and mastery of camp certainly added life to the moribund Grand Old Party. It's 3 a.m. in America. We've run out of beer and chips. The uptight neighbors have called the cops. We can either choose to pull the plug on the tunes ... or crank them up. I think we all know what the former party rocker in chief would do. Want to get this country back on its feet? It's time to put Donald Trump back on aux.

"It's a mad house! A mad house!" It's been more than 50 years since Charlton Heston's anguished cry in the original "Planet of the Apes" movie, and our mania for America's longest-running sci-fi franchise shows no signs of abating. After a middling remake in 2001, 20th Century Fox gave the series a gritty, CGI-enhanced reboot with 2011's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," winning over a new generation. Two critically and commercially acclaimed sequels followed, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (2014) and "War for the Planet of the Apes."Disney's 2019 purchase of Fox (subsequently renamed 20th Century Studios) left many fans worried that the flailing mouse house would monkey with the property's chest-beating swagger. They can breath a sigh of relief. The new "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" continues the legacy of quality storytelling and challenging themes that began back in 1968. "Kingdom" picks up decades after the last film in the saga, "War for the Planet of the Apes," which ended the death of Ape leader Caesar (Andy Serkis). The new film follows Noa (Owen Teague), a young ape who lives in a small but peaceful village far removed from the wars that allowed Apes to become the dominant species. Their tranquility is shattered when a ruthless group of apes, led by Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), pillage Noa’s village, taking the inhabitants captive and killing those who resist, including Noa's father. Fueled by revenge, Noa sets off on a journey to find his family and restore his home. Along the way, Noa befriends the orangutan Raka (Peter Macon) and a human girl, Mae (Freya Allan). Together, they will rediscover Caesar's long-forgotten past, learn shocking truths about their present, and take actions that will shape the future of their planet. "Kingdom" makes it a point to honor both the original film and the more recent trilogy. Although Serkis is absent from this installment, his presence looms large as the characters grapple with Caesar's legacy and how subsequent leaders have twisted it to serve their own selfish purposes. We see this play out in the characters' conflicting visions for the future. Noa emerges as an unlikely champion of Caesar's dream of human-ape coexistence while on either side, Proximus and Mae push for their own species to dominate.Director Wes Ball delivers a sprawling, gorgeous film with big set pieces and stunning cinematography and effects (the motion capture for the ape characters remains top notch). Ball also pays subtle homage to "Star Wars: A New Hope." Noa, a young hero forged by unexpected tragedy and empowered by a dying, ancient religion, is clearly this story’s Luke Skywalker. Raka and Proximus embody the yin and yang of Caesar's teaching, just as Obi Wan-Kenobi and Darth Vader represent the light and dark sides of the Force. By borrowing the structural DNA and thematic resonance of "Star Wars," Ball creates a world that is pleasingly familiar but different enough to stand on its own. Like George Lucas, who created the original trilogy, Bell gets that winking at the audience or playing things tongue-in-cheek spoils the fun. And it gives me great pleasure to say that "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is a lot of fun. Pure cinematic, world-building, thematically-rich, adventure-filled science-fiction fun. It’s a rare movie these days that lets you check your apprehensions at the door and leave completely satisfied — especially a Disney movie. But Ball, screenwriter Josh Friedman, and the cast and crew have pulled it off. Let's hope they keep their stinkin' paws on these damn dirty apes for years to come.

A century ago, two Chicago teenagers killed an acquaintance named Bobby Franks for the thrill of it. The case captivated the nation and continues to fascinate the public today

The Early History of Technology in Politics

BREAKING: ICC May Issue Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant Over Gaza Invasion

The iPhone SE 4 is expected to launch in mid-2025. Reports have revealed many details of this device, but the latest leak shows that it could actually be almost too good to be true. We expect an all-new design, Face ID support, and a fair price. Not only could this be a mid-range Android phone killer, but it could even make Apple remove older iPhone models from the lineup. For example, if Cupertino releases the iPhone SE 4 in mid-2025, this would mean Apple would be selling four iPhone 16 models, two iPhone 15 versions, and two iPhone 14 iterations. However, if the iPhone SE 4 is everything it's rumored to be, I don't see why someone would choose the iPhone 14 instead. Last week, The Information revealed that Apple plans to redesign the iPhone SE with a similar look to the iPhone 14. This will include Face ID support, a bigger display (from a 4.7-inch to a 6.1-inch version), OLED instead of LCD, and an improved processor. Currently, Apple uses the A15 Bionic on the iPhone SE 3. Other rumors support the addition of USB-C and even an Action Button to this phone, but even if these two features aren't added, the most surprising detail about this phone would be its price. According to leaker Revegnus on X, Apple plans to sell the iPhone SE 4 between $429 and $499. While the leaker expects the iPhone SE 4 to have a 10% price increase in the US, this could mean a 15% more expensive smartphone in other markets. https://x.com/Revegnus1/status/1792101343890731324 This strategy isn't new to Apple, as it has kept the iPhone 15 Pro Max the same in the US and China while making it more expensive in other regions. However, if all these rumored features are true, even a $500 iPhone SE 4 would be worth it since Apple has never offered an iPhone X-like device for this cheap. BGR will keep following the latest iPhone SE 4 rumors and leaks. Below, you can learn more about the upcoming iPhone 16. Don't Miss: iPhone 16: Rumors, release date, A18, AI, Capture button, and more The post If this iPhone SE 4 leak is real, mid-range Android phones are doomed appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $50 off new Beats Solo 4, $249 iPad 9th-Gen, $19 Roku Express, $180 ASUS laptop, more Today’s deals: $20 Apple AirTags, $34 Roku Streaming Stick 4K, $130 Beats Solo 3, $47 Canon printer, more Today’s deals: $179 AirPods Pro 2, Mattel toys, Kindles, Fitbit sale, $12.50 Matter smart plugs, more Today’s deals: $3 Alexa smart plugs, Peloton sale, $250 HP laptop, Sony XM5 headphones, more

In what is likely to be a politically charged showdown this week on immigration and home rule in Washington, D.C., Democrat leadership in the House is encouraging its members to vote against a Republican bill that would block a district law permitting noncitizens to vote.

Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., on Sunday stated that cutting federal funding to Harvard University and other schools "needs to be on the table" due to their handling of alleged campus antisemitism.

Houston area residents affected by deadly storms last week received some good news as officials said power had been restored Sunday to a majority of the hundreds of thousands who had been left in the dark and without air conditioning amid hot and humid weather.