Socialism, communism, national socialism, and democratic socialism all end up in the same place, with two classes of people: the rich and powerful and the brutally oppressed. History has shown that to be the case. The winners of unfettered power disarm people, fill their heads with propaganda, take over the schools and entertainment, and make […] The post North Korea Executes Children & It Could Happen Here One Day appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

A young Iranian dissident named Pouria Hamidi reportedly took his own life after filming a desperate plea to President Donald Trump and the Western world, saying an attack on Iran was the “only hope” that Iranians have. Hamidi, hailing from the Iranian city of Bushehr, utilized his final moments to expose the horrific reality of life under a regime he described as a “bandit group” and a “murderous terrorist” organization. “He told us to keep protesting and we did it,” he said of Trump. “We trust him. To make a deal with this regime is to betray all those people who died. So please, I beg you, do whatever you can to stop this deal. America attacking Iran is the only hope we have right now. You don’t know how hopeless our people are right now. I mean, I myself, I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I don’t know how some of my friends are doing right now.” The video serves as a searing indictment of the regime’s recent crackdown on its own citizens. Hamidi claimed that in just a few short weeks, the government orchestrated a massacre resulting in the deaths of more than 40,000 people. “How can you fight people with guns?” Hamidi asked, noting that the regime employs foreign “Muslim terrorist groups” to slaughter Iranian protesters before making the bodies of the victims vanish. Hamidi’s primary objective was to intercept potential diplomatic overtures from the United States. Directing his message toward the White House, he warned that for President Trump to strike a deal with the mullahs would be a “betrayal” of those who died fighting for freedom. “We trust him,” Hamidi said, referencing Trump’s previous encouragement of Iranian protesters. “To make a deal with this regime is to betray all those people who died.” Perhaps most strikingly, Hamidi addressed the cultural and religious divide within Iran, flatly rejecting the Islamic identity the regime has forced upon the population for decades. “We are not Muslims. In fact, we hate Islam,” he stated, characterizing his generation as one that views the religion as a colonizing force that contradicts Iranian values of equality. He went so far as to say that for many young Iranians, being called a “Muslim” is an insult on par with a racial slur because of the destruction the faith has brought to their lives. Hamidi pointed to the 12-day 2025 war between Israel and Iran, noting that because most of those killed were government officials, it felt like “sweet revenge” to the Iranian public. He further urged the fragmented Iranian opposition to unite under the leadership of exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi to form a transitional government. In his final, deeply personal reflections, Hamidi mourned a “meaningless” life where his future was systematically blocked by the state. He spoke of the “laughable” tragedy of being born into a regime that stole his childhood and denied him the simple dream of seeing snow. By recording the video, Hamidi hoped to give his life a final sliver of meaning—a sacrifice intended to ensure that while he never saw a future, his friends and countrymen might.

In a classic display of modern political theater, Maryland Governor Wes Moore reached for the race card after being snubbed from a White House dinner, despite a mountain of evidence suggesting the exclusion is actually rooted in a bitter, high-stakes policy brawl. As the National Governors Association (NGA) descends on Washington this February, President Trump has upended decades of tradition by revoking invitations for Moore, the NGA Vice Chair, and Colorado Governor Jared Polis for a scheduled black-tie gala. Rather than acknowledging the substantive, months-long warfare between his administration and the White House, “Moore … condemned the president’s threat to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore and defund … Maryland’s efforts to replace the fallen Key Bridge,” The Washington Post noted. Moore took to CNN’s “State of the Union” to offer a racially charged non-explanation. When pressed by Dana Bash on why he was being singled out, Moore pivoted away from the political fray, stating, “It’s not lost to me that I’m the only black governor in this country. And I find that to be particularly painful.” While Moore stopped just short of a direct accusation of racism, telling Bash he “can’t speak to the president’s intent,” the implication was as subtle as a sledgehammer: the only reason for his exclusion must be the color of his skin. This claim borders on the ridiculous when one examines the actual state of play. The NGA is currently a house divided, fractured by a “Sanctuary Schism” where the administration is aggressively tying federal funding to immigration enforcement. Moore has been a chief antagonist in this drama, vehemently condemning Trump’s threats to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore and clashing over federal funding for the Key Bridge replacement. Similarly, Governor Polis — who is emphatically not black — was also uninvited. Polis has been locked in a scorched-earth feud with the President over the conviction of Tina Peters, leading Trump to publicly label him a “scumbag.” The exclusion of both Moore and Polis clearly tracks with their roles as leaders of the “resistance” bloc within the NGA, opposing everything from the “War Department’s” control over National Guard units to Dr. Mehmet Oz’s new public health directives. In response to the snubs, Moore declared that the NGA would officially withdraw its support for the dinner, asserting that “if you exclude one, you exclude us all.” However, by appearing to choose to frame clear-cut political consequences as a matter of racial “pain,” Moore is ignoring the reality of his own political brinkmanship. In the current “Federal-State” power struggle, invitations aren’t being revoked based on demographics — they’re being revoked based on who is standing in the way of the administration’s agenda.

A lone child emerged from the brush along the banks of the Rio Grande River in Hidalgo, Texas, last month, availing herself to Border Patrol agents. The girl told the agents she was heading to Chugaik, Alaska, to live with her sponsor, Douglas Price, who was later determined to be a 44-year-old registered sex offender, according to the Department of Justice. Price allegedly funneled $5,000 from his business to pay migrant smugglers to bring the child and his mother across the border. The child, who was separated from her mother before crossing, was rescued before she ended up in the hands of a criminal, thanks to the Trump administration’s crackdown on sponsors of unaccompanied alien children. “This man allegedly paid smugglers to bring an illegal alien child and mother to this country, and in doing so, the child ended up alone during the dangerous journey,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said. “Under POTUS, vetting of sponsors for unaccompanied alien children is as strong as ever, and federal partners found this ‘sponsor’ to be unfit. It is a crime to smuggle illegal aliens into this country, and particularly horrendous to expose a child to untold dangers. Working with our federal partners, we will continue to uphold the law and in doing so, keep children from potential harm,” Blanche added. The Trump administration has sought to improve the vetting of migrant child sponsors who cross the border alone, while also working to hunt down the roughly 320,000 such children that the Biden administration lost track of, and in some cases handed to gang members and sex and labor traffickers. During the Biden administration, personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services made a “simple phone call” and reviewed an email photo before placing a migrant child with their sponsor, The Daily Wire previously reported. The Trump administration now requires sponsors and other adults living with them to undergo background checks. The sponsors must also provide proof of income. Additionally, if the sponsor claims to be a relative, they must also undergo a DNA test. Homeland Security agents meet with the sponsor, while HHS officials visit their home. Thus far, federal authorities have successfully tracked down 145,000 of the missing children, White House border czar Tom Homan recently said. Through that effort, Price has been charged with conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States and encouraging aliens to come to, enter, or reside in the country, according to the Department of Justice. He could now spend up to a decade behind bars and a possible $250,000 maximum fine if he’s convicted. The child left her home country of Honduras with her mother and a smuggler. Her mother told the child that Price would be her sponsor and would assist her with “obtaining her U.S. citizenship,” according to court documents. In an interview with a Homeland Security Investigations agent, the child said Price sent money to her mother to pay the smugglers. Price paid roughly $5,000 to fund the mother and daughter’s dangerous journey to the border “through payments from his business, Black Bear Construction,” according to court documents. He allegedly sent the funds “to a phone number provided by the smugglers.” Price also sent photos of himself to the mother and “inquired about” her daughter’s “status,” court filings said. Credit: The Department of Justice Credit: The Department of Justice At some point in their journey, the mother and her child were separated, according to the Justice Department. The child’s mother crossed the border less than a week after her daughter traversed it alone. The woman told federal agents that she befriended Price roughly four years prior when the two worked “together in the hotel remodeling business,” according to court documents. The migrant mother had also worked as Price’s “housekeeper and babysat his children,” she said. The child’s mother promised to pay Price back “by working for him.”

Claiming a free $1,000 from the federal government for your child is now even easier. The Trump Administration on Monday launched a redesigned online intake form for opening a Trump Account. The new IRS Form 4547 at TrumpAccounts.gov replaces the clunky downloadable PDF parents previously had to navigate. The updated form, designed by the new government National Design Studio led by Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, streamlines the process into a few simple steps. Parents are asked to provide their personal information, contact details, and their child’s information, along with consent for the Treasury Department and IRS to open a Trump Account on the child’s behalf. Families may also add additional qualifying children in the same submission.  Once the form is submitted, the Treasury Department, in partnership with the IRS, will create and maintain the Trump Account. The account will be held in a partner institution, which will then contact parents with further instructions to complete the setup. The redesign radically simplifies the previous system, which required parents to download, fill out, and mail back the PDF form. The new online submission allows parents to complete the entire process digitally, eliminating paperwork and delays. President Trump established the National Design Studio through executive authority as part of a broader effort to modernize outdated government systems. “There is a high financial cost to maintaining legacy systems, to say nothing of the cost in time lost by the American public trying to navigate them,” the President’s executive order states. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia joined the government as an unpaid special government employee (SGE) to bring the President’s vision to life by redesigning the Trump Stock Account intake form.  Trump Accounts have the potential to be financially transformative for American families. According to White House projections, a child born in 2026 would have an account worth approximately $5,800 by age 18 with no additional contributions. With maximum contributions from parents and employers, that number could reach $303,800. By age 28, the account is projected to grow to $18,100 without additional contributions and as much as $1,091,000 with maximum contributions, highlighting the power of reinvesting earnings over time. Families, friends, and employers can contribute up to $5,000 per year per child.  The account, managed by a professional firm, will invest the funds in a diversified portfolio of low-cost index funds aiming to maximize long-term growth while minimizing risk so that when the child turns 18, they have money to be able to fund their college education, buy their first home, or start a business.   All children under the age of 18 with a valid Social Security Number are eligible to establish a Trump Account, but only children who were born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, are eligible for the $1,000 seed investment from the United States Treasury. The funding for Trump Accounts came from the Beautiful Bill and will have the opportunity to be extended in a later reconciliation bill for children born in 2029 and beyond.   Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hopes that as children watch money in their Trump Account grow, they learn valuable lessons about investing and personal finance. At the Trump Account launch day, Bessent shared a sobering statistic showing that two-thirds of Generation Z cannot answer more than half of the basic financial literacy questions on the Nation’s Personal Finance Index. He said that watching their own money grow in real time through Trump Accounts will give Americans the opportunity to course-correct their financial literacy. 

Country rock star Kid Rock pointed viewers toward Jesus and the Gospel during his set on Sunday as the headliner at the TPUSA All-American Halftime Show.  The “Cowboy” singer delivered on all fronts as the alternative to the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show that featured Bad Bunny, who performed his entire set in Spanish. The All-American Halftime Show drew millions of viewers eager for something different. Rock opened his set with his viral hit “Bawitdaba” from 1999. But later, the recording artist changed tracks entirely. As his set came to an end, Kid Rock came back out on stage and was reintroduced by his real name, Robert Ritchie.  He said a new verse to Cody Johnson’s song “‘Til You Can’t” came to him one Sunday morning when “something or someone spoke to me.” Ritchie said he believed there was “a verse that still needed to be written for this song.” “There’s a book that’s sitting in your house somewhere that could use some dusting off,” he sang. “There’s a man that died for all our sins hanging from the cross. You can give your life to Jesus and he’ll give you a second chance. ‘Til you can’t.” His performance ended with a tribute to TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last year.  “If you’re gonna love somebody, hold ’em as long and as strong and as close as you can. Until you can’t,” Rock sang as an image of Kirk showed up on the screen with the caption, “In Remembrance of Charlie Kirk.” There were photos of Kirk and his widow, Erika, followed by the Bible verse Isaiah 6:8: “Here am I, send me.” Brantley Gilbert and other country artists, Gabby Barrett, and Lee Brice also performed at the TPUSA All-American Halftime Show, which outperformed all expectations. Millions of people tuned into the YouTube livestream, Charlie Kirk’s YouTube channel, and other partner sites streaming it, including DailyWire+.  “We’re approaching this show like David and Goliath,” Kid Rock said in a statement before the show, The Daily Wire previously reported. “Competing with the pro football machine and a global pop superstar is almost impossible, or is it? He said he’s having a dance party, wearing a dress, and singing in Spanish? Cool. We plan to play great songs for folks who love America.” Social media lit up with fans celebrating the Super Bowl halftime show alternative, and later with viewers proud of how many people turned up and tuned in.  “All in English, all talented, beautifully done,” one social media response said. “It was truly awesome. Felt so good. And so proud,” another commenter agreed.  “I was proud of my country. Felt blessed for my family. This is what it should be!” a third person agreed, echoing what so many others were saying. As of Monday, the All-American Halftime Show had close to 20 million views on the official TPUSA YouTube channel.

In the weeks preceding the Super Bowl, the prevailing narrative was that conservatives and Christians objected to Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl halftime show because he occasionally wears dresses and performs solely in Spanish — but a closer look at his lyrics tell another tale entirely. The Daily Wire’s own Megan Basham shared screenshots of some of Bad Bunny’s lyrics in an X post, most of which were graphic depictions of body parts, sex acts, drug use, and drug use during sex acts. “These are the most obscene lyrics ever to be performed at a Super Bowl half time. And you have professing Christians in the Kentucky senate and at America’s most recognized evangelical magazine saying Christians should have embraced and celebrated this to show love and to show that we are welcoming. Also, the kids would get a ‘kick’ out of hearing this Spanish,” Basham commented. And while some argued that Bad Bunny had not performed the songs posted by Basham in their entirety — and had thus not delivered some of the most obscene lyrics from the stage at Super Bowl 60 — the horse was already out of the barn, so to speak. To be clear, the lyrics were altered for the Super Bowl performance, but some remained and he did perform this song. This is the artist that we’re encouraging people to go listen to and celebrate for his contribution to Puerto Rican culture. — Megan Basham (@megbasham) February 9, 2026 Basham addressed that point in a follow up post, saying, “To be clear, the lyrics were altered for the Super Bowl performance, but some remained and he did perform this song. This is the artist that we’re encouraging people to go listen to and celebrate for his contribution to Puerto Rican culture.” An assessment from @grok backed up what Basham was saying: “Yes, the lyrics in Bad Bunny’s ‘Safaera’ (performed at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime) include explicit references to sexual acts, drug use, and profanity, as claimed. English translations on sites like Genius confirm details like oral sex, a*s-eating, pills for arousal, and erection boasts. Many of his songs have mature themes, but they’re in Spanish.” Yes, the lyrics in Bad Bunny’s “Safaera” (performed at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime) include explicit references to sexual acts, drug use, and profanity, as claimed. English translations on sites like Genius confirm details like oral sex, ass-eating, pills for arousal, and… — Grok (@grok) February 9, 2026 The overall takeaway was that Bad Bunny had delivered a fair amount of content from the stage that many conservatives and Christians might find objectionable — and all of it was conveniently buried behind the language barrier.

Hilary Knight had a historic performance over the weekend for Team USA Women’s Hockey. With her goal in the 5-0 shutout of Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Knight tied the all-time Team USA record in the Olympics with 14 career goals. Knight scored the team’s fourth goal of the day Saturday to notch the top spot in Team USA’s history books, and the captain didn’t even know she was close to tying the record. Knight is now in the company of retired United States players Natalie Darwitz and Katie King for the goals record. “I had no idea. I just love scoring, and that pure elation of finding the back of the net. It’s a little-kid moment. When you score, it’s pure excitement,” Knight said after the victory. “Those are legendary players and just to be in the same sentence as them is super special.” The 36-year-old scored her first Olympic goal at 20 during the 2010 Vancouver Games. Now in her final Olympics, she can set a new scoring record in Italy. Her teammate Megan Keller, who had the assist on Knight’s goal on Saturday, told NBC she is cheering Knight on all the way to the record books. “I want her to score more than anyone else,” Keller said. “I thought she was going to have it in the third period, she had a good look, but there’s no doubt she is going to break that record any time now.” This goal-scoring record would be the second one set at the Olympics for Knight. After stepping on the ice for Team USA’s first match of the Games, Knight became the first United States hockey player to compete in five Winter Olympics. But wait — there’s more. With group play underway and Team USA being the favorite to win it all, Knight could also break the United States Olympic points record. Right now, Knight sits at 29, three points behind Jenny Potter’s all-time leading point total of 32. The shutout against Finland marked the 16th time the United States Women’s Hockey team recorded a shutout during the Olympics. No time to slow down now. Monday afternoon, Team USA takes on Switzerland in another group-play game. The United States is a 6.5-goal favorite against No. 5-ranked Switzerland. “We can definitely get better,” Knight said. “There are definitely things that we can work on.” Team USA cannot overlook the Swiss matchup, which could be easy to do with arch-rival Canada on the schedule for Tuesday, February 10. The puck drops for Team USA and Switzerland Monday at 2:40 p.m. ET.

'He was like a role model'