In a recent podcast episode, Tucker Carlson asked, “Where do Christians feel more comfortable in Qatar or Israel?” If his foolish comments weren’t so dangerous, they would almost be laughable. Carlson said, But if the deeper question is, “Where do Christians feel more comfortable in Qatar or Israel?”, I mean, it’s sort of hard to know what people actually think. So maybe the best way to measure that is by where they live. So there are twice as many Christians living in Qatar as there are in Israel. Twice as many. At least twice as many. Did you know that? Again, not promoting Qatar. I’m not moving there. But there are twice as many Christians living there. So if it’s like an ISIS state where people are beheaded for proclaiming the name of Jesus, why are there twice as many in Qatar as there are in Israel? And why are there so many Christian churches in Qatar? All, or at least most, on land granted to them by the government. Again, not promoting Qatar, just saying if you’re telling me that this is a country whose values are so far from mine that even to go there is a crime of some kind, you’re lying. Or we have very different values. Extremely different values. So why are they telling me that? His words are lies in sheep’s clothing. He is defending a regime that has made its name not on religious freedom, but for its support of the Muslim Brotherhood — which the Trump administration is in the process of designating a terror group. Carlson, who has spent two years attacking my home of Israel, based his argument on the fact that more Christians live in Qatar than in Israel. Yes, there are roughly twice as many Christians in Qatar as in Israel — about 400,000 versus 188,000. But let’s get the facts straight. The Christians living in Qatar are almost entirely migrant workers, people who have no legal rights as citizens. Carlson asks, “And why are there so many Christian churches in Qatar?” There are exactly six government-sanctioned churches in Qatar. Six churches serving hundreds of thousands of people. And to make it even worse, they are all right next to each other under the close supervision of the government. To be clear, it is illegal for Qatari citizens to convert from Islam to Christianity, and Qataris are not allowed to enter Christian churches. In fact, every person entering a church in Qatar must submit an ID. The migrant workers who do attend often live and work under conditions that have been widely condemned as modern-day slavery. Contrast that with Israel, a country where Christians are fully recognized citizens, including my community of indigenous Aramean Maronite Christians. We vote, we serve in the military, and we even hold elected office in the Knesset. Israel’s Christians are not confined to a single gated area or monitored by state authorities. We are free to worship openly, participate in society, and contribute to the nation’s cultural and political life. There are more Baptist churches in Israel (17) than there are total churches in Qatar. In fact, Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the native Christian communities are growing. Carlson took the only possible data points to show anything positive about Christian existence in Qatar and still got it all wrong. As a Christian Israeli working to inspire the next generation of believers in our homeland, I can say with confidence: Israel protects religious freedom in ways that Qatar can only dream of. Qatari Christians live in fear, are under constant surveillance, and have no path to citizenship or full participation in society. Christians must understand where true freedom exists and where it is merely an illusion sold by regimes with an agenda and their influencer mouthpieces. For Israel’s Christians, faith and citizenship go hand in hand. For Christians in Qatar, faith comes at the price of subjugation, invisibility, and in many cases, abuse. We must call out lies like this, not just for Israel’s sake, but for the safety and understanding of Christians worldwide. Truth matters, and it will set you free. * * * Shadi Khalloul, founder and chairman of the Israeli Christian Aramean Association, is one of Israel’s most compelling voices for coexistence, minority rights, and Christian identity in the Middle East. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Nearly 15,000 nurses launched the largest strike in New York City history, abandoning their posts at major hospitals while demanding outrageous wage increases that would cost taxpayers billions—all while President Trump works to rein in runaway healthcare spending. Historic Labor Action Disrupts Major Hospital Systems The New York State Nurses Association mobilized nearly 15,000 nurses across Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai West, Montefiore Einstein, and NewYork-Presbyterian on January 12. The coordinated walkout began at 6 a.m. at Mount Sinai locations and 7 a.m. at Montefiore and NewYork-Presbyterian facilities. Union President Nancy Hagans led the charge, claiming hospitals prioritize profits over patient safety while demanding massive compensation increases. This strike dwarfs the 2023 nursing strike that affected just two hospitals, making it more than double the previous scale. The timing proves particularly problematic as hospitals prepare for federal healthcare cuts under President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Union demands include nearly 40% wage increases, enhanced benefits packages, and stricter staffing ratios that hospital administrators warn could bankrupt their operations. Unrealistic Financial Demands Threaten the Healthcare System Hospital systems face union demands totaling $3.6 billion in wage increases alone, according to negotiations that collapsed over the weekend. Mount Sinai spokesperson Lucia Lee and Montefiore SVP Joe Solmonese characterized the nurses’ abandonment as “reckless,” particularly given the financial pressures facing healthcare institutions. The Greater New York Hospital Association invested over $100 million in strike preparations, including hiring 1,400 temporary nurses at Mount Sinai and spending $60 million at NewYork-Presbyterian. These astronomical demands come precisely when the Trump administration seeks to eliminate wasteful government healthcare spending that ballooned under previous policies. Hospital executives argue they cannot meet union expectations while facing federal budget reductions and maintaining quality patient care. The disconnect between union demands and fiscal reality highlights the unsustainable spending patterns that conservative reforms aim to address. Government Response Reveals Political Calculations Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state emergency on January 9, suspending specific healthcare licensure requirements to facilitate temporary staffing solutions. Her measured response contrasts sharply with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who openly picketed in solidarity with striking nurses while assuring residents that city monitoring would prevent care disruptions. Department of Health staff deployed to affected hospitals to oversee patient safety protocols. The political dynamics reveal typical liberal sympathies toward union demands regardless of fiscal consequences. While Hochul attempts balanced mediation, Mamdani’s solidarity picketing demonstrates progressive politicians’ willingness to support unsustainable labor demands. Meanwhile, hospitals discharge patients and boost capacity at unaffected facilities to maintain emergency services despite the workforce disruption created by union intransigence. HAPPENING NOW! Over 17,000 nurses with @nynurses @NationalNurses are on strike in the largest nurses strike in NYC history, demanding fair pay and benefits, improved staffing, and safety on the job. Stay tuned for more coverage. pic.twitter.com/k4zkj8Sw3M — On the Line (@laborontheline) January 12, 2026 Sources: CBS News – Nurses Strike New York City Hospitals ABC News – Largest Nursing Strike in New York City History ABC7 New York – Thousands of Union Nurses at NYC Hospitals Go on Strike Gothamist – Nearly 15K Nurses Begin Strike at Hospitals

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News One Piece One Piece Season 2 Trailer Features Mr. 13, Nico Robin, and Lot of Colorful Assassins Okay but can we talk about that otter By Molly Templeton | Published on January 12, 2026 Image: Netflix © 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share Image: Netflix © 2025 It’s less than two months until the second season of Netflix’s hit manga adaptation One Piece sets sail. News tidbits about season two have been on a steady drip for months already, from the announcement of new cast members (including Cole Escola and Xolo Maridueña, who are set to join the show in season 3) to a behind-the-scenes featurette. But now there’s a whole teaser—appropriately chaotic, mildly threatening, and introducing Nico Robin (Lera Abova), the vulture-riding otter Mr. 13, and a whole pile of assassins from the Baroque Works organization. Because this is One Piece, said assassins have delightfully outlandish outfits and wigs that hide machine guns. As one does. Here’s the synopsis: Netflix’s epic high-seas pirate adventure, One Piece, returns for Season 2—unleashing fiercer adversaries and the most perilous quests yet. Luffy and the Straw Hats set sail for the extraordinary Grand Line—a legendary stretch of sea where danger and wonder await at every turn. As they journey through this unpredictable realm in search of the world’s greatest treasure, they’ll encounter bizarre islands and a host of formidable new enemies. There are piles of new characters coming this season, including Callum Kerr as Captain Smoker, Julia Rehwald as Tashigi, Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday (also known as Nefertari Vivi), Brendan Sean Murray as Brogy, David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3, Joe Manganiello as Crocodile, Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra, and Mikaela Hoover as the voice of Tony Tony Chopper. One Piece stars Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji. The series is based on the manga by Eiichiro Oda, and has Ian Stokes and Joe Tracz as showrunners. It’s already been renewed for a third season—but first, season two premieres March 10th on Netflix.[end-mark] The post <i>One Piece</i> Season 2 Trailer Features Mr. 13, Nico Robin, and Lot of Colorful Assassins appeared first on Reactor.

News Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Lee Cronin’s The Mummy Trailer Teases a Totally Different Mummy Than That Other Mummy Nobody’s going to make any excellent declarations about being a librarian in THIS movie, I bet By Molly Templeton | Published on January 12, 2026 Photo: Warner Bros. Comment 0 Share New Share Photo: Warner Bros. To be fair, writer-director Lee Cronin made Evil Dead Rise, which was generally quite well-received. But he’s not exactly a household name—which makes the choice to call his new film Lee Cronin’s The Mummy an odd one. Presumably it is to differentiate between this Mummy and the various other Mummys, though of course in this house there is only one true Mummy. But you could just, you know, pick another title. At any rate, there’s a teaser for Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, and it is mostly just creepy bandaged vibes—plus a bit of the quickly-growing-ubiquitous slightly-distorted-voice-repeats-some-words thing that everyone is doing in the wake of the trailer for 28 Years Later. Is this the new “haunted-child-sings-slowed-down-pop-song?” I guess it could be worse. At least the opening of the trailer doesn’t go ping. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is about a family whose little girl goes missing in the desert. “Eight years later,” the synopsis says, “the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.” Or is it an undead nightmare? Cronin told IGN that his film is “almost one part Poltergeist and one part Seven, but put through my lens and the way that I like to entertain people.” He also said, “This movie is coming from a very different place, and it’s not even a reinvention of mummy lore; it’s looking into darker places and doing something different with what we think we might already know.” Lee Cronin’s The Mummy stars Jack Reynor (The Peripheral), Laia Costa (The Wheel of Time), May Calamawy (Moon Knight), Natalie Grace (Raymar), and Veronica Falcón (Imaginary). It has superstar horror producers James Wan and Jason Blum on board, in case you need some extra reasons to give it a chance. This Mummy stalks into theaters on April 17th.[end-mark] The post <i>Lee Cronin’s The Mummy</i> Trailer Teases a Totally Different Mummy Than That Other Mummy appeared first on Reactor.

Column Babylon 5 Rewatch Babylon 5 Rewatch: “The Face of the Enemy” Sheridan’s father is arrested, and Garibaldi offers to help his former commander plan a rescue operation… By Keith R.A. DeCandido | Published on January 12, 2026 Credit: Warner Bros. Television Comment 6 Share New Share Credit: Warner Bros. Television “The Face of the Enemy”Written by J. Michael StraczynskiDirected by Michael VejarSeason 4, Episode 17Production episode 417Original air date: June 9, 1997 It was the dawn of the third age… The Army of Light forces are in a brutal firefight against EarthForce ships. Some of the latter have retreated from the battle, but others, including the Cadmus, are continuing to fight even though they’re outgunned. Sheridan practically begs them to surrender, as he doesn’t want to destroy them, but he will if they keep it up. The Cadmus captain, Leo Frank, finally replies, saying they’re dead anyhow. They were told that every EarthForce ship that Sheridan has defeated have had their crews executed and replaced with Minbari. MacDougan comes on the line and tells Frank that he’s an even bigger idiot than he was at the Academy, and assures Frank that he’s been fed a line of bull. Frank then surrenders. On Mars, Garibaldi informs Edgars that he has set up Sheridan’s father David to be captured. Edgars promises that, once Sheridan is in custody, Garibaldi will be told the whole truth. Elsewhere on Mars, Franklin and Alexander arrive. Number One remembers Alexander from the last time she came through Mars, and is pissed that she didn’t reveal at the time that she was a telepath. And Number One is even more pissed at their cargo of a whole mess of teeps in stasis tubes. Later, over dinner, it’s clear to Franklin that everyone in the resistance really hates telepaths, and Alexander explains about the Bloodhound Units that scan anyone suspected of being in the resistance without their permission—and these are deep scans, which are not only violations of privacy, but also can cause heart attacks, strokes, and other fun things. She also mentions a serial killer of telepaths; the mundane police didn’t really care to investigate thoroughly, so the Psi Cops (with whom Alexander was interning at the time) took it upon themselves. They found the guy and put horrible images in his head—to this day, he’s in a hospital in a straitjacket. Credit: Warner Bros. Television The Agamemnon shows up and Captain James offers to join the Army of Light. Sheridan is delighted to have his former command by his side, and he goes on board. Then Garibaldi contacts him and says that Clark’s people have his father. Garibaldi claims to have some people who can get him free, but they want to meet in person with Sheridan, alone. Sheridan verifies this information independently, and then, despite the advice of both James and Ivanova, he agrees to meet, using one of Agamemnon’s shuttles to sneak onto Mars. He also instructs Ivanova to take a White Star and take command of the fleet in his absence. She does so, asking Delenn to keep an eye on things on the station, because they don’t have the budget for another guest star to play a watch officer. Sheridan meets with Garibaldi, who immediately puts a tranq patch on Sheridan’s hand, at which point folks come to take him into custody. Sheridan resists arrest, and gets the shit kicked out of him for his trouble. Edgars finally reads Garibaldi in on the whole thing. While Clark is a problem, he’s a temporary one—one way or another, he’ll be out of power soon enough. But the Psi Corps won’t give up the power he’s given them, and it’ll be the end of humanity’s dominance over telepaths. Unless, of course, they level the playing field. Edgars has developed a virus that specifically targets the chromosome that controls telepathy. It’s airborne, 100% contagious, and fatal. The antidote is the vial Garibaldi helped Lise and Wade smuggle through B5. Once infected, the telepaths have to get regular injections of the antidote, or they’ll die. Once Edgars and Wade are done explaining their plan, they leave Garibaldi alone. Unbeknownst to them, Lise overheard all of it, and is appalled. When he’s alone, Garibaldi removes a hollow tooth and activates a signal. He then goes to a tram. Lise joins him, but Garibaldi is cold to her, telling her to go back home, even though she’s disgusted by what her husband is doing. After Lise departs, Bester boards the tram, saying he got Garibaldi’s signal. Bester scans Garibaldi and learns all about Edgars’ plan. He’s also appalled, and intends to take care of it in very short order. He debates what to do about Garibaldi, now that his mission is complete. First, he informs Garibaldi what actually happened to him. The Shadows wanted Garibaldi because he was one of the three people most likely to take over the Army of Light if Sheridan was lost, and of those three (the others being Ivanova and Delenn), he was the one most likely to be susceptible to psionic tampering. So he was captured and sent to Psi Corps. Bester was able to divert him and use him for their own ends. It wasn’t a full reprogramming, just a bit of rejiggering—Bester needed his natural inquisitiveness and doggedness and investigative instincts intact, as well as his disdain for authority. Bester hadn’t expected Garibaldi to resign as head of security, but that worked out for the best, as it isolated him, making him easier to manipulate. Credit: Warner Bros. Television Eventually, it led him to be a mole in Edgars’ organization. But now, Bester isn’t sure what to do with Garibaldi—but ultimately, he decides to free him. Not that that’s doing him a favor, as everyone knows he’s the one who turned Sheridan in, so he’s pretty much cut off from his friends. When the mental blocks fall, Garibaldi screams in anguish. But by the time he can make it back to Edgars’ mansion, both Edgars and Wade are dead and the virus and its antidote are gone from his safe. Of Lise there is no sign—before dying, Wade says that she wasn’t in the house when they were ambushed. Ivanova rendezvouses with the fleet just in time to get the news of Sheridan’s capture, which ISN is crowing about (and also lying about, saying that he’s being treated well, unlike his own prisoners, and that he has expressed regret over his actions—in truth, he’s continued to get the shit kicked out of him and he’s bound in an empty cell). When asked what they’ll do next, Ivanova says they keep going. A person is expendable, the mission isn’t (a line Sinclair said in “War Without End,” though Ivanova credits Sheridan with saying it). Cole also says that Garibaldi has tried to contact them and the station, and Ivanova makes it clear that she has nothing to say to him, and also that if he shows up on B5, he’s to be shot on sight. ISN declares a day of celebration and rest, as the capture of Sheridan means that the resistance is broken. They also report Edgars’ murder, saying it was probably members of the resistance, and also that apparently it was Sheridan’s former security chief who turned him in, and ISN thanks him for his patriotism. Get the hell out of our galaxy! Last week, Sheridan was saying that he was getting worried that everything was going too well, and this episode bears out that paranoia, as he’s captured by the bad guys. Ivanova is God. Ivanova takes over command of the fleet from Sheridan. Both Clark and Edgars make it clear that they think losing Sheridan will break the resistance, but the look on Ivanova’s face in the latter portions of this episode make it abundantly clear that that is not the case. Credit: Warner Bros. Television The household god of frustration. We finally find out what’s been up with Garibaldi since the Shadows took him back in “Z’ha’dum.” If you value your lives, be somewhere else. Sheridan is insistent that a human be in command of the Army of Light fleet. It can’t be Delenn, because if a Minbari commands a fleet heading for Earth, it’ll feel like the Earth-Minbari War all over again. The Corps is mother, the Corps is father. As has been hinted at several times—particularly in “Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?” “Epiphanies,” and “Moments of Transition”—the Psi Corps is behind Garibaldi’s weird behavior this season. The Shadowy Vorlons. The Shadows helped put Clark into power, but they also provided the tech that enabled Edgars to develop the telepath virus. Typical Shadows, playing both ends… No sex, please, we’re EarthForce. When Sheridan is captured, Delenn wakes up and cries out his name, which is a common, if tired, practice among writers who want to show a love connection between characters… Looking ahead. For the second episode in a row, a character mentions the likelihood of a coming war between telepaths and mundanes (Edgars last time, Alexander this time). J. Michael Straczynski always intended to show that war on-screen, going so far as to have J. Gregory Keyes skip over it in his Psi-Corps trilogy of novels and having the movie A Call to Arms and TV show Crusade take place after it. But it has yet to be dramatized in any form. Welcome aboard. Recurring regulars Efram Zimbalist Jr., Mark Schneider, Diana Morgan, and Richard Gant make their final appearances as, respectively, Edgars, Wade, the ISN propaganda-spewer, and MacDougan. Other recurring regulars include Walter Koenig, back from “Moments of Transition” as Bester; Marjorie Monaghan, back from “Lines of Communication” as Number One; Denise Gentile, back from “The Exercise of Vital Powers” as Lise; and David Purdham, debuting the recurring role of James. Koenig and Gentile will both return in “Rising Star,” while Monaghan and Purdham will be back in “Between the Darkness and the Light.” Additionally, Ricco Ross plays Frank, and creative consultant Harlan Ellison makes his only physical appearance on the show as the Psi Cop Bester talks to in the flashback. Ellison previously did the voice of Sparky the computer in “Ceremonies of Light and Dark,” and he’ll come back to voice Zooty in “Day of the Dead.” Credit: Warner Bros. Television Trivial matters. Alexander came through Mars to get to B5 in “Divided Loyalties.” The guy who murdered telepaths was previously mentioned by Bester in “Epiphanies”; the full story of that rogue investigation and punishment was told in the novel Deadly Relations—Bester Ascendant, the second book in J. Gregory Keyes’ Psi-Corps trilogy. Garibaldi helped Lise and Wade obtain the cure for the virus in “Conflicts of Interest.” He was captured by the Shadows in “Z’ha’dum,” returned to B5 in “The Summoning” and resigned as head of security in “Epiphanies.” Efram Zimbalist Jr. tripped over the line “the telepath problem,” as that was (deliberately) very similar to rhetoric used by the Nazis against the Jews. It wound up working, as it meant that even Edgars realized the enormity and horror of what he was planning. Wade refers to telepaths as “homo superior,” which is a term first used in Marvel’s X-Men comics in the 1960s to refer to mutants (people born with super-powers). MacDougan says his entire crew is intact, though one assumes that his first officer is in the brig after what happened in “No Surrender, No Retreat.” The echoes of all of our conversations. “The truth—the whole absolute truth—is only a few days away. How many people can say that?” “I don’t know, but I think the last guy got thirty pieces of silver for the same job.” —Edgars giving Garibaldi assurances and Garibaldi feeling very Judas-y about the whole thing.  Credit: Warner Bros. Television The name of the place is Babylon 5. “They believe that you’re a pain in the ass, sir, but they trust you.” It took seventeen episodes, but we finally find out the full story of what happened to Garibaldi after the Shadows took him in “Z’ha’dum,” and it’s a doozy. Walter Koenig does magnificent work here, slowly explaining what’s going on while sitting across from an insensate Jerry Doyle. Koenig’s Bester is his usual awful self and it’s magnificently played. His only concern is for his own ambitions. I particularly like the way he refers to “my” telepaths, even though he doesn’t actually run Psi Corps (at least not yet). Then there’s his bland declaration that he’s not capricious or cruel, which is only half right. He’s definitely not capricious, as every single thing Bester does is calculated. But he’s incredibly cruel. While it’s plausible that he has no personal animus against Garibaldi—I doubt he cares enough about him to dislike him—he’s still perfectly happy to be as nasty as possible to him. Garibaldi is now in the worst possible place, having betrayed his friends, his colleagues, the husband of the woman he loves, and the cause he believes and fights for, and with no obvious way to prove otherwise. (As usual, Bester reckons without the fact that Lyta Alexander is now a badass psi, but we’ll get to that two episodes hence.) And that’s only a piece of this episode in which a lot happens. There’s Garibaldi’s actual betrayal of Sheridan, there’s Edgars’ revelation of his master plan, there’s MacDougan giving Frank a verbal smackdown (I really wish we’d gotten more than two episodes out of Richard Gant’s MacDougan, he was truly fabulous), and there’s Sheridan’s happy reunion with his former crew. What’s most impressive about this episode is that two very lengthy chunks of the episode are basically monologues of exposition, one by Edgars, one by Bester. Both are leavened on a scripting level, the former by Wade and Garibaldi putting their own comments in, the latter by the flashbacks. But truly it’s the performances and the directing of same by Zimbalist, Koenig, and director Michael Vejar. There’s a reason why Vejar is the franchise’s most prolific director, and this episode is a particularly strong example of why. There are many powerful visuals in this, from the closeups of Bester during his monologue at Garibaldi, the shadowy closeups of the stone-faced Garibaldi while Bester monologues at him, and so on. I particularly like the long shot in the flashback of Bester and two other Psi Cops standing over the comatose Garibaldi, one of the Psi Cops slowly moving to close the door, a magnificent visual metaphor. And then there’s Ivanova sitting in the command chair of the White Star, determined to keep the fight going. One of the themes of the past few episodes has been the importance of Sheridan to the Army of Light, and how vital it is to remove him. This, however, flies in the face of reality. As Bester says at one point, there are three people ready to take over from Sheridan if he’s lost, and while Bester himself did a bang-up job of removing Garibaldi from that particular chess board, the erstwhile security chief is also (by far) the least of those three options. Among Sheridan, Ivanova, and Delenn, Sheridan is the one who scares me the least. All capturing Sheridan gets them is an unfettered and pissed-off Ivanova, and that doesn’t improve their position overmuch… Next week: “Intersections in Real Time.”[end-mark] The post Babylon 5 Rewatch: “The Face of the Enemy” appeared first on Reactor.