Even Barack Obama knows that the Age of Obama is over, though he just can’t quite acknowledge it. That’s my take from a podcast interview with the former president making the rounds this week. Obama spoke to podcaster Marc Maron in the final episode of the comedian’s show released Monday. It came at a fitting time as President Donald Trump was finalizing a deal to end the war between Israel and Hamas by in part entirely repudiating the Obama doctrine in the Middle East. The interview was filled with all kinds of Obama-isms. His “above it all” persona was on full display as he lamented “division” in America. More than a decade ago, I sat down with @MarcMaron in his garage to tape something new called a podcast. This time, he came to me to record his last episode. We talked about the power of conviction, decency in an age of division, and the true story of America. I’ll miss Marc’s… pic.twitter.com/kM3sAgtjF0— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 13, 2025 As always, Obama presents himself as Mr. Reasonable, the norm defender who merely asks Americans to try to be half as good as his lofty ideals. This while completely ignoring or glossing over his own ruthless and catastrophic departures from our constitutional and political norms. Without a bit of irony, Obama lamented the politicization of the FBI and DOJ as if he didn’t have an instrumental role in their corruption. Barack Obama: "We don't want kangaroo courts and trumped up charges. We want our court system and our DOJ and FBI to be playing things straight and not meddling in politics." pic.twitter.com/7gJMWGCsO4— TheBlaze (@theblaze) October 14, 2025 What was remarkable about this interview besides the usual obnoxious holier than thou attitude is how defeated Obama seemed. This man—for the Millennial generation that put him in office—was peak “cool.” He would fix all the mistakes of his predecessors, bring in “smart” people to government, stop climate change, end war, defeat racism, and make all your dreams come true. Now he sits on a couch looking slightly miserable, wondering how it is that the country embraced Trump, a man who set out to undo everything he’d done. America elected Trump to undo Obama. Twice. Who got torched? https://t.co/hDXPmR5DEo— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) October 14, 2025 Obama even lashed out at voters. Obama attacks Latinos who voted Trump: "If you are Hispanic man & you're frustrated about inflation & so you decided, ‘Ah, you know what? All that rhetoric about Trump doesn’t matter. I’m just mad about inflation.’ And now, you know, your sons are being stopped in L.A. because… pic.twitter.com/A18lqpShX4— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 14, 2025 Maybe now, deep down Obama understands the reality he is now stuck with. Despite once being lauded as a transcendent figure in American politics, despite the perpetual media accolades, the unmerited awards, the 44th president’s legacy is being almost entirely eclipsed by his Republican successor. And for very good reasons. Trump’s counterrevolution is a repudiation of not just Obama the man, but all the careful, and wholly toxic institution building Obama did during and after his time in office. It was Obama who merged the functions of the progressive state with nongovernmental organizations and Big Business. He was the one who used federal bureaucracy to strong arm the country into adopting left-wing social views, a style of governance eagerly adopted by the those who ran the executive branch under his successor stand-in, President Joe Biden. Most presidents leave Washington when their time in office is through to avoid the impression that they are trying to control their successors. Obama abandoned that precedent. It couldn’t be clearer that Obama and his advisers would be pulling the strings of future administrations from the moment he officially left office. It was Obama who unleashed supposedly nonpartisan intelligence agencies and the Department of Justice on political foes. And it was Obama who unleashed the DEI madness on the United States, a contagion that spilled over into much of the Western world. It’s little remembered now, but Obama issued an executive order to establish a “Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce” way back in 2011. The order came down at almost exactly the moment legacy, corporate media began racializing literally everything under the sun. Whether this cultural transformation happened more because of Obama’s outsized influence over media and politics at the time or larger historical forces could be a matter of debate. The Left has certainly long sought to “remake” American culture, which it always found to be unacceptably resistant to their larger cultural and political goals. But there is little doubt in my mind that the former president had a massive role to play in the emergence of the Great Awokening. That’s all crashing down now after the excesses of the Biden years, which are now looking like the middle stage, “Empire Strikes Back” portion of the Trump trilogy. The Age of Obama was not a time of transition to the supposedly sunlit uplands of liberal, technocratic dominance, a permanent majority borne of the diversification of America. Instead, it looks like Obama’s legacy is one of failure. The final act of a century-old Progressive movement that collapsed under its own contradictions, failed promises, and increasing lack of connection to reality. The post America Is Over Obama and Even He Knows It appeared first on The Daily Signal.

 President Donald Trump said he would decide on Friday which “Democrat programs” to permanently end as the federal government shutdown drags on. “The Democrats are getting killed, and we’re going to have a list of them on Friday, closing up some of the most egregious socialist, semi-communist—probably not full communist, we’re saving that for New York—but semi-communist programs,” Trump told a reporter Tuesday, “and we’re closing them up.” Trump said the programs targeted will be those “that we wanted to close up or that we never wanted to happen.” His administration will not “let them come back,” he added. The shutdown is now in its 14th day. The administration won’t shut down “Republican programs because we think they work,” Trump said. “I haven’t said it probably as bluntly as I just said it,” Trump continued, “so, we’re going to be closing up Democrat programs that we disagree with. And they’re never going to open again.” That comes after the Office of Management and Budget posted online Tuesday morning that it is “making every preparation to batten down the hatches and ride out the Democrats’ intransigence.” “Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the [reductions in force], and wait,” the OMB tweeted. OMB is making every preparation to batten down the hatches and ride out the Democrats’ intransigence.Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait.— Office of Management and Budget (@WHOMB) October 14, 2025 The administration started RIFs on Friday. About 4,000 federal workers have been laid off. The initial wave led to the layoffs of 315 workers in the Commerce Department; 466 in the Education Department; 187 in the Energy Department; between 1,100 and 1,200 in the Department of Health and Human Services; 442 in the Department of Housing and Urban Development; 176 in the Department Homeland Security; and 1,446 in the Treasury Department. The post Trump Vows Expiration Date for ‘Semi-Communist’ Government Programs appeared first on The Daily Signal.

At long last, Katie Porter has gotten what she’s always wanted and believes she deserves: attention. Last week, Google searches for “Katie Porter” hit an all-time high, according to CNN’s Harry Enten. The spike followed Porter, a Democrat candidate for California governor, self-immolating and then walking out during an interview with CBS local news reporter Julie Watts. But Porter’s latest hysterics point to a truth about the Democrat Party hiding in plain sight. The interview turned when Watts asked Porter, “What do you say to the 40% of California voters—who you’ll need in order to win—who voted for Trump?” Porter responded with all the condescension she could muster: “How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?” Porter then turns her head 90 degrees to the left and mocks Watts by scoffing directly at the camera. Democrats are so used to media being their propagandists that they totally lose it when asked basic questions. Here’s California’s Katie Porter losing it during an interview. pic.twitter.com/relSS2Ajpa— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 8, 2025 While on first glance, it appears Porter’s patronizing tone is warranted, Watts’ question was completely legitimate because of California’s electoral system. California has jungle primaries, which means that all candidates, regardless of party, compete in a single primary, and the top two vote-getters advance to the general election. The pool of California gubernatorial candidates is highly saturated, with five prominent Democrats and three main Republicans currently campaigning. Recent polls had Porter with a substantial lead. In an Emerson College poll, Porter captured 18% of the vote, and the two next highest performers were Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, with 12% and 7% respectively. A Citrin Center/Politico poll from August had Porter leading with 21%, again followed by the major Republican challengers Bianco (15%) and Hilton (10%). And a UC Berkeley poll from August had Porter at 17% support, followed by the Riverside Sheriff Bianco at 10% and former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra at 9%. In each of these polls, large swaths of the California electorate remain undecided. When those voters do decide, most of them Democrats, it’s very possible Porter could be facing off against another Democrat in 2026 if the field of Republican candidates does not narrow down to one because Democrats’ registration advantage in the Golden State. In that scenario, the Trump 2024 voter choosing the lesser of two evils becomes the difference maker. When Watts asked about a Democrat versus Democrat general election, Porter replied, “I don’t intend that to be the case.” And when asked how she’d avoid squaring off against another Democrat, Porter claimed she had “support already in terms of name recognition” and that, because she represented a purple district in Congress, she has “won Republican votes before.” Porter’s explanation did not satisfy Watts: “But you just said you don’t need those Trump voters,” the journalist replied.  “But you asked me if I needed them to win,” Porter shot back. “I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative,” she added, cutting Watts off. Two minutes later, Porter would walk off set. Last week’s incident was only the latest in a long train of abuses suffered by those who test Porter’s patience.  An ex-staffer recently told the New York Post that Porter would often refer to her staffers in the third person while deriding them in front of others. This toxic behavior was particularly on display when Porter was building her all-important “name recognition” with on-camera appearances.  “If anything went wrong, she would flip on a dime,” Sasha Georgiades, a Navy veteran who worked in Porter’s office from 2020 to 2022, told the New York Post. Georgiades recalled a time when Porter berated a staffer for how she set up a shot for a Facebook video.  “She’s talking to me while the other girl is in the room, telling me, ‘I don’t even know why she’s here. I can do this job better than her.’ And this is, like, very inappropriate. The girl’s in the room with us,” Georgiades said. Porter’s campaign didn’t immediately return The Daily Signal’s request to comment on the allegations made in the New York Post. Porter’s Jekyll-and-Hyde behavior was also on display during a 2021 video call with then-Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. When a staffer came into the background of Porter’s shot to correct her on a crucial fact, Porter yelled, “Get out of my f—ing shot!” For those who have tracked Porter’s career closely, these outbursts come as no surprise because her time in public life has appeared more theatrical than political. In 2019, Porter made headlines for showing up to work on Capitol Hill dressed as Batgirl on Halloween. That day, the House was set to vote on impeaching President Donald Trump. In a 2021 congressional hearing that featured climate activist Greta Thunberg, Porter said her 9-year-old daughter has told her that “the Earth is on fire and we’re all going to die soon.” After Trump won the 2024 election, Porter went on Fox 11 Los Angeles and said that her daughter was crying because Trump threatened her 12-year-old daughter’s access to abortion. “Mom, Trump won,” Porter recalled her daughter saying. “Trump’s going to win, and what if I get raped and I need to have an abortion?” All of these stunts failed to earn Porter the attention she so desperately craves. Thanks to walking out on CBS News, she finally has it. But it may have cost her career. More from CNN’s Enten: “I think that Katie Porter is making history because she has potentially annihilated her chances to be the next governor of California, more so than any other candidate I’ve ever seen so quickly.” Not even CNN can hide the disaster that is Katie Porter:“I think that Katie Porter is making history because she has potentially annihilated her chances to be the next governor of California, more so than any other candidate I’ve ever seen so quickly.”pic.twitter.com/YJzKtBsLoT— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 10, 2025 Enten then showed Kalshi’s prediction market odds to be the next governor of California from before and after Porter’s CBS interview. On Oct. 7, Porter had a 40% chance of succeeding Newsom. By Oct. 10, her chances had fallen to 16%, 11 points behind Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., who has not yet declared a candidacy for governor.  Now, corporate media outlets are running stories with headlines similar to Politico’s “7 times politicians imploded in TV interviews.” The featured image on that story is none other than Katie Porter. But perhaps the most important lesson that can be learned from Porter’s implosion is that there are no more moderates in the Democrat Party. The woman who taught her daughter to believe we are all about to die because of climate change and cry about not being able to get an abortion was the Democrat candidate in a district considered a toss up. When Democrats think of a candidate who can win a purple district, they conjure up a middle-aged woman prepared to mount the pulpit armed with the gospel of gender studies and the catechism of climate alarmists and deliver a fire-and-brimstone screed. The End Times messaging is better suited for Revelation than Riverside. Judgment Day has come—at least for Porter’s ambitions. And that same judgement could soon be coming for the Democrat Party if the simultaneously self-indulgent and insensible Porter is the Democrats’ idea of a moderate. The post The Hidden Lesson from Katie Porter’s Media Meltdown appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Stefanik Blasts Hochul As Mamdani Funds Hamas-Infiltrated UNRWA; DSA Condemns Peace?

Hamas Is Purging Gaza of Its Critics

The Supreme Court has closed the curtain on the last opportunity for Alex Jones to try to escape paying a $1.4 billion judgment to the families of the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.A group of parents and a first responder sued the popular Infowars talk show host after he suggested that the shooting may have been a hoax orchestrated to help push extreme gun control laws. The 15 plaintiffs won a judgment in 2022 that awarded them $965 million in damages. A judge later added $473 million in punitive damages.'And like that, it's finally, finally over.'The court offered no explanation with their denial of the appeal.Attorneys for Jones argued that the judgment unfairly punished Jones for statements made by his listeners and breached his First Amendment right to free speech."The result is a financial death penalty by fiat imposed on a media defendant whose broadcasts reach millions," they wrote in the petition for appeal.Attorney Matt Blumenthal, who was on the team representing the Sandy Hook families, applauded the decision by the Supreme Court."And like that, it's finally, finally over," Blumenthal wrote on social media."SCOTUS denied Alex Jones's last-ditch, baseless appeal, upholding our $1 billion+ verdict against him and Infowars on behalf of Sandy Hook families and a first responder," he added. "Judgment is FINAL. Good day for justice. Bad day for Alex Jones."Jones has declared bankruptcy and thus far avoided paying anything to the families.RELATED: Alex Jones makes revealing comments about Trump in leaked video: 'I'm sick of it!' Twenty elementary school children and six educators were murdered in the Sandy Hook attack in 2012."Was hard to imagine this day 7+ years ago when I filed the first of these cases. Our courageous clients' long quest for justice is definitively won. No greater honor than fighting for them," Blumenthal added.Blaze News reached out to Jones for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Catholic Church holds that the Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life" in which Jesus Christ is substantially present. It appears, however, that for Antifa-championing retired priest Larry Dowling and a handful of other clergymen, the Eucharist might double also as a political prop.Dowling, who appears to spend much of his retirement pushing leftist propaganda on social media, led a Eucharistic procession on Saturday from St. Eulalia Church, where pro-abortion activist Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) spouted off about immigration, toward the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Chicago in Broadview, Illinois.The processing facility in Broadview has been heavily targeted in recent weeks by radicals critical of the Trump administration's faithful enforcement of federal immigration law. As as result, additional security supports have been implemented, including extra fencing.'A procession through the public streets is to be held as a public witness of veneration toward the Most Holy Eucharist.'In footage of the political procession, Dowling can be seen leading a gaggle of photographers and holding a monstrance, the container meant to hold the Eucharist, in the faces of state police while asking for access to the facility. It is unclear whether the monstrance contained a consecrated host at the time.Footage also shows a supposed nun and others giving political speeches in front of an altar temporarily erected near the facility.An expert on canon law who spoke to Blaze News on the condition of anonymity indicated that "this seems completely inappropriate."RELATED: Outrage ensues when 13-year-old is arrested by ICE — then DHS releases devastating accusations Photo by Scott Olson/Getty ImagesThe 1983 Code of Canon Law provides that "when it can be done in the judgment of the diocesan bishop, a procession through the public streets is to be held as a public witness of veneration toward the Most Holy Eucharist."The expert noted further that while canon law holds that "it is for the diocesan bishop to establish regulations [ordinationes] which provide for the participation in and the dignity of processions," "it remains completely inappropriate" to use the Eucharist as a prop.'The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership exploited this holy event for political purposes, thus trivializing, if not defaming, its raison d’être.'David Inczauskis, a Jesuit priest who served as the master of ceremonies, acknowledged that the procession was organized by the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, a grant-reliant anti-ICE outfit that provides training on how foreign nationals can evade federal immigration and authorities and is committed to transforming "racial, economic, social and environmental structures."Blaze News has reached out to Dowling, Inczauskis, and Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago for comment.Dr. Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said in a statement to Blaze News:The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership is a left-wing advocacy organization whose mission statement says nothing about Christianity or Catholicism. More revealing is what it flags on its website — a strong commitment to merging "Liberation Theology & Community Organizing." Liberation theology is a curious admixture of Marxism and Christianity, and in practice it has done more to oppress than liberate the masses in developing countries. As such it is bizarre to learn that this radical entity held a Eucharistic procession to a migrant detention center in Illinois, a facility run by ICE.It appears that the participants in this political procession were keen on shaming federal agents and securing a photo opportunity — and judging from the event's recent coverage in publications such as the leftist blog Common Dreams, WBBM-TV, and the propaganda outfit MeidasTouch, the radicals got at least half of what they wanted."Eucharistic processions are a decidedly solemn event whereby the Blessed Sacrament is carried out of a church and into the streets; many Catholic parishes conduct such a procession on the feast of Corpus Christ, the body of Christ," continued Donohue. "What Catholics do not do is exploit Eucharistic processions to advance a partisan agenda.""Quite frankly, the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership exploited this holy event for political purposes, thus trivializing, if not defaming, its raison d’être," added Donohue.In addition to potentially using Holy Communion as a prop, the protesters subsequently did their best to push a false narrative.Dowling said in a statement on Facebook, "We went to pray and have a few of us clergy and religious women bring Holy Communion and the love of the Christian community to the men and women detained there under inhumane conditions."The retired priest claimed that when the processionists allegedly asked to administer Holy Communion to the detainees inside the facility, "the answer came back very clearly: NO, YOU CANNOT BRING A HINT OF COMPASSION AND PRAYER INTO THIS PLACE! NO, YOU CANNOT OFFER ANY SOLACE TO THE MEN AND WOMEN FEARFUL AND SUFFERING INSIDE! NO, YOU CANNOT BRING JESUS, THE SON OF GOD, THE LOVE OF GOD INTO THIS PLACE!"RELATED: Anti-ICE protest in Portland takes ugly turn when naked cyclists show up Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images"Yesterday, we witnessed another level of evil," claimed Inczauskis. "Not only are migrants being torn away from their families and friends. They are also being torn away from their religious communities. ICE is severing the Body of Christ."Contrary to the narrative advanced by Dowling and Inczauskis, the Department of Homeland Security indicated to Blaze News that compassion was precisely why ICE couldn't immediately oblige the processionists' last-minute request for entry."Over the past month, rioters have swarmed the Broadview ICE facility and Chicago streets. They have assaulted law enforcement, attacked law enforcement with vehicles, thrown tear gas cans, slashed tires of cars, been arrested with firearms in their possession, blocked the entrance of the building, and trespassed on private property," said a DHS official. "Our ICE staff informed the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership that the Broadview processing center was not able to accommodate visitors on such short notice, for their safety as well as that of detainees and staff, and due to the ensuing riots."The official noted further that "as ICE law enforcement has seen a surge in assaults, disruptions, and obstructions to enforcement, including by politicians themselves, any requests to tour processing centers and field offices must be approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security."Such requests should be filed a week in advance to "prevent interference with the President’s Article II authority to oversee executive department functions," added the official.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Donald Trump will fulfill his promise to give Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday, the day that marks the late conservative leader's 32nd birthday.On September 11, President Trump announced that he would award Kirk the Medal of Freedom. Kirk was assassinated on September 10 while holding an event at Utah Valley University.While announcing the award, Trump called Kirk "a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people." Kirk was known as a leading advocate of free speech and open debate, with his open-mic conversations on college campuses across the country drawing large crowds. Trump and Kirk were close allies. Kirk used his organizations Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action to mobilize voters for the 2020 and 2024 elections. His efforts have been credited as instrumental in reshaping the GOP and helping Trump return to the White House. President Trump traveled to Phoenix to deliver remarks at Kirk's memorial service on September 21.RELATED: Charlie Kirk's death revealed the kingdoms colliding in America Photo by Melissa Majchrzak / Contributor via Getty ImagesThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest award the United States can bestow on a civilian. Previous recipients include William F. Buckley Jr., Milton Friedman, and Rush Limbaugh. Kirk's medal will be presented to his widow, Erika. Kirk's two children are also expected to attend, as is Vice President JD Vance — a longtime friend and ally of Kirk. The ceremony will take place in the White House Rose Garden. You can watch the ceremony below: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Despite warnings from the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services, one liberal state is still defying federal orders.Since February, the Donald Trump administration has required a return to normalcy through the presidential action titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." After many public battles with left-leaning states — including Maine, which recently passed a law banning men from women's sports — one standout midwestern state is still refusing to comply.The federal actions feel like 'retribution against a state that is proud of its defense of communities that have been marginalized.'After the Office for Civil Rights and HHS announced the Minnesota Department of Education and its high schools were in violation of Title IX, the federal government offered a resolution that would require the state to revise gender guidance, mandate Title IX compliance, and adopt "biology-based definitions," among other terms.However, the state is now openly stating that it actually has no statement at all.As reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune, Minnesota Solicitor General Liz Kramer sent a letter to the Trump administration stating that it would not offer a "substantive response" to federal demands due to a lack of clarity surrounding the government shutdown.The solicitor general reportedly added that "if the federal government intends to follow the law, it would need to follow an extensive, multi-step administrative process before any federal funding to Minnesota education programs or activities could ever be terminated."RELATED: Transgender softball player gets reality check after dominating female opponents all season Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images White House assistant press secretary Liz Houston issued a statement in response to Minnesota's claims on Friday."While Minnesota officials continue to intentionally endanger female athletes with their radical embrace of gender ideology, President Trump is committed to restoring commonsense policies and keeping men out of women's sports," Houston said.At the same time, school board members from across the state have issued statements in support of keeping boys in girls' sports. For example, St. Louis Park School Board member Sarah Davis said there exists a "need to be standing up for transgender children, especially right now when they are under attack."Rachel Hartland from the Hopkins District School Board said the federal actions feel like "retribution against a state that is proud of its defense of communities that have been marginalized."The school board member added that the letter she signed was a symbol of her willingness to "stand up for each other and our kids against anyone, including the federal government."RELATED: Transgender state rep defends boys playing in girls' sports — immediately gets proven wrong by male athlete Photo by Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images Minnesota has been in the national spotlight regarding this issue for quite some time. Specifically, a male baseball player dominating female athletes in softball has garnered widespread attention.Charlie Rothenberger, who goes by "Marissa," is a 6-foot male athlete who has dominated the sport over the last two years and unsurprisingly led his team to a state championship in 2025.Minnesota state Rep. Leigh Finke (D), a male that purports to be transgender, defended the idea of boys playing in girls' sports while Rothenberger's team was in the playoffs in early June."Trans girls are girls," Finke said at the time. "They deserve the right to play sports and engage in physical wellness activities, just like every other child growing up in our beloved state."Hours later, Rothenberger pitched a complete game and had two doubles to send his team to the state finals.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

‘No Kings’ Organizer Says His Protest Movement Is As American As Apple Pie. Then Why the Mexican Flags?