THE CENTER SQUARE—San Francisco started its ban on county-funded cash assistance for individuals with substance abuse disorders who refuse to engage in treatment. Measure F, approved by voters in March 2024, applies to the $714 per month payments to housed low-income adults, and $109 per month to homeless individuals who have been in San Francisco for more than 30 days.  Under outgoing Mayor London Breed, San Francisco has significantly cracked down on homelessness, using a new Supreme Court ruling to begin enforcing anti-camping ordinances. As a result, the number of homeless tents has declined by 60% since peaking in 2023. Critics said that while homeless are leaving their tents, they’re still staying in the city.  With 75% of unsheltered homeless surveyed in a California Policy Lab analysis saying they have a drug or alcohol addiction, and 78% saying they have a severe mental illness, San Francisco’s program of requiring individuals with substance abuse orders to get treatment could be a major step forward in helping get people off the streets.  “San Francisco is a city of compassion, but also a city that demands accountability,” Breed said in a statement. “We fund a wide range of treatment and recovery services that are helping people every day, but it can be difficult to get everyone to accept the help they so badly need.” Breed’s office noted homeless individuals who get the lower $109 per month payment also receive “guaranteed shelter and meals.” The new Treatment Pathway Initiative program will require individuals who are even suspected of a substance abuse disorder to continue receiving cash payments.  San Francisco is partnering with Westside Community Services to roll out the new, intensive program, which will include a substance abuse treatment assessment and “high touch, ongoing treatment engagement support for clients, including transportation assistance, warm referrals and removing barriers to treatment.”  “The new Treatment Pathway Initiative supports people with substance use disorder in crisis by meeting them where they are in their recovery journey and providing tangible support and essential resources to improve their lives,” said Westside Community Services Forensic Director Cedric Akbar in a statement. According to San Francisco City Controller Ben Rosenfield, the program could save the city up to $2 million per year in discontinued benefits to individuals with substance abuse disorders, but treatment costs could exceed savings “if existing treatment capacity is not sufficient to meet the increased needs under this ordinance.” San Francisco’s $1.6 million two-year contract with Westside Community Services is for completing at least 320 substance abuse treatment assessments, 285 individualized treatment plans, and care coordination and reporting for 390 clients in the first year, and doubling each category in the second year.  San Francisco reports that about 20% or 1,100 of the 5,500 individuals receiving county-funded cash assistance are homeless. Should 75% of those individuals have a substance abuse disorder, care coordinated by Westside Community Services could end up providing treatment to 96% of homeless individuals with substance abuse disorders who are enrolled in the cash welfare program. Originally published by The Center Square The post San Francisco Starts Ban on Cash Welfare for Drug Addicts Who Refuse Treatment appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The grapple for the speaker’s gavel is headed to round two after three Republicans withheld their votes from House Speaker Mike Johnson, potentially pushing Johnson’s speakership to the brink of collapse. Three Republican lawmakers defected from the party leadership choosing to endorse three alternative candidates. They include Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who voted for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, who voted for Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.; and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. who voted for Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn. The cohort of Johnson’s objectors come from Johnson’s rightward flank. Johnson announced earlier today certain commitments in a bid to appeal to undecided House members. The American people have demanded an end to the status quo, and a return to fiscal sanity. That’s why the citizens of our great country gave President Trump the White House and Republican control of both chambers of Congress. If we don’t follow through on our campaign promise for…— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 3, 2025 Johnson’s supporters anticipated the potential for a prolonged speakership fight. “None of us will get exactly what we want.” Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., chair of the House Republican Caucus, declared when she introduced Mike Johnson in his bid to lead the House of Representatives for the 199th Congress. In her nominating speech, McClain articulated her vision for the next Congress’s agenda. Much of it resounded with the message of President-elect Trump. “We have the opportunity to put America first again,” and “We should be making it easier for people to achieve the American dream.” McClain explicitly highlighted helping veterans of the United States’s armed forces. McClain described Johnson as “an honest broker” who “shows you his true beliefs at face value.” McClain’s speech tied Johnson’s leadership to a message of hope. “[Johnson] knows our brightest days are still ahead of us.”  “I know Mike will be an integral part of this country’s comeback,” McClain added.  Johnson attempted to win over some of his conservative holdouts by announcing several concessions before the first ballot on Friday. In a post on X, Johnson promised to appoint a working group to assist in DOGE’s efforts by thoroughly auditing federal agencies and entities created by Congress. Johnson added that he will, “Request House committees undertake aggressive authorizations and appropriations reviews, including providing additional resources where needed, to expose irresponsible or illegal practices and hold agencies/individuals accountable that have weaponized government against the American people.” The commitment swayed some conservative members, such as Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. “I appreciate @SpeakerJohnson’s public commitment to the American people to deliver on President Trump’s agenda and drain the swamp,” she said in reply to Johnson’s concessions. For Johnson to maintain the speakership, he’ll need to do more to appease his conservative holdouts. These concessions could come in the form of increased representation on certain House committees or through legislative priority commitments, the latter of which greatly contributed to the downfall of former Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s speakership. The post Mike Johnson Loses First Ballot for House Speaker. Is His Speakership on the Brink of Collapse? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Want to make amazing dinner rolls at home? Some of the best recipes are those passed down from generation to generation and this is one of those.  I have grown up eating these as well as making them. A neighbor taught my mother how to make them before I was born, and I learned how to make them when I was a very young sous chef… There is a certain wow factor to homemade rolls. People are always impressed, appreciative, and asking when you will be making them again. I do not know why people think it is so difficult or complicated to make bread or rolls. Homemade bread and homemade rolls are not nearly as hard to make as you might think. I guess I am lucky, because I grew up in the kitchen with a mother who is an incredible baker and cook, so my training was hands on. How To Make Homemade Rolls From Scratch The main thing rolls require is time, but the process itself is pretty simple. The only ingredient you need to have on hand that you might not ordinarily keep is dry yeast, and I just keep packets on hand just to make rolls. The other ingredients are simple and you probably keep them on hand. The two parts that scare people are not knowing how much flour to add to the dough, and not knowing how to properly shaped roll. (Do improperly shaped rolls taste different from properly shaped rolls?) Once you make these and see how easy they are to make, and especially how popular they are, you will want to make homemade rolls on every occasion you can. You will be asked, even if you don't. Trust me. They really are some of the best things I know how to make, even though they are admittedly pretty simple. I've probably made them 200 times, so this recipe has been well tested and tried (and this does not count the ones my mother makes) You can also make homemade hamburger buns (or awesome chicken sandwich buns) and homemade cinnamon rolls using this base recipe. I hope to add a post soon with the cinnamon roll recipe. My kids will assure you they are equally, if not more, amazing. Supplies and Ingredients You Need To Make Homemade Rolls: Ingredients/Recipe for Homemade Rolls: 3/4 cup warm water 2 Tablespoons sugar 2 packages yeast (rapid rise is fine, just cuts rising times) 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 cups very warm water 1 teaspoon salt 8 to 9 cups flour Cooking oil 2 Tablespoons butter, softened, or shortening Supplies: Mixing Bowl Electric mixer or whisk plus some patience 2 Cookie Sheets or large rectangular baking dish Measuring Cups Measuring Spoons Pastry Brush (optional) Step One: Mix 3/4 cups water, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 packages of yeast in a container that will hold at least double that amount. Set aside. How To Make Homemade Rolls: Step One – Add yeast, water and sugar, then set aside Step Two: Cream butter and sugar. Add 2 eggs, 2 cups of water, salt and 3 1/2 cups flour. Beat at low speed until mixed, then at high speed for 3 minutes. Add yeast mixture and 2 more cups of flour. Mix for 2 more minutes. Add one more cup of flour if needed for workable dough. (This just means the dough needs not to be too sticky. If it still sticks to your hands more than a little bit, add more flour) Knead for five minutes, adding flour to working surface as needed to prevent sticking. How To Make Homemade Rolls- Step Two: Cream butter and sugar. Add 3 1/2 cups flour. How To Make Homemade Rolls- Step Two: Add two cups of water How to Make Homemade Rolls- Step 2: Beat at low speed until mixed, then at high speed for 3 minutes. Note: Your yeast will look like this after it has been set aside. The yeast mixture should foam up like this and double in volume. How To Make Homemade Rolls- Step 2: Add the yeast mixture and 2 more cups of flour. Add one more cup of flour if needed for workable dough. Now, I know workable dough is not something everyone is familiar with. Don't be afraid. This recipe is a little bit forgiving here. You will know if the dough is too sticky, and you will learn to get it just right. Meanwhile, the rolls will taste about the same if you add a little too much or not quite enough. Step 3: Oil large mixing bowl. Make a ball with the dough and roll it in the oil in the bowl to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and warm, damp, dish towel. Set on pilot light or in warm spot. If you have a larger bowl, you can fill it with warm water and place this bowl inside. Filling the sink with warm water and setting the bowl in there will also work great. Let rise one hour. How to Make Homemade Rolls- Step 3: Oil large mixing bowl. Make a ball with the dough and roll it in the oil in the bowl to coat. How to Make Homemade Rolls- Step 3: Cover with plastic wrap and warm, damp, dish towel. Set on pilot light or in warm spot. If you have a larger bowl, you can fill it with warm water and place this bowl inside. Filling the sink with warm water and setting the bowl in there will also work great. How to Make Homemade Rolls- Step 3: Let Rise One hour. Your dough will double in volume like this. Step 4: Grease cookie sheets with your softened butter or shortening. Cut dough with scissors for the desired shape of rolls or buns. If the dough is stretched over fingers and tucked under the roll, the tops will be smooth. Use softened butter or Crisco to grease a cookie sheet.   Using kitchen shears, clip off a piece of dough about this size. You can use a smaller piece or a larger one for buns, but this size will make the rolls that are pictured. Pick up the piece you just cut. It is helpful here if you still have some of the butter on your hands from when you greased the cookie sheet. You are going to use one hand to hold the cut piece of dough. Ue your other hand to tuck two opposite side under. (I am using one only so I could photograph this) Then, tuck the other two opposite sides under. Your roll should be round or at least somewhat round. Smooth tops will make smooth rolls, but they will taste just as good if they are not perfectly shaped. (Imperfectly shaped rolls make the best testers when they come out of the oven) Place the somewhat perfectly shaped rolls on the greased cookie sheet and space them a bit, as they will rise and get bigger.   Cover your pan with the shaped rolls, spacing them out so they can rise. If they are a bit close, it will be fine. They pull apart easily and will still look and taste great. Step 5: Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.   Cover you rolls loosely with plastic wrap.Let them rise for 45 minutes to one hour. After they have risen, they will look something like this. Step 6: Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. While rolls are still warm, brush tops with melted butter, using a pastry brush. For homemade wheat dinner rolls, substitute 2 cups whole wheat flour for 2 of the cups of flour. Not recommended to use all wheat flour.   Want to see how to make your own homemade dinner rolls at home? Then watch this video tutorial from Laura in the Kitchen:     How did yours turn out? Share with us in the comments! What's your favorite way to eat them? We want to know! LIKE this? I'm sure you'll LOVE: Homemade French Toast Recipe Best Recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Grandma’s Homemade Biscuits Recipe

Politico's Take on Dems' Immigration Battle with Trump is Just Wrong

Psychologists have often explored the power of stories, but not storytelling.

Many would say that Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes had a successful 2024 season. The team won nine games, ranked in the AP top 25, and made it to a bowl game. Star cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter even won the Heisman Trophy. Outwardly, it appears that the Buffs have a bright future. Jason Whitlock, however, has a source — “someone who’s in the know,” he says — who claims that “the situation is ripe and right for Deion Sanders to exit Colorado after their 36-14 Alamo Bowl loss to BYU.” According to Jason’s source, “Going into the Alamo Bowl, Colorado [was] out of NIL money” and was forced to “do everything on a strict budget.” Apparently, “The players were frustrated” that their bowl game experience was subpar due to budget constraints, which is why the team “didn't take the bowl game that seriously.” Jason’s source also told him that “the Buffaloes spent two nights in a strip club that they basically rented out” on Christmas Day and the day after. This escapade, however, did not involve Travis Hunter, who does not go to clubs. “Money wasn’t there, so their focus wasn’t there,” says Jason. While his source predicts that a Deion exit is on the horizon, Jason isn’t so sure. “I think Colorado is going to pony up,” he says. “They got some five-star quarterback; they got some other good recruits. It appears to me that Deion plans to stay.” However, Deion has claimed that he got involved in coaching to develop his kids — Shedeur and Shilo — and now that both are graduating, perhaps Deion will consider his work finished. On top of that, “Deion has positioned himself to be a candidate for an NFL job,” says Jason. “If Deion bounces, [then his time at Colorado] was a disaster, and it was not worth it,” he adds. To hear more of the story, watch the clip above. Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The newly elected commissioners of a rural Michigan county have already given their constituents a major win when they voted to rescind official support for the construction of a battery plant for a Chinese company.On Thursday, four new commissioners — Greg Adams, Jeff Jackson, Gary Lambrix, and Chris Zimmerman — were sworn into office in Mecosta County, a county of fewer than 40,000 residents about an hour north of Grand Rapids. Their first order of business was to do what the people elected them to do: begin pushing back against plans to build a Gotion Inc. electric vehicle battery plant in Green Charter Township.Immediately upon taking office, the new board of commissioners voted 5-2 to rescind Resolution 2023-04, which passed under the previous board and gave official support to the Gotion plant, the Midwesterner reported. Commissioners Chris Jane and Bill Routley were the two "no" votes."New information and developments have emerged concerning the project and its ownership structure with direct ties to the Chinese Communist Party CCP and broader issues of foreign investment," said the newly adopted resolution, according to the Pioneer.Gotion is headquartered in Silicon Valley, but its parent company, Gotion High Tech, is based in China. To advance the project in Green Charter, Gotion engaged in secret negotiations with Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other lawmakers and even allegedly bribed some previous members of the township board for their approval.'When 92% of the Mecosta County residents opposed the Chinese battery plant ... commissioners should have listened.'For years, voters in the area have been remarkably clear and consistent about their views on the Gotion facility: They don't want it. Despite the promise of more than 2,300 new jobs, residents worry about potential communist infiltration and negative effects on the environment.In fact, Green Charter residents opposed the idea so vehemently that they ousted all seven members of their township board in 2023, as Blaze News previously reported. Five of them were recalled at the ballot box. Two others resigned.Adams, Jackson, Lambrix, and Zimmerman apparently took notice and ran for the county board of commissioners in 2024 on a platform of opposing Gotion.Zimmerman, the new board chair, noted in his remarks Thursday that local leaders have been ignoring the opinions of their constituents for far too long."When 92% of the Mecosta County residents opposed the Chinese battery plant in our community, the board of commissioners should have listened," he said. "All four of us opposed Gotion," Zimmerman continued, referring to himself as well as Adams, Jackson, and Lambrix, "and we hope the passage of this resolution will help heal the divide in our community. Moreover, as long as the four of us are on the commission, we will no longer ignore the will of the people."Zimmerman also acknowledged the risks of allowing a Chinese company to put down roots in Mecosta County. "When our congressman [John Moolenaar] says there are security concerns with China in our community, the board of commissioners should have reversed their approval of the project," he said.President-elect Donald Trump gave a similar warning about Gotion back in August. "The Gotion plant would be very bad for the State and our Country. It would put Michiganders under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing. I AM 100% OPPOSED!" he posted to social media.While the Mecosta County board of commissioners has now made its opposition to the Gotion plant known, the practical implications of the vote to rescind the resolution are unclear since the project is currently tied up in litigation.Gotion did not respond to Blaze News' request 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!

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed a law in June that eliminated the basic skills test requirements for aspiring teachers.The law, Act 1669, cleared the state Senate in a 34-2 vote as part of the state's 2025 budget and went into effect on January 1, 2025.'Teachers unions don't want teachers to demonstrate basic competency.'The legislation states, "The State Board of Education shall not require a candidate seeking any instructional certificate, except in the case of a limited certificate of eligibility or a limited certificate of eligibility with advanced standing … to complete a Commissioner of Education-approved test of basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills including, but not limited to, the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test, in order to obtain an instructional certificate."Democratic lawmakers argued that removing barriers to obtaining teaching certificates would be the best way to address the state's teacher shortage. The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Jim Beach (D), stated, "We need more teachers. This is the best way to get them."While the basic skills test is no longer required, some certification tests remain in place for specific subject areas, according to the New Jersey Monitor. For example, aspiring mathematics teachers must pass a Praxis subject matter exam, and aspiring biology teachers must complete both general science and biology subject matter tests.The New Jersey Education Association, a teachers' union representing roughly 200,000 active and retired education professionals, led the effort to eliminate the basic skills test and several other initiatives to reduce certification requirements for aspiring teachers.The NJEA has called the basic skills test "an unnecessary barrier to entering the profession." It claimed that the "one-off standardized test" could not "effectively measure the knowledge or skills needed to be a great teacher."Nicki Neily, the founder and president of Parents Defending Education, reacted to the elimination of the basic skills test. "New Jersey teachers will no longer be required to pass a basic skills test to become a teacher. The New Jersey Education Association was the driving force behind the bill. Teachers unions don't want teachers to demonstrate basic competency in reading, writing, and math before going into the classroom," Neily stated.In 2023, Murphy signed a similar law, Bill S1553, which formed an alternative pathway for certification that circumvented the basic skills test. Murphy also previously signed legislation removing the Education Teacher Performance Assessment as a requirement for aspiring teachers. He claimed the move would "streamline a process that has previously acted as a barrier."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In response to T-shirts that say "Save Girls Sports," a San Francisco Chronicle opinion writer claimed that not all women have female chromosomes and that the shirts themselves are "terrorizing" the local transgender community.The remarks are in response to two female high school athletes who have sued a California school district over the very same shirts being likened to Nazi symbols. The girls wore the shirts in protest of a male athlete participating in female athletics who bumped one of the girls from their cross-country team. The students claimed their athletic director said wearing the shirts around a transgender student was like wearing a swastika around a Jewish student.At a subsequent Riverside Unified School District board meeting, another cross-country runner said the school had stabbed students in the back after they expressed concerns over boys being in their change room."I have been around the females and just my team in general who have felt almost silenced to speak out about it because the whole LGBTQ is shoved down our throats; it is put in our face," the young girl explained.The Chronicle's writer, Soleil Ho, disagreed, however, calling the ordeal an "empty spectacle that demeans us all," taking particular issue with the shirts themselves.Ho pointed out that one of the young girls' fathers prints some of the shirts with his custom printing company, while also condemning apparel brand XX-XY Athletics for printing shirts that read "XX (does not equal) XY."The writer specifically mentioned the brand's CEO, Jennifer Sey, and claimed her "sole purpose is to pump out anti-trans activewear and fund right-wing influencers."Sey said the contrary, that her brand's mission is to "stand up for female athletes" and protect women's sports."No other athletic brand is doing it despite claiming to champion female athletes. [Other brands] don't care about women's sports or female athletes. They market wokeness and forsake women. We're providing an option so that consumers can buy a brand that aligns with their values," Sey told Blaze News.'Women are XX. Men are XY.'In her criticism of Sey, Ho did not mention the former gymnast's work defending girls who were abused while on the USA gymnastics team, a case that rocked the nation in 2016.Instead, the self-described "queer" "pansexual" said those selling the shirt have used "real human pain and humiliation" to further their brands by spreading the "hatred of trans people" through "anti-trans influencers."At the same time, the writer claimed that "not all cis women even have XX chromosomes" and therefore the shirts made no sense. Sey vehemently disagreed with this specific scientific claim:"There are no studies which state this. What kind of propagandistic 'newspaper' lets a 'journalist' write such lies, even in an opinion piece?" Sey asked. "Women are XX. Men are XY. Chromosomal abnormalities are rare and do exist, but they do not constitute a 3rd or 4th sex."Noting that Ho mentioned Algerian boxer Imane Khelif as an example of how different women can look, Sey simply responded, "Imane Khelif is a man."Sey concluded, "It's not hard. XX does not equal XY. It makes perfect sense."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Amid all the Squid Game mania that kicks off today, both Call of Duty Warzone and Black Ops 6 have received updates that make plenty of gameplay changes and bug fixes. Arguably the most noticeable change across both titles is an upgrade to movement that makes things even faster and slicker than it was before. Plus, Zombies fans have been blessed with a mountain of buffs to the new elemental sword Wonder Weapons. Continue reading Movement in Black Ops 6 and Warzone just became even quicker and slicker MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Warzone loadouts, Best Warzone AR, Best Warzone guns