Loyal Defender

Todd Blanche Sends Chilling Message to Every U.S. Attorney | The New Republic (“Every other U.S. attorney around the country is watching what happens to Pirro, because the message from Trump and Blanche is to follow orders, whether they make legal sense or not. Otherwise, you’re fired.”)

Is ‘Cancel Thanksgiving’ Really a Winning Message for Democrats? | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

It’s time to go back to Sunday School | WORLD

Reggie B. on X: "Tucker Carlson: "Trump failed. He's selling Truth Social posts. He's made $3B as president. It's so bonkers. Do we need a law against getting rich as president? You can't use the office to enrich yourself or your family. Any president who uses the office for personal enrichment https://t.co/sIpUpcXxZE" / X

Michael MacKay on X: "Trump was given an opportunity to say it is wrong for russians to attack Ukrainian civilians with ballistic missiles. He refused to do so. Trump has the power to stop the russians killing Ukrainians. He refuses to do so. Trump is a russian asset. Trump is a monster." / X

Michael McFaul on X: "This can’t be true. Right. Right? If it is, Trumps war against Iran will go down in history as one of our worst military losses ever That’s why I can’t believe it’s true. Standing by for more facts." / X

August 8

James F. Love IV on X: "Trump is intentionally allowing Ukrainians to die in nightly missile attacks hoping to force Ukraine to give up their land so he can secure business deals with Russia. There, I said it out loud." / X

James Talarico Headlined Pride Event Alongside 11-Year-Old Child Drag Queen 'Kween Kee Kee': 'Absolute Cutest and Youngest of Our Drag Performers'

Critical Munitions Stockpiles: Can We Get a Straight Answer? | National Review

Trump Better Hope Supreme Court Buys His Ballroom Malarkey

Prosecutor fired over blogposts critical of Trump sues US justice department | Trump administration | The Guardian

How Roy Cohn Taught Donald Trump Everything | The New Yorker

Jeanine Pirro berated Doug Burgum. But Interior staffers have been angry at him for months. - POLITICO

America Is Running Out of Easy Economic Exits

In Trump era, this border library highlights US-Canada relationship

Baptist pastor released from Syria after 2 weeks in detention | World

Tucker Carlson Releases 10-Point Manifesto for America - The American Conservative (reportedly considering creating a new political party)

Senate votes to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general | CNN Politics

AI And War Is Being Oversold Right Now (“The USA, reportedly a superpower and the technologically dominant force of its day, had lost the war in record time, had exhausted supplies of vital munitions that it could not replace for many years, and was now haggling over the terms of its own defeat. Though I did not have time to go into it then, it also made the early Pentagon boasts about how the US was fighting amongst the most ill-considered statements in history. We heard for months about how the US was imposing itself, obliterating Iranian military power, crushing Iran’s industrial base, etc,. All of it was nonsense”)

Opinion | Phone searches at airports set dangerous privacy precedent - The Washington Post

August 9

Weekend Update #197: Anatomy Of A Con:

Biblical Archaeology Confirms the Reality of Jesus, Pontius Pilate, and Caiaphas | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

The typical gig worker is changing – and struggling more than ever to make ends meet

August 10

Phillips P. OBrien on X: "A quick lesson on winning and losing a war. If you start a war of choice, blow through masses of your weapons stocks so that you cannot escalate effectively, and find the country you attacked dictating negotiating terms while in a stronger strategic position... You lost." / X

August 11

One Year Past the Seminex Semicentennial – Old Lutherans

The Iran war outcome is even worse than most realise

The Mysteries of Butler - The American Conservative

Mike Pence: The Failed Creed Our Grandchildren Should Never Inherit

‘Save Korea’ pastor meets President Donald Trump at White House | Politics

Trump acknowledges 'no video or proof' of alleged vandalism to Reflecting Pool - ABC News

Trump’s Reflecting Pool Fiasco Is About to Get Even Worse for Him | The New Republic

Opinion | Trump’s Iran policy is at war with itself - The Washington Post

Replenishing Stocks Will Just Recreate A Failed Military

1 year in, National Guard troops have became part of D.C. life : NPR

August 12

Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal — ProPublica

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey Signs Bill for Abortions Up to Birth - LifeNews.com

‘No Child Has Two Moms’ Is Controversial In An Anti-Child Society

What a US War With Europe and Canada Over Greenland Would Actually Look Like

Phillips P. OBrien on X: "Between 2016 and today, the US has spent almost $9 trillion on defense. It then ran dangerously low in many advanced munitions fighting a country with no air force and navy--after about two months of combat operations. This is an extraordinary scandal." / X

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Is Not Doing Himself Any Favors By Criticizing New Biography (I read and favorably reviewed this biography along with Mollie Hemingway’s book on Alito)

Even in conservative North Dakota, some socialist institutions thrive • North Dakota Monitor

After cuts, Trump administration gives $2B to Christian groups for global aid

Church membership biblical, theologians say, despite cultural headwinds | Baptist Press

MAGA Candidate Ken Paxton Hit With Brutal Question About Cheating on His Wife

August 13

Michael W. Smith warns worship must not become ‘celebrity driven' | Entertainment

15 Resolves for Maintaining Spiritual Balance in Severe Interpersonal Conflicts - CCW - Christian Communicators Worldwide

The Answer to Fascism Can’t Be Marxism - by Garry Kasparov

Speaking out: Burgum a deflecting fool on Reflecting Pool

August 14

Ron Filipkowski on X: "If Trump was captain of the Titanic he not only would’ve taken the first lifeboat but he also would have announced to the passengers that everything was fine right before leaving. “Everything is fine everyone. I’m the best captain ever. I know exactly what I’m doing.”" / X (commentary for information purposes)

Fox News and the Night of the Living Dead: Commies, Transgender Athletes and COVID (for information purposes)

U.S. military has lost roughly 25% of its Reaper drones as Iran war depletes arsenal - The Washington Post

U.S. missionary kidnapped in Niger is released after 9 months in captivity, his organization says

Judge Sullivan Has Had Enough

AOC’s Illogical Case for Egg Freezing - First Things

Director of Vermont child evangelism organization caught in FBI child sex sting | The Roys Report

Menasha School District to host 5 home football games at Banta Bowl - Lawrence University

Paxton, Talarico tap contrary versions of God and Christianity in appeal to Texas voters (for information purposes)

At Big Bend National Park, bulldozers begin clearing pristine desert land for border barrier work : NPR

Kaitlan Collins Humiliates Donald Trump After Kennedy Center Shocker (for information purposes – but why does President Trump need to name so many things after himself and why should this be allowed?)

Joe Biden getting Planned Parenthood Award named for longtime friend

August 15

Missionary pilot kidnapped in Niger is free | The Roys Report

If You Want Grandbabies, Raise Your Kids To Get Married ASAP

Adam Hamilton claims atheist, non-Christians going to Heaven | Politics

Photojournalist Yalda Moaiery sentenced to 15 years in prison

August 16

Woman alleges Grok made thousands of sexual abuse images from childhood snap - The Washington Post

Closing the Kennedy Center may be the best of bad options - The Washington Post

Trump Secretly Admits His Feelings Got Hurt by Elon Musk

The Myth of the Miserable Housewife | National Review

The buck stops somewhere else: A look at Trump's tendency to avoid blame when things go awry

The Conditions for a Third World War Are Now Present

A Green Light for Crooks - The Atlantic

The “Curse of Ham” Is Being Used Again to Promote Racism | Answers in Genesis

Deeply Disgusted - Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance

Trump has become the worst thing a narcissist can be | Opinion (for information purposes)

JD Vance and the Trump team keep moving the goalposts on Iran | CNN Politics

Jesus, without the Church | WORLD

Donald Trump, 80, Fantasizes About Dead President in Bizarre Truth Social Posting Spree (United States President Donald J. Trump stated on the Truth Social media platform, “Despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture, there are many where we’re smiling. Kim Jong Un and I get along GREAT! President DONALD J. TRUMP.” Former National Review pundit Jay Nordlinger appropriately responded on X, “Kim runs one of the most brutal dictatorships on earth. American foreign policy ought to include a streak, at least, of right and wrong….” Mr. Trump also posted fake photos and videos of him with George Washington on Truth Social.)

Trump to Splurge Billions on Deranged 1940s Obsession (for information purposes)

August 17

Trump's Patriot Missile Bait and Switch - by Craig Unger

Family Prayer Is Inconvenient and Worth It | Desiring God

President Trump Reduces Military Exercises with South Korea | National Review

Tough questions for North Dakota's congressional delegation • North Dakota Monitor

The Vice President Thinks Low Prices Are Bad

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says he's "heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell" - CBS News

Under Trump, the United States Is Accommodating America’s Adversaries and Undermining Its Allies—At a Dangerous Moment

Donald Trump Praises North Korea's 'Respectful' Kim Jong Un

Is The American Age In The Western Pacific Over As Well?

Pastoral Meanderings: Death of the family ties. . .

August 18

Adam Hamilton campaign responds to 'universalism' claims | Politics

Don’t Be Ashamed to Be Old

Trump's Yes-Men Protected Him From Reality. Iran Did Not.

Denying God's Fatherhood Denies Fathers

White House email revelation triggers impeachment calls: 'Never seen anything like it' - Raw Story

Opinion | Congress can’t trust Pete Hegseth to spend $1.5 trillion wisely - The Washington Post

Trump Is Demolishing Four Pillars of American Power

Fact check: Every single part of this Trump story about South Korea is wrong | CNN Politics

Sen. Mark Kelly says USS Lincoln sailors ‘can’t get basic needs met’ : NPR

August 19

Another OAN host left the network to work for Donald Trump | Media Matters for America

DeSantis suspends Palm Beach clerk amid child sex-abuse charges | Miami Herald

Do Not Go to the Gay Wedding (“Don’t attend the wedding. Then out-love everyone who did.”)

Presidential walk off - John Dickerson

Trump’s rosy Hormuz claims collide with tanker data - POLITICO

Supreme Court to rule on White House ballroom and executive power

Jesse Watters Claims Trump Is Building White House Ballroom as 'Monument' to Himself

Chinese Communist Party-backed program infiltrating US: report | Politics

Kim Jong-un Is Not Our Friend | National Review

Senator presses Hegseth, Caine for commitment to keep US military out of the midterm elections

Midweek Update #24: The USA Is Not A Serious Country (for information purposes)

'The party is in charge of everything,' freed pastor says of China's crackdown on religion | PBS News

August 21

Random founding father quotes – The Way of Improvement Leads Home

The USS Abraham Lincoln: America must demand the truth

Homemaking Matters: Living for God's Glory in the Ordinary

Gently Walk Her Home – The Palest Ink

Exclusive: Navy weighs renaming carrier slated to honor Black war hero, potentially switching it to Trump | CNN Politics

America’s Authoritarian Fantasies - by Evan Gottesman

Should obese pastors be disqualified from ministry? | Church & Ministries

Pentagon officials considering firing longtime Stars and Stripes publisher, sources say - CBS News

The Real Role of Satanism and the Occult in the Creation of the Atomic Bomb (for information purposes)

The Nature of a Country, &c. - by Jay Nordlinger

My Take on Sex Broke the Internet.

EXCLUSIVE: Committee Review Finds Trump Pardons Have Cost Crime Victims $1.7 Billion and Enriched Trump Allies

The US Does Not Understand Air Power, Does Ukraine?

August 22

Ossoff's Natalie Harp name-drop just gave Democrats an in | Opinion (for information purposes)

A Lesson Wasted | Commonweal Magazine (for information purposes)

Donald Trump Roasts Tucker Carlson’s Breakaway MAGA Party - Newsweek

Why the Navy Shouldn’t Rename the USS Doris Miller for Trump | National Review

Why Korea Matters - by Garry Kasparov - The Next Move

Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes' top editor, publisher and a reporter | AP News

Trump’s Third Term

11 faith groups accuse Trump administration of violating court order while spying on churches

August 23

Tom Hoefling on X: "Trump hates Canada and South Korea, and loves Russia and North Korea. More proof this week, as if we needed it. The man truly is psychotic. He's evil to the bone." / X (for information purposes)

Michael MacKay on X: "The russia-backed Trump regime is jerking Canadians around. The Government of Canada isn't having any of it." / X (for information purposes)

Brandon Weichert on X: "At this point it’s hard not to think that this is all intentional. Who in their right mind would call for the destruction of the US cattle industry (unless it was part of a scheme to destroy America from within)?" / X

Deleted tweets show Natalie Harp’s zealous support for Trump on Jan. 6 | CNN Politics

James Talarico is Prostituting Name of Jesus, Warns Famed Texas Pastor - Todd Starnes (for information purposes)

Wife of jailed Zion Church pastor sees 'blessing' in persecution | World

August 24

For the First Time in Modern History, the United States Is No Longer Measured as a Liberal Democracy

The Big, Dumb, Gluttonous Fun of America’s Semiquincentennial | The New Yorker (visiting North Dakota!)

This Pardoned Jan 6 Riot Defendant Might Remain Behind Bars for Life

The hubris of Donald Trump

Trumpian bad faith revealed - Bob Rae

Pentagon Fires Journalists at Military Newspaper, Raising Alarms - The American Conservative

The American Conservative Declines Invitation to Report at the Pentagon - The American Conservative

What the ‘Iran Experts’ Didn’t Tell the White House - The American Conservative

Opinion | Trump’s attempts to intimidate, at home and abroad, have backfired - The Washington Post

Canada Is Right, The USA Cannot Be Trusted

August 25

Mark Slapinski on X: "My name is Mark Slapinski, Canada's most popular journalist. I am willing to pay higher prices temporarily so that Trump loses the midterms, gets impeached, then gets arrested for raping children with Jeffrey Epstein. I know the majority of Canadians (and Americans) support me! https://t.co/OAVqnf8Fcz" / X

InfoGram on X: "🇺🇸US: "Canada will collapse without United States of America" 🇨🇦Canada: "Our leader has PhDs in economics and ran central banks. Yours bankrupted casinos and made $40T debt." 🔥🤣 https://t.co/CRjH0zPxSI" / X

Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock on X: "Donald Trump has broken nearly every promise he made. He is a failed president." / X

John MacArthur’s replacement named | The Roys Report

Grace Community Church Names John MacArthur’s Successor

Grace Community Church names John MacArthur replacement | Church & Ministries

Worship Should Point People to Jesus | Carol Cymbala

Raskin launches probe into Trump administration’s attempted prosecution over Reflecting Pool damage

Gary residents turn to prayer as power outage stretches into third week

Trump’s Election Nut Loser Mike Lindell Humiliated After Missing Recount Deadline (Trump endorsed Lindell for Governor of Minnesota)

August 26

18 Reasons Dolly Parton Should Be Our Next President (piece Mollie Hemingway wrote in 2016)

Betrayal by Luke Harding review – could Donald Trump be a Russian asset? | Politics books | The Guardian

Dolly Parton, Country Music Icon Who Celebrated Her Christian Faith, Dies at 80

Legal watchdog files bar complaints against US Attorney Jeanine Pirro | AP News

President Trump Is Finally Ending Canada’s Free Ride – The White House (shared on X by Karoline Leavitt)

EXCLUSIVE: DHS Refuses to Release Email Justifying Warrantless Entry by ICE (for information purposes)

It’s Not Too Late to Make This a Great Year of Bible Reading

Dolly Parton, We Will Always Love You | National Review

Kevin Rideout Release | SIM USA

‘We feel a combination of deep sadness and encouragement’, say Evangelical Alliance leaders after visiting Ukraine, Evangelical Focus

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Russian intel counterparts on secretive visit to Moscow, Kremlin says - CBS News

Hegseth Cut Civilian Protections Over Objection of Top Commanders — ProPublica

Professing ‘Christian’ Country Singer, Dolly Parton, Dead at 80

Midweek Update#25: Sanctions Without China Are A Sign Of Defeat

DOJ Should End Dangerous Loophole Shielding Abortion Drugs

'I am a person of faith': How Christianity shaped Dolly Parton's music and spirit

Help! My Child Is Entering Puberty - CCEF

Dolly Parton’s legacy | WORLD

August 27

Before Hegseth fired him, top general was advised to drop Kid Rock investigation - The Washington Post

Our Agreement With Bipartisan Attorneys General: Calling on TikTok and YouTube to Join Us in Supporting Teens

‘My darlin’ Dolly’: LGBTQ community mourns the loss of a dedicated ally

Seasons of Marriage — The Bee Hive

Shock Military Exodus Under Pentagon Pete Hegseth Exposed

PCUSA church in South Carolina calls trans lesbian as pastor | Church & Ministries

What MAGA Doesn’t Get About Dolly Parton - Headquarters

A Trump Judge Just Stopped DOJ From Erasing Bannon’s Case - MeidasTouch

Southern Baptists loved Dolly Parton – The Way of Improvement Leads Home

Dolly and Carl’s wedding a ‘beloved piece’ of Georgia church’s history | Baptist Press

The ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ Author Says He’s More Than $1 Billion in Debt | Vanity Fair

Dolly Parton Was The Ultimate Southern Woman

Why Are Evangelicals Preaching Dolly Parton Into Heaven?

Basic Courtesy - Juicy Ecumenism

They fought in the U.S.’s war in Afghanistan. Now they fear deportation : NPR

An engine for the pursuit of happiness | WORLD

Insiders Reveal Alarming Reason Behind CIA Chief John Ratcliffe's Trip to Russia (is Russia considering testing NATO, and, if so, will NATO and specifically the United States respond? Answer: obviously not, except maybe through social media message. Trump might even let Russia have Alaska again without much trouble.)

August 28

US grain farmers face worst crisis in decades as Iran war sends costs spiralling

Journalist who reported attacks on Christians cleared of charges | World

America Shows an Ugly Face to Canada - by Jay Nordlinger

Fresh evidence discredits the idea that ICE is only targeting the ‘worst of the worst’

Secretary Doug Burgum on X: "We’re on it, Mr. President! The places and waters that border our nation and support our economy should reflect the greatness of the United States. @USGS maps our country for the world to see, and we are PROUD to implement your Executive Order to rename LAKE AMERICA. 🇺🇸" / X (former North Dakota Governor and former Microsoft exec Doug Burgum supports this ridiculous action)

Simon Schama on X: "Trump will have one of his wishes granted - to have history remember him for a very long time - as the absolute opposite of everything you would want in a president - or even a half- decent human being" / X (for information purposes)

Churches accuse ICE of using undercover agents to spy | U.S.

The Dolly Parton Songs That Revealed Her Faith, Doubt, and Hope - Christianity Today

Wyoming’s Republican governor raises concerns over ‘aggressive’ DOJ election monitors

Judge says Pentagon's measures against Anthropic were 'illegal and baseless' : NPR

❤️ We Will Always Love Her: How Dolly Parton Lived Out Her Personal Faith 🔌

Lisa Cook Turns Mortgage Fraud Accusations Back on Trump and Bessent - NOTUS — News of the United States

What the Natalie Harp Controversy Says About MAGA - The Atlantic

Consumers say 'resolve is strengthened' to buy Canadian, bringing patriotic shopping movement back to life | CBC News

Trump signs order to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' | CBC News

Canadian Broadcast Corporation Tells Staff Not to Refer to 9/11 as a Terrorist Attack | National Review

August 29

Dolly Parton’s faith was hard to measure | The Christian Century

For many queer Christians, Dolly Parton's faith was a beacon | AP News

Putin sees U.S. as weakened by Iran war, intelligence reports say - The Washington Post (That’s news? That somebody sees the United States as weakened?)

At the FBI, a history of hiring prostitutes or stealing from employer may no longer be a barrier to being hired - CBS News (lowered standards at the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation?)

How the Battle of the Little Bighorn reshaped U.S. policy toward Native Americans | PBS News

Tribune editorial: Trade war with Canada to hurt both nations

Phillips P. OBrien on X: "So the USA is stealing Venezuelan oil and entrenching a new dictator in power to oppress the Venezuelan people. There needs to be a reckoning for all this." / X

Ron Filipkowski on X: "I think the general consensus of people around the world is that Americans can get fooled by a con man once, but to return him to power a 2nd time after having seen his corruption, incompetence, ignorance, & buffoonery, the problem isn’t just Trump it’s the American people." / X

August 30

Juan Forero on X: "Trump says U.S. will take majority control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil, 21% of the world's biggest reserves. How is this legal? Delcy's regime is unelected. Venezuela's constitution says deposits can't be transferred to another state. https://t.co/gJ4TveonR6 @WSJ" / X

ProudCanRobz 🇨🇦 on X: "“Oil deal”?? You kidnapped their president and took their oil by force! That should be called THE BIGGEST OIL THEFT IN WORLD HISTORY (Just wait until Venezuelans rebel) https://t.co/FczZEx8HJk" / X

Maj. (Ret.) Richard Ojeda on X: "So the Trump administration: 1. kidnapped the former leader….and his wife. 2. installed a new leader of his choice 2. Proceeded to then take 65 billion barrels of a sovereign nations oil, free of charge? Right out of the Putin Playbook." / X

John Jackson on X: "7 out of 10 Venezuelans live on $3 dollars a day or less. That’s who America is stealing from. A historic shame on this country." / X

Max Boot 🇺🇦🇺🇸 on X: "How is this legal? Without any legislative authorization—without even consulting Congress—Trump has created a giant state-owned oil company to control vast oil reserves in Venezuela. Ironically, after arresting Venezuela’s socialist president Nicolas Maduro, Trump himself" / X

Phillips P. OBrien on X: "So the USA is stealing Venezuelan oil and entrenching a new dictator in power to oppress the Venezuelan people. There needs to be a reckoning for all this." / X

Trump Casually Threatens to Take Over Two More Countries | The New Republic

Bernie Moreno on X: "If it were up to DC Democrats, Maduro would still be in power, Venezuelan oil would be going to China at half price, and the people of Venezuela would be getting robbed by a corrupt regime. Instead, this historic deal benefits both countries for generations! Well done!" / X

Kyle Griffin on X: "The Republican governor of Wyoming has asked the state attorney general to "start looking into" the conduct of Trump Justice Department election observers deployed to the state for last week's primary election — calling the behavior of observers "aggressive" and "irregular."" / X (the Republican Governor of the ultra-MAGA State of Wyoming is saying this? Expect retaliation.)

Dominik Hasek on X: "Trump is exactly like communist Russia or fascist Germany. He militarily invades another country and then imposes treaties on it. Trump lied about the war against Venezuela. It is an imperialist war on his part, a crime for which he must be convicted and punished. https://t.co/SHo41bwb7V" / X

Trump Lie Tracker (Commentary Account) on X: "BREAKING: Trump just posted an AI slop video of armed ducks marching and firing in unison on “Lake America.” He’s gone completely insane. https://t.co/XTGZQvWEri" / X

Brian Krassenstein on X: "Tucker Carlson calls for Trump’s removal from office. Everybody who, at one time supported Trump will eventually figure out that they were wrong, whether they admit it or not. https://t.co/O05CmXSIpF" / X

Is there a revival in the United States? The real data says no

Senate Hopeful El-Sayed Equates Circumcision to Transgender Surgery on Minors

Minnesota Supreme Court rejects Mike Lindell’s bid to recount GOP gubernatorial primary (Trump endorsed dishonest kook Mike Lindell for Minnesota Governor. Granted, the Democrats have some problems too, but Lindell is clearly not the answer. Mike has been promoted by Charisma Magazine, which doesn’t speak well for Charisma Magazine.)

President Donald Trump’s AI Slop Gets Weird With Lake Ontario

Tucker Carlson: Trump needs to be removed from office 'immediately'

Trump-Promoted Gas Stations Accused of Selling Stolen Fuel

Trump’s war on Iran is rapidly draining US navy budget, documents and interviews reveal | US military | The Guardian

When will we learn the lessons of Afghanistan?

After Aid Cuts, US Announces $2 Billion for Christian Groups - Christianity Today

Trump’s DHS is using an obscure law to secretly snoop on journalists, non-profits and unions: ‘It’s outrageous’ | Trump administration | The Guardian

Why would an Evangelical group erase the word 'Evangelical'?

The Free World Is Done With Trump the Bully

The White House says its ballroom is 65% complete. Its documents suggest otherwise. - The Washington Post

Trump lauded low prices at Freedom Fuel. A supplier says some gas wasn’t paid for. - The Washington Post