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Sunday, August 31, 2025
JD Vance Says He's Ready to Take Over From Trump: How VPs Assume Presidency
Published Aug 30, 2025 at 1:11 PM EDTUpdated Aug 30, 2025 at 1:53 PM EDT
White House Addresses Trump's Health Speculation
By Peter Aitken
Politics Weekend Editor
Vice President JD Vance said this week he was ready to step into the Oval Office should a "terrible tragedy" befall President Donald Trump, and as speculation about the president's health went viral this week, many questioned what the actual process for the vice president to assume the presidency looks like.
Newsweek is looking back at the handful of times a vice president has stepped in to serve as president and outlines the process of ascendancy.
Saturday, August 30, 2025
Extra Seattle police deployed to controversial religious rally
By FOX 13 Seattle Digital Team
Published August 30, 2025 3:32pm PDT
Religious rally and counter protest planned at Gas Works Park today
A religious concert at Seattle's Gas Works Park today will be led by the same group that was involved in a controversial protest in May at Cal Anderson Park. This group is prompting a counter-protest, with some advocates concerned about a repeat of the earlier clash.
The BriefA religious concert and rally is planned for Gas Works Park in Seattle on Saturday.
The event is drawing comparison to an event earlier this summer that put the city on edge.
Police hope their presence will deter violence between event attendees and counterprotesters.
SEATTLE - A religious concert scheduled for Saturday at Gasworks Park has ignited criticism from community members and advocacy groups, who fear a repeat of a controversial rally in May that resulted in dozens of arrests and clashes with police.
Seattle police approach a group of counter protesters at Cal Anderson Park.
Published August 30, 2025 3:32pm PDT
Religious rally and counter protest planned at Gas Works Park today
A religious concert at Seattle's Gas Works Park today will be led by the same group that was involved in a controversial protest in May at Cal Anderson Park. This group is prompting a counter-protest, with some advocates concerned about a repeat of the earlier clash.
The BriefA religious concert and rally is planned for Gas Works Park in Seattle on Saturday.
The event is drawing comparison to an event earlier this summer that put the city on edge.
Police hope their presence will deter violence between event attendees and counterprotesters.
SEATTLE - A religious concert scheduled for Saturday at Gasworks Park has ignited criticism from community members and advocacy groups, who fear a repeat of a controversial rally in May that resulted in dozens of arrests and clashes with police.
Seattle police approach a group of counter protesters at Cal Anderson Park.
Friday, August 29, 2025
Pope Leo XIV urges Catholic politicians to follow the Gospel in public life
Pope Leo XIV addresses a delegation of political representatives and civic leaders from the Diocese of Créteil, France, on Aug. 28, 2025, at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media
By Nicolás de Cárdenas
ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 28, 2025 / 12:30 pm
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday encouraged Catholic politicians to live coherently as Christians and follow the Gospel, even when performing their public duties in a secular polity.
During an Aug. 28 meeting with a delegation of political representatives and civic leaders from the Diocese of Créteil, France, accompanied by Bishop Dominique Blanchet, the Holy Father stated that “a more just, more human, more fraternal world” can only be “a world more imbued with the Gospel.”
Thus, he added, “in the face of the various deviations present in our Western societies, we can do nothing better, as Christians, than to turn to Christ and ask for his help in carrying out our responsibilities.”
For this reason, the pope highlighted the importance of political and social leaders being committed to acting in coherence with their faith, because “beyond mere personal enrichment, it carries great importance and usefulness for the men and women they serve.”
In this regard, he underlined that such determination “is all the more praiseworthy considering that, in France, due to a sometimes-misunderstood secularism, it is not easy for an elected representative to act and decide consistently with their faith.”
Thursday, August 28, 2025
One dead, 6 hurt after shooting outside Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis
Matt Sepic
Minneapolis
August 26, 2025 6:36 PM
Updated: August 27, 2025 4:00 PM
Matt Sepic | MPR News
One person was killed and six others were hurt in a shooting Tuesday afternoon near East Lake Street and Interstate 35W in south Minneapolis.
Hours later, two people died in two other shootings in the city. Police said early Wednesday that they don’t yet know if any of the shootings are connected.
Minneapolis
August 26, 2025 6:36 PM
Updated: August 27, 2025 4:00 PM
Minneapolis police block traffic following a fatal shooting on Tuesday.
Matt Sepic | MPR News
One person was killed and six others were hurt in a shooting Tuesday afternoon near East Lake Street and Interstate 35W in south Minneapolis.
Hours later, two people died in two other shootings in the city. Police said early Wednesday that they don’t yet know if any of the shootings are connected.
Catholic school shooting
At a news conference Tuesday following the first shooting, Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter walked up to a group of people who were standing at the corner of East 29th Street and Clinton Avenue South and opened fire.
One man died from his injuries; five other men and a woman were injured in the gunfire. Some of the victims ran away and took shelter in nearby businesses
O’Hara said the attack was not random, and the killer fired about 30 rounds from a high-powered rifle before fleeing.
“It’s more a weapon of war than something to be on the street here,” O’Hara said. “Just the damage that was done to the bodies of some of these victims is unspeakable. And thankfully we don't have more people that are dead from this incident.”
The shooting happened outside Cristo Rey Jesuit High School while students were inside. O’Hara did not say if anyone affiliated with the school was involved in the incident.
In an update Wednesday afternoon — from the scene of a separate mass shooting at a Catholic church in south Minneapolis — O’Hara said two people have been arrested “for assisting in” the Tuesday afternoon shooting.
“We have not gotten the shooter yet, but we believe we have two people under arrest that were present with the shooter when that happened, and we’re making significant progress,” O’Hara said.
One man died from his injuries; five other men and a woman were injured in the gunfire. Some of the victims ran away and took shelter in nearby businesses
O’Hara said the attack was not random, and the killer fired about 30 rounds from a high-powered rifle before fleeing.
“It’s more a weapon of war than something to be on the street here,” O’Hara said. “Just the damage that was done to the bodies of some of these victims is unspeakable. And thankfully we don't have more people that are dead from this incident.”
The shooting happened outside Cristo Rey Jesuit High School while students were inside. O’Hara did not say if anyone affiliated with the school was involved in the incident.
In an update Wednesday afternoon — from the scene of a separate mass shooting at a Catholic church in south Minneapolis — O’Hara said two people have been arrested “for assisting in” the Tuesday afternoon shooting.
“We have not gotten the shooter yet, but we believe we have two people under arrest that were present with the shooter when that happened, and we’re making significant progress,” O’Hara said.
FBI investigating Minnesota school shooting as a hate crime against Catholics
Peter Kenny |Wednesday, August 27 2025
(Photo: Reuters / Andrew Gombert / Pool)
Dannel Malloy, Governor of Connecticut speaks to mourners gathered at a vigil service for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in Decmeber 2012.
The FBI is investigating a shooting in the U.S. state of Minnesota as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, the agency's director Kash Patel said after two children under the age of 11 were gunned down.
His statement came after a deadly mass shooting took place the morning of Aug. 27 at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis shortly after the start of the school day during an all-school Mass at the adjacent Annunciation Catholic Church.
Patel confirmed the suspected shooter in the Aug. 27 killing was identified as Robin Westman, who, according to Patel and other top administration officials, was identified as transgender, according to The Hill.
"The shooter has been identified as Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman," Patel posted on X.
"The FBI will continue to provide updates on our ongoing investigation, with the public as we are able."
The FBI is investigating a shooting in the U.S. state of Minnesota as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, the agency's director Kash Patel said after two children under the age of 11 were gunned down.
His statement came after a deadly mass shooting took place the morning of Aug. 27 at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis shortly after the start of the school day during an all-school Mass at the adjacent Annunciation Catholic Church.
Patel confirmed the suspected shooter in the Aug. 27 killing was identified as Robin Westman, who, according to Patel and other top administration officials, was identified as transgender, according to The Hill.
"The shooter has been identified as Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman," Patel posted on X.
"The FBI will continue to provide updates on our ongoing investigation, with the public as we are able."
The suspected gunman was also dead and believed to have taken his own life in the parking lot, America, the Jesuit Review reported after local police said there was no longer an active threat.
The Inaugural Symposium of the Global Research Alliance of Jesuit Universities (GRAJU) (HE Memo#Y3.51)
27 Aug 2025 | Office of the Vice President for Higher Education
HE Memo#Y3.51
27 August 2025
TO:
The Higher Education Community
FROM:
[Sgd.] Maria Luz C Vilches, PhD
Vice President for Higher Education
SUBJECT:
The Inaugural Symposium of the Global Research Alliance of Jesuit Universities (GRAJU)
We start the year with the good news that Ateneo de Manila is one of the founding members of the Global Research Alliance of Jesuit Universities (GRAJU). GRAJU seeks to build a unified research network that enhances scholarly partnerships, interdisciplinary innovation, and mission-driven inquiry. Established on 4 August 2025, GRAJU has been initiated by six Jesuit universities, including Ateneo de Manila University (the Philippines), Fordham University (USA), Georgetown University (USA), ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara (Mexico), Sogang University (South Korea), and the Universidad de Deusto (Spain).
And not only that! Ateneo de Manila is where the inaugural symposium will take place on 9–12 March 2026 on the theme: The AI Frontier and the Distinctives of Global Jesuit Higher Education. We are thankful to the Office of the Assistant VP for Research, Creative Work, and Innovation (RCWI) as well as the Office of the Assistant VP for University Partnerships and Internationalization (UPI) for coming together to jointly provide the overall support for this symposium. We shall also be forming committees that can help with necessary arrangements for the success of the symposium.
HE Memo#Y3.51
27 August 2025
TO:
The Higher Education Community
FROM:
[Sgd.] Maria Luz C Vilches, PhD
Vice President for Higher Education
SUBJECT:
The Inaugural Symposium of the Global Research Alliance of Jesuit Universities (GRAJU)
We start the year with the good news that Ateneo de Manila is one of the founding members of the Global Research Alliance of Jesuit Universities (GRAJU). GRAJU seeks to build a unified research network that enhances scholarly partnerships, interdisciplinary innovation, and mission-driven inquiry. Established on 4 August 2025, GRAJU has been initiated by six Jesuit universities, including Ateneo de Manila University (the Philippines), Fordham University (USA), Georgetown University (USA), ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara (Mexico), Sogang University (South Korea), and the Universidad de Deusto (Spain).
And not only that! Ateneo de Manila is where the inaugural symposium will take place on 9–12 March 2026 on the theme: The AI Frontier and the Distinctives of Global Jesuit Higher Education. We are thankful to the Office of the Assistant VP for Research, Creative Work, and Innovation (RCWI) as well as the Office of the Assistant VP for University Partnerships and Internationalization (UPI) for coming together to jointly provide the overall support for this symposium. We shall also be forming committees that can help with necessary arrangements for the success of the symposium.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
President Trump says he wants to enter heaven. As a Catholic priest, I take that seriously.
by James Martin, S.J.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy share a light moment as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington Aug. 18, 2025, amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine. Credit: OSV News photo/Kevin Lamarque, Reuters
Dear President Trump,
As a Catholic priest, I take seriously your recently stated desire to get into heaven. “I want to try and get to heaven, if possible,” you told Fox News yesterday. “I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
Mr. President, you have been working to bring peace to Ukraine, where Pope Francis said, “Christ is crucified in refugees who flee from bombs with children in their arms.” I can understand how working toward peace would awaken within you the desire to continue to do good and also turn your thoughts to heaven.
I can also understand the feeling that you are “at the bottom of the totem pole,” which we all feel from time to time. Spiritual writers often call this “compunction,” a sense of our own sinfulness. We’re all sinful in one way or another. Jesuits often say that we are all “loved sinners.” Loved by God, but sinful. We shouldn’t lose sight of either word.
Moreover, the desire to enter heaven is part of the universal human longing for union with God. As is of course, the equally human desire to avoid the fires of hell, which, by the way, I believe in.
So even though our lives are quite different, we are, like our fellow human beings, in the same boat: wanting entrance into the reign of God.
Dear President Trump,
As a Catholic priest, I take seriously your recently stated desire to get into heaven. “I want to try and get to heaven, if possible,” you told Fox News yesterday. “I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
Mr. President, you have been working to bring peace to Ukraine, where Pope Francis said, “Christ is crucified in refugees who flee from bombs with children in their arms.” I can understand how working toward peace would awaken within you the desire to continue to do good and also turn your thoughts to heaven.
I can also understand the feeling that you are “at the bottom of the totem pole,” which we all feel from time to time. Spiritual writers often call this “compunction,” a sense of our own sinfulness. We’re all sinful in one way or another. Jesuits often say that we are all “loved sinners.” Loved by God, but sinful. We shouldn’t lose sight of either word.
Moreover, the desire to enter heaven is part of the universal human longing for union with God. As is of course, the equally human desire to avoid the fires of hell, which, by the way, I believe in.
So even though our lives are quite different, we are, like our fellow human beings, in the same boat: wanting entrance into the reign of God.
Jamaica's Travel Changes Are Aggravating Americans
Adventure Chuckles
Aug 7, 2025 #JamaicaNews #Jamaica #InternationalRelations
Jamaica just made a SHOCKING decision that has American tourists and expats absolutely furious. In this eye-opening video, we reveal the controversial new policies that could change Caribbean travel forever.
Jamaica just made a SHOCKING decision that has American tourists and expats absolutely furious. In this eye-opening video, we reveal the controversial new policies that could change Caribbean travel forever.
Reform UK's Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf Announce New Deportations Policy | AC1G - FULL PRESSER
DRM News
Watch live as Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf announce the party’s bold deportation plans at Oxford Airport, Kidlington. “Operation Restoring Justice” targets illegal migration with mass deportations and detention centers. Get real-time updates and expert analysis on this controversial policy. Watch now and subscribe for global breaking news Reform UK, Nigel Farage, Zia Yusuf, deportation plans, Operation Restoring Justice, illegal migration, Oxford Airport, Kidlington news, UK immigration, mass deportations, European Convention on Human Rights, asylum policy, UK politics, live news, breaking news, DRM News, migration crisis, detention centers, human rights treaties, small boat crossings
Monday, August 25, 2025
Gorsuch and Kavanaugh warn lower court judges in Trump cases
By
John Fritze
Updated 11 hr ago
John Fritze
Updated 11 hr ago
Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh during the ...
In Donald Trump’s long-running feud with federal judges, the president has found some support in an unlikely place: the nation’s highest court.
A growing sense of frustration with some lower courts — articulated in terms that at times sound similar to Trump’s own rhetoric — has crept into a series of opinions this summer from the Supreme Court’s conservative justices as they juggle a flood of emergency cases dealing with Trump’s second term.
“Lower court judges may sometimes disagree with this court’s decisions, but they are never free to defy them,” Justice Neil Gorsuch admonished in an opinion last week tied to the court’s decision to allow Trump to cancel nearly $800 million in research grants.
The rebuke, which was joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, flipped the narrative that it is Trump who has pushed legal boundaries with his flurry of executive orders and support for impeaching judges who rule against him. A wave of legal conservatives took to social media to tout Gorsuch’s warning.
“This is now the third time in a matter of weeks this court has had to intercede in a case ‘squarely controlled’ by one of its precedents,” wrote Gorsuch, who was Trump’s first nominee to the high court. (Kavanaugh was Trump’s second.) “When this court issues a decision, it constitutes a precedent that commands respect in lower courts.”
Other conservatives have been just as harsh this year. Justice Samuel Alito in March accused a federal judge in another case involving a Trump policy as committing an “act of judicial hubris” and “self-aggrandizement of its jurisdiction.”
The Supreme Court has been consistently siding with Trump on the emergency docket for months, including in high-profile cases dealing with immigration, spending and the leadership of independent agencies. And Trump has won even in cases in which there are serious arguments that his administration defied a lower court, said Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at Georgetown University Law Center.
In Donald Trump’s long-running feud with federal judges, the president has found some support in an unlikely place: the nation’s highest court.
A growing sense of frustration with some lower courts — articulated in terms that at times sound similar to Trump’s own rhetoric — has crept into a series of opinions this summer from the Supreme Court’s conservative justices as they juggle a flood of emergency cases dealing with Trump’s second term.
“Lower court judges may sometimes disagree with this court’s decisions, but they are never free to defy them,” Justice Neil Gorsuch admonished in an opinion last week tied to the court’s decision to allow Trump to cancel nearly $800 million in research grants.
The rebuke, which was joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, flipped the narrative that it is Trump who has pushed legal boundaries with his flurry of executive orders and support for impeaching judges who rule against him. A wave of legal conservatives took to social media to tout Gorsuch’s warning.
“This is now the third time in a matter of weeks this court has had to intercede in a case ‘squarely controlled’ by one of its precedents,” wrote Gorsuch, who was Trump’s first nominee to the high court. (Kavanaugh was Trump’s second.) “When this court issues a decision, it constitutes a precedent that commands respect in lower courts.”
Other conservatives have been just as harsh this year. Justice Samuel Alito in March accused a federal judge in another case involving a Trump policy as committing an “act of judicial hubris” and “self-aggrandizement of its jurisdiction.”
The Supreme Court has been consistently siding with Trump on the emergency docket for months, including in high-profile cases dealing with immigration, spending and the leadership of independent agencies. And Trump has won even in cases in which there are serious arguments that his administration defied a lower court, said Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at Georgetown University Law Center.
Trump Calls For 'Fake News' Networks To Have Licenses Revoked by FCC
Published Aug 25, 2025 at 3:45 AM EDT
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday called the ABC and NBC networks two of the "most biased" broadcasters ever and said the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should revoke their licenses.
Why It Matters
Trump's return to the White House this year has brought a revival of his adversarial relationship with the media.
As during his first stint in the White House—marked by repeated attacks on the "fake news" press—Trump's second term has featured similar run-ins with media institutions and practices.
Shortly after taking office, Trump implemented media changes affecting the White House press pool and access. He has frequently used the phrase "fake news" to dismiss unfavorable coverage and has been outspoken in his support for and criticism of specific outlets.
Trump's attacks have raised concerns among some in the industry who fear that access to truthful reporting will become increasingly difficult as credentials are revoked and outlets too favorable of the president may not provide full and impartial coverage.
Media outlets promote a healthy democracy by providing the public with fact-checked information, particularly on those in power, and offering essential context.
Yes to Politics in the Pulpit. No to Endorsements.
CHRIS BUTLER
The IRS says churches can endorse candidates. But the Black church has shown we can accomplish great change without doing so.
CHRISTIANITY TODAY
JULY 15, 2025
Edits by CT / Source Images: Getty
As a faith-engagement staffer for politicians, I’ve spent many Sundays in the back seats of black Suburbans. I was typically there with a driver and a candidate making a campaign stop at a church. It was my job to work with pastors or their teams and set up these events. Sometimes, a church leader supported the candidate. Other times, leaders were just feeling the person out. But regardless of how they felt, two questions always came up: “How do we do this without compromising the church’s moral and spiritual authority?” and “How do we make sure we protect the church’s tax-exempt status?”
Last week, the IRS seemed to take the second question off the table. In a court filing, the agency declared that political speech at a church or “through its usual channels of communication on matters of faith” does not run afoul of the Johnson Amendment, a provision of the tax code that bars tax-exempt organizations from engaging in political campaigns. The filing was made in a legal case brought by two evangelical churches and broadcasters who argued the provision violated their First Amendment rights. The IRS didn’t ask for a full repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which it rarely enforces against houses of worship. But the agency has essentially green-lighted church leaders who want to endorse candidates without worrying an officer will come knocking on their doors.
The shift has sparked fervent debate. Some celebrated it as a triumph for religious liberty or an opportunity for more active social justice work, while others fear it will embroil churches deeper into partisan politics. If we as the church can explicitly endorse politicians, the question becomes – should we?
Personally, I am proud to have done most of my work with Black churches in my hometown of Chicago, a city that’s known to be politically active. The type of work I did extends beyond Black churches and blue cities, but I believe the rich legacy of political engagement inside the Black church can be a good model for us to follow in this new moment.
Edits by CT / Source Images: Getty
As a faith-engagement staffer for politicians, I’ve spent many Sundays in the back seats of black Suburbans. I was typically there with a driver and a candidate making a campaign stop at a church. It was my job to work with pastors or their teams and set up these events. Sometimes, a church leader supported the candidate. Other times, leaders were just feeling the person out. But regardless of how they felt, two questions always came up: “How do we do this without compromising the church’s moral and spiritual authority?” and “How do we make sure we protect the church’s tax-exempt status?”
Last week, the IRS seemed to take the second question off the table. In a court filing, the agency declared that political speech at a church or “through its usual channels of communication on matters of faith” does not run afoul of the Johnson Amendment, a provision of the tax code that bars tax-exempt organizations from engaging in political campaigns. The filing was made in a legal case brought by two evangelical churches and broadcasters who argued the provision violated their First Amendment rights. The IRS didn’t ask for a full repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which it rarely enforces against houses of worship. But the agency has essentially green-lighted church leaders who want to endorse candidates without worrying an officer will come knocking on their doors.
The shift has sparked fervent debate. Some celebrated it as a triumph for religious liberty or an opportunity for more active social justice work, while others fear it will embroil churches deeper into partisan politics. If we as the church can explicitly endorse politicians, the question becomes – should we?
Personally, I am proud to have done most of my work with Black churches in my hometown of Chicago, a city that’s known to be politically active. The type of work I did extends beyond Black churches and blue cities, but I believe the rich legacy of political engagement inside the Black church can be a good model for us to follow in this new moment.
Sunday, August 24, 2025
NWO: the Jesuits' immigration warfare & the selection of pope of Leo XIV
NWO: the Jesuits' immigration warfare & the selection of pope of Leo XIV
Fuerzas Comando 2025
News | Aug. 18, 2025
Fuerzas Comando 2025
By Maj. Trevor Wild,
ILOPANGO, El Salvador –
Sixteen special operations teams from across Central and South America and the Caribbean will gather in Ilopango, El Salvador, Aug. 18–29, for Fuerzas Comando 2025, the 19th iteration of the premier special operations skills competition and senior leadership seminar.
Established in 2004, Fuerzas Comando is a 10-day event designed to test participants’ skills through a friendly competition among special operations forces. The event promotes interoperability and military-to-military relationships through cordial contests, enhances training knowledge, and strengthens regional cooperation.
Concurrently, a senior leadership seminar will convene, uniting top multinational special operations leaders to address transnational threats impacting defense and stability across the region.
Participating nations include Argentina, Belize, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and the United States.
Fuerzas Comando 2025 is sponsored by U.S. Southern Command and executed by Special Operations Command South in partnership with the Fuerza Armada de El Salvador.
The competition will feature a series of evaluated events:
Day 1: Weapons zero (non-graded)
Day 2: Physical training event (100 points) and opening ceremony
Day 3: Assaulter stages 1 and 2 / Sniper stage 1 (300 points)
Day 4: Assaulter stages 3 and 4 / Sniper stages 2 and 3 (300 points)
Day 5: Assaulter stage 5 / Sniper stages 4 and 5 (400 points)
Day 6: Assaulter stages 6 and 7 / Sniper stage 7 (400 points)
Day 7: Assaulter and sniper stage 8 / Combined assault (300 points)
Day 8: Ruck event (200 points)
Day 9: Obstacle course (200 points)
Day 10: Water event (200 points)
Day 11: No evaluation
Day 12: Closing ceremony
For updates and standings, follow @SOCSOUTH and @FUERZARMADASV on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
“Juntos somos Fuerzas Comando.”
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Friday, August 22, 2025
Trump mobilizing up to 1,700 National Guardsman in 19 states to widen crime and immigration crackdown
Trump mobilizing up to 1,700 National Guardsman in 19 states to widen crime and immigration crackdown
Deployments reportedly set to take place largely in Republican-controlled states
Deployments reportedly set to take place largely in Republican-controlled states
Josh Marcus in San Francisco
Saturday 23 August 2025 02:02 BST
Trump hands out pizzas to National Guard troops as he claims DC now 'a different city'
The Trump administration reportedly plans to mobilize up to 1,700 National Guard troops across 19 states in the coming weeks to support its immigration and anti-crime crackdowns, in a dramatic expansion of the controversial operation that’s seen federal agents and Guard troops carrying out activities across Washington, D.C.
The troops, who will largely be activated across Republican-controlled states, will serve in support of the administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, as well as other law enforcement priorities, according to comment from unnamed Pentagon officials and documents obtained by Fox News.
The Guardsmen assisting ICE will be carrying out tasks that may include “personal data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing and photographing of personnel in ICE custody," an official told outlet.
The deployments will take place across the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming, per Fox.
Texas is reportedly slated to have the largest deployment.
The Trump administration reportedly plans to mobilize up to 1,700 National Guard troops across 19 states in the coming weeks to support its immigration and anti-crime crackdowns, in a dramatic expansion of the controversial operation that’s seen federal agents and Guard troops carrying out activities across Washington, D.C.
The troops, who will largely be activated across Republican-controlled states, will serve in support of the administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, as well as other law enforcement priorities, according to comment from unnamed Pentagon officials and documents obtained by Fox News.
The Guardsmen assisting ICE will be carrying out tasks that may include “personal data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing and photographing of personnel in ICE custody," an official told outlet.
The deployments will take place across the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming, per Fox.
Texas is reportedly slated to have the largest deployment.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Britain is turning into Somalia
GBNews
Aug 13, 2025
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of Infidel, shares her journey from Somalia to the West, exposing the deep cultural divides between Somali clans and Western societies. She discusses the challenges of assimilation, the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the impact of migration on Western values. Ayaan reveals the stark realities of clan loyalty, welfare exploitation, and the growing safety concerns for women in Europe.
Thursday, August 21, 2025
Fr. Richard D’Souza named Director of Vatican Observatory 19 Aug 2025
Communications Office
Interviews
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Richard D’Souza SJ as Director of the Vatican Observatory. Fr. D’Souza, who has been a staff member at the Observatory since 2016, succeeds Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ whose mandate ends in September 2025.
Fr. D’Souza hails from the region of Goa in India. He entered the Society in 1996 and was ordained a priest in 2011. He has a doctorate in astronomy with a particular research focus on the phenomenon of galaxy merging and its effects on the properties of galaxies like the Milky Way.
In this interview, Fr. D’Souza shares his thoughts about his new role and the long tradition of Jesuit presence at the Vatican Observatory.1. The Vatican Observatory has a long and storied history and can be considered as one of the ways the Church demonstrates her support for “true and solid science” (cfr. Pope Leo XIII). How do you see this mission being lived out today?
The main way we can live out this mission is to accomplish the best scientific research possible. Through the scientific teams and projects we take part in, the research papers we publish, the scientific conferences we organize/attend, and the friendships we maintain with our scientific colleagues, we are witnessing the fact that the Church supports “true and solid science.” We have historically limited ourselves to astronomy, but today we are slowly branching out to other allied scientific disciplines, including theoretical physics and meteorology/climate science.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Pope Leo sets Friday as day of prayer and fasting for peace in Ukraine and the Holy Land
Vatican Dispatch
by Gerard O’Connell
August 20, 2025
Pope Leo XIV talks to visitors during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Aug. 20, 2025. Credit: CNS photo/Lola Gomez
Deeply concerned at the ongoing wars and killing in the Holy Land and Ukraine and anxious for peace efforts to succeed, Pope Leo XIV has called on believers worldwide to observe this Friday, Aug. 22, the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of Peace, as a special day of prayer and fasting for peace in the Holy Land, Ukraine and other regions of the world that are “wounded by wars.”
He issued his appeal at the end of his public audience in the Vatican on Wednesday, Aug. 20, as efforts are underway to bring a ceasefire in Gaza and broker a peace accord between Ukraine and Russia.
Addressing thousands of pilgrims from many countries, including the United States, gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, the pope said that “Mary is the Mother of believers here on earth, and is also invoked as Queen of Peace, while our earth continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in many other regions of the world.”
“I invite all the faithful to devote the day of August 22 to fasting and prayer, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to dry the tears of those who suffer as a result of the ongoing armed conflicts. Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path to peace,” the pope said
Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s 'Finding Your Roots' extensive racial research led him to Rome
On this following video Henry Louis Gates Jr. spoke about his recent New York Times essay:
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
July 10 (2025)
On Saturday, my wife, the historian Dr. Marial Iglesias Utset, and I were granted the profound honor of a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican to present him with a copy of his family tree. She and I had worked with an outstanding team of researchers to publish it in The New York Times Sunday Magazine and were deeply grateful for the chance to walk His Holiness through the branches of his family tree, sharing stories of his ancestors back to his 12th great-grandparents who were born some 500 years ago. This was one of the most meaningful and deeply moving moments of our lives.
Copyright Vatican Media @vaticannews
"He's the perfect Pope for...of this moment and ehh...our world of so much cultural diversity because his GENOME is truly cosmopolitan. I use the word Ecumenical in the Greek sense, you know, embracive of the world"...
Pope Leo's diverse family tree includes major pop stars and politicians
August 19, 2025
PBS NewsHour
YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBcc0HgtKvI
-------------------------------
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s post
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
July 10 (2025)
On Saturday, my wife, the historian Dr. Marial Iglesias Utset, and I were granted the profound honor of a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican to present him with a copy of his family tree. She and I had worked with an outstanding team of researchers to publish it in The New York Times Sunday Magazine and were deeply grateful for the chance to walk His Holiness through the branches of his family tree, sharing stories of his ancestors back to his 12th great-grandparents who were born some 500 years ago. This was one of the most meaningful and deeply moving moments of our lives.
Copyright Vatican Media @vaticannews
------------------\/------------------
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
First female archbishop in UK defends lesbian lifestyle: 'Never heard that from God'
By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Monday, August 18, 2025
The Most Rev. Cherry Elizabeth Vann, second from left, was named the 15th Archbishop of Wales in July. She will continue to serve as the bishop of Monmouth and will be enthroned in Newport Cathedral later this year. | Screengrab/ChurchinWales/Instagram
The first female archbishop in the United Kingdom has responded to critics who have condemned her lesbian lifestyle by claiming God never told her not to be gay.
The Most Rev. Cherry Vann, 66, whose election last month as the 15th archbishop of Wales has led some conservatives to warn of apostasy in the Anglican Communion, told Premier Christian News she always believed she was gay and "never heard God say to me, who you are is wrong, who you love is wrong, you are living in sin."
"I have never heard that from God, and that's all I can say," added Vann, who lives with her civil partner, Wendy, and their two dogs.
The first female archbishop in the United Kingdom has responded to critics who have condemned her lesbian lifestyle by claiming God never told her not to be gay.
The Most Rev. Cherry Vann, 66, whose election last month as the 15th archbishop of Wales has led some conservatives to warn of apostasy in the Anglican Communion, told Premier Christian News she always believed she was gay and "never heard God say to me, who you are is wrong, who you love is wrong, you are living in sin."
"I have never heard that from God, and that's all I can say," added Vann, who lives with her civil partner, Wendy, and their two dogs.
Judgments on the Western Roman Empire
What in the World
Aug 19, 2025
“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isa. 58:1).
Introduction
It is not always readily understood that the trumpets fall on the Roman Empire. However, if we review what the figure in Daniel 2, tells us, and if we start our analysis of the trumpets there, it becomes very clear that the trumpets are God’s judgements on the Roman Empire, firstly on the Western Empire, secondly on the Eastern Roman Empire and thirdly on the resurrected Roman Empire.
Daniel 2, tells us that the Roman Empire never disappeared into history, as the other empires did. In fact, the prophecy tells us that the Roman Empire will continue until the end of the world. It continues on in a metamorphosed form as the iron in the kingdom of iron and clay. This is why the correct name for the Catholic Church is the ROMAN Catholic Church because it is ROMAN and the inheritor of all things Roman and the continuation of all things Roman. This Roman heritage in the Catholic Church is something that has been recognized and commented on for hundreds of years:
Introduction
It is not always readily understood that the trumpets fall on the Roman Empire. However, if we review what the figure in Daniel 2, tells us, and if we start our analysis of the trumpets there, it becomes very clear that the trumpets are God’s judgements on the Roman Empire, firstly on the Western Empire, secondly on the Eastern Roman Empire and thirdly on the resurrected Roman Empire.
Daniel 2, tells us that the Roman Empire never disappeared into history, as the other empires did. In fact, the prophecy tells us that the Roman Empire will continue until the end of the world. It continues on in a metamorphosed form as the iron in the kingdom of iron and clay. This is why the correct name for the Catholic Church is the ROMAN Catholic Church because it is ROMAN and the inheritor of all things Roman and the continuation of all things Roman. This Roman heritage in the Catholic Church is something that has been recognized and commented on for hundreds of years:
Whatever Roman elements the barbarians and Arians left … [came] under the protection of the Bishop of Rome, who was the chief person there after the Emperor’s disappearance… The Roman Church in this way privily pushed itself into the place of the Roman World-Empire, of which it is the actual continuation… the Roman empire has not perished, but has only undergone a transformation That is no mere ‘clever remark,’ but the recognition of the true state of the matter historically, and the most appropriate and fruitful way of describing the character of this Church. It still governs the nations… It is a political creation, and as imposing as a World-Empire, because it is the continuation of the Roman Empire. The Pope, who calls himself ‘King’ and ‘Pontifex Maximus,’ is Caesar’s successor. Adolf Harnack, What Is Christianity? (2d ed., New York: Putnam, 1901), pp. 269, 270.
Goodbye to showing your passport...
Goodbye to showing your passport—the TSA launches contactless identification at airports in major US cities
by Laura M.
August 18, 2025
Goodbye to showing your passport—the TSA launches contactless identification at airports in major US cities
TSA is implementing a lot of changes so that our experience going through security checks isn’t so complicated, and now they’ve launched a new Touchless ID system for people who have PreCheck. What does this mean? Well, with facial recognition (yes, they scan your face) you don’t need to show your ID at some airports in the country. And it’s not just a few, Chicago, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco have already joined this change because speed is what matters most to these users. And now it will be even faster, you’ll look at a camera, and in less than a blink the system will recognize your face and off you go! The best part? You don’t even have to stop to talk to anyone.
What is Touchless ID
This new system is called TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, and it’s already working in the main cities of the country. If you already have PreCheck, you just have to activate the option from your airline’s website or app (in the travel documents section), and from there, in compatible airports, all you need is a face scan. They take a photo, compare it to the one they already have in the database (from your passport or real ID), and if everything matches, you pass “the test”.
by Laura M.
August 18, 2025
Goodbye to showing your passport—the TSA launches contactless identification at airports in major US cities
TSA is implementing a lot of changes so that our experience going through security checks isn’t so complicated, and now they’ve launched a new Touchless ID system for people who have PreCheck. What does this mean? Well, with facial recognition (yes, they scan your face) you don’t need to show your ID at some airports in the country. And it’s not just a few, Chicago, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco have already joined this change because speed is what matters most to these users. And now it will be even faster, you’ll look at a camera, and in less than a blink the system will recognize your face and off you go! The best part? You don’t even have to stop to talk to anyone.
What is Touchless ID
This new system is called TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, and it’s already working in the main cities of the country. If you already have PreCheck, you just have to activate the option from your airline’s website or app (in the travel documents section), and from there, in compatible airports, all you need is a face scan. They take a photo, compare it to the one they already have in the database (from your passport or real ID), and if everything matches, you pass “the test”.
Monday, August 18, 2025
Texas Democrat says she's locked inside state Capitol after refusing mandatory DPS escort
By Matthew Davisson
Updated on: August 18, 2025 / 7:52 PM CDT / CBS Texas
Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier from Fort Worth returned to the Texas Capitol on Monday but says she remains locked inside the Capitol because she wouldn't sign a permission slip to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The escorts for all House Democrats who left the state of Texas last month — preventing a vote on a GOP-led redistricting effort — are meant as a guarantee that they will return to the House by 10 a.m. Wednesday for the next special session.
CBS News Texas spoke with Collier via Zoom on Monday, and she said the situation is wrong — just like the new Congressional maps she and other Democrats have tried to block from being passed. She also said that, according to DPS, she must stay in the House chambers or inside her office at the Capitol.
CBS News Texas has reached out to DPS for comment.
Updated on: August 18, 2025 / 7:52 PM CDT / CBS Texas
Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier from Fort Worth returned to the Texas Capitol on Monday but says she remains locked inside the Capitol because she wouldn't sign a permission slip to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The escorts for all House Democrats who left the state of Texas last month — preventing a vote on a GOP-led redistricting effort — are meant as a guarantee that they will return to the House by 10 a.m. Wednesday for the next special session.
CBS News Texas spoke with Collier via Zoom on Monday, and she said the situation is wrong — just like the new Congressional maps she and other Democrats have tried to block from being passed. She also said that, according to DPS, she must stay in the House chambers or inside her office at the Capitol.
CBS News Texas has reached out to DPS for comment.
Cuban-born biotech honcho enters NYC mayoral race seeking to upset Mamdani: ‘I despise socialism’
By
Rich Calder
Published Aug. 16, 2025, 10:31 a.m. ET
He’s the anti-Mamdani.
A Cuban-born biotech entrepreneur decided to make a longshot bid for NYC mayor because he loathes the radical left-wing ideas pushed by socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani — and saw just how dangerous they are in real life, he told The Post.
“I was raised in a socialist communist society, so I am the antithesis of Zohran Mamdani’s ideology,” declared Joseph Hernandez.
“In fact, he’s a motivator for me to fight in this race. I despise socialism. I am a believer in the American dream. I’m a believer in capitalism. It’s not perfect, but it’s lifted more people out of poverty than any other ideology,” he said.
Hernandez dismissed the notion his run for mayor would split votes between those seeking an alternative to the current frontrunner, socialist Zohran MamdaniHernandez for NYC / Facebook
Pope Leo is becoming the climate champion we need
Aug. 17, 2025 at 12:00 pm
Pope Leo XIV leads the Mass for the Care of Creation in Castel Gandolfo, southeast of Rome on July 9, 2025. (YARA NARDI/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS)
By
Mark Gongloff
Syndicated columnist
While the leader of 340 million Americans furiously works to derail climate action, the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics is embracing it.
In May, when Pope Leo XIV succeeded the late Pope Francis, I suggested he could be the kind of climate champion the world needs when President Donald Trump seems determined to turn the U.S. from one of the world’s leading protectors of the environment to one of its worst vandals. So far, Leo has given no reason to doubt he’ll be at least as green as Francis, who was arguably the greenest pope in modern history.
Italy’s government recently approved a 2024 proposal by Francis to build a solar array in a field north of Rome that will generate enough power to provide “the complete energy sustenance of Vatican City State,” as Francis put it. Leo championed the plan just weeks after succeeding Francis, calling it an example for the world. “We all know the effects of climate change, and it is necessary to truly care for the whole world, for all of creation,” Leo told Italian state TV at the site in June.
The solar array, which still needs Italian parliamentary approval, will put the Vatican among the handful of countries generating all their power from renewable energy. Of course, at 0.17 square miles, the Vatican will be the tiniest of that tiny group.
But a little symbolism in this case could go a long way. Trappings like solar panels on the Vatican roof and an all-electric Popemobile aren’t just green window dressing. They manifest a worldview expounded by Francis in his 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’, which condemned humanity’s degradation of the environment for short-term financial gain.
Saturday, August 16, 2025
The Illustrated Great Controversy
The Illustrated Great Controversy
Lineage Journey
Jul 1, 2025
Feeling overwhelmed by the chaos in the world or fearful about the future? The Great Controversy offers hope and clarity in uncertain times. This beautifully illustrated book follows the powerful story of the Protestant Reformation—from Wycliffe to the Waldenses and beyond—revealing how God has guided His people through some of the darkest chapters in history.
Feeling overwhelmed by the chaos in the world or fearful about the future? The Great Controversy offers hope and clarity in uncertain times. This beautifully illustrated book follows the powerful story of the Protestant Reformation—from Wycliffe to the Waldenses and beyond—revealing how God has guided His people through some of the darkest chapters in history.
Within its pages, you’ll discover stories of courage, peace in the midst of turmoil, and faith that triumphed over oppression. Each chapter connects lessons from the past to the challenges of today, unveiling insights that prepare you for what’s still to come. You’ll find practical, inspiring principles to help you stay faithful to Christ, even in a world increasingly filled with confusion, sorrow, and suffering.
The journey ends with the ultimate promise: a new world, restored and made right by God. You won’t want to miss where the story is headed—because it’s just getting started.
This edition includes thought-provoking discussion questions and interactive QR codes linking to articles, videos, historical content, and more to deepen your experience.
Home Churches: Always Part of God’s Plan
Profit From Prophets
Home churches have always been part of God’s plan, just like in the days of the early Christians in the book of Acts. In times of religious persecution, when large church gatherings were dangerous, believers gathered in homes to worship, pray, and serve, keeping the gospel alive and spreading the truth despite opposition.
Join Marko Kolic of Profit from Prophets as he shares biblical truths, historical examples, and Ellen White’s counsel that inspire lay believers to embrace home worship. Discover why the New Testament home church model is still relevant today, why even Conference leadership acknowledges the importance of home churches, and how the final gospel work will be carried forward from humble homes. No believer should be labeled apostate or divisive for answering God’s call to meet there.
📖 Watch now and be inspired to answer God’s call. 🔔 Subscribe to Profit from Prophets for more Bible truth and prophecy made clear: [Your Channel Link]
This message covers home churches, house churches, early Christians in the book of Acts, the New Testament church model, Ellen White’s counsel on home worship, and staying faithful in times of religious persecution.
Friday, August 15, 2025
Footsteps of Faith: Out of the ashes. Into the promise.
Footsteps of Faith: Out of the ashes. Into the promise.
Elijah's Loud Cry
Series streaming over 3 sessions. 1. Fellowship of Suffering: Our Journey of Faith & Surrender (Our family's testimony from the past 5 years); 2. Is Judas Among us? Tyranny in Silence (Judas the betrayer, is he among us today and does it lead to tyranny?) ; 3. Ancient Cures (Biblical cures for our health crises); 4. The Final Reckoning: When the Dust Settles (When the world and the church seems in turmoil we are all wondering when is it all going to be over and how is it going to play out); 5. Distinguishing the Counterfeit Cures (Recognize Biblical Vs counterfeit spiritualistic health practices)
Thursday, August 14, 2025
Florida woman accused of posing as a nurse, treating 4,400 hospital patients without a license
WUSF | By Rick Mayer
Published August 8, 2025 at 12:46 AM EDT
Flagler County Sheriff's Office
On Aug. 5, 2025, Flagler County sheriff's detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Autum Bardisa on seven counts of practicing a health care profession without a license and seven counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information. The sheriff's office fugitive unit located Bardisa at her Palm Coast residence and arrested her, Sheriff Rick Staley said.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says Autumn Bardisa, 29, used another nurse’s credentials to work for AdventHealth in Palm Coast for months before the hospital uncovered the scheme.
A Flagler County woman was arrested this week after investigators said she posed as a registered nurse and treated more than 4,400 patients at a hospital despite having no nursing license.
Autumn Bardisa, 29, of Palm Coast, was taken into custody Monday on seven counts of practicing a health care profession without a license and seven counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information. She is being held on $70,000 bail.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says Autumn Bardisa, 29, used another nurse’s credentials to work for AdventHealth in Palm Coast for months before the hospital uncovered the scheme.
A Flagler County woman was arrested this week after investigators said she posed as a registered nurse and treated more than 4,400 patients at a hospital despite having no nursing license.
Autumn Bardisa, 29, of Palm Coast, was taken into custody Monday on seven counts of practicing a health care profession without a license and seven counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information. She is being held on $70,000 bail.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Conscience & Justice Council Speaker Promotes Social Justice for LGBTQ
August 10, 2025 NewsHound
The Conscience & Justice Council formed around 7 years ago. It is a collection of SDA individuals, (mostly PARL directors) who share an interest in progressive social and cultural issues. Under the guise of promoting religious liberty they often promote social justice causes. Based on the provided reference, the organization was active in 2018, as evidenced by their convention held from September 13-16, 2018, in Houston, Texas.
This presentation on LGBTQ+ by Olive Hemmings is from the 2023 Conscience and Justice convention which took place on September 28-30 at the North American Division.
Hemmings says, near the end of her presentation:
(1:14:42) “They face challenges in the world because their gender does not match their orientation. Put yourself in somebody else's shoe just for a little minute. That's what we're asking (Matthew 7:12). We're not asking you to agree with anybody's lifestyle. Don't bother with the texts, they already read all those Bible texts. They have already read that. That does not solve the problem that they really have. Because the problem is a problem of their being. It's not a Biblical problem they have.”
Au contraire. Moral failure is defined by the Word of God, and when we violate God’s moral standards and creational distinctions, we invite many consequences into our life. LGBTQ+ is most definitely a “biblical problem.” And fortunately, the Bible has the solution to moral failure and axiological rebellion against His creational distinctions. There is hope, through repentance and cleansing.
As we have written before, 95-99% of PARL directors in Adventism are polilibs (even ones from Australia). Funny how that happens. Surely some sort of neutrality is preferable? You would think that the PARL environ might mirror the American culture and be a blend (conservatism and leftism). But, no, not in the last three or four decades. It’s all left. And they are the biblical authority, according to themselves.
Questions
Are these PARL individuals hired because they are left-leaning, or does the position move them left? Does the Adventist ethos just plain tilt politically left? Did our founders anticipate and promote this tilt? Since most cultural left issues run counter to the Bible, it doesn’t follow that our founders would have that tilt (abortion, LGBTQ+, DEI, CRT etc..). How does it happen?
Discuss!
****
Mexico expels 26 cartel figures wanted by US authorities in deal with Trump administration
By Associated Press
The letters "CJNG" for the group's formal ...
WASHINGTONAP —
Mexico has expelled 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States in the latest major deal with the Trump administration as American authorities ratchet up pressure on criminal networks sending drugs across the border, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The cartel leaders and other prominent figures were being flown from Mexico to the US on Tuesday, the person said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the operation that was still ongoing.
Those being handed over to US custody include Abigael González Valencia, a leader of “Los Cuinis,” a group closely aligned with notorious cartel Jalisco New Generation or CJNG. Another person, Roberto Salazar, is accused of participating in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, the person said.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and Security ministry confirmed the transfers, which were carried out after a promise from the US Justice Department that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty in any of the cases.
It’s the second time in months Mexico has expelled cartel figures accused of narcotics smuggling, murder and other crimes amid mounting pressure from the Trump administration to curb the flow of drugs across the border. In February, Mexico handed over to American authorities 29 cartel figures, including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a US DEA agent in 1985.
WASHINGTONAP —
Mexico has expelled 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States in the latest major deal with the Trump administration as American authorities ratchet up pressure on criminal networks sending drugs across the border, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The cartel leaders and other prominent figures were being flown from Mexico to the US on Tuesday, the person said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the operation that was still ongoing.
Those being handed over to US custody include Abigael González Valencia, a leader of “Los Cuinis,” a group closely aligned with notorious cartel Jalisco New Generation or CJNG. Another person, Roberto Salazar, is accused of participating in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, the person said.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and Security ministry confirmed the transfers, which were carried out after a promise from the US Justice Department that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty in any of the cases.
It’s the second time in months Mexico has expelled cartel figures accused of narcotics smuggling, murder and other crimes amid mounting pressure from the Trump administration to curb the flow of drugs across the border. In February, Mexico handed over to American authorities 29 cartel figures, including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a US DEA agent in 1985.
Those transfers came days before 25% tariffs on Mexican imports were to take effect. Late last month, President Donald Trump spoke with Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum and agreed to put off threatened 30% tariffs for another 90 days to allow for negotiations.
Sheinbaum has shown a willingness to cooperate more on security than her predecessor, specifically being more aggressive in pursuit of Mexico’s cartels. But she has drawn a clear line when it comes to Mexico’s sovereignty, rejecting suggestions by Trump and others of intervention by the US military.
The Trump administration made dismantling dangerous drug cartels a key priority, designating CJNG and seven other Latin American organized crime groups foreign terrorist organizations.
Abigael González Valencia is the brother-in-law of CJNG leader Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, a top target of the the US government. He was arrested in February 2015 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco and had been fighting extradition to the United States since then.
Alongside his two brothers, he led “Los Cuinis,” which financed the the founding and growth of the CJNG, one of the most powerful and dangerous cartels in Mexico. CJNG traffics hundreds of tons of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States and other countries and is known for extreme violence, murders, torture, and corruption.
One of his brothers, José González Valencia, was sentenced in Washington’s federal court in June to 30 years in a US prison after pleading guilty to international cocaine trafficking. Jose González Valencia was arrested in 2017 under the first Trump administration at a beach resort in Brazil while vacationing with his family under a fake name.
Source
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Monday, August 11, 2025
Sunday, August 10, 2025
Saturday, August 09, 2025
Zohran Mamdani’s Democratic Socialists of America comrades push ‘abolition’ of traditional family
By Rich Calder
Published Aug. 9, 2025, 8:50 a.m. ET
Zohran Mamdani’s twisted comrades at the Democratic Socialists of America pushed for the “abolition” of the traditional family at their annual conference, called marriage and sex work “two sides of the same coin” and proclaimed abortions should be done in churches.
Panelists at the “Socialism 2025” conference last month in Chicago did victory laps over Mamdani’s June win in the Democratic primary for NYC mayor, repeatedly touting his lefty agenda over the four-day commie-fest, video of the event shows.
Speakers at “The Left and the Family” seminar ignored the Uganda-born Mamdani’s ultra-privileged upbringing by his Hollywood-director mom and radical Columbia University dad, all while parroting central tenets of Marxist ideology to the audience — that the nuclear family is inherently repressive, racist, sexist and promotes capitalism.
Zohran Mamdani’s comrades rallied for an end of the traditional family at an annual conference — with twisted members of the Democratic Socialists of America calling marriage and sex work “two sides of the same coin.”William C Lopez/New York Post
“In addition to the abolition of family policing [government-run child protective services], we argue for abolition of the family in general and say that the institution of the family acts as part of the carceral system in that it reinforces children as property,” said panelist Olivia Katbi, co-chair of the DSA in Portland, Ore.
Eman Abdelhadi, another panelist who is also an assistant professor at University of Chicago’s Department of Comparative Human Development, said many fellow lefties are “surprised at how few people are ready for revolt.”
Friday, August 08, 2025
Thursday, August 07, 2025
Wednesday, August 06, 2025
The Apostle Peter in Rome
Jesus’ chief disciple examined
Nicola Denzey Lewis May 13, 2025
In this blog post, Brown University Religious Studies professor Nicola Denzey Lewis answers frequently asked questions about the apostle Peter. Denzey Lewis appears in the CNN series Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery, which aims to investigate artifacts that shed light on the world in which Jesus lived.—Ed.
What traditions connect the apostle Peter to Rome?
The Repentant St. Peter by El Greco. Photo: The Phillips Collection.
Jesus’ chief disciple, Peter (also called Simon Peter or Cephas), has been associated with Rome for nearly 2,000 years. The earliest testimony to the apostle Peter’s presence in Rome is a letter from a Christian deacon named Gaius. Writing probably toward the end of the second century C.E.—so, around 170 or 180 C.E.—Gaius tells about the wondrous things in Rome, including something called a tropaion (see below for more) where Peter established a church—in fact, the Church, the Roman Catholic church at the site where St. Peter’s Basilica is today. But there are other traditions besides Peter’s tropaion.
One early Christian text, the Apocryphal Acts of Peter, recounts many things that Peter did in the city. At one point in Acts of Peter, Peter is taunted by a flamboyant heretic, Simon Magus. Simon challenges Peter to a flying contest around the Roman Forum, but Peter’s prayers make Simon crash to the ground, proving that Simon’s powers are not as great as his own.
At the end of this text, Peter, not wishing to be martyred for his faith, flees from Roman authorities on the Via Appia leading out of the city. Rather unexpectedly, Peter meets Jesus, who is traveling in the opposite direction. He asks Jesus, “Where are you going?” Jesus tells Peter that he is going to Rome “to be crucified again.” Peter realizes, from this, that he cannot flee from his fate.
“Where are you going?” in Latin is “Quo Vadis?” and there’s a medieval church in Rome called the Church of Quo Vadis at the spot where Peter met Jesus. To prove that his vision was real, you can still see there a bit of marble pavement which the faithful say miraculously preserve Jesus’ footprints.
Is it likely that the apostle Peter went to Rome and founded the church there?
Interestingly, the Bible says nothing about Peter ever traveling to Rome.
When the gospels end, Peter is in Jerusalem. It’s the same in the Book of Acts. The apostle Paul, in his letters, also talks about meeting Peter in the eastern Mediterranean. After Jesus’ death, Paul says that Jesus’ brother, James, and Peter are the co-leaders of the “church,” or assembly, of Jesus-followers in Jerusalem.
In short, there is no early textual evidence for Peter in Rome, so for some people, it’s very hard to believe that he ever traveled there. Not only is it a very long way, according to the New Testament, Peter was a fisherman who was not very educated and who spoke only Aramaic; he was not the type of person that might travel widely across the Roman Empire to a large city where Latin and Greek were the dominant languages.
The absence of connection between Peter and Rome in the New Testament, the lack of references to him in our earliest Roman Christian literature, and what we know of Peter’s background and character all combine to make it unlikely, to my mind, that he ever went to Rome.
Tuesday, August 05, 2025
Monday, August 04, 2025
Pope Leo exhorts crowd of million Catholic youth to spread their faith |...
ANC 24/7
Aug 4, 2025
Pope Leo celebrated the largest event yet of his nearly three-month tenure on Sunday (August 3), encouraging a crowd of more than a million Catholic young people gathered in a field on the outskirts of Rome to spread their faith. Amid shouts of "Viva il Papa" (Long live the Pope) from young people dressed in colourful t-shirts at the Tor Vergata field, Leo led a Mass that capped a special week of events meant to energize Catholic youth -- marked by faith, flags and Chicago's deep-dish pizza.
Sunday, August 03, 2025
Saturday, August 02, 2025
The Eucharist and 100 Priests Come to Trump's Mar-a-Lago
The Eucharist and 100 Priests Come to Trump's Mar-a-Lago
U.S. Grace Force
Mar 26, 2025
The recent Catholics for Catholics event at President Trump's home Mar-a-Lago on March 19th, was not only powerful, but it was also historic in these times! Fr. Heilman and Doug were both fortunate to attend with Fr Heilman speaking at the event. John Yep, CEO of Catholics for Catholics, sits down and talks about this powerful night and truly why it is so important and powerful for our country and our faith.
The 144, 000 and the Great Multitude
The 144, 000 and the Great Multitude
Chapter 11
What in the World
Aug 01, 2025
Introduction
“Who shall be able to stand” (Rev. 6:17).
The account of the seal seals is interrupted by a parenthesis between the sixth and seventh seals. The parenthesis occurs because at the end of the sixth seal a question is asked:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev. 6:17.
The account of the seven seals pauses here, because Jesus wants to give us the answer to the question. And the answer is, those who are sealed; the 144,000 and the great multitude will ‘stand’ at the second coming of Jesus.
Literal or Spiritual?
When Jesus carried out His ministry on earth, His preferred method of instruction was to speak spiritually (see Matt. 13:3, 10, 34; Jn. 2:18-21; 10:24; 16:25, 29). Jesus continued to speak spiritually when he gave the contents of the Book of Revelation to John. John was given visions that were ‘signified’ (sent by signs, see Rev. 1:1). And it is obvious to most readers that Revelation is a symbolic/spiritual presentation of Last Day events. Therefore, according to this cursory analysis, it is probable that a spiritual interpretation of the number is correct. Nevertheless, there are many who prefer a literal understanding of the number. The enthusiasm for the literal interpretation relies almost exclusively on a statement found in the book Early Writings (see the appendix below).
The Visionary Methodology
John does not actually see a literal 144,000. He only hears the number.
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Rev. 7:4.
The reason why John only hears the number is because this is consistent with the methodology of the visions. John almost always hears first, before he sees. Towards the end of the book John tells us how the visions were given to him:
And I John saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen… (Rev. 21:8).
There are many examples in the book of this methodology, when John first hears before he sees:
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet… Rev. 1:10.
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me… Rev. 4:1.
…and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God… Rev. 9:13.
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. Rev. 9:16.
This last example is compelling, because it is an exact replication of the method when John ‘heard’ the number 144,000. John does not see the army of horsemen first, he hears the number – it is only after he hears the number that he then looks, and he sees the army:
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them… Rev. 9:17.
The account of the seal seals is interrupted by a parenthesis between the sixth and seventh seals. The parenthesis occurs because at the end of the sixth seal a question is asked:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Rev. 6:17.
The account of the seven seals pauses here, because Jesus wants to give us the answer to the question. And the answer is, those who are sealed; the 144,000 and the great multitude will ‘stand’ at the second coming of Jesus.
Literal or Spiritual?
When Jesus carried out His ministry on earth, His preferred method of instruction was to speak spiritually (see Matt. 13:3, 10, 34; Jn. 2:18-21; 10:24; 16:25, 29). Jesus continued to speak spiritually when he gave the contents of the Book of Revelation to John. John was given visions that were ‘signified’ (sent by signs, see Rev. 1:1). And it is obvious to most readers that Revelation is a symbolic/spiritual presentation of Last Day events. Therefore, according to this cursory analysis, it is probable that a spiritual interpretation of the number is correct. Nevertheless, there are many who prefer a literal understanding of the number. The enthusiasm for the literal interpretation relies almost exclusively on a statement found in the book Early Writings (see the appendix below).
The Visionary Methodology
John does not actually see a literal 144,000. He only hears the number.
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Rev. 7:4.
The reason why John only hears the number is because this is consistent with the methodology of the visions. John almost always hears first, before he sees. Towards the end of the book John tells us how the visions were given to him:
And I John saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen… (Rev. 21:8).
There are many examples in the book of this methodology, when John first hears before he sees:
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet… Rev. 1:10.
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me… Rev. 4:1.
…and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God… Rev. 9:13.
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. Rev. 9:16.
This last example is compelling, because it is an exact replication of the method when John ‘heard’ the number 144,000. John does not see the army of horsemen first, he hears the number – it is only after he hears the number that he then looks, and he sees the army:
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them… Rev. 9:17.
Friday, August 01, 2025
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