Republicans are moving closer to doing something that, in modern American politics, simply isn’t done: holding a national convention in the middle of a midterm election year. At its winter meeting on Friday, the Republican National Committee <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/23/republicans-take-steps-towards-midterm-convention-00744673">approved</a> a rule change that would explicitly authorize the party to hold a “special ceremonial convention” between presidential cycles — clearing the procedural path for a midterm convention later this year.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters framed the move as preparation rather than a final commitment, but his enthusiasm was unmistakable. He said the party is eager to showcase what President Donald Trump and Republicans have accomplished and wants to be ready if Trump gives the green light. The amendment passed without objection, though the timing was notable: many RNC members had already departed to beat winter storms when the vote occurred.
The rule change formalizes what Trump first floated publicly in September, when he announced that Republicans would hold a “Midterm Convention.” The motivation is clear. A midterm convention would give Republicans a nationally televised platform to tout administration victories, sharpen contrasts with Democrats, energize the base, and elevate candidates in battleground congressional races as the party fights to retain control of Congress.
In the modern era, national conventions have been reserved for presidential election years, but the concept itself is not unprecedented. Democrats experimented with midterm-year conventions in the 1970s and are now quietly revisiting the idea. During recent Democratic National Committee meetings in Los Angeles, officials from states like Nebraska and Utah expressed interest in hosting a potential midterm gathering of their own.
Historically, conventions have evolved alongside American politics. The first national political convention was held in 1831 by the Anti-Masonic Party. Democrats followed a year later, and the Whigs — the Republican Party’s ideological predecessor — held their own in 1839. Republicans convened for the first time in 1856. While the two major parties have never skipped their four-year convention rhythm, smaller parties often met irregularly, adapting to political circumstances.
Trump has argued that a midterm convention makes sense in a moment of perceived momentum. In an August 2025 Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115106822268468130">post</a>, he pointed to fundraising advantages, electoral success, and policy wins as justification for breaking tradition. Holding a convention every two years, proponents argue, could boost fundraising and allow parties to recalibrate their message in real time.
Details remain unresolved. Republicans have yet to announce a location or date, though Nevada GOP leaders are pushing for Las Vegas. What is clear is that the GOP is laying the groundwork for a political spectacle designed to keep the spotlight — and the narrative — firmly in Republican hands.

Donald Trump at Republican National Convention in Milwaukee

GOP Clears Way For Midterm Convention — A Break With Modern Political Tradition

2026 elections

Donald Trump

Elections

Politics

Republican National Convention

After months of criticism from former CBS News staffers and other leftists over her push for even-handed journalism, new Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss appears vindicated: CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil pulled in 6.4 million viewers on January 19, its biggest audience since 2021.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
RATINGS: <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSEveningNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CBSEveningNews</a> with Tony Dokoupil delivers 6.4 million total viewers on Jan. 19 &#8211; its largest audience for the broadcast since 2021. The CBS News flagship evening broadcast also averaged 803K in the key adults 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel…
— CBS News PR (@CBSNewsPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNewsPress/status/2014478489613738286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The first flashpoint came when Weiss spiked an investigative segment by Sharyn Alfonsi titled &#8220;Inside CECOT,&#8221; which focused on a notorious prison in El Salvador. Weiss said the segment lacked sufficient context and did not include a response from the Trump administration. The backlash later escalated when roughly 200 former CBS staffers and industry figures signed an <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/29/media/cbs-news-journalists-to-urge-david-ellison-to-protect-independence-after-bari-weiss-pulled-60-minutes-report-on-salvadoran-prison/">open letter</a> to Paramount CEO David Ellison, expressing &#8220;deep reservations&#8221; about Weiss&#8217;s leadership and urging him to protect the network&#8217;s &#8220;crown jewel&#8221; from what they called her &#8220;clumsy editorial interference.&#8221;
Weiss later drew criticism after reportedly sending a memo to staff asking for a detailed account of their weekly working hours, signaling a shift toward stricter newsroom expectations.
When she was hired, former CBS News anchor Dan Rather <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/dan-rather-bari-weiss-skydance-paramount-merger-statement/">stated,</a> “It is also hard to believe Weiss will be an equitable steward of the storied news division &#8230;”
The usual suspects have declared war on Weiss for refusing to continue CBS News&#8217;s slavish devotion to leftist perspectives. Even David Letterman called the media outlet a &#8220;wreck,&#8221; saying its integrity had been &#8220;eviscerated by these idiots that have taken it over.&#8221;
The Guardian<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jan/05/bari-weiss-cbs-news?utm_source=chatgpt.com"> reported</a> earlier this month, “ &#8230; her three months as editor in chief have been more chaotic than even many of her critics expected. ‘There is blood in the water,’ said one CBS News journalist.”
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/business/media/cbs-evening-news-bari-weiss.html">chimed in</a>, “Her reimagining of CBS News has faced heavy scrutiny, and even became a punchline on her own network: At Sunday’s Golden Globes, broadcast by CBS, the host, Nikki Glaser, earned one of her biggest laughs when she declared that CBS News was ‘America’s newest place to see BS news.’”

Bari Weiss

Ratings Don’t Lie: Bari Weiss Scores A Major Win At CBS News

CBS Evening News

Legacy Media

Media

Ratings

U.S.

President Donald Trump on Thursday night rescinded his invitation to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to join his Gaza &#8220;Board of Peace.&#8221;
Trump wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115941901312153410">Truth Social</a>, “Dear Prime Minister Carney: Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time.”
Trump’s reversal followed Carney’s speech on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, where he argued that the post–World War II U.S.-led “rules-based international order” is in rupture, not merely in transition, due to rising great-power rivalries and coercive economic policies.
Carney had <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/11620877/carney-davos-wef-speech-transcript/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">stated</a>:
<blockquote>
It seems that every day we’re reminded that we live in an era of great power rivalry — that the rules-based order is fading, that the strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must.
For decades, countries like Canada prospered under what we called the rules-based international order. We joined its institutions, we praised its principles, we benefited from its predictability. And because of that, we could pursue values-based foreign policies under its protection. 
We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically, and we knew that international law applied with varied rigor, depending on the identity of the accused or the victim.
This fiction was useful, and American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security and support for frameworks for resolving disputes&#8230;.
This bargain no longer works.
Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. 
The question for middle powers like Canada is not whether to adapt to the new reality — we must. &#8230;What does it mean for middle powers to live the truth? First, it means naming reality. Stop invoking rules-based international order as though it still functions as advertised. Call it what it is: a system of intensifying great power rivalry where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion.
&#8230;We know the old order is not coming back. We shouldn’t mourn it. &#8230;
</blockquote>
Trump fired back at Carney, declaring, “Canada — look, Canada gets a lot of freebies from us. They should be grateful. I watched your prime minister yesterday — he wasn’t so grateful. But they should be grateful to us. Canada lives because of the United States — remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”

MixCollage-23-Jan-2026-07-46-AM-2915

Trump Uninvites Canada From His Gaza ‘Board Of Peace’ After Davos Drama

Trump Uninvites Canada To Join His Gaza 'Board Of Peace' After Davos Drama

Davos

Mark Carney

World Economic Forum

Argentinian President Javier Milei, speaking at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, invoked the Bible to inspire his audience to return to the values that made the West great.
“I am here before you to state categorically that Machiavelli has been dead for years,” Milei began. “Our thinking has been distorted by a false dilemma in the design of public policy, one that claims we must choose between political efficiency and respect for the ethical and moral values of the West.”
“As Professor Jesús Huerta de Soto explains in his work on dynamic efficiency, from this perspective, efficiency is not compatible with multiple schemes of equity or justice; rather, it arises exclusively from one: respect for private property and the entrepreneurial function,” he stated. “Therefore, the opposition between efficiency and justice is false and mistaken. What is just cannot be inefficient, and what is efficient cannot be unjust. From the standpoint of dynamic analysis, justice and efficiency are two sides of the same coin.”
Referring to the economist Murray Rothbard, who established the connection between the dynamic conception of economic efficiency and ethics, Milei declared, “Only the ethical principles underlying Western culture can serve as a criterion of efficiency when making public policy decisions. Put bluntly, when designing public policy, it is ethically and morally inadmissible to sacrifice justice on the altar of efficiency. This commitment to values stands above economic efficiency and far above political utilitarianism. When ethical and moral values are abandoned, policies become not only unjust, but also lead to collapse — not only economic collapse, but social collapse as well, to the point of threatening Western civilization itself.”
“We must never forget Thomas Sowell’s words about socialism: it sounds wonderful, but the catch is that it always ends badly — horribly badly,” he warned. “Beyond the repeated disasters of socialism in the twentieth century, we see today the aberrant damage caused in Venezuela — not only an 80% collapse in GDP, but worse still, the establishment of a bloody narco-dictatorship whose terrorist tentacles spread throughout the American continent.”
“Today more than ever, faced with the ethical and moral degradation of the West resulting from the embrace of a new socialist agenda, it is necessary to reclaim and assert the ideas of liberty. However, unlike past approaches based on utilitarianism, the defense of free-enterprise capitalism must today be grounded in its ethical and moral virtue,” he asserted. “If we want to emerge from our dark present, we must return to Greek philosophy, embrace Roman law, and restore Judeo-Christian values — the foundations that can save the West.”
“Many human conflicts arise from a failed relationship between natural law and positive law,” he continued. “Natural law governs human beings because it aligns with their nature and is therefore universally just. It is common to all humanity, intrinsic, immutable, and unchangeable. Positive law, by contrast, is written by humans for their convenience. When positive law aligns with natural law, there is justice; otherwise, it may be legal, but not legitimate. Private property ensures maximal productive effort. Protecting physical integrity rather than value ensures continual productive improvement. Any deviation reduces productive effort.”
“Regulation kills increasing returns and thus kills growth,” he stated. “This logic applies equally to artificial intelligence, which is the 21st-century equivalent of Adam Smith’s pin factory. States should stop harassing those building a better world. Dystopian fears are nonsense. Market size and real resources limit expansion. Human capital remains vital.&#8221;
“Public policy must be guided by ethics, not utilitarianism, which always leads to injustice, populism, and poverty. Machiavelli is dead. It is time to bury him,” he said. “Free markets make us better people. They allow us to prosper, defend property, preserve peace, achieve social harmony, and strengthen the virtues essential to a prosperous society.”
Then he turned to the Bible:
<blockquote>I will close with a reflection from this week’s Torah portion. The parasha Bo describes the moment when Moses confronts Pharaoh, the symbol of the oppressive power of the state, to warn him that if he did not free the Hebrew people, the last three plagues would fall upon Egypt. When the Pharaoh refused, the plague of locusts arrived, which signifies famine. Then came the plague of darkness, which means the loss of clarity for decision-making. Finally, the plague of death of the first-born, which reveals the fate of a society that denies freedom. The analogy with what is happening today in the West is extremely clear.
The West turned its back on liberty, embraced socialism in its most hypocritical form — wokeism — and put itself in danger.
But 2026 brings good news. The world is awakening. America is experiencing a rebirth of liberty and will once again be the beacon that reignites the West.
We have a better future — if we return to the roots of the West: the ideas of liberty.
May God bless the West. 
May the forces of heaven be with us. 
Long live liberty.
</blockquote>

SWITZERLAND-POLITICS-ECONOMY-DIPLOMACY

Milei Quotes The Bible At Davos: Liberty, Faith, And The Moral Case For Capitalism

Argentina

Bible

Global Politics

Javier Milei

World

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff appeared at Davos on Thursday as President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace was formally unveiled at the World Economic Forum, where Kushner and Witkoff discussed future plans for Gaza.
The remarks by U.S. officials framed the Gaza agreement not simply as a ceasefire, but as the opening phase of an ambitious attempt to fundamentally reshape Gaza’s future. While Rubio emphasized President Trump’s role in breaking what many viewed as an intractable conflict, Kushner and Witkoff focused on security, governance, and economic transformation as the pillars of a postwar Gaza.
Witkoff described the Gaza deal as something “the world thought was impossible and unattainable,” recalling that when President Trump tasked him and Kushner with the effort, the directive was simple: “We had to try.” He emphasized that the outcome went beyond the return of hostages, saying, “We have achieved a peace deal in Gaza. We have brought the hostages home. All of the bodies, except for one, and we will bring that body home, too.”
But Witkoff stressed that the most consequential achievement was intangible: “Maybe most importantly, we have created a sense of hope for what the future can bring.” Kushner then outlined what comes after hope — implementation. Reflecting on the moment the deal was finalized, he said, “It was just over 100 days ago that we got the final deal done, and everyone was celebrating and joyous about the hostages coming home and the end to this long war that nobody thought was possible.” But he admitted that celebration quickly gave way to urgency: “Steve and I were panicking, saying, ‘What do we do next? How do you implement peace?’”
Economically, Kushner laid out a sharp break from Gaza’s historical dependence on aid. “Eighty-five percent of the GDP of Gaza has been aid for a long time,” he said. “That’s not sustainable. It doesn’t give these people dignity. It doesn’t give them hope.” Instead, the plan is to apply “free market economy principles” and bring private investment, jobs, and opportunity. “We want to bring the same mindset, the same approach, to a place like Gaza to give these people the ability to thrive and have a good life,” he explained.
“Hamas&#8217;s mission statement was: ‘We need to destroy the state of Israel,'&#8221; Kushner stated. “That has not worked well for the people, as we&#8217;ve seen. &#8230; But without security, nobody&#8217;s going to make investments, nobody&#8217;s going to come build there. We need investments in order to start giving jobs. &#8230; There&#8217;s a master plan. We&#8217;ll be doing it in phasing. In the Middle East, they build cities like this in three years. &#8230; We&#8217;ve already started removing the rubble and doing some of the demolition. And then New Gaza. It could be a hope. Could be a destination, have a lot of industry, and really be a place that the people there can thrive, [and] have great employment. Once this starts going, we think there should be 100% full employment and opportunity for everybody.”
Together, Witkoff and Kushner framed Gaza’s future as a test case for the implementation of peace itself — one that hinges not on speeches or resolutions, but on demilitarization, investment, and the belief that even the most entrenched conflicts can be solved.

Day Three Of World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026

‘New Gaza’: Trump’s Board Of Peace Unveils Ambitious Postwar Vision At Davos

Gaza

Jared Kushner

Steve Witkoff

Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith, whose blunt declarative side has manifested in criticism of political figures, blasted California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom for criticizing President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland.
Newsom sharply criticized Trump, dismissing Trump’s address as “boring,” “insignificant,” and largely empty rhetoric, particularly on Greenland. He argued the United States was operating under the “rule of Don” rather than the rule of law, claiming democratic norms had eroded. Newsom urged global leaders to stop being “complicit,” mocking their deference as “pathetic.” He also attacked Trump’s tariffs as harmful, criticized weakened institutional pushback, and positioned California as a counterweight on climate and clean energy policy.
“Gavin Newsom, respectfully, what are you doing?” Smith asked rhetorically. “You’re the governor of the state of California in the United States of America. Why are you over in Davos, Switzerland, talking to folks and speaking negatively about the president of the United States?”
“I have no problem with Gavin Newsom being candid and open about his feelings about our president on United States soil,” he continued. “To go over to another country, Switzerland; to go over there and to be in the presence of other European leaders speaking against the president of the United States, I’m not down with that. Y’all might be; I’m not down with that — at all.”
“Say whatever you want here, as a governor from the opposite of the aisle of a state in the United States on American soil, fine,” he declared. “But I’m one of those people, when we go somewhere else, it’s America first. Our problems are our problems. But we ain’t taking dirty laundry outside. &#8230; You don’t go on a world stage to disrespect your own house, which is the United States of America. I don’t like that at all, not even a little bit.”
“Now, I know that sounds juvenile,” he said. “I get that. Very simplistic in the eyes of a lot of people, but some things are worthy of being simple. I understand you trolling Trump. I understand that you&#8217;re aiming to run for the presidency in 2028. But we got problems here in the United States. And don&#8217;t tell me they don&#8217;t exist in California. But specifically when it pertains to sanctuary city, sanctuary state, border issues, safety in the streets, and I&#8217;ll be damned if affordability ain&#8217;t at the top of the list in the state of California. It&#8217;s expensive as hell. And a lot of it has happened on Gavin Newsom&#8217;s watch.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bJafpp0HsDM?si=fLrwMf2OWKw8VjqQ&amp;start=562" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith Unloads On Newsom: Don’t Trash America On A World Stage

Gavin Newsom

After Spain, France, and Italy blocked a move to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, Dutch member of the European Parliament Bart Groothuis blasted the decision.
The IRGC acts as the &#8220;praetorian guard&#8221; for the Supreme Leader of Iran, tasked with ensuring the regime&#8217;s survival by crushing any internal opposition. Reports indicate that IRGC and Basij forces used live fire against peaceful demonstrators and even raided hospitals to arrest injured protesters. Estimates range from 5,000 to more than 15,000 deaths in January. The IRGC <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/14/iran-detainees-ill-treated-and-disappeared-after-israeli-evin-prison-attack">controls</a> its own intelligence apparatus and secret detention centers (such as Ward 2A of Evin Prison), where dissidents, journalists, and dual nationals are subjected to physical and psychological torture, forced confessions, and summary executions. Through its Quds Force, the IRGC operates as the world&#8217;s most active state sponsor of terrorism, conducting operations on nearly every continent.
Germany and the Baltic states are among the countries <a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/01/14/pressure-mounts-on-eu-to-list-irans-revolutionary-guards-as-terror-organization?utm_source=chatgpt.com">pushing</a> for the European Parliament to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Under EU rules, all 27 member states must agree for the designation to move forward.
“Italy, Spain, and France are against putting the Islamic Iranian Revolutionary Guard, IRGC, on the EU terrorist list,” Groothuis noted. “Let’s call things as they are: France, Spain, and Italy say there are legal obstacles. Well, maybe murdering people inside Europe, or funding several terrorist organizations, or burning synagogues in Düsseldorf; maybe that is not enough. But surely, unleashing chemical weapons on the Iranian population or killing many thousands of innocent civilians.”
“Spain, Italy, and France say they need a legal court order; well, there is one, like in Düsseldorf. And please ask Israel, Saudi Arabia, United States, Canada, Bahrain, who have already designated IRC a terrorist organization, whether there was a diplomatic collapse: there wasn’t. Can the High Representative formally acknowledge here today that it is these three countries — like the press is reporting constantly in the Council — who are blocking to list the IRGC? Will the High Representative be on our side to sanction the IRGC, and expose their children and grandchildren who are studying here in Europe, enjoying our liberties, while their relatives are pouring chemical weapons over the heads of innocent, freedom-abiding Persians?”
“Let’s call things as they are,” he repeated.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WOW. I’m speechless.
Spain, France, and Italy have BLOCKED the declaration of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.
Dutch Member of the European Parliament Bart Groothuis from the right-center party bloc &#8220;Renew Europe&#8221; opposes the blocks set by Spain,… <a href="https://t.co/LDAbCOwbeF">pic.twitter.com/LDAbCOwbeF</a>
— Chaya’s Clan (@ChayasClan) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChayasClan/status/2013946594601599432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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European Defence And Security Summit Held In Brussels

Dutch Lawmaker Slams France, Spain, Italy For Blocking Terror Label On Iranian Revolutionary Guards

European Union

France

Iran

Italy

Spain

terrorist

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent fired back at California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom after Newsom mocked him for being “smug.”
In a Fox Business interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bessent was discussing the Trump administration’s plan to limit or ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes to ease supply shortages and keep housing more affordable for individual buyers.
The administration has floated measures to restrict big institutional investors (such as private equity firms and large corporate landlords) from purchasing single-family homes, since these entities have been accused of buying up large numbers of houses and reducing supply for regular buyers.
Bessent was explaining that any guidance on this policy would need to distinguish between true small “mom and pop” investors and large investors.
He used an example of a hypothetical small investor, saying, “We’re going to give guidance, at some point, to see, what is a mom and pop. Someone, maybe your parents for their retirement have bought 5, 10, 12 homes. So we don’t want to push the moms and pops out; we just want to push everyone else out,” meaning larger, institutional buyers.
Newsom mocked Bessent, writing on X, “Could this smug man be more out of touch?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Could this smug man be more out of touch? <a href="https://t.co/GUqqi5KoNB">https://t.co/GUqqi5KoNB</a>
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/2013744283136991407?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Bessent fired back:
<blockquote>
Governor Newsom, who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken, may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris. He&#8217;s here this week with his billionaire sugar daddy, Alex Soros, and Davos is a perfect place for a man who, when everyone else is on lockdown, when he was having people arrested for going to church. &#8230; Shame on him. He is too smug, too self-absorbed, and too economically illiterate to know anything. &#8230; Let me know if you need any further clarification.
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
California Governor Gavin Newsom called the Treasury Secretary smug. Today in Davos the Treasury Secretary responded.. and I have to quote this: &#8220;Governor Newsom, who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken, may be the only Californian who knows less about economics…
— Edward Lawrence (@EdwardLawrence) <a href="https://twitter.com/EdwardLawrence/status/2013916326801068099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Newsom never lived a middle-class financial life as an adult; his career wasenabled by elite patronage, not grassroots entrepreneurship, as his father, William Newsom, a judge and political insider, was close friends with Gordon Getty, heir to the Getty oil fortune. Getty bankrolled Newsom’s first major business ventures, providing hundreds of thousands of dollars in startup capital.
Earlier this month, AP <a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-budget-gavin-newsom-last-year-deficits-6811fe4519bac5145f4002959690a280">pointed out</a>, “California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said the state faces a $2.9 billion budget deficit this year &#8230; It’s the fourth year in a row that the nation’s most populous state faces a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. This year’s shortfall comes despite growing revenues fueled by stock market gains and investments in artificial intelligence.”
Bessent came from a working family; his father was a real estate developer who experienced financial ups and downs. Bessent later earned a B.A. in political science from Yale University in 1984, then moved into finance.

MixCollage-21-Jan-2026-08-46-AM-5567

Bessent Fires Back At Newsom After ‘Smug’ Jab

California

Scott Bessent

Treasury Department

Last week, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issued a joint statement asserting their exclusive authority over the Christian flock in the Holy Land. The letter condemned &#8220;Christian Zionism&#8221; as a damaging ideology that harms Christian unity and serves political agendas. This prompted a sharp rebuttal from U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee and an extensive deconstruction from evangelical circles.
The original statement claimed that the historic Apostolic Churches are the sole representatives of the Christian faith in the region. It accused &#8220;local individuals&#8221; of advancing ideologies that mislead the public and interfere with the internal life of the church. The Patriarchs expressed concern that these individuals—likely referring to a massive delegation of 1,000 U.S. pastors that visited in December 2025—were being welcomed at official levels by the Israeli government, which they viewed as a threat to the indigenous Christian presence.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee responded by rejecting the notion of &#8220;exclusivity&#8221; in representing the Christian faith. His response focused on several key points.
Huckabee argued that no single sect should claim a monopoly on the Christian viewpoint, noting that the evangelical tradition is a &#8220;global and growing&#8221; force. He asserted that the foundation of Christianity is Judaism. He argued that if God could break His covenant with the Jewish people, Christians would have no assurance that He would keep His covenant with them. &#8220;The thought that God is even capable of breaking a covenant is anathema to those of us who embrace Holy Scripture as the authority of the church. If God can or would break His covenant with the Jews, then what hope would Christians have that He would keep His covenant with us?&#8221; he stated.
Huckabee redefined the term, stating that a Zionist is simply someone who believes the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancestral homeland. He expressed confusion as to why anyone claiming the &#8220;moniker &#8216;Christian'&#8221; would not also be a Zionist. He urged the Patriarchs to focus on shared truths—such as the sanctity of life and marriage—rather than jurisdictional disputes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In response to the statement of non-evangelical churches in Israel, I issued the following. I hope you will read prayerfully.
I love my brothers and sisters in Christ from traditional, liturgical churches and respect their views, but I do not feel any sect of the Christian… <a href="https://t.co/jqohEWk0xJ">pic.twitter.com/jqohEWk0xJ</a>
&mdash; Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/2013697566295101916?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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A viral social media post by an Evangelical Christian further deconstructed the Patriarchs’ letter, arguing it was an &#8220;institutional-political statement&#8221; rather than a theological one. The critique followed several lines of reasoning.
The post noted a &#8220;critical omission&#8221;: the Patriarchs’ letter cited only one verse (Romans 12:5) regarding unity, but failed to address the numerous scriptures regarding God’s covenant with Israel. The critique highlighted that the letter ignored Romans 11:29, which states God’s calling is &#8220;irrevocable,&#8221; and Jeremiah 31:35-37, which ties Israel’s existence to the permanence of the sun and stars.
The deconstruction argued that the decline of the Christian population in the Holy Land is not caused by Christian Zionism. It provided statistics to shift the focus: In Bethlehem, the Christian population was 86% in 1950, but dropped to approximately 12% by 2026.
The post cited economic collapse, Islamist intimidation, and property disputes under Palestinian Authority control—factors unrelated to Evangelical theology—as the primary causes of emigration.
The post argued the letter was a response to &#8220;anxiety over loss of control.&#8221; By bypassing traditional hierarchies to meet with Israeli officials, external Christian groups threatened the Patriarchs&#8217; &#8220;monopoly on the Christian voice.&#8221; The critique labeled the Patriarchs’ claim of &#8220;exclusive representation&#8221; as a &#8220;category error,&#8221; asserting that theological beliefs do not require ecclesiastical permission.
The critique slammed the letter for being strategically vague. By not naming the &#8220;local individuals&#8221; or specific &#8220;activities,&#8221; the Patriarchs created an &#8220;ambient guilt&#8221; that allowed them to signal disapproval without having to engage in a documented theological debate.
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<a href="https://t.co/k9dJ8q9HYB">https://t.co/k9dJ8q9HYB</a>
&mdash; Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) <a href="https://twitter.com/DefiyantlyFree/status/2013140558416318846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
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While the Patriarchs appealed to historic institutional authority, Huckabee and the Evangelical response appealed to the literal interpretation of Biblical covenants, suggesting that the &#8220;unity&#8221; requested by the Jerusalem leaders was actually a demand for institutional submission.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Holds Nomination Hearing For Mike Huckabee To Be Ambassador To Israel

‘I Hope You Read Prayerfully’: Huckabee Slams Critics Of Christian Zionism

Evangelical Christianity

Israel

Mike Huckabee

Religion

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Virginia Democrats are once again tinkering with criminal law, this time under the soothing language of “conforming,” but the substance of <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB244">HB 244</a> tells a far more troubling story.
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Introduced earlier this month by Democratic delegate Vivian Watts and now sitting in the House Courts of Justice Committee, HB 244 purports to update statutory references to robbery so they align with the tiered robbery system enacted in 2021. But buried inside the bureaucratic phrasing is a sweeping reworking of how robbery is treated across sentencing, parole, and early release laws — changes that consistently tilt in one direction: lighter consequences for criminals.
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The bill narrows the definition of “acts of violence” to include only the two highest degrees of robbery, excluding the lower degrees from that category. It alters how robbery offenses are scored under sentencing guidelines, potentially reducing recommended prison time. It also expands eligibility for enhanced earned sentence credits and conditional release — including retroactive application — for offenders convicted of the lesser degrees of robbery, even allowing early release for those deemed terminally ill.
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Perhaps most striking, HB 244 weakens Virginia’s three-strikes law. Under the bill, mandatory life sentences would apply only to the two highest degrees of robbery, and parole eligibility could be restored if even one of the three qualifying convictions involved a lower-degree robbery. In plain English, repeat offenders once locked away for life could now see a path back onto the streets.
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Supporters frame the bill as a technical fix that preserves robbery as a predicate offense and keeps higher-degree robberies classified as violent crimes. But critics see a familiar pattern: leftist criminal justice reform that sounds compassionate on paper and proves disastrous in reality.
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That concern is not hypothetical. As <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2025/07/03/sentencing-law-democrats-activists-explosion-repeat-offenders-virginia/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">reported</a> by The Daily Caller in July 2025, nearly half of inmates released early under Virginia’s Democrat-backed Enhanced Earned Sentence Credits program were arrested again within a year. Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares blasted the law, urging legislators to “fix” a system that prioritizes offender leniency over public safety.
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At a press conference, victims’ families delivered a grim rebuke to reform activists. Angela Tyler-Tann, whose son was murdered by an offender released early despite a lengthy criminal record, put it plainly: “People’s lives are not video games that can be paused or restarted. My son’s death is final.”
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HB 244 has not yet reached the House floor, but it fits squarely into a pattern Virginia voters are increasingly questioning — reforms that gamble with public safety and ask ordinary citizens to bear the cost when the experiment fails.
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Welcome to Virginia!

Virginia Democrats Move To Soften Robbery Laws

Crime

Virginia

In her new book Les Nouveaux Antisémites (“The New Antisemites”), French journalist Nora Bussigny provides a <a href="https://fr.le360.ma/culture/parution-les-nouveaux-antisemites-enquete-au-coeur-de-lultragauche-francaise-de-nora-bussigny_SFUPHO6XJVFLTNNOMV4SM2ILWI/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">chilling account</a> of her year-long undercover investigation into France’s far-Left and activist circles. Bussigny, who is of Franco-Moroccan descent and not Jewish, infiltrated various organizations to document how traditional antisemitism has &#8220;metastasized&#8221; into a virulent form of anti-Zionism that now serves as a unifying force for otherwise fragmented radical groups.
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French journalist infiltrates anti-Israel groups, reveals antisemitism on far left in new book
Nora Bussigny goes undercover as pro-Palestinian activist for a year; in her bestseller The New Antisemites, she reveals how hatred of I&#8230;<a href="https://t.co/71THerZyB8">https://t.co/71THerZyB8</a> <a href="https://t.co/NmLuwGR7iJ">pic.twitter.com/NmLuwGR7iJ</a>
— Ynet Global (@ynetnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/ynetnews/status/2013006506166284477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“My concern keeps growing in the face of a future marked by the hunt for Jews…,” she notes. &#8220;I saw with my own eyes to what degree Islamists, far-left so-called ‘progressive’ militants and feminist, LGBT and ecological activists are closely linked in their shared hatred of Jews and Israel,” she told <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/an-undercover-reporter-joined-frances-anti-israel-movement-heres-what-she-found/">The Times of Israel</a>.
Through her infiltration of demonstrations, university campuses, and online forums, Bussigny documented several alarming trends:
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<li data-path-to-node="5,0,0">Vocabulary of Exclusion: Activists use coded language, referring to Israel as &#8220;the Zionist entity&#8221; or &#8220;Israhell&#8221; and the IDF as a &#8220;genocidal army.&#8221;</li>
<li data-path-to-node="5,1,0">Academic Radicalization: At elite institutions like Sciences Po and various medical schools, Jewish students face ostracization, intimidation, and open hostility. Bussigny details instances of swastikas on exam papers and students being forced to chant pro-Hamas slogans.</li>
<li data-path-to-node="5,2,0">Institutional Infiltration: Radical groups like Samidoun and Urgence Palestine — some with allegedly proven links to terrorism — frequently receive public funding and access to municipal facilities to host workshops.</li>
<li data-path-to-node="5,3,0">Digital Warfare: The investigation highlights the &#8220;digital guillotine,&#8221; where movements like Blockout use social media to harass public figures deemed insufficiently anti-Israel, often utilizing propaganda from foreign actors in Iran and Algeria.</li>
</ul>
Bussigny’s identity as a non-Jewish woman of Arab descent has made her a specific target for vitriol; she has been labeled a &#8220;traitor&#8221; and now requires police protection due to death threats. Despite a boycott of her book by several French bookstores, it has become a bestseller and earned the 2025 Prix Edgar Faure for best political book.
Her work has had significant legal and political repercussions. Her testimony before the National Assembly contributed to parliamentary inquiries into Islamist movements, and her exposure of anti-Israel influencers led to state action, including the freezing of assets and arrests for incitement to terrorism.
Bussigny concludes with a &#8220;cry of despair,&#8221; warning that if the radicalization of younger generations, such as Gen Z, continues unchecked, the future of French democracy is at risk. She argues that the &#8220;academic intifada&#8221; and the normalization of antisemitic tropes are no longer fringe issues but a &#8220;long march toward chaos&#8221; within the heart of French society.

FRANCE-CRIME-SWASTIKA

‘The Hunt For Jews’: Undercover Investigation Reveals France’s Growing Antisemitism

antisemitism

undercover investigation

After a group of leftist activists and ex-CNN host Don Lemon disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday, on Monday Lemon hosted Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXtqt_ovbsQ">podcast</a>, where Ellison insisted that the activists had a right to disrupt the service.
The Daily Wire reported:
<blockquote>
Dozens of protesters crowded into Cities Church in St. Paul on Sunday as part of a “clandestine operation” to “disrupt business as usual,” activist leader Nekima Levy-Armstrong told Lemon, who embedded with the protest group. The protest lasted roughly 30 minutes and effectively ended the church service as it drove congregants out.
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Lemon asked Ellison about the church invasion, prompting this response:
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The protest is fundamental to American society; this country started in a protest. It’s freedom of expression; people have a right to lift up their voices and make their peace. None of us are immune from the voice of the public. Quite honestly, I think that you got the First Amendment, freedom of religion and the freedom of First Amendment and freedom of expression. I think it’s just something you gotta live with in a society like this.
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Ellison ignored the 1994 FACE Act, which made it to prevent people from exercising religious freedom at places of worship. It<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/248"> states</a>: “Whoever by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure intimidate, or interfere with any person lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship” could be prosecuted under the law.
“This administration is real tender about things when it comes to their own interest,” Ellison claimed. “But they don’t care about the same things when the things don’t lie in their favor. So they’re getting tender about a church service now.”
“They’re arresting people in clinics, schools, churches, anywhere they choose to do it,” he alleged. “They don’t really care about sacred and sensitive places unless it works in their favor.”
Ellison somehow segued to President Trump’s criticism of Jimmy Kimmel for his remarks about the death of Charlie Kirk, then threw in this completely unrelated remark about Trump: “The mad king won’t let you say jokes about him.”
Tim Pearce contributed to this article.

Keith Ellison

Keith Ellison Defends Disruption Of Minnesota Church Service After Leftist Protest

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Hank Berrien