Michelle Malkin is a public speaker, columnist, news contributor, and bestselling author who has dedicated her career to exposing corruption at the highest, and often the lowest, points in government. In her latest book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Open-Borders-Inc-Funding-America/dp/1621579719" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Open Borders Inc.: Who&#8217;s Funding America&#8217;s Destruction</a>,” Malkin goes in-depth into the power brokers, politicians, activists, and religious leaders who are doing their best to keep the American borders open to anyone and everyone who wants to come through, even if they are a danger to themselves and to others. Not a single celebrity, community organizer, or lawmaker is safe if they have crossed the line.
Like a laser beam, Malkin exposes the players who are fighting immigration reform to make sure that immigrants come in at an alarming rate. Social justice protesters want a cause to rally around. Corporate bosses, from New York to Silicon Valley, want to keep the cheap labor pouring in so they can keep wages low. The religious Left wants to bring in people to fill their pews. Democrats want to continue bringing in voters to keep themselves in power. She leaves no stone unturned when calling out those who would risk the lives of American citizens to keep their coffers full. 
One of the most interesting things about the book is Malkin’s boldness. She has no problem naming names. While most writers dance around a suspect or drop innuendo, she lets every person know exactly what she thinks about the pandering that a person, group, or company do on behalf of the open borders crowd. Hollywood celebrities, left-wing donors, religious leaders, and even certain members of the Conservative and Libertarian upper echelon are brought to the attention of the reader – and you read scandal after scandal related to the border.  
Another sobering point in the book is the description of the victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens. From public officials to ordinary citizens, the open borders crisis has lead to crimes such as destruction of property, theft, and drug dealing to much more serious crimes like rape and murder. Not lost on the reader is the mainstream media’s decision not to discuss these victims, fearing either being described as racist or to hide the crimes in collusion with the open borders advocates. Whichever it is, as Malkin notes, this does a severe disservice to the numerous victims’ families and to the communities where they lived. 
What might give the book a large impact is that it’s an easy read. Malkin avoids bogging the reader down with deep narration and focuses on relaying the truth of the situation. It reminded me of “Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies,” another one of Malkin’s books that had a way of connecting with its reader without overloading them with large amounts of repetitive data.
“Open Borders Inc.” is Michelle Malkin’s latest bold endeavor to keep the American people informed about what goes on behind the scenes with lawmakers, unelected bureaucrats, and their allies in the private sector.

Fight for Social Justice and Human Rights

Book Review: ‘Open Borders Inc.’ By Michelle Malkin

Democratic Party

Democratic Socialism

Democrats

Michelle Malkin

Social Justice

Southern Border

PragerU founder Dennis Prager and comedian/podcast host Adam Carolla team up for &#8220;<a href="https://nosafespaces.com/">No Safe Spaces</a>,” a documentary covering the hot topic of political correctness and how it has infected everything from politics to educational institutions to the entertainment industry. From getting speakers banned to harassing public officials, this “woke” crowd is targeting anyone that disagrees with them, and this documentary highlights some of the most egregious examples of bad actors trying to stop free speech.
Prager and Carolla travel the nation, documenting high-profile moments of protest against Conservative speakers. This includes a 2017 speech given by Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro at UC Berkeley, which was violently protested by far-left students and outside Antifa activists who were bent on stopping anyone who supposedly &#8220;offended&#8221; them from engaging in freedom of speech.
The film shines a spotlight on these incidents and does a good job of exposing the bad actors who are trying to do an end-run around of the First Amendment in order to block people they do not like from simply stating their opinion. There is no debate allowed by these hecklers, who only want to stamp out — sometimes literally — the beliefs of others.
The film is well-developed, and moves at an easy pace, interviewing newsmakers, celebrities, authors, educators, and many others who have experienced backlash over their refusal to kowtow to the politically correct. Some of the unforgettable footage burns in your memory. For example, a group of far-left students hold a meeting with one university&#8217;s faculty. When one teacher refuses to pander to their whims, the students take over and overreact.
The most sobering aspect of the film are the personal testimonies of Prager and Carolla. Often, documentary filmmakers are simply observers, but these two have themselves been targeted by the PC crowd. Carolla’s irreverent comedy and Prager’s stand for traditional values have made them both targets of the Left who, at one time, tried to silence them or deplatform them over their views.
Of course, the mainstream media have tried to dismiss &#8220;No Safe Spaces.&#8221; Writing for the AV Club, critic Vadim Rizov <a href="https://film.avclub.com/debate-me-you-coward-takes-movie-form-in-adam-caroll-1839268667" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">opines</a>, &#8220;This isn’t an argument for free speech, it’s just paranoid whining, complete with a roundtable of comics sympathetically agreeing how sad and scary this all is, plus images of the Statue of Liberty with tape over its mouth.&#8221;
This, of course, is echoed by its &#8220;rotten&#8221; status on film rating aggregator website <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/no_safe_spaces" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rotten Tomatoes</a>. This has done nothing to stop audiences, where it has a stunning 100 percent rating at the time of this review.  
Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/no-safe-spaces-free-speech-documentary-box-office-1-screen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reports</a> that at its first showing in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 25th, “No Safe Spaces” proved a box office success, producing the “second-highest ever box office gross for a documentary playing on just one screen, according to the movie&#8217;s producers.” Heading into week two of its release, the momentum does not seem to be slowing down, with a distribution expansion planned. 
Despite the mainstream media’s sabotage attempts, “No Safe Spaces” is going to reach more Americans who are fed up with the pandering to college students, Antifa mobs, and woke thinkers who are making conversation, debate, and free speech harder and harder in American life. 
Check out the trailer below:
<iframe title="NO SAFE SPACES Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TTOQGvXbZY8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This article has been revised for clarity.

No Safe Spaces title art

‘No Safe Spaces’ Review – How Far Will Political Correctness Take Us?

academia

Adam Carolla

American History

Capitalism

Constitution

Dennis Prager

No villain rooted in the world of comic books has had so much media devoted to him or her than Batman’s most recognizable adversary, the Joker. Created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson, he has been voted number one in <a href="https://www.giantbomb.com/forums/off-topic-31/wizards-top-100-greatest-villians-of-all-time-254325/">Wizard</a> magazine’s &#8220;100 Greatest Villains of All Time&#8221; and number two in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140116073602/http://uk.comics.ign.com/top-100-villains/2.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IGN’s</a> &#8220;Top 100 Comic Book Villains.&#8221; He has appeared in over 250 productions, including movies, television series, animation, books, and video games. Now, &#8220;Hangover&#8221; director Todd Philips has left the comedy world to bring a new take on the origins of the Clown Prince of Crime in &#8220;Joker.&#8221;
Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a troubled man with a condition that forces him to laugh at odd times. He is living in Gotham City in 1981, as the city is going through a tense political upheaval. While taking care of his sickly mother Penny (Frances Conroy), he works as a party clown and a stand-up comic. Things fall apart after he is mugged one day. The social service institute where he gets his medication gets its funding cut and he is given a gun for his protection, leading to his firing after he drops it at a children’s hospital. On his way home, he is bullied by three wealthy men, whom he kills. To his surprise, mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) comments on the incident, calling him a &#8220;clown&#8221; and igniting a powder keg in the city, as protestors against the wealthy don clown masks. Everyone, including Fleck’s comedic hero and late-night host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro), shares an opinion about the tragic deaths. Fleck, once ostracized, finds that he has become a folk hero of sorts and that attention begins to fill him with true laughter. 
This is truly one of the best films of this year, with Phoenix’s performance as Arthur Fleck serving as the driving force of the film. The narrative is disjointed but, without someone as talented as Phoenix, it could have been a disaster. Todd Philips’ contribution of a noir-style tragedy was genius and it made the movie so much more enjoyable for the tone of the character arc. 
Philips’ version of Gotham is a gritty, filthy city that is descending into chaos as negligence, greed, and ignorance take over. It reflects the conditions that create such a public outcry for help. Even as Thomas Wayne runs for the mayor’s office, promising to help the people, he is seen as an outsider who lives in a mansion and is oblivious to real-world troubles. It is a well-planned atmosphere for the fires that are setting around Gotham. 
Of course, &#8220;Joker&#8221; faced a fabricated controversy, as woke critics tried to bring down the film over its realistic portrayal of violence and mental illness, claiming it could inspire real-life <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joker-update-multiple-cities-deploying-police-amid-fears-of-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">violence</a>. But this is what the movie is, fundamentally, about. A man who is ostracized and abandoned by society finds solace in the violence that he accidentally inspired. For the first time in his life, Fleck feels that he &#8220;exists.&#8221; As it becomes apparent that his own life is full of lies, he finds a connection to the craziness of the protesters who are putting on clown masks. Before he did not belong anywhere, and now he finds himself belonging in a group that worships him — at least vicariously. The story is thus a parable on the dangers of abandoning people just because they are a little &#8220;odd.&#8221; Phoenix brought this story to life in an incredible way. 
The Joker has never had a truly definite origin in the comic books, outside of falling into a vat of acid after a battle with Batman. This movie removes any sort of cliches about the story and, while it pays homage to his comic book connections, it crafts a narrative that, instead of focusing on Joker’s impact on society, focuses upon society’s impact on the Joker. This is a twist that was risky, but, ultimately, it paid off.

Premiere Of Warner Bros Pictures &#8220;Joker&#8221; &#8211; Arrivals

‘Joker’ Review- Joaquin Phoenix At His Finest

Hollywood

CBS announced on Monday that the hit action television show &#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger&#8221; will get a modern reboot and complete overhaul.
According to <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/09/walker-texas-ranger-reboot-jared-padalecki-in-the-works-chuck-norris-1202741160/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deadline</a>, &#8220;Supernatural&#8221; star and Texas native Jared Padalecki is set to both produce the show and take over the role of Cordell Walker from original star, acting legend Chuck Norris, who wore the Texas Ranger badge for nine seasons and starred in a television film after the show ended. 
Anna Fricke, best known for executive producing the military drama &#8220;Valor,&#8221; will write and executive produce the remake along with Dan Lin (&#8220;Lethal Weapon&#8221; and &#8220;Godzilla: King of the Monsters&#8221;) and Dan Spilo (&#8220;Sunnyside&#8221;).
&#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger&#8221; was known for exploring themes of morality, family, justice, and faith. Deadline is reporting that those themes will all be facets of the new series with a focus on &#8220;rediscovering our lost common ground.&#8221;
Moving the action from its original city of Dallas to Austin, The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jared-padalecki-star-walker-texas-ranger-reboot-1242551" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">notes</a> the plot will revolve around widower Cordell Walker returning home after some time undercover. He will receive a female partner and begin patrolling the streets of Texas&#8217; capital city and possibly beyond. No word yet on who will play his partner or if other familiar characters will appear on the show.
CBS Studios has not decided on which network the series will land. Some have speculated that the series will join their flagship network beside other remakes such as &#8220;Hawaii Five-0&#8221; and &#8220;MacGyver.&#8221; However, it is also possible that &#8220;Walker&#8221; could land at the CW, where Padalecki has spent fifteen years on their long-running series &#8220;Supernatural,&#8221; along with his co-star Jensen Ackles. That series will end on its fifteenth season later this year, freeing up Padalecki for this new project. 
&#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger&#8221; ran for eight seasons from 1993 to 2001 and starred Norris as the titular character, Clarence Gilyard as his partner James Trivette, Sheree J. Wilson as Assistant D.A. Alexandra &#8220;Alex&#8221; Cahill, and Noble Willingham as &#8220;semi-retired&#8221; Captain C.D. Parker. The last two seasons would add Nia Peeples and Judson Mills as fellow Rangers. The original show won several TV awards including Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Gilyard at the 2000 NAACP Image Awards.
&#8220;Walker&#8221; crossed over with fellow law enforcement action series &#8220;Martial Law&#8221; starring Sammo Hung and spun-off the short-lived private detective show &#8220;Sons of Thunder.&#8221; Its iconic theme song &#8220;Eyes of the Ranger,&#8221; composed by Tirk Wilder and performed by Norris, was introduced midway through the second season. 
Four years after the show ended, a reunion television film, &#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire,&#8221; was produced by Paramount Network Television and aired in October 2005. Norris, Gilyard, Wilson, and Mills all reprised their roles. Though the film garnered high ratings, CBS ultimately passed on doing further projects. 
In February 2018, Chuck Norris&#8217; film company Top Kick Productions filed a lawsuit against CBS Productions in Los Angeles for over thirty million dollars in unpaid royalties over &#8220;Walker, Texas Ranger.&#8221; According to <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/cbs-legal-battles-lawsuits-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fox Business</a>, the suit was forced into arbitration and its verdict is yet undecided. 
Norris currently hosts &#8220;Chuck Norris&#8217;s Epic Guide to Military Vehicles&#8221; on the History Channel.

walker_texas_ranger.jpg

CBS Rebooting Hit Series ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’

Crime

Texas

mike_pence_heritage_foundation.jpg

Pence Warns Iran: ‘We’re Locked And Loaded’

Donald Trump

Iran

Mike Pence

Trump Administration

DeAnna Lorraine is a relationship expert, political commentator, conservative activist, the author of &#8220;Making Love Great Again: The New Road to Reviving Romance and Winning at Relationships,&#8221; and a GOP challenger to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in California&#8217;s 12th Congressional District. She recently spoke with The Daily Wire about her campaign and the issues she thinks conservatives should be focusing on in the upcoming election.
Q: Why are you running for Congress?
A: First of all, I was a relationship coach and counselor for about eight years before I became an outspoken conservative political activist. I just saw where the country was going, and I had frustration [with] how it was affecting both the country and our families. I started getting to the bottom of what was breaking down our relationships and family units. I was witnessing this firsthand in my practice and it was leftist ideology and practices that were destroying our country. They were destroying our country and our relationships.
So I published a book last year called&#8221;‘Make Love Great Again,&#8221; and it has to do with this exactly. It thrust me into politics because the personal has become the political. And it really got me active because we aren’t addressing the real issues that are affecting America and the family unit. We need to restore the things that are part of making American great. We have to focus on things like the culture, relationships, and the family. So I decided to run for Congress to really make a difference.
Q: How will you combat accusations that having no political experience disqualifies you from office?
A: This is the new school of politics and government. Trump wasn’t a politician, but he won the presidency against all odds. Then we have Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who, like her or hate her, was a bartender and now she is an outspoken member of Congress.
And yes, I’m not a seasoned politician, but that is my asset. I’m down in the trenches with my fellow Americans and I’m dealing with what they are dealing with. I’m not sitting in a gate-guarded mansion totally out of touch with America.
I think the most important thing is we have someone who cares about fixing the real problems facing America. I don’t know anyone better who can fix those problems than an average, ordinary American. This is the time for Americans with no political background to do bold and extraordinary things.
Q: Nancy Pelosi is an entrenched politician and many conservatives have tried and failed to unseat her. What sets your campaign apart to bring about a victory?
A: I’m bringing the issues right to Nancy Pelosi’s front door. Most of the issues in America, you can find Nancy Pelosi and her party at the head. Yes, it’s a long haul and a tough battle, but I think we can win this and show conservatives are here. Previous Republicans who have challenged Nancy Pelosi have been softer on the issues and have tried to cater to the Left. They’ve been afraid to support Trump or tackle LGBT issues. They’re just saying, &#8220;Vote for me because I’m a Republican.&#8221; I have yet to see a real conservative issue these candidates have been championing, but I’m going to be championing issues we need to have national discussions about. We need to address fatherless homes, &#8230; broken family courts, LGBTQ curriculums in school, national security that affects this district, and repair some of these issues. Most Republicans have backed down and I won’t shy away from these issues.
Q: Unlike Nancy Pelosi, you’ve been a big supporter of President Trump. Will this help or hurt your campaign?
A: Let’s be honest, California is largely Democratic and I’m running in a heavily blue district, so it might hurt my campaign. If I were more moderate, it would be easier. Here’s the thing, though: We need strong conservatives in Congress who will support the president.
Now, I’m not going to be a cheerleader for the president. If there are things I disagree with, of course, I will say so — like &#8220;red-flag laws,&#8221; for instance. That being said, conservatives should not be afraid to run in blue districts like mine while supporting the president. If nothing else, it sends a message that we care about these issues and we will fight for them.
Q: If someone goes to one of your rallies, or hears you at a debate with Nancy Pelosi, what is the message you want a voter to hear?
A: My main message to Americans is that now is the time for bold and extraordinary things in order to save the America we love.
We need to get past the trigger words and safe spaces because my generation, the millennial generation, has work to do and important conversations to have that don’t involve trigger warnings. If Nancy Pelosi were more concerned with these issues and not gender pronouns, we might be able to solve some of these issues.
We need to stand up, put our differences aside, and if you’re not someone who usually votes for a person like me, can we put our differences aside and at least acknowledge that these issues ring true? Can we work together to solve these problems, that our predecessors left us, for the good of our country? That way, we can leave the next generation with a nation that is safe, happy, and free.
&#8212;-
You can find out more about candidate Lorraine and her campaign on her <a href="https://www.deannaforcongress.com/">website</a>.

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Candidate DeAnna Lorraine Speaks Out On Trump, Conservative Values, And Running Against Nancy Pelosi

2020 Election

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

California

Conservatism

Nancy Pelosi

Republican Party

In a story largely ignored by the mainstream media, the socialist government of Cuba banned several Christian ministers from visiting a religious freedom conference and arrested a journalist earlier this week.
Alliance of Evangelical Churches of Cuba (AECC, Alianza de Iglesias Evangélicas Cubana) members Rev. Moises de Prada Esquivel and the Rev. Alida Leon Baez were stopped by the Cuban State Security at Havana’s José Marti International Airport, where they were informed they would not be allowed to fly to Washington, D.C. for the event, Morning Star News <a href="https://morningstarnews.org/2019/07/officials-in-cuba-forbid-church-leaders-to-attend-religious-freedom-event/">reports</a>. Both men serve as executive board members of the AECC and were to represent the religious organization at the event.
The regime cracked down on several other Christian ministers seeking traveling privileges. The Cuban government denied them visa renewals and permissions to make the trip outside of the country for the conference.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commissioner Kristina Arriaga released a <a href="https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/press-releases-statements/uscirf-statement-cuba-preventing-religious-leaders-attending">statement</a> condemning the actions of the Cuban government.
<blockquote>“If the denial of religious freedom in Cuba was ever in question, the Cuban government laid to rest all doubt this weekend by blatantly prohibiting four pastors, leaders of the country’s major religious organizations, from leaving the country to attend the State Department’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, D. C,” she said. “This is exactly the type of human rights violation that we and Ministerial attendees from all over the world are working to expose and to prevent. We urge the Cuban government to allow these religious leaders to participate in this important conversation &#8211; in person &#8211; and to return to Cuba to work together with officials to improve religious freedom conditions for all of its citizens.”</blockquote>
This comes on the heels of Cuban state security officials forcibly detaining religious journalist Ricardo Fernandez Izaguirre after he visited a human rights group.
Metro Voice News <a href="https://metrovoicenews.com/cuba-ramps-up-crackdown-on-evangelical-pastors/">reports</a> that Fernandez was arrested following his visit to the offices of the Ladies in White in the city of Havana.
Religious freedom advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) condemned the arrest in a <a href="https://www.csw.org.uk/2019/07/13/press/4411/article.htm">statement</a> from their head of advocacy, Anna-Lee Stangl.
“CSW holds the Cuban government responsible for the wellbeing of Ricardo Fernandez Izaguirre,” she said. “Violations of freedom of religion or belief have increased in Cuba over the past six months, and Ricardo has dedicated himself to (traveling) across the country, often at great personal sacrifice, sleeping in bus stations and skipping meals, in order to document these cases and to offer solidarity to the victims. We call on the authorities to release him immediately.”
The travel bans and arrests have prompted criticisms from the Cuban religious community.
One pastor spoke to Morning Star News on the condition of anonymity, out of fear for his safety.
“In Cuba, there is no real freedom of expression or of worship,” he said. “Any person who openly opposes the established system is looking for problems.”
Despite the obvious violations of both the human rights of religious freedom and freedom of the press, the mainstream media has largely been silent on both of these issues.
UPDATE:
Premier UK <a href="https://www.premier.org.uk/News/World/Christian-freedom-defender-released-from-detention-in-Cuba">reports</a> Izaguirre was released from prison following a seven-day detention.
&#8220;The experience has given me the opportunity to know a reality that I had no idea about. Many times I had to stand between the prisoners and police as the guards would often beat the prisoners and I refused to let this happen. Many were there due to unjust circumstances and because of arbitrary laws.&#8221; He said in a statement to CSW. &#8220;They kept me handcuffed all day in a locked patrol car. That evening, they took me to a prison, gave me prison clothes and took away all of my belongings and put me in a cell. I was with 14 other prisoners; nearly all of them had light sentences.&#8221;
He added, &#8220;I was freed without any explanation &#8211; just as they had arrested me.&#8221;

Cuba Bans Pastors From Visiting Religious Freedom Summit, Detains Journalist

Christianity

Cuba

Journalism

Media

Persecution

Socialism

In an interview with leftist media outlet <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sheryl-sandberg-planned-parenthood-donation-abortion-laws_n_5d151134e4b07f6ca57a55c1">HuffPost</a>, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg bragged about a whopping $1 million donation she recently made to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, an advocacy group owned by the eponymous abortion giant.
Sandberg told HuffPost that she is doing it to help Planned Parenthood fight what she calls the “draconian laws” recently passed by Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri to protect unborn children.
“I think this is a very urgent moment where the rights and the choices and the basic health of the most vulnerable women, the women who have been marginalized, often women of color, are at stake,” she said. “Planned Parenthood is going to fight back in the courts, in Congress, in the state houses, in the streets, for women’s health and rights.”
“If you are a wealthy woman, you can just fly to New York,” Sandberg continued. “I want to make sure that the women with the fewest resources still have access to these services, and I think that is slipping away every day in our country.”
“We all have to do everything we can to protect women,” she opined, noting that the massive donation came from her, personally — and not from Facebook.
The social media executive bragged that the gesture was “a very strong political statement.” However, Sandberg hedged on whether she supports the Hollywood-led boycotts of the pro-life states. She said that she neither supports nor condemn the boycotts.
“I certainly think people should do what they can,” Sandberg said.
Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen bragged about the support in a statement.
“Now, more than ever, Sheryl’s generous support is necessary to help Planned Parenthood fight back against unprecedented attacks on people’s health and rights,” Wen said, thanking Sandberg “for her longstanding commitment to Planned Parenthood and her leadership as a role model for women and girls everywhere.”
Wen added: “As anti-women’s health politicians try to pass extreme abortion bans across the country, our freedom and rights hang in the balance.”
This is not the first time Sandberg has given a large donation to the abortion lobby. According to <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/sheryl-sandberg-planned-parenthood-donation-abortion-laws-110000334.html">Yahoo! News</a>, she gave a similarly large donation to Planned Parenthood in 2017 to protest President Donald Trump’s order that international abortion lobbying organizations would be banned from receiving federal taxpayer funding.
Actress and left-wing activist Alyssa Milano has led a boycott against the state of Georgia after Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a “heartbeat bill” that protects unborn children there after a heartbeat is detected.
“I will do everything in my power to get as many productions as possible, including ‘Insatiable,'&#8221; she said at the time. “To move out of this state which continues to put forth oppressive, hurtful policy that contradicts everything the entertainment industry stands for.&#8221;
As noted by The Daily Wire’s James Barrett, actor and director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/48874/clint-eastwood-ignores-alyssa-milano-set-start-james-barrett">Clint Eastwood</a> is set to shoot his new film “The Ballad of Richard Jewell,” in Georgia, thus ignoring the calls for a boycott. The movie is directed by Eastwood and stars Paul Walter Hauser, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, and Ian Gomez.

Facebook COO Donates $1 Million To Planned Parenthood

Abortion

Alabama

Alyssa Milano

Clint Eastwood

Facebook

Georgia

Planned Parenthood

Not satisfied with bringing progressive themes to the upcoming CW series &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46948/watch-trailer-lesbian-batwoman-hits-internet-paul-bois">Batwoman</a>,&#8221; social justice warriors in the comic book industry have a new target related to the DC Comics hero Batman. It is none other than his faithful butler and father figure Alfred Pennyworth.
Responding to a tweet asking who should play the butler in the upcoming Matt Reeves adaption, Marvel Comics writer and co-creator of &#8220;The Punisher&#8221; Gerry Conway said, &#8220;Hear me out. Maggie Smith.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Hear me out.
Maggie Smith. <a href="https://t.co/8ToF8FxCVP">https://t.co/8ToF8FxCVP</a>
&#8212; Gerry Conway (@gerryconway) <a href="https://twitter.com/gerryconway/status/1137064136246845440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Smith is an actress best known for playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film franchise and starred in &#8220;Downton Abby&#8221; as Lady Violet Crawley.
According to <a href="https://boundingintocomics.com/2019/06/10/punisher-co-creator-gerry-conway-wants-female-alfred-in-matt-reeves-upcoming-batman-film-starring-robert-pattinson/">Bounding Into Comics</a>, the tweet garnered thousands of likes as other like-minded people began to suggest other actresses such as Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, Helen Mirren, and Olivia Coleman.
After the failure of feminist movie remakes like &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/8277/finally-some-good-news-about-feminist-ghostbusters-amanda-prestigiacomo">Ghostbusters</a>,&#8221; one would hope that the entertainment industry would learn its lesson, but that appears not to be the case.
Conway, an iconic comic book writer, should realize this. Both DC Comics and Marvel Comics were hit with backlash following the replacement of prominent characters with more &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/15033/marvel-vp-diversity-our-characters-killing-our-ben-shapiro">diverse</a>&#8221; figures. When Marvel Comics hired left-wing commentator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/42878/captain-america-captain-nothing-new-sjw-themed-jacob-airey">Ta-Nehisi Coates</a> to write a more inclusive version of &#8220;Captain America,&#8221; sales of the title <a href="https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2019/2019-05.html">dropped</a>.
That has not stopped the SJWs from targeting Alfred Pennyworth as the next project for what Daily Wire editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro calls the &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/39864/2019-year-wokescolds-ben-shapiro">wokescolds</a>.&#8221;
This is not the first time the entertainment industry has attempt to push an agenda on Alfred. In a thankfully unused &#8220;Batman: Year One&#8221; script from <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2017/09/14/batman-year-one-darren-aronofskys-unmade-dark-knight-noir-predicted/">Darren Aronofsky</a>, Alfred would&#8217;ve gone from British manservant to &#8220;Big Al,&#8221; a junkyard attendant who takes in a wayward Bruce following the death of his parents.
Batman has always been a somewhat difficult character for the social justice warriors to change since he is the definition of what the Left calls &#8220;toxic masculinity.&#8221; He is wealthy, smart, white, cisgender, and his secret identity Bruce Wayne is a womanizing party boy. As such, the SJWs are targeting his supporting characters.
Alfred is an iconic character in the Batman canon. He was originally introduced as a bumbling oaf unaware of his employer&#8217;s crimefighting escapades, but this was later changed into making him a loyal butler who used the skills he picked up as an actor (and later spy) to help Batman protect Gotham City. Modern writers have emphasized his status as a father figure to the Dark Knight who offers sage advice, comfort, or aid depending on the crisis at hand. Removing that aspect from Batman&#8217;s firmly established mythology would severely damage the nature of his story.
Ironically, casting a woman as a maid or housekeeper who has a white, cisgender male boss at Wayne Manor would only serve as a counterpoint to far-left feminists who insist that all relationships between men and women be about their distorted version of equality. Hopefully, it will not affect the upcoming television series &#8220;Pennyworth,&#8221; which will tell the story of Alfred&#8217;s early days as a spy and explore his relationship with future employer Thomas Wayne.
From Alan Napier to Michael Caine, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. to Jeremy Irons, and Michael Gough to Sean Pertwee, Alfred has always been a recognizable figure in the Batman universe. It is unnecessary to change such an iconic character into another notch on the belt of the unimaginative SJW agenda.

AIREY: Comic Book Writer Suggests Alfred Be A Woman. Here’s Why That’s A Bad Idea.

Feminism

Harry Potter

Leftism

Marvel

As the calls for the breakup of big tech corporations grow louder from consumers to presidential candidates like Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Apple CEO Tim Cook took this perspective head-on in an interview with CBS news anchor <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tim-cook-interview-apple-ceo-insists-company-is-not-a-monopoly-exclusive-today-2019-06-04/">Norah O&#8217;Donnell</a>. 
At the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Cook laid out his case for why Apple is not a monopoly, though he acknowledged the big tech company is not above &#8220;scrutiny.&#8221;
&#8220;No. I don&#8217;t think so,&#8221; he replied when O&#8217;Donnell asked if Apple is too big. 
&#8220;I think scrutiny is fair,&#8221; Cook said. &#8220;I think we should be scrutinized. But if you look at our&#8230; any kind of measure about is Apple a monopoly or not, I don&#8217;t think anybody reasonable is gonna come to the conclusion that Apple&#8217;s a monopoly. Our share is much more modest. We don&#8217;t have a dominant position in any market &#8230; You know, our share of smartphones in the U.S. is typically in the high 30s or so, mid-30s. On PCs, it&#8217;s lower than that.&#8221;
He emphasized, &#8220;We are not a monopoly.&#8221;
Elizabeth Warren has been on the warpath, targeting big tech and Apple specifically in an interview with <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/9/18257965/elizabeth-warren-break-up-apple-monopoly-antitrust">The Verge</a>.
&#8220;Apple, you&#8217;ve got to break it apart from their App Store,&#8221; she opined. &#8220;It&#8217;s got to be one or the other. Either they run the platform or they play in the store. They don&#8217;t get to do both at the same time. So it&#8217;s the same notion.&#8221; 
When asked directly about Senator Warren&#8217;s desire to break-up Apple, Cook doubled down on his comments.
&#8220;Well, I strongly disagree with that,&#8221; Cook told O&#8217;Donnell. &#8220;I think some people would argue, if you are selling a good, then you can&#8217;t have a product that competes with that good.&#8221; 
Cook continued. &#8220;And I think that&#8217;s part of what is being argued there. But that&#8217;s an argument, Norah, that takes you down the path that, Walmart shouldn&#8217;t be stocking alternative or house brand. And so this is decades of U.S. law here. But I think scrutiny is good, and we&#8217;ll be&#8230; we&#8217;ll tell our story to anybody that we need to or that wants to hear it.&#8221;
Watch the clip below:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_3cGWQ96P1Y" width="853"></iframe></div>
When pressed by <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tim-cook-interview-apple-ceo-privacy-protections-exclusive-today-2019-06-03/">O&#8217;Donnell</a> about the privacy of Apple users, Cook emphasized that they stand apart from Facebook and Google, though he claimed he was not &#8220;really taking a shot at anybody.&#8221;
&#8220;We focus on the user. And the user wants the ability to go across numerous properties on the web without being under surveillance,&#8221; Cook explained. &#8220;We&#8217;re moving privacy protections forward.&#8221; 
He added, &#8220;I actually think it&#8217;s a very reasonable request for people to make.&#8221;
Cook also praised users for becoming more aware of the lack of privacy that is starting to creep in on digital platforms.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not good for our country,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You can imagine an environment where everyone begins to think there&#8217;s no privacy. And if there&#8217;s no privacy, your freedom of expression just plummets. Because now you&#8217;re going to be thinking about that everybody&#8217;s gonna know every single thing you&#8217;re doing. This is not good for our country, not good for democracy.&#8221;
<div> </div>

Tim Cook: &#8220;Apple Is Not A Monopoly&#8221;

Apple

Elizabeth Warren

Technology

Tim Cook

Earlier this week, Christians traveling home following church services near the city of Jos, Nigeria were ambushed by terrorists who murdered at least thirty congregants.
The Sun of Nigeria <a href="https://www.sunnewsonline.com/scores-killed-many-injured-as-fresh-violence-erupts-jos/">reports</a> that the violence erupted in communities of Dutse Uku, Angwan Rukuba, and Rikkos, in the Nigerian state of Plateau. 
&#8220;We have received reports of tension around Dutse Uku, Rikkos, Cele Bridge and we have mobilized our personnel to the area,&#8221; Police Public Relation Officer DSP Mathias Terna Tyopev told The Sun. &#8220;As we speak, the Area Commander, Jos Metropolis is there on the ground. We are still on the trouble spots to bring the situation under control, I can&#8217;t guarantee you that I will issue a statement today but until I return from the area.&#8221;
Locals have accused radical Islamic Fulani herdsmen of attacking the Christian communities in their ongoing plan to create a &#8220;Fulanisation and Islamization&#8221; in the African nation. 
Jos city pastor Luke Shehu told <a href="https://morningstarnews.org/2019/05/local-muslims-suspected-killing-of-christians-after-sunday-worship-in-jos-nigeria/">Morning Star News</a>, &#8220;Despite the intervention of security operatives, in less than twelve hours about thirty Christians were killed and over twenty houses where burnt or destroyed by Muslim militia, some in military uniforms from around Tina junction, Cele bridge, Dutse Uku, and Nasarawa areas, all bordering Muslim communities in Jos North.&#8221;
He continued, &#8220;These targeted attacks on innocent Christians are unacceptable, particularly with confirmed arrests of over thirty Christian women fruit and food vendors by soldiers around Tina junction in Jos after the attack today, 27th May 2019.&#8221;
This comes on the heels of seven Christians being kidnapped from choir practice at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in the village of Dankande in Nigeria&#8217;s Kaduna state, which saw at least one congregant murdered. 
An unidentified witness told <a href="http://saharareporters.com/2019/05/20/gunmen-raid-church-kaduna-during-choir-rehearsal-kill-1-abduct-17-others">Sahara Reporters</a>, &#8220;As we were in the church, the armed men numbering over twenty just surrounded the church and started shooting. Everybody was terrified but there was no how we could run because they had already surrounded the church.&#8221;
Rev. Nathaniel Waziri confirmed that minister Zakariya Ido was taken with his daughter and fifteen other worshippers, including ten women and five men. 
&#8220;The gunmen came and asked everyone in the church to surrender phones and thereafter demanded the whereabout of the pastor,&#8221; he told <a href="https://morningstarnews.org/2019/05/armed-gunmen-kidnap-19-christians-kill-one-in-kaduna-state-nigeria/">Morning Star News</a>. &#8220;After threatening the choristers, they became afraid and showed them the pastor&#8217;s house.&#8221;
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has responded to the attacks by purposing an executive order that would revoke gun licenses, but many Christians see this as an attempt to disarm them in the face of heavily armed radical Muslim.
One survivor of the attacks, identified only as <a href="https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/stories/nigeria-attack-survivor-i-have-seen-the-love-of-god/">Aisha</a>, told Christian persecution watchdog group Open Doors that she and others have been sexually assaulted during the ongoing struggle. 
&#8220;And, as I said before, I&#700;m not the only one in my community &#8212; many other women have been raped. We are weak, as women,&#8221; Aisha said. &#8220;We do not have strength to fight back, and the attackers have [a] great advantage over us. We are not [educated] and don&#8217;t have the money to reach out and tell the world what is happening.&#8221;
She added, &#8220;Continue to pray for us. Pray also for me. I really want to go to school. I was in school before. I dropped out because of finances. I&#700;m not going to school, and my children are not going to school. If there&#700;s one thing I desire in this life, it is to go back to school. I want my children to have an education. Please pray for that.&#8221;

REPORT: Radical Muslims Suspected In May Attacks On Nigerian Christians

Africa

Sexual Abuse

Sexual Assault

On Wednesday, the Transportation Department suspended all commercial flights to the South American nation of Venezuela as the country remains in turmoil. 
According to <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/us-suspends-commercial-flights-to-and-from-venezuela-/4919550.html">VOA News</a>, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao made the decision based on recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that there are conditions in Venezuela &#8220;that threaten the safety or security of passengers, aircraft, or crew.&#8221;
According to a DOT press <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-transportation-orders-suspension-air-service-between-us-and-venezuela">release</a>:
<blockquote>
With the approval of the Secretary of State and in close coordination with the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao has issued an order today suspending air service between the United States and Venezuela.
Federal law authorizes the Secretary of Transportation, with the approval of the Secretary of State, to take immediate action to suspend the rights of foreign and U.S. air carriers to provide service between the U.S. and foreign airports when conditions exist at those airports that threaten the safety or security of passengers, aircraft, or crew.
The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security has requested this action based on his assessment of current security conditions in Venezuela, and the Secretary of State has given his approval. Secretary Chao has agreed to the request and is exercising her statutory authority to suspend air service to Venezuela.
The Secretary&#8217;s suspension order is in addition to the FAA&#8217;s Notice to Airmen issued on May 1, which prohibits most U.S.-certified aircraft operators and pilots from flying below 26,000 feet over the territory of Venezuela, also for reasons of safety and security.
</blockquote>
DHS released its own statement, <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2019/05/15/dhs-determines-conditions-venezuela-threaten-safety-and-security-passengers-aircraft">saying</a>, &#8220;This determination is based on the ongoing political instability and increased tensions in Venezuela and associated inadvertent risk to flight operations.&#8221; DHS added that, along with the Transportation and State Departments, they &#8220;will continue to monitor this situation. If and when the conditions in Venezuela change, and if in the public interest, the [underlying] Secretaries will revisit this determination. Until then, the flight suspension will remain in effect indefinitely.&#8221;
Many international airlines, including American Airlines, have indefinitely suspended flights to Venezuela as a result of the order. However, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-usa-airlines/us-orders-suspension-of-flights-between-the-us-and-venezuela-idUSKCN1SL2F2">Reuters</a> reports that local airlines Avior, Laser, and Copa will continue passage to the South American nation through other international hubs including Santo Domingo and into the United States through airports in Miami and Panama City. 
As The Daily Wire&#8217;s Ryan Saavedra reported in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46586/watch-socialist-venezuela-rams-military-vehicle-ryan-saavedra">April</a>, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has been trying to supplant socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro, whose forces were ramming military vehicles into protestors.
President Trump said at the time on social media: &#8220;I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely. The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!&#8221;
Vice President Mike Pence echoed those sentiments. &#8220;We are with you,&#8221; he said according to the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/1b271ef1f15940f394343dd2027a23e2">AP</a>. He added on social media: &#8220;[A]ll the freedom-loving people of Venezuela who are taking to the streets today in #operacionlibertad_Estamos con ustedes! We are with you!&#8221;
Despite international pressure to step down and the loss of support from locals, dictator Nicolas Maduro has refused to surrender power.

Transportation Department Suspends Air Travel To Venezuela

Department of Homeland Security

Nicolas Maduro

United Airlines

Venezuela

&#8220;Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile&#8221; is a Netflix original crime biopic about serial killer Ted Bundy. It is directed by Joe Berlinger, who also created the documentary series &#8220;Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.&#8221; Rather than focusing on the grotesque nature of Bundy&#8217;s crimes, as one might expect from the title, the film centers around Bundy&#8217;s relationships and the impact his various trials had on them. 
In 1969, divorced single-mother Elizabeth &#8220;Liz&#8221; Kendall (Lily Collins) meets aspiring law student Ted Bundy (Zac Efron). They share some tender moments before she brings him home, expecting him to run when he discovers she has a daughter. Instead, Ted seems to tenderly care for her and her child. 
The movie jumps to 1975 when Ted is pulled over by the Utah Highway Patrol and goes on trial for the first time, charged with multiple murders. Soon, Bundy is transferred to Colorado, where he is accused of even more grotesque crimes. Liz stands by Ted, but the horrific reality of the situation drives her to alcoholism. Liz tries to move on, but frequent letters and phone calls from Bundy keep her connected.
In 1978, Bundy is arrested in Florida, and the shocking and famous trial for the murders and assaults of the Florida State University Chi Omega sorority house begins. As Bundy battles the prosecution and the court, the public watches with some openly cheering for the accused murderer. Meanwhile, Liz watches with bated breath, even as more gruesome evidence comes to light. 
Berlinger chooses to skip over whole portions of the serial killer&#8217;s story, focusing instead on some key moments of his criminal life. His troubles in Utah, his escape from the Colorado authorities, and finally his trial in Florida. In-between, the director uses Bundy&#8217;s relationship with Kendall as a bridge.
Casting Zac Efron in anything other than Disney television films and trashy comedies is always a risk, but in this case, it paid off. Efron turns in an excellent performance as Bundy. While he doesn&#8217;t look much like Bundy, he nails his speech, his walk, and his mannerisms. One of the most chilling scenes is when Bundy interrupts Florida authorities reading his indictment; Efron handles the moment with skill and nuance. 
Lily Collins does a satisfactory job as Kendall. While her portrayal is a bit muted at times, she manages to make you feel her growing grief and shock in discovering the man she loves is in fact one of the most prolific serial killers in the world.
Jim Parson delivers a short but excellent performance as Florida Prosecutor Larry Simpson. As he prosecutes the case, he expertly conveys his growing frustration at Ted&#8217;s courtroom antics and his drive to see justice for the victims. His opening and closing statements contain the gravitas of a prosecutor who knows he is tasked with taking down one of the most evil men in American history. 
The title, &#8220;Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,&#8221; prepares viewers for a horror film replete with torture and gore, but this turns out to be a false expectation. While the film does contain some tense scenes, the movie instead unsettlingly draws you in with Bundy&#8217;s charm to the point where you start to feel empathy for him, though Berlinger makes clear the killer shows no empathy for his victims.
Check out the trailer below:
<div>
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i2Ozn_ox_4A" width="853"></iframe></div>

</div>

Review: &#8216;Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile&#8217;: A Tense Look At Bundy&#8217;s Charm

Colorado

Florida

Netflix

Utah

Speaking at the National Rifle Association Leadership Forum in Indianapolis, Indiana, Vice President Mike Pence declared that the Trump administration is not backing down from its strong support of the Second Amendment and law-abiding citizens. 
&#8220;You know, the president and I stand with the NRA because, like all of you, we stand for freedom. And the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a freedom that is at the heart of the American story,&#8221; Pence said. &#8220;Our Founders won our independence with the power of their ideas and with the powder in their muskets. Our pioneers won the West with their daring, their courage, and their Springfields, Winchesters, and Colts.&#8221;
The vice president praised the gun rights organization and its five million members &#8220;because the National Rifle Association stands for freedom.&#8221;
Pence challenged the notion that increased gun ownership leads to higher crime rates in communities and promised that the Trump administration will protect law-abiding gun owners.
&#8220;Nowhere is this ongoing struggle for freedom more visible every day than in the struggle to defend the Second Amendment. Firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens don&#8217;t threaten our families, they protect our families. And we know that firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens make our communities more safe, not less safe,&#8221; he said. 
Pence continued, &#8220;Well, I&#8217;ll make you a promise: Under this president and this vice president, no one is taking your guns. Under this president and this administration, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.&#8221;
The vice president also discussed the Trump administration&#8217;s support for law enforcement, as well as their signature policy of enforcing the border. 
Video and transcript below:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YXraPH3zNWc" width="853"></iframe></div>
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
<blockquote>
Well, hello, NRA! Thank you, Chris, for that great introduction. Chris and I have been friends for a lot of years. I have great respect for him. But he knows the introduction I prefer is a little bit shorter: I&#8217;m a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order.
And as Vice President of the United States, it&#8217;s my great honor to be back home again in Indiana with so many freedom-loving Americans at the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association. Welcome to the Hoosier State.
It really is great to be here with so many friends. Chris, and Ollie North, and Wayne LaPierre, and, really, with some outstanding leaders that we respect greatly and admire every day, like Governor Eric Holcomb of Indiana Governor Matt Bevin of Kentucky, and so many distinguished members of the United States Congress, including the House Minority Whip, the courageous Steve Scalise.
And speaking of friends of mine, it&#8217;s especially great to be here with another friend, a great champion of freedom who I can tell you personally gets up every day and fights to keep the promises that he made to all the American people. I can&#8217;t wait to join you to welcome the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump back to the Hoosier State.
You know, the President and I stand with the NRA because, like all of you, we stand for freedom. And the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a freedom that is at the heart of the American story.
Our Founders won our independence with the power of their ideas and with the powder in their muskets. Our pioneers won the West with their daring, their courage, and their Springfields, Winchesters, and Colts.
Our forebears have fought our nation&#8217;s wars and defended our way of life with the skills they learned on the rifle range, in a deer stand, at the knee of a father, a mother, or a grandparent back home.
And in our own day, there are no greater champions of America&#8217;s tradition of responsible gun ownership than all of you and the 5 million proud men and women of the NRA. Thank you for your stand.
And I&#8217;m here today to tell you: We&#8217;re with you. President Trump and I are with the NRA today, and tomorrow and always, because the National Rifle Association stands for freedom.
Nowhere is this ongoing struggle for freedom more visible every day than in the struggle to defend the Second Amendment. Firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens don&#8217;t threaten our families, they protect our families. And we know that firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens make our communities more safe, not less safe.
You know, at this podium, nearly two decades ago, Charlton Heston said those famous words, and I quote, &#8220;I&#8217;ll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.&#8221;
Well, I&#8217;ll make you a promise: Under this President and this Vice President, no one is taking your guns. Under this President and this administration, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
And the truth is, from the first day of this administration, President Trump has been fighting for freedom, and you all know that. And, really, I couldn&#8217;t be more proud to be Vice President to a President who fights every day not just for freedom but for those who defend it.
I mean, think about it: This President stood with those who defend our freedom when he signed the largest increase in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan.
Thanks to the President&#8217;s leadership, we&#8217;re once again giving our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard the resources and the support they need to accomplish their mission and come home safe.
And this President has stood with those who defend our freedom her at home, who protect and serve on the Thin Blue Line. And under President Trump&#8217;s leadership, we&#8217;re giving all the men and women of law enforcement at every level the resources and the respect that they deserve every single day as they protect our families.
I know there&#8217;s a lot of law enforcement members who are here today, who have taken time to be at this convention. Why don&#8217;t you all just show them how much we appreciate the men and women who serve on the Thin Blue Line and protect our families every day? (Applause.) God bless you all.
And this President has stood for freedom in the American economy as well. President Trump has already cut more federal red tape in the last two years than any President in American history. We&#8217;ve unleased American energy. And President Trump signed the largest tax cuts and tax reform in American history. (Applause.) And the results are in: Businesses large and small have created 5.5 million new jobs. More Americans are working than ever before. And it was just reported this morning: The American economy grew by 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2019.
And beyond our security and our prosperity, this President has also strengthened the very foundation of our freedom. At this point, President Trump has already appointed to our federal courts more principled conservatives in the last two years than any President in American history. And they are all conservatives who will uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution &#8212; like the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms. It&#8217;s an incredible group.
But despite the fact that this President has faced unprecedented opposition, obstruction, and resistance, I believe that when this President&#8217;s story is written, when he finishes his term in office, six years from now I believe history will record: No other President in all the modern era has done so much for so many in so little time. President Donald Trump has delivered.
So, under the President&#8217;s leadership here at home and around the world, America is winning again. But to keep on winning, I came here today to say that we need you to stay in the fight. Because the truth is, we live in a time when freedom is under assault. And it&#8217;s not just the freedom that the NRA so nobly defends, but the freedom to live, to work, and to worship God are all being threatened by the radical Left every day. It&#8217;s true.
And the same people who threaten your right to self-defense want to stifle our economy by raising taxes and increasing regulation. The same people who want to take away your unalienable rights routinely denigrate the faith of millions of Americans and advocate late-term abortion and even infanticide.
But I&#8217;ll make you a promise: Under this President and this administration, we will stand without apology for the sanctity of human life.
But our freedom is under assault every day in other ways. The same blue states and cities that are trying to bankrupt the NRA have become sanctuaries for illegal immigrants, including dangerous gang members and human traffickers. And the same people who want to restrict the right to keep and bear arms of law-abiding citizens believe the Boston Marathon bomber should be given the right to vote on death row.
I got news for you, Bernie: Not on our watch!
Violent convicted felons, murderers, and terrorists should never be given the right to vote in prison &#8212; not now, not ever.
You know, I heard the other day that another Vice President actually said that &#8220;we&#8217;re in a battle for the soul of our nation.&#8221; And, for once, I agree with him &#8212; but not for the reason he thinks. We are in a battle. We&#8217;re in a battle for the soul of America, but it&#8217;s a battle between liberty and tyranny. As the President has said before, it&#8217;s a battle between independence and government control. And, ultimately, it&#8217;s a battle between freedom and socialism.
You know, under the guise of the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, the same Democrats who want to take away your freedom openly advocate a failed economic system that has robbed the liberty and impoverished millions of people around the world.
But let&#8217;s be clear: It was freedom, not socialism, that gave us the most prosperous economy in the history of the world.
It was freedom, not socialism, that ended slavery, won two world wars, and stands today as a beacon of hope for all the world.
It was freedom, not socialism, that&#8217;s moving us beyond the prejudices of the past to create a more perfect union and extend the blessings of liberty to every American, regardless of race or creed or color.
And it was freedom, not socialism, that gave us the highest quality of life, the cleanest environment, and improved the health and wellbeing of millions around the world.
You know, what Medicare for All really means is quality healthcare for none. And the only thing green about the so-called Green New Deal is how much green it&#8217;s going to cost all of us if they ever sign it into law.
You know, Margaret Thatcher probably said it best: &#8220;The trouble with socialism is [you] eventually run out of other people&#8217;s money.&#8221;
So I say, from my heart, to all of you freedom-loving Americans gathered here: The moment America becomes a socialist country is the moment America ceases to be America. And as President Trump said in his State of the Union Address, so we must say with one voice: &#8220;America will never be a socialist country.&#8221;
So, men and women of the NRA, the stakes have never been higher, but the choice has never been clearer.
It won&#8217;t be enough just to win the next election; we&#8217;ve got to win the next generation. And this is our challenge. It won&#8217;t be easy. But it never has been.
Thomas Paine explained, during the American founding, that the battle for freedom is always arduous. As he said, quote, &#8220;The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.&#8221; And then Thomas Paine added, &#8220;What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly&#8221; and that &#8220;Heaven knows how to put a [proper] price upon its good[s]; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.&#8221;
It&#8217;s really about freedom that we gather here today, and preserving the freedom that&#8217;s at the heart of America. But as you&#8217;ll hear in just a few minutes, President Donald Trump and I are ready for the fight. (Applause.) We are ready to stand with all of you and fight to defend and expand freedom for every American.
But we can&#8217;t do it alone &#8212; so keep doing your part. Talk to your neighbors and friends and tell them what we&#8217;ve been able to accomplish over the last two years. And tell them about the challenges that we face, and tell them what the opposition offers. I mean, tell them this President and this administration have been fighting for all the liberties you hold dear. Tell them we&#8217;re setting things right in Washington, D.C. Tell them we&#8217;re draining the swamp &#8212;because we are. And tell them the forgotten men and women of America are forgotten no more, because it&#8217;s the God&#8217;s honest truth. (Applause.) Go tell them.
So thank you for the opportunity to be with you today. Thank you for coming here to the Hoosier State and giving me a chance to be home.
You know, it&#8217;s amazing for me to think about the journey that my wife and I have been on. Five years ago, when I was governor of the state of Indiana, I stood at this podium in that role. And I have to tell you, for this small-town boy from southern Indiana, the grandson of an Irish immigrant, it&#8217;s hard to describe how humbling it is to have the privilege. So I want to &#8212; I want to thank you for the honor of serving as your Vice President. And I want to thank you for your support.
And because of your support of this President, his Vice President, and this administration, I&#8217;m proud to report America is standing strong again. America is prospering again.
The Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States is secure again. And freedom is winning all across America.
And I know we&#8217;re going to keep on winning. I know we&#8217;re going to keep on winning because I have faith &#8212; faith in this President I serve alongside every day. I mean, I got to tell you, somebody said to me the other day, &#8220;Tell the President to keep on going, keep on fighting.&#8221; And I said to them, &#8220;That&#8217;s not something you got to tell him.&#8221;
You know, as we say here in the Hoosier State, all the reverse is stripped out of that pickup truck. It is straight ahead, straight forward. He&#8217;s bringing the energy, the leadership, and the fight for the American people. And I promise you we&#8217;re going to do it every day in the next two years.
But I got faith in my friend. I got faith in conservative leaders that you&#8217;ve helped elect all across this country, who have been standing with us for the principles and the ideals that we hold dear.
And lastly, I&#8217;ve got faith in all of you. As I travel across this country, I see Americans every day who are standing with us, encouraging us. I meet them at grocery stores. I meet them on rope lines at airports. I meet them at rallies and in diners. And they&#8217;re folks just like you and me who always knew that we could be strong again; who knew that we could be prosperous again; who knew that we could be standing tall again. And they&#8217;re standing with us every step of the way.
And so, for their sake, I just want to encourage all of you: Be confident as we go into the days that lie ahead in the next year and a half. Because I have faith that if we hold the banner of freedom high, if we put into practice those words inscribed on the Liberty Bell to &#8220;proclaim liberty throughout all the land [and] unto all the inhabitants thereof,&#8221; those same Americans will rally to our cause again and we&#8217;ll keep on winning a great victory for the American people.
And remember, as you leave Indiana and go to your homes, and all of you that are looking on from afar, remember that when we fight for freedom, we do not fight alone because where the spirit of the Lord is, there&#8217;s freedom. And that means freedom always wins.
So thank you for the honor. Thank you for the honor of addressing you today. Thank you for the stand that you&#8217;ve made and the stand that each one of you take. We&#8217;re proud to stand with you.
And I truly do believe that with your continued support, with President Donald Trump in the White House for four more years with freedom-loving leaders serving at every level all across this nation, and with God&#8217;s help, we&#8217;ll finish what we&#8217;ve started. We will make America safe again. We will make America more prosperous than ever before. And as I know you&#8217;ll hear in just a few minutes, we will make America great again.
Thank you very much. God bless you all. And God bless America.
</blockquote>

WATCH: Mike Pence Affirms Trump Administration’s Pro-Gun Stance At NRA Event

Guns

Indiana

National Rifle Association (NRA)

Raymond Cruz is a Hollywood star who has had a prolific career, appearing on television&#8217;s &#8220;Breaking Bad&#8221; and &#8220;Major Crimes,&#8221; as well as movies like &#8220;From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money,&#8221; &#8220;Training Day,&#8221; and &#8220;Collateral Damage.&#8221; He recently spoke with The Daily Wire about his upcoming horror film, &#8220;The Curse of La Llorona,&#8221; which hits theaters on April 19.
Q: For those unfamiliar, tell us what the &#8220;The Curse of La Llorona&#8221; is about?
Cruz: It&#8217;s a horror film based on a folk tale that goes back hundreds of years. It is very popular with the Latin community. It&#8217;s based on a dark entity that roams the earth in search of children to replace the one that she lost. Originally, La Llorona was a married woman who discovered her husband was having an affair and she ended up drowning their kids in a fit of rage. She took her own life after that and is now roaming the earth in search of children to replace the ones she lost &#8212; a void that can never be filled. It&#8217;s a vicious cycle that goes on forever.
Q: What role do you play in the film?
Cruz: I play Rafael, an ex-priest who left the church because he felt that they weren&#8217;t doing enough to help people struggling with these supernatural occurrences. He goes out on his own and becomes basically a shaman &#8212; a mystic. He&#8217;s essentially a witch doctor who balances his faith with his knowledge of shamanism to help combat these supernatural entities.
Q: What makes it different from horror films?
Cruz: It&#8217;s different because of the cultural connection. It&#8217;s a Latin phenomenon that is being shared with the rest of the world. In my opinion, the best horror movies are the ones based on these plausible entities and not some made-up CGI monster.
Q: This is Michael Chaves&#8217; directorial debut of a major motion picture. What was it like working with him?
Cruz: It was great working with him! He&#8217;s so enthusiastic. He was going a hundred miles a minute and I was like, &#8220;We have four to six weeks of shooting.&#8221; He has good energy, a love of the subject matter, and with him, you can&#8217;t wait to put the pieces together to see the film.
Q: What was it like behind the scenes during shooting?
Cruz: It&#8217;s really hard shooting a film. People don&#8217;t realize all of the nuts and bolts of it. It can be hard, so we lightened the mood. Linda (Cardellini) was great to work with. She had a great sense of humor. We had fun scaring the children on set and I&#8217;m sure they&#8217;re scarred for life. They asked me if La Llorona is real, and I said straight-out that she was and that changed everything.
Q: You&#8217;ve done roles in several genres, including science fiction, comedy, action, on stage, film, and on television. What is an aspect of horror that you like?
Cruz: I call it the &#8220;Frankenstein aspect.&#8221; I saw &#8220;Frankenstein&#8221; when I was a kid and it fascinated me &#8212; this idea of a visceral creature wandering the earth in search of something, but everyone being afraid of him. As a kid, that made me love horror films and I would watch them every chance I got. So, to grow up and be a part of a big horror film is a rewarding experience.
Q: As far as acting in genres, what are your favorites ones to star in?
Cruz: I would say the drama genre. I&#8217;ve done so many roles in that and I like the challenge of it. Like on &#8220;Breaking Bad,&#8221; I loved the challenge of bringing the scenes to life. Any actor who is worth his weight, it is about the challenge of communicating the story.
Q: What is next for you, as far as projects?
Cruz: I&#8217;m really focused on writing and getting my own stuff made. I&#8217;m writing a TV series and a film. I don&#8217;t want to reveal too much of the project, but it is a horror film combined with spirituality.
Q: How would you encourage audiences to go see &#8220;The Curse of La Llorona?&#8221;
Cruz: It&#8217;s a different take on a horror film, in regard to the Latin legend. Go see it and get your thrills. There&#8217;s a ton of jump scares. We&#8217;ve had people say that they stopped breathing because they were so scared. Part of my role is also to be comedic, so on top of the terror, I release some of the tension with humor.
_
&#8220;The Curse Of La Llorona&#8221; is being co-produced by &#8220;Aquaman&#8221; director James Wan and distributed by Warner Bros.

EXCLUSIVE: Actor Raymond Cruz Discusses His Upcoming Film &#8216;The Curse Of La Llorona&#8217;

Catholic Church

Latinos

Author and screenwriter Lou Aguilar brings us his latest book &#8220;Paper Tigers.&#8221; It is a very timely fictional novel that takes us behind the scenes into the newsrooms of the mainstream media, the halls of academia, the cesspool of progressivism in Hollywood, and the corrupt swampland of Washington, D.C. Though the book is about politics &#8212; particularly government, the media, and the entertainment industry &#8212; it strays away from political correctness and focuses on character development and crafting a story. 
Cowboy Conservative Nick Jarrett arrives at The Washington Post at the same time as Ivy League feminist Laura London. As interns, they are assigned to the same mailroom and almost immediately clash over politics. The two seem to disagree on everything. The role of government, feminism, masculinity, education, marriage, and everything in between. However, sparks fly between the two. Despite their political divide, they manage to find themselves in love. As they try to navigate their unusual relationship, the two of them get involved in covering a campus protest that threatens to turn violent, a massive Hollywood blacklist scandal, and corruption in the highest points on Capitol Hill. 
&#8220;Paper Tigers&#8221; hits all of the high points for today&#8217;s political climate. Though it is a fictional story, several of the incidents the protagonists find themselves in are ripped straight from the headlines. This gives the novel a timely feel as the characters navigate moment to moment as journalists. Even though it is fiction, as a reader, you get the impression that the circumstances you are reading about seem oddly familiar. From the halls of the Ivy League to the streets of our nation&#8217;s capital, you will recognize these events. 
The main protagonists&#8217; banter back and forth about traditional values and liberal values are probably conversations you have heard over Thanksgiving dinner or visiting with your family on the weekends. Each makes the points succinctly, though a few times the conversation did feel a bit cliche in the general sense of what they were saying when it came to the point of view of their political aisle. 
One of my favorite sequences in the novel was Nick&#8217;s investigation into a new Hollywood blacklist. After tracking down a mystery writer who lost out on a big film contract, he discovers a cabal of progressive watchdogs. This time, a ban is not in place over the evils of communism, but over support for American values. Anyone who holds true to tradition is immediately labeled and banned. As a screenwriter, Aguilar has a particular expertise with this part of the conversation and he wastes no time showing how leftism has infiltrated the entertainment industry with its propaganda. 
The plot explores the political themes of this modern era, but is also written in a classic novelist style. The characters have depth, the story moves at a perfect pace, and it does not bog itself down in minutiae or melodrama that makes so many modern novels bland and droll. &#8220;Paper Tigers&#8221; gives the reader glimpses into the worlds of the media, government, academia, and Hollywood that gets political without the political correctness. 
<div> </div>

Book Review: ‘Paper Tigers’ by Lou Aguilar

Progressivism

Washington D.C.

Washington Post

Star of the biopic &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/43504/exclusive-unplanned-trailer-1-nation-itunes-paul-bois">Unplanned</a>,&#8221; Ashley Bratcher responded to a letter written by abortion advocate Alyssa Milano to Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp threatening to boycott the state if a proposed pro-life heartbeat bill passes. 
Milano slammed H.B. 481, the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, which bans abortions if a heartbeat is detected. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/45265/moral-paragons-50-actors-sign-letter-alyssa-milano-hank-berrien">reported</a>, over fifty celebrities have signed the letter in solidarity. 
Responding on <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/03/heartbeat-bill-georgia-ashley-bratcher-unplanned-actor-guest-column-1202584369/">Deadline</a>, Bratcher, who portrays pro-life advocate Abby Johnson in the film, says she is a &#8220;proud Georgian&#8221; and that she is &#8220;incredibly proud of my home state for taking a stand in the fight for life amidst backlash and dubious threats&#8221;:
<blockquote>
For the latter part of a year I&#8217;ve watched as women I&#8217;ve admired, like you, spoke out in regards to women&#8217;s rights, more specifically women&#8217;s reproductive rights. With radical laws like the ones in New York and Vermont being passed, it&#8217;s more critical than ever that we are using our voices to fight for the rights of women. One problem, you&#8217;re forgetting about the rights of women within the womb. If feminism is all about equal rights, then where are her rights?
She also criticized Milano for saying that the &#8220;state leaders are going down a divisive road once again, refighting culture wars and jeopardizing one of the state&#8217;s biggest sources of revenue.&#8221;
</blockquote>
Bratcher continued: 
<blockquote>
Well Alyssa, let me make something very clear to you. In Georgia, we care just as much about being pro-life as being pro-film. We don&#8217;t believe in putting a price tag on the value of a human life. Our brave leaders have stepped up to say enough is enough, we will no longer sit idly by as innocent lives are taken by the thousands each day. If you fault Georgia for choosing to be morally correct over politically correct, then that says more of your personal agenda than the goal of our governor to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. You claim that the HB481 &#8220;Heartbill Bill&#8221; would make Georgia the most regressive state in the country; I couldn&#8217;t disagree more. Abortion is so 1973. Welcome to 2019, a time in which medical advances preserve the life of babies born as early as 21 weeks. In case you didn&#8217;t know, that&#8217;s three weeks earlier than what most states in the U.S. consider &#8220;viable&#8221; in their abortion legislation.
</blockquote>
Bratcher also argues that women do not seek abortions because they feel &#8220;empowered,&#8221; but because modern feminists claim women cannot be mothers and successful. She goes on to argue that Hollywood&#8217;s glamour has lost its appeal to Americans.
&#8220;How sad it is that tax credits are a more important topic than the sanctity of human life,&#8221; she concludes. &#8220;Mother to mother, I invite you to see my new movie, &#8216;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/42914/watch-heres-trailer-new-pro-life-film-unplanned-amanda-prestigiacomo">Unplanned</a>.&#8217; Abby Johnson&#8217;s testimony changed my life. Who knows, maybe it could change yours too.&#8221;
&#8220;Unplanned&#8221; is based on the memoir by Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee who left the abortion organization and become a pro-life advocate. It opens in theaters on March 29th.

&#8216;Unplanned&#8217; Actress Fires Back At Alyssa Milano&#8217;s Attack On Georgia&#8217;s Pro-Life Bill

The government of China has ramped up its policy of &#8220;Sinicisation,&#8221; or the crackdown on religious liberty among its populace within the past two years. The communist regime has been accused of mass arrests, the tearing down of religious institutions, beatings, and even bribing communities into reporting their practicing members. 
Christian rights watchdog group Open Doors has ranked the persecution level in China as &#8220;<a href="https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/china/">very high</a>.&#8221; 
Their website <a href="https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/stories/china-promises-financial-rewards-for-reporting-christians/">reports</a> that the authorities are &#8220;reportedly resorting to offering monetary rewards to anyone who spies on a neighbor or even family member and reports a group of believers to authorities.&#8221; Tip boxes have appeared in the Henan province that allow neighbors to report their Christian neighbors. The human rights magazine &#8220;<a href="https://bitterwinter.org/reporting-boxes-and-tip-lines-to-stop-religion/">Bitter Winter</a>,&#8221; adds that reported individuals are immediately arrested, interrogated by the police, often beaten, and many have had their property seized. These seizures are not limited to &#8220;underground&#8221; churches, but even officially recognized churches in Henan province have had their crosses taken by the authorities. 
It is not just Christians suffering under the communist regime. As the Australia Broadcast Channel <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-18/chinas-mass-surveillance-of-uyghur-muslims-revealed-in-data/10820634">reports</a>, Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province are under constant threat of arrest, mass surveillance, and being sent to internment camps. It is estimated that at least 1 million Uyghur Muslims have been detained for &#8220;re-education.&#8221; 
The Augusta Review <a href="https://augustareview.com/tiny-kaifeng-jewish-community-faces-orwellian-future/">notes</a> that Chinese Jews are also facing intense pressure from the government. The already tiny community, known as Kaifeng Jews, have shrunk to an estimated 2,500 under the suffering. <a href="http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Henan,-Kaifeng-Jews-persecuted-along-with-other-religions-46272.html">AsianNews</a> adds that Judaism is not recognized as an official religion and their methods of worship are considered &#8220;illegal,&#8221; making any practice subject to police raids and arrests.
These crackdowns have been internationally condemned by the media, human rights activists, and by other governments. In <a href="https://augustareview.com/10-highlights-from-first-ever-state-dept-ministerial-to-advance-religious-freedom-worldwide/">September 2018</a>, the United States, along with Canada, Djibouti, Kosovo, and United Arab Emirates, signed the &#8220;Potomac Declaration&#8221; which condemned the attacks on religious liberty by China, Myanmar, and Iran.
The European Union is also taking steps to help relieve the situation. According to <a href="https://www.neweurope.eu/article/eu-urged-to-consider-asylum-claims-of-chinese-religious-group-members/">New Europe</a>, the EU is considering allowing 2,000 Christians to receive asylum for &#8220;severe persecution.&#8221;
The Trump administration has openly condemned the persecution. In a March speech in <a href="https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/rm/2019/290403.htm">Taiwan</a>, International Religious Freedom Ambassador Sam Brownback said, &#8220;What does the Chinese government have to fear from people reading the Bible or Uighurs naming their children Mohammad? The Chinese are a strong and vibrant people.&#8221; 
&#8220;They do not need to fear people who have strong religious beliefs or convictions. Instead, the government should promote the protection of the rights of its people to practice their beliefs and worship as they see fit,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I am committed to fighting for the rights of all to believe or not to believe as they see fit, and for all to be able to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms without threat. Not just the freedom of religion or belief, but also the freedoms of expression, of association and of peaceful assembly.&#8221;
China does not seem to be backing down. The South China Morning Post wrote that Premier Li Keqiang said to the Chinese legislature in early <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2188752/no-let-chinas-push-sinicise-religion-despite-global-outcry-over">March</a>, &#8220;We must fully implement the [Communist] Party&#8217;s fundamental policy on religious affairs and uphold the Sinicisation of religion in China.&#8221; 
ChinaAid founder Bob Fu told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/28/we-are-scared-but-we-have-jesus-china-and-its-war-on-christianity">The Guardian</a> that in the midst of the crackdown, Christianity continues to grow in the communist country. He explained, &#8220;I have hope for the future, these campaigns were done in Roman times, under Stalin and under Mao, and none succeeded.&#8221;
Fu added, &#8220;It will only have the opposite effect, and if Communist party cadres studied history they would see this. Crackdowns will cause the church to grow faster, and help [the] church be more united.&#8221;
The mainstream media appears to be finally waking up to the human rights <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-xi-jinping-is-attacking-religion-in-china-2018-11">violations</a> in China. For a time, the media stayed silent on the suffering of the religious Chinese. Now, with the communists targeting every person who does not toe the party line, the media has no choice but to bring attention to this crucial issue. 
<div> </div>

Even As International Pressure Mounts, China Ramps Up Religious Persecution

China

Religion

&#8220;Triple Frontier&#8221; is an Atlas Entertainment action movie directed by filmmaker J.C. Chandor, who also helmed 2014&#8217;s &#8220;A Most Violent Year.&#8221; With an A-list cast of Hollywood stars, a well-meaning script, and a compelling premise, this Netflix original film attempts to break the mold with its theme of bitterness and greed. 
Santiago &#8220;Pope&#8221; Garcia (Oscar Isaacs) has been working as a private military advisor in Columbia trying to find a reclusive druglord named Lorea (Reynaldo Gallegos) with the help of local law enforcement. His lover and confidential informant Yovanna (Adria Arjona) agrees to help him find the compound and drug money hidden in the house if Pope helps get her brother out of prison. 
Pope gathers members of his old Special Forces unit, Tom &#8220;Redfly&#8221; Davis (Ben Affleck), William &#8220;Ironhead&#8221; Miller (Charlie Hunnam), Francisco &#8220;Catfish&#8221; Morales (Pedro Pascal), and William&#8217;s younger brother Ben Miller (Garrett Hedlund) to assist in the operation. At first, things seem to go smoothly when they take the house and gather the money, but it gets complicated when Davis realizes how much money is actually contained there. Soon, they have to make decisions and compromises that make the mission seem less clear than when they first started. 
The movie presents an interesting premise. Each of the protagonists served their country with honor and distinction, but now they are suffering in their personal and professional lives. Redfly and Ironhead are divorced and barely making ends meet with their careers. Catfish has lost his pilot&#8217;s license and cannot catch a break. Ben is making a living as a Mixed Martial Arts prizefighter, but he finds no joy in it. When Pope comes along with this get-rich-quick scheme, they all agree to take part, though hesitantly. 
At first, they are just men trying to get ahead with this operation, but after they realize how much money is involved, greed starts to take over and they make increasingly problematic decisions. Before long, they all begin to wonder if it was all worth it. 
The story is reminiscent of &#8220;The Pearl&#8221; by John Steinbeck, about a poor man who discovers a valuable pearl that can change the fortune of his family, but only brings despair in the end. 
The movie attempts to take that route by lining the road to the climax with themes of bitterness, greed, and the dangers of moral compromise. There is nothing wrong with these themes presented in the film. In fact, it was very refreshing to find a movie that did not dive into nihilism and moral relativism. The issue is that, at times, the movie tries a touch too hard to get its message across to the viewer; the moralizing grows distracting and disrupts the narrative flow. 
Apart from the heavy-handed moralizing, the movie is solid. The cinematography, the setting, and visuals are stunning from beginning to end. They match the tone of the plot and affect the characters in every step of their journey. 
While Affleck and Isaacs are billed as the top performers, Hunnam was the breakout actor of the movie. While he&#8217;s mostly known for TV&#8217;s &#8220;Sons of Anarchy,&#8221; he has made appearances in features like &#8220;Pacific Rim&#8221; and &#8220;The Lost City of Z.&#8221; This film, however, highlights his talent, as he acts as the conscience of the band of men trying to get their fortunes home. 
&#8220;Triple Frontier&#8221; is crafted with excellence and while it trips over its own themes at times, it is an impressive look at the human condition and how greed corrupts even the noblest of hearts. 
Check out the trailer below:
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fo3yRLLrXQA" width="853"></iframe></div>

&#8216;Triple Frontier&#8217; Review: An Action Film That Tries To Go Deep

Ben Affleck

Mike Pence Slams The Democratic Pivot Toward Socialism

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Jacob Airey

Articles by Jacob Airey