To many Americans, Alberta may seem like a distant Canadian province. But the oil-rich western region increasingly resembles a northern version of America’s populist red states — deeply distrustful of liberal federal power, economically tied to energy production, and increasingly willing to challenge the legitimacy of national institutions.

The difference is that Alberta’s growing independence movement is no longer content merely to complain about Ottawa — it wants out.

‘Who amongst us thought when we were growing up that one day we’d have the opportunity to create a new country?’ Rath said. ‘How much fun is this?’

Now, Alberta independence advocates are accusing Conservative Alberta Premier Danielle Smith of blocking a referendum on separation in order to maintain relations with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government in Ottawa.

Pipe dream

Jeff Rath, legal counsel for the Alberta Prosperity Project and one of the leading voices advocating Alberta independence, claims Smith is quietly delaying a provincial referendum on separation in hopes of securing federal support for a pipeline route through neighboring British Columbia.

Rath does not oppose pipelines themselves. In fact, many Alberta separatists increasingly argue that the province’s economic future lies in deeper integration with American energy markets rather than continued dependence on Ottawa and Eastern Canada.

Rath also questioned whether the proposed pipeline is even necessary, arguing that Alberta will soon have substantial additional export capacity through existing and expanding infrastructure connected to U.S. markets.

In his view, Smith is trading away referendum momentum for a politically compromised deal that still leaves Alberta subject to Ottawa’s climate and energy policies.

“She’s literally sold out everybody in Alberta for a completely unnecessary pipeline,” Rath said. Rath told Align that a source close to Smith informed him of what he described as a behind-the-scenes arrangement between the premier and Carney.

Slowing momentum

The dispute highlights growing tensions inside Alberta’s separatist movement, which has increasingly clashed with Smith despite her frequent criticism of Ottawa and the Liberal government. While Smith has positioned herself as a defender of Alberta’s autonomy within Canada, many independence advocates now accuse her of slowing momentum at a moment when they believe public support is surging.

The conflict intensified after Alberta Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard questioned the legitimacy of an independence petition signed by more than 300,000 Albertans. Leonard ruled that Elections Alberta may have improperly assessed the petition because some indigenous bands oppose Alberta separation.

Leonard, who was appointed by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has since become a target of separatist frustration over what many in the movement view as judicial interference in a democratic process.

RELATED: FREE ALBERTA! Nod from US energizes Canada sovereignty movement

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Referendum on a referendum

But Rath insists that neither the courts nor Smith can prevent Albertans from voting on independence.

The lawyer — who has met several times with members of President Donald Trump’s administration — said he was astonished that Smith is now proposing what critics have described as a referendum on whether to hold a referendum.

Rath argues that Smith already possesses the legal authority to move forward immediately.

When asked by Align whether an independence referendum can proceed despite Leonard’s ruling, Rath replied: “One hundred percent.”

Rath pointed to paragraph 76 of Leonard’s decision, which he says explicitly affirms the Alberta government’s authority under the province’s Referendum Act to place the question on the ballot without relying on the Citizen Initiative Act petition process.

“What’s going up to the Court of Appeal is whether or not … there’s a requirement for First Nations consultation or whether it’s unconstitutional — not whether the question goes on the ballot at all,” Rath said.

Rath sharply criticized Leonard’s ruling, calling it political rather than legal.

“This is fundamentally a political decision and not a legal decision,” he told Align.

Gathering steam

He also argued that the ruling has backfired by energizing the independence movement rather than slowing it.

“People in Alberta are furious,” Rath said. “Even people that are sitting on the fence are telling me, ‘I was sitting on the fence until I see that all it takes is one liberal justice to tell me that I don’t have a right to do something, and I’m done with this.’”

Rath said frustration with Canada’s judiciary is now fueling broader constitutional discussions inside the province, including calls for an elected judiciary similar to the American system.

The controversy, he argued, has transformed Alberta independence from a fringe political idea into a serious constitutional debate.

“This is probably good for another 5%,” Rath said, referring to support for separation.

Once in a generation

Despite the legal battle and political uncertainty, Rath described the movement in optimistic terms, framing Alberta independence as a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

“Who amongst us thought when we were growing up that one day we’d have the opportunity to create a new country?” Rath said. “How much fun is this?”

Smith, meanwhile, remains in a politically precarious position. Although she has repeatedly said she opposes Alberta separation and would campaign against it in any referendum, many members of her governing United Conservative Party support giving voters the opportunity to decide the issue directly.

Even many Albertans who oppose separation still support holding a referendum, Rath said.

“100% of those people believe that Albertans are adults and should have the right to be able to answer this question.”

Whether Smith can continue balancing Alberta nationalism with her federalist instincts may determine not only the future of her government but also the trajectory of a separatist movement that no longer appears willing to wait patiently for Ottawa to change course.

​Alberta, Alberta independence, Canadian secession, Donald trump, Letter from canada, Mark carney, Oil, Lifestyle 

For a decade, not one lukewarm Republican incumbent senator or governor has lost a primary and been replaced by a more conservative challenger under Donald Trump’s leadership of the GOP. That changed Tuesday night.

Four-term U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) did not merely lose to state Attorney General Ken Paxton. He got routed by 28 points.

The Paxton endorsement and Cornyn’s defeat should have marked a turning point in Trump’s political strategy. Instead, they look like the high point of the cycle.

The decisive factor was obvious: Trump finally endorsed the challenger instead of the RINO incumbent. Now, imagine what the party might look like if he had done that over the past five election cycles.

The point is not to dwell on missed opportunities. Upcoming primaries in red states will determine whether conservatives retain any real statewide fighters.

Paxton’s victory proves Trump could finish his term by draining the swamp. Sadly, he more often sides with the swamp or stays silent long enough for moneyed interests to crush more principled candidates.

Most insurgent challengers lack Paxton’s name recognition. But if Trump’s endorsement could move Paxton from a close race to a 240-county rout, it could make lesser-known challengers competitive against weak incumbents. In open seats, a grassroots conservative with Trump’s backing would be nearly unbeatable.

Several upcoming races offer conservatives a chance to make red states actually govern like red states. Too often, Trump is absent or on the wrong side.

Start with Iowa.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is retiring, and Democrats have fielded a credible challenger pretending to be a moderate while running against land grabs. Republicans need a non-corporatist nominee who does not carry the baggage of the status quo Republicans in Congress.

Betting markets have RINO Rep. Randy Feenstra as the heavy favorite for the GOP nomination because he has the most money and name identification. Conservatives have fielded multiple candidates, but with only days until the election, Zach Lahn has the most traction and the clearest message against data centers and land grabs.

Thankfully, Trump has not endorsed Feenstra. But if he endorsed Lahn, Lahn could win outright without a runoff.

The Iowa Senate race shows the opposite problem. Former state Sen. Jim Carlin challenged Sen. Joni Ernst after she obstructed Pete Hegseth’s nomination. Trump should have endorsed Carlin. Instead, he encouraged Ernst to run again. Then, when Ernst retired thanks to Carlin’s hard work, Trump endorsed RINO Rep. Ashley Hinson, ensuring no improvement over Ernst.

RELATED: Trump-backed candidate easily wins primary to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell in Kentucky

Luke Sharrett/Getty Images

Trump made a similar move in Louisiana. Sen. Bill Cassidy was already politically wounded, with conservative challengers in the race. Trump could have helped finish him. Instead, he helped clear the field for Rep. Julia Letlow, a carbon capture supporter backed by major AI money who declined to run when the race looked difficult.

South Dakota presents the next major red-state test.

Sen. Mike Rounds represents everything MAGA claims to hate on social, fiscal, and national security policy. Yet Trump endorsed him last year, clearing the field and guaranteeing no serious opposition. This has become a familiar pattern. A Trump endorsement effectively cancels the primary.

The biggest prize in South Dakota is the governor’s race. After MAGA Inc. promoted Kristi Noem as a conservative champion, many of us warned she was a capricious establishment Republican. Her lieutenant governor, Larry Rhoden, took over the term and now seeks a full one. Rep. Dusty Johnson, former leader of the RINO Main Street Partnership, is also running. So is wealthy businessman Toby Doeden, who claims the MAGA label while pushing data centers.

Speaker Jon Hansen is the only conservative in the race. He led the fight against carbon capture land grabs, helped build a conservative majority in the state House, and fought the abortion amendment, marijuana amendment, and COVID tyranny in South Dakota. Now, he is fighting data centers.

A Trump endorsement would likely win the race for Hansen. Instead, conservatives have to worry that Trump might intervene on the wrong side if the race heads to a runoff.

Anyone who thought Trump’s late endorsement against Cornyn signaled a strategic turning point should look at South Carolina. Trump recently reaffirmed his endorsement of Sen. Lindsey Graham ahead of the June 9 primary against Matt Lynch and several other candidates.

Trump’s endorsements of Graham in 2020 and again now have driven off stronger challengers. That is clearly why, barring a miracle, one of the most obnoxious Republicans in the Senate will probably remain there until he dies.

Even when conservatives cannot defeat incumbent RINOs, they should at least ensure that open seats produce better Republicans. Montana shows how hard the establishment works to prevent that.

Trump and the RINO establishment that runs the Montana GOP helped execute a sleazy scheme around Sen. Steve Daines’ retirement. Daines announced his retirement on the filing deadline while the establishment had U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme lined up to walk into the seat without a primary. The goal was obvious: avoid a competitive race from a member of the Montana Freedom Caucus.

Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Gianforte, another RINO Trump ally, is at war with the state Freedom Caucus and is spending heavily to defeat conservative incumbents in the legislature next Tuesday.

RELATED: JD Vance might be unstoppable in 2028

Matt Rourke/Pool/Getty Images

This pattern keeps repeating. Trump elevates, preserves, and empowers statewide GOP leaders who hate conservatives. Those leaders then turn their guns on freedom caucus members in their own legislatures.

Idaho proved the point last week. Trump’s endorsement of Gov. Brad Little for a third term helped keep him in power. Little then spent hundreds of thousands of dollars helping defeat five conservatives in the legislature.

North Dakota shows the same dynamic. Trump cleared the field for governor two years ago and helped install Rep. Kelly Armstrong, one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress. Armstrong is not up for re-election this year, so he is using his money and clout to target the few conservatives in a legislature with almost no official Democrats but plenty of undocumented ones.

Trump has generally stayed out of state legislative races. But his long shadow of RINO endorsements now creates a greater headwind against conservative candidates than ever before.

And don’t even get me started on Trump’s endorsement of Byron Donalds in Florida to replace the greatest governor of this generation.

The Paxton endorsement and Cornyn’s defeat should have marked a turning point in Trump’s political strategy. Instead, they look like the high point of the cycle.

From here, conservatives have every reason to worry that Trump will return to his old habit: rewarding the swamp, clearing the field for weak Republicans, and leaving the movement’s best fighters to fend for themselves.

​Ashley hinson, Bill cassidy, Brad little, Donald trump, Dusty johnson, Greg gianforte, Jd vance, Jim carlin, John cornyn, Joni ernst, Julia letlow, Kelly armstrong, Ken paxton, Kim reynolds, Larry rhoden, Lindsey graham, Mike rounds, Opinion & analysis, Randy feenstra, Byron donalds, Rinos, 2026 midterms, Elections, Republicans, Congress, Maga 

A Muslim woman has been reassigned after only one week as a high school principal after troubling posts on social media were brought to the attention of the Texas school district.

The Fort Worth Independent School District said Tuesday that Shayma Alzubi was removed as the principal of Western Hills High School pending an investigation into the posts.

The post about Sharia law apparently compared the Islamic regulations to other faith-based rules such as those in Christianity.

Alzubi, who has a decade of experience in education, allegedly posted messages on Facebook defending Sharia law as well as the Black Lives Matter movement.

She also reportedly posted a message reading, “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine,” and one that showed support for COVID mask mandates in the district.

The district said in a statement to KDFW-TV that the posts violated its rules about personal politics.

“Our district leaders, educators, and staff will not inject personal political perspectives into classrooms,” reads a statement from the district to Fox News Digital. “Fort Worth ISD serves a wide array of families and students that are civically engaged and maintain a variety of perspectives. As a taxpayer-funded entity, we will remain focused on our mission of providing a high-quality education for all students.”

The post about Sharia law apparently compared Islamic regulations to other faith-based rules such as those in Christianity.

Alzubi did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Alzubi’s supporters have planned a news conference at the Islamic Unity Center and are expected to demand the district immediately reinstate Alzubi as principal.

They blame “multiple right-wing bloggers” who complained that a “visibly Muslim woman was appointed as principal,” according to a press release.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations also blamed an “anti-Muslim witch hunt” in its release, which said Alzubi was targeted because she wore a traditional Islamic head scarf, or hijab.

RELATED: Arizona mother shoots woman she found with her husband — then sends him horrific photo of their child

Among those who posted about Alzubi on Tuesday was the popular Libs of TikTok account.

Alzubi was working as the assistant principal at Southwest High School before she was elevated to the principal position.

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​High school principal, Islamophobia, Black lives matter, Politics, Sharia law 

The first Trump-branded phone is officially out in the wild, but not without some controversy. While it may don the name of the 45th/47th president of the United States, the company is actually owned and operated by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Still, that didn’t stop the left-wing media from lambasting anything with the “Trump” badge simply for existing. We dig through the muck to uncover the truth about whether this device is any good. And, more importantly, is it made in the USA?

Trump Mobile T1 phone, spec for spec

I should start by saying that Blaze Media wasn’t one of the outlets that received a Trump Mobile T1 phone sample. As much as I would love to have it in my hand, I haven’t had the chance to test it outright. Without a review unit, it’s impossible to judge the build quality, materials, and snappiness of the Android launcher.

The attempt here is commendable.

Still, there are some things we can gather about the phone based on its specs, while the other stuff will have to wait for if/when a device lands on my desk.

Screenshot by Zach Laidlaw/Trump Mobile T1 phone spec sheet and preorder form

Looking over the spec sheet, there are several notable benefits the Trump Mobile T1 packs under the hood. The 512GB default internal storage option exceeds the industry standard of 128GB and 256GB found in most mid-to-high-end phones on the market, providing plenty of space for apps, photos, videos, music, and more. The battery size is exceptional, matching the milliamps found in this year’s flagship Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and just barely undercutting the 5088mAh power pack offered in the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The display size designates the T1 as a larger device, though it is 1.2 inches smaller than the top flagships. It’s also nice to see an AMOLED panel on board with its historically legendary deep blacks and vibrant colors; theoretically, content should look beautiful on the display when it’s powered on.

There are also a couple of sore spots on this phone that can’t be ignored. For starters, the Trump Mobile T1 comes with Android 15 out of the box. With Android 17 primed to launch within months or less, T1 is already behind on the software front. For the processor, Trump Mobile chose a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 series, a chipset that strictly targets mid-range devices. Unfortunately, there are four generations of the 7 series chip dating back to 2022, and without the proper number on the spec sheet, there’s no confirmation as to which one we have here. That said, based on a revelation you’ll find further down this page, we can safely suspect that the Trump Mobile T1 uses a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 from 2023, making the T1 concerningly underpowered compared to current-generation smartphones.

The Trump Mobile T1 phone comes in at an attractively low promotional price of just $499. However, based on the aged mid-range chipset and outdated version of Android, there are certainly better, more performant mid-tier devices on the market, namely the Google Pixel 10a for $499, Samsung Galaxy A57 5G for $549.99, and iPhone 17e for $599.

I’m happy to re-evaluate the phone if we receive a review unit. Otherwise, I can’t recommend the T1 on its specs alone.

A scandal, so-called

The left-wing tech media was quick to pounce on both the T1’s shortcomings and Trump supporters for buying in, calling it a low-end phone that was “embarrassing MAGA voters.” Trump Mobile certainly didn’t help the situation, either, as a new scandal emerged just as preorders began to ship.

The company is looking into reports that the personal information of 27,000 T1 preorder customers was leaked online. This data includes users’ names, shipping addresses, and phone numbers — enough to doxx someone if it landed in the wrong hands. According to the Guardian, Trump Mobile confirmed the leak to be real, though the company doesn’t believe at this time that its systems suffered a security breach. Trump Mobile went on to state that “payment card information, banking information, Social Security numbers, call records, text messages, or other highly sensitive financial data” were not compromised.

Is it really made in America?

Specs and scandals aside, let’s go back to President Trump’s original promise to release a phone that was “made in the USA.” This phrase was posted proudly on the Trump Mobile website for months before it changed to “proudly American” last year.

RELATED: Trump phones begin shipping as liberal media melts down: ‘You got scammed’

Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

That’s not the same thing, of course, but slogans are merely that. What matters most is the brass tacks of it all:

For starters, Trump Mobile is an American-made company owned by American businessmen. That’s made in the USA.The Trump Mobile T1 runs on Android, an operating system made by Google right here in Mountain View, California. That’s also made in the USA.The phone is reportedly assembled in Florida. That’s made in the USA too.Unfortunately, many of the phone’s components are made outside the USA, largely due to the manufacturing and trade policies of the 1900s. That’s just the nature of the tech industry at the moment. While Trump is trying to bring more manufacturing jobs to the USA, we don’t have the means yet to fully build a smartphone on American soil.

Three out of four isn’t bad for an “American-made” phone when China, Vietnam, and India usually dominate the phone manufacturing market. The attempt here is commendable.

Here’s where things get dicey.

While the phone may be assembled in the USA, its design is allegedly foreign. Based on the body of the phone and its specs, the T1 may actually be a rebadged HTC U24 Pro, a device that was originally released only in Taiwan and a limited segment of European countries in mid-2024.

iFixit/HTC U24 Pro, Trump Mobile T1 phone

Looking at the devices side by side, they do share some striking similarities, especially in terms of the front display and top speaker grill. Now, that doesn’t mean the T1 is an HTC U24 Pro. It’s not terribly uncommon for phone OEMs to use similar reference designs for their devices, thus cutting down on R&D to ship a product that’s mostly ready to go sooner rather than later. There are also some notable differences between the device designs, namely the camera bar and flash placement.

Still, it’s one of those things that makes you go, “Huh …” Is it an HTC? Is it just a case of imitation as the sincerest form of flattery? We may never know.

How to get a Trump Mobile T1 phone

If you’re still interested in checking out the Trump Mobile T1 for yourself, it’s available for preorder now on Trump Mobile at the introductory price of $499. There’s no telling what the final MSRP will be after the preorder period has ended, which could be any day now, so if you want one at the best rate, get it while you can. At the very least, you’ll own an interesting piece of American history.

​Tech, Trump mobile t1, Eric trump, Donald trump jr, Made in america 

Warning: Graphic content

The friend of a man who was allegedly caught on video sexually abusing corpses said he was spiraling after getting addicted to methamphetamine.

Phoenix police said that 31-year-old Fenris Lu broke into the medical examiner’s office in Maricopa County at about 2 a.m. on Wednesday and abused nearly a dozen corpses.

‘When you are deceased, you are helpless. It’s sort of the ultimate control freak type of fun to have.’

Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said that Lu broke open the body bags of the corpses. Multiple law enforcement sources told KSAZ-TV that the man sexually abused the bodies of four men and it had been recorded on video.

Sheridan added that no medicolegal death investigations were compromised, despite contamination concerns from the alleged abuse. The sheriff said none of the bodies had been a part of any criminal investigation.

Dr. Rebecca Hsu, a forensic pathologist at Hsu Enterprises, told KSAZ that Lu was likely suffering from mental illness.

“With a lot of mental disorders, there may be some sort of control issue,” she said. “Because frankly, when you are deceased, you are helpless. It’s sort of the ultimate control freak type of fun to have because the people that you are touching have no way to engage you or to fight back.”

The man who said he was a longtime friend of Lu told KTVK-TV that Lu was originally from China and had been in a PhD program at the University of Washington and even taught students there.

He said Lu moved to Phoenix to pursue a relationship that had become toxic. He claimed that Lu’s mental state began to decline after he got addicted to methamphetamine.

“I feel really sorry for all the families that have their loved ones in that facility and they’ve been assaulted like this, but it also — this could’ve been prevented if he had better help for people who struggle with addiction and illness,” the man added.

He also refused to believe Lu had sexual motivations for the alleged abuse.

“I don’t believe his motives were just to, like, go satisfy himself sexually and get away with it. I strongly believe that he was in some kind of psychosis or mental illness state,” the man said.

RELATED: Registered sex offender lived with girlfriend’s corpse for 2 months and was afraid she’d come back to life, Las Vegas police say

The friend had positive recollections about Lu, however.

“His intellect was really beautiful. … We talked about life and anything and as much of a genius he is, he’s also not right in the head for what happened to him. I’m really sorry that this happened to him,” he said.

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​Maricopa county, Medical examiners office, Abuse of corpse, Crime 

The federal government has spent decades funneling taxpayer dollars into animal testing programs that are increasingly cruel, scientifically obsolete, and wholly unaccountable. Almost no one in Washington has had the courage to say so until now.

In April, roughly 1,000 animal welfare activists stormed Ridglan Farms, a Wisconsin research and breeding facility that has been supplying beagles for biomedical testing. Police fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd, and the group’s leader was arrested.

Why were people willing to get arrested over a dog farm? Because of what was happening inside.

Washington has the images of 2,000 beagles crammed into cages in rural Wisconsin. But the checks keep getting written.

Ridglan housed an estimated 2,000 beagles bred specifically to be sold to research laboratories. The facility had been cited for hundreds of animal welfare violations and ultimately agreed to surrender its state breeding license as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges. However, it continued supplying animals to federally funded labs.

If you’re wondering why beagles are the preferred breed for animal testing, it’s because of their docile nature. This means they can be tortured without fighting back as other dog breeds might. These dogs never saw a home, a yard, or a family. They lived their entire lives in cages, underwriting a research pipeline that Washington has never seriously scrutinized.

The issue finally started picking up steam last year when RFK Jr. said that reducing unnecessary animal testing would become a priority. While Kennedy has made the right noises, the lag still needs to be addressed.

The FDA announced last year that it would phase out animal testing requirements for monoclonal antibodies. The NIH shut down its last in-house beagle lab in May. In May 2025, the Navy announced it would no longer use dogs or cats in research. Those are serious wins, but the fight is far from over.

White Coat Waste launched a national ad campaign this April calling out Secretary Kennedy directly, documenting how NIH has renewed funding for deadly tests on dogs, cats, and primates. This NIH funding was first approved under Dr. Anthony Fauci and doled out millions more to those same projects. The message to Kennedy is simple: The rhetoric is there. Now show us the receipts.

A 2024 Morning Consult poll commissioned by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine found that 80% of Americans agree the federal government should commit to a plan to phase out animal experiments. Roughly 85% agreed that government funding should prioritize non-animal research methods and that animal experimentation should be phased out in favor of modern alternatives.

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), backed by GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and more than a dozen colleagues, announced his push to ban federal funding for animal experiments in the FY2027 spending bill. The push was prompted by revelations that NIH awarded $584,117 to UC San Diego in FY2026 alone to continue experiments on mice. These taxpayer dollars are being used to surgically mimic transgender humans, subjecting nearly 10,000 animals to invasive surgeries, hormone injections, and skull drilling.

RELATED: Hasan Piker tests the line between dissent and enemy aid

Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Just last week, Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Nick Langworthy (R-N.Y.) led 34 House members in sending a letter to Secretary Kennedy urging him to close the loophole that allows facilities like Ridglan to receive federal contracts after losing their state licenses for documented welfare violations, simply because they hold a USDA Class A license.

Recent studies have confirmed that the majority of drugs that work on animals ultimately fail in humans, driving up research costs while producing unnecessary animal suffering. AI-driven modeling, organoids, and human cell-based testing are not futuristic concepts. They are available, cheaper, and more accurate.

HHS has acknowledged this fact, with both the FDA and NIH releasing updated guidelines this spring advocating for phasing out live animal models in favor of alternative technologies. The bureaucracy is just moving too slowly to match its own stated goals.

Washington has the data. Washington has the images of 2,000 beagles crammed into cages in rural Wisconsin. But the checks keep getting written.

These programs do not reflect our values, they do not produce real results, and they do not deserve another dime of taxpayer money.

Now, do I think every politician rushing to take a stand on this issue is doing so out of the goodness of their heart? Absolutely not, but here’s the thing: I don’t care. If political self-interest is what finally gets Washington to stop funding the torture of beagles, then so be it. Use the issue. Grab the headline.

At the end of the day, if the outcome is that fewer animals suffer, fewer taxpayer dollars are wasted, and a broken system gets reformed, then the motivation behind it doesn’t matter one bit to the dogs still sitting in cages waiting for someone to act.

Republicans, take an easy win and keep the animal lovers in your corner. Get it done.

​Animal testing, Rfk jr, Maha, Beagles, Ridglan farms, Animal cruelty, Fda, Animal experiments, Opinion & analysis 

Pope Leo has entered the artificial intelligence debate with his encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas.” He underscored the need for spiritual guidance by inviting Christopher Olah, co-founder of the AI giant Anthropic, to comment.

“I lead a research team that studies the internal structure of these [AI] models,” Olah said. “What is actually happening inside them? And I will be honest, we keep finding things that are mysterious, even unsettling. We find structures that mirror results from human neuroscience. We find evidence of introspection. We find internal states that functionally mirror joy, satisfaction, fear, grief, and unease. I don’t know what that means, but I think it warrants ongoing discernment.”

Technology does not arrive morally neutral once human beings begin using it. It magnifies the character of those who possess it.

That is a remarkable admission. Which raises the question: Is this freedom, or is this Frankenstein?

For my part, I hope the pope handles this better than some of his other recent efforts. But that does not mean he lacks a legitimate reason for concern. Quite the opposite.

The problem is not that AI is godless. AI is an object. It can only be godless. It is a tool.

The problem is that many of the people building and directing it are godless. A biblical worldview provides something vital in this universe: a limiting principle.

The two most important truths any person can learn are these: God is God, and I am not. And Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.

Without those truths, the Anthropic researcher’s warning could just as easily come from a surgeon who has performed years of so-called gender reassignment surgeries: We began tinkering with the most innate, intimate parts of the human person, and we discovered things we did not anticipate.

You don’t say.

Yeah, dummy. When human beings experiment on the deepest realities of personhood without the right limiting principles, chaos follows. It does not follow accidentally. It follows inevitably.

Someone will always rule. Something will always be worshiped. Never forget that.

If you reject the principle that God is God and I am not, guess who usually ends up playing God? You.

That never ends well.

RELATED: It’s not easy being pope — Leo’s big new tech encyclical proves it

Andreas SOLARO/AFP/Getty

We have never really left the garden. As a species, we are always in one of two places: the garden or the cross. We are either grasping for forbidden knowledge so we can become like God, or we are kneeling before the God who became man to save us from ourselves.

Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest minds in the history of science, understood this. Yet one of his great obsessions was interpreting Scripture, especially the book of Revelation. Whatever his errors, Newton grasped something modern technocrats often miss: Brilliance needs a boundary.

This world was made for us, but it was not made by us. Our Father has the right to keep some things to Himself. His children do not need to master every mystery. Sometimes, we need to obey because we trust His love and justice.

Will we remember that as AI advances?

Who will oversee the overseers? Who will program the programmers? Who will form the moral imagination of the people training these machines? By what standard will they judge what should be built, what should be restrained, and what should never be attempted?

Can we wield artificial intelligence as a godly people?

Maybe. AI offers real possibilities. But possibility is not permission. A nuclear weapon in the hands of a responsible nation differs from a nuclear weapon in the hands of genocidal maniacs. Technology does not arrive morally neutral once human beings begin using it. It magnifies the character of those who possess it.

That is the question before us.

Will we pursue AI as image-bearers under God, bound by humility, gratitude, and restraint? Or will we pursue it as consumer-driven pod people, trained to believe that whatever can be done must be done?

If we choose the first path, AI may become a tool ordered toward human flourishing.

If we choose the second, the pope’s concerns will become unavoidable, whatever else one thinks of him.

​Ai models, Artificial intelligence, Human flourishing, Pope leo, Restraint, Anthropic, Encyclical, Opinion & analysis, Christopher olah 

On April 11, Turning Point USA reporter Savanah Hernandez was allegedly physically assaulted by a family of three while filming an anti-ICE protest in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Protesters Christopher Ostroushko, Deyanna Ostroushko, and their daughter Paige Ostroushko allegedly surrounded her, shoved her to the ground, and attacked her after identifying her as a conservative journalist.

The three were federally indicted on April 29, facing charges including assault on a journalist and interfering with a federally protected activity; they pleaded not guilty.

Now there’s another development in the story: The Ostroushkos have filed for numerous restraining orders against Savanah.

On this episode of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered,” Savanah shares the details with BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales.

“These radical leftists are always the same. They attack first and then play the victim immediately after,” sighs Sara.

“And unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s playing out again. The family who attacked my friend Savanah Hernandez on camera … now claiming they’re actually the real victims, and they are actually weaponizing the legal system against her.”

Chris, Deyanna, and Paige Ostroushko each filed for and were granted ex parte restraining orders against Savanah in Minnesota state court.

“This is [Chris’] page of complaints against me … a full page of complaints against me and his rationale as to why he needed a restraining order against me because I am so scary and he’s in fear of his life,” Savanah laughs, noting that in his list of complaints, Chris documented that she is “almost six feet tall,” when she in reality she is only 5’4’’.

“Apparently, per the entire family, I’m a well-known agitator for Turning Point USA … and I was just swinging on this whole family for no reason in front of the Whipple ICE facility and I’m a huge monster,” she adds.

Paige’s restraining order, Savanah explains, claims that Savanah was the attacker, even though multiple video angles show the Ostroushko family allegedly swarming her, blowing whistles in her ear, shoving her into a fence, and slamming her to the ground — actions that led to their federal indictment for assaulting a journalist on federal property.

“Paige and Chris are trying to get me completely banned from the entire Whipple ICE facility, and in Paige’s restraining order, she put that she wants me banned from the public sidewalk ‘where the protesters are standing,”’ Savanah tells Sara.

“Chris is even trying to get me banned — not only me, by the way, my entire family — banned from the entire county in Minnesota where he lives,” she adds.

The family have also claimed that Savanah “waged a doxxing and harassment campaign” against them.

“I’ve never shared their personal information,” Savanah counters, “and what they experienced was the consequences of their own actions, and I’m sorry that America didn’t like watching a 300-pound man slam me to the ground.”

Since the Ostroushkos were granted ex parte (temporary) restraining orders without Savanah present, Minnesota law requires her to now appear in court to contest them. She must present evidence showing that their claims are false or unsubstantiated.

But Savanah expressed strong confidence that she will prove all accusations against her false. Not only does she have multiple videos capturing the Ostroushkos allegedly attacking her, but there’s also no evidence, she insists, of any attempt on her part to doxx them.

“Apparently they have some evidence that I don’t know about. To be quite honest, Sara, I would not be surprised if they brought up an AI video. … This is the level we’re at,” she says.

To hear more, watch the episode above.

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​Sara gonzales, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Minneapolis, Anti-ice protests, Savanah hernandez