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Canterbury Cathedral Graffiti Art Sparks Fury, Political Messages

Gay Pride Flag (Nancy Dowd/Pixabay via Canva Pro)

An art installation plastering graffiti-style questions for God across Canterbury Cathedral has provoked sharp backlash after one of its organizers, poet Alex Vellis, publicly celebrated the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and embraced a string of provocative, left-wing positions.

The “Hear Us” project, set to open October 17 and run through January 18, frames itself as a platform for “marginalised communities,” including Punjabi, Black and brown diasporas, neurodivergent people, and LGBTQIA+ groups. Church members and critics called the display sacrilegious, while public figures, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance, denounced the choice to host graffiti-style slogans in England’s mother church for the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Vellis, a Canterbury-based poet and organizer, has cultivated a confrontational public persona. On social media he described himself as a “genderless gremlin,” an “agender goblin-thing,” vegan, and queer, and uses they/them pronouns. He has taken hardline stances on transgender issues, declaring “Trans women are women. Trans men are men,” and has attacked prominent cultural figures who criticize gender ideology.

Beyond contentious gender politics, Vellis’s statements have crossed into celebratory responses to high-profile deaths. In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September, Vellis posted that he was “glad Charlie Kirk is dead” and asked followers for footage of the shooting. He has also posted celebratory comments following the deaths of other conservatives, drawing outrage from clergy and laypeople alike.

The cathedral’s decision to host the installation has thrust the Church of England’s cultural direction into the spotlight. The exhibit opens just days before the expected confirmation of the Right Rev. Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. Mullally has signaled a leftward tilt on social issues, backing blessings for gay marriages and opposing certain deportations, deepening tensions within the communion.

Parishioners told reporters the display transformed a sacred space into a political stage. Critics argue that no matter an artist’s identity or intent, a venue as central to Anglican faith as Canterbury demands greater respect for tradition and worshippers’ sensibilities.

Supporters of the installation call it a necessary platform for marginalized voices; opponents see it as an unnecessary provocation that weaponizes faith spaces for ideological theater. The controversy underscores a broader clash between progressive cultural projects and institutions that view sacred places as off-limits to partisan provocation.

Andrea Bartz Leads $1.5B Lawsuit Win Against AI Giant Anthropic

AI
Image via Canva Pro

Bestselling author Andrea Bartz emerged as a champion for writers this week, playing a central role in negotiating a $1.5 billion settlement from AI company Anthropic for the unauthorized use of copyrighted books in training its chatbots. Bartz, alongside fellow authors Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace Johnson, served as named plaintiffs for the class action lawsuit that represented writers whose works were allegedly pirated without consent.

Under the settlement, Anthropic will pay a flat amount per work—reportedly $3,000—for each infringing book. Authors and publishers will split that sum relative to their contracts, and the three named plaintiffs may receive service awards of up to $50,000, pending judicial approval. The deal brings closure to a case that once threatened Anthropic with more than $1 trillion in liability, given the vast number of books involved and the statutory penalty of $750 per work under copyright law.

The legal fight began in earnest in 2024, when Bartz and her co-plaintiffs accused Anthropic of harvesting millions of copyrighted works—including their own—via so-called “shadow libraries” like LibGen. A federal court had initially ruled that portions of Anthropic’s use could qualify as fair use. However, the court also found that the way some books were acquired—outside traditional licensing channels—crossed the line into infringement.

Bartz discovered her novels had been included in the disputed data sets in 2023 and felt violated. She joined Graeber and Johnson to lead the case, enduring grueling discovery, depositions, and high-stakes courtroom strategy. Throughout the process, the three writers leaned on each other for support while representing the interests of hundreds of thousands of authors.

Many in the publishing industry hailed the settlement as a watershed moment. Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild, called it a signal that AI developers must respect copyright.

Bartz acknowledged the toll the legal battle took on her personal writing schedule but said she remains committed to protecting authors’ rights. “This was bigger than any one book,” she told reporters. For Bartz and her collaborators, the victory marks a turning point in ensuring that creative work cannot be exploited without accountability.

Trump Approval Rating Surpasses Obama at Same Point in Term

(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Despite enduring a decade-long, multi-billion-dollar media campaign aimed at discrediting him, President Donald Trump currently enjoys a higher average approval rating than former President Barack Obama at the same point in his second term.

RealClearPolitics’ daily tracking shows Trump with an average job approval rating of 45.3% as of October 13. In contrast, Obama’s approval on the same day in 2013 stood at 44.4%, and George W. Bush’s at a notably lower 39.5% in 2005. This snapshot of public sentiment undermines the prevailing narrative from mainstream media outlets, which continue to suggest Trump is unpopular or in freefall with the American public.

Throughout his presidency and beyond, Trump has been the target of relentless criticism from corporate media, academia, and the entertainment industry. Yet, the coordinated attacks seem to be losing their grip on public opinion. In contrast to their success in dragging down George W. Bush’s ratings, even in the face of controversies like Hurricane Katrina and immigration missteps, the media’s efforts to sink Trump have fallen short.

Obama, meanwhile, enjoyed broad media support throughout his administration—even amid significant scandals like the Benghazi attack, economic stagnation, and the fallout from Obamacare. Despite this protection, his approval numbers did not outperform Trump’s at the same stage.

What this trend reveals is a significant shift in the media landscape. Traditional outlets have lost the ability to steer public opinion the way they once did. The rise of alternative media, independent journalism, and social platforms has allowed Americans to form opinions outside the corporate media filter.

Today, voters are increasingly tuning out the legacy press and engaging directly with issues and viewpoints that align with their lived experiences and values. Trump’s resilience in the polls despite unprecedented opposition highlights the mainstream media’s waning power.

Hamas Claims It Tried to Protect Hostages After Massacre

hostages
Ariel Schalit (2017), Mideast Wars. Associated Press.

Iranian state media outlet PressTV has repeated Hamas’s false narrative that the militant group “made all efforts” to protect dozens of Israeli hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, massacre. The outlet cited statements from Hamas itself, ignoring overwhelming evidence of systematic torture, rape, and murder of hostages in captivity.

On October 7, Hamas fighters abducted over 200 Israelis, with the attack also leaving around 1,200 dead and unleashing atrocities across multiple communities. The hostages endured physical and sexual violence, and many were ultimately murdered. Though 20 surviving hostages were released just this week under a Trump-brokered peace agreement, the bodies of 28 deceased captives remain in Hamas hands.

Still, PressTV republished Hamas’s propaganda: “Resistance made all efforts to preserve the lives of the occupation’s prisoners,” the statement claimed, shifting blame to Israel for any harm to hostages. Hamas further accused Israel of torturing convicted prisoners inside its borders — an effort to deflect responsibility for its own brutality.

The contrast between Hamas’s media claims and testimonies from released hostages is stark. Eli Sharabi, freed earlier, described being chained, beaten, and denied food. Keith Siegel revealed watching female hostages be assaulted and enduring his own physical and psychological abuse. Edan Alexander, another former hostage, reportedly spent time shackled in a cage and described “severe torture.”

In one propaganda ploy, Hamas even paraded the coffins of two murdered children, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, during a release event — blaming Israel for their deaths. Leaked intelligence later suggested terrorists had drugged hostages to downplay visible signs of abuse, hoping media would present more benign images.

While the latest hostage release came with demands from Israel and the U.S. that Hamas not conduct such displays, hidden videos and messaging with families were still used to stage the handover.

PressTV’s amplification of Hamas’s claims comes as Iran — a primary funder of Hamas — seeks to sanitize its image amid the fallout from the war. The Iranian regime invests heavily in Hamas and other militant groups, funding operations and enabling continued violence.

Israel and the U.S. view the document release and timing as part of a broader effort to ensure the world remembers the true horror of October 7 — not the deceptive spin being offered by Hamas and its sponsors.

Blinken Suggests Trump’s Peace Plan Drew from Biden

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Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that President Trump’s ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was based on Biden administration policy.

“It’s good that President Trump adopted and built on the plan the Biden Administration developed after months of discussion with Arab partners, Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” Blinken wrote in a lengthy post on X. “It centers on temporary, transitional authorities for Gaza’s governance, security, humanitarian assistance, and rebuilding, led by Arab and international partners alongside Palestinians, backed by the United States, and ultimately handed over to full Palestinian control.”

“Tremendous challenges lie ahead that will require sustained focus, pressure and persistence to overcome. But President Trump has a historic opportunity to help make that vision real,” Blinken added. “I pray for his success, and the success of everyone working toward that goal, because peace, once achieved, belongs to no single leader or nation.”

Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked President Trump about the statement, to which the President said, “Everybody knows it’s a joke,” Trump said. “Look, they did such a bad job. This should have never happened.”

“If just a decent president — not a great president like me — if a decent president were in, you wouldn’t have had the Russia-Ukraine [war],” Trump said. “This was bad policy by Biden and Obama.”

Upon signing the peace agreement in Egypt, Trump declared, “Together, we have achieved what everybody said was impossible. At long last, we have peace in the Middle East. We’ve heard it for many years, but nobody thought it could ever get there. And now we’re there.”

Congressman Aims to Enshrine Columbus Day

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Rep. Michael Rulli (R-OH) introduced a bill to preserve Columbus Day and penalize cities that continue to replace the day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

“For years, the extreme left has desecrated statues of Christopher Columbus and sought to erase Columbus Day, replacing it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” Rulli said in a statement to the Tribune Chronicle. “This is not about inclusion; it is about erasing the contributions of millions of Italian Americans who helped build this nation. Indigenous peoples deserve recognition, but this day was created to honor us.”

Rulli noted that his bill, the “Italian Heroes and Heritage Act,” recognizes the “generations of Italian Americans whose courage, sacrifice and hard work have helped shape the United States.”

State or local governments that celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day will lose federal funding, the bill says.

“Columbus Day was created as an act of national reconciliation and recognition of the Italian American experience,” the congressman added. “It celebrates exploration, faith and family, the values that unite us as Americans. To attack Columbus Day is to attack that legacy of perseverance and pride. Italian Americans fought to be recognized as part of the American story, and we will not allow their memory or their day of honor to be erased.”

The bill comes as President Trump issued a proclamation that October 13 is Columbus Day.

The proclamation declares that Columbus “planted a majestic cross in a mighty act of devotion, dedicating the land to God and setting in motion America’s proud birthright of faith.”

“Guided by steadfast prayer and unwavering fortitude and resolve, Columbus’s journey carried thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason, and culture across the Atlantic into the Americas — paving the way for the ultimate triumph of Western civilization less than three centuries later on July 4, 1776,” it adds, going on to condemn the actions taken by “left-wing radicals” who have “toppled his statues, vandalized his monuments, tarnished his character, and sought to exile him from our public spaces.”

JPMorgan Drops $1.5 Trillion to Boost Economic Security

(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

JPMorgan Chase announced a $1.5 trillion initiative to “facilitate, finance and invest” in industries critical to the nation’s “economic security and resiliency.”

The 10-year plan will make direct equity and venture capital investments of up to $10 billion to enhance businesses’ growth, support innovation, and accelerate manufacturing.

“It has become painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products and manufacturing – all of which are essential for our national security,” Chairman and CEO of JPMorganChase Jamie Dimon said in a statement. “Our security is predicated on the strength and resiliency of America’s economy. America needs more speed and investment. It also needs to remove obstacles that stand in the way: excessive regulations, bureaucratic delay, partisan gridlock and an education system not aligned to the skills we need.”

“This new initiative includes efforts like ensuring reliable access to life-saving medicines and critical minerals, defending our nation, building energy systems to meet AI-driven demand and advancing technologies like semiconductors and data centers,” Dimon added. “Our support of clients in these industries remains unwavering.”

The effort will specifically target the areas of advanced manufacturing, defense and aerospace, energy independence, and strategic technologies, such as AI. These four areas are further broken down into 27 sub-areas that include solar, nuclear energy, cybersecurity, quantum computing, critical mineral mining, shipbuilding, spacecraft, and other areas.

JPMorgan will also advocate for policies accelerating these efforts, as well as create an external advisory council that will lead the strategy.

US ‘Barreling Toward’ Record-Breaking Shutdown

(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that Congress is heading toward a historically long shutdown unless a clean budget is passed.

“We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history unless Democrats drop their partisan demands and pass a clean, no-strings-attached budget to reopen the government and pay our federal workers,” Johnson said.

“Republicans are eager to return to the actual negotiating table to finish out full-year appropriations and do work on all the other matters before us, but we won’t negotiate in smoke-filled back rooms, and we won’t negotiate as hostages,” he stated.

Quoting former President Barack Obama, Johnson noted: “There is one way out of this reckless and damaging Republican shutdown: Congress has to pass a budget that funds our government with no partisan strings attached.”

“What I just read was a direct quote. Those are not my words. They belong to President Barack Obama. He was speaking there in 2013 when our government was shut down for 16 days,” Johnson explained. “This would be the third-longest government shutdown in American history, that one would be.”

The longest shutdown occurred during President Trump’s first term and lasted 35 days.

“I don’t know what the Democrats are doing, but the House Republicans have been very busy. They’re doing some of their best work in the district, helping their constituents navigate this crisis that’s been created by [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer and the Democrats,” the House Speaker added. “The Schumer Shutdown, it causes real pain for real people, veterans, the elderly people who rely upon these services.”

Operativo Contra la Trata Infantil en Texas Rescata a 30 niños y Expone una Crisis a Nivel Nacional

DACA
Migrant children (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Una importante operación federal y local ha rescatado a más de 30 niños desaparecidos atrapados en una red de trata infantil en Texas y ha expuesto lo que los expertos advierten que es una creciente crisis nacional.

La misión conjunta, conocida como Operación Lightning Bug, con base en San Antonio, unió a equipos del Servicio de Alguaciles de Estados Unidos (USMS) y del Departamento de Policía de San Antonio para localizar a menores en situación de riesgo y desmantelar redes de tráfico. Las autoridades informaron de tres arrestos por albergar a fugitivos, la ejecución de nueve órdenes de arresto por delitos graves y el rescate de seis sobrevivientes de trata sexual. En total, se localizaron más de 30 menores desaparecidos y otros 120 regresaron voluntariamente a sus hogares.

“La seguridad de nuestros niños es la seguridad de nuestras comunidades, y la justicia exige que protejamos a quienes no pueden protegerse por sí mismos”, declaró la alguacil estadounidense Susan Pamerleau. El jefe de la policía de San Antonio, William McManus, elogió el éxito de la misión, afirmando: “Cada sospechoso arrestado, cada menor que regresa a casa y cada sobreviviente rescatado del peligro cuenta.”

La ofensiva, llevada a cabo bajo la Ley de Justicia para las Víctimas de la Trata de 2015, refleja un esfuerzo intensificado por combatir la explotación de menores. Los expertos señalan que la amenaza evoluciona rápidamente, a menudo en línea. “A medida que la tecnología avanza, los traficantes… son los primeros en adoptarla y adaptarla”, advirtió Kirsta Leeberg-Melton, fundadora del Instituto para Combatir la Trata.

Leeberg-Melton enfatizó que este problema no se limita a la frontera. “Los ciudadanos estadounidenses pueden traficar con ciudadanos estadounidenses en suelo estadounidense”, dijo, desmintiendo el mito de que la trata solo afecta a víctimas extranjeras.

La Comisión America250 elige a grupo anti-Colón responsable de la eliminación de estatuas.

(Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

La comisión America250, financiada por los contribuyentes y dirigida por la exfuncionaria de Obama Rosie Rios, se ha asociado con un grupo activista de izquierda conocido por su campaña para borrar a Cristóbal Colón de la historia de Estados Unidos.

Rios, nombrada por el expresidente Joe Biden para supervisar las celebraciones del 250.º aniversario del país, seleccionó al Congreso Nacional de Indígenas Americanos (NCAI, por sus siglas en inglés) para ayudar a organizar los festejos del semiquincentenario. America250 describió al NCAI como un “experto en la materia” sobre historia indígena, pero el grupo ha liderado esfuerzos para retirar estatuas de Colón, cambiar el nombre del equipo Washington Redskins y promover la sustitución del Día de Colón por el Día de los Pueblos Indígenas.

En junio de 2020, el NCAI celebró la retirada de estatuas de Colón, calificando al explorador como un símbolo de “odio, genocidio y fanatismo”. El grupo también elogió a los legisladores de California en 2022 por eliminar el nombre de Colón de un tramo de la autopista interestatal 10.

Rios y America250 han repetido esos sentimientos al promover un artículo titulado “Desaprendiendo los mitos del Día de Colón”, que afirmaba que “celebrar a Colón y a otros exploradores como él ignora las devastadoras pérdidas sufridas por los pueblos indígenas”.

La decisión de asociarse con el NCAI probablemente reavive las críticas hacia Rios, quien anteriormente afirmó que “nada bueno” podía salir de la presidencia de Donald Trump y lo acusó de haber “demonizado… a mi gente”. El senador Eric Schmitt (R-MO) ha pedido su destitución, citando “un historial de sesgo partidista extremo”.

La controversia surge mientras Trump restaura el Día de Colón como festividad federal, declarando: “Día de Colón, ¡hemos vuelto, italianos!” Las encuestas muestran que el 69 % de los estadounidenses considera a Colón una “parte importante de la historia estadounidense.”

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