Home Blog Page 15

Hurricane Erin Explodes Into Category 4 as Caribbean Braces for Impact

Image via Canva

Hurricane Erin intensified into a Category 4 storm Saturday, packing winds of 145 mph as it churned through the Caribbean, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. The powerful system is currently located 150 miles northeast of Anguilla, moving west-northwest at 20 mph, and is expected to expand in size in the coming days.

Although Erin is not forecast to make landfall, the storm is already bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to nearby islands. Forecasters warned that the outer bands could trigger flooding, landslides, and mudslides across Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the northern Leeward Islands through Sunday. Tropical storm watches have been issued for St. Martin, St. Barts, and St. Maarten.

The storm is expected to eventually curve northeast, steering away from the continental United States. However, meteorologists cautioned that Bermuda could find itself on the storm’s stronger eastern side. AccuWeather added that exposed coastal regions of the U.S., such as North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Long Island, and Cape Cod, face an elevated risk of tropical storm or hurricane-force conditions, even if the center of Erin remains offshore.

The U.S. government has already deployed over 200 FEMA and federal workers to Puerto Rico, where a flood watch remains in effect through Monday. Officials confirmed that 367 shelters are ready to open if needed, while the U.S. Coast Guard has closed multiple seaports in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to incoming vessels.

In the Bahamas, disaster management officials announced preparations for public shelters and urged residents to remain vigilant. “These storms are very volatile and can make sudden shifts in movement,” warned Aarone Sargent, the Bahamas’ disaster risk authority director.

Erin is the fifth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, but the first to strengthen into a hurricane. This year’s season is projected to be more active than usual, with forecasters expecting up to ten hurricanes and as many as five major storms with winds above 110 mph.

UChicago Freezes Humanities Ph.D. Admissions, Faculty Sound Alarm

columbus
Chicago (Pedro Lastra/Unsplash)

The University of Chicago will freeze or reduce admissions to numerous humanities Ph.D. programs for the 2026–2027 academic year. Administrators say the move is temporary, but professors warn it could mark the beginning of a long-term dismantling of critical fields. The cuts follow growing financial concerns and have sparked backlash over the university’s priorities and process.

Dean Deborah Nelson of the Division of the Humanities announced that seven departments—including Art History, Cinema and Media Studies, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, English, Linguistics, Music (composition), and Philosophy—will accept fewer Ph.D. students next year. At the same time, Classics, Comparative Literature, Germanic Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Romance Languages and Literatures, Slavic Languages and Literatures, South Asian Languages and Civilizations, and several Music specializations will admit no new doctoral students at all.

The freeze is not limited to the humanities. The Crown Family School of Social Work and the Harris School of Public Policy are suspending admissions to multiple doctoral programs, including political economy and public policy research methods. University officials say the pause will allow for “comprehensive reviews” of academic offerings and graduate training. Current students will not be affected.

Faculty criticized the administration for bypassing committees tasked with reviewing the programs. Professors warned that language and area studies, already struggling to maintain faculty lines and undergraduate interest, are particularly at risk. One faculty member noted that shutting down doctoral programs in certain disciplines could mean undergraduates lose access to those fields entirely.

Critics argue that the cuts reflect the prioritization of finances over academic mission. Professor Andrew Ollett said the decision represented “the domination of one set of values, which is money, over the values we say we are pursuing as educators and researchers.” Others voiced concern that the administration is eroding shared governance by making unilateral decisions before committee recommendations were finalized.

The University of Chicago’s decision comes at a time when universities nationwide are re-evaluating graduate enrollment, often citing financial pressure and declining interest in traditional humanities fields. For many, the cuts raise deeper concerns about the future of academic disciplines central to cultural heritage and intellectual diversity.

Brooklyn Hookah Lounge Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 8 Injured

Police vehicle lights via Canva Pro

At least three men were killed and eight others wounded early Sunday morning when multiple gunmen opened fire inside a Brooklyn hookah lounge. The shooting occurred around 3:30 a.m., leaving the neighborhood shaken and authorities searching for suspects. Police confirmed that shell casings from multiple firearms were recovered at the scene, indicating coordinated gunfire.

According to the New York Post, the deceased victims included men ages 27 and 35, while the age of the third man has not yet been released. The eight surviving victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to Fox News. Police officials noted that first responders arrived “within minutes” of the initial 911 calls, quickly securing the chaotic scene.

During a Sunday morning press conference, the NYPD confirmed there were “multiple shooters” involved in the attack and said at least 36 shell casings had been recovered. Authorities have not yet identified suspects or a motive, but the investigation remains ongoing.

The incident adds to a troubling trend of gun violence in New York despite its strict firearm restrictions. Everytown for Gun Safety, a group founded by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ranks New York as the fourth toughest state in the nation for gun laws. Yet violent shootings continue, highlighting the limits of legislation that punishes law-abiding gun owners but fails to deter criminals.

Just last week, three people were shot in Times Square, a designated gun-free zone, on August 9, 2025. Only days before that, four people—including an NYPD officer—were killed in a mass shooting inside a Manhattan office building on July 28.

These recurring tragedies underscore the persistence of violence in cities with some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, raising concerns about public safety and the effectiveness of current policies.

Iowa Regents Crack Down on Indoctrination in Higher Ed Classrooms

Image via Canva

The Iowa Board of Regents has approved a new academic freedom policy aimed at curbing ideological indoctrination in the state’s public universities. The decision, finalized on August 12, 2025, follows months of debate over how to ensure balanced instruction while keeping higher education focused on scholarship instead of activism. The policy establishes oversight measures to prevent faculty from pushing one-sided political agendas in the classroom.

The new rules require professors to present controversial subjects only when relevant to the course, and to do so in a way that promotes critical thinking instead of indoctrination. Instructors must acknowledge a range of scholarly perspectives on disputed issues, preventing the classroom from being used to advance only one political or ideological viewpoint. The policy also states that student grades must reflect mastery of course material and skills, not agreement with political opinions expressed during class.

To enforce compliance, the Board of Regents will conduct reviews every two years and has the authority to appoint a task force if violations are found. Board President Sherry Bates emphasized that the policy is designed to restore fairness and transparency while protecting students from being penalized for holding dissenting views.

The policy was not without opposition. Regent Nancy Dunkel voted against the measure, claiming that the language around “controversial subjects” was vague and could open the door to unnecessary disputes. Critics on the left argue the rules could chill classroom speech, but supporters see it as a necessary safeguard against faculty turning universities into political platforms.

This move comes as many states are re-examining the role of DEI initiatives, mandated political litmus tests, and unbalanced course requirements in taxpayer-funded institutions. Iowa’s policy represents one of the more direct attempts to ensure neutrality in higher education by formally prohibiting one-sided instruction.

Illegal Migrant Trucker Kills Three Americans in Florida Crash

truck
Sander Yigin/Unsplash

An illegal immigrant from India is facing charges after allegedly causing a deadly highway crash in Florida that killed three Americans. Authorities confirmed that Harjinder Singh entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 through the southern border before obtaining a California commercial driver’s license. Singh now faces three counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations.

The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department stated Singh recklessly attempted a U-turn in an unauthorized location while driving a semi-truck, resulting in the deaths of three people in a minivan. Officials condemned Singh’s actions as “shocking and criminal,” stressing that his reckless driving forever impacted the lives of the victims’ families. Singh remains in custody and will be deported after serving his sentence.

Investigators revealed that Singh’s case is part of a larger pattern of foreign nationals entering the trucking industry despite questionable legal status. Many migrants arrive illegally or overstay visas, then obtain commercial driver’s licenses through lax regulations in states such as California. Reports have also tied the system to fraud, bribery, and lenient approval processes that allow unqualified drivers on American roads.

The Biden administration’s open-border policies have contributed to the growing influx of migrants, creating safety risks and driving down wages for American truckers. Industry experts warn that companies exploit migrant labor to cut costs, often subcontracting to shield themselves from liability. This undercuts American workers and increases the likelihood of poorly trained drivers operating on U.S. highways.

President Donald Trump’s administration has taken steps to curb this abuse. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a nationwide audit of non-domicile commercial licenses to root out fraud and ensure compliance. He also reinstated enforcement of an English-language requirement for foreign truck drivers, a rule that had been dropped under President Obama. Duffy emphasized that protecting the trucking industry from cheap foreign labor is critical to preserving American jobs and highway safety.

Pro-migration lobbyists, however, continue to push for the expansion of non-domicile licenses, siding with large corporations such as Amazon, Walmart, and Microsoft, which benefit from a steady stream of low-wage workers. The long-term effect has been a massive transfer of wealth from working Americans to Wall Street investors while leaving communities vulnerable to tragic consequences like the Florida crash.

Harvard Faculty Reject Trump Reforms, Defend Radical Campus Status Quo

Harvard
Emily Karakis/Unsplash

Harvard University faculty are refusing to comply with Trump administration efforts to reform higher education, choosing instead to protect longstanding progressive structures on campus. Over 800 professors signed a public letter vowing to resist federal demands, including increased viewpoint diversity, the dismantling of DEI programs, and disciplinary action for anti-Israel activism. Their stance places them at odds with a growing national movement to restore neutrality, accountability, and constitutional values at taxpayer-funded institutions.

In June 2025, the Trump administration began pressuring elite universities to rein in politically driven initiatives, enforce viewpoint balance, and end the institutionalization of DEI ideology. Harvard faculty responded with firm resistance. A joint letter signed by hundreds of professors demanded that the university defy federal oversight and take legal action to challenge what they called “unlawful demands.”

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the UAW, which represents some Harvard staff, filed lawsuits in April opposing the federal mandates. According to reporting from The Boston Globe, faculty accused the administration of threatening “academic freedom” and “self-governance”—terms critics argue have been misused to shield entrenched political bias.

Faculty members overwhelmingly rejected measures designed to ensure ideological balance, including mandated diversity of thought reviews, restructuring university governance, and cracking down on student-led antisemitic protests. According to The Harvard Crimson, the faculty survey revealed strong opposition to nearly every one of the administration’s reform points.

Observers note the growing divide between the academic elite and the broader public—especially taxpayers—who fund these institutions and expect neutrality, not activism, in return.

Pence Slams Trump: Too Soft on Putin

Mike Pence
Mike Pence (AP/Alex Brandon)

Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized President Donald Trump’s foreign policy style on Sunday, arguing that Trump has been too soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Ukraine conflict. Pence made the remarks on CNN’s State of the Union while discussing the ongoing war and Trump’s recent summit remarks.

During the interview, host Jake Tapper pressed Pence on whether Trump had been “played” by Putin, noting Trump’s shift away from demanding an immediate ceasefire. Instead, Trump suggested that a peace deal could be reached quickly if Ukraine ceded control of the Donbas region to Russia. Five Ukrainians were reported killed the night before, further raising questions about the feasibility of Trump’s approach.

Pence responded by drawing on his time as Trump’s vice president, stating that while Trump’s diplomatic style often involved what he called a “velvet glove,” harsher measures were necessary. Pence urged immediate passage of a sanctions package in the Senate, describing it as broadly supported and capable of devastating Russia’s economy if enforced.

Pence emphasized that Putin only respects strength and warned that diplomacy alone would not stop Russian aggression. He argued that the U.S. must balance engagement with the threat of crushing economic consequences, while continuing to provide security assurances to Ukraine and working with European allies.

The remarks reflect ongoing divisions within the Republican Party over how best to address Russia’s war in Ukraine. Some Republicans favor a hardline stance with expanded sanctions and military support, while others, including Trump, have prioritized diplomatic solutions, even if that means concessions from Ukraine. Pence, who has frequently positioned himself as a foreign policy hawk, made clear that he believes any negotiation with Putin must be backed by overwhelming economic and military pressure.

As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to meet with Trump at the White House, the debate over America’s posture toward Russia remains unsettled. Pence’s comments underscore a larger Republican rift—between those who see diplomacy as the path forward and those who argue that only uncompromising strength can deter Putin’s ambitions.

Taxpayer Workaround Exposed: Texas Non-Profits Fund College for Illegal Immigrants

Texas Flag
Texas flag (Pete Alexopoulos/Unsplash)

Texas non-profit groups are bypassing state and federal restrictions by funding college tuition for illegal immigrants through newly created mutual aid funds. This comes after a federal court struck down the Texas Dream Act, which had allowed non-citizens to pay in-state tuition. Despite the ruling, activists are working to keep illegal immigrants enrolled in Texas public universities using private donations.

In June 2025, a federal judge invalidated the Texas Dream Act, ending in-state tuition eligibility for undocumented students. The ruling forced public colleges to charge these students out-of-state rates—typically three times higher. The decision affected an estimated 20,000 students across Texas campuses.

On July 11, 2025, left-leaning organizations Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) and Texas Students for DEI (TXS4DEI) launched a mutual aid program titled “Keeping the Texas Dream.” The program aims to offset tuition costs for illegal immigrants now subject to out-of-state rates. Although it doesn’t cover full tuition, the fund narrows the financial gap to maintain student enrollment.

At the University of Texas at Austin, a separate group called Rooted launched its own initiative on August 3 to offer similar assistance. Backed by student and alumni activists, the Rooted Financial Assistance Program is designed to continue support for illegal immigrants, directly opposing the court’s decision and state policy.

Critics warn that these efforts represent a coordinated attempt to subvert the law through private financing. While technically legal, the programs raise significant concerns about undermining immigration policy, misusing nonprofit status, and diverting attention and resources from citizens and legal residents.

Legal challenges are expected as lawmakers and watchdog groups examine the long-term legality of such private funding channels within public institutions.

Shell Game at Kansas State: LGBT Center Closed, DEI Rebranded

DEI
DEI (Amy Elting/Unsplash)

Kansas State University shut down its Spectrum Center by July 31, responding to new state law banning DEI offices and related practices. Yet, the core messaging and ideology persist under a new label.
The institution renamed its DEI office the Office of Access and Opportunity while retaining promotion of DEI ideas like “microaggressions” and “intersectionality.” Conservative activists warn ideological programs continue despite the charade.

Kansas State’s dean of students, President Thomas Lane, announced the Spectrum Center would “cease operations” in a campus-wide letter on July 23. The closure followed the passage of Kansas’s Senate Bill 125, part of the 2025 budget bill, which penalizes DEI-related offices, training, and pronoun usage in email signatures .

After the shutdown, K-State quietly changed the name of its DEI office to the “Office of Access and Opportunity,” preserving much of its previous content. Trainings still address “microaggressions,” use the “Social Identity Wheel,” and encourage reflection on overlapping identities such as race, gender, and other classifications.

Young America’s Foundation (YAF) filed a Civil Rights Complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in March. It asserts that this renaming is misleading and represents a “shell game” disguised as compliance. YAF also alleges continued programming includes ethnicity-based pay scales, racial-focused athletic initiatives, and so-called “decolonized spaces”.

Silas Thoennes, chairman of KSU’s YAF chapter, said, “The Spectrum Center was the embodiment of leftist ideology. Its closure was a win, but much work remains”.

This development echoes similar responses at Wichita State and the University of Kansas, which have also dismantled visible DEI structures but may use rebranded programs to continue promotion of the ideology

Bush Dynasty Eyes Comeback With Possible Maine Governor Run

Wisconsin
"Vote Here" sign (Photo by Grace Cary/Getty Images)

The Bush family may be preparing for a return to politics with Jonathan Bush, cousin of former President George W. Bush and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, exploring a 2026 run for governor of Maine. The move would revive one of America’s most prominent political dynasties after nearly a decade out of elected office.

Jonathan Bush has launched an exploratory committee and formed a policy group called Maine for Keeps to shape his campaign platform. He has focused his message on education, housing, and entrepreneurship, calling for an end to what he describes as Maine’s “learned helplessness.” His pitch emphasizes restoring the “Maine Dream” by combining business innovation with public service.

The potential campaign has full family backing. A fundraiser hosted at the Bush family’s Walker’s Point compound in Kennebunkport drew support from both George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, signaling the family’s willingness to mobilize its political network. The Bushes have had deep ties to Maine for over a century, with their summer estate long serving as a base for both family gatherings and political events.

The 2026 race is expected to be competitive. Democratic Governor Janet Mills is term-limited, opening the field to a range of candidates from both parties. Democrats are likely to run Shenna Bellows or Hannah Pingree, while Republicans see Jonathan Bush as a candidate who could appeal to Maine’s tradition of independent, moderate voters. Former GOP state senator Rick Bennett, now an independent, is also weighing a campaign.

Observers note that while the Bush family name carries weight nationally, Maine voters have a history of rejecting political dynasties in favor of local authenticity. Jonathan Bush’s challenge will be to balance his family’s legacy with a message tailored to Maine’s unique political culture.

1...141516...3,550Page 15 of 3,550
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2023 American Faith News Media. All rights reserved.