Paxton Champions Faith in Schools

September 5, 2025

Child Bible — Child reading Bible (Jonathan Borba/Unsplash)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is urging public schools to implement a dedicated time for prayer and reading the Bible in the wake of the state’s new law allowing the activities to take place.

The newly enacted bill, Senate Bill 11, allows the “board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of an open-enrollment charter school that is not operated by or affiliated with a religious organization” to “adopt a policy requiring every campus of the district or school to provide students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text on each school day.”

“In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up,” Paxton said. “Twisted, radical liberals want to erase Truth, dismantle the solid foundation that America’s success and strength were built upon, and erode the moral fabric of our society. Our nation was founded on the rock of Biblical Truth, and I will not stand by while the far-left attempts to push our country into the sinking sand.”

Addressing students, Paxton encouraged those considering implementing prayer to “begin with the Lord’s Prayer, as taught by Jesus Christ,” which says:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth,

as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power,

and the glory, for ever.

Amen.

Paxton has also directed all Texas Independent School Districts (ISDs) not covered by a federal judge’s order barring the Ten Commandments from classrooms to display them in compliance with state law.

HHS Orders Health Providers to Honor Religious Vaccine Exemptions

September 5, 2025

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a letter notifying state awardees of the Vaccines for Children Program (VCP) that participants must honor religious exemptions from vaccine mandates.

“Today’s letter makes clear that providers must respect state laws protecting religious and conscience-based exemptions to vaccine mandates,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. “States have the authority to balance public health goals with individual freedom, and honoring those decisions builds trust. Protecting both public health and personal liberty is how we restore faith in our institutions and Make America Healthy Again.”

The department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) wrote in the letter that “states and participating providers assistance and support in their good faith efforts to operate VCP programs in compliance with the law,” HHS explained.

“By specifically mandating that a state’s plan for administering Medicaid must respect state laws regarding religious exemptions, Congress recognized the importance of Americans’ religious convictions regarding vaccines and laws protecting such,” the letter says. “VCP providers are responsible for following state laws ‘relating to’ religious and other exemptions to vaccination laws. Express religious exemptions contained in compulsory vaccination statutes are examples of such laws; so, too, are state statutes that mirror the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).”

The letter follows a similar notice sent to West Virginia health departments on August 21 that reminded them to honor the state’s laws supporting religious freedom.

Governor Patrick Morrisey (R) issued an executive order earlier this year permitting religious exemptions for inoculations. “Forcing those West Virginians to vaccinate their children despite their religious and moral objections substantially burdens the free exercise of religion in violation of the inherent religious liberties guaranteed by the Constitutions of the United States and West Virginia,” the order says.

Michigan Police Unveils Arabic Patch, Then Backtracks

September 5, 2025

The Dearborn Heights Police Department unveiled a new police uniform patch featuring Arabic language.

“The Dearborn Heights Police Department is proud to share a new patch that our officers may wear as part of their uniform,” the police department said in a Facebook statement. “This patch was created by Officer Emily Murdoch, who designed it to reflect and honor the diversity of our community – especially the many residents of Arabic descent who call Dearborn Heights home. By incorporating Arabic script alongside English, this patch represents unity, respect, and our shared commitment to service. We are proud of Officer Murdoch’s creativity and dedication in helping our department better represent the people we serve.”

“Our officers proudly serve all members of our community, and this new design is another way we continue to celebrate the rich cultures that make our city unique,” the police department wrote.

Mayor Bill Bazzi backtracked on the patch, issuing a new statement reading, “Should efforts like this be formally undertaken to make any changes to the Police uniform, it is our goal to include multiple PD stakeholders for a larger conversation, to ensure all are included in the discussion. As we are one PD, each individual’s uniform represents the DHPD as a whole, and therefore merits the review and input of all.”

Bazzi recently appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as the nominee for U.S> Ambassador to Tunisia.

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) condemned the patch, writing on social media, “They said their goal was to bring sharia law to America.”

“You should’ve believed them,” he wrote. “Pray for Michigan.”

JUST IN: Dearborn Heights Police Department in Michigan has just revealed America's first police badge to feature Arabic writing, in order to "reflect and honor the diversity of our community." pic.twitter.com/AhdYfYWHjo
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 4, 2025

Powell’s Books Layoffs Hit Store That Banned Andy Ngo

September 5, 2025

drag queens — Portland, Oregon (Justin Shen/Unsplash)

Powell’s City of Books, the well-known Portland bookstore that previously banned journalist Andy Ngo’s best-selling book on Antifa, has begun laying off staff as financial struggles deepen. According to an internal email obtained by the Portland Business Journal, 18 positions across departments were cut in July, with more layoffs expected in the coming months.

“We will conduct additional layoffs in phases over the next few months and do our best to manage the impact for everyone involved,” Powell’s owner and president Emily Powell said in the email. Most of the layoffs so far have affected management and business services, and raises for non-union employees have also been frozen.

The bookstore cited ongoing financial difficulties stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, which reduced in-store sales. Powell’s has struggled to recover as downtown Portland continues to face decreased tourism, reduced foot traffic, and competition from online retailers. “While many factors impact our financial health, Portland is simply not where we had hoped it would be in its recovery,” Powell explained. “While online sales are growing, this increase has not made up for the decline at our Portland store.”

In 2021, Powell’s faced controversy when it stopped selling in-store copies of Ngo’s Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy after left-wing extremists pressured the store. Violent Antifa demonstrations even forced Powell’s to temporarily close, citing staff safety. At the time, the bookstore falsely accused Ngo of being a “provocateur who has made a career of inciting violence.”

Ngo, who has been repeatedly assaulted by Antifa for his reporting, reacted to the layoffs on X, saying Powell’s management banned his book because they “didn’t want the public to read and learn about what was causing the decline of the city,” a decline the bookstore now faces itself.

U.S. Seizes Record Meth Shipment Tied to Sinaloa Cartel

September 5, 2025

Federal agents have carried out the largest seizure of methamphetamine precursors in U.S. history, intercepting nearly 700,000 pounds of chemicals headed from China to Mexico. Authorities said the shipments were bound for clandestine labs operated by the Sinaloa Cartel.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, working overseas, interdicted the shipments on the high seas before they could reach cartel hands. The chemicals—164,880 kilos of benzyl alcohol and 151,560 kilos of N-methyl formamide—could have produced roughly 420,000 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $569 million.

“We intercepted them on the high seas and now the Sinaloa Cartel will not be able to use them to make methamphetamine,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Ferris Pirro said. She credited the Trump administration’s decision to designate the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization for allowing agents to move quickly. “Every day, tons of chemicals that are used to create synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl are shipped from China to Mexico in China’s undeclared war against America and her citizens,” she added.

The seizure was the first carried out under a terrorism forfeiture warrant, authorized after Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally labeled Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations in February. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons noted that this was the first time chemicals had been seized under charges of providing material support for terrorism.

HSI’s Operation Hydra, which focuses on cutting off precursor supply chains rather than finished narcotics, coordinated the mission with law enforcement partners in Guatemala, Panama, and Mexico. The chemicals were redirected to the Port of Houston, unloaded into 1,300 barrels, and secured by HSI storage facilities.

Officials said the action prevents countless overdoses and deaths. “Whenever there is an effort on the part of foreign terrorist organizations to create drugs that are killing Americans, we will seize them,” Pirro declared.

Nigel Farage Declares Labour in ‘Crisis,’ Says Reform UK Ready to Take Power

September 5, 2025

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage declared that Britain’s Labour government is in “deep crisis” and predicted it would not last a full term, telling supporters that his party must prepare to take power as early as 2027. Speaking at Reform’s annual conference in Birmingham on Friday, Farage addressed party members just hours after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigned, calling it the clearest sign yet of fractures inside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet.

“This government is deep in crisis,” Farage said. “Not only have they fallen into deep unpopularity within just a year of winning the general election, but it’s become clear to all of us that it is a cabinet of wholly unqualified people to run our country: they are not fit to govern.” He predicted Labour, like the Conservatives before them, would collapse under internal “splits” as the far-left Corbynista faction pushes back.

Farage pointed to Nadine Dorries’ high-profile defection from the Conservatives to Reform as proof that both establishment parties are in “meltdown.” Reform, he said, has grown rapidly—expanding from 30,000 to 240,000 paid members in a year, establishing 450 local branches, taking control of more than a dozen councils, and leading in over 100 recent opinion polls.

Framing Reform as the “patriotic party,” Farage vowed zero tolerance on crime, pledging prosecutions for shoplifting, stop-and-search powers to combat knife crime, and mass deportations of foreign criminals. He reiterated his pledge to withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights and repeal globalist-era laws blocking deportations.

Farage also promised to ban the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, citing its infiltration of Western institutions. He pledged that within two weeks of a Reform victory, “the boats will be stopped” and illegal migrants detained and deported.

“We are the last chance this country has to get back on track,” Farage told cheering supporters. “We will make Britain Great Again.”

Newsom’s $250M Power Grab: California ‘Referendum’ Really About Him, Not Trump

September 5, 2025

gavin newsom (4) — (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has cast his latest “special election” as a referendum on President Donald Trump, but in reality, it is a referendum on his own failed leadership. The ballot measure, Proposition 50, seeks to enshrine gerrymandered congressional maps at a staggering cost of $250 million, even as thousands remain displaced by wildfires and the state bleeds deficits.

Newsom insists the maps are about “defending democracy,” yet California’s constitution clearly states that district lines must be drawn by an independent commission after each Census. Instead, Newsom drew maps first, then called a referendum later. His maneuver represents a blatant power grab, not democratic reform.

The timing could not be worse. California is still reeling from devastating wildfires, with many victims unable to rebuild due to lost insurance coverage and insufficient state aid. Despite boasting about fire relief, Newsom has failed to manage state land properly, leaving brush uncleared and reservoirs empty when fires struck. Federal agencies—not Sacramento—have led the cleanup effort, while private donors, not Newsom, raised $100 million in aid.

Yet instead of prioritizing recovery, the governor is spending hundreds of millions on an election that could have been avoided. He has also jeopardized California’s request for $40 billion in federal relief by repeatedly mocking Trump and suing to block his policies. While Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) pleaded for aid despite political differences, the state’s governor has made partisan attacks his primary focus.

Newsom’s political strategy mirrors his recall survival in 2021, when he rallied Democrats by framing Republican challenger Larry Elder as “Trump in blackface.” Now he is using Trump as a smokescreen once again, hoping voters will overlook his fiscal mismanagement and disaster failures.

But this referendum is not about Trump—it is about Newsom. California voters must decide whether to endorse his power grab or hold him accountable for years of neglect.

Wisconsin Democrats Push Campus Concealed Carry Ban

September 5, 2025

Wisconsin Democrats, led by state Sen. Kelda Roys (D), are moving to strip licensed gun owners of their right to carry for self-defense on college campuses. The proposal, introduced September 4, 2025, would outlaw firearms entirely on university and college property, even for individuals who hold valid concealed carry licenses.

According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Daily Cardinal, the measure would “make it illegal for anyone — including those who have concealed carry licenses — to possess a firearm anywhere on university or college property.” Police officers would remain exempt under the bill.

Defending her proposal, Roys claimed that limiting firearms is necessary to protect students. “When people have unfettered access to firearms, we can’t live free from the fear of gun violence,” she argued. Yet she did not cite a single case of a licensed concealed carrier committing gun violence on a Wisconsin campus.

Critics point to the fact that concealed carry license holders are among the most law-abiding demographics in the country. Research by criminologist John Lott has shown that firearms violations by permit holders occur at fractions of a percent, significantly lower than rates among the general population. In fact, a Breitbart News report from 2017 cited Lott’s findings that police officers are convicted of firearms violations at higher rates than concealed carriers.

For gun rights advocates, the proposal represents a troubling overreach that would disarm law-abiding citizens while doing nothing to deter criminals who ignore gun laws. Students, faculty, and staff with permits would be left defenseless in the very environments where active shooters have previously struck.

If enacted, Wisconsin would join a handful of states that ban lawful carry on campus, reigniting the debate over whether such policies improve safety or leave potential victims vulnerable.

ATF Firearm Form Now Includes ‘Non-Binary’ Option Under Biden

September 5, 2025

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has quietly modified its firearm transfer form 4473, which all gun buyers must complete before a background check, to include a third gender option: “non-binary.” The change, introduced under the Biden administration, departs from the traditional “male” or “female” selections that had long been the standard.

Form 4473 is a critical document in every retail firearm sale. It asks whether the purchaser is the actual buyer of the gun, whether they face felony charges, or whether they are an unlawful user of controlled substances such as marijuana, stimulants, or narcotics. It also probes the mental health of applicants, providing federal authorities with grounds to deny sales.

Historically, Question 14 required gun buyers to indicate their sex as either “male” or “female.” Now, buyers can choose “non-binary,” a revision that critics argue creates confusion and could open the door to further politicization of firearms regulations.

Although the ATF has implemented the change, licensed firearms dealers retain discretion in how they handle such cases. Dealers can deny a sale if they believe the applicant poses a risk, and some dealers may interpret a “non-binary” selection as grounds for concern over mental health stability.

Cave Creek Guns owner George Urmston told Breitbart News he expects the Justice Department’s proposed transgender gun ownership restrictions to mirror this approach. “By recognizing transgenderism as a mental illness, the DOJ would give licensed gun dealers solid footing in denying a gun sale to a biological male who pretends he is a female, or vice versa,” he explained.

The move comes as the DOJ is reportedly exploring broader restrictions on transgender individuals owning firearms, citing mental health concerns following recent high-profile shootings. The ATF form change may signal the administration’s intent to give federal regulators and dealers more leeway in rejecting applicants.

Nadine Dorries Defects to Reform UK, Says Tories Are Dead

September 5, 2025

London England — London (Sabrina Mazzeo/Unsplash)

Former Conservative cabinet minister Nadine Dorries has delivered a major blow to Britain’s ruling party, announcing her defection to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Dorries, who served as Culture Secretary under Boris Johnson, declared in a Daily Mail column that the “Tory Party is dead” and that only Farage has the answers to the crises facing the country.

Calling it the “most difficult decision” of her political life, Dorries said she had considered joining Reform for over a year. “The time for action is now, and I believe that the only politician who has the answers, the knowledge and the will to deliver is Nigel Farage,” she wrote.

The former Mid-Bedfordshire MP has long been outspoken in defense of Boris Johnson, blasting his 2022 ouster as a “coup” led by Rishi Sunak and other establishment figures. She has also attacked the toxic culture of Westminster, claiming the Conservative Party covered up sexual misconduct and even drugging scandals among MPs.

On Thursday, she echoed Ronald Reagan’s famous line, saying her core beliefs had not changed since joining the Tories in 1995, but that the party had abandoned its principles.

Reform spokesman Zia Yusuf welcomed her defection, calling her an “asset” and agreeing with her assessment that the Conservatives are finished. The move comes as Reform UK continues to surge in the polls, driven by voter frustration over mass migration, economic stagnation, and Tory scandals.

However, critics pointed to Dorries’ role in advancing the controversial Online Safety Act, legislation Farage has slammed as “borderline dystopian.” While she did not directly address the issue, Dorries insisted she and Farage will handle any disagreements privately.

As Reform UK opened its annual conference in Birmingham, Farage reportedly predicted he could become prime minister by 2027—two years before the next scheduled election.