Funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ran out at midnight, marking the third — but smallest — government shutdown of President Trump’s second term as Democrats demand reforms to immigration enforcement practices.

The shutdown is likely to last longer than the four-day partial shutdown that ended last week, as the White House, Republicans and Senate Democrats negotiate on proposed immigration reforms.


Most House and Senate lawmakers have departed Washington for a scheduled weeklong recess. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he would call lawmakers back to Washington in the event that negotiators come to an agreement but did not cancel the break entirely.

Continued below.

Following an announcement from Gay Days that some interpreted as a cancellation of the group’s 2026 gathering in Orlando, organizers clarified that the annual event hasn't been canceled despite the loss of sponsorships that initially caused the group to pause its plans.

Gay Days, which was established in 1991 and describes itself as “the leading LGBTQ vacation experience that spans five days over a weekend in June,” announced Sunday via social media that it had decided to pause the Orlando event scheduled for June.

“Changes to our host hotel agreement, the loss of key sponsorship support, and broader challenges currently impacting LGBTQIA+ events nationwide made it impossible to deliver the experience our community deserves,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post. “This is a pause — not an ending.”

Continued below.

A Brazilian student who's facing four to 10 years in prison over social media comments about gender identity appeared before a federal court this week. The hearing addressed whether the posts constituted criminal “transphobia” under Brazilian law.

Judicial questioning during the session this week focused on whether the statements were published from the defendant’s own social media account, and the judge indicated the content appeared to reflect personal opinion rather than discriminatory intent while granting the defense five days to submit written conclusions before any ruling, according to the legal advocacy group ADF International.

The prosecution concerns two posts published in November 2020 on X, where the student, Isadora Borges, stated that transgender women “were obviously born male” and wrote that a person who identifies as transgender retains their birth DNA and that surgery, hormones or clothing do not change that fact.

Continued below.

JustaPewFiller said:

That's A LOT of goof-ups in a row.

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Kind of a common theme for the last year or so.

Pommer said:

Indicted by complaint, (not a grand jury); how the agent “lost” the tip of their finger has chain-of-evidence problems as it wasn’t noticed until later in the day.

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Huh. Who doesn't notice their fingertip getting bit off until later? Or am I misunderstanding?

RDKirk said:

So you were deflecting from the topic of the thread, then.

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The conversation seems to have gotten into the weeds of perceived cultural grievance, and I was just responding to that.

I notice a trend whenever one of these news stories comes up, it too often snowballs into a totalizing narrative, and the usual grievances are paraded around to make the case that this is some kind of conspiracy on the part of "liberals" or "Democrats", when the decline of religious institutions in the US are alot more complicated and unsettling that just "us vs. them" dynamics.

Search with the attitude that the right church will seem to choose you raqther than vice versa.
Initially forget about doctrinal comapatiblity and tune in to which church speaks most tenderly to your needs.
Ask yourself whether you sense God's nurturing presence in each church. By doing so, God will choose you for the right church.

Page 70

He argues "for all eternity [God's] happiness shall be conditional upon ours".

Thomas Weinandy, OFM, wrote a book Does God Suffer? The answer is no. God can never be less than perfectly happy because He is perfect, and this is good for us, because it guarantees, when we participate in God's divine nature, we too will be happy, and that this happiness is secure forever. Jesus assumed a human nature and only suffers in His human nature -- according to Weinandy.

Carter joined the American Baptist Church in his later years. ABC are northern Baptists, part of the historic Protestant Mainline, at one time a very large religious denomination.

stevevw said:

So therefore you will have to admit that your claim that morality is subjective is just an opinion. Holds no weight. I could say that morals are objective and it would be just as worthy of an answer as yours.

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Only if you are willing to subject your god to those morals.

stevevw said:

Didn't Lewis say something about the universe and justice.

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Don't know who you are talking about.

stevevw said:

I think morality is a property of the universe.

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Oh, boy, you did go there. Perhaps I will ask why you would think so or how you can demonstrate it, a bit later. Not sure how that could be given the inconsistency in how morality is applied by various civilizations and species.

stevevw said:

We make it so. Just like free will and choice. We live that reality and therefor make it real.

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How do humans make the universe have morality as a fundamental property. This feels like some sort of projection. (or wishcasting)

stevevw said:

Yes but situational does not equal relative morality. Each and every situations demands its own moral truth for that situation. We can determine that some acts are more moral that other acts.

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Every situation has its own moral truth? That's a lot of very specific moral truths. This seems like an overstatement.

stevevw said:

What I am saying is that after such a long time like anything we see enough examples of lived reality to then determine whether the relative moral ideology is realistic and works. That it actually harms society.

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Evidence based morality -- I kind of like it.

stevevw said:

What I am trying to do is move beyond the countless debates that never go anywhere because people say there is no truth to morality. To show how the philosophy of relative morality has actually worked and failed.

Thus we are in a post moral relative period where people are seeing the unreality and harm of such an ideology. The moral relativists have lost credibility. Their arguements hold no weight.

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It seem that your relative morals complained about are just ones that aren't "biblical-traditional". I could demonstrate those are not good, but the mods wouldn't like that...

stevevw said:

Its not a case of declaring they are a god. I am not saying that. I am saying they are acting like they are gods.

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We don't.

stevevw said:

Its a natural thing to do if there is no God. The next being down the line to uphold and worship is humans. We see examples everywhere.

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I see absolutely no reason to worship anything. I think worship is undignified.

stevevw said:

Its happened time and time again throughout history. When humans deny God they become their own gods or make gods of people and animals and nature. But with humans as the ultimate god or being that holds the most worth over everything.

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This is just your dogma -- a dogma that insists we all need gods and will make them up if none exist.

I didn't have any desire to worship when I thought there was a god. I have even less interest now.

stevevw said:

Why when its an historical fact and one playing out right now. Your claim of wrongness is wrong itself.

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I see you persist in your wrongness.

I looked up the poison, Epibatidine, similar to curare, which is also used as a dart toxin by indigenous peoples. It's a nicotine agonist, it only takes a few micrograms to kill by paralyzing the nervous system and stopping the heart.

Often distributed on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, blessed candles are powerful spiritual additions to the home.

There is a centuries' old tradition of distributing blessed candles on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2. If you received a candle from that celebration (or from a different source), what should you do with it?

With the prevalence of electricity around the world, there remains no practical use of candles. At the surface level, it seems like they don't have any particular use.

How to use blessed candles​

Continued below.

This article is the third part of a series about Purgatory, a topic that is rarely discussed today. A knowledge of Purgatory is essential if souls are to avoid the pains of this place of expiation. The first article can be found here.

* * *

Even during her lifetime, Saint Lidwina of Scheidam (1380-1433) was credited with many healings in the region of Holland where she lived. It seemed that the only person she could not cure was herself. At the age of fifteen, she fell while ice skating and broke a rib. Not only did that injury never heal properly, but she gradually lost the use of most of her body. As she grew older, her pains became intense, and paralysis eventually extended to every part of her body.

Today, some medical historians conclude that Lidwina suffered the first known case of multiple sclerosis.

The Saint and the Sinner​

Continued below.

Saturday 14 February 2026 – Burkina Faso​

Pray for the safety – and daily decision-making – of our partner’s local team, who are frequently travelling along dangerous roads in order to take support to persecuted believers.

Friday 13 February 2026 – Burkina Faso​

Pray for pastors who minister to and lead displaced Christians, often in simple tent churches within IDP camps. Pray for God’s blessing on them so that they can inspire and encourage others and lead by example.

Thursday 12 February 2026 – Burkina Faso​

Pray that Christians would be able to stand firm in their faith despite the challenges they have faced and be able to share God’s love with others.

Wednesday 11 February 2026 – Burkina Faso​

Pray for emotional healing for believers who have lost loved ones, land or possessions due to the Islamist violence and the resulting mass displacement of Christians.

Tuesday 10 February 2026 – Burkina Faso​

Pray for the displaced Christian children who are receiving education provided by our partner. Pray that they would be able to thrive despite the trauma they may have experienced and the many challenges they face.

Monday 9 February 2026 – Burkina Faso​

Pray for the protection of displaced Christians especially in areas where poverty is rife and newcomers can be seen as a burden.

Sunday 8 February 2026 – Burkina Faso​

Pray that God would restore peace, security and stability in Burkina Faso and that those in positions of power, leadership and influence would act with godly integrity to protect all citizens.

Most Christians in Jordan belong to Orthodox or Roman Catholic churches and generally enjoy a relatively high degree of religious freedom. Even so, they may face discrimination in employment, government monitoring and restrictions on public preaching. Christians who have converted from Islam risk violence, arrest or even death from their families or extremist groups if they openly express their faith. Unrecognised churches – especially those that evangelise – may face harassment from the authorities.

Despite Jordan’s reputation for tolerance and interfaith dialogue, Islamic extremists continue to pose a threat to Christians and other minorities. Additionally, the Gaza conflict has fuelled Islamic conservatism, support for Hamas, boycotts of international brands and greater Islamic visibility. This has led to more social pressure and distancing from Christians, even as the government maintains policies promoting religious tolerance.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?​

Leaving Islam is not criminalised, but it is prohibited; converts risk referral to Sharia courts and losing their legal status and contracts, including their marriages. They face monitoring, harassment, exclusion from public-sector employment and social ostracisation. Christians who share their faith may experience pressure and detention.

Meet Munther​

"We remember and believe in the Word of God that says, ‘And I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!’ (Luke 12:4–5)."
MUNTHER NAMAT, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE BIBLE SOCIETY OF JORDAN

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What has changed this year?​

[The persecution situation in Jordan remains much the same for followers of Jesus, whose lives can be difficult]. One Christian was killed and several Christian converts were reportedly forced to leave their homes or relocate within Jordan. The September 2024 parliamentary elections brought a historic win for the Islamic Action Front (IAF), reflecting rising Islamic conservatism in Jordan and solidarity with Gaza. However, after an alleged security plot, Jordan banned the Muslim Brotherhood in April 2025, casting uncertainty over the IAF’s future amid escalating regional tensions.

What does Open Doors do to help Christians in Jordan?​

In cooperation with local partners and churches, Open Doors supports the church in Jordan through training, relief and rehabilitation, research and prayer.

How can you pray for Jordan?​

• Under the leadership of King Abdallah, many believers in Jordan are able to worship openly. Thank God for this and ask Him to continue to make the monarchy aware of how the Jordanian church is a force for good in society.
• Conversion from Islam can be quite risky in Jordan. Pray for those who have lost friends or family because they follow Jesus.
• Pray that those called to share their faith can do so boldly and safely.

This lying from DHS seems to be part of a very distinct pattern that permeates this administration.

(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Rand Paul had strong words on Thursday for the heads of the federal agencies spearheading the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and across the U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons, Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott, and Citizenship and Immigration Services director Joseph Edlow were testifying in front of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

“Witness the thousands of people in the streets in Minneapolis and in Minnesota, and the millions of viewers who witnessed the recent deaths,” Paul, the committee’s chairman, said. “It’s clearly evident that the public trust has been lost. To restore trust in ICE and Border Patrol, they must admit their mistakes, be honest and forthright with their rules of engagement, and pledge to reform. I hope the leadership of ICE and Border Patrol here today will participate in a meaningful way.”

Paul and ranking member Sen. Gary Peters went frame by frame on videos of the shooting of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old Minneapolis nurse killed in an encounter with federal agents last month. Federal officials initially said that Pretti “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun” and “attacked” officers carrying out immigration duties.
...
“I understand you not wanting to make conclusions yet, but nobody believes you’re gonna because you made conclusions immediately,” Paul told the law enforcement leaders. “Not you. But people within the government made conclusions immediately that [Pretti] was a terrorist and an assassin … people aren’t believing there’s going to be an honest investigation.”

In the hours after the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti committed an “act of domestic terrorism” and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called him a “would-be assassin” and a “terrorist.”

Paul added at the hearing, “I think it’s terrible police work, but there has to ultimately be repercussions.”

‘Trust has been lost:’ ICE, CBP officials questioned on enforcement tactics during Senate oversight hearing

Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, US Customs and Border Protection, Commissioner Rodney Scott, and Acting Director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons testify before a Senate Homeland Security and Gove...

southernillinoisnow.com

Hans Blaster said:

Only the great coats.

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The best coats.

OK, I went to see Scarlet yesterday at the theater. One thing I will say is that the visuals were stunningly magnificent. Hosoda's team seems to have developed a next-level animation technique to blend hand-drawing with computer assist. However I was a little disappointed in the story. The development of Scarlet herself from being obsessed with vengeance to learning to let go of that vengeance was not earned. The role of the time-travelling medic from our present time in accompanying Scarlet on her journey was underdeveloped. And most of the 1:51 runtime occurred in a afterlife called "other world" that will appear very foreign and unrecognizable to the Christian perspective. It looked more like a purgatory if purgatory were a way-station on the way to hell instead of heaven. I just couldn't relate. I did enjoy the animation though. It was very expressive.

Peace in Christ.

Death is NOT a “friend” but an enemy that is overcome in victory in Christ Jesus. This is for the here-and-now.

1Co 15:25-26 KJV
(25) For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
(26) The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

It’s interesting that the man-based churches spiritualize death away (“spiritual death”) while taking most other things in the Bible literally….just the reverse of what it should be.

They use “spiritual death” as an excuse to deal with their mortal death of which they cannot explain away. The wages of the sin is THE death…mortal death. The gospel is being hid from their minds so that they do not understand it. It is concealed to those who are PERISHING…as their mortal bodies perish away to the grave.

2 Corinthians 4:3
But if indeed our gospel is concealed, it is concealed to those who are perishing,

Death is not to be spiritualized away. It pertains to our mortal bodies.

When this MORTAL will have put on immortality, then the saying comes to pass that is written: DEATH is swallowed up in victory.

Death, then, pertains to our MORTAL bodies as it specifically references both together here in 1st Corinthians 15:54 .

When this MORTAL shall have put on immortality = DEATH is then swallowed up in victory.

1Co 15:54-55 KJV
(54) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
(55) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

But the man-based churches overlook our mortal death by spiritualizing death away…saying “we shall not surely die” as we do not die as we will not experience “spiritual death”. They say this while they mortally perish.

Death is an enemy and not a friend. They are treating physical death as a “friend”…one that is just a gateway to be with Christ. No, is the judgment of the sin. The wages of the sin is the death…mortal death.

Many Christian traditions view death as a "doorway to be with Christ"

Is this not part of THE lie: “you shall not surely die”? (the phrase should be actually translated: “killing, you shall not die”)

We shall not surely die ….spiritually …..supposedly. They have to spiritualize death away.

They are preaching their “covenant with death and their agreement with the grave” that comes from the original lie of the serpent: “you shall not surely die”.

Gen 3:4-5 KJV
(4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
(5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

We do not die as it is “spiritual death” that we do not experience according to them…completely ignoring the fact that Jesus died mortally and was resurrected mortally.

Jesus died mortally and He was NOT a spirit in His resurrection. He was “flesh and bones” in His resurrection and did even eat before His disciples to prove it.

Luk 24:38-43 KJV
(38) And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
(39) Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
(40) And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
(41) And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
(42) And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
(43) And he took it, and did eat before them.

The scoffers will come forth. They...those who mortally perish... will not receive the love of the Truth and be saved. They will not HEAR the Word of the LORD and be saved but will trust in the lie.

Isa 28:14-18
(14) Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful (scoffing) men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

They have made a covenant with death and an agreement with the grave….their “gateway” out of this life to Heaven. Physical death is their friend.

They made a “lie” (singular”)…the original lie… their refuge: “you shall not surely die”.

They comfort themselves with believing in the lie that they will not spiritually die…while physical death is their friend that should be accepted and embraced. They have made a covenant with death and an agreement with the grave. Let us eat and drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.

It is “spiritual death” that we do not die according to them …their refuge that they comfort themselves in. Under the falsehood they hide themselves.

(15) Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell (Sheol…the grave) are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made a lie our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
(16) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
(17) Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Others will believe in the Word of the LORD and will depart out of the man-based churches who make the lie their refuge. The believers will no longer accept their "covenant with death" and their agreement with the grave as they will depart from the man-based churches who be trodden down under their feet as they depart.

(18) And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

The believers in the Word of Truth will GO FORTH...being released from the "stall" (the man-based churches) that they were once in . They will tread down the wicked as they will depart out of the unbelieving man-based churches.

Mal 4:2-3 KJV
(2) But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
(3) And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

The unbelievers will not receive the love of the Truth and be saved. They will follow after their false teachers and behave in unrighteousness towards the Truth. They PERISH. They believe THE lie....the original lie of the serpent that they love and practice.

2Th 2:10-12
(10) And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
(11) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe THE (definite article) lie:
(12) That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Whoever shall hear His sayings and does them is like a wise man who builds his house upon a rock….a stone…a precious cornerstone….a sure foundation. He that believes in Him shall not “make haste”…that is, be hasty to speak in contention towards what one hears Him saying.

Mat 7:24-27 KJV
(24) Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

The Word of Truth is like the rain that descends….the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon our house. The Word of Truth will challenge all that we once thought was true and correct…but if we are found upon a rock…upon Christ, then our house shall not fall.

(25) And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
(26) And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
(27) And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Saul/Paul was “found in Him” ....faith of Christ.... when confronted with the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord (Supreme in authority). He believed what he heard Christ saying to him. We must also be found in Him…having our house built upon the Rock… and not going about trying to defend our own “righteousness” in the face of hearing His knowledge.

Php 3:7-10 KJV
(7) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
(8) Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
(9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
(10) That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

A2SG said:

I think Trump may be running out of lawyers who represented him personally.

-- A2SG, or at least the ones who got paid.....

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The totally sober Pirro got a dance photographer who used to work for her back when she was DA for Westchester County. He is/was a legit prosecutor for thirty years, but had pretty much left the field for his current vocation.



His photos of dancers are strikingly beautiful. browse