On MAGA, Evangelicalism & Christian Nationalism
In this clip from Ask N.T. Wright Anything, Michael Bird and Tom Wright discuss the rise of Christian nationalism, the influence of MAGA ideology within white evangelicalism, and why many believers are struggling to reconcile faith with political movements centered on power, nationalism, and culture wars.
Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, advised Donald Trump not to host Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, having called the Ukrainian president a "little fucker", a "special-needs child" and "Mr Bean on crack", according to a new book. The suggestion that a US cabinet official described a world leader in such terms is included in Regime Change, a blockbusting account of the second Trump administration by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, set to be published worldwide on Tuesday. News of Bessent's alleged remarks may embarrass the Trump administration, although the meeting that did take place on 28 February 2025 proved outright disastrous, as Trump and JD Vance blasted Zelenskyy for not being grateful for aid in his fight against Russian invaders, and for not wearing a suit.
The attack on a girl's elementary school in the Iranian town of Minab was one of the US military's deadliest civilian bombings in decades. But nearly four months on, the Pentagon has produced no answers about why the military fired a Tomahawk cruise missile into a school on the first day of the war, killing at least 175 people, mostly children. Some critics doubt that the Pentagon ever will, or will bury the results under classifications to keep the worst mistakes secret from the public. As the US signs a shaky memorandum of understanding on a ceasefire with Iran, the secretive investigation into the attack has also become a test case for the self-styled secretary of war Pete Hegseth's new approach to what he calls "warfighting". As he said in early March, nearly two weeks after the attack, "our rules of engagement are bold, precise and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it". Read more
USSECSTATE Marco Rubio determined that Colombian immigrant Franklin Humberto Coral Garrido was deportable from the US after the progressive publicly criticized Donald Trump right-wing ally Abelardo De La Espriella. ICE agents arrested "Beto Coral," a supporter of President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, the very same day.
Official Portrait of USSECSTATE Marco Rubio at Foggy Bottom
LAPD officers responded to reports of a woman screaming on 13 June, which turned out to be harmless cheering, the night that the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA finals. Terrified at the sight of Jameson, a two-year-old golden Saint Bernard doodle wearing a blue NY Knicks jersey, one of the LAPD officers fired four rounds into the defense animal, killing him.
Since 2000, the LAPD has faced 2,000 claims of police brutality
Israel, a nation that has received the most US economic and military aid since 1948 at $317.9B, plus an additional $12bn in 2025 alone, will undermine Donald Trump's effort to reach a lasting peace deal with Iran, according to the USIC. This illegal war being fought by US forces against Iran on Israel's behalf is costing the American taxpayer over $111bn.
Israeli Universal Healthcare is World Class; the US has the "BBB" and a dwindling treasury
Donald Trump likes this woman. She's someone's daughter. Does he think it's one of his own? She doesn't look like Tiffany or Ivanka. The blonde woman looks like she's sitting in a room with a blanket or flag from The Great State of New York.
Donald Trump is really worried about showers ruining his -- self-described == "perfect" hair.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has denounced the "unlawful and illegitimate" Israeli seizure of its property in occupied East Jerusalem. During the operation, "the Patriarchate's representative was forcibly removed, his equipment was confiscated, trees were uprooted, and the property was enclosed with fencing and gates."
Christian America's so-called "ally"
The Golden Age of Comic Books (1938 " 1956) introduced three transgender characters to Americana, a pioneering concept that may have been considered taboo by the mainstream media (MSM) back then. First, early Superman villain "The Ultra-Humanite" had his brain transplanted into the body of a beautiful young Hollywood starlet. Dangerous criminal "He-She" made a solo appearance fighting "Crimebuster," while the campy super-hero "Red Tornado" was secretly a woman named Ma' Hinkel. Although these are only three obscure instances from thousands of heroes and villains from the 1940s, for that time these comic book writers broke societal norms, like their counterparts who wrote Science Fiction.
June is Pride MonthFormatting dictates that the illustrations will follow in the comments.
Jun 20, 2026
1 hour ago
to explain is to explain away Read more
The partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil passes, was the principal achievement of the Memorandum of Understanding and a key priority for the United States seeking to avoid a global economic crisis. Now after just a few days, the Iranian military says it's closed again, with Iran citing "relentless and continuous" breaches of the ceasefire in Lebanon by Israel which continues to occupy a large chunk of the south of the country.
A member of a family that runs a California raisin company is facing hate crime charges after he allegedly terrorized his Jewish neighbors in Pacific Palisades. On Wednesday, Bruce Lion, who was arrested over the weekend, was set to be arraigned. But the proceeding was reportedly postponed because the 64-year-old would not come out of his jail cell. Cunin detailed moments when Lion allegedly approached the rabbi's wife and made antisemitic statements: "I hate you, Jews. You killed my lord and savior. Your husband killed my lord and savior." Another instance included allegedly hosing down a congregant's car. This behavior allegedly went on for weeks, with several neighbors calling the police almost daily, according to Cunin.
Is the number of girls raped in the United Kingdom by grooming gangs definitively documented to be 250,000? No, that's not true: That figure is an extrapolation using an unclear methodology based on data from smaller communities with headline-grabbing scandals and is not an actual count of rape cases across the United Kingdom. A 2022 Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said, "it is simply not possible to know the scale of child sexual exploitation by networks."
The Michigan State Police (MSP) is robustly investigating CPAC Christian youth pastor Zachary Radcliff (29) for allegedly grooming and sexually assaulting scores of underaged boys and girls, some as old as ten. The phony Christian is facing at least 60 felony charges and the MSP is asking anyone with any information on Zachary Radcliff to please contact them ASAP at 517-899-6174 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak Up.
"Christian rock and pedophilia are cool, Dude!"
Cody Johnston analyzes how we're making the same mistakes we did in 1980 and how what we now call AI "slop" has always been here. Watch to the end (without skipping ahead) before you comment. I dare you.
