PETE RIEHM — Americans are generally dejected. By every metric, nothing in America is going well. At least two-thirds of Americans, according to polling, believe the country is going in the wrong direction. Economic hardships and international threats will come and go, but Americans have always had the character and grit to face whatever challenges were hurled their way. However, a deepening moral malaise is eroding character and weakening grit. With social ills ever spiraling into contagion, there is a lingering despair hanging over America. The root of the problem is that one of the most fundamental building blocks of a vibrant, vigorous nation – strong families – has been increasingly decimated the entire past half-century.... (more)

JERRY NEWCOMBE — This year happens to be the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the first Congress (then known as the Continental Congress). Its first session opened in prayer. And Congress has opened each session in prayer since then. But earlier this year, the prayer opening the 118th Congress caused quite a stir. Among other things, the preacher dared to pray in the name of Jesus.... (more)

WORLDNETDAILY — Prosecutors in the gun case against Hunter Biden attested to the authenticity of a laptop he left at a repair shop in 2019, and a jury convicted Biden on Tuesday in part based on that evidence, even though at least two polls suggested that constant denials that the laptop was his from Democrats, social media, and legacy media helped President Joe Biden get elected in 2020.... (more)

STEPHEN STONE — About ten years ago, I took my favorite traditional Irish tune, Gaftai Baile Bui, added lyrics, and turned it into an “Independence Day anthem” that spoke from an unapologetically Americanist viewpoint appropriate to the Fourth of July. The song has been performed publicly only once—at a Daughters of the Utah Pioneers gathering that our oldest daughter was in charge of in 2015. On that occasion, the song was sung by a close friend of our family, Denis Sorenson, lead singer of the 1960s Capital Records folk group “The Three Ds,” which in the 60s consisted of Denis and his two highly talented associates, Duane Hiatt and Dick Davis.... (more)

JERRY NEWCOMBE — Did the founders create America as “one nation under God,” or did they want Christian expression banned from the public square? A recent film seems to promote the latter idea. Dr. Ted Baehr’s MOVIEGUIDE writes: “’Bad Faith’ is a propaganda documentary from the Religious Left, written and directed by a small-time movie producer who happens to be a film and television professor at a Catholic college in Los Angeles. The movie accuses Evangelical Christian conservatives and Republican Christians, from the 1980s to the present day, of waging a racist war against ‘American Democracy.’ The movie uses leftist, progressive pundits, professors, authors, journalists, and activists to make its claims.”... (more)

YOUTUBE — The latest edition of the "Best of President Reagan" series: this installment centers on Reagan's disarming sense of humor.... (more)

FAITHWIRE — After the release of survey data giving Christians a “good reason for hope” when it comes to the Gospel’s impact on young people, the researcher behind the data is offering some helpful context. Dr. John Plake, chief program officer at the American Bible Society, told CBN News 21% of Generation Z adults said in his organization’s annual “State of the Bible” survey that “they’ve actually increased their use of the Bible within the last year.”... (more)

LIFE SITE NEWS — The Navy SEALs — famous for being one of the military’s most elite, respected fighting forces — and the Department of Defense are being blasted on social media for promoting rainbow-colored social media posts promoting Pride month. Even as many national and multinational corporations seem to have toned down their annual Pride month fanfare, the U.S. military has gone all-in for praising “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer” lifestyles, equating them with valorous virtues of “Dignity, Service, Respect, Equality Pride.”... (more)

REV. MARK H. CREECH — Louisiana is on the verge of becoming the first state to mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in all publicly funded schools and colleges if Governor Jeff Landry signs the proposed bill, HB71, into law. Authored by Rep. Dodie Horton, the bill specifies that the Ten Commandments must be prominently displayed on posters no smaller than 11 by 14 inches. Horton argues that the commandments form the foundation of Louisiana’s laws.... (more)

FOX NEWS — Many parents and grandparents who spoke with Fox News have a dismal view of the American dream, saying they worry it’s "dying" or already dead for the next generation. "They can't afford the American dream," Pat from Gilroy, California, said. "What we wanted when we were young, it's not something our kids can afford."... (more)

YOUTUBE — Grammy-nominated musicians, Keith and Kristyn Getty, join Kirk Cameron to delve into their inspiring story and following the call to write the hymns of this generation. They discuss seeking God's will for their lives and their passion for worshiping the Lord through music.... (more)

YOUTUBE — In this excerpt from "Mere Christianity," C.S. Lewis discusses the vice of pride, which he considers the greatest sin and the root of all other vices. He explains that pride is inherently competitive, leading people to value themselves over others and even over God. Unlike other vices, pride does not foster camaraderie but instead creates enmity. Lewis warns that pride can disguise itself within religious life, causing people to feel superior to others under the guise of righteousness. He emphasizes that true humility involves recognizing and relinquishing pride, not thinking less of oneself but thinking of oneself less.... (more)

YOUTUBE — Roman Balmakov of "Facts Matter": In a unanimous vote delivered Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the NRA—but also protected all Americans' First Amendment rights from being curtailed by government bureaucrats.... (more)

WORLDNETDAILY — A verdict from a jury in far-left Manhattan has opined that President Donald Trump is guilty of 34 counts of misreporting business costs, one of the Democrats' lawfare cases they have launched against the GOP candidate for president this year. It's going to cost them, one expert suggests. "Today's verdict from this partisan, corrupt, and rigged trial just guaranteed Trump's landslide victory on November 5, 2004," said Mike Davis, of the Article III Project.... (more)

THE BLAZE — Beginning in March 2020, governments, academics, social media companies, mainstream media, power-hungry bureaucrats, and globalists colluded to drive the narrative of the COVID-19 epidemic. Anyone, whether a concerned citizen, a democratically elected politician, or even a distinguished epidemiologist, going against that narrative needed to be silenced and discredited as quickly as possible.... (more)

WORLDNETDAILY — As Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed school choice initiatives, leading to a spike in charter and private school enrollments, public schools are shutting down. Across the state, public school enrollment is declining. Duval County Public School District, the sixth-largest school district in Florida and 20th largest in the country, is now considering campus closures due to dramatic dips in their enrollment.... (more)

YOUTUBE — For Memorial Day, we feature a 2012 performance of the "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" by The Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City. The popular arrangement was written in 1944 by Russian-American Peter J. Wilhousky and, according to Wikipedia, has become "arguably the most well-known choral arrangement of a hymn or anthem in the United States."... (more)

PRAGERU — Families seeking wholesome alternatives to woke children’s books are turning to clean, pro-American edu-tainment. PragerU CEO Marissa Streit sits with Kirk Cameron, a Hollywood star who is now one of the main authors of Brave Books, and Connor Boyack, the creator of Tuttle Twins, to discuss the public school system, how to equip kids with critical thinking, and how to teach young Americans to love their country.... (more)

YOUTUBE — The Hoover Institution's Peter Robinson interviews acclaimed British historian Niall Ferguson about his book "The Treason of the Intellectuals" [VIDEO] (YouTube)... (more)

DEBRA HEINE — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has initiated formal debarment proceedings against EcoHealth Alliance president Dr. Peter Daszak to prevent him receiving any more federal dollars. HHS sent Daszak a letter on Tuesday notifying him that it had suspended him and proposed him for debarment, related to his “respective roles as the President of EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. (EHA) and as Program Director (PD)/Principal Investigator (PI) on the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Grant Number R01AI110964,” to prevent him “from participating in United States Federal Government procurement and nonprocurement programs.”... (more)

LIFE NEWS — Donald Trump says he would consider naming pro-life conservative Ken Paxton as Attorney General if he’s elected president. Trump said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is “a very talented guy” he would consider for an important post to turn around a very political Justice Department that is putting pro-life Americans in prison for years for peacefully protesting abortion. “I would, actually. He’s very, very talented. I mean, we have a lot of people that want that one and would be really good at it,” Trump said. “But he’s a very talented guy.”... (more)

DAILY WIRE — Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey is rescuing a pro-Israel conference from cancellation after a Nashville hotel backed out from hosting because of alleged threats by anti-Israel activists. When Ramsey heard that a Nashville hotel revoked access for the Israel Summit, an event scheduled for next week that will feature prominent Christians and Jews, organizers say Ramsey got in touch and offered not only to host it, but also to help make it even bigger.... (more)

TOWNHALL — Thanks for joining our study about the concept of “brokenness.” If not familiar with this theological concept, you might have experienced challenging, prolonged circumstances known in popular culture as being “down and out.” Usually accompanied by hopelessness and depression, brokenness is triggered by combinations of situations and factors such as financial, professional, legal, divorce, personal demons, physical setbacks, addictions, a betrayal by someone you trusted, being wrongly accused, a medical situation, an unexpected death of a loved one, etc.... (more)

BOB UNRUH — For an 82-year-old, Joe Biden is reasonably active, and reasonably alert. But he often stumbles when he walks slowly, and his speech is often muddled and disorganized. So how did he, suddenly, become "fiery" for his recent State of the Union? "Jacked up" on drugs, states Rep. Greg Murphy.... (more)

REP. TOM COLE — The House of Representatives passed the Israel Security Assistance Support Act to support our great ally and U.S. national security. The legislation—introduced by House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA) and cosponsored by Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK), State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), and Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee Chairman David Joyce (R-OH)—curbs President Biden’s misguided efforts to withhold critical security resources appropriated in U.S. law by compelling the delivery of defense weapons to Israel as they fight to protect themselves against radical terrorists. The measure was approved by a vote of 224 to 187.... (more)