Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) said during an interview over the weekend that President-elect Donald Trump plans to use tariffs as a “major tool” to help the United States “achieve our ends” once he takes power in January. Hagerty made the remarks during a Sunday interview on NBC News’ “Meet The Press” with host Kristen Welker when asked about Trump’s proposals, which include enacting tariffs against Mexico, Canada, China, and countries in the BRICS alliance — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt, and Ethiopia. “One of the most important things that we have as a nation is our economy,” he said. “That’s the most incredible source of competitive advantage that the United States has. Access to our economy is a privilege. If you think about it, we’ve made access to this economy a strategic tool ever since World War II. If you think about what happened in Japan and countries in Europe, when those economies were decimated, the United States put in place very favorable terms of trade to get those countries to rebuild their economies, to trade with us rather than trading with Communist countries.” “We have used these tools effectively decade after decade after decade,” he continued. “Right now, the United States has the most open market of any major economy in the world. We need to take a very hard look at countries that don’t have our best interests at heart. Countries that are allowing our borders to be violated, and use those tariffs as a tool to achieve our ends.” Hagerty said that the tariffs will hopefully lead to “a correction of the behavior that’s taking place right now that is letting fentanyl flood into our border, that is allowing people to flood into our country, millions of people, undocumented, illegal people breaking into our country.” “It needs to stop,” he continued. “And President Trump is going to use every lever at his disposal to do it, and I think it’s absolutely appropriate to use tariffs as one of those tools. It’s a major tool.” WATCH:

'We still go through a process'

Here we go again with this one

Sunday Smiles

Today is the beginning of Advent, the Christian season of preparation and anticipation leading up to Christmas. For most Christians, Advent is a time to slow down, to spend time with God and community, to serve others, and to prepare oneself for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. This is good and right. But focusing only on the birth of Christ robs us of Advent's full meaning. The word "Advent" is derived from the Latin word adventus, which can be translated as "arrival" or "coming." The word adventus, moreover, is used to translate the Greek word parousia, the word used in the Greek New Testament to refer to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Why is this important? It means that Advent is not only a season of anticipating the arrival of Jesus — the long-awaited and hoped-for Messiah — but it's a season to anticipate and prepare for Christ's return. Let us prepare our hearts not only for the Incarnation, but for the triumphal return of Christ and the consummation of all creation. During Advent, we should reflect on how the two arrivals of Jesus are, according to Bible scholar Dr. Jonathan Gibson, "distinctly contrasted" but "inseparably connected." "If he came the first time in quiet humility to the few, he will come the second time in rapturous glory to the many. If in the first coming he was wrapped in swaddling clothes and attended by animals, in the second he will be wrapped in blinding light and attended by angels. In his first coming, he was seen in a lowly manger by the magi; in his second coming, he will be seen on an exalted throne by the multitudes," Gibson observes. Why is this important? Because, as Gibson explains, the first and second coming of Christ "bookend" His redemptive work. "In his first coming Christ came to inaugurate his kingdom (Mark 1:15) and secure redemption for his people (John 6:39). But the kingdom was only provisionally realized; the redemption only partially applied in that first coming. The consummation of the kingdom will only be fully realized (2 Timothy 4:1) and the completion of redemption only be fully applied (Philippians 1:6) in Christ’s second coming," Gibson explains. "What Christ began to do in his first coming, he will return to complete in his second coming." The season of Advent, then, is full of temporal tension. As we remember Christ's first coming and prepare for His second, we get to embrace living in the "already but not yet." That means letting the hope of Christ's return and His impending triumph over all creation shape how we live today. At the same time, Advent is a time to cultivate joyful expectation. God is faithful, and Christ will return to make all things right. Though we have long awaited His return, the faithfulness of God gives us hope and strength to persevere as we continue to wait for that glorious day. So as we light Advent candles, open Advent calendars, and sing Advent hymns, let us remember the full meaning of the Advent season. Let us prepare our hearts not only for the Incarnation, but for the triumphal return of Christ and the consummation of all creation.A prayer for the first Sunday of AdventFrom the Book of Common Prayer. Almighty God, Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

MTP Tries to Use Barr Quote As a Cudgel vs. Patel Pick but GOP Senator Does Not Cede an Inch

Raskin Is Not a Happy Camper About Patel Pick, What He Has to Say About the 'Deep State' Is Hilarious

Between extensive self-cleaning options and AI smarts, it might be even better than a pet. | Photo: Eufy 2024 has been a rough year. It might be nice to go into the new year with a robot that can take some housework off your plate. Unfortunately, there’s no telling when or if Elon Musk’s all-purpose Tesla robots will ever be ready, but in the meantime, a robot vacuum can be a great starter. Thankfully, many robot vacuums are at all-time low prices for Cyber Monday, including the Eufy X10 Pro Omni. It’s one of our favorite midrange mopping robot vacuums, and it’s down to $549.99 (from $800) at Amazon and Eufy’s store with code WS24T2351. It’s a good deal already at its regular price, and at $250 off, it’s even more compelling. Dustbin capacity: Unknown / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: Yes / Mop-lift: Yes, 12mm / Mop... Continue reading…

NZXT’s Player: Three prebuilt gaming PC. | Image: NZXT An hour-long video published Saturday by Gamers Nexus, a YouTube channel focused on PC gaming hardware, accuses NZXT’s PC rental program of “bait-and-switch” tactics, with prices and specs that are constantly changing. The Flex program allows customers to rent prebuilt gaming PCs starting at $59 per month (not including a mouse, keyboard, or monitor). But Gamers Nexus shows that NZXT changes the specs and prices of PC models “day-to-day in some instances” and offers PCs with very different setups under similar model names depending on whether you are looking to buy or rent. The rapidly changing prices also obscure the potential value of listed “discounts” as the packages shift back and forth. The video shows one instance of NZXT’s... Continue reading…

Authorities have charged a 37-year-old Chicago man with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a suburban police detective.Detective Allan Reddins of the Oak Park Police Department was killed Friday morning after responding to a report of a man leaving a bank with a...