This year, I became a father. They say that becoming a parent changes everything — and I agree. In the first moments that I held my son after he emerged from the safety of his mother's womb, I thought to myself, "My life is over." When I take for myself, I flourish. But when I give up myself, my family flourishes. But that is good — and for that, I am thankful. Western culture today prioritizes self-actualization and the liberation from external influence. Subjectivity, personal feelings, and internal perceptions of identity are propped up as chief goods. And the dominant narrative we are told is this: I am the author of my life — and the story is all about me. My happiness is the most important currency in my life. If anything hinders my version of the good life, which I get to define, then I must immediately erase it from my life. To have children is the ultimate way to fight back against this poisoned worldview. It is to embrace death of self. Parenting, as I have experienced in my short 3.5 months and as I have witnessed in the lives of my friends, requires an identity shift. Parenting is not something that I do. Rather, I am a father. But I am not a father in the margins of life. I am first a husband and father — and the rest of life is crafted around those vocations. The compass that guides me is not powered by my personal feelings and desires. Instead, I am motivated to provide for and to protect my family, to serve and to lead them, and to pour myself out for them because I want them flourish. When I take for myself, I flourish. But when I give up myself, my family flourishes. My self loses — but my family wins. Self-sacrifice and others-centered love is the name of the game. In parenting, this is intuitive. The survival of our children requires us to spend years meeting their every need, sacrificing me for them. They would literally die if we did not prioritize them. The journey of parenthood, therefore, is an invitation to death. But there is good news. Not only will embracing the death of self lead to a more fulfilling life — one in which we discover that true joy is found not in self-indulgence but in self-giving love — but it leads to life itself. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, "Whoever pursues after his own life to preserve it will lose it; but whoever loses [his own life], he will be given life" (Luke 17:33, my translation). Ultimately, it is my faith that motivates me to embrace the death of self. To be a Christian, after all, means accepting Jesus' invitation to follow him into death and through it to resurrection life. This thanksgiving, I thank God that he called me into fatherhood and gifted me the end of adolescence. He has trusted my wife and me to embrace the death of self to care for His son. There is no escape hatch, and there is no going back. And for that, I thank God every day.

A coalition of 11 Republican-led states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against BlackRock, Vanguard Group, and State Street Corporation, accusing the three asset managers of violating antitrust laws.According to the complaint, the companies' promotion of environmental, social, and governance standards resulted in less coal production and higher energy prices.Companies 'formed a cartel to rig the coal market.'The lawsuit stated that the financial institutions "artificially constrained the supply of coal, significantly diminished competition in the markets for coal, increased energy prices for American consumers, and produced cartel-level profits" for themselves by leveraging their power.Reuters reported that the three financial institutions have more than $26 trillion in assets under their management.The companies have pressured coal companies to reduce their carbon emission by more than 50% by 2030, the complaint noted."Competitive markets — not the dictates of far-flung asset managers — should determine the price Americans pay for electricity," it read.The coalition of states — including Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Wyoming — was led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).Paxton accused the asset managers of "illegally conspiring to manipulate energy markets.""These firms also deceived thousands of investors who elected to invest in non-ESG funds to maximize their profits. Yet these funds pursued ESG strategies notwithstanding the defendants' representations to the contrary," he claimed.The lawsuit accused BlackRock of "actively deceiving investors about the nature of its funds" by using all of its holdings, even those in non-ESG funds, to advance its climate goals. Paxton told Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk that the reduced coal production forces the U.S. to purchase more energy overseas. "It's affecting consumers in all kinds of ways," he said.Paxton wrote in a post on X, "Texas will not tolerate the illegal weaponization of the financial industry in service of a destructive, politicized 'environmental' agenda. BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street formed a cartel to rig the coal market, artificially reduce the energy supply, and raise prices. Their conspiracy has harmed American energy production and hurt consumers. This is a stunning violation of State and federal law."BlackRock said in a statement to Bloomberg that the lawsuit "undermines Texas' pro-business reputation.""The suggestion that BlackRock invested money in companies with the goal of harming those companies is baseless and defies common sense," the company said.Vanguard Group and State Street Corporation did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters or Bloomberg.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman has been telling people close to him that he is considering leaving the United States because of Donald Trump's historic win in this year's presidential election.The New York Times reported that Hoffman, a big donor to Democrats, is concerned about retaliation from the new Trump administration because he helped financed private litigation against Trump, such as providing the funding for E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit against the now-president-elect for alleged sexual abuse and defamation.'I really think that we should honor my father’s wisdom today by not letting ourselves be defeated.'CNN reported earlier this year that Hoffman gave over $7 million to the Harris super PAC Future Forward.The Times noted that several other major Democratic donors and advisers are considering leaving the country since it is clear American voters rejected not just Harris but also her wealthy allies. Celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, have already moved out of the U.S. because of Republicans' victory.At a recent gathering of donors and Democratic operatives, Alex Soros, the son of George Soros who now controls his father's vast network, said he is concerned that other donors may not spend the money needed to help rebuild after the stinging electoral defeat. For himself, Soros remains committed to giving money to progressive causes. He chastised Democrats for not listening more to his father, who has helped install pro-crime district attorneys in several key cities across the country."I think if he was taken more seriously, some of the problems that America still deals with today would not be here and we’d be on more stable footing," he said about his father. "I really think that we should honor my father’s wisdom today by not letting ourselves be defeated."Altogether, Harris was able to raise over $1 billion after she was put at the top of ticket following President Joe Biden's disastrous debate with Trump. Despite the eye-popping financial support, her campaign ended with an election loss and $20 million in debt.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

While the news cycle has shifted its focus to the president-elect and other timely issues, the people of North Carolina are still suffering in silence after Hurricane Helene ravaged the place they call home — with government assistance almost nowhere to be found. Blaze News investigative journalist Steve Baker was on the ground in North Carolina following the deadly storm — and what he saw is something he can’t soon forget. “You see the devastation, and you see houses up in trees, 30 feet above the current water level, that are still there, and it all of a sudden dawned on me, multi-hour, winding, 150-mile journey to Tennessee through the back roads, is I didn’t see a single military transport at all, of any kind,” Baker tells Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.” “Not one troop on the ground of any kind, either active duty or National Guard,” he adds, noting that as soon as he got back to Dallas, Texas, he began asking some serious questions. “The first thing that I discovered was that in fact, the National Guard had been withdrawn on the 19th of this month,” Baker explains, adding, “So, as I’m starting to dig through this, I go to the X account of the North Carolina National Guard.” According to Baker, the pinned post on the Guard's X account said, “This is a no fail mission. We are there for you until it’s over.” “No, they’re not,” Baker comments. “So we’re working on this story for the last several days, and then just yesterday, all of the sudden, whoever their social media person is is populating the X page with all these new posts showing photos of all the work that they’re currently doing, except that some of those photos have green leaves on the trees still in the background.” “This is gaslighting, this is propaganda, and so we’re asking the questions,” he adds. Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Warframe 1999 is right around the corner, bringing fans of the live service shooter back to a wild but enticing setting that mixes dark tech fantasy with turn-of-the-millennium vibes. It looks marvelous, and now developer Digital Extremes is being incredibly generous by giving away Dark Sector, its debut game that was a predecessor to what you see in Warframe today, totally free to those on Steam. Continue reading Dark Sector, the forgotten predecessor to Warframe, is free on Steam right now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Warframe on Steam Deck, Warframe builds, Warframe codes

JUSTICE SERVED: Climate Activists Who Defaced National Archives Sentenced to Prison

Now That the Election's Over, Chris Cillizza Says It's Safe to Admit Tim Walz Was a BAD Pick for VP

Here's the teaser trailer for the next Atomic Heart DLC, MOR-4Y. Prepare to dive into a new Atomic Heart story chapter this winter and explore an unknown complex deep underwater. Watch the Atomic Heart MOR-4Y DLC trailer hinting at the mysterious new threat, headed to Mundfish's action-adventure first-person shooter set in an alternate 1955.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. With the holiday season comes Black Friday deals, and if you're looking for the latest PlayStation sales, you're in luck. We've rounded up the best deals available so you can save money and be this year's holiday hero. Whether it's consoles, games, or accessories, we at DualShockers have you covered.

Trump Names One of the Minds Behind Opportunity Zones As Director of WH National Economic Council