That Didn't Take Long...Allan Lichtman Edition

While pro-lifers and abolitionists claim to have the exact same goal, there are clear differences. Jeff Durbin of the Apologia Church calls himself the latter — and for good reason. “There’s a difference, and this is what everyone who identifies as pro-life needs to hear. When you see, hear, the terminology ‘pro-life,’ it’s just ‘for life.’ ‘I’m for life, not for choice, not pro-abortion, I’m for life,’” Durbin explains. “So there’s nothing bad about the terminology, and we’re not decrying like the typical person who’s a Christian in the pew saying, ‘I’m pro-life.’” “They just think, ‘We’re trying to abolish abortion, we’re trying to end this thing at this injustice.’ They don’t know what’s going on. Many of them in the background, many pastors are ignorant of this as well. There’s a difference between the pro-life establishment, the pro-life industry, and the average Christian who says ‘I’m pro-life,’” he continues. Durbin tells Deace that the pro-life establishment and the pro-life industry are “the greatest [enemies] to the abolition of abortion right now in our nation.” “Those in the establishment are proud. They brag on the fact that they are not approaching this issue from a Christian standpoint,” he explains. “They’re approaching it from a biological standpoint. In other words, they’ll say things like, ‘If we could just prove to the world that what’s in the womb is human from fertilization, we could just show these mothers the baby and the heartbeat and the baby moving around, then they won’t want to kill these babies anymore.’” “If we assume their motivations are good, they are thinking this is a question of a critical mass of evidence, and you guys would say this is actually a question of authority,” Deace comments. “It’s a question of authority, it’s a question of worldview, and ultimately, I would say, it’s a sin issue,” Durbin responds. “We are in a place as a nation where people love the idea of a mother being able to execute her child in the womb at will, that she has the freedom to do that, that it’s a moral right; it is a noble thing; it is a good thing.” “So the problem ultimately with abortion in our nation, according to the Christian worldview, according to the word of God, it’s a problem of sin; it’s not a problem of a lack of evidence or a lack of light,” he continues. While Durbin acknowledges that the coercion of women to get abortions is of course a massive problem, he believes the pro-life establishment’s position on abortion is keeping that alive “by not giving equal protection to the child.” “So the issue is sin. The issue is rebellion. Child sacrifice is a very serious sin that’s existed throughout the history of humanity. I mean, at times, people were taking their children and throwing them into the fire so they would have blessings and financial prosperity,” he explains, adding, “it’s as old as the hills.” “The establishment says, ‘We can’t approach this issue with the word of God, with the authority of Christ. We can’t call people to repentance and faith. We can’t make this about the gospel,’” he continues. “So, the abolitionists say, ‘The Christian message here is that first and foremost this is sin against God. God demands justice for these children.’ God’s standards are very clear here.” Want more from Steve Deace?To enjoy more of Steve's take on national politics, Christian worldview, and principled conservatism with a snarky twist, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

President-elect Donald Trump is said to be naming Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager, to head the Treasury Department, according to numerous sources. Bessent, who is 62 years old, founded the macro fund Key Square Group in 2015 and is openly gay. 'I was all in for President Trump. I was one of the few Wall Street people backing him.' Trump previously referred to Bessent as “one of the most brilliant men on Wall Street." Bessent is from a small town in South Carolina and studied at Yale before ending up on Wall Street working at Soros Fund Management. When he started Key Square Group, left-wing billionaire George Soros invested $2 billion in the fund. Bessent has been a donor and supporter of Trump as well as an economic advisor in the 2024 presidential campaign. He also worked as a top fundraiser. In January, he predicted that there would be a rally in the stock market once Trump won the election, and he was correct. “I was all in for President Trump. I was one of the few Wall Street people backing him,” he said in one interview. He has called on Trump to implement deregulation and tax cuts. He's also warned about the worsening debt burden and attributed it to "four years of reckless spending" under the Biden administration. Some on the right criticized his reported nomination based on his connections to Soros, but others like BlazeTV contributor Carol Roth praised the pick. "Given the mess that [Janet] Yellen is leaving Treasury in, Bessent was the best choice of all the names floated," she posted on social media. The nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A teen girl said her father threatened her with an "honor killing" before allegedly trying to strangle her outside a Washington state high school.It all went down outside Timberline High in Lacey on Oct. 18, KOMO-TV reported. Lacey is a few minutes east of Olympia and just over an hour southwest of Seattle.The girl’s mother, Zahraa Ali, also was grabbing at her daughter and choking her, KOMO said, citing court documents. Investigators told the station the girl’s father also punched her boyfriend.The 17-year-old victim told investigators her father's "honor killing" threat came after she refused to go to another country for an arranged marriage with an older man, KOMO said, citing court records.The station noted that she reportedly went to her school for help, which led to the confrontation outside the school.Josh Wagner told KOMO he was driving with his family near the high school when he noticed what he thought was a group of kids fighting. But as Wagner jumped in to break it up, the station said he realized it was a man choking a girl.“The dad was on his back, and his daughter was on top of him, and he had her in a choke hold,” Wagner explained to KOMO.He added to the station that "it was pretty angering. I didn't know what was going on, why it was happening. All the kids were screaming, yelling.”Court records state Ihsan Ali was choking his 17-year-old daughter “to the point where she had lost consciousness” as other students, including the girl’s boyfriend, tried to pull her away, KOMO reported.“What I saw was the adult male had the teenager in a headlock, choking her from the back, so I removed his arm from her, and then she got up and ran with another kid, who [I] come to find out was her boyfriend, and she was the daughter of the adult male,” Wagner added to the station. “So then I just held him on the ground 'til the police arrived, and then [they] handcuffed him and searched him and then moved him to the police car.”The girl’s mother, Zahraa Ali, also was grabbing at her daughter and choking her, KOMO said, citing court documents. Investigators told the station the girl’s father also punched her boyfriend.Victor Barnes — whose son was one of the students trying to stop the attack — told the station that the girl's father punched his son "in the face" and then tried "to kill his daughter."The girl soon got away and ran into the school screaming, “My dad was trying to kill me, he was trying to kill me,” which prompted a lockdown as school staff blocked the girl’s parents from getting to her, KOMO said, citing court documents.The girl's parents were arrested and are facing criminal charges, including assault, attempted murder, and attempted kidnapping, the station said.'A lot of these stories exist, a lot of these stories are out here, some aren’t able to be heard for whatever reason.'The parents appeared in court Wednesday, the Chronicle reported — which then added the following additional details about the incident:Court papers indicate the victim ran away from home the day before the attack and went to Timberline High School, where she was a former student, seeking help from staff. A counselor was assisting her with finding a room at Safe Haven and the victim planned to take a city bus there after school got out but was allegedly pulled off the bus by her father.The mother's bail is set at $500,000; the father's bail is set at $1 million, the Chronicle noted, adding that both parents are in custody at the Thurston County jail. Their next hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 4, the paper added.“This isn’t right, and the more we continue to allow these types of actions to take place in a society where ... the climate is what it is right now, post-election, there's just no place for that type of activity anywhere,” Barnes told KOMO.He added to the station that "a lot of these stories exist, a lot of these stories are out here, some aren’t able to be heard for whatever reason. I just want people to be aware these stories do exist.”Barnes also told KOMO that issues with the Ali family had been going on for months — and a prior physical incident forced a temporary protection order against the mother, Zarhaa Ali. The station said court records indicate she also was banned from stepping upon school property after the prior incident. KOMO reached out to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to see if the agency is investigating the Ali family, but the station said it was told child welfare records are confidential.You can view a video report here about the incident.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Washington, D.C., Beltway publications left no doubt about who stood to lose the most after President Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services.Politico highlighted the uproar, reporting fierce opposition from Washington lobbyists to Trump’s decision to place Kennedy at the helm of the $3 trillion health agency. Kennedy’s proposals — tighter pesticide regulations, re-examining vaccine safety, banning processed foods in schools, and overhauling health and food agencies — pose significant threats to corporate profits. Caught off guard, lobbyists are now scrambling to block Kennedy’s Senate confirmation and leveraging connections to minimize risks.RFK Jr. has consistently unveiled critical truths and fought for transparency in public health.As a physician committed to my patients, my community, and my country, I fully support Kennedy’s nomination. His lifelong dedication to health, safety, and medical autonomy makes him the ideal candidate for this vital Cabinet position. President Trump deserves praise for this bold and courageous choice.The United States faces an epidemic of poor health. Over 80% of adults suffer from at least one chronic illness, while obesity rates among children and adults have reached record highs. Simultaneously, drug prices and health care costs continue to soar. Substance abuse plagues society, and mental illness rates rise every year. The role of secretary of health and human services requires a leader with diverse expertise, a broad perspective, and a deep understanding of both health care and the forces shaping the system.For decades, Kennedy has worked tirelessly for the health and welfare of America’s children. Despite relentless accusations of spreading “disinformation” and “conspiracy theories,” Kennedy is not “anti-vaccine.” Instead, he has championed transparency in vaccine efficacy and injury data, which threatens powerful profit-driven interests. Even the treatments he promoted for COVID-19, such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine — once dismissed as “discredited” — have quietly and surreptitiously returned to good standing.RFK Jr. has consistently unveiled critical truths and fought for transparency in public health. He revealed that no double-blind randomized controlled trials exist for childhood vaccines on the CDC's schedule, a fact that demands scrutiny. Kennedy has also investigated disparities in disease prevalence, finding higher rates of autoimmune diseases, neurological disorders, allergies, and autism in vaccinated populations compared to unvaccinated ones, raising questions that require answers, not dismissal.Kennedy has vowed to end the financial ties between pharmaceutical companies and medical journals, which have eroded research integrity and left physicians without trustworthy sources of unbiased data. He advocates removing harmful additives, such as trans fats, artificial coloring, and preservatives, from America’s food supply — ingredients banned in many other countries.Kennedy is also committed to ending pharmaceutical advertising on television, a practice unique to the United States and New Zealand, which compromises media independence. His approach prioritizes the four pillars of medical ethics — autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice — seeking to restore medical autonomy, personal sovereignty, and an end to mandates that strip individuals of choice.I understand that Kennedy’s nomination to oversee the massive federal health apparatus is threatening to many, including those associated with the pharmaceutical industry, doctors and the health care systems that employ them, lobbyists, insurance companies, media outlets that have become accustomed to massive pharmaceutical advertising dollars, and the food industry that maximizes profits by using inexpensive but toxic ingredients. But we need qualified leadership at HHS that prioritizes science, the protection of public health, and the well-being of all Americans. The health and future of our country depend on it.Change, especially radical change, can be difficult — especially for those who have financially and professionally benefited from the status quo. However, our health care system is desperately in need of radical change, which is why I urge the Senate to confirm Kennedy’s appointment quickly so that he can begin the much-needed work to mend our health care system and to make America healthy again.

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Illustration by Lille Allen / The Verge Elon Musk is, in addition to many other things, now the co-lead of the currently nonexistent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory group. Now, before it even gets rolling, he has begun singling out individual government employees he says are emblematic of the government’s bloat and posting about them to his hundreds of millions of followers on X. Earlier this week, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the X user “datahazard” shared a screenshot on X highlighting the role of Ashley Thomas, the Director of Climate Diversification at the US International Development Finance Corporation, saying, “I don’t think the US Taxpayer should pay for the employment” of that role. Musk reposted it, adding the comment “so many... Continue reading…

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, announced Friday that April 1, 2025, which is April Fool's Day, will be the special election to fill the congressional seat vacated by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, also a Republican.