Catholics in Spain Ask Church to Protect Religious Site From Government Destruction

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Some Catholics in Spain are asking the Catholic Church to save a religious site in Madrid from threats of alteration and decommissioning by the Spanish government, which claims the site honors a former right-wing dictator. Critics claim the government is opposed to the site because it is religious, noting that officials have already removed 35 public crosses throughout the country under a law that allows them to remove public monuments associated with the dictator.

The Spanish government, in cooperation with the Holy See, the central government of the Catholic Church, has begun the process of resignification for the Valley of the Fallen, a more than 3000-acre complex dedicated to the fallen from both sides of the Spanish Civil War. The process of resignification involves redefining the meaning of a historic site in order to adapt it to a new purpose.

The Spanish Civil War was a conflict from 1936-1939 between the Nationalists, led by right-wing leader Francisco Franco, and the Republican faction. Thousands of Catholics were martyred by the Republican faction during the war. The bodies of more than 30,000 victims of the war from both sides are buried at the Valley of the Fallen, according to the Catholic News Agency. The site was built on Franco’s orders, and the former dictator was buried in the complex until 2019, when his body was exhumed and moved.

The site is also home to a Benedictine abbey, a boys’ Catholic Gregorian choir school, and a basilica situated underground in an excavated space in the mountain. A 492-foot cross, the largest in the world, towers above the complex.

The Spanish government reached an agreement with the church in February to force out the Rev. Santiago Cantera, the Catholic former prior of the Benedictine community there, whom the government called a “Francoist.” It now seeks to alter the site to align with the 2022 Law of Democratic Memory, which aims to condemn the wrongs of the Francoist regime. (Read more from “Catholics in Spain Ask Church to Protect Religious Site From Government Destruction” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Oil Plunge to Four-Year Lows Threatens ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’

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The plunge in oil prices to four-year lows has seeded doubt as to whether the oil and gas industry will be able to deliver more drilling, as President Donald Trump has sought.

Just after 11 a.m., both domestic and international benchmarks were trading below the $60 per barrel line, with prices reaching their lowest levels since 2021. Brent Crude dipped by 5.36% and was trading at around $59.45 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate also dropped by 5.71% and was priced at $56.18 per barrel.

Prices have been on a steep decline since April 2, when Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries. These tariffs include a baseline 10% tariff on all exports to the United States, with minimal exceptions, and higher tariffs on countries that have large trade surpluses with the U.S.

Other nations have since vowed to retaliate, including China, which plans to impose an additional 34% tariff on all U.S. goods starting Thursday. (Read more from “Oil Plunge to Four-Year Lows Threatens ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

President Trump Has China Hanging Over a Massive Tariff Cliff

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In some ways, this is the perfect issue for President Trump to drive liberals insane. It presents another opportunity for Democrats to get ahead of their skis since they have horrendous leadership, helmed by the likes of Jasmine Crockett, Chuck Schumer, and Hakeem Jeffries, aka Temu Obama. It’s another chance for the liberal media to debase themselves. President Trump knows the political situation and the realities here. He knows his base. It’s why he’s not caving, though his enemies are presenting his 90-day pause as such, but it’s actually the opposite. He has China firmly hanging over a massive tariff cliff.

The fact is that dozens of countries have voiced their willingness to re-negotiate trade deals, including South Korea and Vietnam, the latter of which is underreported and critical. Vietnam is a huge trading partner, but the markets might stabilize if the media reports on that accurately. Instead, it’s this incessant panic porn factory that’s kept chiefly everyone scared.

Yet, Trump has the support of the people: a YouGov survey found that well over a supermajority of Americans support tariffs to protect American markets exploited by unfair free trade deals. A similar number of Americans support beefing up and having a strong manufacturing base in America. Yet, when we have a president who sets into motion a policy to reset these trade dynamics, the media and the fat cat Democrats lose their minds. It’s why the White House pushed a catchy phrase: don’t be a ‘Panican.’ (Read more from “President Trump Has China Hanging Over a Massive Tariff Cliff” HERE)

After Trump Tariff Pledge, Swiss Pharma Company Announces $23 Billion Investment in US

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Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis will build seven new facilities in the United States, as well as expand others, in a $23 billion investment over five years.

This development comes after President Trump’s announcing the implementation of tariffs on imported drugs.

Novartis announced the investment in a press release.

“This commitment enables Novartis to expand on its current manufacturing, research and technology presence across the country with 10 facilities, including 7 brand new facilities, creating nearly 1,000 new jobs at Novartis and approximately 4,000 additional US jobs,” it stated. (Read more from “After Trump Tariff Pledge, Swiss Pharma Company Announces $23 Billion Investment in US” HERE)

Gabbard: ‘100 People’ Working ‘Around the Clock’ on RFK, MLK Assassination Files

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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Thursday she has a large team working overtime to archive government documents related to the 1968 assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. ahead of their release to the public.

“I’ve had over 100 people working around the clock to scan the paper,” Gabbard told President Trump during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. “These have been sitting in boxes in storage for decades — they have never been scanned or seen before.”

“We’ll have those ready to release here within the next few days,” she added.

Kennedy, who was the brother of assassinated President John F. Kennedy and also served as his attorney general, was running for the Democratic presidential nomination when he was shot after a campaign event in California.

King, who was one of the most prominent leaders of the Civil Rights Movement at the time of his death, was shot at a hotel in Memphis, Tenn. (Read more from “Gabbard: ‘100 People’ Working ‘Around the Clock’ on RFK, MLK Assassination Files” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Democrat Bill Would Create ‘Prison Pipeline’ For Illinois’ Homeschooling Parents, Critics Say

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Illinois’ Democrat-run legislature is fast-tracking a bill that critics say attempts to criminalize parents’ ability to homeschool their children in the Prairie State.

This bill “continues that prison pipeline for homeschool parents,” said Will Estrada, senior counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association.

Dubbed “The Homeschool Act” (HB 2827), the measure in question seemingly seeks to increase restrictions governing homeschooling in Illinois.

According to Fox News, the original version of the legislation included provisions that sought to “charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a ‘homeschool declaration form’ to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending.” The original bill also reportedly attempted to require parents to provide “documentation of immunizations and health examinations for children who wish to participate in public school activities.”

The controversial legislation generated widespread backlash across Illinois, resulting in massive protests at the state Capitol ahead of a March 19 hearing before the House Education Policy Committee. The committee nonetheless voted to advance the bill to the floor. (Read more from “Democrat Bill Would Create ‘Prison Pipeline’ For Illinois’ Homeschooling Parents, Critics Say” HERE)

Students Who Violently Protested Israel Now Facing Felony Charges

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Twelve students who participated in a violent antisemitic protest at Stanford University in 2024 have been charged with felonies, according to a Thursday announcement.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced that the protesters were charged for “breaking into a Stanford University campus building last year, barricading themselves inside, and vandalizing administrative offices.” Many protesters across the nation continue to face penalties for the violent and destructive anti-Israel demonstrations that swept college campuses since the start of Hamas’ war on Israel, as investigations have revealed administrators allowed and at times supported pro-Hamas events.

“Dissent is American. Vandalism is criminal,” Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in the press release. “There is a bright line between making a point and committing a crime. These defendants crossed the line into criminality when they broke into those offices, barricaded themselves inside, and started a calculated plan of destruction.”

Almost all of the demonstrators were former or current Stanford University students between the ages of 19 and 32, the attorney said. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage was reported as the protesters “broke windows and furniture, splashed fake blood, and disabled security cameras.”

The perpetrators face prison time for felony vandalism and felony conspiracy to trespass, the DA stated. (Read more from “Students Who Violently Protested Israel Now Facing Felony Charges” HERE)

Space Force Base Commander Fired After Astonishing Email About JD Vance Surfaces

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The officer in charge of a US Space Force base in Greenland was stripped of her command after she sent out a mass email that distanced herself from statements by Vice President JD Vance and the Trump administration days after his visit last month.

The Space Force announced late Thursday that it removed Col. Susannah Meyers as leader of Pituffik Space Base “for loss of confidence in her ability to lead.”

“Commanders are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, especially as it relates to remaining nonpartisan in the performance of their duties,” the Space Operations Command’s statement read.

Meyers, who assumed control of the 821st Space Base Group in July 2024, fired off a message to the troops in her command stating that the views discussed by Vance during his visit on March 28 “are not reflective of Pituffik Space Base.”

“[I] spent the weekend thinking about Friday’s visit — the actions taken, the words spoken, and how it must have affected each of you,” she wrote to her subordinates in the email obtained by Military.com and verified by the Space Force. (Read more from “Space Force Base Commander Fired After Astonishing Email About JD Vance Surfaces” HERE)

Trump Admin Orders ICE Agents to Check Migrants’ Compliance With Online Registry — and Refer Case to DOJ if They Don’t

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The Trump administration has ordered immigration agents to verify whether migrants have submitted their names and personal information to an online registry as part of an expansion of the president’s mass deportation effort.

If migrants fail to register or don’t carry proof of their registration with them, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are being told to “treat the alien’s case as an immigration enforcement priority” and to “refer the case to the US Department of Justice for criminal prosecution,” according to the memo.

An ICE source said they believe many illegal migrants won’t register, becoming prime targets for arrest and deportation.

Trump signed an executive order — Protecting the American People Against Invasion — on his first day back in the White House, paving the way for the registry that now requires migrants to submit personal information or face fines and arrest.

Illegal migrants ages 14 and older must submit fingerprints and home addresses to the registry or potentially face criminal prosecution or deportation, according to US Citizens and Immigration Services. (Read more from “Trump Admin Orders ICE Agents to Check Migrants’ Compliance With Online Registry — and Refer Case to DOJ if They Don’t” HERE)

China Hits Back With 125% Tariffs, Accuses U.S. Of ‘Bullying And Coercion’

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China announced further retaliatory measures against the United States on Friday, raising tariffs on American goods to 125% as the trade war between the two countries continues to escalate.

The action comes after President Donald Trump on Wednesday raised tariffs on China to 125% in addition to a 20% tariff he had placed on the communist nation, citing its role in the fentanyl trade. American products expected to be most impacted by the new tariffs include soybeans, pharmaceutical drugs, and airplanes.

While Trump has said that China has taken advantage of the United States for decades through unfair trade and warned the country not to retaliate, Chinese leaders have accused America of “bullying” in its latest round of tariffs.

“The U.S.’s imposition of abnormally high tariffs on China seriously violates international economic and trade rules, basic economic laws and common sense, and is completely a unilateral bullying and coercion,” China’s Ministry of Finance said on Friday, according to a translation. (Read more from “China Hits Back With 125% Tariffs, Accuses U.S. Of ‘Bullying And Coercion’” HERE)