News and Views: January 24, 2025

Trump’s ICE raids turn up pedophiles, gangbangers, and NY-based suspected terrorist as 538 migrants arrested: ‘Heinous crimes’   ICE agents also effected removal orders in Birmingham, Ala.; Tuscon, Ariz.; San Francisco, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; Atlanta, Ga.; Chicago, Ill.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Baltimore, Md.; St. Paul, Minn.; St. Louis, Mo.; Buffalo, NY; Charlotte, NC; San Antonio and El Paso, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Wash.; and even San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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California is on Fire From Monterey to San Diego 

Another big blaze ignites just north of LA, San Diego firefighters beat back 5 wildfires in a day, the Moss Landing lithium battery plant fire is compared to Three Mile Island, and battle to contain Palisades and Eaton Fires continue.

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Guess Who Is Buying Up U.S. Farmland Now?   

But it turns out it's not just China buying up our farmland. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's most recent report, "46 million acres of crop, pasture and forest lands were held by investors from outside of the United States" at the end of 2023, and that number, which totals about 3.6% of all private land, seems to be rising. Canada is the largest foreign landholder in our country by far, followed by European countries like the Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

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Trump Pardons Pro-Life Protesters  

On Thursday afternoon, Trump issued pardons for pro-life activists who were prosecuted by the Joe Biden administration under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which was signed into law in 1994 by former President Bill Clinton. The law federally criminalizes obstructing access to abortion clinics. This is yet another campaign trail promise that the president has fulfilled in less than a week in office. (How refreshing is it to have someone in office who does what he says he's going to do?)

    "Twenty-three people were prosecuted who should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people. They should not have been prosecuted. This is a great honor to sign this," the president said as he issued the pardons from his desk in the Oval Office.

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Do We Want a 'National Cathedral' That Prays to the God of Leftism?  A theologically progressive prayer service dedicated to leftist values; led and designed by left-wing Episcopalians; with a focus on personally attacking the new president of the United States, who was elected in a landslide. Is this really what Americans seek from their religious leaders? Is this what the National Cathedral Interfaith Prayer Service is supposed to be, and might it just be better to stop honoring the religion of leftism, and let national prayer services become about prayer and God rather than progressive values?

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Welcome Back to Columbia! Pro-Hamas Protesters Disrupt Israeli History Class The new term at Columbia University started off the same way the last one ended. Masked pro-Hamas protesters invaded a class on the History of Modern Israel, chanting and distributing antisemitic flyers.

Afghan Refugee Stabs Michigan Man While Media Demands More Afghan Refugees  That's two Afghan refugee stabbings this week.