End Times Headline News July 2 2025

One-time or recurring donations can be made through Ko-Fi:

Senate Passes Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, Now One Final Step from President’s Desk

President Donald Trump is one big beautiful step closer to signing his signature legislation into law.

The Senate passed the big beautiful bill Tuesday after a 27-hour amendment vote-a-rama – a new record. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote on final passage, as well as during a couple of final amendment votes beforehand. The bill includes an enormous assemblage of Trump’s campaign promises on border security, energy, national security, spending cuts, and taxes. The bill also includes Medicaid reforms and an increase in defense spending. It didn’t come easy. “Tensions have been high at times, but we’re at the end now,” Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), the Budget Committee Chairman, said with enthusiasm through bloodshot eyes during the final vote series.

Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Ends Medicaid Funding for Illegal Migrants

The GOP’s spending bill excludes roughly 1.4 million illegal migrants from the nation’s Medicaid program, despite a widely misunderstood vote on the Senate floor.

“Yesterday, there were a lot of rumors floating around about the ban on Medicaid for illegal aliens being stripped from the bill,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said on X. “Thankfully, that’s not true. It’s very much in the bill we just passed.” The vote is an economic blow to blue-state leaders in 14 states who subsidize families of illegal migrants to help inflate their consumer and real estate economies. For example, adult migrants get healthcare aid via Medicaid funding in sanctuary-state California, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington State, and in GOP-led Utah.

Trump says DOGE ‘might have to go back and eat’ Elon Musk after his criticism of the GOP bill

The president’s post comes amid the latest blow-up between the two men after a public feud last month.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump threatened to have the Department of Government Efficiency re-examine government support for Elon Musk’s businesses, saying in a Truth Social post shortly after midnight that there was “big money to be saved.” “Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump said in the post. “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE.”

Tesla shares in death spiral after Trump’s ruthless claim about Elon Musk’s companies

Tesla shares tumbled after the world’s richest man and the US President reignited their social media war.

Elon Musk, the outspoken Tesla CEO and former White House advisor, took to social media to criticize President Donald Trump’s proposed tax and spending bill. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk said the bill’s reported $3 trillion price tag would send the country into ‘DEBT SLAVERY.’ He threatened to fund primary campaigns against Trump-backed candidates that supported the bill. Trump hit back with a series of threats, suggesting the federal government could launch investigations into Musk’s companies. He even hinted at deporting Musk, who was born in South Africa.

California GOP asks Trump to stop ICE raids on farm and hospitality industries for ‘noncriminal’ workers

California Republicans called on President Donald Trump to scale back Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids targeting illegal immigrants without criminal records who are working in industries heavily reliant on migrant labor.

Although Trump has expressed sympathy for industries such as the hospitality and farming sectors that have been hard hit by ICE raids targeting illegal immigrant laborers, immigration enforcement operations have continued in California, which is the country’s largest agricultural base. While the White House appeared to temporarily rescind orders for ICE to target such workers for deportation last month, raids picked up again days later amid the Trump administration’s vow to eliminate “safe spaces for industries who … purposely try to undermine ICE’s effort.”

INSANITY: Kristi Noem Says Cannibalistic Illegal Alien Began Eating Himself During Transport (VIDEO)

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem dropped a horrifying bombshell during a press conference with President Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis at the newly dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention facility in South Florida.

The facility—hardened, remote, and surrounded by gator-infested wetlands—is being hailed by Florida officials as a fortress designed to house the most dangerous illegal aliens Biden’s open border catastrophe has unleashed onto American soil. In her fiery speech, Noem blasted the media, radical leftists, and Biden’s lawless border regime

Muslim Communist Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani Responds to President Trump’s Threat to Arrest and Deport Him

Muslim Communist Zohran Mamdani responded to President Trump’s threat to arrest and deport him if he blocks ICE agents from lawfully removing illegal aliens in New York City.

During a press conference in Florida on Tuesday, President Trump issued a stark warning to radical Democrat and NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani: comply with ICE or face arrest. Trump blasted Mamdani as a “radical Communist” — even noting that many people are now questioning whether Mamdani is in the country legally. Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist and open supporter of sanctuary cities, has pledged to turn New York City into an ICE-free zone.

DENATURALIZATION CRACKDOWN: Trump DOJ Unleashes Sweeping New Policy to Revoke Citizenship of Naturalized Americans Convicted of Serious Crimes

President Trump’s Department of Justice has unleashed a sweeping initiative to revoke U.S. citizenship from naturalized criminals, gang members, sex offenders, and even war criminals who gamed the system to infiltrate our homeland.

According to a bombshell June 11 memo from Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, the DOJ Civil Division has been ordered to “prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law.” The document outlines a robust list of enforcement targets, ranging from terrorists and war criminals to gang members, human traffickers, sex offenders, and fraudsters who have scammed the U.S. government and its citizens.

Mexican drug cartel hacked FBI phone to kill informants – report

The incident took place during a US operation against the powerful criminal organization, the Department of Justice has revealed

A hacker working for Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel accessed the phone records and geolocation data of a senior FBI agent assigned to the US Embassy in the country, according to the latest report by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General. The incident took place in 2018, when the FBI was working on a high-profile case gathering evidence against notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, nicknamed “El Chapo,” the longtime leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

Rubio Announces USAID Has ‘Officially’ Ceased Operations

“14 million people could die…” according to The Lancet.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Tuesday the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which had been rapidly dismantled earlier this year by the Trump administration. In a blog post on the State Department’s website, Rubio wrote that foreign assistance provided by USAID had failed to deliver results for Americans and also said that the agency was part of the “globe-spanning NGO [non-governmental organizations] industrial complex” that was funded by taxpayers. “USAID has little to show since the end of the Cold War,” Rubio said.

Trump says he will get whatever he wants from Iran

Iran has been severely weakened by the US airstrikes and sanctions, and is in no position to resist US demands, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, expressing confidence that he can secure whatever he wants from Tehran if needed.

“We had tremendous success with Iran. They were not happy… They’re so bombed out. That place was decimated. It’ll be years before anyone can even get down there,” Trump told reporters in Florida. When asked about the possibility of the US signing a nuclear agreement with Tehran, Trump said “that’s not a priority” after the successful strikes. “But we’ll get whatever we want, whatever we want from Iran,” he said.

Iranian Officials Threaten U.S. and Israel with Renewed Missile Barrages

Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim-Safavi, senior military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Monday claimed Iran was capable of far more devastating retaliatory strikes against the U.S. and Israel than it has been able to launch thus far, and Iran is ready to attack targets beyond the Middle East if necessary.

“Should they begin a new round [of aggression], Iran will start a new round [of retaliation] that will exceed their expectations,” Rahim-Safavi threatened on Monday, as transcribed by Iran’s state-run PressTV. The general claimed Iran knows the “interests, structures, bases, and forces” of its enemies across the Middle East, clearly alluding to the sort of terror attacks Iran’s proxies in Iraq used to routinely launch against bases housing American troops. “The power of the IRGC extends beyond the region,” he said, claiming Iran still has a vast arsenal of “thousands” of ballistic missiles aimed at American and Israeli targets.

US intelligence: Iran prepped mines for Strait of Hormuz

US intelligence detected Iran loading naval mines onto vessels in the Persian Gulf last month following Israeli strikes, according to Reuters. This heightened Washington’s concerns about a potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s military loaded naval mines onto vessels in the Persian Gulf last month, intensifying concerns in Washington that Tehran was preparing to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported on Tuesday. This action followed Israeli strikes on various sites across Iran. US intelligence detected these previously unreported preparations after Israel’s initial missile attack on Iran on June 13. The loading of the mines, though not deployed in the strait, suggests Tehran may have been serious about closing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Such a move would have significantly escalated the ongoing conflict and severely impacted global commerce, as approximately one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump says Israel ‘agreed to necessary conditions to finalize’ 60-day Gaza ceasefire

US president says ‘we’ll work with all parties to end the war’ during two-month truce, urges Hamas to accept the proposal ‘because it will not get better — it will only get worse’

US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that “Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. During the prospective two-month truce, “We will work with all parties to end the war,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, summarizing the development that came out of meetings top US officials held on Tuesday in Washington with visiting Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Trump said Qatar and Egypt will deliver the “final proposal” to Hamas. “I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this deal because it will not get better — it will only get worse,” Trump wrote.

Report: Removing Hamas from power a condition for Saudi normalization

Saudi Arabia is insisting that Israel finish the job in Gaza by removing Hamas from power completely in the coastal enclave as a precondition for a normalization agreement with the Jewish State, a Saudi source told i24NEWS.

Saudi Arabia is insisting that Israel finish the job in Gaza by removing Hamas from power completely in the coastal enclave as a precondition for a normalization agreement with the Jewish State, a Saudi source told i24NEWS. The source, who is reportedly close to the royal court, told Middle East correspondent Ariel Oseran that, “Without removing Hamas, there will be no peace.” According to the report, the Saudi government hopes the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, will be restored to power in Gaza after the fall of the Hamas government. The report is the first indication that ending the war now instead of continuing until Hamas is completely defeated may jeopardize efforts to secure normalization accords with Arab and Muslim nations and the Trump Administration’s efforts to expand the Abraham Accords.

Trump signs executive order lifting most sanctions on Syria

President Trump signed an executive order on Monday rescinding most U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria since the 1970s, a major step toward offering the war-torn country a path to normalization with the West.

Why it matters: Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Islamist rebel who overthrew the Assad regime last year, had urged the U.S to lift sanctions to give Syria a chance to rebuild after 14 years of civil war. Trump’s executive order comes six weeks after his historic meeting with al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, where Trump first announced the U.S. would lift sanctions on Syria to give the country a fresh start. “Now it is their time to shine. We are taking them all off. Good luck Syria. Show us something very special,” Trump said in a speech at the time.

How Iran War Exposed Limits Of Chinese Influence In Middle East

The world had a moment of clarity during the Israel–Iran conflict…

For years, analysts have noted that China is closing in on the United States as a peer competitor, whether in terms of high-tech industries, naval fleets, or the size of its diplomatic corps. That power shift seemed to have also played out in the Middle East, a region where the United States has traditionally held significant influence. Two years ago, Beijing brokered the normalization of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Later the same year, the China-led BRICS bloc, designed to counterbalance the U.S.-led Western democracies, admitted four new members from the region: Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

China Can Subsume Taiwan Without Firing A Single Shot

China’s invasion of Taiwan is widely considered imminent. Some analysts predict that such action could occur as early as 2026, just before the end of President Xi Jinping’s third term. Others believe it will take place in 2027 to mark the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.

Regardless of the timing, the Chinese government maintains that reunifying Taiwan with the mainland is a constitutional obligation enshrined in its 1982 constitution. China’s increasing reliance on grey-zone tactics, coercive action, and sustained military pressure have led many to believe that reunification will be pursued through armed conflict. But this may not be the case.

North Korean Remote Workers at U.S. Firms Funneled Millions Into Weapons Programs

On Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced criminal charges in a scheme by North Korea to fund its weapons program through the salaries of remote information technology (IT) workers employed inadvertently by U.S. companies.

The nationwide operation led to charges and the seizure of financial accounts, websites, and laptops used to execute the fraud. Separate cases in Georgia and Massachusetts exposed that the scheme is generating extensive revenue for North Korea’s government and even supplying workers access to sensitive and proprietary data from the American corporations hiring them.

Pentagon halts some weapons shipments to Ukraine, citing low US stockpiles

The Pentagon stopped a weapons delivery to Ukraine during its conflict with Russia, pointing to low stockpiles of specific munitions in the Defense Department arsenal.

The halted delivery included critical air defense missiles that Ukraine has lobbied the United States for to protect against Russian aerial warfare. “This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a (Defense Department) review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement. “The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran.” The Pentagon determined the stocks of certain weapons were low and chose not to send those items.

Putin and Macron talk for first time in three years – Kremlin

The Russian and French presidents have discussed the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, the Kremlin press service has said

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron by telephone, the Kremlin press service said on Tuesday. It is the first phone contact between the leaders since September 2022. The conversation revolved around the situation in the Middle East, as well as the Ukraine conflict. During the call, Putin told Macron that the Ukraine conflict was “a direct consequence of the policies pursued by Western states, which for many years ignored Russia’s security interests,” and had established an “anti-Russian bridgehead” in the country, the press service stated.

Russia-Azerbaijan tensions: What is known so far

A deadly Russian police raid on alleged Azerbaijani crime ring has prompted a major diplomatic flare up between the two nations

The relationship between Russia and Azerbaijan has rapidly deteriorated in the aftermath of a Russian police raid on a suspected ethnic organized crime gang, which resulted in the deaths of two suspects. Baku has retaliated with multiple hostile steps, targeting Russian journalists and artists and detaining a group of the country’s nationals it had portrayed as a “crime ring” as well.

Why Couldn’t The SCO Defense Ministers Agree On A Joint Statement?

India refused to sign the document since it didn’t condemn late April’s Pahalgam terrorist attack…

India found itself at odds with the SCO once again less than two weeks since it clarified that it didn’t participate in the group’s joint statement on the Iranian-Israeli War. This time its Defense Minister refused to sign the joint statement that was supposed to conclude last week’s meeting with his peers in Qingdao ahead of the leaders’ summit in Tianjin this autumn. The reason was that the document didn’t condemn late April’s Pahalgam terrorist attack even though it condemned terrorism in Balochistan. As this year’s chair, China has extra influence over the SCO’s workings during the events that it hosts, so it therefore follows that this might have been a deliberate provocation meant to signal support for Pakistan while snubbing India.

NATO state to conscript women

A new law in Denmark subjects 18-year-old females to the draft starting July 1

Women in Denmark are now subject to conscription, following a change to the relevant law made by the country’s parliament a few weeks ago. The move comes as NATO, of which Denmark is a member, increases its military readiness, citing a perceived threat from Russia after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. At the bloc’s summit in The Hague last week, member states agreed to ramp up defense spending. In May, the European Union approved a €150 billion ($171 billion) borrowing plan to support its own military buildup.

Women to be CONSCRIPTED as Starmer and EU eye ‘GENDER NEUTRAL’ Army to face Putin and Russia

The government has looked into conscripting women into the Army, like in Scandinavian countries who have pursued ‘gender neutral’ militaries.

Polish Liberal PM Tusk To Introduce Controls in Its Border With Germany as ‘Citizen Patrols’ Form To Keep Migrants From Being Returned to Poland by German Authorities (VIDEOS)

The ultra-liberal and Euro-fanatic Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk – like most European leaders – has a big immigration problem in his hands.

Today, Tusk announced that Poland will introduce temporary controls on its borders with Germany and Lithuania starting on July 7. This decision comes as criticism of his lax border protection actions is mounting, and ‘citizen patrols’ are starting to form in the border with Germany to prevent the migrant ‘invasion’.

12,000 German companies went bust in six months – economic tracker

Corporate insolvencies have hit their highest level in a decade, a new study indicates

Germany endured the highest wave of corporate bankruptcies in a decade in the first half of this year, a study by economic tracking agency Creditreform has suggested. The first six months of this year saw some 11,900 German companies go bust, the study released on Thursday indicates. The figure represented a 9.4% increase over the same period last year, according to the agency. Some 141,000 employees worked at the companies affected.

Mass Street Battle With 100 Lebanese Clan Members Leads To Bloodbath In Germany

There was a bloodbath on the streets of Germany after two extended Lebanese family groups fought in a battle that reportedly involved 100 people in the city of Heiligenhaus. The two groups, using machetes, knives and other weapons, led to mass police operation and resulted in at least five serious injuries, including one that is life-threatening. Police made several arrests.

German police forces arrived from cities near and far, including Cologne, Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Bochum, and the entire Mattmann district was deployed. Special operations units were sent to control the crowd and at least one police helicopter was utilized…The street with the incident was reportedly covered in blood stains, with video showcasing chaotic scenes involving victims being wheeled away in stretchers.

1 In 5 Illegal Migrants Now Simply Flying Into Germany As Police Union And AfD Rage

In the past 12 months, the German Federal Police have identified 12,858 illegal migrants who entered Germany by air, a significant number that is on the rise.

Now, migrants are increasingly choosing simply to fly into Germany instead of dealing with the long ordeal of crossing multiple borders in dangerous conditions. This increase in migrants flying into Germany jumped after Germany tightened border controls. In May of this year alone, at least 977 illegal entries were recorded using air travel to enter Germany, accounting for over 20 percent of all identified illegal border crossings.

Switzerland Plans Biometric ID Card Rollout by 2026

In a significant step toward modernizing identification systems, Switzerland is gearing up to introduce a new biometric ID card by 2026. This development, aimed at enhancing security and convenience, has sparked both curiosity and concern among citizens, and it’s easy to understand why—our personal data is at the heart of this change.

According to Swissinfo, the new ID card will incorporate advanced biometric features, such as facial recognition data and fingerprints. The goal is to align with international standards, particularly for travel and border security, while ensuring that Swiss citizens have access to a more secure form of identification. I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and unease about this. On one hand, the idea of a tamper-proof ID that could streamline processes like airport check-ins sounds incredibly practical. On the other, the thought of my biometric data being stored and potentially accessed raises questions about privacy and security.

Order of Canada handed to pandemic profiteers Theresa Tam and Bonnie Henry

On yesterday’s Rebel Roundup livestream, Tamara Ugolini and Sheila Gunn Reid reacted to former PHAC president Theresa Tam and B.C. provincial health officer Bonnie Henry’s appointments to the Order of Canada.

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Children’s Health Defense Case Alleging Meta-Government Collusion to Censor Vaccine Speech

The Court’s silence leaves a tangled web of speech, power, and platforms untouched.

The Supreme Court has turned down a petition from Children’s Health Defense (CHD), leaving unexamined the group’s challenge to what it describes as collusion between Meta and federal agencies aimed at suppressing constitutionally protected speech. The case, which dates back to 2020, centered on CHD’s allegations that Facebook, under government influence, targeted and silenced its views on vaccines and COVID-19. CHD filed its initial complaint against Meta in August 2020 and later amended it, arguing that government officials worked alongside the tech giant to stifle dissenting opinions that the public had every right to hear.

SHOTS FIRED: Jerome Powell Says the Fed Would Have Lowered Interest Rates If Not For Trump’s Tariffs – Trump Responds (VIDEO)

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell on Tuesday took a shot at President Trump and said the Fed would have likely lowered interest rates if not for Trump’s tariffs.

President Trump inherited high inflation, a stalled economy and high unemployment from Joe Biden and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is refusing to slash interest rates. The Fed can stimulate the economy and the real estate market by lowering interest rates, however, Chairman Jerome Powell has left interest rates unchanged since Trump was sworn into office this year. On Monday White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read a message from Trump to Jerome Powell: “Jerome, you are, as usual, too late. You have cost the USA a fortune and continue to do so…You should lower the rate by a lot! Hundreds of billions of dollars are being lost. No inflation.”

The No-Win Bubble “Wealth Effect”: Either Way We Lose

I have endeavored to explain how our economy has changed dramatically over the past 50 years beneath the surface.

Nothing that’s going to happen in the future will make sense unless we understand this, so refill your beverage of choice and let’s go through what changed.
Wages gained ground 1945 – 1975, and lost ground 1975 – 2025. In the “glorious 30” (Trente Glorieuses) years of sustained global growth 1945 – 1975, wages’ share of the economy remained around 50% of the nation’s income. As the economy expanded, wages increased in step with the economy. Since the mid-1970s, that trend has reversed. Wages have lost ground for the past 50 years. As the economy expanded, wages’ share declined, meaning the economy’s gains flowed to capital rather than wages. (Chart #1 below) This wealth transfer was non-trivial: $150 trillion was siphoned from wages to owners of capital.

Walmart Staff Fear Job Cuts Amid Trump Immigration Policy Concerns

Recent reports have highlighted growing concerns among Walmart employees regarding potential job cuts linked to anticipated immigration policy changes under the incoming Trump administration.

According to Daily Mail, the retail giant, which employs a significant number of immigrant workers, is facing internal unrest as staff fear layoffs or stricter hiring practices due to possible executive orders on immigration. Walmart, as one of the largest private employers in the United States, has a workforce that includes many individuals on work visas or with varying immigration statuses. The uncertainty surrounding potential policy shifts has created a tense atmosphere within the company, with employees reportedly worried about their job security. A source within the company revealed the depth of the anxiety among staff members.

“This Is The Next Level”: AI-Powered “Digital Workers” Deployed At Major Bank To Work Alongside Humans

If you’re working in banking, your next colleague could be a bot.

Once unthinkable, the Bank of New York Mellon announced that it has deployed dozens of artificial intelligence-powered “digital employees” that operate with human employees, and even have their own company login credentials. The Wall Street Journal reports: Similar to human employees, these digital workers have direct managers they report to and work autonomously in areas like coding and payment instruction validation, said Chief Information Officer Leigh-Ann Russell. Soon they’ll have access to their own email accounts and may even be able to communicate with colleagues in other ways like through Microsoft Teams, she said.

LGBTQ Pride Group Founder and J.K. Rowling Hater Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Child Rape

One of Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling’s loudest LGBTQ social media critics has been sentenced to 30 years in jail for child rape in the U.K.

Stephen Ireland made it one of his life’s goals to destroy Rowling’s career and life after she began speaking strongly in favor of women’s rights and against the encroachment of transgenderism in women’s spaces. But this month, Ireland’s own life went down the drain after a U.K. court threw him in the gaol for the next three decades. “Stephen Ireland, who targeted me with endless abuse on here because I oppose the chemical castration of children and the removal of protected spaces for women and girls, has just been sentenced to 30 years in jail for child rape,” Rowling wrote in a post on X.

UPenn to ban transgender athletes and erase swimmer Lia Thomas’s records

The University of Pennsylvania will ban transgender athletes and restore all individual swimming records and titles to female athletes who lost to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

The Department of Education announced the agreement with UPenn on Tuesday, a significant step away from Thomas after the school defended the swimmer. Penn also agreed to send an apology letter to each swimmer who lost records or titles to Thomas. “Today’s resolution agreement with UPenn is yet another example of the Trump effect in action. Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, UPenn has agreed both to apologize for its past Title IX violations and to ensure that women’s sports are protected at the University for future generations of female athletes,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

The Coward’s Bargain

Everyone’s Afraid to Speak

Someone our family has known forever recently told my sister that they’ve been reading my Substack and that if they wrote the things I write, people would call them crazy. I got a kick out of that—not because it’s untrue, but because it reveals something darker about where we’ve ended up as a society. Most people are terrified of being themselves in public.

My sister’s response made me laugh: “People do call him crazy. He simply doesn’t care.” The funniest part is that I don’t even write the craziest stuff I research—just the stuff I can back up with sources and/or my own personal observations. I always try to stay rooted in logic, reason, and facts, though—I’m clear when I’m speculating and when I’m not.

Anti-Zionist Haredi Group Prepares for Third Temple: Establishes Study Program for Third Temple

In a remarkable development that highlights the complex relationship between religious belief and political ideology within Orthodox Judaism, the Toldos Aharon chassidic movement has established a specialized study program for Jewish priests (kohanim) to prepare for Temple service, despite the group’s well-known anti-Zionist stance.

Toldos Aharon represents one of the most insular and conservative streams within Haredi Judaism. The chassidic group is characterized by its extreme conservatism and fervent opposition to Zionism, typically rejecting the legitimacy of the modern State of Israel and maintaining strict separation from Israeli society and institutions. This ideological position makes their recent initiative all the more striking. Under the leadership of the Toldos Aharon Rebbe, Rav Dovid Kohn—himself a kohen—the movement has launched a kollel (study program) exclusively dedicated to learning the intricate laws governing Temple service.

A bumbling game of robot soccer was a breakthrough for embodied AI

The soccer tournament was played by AI-powered robots in Beijing on Saturday. China is investing tens of billions of dollars to extend its lead in next-gen robotics.

Share

Subscribe now