Fetterman Urges Democrats to Reopen Government, Says Shutdown Sends ‘Wrong Message’

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said Democrats sent the wrong signal by allowing a government shutdown, arguing that Congress should reopen the government and negotiate health care policy. 

“I can’t ever or will ever vote to shut our government down,” Fetterman told Fox News.

 

“It was wrong if the Republicans did these things, and I led that charge back in March, saying it’s wrong to shut us down, and we kept it open. I said in March that when September comes, I’m going to be the one guy that says it’s wrong to do this. The losers are these poor Americans here that are going to get caught in the middle of this thing.”

 

A sticking point for Democrats has been health care, particularly wanting their Republican counterparts to extend the tax credits in the Affordable Care Act, which expire at year’s end. Fetterman rejected tying the debate over ACA credits to a shutdown.

Fueled by the Left: Canada’s Churches on Fire

Raymond Ibrahim, original publication:  Oct 5, 2025.

The Stream

In mid-September, two churches in Canada were hit by Islamic extremists. On September 16, Our Lady of the Snows in Colville Lake, Northwest Territories — the community’s only church — was torched to the ground. Just days earlier, vandals had smashed windows and damaged property at Saint Peter and Saint Paul Coptic Orthodox Church in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, while also defacing a nearby convent with graffiti and broken glass. Locals called the attacks “heartbreaking” and “a really big loss to the community.”

Such attacks are common; one of the more notable ones occurred on June 9, 2024, when Toronto’s historic St. Anne’s Anglican Church and its priceless artwork were set ablaze and reduced to ashes. The pastor, Rev. Don Beyers, said his congregation was “greatly devastated”:

I’m crushed, I feel for my people. You can’t imagine what this is like for a church community to come on Sunday morning to find that everything you worked so hard for and done so much for [is] gone in the matter of an hour.

‘Must Stay Gay’ Laws

Jennifer Roback Morse, 10/11/25

A case before the Supreme Court could end the left’s attempt to stifle dissent in the therapist’s office.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in Chiles v. Salazar, a case that could reshape counseling freedom across America. The law at issue is one of several so-called “conversion therapy bans” that restrict what therapists may say to their clients.  

The Ruth Institute calls them what they are: “Must Stay Gay” laws.  These laws silence counselors and harm families, especially young people struggling with trauma, anxiety, and sexual confusion. The question before the court is simple: Does the First Amendment allow a state to dictate which viewpoints a licensed therapist may express?

A Strong Signal from the Court  

The central issue in Chiles is viewpoint discrimination. Colorado’s law allows therapists to affirm a child’s same-sex attraction or gender confusion — but forbids them from helping a client resist or change those feelings.  Justice Samuel Alito captured the absurdity in one hypothetical, which I paraphrase (the whole argument is here):

An adolescent male comes to a licensed therapist; he feels uneasy and guilty about feeling attracted to other boys. He asks the therapist to help him feel better as a gay man. Colorado law permits this. Another adolescent male goes to a licensed therapist and asks him to help him feel less attracted to other boys. Colorado law forbids this.

That’s government picking sides in a moral debate, not equality under the law.

The Fountain Hotel

The Fountain Hotel, a luxury playground for the rich visiting the Yellowstone National Park, was built in 1891 as the largest hotel in the park. It was also believed to be haunted by guests that never left.  

According to Annie Carlson a research coordinator at Yellowstone, the hotel was a ‘cut above the rest.’ which was located just north of Fountain Paint Pot in the Lower Geyser Basin. The three-story structure cost $100,000 to build and could accommodate 350 guests. It boasted 143 rooms, steam heat and baths that used the hot springs water. 

“The hotel was fancy given its rustic surroundings, and guests would wear their finest clothes to regular evening balls,” Carlson said. 

Burger Chain Installs ‘Tallest and Biggest’ American Flags at Restaurants Nationwide

By Naveen Athrappully, updated 10/07/2025

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to prosecute people desecrating the American flag. 

Fast food chain Steak ‘n Shake has started installing large American flags at its outlets across the country, the company said in an Oct. 5 post on X.

“The flag installations have begun at Steak n Shake,” the company said. “Every Steak n Shake is getting the tallest and biggest American flag that local governments will allow! Steak n Shake proudly supports American values and traditions.”

The post went viral, garnering 6.4 million views and nearly 200,000 likes as of 7:19 a.m. ET on Monday.

“I’m ordering from there tomorrow!” billionaire Elon Musk said in a reply to the post.

Steak ‘n Shake, based in Indiana, employs more than 10,000 people according to LinkedIn. As of August, there were 397 Steak ‘n Shake restaurants across 24 states and territories in the United States, according to an Aug. 20 report by data company ScrapeHero.

Not Dead Yet Attends Bazelon’s 2025 Annual Awards Reception

By Kelly Israel on October 7, 2025   

On September 17, 2025, I was pleased to attend on behalf of Not D[ea]d Yet the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law’s 2025 Annual Awards Reception at the National Press Club. The event was larger than normal. I was surrounded by countless people,  disability rights movement members both well-known and obscure. We had come to celebrate our past and usher in the next chapter of our history.

A recording of the awards ceremony is available at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV9yDclCuK0 

The event honored first Congressman Steny Hoyer, [pictured above] one of the pioneers who worked to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act - our very own bill of rights in the United States. Hoyer spoke on the circumstances of the ADA’s passage and his debt of gratitude to his mentor. He also spoke of his gratitude towards the thousands of disabled Americans who advocated tirelessly for the bill in the late 1980s and early 90s. 

California National Guard

President Trump on Sunday deployed 300 California National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon defying a federal order blocking the move – as Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to sue in response.

“After a federal court blocked his attempt to federalize the Oregon National Guard, Donald Trump is deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Oregon,” Newson said in a post on X, later calling the order “un-American.”“They are on their way there now. We are taking this fight back to court. The public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the President of the United States.”

Newsom’s fiery threat comes hours after a federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration from sending 200 Oregon National Guard troops to the “war ravaged” city that has been under siege by anti-ICE agitators for more than 100 straight days. – New York Post

Our Take: A federal judge in Oregon said President Trump can’t deploy the Oregon National Guard to Portland, so the President is sending California National Guard instead.

Winsome Sears Closing the Gap

With less than five weeks before Virginia’s statewide elections, a new poll finds the Republican gubernatorial nominee, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, [pictured right] trending upward and closing the gap with her opponent, Democrat Abigail Spanberger.

The poll conducted by A2 Insights found Earle-Sears trailing Spanberger, a former three-term member of Congress, by 3.1 points—marking the closest margin Virginians have seen in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

When asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, 44.6% said Earle-Sears, while 47.7% said Spanberger. Some 6.4% said they were undecided, and 1.3% said they would vote for another candidate.

A2 Insights, a nonpartisan public opinion polling firm, surveyed 771 likely voters through an online panel between Sept. 26 and Sept. 28. It didn’t give a margin of error.

Polls continue to show Earle-Sears gaining ground. In less than a month, she has gained 9 points.

Hospital Starves to Death a Man With Down Syndrome, Didn’t Feed Him for 9 Days

International  |  Steven Ertelt  |   Oct 3, 2025   |   2:33PM   |  London, England

A 56-year-old man with Down syndrome suffered a preventable death after medical staff at an NHS hospital denied him food for nine days, his family said, highlighting what advocates decry as a devaluation of vulnerable lives in a system that too often fails those with disabilities.

Adrian Poulton was admitted to Poole Hospital in September 2021 following a fall at his care home that broke his hip. His condition initially improved, but doctors mistakenly marked him as “nil by mouth,” leaving him without nutrition during his stay.

By the time his relatives discovered the error, he was too weak to recover and died on Sept. 28, 2021, two weeks after admission. An internal hospital investigation confirmed that the lack of nutrition contributed to his death.

Poulton’s father, Derek, expressed shock at the oversight. “Not being medical, we just naturally thought he was having nutrition, a feed. But as it turns out, they were starving him.”

His sister, Lesley Bungay, recounted the heartbreaking final moments: “We were just so worried. He was really poorly. He did look at me and dad… He said to me, ‘Lesley, I don’t want to die.’ He knew he was going to die. It was just awful.”

Trump to Deploy 300 National Guard Members in Illinois

Tom Ozimek, Reporter, 10/4/2025|Updated: 10/5/2025

President Donald Trump has authorized the deployment of 300 members of the Illinois National Guard to protect federal assets amid “violent riots and lawlessness,” according to a White House spokesperson.

Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson confirmed the deployment in a statement to The Epoch Times.

“Amid ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like [Illinois Gov. JB] Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President [Donald] Trump has authorized 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets,” she said. “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”

Pakistani Cousin Marriage has no Place in the UK

By Noel Yaxley

The social and medical costs of this imported practice can no longer be ignored. Inbreeding is bad, actually.

You’d think that would go without saying. Not in the United Kingdom, where the Genomics Education Programme of NHS England recently published guidance touting the supposed “social advantages” of cousin marriages.

In Redbridge, East London, one in five child deaths was linked to consanguineous parents.

This is what happens when a subject becomes so controversial that no one dares to speak plainly. For years, journalists avoided discussing rampant cousin marriage for fear of alienating the Pakistani population. Even right-leaning newspapers mostly looked the other way.

Llamas Have a Reputation for Being Ornery and Spitting on People, but They’re also Perfectly Suited to Wyoming’s Remote Mountains

Mark Heinz, 10/03/25

Wyoming’s rugged backcountry is teeming with big game, but the farther into the wild hunters go to shoot deer and elk, the longer and more brutal packing their game out will be.

Some hunters rely on their own strength and use backpacks to haul out meat and antlers. Others get help from pack horses, mules, or pack goats.  

A pair of Wyoming hunters, Anthony Natale and Austin Griffith, think llamas are the perfect wilderness pack animals.   Llamas may not be native to Wyoming, but they’re perfectly suited for Wyoming’s high country terrain and the wilderness.  The pair started out a few years ago with just a couple of the gangly critters, which are native to the perilous mountains of South America.

Montana has Money for a Parenting Program at the Prison, but it’s not Operating Yet

After losing federal funding, the Department of Corrections hasn’t restarted a parenting program that state lawmakers put $120,000 toward earlier this year. The program had served roughly 160 fathers and 400 children during the program’s four-year tenure. By Zeke Lloyd

Frederick Maw VI was 14 months old when his father, Freddie J, received a 20-year sentence to Montana State Prison in 2018. Caterina Maw, Little Freddie’s grandmother, remembers driving alongside a “trembling and scared” child on a bus to a small red cabin in 2022 during her grandson’s first trip to meet his father. 

“He saw the swing set and he saw all the dads standing there with smiles on their faces — then he just got this huge smile and ran to his dad to give him a hug,” Caterina Maw said in a recent interview.

The pair reunited through a Montana Department of Corrections initiative called Connecting Adults and Minors through Positive Parenting, a multi-part program that included a three-month parenting course for incarcerated parents. Parents also were able to see their children in person and have dedicated video calls.

Mexico City Uses Reagan-Era Policy to Ban Taxpayer-Funded Gender-Transition Surgeries

President Donald Trump’s State Department will soon expand the scope of the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars for abortions.

“The department will soon take additional steps to close loopholes that allowed taxpayer funding for promotion of abortion in previous iterations of the Mexico City Policy and expand the scope of the policy to ensure every penny of U.S. foreign assistance prioritizes American values, not the woke agenda,” a senior State Department official told The Daily Signal.

The expanded policy will prohibit U.S. funding for gender ideology, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. For example, the State Department is ending a $2 million grant to fund gender-affirming operations in Guatemala.

Evil Feels Unleashed': Gut-wrenching Reactions to Michigan Church Shooting

Local authorities say a gunman rammed his vehicle into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before opening fire on worshippers on Sunday.

At least one person has died and 9 others were injured in a mass shooting at a a church in Michigan  on Sunday morning, according to local authorities.

The fatal shooting occurred at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, a suburb of Flint, Michigan.

The Grand Blanc Police Department said in a statement, "[There] has been an active shooter at the church of Latter Day Saints on McCandlish Rd. There are multiple victims and the shooter is down."

The police department noted that the church is "actively on fire."

Argentina’s Poverty Rate Drops

Argentina’s poverty rate has dropped sharply to its lowest level in several years, which supporters of cost-cutting President Javier Milei are touting as a win for his economic agenda. 

According to the national statistics agency cited by Semafor, about 32% of Argentinians lived in poverty during the first half of 2025, which represents a sharp decline from roughly 53% when Milei assumed office in late 2023.  

Semafor also noted that double-digit monthly inflation growth has come down to 2% in August as well. 

Milei has appeared in the U.S. at the Conservative Political Action Conference and touted the benefits of reducing the deficit in Argentina.

Trump Considers Moving World Cup Matches out of Seattle Due to Crime, Mayor Responds

Citing concerns about crime, President Donald Trump floated the idea of moving matches for next summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup away from U.S. cities – including Seattle – that are “a little bit dangerous.” [Seattle Mayor Harrell pictured right]

Speaking from the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump responded to a reporter who mentioned Seattle and San Francisco, which will host six World Cup games each, as cities that have resisted the administration’s more aggressive enforcement of federal immigration laws.

“They’re run by radical left lunatics that don’t know what they’re doing,” Trump said to assembled reporters.

Trump then touted his administration’s crime-fighting efforts in the nation’s capital.

Since August, Trump has implemented a series of federal actions aimed at reducing crime in Washington, D.C., including deploying federal agents and the National Guard.

“We have this city in great shape,” Trump said.

Supreme Court Allows Trump to Withhold roughly $4 Billion in Foreign Funding approved by Congress

The court's three liberal justices dissented.

The Supreme Court on Friday extended President Donald Trump's freeze on roughly $4 billion in foreign aid payments.  

The 6-3 ruling is being considered a significant victory for the White House in its months-long effort to claw back spending approved last year on Capitol Hill because it could effectively give Trump a roadmap toward canceling more congressionally-approved money, according to CNN. 

The money includes funding for global health and HIV programs that Trump deemed wasteful.

The ruling comes after the high court stayed the order earlier this month – following a lower court determining that Trump lacked the authority to withhold funding that Congress allocated. The court's three liberal justices dissented.

Adelita Grijalva Won as Expected, Discharge Petition at Issue

By Amy West (Sept. 26, 2025) 

Samuel asked us “1) First, what happens if a majority of a house of Congress wants to pass a bill, but the relevant committee doesn't bring it to a vote? Is there a way to override the committee, and if so, how does this work?”

The answer is that yes, there is at least one way: the “discharge petition.” (There are other ways, and since the House writes its own rules a majority of representatives can do almost anything by changing the rules, and that happens frequently. But for today we’ll stick to the discharge petition procedure.)

First, on Sept. 23, Arizona held its special election for its 7th district to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Raul Grijalva when he died earlier this year. His daughter [pictured above], Adelita Grijalva, won as expected. 

The younger Grijalva is expected to be signature 218 on Rep. Massie’s (R-KY4) discharge petition which would bring to the floor a bill that would require the Trump Administration release files on Jeffrey Epstein. (It will put representatives on the record on Epstein files, but because the bill will likely die in the Senate it may not result in the release of the files.)

So what is a discharge petition?  As the Congressional Research Service says, 

Florida Surgeon General says Vaccines Should be a Choice. But What’s his Advice?

Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has said they would remove requirements that schoolkids get vaccinated.  

But Ladapo has refused to say whether kids should be vaccinated at all.