Big Cities

Chicago resident Vashon Tuncle called out state and local officials for pushing back against the Trump administration’s deportation of illegal migrants.

President Donald Trump is making good on his promise to shut down the U.S. southern border and carry out mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens.

During an appearance on The Ingraham Angle,” host Laura Ingraham asked Tuncle for his thoughts on Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson over their opposition to the deportations.

“How do you guys sleep at night knowing that there are rapists out here that committed these heinous crimes against the children and the women?” Tuncle asked, referring to Johnson and Pritzker.

“How do you guys sleep at night knowing that we’re half a billion dollars in debt when it comes to these illegals?”

“How do these men sleep at night knowing that you’re putting illegal immigrants that are committing crimes over the American citizens? I just can’t believe that they’re doing this.”

Johnson announced he would team up with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to launch a “Know Your Rights” ad campaign to help illegals when they visited “by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” Pritzker also vowed to “stand in the way” of federal efforts if the feds were to break state laws.

Since Joe Biden took office in 2021, over 10 million illegal migrants are believed to have entered the U.S., with sanctuary cities like New York City buckling under the flood of newcomers.

Last year, Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the city spent $2 billion on housing and rent for illegal migrants, $2 billion on services and supplies, and almost $500 million on food, medical aid, IT, and administrative costs

Tuncle stated that those who have crossed into the U.S. are “committing a crime.”

“We have to just start putting Americans first. It’s just as simple as that. I believe [border czar] Tom Homan is doing the right job when it comes to putting Americans first,” Tuncle said.

“I just want to say this to all the criers out there who are crying over the undocumented immigrants who’ve been here for years and whatever, like Selena Gomez. Tom Homan has already made this clear. If you are here illegally, you’re not off the table.”

“You are committing a crime within itself if you’re here illegally in America.”

Read More at The Daily Fetched

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is under intense scrutiny after recent fires devastated Los Angeles County, becoming the costliest natural disaster in American history.

Criticism of her administration has mounted following revelations about significant budget cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and concerns about her leadership during the crisis.

21 days before the Palisades Fire broke out, Los Angeles Fire personnel jammed into a LA Fire commission meeting with a dire warning about the consequences of Karen Bass’ budget cuts.

“The residence of Los Angeles are going to pay the ultimate sacrifice, and someone will die.” pic.twitter.com/RpHN9yOziq

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) January 16, 2025

Months before the fires began, Mayor Bass approved cuts totaling tens of millions of dollars to the LAFD budget.

Video evidence has surfaced showing multiple LAFD officials warning about the potential impact of these cuts on disaster response capabilities.

These warnings were issued just 21 days before the fires erupted, leaving at least 24 people dead—a number expected to rise as recovery efforts continue.

Critics have accused the city’s political leadership of ignoring these warnings, pointing to the devastating consequences for residents and first responders.

The LAFD’s reduced budget left critical resources stretched thin during the fires, exacerbating the disaster’s toll.

Amid the ongoing crisis, Mayor Bass left the country to attend the inauguration of Ghana’s president.

While Los Angeles County burned, Bass was reportedly seen at an embassy cocktail reception.

When questioned about her decision to travel during a disaster, Bass stated she had no regrets, a comment that has further fueled public outrage.

This trip has become a focal point of criticism, with many residents and commentators questioning her priorities.

Bass previously promised not to leave the country while in office, making her actions during this crisis particularly controversial.

Calls for Bass’s recall have intensified as the city grapples with the aftermath of the fires.

Critics argue that the mayor’s decisions, including the LAFD budget cuts, have directly contributed to the scale of the disaster.

Additionally, her administration’s allocation of funds has drawn scrutiny, with significant resources reportedly diverted to programs addressing homelessness, climate initiatives, and services for undocumented immigrants.

The LAFD itself has faced internal turmoil, with Fire Chief Kristin Crowley criticized for pushing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives that many argue distracted from the department’s core mission.

The mounting criticism has led to growing momentum for a recall effort against Mayor Bass.

Residents and political commentators alike have expressed frustration with her leadership during what many see as a preventable disaster.

The fire’s devastation and the perceived mismanagement by city leadership have left Bass politically vulnerable, with some calling for her to step down even if a recall effort does not succeed.

As Los Angeles works to recover from the fires, the focus remains on accountability and preventing similar disasters in the future.

The death toll, economic damage, and widespread criticism of the city’s response have underscored the need for effective leadership and resource allocation.

Mayor Bass has yet to publicly address the calls for her recall or the broader criticism of her handling of the crisis.

However, the political fallout from these events is likely to shape her future in public office.

Read More at RVM News

Angel Studios and Dry Bar Comedy launched a new stand-up comedy special in Jan. featuring “Loveline” icon Adam Carolla.

“In spring 2024, we met Adam and discovered our shared passion for disrupting Hollywood,” Neal Harmon, CEO of Angel Studios said in a statement. “He embraced the challenge to create a family-friendly set for Dry Bar Comedy, showcasing his sharp wit. Rising to the occasion, he not only nailed it, but received a standing ovation from the audience.” “Angel Studios opportunity for me to do a clean comedy set was a challenge I just had to accept, and am really happy with how well the special turned out!” Carolla said of the work, which filmed in Sept. 2024 in front of two sold-out crowds.

He's keeping it clean – for the first time EVER! 🧼

Watch @adamcarolla's brand new Dry Bar Comedy special, now streaming exclusively on Angel.#AdamCarollaComesClean

👉 https://t.co/2mk4udjPMO pic.twitter.com/lYO7B6OqlQ

— Angel Studios (@AngelStudiosInc) December 12, 2024

Where Can You Watch The Special?

You can sign up for Angel Studios to see the special and be sure to watch the trailers on YouTube! Carolla tackles a whole heap of extremely important issues (not) such as Olympic fencing styles by country, the commonalities between rich and poor people, but not the middle class.

The set combines Carolla’s gravely tone and frank perceptions of the world, many of which you’ve likely heard via his podcast “The Adam Carolla Show” — which is the most downloaded podcast, according to Guinness World Records. He’s also a New York Times best-selling author, and will likely earn a whole load of more career successes in the months to come if he leans into creative partnerships with faith-driven media.

Hollywood & Faith

Back in Dec., we covered a whole host of Hollywood and faith-driven stories, shedding light on the evolution of Christian entertainment as a form of mainstream media. “I was reading [the breakdown] of all the studios, what they’re looking for, and this project and that,” actor Neal McDonough told Glenn Beck at the time. “And never ever, ever, have I seen before, of the 10 [studios] four or five of them at the bottom say, ‘oh, by the way, if you have something of faith, we’re very interested this year.’”Comedian Matt Rife also revealed he was baptized in 2024, despite admitting that he “hates” going to Church.

Read More at Million Voices

Scott Presler, the founder of Early Vote Action, is ramping up voter registration efforts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania ahead of the 2025 election cycle.

Appearing on Fox News with Steve Doocy, Presler outlined his grassroots strategy to target key demographics and flip traditionally blue states to red.

Coming to you LIVE from the @FoxNews studio in DC.

So gosh darn excited. pic.twitter.com/teUe7Ub0zc

— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) December 10, 2024

Presler emphasized the close margins of past elections in New Jersey and Pennsylvania as an indicator of the potential for Republican gains. “Well, you know, at earlyvoteaction.com, we believe that victory begets victory. We just had a slam dunk for the Republican Party. We have a trifecta we delivered at the White House, Senate, and House,” Presler said. Highlighting the geographical and cultural proximity between the two states, he added, “For all intents and purposes, one-fourth of Pennsylvania’s border joins with New Jersey. There are a lot of shared values.”

Presler detailed his plans to engage voters in 2025, particularly in New Jersey’s shore town of Wildwood. “From the spring and summer all in 2025, we’re going to Wildwood. That’s where Philly goes to the beach. Let’s register voters and get both New Jersey and Pennsylvania,” he stated.

🚨 BREAKING: Scott Presler is going to take his voter registration game to WILDWOOD, New Jersey to flip the state red.

"1/4th of Pennsylvania's border joins with New Jersey. There are a lot of shared values."

"All in 2025 – [we're] going to Wildwood. That's where Philly goes to… pic.twitter.com/GpqqZoHWLv

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 10, 2024

Fox News host Steve Doocy pointed to New Jersey’s 2021 gubernatorial race, where Democratic Governor Phil Murphy narrowly defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli by just 3.2%. Doocy noted, “In this deep blue state, the Democrat almost lost, and it was the same year that Governor Youngkin down in Virginia was able to make some hay. New Jersey has really high taxes… Nobody really likes that.”

Presler drew a comparison between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, stating, “Look at the similarities: 2020 in Pennsylvania was decided by 80,000 votes. 2021 in New Jersey was decided by 84,000 votes. In PA, we went after truckers and hunters and Amish and veterans, and in New Jersey, we’re going to do the same thing.”

He elaborated on his approach, saying, “We’re going to the farmers markets and Veterans of Foreign Wars halls, and you’ll see us at the beach, courting the trucker vote. I want New Jersey folks to know that if every single Trump voter that came out in 2024 commits to voting on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, you have the power to flip that New Jersey governorship from blue to red.”

Doocy suggested that Donald Trump’s proposed policies could energize voters in New Jersey and nationwide.

“Donald Trump may actually help you out a lot,” Doocy remarked. “He’s made a lot of suggestions, things that he would like to get done… If people in New Jersey and across the country see him making hay, they’re going to go, you know what? Maybe that side, maybe the red side, is the side I should look at.”

Presler agreed, outlining Trump’s proposed agenda. “Look at what President Trump wants to do on day one. He wants to bring back the Keystone pipeline, and he wants to make sure that we’re cutting the corporate tax so jobs are coming back to America, not going overseas. He wants to make the economy better for working-class families. People are really struggling.”

Presler stressed the importance of voter turnout, warning against complacency. “The biggest obstacle that Republicans have, Steve, is complacency and apathy and not voting. Commit to vote on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, and we will win New Jersey,” he said.

Presler closed by encouraging Americans to embrace an “America First” agenda, noting, “If we are able to put forth this America First agenda, make life easier and more affordable for American families, and if people commit to voting, we could very well win the midterms. You will not only have two years of growth for our country, but President Trump will be able to use all four.”

Read More at LifeZette

WalletHub released data Monday detailing America’s most caring cities, and the results may surprise you.

“The most caring cities donate a lot of money to charity and have high volunteer rates, but being a caring city overall requires much more than just giving time or money,” analyst Chris Lupo said in a statement released with the results of WalletHub’s research. The team looked at the top 100 most populated cities across the U.S., assessing their citizens by three key metrics related to caring for the community, the vulnerable, and within the workforce. 

Metrics included things like violent crime rates, driving fatalities, but also clothing and food distribution, share of income donated to charity, share of registered volunteer fire departments. Child poverty, adoption rates, number of childcare workers, and many other key variables were used to determine the findings.

Top Most Caring Cities In 2024

Virginia Beach, Virginia, ranked as the #1 most caring city, with an overall score of 68.61, followed closely by Scottsdale, AZ, Boston, MA, Gilbert, AZ, and Chesapeake, VA. Fremont and San Francisco ranked #6 and #7 respectively, while many other California cities ranked in the Top 20. Many of these places are tech hubs, like San Jose, Irvine, as well as Chula Vista and Santa Ana.

The least caring cities were Birmingham, AL (#100), Baton Rouge, LA (#99), Memphis, TN (98), New Orleans (#97), Detroit, MI (#96), San Bernardino (#95), Tulsa, OK (#94), Winston-Salem, NC (#93), Albuquerque, NM (#92), Houston, TX (#91) and Cleveland, OH (#90)

Stats Broken Down

Fort Wayne, IN, gives the highest percentage of their income to charity. Though ranking incredibly low overall, Tulsa, OK, residents give the second highest percentage of income to charity, followed by Birmingham, AL, and Memphis, TN.

Bizarrely, San Diego, Chula Vista, and Sacramento, CA, give the lowest amount of their money to charity. These cities are only outranked by Pittsburgh, PA, Honolulu, HI, and Laredo, TX. 

“The human species evolved large brains because childcare was collective. Individual families were not burdened with constant individual care like other mammals are. Look at any village or small-scale, family-oriented society ever and you will see a pattern of collective care,” said UNC Wilmington sociology and criminology PhD Christopher S. Elliott. “Modern nations reverse the progress that evolution gave our species. Our society is forced through the discipline of the market to pay for everything, including care, and it is a pressure cooker. It is demoralizing. It feeds the debt machines and work machines.”

“There is no such thing as a ‘caring city’ in this society,” he added. But we may disagree. We know you’ve got stories of greatness, power, faith and purpose from 2024 just waiting to uplift others into His grace.

Here’s the full list:

Read More at Million Voices

Remember the song you were taught in grade school about hobos and their magical destination? 

In The Big Rock Candy Mountains
There’s a land that’s fair and bright
Where the handouts grow on bushes
And you sleep out every night

Folk songs often make, well, folk heroes out of people in society that most of us don’t really want to deal with every day on our doorstep. Robin Hood may be exciting to watch as he goes after King John’s money on the screen, but if you were among the king’s taxation staff you would probably see Robin Hood a bit differently. 

The Big Rock Candy Mountain’s friendly and easy-going hobos were probably never the mainstay of what we now call the “unhoused” population. One of the most enduring modern myths about “the homeless” is that they’re just like you and me, it’s just that they fell on hard times. Maybe it was a medical bankruptcy. Maybe they lost their job and found themselves on the street, right? 

Wrong. The overwhelming majority of the homeless are not mere victims of bad luck. They are people with years of drug addiction and/or untreated mental illness. As sad as their plight may be, they are not the only ones bearing hardship. Often their families have given up trying to help them as such people frequently choose drugs and a street life over putting in the work to get clean and on the straight and narrow. 

Billionaire inventor and X owner Elon Musk is not afraid to get to the heart of the matter:

In most cases, the word “homeless” is a lie.

It’s usually a propaganda word for violent drug addicts with severe mental illness. https://t.co/Vwp8L7tNzd

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2024

Sound harsh? Cast your mind back 25 years and you’ll notice some words that have been taken out of our modern conversation: vagrant, drifter. We replaced those “judgmental” words with the anodyne “homeless,” which has now been displaced by the even more euphemistic “unhoused.” Notice that the word puts the burden on you and me: it’s society that failed to “house” these people. 

You won’t find any reference to this reality if you try researching online. The Google search engine has a pronounced leftist bias that makes the “homeless” sacred, even cuddly, while making you feel guilty about wondering if they had any hand in their own situation:

These are not “myths.” Anyone who lives in a city–and increasingly in small towns–can attest to the aggressive, drunk, drugged, and often violent state of career panhandlers. 

X user Jeremy Kaufmann (Elon Musk was reacting to his tweet) highlighted this article from the San Franciso Chronicle.

The SF Chronicle covered what happens when you just give the homeless housing:

– They live in squalor
– They fight and kill each other
– They die of drug overdoses
– They get evicted for failure to follow basic rules
– They threaten and abuse staff pic.twitter.com/6e03PIv5rr

— Jeremy Kauffman 🦔🌲🌕 (@jeremykauffman) December 10, 2024

Even the city organ of the most liberal municipality in the U.S. can’t hide from the truth. The Chronicle’s investigation cops to the fact that the “unhoused” are often violent, filthy, and waste the help they’re given while burning every bridge behind them. 

That story was from two years ago, and the mood in the country has changed significantly since then. Americans are tired of being guilted into paying ever more to “help” people who only abuse their trust. The responses to Kauffman’s post show it:

So they basically do all the exact same things they did while they were "homeless."

Got it!

— captive dreamer (@captivedreamer7) December 10, 2024

If people lost their houses in the first place and lived on the streets, it's their choice. No matter what you give them houses or millions, they will end up in the same place. That's how their mindset works, and it will not change until they want it to change.

— Rich Niceis (@NiceisRich) December 11, 2024

Journalism student of mine, probably leaned left, went out and did a story on this in LA and I remember her telling me, sort of shocked expecting to see the "down on their luck just needing a break" stuff that it was actually all of the stuff in that SF story.

— Lincoln Bandlow (@LALincolnLawyer) December 11, 2024

The consequences of shallow solutions to homelessness are glaring. Housing alone doesn't solve addiction or behavioral issues; it often exacerbates them. We need to prioritize rehabilitation and accountability, not just shelter. Let’s invest in real solutions that empower…

— PolitiX (@magacaliforniaX) December 10, 2024

Someone down on their luck doesn’t = homelessness. Homelessness is a product of the lifestyle and/or mental state of the person. You don’t solve the problem by giving them stuff. If you could solve it, it will have to be by teaching the person to function and care for themselves…

— MarissaKinn (@KinnMarissa) December 10, 2024

The Daniel Penny subway trial is winding up as of press time, and the jury is in deliberations after the judge in the case dropped the manslaughter charge against Penny. More on this below, but first, how the hell did this trial even happen? How did we get here? 

Millions of Americans are tired of “woke” politics. Race-based grievances, special rights for minority groups, total social censure of non-left voices, and non-step leftist economic policies are a big part of why the country elected Trump this fall. 

Not only has the U.S. lost social and moral cohesion over the past few decades, but we have also lost belief in some of the most fundamental rights that everyone used to agree on. Self-defense is one of them. We’re all used to Democrat politicians trying to chip away at the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and that’s bad enough, but it doesn’t stop there. 

We appear to be losing the belief in our own right to defend our lives and the lives of those around us. How else can we explain the shockingly ignorant public response to the Kyle Rittenhouse trial? Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August of 2020 to help protect the town and its businesses as BLM protesters rioted and set fires to buildings in protest of the police shooting of a black man. Several men attacked Rittenhouse, and he fired, killing two of them. 

The country went insane. Many liberals believed, absent evidence, that Rittenhouse killed “unarmed black men.” The men who attacked him, and whom he shot, were not black, and at least one of them tried to take Rittenhouse’s gun as Rittenhouse lay on the ground trying to defend himself. He was acquitted, but only barely, as the media and politicians almost succeeded in painting the innocent teen as a monster when he was the one under attack. 

The same thing has happened to subway hero Daniel Penny, who is on trial in New York City (the jury is deliberating as this story is written) for allegedly killing subway menace Jordan Neely. The media worked overtime to portray Neely, a mentally unstable criminal and drug user with a long rap sheet, as an innocent and friendly “Michael Jackson impersonator” – as opposed to someone who threatens to murder their fellow subway passengers. This is what they always do when violent black men are pushed back against by their targets. 

Neely entered a subway and started threatening passengers, causing mothers to huddle in fear with their children behind strollers. Penny, a former marine who looks like Errol Flynn, put Neely in a chokehold until police could arrive. Contrary to initial media reports, Neely did not die on the subway, he died later at a hospital. 

Race-baiting, dishonest New York City prosecutor Alvin Bragg (the same man who went after Donald Trump in court over “hush money” payments to Stormy Daniels), charged Penny with manslaughter. It was obvious from the beginning that black Alvin Bragg intended to scalp a white man, even though he appears to be a hero, not a thug. 

But as of yesterday, presiding judge Maxwell Wiley has dropped the manslaughter charge, leaving Penny to face a charge of criminally negligent homicide. Though the name of the crime sounds worse, it actually carries a lesser sentence than manslaughter.

BREAKING: The mansl*ughter charge against Daniel Penny has been dismissed.

The jury is done for the day and will return on Monday.

"I'll take a chance and grant the people's application," Judge Wiley said following the prosecution's request to dismiss the mansl*ughter charge.… pic.twitter.com/5cQFlKPTBH

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 6, 2024

Penny should never have been arrested, let alone charged. But this is the United States in 2024, and if you’re white, male, or a Republican, a good half the country does not believe you have the moral or legal right to protect yourself and others from assault or murder. 

Let’s see how X/Twitter users are reacting. 

There shouldn’t have even been a trial to begin with

— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) December 6, 2024

It was a hung jury and now the prosecution gets to try to salvage it by dismissing the charge the jury told them they don't agree on?

In what world is this legal?

— 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 (@txsalth2o) December 6, 2024

Why does the NY justice system have such a new infatuation with making moves that have "never been done before" in order to imprison people that are seemingly innocent? 🤨

— Based Electrician⚡️🇺🇲 (@RyanHugeBrain) December 6, 2024

If he was black or undocumented they wouldn't have even charged him.

— Gabriel Angel⚡⚡ (@Countcristo44) December 6, 2024

This whole prosecution is an abomination and political corruption of the justice system. They are intent on making an example of "white man" Danny Penney. No one else would have been prosecuted. Shameful.

— America First! Americans First! (@miracledan59) December 6, 2024