There are some people in this world who are born to be useful idiots. Lord knows, today I feel like one of them. While I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, most days I am not without some measure of intelligence and influence.

Later this month will mark a year from a day that shocked the veteran community. On March 27, 2023, I along with many Americans were saddened to learn of the unfortunate passing of Navy SEAL veteran Douglas “Mike” Day.

Jesus cried because He is compassionate. He cares for the sufferings of others. Jesus became human so He can understand the sufferings of His people. Jesus didn't know suffering in Heaven. He surely knows it now on earth.

Greg and I have called the creek valley our home for over 20 years, and even in that short time, we have seen so much change.

The tragic killing of 22-year-old Laken Riley in Georgia two weeks ago by Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan migrant in the country illegally and with a criminal record, is the latest example of a much larger problem: Criminal gangs are brazenly taking advantage of America’s broken immigration policies to invade our country. 

Homelessness in Pittsburgh rose 23% in 2022 and has likely not improved much since, pending the results of Allegheny County’s annual point-in-time count conducted in January. Many homeless are left living on the streets and trails of Pittsburgh as the county struggles to find vacant beds for this growing population. At least two homeless people have died in tents during the cold winter months.

The ongoing turmoil in the Middle East following the October Hamas attacks has completely upended conventional policy hopes for the region and has forced the global community to deal with yet another geopolitical crisis.

A human tsunami of previously unfathomable size – Border Patrol has had to handle more than 7.6 million border crossers in 36 months – has smashed every record, with each year’s numbers exceeding the previous year’s record in stair-stepping fashion. Too many of our elected leaders have selfish reasons to let the border crisis continue, no matter what their constituents demand. Whether they will be able to continue in their inaction is in the hands of the American people.

President Joe Biden took aim and the nation's debt and deficit in his State of the Union address on Thursday, but several of his financial claims were false, according to some budget experts, including his claim that he cut the deficit by $1 trillion last term. 

Former President Donald Trump responded to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address with a speech of his own late Thursday. In his response, Trump focused on the border crisis, laying the blame squarely at the feet of the president. More than 11 million illegal immigrants have entered the U.S. since Biden took office.

The powers that be feed us lots of information that may not necessarily be in our best interest. We must do our own digging to ascertain what is best for the country and our children.

Joe Biden delivered a State of the Union address with a full head of steam maintaining his momentum during aggressive and polarizing remarks that, at times, sounded identical to a campaign pitch. He was not subtle, vowing to “win again in 2024.”

"Like so many families across America, my family and I just watched President Biden's State of the Union Address from our living room and what we saw was a performance from a permanent politician who has actually been in office longer than I've been alive," Sen. Britt, 42, said in a video online filmed from her kitchen. "One thing was clear, though, Biden just doesn't get it. He's out of touch."

These are our choices America, the ones we knew we’d get and long dreaded. The next eight months will remind no one of Periclean Athens, but they won’t be boring. Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

“Guatemala,” according to Reuters, “is considering reaching out to develop formal trade ties with China.” We know what happens next. The Chinese Communist Party will do what it always does and attempt to condition trade relations on Guatemala’s denial of Taiwan’s legitimacy (as well as its support for China’s other geopolitical goals). The question is: will Guatemala succumb, or will President Bernardo Arévalo resist Beijing’s bullying?