Category: Politics
Michael Knowles explains why he isn’t a Christian Zionist
Over the weekend, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem released a statement reaffirming their authority in the land of Israel against proponents of Christian Zionism and other “damaging ideologies.”
The statement, published on Saturday, reaffirmed Christian leaders’ devotion to the Christian flock in the Holy Land. It condemned ideologies like Christian Zionism, which “mislead the public, sow confusion, and harm the unity of our flock.”
‘You don’t have to support the nation-state of Israel, but if you do, you can do so without adhering to the relatively novel theology of Christian Zionism.’
Christian Zionism is the belief in the continuity between the Israel of the Bible and the modern state of Israel.
The church leaders condemned the “political actors” who have been “welcomed at official levels both locally and internationally.” They described these dealings as “interference in the internal life of the church.”
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Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images
The letter continued, “These undertakings have found favor among certain political actors in Israel and beyond who seek to push a political agenda which may harm the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East.”
As a result, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem “reiterate that they alone represent the Churches and their flock in matters pertaining to Christian religious, communal, and pastoral life in the Holy Land.”
On Monday, the Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles explained his position on Christian Zionism in response to the Patriarchs’ statement.
Knowles, an outspoken Roman Catholic, explained that the joint statement issued by the Christian leaders over the weekend is essentially a reiteration of church teaching, such as a statement from 1985 from the Vatican.
The Vatican invites Christians to understand the Jews’ religious attachment to the land of Israel “without however making their own any particular religious interpretation of this relationship.”
Knowles signaled his wholehearted agreement with the next passage of the Vatican’s notes, which he said “underscores the point”: “The existence of the State of Israel and its political options should be envisaged not in a perspective which is in itself religious, but in their reference to the common principles of international law.”
Knowles said that this line of thinking is “why I would not call myself a Zionist, or a Christian Zionist.”
He continued, “It’s not because I don’t like the Jews, and it’s not because I don’t even support the state of Israel. As I think I’ve made clear, I am broadly supportive of the nation-state of Israel. But I am broadly supportive of it not because I believe in the principles of Zionism, which makes certain historical claims and religious claims that I just don’t think are true.”
Knowles also said that he doesn’t think that just because a people lived on a plot of land many years ago, it entitles them to the land today. “If that were the case, we would have to turn Mount Rushmore over to the Lakota Sioux. I don’t believe any of that.”
He finally clarified that most of his support for the nation-state of Israel is negative — that is, he doesn’t like the alternatives, referring to other nations in the region like Iran and other Muslim groups. “The current options in the Holy Land are not great.”
Staking his position clearly near the end of the clip, Knowles said, “You don’t have to support the nation-state of Israel, but if you do, you can do so without adhering to the relatively novel theology of Christian Zionism.”
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Pritzker sides with criminals once again, signing controversial ‘Clean Slate’ bill into law
Despite an appalling violent crime problem in Chicago, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker has signed a bill protecting convicts, making it easier for them to get past hiring filters and find jobs in Illinois.
On Saturday, Pritzker signed the Clean Slate Act, which will enable officials to seal non-violent criminal records for over 1.7 million people in Illinois, Fox 32 Chicago reported.
Just last month, Gov. Pritzker fortified the state’s sanctuary laws.
The new law will require eligible records to be sealed by 2029.
The law applies only to non-violent convictions and dismissed or reversed charges and arrests. More serious crimes, such as sexual violence, DUI, or any crimes that require sex offender registration, are not eligible for automatic sealing.
While this particular law excludes violent felonies, it comes at a time when violent incidents on Chicago trains are making national headlines.
Moreover Pritzker has a long history of siding with suspected law-breakers over victims. In 2023, cashless bail became the law of the state, thanks to the SAFE-T Act he signed previously. Just last month, he fortified the state’s sanctuary laws, prohibiting federal immigration agents from conducting operations near courthouses, hospitals, university campuses, and day-care centers.
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John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
The Clean Slate Act is celebrated by the Democrats as a jobs initiative, since many businesses use background checks to filter out candidates with prior convictions. Once the records are sealed, that traditional filter will be less robust, allowing potential former convicts to remain in the running.
“There is no reasonable public safety justification for making it hard for returning citizens to get a job or housing or an education,” Pritzker said, according to Fox 32. “It’s a policy guided by punishment rather than rehabilitation.”
The Clean Slate Initiative lists Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, and New York as states that have passed legislation that meets their criteria for Clean Slate laws. Washington, D.C., is also listed.
The criteria include automation of record sealing, including arrest and misdemeanor records. The Clean Slate Initiative also includes a “strong recommendation for laws to include eligibility of at least one felony record.”
Sheena Meade, CEO of the Clean Slate Initiative, stated: “Our coalition partners — including Live Free Illinois, the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments, the Workers Center for Racial Justice, Impact for Equity, and Code for America — and bill sponsors Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth and Sen. Elgie Sims have shown the resolve, persistence, and heart needed to drive real change.”
The new law will take effect June 1.
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VIDEO: Crowd at college football championship goes wild after Trump appears during national anthem
President Donald Trump got a thunderous applause from the attendees at the College Football National Championship game in Miami, Florida, during the national anthem on Monday night.
The president waved and smiled at the crowd as “American Idol” winner Jamal Roberts belted out the song at Hard Rock Stadium Monday.
‘God bless the talented players and dedicated coaches, the families who love and support them.’
Trump had released a statement about the game prior to the event.
“At its best, college football reflects our timeless American values of family, freedom, unity, and hard work and represents the pinnacle of our national spirit,” Trump said in the statement.
“Melania and I congratulate the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes on making it to the College Football Playoff National Championship,” he added. “God bless the talented players and dedicated coaches, the families who love and support them, and the faithful fans who cheer them on. May the best team win!”
Many videos showed the loud applause for Trump when he appeared on the video screen at the stadium during the performance.
Beside him stood daughter Ivanka Trump with others behind her. Deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and the president’s adviser Boris Epshteyn also accompanied the president.
Also in attendance was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is a fan of the Miami Hurricanes.
The White House posted a short video of the applause for the president during the game.
The Hoosiers went on to defeat the Hurricanes in a score of 27 to 21.
Trump has attended the College Football National Championship game twice previously, once in 2018 and again in 2020.
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State Senator Omar Fateh calls for eviction moratorium to help residents ‘terrified’ to go to work in Minnesota
Minnesota state Senator Omar Fateh called for the governor to issue an eviction moratorium to help his “neighbors” who are having a tough time making ends meet under the threat of deportation.
The Trump administration has increased immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota after more and more evidence of government welfare and relief fraud in the Somali community.
‘Our neighbors are terrified to leave their homes, go to work and many are now struggling to make ends meet.’
Fateh said in a statement on social media Monday that Democratic Gov. Tim Walz should place restrictions on evictions to help those affected by the crackdown.
“Minnesota is in an emergency. Our neighbors are terrified to leave their homes, go to work and many are now struggling to make ends meet,” he posted.
“Minnesotans are already stepping up to help their neighbors in need — it is time for the governor to enact an eviction moratorium,” he added.
Many on social media reacted with scorn to the suggestion.
“Go to work? You mean scam and fraud? That is not real work,” one critic responded.
“If they are terrified, they are illegal or commiting fraud[.] Sane law abiding citizens aren’t terrified,” another replied.
“Another scam in the works!” another detractor said.
A similar moratorium was demanded by unions in Los Angeles to protect illegal immigrants from evictions over their inability to continue to work while being hunted by federal immigration enforcement agents.
Fateh, a son of Somali immigrants to Minnesota, is best known for his failed campaign for Minneapolis mayor. Democratic-Farmer-Labor Mayor Jacob Frey took the office with nearly a 6% margin over Fateh in November.
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Walz has also been accused of obstructing investigations into the Somali fraud in Minnesota, though he has denied the allegations and claimed to have ordered criminal probes into the schemes.
Republicans in Minnesota have already drawn up articles of impeachment against Walz.
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Minnesota nurses’ union calls on members to join ‘economic blackout’ to protest ICE raids
The Minnesota Nurses Association asked members to join an “economic blackout” and rally to show opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the state.
A statement posted on the MNA website said the organization represents nurses and other health care workers, including “many who are immigrants or have immigrant loved ones directly impacted by ICE enforcement.” They also expressed concern for “mixed-status families” who are patients in the health care system.
‘ICE should be investigated for human and constitutional violations of Americans and our neighbors.’
The statement emphasized, however, that the MNA was not calling for a walkout or work stoppage. An economic blackout means participants cease making purchases in an attempt to force political action through economic pressure.
The Trump administration ordered a surge in federal troops to the Minneapolis-St. Paul region of Minnesota in December after continuing evidence of government relief and welfare fraud in the Somali community.
Many on the left have accused the administration of being motivated by racism by focusing on fraud committed by some in the ethnic group.
The MNA listed the demands of the anti-ICE demonstration that it supports. Organizers called for ICE to leave Minnesota immediately and for the officer who shot and killed activist Renee Good to be “held legally accountable.” They also said no “additional federal funding” should be added to the upcoming congressional budget.
“ICE should be investigated for human and constitutional violations of Americans and our neighbors,” they added.
“As nurses, we cannot be absent when fear is driving people away from care and tearing families apart,” said MNA President Chris Rubesch. “Participation in this day is about standing with our patients, our co-workers, and our communities.”
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President Donald Trump issued his criticism of the Somali community on social media on Thanksgiving Day.
“Hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota,” the president wrote. “Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for ‘prey’ as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone.”
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